《Naruto: The Wind Calamity》 Chapter 0.1: Basic Information Official Rankings 1. Academy trainee 2. Genin 3. Chunin 4. Elite Chunin 5. Special Jounin Jutsu ranking levels : Rank E - Academy level Rank D - Genin level Rank C, B - Chunin level Rank A - Jounin level Rank S - Elite Jounin level Chapter 0.2: Synopsis The MC transmigrates into Narutoverse in the body of a civilian orphan. Luckily for him, the transmigration results in chakra being unlocked. Follow the story of the MC as he grows in power and stabilizes himself into the world of ninjas and trains to be the strongest. Warning : 1. The MC won''t be op for a long time. All his power would be gained via hard work and training over years (so if u want an op mc right from the word go, this one ain''t for you) 2. No harem (probably no romance either) 3. There will be a lot of killing (maybe gore too, not sure if I can do gore right though) 3. MC manipulating the plot to his advantage 4. A lot of original arcs. 5. Plot will mostly stay the same (at least till Shippuden), but I won''t repeat any scenes/dialogues that took place in the manga (as I''m assuming you''ve already read it). Disclaimer : I don''t own Naruto or it''s characters (except the original characters I create) PS : It''s my first fanfic, I''m hoping it turns out good. All reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome. Grammar and English should be fine, but I''m not sure how good the dialogues and scenarios will be. Hopefully I''ll improve as this fanfic progresses forward.. Chapter 0.3: Original Character List WARNING : Don''t read this if you haven''t read the whole fanfic yet (This is for readers who have caught up with the latest chapter and might have difficulties in recalling an Original Character) Suzuki Fujin - Main Character Orphanage : Sakai Eichi - Orphanage friend Aoki Daisuke - Orphanage friend Naomi - Orphan at orphange Tatsuya - Orphan at orphange Saya - Orphanage caretaker Momonosuke - Orphanage caretaker Academy : Nara Kisho - Academy Entrance Exam supervisor, Special Jounin Doi Masashi - Academy teacher, Chuunin Hyuga Hachiro - 2nd phase examiner, Chuunin Adachi Genki - Class teacher, Chuunin Nakaya Michi - Swordsman teacher, Chuunin Kurama Illumi - Jounin Uchiha Yori - classmate Senju Teru - classmate Hyuga Hana - classmate Shimura Nobu - classmate Hyuga Hoka - classmate Aoki Nora - civilian classmate Hatake Rei - One year senior Uchiha Mieko - one year junior Others : Yamanaka Shin - Taught Fujin sensor related techniques, Special Jounin Jounin Sensei : Senju Renjiro - Elite Jounin Mission - Land of Tea :(Ch 68-75) Wasabi Daichi - Finance manager of Wasabi family Iha Toshio - Merchant Wagarashi Tomio - Jounin from Wagarashi familyN??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. Tamanaha Norio - Rouge Jounin. Was hired by Wagarashi family. Masato - Tomio''s right hand. An Elite Chunin Genin Exam : (Ch 76-102) Nara Minori - Genin Yamanaka Kaoru - Genin Endo Tadao - Genin 1st Chunin squad : (Ch 150) Sarutobi Tamotsu - Elite Chunin Hatake Ryota - Chunin Inuzuka Tadashi - Chunin Aburame Katsumi - Chunin Kenta - Tadashi''s dog Academy - Daisuke''a class (Ch 162) Anzai Buncho - Orphan Handa Bunjiro - Orphan Iriye Ryoma - Orphan Rank B missions : (Ch 164) Akera Sotan - Jounin from Land of Noodles Konda Kunio - Uncle of Daimyo of Land of Frost Saigo Rikyu - Rogue chunin, formerly from Kumo Nishio Korenaga - Rogue Jounin, formerly from Kumo. Fumihiko Mokuami - Rogue Special Jounin, formerly from Kiri. Seal Master. Rani A mission with Uchiha : (Ch 168) Uchiha Akihiko - Elite Jounin Uchiha Tienosuke - Jounin Uchiha Shunko - Chunin Uchiha Masaru - Jounin Uchiha Sora - Jounin Uchiha Haru - Jounin Uchiha Genji - Jounin Hiroshi - Leader of Kusagakure Kaito - A official in Tsumagoi village Jashin Followers : Zankoku - Grand Priest Datsuron - Jounin Yasuhiro - Jounin Isamu - Jounin Matsushita Yusuke - Noble from Land of Hot Water Kumogakure : Hari - Advisor Inazuma - Old advisor to the 3rd Raikage. Anbu Squad Captain - Akimichi Tsuyoshi (Ch 235) Chapter 1: Transmigration Konoha : In the most famous building in Konoha, an old man, smoking with a smoking pipe, was staring out of the window. Behind him, a table full of papers, which needed his signature. Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, continued to stare out of the window at the 4th Hokage''s monument. Today was exactly a year, since Konoha had to face Nine Tails assault. Hiruzen finally let out a sigh. Konoha suffered the most losses of any village in the 3rd great ninja war due to having to fight every village. And merely a year later, they had to face another assault which not only killed the 4th Hokage, but also a lot of their ninjas and civilians. This not only increased the burden on him and existing ninjas, but also caused Konoha''s orphanage to be overpopulated. Hiruzen sighed again, finally starting his day by getting that damned paperwork done. In one such orphanage, Suzuki Fujin, a 5 year old orphan, was sound asleep. Suddenly however, he got up, screaming in pain while holding his head and falling unconscious. The scream woke up his fellow orphans, who alerted the caretaker. A few hours later, Suzuki Fujin woke up, but still under intense headache, thinking ''Damn what the heck''s up with this headache! While I did stay up late last night working on that project, I haven''t ever suffered such a headache. And it feels like memory is all jumbled up''. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked around. Frowning upon noticing the unfamiliar surrounding, ''what is this? Where am I? I wonder how that even works! Anyways, I got a lot of information from his memories. His parents seemed to have died in Kurama''s rampage and he was incredibly lucky to live. And damn, after being admitted into the orphanage, he was examined by Root to see if he can be taken in. Lucky me that they didn''t choose him. Hmm, since Kurama''s attack took place an year ago, and since he is 5 years old, it seems I''m 4 years older than Naruto and his generation. Alright, that gives me more time to train and gain power. The Uchiha massacre should occur after around 7 years, Konoha crush after 12 years and Pain''s attack and 4th great ninja war after 16 years. Wait, what''s this feeling?'' At that moment, he felt a weird energy flowing through him. He thought, ''Is this chakra? His memories didn''t have anything related to chakra. So does it mean that chakra was unlocked when I transmigrated into him? Finally some good news. With this, getting into the ninja academy should be easier than other civilians. Though I wonder how does my chakra level compare to chakra level of others. Anyways, probably better to get a look at the surroundings first to understand more of this place.'' With that, he finally stopped pretending to be asleep and woke up. l--B1n. Chapter 2: Orphanage After getting up, he could see that it was already evening. The clock showed that it was 6:30 pm. He also noticed that he was incredibly hungry. He thought, ''I haven''t eaten anything all day, no wonder I''m so hungry. I need to grab something to eat. I also need to act as a kid. I hope no one notices any changes in me'' He walked to the door and heard a couple of noises outside. On opening it, he saw those 2 kids playing with each other. He recalled that their names were Sakai Eichi and Aoki Daisuke. Both were good friends with Fujin and also shared the room. Eichi had lost his parents in the Kurama assault too, whereas Daisuke had lost his during the 3rd great ninja war. Looking at Fujin, their faces showed concern and quickly ran to him. Daisuke asked, "Fujin, what happened, are you fine now?" Nodding his head, Fujin confirmed, "Yeah, I''m fine now. Sorry about before. Had a terrible headache." Eichi said, "Oh, that''s a relief. We were worried about you." Right at that moment, a growling sound was heard, and all 3 kids looked towards Fujin''s stomach. Fujin looked embarrassed and said while rubbing the back of his head, "Guess I''m very hungry" and Eichi remarked, "Figures, you''ve been sleeping all day". Daisuke then put his arm around Fujin and said, "Well let''s go to the mess and see if there''s anything there." All three kids started to make their way to the mess. On the way, quite a few kids gave Fujin a curious look. A couple of them also asked how he is doing now. Fujin analyzed, ''I guess they all heard about me screaming and falling unconscious''. Fujin recalled from his memories that there are over 250 orphans in this orphanage. Fujin wondered ''I wonder if Naruto is in this orphanage too''. On reaching the mess, we saw the caretaker. Her name was Saya. She was a middle-aged woman, and also very friendly. Upon seeing Fujin she quickly approached him and inquired about his health. Upon hearing that he was alright, she felt relieved. She informed Fujin, "We were very worried about you. We called a doctor to check on you. But he didn''t understand what was wrong with you, I''m glad you are fine, but you still have to get checked up once again." Fujin nodded and replied, "Thank You. But right now I am very hungry, is there anything I could eat?" She nodded, and replied, "Yes, the dinner has been prepared. Though there''s still some time for dinner to be arranged for everyone, I''ll arrange the food for you". Then Saya prepared a plate for Fujin, while Daisuke and Eichi went away to play. Well for now, normal jutsus are out of the question. Normal civilians don''t get access to jutsus, so jutsus could only be taken from the academy. And I can only attempt to join the ninja academy next year. Even though I know about many jutsus and know what they can do, I don''t really remember the hand signs for them. The only jutsu who''s hand signs I remember is the shadow clone technique. Sadly it''s a Jounin level technique and dangerous enough to be classified as forbidden. Not to mention, knowing those hand signs itself won''t be enough. I guess the hand signs made the chakra move in a particular manner or display some properties which allow those jutsus to be completed. Until I gain that knowledge, attempting hand signs would be rather pointless. That said, I could try jutsus and training that don''t require hand signs. Rasengan, elements and chakra control can be trained. Since I have unlocked my chakra, chakra control exercises would be crucial to do. Only issue is that I don''t want anyone else to watch me doing them. I guess I can try to do Leaf concentration over the next year. Tree climbing could attract a lot of attention. And with a village full of ninjas, it''s impossible to ensure full privacy. Luckily, the first and second stages of Rasengan training can be done in privacy, so can the first stage of elemental training. Apart from that, I should try to improve my body. Heck, this is probably the most critical. While my physical condition ain''t bad, It''s not very good either. So I should start with light exercise to build up stamina and power. I wonder if I could do something similar to Master Roshi''s training, and it would be incredibly helpful if I can catch Guy''s attention. Oh well, let''s see what happens tomorrow. Hopefully at least this headache will be gone by tomorrow''. With that, Fujin finally went back to sleep. Chapter 3: And the Training begins... On waking up the next morning, Fujin looked out of the window, to notice that the sky was still dark. He thought, ''Whoa, I woke up really early. Seems like it''s just 5 am yet. Oh well, I basically slept the whole day yesterday, little wonder I woke up so soon. Anyways, I suppose I''ll have to make a habit of it if I really intend to get strong. On the plus side, the damned headache has finally gone away!'' He got out of his bed, to notice that Eichi and Daisuke are still fast asleep. Not expecting little kids to wake up anytime soon, he freshened up and got out of his room. He then walked out of the orphanage building. The orphanage had a decent size playground for the kids towards the north side. Whereas, on the east and south sides it had a lot of trees which looked sort of like a mini forest. It seems that Konoha has a lot of such mini-forests throughout the village. And many such areas were used as training grounds for ninjas. Luckily or unluckily, there wasn''t any such training ground in the vicinity of the orphanage. The western side had residential areas, and had a market a few hundred meters away. Fujin thought, ''The forest could potentially provide me some cover and privacy. While it''s probably not the best place, it does provide me with an option to do some secret training. Other than that, I''d also need to see if and when I could have my orphanage room all to myself. Anyways, I suppose I should start with some warm up and see how much this body can be pushed.''N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. Finally ending his train of thoughts, Fujin started to stretch his body in order to loosen up the muscles. After around 10 minutes of stretching, he started to run around the playground. In his estimate, the circumference of the playground was around a hundred metres. He was able to complete the initial few rounds with ease, but soon started getting tired. After pushing himself to the limit, he was able to complete 28 rounds around the playground. Taking deep breaths, he thought, ''Wow, I ran nearly 3 kilometres! There''s no way I could have ran even a kilometre at 5 years old in my previous life. And I don''t recall this guy doing any exercises before I took over his body. I wonder if it''s due to the bodies of the people in this world being much stronger, or if me unlocking Chakra made the body stronger somehow. I''m guessing it''s the former as I just unlocked Chakra yesterday. Alright, I''ll take a short break and get back to it.'' Either way, there''s not much of an option right now. Of all the 5 natures, I only know the proper training method for wind nature as it was covered properly. The training for remaining natures will just be a wild guess for me. So probably best to delay their training till academy starts. Until then, I''ll master the wind nature, irrespective of whether it is my affinity or not.'' Fujin then channeled his chakra, and tried to cut the leaf into two. The training continued without any success for half an hour, when a bell rang throughout the orphanage. The bell signified that breakfast was available. Eichi and Daisuke woke up as soon as the bell rang. Looking at Fujin sitting on the bed, Daisuke said, "Morning, you woke up early?". Fujin replied, "Morning, I had slept too early, probably that''s why." Eichi then said, "Good morning, it''s nice to see you ain''t screaming today." Following which, both Daisuke and Eichi laughed at Fujin''s expense. Fujin showed an embarrassed expression and replied, "Yeah whatever, I''ll head down for breakfast. Make sure you two sleepyheads come down before it''s all over." On hearing this, both Eichi and Daisuke ran to grab their toothbrush. Over the next week, the same pattern followed. Fujin woke up early, did morning exercises, and noticed his two roommates seem to only wake up when the bell rang. And whenever he had the opportunity, he tried to cut the leaf. He also added practicing punching and kicking in his morning exercises. He noticed that Eichi and Daisuke were mostly out playing with everyone else. So the room was empty most of the time. This was especially true after morning breakfast (around 10am-noon) and a few hours before dinner (around 4-6pm). With that information, he finally started practicing the leaf concentration exercise in order to improve his chakra control in that period. Here, a leaf was placed on the forehead, and all his chakra is directed onto the leaf, using it as the focal point. Along with improving chakra control, it also aided in improving concentration. Fujin recalled Naruto remembering its importance while mastering Rasengan. Fujin not participating in playing with other kids was suspicious, but thanks to the fact that the orphanage was already overcrowded, no one paid much attention to him. The screaming and falling unconscious event was long forgotten. Only his 2 friends were upset that he didn''t play with them much any longer. In order to prevent any more suspicion on him, while doing the leaf concentration exercise, Fujin used to sit on the bed in such a manner that his back faced the door. If anyone abruptly entered the room, he''d instantly stop the exercise and make the leaf isn''t visible to anyone entering the room. Luckily for him, there wasn''t much interference. Chapter 4: Progress Over the next 6 months, Fujin followed the same routine. His physical fitness, concentration and chakra control steadily growing. He also noticed that it also resulted in a significant increase in his chakra reserves. Sadly with nothing to compare, he had no idea how good or bad his chakra reserves were. On the physical side, he was able to run almost 50 rounds of the playground now. He was able to do 4 sets of pushups with 12 reps, 5 sets of sit ups with 20 reps, 5 sets of squats with 15 reps and 4 sets of pull-ups with 8 reps. He noted that it was much easier to improve physically here as compared to the previous world.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. When it came to wind nature training, it took him 3 and half months to successfully cut one leaf, and only after 6 months of nature training, he was finally able to successfully cut the leaf in one go without any issues. While it did take very long, it was understandable due to quite a few factors like Fujin just having unlocked his chakra, with him not having any shadow clones to assist or a great teacher to guide him. As he couldn''t cut off a waterfall to complete the next stage, he just tried cutting tougher materials to improve wind nature further. He replaced the leaf, with a small piece of wooden twig and then branch which were lying around. Fujin also had another idea, he thought, ''I have all the basics down, so passing the entrance exam shouldn''t be much of an issue. However I wonder if I should start attempting to improve my physical capabilities by aiding them with chakra. I know that chakra could be used to boost speed by concentrating chakra into the legs, similarly the power of punches can be increased by gathering chakra in your fists. I need to experiment on whether I could do more push ups and other exercises if I do them while using Chakra to assist those exercises.'' With those thoughts, Fujin began his experiment. He noticed a significant rise in speed and power, when using Chakra to perform those activities. However there were many issues. The first being that it was too inefficient and a lot of chakra was being wasted. The second issue being that it required a lot of chakra, something his current reserves couldn''t handle. So Fujin decided to modify his morning exercises. He decided to keep doing what he has been doing so far, but once he was done with it, he repeated his exercise, only this time doing them with the aid of chakra. And this benefited him immensely, increasing his physical capabilities, his ability to use chakra and also noticed a rise in the speed at which his chakra reserves grew. He began wondering why his chakra reserves suddenly started growing at a faster rate. Upon analysing, Fujin came to a conclusion, ''I think that it is rising due to the fact that I''ve been exhausting my chakra on a daily basis. Each time I do that, it probably increases my chakra reserves slightly. If my analysis is right, then currently I have 2 means to increase my reserves. The first being to increase it with a combination of physical exercise and meditation, and the second method being by exhausting my chakra to its limits over and over. I wonder if there are any other means as well.'' Chapter 5: Academy Entrance Exam Around 2 months after Fujin turned 6, the academy entrance exams were conducted. Waking up early, Fujin freshened up, and prepared to leave for the academy. For the first time in 10 months, Fujin hadn''t done his morning workout. He waited for Daisuke and Eichi to get ready as they too were planning to participate in the exams. In all, around 7 boys and 2 girls from his orphanage were taking the academy exams this year. They all left together, along with the caretaker Momonosuke from the orphanage. Once they reached the academy, all the kids were surprised at the vast number of children that had gathered to take the exam. A girl named Naomi exclaimed, "What??? There are hundreds of participants here!!" Momonosuke then said, "Probably over a thousand. Last year there were over 1,600 kids attempting the exam. However only around 330 were selected" as all the kids looked at him. Fujin thought, ''I didn''t expect this. So many participants and so many selected? I guess Konoha is trying to fill the void left by deaths during the 3rd war and Kurama assault. Oh well, it doesn''t really affect me in any way.'' On looking around, Fujin saw some groups within the crowd that wore Konoha headbands. Momonosuke looking at Fujin commented, "They are trained ninjas from various clans in our village and are probably accompanying their children. Probably all of them will pass the exam" Hearing that, all the kids tensed up a bit. Looking at that, Momonosuke chuckled and attempted to cheer them, "But you shouldn''t worry so much. Majority participants aren''t from clans. So you have a good chance to pass. Just give it your best." The other kids nodded nervously. At that time, someone wearing a Chuunin vest approached the crowd and announced to the crowd that exams would begin shortly and all kids were to gather at the training ground behind the academy. After coming to the back of the Academy, Fujin''s whole group took a look at the Hokage Rock, which had the faces of all four Hokage carved in it. Everyone was awestruck by it. Fujin thought, ''While I did see it from a distance, but up-close it looks magnificent! I do wonder if it serves a bigger purpose than just something that just looks good.'' After the 1st phase was done, the participants were given a break and provided breakfast. After breakfast, the examiner for the 2nd phase appeared. Fujin noted that he was from the Hyuga clan. He announced, "In each of the group, the ones who have unlocked chakra step forward." All except 1 from Fujin''s group moved forward. In all there were almost a hundred kids who had unlocked their chakra. Everyone who was from a ninja clan had their chakra unlocked. Fujin sighed in relief as he saw a lot of civilian kids step out too. So him unlocking Chakra won''t be very eye-catching. The Hyuga activated his Byakugan and examined the chakra of the ones who stepped forward. He had to check for the amount of chakra and its quality. All the 20 from Fujin''s group passed. Of the remaining, 64 students were passed too, whereas others were disqualified. Then, a few chuunins then moved around and helped all the remaining students to unlock their chakra. Fujin was surprised, ''Wow, I didn''t think they''d help everyone unlock their chakra. Konoha must be really desperate. That said, it''s obvious that not all of the kids here will pass. So the direct effect of this move will be that there will be a lot of ''civilians'' who will have access to Chakra. I wonder if these people serve some purpose. And how many more such people exist in Konoha?'' While the process of unlocking Chakra was ongoing, Nara Kisho was observing the situation. Looking at him, the examiner for the 2nd phase, Hyuga Hachiro, walked to him. The Hyuga said, "I''m surprised that the 3rd ordered to have all these kids unlock their chakras." Nara Kisho nodded and replied, "Yeah, he doesn''t have much other option. We lost too much in the past few years. In the past couple of years, he ordered training of the reserve Genins, to replace the dead, however even that''s not enough. And while most of the kids here won''t become a ninja, but with chakra enhancing them, they''ll help fill many other roles in the future. Honestly, I''m impressed by the efforts the Hokage took in order to ensure that so many kids attempted the exam. Even the capacity of the academy has been increased." Hyuha Hachiro replied, "Yeah, we just need a few years without any major conflict." Kisho dejectedly replied, "Yeah, but these exams are gonna be a pain in the ass till then." Hyuga Hachiro laughed seeing the Nara''s annoyance. The process of unlocking and examining chakra went on for a while. It was evening when it got completed. In all, around 430 kids were passed. Remaining 447 kids failed and were asked to return to their guardians. The ones who passed were gathered together in the training ground. A few kids then saw that an old man with a smoking pipe was walking towards them. Fujin looked to his left, ''Oh, finally I''m gonna see someone from the story. To think that the first person I recognized would be Hiruzen himself!'' Chapter 6: Hokages speech and New home On seeing the 3rd Hokage, everyone got respectful and serious. Most kids were surprised that he came to meet them. He looked at the kids and smiled gently. He began his speech, "Congratulations to all of you for passing the entrance exams." And took a pause. All the kids were very happy and excited to finally enter the ninja academy. The surrounding chuunins asked for silence to be maintained and let Lord Hokage speak. Fujin however thought, ''Here it is, I guess I''ll finally experience his legendary skill of influencing young kids. In my previous life, everyone talked about Naruto''s talk no jutsu. But no one ever talked about how Hiruzen influenced Naruto to work hard and risk his life to protect the very people who made his life miserable!'' The 3rd continued, "Now that you have entered the academy, we''ll teach you the ways of a Konoha Shinobi. We''ll ensure that you guys become full fledged Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf village. This academy was created by Lord 2nd Hokage. He himself taught a lot of students in the academy, including me. I still remember the fun and battles we had in the academy. The ninjas who pass out of the academy all ensure that our village stays safe and peaceful. They ensure that you stay protected. And soon it''ll be up to you to carry forward that will. The Will of Fire as Lord 1st Hokage used to say. Now you will be the ones who will carry the will of fire in you. Love your village and ensure that your will of fire preserves peace and prosperity. Carry on the will of fire in you brighter than anyone else. And let every other village know that the will of fire still burns brighter than anything else. Have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work. And, be healthy in mind and body. And with that, I welcome you future ninjas to our academy." As soon as the speech ended, the excitement that was bubbling within the kids finally popped and all started celebrating. The day was finally called off and everyone started to return home. After reuniting with his fellow orphans, Fujin found out that only 4 kids passed. Even Eichi failed. Only Fujin, Daisuke, Tatsuya and Naomi passed. Momonosuke comforted the ones who failed, mentioning all the other things they could do when they grow up. And all of us returned to the orphanage. There were still 3 days for the academy to open, however those days were busy for Fujin and the other orphans who passed. The orphans who passed the entrance exam, would no longer live in the orphanage. They were provided with a small apartment in the residential areas which would be rent free until they became a ninja, and would also be provided with a small stipend to support themselves. Fujin thought, ''Oh, I didn''t know about this. I knew Naruto lived alone later on, but I thought he might have been given special treatment due to his circumstances. I do wonder what the aim is by asking us to live alone. I guess the main advantage I can see is that this way we would be better prepared if we had to go on a solo mission outside the village.''N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. After packing up what little clothes he had, he got out of the orphanage and looked back at it. He saw that Daisuke was very sad and even crying as he and Eichi won''t be together any longer. Fujin thought, ''Well it''s not really like I developed much relationship with anyone here. Naruto isn''t in this orphanage, so there''s not really much point in staying here anyways.'' All 4 orphans were accompanied by the Orphanage caretaker to their new apartments. After dropping the other 3 off, Fujin was the last one to reach his apartment. He thought, ''So this''ll be my new home for the next few years.'' He then counted the stipend given to him. There was 1000 ryo provided to him. He thought, ''Well I know that ryo is the currency here, but I don''t know whether this is a lot or not. I just kept training and didn''t even ever go to the shopping area near the orphanage. I really need to go out and understand the prices here. I also need to find out the costs of shurikens, Kunai, Senbon, swords, explosion tags, scrolls and other important stuff. Though I suppose there''s no need to worry about that just yet. The most immediate thing to buy would be chakra paper!'' He ate a ration bar. While it didn''t taste bad, it didn''t taste good either. He noted that orphanage food definitely tasted better. After that he left his apartment, locked his door and went out. After asking for a bit, he found the marketplace. There he went around checking the price of various stuff. He found out that 1 dozen eggs cost 24 ryo, 1 litre milk cost 9 ryo, and a packet of bread slices cost 5 ryo. 1kg meat cost 60 ryo. Various vegetables and fruits cost in the range of 10-20 ryo. He thought, ''I see, the 1000 ryo are more than sufficient if used just for this stuff.'' He looked around and also found a weapon shop. A set of 6 shurikens cost 2000 ryo, whereas Kunai cost 1000 ryo each. A set of 6 senbon cost 1000 ryo, and swords were much more expensive, its price varying depending on the quality. He thought, ''These are expensive. I''d have to save for a long time to afford these!'' After that, he asked the shopkeeper whether they had chakra papers. The Shopkeeper nodded and Fujin bought one for 100 Ryo. Finally ending his short trip, he bought a dozen eggs, 1 pack of bread slices, 1 litre milk, a few fruits, 12 water balloons, 3 rubber balls, items for daily use like soap, toothbrush and paste and so on. Excluding the cost of the chakra paper, he spent around 80 ryo on that journey. And he wouldn''t have to worry about breakfast for the next few days. On reaching home, he channeled his chakra through the chakra paper. The chakra paper split right through the middle. He sighed, ''It ain''t lightning. Well whatever, Wind is pretty good too! Also I''ve already started training in it.'' Next day, the training continued, but in the evening, after asking a few strangers, he finally reached Ichiraku ramen. Teuchi became the 2nd canon character Fujin saw. He ordered Miso ramen, which cost 45 ryo. After eating it, he thought ''Wow, it tasted delicious! Still though, 45 ryo is pretty expensive for me currently. I won''t be able to visit here frequently.'' Satisfied with the food, he returned back to his home. Chapter 7: Academy starts Today was the day the academy finally started. Fujin woke at 5 am, freshened up, and went through his morning workout. After completing it and having a bath, he ran to the academy. The academy started at 8 am. He was assigned to class 4A, on the fourth floor. On entering the class, he saw that quite a few had already arrived. There were over 25 students already in there. He entered and sat on one of the unoccupied benches. He noticed that most of the people in here were from the ninja clans. They wore the crest of their clan on their backs. Fujin wondered, ''This classroom ain''t big, at most 40 would fit in. Does that mean there are over 10 divisions in my year?''N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. At 8, Adachi Genki sensei arrived. He first distributed identity cards to everyone. He then introduced himself. On arriving he introduced himself, "Welcome to the academy. I''m Adachi Genki and I''ll be your class teacher for this year. How about we get to know each other first. I''ll tell you guys more about myself. I''m a chuunin of Konoha and fought in the previous great ninja war. My hobby is to watch drama and I like to teach young kids like yourself, how about you guys start to introduce yourself." And with that all the kids started to introduce themselves. The ones from clans telling their clan with pride. Fujin took the opportunity to understand the composition of his class. The class had 30 kids. Apparently there were 2 Uchiha, 3 Hyuga, 2 each from Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi, 3 Inuzuka, 1 Aburame, 1 each from Sarutobi, Shimura, Kato and Hatake clans and surprisingly 3 from Senju and 2 from Kurama clan. Other 6, including Fujin, were normal civilians. After the students were done talking about themselves, Genki started talking again. He said, "Alright, first I''ll explain to you about your position. This year 430 students passed the entrance exam. However you 30 are the ones who have scored the highest. That''s why everyone has very high expectations of each of you guys. All of you have to strive to become very good and strong shinobi. That''s why an elite like me is assigned to your class. In addition, other teachers too would assist you when required. You will also be provided access to the academy library''s E and D section. Also, there will be special tests conducted for you guys every 6 months, which will be monitored by Lord Hokage himself! So work as hard as you can." Separating himself from them, Fujin started to go to the library again. On route he grabbed a ration bar and ate it while thinking, ''I see. So my class has just 30 students, whereas others have a hundred each. So in all there are 5 divisions. If I were to guess and looking at what all Genki said today, our class is probably being trained in the hopes that everyone either becomes a Jounin or at least an elite chuunin. Whereas for others, the main target seems to be to boost the genin reserve and if lucky have a few chuunins and jounins from there.'' On entering the library, he showed his card to the librarian, and asked for directions. After getting the info, he understood that the library is divided into 7 sections. It had a general section having non-ninja related information, section 0 where there was basic information related to ninjas, and sections E, D, C, B and A. Sections A, B and C were restricted for me right now. Fujin thought, ''I see, makes sense. There isn''t any S section, but that''s understandable that they won''t put that high level jutsus out in the open. To be honest, I''m surprised that there is section A. Anyways, let''s go explore it.'' Fujin skipped the general section and started from section 0. He skimmed through the titles of various scrolls to get an idea regarding what was here. He found a lot of basic but important stuff. Information related to chakra theories, chakra control, manipulation, nature manipulation, Fuinjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu were all mentioned here. So was a lot of historical information. He then went on to the sections E and D. There most of the scrolls were just rank E and rank D jutsus. He thought, ''Wow, I didn''t expect this! There are literally hundreds of different jutsu scrolls here. A lot of wind style jutsus are available too. And section E has a scroll called ''Introduction to Fuinjutsu'', whereas section D has a better book on the same. This would be very helpful.'' It took him more than a couple of hours to just skim through the titles of various scrolls. After that, he went back to section 0, grabbed a scroll named ''Introduction to hand signs''. And went to an isolated corner and sat there. There were very few people in the library, so there wasn''t anyone to disturb him. Fujin thought to himself, ''Alright, I have seen through the majority of the stuff, now that I finally have some resources, I need to do some planning as to what I should do at least for the next couple of years.'' Chapter 8: Plans In a corner of the library, a small kid was staring at a scroll he had opened in front of him. However, unknown to anyone who watched him, his mind was working on something else entirely. Fujin thought, ''Alright, let''s first start with what I can do right now. My chakra control is pretty decent thanks to daily leaf concentration exercise. I should attempt something along the lines of tree climbing soon. My chakra reserve also has been developing consistently thanks to a combination of physical exercises and meditation and also due to consistently straining my chakra to its limits. My chakra shape manipulation is going well too. Once my chakra level increases more, I should be able to proceed further. So my plans for chakra control, chakra shape manipulation and increasing chakra reserves should be good enough. Though there''s no harm in getting more means of increasing my chakra reserves. The most important thing I have in my arsenal is my wind nature manipulation training. I have already completed leaf cutting months back, and though I didn''t attempt waterfall cutting, I have progressed further as I can now cut branches with rather ease. This much should be more than enough to perform many wind style jutsus. And since my own affinity is also wind, it becomes all the more important. That said, I do wonder if I can make my wind nature more potent by trying to cut tougher materials, maybe like a stone next followed by metal. Oh well, I''ll experiment later. Anyways one thing I definitely need to do is learn a bunch of wind style jutsus. I should read up every rank E and D wind style jutsus in this library, and try to learn the useful ones over the next year or two. Preferably try to find wind jutsus that would allow me to form a good combat system that can allow me to defend, attack and evade. Apart from this, I also need to learn an additional element. Hmm, fire, lightning, earth and water... Which one should I focus on?'' On analyzing for a few minutes, he thought, ''Alright, Lightning and Wind isn''t really the best combo, so lightning''s out for the time being. Fire and water can combine very well with wind, especially fire. But I''ll need a shadow clone to use it effectively. And anyways, this is the land of fire, so my teammates are very likely to have this element anyways. That leaves earth. I don''t think wind and earth combine, however I can stick to using wind style for offense and earth style for defense. I hope this library has that jutsu which Kakuzu used to harden his body. With that jutsu for defense along with Wind style for offense should be a very effective and annoying combination. Alright, I''ll choose Earth as my second element. And I''ll keep working on it for the next few years to master these 2 elements. Other elements can wait till I''m able to pull off multiple shadow clones successfully. Apart from that, basic justus should be learned as well. Normal clones don''t provide much help in combat, but they should at least serve as a base for shadow clones and elemental clones. Transformation has a lot of uses though, from disguise to transforming into weapons. Substitution is the most useful of the 3, and something I''ll keep using even if I became as strong as the Kages. From 3 to 10 pm, I have time to train. I can eliminate one hour from there for travelling and eating and other miscellaneous stuff. That leaves me six hours to work on basic jutsus, wind jutsus, weapon throwing, Fuinjutsu, sensing chakra and meditation. Clearly not enough time. So what to do?'' And he fell into deep analysis again. After calculating for some time, he came to the conclusion, ''Alright, of all these things, meditation is compulsory to do daily. For others, there are basically two options. One is to do these things on different days, and the second is to only focus on a few of these. While the first option sounds tempting, the issue is that with me trying to learn so many different things, would cause me to be less focused on everything and might be detrimental for me. For instance, with me practicing so many things, trying to learn 8 inner gates from Guy might be impossible as it requires strict dedication to Taijutsu. Fuinjutsu is also a major issue. It should be a very vast concept with a lot of theories to focus on which will take a lot of time to learn. It''s probably for the best to only learn it after I can make Shadow clones. Sadly, this would mean I can''t make some easy money by making and selling Explosion tags or storage scrolls. Among basic jutsus and wind jutsus, for the time being, let''s put focus on basic jutsus. Once I have got those down, I''ll start to focus on wind style jutsus. So for the next few months, the time after academy should be spent on mastering those basic jutsus, shuriken and Kunai throwing, sensing chakra and meditation. I currently have no idea as to how to sense chakra. I''ll have to dig up theories in the library and consult Genki. That''ll also allow me to know whether he is a sensor or not. For weapon throwing, let''s just wait up until that class is conducted. That way I won''t increase any wrong habits I have and correct the form required while throwing them quicker. As for those basic jutsus, I can get them easily from this library, I just have to understand the theories behind hand signs and how to perform them properly. It should be covered in the academy soon, so hopefully it won''t be an issue for long.'' With that he stopped thinking for a bit and summarised everything he planned. He then thought, ''Alright, this plan seems to be good enough for now. I should get the required knowledge from the academy soon and can always bug all the senseis if I have any queries. I wonder how strong I''ll become after a couple of years of this training.'' He chuckled, finally starting to read the scroll he had taken. Chapter 9: Accumulating Knowledge Fujin started reading the scroll. After going through the entire scroll, Fujin summarised, ''I see. The hand signs are similar to those shown in the manga. There are 12 basic hand seals that are mentioned. The hand signs actually help to mold and manipulate the chakra in a particular manner. However, that''s only a help. The ninja still has to actively attempt to mold chakra in that manner.'' He sighed, ''This will probably take some time to master. Until this is mastered to acceptable levels, practice of hand signs will be done instead of basic jutsu training. To master the hand signs, I''ll first have to practice it, while simultaneously having to mold the chakra in the proper way. Then I''ll have to try different seals one after another and change the way chakra is molded according to the respective signs. Only after being able to do that will I be able to start attempting any jutsu. Damn, this is gonna be tedious. Anyways, apart from the basic hand signs, there were also a few other hand signs. The scroll mentioned hand signs for all 5 elements and a hand sign for clones. Apparently there were also other hand signs that aren''t mentioned here. Oh well, at least the chakra molding part will require proper guidance, so I''ll start after it is taught in the academy. And this is just the basics. Later on I''ll have to learn one-handed hand signs, reduce the number of hand signs required to perform a jutsu and learn to perform jutsus without performing any hand sign at all. I recall quite a few characters were able to do hand signs with only one hand, and many had reduced the number of hand signs required for important jutsus to only one!'' While he was analyzing the hand signs, his class teacher Genki entered the library and saw him lost in the scroll. He silently sneaked behind Fujin to see what he was reading. Upon noting the content, he smiled a bit and made his presence known, "Hello Fujin" Upon hearing that Fujin suddenly turned behind to see, ''When did he appear behind me? How long was he here?'' Not having any answers, he sighed mentally, ''I put my guard down, this is the ninja world after all. While he may only be a chuunin, he is in a whole different league compared to me right now. Well I suppose becoming a sensor could help me to a great degree in such scenarios. Anyways, time to act as a kid and make a good impression. It''ll be helpful if I can get more guidance from him.'' Though he thought of all that, it only required a couple of seconds. He acted to be a bit nervous and said, "Good afternoon sensei, when did you come in the library?" Genki laughed and said, "I''ve been here for a while kiddo. You were too lost in your scroll. So what''s with your interest in hand signs?" Fujin tried to act nervous and said in his childish voice, "I heard that some of my fellow classmates are already able to perform ninjutsu. During the exam, someone was talking about an Uchiha who was able to breath fire when he was only 4. I wanted to learn it too. That''s why I began learning about hand signs." He then got up and exchanged the scroll for earth nature training. This one was a bit more comprehensive. Fujin thought, ''Alright this one''s more helpful. Apparently, there are 2 basic ways to master earth transformation. The first one is to crush a stone. This was similar to leaf cutting. And the second one was to mold clay into various shapes, harden it and so on using only chakra. It makes sense. Most earth style jutsus I remember, were basically just moving a part of the ground above the surface. So clay molding will be very helpful. As for stone crushing, after crushing stones, I could try crushing boulders to increase the mastery of earth nature whereas for clay molding, I could just increase the amount of clay or maybe I could try molding mud or soil as it''ll be much tougher.'' He then placed the scroll back. Went to section E, and grabbed a scroll on the basics of Fuinjutsu. Upon reading it he analyzed, ''Alright, this doesn''t sound too hard. Though I guess the difficulty should increase a lot for later versions. But yeah, this sounds to be too time consuming. Best left for later.'' He kept the scroll back and started searching section 0 for sensor training. He found many that were based on improving senses of smell or sight or hearing. After searching a lot, he finally found the one he was looking for. Sensing the chakra of anyone in your vicinity. On reading it he found out, ''I see. So every ninja has a chakra field around them, though not everyone is able to use it properly. However, sensors can not only use their chakra field, but also expand their chakra field for hundreds of metres and exceptional sensors can even expand it for a few kilometres to detect chakra within that field. On the other hand, if this chakra field is retracted, then that can help in hiding from enemy sensors. As for training to be a sensor, the greatest obstacles are the other senses of a ninja. So while training, it is advised to shut down the sense of sight, smell and hearing. Interesting, I wonder if I can shut down just 2 of them in order to train the remaining one. Good hearing, smell and eyesight would be very helpful in this profession. The basic method is still meditation, but sort of done in reverse. Instead of meditating to isolate myself from the surroundings, I''ll have to meditate in order to perceive my surroundings. Sadly though, I have no idea how to shut down my sense of smell, and also don''t have any gadgets to stop hearing. So I''ll require help here. Some guidance could be helpful too. I guess I''ll somehow have to give Genki hints that I want to be a sensor. Sigh'' He finally kept the scroll and left the library. It was already evening. He thought, ''Wow, I didn''t notice the time at all. I guess I was in the library for over 6 hours! The library didn''t have any window at all. Makes sense, they don''t want anyone sneaking into the library. Probably the walls are fortified with the help of Fuinjutsu to prevent Earth style users from breaking in.'' He went towards his home and on the way, bought a small pack of clay for 5 Ryo and picked up a few small stones. Chapter 10: New Skills Next day, again Fujin was the last one to arrive. He came in merely a couple of minutes before 8 am. Looking at everyone he chuckled, ''Look at these kids, coming early to sit on the first bench.'' He went and sat alone on the last bench and removed a stone and placed it in the desk. Genki arrived at 8, and started the class. The first hour apparently was a lecture. He was talking about the history of the village, the pride that one should have in being a Konoha shinobi and all such stuff. Fujin classified this lecture as a ''brainwashing session''. Fujin observed the classroom. The 2 Naras were half asleep. The Akimichis were probably thinking about food. The 3 Inuzukas were too distracted with their dogs. One of the two Uchihas was very smug for some reason while the two Kurama girls were gossiping about something. Others were paying attention.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. The Smug looking guy was Uchiha Yori. It seems like he wanted to walk in the footsteps of Itachi as he was bragging a lot about how the previous year''s best student was an Uchiha who was only 7 years old on the previous day. Apparently both the Uchihas could already perform the fireball jutsu. Fujin finally stopped looking around. When Genki was writing something on the board, Fujin grabbed the stone with his left hand, and started to train earth nature while keeping his hand under the desk. When he channeled his chakra, his whole attention was on Genki. To see whether he would notice and react. However, there wasn''t any visible change in Genki''s expression. Fujin thought, ''Lucky. He ain''t a natural sensor. Or he is ignoring me for some reason, though chances of that are pretty low. Whatever, both scenarios are good for me.'' The lecture went on for an hour. Though Fujin paid some attention, the majority of his attention was on training his earth nature. After the brainwashing session was over, Genki started explaining to everyone about Chakra. And then finally moved on to molding chakra with hand signs. Fujin stopped his earth nature training and paid full attention in the class. The kids from clans however were distracted. They had already been taught hand signs before they joined the academy. That class, Genki taught everyone about 3 hand signs and made everyone practice it. He monitored everyone closely. After the lecture was over, he said that in the next 3 days, he''ll be teaching them the remaining hand signs. After that they broke off for lunch followed by a lecture on History. Senju Teru and Hyuga Hana were answering a lot of questions asked by Genki in this lecture. Fujin on the other hand stuck to his training while pretending to pay attention in the class. But he wasn''t sure how much of that was due to better chakra control and how much was due to increase in chakra reserves. After trying to analyze a bit, he dropped the matter. Assuring himself that it didn''t matter as he was making progress anyways. During all those falls, he also learnt how to flip himself in the air to properly land on his feet. After the first month in academy, Genki taught everyone the academy''s basic Taijutsu style. It included a lot of forms and moves to make it a comprehensive Taijutsu style covering all areas. But that also meant that it wasn''t specialized in anything. However for now, Fujin didn''t concern himself with that. This Taijutsu style was obviously way superior to everything he could do in Taijutsu. He was quite surprised and thought, ''I didn''t think the basic style itself would be so complicated and cover all aspects. It makes me wonder how much better Senju and Uchiha Taijutsu styles are. And Hyuga Taijutsu is obviously superior to even them. Well let''s first master the academy style. Then I can think about learning a more advanced form of Taijutsu. This will take a lot of time, but luckily I do have a lot of time.'' After that day, the Taijutsu forms got added to his morning workout as well. The Taijutsu training in the academy went on for over a month just to teach the students everything about that Taijutsu style. Fujin noted that the ones from Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga and Inuzuka clan didn''t learn the academy style of Taijutsu. After the Taijutsu lessons were over, the academy students were made to fight among themselves every week. And depending upon their performance and technique, Genki gave them tips or asked them to practice a certain form. Even these Taijutsu matches were arranged as tournaments. Here Fujin did much better and was ranked 8th in the first tournament. Though his Taijutsu style wasn''t very good yet, he did benefit from having a stronger body. He wasn''t very surprised by it. Though these students are very talented, maybe some even more than him, no six year old kid would put as many hours in training as he did. The ones who do would be rare exceptions, like Guy for instance. Even Rock Lee only started to work that hard after he became a genin. Hyuga Hoka ranked first in the first Taijutsu tournament. He was followed by Senju Teru, Hyuga Hana and Uchiha Yori and the 3rd Hyuga. Shimura Nobu was 6th followed by one of the remaining two Senju at 7th. Fujin thought, ''Well this is promising. Unlike them, I haven''t had any proper training yet. As I train further, I should grow stronger a lot faster than these guys. I suppose I am moving in the right direction then, I should just stick to it.'' Genki started to conduct Taijutsu tournaments and Shuriken throwing tournaments every week for his class. Fujin noted that no such tournaments were arranged for the other 4 divisions. In fact, in one of his encounters with Daisuke, he learnt that they hadn''t even had a Taijutsu class yet and are still being taught shuriken throwing and making hand signs properly. He thought, ''I guess they really are serious in developing this class properly. From what I heard, this was done last year as well. Though they were incredibly lucky to have Itachi in last year''s class. If they have similar expectations from this year, then they will be very disappointed. Then again, I suppose they won''t expect a talent of Itachi''s calibre so regularly.'' Ending the train of thought, Fujin looked forward towards the future, a bit excited to keep improving himself. Chapter 11: Improvements The academy life continued in this manner for the first six months. After six months, Genki had to report to Hiruzen on the progress of his class. He reached the Hokage office on the appointed time and knocked on the door. After being allowed in, he entered the room and respectfully said, "Lord Hokage" Hiruzen nodded and said, "It''s alright. How is your class fairing? Any talents?" Genki replied, "It''s going pretty well. While it''s still too early to say, I believe the majority of these kids will become elite among chunnins, and few probably will become Jounins. Senju Teru and Uchiha Yori have been showing the most talent, as expected from someone of their clan. Hyuga Hoka and Hana have also been performing really well. Shimura Nobu is also pretty good. The remaining three from Senju, Uchiha and Hyuga clans and the lone Aburame are decent as well. Among the civilians we''ve had a surprise. The orphan, Suzuki Fujin, has been progressing pretty fast. I''ve spied a little on him, he is very diligent and works very hard. He is definitely someone we should nurture for the future. There''s another among the civilian kids, Aoki Nori, who is performing very well. The other kids are doing okay. On average, the talent in this batch is higher than the previous one." He said enthusiastically. But then he sighed and said, "Sadly there''s no one like Itachi in this class." Hiruzen nodded and said, "That''s alright. We can''t get someone like Itachi every year. But your report still sounds very promising. If in the next 15 years, we get a dozen jounins and have the remaining at chuunin ranks, then it''ll help the village a lot. You''ve done a good job. Keep it up. You''ll be responsible for raising this batch into good shinobi for our village." Genki nodded his head and respectfully said, "Yes Lord Hokage" and exited the room. After he left Hiruzen thought, ''Looks like we will be having another good crop of Shinobi. Still, to think we''d have another diligent orphan. I wonder how his story would turn out to be.'' The praise that Genki had for Fujin wasn''t underserved. Fujin improved a lot in these six months. A lot more than Genki gave him credit for. After all, even he couldn''t know the fact that even at his home, Fujin spent most time training in a very planned manner. The most important improvement was in Fujin molding the chakra with hand signs. The speed had finally reached an acceptable speed and he was able to do six random seals one after another consecutively. He decided that it was finally time to start learning the basic jutsus. In earth nature transformation, he managed to crumble the rock. The clay molding was also coming along well. He could now manipulate the clay freely. And could partially harden it, but couldn''t harden it entirely.?v€l?1n. Fujin noted that his progress with Earth nature was much slower than wind nature. But that was understandable as his affinity was wind. Fujin also managed to create deep cuts in stones using his wind nature. In Taijutsu, he also adapted to the academy style very well. He frequently sparred with Teru, Hoka and Yori in the academy and now ranked within the top 4. Senju Teru in particular was kind of becoming a sparring partner to Fujin. In the tournaments, he also noted that his stamina was very high among his classmates. With only Teru being able to match his stamina. He wondered if this was only due to having a more trained body or was his chakra also higher than others. After all, it made sense for Teru to have higher chakra level thanks to him being a Senju. Genki was a bit surprised by Fujin''s obsession in making the physical workouts tougher. He thought, ''Fujin was genuinely happy with the new plan, and yet he still keeps asking me these questions. Does that mean that he is thinking that this new workout will soon become easy for him? That''s surprising. I knew he was diligent, but not this much. Now he makes me really look forward to his future.'' Genki then said, "Actually there is another way. Instead of weights, you can have some seals do the same work without having any disadvantages. Like a gravity seal." Fujin was surprised with this information. He thought, ''I guess I really need to learn Fuinjutsu.'' He showed an enthusiastic expression to Genki. Genki was happy with the enthusiasm Fujin showed and decided to play a little trick on him. Genki continued, "However these seals can''t be given to anyone. Also they are very expensive if you try to get them, so you can''t get them by yourself." Fujin was instantly confused. He frowned a bit and wondered, ''What''s he playing at? I think he is trying to bait me or something.'' He decided to play along and then sighed and showed a dejected expression. Genki was happy with the response he saw on Fujin''s face and said enticingly, "However don''t worry. Do you remember what I said on the first day? That the Hokage will watch your exams?" Fujin, still confused, nodded his head. Genki continued, "If you perform the best among your classmates, then you can ask Hokage for a gift. So then you could ask Hokage for these seals to help you. Till then you should stick to the plan I made for you." Fujin finally started to get some ideas. He nodded his head while thinking, ''Is he trying to motivate me to perform good in the exams? By dangling a carrot in front of me?'' Seeing Fujin nod, Genki smiled and said while ruffling Fujin''s hair, "Good. But the exams will also have a theoretical part and not only physical exercises. So you have to study theory too if you want to come first." Finally getting what''s going on, Fujin said enthusiastically, "Yes Sensei, I''ll study hard for the final exam." Satisfied with himself, Genki finally left. After Genki left, Fujin laughed a lot internally and then thought, ''Sigh, it''s hard to keep acting as a kid, though there is an aspect of fun in it and damn these adults, trying to manipulate little kids so much. It was the same in my previous life. Everyone just forces little kids to come first in everything they do. Sad part is I actually have to perform well in those exams. Still though, it was very hilarious to watch. Him trying to manipulate a little kid. Sucks for him that I am no little kid. I guess he said that just because I don''t participate much in those boring lectures. Come to think about it, I don''t think I have ever even answered a single question he asked in class. No wonder he tried to manipulate me. I guess I''ll have to improve my pretending to pay attention in class skill! Anyways, I ain''t really worried about theoretical exams. While I won''t be arrogant to say that I am the smartest person in the room, but my brain is much more mature than theirs. These exams should be very easy for me. That said, the seals do worry me a bit. After all, if someone messes with the seal while putting it on me, it would become very troublesome. I guess I should check up the gravity seal and some suppression seals in the library sometime later.'' Ending his train of thoughts, Fujin looked again at the new workout plan and walked to the library. Chapter 12: Defection After entering the library, Fujin first entered section 0 and searched for chakra control scrolls. After searching for a few minutes, he finally found the right one. After finding a place to sit he opened it up and started reading while thinking, ''I can now walk on walls even in my sleep! I need to try tree climbing a bit and then move on to water walking if I want to improve my chakra control even further. If anyone asks where I learnt these things, I can refer them to this scroll.'' The scroll mentioned leaf concentration, tree climbing and water walking. However what surprised Fujin was that a scroll was referred to at the end of the scroll which presented a theory to improve chakra control even further. To satisfy his curiosity, he searched for that scroll and started reading it. After reading he analyzed, ''Interesting. The scroll proposes a theory that chakra could be used to counterbalance ourselves against the gravity itself. By applying as much force as Gravity applies on us, one could float, and ascend or descend by applying higher and lower forces respectively. Still though, no one has successfully managed to do this. Even Tsunade in the series didn''t have any such skill and her chakra control was the best there was in the whole series. As for others who flew like the 3rd Tsuchikage and the ones related to him, I think they used earth style to lighten themselves or something along those lines. I don''t recall it properly. Anyways, this is an interesting theory. Maybe I could try it sometime later on.'' Keeping the scroll back, Fujin finally decided to get to his main task. He went in section E and grabbed the clone jutsu scroll. On opening it, he found that this jutsu needed only 3 seals. They were Ram, Snake and Tiger in that order. He read the scroll further. After reading it he thought, ''I see. Even though the hand signs are only 3, a lot more has to be done internally. The hand signs only act as a guide. So just knowing the hand signs won''t be enough to be able to do the jutsu. Guess that scraps all my plans for Shadow Clone jutsu. Anyways, I should start learning this jutsu.'' After memorising everything of importance regarding clone jutsu, he left the library. He went back to his apartment and started practicing the clone jutsu behind closed doors. As expected, the jutsu was quite difficult. He had to make a couple of more trips to the library in order to read that scroll again. During one such trip he saw Genki watching him and smiling. He thought, ''I guess he misunderstood that I''m visiting the library to learn more about history and other stuff he covers in class. Well whatever, it''s not a problem to me.'' He also temporarily scrapped his after academy routine and focused entirely on the clone jutsu. Only after he ran out of chakra would he take a break and meditate. It took 3 days for him to be able to make his first clone. And he was horrified by it! His thoughts were, ''I never thought I''d make worse clones than Naruto!!'' Only after a week was he finally able to create a decent clone. He practiced it for another week to get the hang of it and could do it at a much faster pace. After that, he started to learn the transformation jutsu. Transformation was going to be a critical technique for him. He planned to disguise himself in order to train outside in order to ensure that he didn''t attract much attention to himself. It also doubles up as training for infiltration missions. In case anyone did catch him, he can use that excuse to get away. It took him a week to pull off transformation jutsu properly to a certain extent. He had transformed into his classmates. However it wasn''t entirely perfect. There were still a lot of imperfections. And that only in terms of appearance. He hadn''t managed to transform his smell and chakra as mentioned in the scroll. He thought, ''This is tough. Just getting the appearance right is very difficult. I guess I may be able to change the smell after a while, but perfectly replicating someone''s smell will be difficult. Then again, if I recall right, even Naruto in chuunin exams wasn''t able to replicate smell as Kiba was easily able to identify him due to his smell. So I guess it is rather difficult to pull off. Even the ones who pass the academy aren''t expected to learn how to change the smell. I guess I can work around this by transforming into people from my previous life and using perfumes to mask my smell. That way at least disguising as a stranger would be doable.'' He continued with his practice. However, next morning when he woke up and started his morning workout, he noticed that the environment in the village seemed very tense. Despite it being so early, quite a lot of people were awake. And many ninjas were running around. And most of those ninjas had very solemn faces. Fujin wondered as to what happened. Danzo stated, "We have to mark Orochimaru as a missing-nin. Increase his bounty and also send a squad to chase after him and eliminate him." Hiruzen countered it saying, "Sending any squads behind him will probably just get them killed. And we are very short on manpower as it is." Koharu questioned, "But we can''t leave him unchecked, can we?" Danzo and Homura agreed with Koharu. Hiruzen then said, "I''ll send Jiraiya to chase after him" while thinking, ''Hopefully he''ll be able to convince Orochimaru to return and get back on the right track.'' Danzo questioned, "Won''t he fall prey to his emotions just like you did? I suggest sending root ninjas alongside Jiraiya" Hiruzen, however not trusting Danzo''s intentions, just dismissed it saying, "They''ll just get in his way." The discussion between the 4 old teammates continued for a while. In the afternoon, there was a council meeting. All the clan leaders were very tense during this meeting. Orochimaru had worked with all of them at some point, and known many of their clan secrets which would be bad for them if leaked to enemies. A few even blamed Hiruzen for having a soft side for his students. The council concluded by labelling Orochimaru as a missing-nin, increasing his bounty by 50% and sending Jiraiya to hunt down Orochimaru. The various clan leaders were doubtful whether Jiraiya would really hunt Orochimaru, however they didn''t really have any other option. Every other hidden village was surprised and shocked by this news. In Sunagakure, Rasa thought, ''First Minato and their jinchuriki''s death and now Orochimaru''s defection? Are they falling apart? Tch, it sucks that we were hit so badly in the previous war and recovery is so slow due to that bastard Daimyo. Otherwise I''d have definitely taken advantage of this situation.'' In Kirigakure, Yagura received the reports as well. But he was too busy in Kiri''s internal problems to pay much attention to this incident. In Iwagakure, the council debated this matter at length. A few suggested that they should use this opportunity to take revenge for what Minato did to them. While some were cautious, wondering if Konoha was playing some sort of game. At the end, when the discussion came to an end, they asked Onoki what they should do. Onoki said, "There''s no point in hurrying to do something right now. Even without Minato and Orochimaru, Konoha is still very strong. And in any case, there''s no way that Brat A won''t do something. Let''s just watch what he does and how Konoha responds and then decide what to do." On hearing Onoki''s decision, one thought ran through everyone present in the council meeting, ''Fence-sitter indeed!'' In Kumogakure though, the 4th Raikage thought very hard about this incident. After discussing with his council, he decided to see if he could take advantage of Konoha''s misfortune. Chapter 13: Academy Exam While the whole ninja world discussed Orochimaru''s defection, Fujin didn''t bother with it and kept his focus on his training. After 2 weeks of training for transformation jutsu, it had finally improved to an acceptable level, though it still had a lot of space for improvement. After that, he began the training for substitution jutsu. This one was much tougher than the other two. It took nearly twice the time to learn this jutsu and master it to an acceptable level. However, it wasn''t what Fujin had thought it to be. He thought, ''The technique is basically just misdirection. The main focus here is noticing your opponent''s focus and the instant he loses focus a bit, replace yourself with an object quickly enough so that the enemy won''t notice you. It ain''t an instant switcheroo. So it won''t work against someone much stronger than you or someone having a Sharingan activated. The object actually has to be very close to you, otherwise the jutsu will become much harder to be performed. Sigh, that makes sense, instant switcheroo would have been too overpowered considering that every academy kid learns this technique. It does have a lot of variations though. Genjutsu, transformation jutsu can be used to fool the enemy better. Chakra threads could be used to bring an object at a distance closer to you. It also states that a lower form summoning jutsu could be used to instantly summon the objects around you, while you hightail outta there. Still, though it ain''t as overpowered as I thought, it is still very useful. The subtleness of misdirection would be a very important skill to have as a ninja. It could be applied in a lot of scenarios. I should still master it to the point of being able to do it without hand signs. But Body Flicker jutsu has to be focused much more now. I will also have to learn some wind and earth style escape jutsus.'' For nearly 2 months, Fujin kept on attempting these jutsus till he ran out of chakra. This process of training till he ran out of chakra had a marvellous effect on his chakra reserves. They increased considerably during these 2 months. During these 2 months, he also searched the library for scrolls on increasing Chakra reserves. He found two scrolls very easily. One explained that Chakra increased as one experienced physical and spiritual growth, i.e., it could be increased over time by doing physical exercises and meditation. Another compared chakra reserves to muscle. Just like how physical straining your muscles would increase muscles, chakra reserves would increase by straining it. So to increase the reserves, one had to keep using his chakra till he ran out of it. Fujin had been dependent on the above two till now, which explained the rapid growth in his chakra reserves. Apart from that, he also found a few other ways or theories. One scroll talked about using nature chakra, i.e., the Sage mode, which would increase the chakra reserves and make it more potent for the time the sage mode was activated. Another scroll talked about increasing cellular activity. By making the cells more active, one could extract more chakra out of each cell. Thus considerably increasing the reserves. It would also help in improving the physique. Fujin was quite impressed with this theory. Sadly the way to increase cellular activity wasn''t mentioned. Fujin wondered, ''I doubt it''ll be easy to increase cellular activity. Otherwise this method would be very common. I wonder who came up with this theory. Perhaps I could contact that person in the future.'' On reading the scroll entirely, he saw the name of the person who wrote this scroll at the end. He was very surprised by it initially and then concluded, ''Makes sense that it was the snake bastard who came up with this theory. Tch, seems like this method is a dead end. Maybe if I raid his bases in the future and get my hands on his research results, I could find the way if I get lucky, though the chances are pretty low to be honest. Otherwise I could try asking Tsunade. Her knowledge of the human body might exceed Orochimaru''s. And she was his ex-teammate. It''s possible that she helped Orochimaru on this. Sigh, another thing to consider for the future!'' For shuriken throwing, a board with circles of different size but same center was placed and everyone had to hit it. The points depended on in which circle the shuriken hit, with the smallest circle having highest points and largest having the lowest. In all, the Shuriken competition was worth 30 points. Leaf concentration competition was only to see how long one could keep the leaf from falling down. It was worth 20 points. The one who held it for the longest would get full 20 points and the points of others would depend on how long they kept the leaf from falling as compared to him. For example, if the one who held it for the longest hold it for 30 minutes, he would get 20 points, whereas if someone else held it for only 21 minutes, he''d get only 14 points. The Taijutsu tournament was straightforward, with points depending on the rank. It was worth 50 points. And the written exam itself was worth 100 points. The exams finally happened. Fujin did get a laugh out of how serious everyone was for the exams. In the written exams, Fujin was confident that he answered everything right. Though he wasn''t sure how everyone else performed. Two days after the written exams, the other competitions were to be held. He guessed that they wanted to grade the written papers first, so that Hokage can reward the winner right there. They started the day with leaf concentration. Fujin, as he had already started to practice water walking, was quite confident in this competition. The competition started. The first guy dropped his leaf in merely 2 minutes. He was from the Inuzuka clan. More than half of the class dropped out within the first 4 minutes. Fujin could hear the groaning and upset voices from them. After 10 minutes, only 9 students were still competing. After 15 minutes, the only ones left were Suzuki Fujin, Hyuga Hana, Senju Teru, Shimura Nobu and Uchiha Yori. Right around that time, he heard Yori groaning. He knew from the exercises conducted in class, that at max the others could go 20 odd minutes. Senju Teru dropped the leaf during the 19th minute, Nobu dropped it at the 21st minute, whereas Hana continued till the 22nd minute. Fujin decided to build up a decent lead for the points he''ll be losing in the Taijutsu tournament. Wanting to stop around half an hour, he continued upto 33rd minute before intentionally making a mistake and dropping the leaf. Though he had outperformed his classmates, he wasn''t that worried about attracting a lot of attention, as last year, Itachi didn''t drop the leaf for freaking 2 hours! And there were rumors that he didn''t drop it but was asked to stop performing it! On opening his eyes, he saw a few kids looking at him enviously, and Yori nearly fuming at how outmatched he was in this competition. The next one was the Shuriken throwing competition. Yori, Teru, Nobu, Fujin, Hoka and a couple more scored perfect in this competition. Looking at Yori''s fallen face, Fujin noted, ''This competition is indeed unfair for him. From what I''ve seen, Yori is able to hit a still target while he is moving very accurately. While he can also hit a moving target on a consistent basis, though not dead center. Sadly for him, the exam wasn''t that difficult and hence many others were able to match him. If not, only Teru and maybe Nobu would have been able to match him. In the Taijutsu competition, Hyuga Hoka ranked first, followed by Teru and Hana. Fujin was ranked 4th and Yori and Nobu were 5th and 6th respectively. Fujin had defeated Yori in the quarterfinals. Admittedly, Yori''s technique was superior to Fujin''s, however his physique was much weaker. However, in the semis, Fujin lost to Hoka, and in the fight to decide rank 3, he lost to Hana. He noted, ''Damn these Hyugas are tough to fight. Heck, pure Taijutsu competition against them is completely unfair! Even Teru, though he fought well with his Senju style, in the end he still lost. If I meet these Hyugas in chuunin exams or somewhere, I''ll be sure to pack a shit lot of explosion tags to fight from far away!'' Hiruzen had visited to spectate the Taijutsu completion. Fujin did note that everyone was much fiercer during the Taijutsu competition, especially Hana. He wondered if that was because it was the exams, or because the Hokage was spectating. With all the exams completed, the teachers allowed the students a small break while they readied the final scores of everyone. Chapter 14: Results While the teachers were calculating the final scores, all the students were waiting around in the training grounds. Fujin internally laughed while noticing, ''Wow, some of them are so nervous, it''s so cute, hahaha. Only the 2 yawning Naras and Teru look calm.'' After adding up the scores and cross-checking, the teachers finally came back, led by the Hokage himself. Hiruzen gave another inspiring cum brainwashing speech while praising everyone for their efforts and the display of their talents. After his speech, Genki walked forward and displayed the results on a board. As Fujin expected, he was the one ranked first. The scores of Top 5 were : Fujin : 100+20+30+44 = 194 Hana : 100+13+29+46 = 188 Teru : 96+12+30+48 = 186 Nobu : 98+13+30+40 = 181 Yori : 95+09+30+42 = 176 Fujin, looking at his rank, was very satisfied. It was as he expected. However, on taking a deeper look and checking the scores in each individual category for him and others, he was a bit shocked, ''Damn! I''m ranked one only due to the leaf concentration competition! If I didn''t build a huge lead there, then Hana would have outranked me and Teru would have been tied with me! I didn''t expect anyone else to get a 100 in written exams.'' He exhaled a long breath of air in relief, ''I guess I have been incredibly lucky with the marking system of the leaf concentration competition. Chakra control is where I am much superior to these kids from the clans. But sadly for them, their specialities weren''t marked in this manner. Yori and Teru could have easily scored much more if the Shuriken competition was made more difficult. Similarly they''d have been much superior than everyone if Ninjutsu was tested. After all, Fireball jutsu is a rank C jutsu. I am sure Genki would have noticed this too. So next year, the marking scheme might be different. Perhaps other exams would be marked similar to the best scorer as well.'' He concluded his thoughts with, ''Even though I ranked first, I still have much to work on. I shouldn''t slack off. Instead I should be intensifying my training. I''m sure these guys would be trained hard by their clans during the vacation.'' After coming out of his thoughts, he noticed those around himself. He noticed that Hana and Teru were looking at him with a very aggrieved look. As if he had done them a huge injustice. After a second be realised, that they were probably mad due to the results of the leaf concentration competition. He just decided to ignore them. After displaying the results, Hiruzen wanted Genki to announce the prize. However after looking at Genki, Hiruzen felt as if Genki was looking very grumpy. He began to guess what made him so irritated. Wondering if he could get to hear an interesting story. He decided to ask him later. Genki was really irritated. He thought, ''This brat! For 10 fucking months he didn''t answer a single question in the class. Always seemed half distracted. Who knows what the fuck he does with his left hand always under his desk. The one time I tried to check, all I found was a lot of soil under his desk! And now he scores a perfect 100 on written exams? Don''t tell me that after he goes home, all he does is study.'' Right then he felt like the Hokage was looking at him. Seeing Hokage looking at him, he understood what Hokage wanted and quickly announced, "Alright everyone, be silent for a while." After getting the class''s attention, he continued "As I had told you guys on the first day, Lord Hokage would come here to watch your performance. However, there''s an additional reward for the one who scores the highest in this exam. The best student can ask Lord Hokage for a reward." On hearing this, the civilian kids were surprised. While the kids from clans seem to already know this. Genki announced loudly, "Suzuki Fujin, step forward." Fujin walked forward while thinking, ''I wonder what are the limits of the reward. Can I ask for private tutoring from him? Any forbidden or rank S jutsus? Or better yet ask for the scroll of sealing? Hehe, I wonder what face he''d make if I asked for the scroll of sealing or something like Edo Tensei! Oh well, need to show proper respect now I guess.'' Looking at Fujin, Genki was still irritated a bit. However after a few seconds, he let out a sigh and thought, ''Forget it. I guess he is just too reserved to actively participate in class.'' Fujin was puzzled by looking at Genki sigh. He called him to get his attention, "Sensei" Genki replied, "So, what queries do you want to clear?" Fujin replied, "Sensei, could you update my workout routine again and also tell me more about those seals and how to use them?" Genki nodded and took a look at his workout routine again. After considering the addition of seals, he made a few changes to the routine and asked Fujin to follow them. He said, "Alright, follow this plan and if you get comfortable, you can increase the pressure that the seals can put on you. However don''t increase the pressure a lot or you can get injured and won''t be able to practice for weeks." Fujin nodded, "Thank you sensei." However he still stood there and asked something Genki would have never guessed. He said, "Sensei, I thought about the roles you mentioned during the lecture. And I''m really interested in being a sensor. So can you tell how I should train for it?" Genki was really surprised by this request. Not able to understand the reason, he asked, "Why do you want to become a sensor?" Fujin replied confidently, "Sensei, if an enemy sneaks up on me or my team in the future, being a sensor would help me save all of us. Also I''ll be able to detect enemies from far away and prevent us from falling into any ambush. That''s why I wanted to become a sensor." After finishing, Fujin smirked internally. Genki was surprised a bit by the answer. All the stuff that Fujin just said, was what he himself had said in class. He thought, ''No wonder he scored full in written exams. But still, something doesn''t add up. He seems a bit too interested in becoming a sensor, it''s not something that can happen in merely 2 hours. It''s as if he knew about sensors beforehand." He asked, "Since when did you want to become a sensor ninja?" Fujin wasn''t ignorant of the fact that Genki could have found this request a bit suspicious. He acted to show that he was nervous, and said, "Um... I wasn''t aware of sensor ninjas until today''s lecture." He then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while saying, "However I was thinking along those lines from the day you snuck up on me in the library. If it was an enemy, he could have killed me without me even knowing what happened." Genki was stunned by the reply, ''I never thought that a simple incident as that had such an impact on him. And that was merely his first day! Sigh. Whatever, I guess I''m the one to blame for this obsession of his.'' He then replied, "I am not a sensor, so I won''t be able to help you with this." Hearing that he saw a dejected look at Fujin. Fujin was thinking, ''Oh please, not another trick again! I don''t wanna wait till next year''s final exam!'' However, Genki had good news for Fujin. He continued, "However, I have a good friend who is a sensor and is in the sensor division of Konoha. I''ll ask him to train you over the vacation. I hope you don''t have any other plans for the vacation." Fujin put up an excited expression, while thinking, ''Oh, I do have a lot of plans, not just for the vacation but also for the next year or two!'' and said, "No sensei!" in an excited manner. Genki smiled and said that he''ll pick up Fujin tomorrow at 8 am. Fujin then took his leave. Chapter 15: Sensor Next morning, Genki showed up at Fujin''s house at 8 am. After picking him up, they went to a training ground. Fujin saw that a middle-aged man, probably in late 20s or early 30s was waiting. He noticed that the man had Yamanaka crest on him. He thought, ''Should have guessed. In Konoha, they are the best sensors.'' Genki approached him and said, "Yo. This is the kid I was talking about. Fujin, he is Shin. He was my classmate. He is a special jounin. He''ll be giving you tips on how to become a sensor. He may seem grumpy at times, but don''t worry, he is a very kind person." Fujin nodded, "Good morning Shin sensei" He noted that Shin, who was already looking a bit mad at Genki''s introduction, seemed even more grumpy after he greeted him. Shin angrily said, "Damn you Genki. Not only do you give such a shit introduction but now are also trying to pull me into being a sensei?" He then looked at Fujin strictly and said, "Kiddo, don''t ever call me Sensei." Fujin wondered, ''Why is everyone so strange?'' while Genki asked mockingly, "Damn, why do you have to be so grumpy so early in the day?" Fujin acted to show he was nervous and asked, "So what do I call you?" Shin thought for a few seconds, and then put up a smile on his face, with his eyes almost sparkling, and said "Call me Shin aniki." His face looked borderline creepy. Fujin''s expression immediately became entirely plain and almost blurted out, ''Why don''t I call you old geezer?'' Genki facepalmed and scolded, "Stop being creepy. Let him call you sensei!" Shin sighed in disappointment and replied, "Alright, leave it." Then looking at Fujin he said, "Alright kiddo, first let''s see how talented you are in becoming a sensor. If your talent is very poor, then I won''t be teaching you and you shouldn''t waste your time on it either." He first lectured Fujin a bit about what sensors do and how. Then instructed Fujin to sit in a meditative pose and told him how to sense his chakra field. It took nearly half an hour for Fujin to sense his chakra field. The instructions were very helpful. He said, "Look up. Here are the seals you requested. This seal is a special seal designed by our village, it combines the features of a few basic seals in order to create a perfect tool to help train the bodies of our Shinobi. You can manipulate the amount of pressure the seal puts on your body freely. The pressure is applied on the whole body." Fujin nodded and said, "Thank you Lord Hokage." He then looked at the seal placed in front of him. The seal was engraved on a square shaped paper. He thought, ''There is just one seal. I thought that there would be four or more seals to be applied on various parts of the body like the 4 limbs and so on. I guess this seal is much more advanced. Sigh, I can''t analyze this seal then. Still, it''s better that I have to place this seal on myself and no one else has to make the seal on my body. This way the chances of someone creating issues will probably be lower. That said, I''m not supposed to know much about Fuinjutsu.'' He then looked up at Hokage, and asked, "Lord Hokage, how do I use this seal?" Hiruzen replied, "Just place the seal on your chest. It should stick to your body. The seal is reusable, so you can remove it and put it again if you ever wanted to. But don''t ever give this seal to anyone else." Fujin replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage. But how do I increase or decrease the pressure caused by the seal. Also how much pressure can be applied by the seal?" Hiruzen chuckled at the curiosity of the youngster in front of him. He replied, "Just focus your chakra on the seal. It''s similar to how you focus chakra on the leaf during leaf concentration exercise. Then you can decide whether to increase or decrease the pressure and it''ll be done automatically. As for the maximum pressure, it can apply a lot. It is equivalent to wearing a body vest of 100kg, 50kg weights on each leg and 25kg weights on each arm." Fujin was shocked with those numbers. He nearly cursed out, ''Bastard, shouldn''t you say that first!'' However he maintained control of his emotions. In order to keep up his act, he gulped and showed a bit of fear on his face. Hiruzen looked at Fujin''s expression and smirked internally, thinking, ''Well, this will ensure that he always uses that seal very carefully and doesn''t harm himself with it.'' After that, Hiruzen talked a bit with Fujin. He tried to understand what caused Fujin to require these seals. He also asked about his daily life, whether his apartment is comfortable, whether he ate properly and so on. He also made Fujin try controlling the pressure in his presence. He also explained some tips and precautions. For instance, he said that while sleeping, Fujin should always deactivate the seal. He also cautioned Fujin against using the seal while sparring or fighting saying, "if you get used to it, then you will find it hard to properly control your movements when you deactivate the seal." At the end, he praised Fujin''s performance in the exams and let him go. After leaving, Fujin thought, ''250kg huh. I really wanna know if anyone actually uses it all. I do wonder how much weight Lee carried. The number was never mentioned in the series.'' While leaving the Hokage office, Fujin had already activated the seal. In front of Hiruzen, he kept the pressure very low. However, after leaving the Hokage building, he increased the pressure. He increased it to a level where it put a decent amount of strain on his body, while still being able to bear it. He ran all the way to his home and thought, ''Finally, even this simple run was a challenge! Though I will probably have to reduce the pressure a bit in order to be able to complete the workout routine Genki provided. I suppose I''ll have to test for a few days in order to get the pressure right. I can track my progress too, as I will know the percentage of max pressure applied by the seal.'' He also thought about what all Hiruzen told him and focused on 2 points, ''He specified to not use the seal while sleeping and fighting. I suppose not following the first one ain''t an option. As for 2nd, I can understand his point of view and concerns. If I do it, then trying to fight without that pressure will cause plenty of issues. Of course they can be fixed with some work, however if in the middle of a fight, it''ll be deadly. However Kaguya did have a high gravity dimension. So I should try to learn to fight under high pressure too. But there''s no need to do it now. Maybe later on I could build a gravity chamber and practice there. That might be more effective. Still, I gotta admit that this seal is very good. It applies pressure throughout my body. The pressure on my legs is more than on my arms. Even my back feels the strain. I guess the seal is made in a way that every muscle is properly exercised. Which would result in proper development of the whole body. There won''t be any cases of some muscles being developed more and others being underdeveloped. I guess Hiruzen left out the specifics, not expecting me to understand them. This method is much superior to the weights Lee used. I guess I really need to be thankful to Genki. Though, this does make me wonder why these guys haven''t given the seal to every Konoha shinobi. Is it that hard to produce?'' Ending his train of thoughts, Fujin started to meditate. Chapter 16: Second Academic Year Over the next few days, Fujin experimented with the pressure applied by the seal. He turned 7 year old as well. It took him four days to be able to figure out the amount of pressure he could be under and still complete his workout. It was slightly over 2% of the seals max capacity. He thought, ''Wow, that''s very low! Then again, I''m barely 7 years old now. Anyways, at least my physique should develop faster now.'' His sensor training continued as well. It took him 8 days to finally be able to sense the objects placed around him. Yamanaka Shin was a bit disappointed by the progress, he sighed and thought, ''8 days, while it ain''t bad, it''s not very good either. He probably won''t be able to be an exceptional sensor. Though with some work, he could be a decent one. While the time is slightly better than the average of other Konoha sensors, it lacks when compared to sensors from my clan. On average, we are able to sense the object on the 7th day, and the more talented ones do it even faster. Oh well, Konoha does severely lack sensors. Due to the existence of Hyuga, Aburame and Inuzuka clans, the village didn''t really invest much into training sensors. Majority of Konoha''s sensors come from my clan. Having another sensor, even just an average one will be good for the village.'' After that, Shin moved the objects away from Fujin and placed them 4-5 metres away. As the basics were the same and the objects were still in his chakra field, he was able to sense it very quickly in less than half an hour. Shin was surprised by the speed. He moved the objects 7 metres away, and the same thing repeated. This surprised Shin a lot, ''Well this is surprising. Though on average a Yamanaka senses the objects on the 7th day, sensing after moving it away takes some time, with most going into the 8th day and a few even to the 9th day. I guess he has more talent than I thought.'' Fujin''s thoughts were, ''While it did take a long time to detect it, to detect after increasing range wasn''t tough. The principles were the same and the object was still in my chakra field. I guess the next training would be to increase the size of my chakra field.'' He sighed slightly thinking, ''I hope the training for it isn''t as boring as this one.'' After the training was done, Shin said to Fujin, "Not bad, you have progressed faster than I thought. Over the next 4 days, keep practicing the same at your home, so that you get more comfortable with sensing chakras in your field. I''ll be out on a mission, so I won''t meet you. Once I return, we will start training to increase the radius of your chakra field." Fujin thanked him and left. The next couple of months went in a similar manner. The training for increasing the Chakra field included even longer hours of meditation. He had to focus on one point and try to increase the range in that direction. Fujin thought, ''This is gonna take a long time! I guess over the vacation, I should work on being able to train while also keeping my eyes open instead of putting up a blindfold. That way I can train for this in the class too. Otherwise, there will be no hope of continuing this training after academy restarts.'' Over the vacation, he kept up his physical workouts, which produced great results thanks to the seal. He also trained a lot in the substitution jutsu. His goal was to reduce the time required to perform it and also reduce the number of required hand signs from five to zero. While he didn''t make any progress on reducing the number of hand signs, he was able to perform it much faster, being able to do it in less than a second, though he wasn''t sure of the exact time due to having no instruments to measure it. For clone jutsu, he was able to create 3 clones, which if he recalled correctly, was the requirement for the Genin graduation exam. Transformation jutsu was progressing well too as no one was able to see any issue with him when he was roaming in the streets while being transformed into others. But he hadn''t yet tested it against someone who knew him. As for the ones at the top, there was no surprise. He thought, ''Sigh, these Senjus are really blessed with high chakra reserves. Even the two who aren''t that talented have their chakra reserves almost 50% greater than that of Yori. Whereas Teru''s chakra reserves are more than twice that of Yori. It''s even larger than mine! Anyways, the chakra levels of everyone is just as expected. Only Nobu was an exception. Which implies that they haven''t started to do any training to increase their reserves. Makes sense though, as they are only 7 years old. Anyways, if he doesn''t focus on increasing his chakra level, I should be able to increase my chakra reserves to become larger than Teru''s.'' He then tried to measure the chakra level of Genki. On measuring it, he thought, ''I see, his and Shin''s chakra reserves are very similar to each other. I guess there isn''t much difference between an elite chuunin and a special jounin. It''s just that a special jounin has a skill that is at Jounin level, while the rest of his skills are only at elite chuunin level. For Shin, it is his capabilities as a sensor. I gotta agree that becoming a sensor is very convenient. Unless the ones being sensed are sensors too, there''s little chance of anyone realising that they are being sensed. Though I suppose all of the Kage level ninjas would have mastered this to a certain extent. Oh well, it''s not like I''m planning to hunt any Kages. Anyways, enough with this class. I should check the ones from other classes, especially the ones who will be becoming genin this year. While the 25 metre radius of my chakra field is pretty insignificant in an open field, in a compact building, it covers a lot.'' With those thoughts, he started to focus on chakras outside his classroom. He first observed the classroom in which he had seen Daisuke run in. Noticing the chakra levels of the students there, he observed that they were really low! He then focused on the room where he knew the classes for senior most batches happen. He measured their chakras. He observed that there were a few with really pitiful chakra levels. He guessed that most of them won''t become genin. On average however, their chakra level was only 20% higher than Teru''s. Though there were a few having much higher chakra levels. Fujin guessed that those kids were from the Senju clan too. Fujin concluded, ''I see. I suppose by the end of this academic year, my chakra reserves should become high enough and could be considered genin level. And I know all the 3 basic jutsus too. So in terms of chakra and Ninjutsu, I should reach Genin level in a year. Even Taijutsu should reach that stage in less than 2 years. But that won''t be enough to actually pass the graduation exam. The graduation exam has so much more than just Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. There''s training on moving stealthily, setting up an encampment, incapacitating a target, freeing yourself if you are captured, using a first-aid kit, even hunting, cleaning and cooking a wild animal and a lot more that will be taught in the academy. Without all that knowledge and training, becoming a ninja might well be suicide. Not to mention, actually trying to graduate so early would be stupid. Itachi was a different case. He is the son of the Uchiha patriarch. I, on the other hand, am merely an orphan. It would attract a lot of unwanted attention. In addition, just from the point of view of ninjutsu, I still have so much more to learn. I still have to learn a few more basic jutsus like Body Flicker, and not to mention I still have to learn Wind and Earth style jutsus. Apart from that, I''m almost entirely blank when it comes to Genjutsu and have a lot to learn in Kenjutsu. So there''s no point in graduating until I have gained everything I could from the academy. If I ever reach a point where I can''t make much progress due to being in the academy, then I''ll consider graduating early.'' After considering all that, Fujin finally focused on increasing the radius of his chakra field. The remaining lecture went in a similar boring manner. However, at the end of the lecture Genki said something that excited some of his fellow students. He said, "This year, we will start learning Ninjutsu." Chapter 17: Body Flicker Fujin wasn''t surprised by that news. He had already gathered enough information about the academy in the previous year. For normal students, the Ninjutsu training began in their 3rd year. However for the elite batches, it began in their 2nd year. Having already learnt the 3 basic jutsus, he wasn''t much interested in the news. Though he did have a concern, he thought, ''I''ll have to hide the fact that I can use these jutsus. I''ll need to learn how to fail at these jutsus. And have to do it in a manner that doesn''t give me any bad habits. I suppose I could just make hand signs without molding my chakra, or maybe mold chakra for a few of the hand signs without molding it for 1. I''ll have to test that first. When around 7-8 are able to perform the jutsu, I''ll show that I have just managed to do them too.'' In the first week, Genki just revised what they had learnt in the previous year and tested all the students. However, seeing the progress of some of the students had left Fujin speechless. Genki too was surprised, but it was a joyous surprise for him. In the leaf concentration exercise, Hana, Teru and Nobu, all were able to hold the leaf for more than half an hour! While Yori and Hoka exceeded 25 mins. Fujin had dropped his leaf after 36 minutes, in order to not attract any suspicion. His thoughts were, ''Damn! If they keep up this competitive nature, they may well reach beyond 1 hour by the end of this year! While it''s reasonable to expect me to keep up, I should instead show that I''ve slacked off and not made much progress. While Genki might get a bit suspicious, if he ever asks me, I''ll just say I felt bad for them and am letting them win.'' Genki was very impressed too. He thought, ''Four kids were able to stick the leaf for over half an hour, another two should be able to reach that in another couple of months. This batch is good. I guess that Fujin brat spurred them all on. They might actually be able to do tree climbing and even water walking before they graduate. Oh this is so nice, I could get a huge bonus from the Hokage.'' The shuriken competition didn''t give much insights on their growth, as many were already doing very well in the previous year. The Taijutsu tournament however, didn''t show that much improvement for everyone. Among the ones at the top, only Yori and Nobu made significant progress. Fujin guessed that it was only because of his performance in the Leaf concentration exam that made everyone focus a lot on it. However, the Inuzukas were performing much better than last year and were very aggressive too. Due to the poor scores of all 3 Inuzukas in the exams, they were given some ''special'' training by their clan in order to not embarrass the clan any further. In one of the spars, one Inuzuka kid screamed, "I''ll defeat you no matter what! There''s no way I will go through that training in my clan ever again." Hearing that, the other two Inuzuka students winced. Fujin, getting a hint of what would have happened thought, ''This world is in a severe need of laws punishing child abuse!'' Sadly for that Inuzuka student, he still got mercilessly beaten into the ground by Nobu, which made everyone feel pity for the poor kid. The Taijutsu tournament, however, did provide Fujin with the opportunity to finally test his progress. And he was very pleased with the results. After deactivating the seals, his body moved a lot faster. And his blows carried more weight. He tied against Teru in their match.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. After the first week was done, Fujin entered the library and went into section D. He thought, ''I''ve probably tried the substitution jutsu over a thousand times. I''m still not able to reduce the hand signs needed for it. Honestly, jutsu is almost completely useless against ninjas if you have to make those hand signs. Even a random genin would be able to identify the jutsu and be on alert. Though I guess it might still work on normal bandits. Anyways, I guess I''ll need a few years to be able to reduce the number of hand signs needed. So let''s just move on to a new jutsu.'' He quickly started searching for the jutsu he wanted to learn. He was quite excited to learn it as it was one of his favourites. On finding it, he read out softly, "The Body Flicker jutsu" Over at the academy, he had managed to reduce the hand signs required for transformation and clone jutsus by 1 and for substitution jutsu, he was close to reducing it by 2. His chakra field had increased a lot during this year. It''s radius had increased to 180 metres. Without the hand sign it reached 162 metres and while running at normal speed, it could reach 135 metres. His chakra reserves too had grown exponentially. Physical training and meditation itself were a huge boost. On top of it, he had practiced Body flicker till he dropped on a daily basis. He had performed body flicker for tens of thousands of times over the past 9 months. His reserves now exceeded Teru''s. On comparing it with the senior most batch, he noticed that his reserves would be well above average in that class, probably entering top 10. Only 2 students, probably from the Senju clan, exceed him considerably. Even then, he was sure that in another year, he would surpass their current chakra level. He thought, ''I guess it''s time to ask Hiruzen for the shadow clone jutsu.'' [A/N : I would like to clarify the shadow clone jutsu a bit. Shadow clone jutsu isn''t a forbidden jutsu, it''s merely a B rank jutsu which Jounins can learn easily. In Naruto, it was shown that a Genin Konohamaru was able to perform Shadow clones and use Rasengan on one of the Pains. Even Kiba, while being a chuunin, was able to perform a shadow clone. The jutsu in the forbidden scroll of sealing was the Multi Shadow clone jutsu. This is the one which Naruto spams and Kakashi had used to scare/bluff away Gato''s thugs. So I''ll follow this pattern - someone with Genin level chakra can create 1-2 shadow clones, with chuunin level chakra can create 3-5 shadow clones and with a jounin level chakra can create more than 5 shadow clones.] The increase in his chakra level could be seen, when he was finally able to burst the rubber ball, finally making progress in the stage 2 of Rasengan training. However, he was only barely able to burst it. He still needed more chakra to be able to actually perform Rasengan. His skill at throwing shurikens had increased too. He was now able to hit the board while running around and was also able to hit a moving board. In order to allow students to practice that, a board used to be suspended from a tree branch and moved. It worked like a pendulum. However he still struggled to hit a moving board while he was running himself. Fujin decided that after he managed to do that, he''ll start practicing to hit his clones with shuriken as that would replicate battle scenarios even better. Something that Fujin gained while practicing in the many mini-forests in Konoha was shurikens and kunais lying around. He had found 23 shuriken and 11 kunai. However 7 shuriken and 4 kunai were very badly damaged, leaving him with 16 shuriken and 7 kunai. He handled them with extreme care, not touching any directly, in case they were coated with poison. He thought, ''Well this is convenient. Though these are used weapons, they are still very usable. However I need to wash them properly in order to remove any scents of previous users and in case there''s any poison applied on them. Still, I''ve been in these forests for so long and only found so few of these. I guess everyone collects them back after using them as they aren''t cheap. Maybe others like me too roam around trying to find them.'' He sighed, ''Whatever, these many should be enough for me to practice.'' And soon, it was time for the 2nd year exams. Chapter 18: Second Year Exams As Fujin had expected, the whole marking system for their class had been revamped. He wondered if the same also happened for other elite batches. As for the overall exams, the written exam had 100 points, leaf concentration competition had 20 points, shuriken throwing competition had 20 points, each of the 3 Ninjutsu had 10 points each, and the Taijutsu tournament had 30 points. In the written exam, he noticed that it had 5 divisions among itself. Each being more difficult than the previous. While it wasn''t very hard for him, he had no doubt that 8 year olds from his previous world wouldn''t even pass this exam. Seeing how difficult the exam was, he purposefully made a mistake in 2 questions worth 2 marks each. For leaf concentration, the same marking system as the previous year followed. Yori, Hoka, crossed 45 minutes, Nobu dropped at 56th minute, Teru at 59th minute. Hana crossed 1 hour and held it for another 4 minutes. Fujin, knowing that the written exam this year was tougher and not expecting anyone to score full, dropped his leaf after 1 hour 11 minutes. The shuriken exam also had multiple layers like the written exam. The first was to throw 8 shurikens at a stationary target board. The second was to run alternately to the right and left to a circle drawn on the ground and throw from the circle while running. The third was to hit at the target board that was hanging and swinging like a pendulum. Each of these stages were worth 4 points each. The last stage, worth 8 points, had white plates being launched in the air by Genki. The plates were spinning incredibly fast causing them to not move at a set path and deviating slightly. Yori, Teru, Fujin, Nobu, Hoka scored max in the first 3 rounds. Hana struggled in the 2nd round, while scoring full in 1st and 3rd. The 4th round however was tough. 19 students didn''t manage to hit even one. And 6, including Hana, managed to hit just 1, Fujin guessed that most of them just scored a lucky hit. Fujin had been observing the plates all the time to try and see a pattern in them. He got some hints, but not enough and it resulted in him wishing, ''Damn, if only I had a sharingan!'' Hoka and Fujin just hit 2. Nobu hit 3 plates, Teru managed to hit 4 and Yori managed to hit 7 of the 8 plates thrown by Genki. Fujin was quite impressed by Yori''s performance, especially considering that he hadn''t yet awakened his sharingans. After the competition, Yori returned to his smug self. In Ninjutsu exams, transformation and substitution jutsu were analysed and marked by Genki. For clone jutsu, they were marked depending upon the maximum number of acceptable clones anyone made. Teru made 5 clones and looking at his chakra, Fujin was confident no one else would exceed him. So he created 4 clones. Fujin hid his skills in this exam as he knew that Hana wasn''t very good in this aspect and no one apart from her would come close to his score in written exams. The Taijutsu tournament was similar to the previous year. Only major differences being the Inuzukas performing much better and Fujin having a much stronger body. Right now he could have the seal apply 5.3% of its max pressure. It had improved his physique a lot. He trashed through the majority of his opponents. This time, he ran into Teru in the semifinals and managed to beat him. While Hoka beat Hana in his fight. Yori beat Nobu for rank 5, whereas Teru beat Hana for rank 3. Against Hoka, the fight was very intense. To Fujin''s surprise, his advantage in physique wasn''t that great. In the end, he still lost to Hoka. He thought, ''Is he too using seals or something similar to strengthen his body? His performance in Ninjutsu isn''t as good as his Taijutsu, and it''s better to not talk of his performance in written exams looking at previous year''s scores. Sigh, I guess all he does is train in Taijutsu. And my main focus has been on Ninjutsu. Little wonder that I can''t beat him.'' After the scores were tallied, the results of the top 5 were Fujin : 96+20+14+23+29=182 Fujin looked at the results showing a happy expression. His thoughts were, ''Well this went as expected. Though I''m surprised that some guys scored over 80 on the written exam. I guess the brains of the kids here develop faster. My shuriken still requires some work, but that''s fine. In Taijutsu I doubt I''ll be able to surpass Hoka unless he slacks off. In Ninjutsu I''m on par with Teru and others. Heck, I could have made 8 clones and decreased their scores if I wanted to, but there was no need for it. So it''s going good. Next I should focus on elemental jutsus.'' However, then he frowned mentally thinking, ''Still, the performance of the kids in this exam has been so good that I''m worried they may make a few of us graduate early! I''m glad that Genki hasn''t started teaching about all the other important stuff yet. I guess his plan was to allow everyone to learn Ninjutsu and fighting skills first so that they can keep improving them over the years. Though with the pace at which he has been going, it makes me wonder if he wants to make us graduate early or teach us more complicated stuff.'' Genki looked at the expression of all his students and sighed. He noticed that only Fujin had a happy expression, Nobu was expressionless as always and Teru just looked a bit down. Almost everyone else was incredibly upset. He sighed, ''I got excited and made the marking system really in favour of the geniuses. Last year''s results made them more competitive, however this year''s might have a detrimental effect. I''ll need to talk individually with everyone in order to pacify and cheer them up, so that they take this exam results as a motivation to do better in the future.'' He then glanced at the Inuzuka kids, ''I guess I should call their parents too.'' The exams ended with another brainwashing speech by Hiruzen. He called Fujin forward and asked him what reward he wanted this time. Fujin stepped forward and said, "Lord Hokage, could I get to learn the Shadow Clone jutsu?" Hiruzen was really surprised by this request. He asked, "Where did you hear about the shadow clone jutsu? And why do you want to learn it?" Fujin showed an excited expression and said, "Lord Hokage, we were told that the 2nd Hokage had started this academy. So I became quite interested in him and hence read a lot about his life and everything he did. On understanding more about him, I was very inspired by him. And when I read that he had created the shadow clone jutsu, I became very interested in it. Also, the jutsu seems very useful. Having a clone that can actually do something will be very helpful." He then looked at Hiruzen with expectations. Hiruzen looked at the excitement shown by the young student in front of him. Looking at the respect he had shown to his sensei, he emotionally thought, ''Sensei, even after being dead for decades, your will of fire still inspires the kids in Konoha!'' Hiruzen had sensed his chakra level during the Taijutsu tournament. Fujin, wanting to ask for the Shadow clone jutsu, didn''t bother hiding his real chakra level. Hiruzen thought, ''His chakra level is sufficient to be barely able to form 1 shadow clone. Fine, I''ll give it to him, but I need to warn him about the dangers of that technique.'' Hiruzen nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll prepare the scroll for you. Come to my office tomorrow at noon." Fujin showed that he was even more excited on hearing that and thanked him immediately. However on the inside, he was quite shocked. He thought, ''That''s it? A few good words about Tobirama and he agreed? Should I have asked for Flying Thunder God or Impure World Resurrection?'' He sighed internally and further thought, ''Then again, Shadow clone isn''t really a very complex jutsu. It is just B rank and even elite chuunins can easily access it from the library. Also, my respect for Tobirama was genuine. Unlike Hiruzen, he did do his job properly. Though how he died in war despite knowing Flying Thunder God is a mystery to me. So Hiruzen wouldn''t be able to pick up on anything. And Tobirama creating that jutsu, is written down in scrolls about him in the library. So I guess there wasn''t much to be suspicious about.'' With those thoughts, he walked back to his fellow students. Genki then announced about meeting with everyone personally tomorrow, and gave everyone a timeslot. He asked them to bring at least one parent along. Chapter 19: Shadow Clone Jutsu The following day, Genki was very busy with the counselling of all his students. Fujin was the first one in at 8 am as Genki had set the schedule according to their ranks. Seeing Fujin, Genki''s thoughts were, ''This kid has done well. But he is only an orphan. I don''t think he has any idea how vast this world is. Even though he ranked first twice consecutively, there is still a lot he needs to do. I need to ensure that he doesn''t get arrogant and lose his way.'' Fujin first greeted him, "Good Morning Sensei." Genki replied, "Good Morning. Congrats on your performance yesterday." Fujin smiled and replied, "Thank You sensei" and took his seat. Genki smiled, and then quickly got serious. He said, "So this meeting is in order to review your performance until now and to see what you should do in the vacation and in the next year. Of all the students from this class, I have interacted with you the most, so don''t worry and listen to my advice properly. Feel free to ask all your doubts." Fujin nodded. Genki continued, "Your performance has been very good so far. With you ranking first in both years, that is very obvious. However, in both exams, it was only due to you scoring very well in one exam that you ranked first." Fujin nodded seriously, while thinking ''I''m not even 8 years old yet! Should you be having such a serious talk with me? Are 8 year olds supposed to understand this?'' Genki on the other hand thought, ''The kid didn''t get upset? He is more mature than other kids his age.'' Genki continued, "So you will have to put more focus on other areas. Tell me, what do you do after the lecture is over? Also what do you do on weekends?" Fujin had already guessed that such a question might be asked, though he had thought something like this would have been asked long back! He replied, "Sensei, I mostly study what you taught in class, try to understand it. Then I train on the Ninjutsu you taught us or I do leaf concentration exercise. And before sleeping, I meditate. On the weekends I study a lot and also train on my sensor skills" What Fujin said was a properly thought out answer he had prepared long back. Showing a major focus at studying would explain why his scores in written exams were so high. The listener would think that he spent most of his time studying. He said that he spent very little time on Ninjutsu, which would justify his slightly lower scores there. While his meditation along with morning exercises would be the reason for the high growth in his chakra levels. The answer also showed that he was a very diligent student. Genki wasn''t surprised with the answer. He had guessed that it''ll be something along these lines considering Fujin''s performance. He said, "I see. Now let''s look at your performance this year. You have done very well in the written exam, chakra control and Taijutsu. However your Ninjutsu needs a lot of work. So over the next 2 months, you should focus on improving the 3 Ninjutsu I taught. Also, even after the 3rd year begins, spend more time on learning Ninjutsu and less time on studying. After all, in the future, when you do missions, it''ll be a lot more important than what you read." Fujin nodded, inwardly surprised, thinking ''That''s a first. No adult has ever told me to study less! Especially not a teacher.'' Two consecutive sessions of having to feign ignorance as well as interest had Fujin a bit tired. He decided to skip his ration bars and instead went to Ichiraku for lunch. His thoughts were, ''Fuck it, I have saved decent amount of money, I can afford to treat myself for today!'' Soon after lunch, he started training for the Shadow clone jutsu. After reading it properly, he thought, ''This is easily the most difficult jutsu I have seen yet. The process of molding chakra is very complicated. Makes me wonder how did that brat learn it in less than a day! However, this shadow clone is a bit more flexible than the one in Naruto. Chakra doesn''t necessarily have to be distributed evenly among my clones. It is upto the casters'' will and capabilities in deciding how many percent of his chakra must each clone have. He could create them with equal chakra to hide himself, or give it more or less chakra depending on the need. Another difference is that dispelling the clone won''t return all its chakra to the original body. Instead there is some chakra loss that happens during this process. As the jutsu is mastered, this loss reduces, however it won''t ever go down to zero. So in the future, I need to be careful in the amount of clones I make. Otherwise I could run out of chakra very quickly.'' On finishing his analysis, he began learning Shadow Clone technique. Knowing the basic clone jutsu helped a bit. The training continued for a while. Fujin noted that this training drained his chakra very fast. He could only practice for an hour before he was out of chakra. So from the next day, he practiced Shadow clone jutsu, as soon as he got up, then around noon, and finally again in the evening, getting 3 hours of training done while doing either physical exercises or meditation for the remainder of the time. He also carried a few leaves with him. On the ninth day, he was finally able to make a clone. Fujin noted that while molding the chakra is more difficult, it''s execution was much easier than the body flicker jutsu. After another 6 days, he was finally able to create an acceptable clone. It was entirely identical and took half of his chakra. However, on sensing, Fujin noted that some chakra was lost while creating the clone, resulting in the clone having slightly less chakra. This wasn''t acceptable. However he decided to test the clone first. He asked the clone to go into the bedroom and write any random number somewhere and then dispel. The clone went into the bedroom, and wrote 8196 on a scroll there. On dispelling, Fujin got all the information and checked if it was true. He thought, ''alright it works.'' He made another shadow clone. This time, he stabbed the clone''s arm with a Kunai, causing the clone to dispel. He waited for a few seconds and then concluded, ''Alright, I just got the memories of the clone. The pain wasn''t transferred to me. So this jutsu should be safe to use in battle.'' He then formed the clone again and this time had the clone do the 3 basic jutsus. The clone could perform them as good as he could. He couldn''t test body flicker at his home, so he decided to leave it for later. He then had the clone perform shadow clone. The clone managed to do it, but within a second, they were both dispelled. Fujin sensed that their chakra was very unstable. On thinking, he came to the conclusion, ''The clones were dispelled as they didn''t have enough chakra. Even though a ninja could make a shadow clone with a small percent of his chakra, the shadow clone still needs to have some minimum chakra level. And my single clone, probably barely exceeds that limit. Wait, does that mean, after using a few jutsus, my clone will disappear even if it has some chakra just because the chakra isn''t enough?'' This conclusion had him on alert. He quickly rushed into a mini-forest nearby. After transforming and confirming no one was around, he made a shadow clone. The clone, knowing the plan, started performing body flicker again and again, within the main body''s chakra field as the main body kept a track of its chakra level. The clone had around 49% of Fujin''s chakra. When it fell down below 41%, the clone dispelled. Having confirmed his theory, Fujin sighed, ''I guess it is impossible to have the clone assist me in Ninjutsu training. Though to be honest, it''s kinda pointless too as I can''t last long on Ninjutsu training without having my chakra depleted.'' After spending half a minute grumbling about his low chakra reserves, he decided, ''Well whatever. This was expected. Hopefully someday in the future, I''ll be able to use clones to train! Let''s just learn this jutsu properly and be done!'' In the next 5 days, he had learnt the shadow clone, to an acceptable level. Now no loss of chakra happened while forming the clone. As for the chakra loss while getting chakra back from the clone, it was around 5%. Fujin noticed that it was reducing quickly. With the work on shadow clone done, he decided that it was time to finally start practicing elemental jutsus. Though he decided to wait for another 10 days before he returned the scroll to Hiruzen. That way Hiruzen would underestimate his talent a bit.l--B1n. Chapter 20: Wind Release Jutsu (1) [A/N : The number of wind style jutsu in canon is pitiful. Even the fillers mostly have similar variants of canon jutsu with very little change, but do the same shit. So I''ll be using wind jutsu from games or even fan created ones. I''ll also make up some wind jutsu at some point later in this fanfic] On the 21st day of his vacation, Fujin made his way to the library. On the road, he thought about a lot of wind style jutsu. His thoughts were, ''Finally I''ll be starting with wind release jutsu. In the series, Wind was probably the least powerful element. Though Naruto had wind nature, all he used was Rasenshuriken. Temari did have a lot of jutsu, but she used a giant fan! Kakuzu used Pressure Damage, which was very lethal. I think there was also Great Breakthrough used by Orochimaru and probably Gale Palm used by someone. And lastly, Danzo used his vacuum jutsu, which were very lethal. Sadly, other than Temari, no one else specialized in Wind jutsu. And the number of wind jutsu were very low too. Luckily this world does have a lot more wind release jutsu. I might be able to form a comprehensive battle system through it. Last time I just read their names. This time I''ll be reading their scrolls too. And then decide the set of jutsu to practice. Still I wish I could have got to read the descriptions of higher ranked wind jutsu as well. It''d have been very helpful in order to decide. On reaching there, he went through entire sections E and D and made a list of all available wind release jutsu. They were : Gale Jutsu (E) Wind Clone (E) Wind Levitation (E) Projectile Control Jutsu (E) Wind Retrieving Jutsu (E) Gale Surge (D) Breakthrough (D) Dust Cloud (D) Slashing Wind Skill (D) Wind Explosion (D) Propelling Winds (D) The first question for Fujin was, ''Why was Wind Clone merely a rank E jutsu?'' On reading the scroll, he understood why. Wind clone was extremely simple. Elemental clones were like normal clones, just that they were made of elements. That''s why they could perform attacks. They got dispelled upon getting hit. Since the material needed for a wind clone was basically the air around, it was extremely simple to make it. Having analyzed all the jutsu, he had to make the tough final decision of deciding which jutsu to learn. He thought, ''All of these jutsu have good uses. However, will I be able to learn all of them?'' He was lost in his thoughts. Not able to reach a conclusion, he decided to calm himself a bit and analyzed further, ''As for how many of these jutsu I can learn, will depend on my speed of learning these jutsu. And just learning is rather pointless. I''ll need to master them. For now, let''s eliminate the ones I don''t want to learn. It will be slashing wind jutsu.'' He sighed, ''This is the only one I don''t wanna learn. I wanna learn all the others! Nevermind, let''s list them in the order of importance. Rank E jutsu are important to be able to get a better control of wind nature. So they are compulsory. Among the remaining, Wind Explosion jutsu would probably be the most useful considering its future potential. Next would be wind propelling jutsu. While it in itself ain''t that good, however, if in the future, I''m able to create small blasts of wind willingly around my body to propel myself, then that might become a deadly fighting style. Breakthrough jutsu would be next as it forms the basis of a few stronger jutsu. Also it provides an AoE option. Gale Surge and Dust Cloud will be the last ones. Gale Surge provides defense in one direction, but it is very temporary. And Dust cloud just provides cover. I suppose that''s enough calculations. I still have a few years before I may have to fight. So let''s just try these jutsu. Hopefully a year will be enough for it. Next year I would like to learn a few Earth release jutsu and probably one or two Genjutsu. I suppose this year I should also start with Kenjutsu. Maybe a sword or two. They go really well with Wind release.'' Ending his train of thoughts, he read the scroll of Wind release : Wind Clone jutsu properly. After getting the basics down, he left the library and on arriving in a secluded mini forest, started training for it. However what happened really surprised him. It only took him 1 try to be able to do the wind clone jutsu! He was left speechless by the ease of it. After calming himself, he analysed, ''The jutsu is very similar to normal clone jutsu and I have already learnt even shadow clones. Not to mention, my affinity is wind nature and I have already trained a lot to master this element. So I suppose it''s no wonder I''m able to learn it in one try. Actually, if I compare it with Itachi, then this achievement isn''t much worth mentioning. He was able to do fireball jutsu, a rank C jutsu, on his first try. So it shouldn''t be that big of a deal.'' He comforted himself saying, ''It''s alright. This is the fruit of my hard work over the last 3 years.'' He spent the rest of the day testing the capabilities of his wind clone. Unlike Shadow Clones, it didn''t transfer memories back, but it didn''t require high amounts of chakra either. Since it used the air around it, Fujin guessed that this is the most chakra friendly clone jutsu. In merely a few hours, he managed to create 10 wind clones. It could do all the jutsu the main body could, except shadow clone, and would dispel on taking a hit. After experimenting, Fujin realised that in a head on battle, Wind clones would be more effective than Shadow clones. Many times that day, he had the thought of going back to the library and learning another jutsu. However he didn''t act on that urge as it might have attracted attention. He sighed thinking, ''I should have found a way to steal those scrolls!'' After being satisfied with his progress, he returned home. On the way, he had a peculiar thought about the jutsu he had learnt so far. He thought, ''Of the six jutsu I know, 3 of them are clone jutsu!'' The next day, he read and learnt Gale Jutsu. He had to first gather the chakra and then expel it from his mouth as a gust of wind. He was able to perform it properly after a few tries. The jutsu was really harmless. When he tried it on a tree, except some old leaves falling down, it didn''t cause any harm to the tree at all. After an hour of practice, he could cover up the footsteps he left behind. Using the jutsu to change the direction of wind in a small area took a few hours to practice. Though he had no idea how successful or unsuccessful he was at covering up his scent. He decided to have an Inuzuka check it some time in the future. The next day, he tried learning Wind Levitation jutsu. While he didn''t get this one on his first try, he still managed to perform it correctly within ten minutes. He was able to levitate a leaf in air at a height of about 5 metres. It took him half an hour to do the same with a pebble. By the end of the day, he could levitate stones with a diameter of 15 cm in at a height of 15 metres and maintain it for 78 seconds. He had read in the scroll that this jutsu could be used to lift a boulder over a hundred metres in the sky. And he guessed that even that wasn''t its limit. So in the future, he could keep practicing it to his heart''s content. The next day he tried the Projectile Control jutsu. And he finally had a challenge. This jutsu needed really fine control over the wind. He created a wind clone and had it launch shurikens and tried to control it. After a few hours, he managed to change the direction of the shuriken, but he couldn''t control it. Since the shuriken spun, he felt that it made the jutsu harder and decided to experiment with a kunai instead. It decreased the difficulty considerably and at the end of the day, he managed to maintain decent control on a thrown kunai. He practiced this jutsu for another 3 days in order to get a better hang of it. After these 4 days, he felt as if he had a better grasp on the wind element. The following day, he tried the Wind Retrieving Jutsu. Attracting an object towards yourself by having the winds flow towards you proved to be a challenge. The wind flowing towards yourself was the first obstacle. The second was that if he was able to create a strong enough wind flow, he himself would be affected by it. That issue made Fujin wonder if he could create wind paths around himself to perform this jutsu. He left that thought for the future. It took him 3 days to learn this jutsu and be comfortable with it. He returned the Shadow Clone scroll to Hiruzen after that. Chapter 21: Wind Release Jutsu (2) It took just 10 days for Fujin to learn the 5 rank E wind release jutsu. With one more month of vacation still remaining, he started training for the rank D jutsu. He revamped his plans thinking, ''My initial plans were to learn in order of their importance, but since I''m able to learn at such a quick pace, let''s just learn in the order of ease of learning them. So let''s do Breakthrough jutsu first. And follow it up with Dust Cloud jutsu and Gale Surge.'' On getting all the required data from the library, he began the training for Breakthrough jutsu. The initial process was very similar to Gale Jutsu. Only, the amount of chakra he had to gather was larger. The winds generated needed to have much more power. Also the winds had to be made sharper to cause damage. On his initial few tries, the result was only as good as Gale jutsu, but he could clearly see where he should improve. In merely 15 minutes, he was able to expel a stronger gust of wind from his mouth. He noted, ''It ain''t very powerful yet, but it''s damage should be damn good if paired with a fire jutsu. Anyways, this jutsu will require a lot of work. The process of gathering chakra as well as the process of converting chakra into wind should be faster. The chakra gathered should be larger as well to increase the damage done.'' He practiced it for 7 days, until he got the hang of the jutsu. He also tested it on a poor tree, which resulted in it losing the majority of its leaves and many branches. His thoughts were, ''That''s good. Though it probably won''t kill anyone, it can easily injure most Genins.'' The next day he grabbed the scroll for Dust Cloud Jutsu and memorized it. This jutsu was incredibly easy. It''s process was similar to Breakthrough jutsu, just that it had to be focused on the ground to lift the dust above. It also had some aspects of Wind Levitation jutsu to ensure that the dust cloud existed for a longer time. He was able to raise a dust cloud on his very first try, however it lasted a very short time. Properly incorporating the Wind Levitation aspect took a few hours. But by the end of the day, the progress was sufficient. The next day, he began training for Gale Surge jutsu. It was almost the opposite of Wind Retrieving Jutsu. Here, he had to distill the air around him with his chakra, and then suddenly release it up to 3 metres in a direction. In a way it resembled the Almighty push of Nagato. Of course the power was extremely lacking. This jutsu didn''t really provide a very good defense. However Fujin''s reason for learning this jutsu was due to a couple of ideas he had with it. The first being, to increase the range and power of this jutsu and the second was to be able to release wind in every direction around him. That way this jutsu could become incredibly disruptive. If the range and power is increased, then it''ll be perfect to create a nuisance on a battlefield whereas an omni-directional release would be helpful in case he''s ever surrounded by enemies. It again took him only a day to learn this jutsu and practice it to an acceptable level. He analysed his jutsu further and concluded, ''My wind clone jutsu makes the normal clone jutsu redundant. I should completely drop its usage. Gale jutsu too doesn''t need anymore work. It can cover footsteps adequately and in fights, Breakthrough jutsu is much better. That leaves 13 jutsus. Even though I have learnt them, if I talk about truly mastering a jutsu, then I have probably mastered just 1 jutsu, which is Body Flicker jutsu, on which I spent 10 whole months. Next I should focus on mastering these wind release jutsus. Especially to perform them without hand signs. Even though the Body Flicker jutsu took 10 months to master, if I have learnt anything in the last one month, it''s that either my talent in wind nature is extremely high, or these wind release jutsus were very easy. So mastering them shouldn''t take very long. I could also upgrade my Substitution jutsu by substituting with my Wind Clone rather than nearby logs or other objects. Other than that, I could also try to combine wind clone and wind explosion jutsu. Similarly, I should experiment trying to use Body Flicker and Wind Propelling jutsu simultaneously. If Body Flicker jutsu could freely change directions, then it will be extremely lethal. And I still have to learn to strengthen my weapons using wind chakra.'' After thinking about these ideas, Fujin decided to think how he could get his hands on rank C jutsu. He thought, ''I''m not sure if I can get access to rank C and rank B jutsu anytime soon. I could ask Genki, but even if I am successful, I don''t think he''d give me more than 2 or 3 jutsu. And that''ll also attract a lot of attention. I could ask Hiruzen for access to higher sections in the library after the 3rd year exam, but I''m doubtful that he''d agree. Even if he did agree, I will probably be monitored when I enter the library. And if they see me reading those high ranked jutsus, they may have someone keep an eye on me. That would mean that I can''t practice Ninjutsu secretly like I do right now. And if they sent someone good enough to avoid me from sensing him, that would mean my skills would be known to Hiruzen and soon to Danzo.'' He sighed, ''Leave it, let''s follow stability. There''s no point in taking such a huge risk. If I master all my current jutsu and also a few Earth release jutsu and can''t progress any further, then I can consider graduating early.'' Over the past year, he had thought quite a bit about graduating early. His thoughts were, ''Initially I thought that graduating early would attract a lot of attention. Perhaps it still would in Naruto''s generation. But right now, graduating early seems to be highly supported and even encouraged by teachers. In the last 2 years, there were many who graduated after their 4th or 5th year in the academy. A few even graduated after the 3rd year. I guess the village wants to have new ninjas join in their ranks as soon as possible. Which is why it may be encouraged right now. Though if someone graduates at 6 or 7, then it''ll still attract a lot of attention.'' During this vacation, Fujin had almost entirely focused on Ninjutsu. His routine was, workout in the morning, and then Ninjutsu training the whole day. When he ran out of chakra, then he would practice meditation or practice Shuriken throwing. Everything else was halted. Fujin decided to continue practicing his wind jutsus in the last week of vacation. However, he started additional training. He started trying to hit his wind clones with shurikens in order to improve his skill at it. Though he wasn''t sure whether to be upset about his shuriken throwing skills or be happy at his clone''s speed and maneuverability, as he didn''t manage to hit his wind clone even once! However he did improve at a rapid pace. Chapter 22: Fuinjutsu The third year started after the vacation. This year, Genki focused on other crucial aspects of a ninja apart from fighting capabilities. Fujin was a bit surprised that he didn''t push for anymore advanced jutsu, but on thinking for a bit, he understood ''More than half of the class isn''t able to keep up. Considering that he asked me to learn wind nature, I''m guessing he gave similar advice to others who could keep up. This way, the struggling ones would catch up and the students who are performing well can reach the next level. I guess they want to ensure that every single kid from this class becomes a capable ninja to fill up the void left by the dead. Still, from his speech, it seems like everything will be taught in this year itself.'' After the lectures were over, Fujin went to the library. He went in section E and picked up the scroll named ''Introduction to Fuinjutsu''. He recalled reading it a couple of years back. He read it once again, this time properly. On reading, he analysed, ''Fuinjutsu contains 2 parts. The first is the writing part. However, this has 2 parts as well. First, the language. Fuinjutsu has special symbols which I have to understand before attempting to make seals. I will need to learn to draw each symbol properly as well as infuse my chakra in the mentioned manner. Any mistakes would make the seal fail and could cause unintended complexities if the seal did something else. This is actually very similar to hand signs, just that the number of symbols is much higher. The symbols serve various functions. The main function I can see is its ability to produce an element. There are symbols for each of the 5 elements, and symbols which can suppress or enhance them. There are also symbols to control time and space. A simple storage seal has a lot of space symbols, whereas a complex one will not only have space symbols, but also time symbols to ensure that time slows down in that storage seal. The second, was the logic part. This part is very similar to coding on Earth. Since I know coding, this part is easier for me. However, it ain''t much of an advantage. Coding is pretty easy to learn, I''m sure the brighter kids from my class could pick it up within a week or two. After the writing part, the next part was to mold my chakra to create what the seal is used for. For a simple sealing scroll, I would have to create that storage space with the help of the symbols and also set up the conditions for activating the seal. Sigh, this is pretty complicated. Anyways, let''s start. I should start with the symbols, but there are hundreds of them. It''ll take months if I try to learn them all. So I''ll just pick a seal and learn it''s symbols. That way I could monitor my progress.'' He created another Shadow Clone. This time the clone practiced the symbol for 2 hours, took a break of 2 hour, then practiced it again for 1 hour, and then took another 1 hour break followed by 1 hour practice. Fujin went out to practice shuriken throwing on a wind clone and increasing the radius of his chakra field. He didn''t practice any ninjutsu as practicing it with only half his chakra wouldn''t last very long. After 7 hours, he dispelled his clone. This time the headache was a bit worse, but still bearable. However, recalling Hiruzen''s instructions, he decided to sleep. He was very happy with what he had done today. After waking up early the next morning, he thought, ''Excellent, the experiment was successful. Now that my shadow clone can last 7 hours and practice these symbols for 4 hours, I can leave my shadow clone at home and it can keep practicing Fuinjutsu while I''m at the academy. I guess my chakra needs to increase by another 20-25% so that my clone could practice for 7 hours straight. Still, I need to decide what the clone should do in the spare 3 hours.'' He thought for a bit and then it clicked him, ''Yeah, why not. I should buy a few cooking books for the clone to learn. In the past 2 years I have learnt to make various breakfasts, but I didn''t learn to make a proper lunch or dinner as I didn''t have much spare time. This seems the perfect opportunity to learn it! Alright, today, after the academy, I''ll buy the books.'' Happy at the possibility of finally being able to eat delicious meals, he decided to analyse his daily routine, ''So with this sorted, I will continue to do my physical training in the morning, during lectures my clone can practice Fuinjutsu while my main body pays attention for important lectures and work on my chakra field in the remaining time. After the lecture is over, I''ll have to return home, dispel the clone and take a short, probably an hour''s sleep. Then I can practice my Ninjutsu and shuriken throwing.'' And the year continued in this manner. Genki taught a lot of practical knowledge that was needed for ninjas. And Fujin continued his hard training. Fujin did note that the class was a bit more serious this year. He thought, ''I guess his one-on-one talks had a good effect.'' After 6 months, Fujin was able to do the rank E wind release jutsus with no hand signs, only the wind clone needed a single hand sign. Among rank D, he could do Wind Propelling jutsu without hand signs, however the rest required one or two hand signs. 23 days before the exams for the 3rd year were up, he managed to do all but two without hand signs. Only Dust Cloud Jutsu still required a couple of hand signs and wind clones still required one hand sign. Similarly, Shadow Clone too had dropped to just one hand sign, the clone seal, which he wasn''t able to do without hand signs. His Breakthrough jutsu and Wind Explosion jutsu now were able to do much higher damage and all the other wind release jutsus had been mastered to a certain extent. It took his clone 3 months to master those 16 symbols and another month, to successfully make a storage seal. It took another month of practice to be able to do it comfortably without any mistakes. He had spent 4000 ryo on the materials till then, leaving him only with a little over 2000 ryo with him. He had created 5 proper sealing scrolls. Each time when he bought the materials, he had bought it from different shops under different disguises. Of the 5 shopkeepers he met, he had observed that one of them seemed greedy and with loose morals. He thought, ''I can''t continue the expenditure on Fuinjutsu. Probably another 4 months before I''m totally broke. So I''ll have to sell my scrolls. Trouble is, whom to sell. I can''t give out my identity and I''m not sure if any shopkeeper will agree to buy without knowing the seller. Sigh, I''ll have to approach the one with low morals and greedy nature. Luckily, one of the shopkeepers fits the bill. Unless he has put up a facade, so I should take some precautions. Preferably, I should send a clone under Transformation jutsu.'' Chapter 23: The First Deal Over the next few days, he had his shadow clone spy on the shopkeeper. Genki''s training for stealth was really helpful during this period. His name was Ging. He was probably in his 40s. The clone observed his actions and his movements to see whether he is a hidden ninja. He had already tried to sense his chakra, it was merely at the civilian level. Fujin wondered if at some point in the past, Konoha conducted a drive to unlock chakra of a lot of people. He also observed his dealings with other customers, where he keeps his inventory, where he keeps his cash and so on. The spying was quite successful as on one lucky instance, he heard Ging bargaining with his supplier on the price of some of the items. On hearing them talk, he understood that the supplier sold an Explosion tag to him for 500 Ryo and Storage Scroll for 1,200 each, while he sold the storage scroll for 1,500 Ryo and the Explosion tags for 750 Ryo to his customers. After being sure that he was a safe target, he sent his shadow clone with the 5 scrolls. His clone took the appearance of a middle-aged man and approached Ging when no one was in his shop. On seeing him approach, Ging put up a kind smile and said, "Hello, what do you want to buy?" Fujin''s clone replied, "Hello, I''m not here to buy, but to sell." Hearing that, Ging was quite surprised. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sell? Who are you?" Fujin''s clone replied, "You can call me Zoro." Ging noticed the fact that the man in front of him asked him to call that. He then asked, "What do you want to sell?"N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. Fujin''s clone paused for a moment, and stared in his eyes. He then said, "Storage Scrolls" Ging, trying to gain an upper hand in any negotiations, said dismissively "I already have 3 suppliers for storage scrolls, why should I buy from you?" Fujin''s clone smirked and replied, "Because my scrolls are better" That statement got Ging interested. He asked, "How? And I''ll inspect your scroll first before buying from you." Fujin''s clone maintained his smirk and replied, "Suit yourself" and handed him a scroll. Ging took the scroll and invited him to a room inside the shop. On the way, he asked "So what''s the name of your company and who is the person in-charge of it?" However, he was dismissively answered with "You don''t need to concern yourself with it." Hearing that Ging thought, ''Oh, a secret organisation? So either he is someone who doesn''t want anyone to know that he can make storage scrolls, or he has a secret organisation behind him which probably does some shady work. Hehe, I''ll make a ton of profits from this sheep!'' On reaching the room, Ging started inspecting the scroll. Fujin clone''s claim wasn''t empty. A standard storage scroll has 10 storage seals in it. However the one he made had 12 seals in it. When he saw Ging inspecting the scroll, Fujin''s clone thought, ''It isn''t difficult to make 12 seals in a single scroll. You just have to draw the seals closer to each other. Actually, if anyone wants to make an optimal storage scroll while keeping the size of the scroll the same, then he could make 25 seals in the scroll. However, for the ones who mass produce these seals 10 is the optimal number. The reason is that many buyers don''t need more than 10 seals in a scroll. And for the ones who want more, the producers would profit more if they bought more scrolls. It also resulted in less effort needed to make the scroll. So it had become an optimal number for them to make maximum profits. However, I don''t have any such restrictions. I just want to make some money to continue practicing Fuinjutsu.'' Fujin''s clone''s thoughts were, ''While I don''t necessarily need a higher price, doing this would cast much lesser doubts on me. Also the existence of a boss behind me will keep this fellow from going overboard.'' Ging however got lost in his thoughts, ''Damn! What to do now? By buying one scroll for 1,150 Ryo, I probably won''t get any more scrolls from him in the future. But if I pay high, and others still pay higher, then I still might not get any in the future. Still though, a boss and more people like him? Are they trying to change the whole storage scrolls market?'' He thought for a bit more and then asked, "Will you be selling all your scrolls to only the one who buys it for the highest price, or others as well?" Fujin''s clone replied, "We will be selling it to many shopkeepers. Only the amount of scrolls we sell to them would depend on the prices they offer. Of course, the ones who offer lower than average might not get any. But I''m not privy to the exact plans." Ging analysed for a minute and then sighed. He thought, ''Buying it for a low price would mean killing the goose that drops the golden eggs. But how much should I buy it for? I don''t want to pay a lot for it. Otherwise my profits won''t be enough. Let me go with 1,500 Ryo. That should be enough to earn higher off them than normal storage scrolls.'' He then offered a price of 1,500 Ryo per scroll. They completed their deal and talked a bit about how and when future deals would happen. Fujin''s clone walked out of the shop with 7,500 Ryo. He handed the money to Fujin in an alleyway while he wandered off a bit and dispelled himself after confirming that there was no one around. After looking at the cash, Fujin''s thoughts were, ''Wow, am I really that good at negotiating?'' However after getting his clone''s memories back, he thought, ''Nope, I am probably closer to a novice rather than a master. It was just that the final bluff was too much of a temptation for him to ignore. Probably, he also thought that a powerful organisation might be behind me, which threatened him a bit. Well whatever, this is good cash! I should consider selling scrolls often to him.'' He then went to a few other shops under different disguises to buy materials. He bought 30 bottles of ink, 25 scrolls and 200 blank paper tags. The blank paper tags cost 10 Ryo each. So in all he spent 6,500 Ryo on the materials. He then bought some meat and returned home. He thought, ''Now that I do have some cash, I should definitely increase my meat consumption. The meat business here is entirely dominated by the Akimichi clan. All the shops which sell meat belong to them. I wonder if it is because they are good at it due to economy of scale, or if they were given monopoly over this business when they joined Konoha.'' After that day, Fujin began learning other seals too. He learnt a few basic ones like Heat Seal, Cool Seal, Hard Seal, Soft Seal, Shock Seal and Wet Seal. These seals used elemental symbols. However the number of symbols required was much lower as compared to a storage seal as these did very basic things. The heat seal could only be used to warm a room. While the Cool seal absorbed heat from the surroundings to make the room cooler. Shock seal could apply a small electric shock, but it was very harmless too as Fujin could bear that shock without any issue. Hard seal was used to harden a surface or an object whereas Soft seal did the reverse. Wet seal was used to gather the moisture from the air and make the surface it had been stuck to wet. All these seals had to be made on a paper tag, and to use it, it would have to be applied on a surface and be activated. The elemental seals had a requirement of the creator being able to use those elements. But since these seals were very basic, he could do it despite not having mastered fire, water and lightning natures. In all it took him 4 and half months to learn all these seals. During this time, he also started selling 20 storage scrolls to Ging every month for 30,000 Ryo. He kept the amount low so that the major suppliers of storage scrolls won''t be annoyed by him and try to find him. On the other hand, Ging was very happy too as he could sell these scrolls for around 2,300 Ryo. By the time 3rd year''s exams were up, Fujin had saved over 100,000 Ryo! Chapter 24: Graduation Exam In the 3rd year, Genki had focused entirely on the basic skills. It made this year a lot more fun. After having taught one skill entirely, he used to come up with games so that everyone would get used to using it. For instance, after teaching how to move stealthily. He gave everyone 29 tags with their roll numbers written on it. Everyone had to put these tags on the backs of other 29 students and avoid others putting those tags on their own back. Thanks to Fujin being a sensor, no one managed to put any tag on his back. The few who tried to sneak up, got a punch or an elbow to their face. While hunting wild animals had resulted in most students making some really funny faces. Killing an animal didn''t create an issue for everyone, though Fujin did sigh thinking, ''I never thought that my first kill in this world would be a freaking rabbit!'' The fun part according to Genki, which he enjoyed the most, was having everyone cut open the animal they hunted, clean it and prepare it for cooking. An act that disgusted most of the students, including Fujin as he had never done anything like this in his earlier life. Only Nobu was completely unaffected. And in order to make everyone learn cooking properly, Genki banned bringing lunch to the academy for a few days. Their lunch was the wild animal they cooked! Later in the year, he also introduced tree climbing as a chakra control exercise for his students. In this manner, the year progressed. 1 week before the final exams, Genki dropped the news that surprised Fujin. He thought, ''While I did know about it, for the announcement to be made this suddenly is surprising!'' Genki had announced, ''If there is anyone among you who wants to attempt the graduation exam, then let me know within the next 3 days.'' However, by the end of the day, Genki did regret announcing that right in the morning. He sighed, ''Damn, I should have announced it when the lectures ended. No one paid attention to today''s lectures!'' After going home, Fujin thought hard about it. On analyzing, he concluded, ''There''s still a lot more for me to learn. Right now my wind jutsus, basic jutsus, shadow clones, body flicker, shuriken throwing and Taijutsu has progressed to the level that I''m satisfied with. But I still have to learn Earth release jutsus. And also need to work on sword skills and Genjutsu. As for Fuinjutsu, though it has been coming along well, I still haven''t started on the intermediate level seals which are available in section D of the library. And there''s also Rasengan still left to master. Also, while graduating will ensure that I won''t have to waste time in the academy, but since Konoha currently is suffering a shortage of ninjas, I suppose my free time might be curtailed rather than getting more time to train. Also the missions might have more risk than usual, especially with the 3rd war still fresh in everyone''s minds. Alright then, I won''t participate in it. While the top scorer not attempting the graduation exam might raise questions, it''s better than dying on some rank C mission gone wrong.'' However, unlike Fujin, the other kids from his class, were perfectly brainwashed by the Will of Fire. And hence many were interested in participating in the graduation exam. However, knowing that they won''t be able to pass, many parents didn''t allow their children to take part in the exams. In the end, there were 7 students who decided to participate in the Graduation exam. Yori, Nobu, Teru, Hoka, a civilian kid, and the two from Aburame and Hatake clans decided to attempt the exam. Fujin did see that Genki was a bit disappointed in him not attempting the Graduation exam. But he was relieved as Genki didn''t talk with him on the matter. The graduation exam was around a week after the 3rd year exam. The 3rd year exam went as usual. A few more parameters were added to the exam based on the skills that Genki had taught in this year. This year, the reward from the Hokage was also dependent on the graduation exam performance. That pretty much meant that Fujin won''t get any rewards for rank 1. So he decreased his performance slightly in the written exam and once again didn''t give his all in the Ninjutsu exam. So in the end, he only ranked 4th. Teru ranked 1st, followed by Nobu and then Hana. Fujin was actually very grateful that Hana wasn''t attempting the graduation exam. While he wasn''t aware of the reason, it meant that he wasn''t the only one with high scores who wasn''t attempting the graduation exam. Unknown to him however, Hana was extremely upset that her parents didn''t allow her to become a ninja so soon. A week later, the graduation exam was conducted. For the students from the elite classes, the exam was very similar to normal exams. Only, it was more comprehensive. The main addition to the exam was a 50 point exam that provided students with various scenarios that they would face and asked what they would do in those scenarios. Except Nobu, everyone else struggled in this exam. In Taijutsu, only Hoka and Teru performed above par, while Yori and Nobu were barely average. In Ninjutsu however, Teru, Yori and Nobu displayed why exactly they deserved to be genins. Yori perfectly displayed two rank C jutsus, Fireball jutsu and Phoenix Sage Fire jutsu. Teru was able to perform jutsus of two different elements. He was able to perform one rank C Water Gunshot jutsu and three rank D jutsus, Ground Shaking Jutsu, Headhunter jutsu and Stone Shuriken jutsu. Mud Interceptor jutsu (D) Earth Military Movement jutsu (D) Stone Breastplate jutsu (D) Mud Weight jutsu (D) Earth Release Camp jutsu (D) Earth Release Note jutsu (D) His first thoughts were, ''Hmm, no Earth Wall jutsu? That''s a rather simple jutsu, to be ranked higher. Even the Iron Skin jutsu of Kakuzu isn''t here. I hope it is there in higher sections.'' He then began reading each and every jutsu and started analyzing them. It took him around 2 hours to go through each and everyone of them. He concluded, ''The Earth release jutsus are more comprehensive than the wind release jutsus. The only point where it is bad is that the offense is lacking a bit. Surprisingly many of the jutsus in this list have a similar potential like Wind ones. However, there is one big drawback. Most of the earth release jutsus, especially the ones with high potential, will be severely restrained if the fight is over a water body. Now that I think about it, Iwa is pretty lucky to not share any border with Kiri. Otherwise they''d be in very passive situations in the wars. Anyways, I can ignore all offense oriented Earth release jutsus. For defense, Rock Shield jutsu is a good option. It probably is an inferior version of Earth Wall jutsu. So it can be upgraded later. I also wonder if I could use the Hard Seal to make the shield more durable. For trapping, Mud Moat jutsu is a good option. It creates a 6 feet deep moat with 6 feet radius around the user. It should serve as a base for that Rank A swamp jutsu which Jiraiya had. I don''t recall the name though. As for movement, Earth Military Movement jutsu is a must learn. It allows travelling through the ground for short distances. Having another way to escape is always good. Earth Release: Camp jutsu is pretty handy too. It can make a cave within mountains. There are a few small hills in the village, like the one where there is a waterfall. I could try this jutsu somewhere near there. Also, these 4 jutsus make a neat combo. I could use Camp jutsu to build a cave within a mountain. Then use Rock Shield jutsu to hide the entrance. Prepare a moat around the mountain, and if anyone manages to find the cave, then I can escape with Earth Military Movement jutsu.'' He began his training for the Earth release jutsus. While he hadn''t honed his Earth nature as much as Wind nature, he still had honed it a lot. He could crumble boulders to dust in just a few seconds. That''s why he managed to learn them very quickly. However, they were a bit tougher to learn when compared to Wind release jutsus. He learnt Rock Shield jutsu within a few minutes and then spent a couple of days on it to increase the size and durability of the rock shield that he used to raise from the ground. He also attempted to apply the Hard Seal on the rock shield he raised. It increased the durability of the shield. However applying the seal and activating it took around 1.5 seconds to pull off, something he might not have in a fight. The Camp jutsu was learnt within a day. Though the cave was a bit dusty, he could just use Breakthrough jutsu to clean up all the dust. He could also use the Rock Shield jutsu to cover up the entrance if he wanted to hide. Though he had to leave a small space open in order for air to circulate. He didn''t bother perfecting this jutsu as there was no need for it right now. The next was the mud Moat jutsu. It had an aspect of Water nature as well. So it took him close to a week to learn it. He would need to improve his water nature if he had to improve this jutsu further. So he decided to leave this matter for his future self. And lastly, he practiced Earth Military Movement jutsu. This one was quite difficult to learn. The jutsu involved moving through the ground like he is swimming. So he had to soften the ground a lot to be able to do that. It took him 11 days to pull it off successfully for the first time. It took another 2 weeks for him to be able to move around more freely. He was only limited by the amount of oxygen he had underground. The softening of the ground resulted in some oxygen entering underground, however it was very limited. He stopped when he was able to move 100 metres. He thought, ''Alright, the earth release jutsus have been learnt. Though I still need to work more on Rock Shield jutsu and Earth Military Movement jutsu. However, I can do that slowly over the next year. Next, I need to learn chakra flow.'' He went to the library to learn about it. Chapter 25: Chakra Flow He visited the library, and searched in all 4 sections he had access to. Surprisingly, he didn''t find a single scroll on what he wanted. He thought, ''This is surprising. Does it mean that they are kept in a higher section or do they not provide that technique for normal ninjas?'' While leaving the library, he analyzed for a bit more, ''Yeah, that might be the case. Infusing chakra into weapons isn''t that big of a deal. If I recall right, most Samurai were able to do it. However in Konoha, Asuma was the only one I recall to do it. And Danzo too was able to do it, but his method was different. Anyways, I suppose I''ll have to try it myself. I don''t think Genki or his friends might know this.'' On the way back to the mini forest, he thought of various ways to do it. His first thoughts were, ''Lets just try to flow my chakra through a kunai like I try to do it when trying to cut a leaf. Only, instead of trying to cut the kunai, I''ll try to make its edges sharper.'' He then tried to implement that trick, however he had many troubles in doing it. He had instantaneous success in what he was trying to do as he was able to imbue his kunai with his chakra on his first try. However, the chakra amount that got imbued was very low and even after trying to infuse more chakra in it for 2 days, he didn''t improve much. Also while the kunai''s sharpness and penetrating capabilities improved, it wasn''t much and he didn''t make any improvements over the couple of days. He thought, ''What a bummer! This seems to be a dead end. I guess having a chakra blade might aid, but something seems wrong. Perhaps I''ll improve if I stick to this, however it''ll probably take years. I need to think of another way.'' He thought for a few hours, and then it clicked him. He decided to go the Hunter X Hunter way. He thought, ''Yeah, that''s right. I could try the similar way as in Hunter X Hunter. I''ll first try to release my Chakra and coat it all over my body. And then try and extend that coat to cover a kunai I''m holding. While the method is very inefficient, it should allow me to learn it faster. Once I''m able to do it, I''ll have to practice doing it without coating my body and directly infusing Chakra into the kunai.'' Coating the entire body with Chakra wasn''t something any ninja preferred to do. The reason was simple - insufficient Chakra. Doing it would exhaust the chakra of the user very quickly. From what Fujin could recall, apart from the Jinchurikis, only the Raikages coated their body with Chakra. Others would at most coat a body part or weapons to enhance them. Fujin began training in the new way. And it was very exhausting. In merely 7 minutes, he ran out of chakra. However, he could see that he was making some progress in extending his chakra to his kunai. It was slow, but a steady growth he observed in 7 minutes. He guessed that in around 10 attempts, he''ll be able to perfectly coat the kunai with his chakra. However, with the chakra exhaustion, he could probably only train it around 3 or 4 times in a day. Not to mention, there was much more to do after coating the kunai with his chakra. Not wanting to waste weeks on this, he decided to buy soldier pills. After resting for a couple of hours, he went to his home to get cash and then left to buy the pills. He transformed in an alleyway and went to a shop that sold soldier pills. Soldier pills were extremely useful for a ninja. When he read it the first time, he was a bit amazed by it. A top quality soldier pill, could provide around 30 times the chakra of an average Jounin. And it didn''t do it right away, but provided the chakra in small parts, every hour, consistently over 3 days. It also released enzymes which stimulated the ninja to stay awake for 3 days. That''s why someone who consumed a soldier pill could fight for 3 days straight. Unknown to Fujin, there were also better soldier pills, but they were custom made for top ninjas and not available for everyone. Fujin decided to buy soldier pills of medium quality. These were mostly used by chuunins. Fujin''s own chakra reserve now was much higher than an average fresh genin. It was probably better than an average Genin. In the next year, his chakra reserves should grow to the same level as the weaker chuunin academy teachers. On punching the boulder, a lot of cracks appeared on the boulder, but Fujin was screaming internally, ''Bloody hell! This hurts like a bitch!'' After a few moments, he checked his fist, and thought ''Wow, there are no visible injuries. Though it hurt a heck of a lot, it didn''t cause any bleeding or injury. It only caused a few small scratches. I guess I have really become strong!'' He spent the next 15 days increasing the amount of chakra he could infuse in his kunai and also making the chakra much sharper. While just infusing wind chakra in it had made it very potent, he had to shape his chakra to form a thin edge that aligned with the edges of his kunai for maximum effect. By the time the vacation was over, his kunai could penetrate through three 4 metres wide boulders and get stuck in the 4th boulder. And the range of his kunai, due to chakra flow, was increased by 15 cm. However, he noticed that once he was able to increase the amount of chakra infused in the kunai and make it much sharper, it started to deteriorate the condition of his kunai. 2 days before the vacation was over, the kunai with which he was practicing with crumbled. He sighed thinking, ''Well it was a kunai I picked up in the forest. I wonder if a new kunai will last longer. I guess I''ll need to buy a few kunai later on. I should also check on the prices of chakra blades.'' The day before the academy started, he visited the best weapon store in Konoha to look for chakra blades. He hadn''t transformed this time and just went in as an enthusiast. The reason was that he wanted to show an interest in it and the fact that the shopkeeper was a retired ninja who''s chakra was almost twice that of Genki. The prices however shocked him. He thought, ''What the fuck? A small chakra knife costs 2 million Ryo? Heck, why didn''t Kakuzu steal Asuma''s chakra blades instead! And though they don''t have any chakra swords, the details in the book say that the cheapest one costs 7.5 million Ryo!'' The prices got him thinking, ''Damn, what should I do? The costs are too high. If I focused a lot on Fuinjutsu, and sold a lot of seals, I might be able to make that much in a year or two, but it''ll attract a lot of attention. Not to mention that the chakra swords have to be custom made, so trying to get it with a random disguise will most probably not work. I really doubt that the village won''t pay any attention to such a big purchase. If I wait till I can earn by doing missions, I doubt I can earn this much till I am able to do rank A missions. That''s a long time away!'' He thought for a bit more, and then it clicked, ''That''s right, I do have the option of asking it as a reward from Hiruzen. This year, I''ll train a lot to dual wield swords. And even show off my training a bit to show everyone how interested I''m in swords. And Genki knows that my nature affinity is wind. So they will get the hint. Though there are 2 main problems. The first being that pretty much everyone will know about it. The 2nd is whether Hiruzen will actually reward me something so expensive!'' He thought for a bit more, ''Oh well fuck it. I can bypass the first issue by asking Hiruzen to hold onto my swords. When I''m confident that I can take on jounins, I''ll ask him for the swords. As for 2nd, if he refuses, then I will ask him for smaller chakra blades. With all the crap he talks about the Will of Fire, it''ll be damn fun to see how he would refuse a young kid twice! Sadly, I have built a rather mature and a bit nervous image. So I can''t throw tantrums if he refused me twice. Though I''ll definitely have my revenge if he says no twice despite boring me for hours year after year with his brainwashing speech! If he declines, then in the future, I''ll fund Naruto''s pranks by supplying him with various seals. Then I''ll enjoy watching the mess he makes of Konoha.'' With those thoughts, he laughed like a devil. If Hiruzen was aware of Fujin''s thoughts, he''d have probably shivered! [A/N : Apologies for the delay. Deciding how to go about Chakra flow took some time.] Chapter 26: Getting a Rank C jutsu The next day, the fourth year in the academy started. Not having paid any attention to the graduation exam, and wanting to get the information, he decided to go a bit early to the academy. He reached the class at 7:45 am. On reaching, he saw that 24 kids were already there. And there were 3 new faces. He looked around the class and didn''t see Teru, Yori and Nobu in the class. He then went to Hoka, sat besides him and asked, "Morning. What happened in the graduation exam?" Hoka''s mood first soured as he hadn''t passed. But on realising, he looked at Fujin in disbelief, "You don''t know?" Fujin shook his head. Hoka continued, "Have you been living under a rock?" Fujin replied, "Nope, just under trees." Hoka gave him a deadpan expression. Fujin asked again, "Well are you gonna talk today?" Hoka then showed a sad face and answered, "I failed. Only Teru, Nobu and Yori passed." Fujin, having expected that, nodded. He then asked about what happened in the exams. Hoka gave a summary of what all happened. Despite already knowing the possibility, he sighed at the fact that those 3 could perform rank C jutsu. He thought, ''Sigh, I guess being in a top clan or being backed by a crazy old fellow has its benefits.'' Fujin then asked whether those 3 formed a Genin squad. However Hoka replied, "No, Teru and Yori were placed together in a squad with someone a year older. No idea where Nobu went but I haven''t heard about him after the exam." Fujin thought, ''I see. I guess Danzo inducted him into the root. Though I am surprised that he didn''t take Nobu when he was 3-4 years old itself.'' He then asked, "So what''s up with the 3 new guys?" Hoka dismissively replied, "No idea" Seeing Hoka unconcerned about the new guys, Fujin thought, ''Uh... He isn''t the right guy to ask this. He is very aloof if it doesn''t involve Taijutsu. But this much information is enough. I wonder if I could use this info to get a few C rank jutsus from Genki.'' After the talk, Fujin decided to continue sitting there for the rest of the day. While he didn''t make much of a relationship with his classmates, due to constant spars, his relationship with Hoka and Teru was better than others. Surprisingly, today, Genki didn''t enter the class alone, but was also accompanied by an old man. When he entered, everyone stood up and greeted him, as he was the headmaster of the academy. After entering, he first made some small talk. Then he started talking about the Will of Fire. And finally, he asked the students to try to graduate this year. Fujin was quite surprised with this. He only had one thought, ''Wow they are really desperate!'' Genki then replied, "I don''t use swords much. But I have a couple of friends who do. I''ll arrange you some sessions with them." While he was saying this, he thought, ''I am so glad that I made so many good friends, on whom I can offload my students!'' Fujin nodded and thanked him. Genki then asked a few more things. And then moved on the topic to Graduation exams. He asked, "Fujin, what are your thoughts on graduation?" Fujin sighed internally at the question, ''There really is no other option this year.'' He put up a thoughtful expression and said, "I will be attempting it this year. Last year I wanted to attempt it too, but I got a bit scared as it was told to us at the last moment. And I didn''t know what to do." He then showed a slightly yearning and slightly sad expression and said in a sad voice while looking down, "But after hearing that Yori, Teru and Nobu were all able to perform rank C jutsus, I guess it was a good thing I didn''t attempt the exam. I would have made a fool of myself if I did." Fujin maintained that expression, while hoping that Genki takes pity and gives him some rank C wind release jutsus. On seeing Fujin''s expression, Genki felt some sympathy for him. He thought, ''An orphan with no clan becoming a ninja is pretty difficult. Not having the resources that a clan provides puts them at a huge disadvantage. I myself struggled a lot due to coming from a civilian family.'' He sighed a bit and decided, ''Alright, I should cheer him up and give him a rank C jutsu. Great Breakthrough jutsu is a very basic one for wind users. And I''m sure that Lord Hokage would agree too. But first I need to check up on his progress.'' He tried to cheer Fujin up a bit, and then asked, "We checked your nature affinity more than a year back. How far have you progressed with it?" Fujin replied, "Sensei, I managed to cut the leaf in two. I learnt Gale jutsu from the library. I can also do Breakthrough jutsu, but I''m still improving it." Genki was a bit surprised at the answer, ''I didn''t expect him to come so far, and even practice jutsus by himself. Then again, he was very diligent. Also rank E and D jutsu aren''t hard to perform. But since he has learnt these 2, Great Breakthrough jutsu should become easier for him to learn.'' He then said, "That''s good. Can you show me how well you can do them?" Fujin nodded and they went to the training grounds. Fujin first performed Gale jutsu properly. Though he could perform it without hand signs, he made all the hand signs while showing it to Genki. Genki nodded and said, "That''s good. Show me Breakthrough jutsu, try it on that tree." He pointed to a nearby tree. Fujin once again made the hand signs, but he made them at a slower speed. He also controlled the power of the jutsu. It only broke off a few leaves and a few twigs. After performing the jutsu, he thought, ''Well this much should be enough. If I had gone full power and turned this tree into a naked tree with plenty of deep cuts, a certain someone would have gotten very interested in me.'' Genki was impressed with Fujin''s performance, ''That''s good. Though the power is a bit lacking, it''s sufficient considering that he is only 9 years old and didn''t have anyone to teach him. But his talent in Ninjutsu is definitely not as good as the 3 who passed.'' Genki thought a bit more on whether he could help Fujin more, but he couldn''t come up with anything. He concluded, ''Oh well. Even if he doesn''t become a Ninjutsu expert, he still is a sensor. Not to mention that his Taijutsu is solid too. And though his Ninjutsu ain''t very good, the wind element makes fire stronger. So, between his sensor skills and wind jutsus, he will provide a lot of utility to his squad. So becoming a special jounin within a decade shouldn''t be an issue for him. He might even become a jounin if he grows well.'' On concluding his thoughts, he said, "Nice work Fujin. Both the jutsu have been learnt very well. Though you should work on increasing their power." Fujin nodded and said, "Yes Sensei." Genki continued, "Don''t worry about rank C jutsu. I''ll see if I can get one for you." Fujin quickly thanked him. The next day, Genki, after taking Hiruzen''s permission, handed the scroll for Great Breakthrough jutsu to Fujin. He said, "This jutsu is the next stage of Breakthrough jutsu. Learn it properly, it''ll help you to graduate." Fujin thanked him again. Chapter 27: Kenjutsu From the next day, Fujin restarted his Fuinjutsu practice by leaving a clone back home. He hadn''t practiced it much in the last 2 months as he couldn''t leave clones behind when he did Ninjutsu training. He still had a few basic seals to learn. Fujin guessed that it''ll take another 2-3 months to be done with them. Then he could move on to the next scroll. One dilemma he had was whether he should leave one or two shadow clones back home? Since the time he had started to practice shadow clones, his chakra had grown to over 3 times. According to the scroll, if a shadow clone could use two thirds of its chakra before dispelling, only then it is considered a proper shadow clone. According to that logic, Fujin could make only 1 proper shadow clone. However, practicing Fuinjutsu for 7 hours didn''t require that much chakra. So he could leave 2 shadow clones if he wanted to. On analyzing, he decided, ''For now let''s just leave 1 clone. I''ll see how the academy goes for the first week and then decide.'' The day after that, Genki handed Fujin the scroll for Great Breakthrough jutsu. Fujin started learning it the very same day. It was very similar to Breakthrough jutsu. Just had a lot more power. He managed to learn it on the very same day. Though there was still a lot of room for improvement. The power had to be increased a lot, and hand signs had to be reduced to zero. He recalled, ''I remember Orochimaru making a mess of the forest in the chuunin exams with this jutsu. So there''s a lot more I need to do to increase its power. But at least this jutsu is learnt. I''ll keep the scroll with me for 3 weeks, and then return it to Genki.'' Later in that week, Genki checked everyone''s affinity. Unsurprisingly, most had the Fire affinity. The remaining were split between the Earth and Water affinities. No one had the Lightning affinity, and Fujin, who''s affinity was already known, was the only one to have the Wind affinity. Genki also explained the jutsus to the class. The lightning one basically just formed strings of lightning that could shock anyone it touched. But it lacked power and was pretty harmless overall. The water one involved spitting out one small jet of water. Fire Release : One jutsu however surprised the whole class. While it was a simple jutsu that involved producing a heat ray with one finger, it was the most basic jutsu from a set of six jutsus. Each of the six jutsus built up on one another and the last one, was a very powerful Rank A jutsu. This information got Fujin very interested in the technique. Right now, he had the knowledge of only 1 rank A jutsu. Having another he could learn would increase his fire power a lot. However, he controlled his desire for the jutsu due to 2 reasons. He hadn''t yet trained his fire nature, and this jutsu didn''t seem like it could be enhanced with his wind release jutsus. In all, the 5 jutsus could be used alongside the basic skills Genki had taught. Fire Release : One jutsu could start fires. Fish Spit jutsu could douse it. Gale jutsu could cover tracks. Rock Shield jutsu could defend and create a cover to hide. And Static String jutsu could paralyze small animals for a minute or two. So they were pretty handy. Next week, Genki announced, "Today we will be learning about swordsmanship. I have invited a guest teacher to guide you." Genki had thought about this after Fujin asked him to teach him how to use swords. He concluded, ''Swordplay training can be done by everyone. So it won''t be fair to only arrange it for Fujin. If someone of the 30 students have innate talent for swordsmanship, then it''ll be a good find. Even if no one has interest in it, just learning how to use another weapon would be helpful for them. I''ll just talk to Lord Hokage and try and arrange someone for this job.'' Fujin was surprised by the announcement, but on thinking more, he realized that it was very reasonable. Everyone went to the academy training grounds. On entering, they saw Genki talking with a tall, muscular guy who carried one sword on him. Genki introduced him, "He will be teaching you how to use swords. His name is Nakaya Michi. He is a chuunin like me." He then paused for a few seconds and said, "Umm.. I don''t know if it''s possible or not, but is there any way to make the swords more lethal by using chakra or send flying slashes?" Fujin had to be very careful here, after all, the library had no mention of chakra flow. So he had to present it as his own idea. Michi was initially a bit disappointed with Fujin as he didn''t want to learn the various sword styles of Leaf. But he was very surprised when he heard the question, ''Did this brat think about Chakra flow by himself? Also aren''t those samurais able to send chakra flying in the form of slashes? This kid has a very innovative way of thinking. Sadly, I myself haven''t learnt Chakra flow or Samurai Sabre Techniques.'' He was a bit distressed over it, ''Now what to do. It''s super embarrassing to tell him that I don''t know it. Dance of Crescent Moon doesn''t require chakra flow. Also learning it will take a lot of time and effort, which is why most of us don''t learn it.'' He thought a bit more and finally sighed and said, "What you are talking about is chakra flow. We send chakra through our swords to make them stronger. However, it is a very complicated technique and very few in Konoha know it. So don''t worry about it right now. As for flying slashes, Samurais are able to do it, however their techniques are a secret, so learning it will be difficult." Fujin showed disappointed expressions. He thought, ''Wow, this guy is useless! Couldn''t he at least get someone who knows that to teach me?'' Looking at Fujin''s disappointment, Michi consoled him saying, "But you don''t need to worry, those are very high level concepts and you could have an opportunity to learn them in the future. For now, I''ll drill all the basics in you." Fujin nodded at him, thinking, ''Sigh, my expectations have grown a bit too much. This guy doesn''t really owe me anything. I guess having a class teacher who is so helpful increased my expectations a lot.'' He then thought for a bit more and concluded, ''Well if Hiruzen denies me chakra blades, then I could ask him to arrange someone to guide me in Samurai Saber Techniques. Even though Michi said that those techniques are a secret, it''s highly unlikely that no one in Konoha knows it. Also, now that Michi has mentioned it, I do have an excuse to explain from where I learnt about it.'' After that discussion, Michi started teaching the basics to all 3 students. Later that day, Fujin bought a sword for himself. The sword was normal, but it''s quality was better than a normal kunai. It cost him 22.5k Ryo after some bargaining. The reason to buy it was because he couldn''t practice Chakra flow with the sparring swords in the academy. Chapter 28: Genjutsu The year continued in such a manner. Michi did drill a lot of basics into Fujin, which Fujin absorbed like a sponge. As for the 5 basic elemental jutsus, Fujin didn''t bother to learn them for now. From the 2nd week, Fujin started to leave 2 clones back home to learn Fuinjutsu, this doubled his speed of learning Fuinjutsu. However, in order to not mess up his brain, both clones practiced the same symbol or seal. 1 and half month after the 4th year began, Fujin was done with the basic Fuinjutsu. In this period, he also noted, ''Since both my clones practice the same seal, it doesn''t double my speed of learning. After dispelling both of them, I get the perspectives of the clones. Hence the base formed is much stronger, but it comes at the cost of the learning speed. In all I think that my learning speed has increased by around 60%.'' He analyzed for a bit more and concluded, ''The optimal use of shadow clones will be when each of my clones learn different things. However, the one attempt I did caused me an insane headache. So while this ain''t the best use I can make of shadow clones, I guess this is the most optimal path for me. I suppose having a sturdier base would be more important than learning speed.'' After learning the basic seals, he decided to learn more advanced seals from the next version which was in section D of the library. This book had seals to store an element in it. For instance, seals that could seal fire in them. It made him wonder if the seal Jiraiya used to store Amaterasu was such a simple seal. The element stored could be created with the help of Ninjutsu. However this wasn''t a necessity. Elements could be taken from the surroundings as well. Like for water, he could store water from a river in the seal. On reading the seals in the book, he realized, ''It looks like the seals Shikamaru used against Kakuzu are in this scroll. However, I guess what he used wasn''t normal water, but instead water that conducted electricity much easier. I guess they put a lot of salts in the water, or maybe something else to increase its conductivity. Anyways, even these don''t have much use in combat. It''ll require very high creativity to use them effectively.'' He started learning those seals. 3 months after the 4th year began, Fujin managed to perform Great Breakthrough jutsu without any hand signs. In the next month, he managed to do the same for Rock Shield jutsu. However he still had to slam his hands on the ground to perform it. He decided, ''I should learn to perform Rock Shield jutsu by stamping one foot on the ground instead. So I''ll have to learn how to send earth nature chakra underground through my feet instead.'' He thought a bit more and concluded, ''It''s difficult. The hand signs for Rock Shield jutsu gathers earth nature chakra into the hands and then it''s released into the ground. In order to do it by stamping the foot, I''ll have to manipulate the chakra to be released from my feet instead. But if I could learn it, it would be an incredibly annoying defense. I could make a shield with every step while I run backwards. I guess it''s worth it, so I''ll train later while also trying to create wind bursts through my feet.'' After another month, Fujin decided to start training to use 2 swords at the same time. He bugged Michi to train him with the basics for the same. He then made a point to ensure that a lot of people see him training with 2 swords. His previous sword had deteriorated a lot in these 5 months, so he bought 2 new ones. Double Vision makes the opponent see doubles of everything. So it would be useful in putting the opponent under a lot of pressure. And Hell Viewing is the one which Kakashi used on Sakura.'' He then read how Double Vision jutsu is performed. He also read a few scrolls on countering Genjutsu. And then followed the usual protocol and reached a mini-forest. Genjutsu training couldn''t be performed solo. It needed someone to cast the Genjutsu on. Otherwise it''s result will be entirely unknown. So he created a shadow clone to practice it. His plan was, ''I will try to cast a Genjutsu on my clone. Once the clone dispels, I''ll get all memories of what was experienced by the clone as well as my ability to cast a Genjutsu. Also, the clone will try to resist the Genjutsu and will try to release it, this way I can train in both casting and countering Genjutsu at the same time.'' To counter Genjutsu, a ninja had two ways. The first being to stop his chakra flow and disrupt it. And the second being to inflict pain upon yourself to break out of the Genjutsu. Stabbing yourself with a kunai, or biting the tongue or any other means were fine too. Of course a shadow clone couldn''t use the 2nd way. He began by trying to affect his clone''s cerebral nervous system with his chakra flow. He recalled all the diagrams he had seen and the ways to affect your opponent''s cerebral nervous system with your chakra. It required extremely precise chakra control. He didn''t have any success on day 1. He kept practicing it, and it took him 16 days to be able to do it. After another 7 days, he was able to successfully use Double Vision jutsu on his clone. For Double Vision jutsu, after his chakra invaded his clone''s nervous system, he had to affect his vision and double all inputs it received. The main point was to ensure that your chakra output is so low that the enemy doesn''t sense it. His clone observed, ''Wow, I can see doubles of everything! 2 of my main body, 2 trees for each one, even every pebble on the ground and the clouds too have doubled. Apart from that, the ground and sky seems normal. I guess because it is so large, I can''t make any difference between one or two of them. But, regarding the doubles, I can''t see much difference between them. If I hadn''t already seen the surroundings, then I would have not noticed most of the things to be doubled. I''d just think that there are more pebbles on the ground, the forests are denser and that there are more clouds in the sky than normal. I''d of course notice the peculiarity of seeing 2 main bodies though. So I guess if I am visible to the enemy while casting this Genjutsu, the enemy would understand that something is wrong. Similarly if there are more than one opponent, then it''ll be identified very quickly too. Apart from this, even though my main body did suppress his chakra as much as he could, since I''m a sensor, I could actually sense his chakra trying to influence me.'' He then closed his eyes and tried to sense around him, ''I see, since the Genjutsu targeted my vision, only that was affected. If I try to sense, I only sense one main body. So this Genjutsu won''t work against sensors.'' The clone then stopped sensing and nodded to Fujin. Fujin took that signal and launched 4 shurikens on the clone. The clone saw them as 8 shurikens and thought, ''I saw both the main body''s toss 4 shurikens each on me.'' and flickered around to dodge the shurikens. Fujin then used Projectile Control jutsu to have those shurikens chase his clone. Since he could see 8 shurikens, it was a bit tougher to dodge them. After half a minute, the clone used Gale Surge jutsu to disrupt the main body''s control over the shurikens. He then used Wind Retrieving jutsu and pulled 2 shurikens towards himself and caught them with each hand. However, he was only able to catch one, while the other disappeared. The clone then dispelled himself and passed all the memories to Fujin. Fujin analyzed, ''I see. The jutsu isn''t as useful as I thought it''d be. The only use is when an enemy is all by himself, and I hide around him and target him with shurikens. Even that will only work if I get him to an unknown place where he won''t observe any difference in his surroundings. Also, it won''t work against sensors. One very important piece of information I got is that I can sense an enemy trying to influence me through Genjutsu. The question is, did that happen because I am a noob when it comes to Genjutsu, or can every sensor sense this passively. If I can, then this will become an excellent way to counter Genjutsu. All I have to do is disrupt my chakra before the enemy completes his Genjutsu. Of course, there will be limitations for this. I don''t think this way would work against Sharingan as it performs Genjutsu with only eye contact. However I could sense Genjutsu cast by others easily and disrupt it mid-way. Who knows, perhaps with practice, it might even counter the Sharingan.'' He then resumed his practice. Only this time, his clone would stop and disrupt his chakra after the Genjutsu was casted. The clone managed to get it done within a day. On the next day, his clone would attempt to disrupt his chakra as soon as he felt Fujin''s chakra invading his nervous system. Surprisingly, that only took a few hours to learn. Happy with the progress, he decided to move on to the next jutsu. Chapter 29: Combat Practice (1) Fujin started to learn Demonic Illusion : Hell Viewing jutsu. This jutsu was more advanced than the previous one. In its simplest form, it affected the opponent''s vision and showed him the view that the caster wanted to show him. Alongside that, the caster also had to affect the opponent to trigger fear and dread. This jutsu could be improved by influencing the opponent''s sense of smell and hearing too. Fujin recalled, ''The Genjutsu that Kakashi casted on Sakura, had Sasuke asking her for help. So I guess he controlled her hearing too. I am not sure if he influenced her sense of smell too, then he could have added a stench of blood.'' He began practice for this jutsu. He practiced triggering his clone''s fear and dread, and then influencing his sense of sound and smell. It took 7 days to get all these 3 down. He then had to work on creating an illusion, however he hit a roadblock, ''So what exactly am I afraid of?'' He thought for a bit, ''The only thing I fear right now is Danzo forcefully inducting me into Root. But even then, it''s not something I dread. I guess that''s my good luck that I don''t have any mental demons.'' He thought more, and then it finally clicked him. He casted the Genjutsu on his clone. His clone allowed the Genjutsu to be cast. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then the clone saw something. There was a small black dot over the horizon, and it kept getting bigger. He soon noticed what it was and thought, ''Fucking Tailed Beast Bomb???'' As soon as he saw it, he felt fear and dread! However, having experienced it for a few days, he understood that Fujin had triggered his fear and dread. The tailed beast bomb hit him and the illusion was over.'' The clone then dispelled himself to pass the memories back to Fujin. Fujin thought, ''That went well. I guess right now, my biggest fear is dying like a cannon fodder, without being able to do anything about it!'' He then thought a bit more about the illusion, ''The illusion was pretty well. However the shape of the Tailed Beast Bomb wasn''t stable, that has to be improved. Also the ending was abrupt. While a weaker opponent, like Sakura, might fall unconscious, a hardened ninja would definitely not be unconscious after the illusion. So perhaps it could be expanded further to give me more time to deliver a killing blow. Perhaps after the explosion, I could induce the smell of soil and blood, and maybe show the opponent an image of his own dead body, make them think they died and are now a soul or a ghost for a few seconds!'' He continued working on improving his illusion. It took a week for him to be satisfied with the illusion he created. After he had learnt those 2 Genjutsu, less than 3 months were left for final exams. Fujin was progressing very well on all parameters. However, there was one important aspect that he hadn''t focused on yet. He thought, ''Alright, everything''s going well. My chakra level is already on par with the weaker academy teachers. My Ninjutsu and Taijutsu too have probably surpassed genin level. Fuinjutsu is going well, I should be done with the current scroll in another 6 months. In Kenjutsu, basics have been learnt well and chakra flow has become much smoother. I can easily cut through a tree with my sword. Heck, I can cut a boulder too. And I have started with Genjutsu too. However, I severely lack combat experience. In fact, it won''t be wrong to say that I have no combat experience at all. After all, there''s no danger to life or even any permanent injury in the Taijutsu tournament. We aren''t even allowed to throw shurikens at each other. Another important thing is battle and survival instincts. To be able to make a move purely on instinct in the middle of a fight, or to be able to sense if my life is in danger, is something that is incredibly important for any ninja. Otherwise, just a sneak attack with a shuriken is enough to kill anyone. Luckily, my instincts are much stronger due to me being a sensor, however it ain''t enough. So over the next 3 months, I need to spar frequently with my shadow clone.'' He thought a bit more and decided, ''To start with, let''s use wooden weapons. After I''m comfortable with it, I can move on to real ones.'' On the next Saturday, he went to a mini-forest. After confirming no one was around, he made a clone, and decided to spar. Both he and his clone were armed with 24 wooden shurikens, 6 wooden kunai and 2 wooden swords. They stood face to face, 10 metres apart. Fujin saw the 2 shurikens shooting towards himself and thought, ''Tch... I don''t want to engage them.'' and sent a wind sphere to counter them and launched the second one on the clone. The clone however flickered away and Fujin chased after him. Over the next minute, they flickered around at very high speed and tried to hit each other with Wind Explosion jutsu, shurikens or kunais. However, neither were successful. The clone found an opportunity to surround Fujin with 6 shurikens, and in the only direction that he could escape, the clone fired a couple of wind explosion jutsus. Fujin thought, ''Damn, escaping normally will be risky. Let''s go underground'' and he entered the ground using Earth Military Movement jutsu. However, remembering his clone''s earlier predicament, he didn''t close the distance, but instead went in the opposite direction and kept sensing his clone and the wind spheres. He thought, ''Alright, I now need a distraction for getting out of the ground.'' He prepared Great Breakthrough jutsu. As soon as he got his head out of the ground, he saw the clone launching 2 wind spheres at him while manipulating 6 shurikens too. However, Fujin blew it all away with Great Breakthrough jutsu. The clone itself was in the range and escaped underground. Fujin tracked his clone while thinking, ''I guess he''ll try something similar as I did. I wonder if I could disrupt his underground movement.'' He then approached the place which was directly above the spot where his clone was and punched hard using chakra infused punch. The ground cracked a bit. The clone underground felt the vibrations due to that punch, however it didn''t cause any damage. Fujin thought, ''Dang, that didn''t work! Sigh, I guess I''m nowhere near Tsunade''s level.'' He then flickered on a nearby tree and prepared 2 wind explosion jutsus while also readying himself to flicker away. As he waited for his clone to surface, he thought ''I really need to learn a way to force someone out of the ground. The ones I can think of are that jutsu which Onoki''s son used and maybe flooding the ground with water to restrict access to air.'' The clone on the other hand too was planning, ''That was close! If I was stronger, then that punch could have dispelled me. So what do I do now? I can sense my main body has prepared Wind Explosion jutsus and is waiting for me to pop out. I don''t think that the rock shield will work very well this time.'' He was still noticing when he felt something, ''Wait, I can breathe? I see, the cracks in the ground due to that punch allowed some air to seep in. I guess that sucks for the main body. Also, though I never thought about it, it''s surprising that a shadow clone needs to breathe. I wonder if Tobirama couldn''t create Shadow Clone jutsu without adding the ability to breathe or did he add it just to improve its efficiency to perform infiltration missions. If it''s the latter, then I need to find a way to remove the breathing requirement of the shadow clone. That way shadow clones could stay underground for hours! Anyways, now that I don''t have any time pressure, I''ll just wait here till I can come up with something good. After all, I don''t have anything to deal with someone hiding underground.'' Fujin on the other hand kept on waiting on a tree branch, for the clone to surface. After waiting for 5 minutes, his thoughts were, ''Does a clone not need to breathe? Surely those cracks can''t provide air all the way down, can it? Sigh, I really can''t do anything. Only Mud Moat jutsu can have a chance, but it''s range is too short to work. I wonder if my clone has some strategy or is he just wasting time.'' He kept sensing the clone for another 5 minutes, and finally had enough and dispelled the clone. On getting the clone''s memories, he sighed at the clone''s tactic to wait patiently underground, ''Sigh, that''s my clone alright. I remember that one Counter Strike game I played in my previous life. Both my team and the enemies went at each other, and within 5 minutes all my teammates were dead and only 2 enemies were alive. They thought they won, but then realized that they still had one more to kill. Poor guys tried to find me for 5 minutes straight! And finally when they entered the cave I was hidden in, I killed them!'' [A/N : This was my first attempt at writing a fight, please let me know how it was. Tips/Criticisms are welcomed.] Chapter 30: Combat Practice (2) Fujin began analyzing his spar, ''Well ignoring the ending, the spar went quite well. However, it was mostly a mid range fight. I used Great Breakthrough jutsu and Wind Explosion jutsu for offense, Projectile Control jutsu to control the battlefield, Rock Shield jutsu for defense and Body Flicker jutsu and Earth Military Movement jutsu for dodging. Wind clones was another jutsu that could have been used, but we didn''t due to the confusion it''d have created. Other jutsus didn''t work in this fight. Actually, I did try to close the distance, however my clone ensured that we never got to fight in close range as he''d be dispelled with just one hit. So I couldn''t use Taijutsu or swords and I never got any opportunity to use Wind Propelling jutsu. And casting Genjutsu in such a high paced battle was just not possible with my current skills. As for the areas of concern, it''s definitely underground battles. I don''t have any way to deal with an underground enemy, apart from going underground myself. But I don''t have any skill in fighting underground anyways, so that''d be disadvantageous for me. Also punching on the ground to crack it open is incredibly dumb. The enemy underground just gets better access to air! Apart from that, I also need a stronger offense. I guess I could have sent a kunai through the rock shield, but I couldn''t do it with a wooden kunai. Either way, my current Ninjutsu can''t crack it. Also, I need to use Flicker more properly. Both me and my clone at times flickered too faraway. That kind of reset the tempo. I need to be able to estimate the right distance to flicker, so that I can continue my offense right away. I guess that''ll take a lot of spars to get right.'' After analyzing, he summarised ''Alright, in terms of mid-range combat, I surpass most of the genins that took part in the Chuunin Exam in Naruto. Only Gaara would easily beat me and Temari and Shino might be able to compete. My speed is definitely faster than Lee with his weights on. And body flicker is probably on par with his weights off. But body flicker doesn''t have the same flexibility, maneuverability or even stamina that his natural speed has. As for my Ninjustu, Great Breakthrough jutsu and Wind Explosion jutsu are coming along really well. The Earth Release jutsus worked as I thought they would. And I''m really surprised with the high usability that Projectile Control jutsu provided. Though I can only control 8 shurikens max for the time being, it''s still incredibly useful.'' He then thought about what improvements he should make, ''To improve power, I think I''d need to learn Fire Release jutsus. After all, I don''t have any access to higher rank jutsus for the time being. But me being able to use 3 elements will be very eye catching. I guess I should wait till my genin squad is formed. If one of my teammates is able to use Fire Release, I can leave this for the future. Secondly, I think I should finally start learning Rasengan. And I also need to pack a lot of Explosion tags! I wonder if I could attach an explosion tag to a kunai powered by wind chakra flow. That way I could send a kunai through any defense the enemy puts up, and explode the tag when the enemy tries to dodge. As for flickering distance, it should improve with more spars. And underground combat I''ll leave for later on as I don''t have access to anything that''ll help me combat it. I also need to improve the way I carry my weapons. I should try to inscribe some storage seals on the weapon pouches. Maybe even go a step further and make a wristband with multiple storage seals to get what I want instantly. Anyways, I also need to test out close range combat and see how it goes.'' There was also the issue of my clone having to block the sword strike with his fist. Even though it was infused with Chakra, I''ll still take a lot of damage if I do that against a real sword. So I should try to get gloves with a metal plate on the back hand. That would give me another way of defending. I guess my Taijutsu needs an upgrade too. While the academy style is good, it ain''t enough. Right now, despite putting way less time in it, my Kenjutsu completely overwhelms my Taijutsu. I wonder which Taijutsu style will suit me more. If I don''t find anything good over the next year or two, I could approach Guy and ask him to teach me his style. While he ain''t dumb as many think, but manipulating him should be doable. Speaking of Guy, I''m surprised that I haven''t seen him even once! Granted that I train in only a small part of the village, it''s still surprising to never have run into him in over 4 years. Then again, I haven''t seen many other canon characters either. Do they gather some place elsewhere, or is Konoha so short on manpower that everyone has to constantly do missions? Anyways, this sparring has been really good. I should continue doing it.'' He then made another shadow clone and continued his spars. Over the next 3 weeks, Fujin sparred with his clone on a daily basis. His combat skills improved greatly over this period. After 3 weeks, he stopped using wooden weapons and began using real ones. The clone however had to fight carefully, to ensure that he didn''t critically injure Fujin. The spars got very risky after Fujin started using chakra flow to enhance the swords. In merely 2 months, Fujin ruined 4 swords, 13 kunais and 33 shurikens due to these spars. He ran out of the weapons he collected from the forest and had to buy from shops. In all it cost him slightly over 120k Ryo on these weapons. However, he didn''t bother with the money lost. His thoughts were, ''What''s the use of having money if I don''t use it to get stronger? But I guess I should be glad that I did learn Fuinjutsu. I still have over 225k Ryo left with me.'' Right around the same time when he began sparring with real weapons, he also began learning Rasengan. The first and second stages were learnt long back. He finally started on the 3rd stage. One of the biggest issues in Rasengan training was that he couldn''t allow anyone to see it. If someone interrupted him or caught him training in forests and figured out his disguise, he could make up some reasons like practicing to fight while using Transformation, or that a ninja had to keep his weapons hidden and hence he planned to keep his skill hidden until there was no choice. While the reasons may cause a bad impression, he didn''t care much about that. But for Rasengan, if someone caught him training that, then it''d be a big trouble. The only usable excuse he had right now, was that he could say, "I figured it out myself after reading about the fourth Hokage." However, that would paint him as an absolute Genius and perhaps earn him some visits from Root ninjas or even from Shimura Danzo himself! Not to mention that they''d keep a much stricter watch on him. So for Rasengan, he decided to train at home. His senses had honed enough by now to realize if someone spies on him. So if he senses anyone spying on him, he could drop the Rasengan training and instead show that he was training Wind Explosion jutsu instead. To train Rasengan, he cleared up his living room. He only left a sofa in the living room, and moved everything else into the bedroom and began the training. The compression and shaping part was quite difficult. He tried for a few hours without any success. He sighed and thought, ''Let me first do it the Naruto way.'' And he made a shadow clone with 20% of his chakra. The clone suppressed and shaped the Rasengan, in this manner, he was able to learn Rasengan within a couple of hours. However, he understood that depending on a clone to make Rasengan is very inefficient and began training for Rasengan without using any clones. It took him a month and a half to get the jutsu right, but it was done! Over the remaining few days, Fujin decided to improve his Rasengan. He wanted to reduce the amount of time required to form it and increase the amount of chakra he could put in it. Chapter 31: Graduation Exam (1) Only a week was now left for 4th year''s exams. Genki followed the same procedure as last year and asked the students interested in participating in the Graduation Exam to meet him after class. Fujin thought, ''I guess it''s time to finally become a ninja. There''s not much that I can learn in the academy anymore. At best I could learn another element or a few more Genjutsu. If I don''t attempt the exam this year, the teachers and maybe even Hiruzen could grow suspicious. And I definitely won''t receive much help from them in the future. As for tanking the exam, I am not confident that I could fake my performance convincingly enough for someone who has decades of experience. Either way, I believe I am ready now.'' After the class, Fujin visited Genki and confirmed his participation. Genki smiled and wished him good luck. With just a week left for the exams, Fujin started to focus on the syllabus for written exams. The syllabus was actually quite surprising. He recalled back when Genki started teaching this in the academy. He was teaching Trigonometry. Fujin''s first thoughts when he saw that was, ''Trigo? For fucking 9 year old kids? What''s next? Differentiation and Integration?'' As annoyed as he was by it, he was extremely surprised when Hana was able to solve them perfectly. He mentally screamed, ''How the fuck can 9 year old kids learn Trigo so easily?'' He sighed at how much smarter the kids here were and continued with his studies. He also wanted to be perfectly prepared while going on missions. He stopped learning new seals, and instead had his clones focus on making a few essential objects for him. He bought 2 ninja waist bags, 2 ninja leg pouches and a couple of metallic wristbands. He then had his clones make storage seals on these items. The Fuinjutsu scroll in section D of the library expanded a bit on the storage seal. It explained ways to increase or decrease the size of the storage space, as well as manipulating its shape. It wasn''t very difficult as it only increased or decreased the number of space symbols involved. So the seal itself was still very basic. However, this was very useful for Fujin. In the interior of the ninja waist bags, Fujin managed to draw 7 storage seals. For ninja leg pouch, he was able to draw 4 seals. These had a lot less space as compared to the seals he made on scrolls, however, considering that their purpose was to enhance the capacity of the bags and pouches, it was very handy! For the leg pouch, 2 seals could store 6 kunais each, and other 2 seals could store 24 shurikens each. He then created various triggers to refill the pouch from weapons in the storage seals. This way, his weapon supply would be much larger. For the waist bag, the seals could store a lot more. But he hadn''t yet decided how to fill them all. He did have some ideas like a First-aid kit, ninja ropes, scrolls, seals that stored elements, more weapons, explosion tags, soldier pills, ration bars and so on. For the wristbands, he made one small seal, on each of them. When he wears the wristbands, these seals will be directly under his palms. The seals created a cuboidal storage seal which was around 15cm*15cm*100cm. Both these seals were made to store swords. This way, he could quickly access his swords whenever he wanted to. Other than this seal, he planned on drawing 3 more seals on each wristband. For the seals on the opposite side to the current one, Fujin planned on buying huge sturdy shields and storing them there. If he ever gets in an awkward position where he can''t defend himself with the rock shield, he''ll depend on this shield to provide cover to himself. However, since he wasn''t sure about the size of shield he''d buy, he didn''t draw that seal. Other than these 2, he planned on inscribing 2 more storage seals on the wristband, but for now he didn''t have any idea what to store in there. So he left it for the future. [A/N : Ideas for the above are welcomed] Kisho shook his head and said, "If they get demotivated by such a small failure, then there''s no hope for them. They would be better off in the Genin reserve force and we''ll save the resources needed to raise someone more worthy to chuunin rank." The teacher wasn''t very convinced with the answer, but didn''t say anything as this wasn''t the first time Kisho had supervised the graduation exam. After the written exams, the students were tested on various parameters like shurikens, stealth, camping, chakra control, etc. It was similar to the tests conducted for Fujin''s class a week back. Since the tests for elite classes were already conducted, they weren''t tested again and their scores from a week back were carried forward. The academy teachers observed everyone''s performance, and failed another 15 students over these exams. On getting the reports, Kisho thought, ''Wow! That''s so convenient. Now the Taijutsu tournament will be so much simpler to conduct.'' Right before the Taijutsu tournament began, Hokage arrived to watch the exam. He was followed by a character that Fujin recognized very easily, Hatake Kakashi. Fujin was very surprised to see him. He thought, ''Why is Kakashi here? Hiruzen wouldn''t force him to start training kids right now, would he? I really hope not. Canon timeline will be fucked up if Hiruzen assigns my squad to him! I am not sure how strong I''d be in another 6-7 years, so for now I really hope something doesn''t change due to me.'' Next was a Taijutsu tournament between the 64 remaining students. Kisho arranged for a knockout tournament. So one student could fight for a maximum of 6 times. Fujin breezed through to the semifinals. In the semifinals, he had to fight with a Hyuga who was a year older than him. Fujin fought very hard against him, but was still at a lot of disadvantage. While he did get a few critical hits in with one strong punch on his right rib, another on his nose and a strong kick under his left rib, in the end, he still lost the fight. Fujin was initially a bit irritated at the loss, ''Damn, how exactly do these guys train? I lost despite the amount of progress I made over the past couple of months!'' He then calmed himself and analyzed the fight better, ''On other hand, it''s probably reasonable. I''m guessing the elders from the Hyuga clan regularly spar with them. I, on the other hand, could only spar with my clone. Also, the Hyuga fighting style is entirely Taijutsu. I, on the other hand, was a lot more dependent on Wind Propelling jutsu, Body Flicker jutsu and Earth Military Movement jutsu during my spars. Removing them does reduce my fighting ability considerably. Perhaps if Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu were allowed, I''d have won this fight. Not to mention, I didn''t even use chakra to enhance my punches and kicks in the fight.'' He then watched the finals between Hoka and that guy. Due to the injuries he suffered against Fujin, he lost after struggling for a bit. However, having fought both of them, Fujin knew that even without those injuries, Hoka would have still won the match. Hoka ranked first, however Fujin wasn''t worried much, ''My points in the normal exam were much higher that Hoka''s. So this difference won''t affect much, I should still rank first in my class.'' Fujin noticed that no one was eliminated in the Taijutsu tournament. Chapter 32: Graduation Exam (2) For the next test, a few academy teachers brought the kids to a part of the training grounds. On reaching there, the students noticed a long white line drawn on the ground and a bunch of obstacles placed ahead of it. Fujin thought, ''Is this an obstacle race?'' However he soon shook his head denying that thought, ''No way, this is too simple.'' All the 64 students were made to stand behind the white line. Genki then appeared and announced, "This will be the next phase of your exam. This is an obstacle race, and you have to run 500 metres straight to the white line that is drawn there." This announcement excited all the students. They thought, ''Finally an easy exam!'' The ones who had taken the graduation exam previously thought, ''Why wasn''t this exam there the previous year?'' Fujin was confused by such an easy exam. However, he noticed that there was another man standing behind Genki. And when Genki finished his announcement, he looked at him and nodded. Kisho looked at the excited kids and chuckled, he thought, ''This should be fun. Sadly the kids don''t know that the guy standing there is an experienced Jounin from the Kurama clan. He is Kurama Illumi. In the previous war, hundreds of enemies fell prey to him and his bag of tricks.'' Genki then announced, ''On your mark, Get set, GO!'' However, while he was announcing, Kurama Illumi was making some hand signs. And when he heard ''GO'', he casted his jutsu, ''Demonic Illusion : Heaven and Earth Reversal''. As soon as he launched his jutsu, all the 64 students were shaken! It was as if someone grabbed the ground and the sky and reversed them! The gravity felt upside down! Most of the students were incredibly frightened and tightly hugged the ground underneath them. There were only 4 exceptions. A young girl from the 3rd year, who was from the Uchiha clan. She activated her Sharingan as soon as she felt the changes. 2 students from the 5th year, who were from the Kurama clan and aware of this jutsu. And Fujin, who kept an eye on Illumi and saw him performing the hand signs. He also felt someone trying to influence his nervous system, which let him know that it was a Genjutsu. He was planning to disrupt the Genjutsu, however when he noticed that others were being affected too, he didn''t disrupt it so as to not attract any attention. Even though Fujin noticed the Genjutsu, he was extremely impressed at the guy''s ability to cast a Genjutsu on 64 students at the same time! Kurama Illumi, smirked looking at the reactions of all the students. He had used rank B Genjutsu on them. He had used this Genjutsu many times to disrupt his enemies enough for his allies to kill them in the 3rd Great Ninja War. Kisho observed the students attentively. He thought, ''This test will test the willpower of the students. If they don''t complete the race, then there''s no way I''ll pass them.'' While all the students were struggling, Fujin was trying to find his balance. He thought quickly about what this test is about. He quickly figured out that there were 3 possibilities which were, ''Either they are testing our ability to break the Genjutsu, or test our willpower or perhaps our capability to react in an unexpected situation. Either way, this is just a Genjutsu. I should just look downwards and try to move along. If others break the Genjutsu, I''ll do so too.'' After the exam was over, the teachers began tallying the score. Nara Kisho passed this work to his subordinates. His job was over when he decided to pass these 41 students. Kisho then reported to Hiruzen, "Lord Hokage, all these 41 kids have passed my exam. Overall there is 1 from the 3rd year, 9 from the 4th year and 31 from the 5th year. They should make splendid shinobi. Combined with the 94 that passed from the senior most batch, this year''s results have been very good for us." Hiruzen nodded and said some kind words to the Nara shinobi. After tallying the scores, they were displayed for all the students to see. Fujin was still ranked 1st in his class. He was followed by Hana and then Hoka, who''s rank increased due to superior performance in the graduation exam. After that, all the 41 students were gathered before Hiruzen. Hiruzen smiled and began giving another speech on the ''Will of Fire''. Only this time, he was much more passionate, spoke with more fervor and his speech was more intense than any of his earlier speeches! Even Fujin was a bit dumbfounded on how someone can brainwash little kids so openly, with such vigor and be extremely proud about it! However as the speech ended, Fujin smirked internally thinking, ''Will of Fire, Will of Fire, Will of Fire! Let me now see how much Will of Fire you actually have. Hahahaha'' After the speech, Hiruzen said, "Hatake Rei, Suzuki Fujin, Uchiha Mieko step forward." All the 3 kids stepped forward and stood in front of Hiruzen. He said, "All three of you have worked very hard and performed splendidly. Speak, what reward would you like for your performance?" As soon as he said that, Hatake Rei stepped forward. It was seen as rude by many, including Fujin and Mieko. While Fujin didn''t mind it, Mieko did pout. However, Rei''s next words made everyone understand why he stepped so hurriedly. He said, "Lord Hokage, my mother is very sick and the doctors we visited couldn''t cure her. Could you please arrange a good medical ninja to treat her?" While everyone now understood why he was so restless, it did pop another question in their mind. Fujin''s thoughts were, ''Isn''t he from the Hatake clan? Sure Sakumo is long dead, but their condition shouldn''t be that desperate, should it? Also, shouldn''t they have enough money to arrange it anyways? Unless it requires someone like Tsunade to deal with it, then I can understand. But even then, I don''t think Hiruzen can call Tsunade back anyways.'' Kakashi too was visibly confused. Only a few teachers and Hiruzen knew the truth. Hiruzen thought, ''Sigh, the Hatake clan has really deteriorated after Sakumo''s death. Sadly Kakashi hasn''t paid much attention to the clan. This kid suddenly began performing really well this year, and hence I had looked into his background. His father died in the 3rd ninja war, and his mother was only a civilian who wasn''t even from the Hatake clan. Therefore she hasn''t been paid any attention by the clan. She fell sick half year back, and became the motivation for this lad to work hard. Though I do want Kakashi to lead a squad of genins, this was my main purpose to bring him here today. For him to take reins of the Hatake clan and bring it back to prosperity.'' Hiruzen nodded and said, "I''ll arrange the best medics to treat your mother." He then smiled and said, "Keep training hard. Ensure that the Will of Fire in you burns brighter than ever." Hatake excitedly said yes and promised to keep training hard. Kakashi observed the young kid and decided, ''I need to take a proper look at what''s going on in the clan.'' Hiruzen secretly paid attention to Kakashi''s reaction, and was very satisfied with it. He could see the Hatake clan making a comeback soon.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. Chapter 33: I really am a Ninja! After having Hokage''s word to treat his mother, Rei stepped back. Mieko then stepped forward and said, "Lord Hokage, I don''t want any reward." This surprised everyone. Even Hiruzen was surprised, but he hid it and calmly analyzed, ''Is this a way the Uchiha are retaliating for their constant monitoring?'' He then tried to convince her a couple of times, but she declined to get any reward. Hiruzen sighed and looked over at Fujin and thought, ''The Uchiha matter makes me feel my age. Well at least he should have a reasonable request. This day should end properly.'' Fujin on the other hand was dumbfounded by both his fellow ''toppers''. He thought, ''What the fuck? One begs for his mother''s life, and the other refuses to accept any reward? Why do they wanna make my life harder?'' He then calmed himself and muttered to himself, ''Sigh whatever. It doesn''t matter. The Dao of Shamelessness must live on!'' He steeled himself and stepped forward. He put up a smile and an excited expression while thinking, ''This is it. For this moment I carried 2 swords in person for 5 whole months!'' He then said, "Lord Hokage. For my reward, I want two swords made entirely of chakra metal." He then looked at the Hokage with excited and hopeful expression while hoping that somehow his eyes sparkled like in anime. Majority of the students weren''t aware of chakra metal. However almost every teacher knew it. And they were absolutely shocked by the request! Genki, who was standing close by, had his jaw dropped after hearing what Fujin said. If Fujin had seen him, he would be sure that he could fit an egg in Genki''s mouth. Kakashi''s eyebrows twitched at request. He thought, ''Talk about extravagant! Even my father''s blade wasn''t entirely made of chakra metal.'' The one who was shocked the most however, was Hiruzen. Despite wearing the Hokage''s hat and having excellent control over his emotions, Fujin could still see his shock. Of course he totally ignored it. He thought, ''Whether Hiruzen is happy, or so shocked that he dies of a heart attack is none of my business. Hmm, WAIT!! If he dies right now, then it''d be very bad. But..... Yeah, I don''t think just this much shock would be enough to kill this old freak. He did live through 3 brutal wars without even taking a single major injury!'' Hiruzen''s mind went totally blank for a second. He then thought, ''Made entirely of chakra metal? Even the ones they sell in Konoha only have around 15% chakra metal. Rest is made of other common materials. The last time someone made a sword entirely of chakra metal was when Sensei commissioned to cast that sword. And it cost well over a hundred million Ryo to make that sword! Of course, this kid is probably not aware of that fact, and I could fool him, but that''s still worth tens of millions of Ryo!'' He then looked at Genki to see if he knew what''s going on, however he was clearly shocked too. In fact, he didn''t even notice the Hokage looking at him. Hiruzen thought, ''Now what to do? I can''t directly say no. That would be too demotivating. Also it won''t look good for me to deny him. If I do, I''m 100% sure that Danzo will spread rumors saying that the Hokage lies to academy students.'' Hiruzen thought hard for another few seconds and came up with a reasonable excuse. Seeing that Hiruzen was ready to talk, Kakashi noticed and chuckled internally, ''It took Lord Hokage 13 seconds to answer. That kid sure is something.''Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. Hiruzen finally sighed and said, "Sadly I can''t give you what you want because no one makes swords made entirely of chakra metal." Fujin wasn''t aware of the fact that chakra blades weren''t entirely made of chakra metal and thought that Hiruzen is just making an excuse. He showed a dejected expression and said, "A couple of Tanto made of chakra metal then?" He left that question for later and asked, "Is it possible to make those swords to assist wind chakra flow?" For the first time today, Fujin asked a question genuinely. However it still put Hiruzen on edge. He thought, ''Yeah, it can. They would have to use wind nature chakra metal for it though. And it''ll still take the cost to millions!'' Hiruzen replied, "Yes it is, but it''s better for you to not get it yet. How about this, when you are ready, I''ll help you get in touch with the right people to make a sword like that." Fujin dejectedly thought, ''I am sure I could get in touch with them myself pretty soon.'' However he still nodded. Hiruzen was finally happy that he saved millions of Ryo. He was going to talk but Fujin spoke again, he asked "Lord Hokage, you said the sword that you''ll give me is used by samurai, right?" Hiruzen nodded while really hoping that there were no more extravagant requests. Fujin continued, "Then could you have someone teach me Samurai Saber Techniques? Please" Hiruzen thought about it. For one, he was happy that the request didn''t involve tens of millions of Ryo. Secondly, he had noticed Fujin''s interest in swords. He thought, ''Having a swordmaster sensor who specializes in wind release can be a very useful asset. Though we can''t teach Samurai Saber Techniques liberally, teaching it to a few kids is acceptable.'' He nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll assign you a teacher for it." Fujin then politely thanked him and stepped backwards while secretly thinking, ''Being an innocent little kid has a lot of advantages. Though I don''t think I can ever beat Hiruzen again in negotiations. That old monkey has the experience of negotiating after 3 Great Ninja Wars, and the ones he negotiated with were a hundred times more unreasonable than me!'' Looking at Fujin stepping back, Hiruzen released a sigh of relief. He then congratulated everyone and left quickly. While leaving, he decided that this would be the last year he''d give out rewards to the topper. After Hiruzen left, many teachers awkwardly stared at Fujin. However he just ignored them and pretended to not notice any of their stares. After Hiruzen left, all the respective class teachers handed the headbands to their students and praised them for graduating early. They were asked to visit the academy after 3 days. On getting the headband, Fujin put it on. His first words after that moment were, "Wow, I really am a ninja now!" Chapter 34: Analysis and Planning Fujin sat down in a meditative posture in his living room. He cleared his mind and began planning. He thought, ''The academy is finally over. Though I had to graduate 2 years early, it ain''t much of an issue. The only major event that will happen anytime soon is the Uchiha massacre. But right now I am not really strong enough to even think about interfering in it. While I do have 2 years, at best, I''ll only be a chuunin officially by then.'' He thought for a bit more and decided, ''Alright, I''ll ignore the event. It shouldn''t affect me in any way. Secondly, my strength. Right now, though experience is lacking, it won''t be wrong to say that despite not having many rank C jutsus in my arsenal, my Ninjutsu is probably barely at chuunin level. The 3 months of daily sparring helped me iron out many issues in my Ninjutsu. My chakra reserves have increased rapidly too. I can now make 3 shadow clones that satisfy the requirements mentioned in the scroll. Which means that my chakra level is well into the chuunin level. As for Taijutsu, hmm... It''s a bit confusing. I''m confident that I''m stronger than most who took part in the Chuunin exam in Naruto. But I still lost to that Hyuga. If I assume that he and Hoka are already at chuunin level in terms of Taijutsu, then it''ll mean that I am probably at that level too. Worst case, I''m probably at the peak of genin rank in terms of Taijutsu. I really need a better Taijutsu style. Only good thing is that my physique is very good for my age. My Kenjutsu should be sorted when I learn Samurai Saber Techniques. So it''ll be a lot more lethal than my Taijutsu, but Kenjutsu has its own weaknesses. Holding 2 swords would mean that I can''t make any hand signs. And techniques like Rasengan and Wind Explosion that need hands can''t be used. But I guess getting a mid-range slash might compensate for it to some degree. Anyways, I should think about it more after I learn Samurai Saber Techniques. My capabilities as a sensor have grown too. My chakra field can now extend over 750 metres and I can do pretty much everything expected from a sensor, though I will need a few years to master all those tricks.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. My current fighting ability is majorly based around 10 Ninjutsu - Body Flicker, Wind Propelling, Earth Military Movement, Shadow Clone, Wind Clone, Great Breakthrough, Wind Explosion, Gale Surge, Rock Shield and Projectile Control jutsus. Apart from that, it is heavily dependent on swords, kunais and shurikens enhanced with chakra flow. I also know Rasengan, but I haven''t trained to use it in combat yet. Though I do have good ideas of using it, for the time being, I can''t risk anyone knowing that I know it. So overall, if I am willing to use everything I have to its fullest potential, then I think I''ll be at chuunin level, though just barely. I''ll probably be able to beat the likes of Iruka and Mizuki, but against someone stronger like Genki or even Michi, my only option would be to run away. The fourth way would be to get and master Flying Thunder God jutsu. The fifth way would be to invent my own rank A and higher jutsus. Combined with high speed, enhanced strength and swordplay, it might be enough to reach that level. Another option could be to become a Jinchuriki. However, that will put Akatsuki on my ass, not something I think I want. Though if I''m strong enough, I could still take that risk. Getting a few strong summons would help too.'' After concluding, he sighed thinking, ''Even the easiest way is crazy difficult to achieve! I really wonder if I''d be able to reach that level.'' However, just then, Fujin was struck with a crazy idea. He thought, ''That''s right. I can explore that option. However, can that really be done?'' He analyzed for a few minutes and thought, ''I can''t say for sure. But, if I am able to pull it off, I will get the means to become incredibly strong. Not to mention, I know exactly when I''ll have the right opportunity to get the resources needed for it.'' He thought a bit more to analyze everything he could and decided, ''Alright, I should definitely work towards achieving that. If it works, then entering Kage level won''t be an issue. Even if it doesn''t, the work done for it won''t exactly be a waste!'' The idea lifted his spirits. With not much time left in the day, he decided to have his dinner and meditate before going to bed. Chapter 35: Genin Squad The next couple of days were very hectic for Hiruzen. Grouping the fresh genins and assigning them their sensei involved a lot of paperwork and analysis. A lot of discussion had to be done with the academy teachers as well as with the decided sensei. He first started by forming teams of three. He thought, ''In all 135 students became genin this year. Over 200 from 6th year failed and they will be added to the genin reserve forces. As for the ones that passed this year, the 94 from the 6th year don''t have much hope. We had already graduated the talented people from their year earlier. Even if just a quarter of them became chuunin, then that will be enough. So I will just assign chuunins to guide them. As for the 41 who graduated early, all have good potential. They all should at least become chuunin, and around half have the potential to become a special jounin. So I''ll have to arrange 14 jounin sensei for them. Even though Konoha''s numbers have almost recovered, we are still weaker than before the 3rd Great Ninja War when it comes to high-end power. So we need to train all 41 of them with the intention of raising them to jounin rank. Even if not everyone becomes a special jounins, becoming an elite chuunin will be sufficient. As for becoming jounin, it''s hard to say. I''m confident that Uchiha Mieko will become a jounin, just like Senju Teru from the previous year. Just like him, she has the potential to become an elite Jounin. But I can''t comment on the others. Sigh, I hope that we get at least 10-12 jounin from this batch. The Kyubi attack killed a lot of our jounins.'' He then called the academy teachers to begin forming the teams and got busy with the required paperwork. After the academy teachers prepared a rough draft, however there were a few disagreements like every year. They approached the Hokage to discuss it. Hiruzen said, "So which are the top teams you formed?" Genki replied immediately, "According to their performance, Hatake Rei, Uchiha Mieko, Suzuki Fujin, Hyuga Hoka and Hyuga Hana show the highest potential. However, Rei''s performance was high due to his conditions back home. Now that his mother has been treated, we can''t be sure if he''ll train with the same gusto. And the two Hyuga can''t be on the same team. So I propose forming a team of Uchiha Mieko, Suzuki Fujin and Hyuga Hoka." However, soon another teacher, who was the class teacher to Hatake Rei spoke, "I disagree. In a mere half year, Rei has made huge progress. In fact, his talent can be considered even above Mieko. He should be placed within the top squad. I suggest making a squad consisting of Mieko, Rei and Fujin." Another teacher commented, "Actually, Fujin is just a civilian orphan. His future won''t be as smooth as the children from shinobi clans. Even his Great Breakthrough jutsu was provided to him by Genki. So I think that a squad of Rei, Mieko and Hoka might be more optimal." Genki rebutted him, "I disagree. Even though Fujin is just a civilian with no background, his performance has been the most consistent in my class. He deserves to be on that squad. Not to mention, he is also a sensor and has wind affinity. Being a sensor, he''ll compliment the Byakugan. And his wind release jutsus would assist Mieko''s fire release jutsus and make them more lethal. Also, both him and Hoka kind of have a rivalry in Taijutsu. So their teamwork would be much better." He secretly thought, ''Not to mention that they are so aloof that they barely had any other friendships. So I have no idea whether they can cooperate with others.'' The previous teacher was about to rebuke him again, "But...." However, he was cut by Hiruzen, "Alright that''s enough. I have decided. The squad will be made of Mieko, Fujin and Hoka." Next day, at 7:30 am, the graduated students reported to the academy. The classroom used wasn''t the regular classroom that Fujin went to. 42 students were present here. The teachers took attendance, and then gave a scroll to each of the students. Genki called his students one by one and gave it to them. The class teachers of other students did the same. When Fujin''s turn came, he noticed that Genki was incredibly happy. He wasn''t sure why, but since he didn''t particularly care, he went back. Genki was happy because Hiruzen had allowed him to take the Jounin exam! After distributing it to everyone, a teacher announced, "The storage scroll provided to you has a First-aid kit, 24 shurikens, 6 kunais, 12 senbon needles, 1 ninja rope and 100 metres long ninja wire." He then smiled and said, "This is the final gift from the academy to you. Congratulations on graduating. We will now announce your genin squads." When Fujin''s squad was announced, he sighed and thought, ''An aloof guy who doesn''t care about anything apart from Taijutsu, and a stuck-up brat who probably thinks herself to be as talented as Madara. Fuck our teamwork! Sigh, makes me wonder if I should have graduated last year. Teru was the only one matured enough.'' He analyzed a bit more, ''Anyways, it ain''t exactly bad. Taijutsu spars with Hoka have always been very helpful. And Mieko should give me a bit of practice against the Sharingan. Granted that she ain''t nowhere near Obito or Madara, but neither am I.'' He then looked at Mieko and thought, ''Also, since she''ll die after around 2 more years, it''ll mean that I won''t be restricted in this squad for very long. Now then, I wonder who my jounin sensei will be. I really hope that it ain''t Kakashi. Also what of my rewards? Genki didn''t talk about it, and Hiruzen didn''t call me to meet him.'' After the genin squads were announced, the teacher said that the jounin sensei would come and pick them up from the class and then they all left. While they were leaving, Fujin had a thought and sighed, ''Naruto and his gang should start the academy next year. And I won''t be here. What''s with me meeting so few canon characters?'' Soon jounins started entering the class and called out for their teams. A couple of minutes after the academy teachers left, a tall muscular guy entered and announced, "Team 3, come with me." Fujin, Hoka and Mieko followed him. Renjiro moved to the terrace of the academy. A few seconds later, all 3 genins arrived. When he reached there, Fujin observed his new sensei. He was around 6 feet 6 inches tall, very muscular, looked middle-aged and had 3 scars on his face, one going right across his right eye, but his eye was fine. His hair was black and very long, a bit similar to Madara''s. He held two swords on his waist. From the symbol on his clothes, Fujin understood that he was from the Senju clan. Actually, there was another thing that allowed Fujin to know that he was from the Senju clan. He had massive amounts of chakra! For obvious reasons, Fujin never tried to sense Hiruzen''s chakra, so this was the highest chakra level he had measured so far. It was around 7 times that of Genki. When Fujin tried to measure his chakra, Renjiro noticed. He looked at Fujin and stared at him. Fujin merely smiled. Renjiro thought, ''So this is the kid who wants to learn the Samurai Saber Techniques and the kid who asked for swords made of chakra metal. Not bad, he seems to be a good enough sensor. And even after I stared at him, he merely smiled back. I wonder if that makes him foolish, brave or just shameless.'' He then looked at his remaining 2 genins and thought, ''The Hyuga has the same stoic face as their whole clan and just looking at the Uchiha''s face showed how much pride she has in her.'' He sighed thinking, ''This is gonna take a while.'' Chapter 36: Senju Renjiro Renjiro said, "I am Senju Renjiro. I''ll be your jounin sensei. Let''s start by getting to know each other. So just tell me something about yourself." Mieko asked, "What should we tell?" On the other hand, Fujin remembered the ''Tell me about yourself'' question that used to be asked in interviews in his previous life. Renjiro replied, "Tell me about your likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies and similar stuff." Fujin then replied, "I am Suzuki Fujin. I like swords and cool jutsus. My hobby is to train and read shinobi history and wars. I dislike the carnage that wars cause. And my Dream is to become a strong ninja in the future so that I could bring peace to the world." Renjiro stared at Fujin and was very impressed with his ''dream''. Of course, if he knew Fujin''s real thoughts, he might have vomited blood. After looking at an impressed Renjiro, Fujin thought, ''Yup, that''s exactly what Konoha higher ups would like to hear. I couldn''t care less about world peace, but saying that is what will get me in the good books of these guys and could provide me with the opportunity to learn Flying Thunder God jutsu, and also make Hiruzen protect me in case Danzo tries to recruit me. Either way, it''s not like I can do anything about world peace right now. So why not just say it, hehe.'' Renjiro then looked at Mieko. She said, "I am Uchiha Mieko. I like cats. I dislike anyone treating me like a small child. My hobby is practicing Ninjutsu and playing with cats. And my dream is to be the strongest Uchiha ever!" Fujin looked at her and chuckled internally thinking, ''Well you''ve got 2 years to surpass Madara. RIP'' Renjiro nodded and looked towards Hoka. He said, "I am Hyuga Hoka. I like Taijutsu. I dislike studying. My hobby is to spar with others and my dream is to be the strongest Taijutsu user." Renjiro nodded and said, "Well congratulations on graduating early. But that doesn''t mean that you are Konoha shinobi. You guys will be on probation for 3 months. And after that I''ll decide whether you''re ready to be a ninja or not." This announcement had mixed reactions from the 3 genins. Fujin wondered, ''Eh! No test?'' After thinking for a bit, he realized ''Ah, they are probably still recovering. That''s why there''s a probation period instead of a test to check whether we are ready or not.'' However, the other 2 kids didn''t take the announcement lightly. Mieko impatiently asked, "But why? Didn''t we pass the graduation exam?" Hoka took her point further and said, "Yeah, I even defeated everyone in the Taijutsu tournament!" Renjiro replied, "Graduation exam is the bare minimum you require to be a ninja. Your attitude, temperament, courage and values matter more. And I''ll be the one to judge that."?v€l?1n. Mieko and Hoka were still unsatisfied and wanted to complain more, but Renjiro didn''t give them a chance and announced, "We''ll meet tomorrow in training ground 17 at 6 am. I''ll check your skills tomorrow. Be on time, I hate tardiness." After saying that, he flickered away. When he left, Fujin thought, ''He didn''t say a single thing about himself other than his name.... Heck, I think even Kakashi talked more with his team.'' After he left, Mieko huffed and started to leave without saying anything. Hoka, on the other hand, said goodbye to Fujin and was planning to leave too. Fujin sighed and said, "Oye, wait a minute." This got both their attention. Hoka looked at him without saying anything, whereas Mieko annoyingly asked, "What?" Fujin had also planned to ask them to grab a bite together at Ichiraku. However he had enough for today, soon they said goodbyes and left. Fujin went over to the library. Now that he had become a Genin, he was allowed to access the section C of the library. However, that''s not what he was here for. Becoming a ninja, allowed him to see a certain book. He went to the librarian and showed his card and asked, "Can I see the Bingo book?" She was surprised by a 10 year old kid asking her that question. However since he was a ninja, she nodded and asked, "Would you like to see the smaller one or the bigger one?" Now it was Fujin''s turn to be surprised. He asked, "What''s the difference?" She replied, "Well the smaller one only has names, bounty, affiliation and some basic information, whereas the bigger one has more in-depth information." Hearing that, Fujin asked her to show the bigger one. She nodded and brought it to Fujin. When Fujin saw the book, he was shocked! His first thought was, ''It''s freaking huge!'' He opened to see it. Apparently, every page covered the data of only one ninja. And the book had 2,197 pages! After analysing, Fujin thought, ''Well it makes sense, considering that there are over 100k ninjas in this world.'' He then mentally thanked the ones who made such a good index. Everything was arranged properly according to the village and alphabetically as per their names. There were also lists that arranged the ninjas as per their rank in their village and in the descending order of their bounties. After searching for a couple of minutes, he found the name he was looking for - Senju Renjiro. He began turning the page, but while doing that, a thought occurred to him, ''It''s funny that I thought my biggest advantage in this world would be information. But considering how vast this world is, I don''t think I have the information on even 1% of the ninjas. Heck, apart from Tsunade, I didn''t even know any living Senju. Anyways, this data is very detailed. I am surprised that we can read it for free, but it makes sense I suppose. This data is compiled by the ones who make the Bingo book, and since it''s already out in the open, why not just let all your ninjas read it for free.'' He opened the page and began reading, and he was very surprised by what he read. His bounty was 45 million Ryo! It was even higher than Asuma''s during Shippuden and was put on him by Kirigakure. He thought, ''Not bad at all. I guess Hiruzen did appoint someone very competent as my sensei.'' He read further. The information that Fujin obtained was, ''Senju Renjiro, Rank A, 39 years old. He became Genin at 8, Chuunin at 10, Jounin at 16 and Elite Jounin at 28. He specializes in Water and Earth release Ninjutsu, but can use jutsu of other elements too. He''s an excellent swordsman who was trained in the way of swords by a samurai. He fought in both the 2nd and 3rd Great Ninja Wars. In the 3rd war, he had served as Orochimaru''s deputy on the Kiri front. Later on, when Orochimaru had to join a different battlefield, he became Konoha''s commander on the Kiri front. Due to his skill with the sword, his proficiency in Water release jutsus and his summon, a Sloth, he was very effective against Kiri ninjas. He killed 13 Kiri Jounins and over 50 Kiri chuunins over the course of the war. His biggest accomplishment was killing one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in that war. Though his army was defeated by a surprise offensive launched by Kiri, he managed to retreat with the majority of his army and kept Kiri at bay until Konoha''s Yellow Flash reinforced him and pushed Kiri back to the seas.'' After reading that, Fujin thought ''Damn fuck! He''s strong. Not Sannin level, but very close. Anyways, it says that he was trained by a Samurai, so I guess he''s guide Hiruzen arranged for me. I do wonder what that summon is though. It''s the first time I''m hearing of a Sloth. Ain''t that a deadly sin? But that sounds a bit too overpowered and not something from this world. Well whatever, I''ll look into it later.'' He then looked into the data of the ninja he knew from Naruto. He sighed in relief, confirming that it was very similar to what he knew. He also got a better understanding of the Shinobi world. He thought, ''Konoha is way stronger than what was shown in Naruto. Fathers of Shikaku, Inoichi and Shibi are still alive and leading their clans. Each of them is an Elite Jounin and are very close to rank S. Though I guess that their strengths will decrease over time due to their age. In all, Konoha has just 3 rank S ninjas now. But Jiraiya is barely in the village, and Tsunade can barely even fight. However, surprisingly or unsurprisingly, the Bingo book has no mention of Danzo. Also, it''s quite possible that Fugaku is hiding his Mangekyou. Same with Shisui. I''m not sure how many gates Guy can open, but he might be able to forcibly rise to compete with rank S ninja if needed. Also, it''s quite surprising to see Koharu and Homura are rank A ninjas. I don''t recall them ever fighting in Naruto. In all there are 22 Elite Jounins from Konoha mentioned in the Bingo book. And it''s quite possible that there are a few more who haven''t been mentioned here, like Danzo and others from Root. There are also a few more rank A ninjas who haven''t yet become an Elite Jounin like Kakashi and Guy.'' He then sighed, ''I didn''t think there would be so many Elite Jounins in Konoha. And despite this Hiruzen chose to sacrifice Hizashi. Makes me wonder how bad Konoha''s losses were in the lower ranks due to the war. As for the other villages, Kumo and Iwa are pretty strong too, though not as strong as Konoha at least when it comes to Kage level and Elite Jounin level combat strength. Kiri is actually quite impressive too, or would have been if so many of their top ranked ninjas weren''t labelled as rouge ninjas. I guess Obito has pretty much wrecked Kiri. Suna, on the other hand, is doing really bad. Their Kage is easily the weakest out of all 5 Kages. Though they have 2 more rank S ninjas, both are retired and very old. And their number of rank A ninjas is pitifully low.'' He closed the book and thought, ''Well that should be enough information for now. I''ll get more as and when there''s a need to." He handed the Bingo book back to the librarian and went back home. Chapter 37: Sparring with Sensei Next day, at 6 am, all the members of team 3 gathered in the training ground 17. It was a small open area in the center of a mini-forest. Renjiro was the last one to arrive. On seeing his genin squad already there, he wished them Good Morning and said, "As I said yesterday, before I begin training you three, I''ll like to see what you can do. So we''ll have a spar, you three versus me." He paused for a few seconds and said, "We begin NOW!" As soon as he said that, he jumped forward with the intention to punch. It caught all the 3 genins off-guard. Mieko jumped backwards hurriedly and Hoka jumped to his left. Fujin, on the other hand, just flickered away. Renjiro''s punch landed on the ground where the 3 genins were standing initially, and the ground cracked, causing a lot of dust to rise, which hid him. Renjiro thought, ''Not bad. I only intended to punch the ground in front of them, but I didn''t think that all 3 would react so quickly. Especially Fujin, did he use Body Flicker jutsu without any hand signs?'' As soon as he used Body Flicker, Fujin thought, ''Damn! He attacked so suddenly that I flickered away by reflex.'' He then saw the dust rising up and covering Renjiro and so did Hoka and Mieko. Fujin immediately started sensing him, Mieko activated her Sharingan and Hoka activated his Byakugan. On sensing Renjiro, Fujin thought, ''Well now that I''ve shown it, I can''t hide it anymore. So might as well spam it. Still I didn''t think hiding my power would be so difficult. I really need to be more careful, in case he pulls a few more stunts like that. I hope I can protect the rest of my secrets for at least another year or two.'' While Fujin was thinking that, both Hoka and Mieko ran towards Renjiro to engage him in combat. Renjiro just stood there, waiting for them to begin their assault. Hoka was the first one to reach him, however, Mieko launched a few shurikens on Renjiro. Renjiro dodged them and then engaged Hoka in hand-to-hand combat. He was able to counter his Gentle Fist style very easily. When Mieko joined in, he suppressed both of them with ease. However, he soon frowned. He tried to sense, but he couldn''t sense Fujin at all. Taking the opportunity provided by his teammates, Fujin had disappeared from his sight and hid his chakra. Though Renjiro couldn''t sense Fujin, Fujin closely monitored their fight, waiting for an opportunity to butt in. He soon found one when Renjiro punched Hoka. Fujin threw a shuriken with all his power. However, Renjiro smirked and thought, ''A fake opening. Always works against brats.'' He moved a step back to avoid the shuriken, however, the shuriken curved towards him. That surprised Renjiro. He was about to dodge again, when he felt ''No, something is weird.'' So instead of dodging, he just caught the shuriken right out of its trajectory. However, as soon as he caught it, he sensed 2 small chakra signatures behind him. He turned to see 2 wind spheres heading at him. He took a step to dodge, however, at the same time Mieko launched Fireball jutsu in the direction he was planning to dodge. Seeing that, he adjusted his direction and dodged both the jutsus and created distance from his students. Seeing that, Hoka rushed forward to engage him in close combat. While Hoka was rushing towards him, Renjiro thought, ''Not bad at all. This doesn''t seem planned, and their teamwork still needs a lot of work, but they are able to take advantage of the opportunities created by each other. Not to mention that I felt wind on that shuriken, which means that Fujin used Projectile Control jutsu on the shuriken. And instead of pressing forward on a hopeless assault, he took the advantage of that Fireball to disappear again.'' He engaged in another round of combat with Hoka and Mieko. Fujin, who was secretly observing the combat, thought ''An Elite Jounin indeed. That opening was a bait, to understand my location. Not to mention, he grabbed the shuriken outta thin air! Though, I wonder what he''d have done if I had infused that shuriken with wind chakra. Anyways, I wonder if I can fool him using a shadow clone.'' Fujin kept hiding, and made a shadow clone. After a minute, it looked like both Hoka and Mieko were about to lose. So the clone interrupted Renjiro by launching 2 wind explosion jutsu on him. He followed it up with shurikens. Renjiro dodged everything and moved towards Fujin to engage him in close combat. However the clone flickered and moved behind Mieko and Hoka. All 3 genins began analysing and had the same first thought, ''An Elite Jounin is incredibly strong!'' While Fujin had to take some effort to dig up information on Renjiro, Hoka and Mieko got it very easily from their parents. Renjiro''s exploits were common knowledge among the shinobi who fought in the 3rd Great Ninja War. That had made them a bit more respectful of Renjiro. After the 10 minutes were up, Renjiro asked, "The first question for you, when did I make a clone?" Fujin raised his hand and replied, "Most probably when you punched the ground and raised a dust cover." Mieko, who was thinking hard, replied, "Yes, I don''t think there was any other opportunity for you to make a clone." Fujin could sense anger in her voice due to being beaten up. Hoka was still confused though. He asked, "But sensei, why couldn''t my Byakugan see you?" Renjiro replied, "There are ways to hide even from the Byakugan. Take this as a lesson that just because you don''t see it, doesn''t mean you can relax and put your guard down." Hoka nodded with a conflicting expression. Knowing that the pride of his clan wasn''t foolproof was a big blow to him. Fujin then asked, "But sensei, how were you able to approach me from underground and still hide your chakra? Also, how did you keep a track of where I was, without letting me sense you back?" Renjiro replied, "There are ways to hide from a sensor. Also tricks to sneak up on a sensor. Just because you don''t sense anyone, doesn''t mean that you should completely drop your guard." Mieko was the next one to ask a question. She asked, "Sensei, how did you fight me without even once looking into my eyes?" Renjiro smirked and said, "The Uchiha clan has been using sharingans for hundreds of years. There are many ways to combat your sharingan too. The one I showed you was just the most basic one." The answers made all the 3 genins fall into a deep thought. Fujin especially was very worried. He thought, ''Does that mean if someone was spying on me, I wouldn''t even have an idea?'' This thought worried him. However he calmed down on thinking, ''Well he is an Elite Jounin, capable of leading a whole battlefront. Surely Konoha won''t send an Elite Jounin to spy on a nobody. I should still be safe.'' Renjiro cut the thoughts of his students and said, "Now all three of you will think and tell me why you lost. And tell me how you could have performed better. Hoka, you first, followed by Mieko and then Fujin." Hoka thought for a bit and said, "You countered my Gentle Fist and I couldn''t land even one hit on you. Also my Byakugan couldn''t see your clone. And you were also a lot faster than me or anyone else." Renjiro then looked at Mieko who replied, "Your Taijutsu is much stronger than ours. And you were always able to dodge all of our attacks, no matter how thorough we were. Also you knew exactly how to counter each one of us." He then looked over to Fujin who said, "Our teamwork wasn''t proper. We barely ever even spoke to each other. I saw Hoka and Mieko tag team against you, but they weren''t in sync with each other. And I, despite being hidden, couldn''t help much from such a long distance. And we didn''t have any plans to defeat you. Not to mention..." Fujin paused for a few moments and continued, "You were just too strong for us to handle." Renjiro nodded and thought, ''Decent. Hoka''s tactical thinking would have to be developed more, but the other two are much better.'' He then said, "Alright, this is it for today. You can go home and heal yourself. We will meet here tomorrow at 5:00 am. You have one assignment for tomorrow. Write down your daily routine and bring it tomorrow. And Fujin, stay here. Hoka, Mieko, you two can leave." On getting the permission to leave, they said goodbyes and left. Fujin did have to suppress his urge to laugh as they both were walking very weirdly. Though that urge went away very quickly as he had a horrifying thought, ''Wait! I was the only one not beaten up. So he didn''t make me wait for....'' He quickly got rid of that thought, ''No way. He''s a reputed commander from a great ninja war, he won''t be so petty.'' He screamed internally, ''Where the fuck are those Human Rights activists? Also, why the fuck didn''t that old monkey make laws to prevent child abuse despite warming the Hokage seat for decades!'' Fujin kept seeing his teammates walk away in a weird manner, while desperately hoping that his thoughts won''t ever come true. Chapter 38: Light Morning Workout In training ground 17, Fujin and his new Sensei were alone. Renjiro asked, "Why didn''t you use swords during the spar?" Fujin replied, "Cause I don''t have any. I checked the prices, and even the cheapest one costs 12k Ryo. Sadly I can''t afford them." The answer was within Renjiro''s expectations. He nodded and said, "I''ll be teaching you how to wield swords from now onwards. Don''t worry about the swords, I have a few you can use. We will first test your skills and also the size of the sword that''ll suit you. After that, the 3rd Hokage will order 2 custom made samurai swords for you." Fujin nodded and thanked him. Renjiro took out a scroll, laid it on the ground and rolled it open. Fujin noticed that it was a storage scroll. And looking at the number of storage seals, he probably was the one who made it. Renjiro made a hand sign and 12 swords appeared on the scroll. Fujin picked up two, which were very similar in size to the ones he already used and said, "Sensei, the ones I used in the academy were of this size." Renjiro replied, "Alright, we''ll start with these then. Let''s have another spar. I wanna see how good your sword skills are." Fujin and Renjiro then sparred to compare their sword skills. While sparring, both had different thoughts. Fujin was happy that his sensei wasn''t the same ''monster'' he was earlier. Renjiro on the other hand had mixed feelings about Fujin''s swordsmanship. He thought, ''This kid''s basics are extremely solid. Especially considering that he has only trained with swords for less than a year. However, apart from the basics, he has nothing at all. There''s no style to his swordplay. It''s just a simple straightforward attack and defense. While he has been attacking and defending well, it''s only due to him leveraging his speed and strength. If I were to increase my speed and strength to match his, he most probably won''t even last 5 seconds.'' The spar continued for a few minutes more before Renjiro halted it. He concluded, ''He''s like an unpolished jade! Not having any other styles means that he doesn''t have any bad habits. While in the long run it may be disadvantageous, but for practicing just one style, this would be very convenient. Of course, since he hasn''t practiced any styles yet, I can''t say how fast or slow he will be at learning the Samurai Saber Techniques.'' Renjiro then suddenly increased his speed to match Fujin''s and skillfully hit both his swords consecutively to create an opening, and then placed the tip of his sword very close to Fujin''s throat. He said, "Alright that''s enough. I''ll teach you some new forms." He then displayed a few forms for Fujin and asked him to copy and practice them. The training continued for 3 hours, after which Renjiro dismissed Fujin. When the training finally ended at 9 am, Hoka and Fujin dropped to the ground. They could barely even move any muscle. Mieko had already dropped unconscious sometime earlier. Neither Fujin nor Hoka were aware when exactly, but Renjiro picked her up and laid her under a tree. Fujin would have screamed for ''Child Protection laws'', but he was too tired to even think about it. He noticed that Mieko got up a few minutes after the training ended, and that felt very fishy for some reason. Looking at that sight, Renjiro chuckled internally. He said, "No need to overreact so much. It was merely a light morning workout. Now get up and move under that tree." They both barely got up and wobbled somehow to those trees and sat there, while resting their backs on the trunk of the tree. Renjiro then tossed a couple of ration bars and a water bottle to all 3 and said, "You can rest here for the next hour. Eat those ration bars and hydrate yourself, preferably after half an hour. I''ll meet you here again at 10." He then flickered away. As soon as he left, both Fujin and Hoka slid down and began sleeping. This pissed Mieko who said loudly, "Wake up you two, we can''t sleep all day!" That woke the two of them up. Hoka dismissively replied, "We didn''t sleep for over an hour during the workout." Fujin continued in the same tone, "Yeah, wake us up after 30-40 minutes." And they both went back to sleep. Mieko was very annoyed and made some noise, but both were too tired to respond to her antics and just ignored her. After around half an hour, Mieko woke them both up. As soon as they woke up, they ate the ration bars and emptied the water bottle. The short nap brought their energy levels up, but didn''t do much to stop the muscle ache all over the body. Fujin sighed and said, "I think every single muscle in my body is aching." Hoka replied, "Yeah, same here. I don''t think it''s gonna stop anytime soon." Fujin replied, "Especially if this has to be done every morning." That sentence scared both Hoka and Mieko. Mieko asked, "No way, right? Unlike you two, I didn''t even last the whole workout! How will we do this daily?" Fujin chuckled internally and thought, ''Poor girl. She is totally freaked out! Hahaha. Still, this sensei.... I was upset at not getting a chance to meet Guy and hence not having any opportunity to learn from him. But with this, I don''t think it was such a bad thing to not meet him. As insane as this workout was, Guy, probably, still beats this by a long distance. Otherwise there''s no way he''d learn the Eight Inner Gates all the way to the 8th Gate!'' Hoka tried to console Mieko and said, "Don''t worry. I have been doing such physical workouts for years. After some time, our body will get used to it. And the results will be worth it." That calmed Mieko down a bit. However, Fujin thought, ''Now that I think about it, this is a good opportunity to curb her Uchiha pride a bit.'' He countered Hoka by saying, "I don''t think that will be the case with Renjiro sensei. If we get anywhere near being comfortable with this workout, he''ll probably change it. Even if that isn''t the case, he could just make us increase the pressure on our body." That again freaked Mieko out. She quickly asked, "But can''t we fool sensei by lying about how much pressure we have applied?" Hoka commented, "Yeah, we can. There''s no way for others to check it." However Fujin countered again, "Even if he can''t check it, he''ll understand by how tired we are after the workout. So though we could fake the pressure, I don''t think we can fool an Elite Jounin about how difficult the workout is." On being countered again, Hoka wondered what Fujin was up to. He thought, ''I''m going out of my way to make her feel better, but Fujin is making her more and more scared.'' He thought for a bit, but couldn''t think of anything and let it go, ''Whatever, I don''t care. Still though, for a physical workout to push me to this extent. I need to get stronger!'' Mieko tried to think of more ways out, but couldn''t think of anything. She had one thought which she was planning to ask her teammates, ''Can we ask sensei to decrease the difficulty of the workout?'' However, her pride didn''t allow her to say that. She decided, ''Fine. I''ll just work harder and improve my physique! I''m the only one to graduate from my class, which shows how much better I am as compared to others. There''s no way a single routine will stop me from achieving my dream!'' Fujin didn''t see the look of determination on both his teammates. His body was still very sore to pay much attention to them. However, another person did. Chapter 39: Rank C Wind Release Jutsus Renjiro was hiding nearby and watching his young students. Looking at the determined looks of Hoka and Mieko, he smiled thinking ''Excellent! With this determination, their power will increase very rapidly. Sadly, Fujin isn''t looking that determined.'' He thought a bit and concluded, ''Well just because there''s no determined look on him doesn''t mean that he''s discouraged. Though he did speak about future challenges, it didn''t seem like he wanted to back away. Anyways, I should get a better idea after a few more sessions. If he isn''t determined, then I have a few ways to make him determined!'' If Fujin knew his sensei''s plans for him, he would have shuddered. When just 5 minutes of break was left, Fujin and Hoka got up and began stretching. Mieko copied them. They weren''t sure which crazy session awaited them, and decided to loosen up their muscles. Renjiro soon appeared in front of them and said, "Before we begin with the next session, let''s talk about your routines first." Renjiro then discussed everyone''s routine one by one. He planned to train them from 5 am to 9 am and from 10 am to noon. For Fujin, there''d be additional 3 hours of training from 2 pm to 5 pm. He modified everyone''s routines to fit his own training plans. He also recommended everyone their diets. And that involved a lot of ration bars! Renjiro recommended them to eat one at 4:15 am, 2 at 9:30 am and another one or two during lunch. He explained that ration bars were created for ninjas who''d be on very long missions away from Konoha. So they have absolutely everything necessary that a ninja must consume. Apart from that, food items rich in proteins were recommended by him.N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. Fujin groaned a bit at his schedule. He thought, ''No freaking way! Since when did Jounin sensei begin spending so much time to train their genins? Heck, apart from Kakashi teaching Sasuke Chidori, and Guy teaching Lee, I don''t think any of the remaining 10 were taught anything significant at all by their sensei! With him practically taking my whole day, I won''t have any time to keep practicing Fuinjutsu or learn any new Ninjutsu! I am not sure if the trade off is worth it.'' He thought a bit more and sighed, ''I don''t really have a say here, I really hope that the trade off is worth it.'' Renjiro began the next training session. Considering how tired his students were, Renjiro decided to let them have it easy. The session focused on teamwork and team formations. Nothing fancy, just the application of what they were taught in the academy. At noon, Renjiro stopped the training and gathered everyone. He then said, "Fujin, for today, we''ll skip your sword practice. I have another assignment for you. All 3 of you will visit the library and decide what you guys want to learn over the next year. We will discuss it tomorrow. And don''t forget, we''ll have daily training sessions here at 5 am." Fujin, Hoka and Mieko nodded and thanked him. Hoka and Mieko left for their home, whereas Fujin went over to Yakiniku Q for lunch. Fujin did train hard over the past 5 years. However, nothing came close to what he went through today. Despite the pain, he was actually looking forward to how much stronger this training would make him. After lunch, he went over to the library. He entered the section C of the library and began searching for Wind release jutsus. He also wanted to look at rank C Earth release jutsus, but he thought, ''That old freak can sneak up without me even sensing. And given that he has given us this task, I wouldn''t be surprised if he is keeping an eye here. I''ll just check the rest sometime later.'' What surprised him was that the number of rank C Wind Release jutsus exceeded the number of rank D and Rank E Wind Release jutsus. On going through all of them, he made a list. The list of rank C Wind Release jutsus was : Wind Cutter jutsu and Faithful Wind Blade jutsu are offense oriented jutsus. Wind Cutter basically just uses wind to cut through the enemies. And Faithful Wind Blade needs a sword or kunai or any blade as a base. Using that, it creates a 10 feet long blade of wind. Since it is made of wind, it is almost weightless, and is very sharp and difficult to block. I guess the jutsu that Baki used was a more advanced form of this jutsu. Air Current Wild Dance jutsu is a battlefield control jutsu and can be used to restrict enemies. Wind Gale Wolf jutsu and Wind Dragon jutsu sound incredibly fun. A wind sphere has to be made, and then the caster has to make a wolf or a dragon from that sphere. But both jutsus take different routes ahead. In Wind Gale Wolf jutsu, I can make more wolves as I get stronger. Whereas, in Wind Dragon jutsu, the dragon can shoot out Wind Explosion jutsu!'' He began analyzing, ''Once again, these jutsus are very interesting. Most of these jutsus aren''t restricted by their ranks, and can perform even as good as an rank S jutsu if the caster is strong enough and has mastered these jutsus to their limits. In fact, Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu, Wind Gale Wolf jutsu and Wind Dragon jutsu are classified as rank C-S, depending on how strong their user is. At rank C, Spinning Shield of Wind can only deflect weapons back. But as it is made stronger, it can reflect low level Ninjutsu back, and at its peak, it is said to be able to reflect even rank A jutsus back. For Wind Gale Wolf jutsu, it''s about the number of Wolves that can be formed. At rank C, only one can be formed. But at rank S, the caster can make hundreds of these wolves. Something that''ll be incredibly useful against an army. For Wind Dragon jutsu, it''s about the size of the dragon and the number of Wind Explosion jutsus it can spit out. According to the scroll, someone with large amounts of chakra and excellent chakra control could make a Dragon that is over a kilometre long and can shoot out hundreds of Wind Explosion jutsus. Even though the other jutsus aren''t stated to be able to reach such a level, I can imagine them to be much stronger. For instance, for Faithful Wind Blade jutsu, the size of the wind blade could be extended even further. Or it could be made much sharper. Similarly, Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu could probably be used to move tens of kilometres away.'' He then calmed himself and thought, ''The only issue is, why haven''t I heard about anyone using these jutsus? Even if these jutsus have that potential, if no one can reach it, then there must be some issue.'' He analyzed for a few minutes and concluded, ''I guess using my memories about Naruto is very unreliable. Also, it is very likely that wind affinity ninjas in Konoha do practice these jutsus, just that I''m not aware of them. Not surprising. But I do wanna know if there was even one character in the past who used these jutsus to their full potential!'' He noticed, ''I lost my focus. Let me first decide which jutsus to learn.'' After analysing, he decided, ''I will learn Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu, Wind Gale Wolf jutsu, Wind Dragon jutsu, Faithful Wind Blade jutsu and Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. I don''t need the battlefield control that Air Current Wild Dance jutsu provides currently. And for defense, escaping into the ground and Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu are better options than Gale Palm jutsu. Wind Cutter jutsu could have been useful, but I have another idea.'' While analyzing the jutsus, Fujin noticed 2 peculiarities. His thoughts were, ''Wouldn''t Faithful Wind Blade jutsu be a better option than chakra flow? It makes me wonder if instead of sending a slash of chakra, I could use this to send a slash of wind in Samurai Saber Techniques. Also, can this be used in conjunction with chakra flow? The others are Wind Dragon jutsu and Wind Gale Wolf jutsu. The starting point of both of these jutsus is the same. So can I create wolves that shoot out Wind Explosion jutsu or can I create multiple dragons?'' These ideas intrigued him a lot. He decided to experiment with them when he was strong enough to do so. After deciding the jutsus to learn, Fujin thought, ''Alright, decision made. Now I''ll dig up this entire library to see if anyone ever used these jutsus to their limits or not!'' He got up to keep the scrolls back. On getting up he noticed, ''Eh, Mieko''s here? I didn''t even notice.'' He then tried to sense and noticed, ''Oh, Hoka is here too. And he is in section D.'' Chapter 40: Second Kazekage Both Hoka and Mieko had arrived in the library sometime after Fujin. Unlike Fujin, they had guidance from their ninja parents. As they were talented enough, they were also guided by their respective clan elders. So they hadn''t visited the village''s library before as all their jutsus were directly taught to them. However, this time, respecting Renjiro''s wishes, the elders allowed these kids to go and research in the village library. Of course, they would discuss Mieko and Hoka''s plans with them before they talk to Renjiro. Hoka was reading the scroll on Body Flicker jutsu in section D. He thought, ''Sigh, the library is full of Ninjutsu. I tried reading scrolls on Taijutsu, but they suck! Nothing comes close to our Gentle Fist style. Sigh, I don''t wanna waste my time on Ninjutsu. I''ll just tell sensei that I will learn Body Flicker jutsu. It was very cool when Fujin just blitzed everywhere. Also, if my enemy knows this jutsu, I won''t be able to even touch him. Though father would probably still yell on me. Can''t they get that I want to focus only on Taijutsu?'' Mieko, on the other hand, had directly arrived in section C and began looking for more Fire release jutsus. She thought, ''Why did my father make me search through jutsus here? Couldn''t they just teach me stronger jutsus?'' However, while searching, she found something that surprised her. She thought, ''Fire Release : Four? Why is this jutsu in section C? Shouldn''t it be a rank B jutsu and Fire Release : Five jutsu be a rank A jutsu?'' She took the scroll and began reading it. On reading it, she was very satisfied, she thought ''Finally! This jutsu finally has some power behind it.'' The Fire Release : Four jutsu was similar to Fire Release : Two jutsu. Point 2 fingers and release a heat ray. However, in this stage the power was much higher. It was comparable to using a very hot kunai. Mieko thought, ''With this, I could compete with Hoka and Fujin in close combat. Getting hit by this will be very painful and it''ll be very hard to dodge in close range. Though I don''t like to admit it, both of them are much stronger than me physically. And Hoka''s Gentle Fist style is difficult to counter despite having Sharingan. With this jutsu, I could become as strong as them in close combat and I am already superior to them in ranged combat.'' She then looked for other jutsus. And decided to learn Flame sphere jutsu and Fireproof jutsu thinking, ''I don''t have any defensive jutsus. So these might be a bit useful.'' Still, the First Great Ninja War was so brutal. At the end of the war, every village had to elect their 3rd Kage. Only Tobirama and the 2nd Raikage were alive, but they were killed during the peace talks when the Gold & Silver brothers revolted. Probably that''s why the next wars weren''t that intense. No Kage died in the Second Great Ninja War and the 3rd Raikage was the only Kage to die in the 3rd Great Ninja War. I guess they did learn some form of constraint. Makes me wonder if the first war is the reason why Hiruzen talks so much about peace and why Onoki chose to just watch and be known as the fence-sitter instead of being more proactive.'' On validating the potential of the jutsus, Fujin decided to read one scroll up entirely to understand how the jutsu should be learnt. After analysing, he decided ''I''ll start with Faithful Wind Blade jutsu. It should assist in my Samurai Saber Techniques training with Renjiro. Though, I''ll need to confirm it with him first.'' Mieko and Hoka had already left the library when Fujin was searching for information on the Kazekages. When Hoka reached home, his father asked, "So what have you decided to learn?" Hoka put up a very serious face, and said, "Father, I have decided to learn Body Flicker jutsu." And then he paused. His father kept waiting to hear his son''s further plans, but Hoka didn''t speak. He asked, "And?" Hoka showed a confused expression and asked, "And what?" He impatiently asked, "What will you learn in addition to Body Flicker jutsu?" Hoka again put up a very serious face and said, "I''ll learn more Taijutsu." This statement finally broke his father''s stoic expression, and got Hoka, a punch right on his head. He then dragged his son to his clan''s library to pick out more jutsus for him. A similar scenario took place at Mieko''s home. Her parents were happy with her choice to learn Fire Release : Four jutsu. But for the rest, her mother told her, "Those 2 jutsus don''t provide much defense. Flame sphere will at best help you defend against 1 attack, and Fireproof jutsus will only make you immune to Fire Release jutsus. Actually, Fire element doesn''t provide a good defense. Why don''t you learn Earth or Water Release jutsus for defense?" Mieko thought about what her parents said and agreed. She said, "Alright, but I also want to learn Flame Sphere and Fireproof." Knowing their daughter''s talent, her parents agreed. They then went to the Uchiha library to pick more jutsus. Chapter 41: Importance of Rank C Jutsus The next day again began with the brutal morning workout. At 10 am, Renjiro asked, "So what have you guys decided to learn?" Mieko, wanting to talk first, quickly said, "Sensei, I''ve decided to learn Fire Release : Four jutsu, Flame Sphere jutsu, Fireproof jutsu, Earth Military Movement jutsu and Hiding like a Mole jutsu." Renjiro nodded and asked, "Why?" Mieko said, "I already know Fire Release : Three jutsu, so Fire Release : Four is the next step. It''ll also be a very strong option in close combat. Earth Military Movement jutsu and Hiding like a mole jutsu are to evade an enemy attack and once I''m underground, it''ll be a strong defense too. And if I have jumped and can''t reach the ground, then I''ll use Flame Sphere jutsu to defend. And Fireproof jutsu would help me become immune to Fire Release jutsus." On hearing her reason, Fujin thought, ''Hehe, she memorized the whole thing! Still Hiding like a Mole jutsu. I should learn that one. I hope that jutsu has some way to breathe underground. Though I did develop a few ways to ensure cracks in the surface to allow some flow of air underground, it is not very reliable.'' Renjiro too noticed the memorized answer and sighed internally, ''They still assisted her in the decision. Though this plan should be good enough.'' He then said, "That should be good enough. However, you will train to be able to perform Fire Release : Four jutsu without any hand signs." Mieko was confused, "Without any hand signs? How and why?" Renjiro replied, "Do you think that your enemies will wait for you to perform your hand signs when you are in a close combat? As to how, don''t worry. I''ll teach you." Mieko was very intrigued by it and nodded excitedly.N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. He then looked over to Fujin. Fujin said, "I''ve decided to learn Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu, Wind Gale Wolf jutsu Wind Dragon jutsu, Faithful Wind Blade jutsu and Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu." This surprised Renjiro a bit. He thought, ''That''s surprising. He wants to learn 5 rank C wind release jutsu? I did have plans to suggest a couple of jutsus in case he chose only 1 or 2. I suppose this will be good too. I''ll just teach those to him sometime later.'' Though Renjiro hid it soon, Fujin did notice him getting surprised. He sighed internally, ''I would have preferred to train in them in secret, but he barely allows me any free time to do that. So if I only mentioned one or two, then there''s a chance that I might be stuck with only those for some time.'' Renjiro then nodded and asked, "Why?" Fujin replied, "Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu will help me defend from frontal assaults and even counterattack. Gale Wolf and Wind Dragon jutsu will allow me to attack from a distance and control the battlefield. And I could attack from both land and the sky with them. Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu is an escape jutsu. As for Faithful Wind Blade, I think that it''ll complement Samurai Saber Techniques well, so I plan to start with it." Renjiro smiled on hearing that answer, ''Perfect. This kid''s analytical ability is very good.'' Renjiro said, "You are right. This exercise is for you guys to find the jutsus most suited for you. No matter what rank ninja you become in the future, the jutsus you''ll use the most are rank C jutsus. The reason is that the jutsus that are rank B and above drain a lot of chakra and affect your ability to fight for long." He waited a few moments for the genins to understand. He continued, "So, in the future, how good of a ninja you become will depend on how good you are at using the rank C jutsus you have." He then looked at Mieko and said, "It isn''t about the number of rank C jutsus you know, but about how good you are at using them." He then looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, use your Great Breakthrough jutsu on those trees." Fujin nodded, made the hand signs, and released his Great Breakthrough jutsu. The jutsu created a lot of winds, causing the branches to shake wildly and a lot of leaves and twigs to fall down. The winds left deep cuts in most trees. After a minute, the winds died down. Fujin thought, ''Alright, that''s about 25% of my full power with this jutsu.'' Renjiro said, "Good, now watch this." Renjiro then made 1 hand sign, and then used Great Breakthrough jutsu himself. The power behind his jutsu was easily over ten times of what Fujin had done. The winds went through a few trees. 3 trees were uprooted. And even though the jutsu wasn''t directed at them, Fujin, Hoka and Mieko all felt those winds and had to hold on to the ground. Hoka and Mieko were very shocked by what they saw. Whereas Fujin had only one thought, ''Isn''t this illegal deforestation? Someone call the cops and the media! Old man, Hashirama is no longer alive to just create more trees out of thin air.'' Mieko asked enthusiastically, "But how? Why is your jutsu so much stronger than Fujin''s?" Renjiro replied, "Because I have mastered this jutsu to a greater degree than Fujin." Fujin rebuked internally, ''Incorrect old man, you still had to use 1 hand sign. You just charged the jutsu with way more chakra than I did or can. Though I guess you were more efficient in chakra use.'' Renjiro continued, "And this wasn''t my full power. Nor have I completely mastered this jutsu. Had it been lord Hokage, then he could have leveled this whole forest with just this jutsu." Mieko, Fujin and Hoka were very surprised and excited at that information. Or at least the other 2 were. Fujin sighed internally thinking, ''Hiruzen is a lot scarier here than in Naruto. I really wonder if Orochimaru will really be able to kill him or not.'' Satisfied with his students'' reactions, Renjiro said, "So this is why, you need to focus on learning and mastering the proper rank C jutsus. In the future, these jutsus are what you''ll be using the most. Of course, it doesn''t mean that you should not learn higher rank jutsus. The additional power they provide is very useful. However, if you don''t have a good set of Rank C jutsus mastered, then you won''t ever be able to become truly strong." Mieko and Fujin nodded, but Hoka still looked a bit reluctant. Renjiro looked at Hoka and said, "Hoka, no matter how good you become at Taijutsu. You''ll never become a strong ninja without mastering a few good Rank C jutsus." Hoka looked down and softly murmured, "Even without Ninjutsu I can still become a very strong ninja." Renjiro sighed and said, "Alright, we will have one spar between Fujin and you right now." Mieko pouted as she wasn''t involved in the spar. Renjiro made Hoka and Fujin take their positions. While they were heading towards their position, Renjiro secretly whispered to Fujin. Chapter 42: Fujin Vs Hoka Hoka and Fujin were facing each other and were 10 metres apart. Renjiro announced, "You can use everything you know in this spar. Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Kenjutsu are all allowed. But don''t hurt each other fatally." Both kids nodded. Renjiro announced, "Fight!" As soon as he said that, Hoka activated his Byakugan and rushed forward as fast as he could to engage Fujin in close combat. However, Fujin just flickered away. On gaining sufficient distance, he prepared one Wind Explosion jutsu in each hand. On seeing that, Hoka stopped and quickly started using hand signs for Rock Shield jutsu. Fujin recognized the hand signs and threw one wind sphere on Hoka. That put a lot of pressure on Hoka, but he managed to create the rock shield in time. The wind sphere hit the rock shield and exploded, creating a lot of winds. Seeing that his jutsu worked, Hoka sighed in relief, and put his guard down for a moment. That turned out to be a mistake, as Hoka''s Byakugan saw a wind sphere heading towards him from the left. He tried to jump away quickly, but the wind sphere exploded near him. The explosion created more winds, which hit Hoka while he was in the air. The winds threw him off course, causing him to fall badly. Hoka quickly got on his feet, only to see one more wind sphere headed straight towards him. This time, he didn''t jump and instead tried running away. However, more and more Wind spheres kept heading towards him. For the next 15 seconds, Hoka just kept dodging. The winds created by the explosion had created small scratches all over his body, and his clothes were in a very bad shape.N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. Finally Hoka adjusted himself, and began dodging the wind spheres properly. He used his Byakugan to see the wind spheres as soon as they were launched, and dodged in the right directions. Fujin thought, ''Excellent. The rate at which I''m creating the wind spheres is just one fifth of what I''m truly capable of, while their power is one third of their max power. Still he''s struggling so badly. Oh well, time to end this farce I guess.'' Fujin halved the number of wind spheres he was throwing. This allowed Hoka to close the distance between him and Fujin. He thought, ''Finally! He slowed down. Time to finish him with my Gentle Fist.'' When the distance between the two was just 10 metres, Fujin began moving backwards. Hoka thought, ''It''ll be annoying if he creates the distance again'' and increased his speed. Hoka nodded his head and said with determination, "Yes sensei. I will work hard on my Ninjutsu too." Renjiro kept his kind smile, and sighed in relief internally, ''Finally, I got another kid on the right track! I have to admit. The old man''s tactics in handling kids are the best. No wonder he was able to train 3 Sannins! Anyways, my team is finally set.'' He then looked at all 3 of his students and said, "I hope all of you have realised the importance of rank C jutsus by now." Fujin, Hoka and Mieko nodded. Renjiro continued, "In terms of Ninjutsu, your next focus will be on learning and mastering rank C jutsus. Until I say otherwise, none of you will attempt to learn a rank B or higher jutsu." He then advised the kids more and ended the day by saying, "This will be your today''s assignment. Fujin, you and Mieko will take Hoka to the village hospital and see that his wounds are tended to. And Fujin, meet me here at 2 pm." He then flickered away. On the way to the hospital, Hoka was walking in an awkward manner. The morning training followed by getting several cuts took its toll. Seeing him wobble, Fujin said, "Sorry about that." Hoka replied, "It''s okay. Don''t worry about it." Mieko said, "Yeah, it''s just a few cuts. Stop wobbling and walk faster." Hoka, however, replied with his usual stoic face, "Perhaps if I slept for over 2 hours during the morning workout, I might have been able to walk properly." Hearing that, Fujin chuckled, while Mieko became very embarrassed. Fujin and Mieko accompanied Hoka in the hospital. Hoka was asked to go to a ward. First a civilian doctor arrived, and cleaned all his wounds up. 5 minutes after the doctor left, a medical ninja arrived and healed all the cuts on him and advised him to take rest for the remaining day. Fujin observed the entire process, and then looked at Mieko with a hint of jealousy. He sighed thinking, ''If only I had the sharingan. I''d have just copied Mystical Palm jutsu and been done with it.'' They then said farewell to each other and left. Chapter 43: Training under an Elite Jounin In the afternoon, Fujin visited the training grounds where Renjiro trained him in the basics of Samurai Saber Techniques. Next day again began with the same workout. At 10 am, Renjiro said, "Today, we will begin learning new jutsus. Hoka, you''ll begin with Rock Thorn Bed jutsu. Fujin, you''ll start with Wind Dragon jutsu and Mieko, you''ll start with Fire Release : Four jutsu." The kids nodded. Renjiro then made a hand sign and prepared 3 shadow clones. Each of the shadow clones took a scroll from the main body and then took one genin. Hoka stayed at the same place, whereas Fujin and Mieko were moved to a different location in the training ground. The clones then gave the scroll to the genins, and asked them to read and start attempting the jutsu. As the kids began to learn them, the clone constantly kept a watch, and gave tips and advice when they felt the need to. The training under Renjiro continued in this manner. The morning workout remained the same. Whereas, in the 10 am to noon session, Renjiro alternated between training them in team formations and Ninjutsu training. In the afternoons, Renjiro trained Fujin with the sword. And from 6 pm to 8:30 pm, Fujin trained by himself. He either practiced the jutsu he was learning, or fought against his shadow clones.N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. Fujin found the training under Renjiro to be very helpful. Even though Fujin was already able to perform a few jutsus without hand signs, getting tips from Renjiro on the same helped him optimize it even further. Learning new jutsu became much easier too due to the tips Renjiro gave. He learnt the Wind Dragon jutsu in a week, Wind Gale Wolf jutsu in 2 days, Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu in 9 days and Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu in 3 days. The rank C jutsus provided some challenge for Fujin. Wind Dragon and Spinning Shield of Wind was difficult to learn. Wind Gale Wolf jutsu however, was very easy to learn after having learnt Wind Dragon jutsu. Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu too was very similar to Body Flicker jutsu. Only, instead of depending on their own force, the user had to create a gust of wind and use it to move. It''s range was larger than Body Flicker jutsu. Fujin was instantly able to move 300 metres away with the aid of this jutsu. Another advantage was that it didn''t leave any traces behind for the enemy to track. While right now, Fujin could escape better by spamming Body Flicker jutsu, he was sure that once he mastered this jutsu, it''ll be much better at escaping than Body Flicker jutsu. [A/N : I''ll call that seal ''Training seal'' from here onwards. Probably should''ve named it when I introduced it.] Apart from the personal improvements, the squad had also improved as a team. Within the first week, all the basic 4 man and 3 man formations were drilled into the trio. After that, Renjiro began working on their teamwork and combination attacks. A lot of exercises and spars were conducted to improve teamwork. For combination attacks, Fujin and Mieko were made to combine Wind Dragon and Fire Dragon jutsus. It took a few days to learn, but the result was excellent. The fire dragon was enhanced by the wind dragon, nearly doubling its size. It''s power was around 4 times the power of both the jutsus individually. The dragon could shoot Wind Explosion jutsu from its mouth, however, instead of normal winds, it was made of incredibly hot winds. On their first experiment, they nearly caused a forest fire! Luckily Renjiro was closely monitoring this training and quickly used Waterfall jutsu to douse the fire. Seeing that Fujin thought, ''Isn''t this very similar to Scorch style? I guess, only the power is lacking.'' Fujin looked at Renjiro and asked, "Sensei, is it possible for only one ninja to perform this combination jutsu? And I mean without using clones." Mieko was very intrigued by this question and paid attention. Renjiro answered, "Yes, it is possible. You have to use both the nature transformations at the same time and release them together. One way to do it is by doing hand signs for Fire Dragon jutsu with one hand, and for Wind Dragon jutsu with the other. But don''t worry about it for now. This is too advanced. You can''t do it right now." This answer surprised Fujin. He quickly asked, "But sensei, wouldn''t using 2 elements at the same time be a Kekkei Genkai? How can anyone do that without having the bloodline?" Renjiro answered, "This ain''t Kekkei Genkai. It''s merely using 2 elements to complement each other. For example, the Yuki clan has Ice release Kekkei Genkai. Ice release is a combination of water and wind. However, if you combine Wind and Water Dragons, all you get is a water dragon that cuts very sharply. There is no sign whatsoever of any ice forming. Combination jutsus merely enhance each other, whereas Kekkei Genkai bring a qualitative change to create something very different." On hearing that answer, Fujin fell into his thoughts, ''I see. So it''s possible to combine jutsus in this manner. I didn''t know it was possible. This does open up more options for me. I guess I need to start training other elements too. Wind works great with both Fire and Water. I wonder if it''s possible to make it work along with Lightning too. Sadly, I don''t think there''s a lot of scope in using the Wind element with Earth. I wonder when I''ll be ready to learn this though. Would showing off all my cards make him teach it to me? Though, not having hidden cards in a world as dangerous as this will suck.'' He asked, "Sensei, when do you think I''ll be ready for this? If I learn a second element now, would I be able to do this combination jutsu by myself?" Renjiro shook his head and said, "Don''t think about this right now. Think about this only after you become a jounin. Your skills in chakra control, chakra moulding will need to improve a lot before you begin practicing this. The amount of chakra you have will also need to be much higher. So as I said earlier, for the time being, you''ll only be mastering rank C jutsus." Fujin nodded dejectedly. Mieko too hung her head in disappointment on hearing this. Chapter 44: Combination Jutsus One day, when the 10 am session began, Renjiro said, "I have taught you one combination jutsu. And you can see how strong it is. I want you guys to think about more jutsus you can use in combination with each other. It doesn''t have to be as strong as Fire-Wind dragon jutsu, but it should increase your capabilities in some way. So think about it, but don''t experiment. I''ll meet you guys at 11" He then flickered away, without giving anyone a chance to say anything. Hoka said, "So what do we do?" Fujin, who had already thought a few over the past couple of weeks said, "Well let''s just think about it. And then discuss to see if everyone is fine with the idea." Mieko said, "Alright" After around 15 minutes, Mieko said "Hoka, can your Water element mix with my Fire element?" Hoka asked in a confused manner, "But how, won''t my water douse your fire?" Mieko smirked and said, "No it won''t. Fish Spit jutsu is the only one you have that can generate a small stream of water, and it is very weak compared to my jutsus. So my Fire jutsu will evaporate all your water and create a lot of steam." Hoka fell into a thought after hearing it. Fujin was quite surprised with this suggestion. He thought, ''I didn''t expect this brat to come up with something like this.'' He said, "Yeah, it''ll generate a lot of steam, but can either of you control it?" Both shook their heads. Fujin replied, "In that case, that can only be used to create a cover and hide ourselves." Mieko sighed dejectedly and began thinking again. After a couple of minutes, Fujin said "I have one idea. We can create a double layered defense. My Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu can stop and reflect all thrown weapons and some weaker Ninjutsu. However, if the enemy uses strong Ninjutsu, it''ll be breached. So my idea is to create a shield of wind, and right after that, Hoka will create a Rock Shield behind the shield to cover us further." Hoka thought and nodded, "Yes, that could work." However Mieko groaned and said, "Hey, don''t leave me out!" Fujin chuckled and said, "Actually I have one more idea. Hoka, can you use your Rock Shield jutsu?" Hoka was confused and asked, "But didn''t sensei tell us to not test anything?" Fujin replied, "He said that to prevent us from causing an accident. Just using Rock Shield jutsu will be fine. Also, quickly move behind a few metres after using the jutsu." Hoka nodded and got up. He performed the jutsu and quickly jumped back. Fujin thought, ''Not fast enough.'' He then said, "Alright, do it again. Only this time, I''ll throw a small pebble on you. Dodge that by moving backwards." Hoka made the hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground. Fujin waited for the jutsu to be completed. As soon as it was completed, he threw the pebble on Hoka. Hoka quickly dodged back. Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, that''s fast enough." Mieko asked, "So what''s the big idea?" Fujin replied, "I''m thinking that both of us should learn this jutsu too. If we do, then as soon as Hoka uses the jutsu and jumps back, one of us can create another rock shield behind his and repeat the same. This way a multi-tiered defense can be made on the fly. Another idea is, if all 3 of us can channel our chakra in the same rock shield, then will the shield become sturdier or will it become larger? If that works, then it''ll be very useful too." Both Hoka and Mieko nodded and agreed. They began brainstorming once again and came up with a few more ideas. At 11 am, Renjiro reappeared. He asked, "So, what did you guys think of?" Suddenly Renjiro''s clone flickered behind Fujin and Hoka. One month of constant exposure to Renjiro suddenly flickering behind them had made them accustomed to it. Renjiro asked, "So, which approach are you going to use and in which scenario? Hoka, you answer first." Hoka began thinking. After a couple of minutes he said, "The first approach will be more useful if the number of enemies is less. The enemy will first have to dodge my initial aim, and then worry about the shurikens Fujin controls. The second method will be more useful when we are facing a lot of enemies. Sudden change in direction of all shurikens can result in a few casualties. Also, even if the enemy avoids it, they''ll need to pay more attention to it, giving us more time." Renjiro nodded and looked at Fujin. Fujin replied, "Same answer. Just that, I should try and improve my control even further. In the first scenario, the result will probably be satisfactory. However, the second scenario still has a lot of scope for improvement. For instance, if, after I change direction of the shurikens, if I can then take control of a few shurikens to manipulate them even further, then I am sure I''ll get some hits in and it won''t be all just luck based." Renjiro said, "Good, so keep practicing." Over at Mieko and Fujin, they too had begun their practice. Their practice was very straightforward. Mieko launched Fireball jutsu, and Fujin threw 2 wind spheres at them from the rear. The wind sphere distorted the flames a bit, but it wasn''t an issue. However, before the Fireball exploded, the wind spheres left the fireball from the front. The Fireball exploded as it normally did. The wind spheres however exploded with a lot more force due to the air being heated up and caused a small heat wave. Mieko spoke in an annoying manner, "Hey, your jutsu speed was too fast!" Fujin countered, "Yours was too slow." This earned him a glare from the little girl. Fujin shrugged and said, "Let''s try again." This time Fujin matched the timing properly, and both the jutsus exploded at the same time when the wind spheres were still in the fireball. The result was a bit surprising. Mieko said, "The power of the explosion decreased!" Fujin nodded and added, "But it''s range increased. And the increase is totally random. In some directions, the flames extended twice more than usual, whereas in some directions, the range of flames was seven times as high as usual!" Suddenly, a jet of water was launched to douse the fires caused by the explosion. Renjiro''s clone looked at them and said, "We are changing the location. Follow me." Fujin and Mieko ran behind the clone. On the way, the clone asked, "So, what are your thoughts on this jutsu?" Fujin replied, "Unpredictable. The enemy won''t be able to guess the direction of the flames. If he gets careless, he''ll end up with a few burns. Even if he is lucky or skilled enough to dodge them all, he''ll be put under a lot of pressure." Mieko agreed, "Yes. Once he gets burned, we can dominate him." Renjiro asked, "Any scope for improvement?" Fujin and Mieko began thinking. After a few seconds, Fujin replied, "I am wondering whether the explosion''s direction can be controlled. I think that the position of the wind spheres within the fireball is what controls the direction of the explosion. For example, if the wind spheres are to the front of the fireball, then maybe the flames move more in the forward direction. If I know the direction in which the enemy will dodge, I can place the wind spheres in an appropriate position so that the flames move to his new location." While Fujin was talking, Renjiro stopped moving. They had arrived on a riverbank. Renjiro thought, ''As expected.'' He replied, "Good. However, don''t forget that even your Wind Explosion jutsu by itself is very random. So you won''t be able to control the direction by yourself." He then looked at Mieko and said, "If you two want to improve this combination further, then it''ll depend on how well you can analyse the explosion with your sharingans, Mieko." Mieko nodded, "Yes sensei. I''ll improve it to its limits!" Renjiro nodded and looked at the river. Fujin and Mieko followed his line of sight. Renjiro said, "All your explosions must happen over that river. No more fires." Both nodded awkwardly, and continued their training. [A/N : More ideas for combination jutsus are welcomed] Chapter 45: The First Mission Exactly 1 month had passed since Renjiro had begun training his genins. After the morning workout and some rest, Renjiro announced, "Today, we''ll do our first mission as a team." The squad reacted as soon as they heard that. Hoka said loudly, "Finally!" Mieko too excitedly said, "Yes! Now I''ll show what an Uchiha can do. Sensei, what''ll be our first mission? Will we fight with any enemy villages? Like Kumo or Iwa?" Hoka quickly followed up, "Yes sensei, what will our mission be? I want to use my Taijutsu to show how strong Konoha is to our enemies." Fujin looked at them and saw, ''Woah! Their eyes really are sparkling... I need to learn how to do that.'' Fujin just maintained an excited expression, but didn''t say anything. His teammates'' reactions made him feel very awkward. He thought, ''If only they knew what our first mission will be.... I wonder if all the adults have an unspoken truce to not mention this to any kid. Is it because they don''t want to discourage anyone, or is it just the age old human behaviour - I had to go through this, so I want you to go through it too..... Eh, probably the second case. Just looking at Renjiro''s smug face says it all!'' Renjiro thought, ''Ah, it never gets old. Seeing fresh genins so enthusiastic about their first mission. Now, I wonder if that cat has gone missing again or not.'' He said, "The mission will be given by Lord Hokage. So wait till we reach there to know which mission you''ll be doing."N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. They began moving towards the Hokage''s office. Hoka and Mieko ran at a lot faster pace than usual. On the way, Fujin thought, ''I didn''t think we''d need to wait 1 whole month before taking our first mission. Such intense training for a whole month. I guess my timing of transmigration was really lucky. Having missed the 3rd war and Kurama''s attack, and growing at a time when Konoha is lacking in manpower. I hope that training under Renjiro continues for a long time. Though it doesn''t leave me with much free time, it has been very helpful in increasing my strength.'' The team arrived at the Hokage building, and had to wait a few minutes to enter the Hokage''s office. On entering the office, everyone respectfully greeted Hiruzen, "Lord Hokage". Hiruzen, like always, had multiple stacks of papers on his table. He looked at team 3 and said, "Oh, so you guys are finally doing your first mission." He stared at Renjiro while saying that. However, Renjiro just shrugged and ignored the stare. Hiruzen sighed internally thinking, ''He messed up all the protocols. No missions for his squad for a whole month. The only other instance like this was when Orochimaru didn''t make his squad do any missions at all for 6 months! Well, at least he agreed to take a few rank D missions unlike my student.'' He then looked at his assistant and asked, "So which missions do we have?" His assistant pulled a paper out and handed it to him. Hiruzen looked at it and said, "Lady Saigo wants a squad to weed her garden. This will be your mission." He then smiled kindly and said, "Do the job properly. Ensure that she gives us good feedback, and make Konoha proud." After 15 minutes, Hoka joined him. Mieko worked for another half an hour. Both Fujin and Hoka were sure that she was delaying on purpose and sent her a few glares. When she was done, Fujin and Hoka stopped after completing that round and glared at Mieko. Mieko smirked thinking, ''Serves you right for finishing before me.'' That smirk pissed Hoka, but Fujin just sighed and said, "Who would have thought that the mighty Uchiha would need 2 hours and 15 minutes to merely weed a garden." Hoka quickly nodded and agreed, "Yes, this was so unexpected. Is this what she meant by ''I''ll show what an Uchiha can do?''" That jibe made Mieko go red with anger and embarrassment. She was about to reply angrily when Renjiro stopped her. Lady Saigo stepped forward and said, "Thank You for clearing the weeds in my garden young ninjas. You guys did an amazing job." This earned her a glare from all the 3 genins, but she maintained her smile. She then handed Renjiro a paper, and they left her estate. They returned to the Hokage building. Renjiro led his genins to a room on the first floor. He handed the paper to an employee there. The employee checked the paper, stamped and filed it. He then gave Renjiro a white packet and they left the room. Renjiro then led them to another room. There were a few more employees working here. One of them was a chuunin, while the others were just normal civilians. Renjiro said, "Remember this room. In the future, if you ever want to take any missions, you can come here and ask the chuunin who is in-charge here. He will assign you your mission depending on your preference, past performance and ranks." The genins nodded. They then moved to the ground floor. Renjiro said, "That''s it for today. From now onwards, we''ll be doing one mission every week. The remaining training continues as usual. Fujin, on the mission day, you won''t have training in Samurai Saber Techniques." Fujin nodded. Renjiro then took out the white packet he had received earlier. He said, "This is the reward for our mission. We''ll be splitting it 40-20-20-20. 40% for me, and 20% for each one of you. When you do missions with others in the future, remember that this is how the rewards are usually split. The leader gets more than the other squad members." The genins nodded, but all 3 had the same thought, ''But you didn''t do any work at all sensei!'' However no one spoke it out loud. After splitting the rewards, the squad dispersed. On his way to Yakiniku Q, Fujin thought, ''Hmm, 10k Ryo reward for a 2 hours job. If I had made clones and worked with them instead of my teammates, I''d have finished faster. Not bad, but not as fast as earning money by selling scrolls. Either way, getting 2k Ryo per week would be much better than the 1k Ryo per month they provided me earlier. Though it won''t be enough to allow me to make as big a purchase as I did earlier. I wonder if I should do a lot of rank D missions in a day or two sometime later to show that I''ve earned money via legitimate means.... Or, should I come clean with my ability to create storage scrolls?'' He thought for a bit and decided, ''No, right now Renjiro barely gives me any free time. If I say that I''ll study Fuinjutsu in the evening, then that''ll be considered suspicious or stupid. I should leave it till my training under Renjiro is completed, or the training time is decreased. He is an Elite Jounin after all. I don''t think Konoha can allow him to train 3 genins for very long.'' While thinking, he had already reached the restaurant. He went in and made the order. While waiting for the food to be delivered, he thought ''This world is pretty dangerous. While initially I was just being cautious, I''m now glad that I was so cautious and kept most of my abilities hidden. Even ignoring the crazy strong abilities so many here have, just the mere shamelessness of these people is alarming. Hiruzen saying what he said with a straight face, Renjiro taking 40% of the reward, today''s client sitting on the balcony to enjoy the misery of little kids.... The Dao of Shamelessness is crazy strong in this world. Their skins are thicker than the Hokage monuments! The same will also apply to the enemies. Sigh, I hope Obito and Nagato play according to the script. If they don''t, then it''ll be chaos.'' The meal arrived. Fujin picked up the meat with tongs and laid it on the charcoal brazier. Waiting for the meat to roast, he thought, ''Well, no point in worrying about these things. There is nothing I can do about it anyways. Let''s just hope for the best.'' Concluding his thoughts, he turned his focus on his lunch. Chapter 46: Triggered The next day, after the morning workout, Renjiro had another discussion with his team. He said, "You have made good progress over the last month. So I''ll now tell you how to progress further." The genins nodded and listened attentively. Renjiro looked at Mieko and said, "The jutsus you know currently are sufficient enough. So you don''t need to learn any more Ninjutsu. Just focus on mastering the ones you know currently. Especially Fire Release : Four jutsu. In addition to Ninjutsu, you also need to learn Genjutsu. So in your free time, ask your parents or clan elders to teach you more sharingan based Genjutsu. And keep working on your physique. You need to be able to complete the morning workout while enduring 10% pressure from your Training seal." Mieko nodded and said, "Yes Sensei. I''ll work hard." He then looked at Fujin and asked, "Have you decided on your second element?" Fujin nodded and said, "Yes Sensei, I have decided to choose Earth as my second element." Renjiro nodded and asked, "Any ideas on which jutsus you want to learn?" Fujin replied, "I''ve decided to learn Rock Shield jutsu, Earth Instantaneous Body jutsu and Earth Holding jutsu." Renjiro asked, "Why?" Fujin replied, "Rock Shield jutsu will provide me with a very good defense. Earth Instantaneous Body jutsu is a movement jutsu. And I can use Earth Holding jutsu to trap the enemies, or keep me and my squad on the ground."N??v€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter. Renjiro thought for a few seconds and said, "Rock Shield jutsu will be good for you. But why do you want to learn Earth Instantaneous Body jutsu? You already have 2 movement jutsus. Also, Earth Holding jutsu is very slow to actually trap anyone capable enough. So it isn''t very useful. So why do you still want to learn it?" Fujin replied, "Well there''s no harm in learning more movement jutsus. Also, escaping through the ground will also provide a good defense as well as stealth. If the enemy isn''t a sensor, it can also be used to sneak up on the enemy. As for Earth Holding jutsu, my main aim is to split the enemy''s attention and have him keep an eye on the ground. Especially if I can do it without hand signs. I also wonder if I can suppress its chakra signature to perform it very stealthily. If I can trap the enemy momentarily, it''ll be enough for us to incapacitate him." Renjiro thought, ''Hmm, nice thinking once again. Though learning a third movement jutsu is wasteful even with his explanation.'' Renjiro nodded and said, "Alright then. Rock Shield jutsu you can learn by yourself. The remaining two will be learnt under my supervision. In addition to these, we''ll work on mastering the jutsus you already know." Finally, Renjiro looked at Hoka and said, "Hoka, your current status in Ninjutsu is much better than before we began the training. However, it''s still not enough." Hoka nodded and paid attention. Renjiro continued, "You will learn 4 more Earth Release jutsus. They will be Boulder Throw jutsu, Quicksand jutsu, Stone Spear jutsu and Earth Instantaneous Body jutsu. Boulder Throw is a mid-range offensive jutsu. Quicksand is a trapping jutsu. Stone Spear is a mid-range jutsu and Earth Instantaneous Body is a movement jutsu." Hoka sighed and nodded. Renjiro smiled and said, "Don''t worry. These would be the only rank C jutsus, I''ll force you to master. I will advise you to learn more in the future, however the decision is in your hands. Learning rank C Water Release jutsus will help you. In addition, once you have mastered these Earth jutsus, you should learn 2 rank B Earth Release jutsus. The first is Earth Dragon jutsu, which will increase your capabilities in fighting a ranged battle. And Earth Wall jutsu, which is one of the best defensive jutsus in existence. They will complement your Gentle Fist style perfectly and you can then focus entirely on your Taijutsu." Hoka showed a look of determination and replied, "Yes sensei. I''ll master these Ninjutsu." One difference Fujin noted was that after the first mission, the remaining missions weren''t handed to them by Hiruzen. They were instead collected from the mission room on the first floor of the Hokage tower. Fujin thought, ''Didn''t Hiruzen assign all the missions personally in Naruto? So why not for us? Or perhaps, why for them?'' He thought a bit and concluded, ''Either he only assigns the first mission, or he assigned their missions due to their importance. Naruto was a Jinchuriki, Sasuke was the last Uchiha as well as the Uchiha heir. And Team 8 and 10 were entirely made of heirs of important clans in Konoha. I guess he had to take responsibility in ensuring their safety.'' One day, after the morning workout, Mieko asked Fujin and Hoka, "Hey, I saw a few ninjas from other villages earlier. So the chuunin exams will be conducted soon. Do you think that we will participate too?" That gained the attention of both her teammates. Hoka excitedly said, "I hope we do. I would like to fight against the ninjas from other villages." Fujin thought, ''If I recall right, the squad needs to have completed 8 missions before being eligible. I wonder if Renjiro planned this way so that our team won''t be eligible for the exam and hence no one would pressurize him.'' Seeing Fujin in thought, Mieko asked, "What are you thinking about?" Fujin replied, "I heard that chuunin exams have a lot of danger. So I really doubt they would allow us to participate so early." Mieko angrily replied, "Hey! We are ready to take the risks." Hoka nodded and said, "I agree. We are ninjas, how can we back down from a little risk." Fujin shook his head due to his teammates'' naivety. He replied, "Yeah, but we are still only babysitting and cleaning dust." That statement downed their moods. Soon they went on a mini-rant. And looked at Renjiro begrudgingly when he appeared, causing him to raise an eyebrow and ask, "What happened?" Mieko and Hoka merely humphed and looked in the other direction. Despite waiting for a few days, Renjiro didn''t inform them about the exam. The next day, Hoka informed his team, "I heard that Teru and Yori will be participating in this exam." Fujin asked, "Oh, didn''t they participate earlier?" This time, Mieko replied, "No, Yori didn''t participate in the earlier exams." Fujin nodded and said, "I see, I guess we won''t be participating in the exam until next year too." Right then Renjiro appeared, and Mieko quickly asked him, "Sensei, can we participate in the chuunin exam?" Renjiro shook his head and said, "No, you guys aren''t ready yet." Mieko replied, "Why? We are very ready sensei!" Renjiro denied her again and said, "I''ll be the judge to decide that. No more questions." The next day, when they visited the mission room, the chuunin in-charge searched for a mission and said, "Team Renjiro, your next mission is to babysit the newborn of Lord...." However, he was cut. Mieko finally had enough. She yelled, "Hey you! Why the hell do you always give us such lame missions? Which ninja babysits kids? Get a nanny to do that!" The chuunin replied with authority, "Brat, you are just a...." However, he was again cut, this time by Hoka. He commented with a stoic face, "I agree with Mieko. This is a mockery of our skills." Fujin observed Renjiro''s reactions, and saw that he was chuckling. He thought, ''I guess we are finally moving onto rank C missions. Oh well, I might as well say something then.'' The chuunin was pissed at being cut twice, he angrily began saying, "Now listen you brats. I ma...." Poor guy was cut again. Fujin commented, "You know mister, in the last mission we were very worried that Mieko would burn the whole farm down. Even though sensei can use Water Release jutsus, it would have still caused a lot of damage. I am really worried what will happen if you make us babysit a little kid today." The chuunin shuddered when he understood what Fujin was implying. Renjiro was very amused too. He thought, ''Well I was planning on making them do a few more rank D missions. But if they are able to win a debate against a chuunin official, I won''t mind starting to do rank C missions now.'' If Fujin knew that Renjiro didn''t plan on taking rank C missions just yet, he''d have kicked himself for opening his mouth. As boring as rank D missions were, they took very little time and left a lot more time for training and didn''t have any danger. The chuunin was left speechless and didn''t know how to reply. He opened his mouth a couple of times, but didn''t manage to say anything. He looked at Renjiro, who nodded his head. He relented and said, "Alright, let me search for a rank C mission for you." When he moved to grab the rank C mission file, Renjiro stated, "Just pick out a few bandit clearing missions in the vicinity of the village. Would be preferable if the bandit bases are near each other." The chuunin nodded and searched his file. He soon took out 4 papers from the file and handed them to Renjiro. Renjiro read them. He then looked at his squad and said, "We''ll do our first rank C mission today. Meet me at the main gate in a couple of hours. Pack up for a week-long journey." The genins nodded and dispersed. Chapter 47: Raiding the Bandits After leaving, Fujin went to his home and sat down in a meditative position. He thought, ''Finally I am going out of this village. So what do I prepare? As per the protocol, the ration bars will be arranged by the squad leader. So food wouldn''t be a concern. Though I suppose I should pack up the ration bars I have with me as well. Regarding the weapons, I still have the stock that the academy had provided us with. Though some of them are damaged. I guess I should buy 12 shurikens and 3 kunais. That''ll cost me 7k Ryo. I probably should buy a couple of Explosion tags too. That''ll be most of the money I earned from missions. Hmm? Yeah money, I need to carry all my money with me preferably. It can go in the spare waist bag. Of course I still carry the stock I had purchased earlier and always carry them with me. As for the swords, I guess they''ll be hanging on my waist. Though I do have the wristbands, explaining where I got them will be troublesome. So I''ll let them be in my spare waist bag.'' He then meditated for half an hour, and then got packed up to leave the house. On his right leg, he had a leg pouch. It had 6 shurikens and 2 kunais. In addition, it also had 48 shurikens, 6 normal kunais and 6 kunais with explosion tags attached to them in the seals in it. On his waist, he carried his waist bag. He had 8 shurikens, 3 kunais and a small scroll in it. The scroll contained basic items like rope, tape, wire and First-aid kit. The bag had 7 storage seals on it. In one he had stored his spare waist bag and leg pouch. Another had his stock of ration bars. There was an additional First-aid kit in one. The 4th seal stored a few bottles filled with drinking water in it. The remaining seals were left empty for now. He then visited a weapon shop to get the stuff he wanted to buy. After buying them, he visited Ichiraku for an early lunch. He then went to the main gate, and sat on a branch of a nearby tree. Hoka and Mieko arrived around 15 minutes before the couple of hours were up. On arriving, they both spotted and approached Fujin. Fujin thought, ''Wow, talk about being excited.'' Renjiro arrived 5 minutes after them. Renjiro asked, "Are you guys prepared?" Everyone replied in sync, "Yes sensei." Renjiro then grabbed 3 scrolls from his bag and tossed one to each of his students. They began wondering, ''What''s in the scroll?'' Renjiro said, "This is a gift from me to you guys. Each scroll contains 100 shurikens, 24 kunais, 6 giant shurikens, 12 explosion tags and 60 packets of ration bars that will expire after 12 months. Fujin, your scroll has a couple of spare swords too, though they ain''t as good as your current swords. I don''t know what protocols they taught you, however, this is the least you should always carry with yourself while leaving the village, irrespective of what you expect your team leader to carry." The kids were a bit shocked by this gift. Especially Fujin. His mind went blank for a second as he quickly calculated, ''100 -> 300 -> 100k. 24 -> 72 -> 72k. 6 -> 18 -> 54k. 12 -> 36 -> 27k. That''s worth over 250k Ryo! And that''s without considering the swords and the ration bars. Was I wrong about him being shameless?'' Everyone quickly thanked Renjiro for the gift. Renjiro continued, "Though I have gifted this to you, from here onwards, you''ll be responsible for maintaining this stock. So don''t waste them, and refill them after you complete your mission. Of course don''t be a miser with them. Your life and the mission is more important." All 3 kids nodded. Renjiro stated, "I need more details about the bandits." The Village Chief nodded and replied, "Please ask. I''ll help you however I can." Renjiro asked, "Since when did the bandits begin harassing your village?" The Village Chief answered, "Around 9 months back. Just before our harvest in the previous year. However, they became a lot more aggressive in the past couple of months." Renjiro continued asking, "I see. And what crimes have they committed?" The village chief answered in a shaking voice, "Initially, they just stole our crops and money. But recently, th...." Fujin could see the Village Chief tearing up at this point. He continued, "they killed 9 villagers and kidnapped 6 young girls. They eve..." He began sobbing and said, "They even killed my son." And he began crying. Renjiro was about to calm the old man down, however, the old Village Chief quickly controlled himself and showed a face of determination. Fujin was very surprised, he thought, ''Admirable. To have this strong determination despite not being a ninja.'' Seeing the look of determination on the old man''s face, even Renjiro was impressed. He asked, "How many bandits are there and from where do they attack you?" The Village Chief replied, "In their attack 5 days ago, there were over 15 bandits. And they always approach us from the north." Renjiro nodded and said, "Alright, thanks for giving us the information. Don''t worry, we will deal with them." The Village Chief quickly thanked him. Renjiro and the kids left the house. Mieko asked Renjiro, "So what now sensei? Do we begin our search in the north?" Renjiro nodded and answered, "Yes" Fujin then asked, "But sensei, why will they attack from the direction their base is in. Won''t they attack from a different direction just to confuse us?" Renjiro shook his head and replied, "These are just common bandits. I doubt they have enough smarts to think about something like this. If they were smart enough, then they wouldn''t have killed the villagers or kidnapped girls." They then moved towards the northern part of the village. They noticed that a few houses were burnt. Renjiro commanded, "Mieko, use your Sharingan to see if you can find any tracks they left behind." Mieko activated her Sharingan and began investigating. Soon she found a few tracks that were left behind. She said, "Sensei, found them!" Renjiro nodded and said, "Good work. Lead the way. Kite formation, with Mieko in the lead and me in the rear. Fujin, Hoka keep an eye on the surroundings and try to find those bandits." The squad followed Mieko. On the way, Fujin noticed a few trees that had sword cuts on them. After traveling around 3.5 km to the north, Fujin said, "Hoka, check 500 metres to the north-west." Hoka activated his Byakugan, and soon said, "Sensei, found them." Renjiro nodded and the squad travelled in that direction. On reaching there, they saw that there was a small hill with a cave in it. On the entrance, there were two bandits guarding the entrance. Each had a sword with them. They were standing behind trees, so those bandits couldn''t see them. Renjiro sensed everything within the hill, and said, "So which one of you wants to handle this?" Fujin quickly replied, "Me sensei!" Mieko and Hoka, who were just about to reply, glared at Fujin. Renjiro nodded and said, "No clones. And our mission is to eliminate them all." Fujin began sensing once again. In all, he could sense 23 people within the cave, including the 2 guards. He then looked at Hoka and asked, "Hoka, could you take a look to see if there are any traps? Also, what is the layout of the cave?" Hoka nodded and activated his Byakugan. After observing properly, he replied, "In all, I see 3 traps. 2 are behind the first entrance and the second entrance. They are basic arrow traps, which trigger when you step on the wire. The 3rd is a small hole dug in front of the second entrance, and has spikes in it. As for the layout, there is another entrance inside this outer entrance. Then there is a big room, which has 3 more mini-caves in it." Fujin replied, "Alright, thanks. And is there anyone who has tried to hide his chakra?" Hoka shook his head and Fujin thanked him. Chapter 48: The First Kill Fujin closed his eyes and calmed himself. He thought, ''Finally the time for my first kill.'' He then took a deep breath and let it out. He made a few hand signs, and disappeared within the ground. On the entrance, the 2 bandits were very bored of keeping watch. One complained to the other, "Why do we have to stand guard here? I wish we could just go and attack the village again and capture a few more girls." The second bandit laughed in a lecherous manner and replied, "Yeah, the girls we captured a few days back were so fun! I can''t wait to get my han...." However, his sentence was cut short. While he was talking, a sword appeared out of the ground and moved towards his waist, a sword enhanced by chakra flow. Before either of the bandits could notice, the sword cut through the waist of one bandit, and split him in two. He died without even knowing how! The remaining bandit panicked. His arm subconsciously moved towards his sword. However, before he could even grab his sword, his head was separated from his body. After killing the two, Fujin again disappeared within the ground and entered the cave. The next two bandits were on guard in the space between the entrance to the hill, and another entrance which was located inside the hill. They were standing with their backs to the wall, and facing each other. Fujin moved through the hill, and pierced one bandit straight through his heart. The bandit opposite saw a sword coming out of the chest of the bandit in front of him. However, before he could shout for everyone''s attention, a shuriken came straight at him and went through his throat, killing him on the spot. Fujin moved through the ground again, and avoided the hole the bandits had dug. He had now entered the main hideout of the bandits. He stealthily observed through a wall. He saw the 3 more mini-caves that Hoka had mentioned. The place where he currently was, had 12 bandits there. The remaining 7 were in those 3 mini-caves, which made him think, ''Are they leaders or something?'' He then observed those 12 bandits carefully. 4 were sleeping in a corner. 2 seemed to be working on something. One of them was looking at something intensely, whereas the other was sharpening his sword. The remaining 6 were drinking alcohol and playing cards. Fujin moved through the ground towards the bandit who was sharpening his sword. He appeared behind him and chopped his head off. Even before his head could fall on the ground, Fujin moved towards the bandit who was looking at a map. He stabbed a sword straight through his heart and pulled it out quickly. At this moment, the head and the sword of the earlier one dropped on the ground, creating a noise. This attracted the attention of the six who were drinking. Seeing the chopped head of their fellow bandit shocked and scared them. However, before they could make a move, Fujin had already flickered behind them. He quickly chopped two more heads off in one clean swing. He chopped another two beads off before they could even know what was happening. Only the last 2 bandits saw Fujin, however, they too were killed before they could do anything. 2 of the 6 bandits had alcohol bottles in their hand, which crashed on the ground. The noise woke up 2 of the 4 sleeping bandits. One ignored the noise and just changed his sleeping position. The other, however, got up to see what was happening. However, even before he could completely open his eyes, his head was slashed off by Fujin. Quickly, Fujin also stabbed his sword in the throat of the guy who turned and followed by stabbing the hearts of the remaining two. Outside, Hoka asked Fujin, "You alright?" Fujin nodded and replied, "I didn''t think the first kill would be so hard to adjust to." Hoka sighed and said, "I was warned repeatedly by my parents. There were a few ninjas, who after their first kill, couldn''t even continue as ninjas." He then looked at the dead bodies and stated, "You are strong Fujin." Fujin smiled and said, "Thanks, but you should prepare yourself. Tomorrow, or the day after, it''ll be your turn." Hoka nodded grimly. It took Mieko around 25 minutes to fix the girl. Renjiro then carried her out. He then looked at the girl and said to his students, "Ensure that you become very strong. So that such a misfortune doesn''t befall you." The genins could hear an uncharacteristic sadness in Renjiro''s voice. They all replied with determination, "Yes sensei." After leaving the cave, Renjiro made a clone. The clone grabbed the two dead bodies outside the cave, and tossed them inside. He then used Earth Wall jutsu to seal the entrance to the cave. Fujin asked, "Sensei, don''t we have to give any proof to the village chief about completing the mission?" Renjiro shook his head and said, "Not on rank C missions that require elimination of bandits. Proof is required for assassination missions. If the heads of the bandits are given to the village, then more bandits will target the village in the future." Renjiro then said, "Let''s go back to the village." On the way, Fujin asked, "Sensei, have we eliminated all the bandits? What if there are any who weren''t in this base?" Renjiro shook his head and said, "Doubtful. You can sense upto half a kilometre and still didn''t find anyone. Even if there are one or two outside, seeing that their fellow bandits are dead, they won''t cause anymore trouble for the village. Anyways, we were told that there were over 15 bandits, and we killed 22. That''s more than enough for completing our mission." However Mieko argued back, "But sensei, in that case, won''t the criminals roam free? What if they were responsible for torturing this girl? What if they join some other bandits, and continue doing this?" Renjiro replied, "Our mission was to eliminate the bandit group harassing the village. Anything further isn''t our responsibility." However Mieko wasn''t convinced and she glared at her sensei. Renjiro sighed and said, "Just killing off an entire bandit group doesn''t mean that more won''t appear. In a couple of years, another group will be formed. This isn''t something you or I can change. So searching for any bandit not in the hideout is pointless. If they join some other group, they''ll die when we get the mission to eliminate that group." Mieko was still unconvinced, but she stopped arguing. Fujin sighed internally thinking, ''No matter the world, the cruelty of humanity always exists. It''s many times worse in this world than in my previous world. To torture and mutilate this girl for nothing but fun and amusement. I can''t even imagine what they did to the other girls they kidnapped.'' He then glanced at Renjiro and thought, ''Konoha. It is reputed to be a very peace-loving village. Led by a Kage who propagates peace. Of course, anyone with little brains can see that Konoha is nowhere near as peace-loving as it claims to be. The mere existence of Root throws that claim in the trash. However, there''s no denying that it still is more peace-loving than the other 4 Great Villages. Still it engages in such a practice. While it''s true that finding other bandits will be a pain in the ass, it still won''t be very difficult. Now these bandits will form a bandit group in the future and become its leaders. In the future, they''ll again target this village, and the village will again send a mission to Konoha. This cycle will ensure that this village will always need Konoha''s help and will always feel indebted to Konoha. Similarly, every village in the Land of Fire will feel indebted to Konoha. Thus, a pressure will be maintained on the Daimyo to keep supporting and perhaps funding Konoha. Such a simple way to maintain influence. It doesn''t cost Konoha anything, but costs dozens of lives to each of these villages. Sigh, if the most peace-loving village is so brutal and cruel, I wonder what a cruel village will be.'' He then let a breath of air out and thought, ''Well whatever, it doesn''t exactly concern me.'' Chapter 49: Consecutive Rank C Missions They soon reached the village. On entering the village, the girl on Renjiro''s back got a few curious looks. The squad entered the Village Chief''s house again and laid the girl down on a bed in his home. Renjiro said, "She needs immediate medical care." The Village Chief nodded and went out to send someone to call the village doctor. At that moment, a middle-aged man came running towards the Village Chief house. On seeing the Village Chief, he quickly asked while sobbing, "Chi... Chief, m..my daughter? Is she...?" The Village Chief quickly calmed him and said, "Yes, she''s safe. Enter my home." He quickly ran to the house and rushed to his daughter. On seeing him running, Renjiro stopped him and said, "She''s injured, don''t hug her or hold her tightly." The man finally stopped and sat down next to the bed and began sobbing after seeing the bandages on his daughter. Soon a doctor arrived and began attending to her. The father and the village chief thanked Renjiro and the genins again and again. After a few minutes, the Village Chief handed Renjiro a paper, and the squad left the village and moved back to the town. After reaching the town, Renjiro said, "Take today off. Explore this town. However, stick together. We''ll meet in the same restaurant as yesterday''s at 1 pm." After he left, Hoka said, "You know, because so much happened, I didn''t notice that we completed the mission and returned back to this town in merely two hours!" Mieko nodded. Fujin sighed and said, "Yeah, and the actual fight didn''t even last for a couple of minutes. Even though killing was hard to adjust to, the fight itself wasn''t a challenge." Hearing that, Mieko asked for all the details. Hoka had already seen it all with his Byakugan, so he didn''t ask for it. After giving out the details, Mieko felt a bit anticlimactic about the rank C mission. Fujin chuckled and said, "Next time you snap at that guy, force him to give us a rank B mission." Hearing that, Mieko loudly replied, "Hey, who snapped?" This yell attracted the attention of nearby people and made Mieko go red with embarrassment. She thought for a bit and said, "But yeah, I guess we should ask for rank B missions." The kids then toured around the town. They tried some of the local food there and played a few games. At 1 pm, they met up with Renjiro in the restaurant. After occupying the seats, Renjiro looked at Fujin and asked, "So, how are you doing?" Fujin said, "I am doing fine sensei." Renjiro nodded satisfactorily and said, "Good. You have handled your first kill very well. I am proud of you." He then looked at Mieko and Hoka and said, "Next, it''ll be your turn. Prepare yourselves." The two young ninjas nodded nervously. Lunch came and the team started eating. While they were eating, Mieko suddenly asked, "Sensei, when can we do Rank B missions?" Renjiro squinted his eyes and asked, "What brought this on?" Mieko said, "We want to fight against the enemy ninjas. Just fighting bandits is not much fun." Renjiro scoffed and said, "Hmph. You guys ain''t ready." However, he saw Mieko''s determined face. Knowing the trouble she''ll cause, he quickly added, "If you ask this again, or pester me for rank B missions, I''ll make you do rank D missions for an entire year." This threat made Mieko quiet down quickly. Team Renjiro didn''t do much for the rest of the day. The next morning, a similar procedure was followed. Team Renjiro was hiding in a Bamboo forest, while looking at the Bandit hideout. The bandits had cleared out a small area, and constructed 3 small huts and 1 medium-sized hut to serve as their base. The medium-sized hut was in the centre, while the other 3 were around it. Fujin had sensed 12 people inside those huts. Renjiro asked, "So, who wants this one?" Mieko beat Hoka by saying, "ME!" Renjiro nodded and said, "Alright, we''ll leave this hideout to you." Mieko began walking forward stealthily. But soon she stopped and returned. She looked at Hoka and asked, "Hoka, do they have any hostages?" Hoka checked and answered, "No, all 12 seem to be bandits." Mieko asked, "How many are there in each of the huts?" Hoka answered, "There are 9 in the central hut, 2 in that hut, 1 in the hut on the right and the last one is empty." Mieko nodded and used Earth Military Movement jutsu to stealthily move forward. Of the 5 ninjas, 3 were together in the main room, while the other 2 were in the smaller rooms. Mieko said, "Hmm, both the ninjas in the smaller rooms have their rooms very close to that exit from the main base." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, we will have to be careful while killing them. If they make a lot of sound, it''ll alert everyone in the main room." The bandits too were all over the base. In all, there were 4 exits from the hideout to above the ground. One was located in the main room, while 3 were just outside the exits from the main room to the corridor. Fujin thought, ''This base is very well built. I wonder if it started with something small and was slowly expanded as the bandit group grew larger. Or, if the base is something that naturally existed and was just occupied by these bandits. Also, if we didn''t destroy those bandit groups, would they have grown in this manner too?'' Fujin looked at his teammates and said, "So first, we have to decide from where to attack them." Mieko replied, "Let''s just attack the main room. Most bandits are present there." Hoka nodded and added, "Yeah, this way we''ll deal with the majority of them in one blow, and we can then pick out the scattered bandits one by one." Fujin replied, "Yeah, good idea. But if we do that, then the scattered bandits can try to escape." Hoka replied, "Yeah, but we can just chase and kill them." Fujin replied, "But it''ll be very troublesome to hunt them all down one by one. Especially if all of them run in different directions. Also, by destroying the main room, the bandits in all the other rooms will be alerted, and the ninjas will be alerted too." Hoka thought a bit and nodded in agreement. Mieko asked, "Then, what do you think?" Fujin pointed in a direction and said, "That room there is at one edge of the hideout. And also has one of the five ninjas there. Let''s start with that room. We will sneak up on the ninja and kill him. Then we will clear the nearby rooms and slowly and stealthily head to the main room. This way, this direction will already be cleared when we destroy the main room. So killing them all will be much easier." Mieko and Hoka thought for a few seconds and agreed with the plan. The genins then discussed the plan further and decided on the details. Once everything was planned, they checked their weapons, and were about to begin their attack. But Mieko suddenly asked, "Wait, who will kill the ninja?" Hoka quickly replied, "I''ll kill him." Mieko rebuked him, "Why you? I will kill the ninja." They then looked at Fujin. He said, "My sword provides me with a longer range, I think I''ll be more suited to killing him." However neither Hoka nor Mieko agreed to that logic. The argument about the kill went on for a minute. Renjiro observed his genins and sighed. Fujin then said, "Well, all three of us can kill him. So let''s just decide with Rock, Paper, Scissors." On hearing that, both Hoka and Mieko looked at Fujin with a deadpan expression. Mieko said, "That''s so childish! We are ninjas!" Fujin scoffed and asked, "Well, do you two have any better ideas?" Hoka and Mieko looked at each other. Not having any other idea, they reluctantly agreed. They soon got in the posture to play the game and began playing. Renjiro now looked over with amusement. The first three rounds were tied. Fujin thought, ''This is fun. I guess that''s why Goku and Vegeta did this so often.'' Mieko thought, ''I am not sure if I''ll wi..... Wait!'' As the trio began the 4th round, Mieko''s eyes suddenly turned red. She saw that both Fujin and Hoka were about to do Rock, so she went with paper. And said, "I win." Hoka quickly protested, "Hey, no sharingan. That''s cheating!" Mieko rebuked him, "Well, there were no rules stating that we couldn''t use sharingans." Fujin, who just wanted to start the mission, chuckled and said, "Well she got us there. Remember to set the rules properly next time." Seeing that he didn''t have Fujin''s support, Hoka reluctantly agreed. They then looked at each other and nodded. All three made hand signs and disappeared within the ground. The bandit base, which was properly hidden and even well defended due to being underground, was about to feel the terror of being hunted by a squad, in which every member could freely move underground. Chapter 50: Raid In the hideout, Hirota Masa was relaxing. He had joined the bandit group 3 years ago. He had already unlocked his chakra before joining the bandit group. When the leader of the bandits noticed him, he quickly recruited and trained him. Now he was one of the leaders of this group, and even had 2 subordinates who helped him in everything. As Hiroto Masa was relaxing in a good mood, a hand, with two fingers pointing out, popped from the ground. It headed towards his chest from his back and released a heat ray that penetrated his heart and killed him on the spot. At the same time, Fujin slashed the head off one bandit, and Hoka jabbed two fingers in the chest of the remaining bandit. The raid had begun. All 3 bandits died, without even making a sound.?v€l?1n. Fujin, Hoka and Mieko looked at each other and nodded. They separated and headed towards the other rooms. In less than a minute, the rooms on this side were all cleared. They had assassinated 16 bandits, including a ninja. They gathered together again, and looked in the main room. The bandits there were still unaware of the calamity upon them. As decided, Fujin and Mieko split off in opposite directions, and began clearing the remaining rooms. Hoka, on the other hand, stayed there, and rigged the entrance to the main room with traps, so that the bandits couldn''t escape in this direction. He created quicksand at the entrances, and also created a lot of rock spikes around the quicksand trap. The second ninja bandit was closer to Mieko''s location than Fujin''s location. Therefore, she was the first one to reach him after she had killed 6 more bandits. Even though Mieko was as stealthy as she could be, the ninja still noticed that something was amiss, and asked his two subordinates to be prepared. As soon as he saw Mieko, who was rushing towards him at a very high speed, he threw a few shurikens to disrupt her. Seeing her enemy throwing shurikens at her, Mieko thought, ''Damn, they noticed.'' Mieko used her Sharingan to skillfully dodge the shurikens and thought, ''Oh well, this makes it more fun.'' She quickly approached him. To maintain the stealth, she couldn''t use any destructive Fire Release jutsus and had to close the distance to use Fire Release : Four jutsu. She soon reached the appropriate distance and used her jutsu. Her right hand was stretched out, with her middle and index finger pointing towards the rogue ninja''s heart and released the ray. Though the rogue ninja didn''t know the jutsu Mieko was planning to use, her outstretched fingers warned him and he quickly moved backwards. Mieko followed, but the ninja hid behind one of his subordinates. Mieko screamed internally, ''Coward!'' and changed her target. She focused the heat ray on the subordinate and killed him. However, the rogue ninja used this opportunity to throw 3 shurikens on Mieko. Mieko had to dodge quickly due to the small distance. She barely managed to dodge at the last moment. She recovered, and was about to continue her attack, when a sword pierced through the heart of the ninja from his back. This annoyed Mieko as Fujin had stolen her kill. She said angrily, "I could have killed him by mys..." But a loud scream interrupted her. Seeing his boss getting stabbed through his heart shocked the remaining bandit. And he yelled in terror. Realising her mistake, Mieko quickly threw a kunai at the bandit and killed him. Fujin ignored Mieko and focused on the main room. The battle had already created enough noise to attract some attention. And the loud scream had got the attention of all the bandits in the hideout. Fujin sighed and said, "You weren''t stealthy enough." Mieko snorted and replied, "Well, it doesn''t matter anymore." She began making hand signs. Fujin flickered next to her, and made a hand sign too. At the same time, they released their jutsu, ''Fire-Wind Dragon jutsu''. In the main room, the bandits were busy with sorting their recent loot. Some of the bandits had heard some noises from the side where Mieko was killing the bandits. However it was mostly ignored by them. But soon, a loud scream attracted everyone''s attention. The 3 remaining rogue ninjas too were on alert. One of them directed 2 bandits to go in and check what was happening. Those 2 carefully moved towards the exit in that direction. However, right before reaching there, they suddenly felt a lot of heat. But before they could do anything, a dragon head, made of fire, entered the room and engulfed them. They immediately began screaming in pain. He quickly began running away. However, Fujin stealthily launched a shuriken enhanced with chakra flow at his left leg. Distracted by fear and the urgency to escape, the bandit leader didn''t notice it. The shuriken hit his left leg from behind, and cut through it like a hot knife through butter. Suddenly losing his left leg made him fall down and cry in pain. Fujin then used Body Flicker jutsu to appear right above him and stab a sword through his heart. The bandit leader died with despair on his face. Fujin looked at Mieko and said, "Looks like this is over." Mieko asked, "Aren''t there a few still alive back in the main room?" Fujin chuckled and said, "Not anymore" and began walking towards the main room. Mieko followed him. In the main room, Hoka had already killed all the bandits who were still alive from the Fire-Wind Dragon''s assault. At that moment, Renjiro too appeared within the main room. He thought, ''Not bad, they killed every last one of them. And they have adjusted to killing well.'' He said, "Good work. This mission is successfully completed." He then looked at his team and said, "It''s good to see you guys being able to handle the killing very well." The kids nodded. Even though they were still repulsed by the gore around them, they could handle themselves without vomiting. Renjiro then led his team out of the hideout. He then made the hand seal for an Earth Release jutsu. Fujin quickly stopped him by asking, "Sensei, isn''t it a waste to destroy such a good base?" The sudden question stopped Renjiro from destroying the underground base. He asked, "What do you mean?" Fujin replied, "Can''t we use this base for our own ninjas?" Renjiro asked, "And how will our ninjas use this base?" Fujin thought for a few seconds and replied, "Well, they could use it as a base during war. Or they could use it as a temporary resting place or perhaps create an underground supply depot." Renjiro shook his head and said, "The closest hidden village from here is Kusa. And they are allied with us. Even if they weren''t, they can''t penetrate this deep into the Fire country. If there is any threat, then it''ll be Iwa which is beyond Kusa. However, if they are able to penetrate this deep into the Land of Fire, then that base will be useless anyways as the majority of the Iwa ninjas are masters of Earth Release jutsus. They''ll just bury all the troops underground. As for supply depots and resting places, there are already sufficient numbers of them. So it is unnecessary too." Fujin fell in thoughts and realized, ''Yeah, that makes sense. Konoha has been around for decades. Surely their infrastructure would be top notch by now. And surely they''d have identified all the bases over the Land of Fire.'' He then nodded to Renjiro, who destroyed the entire hideout. On the way back to the town, Mieko asked, "Sensei, were they really ninjas? Only one of them used any Ninjutsu, and even that was only a rank E jutsu. They couldn''t put up a fight at all." Renjiro answered, "They were just common bandits who had unlocked chakra by accident or luck. Only their leader was probably a former ninja gone rogue. However, he too barely had any proper training. So it wasn''t a surprise that he wasn''t a match for you guys, who are being trained by me." Hoka asked in excitement, "Sensei, aren''t there bounties on rogue ninjas?" Renjiro shook his head and replied, "Only if they are very famous. Someone who barely qualifies as a genin won''t have any bounty at all." That drowned Hoka''s excitement. He continued following the squad with his shoulders dropped. Mieko, who was still stuck on how weak her enemies were, asked, "Sensei, when can we fight real ninjas then?" Renjiro turned his head and stared at her. He thought, ''Nice way of indirectly asking me for rank B missions.'' On noticing that Renjiro had noticed her thoughts, Mieko was embarrassed. But she didn''t allow that embarrassment to appear on her face. Fujin noticed that and thought, ''Damn, these ninjas are born shameless.'' Renjiro smirked and answered, "After you have captured that cat a hundred times." That answer drained the color off Mieko''s face. Hoka glared at her. While Fujin chuckled thinking, ''I guess no one can compete with the older generation in shamelessness.'' Mieko then began apologizing to Renjiro and began a funny banter. Sadly for her, she was no match for Renjiro. Chapter 51: Clash in the Forest of Death Team Renjiro rested in the town for the day. Next morning, they left the town to return to Konoha. On arriving, they went to the Hokage tower to turn in the missions. Renjiro handed the papers to the chuunin responsible for checking them. After checking, he handed 4 packets to Renjiro. The 4 missions combined, paid them 280k. After Renjiro divided them, each of the 3 kids got 56k. Fujin thought, ''280k just for these missions? I''m pretty sure I could have completed them solo and in under a day! It''s much faster than Fuinjutsu. Though it has some risks, if a strong ninja is hiding among the bandits. Anyways, I should be able to collect enough for a sword made from chakra metal pretty quickly if I take a lot of missions.'' Unlike Fujin, Mieko and Hoka didn''t concern themselves much with the money. Thanks to having rather rich parents, they never had to worry or think about money. After the division of money, Renjiro dismissed them and said, "Tomorrow there won''t be any training. We begin our training the day after tomorrow at the same time as usual." The kids nodded and dispersed. Since it was lunch time, Fujin decided to head to Ichiraku. On the way, Fujin thought, ''7 rank D missions and 4 rank C missions. Isn''t the requirement for chuunin exam just 8 missions? I wonder when Renjiro will make us take the exam. Will it be the next round, or will it be like Teru''s squad?'' Thinking about Teru created new thoughts in Fujin''s mind, ''Ya, isn''t Teru''s squad participating in the chuunin exam? I wonder what has happened with that. Did the chuunin exams already start, or is there still some time?'' This question resulted in Fujin realising something very critical.?v€l?1n. He thought, ''Now that I think about it, I am really clueless in regards to what is happening around me. Other than what I remember about what will happen in the future, I have no idea about what is exactly happening. I need some means of gathering information. But, how to do it....'' He thought for a bit and decided, ''Well, the least I should do is start getting newspapers delivered to my home. Though it won''t contain any crucial information, it''ll still keep me updated. Apart from that, I should probably make my own information gathering network. While I don''t think I''d be able to make something as complex as what Jiraiya has, I don''t really need it to be that good either. Just getting unfiltered and timely news would be sufficient. Oh well, I''ll leave this for the future too. It''ll take a lot of effort, time and money to actually create it. Right now, I barely have any money or free time anywa...'' His thoughts were cut by a loud shout. He heard, "Old man! Three miso ramens for me." Fujin turned right and noticed, ''Eh, Naruto? I didn''t even notice reaching Ichiraku. But considering that Naruto is here...'' Fujin then focused on sensing his surroundings. After sensing, he thought, ''As I thought. 2 Anbus are hiding nearby. Or perhaps 1 Anbu and 1 Root. I doubt Danzo wouldn''t keep his eye on the lone Jinchuriki of Konoha.'' He then released a sigh and thought, ''Well, as much as I''d like to meet him now, it''ll probably create a lot of deviations in the future. Not to mention that it''ll also gain the attention of both Hiruzen and Danzo. I''ll leave this meeting for the future. At least until the time I can calculate and control those deviations. And until I''m strong enough to at least face these two Anbus in case they have some stupid ideas. Sigh, this means I''ll have to go to a different restaurant.'' Seeing their teammate die was very shocking for the Kusa genins. Especially for Minoru who was his cousin. He yelled, "I''m going to kill you!" Seeing Minoru lose his calm alarmed Takihiko. He quickly shouted, "Minoru, wait!" However the shout fell on deaf ears. Minoru completed his hand signs, ''Water Pellet jutsu''. He launched the water pallet straight at Kaen. However, Kaen simply moved behind the trees, completely avoiding the attack. Seeing his attack missing enraged Minoru even further. He jumped towards Kaen. Sensing the opening, Teru quickly made hand signs. Seeing Teru preparing a jutsu, Takihiko completed his hand signs and launched a water pellet straight at Teru. But Yori noticed it and thought, ''Not on my watch.'' He quickly launched Fireball jutsu to intercept the water pellet. At the same time, Teru launched a water pellet straight at Minoru. The jutsu hit Minoru on his left rib cage, and knocked him off course. Seeing his teammate at a disadvantage, Takihiko wanted to rush towards him. However, he was intercepted by Yori and Teru. They engaged him in a fight and didn''t allow him to move towards Minoru. The water pellet hurt Minoru badly, however he gritted his teeth and fought through the pain. He grabbed a kunai and continued moving towards Kaen. On closing the distance, he attacked with his kunai. Kaen raised his Tanto to block the attack. Though Minoru attacked with a lot of force, as soon as the kunai and Tanto clashed, an electric current passed through the kunai and hit him. Though not deadly, it was very painful, and Minoru had to take his hand off the kunai. Kaen smirked and thought, ''Current Transfer jutsu. Always works!'' He just stepped forward and slashed his Tanto at Minoru''s neck. Minoru, who was blinded by rage, in immense pain due to the damaged ribs and still feeling the electric current, couldn''t dodge and the slash went straight across his throat. His throat split open, causing blood to sprout out from it. He looked at Kaen with unwillingness in his eyes. Sadly, he couldn''t even control his body anymore and fell down, dead. At the same time, Takihiko was engaged against Teru and Yori. After exchanging a few blows, Yori closed the distance and launched Fireball jutsu. Knowing that Takihiko will dodge, Teru threw shurikens in such a manner that Takihiko couldn''t dodge the fireball. Not having any option, Takihiko used Water Shield jutsu to defend. On seeing the water shield, Teru thought, ''All 3 have water affinity? Well sucks to be them.'' He quickly made a hand sign and slammed his hands on the ground. At that moment, the fireball had engulfed the water shield. However, Takihiko was completely safe due to the shield. Sadly for him, at that very moment, a stone spear appeared from the ground. It easily penetrated the water shield and headed towards Takihiko. The spear alarmed him. He grabbed a kunai and attempted to block the spear. But the spear pushed him backwards, throwing him out of his water shield, and into the fireball, burning him alive. On seeing him die, Teru sighed in relief. He said, "All done." Yori nodded and said, "Yeah, that was easier than expected." Teru chuckled and said, "Yeah. Let''s just hope that this guy wasn''t carrying the scroll." Yori looked at Teru with confusion. But he quickly realized and cursed, "Damn! That scroll will be ashes if he has it." At that time Kaen appeared from behind. He said, "No need to worry. The crazy guy had it." He then tossed the scroll slightly in the air and commented, "We were very lucky that such a weak team had the scroll we needed." Teru said, "Cool, got the Earth scroll. Let''s head towards the tower." Yori objected and said, "That''ll be boring. Why not just try to eliminate the weaker teams in the forest? That way the competition will be lesser in the next rounds." Kaen shook his head and said, "It doesn''t matter. This forest will eliminate the weak teams anyway." Teru nodded and agreed, "Yeah. Not to mention, the more time we spend in the forest, the more teams will set up traps near the tower. And if a team is weak enough to be eliminated by us in this round, then we will be able to do the same in the next round too." Seeing that both his teammates opposed his idea, Yori relented and accompanied his team to the tower. Chapter 52: Notice Hey guys, Happy New Year. Made a New year resolution of completing this fanfic.?v€l?1n. Apologies for not posting any chapter for over a year. Unfortunately, I was just too busy irl. I wrote a bit during the past year, but never had enough time to write continuously. I suppose there was also some exhaustion and reluctance in getting back to writing continuously. So this time, I''m launching P@treon to motivate myself a bit. Thanks in advance to all who decide to support me. Link - [email protected]/DevilHex (''a'' instead of @) 2. MC isn''t talented. True. He isn''t talented at anything. No system, no godly talent. Later on in the story, some of his skills and talent will increase exponentially (PS : He''s just 10 right now). The title of the fic and MC''s name should give you an idea. But it''ll happen slowly over years. His only real advantage is that due to being such a fan of Naruto and other manga/novels, he really yearns for becoming strong. Not something a random kid from the Naruto world will have. His time in the academy pretty much showed this. Of course, even this drive might not really compare to the kind of training Guy did. 3. MC is cowardly That he is, lol. He is just a normal guy who transmigrated into a world of deadly killers. Just cause he transmigrated and has some information regarding future plot, won''t suddenly increase his courage. In fact, this has the opposite effect, as he knows how powerful the enemies will be and he knows how the leaders of the village can fuck you up. In addition, so far, he has had real battles only against bandits. And that too when an Elite Jounin was watching over him. He will have his character development slowly, to shed off this habit and be more brave. Getting stronger will also affect his behavior (PS : He''ll always choose to take the easier way out and focus on his own benefits though) I''ll upload the chapters soon. Will try to upload 5 every week. Could increase or decrease depending upon chapter sizes. Chapter 53: Up a Few Notches After the mission ended, Renjiro continued the training of his students. One day, when the training was about to end, Renjiro observed his 3 students. He smiled seeing them, with a bit of pride. He thought, ''These 3 have turned out to be quite good. I''ll be surprised if any of them aren''t promoted to Jounin before they turn 16. I suppose they do deserve some praise from their sensei." The training was completed soon and the genins were about to leave when Renjiro stopped them. He said, "Three months earlier, I accepted to be the Jounin sensei of your squad. Do you recall what I told you then?" Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko, all shake their heads. Hoka asked, "What did you say sensei?" Renjiro sighed and said, "You guys are on a probation period, remember?" Understanding that Renjiro just wanted to make it official, Fujin tilted his head and asked, "What probation period Sensei? Mieko, do you remember any?" Mieko understood him and tilted her head too, "Nope, don''t remember. Any idea Hoka?"Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. Hoka too tilted his head and said, "Nope. No idea what you''re talking about Sensei." Renjiro''s face goes completely dark, looking at the perfect poker face maintained by his 3 students. Seeing his reaction, the 3 Genins couldn''t help but laugh out loud. Renjiro finally gives up on the antics of his students. He composed himself and said, "You guys have pas..." Not having much to do for the remaining day, Fujin decided to brush up on his Fuinjutsu. He made 3 clones, and all four together created all the seals that they knew. While revising his Fuinjutsu knowledge, Fujin began reviewing his progress over the last few months, he analyzed, ''it''s been 4 months since I graduated. The progress has honestly been phenomenal. I really underestimated the effect of having a dedicated Elite Jounin guiding you. Then again, I never expected that we''d be taught this well. My chakra reserves have almost doubled. The amount of pressure I can handle from my training seal is up to 18%. Despite not training, I can now sense up to a kilometer away. Taijutsu too has improved a lot due to constant sparring. And undoubtedly, my Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu have improved the most. I can now use Chakra flow on my sword with ease. I really want to get into an all-out fight to test my power. I wonder if I''ll get any such chance soon.'' The next day, at 4:45 am, Fujin arrived at the training ground. Mieko and Hoka were already there. Seeing them, Fujin asked, "Yo, ready for another 3-4 weeks of hardcore training?" Mieko''s shoulders dropped and she replied, "I''d rather go on missions." Fujin and Hoka chuckled looking at her reactions. 4 months of training together and 2 long missions outside the village had improved the relationship between the three a lot. Their teamwork was also very good. Though it still needs to be tested against a proper ninja team. At 5, Renjiro flickered in front of his team. Seeing his team is ready to begin their morning workout, he nodded internally. However, knowing what was to come, he couldn''t help smirking a bit. Seeing that smirk instantly made his Genins very worried. Fujin thought, ''Okay, what now?'' Renjiro started by saying, "In the last 4 months, I have drilled all the basic formations into you. You''ll use these formations even when you become Genins." The team calmed down after hearing this. Fujin thought, ''Finally. No more boring training sessions on team formations. But why is he smirking? He won''t become kind all of a sudden!'' Renjiro continued, "So, from now on, I''ll be entirely focusing on increasing your capabilities. So the training will go up a few notches." Hearing that all the 3 genins were stunned. Mieko freaked out, ''a few notches?'' Fujin was also sweating a bit, ''Doesn''t he already make us exert our 100%?'' Hoka too wondered how intense a few notches would be. [A/N : Thanks zero1995 for being my first P@treon] Chapter 54: Senju Taijutsu Style Renjiro just chuckled at their expressions, and said, "First, we are going to increase the pressure applied by the training seals. What are the pressures you are using right now?" Mieko replied, "3%" Hoka, "38%" Fujin, "18.5%" [A/N : Fujin''s seal has twice the upper limit as compared to the other two. So it''s just barely below Hoka''s] Renjiro nodded and said, "Good. Mieko, you''ll increase it to 5%. Hoka to 45%. Fujin to 22%." The genins followed the instructions of their sensei. After increasing the pressure, Renjiro began the morning workout. In addition to increasing the pressure from the seals, the training itself was made much tougher. And instead of ending at 9, it continued till 10. At the end of the training, all 3 genins were lying under a tree, in a lifeless manner. Renjiro laughed looking at this scene and said loudly, "How will you guys achieve your dreams if a simple training session defeats you? You have an hour''s break. The afternoon training will continue from 11 to 2." On saying that he flickered away. After half an hour, Fujin and Hoka gained some energy. While Mieko was still sleeping. Hoka asked, "Any idea why he suddenly doubled the intensity of the training?" Fujin replied, "Who knows. Maybe he plans to enter us in the next Chunin exam. Or maybe he was just letting us take it easy as we just graduated." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Anyways, it seems like it''ll be very helpful for us." Hoka sighed and said, "I always thought I was the one who looked forward to training the most. But it seems like you are even more of a maniac than me." Saying that he laughed lightly. Fujin looked back at him, before chuckling a bit and said, "Oh well. Let''s hope that we get out of this alive." He then grabbed his ration bars and devoured them and began stretching. Hoka followed. At the same time, Fujin was thinking, ''Was he planning to give me a pep talk or something? Anyways, while Kekkei Genkai is good, it''s not something that would churn out rank S ninjas. Other than Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Rinnegan and maybe Tenseigan, others aren''t really overbearing. I guess the Senju treat the Wood release with the highest respect, but in all honesty, it was Hashirama who made wood style overpowered and not vice versa. Besides, of my 2 teammates, one is about to die soon, while the other has a cursed seal put on him. Not really something I''d be jealous about.'' After a short pause, Renjiro began talking again, "That''s a good perspective to have. But don''t forget that whether it''s the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Hokage, or the 3 Sannins, all were extremely talented and hard-working. So while it''s a good thing to take inspiration from them, don''t forget that you''ll have to train extremely hard to even dream about reaching that level." Fujin nodded and replied, "Yes Sensei." Renjiro smiled and added, "There''s one another thing I want to tell you about Kekkei Genkai. But you are not ready for it yet. I''ll tell you when you complete your first B Rank mission as a Chunin." Fujin wondered what Renjiro wanted to tell him. He replied, "Alright sensei." Renjiro then asked, "What is your analysis of your current capability? And how do you plan on continuing your training?" Fujin thought for a bit, before answering, "To start with, my ability as a Sensor-nin is developing decently. But that''ll be my secondary ability. In terms of fighting, it seems like my main stay will be Wind Release and Swordplay. Swordplay is my preferred choice of close combat. While Wind release gives me Mid and Long range capabilities. Of course, both still have a lot of work that needs to be done. I can use some Earth release jutsus for defensive purposes. And I have Body Flicker jutsu for mobility. My physical strength, speed, and chakra are decent too I guess. At least for a genin that is." Renjiro was impressed by Fujin''s analysis. Fujin continued, "As for what I''m missing or need to improve... I need some strong jutsu in my arsenal that can create a deadly impact or devastation on the battlefield. And my Taijutsu needs to improve. All I have there is the basic academy style." On completing his answer, he looked up at his Sensei. Renjiro replied, "On-point analysis. You don''t need to worry about a strong jutsu though. When you become a Jounin, you''ll get to look at Rank A jutsus that our village has. For now, stick with rank C jutsus. Preferably for the next couple of years, until your Chakra grows considerably. You are right about your Taijutsu though. While you did rank high in the Academy, that basic style won''t aid you much in growing stronger. That''s why I''ll be teaching you the Taijutsu I practice. That is the Senju Taijutsu style!" Chapter 55: The Path to becoming an Elite That surprised Fujin. He quickly thanked his Sensei, "Thank You Sensei. But can you just teach it to someone who isn''t from the Senju clan?" Renjiro raised his eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean someone? You are my student." He then laughed and said, "Don''t worry, our techniques are for the whole village. Anyone who can learn it can use them. Of course, the keyword is CAN." Fujin asked, "What do you mean by ''can'' Sensei?" Renjiro replied, "The people from our clan are blessed with high levels of chakra. Surely you''d have sensed that by now." Fujin nodded. Renjiro continued, "So our techniques usually have high chakra requirements. If anyone else were to try and learn, they''ll run out of chakra very quickly. You, on the other hand, have a lot of chakra as compared to your counterparts. In fact, it''s more than both Hoka and Mieki combined. So you''ll be perfect to learn Senju Taijutsu style." Fujin quickly understood and nodded, "Alright! When can we start Sensei? Also, can you explain what exactly is Senju Taijutsu style? I haven''t ever read it." Renjiro replied, "We''ll begin right away after I explain the basics. Senju Taijutsu style is actually pretty straightforward. Actually, the Academy Taijutsu style was created by referring to our style. What makes Senju style lethal is the use of Chakra.?v€l?1n. Any Taijutsu style basically consists of users fighting with their arms and legs or some other body parts. Of course, there are a few exceptions, like Hyuga Taijutsu which releases small amounts of chakra from their fingers or palm, and a clan in Kiri that uses bones. In Senju Taijutsu style, your every move will be reinforced by Chakra. You want to punch? Your fist needs to gather Chakra first and release it on impact. You want to kick? You have to do the same. You want to block? Infuse chakra into the body part you want to block with or is about to hit. This ensures that your defense is like a fortress, while your attack is devastating. Of course, such a style means that not only do you need to have a huge amount of chakra, but you also need to have very good chakra control. Else, even a huge chakra reserve will get depleted very quickly." Fujin looked up at Renjiro, before asking, "Is this proper Sensei?" Renjiro nodded and replied, "Yes, very good. But you are losing a lot of chakra while trying to maintain this form. The next phase of your training will be to perfect this form. You''ll activate it, and meditate until you can properly contain your chakra with zero loss. Until then, no Ninjutsu or Kenjutsu practice for you. In fact, even when doing your morning workout, you''ll start doing it by maintaining this form." Hearing that he won''t get to practice Ninjutsu or Kenjutsu disappointed Fujin a bit, but seeing the importance Renjiro stressed on this, he could vaguely guess that this will become something that might define him for a long time to come. It might even be what breaks him apart from the normal ninjas, and pave his way into becoming an Elite! Renjiro''s thoughts too were along the same lines, ''Now that I''ve seen your potential in this, no way I''d allow you to not raise this aspect to the peak!'' Apart from a short lunch break, Fujin ended up training alongside Renjiro till 8PM. Finally, at 8, the training ended and Fujin was allowed to leave. Before leaving, however, Renjiro said something that left Fujin tongue-tied! He said, "Tomorrow, increase the pressure on your seal to 30% during the morning workout." Fujin looked at his teacher skeptically, but seeing the serious look on his face, he just nodded helplessly. On reaching home, Fujin ate a few Ration bars and straightaway dived into his bed thinking, ''Damn!! My entire body is sore! It''s as if each and every cell in my body is screaming in pain! This is nuts. No wonder Renjiro asked me to double my Ration bar intake. Still though. The progress that I made just today is crazy. If I manage to keep up with this training for months, I have no idea how strong I''d become!'' Not having the energy to do anything, he fell asleep. Chapter 56: Rapid Improvement! [A/N : The fanfic has crossed 100k words!] The next morning, when he woke up, something left Fujin completely shocked! His body had no pain whatsoever. He speculated, ''Does this training also heal the body in some way? Or is it something else? More importantly, is this safe? I need to consult him asap!'' Renjiro appeared at the Training ground at 5am as usual and asked the genins to begin their workout. However, today, Fujin said, "Sensei, I have some queries." Understanding what query he''d have, he replied, "Alright. Hoka, Mieko, you two begin your workout. Fujin will join you two soon." Hoka left wondering what query Fujin had, while Mieko left begrudgingly as Fujin got to skip out on the workout a bit. Renjiro then looked at Fujin and asked, "Is it about the quick healing?" Fujin nodded. Renjiro answered, "It''s a side effect of this training. Since you infuse Chakra in your body, it ends up activating each and every cell of your body. This will increase your passive healing and also reduce the amount of time you need to recover from fatigue or exhaustion." He then smiled a bit and continued, "There''s actually a few more advantages of this training. It''ll increase your stamina, and more importantly, your chakra reserves." Fujin''s eyes widened on hearing that. He quickly asked, "Isn''t it too much of a hax?" Renjiro smirked and said, "Not really. The passive healing, while good, isn''t really groundbreaking. As for Chakra increase, it is only visible when you start this training and if your chakra reserve isn''t already very high. So while you may see a huge boost to your chakra and stamina in the next few weeks, later on, the effect won''t really be that obvious." In addition to the chakra increase, Renjiro made Fujin increase the pressure on the training seal from day 3 onwards. Right now it was up to 40%. The next month was spent on properly mastering chakra control for the Senju Taijutsu style. At the end of the training, Fujin could finally freely control his chakra and employ it in a spar against Renjiro. This training increased his Chakra by another 35-40%. In just over 5 months since he graduated, Fujin''s chakra reserves had a four-fold increase! His thoughts were, "Incredible! I now have more Chakra than even Genki! And he was an Elite Chuunin for 4 years at least. Damn, I really want to test out my Ninjutsu right now." Unfortunately, he was still denied permission to train Ninjutsu. With all 3 students training intensely, Renjiro didn''t take any missions for a couple of months. Renjiro spent a few more weeks drilling all the basics of Senju Taijutsu style in Fujin. The process of increasing pressure from the training seal continued during this time. At that moment, it was at 55%! Fujin always had to keep infusing his body with chakra while doing rigorous training or sparring. Otherwise, this pressure would slow him down a lot. And if he was doing some normal activities, like walking or running or resting, then the pressure shouldn''t really bother him much. By this logic, Renjiro had Fujin maintain that pressure all the time. Finally, one fine evening, Renjiro watched a tired Fujin panting on the ground. They had just finished another one of their spars. He smiled and said, "Great work kiddo. You have finally got all the basics down properly." Fujin just nodded. Clearly, he was too tired to answer back. Renjiro smiled and said, "Let''s end here. Take a rest and take tomorrow off." Hearing that, Fujin suddenly looked up. There were almost tears in his eyes! He thought, ''Finally!!'' Renjiro chuckled at his reaction and then flickered away. Fujin rested a bit and then dragged himself across Konoha to his house while thinking, ''Finally! 2 months, and not a single day''s break. Hoka and Mieko got off days saying that they needed to master their clan jutsus. But for me? I didn''t get even a single session off!'' He went to sleep while complaining about the unfairness in his heart. Chapter 57: Supercharged Wind Jutsus The next day, Fujin, for the first time in years, slept like a log till noon! On waking up, there was no soreness from the earlier day. He thought, ''Got to admit, I really love this aspect of this training. I always wake up in full health and stamina! Anyways, no more Ration bars today!'' After freshening up, he left home. While talking he thought, ''I really miss the advanced technology. In my previous life, I could never imagine myself being without a smartphone for years. Heck, I would have most likely spent today on the net, while lazing on my sofa and ordering all the food home, haha.'' Soon, he arrived at Ichiraku. He sat there and said, "Old man, give me one of each bowl you have!" Teuchi was surprised at the order. After all, it''s not daily when someone would overeat Ramen. He smiled and said, "You''ve come here after a long time Fujin." Fujin sighed, "Yeah. Another old man made me train all the time. So I had no free time at all." Teuchi smiled and encouraged him, "Hang in there young man." And he began making the ramen. Ever since he graduated, Fujin''s trips to Ichiraku and Yakiniku had increased. His food was usually just Ration bars, and when he got an opportunity, he would visit these 2 restaurants. So his relationship with Teuchi was good. Soon 2 bowls were served in front of Fujin. Teuchi wore his trademark smile and said, "Eat up. You''ll need all the energy you can get." Fujin wasted no time in digging in. Soon, he ended up eating all 7 types of Ramen in Ichiraku. Once done, he said, "They were delicious, old man. Give me 2 more Miso and Tonkotsu ramen." Teuchi smiled and yelled, "Coming right up!" After lunch, Fujin went into the forest he used to train earlier in. He smirked while thinking, ''Finally a break. Now let me test my jutsu!'' On reaching the deepest part of the forest, he stood in front of a tree. ''Well, here goes nothing.'' and he uses his Great Breakthrough jutsu. The jutsu uproots the tree, as well as a few more trees behind and adjacent to that tree! In addition, the winds created by the jutsu created deep slashes in many nearby trees and stripped them of all their leaves and most of their branches. Watching the scene, Fujin grinned, ''Excellent! This is almost 40 to 50% stronger than it was 2 months ago! And now...'' Fujin''s grin grew wider. He suddenly exerted his chakra, causing a blue aura to form around him. He began preparing another Great Breakthrough jutsu. Only this time, instead of releasing it, he began pouring a lot more chakra into this jutsu. In 30 seconds, he managed to pour 10% of his chakra into the jutsu. In another 30 seconds, it reached 15%! ''Great Breakthrough jutsu'' He exhaled the jutsu! Only this time, instead of normal jutsu, it was supercharged with chakra! Fujin launched it at the same time on a boulder. They exploded on the boulders and created a few scars all over them. Fujin analyzed them, ''Hmm, the damage increase is kinda unnecessary. After all, it''s just slashes of wind. Any random slash can give a fatal blow to a normal ninja anyways. And if someone does create a strong defense, then it''ll end up blocking the enhanced Wind Explosion jutsu with ease too. Yeah, it''s unnecessary. Let''s just increase the speed of launching.'' At the very next moment, Fujin began spamming the Wind Explosion jutsu. In just a minute, he ended up launching 84 Wind Explosion jutsus! Fujin grinned, ''Excellent. And it cost me around 7% of my chakra. This will be a very annoying tactic at mid-range, haha'' Next, Fujin looked around himself to look for an appropriate stone. He finally found one, a few dozen meters from him, which he guessed would weigh around 15kg. He concentrated on the stone. Immediately, strong winds begin blowing around the stone, trying to get underneath the stone. After a few seconds, the stone started getting lifted into the sky. After around half a minute, Fujin was able to raise the stone to a height of 1.2 meters. He then raised his arms towards the stone. ''Wind Retrieval Jutsu'' The stone slowly began moving towards himself. He brought the stone to him and caught it in his hands. ''The amount of power I can exert with these 2 jutsus has increased too. I wonder if I''ll be able to fly with the help of these 2 jutsus. Though I guess I''ll need much more chakra and much better control. And probably, even then it might not be useful for long-distance travel.'' ¡ª----------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - [email protected]/DevilHex (Use ''a'' instead of @) I am uploading more chapters there soon. I will probably be done uploading there by tonight. Chapter 58: Analysis and a Weird Situation Tossing the stone away, Fujin put his hand in his bag and tossed 12 shurikens one after another in the air. ''Projectile Control Jutsu'' Fujin used the jutsu to control the Shurikens and had them move through the forest while avoiding all the trees. The shuriken moved continuously through the forest and all of them hit the same tree around 500 meters away from Fujin. At the next moment, Fujin appeared next to that tree using Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. He retrieved the Shurikens while concluding, ''Wow, I didn''t think that 2 months of Senju Taijutsu training would end up boosting my Ninjutsu so much. In the Great Breakthrough jutsu, I could pour up to 15% of my Chakra. While it took a minute, the result was very good. The Spinning shield of wind could only take up to 2.5% of my chakra. I just couldn''t add more to it. It was similar to the Wind Gale Wolf jutsu. I could just pour 2% of my chakra into each of the Wolves. The Wind Dragon jutsu on the other hand could take 20% of my jutsu. And using Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu to my current limit of 500 meters requires 1.5% of my chakra. Wind Projectile jutsu requires a negligible amount of my chakra now. While each Wind Explosion jutsu needs less than 0.1% of my chakra. Wind Levitation jutsu doesn''t have much battle use for now. Wind Retrieval jutsu can be used to create some chaos though. Anyways, just this short show of my jutsus cost me almost 50% of my chakra. I wonder if Renjiro has more means to increase my chakra levels. Though it shouldn''t be an issue for now as I can''t really supercharge any jutsu in combat.'' Fujin began gathering chakra again and slammed his hands on the ground. A Rock shield appeared in front of him. Seeing the shield, Fujin sighed, ''No wonder it is just a rank E jutsu. It has already long reached the limit for me. There''s no scope to improve it any more.'' The size of the Rock shield was no bigger than what Fujin could do 2 months ago. A gentle breeze blew through the forest, covering up every footprint in it and also dispersing the scent slightly. Once this task was done, Fujin made a hand sign and disappeared from his spot, and appeared on another branch around 500 meters away. He used Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu a few more times before getting out of the forest. After leaving the forest he flickered away toward his house while wondering if anyone would ever see the havoc there. A couple of months later, 2 special Jounins from the Hyuga clan happened to pass through this forest, when they unwittingly entered the area where Fujin had caused the devastation. Seeing the number of uprooted and sliced-off trees left them dumbfounded. Coincidentally, a squad of Anbu too happened to cross through the same area at that time. Seeing the two Hyuga present, they instantly began asking them for the reason why they destroyed the forest and enquired whether there was any battle there. The Hyugas denied the charge and said that the forest was already wrecked. The Anbus looked around carefully and realized that it had been a long time since the destruction had happened. They investigated around and asked the Hyugas to help them, but found no clue. They wondered if someone was training here, but couldn''t understand why anyone would train here when there are so many training grounds available around Konoha. The unusual nature of this destruction made them report the situation to the Hokage. Hiruzen too was confused similarly. He sent out an anbu squad specializing in investigation and tracking to check. Unfortunately, Gale jutsu, 2 months of time, and a few showers of rain had removed anything that could have been used to find a clue. The Anbus would return empty-handed, and Hiruzen dropped the case as there were no clues and it wasn''t worth allocating more resources to. Of course, Fujin would forever remain ignorant about such an incident happening. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - [email protected]/DevilHex (Use ''a'' instead of @) Can read upto 40 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mohammed Sheekh and Rob for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 59: Discussion After testing his jutsus, Fujin returned home and took another short nap. Later he revised his Fuinjutsu skills before having dinner at Yakiniku. The next day once again started with an intense Morning workout. In the afternoon, the team again broke up to train with Renjiro and his clones. Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "I have taught everything I know about Senju Taijutsu style. How much you manage to master depends on you now." Fujin bowed a bit and said, "Thank You Sensei." Seeing his humility, Renjiro''s face softened. He said, "You had once said that the Sannins too don''t have any Kekkei Genkai. One of the Sannin, Lady Tsunade, uses an advanced form of Senju Taijutsu. She modified the style to compliment her perfect Chakra control, making it much more deadly. Your own talent with this style too is very high. So work hard on it." Fujin nodded and said, "Yes Sensei. I''ll keep improving it." Renjiro continued, "Regardless, it''s time to focus back on Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu. We will practice all your jutsus once. And then we will begin working on supercharging your jutsus." Fujin instantly got excited upon hearing that. Renjiro noticed and squinted his eyes. He asked, "You have already tried it, haven''t you?" Fujin laughed nervously before confirming it. Renjiro sighed and said, "I hope you didn''t end up destroying anything." To which Fujin obediently shook his head, saying, "Don''t worry Sensei. I shot everything straight up in the air." Renjiro asked, "Alright. So what were your observations?" Fujin replied, "It takes a lot of time to supercharge jutsus. So it just won''t be usable in battles unless I can bring the time down a lot." Renjiro nodded. Renjiro shook his head and answered, "It''s too difficult. While small jutsus are always created, what you are saying will completely revolutionize the jutsus of Earth element. At the very least, I can''t do it. Also, while your idea is very innovative, it''s highly unlikely that you were the only one who came up with it. And considering that no such jutsu exists to my knowledge, it''s safe to say that no one ever managed to create it." Fujin was dejected a bit upon hearing this, ''Oh well, there goes one of my ideas to annoy the enemy infinitely.'' Seeing the dejected look, Renjiro chuckled. Fujin looked back at Renjiro and said, "So since I can''t improve my Rock Shield jutsu anymore, can I get Earth wall jutsu?" Renjiro shook his head again and answered, "No, that''s a rank B jutsu. Though your chakra reserve is good, you shouldn''t be dependent on rank B or higher jutsus till you are promoted to Chunin." The answer was as Fujin expected. So he just asked his last query, "Sensei, while practicing with supercharged jutsus, I ran out of chakra very quickly. Do you know any more means of increasing my chakra quickly? After all, the training of infusing chakra into the body is barely giving any gains in that regard." Renjiro had a slight disbelief on his face that Fujin actually asked this question. He replied, "Brat, do you think they sell chakra in grocery stores? Your chakra is already 4 times larger as compared to your teammates. Be happy with that and don''t get greedy. Also, don''t bother searching for more means of increasing your chakra reserves. Other than hard work and natural growth, almost every method has some form of drawback that''ll highly restrict you. As for the battle, you can always eat Soldier pills to improve your stamina. So don''t bother with it." Fujin was a bit shocked at how dismissive Renjiro was. He thought, ''Really, no other means? Sigh, I guess I was expecting way too much. After all, the current boost is already very high. Oh well, I''ll leave this issue to the future. If I really desperately need chakra, I can try to steal a Tailed beast.'' Thinking about Tailed beasts, Fujin sighed internally, ''How good it''d have been if I could just throw some Poke?balls and capture them.'' Renjiro asked, "Any more queries?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "Let''s begin sensei." Chapter 60: Rank A jutsu Renjiro trained the trio for another month. This month, Fujin practiced supercharging his jutsus a lot. He could now infuse 20% of his chakra into the Great Breakthrough jutsu in under 15 seconds. More importantly, he could infuse 5% of chakra into the jutsu in just over 2 seconds. This was usable in battle as long as he maintained some distance. He also mastered Wind Gale Wolf and Wind Dragon jutsus and could now perform them without any hand signs. The ease with which he became capable of using these jutsus without any hand seals shocked Renjiro. Fujin''s Kenjutsu also improved a lot. All the basics regarding Samurai Saber techniques were taught to him. He could freely control chakra flow through his Samurai swords. He even managed to properly infuse his wind chakra through the normal chakra flow. Renjiro couldn''t help him much in this regard as he himself never added a Nature chakra to chakra flow. He specialized in Earth and Water elements, and neither were suitable to be added to chakra flow. Nonetheless, it was learnt with rather ease by Fujin. In fact, while learning it, he also learnt a technique that he had dreamed about performing for over a decade! The team was given a day''s break once again, which all 3 used to rest well. The next day, in the morning, the team met up once again. Hoka saw Fujin coming to the ground and asked, "Hey, how''s the training progressing?" Fujin replied, "It''s progressing rather smoothly, what about you guys?" Hoka smirked and replied, "It''s going very well. I want to spar with you once again." Fujin smirked back and replied, "Well let''s hope that you can touch me this time." That annoyed Hoka, who begrudgingly replied, "Due to you, Sensei drilled me with Ninjutsu training for 3 months straight!" Hearing that, Fujin laughed. Mieko, annoyed at being left out of the conversation, butted in by snorting, "Hmph, I''ll beat both of you at the same time in a spar." Renjiro interrupted before they entered into an argument, "No more questions. My rules are final. Anyways, you guys didn''t hear the exciting part. The winner will get a reward." That once again attracted the attention of all 3. Mieko asked, "What reward?" Renjiro replied, "The winner will be awarded a rank A jutsu by me." That shocked the trio. They all had the same thought, ''Will he really allow us to learn a jutsu higher than rank C?'' Renjiro understood what his students were thinking. He smiled innocently and said, "Of course, I''ll only give it to you when you are promoted to chunin." Hearing that, all 3 genins gave him a deadpanned look. Not wanting to hear any complaints from them, he shouted, "BEGIN" Even before he completed the word, all 3 Genins flickered away in different directions without making any hand seals. Now, at more than 100 meters away from each other, they observed the other 2, while wondering how they should approach this. The best way would have been to team up with one of the other 2, eliminate the 3rd, and then decide the winner. Unfortunately, that option was not available. Suddenly, Hoka and Mieko noticed Fujin smirking. At the very next moment, he disappeared. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.p@treon com/DevilHex (''a'' instead of @) Can read upto 40 chapters ahead on [email protected] original appearance of this chapter can be found at N??v€l?1n. Chapter 61: Spar - Hoka Vs Mieko Mieko and Hoka both cursed him and his annoying Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. Hoka activated his Byakugan and noticed him appearing 600 meters away.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. But he disappeared soon, and this time went out of the Byakugan''s range. Mieko cursed, "Fujin is as cowardly as usual." Hoka and Mieko looked at each other deciding what decision to take. Around a kilometer away from the initial location, Fujin kept sensing the location of the other 2. They were still in the same position. He smiled thinking, ''The duration of the fight is 13 hours. I guess Renjiro analyzed that we won''t be able to decide the winner in a few fights. So the winner will depend on who has the most amount of chakra. The best way for me would be to force multiple rounds so that all of us lose an equal amount of chakra. And I''ll be able to win easily due to my larger reserves. Especially considering that Byakugan and Sharingan use a decent amount of chakra while being activated. But knowing these 2, I have no doubt that they''ll fight intensely, hehe.'' Back at the starting position, Mieko and Hoka were observing each other. Hoka was analyzing, ''So what do I do? Do I hide too until Fujin comes out? Or do we track Fujin first before fighting? Or should I try to beat her first and then beat Fujin? No, that''ll be tough. Not to mention, Fujin loves to sneak attack. He won''t miss the chance to attack when we are fighting.'' On the other hand, Mieko too was having similar doubts. But compared to Hoka, she was a lot more arrogant. She dumped all the questions she had while deciding, ''I''ll just defeat Hoka quickly before Fujin can act. In a 1v1 fight, I''ll be able to defeat both of them with ease.'' Having made her decision, Mieko activated her Sharingan and rushed toward Hoka. This broke Hoka out of his thoughts, and he prepared to fight. He cautioned himself, ''I have to avoid looking into her eyes. While I can break her Genjutsu easily, it''ll be tough to do so quickly enough.'' So she flickered backward. Hoka followed her, but she flickered again, starting a tag game. Mieko''s control over and skill with Body Flicker jutsu was much higher than Hoka''s though. So she regained her advantage. Not able to keep up with Mieko''s flickers, Hoka gave up chasing her and stood his ground, ''Knowing her arrogance, she''ll come close to fight me anyways. So I don''t need to chase her.'' Seeing that Hoka had stopped chasing her, she came close to him instead while weaving hand signs. However, unlike what Hoka predicted, she stayed at mid-range and uses Fire Dragon jutsu! Not having anything to counter, he flickered away from the line of Fire Dragon. Finally sick of trying to engage her in close combat, Hoka used Stone Shuriken jutsu. The jutsu surprised Mieko, but thanks to her Sharingan, she was able to dodge or block all of them. Unfortunately for her, she overlooked Hoka, who using this time, appeared right in front of her and stabbed 2 fingers toward her. Seeing that, Mieko freaked out a little, ''Damn, I have to block!'' In a hurry, she put her arm in between, and Hoka hit a chakra point on her arm. As soon as her arm gets hit, she flickered away. Hoka expected her to return, but instead, she just ran away, surprising Hoka, ''Never thought she''ll run away.'' He waited there for a few seconds thinking, ''Both my opponents ran away. So shouldn''t I be the winner?'' He then sighed, ''Unfortunately, the next step will depend on Fujin. I and Mieko are finally far away from each other, and tired from a battle. Even injured. So the question is who will he attack?'' Around a kilometer from where the fighting was happening, Fujin kept sensing their chakras throughout their clash. When they kept fighting, he really wished that he had some popcorn and a tv to watch the fight. Unfortunately, he had to stay hidden long away. The fight continued for over 7 minutes, before he sensed Mieko''s chakra signature going far away from Hoka. Chapter 62: Fujins Decision Fujin concluded, ''Oh, so Mieko lost and ran away? Who''s the coward now? Anyways, whom to attack? Since Mieko ran away, it''s safe to assume that she''s injured. Most likely Hoka managed to block some of her chakra points. Maybe one or two. Any more, and Hoka wouldn''t have given her any chance to run away.'' Hoka too was thinking at the same time, ''Fujin will most probably target Mieko, as she''s the one who ran away. I should be ready to hit him after he fights her for some time. Mieko sat while resting against a tree after retreating to the opposite end of the training ground. She was very annoyed with herself, ''I put my guard down, that''s why I got hit. Otherwise, I could have beaten him as I was suppressing him throughout the fight.'' She looked at her left arm. It was swollen, ''He blocked the chakra point on my left arm. I won''t be able to create hand signs. Even moving this arm is very painful.'' She began applying first aid on her left arm. She didn''t bother hiding, as she knew that both Fujin and Hoka wouldn''t have any issue tracking her. While applying first-aid, she thought, ''Fujin will most likely attack me soon, I need to be ready.'' Hoka kept his Byakugan activated. He kept an eye on Mieko while waiting for Fujin to make a move. Soon, he noticed something moving at a very rapid speed. In the next second, he noticed Fujin approaching him, ''So fast! Why is he moving towards me? He''s already here.'' Hoka looked straight ahead, Fujin was already standing on a branch. He took his fighting stance. Unfortunately for him, as soon as he reached there, Fujin released a supercharged (5%) Great Breakthrough jutsu toward Hoka. Hoka quickly erected a Rock shield to protect himself. He was shocked by the power of the Great Breakthrough jutsu, ''Why is this so strong? Did he learn any rank B jutsus? Damn! Not good!'' Later, even despite the protection of the rock shields, his left ankle got injured, rather badly. Finally, the tremors died down and Hoka managed to get above the ground. That''s exactly where Fujin was, but unfortunately, he didn''t have a choice. As soon as he got out of the ground, a Kunai was placed at the back of his neck. He saw Fujin standing in front of him. He said, "Give up. You''ve lost." Hoka unwillingly accepted his loss, "I give up." As soon as he said that, Fujin''s wind clone dispersed himself. The fight only took 2 attacks. 1 Great Breakthrough jutsu and 1 punch. Mieko noticed the winds blowing and heard a big noise when Fujin punched the ground. Unfortunately, she was too far away to understand what was happening. She wondered, ''Are Fujin and Hoka fighting? Should I go and check? No, I''m injured, let me wait for a bit. The chakra point will open up soon.'' As soon as Hoka gave up, Fujin flickered away toward Mieko. He noticed that Mieko was now standing in a spot with no trees around, ''Not bad. She knows that hiding is pointless. So she stayed in open ground to not give any chance to sneak attack. Actually, I can still sneak up on her from behind. But, I''m pretty sure that she has deliberately left this opening. The area around her should be full of traps. Having figured out her tactic, Fujin began making wind clones. 20 Wind clones appeared around Fujin. Fujin then suppressed his chakra and hid behind a tree. His wind clones dispersed through the forest, surrounding Mieko from all sides while still hiding. One clone moved to a path that allowed him to sneak up on her. On route, the clone noticed that there were a lot of strings on the ground. He smirked, having guessed right. Chapter 63: Fire Release - Aerial Explosion Jutsu Fujin''s wind clone tried flickering behind her quickly while avoiding all traps, but Mieko realized it and quickly turned around. When she did, Fujin''s clone noticed that Mieko was holding 2 strings in her right hand.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. Seeing Fujin heading toward her, Mieko smirked, ''I knew it.'' She flickered behind while releasing the strings. As soon as those strings went slack, a couple of dozen Shurikens rained toward Fujin''s clone. At the same time, Mieko activated her Sharingan and observed Fujin. She frowned on noticing that Fujin''s chakra amount was very low, ''A Wind clone. This guy never fights head-on!'' Fujin''s clone dodged the shurikens with ease and chased after Mieko while forming Wind Explosion jutsu and launching them at her. He consecutively launched 7 Wind Explosions at her. Mieko dodged each time. But she was getting increasingly worried, ''I need to keep a watch on any sneak attacks. It''s very likely that he has more Wind clones hiding nearby.'' Renjiro observed this clash, ''His control over Wind nature is really impressive. Wind clones are the weakest elemental clones. Any capable sensor can easily differentiate between a wind clone and the main body in a moment due to how unstable the clone is. However, the weak nature of the Wind clone allows anyone to create a lot of them. And the instability of the Wind clone''s chakra makes it immune to Genjutsu. And due to being made of wind, they are usually even more mobile than the user.'' He then looked at Fujin who was hiding and smiled, ''He really is carefree and thinks that he has already won. While he will win, he''s in for a surprise if he thinks the win will be this easy. After all, both Hoka and Mieko too have made huge progress in the last 3 months.'' The wind clone finally begins getting low on chakra. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm... I need to pour more chakra into 2-3 wind clones so that they can last longer. Others I can make with the minimum requirements as I''ll need the numbers.'' Since he was about to disperse, the clone poured most of its chakra into another Wind Explosion jutsu. He then flickered towards Mieko. Mieko flickered away, but the clone followed her with another flicker and threw the Wind Explosion jutsu right at her. On doing that, the clone dispersed. She said, "Fire Release : Aerial Explosion jutsu" Hearing the word ''Explosion'', Fujin''s clones got on guard. However, no explosion occurred, ''Hmm, where''s the explosion?'' Only a breeze passed through the area once. Realizing that something was off, they immediately begin sensing Mieko. Soon the clones, as well as Fujin, notice that some sort of gas seems to have been released by Mieko. And it was spreading throughout the forest at a very fast speed. Fujin''s clones didn''t discover the Gas earlier, as it was both colorless and odourless. Fujin wondered, ''What jutsu is this?'' However, he had no idea. ''Oh well, whatever. I''ll get to know soon enough.'' And he disappeared underground. In around 10 seconds, the gas spread in a 60 meter radius around Mieko. All of Fujin''s clones were in this area. Not knowing what to aspect, the 5-6 clones who have already exposed themselves continue their attack. Seeing the clones running towards her, Mieko smirked and stated, "Let''s see where your main body is hiding now!" As soon as she said that, she spit out a small fire. That fire ignited the gas, causing it to rapidly expand and generate strong outward winds! The winds carried the gas up to 100 meters around Mieko and soon the whole area exploded! The ignition flame destroyed all 18 of Fujin''s Wind clones. It set fire to each and every tree in that area! And the fire seemed to be spreading further! Both Fujin and Hoka were left dumbfounded by the destruction! Chapter 64: Winner Mieko? Fujin was shocked at what he was sensing, ''What the fuck? All my clones were destroyed. Which jutsu is this?'' Hoka too was stunned by the destruction, ''When did Mieko get so strong?'' He quickly calmed himself and analyzed more, ''But, this jutsu shouldn''t work on me as my Byakugan will notice the gas being released even if it is colorless. So I can just move out of the range.'' Fujin calmed himself down as well and observed the jutsu further, ''Hmm, the heat generated from the explosion seems to have already dispersed. It''s just that there were trees around which got burned. So if I were to take this hit head-on, it won''t kill me. Though I''ll be badly burnt. The Wind clones are just too brittle. So they all were dispersed by the jutsu.'' While hiding underground, Fujin analyzed a bit more and sighed, ''I have never seen or heard about this jutsu. It was likely taught to her by the clan. I really shouldn''t look down on any jutsu that wasn''t used in the series. This world has way more jutsus, which are extremely lethal if used properly. Especially when I have no idea about these jutsus! Though the destruction caused by this jutsu is impressive, I can easily nullify it with even just a Breakthrough jutsu by blowing the gas away. But I just didn''t have any idea about this jutsu, which resulted in my clones getting wrecked. I wonder if she yelled the name of her jutsu purposefully...'' Renjiro nodded and smiled, seeing Mieko counterattack successfully even when being in such a disadvantageous position. ''This performance by her is very good. I did expect her to retaliate but didn''t think it''d be this successful. Fujin found the battle to be too easy, and hence let his guard down and played around instead of focusing entirely on defeating her quickly. This provided Mieko with a window of opportunity to use this move.'' He then looked at the spot where Fujin was hiding underground and a complicated expression appeared on his face, ''He is just way too careful. Though he did drop his guard slightly, he was always extremely safe. Earlier, only Fujin''s wind clones saw her hand signs. So he didn''t know the hand signs she does for that jutsu. But it didn''t matter, as he no longer wanted to give her any more opportunities. Mieko tried her best to dodge, but was hit by winds caused by multiple winds caused by the Wind Explosion jutsu, and took a Breakthrough jutsu head-on, resulting in her flying back for dozens of meters and falling on the ground. She yelled in pain while being cut and flung away. The forest was still burning, so Fujin''s winds became very hot. Which hurt her even more despite having a high resistance to fire. She tried getting up, ''Argh, this hurts a lot! But I finally have some distance. I''ll use it.'' She was about to use up all her chakra to use another Aerial Explosion jutsu, but her Sharingan noticed a chakra signature underground. ''Is he doing another sneak attack? WAIT! His chakra is very high. Finally, he is attacking with his main body! I just need one chance, and I''ll win!'' Her thoughts were cut by Fujin''s arm appearing out of the ground. He grabbed her neck, while exiting the ground, and slammed her on the ground while strangling her neck with his right hand and pinning her to the ground. He looked at her and said, "You''ve lost, give up." But Mieko smirked despite being in pain. In his moment of carelessness, Fujin looked straight into her eyes! ''Sharingan Genjutsu'' At the very next moment, the scene changed for Fujin. The Mieko he was grabbing transformed into flames and escaped his grasp. The burning trees around him began moving and walking toward him. Mieko reformed her body in mid-air while laughing arrogantly, "You looked into my eyes!" She laughed even more before saying, "It''s my win Fujin. No one can match an Uchiha in a fair fight!" Chapter 65: Waterfall Jutsu! The burning Ents exhaled flamethrowers on Fujin. But he just ignored the damage. He looked at Mieko and sighed, "You really need to know when to give up."?v€l?1n. In the real world, Fujin''s wind clones chuckled when they saw Mieko using Genjutsu on his Shadow clone. One of them softly said, "Defend her Sensei." He used up all his chakra to create a Wind Gale wolf, which pounced on the Shadow clone and dispersed it. His claw continued towards Mieko''s abdomen when Renjiro flickered in and dispersed the Wolf. In the Genjutsu world, as soon as Fujin''s shadow clone said that, he disappeared due to being destroyed in the real world. Not understanding what was happening, she broke her Genjutsu and saw her Sensei standing next to her, with 3 of Fujin''s clones still watching her. Renjiro announced, "Fujin is the winner." Not understanding, Mieko asked, "What happ...." Unfortunately, the Sharingan Genjutsu took the last bits of her chakra. She blacked out without completing her question. Renjiro checked on her while asking loudly, "How long are you going to hide?" Hearing that, Fujin exited the underground and flickered next to Renjiro with a smile on his face. The Wind clones dismissed themselves. [A/N : Hey guys. Please let me know your thoughts regarding this fight. Whether anything can be improved, or if any unnecessary stuff was added. The fights in the Naruto series (or any other manga/anime) usually involve too much talking between the fighters or screaming the names of their jutsus. In some cases, they also explain their own abilities. I don''t intend to follow that. Honestly feels stupid. The dialogues I add in the fights will only be absolutely needed ones. If any additional is added, it''ll either be due to that character being dumb or arrogant OR would be in a way that the character uses his words to distract the enemy.] Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "Good work. Now pick her up and move towards where Hoka is. I''ll douse this fire before it engulfs the entire training ground." Fujin nodded. He picked Mieko up and flickered to where Hoka was. He put Mieko down next to him. Renjiro walked towards Mieko and lifted her and put her on his right shoulder. While Hoka was being awestruck, Renjiro walked behind him and lifted him by grabbing the back of his neck with his left hand. That snapped Hoka out. He realized how he was picked up and immediately started flailing his hands and legs in the air, completely losing the famous Hyuga composure, "Put me down Sensei! What are you doing?" Fujin saw the comical scene in front of him. A huge buff Senju guy had a prideful and arrogant Uchiha girl lying unconscious on his right shoulder, and an aloof Hyuga kid flailing desperately in his left hand. In a mere second, he began laughing uncontrollably, "Hahahahahahahahaha" ''Damn, this brings memories of Guy carrying Kakashi from Suna to Leaf'' "Hahahaha" The laugh annoyed Hoka and he flailed even more before being smacked by Renjiro. "What are you struggling for? I''m taking you both to the hospital." Hoka replied, "I can walk there Sensei!" Renjiro asked again, "On one foot? I don''t have time to waste an hour walking with you." Hoka continued complaining, "But Sensei..." Unfortunately, he was completely ignored by Renjiro. He looked at Fujin and said, "We will take a mission as soon as these 2 are healed up. Don''t do heavy training till then. Preferably take a complete break from training." Fujin nodded, while still laughing at the sight in front of him. Renjiro was about to leave, but he suddenly recalled a certain memory. He looked at Fujin and said, "The reward of Rank A jutsu is what I''m awarding you, and not the Village or Senju clan. So you can only ask for a jutsu that I know or can easily get." This suddenly put an end to Fujin''s laugh. However, before he could complain, Renjiro had already flickered away! Fujin muttered internally, ''Smart bastard''. While traveling to the hospital, Renjiro sighed in relief, ''Good thing that I cleared this up. So later on he can''t pester me. This brat asked the 3rd for swords worth tens of millions of Ryo. Who knows which jutsu he''d have asked me if I didn''t clear this up!'' Chapter 66: Burnol Renjiro reached the hospital and put Hoka down. They walked into it, and Renjiro asked a nearby nurse to arrange 2 beds for his students. Renjiro was a well-known name. So she arranged it immediately. Seeing Hoka struggling to walk, the nurse asked, "Do you want to sit in a wheelchair, so that we can take you to the room?" Hoka immediately declined, "No, I''ll walk myself." The nurse seemed to be at a loss as to what to do, when Renjiro asked, "Should I carry you once again?" That question sent a chill through Hoka''s body. He reluctantly said, "I''ll sit in the wheelchair" On reaching the room, Renjiro laid down Mieko on a bed. Hoka took the bed next to hers. Renjiro asked the nurse, "Check if any Medical ninja is available. Send anyone who knows Mystical Palm jutsu here." The nurse nodded and replied, "Yes Sir." She left to check who was available. While waiting for a medical ninja to appear, he looked at Hoka and asked, "Any thoughts on the fight?" Hoka sighed and replied, "We lost it the moment we decided to fight against each other instead of chasing after Fujin. At the very least, we should have stopped before one of us got injured. That way we could have still been able to fight. Another issue was the lack of information. Fujin''s 2 attacks surprised and overwhelmed me too much. If I had prior knowledge regarding it, I could have fought equally against him." Renjiro nodded and commented, "It should also be a lesson for you, who are too obsessed with Taijutsu. Both Fujin and Mieko worked on Ninjutsu that can cause large-scale destruction. If they get an opportunity to use the jutsu when the opponent has their guard down, it becomes an easy win for them. You, on the other hand, will first have to reduce the gap between yourself and your opponent and then hit him to get an advantage. While not bad, it leaves you at a huge disadvantage against ninjas who can fight from range. I understand your obsession with Taijutsu. But if you want to be able to use your Taijutsu effectively, you need to learn other skills as well." She gritted her teeth, "I never imagined that Fujin would fight so shamelessly and never appear in front of me at all! Even when I taunted him, he still kept hiding! Damn, this is so frustrating." Seeing her reaction Hoka laughed, "Yeah, I agree. Next time, let''s not fight each other much until we can engage with Fujin." Mieko sighed and agreed. It was tough for her to agree to this due to her pride. But unfortunately, there wasn''t any other way. Yakiniku Restaurant - Unlike his two teammates, Fujin spent the day eating in his favorite restaurants and taking a well-deserved break. Earlier, when Renjiro tracked him to inform him about his teammates, he saw Fujin at Ichiraku, eating without a care in the world. Seeing him eat so relaxingly after beating up his teammates made Renjiro sweat a bit. But he didn''t comment. The next morning, Fujin wondered, ''Should I go to check on those 2?'' He thought for a bit before concluding, ''Well, they are my teammates. And I was the one who injured them, so I should go and check on them.'' After freshening up and doing some light stretching, he began moving toward the hospital. But suddenly he stopped, ''Wait! When visiting people in hospitals, isn''t it tradition to get something for them? Yeah, that used to be the tradition in my previous life. Even in the Naruto series, I recall many carrying flowers or fruits while visiting patients. Yeah, let''s carry a gift for both.'' He then fell into another dilemma, ''So, what do I get for them? Flowers kinda seem like a waste. Fruits are kinda too cliche. I''m sure their family members have already brought a lot of fruit. Hmm... What should I get?'' And then it suddenly hit him, ''I know! I should get a burnol for both of them. Hahaha'' Chapter 67: Scary Mom! He flickered to get a couple of gifts for both his teammates. And then flickered to the hospital and enquired about the room they were in. He quickly found their room and entered it. Both of them were up. Hoka''s left leg seemed to be plastered. He had a few more bandages on him. Mieko, on the other hand, was put in enough bandages that one could easily mistake her for a Mummy. As soon as Fujin entered, they both gave Fujin the stink eye. Seeing their childish reactions, Fujin couldn''t help but smile, ''I really should have brought them burnol, haha'' Seeing that neither of them wanted to talk first, he greeted them, "Hey guys. How are you doing?" Both of them snorted and looked away. Fujin sighed loudly and said, "After I went through all the trouble of getting you something. Oh well, I guess I''ll just eat it myself." That attracted their attention. They saw a pack of cookies and a set of dango in Fujin''s outstretched hands. In under a second, Hoka snatched the cookies, while Mieko snatched the dango.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. They both began eating it right away. While they were eating, Fujin tilted his head while looking at Mieko and asked, "Shouldn''t you check whether they are real or just clones first?" That pushed Mieko over the edge. She instantly got up and yelled, "Bastard. The next time I''ll beat you up. Wait, no need for next time, I''ll beat you up right now." Stating that, she got off her bed. Fujin created distance between them and asked, "Oh, and are you sure I''m not just a clone?" After lecturing her, she looked at Fujin and said in a straight voice while staring at him, "Fujin-kun, you first beat my little girl, and then you brought her dango to eat?" Now Fujin became alert, ''Is she going to lecture me as well?'' He quickly replied, "Sorry auntie. Sensei said that she was already healed yesterday. So I didn''t think it''d be an issue." Before she could reply, he looked at Hoka and Mieko and said, "I have some work to do with Sensei. I''ll see you around later." Without waiting for anyone''s response, he flickered out of the window. Hoka looked enviously at the window, ''At least he could run away. I''m stuck here.'' Mieko, on the other hand, was too embarrassed to think about anything. Mieko''s mom was surprised. She said to her, "Your teammate can lie with a straight face without any embarrassment. You were right about him." Hearing that, Hoka looked toward Mieko''s mom and saw her staring at the empty pack that had his cookies. He screamed internally in horror, ''Crap!'' Fujin was walking on the streets while thinking, ''Well, that was awkward. No wonder she acts like a stuck-up bitch all the time. She probably spends all the time back home being embarrassed. Anyways, both of them have pretty much healed. So we should start taking missions on the day after tomorrow. So how should I spend these 2 days?'' After thinking for a while, he sighed, ''Other than training, I really haven''t gotten any hobby in this world. Perhaps Fuinjutsu, but that too is a part of training.'' After thinking for a bit more, he had an amusing idea, ''Should I recreate some of the famous manga or novels from the past world in here? After all, the literature here is pretty underdeveloped due to constant wars and the lack of a safe environment. So those manga and novels should be a complete hit.'' He analyzed the idea more. But soon he shook his head, ''While I remember their general stories and plot, I don''t really remember all the details... It''s just been way too long. Not to mention, it''ll take a lot of time. Not something I can spare right now.'' Not having anything to do, he explored other restaurants around Konoha and later visited and relaxed in the famous hot spring bath in the village. A couple of days later, team Renjiro assembled outside the Hokage building. Chapter 68: Bandit Exterminators Team Renjiro entered the Hokage building together and went to the Mission room. On seeing the chunin in charge of distributing missions, Renjiro said, "Give us all the C rank Bandit elimination missions in the area between Konoha and Tanzaku area." The chunin nodded and handed 7 missions to Renjiro. Renjiro read the missions while thinking, ''I haven''t been taking any missions for the last 7 months. I know the old man wanted to give me a break. But I have had a long enough break. He declined to give me an S rank mission. So, I should at least clear out some basic issues. These bandits would be a good start. Hopefully, some of these C rank missions will get upgraded to B rank. That''ll also provide some good training for the kids. All 3 of them are already ready to be promoted to Chunin."Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. He stored the mission request forms. Then he looked at his squad and said, "Let''s move." The genins nodded and everyone flickered towards Konoha''s entrance gate. In the next week, 7 bandit camps were completely decimated. In that month, Team Renjiro slaughtered 18 bandit camps in the land of Fire. The team started taking these missions with excitement. But by now, they were sick of it! Hoka, Fujin and Mieko waited outside the Hokage building while Renjiro was selecting more missions. Mieko complained, "Why are there so many bandits in our country? Also, why aren''t they stronger?" Hoka sighed and said, "Yeah. 18 camps and there wasn''t a single bandit as strong as us." Fujin added, "I think our missions are purposefully chosen so that we don''t end up fighting anyone strong." Mieko commented, "That''s even more frustrating!" Fujin sighed and nodded, "Yes. I had heard that many rank C missions go wrong and get upgraded to rank B or even A. I thought that it was a rather common occurrence. But it seems like I was wrong." Not wanting to hear their sensei''s threat, the genins just flickered away while laughing. Renjiro just sighed at the antics of his students and muttered, "I''m too old for this shit" Konoha''s Main Gate : At noon, team Renjiro gathered here. As usual, Fujin arrived last. Renjiro, Hoka, and Mieko were standing here, alongside 8 merchants and 2 carriages filled with goods. Each of the 2 carriages had its reins attached to 2 bullocks. Fujin walked towards Hoka and Mieko who were standing behind Renjiro while he was talking with the most well-dressed Merchant. On seeing Fujin, Renjiro said, "This is Fujin, Toshio-san. The last member of our group." Fujin looked at the guy and said, "Hello." The merchant smiled, slightly bowed towards Fujin, and replied, "I am Iha Toshio. A merchant from the Land of Tea. We will be in your care Fujin-kun. Please take care of us." Fujin nodded while thinking, ''This guy is awfully polite! Did he say this to all 3 of us? On a serious note, however, though he seems very carefree, he is actually very tense.'' He looked at Renjiro and stared at him while wondering, ''Is there more to this mission than he said? Now that I think about it, why did he suddenly take such a long mission? Earlier he seemed rather obsessed with making Land of Fire bandit-free.'' Renjiro saw Fujin staring at him and wondered, ''Has his sensory skills become so acute that he can even sense worry? I knew he could detect lies from chakra fluctuations, but has his sensor skills improved to this degree? Very few outside the Yamanaka clan can detect worry. And most of them are very experienced and veteran ninjas.'' Not wanting Fujin to catch onto anything, Renjiro stated, "The path that we are taking has a number of bandit camps. We have eliminated most of the bandit camps between Konoha and the Lands of River and Rain. Through this mission, we will exterminate the bandits en route from Konoha to the Land of Tea. So keep your guard up, as there are at least 17 known bandit camps in our way." The genins nodded on hearing this. Mieko and Hoka sighed internally. While Fujin wondered, ''Is he just worried due to the bandits? Or is it something else? Oh well, we should find out soon. I should stay on guard though.'' Renjiro then did an inventory check, while Toshio checked whether all his goods were packed. In 15 minutes, Team Renjiro left alongside the merchants of Land of Tea. Chapter 69: Trade Boom 2 carriages pulled by bullocks, 8 merchants, and 4 ninjas traveled on the road, steadily moving away from Konoha. They traveled until evening without a break and then set up a camp. No bandits were encountered as all bandits in this area were exterminated by 3 of those 4 ninjas not long ago. While having dinner, Hoka sighed and said, "They move just way too slowly." Fujin agreed, "Yeah. We spent the last 4 months training and just hunting on our own. So we pretty much always moved at top speed." Mieko joined the conversation, "Yeah. At least this one is a bit faster than the previous one though. That last escort mission to the Land of Rivers had 12 carriages! And their wheels broke off so frequently!" Hoka smirked and said, "Yeah. We remember how frustrated you were." Fujin added, "Yeah. I suspect the main reason Sensei kept standing next to the carriages at that time was that he was worried you''d burn them yourself. Haha" Hoka joined in the laughter, while Renjiro ignored their antics. Mieko just snorted and ignored them. After dinner, Renjiro said, "We will begin moving tomorrow at 4 AM. Tomorrow''s traveling speed will be faster than today. Tonight, we will all keep watch turn by turn. Fujin, you are first. Wake Hoka up after 2 hours. After Hoka, it''ll be Mieko and last me." The genins nodded. Renjiro had a word with Toshio. Soon Hoka, Mieko, Renjiro, and the Merchants went to sleep. Fujin sat on a branch and began meditating. Soon, he could sense all chakra within a 1.2 kilometer radius. Fujin thought, ''I haven''t trained my ability to sense for months. Still, the improvement has been decent just due to the increase in my chakra reserves, chakra control, and regular spars. I should try and keep this on for 2 whole hours. Should be good training. I wonder if I''ll last that long considering that my chakra reserves are full.'' Fujin stayed in that meditating position for the entire 2 hours. During this time, he used all his sensing skills to examine the merchants and their goods but found nothing unusual. He had to keep changing the range of his sensory field between 600 meters and 1.2 kilometers for optimal chakra management, but he managed to last the 2 whole hours without any issues. He still had around 60% of his chakra left. He woke up Hoka and went to sleep. Fujin replied, "700 meters northwest. And 900 meters east." Hoka activated his Byakugan and checked, "900 meters east is just a few normal homes. The camp is at 700 meters north-west." Fujin asked Renjiro, "Sensei, will you be protecting the goods when we attack the camp, or should we defend it then as well?" Renjiro replied, "After you eliminate the bandits here, all 3 of you can go." Fujin replied, "Alright, let''s begin then." All 3 moved at a high speed, which made it look like all of them had disappeared. Both, the merchants and the bandits, who were keeping an eye out secretly, were shocked. In under a minute, all the bandits surrounding the group were dead. A few dead bodies or even heads fell down from trees next to merchants. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, they didn''t freak out as they had seen similar scenes multiple times in the past. Though they were surprised to know that the killers were 3 innocent and sweet 9-10 years old kids. The genins then flickered towards the bandit camp and eliminated everyone in there as well. They killed 2 more bandits who were at another spot in the forest. Completing the bandit elimination sub-mission in under 5 minutes. The group continued on its way. Over the next 8 days, 14 bandit camps were eliminated. The trio wondered whether they''d get a ''Bandit exterminator'' nickname back in Konoha. Unknown to them, their team was already known by that name among the chunins who distributed missions. By now, the swift and brutal 1 month campaign of Team Renjiro around Konoha to exterminate bandits was well spread. Many bandit groups had moved away from Konoha. A few even began leaving the Land of Fire entirely and continued their banditry in the weaker neighboring countries such as the Land of Rivers, Land of Grass, Land of Rain, and Land of Rice. This time, it was the turn of the bandits on this route to suffer. In under a month, the bandits close by would get the news of the slaughter. Some would visit to check if something did happen. And they would see the gore and would end up either quitting banditry or moving away and making trading easier for Konoha. Hiruzen would soon pick up on these movements, and launch an even more brutal assault on these bandits. This would not only boost Land of Fire''s economy due to increased trading, but also improve Konoha ninja''s reputation, and get them more jobs that would require lesser effort to complete. Konoha would also receive more funds from the Daimyo of Land of Fire due to this act. And it''ll prove to be a huge aid for Konoha to recover from the losses of the 3rd Great Ninja war. Especially over the next 3 years when more than a thousand genins will join the reserve force and a few hundred will begin training under a sensei. Of course, the loss of Jounins due to Kyubi''s assault won''t be overcome for almost a decade. And even more importantly, while the recovery was in progress, Konoha would end up losing their strongest clan to internal friction! Chapter 70: Schemes in the Darkness Team Renjiro and the Merchants from the Land of Tea were traveling for the 13th day. Toshio said, "We should enter the Land of Tea by evening. We will need another 2 days to reach the port though." Renjiro nodded and said, "Keep an eye out." The genins obeyed. The group journeyed until noon when they came across an open field. They decided to take a break for lunch there. The field was about as big as a Football field. And it was surrounded by dense forests on one side, and a hill on the other. Fujin and Hoka checked whether the area was safe, and didn''t find anyone. While having lunch, Renjiro noticed something but didn''t say anything. His students or the merchants didn''t notice any change in his expressions. However, he was observing his students closely. Fujin, while eating lunch, activated his chakra field out of habit. When he did, he was shocked! Around 200 people had entered the forest and were around 600-900 meters away from them! They were moving rapidly towards them. Unlike Renjiro, Fujin''s change in expression was easily noticed by Hoka and Mieko. They became alert and looked at him. Fujin said, "Around 200 bandits have surrounded us and are closing in. 150 in the forest and 50 on the hill." Mieko scowled, "More bandits?" Fujin looked at Renjiro and said, "Not just bandits. Around 50 have high chakra. With maybe a dozen Chunin level and 2 Jounin level chakras!" That shocked Hoka and Mieko. They both looked at Renjiro. Renjiro was impressed with Fujin''s alertness. He smiled and said, "Well, here''s your B rank mission. Or was supposed to be. This looks more like rank A." He then got serious and commanded, "Prepare to deal with the bandits and Genin-level attackers. I''ll deal with the stronger ones. Don''t worry about the goods. Give main priority to your and your teammates'' lives. And then to the lives of the merchants." The team nodded and got up. Seeing them get up, the merchants understood that there was an issue and got alert too. Toshio in particular became very worried. They all immediately got up and hid behind their carriages. Two days earlier - 2 people stood and observed the open field in the middle of nowhere. Both of them were Jounins. One of them was Wagarashi Tomio, who was from the rival family of the Wasabi Family. The other was Tamanaha Norio, who was a rogue ninja from the Land of Rivers. He had a bounty of 5 million Ryo. Wagarashi Tomio said, "From the information that our spies sent, 5 escort teams were moving from Konoha toward Degarashi port. One of them will be passing through here. When they do, they are bound to rest here." Tamanaha Norio asked, "Who is escorting them?" Renjiro completed his sentence, "But you can''t do that as the Tea Daimyo won''t like it." Hiruzen nodded and added, "And if I were to send a huge force with him, the opponent won''t attack, and stay hidden. So it won''t accomplish much. So we will follow this tactic. First, we will split up the enemy forces. There are 5 routes from here to the Land of Tea. You''ll take Wasabi Daichi with you while going on a rank C mission to escort Merchants. You''ll leave through the 5th route, as it''s farthest from the sea and will prevent any interference from Kiri. Soon after, I''ll send 3 chunin squads on such escort teams along 3 other routes. Finally, a squad of Anbu will escort a decoy along the central path. They will send the majority of their forces against these decoys as they have the stronger teams assigned to them. This way, we will split their forces into 5 and have a legitimate reason to kill the ones attacking them. The other 4 teams will be allowed to retreat after killing as many of them as they can or engage in a hit-and-run tactic if they can. You, on the other hand, will need to move to Degarashi port at a fast speed, so that their remaining forces don''t regroup and target you guys." Renjiro and the Hokage then discussed the strategy more and fine-tuned it and took action to implement it. Back to Present - The bandits at the front were just around 100 meters from the edge of the open field. Hoka excitedly said, "Finally a good fight!" Mieko was also excited. Fujin, who was thinking, suddenly said, "Don''t activate your Sharingan or Byakugan. I think they are trying to disguise themselves as normal bandits, so let''s pretend that we didn''t notice them. I have a technique I want to try." Saying that he walked in toward the forest. Hoka and Mieko wanted to argue against him, but bandits had started to rush out of the forest. A few also began descending from the hill and shooting arrows. Hoka and Mieko noticed it. Hoka quickly made a hand sign, ''Rock Shield jutsu''. A Rock shield appeared behind the merchants. All the arrows shot at them were blocked by it. At the same time, around 50 bandits, 15 of them being ninjas, came running from the forest toward them. Since the ninjas were disguising themselves so that they could take the enemy by surprise, they too were moving at the same speed as bandits. More bandits were exiting the forest every second. Fujin unsheathed one of his swords and held it in his right hand. Chakra immediately began flowing through it and transformed into wind chakra instantly. He then held the hilt of his sword with both hands, pulled his sword back, and then swung it with full force forming an arc towards the incoming bandits. As he swung the sword, a sword slash appeared, and began moving at a rapid speed. When close to Fujin, the slash was extremely small, but as it moved it expanded exponentially! Alongside the slash, strong winds appeared which caused some dust to rise. Chapter 71: The Beginning of a Legend! [A/N - This chapter might not be suited for those under 18. It will involve some gore.] The bandits, as well as the ninjas, didn''t understand what move was made. But considering that it was made by a kid, they didn''t attach a lot of importance to it. The slash didn''t have any color, so they couldn''t actually see an incoming slash. Instead, they just noticed wind moving towards them at a high speed and dust rising up as the winds approached them. The bandits hadn''t ever seen any Ninjutsu. So they just kept running straight banking on their numbers. The ninjas, however, were alert. When the slash came close, they jumped 5-6 feet in the air to avoid it.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. When the slash reached them, it was around 50 meters wide! It first hit the bandits who were running like bulls. It immediately cut them in half at their abdomens. The bandits who were following them didn''t get any time to react and were cut in two as well. Next, the sharp winds that were generated by the slash hit the jumping ninjas. It created shallow cuts all over their body. The unfortunate ones had their throats or wrists slit open. A few had winds cutting through their nails and skin, causing them to scream loudly in pain. Almost all had their eyes getting cut by the winds. In all, only 4 Genins and 2 Chunins were lucky, or perhaps unlucky, to survive. 1 Chunin and 2 Genins lost both their eyes, while the remaining 2 genins lost an eye each. They were horrified. The entire first wave of 50 bandits and ninjas was defeated by a single swing of the sword. And it still wasn''t over. The bandits in the 2nd wave, who had just reached the edge of the forest, were terrified of what they saw happen to their fellow bandits. Color drained from their face at that sight. The sword slash, which was initially colorless, now had a tinge of blood-red color to it. In no time, it hit the forest and flew through it, cutting down bandits and trees alike. Unlike the bandits, the ninjas in this group reacted quickly. Some dug underground. Some grouped together and created a layered Rock shield protection. Others just ran up the trees to the top and jumped as high as they could. The ninjas were about to run away, when the ground under their feet turned into mud, making them lose their balance and fall. Everyone one of them fell into the mud river, including the Jounin. And a few seconds later, the Rock avalanche went down the river. The bandits as well as the ninjas saw the terrifying scene in front of them. They couldn''t move, as their legs were stuck in the mud river. The river began dragging them down the slope, toward those murders down the hill. And, in front of them, huge rocks were rolling down the hill towards them. They yelled in despair, but in a mere few seconds, they were all crushed to death. Only 1 survived! Tamanaha Norio, too, freaked out seeing the huge rocks rolling toward him. He was about to jump when his legs got stuck in the mud river that suddenly formed under him. The mud then began moving down the hill at a quick speed. He quickly made a few hand signs, ''Water Prison Jutsu'' A water barrier soon formed around him. At the next second, a rock rolled down on him. It hit the water bubble and pushed it to the bottom of the mud river. But it couldn''t pop it. The rock was about to roll over. So Norio sighed in relief. Unfortunately for him, in the next second, a stone spear appeared at the bottom of the mud river and penetrated through it. It quickly penetrated the water prison bubble. Norio noticed the spear at the last moment and tried to get out of the way. It still stabbed through his body, but he was able to avoid getting hit on any vital body part. Renjiro was surprised when he sensed that the guy was still alive. However he wasn''t worried, ''He is just extending his own misery.'' While he managed to stay alive, getting stabbed by the spear disrupted his control over the water prison. It collapsed and he got buried under mud. Norio gritted his teeth, with blood flowing through his mouth, and forced himself against the flow of the river, trying to remove the stone spear from his body. Unfortunately for him, his struggle, grit, and determination for survival will never be known to anyone. At the next moment, small spikes began growing out of the spear that stabbed him. That stopped his attempt to move immediately, causing him to yell in pain and vomit more blood. When he yelled, the mud from the river entered his mouth. Soon the small spikes grew into spears, poking out of his body. His struggle finally ended, as he died, with a dozen stone spears poking out of his body and he was buried 10 meters deep in a mud river. [A/N - Initially wanted to name this chapter - ''Life is Fragile'' due to all the deaths in it. Just couldn''t resist naming it what I did though] Chapter 72: First Real Battle While Renjiro cleared up the rear, Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko made a move on the injured ninjas. Of the 15 ninjas from the first wave, only 6 were alive, with just 1 Chunin being in a state to fight. They were terrified by their wounds and were running towards the forest. And of the 10 ninjas from the 2nd wave, only 2 had jumped high up in the air, and hence were on top of the ruined forest. The remaining 8 ninjas, though unharmed, were buried under a ruined forest. Hoka activated his Byakugan and said, "Those 8 ninjas are trapped, they''ll need some time to get out. Let''s attack." In an instant, all 3 flickered toward the retreating ninjas. Mieko flickered behind the Chunin who could still fight and tried stabbing him with a kunai. However, he turned around and defended himself in time. He shouted aggressively, "I may be injured, but don''t you brats look down on me!" However, his thoughts were the exact opposite, ''Just one opportunity! I''ll regroup with others and be safe.'' Unfortunately for him, while shouting, he looked into Mieko''s eyes. Mieko didn''t miss the chance and cast Genjutsu on him. Hoka engaged the blinded Chunin. That chunin had lost his sight, and his right leg was badly cut. However, even in that state, he still aggressively attacked Hoka with every weapon he had. This fightback was a testimony to his experience and desperation. Hoka, however, stayed calm and took his stance. He said, "You are in range." And attacked, ''Eight Trigrams - Sixteen palms''. All of Hoka''s attacks hit on point, with the last one hitting his opponent''s chest and stopping his heart. That chunin dropped dead. Unlike Mieko and Hoka, Fujin went for the weakest ones first. He flickered behind the 2 blinded genins and killed them both with one strike of his sword. He quickly flickered to the remaining 2 genins one by one and killed them as well. Neither of the 4 could even block one attack from Fujin. Just one of those 4 managed to raise his kunai to block Fujin''s sword, but his kunai got cut into two, just like his body. Of the 2 Ninjas who were above the debris, 1 was Chunin, while the other was genin. They were still fearful of that sword slash that wrecked the forest as well as of the Rock Avalanche. So they didn''t react when the three kids they were looking at flickered. When they noticed, the Chunin quickly moved to aid his comrades. But even before he took a couple of steps, Fujin had killed 2 of them. That halted his steps. In the next few seconds, he saw Fujin kill 2 more and look straight at him. He quickly retreated behind thinking, ''What a bunch of crazy kids! Are they even kids? Did Konoha send their feared Anbu under disguise?'' He looked down at the debris and screamed internally, ''Where are the rest? Get out quickly!'' The genin also retreated. Fujin stayed back after killing his opponents. Around half a minute later, Hoka killed his opponent. And soon after, Mieko''s opponent stabbed his own throat. Fujin flickered next to Mieko right after she was free and said, "Let''s do it." She nodded and made a few hand signs. ''Fire-Wind Dragon Jutsu'' Both Fujin and Mieko could see the chakra of the ninjas making their way to get out of the debris. A 50 meter huge dragon, mostly made of extremely hot air and having 4 claws and many teeth made of fire. Seeing that dragon, those 2 began running even faster toward the 3rd wave. The Dragon moved rapidly and got above the debris. It then dived down right where 6 ninjas were making their way up. They were just about to remove the last log blocking their way when the Dragon dived down right at them. Fortunately for them, they had one novice sensor who screamed, "CAST DEFENSIVE WATER JUTSU ABOVE US! HURRY!" Fortunately, the group had a Chunin whose nature affinity was Water. He quickly made hand signs, ''Water Shield Jutsu''. A water barrier appeared above him. It curved like the surface of a sphere and had a thickness of 6 inches, and was growing thicker as he poured more chakra into it. Soon, 8 ninjas who were buried under the forest made their way out. They were shocked to see that the ambush from the hill seemed to have disappeared. Instead, they could see a Mud river and a few huge rocks floating in them. The mud river killed the momentum of the Avalanche and the Rocks slowly slid down the hill through the river. At that time, the 3rd wave of bandits emerged from the forest. However, they were blocked by 4 meters of ruined forest. The bandits couldn''t move forward, but the ninja jumped over the ruined forest and grouped with the 10 ninjas, who had stopped over the ruined forest. From here, they could see all the blood and dead bandits and ninja on the plains. Wagarashi Tomio, was shocked by this sight, ''What happened here?'' He went towards the leader of the 2nd wave and asked him, "What happened? And where is Norio?" He was about to speak when he noticed one of the genins raise his sword, and swung it. He was at the forefront of the 2nd wave, and he had noticed Fujin swing his sword earlier. He immediately shouted, "TAKE COVER!" Wagarashi Tomio was surprised and looked at Fujin. He noticed a wave approaching them, and he noticed all ninjas from the 1st and 2nd wave scurry around. Of the 6 alive ninjas from the first wave, only 1 was relatively uninjured. He quickly dug a hole and went underground. The remaining 2 one-eyed ninjas ran backward in fear. While the 3 who were blinded had already lost consciousness. The sword slash ended up killing the 3 blinded ninjas as well as the 2 ninjas who ran away. The remaining 20 ninjas who were in the ruined forest gathered together. The leader of the 2nd wave shouted at Tomio, "Quickly use Earth wall jutsu! Make it as big and thick as you can!" Tomio was displeased, ''Why is he shouting at me and commanding me?'' However, he could sense the fear in his shout and quickly used Earth Wall jutsu. All the 20 ninjas took cover behind it. While they were taking cover, Hoka used Byakugan and looked for the 2 ninjas who went underground. He quickly made hand signs, ''Stone spear jutsu'' and ambushed them underground. Neither could react and were stabbed to death. Renjiro focused on the 20 ninjas hiding behind the wall. He smirked and punched the ground in front of him. At the same time, Fujin swung his sword once again. The punch released Earth Release : Ground Shockwave jutsu. It traveled faster than Fujin''s slash and hit the earth wall just a few seconds before Fujin''s first slash reached it. It caused the erected Earth wall to collapse! The ninjas, who finally had a sense of security, were dumbfounded. 2 Ninjas from the 2nd wave immediately began creating hand signs to go underground. The others from the 2nd wave quickly tried climbing on the fallen trees behind them and jumping high up. Unfortunately 2, in panic, stepped on very weak branches and lost their footing. The ones from the 3rd wave didn''t understand the urgency and were slow to react. Only Tomio, sensing their panic, jumped back and quickly created a Rock shield as he didn''t have enough time to create an Earth Wall. 3 ninjas from the 3rd wave hid behind Tomio. Fujin''s slash reached them. It first hit the ninja who was trying to go underground but couldn''t complete his hand signs. Then it hit 3 ninjas from the 3rd wave who didn''t take it seriously. 1 ninja was cut into 2. While the other 2 were hit by the accompanying winds which left deep cuts all over them. The winds then hit the two who had lost their footing, causing them to bleed all over. And next, it hit the remaining 4 ninjas from the 3rd wave, leaving them with similar, but slightly less severe injuries. Right when the ones who had jumped high up were about to fall, the 2nd slash arrived. This ended up killing or maiming everyone other than the 4 who were hiding behind multiple Rock shields built by Wagarashi Tomio and the one who was hiding underground. Seeing the result, Fujin said, "I don''t think that the remaining 5 will die from this attack." Mieko replied, "That''s good. I want to fight" and flickered towards them. Hoka followed her. Renjiro said, "Fujin, look after the merchants." And he flickered behind those 2. A/N - Stopped it here... I initially didn''t have Renjiro create a clone in the , that''s why no mention was there in this initial draft...] Chapter 73: Fujin Vs 11 Genins Wagarashi Tomio was keeping an eye on Renjiro the whole time. The Chunin had just begun explaining the situation to him, telling him about a wind slash and how it was accompanied by winds that cut when Renjiro created a clone. He immediately commanded, "Get ready. I''ll engage that Jounin. All chunins will fight alongside me." He looked at his second-in-command and commanded, "Masato, lead the genins and kill those three brats." Mano Masato was standing right next to Tomio. He had a sword hanging from his waist. Since he was an Elite Chunin, his rank and power were second only to Tomio among the ninja here. Even overall, his power was only weaker than Tomio and Norio. He had worked with Tomio for a long time, and Tomio considered him his right hand. He nodded to the command given. Team Renjiro flickered till they were 20 meters away from them. Renjiro made a hand sign, ''Water Release : Water Cannon jutsu'' Tomio too made a few hand signs while shouting, "Scatter and Dodge" ''Water Release : Water Wall jutsu'' On hearing his command, all of the enemy ninjas moved back a bit. Renjiro spat a jet of water on them. In response, Tomio created a water wall between them. The wall stopped the jet for a mere fraction of a second. However, that was enough for his ninjas to see the trajectory and dodge the attack. The water jet penetrated the water wall with ease and then sliced it in two as Renjiro moved his head from left to right. The water jet was dodged, however, it kept traveling, hitting the trees in the still undamaged forest. The water jet cut through a few trees with ease before it ran out of energy. The enemy ninja noticed the damage caused by just one attack. Their face became grim. They prepared themselves for a bitter battle. They regrouped into 2 groups in a few seconds. 1st with Tomio as the leader and 5 chunins and the second with Masato as the leader and 11 genins. Renjiro noticed this and assaulted Tomio and the chunins. The trio of Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko moved towards the genins. Renjiro''s clone followed them at a distance and kept a close eye. Konoha Genins Vs Masato and Genins - All the 3 Konoha genins had noticed that Masato''s chakra level was the 2nd highest in the whole group. While moving towards them, Mieko stated, "I want the strong guy." At the same time, all 10 of Fujin''s Wind clones had engaged the enemy genins. They kept fighting at mid-range and used Wind Explosion jutsu to prevent opponents from using any jutsu. Fujin observed around him, ''Now that I''m free, time to cut down their numbers.'' He flickered in the next instant and appeared behind a genin who was fighting his clone. The genin was surprised when he noticed someone appearing behind him. Unfortunately, before he could react, a sword pierced through his heart. In a few seconds, Fujin cut down 4 more genins. The others noticed Fujin killing their comrades with extreme ease and panicked. They quickly disengaged from the wind clones and tried to regroup. Masato, who was engaged in a fight with Mieko and Hoka also noticed this. He tried to help them, but he was obstructed by Mieko and Hoka. Unfortunately for the enemy genins, regrouping wasn''t going to be easy. Noticing that all the enemies have disengaged his clones, Fujin flickered again and appeared behind one of them. That genin noticed and quickly turned around and swung his kunai. In response, Fujin slashed with his sword. Both the kunai and the sword clashed. Fujin''s opponent wanted to use this clash to jump behind and get away from him. Unfortunately, Fujin''s sword cut through his kunai. It continued ahead and cut the unsuspecting genin into two. Fujin noticed the shock plastered on the enemy''s face when he noticed his kunai being cut in two. At the same time, another opponent was ganged upon by 4 of Fujin''s clones. 2 of the clones used all their chakra to form Wind explosion jutsu and scored perfect hits. The other 2 beheaded him when he was very injured. The remaining 3 genins managed to regroup. But they were instantly besieged by Fujin''s 8 wind clones, while Fujin stood slightly behind his clones. The 3 genins stood with their backs to each other. Fujin saw it and analyzed, ''I guess I can''t flicker behind them now. Anyways, time to end this.'' He said in a low voice, "Wind Breakthrough jutsu everyone." Fujin''s clones heard him, and all used Great Breakthrough jutsu at the same time. The 3 genins, who were at the center instantly became trapped and slammed against each other as they couldn''t move due to being hit by strong winds from all sides. They began yelling loudly. Fujin observed the wind patterns and then swung his sword. A slash flew through the strong winds and reached the trapped genins. In an instant, all 3 were beheaded. With all 10 genins killed, Fujin turned his attention to the chunin Mieko and Hoka were fighting. Chapter 75: Masato Vs Genins Masato Vs Mieko & Hoka - While Fujin had engaged the enemy genins, Hoka and Mieko were fighting against Masato. Masato had dealt with the initial attacks from Mieko and Hoka with extreme ease and even injured Hoka slightly. Mieko noticed the cut on his chest and asked Hoka without taking her eye off Masato, "Can you still fight?" Hoka replied, "Of course. Let''s attack!" However, before they could attack, Masato moved forward at a fast speed and swung his sword again. Mieko took a step ahead and blocked his sword with her kunai. She kept trying to look into his eyes, but he always avoided eye contact with her. Seeing that Mieko had blocked his sword, Hoka attacked him with Gentle fist once again. Seeing Hoka attack again, Masato just jumped back and retreated. This time, Hoka didn''t chase and stood with Mieko. Masato observed the two being careful and sighed, ''It''s unfortunate that there is so much debris here. I can''t use Earth jutsus at all!'' Hoka too couldn''t use Earth Release jutsus, but he didn''t mind it as he preferred Taijutsu over Ninjutsu. Masato was about to attack again when he noticed that Fujin was cutting down his genins with ease, ''Tsk. I should help them.'' Mieko and Hoka noticed him getting distracted and attacked him once again. Mieko once again used ''Fire Release : Four jutsu'' Masato quickly dodged but was once again flanked by Hoka. Learning from the past two failed attempts, this time Hoka attacks with a kunai. Masato blocks but Hoka continues his attack with his other hand, trying to seal his chakra points. Masato uses the force Hoka is putting in his kunai attack to jump back. Before Mieko and Hoka could press on their attack, he ran towards Fujin. But he was quickly attacked by 2 Wind Explosion jutsu by the Wind clone Fujin left to keep an eye on him. The Wind Explosion wasn''t actually targeted at Masato. Instead, the clone launched them in such a way that they would cut off his path. They exploded even before reaching them and threatening him with the winds generated. He had to move back to avoid the winds, leading him back to Mieko and Hoka. They quickly attacked him, but Masato defended himself again. Only, it was more difficult this time. Mieko finally found an opening, and kicked his stomach, sending him flying behind. While he was sent flying, Masato thought, ''These kids are strong! Even if I fought only one at a time, I''ll have a hard time defeating them without Earth Release!'' Small balls of Fire were fired on Masato''s path, preventing him from getting away. Hoka used the distraction created by the fireballs to close the distance and attack Masato again. This time, Masato counterattacked fiercely, making Hoka retreat. However, at the next moment, he felt the wind on his back. He quickly turned around and used his sword to block the incoming sword. Fujin, noticing Masato''s attempt to run away used Mieko''s and Hoka''s attacks as a distraction to attack. After blocking the slash, Masato looked around and became worried. Fujin''s clones were moving toward him. However, even before he could wonder what to do about them, another incident horrified him. Fujin''s sword cut his own Sword into two! He quickly released his sword and moved backward screaming his mind, ''WHAT THE FUCK?'' As he moved backward, he noticed Hoka moving rapidly toward him. Hoka smirked, ''Time to finish this.'' He got into stance to perform Eight Trigrams. Masato noticed Hoka''s stance from the corner of his eyes. He quickly made a hand sign. All the 3 Genins noticed that it was the hand sign for Substitution jutsu. Hoka pressed on with his attack, while Fujin and Mieko prepared themselves by gathering chakra at their feet. Hoka and Masato finally were about to make contact, when Masato substituted with another log of wood. As soon as he substituted, Mieko threw a bunch of shurikens so that he couldn''t retreat anymore, while Fujin sent a flying slash at him. Masato was on guard and moved out of the way. Unfortunately, the only way available for him was towards Hoka. He had a bitter expression on his face, ''These brats are relentless! I have no openings at all!'' Masato prepared to take Hoka head-on as Hoka rushed towards him. However, before he could engage Hoka, 2 shurikens stabbed him in his back! Fujin smirked, ''Projectile Control jutsu is really handy.'' When Masato''s attention was occupied on Hoka, Fujin used Projectile Control jutsu on the shurikens Mieko had thrown and changed the direction of a couple of shurikens to hit him. While the hits weren''t lethal, they caused Masato great agony. And it finally provided Hoka with an opening. He immediately used ''Eight Trigrams : Sixteen palms'' on him, closing a lot of his chakra points. As soon as he was done, he moved behind. Mieko and Fujin both stepped in for the kill. They both flickered in. Mieko used ''Fire Release : Four jutsu'' on his chest, right where his heart should be. While Fujin slashed his sword towards his neck. In his final struggle, he tried stepping towards his left, so that he''ll move away from Fujin''s sword, and Mieko''s jutsu wouldn''t hit his vitals. Mieko''s jutsu hit the center of his chest, piercing through the Elite chunin''s body. Fujin''s sword missed Masato''s neck by a few centimeters. But at the next moment, his head still flew off in the air due to the increased range from Wind Chakra flow. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko finally sighed in relief and were excited about managing to kill someone this strong without any aid from their sensei. Masato, however, died in grief! He never got to use the jutsus he was most proficient in! Renjiro''s clone had observed the whole fight, ''Good. Though they made a few mistakes, overall their performance was very good. They were also very lucky though. That guy''s nature affinity was probably Earth, and he couldn''t use it due to the terrain.'' [A/N : Probably the last battle where Fujin and others fight under the supervision and complete protection of Renjiro. Need to stop babying them, lol] Chapter 76: The Formidable Renjiro! Renjiro Vs Tomio & Chunins While his students were engaged in combat, Renjiro himself was fighting against the main enemy combatants. Just like Masato, Renjiro too was restricted here due to not being able to use the majority of his Earth jutsus. Renjiro observed his opponents, ''1 jounin and 5 chunins. Been a while since I had to fight against these odds. I wonder if they can put up a fight though.'' His opponents too observed him. They were very tense. Tomio thought, ''He specializes in Earth and Water jutsus. This terrain should void most of his Earth jutsus. And I can cancel out his Water jutsus. And he won''t retreat due to his students, and might even be distracted by them. We have a chance!'' After concluding his thoughts, Renjiro threw 6 shurikens at his opponents. Immediately, he made a couple of hand signs. ''Shuriken Shadow Clone jutsu'' The enemy ninjas were amused when they saw that only 6 shurikens were thrown at them. But seeing them suddenly increase to over a hundred freaked them. Tomio once again used Water Wall jutsu to block the shurikens. Renjiro smirked. He was aiming exactly for this. While the water wall protected them, it meant that they couldn''t see Renjiro. He grabbed his sword and rushed towards them. Unfortunately, one of them was a sensor and he yelled, "He''s running toward us!" He was the same ninja who had earlier detected Fire-Wind Dragon jutsu. The shout put them on guard and they prepared for a fight. The very instant the water wall collapsed, Renjiro flickered and appeared behind the chunin who shouted. Before anyone could react, he attacked him with his sword, aiming to cut him in two. Knowing that he couldn''t move fast enough, he made a hand sign. Renjiro ended up cutting a log of wood. The enemy ninjas sighed in relief and immediately moved toward Renjiro to attack him right when they saw the sensor use Substitution jutsu. However, Renjiro still smirked. Though Renjiro''s sword cut through a log of wood, his sword emitted chakra that travelled in the form of a slash. It was the Samurai Saber Technique. Though it didn''t have the lethal wind chakra that Fujin''s slashes had, it was still very lethal. Wagarashi Tomio was the one to notice it and he quickly shouted, "Careful!" and moved out of the way of that flying slash. That alerted all 4 chunins. 3 of them jumped out of the way successfully. However, the last one was the closest to Renjiro. He too tried jumping but was too slow. The slash hit his knees and slashed halfway through his kneecaps. He collapsed and began yelling in pain. All of the 5 enemies were now at least a few dozen meters from Renjiro. So he just stepped forward and beheaded the injured ninja. He looked at the Tea ninjas and coolly said, "Just 5 more to go." That statement put a lot of pressure on them.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. Tomio understood that Renjiro was trying to crush their morale. He shouted, "Behind me" while retreating away from Renjiro and making a few hand signs. The remaining chunins quickly moved behind Tomio. ''Water Dragon jutsu'' Renjiro noticed the hand signs Tomio was making and recognized them. He just waited for him to be done with it. Soon, Tomio expended quite a bit of his chakra to launch Water Dragon jutsu on Renjiro. However, Renjiro just flickered a few times, completely avoiding the trajectory of the jutsu while muttering, ''What a waste of chakra.'' Seeing that they were finally on the ground, Renjiro smirked. All 5 of them suffered some injuries after getting hit by such a huge move. They struggled to get up. Tomio was the first one to recover. He barely managed to get up on his knees while breathing very heavily. However, soon he noticed something that horrified him! They were on the ground. He had just one thought before he jumped up as quickly as he could, ''CRAP!'' As soon as he jumped, Earth spears appeared from the ground. All 4 chunins were stabbed. Only Tomio managed to get away. Soon, more spears appeared from the ground, and pierced all 4 of them, until Renjiro was sure that they were dead. Wagarashi Tomio saw all his 4 underlings being killed. He noticed that all other fighting had stopped too. He was horrified and began running towards the Land of Tea in panic. However, Renjiro flickered in front of him, with a sword in his right hand. The genins had finished Masato off right after Renjiro used the huge jutsu and were observing the fight. Renjiro looked at Tomio and said, "You know, I''m very surprised that you guys chose to fight us in the Land of Fire, rather than the Land of Tea. If you had fought in the Land of Tea, at the very least, you''d have managed to retreat. But here, all 5 of your forces will be eliminated." Tomio looked at Renjiro in terror and asked, "Has Konoha already recovered from the losses of the 3rd Great Ninja war and Kyubi''s attack?" Renjiro replied, "Not really. But Konoha isn''t something the likes of you can challenge." He then charged straight at Tomio. Tomio grabbed a kunai and prepared to fight, however, in merely 1 attack, Renjiro sliced his head off! Fujin, Mieko, and Hoka saw this sight. In one fluid motion, Renjiro sliced his enemy''s head off and sheathed his sword, as if he had done something insignificant. Hoka saw it and commented, "That was cool." Mieko snorted and said, "He''s just showing off!" Fujin nodded, agreeing with Mieko. Renjiro looked at his 3 students, who flickered next to him in response. He said, "Good work. Analyze your battle properly. I''ll ask for your analysis later." The trio nodded. Fujin asked, "Sensei, will we be doing something about the bandits that ran away?" Renjiro looked at his clones. Both of them flickered toward the bandits. He replied, "Leave them to my clones. While we did win, I won''t be surprised if they have someone hidden trying to take advantage of us when we put our guard down. A good number of dead ninjas during peacetime die only due to letting their guard down for a moment." The trio nodded in response, absorbing their sensei''s experiences and knowledge. [A/N : Battles are hard to write... Especially when you consider jutsus like Body Flicker and Substitution. Anyways, the first actual fight that I wrote. Lemme know your thoughts.] Hey guys. Really wanted to thank everyone for their support after resuming this fanfic. Especially the P@treons. I didn''t think I''d receive this level of support back when I decided to restart writing. It has been very motivating. Thank You :-) Chapter 77: The Real Goods Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, make a couple of shadow clones and a dozen wind clones. Examine the dead bodies, and take anything valuable they have." He tossed a few storage scrolls at Fujin while speaking, "Store the dead bodies of the ninjas in these scrolls." Fujin nodded and made the clones, who immediately got to work. Renjiro himself made a couple of Shadow clones and a few Mud clones, who began doing the same in the mud river. He looked at Hoka and Mieko and said, "You two should learn Earth clone jutsu later. Once your chakra reserves grow, learn shadow clone jutsu. Both will be very helpful." Mieko and Hoka nodded, "Yes Sensei." While the bandits, valuables, and dead bodies were being cleared, they moved towards the hiding merchants and asked them to come out. The merchants sighed in relief and stopped hiding between their goods and rock shields. However, when they came out, they were shocked looking at the condition of the hills and forest around the area. They were also disturbed by the dead bodies and blood around them. Iha Tosio walked to Renjiro and requested, "Renjiro-sama, can we please move away from here soon?" Renjiro replied, "We need some time to rest. We will move soon. You guys can get ready to move." Hearing that, all the merchants immediately began to prepare to move. Renjiro looked at Hoka and said, "Take your shirt off." Hoka took his shirt off, and Renjiro disinfected the cut on his chest and wrapped it in bandages. Fujin''s clones first checked the ninjas from the 1st wave. They didn''t have anything valuable as all their scrolls were destroyed by Fujin''s first attack. Next, they checked and sealed all the genin and Masato. The genins didn''t have much. Masato, on the other hand, had a lot of Ryo and weapons. Next, they checked the chunins and Tomio. They all had a decent amount of money and weapons. Tomio also had a scroll that listed some Water Release jutsus and another scroll explaining the mission parameters. Fujin''s shadow clone quickly skimmed through the Water jutsu scroll. However, at the end of it, he was disappointed, ''I thought I''d get lucky and get some op jutsu. Unfortunately, these all are rather lame. I can probably get them all from the library.'' Next, he went through the mission scroll, understanding what exactly their mission was. He was surprised, ''These guys sent 5 teams of similar size to intercept all 5 squads that were sent from Konoha? Aren''t they a little too courageous? Also, how the fuck could they enter into the land of Fire so easily? And that too without being detected?'' Fujin sighed at the state of Konoha and Land of Fire, ''If all countries have such a weak border force, even I won''t have any difficulty in moving around. No wonder the Akatsuki were pretty unobstructed. I thought it was a testimony to their power, but it seems like even a genin wouldn''t have much of an issue.'' Renjiro thought about his discussion with the 3rd Hokage. Hokage office - 16 days ago. Hiruzen looked at Daichi and stated, "Daichi, escorting you normally wouldn''t be possible with just one squad. So we will be sealing you and transporting you along with other goods of merchants." Daichi thought for a bit and asked, "The trip to Degarashi Port will take more than 2 weeks. So how will I be sealed?" Hiruzen answered, "We will seal you inside a box. Inside it, we will inscribe seals that''ll ensure a fresh supply of air to you. It''ll also make you undetectable by any means. Your water and food will be stored inside scrolls. With enough to last a month. As for your excretions, you''ll have to do that inside storage scrolls as well." Hearing that, Daichi frowned. He asked, "Is it necessary to do all this? Can''t I just disguise as one of the merchants and join them?" Renjiro shook his head, "No. Your chakra level is higher than a normal civilian. Any sensor would be able to detect you with ease. If detected, all the enemy forces will attack us only. I can''t guarantee your safety if that happens. Daichi sighed and put forth a couple more ideas. But Renjiro stated the flaws in them. Reluctantly, he agreed. Wasabi Family Mansion - Daichi finally saw sunlight after over 2 weeks. He tried getting up, but his legs trembled. Renjiro grabbed him, got him out of the box, and said, "You have barely moved for over 2 weeks. You''ll need some time and might need to do some exercises before you can move properly." Daichi sighed on hearing that. The Wasabi family head just laughed and patted his back, "Don''t worry. At least you are alive." He then bowed to Renjiro and said, "Renjiro san, thank you for resolving our issues. With the losses that the Wagarashi family took, they won''t try anything for a few years at least." Renjiro nodded and replied, "I can''t comment on the internal politics in the Land of Tea, but you should take this opportunity to suppress them completely." The Wasabi family head nodded. He paid Renjiro for the real mission and invited Renjiro and Toshio to stay as guests in his mansion. They both agreed. The next day, Team Renjiro began returning back to Konoha. They travelled at a very fast speed and returned back to Konoha by midnight. Renjiro dismissed the team and gave them a week''s break. Chapter 78: The Chunin Exams The Hokage Office - The next morning, Renjiro met up with Hiruzen to report the mission. After the discussions were done, Hiruzen asked Renjiro, "The next Chunin exam will start soon. Do you plan on nominating the genins?" Renjiro nodded, "Yes. They are quite strong. Becoming chunins shouldn''t be an issue to them. Their teamwork is good as well. They were able to kill an Elite chunin during the mission with ease, though he was handicapped by the terrain." Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, that''s good progress." He suddenly sighed, "I had selected quite a few genins and gave them to capable jounins so that they can be trained quickly. I planned to keep track of all of them, but unfortunately, I didn''t have enough time to follow up on them." Renjiro didn''t respond. After all, he was well aware of how busy the Hokage was. Hiruzen asked, "Can you tell me the current power of the genins and their future prospects?" Renjiro nodded, "Sure old man. As I said, all three are very strong. Hoka is still obsessed with Hyuga''s Gentle Fist style. But he has learnt quite a few jutsus to help him fight at mid-range. He has learnt a few Earth and Water Release jutsus. Once the Hyuga family begins training him seriously, he will have no issue becoming a Special Jounin in a few years. Even becoming a Jounin should be doable for him. As for Elite Jounin, it''s too soon to comment. As for weaknesses, Hoka still prefers Taijutsu a lot. So it creates a few vulnerabilities for him. He''ll need a few rank B missions to iron out that flaw. He does have a decent amount of chakra reserves. So learning a few rank B jutsus should aid him a lot." Hiruzen nodded and replied, "Nice. As for the weakness, almost all Hyuga share it." He sighed before continuing, "They are obsessed with their Gentle Fist." Renjiro nodded. Very few Hyuga ninjas choose to learn non-Hyuga jutsus. Hiruzen continued, "Once he becomes a Chunin, I''ll have him join multiple B rank missions. What about the other two?" Renjiro began talking about Mieko, "Mieko is well-balanced. She is good at Ninjutsu, Genjutsu as well as Taijutsu. And like all Uchiha, she is good with shurikens and wires. Just having the Sharingan makes her strong. Like all Uchiha, she has a strong affinity to Fire Release and can also use Earth Release jutsus for defense. She shouldn''t have any issue becoming a Jounin once her chakra reserves grow. Elite Jounin too might be attainable for her. But I can''t comment much on it right now. Hiruzen continued, "Anyways, you have done a great job with the kids. Now ensure that they captivate the Daimyos in the exam." Renjiro replied, "Alright." He discussed some more matters with Hiruzen, before leaving. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko took a week''s break, resting and reflecting on their performance. Fujin analyzed his performance and concluded, "There isn''t anything I''d do differently. The mission kinda went way too well, to be honest. The only issue I could consider is that I didn''t fight any chunin level ninja head-on. But again, there wasn''t really any opportunity to do so. And forcing it to happen would have been idiotic. That said, I did have a few good ideas to improve my Wind element further and make my fighting style even more lethal... But, I will probably need to learn Mystical Palm jutsu first. Or have a medical ninja with me... Hmm, even that might not be safe enough. I may need to make some protective gear as well. Oh well, I''ll try those ideas later." Not finding anything to improve, Fujin just trained by himself for 7 days. In the following week, Renjiro once again put his students through a gruesome training session. Finally, on one fine day, Renjiro assembled the team after training was done. And he handed them 3 forms. The kids took it and observed. They were instantly excited. Renjiro said, "I have nominated you all to the Chunin exams. If you are all willing to participate, fill in the forms and give them to me tomorrow." The genins immediately said, "Thank You Sensei." Renjiro''s face softened. He smiled and dismissed the team. When everyone left, he sighed while smiling, ''I have grown attached to these kids. I couldn''t even tell them that this was their last training session with me as a team.'' He then looked up at the sky, his smile dying down and a serious and rather grim expression appearing on his face, ''I hope that their fates are different than their seniors.'' The next day, all 3 submitted their application to participate in the Chunin exams. The first exam will be a return test, which will be conducted a week later. Renjiro gave the entire week off to the genins. The genins hence did their own training, while meeting every afternoon, for brainstorming more ideas regarding combination jutsus and teamwork. Chapter 79: The Chunin Exams - First Phase A week later, Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko met in front of the academy building. Fujin looked at them and asked, "Prepared guys?" Both Hoka and Mieko smirked and replied, "Of course" The trio went into the building together. The 1st phase was held in room 301. Fujin wondered, ''Will someone cast a genjutsu on the 2nd floor?'' However, there was no commotion on the 2nd floor. They entered 301 without any issue. On entering the room, they saw hundreds of other genins there. Hoka and Mieko were surprised, while Fujin pretty much expected it. As soon as they entered, they got weird looks from everyone. After all, they were the only 10 year and 9 year old genins here. The trio didn''t bother looking for anyone as none of their classmates were participating. While some other Hyuga and Uchiha were participating, Hoka and Mieko didn''t bother looking for anyone. They just grabbed a few empty seats and sat down together. The room was very noisy, as one would expect when hundreds of teenagers and preteens were put in the same room. At the stroke of 9, a bell rang. It rang thrice, quieting the room. At that time, the door of the classroom slowly opened. Everyone''s attention was drawn to the door. A sickly man walked into the room. He coughed a few times, as everyone watched with confusion. Even Fujin wondered, ''Who is this guy?'' At that instant, 6 ninjas wearing Konoha chunin vests entered the room carrying a lot of papers. The sickly guy coughed again and began saying, "I will be the *cough* Proctor for the 1st *cough* phase." Everyone''s eyes twitched. The genins from Konoha thought, ''Seriously? They couldn''t find anyone else?'' The genins from other villages wonder, ''Is Konoha in such a dire state that they can''t send someone better to hold the exam?'' Immediately the room was filled with genins whispering or chatting with one another. Some even mocked out loudly. At that time, the sickly guy coughed again and said, "Anyone who makes noise *cough* will be thrown out *cough* of the room!" As soon as he said that, he released killing intent, targeting each and every genin in the room! That immediately quieted everyone! No one underestimated him anymore. The majority were frightened by his aura. Even Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko had grim expressions. Fujin wondered, ''How many did he kill to develop such a killing intent?'' He continued, "All of you, *cough* sit one on a *cough* bench." The entire room rearranged quietly. Occupying one seat each. Since he didn''t say anything regarding seating arrangements, everyone sat close to their teammates. Once everyone was seated, the chunins began distributing the papers. They kept the blank side up so that the genins couldn''t read the questions. The sickly guy announced once more, "Don''t touch the papers. *cough* At 9:15, you will *cough* turn the papers over." On saying that, he coughed continuously for a minute. He then looked up and said, "Each paper has 10 *cough* questions. You have 5 *cough* minutes to answer all *cough* questions. To pass, all *cough* three in a squad *cough* need to score full!" That immediately made everyone even tenser. Fujin thought, ''Just 5 minutes? And a 100% score? The only way that would be feasible is if the questions are too easy.''no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. [A/N : He was shown earlier during the Graduation exam] He put his head down, and secretly disrupted his chakra again, to ensure that there wasn''t any multi-layer Genjutsu. He then quickly began answering the questions. Though the numbers changed, the questions were still extremely easy. While writing, he lightly kicked Hoka, who was sitting in front of him, and poured his chakra into him, disrupting his chakra. That broke the Genjutsu on him. He noticed that the numbers had changed, and all his answers were wrong! He quickly changed them. While Hoka was changing his answers, Fujin turned his head and looked at Mieko, who was sitting on his right, ''Great, she has her Sharingan activated.'' Mieko too had noticed the Genjutsu and broken it. After she was done answering, she checked Fujin and Hoka''s chakra with her Sharingan. Seeing that neither was in a genjutsu, she sighed in relief. Fujin answered all his questions and then wondered, ''When exactly did he cast his Genjutsu?'' He looked at Kurama Illumi and noticed that he was still coughing occasionally. Fujin smiled bitterly on understanding, ''His coughing is causing Genjutsu to happen in this room. Maybe not just coughing, even those bell-ringing cast Genjutsu on us. Sound-based Genjutsu, applied in very small amounts to ensure that we don''t notice any sudden altercations in our chakra and since it only changed the question paper that we never saw, we all thought that everything is real.'' While analyzing, Fujin realized, ''Wait. He actually gave us many clues. His continuous coughing was suspicious. And what was the most suspicious were these questions. If the questions were difficult, I''d have never realized the Genjutsu!'' Fujin sighed, ''I didn''t expect to learn anything here. But this exam shows that I''m not as careful and on guard as I need to be. If this was a battlefield, I''d be long dead.'' By 9:20, everyone, irrespective of whether they figured out the genjutsu or not, was done answering. A few seconds before 9:20, Illumi announced in a steady and commanding tone, "Everyone, put your pencils down. Anyone who holds the pencil after the bell rings will be disqualified." The steadiness in his voice surprised many. Right after, the bell rang loudly. Only this time, instead of casting Genjutsu, it broke the Genjutsu. As soon as the Genjutsu was broken, the eyes of many genins widened. They noticed that the questions changed, meaning that their answers were all wrong. Even the sickly Proctor suddenly turned into a healthy guy. Some immediately began creating a ruckus, but Kurama Illumi leaked his killing intent once again. This instantly quieted down the room. Overall, only 31 genins managed to write all answers correctly. And only 8 squads had all 3 members answer correctly. Among the remaining 7 genins, 1 was sitting far away from his team, while the other 6 recognized the genjutsu at the last minute and couldn''t communicate with their team members in time. Fujin sighed in relief, ''Lucky that Hoka was sitting right ahead of me!'' Once the results were known, Kurama Illumi smiled and said, "In battle, many times the enemy will subtly cast Genjutsu on you. That will result in you making one horrible move that''ll put your whole squad in danger. Enemies could also use such methods to pass you misleading information. If you were to fall for it, you might put your entire village at risk. So always be careful and on guard while doing your missions. After all, one wrong move and you could be finished.'' While saying the last sentence, he released his killing intent once again. He then announced, "All those who failed, leave. The ones who passed, wait here. The Proctor for the 2nd exam will meet you here at 9:45." On announcing that, he disappeared. All the remaining genins disrupted their chakra out of reflex. But they couldn''t see him anymore. The genins who failed left in disappointment. But irrespective of their results, all genins learnt an important lesson. [A/N : Damn. Had to think hard and long to come up with something original here. Let me know whether you guys liked it.] Chapter 80: The Chunin Exam - Second Phase While waiting, everyone observed each other. Fujin noticed that there were 3 other teams from Konoha, 1 from Hidden Rain, 1 from Hidden Sand, and 2 from Hidden Mist. He didn''t recognize any of those 21 ninjas. He wondered, ''Isn''t Kiri in the midst of a civil war? Can they still send ninjas to participate in such an event?'' He wondered for a bit before dismissing it, ''Oh well, doesn''t matter. Anyways, the 4th Mizukage won''t show up.'' On remembering the 4th Mizukage, he suddenly had a hilarious thought, ''I wonder if Naruto''s talk-no-jutsu can end Genjutsu, hahaha. Or even better, if he used his Talk-no-jutsu on someone who is controlled by Genjutsu, will his talk-no-jutsu affect the one who cast the Genjutsu?'' [A/N : One shot idea if anyone''s interested :-) ] Seeing Fujin smile, Mieko asked, "Why are you smiling?" Fujin shook his head and answered, "It''s nothing, ignore it." Fujin then tried to sense the chakra levels of the remaining 21 ninjas. Soon he concluded, ''Alright, no one seems abnormal. Only 1 guy from Kiri has a rather large chakra reserve. But even that is less than half of my own. Others are barely at chunin levels.'' Everyone tried similarly analyzing their competitors. At 9:45, a smoke bomb exploded in the front part of the room, attracting everyone''s attention. The smoke slowly began clearing out. Soon, we heard a very loud bark. When the smoke was cleared, a large dog could be seen. It was looking aggressively at the genins. However, none were intimated. Behind the dog, Tsume Inuzuka was standing. She observed the room and muttered softly, "Only 8 teams. I knew it was a terrible idea to make that ass a Proctor!" She looked at all the genins and announced loudly, "I''m Tsume Inuzuka, the Proctor for the 2nd phase of the Chunin Exam. Follow me and Kuromaru." All the genins followed her. She led them across Konoha, to Training Ground 44. She announced loudly, "The 2nd phase of your exams will be conducted in the Forty-Fourth training ground." She smirked, "This training ground is also known as the Forest of Death." This put the genins on alert. At the same time, they also wondered, ''Why is she yelling all the time?'' She continued, "Before I explain to you the details and the rules of the 2nd phase, you have to sign these consent forms!" A genin asked, "What are we consenting to?" 7 Chunins approached 1 squad each. Fujin observed the approaching chunin. He wondered, ''Is this Ebisu?'' Ebisu approached their squad and said, "You three! Follow me." He turned around and began walking. The trio followed him. Fujin wondered, ''I guess he gets promoted sometime in the next 3-4 years. Anyways, there are only 8 teams. So it seems like we will be quite far away from each other.'' He calculated for a moment and sighed, ''Assuming we get placed at an equal distance and cover the entire forest, then the closest one to us will be almost 8 km away. Much farther than we can sense or see.'' Soon they reached their destination. Ebisu said, "The exam will start in 7 minutes, so wait here obediently." He moved away from the trio while keeping an eye on them. Fujin asked softly, "Do you guys have enough weapons?" Both Hoka and Mieko nodded. Hoka said, "Yes, I brought the scroll that sensei makes us carry for C rank missions." Mieko said, "Same here." Fujin replied, "Cool, same here. What about Ration bars?" This time, both of them replied awkwardly. Hoka said, "I only have 5." Mieko said, "Just 4 here." Fujin analyzed, "Hmm, I have 25. So 34 between us. It should last us 2 days. So if we complete our exams in 2 days, we won''t need to make our food." Both nodded. Mieko asked, "So which teams have an Earth scroll?" Hoka replied, "The Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi squad, the Kiri squad of that guy who asked whether we can kill, the Ame squad, and the all Hyuga squad got Earth squads." Mieko thought for a bit and said, "All four should be easy to get." Fujin and Hoka nodded. Hoka commented, "I don''t think any squad is as strong as us. Should we try to collect more scrolls and eliminate other teams?" Mieko quickly stated, "Yes, let''s do that. It''ll be fun!" Fujin shook his head and said, "No. While we are stronger, if we are careless, we might get injured. If that happens, other teams might get an edge over us. Another issue is that some squads might set up traps and ambushes around the tower. So we should stay in our top condition." Mieko complained, "Come on Fujin! We can do it." Fujin sighed and said, "The last round is usually a tournament between us. If we eliminate everyone, how will we show off our capabilities?" That made Mieko give up. Her shoulders dropped comically and she sighed, "Alright" They were about to discuss more when they heard the gate opening. Ebisu said, "Your exam has started. Go in." Chapter 81: Target Located Team Renjiro entered the Forest of Death. After going in, Mieko asked, "So, where should we go?" Hoka replied, "We moved around 8 kilometers from where we were instructed. And I noticed that the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi squad wasn''t approached by any chunin instructor. So they should enter through the gate there. Let''s make a move on them." Fujin replied, "Alright, let''s go." On deciding, the three begin moving quickly towards the route between the spot where they had a meeting and the tower. While moving, Fujin wondered, ''Nara-Yamanaha-Akimichi... The famous Ino-Shika-Chou combo. This fight should be interesting. I should be wary of the Yamanaka though. Don''t want anyone in my head. They looked to be around 14-15 years old. So they should have been together for 2-3 years, meaning that their teamwork should be good. Now, how to fight? Other than sparring, in all fights that I have been in, I have fought purely to kill. And killing them would probably not be a good idea. Should I leave the fighting to these 2 and just provide long-range backup?'' He looked at Hoka and said, "Hoka, the Nara are known for their intelligence. Keep activating your Byakugan occasionally to see if there are any traps." Hoka nodded. Fujin asked them, "Anyways, any thoughts on how to assault them?" Mieko and Hoka too were thinking about how to approach this fight. Mieko said, "These 3 clans are known for their teamwork. So I can put Genjutsu on one of them, and completely disrupt their teamwork. As long as we can knock one member out, the other 2 will fall easily." Hoka replied, "Yes, but we shouldn''t leave ourselves open to the other 2 while knocking one out." He frowned and continued, "Both the Nara clan and Yamanaka clan jutsus are annoying. Especially to a Taijutsu master." Fujin and Mieko both nodded. Fujin thought for a bit and said, "The Yamanaka clan are known for being sensors. So we may not have the surprise element. But I think the best way to start will be with a Fire-Wind combo jutsu from a range. It should catch them off guard even if they notice us. And if the attack causes them to split, then it''ll be easier for us." Hoka nodded and said, "Yeah, if they split up, then I can defeat the Akimichi easily." Mieko said, "I can take on the Yamanaka. He won''t get a chance to use his jutsus against me." This attracted the attention of his teammates. Nara Minori sighed, ''If I ignore him any longer, he might take over my body and do shameful acts again.'' He said, "This time, only 8 teams have passed into the 2nd round. So we will likely not see any quick results. All teams are far away from each other. So finding anyone will be tough. We should wait here and set up traps. When someone finds us, we will surprise and defeat them. As there are only 4 Earth scrolls, they will desperately look for us." Yamanaka Kaoru replied, "That makes sense. However, what if someone passes the exams with an extra heaven scroll?" Nara Minori replied, "Then we will just be unlucky." Yamanaka Kaoru immediately had a deadpan expression. He made a hand seal. Nara Minori immediately spoke, "But if the opposite happens, then it''ll give us even more opportunities." Yamanaka Kaoru said, "Yeah, but that''s not something we can control." Nara Minori replied, "Yeah, but we aren''t exactly the strongest squad. Sure our teamwork is good. But if we have to fight 2 squads one after another on neutral ground, we will lose badly. Not to mention, 2 squads have Hyugas. And both had their Byakugan activated when the scrolls were being distributed. So we should expect at least one of them to find us if they need Earth scrolls." The duo kept discussing strategy, while Yutaka kept thinking about how to arrange for food. After some time, Yamanaka Kaoru suddenly stopped talking. Seeing his expression, Akimichi Yutaka asked, "What happened?" Yamanaka Kaoru replied, "I just sensed someone sensing us. Get ready." He sat down and began sensing around him too. Unfortunately, he couldn''t sense anyone. Nara Minori got serious too. He didn''t expect to fight someone so quickly. He asked, "Which squad is it?" Yamanaka Kaoru replied, "I can''t sense them." That made Nara Minori even more alert, "This means that their squad has a better sensor than you." He frowned, "But which squad would have a sensor with a range exceeding 500 meters?" Chapter 82: Quick Clash Around 800 meters from their location, Fujin said, "Found them!" That surprised Mieko, "Already?" Fujin replied, "Yeah, but it looks like that Yamanaka is a sensor after all. He noticed it when I sensed them." Hoka immediately activated his Byakugan, "Yeah, I see them too. Around 800 meters from our location. And yeah, that Yamanaka is trying to sense us too." Fujin said, "Hmm, but I didn''t sense anyone sensing me. It looks like we are out of their range." Mieko replied, "That''s good. It means that we have the initiative in our hands!" Fujin chuckled and replied, "How exactly do you plan on taking advantage from 800 meters away?" That made her scowl. She began thinking and soon said, "Let us just wait here while he is trying to sense us. It''ll exhaust him. When he stops, we can move in by flickering quickly." Fujin analyzed and said, "And how can you tell when he stops sensing us?" She looked at Hoka. Hoka replied, "I can''t tell that. I can see that he is sitting with a hand seal made. I can tell you when he stops that, but it won''t be a surety that he stops sensing us." Hoka kept his Byakugan activated, while Kaoru kept trying to sense them for the next three minutes. Nara Minori frowned, ''Something isn''t right.'' He looked at Kaoru and asked, "Are they still not in range?" Kaoru shook his head. Minori then said, "Act like you are tired, and stop maintaining that hand seal and get up. But keep your chakra field active." Kaoru didn''t reply and followed what his teammate said. Hoka suddenly said, "He stopped and got up." Fujin replied, "Too soon. It looks like they are baiting us." However, Mieko got impatient. She said, "It doesn''t matter, let''s go!" And she flickered. Both Fujin and Hoka followed her. Fujin said, "Prepare your jutsu." Mieko began supercharging her jutsu. Fujin did as well. Even before they could extinguish the flames, they all felt a kunai placed at the back of their necks. Fujin''s wind clones said, "Don''t move. Give up your scroll and we will leave." Understanding the severity of the situation, Minori said, "Give it." Kaoru immediately handed the scroll. Fujin asked, "Is this scroll real?" Minori replied quickly, "It is." Fujin looked at Hoka and Mieko, and they both nodded. Fujin did too and they all flickered away. Minori, Kaoru, and Yutaka immediately doused the fire on them and ran away from the area. After moving around 500 meters west, Yutaka slammed his hand on the ground, ''Earth Release : Camp jutsu'' He created an underground cave, where they hid and began treating their wounds. Yutaka smiled bitterly and said, "We lost to the youngest squad." Minori sighed, "They were too swift and brutal. We didn''t even have a chance to retaliate." Kaoru was depressed, "This is depressing. We lost to 10 year old kids this time. I don''t think I''ll ever become a chunin!" Minori and Yutaka felt bad on seeing him. He was almost in tears. However, they knew that, with their wounds, getting 2 more scrolls would be impossible. They both decided to train seriously for the next 6 months and become chunins. Yutaka said, "Sorry Kaoru. Next time we will train even more and become chunins." Kaoru didn''t reply. Elsewhere, Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko gathered together 500 meters north of where the fight happened. Fujin said, "Well, this was easy." Mieko grinned and said, "Yes, our surprise attack always works!" Hoka sighed and said, "I too want to join in on your combo jutsu! It''s so devastating!" Fujin said, "Sadly Earth and Water don''t mix up well with Fire-Wind. Anyways, now that we have our scroll, let''s rush to the tower. It has only been 15 minutes since the exam started. We may become the fastest squad to clear this round!" Hearing this, both Mieko and Hoka got excited. They both said, "Let''s go!" The trio ran at a very fast speed towards the tower! Fujin thought, ''There are only 6 more teams. It''s unlikely that someone will go to the tower so soon.'' However, he was wrong. Very wrong! Chapter 83: : 81: Fighting in a Dumb Way While Fujin''s and Minori''s teams had clashed, the other teams still hadn''t made contact with anyone. Some teams chose to hide. While some decided to go on a hunt. They would end up trying to track each other for more than half a day before the first clash would happen. Meanwhile, the 2nd team from Kiri decided to run straight to the tower and prepare a trap there. On route, they had to fight wild beasts thrice, which slowed their speed. They needed around 30 minutes before the tower was in sight. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko too came across wild beasts twice. One was a 5 meter tall Chimp, while the 2nd was a 3 meter tall Tiger! However, both were cut with ease by Fujin. There were other obstructions too along the way. Such as a massive beehive that was poked by Mieko! She did end up burning them away, but not before getting stung in the face a couple of times. Hoka and Fujin laughed at her cost. As they were moving along, Fujin wondered, ''At this rate, we will break the record by a huge difference! So why did this team not make the record in canon? Was only my addition enough to make such a huge difference?'' Fujin thought for a bit before concluding, ''It''s likely that Renjiro became our Jounin Instructor due to my request of being taught Samurai Saber Technique. So whoever became the Jounin instructor of these two most probably didn''t train them with the same intensity as Renjiro. Also, without me, the team wouldn''t have the Fire-Wind combo jutsus which gives us a huge advantage to start with. Oh well, doesn''t matt...'' Fujin''s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Hoka saying, "There''s a team ahead 700 meters from us." Fujin frowned and asked, "Which one?" Hoka replied, "Looks like a Kiri squad." Fujin asked, "Is it that guy who asked that question?" Hoka shook his head and said, "The other Kiri team." Mieko said, "Let''s fight! The last one was unsatisfying." Hoka agreed with her, "Yes, I agree." Fujin said, "Alright. Their other team seemed very interested in killing." He grinned and said, "So we might as well kill this one!" They moved ahead quickly. Fujin said, "These guys don''t seem to have a sensor. They might die just from the surprise attack." Hoka frowned and quickly said, "Let''s not do the surprise attack! I want to fight them!" Fujin raised his eyebrow and asked, "Why no sneak attack? It''s dumb to not do it when we have the opportunity." Satoru also created a few hand signs, ''Hidden Mist Jutsu.'' While the 3rd one opened a scroll, got a huge bandage, and placed it gently but quickly on her scalp! She was freaked out! Fujin was surprised at how quickly they counterattacked. He moved to his left, to dodge 3 water bullets continuously, before sending another flying slash. All 3 moved away! Hoka and Mieko attacked as soon as they dodged the slash. Mieko launched Phoenix Fire Sage jutsu on them but was countered by Yumi''s Water Wall. Hoka tried to close in to fight, but Kohaku, who recovered surprisingly quickly, threw a kunai with an explosion tag attached to it. Hoka was forced to fall back. Soon, mist began gathering in the area. This made all 3 Konoha genins frown. The Hidden Mist jutsu was known to obstruct both the Sharingan as well as the Byakugan. Fujin moved behind and used ''Great Breakthrough Jutsu'' after supercharging it for a couple of seconds. Mieko and Hoka noticed Fujin supercharging his jutsu and retreated behind Fujin. The Kiri genins had no idea. They were hit by a massive Great Breakthrough jutsu! All the mist was blown away. They were having a hard time holding on to the ground. Yumi barely made a hand seal, ''Water Wall jutsu'' A water wall began forming, but it kept getting blown apart by the winds. Kohaku and Satoru used the few moments of respite to use defensive jutsus as well. Satoru created another Water Wall, while Kohaku created a Rock shield. However, at that time, both Mieko and Hoka also launched their jutsu. Mieko spat a huge Fireball into Fujin''s Great Breakthrough jutsu. While Hoka used ''Stone Shuriken jutsu'' to attack them from a range. The fire and winds managed to destroy 2 water walls and heated the rock shield, but it held on. However, due to the wild nature of the winds, the fire spread all over and attacked them by moving around the rock shield. However, this wasn''t strong enough. Yumi used ''Water Shield jutsu'' in time to protect them. Hoka''s Stone Shurikens were blocked by the Rock shield. Seeing the opponents manage to defend surprised all 3 of them. Mieko grinned and said, "They are strong. This is fun!" Hoka and Fujin had slightly different thoughts. Hoka was sad, ''Why is no one fighting with Taijutsu?'' Fujin, on the other hand, wondered, ''We are just 100 meters from the tower. Should I grab these 2 and flicker?''Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n. Chapter 84: Bitter Resistance After the Fire and the Winds died down, Hoka and Mieko flickered close to their opponents. The Kiri genins noticed, and got ready. Fujin thought, ''This could be a long fight. Let''s end this.'' He instantly created 12 Wind Clones, who jumped into battle, while he stayed back, observing the fight. As soon as Mieko appeared, Yumi rushed towards her and both began fighting with their kunai. Kohaku used Stone Shuriken jutsu on Hoka. He dodged and blocked all of them, but was made to retreat once more with another Explosion tag. Satoru was about to join the battle as well, however, he saw 12 clones coming and his expression became grim. He quickly made a hand seal and created 3 water clones. He made a few more hand signs, ''Water Shuriken jutsu'' Soon, water shurikens flew towards the clones. However, they all dodged with ease. 3 clones moved towards the water clones. The water clones too moved against them. The Kiri genins were on alert, due to 9 additional clones heading towards them. Satoru''s water clones thought that the wind clones wanted to engage in hand-to-hand combat and were very confident. However, just before they reached them, all 3 clones suddenly used Wind Explosion jutsu. The jutsu was performed very quickly. The water clones couldn''t defend themselves and were hit. All 3 were dispelled. All the Wind clones suddenly flickered and surrounded Kohaku, who was already injured earlier. She was alarmed! So were her two teammates. Yumi tried going to help her but was blocked by Mieko. Satoru did move to aid her and used Water Shuriken jutsu on the clones. All but one clone immediately launched Wind Explosion jutsu on her. The last clone used ''Breakthrough jutsu'' on the incoming Water Shurikens.l--B1n. Fujin saw from afar and thought, ''One down''. However, he was surprised! Kohaku made a hand sign, and disappeared underground! Hoka, who was annoyed by Kohaku, immediately made his move. He slammed his hands on the ground, ''Rock Spear jutsu'' Mieko and Hoka became alert. But soon Mieko said arrogantly, "Let''s keep attacking. We will beat both of them and knock them out." Hoka too supported her, "Yes, this is getting exciting, let''s do it." Fujin once again had a deadpan expression, ''These cocky brats!'' Seeing that Fujin wasn''t replying, Mieko and Hoka turned and were about to chase. However, Fujin had enough of their antics. Before either Hoka or Mieko could flicker, Fujin grabbed their shoulders. They both turned their heads and looked at him. Mieko asked, "What?" Fujin didn''t reply and just grinned, ''Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu'' Before either of them realized what was happening, Fujin dragged them both alongside him with Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu and entered the Tower, which was very close to their location. Hoka and Mieko were both shocked when Fujin dragged them along with him. They wanted to stop him but couldn''t do anything. In an instant, they appeared inside the tower. Both were dumbfounded. Mieko then got very angry and shouted, "Why did you drag us here? It was just getting exciting!" Fujin replied in an amused tone, "We couldn''t defeat those 3. How were you planning to defeat 6?" Mieko angrily replied, "They were just running away like rats! I just needed one look in their eyes, and they would have died." Fujin smirked and replied, "Forget looking into their eyes, you didn''t even manage to land a single wound on them." Mieko was about to reply when she realized what Fujin said was true. All her attacks were blocked or dodged. She just snorted and said, "I''ll remember this Fujin!" She walked away from him after saying that. Fujin just shrugged and looked towards Hoka. He bitterly said, "I didn''t get to fight anyone." Fujin shrugged again and sighed, ''Why do I have to put up with these 2 arrogant brats? At least they were in control with Renjiro. Now they just want to fight without using their brains.'' Chapter 85: Exposing a Kekkei Genkai Around 100 meters away from the tower, the Mist genins were still being chased by Fujin''s clones. They soon noticed that Hoka and Mieko were missing. Yumi wondered, ''Where are they? Are they planning a sneak attack?'' She focused Chakra in her eyes once again and observed. However, she couldn''t sense any of them nearby. This made her worry a lot. She tried again and again to sense them, but couldn''t see either of them. Unfortunately for her, the tower had all sorts of anti-sensor seals on them. So she couldn''t see their chakra signatures inside the tower. She kept her guard the whole time, till their team met the other Kiri squad. On seeing them, Yumi immediately shouted, "Rentaro. Aid us!" Rentaro was close friends with Yumi. He nodded and commanded his teammates, "Clear out those clones." On his commands, all 6 Kiri genins attacked Fujin''s wind clones. Fujin''s shadow clone sighed, ''My Wind clones are almost out of chakra. Or I''d have been able to gather their information.'' When the Kiri genins began, Yumi shouted, "Be careful. Two of his teammates are probably hidden nearby. I can''t sense them." That made them stay on guard. The Wind clones knew that they didn''t have enough chakra. They had already sensed Fujin flicker away with Hoka and Mieko. So this was just supposed to check their skills. 6 Wind clones suddenly stepped back and dispersed, while the remaining 6 clones attacked them head-on. When the clones and Kiri genins reached each other, Yumi, Satoru, and Kohaku were prepared for the incoming Wind Explosion jutsus. But the other 3 Kiri genins weren''t aware. As soon as the clones were around 10 meters away from them, they instantly launched a couple of Wind Explosion jutsus. Yumi countered with Water Bullet jutsu. Satoru created a Water Wall and followed up with Water Shuriken jutsu. Kohaku used Rock Shield jutsu and followed up with Rock spear jutsu. Suddenly, Rentaro''s chakra exploded. He made a few hand seals quickly and spat out a huge amount of water. At the same time, one of his teammates made hand signs rapidly. The water released by Rentaro quickly began freezing. The sword slash initially hit the water and easily split it. But soon, the water began freezing. The sword slash hit the ice. It still went through it, cracking the ice. However, it slowed down. It cut through 80% of the ice before it lost power. The Kiri genins freaked out on seeing that even ice was being cut. They finally sighed in relief and dropped to the ground on seeing the slash being stopped. The winds accompanying the slash were also blocked. Fujin was shocked, ''Ice Kekkei genkai? Aren''t the bloodline clans being hunted in Kiri? Does that mean that these guys came from Mei''s faction?'' He quickly analyzed while keeping an eye on them, ''Is Mei trying to get some help from Hiruzen? Also, has she begun the rebellion so soon? No, since she has Kekkei Genkais, it makes sense that she would have already begun the resistance. Though it should be a long war before she wins. I don''t think Hiruzen would help out though. There''s no mention of this in the manga. And Konoha is suffering from less manpower. So joining a war will be stupid. Not to mention, Uchiha and the Hokage faction are in a power struggle. So Konoha shouldn''t have any resources to spare.'' While he was analyzing, the Kiri genins finally landed back on the ground. Rentaro''s face was ugly. He said, "I didn''t expect Konoha to have such a strong genin!" Fujin replied, "I didn''t expect Kiri to send an Ice Kekkei Genkai ninja. I wonder if any more of you have Kekkei Genkai." While speaking, he looked at Yumi. He continued, "Nor did I expect you guys to survive despite being in a crunch so many times. You guys are strong too." Yumi asked, "Do you want a truce? We won''t attack you guys during this 2nd phase as long as you won''t attack us. That way, we will all have a good chance to proceed to the next round. Otherwise, we will just injure each other." Rentaro frowned on hearing it. Fujin was surprised as well, ''Not only do they have excellent survival skills, but she is also smart enough to ask for a truce. I wonder if they have already participated in some war.'' Fujin''s analysis was on point. All 6 of them had engaged in multiple clashes with the 4th Mizukage faction. They had real war experience. And a lot of it. Which is why they managed to survive the onslaught. Yumi was someone they were trying to develop into a leader. Fujin smirked and said, "My teammates wanted to fight even the six of you head-on. So a truce is out of the question." Hearing that, Yumi sighed, ''I am worried that they will ambush us again and again. Also, where are his two teammates?'' Fujin continued, "Anyways, I''m out of chakra. See you later." And the clone dispelled himself. The Kiri genins were shocked to see that they were fighting a Shadow clone! Chapter 86: Record & Reward Yumi quickly analyzed, "All three of them retreated when Rentaro''s squad got in range. And they only sent a clone to check us out. But, how did they get away so quickly? My eyes can look at chakras up to 520 meters!" Rentaro said, "If they escaped, it means that they were afraid of us." Yumi shook her head and said, "They have a Hyuga. His range should be greater than mine. I suspect that the guy we were fighting is a sensor too. And all 3 of them are experts at flickering. So they can continuously ambush us for the next 5 days. The worst will be if they ambush us when we are fighting. We will be at a huge disadvantage!" The expressions of the Kiri genins became grim. It was never a good feeling to be hunted. Especially considering how relentless their opponents were. Yumi looked at Rentaro and said, "Let''s team up. Otherwise, we may be attacked one by one by them." Rentaro unwillingly agreed, "Alright. But who gets the scroll?" Yumi asked, "Which scroll do you guys have?" He replied, "Earth scroll." Yumi said, "We have a Heaven scroll. If we find a Heaven scroll, you guys take it. If we find an Earth scroll, we will take it. If we don''t manage to get any, then you can take our Heaven scroll and advance to the 3rd round." On hearing that, Satoru and Kohaku complained. But Yumi said, "If Rentaro''s squad didn''t appear, then we may have died to that Leaf squad. So we owe them one." Rentaro''s squad agreed to that condition, and they began treating their wounds. Once healed, they moved together until they found the required scrolls. The entire time they were in the Forest of Death, they were highly alert to any ambushes. But they were never attacked by Fujin''s team. After all, they had already passed the exam even before Fujin''s clones fought against the six of them! Tower - Inside the tower, Fujin, Mieko, and Hoka had opened both scrolls. It summoned Adachi Genki. He was quite happy to see Fujin and Hoka. And was shocked at how quickly the exam was cleared! He said, "Fujin, Hoka, good to see you two again. Mieko as well. I didn''t expect you guys would take the chunin exams so soon. But how did you manage to clear the exam so quickly? It hasn''t even been an hour." Mieko looked begrudgingly at Fujin and said, "We shouldn''t have finished it so quickly!" Fujin shrugged once again and said, "We came across a team that had the scroll we needed and beat them easily. They handed over their scroll quickly and we moved towards the tower. We did fight a Kiri team afterwards, but they escaped and we entered the tower." Genki was surprised. He asked, "That much in less than an hour?" All 3 nodded as none of them felt it was difficult. Mieko asked, "Do we have to wait in the tower for the other teams?" Genki nodded and replied, "Yes. I think they will send someone to explain the details." Hoka didn''t have any questions. Fujin thought for a bit and had a thought. He suddenly asked, "Sensei, you said we broke the record, right?" Genki nodded, "Yes." Fujin asked, "So do we get any rewards?" Sweat immediately appeared on Genki''s forehead! He recalled the scene of Fujin asking the 3rd Hokage for swords made of chakra metal. He quickly said, "No, there''s no reward for this. It might help you be promoted to chunin though." Fujin frowned and muttered lightly, "The village is so stingy!" Genki heard it and thought, ''I don''t think Lord 3rd will ever ask you to choose a reward again.'' Fujin, however, was thinking, ''At the end of this phase, Hiruzen will visit and give another speech. Should I ask for a reward then?'' While he was thinking, Genki said, "Well, that''s all from me. I''ll see you later." And he disappeared in smoke. Fujin kept analyzing, ''If he says no then, it''ll be embarrassing for him. To say no to promising youngsters who are working hard for their village, will hit his prestige. Though, he is thick-skinned enough to say no even then.'' As he was thinking, his eyes moved towards Mieko. He thought, ''Right! The elders and Uchiha have bad blood. He might give a reward to show that he is rewarding young Uchiha and is impartial to them. He might even hope that this reduces the bad blood a bit. That said, if Genki is also present, should I still ask?'' He thought and then shook his head, ''It doesn''t matter if he''s there or not. The dao of shamelessness should live on! Especially considering how freaking shameless they are. If he still says no, I will put on a sad face and act depressed. After I become a chunin, I''ll ask for those wind chakra metal swords that he promised me earlier.'' Mieko and Hoka noticed that Fujin was in deep thought. Hoka asked, "What are you thinking about?" Fujin replied, "Oh, nothing important. What do we do now?" [A/N : Hey guys. Could use some ideas for the following. Please comment on the paragraphs below if you have a decent idea for these. 1. Good ideas for rank B missions 2. Ideas to train Lightning element (no leaf exercise) 3. Ideas to train Fire Element (no leaf exercise) Chapter 87: Training Rooms As Fujin asked that question, a chunin instructor appeared in their room. He said, "Congrats on passing the 2nd exam. You will stay in the tower for the next 5 days until this round is over." Mieko complained, "5 days? What will we do here for 5 whole days?" Hoka and Fujin too nodded. Making them stay here for 5 whole days was unreasonable. The chunin replied, "That''s the rule. If you leave the tower, you will be disqualified from the exam." Mieko pointed at the chunin and said loudly, "Hey, that''s unreasonable." Hoka nodded and said, "Yes, it is." The chunin dismissed their complaints and said, "There are a lot of facilities in this tower. Including many training rooms. You can access them and train there for the next 5 days." This calmed the genins down. Fujin asked, "What about food?" The chunin replied, "It''ll be made. Come to the dining room at 8 AM, noon, 4 PM, and 7 PM. The dining room is on the 1st floor." He then explained some more details, such as their sleeping arrangements, and then left. The genins looked at each other and said, "Let''s check out the training rooms." And they left. The training rooms were on the 2nd floor. The floor had most of its area closed off by a wall, forming a circular shape in the center of the floor. Fujin realized, ''The other side should be a part of that area where preliminaries happened. The rooms were on the outer side of the floor, with a meter-wide circular passage to access them. The genins checked out the name plates on all rooms. There were 2 meditation rooms, 2 rooms for dodging, 1 for Taijutsu, 5 for each element, 1 for Shuriken practice, and a few more rooms. Hoka said, "I''m entering the Taijutsu training room." Mieko said, "I''m going for shuriken practice." Fujin thought for a bit and said, "I''m interested in seeing what the meditation room has to offer." Fujin entered the meditation room. The room was mostly empty. A couple of bulbs were on in the room. The walls had multiple candles at certain locations. And there were a few Incense sticks placed around the room too. At the center of the room, a mat was placed. He thought for a bit, before coming up with 2 ways, ''I haven''t thought what gift I can ask from Hiruzen. So I could ask him to build such a meditation environment at my home. But, this way isn''t a guarantee. I won''t get this if he doesn''t care about his thick face and says no. The better way would probably be to just create such an environment back home. This place has many seals inscribed, which likely aid in meditation. So it should be made with the help of Fuinjutsu. I should be able to make one too, the only issue is that I don''t recognize most of the seals.'' He thinks for a bit more and decides, ''I''ll draw every seal in this room and record their location. After I become Chunin, our team should be disbanded. So I''ll finally have time to learn Fuinjutsu. If all these seals are available in the library, then I will be able to create such a room too.'' He immediately drew the entire room on a large drawing paper he had stored in one of his many scrolls. He drew all the seals and recorded the distance between each seal in absolute terms and ratio with respect to the size of the room. He grabbed one of the incense sticks that was lying around and took a bit of wax from one of the candles on the walls. After storing everything properly, he wondered, ''Since this tower had such a room, is it safe to say that every clan has such training rooms? If true, it would explain why the chakra reserves of clan kids are usually higher than civilian kids and why they are able to master their clan jutsus so quickly. Looks like it isn''t all just talent and guidance. I should check out the other meditation room and see if everything''s the same. And I should also check out every training room, and check the feasibility of creating such rooms.'' While he was thinking about recreating all the training rooms, he chuckled, ''Well, that''s kinda pointless. There''s no way my small house can have such rooms, haha.'' While walking over to the other meditation room, he thought, ''Should I buy a new home? Hmm, do I even have money to buy a new home? Or would it be better if I make a secret base?'' He checked the other room and noticed that everything there was exactly the same. He then began walking over to the Dodging practice training room. ''Having a secret base will be very convenient. Konoha also has a lot of empty spaces to make secret bases. But, in a village full of ninjas, is it possible to hide a secret base? Hmm, I couldn''t sense anything inside this tower from the outside. And, if I recall right, there are seals that can block even the Byakugan. So it might be doable, but still very risky. Should I make one outside the village? No one would check the endless forests after all. But I''ll need to be able to sneak out and into the village to actually be able to use it. Oh well, let me learn the seals first. I can then worry about how to make it work. The Uchiha massacre should be happening soon too. I could try to sneak in and use their training rooms if they exist after the massacre.'' [A/N : Thanks for the suggestions. Feel free to post more if you get more ideas in the future :-)] Chapter 88: Dodging Practice Fujin entered the Dodging Practice training room. He noticed that there were multiple mechanisms around the room to launch shurikens, kunai, and senbon needles. But all were made out of wood. And none were sharp. Fujin grinned, ''This should be exciting.'' He read the training manual for this room. It confirmed that all weapons were harmless. Fujin walked to the center of the room. There was a pulling lever with one rod extending out here. To activate the mechanism, first, the lever had to be moved. The degree to which the lever is moved would denote the percentage of mechanisms that would be activated. Once the lever was pulled, a button had to be stepped on to launch the weapons. The manual stated that this can be done only 100 times before the mechanisms needed to be refilled. Fujin wondered, ''How many storage seals did they inscribe in this room?'' While wondering, he grinned and pulled the lever to the max. And then stepped on the button. Immediately, all weapons ran down on him. Shurikens rained on him from 7 different locations. He could see 5, while the other 2 locations were behind him. He still heard them being launched and moved to a spot where the shurikens won''t hit him. As soon as he moved there, senbon needles rained on him. He managed to dodge most, but 5 still hit him. One after another, for the next 2 minutes, weapons kept attacking him. At the end of 2 minutes, it finally stopped. The entire floor was covered with blunt wooden weapons. Fujin frowned, ''I was hit many times. I lost count at 136! And I had to block 7 with my hands as they would have hit my eyes. Is it even possible to dodge them all? Or rather, at what level can you dodge them all? Oh well, this time lemme try it while using other weapons to block them.'' He picked up a few kunais and senbons and placed them in his pockets. He kept 3 kunais in each hand. He spent the next 4 hours in the dodging room. By the end, all 4 walls had huge stacks of wooden weapons piled. Fujin looked at it and thought, ''Rest in peace the fellow who is supposed to refill these.'' He left the room and went to the dining room to grab a bite, ''It''s almost 5 PM. I hope they still give breakfast.'' After breakfast, he went into the Wind Element Training room while wondering, ''Wind element training in a closed room? I wonder how that works?'' On entering the room, he saw that the room was rather empty. There was only a meditation mat at the center of the room. He picked up the manual. It read - This is the training room for Wind Element. To train, sit on the mat at the center of the room, and meditate. The table on which this manual has been placed has a few boxes. Each box has 9 strips. The strips, from left to right, are made of - Leaf, Alder Wood, Soft Maple Wood, Hard Maple Wood, Aluminium, Copper, Steel, Titanium, and Diamond. [A/N : I initially wondered whether all these types of metals would be available in Naruto. But considering the amounts of weapons they manufacture and the technological advancements, later on, it''s kinda safe to say all should be available.] The strips, from left to right, get progressively harder. You can test how strong your wind nature is by trying to cut them. Fujin grabbed a box from the table and opened it. The strips were all 1 cm in thickness. He picked up the strips one by one and began cutting them with his wind chakra. The Leaf, Alder wood, Soft and Hard Maple wood strips were cut. On the aluminum strip, Fujin managed to create a 3-millimeter cut from either side. But couldn''t go any deeper. Fujin put the aluminum strip as well as the cut strips back in the box and put it in his scroll. He then walked towards the mat, sat on it, and began meditating. Chapter 89: Shock While Fujin was meditating, Tsume walked up to the 2nd floor with her ninja dog while muttering, "Since one team came so early, I expected the others to come in soon too. But this is too boring. Proctoring is boring! Luckily there are a lot of training rooms here." The training rooms here were made for the instructors who''d be bored waiting for the genins to reach the tower. In a way, these training rooms were their reward or payment. Tsume went into the same Dodging Practice Training room as Fujin had earlier. On opening, she was shocked! ''Why are the weapons littered all on the ground?'' She checked some of the mechanisms and noticed that there were no weapons in them. She got out of the room and yelled, "TOSHIYUKI! GET HERE!" The shout was loud enough to be heard throughout the tower, except in the training rooms. The chunin named Toshiyuki, who was in charge of maintaining the training rooms, immediately went to her and asked, "What happened, Tsume-sama?" Her mood got even worse. She yelled at him, "You didn''t do your job of cleaning and refilling the training rooms, and you have the courage to ask me what happened?" He was shocked. But he maintained his composure and replied in a neutral tone, "Tsume-sama, I cleaned and refilled all the training rooms last night." However, his face displayed slight anger at being wrongly accused. Tsume noticed it. She asked, "Really? Say that after you check this room." She pointed towards the training room. He entered it and was shocked to see that all 100 attempts were used up. He quickly said, "Ma''am, I refilled the mechanisms here last night. I did it for both the dodging rooms. So someone must have used it all." Tsume calmed down and asked, "Someone used all 100 attempts? Who all have been training here?" He replied, "How can I know that?" She snorted and looked at Kuromaru. Kuromaru said, "Let''s check." Both she and Kuromaru began smelling the room. Soon Kuromaru said, "Here" and moved towards the wooden weapons and grabbed a kunai, and handed it to Tsume. Tsume smelled it and realized, "This smells like that civilian brat from Renjiro''s squad." Kuromaru also confirmed it, "Yes." She looked at the chunin and asked, "Were those 3 genins told about the training rooms?" The chunin nodded, "Yes. Takeshi said that they were asking a lot of questions and he told them to spend their time in the training room." She replied, "Oh!" On the 23rd round, they both managed to dodge all weapons for the first time. In the 100 rounds, they managed to dodge everything perfectly 11 times. Tsume left the training room feeling proud and told Kuromaru, "Let''s increase it to 15 times tomorrow." It was 10 PM by the time they were done. The chunins in the tower were very surprised when they didn''t see Tsume during the dinner. After hearing the story from Toshiyuki, they realized that she too decided to complete 100 rounds. After entering the dining room, she found that it was empty. She began preparing her dinner and called for a chunin. When he arrived, she asked, "Any update for today?" He replied, "Nothing of importance. No other teams passed yet. No unusual activities have been reported either in the forest or the tower." Tsume nodded and asked, "What about the ones who passed? What have they been doing?" The chunin replied, "All 3 came down for dinner. After dinner, Uchiha Mieko and Hyuga Hoka explored the tower for a bit before going into their rooms. Suzuki Fujin was seen heading back to the 2nd floor. We checked a few mins ago, the Wind training room is still occupied." She was surprised once again. However, soon she just sighed and muttered, "Seems like he is a training maniac. Let him keep training." Forest of Death - Not much fighting happened in the forest of death. Among the Kiri genins, Kohaku was very injured, and others too had a lot of cuts. They chose to apply first aid and waited till the wounds closed up and didn''t cause any pain. The Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi team also stayed hidden. The Hyuga team found the team from Suna. However, their fight was inconclusive as Suna genins kept attacking from a range. They both ended up retreating. The team from Ame clashed with the last Konoha team. They lost but managed to retreat. So except for the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi team, all others had their scrolls. Chapter 90: Elemental Crystals Wind Training Room : Fujin meditated for an hour, before waking up. He kept sitting on the mat while being very confused. ''What''s this strange feeling that I kept getting the whole time? It''s as if my wind affinity is increasing. Or perhaps my wind chakra is becoming more potent. Either way, it should be very good for my wind element. But how?'' He meditated again, and spread his chakra field throughout the room, ''Hmm, nothing here.'' His chakra field then expanded into the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room. And he noticed, ''What''s this? It looks like there''s a stone with a high amount of wind chakra in it. And it''s very dense. It looks like while meditating here, we absorb chakra from it in small amounts. That''s why I got that weird feeling.'' Fujin got off the mat and made a hand seal. ''Earth Military Movement jutsu'' He entered the floor. On entering the floor, he could see a lot of seals, and inside the seal was a green crystal. Fujin analyzed, ''Probably not a good idea to test these seals. But the crystal has very dense wind chakra. And it looks like it can help make our Wind element stronger. Is this chakra metal? Or something else like an ore? Well, let''s call it the Wind Chakra crystal for now. The important question is, can I absorb it faster? And, how can I get more of them? Also, I need to check whether all other elemental training rooms have something similar.'' He went above the floor and thought, ''I should have dinner for now. After dinner, I''ll check if I can absorb this energy rapidly. I wonder what benefits I''ll get from this. Though I should also be careful in case it''s harmful to absorb it in excess.'' He left for dinner. He met Hoka and Mieko there. They had a small chat. The chunins in the tower also introduced themselves and had small talks with the genins. After dinner, Fujin returned to the Wind Training room. He began meditating and tried absorbing as much energy as he could from the Wind Chakra crystal. While meditating, his entire focus was on the Wind Chakra Crystal and its energy. In the first 6 hours, he didn''t have much success. However, sometime after that, he began steadily absorbing energy from the crystal. He lost himself in meditation, completely losing the sense of time! When he opened his eyes, it was already 7 AM! Fujin analyzed, ''I didn''t have much success initially. But I think I managed to use up 1% of the energy of the crystal in this meditation session. I wonder if this absorption rate is fast or slow. And how often does Konoha switch or recharge this crystal? He calmed himself down and decided, ''Lucky, this crystal''s efficiency hasn''t reduced. I guess this is due to the seals. But I should stop here. I might be able to completely exhaust this crystal before this round ends. But if my speed of using this energy is higher than normal, then I''ll get a lot of unneeded energy. I should check out the other rooms and see if they have similar crystals, and if I can refine my chakra with their energy as well.'' After dinner, he went to the Earth Training room. On entering, he used ''Earth Military Movement jutsu'' and went underground to check. ''As I thought. A similar crystal with dense Earth chakra is here. But, the amount of chakra seems low. It has only about 15% of the chakra as compared to what the wind chakra crystal had.'' He thought for a bit and concluded, ''Makes sense I guess. There are barely any ninjas with the Wind element in Konoha. While quite a few have the Earth element. So this room ended up being used a lot more.'' He sat on the mat and spent his entire night meditating in that room. He opened his eyes at 6:30 AM and sighed, ''I thought since I managed to increase the speed of consuming the energy of Wind chakra crystal, I''d be able to do the same for the rest. Unfortunately, that isn''t the case. I have to start from the beginning. Worst of all, my rate of consuming energy from Earth chakra crystal is very low! I think it is just around 5-6% of what it was when I started with Wind chakra crystal. Does this mean that the speed will depend on my affinity towards each element? It went fast for Wind chakra crystal because my affinity is wind. But for Earth chakra crystal, my affinity is very low.'' He analyzed a bit, ''Wait, does this mean that I can analyze my affinity to other elements depending on how quickly I can use up the energy of each crystal? Yeah, that should be the case. I should check out the other 3 rooms.'' After having breakfast, Fujin went to the Fire training room. Here he followed all the procedures as usual. However, when he checked the Fire chakra crystal, he was shocked! ''The Fire chakra crystal has 25% more energy than the Wind chakra crystal. How? Shouldn''t Konoha be full of ninjas with Fire affinity? Could it be that the previous Fire chakra crystal got used up and they replaced it with a new one?'' After thinking for a bit, he nodded, ''Yeah, that should be the case.'' He began meditating. He got up before lunch and analyzed, ''Oh, my Fire affinity seems to be decent. At least it''s much better than Earth. The absorption speed here is at 35% compared to what I could do at the start with Wind chakra crystal.'' After lunch, he went to the Water Training room. He first checked the amount of energy in the water crystal. It was around 30% of what the Wind chakra crystal had. Fujin sat in meditation and meditated till 4 PM. At 4 PM, he got up and sweated a bit, ''I couldn''t refine shit! I didn''t manage to use up any energy at all!'' He sighed, ''Does this mean that I have no talent in the Water element at all? A shame. I was hoping to have a good affinity for the water element and to take over Tobirama''s jutsus.'' After taking a small break for eating, he went to the Lighting Training room thinking, ''My main affinity is wind. So I don''t really have much hope for the Lightning element. Oh well, let''s test it out.'' [A/N : I''ll give the exact details regarding Elemental Crystals a few chapters later. I don''t think these were available in canon (though not sure if movies had something like this). So all this is made up for this fic.] Chapter 91: Second Nature Affinity The Lightning chakra crystal had 80% of the energy that the Wind chakra crystal did. Fujin meditated for 4 hours. After waking up, he was surprised, ''Wow! I never expected to have the highest affinity to Lightning after Wind. The speed was about 62-63% when compared to the Wind at the start. To think my top two affinities were the 2 most rare Elements in Konoha. That said, I wonder if my speed of refining my chakra with the help of this crystal will increase similar to what happened with the Wind Chakra crystal.'' He kept sitting there and thinking. After a few minutes, he concluded, ''Lightning is a very strong element. But, how far can I take it? I''m confident that with enough time, I can master Chidori. Though I may not be able to use it while running at high speeds. But the more important question is, Can I master Lightning Armor like Raikage? Also, how should I go about it? He could dodge freaking Amaterasu. So I don''t think it''s something as simple as just cloaking the body with Lightning chakra armor. Also, considering that no one apart from Raikage managed to learn it, it''s safe to say that it is very dangerous to learn it.'' He thought for a bit more, before getting up and sighing, ''I need to somehow check whether Konoha has any details regarding this. If not, then the only choice will be to sneak into Hidden Cloud and read or steal all their scrolls. Unfortunately, that isn''t something I''d do before I become a rank S ninja myself and have excellent means of escaping. I hope the Uchiha with their Sharingans managed to copy at least some details and passed the information to the village. Would be quite a challenge otherwise. Also, considering some of the crazy plans that I made that day, I should keep my Lightning element a secret. In the future, that might help more. But, if I keep it a secret, it''ll be hard to get anyone''s help. So what to do?'' He kept thinking hard while walking to the dining room. In the end, he decided, ''My Wind element is quite strong. Lightning won''t be able to match it at least until I can learn Rank A jutsus. So it won''t be much help for me in the short term in any case. So let''s just hide it. I''ll take as much help as the village can give me for my Wind element. And my Lightning element will be my hidden element, which I''ll use when I don''t want to expose my identity. I can also use it to catch the enemy by surprise and kill them if there are no witnesses.'' Fujin entered the dining room while still in deep thought. He grabbed a plate, served himself the food, and sat down at the table while still in his thoughts. After deciding, he was about to think more when he felt, ''Why does it feel like dozens of eyes are staring at me?''no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. He looked around him and noticed that the 6 Kiri genins were sitting opposite him. He noticed that all 6 had dark bags under their eyes. And they all had a lot of injuries too which were given first-aid. The chunins, who were incredibly bored over these 5 days, were paying close attention. They hoped to get some entertainment. Mieko and Hoka wondered if they could get into a fight. Fujin looked at the Mist genins and said, "Hey. When did you guys pass?" All the Kiri genins were incredibly pissed at Fujin. They spent over 4 days on full alert, waiting for an ambush that never came! They barely got any sleep. Even when they slept, they were on high alert! When they arrived at the tower, the Konoha chunins all gave them weird looks due to those huge dark bags under everyone''s eyes! Fujin ignored them all as he didn''t particularly care. He was wondering how many Elemental chakra crystals he should ask from Hiruzen as a reward for coming first. As for what happened in the Forest of Death, the forest became very active from Day 2. Though the forest was huge, almost every team had a sensor. So they eventually end up fighting. The ones who had it the worst was the Ame team, as they didn''t have any sensor. They kept getting attacked again and again, but they stubbornly managed to hold onto their scrolls. By Day 3 ended, except for the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi team, all other teams had fought multiple times. The Kiri teams were the unluckiest. Every time they fought, they were on high alert for an ambush. So they could never give their 100%. They still won every fight, but the opponents used to retreat every time. And whenever they tried to give chase, they would be attacked by the wild beasts from the forest, delaying them just enough to lose sight of their enemies. So they were very annoyed. On day 4, 2 scrolls were successfully seized. The Kiri team managed to defeat the Suna team and got their Heaven''s scroll. While the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi team, who had healed up, sneak attacked the Ame squad and got their Earth scroll. On day 5, the Kiri genins managed to find the Ame squad and fought them once again. They defeated the Ame team, only to discover that they didn''t have scrolls. The Hyuga squad noticed this fight and waited till the Kiri genins put their guard down and attacked. Unfortunately for them, the Kiri genins were always on guard. They lost and couldn''t escape this time. They accepted their loss and handed them the Earth scroll. The Kiri genins were instructed not to kill any genins if they could avoid killing them. So they didn''t kill anyone and just took their scrolls. Now, the Kiri genins had all the required scrolls and decided to head to the tower. On route, they were ambushed by the last Konoha team. The Kiri genins were very exhausted and took a beating. But they managed to escape to the tower. The last 2 teams with the scrolls will search for each other all night, but they won''t see each other and only end up fighting against teams who don''t have any scrolls. On the last day, when only 30 minutes were left for the exam to end, the 4th squad from Konoha noticed that 4 teams were waiting near the tower. The Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi lied that they didn''t have any scrolls, and managed to convince others to ally. Unfortunately, the last team had fought against the Hyuga and Suna teams in the night and had no chakra to continue. They hid in the forest and gave up on the exam. So, only 3 teams passed the 2nd round! Chapter 92: Matchups At morning 10 AM on the last day, Fujin, Hoka, Mieko, and the 6 Kiri genins left the tower and focused outside the tower. They noticed that 4 teams were waiting there. The teams noticed them as well and realized that Nara Minori was speaking the truth. However, other than Nara''s team, the other 3 teams were on alert to prevent one of them from suddenly running to the tower. Unfortunately, the last team never turned up, so they all were disqualified. Since no fight happened, the uninvited audience was disappointed. The chunins asked those 4 teams to enter the tower, as they all looked exhausted and wounded. Sometime later, the last team also entered the Tower. Tsume gathered everyone in the large hall where the preliminaries were usually held. She announced, "The teams who passed stand here. Soon Lord Hokage will arrive, and address you!" All 9 genins stood in a disciplined manner. While the remaining 15 genins stood far away. Fujin looked at them and thought, ''I''m surprised that no one died! It seems like Kiri nins are here to create a good relationship. So they didn''t kill anyone.'' The chunins stood around the hall, and some Jounin-sensei began appearing. They stood along with their genin squads. The 2 Kiri Jounins also stood there. Fujin observed both of them, but couldn''t recognize either of them. Soon the 3rd Hokage arrived. He was accompanied by 4 Anbu and a few Jounins including Renjiro and Genki. Renjiro smiled and nodded at his squad. He had heard that they broke the records by a huge margin. Fujin observed them, ''Genki is standing with all the Jounins. Did he get promoted? Or is he here just because his students are here? As for the Anbu, one looks to be Kakashi. I can''t identify the rest.'' As Fujin was observing everyone, Hiruzen stepped in front of them. Tsume announced, "Pay attention you brats. Now, Lord Hokage will explain the details about the third phase of the chunin exam." Hiruzen stood in front of the kids and got a good look at them. ''Only 3 genins from our village passed. Kiri has 6. Looks like the rebel faction really wants to create a good image. Well, I can let them win this one. So their leader will owe us one. Even if they win, considering that they are at war, they won''t be able to steal Konoha''s missions.'' After a minute he spoke, "Congrats on passing the 2nd round." He then looked at Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko and said, "Congrats to you guys for breaking the record to become the fastest team to pass the 2nd round." On hearing that, the genins, who failed, were shocked. After all, they were the youngest team. The Kiri genins and jounins also looked at them. Though the Kiri genins were looking at Fujin while cursing him a few more times. However, Fujin was very excited on hearing that, ''Marvelous! I didn''t think he''d say this. Now I can ask it without any awkwardness! It''ll feel natural too.'' Uchiha Mieko, "6" Satsuma Rentaro, "7" Suzuki Fujin, "8" Yuki Shin, "9" Inoichi noted down everyone''s names next to numbers and showed a chart showing the matchups. He announced, "The matchups are - Sakai Yumi Vs Shiro Sora, Hyuga Hoka Vs Matsushita Satoru, and Kido Kohaku Vs Uchiha Mieko. Since we have 9 members, the number 8 and 9 will have to fight one additional time. So, the first match of the tournament will be Suzuki Fujin Vs Yuki Shin. And their winner will fight against Satsuma Rentaro." Fujin thought, ''1 additional match? Shouldn''t be an issue I guess. That said, why are my matchups so freaking difficult? Ice Release in the first round. Then Rentaro, who looks to be the strongest among the Kiri genins. That will be followed up by Mieko. All 3 might be tough fights. However, in the finals, I should be fighting with Hoka. That will be an easy fight if I still have chakra left by then.'' Others too were thinking about their matchups. Inoichi asked, "Any doubts?" Shiro Sora asked, "Since this is a tournament, can only one person become a chunin?" Fujin looked at him and wondered, ''Like Hiruzen''s speeches, is this question also asked every single time?'' Inoichi shook his head and answered, "No, we will promote you to chunin depending on your performance in the fights. If you perform well, you may be promoted even if you don''t win any fights. So there''s a chance that every one of you gets promoted. And a chance that none of you do. Any more questions?" No one raised any questions. So Fujin raised his hand and said, "Umm... I have a question for Lord Hokage." Inoichi was surprised. Renjiro raised his eyebrow wondering what his student wanted to ask. While Genki was having a very bad feeling, ''He isn''t going to.... Is he?'' Hiruzen gave a kind smile and said, "Go ahead and ask Fujin." Fujin looked at Hiruzen smiling and put up a very innocent smile on his face as well. He asked very innocently, "Lord Hokage, since my team broke the previous record for the 2nd round by such a huge margin, do we get any rewards?" Chapter 93: Dont Underestimate Wild Old Foxes! Senju Renjiro''s eyes twitched. Genki was horrified! Inoichi, Tsume, Illumi, Anbu guards, Jounin senseis, and the chunin instructors were dumbfounded. ''Any rewards? Since when did Lord Hokage begin giving rewards?'' The genins from Kiri began wondering, ''Genins from Konoha get rewards for such little things?'' Kiri genins looked at Hiruzen with longing in their eyes. Their own Kage hunted them, while the Kage of Konoha rewarded their own genins. They thought, ''The difference between the two Kage is like the difference between Heaven and Hell!'' While the other genins wondered, ''There''s a reward for breaking records?'' Mieko and Hoka too stared at Fujin. Mieko frowned, ''I didn''t hear Itachi getting any rewards. Hmph, I''m an Uchiha, I don''t need any rewards.'' Hiruzen too was dumbfounded. His expression didn''t change, but he was left speechless for a minute. Genki yelled in his mind, ''Even Lord Hokage is speechless!'' Hiruzen began remembering the scene when Fujin asked him for chakra metal swords. His eyebrows twitched, ''Last time he asked for chakra metal swords. What does he want this time? A house made of chakra metal?'' Hiruzen didn''t know how close he was to guessing the truth. If he did, who knows how he would have reacted! He was about to say no when he saw the frown on Mieko, who was standing right next to Fujin. He thought, ''Does she also expect a gift? The relationship between the village and Uchiha has been deteriorating day by day. I could use this opportunity to reward her and mend the ties a bit. If it results in the ties improving, then it''ll be very good for Konoha.'' As Fujin expected, Hiruzen decided to reward them. He was about to reply in the affirmative when he felt a chill running down his spine! Hiruzen was a veteran of all 3 ninja wars! He had fought a lot on the frontlines and spread terror among his enemies. However, this was a feeling he only felt when he was about to step into a trap! His eyes went back to the genin standing next to Mieko with an innocent smile and an expectant look on his face. He said, "Yes. Your team will be rewarded for breaking this record." He smiled kindly and said, "You guys will receive your rewards on the day of the tournament in front of everyone." This left everyone dumbfounded once again. Fujin too was left speechless, ''Wtf? He will reward us? Meaning that we can''t ask for any particular reward? That''s bullshit!!'' Fujin maintained his smiling face and bowed, "Thank You, Lord Hokage." However, his thoughts were the opposite, ''Sigh, I underestimated him. Old fox didn''t give me any opportunity to ask for any particular reward. This way he gets to improve his image while giving us something that won''t cost him.'' Renjiro looked at Fujin and asked, "So, any plans for this month." Fujin shook his head. Renjiro smiled and asked, "Prepared for a month of deadly training." Fujin grinned and replied, "Of course." Renjiro asked, "Before we begin, do you have anything you want to try or any doubts?" Fujin thought for a bit and said, "I don''t have any new ideas to try. I do have a question though. Are you aware of the training rooms on the 2nd floor of the Tower inside the Forest of Death?" Renjiro thought for a bit and replied, "I have never used them. But I did hear about them. What about them?" Fujin answered, "They have a Wind Training room, Earth Training room, and training room for other natures too. I inspected those rooms and noticed that each room has a crystal, which has dense energy belonging to that nature. Can you tell me what those crystals are?" Renjiro was surprised at that question. He answered, "Those are Elemental Crystals. Known as Fire Crystal, Wind Crystal, and so on. They provide some help to increase our affinity to that nature. It''s helpful if you meditate in such rooms. Unfortunately, they are very rare and costly. So it isn''t that useful." Fujin thought, ''Just increase the affinity? No, I definitely felt a minute increase in my chakra level. So why didn''t he feel it? It''s either that he isn''t telling me the whole thing, or his rate of refining chakra was too slow and he didn''t feel anything. After all, it was only when the rate of using its energy increased many folds, that I could feel it!'' Fujin asked, "How rare and how costly are they?" Renjiro chuckled and replied, "Only the Hokage and major clans can buy them. That''s how rare they are. As for price, every piece of crystal costs millions of Ryo!" Fujin was shocked, "Millions?" Renjiro laughed lightly at his student''s reaction. However, he soon heard him sighing and muttering. "I was planning to ask Lord Hokage for a few thousand Wind crystals as the reward." Renjiro was flabbergasted on hearing that, ''A FEW THOUSAND?'' He looked at Fujin and asked, "Do you think they grow on trees?" Fujin looked back and purposefully gave a look, as if asking, ''They don''t?'' Renjiro''s face was full of black lines again! Chapter 94: History Lesson - Elemental Crystals Fujin asked Renjiro, "Where and how are those Elemental Crystals produced?" Renjiro sighed and said, "You seem to be fixated upon this. Alright, I''ll explain everything about it. Elemental crystals are mined from crystal veins. Hundreds of years ago, these lands were full of such veins. Actually, the way the lands were named was based on which types of veins were most abundant in those areas. For instance, the Land of Fire was abundant in Fire Crystal veins. The Elemental Crystals provided huge help to ninjas. So they were mined extensively. Around a hundred years ago, all veins began drying up. From what I have heard, the drying of the veins caused conflicts to intensify during that period, as everyone began fighting for it. By the time the 5 great villages came into existence, all the veins had been used up and destroyed. However, even after they were destroyed, the lands still kept having more ninjas with similar affinities. Lord Second did research regarding this and concluded that the environment of Land of Fire is such that the ninjas here have a good affinity to Fire manipulation. Same for the other four villages as well. As for the Crystal veins, only one place still had some low-quality veins. That is the current Land of Iron. In order to prevent another war from happening for them, Lord First temporarily protected it. The Daimyos soon reached a deal, and the Land of Iron became a neutral country without any ninjas who could use those crystal veins. Instead, the Land of Iron will mine a limited amount and sell a certain amount of it to each village. So, all the Elemental crystals today are received from the Land of Iron. And it is received in very low quantities. Most of those Elemental crystals are distributed among the clans. The rest is kept by the Hokage and is used to train the Anbu. Additionally, because their quality and quantity are low, they are only used alongside proper Fuinjutsu seals to be able to use 100% of those crystals." Fujin digested all this information. He analyzed, ''Oh, guess it isn''t as useful as I thought then. Without sufficient quantities, they won''t be that useful.'' [A/N : Elemental crystals will play a huge role in one arc in the future (or maybe more if I get more ideas). But it won''t create a huge impact on the story. I do have some good ideas with this, but if I overdo it, it might not be Naruto anymore, lol.] Renjiro smirked, "We will be doing live combat practice!" Fujin felt a chill down his spine on looking at his sensei''s smirk. Renjiro continued, "Every time you spar or fight, you hide behind your clones. While that is a good strategy, and I admire the fact that you have managed to pull it off so successfully, you have missed out on an essential fighting experience that you will need in the future. So, for this entire month, we will do live combat drills. You can use your clones, but I will still attack your main body. By the time this month ends, I will let you experience everything that you would have to face during missions." Fujin nervously said, "Alright Sensei." As soon as he said it, Renjiro attacked him with a punch. But Fujin, who was on alert due to Renjiro''s smirk, flickered away in the blink of an eye! Renjiro smirked and flickered as well. The Evening before the Tournament - Fujin laid in the training ground, breathing heavily. If anyone were to see him, they would wonder, ''How many people beat him up?'' He was bruised all over and had completely exhausted his chakra. Renjiro walked over to him and said, "Ready for the tournament?" Fujin looked at him while screaming internally, ''You know what? Fuck the child activists! Where the fuck are the human rights activists? In my previous life, if anyone leaked even a minute of my combat drills with this monster, the media would all create havoc for weeks! There might even be public protests against him! I didn''t even get a break on my Birthday! Bastard made me eat punches and kicks instead of cake!'' Unfortunately, Fujin had neither the energy nor the courage to talk back to Renjiro. Renjiro chuckled, lifted Fujin, and put him on his shoulder. He said, "Well, you can''t fight in this state. Let''s get you to the hospital to fix you up." Fujin didn''t reply or struggle. In the last month, he was carried in this manner to the hospital 11 times! He had received all sorts of weird looks. Any sense of embarrassment was long dead and buried. On reaching the hospital, the medic-nin healed him as usual and asked him to sleep in the Hospital. While going to sleep Fujin thought, ''No wonder all adults in this village are so shameless. It seems that they all had their sense of shame beaten out of them.'' [A/N - Tournament from the . It''s really hard to find the motivation to write fights that don''t involve Fujin, lol] Chapter 95: Gambling The next morning, Fujin woke up early. He ate a few Ration bars and did some light exercises before heading to the stadium where the tournament would be held. When he neared the stadium, he could hear multiple announcements being made over the loudspeaker. There were a lot of stalls outside the stadium. The area was very crowded. Fujin thought, ''It''s almost like a fair. This world barely has any good means of entertainment. So I suppose the Chunin exams are the biggest entertainment for normal people. No wonder it''s so crowded and noisy." On entering the stadium, a guard informed him where the participants had to gather. Fujin went there and saw that all the remaining genins were already there. He walked towards Mieko and Hoka, "Hey." Both greeted him while smirking. Hoka asked, "So, how was your training?" Fujin sighed and was about to answer, but Mieko spoke first, "No need to tell. We already know. Everyone was talking about a certain someone being carried to the hospital daily." Both Hoka and Mieko began laughing. Fujin gave them a deadpan look. He muttered lightly but loud enough for them both to hear, "At least I was defeated by a Jounin instead of a fellow genin teammate." This interrupted their laugh. Hoka replied, "Last time you caught me by surprise. That will never happen again!" Mieko snorted and said, "Hmph, I was injured by Hoka and you took advantage. This time you will have to fight more opponents first. I''ll send you back to the hospital on sensei''s shoulder!"l--B1n. Fujin smirked and was about to reply when Inoichi called them and asked them to assemble at the center of the ground. Announcements were made to introduce all 9 genins to the audience. While the announcements were made, Fujin noticed where Hiruzen was sitting. There were a few Anbu around him. But there wasn''t any other Kage. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, no genin from Suna qualified. So no wonder their Kage didn''t show up. And while Kiri genins did qualify, they don''t represent the 4th Mizukage. I thought Mei might come, but it looks like either she''s busy, or Hiruzen refused to host her publicly before she wins.'' Next, he checked out the important officials who were sitting with a few Daimyos. He didn''t notice anyone interesting there. Lastly, he looked at a spot where a lot of familiar faces were. He noticed Ibiki, Genma, and Raido sitting next to each other, with some papers in front of them, and wondered, ''Are they the judges for the tournament?'' He recalled his discussion with Renjiro earlier. A week ago, in the training ground : Fujin was resting having just fought Renjiro. Renjiro was sitting nearby as well. Fujin asked, "Who decides the chunin promotions sensei? Will it be just the proctor for the 3rd round, or do others also have a say?" Renjiro answered, "There will be a panel of judges who will evaluate your performances during the tournament. Their decision is the most critical for getting promoted. The proctors of the 3 phases will also submit reports of their evaluation. Promotions will be based on these evaluations. Their evaluations are sent to the Chunin Exam Supervisor, who makes the decision and sends it to the Hokage for approval." Fujin asked, "Chunin Exam Supervisor? Who is that?" Renjiro nodded, "He is the one who makes decisions regarding the Chunin exams. The current Chunin Exam Supervisor is a retired Elite Jounin. He is a few years older than the Sannins." Fujin thought and said, "Okay. But don''t the Jounin instructors or anyone else get a say?" Renjiro answered, "The Jounin instructors can make recommendations. But it is very rare as the genins are their own students and it could be seen as favoritism. As for others, there are a few who can make recommendations such as the Jounin commander, Anbu commander, Village elders, and Clan heads. But again, it''s very rare. They get more involved during the Jounin promotions." Fujin nodded, "That makes sense. But Sensei, you said that we have thousands of chunins. But don''t only a few genins get promoted every year?" While asking Fujin wondered, ''It makes no sense for Chunin exams to be the only form of promotion. I wonder what other ways are to be promoted.'' Fujin was surprised, ''Seriously? Gambling so openly? And Gato Company?'' His eyes wandered towards Hiruzen and the place where the Daimyos were sitting, ''How much of a cut do these guys get for letting someone like Gato do this?'' He analyzed the odds, ''Mieko and Hoka come from strong clans. So this ain''t a surprise. As for Kiri, it looks like they want to advertise their strength. Rentaro and Yuki Shin I can understand, but why are the odds for Yumi so high? Anyways, I have around 800 thousand Ryo with me. Should I bet all on myself? I''m confident that I am the strongest, but my fights are the toughest too. I''ll have to face Yuki and Rentaro who would be fresh. Then Mieko, who would only have had 1 easy fight. For the last, I thought it''d be Hoka, but looks like he may have 1 tough fight against Yumi.'' While Fujin was analyzing, Mieko couldn''t hide her smirk due to having the highest odds. The other genins looked at her and realized that she would be the strongest opponent. Inoichi said, "All announcements are over. Go wait in the waiting room. Fujin, Shin, your matches will begin in 15 minutes. The genins begin walking towards the waiting room. Fujin after thinking for a bit concluded, ''While 800 thousand Ryo is a decent amount of money, it is nowhere enough for me to buy some of the stuff that I want. So better to just gamble. I''ll gamble 600 thousand Ryo. 200 thousand Ryo is sufficient for my normal needs. And even if I lose, earning that 600 thousand back shouldn''t be a big deal. That said, the gambling is held by Gato. So he should be very rich. Killing him won''t be a good decision, but I should plunder him in the future. Since he operates illegally, I might get some good stuff from him. Not to mention a lot of Ryo as well.'' After deciding, he said softly, "I''ll meet you guys in the Waiting room." He flickered. The genins wondered where he went. Fujin flickered in the place where the bets were being taken. Surprisingly, the crowd here was very low, ''So few people? Wait, the announcements implied that many already placed their bets. So only the ones who didn''t know yet are placing their bets now.'' Fujin withdrew 600 thousand Ryo from his scroll and went ahead. The bookie was surprised at seeing a participant here. He greeted Fujin, "Hello Fujin-kun. How may I help you?" Fujin replied, "I want to place bets." He put 600 thousand Ryo in front of him and said, "Six hundred thousand Ryo on myself." The bookie sneered internally on hearing that Fujin wanted to bet on himself, ''This orphan civilian ninja wants to bet on himself? The only reason why his odds weren''t the lowest is that he broke the record in the 2nd round thanks to his two teammates.'' However, he was shocked when he saw 600 thousand Ryo being placed in front of him! He thought, ''Are the genins so rich in Konoha?'' He immediately took the cash and handed Fujin 6 silver tickets with his name on them. Every silver ticket denoted a hundred thousand Ryo. Fujin checked it and left. After he left, that Bookie began laughing, ''He just donated 600 thousand Ryo to us! Haha'' Fujin entered and waited in the Waiting room. This room gave the best view of the ground below. It will help the genins observe others properly. After a few minutes, an announcement was made calling Fujin and Shin down. Hoka and Mieko said "Good Luck" to Fujin, while the Kiri genins wished Shin good luck. Fujin and Shin jumped down to the ground and walked towards Inoichi. Inoichi asked them both to take positions. Fujin and Shin stood face-to-face 5 meters apart. Fujin thought, ''Ice release. This will be a tough fight.'' Shin thought, ''This guy is very fast. And his sword is very strong. I shouldn''t give him a chance to use his sword at all!'' Inoichi announced loudly, "Now the first fight starts. BEGIN!" Chapter 96: The Opening Fight As soon as he said it, Shin grabbed his shurikens. However, even before he could throw them, a Wind Explosion jutsu was coming at him! He immediately ran backwards and to the right, dodging the explosion. Fujin noticed him moving and thought, ''Too slow.'' He flickered to where Shin was dodging and threw 2 Wind Explosion spheres at him. Shin was moving towards the Wind explosion spheres when he noticed them. He tried dodging again, but the spheres exploded. He avoided most of the winds, but a few still hit him. A few cuts appeared on his left hand and leg. The crowd didn''t expect the fight to be so intense from the start. They began cheering loudly! Fujin was planning to keep his attack going, when he noticed that Shin made a few hand signs and his chakra suddenly spiked, ''Hmm, which jutsu? Oh well, let''s test him out.'' Fujin created a big Wind Explosion jutsu and threw it at him. If Shin was using a jutsu that needed some time to launch, this could defeat him. However, huge Ice spikes immediately began appearing around him. Some were big enough to be called spears. Shin yelled, "Ice Hell!!" Immediately, all Ice spikes got launched at a very fast speed! Some pierced through the Wind Explosion sphere, dispersing it. Shin smirked when he saw the shock on Fujin''s face! At the next moment, 4 spikes hit Fujin. Shin was about to celebrate when Fujin dispersed into the winds! He was shocked, ''Wind Clone? When?'' The reason Fujin made a giant Wind Explosion sphere was so that he could hide behind it. When Shin couldn''t see him, he created a Wind clone and escaped underground. Before Shin could figure out when Fujin created a Wind clone, he felt something under him. He immediately jumped backwards. Just after he jumped, Fujin''s hands popped out of the ground trying to catch his legs. Fujin came out of the ground as Shin landed at some distance. Fujin smiled and said, "That was a strong jutsu. I am impressed." Shin was breathing heavily. This was a rank B jutsu from his clan. It used more than half of his chakra. When Fujin exited the ground, Mieko and Hoka suddenly snorted. Yumi became worried. The crowd was shocked at this jutsu. Most hadn''t ever seen any Ice jutsu. The ice spikes were embedded into the stadium walls. The civilians, and even some ninjas, breathed in relief that the spikes weren''t aimed higher. Hiruzen wondered, ''Should I arrange for barriers? Genins aren''t supposed to use B rank jutsus.'' Fujin didn''t allow Shin to catch his breath, and once again began attacking with Wind Explosion jutsus from a close distance. Shin dodged desperately while using Water Wall jutsu to defend himself and attempting to create some distance from Fujin. Almost everyone in the audience was confused. Even among the ninjas, a few were clueless. The Kiri genins didn''t understand what was happening either. They looked towards Yumi. She explained, "When he was underground, he made a Shadow Clone." The Kiri genins were stunned. She continued, "The remaining fight was fought by his shadow clone. He stayed hidden underground. The clone was dispelled after it got frozen in ice. And his main body exited the ground when you guys were distracted by Inoichi." The Kiri genins were left tongue-tied. After some time, Satoru managed to exclaim, "So Shin lost to a mere clone?" Yumi looked at Rentaro and said, "Don''t underestimate him. He might not have any Kekkei Genkai, but his chakra is larger than yours. He didn''t even lose 10% of his chakra in this fight. And he is tactically sound as well. Be on your guard." Rentaro nodded with a grim expression. The experienced ninjas who were watching this fight were very impressed. Tsume, who was sitting in the stadium with her kids, thought, ''Very good. Even someone like me didn''t notice that he was just a clone.'' Kiba kept bugging her by asking how Fujin won, so she explained it to him. Hana also listened attentively. The judges also analyzed the fight. Ibiki said, "Impressive. He relied majorly on a rank D jutsu to force his opponent into using 2 rank B jutsus and exhaust his chakra." Genma nodded and said, "Yes, and his speed and precision are also very good. His opponent was forced into desperation multiple times." Raido added, "While his strategy was good, the fact that he can perform the Shadow Clone jutsu is also impressive." Ibiki replied, "Yes, and he is also very good at using it. His Shadow clone can be very useful for information gathering in missions. Also, he can use jutsus of 2 elements." Raido smiled and said, "And he could perform the Wind Explosion jutsu without any hand seals." Genma said, "I think he is ready to be promoted to Chunin. He is strong and good at tactics. All that remains to be seen is how he leads." Raido said, "What are your thoughts about his opponent? Though he lost, his Ice Hell jutsu was very strong. If used in the middle of a battlefield, it will cause a lot of damage." Ibiki had a different opinion. He said, "No, he didn''t show much control over it and used it in every direction. So it will hit both enemies and allies." Genma said, "Hard to say. His teammates can take cover in advance. That said, despite his jutsu being strong, he wasted it along with his chakra. I don''t think he is ready to be promoted." They kept discussing the fight and the pros and cons of both the genins. Hiruzen was also impressed with how easily Fujin won, ''Good win. He is a promising seedling.'' However he suddenly had another thought, ''If he wins this tournament, will he ask me for another reward? I still owe him two rewards!'' He sighed and thought, ''I should have made Homura pay for the rewards for making this suggestion.'' Chapter 97: A Hyuga who doesnt use Gentle Fist? Fujin walked up the stairs, as many looked at him in awe and confusion. Fujin thought, ''Well, that went well. He pretty much lost it by exhausting his chakra by using 2 rank B jutsus. My clone could have easily dodged the Ice Dragon too. But seeing how exhausted he was, there was no need to. After all, that blue-eyed girl should have noticed me. So if I won with even my clone still fine, then my opponent would be extremely careful.'' After entering the waiting room, Fujin sat next to Hoka and Mieko. Yumi and Sora were soon called and they went down. Inoichi soon announced, "The second battle starts now. BEGIN!" Sora immediately ran behind, while Yumi started with Water shuriken jutsu. He created a water wall to block her jutsu while retreating into the woods thinking, ''I can''t fight her in open fields. She is too dangerous.'' Yumi followed him into the woods. They began fighting in the woods. Sora used the trees as a shield and cover to attack her, but Yumi managed to defend and counterattack every time. They maintained this deadlock for around 10 minutes. Fujin wondered, ''While he does fight well in the woods, he has no advantage. So why was he so quick in entering the woods?'' After 10 minutes, Yumi finally managed to land a lethal hit. Her Water Bullet left a deep cut on Sora''s thigh. The wound made it harder for him to move. Yumi looked at him and said, "You are wounded, you can''t fight anymore." Sora gritted his teeth. Yumi glared at him and said, "Give up, or it will be very painful for you!" Color drained off his face on hearing that. He gave up. Inoichi announced, "Second Match winner is Sakai Yumi!" Fujin observed the fight carefully and thought, ''Why was he so afraid?'' He looked at Hoka and concluded, ''I wonder how her fight with Hoka will go.'' Hoka got up. Fujin said, "Good luck Hoka. Win quickly." Mieko also wished him luck. Before Satoru left, Kohaku reminded him once again to not get close to the Hyuga. While the next candidates were arriving on the ground, the judges discussed again. Ibiki commented, "Both were good. However, Sora seemed to be afraid of her." Raido agreed, "Yes. And he seemed too impatient to run into the woods. As if he didn''t want to fight her in the open at all." Genma didn''t comment and just made some notes. Hoka and Satoru arrived on the ground. His water clones were confused about what to do. However, they decided to attack Hoka. However, on reaching, they noticed that Hoka wasn''t behind the rock. As soon as Satoru landed, 2 hands popped out of the ground and grabbed his legs. ''Headhunter jutsu'' Immediately, he was buried underground, while Hoka appeared above the ground. Satoru yelled very loudly. As he was being pulled underground, the thorns on him hit the ground. 3 of those horns couldn''t go underground with him, which resulted in huge cuts before they were pushed out of his body. The pain made him lose control over his water clones and they turned into water. Hoka was about to place 2 fingers in front of Satoru''s forehead and ask him to quit. However, the yell filled with agony made him stop. Inoichi immediately appeared and helped Satoru out of the ground. He had 3 six inch long cuts. One on his chest, one near his abdomen, and one on his back. And there were still 5 more rock thorns embedded in him. Medics quickly rushed to the ground and took him away. Inoichi announced, "Third Match winner is Hyuga Hoka!" The crowd, which was shocked by Satoru''s yells, began cheering once again. Yumi and Kohaku watched with grim faces. They looked at Hoka and thought, ''He used the Rock shield jutsu to block Satoru''s line of sight and went underground. From there, he used 2 jutsus to sneak attack and then dealt the final blow. During the 2nd phase, he barely used any ninjutsu. We underestimated him!'' Fujin analyzed, ''Damn, never expected him to win with Ninjutsu. Stone Shuriken jutsu, Rock Shield jutsu, Rock Thorn Bed jutsu, Rock Thorn Launch jutsu and Headhunter jutsu. Winning against him might not be that easy anymore. That said, his speed of using jutsu isn''t as fast as mine or Mieko''s. He just used the fact that the opponent was distracted by having to maintain a distance from him.'' The judges also analyzed. Ibiki said, "Very good performance. He won very quickly without wasting much chakra." Genma chuckled, "How long has it been since we saw a Hyuga fighting without using Gentle Fist?" Raido said, "He seems ready to be promoted to chunin. As for Satoru, he isn''t ready." Both Ibiki and Genma nodded. Hoka''s parents were proud of their son for winning so quickly. His father said, "Finally I managed to get him to use Ninjutsu!" Hoka''s mother nodded. She knew how difficult it was for him. Mieko stood up. Fujin looked at her and said, "Good luck." She nodded and went to the ground. Kohaku followed her while muttering to herself, "Don''t look into her eyes..." They both reached the center of the ground and faced each other. However, Kohaku never once looked at Mieko''s face. Inoichi announced, "The Fourth match starts now. BEGIN!" Chapter 98: Pay to Win Ninja! Mieko immediately activated her Sharingan and threw a few shurikens. However, at the same time, Kohaku threw a kunai with an explosion tag. Both Mieko and Kohaku moved backwards rapidly. Mieko frowned. She immediately ran around the smoke and ran towards her opponent. Having created distance, Kohaku immediately made a few hand signs. ''Hidden Mist jutsu'' As Mieko moved forward, she noticed the Mist thickening. She immediately made a few hand signs. ''Fireball jutsu'' A fireball headed towards Kohaku, but she used Water Wall jutsu to block it. The fire ended up evaporating a lot of the water, making the mist even denser. Soon, Kohaku disappeared from her sight. Mieko frowned again. Her Sharingan couldn''t see through the mist at all. She moved away from the area where the mist was the thickest while thinking, ''Tch, I could really use a combination attack here.'' The mist covered half of the ground, including the woods, while Mieko stayed away and thought about her next move. The judges were impressed by this move. Genma remarked, "Impressive. She made all preparations needed to deal with the Sharingan. Mieko will have a tough time fighting in the mist." The mist continued expanding. Mieko took out a scroll from her waist bag. She opened it and made a hand sign. Dozens of kunai with exploding tags attached began appearing from the scroll. She grabbed each and threw them all in the area where the mist was. Over a hundred exploding tags exploded inside the mist leaving everyone dumbfounded.l--B1n. The two Mist jounin were shocked, ''So wasteful!! Give us those if you are wasting a hundred on merely a chunin exam!'' Fujin was stunned, ''Did she just use up over 75,000 Ryo? Spoilt brat!'' Mieko''s parents got weird looks as well, but they ignored it. One of the jounin assured the other, "Don''t worry. Rentaro and Yumi should win the next matches. Then the Uchiha girl will have to fight them both to win the tournament." The other jounin nodded. Ibiki sighed, "I thought we would get to see the hidden mist assassination technique today." Genma chuckled, "At least she won." Raido nodded, "All of Renjiro''s students are strong. The chunin exam just seems to be a formality for them." Genma noted, "That Kiri kunoichi is good too. She came up with a good tactic to implement against the Sharingan." Ibiki rebuked him, "Unfortunately, she had no response to her counter. While the counter was overwhelming, such incidents often happen during missions. If she gets overwhelmed, then both she and her team will be dead." Neither Raido nor Genma countered him. In the waiting room, Hoka said, "She is as overbearing as usual." Fujin nodded, "The ground is a mess. Should be helpful for your Earth jutsus though." Hoka grinned and nodded. Rentaro looked at Fujin and got up. Fujin too stood up. Hoka seriously said, "Be careful, he looks strong." Fujin smirked and replied, "Don''t worry, I''ll win just as always." While Fujin said it softly, it was loud enough to be heard by everyone in the waiting room. Rentaro immediately lost his cool. He yelled, "Bastard, I''ll beat you up!" Fujin just smirked and ignored him thinking, ''Kids, so easy to rile up.'' He jumped down to the ground. Rentaro followed him. Seeing them heading to the ground, Genma commented, "This should be interesting. Among the nine genins, their chakra reserves are the highest." Raido nodded, "After hearing Tsume''s praises for him, I wonder how strong he is." After taking their positions, Inoichi announced, "The last quarterfinal starts now, BEGIN!" Chapter 99: Wind Vs Water Immediately, Fujin threw a Wind Explosion jutsu at Rentaro. Rentaro muttered, "So predictable." He threw a kunai with an explosion tag attached. Both Rentaro and Fujin retreated. The explosion tag exploded, dispersing the Wind Explosion jutsu. While retreating, Rentaro released a massive amount of chakra. He made a few hand signs, ''Water Dragon jutsu'' He expected Fujin to attack, but there was no attack. He wondered, ''What is he doing?'' The Water Dragon formed while the smokescreen by the explosion dispersed. However, Rentaro could no longer see Fujin. He got worried, ''Did this bastard escape into the ground?'' He immediately looked in the waiting room at Yumi. As soon as Yumi noticed him looking at her, she looked at the woods. Rentaro followed her eyes and looked at the woods. He noticed Fujin standing casually on one of the branches. Before the match began, Rentaro had requested Yumi to communicate to him where Fujin was if he hid underground or created a lot of clones. Yumi had agreed. Rentaro scowled, ''When did this bastard run over there? It''s fucking 100 meters away! I thought I was the one who needed to keep my distance from his sword. So why is he the one creating distance instead?'' As soon as Fujin sensed Rentaro building up his chakra, Fujin flickered into the woods behind him. He looked at the Water Dragon, ''Hoh, 10 meters long Water Dragon. Pretty impressive size for a Water Dragon jutsu. Looks like he poured 5% of his chakra into it. I kinda hoped he put more due to being riled up.'' Rentaro controlled the Water Dragon to fly towards Fujin. Its size began shrinking due to having to move such a long distance. Fujin raised his right hand and began making a giant Wind Explosion sphere. He smirked, ''Oh well, time to rile him even more. Hopefully, he''ll use an even bigger jutsu.'' He threw the giant Wind Explosion sphere at the Water Dragon''s mouth. It exploded on impact, and the winds generated were enough to neutralize the jutsu. Ibiki smiled on seeing this, "Impressive. Neutralizing a rank B jutsu with a rank D jutsu, while disturbing his opponent''s mental state." Rentaro, who was moving through the water intending to catch Fujin by surprise suddenly stopped. He was shocked, ''I expected that the jutsu wouldn''t harm him, but I never even considered that he would put a stop to it! The water didn''t make it into those trees at all!'' Rentaro stayed in the water until the winds died down. He was frowning and calculating how to attack further. He had used up over a third of his chakra but didn''t manage to even touch his opponent. While thinking, he was on high alert in case Fujin tried any sneak attack. Fujin noticed Rentaro moving ahead through the water. His chakra was very easy to notice. He focused on his location thinking, ''Attacking him with all the water around him will be difficult. But his momentum has been destroyed. Should I attack and build my momentum? Or should I just waste time and wait for his chakra to run out?'' Fujin thought while he waited for his attack to die down. Perhaps, if it was before he spent the month doing combat drills with Renjiro, Fujin would have chosen the latter without giving it much thought. However, Renjiro had successfully managed to change the way Fujin thought and fought over the month. He couldn''t change his careful nature but Fujin now had learnt many ways to attack while still ensuring safety. More importantly, his confidence was built by fighting against an Elite Jounin for a month! Fujin made a hand sign and began supercharging his jutsu. As soon as the winds began dying down, Fujin flickered! He appeared ten meters above Rentaro. Water in this area was up to 4 meters above the ground level. Rentaro was in the center of it. Renjiro smiled when he saw Fujin pressing on his attack. As soon as Fujin flickered over his head, Rentaro noticed. He also saw the hand sign Fujin had made. He yelled, "CRAP!!!" Fujin instantly breathed out an even stronger Great Breakthrough jutsu. Rentaro waved his arms. The water around him gathered on top of him acting as a shield. His thoughts ran as quickly as Lightning, ''I can''t dodge this! If I leave the protection of water, I''ll be taking the full force of this attack!'' The winds easily broke into the water. The majority of the water began flying away. Inoichi, who was observing, suddenly got alert. He yelled, "Fujin, hold back!" He made hand signs while moving ahead. However, he was too slow! The supercharged great breakthrough jutsu hit Rentaro head-on! He quickly made a hand sign just before the jutsu hit him. The crowd watched in horror as Rentaro was split into many small pieces! Many yelled in terror! Some vomited, while a few even lost consciousness. Fujin''s eyes widened as well. [A/N : Mass release on Sunday. Keep the stones rolling in.] Chapter 100: Anti-Climatic Due to using such a powerful jutsu, Fujin flew backwards, in the air, for a few minutes. From this view, he got a perfect view of what was happening. He saw as the wind cut Rentaro into pieces with ease. Fujin''s eyes widened before sensing something was wrong, ''There''s no blood! And the winds cut through him a bit too easily. As if there was no solid obstruction at all! Was it a water clone? But when did he make one?'' The judges and many ninjas were shocked as well. Fujin flickering and using such a strong jutsu so quickly wasn''t something a genin should be able to do. In fact, even among chunins, only a few could replicate this. As everyone was thinking, Rentaro''s body pieces dissolved into water. Fujin was continuously sensing chakra as he was thinking. He suddenly realized, ''The chakra was distributed among his body pieces. And now all that chakra is in the water that he dissolved into. What jutsu is this?'' Fujin created some distance as he was thinking. The crowd calmed down on seeing the body waters transform into water. Suddenly, the water began gathering together, and Rentaro''s body began forming. Fujin squinted his eyes and threw an explosion tag attached to a kunai right at the center. He and many ninjas realized, ''Hydrification technique of the Hozuki clan!'' The Kiri jounins breathed in relief on seeing Rentaro use this jutsu in the nick of time. Fujin wondered, ''Isn''t this the Kekkei Genkai of the Hozuki clan? How did he get it? Was someone from his family from the Hozuki clan or is he using a fake family name?'' [A/N : It''s not a Kekkei Genkai. It''s a secret technique of the Hozuki clan. Similar to the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans. That said, Kabuto did use Suigetsu''s cells or DNA to get access to this technique. So it is sort of in a gray area.] Genma noted, "First an Ice Kekkei Genkai. Now the Hydrification secret jutsu. The Kiri genins are strong." Raido agreed and pointed out, "Yes, but Fujin is very strong too. He forced him into using it." Ibiki observed Rentaro putting his body together and stated, "He isn''t proficient with this jutsu. The body is reforming too slowly." The Kiri genins got excited about seeing Rentaro use this jutsu. Sora said excitedly, "In this form Rentaro is invincible. That Konoha genin will lose badly!" Mieko and Hoka also observed this carefully. Especially Mieko who might have to fight him if Fujin loses. As Rentaro''s body was reforming, the Explosion tag reached it and exploded, dispersing the water again. However, soon it began reforming once again. Fujin grabbed another kunai with an explosion tag and wondered, ''Isn''t his speed too slow? If I recall correctly, Suigetsu was able to liquefy some parts of his body and not be helpless unless a Lightning jutsu was used.'' He threw the kunai, and it dispersed once again. The process was repeated three more times. The ninjas, who knew about the Hydrification technique and were excited to see it in action, were dumbfounded. Especially the Kiri jounins and genins. They saw one of their strongest secret jutsu be dismantled by cheap explosion tags! Of course, if Rentaro was stronger or had better control over this secret technique, then the Hydrification technique wouldn''t be neutralized so easily. However, this fact didn''t reduce their humiliation. Mieko looked at Sora and asked, "Is this what you call invincible in your village?" Sora''s face went red with shame. He wanted to rebuke, but no words left his mouth. Fujin gave him a deadpan look and said, "You two don''t even know what your boss has bet, and still came here to threaten me?" Hearing Fujin''s tone angered them. But they controlled it as Fujin seemed reasonable. The first man replied, "He bet 20 million Ryo on the Uchiha girl." Fujin thought for a moment and said, "I see." He looked at them and said, "Give me 4 million Ryo and I''ll give up the fight." This left them both tongue-tied. Both cursed him. The second man said, "Asshole! You think a brat like you can take money from us?" Fujin replied in a neutral voice, "If I win, your boss would lose 20 million Ryo. I''m not even asking for half. Do you think your boss will let you go if I win?" This pushed them over the line. Both immediately grabbed their kunai and threatened Fujin. "If you don''t agree, then we will make you incapable of fighting in the tournament!" "We were ninjas in the Land of Grass. A brat like you is easy prey for us." Fujin sighed and said, "Alright, I''ll give up the fight." This made them relax. They put their kunais back while smirking and saying, "Finally you realize your pla..." However, at that instant, winds flew. Both the men had their throats cut. Many cuts appeared on their bodies. They dropped their kunai. They were about to scream when Fujin grabbed their faces and slammed their head on the stairs. They both lost consciousness. Fujin bent down and began checking their clothes while muttering, "How do idiots like them exist? Didn''t they see my two matches?" He grabbed both their wallets. There were 80 thousand Ryo in them. There were also a couple of scrolls on them. He took them all and put them into his own scrolls. Fujin left the stairs and looked around. He noticed an Uchiha police officer and an Anbu in the stand. He thought, ''So whom to report to?'' After a few seconds, he decided to report to the Anbu analyzing, ''Those 2 attacked me so that Mieko would win. While I don''t think they would go easy on them for that reason, it is a possibility. If he has sharingans, then he could make them spill all the beans, and if they tell about how much money they had, it''s possible that the Uchiha might ask me about it. As for the Anbu, I doubt they would be so focused on what they had and instead focus more on the act. Even if they do, it''ll be a long time. And those thugs would assume that the anbu confiscated their belongings.'' Having decided, Fujin flickered in front of him. The Anbu ninja was surprised to see Fujin. Fujin waved his hands and said, "Hello Anbu-san. A couple of former ninjas from the Land of Grass attacked me on the stairs and were injured. Can you check on them and take the necessary actions?" The Anbu ninja was surprised. He asked, "Why did they attack you?" Fujin replied, "Not sure, but they were talking about their boss placing some bets." The Anbu ninja understood and nodded. He said, "Good work. I''ll apprehend them." He flickered. He would arrest those 2, and send them to the T&I department to torture them till they confessed who their boss was. Once they confessed, they were tortured even more for their crime. Their boss was arrested as well and all his businesses were seized by Konoha. Fujin, unaware of the tragedy his self-defense caused, went back into the waiting room. There was a half an hour''s break before the Semifinals began. Hoka, Fujin and Mieko meditated. Yumi was a bit tense. She thought, ''We started this tournament with 6 Kiri ninjas and only 3 from Konoha. Now all 5 from our village except me have lost!'' Chapter 101: The Fourth Kekkei Genkai! After the break, Hoka and Yumi were called down. Both took their stances. Hoka activated his Byakugan, while Yumi''s eyes began glowing. Having seen all her comrades getting hit by sneak attacks, she would focus her chakra in her eyes and see chakra in the entire fight. The Kiri jounins watched nervously. If they lost even this fight, then they would have lost all the fights against Konoha. It would be a huge blow to their reputation. Inoichi announced, "The first semi-final starts now, BEGIN!" As soon as he announced, Hoka rushed forward while making hand signs. Yumi retreated while making hand signs as well. ''Stone Shuriken jutsu'' ''Water Wall jutsu'' The stone shurikens were blocked by the water wall. As soon as the stone shuriken jutsu ended, Yumi made a few more hand signs. The water wall transformed into water shurikens and rained at Hoka''s position. Hoka made a hand seal and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Rock Shield jutsu'' The Rock shield blocked all the water shurikens heading towards him. While the Rock shield was blocking, Hoka went underground to sneak attack Yumi. However, with his Byakugan, he saw that Yumi was staring at his exact position underground. He frowned, ''I won''t be able to sneak attack her if her eyes keep seeing my chakra!'' After a moment of hesitation, Hoka decided to attack. He made a few hand signs. ''Rock Thorn Bed jutsu'' Yumi, having seen him underground, was on guard. She quickly moved away. Using Rock Thorn Launch jutsu would be pointless. So Hoka used more Rock Thorn bed jutsus. He used them 12 times consecutively. And even used Rock Thorn Launch jutsu once to block her retreat. Seeing her dodging without being able to counterattack, Hoka smirked. ''Great, 2 more and she will be in range!'' Yumi, while dodging consistently thought, ''He is trying to get me closer to his position. He must be planning to use Hyuga Taijutsu on me.'' Hoka used Rock thorn bed jutsu once again, but Yumi dodged in a manner that he didn''t predict. He frowned and used 3 more, and finally had Yumi where he wanted. Both finally moved away from each other observing their opponent. Yumi stood still. Her breathing was slightly heavy but steady. She was entirely focused on Hoka, keeping an eye for any tricks he might pull. Hoka, on the other hand, was breathing very heavily. His chakra was almost empty due to having used so many jutsus. He had mild burns all over his body, making movement increasingly difficult. Fujin looked at Yumi, ''She''s strong. I underestimated her. Luckily her steam release won''t be effective against me.'' Ibiki commented, "Hoka fought well. Unfortunately, his opponent is doing well to keep him away." Genma agreed, "His Rock Thorn trap was good. Forced his opponent who kept running away in close combat. If not for the Steam release, he could have won." Raido stated, "His opponent is very good too. Be it the previous, or this battle. She is very calm and stable. She will be a reliable team leader." Ibiki and Genma both agreed. Yumi''s performance wasn''t flashy like Mieko, Fujin, Hoka, Rentaro, or Shin, but it was very stable and level-headed. Hoka thought, ''I have just one more chance. Then I won''t have chakra even for Gentle fist!'' He flickered towards Yumi. Yumi responded by releasing steam in front of her. However, Hoka flickered to spot 5 meters in front of Yumi, instead of next to her. Instead of running at her, he made a few hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Stone spear jutsu'' As soon as Hoka slammed his hands on the ground, Yumi moved backwards. A few Stone spears appeared from the ground. However, she had already moved from the range. Hoka used this time to flicker twice! He arrived right next to her, surprising Yumi! He gathered all his remaining chakra in his right hand and attacked her, planning to knock her out in one blow. However, Yumi blocked his forearm, not allowing the attack to hit her. She followed it with a kick to Hoka''s stomach, sending him flying back for a dozen meters. Hoka rolled on the ground for a few meters and fell unconscious. The chakra exhaustion and burns meant that he couldn''t stay conscious any longer. Inoichi announced, "Winner of the First Semifinal is Sakai Yumi!" Medics quickly came and took Hoka for treatment. The crowd cheered due to how intense this fight was. But the cheering was less as the winner wasn''t from Konoha. There were also many sighing in the crowd, as they had bet on Hoka. Yumi walked towards the waiting room while breathing slightly heavily, ''He was strong. I used up more than half my chakra in the fight! I won''t be able to use my Steam release a lot in the finals. I hope Mieko and Fujin exhaust each other, otherwise, I''ll be at a disadvantage.'' Chapter 102: Lightning Explosion Rain Barrage! After Hoka was taken away, Mieko and Fujin looked at each other. Mieko warned, "Fujin, if you keep hiding behind your clones, I''ll blow up the whole Arena to make you fight me." Fujin chucked and replied, "Good luck with that." Mieko was annoyed but didn''t retort anymore. They both entered the arena and stood opposite each other. Fujin didn''t look at Mieko''s face for obvious reasons. While waiting for Inoichi to announce, Fujin calculated, ''The half-hour break was good. The last two fights cost me around 28% of my chakra. I recovered my chakra up to 80%. As for Mieko, though she had only one fight, she did use quite a few Fireballs. So even she only has around 80% of chakra left even after the break. As for Yumi, her reserves dropped to less than 40%. So unless my and Mieko''s fight goes on for hours, she won''t recover much. Considering that my maximum reserves are more than double of these two, I should be fine as long as I end this fight with over 30% of my chakra still remaining.'' As he was calculating, Inoichi announced, "The second semi-final starts now, BEGIN!" As usual, Fujin began the fight with a Wind Explosion jutsu thrown at the very instant Inoichi announced the start of the fight. Expecting it, Mieko flickered to get out of the way. And then flickered again to attack Fujin.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. Instead of engaging her, Fujin flickered into the woods. Mieko followed him. Fujin kept flickering among the woods to create distance from Mieko, while Mieko kept following him with her Sharingan. So both just kept flickering. The stadium was very confused and awed. Soon after Inoichi announced the match, they saw Fujin throwing a wind sphere that exploded. And at the same time, both Mieko and Fujin disappeared! Raido exclaimed, "So fast!" Many chunins in the audience were having difficulties keeping a track of Fujin and Mieko. After flickering a dozen times, Fujin thought, ''Her flickering speed has improved. Not enough to match me though. I guess she can barely keep a track of me due to her Sharingan.'' Mieko frowned, ''Is he planning to exhaust my chakra by making me flicker so many times?'' Fujin indeed had that thought, ''Should I just keep flickering until she runs out of chakra? I''m better than her at using Body Flicker, meaning that I need less chakra. And despite having to fight twice, my chakra reserve is still higher than hers. So I should have enough chakra left for the final. That said, I don''t think she''ll act that dumb.'' After analyzing, Fujin concluded that Mieko won''t keep chasing him for long. So instead of giving her the initiative, Fujin decided to change tactics. He smirked, ''Let''s try that tactic. I could sense that even Renjiro was annoyed by it! Knowing Mieko, she''ll be fuming in no time. Haha'' He created a Wind clone while flickering. The Wind clone stayed in his position and prepared two Wind Explosion jutsus. As soon as Mieko appeared, he threw them at her. Mieko scowled as she dodged. She threw a few shurikens at the clone. The clone noticed wires attached to the shurikens. He smirked and flickered away. Mieko scowled even more, ''This bastard is infuriating me even more!'' Fujin''s clones thought, ''Why''s there blood on the scroll? Wait, did she put it there when flickering? And, what exactly is in that scroll that she needs to use her blood and so much chakra?'' Mieko ignored Fujin''s clones and slammed her right hand on the scroll, sending her chakra into it. Fujin, who was observing from the woods, was shocked, ''Her chakra dropped by more than half!'' The clones ignored her actions and launched Wind Explosion jutsus on her, but she threw the kunais with explosion tags at them to disperse the jutsu. While this exchange took place, Fujin, his clones that were in the woods, the judges, and the spectators were all shocked! There were 250 kunais with explosion tags summoned above the arena! And they all seemed to have electricity flowing through them! Hiruzen''s eye twitched, ''The Lighting Explosion Rain Barrage jutsu of Uchiha clan! Do they need to use it in the Chunin exam?'' Fujin was shocked, ''What the heck is this? And why do those kunai look like they have been charged with Lightning chakra? Mieko doesn''t have an affinity to Lightning nature.'' Mieko quickly made a few hand signs while dodging Fujin''s clones. ''Lightning Explosion Rain Barrage jutsu!'' Expecting the kunais to rain down on him, Fujin looked up and made a hand sign. ''Great Breakthrough jutsu'' This jutsu was supercharged with 10% of his chakra. Very strong winds were generated. At the same time, the kunais began raining down at a very fast speed! Many kunai were knocked off course slightly. But many managed to pierce into the Great Breakthrough jutsu and maintain their course! Fujin had expected it. So he had already created a hand sign and went underground. As soon as Fujin went underground, three wind clones appeared above him. They all made a hand sign. ''Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu!'' A triple-layered defense with Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu appeared above them. Meanwhile, Fujin kept going underground, to a depth of 50 meters. The kunais rained down on the arena. Fujin''s wind clones, who were engaging Mieko, couldn''t dodge and were hit by the explosions. They were dispelled. The remaining three clones managed to block a dozen kunais before one managed to pierce through their triple-layered defense and exploded. All three were dispelled. However, they had done their job by ensuring that no kunai went underground. The other parts of the arena didn''t have any protection. So the kunais kept falling. Since they were charged with Lightning, they managed to pierce a few meters into the ground, before exploding. When the barrage had ended, the entire ground of the arena was overturned! Not a single tree remained! Dust covered the entire arena. [A/N : Hundredth chapter!] Chapter 103: Yet Another Win... The civilian spectators were shocked. They looked in fear and awe. Terror can be seen on their faces. The Daimyos were shocked too. Their faces were pale on imagining being on the receiving end of this jutsu! Some of the new ninjas were shocked as well. But the ones who had fought in the 3rd Great Ninja War weren''t shocked by the jutsu. However, they were surprised to see a 10 year old genin be able to do this jutsu. Yumi and a couple of Mist genins in the waiting room were shocked! They looked at the arena with horror on their faces! They quickly thanked whichever gods they prayed to for not being on the receiving end of this jutsu! Fujin noticed the destruction and thought, ''Oh, it''s not that bad. Those lightning-charged kunais kinda freaked me out. I thought they would pierce deep into the ground, making even the underground unsafe. I suppose someone charged the kunais with Lightning release and sealed them up. And Mieko only summoned and used them. Tsk, the Uchiha clan is crazy rich! Spending over 300 thousand Ryo on a pointless Chunin exam match!'' As the attack was over, he left the underground and returned to the surface. Mieko was breathing very heavily! The jutsu had dropped her chakra to under 20%. She noticed Fujin leaving the underground and grinned, ''Let''s see where you hide now!'' She flickered under the cover of dust and used Fireball jutsu. Fujin sensed her coming and flickered to dodge the jutsu. The crowd, which was still in shock, was again surprised by another explosion sound. Soon, sounds of kunai clashing could be heard in the arena. But due to the dust, they couldn''t see what exactly was happening. Only the Sharingan and Byakugan wielders were able to see what was happening. Inoichi was concerned as he couldn''t see exactly what was happening. In the arena, after dodging her Fireball, Fujin created a shadow clone to confront Mieko. His clone took the lead in engaging her, while he provided support. Mieko was breathing very heavily due to chakra exhaustion. Fujin''s clone sighed and said while clashing with Mieko with kunai, "You barely have 10% of your chakra left. Just give up. Even if you somehow win, you can''t fight in the final." Mieko scowled and yelled, "As if I''ll give up without engaging your main body at all!" While she yelled arrogantly, she was hoping, ''Just one look in the eye and I can turn this around!'' Fujin knew that she was still banking on her Sharingan Genjutsu. She thought, ''His opponent was so strong, and yet he won with such ease! Even I would have probably lost against the Uchiha girl. Even the fights against Rentaro and Shin would have been challenging for me. Yet, not only did he win all three fights, he did it without taking any wounds. And he still has enough chakra to match me at my full strength.'' She sighed realizing that the final was a lost cause. Unlike the other genins fighting there, she was being raised to become a capable team leader. While she still had her pride, she could analyze and come to proper conclusions as compared to her peers. Just like Yumi, experienced ninjas in the crowd also took note of Fujin. Hiruzen smiled, ''Brilliant. Renjiro wasn''t mistaken. And he fought without using his sword or the Senju Taijutsu style. Ignoring those two skills and chakra reserves, he isn''t much stronger than Mieko. But the result he produced due to his tactics is remarkable. If he becomes an Elite Jounin, Konoha will gain another capable ninja.'' The judges were impressed as well. Genma commented, "Despite the destruction, Fujin won with rather ease. He knows when to retreat and attack. His usage of clones is very impressive as well." Raido nodded, "In all 3 fights, Fujin has tactically outplayed his opponents. Though Mieko is strong as well, she lacks in this department." Ibiki added, "Yes. But it''s likely that a lot of what Mieko said was just her trying to make things easier for her. After all, for those with Sharingan, one look is enough to decide the battle. Unfortunately for her, Fujin has very good self-control to not respond to any taunting and to not drop his guard even when winning. So despite Lightning Explosion Barrage Rain jutsu, she never got any opportunity to suppress Fujin." The judges discussed the fight more. The finals would happen after half an hour. So some of the spectators began cleaning themselves up, crowding the public bathrooms. The break was an opportunity for stall owners to sell their merchandise or food items. Unfortunately, those items now had a lot of dust on them. So quite a lot of merchandise and food was spoiled. Only packaged items or the ones kept in airtight containers were safe. So Mieko and Fujin were cursed secretly by all the stall owners! During the break, a few ninjas used Earth release jutsus to fix the ground. Making the genins fight in a completely ruined arena would put Konoha in a bad light. More importantly, knowing Fujin''s Great Breakthrough jutsu, they expected him to just launch the soil into the stands. After half an hour, Fujin and Yumi were called down to the arena. Chapter 104: The Most Epic Battle Ever! The crowds cheered loudly. The semifinals were thrilling. They expected even more from the finals. The ninjas however didn''t expect much. They expected both the genins to have less than half chakra. It would be unlikely for Yumi to surprise them anymore, while Fujin hadn''t used anything fancy. Renjiro and Hiruzen, who knew Fujin''s abilities, knew that there wouldn''t be any suspense in this fight. Fujin and Yumi looked at each other. Yumi''s eyes were blue and glowing, while Fujin''s eyes were as black as the darkest night! Inoichi announced, "The final starts now, BEGIN!" Expecting Fujin to start with Wind Explosion jutsu, Yumi moved backwards while making a few hand signs. However, Fujin didn''t start with it. He flickered while making a hand sign! Yumi was surprised. Fujin appeared behind her. ''Great Breakthrough jutsu'' ''Water Wall jutsu'' Mieko recognized the seal and quickly created her water wall. Unfortunately, at such a close distance, it had no chance against it. The water did reduce its speed, but Yumi was hit by the jutsu. She was hurled backwards flying. While landing, she dug a kunai into the ground to stabilize herself. Just when she had managed to stabilize, a kunai appeared in front of her. Yumi''s eyes widened when she noticed the explosion tag attached to the kunai. She immediately jumped to her left. Fujin noticed her dodge and flickered into his jutsu. Yumi didn''t expect Fujin to enter into the dangerous winds that he had created. She was distracted by the explosion tag and had her eye off Fujin for a few seconds. Fujin used those few seconds to attack! He suddenly flickered in front of her and attacked her with his kunai. Yumi was taken by surprise. She had no time to perform a jutsu. She raised her kunai to block him while trying to move away. Their kunais clashed. And Fujin''s kunai cut through hers with ease. Yumi had expected it and was already moving backwards. However, Fujin took a step forward as well and placed the kunai on her neck. The wind chakra around the kunai created a small cut on her neck. Soon after, Hiruzen stood up and announced, "Last year, the record for the second phase of the Chunin Exam was broken. A squad from Konoha managed to pass it in 5 hours and 30 minutes. However, that record was broken by the Genin squad consisting of Suzuki Fujin, Uchiha Mieko, and Hyuga Hoka. They completed the second exam in just 47 minutes!" The crowd was surprised to learn that and cheered loudly. The Daimyos also paid attention to this announcement. After all, it signified that the younger generation of Konoha held promise. Hiruzen continued, "As a reward for such an amazing performance, Fujin, Mieko, and Hoka will be taught one jutsu each by me!" That announcement shocked a lot of the ninjas for multiple reasons. For one, Hiruzen hadn''t taught anyone for a long time. Secondly, he was known as The Professor. It signified the tremendous amount of knowledge he possessed on jutsu. And lastly, his dominance in the first and second ninja wars earned him the moniker of ''God of Shinobi!'' To be taught by him would be a great honor for any ninja. However, unlike the shocked ninjas, Fujin''s eyebrows involuntarily twitched. He scoffed, ''What a cheapskate! This way he doesn''t have to spend anything at all! And he gets to take a break from his boring paperwork under the pretense of teaching us!'' Fujin bowed as a sign of gratitude. However, while bowing, he realized yet another aspect, ''Wait! It''s not just that. He just announced our achievements. And he announced Itachi''s as well. This wasn''t aimed at the crowds, rather was aimed at the Daimyos. This way, he will get more money and missions from them! Damn! I thought I''d swindle a good reward from him. Instead, he has exploited us while giving token rewards!'' Fujin was shocked at how well Hiruzen had played! He got money, better missions, a break from paperwork and improved his reputation without making any efforts at all! Hiruzen smiled as he looked at the shocked and amazed expressions of the crowd. The effect was exactly as he imagined. However, he would never know that the 11 year old genin bowing to him had analyzed all details of his small scheme! Though, even if he did, Hiruzen would not react much and would give the boy to Shikaku to further improve his analyzing skills. A ninja who could see through schemes was always very handy to have. A ninja who could see through schemes and set up counter schemes to gain the advantage of the schemes cooked up by others is even more valuable! After Hiruzen''s speech, an announcement was made, bringing an end to the Chunin exams. The crowd began dispersing. [A/N : Enjoy your Sunday :-)] Chapter 105: RIP Gato After the announcement, the crowd dispersed. Only a few who had bet on Fujin went to the spot where Payouts were made. Fujin too flickered to that spot so as to not be stuck in any long lines. Fujin assumed he''d be the first one there, but he was wrong. Another person had flickered there before him. Fujin''s eyes twitched. He said, "Hello Sensei." Renjiro chuckled and replied, "Hello Fujin. Congrats on winning the tournament." Fujin nodded while thinking, ''What a teacher!'' Renjiro asked, "Would you like to go first?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "No, you can go first sensei." He thought, ''Let me see how much money you are making!'' Renjiro chuckled, guessing Fujin''s thoughts, and walked to the counter. The bookie looked at the teacher-student duo. At that time, 2 Anbu ninjas flickered in. Renjiro didn''t pay attention and placed 30 golden tickets with Fujin''s name on them on the table! Fujin''s eyes popped out on seeing that! He thought, ''He''s fucking rich!!! I should ask him for the rewards instead of Hiruzen! WAIT, I should ask for my share!'' The bookie was also frightened! 30 gold tickets meant that he would have to pay out 120 million Ryo! He looked at Renjiro, who just maintained a smile. However, the bookie felt as if he was looking at a demon!no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. The bookie thought, ''The total bets that were placed in the auction was just 110 million Ryo. The payout to him alone would put us at a loss of 10 million Ryo!'' He wondered if he could avoid paying the money. But he shook his head thinking, ''Konoha would skin me alive. They would likely uproot Gato''s entire business too! We have no choice!'' He gritted his teeth and paid Renjiro 120 million Ryo! Anyone who held gambling was required to hold 150 million Ryo extra in case they incurred a loss. So he could still make the payment. Renjiro smiled and sealed the suitcases containing money in a scroll. Fujin looked at his sensei checking all the money and storing it. He wondered, ''Do all Senju love to bet?'' He sighed and went forward. For some reason, the joy of winning money had diminished a lot! He put forth 6 silver tickets on the table. Fujin replied in a deadpan tone, "The older you get, the greedier you become." Renjiro almost lost his footing on hearing that. Before he could reply, Fujin sighed and muttered, "I wonder if Lord Hokage could arrange me a few dozen Wind Crystals with the money he got from betting on me." After saying that, he stared at Renjiro, reminding him of the money he won as well! Renjiro ignored his words and his stare and asked, "Anything else you noticed?" Fujin replied, "Did they piss off the Hokage somehow?" Renjiro nodded, "The Gato company engages in a lot of illegal activities. Many common people have suffered due to them. This act was to give them a blow. And remind them to stay within their boundaries." Fujin thought for a bit and nodded, ''Not bad. Not only was the Gato company made to pay, but Konoha also earned a fortune. That said, looking at this in another way, Gato seized money from common people forcefully and Konoha seized that money from Gato. So indirectly, Konoha seized the money from the common people without the protection of a strong village. The true losers are the common people. In order to compensate for this loss, Gato will steal more from common people, and perhaps sometime in the future, some other huge force will take the money from him. No wonder a scum like him can spread his influence so easily and not lose his life. The strong countries just don''t care about it. After all, they too get a good share of his steal. Sigh. No matter which world, the weak and helpless ones always suffer.'' Renjiro noticed Fujin suddenly quieting down. He wondered what Fujin was thinking about. Suddenly, Fujin had a thought. He asked, "Sensei, if I had lost, would you guys have just let all the money go to the Gato Company?" Renjiro looked at Fujin, who looked back at his sensei. Renjiro didn''t answer, but just smirked. Fujin sweatdropped looking at his smirk! He decided, ''These guys are the worst schemers! In the future, if I ever had to make a move against Hiruzen or Konoha, I should take care to never ever expose my identity! Who knows which scheme they might cook to make me suffer a huge loss.'' They reached the medical room in the arena in silence and checked up on Mieko and Hoka. Mieko had a lot of cuts while Hoka had mild burns all over his body. Both also suffered from chakra exhaustion. Though they were healed, the medical nins advised them to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. Renjiro informed them about the reward and neither of them was thrilled by it. Renjiro advised them to rest. Both Fujin and Renjiro left, leaving them with their family. After leaving, Fujin looked at the sky and thought, ''The chunin exam finally ended. Soon I''ll be a chunin. Six years of work to go from a nobody to a chunin. How long would it take to reach S rank from here?'' [A/N : Finally Fujin will become Chunin! Didn''t think I''d need 103 chapters just to promote Fujin to chunin.... The next few chapters will focus on Hokage''s reward. And then this fanfic will open up. I''m planning a lot of arcs to happen between now and when the canon timeline starts. However, I will have to think up all details regarding these arcs as there is no canon reference. So I might need small breaks in between the arcs to come up with good plots and gather all the required details for them. So the updates might be a bit slow. Please let me know what your thoughts are on every arc. Feedback helps. So does criticism. Once I catch up with the canon timeline, the writing speed should increase considerably as I won''t have to spend days building plots and filling up details. Also, thanks for your support guys. It''s very motivating for me to keep writing!] Chapter 106: Promotion and Disbanding A few hours after the Exam ended, an Anbu ninja went underground and entered a base. The base was covered in a lot of seals to prevent detection. It was very dark. The Anbu passed through a few passages, before entering a small house. He knelt and greeted, "Danzo sama" Danzo looked at him and asked, "Did anything important happen during the exam?" The root ninja replied, "No Danzo sama. Only a couple of small matters. Lord Hokage and Senju clan made a move against Gato. They got 210 million Ryo from him by betting." This surprised Danzo. While he hadn''t paid any attention to Gato, it was surprising that he made such a huge loss while hosting the Tournament gamble. He asked, "Who did the Hiruzen bet on?" The root ninja answered, "They placed their bets on Suzuki Fujin, an orphan. He defeated a Yuki genin who knew Ice style, another Kiri genin who knew the Hydrification technique, then the Uchiha Mieko, and lastly a Steam release user from the Sakai clan. He specializes in Wind Release and Body flicker. And his chakra reserves can be considered to barely be at Jounin level!" This surprised Danzo. He wondered, ''How did we miss such an orphan when recruiting for Root?'' He asked, "How talented is he at Wind Release?" Danzo was curious about it. Ninjas with Wind affinity were rare in Konoha. And a good Wind release user in Konoha could be counted on fingers!l--B1n. The root ninja answered, "He could supercharge Great Breakthrough jutsu in a couple of seconds. And he could perform all his Wind jutsus with just 1 hand seal. Except for Wind Explosion jutsu, which he could perform without any hand signs. And the power of his supercharged jutsu would be difficult for anyone under Elite Chunin level to replicate." Danzo was impressed. However, he soon frowned, ''I heard that Hiruzen will be teaching him a jutsu. So I can''t make a move on him before he is taught. And Senju Renjiro could be an annoyance as well.'' Danzo looked at his subordinate and instructed, "After he completes a couple of missions as chunin, invite him to join the Anbu." Danzo analyzed, ''Hiruzen waits for a few months for the new chunins to realize how boring chunin life is. And then he invites the talented ones into Anbu. So even after a couple of missions, I should be the first one to approach him.'' The root ninja asked, "What if he declines Danzo sama?" Danzo thought a bit and answered, "Try convincing him verbally. You can tell him that he will get to learn deadly Wind jutsus if he joins us. If he is insistent on declining, then return and ignore him." The three chunins nodded. They were excited at the prospects of taking A rank missions. Hiruzen asked, "At what time do you begin your training?" Hoka replied, "At 5 AM, Lord Hokage." It was as Hiruzen expected. He said, "Tomorrow I will meet you guys at your usual training ground at 7 AM. So be on time and warm up before I come. You are dismissed for now." Hoka and Mieko were about to nod and leave, when Fujin said, "Lord Hokage." Hiruzen looked at him and said, "Yes Fujin?" Fujin replied, "I was wondering if you could arrange for samurai swords that assist Wind chakra flow for me now." Hiruzen thought, ''I recall saying that I will arrange a meeting with someone who can make them. And not arrange them myself.'' He nodded and said, "Don''t worry. I''ll arrange for a swordsmith to meet you in a few days. He''ll ask you the measurements of the sword you would be comfortable with. Don''t worry about the cost as it''ll be paid by me." Fujin wondered, ''Was he really not planning to pay for the sword?'' Hiruzen, on the other hand, was thinking, ''The village earned 120 million Ryo thanks to him. I can afford to spend a few million on him.'' Since there was nothing else to discuss, they left the building. Renjiro said, "Let''s meet at the training ground." He flickered. The newly promoted chunins followed him. Chapter 107: B Rank Jutsus As usual, the trio made it a race. Fujin arrived right after Renjiro. Mieko and Hoka arrived a couple of seconds later. Renjiro looked at his students for a minute and said, "Congratulations on becoming Chunins so quickly. Very few manage to become chunins in less than a year after graduating. As the Hokage said, this means that our squad will be disbanded." He smiled and said, "I am proud to have students like you." All 3 kids bowed and said, "Thank You Sensei!" The last few months of training under him were very fruitful! They had made massive progress! He continued, "However, we will do one last mission. I''ll be taking you guys on a rank A mission." This excited them. Mieko asked, "Really Sensei?" Generally, it was very rare for a chunin to join A rank mission. Only if the lead jounin wanted a particular chunin, that they could join one. Renjiro nodded, "The mission will be after your training with Lord Hokage is done. So focus on it. Also, train hard in the future. I believe that all 3 of you can become Elite Jounins if you work hard." The kids promised to train hard. The group finally dispersed. Mieko and Hoka went home, while Fujin walked towards the library. He wondered, ''I wonder which rank B Wind jutsus are in the library. From what I remember, all of Danzo''s Wind Vacuum jutsus were at rank B. So will they be in there as well?'' Fujin entered the B section of the library and scrolled through the Wind jutsus. After checking all jutsus, he sighed, ''Well, this was disappointing. Not a single Wind Vacuum jutsu here. Even Kakazu''s Pressure Damage isn''t here. Though Infinite Breakthrough jutsu should do a similar job. And learning it will be easy as well. That aside, the worst part is that there are only 4 B rank Wind jutsus here. Wind Sword, Wind Torpedo, and Tornado Trap jutsus. Out of them, Tornado Trap kinda seems useless. And Wind Sword looks to be an inferior version of Blade of Wind jutsu. The effects however are much weaker than my sword. Though I should learn it considering that it will be very easy to learn. Only Wind Torpedo and Infinite Breakthrough jutsus would be a decent addition.'' He sighed once again, before checking out the jutsus of remaining elements. Unfortunately, he didn''t find anything impactful. He memorized the hand seals for Wind Sword jutsu, Infinite Breakthrough jutsu, and Wind Torpedo jutsu. He left a shadow clone to read the remaining jutsus in more depth and flickered away. He flickered to the Hokage''s building and entered a room on the ground floor. A Genin was sitting in this room. Fujin asked, "Are any training fields available right now?" The Genin in charge nodded and asked, "What are you planning to practice?" Fujin replied, "Wind Release jutsus" The genin looked at a chart and said, "You can take the training ground 23. How long will you need it?" Fujin thought for a bit before deciding, ''I should practice Wind Sword and Infinite Breakthrough for now. I''ll make a decision about Wind Torpedo after learning new jutsus from Hiruzen and Renjiro. Both should have realized my need for such a jutsu. So it wouldn''t be a surprise if they do arrange something for me.'' Fujin trained the 2 jutsus for the next 6 hours until his chakra finally began running out. He sat while resting against a tree with a smile, ''Hand seals for both jutsus have been reduced to just one. Soon I''ll be able to do them without hand seals.'' He looked up at the sky and thought, ''It''s been around 6 hours since I began training. It should be time now.'' He sat in a meditative position to recover his chakra. After 20 minutes, his shadow clone from the library dispelled itself. Fujin received its memories and chakra. He received details of all rank B jutsus. And he received memories of the hand signs for Earth Release : Earth Wall jutsu. Fujin was a bit surprised by the information, ''Oh, there are two ways to perform this jutsu. One is by spitting out mud and using it to form a wall, and hardening it with chakra. And the 2nd one is by slamming hands on the ground and using it to create a wall. Hmm... The first one will be difficult for me. And I do have the spinning shield of wind anyways. Better to just focus on the 2nd method.'' He kept meditating for another 40 minutes. After recovering sufficient chakra, he got up and made a few hand signs. He slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Wall jutsu'' A 5 meters wide, 2.5 meters tall, and 1-foot thick wall rose from the ground. Fujin inspected the wall and concluded, ''Not bad. I do need to increase the speed of forming this jutsu, but the defense should be very good. Time to test it.'' He created a Wind clone and left it behind the wall. He went to the other side. ''Wind Explosion jutsu'' He threw it on the wall, and apart from a few scratches, no damage happened to the wall. He smiled and tossed a couple of Explosion tags. They exploded on the wall creating a few cracks on the surface. But the wall held on. He created a few hand signs. ''Wind Torpedo jutsu'' The torpedo launched itself right where the Explosion tags had exploded. It exploded on impact. It created a huge dent in the wall. The dent was around 10 inches deep! Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, so a combination of Torpedo jutsu and Explosion tags is almost enough to destroy the wall. If I pour more chakra into the wall, then apart from wide range jutsus and maybe lightning release jutsus, it should be able to block most other jutsus.'' He exhaled a normal Great Breakthrough jutsu. Due to the scale of the jutsu, the winds went over and around the wall and hit his clone, dispelling it. It happened just as Fujin expected. Fujin spent the remaining day practicing until he ran out of chakra and went back home after having dinner. Chapter 108: Flying Thunder God! After reaching home, Fujin laid the chunin vest he received on his bed and began checking it. The jacket was similar as in the manga. It was green in color. It had 3 scroll pouches on either side of the chest. It also had a neck guard and extra padding over the shoulders. On its back, there was a symbol of Uzushiogakure. The material that the vest was made of was very resilient. It could provide minor resistances against fire, lightning, weapons and blunt attacks. Fujin thought, ''Not bad. 6 scrolls plus minor defenses. I wonder if I can inscribe some storage seals on it. Having an easy way to summon hundreds of Explosion tags will be handy.'' Fujin looked at his current clothes and decided, ''I also need to buy new clothes. The current ones now feel tighter. I''ll probably need to keep buying new ones every year for the next few years. Speaking of clothes...'' Fujin looked around at his house. He had been staying there for almost 7 years! He noticed quite a few cracks on the walls and even the ceiling. He thought, ''I probably need to change to a new house as well. Practicing Wall walking indoors did a number on the walls! Not to mention, it feels much smaller now. I wonder what the property prices are in this world.'' Fujin decided to look into them later and fell asleep. The next morning, Fujin went to the training ground and began training. He was using the training seal at 60% power! Soon Hoka followed by Mieko joined him as well. At 6 AM, an old man knocked on the door of Hokage''s office and entered. Homura looked at Hiruzen and asked, "Why did you call me so early in the morning?" Hiruzen looked at his friend and answered, "I will be training the 3 genins from today for a few days. I will leave the official work to you." Homura''s eyes twitched. He was annoyed and asked aggressively, "Why do I have to do the paperwork? I''m too old for this." Hiruzen smiled and answered, "You made a good contribution to the village by suggesting the idea to reward top performers in the academy. So this is your reward." Homura stared at Hiruzen. Both entered a staredown! After a couple of minutes, Homura sighed. He had heard about a genin asking Hiruzen for a reward during the chunin exam. So he understood why Hiruzen was targeting him. He replied, "Alright, but don''t take too long." Hiruzen smiled and said, "They are just kids. I''ll teach them one jutsu and be done in no time." Homura nodded. Unfortunately for Homura, both he and Hiruzen overlooked one critical aspect! So he''d be stuck doing paperwork for a much longer time than he bargained for. Hiruzen explained some details to his friend before leaving. He wasn''t much worried as Homura, Kohaku and even Danzo had taken over his paperwork job at times, especially during wars. So they all knew how to handle it properly. At 7, Hiruzen arrived at the training ground and saw the 3 chunins training hard. He smiled and muttered, "They will have a good future if they maintain this dedication." He looked at Mieko and asked, "Would you like to learn this jutsu?" Mieko obediently nodded. Hiruzen smiled and looked at Hoka. He said, "I know you don''t like Ninjutsu. So I will teach you something that will aid your Taijutsu. Look carefully, this is a secret technique of your clan." Chakra began pouring from the Chakra points in Hiruzen''s right hand. He pulled his arm back and pushed it forward at great speed. While his arm was moving, a ''vacuum shell'' formed in his hand. When he pushed his arm to the max, the shell was fired towards a boulder. The shell hit the boulder in the blink of an eye and created a hole through the entire boulder. It kept going and created a hole in 5 trees behind the boulder! The genins were surprised once again! Hoka had seen this technique before. But he was told that he won''t be taught it until he becomes a Jounin. However, the jutsu that he saw his elders perform was nowhere near as lethal as what Hiruzen did. At most, it created strong winds causing a few leaves to fall off a tree. Hiruzen said, "This jutsu is Eight Trigrams : Air Palm. It was invented by the Hyuga clan to create a mid range fighting capability. It too can be used both offensively and defensively." Fujin gulped his saliva, ''I recall reading that Hiruzen could perform every jutsu in Konoha, including the secret techniques! However, that doesn''t do Hiruzen justice. It''d be more appropriate to say that Hiruzen can perform all jutsu in Konoha better than anyone else in Konoha!'' Hiruzen asked, "Do you want to learn this Hoka?" Hoka immediately nodded. Hiruzen finally looked at Fujin and asked, "Fujin, did you think about any jutsu that you want to learn from me?" Fujin was still surprised by Hiruzen''s display. He gathered himself and nodded, "Yes Lord Hokage." Hiruzen was slightly surprised. But soon he thought, ''This kid always knows what he wants. So it isn''t surprising that he thought of something. I wonder what jutsu he wants to learn.'' Hiruzen asked, "Which jutsu is it Fujin?" Fujin said with a serious face, "Lord Hokage, I want to learn the Flying Thunder God jutsu that the 2nd and 4th Hokage used." Hiruzen, who was happy about how shocked the kids were at his abilities, was now shocked himself! Even Fujin could easily notice how shocked and speechless he was! Mieko and Hoka were shocked as well! They too looked at Fujin with stunned expressions. Fujin however maintained his straight face and kept looking into Hiruzen''s eyes with a hopeful expression! Chapter 109: Senjutsu Hiruzen smiled bitterly, ''He really does make the most of every opportunity!'' He said, "Unfortunately, you can''t learn that right now." Fujin showed a thoughtful face and asked, "Why not?" Hiruzen answered, "To learn Flying Thunder God jutsu, you need 2 things. You need to be a Fuinjutsu master. For that, you need to learn every Fuinjutsu seal from our Library and be able to make them with ease. In our village, there are less than 10 Fuinjutsu masters. Secondly, you need to have a talent for Space-time ninjutsu. And that talent is very rare. I am only aware of 5 ninjas from Konoha who had talent in it." Fujin thought for a second and asked, "If I become a Fuinjutsu master, can I be allowed to learn it then?" Hiruzen chuckled and said, "Sure. But learning Fuinjutsu is difficult. I would suggest you not waste time on it right now." Fujin nodded. Hiruzen asked, "Do you have anything else you want to learn?" Fujin nodded once again. Hiruzen was surprised, ''He even thought of something else to ask if his request was denied?'' Fujin said, "I heard that one of your students, the Toad Sage Jiraiya of the Sannins, can use Senjutsu. Can you teach me Senjutsu?" Hiruzen was shocked once again! He wondered, ''Am I getting too old to teach the new generation? Where did he even learn about Senjutsu?'' Mieko and Hoka looked at Fujin with confused faces, ''What is Senjutsu?'' Hiruzen asked, "Where did you learn about Senjutsu?" Fujin replied, "I read it on a scroll in the library." Hiruzen looked at the 11 year old kid with disbelief, ''I promised to teach them one jutsu! He made me promise to teach him all the Wind Vacuum jutsus. And he even thanked me so quickly...'' Hiruzen sighed internally and decided, ''Leave it. I''ll teach him and get him off my back for now. Though in the future, I need to ensure that I don''t promise him any rewards.'' Unfortunately for Hiruzen, he had already promised Fujin something for the future. While he didn''t think that future would ever arrive, Fujin had already sealed those words in his memory! While Fujin didn''t have enough chakra to use Shadow clones for training ninjutsu, especially when he was mastering rank B jutsus or supercharging jutsus, he had plenty to abuse while learning Fuinjutsu! As soon as he mastered all fuinjutsu available, he would ask Hiruzen to aid him in learning Flying Thunder God. By then, he would even have built a good reputation in Konoha, so Hiruzen would be more likely to agree. Hiruzen made a couple of shadow clones. Hoka and Mieko went with one each while his main body stayed behind with Fujin. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, before I teach you, I need you to promise me something." Fujin asked, "What Lord Hokage?" Hiruzen replied, "The Wind Vacuum style is very dangerous. Never use these jutsus on a colleague or an ally. In the future, you would likely spar a lot with other ninjas from Konoha. Under no circumstances are you allowed to use Wind Vacuum style against them." Fujin nodded and answered without hesitation, "I agree, Lord Hokage. I don''t even use my sword while sparring." Hiruzen nodded. It was the main reason why he agreed. He said, "Excellent. I will now first explain the theory of the Wind Vacuum style. Once you understand, we will begin learning it." Fujin nodded and paid attention. Hiruzen''s clones also began teaching Mieko and Hoka. Mieko had the Sharingan, so she very quickly got the basics of the jutsu. But actually performing it was much tougher as it was an A rank jutsu! She couldn''t form the ring of fire around her. Hoka too got stuck in creating a Vacuum shell. Both would need some time to overcome those obstacles. However, once they did, they would advance rapidly. Fujin too had a tough challenge to overcome! Chapter 110: Talent [A/N : This double release is sponsored by Terrance Smith on P@treon. You can thank him for it :-)] Hiruzen asked, "Tell me Fujin, do you know what a vacuum is and its properties?" Fujin fell into thought, ''Did the academy ever teach about the vacuum? Probably not, though the library might have some information regarding it.'' Fujin answered, "Vacuum basically is a space where nothing exists. Not even air. As for its properties, I don''t know for sure. But I have a few guesses." Hiruzen said, "That''s right. Tell me about your guesses." Fujin replied, "Since nothing exists in a vacuum, the pressure inside the vacuum should be very low, or perhaps non-existent. So if something came close to the vacuum, it would rapidly be sucked inside the vacuum. Though, in that case, the vacuum will no longer be a vacuum." Hiruzen was impressed by that answer. He nodded, "Very good Fujin. You are right. That is how the vacuum works. The Wind Vacuum jutsus are based on the same principle." Fujin paid close attention as Hiruzen explained, "Wind Vacuum jutsus are the same as normal Wind jutsus. The only difference is that they have a vacuum core. So, you first have to learn how to create a vacuum core. Observe properly." Hiruzen extended his arm ahead. Wind formed in his hand, similar to a Wind Explosion jutsu. Fujin observed with all his focus. A wind sphere formed in Hiruzen''s hand. But soon, the winds began moving away from the core. Fujin saw a vacuum sphere forming at the center of the wind sphere. It had a radius of 2 cm. Hiruzen explained, "To create a vacuum, you just have to remove all air from the space where you decide to create the vacuum." Fujin nodded. The basic principles were similar to those on earth. Only chakra was used instead of technology. Hiruzen dispersed the jutsu. Fujin noticed as winds rushed back into the vacuum core. Hiruzen said, "Now you try Fujin." Fujin extended his hand forward. A wind sphere immediately formed in his hand. He focused on the center of the sphere and tried moving air away from it. He quickly managed to move the air to one side of the center. However, soon air from other directions entered. Hiruzen observed him carefully. Fujin was surprised, ''What the heck?'' Hiruzen looked and said, "After creating the vacuum core, you maintained it. However, when you launched it, you couldn''t maintain it anymore. That''s why air around it entered the vacuum core and your jutsu collapsed." Fujin analyzed Hiruzen''s words and nodded. He asked, "So, how can we maintain it when it is away from us?" Hiruzen created another wind sphere with a vacuum core and said, "Watch the wind movement around the vacuum core carefully." He slowly launched the wind sphere towards a boulder. Fujin observed carefully, ''Incredible. The winds are moving in such a way that air doesn''t enter the vacuum core! And, there seems to be a thin chakra layer separating the winds and the vacuum core.'' The wind sphere hit the boulder. The winds only caused a few scratches. However, when the vacuum core touched the boulder, the part where it touched turned into soil and was absorbed into the vacuum core. The vacuum core continued for a few inches absorbing everything around it, before disappearing. It left a 6 inch deep and 3 inch wide hole in the boulder! Hiruzen explained, "In order to maintain the vacuum core, you need to do two things. First, you need to create a thin film of chakra around the vacuum core to ensure that nothing enters it. And then you need to rotate winds around that film in a way that it doesn''t damage the thin chakra film and doesn''t allow outside air to hit the chakra film either. When the jutsu hits someone or something, the winds will first damage it and then the vacuum core will hit it. Since the chakra film is thin, it''ll break after contact with anything solid or even liquid. As soon as it breaks, the vacuum core will absorb anything it comes in contact with, no matter how tough it is. When it passes through, it''ll look like the object is cut into two. But it isn''t a simple cut." Fujin nodded. This technique was very lethal. Hiruzen continued, "When you cut someone with your sword, only a thin cut forms in their body. As long as that person isn''t dead on-spot, a good medic can heal them easily. Even cut arms or legs can be reattached. But with Wind Vacuum jutsus..." Hiruzen pointed towards the hole in the boulder and continued, "The vacuum core absorbed everything in a 3 inch diameter. Very few medics can heal such a wound. If it hits any organ, such as the stomach or liver, those organs would be ruined on spot. Surviving is almost impossible." Fujin nodded. Hiruzen''s explanation was just as he observed. He thought, ''Damn! Wind Vacuum jutsus will be op! Finally, I''ll have a way to hit through the enemy defense.'' He looked at Hiruzen and said, "I understand why you asked me to never use this against a comrade, Lord Hokage." Hiruzen nodded with a smile. He wanted to teach Fujin how dangerous these jutsus are. He said, "Now that the basic theory has been understood, you will have to try it yourself. Let''s begin." Fujin nodded and began creating another Vacuum sphere with all his attention. Chapter 111: Wind Vacuum Technique Fujin began practicing. Hiruzen had instructed him to practice with a 1 cm radius vacuum core for now.l--B1n. After creating the vacuum core, he began encasing it with a thin layer of his chakra. It needed delicate chakra control. However, thanks to his Senju Taijutsu style training, his chakra control was good enough. After a few failures, he managed to learn it rather quickly. The next challenge was to form winds around it to add another layer. This time he failed a lot more. If the winds hit the chakra film even a bit, it would collapse. But, soon he managed to create a proper Vacuum sphere. In Fujin''s right hand, a wind sphere rotated. At the center of this wind sphere was a thin chakra film that encased a 1 cm radius vacuum core. Hiruzen thought, ''Incredible. He got the basic form right in less than 10 minutes!'' Hiruzen said, "Now throw this sphere at a tree." Fujin nodded and followed his instruction. The Vacuum sphere travelled for 10 meters when it suddenly began collapsing. Fujin observed closely and muttered, "The winds hit the chakra film and entered the vacuum core." Hiruzen nodded, "That is the case. You have to ensure that the winds don''t hit the chakra film even when it is travelling. And you need to make the chakra film sturdier while not increasing its thickness." Fujin nodded and began practicing again. For the next 7 hours, Fujin kept experimenting with the wind flow and tried making the chakra film sturdier. Hiruzen kept watching the whole time. He initially watched Fujin with fondness due to how dedicated and hardworking he was. However, after 7 straight hours, he sighed, ''I expected him to take a break for breakfast and lunch. Instead, he just grabbed a few ration bars and stuffed them into his mouth! He didn''t even offer them to me.'' Hiruzen hadn''t carried anything to eat. A couple of times, he had even asked Fujin to take a break. However, Fujin replied, "Just some time, Lord Hokage. I think I have got a handle on this!" After replying, he would get lost in practice and not even look at Hiruzen. He did talk with Hiruzen a few times, but it was regarding issues in the training. After getting the answers, he focused on the training once again. Finally, he managed to get a hang of it! He created another Vacuum sphere and threw it in the air. It traveled for around 100 meters in the sky before collapsing. Fujin looked at Hiruzen, who nodded and said, "Good. This is perfect. Now try it on trees or boulders." Fujin nodded and followed his instruction. He created a vacuum sphere and threw it at a tree. It hit the tree and pierced through it, creating a 2 inch wide hole in the tree. He smiled and began creating more Vacuum spheres. In the next few minutes, dozens of trees were pierced. However, every Vacuum sphere after piercing the tree would collapse. Fujin wondered, ''This is definitely good but if it collapses so soon after piercing a tree, it won''t be that lethal. Maybe creating a bigger vacuum core might help it go longer...'' Hiruzen wasn''t aware of Fujin''s thoughts. He looked at his performance and praised him, "Great work Fujin. However, let''s stop here for today." Fujin looked at Hiruzen and protested, "But Lord Hokage, I can still train!" Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Your chakra is almost exhausted. If we train more, then you might not be able to train tomorrow. The next step of training will be just as challenging as today''s. So let''s stop for today." Hiruzen said, "Good. What are your thoughts about the Wind Vacuum style?" Fujin thought for a bit and said, "It is very strong in terms of piercing capability. But, the vacuum core collapses soon after hitting the first target. So even if this technique pierces through any defense, it won''t be able to harm the ninja hiding behind those defenses." He looked at Hiruzen and said, "I wonder if increasing the size of the Vacuum core will resolve this." Hiruzen replied, "Good analysis. But no. Once the vacuum core begins absorbing, it''ll collapse quickly." Fujin frowned, ''I don''t remember too well, but I think Danzo''s vacuum jutsus kept traveling even after piercing rocks. Will that not be the case here?'' Hiruzen smiled seeing Fujin analyze with a frown. He said, "But, there is a way around this to make the Wind Vacuum jutsu last much longer and hit multiple targets in its path." He extended his right arm towards a tree and said, "Watch." Fujin observed carefully as a Vacuum sphere formed in Hiruzen''s palm. His eyebrows furrowed. The Vacuum core was different, but he couldn''t understand what exactly was different. Hiruzen launched the Vacuum sphere. It pierced through the tree, but maintained its form and kept going ahead. Fujin watched with eyes widened as the Vacuum sphere pierced through 13 trees before collapsing! He just exclaimed, "Wow!" Hiruzen smiled with satisfaction at seeing Fujin''s reaction. Fujin asked, "The Vacuum core looked different. What did you do?" Hiruzen extended his arm ahead and said, "Observe carefully again." A small Vacuum core slowly began forming in Hiruzen''s palm. A 1 cm radius vacuum core was formed. A thin film of chakra then encased it. However, instead of forming winds around it, vacuum began forming around the chakra film! While this vacuum was being formed, chakra began extending out of the thin chakra film. The vacuum outside the chakra film encased it entirely, but it was divided into 6 equal parts. Between those 6 parts, Chakra flowed. In addition, thin threads of chakra existed even within these 6 vacuum parts. They looked similar to veins. Hiruzen walked towards a nearby tree while saying, "Follow me and observe what happens when this hits the tree." Fujin followed him. Hiruzen slowly pressed this vacuum core against the Tree''s trunk. The truck began disintegrating and getting absorbed in the vacuum. However, after entering the vacuum, it drifted towards the chakra in between the vacuum. After entering the chakra flow, they were thrown out of the vacuum core. Fujin was surprised. He said, "The absorbed materials are thrown out. So the vacuum core is maintained. And the central most vacuum core was never even hit." Hiruzen dispelled the jutsus and nodded, "This way, you can maintain the vacuum core for longer. Once you master this, your enemy will have to dodge your jutsu. As blocking them will be near impossible." Fujin nodded and grinned, "This looks very lethal! Thank you, Lord Hokage!" Hiruzen smiled and said, "Now you try creating such a Vacuum core." Fujin nodded and got to work. Chapter 112: Bonding with the Hokage! Fujin kept working on creating the complicated Vacuum core. He managed to encase the chakra film inside another vacuum layer very quickly. But dividing it into 6 parts was difficult. He kept trying for the next 3 hours without success. Hiruzen looked at Fujin while thinking, ''I didn''t intend to teach this to Fujin. After all, even the normal vacuum core is very lethal. Danzo and I needed months to perfect this. However, he learnt the normal Wind Vacuum style in under a day. I am looking forward to how quickly he can master this.'' At 10, an Anbu appeared behind Hiruzen. This broke Fujin''s concentration and he observed him. The Anbu greeted Hiruzen, "Lord Hokage." And he handed him a tiffin box. Fujin, who had just eaten a couple of Ration bars, was amused. The Anbu left after Hiruzen took the box and thanked him. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, come join me." As it''d be impolite to turn him down, Fujin joined him. Hiruzen opened the box, and there were a few sandwiches in it. Fujin sat down and picked up one piece. While eating he said softly, "I didn''t know the Anbu were responsible for this as well." Hiruzen laughed and replied, "He is a part of my personal guard. They do everything that I ask them to." Fujin nodded while thinking, ''Well, except for paperwork.'' Seeing that Fujin wasn''t taking any initiative to converse, Hiruzen asked, "So Fujin, what do you usually do?" Fujin replied while taking a bite, "Pretty much just train, eat and sleep, Lord Hokage. Before the chunin exams, Renjiro sensei would train me all day." Hiruzen knew that. He smiled and said, "No need to keep calling me Lord Hokage. You can call me grandpa." Fujin got a bit worried, ''What is this old fox planning?'' Fujin furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "But how can we sense that quickly?" Hiruzen replied, "You can focus chakra in your eyes. It enhances your vision and can allow you to see chakra. Since you are a sensor, you should be able to see the chakra. It is what Sakai Yumi was doing in the chunin exam." Fujin exclaimed, "Oh, I didn''t think that would work." Hiruzen replied, "Yes. But it isn''t easy. You first need to know how their chakra changes before they cast Genjutsu. And be quick enough to realize it and disrupt your own chakra. However, even this isn''t foolproof. There are some Uchiha who are capable of casting very powerful genjutsu. Even if you detect and disrupt your chakra, you would still be caught in the genjutsu." Fujin frowned on hearing that. He wondered, ''Is he talking about the Mangekyou or does he mean that even normal Sharingan can be used to cast such a strong Genjutsu?'' Hiruzen noticed Fujin frowning and said, "But there is no need to worry. After all, the Uchiha are a part of Konoha." There was a hint of helplessness and sadness in Hiruzen''s tone. The relations between Konoha and Uchiha were deteriorating day by day! Fujin didn''t notice that. He sighed internally, ''Yeah, I wish. Even without the coup, the strongest Uchihas are already against Konoha. No, they are against the entire Ninja world!'' Hoka and Mieko also kept up their training. Hoka was the first one to learn his technique. It took him 3 days to learn. However, the power of his vacuum palm was quite weak. Hiruzen provided him insights on how to improve the power and their training ended. Mieko managed to learn her jutsu on the 5th day. Hiruzen spent another couple of days with her to improve her mastery of the jutsu. He gave her a lot of good advice and proper guidance. After all, Hiruzen was hoping that this act would improve his relationship with the Uchiha. The Uchihas did appreciate the Hokage for teaching his original jutsu to Mieko. Unfortunately, with the village turning a deaf ear to their demands, their resentment didn''t decrease. Later, Hiruzen would try to remove the surveillance on the Uchiha and move them back into their previous territory. Unfortunately, his plans would be opposed by Danzo and the two elders. Losing the 4th Hokage to a Sharingan-controlled Kyubi was a huge blow to the village. With Minato no longer alive, if something similar were to happen, then the other village would probably invade Konoha! The elders wouldn''t risk that. So the fate of the Uchiha clan wouldn''t change! Chapter 113: There are no Wind Vacuum Jutsus! Unlike Hoka and Mieko, Fujin''s training continued. It was on the 9th day that he finally managed to create a similar vacuum core as the one Hiruzen had created. Hiruzen checked it and praised Fujin, "Very good. This is good enough. Now, encase this vacuum core with another thin chakra film, and then create winds around it." Fujin followed his instructions and got it right on his first try! He threw it at a tree. It pierced through it and pierced 8 more trees behind it before collapsing! Fujin grinned, "This is great! Thanks gramps!" After 9 days of training, Fujin was now very casual with Hiruzen. Of course, he still kept proper control over what he spoke and didn''t antagonize Hiruzen. Hiruzen nodded, "Very impressive Fujin!" Fujin looked at Hiruzen and asked, "Can we learn all the Wind Vacuum jutsus now?" Hiruzen showed a confused face and asked, "What do you mean by Wind Vacuum jutsus?" Though Hiruzen had a confused face, he was laughing internally while thinking, ''This brat has taken a lot of advantages from me. Unfortunately, even if he read the entire library, his knowledge won''t compare to mine.'' Fujin''s eyebrows twitched. He asked, "Aren''t there a bunch of Wind Vacuum jutsus?" Hiruzen chuckled and shook his head, "There are no Wind Vacuum jutsus. Wind Vacuum is a technique to create a Vacuum core inside a Wind jutsu. So some Wind jutsus can become Wind Vacuum jutsus by using a Vacuum core. For instance, the Vacuum Sphere is just a modified Wind Explosion jutsu." Fujin was surprised at this, "Oh, I didn''t think of it that way." Hiruzen was about to ask Fujin to experiment on his own and create his own Wind Vacuum jutsus, when Fujin looked at him and said, "Grandpa, could you guide me in how to add the Vacuum core in the Great Breakthrough jutsu?" Hiruzen''s face went slightly black at how quickly Fujin requested him. He coughed and said, "No. The vacuum core can''t be added to the Great Breakthrough jutsu due to it having such a wide area of attack." Fujin replied, "Oh... I read that the 2nd Kazekage used a jutsu called Vacuum bullet jutsu. The scroll said that it moved at a very high speed and was very hard to dodge. Can you teach me that grandpa?" He looked at Hiruzen with a hopeful look on his face. While Fujin didn''t like Hiruzen''s diplomacy, he had nothing but respect for Hiruzen''s power and experience. Now that he had a chance to hold his thigh, Fujin would take every advantage he could from Hiruzen! Having interacted with Fujin for so long, Hiruzen understood that Fujin''s expressions were fake. He decided, ''I definitely need to include him in negotiating teams. He is aware that I know that his expression is fake. But he still does them!'' Hiruzen sighed and agreed. Using Wind bullets needed one to create small vacuum cores inside their mouth. While they were mostly harmless, they could result in horrible injuries if something went wrong! Hiruzen sighed thinking, ''I don''t think Homura will agree to take over paperwork for me again! When will those students of mine return to take my hat?'' As Hiruzen wished, one student of his would eventually return to take his hat. Though, he would want Hiruzen''s head alongside his hat! Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "For that, you will first need to learn Air bullet jutsu." Fujin replied, "Oh, can you teach me that jutsu as well?" After finishing their small talk, Fuji looked at Fujin and said, "So this is the youngster who wants swords?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes, he wants Samurai sabers which aid in Wind chakra flow." Fuji looked at Fujin for a few moments. He stared at his swords and asked, "Can I see your current progress with chakra flow?" Fujin looked at Hiruzen, who nodded his head. Fujin unsheathed both his swords and flowed his chakra through them. He then changed it to Wind nature. Fuji observed for a few seconds before nodding, "Very impressive! Your basics are solid!" Fujin politely replied, "Thank You" Fuji got up and asked Fujin to follow him. Momo and Hiruzen also followed. They entered a room with a lot of swords. Fuji looked at Momo and said, "Bring a few swords for Fujin to check." Fujin checked out quite a few swords. Fujin was the most comfortable with a 2 feet long sword. However, Fuji and Hiruzen recommended longer swords that would fit him properly when he grew up. After all, he was only 11. In the end, they settled on two 2.5 feet long, 1-inch wide, dual-edged swords. Fuji said, "Alright. I''ll make and bring those swords next year." Fujin was stunned! He said softly, "Next year?" Hiruzen chuckled and said, "He is one of the best swordsmiths in the world. He can only make one trip to Konoha every year." Fuji added, "In addition, adding chakra metal to swords is very complicated. It takes a long time to do it." Fujin nodded disappointedly as he couldn''t do anything about it. Hiruzen said, "You can leave Fujin. I have some official matters to discuss with Mr Fuji." Fujin nodded and left. After leaving, he sighed thinking, "1 year... So long to make a sword! That said, it shouldn''t matter much. My current swords are good enough for the time being." He went to the clothing shop and took his new clothes. On reaching home, he swapped his old clothes for new ones and tried them. The shopkeeper had done a good job. The clothes fit him perfectly. Especially the Mesh upper body suit. It was very comfortable. The training continued from the next day. Hiruzen and Fujin talked about even more techniques and strong ninjas. After Fujin ran out of techniques to discuss, he even asked questions about the Great Ninja wars. He asked what started them, how they could have been avoided, whether any wars will happen in the future and how they could be avoided. This talk surprised Hiruzen. Fujin surprisingly showed maturity way beyond his age. Memories of the maturity Itachi showed surfaced. Fujin had realized that Hiruzen would realize this. He had intentionally shown it. In the future, he would require a lot of S rank jutsus that Konoha had. Increasing his value in Hiruzen''s eyes had a lot of merits. While Fujin did create a personal bond with Hiruzen over the past week, however, Fujin was aware that this bond won''t gain him many benefits. After all, Naruto''s bond with Hiruzen could be said to be much deeper. However, he didn''t receive any benefits from Hiruzen. Other than perhaps getting a strong Jounin sensei. Though, even that decision was likely not an emotional one. These talks made Hiruzen finalize his decision to invite Fujin into the Anbu ranks after a few months. [A/N : Additional chapter on Sunday if the fic stays in top 200] Chapter 114: Shadow Clone Explosion Jutsu Fujin trained for a week. During this time, after Hiruzen ended the training, Fujin would go home and create vacuum cores with his palm while keeping his eyes closed. He did it to become more familiar with the process of creating vacuum cores. Finally, Fujin managed to create a stable vacuum core inside his mouth. He created a few hand signs and blew out the Vacuum Bullet jutsu. Unlike Air bullet, where he could blow half a dozen bullets at the same time, he could create just one Vacuum bullet at a time. It travelled in a straight line for 40 meters, piercing everything in its path! Fujin smiled and exclaimed, ''Damn cool!'' Hiruzen smiled. This time, Fujin performed just as he expected. Of course, his expectations were much higher. Hiruzen said, "Good work Fujin. You can improve Vacuum bullet jutsu further by creating more vacuum cores so that you can use multiple at the same time. Of course, that won''t be easy, so don''t push for it so quickly." Fujin nodded. He needed to use this jutsu a few thousand times. His mastery would improve steadily. Hiruzen continued, "Other than Vacuum spheres and Vacuum bullets, you can create more vacuum jutsus by changing the shape of the vacuum core. But don''t experiment with it for now. Try it after a few months." Fujin nodded and said, "Thank You, Grandpa." Hiruzen smiled seeing how obedient he was. However, soon he noticed a slight smile forming on Fujin''s face. Fujin asked, "Grandpa since it is only 9 AM and there is some time for the training session to end, can you teach me how to concentrate chakra in my eyes?" Hiruzen''s eyes twitched! He exclaimed, ''The next time we enter into any negotiations, I should send this shameless brat to negotiate!'' Fujin had analyzed, ''While I''m confident in my chakra control, the eye is a delicate organ. I don''t want to damage it. It''d be best if Hiruzen guided me.'' Hiruzen just sighed and agreed. He didn''t have anything to do either as Homura was still doing his job. Hiruzen guided Fujin on how to focus the chakra in his eyes. It needed delicate chakra control but was quite easy for Fujin. After Fujin learnt it, he gave him a few tips and dismissed him. He genuinely was worried that Fujin would ask him for more jutsus. Fujin knew that he had asked a lot from Hiruzen in the last couple of weeks. So he left after thanking him. After leaving, Fujin wondered, ''So, what do I do now? Should I rent a training field and practice? I haven''t heard from Renjiro at all since Hiruzen took over our training.'' He thought for a bit and left towards the Senju clan compound. He decided, ''Time to redeem that rank A jutsu from Renjiro. Should I ask for anything in particular? I don''t really recall any useful Rank A jutsus. Blade of Wind is the only one that comes to mind and I don''t need it immediately. I guess I''ll just ask him to give me something appropriate.'' Fujin went to the Senju clan compound. However, Renjiro was out on a mission. So Fujin rented a training ground and practiced Vacuum spheres and bullets. After dismissing Fujin, Hiruzen went back to his office. Seeing Hiruzen enter, Homura became very angry! He said in a grumpy tone, "Hiruzen, you finally remembered to come back?" After the moment of disbelief passed, he felt pride in his student. However, on hearing his student, Renjiro''s face immediately became dark. Fujin asked, "Where were you, sensei? I wanted to ask you to teach me the rank A jutsu!" Renjiro stared at Fujin, who looked back innocently with a smile on his face. He sighed and asked, "Did you think of any jutsu you want?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "I''ll trust your judgement, Sensei." Renjiro nodded. Rank A jutsus were hard to find. Rank A jutsu that suited you was even rarer. Fujin did know about a few Rank A jutsu, but most were from other elements. The remaining were very few. So he couldn''t decide on what would be the most useful for him. Renjiro said, "Alright. I have decided to teach you the Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu." Fujin thanked him, "Thank You Sensei. Can we start learning it now?" Renjiro was just back from an S rank mission. He had planned to rest, but he agreed. Renjiro said, "This jutsu has no hand signs. All you have to do is create a Shadow clone and make it self-destruct using all Chakra it has." Fujin replied, "That''s convenient Sensei." Renjiro nodded and continued, "The advantages are self-explanatory. The limitation is the range. Your clone needs to be very close to the enemy before self-destructing. You will also need to ensure that the enemy doesn''t move away quickly on sensing the explosion. As for the disadvantage, since your clone will use all its chakra, you won''t be getting any back." Fujin nodded. It was as he expected. Fujin asked, "So how do we make the clone explode, Sensei?" Renjiro began explaining the details of the jutsu. Fujin created a couple of Shadow clones and asked them to try as Renjiro explained. Fujin observed them carefully. After a few minutes, one of the clones exploded successfully! The explosion sent dust flying. After the dust settled, he noticed a small crater where the clone exploded. It had a radius of 2 meters and a maximum depth of 5 cm. Soon, the 2nd clone exploded as well. Fujin received the memories and experiences of both clones. Fujin began creating more Shadow clones one by one. After one would self-destruct, Fujin would get his experiences and make another Shadow Clone to practice the jutsu. Fujin''s Chakra had increased a lot since the time he received the Shadow clone jutsu! It had multiplied many times. He could now create 21 proper shadow clones that could sustain themselves until they used up two-thirds of their chakra. If he just wanted to create shadow clones for the sake of creating them, he could create 65 Shadow clones! Of course, these clones won''t be able to use a lot of chakra. If he intended to have his shadow clone use Rank B jutsus or supercharged jutsus, then he could only make a few. [A/N : For those who forgot - I had explained the details when Fujin learnt Shadow Clone jutsu. A Shadow Clone needs a particular amount of chakra to sustain itself. If it didn''t have that much, it would be dispelled and the chakra would be returned to the ninja. And a proper Shadow clone would need to be able to use at least 2/3rd chakra before reaching that minimum chakra requirement (basically 3 times the minimum chakra req). Back when Fujin had learnt Shadow clone jutsu for the first time, the minimum required chakra to sustain a shadow clone was 41% of Fujin''s entire chakra.] However, since it was just the purpose of learning how to self-destruct, Fujin created 30 one by one. It emptied 80% of his chakra reserves! However, the progress he made was incredible! [A/N : Additional chapter on Sunday if the fic stays in top 200] Chapter 115: Stingy Sensei After practicing, Fujin''s Shadow clone needed just two seconds to explode after making the decision to self-destruct. The efficiency of using all of the clone''s chakra for the explosion also increased. Each explosion now formed a crater of 3 meters radius and 10 cm depth. Renjiro said, "That''s good enough. Don''t exhaust your chakra anymore." Fujin nodded and stopped practicing. Renjiro said, "Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu is relatively easy to learn. The difficult part of this jutsu is learning Shadow clones. So don''t expect to learn any other rank A jutsu in a day." Fujin nodded. He thought, ''Yeah, this jutsu was just too easy to learn! Though practicing it will be tougher due to the crazy rate at which it burns chakra.'' Renjiro said, "Another important aspect is the amount of chakra you pour into your clones. While practicing, you kept the amount of chakra in your shadow clones to the minimum. However, if you create a clone with a lot of chakra, that explosion will be much stronger." Fujin nodded. Renjiro added, "However, don''t experiment with it for the time being. We will be leaving for a rank A mission on the day after tomorrow. So no more ninjutsu practice. Your chakra reserves need to be at full." Fujin nodded while thinking, ''Rank A mission... I wonder if it will be as easy as the previous one.'' Renjiro said, "I will go and inform Hoka and Mieko as well. Meet us outside the Hokage''s building at 6 AM the day after tomorrow." Renjiro was about to flicker, when Fujin said, "Wait Sensei!" Renjiro waited and looked at Fujin. Fujin said, "Sensei, is there a Wind Clone Explosion jutsu? Just like Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu?" Renjiro nodded, fully anticipating what Fujin would ask next. Fujin asked, "Could you teach me that jutsu as well, Sensei? Or give me the scroll to learn that jutsu from?" Renjiro smiled and replied, "Your reward was just one Rank A jutsu. If you want that jutsu, then become a jounin immediately." Fujin gave him a deadpan look. It was well known that Konoha was very stingy when it came to promoting Chunins to Jounins. Even someone like Itachi, who was strong enough to annihilate the entire Uchiha clan, was officially only a chunin when he left the village! [A/N : I always thought he became Jounin before being selected into Anbu. Kinda surprised when I read that he was never promoted to Jounin despite being an Anbu captain.]l--B1n. So Fujin didn''t expect to even be considered for a Jounin promotion for a few years. He complained, "Come on! Don''t be stingy, Sensei! My Wind clones are even better than me at Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu! And I can already imagine the destruction they could cause with the combination of Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu and Wind Clone Explosion jutsu!" Renjiro chuckled and replied, "It''s not me being stingy. As a teacher, it''s my job to motivate my students. Wind Clone Explosion jutsu is my way to motivate you to become a Jounin soon. So don''t slack off and become a Jounin quickly." On saying that, he flickered away, not giving Fujin any chance to argue back. Fujin was dumbfounded seeing his Sensei just run away! He grumbled, "Such a lousy excuse! He could have just given it to me and dangled an S rank jutsu to motivate me. Besides, the principles of the jutsu should be similar to Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu. So I should be able to make this jutsu myself. After all, no hand signs are needed." Mieko complained, "BY ONLY 5 MINUTES!" Fujin smirked and said, "That''s plenty of time to defeat you." This remark angered Mieko a lot! She was about to yell back, when Renjiro said, "Enough chit-chat. Time to see the Hokage." Mieko looked away from Fujin and walked ahead. Fujin looked at her with a bit of disappointment, ''It''s a shame that steam doesn''t blow out of ears on being mad like in anime.'' The group walked into the Hokage office and greeted Hiruzen. A chunin was standing in the room with a file. Hiruzen asked the group, "So, are you prepared for a rank A mission?" The kids immediately nodded and replied in affirmative. He chuckled and said, "Good luck. Tatsuya will explain the details." Tatsuya, the chunin inside the office, stepped forward and said, "The mission assigned to you is a two-part mission. Both these parts are Rank A missions by themselves. Two groups of ninjas from Hidden Mist clashed inside our country two days ago. We sent out a few scout teams to track them, but they couldn''t find them. But we believe that they haven''t left the Land of Fire yet. The first part of your mission is to find and either eliminate or arrest them." He handed a document from the file to Renjiro while saying, "The clash happened near the Eastern shore of our country, about 75 km to the north of the port near the Land of Wave. Blood samples were collected where the clash happened, so they could be injured. However, we don''t know who the Kiri ninjas are." Renjiro accepted the document with a puzzled look. This wasn''t the mission he had decided for his team. Hiruzen said, "There are some border patrol teams in that area. You can cooperate with them. If the mission exceeds the rank, you are allowed to retreat and inform us to send the appropriate backup." Renjiro nodded. He was aware of the protocols. The words Hiruzen spoke were for the kids. The kids also realized it and paid close attention. Tatsuya continued, "The second part of your mission will be inside the Land of Hot Springs. A dozen rogue ninjas have entered it and are creating chaos around the southern town of Niigata. According to our information, the rogue ninjas are from Kiri. You will cooperate with a local team and eliminate them." Renjiro nodded. This was the mission that he had selected for his students. Hiruzen added, "The second part of the mission depends on your status after completing part 1. If you are injured or unable to continue for reason, you will hand the mission to Akimichi Seiichi and take his spot to monitor the border patrol squads instead." Renjiro nodded. Mieko quickly added, "Don''t worry Lord Hokage. We will complete both missions with ease." Hoka and Fujin nodded to back her up. After all, getting Rank A missions would provide very critical experiences for them. Renjiro looked at his students and said, "Let''s go." The trio nodded and left with him. [A/N : Additional chapter on Sunday if the fic stays in top 200.] Chapter 116: Tracking Team Renjiro left through Konoha''s gate and rushed towards their destination. They just took one break for lunch and spent the rest of their time running at full speed without using any chakra. At 7 PM, they reached a patrol outpost. Fujin''s eyes twitched on looking at the outpost. He thought, ''This is an outpost? It''s almost a small village on its own!'' The outpost was big. There was a 2 storey building at the center. And there were multiple small houses around it. A wooden fence surrounded the entire outpost. On reaching, they saw a huge man standing before them. He smiled and said, "Renjiro! How have you been?" Renjiro smiled and replied, "I have been well Seiichi. Meet my students." Akimichi Seiichi looked at the 3 kids behind him and said, "I heard that 3 talented genins were promoted to chunins this exam. Congratulations on such a quick promotion." The trio politely thanked him. Renjiro did the instructions, "They are Suzuki Fujin, Uchiha Mieko, and Hyuga Hoka." He looked at his students and said, "This is Akimichi Seiichi. He was my teammate. He is a Jounin and the head of all the Patrol teams patrolling the Eastern shores." The trio now looked at him with more respect. The Eastern shore of the Land of Fire extended for hundreds of kilometers! Fujin wondered, ''How did an Akimichi become teammates with a Senju?'' Renjiro asked, "So Seiichi, what is the latest information on the Kiri nins?" Seiichi replied, "We tracked them a few times, however, they were quick to escape. My guess is that one of the squads entered here to escape from pursuit. However, the other kept pursuing inside the Land of Fire. But, since that squad hasn''t approached us, we can only consider them both as enemies." Renjiro nodded. He looked at his students and asked, "Do you want to take a break or find and attack them today?" Mieko immediately replied, "We attack today, Sensei!" Hoka thought for a bit and agreed with her. He wasn''t tired. Fujin looked at Seiichi and asked, "Did we clash with those 2 groups?" Seiichi nodded, "We clashed with one group once and the other group four times. However, they managed to escape successfully every time with the help of the traps they set. Since they used masks, we couldn''t identify them." Fujin asked, "Masks? Are they..." Seiichi interrupted, "No, they didn''t act like Anbu. If they did, this mission would have been an S rank mission." Fujin nodded and asked, "Were they injured or tired?" Seiichi answered, "Nothing serious. Slight injuries and tiredness that come with spending a few days behind enemy lines." Renjiro sent a huge amount of chakra into the ground. The entire lake became unstable. Soon, a small pointed Rock appeared at the center of the pond. It rose up. Underneath it, a needle mountain was forming! That pointed Rock was the peak of that mountain! Renjiro said, "Of course, even if you take every precaution, it doesn''t mean that no enemy can track you." While the mountain was rising, Fujin suddenly sensed 6 ninjas! Hoka and Hotaka noticed them too. Soon, 6 ninjas jumped out of the pond to escape! Renjiro saw them. Suddenly the needles from the mountain facing them were launched. Two of them quickly made hand signs. A water wall followed by an earth wall formed to defend them. Fujin, Mieko, and Hoka were about to attack, but Renjiro stopped them. He looked at them. They looked back. Both sides were in a stand-off. Fujin observed them carefully. All 6 wore masks. They were probably all in their 20s or 30s. Two of them had jounin level chakra, while the rest had chunin level chakra. Renjiro asked, "State your names and your purpose for entering the Land of Fire." Some of the Kiri nins recognized Renjiro and became tense! Renjiro threatened, "Surrender and identify yourself, or..." He released a very strong killing intent and continued, "DIE!" Karatachi Kazuki, the leader of the 6 Kiri nins, said, "Senju Renjiro, we just want a safe passage back to Kiri. Give us a way and we will leave. Otherwise, don''t think you will leave unscathed!" He was making a compromise. He still wanted to hunt the Kiri nins from the rebel faction. But he didn''t think that he would draw out someone as strong as Renjiro! Renjiro ignored his threat and said, "Kill them!" As soon as he said it, Fujin, Mieko, and Hoka immediately got into the action! Fujin launched a Great Breakthrough jutsu even before Renjiro had completed his command. Mieko immediately made a few hand signs and launched a Fireball jutsu into the Great Breakthrough jutsu less than a second later. Hoka gathered chakra in his palm, planning to use Vacuum Palm. The Kiri nins didn''t expect the kids behind Renjiro to make such a quick and strong move. However, they had spent the last few days on edge. So they were on very high alert! As soon as Fujin made a move, Karatachi Kazuki made a hand sign and a water wall appeared in between them. Due to how fast he did it, Fujin had no time to supercharge the jutsu. So the Water Wall managed to hold the winds back until 3 more Water Walls formed. However, soon a raging Fire spread through the winds! The Earth affinity Kiri ninja was about to make an Earth wall, when Kazuki shouted, "Disperse!" The group immediately dispersed in different directions. As soon as they moved, the ground underneath them turned into deadly spikes and spears. Kazuki saw them and recalled the dozens of Kiri ninjas who died from this tactic of Renjiro. Renjiro frowned. He didn''t expect his attack to do zero damage. He created a shadow clone and said, "They have dispersed. Take one opponent and kill. Then help others." Chapter 117: Fight Begins Renjiro flickered towards Kazuki, while his clone flickered towards the other Kiri Jounin. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko also flickered. Hotaka was left alone. He was shocked at how quickly the team dispersed. He muttered, "They are just kids and they move this quickly..." Both he and his dog moved towards the last remaining enemy. The Kiri ninjas had just dispersed momentarily. They intended on regrouping immediately. However, 5 of them were immediately engaged by Konoha ninjas. That last one was engaged a few seconds later. Kazuki''s face was grim. He didn''t want to engage Renjiro. Fujin flickered towards the Kiri ninja who was the farthest from any other Kiri ninja. He grabbed his sword and attacked his enemy. The Kiri ninja was Matsuzaki Masa. He was an elite chunin. He noticed Fujin approaching him. He furrowed his eyebrows due to how quickly Fujin attacked him. He grabbed his kunai to block the hit. At the same time, he was moving backwards. After clashing with Konoha ninjas for the last few days, escape became their priority. He might have underestimated Fujin under normal circumstances, but he had just witnessed Fujin blow a rank C jutsu instantly without any hand signs. Fujin flowed his chakra through his sword. Masa immediately noticed it! He immediately moved backwards with no intent to engage Fujin. Fujin was surprised that his opponent was able to sense the chakra flow. He swung his sword from a distance. A sharp flying slash of chakra went towards Musa. Musa was very surprised! He didn''t expect his opponent to be able to attack with his sword from a range. He quickly dodged. Fujin followed up with 3 more slashes, but Musa dodged all 3! Each time, he dodged with more precision and lesser movement. Musa smirked and said, "You are too green brat! I have sparred against all 7 Swordsmen of the Mist! Your sword is ineffective against me." Though Musa sounded arrogant, in reality, his mood was very grim. He was thinking, ''This brat is troublesome! I have to watch out for his Great Breakthrough jutsu in addition to his sword slashes.'' Fujin didn''t pay much attention to his opponent''s words. He made a hand sign, and dozens of Wind clones appeared. Musa observed the clones properly and focused on one clone. Fujin frowned, ''First sensing chakra flow and now looking at that clone. Looks like he is a sensor as well.'' Musa managed to defend against all attacks, however, he couldn''t get close to Fujin. He frowned and decided to use the 2nd tactic. However, as soon as he changed his direction, Fujin chased him and his clones once again harassed him. This forced him to stop and confront Fujin, who just retreated back and didn''t confront him. The two exchanged attacks in this manner a few times. Musa''s face became ugly. Fujin''s tactic was very annoying. He cursed Fujin loudly and taunted him, but Fujin didn''t reply and continued the same tactic. However, despite the high number of exchanges, Musa wasn''t injured at all! He never gave any openings for Fujin to exploit. Fujin, who was at a distance waiting to sneak attack, frowned. He thought, ''Are all Kiri ninjas so tough to kill?'' At the same time, others were engaging in a clash as well. The quick attack by Renjiro and his students ensured that the Kiri ninjas stayed separated. They had witnessed their teamwork in the short clash and didn''t want them to get together. Hoka''s opponent was another elite chunin. His name was Ona Danjuro. Just like most Kiri ninjas, he too was an expert at Water Release jutsus. As soon as he saw Hoka''s Byakugan, he immediately moved away from him and quickly made a few hand signs. ''Water Release : Wild Water Wave jutsu'' A huge wave of water appeared and crashed towards Hoka. Seeing the wave, Danjuro thought, ''I should never get in close combat with him. I still remember how Sensei was killed by Hyuga Hizashi in the 3rd War! Despite being so strong, he couldn''t retaliate at all after having his chakra points closed.'' Hoka immediately flickered out of the way and flickered once again to come close to Danjuro. Danjuro moved backwards while making more hand signs. ''Water Bullet jutsu'' Hoka could have dodged them. However, he wanted to fight head-on. So he gathered chakra in his palm and used Vacuum Palms to stop his water bullets. Danjuro was surprised to see such a young Hyuga use this jutsu. The Vacuum Palms and Water bullets clashed. Some of the Vacuum Palms went through the Water bullets and moved towards Danjuro. Danjuro immediately dodged. He created more distance from Hoka and engaged in a long-distance battle. Hoka tried getting close many times, but Danjuro managed to keep his distance and used mid-range Water jutsus. Hoka could only engage him with Earth jutsus and Vacuum palms. Chapter 118: The Breakthrough Mieko faced a tricky opponent as well. Her Opponent was Ishimaru Hoshi, a chunin with Water affinity. On flickering in front of him, Mieko immediately launched a Fireball jutsu. However, Hoshi easily dodged her and used Water Release : Wild Bubble Wave jutsu! He spat out a large volume of foam-like bubbles. They rushed towards Mieko, who flickered out of the way. The bubbles covered that part of the ground and made it very slippery. Mieko tried flickering behind him, however, he once again spat another Wild Bubble Wave jutsu at her, forcing her to dodge. She tried attacking him twice more, just to be countered the same way. She frowned and flickered again and used another Fireball jutsu from mid-range. Hoshi once again made hand signs and used the same jutsu! On clashing, his jutsu overpowered Mieko''s and doused the fire. By now, all the ground around him in a 30-meter radius was filled with bubbles. It was very slippery!l--B1n. Mieko noticed this as well and frowned. She analyzed, ''He is trying to make a battlefield more favorable for him. And his chakra is higher than mine, so he can use a lot more ninjutsu than me. I need to end this quickly.'' Mieko kept her distance and attacked with shurikens. Hoshi used another bubble jutsus, but this time using way less chakra and producing a very small volume of bubbles. However, they were adequate to block her shurikens. At the same time, they spread out the slippery field even more. Mieko kept attacking with shurikens, kunais and explosion tags. At times she even used Fire or Earth release jutsus. However, Hoshi kept neutralizing her weapons and Fire jutsus with bubbles. As for Earth jutsus, he used to just slide out of the wave! Mieko kept her Sharingan active the whole time to cast a Genjutsu on him. However, Hoshi never looked into her eyes. Hoshi then used Hidden Mist jutsu to block any attempts to cast Genjutsu on him. She gritted her teeth and made a few hand signs. She jumped into the slippery field to confront her opponent. On entering the mist, her leg slipped and she fell down. Hoshi heard it and an evil grin appeared on his face. He quickly moved towards her, ''Today an Uchiha genius will die at my hands!'' Mieko got up while maintaining her hand signs. She analyzed, ''He should have heard that fall. Now I only have to wait for him to come to me!'' Hoshi silently slid through the ground. He made almost no noise. He moved around Mieko to hit her from behind. Despite the hidden mist jutsu, he wouldn''t underestimate her Sharingan. Mieko didn''t sense or hear him at all. However, when Hoshi was around 5 meters behind her, she felt that she was about to be hit in the back. Constant spars with Fujin and Renjiro had made her very sensitive to sneak attacks! She immediately used her jutsu. ''Fire Release : Hellfire Clap jutsu'' A ring of Fire appeared instantly around Mieko. Hoshi felt the heat and became alert. He thought, ''What is this bitch doing?'' He immediately decided to retreat and attack again later. However before his legs could move, the fire expanded in all directions! It expanded for 10 meters, catching Hoshi! The fire was very hot! Without any defenses, Hoshi was burned instantly! He yelled loudly. The Fire burnt all his skin and his organs as well. He tried making a hand sign to survive but fell midway. His insides had been cooked and his skin had been burnt! The jutsu burnt all the grass and even soil in a 10 meter radius. Even the mist there was dispersed. Mieko''s Sharingan saw as Hoshi was burnt alive with no way to resist. His burnt body fell on the burnt soil. Mieko took deep breaths. The jutsu used up a lot of her chakra. However, she smiled. The breakthrough that everyone was looking for was provided by her to Konoha. Chapter 119: Sweeping through Enemy Chunins The battle, which was in a stalemate, was disturbed thrice in a short duration! First, mist spread throughout the battlefield. A minute after it spread, a loud yell was heard throughout the battlefield. And a few seconds after that, a heat wave spread through the battlefield! Fujin and his clones were engaged in an intense battle! 17 Wind clones were attacking Musa and his 8 Water clones. Musa didn''t provide any openings. However, Mieko''s actions disturbed him twice. He heard the loud yell, but he didn''t allow himself to be disturbed. However, the heat wave that followed surprised him once again. Though it wasn''t an opening, Fujin''s clones all attacked at the same moment. 16 wind clones suddenly flickered around Musa and his clones. 14 used Wind Explosion jutsu, while 2 used Great Breakthrough jutsu. Musa''s water clones immediately defended. The last wind clone was the one having a lot more chakra. He waited for the defenses to be erected and used Air Bullet jutsu just when the Defenses began to collapse! Fujin watched carefully at the situation. His hand was gripping his sword! The Wind clone blew 6 Air bullets at the same time! Musa hid behind his clones in a hurry. 5 water clones were dispelled! Fujin''s remaining wind clones immediately ganged up upon them. Musa was in a tough spot. He made a hand sign. He wanted to use a big jutsu to try and dispel all of Fujin''s clones who were so close to him. However, at that instant, he noticed Fujin flickering a few meters to his right. There was no Water clone between him and Fujin. Fujin swung his sword from that distance! A flying slash was sent at Musa. However, Musa wasn''t intimidated. Fujin had attacked in this way a dozen times but never once managed to hit him. Musa immediately moved slightly so that the flying slash will just barely miss him. While dodging he thought, ''Since he has decided to attack, I should kill him directly!'' The flying slash just barely missed him. He began making another hand sign to complete his jutsu. However, numerous cuts suddenly appeared on Musa! Musa was shocked, ''How? I dodged it!'' The cuts kept appearing until one deep cut slashed across his neck. His blood spilled out like a fountain! During his final moments, he looked at the young shinobi in front of him. There was no expression on his face. However, in his eyes, Musa could see that everything happened as he planned. Too much blood flowed out of him from the numerous cuts on his body. Musa closed his eyes as Fujin swung his sword once again. The flying slash severed Musa''s head from his body. Fujin looked at his fallen enemy and thought, ''If I had sent wind slashes with my sword from the beginning, I''d have got more advantages. However, he would have dodged them all. However, by making him think that I can only send a normal flying chakra slash like a Samurai, I lowered his guard. Of course, I didn''t use Senju Taijutsu, Vacuum style or Shadow Clone explosion jutsu. If this guy was an Elite Chunin, then it''s safe to say that my current level is barely Jounin!'' Fujin smiled. Reaching the threshold of Jounin rank at merely 11 years old was a huge achievement! Unfortunately, his situation would worsen even further. Fujin was watching this battle from behind a tree. On seeing an opening, Fujin made a few hand signs. ''Vacuum Bullet jutsu'' Unlike against Doi, Fujin didn''t have any Mist cover. In addition, Danjuro was fighting two enemies and was on a very high alert! He sensed Fujin''s jutsu and immediately took evasive maneuvers. However, Vacuum Bullet was very fast. Though Danjuro dodged, it still grazed past the side of his abdomen, leaving a 1 inch deep scar! It immediately began bleeding! Hoka immediately took advantage of this. He targeted Danjuro''s heart with a Vacuum palm attack. Mieko was a split second slower, but she attacked with shurikens too. Danjuro already had his back against the wall while fighting just Mieko and Hoka. Fujin''s sneak attack was the last straw that broke the camel''s back! The injury caused by Vacuum Bullet, though not life threatening by itself, distracted him. He had to divide his attention to a third hidden enemy. Hoka and Mieko used this exact moment to attack. Hoka''s attack hit first. Though Danjuro tried moving, it was very late. The attack hit on point and made Danjuro vomit blood. Immediately, Mieko''s shurikens hit his throat. He fell down, slain in battle! With the enemy finally down, Hoka and Mieko looked where Fujin was. Hoka frowned and said, "I could have killed him myself. You two didn''t need to help me." Mieko smirked and replied, "Be faster next time." Fujin replied, "Do you want to keep fighting this guy or do you want to fight that Jounin who sensei''s clone is fighting against?" That immediately attracted their attention. Hoka replied, "Let''s go and fight him!" Mieko was excited too. But she suggested, "We should first kill that enemy who was fighting Inuzuka Hotaka. Then only the 2 Jounins would be left." Fujin replied, "Already took care of him before helping you guys." Mieko got mad. She asked angrily, "That means you fought three of them?" Fujin chuckled and replied, "Do you want to argue about it or fight that Jounin?" Mieko snorted and answered, "Let''s go fight him." Chapter 120: Clash of rank B jutsus The trio immediately began moving. Fujin asked, "Are you guys injured?" Both shook their heads. Neither of them had taken any injury. Hoka smirked and replied, "My opponent never dared to get close to me." Mieko answered, "Mine maintained distance and fought defensively as well. He was just stalling for time." Fujin looked at them and said, "That''s good. But your chakra level seems very low." Both sighed and nodded. Mieko''s chakra had dropped to just 20%! Hoka had about 45% chakra left. By comparison, Fujin had 60% chakra remaining. If Renjiro''s clone made his enemy waste Chakra, then Fujin''s chakra level could be higher than his. Fujin said, "You guys don''t use chakra much. Hoka, you fight at close distance. Mieko, you provide shuriken support. And save your chakra if we decide to use a combination jutsu. I''ll provide ninjutsu support. Sensei''s Clone can provide backup for us." Hoka immediately agreed, "Alright!" He got to fight with Taijutsu which was all that mattered to him. Mieko also reluctantly agreed. She didn''t have much chakra left to perform ninjutsu. And in terms of Taijutsu, both Hoka and Fujin were superior to her. The trio soon reached the place where Renjiro''s Shadow Clone and Mimasuya Junji were fighting. They hid in the woods and observed the situation. The entire battlefield was a mess. There were hundreds of Earth spears spread throughout the battlefield. The rock spikes and thorns seem to be countless! Multiple Rock shields and Earth walls were also on the battlefield. Renjiro''s clone and Mimasuya Junji were standing around 100 meters from each other. Junji had 1 Earth wall in front of him and a couple of Rock shields to his right and left. Junji was frowning. He analyzed, ''In the last 15 minutes, I have tried everything I could do to dispel the clone, but he managed to defend every time. I tried making Water and Earth clones to help others, but he intercepted them all. Every single clone of mine was caught off guard and dispelled! And his clone doesn''t seem to be running short on chakra. Do I have to wait until someone comes to help me?'' He looked at Renjiro''s clone and sighed, ''This is so embarrassing. I hope my lil bro isn''t the one who comes to my aid. Anyways, 3 of the enemies were kids. They should be dealt with soon.'' Renjiro''s clone kept a watch thinking, ''He hasn''t made a move for over a minute. Has he given up on creating a breakthrough and is waiting for others?'' Renjiro''s clone analyzed and shrugged, ''Whatever. This deadlock is in my favor. Once my main body wins, we will sweep through the battlefield!'' Mieko and Hoka, who were together, watched with grim faces as a huge water wave approached them. They both readied themselves to flicker backwards. Fujin watched as the huge water wave approached him. Knowing that Mieko and Hoka won''t be able to defend, he made a few hand signs as well. ''Wind Release : Infinite Breakthrough jutsu!'' He blew out intense winds that clashed with the huge water wave! The water wave was stopped. Water began dispersing through the strong winds and rained down harmlessly. Some water still passed through the winds, but it wasn''t much and passed through the forest while the trio were on the trees. The clash happened on a wild scale. Both Renjiro and Kazuki noticed it. Renjiro observed and thought, ''Is Fujin teaming up with my clone?'' Though Renjiro could use Wind jutsus as well, he rarely used them in combat. Against a Water jutsu, he would always use Earth jutsus. Kazuki observed with a grim face, ''Did a strong Wind affinity ninja from Konoha arrive to reinforce? Or is it that brat who used the Great Breakthrough jutsu? What the hell are Junji and others doing? How long do they need to defeat 1 clone, 3 kids and 1 Inuzuka? Junji watched with a grim face, ''My jutsu was countered so easily.'' Sensing the Earth Dragon approaching him, Junji immediately moved away. However, Renjiro''s clone controlled the Earth Dragon to follow Junji. Mieko and Hoka observed the situation with their Kekkei Genkais. Hoka sighed and said, "How will I fight in close range if they use such huge jutsus?" Fujin concentrated Chakra in his eyes to carefully observe the Earth Dragon chasing Junji. He analyzed, ''If he defends Renjiro''s attack, I might get another shot.'' Fujin quickly made a few hand signs and prepared another Vacuum bullet core. Though Junji was moving rapidly, the Earth Dragon was faster. Understanding that he can''t dodge, he created a hand sign and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release : Rocky Ground Barrier jutsu'' The ground under Junji immediately began hardening. In addition, a rock dome appeared around him and surrounded him. The Earth Dragon clashed with the hard rocky ground and was stopped. Having no way to proceed ahead, it exploded. Junji desperately poured his chakra into the ground to strengthen his defenses. Fujin, who was observing carefully, suddenly noticed, ''An opportunity!'' He immediately fired his Vacuum Bullet at Junji. Junji was in a very tough spot! Chapter 121: Desperate Defense The Earth Dragon''s explosion sent cracks through the hardened rock. But the ground also absorbed the impact of the blast. So the Rock dome stayed intact. However, at the next moment, a Vacuum bullet hit the Rock dome and penetrated it. Junji, who was pouring his chakra into the Rock dome, immediately noticed it and moved to his right. He was always on alert for another sneak attack. However, he didn''t have much time to move. Though he dodged, the bullet created a deep cut in his upper left arm as it passed. Junji winced but he had no time to worry about the pain. While dodging the Vacuum bullet, he couldn''t supply chakra to the Rock dome anymore. Renjiro''s clone noticed it and slammed his hands on the ground again. ''Earth Release : Earth Flow Divide jutsu'' The ground under the Rock dome immediately began splitting apart. Realizing the danger, Junji created an opening in his Rock dome and moved out. The ground under the rock dome kept splitting apart. It split for 10 meters when the entire Rock dome collapsed inside it. As soon as Junji moved out, a Vacuum bullet and an Earth spear attacked him. But he managed to dodge them both. Fujin concluded, ''Looks like killing him with a long-range attack is not possible.'' Fujin and Renjiro''s clone weren''t the only ones who targeted Junji as soon as he left the dome. Hoka and Mieko also got into action. They flickered in front of him. Mieko immediately threw a few shurikens, while Hoka ran forward to block his chakra points. Junji immediately dodged the shurikens. Hoka used that opportunity to close the distance between them and attack him. Junji blocked Hoka''s attacks while analyzing, ''How did these brats get here? Did they defeat our chunins? Or did they get reinforcements who freed them up? I am getting worried about Doi. I need to break free quickly!'' Junji had his back against the wall. Realizing that he would not be able to break free by staying on defense, he decided to go on the attack. He started with Hoka who was fighting him. Unfortunately for him, the enemy''s attack was too intense. He tried to gain an advantage against Hoka, but Hoka''s Taijutsu was as good as his! Additionally, he had to keep an eye out for Mieko''s shurikens, Fujin''s Vacuum bullets and Renjiro''s long-range jutsus. With Hoka fighting in close range, Vacuum Bullet became too dangerous to use. While it did apply pressure on Junji, Fujin concluded that it won''t create much of an effect. So Fujin flickered and joined Mieko and Hoka as well. Junji noticed Fujin and thought, ''So it was him. Looks like there are no reinforcements. But does this mean that all 3 of them won their fights?'' His face grew grim as he concluded, ''We underestimated them. This mission is now a total disaster!'' Seeing Junji run towards him, Fujin''s eyes widened. He shouted, "CRAP!" and immediately ran to his left leaving Mieko alone to face him. Seeing one of the two kids run away, Junji smirked. He thought, ''As I thought. They were both hiding behind that Hyuga brat. So they specialize in mid and long-range combat and are bad at Taijutsu. I''ll kill this girl before that Hyuga brat comes to her help and then kill the one who ran away as well.'' Mieko scoffed internally at Fujin''s antics. She threw the shurikens in her hands at Junji and grabbed a kunai. Junji dodged the shurikens and grabbed his own kunai and attacked Mieko. Mieko blocked his kunai with her own and kicked his abdomen almost at the same time. Junji was shocked, ''She isn''t bad at Taijutsu!'' At that moment, Hoka began running towards him from his rear while Mieko attacked from the front. Junji''s face grew grim as he grabbed another kunai. He blocked Mieko''s attacks and was about to look at Hoka when he suddenly felt something on his right. He looked to see that the kid who ran away was attacking him with a sword. Fujin attacked him as if he wanted to cut his body vertically in two. Realizing the danger, he increased the force on the kunai that was blocking Mieko and sent her flying backwards. Almost immediately, he raised the kunai in his other hand to block the sword and sent a kick at Hoka who was just behind him. The sword clashed with the kunai and the kick met 2 outstretched fingers. Junji grunted as he felt Hoka disabling a chakra point in his feet. However, soon his eyes widened as he saw the sword cutting through his kunai and coming down at his head. He pushed his feet on Hoka''s fingers and used them to jump away from him so that he could dodge the sword. His body began moving towards Fujin''s right. The sword, which was aimed at the center of Junji''s head, barely missed it. However, it hit him on the shoulder and severed his right arm! Fujin looked at his opponent in surprise, ''He used Hoka''s attack to propel himself away from my sword swing! It''s incredible that he is still alive!'' Hoka and Mieko was surprised as well that Fujin didn''t manage to kill him. However, all 3 instantly attacked him once again. Hoka moved around Fujin''s sword to attack Junji. Fujin too moved towards him and swung his sword again at Junji. Junji, who had landed just 2 feet away from Fujin, was in shock! His right arm was severed and his right foot hurt. He looked at Fujin''s sword fearfully and moved backwards while grunting in pain. However, Mieko was right behind him and stabbed a kunai in his back. Blood came out of Junji''s mouth as he stopped himself and swung his left fist behind himself to hit Mieko. However, both Hoka and Fujin had reached him. Fujin stabbed his sword into Junji''s heart while Hoka jabbed his two fingers into Junji''s throat. Junji looked at Hoka and Fujin in disbelief. When he entered the Land of Fire, he never thought that he''d be killed by ninjas one-third his age! Mimasuya Junji, a veteran Jounin of the Village Hidden in the Mist, fell in battle! Chapter 122: The Hiding Spot Seeing Junji breathe his last breath, Fujin withdrew his sword and said, "He was tough!" Hoka and Mieko also withdrew their attacks and nodded. Junji''s body fell to the ground. Hoka said, "Yes. For so long, despite getting attacked so much, he never allowed me to hit any of his chakra points!" Mieko nodded. She was about to say something when her eyes fell on Fujin. She instantly became annoyed and asked, "Why do you keep running away and sneak attacking?" Fujin shrugged and replied, "It''s fun." Hoka and Mieko''s faces immediately became dark. Renjiro''s clone flickered in. He looked at his three students proudly and praised them, "Great work! Though he was a bit exhausted after fighting me, you three managed to kill a full-fledged Jounin!" All three looked at him. Hoka asked, "Should we reinforce you Sensei?" Before the clone could answer, they heard from behind, "No need." Immediately the three turned around to see Renjiro. Renjiro finally managed to kill his opponent. He sealed his body and was coming to help his clone when the trio killed Junji. Renjiro''s clone dispelled himself. Renjiro received all his memories. He looked at his students and said, "Good work. Did you store their bodies?" His students all shook their heads. Renjiro said, "Store their bodies and assemble back here within 2 minutes. Fujin, bring Hotaka as well. Also, don''t steal their belongings. For missions that particularly state to kill some ninjas, you shouldn''t steal their belongings as they may have something that the village needs. Also, their belongings could have traps." The trio nodded and flickered. They went to their own battlefields and sealed the dead bodies in the scrolls. Fujin flickered towards Hotaka and looked at him. Both he and his dog were wrapped in multiple bandages. Hotaka looked at Fujin and asked, "Is it over?" Fujin nodded, "All enemies are dead." Hotaka was surprised. He thought, ''I just asked for formality! They managed to kill a team of 6 ninjas who we couldn''t pin down for days in just 30 minutes!'' While Hotaka was lost in his thoughts, Fujin sealed Doi''s body in a scroll. He asked, "Can you move?" Hotaka got up and replied, "Yes. None of my injuries was serious." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. Sensei has asked us to assemble. Follow me." Within a couple of minutes, everyone was assembled where Renjiro was within a couple of minutes. Renjiro had sealed Junji''s body. Renjiro chuckled and said, "I am very sensitive to earth and water nature. When I used the Rampart of Flowing Soil jutsu, I sensed another underground cave that would be perfect for hiding. And since the patrol teams didn''t manage to find them again, it became easy to guess who was hiding there." Renjiro began making hand signs but Fujin said, "Wait a bit, sensei. I sense a few chakra signatures to our left." Hoka activated his Byakugan. Renjiro stopped and asked, "How many?" Fujin answered, "Four chunin leve... Another 3 are coming here as well. All 7 are at chunin level." Hoka added, "All are from our Patrol teams." Renjiro waited. Soon 7 chunins reached them. On reaching, one of them said, "We heard a lot of noise coming from this area. So we came to reinforce you." Renjiro nodded and answered, "One of the Kiri squads has been dealt with. We will now deal with the other. Three of you wait here with us. The remaining four go and hide. Hotaka, go with them." They nodded. The first patrol team of four dispersed in different directions and hid themselves. So did Hotaka. The remaining 3 waited with Renjiro''s team wondering what he was up to. Renjiro made a few hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground and said softly, "Earth Release : Thousand Needles jutsu." A half hour ago : Sakai Chou and her squad suddenly felt tremors inside the underground cave they were hiding in! Unlike Kazuki''s squad, this squad was relatively younger. Only Chou was in her thirties. The remaining three members were in their late teens. Chou looked at her squad members and said, "Looks like Kazuki and others have been discovered by the Konoha shinobis. Don''t try to sense them." Her squad nodded. Mino Masuyo, who was a special Jounin, asked, "Chou-sama, wouldn''t it be better if we help those Konoha shinobi? That way, we can eliminate that squad from the Mizukage faction." Terumi Honzo, a chunin in this 4-man squad, added, "It may even help us create a good relationship with Konoha. With those guys dead and Konoha being friendly, we will be able to return without any obstruction." However, Chou shook her head. She said, "We don''t know if the Konoha team is strong enough to kill them. If they aren''t and Kazuki and others end up escaping, then we will be in a tough spot. That''s not even considering that the Konoha shinobis might consider us enemies too and we may end up helping Kazuki escape. We will be in a much tougher spot." Masuyo asked softly, "But your niece recently fought in the Konoha''s chunin exams. I heard she reached finals as well. Can''t we say that to at least enter into talks with Konoha?" Chou answered, "I had thought about this too. But ultimately, Konoha didn''t agree to help us. Even if I say that I am afraid Konoha will ask us to surrender and take us as prisoners. They might let us go later due to what you said, but things won''t be under our control." The expressions of everyone grew grim upon hearing Chou. After some time, their last member who was a chunin, Kenkyusha Shunji said, "What if we just take this opportunity to run away?" Chou replied, "If they were able to find Kazuki''s squad who were hiding so well, we will be exposed as soon as we leave this hideout. Don''t worry so much. I don''t think they will find our spot. So we will try to leave silently after a few days." Having no choice, they just waited in the hideout. After the first tremor, nothing else was felt in the hideout, so they assumed that the fighting spot moved. Chapter 123: Sneak Attacks After half an hour, Chou and Masuyo suddenly got alert. Hundreds of small needle-like spikes suddenly began forming on the cave walls. Understanding the danger, they both immediately made hand signs. ''Water Sphere Barrier jutsu'' ''Water Sphere Barrier jutsu'' Immediately, two layers of water dome barrier surrounded them. The outer layer was formed by Chou while the inner layer was formed by Masuyo. Some water also flowed on the ground inside the dome. Hundreds of rock needles rained on the two barriers. Many needles managed to pierce through both barriers. Honzo and Shunji stepped in front of Chou and Masuyo and defended with kunais. They managed to deflect most but a few needles still stabbed all of them. However, none were fatal injuries. Chou and Masuyo desperately poured more chakra into their jutsus. Honzo and Shunji too made hand signs. Honzo slammed his hands on the ground. Four Rock shields appeared around them. Shunji, on the other hand, released a spark that hit Masuyo''s water sphere barrier. Electricity began flowing through it. The electric current slowed down most of the needles that pierced through the first barrier and hit the second barrier, making them harmless. The four Kiri ninjas were finally relieved for a moment. However, at that very instant, a stone spear silently and quickly rose through the ground under Terumi Honzo. His attention was focused on the needle rain and didn''t notice the spear under him. The spear pierced his lower body, pierced through him, and exited through his head! He yelled in pain, but couldn''t move. That startled his three teammates who turned to see him. They were horrified! Their teammate''s body was skewered with an earth spear! Chou immediately yelled, "JUMP and run to the exit!" Both Masuyo and Shunji jumped along with Chou. Earth spears formed under them as well and began moving towards them rapidly. All 3 kicked at the side of the spear to propel themselves towards the exit. Chou made a few hand signs, ''Water Prison Jutsu'' A water sphere encased all 3 of them as they left the protection of the double-layered Water Sphere jutsu. As they left the underground, the water sphere kept getting pelted with rock needles. A few pierced through, but their speed was greatly reduced due to the water. They managed to defend themselves with a kunai as they got out. When they left the hideout, Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko sensed them. Sensing them rushing out, Fujin made a few hand signs and prepared Vacuum Bullet jutsu while thinking, ''Three people. One has Jounin level chakra. One is chunin level and the last might be an Elite chunin. Jounins are tough to kill, I''ll target the Elite Chunin.'' Soon, Sakai Chou led them out of the underground. They appeared around 20 meters from where Renjiro and the rest were standing. As soon as they appeared, Fujin shot a Vacuum Bullet at Masuyo. Though they were in a lot of peril, Chou''s water prison jutsu provided them with a sense of security. So despite expecting an attack as soon as they left, they expected themselves to at least put up a fight. However, right after leaving the underground, a Vacuum Bullet hit the Water Prison. It pierced into it with extreme ease and hit Masuyo''s heart accurately! She fell down dead with her eyes wide in disbelief! Fujin suddenly appeared to their left and shot 5 Air Bullets at Shunji and 2 at Chou. At such a close range, Chou couldn''t perform ninjutsu in time to defend. While Shunji was still affected by Renjiro''s killing intent. Chou immediately moved backwards and dragged Shunji with her. She dodged both bullets, but Shunji couldn''t dodge 2 of them. One of them pierced his left thigh and the other pierced his right lung. Not giving them any opportunity to catch their breaths, Hoka appeared behind Chou and took his stance. ''Eight Trigrams : 16 Palms'' He attacked her. At the same time, Mieko flickered in front of them and threw multiple shurikens at Shunji in close range. The other three chunins realized that they were being slow and came forward to attack too. Chou looked at Hoka with a grim face. He had already managed to hit her once. If he did again, then she would become an easy kill for Renjiro. She diverted all her attention to him and blocked his palms, not allowing even one to hit her. However, Shunji, who was injured, couldn''t resist much. He got hit by multiple shurikens. After blocking Hoka, Chou pushed him behind and looked at Shunji. Unfortunately, what she saw didn''t bring her any comfort. 5 shurikens were embedded in his body. Worse, Fujin was just next to him and swinging his sword at his neck. Chou''s expression became fierce. She decided, ''You want to kill him? Alright, kill him. But I will skin all three of you!'' She made a hand sign. Hoka and Mieko were about to press on their attack when they saw Fujin''s chakra flowing through his sword. They immediately moved backwards. The three chunins who were running towards them stopped on seeing them retreat. Chou also noticed it. But like the 3 chunins, she assumed that they were retreating due to her preparing a jutsu. With just one target in front of her, Chou blew hot corrosive steam at both Fujin and Shunji. ''Boil Release : Solid Fog Jutsu'' At the same time, Fujin''s sword reached Shunji''s neck and cut off his head. Chou watched with anger in her eyes. She wanted Fujin to scream in pain from that jutsu. However, her eyes widened. After Fujin cut Shunji''s head, a flying sword slash formed in the air and rushed towards her. The flying slash was accompanied by winds that dispersed the steam. Chou recognized that it looked like the way Samurais attacked. She immediately jumped. However, the distance between them was too small. The slash hit her legs slightly above her knees. Both her legs were severed! The winds around the slash created cuts all over her thighs and abdomen! Chou watched her severed legs with wide eyes! She couldn''t believe how easily she got defeated! Chapter 124: Overkill Hoka and Mieko looked into each other''s eyes. Though Fujin severed her legs, Chou was still alive. Their competitive spirits rose and both wanted the killing hit. They immediately moved towards Chou. Mieko attacked with shurikens and kunais with Explosion Tags while Hoka attacked with Vacuum Palm. Fujin noticed both his teammates and attacked too. He swung his sword vertically, sending a flying slash aiming at splitting her in two vertically. Renjiro, who was looking at his students with pride, was suddenly dumbfounded! He thought in his mind, ''She has already lost her legs. We can capture her and get information from her. Why do you want to kill her so badly?'' The 8 other chunins who were looking were also dumbfounded at how aggressive the 3 kids were. Chou also watched with wide eyes. She may have lost her team and her legs, but she didn''t want to die. She made a few hand signs quickly. She encased herself within the Water Prison jutsu. Hoka''s attack reached first. It pierced into the Water Prison. But Chou moved backwards within the water prison and the attack passed harmlessly through the water prison. Mieko''s attacks hit next. The shurikens were blocked by the water, but the explosion created some disturbances. However, the Water Prison jutsu still held. Fujin''s slash arrived last. It easily cut the water prison in two. However, Chou moved to one side of the water prison to avoid getting hit. The winds accompanying the slash were also dulled by the water. However, the slash finally dispelled the water prison jutsu. Chou fell on the ground in a bad way. Despite her horrible state, she still got up with the help of her hands. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko were about to make a move when Renjiro flickered right behind her. He hit the back of her head and knocked her unconscious. He looked at his students and said, "If you can take them hostage, in a convenient situation, do that. Don''t go for the kill just for being competitive!" That immediately made his students feel embarrassed! They didn''t reply and moved forward. The 5 chunins who were hiding also came out as the fight was over. The 7 chunins who arrived later felt a bit embarrassed as they didn''t contribute anything. Most of the work was done by kids less than half their age. Only Hotaka smiled thinking, ''Now they will know how I felt!'' They all observed Chou. She was lying unconscious on her frontside. Her legs were severed. They were bleeding a lot. There were many cuts on her thighs and abdomen. Her clothes were almost non-existent. Renjiro opened a scroll and summoned a seal from it. He put the seal on Chou''s back and made a hand sign. The seal immediately spread on her entire body. He nodded and lifted Chou and put her on his back. The 12 Konoha ninjas ran back towards the outpost where they met Akimichi Seiichi. On reaching the outpost, Renjiro looked at one of the chunins and said, "Call Seiichi back here." The chunin nodded and left. Renjiro looked at the Medical ninja who was carrying Chou and said, "Restrain her to a chair. And Gag her so that she doesn''t try to kill herself by biting her tongue." The medical ninja nodded and entered the outpost. After a few minutes, Seiichi returned to the outpost as well along with 3 other ninjas. Seiichi looked at Renjiro thinking, ''Why are they back so quickly?'' He looked at Renjiro and asked, "Did you find any of them?" Renjiro nodded and replied, "Yes. Both intruding squads have been dealt with. The one with the 6 members is all dead. And we took the commanding jounin from the 2nd squad as a prisoner. The remaining are dead." Seiichi was shocked on hearing that! An Inuzuka chunin standing behind him blurted in disbelief, "No Way! We have been hunting them for over 2 days and didn''t manage to do anything at all! How did you neutralize them in under 2 hours?" Renjiro and his students glared at the chunin who said that. Realizing his mistake, he quickly said, "Apologies, I didn''t mean that." Renjiro ignored him. Seiichi looked at his subordinate and thought, ''What he said was improper. Except, I was going to say the same thing! I can understand Renjiro annihilating one squad. But how were both neutralized so soon?'' Renjiro smirked noticing his former teammate''s expression. He handed him a scroll and said, "It contains the dead bodies of those 9 ninjas. The last one is restrained inside." Seiichi sighed and took the scroll. He said in a defeated tone, "Even at this age you continue to surprise me." Renjiro laughed and replied, "Well, in this case, it was mostly my students. Anyways, my students are tired. Can you make sleeping arrangements for them?" Seiichi nodded and looked at one of his subordinates. The subordinate immediately made sleeping arrangements for the trio. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko all ate a few ration bars and fell asleep. They had rushed a long distance and fought 2 battles on the same day! Chapter 125: Exploring the Patrol Outpost While his students went to sleep, Renjiro decided to catch up with his old friend. He and Seiichi chatted for a long while recalling their old memories and sharing their new ones. After chatting, Renjiro made a report and attached it to a messenger Hawk. The Hawk flew towards Konoha. After a long sleep, the trio woke up. They freshened up and met up with Renjiro who was having breakfast with Seiichi. Seiichi looked at them and said, "Come join in." Having learnt a lot about them from Renjiro, Seiichi had a much better impression of them. The trio didn''t engage in any formalities and joined them. However, on seeing the food on the table, all three had the same thought, ''How the heck is this a breakfast!'' The entire table was filled with roasted meat. Fujin grabbed one slice and ate it. His expression immediately changed, ''Fuck! This is so good!'' He ignored everyone and began eating rapidly! Hoka and Mieko looked at Fujin and grabbed a bite too. They too began eating quickly but paid attention to their manners. Seiichi laughed lightly on seeing them all eat quickly and said, "No need to hurry. The food isn''t going to run away." All three nodded. Seiichi smiled on seeing them nod obediently. However, soon he was speechless. All three kids ignored his advice and kept eating at the same speed. Renjiro chuckled at Seiichi''s reaction.l--B1n. Fujin meanwhile thought, ''An Akimichi saying the food won''t run away... As if anyone would believe that." After eating, Fujin asked, "What do we do today, Sensei?" Renjiro replied, "Just rest. Take a tour of the patrol outposts and go on patrols if you get bored. It''ll be helpful if in the future you get posted for patrol duties. Don''t waste your chakra though. We need to leave tomorrow morning." Fujin replied, "Oh, alright Sensei." Hoka added, "Yeah, this feels wonderful." Fujin nodded. Hotaka laughed and said, "Such sceneries are the main reason why most here have taken patrolling tasks. Beautiful scenery, freedom from daily worries at home and lax responsibilities are the plus points of this job. Situations like yesterday are rare in peacetime. Usually, we just go on routine patrols without finding any disturbances." Fujin looked at Hotaka and wondered, ''So how did so many ninja cross into the Land of Fire during our last mission? Did the patrol teams just do a terrible job or were some of them bribed? Hmm, there is another possibility. Did Konoha purposefully let them in so that they could be annihilated without any opportunity to run?'' Hoka asked Hotaka, "Can you take us to patrol?" Hoka wanted to know as many of his seniors and elders from the Hyuga clan often undertook Patrol missions. Hotaka nodded, "Sure. Let''s go." He jumped off the watchtower. Hoka, Mieko and Fujin followed him. They left the outpost and entered the forests. And ran on tree branches at moderate speeds. Hotaka said, "I am just taking you on a random patrolling mission. Usually, all Patrol teams have set routes that they have to patrol daily. And there are a few teams that patrol randomly to guard against someone who might know our patrol routes and uses that to avoid us." Hoka said, "That''s smart. That will make hiding very difficult!" Hotaka nodded and added, "In addition, every Patrol team has one ninja from Inuzuka, Hyuga, or Aburame clans. So our range is much larger and any intruder has to consider all aspects if they want to hide from us." The trio nodded. They were aware of the specialities of each clan. Hotaka took them on a 2-hour long patrol. Fujin and Hoka used their abilities to help Hotaka on the patrol mission. But they didn''t find anything out of the ordinary. They returned back to the outpost. Not having anything to do, they spent their remaining day meditating. During lunch and breakfast, they interacted with others in the outpost. In the evening, an Anbu squad entered the outpost! They entered the main building. Renjiro and Seiichi were playing shogi. They both turned to see 4 Anbu ninjas. The leader of the 4 had silver hair and wore a Kitsune mask. Both realized who the Anbu captain was. Chapter 126: Interrogation Kakashi looked at the two Jounins and stepped forward. He handed them a letter and said, "The Hokage has assigned us the mission to escort the prisoner and carry the dead bodies back to Konoha." Renjiro and Seiichi nodded. Renjiro took out a scroll and handed it to Kakashi and said, "The bodies of the 9 dead ones are in this scroll." Kakashi took the scroll and stored it properly. Seiichi got up and said, "Follow me. I''ll take you to the prisoner." Kakashi and his squad followed Seiichi and Renjiro. They entered a small room. At the center of this room was a chair. A woman was sitting in it. Her arms were tied to the arms of the chair. Her legs were missing. A gag was stuffed in her mouth. Her head had dropped down. She was being watched by 2 chunins. One of them was a medical ninja. Renjiro said, "We investigated her a bit. Her name is Chou and she is a Jounin from the Sakai clan. She can use the boil release." Seiichi added, "We injected her with anesthesia, but her body is very resistant to it. She wakes up after 2 hours and has to be injected again." Kakashi nodded and said, "That won''t be an issue. Can you wake her up?" The medical ninja stepped forward and began waking up. He looked at one of his squad members and said, "Ferret, put her to sleep." After some time, Chou woke up. She looked at Renjiro and the Anbu ninjas. A terrified look appeared in her eyes. Itachi, who was the Anbu with the codename Ferret, stepped in front of her and looked into her eyes. Chou looked at the Anbu in front of her as his eyes turned red. Itachi cast a Genjutsu on her, making her fall into a deep sleep. Itachi stepped back and said, "It''s done. She won''t wake up for a day." Kakashi nodded. He looked at Renjiro and said, "We will be taking her. Thank You for completing the mission. There are further orders from Lord Hokage. Her capture shouldn''t be talked about. Discuss with everyone who knows that she has been captured and tell them to not talk about it to anyone. If they have already spoken to others or anyone knows about her capture, then chat with them as well and impose a gagging order. Lord Hokage has said that this is very important." Seiichi replied, "My men haven''t met with anyone else. But, probably, everyone in the outpost knows about her. I will talk with them and impose a gagging order about this." Kakashi nodded and said, "Thank You." One of Kakashi''s Anbu subordinates untied Chou and carried her. Kakashi and his squad took their leave and left for Konoha. Ibiki nodded and asked Chou, "Why did your squad enter the Land of Fire?" Chou answered, "My team was on a mission in the Land of Water. Unfortunately, we were discovered by a squad from Mizukage''s faction. They chased us relentlessly. We clashed a few times and were injured. The chase brought us close to the Land of Fire and we entered it hoping to find a good hiding place till they left us. I didn''t think they would chase us inside the Land of Fire as well." Ibiki noted what she said. He asked, "What was your mission?" Chou answered, "We got information that the Karatachi family had documents and maps that showed where all the ninjas in the Mizukage faction were deployed. Since the family head of Karatachi was in a battle, we got a mission to steal those documents." The mission parameters surprised everyone in the room. Danzo immediately wanted to get his hands on those documents. Ibiki asked, "Did you complete the mission?" Chou answered, "Yes, we stole the documents successfully." Ibiki asked, "Where are those documents?" Chou answered, "Since we were being chased, we hid them in a secure location in the Land of Water." Ibiki asked, "Will anyone be collecting those documents?" Chou answered, "There is one ninja who checks that spot frequently. By now, it would have been collected and reached the hands of the Sakai clan patriarch." Ibiki asked her where the secure location was and noted it down. Ibiki asked, "Did you see the locations where the forces of the Mizukage faction are located?" Chou answered, "No." After asking, he looked at Hiruzen. Hiruzen said, "Ask her about the situation of the Sakai clan, other bloodline clans and the current state of the conflict. Also, ask her about their current hideouts and where the clans are located." Danzo added, "Also ask her if they have hidden some family members in safe locations." Ibiki nodded and began questioning. He ended up questioning Chou for over three hours. Konoha got information about the locations of bloodline clans, locations of some of their secret hideouts, the number of ninjas they had, the losses they faced, the losses they inflicted upon the Mizukage faction, skills and weaknesses of their strongest fighters and some other miscellaneous information. While the information she provided wasn''t complete, she ended up providing a lot of valuable information to Konoha. The rebel faction of Kirigakure would have never imagined that their mission to steal information from the Mizukage faction would result in their secrets getting exposed to Konoha! Chapter 127: Horrible Fate! After getting all the information, Chou was restrained again. Hiruzen looked at the Anbu squad and Ibiki and said, "Good work. Don''t tell anyone about her being taken as captive to anyone." They nodded and left the prison. While leaving, Itachi''s face was grim. Though no one noticed it under his mask. Or rather, no one apart from Hiruzen and Danzo, who observed him carefully. Understanding the disastrous consequences of civil war made him realize the catastrophe that would fall on Konoha if the Uchiha clan were to rebel. It planted a seed to avoid a civil war at all costs inside his heart! As he left, both Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged eye contact. Danzo understood why Hokage had assigned the squad Itachi was in on this mission. They didn''t speak about Itachi as no words needed to be spoken. Danzo looked at Hiruzen and said, "She provided a lot of information. We need to cross-check with the information provided by our spies to confirm that there were no traps hidden in the information." Hiruzen nodded and replied, "Send a Root ninja who has the information to my office. I will have him cross-check our information with an Anbu ninja." Danzo nodded. He looked at Hiruzen, who seemed to be in thought. Danzo asked, "What are you thinking about?" Hiruzen looked at him and replied, "Do you remember the proposal that we received from the rebel faction before the Chunin exams?" Danzo nodded. Hiruzen continued, "I thought it was weird that the Terumi clan patriarch reached out to us. Now, it seems like it was the idea of Terumi Mei. She has the bloodline of both, Terumi as well as Sakai clans, and is able to use two Kekkei Genkai! Looks like she will be the next leader in Kiri." Danzo replied, "Yes, it was likely her. Two Kekkei Genkai in the same person isn''t threatening if they don''t train well. But her leadership skills and charisma are good as well. She might become a threat. We should eliminate her." Hiruzen shook his head and replied, "The Fourth Mizukage is a perfect Jinchuriki. He will be difficult to defeat. Let them exhaust each others'' potential. Konoha doesn''t need to involve itself and suffer any losses. After the civil war ends, we will talk with the winner." Danzo wanted to argue, but Hiruzen had made a good point. With the losses Kiri had taken due to the civil war, Kiri would be in no position to participate in a war for over a decade at least. Hiruzen looked at Danzo and felt something odd. Knowing Danzo, he predicted that he would have started a debate there. He asked, "Why are you here? It wouldn''t be just for the information, right?" Hiruzen sighed again and agreed, "Alright. But ensure that no information about her leaks out. And all the progress has to be reported to me in secret." Danzo nodded. He was about to leave when he had a thought. He stopped and asked, "Hiruzen, which team was assigned this mission? They were very thorough!" Danzo had rushed here in a hurry. So he wasn''t aware which squad had undertaken this mission. Hiruzen answered, "It was Senju Renjiro and his students." Danzo''s left eye widened. But it returned to normal quickly. He said, "They are efficient. I want to induct them into the Root." Hiruzen raised his left eyebrow and looked at Danzo. However, he couldn''t figure out anything from his poker face. Hiruzen replied, "One of his students is a Hyuga. They are not suitable for the Root. Another is an Uchiha who is arrogant even by their standards. Good luck convincing her into joining the Root." Danzo scoffed in displeasure. However, that was an act. He was interested in the Wind user. While speaking, Hiruzen realized that Danzo''s target should be Fujin. The others were just spoken as a distraction. Hiruzen continued, "The third one is a civilian orphan. He could have been inducted into the Root. Fortunately or unfortunately, it''s too late." Danzo, who was hopeful about getting Fujin, felt like Hiruzen had played with him. He asked, "Why is it late? He isn''t even a teenager yet. While it''s true that the Root mostly inducts 5-6 years old kids, we can still recruit older ones." Hiruzen shook his head and said, "That boy is too headstrong. He wouldn''t agree to have any seal put on him. He won''t be a good match for the Root. Besides, I already have plans for him." Danzo raised his left eyebrow and asked, "What plans?" Hiruzen smirked and answered, "I will be inducting him into the Anbu and training him to be a negotiator for Konoha." Danzo had a lot of thoughts about what Hiruzen might say. However, this one left him dumbfounded! Chapter 128: Dodged a Bullet Danzo stared at Hiruzen. After half a minute, he said, "Hiruzen, the role of negotiator is for senior members in the village. Experience is important. What do you mean by sending someone who hasn''t even entered his teens to represent Konoha during negotiations?" Hiruzen chuckled and replied, "Our current negotiators are either too soft or too strict. While we do find a middle ground, we usually get the short end of the stick." Danzo scoffed and accused, "It''s your fault for being so soft. Don''t accuse the rest of us." Hiruzen shook his head and replied, "And your methods are way too harsh. We would be at war all the time if your ideas are followed. And of course, I won''t send someone inexperienced to do the final negotiations for us. He will be among the 1st round of negotiators. And his task will be to annoy them just enough that the negotiations still stay on the table and we will have an advantage when we negotiate later." Danzo was surprised by Hiruzen''s words and confidence. He wondered, ''What exactly did Hiruzen see in that boy?'' Hiruzen looked at Danzo and thought, ''On second thought, the prospect of sending Fujin to the Root would be hilarious. Danzo tends to make promises while recruiting. If Fujin does enter the Root, I wonder how often he will ask Danzo for a new jutsu.'' Danzo was about to say something, when Hiruzen interrupted, "Leave it. He is off the table. His talent would be wasted in the Root." Seeing Hiruzen being stubborn, Danzo nodded and left. If Fujin was to learn about this conversation, he would sigh in relief and comment, ''Phew! Barely dodged the bullet!'' That said, even without Hiruzen denying it, Fujin wouldn''t have entered the Root. While Danzo led the Root and was very influential, he couldn''t force anyone to join. He resorted to patriotism, offering rewards, blackmailing with closed ones, or lying in order to recruit existing ninjas to the Root. However, neither of these 4 tactics would have worked on Fujin. While leaving, Danzo thought, ''That didn''t go as expected. I didn''t expect Hiruzen to be so stubborn about an orphan. Doesn''t matter. I was only slightly interested in him due to his potential in Wind nature manipulation. There''s no point in wasting more effort on him.'' Danzo left and didn''t think about Fujin again. Years later, he would hear about Fujin''s exploits in the battlefields. In one such battle, Fujin''s fame would explode throughout the ninja world. That battle would make Danzo regret not trying hard enough to recruit him. And the biggest regret would be when he dies by the hands of the orphan he attached no importance to! Team Renjiro ran at full speed for around 7 hours. The borders of the Land of Hot Water were close to where the hideout was. While the Hot Spring Hidden Village was quite far away, the town that they were headed to was in the southern part of the Land of Hot Water. Hence, it was much closer to them. After 7 hours, they entered Niigata town. On entering, Fujin commented, "We entered into another country and then into their 2nd biggest town and still haven''t encountered even 1 ninja! Do they not have ninjas? Or are they too lazy to patrol?" Tokuhei said, "We were expecting you to arrive a bit sooner." Renjiro replied, "We had some troubles too. So we were delayed." Tokuhei nodded and looked at the kids behind Renjiro. He frowned and thought, ''The mission didn''t mention any strict timelines. So I can''t bug him more about it. But the mission focused more on the strength of the ninjas. Renjiro is strong, but why did they send kids?'' Renjiro looked at him and understood what he was thinking. But he didn''t comment. Explaining the strength of the ninjas who undertook the mission wasn''t a requirement. Completing the mission was all that mattered. Tokuhei knew that Renjiro understood his frown. But since he didn''t provide any explanation, he decided to drop it while thinking, ''My own squad should be enough to kill those rogue ninjas. Unfortunately, the Daimyo was worried about any losses we might suffer and hence issued a mission to Konoha. If they are weak, they will die.'' Renjiro asked, "What are the details of those rogue ninjas? Also, where are they currently at?" Tokuhei looked at a subordinate. Takeshita Shunso stepped forward. He said, "Until now, we have detected 13 rogue ninjas. We have calculated that there are 2 more. All of them are ninjas from the land of water. Among the 13 ninjas, there are 3 Jounins and 10 Chunins. Their leader is Kubota Mitsuzuka. He is a veteran Jounin. The others under his command are experienced too. Some of them are ninjas who were assigned under him in the Third Great Ninja War. We haven''t found their base. But looking at their movements, we have calculated their base to be near the coastline towards the South-East direction." Renjiro analyzed the information and said, "Good work. We won''t have to waste time to find them." Tokuhei said, "Renjiro, while we do know their approximate location, we don''t know their exact location." Renjiro replied, "Don''t worry. Leave that to us. We will take a break today. Tomorrow, at 4 AM, we will leave. Have your team be prepared." Tokuhei wanted to leave immediately. But he understood that they had traveled a long distance. He nodded and said, "Alright. Shunso, arrange for their resting area." Shunso led them to the arranged rooms. After he left, Fujin, Mieko, and Hoka stared at Renjiro. They wanted answers. Chapter 129: Joint Mission Renjiro looked at his students'' faces and chuckled. Mieko was annoyed. She asked, "Why are they coming with us too?" Renjiro answered, "It''s a joint mission. You didn''t expect to take on more than a dozen ninjas with just us four, did you?" A scowl formed on Mieko''s face. Hoka sighed and said, "It would have been fun to fight them ourselves." Fujin said, "Apart from that big guy who has a lot of chakra, the others don''t seem that strong. So we should be getting more opportunities to fight than you think." Hoka smiled and said, "That''s more like it!" Renjiro was speechless at his students once again. He thought, ''Did they just hope that their allies fail in completing the mission just so that they get to fight more?'' He let out a cough to attract their attention and said, "Take a rest for the day. You need to be in top condition tomorrow morning." The trio nodded. Fujin asked, "Sensei, when you take the rank S missions, do you perform them alone or do you go with a team?" Renjiro was surprised by the question. He answered, "Depends on the mission. For example, in missions like these that include elimination, I have a team. We need members to find them and to ensure that none of them run away." Fujin heard the reply and thought, ''That makes sense. I guess the solo missions could contain protecting someone secretly or an assassination mission.'' He looked at Renjiro and asked, "Sensei, do you have information regarding Tokuhei and Mitsuzuka?" Renjiro answered, "I checked Tokuhei''s information before taking this mission. He is a veteran Jounin and was one of the commanders of the Village Hidden in Hot Springs in the previous war. But there isn''t much of a record of him fighting. His job was to ensure that they don''t get caught in between our and Kumo''s clashes. Apart from that, he is known for his Earth Release and high physical strength. As for Mitsuzuka, he specializes in Water Release like most Kiri ninjas. And he is quick on his feet. I fought him a couple of times in the previous war." Renjiro looked at Fujin and chuckled, "His fighting style is actually quite similar to yours. Though he knows a few rank A jutsus, he prefers to indulge in hit-and-run tactics and fights from a long range." They waited for Shunso to return. When he did, they discussed their strategy and tactics for the next day. The next day, at 3:45 AM, Renjiro''s and Tokuhei''s squads gathered in the mansion. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko observed Tokuhei''s squad. In addition to the four they saw the day before, there were 3 more chunin level ninjas in his squad! Along with their own squad, they now had 12 ninjas! Fujin observed them and thought, ''As long as we manage to kill a few Kiri ninjas in the initial sneak attack, we should outnumber them. So this might be an easy mission as well.'' Tokuhei looked at Renjiro and smiled. He asked, "Renjiro, did you guys rest well?" Renjiro nodded and replied, "We did. Are you guys prepared?" Tokuhei nodded. Renjiro looked at Shunso and asked, "Have you marked the locations on the map?" Shunso nodded and laid a map on the floor. Everyone observed the map carefully. The towns and villages in the Land of Hot Water were marked on the map. And a location was marked on the Southeastern coastline. Shunso pointed at the map saying, "This is our current location. According to what we have calculated, their base is around here. Which is around 40 kilometers from our location." Renjiro nodded. He looked at the map once again and then said, "Alright, let''s move. We will hit them before the Sun rises." Some of Tokuhei''s subordinates frowned upon hearing that. Shusaku said, "I have something to say." Renjiro looked at him. Tokuhei said, "Go ahead." Shusaku said, "Though we have calculated their current location, we still have to be careful about any traps they may have set up. So we need to proceed slowly and carefully. It would be preferable to attack when the sun rises." Renjiro shook his head and replied, "Don''t worry about the traps. We will take care of them. Let''s move." Without waiting for their reply, Renjiro turned around and began leaving the mansion. His students followed him while secretly laughing. Shusaku was mad at having his suggestion dismissed so lightly. However, Tokuhei looked at him and shook his head. Soon, they too followed Renjiro. Chapter 130: Pre-Dawn Raid! The entire group exited the town of Niigata stealthily. Even if those rogue Kiri ninjas had any spies in the town, they wouldn''t notice them leaving. After leaving, they traveled at a fast speed. They cover the initial 30 kilometers very quickly. The Yugakure ninjas, who were looking down on the kids, had solemn faces. They were finding it difficult to keep up with them. It was a big blow to their pride. Renjiro looked at their expressions and chuckled. In his experiences, it was always better for actions to do the talking than explaining with words. They traveled the last 10 kilometers with caution. Hoka and Mieko used their Doujutsus to check for traps and enemies. Fujin didn''t use his chakra field. If the enemy had any sensor, then they would sense Fujin''s chakra field and give away their surprise factor. Hoka''s Byakugan had no such disadvantage. They reached close to 1 kilometer of the calculated spot, when Hoka said, "Stop!" Everyone stopped and looked at him. Hoka moved towards the left as others followed him. After traveling about 100 meters, he stopped. Others stopped behind him. The area in front of Hoka was dyed red in blood! Shunso asked, "Did they have a fight here?" Tokuhei bent down and picked up a long hair from the blood. He observed it and said, "Unlikely. They were probably just hunting wild animals. Looks like they got a bear." Fujin observed Tokuhei and thought, ''He''s able to guess an animal just from a hair that is dyed in blood?'' Mieko activated her Sharingan and observed the surroundings. After some time, she said, "Found a trail!" Renjiro said, "Good work. Take the lead. Also, keep an eye out for traps. Hoka, you keep an eye on traps too. And keep an eye for their base as well. Everyone else, don''t make unnecessary noise or movements." Everyone nodded. Tokuhei commented, "It''s very handy to have both the Byakugan and Sharingan in the same squad." Renjiro nodded. They proceeded ahead carefully. Mieko''s Sharingan observed every detail of the surroundings carefully. She picked up the slightest clues. She observed their trail perfectly. Surprisingly, they didn''t encounter any traps. As they kept walking, they left the forest and entered the beach! Mieko frowned. She said, "The trail leads into the sea!" Renjiro and Tokuhei both frowned. If the base of the rogue Kiri nins was in the sea, then fighting them would get very tricky. Shunso spoke, "I don''t think that their base would be out in the sea. The nearest island from here is around 32 kilometers away. Traveling from that base would be very time-consuming." Everyone looked at Shunso as he spoke. Shunso continued, "So either their base is nearby or every one of them is a strong Jounin who can travel at twice the speeds of a chunin!" Tokuhei immediately shook his head, "There''s no way that they are all Jounins. Kiri would be shaken if that many Jounins go rogue." Renjiro said, "There are two possibilities. One is that they have a temporary base here and a permanent one on an island. Or, they just travel on shallow waters instead of moving through the forest to prevent any trail." Thoughts ran inside his mind at the speed of light! He immediately came to the conclusion, ''Fucking Hyuga! Those cowards should have issued a mission to Konoha!'' He got up and gathered Chakra on his right foot and stamped his foot on the ground. A wave passed through the ground. It was harmless, but everyone inside the cave felt it. All the 13 rogue ninjas woke up. Mitsuzuka flickered towards one of the two Jounins. On arriving, he shouted, "Fumimaro! Quickly check our surroundings!" At the same time, the other rogue ninjas also began arriving at their location. Kabota Mitsuzuka moved very rapidly. However, there was someone who moved even faster! Renjiro flickered thrice in quick succession and reached just around 150 meters from the guards. On reaching here, he noticed that there were a few traps set close to the cave. However, he didn''t pay any attention to them. He stepped on the ground and disappeared inside it. A second later, eight earth spears formed under the two unsuspecting guards and pierced them! The guards were shocked! However, even before they could let out a scream, Renjiro appeared from the ground and beheaded them in one smooth action. As soon as he beheaded them, Hoka, Mieko and Fujin appeared behind him. While they were running, Hoka noticed the traps. Mieko took the lead to avoid them and the other two followed her. On reaching, they noticed the cave. It was a small hill that was as tall as a 3-storey building. There was a giant cave mouth at the bottom which split into a few paths. This hill was around 200 meters from the beach. The rogue ninjas chose this spot so that they won''t be visible to anyone who scouts for them from the sea, but still be close to the sea if they needed to escape. As soon as they stepped there, they felt a groundwave passing under their feet. Hoka checked the inside of the cave. He frowned and said, "Everyone is up." Renjiro made a hand sign and said, "I figured." Fujin, Hoka and Mieko watched their sensei as he built up a massive amount of chakra! Behind Team Renjiro, the Yugakure ninjas were following. However, without the Byakugan or the Sharingan, they couldn''t identify all the traps. Tokuhei was the first one to notice the traps. He shouted, "WAIT! There are traps ahead!" However, they were flickering rapidly. 3 of their ninjas ended up activating traps. Immediately, hundreds of needles rained down on them! Tokuhei frowned and made a few hand signs. Inside the cave, Fumimaro spread his chakra field. Fujin felt his chakra field as it expanded past the cave. He quickly said, "They sensed us!" Fumimaro immediately sensed the huge chakra built up by Renjiro. He yelled, "CRAP! They are right outside the cave and are about to attack us!" All the former Kiri nins immediately had grim looks on their faces. Ever since they went rogue, they never had to fight against a proper Ninja squad. The Mizukage faction was too busy fighting the rebels. They didn''t have the time to pay any attention to them. Renjiro put his palms on the walls of the hill! ''Earth Release : Mountain Destroyer jutsu!'' Chapter 131: Chaos inside the Hill ''Earth Release : Mountain Destroyer jutsu'' Chakra poured from Renjiro''s palms into the hill. The hill began collapsing. In merely 3 seconds, the entire hill collapsed! The rogue Kiri nins felt the ground under them trembling. In a second, some rocks began falling! Their expressions grew grim! By then, only 11 ninjas had assembled there. 3 still hadn''t made it to that room. They understood that they needed to escape! However, escaping to the cave entrance would be very dangerous! Realizing their grim situation, Mitsuzuka made a hand sign. Immediately, a Water Prison began forming around them. He shouted, "Pour your fucking chakra into this jutsu everyone!" The rogue ninjas wasted no time and immediately began pouring their chakra into Mitsuzuka''s Water Prison jutsu. The water prison became larger and denser as a result of everyone''s chakra. Rocks kept falling on it but didn''t damage it. However, the first critical time was when the ground under them collapsed. The Water Prison sphere also fell and maintaining its form became very difficult. Through everyone''s desperate efforts, they managed to hold on! The second critical time was when the Water Prison hit the ground after falling! This time, they didn''t manage to maintain the sphere. The impact on the ground coupled with the rocks falling on it broke the jutsu! However, 4 ninjas used Water Barrier jutsu to provide protection. Outside the Hill : While the hill was collapsing, the Yugakure ninjas were struggling with the traps. Tokuhei erected Earth Walls to protect everyone. The ninjas themselves used kunais to block incoming needles. They managed to withstand the barrage. Tokuhei breathed in relief when one of them fell to the ground. Shunso immediately moved towards him. He checked him. Others gathered around him. Shunso said, "He is alright. It''s just two needles that hit his thighs." He removed the needles and observed them. The others got worried thinking that the needles were poisoned. After checking the needles and the fallen ninja, Shunso said, "The needles are coated with some anesthetic medicine. He will probably sleep for some time." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tokuhei said, "Shunso, stay here and keep him safe. Others follow me. It looks like they have already begun fighting. We can''t be left out!" Fujin, Hoka and Mieko got the front row seat to watch a small hill collapse. However, they weren''t very surprised. By now, they had seen a lot of crazy stunts that Renjiro kept pulling. All three immediately focused on the rogue ninjas inside the debris. Fujin spread his chakra field to sense them. There was no more need for maintaining stealth. He made a few hand signs and prepared a Wind Vacuum Bullet. Hoka and Mieko got ready as well! He didn''t die alone. The last member of the rogue group who wasn''t with them also died to the thousand needles jutsu. He had trapped himself inside an Earth Dome and had no way to get out or defend himself quickly. The number of rogue ninjas dropped to 10! And yet, their misery wasn''t over! As soon as they jumped out, they still had to protect themselves from the sneak attacks of the students of the man who made them miserable! The first person to leave the hole was Mitsuzuka. As soon as he left the hole, he saw three shurikens targeting him. He quickly deflected them and looked at where the shurikens came from. His eyes landed on Renjiro and widened. He exclaimed, "Motherfucking Senju Renjiro!" As soon as the rogue nins left the hole, they were greeted by shurikens thrown by Mieko with pinpoint accuracy. Mieko targeted the first two who left the debris. Both were Jounins and they easily blocked her shurikens. Unlike Mieko, both Hoka and Fujin could only select one to attack. Hoka felt ambitious! He decided to target a Jounin. Whereas Fujin decided to be efficient. Hoka ended up choosing Fumimaro as his target. Fumimaro was the third one to leave the debris. Hoka aimed a Vacuum Palm at his heart. Fumimaro sensed Hoka attacking him. He spat out a Water Bullet to counter it. It clashed with the Vacuum palm and nullified it. Fujin targeted the 5th person to leave the debris. His chakra was higher than an average chunin. Guessing him to be an Elite Chunin, Fujin chose him. As soon as he appeared, Fujin shot a Vacuum Bullet at his heart. Unlike Fumimaro, Fujin''s target didn''t have sensory capabilities. Additionally, Fujin''s Vacuum Bullet was many times faster than Hoka''s Vacuum Palm. He didn''t even see the attack coming and had his heart pierced! The rogue Kiri ninjas finally landed on top of the debris. They watched with grim faces. 7 of them had been killed without them even seeing who their enemy was! At the same time, the Yugakure ninjas also arrived there and landed beside Team Renjiro. Their eyes widened on seeing the scene before them! Two headless corpses with Earth Spears piercing through their bodies were next to them. The hill where the rogue ninjas were supposed to be had completely collapsed. And the 9 enemies they saw all had some injuries on them, while the Konoha ninjas didn''t even have a scratch on them! Mitsuzuka immediately analyzed the situation and yelled, "DISPERSE!" He instantly flickered away. The others followed him. Team Renjiro and Tokuhei immediately gave chase. Renjiro made a Shadow clone. He chased Mitsuzuka while his clone chased Fumimaro. Tokuhei went after the 3rd Jounin. Fujin, Mieko and Hoka chose a chunin level target. Mieko and Hoka looked for the ones who have higher chakra amongst the chunins, while Fujin went after the one who was injured. The remaining Yugakure ninjas were slow. They moved around 1-2 seconds after the others. Usually, Tokuhei would command them, but he was feeling pressure due to their subpar performance so far. So he moved quickly believing that his subordinates would do their job. They quickly gave chase too. Shusaku went after a chunin alone. The remaining 4 chased in pairs. Chapter 132: The Interference of the Clones The 10 Konoha and Yugakure ninjas chased after 9 rogue ninjas from Kirigakure. Mitsuzuka noticed the enemy splitting up. He made a hand sign. 3 water clones formed around him. They dispersed in different directions. Renjiro noticed them and made a hand sign too. 3 shadow clones appeared. They chased after the water clones. Renjiro didn''t mind this. His chakra was much larger than Mitsuzuka''s chakra. And he was confident that the water clones won''t be able to interfere in the fights with his students. As for the Yugakure ninjas, he didn''t care much. The first one to catch up to his prey was Fujin. Fujin was the 2nd one to flicker among the group. Only Renjiro was faster than him. In addition, Fujin''s opponent was injured. He had a dozen needles stuck in his body. Fujin caught up with him with just 2 flickers. On seeing him, he grabbed his sword and rushed at him. This rogue ninja was Imamura Seitaro. He didn''t want to fight at close range due to the needles stuck in him. They limited his movements. He made a few hand signs quickly, ''Water Release : Wild Water Wave jutsu'' A 5-meter tall and 20-meter wide wave of water appeared in front of Fujin. Fujin decided to take it head-on. Chakra flowed through Fujin''s sword. He grabbed it with both his hands and swung it with a huge force. A horizontal flying slash of wind chakra was sent. It slashed the wave and moved towards Seitaro. The accompanying winds completely dispersed his jutsu. Seitaro was shocked! He had never seen a jutsu like this! He quickly jumped up thinking, ''What jutsu is this? I recall the Samurais sending flying slashes, but it was nothing like this!'' The slash passed from under him. It cut a lot of trees directly behind him. However, he wasn''t uninjured. He was hit by the razor-sharp winds. Numerous cuts appeared on his body. Both his eyes were cut as well! He yelled in pain and horror. In the next second, his heart was hit by an Air bullet. He fell down dead! After the rogue ninjas escaped, the first ninja died in under 30 seconds! They would have never imagined such a result. Fujin created a shadow clone to seal and store his body. He grabbed the scroll and moved towards other targets. While Fujin was fighting, the others were still chasing. The three jounins successfully escaped into the sea. However, Renjiro and Tokuhei chased them into the seas. Mieko and Hoka managed to intercept their targets before they entered the sea. They began fighting. However, they were restricted as they had to ensure that their opponent didn''t escape into the sea. All three of the chunins that Yugakure''s chunins chased also entered the sea. They followed them. The fight would have entered a deadlock, if not for two variables. The first one was Fujin, who killed his opponent in little time. The second variable was the water clones of Mitsuzuka. Mitsuzuka had seen Renjiro stand with the 3 kids before the Yugakure ninjas arrived. He had speculated that those 3 were his students. His three water clones rushed towards Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko. Renjiro''s shadow clones followed them. Mitsuzuka''s water clone frowned as well. He felt that he was sensed. He thought, ''His students are so fucking bothersome! All 3 have some sort of sensory abilities. How the fuck should I sneak attack them?'' The aspect that made Mitsuzuka a terrible enemy was his ability to make perfect sneak attacks. Unfortunately, that ability was almost made useless. He frowned thinking, ''I made the wrong choice. I should have gone after the fucking Yugakure ninjas.'' Not knowing who was coming, Fujin prepared the Air bullet jutsu. Knowing that a sneak attack would be useless, Mitsuzuka''s water clone increased his speed to attack Fujin with full power. Renjiro''s shadow clone increased his speed as well. Renjiro''s clones couldn''t catch Mitsuzuka''s clones as they moved in a random way to avoid Renjiro''s clones. With Mitsuzuka''s clone traveling in a straight line, Renjiro''s clone was able to close the distance. As soon as he appeared in view, Fujin recognized him. Seeing that it was an enemy, Fujin attacked with the Air Bullet jutsu. 7 air bullets were shot at and around Mitsuzuka''s water clone. Renjiro''s shadow clone noticed the attack and moved out of the way. Mitsuzuka''s clone also moved out of the way quickly. The jutsu barely missed him! Had it hit, the clone would have been dispelled. Mitsuzuka''s clone was confused. He thought, ''Why isn''t anyone fighting with him? Did he stop chasing?'' However, the clone didn''t think for long. He immediately made a few hand signs. ''Water Release : Waterfall Jutsu!'' A huge column of water crashed down towards Fujin. Fujin was annoyed, ''I can understand if his main body tried attacking me head-on. But a mere clone wants to take on me in Ninjutsu?'' A huge amount of chakra gathered on Fujin. Renjiro''s clone smirked on noticing it. He made a few hand signs. Mitsuzuka''s clone''s eyes widened on sensing Fujin''s huge chakra. Fujin supercharged his jutsu and launched it without making any hand signs. ''Wind Release : Great Breakthrough jutsu'' Fujin''s supercharged Great Breakthrough jutsu hit Mitsuzuka''s Waterfall jutsu. Though the Waterfall jutsu was two ranks higher, the amount of chakra the Water clone had was very limited. After all, Mitsuzuka made it to sneak attack and not to attack head-on. The Great Breakthrough jutsu tore into the Waterfall jutsu and dispersed the water. The Water clone immediately used another jutsu. ''Water Release : Water Prison jutsu'' The Great Breakthrough jutsu hit the water prison. It was sent flying, but it held firm. Even so, the water clone had a grim expression. His chakra was almost over. While the Great Breakthrough jutsu was dying down, an Earth spear appeared under the Water Prison. It pierced through it. The Water clone saw the Earth spear. Unfortunately, he didn''t have the chakra to do anything about it. He avoided it, but the Water Prison jutsu was dispelled. He looked at the winds of the Great Breakthrough jutsu and shouted, "Fucking hell!" The Great Breakthrough jutsu hit and dispelled him. Chapter 133: Hoka finally gets to use Taijutsu! A few kilometers away from the shores, Mitsuzuka looked behind. Renjiro was still hot on his tail. He thought, ''One of my clones was dispelled. And so soon too. Sigh, how did we attract this bastard?'' Fujin looked at Renjiro''s clone. He was hiding inside an Earth Dome. The dome collapsed. Renjiro''s clone flickered next to Fujin. He asked, "What''s the status?" Fujin replied, "My opponent is dead. How are things with you?" Renjiro''s clone answered, "My opponent made a few Water clones and sent them to sneak attack you three." Fujin nodded. He had concluded along the same lines. Renjiro''s clone said, "My clones have gone to Hoka and Mieko as well. You go help Hoka. I''ll help Mieko." Fujin nodded and flickered. He had already sensed Hoka. Fujin landed on a tree beside the beach. A frown appeared on his face, ''These guys are fighting on water. I won''t be able to sneak attack.'' Fujin observed the situation properly. Renjiro''s shadow clone was suppressing the Water jutsus of Mitsuzuka''s Water clone and the other rogue ninja. Both the water clone and the rogue ninja maintained a long distance from Hoka. His Gentle Fist and Vacuum Palm were too threatening. However, Renjiro''s clone and Hoka weren''t able to attack effectively either. Fujin thought, ''I should consider getting a summon that can fight in the water. After all, my Water affinity is pretty much non-existent. I''ll be in danger if I get trapped underwater.'' After observing for a minute, Fujin sighed, ''There is no way to sneak attack. Maybe I should have bugged Hiruzen for a jutsu that can attack over a kilometer away with pinpoint accuracy instantly. Surely he''d have something like that. Even if he doesn''t, considering the badass titles he has, he should be able to create a new jutsu like that, right?'' Fortunately for Hiruzen, he couldn''t know Fujin''s thoughts. Fujin made a few hand signs. ''Wind Release : Vacuum Bullet jutsu'' A vacuum bullet formed inside Fujin''s mouth. Chakra gathered on his feet and Fujin flickered. The fight was happening around 250 meters from the shore. Fujin flickered thrice in quick succession. Mitsuzuka''s clone felt Fujin''s danger and looked at him. He shouted, "Another ninja is coming. Pay attention, Ryu!" Ueda Ryu paid attention to the new enemy while keeping an eye on the existing ones. Fujin appeared on the battlefield in the blink of an eye. His target was the Water Clone. The Water Clone noticed that Fujin had built his chakra and was moving towards him. Immediately, a water wall appeared between them. But Mitsuzuka''s clone led Renjiro''s clone here! With his methods, I couldn''t escape! And now, another one showed up here! Don''t fucking help if you are going to make the matters worse!'' Mitsuzuka''s clone''s expression was also grim. It understood the significance of Renjiro''s clone showing up here. It meant that one of his fellow clones was defeated. And the ninja alongside him was also killed or captured. A huge fight began. The Water clone desperately tried to defend himself while trying to create an opportunity to escape for Motoyuki. Unfortunately, nothing worked. The teamwork of the two clones was flawless. And Mieko provided perfect support with her shurikens and the threat of Sharingan Genjutsu. After a bitter struggle, the Water clone finally fell. Just like Ryu, Motoyuki also offered to surrender. As soon as he offered to surrender, Fujin and Hoka arrived. One of Renjiro''s clones looked at Hoka. He looked at Motoyuki and said, "Alright, don''t resist. If you do, I will kill you. Hoka, close all his chakra points." Hoka was surprised to be asked that again. Fujin grinned and taunted, "Today is your lucky day Hoka! You get to attack 2 Elite Chunins with your Gentle Fist. I am so happy for you!" Hoka''s face immediately went dark. He ignored Fujin and walked ahead while thinking, ''I want to fight them head-on! This is just lame!'' He followed the clone''s command and closed his chakra points. The clone knocked him out and put a Chakra Suppression Seal on him. Fujin said, "Sensei, even Hoka''s opponent surrendered. Your other clone took him back to the shore." One of the clones nodded and said, "I will take care of him." He grabbed Motoyuki and flickered. Mieko had heard Fujin''s comment. She grinned and said, "Good job Hoka! I am glad you finally found opponents to fight with Taijutsu." Both she and Fujin began laughing. Hoka''s face got even darker. He looked at Mieko and said, "Why are you laughing? Even with two of Sensei''s clones helping you, you were the slowest of us!" That made Mieko scowl. She immediately began arguing with Hoka. Fujin silently moved away and stood next to Renjiro''s clone. He was trying hard to suppress his laughter. Renjiro''s clone was speechless, ''We are in the middle of an A rank mission! And two of my students are arguing mindlessly. And the third one is the one who instigated the argument and is laughing at it! Was I too lenient with them?'' Renjiro''s clone let out a cough. That attracted the attention of Mieko and Hoka. Realizing what they have been doing, they immediately stop arguing. However, both gave Fujin a few angry stares. Fujin saw them but acted like he didn''t see them. He thought, ''Oh boy! These two are hilarious as always! It''s so hard to suppress my laugh, hahaha.'' Seeing that his students have calmed down, the clone said, "We will leave the enemy Jounins to my main body and Tokuhei. Let us move and clear out the 3 chunins that are engaging against Yugakure." They nodded and said, "Alright Sensei." Chapter 134: Underwater Battle While Fujin, Mieko and Hoka were dealing with their opponents, the others had begun fighting as well. Renjiro finally managed to stop Mitsuzuka from running. Mitsuzuka looked at Renjiro and shouted, "Why the fuck are you here Renjiro? I have no interest in fighting you. I''ll leave that fucking country of hot springs. That should fulfill your mission parameters, right?" Renjiro smirked. He wasn''t unaware of how foul-mouthed Mitsuzuka was. He said, "Unfortunately, you killed too many civilians. The Daimyo was very insistent on bringing your head back." A scowl formed on Mitsuzuka''s face. He shouted back, "Don''t fucking underestimate me Renjiro! I killed dozens of your fucking subordinates in the last war. If you want to kill me, I''ll take a fucking piece of you too!"l--B1n. Renjiro didn''t reply. There was no point in engaging in more talks. He made a hand sign. ''Water Release : Water Dragon jutsu'' A water dragon formed behind Renjiro and moved rapidly towards Mitsuzuka. Mitsuzuka flickered while making hand signs. ''Water Release : Water Shock bomb'' He released a jet of water that hit the dragon on its head and exploded. Both jutsus were neutralized. Water showered in all directions. Mitsuzuka thought, ''Too easy. There should be more.'' As Mitsuzuka thought, 3 Water Dragons appeared at the spot where the two jutsus had just clashed. The one in the center moved straight at Mitsuzuka. The other two water dragons split in opposite directions and attacked Mitsuzuka from his right and left. Mitsuzuka moved backwards while making hand signs. Suddenly, he jumped backwards. A huge head of another Water Dragon appeared under his feet. The Dragon opened its mouth and shot a giant ball of water at Mitsuzuka. Mitsuzuka watched with a grim expression on his face. He continued making hand signs. ''Water Release : Giant Mirror Shield jutsu'' Just when the water sphere was about to hit him, a giant mirror of Water appeared in front of him. The ball of water hit the mirror and exploded. The mirror collapsed, but the impact didn''t pass through it. Behind the mirror, Mitsuzuka had used Water Prison jutsu to protect himself. 3 of them went ahead to intercept the 3 new clones of Mitsuzuka. The remaining 3 moved together in a group. Renjiro thought, ''Let''s see how you counter this.'' The group of the 3 water clones attacked a clone of Mitsuzuka who was engaged in combat. It was caught off guard due to being suddenly attacked by 3 more clones. One of Renjiro''s water clones sent a flying slash at him and dispelled him. Mitsuzuka''s face became grim. He realized the danger that the group of 3 clones posed. He immediately recalled his clones. They stopped fighting and retreated next to him. Renjiro and his clones tried attacking and dispelling them, but they were able to dodge everything and go back safely. Mitsuzuka and his 6 Water Clones looked at Renjiro and his 10 water clones and his Sloth summon. Renjiro immediately pressed on the attack. His 10 water clones dispersed in different directions and assaulted Mitsuzuka from all sides. Mitsuzuka''s clones entered into a defensive formation. They desperately defended Renjiro''s assault. Mitsuzuka cursed in his mind, ''These fucking Senju and their fucking huge reserves! If I keep fighting, my chakra reserves will dry up. I wanted to take advantage of him chasing me and land a killing blow, but he has been so fucking careful! I need to escape. Or I''ll be dead. Worse, I''d be eaten by the fucking beast!'' Renjiro''s clones kept up the assault. Renjiro floated next to his summon and observed, ''He is in a crunch. If he just makes one misstep, I''ll kill him. Either he will need to create more clones or he will need to find a way to escape.'' After desperately defending for a couple of minutes, Mitsuzuka made his decision. He made a hand sign. 5 more Water clones appeared around him. All his water clones immediately moved to attack Renjiro''s clones. The last one attacked Renjiro and his summon. Meanwhile, Mitsuzuka turned around and ran away. Renjiro noticed it. It was as he anticipated. He quickly made two water clones to intercept the incoming clone. He rode the sloth to chase after Mitsuzuka. The sloth went around the battlefield of the water clones and swam towards where Mitsuzuka had escaped. However, soon it stopped and turned around and attacked a water clone. Renjiro was surprised. He hadn''t instructed the sloth to do anything like this. However, his eyes widened as he realized why the sloth had done this. The ''water clone'' had a grim face! It was actually Mitsuzuka disguised as a water clone. The one who ran away was actually a clone. Mitsuzuka wanted to lure Renjiro''s main body away. Then he could create more clones to block all of Renjiro''s clones and run away before Renjiro realized that he was tricked. He immediately began cursing, ''What the fuck? How the fuck can this beast smell underwater?'' He immediately fell into a difficult situation. Renjiro and his clones made a hand sign and assaulted Mitsuzuka with dozens of water bullets. Mitsuzuka barely managed to dodge and block them. However, a few cuts appeared on his body. Once the Water bullet barrage was over, the sloth moved forward and swung its massive claws at Mitsuzuka. Mitsuzuka immediately moved to dodge it. Renjiro appeared in his path and attacked him with his sword. Mitsuzuka knew about Renjiro''s abilities with a sword. He grabbed his kunai and channeled his chakra through it. He blocked Renjiro''s sword and used the force of the sword to move away from Renjiro. However, Renjiro''s clone intercepted him and attacked him with Water Dragon jutsu. At the same time, the sloth as well as Renjiro moved forward to attack Mitsuzuka. Mitsuzuka desperately defended himself. Chapter 135: Mission Incomplete While Renjiro and Mitsuzuka clashed, Renjiro''s clone and Tokuhei also clashed with their opponent. Tokuhei''s opponent was Arihyoshi Juichi. They stood face to face on the sea. Juichi taunted, "Tokuhei, we have heard about you. You are a strong Earth Release user. But..." He smirked and continued, "But, we are at sea. How will you fight me here?" Tokuhei wasn''t affected by his opponent''s attempt at disturbing him. He calmly said, "You ninjas from the big 5 villages need to stop underestimating us." He made a hand sign, "Since I dared to chase you, it means that the result of this battle will only be your death!" Tokuhei opened his mouth wide. He spat out rocks and mud from his mouth. Soon, a small, 5-meter radius island formed in the middle of the sea. Juichi was surprised at Tokuhei''s skill! He thought, ''He is very good. No wonder Mitsuzuka asked us to not fight against him on land!'' Tokuhei made a few more hand signs. ''Earth Release : Rock Dragon jutsu'' He spat out a 20-meter-long Rock Dragon! Juichi was surprised once again. He quickly moved backwards and made a few hand signs. ''Water Release : Water Bullet jutsu!'' He spat a few dozen water bullets at Tokuhei and the Rock Dragon. But the Rock Dragon moved and got in front of Tokuhei. All the Water bullets hit the Rock dragon. But, apart from a few scratches, no damage was done. Juichi swallowed his saliva, ''Such strong defense!'' Tokuhei smirked on seeing Juichi''s reaction. He controlled the Rock Dragon to move towards Juichi. Juichi instantly dived underwater. Tokuhei jumped on his dragon and followed him. Inside the water, Tokuhei again made a few hand signs. The Rock Dragon opened its mouth and spat multiple mud bullets at Juichi. Juichi was surprised, but he dodged them all. Juichi made a few hand signs while running. ''Water Release : Water Dragon jutsu'' A water dragon formed and moved towards Tokuhei. The Rock and Water dragons clashed. The Rock Dragon just moved through the Water Dragon, completely crushing it. Juichi was dumbfounded! He screamed internally, ''What the hell is this thing made of?'' This matchup was very unfair for Juichi. The Earth element is strong against the Water element. Of course, Juichi himself isn''t strong enough. Unlike Renjiro and Mitsuzuka, he couldn''t make his Water Dragon explode on contact. So the damage output of his jutsu was quite low. Juichi was very annoyed by the battle so far. He immediately made a few hand signs. ''Water Release : Water Clone jutsu'' Four water clones appeared around him. They immediately dispersed and surrounded Tokuhei. Juichi made more hand signs. The jutsu immediately dispersed all the mist. However, Fumimaro secretly smirked. While the Winds were travelling away from Renjiro''s clone due to the Great Breakthrough jutsu, one small wind travelled across the flow towards Renjiro''s clone. Renjiro''s clone felt that something was off, but he couldn''t understand what. He focused chakra into his eyes. They began glowing. He was surprised. A Wind clone was disguised as the wind itself and travelling towards him. Seeing that he was noticed, Fumimaro''s Wind clone appeared in front of him. He was only 10 meters away from Renjiro''s clone. Immediately, a Water Wall began appearing in front of Renjiro''s clone. However, it was too late. Fumimaro''s Wind clone exploded. The winds sent by the explosion pierced through the thin water wall. Renjiro''s clone flickered, but he still got hit. A small cut appeared on his face. He looked at Fumimaro and said, "I underestimated you..." and got dispelled into smoke. Fumimaro looked at the spot where Renjiro''s clone was. He thought, ''Shadow clones are known to transmit memory. If he defeats Mitsuzuka, he will come after me.'' He created a few water clones and they all dispersed in different directions. As he left, Fumimaro thought, ''It was a mistake to come here. I had advised Mitsuzuka to not create any chaos. Unfortunately, he enjoys killing and torturing just as much as swearing. Even if Mitsuzuka survives, I shouldn''t go back with him. He will just attract another calamity. But where to go without him? If I stay in the vicinity of Hidden Mist, I will attract those dogs of Mizukage. I can''t join the rebel faction either due to how many of them I killed.'' He thought for a bit, ''The best place to go would be to a country that doesn''t border any of the big 5 countries. Unfortunately, such a country doesn''t exist... I guess I will move to the distant Land of Snow. Perhaps there I could find clues on how to fuse my Wind and Water elements into the Ice element.'' With no one pursuing him, Fumimaro quickly escaped from the battlefield. Since he ran on water, there wasn''t any trail left behind. Renjiro, who was assaulting Mitsuzuka along with his summons and clones, got the memories of his defeated clone. He was surprised, ''I had heard about him. But there was no intel on his Wind nature capabilities. He hid it deep!'' However, he ignored it and focused on Mitsuzuka. Both Renjiro and Mitsuzuka had returned to the surface of the sea. Mitsuzuka''s state was terrible! His clones had all been defeated. There were a lot of small injuries on his body. There were 9 huge claw marks on his body. And his left arm was missing from the elbow! Knowing that his death was imminent, he shouted, "RENJIRO! Let me go! Or I''ll haunt you even after I become a fucking ghost!" Renjiro was surprised by this threat. He thought, ''Well, that''s a new one.'' Mitsuzuka''s expression was full of anger. However, he was thinking, ''Damn it! How do I distract him for a moment to get away? Even something crazy like that doesn''t make him even blink an eye! Am I going to fucking die here?'' Mitsuzuka was on his last legs. Renjiro''s clones launched a fresh assault. Mitsuzuka dodged desperately. However, after such a long fight, he finally gave an opening to Renjiro. Renjiro immediately flickered behind him and swung his sword at his neck. Mitsuzuka noticed and ducked down as quickly as he could. The sword barely missed him and only cut his hair. Renjiro followed with a kick. Mitsuzuka noticed it as well and tried to move ahead to avoid getting hit. However, it resulted in his ass getting kicked and he was launched up into the air. Unfortunately for Mitsuzuka, Renjiro''s kick was a part of the Senju Taijutsu style. His kick was infused with a lot of chakra. Mitsuzuka''s entire skeleton was shaken due to that kick! Many organs began bleeding internally. His Sitz bones were cracked. Seeing him in the air, Renjiro''s clones immediately attacked him with Water Bullet jutsu. Surprisingly, even in this terrible shape, Mitsuzuka made a hand sign with his remaining hand. Water Walls rose around him. The water walls were too weak to block the water bullets. However, they managed to divert the direction of the water bullets slightly. Not a single water bullet hit him! Renjiro watched with praise in his eyes. He thought, ''This is a real Jounin! Unfortunately, this is the end for him.'' Renjiro didn''t attack anymore. Mitsuzuka started falling. He was falling straight where the Sloth was! The Sloth swung its huge claw down at Mitsuzuka. Mitsuzuka noticed it, but he had no way to move out of the way. He grabbed a kunai and raised it to block the beast. However, the Sloth didn''t even feel the kunai. Its claw hit Mitsuzuka''s head and cracked it open! He became the fourth Jounin from Kiri to fall to Renjiro and his students in the span of four days! Chapter 136: The Sea is Vast Tokuhei chased rapidly after Juichi. After travelling a bit, he encountered Juichi''s clone. He immediately recognized that it was a clone. He wanted to ignore it and move around, but the clone attacked him. After a small clash, Tokuhei managed to injure the clone and dispel it. After reaching the place where he fought with Juichi, he found another clone. Not seeing Juichi anywhere, Tokuhei decided to take his anger out on the clone. The water clone saw Tokuhei and immediately attacked with Water bullets. Tokuhei made a few hand signs. ''Earth Release : Mud Wall jutsu'' He spat out a mud wall in front of him to block the attack. The Mud wall blocked all the water bullets. Tokuhei made a few more hand signs and slammed his right palm on the mud wall. The mud wall immediately began shooting out mud shurikens at the water clone. However, the clone managed to dodge everything. The speed of the mud shurikens was slower due to the drag inside the water. The two exchanged more attacks. As they kept fighting, Tokuhei''s mood kept getting worse. Though the clone didn''t manage to land any hits on him, the fact that he couldn''t defeat the clone of a not-so-famous Jounin for so long hurt his pride! After a couple of minutes, the clone''s chakra was almost exhausted. It stopped attacking and said, "There is no need to fight anymore." Tokuhei stopped, but his face was ugly! The clone smirked on seeing his expression. He said, "My main body has already escaped far away. You will never be able to catch him. I can tell you that my main body has no intention of returning to the Land of Hot Water. However, if you keep hunting me persistently, I will give up on a peaceful life and go back to the Land of Hot Water occasionally to kill your civilians. Convey this message to your Daimyo." Tokuhei''s face was ugly. However, he didn''t reply. There was no point in talking with a Water clone. After all, the message wouldn''t travel to the main body. Seeing his ugly face, the water clone laughed. His body began dispersing. Hearing his laughter finally pushed Tokuhei off the edge. He moved forward. A Mud spear formed in his right hand. It solidified instantly and he threw it at the clone. He thought, ''At the very least, I will dispel this clone!'' Juichi''s clone smiled and made a hand sign. His water body''s shape began deforming. The mud spear passed through its body without harming it. The clone''s body transformed into a water blade that slashed at Tokuhei''s face. At such a close distance, Tokuhei had no time to harden his skin. He immediately tried moving out of the way. The Water blade hit his right cheek and left a cut on it. The cut wasn''t serious. However, it was a big slap to his face. It was a big blow to his pride. After such a pitiful performance, with what face could he ask the Daimyo for more funds? Not wanting to give up like that, he tried searching for Juichi fruitlessly! After killing Mitsuzuka, Renjiro stored his body and left for where Fumimaro and his clone had clashed to check if any trails were available. Meanwhile, Fujin, Mieko and Hoka tried to search for others. Renjiro''s clone followed them silently. After searching for some time, Hoka finally saw Shusaku fighting against an enemy. The trio continued searching for around 10 minutes but didn''t find anyone. Mieko complained, "What the hell? How long are we going to search in these open seas? There is no one here!" Hoka nodded. Fujin thought for a bit. He made a hand sign. ''Shadow Clone jutsu'' He used Shadow clone jutsu multiple times until he made 6 clones. The clones immediately dispersed in different directions with their chakra field activated. Mieko and Hoka noticed that. Hoka said, "That''s smart Fujin!" Mieko asked in an annoying tone, "Why didn''t you use this tactic earlier?" Fujin shrugged his hands and answered, "Experienced ninjas are able to know when they are being sensed. Especially if they are sensors. If they notice my clones, they will just run away. And with us being far away from our clones, the enemy will run away by the time we reach there." Mieko understood Fujin''s reasoning. She said, "That makes sense." The trio waited at their spot. After a few minutes, one clone dispelled itself. Fujin received his memories. He said, "One of my clones found two Yugakure ninjas. They are carrying the dead body of the enemy they chased." Hoka sighed, "Well, that''s useless for us." Fujin nodded. He created another Shadow clone which replaced the one who dispelled. Fujin''s clones searched for half an hour without any success. With their chakra dropping low, all dispelled themselves. Fujin received their memories and said, "It''s hopeless. They didn''t find anyone!" He looked back and said, "Not even your main body Sensei." Renjiro''s clone appeared behind them and said, "It means that they are fighting too far into the sea. Leave it, there is no point in trying to find others anymore. Let''s return to the beach and meet up with my other clone." The trio sighed and followed him. After a few minutes, they returned to the beach and met up with the clone of Renjiro who was looking after the two captured enemies. The other clone had dispelled himself to send memories to Renjiro. After meeting up, Renjiro''s clone that was following his students also dispelled himself. Renjiro, who was a long way into the sea, received the memories of his clone. He thought, ''Of the 9 we chased, 5 chunins and their leader are confirmed dead. Fumimaro escaped. And we don''t know the status of the other two.'' He sighed, ''I guess this will be the extent of completing this mission. It''s difficult to kill every one of them. Especially the Jounins.'' Knowing that the search for Fumimaro was pointless, Renjiro decided to return to the beach. Chapter 137: Learning Sage Mode Senju Renjiro returned to the beach. He found his clone, students and 5 Yugakure chunins waiting there. Shunso had joined the 3 Yugakure chunins along with their sleeping teammate. They had set up a couple of tents. Renjiro entered the tent of his students. He informed his students of how his fight went and they decided to wait for others to return, Late in the afternoon, Tokuhei and the remaining two chunins returned to the beach. Renjiro asked, "What''s the status of your opponents?" Tokuhei replied, "Mine managed to run away." The chunins replied, "Our opponent ran away as well. We tried searching, but couldn''t find anyone." Renjiro nodded and said, "From 13 chunins and 3 Jounins, only 2 Jounins and 1 chunin are left. And we suffered no casualties. The mission can be considered a success. The ones who escaped will not dare to return here again. And once the news spreads, other rogue ninjas also won''t dare to create chaos in the Land of Hot Water." Tokuhei asked, "Which other jounin managed to escape?" Renjiro answered, "I killed Mitsuzuka. Fumimaro managed to injure my clone and escaped." Tokuhei breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "Good. As long as Mitsuzuka is dead, this mission can be considered a success." Renjiro nodded and handed him a scroll. He said, "His body is inside it." Tokuhei accepted the scroll. Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "Give him the body of the ninja you killed as well." Fujin nodded and handed the scroll to Tokuhei. Tokuhei chatted more about the mission. He talked with his subordinates as well to understand everything that took place. With the mission over, Team Renjiro returned to Konoha. Renjiro said, "I''ll report the mission''s success to Lord Hokage. You guys can leave." Everyone nodded and left. Fujin was considering what his future actions should be while heading home. As he was walking in his thoughts, he saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the right to see a man with long white hair peeking in through a hole. He looked up to see what the man was peeking into. Fujin''s eyes twitched as he read the sign. It read ''Konoha Hot Springs''. The man was peeking into the Women''s section of the bath. Fujin''s eyes glowed as he observed the man. His chakra was humongous! He sighed as he thought, ''Pervy Sage... What an appropriate name. A shame that he won''t get that name for a few more years. Still, I wonder what he''s doing here. Did he come back to report something to Hiruzen? Or did Hiruzen call him back due to the threat of the coup? His presence could make the Uchihas more cautious.'' Jiraiya sensed someone looking at him and turned around. He saw an eleven-year-old boy staring at him with glowing eyes. He thought, ''What does this kid want? I hope he doesn''t interfere in my research.'' He was about to continue peeking when the boy''s chakra suddenly spiked. He began making hand signs rapidly. Jiraiya panicked, ''What the hell? Since when did young brats begin having Jounin-level chakra? And why the hell is he making hand signs for the Air Bullet jutsu? Does he want to destroy the bath house?'' Jiraiya immediately flickered and appeared next to Fujin and grabbed his hands. He asked, "Calm down kiddo. What are you doing?" Fujin looked into his eyes and said, "Grandpa said that all perverts must be caught, castrated and tied to a pole to be whipped publicly to death." Jiraiya''s eyes twitched. He asked, "Which crazy old man is your grandpa?" Fujin replied, "Lord Third. Now let my hands go and accept your punishment." Jiraiya''s eyes twitched once again. He complained in his mind, ''How many young kids is that old man going to fool into calling him grandpa? And since when did he become so righteous? No, this doesn''t sound like him at all. He is as perverted as me!'' Jiraiya let his hands go and said, "That old man is my sensei. So stop building your chakra up." Fujin looked back with deadpan eyes and said, "His students are the Legendary Sannins, not Legendary Perverts." Jiraiya laughed, "Legendary Perverts? Hahahaha!" He looked at Fujin and said, "You are lucky that you met Jiraiya the Gallant and not the other two Sannins." Fujin thought in his mind, ''No shit. One is a pedo researcher and the other is a drunk hulk.'' Fujin looked at Jiraiya with surprise on his face. He said, "Are you really..." Jiraiya watched with a deadpan expression, ''You didn''t answer my question. Wait, those sentences aren''t even in sync with each other!'' Jiraiya sighed and said, "I can''t teach you Sage Mode either. I was taught by the toads and they won''t teach anyone else." Fujin expected such a reply. He quickly said, "That''s fine. You can tell me how to learn Sage mode and monitor me. I''ll learn it on my own." A frown formed on Jiraiya''s face. He said, "Sage mode is very risky to learn." However, Fujin was adamant and kept asking him. Finally, Jiraiya gave up and agreed. Both flickered to the Training ground. Fujin sat in a meditative position. Jiraiya said, "Try to feel natural energy around you. And absorb it and mix it with your own chakra. Once you manage to do it, I''ll tell you the ratios." Fujin nodded and began sensing. However, without any help, he had no success. Jiraiya saw Fujin try unsuccessfully and smirked, ''Suzuki Fujin. Sensei told me information about him. Orphan, hardworking, extremely talented with the sword and wind release and has very high chakra for his age. Unfortunately, it looks like he has allowed himself to be very arrogant! This should make him more humble.'' Fujin spent 6 hours trying to sense sage chakra without any success. Finally, he sighed and asked Jiraiya, "Could you give me some tips?" Jiraiya said, "I already gave you all." Fujin said, "Can you tell me anything else? Like how do you feel when you absorb natural chakra or anything else that could help me?" Jiraiya thought for a bit and said, "Now that you say, I do feel a tingling sensation in my back whenever I activate Sage Mode." Fujin asked, "Tingling sensation?" Jiraiya turned around and pointed at the center of his back. He said, "Over here. I concentrate my chakra and get a tingling feeling here while activating sage mode." Fujin was lost in his thoughts on hearing that, ''Tingling feeling... Tingling feeling... Tingling feeling... It feels like I have forgotten something... something important...'' He sat in the meditative position once again and concentrated his energy on his back. Soon, he began feeling a tingling sensation on his back. He kept meditating and sending more chakra there. Jiraiya watched Fujin with curiosity. But soon, his curiosity turned into shock! His mind couldn''t form words as he sensed Fujin''s chakra skyrocket! Finally, he gathered himself, ''What the fuck is happening? How can a human have so much chakra? It is exceeding Tailed Beast chakra levels! No, it has already exceeded them! Even Nine Tailed Fox doesn''t have so much chakra!'' Fujin chakra kept skyrocketing. Soon, a golden aura appeared around him. He gritted his teeth and focused. The aura caused high-speed winds around Fujin. Even Jiraiya had to move backwards. The winds spread throughout Konoha and every sensor looked towards the training ground where Jiraiya and Fujin were. The chakra was so intense that everyone was scared out of their wits. Suddenly, Fujin yelled loudly! He let out all his energy. The golden aura around him grew. His hair turned golden! He stood up and muttered, "Right, this is what I have forgotten!" Soon, lightning began appearing on his body. He said, "It''s a good thing that I learnt lightning release." As soon as Lightning appeared on his body, his energy once again Skyrocketed! It increased by more than 10 times! His chakra spread throughout the universe. A long long distance away from Earth, there was a settlement in space. This area was ruled by a strong clan. The members of this clan were all very pale and had white eyes. Some of them had a 3rd eye on their forehead. In this clan, an old man opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the earth. A serious look could be seen on his face. He was stunned, "What energy! This doesn''t feel like anyone from my Otsutsuki clan! Who unlocked such a huge power?" Fujin looked at Jiraiya and said, "You can increase the length of your hair, right? Can you show me how it''s done?" Jiraiya was scared shitless by Fujin''s aura. He nodded and made hand signs and increased the length of his hair. Fujin watched carefully and replicated his jutsu without making any hand signs. His hair began growing. They grew up to his waist. And his eyebrows disappeared. He said, "This is the power I want!" His chakra grew many folds once again. He looked up in space and could sense every being in the huge space in the territory controlled by Otsutsuki! The leader of the Otsutsuki clan, who was wondering who could have such power, suddenly shivered as he felt Fujin sensing his location. A grin formed on Fujin''s face as he said, "I will be the God of this world! No one can stop me!" He began laughing like a maniac, "Zehahahahahahaha" Chapter 138: Concluding the Mission Senju Renjiro returned to the beach. He found his clone, students and 5 Yugakure chunins waiting there. Shunso had joined the 3 Yugakure chunins along with their sleeping teammate. They had set up a couple of tents. Renjiro entered the tent of his students. Fujin had sensed Renjiro when he arrived close to the beach. All three students greeted him. Meiko asked, "What''s the status of the mission Sensei?" Renjiro''s clone dispelled itself to transmit all the memories back to his main body. Renjiro answered, "Their leader Mitsuzuka is dead. The other Jounin that my clone chased managed to escape." The trio were surprised. This was the first time they heard someone escaping from Renjiro. Renjiro looked at their expression and shrugged his hands and said, "It was a clone. It''s difficult to stop a Jounin with just a clone." The trio looked away awkwardly. Their expectations from Renjiro were too high! Fujin asked, "What about the ones who didn''t return Sensei? We searched for them a lot, but didn''t find them!" Renjiro answered, "There are two possibilities. The first possibility is that they are dead, with their bodies at the bottom of the seafloor or taken away by the enemies. Or the second possibility of them failing their mission and trying to search for the enemy fruitlessly." The trio nodded. They had reached the same conclusion. Renjiro continued, "Let''s wait here till the evening. If they are alive, they will return when their chakra drops low." The trio nodded.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. The tent became silent. They didn''t have anything to do but wait. After some time, Fujin said, "I am bored of eating Ration bars. You guys wanna hunt fish?" Hoka and Mieko immediately agreed! Hoka said, "Definitely!" Mieko said, "Let''s go." All three flickered out of the tent leaving Renjiro alone. Renjiro sighed and muttered, "Oh well. This mission is pretty much over. No harm in having some fun." Before diving into the water, Mieko announced, "The one who catches the biggest fish is the winner! The time limit is 10 minutes." She dived into the sea without waiting for the response of her teammates. Hoka and Fujin chuckled and dived into the water as well. Mieko activated her Sharingan to watch properly underwater. Hoka activated his Byakugan. He had the advantage in this competition. Fujin spread his chakra field to pick up on signs of fish. They dispersed in different directions. Renjiro replied, "Stop being childish and cook the fish you caught." Hoka sighed due to not getting any answer. Fujin chuckled at his antics. The trio decided what fish to eat. After some discussion, they decided to eat the crab as none of them had eaten a giant crab before. The shark and the tuna were stored in special storage scrolls that helped keep food fresh. Preparing and cooking the crab took quite some time. All four ate it till their stomachs were full. They invited the Yugakure ninjas, but they politely refused the invitation. Late in the afternoon, Tokuhei and the remaining two chunins returned to the beach. Renjiro asked, "What''s the status of your opponents?" Tokuhei replied, "Mine managed to run away." The chunins replied, "Our opponent ran away as well. We tried searching, but couldn''t find anyone." Renjiro nodded and said, "From 13 chunins and 3 Jounins, only 2 Jounins and 1 chunin are left. And we suffered no casualties. The mission can be considered a success. The ones who escaped will not dare to return here again. And once the news spreads, other rogue ninjas also won''t dare to create chaos in the Land of Hot Water." Tokuhei asked, "Which other jounin managed to escape?" Renjiro answered, "I killed Mitsuzuka. Fumimaro managed to injure my clone and escaped." Tokuhei breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "Good. As long as Mitsuzuka is dead, this mission can be considered a success." Renjiro nodded and handed him a scroll. He said, "His body is inside it." Tokuhei accepted the scroll. Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "Give him the body of the ninja you killed as well." Fujin nodded and handed the scroll to Tokuhei. Tokuhei chatted more about the mission. He talked with his subordinates as well to understand everything that took place. After understanding everything, he walked to Team Renjiro''s tent. On entering, he saw the two captured rogue ninjas. He said, "Renjiro, I want to take over these two as well." Renjiro shook his head and said, "They surrendered to me. I will take them to Konoha and interrogate them properly." Tokuhei realized why Renjiro was adamant. They could provide Konoha with a lot of important information regarding the current state of affairs in Kirigakure. However, he insisted, "Renjiro, a lot of innocent civilians were killed by these guys. I can understand your point. However, we have to answer to the citizens of the Land of Hot Water. So allow me to take them back first. Later, we can transport them to the Land of Fire." Renjiro frowned. He could understand Tokuhei''s point of view, but these two could provide Konoha with a lot of information. He thought for a bit and concluded, ''If I stay adamant, I can take these two to Konoha. Tokuhei won''t stop me and the Daimyo won''t say anything either. But this was a mission issued by the Daimyo. He will be displeased by this action and the goodwill generated by this mission will be lost.'' Renjiro said, "Alright. But, you are not allowed to maim or cripple them. I will report about them to Lord Hokage and he will send a team to retrieve them. Pass this message to your Daimyo." Tokuhei sighed in relief. He immediately agreed to Renjiro''s conditions. Chapter 139: Holy Shit! Tokuhei smiled and said, "The reward for completing the mission should already be handed to Konoha. As for the bounties, Lord Daimyo will send them to Konoha as soon as he can." Fujin asked, "What bounties?" Tokuhei replied, "Due to the chaos that this group created, Lord Daimyo had put bounties on their heads. Mitsuzuka had a bounty of 20 million Ryo. Any Jounin in the rogue group had a bounty of 10 million Ryo, while the chunins had a bounty of 2 million each." He looked at the kids and said, "Fujin, you killed 2 chunins. Mieko and Hoka, you two killed one each. And you three helped Shusaku in killing his opponent. So the reward for that kill would be split among you four." Fujjn was stunned, ''The hell? 4.5 million Ryo for such an easy job?'' Tokuhei smiled on seeing Fujin''s reaction. Hoka and Mieko didn''t react much. Fujin looked at Renjiro and thought, ''He killed Mitsuzuka. In addition, he killed the 2 gatekeepers and 4 more chunins before the fight began! He''ll get a freaking 32 million Ryo!'' Renjiro noticed Fujin''s gaze but didn''t react. Tokuhei said, "I will lead my team to collect the dead bodies from under the debris." Renjiro said, "Alright. We will take our leave then." Tokuhei asked, "You don''t want to rest for a bit in the town?" Renjiro answered, "No, we had some rest. Besides, the borders of the Land of Fire are closer to here than the town." Tokuhei nodded and said, "Alright. It was good working alongside you." Renjiro smiled and said, "It was good working alongside you as well." Tokuhei left. Renjiro looked at his squad and said, "Pack up, we are leaving." The trio nodded and immediately packed up the tent. After gathering everything, they left. As they moved through the forest, Fujin asked, "Sensei, do rank A missions pay so much?" Renjiro replied, "It depends on how critical the mission is for the ones who issue it. This time, the Daimyo was under a lot of public pressure. That is why he issued those bounties." Fujin nodded. Mieko asked, "Sensei, how difficult are the rank S missions?" Renjiro answered, "Well, imagine having to do this mission with just a squad of 4 ninjas. So if this wasn''t a joint mission, it would have been close to a rank S mission. Usually, rank S missions aren''t labeled as such due to difficulty. Rather, it is the critical nature of the missions. If it is labeled rank S due to difficulty, then our opponent would be an Elite Jounin. Someone who could go up equally against me." Kakuzu said, "Senju Renjiro. I have heard a lot about your war exploits. Today, I will claim the 45 million Ryo bounty on your head." Kakuzu wasted no time and moved forward to attack. Kaminari joined him. Renjiro grabbed his sword to confront them. However, Mieko and Fujin were faster. Mieko made hand signs immediately. ''Fire Release : Great Fireball jutsu'' She released a giant ball of fire. At the same time, Fujin launched his supercharged jutsu ''Wind Release : Great Breakthrough jutsu'' Both jutsus combined. The Fireball dispersed and spread out throughout the Great Breakthrough jutsu. Kakuzu and Kaminari, who were focused on Renjiro, were surprised. Kakuzu had used such a combination several times in the past. He understood its lethality. So did Kaminari. Both flickered behind. Kakuzu made a hand sign. An Earth Dome appeared and covered them both. Renjiro noticed the earth dome and smirked. He made a hand sign and was about to slam his hands on the ground. Mieko and Hoka were prepared to go on the assault too. However, Fujin yelled, "Formation Nine!" As soon as they heard it, their eyes widened. Kakuzu and Kaminari were protected by the earth dome. However, soon needles began forming on the inside surface of the dome. Kakuzu noticed them and snorted. He made a hand sign and all the needles crumbled into dust and soil. They felt that the combination jutsu had already passed and hence lifted the earth dome. But, instead of a clear battlefield, they were met by a 20 feet tall Sloth who attacked them with its giant claws. They both flickered in opposite directions. Realizing that Kakuzu would be the bigger threat, he flickered in front of Kakuzu and attacked with his swords. Kakuzu saw Renjiro and made a hand sign. ''Earth Release : Iron Skin jutsu'' Kakuzu''s skin blackened. He raised his fist and blocked Renjiro''s sword. Chakra flowed through Renjiro''s sword. It hit the back of Kakuzu''s fist. The attack left a small slash on Kakuzu''s fist. Kakuzu was surprised. He said, "It''s been a long while since someone could hurt me. I will enjoy killing you!" Renjiro and the Sloth were about to press on the attack, but they suddenly withdrew backwards. Renjiro looked at Kakuzu. It seemed as if there were monsters under his clothes, or perhaps under his skin, that were trying to break out. Four black monsters appeared around Kakuzu. Each had a mask of different color on them. Renjiro, despite all his experience, was stunned. He thought, ''What the hell is this? And who is this guy? And why was there no mention of such a strong ninja during the previous wars?'' Kakuzu and the 4 monsters attacked Renjiro and his summon with perfect coordination. Renjiro kept his distance from them and tried his best to defend himself. He often resorted to diving into the ground to protect himself. Chapter 140: Fighting against the Akatsuki! On the other side of the battlefield, Kaminari was confronted by Fujin, Mieko and Hoka. Fujin flickered in front of him while making some hand signs. ''Wind Release : Air Bullet jutsu'' Fujin shot a dozen air bullets at him. Lightning sparks appeared on Kaminari''s body. His speed increased a lot and he dodged all air bullets easily. Mieko and Hoka quickly attacked with shurikens, but Kaminari dodged them as well with ease. Fujin analyzed, ''There is no lightning armor on him, just sparks. Is this a toned-down version of Raikage''s technique?'' After dodging, Kaminari moved towards the trio. His speed was incredibly fast. Fujin''s eyes couldn''t follow him. He instantly blew a Great Breakthrough jutsu in front of him. It didn''t matter if he couldn''t see his opponent''s exact location. He would just attack the whole area. Kaminari saw the incoming attack and quickly moved out of range. He tried attacking from a different direction, but Fujin attacked again with the wide-range Great Breakthrough jutsu. Kaminari tried attacking from different directions, but Fujin just kept attacking with the Great Breakthrough jutsu. Kaminari was annoyed, ''This brat keeps trying to keep me at a distance. Does he think that he has infinite chakra? And that Uchiha girl is staring at me as well. If I try to break through his jutsu head-on, she will fire a fireball into this wind jutsu.'' Kaminari made a few hand signs. ''Lightning Release : False Darkness'' Multiple spears of Lightning formed and moved towards Fujin''s group. Fujin sensed Kaminari building his chakra and made a few hand signs. Seeing the Lightning jutsu, Fujin launched his jutsu. ''Wind Release : Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' Both jutsus clashed. Fujin observed carefully. He thought, ''Isn''t this the same jutsu that Kakuzu used later? Did Kakuzu take his heart?'' Fujin''s jutsu broke through the lightning spears and moved towards Kaminari. However, Kaminari had already launched another jutsu. ''Fire Release : Blast Wave Wild Dance'' Kaminari expelled a large stream of Fire which moved in a spiral manner. It clashed with Fujin''s jutsu. Kaminari smirked as he watched, ''My False Darkness was stronger than his jutsu. However, the wind release has too much of an advantage against Lightning. But, False Darkness reduced the momentum of his jutsu. And now, my Blase wave will be assisted by his jutsu!'' As Kaminari had calculated, his Blaze Wave entered the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu and spread throughout it. Fujin thought, ''Damn, he is good!''no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. Hoka moved forward and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release : Earth Wall jutsu'' A huge wall appeared between them and the flames. He made another hand sign and slammed his hands on the ground again. ''Earth Release : Earth Dome jutsu'' A dome was formed that covered all three of them. Kaminari and his clones noticed them and immediately slowed down. The slowdown was enough for Fujin to turn around and launch another Great Breakthrough jutsu at Kaminari. Hoka and Mieko also made hand signs. ''Water Release : Water Gun jutsu'' ''Fire Release : Flame Bullet jutsu'' They both launched jutsus on the clones. Kaminari and his clones had to retreat once again. While Kaminari was retreating, the trio were attacked from the other side. Kakuzu''s fire mask had been useless against Renjiro. So he sent it to help out Kaminari. It released a huge flame at the trio. Hoka made a hand sign and released Water Gun jutsu to intercept it. While Mieko slammed her hands on the ground and raised an earth wall to protect them. They managed to defend perfectly. Kaminari didn''t attack. He had some doubts. He thought, ''Why is their teamwork so good? Even veteran teams might struggle to have such efficient coordination. They have left the attack to that wind user while the other two are perfectly complimenting him.'' Kaminari kept feeling that something was off. And while he was analyzing, it finally hit him, ''Wait a minute. Why is that Wind user fighting without considering his chakra wastage at all? His chakra has fallen very low now. In just a few more jutsus, he will be dry!'' Kaminari analyzed, but couldn''t figure out the reason why they were acting that way. Kakuzu and Renjiro were still stuck in a deadlock. Kakuzu had the absolute advantage over Renjiro, but he couldn''t deal any injuries to him. Kakuzu analyzed, ''He is good. If it weren''t for those three kids, he might have been able to escape successfully from me. That said, what is that useless Kaminari doing? I even sent my Fire Mask to help him. And he still can''t kill 3 kids?'' The fighting continued for a few minutes. Team Renjiro was extremely exhausted. Fujin had one knee on the ground. Mieko and Hoka were tired as well. They had spent a huge amount of chakra on ninjutsu. Renjiro was also exhausted. Fighting against an S rank ninja and the three masks took its toll on him. Kaminari observed them and smirked, ''Finally they ran out of chakra. Now let me see why they fought so recklessly.'' Kakuzu also observed very carefully. During the last few minutes, he had seen endless tactics and tricks from Renjiro. He didn''t want to get careless. Fujin looked over at Renjiro. Renjiro was looking at him as well. They both nodded their heads as soon as their eyes met. Hoka and Mieko noticed it. Immediately, all four flickered in different directions! Kakuzu and Kaminari immediately followed Renjiro and Fujin respectively. While Kaminari''s clones followed Hoka and Mieko. If there was one thing that Team Renjiro prided upon, it was their skill with the Body Flicker jutsu. Even in an exhausted state, they all managed to flicker multiple times. Unfortunately, their opponents were very strong. All of them were chased down successfully! A/N : What will happen to Team Renjiro? What will happen to Fujin? Will they manage to escape or be caught? If caught, will Fujin be killed? Or will he have other paths? Find out in the . Chapter 141: Death of a Powerhouse! Team Renjiro ran in different directions at a fast speed. However, they were all very exhausted. Kakuzu could match Renjiro''s speed. While Kaminari and his clones were faster than Fujin and his teammates. After flickering 8 times, Fujin''s chakra finally hit a low. He hid behind a tree and took deep breaths. Using the last bits of his chakra, he made a few hand signs. Kaminari arrived almost immediately after Fujin. He saw the tracks left behind by Fujin and saw where he was hiding. He went around the tree and appeared in front of Fujin. An evil smile appeared on his face. He said, "You brat destroyed half of my right ear. I will make you pay a thousand times." He expected Fujin to be afraid. However, there was no hint of fear on Fujin''s face. He was surprised. Fujin spoke with determination, "Ever since I became a ninja, I have always been determined to give my life for the village. Death doesn''t scare me!" Kaminari was stunned. But soon, he broke into a huge laughter, "Hahahahahaha" He looked at Fujin with a cruel look in his eyes and said, "Brat, let me educate you. Death is kind. I will show you how miserable life is. By the time I am done with you, you will be begging for death! Hahaha." Immediately a scared look appeared on Fujin''s face. Kaminari''s evil smirk grew bigger as he extended his arm to grab Fujin''s neck. At the same time, Hoka and Mieko were also caught by Kaminari''s clones. They seemed too exhausted to fight back. Kaminari''s clones approached them. Soon after them, Renjiro was also chased down by Kakuzu. Kakuzu''s Lightning mask appeared behind Renjiro and pushed him to the ground and pinned him down. Kakuzu appeared and said, "Your mastery of Water Element is very good! I will take your heart and replace my Water Mask with your heart!" Renjiro''s eyes widened as he processed this information. Threads appeared from the Lightning Mask and drilled into Renjiro''s chest. However, Renjiro smirked. Kakuzu immediately had a bad feeling! BOOM!!!!! Renjiro exploded under the Lightning Mask. Kakuzu moved away quickly, but his Lightning mask wasn''t able to. It took the full brunt of the explosion. The mask cracked. Kakuzu was stunned! He lost one of his hearts! He watched where Renjiro exploded and thought, ''Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu! But when did he make a shadow clone? Was it when he was escaping? No, I was keeping an eye. He didn''t have any chance to make a shadow clone. So when did he do it?'' Kaminari''s Lightning clones approached Hoka and Mieko. As soon as they reached within range, both Hoka and Mieko exploded. The clones couldn''t react fast enough and were caught in the explosion. Both were dispelled! Though Lightning clones didn''t transmit information, the main body could sense when the clones were dispelled. The clones were dispelled when Kaminari''s hand was extending towards Fujin. Kaminari realized that both his clones got dispelled and became distracted for a fraction of a second. Fujin noticed it and he exploded as well! Kaminari noticed and immediately moved backwards. However, his right forearm felt the explosion. Its skin was burnt! Kaminari was surprised by this maneuver. He had a bad feeling. Immediately, all four exploded! Kakuzu sensed it and stayed behind. Kaminari, however, was completely caught in the explosion! He released Lightning from all over his body to form armor, but he wasn''t proficient in such an application of Lightning. It helped reduce the impact of the explosion, but he was hit nonetheless! After a second, Kaminari jumped out of the dust cloud created by the explosions. His clothes were blasted. Almost all the skin on his body was burnt. He was bleeding a lot as well. Kakuzu appeared next to him and said, "The trail was left behind by clones! Since this was the shortest route to Konoha, we assumed that they escaped here. To think that they would set up another trap here!" Kaminari looked at Kakuzu in rage and yelled, "BASTARD! You led me into a fucking trap! And then hid behind and watched me getting hit!" Kakuzu looked at him and said, "I didn''t ask you to rush ahead like a moron. It was your stupidity." Kaminari yelled, "Asshole, are you calling me a moron? It was your dumb head that led us into this trap in the first place!" Kakuzu didn''t reply, but Kaminari kept yelling at him! After yelling for a bit, Kaminari turned around and walked away. However, in the next instant, an arm pierced through his right lung. Kaminari looked down in horror. Threads drilled into his body as Kakuzu began taking his heart. Kakuzu said, "I guess they didn''t tell you. My previous partners died because I couldn''t stand them and killed them." Kaminari was stunned. A rogue ninja from Kumogakure, who was on the threshold of reaching S rank, died without anyone seeing. Well, not without anyone seeing, as two pairs of eyes were watching this act. The first pair of eyes belonged to Zetsu. The other belonged to Renjiro''s shadow clone. Fujin''s clone sensed when Kakuzu and Kaminari were chasing after them. He relayed the information to Renjiro''s clone who used the minimum amount of chakra needed to create a shadow clone. The clone moved out of the path and hid underground. After killing Kaminari, Kakuzu removed his heart. Threads gathered around that heart and a new Lightning mask was formed! Renjiro''s clone watched the whole process. Surprisingly, Kakuzu didn''t feel anyone keeping an eye on him until he was done with the process. After the Lightning Mask formed, it entered into Kakuzu''s body. Knowing that any further hunt was meaningless, Kakuzu retreated away from the Land of Fire. Renjiro''s clone dispelled itself to transmit the information back. Long away from where Kaminari died, Team Renjiro entered the Land of Fire. Chapter 142: Formation Nine! Flashback - Team Renjiro was about to press on the attack, when Fujin said, "Formation nine!" The eyes of Renjiro, Mieko and Hoka widened. Formation nine was a code word for a battle tactic that Renjiro had taught them. It was a tactic used under a specific condition. The condition was that they are facing adversity so strong that they have no chance of victory and a high chance of death! Renjiro''s eyes widened, but he completed his jutsu. Fujin made one shadow clone and poured around 70% of his chakra into it. Renjiro made three clones and poured 60% chakra into one clone and 5% chakra into each of his remaining 2 clones. The weaker clones used the Transformation jutsu to transform into Hoka and Mieko as neither of them knew the Shadow Clone jutsu. He followed up with the summoning jutsu to summon the Sloth. All this was done in under 2 seconds while Kakuzu and Kaminari were hiding under the dome. The clones stayed behind while the real ones escaped by flickering continuously. After escaping for a kilometer, Renjiro made 3 more clones while Fujin made another. A couple of clones transformed into Mieko and Hoka once again and continued escaping forward. While the real team took a different and longer path and left behind no tracks at all! After splitting, Fujin was breathing hard. He had lost most of his chakra to the clones. Since he planned to end with Shadow Explosion jutsu, his clones won''t return any chakra. After moving for a bit, Mieko asked seriously, "Why did you say formation nine? Who were those guys?" Fujin didn''t reply and tapped one of the pockets of his flak jacket. A scroll dropped. Fujin opened it and summoned a bottle. Everyone watched as a bottle of Soldier pills appeared in Fujin''s hands. Fujin opened and consumed a pill. He looked at Renjiro and asked, "Do you want one as well, Sensei?" Renjiro nodded and took a pill. Fujin kept the bottle back and answered, "The masked man is Kakuzu. I read his information in the Bingo book. He is, or rather was, an S rank ninja!" This information surprised them. Especially Renjiro who knew the information of all S rank ninjas. Renjiro asked, "What do you mean by ''was''?" Fujin answered, "According to the information, he was sent by Takigakure to assassinate Lord First Hokage. But he failed and was presumed dead. However, somehow, he managed to make it alive and returned to his village. After returning, he revolted against his village and became a rogue ninja. He was never seen again. I guess everyone assumed that he died and hence he isn''t put in the shorter Bingo books." The explanation shocked them. But soon, they became skeptical. Mieko said, "The first Hokage lived a looooonnnnnggg time ago! How would that guy still be alive if he fought back then?" Mieko purposefully stretched the word ''long'' while speaking to tease Fujin. Even Renjiro was doubtful of this information. How could someone that old look so young? Fujin shrugged and said, "We will get the information when our clones are dispelled. If you have the bigger Bingo book, you are free to check." He looked at Mieko with a smirk on his face and said, "If you want to go back to check with your own eyes, then good luck. I''ll be sure to offer flowers to your grave, haha." Renjiro instantly shut him up, "Don''t joke about such things. Anyways, fighting them wasn''t a part of our mission. So there is no need to risk our lives against enemies we don''t have information about." Fujin looked at Hoka and asked, "Hoka, you said his body was disgusting. What did you see?" Hoka answered, "Instead of nerves and blood vessels, his body seems to be made of threads. And he had 5 hearts in his body!"no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. Mieko and Hoka were shocked. Hoka asked, "He is stronger than even you, Sensei?" Renjiro nodded. He answered, "Don''t overestimate me. There are many who are stronger than me. While killing my clone, Kakuzu said something about taking my heart. I guess his longevity secrets have some relation with his multiple hearts. Also, he probably went a bit easier on my clone as he didn''t want to damage my heart. If he was serious about killing me, my clone wouldn''t have lasted that long." Mieko and Hoka were stunned by Renjiro''s admission. Fujin wasn''t surprised. He was well aware of how strong Kakuzu was. Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "You did great. If it was known that you managed to injure Kaminari, your reputation would explode." Mieko and Hoka looked at Fujin with envy. Knowing their thoughts, Fujin looked at them with an innocent smile on his face and said, "I probably burnt his right forearm with the clone explosion too." They immediately snorted and looked away. They both hated looking at Fujin''s smug face! Fujin looked at Renjiro and said, "Keep it a secret if you can, Sensei. I don''t want a bounty so soon." Renjiro nodded. Getting attention wasn''t always a good thing. He said, "I''ll report it to Lord Hokage secretly. Mieko, Hoka, don''t talk about this to anyone." Both nodded. As a ninja, keeping secrets was critical. The lesser others knew about you, the higher your chances of victory would be. Kaminari was much stronger than Fujin. The reason that Fujin managed to injure him was that he got overconfident and wasn''t aware of Fujin''s skill with the Wind Vacuum Technique. Fujin looked at Renjiro and said, "Using long and wide range Ninjutsu is very useful. Especially when fighting against someone stronger." Renjiro nodded and said, "It''s especially true for Wind Element. Facing Sunagakure in the desert is a nightmare. Even more so when they mixed poison with it. But, don''t get overconfident. Kaminari didn''t go all out as your chakra would eventually run out. If you are outmatched, then this tactic is only good for wasting time." Fujin nodded. He had sensed that Kaminari stalled only because his fighting tactic was unsustainable. Fujin said, "I wonder if they will chase or not." Renjiro analyzed and said, "Probably no. They took 10 minutes to dispel our clones. Tracking would be tougher and they would have to move a lot faster." Fujin nodded. Chasing would be rather pointless now. But, they were both wrong. A bit later, both received the memories of their clones again. Fujin said, "That was impulsive." Renjiro nodded, "Yes, it was." Mieko and Hoka asked, "What happened, Sensei?" Renjiro answered, "They tracked our clones. Kaminari attacked recklessly. All four clones surrounded him and exploded. He should be injured, but his life won''t be in danger. I guess he was just annoyed at getting fooled." Mieko chuckled, "That would teach him a good lesson for chasing after us." Renjiro replied, "Don''t take it too lightly. This time we were saved due to Fujin reading the Bingo books. When we return, you and Hoka should read it too. Also, this tactic worked perfectly this time. Next time, it won''t work so well. So work hard and become stronger." His students nodded. Though they got away without any injuries, the experience was very scary. After travelling for a bit, they finally reached the borders of the Land of Fire. Chapter 143: Akatsuki While they were entering, Renjiro suddenly stopped. His students looked at him. Hoka asked, "What happened, Sensei?" Renjiro replied, "Kaminari died!" His students were shocked. Mieko and Hoka thought, ''How could someone so strong die suddenly?'' Fujin recovered from the shock fastest and concluded, ''Looks like Kakuzu killed him for his heart. Though Renjiro didn''t say anything, he probably managed to destroy one heart with his clone. Most likely the lightning one.'' Hoka asked, "How did he die, Sensei?" Renjiro answered, "Looks like they had an argument. When Kaminari turned his back, Kakuzu attacked him. His technique does depend on hearts. He stole his heart after killing." Renjiro thought hard. After some time, he said, "Don''t tell anyone about him. I''ll make a secret report to Lord Hokage and have him investigate Kakuzu." His students nodded. The death or betrayal of an Elite Jounin during peacetime would always be a huge deal. Such matters are better left to the village to handle. The team kept moving forward at a fast speed. Hoka asked, "Sensei, aren''t we going to go to the patrol outpost?" Renjiro shook his head and answered, "No. A lot of things happened during this mission. It''s best to report to the village right away. As for Seiichi, I''ll talk with him later." Fujin thought, ''Yeah, that would be the best. Though we are inside the Land of Fire, I wouldn''t call it safe.'' Due to eating the soldier pills, they weren''t tired. So they continued moving without any breaks until they reached Konoha. Land of Rain : Deep within the dense forests of the Land of Rain, a hideout existed. Even light had difficulty reaching it. The number of people who were aware of its presence can be counted on one hand. A man sat still in this hideout. Suddenly, a figure began appearing from the ground. It appeared right in front of him. The man opened his eyes. His eyes shone with purple colors. Multiple circles can be seen in his eyes. White Zetsu said, "Pain! Pain! You won''t believe what I saw!" The man sitting was the Deva Path of Nagato. Pain looked at White Zetsu, waiting for it to say. But he didn''t say anything. Pain asked, "What did you see?" White Zetsu said excitedly, "Kakuzu and Kaminari fought against a squad from Konoha. The Konoha ninjas managed to run away and injured them. In the end, Kakuzu and Kaminari entered into an argument and Kakuzu killed him." Nagato was surprised. He asked, "Which squad of Konoha did they run into? Did the remaining two Sannins return?" Black Zetsu replied, "No. It was Senju Renjiro, an elite jounin from Konoha, and his students." Pain asked, "How strong are he and his students?" On hearing Hiruzen, Renjiro entered the office. His students followed him. The Anbu ninja left the office and closed the door. Hiruzen looked at Renjiro and asked, "How did the mission go Renjiro?" Renjiro answered, "The mission went well. There were 16 rogue ninjas who were formerly from Kirigakure. We killed 13. I''ll report the details later. What happened while we were returning is important." Hiruzen and the elders paid close attention. Renjiro was one of the very few active Elite Jounins in Konoha. If he thought something to be important, it would be a serious matter. Renjiro said, "We were attacked by two rogue ninjas while we were returning. One of them was Kaminari from Kumogakure." Hiruzen and the elders immediately became serious. Renjiro continued, "The other was called Kakuzu. He is a rogue ninja from Takigakure. Fujin remembered his data from the Bingo book. Apparently, he had tried assassinating Lord First." This surprised them. Kohaku immediately said, "That can''t be right. Even if it is, that person would be very old and not worth our attention." Renjiro replied, "He is stronger than me. He would easily be categorized as an S rank ninja. Luckily we escaped while deceiving them with clones. Otherwise, even getting away would have been unlikely." This shocked them. Renjiro''s strength was top tier in Konoha. Only 3 in Konoha could claim to be able to kill him without allowing him to escape. Hiruzen asked, "Even you wouldn''t have been able to get away?" Renjiro nodded. He said, "Even more worrisome is that they were wearing the same uniform. Both wore black cloaks with red clouds on them." Hiruzen''s eyes widened. Renjiro noticed it. Hiruzen said, "Akatsuki." After a pause, he continued, "It''s where my treacherous student joined after betraying us." Renjiro was shocked. He asked, "Even Orochimaru is there? What do we know about this organization?" Hiruzen replied, "Not much. Jiraiya tracked Orochimaru and they entered into a fight. He got this information from Orochimaru. We did some searching. Apparently, it is a mercenary organization. Iwa and smaller countries around it often employ them. We don''t know much about them. Their leader is a mystery. So is their total number of members. Other than Orochimaru, we had heard just about Juzo joining them. And now we know about Kaminari and Kakuzu joining them as well." Renjiro analyzed and replied, "That''s not much information." Hiruzen nodded. They discussed a bit about Akatsuki and what steps they should take. Renjiro proceeded to provide them with all the details of the encounter. Fujin, Hoka and Mieko paid attention and observed how Renjiro interacted with the leaders and provided the information. They noticed that Renjiro made no mention of Fujin''s battle achievements against Kaminari. After half an hour of discussion, Hiruzen handed Team Renjiro the mission rewards. Hiruzen looked at the newly promoted chunins who just had to undergo such a frightening encounter. He thought, ''Sigh, I don''t want such young kids to encounter such dangers. But since they survived, this incident will make them stronger. Should I reward them with something to motivate them more?'' As the thought crossed his mind, Hiruzen''s gaze fell upon Fujin. He immediately decided, ''No, there is no need to.'' Team Renjiro was dismissed. They left the Hokage''s building. Chapter 144: Chaoter 141: Farewells Renjiro looked at his students and said, "Come, let''s go out to eat." His students followed him. Mieko asked, "Which restaurants are open at this time of the day, Sensei?" Renjiro replied, "The Ramen shop should be open. Follow quickly. It''s my treat." He flickered. His students immediately began the race. They arrived at the shop and ordered their ramen. Renjiro asked, "What have you planned for the future?" Mieko replied, "I will join the Konoha Police force." Hoka said, "My father will arrange for me to join a squad. So I will be doing more missions." Fujin answered, "I am not sure. I haven''t thought about it. I guess I will spend some time mastering the Wind Vacuum Technique." Renjiro thought and said, "Mieko, I know all Uchiha join the police force. However, there aren''t many opportunities to fight in the Police force. I would recommend you to go on a few missions. It will provide you with more experience that will be helpful in becoming a jounin." Mieko nodded and said, "Yes Sensei. If the police force isn''t a challenge, then I''ll take difficult missions as well." Renjiro smiled. He looked at Hoka and said, "Hoka, don''t forget to train ninjutsu as well." Hoka nodded and said with reluctance, "Yes Sensei." Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, training is good. But don''t forget to do missions as well. In a battlefield, your skills will grow at a much faster pace than in a training field." Fujin nodded and said, "Yes Sensei." Teuchi served ramen. They began eating. While eating, Renjiro said, "Chunin is an important phase. Your leadership skills will be developed at this rank. And you will be able to undertake a variety of missions and cooperate with a large number of fellow chunins. When undertaking missions, do a few missions with chunins you have never worked with. It will help you understand the skills of a lot more ninjas. And you could also find techniques or jutsus that suit you perfectly. So keep your mind open and observe everyone properly." He took a pause and said with a serious tone, "Of course, the most important thing is that you take care of your life. Don''t take unnecessary risks and complete the missions in the most efficient ways. Don''t try to get interesting fights when you can finish your enemy off with lesser efforts." All three nodded seriously. Until now, they could play around as they had Renjiro looking after their backs. But that won''t be the case anymore. Renjiro said, "There is another thing that I want you to know. Fujin, do you recall our conversation about Kekkei Genkai?" Fujin thought for a bit and said, "Yes Sensei." Mieko asked, "What did you discuss?" Renjiro replied, "We didn''t discuss much." He looked at Fujin and said, "Last time, I didn''t tell you some details as you were still training. The truth is, that other than inheriting a Kekkei Genkai from a bloodline, you can also create a Kekkei Genkai by fusing two natures." Mieko nodded and said, "Yes. Even my parents were very respectful of him." The trio looked at each other. Fujin said, "I guess it means that we won''t see each other often either." Hoka and Mieko nodded. Hoka said, "Well, we could take missions together once in a while." Mieko nodded, "Yes, that will be fun." She looked at Hoka and smirked, "Maybe you would learn something that could help you join my and Fujin''s combo attack." Hoka''s shoulders dropped. Though he had developed a lot of combination jutsus with Fujin and Mieko, none came close to Fujin and Mieko''s wind and fire combination. Fujin said, "I heard that Jiraiya of the Sannins uses Oil jutsu to strengthen his Fire jutsus. I am not sure if that is a part of Water Release. But if it is, then you can check that. That way both oil and wind would amplify Mieko''s fire jutsu." Both Hoka and Mieko were surprised by the suggestion. Hoka said, "I had never thought of Oil." Mieko said, "Me neither. Fire, Wind and Oil combination seems very strong. Great idea Fujin." Hoka asked, "Why didn''t you tell me about this sooner?" Fujin shrugged and answered, "I just had that thought. Besides, did you really want to learn more ninjutsu while our training was on?" Hoka immediately became embarrassed. He replied, "Sorry, good point." The three exchanged glances. They didn''t have any more words. Hoka said, "Let''s leave guys. Good luck. Next time we meet, let''s have a Battle Royale again!" Hoka and Mieko grinned. Fujin replied, "Sure. Hopefully the next time you two will last longer." Fujin began laughing. Mieko and Hoka angrily looked at Fujin, but he had flickered away. Only his laugh could still be heard. Mieko said, "That jerk is still as annoying as ever!" Hoka sighed and said, "Yes. He was so quiet in the academy. I didn''t think he''d have this side as well." Mieko said, "Anyways, see you later Hoka." Hoka nodded and replied, "See you as well." They both left towards their home. Team Renjiro, which was assembled a year ago and completed 7 rank D, 41 rank C and 3 rank A missions, was finally disbanded! Chapter 145: Plans for the Future Fujin went straight to his home after leaving. While moving, he thought, ''What a crazy mission. Never thought I''d run into Kakazu so early. I''m not ready to face Akatsuki. It''s doubtful that I''d be anytime soon. Sigh, this world is so dangerous. I need to increase the intensity of my training. And I need better ways of escaping. I am not sure if Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu would be sufficient.'' After reaching his house, Fujin jumped into his bed. He was mentally exhausted from the encounter and physically exhausted due to running non-stop for hundreds of kilometers. He fell asleep. He slept till late afternoon. After waking up, he thought, ''So what to do now?'' He thought for a bit and said, ''I will have to calculate a lot! Let me fill my stomach first.'' He went out for lunch and returned in the evening. Before returning, he went to the Hokage''s building and booked the training ground 23 for himself for the next few months. After returning home, he grabbed a book and a pen and sat on his bed. He sat in a meditative pose and began analyzing. After a while, he opened his eyes. He concluded, ''Konoha is notoriously famous for being very strict with Jounin promotions. It''s safe to say that I won''t become a Jounin for at least three years. Likely more. So I won''t get any access to any A Rank wind jutsus for a long time. And I already have learnt the good B rank wind jutsus. So once I master those B rank wind jutsus, I can work on diversifying my skill set. Problem is that there are way too many things that I want to learn. Right now, the most important thing is mastering Air Bullet Jutsu and Vacuum Bullet jutsus. I need to be able to perform them without any hand signs. I also need to learn to shoot multiple Vacuum bullets. But, from what Hiruzen said, I''ll need quite some time before I''ll be able to do it. He said that it will come naturally to me after performing a crazy number of Vacuum bullet jutsus. But, he didn''t say how many times I''d need to practice it. I will make a decision on this after learning to use it without any hand signs. Next, I''ll need to learn the B rank wind jutsus and perform them without hand signs as well.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. The next two important aspects are learning the Lightning element and learning Fuinjutsu. I am not sure how easy or difficult the lightning element will be. Especially since I have to keep it a secret. As for Fuinjutsu, that should be easy. I can spam shadow clones for learning Fuinjutsu. But I won''t be able to practice it alongside ninjutsu training. The best time to learn Fuinjutsu will be when I am learning Lightning manipulation. But, it will have to stop when I start learning Lightning jutsus. Hmm, I''ll make the decision when the time comes. After Lightning and Fuinjutsu, I will try those ideas I have for Wind jutsus. But, I am afraid that some of those applications of wind chakra could injure me if I don''t control it perfectly. So I will need to learn Mystical palm before it. My chakra control is very good, so learning Mystical Palm shouldn''t be an issue. Right now, the skills that I am happy with are the Senju Taijutsu style and Samurai Saber Technique. My Taijutsu and Swordsmanship are both excellent. Especially when paired with long-range Wind jutsus. I would like to raise my Senju Taijutsu to Tsunade''s way of fighting. But, it won''t be easy. I had been trying it while training with Renjiro without a hint of success. Also, before I try to learn more ninjutsus, I have to sort out my current jutsus. I have learnt quite a lot of jutsus. But I don''t use a few of them. First, I have to decide which jutsus I want to keep using. Then I will have to perfect them. That leaves just Genjutsu... I haven''t focused on Genjutsu much. My focus has been more on Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Kenjutsu. I guess I should learn that genjutsu Tobirama had created to fight against the Uchiha. But for the rest, it''s probably best to not even try. After all, no matter how skillful I may become, it''s impossible to match the Sharingan in genjutsu. I might as well just focus on countering Genjutsu. I would also like to learn Juinjutsu, but I guess that will follow after Fuinjutsu. So that can wait. I guess that''s all for now. The only idea left is...'' Fujin extended his right forearm forward. He tightened his palm. Chakra appeared on his palm. It rotated at a high speed and began taking the form of a sphere. It was slightly unstable initially, but soon it maintained a proper sphere shape. Fujin thought, ''I haven''t practiced Rasengan at all for over a year. I could barely form it before I graduated. Now, I need to master this jutsu properly. From the time I graduated, my chakra reserves and control have improved many folds. So mastering Rasengan shouldn''t be taxing now. I need to be able to use it in combat situations.'' He went back to his bed and began writing down all the jutsus that he had learnt so far! Transformation jutsu Clone jutsu Substitution jutsu Body Flicker jutsu Shadow Clone jutsu Rasengan Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu Wind Release : Gale Jutsu jutsu Wind Clone jutsu It is the same with Rock Shield and Earth Wall jutsus, and with Earth Military Movement and Earth Instantaneous Body jutsus. Then, there are some very basic jutsus. Gale, Wind Retrieving, Projectile Control, Wind Levitation jutsu, Propelling Winds jutsu and Dust Cloud jutsus. Though these jutsus seem good, they don''t work in a fast-paced battle. But, I have already mastered them. And I have a cool idea for them. So I''ll set them aside for now. Next are utility jutsus. These can provide some uses. Gale jutsu can be used to cover up footprints and smell. Earth Release Camp jutsu can be used to make a hideout. Mud Moat jutsu can be used to set up traps. These jutsus are handy, but I don''t need to master them as I won''t use them in battle. Now, for the important part. That is combat. I will divide jutsus into 4 parts - Offense, Defense, Movement and Support. For Defense, I have Earth Wall jutsu and Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu. Both are good and mastered. And I have some ideas to improve the Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu. And, I always have the option of escaping underground. This should be sufficient. For Movement, I have Substitution jutsu, Body Flicker jutsu, Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu and Earth Instantaneous Body jutsu. All four have been mastered. I wonder if there would be any Lightning jutsu that promotes speed in the library. Anyways, this is good for now. The only ways that I know to improve this substantially are learning the Lightning Chakra Mode or Flying Thunder God. For Support, I have Shadow Clone and Wind Clone jutsus. Both are good. Especially when combined with Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu. I also want to transform Wind Dragon jutsu and Gale Wind Wolf jutsu into support. Otherwise, they aren''t very effective. Lastly, Offense! I guess I can further divide Offense into close-range, mid-range and long-range. For close-range offense... Well, that''s a surprise! I only have Rasengan. Makes sense I suppose. My sword is plenty. And my Taijutsu is good as well. I guess I can improve this further by learning elemental Rasengan and maybe a jutsu like Chidori. For mid-range offense, I have Wind Explosion jutsu, Wind Sword Jutsu, Infinite Breakthrough jutsu, Air Bullet jutsu, Vacuum Bullet jutsu and Vacuum Sphere jutsu. Hmm... I should stop using Wind Explosion and Air Bullet as soon as I can. And instead, use Vacuum Sphere and Vacuum Bullet. Only with sufficient practice will I be able to reach a stage where Vacuum jutsus feel as natural as those jutsus. I guess Genjutsu would come under mid-range offense as well. I need to try using these two jutsus during missions against enemy chunins and see how effective they are. Though, in the long run, they won''t be very effective. Lastly, long-range offense. All my support jutsus double up as long-range offense. Infinite Breakthrough and Vacuum Bullet jutsus also double up as long-range jutsus. Especially Vacuum Bullet which has a fearsome penetrating power. Alright, this is it. That covers all my jutsus. I can form a battle system. Senju Taijutsu style and Swordsmanship for close range. Vacuum Bullet, Wind Sword, Vacuum Sphere, and Infinite Breakthrough for mid and long-range attacks. Earth Wall and Spinning Shield of Wind for defense. Wind and Shadow clones for support. Body Flicker and Substitution for dodging. Wind/Earth Instantaneous Body jutsus for escaping. And my chakra field to sense or scout enemies. The only aspects that are missing are Healing and maybe sealing. Once I learn Mystical Palm jutsu and a good seal, I should be a complete ninja who covers all aspects. Once this is done, I will pick one aspect and just focus on it till I reach among the top-tier ninjas in that aspect!'' Fujin''s face became very determined. The determination to become strong could be seen in his eyes. Fujin once again looked at the jutsus he had written and sighed, ''To think that just analyzing my current skills will get so complicated! That too when I have just focused on only one element. What a mess will this become if I master a few more elements and learn more jutsus!'' Fujin took one final look at the book. Suddenly, chakra appeared in his hands and covered the book. The book was shredded into tiny pieces! Fujin used Wind Levitation jutsu to keep the small pieces afloat. He collected them and burned everything, leaving no signs of it. With the jutsus analyzed, Fujin began thinking about Renjiro''s words, ''So elements can be fused to create a Kekkei Genkai, huh? While I had thought, I really didn''t think it''d be possible. But, should I try to create one?'' Fujin began thinking. After a while, he concluded, ''An elemental Kekkei Genkai is very helpful in distinguishing from other normal ninjas. If I were to master an elemental Kekkei Genkai at this very moment, I''ll become strong enough to confront Veteran Jounins by myself. I might not win, but fighting equally and retreating would be very easy. But, beyond this, an Elemental Kekkei Genkai isn''t much help. At max, I can expect to reach the Elite Jounin level. But considering that it''ll be a few years till I master two elements, I should already be close to that level. So an elemental Kekkei Genkai wouldn''t be that useful. Another question is that if I decide to create one, which Kekkei Genkai should I create? My top two elements are Wind and Lightning. That gives Swift Release. My third element is Fire. I am not sure what Fire and Lightning do together. Fire and Wind together should give Scorch Release. Scorch Release is relatively good. The only known user was at S rank. So getting it could be a good help to reach that level. As for Swift Release, their bloodline was wiped out during the warring period. Though a few Swift Release users pop up, none have been famous. And there is barely any information in the library. That said, Swift Release is a bit unidimensional. All it does is increase speed. And I am already very fast. The main question will be, does Swift Release amplify my max speed? Or would it just help me reach some default speed and be useless if I already exceed that speed? If it''s the latter, then it''ll be a waste. But if it''s the former, then it can be insanely good! If in the future I get my hands on the Raikage''s Lightning chakra mode technique and combine it with Swift Release and my own speed and they all stack up, I''ll easily be the fastest ninja ever. And there is no need to even think about how overpowered that speed would make me. Especially if I even add the Flying Thunder God to the mix.'' Suddenly, Fujin stopped thinking. A wry smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he realized, ''I am dreaming needlessly. I don''t know whether I''d manage to learn even one of those 3 skills let alone all 3! Not to mention, I have no whatsoever expertise in Fire or Lightning elements. I haven''t learnt even a single jutsu of those two elements. And Renjiro said that even my Wind nature hasn''t reached that level. So it''s pointless to think or dream about this right now.'' After concluding his thoughts, Fujin decided, ''I''ll rest for today. Tomorrow morning, my solo training begins!'' Chapter 146: New Routine & Advanced Fuinjutsu Fujin woke up at 4:30 AM. After freshening up, he turned up his training seal''s power to 60% and left for the training ground he had booked. He began the physical training that Renjiro used to put them under. He trained hard till 9 AM. After a short break to rest and eat, he began practicing the Air Bullet Jutsu. His aim was to reduce its required hand signs to zero! He trained for a couple of hours, before taking a break for lunch. He trained another couple of hours after lunch, till his chakra started to drop low. He sighed, ''So stupid... I didn''t consider the fact that I will run out of chakra! Especially while practicing B rank jutsus. Anyways, what to do... I could increase my stamina by consuming soldier pills. But it won''t be healthy in the long run. I guess I should just devote time to other activities. When I am close to running out of chakra, I should go to the library and read Fuinjutsu scrolls. Though Ichiraku comes first. And once my chakra has regenerated, I can do something less chakra intensive. So I suppose Taijutsu or Kenjutsu. Alright, let''s do that. I''ll practice sword fighting with a shadow clone.'' Fujin left for Ichiraku. He filled his stomach with a few bowls of ramen and went to the library. He thought, ''I have completed the Fuinjutsu scrolls from Sections E and D during the academy days. Let''s see what the scroll in Section C has.'' He entered the C section of the library. He searched for a bit and found the scroll he was looking for. He grabbed the scroll and went to a desk and sat down. The title of the scroll was - ''Intermediate Fuinjutsu Guide'' He opened it and began reading it. He read the entire scroll in one go and summarized, ''So Finger Carving Seal is at Intermediate level. And so is the Five Seal Barrier... Considering that this Barrier stopped a Jinchuriki, a medical ninja surpassed only by Tsunade, an S rank ninja and a former S rank ninja, I thought that it would be much higher in rank... Still, it is very complicated. Learning it will be tough. Binding Cloth is also here. It was what was used to seal the edo tensei. But, the seal tag isn''t here. Binding cloth without that sealing tag is kinda useless. And lastly, there are details about making Explosion Tags. Sigh, there isn''t much in this scroll. It was disappointing. I hope that the scroll in the B section has better and more Fuinjutsu.'' Anyways, though not plenty, they are good. Kinda wished that the Four Symbols Seal or Five Elements Seal was here. But looks like they will be in the A section. Or at least I hope so. It would suck if it isn''t available in the library at all.'' He changed the scroll for Battlefield seals and began reading. This scroll had a lot of seals. After reading them all, Fujin analyzed, ''Wow! I didn''t think this would be so useful! There are seals for all sorts of battlefield applications!'' Fujin''s surprise wasn''t unwarranted. The scroll had seals to isolate sound. It even had seals to absorb light and make a place or object very difficult to see. In addition, there were seals to prevent being seen by the Byakugan or the Sharingan or even by sensors. Fujin guessed that these were the seals used by those Kiri squads who they eliminated inside the Land of Fire. There were a lot more useful seals in the scroll. Fujin was very impressed. He thought, ''No wonder Uzushiogakure was eliminated! These seals are very potent. If an entire army learnt these seals, they would become a nightmare to face. Especially in the midst of battle.'' Finally, he began reading the Miscellaneous scrolls. While reading, Fujin''s eyes lit up! The seals that were in the meditation room in the central tower of the Forest of Death in these scrolls! Even the seals on his Training seal were in these scrolls. After reading all three scrolls, he concluded, ''These seals are good too. If the 5 big villages had cooperated and focused on these, then this world might have been a much better place. These seals are very good to develop this world quickly. Anyways the most useful seals for me would be the ones used in that meditation room. In addition, there are also storage seals that can store living things safely. These too could be useful.'' After reading all the scrolls, Fujin put them back and sat in the library. He analyzed, ''There is a heck of a lot to learn in fuinjutsu. Actually, much of the stuff in the B Section should have been placed in the C Section. But I guess the Village wanted to restrict their access to Elite Chunins and above. I''ll need a lot of time to master these. Fortunately, I do have a lot of time. Additionally, I should check all the scrolls in the B section. It would be good if I find any good jutsus. More importantly, I want to see if there are any Barrier jutsus. But, I guess they can wait. Let me complete my current plans.'' He left the library and returned back to the training ground. He made a hand sign and created a shadow clone. The Shadow clone appeared in front of him. Fujin summoned a couple of normal swords from his scroll. Both grabbed one sword each. They began fighting without exchanging any words. The main focus of the spar was swordsmanship. Neither used chakra flow. After a couple of hours, Fujin and his clone were standing in front of each other. Both were breathing hard. The clone stabbed the sword into the ground and said, "My chakra is exhausted." It dispelled. Fujin received all his memories and experiences. Fujin thought, ''This is good. Getting experience from both sides provides me with both perspectives.'' He sealed the sword back and left for Yakiniku. He needed a lot of meat to keep up with his planned routine! From the next day onwards, Fujin settled into this routine. In the morning, he would do physical training. That would be followed up by practicing and trying to master the Air Bullet jutsu. Once he ran low on chakra, he would either go to the library and read the seals or meditate. And he would end his training with Kenjutsu practice. Chapter 147: New House On the 7th day of this routine, when Fujin returned back to his home, he noticed an envelope attached to his door. Fujin thought, ''That''s new.'' He ripped it off and began reading. He thought, ''Oh, this is a notice to call me to the Mission office in the Hokage''s office tomorrow at 8:15 AM. Did the Hot Water Daimyo send the bounty rewards?'' The next morning, Fujin began training once again. He ended his morning training an hour earlier and went to the Hokage building. On reaching, he saw Hoka and Mieko. He went up to them. Hoka asked, "Hey Fujin, how have you been doing?" Fujin replied, "Well. I got back to training. What about you guys?" Mieko gave Fujin the stink eye and said, "Back to training already? You need to get a hobby, Fujin!" Fujin smirked and replied, "Training is a hobby!" Mieko scoffed at his reply. Fujin looked at her and said in his mind, ''Unlike you, I have more than a year to live.'' Hoka said, "Stop arguing. Let''s go inside." The trio went inside. Fujin was thinking, ''Naruto and Sasuke should be 7 years old when the Academy starts. So I guess the Uchiha Massacre will happen in the next 12 months. My transmigration shouldn''t have affected the politics around this incident. The only thing that could be considered is Hiruzen teaching Mieko. But, I don''t think it''ll have much of an impact.'' They reached the Hokage''s office and knocked on the door. Hatake Takao opened the door and looked at them and said, "The Bandit Exterminators?" Just three words instantly annoyed the trio. All their faces became dark. He said, "Come in." The trio entered the office with dark faces. Hiruzen stopped doing paperwork and looked at them. He wondered, ''Why do they look like they have come here to give me money instead of coming here to take money?'' Takao opened a drawer and grabbed 3 packets. He handed one to each one of them. Hiruzen said, "You guys did a great job in the Land of Hot Water. The joint commander of the mission, Tokuhei, and their Daimyo praised your work a lot." He looked at the package in their hands and said, "These are the bounty rewards that Daimyo has sent for you. Fujin, yours has 4.5 million Ryo. Mieko and Hoka, your packets have 2.5 million Ryo each." Fujin saw his packet and thought, ''Rank A missions give a shitload of money!'' Hiruzen''s eyes didn''t miss Fujin looking at his packet. He thought, ''This brat is very greedy! I have to ensure that he doesn''t pick up any bad habits.'' He asked, "What are you three planning to do with the money?" When he said that Hokage found Fujin promising, it meant that Fujin was someone with a bright future. Eiji shouldn''t try to be underhanded with him or take advantage of his younger age. When Takao told Fujin that Eiji would give him the best deals, it was actually a message for Eiji to give Fujin the best deal he could and only make minimal profits. Eiji obviously picked up on them. This wasn''t the first time he had interacted with Takao. While he was impressed with Fujin''s dominance in the Chunin Exams, he was more impressed with the fact that he made Takao speak for him. Usually, Eiji would give the job of showing houses to one of his employees. But since Takao brought Fujin, he decided to attend to him. He looked at Fujin and asked with a smile on his face, "So Fujin-kun, have you decided on what type of house you want?" Fujin thought for a bit and answered, "I haven''t decided much. The only requirements I have are that it''d be big and spacious." Eiji looked at Fujin for a second and thought, ''That is pretty much like saying nothing.'' Fujin looked at him and asked, "Can you show me some houses first?" He said, "Sure. Can you tell me what your budget is?" Fujin replied, "That will depend on the house." Eiji was speechless by the reply. He sighed and thought, ''This will be a long day!'' He didn''t know how right he was. He nodded and said, "Alright. Follow me." He began walking outside. All the prime area in Konoha was already sold and occupied. So no place near the Hokage''s buildings was for sale. They walked a few blocks away. After walking a bit, they reached a place where 5 houses had just been built. Eiji said, "In this area, I have just constructed these 5 houses. Check if you like any of them." Fujin observed the houses. From the outside, all looked great. All were built on an area of around 1,200 square feet. And all houses had a spacious living room on the ground floor along with a kitchen and a bathroom. On the upper floor, there were multiple master bedrooms. Fujin thought, ''Not bad. The houses are good. Well, at least much better than my current one. But, none of them has a basement. I could try to build a basement using the Camp jutsu, but I am not sure that it won''t harm the foundation of the house. Also, the houses are kinda close to each other. Though they are separated by a fence, I''d like it if the houses were farther apart.'' Eiji stayed outside and watched Fujin. He just kept flickering from one house to another. He chuckled, ''Kids. So enthusiastic about everything. Though this one would not be in his budget. Unless of course Lord Hokage is paying for it.'' After a few minutes, Fujin left the house. He looked to be in thought. Eiji asked, "Did you like the houses Fujin-kun?" Fujin looked at him smiling. He answered, "Yes, they are well built. But, do you have any houses that are not close to other houses? Also, it''d be great if they have basements." Eiji didn''t expect that reply. He thought, ''These are a few of my best houses. But he doesn''t look impressed at all!'' Chapter 148: Picky Youngster He said, "Why do you want your house to not be close to other houses?" Fujin tilted his head and said, "I did say I want them to be spacious, right?" Eiji was surprised again. He thought, ''What do you plan on doing with so much space?'' He said, "These are my houses with large empty spaces around them. I do have a few with even larger space. But they don''t have any basements. As for the ones with basements, they don''t have a large space around them." Fujin thought and said, "Can you show them to me?" Eiji nodded and said, "Sure, follow me." They began walking to the next house. While walking, Fujin asked, "How much were those houses for Mr Eiji?" Eiji replied, "I can sell one of those houses to you for 2.2 million Ryo." He thought, ''They can go for over 3 million Ryo. But due to Takao''s words, I can sell them for just above my bottom line.'' Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''So an elemental crystal is worth more than one house? Renjiro wasn''t kidding about their rarity!'' Eiji took Fujin to look at a lot of houses. The one Fujin liked the most was a two-storey house built in a 1,500-square-foot area. The land around the house was unoccupied. But it didn''t have a basement. And the roads around the houses were quite busy. Since the house was in a good area, it was very pricey too. After seeing all of the houses, Fujin asked, "Do you construct new houses as well?" Eiji was tired from taking Fujin on a tour. He answered, "Yes, I do." Fujin asked, "So, can you make a new house for me with a new design?" Eiji''s eyes twitched, ''After hours of touring, he wants me to build a new house?'' He said, "Building a new house takes time. And you will have to buy the land first." Fujin looked at him with a confused look and asked, "Don''t you have contacts with any sellers of land? How did you build all these houses?" Eiji didn''t reply. He didn''t want to argue against Fujin. It just felt like hitting his head on a wall. He sighed and said, "Yes. But buying land suddenly is very expensive. Especially if you want it in a good area. Only the land at the outskirts of the village would be cheaply available." Fujin thought a bit and said, "Being on the outskirts of the village doesn''t matter. It''ll be best if it''s closer to the training grounds." Eiji sighed and replied, "Do you think making a house is easy, kid? My men will first have to dig a deep hole to lay down a proper foundation. The digging itself will take 2-3 months. And your house will be very big. So we will need time to make it properly." Fujin thought, ''That''s reasonable.'' He asked, "I have one question, old man. Will you be digging the entire ground, or do you have to leave some pillars for support?" Eiji was surprised by that question. He didn''t expect to hear it from Fujin. He replied, "We will be digging the entire ground. Pillars made from the ground aren''t very sturdy." Fujin said, "Okay, I can get the digging done quickly then." Eiji asked, "Do you have an affinity for Earth nature manipulation?" Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''I didn''t expect a civilian to know about nature manipulation. Makes sense though. There should have been other ninjas who did the same.'' He nodded, "Yes." Eiji replied, "That''s great. Alright then. Once you have completed digging, I will reduce the construction cost depending on how much work is done." Fujin nodded and asked, "Another question. Will this house be able to withstand any attacks?" Eiji replied, "Only very weaker ones. If you want, I can invite a Seal Master to inscribe seals on your house to make it more sturdy. But even then, it won''t be able to stop something very powerful. But, we are in Konoha. Such attacks won''t happen on us anyways." Fujin looked at him thinking, ''Yeah, there will be two deadly attacks on us within a decade. The house is certain to be destroyed by Pain. I''d just prefer it to survive Sound and Sand invasion.'' Fujin said, "Alright. You can invite the seal master then." Eiji replied, "Inviting a seal master will increase the costs." Fujin asked, "How much?" Eiji answered, "I will have to talk with him. You can expect an additional 500 thousand to 1 million Ryo cost." Fujin''s eyes widened. He thought, ''Fucking million Ryo for just inscribing some seals? If money could be used to get stronger, I''d have stopped going for missions and worked as a seal master all the time!'' Fujin said, "Alright." Eiji replied, "I will need a week to test this ground and decide on a plan to proceed. So come to my shop after a week. Once I have marked everything, you can dig the hole." Fujin nodded and left. While leaving he thought, ''I didn''t think that I would blow up almost the entire bounty rewards on the house. I could have saved money on the seal master. But I haven''t ever professionally worked as a seal master other than selling storage scrolls. And, putting seals on the house once it is done won''t be as effective as applying them while constructing it. Let''s forget it, I am not short on money. So it''s fine. I will have to inspect the seals later though. I doubt a professional would try anything funny, but it is always better to be vigilant. Fuinjutsu has a lot of applications.'' Chapter 149: First Mission as the Team Leader! The next day, Fujin returned to his training routine. A few days later, Fujin was breathing heavily. However, there was a big smile on his face. The trees in front of him were riddled with holes! He exclaimed, "Finally! I can perform Vacuum Bullets without using hand signs!" In 11 days of training, Fujin had mastered the Air Bullet jutsu. The hand signs for the Vacuum Bullet jutsu were the same as the Air Bullet jutsu. He was able to perform it without hand signs a minute after mastering the Air Bullet jutsu. He practiced the Vacuum Bullet jutsu till he was comfortable and then began practicing the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. On the appointed day, he met up with Eiji. Eiji had marked his entire plot. Eiji showed him the markings and told him where and how deep to dig. Eiji and his employees cleared the area and watched with anticipation. They were looking forward to Fujin''s display. In the past, they had seen some amazing feats. Unfortunately, they would be disappointed. They stood for a couple of hours to see Fujin use Earth Camp jutsu a few hundred times to dig up the hole. In fact, most got bored and left with disappointment. Fujin checked his work and left the hole. He walked towards Eiji only to see a dumbfounded expression on his face. He asked, "What''s the matter?" Eiji sighed and replied, "Nothing." Fujin said, "Please check if everything is alright." Eiji complained in his heart, ''How can there be any mistakes when you work so slowly?'' He said, "It''s alright. It''ll decrease your construction cost by 400 thousand Ryo. I also talked with a Seal Master. We decided on 600 thousand Ryo cost. Is that alright?" Fujin nodded and asked, "Can I watch when he inscribes the seals?" Eiji said, "Sure. It''s your house after all. I''ll send a worker to your house to give you the message." Fujin thanked him and left back for training. The next afternoon, Fujin was practicing the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. He had already learnt how to use it without any hand signs. Its similarity with the Great Breakthrough jutsu allowed Fujin to master it quickly. He was now practicing supercharging this jutsu quickly. However, he suddenly stopped practicing and looked in a direction. He thought, ''Someone entered the training ground? Who? The chakra signature is very low. So either he is weak or good at hiding his chakra level.'' The person Fujin sensed was moving towards him. Fujin stopped practicing and waited to see who it was. After a little while, a young man in his early twenties appeared. He looked at Fujin and asked, "Hey, you are Fujin, right? Fujin nodded and asked, "Yes. Who are you?" He answered, "I am Endo Tadao. I came here to call you to the Mission Center. You are called there." Fujin thought, ''Are they finally assigning me a mission? Is he a messenger or someone who works there?'' He replied, "Alright, I will be there." However, he said, "This is the last time I am taking a rank C mission. The next time you assign me a Bandit Elimination mission, I''ll forge evidence that you are their ring leader!" Shichiro smiled and handed him the document back. Tadao finally returned to the Mission Center. He was breathing heavily. Fujin looked at his three new subordinates and asked, "When do you guys want to leave for the mission?" Yasuoka answered, "We are ready to leave anytime." Fujin said, "Alright. Let''s meet at the Village Gate in a couple of hours." Fujin left to have his lunch. Tadao, Yasuoka and Kaneie saw him leave. Tadao asked, "Are we getting too old?" Kaneie refused, "No way! I am not even married yet!" Yasuoka sighed at his teammate''s antics. He said, "Well, at least he is strong. Though he seems to be very arrogant. He didn''t put us in his eyes at all." Shichiro chuckled and patted his back. He said, "Don''t worry. He is very reasonable and balanced. And he is very strong. From what I heard, he is even stronger than me. And he has a reputation for being the Bandit Exterminator! You guys will be fine." Tadao, Yasuoka and Kaneie sighed. They knew they had been set up by Shichiro. All four of them were 22 years old. They were in the same year in the academy and were good friends. Unfortunately, the three of them weren''t very talented. They never managed to be promoted to Chunin and had already given up on it. They stayed together as a team and would only take rank C missions occasionally for the money and to stay in shape. Shichiro was a bit more talented than them. He managed to be promoted to the Chunin rank in the 3rd Great Ninja War. But he became weary of risking his life and took a desk job. After a couple of hours, Fujin and the three genins assembled. Fujin asked, "Have you prepared the necessary weapons and rations for the mission?" All three genins nodded awkwardly as many were watching when Fujin asked this question. Fujin asked, "What are your specialities?" Tadao said, "I am good at throwing Shurikens. I can hit a bullseye every single time." Yasuoka said, "I have mastered water nature manipulation." While there was no change in Fujin''s expression, he scoffed in his mind, ''Mastered? Why don''t you put your name down as a candidate for the 5th Hokage?'' Kaneie said, "I can observe our surroundings carefully and pick up on clues." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, let''s go." However, Tadao stopped him, "Wait Fujin. Can you tell us about your specialities?" Fujin stopped and turned around. He answered, "I know a bit of Wind and Earth nature manipulation and am good with clones." After answering he turned around and began leaving. The trio were a bit surprised. They expected the preteen to brag about his prowess. But, he didn''t show off at all! They quickly followed him. Chapter 150: A Scheme Targetting Konoha Fujin and his squad moved quickly through the forest. Kaneie took the position at the front while Fujin was in the rear. Occasionally, Fujin used to activate his chakra field and sense his surroundings. Fujin sighed thinking, ''This is tough without Hoka. I could divide this job with him to reduce my workload. And, his eyes could notice the stuff I missed and vice-versa.'' After some time, Yasuoka asked, "Fujin, you became a Chunin in the last Chunin exam, right?" Fujin replied, "Yes." Yasuoka asked again, "Who were your Sensei and teammates?" Yasuoka and his teammates were getting very bored by moving without talking even a bit. And talking among themselves while ignoring Fujin would have been rude. So Yasuoka began talking with Fujin. Fujin didn''t have much of an interest in interacting with them. There wasn''t much benefit in doing it. But, as they kept on talking, Fujin realized that those guys were fun. So their talks became more cordial. At some point, Fujin asked, "How often do you guys do such missions?" Tadao answered, "It depends on our expenses. Usually, we do one or two missions per month. Shichiro assigns a Chunin to our team to lead the mission." Fujin asked, "And do you always do missions together?" Kaneie nodded, "Yes. For rank C missions, we are together as a team. But, if someone needs some extra money, then they take some rank D missions solo." Fujin thought, ''Not bad. I guess it is a good method of making money. Well, at least to handle day-to-day needs. Plus with the same team, they should be very familiar with each other and should have solid teamwork. Unfortunately, they are too weak. If they were at least Chunins, their team could have been slightly famous.'' They continued moving towards their target. While moving, Fujin seriously considered, ''Should I create such a team too? Having teammates with a good bond, teamwork and complementary skills could ease up the missions quite well. But, even if I decide to make such a squad, who should I include? The only ones that come to mind are Mieko and Hoka. Perhaps I could even ask Teru and Yori as well. Though I haven''t met them for over a year. That said, both Mieko and Yori will die soon. So there isn''t much point in including them. Also, both Hoka and Teru are quite headstrong. And, neither have the fire element or the genjutsu skills that an Uchiha brings to the table.'' Fujin thought for a bit before finally giving up, ''Leave it. Such a team works for these guys because they are all equally weak and have no great ambitions. Among the strong, no such teams ever formed. The only squad with an all S rank roster that comes to my mind is the Sannins. And, even they broke up.'' In the central hut of the camp, a large man was relaxing on a rather comfortable deck chair. Two slim ladies were around him, one massaging his shoulders and another his thighs. Both had scared looks on their face. The man grinned like a pervert while enjoying the treatment. Some other bandits in the room were looking at them lecherously. The man sitting in the chair was Idane Kaii. He was a hotheaded chunin from Kumogakure. Due to his hotheadedness, he killed a civilian and hence ended up in a prison. Fortunately for him, he was able to get out of prison due to ''special'' circumstances. A month ago in the Raikage Office : An old man entered the Raikage''s office and placed some documents in front of him. He was an elder in Kumogakure. He said, "These are some reports that we received from the Land of Fire." Mabui took the reports and began reading. The Fourth Raikage frowned. He asked, "Is Konoha up to something?" The old man shook her head and said, "No, this is related to their trade. In the past couple of months, their trade has suddenly boomed. If their trade continues to increase at this rate, then they will earn a lot of money which they can use to train more ninjas." A''s frown deepened. He said, "Konoha controls the richest and the most fertile land in this world. If they begin growing rapidly, then their strength can once again surpass us." The old man nodded and said, "Yes. And if that happens, then war will have to be started again to prevent Konoha from getting too strong. Though Minato died and Orochimaru betrayed them, their strength is still quite strong. Some of their younger ninjas are gaining fame quickly. We need to ensure that Konoha''s growth is at least slowed so that we don''t have to go to another war." A''s immediately became angry. He said, "Just a few years ago we could force them to hand over an Elite Jounin. And now they are becoming a threat again?" However, the old man calmed him down, "I would advise you not to make such a reckless move again Lord Fourth. Konoha promoted a lot of chunins to Jounins in this period. More importantly, our spies have reported that Iwa is recovering its strength rapidly too. That Fence Sitter is spending a huge amount of money on raising new ninjas. If Konoha decides to retaliate instead of being desperate for peace, then we could get in a pickle." A calmed down slightly. He asked, "What do you suggest then?" The old man said, "According to my sources, Konoha''s trade suddenly boomed as their bandits were killed at a rapid pace. So we should increase their bandit groups." A thought for a bit. He looked at Mabui and said, "Mabui, see if we have any useful prisoners. We will release them and let them be rogue ninjas inside the Land of Fire and have them start more bandit groups." Mabui nodded and left to check their data. The old man said, "While Konoha doesn''t have the strength to retaliate against us, it''ll be better if we don''t leave any clues behind." A nodded and said, "Yes, I know that. It''ll be annoying if they retaliate with similar measures. Though if they do, I''ll smash them all!" Chapter 151: Be Careful of Explosions Yasuoka, Tadao and Kaneie moved quietly. They began from one edge of the base. They silently entered a hut, killed everyone in it, and moved on to the next hut. They were quite successful and kept killing in this manner. It continued until one of the bandits who was moving towards the hut noticed something entering it very quickly. He quickly moved towards the hut. Tadao, who was killing the ones inside the hut, noticed a bandit coming in. He killed everyone and waited inside the hut to kill the incoming bandit. But, the bandit never entered the hut. Instead, he stopped around 10 meters away from it. Tadao frowned, ''If he doesn''t come in quickly, then the smell of the blood will spread!'' Tadao lost his patience and ran outside towards the bandit. The bandit noticed and screamed, "INTRUD..." Tadao cut his neck before he could finish. Unfortunately, that yell alerted everyone. However, they weren''t worried. They had already killed over half the bandits. All three immediately hid behind the huts. They waited for the bandits to rush out. The scream had made all bandits rush out. Kaii was displeased at being disturbed. He left his tent grumpily. As soon as the bandits exited the huts, they were ambushed. Another 10 bandits were killed. Fujin thought, ''Not bad, these guys are neat. Anyways, there don''t seem to be any traps here. Is it just a brainless rogue ninja?'' The remaining bandits were terrified. They prepared themselves for a fight. Kaii screamed, "Konoha scums! Die!" He immediately made a move towards Yasuoka. Yasuoka''s eyes widened as he noticed that Kaii had chakra! He immediately made hand signs. ''Water Release : Fish Spit Jutsu'' Yasuoka spat a jet of water at Kaii. However, Kaii scoffed, "Water release? Worthless!" He made hand signs as well. ''Lightning Release : Lightning Bolt Jutsu'' He extended his finger towards the incoming jet of water. A small bolt of Lightning was released through his finger. It hit the jet of the water and travelled through it to Yasuoka. Yasuoka didn''t expect it. The lightning hit him and shocked him. Though it didn''t injure him critically, it made moving harder. And in combat, this alone was fatal! Kaii smirked at seeing the terror on Yasuoka''s face. He grabbed a kunai and ran towards Yasuoka. Tadao and Kaneie noticed it as well and got very worried! They immediately killed the bandits in their path and moved towards Yasuoka. Unfortunately, they were too far away! Yasuoka''s life flashed in front of his eyes as he saw Kaii approaching him. He barely managed to grab a kunai and raise it, but his movements were very slow. Yasuoka asked, "Fujin, you are a sensor, right? Did you sense that ninja before we attacked?" Fujin shook his head and said, "No. I didn''t sense any chakra from him. I guess either he knew how to suppress his chakra or had some sort of seal that allowed him to hide his chakra from sensors." Yasuoka''s face became grim. If such events happened frequently, then their risk while doing rank C missions would increase exponentially! Both Tadao and Kaneie had grim faces too. Fujin understood why their faces were grim but didn''t say anything. Fujin''s shadow clone had stored the dead body and then gathered all the survivors in the camp. There were 8 young girls. All were very afraid due to their horrible experience and the gore around them. Fujin asked, "Are any of you good with first-aid?" Kaneie said, "Me." Fujin said, "Alright. Apply the necessary first-aid to them. We will move away quickly." Kaneie applied first-aid to them and comforted them a bit. Seeing that they were Konoha ninjas, the girls relaxed slightly. The group moved away a few kilometers before setting up a camp to rest. They rested for the night and began the journey back to Konoha the next day. Since the civilian girls also travelled with them, the journey back took one and a half days! After returning to Konoha, they handed the girls to the proper authorities and went straight to the Mission Center. Fujin reported the details of the mission to Shichiro. Shichiro was surprised. He said, "I didn''t think that such a new bandit group would have such a strong ninja." He sighed in relief, ''I am glad I chose Fujin. Else some of them might have died.'' Shichiro had seen many of his classmates die. He didn''t want to see more dying. He handed a paper to Fujin and said, "Fujin, as the team leader, you have to write the mission report. Please fill in the details in this form and describe how the mission went and any observations you made." Fujin nodded and took the form. Shichiro continued, "Since this mission involved a Chunin level ninja as the enemy, I will upgrade your mission to rank B. Your rewards will also be increased from 50 thousand Ryo to 500 thousand Ryo." Hearing that improved the moods of the genins. With ten times the rewards, they could afford to not take a mission for almost a year. They could perform safe rank D missions for some money if they needed it. Fujin took 200k Ryo and gave the three 100k Ryo each. The four said farewells and left. Before leaving, Fujin looked at Shichiro and reminded him, "Don''t assign me to rank C missions again." Shichiro''s eyes twitched. He said, "This was a rank B mission." Fujin replied, "It''s not the same. If you assign me another rank C, I''ll refuse to take it." Without waiting for his reply, Fujin left. Shichiro muttered, "These kids are so annoying! And how can I even assign him to a rank B mission? Did Renjiro-sama not talk with him?" Chapter 152: Three Months of Non-Stop Training! After returning home, Fujin began writing the report. He finished it before having dinner and meditated for a bit before sleeping. The next day, Fujin submitted the report and got back to training. He began practicing the Vacuum Bullet jutsu. He had two aims. The first was to decrease the amount of time needed to form and shoot the Vacuum Bullet. The second was to create two Vacuum Bullets at the same time. While Fujin was training, his report, along with a few others, landed on Hiruzen''s table. Hiruzen''s expression wasn''t good. There were quite a few people in his office. And most were waiting for the thoughts of one person. Nara Shikaku said, "It looks like someone isn''t happy with the trade boom that we experienced recently. And seeing the jutsus used, these ninjas are most likely from Kumogakure. I believe that Kumogakure is using its prisoners to do this suicidal task. They should be unaware of the seals on their body." Hiruzen nodded. He too had reached the same conclusion. He asked, "What do you suggest we do?" Shikaku said, "It''s quite easy. We will analyze the data of bandit groups and see which bandit groups rose abruptly. We will dispatch Anbu squads to crush those bandit groups. Jounin squads who are moving out to perform rank A and S missions will also be tasked to clear out such bandit groups if they are near their route." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll hand the command of this mission to you Shikaku. Clear them out." Shikaku thought, ''I analyzed the information and strategized so that you could assign them missions. Why are you handing me the command?'' Unfortunately, it wouldn''t look good if he complained in front of so many people. So he agreed. In the next week, every single of these groups was eliminated by Shikaku with the help of Anbu, Root and Jounins. Though A''s goals were successful initially, they didn''t affect Konoha much overall. After a week of training, Fujin analyzed, ''I managed to improve my control over the Vacuum bullet and decrease the time needed to use it considerably. But, I had no success at all in forming the 2nd Vacuum Bullet. I guess Hiruzen was right.'' Since he couldn''t create another Vacuum bullet at the same time, he decided, ''Alright. From now on, I''ll focus entirely on Fuinjutsu!'' He created a Shadow clone with 10% of his chakra. The clone flickered to the library. Fujin created a bunch of more clones. Four of them split in four different directions and began and activated their chakra field. Fujin sensed the chakra fields and thought, ''I would have loved to master Fuinjutsu at home. But, my house doesn''t have enough space for my clones. Oh well, it''s not like my house can hide me from Byakugan or that perverted crystal ball. Besides, the training ground rarely has any visitors. The only two who visited me here so far are Renjiro and Tadao. So it should be safe. Anyways, if someone does see me, I''ll just say that my grandpa asked me to learn it to prepare for Flying Thunder God jutsu, haha. My skill at Fuinjutsu becoming public shouldn''t have any effect on me now. Only the surprise element will be lost.'' While his clone went to the library, Fujin started with the Finger Carving Seal. It was very easy and he mastered it within a few minutes. He opened a scroll and summoned the items that will be needed to practice and waited while meditating. Library - Fujin''s Shadow Clone entered the B section of the library. He grabbed the Advanced Fuinjutsu theory and Sealing Tags scroll. The chunin didn''t realize that he was sensed. In a few seconds, he arrived where Fujin was. Fujin saw him. He looked like in his late teens. The chunin said, "Hey Fujin, I am Hatake Ryota. You have been assigned to our squad for a mission. Come with me." Fujin nodded and followed him. He dispelled his clones that were sensing. Fujin wondered, ''Why exactly did I not get any mission for 3 months? Did Hiruzen spy on me learning Fuinjutsu and decide to give me a break? But, that doesn''t sound like him at all!'' Fujin''s analysis couldn''t have been farther from the truth! Two days ago in the Hokage Office - Hiruzen asked, "Takao, can you tell me the status of Renjiro''s students?" Takao answered, "I''ll have to check Lord Hokage. I''ll let you know later." Hiruzen nodded. A few hours later, Takao entered the Hokage office. Hiruzen saw that he had a rather strange expression. Takao said, "Lord Hokage, I checked the information about Renjiro''s students. Hyuga Hoka joined a Chunin squad arranged by his father. He fulfils the typical Hyuga role in a squad. He has led in 7 rank C missions and participated in 3 rank B missions. Uchiha Mieko joined the Uchiha Police Force. In addition, she has led in 3 rank C missions and participated in 5 rank B missions. Both Mieko and Hoka have shown great promise. About Fujin..." Hiruzen was looking forward the most to Fujin''s performance. But he wondered, ''What exactly did Fujin do for Takao to make such a strange face?'' Takao said, "Fujin has led in just one rank C mission about 2 weeks after that rank A mission. The mission got upgraded to rank B, but he completed the mission without any casualties. But, after that, he took no mission at all." Hiruzen was surprised. He didn''t understand Fujin''s behavior. He asked, "What has Fujin been doing?" Takao said, "I did some research. He booked Training Ground 23 for 9 months. He has been visiting it daily and spends most of his time there." Hiruzen said, "I can understand Fujin training. But why didn''t he take any missions?" Takao said, "I am not sure." Hiruzen thought for a bit. Suddenly, it hit him! He said, "Wait, don''t tell me!" Chapter 153: The Importance of Socializing Takao saw Hiruzen. He wondered, ''What did Lord Hokage realize for him to be so surprised?'' Hiruzen thought, ''No wonder Fujin never did any mission. He never joined a team. From what Genki had said, Fujin stayed alone and never interacted much with others. Renjiro noted the same thing and said that Fujin preferred being and acting alone. So Fujin has no contacts outside his small bubble of friends. And most of those friends are still in their genin squad or in the academy. He shouldn''t be in touch with any chunins other than maybe his academy teachers. And since he is an orphan, no one arranged for him to enter a squad. And with both his teammates being from big clans who were arranged in squads by their families, he was left with no one to make a team with.'' Hiruzen said, "Takao, call Sarutobi Tamotsu to my office." Takao nodded and left the office. Hiruzen sighed, ''Renjiro didn''t teach that kid to socialize! And Fujin didn''t even approach anyone about it. If he had visited the Mission Center a few times and let others know about his Wind Release Capabilities, lots of teams would have extended an invitation to him. Even if no one invited him, at least he could have improved his leadership skills by clearing out the rank C missions. Instead, he just chose to not do any missions at all.'' Hiruzen analyzed a few more things. In the end, he decided, ''I need to keep checking on Fujin''s progress every month. While he isn''t as talented as Minato or Orochimaru, he is still good. It''ll be a waste if he loses interest due to not doing any missions and only training.'' Back to the present, Ryota led Fujin to Yakiniku. Fujin asked, "Shouldn''t we be going to the mission center?" Ryota replied, "Not really. Meet up with the team first. We will accept the mission officially tomorrow." Fujin wasn''t sure what Ryota was up to. But he followed him in. Ryota led him to a table where 3 other people and a dog were sitting. Fujin observed them. One of them was overdressed. Fujin noticed some bugs buzzing around him. Fujin concluded that he was from the Aburame clan. Another was a definite Inuzuka. He was in his late teens as well. A huge ferocious-looking dog lay behind him. The dog noticed Fujin''s gaze and stared back at him. The last person looked to be in his mid-20s. His face had a large burn mark. There were multiple scars on his arms as well. Of the four people in this team, his chakra was the highest. The scar-faced guy looked at Fujin and smiled. He said, "So you are Fujin. I have heard a lot of good things about you. Come sit." Fujin sat down and said, "Hmm, I wonder who spoke about me." He chuckled, "It was Lord Hokage." Fujin wondered, ''Hmm... What is that old fox up to?'' The scar-faced guy said, "Let us introduce ourselves properly. I am Sarutobi Tamotsu. I am an Elite Chunin and the leader of this group. I specialize in Fire Release." He said, "You get missions only if you go to the Mission center with a team." Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''What the heck? I recall Hiruzen and Tsunade sending messages when they had to assign missions. I thought that job is done by Mission Center here instead.'' He asked, "Are you sure?" Tamotsu replied, "Yes. You will be called only if Lord Hokage has a special mission for you. And usually, only Elite Jounins get missions assigned that way." Fujin was stunned. He exclaimed internally, ''Fuck! No wonder I never got any missions!'' Fujin''s new squad chuckled at his expression. Tamotsu didn''t want Fujin to feel embarrassed on day 1. He said, "Introduce yourself Fujin." Fujin sighed again and said, "I am Suzuki Fujin. I specialize in Wind jutsus. I am also a sensor. So I could aid Tadashi-san and Katsumi-san a bit." Tamotsu said, "Good. Also, no need to be formal with us Fujin. Just use our names." Fujin nodded, "Alright." At that time, a waiter came in and delivered meat. Tamotsu said, "Let''s celebrate getting a new team member!" The group began eating while chatting casually. At one point, Fujin asked, "Tamotsu, how do you become an Elite Chunin? Is there an exam similar to the Chunin Exam?" Tamotsu said, "No. There is no exam. You get assigned this rank by doing missions. The missions that you complete are analyzed by the village. When they are satisfied with your performances, they promote you to Elite Chunin." Fujin was surprised. He asked, "On what parameters do they decide?" Tamotsu replied, "Well, the basic requirements are your strength and overall capability. If you have any obvious weakness, you won''t be promoted to Elite Chunin. Once you meet those requirements, they check your mission record. There are no fixed criteria regarding the missions. So I can''t comment on what parameters they check here. But, it''d be safe to say that you need to have completed at least 50 rank B missions." Fujin thought and said, "Oh. Thank You." Tamotsu smiled and said, "No worries. There are a couple more things that you should know about Elite Chunins. Other villages aren''t as strict as Konoha while promoting to Jounins. So most Elite Chunins from Konoha can go up against Jounins of other villages. So don''t expect to be promoted quickly. Also, if you want to be promoted to Jounin or Special Jounin ranks, then you first need to be an Elite Chunin. Otherwise, you won''t be considered for Jounin promotions." Fujin nodded. He had expected that. After eating the food, Tamotsu said, "I have already accepted a mission. Tomorrow, we will escort a noble from the Land of Rice back to his country. Meet up at the gate at 11 AM. And bring enough supplies for a couple of months." Fujin and the others nodded and left. After leaving, Fujin headed back to the training ground. Chapter 154: The First Mission with a New Squad En route, Fujin thought, ''So that''s why I never got assigned a mission again! Sigh, at least someone should have said something to me... I guess Tamotsu''s words indirectly came from Hiruzen. That said, even if I did know this, I don''t have connections with any chunins. It''s the same issue that I concluded while going on the mission with Yasuoka and the rest. Just going around advertising my Wind jutsu capabilities would have been stupid. After all, who knows what squad I''d join up with? I guess the only choices available were to ask Renjiro or Hiruzen to assign me to a team. It''s probably what Hiruzen did. That said, not having any connections is kinda an issue. I didn''t give much thought to this earlier as this is the world of the strong. As long as I keep working hard and reach the top, everyone would be trying to create a relationship with me. But, reaching such a level will need a lot of time. And I might need aid along the path. At the very least, the help I got from Renjiro was critical. And unlike Hiruzen, it was a selfless act from him. Sigh, I will have to interact more with other ninjas. While I won''t ever need as much aid as Renjiro gave me, I will need to have connections in order to make different sorts of teams depending on missions. Still, how do I do that? It''s not like I can hang around and drink alongside them, can I? Leave it. No point in acting desperate. I''ll just make connections as I get opportunities in the future. Anyways, it''s not an issue to not have done any missions in the last 3 months. These months have improved my skill with Fuinjutsu a lot. I have learnt all the important seals. In terms of effectiveness, I should be on par with Seal masters. I''ll probably need a couple more months to learn all the remaining seals. But, I think it''ll be better to stop for now. I should practice the seals I have learnt for some time. After all, it''s very unlikely that Hiruzen would give me the scroll for Flying Thunder God so soon.'' Fujin trained with his shadow clones to practice his ninjutsu, kenjutsu and taijutsu for a few hours. The next day, Fujin began moving towards Konoha''s entrance gate. He thought, ''Land of Rice... I hope I don''t end up encountering Orochimaru. Encountering Kakuzu was plenty of excitement for a few years.'' Fujin gathered with his new squad at the gate. Tamotsu said, "Our client will arrive here in a few minutes. I''ll brief you on the situation. The Land of Rice had been peaceful after the Third Great Ninja War. But, in the last few years, there have been many turbulences in the Land of Rice. Many rogue attacks have been reported. Many nobles are targeted too. Even their Daimyo''s retinue was targeted once. So, we have to be very careful during this mission. Tadashi, you will be responsible for smelling any possible attackers. Katsumi and Fujin, you two will back him up. Ryota, you will be responsible for keeping our client safe. You will cooperate with his bodyguard. I will be responsible to attack any attackers. Tadashi will assist me and Katsumi will provide long-range support. Fujin, for this mission, only observe us. If you get an opportunity, you can attack." Fujin nodded. The arrangement was reasonable as he would need some time to fit into their team. Tamotsu briefed his team on a few matters until 2 men arrived at the gate. The younger man was a blonde wearing an expensive robe. The older man dressed as a ninja and had a similar mask to Kakashi. Two swords could be seen on his back. They greeted Tamotsu as they interacted with him on the previous day. After discussing for a bit, they left. The young noble and his protector walked at the center. Tadashi, Kenta and Tamotsu walked in front of them. Fujin walked to their right and Ryota to their left. Katsumi handled the rear. The group took 7 days to reach the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice. They didn''t encounter any troubles on the way. On reaching the border, the protector said, "We have been experiencing a lot of rogue attacks in the last year. We will need to travel another day and a half. Please be on guard and protect us." Tamotsu replied, "Don''t worry. We are always alert." Tamotsu said, "Good. Attack as soon as you can." The group walked until they were just a hundred meters from the ambush spot. Suddenly, Tadashi, Kenta and Katsumi disappeared. They moved stealthily through the forest towards the ones waiting in hiding. Fujin''s eyes glowed as he observed them. He checked the ambushers and thought, ''Chunins? At max those guys are Genins. Only one has Chunin level chakra reserves.'' Tadashi and his dog were faster. They reached their opponent first. Their opponent didn''t see them until the last moment. When he heard something and checked behind him, Tadashi stuck his kunai into his back while Kenta bit his throat. Another attacker was a few meters away from Tadashi. He was shocked at seeing one of them being killed so quickly. He shouted to alert others and grabbed his weapon. However, Tadashi and Kenta suddenly began spinning. ''Man Beast Taijutsu : Fang Over Fang!'' The ninja hadn''t seen such a technique before. Both Tadashi and Kenta hit him. Their claws ripped his throat. Both stopped and looked at their victims and thought, ''They were only genins.'' On the other side of the road, Katsumi watched from a distance as his bugs devoured one of his opponents. The last remaining member of this group was their leader. He was terrified by the screams of his underlings on the other side and the bugs eating one of his men in front of him. He began making hand signs in a panic when Katsumi said, "Give up. Your death is a certainty." He was humiliated but kept making hand signs. Suddenly, he felt something bite his chest. The tense situation made him ignore the pain, but suddenly his hands and legs trembled. His knees fell to the ground. Katsumi said, "You shouldn''t fight when your clothes are full of my poisonous bugs." The enemy fell to the ground. He could see some bugs crawling out of his shirt. Tamotsu appeared behind Katsumi and asked, "Is it done?" Katsumi said, "Yes. Looks like only he was at the Chunin level. Though it''s doubtful that someone like him can have a bounty." Tamotsu said, "Even if he doesn''t, we can use his head to improve relations with the Daimyo slightly. So collect it." Katsumi nodded and stored his head in a scroll. The group continued their journey. Chapter 155: Boring...... As the group proceeded ahead, they were attacked again on two occasions. However, in both instances, all enemies were killed without Fujin getting any chance to fight. Fujin wondered, ''Are there so many rogue ninjas in this country? Or is Orochimaru trying to influence the environment here? After all, he shouldn''t be able to create a hidden village while the Daimyo still exists. Then again, for him to kill off a Daimyo in secret shouldn''t be much of an issue.'' Fujin wasn''t able to arrive at any conclusion. So he dropped the thought. On the day after, they reached the location and completed the mission. Without waiting, the Konoha team left back for Konoha. As they were running on branches, Tamotsu asked, "So Fujin, how did you feel this mission was?" Fujin answered, "Well... It was kinda boring." Tamotsu laughed at that answer. He said, "Yeah. Most missions are boring. If we have exciting missions all the time, then we won''t live for long." Fujin thought, ''Yeah. That''s true. Still, this is very boring.'' Ryota said, "Most rank B missions are like these. Our missions get interfered with by rogue Genins and Chunins. They are very easy to kill off." Tamotsu added, "If the missions involve rogue Jounins or ninjas from another major village, then it''ll be categorized as rank A or S. Or the Anbu will handle them." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, that makes sense." Tamotsu said, "Don''t worry. I''ll give you a more active role in future missions."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Fujin smiled and thanked him. However, internally he sighed, ''What''s the use of having an active role against such enemies? They will die without even seeing me! It''s fine for now, but I will need to find a way to get better missions after I''m done with my training plans.'' The team returned to Konoha without any issues and divided the rewards equally. They had a group dinner before leaving for home. Tamotsu asked the group to meet again in the Mission center after a week. Fujin began meditating after reaching home when he heard a knock on his door. He wondered, ''Who''d come to visit at this time?'' He opened the door to see a familiar face. That person worked in Eiji''s shop. He said, "Fujin-kun, the work on your house is completed. Eiji-sama wants to show it to you tomorrow at 9 AM." Fujin replied, "Oh, that''s great. I''ll be there. Thank You." Eiji said, "As you had asked, this floor is completely open. And everything here is extremely sturdy and strengthened even further by the Sealmaster." Fujin nodded and built his chakra up. ''Wind Release : Breakthrough Jutsu'' Fujin suddenly exhaled a strong stream of wind from his mouth. The wind moved rapidly and hit all the pillars and the walls. Not a scratch appeared. Eiji, who was standing next to Fujin, was surprised. The high-speed winds crashed into the walls and some part of it was reflected back at them. He found it very difficult to stand steady. He said loudly, "What are you doing?" Fujin chuckled and waved his hand. He used Gale Palm jutsu to quiet down the winds. He said, "Great work. Though that was one of my weaker jutsus, this room is very sturdy. Thanks again." Eiji grudgingly said, "Alright. But don''t try to kill me again." Fujin chuckled. Eiji said, "I have made the house according to our plan and even placed furniture as you asked. If you need anything in the future or want furniture for the remaining rooms, you can come to my shop." Fujin nodded. Eiji left the house leaving Fujin alone in his new house. Fujin saw Eiji out and then checked his house once again. This time, he concentrated chakra in his eyes and inspected everything. After half an hour, he concluded, ''Alright. I know I am being overly cautious, but there doesn''t seem to be anything wrong in the house. And, all the walls are as sturdy as Eiji promised them to be. Anyways, now that I have my house, I can finally start my plans. But, first I need to clean the house.'' As Fujin thought that, the wind began gathering around him. The Wind gently flew through his entire house. It gathered most of the dust and soil and left his house. Then, Fujin created as many Shadow Clones as he could and they all cooperated to clean the home properly. When his house became very clean, Fujin closed the door and began inscribing seals on his new house. During the last 3 months, Fujin had debated a lot on whether or not to cover his house in seals. After a lot of analysis, he concluded the pros and cons of it. He concluded, ''If I don''t inscribe my new house with seals, then my Fuinjutsu capabilities can stay a secret for long. That''s the only plus point. On the flip side, my house could be checked by any passing Hyuga. If my luck is bad or someone decides to spy on me, then my training of Lightning release and other stuff that I plan to keep a secret could be exposed. On the other hand, if I inscribe seals in my house, then my skills at Fuinjutsu will be exposed very easily. I could lie that I had hired a Sealmaster while building the house, but I can''t be sure how long that lie would last. Furthermore, others might think that I have something to hide and might get more interested in my house. As for the positives, seals would secure my house and I can do all the shit I want without worrying about the n number of sensory abilities in this world.'' After analyzing both scenarios, Fujin decided, ''I''ll cover my house in as many seals as I can! I''ll eventually have to expose my ability in Fuinjutsu anyways. So might as well do it now. If Hiruzen or Renjiro ask me, I''ll tell them that I used the shadow clone trick and instead pass hints to them that I need the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu. As for the rest, I''ll just give some lame excuses.'' Chapter 156: When a Psycho becomes a SealMaster! Fujin spent the entire day inscribing seals in his house. He started with the Anti-Byakugan, Anti-Sharingan and Stealth Seals. He followed it up by using seals to strengthen the doors, walls and pillars even more and also used seals to increase their resistance to Fire, Wind, Lightning and Water. When he was satisfied with the protection that his house provided, he went to the basement and entered one of the rooms. Fujin observed this room and thought, ''The dimensions of this room are exactly as the Meditation room in that Tower.'' Fujin opened the scroll where he had recorded the details of that room. He inscribed all those seals in his room and recreated that room. Fujin thought, ''Great. Now I just have to buy those incense sticks and candles. Then this will be the only room where I meditate.'' Fujin checked all the seals again to confirm that everything was fine. He left the room and used the Finger Carving Seal to write ''Meditation Room'' on the door. Fujin then went into the room on the opposite side. This one had a lot of holes in the walls. Fujin inspected them properly and thought, ''I''ll need to buy the proper tools to make this similar to the training room for dodging. I''ll do that tomorrow.'' Fujin used his Finger Carving Seal to write the name on the door and moved into another room. This room was completely empty. Even light bulbs weren''t present. Fujin inscribed a few seals on the walls to produce light. Once there was sufficient light, Fujin began inscribing Gravity Seals on the floor.l--B1n. After some time, he analyzed, ''Gravity seals have been inscribed evenly in this room. The gravity in this room is approximately 2.5 times as compared to the outside. Combined with my training seal, this place would be good to practice my Taijutsu forms and do weight training. And I can increase the gravity by inscribing more gravity seals on the floor. But, first I should isolate this room properly. The increase in gravity in this room shouldn''t affect the rest of the rooms. And it shouldn''t damage the structural integrity of the house. It would suck if my new house just collapsed. That aside, in the future, I should experiment with whether I can combine the meditation room and gravity room. I wonder if that would help me meditate and condition my body at the same time. After all, I kinda have been having a feeling that in the future I will need to meditate a lot.'' Fujin decided to experiment with it later. He currently didn''t have the expertise to create such a room as the design for the meditation room was copied and not created by him. Fujin couldn''t think of anything else. So he began checking his scrolls. Soon, he found the one he was looking for. He made a hand sign and 2 items appeared in front of him. They were an incense stick and some wax from a candle. Fujin lit both of them on fire and inspected them properly. He thought, ''I memorized their appearance and smell. Now, which shop sells these things...'' Fujin left his house, locked the door and put up the ''Not at Home'' sign. He had a meal and then began searching through Konoha''s stores. Fujin searched various stores that sold ninja weapons and tools without any luck. Finally, he found one. It was a multi-storey shop that sold ninja tools and was very close to the Hokage Building. Fujin bought a few meditation mats and a lot of those incense sticks and candles. He also bought a lot of training equipment to be placed in the gravity room. While checking the store, he also found the equipment and blunt wooded weapons needed for the dodging room and bought them as well. After that, Fujin bought groceries, utensils and other necessary items for his house. He also took all the items that he needed from his old house, vacated it and completed the formalities and procedures related to it. By the evening, Fujin''s new house was set. Fujin exhaled in relief, ''I forgot how much work it is to change residence. When I left the orphanage, I didn''t own anything and barely had any necessities. Anyways, pretty much everything is set. The only remaining task is setting up the equipment and mechanisms in the Dodging room. I''ll do that tomorrow. For now...'' Fujin entered the meditation room and began meditating. He opened his eyes after 3 hours of meditation. A smile could be seen on his face. He thought, ''Excellent. This room is a total success!'' Happy with his work, Fujin went to sleep in his new cosy bedroom. The next day, Fujin made a change to his training routine. He cut the morning physical training in the training ground from 4 hours to 3 hours. That last one hour, he spent training in the Gravity room. He spent the remaining day setting up all the mechanisms in the dodging room. He tested the room a few times and had to make some changes until he was satisfied. Fujin thought, ''I think I can improve the efficiency of this room even more. Right now, I depend on my eyes and ears to sense incoming weapons and dodge. Once I''m able to dodge all weapons consistently, I will begin attempting it with my eyes closed. When I''m able to do that, I will use the Silence Seal to eliminate all noise. That should help improve my instincts. Anyways, all the plans that I had are completely implemented. Only one last thing to do...'' Chapter 157: Party! Fujin left the basement and got on the ground floor. He opened a scroll and summoned a very long cloth. Fujin began inscribing some seals on the cloth. After some time, Fujin made a hand sign. ''Cloth Binding Jutsu'' The cloth began moving around the staircase. Soon, it covered up the way down to the basement completely. The remaining cloth kept rolling over it to form multiple layers. The staircase and the basement below became completely invisible. Fujin made a hand seal and the cloth began hardening. Fujin walked towards it and stepped on it. He moved around on the cloth and analyzed, ''Excellent. It looks and feels just like the rest of the floor now.'' Fujin spread his chakra field and tried to sense the basement. But, he couldn''t. He smiled, ''Now even sensors can''t sense it. Though I guess someone like Renjiro can still find it. After all, he never said how he found the hiding spots of those Kiri ninjas. Anyways, it''s fine. It''s not like I really need to hide anything there. The main purpose of this is just distraction. In the future, if I''m suspected of doing anything fishy, then Konoha is sure to check my house. They will waste a lot of effort to check my house and find nothing in here at all, hahaha. And, it''ll let me know that I''m being suspected and I can preemptively take some precautionary measures. Of course, until then, I can keep improving my seals even more and make the defenses even sturdier. Hehe, how fun it''d be if I can have half a dozen types of barriers and a few dozen traps in my home. And all that to hide nothing!'' Fujin laughed at that thought. He calmed down thinking, ''Anyways, now that the house is ready, I should call a few people in. Mieko and Hoka had asked me to invite them. And I can invite Renjiro as well. Should I invite others? Hmm, who all? I can invite Genki in. Though he would probably not like to be among kids. I should also invite Teru, Yori and Hana. But probably best to not have them alongside Renjiro. As for my new team, I have just met them. So probably not a good idea to invite them right now. I could mention it after the next mission. So, in what order to invite?'' Fujin thought for a bit and decided, ''I''ll invite my old team first. Then I can invite Hoka again to hang alongside our classmates. Genki I''ll call later.'' Fujin made 3 shadow clones. The first one flickered towards the Senju Clan compound. The other two waited for a bit and left for Uchiha and Hyuga Clan compounds. The clone headed to the Senju clan reached first. Unfortunately, Renjiro was out on a mission. The clone passed a message about his new house and left. He searched for Teru''s house and invited him. He chatted for a bit with Teru and dispelled himself. The memories of the clone were transferred to Fujin and other clones. The other clones had reached the respective compounds but didn''t enter till they received the memories. Since Renjiro wasn''t available, they invited Mieko, Hoka, Yori and Hana. After Fujin received their memories, he thought, "That''s surprising. All are available for tomorrow. Luckily I bought a lot of snacks. Oh well, let''s see how my first time playing host in this world goes. Unfortunately no video games here. I should buy some board games and cards though. Might be handy if I decide to keep interacting in the future." Fujin created a couple of clones. One went to Genki and invited him to visit in the evening. The other clone went to civilian shops and bought some games. The next day, Fujin once again began his day with the new morning workout routine. At 9 AM, he went out to buy chicken. He made a shadow clone and went to the meditation room. The clone washed the chicken and left it to marinate with salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice. At noon, Fujin''s friends began arriving. Senju Teru was the first one to reach. Fujin welcomed him home. Teru said, "Long time no see. I was surprised to see you yesterday." Fujin nodded and said, "Yup. One of the reasons why I thought it''d be fun to get together." Teru asked, "Who else is coming?" Fujin answered, "Hoka, Yori, Hana and Mieko." Teru asked, "Who is Mieko?" Fujin answered, "She was on the same genin team as me and Hoka." Fujin said, "You guys use your clan grounds for training. I don''t really have that option." Teru said, "Still. A training ground for a month would cost around 75 thousand Ryo. That''s almost worth 1 rank B mission. Are you sure you aren''t secretly loaded Fujin?" They began moving towards the training ground. Fujin said, "Well, I did win a few million Ryo by gambling some time back. So training ground costs aren''t really an issue." The group was surprised. Mieko furrowed her eyebrows and nagged, "Fujin, you are gambling? Have you been wasting your time and risking your money in gambling after our team was disbanded?" Fujin was surprised. He stared back at Mieko. After a few seconds, he commented, "You are taking after your mother well." Mieko''s face immediately became red. She looked away. Fujin said, "And no. I gambled before our team disbanded." Hoka asked, "When?" Fujin smiled and said, "During the chunin exams." Hoka and Mieko took a few seconds to realize. Both their eyes widened as they looked at Fujin. They said, "You didn''t!" Fujin chuckled and didn''t reply. Yori asked, "You didn''t what?" Hana realized it as well as she said, "You bet on yourself during the chunin exams?" Fujin replied, "Bingo. I bet most of my money on myself." Mieko cursed, "Asshole. We were participating in it too!" Even Hoka was displeased. Fujin chuckled and said, "Sorry. But it was kinda good money." Both snorted. Soon, they arrived at the training ground. Yori looked at the destruction around him and asked, "Did a hurricane pass through here?" Fujin chuckled and said, "I guess you could say so. Anyways, how do you guys wanna fight? One-on-one or something else?" Mieko said, "I''m kicking Yori''s ass first!" Yori snorted and replied, "I can beat all of you together!" Fujin chuckled and said, "Alright. Let''s have a battle Royale then. All 6 will fight and no one will form teams." Teru said, "Oh, that sounds fun. When do we start?" Hoka shouted, "NOW!" Chapter 158: Another Battle Royale As soon as Hoka said yes, both he and Mieko attacked Fujin. However, Fujin flickered before they got close. Teru, Yori and Hana moved behind to create a safe distance. They were surprised to see Mieko and Hoka attack their former teammate. A scowl formed on Mieko''s face. She complained, "Now he will keep hiding till we are done fighting!" Teru asked, "What do you mean?" Hoka was about to answer when everyone noticed something. Very strong winds were headed towards them. Yori thought, ''Right. Fujin has an affinity to Wind nature. Wind is weak against Fire.'' He quickly made hand signs. ''Fire Release: Fireball jutsu'' Mieko and Hoka saw the fireball and flickered away. The Fireball hit the winds and was amplified and dispersed. Unfortunately, the winds carried these amplified flames back towards the group. Yori was shocked. Hana and Teru escaped underground. Yori also tried escaping, but he was slow. Fujin saw the flaming winds and smirked, ''As I expected, that moron blew fire into the winds.'' The jutsu he used was a powered-down variation of the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. It focused more on the wind flow rather than creating sharp winds. So the jutsu was pretty harmless despite its great momentum. At most, it could send someone flying for a few meters. The flaming winds hit Yori. However, his resistance to fire was quite high. He wasn''t injured much. Just some of his clothes caught fire, but he doused them quickly. Unfortunately for him, Fujin wasn''t his only opponent. His words were fresh in the minds of Hoka and Mieko. Both flickered and appeared next to him. Yori''s Sharingan noticed them flickering towards them. He immediately tossed shurikens at them. Mieko neutralized his shurikens with her own, while Hoka attacked from a range with Vacuum Palm. At such a close distance, Yori couldn''t dodge. The Vacuum Palm hit one of his chakra points and sealed it. It disoriented him. Hoka noticed the opportunity and attacked him again. ''Eight Trigrams: Sixteen Palms'' Yori tried struggling, but he was no match for Hoka''s Taijutsu. Hoka sealed Yori''s chakra points. After getting his last hit, Hoka said, "You are out." He placed his palm on Yori''s chest and pushed him towards a tree. However, at the same time, he heard, "So are you." Teru appeared under Hoka and grabbed his legs. "Earth Release: Headhunter jutsu" She escaped above ground, only to have a kunai placed at the back of her neck. Fujin said, "You have lost." A scowl formed on Mieko''s face. She gave up unwillingly while complaining in her heart, ''I always manage to detect and neutralize sneak attacks in mission. Why do I fall to his sneak attacks every time?'' As soon as she gave up, spikes formed on the ground and launched at Fujin. Fujin instantly flickered out of the way. His eyes glowed as he watched Teru''s location underground. More spikes and spears kept forming and launching at Fujin. Fujin dodged all. He thought, ''While hiding underground isn''t always good, if someone hides like a porcupine, then I don''t have a 2nd way of dealing with them. Just Vacuum Bullet, but that might kill him. So not usable in this situation.'' Realizing that he was only wasting his chakra, Teru left the underground. He said, "You have grown strong Fujin. I didn''t expect your Wind Release to improve so much." Fujin replied, "So have you. I never thought you would develop a porcupine-like battle tactic." Teru smirked. This battle tactic was very annoying. He enjoyed using it against Yori. Fujin said, "Wanna end this the old way?" Teru replied, "With our fists? Sure." Both rushed towards each other. Their fists clashed. They followed up with a flurry of punches and kicks. Teru was stronger and faster than Hana. But Fujin was still faster and stronger than him. In a minute, Fujin landed 7 hits on Teru. Fujin kicked at his chest. But Teru raised his forearms in defense. The kick landed on his forearms and sent him flying for a few meters. Fujin didn''t pursue him. Teru flipped in the air and landed on his feet. He complained, "Shit! What have you been eating?" Fujin just grinned without replying. Teru said, "I''ll use my full power. Be careful, this is the Taijutsu of my clan." Chakra began gathering around Teru''s fists and feet. Fujin could see it clearly. He understood what Teru was up to. A smile crept on his face. Teru didn''t understand why Fujin was smiling. He sent a punch straight at Fujin''s chest. Fujin formed a fist and gathered chakra in it. He punched Teru''s fist. Both the punches clashed. Teru''s eyes widened in shock as he felt the strength in Fujin''s punch. Fujin applied more force and sent him flying. Teru flipped in the air once again and landed on his feet. But, this time he was sent flying for 25 meters. And he skidded backwards a few meters more. He asked, "How do you know Senju Taijutsu Style?" Fujin said, "Did you forget who my sensei is?" Teru smiled bitterly, ''I didn''t think he would teach it to someone outside the clan.'' Teru shook his right hand and said, "I give up. I can barely feel my right hand anymore." Fujin said, "Yeah, mine kinda hurts too." He thought, ''I should check whether Kakuzu''s skin hardening jutsu is in the library. It might be a perfect combination with the Senju Taijutsu Style. Maybe I should discuss it with Renjiro.'' Chapter 159: Questioning Life Choices With the fight over, the other four gathered around Fujin and Teru. Mieko looked at Yori and taunted, "Yori, how does it feel to brag and get eliminated first?" Yori argued back, "You guys cheated. The rules said no teams, but you two, no, you three cooperated to deal with me!" Mieko scoffed, "Who said they could take all three of us by himself?" Yori was about to argue more, but Teru said, "Drop it, Yori. There''s no point in arguing." Yori snorted and stayed quiet. The group discussed for some time their jutsus, battle tactics and so on. After an hour, they dispersed. Fujin went back to his home while thinking, ''Not bad, this went much better than I thought. I never thought we would spend most of our time talking about jutsus and tactics. Was surprisingly insightful.'' After reaching home, Fujin cleaned up the mess and waited for Genki to return. He made a shadow clone and sent it to the library. The aim was to find Kakuzu''s skin-hardening jutsu and any other good jutsu available in the B section. Sometime later, Genki arrived. His jaws dropped on seeing Fujin''s house from the outside. He thought, ''What the hell? Why does he need such a huge house? And where did he get the money for this? Did he somehow convince Lord Hokage to give him another reward?'' He knocked on the door with his mind full of questions. Fujin opened the door immediately and welcomed him in. Genki awkwardly said, "It looks like you are doing very well, Fujin." Fujin didn''t understand the context. So he just nodded and said, "Yes Sensei." Genki sighed internally. He realized that Fujin didn''t understand him. Fujin asked, "Would you like to have something Sensei?" Genki was surprised. He asked, "What do you have?" Fujin answered, "Well, I have some snacks. And can cook a few pieces of Fried Chicken quickly."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Genki said, "Sure." Fujin made a Shadow Clone who got to work. Genki saw the clone and thought, ''He is using clones for this? Don''t tell me he made such a huge house to accommodate his clones!'' Genki said, "While your clone cooks, tell me what all you have experienced after graduating Fujin." Both sat down as Fujin began telling Genki most of the unimportant events. Genki listened carefully while asking questions or passing comments, compliments, and criticisms. They ate the fried chicken while discussing. He thought, ''What the hell? I thought he admired me. Instead, he just wants to take advantage of me! His greediness hasn''t decreased one bit!'' Fujin said, "Come on Sensei! I can handle myself as long as I am not facing Jounins. And my Sensor skills and Wind nature manipulation provide the perfect support!" However, Genki remained adamant, "No" Fujin looked at Genki with a deadpan expression. Genki thought, ''Why is he looking at me like this?'' He became a bit uncomfortable and asked, "What?" Fujin said, "At least give a proper argument..." Genki sighed and said, "I am a newly promoted Jounin. I am not our team leader. So I can''t bring you along anyways." Fujin thought for a bit, ''That is reasonable. Still...'' Fujin sighed and said, "Alright Sensei. But at least recommend my name if you need someone with a skillset like mine." Genki finally nodded and said, "Alright. But don''t keep your hopes too high." Fujin smiled and nodded. Genki gave Fujin some advice on how to take care of the house and left. After he left, Fujin sighed, ''Playing host is too much work. Though it should be fine once in a while. Also, none of my guests today noticed the basement. Looks like this cover is good enough.'' Fujin created a shadow clone. It dispelled itself almost immediately. The memories of the clone were passed to the clone in the library. It dispelled itself. Fujin received the memories and was surprised, ''Wow! I didn''t think there was so much good stuff that I never checked! The jutsu Kakuzu used is called the Iron Skin jutsu. In addition, many Barrier jutsus are also placed in the B section. They will be good to have alongside my Fuinjutsu. There is also the Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon! That would be another good defense to have. Though there is no triple or more layered Rashomon jutsus. Still, even without them, this is great. Wild Lion''s Mane Jutsu is another good one. It is the jutsu that Jiraiya used to extend and strengthen his hair. And Needle Jizo jutsu, based on this jutsu, is also there. Actually, I can form a new defense system with Rashomon, Iron Skin and Lion''s Mane jutsus. Combined with my high speed and intercepting or deterring attacks at mid-range with Wind Jutsus, injuring me will become very difficult. Tobirama''s Bringer of Darkness Genjutsu to target the Uchiha is present in the B section as well. Hmm, so 5 B rank jutsus that I will need to master. And might need some barrier jutsus as well. I will focus on these after I am done with my Lightning release. Once I am done with all of them, I will try the summoning jutsu! With that good defense, I should be fine even if I encounter wild and ferocious summons who won''t reason with anyone.'' Chapter 160: Castle Defense Fujin entered the lowest floor in the basement. He extended his palm and looked at it. Chakra began spinning in his palm taking a circular shape. Fujin decided, ''It''s been a long time since I practiced this jutsu. In fact, I haven''t practiced it since I graduated from the academy!'' Fujin began practicing the Rasengan. With all the seals he inscribed, he was no longer worried about anyone seeing this. He was able to form the Rasengan properly, though it was a bit slower. He continued his training using different methods. He initially tried decreasing the time needed to form it as much as he could. When he couldn''t decrease it any further, he began trying to form the Rasengan while running. After training for 2 days, Fujin managed to improve his control over Rasengan considerably. He was able to form a proper sphere. And he improved the speed of creating the Rasengan by a huge degree! He could now create a Rasengan in fractions of a second and while moving around freely and even while running on walls or ceilings. A smile formed on Fujin''s face as he watched the Rasengan. He thought, ''Great. Rasengan has been mastered to a sufficient degree! Though I should still test it out in mock battles. More importantly, I can prepare for Rasenshuriken when I''m ready. That''s an S rank jutsu that no living ninja would like to get hit by.'' Fujin played with the ball of chakra in his hand as he thought, ''That said, it''s best to never use this jutsu. Aside from the trouble of explaining how I learnt this, there is also the issue of its effectiveness. A sword with wind chakra flow will be far more dangerous in most scenarios. The only time a Rasengan could be more effective is when I''m clashing head-on against another strong jutsu. But, considering the high-speed nature of my fights until now, such clashes are almost non-existent. A giant Rasengan could be more effective, but it''ll consume a lot of chakra. So again, it won''t be worth it until I can find a way to significantly increase my chakra reserves.'' After observing the Rasengan properly, Fujin dispersed it and his clone and began training again. Since he already had formed a Rasengan properly, he was progressing rapidly. Fujin''s next mission with Tamotsu and the rest was uneventful once again. It was a protection mission again and they didn''t even encounter any ninjas. After the mission, Fujin returned to training in his basement. Around him, there were multiple metal mannequin dummies. He had bought them to test his jutsus. Fujin created a Rasengan, stepped forward and smashed the Rasengan into a dummy. The Rasengan sank into its abdomen creating a hole in it. Soon, it exploded and blasted the dummy, sending its pieces flying across the basement. Fujin grinned, ''Excellent power! Now I need to test it in mock battles.'' Fujin made a hand sign and a Shadow Clone popped next to him. Both moved away from each other. Fujin began creating the Rasengan and charged at his clone at the same time. Meanwhile, the clone attacked Fujin with wooden shurikens and Wind Explosion spheres to keep him away. And, it also moved away from him whenever Fujin managed to close the distance between them. Fujin''s goal was to hit his clone with the Rasengan without using any other jutsu or distractions. While the clone just tried to avoid getting hit. After a day of intense training, Fujin was breathing heavily. He complained, ''What the heck? It''s impossible to hit someone who is as fast as you to hit with the Rasengan! I chased after my clone the whole day without any success! Though my clone did use body flicker whenever I was about to succeed. I guess I should try performing Rasengan while flickering around. Otherwise, it will be hopeless.'' By the time he had to go for the next mission, Fujin could use the Rasengan while flickering in his basement. He had managed to hit his clone a few times. He was very happy with his progress.The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. As for the defense, I am the only Jounin in the castle. So I will take on the enemy leader. We also have 12 chunins and 17 genins. So we are confident at defending. But we asked for help in case something outside our calculations happens and to decrease our casualties." Fujin heard the details and his left eye twitched. He thought, ''This guy is considered a Jounin?'' Tamotsu nodded and inquired, "Do you know where those guys are located? We could launch preemptive attacks and cause them casualties." Sotan replied, "No. We don''t know their hideout. Also, the Daimyo wants us to kill every last one of them. If we attack their hideout, then many of them might manage to escape." Tamotsu said, "Alright. Is the Daimyo still in the castle?" Sotan didn''t speak and just shook his head. Tamotsu asked, "Do we have any idea when the attack will happen?" Sotan answered, "No. I will arrange for you guys to live on the highest floor with Daimyo and his family. That floor also provides a good view of the surroundings. So you can keep an eye on any attackers. Of course, give priority to your rest as we need you guys at full readiness when the attack happens." Sotan led them to the topmost floor. There were 3 rooms on this floor. There was also a small balcony on all sides equipped with Binoculars and other tools to assist in keeping a watch on the surroundings. One of these rooms had a few people who looked very scared. They were the body doubles of the Daimyo and his family. Sotan explained the defenses and traps that they had set up and asked whether Tamotsu and his subordinates would like to set up more. Tamotsu agreed and asked Ryota and Katsumi to add more traps. They both got to work. Tadashi volunteered to go scout the nearby areas. Tamotsu went to check out some stuff. Meanwhile, Fujin decided to laze on the top floor. He thought, ''I was kinda excited, but this mission seems to be a bore too. If Sotan is considered a Jounin, then I could probably go and kill the entire enemy camp. Sigh, I guess only Rank A and S missions will be exciting. Anyways, this country is known as the Land of Noodles. I wonder how good the noodles from here taste.'' Fujin left to find the cooks in the palace. The cooks and other common people weren''t aware of the incoming attack. So they were relaxed. But they recognized the headband on Fujin''s head and were very respectful to him despite his young age. The head cook met Fujin and asked with a smile, "I am the chief cook here. How may I help you young one?" Fujin replied, "Hello chief. I was wondering how good the noodles from this country are." The chief cook''s smile disappeared and he asked seriously, "Young man, are you underestimating the noodles from here?" Fujin kept his smile and said, "Nope. I''m just a normal foodie. So give me your best." The chief cook said, "We have 19 varieties of noodle dishes here. And all the 19 varieties are the best among any noodles." Fujin said, "Oh, that''s cool. I''ll try all 19 varieties during my time here then." Chapter 161: The Carefree Foodie Over the next couple of days, Fujin tried 17 varieties of noodle dishes. All were delicious and could be put at a similar level as Ichiraku. Sotan was dissatisfied with Fujin''s carefree nature and acting as if he was on a vacation. But Fujin paid him no heed. Tamotsu and the rest also noticed Fujin''s attitude but didn''t say anything. They concluded that Fujin had gotten carefree after a couple of very easy missions. They themselves had a similar experience. They believed that Fujin''s attitude would improve after they get a mission that gets very serious. Of course, their analysis was incorrect. Fujin was very alert. Despite his carefree attitude, he was very serious. Once the fighting begins, he will be as serious as he can be. His actions were only a result of him deciding to relax mentally and physically after a longish training routine as they had nothing to do until their opponents decided to show up. On the 3rd afternoon in the castle, Fujin was sitting on the edge of the balcony on the top floor, eating the last of the 19 dishes. It was Chicken and Mushroom Sauced Noodles with Basil. As he grabbed the noodles with his chopsticks and ate, he looked straight ahead. His eyes glowed blue as he observed numerous silhouettes trying to approach the castle stealthily. He swallowed the noodles and said with a steady voice, "They are here." After saying that, he began eating again while thinking, ''Just 18? These guys need to find their source and hang him. There are over 50 attackers. And all have chakra. Though none are exceptionally strong. Anyways, I didn''t think that standing at an altitude would increase the range of my chakra-enhanced eyesight so much. I can barely see a few hundred meters when at ground level. But from here, I can observe for almost 3 kilometers. A shame that the chakra field doesn''t extend in this manner too.'' Fujin''s voice was heard clearly by the people on the top floor. Tamotsu, Ryota, Katsumi and Tadashi immediately appeared behind him, only to see him eating in a very relaxed manner. Black lines formed on their faces. Fujin said, "The intel was incorrect. There are over 50 attackers." Hearing that, all four became serious and began observing the surroundings. The attackers were still over a couple of kilometers away. But the Konoha Chunins could see the slight movements in the trees as they moved. Tamotsu made a shadow clone who went to warn Sotan and get him to ready his men. Ryota said with a bitter smile, "It looks like we hit a steel plate this time. It will be a tough fight." Tamotsu said, "Focus on keeping yourself alive. I know that the mission statement is to keep them alive. But keeping ourselves alive is the most important thing. We can''t do our mission if we are dead. Especially you, Fujin. Don''t get too excited." Fujin replied, "Don''t worry. Though their numbers are high, none of them seems exceptionally strong. So we should be fine." Tamotsu was surprised. He said, "I didn''t expect your sensory skills to be so strong." Fujin replied, "The altitude helps in covering more area. But I can''t extend my chakra field that far away. So I am not 100% sure. And we should consider the possibility of someone being able to conceal their chakra." Tamotsu nodded and said, "It''s good that you are considering these aspects." Fujin asked, "So, what''s our plan? With the enemy outnumbering us almost 2:1, the old plans are unusable." Fujin flickered to the nearest group. He killed 2 groups, consisting of a total of 5 Genins in a row before getting to the rear of the attacking forces. Fujin''s kills were done very silently. The enemy group wasn''t aware of his actions. After killing 8, he set his target on one of the Jounins. Behind the enemy lines, there were no obstacles for Fujin. He flickered close to the nearest Jounin. After getting in range, he attacked from behind. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet jutsu'' The Jounin and his two subordinates were moving ahead confidently. They were sure about winning. However, the Jounin suddenly felt some danger and moved to his left. The Vacuum Bullet grazed past his right arm leaving a cut. The Vacuum Bullet kept going ahead and pierced through multiple trees. They were shocked and quickly turned around to confront the sneak attacker. Fujin was surprised, ''He dodged? I guess it might not be so boring after all.'' The Jounin and the two Chunins didn''t see anyone behind them. Fujin had already flickered after attacking. One of the Chunins asked, "Who attacked us, boss?" The Jounin said, "Stay on alert. The enemy should be watching us! And don''t get hit by his attack!" They stayed on guard for a few seconds, but no new attack happened. The Jounin frowned, ''Is someone trying to kill me? Or is it just a tactic to stop me here? No, that attack was strong. I have to keep my guard up!'' The three stood with their backs to each other, watching every direction. Soon, some noise was heard from one direction. Two Wind Gale Wolves appeared and pounced on them. The Chunins immediately threw a kunai with an explosion tag on each wolf. Both wolves were dispersed. However, when they were distracted by the wolves, Fujin silently flickered behind them and used Air Bullet jutsu. The Jounin realized and shouted, "DODGE!" He immediately moved away. But the two Chunins were distracted by the wolves. Both got hit by multiple bullets. One of the bullets pierced through one of their hearts, while another pierced through the head of the other Chunin. As soon as the Jounin dodged, he threw Shurikens at Fujin. However, Fujin flickered out of the way. The Jounin was angry at how easily two of his subordinates died! He shouted, "Bastard! I will kill you!" Fujin didn''t reply. Instead, he threw a few shurikens at him. The Jounin easily blocked them with his kunai. However, while he was blocking, Fujin''s shadow clone attacked with Air Bullet jutsu from the rear. The Jounin once again dodged quickly. A few scratches appeared on him, but none were life-threatening. The Jounin realized, ''He had a clone attack us with those wolves while his main body sneak attacked us. And now he has done the reverse. What a troublesome opponent!'' Meanwhile, Fujin was thinking, ''Does he have eyes at the back of his head?'' Chapter 162: Chaoter 159: The Ghostly Swordsman! While Fujin was fighting, the remaining forces reached the castle walls. The fight had begun. However, with Sotan holding back the 2nd Jounin, the Konoha chunins began cutting through enemy ranks with ease. After dodging Fujin''s attack, the Jounin opened a scroll and made a hand sign. The scroll opened in a way that it circled around him. Soon, dozens of kunais with explosion tags were launched from the scroll. Fujin immediately used Infinite Breakthrough jutsu while his clone hid underground. The jutsu stopped all the kunais heading towards Fujin. They all exploded. The explosion, however, also dispersed Fujin''s jutsu and created a lot of dust cover. The Jounin took the opportunity of the dust cover to run away from Fujin. He thought, ''Is that a kid or a monster? How does he know so many jutsus? I don''t want to fight him. This attack can fail for all I care!'' Fujin noticed him running and thought, ''Did he really not figure out that I am a sensor? And why hasn''t he used any jutsus?'' As he was running, he suddenly jumped. But, his legs were still caught by Fujin''s clone. He lost his balance and was about to fall on his face. However, to Fujin''s surprise, he managed to get a hold of himself immediately. He pointed his right arm towards the ground to ensure that he didn''t fall on his face. At the same time, he threw a kunai at Fujin''s clone with his free hand. Unfortunately for him, the clone had caught his legs with just one purpose. The clone immediately exploded. The majority of the force of the explosion was focused on his palms. The explosion completely ruined his two legs. His left leg was blown into two. His right leg was burned to the bone and was barely attached. He yelled hoarsely in pain. His yells stopped the next second when an Air Bullet pierced through his heart, killing him. Fujin made a clone to collect his body as he thought, ''What a strange opponent! His survival instinct was top-notch. He could dodge deadly attacks from blind spots with ease. The only reason why my clone managed to grab his legs is that that act itself didn''t have any possibility of harming him, which is probably why he was slow at jumping. But, he didn''t use any jutsu at all other than summoning those exploding kunais. Could it be that he didn''t know any good jutsu at all?'' Fujin analyzed for a few seconds before concluding, ''Yes, that is probably the case. I have to admire his perseverance to train to this extent without any proper system. If he was a part of any of the major villages, he might have actually become a famous Jounin. Sigh, I should be glad that I transmigrated to Konoha. If I wasn''t a part of the major villages, then I would only have the knowledge of learning Wind Manipulation, Rasengan and Chakra Control exercises. Even becoming a ninja would have been difficult!'' Fujin spread his chakra field to observe the battle happening on the walls. The battle had just begun and was at full force. Fujin unsheathed a sword. Chakra began flowing through it as he thought, ''Oh well, time to harvest some lives!'' ''Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu'' Fujin appeared close to where the fighting was happening. He had already eliminated 11 enemies, bringing the total numbers close to equal. A Chunin from the Land of Noodles was engaged in an intense battle against a rogue Chunin. However, he was shocked when he saw a sword cut off his opponent''s head in one swing. But, before he could see the face of the swordsman, he had already disappeared. Hearing Fujin''s answer left them speechless. Unlike the Land of Noodles ninjas, the Konoha ninjas had noticed Fujin cutting down the enemies. Though they didn''t see all his kills, they all had only one thought, ''Did this eleven-year-old kid kill more than us four combined?'' Sotan was the first one to overcome his shock. He said, "Show me the body. I''ll tell you whether he has any bounty." Fujin looked at Tamotsu who nodded. Fujin summoned his body from the scroll. When Sotan''s eyes lay on the dead body''s face, he was terrified! He yelled, "THE NOODLE THIEF!" His shout attracted attention. The Land of Grass ninjas were very surprised on hearing it. On the other hand, the Konoha ninjas thought, ''The what?'' Sotan looked at Fujin with a terrified expression on his face. He said, "He is the Noodle Thief! He is a terrible rogue ninja. How did you manage to kill him?" Tamotsu and others watched Fujin. However, Fujin was dumbfounded. He thought, ''Terrible rogue ninja? He really was terrible, but I don''t think he means the same. How the heck did this weakling get such a response from him?'' Fujin asked calmly, "Can you give details about him?" Sotan said with some fear in his voice, "He is a rogue ninja from the Land of Tea. He was expelled from the village when he was only a genin. Apparently, he trained by himself to reach the Jounin level without any guidance. He migrated to this country and began stealing our Caravans when they exported Noodles. He used to only attack caravans that weren''t guarded by ninjas or only guarded by Genins. We were forced to issue a rank B protection mission for every Caravan we set. We issued rank B, rank A and even rank S missions to hunt him down. Unfortunately, no matter what we did, no one ever managed to find him! He was so good that we never even received any information on the jutsus that he specialized in! Due to him, we lost noodles worth tens of millions Ryo and have to spend millions on protection every year. In the end, our Daimyo issued a 13 million Ryo bounty on his head hoping that someone might kill him." Fujin was shocked, ''What the fuck? This weakling has a 13 million bounty? And how the fuck did he survive against Rank S missions? Don''t tell me that his freakish survival instincts warned him every time and enabled him to hide properly from the hunters. Or did he just find a perfect hiding spot?'' Fujin''s analysis was on point. The Noodle Thief had found an old base created in secret by the Land of Water during the Third Great Ninja war. The base was difficult to spot naturally and was made to be a perfect hidden base with the help of Fuinjutsu. Post the war, Kirigakure got embroiled in a civil war and the base was forgotten. In addition, his survival instincts always alerted him when someone very strong was out to hunt him, ensuring that he stayed hidden. Due to this, his reputation got built rapidly. Unfortunately, his instincts didn''t kick in this time until he was attacked by Fujin and his lucky run was over! Seeing that Fujin wasn''t saying anything, Sotan stopped asking and said, "Lord Daimyo will be thrilled to know that you managed to neutralize him. Wait here for a day. Lord Daimyo should arrive at the castle by tomorrow morning." Tamotsu agreed to stay back another day as they needed some rest as well. While Sotan was talking with them, the ninjas from the Land of Noodles were talking about their fights. Soon, they all began talking about the Ghostly Swordsman who helped many of them! For years to come, the Legend of the Ghostly Swordsman will be spoken in this country. Many would speculate that Fujin was the Ghostly Swordsman, but none would be sure as they never saw the face of the Ghostly Swordsman. Chapter 163: Chaoter 160: Future Daimyos Invitation Konoha chunins retreated to their room after the battle was over. Tadashi couldn''t resist but asked, "Fujin, how did you manage to kill a Jounin?" Fujin shrugged and said, "He was very weak." Ryota asked, "He is a Jounin. How can he be weak?" Fujin chuckled and said, "If he was in my chunin exam, I am sure that he won''t even get promoted to Chunin." Fujin''s teammates suddenly had strange expressions. Initially, they assumed that Fujin was being modest. But now, Fujin had implied that the students in his chunin exams were stronger. Ryota asked, "What do you mean? Didn''t he know some sort of secret jutsus?" Fujin said, "During our fight, he had plenty of opportunities to use jutsus, but he didn''t use any. Even in death, he didn''t use any jutsu. So most likely, he didn''t know any jutsu at all. He just had a very strong survival instinct that allowed him to dodge multiple killing blows. I guess that he was just lucky to never be discovered." Fujin''s answer left them dumbfounded. Tadashi''s chin dropped. He exclaimed, "You''ve got to be kidding me!" His dog Kenta barked in agreement. After the moment of disbelief passed, Tamotsu said, "Fujin, about the bounty reward..." Fujin looked at him and asked, "What about it?" Before Tamotsu answered, Fujin said, "Oh, we divide the bounty rewards as well, right?" Tamotsu nodded. Fujin said, "Alright." Tamotsu smiled. He was hoping that Fujin would answer this way. If Fujin had refused to share, he would have kicked him out of the team. He said, "While we do usually share such bounty rewards, all the work was done by you in this case. So you can keep the entire reward. Does anyone else disagree?" Fujin was surprised to see that no one showed any dissatisfaction. He asked, "Are you guys sure? I don''t mind dividing the reward equally." Fujin really didn''t mind. After all, money wasn''t much help in this world. The stuff that could aid Fujin in getting stronger, such as the Elemental crystals, couldn''t be bought with money. At the very least, it couldn''t be bought with just a few million Ryo. After some more formalities, the Konoha team left. While leaving, Ryota said, "Wow! I thought you would accept Fujin. Being a guardian of a Daimyo is a huge honor." Fujin replied, "I doubt I''ll get many opportunities to gain experience as a bodyguard. And, it''s unlikely that they will suffer a bigger threat than the last attack any time soon. So it would be very boring." While Fujin said that, his thoughts were completely different, ''Seriously, why do strong ninjas even have respect for the Daimyos? It''s not like they have any real power. Their only real achievement is being born as the first child of a Daimyo. I am surprised that someone like Danzo or any other psycho didn''t get rid of them and took control of all the finances and management of entire countries.'' Tamotsu said, "While the job is boring, it is very prestigious. And there are a lot of perks to being a Guardian of a Daimyo. The most important being that you can be an ambassador for our village and use your influence to send most of the missions to Konoha." Fujin said, "Oh, I didn''t think from that point of view. But, isn''t our Mission center full of missions anyways?" Tamotsu said, "Yeah, that''s true." He became silent as he recalled the losses from the previous Great Wars. After a day''s journey, the group returned to Konoha and accepted the mission rewards. Tamotsu said, "You guys can leave. I will hand the Daimyo''s letter to Lord Hokage and report him on the mission as well." Others nodded and left. Tamotsu entered the Hokage''s office and greeted Hiruzen and handed him the letter and said, "Our mission this time became a few times more difficult. The Daimyo of the Land of Noodles sent you a letter." Hiruzen read it and said, "Looks like the Daimyo is very impressed by your work. He has especially praised Fujin a lot. How is your experience with him so far?" Tamotsu nodded and said, "The kid is good. He didn''t do anything in the previous two missions, but in this mission, he was invaluable. He spotted the attack long before others. In the fight, he killed 1 Jounin, 6 Chunins and 20 Genins. And he helped subdue the leader of the rogues as well." Hiruzen analyzed for a bit and said, "The data on the Noodle Thief seems inconsistent. Though he had a huge bounty, there are no records of him being in any significant fight." Tamotsu said, "Yeah. Actually, Fujin said that he was very weak. He just had a good survival instinct. I thought he was just being humble. But that might indeed be the case." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Regardless, it is a very good performance." Tamotsu agreed and added, "His attitude is good too. Though he killed the Noodle Thief by himself, he was willing to share the bounty with the entire team. We didn''t accept it, but the kid is very selfless." A weird expression formed on Hiruzen''s face as he thought, ''Selfless? Is he talking about the same person?'' Tamotsu didn''t notice the change in expression. He reported the remaining details to Hiruzen before leaving. After he left, Hiruzen wondered, ''It''s good that he was willing to share the rewards with his team, but how did he become so selfless all of a sudden? Does he only become greedy in front of me?'' Hiruzen''s analysis was very close to the truth. Strong ninjas like Hiruzen and Renjiro knew a lot of jutsus that Fujin wanted. And it didn''t cost them anything to teach apart from maybe time. So he will always use any means necessary to get some jutsus from them. As for money, in Fujin''s eyes, Hiruzen handled all finances of Konoha. And Konoha was the richest hidden village. So he operates under the assumption that Hiruzen is loaded! Chapter 164: Training Lightning Release After reaching home, Fujin thought, ''I guess that''s the highest level of difficulty a rank B mission can get. Looks like my self-analysis of being Jounin level wasn''t incorrect. Unfortunately, Konoha wouldn''t promote me anytime soon. Also, tougher missions would mean that my life will be at more risk. My calculations were right. I should use this time to strengthen myself as much as I can.'' Fujin entered one of the rooms in the basement and turned on the lights. The room was empty. Fujin took out a scroll and summoned a few devices. There was a transformer, an Ammeter, an Ohmmeter, rubber boots, rubber gloves and a few wires. Fujin wore the boots and began arranging the set-up while thinking, ''In order to avoid suspicion, I memorized the training process for all five elements long back. Only training methods for Yang and Yin elements aren''t available in the library. For the Lightning element, the way to train is a bit complicated as compared to Wind and Earth. Though at the same time, it is straightforward. I just have to endure shocks in increasing intensity to master it. I will first need to measure the resistance of my body. And then I will have to use the Transformer to subject my body to increasing voltages. That will induce a current to flow through my body. Even that has to be done in phases. My limbs can endure a higher current. But if a current passes through my heart or brain, then it could be lethal. Those two parts will have to be trained separately. Anyways, the first step of learning Lightning release is being able to withstand 10 Ampere current through my whole body for one minute. The second step is to produce that much current on my hands. With these 2 steps alone, I will be able to learn Lightning jutsus up to rank B. Rank A and S will need me to be able to resist and produce a stronger current.l--B1n. That said, increasing the intensity of the current that I can produce will strengthen the lower-ranked jutsus. Of course, on the flip side, I can use rank C and lower jutsus after being able to produce a current of 100 milliamperes. But it won''t be very strong. Fujin completed the setup. He created a Shadow clone to control the voltage. The setup had 2 open-ended wires. Fujin grabbed one with his left hand. He taped the 2nd wire to his upper arm. This way, the current would enter his hand, pass through his arm and leave through the wire attached to his upper arm. The clone set the output of the transformer to 10V and switched it on. The current began flowing through Fujin''s body. A number appeared on the Ammeter which was attached to the circuit. It read 0.125 mA. Fujin began calculating, ''0.125 milliamperes for 10 Volts would mean that my body resistance is 80,000 Ohm. The scroll said that I should be able to feel the current when it reaches 1 milliampere.'' He looked at his clone and said, "Increase it to 80 Volts." His Clone nodded and increased the output of the transformer. Immediately, Fujin began to feel a slight tingling sensation through his arm. However, Fujin shook his head and said, "This is just the natural endurance I have developed over the years. The main training will start from now onwards. I have a feeling that this will take a long time just to reach the necessary endurance." He thought, ''I wonder how Sasuke managed to learn lightning Release and master Chidori in under a month. Was it just his talent and the Sharingan? Or does Kakashi, no, the Hatake clan have a better way to master the Lightning Release?'' Fujin repeated the same training for his remaining 3 limbs. He followed it up by sending current from one hand to the other, allowing the current to flow through his chest. He started low and stopped at 5 mA. He repeated the same for a current to pass from the top of his head to the ground after removing his shoes. Fujin trained this way for a week. By then, he could endure currents of 500 mA passing through his limbs and 100 mA through his whole body. He also managed to generate a current of 250 mA on his hand. In these 7 days, in order to avoid any suspicion, he also went to the training ground for an early morning workout and after lunch to practice his Wind Release and Wind Vacuum Technique for a couple of hours daily. The Lightning training also had a great effect on Fujin''s physique. Fujin noticed, ''In addition to learning Lightning release, this method has a great effect on my body. I can feel my body getting slightly stronger due to those electric shocks. Though I guess that it will become ineffective after some time. Just like the Senju Taijutsu style increased my Chakra. Still, this physical buff will be very helpful.'' For the next couple of months, Fujin focused on training his Lightning element. The Lightning training along with the intense morning workout had done wonders for his body. He now operated the training seal at 95% capacity. During this time, his team did 7 rank B missions. Having seen his capabilities, Fujin was given a much more active role in the team. Unfortunately, the missions weren''t very challenging. Finally, Fujin managed to generate 10 Ampere current. He and his clone grinned as they read 10A on the Ammeter. Fujin said, "Time to learn Lightning Ninjutsu now. You go to the library. Check out the jutsus of Lightning, Fire and Water release." The clone nodded and left. Fujin meditated in the meditation room until the clone sent the info back. The clone began going through all Fire, Lightning and Water jutsus in Sections E, D, C and B. Of course, he only read the Lightning jutsus with full focus. As for the Fire and Water element scrolls, the clone analyzed the Lightning jutsus he read while pretending to read those scrolls. After a couple of hours, the clone dispelled and sent the information back! Chapter 165: Should I form a Personal Force? Fujin''s eyes in the meditation room suddenly opened. A frown formed on his face when he received the information, ''Wind and Lightning are indeed a bad combination. Though the clone found decent ninjutsus, there wasn''t a single Lightning jutsu that could compliment my current skills.'' He analyzed for some time before concluding, ''Looks like other than Raikage''s Lightning cloak mode and Sasuke''s Kirin, the remaining Lightning jutsus won''t be of any use to me when it comes to improving my strength. So that leaves only concealment. Alright. I''ll form a new combat system based on my Lightning jutsus. I won''t use any Wind jutsus or jutsus that can connect me with Konoha except the Shadow Clone and Body Flicker jutsus. The basis of this new system will be speed complemented by high accuracy and high penetration power attacks. While I don''t have any immediate need of creating such a persona, I am currently in a very peaceful phase with a lot of free time. It''s best to create this combat system before my life becomes hectic. With that decided, time to start learning the jutsus. I''ll start with...'' Fujin''s thoughts were interrupted as he heard a doorbell. He wondered, ''Who''d come to visit at this time? Is Renjiro back? No, the chakra signature is too low.'' Fujin went up to check. Before opening the door, he sealed up the entrance to the basement. Fujin opened the door to see 5 faces that he didn''t recognize. After a few seconds, he recognized a couple of them and was surprised. He thought, ''Well, what a surprise. I nearly forgot about these two. I wonder why they are here.'' Aoki Daisuke said with a bit of nervousness, "Hey Fujin. How have you been?" Tatsuya also greeted Fujin. Fujin said, "I have been doing well. How about you two? Anyways, come in." The 5 young boys entered his house. Daisuke looked around the house with marvel. He was already surprised when he saw it from the outside. He exclaimed, "Your house is magnificent Fujin!" Fujin said, "Thanks." They sat in the circular room. Fujin asked, "So, what brings you here? Also, who are these 3?" Daisuke introduced them, "They are our good friends. They are Anzai Buncho, Handa Bunjiro and Iriye Ryoma. They are our best friends from our class and are orphans just like us." After a long internal debate, Fujin decided to aid them. He had heard what Daisuke said. Apparently, their class wasn''t taught as much as Fujin''s class was. They were taught the 3 Academy ninjutsu in the 6th year. In the previous 5 years, they were only taught theory, hand signs, leaf concentration, shuriken throwing, kunai wielding and various survival skills needed to be a ninja. None of the 5 ever mentioned visiting the library. After they stopped speaking, Fujin said, "Let''s go outside. Show me how you perform the three jutsus." Their eyes brightened when they heard it. It meant that Fujin was planning to teach them. They left the house. Daisuke started first. He said, "I will start with the Substitution jutsu." He began making hand signs. Fujin thought, ''Correct hand signs, but too slow.'' Daisuke wanted to use the substitution jutsu to impress Fujin, but Fujin was staring right at him without looking away. The substitution jutsu worked on misdirection. With Fujin staring directly at him, he had no way to misdirect Fujin. He tried to time his substitution jutsu to the time Fujin blinked his eyes. But, Fujin saw it clearly as he grabbed the log next to him and swapped positions with it. Seeing Fujin''s eyes following him left him embarrassed. Fujin said, "This looks alright. Though you have to be faster. Show me the transformation jutsu. Transform into Tatsuya." Daisuke nodded and made hand signs and transformed into Tatsuya. There were a lot of imperfections in the jutsu. Fujin said, "You will have to practice this more. Show me the Clone jutsu." Daisuke made hand signs. Immediately, a clone appeared next to him. But the clone looked nothing like him. In fact, Fujin doubted whether it could even walk! Fujin thought, ''I guess Naruto isn''t the only one who sucks at this.'' Daisuke was embarrassed looking at the clone. Fujin asked the others to display their jutsus as well. All four could do one jutsu satisfactorily but struggled in the remaining two. Fujin said, "Actually, there is not much I can do to aid you with the jutsus directly. You guys will just have to practice until you learn. I will instead help you with some other techniques that would aid you in learning jutsus faster." Their expressions fell when they heard that Fujin won''t be able to help them. But on hearing that he will teach them other techniques, they got excited. They had seen the jutsus Fujin used in the Chunin exam. They thought, ''If he taught us even one jutsus from the ones he used in the exam, we will be the strongest in our class!'' Unfortunately, their sky-high expectations were set to fall on the ground and be broken into a million pieces! Chapter 166: Learning Lightning Jutsus Fujin said, "How long can you guys hold the Leaf on your head during the Leaf Concentration exercise?" Daisuke answered, "23 minutes." Tatsuya said, "28 minutes." Buncho said, "17 minutes." Bunjiro said, "38 minutes." Ryoma said, "26 minutes." Fujin said, "That''s very low. No need to practice any ninjutsu for now. Increase that to one hour." Tatsuya immediately complained, "But that exercise is so boring!" Fujin said, "Not really a choice Tatsuya." Ryoma complained, "Can''t you just teach us any of your jutsus Fujin?" Fujin looked at him and said harshly, "The reason why I could become strong is that my basics are good. If any of you can''t maintain the leaf for an hour, you should give up your dreams of becoming a ninja and drop out of the academy." Fujin''s reply shocked them. Fujin was their age. They expected him to be cordial with them and help them like a friend. They never imagined that he''d be stricter than the academy teachers. Before anyone could make another comment to upset Fujin, Daisuke said, "Alright Fujin. We will work on it." Fujin said, "Come back after you guys manage this. Oh, and come around noon. If I''m not at home at that time, then I''m doing a mission. So check after a few days." Daisuke nodded. Fujin returned back home while they left his property. They immediately began complaining. Banjiro said, "This was a waste of time. I admired him so much. I never thought that he would be so arrogant!" Fujin managed to learn and aim it correctly in under a day. However, he realized a crucial issue, ''Though I can aim properly, I can''t control the intensity of the shocks perfectly. Only in around 15% of cases, it was as intense as I wanted it to be.'' Fujin sighed in relief, ''I''m glad I didn''t try those jutsus before realizing this issue. It could have been bad! Sigh, I keep underestimating this world. There is danger even while learning a jutsu! Anyways, this issue shouldn''t affect me while learning the Lightning Beam jutsu. I''ll train my control after learning this jutsu.'' Lightning Beam jutsu was a B rank jutsu. This jutsu was just a powered-up version of the Lightning Blast jutsu. It could fire a beam twice as wide as the Lightning Blast jutsu. The shocks from this jutsu would be very painful and fatal. Even if someone dodges this jutsu, they could still be attacked if they are within 2 feet of the beam. Due to the high power of the jutsu, small lightning arcs are expelled occasionally from the beam that can hit anyone in the vicinity and cause more damage than the Lightning Bolt jutsu. Three days after Fujin began learning the jutsu, Fujin was standing in front of a metal statue. He made the hand signs and aimed his right palm at the statue. Lightning appeared in his palm and a beam was fired at the statue. The Lightning Beam hit the statue. The statue kept getting hit by the beam for 30 seconds when Fujin finally stopped it. The statue was in a bad shape. The face had melted and couldn''t be called a face anymore. Multiple cracks had occurred on the surface of the statue. Fujin smiled, ''Alright. Single Target mid-range jutsu learnt. Now, I should work on control.'' Fujin returned to the room where he had endured electric shocks. He opened his scroll and took out a few items. He set up a circuit. The circuit had an 80 Kilo Ohm resistor and an ammeter connected with a wire. Another couple of wires were connected to the other end of the ammeter and the resistor. These wires were left open. Fujin grabbed the wires and began generating electricity with his right hand. The current flowed through the circuit and values began appearing on the ammeter. Fujin decided, ''2.3 Ampere current. Let me try to keep it at 1 Ampere for 10 minutes. Then I will try keeping it stable at other amperes. I should also check this with the Voltmeter instead of the Ammeter to check both readings. The resistance of the resistor doesn''t decrease like the human body, but it would still be better to check.'' Fujin began practicing. His control improved slightly, but not much. The lightning was very unstable. Fujin could easily provide the max power continuously, but controlling it at lower levels was challenging. He kept practicing till he had to go on a mission. His team gathered outside the Mission Center. Tamotsu went in and accepted a mission. He came out and said, "I accepted a Mission to the Land of Frost. Apparently, a family heirloom was stolen. They issued a rank B mission to retrieve it. The opponents will be rogue ninjas from Kumogakure. Fujin, your Wind jutsus will be important to counter their Lightning Release." Fujin nodded. The group made some preparations and left the village. The group travelled across the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water to enter the Land of Frost. The journey took a day and a half before they finally reached their destination. Chapter 167: Chaoter 164: A Chakra Metal Sword & Ice Kekkei Genkai The Land of Frost didn''t have a ninja force. While they did have some in the past, their army was destroyed in the 2nd and 3rd wars by Kumogakure. Right now, they only had a few ninjas for the protection of the Daimyo and the city. All their missions would be issued to Konoha or Kumo. Tamotsu briefed Fujin on the details of the Land of Frost en route. Tamotsu also warned his group saying, "I don''t have the exact information, but I heard some rumors about our Anbu squad clashing with some ninjas from the Land of Frost. So keep your guard up in case this mission is a trap." Everyone nodded. They entered the city as soon as they reached it. After going through some formalities, the group was received by an old politician and his bodyguard. Fujin and his group observed their client. He was very old, probably in his eighties. His back seemed to have been bent permanently and he walked with the help of a walking stick. A Samurai acted as his bodyguard. The old man introduced himself, "I''m Konda Kunio. I''m happy to see that Konoha sent a strong group for my mission." Tamotsu asked, "Konda? Are you related to the Daimyo?" Konda Kunio smiled and said, "Looks like you are well-informed as well. The current Daimyo is my nephew." Tamotsu said, "Can you tell us more about the mission? The mission statement didn''t have much information." Kunio nodded and said, "For generations, we had a family heirloom passed through our family. It was a sword made from chakra metal. Unfortunately, we had a break-in last week and our sword was stolen. We did some investigation and found that the thief was a rogue ninja who was formerly from Kumo. His name is Saigo Rikyu. He used to be a Chunin. He became a missing-nin 3 years ago. We discovered that he has created an organization and has set up multiple bases in our country. We don''t have the ability to track and kill him." As he was speaking, the Samurai led down a map on the table. It was a map of the Land of Frost. It had 5 red crosses. Kunio continued, "We have discovered that his organization has these 5 hidden bases. But we don''t know which one he is hiding in. We also don''t know the exact number and strength of his forces. So your mission is only to retrieve the heirloom. There''s no need to kill him or his group. Of course, if you kill him and eliminate his group, that would be the best. You can claim his 2.5 million Ryo bounty if he is killed." The Konoha ninjas analyzed the information. There was a lot of information that hadn''t been confirmed. The mission could be very risky if stronger ninjas were hiding in the hideouts. Tamotsu asked, "If such a group is operating in your country, why didn''t you issue a higher-ranked mission to eliminate them and resolve the issue forever?" Kunio didn''t reply for a few seconds. He let out a sign and said, "It''s complicated. Every time we issue a high ranked mission to clear such a rogue group, another takes its place. It''s a never-ending cycle. My nephew decided that as long as they don''t kill anyone, we won''t spend money to hunt them down. Unfortunately, I don''t have the money to issue a higher ranked mission without getting funds from him." He took out a small book and placed it on the table and said, "I reiterate that your mission is just to retrieve the heirloom. However, if you are able to exterminate the rogue group, I will reward you with this book. This book contains research conducted by the previous generation of our ninjas on how to combine Water and Wind manipulation into Ice manipulation." This info shocked the group. They began staring at the book. Fujin thought, ''You gotta be kidding me. How does a weak country have such a book and how did he manage to hold onto it?'' The old man saw the expressions on the faces of Konoha ninjas and said, "I would like to clarify that the research is incomplete. Though we tried a lot, none of our ninjas ever learnt Ice Kekkei Genkai." Fujin nodded. Katsumi''s bugs scouted the location but didn''t find anything either. Fujin spread his chakra field. He didn''t pick up any chakra either. But he felt something weird. He looked at the Waterfall. Chakra gathered in his eyes as he focused on it. He said, "There is a cave at the bottom of the waterfall. But the entrance is blocked with a wall of rocks which look natural." Tamotsu asked, "Do you sense someone hiding there?" Fujin answered, "No, but I have a weird feeling. As if my chakra field can''t enter deep into the cave. And as if something is trying to hide from my eyes." Ryota asked, "What do you mean?" Fujin said, "During my last mission with Renjiro sensei, we encountered a squad from Kiri who hid underground perfectly using Fuinjutsu. I have a feeling that the same might be the case here." As he said that, Fujin thought, ''Well, I can''t tell that I live in a house that is filled with seals, can I? It has helped in getting familiar with how seals feel when I try to sense them.'' Hearing Fujin, everyone frowned. Tamotsu said, "Fuinjutsu? That''s troublesome. Even more troublesome is the fact that they have someone who could be a SealMaster." He looked at Fujin and asked, "Are you 100% sure that this place is guarded by Fuinjutsu?" Fujin shook his head. Despite his familiarity with the seals, he still couldn''t guarantee. Tamotsu asked, "Is there any way we could enter undetected?" Fujin replied, "Unless we have a much superior SealMaster, nope." Tamotsu asked, "What would you recommend?" Fujin said, "The best way would be to destroy the cave behind the waterfall. That way, most of them will die inside. We can stay far away and observe who stays alive and comes out. We can decide whether to attack or escape then." Fujin looked at Ryota and asked, "Do you have any Earth jutsu that could make the entire waterfall collapse?" Ryota said with a deadpan expression, "Of course not." Tamotsu said, "None of us has any jutsu. Fujin, if we enter the cave, would we be ambushed?" Fujin said, "Likely not. The initial part of the cave seems clear. They are probably hiding inside. Though I''m not 100% sure." Tamotsu said, "Alright. Let''s enter the cave then. We will see if there is any way to infiltrate deeper stealthily. If not, we will blow up the whole place with explosives." The group grinned at that idea. The group entered the Waterfall. Fujin pointed at one spot and Ryota used a jutsu to create a path. Katsumi first checked the insides with his bugs and the group stepped in when they confirmed that there were no traps. Chapter 168: Safe Hideout? Whats that? The Konoha ninjas entered the cave silently and checked it out. There was nothing in the cave. Fujin stood in front of a wall and focused Chakra in his eyes. He wouldn''t have noticed it a few months back, but due to practicing Fuinjutsu so much, he could see some seals in the wall. He smirked and thought, ''At best the one who made these is a SealMaster and not a Grandmaster. It''d have been difficult to explain how I knew it was a grandmaster and convince these guys to retreat had that been the case. Still, this is a great hideout! For starters, there was nothing around the place that would cause suspicion. This cave itself has 2 layers of camouflage. The Waterfall and the wall, one of which is natural and the other is indistinguishable from the natural wall. Even if someone still managed to find this cave, they would think that it is only a small cave and wouldn''t suspect a bigger cave inside. Perhaps the only vulnerability of this hideout is the ones hiding inside it. If they didn''t leave any trail, it''d be almost impossible for the Land of Frost forces to find this place suspicious.'' Fujin said, "I think they are behind this wall." Tamotsu nodded. The whole group planted a few dozen explosives on that wall. Fujin and Ryota used Earth Military Movement jutsu to enter the cave walls and planted over 400 Explosion tags where Fujin asked them to. As Fujin could see the seals, the rogue ninjas who were hiding inside weren''t alerted. Fujin''s squad left the waterfall and moved a few hundred meters away. Tamotsu asked, "Is everyone ready?" The group nodded. Everyone made a hand sign. Tamotsu picked up a stone and said, "We will set off the explosion when this stone touches the ground." He tossed the stone in the air. At the moment it touched the ground, all 5 ninjas activated the explosion tags they planted! Inside the cave, there were 14 rogue ninjas. They were aware that the Land of Frost would try to find them, perhaps even issue a mission, but they weren''t worried. They had recently stocked up their supplies and were planning to hide there for a month or more.?v€l-B!n. In the cave, Nishio Korenaga was trying out the Chakra Sword. He held the sword in his right hand and tried to extend his chakra through the sword. The chakra flowed through the sword very smoothly. He felt as if the sword was an extension of his own arm. Suddenly, the chakra flowing through the sword was converted into Lightning in the blink of an eye! Almost all of the other rogue ninjas were watching this. They were surprised at how skilled Korenaga was! Saigo Rikyu said, "Damn boss! You are on fire! It''s as if the sword was crafted for you!" However, Korenaga shook his head and said, "No, you have done a great job. This sword is amazing. I am surprised that this weak little nation had something so good." Rikyu grinned and said, "It was their family heirloom. They might still have some good stuff that we can try to steal." Korenaga nodded and said, "Yes. I''m interested too. But not now. They might have issued an A rank mission to Konoha or our former village to hunt you down." Rikyu immediately got serious and said, "Yes. They must be hunting for me now." Korenaga smirked and said, "Don''t worry. As long as you are loyal to me, I will guarantee your safety. Besides, those morons don''t know about me. Even if they manage to track this hideout, they will just feed my new sword!" Korenaga didn''t trust him and said, "First we were attacked despite your seals. And now all but you are poisoned. How would you explain that?" Korenaga unsheathed his chakra sword as he spoke. However, he didn''t attack and instead kept his attention on an incoming ambush. Seeing that they wouldn''t clash, the Konoha ninjas made a move. Tamotsu said, "I will take on the Jounin. Ryota, take on the unharmed guy. Others finish off the rest and come to help us." The group nodded and flickered. The rogue ninjas noticed them and prepared for a fight. Mokuami said, "They are Konoha ninjas. Perhaps you four were poisoned by bugs. They couldn''t poison me due to my barrier." Korenaga snorted and focused on the Konoha ninjas. The Konoha group flickered until they were just 20 meters from the enemy. Fujin was at the center, Tamotsu and Tadashi were on both his sides and both had made hand signs. ''Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu'' At the same time, Fujin used Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. The 3 jutsus combined creating a massive Firestorm. While their missions over the last couple of months weren''t challenging, Fujin did improve his teamwork alongside the group a lot. The rogue ninjas were surprised by the huge Firestorm heading for them. Korenaga yelled, "Get underwater!" The rogue ninjas immediately dove into the river they were standing on. Ryota, Tadashi and Tamotsu followed them underwater. Katsumi didn''t join them as most of his bugs were ineffective underwater. While Fujin didn''t go as he didn''t want to face an experienced Lightning user underwater. Under the water, Korenaga saw the Konoha ninjas following him. He immediately became angry, ''They dare to fight me underwater?'' He made hand signs. ''Lightning Release: False Darkness'' He released a spear of Lightning from his mouth at Tamotsu. Tamotsu watched the incoming lightning spear with a grim expression as he thought, ''I didn''t expect him to use such a strong jutsu despite being poisoned!'' He threw a kunai with an explosion tag at the incoming spear. It exploded right before reaching the spear. The explosion dispersed the spear. However, since they were underwater, the current began spreading through the entire area. The Konoha ninjas as well as the Rogues were electrocuted. Among the rogues, 3 had an affinity to the Lightning element. They were fine. While Mokuami once again insulated himself with the help of seals. Only one rogue was shocked. On the side of the Konoha ninjas, all the 3 who went underwater and the dog were shocked. Though it didn''t injure them, the shock had a paralytic effect on them and hindered their movement. They immediately began exiting the water. Their advantage had been reversed with a single jutsu! Chapter 169: The Hunt Begins... The immediate reversal lifted the spirits of the Rogue ninjas. They began making hand signs to use more Lightning jutsus. However, Korenaga was frowning, ''My entire body is hurting. This poison is very troublesome. We will need to win this fight or escape successfully within 5 minutes. Otherwise, we all might die here.'' While the rogue ninjas were making hand signs, someone watched them like a hawk. Fujin''s eyes were glowing as he watched the only Rogue ninja who got shocked. Vacuum cores began forming in his mouth. He shot 2 Vacuum bullets at the same time. During the last 2 months of training, Fujin had finally learnt to use 2 Vacuum bullets at the same time. One vacuum bullet was shot at Korenaga while the other was shot at the paralyzed rogue. Korenaga noticed the attack and immediately moved out of the way while weaving hand signs. However, there was another ninja just behind him who didn''t notice the attack. The bullet hit his right thigh and pierced through it. As for the paralyzed rogue, the Vacuum Bullet pierced through his head and killed him. The deadly attack shocked them once again and reminded them of the seriousness of the situation. Korenaga launched False Darkness once again. This time it was aimed at Fujin. Fujin noticed it and used Vacuum Bullet jutsu once again and shot 2 bullets at the incoming Lightning Spear. His bullets tore through the lightning spear and dispersed it. Korenaga had to dodge them once again. He frowned, ''Wind user. Things just keep getting worse!'' Tamotsu, Tadashi, Ryota and Kenta exited the water. Katsumi helped them to get on the shore. All breathed heavily. Tadashi gritted his teeth and complained, "Shit! That bastard is strong!" Ryota agreed, "Yeah. And the Lightning element restricts me too much! Luckily Tamotsu at least neutralized it. Otherwise, we might have been in a lot of trouble."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Tamotsu said, "Though our movement will be hindered a bit, they are poisoned by Katsumi''s bugs. We just have to hold on for around 5 minutes and they will begin losing their ability to move." Katsumi nodded and said, "Four more minutes left. It will be best if they escape. That way we can just hunt down their unconscious or dead bodies." Fujin noticed that all his team were on the shore. The Rogue ninjas who were under the water were approaching him. And the SealMaster from the group was weaving hand signs for a water jutsu. Not wanting to be surrounded, he flickered to his team. When he reached them, he heard Katsumi softly whispering, "Focus on stalling them. It''s fine if they escape." A second after he flickered, a Water Dragon formed where he was standing. The Rogue group exited the river and stood behind the Water Dragon. As soon as they exited the river, Katsumi''s bugs attacked them. His bugs had already spread over the river and swarmed them. The rogues had noticed the bugs when they were underwater. They immediately launched Explosion tags on them. Mokuami launched his Water Dragon at the Konoha ninjas. However, Fujin countered with a giant ball of wind. It hit the Water Dragon''s head and exploded, neutralizing it. Fujin followed it up with a dozen Air bullets. However, the enemy managed to dodge. The Konoha ninjas who were electrocuted earlier stood up on their feet. However, their movement wasn''t very fluent. Korenaga observed their movements. He analyzed, ''We could attack and try to kill them, but the Wind user will be tough to overcome. He can keep neutralizing our jutsus and keep us at a distance. Every second that he stalls will be lethal for us. While that bug user is probably responsible for our poison. His bugs are an even bigger threat than the Wind user. We should escape while their mobility is hampered. No, I should!'' Without saying anything, Korenaga suddenly flickered away. Mokuami had expected him to do this and flickered away as well. The other two were shocked. However, within a second, they tried escaping as well. The eyes of the clones widened as they retreated. They thought, ''A low damage AoE jutsu. It''s perfect for dealing with clones.'' As the lightning discharged approached the clones, one of the clones stepped forward and poured all his chakra into a Great Breakthrough jutsu. The Winds neutralized all the discharge and instead attacked Rikyu. However, after using the jutsu, Rikyu had already started running. The remaining 2 clones began chasing after him. Mokuami was the next one to clash with the clones. Unlike Rikyu, he waited on top of a small lake for the clones to catch up. As soon as the clones appeared in sight, he began making hand signs. He thought, ''I could have hidden perfectly. Unfortunately, this kid is a sensor. He would have figured out the general area and I would be trapped. I have to finish the clones before the ninjas begin sensing me as well!'' 1 Shadow clone and 3 Wind clones approached him and noticed him weaving hand signs. ''Water Release: Raging Waves'' Mokuami spat out water in all directions. Just like Rikyu, his aim too was to use a wide-range attack to dispel the clones. One of the Wind clones again moved forward and used all his chakra to use an Infinite Breakthrough jutsu to nullify the enemy jutsu. The Wind clashed with the water and sent the water back to Mokuami. The remaining clones flickered to close the distance while preparing a jutsu. ''Wind Release: Air Bullet jutsu'' All 3 clones used Air Bullet jutsu at the same time. The Shadow clone aimed his bullets at Mokuami, while the Wind clones cut off his escape routes. However, Mokuami stood his ground. A barrier appeared around him. The Air Bullets hit the barrier and were stopped. The Shadow clone observed him carefully. He analyzed, ''Impressive. His speed at creating barriers is very fast. I should study barriers properly. They provide a very strong defense. That said, he is lucky that I can''t use Vacuum jutsus with a clone yet. Else he might have died despite the barrier.'' Behind the barrier, Mokuami was rapidly weaving hand signs. His chakra suddenly flared. The Winds from the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu had died down. Water once again began gathering around him. ''Water Release: Piercing Rain jutsu'' The water formed a sphere around him. The surface of the water sphere began forming spikes. Soon, innumerable water needles were shot in all directions at a high speed. Chapter 170: A False Sense of Security The Wind clones tried dodging the incoming water needles, but there was no room as they were too densely packed. The Shadow clone escaped underground. Mokuami weaved more hand signs and slammed his hands on the lake. ''Water Release: Corrosive Liquid jutsu'' The water from the lake began spreading above the ground for hundreds of meters. This water was corrosive and harmful. If it came in contact with a ninja, it would begin feeling an itch over their body. However, if it hit a clone, the clone would be dispelled. Mokuami observed as he thought, ''Though we made this jutsu to counter the ninjas who hide underwater, it also works for those who hide underground. Now that clone will be trapped there.'' He began planning his escape. Meanwhile, Fujin''s clone frowned. He thought, ''What a troublesome opponent! He managed to neutralize my clones very easily. Still, all his fighting plans are based on the assumption that I don''t know Lightning jutsus. A strong current through the water will reverse the battle situation. Unfortunately, I have to keep it hidden.'' The clone made a hand sign. A Wind clone appeared behind it containing half his chakra. The remaining half of his chakra gathered on the clone''s fist. He punched the ground above him diagonally. A shockwave was sent through the ground. It hit the underwater walls of the lake and sent stones flying at Mokuami who had just relaxed his guard slightly. Around 4-5 stones hit him. Unfortunately, the speed of the stones wasn''t fast enough to make them lethal. Their speed was further reduced by the water. Though the stones barely hurt him, his instincts were screaming. He quickly made a barrier in the direction from where the stones came. The Shadow Clone''s punch had created a small but linear hole. The Wind clone used Infinite Breakthrough jutsu and poured all its chakra into it. However, unlike the usual Infinite Breakthrough jutsu that spread for dozens, even hundreds of meters wide, this one travelled in a narrow hole. It almost looked like a Wind Spear. The Wind jutsu hit the barrier hard. As the impact was only on a small area, the entire barrier was pushed back. Mokuami controlled the barrier and made it turn slightly to divert the direction of the jutsu. However, the wind spear pierced through the barrier. Fortunately, he managed to change the direction slightly. The spear passed through the side of his abdomen, cutting a half-inch semicircle through his right side. Mokuami watched in shock as the left side of his abdomen began bleeding profusely! He thought, ''Who the fuck is that kid? And which jutsus did he use to do something like this?'' However, he stopped thinking about Fujin and began thinking about his own vulnerable situation, ''They have an Inuzuka! He will smell my blood. Hiding has become a hundred times more difficult now!'' He removed all his clothes as they all had some blood on them. He used the water to clean the wound. Once the wound was cleaned, he lit a fire and burned the wound to stop the bleeding. He gritted his teeth due to the pain. The fire cauterized the wound and stopped bleeding. He saw the shuriken and the string. But it was too late. He didn''t have any energy to move. The string tied him to the tree. He tried struggling, however, 2 Vacuum Bullets hit him. One pierced his heart and the other pierced his neck. He died without troubling Fujin and Tadashi much. Tadashi said, "That was easy." Fujin nodded, "Yeah. Katsumi''s poison is very strong." Tadashi grinned and said, "Yeah, it is. He bailed us out multiple times thanks to it." He went forward and stored Rikyu''s body in a scroll. They began moving towards Tamotsu and company. Tadashi asked, "Any idea what''s happening at other places?" Fujin shook his head and said, "No. They are both strong. They managed to defeat my clones. I think my clones managed to injure that Water user, but I''m not sure." Tadashi replied, "Alright. Anyways, that Jounin is also poisoned. So Tamotsu and others should be able to win easily." Fujin nodded. They moved quickly and arrived where Korenaga was fighting in a few minutes. The scene surprised them. Tadashi quickly rushed towards Tamotsu and Katsumi and asked, "Are you guys fine?" Fujin also followed him. Both were bleeding. Katsumi''s left leg was dyed in blood. Tamotsu''s right arm also seemed to be bleeding in multiple spots. Korenaga''s dead body was lying a few meters away from them. Tamotsu said, "It''s fine. He was stronger than we expected. And the poison made him very desperate." They began applying first-aid to them. Katsumi''s left leg had multiple nails embedded in it. Korenaga had charged the nails with Lightning and used them to attack from range as Katsumi always maintained a distance from him. Meanwhile, since Korenaga was targeting Katsumi, Tamotsu decided to engage him at close range. That resulted in 2 long and deep slashes on his right arm with the chakra sword. While applying first-aid, Ryota said, "This guy was very strong! Especially with the chakra sword. It''s lucky that he was poisoned, else we might have been in severe trouble." Tamotsu agreed, "Yeah, I thought I could take on him. Unfortunately, he was stronger." While the first-aid was being applied, a few of Katsumi''s bugs were moving inside Korenaga''s dead body. They were cleaning all traces of the poison in his body. Due to this, if anyone inspects his dead body, no one would find the poison that was used. Hence, they won''t be able to make the antidote. All Aburame clan ninjas who used this poison would use this method to keep their poisons a secret. If they weren''t sure about the kill and the fact that they would get access to their dead bodies first, they would only use the normal poisonous bugs. Chapter 171: A New Team After removing all traces of the poison, the bugs left the dead body and returned to Katsumi. Ryota had finished applying the first aid and he sealed Korenaga''s body in a scroll. Ryota said, "He is sure to have a good bounty." Fujin picked up the chakra sword and said, "I don''t think it would compare with this sword though." He began flowing his chakra through the sword and changed its nature to wind. He was surprised, ''Wow! So smooth! I thought my swords were good. This one is probably better than the one Hiruzen asked to be made for me!'' Noticing that Fujin''s attention was on the sword, Tamotsu coughed and said, "That''s our mission requirement Fujin." Fujin looked back and chuckled, "I know, just saying. Haha" He thought, ''Oh well, if I need such a sword in the future and I can''t get it any other way, I can just steal this sword from that old guy. It''s not like he would ever use it anyways.'' Since Katsumi and Tamotsu were injured, they decided not to hunt that last rogue ninja. The group began returning. Katsumi couldn''t walk properly, so he rode on Kenta. They return the chakra sword to Konda Kunio. Understanding the difficulty of the mission, Kunio increased the mission ranking from B to A and increased the mission rewards to 2 million Ryo. He handed them the book that had theories and research on learning the Ice Kekkei Genkai and made the arrangements to help them claim the bounties. He also invited their medical ninjas to treat Katsumi and Tamotsu. Tamotsu''s wound healed properly. They bandaged his arm. It would leave 2 scars on his arm, but he didn''t mind it. Katsumi''s injuries, however, were serious. He was wounded down to the bone. They healed him as well as they could. The healer said, "That''s as much as we could do. Your village has the best healers. So I would recommend you to get treated by them as well. Also, I would recommend you take a few months break." Katsumi nodded and thanked them. They rested in the Land of Frost for some time. In this period, they went through the Ice Release book.?v€l-B!n. Fujin was the first one to read. He analyzed, ''Hmm, this book is good. It contains research of over a dozen ninjas. And still, none of them managed to create the Ice element. Kinda shows how tough creating a Kekkei Genkai will be. Though I don''t have the Water affinity needed for the Ice element, this book could give some insights if I try to create Scorch or Magnet elements.'' The others read the book as well. Only Ryota and Tamotsu were interested in a Kekkei Genkai and neither had the Wind or the Water element. So after reading carefully, the book was given to Fujin for keeping. After resting for a couple of days, they began moving back to Konoha. Their speed was a bit slower as they had to ensure that Katsumi didn''t strain his leg. He rode on Kenta the entire journey. He was admitted to Konoha''s hospital after returning. The group decided to meet after 2 days in the hospital. Fujin continued his training to improve his control over the Lightning element. He brought some fruits and visited the hospital at the decided time. Others had already gathered. Fujin placed the fruits on the table next to Katsumi and asked, "How is your leg?" He waved his hand and asked, "What''s up?" Mieko entered his house and asked, "Do you have any missions lined up?" Fujin shook his head and said, "No, my team just took a break." Her eyes sparkled. She said, "Great! I am recommending you to my team." Fujin observed her carefully. He asked, "What do you mean?" She said, "I was assigned to a team that is planning to undertake a rank A mission. Unfortunately, the member that specializes in Wind jutsus is injured. And we need a replacement to take that mission. So I recommended you to my team. Come with me." Fujin locked his home and followed her. He asked, "They just agreed?" She sighed and said, "No, I had to convince them a lot. The injured guy is a Jounin. But, they couldn''t find any other option. So they had to accept my recommendation." Fujin nodded. He knew that Wind users were too rare in Konoha. Not a single clan specialized in the Wind element. He said, "Actually, I was about to look for you too." She looked back at him and asked, "Why?" He said, "My team has taken a 3-month long break. I was thinking about forming a team with you, Teru and Hoka to undertake rank B missions continuously. We could undertake 15-20 rank B missions in around 2 months. It would help us secure the Elite Chunin Promotion quicker." Mieko''s eyes widened. She asked, "15-20 rank B missions in 2 months? I only do 3 every month." Fujin nodded and said, "Most rank B missions are very easy. We could focus on doing missions that take less time to complete and are easier. Unless the mission gets upgraded to rank A, we should be able to complete it with ease. Once we get the Elite Chunin promotion, the promotion to Special Jounin wouldn''t be far. So we can start taking rank A and even S missions." The thought of undertaking rank S missions excited Mieko. She said, "Alright. Let''s do it after this mission!" Fujin smiled and said, "Great. I''ll try to convince Hoka and Teru after this mission." Mieko said, "I''ll join you." Fujin said, "That will be helpful." The two reached the Uchiha compound. Mieko led Fujin to a house where her team was gathered. Chapter 172: Missing Children As soon as Fujin entered the room, he saw 6 Uchihas looking at him. He thought, ''Ugh, I forgot that her squad is an all-Uchiha squad! I hope that it doesn''t attract any unwanted attention.'' Among the 6 Uchihas, 3 seemed to be in their 30s, two in their 20s and the last one was just a year older than Fujin. One of them said, "So this is Fujin? Not bad, his chakra is quite high for his age." Fujin wondered, ''Hmm, he can tell chakra without using his eyes or sensing?'' Mieko said, "Yes, Uncle Akihiko." She looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, this is Uncle Akihiko. Just like sensei, he is an Elite Jounin too. He will be heading this mission." Fujin nodded and respectfully said, "Pleased to meet you, Akihiko-san." Uchiha Akihiko smiled and said, "No need to be formal Fujin. You can call me Uncle as well." Fujin replied with a smile, "Alright Uncle Akihiko." While he was speaking, he thought, ''Not bad. I was afraid that all of them would be arrogant to the core.'' At that moment, the Uchiha, who was slightly older than Fujin, scoffed and said, "Mieko, are you sure that he is strong? We don''t want any slackers joining us. Besides, can he really replace Uncle Tienosuke?" Fujin looked at him and thought, ''Nevermind. I concluded too soon.'' Mieko rebuked him, "Shunko, you can''t even defeat me. Fujin is even stronger than me." Akihiko calmed the kids down, "Calm down. Shunko, learn to work with your teammates. And Mieko, don''t insult your teammates. Fujin, don''t mind Shunko." Fujin nodded. There wasn''t much change in his expression, but he was surprised, ''Who''d have thought that she would admit that she was weaker than me.'' Akihiko asked, "Mieko, you and Fujin can do the Fire-Wind combination jutsu, right?" Mieko and Fujin nodded. Akihiko said, "Alright. Tienosuke could do the Fire-Wind combination jutsu with all 3 of us. But, that was due to us taking missions together for years. We won''t be able to reach the same efficiency with Fujin in this little time. So this combination jutsu will be left to you guys." Mieko grinned and replied, "Don''t worry, we got it." Akihiko said, "The mission is an emergency. It is a rank A mission issued by Kusagakure. Over a hundred kids younger than the age of six have suddenly gone missing and all their attempts at investigation have failed. Instead, some of the search teams have gone missing as well. Our mission is to investigate this event and rescue those kids. We will leave the village in 30 minutes. Gather your supplies and weapons and meet at the village gate as soon as you can." Everyone nodded and left. Mieko looked at Fujin and guessed, "You are carrying all the supplies that you need." They nodded and stepped forward. Masaru made a hand sign and released the Genjutsu. The guards woke up but were confused. Mieko and Shunko casted new Genjutsu on them. They asked basic questions and some tricky questions. Unfortunately, the guards didn''t know anything. They were innocent. Their actions were noticed by the villagers. Seeing their guards being subdued caused panic among the villagers. A few ninjas stepped forward. But Masaru said, "We have been assigned the mission to recover the missing children. This is a part of the mission. Stay back." Hearing that, the ninjas didn''t come very close. However, they stayed in their position and observed the actions of Konoha ninjas. Many of them were unhappy. A few thought, ''The Uchiha clan! They are so fucking arrogant!'' Under normal circumstances, they would have lashed out. But the missing children had put them on an edge. They gritted their teeth and endured the humiliation. While the interrogation was on, Akihiko''s group entered the central building in the village. They were quickly led to the room hosting the leader of Kusagakure and the Daimyo. The current leader of Kusagakure was Ashikaga Hiroshi. He said, "Welcome to Kusagakure, Uchiha Akihiko. I am glad that you arrived so quickly." Akihiko nodded and said, "It is an emergency after all. Can you brief me on all the details of this mission? We will begin investigations immediately." Hiroshi nodded and said, "Until now, 176 kids have been reported missing. There isn''t anything common between these children other than the fact that they are aged between 2 and 6. Around 12 went missing from this village itself. The remaining went missing from civilian villages across this country." He led down a map on the table. The map had locations of villages and the number of children missing from each village. In all, they went missing from 7 more villages. And all these 7 villages were the villages closest to Kusagakure. Akihiko observed the map and asked, "Where did you investigate and what were the results of it?" Hiroshi answered, "We didn''t find anything." He began marking locations on the map and said, "We have investigated all these areas but didn''t find any clues. Instead, in this location, we lost 3 Rescue teams! We send a huge force to investigate it, but didn''t find anything. It''s as if they have disappeared from the face of the Earth." Akihiko and the other Uchihas frowned. This case was very tricky. They didn''t say anything and kept observing the map to see if they could decipher any patterns. Hiroshi and the Daimyo didn''t disturb them. After a few minutes, a knock was heard on the door. Without waiting for any response, the door was opened and a man stepped in. He said, "Lord Daimyo, Lord Hiroshi, there are Ko..." As he was speaking, his eyes went to the Konoha ninjas in the room. He instantly stopped talking. Hiroshi was confused. He said, "Keep going." The man said, "The guards on the gate are being interrogated by a few Konoha ninjas." Before Hiroshi could say anything, Akihiko said without taking his eyes off the map, "Don''t worry, they are my subordinates." Hiroshi was speechless. He asked, "What do you mean don''t worry?" Akihiko said, "The children went missing from your village. No one is more suspicious than the guards. Don''t worry, we won''t ask for any personal or confidential information. But they have to be interrogated. I hope you can bring me the other guards as well to interrogate." Akihiko''s tough stance intimidated Hiroshi. He said, "Alright." He commanded the man who delivered the message to gather the remaining guards. Chapter 173: A Difficult Task Akihiko''s group couldn''t find anything substantial on the map. They took the map and decided on a few locations to investigate. They also checked a file containing information about all the missing children but didn''t find anything else. They first interrogated all the guards, but all guards were innocent. So the Konoha group left the village. The guards were very dissatisfied with being treated in such a manner. Hiroshi said, "I apologize for what just happened. But, I hope that you guys understand the severity of the situation and the concerns of the Konoha team. They came here less than 2 days after issuing the mission and left without even resting. So, I hope that you forgive them." Hearing that, the faces of the guards softened a bit. They all noticed that the Konoha ninjas seemed tired from travelling and still didn''t take any rest. Elsewhere, Fujin''s team was moving rapidly. Shunko asked, "We have no clues at all! How are we going to investigate?" Masaru answered, "Almost a couple hundred children have gone missing. No matter how good the kidnappers are, they will leave some clues behind. We just have to search until we find one." Akihiko nodded, "We will start where the 3 rescue squads went missing. That place should have the highest chance of finding clues. If we don''t, then we will investigate every missing child." Sora added, "We should start investigating the children who went missing more recently. After all, due to having so much success, they would get overconfident and leave some clues behind." Akihiko nodded. Fujin also agreed with the analysis. He wondered, ''Exactly who would kidnap young children in this world? If they had Kekkei Genkai, then Kumo would have been the suspect. But these are just normal kids... Is someone planning on creating a Root-like organization and hence kidnapped these kids?'' Fujin analyzed the possibility and concluded, ''Yeah, that could be the case. Kusa''s military isn''t strong. They got hit by both Konoha and Iwa in the 2nd and 3rd Great Ninja wars. So creating a secret force here would be convenient. And they could keep kidnapping more children in the future to increase their numbers. But, which force would that be? I don''t recall any major player from Kusa in Naruto. Unless they were discovered and destroyed or they never got enough strength to be relevant. Another point to consider is, should I use such a tactic while trying to build my force in the future?'' Fujin analyzed the feasibility of his idea. After some time, he decided, ''Taking in young kids and training them would require at least half a decade for them to be worth anything. It will be too much effort for little reward and very difficult to do without proper organization. More importantly, this act is completely morally bankrupt. While I am not morally upright and don''t mind doing some evil stuff, kidnapping young kids and making life miserable for them is too much for me. Especially without any huge benefits. Not to mention, if I were to get caught in this act, I would certainly be hunted and killed. So not worth doing it. Especially considering the vast number of kids whose lives are already hell in this world. I would be better off just recruiting them. After all, those kids would genuinely admire and respect me and would be willing to work their hardest to get out of that terrible life.'' As Fujin was deep in thought, Mieko looked at him and asked softly, "Hey, what are you thinking?" Fujin looked at her and answered, "I was thinking about which scums would kidnap little kids and separate them from their parents. Unfortunately, I couldn''t get to any conclusion." Mieko sighed, "Yeah, there are terrible people everywhere. If we find them, I will be torturing the shit out of them!" Fujin chuckled at her anger. He said, "Now that I think about it, it''s been quite a few months since I went on a killing spree." Mieko looked at him with a deadpan expression and said, "You kill very quickly and efficiently. They feel no pain at all and die in an instant. Leave them to me. I have a new Genjutsu that I want to test!" The group kept searching for a few minutes when Sora said, "There are some footmarks here." Everyone immediately appeared next to him. Fujin wondered, ''Where are these footmarks?'' However, Akihiko said, "Good work." They began following the footmarks. Fujin followed, thinking, ''The investigative powers of Sharingan are impressive. Even after focusing Chakra in my eyes, I can''t see anything at all.'' They walked for around 40 meters before stopping. All Uchihas frowned. Masaru said, "The footsteps have ended here." Shunko asked, "But how? How could they stop here?" Akihiko said, "They walked from there until here. From here, they travelled through other means. They either went through under the ground, flew above it or teleported." Sora made a hand sign and disappeared underground. Mieko asked, "How will we track them if they flew or teleported?" Akihiko said, "We can''t. We will have to find a new clue." Sora appeared from the ground and said, "There are no traces underground." Akihiko said, "Looks like they are using Reverse Summoning. No wonder there were no clues to be found." Fujin asked, "How will we find them if they reverse summon themselves? If we assume that they kidnapped the children by reverse summoning too, then there won''t be any clues at all." Mieko and Shunko too had the same query. Akihiko answered, "Yes. There won''t be any clues while they escape. However, there will be clues of them entering the village and reaching the kids." Fujin thought and replied, "That makes sense. Except that there are probably hundreds of people who enter and leave the villages on a daily basis. Unless they entered the village through illegal routes, it would be very difficult to trace them." Masaru smirked and said, "Don''t underestimate our eyes kiddo. Just stay back and observe the magic." Akihiko said, "Enough talking, this place is a dead end. Let''s go to the villages and check." The group began moving quickly towards the nearest village. Chapter 174: The Impossible Trail While moving, Akihiko observed the map. He said, "This village is Tsumagoi. It was the 5th village to have its children kidnapped. We will separate into 3 groups. I, Sora and Masaru will lead each group. Mieko, Fujin, you two will come with me. Genji and Shunko will be with Masaru. Haru, you will work with Sora." Everyone nodded. Akihiko continued, "We will visit the homes of the missing kids one by one and see from where they went missing. We will investigate that location and check any trails from that location until we find the right one." The group moved at full speed and reached the village in less than an hour. They met up with the Village Chief and divided into the 3 groups. Each group had an official from the village leading them. Mieko and Fujin followed Akihiko. They reached a small home. The official knocked on the door. In a few seconds, a middle-aged woman opened the door. Fujin could observe that her health didn''t seem very good. Inside the house, he could see a middle-aged man and 2 old people. She said in a weak voice, "Kaito-sama. Is there any news about my daughter?" Kaito was the official who had joined the group. He said, "We are working all the time. We will find them soon. These Konoha ninjas have arrived here to look for them. Please cooperate with them." The woman looked at Akihiko. Akihiko asked, "Can you tell me where you last saw your daughter?" The lady said, "She had gone out to play with her friends. They all went missing!" She began sobbing. Akihiko asked, "Can you lead me to the playground?" The woman nodded. Her husband came out and said, "I''ll also come with you." Akihiko nodded. The group headed to the playground. On reaching, they saw that the playground had been sealed and barricaded. Kaito said, "We restricted entry to the playground after the kids went missing." Akihiko asked, "Did all children who were playing in this playground go missing?" Kaito answered, "No. Only 6 children went missing from this playground. More children were playing here, but they didn''t notice anything. In total, 23 children went missing from the village. In addition to these 6, 11 more were playing in other playgrounds before going missing." Akihiko nodded and said, "Mieko, check the playground for footsteps with me. Fujin, use your sensor skills to see if you can find anything odd." Mieko nodded and entered the playground alongside Akihiko. Meanwhile, Fujin wondered, ''Did he just give me a useless task just to make me feel included?'' He spread his chakra field and observed by focusing the chakra in his eyes but couldn''t find anything. Since it was pointless, he stopped wasting his chakra and just waited for Akihiko and Mieko to find something. Akihiko and Mieko had their Sharingans active the entire time. They looked at the entire playground to observe the footprints. Most of the footprints had already been messed up due to the winds and the investigation carried out by Kusagakure ninjas. However, their Sharingans could still notice the footprints. They waited. After around 15 minutes, Sora''s team arrived. Masaru''s team arrived a few minutes later. All 3 teams had reached the same conclusion. Akihiko said, "Let''s trace these 8 footprints and see where they come from. It will be easy if some of them are from this village. Else, we will be out on a long trail." Sora and Masaru nodded. All 3 teams began tracing the footprints. Akihiko and Mieko soon returned to the playground where Fujin was. Akihiko''s clone dispelled itself. Akihiko and Mieko followed the trail of the footprints in the playground. Fujin followed behind. Soon, they left the playground. They walked through the streets. At some point, the footprints split in two directions. Akihiko made a clone to trail the other footprint, but soon, they met again. After trailing everything, they reached the village gate. Mieko sighed, "We will have to search in the wild!" Akihiko nodded, "And we can''t even rest. Otherwise, we might lose the trail." Fujin thought, ''Wow, I never thought that I would be the slacker in the team. That said, it doesn''t feel bad. To just relax and even eat while others do all the hard work, haha. And they can''t even complain.'' Masaru and Sora''s teams also reached the gate. They too sighed at the amount of work they would have to do. Akihiko looked at the officials and said, "We found a trail, so we will investigate it. See to it that no one in the village damages the trails that we saw." They nodded. The Konoha ninjas left the village. All of them ate a soldier pill. The Uchihas ate it as using the Sharingan continuously was eating up their chakra. While Fujin ate it as they won''t be waiting for any breaks. As they were moving, Shunko complained, "It is very difficult keeping a track of the trail in this grassland!" Masaru replied, "Yes. And finding a new trail is even more difficult. We couldn''t find any proper trail to backtrack in the previous location. That is why, once you find a proper trail, don''t let it go to waste." Shunko nodded helplessly. The task was already difficult due to the grassland. It was made even more difficult by the use of Wind and Earth elements to hide the footprints. And all other clues were eliminated by the kidnappers. There was no scent to use, just microscopic footprints that were difficult even for the Sharingan to see. The group trailed the footprints for over 14 hours! Finally, they reached the end. The footprints went towards a mountain. There was a small village being built on one side of the mountain. It looked to be built very recently. Additionally, the mountain had a huge cave. The mouth of the cave was 10 meters wide and 15 meters high. The Sharingan observed the chakra signatures inside the cave. Fujin too saw them. Masaru said, "That''s one big cave!" Shunko wondered, "Who are these people? And are the kidnapped children here?" Akihiko answered, "Most likely. I''m guessing that they are imprisoned somewhere inside the cave. Don''t engage in combat and stay hidden until we find the kids. As they were speaking, a group of people exited the cave. The Konoha ninjas stopped talking and observed. They were already hidden properly and hence weren''t worried that they would be noticed. However, Fujin''s eyes widened as he saw those people. Chapter 175: Jashin 7 people exited the cave. All had weird symbols on their faces and wore robes. One of them said, "We need to find around 175 children to complete the ritual. If we don''t bring them here in time, then Zankoku sama will skin us alive!" Another said, "But how can we do that? All villages in this country are on high alert. It''s impossible to kidnap more of them." The man standing in the center said, "In that case, we just need to go to the neighbouring countries and kidnap 175 children before they become alert." However, the other members weren''t entirely convinced. They said, "But reverse summoning over long distances will need a lot more chakra. It will be very difficult."?v€l-B!n. However, the man insisted, "There is no other way. We will kidnap children from the Land of Waterfall. We will focus on the villages close to the border area. So the distance won''t be much larger." As they were discussing, Fujin''s mind was busy analyzing as well, ''Though I don''t recall Hidan''s tattoos well, their tattoos make me think of the marks that would appear on Hidan after he licked someone''s blood. Safe to say that these guys are followers of Jashin. But, what the heck are they doing here? Wasn''t Hidan from the Land of Hot Water? Also, why do they already have those marks? Aren''t they useless unless they stand in that diagram made from blood? No, I don''t think these guys are as strong as Hidan. Otherwise, their group would be too strong. I guess that they have just made the tattoos manually and they don''t have the same mastery of whatever this craft is as Hidan. Still, why are there so many Jashin followers? I thought Hidan was the only one. Or perhaps one of very few. That said, except for the one in the center, their chakra seems quite low. So I guess they just got wiped out before Hidan completed his ritual. Perhaps in this mission itself. Another point to consider is, wasn''t Konoha completely unaware of the existence of Jashin? Shouldn''t this mission have made them aware of the existence of Jashin or at least his followers and their rituals? So did they not report this mission accurately or will Konoha be aware of them?'' Fujin thought for a bit and concluded, ''No, a religion that engages in kidnapping and sacrificing staying secret for so long in a world full of ninjas is unlikely. It''s more probable that all 5 villages are aware of them. Just that either they didn''t consider Jashin to be much of a threat or Jashinists managed to hide or escape from them. There is also the matter of Orochimaru. He is exploring ways to attain immortality. So did he also experiment with Jashin? Hmm, that''s one research I''d like to see. After all, though Hidan was weak, there wouldn''t be any ninja who wouldn''t want his survivability. Though Orochimaru left the Akatsuki before Hidan joined it, he should still be aware of Jashins. At the very least, he should become aware of them after Hidan joins the Akatsuki. Oh well, I will consider this later. There is no point in thinking about this for now.'' As he was analyzing, Fujin saw them talk. Unfortunately, the distance between them was too high. So he couldn''t hear anything. However, the same wasn''t the case with his teammates. Each one of them understood the entire conversation by reading their lips. Shunko and Mieko frowned. Anger could be seen on their faces. Shunko asked softly, "Can we kill them, Uncle?" Yasuhiro said, "We need to discuss from which villages we should kidnap more children. And also need to consider how many people we will need to successfully reverse summon from that distance." Datsuron nodded. He was about to speak when suddenly he felt something. He quickly turned around and looked behind. A minute ago, when the majority of the chunins left the tent, Akihiko decisively said, "We will move through the ground and enter the tent from below. Fujin, use your Air Bullets on the 4 chunins in the tent. Leave the Jounins to me and Masaru. Mieko and Shunko, you two follow as well. If Fujin fails to kill his opponents, you two would step in. Don''t allow them to make a lot of noise and alert others." Everyone nodded and moved through the ground. Chakra glowed in Fujin''s eyes as he noticed that the chunins were standing on opposite sides behind the Jounins. He thought, ''I could target them all with Air bullets, but the ones who are away from me will have more time to see and dodge. If they do dodge it, my air bullets will pierce through the walls of the tent and alert others. So I will have to aim such that my bullets pass through the roof of the tent instead. That way, no one will be alerted.'' He made a shadow clone. Fujin''s clone got in position under the 2 chunins standing behind Yasuhiro while Fujin got in position under the chunins behind Datsuron. Masaru stayed next to Fujin''s clone while Akihiko stayed next to Fujin. At the same time, both used Air Bullet jutsu. The chunins never saw the attack coming. All 4 were hit successfully. The air bullets pierced through their body and went through the roof of the tent. At the same time, Masaru and Akihiko also made their moves. They left the ground and attacked Yasuhiro and Datsuron respectively. Yasuhiro and Datsuron both turned around quickly. However, they were disturbed by the sight of their followers being killed so suddenly. They saw Akihiko and Masaru and became ready to fight. However, their eyes met with the three tomoe Sharingans. Both instantly fell into Genjutsu. They stopped struggling and stood still. Fujin observed that and thought, ''I always knew how strong the Sharingan is. But seeing two Jounins fall under the Genjutsu so easily with just 3 tomoe Sharingans is still so shocking.'' Meanwhile, Akihiko and Masaru looked at Fujin and thought, ''Despite all the praises she had, Mieko probably still underestimated this kid. Killing 4 chunins in an instant at the mere age of 11. Very few could claim to have such an ability at that age.'' Mieko and Shunko left the ground. Shunko was shocked at how efficient Fujin was. Akihiko said, "Good work, Fujin." He looked at Masaru, who nodded and made a hand sign. The ground in the tent began moving. The bodies of the dead chunins and any blood in the tent began moving inside the ground and new soil was excavated out. Soon, all signs of them were buried under the ground. Akihiko looked around and said, "There are still some blood drops on the tent. We won''t be able to use this tent." Masaru nodded. Chapter 176: The Uchiha Way? Fujin, Akihiko and Masaru had moved very quickly and silently. The 7 chunins who had left the tent didn''t hear anything suspicious from the tent. They did hear some noise when the 4 chunins fell to the ground, but it didn''t alert them much as they guessed that their leaders were frustrated by the difficulty of the next mission. Inside the tent, Akihiko looked at Datsuron and asked, "Who are you?" Datsuron answered, "I am Datsuron, a follower of Lord Jashin." Akihiko asked, "Who is lord Jashin?" As Datsuron answered, pride could be felt in his voice, "He is the god who we worship. He will save humanity!" His reply surprised the Konoha ninjas. They all looked at him like he was an idiot! Mieko asked, "Is he being serious?" Shunko exclaimed, "Did he kidnap hundreds of children for a fake god?" Akihiko sighed and said, "There are lunatics like him all over the world." He asked, "Tell me how many people you have with you and their power levels." Datsuron said, "We are led by Zankoku. He is the Grand Priest and is organizing a ritual for Lord Jashin. He has 7 Priests under him including me. Each Priest has 3 to 7 devotees under them and every devotee has 3 to 7 servants serving them. A Priest is as powerful as a Jounin, a Devotee is as powerful as a Chunin whereas Servants can go up against Genins. In total, we have 37 devotees and 140 servants." The number alarmed the Konoha ninjas. Masaru muttered, "7 Jounins, 36 Chunins and 140 Genins. They are as strong as a normal ninja clan." The others nodded. This mission could no longer be classified as a rank A mission. Fujin thought, ''Two consecutive missions getting upgraded to the next rank. I wonder if this one would result in casualties as well. I need to be on guard.'' Akihiko asked, "How strong is the Grand Priest?" Datsuron said, "I am not aware of his strength." Akihiko frowned. Fujin said, "If we assume that he is as strong as an Elite Jounin, then this mission would be very difficult." For once, Mieko and Shunto didn''t disagree with Fujin. Akihiko sighed and said, "If I knew that this mission would be so difficult, I wouldn''t have brought you kids along. Sadly, we have no choice but to act. Stay on guard." He looked at Fujin, Mieko and Shunko and said, "You are still very young. So you aren''t aware of how the Uchiha clan operates in the missions. See how the events play out carefully. Especially Mieko and Shunko. In the future, you will have to lead Uchiha squads into missions." Both nodded obediently. Fujin too heard carefully and thought, ''I am intrigued. I hope he puts up a good show.'' Elsewhere, Masaru looked at Yasuhiro and instructed him the same. He followed Yasuhiro along with Mieko and Shunko through the ground. They used the same tactic. However, since Fujin wasn''t with them, they had to cut their heads off from behind. They were able to do it successfully. Akihiko looked at Fujin and said, "Transform into one of the devotees." Fujin nodded and transformed. Akihiko checked his transformation and transformed into another devotee. He looked at Datsuron and said, ''Lead us into the tents of others.'' Datsuron obeyed and left the tent as Fujin and Akihiko followed him. Masaru too used the same tactic. In no time, all the remaining 11 people in various tents were dead. The two teams met. Masaru said, "Now we just have to deal with those 20 who are patrolling." Akihiko nodded and asked Datsuron, "Can you call them back a few at a time?" Datsuron replied, "No. Yasuhiro is responsible for Patrol teams." Masaru asked Yasuhiro. He said, "Our patrol teams move in pairs. I can call them all back one by one." Masaru said, "Do it." Yasuhiro immediately began recalling the patrol teams one by one. The patrol teams were made exclusively of servants. They were all very weak. The Konoha ninjas killed them all without giving them any chance to alert anyone. With all but the two Priests dead, they moved towards Sora who was analyzing the seals. Sora noticed them coming. Despite the disguise, he could recognize their chakra easily. He left the underground. Haru and Genji also followed him. Sora said, "The cave has 120 seals inscribed in it. I will need some time to disarm them one by one without alerting their SealMaster." Akihiko said, "We have these two under our control and they are ranked very high. So it may be better to just disguise as their followers and go in." However, Sora shook his head and said, "No, one of the seals is an identification seal. The tattoos on their body act as an identity card for the seal. We won''t be able to replicate it with the Transformation jutsu. Also, some of the seals are inscribed in a combination. So entering without disarming them could be lethal." Akihiko frowned. He asked Datsuron, "How frequently do you guys travel in and out of the cave?" He answered, "Everyone inside the cave is very busy with the ritual. So they don''t come out frequently. I and Yasuhiro were responsible for deciding our targets and making the necessary preparations. Tomorrow, two more Priests, their Devotees and their Servants would leave the cave. One of them is responsible for combat, while the other specializes in reverse summoning. We would have left tomorrow for the next round of kidnapping." Akihiko looked at Sora. Sora said, "That should be enough time. It''s already evening. So we can assume that we would have around 10 hours at the very least. It should be more than enough for me to get rid of the seals." Akihiko nodded and said, "Alright. We are already in enemy territory. So we can''t rest. In case they decide to come out in large numbers for some reason, we will be in a tough spot if half of us are sleeping. So eat your food pills. We will stay up until the children are secured." Everyone nodded and ate their food pills. Fujin asked Sora, "Can I observe you while you deal with the seals?" Sora was surprised by the request. He asked, "Are you interested in Fuinjutsu?" Fujin nodded. Sora said, "Alright. You can follow me." Akihiko said, "In that case, we will leave the task of protecting Sora from any sneak attacks to you Fujin. The rest of us will keep an eye on the cave entrance." Chapter 177: The Battlefield! Everyone nodded. Except for Fujin and Sora, the others took positions that would allow them to keep an eye on the cave entrance and help them in ambushing the enemy. Akihiko and Masaru also interrogated Yasuhiro and Datsuron about the interior of the cave. They drew up a rough map and also marked where the children were imprisoned. They also learnt that the SealMaster was a Priest as well. And he would never leave the cave. Meanwhile, Sora began releasing the seals that he had observed and put fake seals in their place instead so that the SealMaster inside the cave wouldn''t be alerted. Fujin followed him and observed his work properly. He was surprised. Fujin thought, ''Wow! His mastery of the seals is way beyond mine! No wonder he was so confident. I wonder if he is a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu.'' Fujin observed him very carefully. Though Sora used some seals that Fujin didn''t know, most of the seals he used were the ones that Fujin knew or had read in the library. Though the seals were similar, Sora used many different methods to use the seals. What intrigued Fujin the most is how he placed fake seals and the speed at which he made them. The fake seal was placed almost instantly. Fujin''s knowledge about seals grew every minute. Sora noticed Fujin observing him. He thought, ''Looks like he is intrigued by the seals. Unfortunately, Fuinjutsu is very boring. He will be bored in some time.'' However, to his surprise, Fujin didn''t lose his concentration for hours. In the end, he couldn''t resist but ask, "Fujin, are you interested in becoming a SealMaster?" Fujin nodded and said, "Yes. I have studied some seals from the Library. Though I am still a long way from becoming a SealMaster." If it was earlier, Fujin would have never exposed his skill with the seals. However, after inscribing his home in ten times more seals than what the Jashinists inscribed on their base, it was only a matter of time before his skills became known. So he didn''t bother hiding it actively anymore. Sora was surprised. He thought, ''Now it makes sense why he has been observing my actions with so much concentration.'' He said, "That''s good. If you have any questions, you may ask me." Fujin immediately thanked him, "Thank You, Uncle Sora." Fujin was aware that an opportunity to ask queries to someone as skilled as Sora in Fuinjutsu would be very rare. Fujin asked him for every doubt that he had. Surprisingly, Sora answered every question patiently while doing his job. This continued until 4:30 AM when Sora was finally done. The group soon gathered together. Sora said, "The seals won''t alert them of our presence any longer. We can enter the cave. I also added some seals that would help us deal with any more seals they might have inscribed inside the cave. So I would be able to neutralize them in much less time." Akihiko nodded and said, "Good work. But, let''s wait here for now. The two groups who would leave the cave will become suspicious if they don''t find anyone here. So we will kill them first. Set up a battlefield here. I want them trapped outside the cave and also ensure that they won''t be able to send any messages outside. One of them specializes in Reverse Summoning. So shut that down as well." Sora smirked and said, "Alright." Mieko''s shoulder dropped. She muttered, "Maybe they would if I left this stupid battlefield." Fujin looked at her and wondered what Sora would think if he heard what Mieko said. Thanks to the seals in their spot, other than them, the others didn''t hear what they were speaking. So he alone had to hear her complaints! Finally, at around 7:30 AM, some people began appearing from the cave. All Konoha ninjas readied themselves for a battle. They watched carefully as the Jashinists were leaving the cave. In all, 35 people left the cave. 2 of them were Priests, 9 were devotees and 24 were servants. As they left the cave, they entered Sora''s battlefield. However, not a single person felt anything strange. Some left in silence, some were chatting casually and a few were excited about kidnapping more children and separating them from their parents. They talked as if it would be the greatest offering to their God. Sora and Akihiko paid close attention to the entrance of the cave. Their Sharingans observed as deep into the entrance as they could. As soon as the last person entered the battlefield, Akihiko nodded. Sora made a hand sign and a barrier sealed them, cutting all access to the outside world. Fujin and Mieko saw it. Both immediately built up a huge chakra! ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough Jutsu'' ''Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame'' Mieko converted a quarter of her chakra into fire and expelled it from her mouth. The Jashinists weren''t expecting any attack. Suddenly feeling the heat on their back shocked them. They turned around to see a Sea of Flames heading at them! However, the very next moment, a massive wind hit the sea of flames. It made the fire burn even more fiercely and made it spread out. In addition, the winds themselves were extremely sharp! The wide range of the jutsu meant that none of them would be able to dodge it. The Jashinists who were closer to the cave had no chance of resisting. They were burned alive! Luckily for the two Priests, they were among the first ones to leave the cave. They immediately made hand signs to use defensive moves. One of them used the Water Prison jutsu to protect himself, while the other slammed his hands on the ground to use Earth Wall jutsu. Some of the devotees also tried using jutsus. 3 tried escaping underground, 4 decided to hide behind their priests while 2 panicked and couldn''t do anything. Unfortunately, the attempt to pour chakra into the ground to raise an Earth Wall by the Priest was blocked by the barrier. The 3 devotees who tried to escape underground were also blocked! They were shocked. They looked ahead to see dozens of servants being engulfed by the fire. The priest looked at his fellow Priest and immediately jumped into his Water Prison. The other priest allowed him in. The Fire finally engulfed them. The Priests sighed in relief when the fire didn''t penetrate the Water Prison. However, all of a sudden a huge cut appeared on the Water Prison. It entered half a foot into the prison. The Priests, who had just put their guard down, immediately began pouring their chakra into the Water Prison. Chapter 178: Thats Just Pathetic! The fire died after around a minute. The Priest finally stopped the Water Prison jutsu. They looked around them and were stunned. It looked like a picture from hell! All their servants were dead. The stench of their dead bodies burning lingered in the air. 6 of their Devotees were dead as well. The remaining 3 had terrifying burns on their bodies. Fujin looked at their expressions. He could see the fear on their faces. He sighed and thought, ''In a world like this, I can understand people being cruel. After all, there are so many wars, so many evil schemes and thousands of people with superpowers. There will be people who have horrible pasts. There will be people who are ambitious. However, if you are cruel to ones weaker than you, then you should be prepared for the same happening to you when you meet someone stronger. These guys are cruel to those civilians and children but are terrified while facing us. Now that''s just pathetic.'' The Jashinists were usually the ones who looked at others in contempt. However, if they could hear the contempt Fujin had for them, they might die just of shame. The remaining Jashinists noticed Fujin and Mieko who had left their spots earlier. One of the devotees yelled, "WHO ARE Y...?" However, even before they completed their question, a kunai pierced through the hearts of each of the remaining devotees. At the same time, Akihiko and Masaru flickered in front of the two Priests and cast a Genjutsu on them. Despite being on alert due to the crazy Ambush, they weren''t on guard against the Sharingan. Both immediately fell under their Genjutsu. The ambush battle was won in less than a couple of minutes! Except for Akihiko, Sora and Masaru, the others were surprised at how quickly the fight was over. Mieko exclaimed, "They were defeated so quickly!" Fujin thought, ''I was right. The utility of this battlefield is crazy. I have to make one too.'' Masaru smirked and said, "That''s the magic of Sora''s battlefield. The enemies always get caught off guard. And against the Fire-Wind combo, only Water or Earth jutsus could protect them. But, the barrier blocks most of the Earth jutsus. So it leaves just one element to defend within a fraction of a second." Akihiko looked at Fujin and Mieko and said, "Your combination jutsu is very good. It pretty much finished the fight." After praising them, Akihiko and Masaru began interrogating the Priests. Fujin looked at Mieko and asked, "Which jutsu did you use? It was much stronger than your Fireball or Fire Dragon jutsu." Mieko smirked and answered, "This is one of the strongest jutsus of my clan. It is called Majestic Destroyer Flame jutsu!" Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''No wonder that felt slightly similar. It''s the one Madara used against the ninja army. I thought it''d be rank A or S jutsu. Then again, the scale of her jutsu is probably not even a tenth of what Madara did in the war even with my aid and yet she looks so exhausted.'' Mieko looked at Fujin who was in his thoughts and said, "What are you thinking?" Fujin replied, "Nothing. Your jutsu is very strong. And it combines perfectly with my Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. It is much better than when we used the Great Breakthrough alongside Fireball or our elemental dragon jutsus." Mieko nodded and said, "Yes, it spreads like a sea. That''s why the combination got stronger." Fujin looked at her and said, "Yeah, but it also drains a lot of your chakra." Mieko said, "Yeah. I lost a quarter of my chakra. Though it''ll be fine as the soldier pill should regenerate my chakra soon." Sora said, "I will need around 10 minutes to resolve them." Akihiko replied, "Take your time. Just don''t alert them. Haru, stay with him. Others come with me." The group split into two once again. After moving some distance, Akihiko stopped and looked straight ahead at a cavern. He said, "According to the intel, the devotees of the SealMaster stay in this cavern. And, he is the only Priest that has 7 Devotees." Shunko asked, "Should we kill them?" Akihiko said, "No, they are useful to us alive." He looked at the three chunins and said, "Keep an eye on the entrance. If someone enters, let them come in and kill them silently." The three chunins nodded. Deep in the cavern, 3 men were eating breakfast. However, their meal looked to be a lot for a morning breakfast. One of them said, "The work has been so high lately. We had to stay up all night." Another sighed and replied, "Yeah, and we have to get back to work by noon. I hope Zankoku-sama''s ritual gets completed soon." As they were talking, they saw a few silhouettes. They quickly looked at them and recognized them instantly. They stood up immediately and asked, "Datsuron-sama, why are you here?" In front of them, Datsuron stood along with 2 of his devotees. All three wondered what they were doing in this part of the base. But, suddenly the eyes of Datsuron and his devotees turned red. The three weren''t able to take their eyes off them and fell into a Genjutsu. Masaru smirked, "Easy as always." Akihiko nodded. The Uchihas cast more Genjutsu and left. The group moved around the cave. They put 5 devotees and 12 servants under Genjutsu before returning back to where Sora was. Sora said, "I can deactivate the seals now." Akihiko said, "Wait a few minutes." Sora knew what Akihiko was planning. He nodded. Soon, 3 devotees suddenly moved from the 2nd layer into the lowest layer of the cave. Due to the seals, there were no physical guards present anywhere in the cave. After entering the lowest level, they went towards the SealMaster. Akihiko said, "Deactivate the seals without letting him catch on." Sora deactivated the seals and placed fake seals in place. Immediately, all 8 of them headed to the lowest level while still staying underground. Sora and Haru split off from the group and headed to where the children were kept. The others headed towards the grand priest. Chapter 179: A Blood Dome? In the central room at the lowest level of the cave, the Grand Priest was meditating at the center of the cave. The Grand Priest was from the same generation as Konoha''s Legendary Sannins. His body was extremely muscular. However, he had numerous sword scars and burn scars all over his body. Even his face had two huge sword scars forming an X on his face. In addition, his left cheek had a burn scar that covered it entirely. The room was quite unique as well. There was a circle dug into the ground that surrounded the entire room. It was about 3 inches deep and 6 inches wide. 5 straight lines were dug from this circle into the 5 rooms that surrounded the central room with the same depth and width. In addition, an equilateral triangle was dug such that it was inscribed in the circle. There were also 7 pillars in the room. They were all equidistant from where the Grand Priest was meditating. Most importantly, blood flowed through the circle and the triangle. In addition, the ground and the walls were covered with mysterious symbols. The devotees and the servants were working on drawing even more symbols as the Priests supervised. On one of the pillars, an old man sat. He had a long white beard that extended up to his abdomen. However, in contrast to his beard, his head was as bald as a desert landscape. Like the Grand Priest, he too had a few sword scars on his body. However, unlike him, the old man''s body was very fragile. He wore a clean silver robe and observed everyone around him while stroking his beard. He thought, ''The preparations for the ritual are almost over. Soon, we will only be missing the children. Once Datsuron and the rest bring the children, we will add the blood of the children from the 5 rooms to this room and begin the ritual. Then we can begin the ritual.'' The old man, who thought about killing 375 children with no remorse or pity, was the one who had placed seals in the cave. As he was observing everyone''s work, he noticed 3 devotees approaching him. He looked at them and asked, "Why aren''t you three resting?" One of the three devotees laughed awkwardly and said, "Isamu-sama, the ritual is so close to completion. We were excited and couldn''t sleep. So we decided to help complete all the preparations before sleeping." The old man looked at them and thought, ''Not bad. Unlike the other priests, all my devotees are extremely dedicated to Lord Jashin!'' He said, "Good, with your help, the work should be done in the next three hours. Aid your fellow devotees." The trio nodded and went past his pillar towards other devotees. Everyone continued working as normal. However, they were ignorant about the calamity that was about to befall them. The Konoha ninjas were hiding in the walls of the room. Fujin concentrated chakra in his eyes while others had their Sharingan activated. They were waiting for Sora and Haru. In a few minutes, Sora set up barriers to isolate the rooms that held the kids from the central room. As soon as the barrier was up, Fujin and Mieko built up their chakra and exited the cave walls. Their entrance instantly attracted dozens of eyes. All the 3 Priests looked at them too. The Grand Priest also opened his eyes. However, before anyone could act, their eyes could only see a firestorm. Fujin and Mieko both used their respective jutsus. ''Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame'' ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough Jutsu'' He died without understanding why his obedient devotees killed him. The remaining 5 devotees of Isamu were the ones who had the highest impact other than Isamu himself. They looked at their fellow devotees in rage and disbelief. One of them yelled, "Why did you kill our Priest?" One of the killers shouted, "This perverted old leecher killed my mother!" The other one shouted, "He killed my friends. He is as sick as that pedophile Jashin!" Their words shocked everyone. They were filled with rage. Zankoku shouted, "How dare you commit blasphemy?" Akihiko saw these interactions and smirked. He thought, ''It''s so easy to rile them up.'' Their small argument caused a distraction. Zankoku was about to kill them when he heard a cracking sound. He looked to see that the barrier that Isamu had erected was getting broken. Without Isamu providing chakra to it, the barrier could no longer hold the combination jutsu back. A frown formed on his face as he made a hand sign. All the blood around him rose and formed a dome with him at the center. The dome also covered the other two priests and their subordinates. However, the subordinates of Isamu were left without any protection. With Isamu dead, his devotees understood that they wouldn''t get any help from Zankoku. They looked at Isamu''s killers in anger while making hand signs to use a jutsu to protect themselves. However, the two who killed Isamu began attacking the devotees who were making hand signs. This enraged them even more. They shouted, "You killed our Priest and now you two want to eliminate us too?" In a rage, 4 devotees attacked the two ''traitors''. The two traitors resisted. They were about to engage in an all-out fight when 2 kunais pierced the back of two of those devotees. They turned around to see one of their fellow devotees killing them. They exclaimed, "You too?" At that instant, the barrier finally broke! The firestorm hit the blood dome and the subordinates of Isamu. All of Isamu''s subordinates were burned alive like the others who had already died. However, the blood dome stayed strong. Fujin and Mieko''s combination jutsu wasn''t able to pierce through it at all. Fujin thought, ''This is new. He is using the blood that was flowing in the room like a Water element user would use water. I wonder if all water affinity ninjas can do this or is this something different? Also, his chakra is very strange. I have never sensed a chakra like his. It''s quite high but is unstable. And it gives a different feeling as compared to normal chakra. From within the blood dome, Zankoku too observed Fujin and Mieko. Chapter 180: A Bloody Battle Zankoku observed the two kids as he thought, ''Hidden Leaf headbands... And that girl is an Uchiha. There should be more. No wonder that old buffoon''s followers betrayed him.'' As he was analyzing, Zankoku immediately looked at the ground below. He muttered, "As I thought." Wanting to take advantage of the combination jutsu, Akihiko and the rest decided to do another surprise attack from the underground. However, due to having meditated in this room for several days and due to the preparations he had made for the ritual, Zankoku noticed a few ninjas infiltrating from the ground. He focused chakra on his right leg. His leg was covered in a red aura. He raised his right leg and slammed it down with all his power. He decided, ''It''s impossible to conduct the ritual here. They will keep coming like flies no matter how many I defeat. But, I am definitely killing these fuckers who destroyed my ritual!'' He shouted, "Escape the cave!" Zankoku kicked down at the center of the cave. Cracks began appearing. They expanded without slowing down. A shockwave was also sent into the ground towards Akihiko and company. They all were hit by the shockwave. Fujin and Mieko watched as the cracks moved towards them. Both flickered and entered into the walls at the same time and used Earth Instantaneous Body jutsu to escape the collapsing cave. Akihiko and the rest were hit by the shockwave but weren''t much injured. They too employed means to escape the cave. As the cracks spread, they also reached the 5 rooms where the children were held. Sora and Haru and their clones watched with grim faces. Sora had only created one barrier to stop any random attacks from entering there. Fujin and Mieko''s combination jutsu hit all the barriers that he had created. But, this barrier won''t protect the kids if the entire cave was collapsing! Sora, Haru and the kids noticed as the ground began cracking. The children immediately began crying loudly. Sora and his clones desperately made hand signs. After making hand signs, they slammed their hands on the floor. A barrier appeared along the floor, barely protecting the kids from any harm. However, at that time, the walls had begun cracking. Haru and his clones immediately placed their hands on the walls and poured Earth chakra into the walls to strengthen them slightly and prevent them from collapsing. Sora and his clones used this window of time to create more barriers. They first made a barrier along the ceiling to prevent any rocks from falling on the kids. They followed by creating more barriers to protect the children from all sides and ensure that the floor and the ceiling were connected properly. Right when the last barrier was erected, the entire cave collapsed! Fortunately, due to the barriers, the children were safe. Sora and Haru were breathing heavily. But a smile could be seen on their faces. The kids were sage. However, despite being safe, the kids were still wailing loudly. After all, the experience was very scary. Sora and Haru looked at them. Haru and his clone made a hand sign. They cast genjutsu on all the children and made them fall asleep. When the kids fell asleep, he and his clones all fell to the ground. Sora looked at him and said, "You have lost a lot of your chakra." Haru replied while breathing heavily, "Yeah, I poured almost all my chakra into the walls." Sora said, "Yeah, good job. If you hadn''t, I wouldn''t have managed to complete the barriers in time. Anyways, take a rest. The soldier pills should begin recovering our chakra, but we won''t be able to participate in the fight above. We will ensure that the kids stay safe."?v€l-B!n. A bunch of blood needles scratched his body, leaving him with 10-12 cuts. Fujin wondered, ''What the heck is with this blood? It''s almost as penetrative as my Wind Vacuum Technique jutsus!'' A similar thought ran through the minds of the Uchihas as well. The jutsu was very lethal. Akihiko quickly scanned Shunko with his Sharingan. The wounds on him weren''t lethal. He looked at Zankoku and had a bad feeling. A huge grin could be seen on Zankoku''s face as he made the Seal of Confrontation with his left hand. Akihiko followed his gaze and looked at Shunko. His eyes widened as he saw the chakra gathering on the spots where the cuts had appeared. He yelled, "Shunko, move away!" Shunko didn''t understand why he said so but still jumped backwards. Unfortunately, 12 explosions took place on his body at the same time! His loud shriek could be heard! Akihiko immediately flickered next to him but stayed at arm''s length. He created a shadow clone to check on him. The Jashinists smirked at seeing their leader handling the enemies by themselves. Their morale was raised. They all got on the attack. However, even before they could get on the attack, Fujin, Masaru and Mieko got on the attack. They didn''t know what had happened with Shunko. So they stayed clear of all blood controlled by Zankoku. Fujin attacked them with the Air Bullet jutsu from a range, while Masaru and Mieko used Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu. Their aim was to restrict the movement and kill off the weaker enemies. Unlike the earlier instance, this wasn''t a large-scale jutsu. So Zankoku didn''t waste his chakra to put up a huge defense. Without his help, the Servants were sitting ducks for the Konoha ninjas. 12 Servants died in this attack. The Devotees and Priests were safe, but their jutsus were disturbed. Akihiko and Genji looked at Shunko in this short window of time. They examined his injuries. Fortunately, his life wasn''t in danger. He was still conscious. Akihiko said, "It looks like when he was cut, some of the blood that guy controlled was left on Shunko''s body. Only that blood exploded. That''s why the injuries aren''t lethal." Genji nodded. He agreed with the analysis. Akihiko said, "Carry him away from here. He is in no condition to fight." Genji nodded, "Alright, I''ll take care of him." He carried Shunko and flickered away. Akihiko looked at Zankoku with a serious look on his face as he wondered, ''What the heck is his jutsu? I thought he controlled external blood similar to Water. But this looked more like the explosion release than a variant of Water release.'' He noticed Fujin, Mieko and Masaru keeping the enemy busy and decided, ''It doesn''t matter. This farce has gone on too long. Time to end this battle!'' Chapter 181: Blood can Heal??? Fujin, Mieko and Masaru were keeping the Jashinists busy. After his big jutsu, Zankoku didn''t attack much. His Priests and Devotees were the ones who were counter-attacking. Fujin kept flickering around the place. Seeing an opportunity, he flickered right behind the enemy lines and fired another round of Air Bullets. However, one of the Priests turned around and countered with Water Bullets without using any hand signs. Each of his Water Bullets hit Fujin''s Air Bullets and neutralized them. In addition, another 4 Water Bullets were headed at Fujin. Fujin fired a Vacuum Bullet at the Priest and flickered away. The Priest smirked and fired a Water Bullet to intercept the Vacuum Bullet. Both attacks clashed. The Priest''s smirk died when he saw Fujin''s attack piercing through his as if it was just air! He immediately moved to his side. The Vacuum Bullet missed him by just a few inches. The Priest could feel the suction force of the vacuum bullet as it passed him. A servant was behind him in line. The Vacuum bullet pierced through his chest and left a hole in his right lung! The Priest shouted, "Be careful of that boy''s air bullets! They have a very high penetrative power!" Fujin wasn''t out of harm''s way either. As soon as he flickered, his new position was pelted with shurikens and kunais by the Devotees. He had to flicker a few more times. On the other side, Masaru and Mieko were fighting with the other Priest and his devotees. Both spammed the Phoenix Sage Fire jutsu but were stopped by Earth Walls raised by the devotees. The Priest stayed behind his devotees while making hand signs. ''Lightning Release: Lightning Fingers Jutsu'' He pointed his fingers at Mieko and Masaru. Lightning Bolts were fired at high speeds at them! Both dodged in a hurry. Some sparks hit Mieko causing the hair on her body to stand up. However, no harm was done. At that moment, a few blood drops gathered at the tip of Zankoku''s fingers. He waved his hands as if to throw the blood. Those blood drops moved at a very high speed at Fujin and the other two. Fujin noticed it immediately. He immediately flickered and got out of the way. He formed two Vacuum Bullets in his mouth and fired them at Zankoku. Mieko and Masaru dodged as well. But their positions were attacked further by the other Priest. They had to keep dodging. Zankoku dodged Fujin''s Vacuum Bullets with ease. Fujin frowned, ''These guys are good. I guess these 2 are his strongest Priests. Winning against them won''t be easy. Not to mention that this Grand Priest is definitely at least at Elite Jounin level. What is Akihiko doing?'' Akihiko, who was observing the situation, made the confrontation hand seal right when Zankoku dodged Fujin''s attack. When he moved, he had come closer to three Devotees. All of a sudden, 2 Devotees attacked the Priest who was keeping Fujin at bay. They grabbed their kunais and attacked the Priest''s back! At the same time, the 2 Devotees with the Earth Element attacked the Priest who specialized in Lightning Release. The Devotees slammed their hands on the ground and the Priest was attacked by multiple stone spears! Mieko and Masaru too tried attacking, but they were intercepted as well. Akihiko decided to not attack impulsively and kept his eye on Zankoku. In a few seconds, Zankoku stepped out from the blood cocoon. However, when he did, all the Konoha ninjas were shocked! Akihiko muttered, "How? Even the best Medical Ninja doesn''t have this efficiency!" Zankoku''s wounds were all healed. Only horrible scars were remaining on his body. The only wound that still could be seen was his eye. It wasn''t healed. Fujin wondered, ''Was he healed by Jashin''s blessings? Or is it due to his blood jutsus? After all, he hasn''t completed the ritual to gain Jashin''s blessings, right? If this healing is only due to blood jutsus and not due to Jashin, then it would be a very important jutsu to learn. Though it leaves scars on the body, I don''t mind them. After all, what use is looking good if I am not even alive?'' Zankoku looked viciously at the Konoha ninjas. He said, "Kill everybody!" The Jashinists were excited at his order. However, suddenly, the Priests and Zankoku attacked the remaining Devotee and Servants. All were killed off. The Konoha ninjas were caught off guard by this development. Akihiko thought, ''Oh well, saves us the effort. Now we have the numerical advantage!'' Zankoku said, "Now no one will backstab us. You two, don''t look into those red eyes. Else I will have to kill you too." The Priests nodded and said, "Don''t worry. We know how to deal with the Uchihas." Akihiko flickered behind Fujin and said, "You and Mieko take care of the Lightning user. Your Wind manipulation should have an advantage." Fujin nodded. Both he and Akihiko flickered next to Mieko and Masaru. Akihiko said, "Masaru, you take care of the Water specialist. Mieko, aid Fujin against the Lightning specialist. Leave the main enemy to me." Both nodded. Mieko stepped next to Fujin and said with a grin on her face, "Time to kill our first Jounin." Fujin smirked and replied, "Your first Jounin kill." Mieko looked at Fujin and exclaimed, "You already killed one?" Akihiko interrupted them and said sternly, "Pay attention, they are making a move!" They stopped speaking and focused entirely on their enemy. Chapter 182: Fierce Clash in the Grasslands! The two Priests weaved hand signs quickly. ''Water Release: Waterfall Jutsu'' ''Lightning Release: False Darkness Jutsu'' One of the Priests expelled a huge amount of water at the Konoha ninjas. It formed a huge wave and headed towards the Konoha ninjas. The other fired his Lightning jutsu into the Water, electrifying it. A smile formed on Fujin''s face, ''This isn''t like that Noodle Thief. These guys are strong.'' Fujin gathered a huge amount of chakra. For the first time in a long while, he showed off his entire chakra. The sudden spike in his chakra gained the attention of the Uchihas around him. They were about to do multiple flickers when they felt Fujin''s chakra spiking. Mieko looked at him and wondered, ''When did his chakra grow so much? It is almost as high as some of the Jounins in my clan.'' Akihiko and Masaru were shocked as well. They both thought, ''What chakra! It''s almost as if he is from the Senju or Uzumaki clan!'' Akihiko thought, ''If he doesn''t get involved in the coup, then his future will be very bright.'' While Masaru thought, ''Shit, his chakra level isn''t far away from my own level!'' Fujin rapidly converted his chakra into the wind element. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough Jutsu'' He exhaled a huge wind. It hit the incoming electrocuted water wave. The high-speed winds halted the water wave. It pierced into the wave and neutralized the electric charges within it. However, the water wave also absorbed the winds and didn''t allow them to move towards the Jashinists. Both jutsus neutralized each other. The water fell down on the ground and spread slowly in all directions. Fujin''s jutsu also raised a huge dust cover over the battlefield. Seeing the opportunity, Fujin began forming a couple of Vacuum Bullets. He could sense their positions accurately. He was about to shoot out the Vacuum bullets when his eyes widened! He and the Uchihas immediately flickered away. A fraction of a second after they flickered, dozens of blood drops passed through their previous location at a very fast speed! Fujin frowned, ''Shit! That bastard used the same tactic! And was faster than me too!'' Zankoku had the same idea as Fujin. He too used the chaos created by the two wide-range jutsus to sneak attack. Unfortunately, all the Konoha ninjas had very good senses. So his sneak attack didn''t have any effect. After flickering, Masaru weaved hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground. Fujin and Mieko were watching them carefully. As soon as their target was separated from the other two Jashinists, Fujin flickered in front of him. The Priest was surprised to see him. He was about to attack when Fujin blew very strong winds straight at him. Facing such a wide-range jutsu at such a close range meant that the Priest couldn''t dodge the attack. The winds hit him head-on and sent him flying and rolling backwards for more than a hundred meters! Multiple cuts appeared on the body of the Priest. In addition, getting dragged along the ground caused him even more minor wounds. Despite the wounds, the Priest got in a fighting stance right away! However, his opponent wasn''t just Fujin. As soon as he got up his position was showered by Shurikens. The Priest immediately moved, but Mieko flickered in front of him. ''Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu'' The Priest saw a giant Fireball heading towards him. He frowned, ''These kids are relentless. I need to take the initiative back!'' He quickly made hand signs. ''Lightning Release: False Darkness Jutsu'' He fired a Lightning Spear at the incoming Fireball. The Lightning Spear pierced through the center of the Fireball and dispersed it. However, the Priest had no time to celebrate. Mieko was no longer behind the Fireball and Fujin had appeared right next to him and was swinging his sword at him. The Priest stepped behind and pulled out a black colored retractable spear. It was a spear he used during rituals. As he moved it to block Fujin''s sword, Lightning began flowing through it. The Sword and the spear clashed! The Priest was expecting Fujin to be electrocuted. However, his eyes widened as he saw Fujin''s sword cut through his spear. Realizing the danger, the Priest leaned backwards. Displaying excellent flexibility, the Priest almost leaned parallel to the ground by bending at his knees and leaning backwards completely. Fujin''s sword slash went from above him. Even the winds alongside the slash didn''t hit the Priest due to how well the Priest moved! A sword slash cut through the grass for over a hundred meters without hurting anyone. As soon as the sword slash passed, the Priest kicked at Fujin. Fujin, who was planning to bring his sword down, kicked his leg. Not wanting to face his sword in close range, the Priest used the force of Fujin''s kick to fly backwards. Fujin followed his kick with a vertical slash with his sword at his opponent who was still in the air. Seeing the attack, the Priest dug the half-cut spear into the ground and used it as a base to move out of the line of attack. Mieko, who was watching his every movement with her Sharingans, realized the direction where he would be dodging. She launched multiple kunais with explosive tags at the place where he would land. However, the Priest noticed the attack and extended his arms at them. Lightning sparks were released from his palms. They hit the explosive tags and disarmed them. They also slowed down the kunais and just side-stepped them. Fujin and Mieko were about to press on the attack once again but they halted after seeing their enemy''s actions. Lightning had once again gathered in the palms of the Priest without any hand signs. He slammed his hands on the ground. Lightning was discharged in a radius of 25 meters around him! Mieko immediately flickered behind Fujin who casually swung his sword and sent out a wind wave that neutralized the Lightning discharge heading around him. The Priest looked at his two opponents and took a deep breath. At last, he had broken their initiative! He said, "This one never expected that he would be pushed so much by little kids like you. Lord Jashin would be very pleased when this one sacrifices you to him." Fujin and Mieko''s eyes twitched as they thought, ''This one? Who the hell speaks like that?'' However, without replying, both Fujin and Mieko pressed on the attack once again. The Priest, who had just found some respite, was once again in a tough situation! Chapter 183: Akihiko Vs Zankoku Fujin and Mieko both had spent a lot of their chakra due to the jutsus they used earlier. So they attacked the Priest with Kenjutsu and Taijutsu. Due to the threat of Fujin''s sword and Mieko''s Sharingan, the Priest was having a tough time. Despite the advantages, Fujin or Mieko didn''t manage to land any hits on him. However, the Priest couldn''t help but complain in his mind, ''What the fuck does Konoha teach in their academy? I spoke in such a hilarious tone. And I provoked them. But they kept attacking me without a single emotion on their face! I expected these brats to say at least something to give me some time to catch my breath and attack first!'' Some distance away from them, Akihiko and Masaru too had entered into fights. They successfully separated all the Jashinists. Akihiko took on Zankoku while Masaru took on the remaining Priest. As soon as he was far away from Zankoku, Masaru attacked the Priest. He flickered in front of him and launched a fireball at him. However, the Priest created a Water Wall to defend himself and counter-attacked with sharp jets of water. Masaru dodged while closing in on the distance between them. The Priest frowned while moving backwards as he thought, ''He is strong! I can''t get into a Taijutsu fight with an Uchiha. And I have to avoid looking into his eyes. So annoying. I hope Zankoku-sama wins quickly and comes to aid me.'' As the Priest decided to stall and fight defensively, the fight entered into a stalemate. The Priest''s Water jutsus completely shut down Masaru''s Fire jutsus. Though Masaru resorted to Earth jutsus, they didn''t have much effect on the Priest. Some distance from them, Akihiko and Zankoku faced each other. Like all Uchihas, Akihiko launched a huge Fireball at his enemy. He launched shurikens into his fireball to double up. Zankoku waved his arm. A blood wall appeared in the path of the Fireball. The fireball hit the blood wall and exploded. Though the explosion didn''t reach Zankoku, it cleared the path for the shurikens. Zankoku''s attention was entirely on Akihiko. So he didn''t notice the shurikens until they were very close. He immediately moved out of the way, but a few shurikens left cuts on him. Without giving him any respite, Akihiko pressed on the attack. He flickered in front of him and attacked with a tanto. Zankoku grabbed a retractable spear and used it to block the tanto. While he blocked, Akihiko''s sharingans noticed the cut wounds on his body closing by themselves. He kept attacking, however, his expression grew grim. Akihiko analyzed, ''His self-healing is off the charts! The only one I have heard about having such healing is the First Hokage. But how can this lunatic have such a healing ability? And what are its limits? If he can heal non-stop, then it wouldn''t matter how many times we hit him. He will still keep healing.'' Zankoku looked at Akihiko''s face and guessed his thoughts. He smirked and said, "That''s right. No matter how many times you wound me, I will always heal. Your whole squad is doomed to die at my han..." He suddenly stopped speaking and stood still. Akihiko smirked, ''It doesn''t matter how much you can heal. Once you look in the eyes of an Uchiha, it''s all over!'' While he was speaking, Zankoku looked into Akihiko''s eyes. Akihiko didn''t waste the opportunity and cast a Sharingan Genjutsu instantly. Akihiko stepped forward while thinking, ''Now let me see if you can heal yourself after being beheaded.'' He raised his arm and swung his tanto at Zankoku''s neck. However, all of a sudden, Zankoku attacked. He swung his spear with all his might. Akihiko''s sharingans noticed the movements and he immediately jumped backward. However, he couldn''t dodge completely. The spear hit his right shoulder and left a deep cut up to his abdomen. He began bleeding profusely! A sadistic grin appeared on Zankoku''s face. In order to not alert Akihiko, he used no chakra in that attack. That is why Akihiko was caught off-guard. Akihiko quickly moved back while inspecting his injury. He looked at Zankoku and asked, "How did you break my Genjutsu?" The Priest blocked her kunai and dodged Fujin''s sword and replied, "I serve Lord Jashin. I haven''t fucked anyone for over a decade." Fujin glanced at Mieko. He thought, ''She is about to lose her cool.'' He looked at his opponent and thought, ''I haven''t engaged much in trash-talking. I should consider adding it to my skills. I can think of a bunch of strong opponents who would go berserk with a good trash talk.'' Not wanting Mieko to lose her control, Fujin commented casually, "I heard that you Jashinists have to sacrifice to your dumb god. Don''t tell me that you have to sacrifice your private parts in order to be inducted into your little cult." Mieko was surprised by Fujin''s words. She wondered, ''When did he become so foul-mouthed?'' Even the Priest watched Fujin with surprise. He said, "Of course not, we have to con..." Fujin interrupted him and said, "Considering that you are so proud about sacrificing them, I guess that they were very pathetic." The Priest immediately yelled, "You little br...!" However, Fujin instantly flickered in front of him and slashed with his sword horizontally! The Priest immediately moved backward and jumped out of the path of Fujin''s attack. Seeing that his opponent was in the air, Fujin fired a dozen Air bullets at him. While attacking, he thought, ''What a pro! Even his anger was fake.'' The Priest immediately weaved a couple of hand signs and extended both his arms forward. Lightning arcs appeared between his palms. ''Lightning Release: Lightning Beam jutsu'' The Priest fired a Lightning Beam straight at Fujin. The beam was very wide and completely covered the priest. All the Air Bullets crashed into the beam. They hindered the lightning beam slightly, but couldn''t pierce through. Fujin watched the Lightning Beam coming at him. He didn''t move. He focused chakra in his throat and converted it into Wind. When the beam was just a meter away from him, he opened his mouth and fired a Vacuum Bullet. However, unlike Fujin''s earlier Vacuum Bullets, this one was huge. It would be more appropriate to call it a Vacuum Canon instead! It pierced straight through the center of the enemy''s lightning beam and dispersed most of it. The Priest was shocked. He tried to use the force of his own jutsu to move out of the way while in the air. Mieko was surprised as well. Launching an attack in such a way meant that Fujin won''t be able to dodge. However, realizing the risk Fujin took, Mieko flickered close to the Priest to attack him. It looked like this fight would finally have a result soon. Chapter 184: A Close Call The recoil from his jutsu helped the Priest move away from the line of Fujin''s attack. However, it wasn''t enough. The Vacuum Cannon grazed the right side of the Priest''s abdomen and tore a huge chunk of it! His wound began bleeding immediately. His liver and intestines were damaged. At the same time, whatever remained of the Lightning Beam rained down on Fujin. Fujin extended his left arm forward to block it. All the lightning charges hit his left arm and Lightning flowed through his body. Fujin endured while thinking, ''Not bad. Due to my training in the lightning element, this attack doesn''t feel much. Though if I took the entire beam head-on, it would have hurt. Anyways, I now see why Renjiro emphasized the importance of undertaking missions. Though deciding to counterattack was risky, the danger allowed me to perform my jutsu even faster. I wanted to create a Wind Vacuum Beam. The center of the beam would be made of vacuum. It would be only a few micrometers wide but would be very long as it would have to extend across the entire length of the beam. Instead, I managed to create a much stronger Vacuum Bullet. I will call it Vacuum Cannon after I train it properly. Though the result wasn''t what I envisioned, it is still a very good improvement.'' While Fujin was enduring the electric shocks, Mieko flickered next to the Priest while weaving hand signs. ''Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire jutsu'' She Fired 6 small fireballs at the Priest. 2 of these were headed at him while the other 4 cut off his escape routes. The Priest, who had just suffered a huge injury, now had to face another attack. She smirked, ''It''s over.'' Unfortunately for Mieko, her calculations were horribly wrong! Humiliated at being injured to this extent, the Priest entered into a frenzy. His eyes turned reddish as he exerted all his chakra. A high amount of Lightning gathered on his palms. He screamed in rage as he attacked his surroundings indiscriminately. The Lightning hit the fireballs and deflected or dispersed them. The grass around him was hit and it caught fire. Mieko was very close to him and was in range as well. She tried to flicker but wasn''t fast enough. Lightning bolts hit her and made her scream in pain. The lightning electrocuted her and left multiple burns on her body. She fell to the ground in pain and was unable to control her body properly.The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Seeing that his opponent was vulnerable, the Priest grinned. He immediately moved towards Mieko while pulling out another retractable spear and making lightning flow through it. Fujin''s expression grew grim. He had just finished enduring the previous attack. He flickered instantly. Genji nodded and said, "I healed his wounds as best as I could and left a shadow clone with him. He isn''t in any mortal danger. Though we can''t expect him to join the fight and might have to carry him on the way back." Masaru replied. "Great work. I will go and aid Akihiko. You aid the two kids. They are fighting above their weight class." Genji was surprised to hear that Mieko and Fujin were fighting against a Priest by themselves. He had observed Masaru''s fight and had realized that the Priest he was facing was stronger than him. He nodded and quickly moved towards them. Mieko was in a state of shock. She had seen Fujin''s attack wound their enemy critically. She pressed on with the intention to finish the fight, but the tables were turned in the blink of an eye. A lot of her skin was burnt due to the lightning shocks. Her body couldn''t move properly. And her Sharingan saw the Priest running towards her like a savage. She desperately tried to get her body to move but to no avail. The Priest reached her and raised his spear up and slashed it down at full power. Terror spread through her mind as she realized that her life could end. Memories flashed through her mind. She thought about her mother, her father, her childhood friends, her relatives, her sensei, Hoka and Fujin. At that very instant, Fujin appeared in front of her and slashed his sword at the spear. Mieko''s eyes shined as she watched Fujin. The Priest also noticed him and the grin on his face grew wider. The two weapons clashed. Fujin expected his sword to cut through the spear once again, but unexpectedly, it didn''t. The Priest yelled loudly and exerted all the force he could on the spear as he thought, ''I knew this kid would jump in front of her. Even though these kids are ruthless, the Konoha ninjas are all softies. If they were from Kumo or Kiri, I would have worried about the other cutting my head while I cut their teammate''s head. But with Konoha, the possibility of such an action is minuscule. So I have poured all my remaining chakra into this spear. The victory or defeat would be decided with this one attack. With one swing, I''ll kill them both!'' Fujin realized that his opponent had focused all his chakra on the spear. The force that the Priest exerted began to push Fujin''s feet backwards. But suddenly, Fujin controlled and focused his chakra. Some chakra gathered on his soles to stabilize his position. He was no longer being pushed behind. However, compared to his feet, a lot more chakra flowed through his sword. He pushed back with his full power. A crack appeared on the Spear. The Priest''s eyes widened as he saw his spear being cut into two once again. He watched as the sword continued ahead. He tried to move, but his body was too exhausted to respond in time. The sword reached him and severed his neck. His severed head had a look of disbelief as he watched Fujin. His last thoughts were, ''To think that I would die at the hands of a kid...'' The last Priest under Zankoku was killed. Chapter 185: Evolution Mieko watched the Priest''s head fly in the sky. Her body and mind finally relaxed. For the first time in her life, she was genuinely grateful to someone. Genji reached this battlefield to see Fujin cut his opponent''s head off. His eyes noticed Fujin''s chakra flare at the last moment and left him astounded. Fujin sensed someone rushing towards him and immediately looked at Genji. Seeing that it was an ally, Fujin relaxed. He turned his attention to Mieko in order to check her injuries. However, he suddenly stopped. A surprise could be seen on his face. Genji flickered next to him and looked at Mieko. His expression grew grim on seeing her injuries, but suddenly shock could be seen on his face. Mieko didn''t understand why Fujin and Genji were looking at her like this. Soon, a huge smile broke on Genji''s face. He exclaimed in excitement, "Mieko, your Sharingans have evolved into 2-tomoe Sharingans!" Mieko was shocked to hear that. After a moment, the shock passed and excitement rushed in. She tried moving but the pain brought her back to Earth. Seeing her grimacing in pain, Genji said, "Don''t move, I will heal you as much as I can first." He began using Mystical Palm jutsu to treat the burns on her body. Fujin observed them as he thought, ''I thought I had huge gains from the fight. But mine don''t even compare to hers! That Sharingan is a huge cheat. Though to be fair, my life wasn''t at risk. Even if my jutsu had failed, I was confident about surviving that attack without affecting my ability to fight. On the other hand, her life probably flashed in front of her eyes.'' Fujin turned his attention to his dead opponent as he analyzed, ''This guy was very good. His every move was a scheme. And he managed to reset initiative and flip the table multiple times. My attack should have finished him off and yet he managed to reverse the situation. If I didn''t know chakra flow or if my chakra reserves were close to empty, he would have managed to kill us both. Even assuming that I didn''t make a move or was slow, Mieko would have died. Perhaps in that case he wouldn''t have exerted all his chakra in that attack. Either way, he perfectly calculated or guessed our moves and made the right plan. More importantly, I shouldn''t underestimate someone just because they are critically injured. Even though no one will go off like Deidara, the final struggle can be very tricky. Especially when dealing with veteran Jounins.''The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. He focused back on Mieko and observed Genji''s jutsu without disturbing him. Genji was slowly healing the burn marks on her body. Fujin realized, ''He doesn''t seem to be very good with Medical ninjutsu.'' Genji noticed that Fujin was observing him. Without taking his eyes off Mieko, he said, "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of her. If you can still fight, you can go help out Akihiko and Masaru. They are fighting against the Grand Priest." Fujin asked, "So Masaru won his fight?" Genji nodded. Fujin looked in the direction that Akihiko, Masaru and Zankoku were fighting. He could feel that an intense battle was happening there. He said, "I am very low on chakra. I won''t be able to help much in the fight. And seeing the way he controls blood, I could be a burden instead." Genji was disappointed with that answer. However, he said, "Alright. Look after Mieko after I am done healing her." Fujin replied, "I will." Masaru asked, "Have you tried cutting him into pieces?" Akihiko answered, "Haven''t been successful so far." As they were speaking, they heard Zankoku yelling in anger. A few dozen blood drops formed around him and he fired them in all directions. Akihiko and Masaru dodged quickly. Akihiko said, "That''s why. Every time I manage to get an upper hand, he resets my advantage with a wide-range jutsu forcing me to evade." They saw an intact Zankoku walk out of the smoke. However, his body was horrible to see. He had no clothes on his body and his entire body was covered in horrible scars! Masaru said, "He looks disgusting. But this is indeed annoying. Our chakra is already about to run out." As they were about to engage in another round of battle, Genji was done healing Mieko. He said, "I have healed your burns. They won''t be harmful to you. But don''t move around a lot. I can''t deal with the damage the lightning might have inflicted on your inner organs. Fujin, look after her. I''ll go help out Akihiko." Fujin nodded. He saw Genji leaving. He made a hand sign and a shadow clone appeared next to him. Without speaking, the shadow clone followed Genji''s path. Mieko asked, "Why did you make a shadow clone with so little chakra?" Fujin shrugged and said, "I''m interested in seeing how that battle ends. This guy is probably the strongest opponent we have ever faced. Other than that incident when we were returning from Hot Water of course." Mieko said, "That''s true. I wish I could see it too." They didn''t say anything for a few seconds. Suddenly, Mieko said, "Fujin, thank you. I was very scared after I got hit." Fujin looked at her. He could feel that she was very grateful to him. He said, "Our team might have been disbanded, but we are still teammates. No need to be thankful for such stuff." Mieko didn''t reply and just smiled. Fujin asked, "How are your injuries?" Mieko sighed and said, "My whole body is aching. That bastard fried my body inside out!" Fujin replied, "Yeah, he was fierce. Veteran Jounins are still too strong for us." Chapter 186: How the fuck did Itachi kill them all? While Fujin and Mieko talked, Genji and Fujin''s shadow clone reached the battlefield. Genji hid the same way as Masaru had while Fujin''s clone stayed away and observed from a long distance. He had no intention of interfering in the fight. With Masaru''s help, Akihiko finally had the upper hand. They inflicted injuries on Zankoku frequently. But all of his injuries healed automatically. Genji was stunned. He thought, ''How do I sneak attack someone who heals without any jutsu?'' Fujin''s clone too was shocked. He watched the fight as he analyzed, ''This guy is strong. Ridiculously so! While Hidan couldn''t be killed, I don''t recall him having such a healing ability. Tsk, now I am even more interested in his blood jutsus. I hope Hiruzen orders the Yamanakas to dig out all the information from his brain! Though asking it from Hiruzen would require some effort. He no longer rewards me sadly.'' After observing for a while, Genji decided, ''My sneak attacks work on the basis that I would injure my prey critically or trap him in a Genjutsu. It''s pointless to hide against an opponent like him. The kid made a good decision to not show up here.'' Genji revealed himself by throwing some shurikens at Zankoku. Zankoku barely dodged them. His expression grew grim as he saw another opponent. He asked, "You killed all my Priests?" Disbelief could be felt in his voice. Masaru replied, "That is the case. You are all by yourself. Stop your misery and surrender. Only then you would live." Hearing those words, Zankoku began to laugh loudly like a lunatic. He said loudly, "Do you think that killing those weaklings will make me surrender? I will sacrifice all of you to Lord Jashin and get even more blessings from him!" As he was speaking, he began bleeding. Soon, his entire body was covered in blood. His chakra, which was getting exhausted, spiked once again. Without paying any attention to his defense, he moved towards the Uchihas. Akihiko and Masaru''s expressions grew grim. Zankoku closed the distance and swung his arm at them. Multiple drops of blood were released from his arm at the Uchihas. They immediately flickered away. Zankoku chased them. Not wanting to waste chakra unnecessarily, the Uchihas tossed explosive tags at him to hinder his path. But Zankoku ignored it all and continued the chase. Fortunately, he wasn''t as fast as the Uchihas. While engaging in combat, Akihiko said, "Genji, what''s the status of others."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Genji threw a kunai at Zankoku and said, "Mieko and Shunko are injured. Fujin is fine but his chakra is very low." Akihiko instructed, "Okay, leave this battlefield. Team up with Fujin and get Sora out. Leave a clone to watch over Shunko and Mieko." Genji replied, "Alright!" Normally Genji wouldn''t have wasted time. But since he was waiting for his clone, he said, "The opponent has a very high regenerative ability and is immune to Genjutsu. We need Sora''s Fuinjutsu to trap him." Fujin and Mieko were surprised. Mieko said, "I didn''t think the opponent would be so strong!" Genji''s clone finally arrived. He was carrying Shunko on his back. Genji said, "Fujin, follow me." Mieko quickly said, "I want to come too!" Genji looked at her and shook his head. He said, "No, you are too weak right now. If he assaults us when we are getting Sora out, you will be a burden." Without waiting for her reply, he left. Fujin followed him. They arrived at the place where the cave had collapsed. Fujin said, "Uncle Sora should be alright. I guess he didn''t come out as he needs to stay there to ensure the kids are safe." Genji nodded and said, "Yeah. I guess that he created some barriers to keep them safe. So getting the kids out will put them at risk. Let''s just go down and see what the situation is." He made hand signs and disappeared into the ground. Fujin followed him. After reaching down, they both noticed 5 pairs of chakra signatures. Fujin said, "The one in the north has the highest chakra level. The rest should be clones." Genji and Fujin went towards them. They moved until they reached the barrier. Genji knocked on the barrier. Sora and Haru were meditating to regain their chakra quickly. As soon as they heard the knock, both opened their eyes and looked at the spot Genji tapped. Seeing that it was allies, they relaxed. Sora made a hand sign and created an opening in the barrier. Fujin and Genji got in. Without wasting any time, Genji briefed Sora about the situation. Sora and Haru frowned after hearing about Zankoku''s abilities. Sora made a shadow clone and said, "The barrier needs me to monitor. So I''ll leave a shadow clone here. Haru and Fujin stay here and ensure that the kids remain safe. Genji, come with me." Everyone nodded and followed Sora''s instructions. Fujin and Haru were low on chakra, so Sora didn''t involve them in the fight. Sora and Genji left, leaving Haru, Fujin and Sora''s clones to look after the kids. Sora''s clone said to Fujin, "We shouldn''t be in any danger here. The barrier can withstand all the weight above it and can withstand some attacks too. The only danger is if that Grand Priest decides to launch an all-out assault on the barrier. But that isn''t likely to happen. So just relax and focus on recovering your chakra." Fujin nodded and sat in a meditative posture. Sora and Genji reached the battlefield and observed from a distance. Akihiko and Masaru were engaged in an intense battle. Both were breathing heavily, but so was Zankoku. His inability to land a hit on the two Uchihas in front of him annoyed him. Sora observed Zankoku''s fighting style and jutsus carefully and began analyzing and calculating how he should trap Zankoku. Chapter 187: The Result After observing for a minute, Sora said, "He is very strong. I''m surprised that someone so strong has managed to keep his identity and ability hidden for so long." Genji asked, "Can you trap him with Fuinjutsu jutsu?" Sora replied, "It''ll be tough. Hopefully, Akihiko and Masaru will keep him occupied. Keep an eye on the battle. If he suspects something and tries looking for me, you''ll expose yourself and attack him." Genji nodded. Inscribing seals around the battlefield would need time. And anything could happen in battle. His job would be to ensure that Sora''s presence stays hidden. Sora began inscribing seals around the place where the fighting was happening. Genji followed him closely. Luckily, Zankoku''s entire attention was on Akihiko and Masaru. Since Sora didn''t leak any killing intent or take any actions that would directly threaten him, Zankoku stayed oblivious to his actions. Akihiko and Masaru were oblivious to Sora''s actions too and fought intensely. Multiple fires were burning in the area due to their Fire jutsus. A lot of the ground was dyed in blood. Akihiko and Masaru stayed away from such areas. Zankoku''s Blood manipulation had raised their alertness to the maximum. Fujin''s clone, who was secretly observing, had to change his locations a few times due to Zankoku''s wide area attacks accidentally targeting his locations. After a few minutes, Zankoku stopped attacking. He looked at Akihiko and Masaru. They were breathing heavily. Though there weren''t any critical injuries on them, Zankoku knew that they wouldn''t last for much longer. He said, "You won''t last much longer." Masaru was looking for opportunities to waste time. He said while breathing heavily, "We can still go on for hours. You haven''t seen anything yet!" Zankoku laughed and replied, "And how would you do that without any chakra? It''s only a matter of time before you drop dead. But, I have an offer for you two." Akihiko squinted his eyes and asked, "What offer?" Zankoku answered, "Serve Lord Jashin. I''ll accept you as my Priests and teach you the ways of Lord Jashin. When I complete the ritual, I will become the strongest person in the world! Then you can rule the world alongside me." Both Akihiko and Masaru were speechless by his confidence. However, neither showed it on their face. Akihiko stayed quiet for some time before saying, "I need a few minutes to think." However, Zankoku said, "No, tell me your answer right now. Either you agree, or you die!" Akihiko put on a thoughtful face. He looked at Masaru and asked, "What are your thoughts?" Masaru thought and answered after a few seconds, "His proposal is tempting. But what about our families? We can''t abandon them." Zankoku''s expression became grim. Immediately, layers of blood surrounded him. A multilayered cocoon formation of blood protected him. Masaru taunted, "Our chakra might have hit rock bottom, but we still have thousands of explosive tags. How long do you think you will last?" Without another word, the Uchihas encircled the barrier. Everyone began throwing explosive tags into the barrier. Huge explosions took place in the barrier. The Uchihas, who were standing outside it, didn''t feel anything at all. Slowly, the layers of cocoons began breaking apart. Fujin''s clone couldn''t hear their words but sweatdropped as he saw that scene. He thought, ''How shameless! This is just bullying. They used so many explosive tags during the fighting. And now they have used at least a hundred more. Do Uchihas don''t know the difference between a normal paper and an explosive paper tag? No wonder Mieko was spamming explosive tags in the Chunin exams. It''s as if they have a printing factory to make them.'' After enduring a few hundred explosive tags, all of Zankoku''s defenses crumbled. His body began taking the explosions head-on. His body tried to heal itself, but the amount of damage he was taking was too high. Akihiko was observing him carefully with his Sharingan. He kept observing until his chakra reserves ran out. He instructed, "Stop!" Immediately all Uchihas stopped. Akihiko grabbed his Tanto. Chakra flowed through it. He threw it inside the barrier. Zankoku had no energy to move. The Tanto sliced through his neck and beheaded him. The four Uchihas observed him to see if he could still heal up. So did Fujin''s shadow clone. He wondered, ''Will he be alive like Hidan? Or does he not have the same sort of immortality that Hidan will have in the future?'' Zankoku''s body didn''t move. He was dead. Akihiko looked at Genji and said, "Make a shadow clone and check him." Genji nodded and made a shadow clone. The clone entered the barrier and checked. Zankoku''s body was in terrible shape. The explosions had destroyed a lot of his flesh. Whatever flesh he had was completely burnt. Both his eyes were destroyed. His nose, ears and lips were destroyed too. Even his bones were cracked in many places. After inspecting, Genji''s clone said, "He is completely dead." Akihiko and Masaru sighed in relief. They had fought him the most and knew what frightening vitality he had. Akihiko said, "Sora, seal his body properly. We will study him thoroughly." Sora nodded and began sealing Zankoku''s body. Akihiko said, "In the mission report, we will mention his abilities and say that his body was thoroughly destroyed by our explosive tags. Nothing was left behind. Don''t tell Haru or the kids about this either. You can tell Haru later, but no word to the kids." On hearing that, the three Uchihas became serious and nodded. Sora asked, "Is it due to..." Akihiko interrupted, "Yes. The relationship between the village and the clan is deteriorating. Though Fugaku-sama is against the Coup right now, it is probably unavoidable unless the village elders stop mistreating us. If the Coup does happen, then the abilities of this guy would help us immensely if we can learn them." Everyone nodded. They had seen what fearsome ability Zankoku had. If multiple Jounin level Uchihas could control their blood in a similar manner or even get just the self-healing ability, then defeating them would become very difficult. Only an S rank ninja could defeat them quickly. Fujin''s clone didn''t hear their words. After seeing Sora seal Zankoku''s body, he dispersed himself. The Uchihas were unaware that the fight and the result had been witnessed by him. Chapter 188: The Dangerous Uchiha Clan! Fujin received the memories of his clone. He opened his eyes but closed them again. He thought, ''Damn! I never thought they''d be so strong. That said, that Grand Priest turned out to be the real surprise. I never imagined he''d be able to face off against an Elite Jounin and 2 Jounins at the same time and still have an upper hand. I can understand the healing ability, but why was he immune to Genjutsu?'' Fujin tried analyzing but didn''t reach any conclusion. He sighed, ''I hope Hiruzen is able to get the Yamanaka clan to read all his memories. Autonomous healing and Genjutsu immunity are skills that would be immensely helpful. Though considering that I never saw anyone use this in Naruto, it''s likely that these abilities can''t be gained without worshipping Jashin. I hope that isn''t the case.'' Sora sealed Zankoku''s body parts. He also collected as much blood as he could that was scattered on the ground. After he was done, Masaru asked, "What next?" Akihiko looked at Sora and asked, "Are the kids safe?" Sora nodded, "Haru delayed the collapse of the cave until I could raise the barriers. He also put them to sleep. With all enemies dead, they will stay safe." Akihiko said, "Great. We will pick up Mieko and Shunko and rest in the barrier. In a few hours, the pills should bring our chakra back to full. We will return the kids and head back to Konoha before the effects of the Soldier pill ends and exhaustion hits us." Everyone nodded. The group moved towards Mieko and Shunko. Both were resting. Genji''s clone noticed them coming. After confirming that they weren''t enemies in disguise, he dispersed himself. Mieko saw Akihiko and asked, "Did we win, Uncle?" Akihiko nodded, "Yes, all enemies are dead." Mieko asked, "Where is Fujin?" A worry could be seen on her face. Masaru chuckled and said, "Don''t worry, he is with the kids along with Haru. We will be heading there as well and will take a break for 6 hours." Mieko blushed on hearing the chuckle. She said, "Alright, let''s go." She walked ahead of the group. Shunko still couldn''t move properly. So Genji picked him up and carried him. They arrived in front of the collapsed mountain. Akihiko looked around to see a bunch of dead bodies. He said, "Collect and store all the dead bodies. We will hand them to the authorities of this country." Everyone nodded and began sealing the dead bodies. Except for the bodies that were buried under the mountain, the remaining bodies were stored in storage seals. They entered the place where Fujin and Haru were resting. Fujin and Haru got up on seeing others arrive. Haru asked with a smile on his face, "Is it over?" But, with jutsus like these, their chances wouldn''t be low. They could plant fake memories into multiple ninjas. When they launch a coup, they would trigger these memories and cause chaos within every clan and prevent or delay them from joining the war. After all, we aren''t at a war, normal ninjas won''t go around disrupting their chakra for no reason. And since Uchiha control the police force, coming in contact with many ninjas isn''t an issue for them. More importantly, the way Sora spoke, implied that they don''t have a better way to control multiple enemies. But, he didn''t speak about controlling just one. Assuming that they have stronger Genjutsus which can''t be broken off normally, the Uchiha''s chances of winning a coup would rise even more. If they could cast a genjutsu on some clan patriarchs, then they could even get allies in the coup. Especially Fugaku with his Mangekyou. Obito was able to control a perfect Jinchuriki despite not having any Genjutsu-based Mangekyou ability. So Fugaku placing some clan leaders under his control isn''t very far-fetched. In addition, if they were to plant some fake memories into Anbu or Root members, they could launch sneak attacks on Danzo and Hiruzen too. So the coup would definitely not be a one-sided affair. Instead, it would be a bloody war. A war that would shake the foundations of Konoha and likely trigger the Fourth Great Ninja War. A war that would likely wipe Konoha off the map.'' Fujin sighed in his mind. He had never taken the Uchiha coup seriously. Even though the information he gained wouldn''t have any impact on how the events progress, he realized how deep the waters in this world ran. A clan that was isolated and schemed against for years still possessed the power to shake the entire ninja world. He concluded, ''I never thought I''d say this, but Itachi''s actions make more sense now. With the Konoha leadership staying stubborn with their restrictions on the Uchiha clan and the Uchiha clan wanting to revolt, the end result would be the complete destruction of the village. His choices were to either see the village and his clan be destroyed, or just see his clan''s destruction. That said, I wonder why Itachi and Shisui didn''t compel the elders to drop the discrimination against the Uchiha. Wouldn''t that have dropped all the plans of a coup?'' Fujin analyzed for some time before stopping, ''Leave it. I can''t think of a reason that I can be sure of. Perhaps there were more factors involved or the Village elders convinced them that the Uchihas needed to be monitored and kept on the outskirts of the Konoha. Either way, this issue is way beyond my power to even consider interfering. For now, my main concern is, how the heck should I take that Grand Priest''s body from them? Asking shamelessly is out of the question. I''ll end up buried along with the Jashinists. Could I try to steal? No, they will keep it in the Uchiha clan compound. Not only do the Uchihas monitor it, even the Anbu and Root monitor that area. Should I try to tell Hiruzen? I could approach him innocently and tell him that the Uchihas lied. But, does he have the power to take the body back from the Uchihas in that case?'' Fujin analyzed this method carefully. After a lot of analysis, he concluded, ''It is too risky. For starters, the Uchiha clan and Hiruzen are at odds. Hiruzen might not even ask them for it. If he does, he will most likely mention that I reported it to him and the Uchihas might get very upset with me. Though they aren''t going to live for long, I don''t want to antagonize them when rewards aren''t a certainty. Worst case scenario, what if Akihiko and the rest deny that and demand Hiruzen to verify my information? I''d be fucked if Hiruzen asks a Yamanaka to inspect my memories to get proof. Shit! There is no good way!'' Fujin thought more until an idea struck him, ''That might be possible. But it is still very risky but at least my life won''t be threatened directly. More importantly, there is no guarantee of success. And even if I succeed, I might not get what I actually want.'' He tried to think of more options before giving up, ''I can''t think of any other way. Leave it, I''ll just have to prepare better in order to ensure that my identity doesn''t get leaked.'' Chapter 189: Concluding the Mission The Konoha ninjas rested for 6 hours. Everyone recovered most of their chakra. During this period, Mieko and Shunko''s wounds were healed twice more. The wounds that could be seen were all healed. Only the internal wounds remained as no one had the expertise to deal with them. When everyone was well rested, Akihiko said, "Work with Sora to get all the children out. I will contact Hiroshi." He left the underground barrier. And opened a scroll and led it on the ground and made a hand seal. At the next moment, a man was summoned. He opened his eyes and looked at Akihiko and asked, "Are the children safe?" The man was a clone of Hiroshi, the leader of Kusagakure. Akihiko nodded, "They are. But we are very far away from any village. You''ll have to call your forces here to escort them safely." Hiroshi nodded and handed Akihiko 6 scrolls and said, "You can summon them. They will make the arrangements." Akihiko took the scrolls. He was about to summon them when Hiroshi''s clone bowed deeply and clasped his hands together in front of him as he expressed his thanks. "Akihiko-san," he said, his voice full of emotion, "I cannot express how grateful I and the entire Kusagakure are for what you have done. We will never forget it." He stayed bowed for a few moments longer, his head lowered as a sign of respect and gratitude, before straightening up and looking at Akihiko with a deep sense of appreciation. Akihiko nodded and said, "It''s fine. We too don''t want to see young children having to suffer. I am glad that they are safe."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Hiroshi''s clone smiled. Akihiko opened the 6 scrolls and activated them. 6 Jounins of Kusagakure appeared. Hiroshi''s clone instructed them to follow Akihiko''s instructions and asked them to arrange for the children to be sent back. All 6 Jounins used whatever means they had to send messages to the villages from where the children went missing. When the villages got the messages, they immediately sent their forces out to bring the children back. Meanwhile, Akihiko informed Hiroshi''s clone about the Jashinists that kidnapped the children. Hiroshi''s face grew grim after hearing how strong and numerous the enemies were. He upgraded the Mission rank to S. Akihiko passed a few scrolls to Hiroshi''s clone and said, "These contain dead bodies of kidnappers. You can use them to placate any anger towards you." Hiroshi accepted the scrolls and thanked him again. Fujin got up and began forming the vacuum core. Soon, he poured wind chakra into the jutsu and expelled a Vacuum Cannon at the tree in front of him. The cannon hit the tree at the center. It didn''t just create a hole in the tree, rather the impact of the jutsu exceeded the width of the tree. The top half of the tree was sent flying into the air. Any tree up to 150 meters in line with that tree was destroyed similarly. A smile formed on Fujin''s face, ''Powerful. Very powerful. I don''t think any normal defense can withstand this attack. The only ones that possibly could resist might be Raikage''s defense and Sussano. I wonder how this attack will fare against Gaara''s defense and Rashomon. Still, the preparation time of this jutsu is more than twice that of the Vacuum Bullet. The chakra needed is close to 8 times it. I need to modify the vacuum core to be more efficient for such a huge size. And I need to see if I can achieve a similar result by using less wind chakra. Otherwise, breaking defenses would be the only thing this jutsu is capable of.'' Fujin began working on his ideas. He tried changing various shapes for the vacuum core but didn''t have any success in improving the jutsu. He trained until his chakra ran out. Not having any success, he went to his home and freshened up and rested for a bit. In the evening, he bought a few Dango and went to see Mieko. After reaching the room, he saw that Mieko and Shunko were both resting in the same room. He walked to Mieko''s bed and said, "Hey? How are your injuries?" Mieko snatched the box of dango from his hands and said as she opened it, "I am doing well. It''s just that since I was hit by such a strong lightning jutsu, the doctors want to keep monitoring my internal organs for a few days. I''ll be released in four days." She opened the box and began eating rapidly. Fujin''s eyes twitched as he said, "You know that they can''t run away, right?" Mieko said with her mouth full, "They ran away last time!" Fujin needed a few seconds but realized what she meant. He replied, "Ah, your mother! That makes sense. Hahaha." Fujin''s laugh annoyed her but she kept eating till she finished every last dango. A smile appeared on her face. She looked at Fujin and said, "Now if she gets angry, I can put most of the blame on you." Fujin waved his hand and said, "Running away is my speciality. So don''t worry, she won''t have anyone but you to yell at." Mieko snorted in displeasure. Chapter 190: Vacuum Cannon Jutsu Fujin said, "I''ll talk to Hoka and Teru about forming a team." Mieko apologized with a dejected look, "Sorry, I can''t accompany you right now. But we can go on missions after 4 days." However, Fujin shook his head and said, "No, take a week''s rest. We will take missions when you are back to full strength. And don''t worry about taking a few days to recover. I''ll need some time to master my new jutsu." Mieko asked, "Is it that cannon-like jutsu you used on our opponent?" Fujin nodded. Mieko snorted with some annoyance, "You are getting stronger once again!" Fujin looked at her with deadpan eyes, "My eyes didn''t evolve mid-fight." A grin formed on Mieko''s face. She smugly said, "That''s right." Fujin thought, ''I have always been curious about how Sharingan works. As every 3 Tomoe Sharingan wielder is ranked at Jounin or higher rank. Is it just everyone''s hard work or does Sharingan''s advancement bring other benefits to the Uchihas?'' Fujin asked, "By the way, do you feel anything different or any improvements after your Sharingan evolved?" Fujin''s question surprised Mieko. She fell into thought. Even Shunko paid full attention to Mieko. After some time, she said, "I feel like my chakra reserves have improved slightly. But the increase isn''t very high. It''s probably around 15 to 20%. More importantly, my chakra seems to be slightly denser. And, I am guessing that my eye powers will be stronger." Fujin nodded and replied, "That''s a great improvement." He analyzed, ''Hmm, not too overpowered, but still very good nonetheless. Assuming that the improvements are higher when advancing to 3 tomoe Sharingan, it would make sense why every Uchiha with 3 tomoe Sharingan would be a Jounin. Especially considering that any advancement in Sharingan needs them to suffer emotional trauma or something similar. Anyone who experiences that will be more likely to train intensely.'' Mieko stared at Fujin who was lost in thoughts. She asked, "What are you thinking?" Fujin casually replied, "Nothing. I am just wondering whether you''ll have any chance against me now." Immediately a tick mark appeared on Mieko''s forehead. She muttered, "One of these days, I''ll trap you in a Genjutsu and do things to you that you could never imagine!" Fujin was caught off guard by her reply. He thought, ''Shit, since when did she become a pervert? Ninja village my ass, it should be called a Pervert village!'' Shunko was left without any words. He just turned his head away from Mieko and sulked alone. Comparing him with Itachi was indeed very unfair. After all, Itachi was an Anbu captain. A rank that signified that he was strong enough to be considered as Jounin and even go against Elite Jounins! After leaving the hospital, Fujin treated himself to a huge meal and returned to training. After experimenting with all shapes, he reached the conclusion that staying with the same shape as the Vacuum bullet core would be ideal. He used the jutsu again but frowned, ''No, though this shape is ideal, something doesn''t feel right!'' He sat in meditation to analyze where the problem was while he recovered his chakra. After running multiple calculations, it finally hit him, ''Right! I am maintaining the exact ratios I use in the Vacuum Bullet core. I don''t need to maintain the same ratios. I only need the deepest layer of the Vacuum Core to be huge. Shit, this is so basic. Why did I miss such a simple thing?'' He thought for a bit before sighing, ''I got too excited. I need to keep myself calm and not lose myself in celebrating little achievements.'' He formed a Vacuum Core in his mouth. It had the shape of a cone in the front while its body was cylindrical. A very thin chakra film surrounded it. It was encased by another layer of Vacuum which was divided into 6 parts. However, compared to what Fujin was doing earlier, this layer was very thin. Its thickness was the same as it would be when Fujin used the Vacuum Bullet jutsu. Thin threads of Chakra flowed through this layer of Vacuum. Soon, it was covered by another thin chakra film and winds began flowing around it. Fujin opened his mouth and launched the jutsu at the tree in front of him. A smile formed on Fujin''s face as it ripped through all the trees in front of Fujin. He thought, ''Good. I only needed 5 times the chakra this time. I saved 37.5% chakra without sacrificing the speed or power of the jutsu. With some practice, I should be able to perform it at the same speed as Vacuum Bullet jutsu. And, if I have enough time, I could make it more deadly by forming a much larger central vacuum core!'' With the form perfected, Fujin spent the rest of the night alternating between practicing Vacuum Cannon, meditation and physical workout. He finally stopped at 8 AM. He left the training ground while breathing heavily, ''Good. I only needed 20% more time as Vacuum Bullet. With time, it will improve even more, but there won''t be any point in wasting more time to try to reduce the time needed forcefully.'' Satisfied with his progress for the day, Fujin went to Ichiraku. He sat on the stool and rested his arms and head on the table and said, "Bring me one bowl of every Ramen!" Since it was early morning, Teuchi was preparing the essentials. He was surprised to have a customer so early in the day. Ayame came out to see Fujin. She and Fujin interacted often as Fujin visited Ichiraku rather often and they were of the same age. She was about to say hi excitedly when she saw his state. She asked in a worried tone, "Fujin, why do you look so bad?" Fujin looked at her and replied without lifting his head, "Nothing much. Just ended up training a bit too much." Ayame puffed her cheeks and said, "I told you to not train so much but you always keep training!" Fujin sighed and replied, "Will you continue lecturing or get me something to eat?" Ayame sighed at the unenthusiastic reply and left to help her father prepare the noodles more quickly. Fujin ended up eating 8 bowls of Ramen before leaving for his home. He made his way to the bathroom and turned on the faucet, letting the cold water fill the tub. He grabbed all the ice he could find in his home and poured them into the tub and jumped in to rest. With a deep breath, he lowered himself into the frigid water, feeling the cold seep into his bones. Despite the sudden cold, he felt a sense of relief wash over him, the cold water soothing his tired muscles and calming his mind. After resting for some time, he made a shadow clone and dispersed it. The clone that he had made earlier received his message. After a few minutes, he dispersed himself and sent all the memories back to Fujin. Fujin felt a slight headache but soon relaxed in the icy water. He spent an hour in the bathtub before heading to his bedroom and fell asleep. He ended up sleeping for 18 hours straight to compensate for exhaustion and the drawback of the soldier pill. Chapter 191: Unexpected Guest Fujin woke at 4 AM and stretched his hands. He looked out of the window to see that it was still dark outside. He thought, ''Damn, it feels like I have been sleeping for days!'' He began freshening up while thinking, ''I am really not in the mood to train today...'' Fujin wondered if he should take another day off. In the end, he sighed and left for the training ground thinking, ''I won''t get strong enough if I train only when I feel like it. I need to continue grinding. It''s pretty much the only reason I have an advantage over my peers.'' He began with his intense morning workout. As he trained he thought, ''No wonder there are so few S rank ninjas. I come from a world where such powers were a dream of pretty much everyone. And yet I am getting tired of the continuous training. For those who are born in this world, to keep training like this is very unrealistic. Only the select few who choose to keep training non-stop or are blessed with godly talent would even have a chance of reaching that level. No, even those guys eventually stop training. Though Hiruzen is as strong as he is, I doubt that he has trained seriously in years. After all, pretty much all Kage bury themselves in politics and administration. No wonder Guy surpassed them all. After all, no matter what level he was at, he kept his training at maximum intensity every single day.'' Having motivated himself, Fujin trained as hard as he could. After the morning workout, he practiced the Vacuum Cannon jutsu a few times and rested for half an hour. After catching his breath and eating a few ration bars, he went to his basement. He decided, ''Time to learn the next set of Lightning jutsus. Rank D Burst jutsu, Rank C Lightning Transformation jutsu and Rank B Electric Skin jutsu.'' Fujin made the hand signs for the Burst jutsu. He transformed some of his chakra into Lightning and began expelling electric currents from his body. If someone saw Fujin, they would see Lightning flowing through Fujin''s body. Fujin focused his attention and analyzed, ''Another easy jutsu. Though it makes sense. After all, the only purpose of this jutsu is to teach new genins how to control Lightning chakra properly. Its only battle use is that if someone is stupid enough to touch me while I am releasing such electricity, then they would be electrocuted. However...'' Fujin tried taking a step forward but had a lot of difficulty in doing so. He sighed and released the jutsu, ''However while using this jutsu, the user can''t move. The electric currents hinder my movements instead of assisting them. So anyone who uses this in battle is pretty much a sitting duck. Still, this jutsu should be quite useful to get my body used to Electric shocks and allow me to understand how to release Lightning from any part of my body..'' Fujin repeated the jutsu four more times. He didn''t have any difficulty using it. He tried making the jutsu more usable by releasing lightning from just one part of his body but failed to do so. He concluded, ''Looks like this jutsu won''t be helpful for that. I guess that the way to do this would be to first manage to do this jutsu without any hand signs. Once releasing Lightning becomes second nature to me, doing that will become very easy. But, I should learn the other two jutsus first as they are quite similar but better.'' Fujin decided to learn the Lightning Transformation jutsu next. He weaved the hand signs for the jutsu. Soon, Lightning appeared on his body. His entire body was covered with Lightning. He tried to take a step forward but suddenly stopped, "That fucking hurts!" The Lightning around his body dispersed. Fujin shook his left leg while thinking, ''So embarrassing! The lighting around my body zapped my left leg. I guess it makes sense as the Lighting I released was much stronger than with the Burst jutsu.'' Fujin waited until his left leg felt normal. Though it stung him, it was only for a few seconds, so he wasn''t injured. He analyzed, ''Hmm, I am not ready to use this jutsu yet. I should treat my body with the Burst jutsu continuously and slowly increase its power output. That way, my body will slowly get used to Electricity. Once I develop a sufficient degree of endurance, I can try the Lightning Transformation jutsu. A shame really, I was kinda excited to try this and the Electric skin jutsu. Lightning Transformation will allow me to move at tremendous speeds. Though I can''t change directions, I can bounce off other objects till I reach my target. Electric Skin jutsu also works on similar principles. It conducts electricity on the skin and boosts the power of any Lightning jutsus used. And the Lightning could electrocute someone who''d try to touch me just like the other two jutsus. Renjiro replied, "Makes sense. You wouldn''t be able to buy the elemental stones in the market. Lord Hokage has some facilities that allow Anbu to use elemental stones. So if you get an offer to join Anbu in the future, take it." Fujin thought, ''Anbu... Unless the level of a rank B mission gets elevated to rank A, almost all rank B missions are quite boring and not so useful. Looks like joining Anbu would be the way to get exposure to better fights. Though I would prefer to join after the Root is disbanded.'' Fujin asked, "Sensei, how can I join the Anbu?" Renjiro answered, "It isn''t in your hands. If Lord Hokage thinks that you are worthy of being included in Anbu, he will call you and ask you." Fujin said, "Oh. Alright, I''ll wait then." Renjiro chuckled on hearing his reply. Fujin''s words showed that he had no doubts about his capabilities. Renjiro asked, "So, when did you become an expert with Fuinjutsu?" Fujin looked at Renjiro thinking, ''As expected, he discovered them.'' Fujin replied, "I learnt it sometime after our squad was disbanded." Renjiro stared at Fujin but Fujin didn''t say anything. Renjiro asked, "Fuinjutsu is extremely complicated. I have seen extremely talented ninjas slam their foreheads on failing to learn Fuinjutsu. You want to tell me that you learnt Fuinjutsu in slightly more than half a year?" Fujin replied, "Complicated? I found it pretty fun and easy to learn. Though it has a lot of theory and symbols, I sped up the learning process with shadow clones." Renjiro was surprised. He asked, "You spammed shadow clones to learn Fuinjutsu faster? You do know that it can be dangerous, right?" Fujin nodded, "Yeah, it gives headaches. So I was careful with the number of clones and what they were learning." While speaking, he looked up at Renjiro. Renjiro identified the look in Fujin''s eyes. He had seen it numerous times. Fujin continued, "But my biggest headache was to use the Shadow clone jutsu a dozen times every single time. Sensei, could you teach me the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu?" Renjiro was left speechless. He thought, ''I have just returned from a 3-month long mission. And this brat doesn''t even take 3 minutes to ask me for a jutsu! And he does it so naturally too!'' Chapter 192: Another Get-Together Renjiro replied, "Sure. Right after you show me what you are hiding under your home." Fujin wasn''t surprised. He nodded and replied casually, "Sure. That sounds like a fair deal." He walked to the staircase and made a hand seal. Renjiro followed thinking, ''Meaning that it''s not a fair deal.'' The stairways to the basement appeared. Fujin and Renjiro entered the basement. Fujin showed him the Meditation room, Gravity room and Dodging Practice room. Renjiro was impressed with his student. He said, "You have done a great job with the seals. These are among the best training rooms I have seen. That said, no one puts so much effort into training rooms either." Fujin said, "To be honest, the advantages they provide aren''t very significant. I just had a lot of time on my hands and needed to practice inscribing seals." Renjiro replied, "Though the benefits provided by the rooms are very small, they will add up over time." Fujin nodded, "Yeah." Renjiro asked, "Why are the other rooms empty?" Fujin replied, "I don''t have any ideas regarding any more training rooms. If I get my hands on some elemental stones, I can make a few elemental training rooms like in the Tower in the Forest of Death. But that doesn''t seem like an option for now. I''ll just set up what I want in those rooms if I have any good ideas." Renjiro nodded. He realized that Fujin had left a lot of space for any future use he might have. Both headed down to the lowest level. A weird expression formed on Renjiro''s face once again. He asked in a confused voice, "Why is this entire floor empty?" Fujin had already cleared all the mannequins. He said, "I designed this place to try new jutsus and have some space to move around freely." Renjiro looked at Fujin and asked, "Is this all you were hiding?" Fujin looked back at him and asked, "What were you expecting Sensei? An elemental stone mine?" Renjiro''s face went dark because of Fujin''s question. He thought, ''His tongue sure has gotten sharper.'' He commented, "Nothing much, just something worth hiding." Fujin smirked in his mind while thinking, ''Who''d hide something worth hiding in their home? That''s the first place anyone would look for in case they are ever suspected.'' Fujin ignored his comment and asked, "Anyways sensei, you promised to teach me the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu!" Renjiro replied, "I am tired. I''ll just show you the hand signs and how it is done. You can practice by yourself." Renjiro made the hand signs. Soon, 5 shadow clones appeared around him. Renjiro explained to Fujin how the Shadow Clone and Multi Shadow Clone jutsus were different. Fujin followed his instructions and weaved the hand signs. ''Multi Shadow Clone jutsu'' For the next 5 days, Fujin focused on physical training and conditioning his body with the Burst jutsu. His physique improved at a very rapid speed. He practiced Vacuum Cannon and Multi Shadow Clone jutsu a few times daily. In addition, one of his shadow clones stayed in the library for over 12 hours daily. During this time, he was visited by Hoka once. He too liked the idea and gave the same reply as Teru. Finally, the day arrived. Fujin was training with his chakra field spread. He opened his eyes when he sensed Teru. He stopped training and left the basement and sealed it up in a few seconds. A minute later, Teru rang the doorbell. Fujin opened the door. His eyes immediately focused on the bag in Teru''s hands. Teru noticed Fujin''s gaze and said, "My mom felt bad that you cooked everything last time. So she sent some ready-to-fry prawns with me." Fujin took the bag and said, "She is wiser than you." Teru smirked and said, "Oh, I am so glad that you like that." Fujin furrowed his eyebrows wondering what Teru was up to. Teru continued, "She has invited you to have dinner at our home tonight." Teru thought, ''I know he doesn''t like socializing a lot. So I was worried I''d have to hear my mother nagging. Luckily he dug the pit himself.'' At the same time, Fujin thought, ''I was kept hanging for 2-3 months due to not having any connections. So it''s better to accept the invitation. If I am lucky, I might get a mission invitation similar to how Mieko got me on a rank A mission.'' Fujin replied, "Alright. I''ll show up." Teru smiled but suddenly his smile froze. He suddenly had a weird expression as he asked, "Just to confirm, you are going to come yourself instead of sending a clone, right?" Fujin looked at him with a deadpan expression. He asked, "Did you and Yori swap your brains?" Teru chuckled awkwardly and said, "It''s just that I only see your clones making a visit." Fujin replied, "That''s just for sending messages. Why would I send a clone to eat?" As they were chatting, Mieko and Hoka showed up. Fujin invited them all in. Mieko asked, "What''s in that bag?" Fujin replied, "Teru''s mom sent some prawns." He made a shadow clone who grabbed the bag and said, "You guys continue discussing. I''ll bring chicken and prawns in a few minutes." Hoka replied, "Great!" Mieko teased, "Fujin, your clones are much better at cooking than you!" Suddenly, all three looked at Mieko without speaking a word. Realizing how stupid her sentence was, she immediately became embarrassed and quickly went into the circular room while saying, "Why are you three standing at the door? Let''s go in and discuss what we will do quickly." The boys followed her. Teru commented softly, "She is very quick to change subjects." Fujin and Hoka nodded in agreement. Chapter 193: A Heated Debate Fujin, Teru, Hoka and Mieko took their seats around the round table. Mieko asked Fujin, "Did you tell them about the dialogue we had?" Fujin nodded, "Yup." Mieko looked at Hoka and Teru and asked, "So, what do you think guys?" Teru answered, "It is a good idea. My current squad takes a lot of breaks between missions. If we form a team, then we can take missions continuously and reach the required number of missions for Elite Chunin promotion quickly. But, even if we reach the required number of missions, we won''t get promoted anytime soon. And, taking missions with our current squads ensures that we may be able to handle the mission even if it goes wrong." Hoka nodded in agreement. Fujin said, "That''s true. But the current rank B missions are very boring and don''t challenge us much. My idea is that we should take rank B missions that have a low chance of going wrong and do them rapidly. Even if we don''t get promoted at the end of it, we may get asked to assist with rank A missions more often if our mission record is good." Teru replied, "That is true. I''m guessing that your plan is to reach 50 missions quickly with our team and then try being a part of stronger teams." Fujin nodded, "Yeah. That would be ideal for us. Though it''ll be better to finalize such a decision after we reach that stage. We may as well continue with this team if we can take tougher missions." Mieko agreed, "Yeah, that''s true. So, is everyone on board?" Hoka nodded, "Yeah, I talked with my parents and teammates. I am in." Teru nodded, "Same here. But, why didn''t you invite anyone else?" Fujin answered, "Well, the only other two I could think of were Hana and Yori. And their skills would be very similar to Hoka and Mieko respectively. Not to mention that Hana is still in her genin squad. So I figured that it''d be better to go with just us 4. All four of us are good at Taijutsu. We cover all elements except Lightning. We will have 2 Doujutsus and 1 sensor in the squad. So pretty much all aspects get covered." Teru thought for a bit and said, "Alright." Since no one asked anything else, Mieko said, "So now the main question is..." She looked at all three and said, "Who will be the team leader?" Hoka and Teru too looked at everyone. Meanwhile, Fujin thought, ''I never considered this... Makes sense though as every team needs to have a leader.'' Hoka, Mieko and Teru prepared themselves for an intense debate. Hoka asked Mieko, "What do you suggest?" Mieko replied, "Of course, it should be me." Hoka saw her with a deadpan expression as he thought, ''Why am I not surprised?'' He asked, "Why?" Mieko answered, "Because I am the only one who is an expert at Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Genjutsu. You guys don''t have any skills in Genjutsu." However, Mieko suddenly looked and pointed at Fujin and yelled, "Stop taking pleasure from our arguments!" Hoka and Teru too looked at Fujin with irritated looks. Fujin said, "Hey, unlike you three, I live alone. There aren''t many opportunities to see something this fun!" Mieko, Teru and Hoka ignored Fujin''s lousy excuse. Though they knew that he was an orphan and felt bad about it, they never saw Fujin complain about it or feel down due to it. Hoka said, "Alright, you have had your fun. Now say what you think." Fujin said, "The order that I think is ideal would be me first, then Hoka, followed by Mieko and lastly Teru." Teru and Mieko immediately complained, "Why are we last?" Fujin replied, "Teru, I put you last because you have never gone on a mission with us before. In fact, in the last 2 and half years, we have fought just once. So by leading last, you will be able to understand more about us three." Teru thought about it and nodded his head. He said unwillingly, "Alright, that sounds reasonable." Fujin looked at Mieko and said, "You are second last because you just got injured. Though you have healed, it will be better for you to take it easy for a couple of missions." Mieko wanted to argue, but she recalled the medical nins asking her to take it easy for a week or so. She too begrudgingly agreed. Hoka asked, "Why am I after you?" Fujin smirked and said, "Because you like to engage in pointless battles instead of taking the easy way while I do the opposite." Hoka immediately complained, "Hey, that''s not fair. I only do it when our opponents are very weak. And it doesn''t give them any chance at success." Hoka expected Fujin to counter back, but instead, he saw Fujin shrugging. Fujin said, "Well, that''s pretty much all I got. The only other way I see is if we fight to decide the leader." Normally, Hoka would be excited to face Fujin. However, he frowned and said, "You will just keep your distance and fight with clones, right?" Fujin smirked and said, "As I said, I prefer the easy way." Hoka was annoyed by his smirk. But he thought rationally, ''Fighting with Fujin would only make me more annoyed and I won''t win. Worse, if the fight becomes intense, I''ll be left with a lot of cuts on my body. We may have to delay our missions if that happens.'' Hoka sighed and said, "Leave it. I''ll be the bigger man and let you lead first." Teru and Mieko immediately realized their opportunity and said the same thing. Fujin watched them with a deadpan look as he thought, ''Man? Woman? Should I get them a mirror?'' With the order of team leaders decided, the group began enjoying the food. They discussed their abilities and thought of some combination of jutsus they could use. After discussing everything they wanted to discuss and finishing off all the food, Fujin said, "We will start taking missions from the day after tomorrow. Let''s meet up outside the mission center at noon." Everyone nodded and left. Chapter 194: Terrifying Efficiency Fujin continued his training and visited Teru''s house in the evening. Fujin expected that Teru''s parents would be Jounins as well. Surprisingly, his father was an Elite Chunin while his mother was a normal civilian.?v€l-B!n. Fujin thought, ''Well that''s a bummer. I thought I could make some connections with another Veteran Jounin. That said, it makes sense that not everyone''s parent is a Jounin. I guess my expectations were just high due to knowing Mieko''s and Hoka''s parents.'' Since he didn''t have any benefits to gain, Fujin let go of any schemes and just chatted casually with Teru''s parents and enjoyed a delicious dinner. Two days later, the group gathered outside the Mission Center. As usual, Fujin was the last one to arrive earning him stares from all his new teammates. Mieko said, "You know, a team leader has to be the first to show up!" Fujin raised his eyebrow and asked, "Says who?" He thought, ''I remember someone who was 3 hours late on average.'' To stop Mieko from exploding, Hoka said, "Fujin." Fujin shrugged and said, "It''s still 5 minutes to noon. We can agree on an earlier time if you wanna show up early." Teru sighed at Fujin''s stubbornness and said, "Leave it. Let''s go get a mission and register our squad." Everyone entered the Mission Center. They saw Shichiro and approached him. Shichiro noticed them as well and smiled, "Why are you guys here?" Fujin said, "I want to register a new squad and accept a mission as well." Shichiro observed the 4 youngsters. He asked, "Are you four forming a squad?" They nodded. Shichiro was surprised. He thought, ''This is the first time I am seeing such a young team.'' Fujin asked, "Is there an issue?" Shichiro said, "Not really, but are you guys sure?" Mieko said, "We wouldn''t be here otherwise." Shichiro said, "Alright. Let me get the paperwork." Shichiro got busy. The group waited and watched him doing all the work. Mieko suddenly had an idea. She looked at Teru and asked softly, "Teru, will we have to do more paperwork while changing the leader?" Teru thought for a bit and nodded, "Yes, but we can avoid it by not doing it officially." A grin formed on Mieko''s face. She said, "Let''s keep changing our leader officially for every mission. It''s about time that we got some revenge for those insane number of bandit-hunting missions!" Fujin and Hoka immediately nodded. Hoka said, "That sounds great!" Fujin added, "I agree." Teru looked at the three of them in surprise and asked, "How many bandit missions were you guys assigned?" Fujin replied, "Too many." Mieko followed up, "I did 75!" Fujin was surprised. He looked at Mieko and asked, "75? Why so many?" Mieko said, "He kept giving me bandit hunting missions till I joined an Uchiha squad. I was so mad at him back then!" Hoka said, "Me too!" The group travelled the whole day at top speed and took a break at a Patrol camp close to the border at night. They got up early the next morning and continued their journey. At around 8 AM, they finally arrived close to their destination. They stopped around 2 kilometers away from their destination. Fujin looked at the map and said, "They should be around 3 kilometers to the west from here. Keep an eye for traps" Hoka activated his Byakugan and Mieko activated her Sharingan. The squad moved forward. Finally, Hoka said, "I can see them. They have built a small camp ahead." Fujin asked, "What sort of camp?" Hoka replied, "Mostly bamboo huts next to a river. There are 35 people in the camp. Only 12 have chakra with 3 at Chunin level and 1 at Elite Chunin level." Fujin said, "Alright, that should be manageable. Let''s get close and stick to the plan." The group immediately flickered through the forest and stopped at the outskirts of the camp. Fujin asked softly, "Are there any who aren''t in the camp?" Hoka checked the surroundings and answered, "I can see 4 people in a 1 kilometer radius. But they don''t have chakra." Fujin thought for a bit and replied, "Alright, let''s ignore them. We will destroy this camp directly. Prepare your jutsus." Everyone quickly made hand signs. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' ''Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame jutsu'' Instantly, a massive Fire approached the camp. Since they didn''t detect anyone, everyone was caught off-guard. Only their leader acted quickly and weaved hand signs. ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'' The water from the river suddenly flowed out and formed a wall between the camp and the incoming fire. The Fire-Wind combo jutsu hit the Water Wall and went straight through it. Their leader shouted, "Everyone, escape underground!" The few ninjas who knew Earth Release quickly escaped underground. The Fire engulfed the entire camp and burned everything down. Over 30 died by being burnt alive. Their screams were all that could be heard in the vicinity. However, the attack wasn''t over. Hoka saw the 4 rogue ninjas escaping underground and said, "Now!" Both he and Teru slammed their hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Stone Spear jutsu'' Immediately, spears formed around everyone who had escaped underground. The rogue ninjas had just relaxed slightly on escaping death. Not a single one was prepared to defend. A dozen spears pierced into the body of all four of them. Hoka watched and said, "They are all dead." Fujin spread his chakra field to recheck. He said, "Yeah, none of those 35 survived. And there is no one in a 1 kilometer radius who can use chakra." Mieko sighed and said, "That doesn''t feel like a rank B mission at all!" Fujin replied, "It is a rank B mission. Just that they feel too easy. This was the reason for forming this team, remember?" Teru said, "Yeah. Let''s complete the remaining 2 missions today as well." Everyone began moving towards their next target. After completing a rank B mission in less than a minute, the newly formed squad completed another 2 rank B missions on the same day with terrifying efficiency! Chapter 195: A Date? Having completed the 3 missions, the group returned to Konoha on the evening of the following day. Mieko asked, "Will we be going on a mission tomorrow?" Teru said, "I think it''ll be better if we take a day''s break. Otherwise, the constant travel might wear us down." Fujin agreed, "Yeah. Let''s have a day''s break between missions. We can have a longer break if the mission is tiring or if someone gets injured." Hoka agreed with Fujin. Mieko said, "Alright. Let''s meet at noon..." As she spoke, her eyes landed on Fujin. She corrected herself, "No! Let''s meet 30 minutes before noon on the day after tomorrow outside the Mission center." Fujin''s left eye twitched on seeing how she changed the time after looking at him. He thought, ''Well, it doesn''t really make a difference to me. It''ll be the same if you show up 15-20 minutes before the decided time.'' The group left. Fujin was flickering to his home when he noticed, ''Hmm? Someone''s following me.'' He immediately began sensing and saw who was following, ''Why is she chasing after me?'' He stopped moving. A few seconds later Mieko appeared. Fujin asked, "What''s up?" Mieko asked while breathing slightly heavily, "Do you have to run at this speed to your home?" Fujin replied, "Not really. Just saves some time. Anyways, why did you follow me?" Mieko began a bit fidgety. She said, "Well, I never thanked you properly for saving my life. I thought about how I should thank you properly but couldn''t think of anything. So I..." Fujin interrupted her saying, "I already said that you don''t need to thank me. We are teammates. I got your back and you got mine." Mieko was about to nod in agreement but suddenly stopped as she realized, ''Wait, did I ever have to save him? No, I have never seen his life ever be at stake!'' She said, "That''s all good, but I still want to thank you. I asked my mother how I should thank you and she suggested that I treat you to dinner." Fujin was surprised. He asked, "What did she say?" Mieko replied, "That I treat you for dinner." Fujin''s left eye twitched once again. He thought, ''Is her mother trying to set us up? Did she find out about dango and wanted to get revenge on me or something?'' Seeing that Fujin wasn''t speaking, Mieko got upset and asked, "What''s the issue? I''m treating you to a free dinner. Just come." Fujin was about to say no, but hearing what Mieko said, he thought, ''Well, if she puts it that way, then how do I logically say no?'' Fujin''s clone thought for a bit, ''It''s just over a month and a half since I asked them to do it. Isn''t it a bit too fast?'' However, he soon realized, ''No, they have been using chakra for a lot longer than we were back in 1st and 2nd years in the academy. So their speed makes sense.'' Fujin''s clone exited the home while asking, "All 5 of you can keep the leaf on for over an hour?" Suddenly, he noticed them getting a bit nervous. Daisuke said, "Well, 4 of us can. Buncho is still a bit short. He can stick the leaf for 48 minutes. But exams are coming close. We only have around 3 months left. So we couldn''t wait any longer." Fujin''s clone said, "It''s fine. 48 is decent as well. Your next task is to learn how to climb trees with only your feet." His words confused them. Tatsuya asked, "What do you mean by just our feet?" Fujin''s clone walked towards a tree and said, "Like this." He began walking on the tree. All 5 students were surprised at his action and got excited to do it themselves. After all, this was infinitely more fun than meditating with a leaf stuck on your head. Fujin''s clone said, "To be able to do this, you have to concentrate chakra on your feet. And your chakra has to be the right amount. If it''s low, then your foot won''t stick to the tree. If it is high, then you will damage the tree and be pushed away." Fujin''s clone got off the tree and said, "Now you guys try it." Immediately, all 5 tried climbing the tree. 2 seconds later, all 5 fell down. Fujin''s clone chuckled at that sight. He said, "This isn''t as easy as it looks. So keep practicing until you can climb properly. Once you do, you won''t have any issues in mastering those 3 jutsus needed for the graduation exam." Fujin''s words surprised them again. Bunjiro asked, "Will we be able to do all 3 jutsus easily?" Fujin''s clone replied, "Well, you will still need to train. But learning it will become very easy." Daisuke excitedly said, "Alright! Thank You Fujin!" Fujin''s clone replied, "No worries. You guys can continue training in the tree climbing exercise. Once you can do it flawlessly, you can come back to me. Also, unlike the leaf concentration exercise, you can''t leave this one halfway." Everyone said, "Don''t worry, we will climb to the top of the tree!" Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "Good. See you guys later." They said their goodbyes and left. Fujin continued his training feeling better about his capabilities to teach his future subordinates. Fujin''s squad continued missions as usual for another week. When they returned from their last mission, Mieko received shocking news after she went home. She went home in a cheerful mood. However, on entering her home, she saw that her parents were dejected and serious. She asked, "Mom, why are you sad?" Her mother looked at her. She wondered how she should deliver the news. After a minute of silence, she sighed and said, "Shisui is dead. He committed suicide." Mieko was shocked. Chapter 196: Dilemma - Emotional or Rational Choice? Fujin had completed his morning workout and was about to enter the basement when he heard the doorbell. He checked and opened the door and said, "Hey Mieko. Come in." Mieko entered his house. Fujin noticed, ''Hmm, she is uncharacteristically silent. And her mood seems down.'' He asked, "What''s up?" Mieko said, "I won''t be able to come for missions for some time." Fujin could feel the sadness in her voice. He wondered, ''What''s up with her? I haven''t seen her so down until now...'' He asked, "Why? Did something happen?" As he asked her, he could see tears forming in her eyes. Fujin sighed in his mind and helped her take a seat. He also grabbed some water for her to drink.?v€l-B!n. Mieko drank the water and said, "Shisui died. Mother said that he committed suicide." Fujin''s eyes widened. He thought, ''So it''s time?'' Fujin knew that Shisui had mentored Mieko at some point in the past. She had stated about learning the Body Flicker jutsu from him. Fujin said, "That is sad news. Were the two of you close?" Mieko nodded, "We didn''t hang out much for the last couple of years, but he used to mentor me a lot before it. He taught me Fire Dragon jutsu and Body Flicker jutsu..." Mieko continued talking about Shisui for over 5 minutes. Fujin just patiently listened to her while sitting next to her. He chuckled and continued introspecting, ''Fortunately, it hasn''t reached a stage where I would do something crazy for them. But, leaving my emotions aside, is there anything I could do for Mieko?'' Fujin began thinking. After a while, he concluded, ''There are only two ways to directly get involved. One would be to stop Itachi and Obito head-on. Another would be to convince Hiruzen to lift the restrictions on Uchiha and reintegrate them into Konoha. Unfortunately, the first option is pure suicide. I don''t know if I can be strong enough to face either of them 10 years from now. If I do anything right now, I''ll just die pointlessly. As for the second option, even that is very pointless. All it will do is expose the fact that I know about the coup Uchiha has planned and attract suspicions from all the elders and Hiruzen himself. The attention would mean that I could be watched in the future and my freedom will get restricted. Not to mention, I have no confidence in being able to convince them to integrate Uchiha back into Konoha. After all, I doubt Hiruzen wants to see something like this happen and he still hasn''t been able to do anything to stop it. So my only reasonable option is to only save Mieko. And the only way to do it would be to force her to go on a mission against her parents'' wishes. Could I do it? And what would be the risks?'' Fujin began analyzing again. After a while, he concluded, ''I might be able to make her go on a mission with us. If I choose a long mission that would take us around a month to complete, she will stay out of Konoha when the massacre happens. As for the risks, there are two critical risks. The first is Danzo. If he is insistent on eliminating all Uchihas, he could send his Root agents to kill any Uchiha out of Konoha. If he does, we will have to confront them. And I am not confident about my team''s chances against them. Especially if he sends a squad of only Jounin-level Root agents. The other risk is Mieko herself. Assuming we stay safe and return to Konoha, there are two possibilities I see with her. The favorable possibility for me is that the trauma caused by the news of the death of her parents and her clan makes her awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan. Assuming that she still has a crush on me, she could be a great asset to have as a friend as long as she doesn''t go crazy. Though Danzo may want to have her in that case, I doubt Hiruzen would allow him that. After all, though the elimination of the Uchiha clan could be considered a great feat for Danzo, it is also the death of his political career. Hiruzen won''t let go of such an opportunity. I know that he will shut down the root, but with my few interactions with that old fox, I am sure that he will do a lot more. I''m guessing that he inducted a majority of Danzo''s Root ninjas into Anbu and only left Danzo''s most faithful subordinates with him in case Hiruzen ever needs Root''s help in the future. However, the chances of awakening Mangekyou are infinitesimally low. The more likely possibility is that she will reach 3 Tomoe Sharingan. And that would make her a huge threat. After all, Uchiha''s Stone Tablet states that they should kill the person closest to them to awaken Mangekyou. If Mieko reads that, I''ll have to forever watch my back around her if she considers me the one closest to her.'' Fujin began deciding his course of action. He struggled for a long time between his emotional and rational mind. Finally, rational thoughts won over emotions as he decided, ''I need to stop being emotional. Though I would like to see Mieko stay alive, I shouldn''t be putting my life and future in grave danger for her. After all, the events that will play out will be controlled by forces far beyond my capabilities.'' He made two shadow clones to deliver the message to Hoka and Teru. Fujin thought, ''It''s unfortunate, but I always knew that this was about to happen. And there is nothing I can do to stop this. Now, it''s time to put the plan into action. I wonder who has the body of the Grand Priest. Is it with Sora or Akihiko or did they hand it to Fugaku?'' To avoid constantly thinking of Mieko and having a change of heart, Fujin began planning to get the Zankoku''s body from the Uchihas. Chapter 197: All Parties Prepare To create a workable plan, Fujin had one clone in the library the entire time that he wasn''t on missions. His clone looked through the entire library to find any methods and seals to help him find a way to infiltrate the Uchiha compound. After researching and practicing for a month, Fujin had found all the means to create a plan and try his luck while ensuring his safety and anonymity. He began the preparations. While Fujin was making his preparations, the Uchiha clan too began their preparations. All active Uchiha ninjas were called back. Every single Uchiha ninja returned back to Konoha. They began to prepare themselves for the war. Meanwhile, Danzo met Itachi in secret and explained to him what would happen when the Uchiha revolted, once again. He convinced Itachi to take action against his own clan. However, while the two were talking, their actions were seen by one person. In his room, Hiruzen watched their whole interaction in his crystal ball. Surprisingly, neither Danzo nor Itachi sensed anything off. Tiredness could be seen on Hiruzen''s face as he sighed on seeing his friend''s actions, ''I would have stopped him. Unfortunately, the relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan has deteriorated beyond repair.'' His expression became firm as he decided not to interfere, ''While it''s true that they were relocated to the outskirts of the village and monitored by Anbu, no Uchiha was ever mistreated by us. I can understand that they would be dissatisfied with such a treatment. However, this is no excuse for launching a coup that would destroy the village.'' On deciding the fate of the Uchiha, Hiruzen''s eyes fell on Danzo, ''My old friend, it looks like you have completely fallen into Darkness. This will be the last time you will interfere in the matters of my village.'' While the undercurrents were flowing in Konoha, Fujin was busy in his basement making a lot of complicated seals. A day after Mieko told him the news, Fujin completed the first step of his plan. He took a deep breath, ''Finally, it''s done!'' He made a hand sign. A shadow clone appeared next to him. The clone made multiple hand signs. Fujin observed the clone by concentrating chakra in his eyes. He could see that the chakra signature of the clone was slowly changing. Soon, it was very different from Fujin''s chakra signature. His scent also changed. The honey badger clones would roam around Konoha all night and disperse themselves when the Sun rose. Fujin experimented for two days before deciding that they were safe to be used. From the 3rd day, all 6 of his honey badger clones used to stay around the Uchiha clan compound. In addition, Fujin would maintain 2 wind clones at one secluded spot a few kilometers from the Uchiha clan compound. With the preparations done, Fujin just waited for the right moment. A few days later, in an underground base under Konoha, Danzo stood with a subordinate. The subordinate respectfully asked, "What job do you have for me, Danzo-sama?" Danzo looked at him and said, "Your Triatominae bugs can induce sluggishness, right?" The Root ninja was from the Aburame clan. He replied, "Yes Danzo-sama. They can cause slight sluggishness with their poison. And since it poses no direct threat and doesn''t have any color or smell, it is almost impossible to detect." Danzo said, "Good. Your mission is to poison the drinking water that reaches the Uchiha clan with this poison. Use very small quantities. Your main priority is that this poison isn''t noticed. Once you are done, go to training ground 49 and wait for me." The Root ninja was surprised by the mission. However, it wasn''t his place to question Danzo. He nodded and left. Danzo watched him leave as he thought, ''He was a good subordinate. A shame that he has to die.'' Danzo called another subordinate of his and instructed him to approach the Aburame ninja in the training ground 49 and kill him and dispose of his body as well. Though Danzo''s subordinates had his curse seal, no seal was perfect. Considering the importance and severity of this matter, Danzo decided to take this step. This way no one other than him and the elders would know about the truth of the Uchiha massacre. The Root ninja from the Aburame clan did his job exceptionally well. Since it only caused a slight sluggishness, no Uchiha ninja realized that they had been drugged. After all, they didn''t have to move at full speed in their normal lives. Danzo made a few more moves that day. He ensured that no Hyuga, Inuzuka or Sensor ninja was in the vicinity of the Uchiha clan compound to prevent any interference. In fact, he had ensured that most of their active ninjas were on duty outside Konoha. Finally, on that evening, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito appeared in the Uchiha clan compound. Almost everyone in the village was oblivious to the massacre that was about to unfold. Only 3 were aware of it and waited patiently. Danzo was busy with his Root ninjas to ensure that Itachi wasn''t interrupted. Meanwhile, he also had to ensure that his Root ninjas weren''t close to the Uchiha clan compound and get caught in the fighting. Hiruzen had recalled all Anbu ninjas that were keeping an eye on the Uchiha clan. While Fujin was waiting in his basement for his clones to send him a message. Chapter 198: The Massacre! A/N: Hey guys. I''d like to clarify one point. According to the canon timeline, Shisui died around 1-2 years before the Uchiha massacre. Itachi becomes an Anbu captain sometime after his death. However, I don''t think the flashbacks in the manga ever stated the time between these events or even the fact that Itachi became an Anbu Captain after Shisui''s death (correct me if I recall incorrectly). And I skipped the fillers in the anime after the fourth great ninja war started. So I wasn''t aware of the huge time gap between Shisui''s death and the massacre and assumed that they happened in quick succession as they were shown in the manga. By the time I realized this, the story had long crossed the point when Shisui should have died (it should have been around the time Fujin graduated or when he was in the Genin squad). So, unfortunately, the timing of Shisui''s death will not be consistent with the canon. The rest stays the same (with a few obvious changes I made). Since it was getting late, most of the Uchiha clan members were in their homes with their families. For them, it was like any other evening. Their Jounins were aware that they would have to fight a tough war very soon. So they cherished their peaceful days with their family unaware of the tragedy about to befall them! As soon as Itachi and Obito appeared in the clan, both immediately began the massacre. Obito freely moved through the walls and attacked the unsuspecting Uchihas. Itachi too flickered into their homes. Since he was the son of the clan leader, no one expected him to attack when he did. They began slaughtering the Uchihas with extreme ease and stealth. While slaughtering, Itachi showed up in Uchiha Akihiko''s house. Akihiko was having dinner with his wife and children when he suddenly got up and turned around to face the intruder. He squinted his eyes on seeing Itachi wondering what he was doing here. Most of the top-tier ninjas in the Uchiha clan were disappointed in Itachi and slightly suspicious of him. Unlike others who didn''t expect any attack from the son of their leader, Akihiko was on guard and asked, "Why did you show up unannounced?" Without replying, Itachi attacked him with his blade. Akihiko didn''t have any weapons on him. He tried to move out of the way. Unfortunately, his body reacted a split second slower. That was sufficient time for Itachi''s blade to slit his throat open.?v€l-B!n. Akihiko''s family were shocked. However, before they could scream in horror, Itachi dealt with them too. Some distance away from Akihiko''s house, Obito entered Mieko''s home. They too were having dinner. Both of Mieko''s parents were at the Jounin rank. Sensing that someone had broken into their home, they both got up and prepared themselves. Mieko noticed her parents'' actions and got alert as well. She asked softly, "What happened, Mother?" Her mother replied, "Someone has broken into our house. Stay on guard." At the next moment, Obito appeared in front of them. Not identifying the masked intruder, Mieko''s father made hand signs rapidly without caring about his house. ''Fire Release: Fireball jutsu!'' A massive fireball appeared in front of Obito who thought, ''Interesting. Their house had seals to alert them. Unfortunately, I can''t let this fireball explode.'' He stood without moving and let the fireball reach him. However, instead of the fireball hitting him, the Uchiha family was surprised to see the fireball being sucked into his mask. Taking advantage of the surprise, Obito went on the attack without giving them any time. Obito''s speed was much higher than the three. Combined with their sluggish moments, they didn''t last even a few seconds against him. Mieko saw in horror as both her parents were beheaded! Tears rolled down her eyes. Her eyes began transforming as another tomoe appeared in her eyes. Obito watched her eyes and commented in a deep voice, "Interesting. To awaken 3 Tomoe Sharingans at your age. Very impressive." However, Mieko was in no mood to hear any praise. She screamed, "Return my parents to me!" She attacked Obito with all her might. However, a rod pierced through her heart in the next second. Mieko coughed out blood as her memories flashed in her eyes. Obito nodded and both disappeared. Fujin''s clones stayed patiently for a few minutes. They didn''t look at anything and instead focused chakra in their ears to pick up any sound. A few minutes after all sounds died down, they entered the Uchiha clan compound through the ground. This was one of the main reasons why Fujin chose the honey badger disguise. They were known to be excellent diggers. On entering, all clones had a specific job. One clone headed towards Akihiko''s house while another headed towards Fugaku''s house. One clone kept an eye on the entry route to warn others when the Anbu came. The last 2 searched the Uchiha clan compound to see if they could find Sora''s house to see if he had the scroll. The clone heading towards Fugaku''s house reached there first. He focused chakra in his eyes and checked if there were any active chakras around him. Fortunately, there were none. He thought, ''Good. If Fugaku does have Mangekyou, then I want it.'' He got closer to his house while still staying underground but suddenly stopped as he felt danger. He focused chakra in his eyes once again as he wondered why he felt the danger. On noticing, he frowned, ''Shit, his house is covered in seals. And I can''t identify many of them!'' He analyzed the seals and concluded, ''These seals shouldn''t stop me from entering the house. But knowing what seals can do, I am afraid that there will be some consequences. It''s fine if I am dispersed, but I don''t want my main body to be implicated. That said, the rewards here are the greatest. Be it his Mangekyou or the fact that the Grand Priest''s body is most likely to be with him.'' He decided to keep analyzing until he cracked the seals or the Anbu arrived. Meanwhile, the clone that was heading to Akihiko''s house didn''t face any obstacles. Though Akihiko''s house also had some seals, they were rather simple and Fujin''s clone had no issues getting around them and entering the house. After entering, the honey badger clone saw the dead bodies of Akihiko and his family. He immediately began searching for any and all scrolls in his house. He found multiple scrolls. Fortunately, one of the scrolls looked just like the scroll Sora had used to seal Zankoku. He immediately took it and checked it. He sighed in relief, ''This scroll still has his body!'' He put the scroll on his back. Fujin had inscribed a storage seal on the back of his clones before letting them go. After storing the scroll, the clone walked back to where he had seen Akihiko. He used his paw to open his eyes and saw that his eyes were still intact. He thought, ''Good, his eyes are still intact. I saw that some of the Uchihas were missing their eyes. I guess that Obito took the eyes of the ones he killed while Itachi didn''t.'' He summoned a container from the storage space on his back. He took both his eyes carefully and stored them in the container. He observed his eyes while analyzing, ''Though I have no intention of implanting a 3-Tomoe Sharingan in my eyes right now, it''ll be good to have them. If I change my mind in the future or have any particular need, I can rely on these.'' Since he got what he wanted, he left the house. He went towards Fugaku''s house to meet up with the clone outside his house. The clone noticed him approaching. He appeared behind the clone and tapped his back thrice. That was the code for saying that he had found the body of the Grand Priest. The clone that was working on the seals around Fugaku''s house looked back at his house unwillingly before leaving. They quickly dispersed to find the other clones and soon dispersed into 5 separate directions. One clone headed towards the Akimichi territory, another towards Nara territory and one headed towards the Senju territory. They dispelled themselves after reaching close to their territories. The last 2 clones moved towards the forests. One dispersed himself near the Konoha border wall while the last one moved towards Fujin''s wind clones. On reaching the spot, he came out of the ground and handed them the storage scroll and the storage container. He went underground again and continued to move towards the border wall of Konoha and dispelled himself close to it. This way, all 5 clones were dispelled. The Wind clones used Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu to reach another spot where Fujin''s shadow clone was waiting for them. Fujin''s shadow clone collected the items and returned home while the wind clones followed the same procedure as the Honey Badger clones. Fujin saw his clone returning home. He accepted the items and returned back to his basement. Chapter 199: Aftermath & Survivors? After entering the basement, Fujin sat down in meditation to analyze his actions, ''Alright, almost everything went as I planned. My honey badger clones didn''t leave any traces behind. However, if anyone still picks up on their trail somehow, they will be led to the Akimichi, Nara and Senju clans. So the suspicion will be cast on them and there wouldn''t be any clue to reach me. Even if they speculate that those clans were being set up, they would suspect that the ones who meddled left the village from the spots my last two clones dispelled themselves. And as a precaution, I did the same with my Wind clones. So I should be safe.'' Fujin opened the scroll and summoned two items. One was the scroll with Zankoku''s dead body while the other was the equipment that had Akihiko''s eyes. Fujin first focused on Zankoku''s dead body, ''Impressive. The storage seal Sora used stops his body''s condition from deteriorating. I was worried that stealing the body won''t help me much if I can''t use it soon. But with this, I can work on this even after a few years. That''s good as I have no means to extract information from this dead body right now.'' Fujin shifted his attention to Akihiko''s eyes, ''I didn''t make any plans to steal Sharingan. After all, I can''t use them. I guess my clone just couldn''t resist after seeing that they were available so easily. Now, what do I do with them?'' Fujin began analyzing. After a few minutes, he concluded, ''Directly implanting them is out of the question. I won''t be able to hide this and it would draw too much attention. The only way to use it would be if Hiruzen gives me permission. But considering what Itachi sacrificed to do this, I doubt Hiruzen would go around giving permissions to implant Sharingans. Not to mention, that I can''t tell him that I have a pair of Sharingans and instead will have to ask him to give me another. So, the only viable way I can use one of these is if I lose one of my eyes in a mission. Once one of my eyes is blinded, I won''t draw any suspicion from putting on an eye patch. After some time, I can implant Sharingan secretly. But, is it worth doing it?'' Almost immediately, Fujin shook his head, ''The only advantage a Sharingan can provide me is allowing me to copy jutsus. And since I''ll have to keep my Sharingan a secret, there won''t be much opportunity to use them for that purpose. Not to mention, fighting with just one eye will be tougher. Considering the fast pace nature of battles, it could even be lethal. I''ll have to keep my chakra field active in all battles which would drain my chakra. And, there is also the matter of Kakashi. 12 years old Kakashi was a monster. His talent was almost unmatched. One could easily compare his talent with the Sannins and Minato. Yet, when he became a Jounin sensei at around the age of 26, he wasn''t an S rank ninja. Despite learning a thousand jutsu, he still couldn''t create a jutsu stronger than Chidori. And he could only use Chidori 4 times a day. So there is a big question on how much strain a Sharingan will put on chakra reserves. If Kakashi not living up to his potential was caused due to the Sharingan, then it''s a big no for me to have. That said, there were other factors involved with Kakashi too. Like him being depressed and spending hours in front of that stone. So the drop in his training time due to those factors could also be a reason why his strength wasn''t that high. So I''m not sure how much of a role Sharingan had in restricting his growth, but I don''t want to try it right now. In the future, when the growth in my chakra reserves stagnates, I could consider this option.''?v€l-B!n. Having made his decision, Fujin looked at the two items thinking, ''Now, the main question is where and how do I hide these two items?'' Around 8 minutes after Fujin''s clones left the Uchiha clan compound, Hiruzen led a team of his Anbu ninjas and entered the Uchiha clan compound. Danzo joined him as well along with some of his Root ninjas. However, as soon as they entered the clan, they stopped. The Anbu and the Root ninjas had performed many shady missions. But seeing the entire street littered with the dead bodies and blood of the members of the strongest clan in the village shocked them. One of the Anbu asked, "How could something like this happen in Konoha?" Kakashi nodded. However, he couldn''t help but ask, "Lord Hokage, who killed all the Uchihas?" Hiruzen replied, "We will have to investigate. I''ll let you know when we find the culprit." Kakashi wanted to ask more but knew that it wasn''t the right time. He nodded and left with Sasuke. After a few minutes, more Anbu returned. One of them stepped forward and said, "Lord Hokage, in the area we investigated, all Uchiha except small children have been killed. On investigating, we realized that all Uchiha who were ninjas or academy students were killed. Only the ones who haven''t enrolled in the academy are alive. But they have been knocked unconscious." Hiruzen frowned and said, "I see. Take all the kids away from here. It''s best if they don''t see any of this. You investigate and tell me the total number of survivors." The Anbu ninja nodded and got to work. Hiruzen gazed at Danzo. Danzo looked back at him thinking, ''As long as I can eliminate Itachi, I would have been able to integrate all the Uchiha orphans into Root. So the threat of the Uchiha clan would forever be neutralized and instead, they would be the most loyal and patriotic in the village. In addition, by using the death of their family, I could easily awaken Sharingan in most of them. In a decade, I would have had the strongest special force among all the 5 villages. But, it looks like he figured out my plan and hence decided to disband Root.'' The Anbu and the Root ninjas sent all the kids to the hospital. The Anbu that had been tasked by Hiruzen reported, "Lord Hokage, in all 34 children are still alive. 19 are girls and 15 are boys." Hiruzen replied, "Good work. I''ll leave the safety of the Uchiha children to you. Ensure that they stay safe in the hospital." The Anbu nodded and flickered away. With just the two of them together, Hiruzen asked, "Did you have to kill the ones in the academy?" Danzo replied, "In a war, we send students from the Academy to the battlefield. It''s unknown if some of the Uchiha families decided to train the academy students and have them participate in the coup. If they know about the truth, then it will only result in another Uchiha Coup after they grow up. So I wanted to get rid of all of them. Unfortunately, Itachi was insistent on letting his brother and the children alive." Hiruzen snorted at Danzo''s reply and left. Danzo saw him leaving and had a headache. He thought with a frown, ''Now, how do I still keep the Root with me? Hiruzen seems determined to take it down. I don''t think words would change his mind.'' Chapter 200: The Deterrence of Uchiha Itachi As Danzo was contemplating his options, two Root ninjas flickered next to him and began reporting all their findings to him. They began moving towards a root base. Suddenly, one of the Root ninjas said, "Lord Danzo, while we were inspecting the Uchiha clan compound, we found a secret message. We wanted to let you know first." That attracted Danzo''s attention. He asked, "What is the message?" The Root ninjas spoke. However, his voice was now different. And there was no reverence or respect for Danzo in the voice. He said, "If any of the Uchiha children end up in Root, I will sell all the secret information I know about Konoha to enemy villages." Danzo''s eyes widened as he saw the Root ninja turn into crows while speaking. A frown formed on his face when the other Root ninja spoke in the same voice, "And if anything happens to Sasuke, I will act myself." He too dispersed into crows leaving Danzo all alone. He muttered, "Damn Uchiha!" While Hiruzen and Danzo were busy handling the situation, Fujin was inscribing a seal on his right forearm. He inscribed it right on the part that would be covered by his bracers. After completing it, Fujin inspected it as he thought, ''Good. This seal is completed. Though inscribing storage seals on your own body isn''t recommended, it isn''t really difficult to do. Anyways, I have sealed the Sharingan eyes in Sora''s storage scroll as well. I''ll hide this scroll in the seal. So there is no way anyone would find it. In the event that someone somehow understands about this seal and suspects something, I can always destroy the seal with a mere thought.'' He stored the scroll in the seal on his forearm and made a hand sign. Soon, the seal disappeared. Fujin wondered, ''I wonder how the space that stores Tailed Beasts is created. And if I can store other things, like this scroll, there.'' Itachi stayed in the village until he saw Hiruzen was alone. He approached him and had a discussion with him. After getting assurance from Hiruzen that his brother and other Uchiha orphans will be looked after, he left the Hidden Leaf village and became a rogue ninja. Hiruzen put Konoha under maximum security. The next day, news spread throughout Konoha that shocked everyone to the core! Uchiha Itachi had slaughtered his entire clan! Only a few dozen young children were left alive! When the news spread throughout the world, every single ninja village was shocked. After the death of Senju Tobirama, the Senju clan declined in power. The Uchiha clan was estimated to be the strongest clan among all 5 major villages. And yet, such a clan was annihilated by a 13-year-old boy. Both minor and major villages began having meetings to ensure that their village''s security was up to the mark and discussed countermeasures in case Uchiha Itachi showed up in their village. Only one village thought about more than just defense. That village was Kumogakure. In the Raikage''s office, most of Kumogakure''s strategists and elders were present. All were considering whether they should take any action against Konoha. After all, the sudden loss of their strongest clan would have shaken Konoha. After some time, one old man said, "Lord Raikage, I don''t think it''s in our best interest to attack Konoha right now. Though they lost the Uchiha clan, their overall strength is much higher than when Orochimaru left the village. Most of their Chunins who survived the 3rd Great War have been promoted to Jounins. And they have raised thousands of new ninjas. Besides, though the Uchiha clan had a lot of Jounins, they didn''t have any S rank battle power. If we go to war, the two Sannins would return to Konoha." Back in Konoha, Hoka and Teru showed up at Fujin''s house the morning after the massacre. The news of the Uchiha massacre shocked them. Fujin invited them in with a sad expression. They all sat in a room without speaking. Finally, Hoka asked, "Did you go to the Uchiha clan compound?" Fujin replied, "I did, but they have barricaded the whole area. And they didn''t answer any questions." Teru replied, "Same here, but I got some news from my parents." Hoka said with a dejected voice, "Yeah. Most Uchihas were killed. It probably also includes Mieko as there was no news about her. Only a few dozen children survived." Fujin was surprised. Though he didn''t show anything on his face, he looked at Hoka and asked, "Some children survived?" Hoka nodded. Teru said, "From what I heard, only those who hadn''t entered the academy were left alive. Lord Hokage will make an announcement in the afternoon." Fujin said, "I see." However, he was in shock, ''Sasuke isn''t the only survivor? Shit, did I somehow change the future?'' Fujin went quiet and began thinking. Hoka and Teru assumed that he was sad and stopped talking as well. After thinking about every possibility, Fujin concluded, ''No, none of my actions should have any impact on Itachi''s, Obito''s or Danzo''s actions. Even assuming Itachi saw me being shameless in front of Hiruzen, I doubt I''d be the most shameless or selfish person he saw. So it shouldn''t have any impact on his actions. Regardless, how will this affect the future?'' Fujin kept analyzing, ''The biggest impact should be a sense of responsibility on Sasuke''s shoulder. Since he is in the 2nd year of the Academy, he should be the eldest and the strongest Uchiha in the village. So he will have to take responsibility for the other Uchiha orphans and lead them. And, the question that this raises is whether he would still go rogue and train under Orochimaru?'' Fujin thought for a bit before realizing, ''Wait, I recall that Sasuke had two goals. One was to restore the Uchiha clan and the other was to kill Itachi. But, since there are other orphans alive, Sasuke wouldn''t have to worry that his death would cause the Uchiha clan to go extinct. He can completely focus on taking his revenge and restoring the honor of his clan by killing Itachi. From this perspective, the future shouldn''t change. The only complication that could arise is if the sense of responsibility somehow changes him. Though that might not be a bad change. After all, Shippuden Sasuke was an asshole. Even assuming that he doesn''t accept Orochimaru''s offer and doesn''t get strong enough, Itachi will still die at his hands. And if he does go to Orochimaru, then he can''t possibly get worse as compared to what I remember. Sigh, leave it. There is no point in trying to speculate so much. I always expected that things might not go down as I remember. I''ll just act according to what happens in the future.'' While Fujin, Hoka and Teru were sitting together in silence, there was another meeting happening in Konoha. It was between Hiruzen and the elders who were discussing how to handle this event. Chapter 201: Hiruzens Arrangements In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu and Homura sat. Everyone had a serious look on their face. They had been up all night ensuring that the village stays calm. Homura said with a sigh, "Itachi stopped the coup. What are you planning to announce to the village, Hiruzen?" Koharu said, "We will also have to build a new police force. And we have to come up with a reasonable explanation to give to the clan leaders and the council." Hiruzen replied, "I have thought about it. But first..." He looked at Danzo and said, "I hadn''t issued the mission to Itachi. So effectively right now, the Root will be disbanded. The Root ninjas will be placed under my command in the Anbu." This news surprised Koharu and Homura. They looked at Danzo. They wanted to oppose but realized why Hiruzen took this step. After all, Danzo had overstepped his boundaries too much. However, they didn''t want the Root to be dissolved. Both looked into each other''s eyes, tactically agreeing to ask Hiruzen to cut Danzo some slack. However, their short gaze didn''t escape Hiruzen''s eyes. Danzo began arguing, "Hiruzen..." However, Hiruzen cut him off right away and firmly said, "No more discussion. My decision is final. You still remember who the Hokage is, right?" As he spoke, his chakra began exerting pressure on the entire room. Danzo, Homura and Koharu immediately felt an intense pressure bearing down on their old bodies. Breathing became tougher for them as they looked at Hiruzen. The Anbu who were on guard outside the room also felt an intense chakra. They looked towards the room with sweat gathering behind their masks. They didn''t know what was happening in the room but their minds, which were in chaos due to the unimaginable massacre the night before, calmed down. All had the same thought, ''As long as we have Lord Hokage, we have no reason to worry.'' In the room, the elders analyzed whether they should resist Hiruzen''s chakra. After all, Hiruzen hadn''t displayed his full power. If they decided to, they could counter the current pressure. However, Homura and Koharu decided against it. If they did, Hiruzen would just overpower them. Homura and Koharu were reminded of the massive difference between their strength and authority when compared to Hiruzen. Homura said, "Alright." Koharu also nodded. Hiruzen stopped exerting his chakra. The pressure in the room was slowly lifted. Hiruzen said, "Uchiha Sasuke has woken up. He talked about his interaction with Itachi. Itachi claimed that he did this to test his power. We will report that to the village and the council. Though some clan leaders will realize that something is off and might even figure out the truth, I doubt they would speak of it." Everyone in the room understood that Hiruzen was speaking of Shikaku. He continued, "As for the police force, establishing a new one will require a lot of work and manpower. Also, the common people were upset at how the Uchiha policed them. So I have decided to abolish it too. Instead, the Anbu will take up that responsibility." In Fujin''s house, Teru asked, "Do you two want to continue as a team?" Hoka and Fujin were silent. After some time, Hoka said, "No. Mieko completed our team with her skills with Fire Release and Genjutsu. We could find someone who is good at Fire jutsus but finding someone who is also good at Genjutsu will be very difficult." Fujin nodded in agreement. Hoka sighed and continued, "Not to mention, we will miss her if we stay in the same team. It could affect our concentration on the mission and be bad for us." Teru said, "Yeah, I had the same worry." He looked at Hoka and Fujin and said, "I was a bit sceptical of the team when you approached me, Fujin. But I joined as it seemed like a fun idea. I am glad that I agreed that day. It''s unfortunate that it ended this way. Who would have imagined something like this would happen?" Fujin and Hoka sighed and nodded, "Yeah." The three said goodbyes. All three were sad. Fujin sighed, ''No point in being dejected and wasting time. After all, it was my decision to not interfere. It''s time to get back to training. And time to take the next step.'' He entered his basement to continue his training. In the afternoon, Hiruzen made an announcement. The entire blame was put on Itachi''s head. His image was painted as a bloodthirsty lunatic. Following the announcement, they participated in the council meeting. 3 days after the massacre, a funeral was held for the deceased Uchiha clan members. All the Uchiha orphans had woken up and were present. All of them were crying. The entire place was filled with their cries. And with all the Uchihas dead, they didn''t have any relatives to comfort them. A lot of other ninjas also showed up. Fujin, Hoka, Teru and Renjiro were also present. So were all the Academy teachers. Renjiro looked very sad. Fujin observed the Uchiha orphans. Unsurprisingly, other than Sasuke, he didn''t recognize anyone. After the ceremony and mourning, everyone began leaving. Only a few stayed back. Renjiro, Fujin and Hoka stood in silence in front of Mieko''s grave, paying their last respect to her. After some time, Renjiro broke the silence. Fujin and Hoka could feel the sadness in his voice. He said, "I never spoke about this with you. Before you, I had trained another group of Academy students." Fujin and Hoka listened to his words carefully. Chapter 202: Renjiros Past & Hokas Conviction! Renjiro continued, "They weren''t as talented as you three. But they were very cheerful and worked hard. After two years of training under me, they were all promoted to chunins. I was very proud and fond of them. Unfortunately, at the start of the third great ninja war, the army they were a part of was ambushed by an elite army of Kumogakure led by the current Raikage and the Jinchuriki of Eight Tailed Beast. The entire army was annihilated with no survivors. We never even got their dead bodies back." He stayed silent for some time. Fujin and Hoka didn''t disturb him. He continued, "In the war, I was deployed on the coastline the entire time. So I never had any opportunity to seek justice for them. Even if I did, I doubt I''d be able to take revenge on a future Kage and a perfect Jinchuriki. The sorrow made me determined to never take another squad of fresh genins as students. Until lord Hokage forced me to train you guys. Seeing your talent, I was convinced that as long as you three grew up safely, there won''t be many who could kill you. At worst, you will always be able to abandon the mission and escape." He stopped talking for a minute before sighing, "However, I never imagined that my student would die in the village rather than on the battlefield." He placed his hands on Fujin''s and Hoka''s heads and said gently, "Ensure that you two stay safe and alive. Don''t make me attend the funerals of all the students I trained." Fujin and Hoka said, "Yes Sensei." Renjiro had a sad smile on his face. He left, leaving Fujin and Hoka alone. Both stood in front of Mieko''s grave silently for some time. After a few minutes, Hoka asked, "Do you have any plans, Fujin?" Fujin shook his head and said, "No. I just plan to focus a lot on training. The next time something like this happens, I hope to have the power to make a difference." Hoka heard him. He didn''t understand how Fujin could have made a difference in this matter. But he understood why Fujin wanted to become stronger. He said, "Let''s both train Fujin. I want to hunt down Uchiha Itachi!" His words shocked Fujin, who immediately looked at him. Though he was very serious a moment ago, he couldn''t help but think, ''Shit, Renjiro will lose another student!'' He eliminated that thought from his head and said, "He slaughtered his entire clan. I went on a mission with Mieko earlier and saw how strong the Jounins in their clan were. I doubt we both together could beat one. And yet Itachi, who is only 1 year older than us, killed the entire clan!" Hoka frowned. He thought and said, "He let the power go into his head. As long as he doesn''t keep getting stronger and we keep training, we will eventually catch up with him. Then we can make a move." In the basement, lightning could be seen bouncing between pillars. Fujin suddenly appeared before one of the pillars. His left fist was clenched. Chakra had been concentrated on the fist. Fujin punched the mannequin. The force of Fujin''s punch caused the mannequin to explode! Chunks of metal got launched across the room and crashed into the pillars and the wall. Due to the seals Fujin had inscribed on the pillars and walls, the metal pieces bounced back without damaging them. A smile could be seen on Fujin''s face. He analyzed, ''Senju Taijutsu style along with this jutsu is a very powerful combination. I doubt many would survive this unharmed.'' However, his smile faded as he concluded, ''Unfortunately, this is the limit of this jutsu. No matter how much I try, I can''t keep this jutsu on continuously. After I attack once, all the lightning flowing in my body disappears. I tried generating more lightning, but even that didn''t work. It looks like this is the limitation of Lightning Transformation jutsu. Sigh, I thought I could match Raikage''s speed aspect with this jutsu. Though it''s understandable as it is only a rank D jutsu. So either Hiruzen or whoever tried to copy the Raikage only reached this level of efficiency or they are hiding what they achieved and only put a subpar version in the Academy.'' Fujin stopped practicing and went to the Meditation room. He sat in meditation to analyze whether he could modify the jutsu to ensure that it stays on for a long time as long as he continues pouring in chakra. After an hour, Fujin let out a sigh. He concluded, ''No. The limitation is due to the way the chakra is manipulated. If I have to go past it, I''ll have to change the way chakra flows. Unfortunately, I have no experience in this. I am not sure if I could do something like this even with Wind jutsus. Even if I start experimenting, I''ll probably need years of experimentation until I get lucky and find the right way. It''s not worth it. I will just have to stick with this until I find a more advanced version or become an expert in Lightning element to create my own jutsus.'' Fujin decided to rest for the day. The next day, Fujin began training the Electric Skin jutsu. Fujin weaved the hand signs. An electric layer formed along his skin. Fujin observed, ''Hmm, it doesn''t boost me physically like the Lightning Transformation jutsu. But if anyone hits me, then the attacker will get zapped just like in the Burst and Lightning Transformation jutsu. Alright, let''s see how this works.'' He began making hand signs. ''Lightning Release: Lightning Beam jutsu'' A beam of Lightning was released from Fujin''s hands. It hit a mannequin head-on and destroyed it. Fujin analyzed, ''Looks like the power of my jutsu has increased by almost 50%. I guess the Jashinist Priest that Mieko and I fought used this to increase the power of his Lightning jutsu before he went on a rampage during the final clash. If I can use this without any hand signs every time before I use a Lightning jutsu, it could be considered as me permanently boosting the power of my Lightning jutsus. Hmm, yeah, I should do that. While I am training, I''ll use this jutsu every time before using a Lightning jutsu. Over time, I will be able to do this instinctively and without wasting any time.'' Chapter 203: Telescope Technique Vs Seals Fujin was happy with the progress he was making. He decided, ''I should take a few months off and learn all the jutsus that I decided to learn. After all, I completed a lot of missions in the last month. Combined with my team disbanding, it shouldn''t raise any eyebrows.'' Having made a decision, Fujin began making hand signs. ''Lightning Release: False Darkness Jutsu'' He stretched his arms forward. Lightning was launched from his palms. Fujin aimed it at a mannequin. However, right before the jutsu hit it, Fujin changed its direction. It barely missed the mannequin. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, this jutsu''s power output is much weaker than Lightning Beam. But, with training, I''ll be able to maneuver this jutsu more freely. So in a usual battle, False Darkness will be much more effective. Lightning Beam, on the other hand, will be more effective when used on a stationary object, an immobilized enemy or when I want to use it to confront an enemy''s jutsu head-on.'' Fujin continued training False Darkness jutsu until he ran out of chakra. For the next 2 days, he trained the jutsu until he could perform it seamlessly. Fujin weaved the same hand signs and performed the jutsu. He aimed the lightning at a mannequin. Right before he hit it, he changed its direction to another mannequin. He repeated it once again and changed its direction to 3rd mannequin and scored a direct hit. Fujin smiled while breathing heavily. He concluded, ''Shit, it isn''t easy to train 2 rank B jutsus at the same time! It puts a lot of strain on my chakra reserves. Lightning jutsus use a lot more chakra than Wind jutsus. Still, it looks like this jutsu is down. Though I haven''t reduced the hand signs required, it''s fine. Reducing or even eliminating hand signs will require months of training. I can do that slowly over a few years. Anyways, it''s time to practice the next jutsu.'' Fujin weaved hand signs. Lightning appeared on his body. After a second, the lightning changed its shape. It began taking the shape of needles. However, suddenly they collapse. The lightning on his body dispersed as well. Fujin frowned, ''This jutsu is tough.'' He kept trying. On his 14th try, he finally managed to make the Lightning on his body change shape to needles. His body had dozens of Lightning needles pointing away from him. He made another hand sign. Immediately, all the Lightning needles were launched. They travelled around 5 meters before dispersing into the air. Fujin sighed, ''This jutsu is tough. Though I guess the difficulty makes sense. After all, it isn''t simple like just generating and launching Lightning. The scroll said that hundreds or even thousands of small needles can be formed. And they can be launched for around 40 meters around the user. In addition, the user can also control the part of the body on which the needles are formed. This way, the user can avoid hitting allies.'' Fujin kept training the Electric Needle Spread jutsu. Five days later, Hiruzen was sitting at his desk going through the paperwork. The Uchiha massacre had increased his workload numerous times. He had to check files on every dead Uchiha ninja, classify them as dead and analyze any impact their death might have. He had been working on it for over a week. With a sigh, he closed one file and handed it to his assistant. His assistant handed him the next file. The file was titled, ''Uchiha Mieko''. Hiruzen opened and read all her data. He analyzed, ''She didn''t have much contact outside her clan. Just her Genin squad. Renjiro should be fine. He is used to dealing with such events.'' He looked at his assistant and asked, "Takao, have Hoka or Fujin taken any missions after the incident?" Takao continued, "As for Tamotsu, their last mission was tougher than the estimated rank B. One of their team members got injured. They seem to have taken a break after that mission." Hiruzen said, "Alright. Send a messenger to Tamotsu. Ask him to visit me at the earliest." Takoe replied, "I will get it done, Hokage-sama." He left the room. Hiruzen turned his attention to the crystal ball. He thought, ''Which crazy person inscribed over 2,500 seals on his house? It''s as if every seal in the library under rank A is inscribed on his house! No wonder I couldn''t peer into it. Should I ask Fujin about it?'' He thought for a bit and concluded, ''No. He may get offended or on guard if he learns that I was trying to spy on him. Worse, he might accuse me of violating his right to privacy and ask for some compensation from me. I''ll ask Renjiro when he gets back from the mission.'' Later that day, Fujin was visited by Tamotsu. Fujin was surprised. He stopped his training and greeted him. Tamotsu entered his house and said, "Hey, how have you been Fujin?" Fujin replied, "I am alright Tamotsu. How is Katsumi?" Tamotsu said, "He has recovered well. We are planning to start taking missions again. I came here to see whether you are interested in returning to the team." Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''It hasn''t been 3 months since we took a break. Did Hiruzen ask every team that is available to take missions?'' He looked at Tamotsu and said, "I would love to but I have been on missions continuously for the last month and a half. So I am planning to take a few months off. I''ll rejoin the team when I am ready." Tamotsu watched Fujin carefully as he spoke. He got a bit worried as he recalled his conversation with Hiruzen. Hiruzen was worried that Fujin was depressed and hence wanted Tamotsu to take him along with him on missions to distract him and revive his interest in training. Tamotsu said, "Fujin, I am aware that you might be hurt due to losing a teammate. However, the best way to deal with situations like this is by interacting with others. If you stay alone and keep thinking about it, you''ll be more depressed." Fujin was confused. He thought, ''What the hell? He is worried about me? If so, why did he take 10 days to visit me? No, I don''t think I ever told him that I formed a team with Mieko and others.'' Tamotsu continued, "Come with us for this mission. If you still think that you need rest, you can take it after this mission." Fujin thought for a bit. But he couldn''t find a reasonable excuse to say no. He agreed. Tamotsu smiled and said, "Good. Come to the mission center tomorrow morning." Fujin nodded. Tamotsu took his leave. Chapter 204: A Chakra Metal Mine Fujin looked at Tamotsu''s back as he analyzed, ''This definitely doesn''t sound like Tamotsu. Someone must have given him the information and asked to make me go on a mission. But who?'' Fujin thought for a bit and concluded, ''It''s either Renjiro or Hiruzen. Most likely the latter. Oh well. This team doesn''t do missions continuously. I should still have plenty of time to train. And I can always ask for breaks when I need more time to train. Anyways, I have to give credit to Hiruzen. From the way Tamotsu spoke, it looks like he thought that I didn''t train. So Hiruzen probably knows that I didn''t visit the training ground recently. He probably thought that I had stopped training. Though I am a bit talented, I doubt he has the time to keep tabs on me considering the amount of work this massacre should have put on him. So it''s safe to assume that he is looking for everyone who is affected and checking on everyone. Still, this should be a lesson for me. While the decision to only train Lightning jutsus wasn''t bad, deciding against training in the open raised some suspicion. Had I continued with my morning exercises, Hiruzen might not have paid any attention to me and left me alone. I''ll have to keep this in mind when I take any action in the future.'' Concluding his thoughts, Fujin returned to the basement. He made hand signs. ''Lightning Release: Electric Needle Spread jutsu'' Lightning appeared on his skin and immediately transformed into small needles. There were around 125 Lightning needles on Fujin''s body. He made another hand sign. The needles were immediately launched outwards for 20 meters. Fujin nodded, ''This is much better than when I started. Though the number of needles can get higher, I don''t have much use for them. What I need more is to increase the distance to which these needles go. And, I also have to work on generating needles on only one part of my body. Otherwise, the chakra cost of this jutsu will be needlessly high.'' The next day, Fujin showed up outside the Mission Center. Tamotsu, Katsumi, Ryota, Tadashi and his dog Kenta were already there. Tamotsu went in to accept the mission while others decided to catch up. Most of the conversation was centered around Katsumi recovering from the injuries. Tamotsu returned and said, "I accepted a mission in the Land of Hot Water. A noble has made some discoveries in the territory under his command. He wants us to provide protection and help with the inspection. There will likely not be any fighting, but he issued the mission as a precaution. We may have to stay there for a few weeks." Tadashi said, "A relaxed mission to get us started. Nice pick Tamotsu!" Tamotsu nodded as he thought, ''Yeah. If Fujin is distracted, then his life would be at risk if we take a difficult mission.'' The squad moved out and began rushing towards the Hidden Hot Springs Village. After a day and a half''s travel, the squad finally reached and entered the village. As they were walking, Fujin couldn''t help but notice the ridiculous number of hot spring baths in the village. Ryota noticed Fujin''s gaze and chuckled. He asked, "First time here? I too was surprised by the high number of hot springs in this village on my first visit. The village truly lives up to its name, haha." Fujin replied, "I entered this country multiple times, but this is my first visit to this village. I did expect a high number of hot springs, but this is a bit too much. How do these shops even stay in business if so many exist? Wouldn''t they keep undercutting each others'' prices?" His words shocked everyone in the room. Chakra metal was extremely precious in this world. Tamotsu muttered with a grim face, "Why didn''t you issue an S rank mission?" Yusuke said, "I am not sure that it is indeed the case. We may have just gotten lucky during the preliminary exploration. So I don''t want to attract a lot of attention. I have talked with our Daimyo. If this mine does have chakra metal reserves, then we will give Konoha the mining rights. We will also give Konoha the first preference while selling it. So your mission consists of two parts. Firstly, I want your team to ensure that no bandits interfere with the mining process and that no information is leaked out. We haven''t allowed the information to leak out, so unless we are very unlucky, rogue ninjas won''t interfere with the process. As for the 2nd part, I also want you to contact the Hokage secretly and ask him to send out more squads here as soon as we confirm that the mine has chakra metal reserves." Tamotsu analyzed the situation, ''This mission can be very risky. If the details get leaked, then we may invite a lot of trouble. But, if the mission is successful, the village will have huge profits. It would help out the village a lot. Especially after such a disastrous loss, this news can improve our morale.'' Tamotsu made a decision and said, "Alright, we will take the mission. I''ll send a message to Hokage-sama. But have your exploration team work very rapidly." Yusuke nodded, "Yes, I''ll have them work as fast as they can." They began discussing the specifics of the mission, the explorers and other factors. After the discussion was completed, Yusuke smiled and said, "You must be tired from a long trip. I''ll arrange dinner for you. You can rest here for the night and go for the mission tomorrow." Tamotsu smiled and said, "Thank You." They got up and left. After having dinner, the Konoha ninjas gathered in a room. Tamotsu said, "Ryota, write an encoded message to Hokage-sama. I''ll send it to him. Write everything that was discussed with Yusuke." Ryota said, "On it." He began writing on a scroll. Tamotsu said, "I wanted to take an easier mission to end our break but this one can go bad. Unfortunately, saying no isn''t an option as this can help our village a lot. We will stay on our guard the entire time while protecting that area. However, if we spot enemy ninjas, be it rogue or of any other village, in numbers that we can''t take on coming towards the mine, we will escape. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. Tamotsu said, "Good. Take a good rest tonight. We will have to be on full alert from tomorrow onwards." Everyone went to their beds to get a nap. Tamotsu stayed with Ryota until he was done. He borrowed a messenger Hawk from Yusuke and sent the message to Hiruzen. The next morning, the Konoha group set off. Chapter 205: A Deadly Trap Fujin and his team were running towards Yusuke''s province. Since it was to the east of the Hidden Hot Springs Village, it was close to the border of the Land of Frost where their squad had done their previous mission. After a couple of hours of running, they reached close to Yusuke''s province. Since they were close, Tamotsu began instructing his squad, "Yusuke''s exploration team has already established a base. We will meet up with them and decide on a plan to continue. Katsumi, you will set up a perimeter around the entire area with your bugs. I want to know about everyone who enters and leaves the area. It will be tough, but I want you to maintain it all the time."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Katsumi replied, "Alright. I''ll get it done." Tamotsu looked at Tadashi and said, "You and Kenta will keep patrolling the area. Remember every worker''s scent when we reach there. If later on you smell any new scents, alert me immediately." Tadashi replied with a grin, "Don''t worry, we got it! Right, Kenta?" Kenta barked in agreement. Tamotsu nodded and said, "Ryota, Fujin and I will stay on standby. If you two find something off, then you will pass on the message to us and tell us what you think will be the appropriate action to take." Everyone nodded. Tamotsu was about to say more when all the Konoha ninjas suddenly stopped and jumped backwards. They landed on a branch and saw dozens of kunais raining down in front of them. All 5 frowned. In the next second, 20 silhouettes appeared from behind the trees. The Konoha ninjas were surrounded. As they saw their headbands, everyone''s faces grew grim. Fujin muttered, "I couldn''t sense them until now. They are all at Chunin and Jounin levels." Tadashi said softly, "They have disguised their scent to smell similar to the trees." Fujin said, "At least 30 more ninjas are forming a 2nd perimeter. And a few more are probably still hiding." Everyone''s faces grew grim. One of the ninjas who were surrounding them spoke in a teasing tone, "I wonder why Konoha ninjas are rushing so hurriedly towards the Land of Frost." Tamotsu said, "We have a mission in this country. Why have you Kumogakure ninjas encircling us?" The Kumogakure ninja said, "If your mission is to explore that chakra metal mine, then I have unfortunate news for you. Kumogakure has decided to take control over the mine." ''Man-Beast Ultimate Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang'' Both began spinning around rapidly and doubled up on one of the Kumo ninjas. Ryota and Tamotsu followed him. Their goal was to stop the ninjas next to the one Tadashi targeted from interfering. As long as Tadashi injured that ninja, the Konoha ninjas could get out of the encirclement. Fujin grabbed a sword in his right hand while thousands of bugs began appearing around Katsumi. With Tadashi leading the attack and others aiding him and protecting each other, the Konoha ninjas finally felt some chances of success. However, as Tadashi reached close to that ninja, he suddenly grinned. He made a hand sign while saying, "You couldn''t have chosen a worse opponent to break through." ''Lightning Release: Gyroscope jutsu'' His chakra suddenly spiked and two rings of Lightning appeared around him and began spinning around him at very high speeds. Fujin''s eyes widened as he sensed the immensely destructive power in those Lightning rings, ''His chakra suddenly increased a lot! He had suppressed his Chakra earlier to pretend to be a Chunin. But, he is a full-fledged Jounin!'' Unfortunately, he didn''t have any time to warn. Tadashi and Kenta directly hit the Lightning Rings. The jutsu was so powerful that their attack was immediately stopped. Both screamed in pain as their bodies were zapped by Lightning! Ryota and Tamotsu were shocked. They began moving towards Tadashi. However, they were blocked by the Kumo ninjas they were trying to block earlier. Two Kumo ninjas attacked each of them and stalled them successfully. Fujin and Katsumi wanted to help, however, they were helpless. Four Kumo ninjas weaved hand signs at the same time Tadashi and Kenta were hit by the Lightning rings. ''Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'' Four lightning spears were headed at them from the back. Fujin immediately shot Air Bullets at 3 of the incoming attacks. The Air bullets pierced through the lightning spears and dispersed the jutsu. Katsumi controlled his bugs to stop the last attack. The Lightning directly hit those bugs. Hundreds of bugs died, but they managed to stop the jutsu. However, despite stopping the jutsus, their situation grew grimmer. While Tadashi and Kenta were being zapped and others were stalled, two Kumo ninjas flickered next to Tadashi and Kenta. Fujin and Katsumi turned around to continue their escape. However, they were shocked. One Kumo ninja stabbed his sword through Kenta''s neck in front of them. Tadashi watched in horror as Kenta whimpered and howled in pain and collapsed on the sword. After a moment of disbelief, his eyes turned red in rage. He looked at the Kumo ninja in front of him and shouted, "Motherfucker! I will kill you all!" His body was still being zapped. However, he gritted his teeth and moved despite the pain. He formed a claw with his right hand. His nails grew long and became very sharp. His hand transformed and looked very muscular and savage. He attacked the ninja who had formed the Lightning rings that trapped him and Kenta with his claw aiming to crush his skull! Unfortunately, he was highly outmatched and his body was still slow due to the shocks he had to endure. The Kumo ninja moved to the side and dodged his attack with ease. He grabbed his sword and pierced Tadashi''s heart in one smooth motion. Tadashi''s eyes were wide open. He couldn''t believe how easily he and his partner were killed. The Konoha ninjas wanted to help. However, they were all tied down. They didn''t have any opportunity to save Tadashi. They could only watch helplessly as a teammate died in front of them. Chapter 206: Counterattack Fujin hadn''t been with this group for long. Even though he didn''t like to lose a teammate here, his focus was still on escaping. His mind was rapidly calculating ways to escape from his horrible situation. However, the other 3 had been with Tadashi for years. Their eyes grew red in rage! Tamotsu yelled while weaving hand signs, "Since you want to kill us, I''ll take as many of you with me as I can!" ''Fire Release: Burning Ash'' He spewed a stream of chakra-infused ash from his mouth. It spread in all directions but had a small space at the center where the four Konoha ninjas stood. The Kumo ninjas tried approaching but moved away immediately on seeing the flammable ash spreading in the area. A few launched Lightning and Water jutsus into it. However, in the next second, Tamotsu lit a fire in the ash and the entire smokescreen blew up! The explosion cancelled out every jutsu aimed at them. Two Kumo ninjas were just outside the range of the explosion. They were hit with stones and sticks, causing some injuries. The Kumo ninjas were preparing for another round of attack when suddenly, the fire caused by the explosion increased threefold in size and intensity and began spreading out at a rapid speed! Fujin had released an Infinite Breakthrough jutsu in all directions causing the Fire to spread rapidly. The Kumo ninjas weren''t expecting that. All 20 ninjas were too close to perform any jutsu or run away. They were hit by the fire. The ones who were hiding in the forest quickly retreated or used defensive jutsus. Kumogakure advisor Hari, who was hidden in the forest, muttered, "They have a strong Wind user. Be careful of him." The three who were with him nodded. They didn''t expect the Konoha ninjas to hit back so fiercely. At the center, where there was no fire, Tamotsu said, "We will use the chaos caused by this Fire to escape." Ryota opposed, "But Tadashi..." Tamotsu cut him off, "Tadashi wouldn''t want us to follow him so soon. We will live and take our revenge another day. Hokage-sama will surely create a unit to take back the mine." Ryota unwillingly nodded. Fujin said, "It won''t be easy. There are at least 30 more ninjas out there. And I can feel that a few more are hiding in my chakra field." Tamotsu said, "We will give them another Fire-Wind combination jutsu. Hopefully, that will deter them." Fujin nodded. He thought, ''I hope that will work. Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling about this. Some of the chakras I sensed are much stronger than any of us.'' Katsumi once again sacrificed some of his bugs once again to stop the lightning whip. Ryota slammed his hands on the ground. A small rock shield appeared in front of him. The Lightning rope hit the shield. However, instead of piercing through or damaging the shield, the lightning was directed into the ground. Lastly, Tamotsu just kept hiding behind trees until the lightning rope ran out of power. The group wanted to run away once again. Unfortunately, the remaining Kumo ninjas had begun to catch up. Ryota was about to move towards Tamotsu. However, two hands appeared from the ground and grabbed his legs. He looked down as the Kumo ninja said, "Got you!" He began dragging Ryota underground. Ryota quickly made a hand sign and touched the ground. The ground suddenly became harder, trapping the Kumo ninja underground. Soon, spears began forming underground. A few pierced into his body. The Kumo ninja was horrified! At that instant, a lightning spear flew towards Ryota. Ryota''s attention was drawn towards it. However, it was too late for him to move. Fortunately, a shield of bugs appeared in front of him to block the Lightning spear. However, the lightning spear changed direction and hit the ground. Ryota''s earth jutsu was dispelled and the ground softened. The Kumo ninja, who was under the ground, quickly escaped. Katsumi and Ryota looked at the attacker, who was a woman. She was tall, fair-skinned with a curvaceous figure and had a stoic, aloof expression on her face. She has blue eyes and straight, shoulder-length blonde hair cut in an asymmetrical bob style. At the same time, Fujin and Tamotsu were attacked as well. Right after Tamotsu neutralized the Lightning Whip, he heard a voice behind him, "You are very good." Tamotsu quickly turned around. However, an intense light was emitted at him blinding his eyes. Tamotsu closed his eyes and grabbed a kunai. However, instead of fighting, he flickered away. Unfortunately, his opponent was faster than him. C flickered as well and launched Lightning at Tamotsu. Due to having his eyes blinded, Tamotsu couldn''t observe the jutsu properly. The lightning hit his body causing him immense pain. He barely managed to open his eyes to see another attack heading towards him. At the last moment, he snapped out of the lightning shocks and dodged C''s attack. He wanted to counterattack, however, 5 more Kumo ninjas appeared and surrounded him. He fell into a desperate struggle! Fujin too was attacked at the same time. When he dodged the lightning whip, he was the closest to the fire they had set up. Two jets of water were heading straight at him. Fujin created and fired two vacuum bullets. Both hit the water jets and pierced through them. Fujin sensed, ''They are trying to break out of the fire and join the fight.'' He opened his mouth and exhaled strong winds at the fire in front of him. The fire was instantly magnified and became chaotic! The Kumo ninjas who were planning to break through were scared by the sight. Immediately an Earth dome formed around them to protect them from the firestorm. Fujin was planning to take this opportunity to run away. Unfortunately, another attack was headed towards him. He turned his head to the right. His eyes widened as he saw a python made of black lightning heading towards him. He immediately flickered while cursing, ''Motherfucking Darui!'' Chapter 207: Fighting with his Full Power! Right when Fujin flickered, the black lightning python also changed direction and chased after Fujin. Unfortunately, it was much faster than Fujin. Fujin thought, ''Running would be pointless.'' He concentrated chakra into his left palm and quickly charged it with Wind chakra. He stopped moving and raised his left palm. The black lightning python quickly reached him and hit his palm. Fujin was pushed behind along the ground but the chakra on his hand stopped most of the jutsu. However, some lightning still hit his palm and electrocuted him. Fortunately, Fujin had already trained in the Lightning element. He could endure those shocks without affecting his ability to fight. Darui was surprised by Fujin''s action. He thought, ''This kid is impressive. We didn''t plan on participating in this fight. Unfortunately, they killed 8 and injured 12 more ninjas. Boss will be very pissed at us if we let any more die.'' After a few seconds, the lightning python ran out of chakra and lightning and collapsed. Fujin clenched his fist to crush the lighting python in his palm. At that instant, two more Kumo ninjas arrived around Fujin. Fujin could sense a dozen more getting close. One of the two ninjas appeared in front of Fujin. He swung his sword vertically, wanting to hack Fujin into two. The other ninja appeared behind Fujin, on his right side and attacked Fujin with a sword as well. Fujin immediately punched the sword in front of him with his left fist. The chakra he had concentrated in his palm to block the Lightning Python still existed. And due to being zapped, his fist was charged with Darui''s black lightning!?v€l-B!n. At the same time, he swung the sword in his right hand to clash with the enemy''s sword. Both Kumo ninjas timed their attacks perfectly. They clashed with Fujin at the same time. Fujin''s left fist hit the sword''s edge. The Kumo ninja grinned expecting Fujin''s fist to be split open. However, his eyes widened as he heard a cracking noise. His steel sword had cracked! In front of his eyes, he saw his sword being broken into pieces. Fujin''s fist continued moving forward and punched the ninja in his stomach. The ninja''s eyes popped out as he felt the full impact of a chakra and lightning-enhanced punch. The punch wrecked his internal organs and sent him flying. He spat out a lot of blood as he flew backwards and lost consciousness. At the same time when Fujin''s fist met the sword, his sword clashed with the enemy''s sword behind him. Fujin''s sword cut through the enemy''s sword like a hot knife cuts through butter. At the same time that Fujin punched the enemy in front of him, his sword cut the enemy behind him in two! A frown formed on Darui''s face as he saw another one of his subordinates die. He was waving hand signs when Fujin countered his opponents. ''Lightning Release: Black Panther'' He released black lightning in the form of a Panther which reached Fujin almost instantly. Fujin had sensed Darui building up his chakra. He saw the black panther rush towards him. Having experienced the black python, Fujin didn''t bother dodging. Instead, he gathered chakra in his mouth and throat. Right when the black panther was only a few meters away from him, Fujin opened his mouth and launched his strongest jutsu. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Cannon jutsu'' The Vacuum Cannon hit the black panther head-on. Darui''s eyes widened as he saw his jutsu being pierced through with utmost ease! The black panther began dissipating. Though some of it still continued towards Fujin, he dodged easily. Darui immediately moved out of the way while observing the jutsu. The Vacuum Cannon reached his position and continued forward destroying every tree in its path! Ryota was stunned, "What do you mean?" Katsumi said, "Your Earth jutsus aren''t of much help. I''ll buy time by stalling them with my bugs and join you later." Ryota knew that there was no way for Katsumi to return alive. He wanted to argue, however, the Kumo ninjas pressed on the attack once more. Tens of thousands of bugs appeared from Katsumi''s body. He shouted, "Leave!" The bugs immediately went on the attack. Ryota unwillingly decided to make a run. Knowing what fate awaited Katsumi, he didn''t dare to look back. Unfortunately, while he was running, he was suddenly attacked by shurikens. He dodged immediately. Two Kumo ninjas appeared and attacked him. Ryota moved back and slammed his hands on the ground. A bunch of spears appeared from the ground and attacked the Kumo ninjas. However, the two ninjas used Lightning jutsus to counter his move. The three entered into a fierce fight with Ryota trying his best to escape. Samui looked at the bugs and said, "They may be poisonous. Don''t let them bite you. Hit him with Fire and Lightning jutsus." The Kumo ninjas around her nodded and attacked from a distance. Katsumi tried his best. He used all sorts of bugs. Some were resistant to Lightning, some were incredibly poisonous. He defended himself with defensive bugs while trying to use the poisonous bugs to bite the Kumo ninjas. However, the Kumo ninjas didn''t let a single bug bite them. They bombarded Katsumi with Lightning and Fire jutsus along with explosive tags. Katsumi''s bugs began dying by the thousands. In a couple of minutes, most of his bugs died. Katsumi watched with a grim and sad face. Like Kenta was a partner for Tadashi, his bugs were a partner for him. He sighed, ''I tried a lot to escape. Unfortunately, there is no way out. I am completely surrounded. It looks like I''ll be joining you soon Tadashi.'' A few seconds later, a flash of Lightning appeared in Katsumi''s eyes. Samui appeared in front of him and cut his head off with one swing of her blade. Katsumi became the second Konoha ninja to die here! However, despite his death, his bugs still kept attacking. Samui instructed, "Deal with the bugs. I''ll help the others." She left and moved towards Ryota. Ryota was still fighting the two Kumo ninjas. He had managed to escape a couple of times, but they caught up to him again. During the fight, one of the Kumo ninjas landed a kick on Ryota''s abdomen and sent him rolling. Ryota immediately got on his feet, however, he felt someone was behind him. He quickly turned around and was shocked to see Samui. His throat dried up. His hands began shaking. He asked in a trembling voice, "Where is Katsumi?" Samui replied in just one word, "Dead." Ryota''s mind was in disbelief and rage. However, before he could do anything he felt pain in his abdomen. He looked down to see a sword piercing out of his abdomen. One of the two ninjas he was fighting took the opportunity of his distraction and stabbed his sword into his back. Ryota heard a sadistic laugh as the ninja said, "Don''t worry. All your friends and family will join you soon." Suddenly, rage appeared on Ryota''s face. He didn''t speak a single word and just made the confrontation hand sign. Samui''s eyes widened. She jumped back immediately while shouting, "Move away from him!" Chapter 208: Crazy Suicide Bombers! The Kumo ninjas were confused. In the next moment, Ryota''s body exploded! The ninja who had stabbed his back didn''t have any time to move. His body took the entire brunt of the explosion. The other Kumo ninja was a bit far away. He moved a bit but he too was caught in the explosion. When the dust settled, Samui saw a very gore picture. Ryota''s body was blown into pieces. The ninja that stabbed him had no flesh on the front side of his body. His face, chest, abdomen and other parts were completely exposed. He fell down dead. The last Kumo ninja was crying in pain. His body was on fire. Samui immediately doused the fire and began helping him. At the same time, she was shocked at how decisive Ryota was. Ryota knew that despite Katsumi buying him some time, escape would be very difficult. He recalled Fujin saying that there were more than 30 ninjas still encircling them. And all of them were at least as strong as Ryota himself was. So in the time between him leaving Katsumi behind and the 2 Kumo ninjas attacking him, Ryota had stuck 20 Explosive tags on various parts of his body and on the inside part of his clothes. When he saw Samui, he knew that his death was inevitable. So he decided to die in a way that would hurt his killers the most. If he knew that his last move killed a chunin from Kumo and ended the career of another Kumo chunin, he''d probably smile. As Samui applied some first aid to the injured ninja, her face was very grim. She thought, ''We had planned to kill the Konoha squad while taking no casualties. At most, we concluded that some might take a few minor injuries. However, 8 of our ninjas died in the initial counterattack while 12 got injured. Now 1 more is dead and another is critically injured. I hope that the remaining two Konoha ninjas don''t manage to kill anyone.'' Soon, another Kumo ninja arrived on the spot. He was shocked to see the gore. Before he could say anything, Samui instructed, "Apply first aid to him. I''ll send a medical ninja over here to help you." The ninja nodded and got to work. Samui left to ensure that the remaining two Konoha ninjas don''t mess up anything. Fujin and Darui were still in a fierce fight. Darui was much stronger than Fujin, however, Fujin had managed to fight back without getting injured. In fact, he had made more killer attacks during their fight than Darui. As he fought while multitasking, a smile appeared on his face. Fujin had never been a fan of taking risks. He always chose the easy way out and won his battles efficiently. So he had never experienced such a battle. A battle where one wrong move would end his life. Where one misstep could maim him. Between the 2nd and the 3rd phases of the Chunin exam, Renjiro tried to simulate such an experience for Fujin. However, Fujin always knew that his life wasn''t in danger against Renjiro. So he viewed it more as a pain in the ass rather than experiencing any thrill. However, in this deadly fight, all his senses worked beyond what Fujin had ever experienced. Every single move he made was flawless. The battle made his blood boil in excitement. His movements kept improving as the fight moved on. Fujin felt that he was getting faster and faster. However, it was just his body moving more efficiently. Fujin was surprised, ''I expected to hate the situation I am in. I never expected that I would instead find it enjoyable.'' Darui was surprised when he saw the smile on Fujin''s face. He had seen such a smile very few times in his life. He sighed in his mind, ''Another battle freak! Great!'' Darui shrugged and said, "The kid is strong. I couldn''t injure him." The Kumo ninjas who just arrived were surprised. Darui was very reputed in the Land of Lightning. The fact that a kid much younger than him could last so long was shocking. C observed Fujin who was crouching down next to Tamotsu while observing all the Kumo ninjas. C shook his head and said, "The kid has almost exhausted his chakra. Let''s fini..." However, Darui interrupted by asking, "What is your name?" Fujin looked at him but didn''t answer. Darui didn''t mind that and continued, "You have exhausted most of your chakra. Though you are still unharmed, if you fight, your death is the only possibility. Surrender now. In the future, your Hokage could make a deal with the Raikage to get you back." Fujin didn''t reply. He thought, ''Though his words are honest, becoming a prisoner would be the stupidest move. I''ll have no control if Kumogakure decides to torture, maim or kill me. Not to mention, hoping for Hiruzen to rescue me would be beyond stupid. That old fox might show that he is a very emotional person, but there are layers of deception hidden under his thick skin!'' Seeing that Fujin didn''t respond, C said, "Since you don''t want to surrender, you''ll have to..." However, as he spoke, Fujin''s frown disappeared. Instead, a smirk appeared on Fujin''s face. Soon, that smirk turned into a wide grin. The Kumogakure ninjas were surprised. One of them asked, "Did he lose his mind?" For the first time, Fujin spoke, "You know, I was always very afraid of risking my life. I always decided to take the easier way out and do my job efficiently. However, fighting you has made me experience a thrill that I never imagined! Darui, though you may not have heard of me, I have heard of you. Doesn''t the Raikage think of you as his second right hand?" Fujin''s grin grew wider. It grew so wide that it looked as though his face might split into two. His grin creeped out some of the Kumo ninjas surrounding him. Fujin continued, "Though I will die, taking down 18 Kumogakure ninjas including the Raikage''s right hand with me would make me a hero in Konoha. Hahahahaha!" Samui''s eyes widened on hearing that. She had already seen a crazy Konoha ninja. However, before she could act, the seals on Fujin''s bracers lit. In the blink of an eye, 400 explosive tags appeared around Fujin and formed a sphere around him. They completely blocked Fujin from the line of sight of the Kumogakure ninjas. However, they could still hear Fujin''s laughter! The Kumogakure ninjas immediately became grim. They decided to move away. However, even before they could move, a breeze flew from inside the sphere made of Explosive tags. The winds made the explosive paper tags spread throughout the area. Kumo ninjas were horrified to see hundreds of Explosive tags heading towards them! Chapter 209: Schemes & Hidden Dangers The Kumo ninjas were horrified at the sight of hundreds of Explosive tags coming at them. Many Kumo ninjas began running away. A few escaped underground. Darui, C, Samui and another Jounin had grim faces. They immediately made hand signs and cast a Lightning net in front of them. A few Explosive tags hit the Lightning net and were disabled. However, soon the explosive tags began exploding just before touching the lightning net. The lightning net was damaged by the explosion. The Kumo jounins increased the amount of chakra they poured into the Lightning net to repair it and make it hold on. However, the number of Explosive tags was too high. The Lightning net was soon ripped apart. The Kumo ninjas immediately escaped into the ground. As soon as they did, the explosions covered the entire place! A loud sound could be heard for miles around the spot where the explosion occurred. Trees, branches and stones were sent flying by the explosion. A smokescreen of dust, soil and smoke spread for hundreds of meters. A massive Fire lit up and spread through the forest at a rapid speed. The smoke raised due to the forest fire could be seen from all the nearby villages. After a couple of minutes of the explosion, a head popped out of the ground. It was Darui. Soon, C, Samui and the other Jounin appeared out of the ground. All their faces had been covered in dust. Soon, 8 more Kumo ninjas also crawled out of the ground or ran back towards where Darui was. C couldn''t help but mutter, "What a crazy guy. Who carries so many explosive tags with them?" The other Kumo ninjas were cursing Fujin too. Darui looked at C and said, "Sense the position of others." C nodded and began sensing. He led the other Kumo ninjas to where the missing Kumo ninjas were and began treating them one by one. Meanwhile, Darui and Samui began checking what happened to Fujin. Samui said, "I should have warned you. Another one of them killed himself the same way." Darui said, "It''s not your fault. There was barely any time. Besides, considering the number of Explosive tags he had, we can say that he always planned to die in this way." They arrived at the spot where Fujin and Tamotsu were before the explosion went off. They didn''t find anything interesting at first. However, soon a shock appeared on their face. Samui said, "There is nothing here." Darui nodded, "Yeah, even though the explosions were powerful, at least their blood and bones should have remained here." A few hours ago - When Fujin was surrounded by 400 Explosive tags, he exhaled a gentle wind that guided all the explosive tags towards the Kumo ninjas. At the same time, he created a Wind clone to control the explosive tags and grabbed Tamotsu by the back of his neck and used Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu to flicker a long distance away. He repeated the jutsu a few times to end up miles away from the spot of the explosion. He turned around to see the massive smoke rising into the skies from that spot as he thought, ''I have one spiked shield and one normal shield in my forearm bracers. In addition, I have put both my swords in there as well. But I couldn''t come up with any good ideas on what to store in the remaining 4 seals. Luckily I filled them up with Explosive tags just in case I needed them. I still have 200 more tags. If they chase after me, I''ll use them to scare those Kumo ninjas off. But first...'' He took out a bottle and put a few soldier pills in his mouth. He made a hand sign and a shadow clone appeared next to him. He picked up Tamotsu and all 3 began escaping again. As they were running, the shadow clone burned the wound on his left leg so that the bleeding would stop. He also applied some bandages to his smaller wounds. Fujin ran, flickered, and used Wind and Earth Instantaneous Body jutsus for over an hour before taking a break. He was very exhausted. His clone bandaged Tamotsu properly and dispelled itself. Fujin looked at the unconscious Tamotsu as he thought, ''I had initially thought of escaping by myself. Carrying him is a big burden. But, the last time Kumo did a foul play, Hiruzen sacrificed Hizashi to avoid a war. If Kumo cried foul again and Hiruzen decided to compromise once more, I would have been the one to be sacrificed if I returned alone.'' A frown appeared on Fujin''s face. During the escape, this thought troubled him a lot. He analyzed, ''The thought of going rogue has appeared in my mind several times in the last hour. But, though I am strong, without Konoha''s resources and library, my future path will be highly restricted if I go rogue. Not to mention, I might be hunted by both Konoha and Kumo. And if by chance I survive and get stronger, Akatsuki might show up asking me to join them. Sigh, what a mess.'' His eyes wandered towards Tamotsu, ''He has lost his left leg. So his career as a ninja is pretty much over. If Hiruzen decides to sacrifice someone, sacrificing him would make much more sense than sacrificing a promising youngster. The only issue with this line of thought is that Tamotsu is from the Sarutobi clan. If Hiruzen has a soft spot for his clan and isn''t willing to sacrifice them, my head will be on the chopping block.'' Fujin sat in meditation as he decided on his next actions. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and decided, ''I will go back to Konoha. Despite losing the Uchiha clan, Konoha''s strength should be stronger than 4-5 years ago. So it''s unlikely that Hiruzen will take the same step. Even if he decides to compromise, he will first offer the chakra metal mine to Kumogakure. And that should be more precious than the head of any ninja. Also, I doubt Kumogakure would want the head of a young ninja over a chakra metal mine. However, if Hiruzen does decide to put up the same question in front of me as Hizashi, I''ll act sad but determined and ask for some time and escape from Konoha during that time. Though it will be very risky, the alternative isn''t risk-free either.'' Having rested, Fujin stood up and looked at the sky while thinking, ''Hiruzen, you better not disappoint me this time.'' He picked up Tamotsu and began his journey once more. He had figured that the Kumo ninjas weren''t chasing him or were too slow. So he moved at a consistent speed to ensure that his body doesn''t get tired once again. He moved for hours and finally sighed in relief as he stepped into the Land of Fire. Chapter 210: A Demand for Fujins Head! It was a normal boring day for Yamanaka Hiroto. He had just finished patrolling and was wasting his time in the Patrol camp while chatting with Hyuga Jun. However, he suddenly stopped and spread his chakra field. It spread for 500 meters but he couldn''t sense anything. Hyuga Jun asked, "Did you sense something?" Yamanaka Hiroto replied, "I can''t sense anyone. But someone just sensed our camp. Check with your Byakugan." Jun immediately activated his Byakugan. Hiroto asked, "Who is it?" A frown formed on Jun''s face as he replied, "It''s one of our ninjas. And he is carrying another who is very injured. He is around 1 kilometer to the east." Fujin had roughly memorized the locations of Patrol camps from his previous missions. After arriving in the vicinity, he spread his chakra field to sense any ninjas in the vicinity. On sensing 7 ninjas in one place, Fujin flickered towards them. In a minute, he appeared before Hiroto and Jun. Hiroto quickly said, "Identify yourself." Fujin replied, "Suzuki Fujin. You can ask questions later. My teammate got very injured during the mission. Do you have a medic?" Jun nodded and said, "Alright, follow me." He quickly led Fujin into the camp and knocked on a door. He said, "Emiko, we have a very injured person. Come quickly." Emiko immediately opened the door. She was the medical ninja in the camp. She was surprised when she saw Tamotsu''s condition. She quickly laid him on a bed and began healing him. While Emiko treated Tamotsu, Jun and Hiroto interrogated Fujin. They were suspicious of Fujin because Fujin didn''t have a single injury on him despite his teammate being so injured. He asked for Fujin''s ID number and other standard questions to confirm that Fujin was indeed a ninja from Konoha. Finally, he asked, "Where is your remaining team?" Fujin put up a sad face and said, "They are all dead." Hiroto had expected such a result. He thought, ''I guess that he is safe because of the sacrifices of his teammates.'' He sighed and patted Fujin''s shoulder and said, "It''s fine. Sometimes missions go wrong." Fujin nodded. Emiko took around 20 minutes to heal Tamotsu. She left her room and approached Fujin and ask, "Are you injured as well?" Fujin shook his head, "No, I am fine." Tamotsu nodded and said, "Don''t worry about me. I''ll be fine." Fujin could see that despite his determined expression, Tamotsu was having a hard time controlling his sorrow. He was holding back just to not demoralize Fujin. Fujin immediately left. A few minutes later, Tamotsu broke down in tears. Fujin rapidly moved across the Land of Fire. On the way, he couldn''t help but sigh, ''Poor guy was trying so hard to control his tears. I wonder how many such instances occur daily in this world. How many squads meet their end due to a mission going wrong? I kinda had it lucky so far. Unfortunately, it looks like my luck ran out today. I need better means to escape from such situations. This time I was lucky that Tamotsu crashed into my battlefield and Darui decided to not finish me off immediately and instead gave me the option to surrender. I didn''t even have a chance to escape until then. I don''t want to depend on luck next time as not everyone will be merciful like Darui.'' While moving, Fujin analyzed the options available to him. The first jutsu that came to his mind was obviously the Flying Thunder God. However, he rejected it, ''No, Hiruzen said that I''ll have to be a Grandmaster at Fuinjutsu before being allowed to learn it. Right now I could barely even be considered a Master. Becoming Grandmaster will require a lot more time. Not to mention, I''ll need the Jounin rank to be able to access the seals kept in Section A of the library.'' Fujin analyzed more but couldn''t think of any idea other than the one he had at the back of his mind. Fujin sighed, ''I guess that''s the only available option. Unfortunately, even that is very risky. I still need some time to be ready for it. That said, if Hiruzen decides against my well-being, I should take that risk. It might allow me to escape from Konoha very easily.'' While Fujin was moving at full speed through the forests in the land of Fire, a message was sent back to Kumogakure to the 4th Raikage. The coded scroll was decoded and the translated message was sent to A. A opened the scroll and began reading. Soon, anger appeared on his face. He raised his arm and smashed his table into two while yelling, "What the hell are these guys doing?" Mabui had seen A do such acts hundreds of times. She wasn''t affected and calmly asked, "What happened, Lord Raikage?" A handed her the scroll and said in disappointment, "They ambushed 5 Konoha ninjas with 58 ninjas and still lost 13 ninjas and had many more injured. Not to mention, they still let 2 Konoha ninjas escape!" Mabui was surprised by what A said. She wondered, ''Which strong squad did they encounter to have such losses?'' She quickly checked the scroll to see who the Konoha ninjas were. She was surprised once again. She asked in confusion, "Who is Tamotsu?" A looked at her and said, "It''s your job to tell me." She felt awkward hearing A''s reply. She stopped reading the scroll, handed it back to A and quickly excused herself and checked their records. Mabui returned after a few minutes and said, "Tamotsu is an Elite Chunin in Konoha. He was promoted to the Chunin rank after the 3rd Great Ninja War. But, his record isn''t stellar enough to produce such a result." A said, "It wasn''t his doing. Hari said that a young ninja was able to hold his own against Darui and is an expert in Wind Manipulation. He was the main reason for the casualties. Find who this brat is as they didn''t know his identity." Mabui thought for a bit and said, "In the chunin exam that happened before the last one in Konoha, the champion was an orphan who specialized in Wind manipulation. It was when the Kiri rebels had participated in the Chunin exam. Other than him, I haven''t heard of any young ninja who specializes in Wind Manipulation from Konoha." A thought for a bit and instructed, "Find his name and pass it to the negotiators. Send the negotiators that we have prepared to Konoha and ask for heads of Tamotsu and that brat. Also, send a message to Darui and call him, C and Samui back. And, don''t let this news leak." Mabui nodded and left the office. Chapter 211: Countering Schemes with Schemes A frown formed on Raikage''s face as he analyzed, ''Such losses would increase opposition to starting a new war. If those oppositions delay us, then we will lose this window of opportunity. The best way to regain the morale is to make Hiruzen hand over those 2 ninjas. It''ll show how weak Konoha is to everyone! I managed to make him cower the last time. I''ll do it once again!'' Mabui did her job efficiently. She handed the leader of negotiators a letter from Raikage. Within an hour, a group of negotiators left Kumogakure along with an escort group. They would first stop at the chakra metal mine where the conflict happened to confirm the report they sent back and then send the Raikage''s letter to Konoha to set up a meeting and place their demands. It was nighttime when the negotiators left Kumogakure. Their group had a few civilians, so the group moved much slower as compared to a ninja squad. Meanwhile, Raikage began preparing his army in Kumogakure so that they could move at a moment''s notice. Fujin was unaware that his fears had partially come true. He travelled the entire night and reached Konoha at 7 in the morning. As soon as he entered Konoha, Fujin maintained a sad expression on his face. He immediately went to the Hokage''s building and went to Hiruzen''s office. He knocked on the door. Hiruzen heard and said, "Come in." Fujin entered. He saw a lot of papers and files on Hiruzen''s table. Takao was present as well and was arranging them. In addition, 4 Anbu ninjas were hiding in the room. Hiruzen was surprised to see Fujin so soon. He had talked with Renjiro the day before and was surprised to learn that all the seals on Fujin''s house were inscribed by Fujin himself. While he was happy to know how talented Fujin was, he couldn''t help but think about what he had told Fujin when Fujin had asked for the Flying Thunder God jutsu. He thought, ''Tamotsu''s message said that the mission might take weeks. Why is he here so soon? Did the mission go wrong? Or did he want to send a secret message?'' He asked, "Did something happen Fujin? Close the door and tell me." Fujin closed the door and began reporting. He began speaking slowly in a sad voice and watery eyes, "Grandpa, we were ambushed during our mission. Inuzuka Tadashi and his ninja dog Kenta were killed. Aburame Katsumi and Hatake Ryota are missing. Squad leader Sarutobi Tamotsu was injured and lost his left leg." Hiruzen and Takao immediately became very serious, though for different reasons. Takao had been on edge due to the Uchiha Massacre. Meanwhile, Hiruzen knew about the real nature of the mission. Hiruzen calmly said, "Fujin, stay calm and tell me everything properly. Don''t miss a single detail." Fujin took a deep breath and said, "Our mission was to the Land of Hot Water. It was issued by Matsushita Yusuke, a noble from that country. He said that he had discovered a mine in his territory and suspected that it was a Chakra Metal Mine." Takao and the Anbu in the room were shocked to hear that. A chakra metal mine could very well cause a war! Fujin continued, "We moved quickly towards the area that Yusuke had marked. However, when we reached very close to it, we were ambushed by more than 50 Kumogakure ninjas. They first encircled us with 20 ninjas. Another 30 ninjas stayed a bit away to form a 2nd ring of encirclement. A few more ninjas were hiding their chakras. I am not sure how many, but there were at least 3. All were at Chunin or Jounin ranks." Everyone was surprised on hearing it. They couldn''t help but wonder how Fujin made it out alive. Fujin continued, "When we tried to escape the 1st encirclement, they killed Tadashi and Kenta. However, they got too aggressive and were hit by Tamotsu and my Fire-Wind combination jutsu. 8 of them died while the other 12 were injured. We tried to escape once again but were intercepted once again and forced to split up. I am not sure what happened with Ryota and Katsumi after that. I was attacked by Darui." The group''s eyes widened once again hearing Darui''s name! Hiruzen thought, ''That''s the kid A and his father trained personally. Though he isn''t as reputed as Kakashi, he is the leader of their young generation.'' Hiruzen''s face kept getting more and more ugly as he unravelled Kumogakure''s plan. He snorted, ''A, the Hyuga incident worked in your favor because I never anticipated such a disgusting act. Do you think that such a scheme will work against Konoha again?'' Hiruzen said, "All of you, summon 7 Anbu squads along with another 3 Anbu squads made of former Root ninjas and return here quickly. Takao, bring Kakashi here." The four Anbu ninjas hiding in his office flickered and got to work. Takao nodded and left the office as well. Hiruzen grabbed a scroll and began writing in it. After writing the message, he closed the scroll and sealed it. He weaved hand signs and slammed his hand on the desk. A monkey appeared in front of him. Hiruzen handed him the scroll and said, "Deliver this scroll as soon as you can. Preferably do it today." The monkey took the scroll and checked it. He said in a childish voice, "Got it." He disappeared in smoke along with the scroll. Soon, 13 Anbu ninjas showed up in Hiruzen''s office. One of them hid back in the room. Hiruzen passed a scroll to them and said, "In the Land of Hot Water, there is a noble called Matsushita Yusuke. His details are in the scroll. Kill him and everyone with him. Burn every document in his mansion and don''t leave any evidence behind. Preferably use Lightning jutsus to destroy some property before escaping." One of the Anbu ninjas accepted the scroll. Hiruzen passed them more instructions. They took their leave. Soon, another group of Anbu arrived. This time, there were 31 ninjas. 12 of them were formerly in Root. Hiruzen assigned another mission to them. After understanding the assignment, they left the office as well. Finally, Kakashi and Takao arrived at the office. Kakashi was just dismissed from the Anbu by Hiruzen a few days ago. Hiruzen looked at Kakashi and said seriously, "Kakashi, I''ll provide you with 200 ninjas. I want you to lead them towards the border with the Land of Hot Water. You have two objectives. First, keep the existence of your force a secret. No one should be aware of your movements. Second, do a few drills to make the force prepared for war." Kakashi was surprised by the order. He asked, "Lord Hokage, did an incident occur?" Hiruzen nodded. He briefed Kakashi on what Fujin had reported. Kakashi understood the situation and sighed, "They want to make a move because the Uchiha clan no longer exists, right?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "It''s unlikely that a war will happen, but I want us to be prepared just in case." Kakashi asked, "Can I take Guy along with me?" Hiruzen nodded, "Sure." Kakashi said, "Alright. I''ll contact him. We will be ready to leave immediately." Hiruzen replied, "Good. I''ll arrange for the ninjas to join up with you." Kakashi left to meet up with Guy while Hiruzen got busy arranging 200 ninjas to go along with Kakashi. Fortunately, he already had everyone on high alert due to the Uchiha massacre. He was able to get it done very quickly. Chapter 212: Hiruzens Neverending Schemes! Though Hiruzen received the message almost half a day later than A, the Anbu squads he dispatched moved much faster than Kumogakure''s negotiator group. Under the cover of the night, Kakashi left Konoha along with Guy and 200 ninjas. They disappeared into the vast neverending forests in the Land of Fire. A few hours later, 3 Anbu squads arrived outside Yusuke''s mansion. No one in the Hidden Hot Springs Village detected them. Yusuke was sleeping in his bed. He had a smile on his face as he dreamt about being the new Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water. As Hiruzen had guessed, he was working together with Kumogakure. He wanted their support to overthrow the current Daimyo. In return, he will help them kill Konoha''s ninjas and will remove Konoha''s influence on the country after he becomes the Daimyo. Unfortunately for him, an Anbu ninja appeared next to him while he slept. He grabbed a tanto and pierced it into Yusuke''s heart leaving him permanently in the dream world. Yusuke died without knowing who killed him and how! In a few minutes, everyone in the mansion was killed! Not a single being was left alive. Instead, blood was flowing on the ground. The Anbu also burned or confiscated all the documents. After confirming that their work is done, they destroyed the pillars supporting the mansion with Lightning jutsus and escaped. The village, which was resting peacefully, suddenly woke up due to loud noise. However, before anyone could figure out what was happening, the Anbu ninjas had already escaped. They kept moving towards the Land of Frost. The Daimyo of the land of Hot Water was woken up due to the massacre and destruction. He reached Yusuke''s destroyed mansion and frowned, ''He had found a chakra metal mine a week ago. And he is already dead? He had said that he will employ Konoha ninjas, is this their work?'' Daimyo analyzed for a bit before concluding, ''No, this isn''t the way the Hokage acts usually. Besides, why would he even do this when we were offering Konoha the most benefits?'' At that time, Takeshita Tokuhei appeared in front of the Daimyo and reported, "Lord Daimyo, everyone in the mansion, including Lord Yusuke, has been killed. They are all killed with swords. From their wounds, it doesn''t seem like they even had a chance to struggle. The documents are all destroyed though we don''t know if some of them have been stolen. And the pillars have been destroyed with Lightning jutsus." Daimyo asked, "Lightning? Do you mean that Kumogakure is behind this?" Tokuhei answered, "It''s either them or someone who wants to frame them."?v€l-B!n. Daimyo analyzed the situation, ''This sort of activity is something Kumogakure would do. Did they find the mine as well? If so, it would make sense that they want to silence Yusuke and secretly mine the mine themselves. But, such a thing is impossible to be kept a secret. Are they planning to wage another war in my country?'' Yugao was among these Anbu ninjas. She transformed herself into a middle-aged woman and went into the market. She began buying groceries as normal. As she did, she began having short interactions with the other ladies in the market who were also buying groceries. During one such conversation, she sighed and said, "I heard that Raikage-sama wants to start a war with Konohagakure." The lady was surprised. A couple more around them heard her as well. She asked, "He does? Haven''t we been very peaceful lately?" Yugao nodded and said, "I heard that he sent 60 ninjas to the land of Hot Water to kill 5 Konoha ninjas. However, they were defeated by an eleven-year-old kid! 13 of our brave ninjas died due to it!" The other ladies were shocked to hear it. They joined the conversation, "Is it true?" Yugao nodded and said, "Yeah, my husband used to work in Lord Raikage''s office. He still has some contacts there. I am worried that if we suffered so much at the hands of just an eleven-year-old kid, how many losses will we have against the whole might of Konoha?" The scenario Yugao painted shocked the ladies. They talked a bit more before leaving. Yugao quickly changed her disguise and went to another market. In the same way, all the other 27 Anbu ninjas spread misinformation in the villages in the land of lightning. They hyped up Fujin''s actions while making everyone think subconsciously that Kumo''s forces were weak. A few even propagated the fear of Konoha invading the Land of Lightning if the Raikage went to war! Slowly, the people who heard the information began gossiping with the ones who hadn''t. The news spread through the entire Land of Lightning like a raging wildfire, igniting conversations and emotions of common people. As the rumors spread, they became more and more preposterous. Fear spread among the people in the Land of Lightning. Unfortunately for A, he would remain unaware of this development until it was too late. While the Anbu ninjas were doing their task, a monkey was roaming in the Land of Rice. He had been searching for a man for 2 days! Finally, he managed to locate him. The area was a complete mess! It looked as if someone had blown up an underground base. The Monkey landed next to the man and handed him the scroll. He said in his childish voice, "Lord Hokage wants you to act on this immediately." The man opened the scroll and read its contents. His eyes widened before returning to their usual size. He sighed and said, "Another war... Alright, tell him that I''ll get it done." Chapter 213: A Natural Calamity! The monkey ended his summoning and disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The man looked in the direction of the Land of Hot Water. His location was already quite close to the Land of Hot Water. He sighed once again and began moving towards the Land of Hot Water. Within a few hours, he reached the area where the Kumo ninjas had set up a perimeter.The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. He began sensing the area and scratched his chin while planning, ''Sensei''s analysis was on point. There are over 250 ninjas from Kumogakure over here. Now, how should I deal with them?'' He formulated a plan and decided to stay hidden until the night. None of the Kumogakure ninjas noticed him. The Kumogakure ninjas had a change in leadership. Hari still stayed as the advisor as this was his idea. But Darui, C and Samui were called back to Kumogakure. Instead, 2 Elite Jounins were sent to replace them. Soon, it was night. The Kumo ninjas changed shifts. Around 60 ninjas began manning the perimeter while the others went to sleep. The Kumo ninjas guarding the mine hadn''t faced much threat. Hari had kept their losses against Fujin''s squad a secret from them. And other than a local squad spotting them and running away, there wasn''t any other incident. So the ninjas were very relaxed. However, they suddenly heard a sound. They quickly looked above and were shocked! In the night sky, a huge shadow could be seen hiding among the clouds. One ninja gulped and asked, "What is that?" The ninja next to him replied, "It looks like a toad shadow. But how can a toad fly?" Another said, "Wake up Hari-sama and others quickly! They need to see this." However, they suddenly felt raindrops falling down on their faces. Just a second later, their eyes widened. They watched in horror as massive fire rained down on their entire base! A minute ago, Jiraiya summoned the giant toad Gamabunta and jumped high into the sky. They got right on top of the mine. Gamabunta released a huge oil jutsu that covers the entire mine. Meanwhile, Jiraiya made a clone and used strong Fire and Wind jutsus at the same time. The Kumo ninjas didn''t expect such a massive attack. Over 180 ninjas were asleep due to it being late in the night. All of them were hit by the massive attack! A few felt the heat and woke up. Unfortunately, before they could figure out what was happening and defend themselves, they were engulfed by fire and boiling oil! They didn''t even have a chance to defend themselves and died screaming in the fire! The entire mine had been destroyed and not a single person knew what happened there. The ninjas from the Land of Hot Water were asked to stay clear of this place. The Daimyo didn''t want to take any unnecessary casualties. However, there were 12 people who were staying in the surrounding villages who noticed the anomalies happening around the area of the mine. They immediately rushed towards the mine. While rushing, those 12 ninjas met with each other and went together. When they reached the location, shock could be seen on their faces. However, soon their faces returned to normal. One of them said, "This is exactly like Lord Hokage said it would be." The others nodded. This group was the 3 Anbu squads that destroyed Yusuke''s mansion a couple of nights ago. One of them said, "It''s time to execute the next step of the mission." They immediately rushed towards the Land of Frost. The remaining 7 Anbu squads who were spreading rumors in the Land of Lightning had completed their task and withdrawn to a location in the Land of Frost. The group of 3 Anbu squads who were rushing into the Land of Frost were heading exactly to that location as directed by Hiruzen. On meeting up, the Anbu who witnessed the havoc that Jiraiya had left told the rest about the destruction they had witnessed. After telling all the specifics, all 40 Anbu ninjas headed back towards the Land of Lightning. They infiltrated the Land of Lightning once again with the same mission but different rumors. Once again, the Anbu ninjas began spreading a variety of rumors in various disguises and in numerous villages. All of them said that their great Lord Raikage had found a chakra metal mine. They said that the mine would make Kumogakure the strongest ninja village in the world! However, the following part was reported differently by the Anbu ninjas. Around half of them said that the other villages weren''t happy and were afraid of how ambitious the Raikage was. So the fourth Mizukage showed up with his elite ninjas and killed all Kumo ninjas who were protecting the mine. He still wasn''t satisfied, so he transformed into the 3 Tailed Beast abomination and destroyed the entire mine! Some said that the Gods were angered by how power-hungry the Raikage was. So they decided to punish Kumogakure for his crimes by unleashing a catastrophic calamity on the mine and the ninjas guarding that mine! A couple of Anbu said that the eleven-year-old boy who had earlier killed 60 Kumo ninjas was angry that Kumogakure killed his teammates. So he returned to destroy the mine and slaughter everyone. In this way, multiple imaginative rumors were spread throughout the country. The common citizens were intrigued and worried by such news. They couldn''t help but discuss it further among themselves. In no time, these rumors began spreading alongside the previous rumors! Unknown to him, A''s reputation kept taking a hit. Around the time that the Anbu ninjas infiltrated the Land of Lightning again, Mabui headed into the Raikage''s office. Her face was grim. Chapter 214: As Rage A noticed Mabui''s expression and a frown formed on his face. Mabui said, "Raikage-sama, we have bad news!" A asked, "What happened this time?" Mabui said, "Various rumors are spreading throughout the country about the clash between Konoha ninjas and our forces." A shouted in anger, "WHAT? I told you to keep it a secret! How did that information spread?" Mabui quickly answered, "I kept it a secret. I am sure that Advisor Hari did too. I did some analysis and I believe that the rumors haven''t started in our village. Instead, they have entered our village from the outside." A asked, "What do you mean by outside?" Mabui said, "I believe that someone is spreading the rumors in other villages in our country. The rumors reached our village while spreading through them." A was stunned. However, he soon realized. He got angry and once again smashed his desk while shouting, "That damned Hiruzen!" Mabui sighed in her mind thinking, ''I just replaced that old desk.'' However, she agreed with his analysis. She too believed that Konoha was spreading these rumors. She said, "Raikage-sama, the rumors themselves are worrying. While some rumors say the truth, a majority of them say that our 60 ninja force was defeated by one young Konoha ninja. Some even say that they were defeated by a kid who hadn''t even graduated yet from the Academy." A''s eyes widened. His rage grew further. He stood up. A lightning cloak appeared around him as he cursed, "First those bastards spread rumors and then they dare to defame us?" Before he could speak more, Mabui said, "That''s not all Raikage-sama. There is another worrying situation." A asked, "What else?" Mabui said, "I haven''t received any communications from Advisor Hari. His report should have arrived a couple of hours ago." A calmed down and became serious on hearing that. He had sent 2 Elite Jounin, dozens of Jounins, more than two hundred Chunins and an advisor to the mine. If anything happened to them or the mine, then the losses would be severe. He didn''t want to act on emotions on such a serious matter. He said, "The messenger birds could get lost at times. Are you sure that it is something to be worried about?" Mabui replied, "I just have a bad feeling, Raikage-sama." A thought for a bit and said, "Wait till this afternoon. If Hari doesn''t send a message once more, then have Darui''s team check on them. In the meantime, arrange for some ninjas to explore the villages in our country. Eliminate any of those Konoha scums spreading rumors. After ending the spar, they went to Bee''s home for a late lunch. The spar and the break from others helped A relax. But Bee could still see that he was worried and his mind wasn''t on the food he was eating. In order to get it off his mind, Bee asked, "So, what''s the dealio? Why you lookin'' like you just saw a ghost or somethin''?" A sighed and explained the situation. He explained his plan to start a new war with Konoha, Hiruzen''s tactics and annoyance caused by the Elders and Clan leaders from their village. Bee nodded and said, "Oh snap, now that is quite a mess indeed! But you still wanna push forward, huh?" A nodded and said, "It is for our village''s prosperity." Bee argued, "I feel you, I feel you. But let me ask you this, do we need to keep being so aggressive? The village has been chillin'' lately, why not take a step back and enjoy the peace?" A said, "This peace is only temporary. A new Great War will eventually start. Konoha and Suna are in an alliance. If Konoha manages to convince Iwa and Kiri to make a move against us, we will be in a tough spot. Anyways, I have to leave. I can''t leave the office for too long." Having finished his food, A began leaving. Bee looked at his back and said, "Just remember, brother, even if something goes wrong, we got each other''s backs. We''ll fix it together." A smiled and nodded before disappearing. He soon appeared in his office. However, his smile disappeared even before he entered his office! He entered his office from the same hole that he created and saw every elder, clan head and advisor in his office waiting for him. He looked at Mabui who had a helpless expression on her face. Before A could say anything, an old man asked, "Lord Raikage, is it about time for you to inform us about the important events? Or do you plan to keep us in the dark until the very end?" A frowned. Though he didn''t always inform others about his plans, he was confused about why they decided to gather together and confront him. More importantly, the identity of the old man was very sensitive. He was Inazuma, an advisor to his father, the 3rd Raikage. He asked, "What do you mean?" Mabui stepped forward and informed, "Raikage-sama, some of the ninjas I dispatched returned back to the village. They said that there are a lot more rumors spreading around in the country." A asked, "It''s just some rumors. I can understand common people being scared of them, but why are you giving it unnecessary attention?" Inazuma said, "It is due to the nature of those rumors. Though some of them are ridiculous, all of them say one thing in common." Inazuma stopped speaking and observed A''s expression. Unfortunately, he couldn''t gauge what A was thinking. A waited for a few seconds and shouted aggressively, "Stop testing me and just speak!" Inazuma said, "They say that all the ninjas we sent to the mine have been wiped out. The mine itself has also been destroyed." A was stunned! Chapter 215: Elite Jounin Promotion??? A immediately shouted, "Who is spreading such nonsense?" Mabui replied, "I believe it''s the same group that spread the earlier rumors, Raikage-sama." Inazuma interrupted their conversation and said, "Stop speaking among yourself and tell us whether it is the truth or not. Losing 255 ninjas will be a huge loss even during wartime. We have never ever had such a loss during peacetime." A looked at Mabui and said, "Inform them." Everyone in the room got a bit nervous. As they expected, A was hiding something! Mabui said, "We haven''t received any communications from Hari since this morning. I have dispatched Darui''s squad to check whether they are fine. We will need to wait until they return to find out if something has happened or if the communications have been cut off somehow." The room got restless on hearing that. They began feeling that those ridiculous rumors had some truth to them. One of the elders complained, "A, how can you hide such huge news from us?" A snorted, "Messages not reaching is a very common thing. I didn''t think there was anything to be concerned about. You old fellows need to stop wasting your and my time on the rumors Hiruzen is spreading and instead prepare for war!" However, Inazuma argued, "First we need to know the truth of this incident. If our ninjas have all been killed, then we won''t support the war. Instead, our focus should be on getting justice for the lives of our ninjas." Every leader in the room agreed with him. They discussed important matters for some time before ending the meeting. After they left, A''s rage went through the roof! Mabui quickly said, "Calm down Raikage-sama!" A said, "These old cowards are the reason why I couldn''t launch a full-scale offensive against Konoha during the Hyuga incident. These bastards will stop me again this time too!" Anger could be felt in his voice. He looked at Mabui and said, "Send a few more squads after Darui. Hiruzen must be scheming something to spread rumors like these!" Mabui nodded and left. Later that day, the negotiator group that had left Kumogakure a few days ago reached the location of the mine. However, they were shocked by what they were witnessing. One of them asked, "Hey, isn''t this place supposed to be a mine?" The person next to him nodded, "It is. And more than 250 ninjas are supposed to be guarding it!" Fujin nodded and replied, "Thank You Takao-san. I will keep it in mind." Takao nodded and left. Fujin sighed, ''I am more worried about my life. I can''t possibly rest. Besides, the pressure seems to be good. Rashomon is quite a difficult jutsu. Still, I managed to learn it in less than 3 days.'' Fujin left towards the Hokage building as he analyzed, ''Now, what exactly does Hiruzen want from me to call me so late in the night?'' Fujin arrived in the Hokage building and knocked on the door of Hiruzen''s office. Hiruzen said, "Come in." Fujin entered. Hiruzen was alone in the room. Though Fujin didn''t know, even the Anbu ninjas weren''t in his office. Fujin said, "Takao-san said that you called, grandpa." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Take a chair and seat in front of me Fujin. I want your opinion on something." Fujin grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the desk. Though his actions were normal, in truth, Fujin was very nervous. Hiruzen placed a sheet of paper in front of Fujin as soon as he sat down and said, "I received this news a few minutes ago." He placed another sheet of paper on the desk and said, "I received this news today as well. Read these two papers and tell me your thoughts about them." Fujin was confused by Hiruzen''s actions. He had thought of a lot of possibilities, but he never imagined that Hiruzen wanted him to analyze some reports. Fujin grabbed the first sheet of paper and began reading. Immediately his eyes widened at what was written. He looked at Hiruzen in disbelief but Hiruzen didn''t have any expression on his face. Fujin began reading again. The paper mentioned that the chakra metal mine was completely destroyed and no one was around the mine. Fujin immediately began reading the second paper. His expression became peculiar on reading it as it mentioned the rumors spreading through the land of Fire. Fujin easily figured out that they were talking about him. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''I am this awesome? Why didn''t I know about it? I don''t think that even the children of the Sage of Six Path were this amazing!'' Reading the two sheets of paper relaxed Fujin a lot. He knew that everything on those 2 sheets was planned and executed by Hiruzen. His worries faded away knowing that Hiruzen didn''t plan to cower once again. Hiruzen asked, "So, what are your thoughts on these events, Fujin?" Fujin looked into his eyes and said in an innocent tone, "Grandpa, if the things written here are true, then you need to promote me to Elite Jounin rank immediately and pay me the rewards for a few rank S missions." Chapter 216: A Sleepless Night... Hiruzen was stunned by the reply. A look of disbelief could be seen on his face. Even his mouth was left slightly open. He guessed that Fujin would figure out that it was his schemes that did this and hence called Fujin to verify his strategic acumen. He expected that Fujin would be awed by his schemes. However, he never expected such a shameless response! Fujin''s reply stunned Hiruzen so much that he forgot to breathe for a moment and began coughing. Fujin innocently asked, "Grandpa, are you alright?" He picked up a water bottle nearby, poured the water into a glass and handed it to Hiruzen. Hiruzen accepted it and drank it. He couldn''t help but stare at Fujin and curse, ''This greedy brat! I should have sent him to Root. I saved Danzo from so much trouble and didn''t get anything in return!'' Meanwhile, Fujin enjoyed the range of emotions displayed on Hiruzen''s face. After all, it wasn''t often one got to see such emotions on Hiruzen''s face. Hiruzen said, "Jokes aside, what did you analyze?" Fujin put up a sad face and replied, "I wasn''t joking." Hiruzen didn''t reply and stared right at him until Fujin felt uncomfortable. Fujin shrugged and said, "It was worth a try." Fujin became serious and began analyzing what Hiruzen had shown him, "The most obvious thing is that all of these were ordered by you." Hiruzen nodded and asked, "Why and how did I do this?" Fujin answered, "I had suspected that Yusuke or perhaps even the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water was allied with Kumo. That is why I didn''t escape to their village despite it being closer. Seeing that Yusuke''s mansion is destroyed and Kumogakure is suspected, I guess he was involved with Kumogakure. Since he is dead, I guess that it was a punishment for betraying us and causing the deaths of my comrades. As for destroying the mansion, that was done to pin the blame on Kumo. The rumors should have been spread by a special division that specializes in such stuff. Since the report said Land of Lightning and not Kumogakure, I guess that they spread the rumors in villages without any ninjas and the rumors spread from there on. This should cause panic in the country and put a lot of pressure on the Raikage against starting a war. As for the destruction of the mine, I can see why you did it. I have heard that Kumo''s military is very strong. And the location of the mine was closer to them than our village. So we may have been at a disadvantage if we fought a war over it. But, I don''t know how you could cause such destruction." Hiruzen was impressed by Fujin''s analysis. He thought, ''Brilliant. Though some of it was incorrect, the analysis is great considering how young and inexperienced he is.'' He said, "Good analysis. You don''t need to worry about how the mine was destroyed for now. Your analysis of the rumors was on point. As for the rest, it is lacking in some parts." Hiruzen explained to Fujin the reasoning and intention behind most of his moves without giving Fujin any critical information. Fujin listened carefully. As he kept listening, he was more and more impressed by how clever, cunning and thorough Hiruzen was! Now that the Root was dissolved, Fujin had no worries about joining the Anbu. The two bade farewell and Fujin left. As he walked, he analyzed, ''What a mess! Still, I am glad that Hiruzen told me about his schemes. They were crazy good and fun. I can imagine the mess that Kumogakure would be in, hahaha. Also, Jiraiya and his toads are probably even more impressive than what I remember. After all, mines are supposed to be huge and there should be a lot of Kumo ninjas defending it. But looking at the confidence with which Hiruzen spoke, it is safe to say that Jiraiya completely wiped them out without getting injured.'' Though Hiruzen didn''t mention Jiraiya, it wasn''t difficult for Fujin to figure out that it was him. He ended his thoughts and took a deep breath. A huge pressure was lifted off his shoulders as he knew that his life wasn''t under threat anymore. He had a huge meal before going home and taking a nice long and peaceful sleep. Unlike Fujin, one person was guaranteed to have a sleepless and tiring night! A had just gone to bed when he heard someone banging on his door. He got up annoyed and opened the door to see Mabui. Her expression was very grim. A asked, "What''s the issue that you have to disturb me at this time?" Mabui didn''t say anything and just handed him the scroll. A opened it and began reading. His eyes widened as a look of disbelief appeared on his face! He shouted, "What the hell?" Mabui didn''t say anything. She too was shocked when she received the communication from the group of negotiators. A quickly instructed, "Issue a council meeting in 15 minutes. If anyone doesn''t show up, I will go wake them up myself!" Mabui replied, "I''ll arrange it, Raikage-sama." She left and dispatched the Anbu to every council member''s house. In 15 minutes, all gathered in the meeting room in the Raikage''s building. Many were annoyed at being woken up at this hour and forced to come to a meeting. When the meeting started, they all aggressively began demanding why they were called. A didn''t say anything and just handed them the scroll he received from Mabui. There was a pin-drop silence in the room when they read the details in the scroll. Every single person had a grim face. The silence was broken when someone said, "The rumors were true." Disbelief could be heard in his voice. However, A corrected him, "Only the result was true. We don''t know what the cause is." The room became silent once again. After some time, Inazuma said, "Among the 3 the rumor of the youngster destroying the mine can be dismissed. And it is very unbelievable that a natural calamity can kill every ninja we sent." A said, "I don''t see why the Mizukage would come here to destroy our mine. He already has a revolt to suppress. I believe Hiruzen is trying to confuse us through these rumors." Chapter 217: Daimyos Words A didn''t waste any time blaming Hiruzen for the incidents. The rest of the room agreed with him. After all, the Mizukage was already embroiled in a war. So why would he waste his energy making such a long trip to attract a new enemy? However, a clan leader still had doubts. He asked, "But does Konoha still have the capability to unleash such destruction? After all, their sannins are away, their Hokage is old and their Jinchuriki is still a child. Besides, the destruction caused completely matches the destruction caused by three tails past rampages." However, his point was quickly countered by another, "According to our intel, the Toad Sage Jiraiya manages a spy network throughout the ninja world. Hiruzen contacting him and asking him to make a move so quickly isn''t far-fetched. Not to mention, his toads can do similar destruction as mentioned in the report." The group discussed more and reached the conclusion that this was accomplished by Jiraiya. They began discussing what action they should undertake. A kept pushing for a full-scale war, however, the majority of the people in the room tried opposing such a call. Though Jiraiya''s actions enraged them, they also brought back horrible memories of the war. They didn''t want to start a new war. Their discussion soon became heated and A began getting an upper hand when a knock was heard. The group became silent and frowned. A said, "Come in." The door was opened and a Chunin entered the room. A scolded him, "What is so important that you had to interrupt a council meeting?" The Chunin was intimidated. However, he steeled himself and said, "Lord Raikage, we have received an emergency message from Lord Daimyo." The entire room became alert on hearing that. Frowns formed on many faces. The messenger continued, "He will be visiting our village in the morning and wants to conduct a council meeting as soon as he arrives." A''s face had a very ugly expression. He asked, "Is that all?" The Chunin nodded. He left the room after A dismissed him. As soon as the door was closed, A''s eyes wandered into the room. He observed everyone''s expressions to see if any of them contacted the Daimyo. Unfortunately, he couldn''t gauge anything. Inazuma said, "Since we will be having a meeting tomorrow morning once again, it will be better to plan our actions after it." A''s was upset on hearing that. However, his expression improved as Inazuma looked at everyone in the room and said, "It is obvious that everyone in this room will have different opinions. However, don''t forget that we are all a part of the same village. We will show a united front to the Daimyo. If you have any complaints or disagreements, raise them after he leaves." No one opposed him. The meeting ended. However, all of them would stay up all night to prepare for the meeting that would take place in a few hours. Around the same time the meeting ended, Darui, Samui and C reached the location of the mine. When they saw the scene, they were shocked! C muttered, "What the hell happened here?" Rage appeared on A''s face when he heard the Daimyo saying that his ninjas might be doubting him. However, before he could explode, Inazuma said, "Lord Daimyo, it''s just the rumors that have created confusion. We can easily quell those rumors by starting new rumors and increase our morale through it." The Daimyo replied, "True. But which rumors would help you resolve this?" He placed a few letters on the table. Inazuma frowned. The Daimyo said, "These are letters that I have received from every other Daimyo. The Daimyo of Hot Water has complained about you mining in his country illegally. The other Daimyos have also condemned your actions." The Kumo ninjas frowned upon hearing that. The Daimyo continued, "They will soon be sending their forces to the mine. If they find proof of Kumogakure''s illegal mining activities, then a trade embargo will be placed on the Land of Lightning for 6 months. The Mine itself will be handed over to the Land of Iron for mining. They have already sent their Samurais over to take control of the mine. The Hokage has expressed his support for this and has promised to send his forces to aid the Samurais. Though there hasn''t been any word from the Tsuchikage and Kazekage, their respective Daimyos have promised to send ninjas to the mine as the chakra metal extracted will be divided equally among the ones who contribute forces to defend the mine." The mood in the room became heavy as the Daimyo kept delivering one bad news after another. The Daimyo observed the mood in the room with satisfaction. Finally, he said, "Raikage, I know I can''t force you to not wage a war. However, I want you to know what you will be facing if you start a war. At the very least, you will have to face the combined might of the Land of Iron and the Land of Fire in the Land of Hot Water which supports them. In the worst-case scenario, you will even have to face the armies of the Land of Wind and the Land of Stone as well. Additionally, if you wage a war, the trade embargo won''t be placed for just 6 months." The Daimyo stood up and said, "I would recommend you to extinguish any proof of your activities there and withdraw back. We could join them and gain our share of the chakra metal and our economy wouldn''t have to suffer from the trade embargo. I''ll leave the final decision to you." Having said what he wanted to, the Daimyo left the room. His officials followed him. He was aware of A''s short temper and didn''t want to be at the receiving end of it. So he didn''t antagonize him too much. The atmosphere in the council room was very gloomy. Though many of them didn''t want a war, being forced to stop this way was very humiliating. Even A was troubled. While he was confident about defeating Konoha''s armies, he didn''t have any confidence in a victory against the combined forces of Konoha and the Land of Iron. The council brainstormed on the available options. They came up with a lot of different ideas. Unfortunately, every single idea was deemed too risky to implement. In the end, they had to swallow a bitter pill and quit. A sent messages to Darui and the negotiating group to get rid of all clues that could point to them and return back to Kumogakure. They followed his instructions. A couple of days after the Kumogakure ninjas left, an army consisting of one thousand Samurais led by Mifune, two hundred Konoha ninjas led by Kakashi and fifty Yugakure ninjas led by Tokuhei appeared at the site of the mine. Chapter 218: Taking all the Blame! Just like others before them, this group too was shocked by what they were witnessing. The Land of Hot Water forces didn''t dare to approach this place after confirming Kumogakure''s presence. Though they heard the news of floods coming out from here, they stayed away from Kumogakure ninjas. So they never knew about the destruction of the mine. Even Kakashi was unaware of the truth as Hiruzen didn''t inform him about Jiraiya''s actions. Tokuhei analyzed the entire landscape and cursed, "The entire mine has been destroyed by those bastards!" Mifune and Kakashi didn''t say anything as they too reached the same conclusion. Mifune sighed, "We will first have to clean up this place and make new arrangements. Though the surface of the mine has been destroyed, the valuable materials inside it should be safe." However, he frowned and said, "But Kumogakure has crossed all limits this time. Not only did they mine illegally, they even destroyed the mine before leaving." Tokuhei looked at Mifune and requested, "Lord Mifune, we have to make Kumogakure pay for their actions. Otherwise, they will keep behaving like this!" Mifune thought for a bit before shaking his head. He said, "It won''t be easy. I believe that they destroyed this mine to clear all their traces. Without any proof, we won''t be able to take any action. Besides, though we have threatened Kumogakure, I doubt any of us want a war with them." Kakashi nodded, "Yeah. It''s best if war is prevented. Otherwise, everyone''s losses will far exceed the value of this mine. But, we could still make them pay economically." Mifune replied, "True. But let''s leave that to the Daimyos." He looked at everyone behind them and instructed, "Begin cleaning this place. Also, see if you can find any evidence to prove that the Kumogakure forces were here." The Samurais and the Ninjas got to work. Mifune said, "Clearing up this mine will take a lot of time. I can''t wait here that long. I will wait here until all the countries reach an agreement. Once all countries have signed up, every major village will deploy 50 ninjas to protect this mine and I will leave 200 Samurais here for the same." Tokuhei and Kakashi nodded. Everyone got to work. However, they didn''t find any clues that could be linked to Kumogakure. With A dropping plans for the invasion, all villages agreed to share the mine. The Land of Iron will be responsible for mining and distributing the chakra metal and other precious metals at the same level among the villages that protected the mine. Lightning appeared around his two fingers and a huge portion of his chakra began transforming into Lightning and gathered in his two fingers. After 40 seconds, around 24% of Fujin''s chakra had been transformed into Lightning and concentrated in his hands. He shouted, "NOW!" His shadow clone immediately bit his thumb making it bleed, made a snake hand seal and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Summoning Jutsu : Rashomon'' At the same time, Fujin launched an arrow made of lightning straight at the Rashomon gate. The Arrow hit the gate and created a huge explosion! The force of the explosion immediately pushed Fujin backwards. Fujin covered his face and tried to look at the spot of the explosion. Chakra gathered in his eye as he tried to observe through the intense light. He couldn''t help but think, ''The scroll was right! Luckily I took the warning seriously and decided to use Rashomon. Otherwise, my house would have been heavily damaged despite all the seals!'' After a few seconds, the explosion died down. Fujin could see the Rashomon Gate. It still stood but its surface was filled with cracks. Fujin stepped closer and observed the gate. His eyes widened as he realized, ''Incredible! The cracks go up to halfway in the gate. It''s even more impressive compared to the damage from my Vacuum Canon.'' Fujin analyzed for a minute and concluded, ''In terms of pure destructive power, this is my most powerful jutsu. But, in terms of usability, it is one of the worst. Though the destructive power is high, the chakra it needs is more than ten times that of the Vacuum Cannon jutsu. Worse is the preparation time. The scroll stated that this time can be reduced with training, but it will still take a long time. At the very least, this jutsu will require 5 seconds of charging time. So in a normal situation, it will be quite useless. I guess this jutsu is most effective when there are teammates to provide that time. But considering that I plan to use Lightning jutsus while in disguise, I don''t have that option. Though I guess that I could still use shadow clones for that purpose.'' Fujin analyzed the pros and cons of the jutsu and decided, ''If I train this jutsu, my training will be over in 4 attempts. I won''t be able to train anymore on that day. So though it looks cool, it will be harmful if I waste months trying to slowly master this jutsu. I can think about practicing this jutsu once my chakra has multiplied a few times over. For now, I should focus on mastering other jutsus.'' Having made his decision, Fujin decided to master the Iron Skin jutsu. Chapter 219: Bounty! Fujin decided, ''I need to reduce the hand signs required for this jutsu. No, I want to eliminate them. Only then this jutsu will show its true worth. In addition, I also need to learn how to apply this jutsu to just one body part. It will save chakra and increase the versatility of this jutsu.'' Fujin was about to begin practicing when his doorbell rang. He answered the door. It was a messenger asking him to visit Hiruzen. Fujin flickered to Hiruzen''s office. Since the door was open, he just walked in. Hiruzen noticed Fujin and handed him a book and said, "Check this." Hiruzen had already opened the page for Fujin to see. Fujin was surprised to see what he did. However, soon a smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''20 million already? Not bad. Not bad at all. Though I guess that this is more due to Hiruzen''s rumors rather than my achievements.'' Hiruzen looked at Fujin''s smile and coughed to get Fujin''s attention. He said, "That isn''t a good thing Fujin." Fujin had a wry smile on his face on hearing his remark. He thought, ''Shit, that fight with Darui makes me want to fight more such fights. I need to meditate and eliminate that thought. They may feel fun but are super harmful to my life!'' Fujin said, "Yes. But I don''t need to be worried inside our village, right?" Hiruzen nodded, "There hasn''t ever been any incident of anyone claiming bounties inside Konoha. You don''t need to worry about that." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, I won''t be leaving Konoha until you think I am ready." Hiruzen replied, "Good. You can return to your training." Fujin thanked him politely and left. Since he didn''t need to worry about it for the time being, Fujin ignored the bounty for now. If his speculations were right, Hiruzen would keep him among the Anbu for years. During this time, his identity will stay hidden. By the time he quit the Anbu, he was confident that his strength would be in a different league! When Fujin reached his house, he saw that there were 5 children his age waiting outside his house. He wondered, ''Did these guys learn tree walking?'' The group of 5 orphans had arrived outside Fujin''s house a few minutes earlier. They saw the tag that said that Fujin wasn''t at home. Tatsuya sighed, "It looks like he is on a mission. Our exams are less than 2 months away." The others nodded. Daisuke said, "I hope he returns soon." At that instant, Fujin snuck up behind them and asked, "Who should return soon?" The orphans quickly thanked Fujin for his guidance. They asked a few queries which were resolved by Fujin before leaving. Fujin saw their backs as they left. His smile faded away as he thought, ''Not everyone in this group is serious about training. Otherwise, they would have been done with these basic exercises a long time ago. But, the others in the group waited for that person probably due to their friendship and hence stalled their progress as well.'' Fujin couldn''t help but analyze their situation, ''On one hand, is their long friendship which they probably relish a lot. On the other hand, if they cut off the slackers, they can progress much faster and increase their strength. That''s a rough dilemma to face.'' Fujin turned around and headed into his home. Though many would struggle to decide between those two, Fujin had no doubts, ''In my previous world, success could be compared with the amount of money you had or earned. It didn''t matter if one earned a bit less and enjoyed more time with family and friends and enjoyed your life. I would have chosen family and friends over money any day. But in this world, power reigns supreme. Sacrificing power to stay with friends who hold you back is foolish. After all, that little bit of power could be the difference between life and death. Of course, there is no need to terminate all friendships. They just have to train with the ones who train at the same pace and intensity as themselves or train solo. They can still remain friends but have to keep training out of their friendship. Though I guess I too share a bit of the blame as I asked those 5 to come to me together instead of individually as I didn''t want to spend a lot of time on them. If I had told them to come whenever they reach the assigned goals, perhaps the result would have been different. Still, this is a good thing to know. One slacker can pull the whole group down. When I create an organization, such people will have to either be kept out or kept away from those who want to work harder and get stronger. And I shouldn''t put some stupid restrictions like coming to me at the same time just for my convenience. Instead, making it a competition between them will give me much better results. I can even add some rewards similar to how Hiruzen rewarded me. That way everyone would work hard for the reward and also due to peer pressure.'' Fujin ended his train of thought and continued his training. Two weeks later - Fujin was breathing heavily. He had 4 shadow clones around him. A smile could be seen on his face. He thought, ''Finally! I have reduced the number of hand seals to perform Iron Skin jutsu to just 1. And I can harden any part of my body I want to.'' He took a deep breath and dispelled his clones. He sat against a tree as he received their memories and experience. He analyzed, ''As I kept practising this jutsu, the amount of chakra needed to sustain it dropped a lot. So I could use shadow clones to speed up my training. Otherwise, I might have needed around a month and a half to master this jutsu. Anyways, now that I have this jutsu down properly, it''s time to try that!'' Fujin sat in a meditative pose. He grabbed a soldier pill and ate it. He meditated until his chakra reserves were back to full once again. His eyes opened. Determination and excitement could be seen in it along with a hint of fear. He stood up and weaved hand signs. Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram He slammed his hands on the ground! Chapter 220: The Wolf Valley Fujin weaved the hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Summoning Jutsu!'' Fujin immediately disappeared from Konoha. The scenery around Fujin changed instantly. He was in the air and began falling. Fujin landed on his feet as he thought, ''So this is how Space-Time travel feels? I kinda assumed that it would be uncomfortable or weird. Instead, it just feels like flickering.'' As soon as he landed, a lot of eyes turned towards him. Fujin too looked around himself. His chakra field was already spread out. He thought, ''So I am in the land of wolves, huh? Now, are they friendly or aggressive?'' Fujin had landed in a Wolf Valley. It was a huge place surrounded by massive mountains. Fujin sensed hundreds of wolves in his chakra field. And he could see that his chakra field didn''t cover even one percent of the total area of the valley. The spot where Fujin landed had 9 wolves around him. They looked at Fujin with curiosity as he appeared out of nowhere. However, the curiosity didn''t last long. A few seconds later, a Wolf howled loudly and pounced on Fujin! Immediately, the other wolves also howled and pounced on Fujin. Fujin easily dodged them and asked, "Who is your leader?" Unfortunately, he didn''t get any response as they kept attacking him. Fujin sighed, ''Great, they don''t understand human language!''The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. His expression became grim as he sensed the hundreds of wolves in his chakra field running towards him. He thought, ''I hope at least some of them understand human language.'' He kept dodging without attacking back. He was afraid that the leaders of the pack might treat him as an enemy if he attacked back. More importantly, he wasn''t aware of how strong the leaders would be. If they were anything like the Toads or the Snakes, it would bring a catastrophe on him if he killed them indiscriminately. Fujin kept dodging until the number of Wolves surrounding him became too high. With no other option, he flickered away. Unfortunately, the entire place was crawling with wolves. No matter where he flickered, he would be swarmed by wolves in a few seconds. Luckily, none of them could use chakra. So Fujin wasn''t in any danger. Suddenly, Fujin''s attention was attracted. He sensed a wolf pack heading towards him. Every single wolf in this pack had a much higher chakra! It was as high as a normal chunin would have. In addition, their size was much larger than a normal wolf. As soon as that pack appeared, the normal wolves cleared the path. They ran straight towards Fujin. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''Finally. I was getting bored. And they should understand human speech.'' The sudden impact on the skulls immediately made them lose consciousness. The clones flickered multiple times and knocked out all of them with ease. They couldn''t help but think, ''Though their chakra is high, their fighting style is very lousy. That''s disappointing. I hope that there are better ones in the valley who know sage mode. Otherwise, it will be too disappointing.'' Seeing the bigger wolves knocked out or running injured silenced the remaining wolves. Fujin expected the weaker wolves to run away or call for stronger reinforcements. However, his guess was wrong. Every single wolf around him howled and rushed blindly at his clones. The clones sighed at their disappointing intelligence. The three clones stood with their backs to each other and began preparing the same jutsu. As soon as the wolves reached within arm''s distance, all three clones used the jutsu. ''Wind Release: Triple Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' In an instant, high-speed winds spread in all directions! The wolves who were rushing forward were stopped. Instead, the winds pushed them back. Many wolves tried holding on to the ground. However, eventually, all the nearby wolves were sent flying through the air. Even the unconscious bodies of the giant wolves were sent flying. The clones looked at the sight and thought, ''If we had made these winds sharper, this whole valley would have been covered in blood by now!'' Painful howls spread throughout the valley as the wolves crashed on the ground. A few of the weaker wolves ended up dying due to the impact. However, the ones who were alive got up and charged at Fujin''s clones once again. In addition, more wolf packs kept joining them. The clones sighed and fought back. Two days later - Fujin was hiding underground. However, his expression wasn''t good and his chakra was very low. Fujin was still in the wolf valley. He kept making shadow clones and sending them to fight for two whole days! The entire valley was covered by the bodies of wolves. Almost all of them were injured. Quite a few were dead as well. Unfortunately, there was no end to the wolf tide. During these two days, Fujin''s clones had fought over a hundred thousand wolves! However, not a single wolf that attacked Fujin''s clones for over two days had the skill to even injure him. On the other hand, any wind jutsu would result in a huge number of casualties to them. His clones would fight until they ran out of chakra and Fujin would create new ones to replace them. However, after two days of fighting, Fujin''s chakra finally hit rock bottom. Even soldier pills couldn''t generate chakra at enough speed. Fujin sighed, ''It looks hopeless. Though the number of wolves is very high, there are no high-level wolves. My clones have scouted every single mountain around the valley in these two days, but I never found any Wolf interested in talking. So either these guys have no brains or their leaders are hiding somewhere and don''t think that I am someone worthy enough to make them show themselves. Of course, this could still be a test, but my chakra is almost dry.'' Chapter 221: Bad Luck Fujin finally gave up on the wolves. He made a hand sign and ended his jutsu. In the next second, he appeared back in the training ground. Exhausted, he went home and took a long rest. A few days later, Fujin once again tried his luck. ''Summoning Jutsu'' Fujin disappeared from his basement. He looked around and the scene made his skin crawl! He couldn''t help but curse, ''First that never-ending Wolf tide! And now this? No wonder so few have the summoning jutsu. It''s fucking dangerous!'' As soon as Fujin appeared, he saw innumerable Mosquitoes around him! He couldn''t even estimate their number. He nervously asked, "Do you have a leader who would be willing to discuss a summoning contract?" Fujin thought, ''Though I don''t like mosquitoes, they have a lot of potential. If I can summon millions of mosquitos, I can have similar skills as the Aburame clan without having to host insects in my body. However, I first need to see the effectiveness of these mosquitoes. For starters, how much chakra would it require to summon a sufficient number of mosquitoes? And, do they have poisons like the bugs? Or do they have other means of attack?'' Unfortunately for Fujin, the mosquitoes just dived at him without exchanging any words. Fujin sighed expecting such a response. Winds began flowing all around him. A dome of wind formed around Fujin which spun at a high speed. The mosquitoes attacked the dome and were ripped into small pieces as soon as they entered it. Their remains were tossed outside right away. Hundreds of mosquitoes died every second. Fujin sighed once again, ''Another suicidal bunch.'' Fujin lost all interest in the group. He made a hand sign and cancelled the summoning jutsu and returned to his basement. He muttered, "No wonder so few ninjas have summons. If most of the summons are like them, it will be waste of time and risky at the same time." He hadn''t wasted much chakra against the Mosquitoes. He used the Summoning jutsu once again and disappeared. This time, he landed in a rocky area. There were huge boulders around Fujin. And on top of those boulders were Hyenas! Fujin was standing in the center and there were 8 hyenas surrounding him. Fujin looked at them and wondered, ''So will these guys talk?'' This time, Fujin didn''t have to wait for long to know the answer. All 8 hyenas stood up and stared at Fujin. One of them exclaimed, "A human popped up out of thin air!" Another hyena licked his lips and said, "Yeah, we didn''t even have to go hunting for him!" Another said, "Since this is a free meal, he should be delicious, right?" Fujin built up around 5% of his chakra. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' Fujin exhaled a massive and strong wind at the hyenas. Seeing their bloodlust, Fujin didn''t hold back. The attack left deep cuts in the ground as it moved towards the hyenas. The hyenas saw the strong winds heading towards them and barked loudly. However, to Fujin''s ears, they sounded like cackling laughter! Fujin was surprised as all the hyenas let out an electric wave that clashed with Fujin''s attack. Fujin had the elemental advantage, however, he was facing 16 opponents by himself. Both attacks cancelled each other. The hyenas continued their hunt and moved right through the dust raised by the clash of their previous attacks. Fujin used the smokescreen to fire air bullets at the hyenas. As soon as the hyenas exited the smokescreen, they felt air bullets heading towards them. They immediately dodged, however, they were too close to the attack. 2 Air bullets hit the legs of a couple of hyenas and left a hole through it. Another 8 air bullets left cuts on the hyenas. Only 5 hyenas were completely unharmed. They immediately went on the attack while the others took time to breathe. A hyena appeared in front of Fujin and swung his paws at his head. At the same time, another two hyenas appeared on Fujin''s side. Fujin moved backwards as defending would mean that those two hyenas would attack him. The paw hit the boulder on which Fujin was standing and completely destroyed it! As Fujin moved back, he swung his sword at them and launched another sword slash. The hyenas immediately jumped to dodge. However, Fujin fired Air Bullets at that very instant at the hyenas who were airborne. This time, the hyenas weren''t unaware of the threat. They opened their mouths and fired small lightning balls at the incoming air bullets. The attacks cancelled each other out. Fujin furrowed his eyebrows, ''I will run out of chakra at this rate. And they aren''t allowing me any time to cancel my summoning jutsu and return back to Konoha.'' As he was thinking, one of the hyenas, who was earlier injured, appeared at Fujin''s right and pounced on him. Fujin saw as his lightning-enhanced paw moved towards his body. At the same time, the 5 hyenas facing him also pressed on the attack. Fujin extended his right arm towards the incoming paw. As his hand moved forward, chakra appeared in front of his palm. It took the shape of a ball and began rotating at a very high speed. At the same time, chakra flowed erratically through the sword in his left hand as he swung it at the hyenas coming at him. The hyenas expected another flying slash. However, this time no slash was sent flying. Instead, strong winds were generated that were incredibly sharp and spread in all directions in front of Fujin. The hyenas noticed the deep cuts the winds left in the ground and were terrified. They immediately ran in the opposite direction. The winds lost their power after travelling 25 meters, but that was sufficient time for Fujin. The paw and the Rasengan clashed. The hyena expected to crush the ball and the human as well. However, the Rasengan easily overpowered the paw. The lightning around the paw dissipated as the Rasengan hit it. The hyena let out a painful howl as the Rasengan hit. The momentum of the hyena carried it into the Rasengan. The Rasengan caused his leg to bend towards its stomach. Fujin slammed the Rasengan into his stomach and sent the hyena backwards along with the Rasengan. After moving for a couple of meters, the Rasengan exploded! The hyena''s skin was the thinnest in his belly area. The explosion ripped through the skin and blew his internal organs. Blood and flesh hit the rocks behind the hyena. When the smoke cleared, the hyena''s dead body could be seen on the ground. His once-solid stomach had been ripped open, exposing the shattered remnants of its internal organs to the elements. The flesh around the stomach hung loosely like a torn and deflated bag. The gruesome sight made the remaining hyenas shudder in revulsion. They all looked at each other. Fujin noticed it and prepared himself for an even fiercer confrontation. However, his eyes widened and a stunned expression could be seen on his face as he saw the hyena''s action! Chapter 222: This World is Freakishly Scary! Fujin''s eyes widened and a stunned expression could be seen on his face as he saw the hyena''s actions. After looking at each other, every hyena nodded and looked at Fujin with a fierce expression. However, at the very next moment, every single hyena escaped in different directions as fast as they could move at the same time! Merely in a couple of seconds, they escaped Fujin''s range of sight and soon after they escaped Fujin''s chakra field, leaving him standing alone with the remains of a dead hyena. After a few seconds of disbelief, Fujin sighed and muttered, "Such shameless beasts!" Despite what he said, he couldn''t help but think that they would have been the perfect summons for him. He looked at the dead hyena and thought, ''It looks like there are only these 16 hyenas here. The mountains shouldn''t have any more hyenas. Even if they do, considering that I have killed one of them, I don''t think I''d be able to sign a contract. He sealed the dead body of the hyena in a scroll while thinking, ''In my previous life, I recall reading a lot of fantasy books that stated that eating the meat of strong beasts was very helpful for developing a stronger physique and improving aptitude or energy. I wonder if it also applies here. I know eating Kurama''s meat can provide a lot of benefits. I wonder if the same also applies to summoning animals. It''d be very helpful if my flesh became as sturdy as his and my Lightning affinity improved.'' He made a hand sign and cancelled his jutsu and returned to his basement. He left his house and went to a store from where he had previously bought recipes. The shopkeeper looked at him and politely asked, "How can I help you?" Fujin asked, "Do you have a recipe for cooking hyenas?" The old shopkeeper looked at Fujin with a weird expression. Fujin ignored it and asked, "Do you?" The shopkeeper replied, "Wait a few minutes." He began searching through his records and finally found what Fujin was looking for. After searching for the book, he returned and handed it to Fujin and said, "Surprisingly I do have one. It also involves details of how to properly clean it." Fujin began weighing his options. Despite the risks, getting a summon would be incredibly helpful for him. Especially as his chakra kept growing. He wondered, ''Should I instead try to get a summoning contract from existing summoners? But whom? Snakes and Toads will be very difficult to get as I have no contact with Jiraiya or any snake summoner. The only two who I know decently well are Renjiro and Hiruzen. But Renjiro''s sloth isn''t very powerful. More importantly, he hasn''t given any indication to pass me the summoning contract. As for Hiruzen, it is even more unlikely. If I could become Tsunade''s student, then I could get her summons. But even that is quite improbable. Not to mention, she won''t be in the village for many years.'' Fujin analyzed his options but didn''t find anything promising. He sighed and decided, ''There is no option. I have to keep trying it until I am successful. However, I have to take more precautions. It''d be a waste of a life if I get attacked as soon as I go there and can''t do anything to resist.'' He began planning how to defend himself properly. After forming a good enough plan, he went to the ninja weapons shop. After searching for a bit, he bought 2 metallic bracelets, 2 metal anklets, 1 metal torc, 1 metal headband and 4 flexible bands that were reinforced with metal. He returned home and began inscribing barrier seals on each of the items he bought. When he was satisfied, he created a shadow clone. The clone began equipping the items. He put the bracelets on each of his wrists, just behind the bracers. The anklets went above his ankles while the flexible bands were put on his thighs and biceps. The remaining two went around his neck and forehead. The clone looked at Fujin and nodded. In the next second, Fujin shot a vacuum bullet at the clone. The clone instantly made the confrontation hand seal. A barrier appeared around him. The bullet hit the barrier. The barrier stood sturdy, however, the impact of the bullet sent him backwards for a few meters. Fujin nodded satisfactorily and asked, "Did you feel any pain?" The clone shook his head and said, "No, but if the attack is very strong, then the momentum will be passed on to you. So be prepared for that." Fujin nodded and dispersed the clone. The bands fell on the ground. Fujin put it on and used the summoning jutsu once again. As soon as he appeared in the summoning area, Fujin made the confrontation hand seal. A barrier appeared around him. He immediately followed it up with the hand signs of ending the summoning jutsu and observed his surroundings. If he felt something was wrong, he would return instantly. Fujin watched in confusion as his chakra field spread through the area. The first thing he noticed was the small hill in front of him. The bottom of the hill had an entrance like a cavern entrance. Two imposing, jagged protrusions hung in front of him, like menacing fangs, as if daring him to enter. Suddenly, a strong wind was exhaled from the cave entrance on Fujin''s barrier pushing him backwards by a few meters. His eyes widened in surprise and shock once again as his chakra field covered the ''hill'' in front of him. He couldn''t help but gulp his saliva and mutter, ''This world is freakishly scary!'' Chapter 223: A Special State Fujin nervously observed the ''beast'' in front of him while maintaining his hand seal. He was prepared to disappear in the blink of an eye! As he was looking up, an eyelid opened and stared right at Fujin. The beast saw Fujin and thought, ''I sensed a chakra field engulfing me. Looks like it was this human.'' The beast observed Fujin and wondered, ''Why is he riling up his chakra and maintaining a barrier?'' He didn''t get up and spoke in a rough and jagged voice, "A human? We haven''t had one visit us in a while. Why are you here, little one?" Fujin sighed in relief, ''Finally someone who talks and is reasonable.'' Though the beast''s voice was painful to hear, Fujin didn''t mind as he finally could have a conversation with an animal. However, he didn''t let his guard down and replied, "I am here to sign a summoning contract." The beast observed him and said, "I see. But why are you maintaining a barrier?" Fujin let out a sigh and answered, "I have been using Summoning jutsu blindly to find the right summon for me. Unfortunately, I had some very bad experiences." The beast was surprised to hear the reason. Suddenly, he began laughing out loud in amusement! The sound of his laughter echoed through the mountains with a deafening roar, as if a thousand thunderbolts were crashing down upon the earth at once. Sweat gathered on Fujin''s forehead as his barrier trembled! He cursed, ''Shit, without the barrier, I might have gone deaf!'' His excitement about the thought of signing a summoning contract with such a strong beast quelled down as he began worrying about his life instead. After laughing, the beast stood up. Fujin watched in awe as he saw his majestic body. He was a behemoth of a beast, standing at an astonishing height of almost 20 meters tall. His muscles bulged under a coat of thick, matted fur that bristled in the wind. His sharp, powerful claws were the size of longswords, capable of rending through flesh and bone with ease. But it was the beast''s jaws that were truly terrifying, gaping open to reveal teeth that were larger than Fujin''s whole body. Each tooth was razor-sharp and curved, like a scythe made of ivory. The ground shook beneath its massive paws as it stood up. This was a predator unlike any other, a true apex predator. Fujin gulped once again as he recognized the beast, ''A Sabertooth!'' As Ryu took off into the sky, Fujin felt a sense of awe and wonder as he looked out at the stunning scenery before him. The mountains stretched out as far as the eye could see, their peaks piercing the clouds above. Below them, a vast forest spread out, with streams and rivers snaking their way through it like veins. For once, Fujin let go of his worries and relaxed. Seeing how strong Ryu was, he knew that he didn''t need to play tricks to attack Fujin. A childlike curiosity appeared in Fujin''s eyes as he took in the breathtaking view, feeling incredibly blessed and content. Though Fujin had travelled in airplanes in his previous life, the feeling was completely different. In fact, it wasn''t even comparable! Ryu''s wings beat rhythmically, sending a gentle breeze through Fujin''s hair and filling his lungs with fresh air. As Ryu climbed higher, Fujin could see the snow-capped summits of the highest peaks in the distance, their peaks wreathed in wispy clouds that glowed pink and orange in the light of the setting sun. The sky above was a riot of colors, from the deep purples and blues of the horizon to the golden hues of the clouds that drifted lazily overhead. It was a scene of such majesty and beauty that Fujin felt humbled and grateful to be alive to witness it. As Ryu cruised through the skies, Fujin felt a sense of complete relaxation and tranquility. Fujin basked in the peacefulness of the moment and lost himself in thoughts as he began reflecting on his life. He recalled his recent troubles before beginning to reflect on his entire journey in this majestic world. He recalled the schemes he employed, the people he killed, the fun he had and the hard work he put in. Soon, he began thinking about his previous life. With the newfound clarity and tranquility, Fujin couldn''t help but realize, ''In my previous life, I always dreamed about having superpowers. I dreamt of going on epic adventures. Now that I have superpowers that I could only dream of in my previous life and have an entire new world to explore, why am I so stressed?'' A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he closed his eyes. Memories of his past and worries about his future faded away, replaced with a sense of contentment and joy. He felt a deep connection to everything around him as though he was becoming one with the natural world! Fujin entered into a special state. His mind was so calm and stable that he could feel the world''s energy around him in this state. He lost all sense of time as he enjoyed the comfort of this energy. Ryu, who was enjoying showing off to Fujin, suddenly focused all attention on him. A look of surprise appeared on his giant face as he thought, ''What the hell?'' Ryu sensed that Fujin had entered into a special state. He analyzed, ''What a surprise! I had sensed that he has a very potent affinity to wind. That is why I decided to bring him to our Sacred land. This journey was meant to display my might and relax him a bit from his agitated state. But I never imagined that he would be able to connect with nature so easily! Looks like we will have a new summoner after one hundred and twenty five years!'' Ryu didn''t want to disturb Fujin and wake him up from the special state he was in. He maintained a constant speed as he headed towards the tallest mountain. As he moved, he thought in relief and excitement, ''Great Grandmother, it looks like our pride''s ability might finally advance once again after 500 years!'' He quelled his excitement, ''Though it will be a long time before he can learn that skill. His chakra reserves are too poor. Even the quality of his chakra is lacking. We will need to improve it first and only then can he have some hope in learning it.'' As Ryu kept cruising, he moved above the clouds. In front of him was a mountain peak. Fujin finally opened his eyes. He saw the snow-covered peak and was awed by its beauty. Ryu noticed that Fujin had woken up and said, "Welcome to Mount Muteki." Chapter 224: Gahyou Murasaki Fujin observed Mount Muteki carefully. He could feel that the chakra around the mountain felt different as compared to Konoha and other villages. Ryu asked, "So, how are you feeling?" Fujin replied, "I am feeling great. I have never felt better!" Ryu said, "Of course. What you just experienced was a special state. And the chakra you feel is nature''s chakra. I believe you humans also refer to it as Senjutsu." Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''That was nature''s chakra?'' He fell into a thought as he realized, ''No wonder I felt so comfortable and my mood was so tranquil.'' Ryu noticed that Fujin was in thought and said, "You only sensed Nature''s chakra and didn''t absorb it. In the future, don''t try to absorb nature''s chakra or even try to feel it yourself. It can be very dangerous. Especially as you aren''t ready to handle it yet." Fujin nodded. He knew how dangerous nature''s chakra was. He replied, "Thanks for the warning. I won''t try it without guidance." Fujin wanted to ask a few questions but something caught his eye. He looked ahead to see 4 sabertooths flying in the sky while playing around. However, compared to Ryu, they were much smaller with heights in the range of 3-4 meters. They noticed Ryu and quickly flew towards him. However, their attention soon fell on Fujin as this was the first time they ever saw a human. Fujin too was observing them. They were about to land on Ryu, when he said, "Run along kiddos. I''ll be busy." The four sabertooths immediately flew away. Ryu said, "Don''t mind them. You are the first human they saw. So expect a lot of curiosity-filled gazes if you manage to sign the contract." Fujin chuckled, "Alright." Ryu flew to the very top of the peak. However, instead of a pointy peak, there was a shallow crater surrounded by the rocks. It looked quite similar to the opening of a volcano, except that the crater wasn''t very deep and instead of lava, it was covered in snow. Ryu landed in the crater in front of another sabertooth. This one wasn''t as big as Ryu but was still about three-fourths of his size. And it looked a bit older. The Sabertooth noticed Fujin and asked in a gentle voice, "Which guest have you brought here, Ryu?" Fujin was surprised by her voice. Unlike Ryu, it was much more gentle and pleasing to the ears. Ryu said, "This is Fujin. He came here to sign a summoning contract. Fujin, get off and introduce yourself." Fujin nodded and jumped down from his head. He landed between the two Sabertooths. He bowed slightly and respectfully said, "I am Suzuki Fujin from Konohagakure. I used the summoning jutsu to find a summon and appeared in front of Ryu." The sabertooth observed Fujin carefully. Ryu said, "Fujin, she is the leader of our pride. And the Sage of Mount Muteki and all Winged Sabertooths!" Murasaki and Ryu noticed Fujin thinking and didn''t disturb him. Fujin analyzed and reached the conclusion, ''I guess this isn''t bad though. Other than the Toads teaching Jiraiya, Minato and Naruto Senjutsu, I am not sure if any other summons teach Senjutsu. Though Kabuto did get it, I don''t recall exactly how he convinced the snakes to teach him. And Hashirama''s sage mode didn''t have any explanation. So if these guys are serious about training me to learn Senjutsu, that will probably be my best chance. Of course, their help is definitely not unconditional or selfless. I am sure they have their own goals for wanting to train their summoners to use Senjutsu. Besides, using summoning jutsu blindly is too risky. I''d have to sign a contract even if they didn''t know Senjutsu.'' Fujin said, "Alright, I will be in your care. However, I have one more question. Am I allowed to sign more summoning contracts?" This time Fujin heard Ryu''s jagged voice from behind and he sounded offended, "Kid, why do you want to sign other contracts when you have us?" Fujin looked back and calmly said, "When I learnt about the summoning jutsu, I planned to sign at least 3 summoning contracts. One for fighting on land, one for fighting in the air and one for scouting and spying. But, since you have the ability to fly, I don''t need to find another summon to fly. Of course, it was just some plans I made when I was a kid. If you have conditions of not signing other contracts, then I won''t." Ryu calmed down on hearing Fujin''s answer. He replied with a deadpan tone, "You are still just a kid." His reply made Fujin feel awkward. Murasaki answered, "I don''t care if you sign other summoning contracts. But you can''t sign a contract with a group that can use Nature chakra. Even if you tried to sign one, they won''t agree if you have already signed a summoning contract with us. Also, though your plan seems good, don''t try it until your strength grows considerably. With your current strength, there are many summons that can kill you with ease. So it will be pointless and risky." Fujin nodded. He didn''t need to be told again how risky it was as his memories were still very fresh. Muraski continued, "Instead of trying to form another summoning contract, I would recommend raising wild animals and signing them as your contract. That way you won''t be under any restrictions and can raise them to do what you want." Fujin was intrigued by the idea. He thought, ''I never thought of this option. But, to be honest, raising animals will be a lot of work. Especially when I am out on missions. However, I do have a lot of space around my home and I have a lot of money that I don''t have any use for. I need to see if I can employ someone to do the work for me.'' Fujin looked at Murasaki and said, "That''s all the questions I had, Lady Murasaki." Ryu watched awkwardly at Fujin as he called her a ''lady''. He wondered, ''This ''Lady'' is over 800 years old. I wonder when was the last time anyone called her lady!'' Murasaki said, "You can call me Granny. As for your criteria for signing a contract, there are just two." She looked at Ryu and said, "The one in front of whom you appear should agree to accept you as a summoner." She looked back at Fujin and said, "And you should show talent to be able to learn Senjutsu in the future." Fujin thought, ''As I thought. They gain something from teaching me Senjutsu.'' Ryu said, "I agree. And Fujin has passed the second criterion as well." Fujin looked at Ryu in surprise. Ryu said, "The flight to this place was a test to see how in tune you can become with nature. My goal was to calm you down and make you experience peace and tranquility by showing you that scenery. As you managed to sense nature chakra, you have passed the criteria." Fujin was left speechless. He thought, ''First I needed a good wind affinity. And then I needed to feel nature''s chakra which I coincidentally managed to do. I guess good luck does follow bad luck!'' Fujin replied with a smile, "That''s great! When do we sign the contract?" Chapter 225: Potential & Limit! Fujin signed the contract right away with his blood. Ryu carried him away from the peak and flew down the mountain. As they were flying, Fujin asked, "Ryu, are there others like you guys who can use Senjutsu but can''t pass it on to humans?" Ryu replied, "Of course, there are numerous. The number of species that can use Senjutsu is at least a couple of dozen. And there are numerous wild beasts who managed to learn it on their own. Some of them are very wild and dangerous. Even I wouldn''t want to face them in a single combat." Fujin was surprised to learn that. After all, he didn''t see any such creature make a move during the 4th Great Ninja War. But soon he realized, ''Now that I think about it, none of the summons made any major moves during that war. The toads had a larger participation in the fight against Pain rather than against Obito and Madara. Weird considering that they were in danger during the latter rather than the former.'' Ryu continued, "As far as I am aware, only the places you humans consider as the three sacred places have techniques to pass down their methods of harnessing nature energy to humans. Others don''t have them or are not interested in passing them down." A giant cave appeared before them. Ryu stepped into the cave and roared loudly. Surprisingly, his roar had no effect on Fujin. Fujin was impressed, ''What control over his voice!'' Fujin got off Ryu''s head. Ryu looked at him and said seriously, "Though we don''t have any specified rules, there are a few things you have to follow." Fujin nodded. Ryu said, "First, none of the Winged Sabertooths you summon should die. While we will give our all to help you, we will undo the summoning and return if we face extreme danger and think death is inevitable. This is especially true for the young ones who still need to grow. After escaping, we will use Reverse Summoning jutsu to save you unless you specifically ask us not to." Fujin nodded and said, "That is reasonable. I have no issues with that." Fujin''s main priority was always his own safety. So it was perfectly understandable for him when others have similar priorities. Ryu said, "Another thing, though you can summon me, don''t try it until your chakra reserves get much larger. You will need to have at least 5 times the chakra you currently have to summon me safely. In the meantime..." Ryu gazed outside the cave. Fujin followed his gaze and saw 3 Winged Sabertooths flying towards them. They entered the cave as Ryu completed his sentence, "In the meantime, you can summon my sons." Ryu looked at them and said, "This is Fujin. He has become the new summoner of our pride. Introduce yourself." The 3 Winged Sabertooths stared at Fujin. Though they were smaller than Ryu, they were much bigger than Fujin. The smallest one was almost twice as tall as Fujin while the largest one was half the size of Ryu! The biggest one said, "I am Kurogane. You can summon me when you are in an intense fight." He observed Fujin and said, "Though I would recommend at least doubling your chakra before trying to summon me." The second one said, "I am Kaito. I like going on adventures and flying for a long time. You can summon me when you want to travel long distances." In the 4th Great Ninja War, the strongest ninja was probably the one with the least potential. So though Fujin didn''t like what Ryu said, he wasn''t discouraged as Guy''s example was in front of him. Ryu was impressed by Fujin''s reply. He thought, ''Many will be demotivated on learning that their progress will be halted and might deny that their potential is limited. But he directly thought about breaking through the limits!'' Ryu replied, "It''s true, it can be surpassed. However, you will just reach your new limits and stop there unless you can keep breaking your limits. Just breaking limits is rare. But to break it consecutively is almost impossible. Of course, there are still beings who have managed to do it and become immensely powerful, but they are very rare. Anyways, we are getting off-topic. We can discuss this later when you reach it. What I wanted to say is that your chakra growth will slow down in a couple of years. And when the growth becomes too slow, you will come here and receive my training." Fujin thought, ''I see. He wasn''t trying to demotivate me...'' Fujin asked in a confused tone, "Why do we have to wait till then?" Ryu answered, "Because your current chakra isn''t strong enough. The techniques I plan on teaching you are very chakra intensive and will put an intense strain on your physique. So you will need at least 3 to 4 times your current chakra and a much stronger physique before I can safely teach you. That is why I will not be training you right now. As for the limit that I mentioned, you don''t need to worry much about it. Though your potential isn''t very high, your wind affinity is very potent. And we have methods and the resources to make it even stronger. As for chakra reserves, though it is difficult, even they can be artificially boosted. However, it is very troublesome to do so and the methods that we have are more effective on someone whose growth has come to a halt. In addition, there are various restrictions and limits on those methods, but we will talk about it when you reach the limit. Of course, if you manage to keep breaking past your limits, then I can begin your training after you reach the necessary levels of chakra reserves and physique." Fujin consumed all the information Ryu just stated. He was beyond surprised. He analyzed, ''He can do that? Increasing wind affinity is understandable if they have access to Wind Elemental Crystals. But how can they increase Chakra reserves?'' At the same time, his mood became a bit grim, ''Since they are willing to invest so many resources into me, what exactly do they gain from training me in Senjutsu?'' Fujin didn''t let his mood reflect on his face. Instead, he showed an excited expression and said, "Alright, that sounds great. Thanks a lot in advance, Ryu!" Ryu said, "That is all for now. Return to your place and don''t attempt to sense Nature chakra without my presence." Fujin replied, "Don''t worry. I won''t risk my life pointlessly." Ryu nodded. Fujin weaved hand signs and returned to his basement. He looked around himself and let out a sigh, ''Finally! I don''t need to experience any more crazy situations like those.'' Fujin was very happy with the summon he signed. However, a thought appeared in his mind, ''Should I keep my summon a secret?'' Chapter 226: A Path Beyond Senjutsu! Fujin analyzed the pros and cons of keeping his summon a secret. Finally, he decided, ''The Winged Sabertooths will be my main summon. There isn''t much point in keeping them a secret as it will get out eventually. Of course, I should keep this card hidden until I can but there is no need to keep it hidden from the ones I can trust. Instead, I should probably take the initiative to mention this to Hiruzen. While it is good news that they want to teach me Senjutsu, they definitely have some ulterior motives. Though my gut tells me that their ultimate motives won''t be harmful to me and even if it is, they won''t do anything to me until I learn Senjutsu, it would be better to get some information from Hiruzen. If it is harmful, then he could warn me and help me terminate the contract or help me scheme against them. If it is beneficial, then Hiruzen might look more favorably towards me as these Sabertooths are quite strong and could increase Konoha''s strength considerably. Also, I could use Ryu''s dialogue and add some false news to maybe get a few Elemental crystals from Hiruzen. For instance, instead of telling him about their methods and resources to strengthen me, I could tell him that they will teach me Senjutsu only if I reach the required strength.'' Fujin made a few plans until he was satisfied and went to sleep after eating dinner. Meanwhile, at the peak of Mount Muteki, Ryu appeared in front of Murasaki. Murasaki looked at him and said, "I am surprised that you agreed so readily. Is the boy that impressive?" Ryu replied, "You didn''t see him connect to nature, great-grandmother. It was almost instinctual to him. He didn''t even need 15 minutes to sense nature energy and managed to maintain that state for 2 hours. I had to keep flying around the mountain for over an hour to not disturb him. Among the summoners we contracted in the last 400 years, he is our best shot." Murasaki sighed and asked, "Are you still hoping that the prophecy your grandfather had, comes true?" Ryu didn''t answer her question and instead said, "Five hundred years ago, you mastered nature energy and helped our pride advance to the next level. However, we haven''t made any progress since then. Grandfather and Grand Uncle Genji believed that we will advance to the next level with the help of a human who could learn our Senjutsu. I''d rather believe it instead of wasting away hundreds of years pointlessly." Murasaki looked at Ryu, however, he didn''t budge. She sighed and said, "Do whatever you want." Ryu nodded and left. Murasaki saw him leaving the mountain as her memories surfaced, ''Four children, 7 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren of mine have died as a result of that prophecy. Some sacrificed themselves to protect the human they chose while some were killed by the betrayal of the very human they raised and one ingrate even invaded our sacred lands. I hope you don''t join them, Ryu.'' She closed her eyes and went back to meditating. A very strong chakra could be seen around her. A chakra that brightened the peak of Mount Muteki and would have been visible from a long distance if the peak wasn''t hidden above the clouds!?v€l-B!n. The next day, Fujin was standing outside a building. It was Konoha''s hospital. He entered it and approached the lady sitting in the reception. She looked at Fujin and greeted him with a smile, "Fujin-kun, who are you here to visit? Or are you injured?" Fujin smiled back at her. He had been a rather common face in the hospital. He especially became well-known when Renjiro brought his injured and unconscious body to the hospital on his shoulder multiple times in a single month. He replied, "I am fine and haven''t come to visit anyone Akemi-san. I have come here to register for medical ninja training." Akemi was surprised. She asked, "You want to become a medical ninja?" Fujin replied, "No, I just want to learn the basic healing jutsu so that I can help my teammates if we don''t have a medical ninja with us." Akemi replied, "Oh. Alright. Wait a minute." Hiruzen knew that Fujin was referring to his previous mission indirectly as he couldn''t say it out loud. He couldn''t heal any injuries on Tamotsu for hours. His features softened. He said, "I sent a couple of messengers to you last evening, but they couldn''t find you. I was worried that someone tried to claim your bounty." Fujin furrowed his brows and asked, "Didn''t you say that there is no danger in Konoha and that no one has ever claimed a bounty before?" Hiruzen coughed and said, "I did. But there can always be a first time." Fujin watched Hiruzen with a deadpan expression. He thought, ''This old fox is unbelievable!'' Hiruzen changed the subject and asked, "Anyways, where were you?" Fujin replied, "I was trying to find a summon." Hiruzen''s eyes widened. He immediately scolded, "Why did you try it on your own? That is very dangerous!" Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. You don''t need to tell me, grandpa. It was very scary! I had to face a wolf tide and even saw gigantic whales!" Hiruzen squinted his eyes and asked, "You tried it more than once?" Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. It was so scary that I wanted to stop. But I couldn''t help but think about your words and my teammates and kept going until I succeeded!" Hiruzen''s features softened. He thought, ''Though it was risky and he is usually greedy, the will of fire burns bright in him. As long as he can grow safely for 2-3 more years, he can fulfill the gap left by Tamotsu''s squad by himself.'' Hiruzen said, "It''s good that you managed to get it done. Who did you sign the contract with?" Fujin answered, "They are Winged Sabertooths. Have you heard about them, grandpa?" Hiruzen thought for a bit before shaking his head. He replied, "I haven''t heard about anyone having these summons. How do they look and how strong are they?" Fujin replied, "They look like a normal Sabertooth, only many times larger. Their wings are hidden along their fur, so they are hard to spot normally. They can fly very well. As for their strength, they are very strong. The one I met could have probably defeated me with ease. Though I can''t say for sure as I never fought." Hiruzen analyzed, ''I don''t recall seeing any such summons or even reading about them. I guess it must be a tribe that rarely signs contracts. From what Fujin described, their strongest fighters should be at Elite Jounin level or just stronger than that which is quite good but nothing exceptional.'' He looked at Fujin and concluded, ''Oh well, Renjiro wasn''t planning to hand him his Sloth summon. Since he managed to get a contract with his own strength, I can''t complain. If he passes the contract to the next generation, then Fujin would have contributed a lot to the village.'' He said, "I don''t know anything about them, Fujin. But good work." Chapter 227: Swords! Hiruzen lifted a couple of boxes from under his desk and placed them on his desk and said, "This arrived yesterday evening. I called you as I believed that you would want it right away." Fujin observed the boxes. His attention was immediately drawn to their ornate designs. Their lids were carved with intricate patterns of Dragons and Tigers. And it was made from a wood that had an ancient feeling to it. Fujin realized and quickly exclaimed, "My swords are here?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "Fuji arrived here from the Land of Iron yesterday." Fujin moved forward and lifted one of the lids to see a soft, plush lining that cradled his sword. He grabbed the sheath and picked up his sword. The sheath was an art in itself. Swirling designs were etched into its glossy black lacquer. As Fujin ran his fingers along the sheath, he felt the satisfying smoothness of the fine craftsmanship. Finally, he drew out the sword. The blade was long and thin with a very slight curve to it. Both its edges were very sharp. When the light fell on it, it shimmered with a greenish hue that caught Fujin''s eye. The hilt was made of polished green jade that fit comfortably in Fujin''s hands. Fujin moved the sword around. It felt very light and almost as if it was an extension of his arm. A smile appeared on his face as chakra began flowing along the blade. He muttered, "The chakra flow along this blade is so smooth!" Fujin''s chakra flowed through the blade without any obstruction. It was charged with wind chakra almost instantaneously. Fujin had no doubts that if he swung his sword, the entire Hokage building would collapse! Hiruzen smiled and said, "The sword has some chakra metal that assists in Wind chakra flow. Very few will be able to stop your sword in the future. Of course, do be careful about them. The swords are very expensive and could get some unwanted attention." Fujin replied, "If they are greedy, they might try to get my head first. But I will keep it in mind, grandpa." Fujin immediately began checking his other sword leaving Hiruzen a bit awkward as he recalled that Fujin''s head was worth more than those swords. The second sword was just as good as the first one. Fujin kept his sword back in the sheaths. Hiruzen instructed, "Keep the sheaths and boxes properly. The blacksmiths attach a lot of importance to making them. So destroying them or throwing them away is seen as an insult by them. Also, the sheath is made of special materials which help preserve the chakra metal properties in the sword. So when you don''t use them, keep them in their sheaths." Fujin replied, "I didn''t know about that. But seeing how well the sheath and the box are made, I guess it makes sense. I''ll store them properly." Goro asked, "So, why did you summon me? Tell me whose ass you want to be bitten? You can rely on me one hundred percent!" Fujin replied, "Sure I can. But I am not facing any enemy. I just want to see how a great winged sabertooth like you fights. And I want to build good teamwork between us." Goro answered with a bit less excitement in his voice, "Oh, that sounds boring. But since you can see how great I am, I will show you!" Fujin said, "I am not sure how much we can fly here. Can you summon me to your mountain? We can experiment there." Goro nodded, "Alright alright, I will see you in a minute." He disappeared. Fujin sighed, ''Did he fall on his head as a child or did Ryu spoil him rotten for him to develop such a personality? I hope he fights well. Otherwise, it''d be completely hopeless.'' Fujin suddenly disappeared from the training ground and appeared at Mount Muteki in front of Goro. Fujin''s sudden appearance was noticed by a few Winged Sabertooths but they ignored him. Goro asked, "So, what do you want to see first?" Fujin looked around him. He was in a small cave with just Goro. He said, "I want to see how a Winged Sabertooth fights. Then, I can see how we can work together." Goro said, "Alright, climb on my back." Fujin climbed on his back. Goro said, "Hold tight." He spread his wings and jumped out of the cave. He flapped his wings a few times and began flying at a very fast speed. Chakra gathered in Fujin''s eyes to keep them safe from the strong winds. Goro said with pride, "The first thing you should know about us is that we fly very fast! Even most of the birds can''t keep up with us. That is especially true for Kaito. He loves flying. He can fly as fast as Lightning and can keep that speed up for days!" Fujin was surprised. He analyzed, ''Speed of Lightning is unrealistic. But if I assume that he flies twice as fast as Goro and can maintain that speed for hours, then he would be a very good aid in escaping.'' Chapter 228: The Abilities of a Winged Sabertooth Goro moved towards a boulder on the huge mountain. He said, "This should be a no-brainer, but we also have very high strength." He raised his paw and brought it down on the boulder with a lot of force. His paw split the boulder into two and turned a lot of it into dust. Fujin wasn''t surprised. He expected such physical prowess from them. Goro said, "See see! How I turned it into dust with a wave of my paw! That''s how strong I am." Fujin replied, "Yeah, that is very strong. I wouldn''t want to be on the receiving end of it."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Goro laughed, "Of course, you wouldn''t. I could bite that stone too, but I don''t want dust and soil in my mouth." Fujin said, "It''s fine. I can guess what a bite from you can do. Show me your other skills!" Goro said, "Cool." He flapped his wings and moved away from the mountain and said, "Watch. This is the skill that makes us the apex predators." Goro''s body suddenly became still. Chakra gathered on his wings. Fujin sensed it and was surprised, ''Nature chakra! Even the younger ones can use Senjutsu?'' Goro flapped his wings again. This time, he didn''t move. Instead, very strong winds flew downwards. Fujin was surprised. He analyzed, ''That attack is stronger than my supercharged Infinite Breakthrough! And at least a few times stronger.'' Goro chuckled, "Are you shocked? You are shocked, right? If I use this attack on animals on land, all of them will die. Even if they survive, they will be injured. And even if they are strong enough to resist, I can just fly away. Hahahaha!" If anyone else heard Goro''s words, they might feel contempt for his attitude. However, Fujin wasn''t one of them. He agreed with Goro''s strategy wholeheartedly. In Fujin''s books, other than winning a war without fighting, the best way to fight was to maintain distance and keep attacking the enemy without allowing the enemy to attack back. And if the enemy is stronger? He can always run away and turn the fight into a game of tag. It was why Fujin learnt so many jutsus that allowed him to hide and escape. Fujin thought, ''Looks like I was hasty. He is good!'' Goro said, "In addition, we can also do this!" He began gathering chakra in his throat. He looked up and fired a beam made of wind. The beam hit the cloud and created a huge hole in it! Fujin observed the wind beam carefully. His eyes widened as he noticed how the beam worked. He couldn''t help but mutter, "Incredible!" Goro looked at Fujin suspiciously and asked, "Do you think that your wind attacks are as strong as mine?" Fujin replied, "Your Wind Breath is stronger than anything I can do right now. But others, I can amplify with my own attacks. For instance..." Fujin built up around 15% of his chakra and looked above. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' He released the supercharged jutsu at the clouds above them. Goro observed and commented, "Wow! That was good. Not as strong as mine, but good nonetheless." Fujin didn''t answer and used another jutsu. ''Wind Release: Air Bullet jutsu'' He fired 15 air bullets. Goro said, "Not bad. They are much smaller in size, but the quantity is go..." His eyes suddenly went wide open in shock. Fujin swung his sword and released a sword wave that split the clouds into two for over a hundred meters! Goro exclaimed, "That was fucking good! You are strong!" Fujin said, "I also have techniques to pierce into the strongest armor. So in case we encounter someone on whom your wind breath doesn''t work, I could create openings in their defenses and let you kill them with ease. But, though it seems strong, a combination of two wind users won''t be very good. I will learn a few fire attacks so that we could use a Fire-Wind combination attack." Goro said, "I agree. Not to mention, your chakra reserves took a big hit when you summoned me. That said, I am not sure how good a Fire-Wind combination attack will be." Fujin replied, "It''ll be awesome, I have already tried it with others who can spit fire. But yeah, you are right. Summoning you consumed more than 40% of my chakra. If I summon you in a fight, I''ll have very little chakra left. So you will have to do the majority of the fighting." Goro grinned and said, "As I said earlier, don''t worry about it and leave everything to me! Hahahaha." Fujin sighed at his eccentricities but didn''t say anything. After all, it was a good thing that Goro was willing to fight for him and that he seemed to be a very competent fighter. Fujin thought, ''Though Ryu said that my chakra growth will slow down, it is still growing at a considerable rate. In a year, it should grow sufficiently to at least make summoning Goro easier on my chakra reserves.'' Fujin and Goro tried a few combination attacks until Fujin ran out of chakra. Goro ended his reverse summoning and Fujin returned back to Konoha. Chapter 229: Mystical Palm Jutsu For the next couple of days, Fujin trained with Goro on Mount Muteki to improve their coordination. They first tried their moves on nearby mountains. When they got comfortable, they found nearby animals that Goro used to fight and began hunting. Finally, the day for training Mystical Palm jutsu arrived. Fujin did his morning workout rituals and visited the hospital at noon. After asking, he entered the room where he would be taught. As soon as he did, 33 pairs of eyes landed on him. Fujin looked around. The room was very spacious. It had a huge blackboard on the opposite side of the entry door. It also had a long but thin indoor pool in the shape of an arc and curved tables lined up along its edge. A few fish swam in it. Fujin observed the other people in the room. He didn''t recognise any of them. But a few of them recognised Fujin as they had seen him during the chunin exams. However, before they could say anything, a bald guy entered the room and instructed loudly, "Take your seats, everyone. We don''t have any time to waste." Fujin and the others who were standing took a seat while observing the instructor. He was completely bald and looked quite old. Two girls in their late teens entered the room and stood behind the instructor. The instructor walked to the front of the room and began writing on the blackboard. He said, "I am Yamanaka Yoshi. I will be teaching you the basics of Mystical Palm jutsu and guiding you until I am sure that you can perform it. The girls standing behind you are Hyuga Emi and Kurama Asuka. They are training to become medical ninjas and they will be monitoring your progress and clearing your doubts." He looked around the room and muttered, "Just 34 are here. Looks like 2 didn''t show up." He passed a sheet in the room and said, "Write your names on it. I will need it to keep track of your progress." He moved back to the blackboard and said, "I will first explain to you the theory behind Mystical Palm jutsu. I will also tell you the advantages and disadvantages of it and tell you when to use it and when not to use it. Pay careful attention because if you use it when you shouldn''t, you can kill your patient or force real medical nins to amputate them." His words made everyone in the room serious. Most of them were here because they wanted to help their teammates or themselves in case of a major injury. So worsening an injury was the last thing they would want to happen. For the next couple of hours, Yoshi kept giving his lecture. He also cleared any doubts anyone had. Fujin paid careful attention and took some notes down alongside others in the room. When he stopped, the room sighed in relief. None of the people here were as young as Fujin. It had been years since they had to sit in the academy and hear lectures. Yoshi said, "Now that I have explained everything to you and cleared your doubts, we will begin hands-on training. But before we begin, we will be splitting the room into two. As I had said earlier, Mystical Palm requires very precise Chakra control. So the ones who are confident in their chakra control, walk towards the tables. The others keep sitting where you are." Fujin was very confident in his chakra control. He got up and moved towards the tables. So did 11 other people. The two assistants also moved next to Yoshi. Hyuga Emi was holding a rather thick scroll. She laid it on the table and opened it a bit until a seal could be seen in the scroll. Fujin kept at it while releasing chakra as slowly as he could. However, even after 3 minutes, there wasn''t any change in the fish. In the meantime, the other 11 were also trying. In under a minute, 4 fish were burnt enough to be safe for consumption. In the next minute, another 4 were burnt alive. While the remaining 3 couldn''t insert their chakra into the fish. Yoshi''s eyes moved on all 12 trainees before being glued to Fujin. He thought, ''Not bad. He was able to insert some chakra into the Fish without burning it.'' Fujin''s attention was completely on the fish. He thought, ''At this rate, I don''t think the fish will be healed today. I should increase the chakra. He did say that it will take 4 to 6 months to learn this. Burning one fish should be fine.'' Fujin slowly increased his chakra output for the next 30 seconds. As he did, he noticed that a fin moved. He immediately stopped increasing the chakra and maintained his current rate. However, in ten seconds, he noticed that the skin had begun burning. He immediately lowered his chakra output. Yoshi''s eyes widened in surprise. He thought, ''What chakra control! Even senior medical ninjas wouldn''t be able to control their chakra this well every time.'' Despite lowering the chakra output, the fish''s flesh was completely burnt. Fujin sighed and picked up the fish. He thought, ''I can''t heal if it resists my chakra...'' Fujin felt someone staring at him. He looked to his right and saw Kurama Asuka staring at him. Chakra flowed through his hand as he properly cooked the fish and asked, "Are these fish safe to be eaten?" Asuka snorted and swiped the fish off his hand and said, "You are here to learn healing and not cooking!" Fujin sighed, ''If I knew that there would be a 2-hour lecture, I''d have brought some snacks.'' Yoshi said, "That''s enough. Go back and sit and analyze where you went wrong." He looked towards the others and instructed, "Half of you come here and try healing the fish." Eleven people got up and went to the table while Fujin and the rest took their seats. At the same time Emi and Asuka swapped the fishes, Yoshi arrived in front of Fujin and the rest who tried healing the fish. Chapter 230: Yang Release Yoshi asked, "What have you learnt from your failed attempt?" One of the trainees said, "We have to be very careful with the amount of chakra we put in the fish. If we use more chakra, it can very easily burn up." Another said, "But if we use less chakra, the fish won''t heal." Another couple of trainees gave similar answers before going quiet. The ones who hadn''t attempted healing yet paid attention as they would soon face the same troubles. Yoshi looked at Fujin and asked, "Anything else?" Fujin wasn''t planning to answer as he expected the instructor to explain the obstacle he faced regardless of his answer. But noticing his gaze, Fujin answered, "The fish''s body resists our chakra. So very little chakra is actually used to heal the chakra. Yoshi nodded, "You are right. In truth, all 12 of you faced this issue. Otherwise, even with little chakra, you would have been able to heal a little bit and with excessive chakra, you would have first noticed rapid healing before the fish got burned."?v€l-B!n. He looked at Fujin and asked, "Can you guess why the fish resisted your chakra?" Fujin answered, "I am not sure. The only possible explanation I can come up with is that the fish''s body instinctively resisted as my chakra was a foreign chakra. But if that is the case, healing would be abnormally difficult. Especially since the fish''s body has minuscule chakra when compared with ninjas." Yoshi replied, "Your guess is wrong. There are two reasons why the fish''s body instinctively rejects and resists your chakra. The first reason is that your chakra is too harsh. This type of chakra is very effective in combat and hence all of you release this chakra instinctively. But, to heal, you need to release a very gentle and docile chakra. Only then it will be accepted by the patient''s body and help heal their bodies." Fujin and the rest were surprised. Fujin asked, "What do you mean by gentle and docile chakra?" Yoshi answered, "It means that your chakra shouldn''t threaten your patient''s body and must feel soothing enough for them to not resist at all and instead allow it to do its work. You will need to eliminate any thoughts you have about killing or fighting before you heal a patient and only then will you be able to heal. Of course, with practice, you will begin releasing a gentle chakra with ease. This is one of the main reasons why it takes so long to learn this jutsu. That said, I guess making my chakra gentle first would be the challenge. To eliminate all thoughts of fighting and killing? That''s tough. Or would have been tough if I hadn''t just experienced it while travelling on Ryu''s head. Maybe I should go back to him and see how I could experience it again. Though I guess that I should first take a look at what methods the village has. After all, I did feel that I was able to slightly heal the fish. It is probably why Yoshi asked me a question specifically.'' The remaining 22 people tried healing the fish and met with similar obstacles. Yoshi didn''t see anyone noteworthy among them. So once everyone was done, he had a similar exchange with the remaining trainees. Once all doubts were resolved, he summarized, "As you have already tried healing, you would have realized the 3 major aspects of healing. The first is having a gentle chakra that doesn''t make the patient feel any threat. The second is utilizing the Yang aspect of your chakra. And the last is having very good chakra control." He looked at everyone and said, "That''s it for today. We will meet again after seven days at noon. In these seven days, I want you to do only one thing. Meditate for as long as you can, and while meditating, think of happy thoughts or pleasant memories. The next time you attempt healing, you will try to think of those memories before healing." Fujin watched him with a dumbfounded look. He thought, ''What the hell? That''s how you make your chakra gentle? You couldn''t come with any other bullshit? And this is the village that has the most advanced Medical ninjutsu? No wonder Hiruzen shot down Tsunade''s proposal of training a lot of medical ninjas. Imagine thousands of ninjas thinking happy thoughts while the rest fought!'' Like Fujin, many were speechless by what Yoshi asked them to do. However, if they knew what Yoshi''s thoughts were, they would begin cursing him right away! Yoshi enjoyed the look of disbelief on the trainees. He thought, ''Making your chakra gentle isn''t difficult. As they keep practicing this jutsu, their chakra will automatically become gentle and docile unless they keep getting angry or frustrated. But, since every one of them thinks that learning this jutsu is easy, I might as well have some fun with them. Just the thought of them meditating while having pleasant thoughts is hilarious. It''ll be even more fun when they get annoyed as it won''t work, hahaha!'' Yoshi dismissed everyone. When the room was empty, a smile appeared on Yoshi''s face. Emi and Asuka sighed thinking, ''This old geezer is messing around once again!'' Fujin moved to Ichiraku while thinking, ''That old geezer was definitely messing with us when he said that. Something seemed off. Though I didn''t sense a lie, he is a medical ninja from the Yamanaka clan. So he might be a good sensor as well. It won''t be difficult for him to lie without being sensed. That said, meditation in itself isn''t bad. I should stabilize my mind by meditating for a few hours and eliminating all thoughts before I visit next week. More importantly, I should focus on the Yang release." Fujin reached Ichiraku and ate while thinking about Yang Release. Chapter 231: Yin & Yang Fujin sat in his meditation room and sat in a meditative position. Soon, chakra could be seen surrounding his body. Fujin''s mind was analyzing his chakra, ''Yang & Yin nature... How can I segregate the two?'' As Fujin inspected his chakra, he analyzed, ''Yang Release is described as the physical energy that governs vitality, growth, and life force. Meanwhile, Yin Release is described as the spiritual energy that governs imagination, creativity, and the formation of shape and form. If I have to compare them with techniques, then Yang Release is often connected with Taijutsu while Yin release is linked with Genjutsu. Ninjutsu needs a balance of both of them. But, when we train Taijutsu, Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, we don''t feel the Yang or Yin aspects of chakra...'' Fujin clenched his fist and raised it in front of his hands as continued analyzing, ''If Yang Release is just the physical energy, then can this be considered as Yang Release? After all, it enhances my physique.'' Chakra appeared around his fist. The chakra grew larger and at the same time, Fujin''s fist became stronger. Fujin''s eyes widened and began glowing as he realized, ''No, the chakra on my fist is just normal chakra. After all, I haven''t segregated the chakra. But, when I focus the chakra on my fist, my fist itself becomes much more resilient. Otherwise, every time I punch something, my fist will become a bloody mess due to the recoil. The chakra that enhances my fist is the Yang aspect of my chakra!'' Fujin didn''t analyze anything for a couple of minutes and let the realization sink in. Finally, he let out a sigh and muttered, "So learning Senju Taijutsu Chakra automatically teaches us Yang Release... So I have known how to use Yang Release for more than a year without knowing that I know it..." He lowered his fist and thought, ''Sigh, you could have at least told me Renjiro. Do these guys get a kick out of keeping some details a secret? Still, to think that he taught me Yang Release. He wasn''t kidding about the magnanimity of the Senju clan! No way any other clan would teach Yin or Yang release to outsiders.'' Fujin focused his chakra once again. This time, a thin layer of chakra gathered on his entire body. However, the chakra began decreasing and soon dissipated. However, chakra was still gathered in his flesh. Fujin felt that his body was much stronger. He opened his eyes and raised his right hand in front of him. A formless chakra appeared on his palm. Fujin thought, ''This should be pure Yang chakra. Since there is no Yin chakra involved, I can''t control its shape. I guess Yoshi wasn''t speaking the complete truth then. With just Yang chakra, a medical ninja won''t be able to heal perfectly. They will need a little bit of Yin chakra to control the Yang chakra so that they can heal effectively. But, since he said that we just need to keep trying until we find the right proportions, I guess that we will eventually be able to release chakra that is majorly Yang but has a bit of Yin to control it appropriately. Anyways...'' Suddenly, Yin chakra flowed into his right palm and mixed with the Yang chakra. The chakra took the shape of a ball and began rotating rapidly. Fujin analyzed, ''So in the case of Rasengan, Yang chakra is responsible for the damage while Yin chakra is responsible for the rotation and the spherical form. To think that I was able to just do it subconsciously without knowing the details. The same should be the case with every ninjutsu.'' Fujin went into the lowest basement and began experimenting with all his ninjutsus. He began studying how Yin and Yang chakra worked in every ninjutsu. Three days later, Fujin was standing in his basement. He made a few hand signs. ''Bringer of Darkness Jutsu'' Fujin nodded. Ryu said in the same tone, "So you want to tell me that you need to sense nature chakra in order to learn a basic healing jutsu?" Fujin felt awkward upon hearing his question. He said, "Well, it isn''t a necessity. But it will be of great help." Ryu said, "If you keep sensing nature chakra again and again, you will inevitably begin absorbing it as well. And you aren''t ready to absorb it. If you do, the only result will be your death. So stop using excuses to achieve that state once again. I know that it feels great and you would want to feel it again and again, but be patient for a few years." Ryu closed his eye and Fujin disappeared leaving a cloud of smoke. Fujin appeared back in his basement. A look of surprise could be seen on his face as he muttered, "Did he end Goro''s summon so casually?" He got up and sighed, ''That state felt so peaceful and heavenly. Perhaps it truly felt addictive. I guess Ryu was right in calling the reason an excuse. Oh well, I''ll see how it goes in the next training session. For now, it''s time to retrain my jutsus.'' Fujin went to the training ground. He began using the jutsus that he had already mastered and began using them while properly applying Yang and Yin chakras. He decided, ''I will begin with the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu.'' He gathered chakra in his throat while segregating it into Yang and Yin. He used the Yang chakra to provide power to the jutsu and used the Yin chakra to decide the shape and range of the jutsu. Then, he exhaled a normal Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Fujin analyzed, ''The speed of performing the jutsu is much slower. But it''s understandable as I am not doing it the normal way. I will need to keep practicing to see how much the speed will improve. If it still takes longer, then it won''t be worth it.'' Fujin kept practicing. As he did, his speed increased and a smile formed on his face as he could see the benefits of this new way. He ate a soldier pill so that he could train for longer. Soon, the skies went dark. Fujin gathered chakra once again and instinctively split it into Yang and Yin. He exhaled another Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. The jutsu travelled in a straight line like a beam with a 2-meter radius. It destroyed all trees in its path for over 100 meters! Fujin grinned, ''Amazing! Though my speed is still a bit slower, the benefits of performing jutsus this way are just amazing! By controlling Yang chakra, I can easily decide how much power I want to put into the jutsu. If I want to supercharge it, I only have to increase the Yang chakra and don''t have to increase the Yin chakra. So I can save Yin chakra while supercharging this jutsu. However, more than Yang chakra, I am impressed by the abilities of Yin chakra. I didn''t expect such a result!'' With a grin on his face, he observed his surroundings. It was a complete mess! Some trees had hundreds of holes in their trunk while some had hundreds of cuts on them. A few trees were completely shredded. If anyone visited this place, they would be terrified by the destruction! Fujin was very happy. It was as if a whole new realm of possibilities had opened up for him. A terrifying new realm! Chapter 232: Happy Thoughts Work??? For the next couple of days, Fujin kept practicing Infinite Breakthrough jutsu with Yin & Yang amplifications until he was satisfied. Soon, it was the day of visiting the hospital. Fujin trained his body in the morning and spent a couple of hours meditating to relax his mind and eliminate all needless thoughts and distractions. He left his house for the hospital but suddenly he had a thought, ''Wait a minute! Yoshi said last time that we need to think about happy and pleasant thoughts. So we need to be happy. And I am happy after eating delicious food. I should stuff my stomach before going. Otherwise, if I keep thinking about eating the fish, I don''t think I could heal it, haha.'' Having decided, he visited Ichiraku once again and enjoyed himself while blissfully ignoring the time for Yoshi''s training session. At noon, Yoshi entered the same room and saw 28 people in the room. He looked around and his face fell as he thought, ''Six quit already including that youngster. A shame. I had high hopes for him. But, if he doesn''t have the discipline of sticking for a week, then there is no way he can become a medical ninja.'' He began by giving a short lecture and started guiding the trainees to use the Mystical Palm jutsu. Half an hour later, Fujin knocked on the door and entered the room. Once again, he attracted everyone''s attention. Yoshi squinted his eyes. He didn''t know how to feel. On one hand, he was happy that Fujin wanted to continue while on the other hand, he was disappointed by his indiscipline. He walked towards Fujin and said, "You are late." Fujin nodded but he had a smile on his face. Yoshi''s eyes twitched. He commented in his mind, ''Did that Hatake brat spread his influence on the youngsters?'' Yoshi put up a serious face and said strictly, "I won''t allow any tardy ninja to learn medical ninjutsu. So you better give me a good reason for being late. Otherwise, I won''t be teaching you." His words were loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. They all had their attention on Fujin. For half an hour, they had been trying unsuccessfully. So seeing another person get yelled at felt refreshing. They were hoping to get some entertainment. Fujin maintained his smile and said, "Of course, I have a reason, Sensei. I had left home on time and should have been here before noon. But then I recalled your words." Yoshi was confused. He asked, "My words?" Fujin nodded and asked, "Didn''t you say that we should have happy and pleasant thoughts in order to be able to heal? If the fish''s body perceives any threat, then it won''t allow our chakra to assist it, right?" Yoshi''s eyes twitched. It wasn''t the praise he wanted to hear. However, before he could say anything, he felt many eyes on him. He looked away from Fujin to see that all 28 Trainees were staring at him. Awe and respect could be seen in their eyes! Yoshi gulped as he noticed the reverence in their eyes for him. One guy said, "I will think of happy thoughts too, Sensei!" Another asked, "I too am the happiest when I eat delicious food. Can I be back in 30 minutes?" A few more asked the same question. Another wondered out loud, "Should I propose to Emiko-chan? I will be the happiest if she says yes." However, the guy next to him said, "But if she says no, then I am afraid that you will never learn this jutsu." The guy shivered and said, "You are right!" Another guy overheard their conversation and chimed in, "We should try to get instant happiness." A lecherous smile appeared on his face, "You understand what I mean, right?" His statement made everyone feel awkward. They immediately moved two steps away from him. Another looked at Yoshi and asked with a serious face, "I am the happiest when I am drunk. But how can I control my chakra properly when I am drunk?" Similar statements began flowing through the room. Yoshi saw the chaos in the room with a dumbfounded expression. Never before had he lost control of a room while teaching trainees! However, he couldn''t keep staying quiet. He was asked too many questions. He reluctantly said, "If anyone wants to go out to relax, you can. But return within an hour. The ones who want to keep training, you can keep training. We will monitor your progress." His words made many trainees excited. Soon, 23 trainees left the room. While leaving, one excitedly exclaimed in a loud voice, "I never knew that to become a medical ninja we have to keep ourselves happy all the time. If I did, I would have become a medical ninja right after graduating! Not to mention, with the skills of a medical ninja, I wouldn''t even have to be worried about my liver. Hahaha." Those words made Yoshi look at the ninja. He couldn''t believe it and muttered in a low voice, "How did things reach this stage?" He couldn''t help but look at Fujin who still had that innocent smile on his face. Chapter 233: The Greatest Talent in Medical Ninjutsu? "Bring me more!" In Shushu-ya, an old man yelled for yet another drink. The waiter sighed. He took the bottle of sake to his table and poured him more sake while thinking, ''Why does he keep yelling? All the customers from nearby tables have moved away due to him. He even chased a few away at the door!'' Despite the waiter''s worries, the old man wasn''t concerned. It was as if he didn''t care about anything. He repeated his actions until one guy had enough. He got up and walked to his table and said loudly, "Why do you keep shouting old ma....." The man suddenly stopped speaking and went pale. He fumbled, "Yo...osss...shi sen...sei?" Yamanaka Yoshi looked up and saw the middle-aged man. He exclaimed with a wide smile on his face, "Isamu! Have a seat! Drink with me!" Isamu sat down unwillingly. Seeing Yoshi''s state, he was sure that he would be embarrassed and unlike Yoshi, he wasn''t drunk enough to not care. He thought, ''I am a Jounin and a senior medical ninja. There are very few who would outrank me. To think that my luck is so bad that the drunkard I wanted to quiet down just happened to be one!'' With one last hope of saving himself from the embarrassment, he asked, "Why are you drinking so much, sensei?" Yoshi was very tipsy. However, he could still hold rational conversation but his voice and tone were very inconsistent. He said, "You won''t believe what I witnessed today, Isamu! It was mind-blowing! In my forty years of being a medical ninja and thirty years of being an instructor, I have never witnessed such a sight." Isamu sighed in relief that Yoshi could hold a sane conversation. He was also intrigued at the same time. He couldn''t help but ask, "What did you see?" Yoshi asked, "Do you remember that happy thoughts speech I used to give to the mystical palm trainees?" A smile formed on Isamu''s face as he replied, "Yes Sensei. We drank multiple times while laughing hilariously at their hilarious attempts." Yoshi said, "Yes, that one. One of the trainees followed my advice and made huge improvements!" A peculiar expression appeared on his face. He said, "How could he? We both know that it is bullshit. They just need some time and practice to tune their chakra to healing mode." Isamu helped Yoshi to his house before returning to his. However, en route, he couldn''t help but think about Fujin. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t make sense of it. In the end, he sighed and muttered, "I need to check on him. No way that happiness bullshit works. Either he has taken training or has someone guiding him. Otherwise, he will be the greatest talent in medical ninjutsu in our village. No, in the entire Ninja world and perhaps history too!" After filling his stomach and laughing a lot, Fujin returned home. He took out a scroll as he recalled the earlier events. Earlier in the Konoha Hospital : The trainees had trained hard for over 3 hours. But other than Fujin, no one else managed to make much progress no matter how ''happy'' they were. Finally, Emi and Asuka handed all 29 Trainees a scroll. Yoshi said, "This scroll is similar to the big scroll that preserves the fish. We will be temporarily giving these scrolls to you. When your training is completed, you have to return them. If you fail to return or damage them, then you will have to pay One Hundred Thousand Ryo as a fine." The huge fine made most of the trainees gulp. They held the scroll properly as if it was an expensive and precious jade! Meanwhile, Fujin thought, ''This scroll has the same seals? I should try to study the seals. Though I have Sora''s seals that were used to store the dead body and eyes, I didn''t want to risk experimenting with them as it would have been a huge loss if I damaged the scroll. But, if I damage this scroll, then I only have to pay 100k Ryo. It could be helpful if I can replicate the seals.'' Though 100k Ryo was a lot for a normal genin or even weaker chunins, it wasn''t much for Fujin who had claimed multiple bounties. Yoshi continued, "Every scroll has 12 Fish that you can use to try your Mystical Palm jutsu. This is a gift from us to you. In the future, you can ask for more fish at the reception, but you will have to pay for them. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. Yoshi said, "Try to heal the fish by yourselves until we meet next week. You will have to practice a lot in order to succeed. Now leave." At his home, Fujin looked at the scroll and muttered, "It looks like Konoha wants as many ninjas to learn this jutsu as they can. Otherwise, they wouldn''t use so many resources on us. After all, we are just one batch. From what I heard, a new batch is started every month. And Yoshi claimed that it normally takes around 8 to 12 months to learn this jutsu and use it without any risks. So there might be another twelve batches being trained alongside us. Now that I think about it, it is kinda surprising that Tamotsu''s squad didn''t have anyone who could heal." Fujin opened the scroll and summoned a fish. He observed, ''Hmm, it seems to be the same seal... Good. I''ll first use up the fish and then try to study the seals.'' Fujin began practicing the Mystical Palm jutsu once again. Chapter 234: Spamming Shadow Clones Once Again! In an hour, Fujin had gone through all 12 fishes without completely healing any. He sighed, ''I feel like I am close but I still can''t heal it without burning its flesh... Still, I have a feeling that it should just be a matter of practice. I should get a hang of this jutsu soon.'' Fujin turned his attention towards the seal and began testing it. After a while, he concluded, ''Interesting seal. It has the base of a normal storage seal. That should be used to create a space in the seal. In addition, there are seals to preserve life and not pose any harm to it as well as to keep the air fresh and rich in oxygen. I can replicate these with ease. However, there are a few additional seals that I don''t recognize... I wonder if they will be in Section A of the library... Since the only additional component in the seal is time, I guess that these seals are responsible for slowing down time in the seal.'' Suddenly, Fujin''s eyes widened as he had an idea, ''Wait! Since there are seals to slow down time, are there also seals that speed up time? If yes, then I could build my own hyperbolic time chamber! The fourth war is only around 8 to 9 years away and I am not sure how strong I can be by then. But a Hyperbolic time chamber could provide me with a huge help. Especially to master other elements and to try to fuse elements and learn Kekkei Genkais. But...'' A frown formed on Fujin''s face, ''But, this won''t be without drawbacks. I don''t have any means to extend my Lifespan. Using such means will make me get older faster. At the very least, I shouldn''t use it until the growth of my body has stopped. Not to mention, it is highly questionable if such a seal exists. After all, if it does, I am sure that there would be many others who could come to the same conclusion as me. So, such training rooms should have been a trend in the ninja world. Especially during the times of great wars. Every village could use them to quickly train their kids and add more manpower to their armies. Still, even if it doesn''t exist, can I invent such a seal?'' Fujin stared at the unfamiliar symbols while thinking, ''The Konoha library should have the seal to slow down time. Whereas, speeding up time just needs reverse principles. With this seal as a base, I could have something to work with.'' Fujin analyzed more before nodding to himself, ''Yes, I can try this. Even if I have to limit the usage for myself, this method can be very handy. I''ll work on this after mastering the seal that slows down time!'' With numerous ideas running through his mind, Fujin began studying the seal properly. He wrote down the symbols he didn''t identify and experimented with them until he was sleepy. The next day Fujin created a couple of Shadow clones. The clones looked at him and nodded. No words were needed. Fujin left the house and began his morning routine while his clones continued working on the seal. After completing his morning routine, Fujin began relearning his jutsus by controlling Yin and Yang chakra. Fujin analyzed, ''My Infinite Breakthrough jutsu is modified to the limit. I can''t strengthen it once again in a short time. Time to move on to the Air Bullet Jutsu. Once this jutsu is down, I will check if Yin and Yang chakra could be used to improve Wind Vacuum jutsus. Fujin trained till his chakra levels became low. Satisfied with his progress, he returned home, took the scroll and went to the hospital to buy more fish for testing. After dinner, he trained Mystical Palm jutsu once again before going to bed. His clones observed him and realized, ''I still can''t control my chakra during the Shadow Clone jutsu. All chakra gets distributed equally. Since I made 35 shadow clones, my main body just has 1/36 of his chakra remaining. No wonder the main body immediately began meditating.'' Though Fujin was meditating, his clones didn''t need to meditate. They didn''t disturb him and began working on the seal. After an hour, Fujin''s chakra finally recovered to a sufficient level. Fujin thought, ''I need to modify the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu! Instead of dividing all chakra, I need to assign the chakra for the jutsu to divide. That way, only the chakra I want will be equally divided while I will still have access to my remaining chakra.'' Fujin opened his eyes and saw that all 35 clones were working on the seal. He observed them while thinking, ''There are already 35 shadow clones working on the seal. Adding myself won''t increase the pace of research. What should I do?'' After thinking a bit, he got up and said, "Looks like I underestimated how much chakra I would lose." His clones looked at him and nodded. Fujin said, "I will go to the meditation room and meditate. You guys keep working on the seal for the next 3 hours. Then dismiss yourself in groups of 5 and intervals of 5 minutes." The clones nodded and began working again while Fujin began meditating in his meditation room to calm his mind and recover his chakra. Three hours later, the clones began dismissing themselves in the decided order. With each clone''s disappearance, a surge of memories flooded Fujin''s mind, like a deluge of information pouring into his consciousness. He closed his eyes, feeling the weight of the collective experiences washing over him. The memories came in fragments, a jumble of observations, analysis and speculations, like pieces of a puzzle seeking their place. Despite the overwhelming influx of knowledge, Fujin remained focused, his mind swiftly analyzing and processing each memory as it arrived. He meticulously pieced together the memories, drawing connections, and extracting the essential insights. However, amidst the exhilaration of acquiring so much information, a slight headache gnawed at Fujin''s temple. It was the consequence of absorbing so many memories. Fortunately, due to the time interval, the headache wasn''t intense. Fujin pressed on integrating all the memories together and gaining the gains made by all of his clones. Finally, he let out a sigh and muttered, ''I can''t say what is worse... Having an intense headache at the same time or mini headaches spread out over 30 minutes... Whatever, time to redo it.'' Fujin returned to the basement. However, this time, he didn''t use the Multi Shadow clone jutsu and instead used Shadow Clone jutsu 30 times. He could control the amount of chakra he pours in a single shadow clone. Due to this, he stopped when he felt that the chakra was reaching low levels. Fujin''s clones began working once again. Meanwhile, Fujin left his house and went to Yakiniku to fill his stomach. Analyzing memories of 35 clones not only gave him a headache, but it also created a hole in his stomach! Chapter 235: Invitation to become a Medical Ninja Fujin''s clones spent the whole day studying the seal and trying to replicate it. Due to studying with 30 clones, they made rapid progress. Finally, at midnight, one shadow clone exclaimed, "I did it!" This immediately attracted everyone''s attention. They began moving closer to him to observe the seal. But the clone said with a chuckle, "No need to be impatient." He dispelled himself and sent memories to Fujin and all his clones. All the clones absorbed the memories and realized. Immediately, they began creating the seal. Meanwhile, Fujin, who was meditating in the meditation room, opened his eyes. A smile formed on his face. He created a shadow clone and dispelled it. All the shadow clones received the memories. After completing the seal, clones began dispelling themselves at regular intervals. After absorbing everyone''s memories, Fujin returned to the basement. He collected all the scrolls and opened up a new one. He quickly inscribed the newly learnt seal into the scroll and studied it. After observing it thoroughly, he concluded, ''Good, this looks exactly like the seal I copied. Now, time to test it.'' Fujin stored a rotten apple in the seal and thought, ''It''s good that I had the presence of mind to buy a rotten apple when I went out to eat. I will check if the apple''s state worsens or remains the same until tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I will have a nice long sleep. My headache is killing me!'' The next morning, as soon as he woke up, Fujin withdrew the rotten apple from the seal. He observed it and concluded, ''The same as last night. Great. I will continue storing it in this seal to test how well this seal works. If it can keep it stored for a week or more, I''ll begin reversing this seal to increase the speed of time.'' Fujin sealed the apple back in the seal and looked at the clock. His eyes widened, ''The hell? It is already 11:45 AM? Shit, I underestimated that headache!'' Fujin quickly got off his bed and freshened up. He grabbed a few fruits to eat and flickered to the hospital. Thanks to his speed, he barely managed to make it in time. Fujin entered the room thinking, ''Though last time was fun, it''s probably best to not delay pointlessly. After all, my reputation is nowhere near Kakashi''s.'' As Fujin entered the room, the room was quite noisy. Everyone was talking about the activities they did to ensure maximum happiness before coming to the hospital. However, they went quiet and looked at Fujin. After all, he was the only one to have some success in healing the fish. A few groups called Fujin, but soon after Fujin entered the room, Yoshi, Isamu, Emi and Asuka entered the room as well. So everyone quickly occupied their seats. Yoshi and Isamu walked to the front of the room and Yoshi announced, "This is Isamu. He was one of my students as well. Now he is a full-fledged medical ninja with a lot of achievements under his belt. Have you practiced at home?" Everyone nodded. One person said excitedly, "Yes Sensei. I also did a lot of stuff to keep myself happy!" Yoshi''s face immediately went dark while Isamu let out a chuckle. Yoshi said, "Alright, show me your progress." Everyone began going to the tables in groups and tried healing the fish. Fujin observed them. As he expected, no one had made any progress. Sweat formed on Yoshi and Isamu''s heads. They both had the same thought, ''This brat learnt the jutsu in two weeks and still wanted personal tutoring?'' Yoshi coughed and said, "We don''t offer any personal tutoring. However, if any trainee has good relations with a medical ninja, they can receive their help." Fujin replied, "Oh, that makes sense. Unfortunately, I don''t have a close friendship with any medical ninja." Yoshi and Isamu both went silent and looked at each other. Both agreed that Fujin had incredible talent. Yoshi looked back at Fujin and asked, "Fujin, do you want to become a Medical ninja?" Fujin frowned. He thought for a bit and shook his head. He said. "Becoming a Medical ninja will take a lot of time. I don''t have much time on my hands right now. If I have time in the future, then I might consider it." Fujin did consider it seriously. After all, Medical ninjutsu seemed to be a very good way to master Yang and Yin chakra. Unfortunately, Fujin couldn''t do so. He thought, ''I am learning a lot of things at the same time. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Swordplay and Fuinjutsu have been my main focus. And I have also learnt some Genjutsu. If I add Medical Ninjutsu to the mix as well, I might overburden myself and make a mess of everything. After all, becoming a medical ninja might need more time than learning Fuinjutsu. Mystical Palm jutsu is sufficient for my current needs.'' Yoshi and Isamu frowned. From Fujin''s answer, they realized that even if Fujin pursued Medical ninjutsu, it wouldn''t be his main focus. That wasn''t what they wanted. Yoshi said, "Fujin, I think you misunderstood me. I want you to abandon your other options and focus completely on becoming a Medical ninja..." As he was speaking, both he and Isamu figured out the answer from Fujin''s face. So before Fujin could refuse, Isamu said, "We will be honest with you Fujin. I didn''t want to tell you this right now in case you become overconfident, but I will because if you don''t, then it will be a huge loss for Konoha. Your talent for medical ninjutsu is very high. If you become a medical ninja, then you will become a very good one in a few years. Also, your fighting capabilities won''t be wasted as you can use them to protect yourself on the frontlines." Yoshi nodded in agreement. However, Fujin shook his head. This time he didn''t even need to think. He was learning Mystical Palm jutsu to ensure that he could last longer in fights and quickly heal himself if he took lethal damage. Focusing on Medical ninjutsu would be reversing his priorities. He answered, "Sorry, I don''t intend to do so." Yoshi and Isamu were surprised. They didn''t expect Fujin to turn them down so directly. They both sighed. Yoshi said, "Alright. I will teach you the complexities of Mystical Palm jutsu and how to use it on your allies. I and Isamu will guide you for 3 days. If you change your mind later, you know where to find us." Fujin nodded and quickly thanked them. Yoshi and Isamu began teaching Fujin with a lot of enthusiasm and made the lessons as entertaining as they could. They wanted to use this opportunity to make Fujin change his mind. Chapter 236: Miscalculated Talent Yoshi and Isamu trained Fujin for 3 continuous days. Fujin absorbed all their teachings and became capable enough to use this jutsu on humans. However, despite his rapid progress, Yoshi and Isamu weren''t happy as they weren''t able to change Fujin''s mind. Fujin thanked them once again before leaving. After exiting the talent, Fujin let out a sigh. He could see reluctance in the eyes of Yoshi and Isamu. He thought, ''They really wanted me to pursue Medical Ninjutsu. Unfortunately, that''s not the path I want to move on. That said, I understood why they wanted me to pursue this path. It isn''t that they think that my talent is good, they probably think that my talent is the greatest due to how quickly I learnt the jutsu. Unfortunately, that isn''t the case. If it was, perhaps I''d be tempted to take this path at the beginning.'' Back in the hospital, Isamu let out a sigh and said, "We couldn''t change his mind." Yoshi nodded and said, "Yes. But I know someone who can. Come with me." Isamu was surprised. He looked at Yoshi and asked, "Who are you talking about, Sensei?" Yoshi smirked and said, "Oh, you know him. He is the best in the world at influencing kids." Isamu was still confused. He couldn''t figure out who Yoshi was referring to. However, he didn''t ask as it looked like Yoshi wanted to keep him in suspense. He quickly followed Yoshi. After a few minutes, both entered into a room. Isamu''s eyes twitched as he muttered, "I should have known." Yoshi smirked and bowed slightly, "Lord Hokage." Hiruzen looked at them and said, "Yoshi, Isamu, how have you two been?" Yoshi replied, "We have been great, Lord Hokage. We have come here because we have a request for you and hope that you can do it. It will provide a huge boost to our medical capabilities." Hiruzen was surprised at his claim. He thought, ''Since Tsunade left, our medical ninjutsu hasn''t made much progress. What did these two find?'' He asked, "What is your request?" Yoshi said, "We met a young kid who has incredible talent at medical ninjutsu. We believe that it may even surpass Tsunade''s talent. He managed to learn the Mystical Palm jutsu with minimal guidance in 2 weeks. Unfortunately, he isn''t interested in pursuing Medical ninjutsu. Can you convince him to do so?" Hiruzen asked, "Who is the kid?" Yoshi answered, "Suzuki Fujin." Finally, one of the clones sighed and said aloud, "This is impossible! We have no leads at all." The other clones didn''t reply. After all, they had experienced nothing but failure for 3 days. Considering that Fujin was training with 30 clones, it was equivalent to spending 3 months trying to reverse the seal. However, not a single clone had any breakthrough. Another clone said, "Though we learnt this seal, we did it by reverse engineering the seal we already had. There are a lot of symbols that we don''t have full information about. It will be better if we try to create this seal after becoming a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster." Fujin agreed with his clone''s analysis. One by one, he began dispelling his clones. The tiredness set into his body as he went to sleep. The next day, he had just finished his morning training when an Anbu ninja entered the training ground. Fujin instantly sensed him and waited for him. The Anbu ninja flickered in front of Fujin and instructed, "Come to Lord Hokage''s office in one hour." Fujin nodded. Having delivered the message, the Anbu ninja flickered away. Fujin saw him leave and thought, ''Finally time to join the Anbu, huh? I kinda wished that Hiruzen took another couple of months. I would have managed to completely modify most of my moves using Yin and Yang chakra by then.'' He shook that thought and flickered to his house to freshen up. He thought, ''Oh well. I have heard a lot about how Anbu works and how crucial their role is for the village. Unfortunately, there is not much concrete data on their true activities apart from the fact that they do a lot of dark stuff.'' A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he entered his house, ''Whatever, I just hope that it is exciting. I haven''t had a good fight for a long time!'' In an hour, Fujin appeared outside the Hokage''s office. Takao was waiting outside the door. He looked at Fujin and said, "Right on time as always. Go to the basement of the Hokage building." Fujin furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "There is a basement under this building?" Takao rolled his eyes and said, "Of course there is. The entrance is in the backmost room on the ground floor. Now hurry." Fujin nodded and disappeared from Takao''s sight. Takao muttered, "I said hurry, not flicker." Fujin appeared in the room Takao mentioned. An Anbu ninja with an Eagle mask was sitting in the room. He looked at Fujin and asked, "Suzuki Fujin?" Fujin nodded. The Anbu ninja made a hand sign. A hole appeared in the room. He said, "You are the last one. Enter." He jumped in the hole and Fujin followed him. After landing, Fujin looked around himself. A look of surprise appeared on his face. Chapter 237: Igniting a Fire! Fujin was surprised due to a few reasons. For one, the basement was much larger than what Fujin expected. It was definitely larger than the base of the Hokage Building. It was one large and continuous room with a bunch of rooms lined along the walls. Except that, there wasn''t any wall or pillar in the entire basement. Fujin analyzed, ''The basement is so large. This would mean that it extends beyond just the Hokage Building. I guess even the basement of the Konoha Hospital is connected. So it could allow an alternate route of travel between the Hokage building and the Hospital.'' Another reason for his surprise was the dense amount of seals he sensed in the basement. He realized, ''No wonder I never found this basement. The density of the seals here is almost comparable to my house! And they should be stronger as well.'' And the last reason for being surprised was that he wasn''t the only one. He looked at the ones around him and thought, ''I knew that I wouldn''t be the only one. But I expected only a few or at max 20. However, there are more than 200 ninjas here! Looks like Hiruzen wants to increase the strength of the Anbu unit to a whole new level...'' The Eagle masked Anbu ninja said, "Stay here. Lord Hokage will arrive soon." He flickered away after speaking. Fujin looked around himself. Almost everyone in the room was much older than him. However, his eyes landed on an acquaintance. Teru too noticed Fujin and walked towards Fujin. He waved his hands and said, "I knew you would be selected as well, Fujin." Fujin wasn''t overly surprised to see Teru. After all, he had heard a lot about the Anbu from Teru and his strength wasn''t weak. Fujin chuckled, "I expected to see you here as well. But I didn''t expect to see so many people here." Teru nodded and replied, "Me neither. It looks like Lord Hokage wants to replace the loss of the Uchiha clan by training a huge number of Anbu ninjas." Fujin nodded but couldn''t help but think, ''I doubt training a couple of hundred Anbu will be able to replace the Uchihas. But I guess that this is better than nothing.'' Fujin asked, "Did you see Hoka here as well?" I have no doubts that every single one of you will reach the level of the Jounins. With 234 new Jounins, not a single enemy village will dare look at us with malevolent eyes. You shall become the shield that protects our village, the sword that strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies. I have faith in each and every one of you, in your skills, your dedication, and your unwavering spirit. Together, we shall rise above the shadows that seek to engulf us. We shall write a new chapter in the history of Konoha, one of resilience, growth, and triumph. Remember, my fellow shinobi, that our legacy is not defined by the tragedies we endure, but by how we rise above them. Let us stand tall, shoulder to shoulder, as we face the challenges that lie ahead. May the Will of Fire burn bright within each of you, guiding us towards a future where our village stands strong and our people thrive. For Konoha, and for the fallen Uchiha, we shall honor their memory through our unwavering resolve. Now, let us embark on this journey together. From today onwards, I welcome you all into the ranks of Konoha''s Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai!" Hiruzen''s words sent goosebumps throughout the crowd. They made everyone''s blood boil. Even the hardened Anbu ninjas got excited and more patriotic than ever. Most of the trainees shouted together, "Yes Lord Hokage!" Sweat gathered on Fujin''s forehead. He stared at Hiruzen as he thought, ''Holy Shit! His speeches keep improving by the day. Even I felt goosebumps!'' He looked around himself. Everyone was maniacally staring at Hiruzen. A fire burned in their hearts and madness was visible in their eyes. Fujin gulped as he thought, ''Wow! One single speech might just end up creating 234 Jounins in Konoha.'' Hiruzen''s face maintained a serious look. However, he was pleasantly happy with the sight in front of him. He thought, ''I haven''t used this speech since the death of Minato. It''s time to have another period of rapid growth. Along with these 234, I will work with the clans to create more ninjas at every rank. Only then can Konoha''s army be properly reformed.'' Hiruzen waited for a few minutes for the excitement to calm down. He wasn''t impatient about striking when the iron was hot. After all, he had just lit a fire in the hearts of everyone. He was assured that this fire won''t die down anytime soon. Everyone will train hard for some time. Some might train hard for a few months before the fire dies down. While some might train hard for years and go even beyond the Jounin rank. Finally, he said, "All of you will be divided into teams. You will be assigned under an Anbu Captain. The Captain will be responsible for training you for a few months and will also lead you in field missions." He looked at the Eagle Masked Anbu standing behind him and said, "He is Eagle. He is the commander of all ninjas in the Anbu unit. If you have any issues, you can approach him." He looked back at the crowd and said, "He will begin assigning you to Anbu Captains. Cooperate with him and begin your training as soon as you can. Konoha needs all of you to step up at this very moment." Hiruzen took a step back and handed the reins to Eagle. Eagle quickly began guiding everyone to their respective Anbu Captains. He had already read all the files that Hiruzen sent him and memorized everyone''s face, name and skills. Everyone was called here after he had finished assigning the teams. Chapter 238: Anbu Rules & Training Plans Eagle was busy informing everyone about their Anbu Captain. Soon, he arrived in front of Fujin and Teru. He looked at them and said, "Good, you are together. Both of you are assigned under Kuma." He pointed towards a Bear-masked Anbu and said, "That''s him, go and introduce yourselves." Fujin and Teru walked to him. Another young Chunin was already standing next to the Bear-marked Anbu. The Anbu with the codename Kuma was leaning against the wall. He was a very large person. He was easily over 7 feet in height and had a large physique. In addition, he wore plate armor and had a metal staff next to him. Both Fujin and Teru speculated that he was from the Akimichi clan. The youngster next to Kuma looked at Teru and said with a smile, "Looks like we are in the same team once again." Teru smiled and looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, he is Hatake Kaen. He was in my Genin squad along with Yori. Kaen, he is Suzuki Fujin. He was my classmate." Fujin and Kaen said hello to each other. Kuma looked at the three youngsters and said, "It''s good that you three know each other. Follow me." He opened the room behind him and entered. Fujin, Teru and Kaen followed him in. Kuma closed the door. The room was small and compact with multiple cupboards, lockers and boxes along the walls. Fujin realized that the room itself had a lot of seals for defense and privacy. He nodded in appreciation, ''Not bad for Anbu headquarters. Looks like the village higher-ups didn''t spare any cost while making this basement.'' Kuma removed his mask and sat down on a bench with a smile on his face. He said, "This will be our private quarters. You can use this room to keep spare clothes and weapons. We will also have our team meetings here."?v€l-B!n. Everyone nodded and took their seats. Kuma said, "Let''s start with introductions. I am Akimichi Tsuyoshi. You can call me Captain. I specialize in Akimichi clan secret techniques, Fire Release and using a bo to fight. And I prefer frontal assaults during the fighting. What about you guys?" Fujin noticed, ''Unlike Renjiro, he isn''t interested in knowing hobbies, likes and dislikes. But I suppose that makes sense considering that this is the Anbu.'' Fujin said, "I am Suzuki Fujin. I specialize in Wind Release and I fight using swords. I am also a sensor and can use the Mystical Palm jutsu. I prefer to fight from a distance or to fight using hit-and-run tactics." Tsuyoshi closely observed Fujin. After all, Fujin''s fighting method was completely opposite to Tsuyoshi''s methods. However, before he could analyze Fujin, his attention was gained by Teru and Kaen. Teru followed up, "I am Senju Teru. I specialize in Water and Earth Releases and am good with Taijutsu. I prefer frontal assaults but can engage in mid-range battles as well." Kaen was the last to speak, "I am Hatake Kaen. I specialize in Lightning Release and I use a short blade to engage in Hatake Kenjutsu. I can use the Mystical Palm jutsu as well. I prefer high-speed combat that keeps the enemy on their toes and inflicts multiple small damages to the enemy. My team can use the advantage provided by those small damages to kill the enemy." Tsuyoshi nodded, "Yes, they get repeated. I know at least 11 other Anbu ninjas with the Hawk mask and codename. But you don''t need to worry as it is a good thing. Our enemies can''t recognize us easily from the mask due to how many there are. Also, you don''t need to worry about confusion in our ranks. Lord Hokage and our Commander have very large memories. They will always recognize you and give you the right task." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright." Tsuyoshi continued, "I will first give you a brief description of my training plan. So listen carefully." Fujin, Teru and Kaen once again paid full attention. Tsuyoshi said, "Since you have been selected to the Anbu, it shows that you already have good training, discipline and decent strength. So your training won''t involve any jutsus or techniques to make you stronger. Instead, your training will focus on making you act and fight like an Anbu ninja. I will train you in various formations and battle tactics that we will be using in field missions. In addition, I will also teach you all about poisons including but not limited to detecting poison, which poisons to use against an array of opponents and in various situations and what to do if you or your ally gets poisoned. Your training will also involve learning various assassination techniques. You will also learn how to provide the perfect security. Infiltration, disguise, etiquettes, concealing traces, planting evidence, causing fights, diplomacy and other such stuff will also be taught." He took a pause and looked at the three youngsters and said in a serious tone, "As a normal ninja, the life of your teammates takes the highest precedence. I am sure that you have saved your teammates or got saved many times during missions. At times, you might have done that at the cost of your mission. But in Anbu, the mission comes above everything else. Failing missions can have grave consequences for our village. And getting captured by an enemy is a strict no. So you will also be trained to resist torture and will also be equipped with multiple means of ending your own life if need be." The faces of the three youngsters grew grim. They all realized that this wouldn''t be as easy as their genin and chunin lives. And they realized that the risks to their lives during their time in the Anbu will be the highest! Tsuyoshi looked at them and asked, "Any doubts?" All three replied, "No Captain." Tsuyoshi smiled and said, "Good. Though we may experience difficult situations, unless there is no choice, we won''t abandon our comrades. So no need to be tense. But do train very hard so that we won''t ever have to be in a position like that. As an Anbu, you will have access to the training grounds and rooms that are specifically reserved for the Anbu. In the entire village, these facilities are among the very best. So in addition to my training, you can train there to steadily and rapidly build your strength." A smile formed on Fujin''s face. He had heard that Anbu training facilities had training rooms similar to the Forest of Death. So they probably had elemental stones. He couldn''t wait to get his hands on them. He would take every Ryo that Hiruzen won by betting on him back with interest! Tsuyoshi got up and said, "I will take you to your first Mission as an Anbu." Chapter 239: The Graduation Exam The youngsters were surprised to hear that they would take a mission on their first day. After such a long talk, they expected at least a few weeks of training. Teru asked in surprise, "A mission on our first day?" Both Fujin and Kaen also had the same question. Tsuyoshi waved his hand and said, "Don''t worry. Since you are new here, we will be taking an easy mission. So you will get to do a mission and get used to the Anbu way of operating at the same time." He grabbed his mask and put it on and said, "As I said, outside the room, you will only refer to me by my code name." He walked out of the room. The boys put on their masks and followed him out. At the same time, the Konoha Academy was very busy. It was the day of the Graduation exam. 359 Students from the final year were taking the exam in various classrooms. Hyuga Hachiro looked at the file and said, "Next, Daisuke Daisuke." Daisuke stood up and walked to the front of the classroom. Hachiro looked at him and said, "Transform into Lord Hokage." Daisuke weaved hand signs and soon transformed into Hiruzen. He looked exactly like Hiruzen with no flaws in appearance. Hachiro nodded in approval. He and a couple more teachers entered his marks in their files. Hachiro said, "Good. Now show me substitution jutsu." Daisuke weaved hand signs and substituted himself with a log of wood placed in the class. He was even better at this jutsu than the Transformation jutsu. Hachiro nodded once again and said, "Now create clones." Daisuke weaved hand signs and 3 clones appeared next to him. Hachiro was surprised. He said, "Good work. I can tell that you have worked hard in the last few months." Daisuke replied, "Thank You Sensei. It is all because you were such a good teacher." Daisuke didn''t have any reluctance or shame in giving him the credit. He was aware that Hachiro would have a major say in his final marks and could influence which squad he would be assigned to and who his Sensei will be. Tatsuya shook his head and said, "I have just learnt one jutsu so far, Sensei. I am also training in Fire Release: Two jutsu, but I haven''t learnt it yet." Hachiro said, "That is a rank D jutsu. You will need some time to learn it. But it''s good that you have taken the initiative to learn by yourself. Keep working hard." Tatsuya excitedly said, "Yes, Sensei." Tatsuya returned to his seat as everyone stared at him. He felt very pleased with himself. Hachiro called out, "Next, Handa Bunjiro." Bunjiro walked to the front. He was very pumped after seeing Tatsuya''s performance. He performed the 3 jutsus and said, "Sensei, I also want to perform another jutsu." Hachiro didn''t show his surprise and allowed him. Bunjiro quickly weaved hand signs. ''Water Release: Water Pellet jutsu'' He spat a bullet made of water at the log of the wood. It hit the spot Tatsuya had burned earlier and pierced 8 inches into the log. This time, Hachiro couldn''t hide his surprise. He thought, ''That was a rank D jutsu! Though the piercing power of his jutsu was only because of the damage Tatsuya did to the log, the fact that he could aim it on point is even more amazing. He should have excellent chakra control and aim to do so.'' Hachiro''s gaze towards Bunjiro changed. He praised him a lot before sending him back. He looked at the class and said, "It is already noon. We will take a 30-minute break for lunch." As soon as he and the other teachers exited the room, Tatsuya and Bunjiro were surrounded by their classmates. In a matter of minutes, they had become the most popular kids in the classroom. Only Daisuke, Buncho and Ryoma were upset and had a look of jealousy on their face. Fujin''s analysis regarding the five orphans was on point. As he had speculated, there were slackers and hard workers in this group. Daisuke, Buncho and Ryoma stopped training right after they learnt the 3 jutsus and could perform them without failing even once. They spent their time relaxing and playing. On the other hand, Tatsuya and Bunjiro checked their nature affinity and chose jutsus to learn from the Library. As a result, they made much higher progress as compared to the other three. Without the requirement of having to wait for everyone else to finish in order to visit Fujin, the differences became visible immediately. And in the future, these differences would expand further and break their little circle of friends. Daisuke would convince Buncho and Ryoma with his silver tongue and they would accuse Tatsuya and Bunjiro for training in secret and not hanging out with them. It would result in an argument that would end their 6-year-old friendship. While Tatsuya and Bunjiro were getting all the attention, Hachiro walked with a frown on his mouth as he wondered, ''How did these 5 improve so suddenly? It''s unnatural. And they don''t have any family members to guide them either. Though Daisuke praised me, I didn''t have anything to do with their progress.'' He analyzed a lot before having a bad feeling. He thought, ''Don''t tell me that they are spies planted by other villages! After all, brainwashing young kids and sending them to other villages as a spy is done quite frequently. Though we do a background check, it isn''t foolproof. I need to inform Lord Hokage.'' He quickly hurried to the Hokage''s office. Chapter 240: The Epic Missions of Anbu Black Ops! Hiruzen had just returned to his office after giving the speech. He was about to get back to paperwork when Hachiro knocked on the door. Hachiro entered after receiving permission and greeted Hiruzen politely. Hiruzen asked, "Shouldn''t you be conducting the exam? Why are you here?" Hachiro replied, "I gave the students a lunch break. I am here because I noticed something suspicious that didn''t make much sense. So I wanted to inform you." Hiruzen asked, "What did you notice?" Hachiro informed him, "My class has 5 orphans who always hang out together. Until a few months ago, I was sure that they would fail. But today, all 5 of them performed all the 3 jutsus perfectly. A couple of them even performed elemental jutsus." A look of surprise appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He said, "That''s good. I didn''t expect that we would have anyone outside the elite classrooms to learn elemental jutsus." Hachiro replied, "Me neither. That is why I am suspicious." However, Hiruzen wasn''t worried. He asked, "What are their names?" Hachiro reported their names. Hiruzen nodded. The names were as he expected. He said, "These 5 had approached Suzuki Fujin a few months ago for guidance and were tutored by him. That is probably why they progressed so quickly. You don''t need to worry, but feel free to conduct a background check if you want to." Hachiro was surprised. He asked, "Is Fujin the one who graduated a couple of years ago at the top of his class?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "A few of them were in the same orphanage." Hachiro realized. He quickly thanked Hiruzen for providing the info and left. Hiruzen thought, ''That boy keeps on giving me surprises. I didn''t expect him to be good at teaching as well. Still, from my reports, he spent very little time with them. How did they improve so quickly?'' Hiruzen wondered for a couple of minutes before stopping. He shook his head and thought, ''It isn''t important how he managed that. The important fact is that he did. From Hachiro''s words, those 5 children would have entered the Genin reserve force and wouldn''t have achieved anything else. But now, since 2 managed to learn elemental jutsus, it''s safe to say that those 2 will at least become Chunins. If they work hard or have good luck, they might even become a Jounin. After all, though it might not seem much to learn an elemental jutsu at the age of 12, the fact is that they made the progress in just a few months. If they could maintain that zeal for a few years, it''d be great. Regardless, this is a great achievement for Fujin.'' Hiruzen was very impressed with what Fujin did. The act of training 5 children in a village that has thousands of ninjas might seem insignificant. But from Hiruzen''s point of view, it was very significant. After all, there were hundreds of ninjas in Konoha who could be considered Veterans and were far more experienced than Fujin. If these ninjas also guided a few orphans or civilians in the academy and ensured that those kids reached the Chunin rank, Konoha''s strength would grow exponentially! Hiruzen thought, ''Initially, we didn''t need any such training as all the clans would train their next generation with all their heart. But, after 3 great wars, the strength and numbers of the clan ninjas have severely dropped. Right now, the highest number of ninjas are from civilian families or orphans. It is unlikely that this would change in the future. However, these civilian students don''t get the same level of guidance as the clan children. After all, there is no way a teacher can make a difference when teaching so many students who have different levels of talents in every different fie...'' Suddenly, Hiruzen had an idea. He thought, ''Wait, instead of just hoping that someone guides these kids, how about I start a mentorship program?'' Hiruzen thought more about his idea and immediately began figuring out the details. In a couple of minutes, he decided, ''Yes, this can be great. I will first make a list of ninjas that can provide good guidance. Then I will assign 5 students to each of them. They won''t have to do anything actively. But once a month, they will have to spend a couple of hours with the students, solve their doubts and provide them with some guidance on how to proceed further and create a decent training plan for them. Seeing that Fujin and Teru were dejected, Kaen, being the oldest one in the group, took responsibility and said, "Alright, that''s enough brooding. Though the mission is boring, we should still do it seriously. It would be the worst if we do a bad job and they make us keep doing this mission as a punishment." Teru looked at him and said, "On the contrary, they might permanently put us in charge of policing if we do a very good job." Kaen''s eyes twitched. He said, "Stop behaving like kids and keep a watch seriously." Fujin looked at him with a deadpan expression and said, "We are watching over civilians. Why are you talking as if 2 S-rank ninjas are going to clash in this street in the next couple of seconds?" Kaen was left speechless. Though he tried to instill seriousness, Fujin was on point. They didn''t need to be serious while watching over civilians. At the same moment, all 3 stared at the street and kept staring for a few seconds. However, nothing happened. Teru sighed and said, "You suck at jinxing, Fujin. Looks like we will have a boring day." Fujin sighed as well, "Yeah. Leave it. Let''s take our positions." The trio stopped complaining and took their positions. They kept an eye on the surroundings while staying hidden. None of them was very serious as the job was too easy and boring. Fujin wondered, ''Now, what to do.'' After thinking for a bit, he made a hand sign. ''Shadow Clone jutsu'' He used the jutsu thrice and created 3 clones. 2 clones had 10% of his maximum chakra while the third had 40% of his chakra. The clone with the maximum chakra moved to the 23rd training ground. He continued his training of modifying his jutsus with Yin and Yang chakra and relearning them. Meanwhile, the remaining two clones went to the library. Fujin analyzed, ''The chances of any incident happening is low. Even if it does, the involved parties should be very weak. I will keep 40% of my chakra with me in case of an emergency. As long as nothing happens, my chakra will regenerate throughout the day. Meanwhile, one clone will keep modifying my jutsus. And the other two clones will begin training in Fire Manipulation. If we receive the same mission tomorrow as well, then I will begin training in Fire Manipulation seriously while keeping an eye as well.'' Fujin let out a chuckle as he realized, ''I expected to receive some very difficult missions in Anbu. To think that I would get a rank D mission like when I became a Genin. And that I would sneakily train an element as I did during the academy days. Life is strange, hahaha. Anyways, this is good too. Though it will take a bit longer now, I will still manage to modify all my jutsus in a few months. And I also learn Fire Release jutsus. That should improve my combination of jutsus with the summons considerably. It''d be best if I can complete all of that before having to go on the deadly missions.'' Just like Fujin, around 80 other Anbu ninjas were keeping an eye on the village. 90% of them were inducted into the Anbu on that day. Though their excitement was doused as well, the fire lit by Hiruzen still existed in their hearts. Like Fujin, they too began thinking about the ways they could get stronger. In the following period of peace, their strength would grow rapidly. And along with them, Konoha too would close its chapter of weakness and revive its military might! Chapter 241: The Spectral Swordsman The Land of Waterfall : The Land of Waterfall was a country filled with mountains, rivers and waterfalls. Due to the same reason, it also had various valleys which added to the beautiful scenery of the country. In one such unnamed valley was a secret base. 12 ninjas were busy staring at a map and making plans. All 12 ninjas had hidden their faces using demon-faced masks. After some time, a ninja pointed at a spot on the map and said, "Captain, according to our information, Lord Ito Yuya and his entourage have already crossed the border. They will cross this bridge in around 2 hours." The captain nodded. He didn''t make any decision. A ninja standing next to him said in a soft voice, "Yes, but he is guarded by Hara Yuto. Even with us twelve acting together, defeating him will be difficult. He is an expert at Water Release. He could defend the Noble Yuya and counterattack at the same time." The captain nodded grimly and said, "Yuto was away on a secret mission for a long time. I didn''t expect him to return along with Yuya. It complicates our situation." Suddenly, a snort was heard. The twelve ninjas looked towards the source of the sound. Two more masked ninjas were sitting in the cave as well. One was wearing an elephant mask while the other was wearing a red ape mask. The ape-masked ninja scolded, "What are you afraid of with us here? Do your attack as planned. We will sneak attack Hara Yuto and kill him. Even if he is an expert in Water Release, it is weak against our Earth Release. The mission will go as planned." The captain looked at him and nodded, "With your assurance, I can rest assured." He looked at his subordinates and said with determination in his voice, "Our Kawaguchi family has been suppressed by the Ito family for far too long! Today, with the aid of our friend from Iwagakure, we will eliminate their successor and their strongest guardian! With this first step, our family will rise up steadily and take control of the northwestern area of our country!" His words sent a wave of excitement through his subordinates. They all shouted in excitement, "Yes Captain!" The Anbu from Iwa saw their excitement and sniggered secretly. They thought, ''What fools! Getting excited about ruling just one small part of this small rural country.'' However, they didn''t say anything. Their orders were to slowly expand Iwagakure''s influence in Takigakure. If they succeed, then in the next war, Iwagakure could attack the Land of Fire through 3 countries without having to face much resistance. It would force Konoha''s forces to spread too thin. After all, Konoha''s location meant that it would have to defend against all four major villages. The captain began laying out the plans. He set a few pieces on the map and said, "We will set up our ambush just away from this bridge. This place doesn''t have any water bodies close by, so Yuto''s water manipulation will be restricted. After we kill them, we will burn their bodies and dump them close to the Land of Fire. We will plant some pieces of evidence that they were attacked by Konoha who retreated after killing them. This way, no suspicion will be cast upon us and Lord Daimyo will restrict the country''s dealings with the Land of Fire." Everyone nodded. The Anbu ninjas from Iwagakure were also satisfied with the plan. The Captain looked at their satisfaction and sighed in relief. Though their family had ambitions, they definitely didn''t have the power to Lord over one region. It was only due to the support from Iwagakure that they had the guts to make such a plan. So he had to ensure that the Iwa Anbu were satisfied. The ape-masked Anbu instructed, "Keep an eye in all directions. I will find that bastard." He weaved hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Sensing jutsu'' A vibration was sent through the ground. Every animal who was in a 1.5-kilometer radius felt the Vibration passing under their feet. They quickly began running away from the point of impact. Despite the large scale of vibration, the Anbu still didn''t sense anyone. A frown formed on his face. He snorted and put more chakra into the ground. The vibrations intensified. The Takigakure ninjas could feel the ground shaking under their feet. The vibrations were so strong that they even travelled up the tree trunks! On one such tree, the vibrations were felt under the feet of a masked ninja hiding there. A smile formed behind the mask of the ape-masked Anbu as he muttered, "Got him!" At the next moment, giant spears formed under the tree and launched at the ninja hiding on it. However, the ninja immediately flickered away. But since the Iwa ninjas had already sensed him, they didn''t allow him to disappear from their sight once again. They, along with the Takigakure ninjas, gave chase. The attacker noticed it and sighed, ''Looks like I can''t sneak attack anymore.'' He looked towards the ninjas chasing him and launched a couple of dozen air bullets. The Iwa and Taki ninjas saw the attack and dodged it with ease. Due to the distance between them and since they knew the attack was coming, it was much easier to dodge. However, using that short moment of distraction, the ninja disappeared once again. The Ape-Masked ninja frowned and quickly began feeling the vibrations under his feet. Suddenly, he turned around and shouted, "Behind us!" All the ninjas quickly turned around. To their surprise, the attacker was very close. The Taki ninja who was the farthest in the back watched the attacker swing his sword at him. The scenes of his comrades falling dead ran through his brain. In a rage, he grabbed his kunai and swing it at the attacker''s sword and yelled, "DIE". At the same time, the others grabbed their kunai to attack him. They planned to kill him when he was blocked. However, they watched with widened eyes as the sword cut through the kunai as if it was air. The sword beheaded the 7th Taki ninja! The eyes of the remaining 5 Taki ninjas went red in rage. They tried to attack, but the attacker flickered on a branch behind him. The Iwa Anbu finally got a good look at the ninja. The attacker was a well-built young ninja who was wearing a Hawk mask. In addition, he had two swords hanging on the right side of his waist. And the sword sheaths on both those swords were very exquisite! Swirling designs were etched into its glossy black lacquer. They immediately recognized him and their expressions became grim behind their masks. The Taki ninjas were enraged. They were about to attack when the Elephant-masked Anbu said in a grim voice, "It is the Spectral Swordsman!" The Taki ninjas suddenly stopped. Their expressions became grim. Horror could be seen in their eyes! They watched their attacker as if he was the Grimreaper himself! Chapter 242: Timeskip! The 5 Taki ninjas stared at the Spectral Swordsman in front of them and gulped. His information began running through their mind. It was around 6 months ago when murmurs of a swordsman were being heard. It was said that he appeared and disappeared at will. It was said that his victims wouldn''t even know when they were dead until they saw their headless bodies with their detached heads. According to the rumors, there were two features that were identified with the Spectral Swordsman. They were the Hawk mask he wore and two exquisite swords hanging on the right side of his waist.The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. The swordsman was soon called the ''Spectral Swordsman''. Among the minor villages, he was a menace! There were no records of anyone stopping him. Even against the major villages, his record was very good. He would eliminate his target and escape long before any reinforcements could arrive. He was so efficient, that it took over 6 months for someone to actually see him in action! As soon as he was seen, rumors of his appearance spread quickly throughout the ninja world. The ape-masked Anbu shouted, "Don''t be shocked by his reputation! He is just one guy! Stay and fight together! Keep an eye out for his sneak attacks." His words snapped everyone from their shock. They prepared themselves for an intense fight. Chakra flowed through the sword of the Spectral Swordsman as he swung it towards the 7 ninjas. A windstorm consisting of hundreds of sword slashes immediately engulfed the group. The two Iwa Anbu ninjas immediately slammed their hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Multiple Earth Walls Jutsu'' Immediately, dozens of walls of varying sizes appeared from the ground. They surrounded them from multiple sides. Having experienced the Vacuum Bullets, they didn''t want to lock themselves in without any room for escaping. The Windstorm hit the walls and left multiple slashes in the walls. But once again, the walls stood. Behind the wall, the Ape-masked Anbu shouted, "Keep an eye out for those wind bullets! And counterattack once these winds die down!" Even without his warning, everyone was as alert as they could be. The Spectral Swordsman noticed their defense. He opened his mouth and exhaled a horizontal wind wave. However, the core of this wind wave was made of vacuum! The Vacuum Wave hit the walls and cut through them with ease. The enemy ninjas saw the wave and immediately jumped high up to dodge the wave. The wave safely passed from under them and cut off a bunch of trees before leaving a deep scar on the ground! However, their troubles weren''t over. As soon as they jumped to dodge the attack, the swordsman flickered next to them. They watched in horror as he swung his sword once again. The one closest to him had no chance of dodging. His neck was sent flying in the air. Worse, the sword also sent a flying slash towards the rest of them. Three more Taki ninjas couldn''t dodge or use any defensive jutsus and died to the slash. Only the Taki captain and the two Iwa Anbu were able to move out of the way. The Iwa ninjas quickly got back on the ground while weaving hand signs. Elephant-masked Anbu slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Mud River jutsu'' Soon after, a bear-masked and a fox-masked Anbu appeared from the direction from where the Lightning Arrow was shot. Kuma observed the surroundings and said, "Great work as usual, Hawk." Hawk nodded and asked, "I didn''t sense anyone else other than these guys. So is this mission over?" Kuma nodded, "We checked the perimeter and didn''t find anyone else. There shouldn''t be any more danger for Yuya. And if something does happen, he still has Yuto protecting him. In any case, this was the only attack that the commander predicted. It isn''t our job to keep protecting them until they reach their home." Hawk nodded. Of course, the commander who Kuma referred to was Konoha''s Jounin commander and not the Anbu commander. Shikaku had predicted that a move would be made against Ito Yuya, who had good relations with Konoha. Hence, Kuma''s Anbu unit was sent to eliminate the attackers and push the blame on Iwagakure. Kuma approached the dead bodies and instructed, "Turtle, crush them with Earth Release. Make it look like they were killed by Iwagakure ninjas instead of a sword." Turtle nodded and got to work. In a few minutes, he changed how the wounds on everyone''s bodies looked. He stabbed Earth Spears into the wounds made by the Air and Vacuum bullets. As for the ones that were beheaded, he crushed their bodies at the spot of the cut so that they wouldn''t look like a clean cut. If anyone would see their bodies, it would be very unlikely that they could be traced back to the Spectral Swordsman. Hawk inspected the bodies and nodded in satisfaction. The truth is that he had done many more killings than he was given credit for. However, most of them were hidden due to Turtle''s methods. So he was looked at as more of a fable rather than a bloodthirsty killer. After planting some fake evidence, Turtle buried all the bodies in the ground and they left without speaking another word and began returning to Konoha. They returned back to their quarters in the Anbu. After removing their masks, Tsuyoshi said, "Great work as usual. The mission was completed without a hitch." He looked at Fujin and said with a smile, "Fujin, over the last 20 months, your performance has been brilliant. Lord Hokage has acknowledged your performance and asked you to meet him tomorrow." His praise for Fujin wasn''t unjustified. Fujin had fit into the Anbu unit like a glove and seamlessly blended into the Anbu lifestyle. He was efficient, deadly and didn''t seek fame or glory. Despite having a famous title, very few in Konoha knew that it was him. Kaen and Teru''s eyes widened as they realised what Tsuyoshi meant. Fujin nodded and said with a smile, "Alright." Teru immediately patted Fujin''s shoulder and said in excitement, "Congrats, Fujin!" Chapter 243: Settling Debt with Interest! Kaen also realized why Fujin was called by the Hokage. He smiled and said, "Looks like you won the race for promotion to Anbu Captain." He sighed and continued, "Makes sense though considering how many people you have killed. Your Spectral Swordsman title is very well-known and feared." Tsuyoshi shook his head and said, "The Anbu Captain title isn''t handed so easily. You will be given a promotion mission. The mission is usually very difficult. Only if you perform it satisfactorily will you be promoted. Anyways, no point in speculating about it. Take some rest today and ensure that you are at your complete readiness tomorrow."?v€l-B!n. Fujin nodded and said, "Alright Captain. Thank You for all your guidance." The squad dispersed. Unlike the time with his Genin squad, the Anbu squad never hung together other than when they were training or doing missions. Tsuyoshi had instructed them to not appear together in public while they were a part of the Anbu. Due to this the trio of Fujin, Teru and Kean never went out together to eat or party despite being in the same team for over a year and a half! Fujin grabbed a random mask, put it on and walked out of the room while thinking, ''A secret mission huh? I wonder what it will be...'' He thought for a bit and speculated, ''It will most probably be another political scheme by Shikaku. That guy makes way too many schemes. No wonder Konoha''s position is so solid despite being vulnerable militarily for so long. Anyways, it is still early morning. What should I do for the day? Just resting the entire day will be a waste.'' As he was thinking, he walked towards the training facilities of the Anbu. A grin formed on his face behind the mask. With his next step, his physical features transformed. His height increased to 6 feet 6 inches and his body became very slim. On his next step, his chakra signature transformed. It became heavy in Yin chakra. If a sensor were to sense him, it would be very difficult to link him to Fujin. Other than the Wind crystals, Fujin also absorbed energy from Lightning, Fire and Earth crystals. However, his rate of absorption with them was very low. His rate of absorbing Wind energy kept increasing rapidly until he hit a limit. But his other elements didn''t experience such an increase in the rate of absorption and he reached their limits much sooner. Fujin had expected such a result from Fire and Earth crystals but he was disappointed when he couldn''t increase the speed of absorption from Lightning crystals. Of course, despite the slower rate of absorption, it was still very helpful in improving his affinity with those elements. In around three and a half hours, Fujin emptied the Wind crystal. He got up and went into a Lightning training room. These rooms didn''t have the same level of investigative seals. The seals in the Wind Training room didn''t detect that the crystal was empty until another Anbu visited to train his wind element and realized that it was empty. Fujin spent most of his day in the training facility and only returned home late at night. He had dinner and went to sleep. The next day, he once again began his morning with an intense morning workout. Unless he was out on a mission, Fujin never missed his morning workout for even a single day. Instead, his morning workout had gotten even more intense. He had managed to use his previous training seal at its 100% capacity. He created a new seal for himself that had a maximum limit four times higher than the seal Hiruzen had created for him. Fujin returned home after the workout and freshened up for the meeting with Hiruzen. While getting prepared, he took a look at his bracers and thought, ''I have been using these bracers since I became a Genin. Time to change it.'' He took off his bracers. A grin formed on his face as he thought, ''The Spectral Swordsman identity has become too well known. All the Anbu ninjas from the 4 major villages identify me on sight. Even though they don''t know about most of my capabilities, it is annoying when they get on full alert and don''t provide any openings. It''s time to play that card.'' He discarded his old bracers and put on new ones. Unlike his previous ones, these were very thin and of the same color as his skin. So from a distance, it was very difficult to spot them. In addition, he had inscribed dozens of small storage seals on each bracer and stored a variety of weapons in it. His chakra metal swords were also stored in the bracers. Of course, despite being very thin, they were much harder than his previous bracers as they used better metals and Fujin himself worked with the blacksmith to inscribe seals into them to make them as tough as he could. With all preparations made, he placed the seal on his door and flickered towards the Hokage building. Chapter 244: The Bait! Fujin knocked and entered the Hokage''s office. He noticed that Shikaku was also in the room. However, apart from them, no one else was in the room. Even the four Anbu ninjas that usually guarded Hiruzen weren''t there. Hiruzen smiled and asked, "Fujin, how have you been?" He noticed the new bracers Fujin was wearing and immediately noticed the high number of seals inscribed in them. He looked into Fujin''s eyes and meaningfully said, "Good Bracers." Fujin ignored the gaze and the implications behind his words. He replied with a smile, "Thank You, Grandpa. I have been well."The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Hiruzen had gotten used to Fujin ignoring subtle messages. He said, "Your performance in the Anbu has been very good. Both Tsuyoshi and the Anbu commander have recommended me for promoting you to the Anbu Captain rank. However, the Anbu Captain rank is equivalent to the Jounin rank. So to become one, you have to complete a Promotion mission." Fujin nodded and said, "Yes, Captain informed me." Hiruzen looked at Shikaku. Shikaku stepped forward and handed a scroll to Fujin and said, "Recently, we have been getting multiple strange reports from the Land of Wind. We suspect that Sunagakure wants to end the alliance with us while the Daimyo of the Land of Wind doesn''t. Your mission will be to infiltrate into the Land of Wind and cause discontent for Sunagakure among their nobles and make them more inclined to assign missions to Konoha. The scroll has multiple scrolls with details of all the nobles in the Land of Wind, their nature, likes, dislikes, the people precious to them and their current relations with us and Suna along with some recommendations for you. You will act on your own and are free to do whatever you want to make progress in the mission. Just don''t let anyone know that you are from Konoha." Fujin furrowed his eyebrows. The mission was huge. Though he had grown stronger, his strength wasn''t at a level where he could casually influence the relations between a Daimyo and a Kage. Hiruzen and Shikaku noticed his expressions but didn''t say anything. Fujin said, "The mission is too difficult. Though I could make some moves, I am sure that Suna will retaliate immediately. So my actions won''t make much of a difference." Shikaku nodded and said, "Yes, but you don''t need to worry. You aren''t the only one we have sent. Many other Anbu ninjas have been given the same promotion mission. So the attention from Sunagakure will be divided among all of you. Of course, if you think that you can''t continue the mission any more, you are allowed to retreat. In addition, be careful of who you kill as the Anbu ninjas we deployed will be under disguises." A frown formed on Fujin''s face. The mission was not only difficult but it also had several complexities. He sighed and thought, ''Despite the training, most of my missions in the Anbu were straightforward assassination, elimination or protection missions. I guessed that Hiruzen wanted me to focus on those skills. Looks like my guess was wrong. This mission will be a pain in the ass.'' Fujin thought for a few seconds and said, "Alright. Do we have any intel on who the rogue bounty hunters are?" Hiruzen shook his head, "We have eliminated one group who had rogue ninjas from Iwa, but they didn''t have any intel on others. According to our calculations, there are 3 more groups." Fujin said, "Okay. I will move out now." He left the office and began walking casually towards the village gate while thinking, ''Bounty hunters... I haven''t encountered any in this world other than Kakuzu. Anyways, as long as he or any other S rank ninjas aren''t involved, I should be fine. If they are weak, I can eliminate them myself. Otherwise, I will just have to stall them.'' Fujin reached the gate and felt a few eyes on himself. He analyzed, ''Hmm, though there are a bunch of eyes on me, it will be difficult to say who is with the bounty hunters. After all, there are always a bunch of eyes on the village gate. Oh well, let''s see.'' As soon as Fujin left the village, two pairs of eyes sparkled in greed. One of these pairs belonged to a man in his twenties with an ordinary appearance and was operating a firework shop near the village gate. He observed the direction in which Fujin left and couldn''t help but lick his lips. He thought, ''When we made a list of the good targets, this boy topped it. Who knows which gods he offended to get such a big bounty. Unfortunately, this coward didn''t leave the village for so long. But finally, it''s time!'' The man looked at a stall opposite his. The man in that stall also looked back at him. Their eyes met. Both quickly used their methods to inform their respective groups. However, unknown to both of them, one squad of Jounins left the village secretly and followed Fujin from a few kilometers away. If either of the two bounty hunter groups knew about the existence of these ninjas, they wouldn''t dare to approach Fujin even if their courage was amplified a hundred times. After all, this group was led by Konoha''s newest Elite Jounin, Copy Ninja Kakashi! Fujin didn''t sense Kakashi''s squad. However, he wasn''t surprised as he wouldn''t be good bait if they could be sensed so easily. He continued travelling through the woods as if everything was normal, but he didn''t move at his max speed to not create any doubts in the minds of the bounty hunters. Two groups of Bounty hunters quickly moved towards the route from Konoha to the Land of Rain. The first group was made of Rogue ninjas from Kirigakure. They excelled in assassination. Their group contained 11 ninjas. Before betraying, 8 were Chunins in Kiri while the remaining 3 were Jounins. The second group was made of Rogue ninjas from the countries of Lands of Rain, River, Grass, Bird and Bear. This group had 24 people, 11 of whom were Jounins in their village before they went rogue. Both reached the same spot on the route at the same time and got into a standoff. After all, their messengers had also informed them that another group of Bounty Hunters might also be hunting Fujin and neither wanted the other group to get to Fujin first. Chapter 245: I dont wanna be a bait anymore! The two groups of bounty hunters stared at each other. Suddenly, Kido Shiro, one of the Kiri rogues sighed in relief and said loudly, "Thankfully we found them. I was worried that these morons might ambush him closer to Konoha and steal our jackpot!" His statement irked the bounty hunters in the other group. One of them sneered and said, "Aren''t you being too cocky? We outnumber you by more than two to one. Do you think you have a chance to compete against us?" The leader of the Kiri rogues grinned. His name was Higashi Renzo. He was a large muscular guy with hideous scars all over his body. He was being trained to be the next generation of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Unfortunately, before he could complete his training, everything went crazy in that country. Renzo said in a hoarse voice, "You may outnumber us, but do you weaklings think you have any chance against us." A wave of killing intent washed over the other group of bounty hunters. Their expressions became very grim. Though they haven''t ever experienced it, Kiri''s cruel methods and the craziness of their ninjas were well known throughout the world. Ogawa Shingo, the leader of this group exerted his chakra to snap his comrades out of the killing intent unleashed by his opponent. The Kiri ninjas were about to attack but he raised his hand and said, "Stop! If we fight here, we will alert the Konoha ninjas and will be hunted until we are all dead. Even if you are strong, against Konoha, you are nothing but bugs. Not only will you not get the bounty, but you will be hunted. So why not team up? We will ambush the kid together and split the reward on his head. We will each get 10 million Ryo and won''t have to fight each other to death." Shiro immediately said, "Why would we split the rewards with you? As for Konoha ninjas, we will have long killed you all and that brat and left even before those tree huggers sense something is wro..." He was interrupted by a Jounin who said, "Shut up! Renzo, let''s cooperate. The Konoha ninjas are already hunting for us. A huge battle could invite all sorts of trouble." Renzo wanted to fight. However, he couldn''t disregard the concerns of the Jounin who just spoke. After all, he was the only SealMaster in their group and was his second-in-command. Without his help, bounty hunting would become much more risky. Renzo looked at Shingo and said, "Alright, let''s team up." The two groups teamed up and set up an ambush for Fujin. Fujin had a frown on his face. Even after travelling for six hours, no one intercepted or attacked him. He thought, ''Did they sense the trap that Shikaku laid for them? Or were their accomplices on a break when I left the village?'' He continued moving through the vast forests of the Land of Fire while occasionally activating and spreading his chakra field. Finally, after half an hour, he sensed something off. His speed slowed down as he maintained his chakra field and analyzed, ''I can''t sense 4 locations... These guys have a SealMaster within their ranks. That''s annoying. I can''t check how strong they are. But, this might not be entirely bad. Since they are separated, I will hunt them one by one.'' Pakkun replied, "Yes. Fujin is running back in our direction but enemies are faster than him. They will reach him before us." Kakashi said, "Everyone, we will move at our fastest speed!" Guy grinned and said loudly, "Thirty-Five bounty hunters on your first mission as an Elite Jounin! I''d expect nothing less from my eternal rival!" Despite talking, he was the only one in the squad who was able to keep up with Kakashi''s speed. Kakashi didn''t pay attention to Guy''s words as he was confused, ''Didn''t Shikaku say that Fujin was incredibly fast on his feet? How are they faster than him?'' Among the bounty hunters, one of the sensors informed, "His chakra has split into four! According to the intel, he knows the Shadow Clone jutsu. I can''t identify who is the real one!" Renzo commanded, "Keep track of all four of them. If they split, we will also split and chase one each!" Fujin''s clones didn''t split up. The bounty hunters moved incredibly fast and quickly caught up with Fujin. They still maintained the four groups. Two were trying to chase Fujin from the right and left while the remaining two were on his rear. The ones in the rear were led by Renzo and Shingo respectively. Fujin looked back at them and thought, ''Alright, they are close enough.'' Fujin and his clones split into pairs of two and dispersed in opposite directions. This forced the two groups in his rear to split up and move towards the groups on their respective sides. The situation suddenly changed as now the groups on Fujin''s two sides became the closest to him while the groups at his rear lagged behind. Fujin kept observing their positions. Soon, all four groups of bounty hunters and the two pairs of Fujin''s clones were in a straight line, Fujin and his clones stopped and turned around. ''Fire Release: Searing Migraine jutsu'' ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' One clone released the Searing Migraine jutsu while the one next to released the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. The same was replicated by the other pair. The jutsus combined together perfectly and fused into one deadly attack. The bounty hunters who were chasing at their full speed were suddenly stunned to see a massive firestorm head towards them! The attack came without any warning and they had very little time to react. Chapter 246: The Source of Danger On one side, the group closest to Fujin was a Kiri group of 5 led by their third Jounin. The former Kiri Jounin rapidly weaved hand signs. ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'' A water wall appeared in front of his group of 5 just before the combination attack reached them. The jutsu hit the water wall and broke through it as if it was air. A huge amount of steam was released as the entire water wall evaporated! Renzo saw with wide eyes as 5 of his men were being engulfed by the Firestorm. He could hear their screams. He quickly completed hand signs and shouted, "Quickly flood this place!" ''Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave'' The other 5 in his group also used the same jutsu. A huge amount of water was released which formed giant waves and moved towards the incoming attack and their allies. On the other side, a couple of Jounins slammed their hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'' Two walls appeared in front of them. However, the range of the combination attack was too much. It easily engulfed the walls and hit the group regardless. Unlike the battle-hardened Kiri rogues, this group didn''t have the same expertise. For the first time in their lives, they began experiencing the unique feeling of being cooked alive! A few quickly escaped into the ground while the others screamed miserably within the firestorm. The group behind them saw the terror in front of them. Shingo quickly slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Dome'' Seeing the mistake made by the group in front of him, he chose a jutsu that would protect them from all sides. The Fire-Wind combination jutsu engulfed the dome, but the people inside were safe. Water and Fire clashed on the other side of the battlefield. The combined efforts of six ninjas overpowered the combination jutsu and water waves engulfed their allies. The water doused the fire on them and provided them with some relief. Four Kiri rogues were burnt badly. Only the Jounin was in better shape as he had a thin layer of water armor surrounding him. A look of relief appeared on the faces of the six ninjas when suddenly they began feeling the heat. They looked behind themselves and saw in horror as another jutsu of the same scale approached them! However, his expression soon became vicious. He decided, ''Since you have caused us so much loss, I will claim your bounty no matter what! I can not disappoint Lord Mizukage any further!'' The effects of the Fire-Wind combination jutsu had finally begun dissipating. Renzo looked at his subordinates that were still fine. They noticed his gaze and nodded. Soon, 6 bounty hunters from the other group came out of the ground next to the Kiri survivors. They looked at the situation around them in shock. Of the 35 attackers, only 6 were still uninjured. As many as 23 had died or were critically injured. And it had barely been over a couple of minutes since they began chasing after Fujin! Swords appeared in the hands of Fujin and his clones. They flickered towards the bounty hunters. The combination of Searing Migraine and Infinite Breakthrough jutsus was one of his strongest methods. Since this group managed to survive, using the same jutsu once again on them wouldn''t be very effective. After all, he no longer had the element of surprise. Renzo noticed his movements and said, "They are coming, prepare yourself." Everyone readied themselves. Fujin''s attacks had eliminated most of the weaker ones from their ranks. Of the remaining people, half had Jounin ranks before going rogue. Fujin''s clone appeared to one side of the group and swung his sword from 5 meters away. A sword wave was launched at them. The expression of the group became grim. Apart from Renzo, only one person was able to follow the movement of Fujin and his clones. Just before the sword slash could hit them, a barrier appeared around them. The slash hit the barrier and caused it to shake, but it stood erect. Fujin''s eyes landed on the Jounin who created the barrier. He thought, ''So this guy is probably their SealMaster.'' Fujin wasn''t bothered that his attack wasn''t successful. The information he gained in exchange for merely swinging his sword was sufficient. However, before he could attack once more, Renzo left the barrier. He raised his sword and slashed it down on the clone who had just attacked the barrier. Fujin''s clone easily blocked his sword, but couldn''t cut through it as Renzo also used Chakra flow on his sword. At the same time, Shinjo and two Jounins from his group exited the barrier and attacked the other 3 Fujins. Fujin was surprised. He defended while analyzing the barrier, ''It looks like this is a one-way barrier. It prevents entry but allows exit. A good way to keep attacking from a location.'' Suddenly, four more bounty hunters exited the barrier. They were the four chunins, including Shiro, from Renzo''s group. Fujin frowned, he didn''t want to get ganged up on. So the four of them counter-attacked. Renzo was able to hold his opponent back, but the other 3 were feeling overwhelmed. Fujin''s clones barely managed to get away from them and were about to attack the four ninjas that exited the barrier when those ninjas avoided Fujin and ran in four different directions. Fujin was confused. He thought, ''The hell? Are they quitting the group and escaping? Or do they plan to attack me in the back?'' He didn''t want to risk getting pincered and wanted to attack them, but the Jounins caught up and began fighting once again. Since they blocked him, Fujin confirmed, ''They aren''t running away.'' The four ninjas moved and stood surrounding Fujin and the rest. They made the Snake hand seal and clapped their hands. Immediately, a violet barrier began appearing and surrounded Fujin and the other bounty hunters. The barriers formed four walls, a roof and another layer underground, cutting off all means of escape. Fujin was shocked. He muttered, "Four Violet Flames Formation! No wonder I felt such an intense danger." Chapter 247: Fooling Everyone! A grin spread on Renzo''s face. He said, "You are now trapped. I was planning to just kill you and get your head. But since you have killed 4 of my men, I will torture you until you beg for death!" The morale of the remaining hunters in the barrier finally recovered. Fujin thought, ''Just 4? Are there multiple groups here?'' No fear appeared on Fujin''s face. He retorted, "Torture me?" He looked towards his right and said, "I left the village to bait and hunt you down. If you dissolve the formation and surrender, you might be able to keep your life. Otherwise, even if you manage to kill me, your only result will be death!" The bounty hunters were shocked to hear that Fujin was the bait. Renzo and others followed Fujin''s gaze. Their eyes widened as four Konoha ninjas appeared outside the barrier. Shingo muttered with a grim face, "We were schemed against! It is Kakashi of the Sharingan!" Their morale which had just recovered crashed down. Fujin''s words were completely true. They would have a very difficult battle to just kill Fujin. Facing even stronger Konoha ninjas right after it would be a certain death! Meanwhile, Kakashi''s group also had grim faces. Yamanaka Ken said, "Fujin is trapped." Kakashi too had a grim face. He said, "The barrier has a high demand for chakra. And all four ninjas need to keep supplying chakra continuously. We will target one spot and kill one of them." The battlefield entered a deadlock. The Konoha jounins couldn''t interfere. And though the bounty hunters were safe for the moment, they were very fearful for their life. Fujin noticed the distraction and immediately took advantage. The clones gathered chakra. The four jounins facing them noticed it and reacted. However, a dozen Vacuum Bullets were already fired at each of them. Despite the low distance and the fast speed of the bullets, they still moved their body as much as they could. Renzo dodged 10 bullets and the remaining 2 he blocked with his sword. However, cracks spread through his sword due to the power behind the bullets. His expression became dark as he realized, ''If I hadn''t used chakra flow on the swords, the bullets might have pierced straight through them!'' However, the other 3 weren''t as strong as him. They could only move sufficiently for the bullets to miss their vital organs. A bullet grazed the right arm of Shingo. It left a cut so deep that even his bone was visible. The other two were hit by two to three Vacuum Bullets each. Unfortunately for those two, they were once again standing right behind each other. So despite dodging, they were targeted by the Vacuum Bullets heading towards them from their back. One of them was very unlucky. A vacuum bullet hit his back and pierced straight through his heart. He dropped dead. The other one had a couple more holes created in his body but luckily avoided any critical injuries. Renzo shouted in panic, "Hang on! The barrier must not fall!" The four rogue ninjas gritted their teeth and forcefully maintained the formation. Kakashi and the rest didn''t manage to enter inside. Renzo looked viciously at Fujin and said, "That was stupid! Without clones, you are an easy target for us!" He immediately ran towards Fujin who was breathing roughly. Everyone could see that he was exhausted. Guy was getting restless, but Kakashi said, "It''s fine, just watch." Renzo swung his sword at Fujin. Fujin deflected his blow with his sword and punched him with his left hand. Renzo punched back at his fist. However, Fujin opened his fist at the last moment and caught Renzo''s fist. A grin broke on his face. Renzo suddenly had a bad feeling. Without a word, Fujin exploded! All the bounty hunters were stunned. The explosion created a dust cloud. In a second, a body was launched out of the dust cloud. He landed a few meters away. It was Renzo. His left arm was completely blown off! His chest, abdomen, face and thighs had hideous burns and were covered in blood. In addition to the existing horrible scars, his entire appearance looked similar to that of a terrifying demon! One of the bounty hunters muttered in disbelief, "Did he explode his main body?" Renzo replied with a hoarse voice, "It was a shadow clone!" A sense of disbelief and shock spread through the four ninjas maintaining the barrier and the remaining seven ninjas inside the barrier. Such huge casualties were inflicted upon them by merely shadow clones. Finally, one said, "No wonder he has a 20 million bounty! No, even a 20 million bounty is low for him." Outside the barrier, everyone other than Kakashi and Pakkun was shocked. Yamanaka Ken exclaimed, "That was a shadow clone? Where is his real body?" On cue, Fujin flickered behind him. They quickly turned around to see him. There wasn''t a single scratch on his body. Guy and the others realised that Kakashi and Pakkun had smelled his scent and hence stopped attacking the formation. Kakashi looked at him and memories regarding Fujin''s graduation exam surfaced. Fujin had made quite an impact that day by asking for a chakra metal sword. Kakashi never imagined that the boy would become so strong in just a few years. He said, "Good work." Guy had no idea how Fujin managed to achieve this. But he didn''t care. He raised his thumb and said with a grin, "You are good! I can feel the power of youth flowing through you!" The two Yamanaka ninjas also looked at Fujin with surprise in their eyes. The bounty hunters in the barrier noticed Fujin outside the barrier. They had already expected. However, the eyes of the SealMaster widened. He exclaimed in horror, "His chakra!" Chapter 248: The Formation Breaks... Renzo ignored his missing arm and all his injuries and tried to analyze when Fujin switched with a clone. He realized, ''According to the intel, he moves very fast. That is why we set up the trap and prepared the formation in the first place. However, when he escaped, his speed didn''t match the intel. But our minds were too occupied with claiming his bounty and we didn''t notice the anomaly. He probably switched himself with a clone even before we exited the hidden bases while his clones moved slowly to catch us off-guard with that combination jutsu.'' Renzo''s analysis was very close to the truth. Fujin created a shadow clone with 20% of his chakra and escaped right after sensing that he was facing 35 enemies. He hid his chakra signature and scent and moved without making any sounds or leaving any trail due to which the sensors among the bounty hunters never sensed his main body. Later on, when he saw the Four Violet Flames Formation, Fujin realized why he was feeling a sense of danger. After realizing that his backup was Kakashi, he stopped hiding his scent so that Kakashi could smell his scent and stop worrying. While it could expose a flaw to the bounty hunters, Fujin didn''t care as the bounty hunters were already in deep trouble. Inside the barrier, everyone looked at the SealMaster, who was also a sensor, as he exclaimed loudly, "His chakra!" Renzo looked at him and asked, "What about his chakra?" The SealMaster gulped and said, "It''s massive! It''s almost twice your maximum chakra, Renzo. He likely only used around 20-25% of his chakra on those 4 shadow clones." The eyes of the ninjas inside the barrier widened in horror as they took a look at Fujin once again. Though Fujin had improved a lot during his time in the Anbu, his biggest improvement was the increase in his chakra reserves. As Ryu had speculated, the growth in Fujin''s chakra reserves had begun slowing down. But thanks to the fact that his chakra reserves were already comparable to a Jounin and the aid provided by the Elemental crystals, his growth was still massive. His chakra reserves had grown by three times in the last 20 months. In another six months, his chakra reserves would reach the same level as Renjiro''s. However, Fujin did sense that his growth was slowing down rapidly. So he wasn''t sure about reaching Hiruzen''s level of chakra at his current rate. Kakashi looked at the spot where Fujin''s three clones had exploded and said, "Focus your jutsus on that ninja again." The Konoha ninjas were about to attack when Fujin said, "Wait, I''ll give them a few more explosions." He created 6 shadow clones, each with 5% of his chakra. Three flickered close to Shiro while the other 3 flickered close to the other three ninjas maintaining the formation. Kakashi nodded and weaved a few hand signs as well. ''Lightning Release: Shadow Clone jutsu'' Guy immediately noticed that his opponent was in a lot of pain. He didn''t miss the opportunity and bombarded Shingo with punches and kicks. Shingo, who dared to match Guy in Taijutsu despite his injuries, was overwhelmed! He was beaten to a bloody pulp. Guy knocked him unconscious and tied him up while thinking, ''Lord Hokage wanted some prisoners to check their memories. This guy looked quite strong. He should have some information.'' Some distance away from where Guy and Shingo were fighting, Fujin flickered behind one of the three remaining subordinates of Shingo. The bounty hunter noticed Fujin and turned around to fight. However, he was already very exhausted. There were dozens of small cuts on his body from the earlier fights. He had seen Fujin''s clones cut through kunais with ease. So he began weaving hand signs. However, Fujin opened his mouth and shot 8 Vacuum Bullets. One bullet was aimed at his forehead and another was aimed at his heart. The remaining six were to cut off his escape route. The bounty hunter moved his head out of the way and tried to twist his body. However, the Vacuum Bullets were too fast. One grazed past his face and tore his right cheek and ear off. His bloody teeth could be seen. Another bullet hit his rib cage and pierced through his chest. It avoided his heart, but he was on his last legs. With a swing of Fujin''s sword, he was beheaded. Fujin spread his chakra field to observe the other battles. He noticed, ''So Kakashi has already killed their leader. My clones and that guy have killed their opponents as well. Guy should win soon too. So just that SealMaster and the one-legged bounty hunter are alive.'' Fujin sensed that Kakashi was moving towards the one-legged guy. So he moved towards the SealMaster. Fujin''s clones followed him as well. Yamanaka Ken had confronted the SealMaster. Both entered in a fight and were evenly matched. The only bounty hunter who wasn''t attacked so far was the one-legged Jounin from Kiri. Despite having just one leg, he was moving quite fast through the forest. Unfortunately, Kakashi killed Renzo too quickly. He immediately gave chase and caught up. The Jounin noticed Kakashi and immediately turned around and weaved hand signs. Kakashi noticed his hand signs and weaved hand signs as well. ''Water Release: Water Clone jutsu'' ''Fire Release: Fireball jutsu'' 4 Water clones appeared next to the Kiri rogue. They saw a giant fireball headed straight at them. One of the clones weaved hand signs. ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'' A water wall appeared in front of them. The Fireball hit it and exploded. A lot of water was turned into smoke and covered the area while the rest was splashed back at the ninja and his clones. They were about to attack once again when a sound of Lightning was heard. Lightning travelled through the water that was splashed on them and electrocuted them all! All four water clones were instantly dispelled. The one-legged Jounin''s eyes widened. He realised, ''He used my own jutsu against me!'' He barely maintained his consciousness. However, Kakashi appeared in front of him and placed his right hand on his chest. Immediately, an intense current passed through his body and knocked him out. Kakashi tied him up and placed a seal on his chest and thought, ''One captured alive. Guy should have captured his opponent as well. This mission is successful.'' Chapter 249: Eight Gate Lock-Up ''Water Release: Water Needles jutsu'' Water split into hundreds of drops. Each drop turned into a needle and rained at Yamanaka Ken. Ken immediately flickered out of the way while making his hand seal. He flickered once again to get close to his opponent. ''Mind Destruction Jutsu'' His opponent immediately moved out of the way and jumped on a branch behind him. Suddenly, his eyes widened. A Vacuum bullet hit his chest and pierced straight through it. However, his body turned into water and collapsed. A few meters behind him, his body appeared once again. He looked at Fujin and said, "You can hide your chakra. No wonder I didn''t sense you back then. But now that I know it, hiding it is useless." Fujin didn''t reply but Ken flickered close to him once again and tried using the same jutsu. The SealMaster took out a scroll and jumped back on the ground to dodge Ken''s attack. He opened the scroll and smeared his blood across it and weaved a few hand signs rapidly. Fujin frowned and wondered, ''Is he attempting to reverse summon himself somehow?'' Chakra gathered in his mouth as he shot a few Vacuum Bullets at him. At the same time, Ken once again used the Mind Destruction jutsu. However, a black tortoise projection made entirely of chakra appeared between Fujin and the SealMaster. Fujin''s Vacuum bullets hit the shell of the tortoise and were stopped. At the same time, an Azure Dragon projection appeared between Ken and him. The jutsu hit the Dragon but had no impact on him. Fujin frowned as he analyzed, ''A barrier?'' At the same time, projections of a Vermillion Bird and a White Tiger were also formed around him. After tanking the jutsus, the projections collapsed and transformed into a barrier around him. The walls of the barrier had the image of those four mythical beasts. A smile formed on his face. Fujin gathered a large amount of chakra while changing his location. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Cannon jutsu'' Fujin shot the powerful Vacuum Cannon at the wall which had the Vermillion Bird image. The entire barrier shook, but not a single crack appeared on it. The ninja inside the barrier also looked completely fine. He taunted, "This is my strongest barrier. You can keep attacking for days, it won''t fall! Your mind control jutsus will also not work against my barrier!" Fujin was surprised. He analyzed, ''This barrier is smaller, but it is even more sturdy than the Four Violet Flames Formation. Worse, it doesn''t look like it is using his chakra. I won''t be able to crack it using Shadow Clone Explosions. Fujin immediately snorted, "You are deep within the Land of Fire. Let me see how long you will keep hiding here." He dispelled his clones and got some chakra back. He sat at some distance from the barrier in case the barrier had any more peculiar means. His eyes began glowing as he started observing the barrier properly. The two Yamanakas who were escaping underground had it rough. As the ground cracked, some heat entered the ground. After flickering a few times, Fujin turned around to see. The fire had spread for almost 300 meters from the explosion spot. He was surprised, ''What a crazy bastard! That barrier was a trap. He didn''t intend to protect himself. He just wanted to use its chakra to amplify the explosions from those tags. He even used all his own chakra to amplify the explosions!'' Soon, the explosion died down and only the fire remained. A few water dragons appeared in between the fire and moved through the fire and began dousing it. The water also entered into the cracks in the ground. The two Yamanakas sensed it and left the underground. Fujin sensed that they were all fine. So he flickered back towards where Kakashi was. He first looked at the spot of the explosion. There was no sign of any dead body. The SealMaster''s body was completely obliterated. Fujin looked at the two Yamanakas and asked, "Are you two alright?" Both of them had several burns on their skin. Ken nodded and said, "It''s fine. It''s just minor burns." He looked at Kakashi and asked, "Why did that bastard commit suicide? Wouldn''t accepting your offer be much better for him?" Kakashi replied, "More than suicide, it looked like he wanted to burn all the dead bodies. This way, we won''t be able to gain any intel from them. Of course, if he managed to kill any of us, that would have been a bonus for him." Ken looked around and frowned, "All the dead bodies will have been burnt by the fire. We won''t be able to read their memories now. It looks like he wanted to hide something crucial." He looked at the two ninjas that Kakashi and Guy had captured and added, "Information that these two wouldn''t have." Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes. I guess he didn''t know about this." He took out a scroll and opened it. He made a hand seal and Renzo''s body popped out. He said, "I had stored his body as he was likely their leader. Read his memories." Yamanaka Ken nodded and immediately got to work. He placed his palm on the forehead of the dead body and inserted his chakra into his head to inspect his memories. Fujin''s eyes were glued to him. The Yamanaka clan''s ability to read memories of dead bodies was something he had wanted for some time. Unfortunately, he didn''t get to visit the T&I department frequently. During his time in the Anbu, he had only seen it being done thrice. Fujin analyzed, ''Just like before, the chakra that invades the brain of the dead body is pure Yin chakra. It is almost entirely the opposite of medical ninjutsu. But, how exactly does this work?'' Despite observing it for the fourth time, he didn''t have any idea about the internal workings of the jutsu. Though he had killed hundreds of people, his Anbu squad would always be close by. He never got to experiment on the dead bodies. And he had no intention of experimenting on the only dead body still in his possession. Chapter 250: My Shamelessness is Not Enough!! Ken continued reading his memories for a few minutes. Sweat appeared on Ken''s body. It was apparent that reading memories from a dead body was very taxing on him. Finally, he let him go. His expression was grim. Kakashi asked, "Did you get any information from him?" Ken nodded and said, "I couldn''t read all his memories, but the ones that I could show that this bounty hunting was a scheme made by Kirigakure." Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows. Ken continued, "He hadn''t gone rogue. Instead, he was given a mission by an elder from the Mizukage faction from Kirigakure. They currently have a huge advantage against the rebels who are hiding. Since they are hiding, the forces of Mizukage are ideal. But, the rebellion means that no one will issue missions there. So to raise funds, they issued him a mission. He was to go rogue, get in touch with other rogue Kiri ninjas and form a bounty hunter group. After collecting the bounties, they would secretly send the majority of the bounty to Kirigakure. That SealMaster was assigned as his deputy for this mission. Apart from them, all others were actual rogue nins who got used." Ken''s words left the four Konoha ninjas speechless. Even after going rogue, those guys were still being made to work for Kirigakure unknowingly. Fujin couldn''t help but think, ''What a scheme! And what shamelessness! Sigh, every time I think that I am getting too shameless, this world gives me a reality check. These bastards are a hundred times more shameless than me! I need to improve myself.'' Back in Konoha, a chill passed through the spine of Hiruzen. He immediately got alert and observed his surroundings. He didn''t notice anything weird and wondered, ''Why did it suddenly feel like someone wanted to take everything from me? Are any of my former students or teammates scheming something? It has been a while since I have paid attention to their movements.'' Back in the vast forests in the Land of Fire, Kakashi said, "It is a great scheme. The high number of ninjas going rogue should weaken them. But now, they have managed to make use of them instead. I guess that they have also sent guys like him to other villages." He looked at the other Yamanaka ninja and said, "You inspect his memories as well." The ninja nodded and got to work. Kakashi looked at Fujin and said, "According to our intel, the bounty hunter''s group shouldn''t have been so big. I guess two different groups allied together. We should be able to confirm it after checking their memories." Fujin nodded. He had the same analysis after Renzo threatened him. Kakashi continued, "This mission is done, will you be coming back with us?" Fujin shook his head and answered, "No, I have another mission. I will take my leave." Kakashi nodded. Fujin flickered away. Guy looked at him and said, "He is quite strong, Kakashi. There weren''t even half the bounty hunters alive by the time we reached." Kakashi nodded. He said, "Lord Third is very positive about his prospects. I guess his progress shouldn''t be very surprising. Anyways, let''s clean up the battlefield." Ryota said in a diplomatic tone, "As honored guests of our city, we trust that you will adhere to our laws and customs during your stay. Please be mindful of the city''s regulations and treat our citizens and fellow traders with respect. Enjoy your time in the Wind Capital and may your business ventures be prosperous." Hiroshi bowed deeply once again and said, "We are humbled by your hospitality, Captain Ryota. We shall uphold the highest standards of conduct and contribute positively to the commerce of this remarkable city." Hiroshi and his fellow traders entered the city along with their caravan. As soon as they did, they were immediately captivated by the stunning contrasts and breathtaking sights in the city! The streets wound through the city like intricate mazes and provided shelter from the scorching sun. Buildings of varying heights and styles rose proudly, their architecture inspired by the desert environment. Majestic minarets and ornate domes punctuated the skyline as their golden surfaces glimmered under the brilliant sun. Hiroshi couldn''t help but mutter in awe, "So beautiful!" Ryota smirked and said, "Everyone who enters this city for the first time feels the same." Hiroshi nodded and replied, "It''s difficult to feel anything else." Ryota nodded. Hiroshi said, "I''d love to keep watching. Unfortunately, some of my goods are perishable. Could you tell me where the markets are situated, Captain Ryota?" Ryota nodded and provided him with the information. Hiroshi and the other traders began moving according to his instructions. Soon they left the sight of those Samurais. Immediately, every trader''s expression changed. The awe and captivation disappeared from their faces. Hiroshi said in a neutral voice, "Sell all of our products." All the traders immediately got to work. Hiroshi kept observing the city. They had goods in bulk. So they found appropriate buyers and sold all their goods at low prices. In a few hours, their entire caravan was empty. Hiroshi took all the money and said aloud, "Since we made the dangerous journey successfully and have plenty of money, we should enjoy some time in this village. Of course, in our time here, we will also check which goods are the most appropriate and profitable to trade. So enjoy yourself for the next few months." The traders smiled and rejoiced on getting a long break. They split into groups and left in different directions under the envious gazes of some people. Though trading was very risky, if done successfully, it was very rewarding! Hiroshi left alone and booked a room in one of the most expensive hotels in the Wind Capital. He stood on the balcony and saw the sunset. A golden hue was cast across the city making it seem even more breathtaking than ever. A smile formed on his face as he thought, ''In terms of the scenery, the Wind Capital is leagues ahead of the Fire Capital.'' Chapter 251: The Neverending War As the sun set, a bunch of memories started popping up in his mind. He analyzed all the memories and thought, ''Good, all my clones have safely dispelled themselves. No one noticed them. Finally, it''s time to begin my mission.'' One week ago : After eliminating the two groups of bounty hunters, Fujin split off from Kakashi''s group and continued his journey forward. However, the fight had exhausted nearly half his chakra. So he decided to take a break in a nearby town. He entered the town after using the Transformation jutsu and looked for an ordinary hotel. After renting a room, Fujin opened the scrolls Shikaku had handed him and began reading. The scrolls had a lot of details regarding the nobles in the Land of Wind. It contained a detailed list of all nobles, their families, friends and their political standings. After a few hours, Fujin let out a sigh. He muttered in his mind, ''I used to think that the number of ninjas is quite high. But, until I joined the Anbu, I never ever imagined that the number of nobles would be this high. Every major country has at least a couple of thousand people related to the Daimyo. Do they spend all their time breeding? And Shikaku''s reports have over 500 nobles who he wants to be targeted. Sigh, when we talk about wars, everyone only thinks about the three Great Wars that have happened. Meanwhile, everyone is worried about when the Fourth Great Ninja War will happen. But, in reality, the 5 major villages are at war with each other constantly with no breaks. It''s just that these wars don''t have a battlefield. Instead, they are fought by the special forces of each village. Instead of clashing openly, the war is about sabotaging others while increasing your own influence. In the last 12 months, I have basically been targetting nobles in the nearby smaller countries who are against Konoha. Like in the previous mission, we killed the forces of that noble from the Land of Waterfall who sided with Iwa. The end result of such clashes is to make these nobles favor your village and hate the enemy''s villages. And in this competition, Konoha has a huge advantage. Other than the Land of Rain, every neighbouring country favors Konoha more than its other neighbours. The superiority of Hiruzen and Shikaku''s scheming abilities can be seen through this. Of course, there is another big reason. Konoha has no ambition to claim the lands of other countries. But other countries want Konoha''s lands. However, the smaller countries act as a buffer between them. If some country successfully manages to capture territory within the Land of Fire, the smaller countries acting as a buffer will also have to be conquered by them or at least some parts of the country would have to be annexed. And if Konoha couldn''t resist them, there''s no way any smaller country could resist them.'' Fujin let out a sigh and thought, ''When I first read Naruto, I was disgusted by the fact that Kumo tried to kidnap a little girl. If kidnapped, her fate would have been terrible. Just the thought of it was revolting. But, now it doesn''t seem very extreme. ''Earth Release: Underground Camp jutsu'' He poured his chakra into the ground as the rocks and sand began moving. In a few minutes, one small underground room was formed. Fujin inscribed a seal on the wall of this room and thought, ''Good. Now if anyone passes through this route, the seals will detect the vibrations in the ground and cause this seal to light up. I will wait here for up to a week. If no one shows up, then I will try to actively find a group of travellers instead of just sitting here.'' Fujin carved some seals to ensure that the room can''t be sensed. He entered it and rested while waiting patiently. In the next 2 days, the seal lit up thrice. Fujin exited the room to observe each time. Unfortunately, all three groups were ninja squads from Suna. Luckily, none of them was sensing when Fujin exited the room. So his location stayed hidden. Finally, on the 3rd day, the seal lit up once again. Fujin sighed and muttered, ''If it is another group of ninjas, I will kill and impersonate them instead of traders or merchants.'' He exited the room. Chakra gathered in his eyes as he began observing the chakra signature while staying under the sand. A smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''Finally! A group of sixteen people. Twelve have civilian levels of chakra while four have Chunin levels of chakra.'' He made a hand seal and his figure disappeared from under the sand. Suddenly, one of the four ninjas turned and looked at where Fujin was. The ninja next to him asked, "Did you notice something, captain?" The captain replied, "It felt like a breeze suddenly passed through that area. Leave it, I might be imagining it." They continued on their journey. After travelling for around 2 kilometers, one of the ninjas said, "Captain, there is someone ahead." The ninjas got alert. The Captain said loudly, "Be careful everyone. It might be another bandit group." However, the ninja shook his head and said, "No captain. It is only one person and his chakra is very low. So he isn''t a ninja." The group travelled forward carefully. After a couple of hundred meters, they saw the person. He was a man in terrible shape. His clothes were torn in multiple places and dyed in blood. He had multiple injuries on his body. He turned his head towards them and hope appeared in his eyes. Chapter 252: Test Subjects The man immediately got up and walked towards the caravan. However, he was limping. The group noticed a deep cut just above his left knee. The man walked to them with tears running down his face and hurriedly begged, "Please help me! I am a trader just like you but my caravan was attacked by desert bandits. All of us were captured. I luckily managed to escape but they are still hunting for me. Please hel...!" However, before he could finish speaking, a kick landed on his chest and sent him flying backwards. A look of shock appeared on the face of the man. He looked at them in disbelief. The four ninjas were wearing headbands that didn''t belong to any ninja village. The caravan had a flag of the Land of Bird country. The man still begged, "Please help us and save my friends. If not, at least take me with you. I don''t want to die here." One of the ninjas looked at him and asked, "What do we do with him, Captain?" The captain shook his head and said, "It''s better to kill him. If he is planted by a bandit group, then we might get in trouble." Behind him, the leader of the traders, Hiroshi said, "Just kill him and get moving. I don''t want to delay my first trade." The injured man heard the words carefully. Fear showed on his face. One of the ninjas grinned and walked forward, "You heard him. You can say goodbye to your pathetic life." He grabbed a kunai and walked towards the man. The man looked at him with terror in his eyes. He raised the kunai and was about to attack when his head was sent flying into the air. The traders and the ninjas, who were looking at the spectacle with ridicule in their eyes, were suddenly shocked. Before they could even react, the heads of the remaining three ninjas were also sent flying. Terror flooded into the minds of each of the twelve traders as they saw the injured man behead the ninjas they hired for their safety. Unfortunately, I have no idea which those regions are. The library didn''t have any information regarding this. I am sure my previous world had better information about this. Unfortunately, I hadn''t studied biology for years. I simply don''t have any memories regarding this.'' Fujin analyzed for a few minutes before sighing, ''Leave it. I can''t think of anything good. I will just experiment on them.'' Fujin experimented on the 3 detached heads. The first two had their brains destroyed. On the last one, his chakra control with the Yin chakra became much better. He managed to continue invading his brain with Yin chakra without turning it into mush. However, he didn''t get any memories from it. Fujin wondered, ''Do I need to make more modifications to my Yin chakra or move it in a certain way to read memories?'' He couldn''t say for sure. He looked towards the 12 unconscious traders and muttered, "I hope I have luck with living test subjects." He walked towards one trader, tied his limbs and woke him up. The trader woke up terrified. He shouted and begged, but Fujin didn''t pay any attention to him. He placed a hand on his head and began inserting Yin chakra into his head. He delicately controlled his chakra to enter his brain and access the neural networks in his cerebral cortex. However, the man suddenly yelled. Soon, his expression changed. He spoke gibberish and he began making weird faces. Fujin looked at him with a solemn expression, ''He has become intellectually impaired! Another reason why I should never let anyone try to read my memories. If they wish to harm me, I won''t even be able to resist!'' Fujin continued trying to read his memories until his brain was destroyed and he stopped moving and dropped dead. Fujin experimented on the remaining 11 traders and all faced the same result. Fujin sighed and began storing everyone''s dead bodies in scrolls. He stored the four dead ninjas in one scroll and the 12 dead traders in another. He placed the scroll of the dead ninjas in the underground room he had created and completely sealed it up. He analyzed, ''If the mercenary group had any means of tracking them, they would be led here. Even if they find the blood where I killed them, they will only find the blood of these 4 ninjas.'' Fujin walked back to the caravan and created shadow clones. They transformed into the eleven traders while Fujjn transformed into Hiroshi. They buried the sand dyed in blood a few meters below the surface and began their journey to the Wind Capital. Mid-route, Fujin made another Shadow clone who travelled a few kilometers and buried the scroll with the dead bodies of the traders deep within the sand. In these vast deserts, the chances of it being found were negligible. Chapter 253: Assassination Fujin was enjoying his evening breakfast on his balcony while enjoying the beautiful sunset. He thought, ''This lifestyle is kinda good. I see why so many ninjas want to be recruited by a Daimyo. Unlike the daily life of going through deadly missions and not knowing whether you''d live or not, the life here is just too relaxing and stress-free.'' Fujin had stayed in the Wind Capital for a couple of weeks. He spent it relaxing in his luxurious hotel room and sightseeing around the city. He analyzed, ''There hadn''t been any news about anyone looking for Hiroshi or the ninjas protecting them. So I should be able to maintain this identity for some time.'' He turned his eyes towards a few mansions in the city. They were quite far from his location but still visible. Though he couldn''t see every detail, he knew that a few were moving sneakily into those mansions. Just like Fujin, one Noble was enjoying his life in one of the mansions Fujin eyed. He was enjoying his luxurious life while thinking, ''I am so glad that the Damiyo decided to favor Konoha instead of Suna. Otherwise, there is no way I would be able to sign such a huge deal with the Kazekage! Once the deal is finalized, money will start rolling into this mansion! Hahaha.'' At that moment, a maid entered the room. She was in her teens and looked very beautiful. The Noble, who was in his fifties, lecherously eyed her. She brought a tray filled with various sushi to him and said respectfully, "My Lord." The Noble looked at it and said, "It looks delicious." He turned his eyes towards her and said, "I am sure it''d taste even better if you feed it to me." He opened his mouth wide open. The maid knew about how perverted he was. Unfortunately, she had no other option. She picked up a piece of sushi and was about to feed him when she saw a red line appearing on his throat. Before she could think, the line split open and blood sprayed out and covered the maid''s face and chest. She freaked out and screamed loudly! Immediately, a Samurai appeared in the room and asked, "Lord Atsushi, What happene..." His words were stuck in his mouth as he saw the noble he was supposed to protect lying in his chair with his throat cut open with the maid standing in shock in front of him. He got angry and muttered, "Someone dared to kill a person protected by me? They are disrespecting the great name of Isamu! I will kill them." He quickly approached the maid and asked her menacingly, "Did you kill him?" The maid was terrified by his expression. She feared the worst. Unfortunately, there wasn''t much she could do. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she said, "No, I didn''t do it. I was about to feed him when a red line appeared on his neck and split it open." Isamu believed her. He thought, ''She isn''t lying. It looks like the work of a ninja. A Wind user to be specific. Did he upset Suna during the negotiations? Or is someone trying to frame Suna?'' Chakra gathered in his eyes as he began to observe everything in the mansion. Suddenly he discovered, ''Hmm? Since when did someone with so much chakra appear in the mansion? He must be the culprit.'' Chakra flowed through his sword as he stabbed it into the floor. A hole appeared in the floor and he jumped on the floor below. In front of him was a butler. Isamu looked at him and said, "Good disguise. If it was someone else, they''d be fooled." A couple of servants nodded and left. The doctor removed Isamu''s armor and clothes around the cuts. He provided first aid and stopped the bleeding. Suddenly, loud wailing was heard from the floor above. The family members of the Noble were crying due to his loss. After a couple of minutes, his son walked down and saw the doctor treating Isamu while his father was completely ignored. He shouted, "How dare you treat others when my father has died? Leave them to die along with him." His expression became cruel as he said, "In fact, all of you should join him too!" Fear appeared on the face of all servants. However, the doctor was calm. He continued cleaning the wounds and said without looking at him, "Young Master, he is a Samurai from the Land of Iron. A proper explanation has to be given every time a Samurai dies. If the Land of Iron finds out that a Samurai died because you didn''t allow him to be treated, you and your whole family might have to join your father. Even Lord Daimyo won''t do anything to save you." His words caused the young master to be covered in sweat. He gritted his teeth and said, "I will remember this." He quickly left the room and walked back towards his father. The doctor let out a sigh. He thought, ''I have completely offended him. Oh well, if I didn''t, he''d have killed me anyway. As long as I save Isamu, I will be safe.'' Soon all the bleeding stopped. The doctor began the blood transfusion to stabilize his condition. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "He will be fine." His words caused relief to spread among the servants in the mansion. The doctor turned his attention towards the maid and inspected her. Soon he got up and said, "She has just lost consciousness due to being terrified. She will be fine." The servants tended to both of them while waiting for the medical ninja to arrive. In around an hour, a medical ninja arrived. The doctor exchanged a few words with him and he began inspecting Isamu. He nodded his head and said, "You have done a great job." He weaved a few hand signs and extended his palms towards Isamu. ''Mystical Palm jutsu'' The chapter name of the latest chapter on P@treon - Killing Tsuchikage with One Hand tied behind the back! Chapter 254: Framing Sunagakure Chakra poured from the Medical ninja''s hands. One by one, he completely healed every cut on Isamu''s body. Only some scars were left behind. Soon, Isamu woke up. The memories of nearly dying returned to his mind. He sat straight and began sweating profusely due to fear. The medical ninja noticed his condition and placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "Don''t worry, you are alright. Do you recall what happened?" His words snapped Isamu out of his shock. He looked down at his body and thought, ''I thought I was dead for sure. The enemy was much stronger than me. I was no match. Did he assume that I was dead and left in a hurry?'' He turned his eyes towards the medical ninja and became scared once again. He thought, ''First a Suna Anbu almost kills me and then a Suna medical ninja saves me? What the heck are these guys playing at?'' The medical ninja saw the fear in Isamu''s eyes and frowned. It felt as if Isamu was afraid of him. He asked, "Who injured you?" Having just gotten another chance to live, Isamu didn''t wish to risk it again. He replied, "I can''t say as I didn''t see his face. I need to make a report to Lord Daimyo. After all, he killed the noble I was assigned to protect!" At the same time, a doubt appeared in his mind, ''The ninja who attacked me was very well-versed in Wind jutsus. He was a natural at it. But, could it be that someone from another village was impersonating to frame Suna? I was certain that he was from Suna. The only flaw is that he left me alive. After all, it wouldn''t make much sense for him to not ensure that I am dead. The only way he would profit is if he is an enemy of Suna and the blame falls on Sunagakure entirely.'' He thought a lot but couldn''t come up with a definite answer. He decided, ''Leave it. I will report the event as it is to the Daimyo. I will let Daimyo make the decision.'' He was about to get up when the doctor softly said, "Lord, we need your help." Isamu squinted his eyes and looked at him. The doctor informed the actions of the young master. Anger appeared in Isamu''s eyes. However, he couldn''t take action directly. He said loudly, "Anyone who wants to leave this mansion, can do so along with me. I will ask Lord Daimyo to ensure that you don''t suffer injustice." Smiles and relief appeared on everyone''s faces. They were about to leave the Mansion when another Samurai appeared in front of them. Isamu noticed him and quickly bowed down, "Lord Hajime." Isamu had a bitter expression. He said, "Everyone can see that the Daimyo has been upset with them since the time they lost in the Third Great Ninja War. We were unfortunately the ones to be caught in between them." Hajime agreed and said, "Yes. But, we can''t take any decision regarding this. I have to meet with Daimyo. You take care of your health." He was about to leave when Isamu stopped him and informed him about the actions of Atsushi''s son. Hajime frowned and said, "Leave the mansion and take everyone with you. I''ll ask Daimyo to take appropriate actions for them. A family that treats people like this will fall no matter how rich or influential they are." He left the mansion. Following him, Isamu and every commoner employed in the mansion left, only leaving Atsushi''s stunned family in the mansion. Back in the hotel, Fujin received the memories of his ten clones. He analyzed, ''Everything went as planned. Now it''s time to be patient.'' Throughout the night, Samurais kept moving around the city. The security had become very tight. Many sudden inspections were being carried out. However, Fujin wasn''t affected. It wasn''t surprising as the number of civilians far exceeded the number of samurais and ninjas working under the Wind Daimyo. He did sense numerous chakra fields covering him. However, no one detected anything strange about him. These acts made the city quite tense. The next morning, two pieces of information spread through the city. The first one caused panic and restlessness among the civilian population. After all, ten Nobles were murdered in broad daylight! If Nobles who were protected by Samurais weren''t safe, then how could common people feel safe? However, the second news made everyone feel peculiar and amused them. Rumors floated in the city that a Noble''s family threatened to execute all servants. So everyone serving that family quit and left the mansion. The Daimyo himself had given assurances that these people wouldn''t be harmed. In addition, no new worker signed up to serve that family due to the bad reputation it gained, making them a joke in the Wind Capital. As the culprit behind the assassinations, Fujin was sitting relaxed in his room. He analyzed, ''These ten were all very close to Sunagakure according to the scrolls. Now that they are dead and Suna is the first suspect, their families will stop relying on Suna. Since the Land of Wind and Fire are allied, Konoha will become their new reliance soon. Even if they don''t ally with Konoha and continue the same level of interaction with Suna, it isn''t actually our loss as just the status quo is maintained. In addition, the Daimyo and remaining Nobles will now be very alert against Sunagakure. Though they can''t pin the blame on Suna, seeds of doubt will take root in their minds. Of course, just this isn''t enough. I''ll have to keep providing water to these seeds to create the required effect.'' Numerous plans and schemes kept running through Fujin''s mind. For quite some time, the Wind Capital was fated to remain restless. Chapter 255: Sunagakure makes a move Sunagakure, Kazekage Building : A ninja was hurrying inside the Kazekage building. Without waiting to knock and get permission, he opened the door and said loudly, "Lord Rasa, we have an important matter." Rasa frowned. He was in a meeting. He looked at them and said, "We will continue the talks later." Everyone nodded and left the meeting. Rasa looked with annoyance and asked, "What is the rush? Didn''t you know that I was in an important meeting?" The ninja replied, "I am sorry but this is important, Lord Rasa. Ten Nobles in the Wind Capital have died. Five Samurais have also died. And we are the prime suspect." Rasa frowned and asked, "What did you say?" The ninja handed him a scroll. Rasa opened and began reading. The ninja said, "It is suspected that all were killed using the Blade of Wind jutsu. And since all ten murders happened at the same time, they don''t think any other village could have done this." Rasa''s expression became grim. He thought, ''Wind Daimyo''s support for us has been decreasing continuously since the end of the third war. I had just managed to stabilize our standing and was about to pull out of the alliance with Konoha, but this happened. It will push the Daimyo even further away from us.'' His mood worsened as he cursed, ''Which bastard is scheming against me? Kiri shouldn''t be involved in this. So it should be either Hiruzen or Onoki. But which one?'' He kept analyzing, ''The important matter is that ten ninjas simultaneously used Blade of Wind jutsu. Is one of them building a specialist unit of Wind?'' Rasa thought for a bit and concluded, ''No, Blade of Wind is a Jounin level jutsu. I doubt any of them would be willing to send 10 of them here. The most likely possibility is that Wind Sword jutsu was used. Gathering 10 users of that jutsu wouldn''t be difficult for Konoha or Iwa. Among the two of them, Konoha is the most suspicious. If their number of Wind users increases, their destructiveness on the battlefield will go up a few notches. But, for Hiruzen to do this, did he discover my attempts to break the alliance? If so, this wouldn''t be his only move.'' Rasa''s analysis was on point. Fujin''s clones had all used Wind Sword jutsu to kill or injure their targets. However, Rasa still didn''t consider the point of someone using Shadow clones. So he overestimated the number of attackers by a factor of 10! A smile appeared on his face. He thought, ''Good, I was getting bored. Though this mission is quite relaxing, I don''t want to do it much longer. After all, I can''t train at all while staying here. The longer I stay here, the more time I will be wasting. Unfortunately, this mission requires me to stay here for around 6 months. But, if I can do a great job, I''ll be able to leave early. Not to mention, this city doesn''t deserve its name. Wind Capital my ass. I have sent dozens of clones to find and steal any wind crystals here. Unfortunately, they have none! I had planned to steal the entire treasury of it but I never thought they won''t have a single one! What a waste.'' Fujin sighed and eliminated that thought. He had felt enough heartache over the last week due to this matter. He turned his attention towards the Suna ninjas and waited in anticipation for them to arrive. A few minutes later, Baki and his group entered the Wind Capital. His arrival immediately gained everyone''s attention. Due to the incidents and the rumors, the common people were quite afraid of them. Even the Samurais and other guards were alert against them. The moods of Suna ninjas became grim on seeing how much the public perception was against them. Seeing the circumstances, they immediately travelled towards the Daimyo''s estate. However, the entrance of the Daimyo''s estate was guarded by a dozen samurais led by Hajime. Baki greeted with a smile, "Hajime-san, it''s good to meet you again. I am here to deliver a message from Lord Kazekage to Lord Daimyo." Hajime replied with a smile as well, "It is good to see you as well, Baki. I would have loved to escort you in. Unfortunately, Lord Daimyo is busy with important meetings due to recent events and has asked to not be disturbed. I''ll have to politely ask you to wait here until he allows for visitors." Baki and the Suna ninjas frowned. The Daimyo was trying to humiliate them. Baki said, "Alright, I will wait here until Lord Daimyo sends a message." The Suna ninjas following Baki knew of the circumstances. So none spoke anything despite the blatant disrespect. Baki analyzed, ''A power play. The Daimyo intends to show his displeasure by making us wait here. The longer we are made to wait, the more he is displeased. Still, he is also disrespecting our Kazekage.'' Baki looked at the ninjas behind him. They had run non-stop from Sunagakure to Wind Capital. He said, "You guys can leave and have some rest. I will meet up after meeting Lord Daimyo." The ninjas nodded and left. Hajime was surprised. He analyzed, ''Letting the ninjas leave signifies that he isn''t here to fight. However, on the other hand, it also could be seen as an insult to the Daimyo as he isn''t making his subordinates wait patiently for the Daimyo. Oh well, it is none of my business whether he worships or disrespects the Daimyo as long as he doesn''t attack.'' Baki and the rest had arrived in the Wind Capital in the morning. However, despite the Sun being right on top of their heads, the Daimyo still hadn''t called Baki in. He kept waiting outside Daimyo''s estate until the Sun began setting. Finally, when the Sun was about to set, a messenger came out of the estate and whispered a message to Hajime. Hajime looked at Baki and said, "Lord Daimyo is finally done with his meetings. You can meet him now, Baki." Baki''s mood was terrible. He was made to wait outside for nearly half a day. They didn''t even bother providing him with any food, water or even a chair! He walked in thinking, ''What a terrible mission I accepted. Rasa-sama should have sent a diplomat along with me.'' Chapter 256: Rage and Sorrow Baki entered the Wind Daimyo''s office. It was a large circular room with a circular table at the center of the room. The Daimyo was sitting on the chair exactly opposite Baki''s location. Baki bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Lord Daimyo. Lord Kazekage wanted to send you a message." He handed a scroll to the Daimyo. The Daimyo didn''t speak a word and took the scroll and began reading. The scroll expressed condolences on the recent deaths. It also mentioned that Rasa speculated that these attacks were done by Konohagakure or Iwagakure. Baki said, "Lord Kazekage heard about the recent assassinations and was concerned about the safety of everyone in the Wind Capital. He sent me here to investigate the assassinations and increase the safety of the Wind Capital." Neither Baki nor the scroll mentioned anything about clearing Suna''s name. No words were needed for that. The Daimyo replied while watching Baki carefully, "The recent events have alarmed me. So I have reached a deal with the Land of Iron to send 200 more Samurais here. Unfortunately, I don''t have any access budget for it. So it will have to come out of the budget assigned to Sunagakure." Baki frowned. He said, "Lord Dai..." However, he was cut off by the Wind Daimyo, who said, "Save your breath. My meetings today were all about this matter. All my advisors and ministers have agreed upon it. I will send an official letter to Rasa soon." Baki knew that speaking anymore would be pointless. He turned around and said, "Alright. I will start investigating the assassinations." He left without bidding any farewells. The Daimyo saw him leave and let out a sigh while thinking, ''These warmongers keep getting more and more power-hungry. I had advised them against starting the Third Great Ninja War. But they completely ignored me and started it without my knowledge or permission. In the end, they lost so badly that they were forced into an alliance with Konoha. Even then, they still haven''t learnt their lessons.'' The Daimyo snorted and decided, ''If they want to continue being arrogant, so be it.'' He looked at Hajime and said, "Send that letter to Mifune." Hajime nodded and left the room. After leaving, Baki''s mood was terrible. He could see that the Daimyo was intent on making Suna pay for the recent assassinations. He muttered, ''At this rate, Lord Rasa might decide to kill him instead of trying to come to terms with him.'' At the same time, the door of the room opened. A middle-aged man walked in saying, "Kohei, how many times should I te... Who are you?" The man suddenly became stunned to see his daughter lying unconscious in the arms of an unknown Suna ninja. Memories of the 10 assassinations surfaced in his mind. He was about to yell when the Suna ninja suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed his mouth and said, "Scream and both you and your daughter will die." The man felt an intense bloodlust from the ninja. Without letting the man speak, the ninja said, "Did you think that you could double-cross us by forming a secret deal with Amegakure?'' The man''s eyes widened. The ninja was amused as well. He thought, ''I just made up a lie. To think that it would be true.'' The man wanted to scream that his deal with Amegakure wasn''t harmful to Sunagakure in any way. On the contrary, it might benefit Sunagakure in the long term. However, he could not speak. The ninja was still grabbing his mouth so tightly that his cheeks had begun bleeding. The ninja said, "As this is just your first offense, I will only take the life of your daughter." The man''s eyes widened. He began struggling, but he was no match for the ninja. The ninja continued, "If you continue to betray us, or if you tell anyone about this interaction, then you and your family will be eliminated." The ninja grabbed the neck of the unconscious girl and strangled her till it popped. The man struggled helplessly, but he could only see his daughter die in front of his eyes. Tears rolled down his eyes. The ninja tossed the man away and disappeared. Rage and sorrow were visible in the man''s eyes. He screamed, "KOHEI!!!!!" His screams alerted the entire mansion. Immediately a Samurai and a few others came running. They saw their Lord sobbing with the dead body of his daughter in his arms. Her mother saw her dead daughter and began crying in disbelief and pain as well. She cried, "Who did this, Kojiro?" Kojiro''s eyes reddened. He said hatefully, "Sunagakure! I will never forgive them." He looked at the Samurai and said, "I want to meet Lord Daimyo. Come with me. But first, call a few more of your comrades to protect my family." The Samurai nodded and immediately got to work. After ensuring sufficient protection, Kojiro along with a Samurai began moving towards the Daimyo''s estate. However, he wasn''t alone. Eleven more Nobles were also walking towards the Daimyo''s estate in rage and sorrow. Chapter 257: Proving their Innocence Fujin received all the memories and sighed, ''I don''t mind killing the greedy Nobles. None of them have their hands clean. But killing innocent ones always leaves a bad taste.'' Though the training in Anbu wasn''t as messed up as Root training, it still was quite dark. Every new Anbu was made to kill a few innocent people on missions by the Anbu Captains. Of course, their deaths would benefit Konoha in some way, but they themselves didn''t harm Konoha or anyone else. Hence no one would think that they deserved death. Under normal circumstances, every new Anbu would be made to do this within a month of joining the Anbu. However, since Fujin''s group was much younger with ages of just 12 and 13, they were asked to do this on a mission around six months after joining and after they had already completed a few missions. Despite not liking it, all three did it. After the first time, the Anbu commander would ensure that every once in a while, the Anbu ninjas would receive a mission that would include killing innocent civilians. It would be asked of them in a very subtle manner. The method was the complete opposite of the Root. Eventually, after years of serving in the Anbu, the Anbu ninjas would begin considering this as normal. Fujin, despite his intelligence and knowledge about the Naruto world, didn''t notice this subtle scheme. But, to be fair, he wasn''t the only one. Every Anbu ninja, including the likes of Kakashi and Itachi, was subtly influenced over the years. However, since Fujin''s time in the Anbu wasn''t very long, he wasn''t influenced to an extreme end and would avoid it if he had the option. Of course, if anyone couldn''t do this, they were allowed to leave the Anbu. However, the instances of someone leaving Anbu, for this reason, were very low. The main reason was that Hiruzen would be very careful while selecting ninjas into the Anbu ranks. This was why someone like Might Guy was never invited into the Anbu. Daimyo''s Estate - 12 Nobles accompanied by 12 Samurais arrived in Daimyo''s office. All reported the assassination angrily and demanded to the Daimyo to take action against Suna ninjas and the village as well. The entire room was in complete chaos! The Wind Daimyo sighed. He wondered, ''What are these lunatics doing? Do they want to rebel against me? Or is it really someone else who is pushing the blame on them?'' The Wind Daimyo was confused. At the same time, he was a bit fearful. After all, even though he held the authority, in terms of power, he was no match for the Kazekage. If the Kazekage decided to kill him, it wouldn''t matter how many Samurais he hired to protect himself. However, he shook his head and concluded, ''No, if Rasa attacks me, then he will have to face retaliation from the other Daimyos. Though their Kages don''t have to listen to them, they will as they could all plunder Sunagakure together and divide the benefits among themselves. The only fear is if three or more Kage decided to revolt against their Daimyo. In that case, we will be history. However, the other Kages haven''t shown any such indications yet. So Rasa would not dare to make a move against me yet.'' Though he didn''t want to take action, he couldn''t let the grievances of the 12 Nobles go unanswered. He instructed, "Call Baki and the other Sunagakure ninjas. Hajime, increase the defenses of the estate." Hajime nodded and said, "It will be done, Lord Daimyo." He immediately got to work. Soon, over 50 Samurais arrived at the Daimyo''s mansion and took positions. Hajime stayed by the Wind Daimyo''s side. The Suna ninjas immediately defended themselves and said that they didn''t kill anyone. Soon, a verbal argument broke out. However, Baki was silent. He was sweating as he realized, ''Don''t tell me... The previous attackers kept hiding in the city until we dropped our guard down. In the meantime, they must have seen us and decided to disguise themselves as us to kill their next target. Additionally, there were two more attackers this time. The previous time, we were only suspected due to the use of the Wind jutsu. However, this time, their suspicion will be entirely on us. Due to the rage of losing a loved one, they won''t even listen to any explanations.'' Baki stopped his subordinates and said, "Lord Daimyo, you know that ninjas are able to transform into others. I believe that the culprits of the previous assassinations disguised as us so that our relations will deteriorate further." Kojiro snorted, "Sure they can transform. But can they replicate their voice as well? Even if they can, how can they replicate his voice so perfectly? Even if someone transformed, it will have to be someone from your group!" Baki was stunned. He muttered to himself, ''Don''t tell me that we interrogated all the culprits and still didn''t notice them? How else could they replicate our voice?'' However, Baki shook his head and said, "We have been very active in the Wind Capital recently. It isn''t surprising that they could have overheard us." Kojiro''s anger kept soaring. He said, "Good good. So what you mean to say is that you are so incompetent that not only could you find the previous culprits, but instead you allowed them to completely disguise themselves as you? And you call yourself a ninja?" This insult angered many of the Sunagakure ninjas. They immediately argued back and said how competent and capable they were. Kojiro replied while pointing at a ninja, "If that''s the case, then my daughter was murdered by none other than him!" The Sunagakure ninjas were left speechless. Though they were much stronger in strength, when it came to debating, they were no match for the Nobles who spent all their time scheming for benefits. After all, not every ninja could scheme or argue as well as a Kage could. Baki stepped in once again and said loudly, "This is a pointless argument. I can assure you that none of my ninjas were involved." He looked at the Nobles and said, "One by one, point out the ninjas you saw in your mansions and at what time. I will ask them where they were at that time and we will verify. That will prove that my men are innocent." Before the Nobles could say anything, the Daimyo nodded, "Alright, let''s do that." The Nobles complained but the Daimyo said, "We will first have to know the truth. Your loved ones won''t rest in peace if the real murderers roam free while we punish the ones who didn''t." Chapter 258: Forcing the Kazekage out of Sunagakure Since the Daimyo had made his decision, the Nobles quieted down. Soon, the 12 ninjas whom Fujin impersonated were being questioned. They all stated where and with whom they were and what they were doing. The Samurais began verifying all the information and cross-checking it with people who could vouch that they were indeed in those locations. 11 ninjas were around other people and hence they had multiple alibis. However, one ninja was hiding and doing an undercover task. Hence no one noticed him during that time. So despite telling his location, he had no alibi.?v€l-B!n. The locations of the remaining 8 ninjas were also asked as the Nobles mentioned that they could have transformed. Even among them, except one, all had good alibis. The Suna ninjas left no stone unturned in order to clear their name! All proof indicated that the Suna ninjas were innocent and were framed. The Nobles went quiet. Though two ninjas didn''t have any alibi, the rest had them. So they weren''t sure anymore. However, they didn''t want to give up. After all, their loved ones were killed in front of their eyes. If they assumed that someone else was the culprit, then they would never get justice. After all, the killers of the previous incident were still roaming free. No matter how much the families of the dead nobles cried and created a ruckus, they didn''t get the justice they deserved. Suddenly, one Noble recalled something. He quickly said, "Can''t ninjas use clones? What if they stayed there while their clones did their dirty work for them? After all, we can''t put up a fight against clones either." Baki and the Suna ninjas were put under pressure once again. Baki said, "According to what you described, the ninjas who attacked you had solid bodies. We use Wind clones who don''t have solid bodies and are easy to be dispelled. If your killers were clones, then they would be Shadow Clones of Konohagakure or Rock Clones of Iwagakure. None of us know how to do those clones." Hajime raised his eyebrows. He could counter Baki''s point, but he didn''t, as he recalled the scroll he received, ''Lord Mifune asked me not to take sides in this matter as long as no one is fighting. Though I don''t like how Suna is behaving, I should let it go as it isn''t my business.'' In order to pacify the Land of Iron, Rasa had reached a deal privately with them and compensated them appropriately despite not having committed the crime. As a result, Baki was saved from being pushed further into the corner by Hajime. One of the Nobles asked, "How can you prove that you can''t create those types of clones?" Baki was annoyed. He asked, "How can you prove that we do?" The Noble didn''t back off and replied, "You can''t prove that you can''t create those types of clones. And two of your ninjas were still missing at the moment of the murders. Perhaps these two are the only ones who can create those types of clones and hence were missing. So you guys still are the most suspicious ones." However, his advisors quickly said, "Please calm yourself Lord Kazekage. We are not in any position to make any move against Lord Daimyo. If something were to happen to him, all other villages would attack us like vultures!" Rasa calmed down and snorted, "I will go and make a visit. You two, come with me. Also, bring our best sensors along." The advisors nodded. They began gathering the forces and preparing to leave. Rasa was disappointed in Baki. He wondered, ''What the hell is Baki doing? How could he allow things to deteriorate so much under his watch? Are the enemies so good that he is completely helpless?'' Not knowing the answers, Rasa left Sunagakure along with two advisors, two sensors and four Anbu ninjas. At the same time, 10 squads of Anbu left Sunagakure and began following Rasa''s group from a distance. In total, 46 ninjas headed towards the Wind Capital city! Wind Capital - Back in Wind Capital, rumors had begun flying around the city. These were being spread by the twelve Nobles who were affected. Once again, the entire city began gossiping. Fujin heard a bunch of rumors as well. However, unlike a normal citizen, he noticed a bunch of inconsistencies. He analyzed, ''The rumors say that Daimyo has decided to punish the evil Suna ninjas. But I doubt that would be the case. Otherwise, Baki wouldn''t have withdrawn peacefully. I guess the rumors are being spread by those nobles so that the Daimyo is forced into taking action. But, why has the Daimyo not made any statement? It''s almost as if the Daimyo wants these rumors to be known all through the city.'' Unlike Fujin, who was analyzing calmly, Baki and his subordinates were panicking. Baki too arrived at the same conclusion as Fujin. However, he had more information than Fujin. He realized, ''The Daimyo isn''t crushing these rumors as he wants a public perception to be built against Sunagakure. This way, when Lord Rasa arrives, he will be under a lot of pressure.'' However, despite noticing Daimyo''s scheme, Baki couldn''t do anything. After all, he was being watched by Samurais at all times. The rumors would continue spreading unrestricted. At the same time, they would be exaggerated to ridiculous extents. However, after some time, all the rumors would be silenced by one piece of news - The Fourth Kazekage had arrived at the Wind Capital city! Chapter 259: Trouble Comes Irrespective of the rumors and politics, the Kazekage was still the leader of Sunagakure. He was one of the five people who stood at the top of the ninja world! As such, he was looked at with awe and reverence throughout the Land of Wind. Immediately people flocked over to the place the Kazekage was walking through. Most threw the rumors to the back of their minds. However, a few became alert. If the rumors were true, then it could mean trouble. After all, the Kazekage himself had to come to the Wind Capital city to clear up the matter. Rasa continued walking through the streets slowly. He was followed by two advisors and two sensors. The Anbu had stopped outside the city. As soon as the news of his arrival spread, people began rushing towards him. At first, only a few people were on the side of the street. However, in a few minutes, both sides of the streets were jam-packed! Rasa looked at the people surrounding the streets with a smile. He could have hurried through to the Daimyo''s estate. However, he didn''t as this was a good opportunity to show that he had public support and make the Daimyo think twice about alienating him any further. Among the numerous people watching him was Fujin. Unlike his previously relaxed state of mind, he was very tense. He thought, ''Shit! Why the fuck did he show up? Granted I created a mess, but that shouldn''t have been enough to call a Kage here, right?'' Fujin wasn''t concerned when Baki arrived as he was confident of escaping even if Baki somehow discovered him. However, if Rasa was to find him, Fujin didn''t have much confidence in his ability to run away. The resultant fight was sure to give away his identity as well. However, despite being tense, Fujin wasn''t panicking as he knew, ''He won''t go around looking for the culprits. That would be unbecoming of a Kage. I just have to avoid making any moves while he is in the city.'' His expression hardened as he decided, ''Of course. Once he leaves, I will create a mess and leave this city for good.'' In the Wind Capital, Fujin wasn''t the only one who was on alert. There were four more people whose expressions were ugly. One of them cursed, ''Which bastard is acting so brazenly? How can I do my promotion mission when the Kazekage is in the city? Shit! I should have left when the Samurais and the Suna ninjas had calmed down.'' A few Konoha Anbu were in this city as well for the promotion mission. However, they all had to stop acting after Fujin killed 10 nobles. Most of them had escaped the city in the week before Fujin made his second move. Only four had decided to continue their mission in this city. However, Fujin''s actions endangered all of them. Just like Fujin, they decided to maintain a low profile as well. Along with Konoha Anbu, there were dozens of other spies and undercover ninjas operating in the Land of Wind from every other village. They too cursed the bastard who operated in such a high-profile manner. Rasa continued his journey towards the Daimyo''s estate. Baki had met up with him mid-route and informed him about the rumors. Rasa maintained a smile on his face, however, his mood was gloomy. He was extremely upset with the Daimyo. Under everyone''s gaze, he entered the Daimyo''s estate. The Daimyo nodded and said, "That is fair. We will renegotiate the terms next year." The two talked for a bit before leaving. The thirteen ninjas that were kept under house arrest were allowed to leave with the Kazekage. However, instead of returning to Suna, Rasa stayed in the city. He looked at two sensors and commanded, "Roam around the city in disguises. Check if there are any spies or troublemakers and eliminate them." They nodded and left. The news that the Kazekage has decided to stay in the city spread like wildfire. Every spy in the city, no matter from which village they were, immediately went into hiding. They employed every means they had to suppress their chakra levels to civilian levels and stayed hidden within the houses. Fujin stayed in his hotel as well. He had no intention to try his luck against Rasa. However, he began analyzing, ''I made a Kage move. Will this make my mission a success? After all, a mere Chunin forced a Kage to make a move.'' Fujin thought for a bit and realized, ''No, there are two ways to see this. If I was being tested on my ability to make an impact, then this feat would be a very good one. However, my mission is to create a divide between the Wind Daimyo and the Kazekage. If this meeting results in their differences being resolved, then my mission would be a failure.'' Fujin sighed and muttered, "What a mess." He decided, ''No more undercover missions for me. Though playing the game of chess is fun, I''d much rather just kill all my targets and return to training. Now that I think about it, it''s been almost 2 months since I used the elemental training rooms. Hiruzen for sure would suspect that I was the one who kept draining the Wind crystals. Oh well. It''s not like he can complain. Even if he discovers, he will stay quiet so that I don''t begin using them openly and without any restraints.'' The two sensors Rasa brought with him kept roaming in the city for three days. Fujin felt chakra fields sensing him several times. In these three days, the two sensors found 13 spies and undercover agents. However, they were all from smaller villages. No one from the other major villages was caught by them. The Sunagakure ninjas quickly made a move on them and neutralized them one by one. Their fights caused some property damage to the city. Unfortunately, none of them were wind users. So Sunagakure couldn''t pin the blame on them. After three days, the two sensors met Rasa and said, "Apologies, Lord Kazekage. We couldn''t sense the culprits who did the assassinations." Rasa replied, "It''s fine. If they didn''t have the confidence to hide, they wouldn''t have done something so outrageous in the first place. Anyways, begin preparations to leave. You and Baki will stay back here. I''ll send some Anbu to coordinate with you in secret." At that instant, a group of twelve ninjas approached the city. The Samurais guarding the city were already on full alert due to the recent events. They immediately noticed them. The group wasn''t aware of the recent events in the city and approached the guards. Hayashi Ryota put one hand on the hilt of his sword and said loudly, "Halt. State your name and purpose." The ninjas immediately stopped. One of them said, "I am Oda Seiji. I come from Kurogane no Sensen mercenary group. Around a couple of months ago, a squad of our mercenaries was hired to escort a trading group to this city. But since then, we haven''t heard anything from them. So we came here to investigate." Chapter 260: Rasas Gaze The mercenary group from which the real Hiroshi had hired protection had arrived in the Wind Capital city to investigate the reason why their comrades didn''t return for almost 2 months. Ryota had handled several such cases in the past. In the majority of cases, this was a result of those squads being killed in action. He replied, "I see. Can you tell me the names of the ninjas and the traders?" Seiji nodded and informed him of the names of his ninjas. He added, "They were tasked to guard a mercenary group led by Takahashi Hiroshi." Ryota nodded and passed the details to a few civilians who used to sit with them. After a while, one person said, "Ryota-sama. The ninja names they mentioned haven''t arrived here." Seiji heard it and let out a sigh. He had expected this result. Suddenly, another person said, "Takahashi Hiroshi and his trader group had arrived in this city 51 days ago. You were the one who accepted them, Ryota-sama." The mercenary group were surprised to hear this information. Ryota took the document and read it. He said, "Yeah, I have some memories. This group was very polite." Seiji squinted his eyes and asked, "But if our members are missing, how can they have arrived here unharmed?" Ryota shrugged and replied, "How would I know?" Seiji said, "We want to meet with Hiroshi and question him." However, Ryota shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, I can''t allow that. Once a trader or a merchant arrives in the city, he is our guest. We cannot allow him to be harassed." Seiji frowned. He withdrew a bag and handed it to Ryota secretly and asked, "Can we meet up with him now?" Ryota took a quick look inside the bag. It had around one hundred thousand Ryo. He smiled and said, "Sure. How can I deny our esteemed guests?" The mercenaries maintained their smile but scoffed internally at his morals. Meanwhile, the other Samurais and civilians guarding the gate were joyous. After all, they too would receive a share. Ryota sent a samurai to find and bring Hiroshi to the gate. An hour later, a Samurai knocked on the door. Fujin was surprised. He wondered, ''Are they still finding the culprits?'' He opened the door and politely greeted, "Hello. How may I help you?" Fujin replied, "Around four days'' journey from here." Seiji replied, "Okay. You will come with us and take us to that place and help us find them." Fujin immediately said, "No. The man was in a very bad state. I don''t want to end up like him." Seiji replied, "You won''t. We will be there with you." However, Fujin kept saying no. When Seiji was about to get aggressive, Fujin said, "This is the Wind Capital. You can''t forcefully take me from here." Seiji frowned and looked at Ryota who looked to be on Fujin''s side. He said, "Help me out, brother. I will make sure that he is safe and that you are compensated." Fujin immediately wondered, ''Compensated?'' Ryota nodded and looked at Fujin and said, "Hiroshi, you don''t need to be worried. With twelve ninjas, even I won''t be able to do anything to them. So the bandits won''t pose a threat to you. In addition, you need to save the ninjas who brought you here safely. Or at the very least, you should get justice for them." Seeing that everyone was against him, Fujin''s face became very ugly. He reluctantly nodded, "Alright." The Samurais and the mercenaries smiled. After all, Hiroshi was just an ordinary trader. How could he disobey them? Seiji secretly passed another hundred thousand Ryo to Ryota. Fujin obviously noticed it and decided, ''In the future, if I decide to steal or plunder, I will definitely start with the Land of Iron. In terms of cash flow, that will definitely be the richest country in this world!'' This wasn''t the first time Fujin had seen an ''honorable'' samurai act in this manner. Almost every Samurai working for Daimyo or in Capital cities was very liberal when it came to accepting bribes. In addition, the Daimyos also paid them a lot for the protection they provided. In addition, they were also the largest suppliers of basic ninja tools and chakra metal weapons and also mined the last few remaining Elemental Crystal mines. So a lot of money keeps getting funneled continuously into the Land of Iron. They were about to leave when suddenly a commotion was heard. The entire group looked back to see the Kazekage walking towards the city gate along with a few Sunagakure ninjas. Everyone immediately became tense. They quickly moved out of the way and stood on one side of the road respectfully. Rasa passed through the gate without paying any attention to them. The mercenary group sighed in relief. However, Rasa suddenly stopped and glanced towards the mercenary group and thought, ''Weird, why do I get a peculiar feeling from this group?'' Rasa didn''t sense anything from this group. However, he just felt as if something about them was off. Chapter 261: Unknowingly throwing the Opportunist to the Center of the Battle! One of Rasa''s advisors asked, "What''s the matter, Lord Kazekage?" Rasa turned around and continued walking. He asked, "Who were those people?" Though his voice wasn''t soft, Fujin and the mercenaries didn''t hear it due to the distance between them. The advisor answered, "They are wearing the headband of the mercenary group Kurogane no Sensen. It is the group that is active in the countries between us and Earth. Is there any issue with them?" Rasa replied, "It''s just a feeling. Send three Anbu groups to chase after them. I have a feeling that we will find something important by trailing them." The advisor nodded. The mercenary group had become very tense and nervous when Rasa glanced at them. Even Fujin was the same. He didn''t have any desire whatsoever to face Rasa. Especially when they were surrounded by deserts. When Rasa turned around and continued walking, the mercenaries finally began breathing again. Fujin also became visibly relaxed. He decided, ''Alright, no more mess in this city. Though unlikely, if this is his clone and his main body is hiding inside the city, I will be in deep trouble.'' After Rasa left their line of sight, the mercenary group immediately left the Wind Capital. One of them carried Fujin on his back so that they would be able to move faster. For once, Fujin didn''t object. After Rasa''s group moved a sufficient distance from the city, 40 Anbu ninjas appeared in front of them. Rasa immediately assigned tasks to them. 3 squads of Anbu chased after the Kurogane no Sensen mercenaries. 4 squads were tasked to sneak into the Wind Capital and keep an eye on the city from the shadows. They would coordinate with Baki to catch all undercover enemy ninjas in the city. The last 3 squads would keep an eye on the surroundings of the Wind Capital and keep track of the people travelling in and out of the city. Rasa and the advisors immediately began travelling back to Sunagakure. The mercenary group continued without knowing that they were being followed. Since Fujin couldn''t activate his chakra field, even he was unaware. Fujin acted like he was helpless and obediently guided them towards the location. After travelling for nearly half a day, the group arrived at the spot where Fujin had killed their members. Fujin said, "This is the spot where we met that man. He was sitting here and was covered in blood." Seiji looked at Fujin. Fujin looked very tired and sleepy. The mercenaries didn''t find it odd as it was late at night and they had travelled for twelve hours straight! Seiji asked, "Are you completely sure?" Fujin looked nervous and said, "I am confident. However, this is a never-ending desert. Everything looks the same. So I can''t be 100% sure." Seiji looked sinisterly and said, "You better hope that we find them. Otherwise, you will have hell to pay. Even your family won''t be spared." However, suddenly his eyes widened. Seiji grabbed Fujin with more force and said, "Interrogate this civilian. You can verify our story from him!" He lifted Fujin and threw him at the Suna Anbu ninjas. Fujin shouted in panic, "Wait, don''t do this! Bastard, you promised my safety!" However, he was still sent flying towards the Anbu. He cursed, ''Shit, I wanted to take advantage of their fight and kill them all. But he pushed me to the center of it!'' The lead Anbu smirked behind his mask and grabbed a kunai. He swiped it at Fujin while keeping his eyes on the mercenaries and saying, "Do you think that you can get away by using a civilian as a distra..." Suddenly, one of the Anbu ninjas shouted, "Be careful!" Fujin was just one meter away from the Anbu who was swinging a kunai at him when he opened his mouth and exhaled extremely sharp winds on the unsuspecting Suna ninjas. The attention of the Suna ninjas was on the mercenaries. The attack caught them off guard. The lead Anbu ninja was hit head-on. The winds slashed through his neck and beheaded him. Both his detached head and body had several deep cuts from which blood sprayed out like fountains. Nine more ninjas suffered a similar fate. They fell with their eyes wide open, not expecting to die so suddenly on a simple mission. Only the Anbu who shouted and the anbu next to him jumped backwards in time to dodge the attack. Fujin noticed them in the air and flickered, appearing behind them in the blink of an eye. Both grabbed their kunai and turned around to face him. The mercenary group was dumbfounded. They had examined Fujin before leaving and hadn''t found anything suspicious about him. They saw Fujin open his mouth and shot multiple air bullets. The last two Suna Anbu had their bodies riddled with holes. Both fell down dead like the rest of their comrades. Having killed all the Suna ninjas, Fujin turned his gaze towards the mercenaries. In an instant, everyone grabbed their weapons and watched Fujin with grim expressions. The Suna group who they were afraid of was slaughtered with ease by the ''trader'' they forcefully brought along with them. Seiji asked, "Who are you? And why did you hire one of our squads if you are so strong?" Seiji obviously realized that the person in front of him was in disguise. However, he wasn''t if he had disguised as Hiroshi all along or if he had replaced Hiroshi later. He decided to act oblivious to leave an escape for himself. Fujin realized it and thought, ''Good attitude. Unfortunately, you shouldn''t have taken the initiative to bring me out of the city.'' Without a word, Fujin disappeared. Their sensor immediately shouted, "On our right!" Everyone turned their heads, only to see a gigantic Wind Dragon heading towards them. They immediately dispersed. The Dragon tackled the spot they were standing at and exploded causing winds to spread through the area. The winds immediately sent the sand flying in the air. Not only did it lower the visibility in the area, the sand would enter the eyes of anyone who would keep them open. Unlike Fujin who could sense, their group had just one sensor. Without the ability to see and knowing how strong and treacherous their enemy was immediately caused panic to spread. In the dust cover, Fujin flickered behind the mercenary who had shouted his position. The mercenary turned around and shouted, "He is here!" He immediately jumped backwards while keeping a kunai in front of him defensively. However, Fujin just took a step forward and swung his sword at the mercenary. The mercenary tried defending, but the sword cut straight through his kunai and split him into two. Without the sensor, the remaining mercenaries were left blind in the desert. Fujin killed them all with extreme ease in just a couple of minutes. Chapter 262: Solving a Mystery The Winds died down and the sand settled back in the desert slowly. The blood was automatically buried under the sand. Fujin had already stored all 24 dead bodies in scrolls. He also collected the scroll containing the dead bodies of the four ninjas who were protecting Hiroshi''s trading group. He analyzed, ''With 12 mercenaries and the same number of Suna Anbu missing, the deserts will soon become very chaotic. Returning to Wind Capital will be pointless and very risky. I should eliminate a few targets who are outside the city quickly and return to Konoha.'' Having made his decision, Fujin began moving towards his targets. 10 minutes after Fujin left, a squad of Sunagakure ninjas arrived where the fighting had taken place. One of the chunins said, "It doesn''t look like anyone was here, Captain Yura." Yura frowned and said, "It looked like there was a huge battle here. It should have just ended. Inspect the area. We may find some clues." Since Yura was the team leader, everyone obediently followed his instructions. For half an hour, they didn''t find anything. Suddenly, one of the ninjas shouted, "Everyone, come here!" Immediately, everyone approached him. He had dug the sand a few meters and was standing in a hole. As soon as they reached him, everyone''s face became solemn. The sand was dyed red in blood. And it wasn''t just a little bit either. One of the ninjas commented, "So much blood-soaked sand. How many people were killed here?" The spot they were standing on was where Fujin had killed ten of the twelve Anbu ninjas from Suna. Though he had collected their bodies, the blood had seeped into the desert. Fujin didn''t bother getting rid of it as it would require a lot of effort and time without providing him with any benefits. Yura said, "It looks like someone killed a bunch of people here. They didn''t bother cleaning up all the evidence thinking that no one would find it there. Unfortunately, they didn''t think that we would sense their battle and come investigate so quickly." Unknown to the Suna ninjas, it was their good luck that the killer didn''t waste time clearing all the evidence. Otherwise, they would have run into Fujin and joined their comrades on the trip to the afterlife. One of Yura''s teammates countered, "But who would be so brazen in our country? I think it might be the work of someone from our village. That is why they weren''t concerned about others finding out." Yura nodded and said, "Could be. Regardless, collect as much of this blood-soaked sand as you can. Others will keep scouting this area. If it was an intense battle, then everyone wouldn''t die in the same place. We will carry the blood samples to Suna. If it was done by someone else, then it will help the village a lot." His team immediately got to work. They spent over half a day searching the entire area and managed to collect blood samples of all 24 ninjas who were killed. Of course, they didn''t know that and kept searching for hours despite finding all the blood samples. Finally, at noon the next day, they stopped searching and continued their journey to Sunagakure. He handed another scroll to him and they began their journey back. Yura''s squad had already consumed Soldier Pills. So they could continue running. The group returned to the spot where Yura had collected the blood-soaked sand. They investigated a lot but didn''t find anything substantial. Around the same time, Rasa received Manabu''s message. He immediately reached the same conclusion as Manabu and frowned. He muttered, "First the issue with the Daimyo and now twelve Anbu went missing? What is happening in my country?" He immediately got to work and began arranging more squads to reinforce Manabu while analyzing, ''Looks like my suspicion on the mercenary group was right. But, that group didn''t look strong enough to take on my Anbu. Was someone hiding their strength? Or did I underestimate the goals of the group creating a mess in the Wind Capital City?'' Rasa over-calculated as he didn''t have a clue about Fujin. His Anbu died just because they were unlucky enough to encounter him. Since they had no success, Manabu''s group began moving towards the Wind Capital City to investigate the reason for the appearance of the mercenary group. At the same time, they wanted to investigate the civilian with them. After another half a day, they finally arrived in the Wind Capital City. Manabu quickly moved towards the city gate where they were spotted and found Ryota. Despite not being under Sunagakure, Ryota greeted the Elder warmly. Manabu directly asked, "Tell us about the mercenaries from Kurogane no Sensen with whom you were talking a few days ago." Ryota was surprised by the question. He said, "They came here over two days ago when the Kazekage left the city. They were investigating their four-man squad that went missing while escorting a trader group. Their circumstances were quite weird as the trader group made it to the city without any harm but all the four ninjas were missing." Manabu frowned and said, "The trader group is very suspicious." Ryota nodded and informed him about the remaining details. He ended by saying, "The trader Hiroshi was worried about their safety. So he volunteered to go with them to tell them where they saw the man." Ryota lied with a straight face. Instead of saying that he was forced, he said that Hiroshi volunteered. However, this lie helped Manabu as he became even more suspicious of Hiroshi. He said, "Give me the details of where Hiroshi stayed. Also, gather the remaining 11 traders and have them meet me." Ryota was about to say no as Manabu had no right to order him around. However, Manabu added, "I have a suspicion that this group might have something to do with the recent murders in the city." Ryota became serious and immediately nodded. He asked his subordinates and informed them about the hotel where Hiroshi stayed. As for others, he would need some time. Manabu nodded and began moving towards the hotel. He muttered, "Twelve traders, twelve assassins, twelve mercenaries. I think we are finally getting some clues." Chapter 263: Culprits Found? As they were walking, Yura asked, "Elder, what assassinations took place in the Wind Capital City?" Yura and his groups weren''t in the Land of Wind when Fujin was creating a mess. So they were unaware. Manabu''s subordinates filled them up. Yura and his subordinates began sweating having realized how much trouble their village was in. After hearing the circumstances, they couldn''t help but suspect that their own village was behind the assassinations. They understood how others would have felt. The group reached the hotel where Fujin had stayed and entered his room. The room was impeccably clean. They began investigating the room. After half an hour, every single one had an ugly face. One of Yura''s subordinates said, "There is nothing here that could point us to him at all. It''s as if no one has lived here for months." Another said, "But the hotel staff said that he lived here for over 7 weeks." A third ninja commented, "Maybe the hotel does such a good job cleaning that all evidence is wiped out." However, one of Manabu''s subordinates shook his head and said, "No. No matter how well they clean, their scent gets left behind. But there is no scent in these rooms. This guy is not a civilian for sure. He should be a well-trained Anbu ninja from some country." Everyone agreed with his analysis. Yura added, "If he is, then the other traders should be as well. And they didn''t leave the city. We can catch them and clear our village''s name." Manabu nodded and said, "Baki is leading our ninjas in this city. Let''s meet up with him. He must have an appropriate plan for when we catch the culprits." Everyone nodded and left. When Baki received the news, he was elated. He had been under a lot of stress for the last few weeks. No matter how much he worked, he never found any clue. The entire job was a dead end. Since Manabu cracked the case, he immediately deployed his ninjas in the city to find the remaining eleven traders. Unfortunately for Baki, even this clue was a dead end. They searched non-stop for two days. However, no matter how much they looked, they didn''t even catch a whiff of those 11 traders. It was as if they had long disappeared from the city. No one even remembered their faces. Only a few merchants who earned big profits from their trade recalled them. But they hadn''t seen them again for almost two months! So their memories were useless for Suna ninjas. Baki sighed and muttered, "I should have known that it wouldn''t be this easy." Manabu nodded and said, "They probably changed their disguises after entering the city." Another scroll with a similar message reached the hands of the Daimyo. He too became solemn. Soon, the news spread throughout the city causing panic to spread. Daimyo did his best to quell the panic. His assurances calmed the citizens of the Wind City and brought stability back to the city. 12 hours ago : Fujin travelled for over 3 days through the desert to finally reach the city called Sabakuetsu. He let out a sigh and muttered, "The distance between this city and Sunagakure is larger than the distance between Konoha and Sunagakure." Though Fujin took a few breaks, he wasn''t a fan of travelling for so long through non-stop desert. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''In these 3 days, I encountered 2 sandstorms. They didn''t affect me due to my expertise in Wind release but I can''t help but wonder how civilians even trade across these huge and treacherous deserts.'' Fujin began inspecting the defenses of the city from the outside while recalling the information about the city mentioned in the scrolls provided by Shikaku. Sabakuetsu was a mid-sized city in the far West of the Land of the Wind. Though it wasn''t the largest city, it was one of the most important cities for one critical reason. The city was surrounded by numerous oases and received a decent amount of rainfall every year. Due to this, it had the highest agricultural production in the entire Land of Wind. Overall, around 60% of the total agricultural production in the Land of Wind would be obtained from this city. Due to this, it provided food to all the cities and villages in this region, thus saving the Land of Wind a lot of trouble to transport food across the vast desert. In addition, it also sent some food supplies to the Wind Capital and Sunagakure and helped them reduce dependence on other countries for food. For this reason, Sunagakure permanently deployed 8 squads to protect this city. In addition, one Elite Jounin would always be deployed in the city. Fujin observed the defenses and analyzed, ''Though the city is important, the defenses aren''t very high. The reason for this is that Sunagakure doesn''t expect anyone to hit them so far away. In addition, the Samurais won''t protect this place because of how far into the desert it is. Still, the city does have an Elite Jounin. Killing him would be troublesome. Especially if there are Jounins to reinforce him. Unless I can take him by surprise like those Anbu.'' Fujin analyzed and shook his head, ''No, that would be difficult. If I fight him and fail to kill him, then he will gain a lot of my information. It would be troublesome if they get enough information to calculate later on that it was me. I shouldn''t use my summons or Vacuum techniques in my fight unless I am sure that I can kill all who see me use them. The same for my famous swords. Probably best if I avoid using my swords completely.'' The city had two entrances and was surrounded by huge walls. Each entrance had 2 ninjas watching over it. The walls did have seals inscribed in them, but they weren''t as complicated as the Wind Capital city walls. Fujin planned, ''I could enter the city through the gates by using disguises of one of the people who leave the city to work in the fields. However, if they follow a certain routine, then entering at odd times will raise suspicions.'' Fujin thought for a bit and decided, ''Leave it, it''s late at night. They won''t leave the city for hours. I''ll try to infiltrate directly. If I fail or am detected, I''ll just escape and replace one of the citizens working outside.'' Fujin began working on the seals. He was a bit excited as he had never yet attempted to dismantle the seals of an entire city! The most fun he had with seals was messing with Hiruzen in the Wind Training rooms in the Anbu Training Facilities. Chapter 264: Salvaging the Food Supplies! Fujin spent a few hours studying the seals on one section of the wall. Due to hiding his chakra and the massive length of the wall, he wasn''t detected or seen by anyone. Finally, the Sun rose. And at the same time, a smile appeared on Fujin''s face. He muttered, "It''s cracked!" He summarized, ''These seals are inscribed by a Grandmaster. However, the wall is huge. Whoever inscribed it wasn''t very dedicated and did the bare minimum to ensure the safety of the city. However, even if he had been serious, I would have managed to break through. Though I would have needed a lot more time. Hmm, maybe while I return, I should swing by the Wind Capital and leave a few clones to try to break through the seals there. It would be a good test.'' Fujin entered the city and transformed into one of the people he saw in Wind Capital. Fujin didn''t waste much time and directly began visiting the important locations. He thought to himself, ''Four ninjas were at the gates. There should be 28 more ninjas in the city. I wonder if they are also deployed or are resting in the city.'' Fujin''s guess was accurate. The ninjas in the city were divided into 3 groups. The first group of 12 ninjas were responsible for keeping an eye on the city gates in 8-hour shifts. The next group of 12 ninjas were also responsible for protecting two crucial locations. The last group of 8 ninjas and one Elite Jounin would stay on standby in case an emergency occurred. Of course, due to how peaceful the city was, every one of them had gotten complacent. Fujin walked towards his target. Soon, a huge fortified structure with sturdy walls that were designed to withstand not only the harsh desert conditions but also any attack by enemy ninjas became visible. This sturdy structure was one of the two Provision Depots in Sabakuetsu. It stored a vast amount of harvested food grains and other food items that could be stored. These depots served as a Lifeline for the entire Western region of the country! Fujin didn''t sense any chakra field active around him or the Provision Depot. So chakra gathered in his eyes and observed inside the depot. He observed, ''So this place has only two ninjas. I guess the other depot also has 2 ninjas overlooking them. But what exactly are these guys doing? I can feel that both of them are very tense.'' Fujin was curious, but he didn''t care much. He decided, ''It doesn''t matter. They are only chunins.'' His expression became serious as he observed the seals inscribed on the depot walls. He muttered to himself, ''The seals are much better than outside city walls. And I can''t keep studying this one for hours. Looks like it''s time for the Dynamic Entry.'' Chakra gathered around his fist. The people who were walking around him were surprised and immediately looked towards Fujin. They noticed that his right fist was glowing. One kid said, "Mom look! His hand is glowing!" Another kid asked, "How can I do that, Mom?" The people were just normal civilians. They hadn''t seen ninjas in action. Suddenly, Fujin disappeared. Though the walls had very good protection, the same couldn''t be said about the doors. Fujin punched the door and smashed it into pieces. The two Suna ninjas inside the depot were playing a game of cards. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise and felt the entire depot shaking. The noise generated by the impact of the punch travelled hundreds of meters through the city. The people who were watching the glowing fist curiously became terrified. They immediately ran away. At the same time, the Elite Jounin and the other ninjas in the city became alert. 14 ninjas along with the Elite Jounin immediately began moving towards the depot. The two ninjas inside the depot got up and grabbed their kunai. However, Fujin flickered next to one of them. The ninja immediately swung his kunai at Fujin, However, Fujin was much faster. A punch landed on the ninja''s face and blew him up. Fujin had enhanced the punch with chakra as well.N?00v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Blood, flesh, bones and insides of the brain hit the face of the second ninja. His horror knew no bounds! One second he was playing a game of cards with his friend, and in the next second his friend''s brain was blown up! Fortunately or unfortunately, his misery was short-lived. Fujin fired an Air Bullet through his throat and ended his life as well. He exhaled a wind current from his mouth. However, instead of the destructive attack, he exhaled an extremely gentle wind current. The blades of winds entered the wind current and were redirected. They moved towards the doors of the remaining storage facilities and cut through them. Seeing their attack destroy portions of their food supply made their hearts ache in pain. At the same time, their hatred towards Fujin increased even more. Lastly, the 3 Wolves entered the wind flow. However, the wind flow was too strong for them to continue. 1 dispersed directly while the remaining 2 were sent crashing into the walls and finally dispersed. However, Fujin''s position didn''t improve much as 3 more Suna ninjas had arrived. Half of the eight ninjas were Jounins. Fujin''s odds kept getting worse. One of the Suna ninjas slammed his hands on the ground. Immediately the ground rose and interrupted the Wind flow he had created. Immediately, the remaining 7 ninjas pounced on Fujin. Dozens of shurikens and multiple wind jutsus were launched at Fujin. Fujin dodged while counterattacking, but the Suna ninjas kept attacking without carrying about their chakra reserves. Fujin kept dodging as he sensed 4 more ninjas entering the depot. He frowned, ''Killing them in a short time isn''t possible without using Vacuum jutsus. I need a distraction.'' He weaved a hand sign as he continued dodging the attacks. ''Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet jutsu'' At the same time, one of the Suna jounins too completed his hand signs. ''Wind Release: Wind Dragon jutsu'' Two massive 30 meters long dragons appeared in the depot. However, seeing the fire dragon made the Suna ninjas very nervous. The Wind Dragon collided with the Fire Dragon who didn''t make any move. The impact of the collision destroyed the fire dragon. The Suna ninjas were surprised at how quickly it was defeated. However, their eyes widened in horror as the Winds generated by the Wind Dragon carried the flames everywhere inside the depot. The doors to the storage facilities that were destroyed earlier let all the fire enter inside. The last remaining food grains that were safe inside the depot began burning! The ninjas attacked while cursing Fujin with every foul word and curse they knew. However, Fujin kept dodging and counter-attacking without responding. At the same time, Hitoshi and his clones doused the fire in all 5 rooms. However, their expressions weren''t good. Hitoshi muttered, "Even though I doused the fire, all the food items have gotten wet. I am not sure how long it will last." He and his clones left the rooms. Fujin noticed that the smoke coming from those 5 rooms had turned into water vapour. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he decided, ''It''s time.'' Chapter 265: Konohas Scheme A massive chakra appeared around Fujin. The sudden spike in chakra shocked the Suna ninjas. Without giving them any time, Fujin attacked. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu.'' Unlike the previous version, this jutsu was as destructive as it could possibly be. The Suna ninja, who considered themselves unmatched in Wind jutsus, were dumbfounded by the scale and destructiveness of this attack! The attack left giant scars on the sturdy walls of the Provision Depot! The Suna ninjas were blown apart as well. Two ninjas had their throats sliced by the sharp winds. Another had his eyes pierced. One had his left arm sliced off. The winds also moved into the 8 storage facilities. Hitoshi and his clones were caught off guard. All 4 water clones were dispelled, leaving just Hitoshi in one of the rooms. He quickly weaved a hand seal. ''Water Release: Water Prison jutsu.'' A Sphere of water surrounded him and saved him from the impact of the winds. While the Suna ninjas were struggling, a shadow clone appeared next to Fujin. ''Fire Release: Searing Migraine jutsu'' He wasted no time in releasing a massive fire into the winds generated by Infinite Breakthrough. The fire spread began spreading instantly! The winds carried the fire to each and every corner of the depot. Hitoshi watched in anger and helplessness as an even bigger fire entered his room. The 3 storage rooms that had just small fires were set ablaze. Every food grain was burned up. The 5 rooms where Hitoshi and his clones had doused the fire were set ablaze once again with even more intensity. Worse, of the 14 Suna ninjas that were fighting Fujin, 12 were set on fire as well. Only two managed to use defensive jutsus in time. Fujin noticed the destruction and decided, ''That should be sufficient.'' He immediately flickered out of the depot. Two Suna ninjas were rushing towards the depot when Fujin suddenly appeared in front of them. Both grabbed the weapons and asked, "Who are you?" Hitoshi cleared up his thoughts and began passing instructions. The security of the second Provision Depot was increased manyfold. 10 ninjas were deployed to defend it. At the same time, medical ninjas began treating the injured ninjas. Hitoshi tallied his losses and sighed. 4 ninjas were killed in the fight. 2 of them were Jounins. All the food stored in that Provision Depot was destroyed. So in a few minutes, they lost half of their food supply. It was certain to put an immense strain on the Land of Wind. Hitoshi wrote reports and sent messages to the Kazekage and the Wind Daimyo. Meanwhile, Fujin had long left the vicinity of the city. After leaving the city, he kept using Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu continuously to escape over ten kilometers away! Finally, he took a break and thought, ''That was rough. Bastards came at me with everything they had! Fortunately, the Elite Jounin was more focused on salvaging the grains.'' He let out a sigh and thought, ''No wonder Sunagakure attacked Konoha a few years from now. Shikaku and Hiruzen are two crazy bastards. In order to increase the dependence of the Land of Wind on the Land of Fire, they decided to burn half the food supply in the Western parts of this country. Now the Land of Wind will have no option but to import massive amounts of food from the Land of Fire. The sudden rise in demand would also raise the cost of food items. And it will hence result in restricting the budget of Sunagakure. At the very least, Suna shouldn''t expect any budget increases any time soon. Especially if Shikaku keeps up these tactics. In fact, they will have to spend their own budget to buy food. If Rasa were to figure out that these incidents were done by Konoha, he would definitely want to attack Konoha even if he didn''t have any solid proof. Only the disruption caused by a war will allow him to reset the ties between the Land of Wind and Fire and force the Wind Daimyo to cooperate entirely with him. Still, Shikaku wasn''t too heartless. The scrolls clearly indicate to just destroy one depot and to not destroy anymore if one had already been destroyed. If he had planned to destroy the second depot as well, then these people would have been very hopeless. It would have been a tragedy. Thousands of people would have died due to food shortages. The Daimyo''s position might have become unstable if people died in large numbers due to food shortages. But now, the food they have will be sufficient for them to survive until sufficient food is imported. In the end, not only will this region not experience any tragedy, but the people here will be grateful to Konoha and the Wind Daimyo for helping them so quickly. On the other hand, Rasa and Sunagakure would be hated as their ninjas were too incompetent to protect their food supply. In fact, Rasa will be forced to increase the number of ninjas protecting this city by at least 2 times. A good scheme indeed.'' Despite not telling him, Fujin was able to discover Shikaku''s real intentions through his instructions. Fujin smirked and muttered, "Rasa will be in a real mess soon. Hehehe. If I didn''t have to maintain my disguise, I''d have loved to lure him here and fight a few rounds with him after securing my retreat. Though I won''t stand a chance, the opportunities to fight against S-ranked ninjas are just too rare." As Fujin expected, Rasa had a terrible headache. The bad news kept arriving one after another in his office. He had just sent a considerable force towards the West when two more reports arrived at his table. He read them both multiple times and his expression got uglier every time. The first report came from the hospital in Suna. The doctors had checked the blood samples Yura sent back and stated that it was blood samples of 24 different people. The second was sent by Baki. He informed Rasa about Manabu''s investigation and about Hiroshi and the 11 traders that came to Wind Capital along with him. Chapter 266: Rasas Helplessness! Rasa studied the two reports as he calculated, ''24 different blood samples. The group had 25 different people. Meaning that except one, everyone got injured. But who stayed uninjured?'' After calculating more, Rasa concluded, ''It isn''t someone from my Anbu. Since they didn''t contact me again, it is safe that all 12 of them were killed. This implies that the mercenaries had someone very strong hidden in their ranks who could eliminate all 12 Anbu without allowing anyone to escape.'' His eyes fell on the second report as he analyzed further, ''That person could very well be this Hiroshi fellow. Either he was with the mercenaries and lured the Anbu into a trap. Or the more fearsome scenario, that guy killed all Anbu and Mercenaries by himself. But, how strong would he need to be to kill 24 ninjas who were at least at the Chunin level by himself?'' Rasa shook his head and corrected his line of thinking, ''No, he could have caught them off guard by using his disguise. However, even in that case, this person needs to be at the Elite Jounin level. The 11 traders who came along with him were nowhere to be found. Though Baki hasn''t completed his search yet, it should be a hopeless search. Because, if this Hiroshi is at the Elite Jounin level, then the remaining traders could have been his clones... No, his Shadow Clones! Probably the assassins were his clones as well. The person who attacked Sabakuetsu should be him as well.'' Rasa''s expression became very ugly as he muttered, "Konoha sent an Elite Jounin to create a mess in my country so brazenly! They want to increase our dependence on them so that we are forced to stay in an alliance with them." Just like Fujin, Rasa could see the impact of destroying just one of the two Provision Depots in the West. The scenario was just too favorable to Konoha. Unfortunately, he had no proof to give to the Daimyo or the public. However, despite the absence of any proof, he was certain that Konoha was behind it. Within a day, he sent messages to every Noble in the West who supported him. In addition, he dispatched another 200 ninjas to the Western parts of the country. Fujin had no idea that he would soon be hunted all across the vast deserts! However, the reinforcements were very far away. Travelling across the desert needed 3 days. During this time, Fujin had eliminated another Noble who supported Rasa completely. Rasa''s mood worsened even further after receiving the news. In a rage, he shouted, "Does Konoha want to go to war?" He looked at his assistant and commanded, "Call every Council member in the village for an emergency meeting." The assistant nodded and got to work. Within half an hour, most of the council members arrived. Rasa informed them about the situation and his calculations. Every council member agreed with his calculations. Rasa stated, "Konoha seems to be hell-bent on making life difficult for us. We have to retaliate." However, his words caused a wave of silence to spread through the room. After half a minute of silence, one council member commented, "We have no way to retaliate. Since the Uchiha Massacre, Konoha has increased their defenses multiple times. The number of their ninjas moving in the Land of Fire has increased multiple times. We will have to send either Elite Jounin or a squad of Jounins to be able to achieve something significant. And once they succeed, Konoha will hunt them until they are killed. In addition, they have the Yamanaka clan. Not only will our ninjas be killed, but their memories will also be read. And if Konoha uses that information to convince the Wind Daimyo, then our budget will be restricted even further." Shikaku retorted, "You were in the room as well." Hiruzen nodded and said, "But you were the one to pass the orders." Both entered into a staring contest. After a minute, Shikaku sighed and got to work. As soon as the door closed, Hiruzen chuckled once again. He looked at the reports once again and thought, ''I should have expected this. But it''s alright. Suna was becoming too arrogant. If they aren''t reined in, they will soon become more chaotic and break off the alliance. Once that happens, the Fourth Great Ninja War will just be a matter of time.'' Hiruzen got up and looked out of his window at the Stone faces. He let out a sigh as he thought, ''Finally, our strength has recovered. Once I officially promote the current crop of Ninjas to Jounin rank, our numbers will have reached sufficient levels officially. However, we still need a few years of peace for this generation of ninjas to fully mature. Then we can afford to enter another war.'' As he looked at the Stone faces, tiredness could be seen on his face. However, suddenly he squinted his eyes and chakra gathered in them. He noticed someone sneakily moving on the Hokage monuments. But, soon he let out a long sigh and muttered, ''I am getting too old for this shit. I should have dumped this kid on his perverted Godfather.'' The entire village suddenly noticed that the Hokage Monuments were painted and made to look hilarious. Soon, Iruka noticed it as well and began chasing after Naruto. While Konoha was peaceful and joyous, the situation in the Western territories of the Land of Wind was heating up! 148 Sunagakure ninjas arrived in the city of Sabakuetsu. Manabu, Yura and two more ninjas met up with Hitoshi who told them every detail regarding their short clash with Fujin. Manabu analyzed and said, "Kazekage-sama''s analysis seems to be on point. This is most likely the same guy." Odaka added, "An Elite Jounin from Konoha. We have to catch him and give him the most painful death imaginable. But..." He scratched his chin and asked, "How do we find him in these vast deserts?" Yura looked at Odaka and replied, "He seems to be targeting the Nobles that favor our village. We just have to study his movements and discover his next target. Then we can set up an ambush for him." Odaka looked at Yura carefully. Odaka was one of the few Elite Jounins in Suna and a Council Member as well. He was quite senior as well. Along with Manabu, he was one of the two leaders of the Suna ninjas that arrived in Sabakuetsu. He said, "Good good. You are good, Yura. It''s good to see promising ninjas in the next generation." The last member of their group was an Anbu Captain who was assigned as the leader of the 20 Anbu ninjas. He was wearing an Eagle mask. He said, "Let''s lay down a map and analyze his movements. We also need to analyze his abilities. Then we can set a trap." The group nodded and entered Hitoshi''s office. Chapter 267: A Devious Trap After entering his office, Hitoshi laid down a map on a table. All 5 ninjas stood around it. Odaka asked, "Eagle, what do you recommend?" Eagle took a marker and circled Sabakuetsu and a nearby town and said, "He first burned a Provision Depot in Sabakuetsu and then killed a Noble in this town. The nearest town from there is Korinshi. But that town doesn''t have any Noble. So according to my estimations, his target could either be the City of Shunkuto or the town of Kiganjima. But, it is difficult to say which one." Manabu and Odaka began analyzing. After a couple of minutes, Manabu sighed and said, "It''s impossible to say which one he will target. We will split up and guard both cities. Yura and I will go to Shunkuto while Odaka and Eagle will go to Kiganjima. Hitoshi, you stay in this city and ensure that the last Provision Depot stays safe. We will leave 20 additional ninjas with you. The remaining will be divided equally among us." Odama, Hitoshi and Eagle nodded. They agreed with Manabu''s plan. They quickly began discussing which ninja squads would join their groups. Suddenly, Manabu noticed something amiss and looked at Yura. Yura was still staring at the map and didn''t say a word. Manabu asked, "Is something the matter, Yura?" Yura snapped out of his thoughts. He said, "I have a different take on this, Elder Manabu." Manabu said, "Explain." Yura said, "If we split up, our chances of killing him will decrease. And, if we move to those cities, then he might notice our movements and avoid hitting them altogether. In that case, our deployment will be a waste and he might annoy us further by randomly targeting other nobles forcing us to split into smaller groups. In addition, he should already have a good lead on us. If he kills that Noble before we even reach, then we won''t be able to do anything and might get exposed for nothing." His words made others frown. They had considered these points but not in this detail as they didn''t see any other option. Manabu asked, "What do you suggest?" Yura said, "Let''s abandon these two Nobles." The eyes of the four ninjas widened at how casually Yura asked to sacrifice the two Nobles. Yura pointed at a city on the map and said, "After he kills the Nobles in Shunkuto and Kiganjima, he will target the Noble living in Mizunashi city. While he is busy killing those two Nobles, we can move around this territory and set up a giant trap in Mizunashi before he reaches there. We will hide inside and around the city using Fuinjutsu. When he attacks, we can all surround and kill him." Yura''s plan surprised them. They thought about his words and agreed more and more with him. Though two Nobles would die, the sacrifice would be worth it if they killed him. It was an exchange they were more than willing to make. He made a hand sign. ''Earth Release: Earth Military Movement jutsu.'' Fujin disappeared into the ground and entered the mansion. None of the 8 ninjas were sensors and Fujin was suppressing and hiding his chakra. So no one detected him. Fujin moved directly towards the central room where Fujin had detected 3 people. Two of them were ninjas while the third one was a civilian. This was the room where the Noble was hiding. He was sitting in a chair while the two ninjas stood next to him. He nervously asked the ninjas standing next to him, "Lord Kazuo, how long do we have to keep hiding here?" Kazuo was the Chunin in charge of the defense of this remote city. He replied respectfully, "Don''t worry, Lord Toshio. Reinforcements from our village will arrive soon." Toshio was still very worried. Kazuo assured him, "We are here with you as well, Lord Toshio. Live or Die, we will join you. So don''t worry." The Noble nodded. For some reason, he looked to be very fearful of Kazuo. Suddenly, all three of them looked ahead. A head popped out of the ground. In the blink of an eye, an entire person appeared. Toshio was horrified. Kazuo and the other ninja also had solemn expressions. However, both had determined expressions. They seem to have accepted their fate. They quickly grabbed their kunai and took a fighting stance. Kazuo asked, "Who are you?" Fujin didn''t bother replying and shot an Air Bullet at Toshio. The Suna ninjas couldn''t even react when the bullet hit Toshio''s chest. Toshio''s eyes widened. Time slowed down as he felt the pain in his chest. He knew that the Suna ninjas wouldn''t be a match for the intruder, but he didn''t expect to be killed so quickly. However, instead of sorrow or horror, a gentle smile appeared on his face as he looked at Fujin. His smile surprised Fujin. It was the first time he had seen a Noble accept death with a smile on his face. Toshio thought, ''My time has come. But my family will live a life of comfort and luxury.'' He closed his eyes and accepted his death with a gentle smile on his face. Chapter 268: The Spirit of Sacrifice Fujin was stunned by the smile on Toshio''s face. Despite being the killer, he noticed no hatred in Toshio''s eyes for him. There was just relief alongside some reluctance. Thoughts clashed at the speed of light in Fujin''s brain trying to make sense of this bizarre scenario. He muttered to himself, ''What the hell?'' Kazuo and his subordinate noticed Fujin''s momentary lapse of concentration. Both immediately jumped at Fujin to kill him. However, Fujin was well aware of his surroundings. He stepped to his left and got out of the Genin''s range. He caught Kazuo''s arm and kicked him in the abdomen and sent him flying into the wall. He crashed into the wall and fell on the ground and began vomiting blood. The Genin landed and moved towards Fujin again. However, all he saw was a fist coming straight at him. Fujin''s chakra-enhanced fist landed on his face and blew it off his head. Kazuo gathered himself and was about to get up when a kick landed on his side and sent him rolling on the floor while vomiting more blood. Numerous ribs had cracked. Fujin didn''t attack anymore and asked in a plain voice, "Who was that man?" Kazuo finally managed to get on his knees. He looked at Fujin hatefully and shouted angrily, "You killed the kind Noble Toshio! A demon like you will rot in hell!" Fujin snorted, "Save your lies for yourself. I have killed way too many Nobles to not identify one. Who was he?" Kazuo''s eyes widened. However, he immediately put on an angry face and cursed, "First you kill our Noble and then talk bullshit? Just kill me and be done with it! I will wait for you in the deepest layers of hell!'' Fujin didn''t attack him and said, "Good play. I feel stupid for not considering such a simple trick. You knew I was going to come here. So you hid the real Noble and used a body double. Cool trick." Kazuo''s eyes widened once again. Thoughts ran through his mind trying to find the optimal reply. He wanted to convince Fujin that he killed the real Noble. However, he realized that he wouldn''t be able to do so. The more he lied, the more Fujin would be convinced. A grin broke on Kazuo''s face. He spoke loudly with pride, "That''s right. How does it feel to be tricked by the oldest trick in the book? Hahahahaha." Fujin didn''t mind his taunt. He wasn''t petty enough to not give credit where credit was due. It was a fact that he was fooled. If the body double hadn''t smiled kindly and behaved like any normal human being, he would have been fooled successfully. He replied plainly, "Unfortunately, your plan has failed." Kazuo replied with that huge grin still plastered on his face, "It hasn''t. Even if you realized the plan, there isn''t anything you can do. You don''t know where the Noble is hiding. No one other than me does. And I will never say it. A wind blade sliced Kazuo''s throat. However, his eyes were glued to Fujin. As his brain slowly stopped working, numerous questions arose in his mind, ''How did he know I would explode? Why does he keep speaking in such a plain monotonous tone? Why didn''t he get angry no matter how much I taunted him? And why does his face show no emotions at all?'' Unfortunately, he wouldn''t get any answers. He closed his eyes and died without knowing the name or the real face of his killer. Fujin looked at him and sighed, ''A shame that his strength was so weak. Had he been stronger, his name might have been famous throughout the ninja world.'' Fujin concentrated on his chakra. 8 Shadow clones appeared. One shadow clone took the disguise of the Genin he killed while one dispelled itself. The two Shadow Clones Fujin had created earlier received the memories and dispelled themselves. Fujin and his clones received their memories. Four Shadow clones transformed into the four ninjas that the clones killed. While the last two clones dived into the ground and moved towards the basement. The last 2 Suna ninjas were hiding there to protect the fake family of the Noble. Fujin looked at the person who was disguised as the Noble and wondered, ''Why did he smile in such a way? What sort of life would one have to experience to smile at his killer without any hate?'' Fujin analyzed for a bit but couldn''t come up with a definite answer. After all, he had no idea who the man was and what his life story was. Fujin extended his hand towards his head. Yin chakra poured out of his hand and entered the dead man''s brain. The Yin chakra gently began following through his neurons. Fujin kept at it for 3 minutes before the dead man''s brain started to break down. Fujin frowned and muttered to himself, ''I thought that the desire to truly know the memories could be a factor in reading memories. I guess not.'' Fujin sighed and gave up. He was very interested in knowing his backstory but had no means to know it. He stored the dead body. Two days ago : The news of the destruction of one Provision Depot had spread throughout Shunkuto. The people were very worried. Meanwhile, Toshio was concerned for his life. He thought, ''If this is done by the same organization that killed Nobles and their families in Wind Capital, then I could be on their hit list. No, my family is in danger as well!'' He immediately began thinking of a plan to ensure his survival but couldn''t come up with any plan. Meanwhile, Kazuo received a message from Sunagakure. He read the scroll and sighed thinking, ''Rasa has lost a lot of influence due to these recent murders. Whoever is doing this must be crazy strong. He doesn''t even care about our lives and just wants the Noble to stay safe.'' Kazuo''s impression of Rasa degraded a lot. However, as a loyal ninja, he was willing to sacrifice his life for his country. He wondered, ''But how do I keep Toshio safe?'' He thought for a long time before coming up with a decent plan. He walked towards Tishio''s office while sighing, ''With this method, this old fellow will live. But I will survive only if I am extremely lucky. This really sucks." Chapter 269: When the World is against you! Kazuo entered Toshio''s office and said loudly, "Everyone, leave! I need to talk with Toshio-sama alone." All the servants immediately left. Toshio was stressed thinking about ways to live. He looked at Kazuo with a hopeful look on his face while thinking, ''Maybe he can think of something.'' As soon as everyone left and the doors were locked, Toshio said, "It''s good you came, Kazuo. I was about to find you as well. I have never been so stressed in my life." Kazuo nodded and asked, "Worried about the assassination?" Toshio nodded. Kazuo replied, "You don''t need to be worried. Lord Kazekage has asked me to ensure that you and your family stay safe." A look of relief appeared on Toshio''s face. He asked, "Did you think of a way?" Kazuo nodded and replied, "Yes. Listen carefully. You and your family will move out of the mansion. All four of you will stay under disguise by using makeup, wearing ordinary clothes and moving to live in an ordinary house in the city. You won''t have any servants or guards. No one other than me will be aware of your location. In the meantime, decoys will have to be arranged to replace you and your family. If the assassin attacks, that decoy will die. As long as the decoy doesn''t blow up your cover, you will get to live and the assassin will go away. If your cover is blown, then you will have to stay hidden for a long time until that Assassin gives up. I''ll probably not be alive by then, so your survival will entirely depend on you." Toshio became excited after hearing the plan. However, he hid his excitement and put up a sad face and asked, "Do you have to risk your life?" Kazuo easily saw through the fake concern and said, "It''s the life of a ninja. Stop wasting time and prepare to move out and arrange for decoys. I am not sure how much time we have." Toshio replied, "I already have decoys in mind. I''ll arrange them for my family. However, I need your help to bring the one for me here. His name is Tetsuo." Toshio gave him the address of Tetsuo and explained his circumstances to Kazuo. Kazuo nodded and left. Toshio immediately got to work. He made 3 people disguise themselves as his wife and sons and asked them to stay in the basement. They knew the consequences of disobeying him and agreed. At the same time, Kazuo reached the outskirts of the city. He searched for a bit and saw an old house. Outside, a middle-aged man was sitting. He looked very tired and sick. Kazuo approached him and asked, "Are you Tetsuo?" Tetsuo nodded. Toshio said, "If you take my place, Kazuo and the other ninjas will be responsible for your safety. You won''t die until they are alive. Irrespective of whether we get attacked or not, as long as you live, I''ll reward you abundantly. I will clear all your debt, give you a stable job in the mansion and get the best doctors for you to improve your health." He let out a sigh and said, "But if our luck is bad and you die, I will take care of your family. I will clear their debt and give them so much money that even your next nine generations won''t be able to spend it." Hearing the offer, Tetsuo went silent. He was well aware that he wasn''t capable of providing for his family. But he loved his family and didn''t want to leave them. He fell into deep thought. Toshio and Kazuo didn''t disturb him. After 20 minutes of struggling, Tetsuo let out a sigh and thought, ''Even if they protect me, I doubt they could stop the assassin. But irrespective of whether I live or not, my family will be taken care of. Though they will be sad about losing me, their sadness will fade away with time. And they will live a fulfilling life. Besides, my death isn''t fixed. If my luck changes for once, I will live and my family will not need to worry about money!'' He got up. Kazuo looked into his eyes and was surprised. He thought, ''What determination!'' At the same time, he looked at Toshio and thought, ''This guy might be a scum, but he understands the human heart very well!'' In order to ensure that his family lived a good life, Tetsuo was determined to risk his life. No matter what, he wouldn''t fail this mission. Tetsuo said, "Lord, I am willing to be your decoy!" Toshio nodded and said, "Shunkuto City will remember your bravery. Kazuo will instruct you further." Kazuo nodded and left the room with Tetsuo. As soon as they left, a cruel smile appeared on Toshio''s face. He thought, ''It''s hilarious how gullible these fools are! Take care of his family? Hehehe. If he lives, I''ll kill him so that no one will know that I hid in the face of danger. If he dies, then I''ll burn his body and never tell anyone that he died. His family will think that he just abandoned them. As for what happens to them, how is that my concern?'' Unfortunately for Tetsuo, even in his final moments, the world still stood against him. He died without being able to provide his family with what he desired! Present : Fujin put his thoughts about the man behind him and sighed, ''What a mess... Just when I thought that the mission was too easy, its difficulty rises to an insane level.'' Despite complaining, a smile could be seen on his face. He enjoyed fighting intellectually. He thought, ''I don''t know who created this plan, but it''s time to dismantle it. I''d have just killed the Noble and left. But now, I will make this plan backfire splendidly on Sunagakure. But I need to be careful. I have to prepare an escape route in case Suna sends reinforcements.'' Thoughts ran rapidly through Fujin''s brain as he calculated a devious scheme. Chapter 270: A Drama Fujin''s clones entered the basement and killed the last two Suna ninjas in the city. The people who were disguising themselves as Toshio''s family were horrified. They immediately began screaming and begged, "Please let us live! I promise we won''t tell anyone what happened here!" Despite the fear, they didn''t expose that they weren''t related to Toshio. They knew that if they did, their families would suffer for generations and Toshio would kill them even if the assassin didn''t. Fujin''s clones ignored their screams. One clone weaved a few hand seals. ''Boufura no Ekirei jutsu'' Terror could be seen on their faces. However, nothing happened. The look of terror faded away and instead, they became confused. Some wondered, ''Did his jutsu fail?'' Suddenly, they got a weird feeling. They felt a slight squirming in their stomach. In an instant, that squirming turned into a sharp pain. They felt as if their stomach was infested by hundreds of maggots. The maggots began eating their way from inside their bodies. The sharp pain soon turned into agony as they felt every mouth ripping and eating the skin, tissue and tendons. Everyone held their stomach while screaming in pain and horror as the two clones watched. One person couldn''t take it anymore and yelled at the top of his lungs. The people around him looked at him. Their eyes widened in horror as his stomach was torn open and hundreds of maggots spilled out and began writhing on the ground. Soon, they too faced similar fates. Fujin''s clones watched as every one of them fell unconscious. However, there were no maggots on the ground, no blood and no torn stomachs. The attack was just a Genjutsu. Boufura no Ekirei jutsu was one of the Genjutsus Fujin learnt during his time in the Anbu. It was a very disgusting jutsu. However, against a ninja, its usage was limited. Any experienced ninja would know that they are in a Genjutsu and disrupt their chakra. So its main usage was to disturb the enemy by causing a weird feeling and pain in their stomachs and use that disruption to attack them. Of course, there was one exception. This Genjutsu was disgustingly effective when used by the Aburame clan ninjas! Fujin''s clone thought, ''Now they won''t wake up for a while. Though I could have used a different Genjutsu, this one ensures that they won''t wake up for at least half a day. In addition, the horror they experienced will force their brains to forget about this event and the events before they went unconscious. This will make it very difficult for Suna to get the exact information from them.'' Fujin could have just killed them. But he had killed too many innocent people during this mission. If he could avoid killing more, he would take that option. The clones transformed into the two Suna ninjas they killed, stored their bodies and returned to Fujin. Fujin had finished completing his plan. 16 Shadow Clones popped around him. However, one immediately dispersed. The plan immediately was transmitted to all the remaining Shadow Clones. The 15 new clones immediately transformed into random people Fujin came across and flickered out. 8 clones rushed out of the City. They spread away at equal distances and formed a perimeter. All of them activated their chakra field simultaneously, monitoring the city from all sides. If reinforcements from Suna arrive, they would send the message back to Fujin, who would withdraw immediately. The remaining 7 clones mixed with the common people in the city. Inside the mansion, Fujin and his clones, disguised as Suna ninjas, left the room. The servants in the mansion were all hiding in fear after the sounds of the fighting spread throughout the mansion. Though the sounds had stopped, they weren''t sure who won. Seeing the Suna ninjas walk around the mansion relieved them. The crowd instantly erupted in joy. The entire mansion was drowned in roars. The cheers were heard throughout the city. The ones who couldn''t make it regretted not being there. However, they were cheerful as well. Fujin waited for the noise to lower and said loudly, "Tonight, the entire city will celebrate! So come to the mansion in the evening. We will have the largest buffet ever! When the fireworks go off, drop everything you are doing and come here to celebrate!" The crowd cheered even louder. "Long Live Toshio-sama" "Kazuo-sama is Mighty" Such slogans were shouted continuously. Fujin looked around with a smile on his face and slowly retreated into the mansion. The crowd lingered for a while before leaving. The news of a buffet spread through the city. Everyone was happy, except one person. Toshio was sitting in a restaurant. A lot of makeup was applied to his face. The people in the restaurant couldn''t recognize him. A frown formed on his face as he cursed, ''Why is Kazuo spending my money?'' His face became ugly at the thought of his money being wasted on commoners. He wondered, ''Should I return to the mansion? That bastard has already killed the assassin. So why didn''t he call me back?'' He thought for a bit and decided, ''No. I have cooperated with Kazuo for a long time. I''ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. As for the money, I can earn it back in no time.'' He got up and began leaving the restaurant. As soon as he did, he heard two people speaking. One guy said, "Hey, did you hear? Toshio-sama hid in the city while a decoy took his place. I didn''t expect Toshio-sama to be so cowardly." His friend replied, "Yes. I was very disappointed. I had higher expectations from Toshio-sama." The first guy said, "Yeah, everyone is disappointed. I heard that Lord Daimyo is upset with Toshio-sama. And a new Noble would be elected." His friend nodded and said, "Yes. I hope Kazuo-sama becomes our new Noble. Under him, we might become the strongest City in the West." The first guy chuckled and said, "I say the decoy should become the new Noble. After all, he has the guts and the will to sacrifice himself for us. That''s how a Noble should be!" The two continued talking while moving away. Toshio''s face became very ugly. He almost lashed out at the two but controlled himself. He thought in rage, ''I should have known! That bastard tricked me! He is using this opportunity to usurp my power!'' Chapter 271: Pouring Oil on Fire! Toshio began walking towards where his family was hiding. En route, he heard similar words being spoken by everyone around him. They talked about how cowardly he was or how gallant Kazuo was or both. He became angrier and angrier. He took a good look at each and every face that talked bad about him and memorized their faces. Right after announcing a Buffet, the 7 shadow clones of Fujin that had mixed among the citizens began spreading rumors. They spread like wildfire. Since Toshio wasn''t present during the announcements, people began believing that it was true. In addition, a few knew Toshio''s real face and how greedy and selfish he was. They helped fan the rumors. Within a couple of hours, nearly everyone had heard those rumors and were discussing them. That is why Toshio heard them so easily. Toshio entered an ordinary-looking house. As soon as he did, two teenage boys and a middle-aged lady looked at him. They immediately noticed his foul mood. One of his sons asked, "Did something happen father? We heard that Kazuo won and the assassin is dead, so why are you upset?" Toshio cursed, "That bastard Kazuo has double-crossed me! He is using this to increase his own reputation while ruining mine! He has sights on my position! I''ll be going to the mansion right now and put a stop to his plans. You three stay here until I return to get you." Toshio''s wife said, "Be careful, dear. I am feeling very uneasy." Toshio nodded and said confidently, "Don''t worry. He may be a ninja, but he can''t do anything to me. Otherwise, the Lord Daimyo will ask for his head!" His wife and sons nodded and prayed for his health. Toshio began walking towards the mansion while still wearing his disguise. He planned, ''As long as I enter the mansion under disguise, no one will be able to confirm these rumours. I''ll dismiss these rumours as foul propaganda and blame it on the ones I saw shit-talking about me. Kazuo, you might be stronger than me, but you are a child compared to me when it comes to scheming.'' He reached the Mansion and became enraged once again! The mansion servers were busy arranging tables and chairs inside as well as outside the mansion to prepare for a huge buffet! In a rage, he began walking towards the mansion. At first, no one paid attention to him. However, when he neared the mansion gate, one of Fujin''s clones'' eyes landed on him. Fujin''s clone observed him and wondered, ''Why is this guy so angry? And he is bottling it all up.'' Fujin''s clone tilted his head and wondered, ''If people could blow up in a rage, I wonder if he''d create a bigger explosion than Deidara?'' As Toshio entered the castle, the maids and servants finally reacted. One maid was standing quite close to him and carrying some plates. She walked towards him and said, "The buffet will be in the evening. Don''t come here so early. Don''t worry, we will have enough food for everyone." Though the maid spoke politely, Toshio could feel the disdain in her voice. His face became even uglier. He said in a deep voice, "Do you dare stop me?" The explosions unleashed an array of colors and transformed the sky into a living tapestry of vivid blues, radiant reds and shimmering gold. Each explosion brightened the mood of the citizens and raised their hope for their futures. A young girl''s wide eyes locked on to the mesmerizing display. In joy and wonder, she tugged her mother''s sleeve and exclaimed, "Mom, look! It is so beautiful!" Most kids had similar reactions. They all wanted to go there. However, the adults were puzzled. They wondered, ''Didn''t Kazuo-sama say that the Buffet will be in the evening? Why is he calling us now?'' However, the crowd also had some simpletons and foodies. They thought, ''It is the Royal Buffet. I guess they are inviting us for the Royal Starters!'' With watery mouths, they immediately began rushing towards the Mansion, unaware of the tragedy awaiting them! Within minutes, the mansion was surrounded by people once again. The numbers instantly reached hundreds and soon crossed a thousand. They noticed that the servants working in the mansion were arranging tables and chairs, but couldn''t see any food nearby. However, they waited patiently and eagerly. Fujin waited for a few minutes for the crowd to become substantially larger. Finally, he stepped out of the mansion. He had a plain expression on his face. He walked towards the mansion gate and slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'' Instead of a vast wall, a small pillar of 1-meter length and breadth but with a height of 10 meters rose from the ground. Fujin jumped on it. The crowd was still noisy. He looked around and squinted his eyes. Immediately, a thick bloodlust emanated from Fujin. It spread towards the people. The bloodlust terrified them. Immediately, everyone looked at him in terror. The crowd went silent. They looked at Fujin with fear and wondered, ''Why is Kazuo-sama doing this? Isn''t he supposed to be our hero?'' Fujin observed the crowds and was satisfied with the reaction. The bloodlust terrified the civilians without harming them. He said loudly, "Lord Kazekage has investigated the assassin who killed the Nobles and Sunagakure''s ninjas. He discovered that he was aided by some traitors." As soon as he said it, one of Fujin''s clones flickered next to him and handed him Toshio''s unconscious body. The people''s eyes widened as they realized what was going on. Fujin said, "Toshio was that traitor. He provided the assassin with critical and classified information. Hence, Lord Kazekage has decided that he is to be executed."N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Chapter 272: A Dying City... Everyone''s eyes widened. A few who were well-learned and were close to Toshio wondered, ''Wait, Lord Kazekage has no authority to punish Nobles. Only Lord Daimyo has. What is going on?'' They wanted to voice their opinion. But the bloodlust made them terrified to even open their mouths. A sword appeared in Fujin''s hands. His clone held Toshio properly and offered Fujin his neck. Fujin swung his sword. With one swing of his blade, Toshio was beheaded! The crowd watched with complex expressions. They didn''t know what to feel. On one hand, they were happy that a traitor had been killed. Perhaps if they weren''t suppressed by the bloodlust, they would have even cheered. On the other hand, though Toshio wasn''t a good person, he had properly propagated himself to be one. So the number of people aware of his real face was very low. Only the recent rumors tarnished his reputation considerably. They stayed silent and hoped that this nightmare would be over. However, Fujin''s next words destroyed all their hopes! Fujin said, "Lord Kazekage is very upset over how the Noble of Shunkuto has caused the deaths of tens of Sunagakure ninjas. As a punishment, all the ninjas deployed to protect the city will be withdrawn. From this moment onwards, this city won''t have any protection from us!" The civilians were terrified. Their city was deep in the desert. The climate here was very harsh. So they didn''t suffer from any bandit attacks as no bandit group would operate here. However, the city frequently had to face deadly sandstorms. The help of ninjas during this time was indispensable. Without their aid to activate the seals and warn everyone in time, many people would die. The ninjas would also aid a lot after the storm had passed the city in order to restore the city and ensure that it functioned properly. Fujin withdrew his bloodlust and said with a sigh, "Though I don''t want to leave here by yourself, I can''t disobey my leader. I wish you well.'' The people shouted, "No! Please don''t leave us he..." However, their words were stuck in their mouths as Fujin and his clone disappeared. Only Toshio''s headless body was left on the stone platform. They looked around and the remaining ''Suna'' ninjas had disappeared as well. Immediately, terror invaded the minds of everyone present. Chaos spread as everyone discussed what to do without any proper plan. Many began talking about leaving the city. A few rushed into the mansion and began stealing expensive items and money. While the rest rushed to their families. Even though the cities in the East have no option but to stay subservient to Suna, they will become very suspicious of Rasa''s intention. And irrespective of what deal the Wind Daimyo and Rasa made, they will enter into conflict once again. After all, that Noble''s family is still alive. As long as they reach the Daimyo, another round of hostilities will begin. Even if they don''t manage to, the news alone will make the other Nobles pressurize the Daimyo. Eventually, some of the people that migrated will migrate to the cities in the East. When they do, Rasa''s reputation will be hit even further. He will have to take a hell lot of effort to be able to recover his lost reputation. However, the bad will among the ones who suffered will last for decades. If Shikaku and Hiruzen don''t promote me after this and give me access to that Section A of the library, I''ll make them experience a similar hell! Though I guess they are too smart to make such a silly mistake.'' Fujin turned his thoughts towards the city in front of him. His eyes were glowing. He muttered, "Another city without any active seals protecting them. That said, the last assassination was fun. I wonder if this city will make it interesting for me as well." He took a step forward as wind covered his entire body. Before he could land his step, he disappeared from his spot and entered the city. He began walking casually towards the center of the city as usual. As expected, it also had a mansion at the center of the city. Fujin stood in a secluded corner and wondered, ''What should I do if this Noble is also hiding while a decoy is taking his spot? Doing the same trick twice won''t be feasible. After all, many would be suspicious of what I pulled in Shunkuto. The same thing happening in two cities will reduce the suspicion on Rasa and people will suspect foul play. So it will be counter-productive.'' Fujin thought for a bit and gave up, ''Leave it. I''ll just kill whoever is acting to be the Noble and the Suna ninjas protecting him. Though I should be careful. Kazuo was willing to blow himself up. However, if he had used something original or unpredictable, then I could have had some trouble.'' As he was deciding, he felt eyes on himself. He turned his head and saw a man approaching him. He laughed awkwardly and asked, "Young man, can you tell me where the flower shop is? I lost my way around here, hahaha." Fujin nodded and said, "Sure. Travel three streets down this road. Then take a right and then the second left. You''ll find the most famous flower shop in this city." The man quickly said, "Thank you, young man. You saved me." He quickly left. Fujin watched his back. But this time, he didn''t dare to use his chakra. He thought, ''Suspicious. I didn''t sense any chakra from him, but something about him feels off. He approached me right after I used some chakra.'' Fujin turned around and left in the opposite direction. The man didn''t look back at Fujin and continued walking while thinking, ''I didn''t expect him to know where the flower shop is. Did he just luckily come across the flower shop? Or is he an old spy? But why would someone place a spy in this remote city? Unless...'' Chapter 273: The Trap Springs! The man was none other than the Elite Jounin, Odaka. He was hanging around the mansion under the disguise of an old man when he felt some chakra being used by Fujin. So he decided to check him out. However, Fujin gave him the answer spontaneously. Odaka looked at another young man around him and asked once again, "Young man. I want to buy flowers for my wife. It''s our anniversary. Can you tell me where the flower shop is?" The boy politely answered, "Just enter this street. The 5th shop on the right is a flower shop." Odaka raised his eyebrows. It wasn''t the same location that Fujin mentioned. He pointed at a street a bit farther from his location and asked, "Young man, I was told that the flower shop is in that street after taking the second left." The boy followed his finger. After hearing his words, a look of disgust appeared on his face. He looked at Odaka and said with disgust, "Scums like you deserve to burn in hell!" He quickly left, leaving Odaka dumbfounded. He wondered, ''What the hell did that young man point me to?'' He looked back at where he saw Fujin, but Fujin was nowhere to be seen. He looked in another direction and his eyes met with one of the Anbu who was hiding. Odaka pointed towards where he had met up with Fujin. The Anbu nodded and left. Meanwhile, Odaka was interested in where Fujin had pointed him. So he quickly moved towards it. As soon as he did, his face turned red and he became angry. He let out a laugh and said loudly, "Good one boy! You got me!" The people around were startled by the loud voice. They looked at him like he was a crazy pervert and maintained a safe distance from him. Odaka was staring at a brothel. In fact, there were multiple brothels and sex toy shops on that street. He immediately left. Fujin, of course, had no idea what was here. He just gave random directions so that no one would think he is new in the city and get suspicious. Even if there was no flower shop there, the person would just assume that they were pranked and curse him without suspecting anything. However, Odaka was not just some person. And he didn''t approach Fujin due to coincidence. He immediately turned around and began moving to see what the Anbu could have discovered. However, when he reached the mansion again, an explosion happened inside it! Odaka quickly turned his attention towards the mansion as he heard the sound of the explosion. He wondered, ''Did the assassin attack?'' He quickly entered the mansion. So did a dozen other Jounin-level ninjas! When he was observing the mansion, Fujin had already noticed how many ninjas were inside the mansion. He spotted 9 ninjas among which 3 were at Chunin level and 6 were merely Genins. Just like in the previous city, the Noble was hiding in one room with 2 ninjas protecting him while his family was hiding underground. He decided to take the same approach. In the central room in the mansion, the decoy was sitting dressed as the Noble. 2 Chunins stood next to him facing opposite directions in case there was a sneak attack. This room had a lot of artifacts. Large animals made of wood were placed in the room. The decoy was very nervous. He didn''t have the same conviction as Tetsuo. Even the ninjas were very nervous. They were already informed that an attack was just a matter of time. They had heard about the invincible record of the assassin and didn''t want to end up dead too. So they resolutely followed all the instructions given by Yura. Odaka chuckled and said, "You sensed them, huh? It doesn''t matter. With the poison you inhaled, you will die the most painful and gruesome death. To be honest, I am very interested in knowing who you are. I wonder if you can satisfy this old man''s request now or if I will have to wait until you die." Fujin let out a chuckle and said, "We will have to see who will die and who will live." He took a step forward and suddenly disappeared. Odaka''s eyes widened. He shouted, "Be careful! He is fast!" Fujin appeared in front of a Jounin. He was holding a kunai in each hand. He immediately stabbed towards the Jounin''s heart. The Jounin immediately jumped backwards. The ones next to him immediately attacked Fujin. Fujin stopped his attack and used his two kunais to block their attacks. However, the ninjas in front of him weaved hand signs. ''Wind Release: Air Bullet jutsu'' Fujin immediately pushed the attackers away and got out of the way. The bullets passed harmlessly and pierced through the walls. The Jounin frowned as those rogue bullets could hit some of their reinforcements. Odaka observed Fujin and analyzed with a frown on his face, ''Hmm, he is faster and stronger than an average Jounin. Even among Elite Jounins, his speed and physical strength might be at the very top. But, why is the poison not slowing him down? Is this his capability after being slowed or does the poison not affect him for some reason?'' Odaka was taking Fujin lightly as his death was certain. But now he became doubtful. He immediately became very serious. As soon as Fujin landed in another spot, he was once again attacked by 3 Jounins. Fujin blocked their attacks and tried attacking back, but they dodged him with perfect teamwork. Suddenly, all 3 backed away. Fujin''s eyes widened as he noticed two ninjas building up their chakra while weaving hand signs. He wondered, ''Do they not care about the mansion?'' He instantly backed off and concentrated his chakra as well. ''Wind Release: Wind Dragon Jutsu'' Two massive Wind Dragons formed and dived at Fujin. However, Fujin wasn''t much concerned. He had already deduced the jutsu by looking at their hand signs. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough Jutsu'' He poured 20% of his chakra into the jutsu. Extremely strong winds were breathed by Fujin. It hit the two Wind Dragons and dispersed it. The Suna Jounins had grim expressions. They had the same thought, ''Is he from the Land of Wind or are we?'' They all used their respective defensive moves. The walls of the mansion began collapsing. Fujin was about to pour even more chakra into the jutsu and cause maximum damage to the Suna ninjas by dismantling their defensive jutsus when he suddenly jumped towards his right and looked behind. His eyes widened as he saw the wooden horse behind him open its mouth wide and shoot hundreds of needles at him! Fujin continued blowing the Infinite Breakthrough, but this time, he used it towards his left so that his body would be pushed to his right. However, it was too late. A few needles grazed his left hand and two needles pierced his left arm and stayed stuck in it. Fujin cursed, ''Shit!'' Chapter 274: Racing in the Desert Chakra gathered in Fujin''s eyes as he noticed the chakra threads controlling the wooden horse. He traced them back and his eyes landed on Odaka. He thought, ''A puppet master. I guess these needles are poisoned as well. I don''t have much time.''N?00v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Seeing Fujin get hit improved the morale of the Suna Jounins who were getting overwhelmed. Odaka also sighed in relief. However, Fujin''s eyes quickly scanned through the Suna Jounins and finally settled on one guy. He decided, ''This one.'' Though the winds were still flowing strongly in the mansion, Fujin flickered and appeared next to him. The Jounin immediately moved backwards while swiping his kunai at Fujin. Fujin dropped the kunai in his hand and stopped his opponent by grabbing his wrist. At the same time, the ninjas nearby threw Shurikens at Fujin from close range. A sigh escaped Fujin''s mouth as he thought, ''Sucks that they didn''t come close.'' In the very next moment, he exploded! The eyes of the Jounin whose arm was being grabbed widened in horror. He couldn''t use any jutsu to defend himself nor could he get away. His left arm was blown up. The explosion hit his body, burning his eyes and face. He was launched across the room and crashed into a wall! The shurikens that were thrown at Fujin were also launched back due to the explosion. However, everyone dodged them easily. But not a single person had a happy expression. Outside the mansion, people were going with their lives as usual. A few people who were around the mansion noticed the sounds of explosions and clashes inside the mansion and began wondering what was happening. Suddenly, a massive explosion occurred! A corner of the mansion was blown up. Pieces of stone and concrete were sent flying for hundreds of meters in the city and crashed into a few unlucky houses and stores. Immediately, everyone began looking at the mansion which stood at the center of the city! These included the ninjas that were hiding in the city, the civilians and a young man sitting in a cafe. The young man''s eyes glowed as he observed the mansion while going through the memories he received. A smirk formed on his face as he thought, ''Not bad. Not bad at all! They set up a very good trap. The previous easy missions were indeed to lower my guard. If it was someone careless or arrogant, this trap would have been very successful. Now then...'' The young man was none other than Fujin. When Odaka approached him, Fujin had already finished observing the mansion and sent a shadow clone into the ground to attack the mansion. Fujin''s eyes moved rapidly as he spotted 4 Anbu ninjas who were observing him from different locations. At the moment of the explosion, they stopped looking at him and watched the mansion. Immediately, all the Jounins used the same jutsu and began their chase. Apart from these twelve, the others in the city who could use that jutsu began the chase as well. Fujin turned around and noticed a few dozen ninjas chasing after him. He thought, ''The area around the city is a complete desert. There is nothing that can hide me. If this was the Land of Fire, they wouldn''t even know where to chase me. Still, it''s fine. The chase depends on the expertise in this jutsu and stamina. I''ll just keep running until they can''t keep up anymore.'' Fujin looked ahead and continued running. Apart from this, he had another choice. That was to use Shadow clones and split in different directions. It would force the Suna ninjas to split up as well. He could then hunt them one by one. Fujin did think of this idea, but he dismissed it immediately. He thought, ''Though I could kill a good number of them, it''s too risky. My shadow clones can''t be poisoned but I can be. I''d prefer to not get poisoned in this desert. After all, Poison is Suna''s speciality. Though it wasn''t a match for Tsunade, I''m no Tsunade. Avoiding getting poisoned is the only method for me.'' Over the last couple of years, Fujin''s knowledge about medical jutsus, the human body and poisons had increased a lot. But he wasn''t arrogant enough to think that it would be anywhere close to competing against Suna. The Suna ninjas chasing Fujin had already split into groups. At the forefront was Manabu. Behind him were Yura, Odaka and Eagle. The Jounins were behind them in smaller groups of their own. Though they could use the jutsu, the amount of time needed and the distance they could cover was different for everyone. Every Suna ninja had a grim face as they noticed Fujin getting further and further away at every second. One of the Jounins cursed, "What the hell? How does he flicker by more than a kilometer every time? And why does his jutsu activate instantly?" The one next to him muttered, "It''s almost as if the Wind Gods have all blessed him!" They weren''t the only ones with that thought. Manabu was upset as well. He was one of the strongest Wind users in Sunagakure. He was quite prideful about his expertise in wind manipulation. He thought, ''If not for the Magnet Kekkei Genkai, even Rasa wouldn''t be a match for my Wind Release. Who is this ninja?'' Fujin used the jutsu 10 times consecutively. He was about to use it again when he suddenly stopped and disrupted his chakra. Immediately, the scene in front of him changed. A dozen ninjas appeared in front of him. He was alarmed by the situation and wondered, ''Why the hell would they set up an ambush all the way out here?'' Manabu, Odaka and the rest noticed it and sighed in relief. The reinforcements sent by Rasa had arrived when Fujin was wasting time in Shunkuto City. Manabu thought, ''He finally encountered one of the squads. I was afraid he was going to run straight through the net we set up. After all, how could anyone catch anyone who moves a kilometer with every step? However, it looks like he has used up all his luck. Of all the squads to encounter, he encountered that monster!'' Chapter 275: Unleashing the Monster! The twelve Suna ninjas stared at Fujin. The one standing at the front and who set up the Genjutsu was Susumu, an Elite Jounin. He chuckled and said, "You must have had horrible luck to encounter us. After today, even your bones won''t remain!" The others chuckled as well. Fujin didn''t bother arguing against them. After all, he could see the reason why they were so cocky. It was a young boy, standing in the midst of their ranks. The boy had fair skin, short, spikey and red hair and emerald green eyes with dark rings giving him a distinct look. In addition, there was a gourd on his back, which was too big for his size. Fujin thought, ''Facing Gaara in a desert full of sand... Indeed, my luck would have been horrible had he been older. However, at this age... Is Rasa out of his mind sending his ten-year-old kid and Suna''s only Jinchuriki against me? If I didn''t already know the future, I''d be very tempted to kill him right here! And unless he released Shukaku, I doubt he''d have any chance of survival either.'' Unlike Fujin, Gaara didn''t waste any time thinking. Sand poured out of his gourd and immediately moved towards Fujin. Fujin was about to flicker when he felt something unusual. He immediately disrupted his chakra and moved out of the way while looking at Susumu. Susumu grinned and said, "With me here, you should forget about being able to escape. Gaara-sama, attack without restraint. I''ll ensure that he can''t escape!" Gaara ignored his words and kept attacking. Fujin dodged while thinking, ''Annoying. He uses Genjutsu right when I am about to use a jutsu. Though I can break it right away, it''s dangerous. After all, who knows how I will use the jutsu when under a Genjutsu? This level of Genjutsu, he must be Sabaku Susumu, one of Rasa''s cousins. And probably the strongest Genjutsu user from Suna. But how is he affecting my chakra?'' Susumu was very confident about trapping Fujin. However, his smile disappeared as he noticed that Fujin kept avoiding Gaara''s sand every time. Even though Fujin couldn''t use any jutsu, he wasn''t very concerned. His normal speed far exceeded the speed of Gaara''s sand. Not a single attack came close to hurting him. However, as Fujin was dodging the sand, Manabu finally caught up! Fujin looked back and frowned, ''At this rate, I''ll be surrounded by hundreds of ninjas!'' His eyes began glowing as he focused chakra in them. Gaara was becoming impatient. He sent all the sand out of his gourd. It formed into small pebble-sized balls and rained down at Fujin. Fujin got out of range of the attack with ease once again as he observed, ''I see. This guy is leaking his chakra into the wind. He is using the air I breathe to slowly affect my chakra network and make me fall into a Genjutsu. This shouldn''t be enough to make me fall under a Genjutsu, but he probably increases the chakra right when I''m busy refining my chakra to use a jutsu.'' A sparkle appeared in Fujin''s eyes as he looked at Susumu. His look towards him had changed. He no longer viewed Susumu as an obstruction and instead viewed him as a delicacy! A shiver passed through Susumu''s spine as he wondered, ''Why is he looking at me like this? Don''t tell me he swings that way! Still, shouldn''t he be concerned about Gaara?'' ''Wind Release: Air Bullet jutsu'' Manabu noticed that Fujin was focusing on Gaara and Susumu. He had no intention of getting in Gaara''s way. So he maintained distance and fired 15 air bullets at Fujin. Fujin looked at Susumu and decided, ''I was planning to leave and never return here. But since you decided to keep me here, I might as well have some fun!'' Fujin disrupted his chakra once again and exerted a huge amount of chakra. Susumu noticed the chakra build-up and immediately cursed, "Shit! He will run away!" Even before he could complete his statement, Fujin disappeared. The Suna ninjas wanted to stop him, but the Sand Tsunami severely restricted their movement. The Suna ninjas who were still rushing towards Fujin stopped and dispersed out of the attack''s way. Odaka expanded his chakra field and tried to sense Fujin. However, he could no longer sense him. Odaka frowned and said, "He is gone. I can''t sense him anymore. It was a mistake to include Gaara in such an important mission. He doesn''t have the tactical know-how yet to fight at this level." The others silently agreed. Eagle said, "Luckily Yura began establishing a new perimeter. We can still catch up with him if he gets stalled." However, Manabu, Odaka and Susumu didn''t share the same opinion. They had all engaged with Fujin. His speed was too fast for anyone under the Elite Jounin level to handle. Excluding them, there were only 2 more Elite Jounins around the city. And neither were stationed in that direction. Though they were upset that Fujin had gotten away, they had another matter to take care of. The Sand Tsunami was approaching them rapidly. They immediately flickered out of the way. Gaara, who created this mess, grinned and said, "That''s it! Run away from me!" As soon as he said it, the sand around him moved quickly and formed a sand wall on his left side. Gaara was shocked and turned his head to the left. His eyes widened as he saw 6 holes in the sand wall. 6 Air bullets pierced through the thin layer of sand and grazed Gaara''s arms and chest. Gaara''s eyes widened in horror as a red line appeared across his chest. His arms also began bleeding. He muttered, "What... is... this? Is this... blood? My..." Immediately he shouted as loudly as he could, "BLOOD MY BLOOD!!" The Suna Jounins who were still dodging the sand tsunami were shocked as they felt a thick bloodlust and heard Gaara''s screams. Susumu asked in terror, "Gaara is injured? How?" The others were horrified too. The Sand Tsunami was just a minor inconvenience. If they didn''t have to chase after Fujin, this jutsu wouldn''t have any effect on them. However, they began sweating in fear at the thought of Gaara losing control. The ones who had it worst were the 10 Suna ninjas who were behind Gaara. Their legs began shivering in terror. A few fell on the ground. The ones who could stand began running away. Chapter 276: A Complex Battle Unlike what Odaka had thought, Fujin hadn''t run away. Instead, he just hid his chakra signature. And thanks to the cover provided by the sand tsunami, no one could see, hear or smell him. He immediately attacked Gaara with the intention of making him bleed. However, he was surprised as he thought, ''The air bullets breaking through is reasonable. After all, the sand that defended him was too little. But why did he get injured so much? Doesn''t he have the sand armor?'' Fujin observed him properly and realized, ''I see. I guess he hasn''t created that technique yet.'' He turned his attention towards the Suna ninjas on the other side of the tsunami and muttered, "Well, sucks to be you guys." Odaka activated his chakra field once again. His eyes widened as he shouted, "That assassin is still here! Bastard hid his chakra signature."N?00v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Fujin detected the chakra field and immediately used Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. Odaka sensed Fujin getting farther away and said, "He escaped." Manabu asked, "Are you sure that he didn''t hide his chakra again? It''ll be annoying if he interferes when we are stopping Gaara." Odaka replied, "Yes. Last time his chakra signature just disappeared. This time, I sensed him leaving. Besides, I doubt he would want to stay when Gaara is losing control." They could still hear Gaara''s screams as his body began transforming. The sand tsunami had lost its power and was settling down. But other than Eagle and the three Elite Jounins, the rest stayed away in fear. Susumu moved towards Gaara while weaving hand signs, Manabu shouted, "Don''t let him fall asleep!" Susumu already knew it. He reached as close to Gaara as he could and completed his hand signs. ''Demise of the Rebirth'' Despite being partially transformed, the Genjutsu hit Gaara. As the Genjutsu took hold, a serene sensation washed over him, like a gentle breeze on summer''s eve. In an instant, his tumultuous emotions were caressed and quelled. It was as if the weight of anger, hatred, pain and panic were lifted. The world around him transformed into a dreamland adorned by Sakura blossoms. As Gaara watched the Sakura petals floating with the wind, he felt a soothing sensation. The illusion cocooned him in a realm of tranquility, offering respite from the burdens of reality. For a fleeting moment, he found solace in the beauty of this ephemeral sanctuary. Unfortunately, he couldn''t stay in this world forever. A wave of anger burned in his heart as Shukaku transferred his chakra into Gaara''s body to break the illusion and further transform the boy. Susumu and the rest knew that the Genjutsu wouldn''t hold a Jinchuriki down for long. When Gaara opened his eyes, he saw 4 puppets surrounding him. His body was tied with metal strings held by the puppets, restricting his mobility. Gaara roared in rage as he began struggling. Odaka gritted his teeth and increased his control on his puppets to ensure that they wouldn''t be sent flying. Fortunately, he wasn''t alone. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' A massive windstorm was shot out towards them. Odaka hurriedly summoned a defensive Puppet and the two hid behind it. However, both had grim expressions. Manabu asked, "Didn''t you say that he ran away?" Odaka answered, "I definitely sensed him running away. Unless he kept hiding and sent a Shadow clone away to fool me. Or maybe he ran away and returned while hiding his chakra. After all, we were busy stopping Gaara." Manabu didn''t question any further. After all, it was pointless. He said, "This scum is very cunning. We were on guard while fighting Gaara. If he had attacked then, Susumu would have dodged or blocked him. Instead, he waited until we had won and dropped our guard momentarily." Odaka nodded and said, "He almost reminds me of Yellow Flash. In the third war, we lost most of our Elite Jounins to his sneak attacks. Other than Tsunade, he was the main reason that we had to accept our defeat and form an alliance with Konoha." Manabu and Odaka''s expressions became even uglier. They had speculated that the assassin was from Konoha. Both thought, ''If Konoha has gained such a strong fighter who is willing to go to such an extreme during peacetime, then a war with them would prove extremely costly.'' While Manabu and Odaka were hiding from the storm, Eagle took the opportunity to flicker behind Fujin and attacked him with his kunai. However, Fujin withdrew the kunai from Susumu''s heart and blocked the attack. ''Wind Release: Air Bullet jutsu'' Eagle''s eyes widened as he noticed the attack. He immediately jumped out of the way. Fujin let him go and instead spat out a fire on the cloth that had sealed Gaara. The two Sealing ninjas shouted in horror, "No! Don''t!" Unfortunately, Fujin had no intention to listen to them. Eagle''s eyes widened as well. He immediately began weaving hand signs and building up his chakra. However, before he could complete his hand signs, he was forced to jump backwards. A kunai grazed past his left forearm leaving a half-foot-long cut in it. He winced in pain but kept weaving hand signs. ''Water Release: Waterfall jutsu.'' Despite acting as fast as he could, the delay due to the pain meant that the cloth was already set on fire! A second later, a huge waterfall crashed down on the fire and doused it. At the same time, Manabu launched his own Infinite Breakthrough jutsu and neutralized Fujin''s attack. He and Odaka appeared next to Eagle and asked, "Where is the assassin?" Eagle said, "He is th..." His words were stuck in his mouth as he noticed that Fujin and Susumu''s dead body had both disappeared! However, before they could investigate, a furious roar was heard through the desert. The Suna ninjas looked where Gaara was sealed in grim expression as he broke out of the binding cloth! They began fighting him once again. Chapter 277: An Opportunity! Manabu and Odaka led the fight to suppress Gaara once again. However, without Susumu and with the added threat of an assassin, the fight became much more difficult. Manabu shouted, "Yura. Take command of others and encircle Gaara. Have sensors monitor the battlefield and immediately report if anyone senses that Assassin!" Being struck once, Manabu didn''t want to risk getting attacked again. Suna''s losses were already terrible. In its entire history, Suna had experienced such losses during peacetime very few times. If he and Odaka were also to die then Suna would be in a terrible position. Not to mention, the assassin could also target their only Jinchuriki! As the Suna ninjas entered into a bitter struggle, the source of their suffering had already flickered tens of kilometers away. Fujin finally stopped and let out a sigh. He muttered, "What a mess. First, they let me kill Nobles without any obstruction and then they suddenly have over a hundred ninjas defending one remote city with their Jinchuriki standing right on my escape route! If I didn''t know how impulsive Gaara was, I could have been in a pinch." He looked at Susumu''s dead body in his hand and muttered, "Though it''s not all bad. My Genjutsu level was stuck for a long time. Other than the Bringer of Darkness, I don''t have a high-level Genjutsu that could create a significant impact in battle. I was wondering if I could use the Wind to somehow use Genjutsu. Sadly, the Anbu duties didn''t leave me with much time. But now it seems to be a good thing. With his jutsus as the base, I would easily master high-level Genjutsu in no time." Fujin carefully stored Susumu''s body. He had no intention of trying to read his memories by himself. He looked back towards where the Sand shinobi were fighting and analyzed, ''In this battle, I only used Wind and Fire jutsus. Apart from it, I also exposed my high speed, strength and expertise in chakra control, flickering and assassination. Sigh, it''s a little more than what I planned to expose. But I did manage to keep my Earth jutsus, Vacuum jutsus, Sword skills and Chakra flow a secret. Even if they investigate, they wouldn''t analyze that this was me anytime soon. Though once I begin gaining fame, it won''t be that difficult for their suspicions to fall on me.'' Fujin sighed. He could have never imagined that such a distant city would have an ambush made of 1 Jinchuriki, 3 Elite Jounins, dozens of Jounins and hundreds of ninjas. He thought, ''I should have quit after burning the food storage.'' Fujin weaved a few hand signs and slammed his hand on the ground. ''Summoning Jutsu'' Smoke appeared in front of Fujin. It slowly dispersed, exposing a large Sabertooth holding the bloody leg of some wild animal in his mouth. He looked around and saw Fujin. Fujin said with a smile, "Kaito, it''s good to see you again." Kaito continued eating as he asked, "Fujin, why did you call me?" Fujin replied, "I am deep in enemy territory and have no idea how many are hiding around in ambush. Give me a lift." Kaito replied, "Alright." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke and returned to his home. Meanwhile, Fujin stretched for a bit and was about to move towards the Land of Fire when he heard a loud explosion. He turned his head to the left and squinted his eyes. Around 3 kilometers from his location, a forest fire had been started. He squinted his eyes and observed the location and analyzed, ''A fight? At this time of the night? I wonder what''s going on.'' He suppressed his chakra signature and flickered towards the location. His chakra reserves had already recovered and he didn''t sense any terrible chakra. So he wasn''t very worried. In the forests, 5 masked people were chasing after a man. The man was injured. There were multiple cuts on his body. In addition, his left hand had a huge burn mark due to an explosion. One of the masked men shouted, "Shigeki! Stop running and face consequences for your actions!" Shigeki didn''t say anything and continued running. His condition wasn''t good. The masked men weren''t angry. Instead, they looked at Shigeki with ridicule. They could have killed him long back. However, they were just having fun. Shigeki was aware of it. However he continued running while praying, ''Please give me one chance! Please! As long as I survive, I''ll return stronger than ever! I''ll avenge my family and kill that bastard.'' Fortunately or unfortunately, the direction he was running in was where Fujin had landed. Fujin reached the location quickly and observed from a distance. None of the six ninjas sensed his arrival. Fujin analyzed, ''These 5 masked ninjas are from the special forces of Tanigakure. And is that Kasai Shigeki? Why are they chasing their own Jounin?'' Fujin had interacted with Shigeki a couple of times during his Anbu missions. He had a good impression of him. The man was decently strong for someone who wasn''t from any major village and didn''t have any strong bloodline. In addition, he was smart, loyal to his village and capable of leading large squads. Fujin followed them stealthily. Within a couple of minutes, he wondered, ''Did he do something that irked the leaders of Tanigakure or the Land of River?'' The more he chased, the more sure Fujin became of his speculation. Especially after he observed Shigeki''s facial expressions. A smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''This is a good opportunity. I was hoping to find someone who was capable and in a desperate situation.'' However, his smile faded away and was replaced with a frown as he thought, ''But this is too soon. I am not ready. I haven''t finalized my plans or even have any concrete goals as of now.'' Chapter 278: Shiden The masked men continued chasing Shigeki while occasionally throwing shurikens and explosion tags at him. Fujin followed them patiently for 45 minutes. He had changed his attire and got himself a new mask. Finally, one of the masked men stopped laughing and said, "He is reaching close to a cliff. He might try to jump off. Enough fun, let''s kill him now. We still have to bring his dead body back. Otherwise, Kanji-sama might kill us as well!" The other masked men got serious as well and said, "Yes Captain." Immediately their speed increased. Shigeki noticed the cliff as well. He immediately began running towards it while thinking, ''If they catch me, I''ll die! I will try my luck by jumping off the cliff. If I survive, I will train and slaughter Kanji, his son and his entire family!'' Unfortunately, one of the masked men appeared next to him. Shigeki''s eyes widened. He immediately punched him. However, the masked man ducked and kicked his left leg which had a huge burn mark. Shigeki screamed in pain. He lost his balance and fell on his face and slid across the ground. The fall aggravated his existing injuries and inflicted fresh ones that began bleeding as well. Despite the pain, he gritted his teeth and got up. However, as soon as he did, he saw the five masked ninjas standing in front of him. The Captain raised his kunai and said, "Farewell Shigeki!" He swung his Kunai at Shigeki''s neck. Tears rolled down Shigeki''s cheeks as he shouted, "Just give me one chance!" The masked ninjas had a smirk on their faces. They had no mercy for Shigeki. Just when the Kunai was about to cut his neck, the masked man''s hand lost power. The kunai hit Shigeki''s neck but caused no injury as it didn''t have enough force to cut through. Meanwhile, Shigeki''s eyes were wide open in shock. As if answering his prayers, the heads of all 5 masked ninjas were sent flying in an instant! In a second, their lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground. Suddenly, Shigeki felt a chill down his spine. He didn''t dare move as he felt a sword resting on his neck. He felt that if he made any slight movement, his head would roll over just like others. He heard a cold voice asking, "Give you a chance for what?" He immediately said, "One of the Elders in Tanigakure killed my entire family. I want a chance to live so that I can get stronger and get justice for my wife and daughter!" Fujin was puzzled. He asked, "Why did he kill them?" Shigeki was silent. Tears rolled down his cheeks. His voice lost all spirit as he said, "His drunk son raped my daughter. He didn''t know she was my daughter. In a rage, I beat him up and mutilated him to ensure that he can''t do something so heinous to anyone else. I wanted to kill him as well, but I was stopped by my colleagues. That''s when my tragedy began. Kanji couldn''t retaliate at first as my colleagues backed me. Instead, he showed that he was upset with his son and scolded him. But in reality, he was plotting revenge. Slowly, Kanji made numerous allegations about me and spread ill rumors. When my reputation had fallen enough, his personal ninjas made a move against my family when I was out on a mission. They ambushed me as well due to which I couldn''t fight back." Fujin entered the cave. This was the same cave where he had stopped while heading to the Land of Wind. He inscribed a few more seals and created a few hiding rooms in the cave. He said, "Shigeki, I have inscribed numerous seals in this cave. Unless someone accidentally enters the cave, no one will detect you. Even if someone does, you can hide in the 2 rooms I created. You will stay safe there." Shigeki asked in a puzzled voice, "Lord, are there any other members from the organization here?" Fujin replied, "You can call me Shiden. No need for any honorifics. And no. Currently, only you will be stationed here. Though I have recruited a few others, they are in different locations in other countries. You don''t need to concern yourself with them for now." Shigeki nodded and asked, "Alright, but what am I supposed to do?" Fujin replied, "Train of course. Don''t you want to get justice? You are free to train however you want. My plans for you will need a few years to implement. So stay around this place. When I am ready, I will come here to look for you." Shigeki was surprised. He thought, ''A few years?'' He recalled his family and thought, ''It''s fine. I am not strong enough yet. I don''t know what Shiden''s intentions are but he saved my life and gave me a safe environment to live in and train. Besides, he seems to be a leader of a huge organization. With such a big organization, getting revenge will be very easy.'' He bowed down and said, "Thank you for saving my life and giving me a safe place, Shiden. I will wait here for you." Fujin nodded and said, "Good. I''ll take my leave. Train hard and get stronger." Shigeki replied with determination, "I will!" Fujin nodded once again before turning and flickering away. Shigeki raised his head only to see that Fujin was nowhere to be seen. He thought, ''He is even faster than I imagined him to be.'' He left the cave and looked at the stars in the sky. His eyes became watery as he muttered, "Wait a few years for me. I will fight for your justice and come to be with you." He wiped his tears and a determined expression appeared on his face. He wasted no time and began training! A few kilometers away, Fujin stopped moving. He quietly changed his clothes and for the first time in a couple of months changed back to his real appearance. However, he had a weird expression on his face and his cheeks had a hint of redness. He muttered, "Since when did my ability to bullshit reach this level?" Chapter 279: The Difficulties in Creating an Organization Fujin was shocked at how much he had lied to Shigeki. What other members of the organization? He was the only member! Heck, there wasn''t any organization in the first place. The only place where it existed was Fujin''s head! Fujin thought, ''I was so embarrassed by his questions and so embarrassed to say that he is the first member, that I couldn''t help but lie! This way, he will just think that I am opening a new branch and not that I am starting the organization.'' Luckily, Fujin was wearing a mask while talking with him. Otherwise, no transformation jutsu could have hidden how embarrassed he felt while answering those questions. Fortunately, he was shameless enough to maintain a straight voice. Fujin sighed and muttered, "It doesn''t feel good to fool a man who is in so much sorrow. Leave it, I''ll help him get his revenge. That should be enough to clear whatever is still left of my conscience. Besides, the target is just an elder from a small village. I can assassinate him even now.'' Fujin began walking towards the Land of Fire while thinking, ''I haven''t thought of any details when it comes to my organization. My original motivation for creating an organization was very simple. If something unexpected happens, especially if that something isn''t aligned with what I remember from the original series, and I need a safe place to escape to, then the organization should be my second home. The situation after fighting Darui was a perfect example of where an organization could have helped me a lot. It would have provided me with a third alternative which would be much safer than the other two. In addition, the organization could help me collect information. It could also help in collecting rare materials like Elemental Crystals or perhaps even chakra metal. But, this isn''t enough. An organization needs to have a goal. If it is completely centered around me and my needs, then the organization wouldn''t last long. It needs to have a goal to bind everyone together. And that goal also needs to complement my needs somehow. In addition, I also need to decide on the structure of the organization, the chain of command, how much authority people would have at each level of the organization and so on. And most importantly, I need to have a method to control the people in my organization. A human''s dream is never-ending. Even if I rescue someone and provide them with a good life, he or she would only be grateful for a certain period of time. After that, they will begin wanting more. It''ll be fine if I am at the helm of the organization. I could consistently brainwash them to keep following me. Unfortunately, I can''t monitor them actively as I will be in Konoha. I''ll need another method. Orochimaru controls his subordinates through the curse seal. Danzo uses the cursed tongue eradication seal. As for Akatsuki, Pain is just too strong while Zetsu is the best scout. So no one will dare to oppose them. That said, despite their strength and skills, Orochimaru still betrayed them and Itachi stayed as an undercover agent. I doubt I could be a bigger deterrent than someone with Rinnegan. So I will need to create a curse seal to put some restrictions on the members of my organization. Otherwise, I''m better off without an organization. And I can''t copy a seal from the Konoha library. There is no way Hiruzen and Danzo wouldn''t be able to negate every seal in there. Sigh, so much work. That is why I have been so reluctant to actually implement this idea.'' Fujin continued on his way as he muttered to himself, ''And this is just a basic problem. After all, I could resolve these issues by myself. The most critical issue is recruitment! Who should I recruit in the organization? I stay in Konoha. So I can''t just recruit little kids like Orochimaru did and train them personally. I need some Jounin level members to look after the organization while I am not there. It''d be best if that person is at Elite Jounin level so that they can handle any unexpected events while I''m not there. Unfortunately, I don''t know anyone like that who I could recruit. Almost all of them are loyal to their village or too volatile to be trusted. Meanwhile, Hiruzen also looked at Fujin meaningfully and thought, ''Ever since he left, the consumption rate of the Wind Crystals dropped several times. Though there were quite a few Anbu who left around that time, he is the most suspicious one!'' Fujin immediately shook his head and said, "Such missions don''t suit me, Grandpa. It''s the first time since I joined the academy that I haven''t trained for over 2 months! My body feels so out of tune and unresponsive. I''ll stick to elimination missions." Hiruzen let out a chuckle and thought, ''If he is indeed the one who uses them so much, then it''s no surprise that he has no will to leave the village.'' Hiruzen casually inquired about random stuff until Shikaku arrived and closed the door. Shikaku looked at Fujin and recalled the reports he received a few days ago. His expression became very peculiar. Hiruzen made a hand seal and activated the seals in the room. No one could eavesdrop on them anymore. He looked at Fujin and said, "You can report now." Fujin nodded and became serious. He asked, "Did Kakashi-senpai report the mission to eliminate the bounty hunters?" Shikaku nodded and said, "He did. Just report about your activities in the Land of Wind." Fujin nodded and began reporting, "Alright. I infiltrated the country and found a Trading Caravan. It was from the Land of Bird and protected by 4 ninjas from a mercenary group called Kurogane no Sensen. I eliminated them and infiltrated the Wind Capital City using their disguises. Under that disguise, I eliminated 10 Nobles on the list of Nobles that were very loyal to Sunagakure. All of them were eliminated using Wind Sword jutsu. I also killed a few Samurais and left a couple injured so that all suspicions will fall on Suna. I followed it up by killing family members of 12 other Nobles who had good relations with Sunagakure a couple of weeks later. This was done while using the disguises of the Suna ninjas who came along with the Elite Jounin Baki to investigate the previous killings. And I let the Nobles see me and threatened them. Both these acts increased the resentment towards Suna among the Nobles considerably. Though you''ll have to check the degree of resentment with the use of other spies. Unfortunately, that forced the fourth Kazekage to come to the Wind Capital city. He had a long meeting with the Wind Daimyo. I am not sure what deal they reached. So I decided that it won''t be a good idea to act once again as it might have destroyed the situation I created." Shikaku and Hiruzen nodded. They were aware of these developments. Though they didn''t know the exact information, they had guessed Fujin''s actions quite accurately. Unfortunately, they didn''t have much clue about other events apart from the incident about Provision Depots. Neither was prepared for what Fujin was about to report! Chapter 280: Starting a War? Fujin continued, "A couple of days later, 12 ninjas from Kurogane no Sensen came to the Wind Capital to investigate their missing ninjas. I took the opportunity to leave the city along with them. However, the Kazekage noticed us and probably got suspicious. He sent some Anbu to chase us. I led them deep into the desert and assassinated all 12 mercenaries and 12 Anbu." Shikaku and Hiruzen''s eyes widened. Hiruzen thought, ''12 Anbu. Not bad at all. Even if I ignore all his other achievements, this alone should be more than enough to promote him.'' Meanwhile, Shikaku began sweating as he wondered, ''Who the heck kills 12 enemy Anbu during a promotion mission for the Anbu Captain post? It''d be an accomplishment even if they managed to kill 2!'' Fujin tossed a scroll at Shikaku and said, "This scroll has the dead bodies of those 24 ninjas. I am not sure if any memories are still there, but you can try to check them nonetheless." Shikaku caught it and nodded. He reluctantly said, "Good work. Continue."N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Fujin continued reporting, "I didn''t leave any evidence behind. So I don''t think Suna knows what happened to these 12 missing Anbu. At best they could guess that they were killed by the mercenaries. Anyways, after killing them, I travelled to the Western side of the Land of Wind. I first travelled to Sabakuetsu. As per the instructions, I burnt one of the two Provision Depots entirely. I don''t think any food was left behind. And I ended up killing at least two ninjas there. I am not sure if any more died after I left. I followed it up by killing two more Nobles in the West who were listed and travelled to Shunkuto City to kill the third. However, the leading ninja there was quite smart. He set up a decoy and hid the Noble. I killed the decoy and tried getting intel from the leading Chunin, but that guy was quite determined. He blew himself up. In order to find the real Noble, I did a scheme. I disguised myself and my clones as Suna ninjas and announced that the assassin was dead. Then I spread rumors across the city that the Noble was a coward who hid behind decoys and doesn''t deserve to be a Noble. In anger, the Noble returned to the mansion. So I held a public execution for him and announced that he had cooperated with the assassin. In addition, I also announced that the Kazekage was upset with the city and decided to remove the protection provided by the Suna ninjas. And I immediately withdrew from the city." Shikaku and Hiruzen''s eyes widened in shock as they immediately understood the impact of such an action. Shikaku almost cursed out but Fujin continued speaking and said, "The next day, around 80% of the people living in that city left and began migrating towards nearby villages and towns. They should be beginning to reach by now. So the news will soon spread and the Kazekage and the Wind Daimyo will soon begin receiving messages. At the same time, the resentment against Suna and Kazekage will spread among the cities in the West. So feel free to take advanta..." Shikaku finally couldn''t endure anymore and cut him off. He asked loudly, "You did what?" Fujin nodded. Shikaku had a very bad feeling. He thought, ''I can feel it. Whatever he will say next will be very troublesome. Why didn''t I give him proper mission parameters?'' Unfortunately, there was no way for Shikaku to correct his error. Fujin continued, "Fortunately, the Jinchuriki lost control over his emotions and did a stupid wide-range attack. I used the opportunity to injure him. That made him lose control over his Tailed Beast and began transforming. I used the distraction to kill Susumu and retreated from there." This time, neither Shikaku nor Hiruzen had any words to say. Both were left speechless by Fujin''s achievements during the mission. Fujin enjoyed the expressions on their faces. It was a treat to watch. He tossed Shikaku another scroll and said, "This scroll has Susumu''s body. I have preserved it properly. He could use Genjutsu by emitting chakra into the wind. I want that jutsu." Shikaku looked at the scroll and looked back at Fujin as he thought, ''Not only did he kill an Elite Jounin, he also brought his body back. Does he want to be the Anbu Captain or the Hokage? Still, this is good. Susumu''s Genjutsu methods were quite unique. If a few ninjas can learn it, Konoha''s strength will increase once again.'' Hiruzen said, "You can''t use those techniques in the open for the time being." Fujin nodded and said, "Yes. I''ll ensure that there are no witnesses." Hiruzen nodded and asked, "Anything else?" His question alerted Shikaku once again. Fortunately, Fujin shook his head and answered, "No. I wanted to create more mess and kill a few more Jounins in the desert. But the number of ninjas was too high and I wasn''t sure how much destruction the Jinchuriki could cause. So I withdrew." Shikaku finally let out a sigh of relief! He thought, ''Thankfully he withdrew! I thought he killed dozens of more ninjas using the Jinchuriki as a distraction.'' Hiruzen also looked relieved. He stared at Fujin as he re-evaluated his strength and began thinking of a matter, ''Is he also a suitable candidate?'' Both Hiruzen and Shikaku were lost in thoughts. After a minute, Fujin looked at them with a deadpan expression and wondered, ''Did they forget about me?'' He asked, "Umm... Will I be promoted?" Both Shikaku and Hiruzen looked at him immediately. Shikaku cursed in his mind, ''Do you think we would dare not promote you? If we give you another promotion mission, won''t you directly start a war between the two countries?'' Chapter 281: The Fifth Hokage? Hiruzen had the same thought as Shikaku. He didn''t dare to imagine what Fujin might do the next time if they said that his performance was unsatisfactory. He quickly nodded and answered, "Your performance has been very good. You will be promoted. However, we haven''t arranged any Anbu subordinates for you yet. So you will be an Anbu Captain only in name." Fujin replied, "That''s fine. I will be visiting the library. And I also need a break after such a long mission. Preferably at least one or two months long break to learn new Seals and jutsus. Take your time. I''ll file the report later. See ya." Fujin immediately disappeared from the room despite none of the doors and windows being open. Shikaku and Hiruzen looked at where Fujin was standing. Shikaku cursed in his heart, ''This brat! He created such a mess and didn''t even stay to discuss how to handle it! And after giving me month-long headaches, he has the gall to ask for a month-long vacation?'' Meanwhile, Hiruzen thought, ''Seals? Sigh, he will soon begin bugging me for Flying Thunder God.'' Shikaku looked at Hiruzen and asked while sighing, "Lord Hokage, if we don''t promote him and send him for such a mission again, do you think he will try to assassinate Rasa?" Hiruzen didn''t reply and began considering it. After all, there was already an instance of a Kazekage disappearing. Unknown to him, the assassin''s age back then wasn''t much older than Fujin''s current age. Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Unlikely, unless you specifically mention it. Regardless, his performance has been excellent." Shikaku was dumbfounded. He thought, ''Does no one understand sarcasm?'' He smiled bitterly and said, "It''s not that his performance is excellent. Rather, it is too excellent! Making a Jinchuriki lose control and killing an Elite Jounin was a bit too much. Suna will be forced to retaliate. And they will likely retaliate in an extreme manner. Not to mention, in addition to that, he killed 16 Anbu ninjas, a few Jounins and likely dozens of Chunins and Genins. And I still haven''t considered the dead nobles, burned Provision Depot or the stunt he pulled in Shunkuto! In the history of Suna, they have only once taken a bigger loss than this during peacetime. And they started the Third Great Ninja War. We have to be careful in case Rasa decides to start another war." I was hoping Kakashi would rise to the challenge and reach my level. Seeing his potential, I and Danzo worked in the background to increase his reputation and give him sufficient fame. Unfortunately, despite being looked at as the leader by the younger generation, he is still too weak.'' A frown formed on Hiruzen''s face as he thought about Kakashi, ''In terms of talent, Kakashi doesn''t lose out to even Minato. His growth trajectory was very fast even exceeding my and my students'' strength at his age. Unfortunately, ever since the 3rd Great Ninja War ended, his growth has stagnated. He hasn''t trained enough and spends most of his time in front of the memorial stone or doing missions. Not to mention, according to the intel Itachi sent, I doubt Kakashi could win against any of the Akatsuki members. At the current rate, I guess Kakashi will need around 5 to 7 years to reach my level. Unless something makes him feel like his strength isn''t enough and he pushes himself once again. As for Fujin, I never considered him until now. Though his mission record is impeccable, he didn''t fight anyone truly strong other than Kaminari. But with such a performance, he is far more capable than I expected. Even if I consider that he used hit-and-run tactics and only used a sneak attack to kill Susumu, that is still quite good. Especially if he can pull off something like this during a war. It could force Sunagakure to withdraw half their troops from the frontlines.'' His crystal ball lit up and showed the scene inside section A of the Library. Hiruzen thought, ''As I expected. He has already started looking at the seals. Once he masters the seals in this section, he will come asking for Flying Thunder God. If he can master it, his threat on the battlefield will be no less than Minato. Though it is a big if. Regardless, he has one advantage over Kakashi. He has a hunger to grow strong. Though he isn''t as relentless as Guy, he still trains a lot and even asks for vacations to train. Unfortunately, he is quite young as well. He should be 14 soon. He will need 5 to 7 years to completely mature as well. Sigh, I''ll have to hold my old bones together for the next 7 years. The only plus point is that we might have more than one option for the Hokage seat. A situation similar to when I and Minato were selected.'' With another sigh, Hiruzen stopped thinking about this matter. He got up and left the office. As soon as he left, Fujin flickered to Konoha''s library. Though he had travelled non-stop for a day, he couldn''t stop himself from visiting the library and checking out what all jutsus were available. He reached section A while recalling Renjiro''s words as he thought, ''Though Renjiro emphasized the importance of mastering Rank C jutsus, I have long reached a bottleneck. I won''t be able to improve those jutsus any further without investing significant time. It''s time to learn the Rank A jutsus. I hope the library doesn''t disappoint me.'' With eyes full of expectations, Fujin stepped into section A of the Library. Chapter 282: 58 Scrolls! Fujin entered Section A of the library and looked around. The size of this section was much larger than other sections. However, the number of scrolls in this section was the least. Fujin immediately began looking for Wind jutsus. As he searched and collected the scrolls, he analyzed, ''I wonder if any rank A Wind jutsu will be of any aid to me. After all, most of my rank B and C jutsus are as strong as rank A jutsus due to supercharging them and Yin & Yang control.'' In a few minutes, he grabbed all the Wind scrolls and sat on a table. He analyzed, ''Not bad. I wasn''t expecting many Wind jutsus considering how few were there in Section B.'' Fujin had found 6 scrolls. They were : Blade of Wind jutsu Severing Pressure jutsu Wind Explosion Clone jutsu Assassin''s Rush jutsu Geyser Creation jutsu Summoning: Giant Windmill jutsu Fujin decided to start with the one with which he was the most familiar. He opened the Blade of Wind jutsu scroll and began reading. In a minute, he thought, ''This jutsu is almost entirely similar to the Wind Sword jutsu. Just that the power, sharpness and speed have been increased slightly and it also provides some defensive uses. Still, it should be very easy to learn.'' Fujin extended two Fingers on his right hand. Immediately, the wind began flowing around them. A small 1-inch blade of wind appeared on top of them. Soon, that blade began increasing in size and reached 1 foot in size. Fujin analyzed it and nodded, ''This jutsu is down. I didn''t even need to use the hand seals. I''ll begin using this instead of Wind Sword jutsu.'' Fujin kept the scroll back and turned his attention to the next jutsu. He analyzed as he read, ''The Wind Explosion Clone jutsu. I tried creating this jutsu by myself by referencing the Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu. I succeeded, but the damage output was very low. It was just barely higher than an Explosion tag unless I put in too much chakra. Unfortunately, I didn''t get much free time after the Anbu training phase was over to work on this jutsu.'' He coughed to attract Fujin''s attention. But Fujin didn''t even look at him, leaving him standing alone awkwardly. He walked towards one of Fujin''s clones and asked, "What are you doing?" Fujin''s clone looked up and answered, "Reading." The man was left speechless once again. Fujin''s clone was looking at him as if he was the biggest idiot in the world. He wondered, ''Do his eyes have an issue?'' He said, "I am the supervisor of the Library. Tell me why are you in Section A? It is restricted and only Jounins can enter. If you are here without any authorization, you will be arrested and punished by Lord Hokage." Fujin''s clone looked back at the scroll and began reading as he said, "I got promoted today and reported to Lord Hokage that I''ll be coming here. Feel free to ask him." The supervisor was dumbfounded. He thought, ''Such a young Jounin? I''ll have to confirm with Lord Hokage though. It''ll be a pain in the ass if he is lying.'' He asked, "What is your name?" Fujin''s clone answered, "Suzuki Fujin." The supervisor nodded and left. He had no intention of talking further with Fujin. He left the Section and asked a couple of people to keep an eye on Fujin while he confirmed whether what Fujin said was true. Fujin and his clones ignored this matter. They went through every scroll in detail. It was a few hours past midnight by the time they were done. Fujin dispelled the clones one by one and received their memories. He let out a sigh, ''I thought that like jutsus, the number of seals in this section would also be lesser. Instead, it''s many times higher. No wonder that despite there being so many SealMasters, there are so few Grandmasters in Fuinjutsu. If I don''t use Shadow Clones, I''ll probably need more than a decade to learn all these seals. Even with Shadow Clones, this will be very time-consuming. I should first learn the rank A Wind jutsus. Then I will focus entirely on the seals.'' A smile formed on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''Fortunately, I found the few seals I was looking for. Once I learn them, I can begin working towards that plan.'' Chapter 283: The Dangerous Copy Ninja! In the last few hours, Fujin had found numerous seals and formations. Among them, the most important seals were, The Four Symbols Seal, Five Elements Seal, Five Elements Unseal, Evil Sealing Method and Iron Armor Seal. In addition, there were many Juinjutsu seals as well as barriers. Fujin analyzed, ''The quantity and quality of the seals is good. Especially the Four Symbol Seal. I was worried that it would be in the forbidden scroll. In addition, there are also the methods with which Suna and Kumo seal their tailed beasts. However, the Reverse Four Symbol Seal and Eight Trigram Seal aren''t here. I guess I could learn the Eight Trigram Seal through experimentation. It could provide me with valuable experience in creating new seals based on what I know. Unfortunately, I have no idea about the Reverse Four Symbols Seal. It could have been a good trump card to use in the organization. That said, fortunately, I also found a lot of Juinjutsu seals. After I learn them, I can take steps towards creating a seal for my organization members. Until I succeed, I won''t work towards finding new members.'' Fujin finally got up and left. He stepped out of the library and saw the night sky. He looked up and thought, ''I completely lost track of time... It''s alright. The gains were quite high. I''ll take a good rest today. Training can wait for a day.'' He began moving towards his home. However, despite it being late at night, Fujin wasn''t the only one up. Inside the Hokage building, Shikaku sat in a room with a dozen Jounin and Anbu Captains in front of him. He was assigning them missions to prepare for Suna''s retaliations. Though Shikaku was reluctant to work, his situation was far better than another person who was far away from him. Sunagakure - One ninja was running fast from the Kazekage Building to Rasa''s house. As soon as he reached it, he slammed the door loudly while shouting repeatedly, "Kazekage-sama! Wake up quickly!" The banging and the shouting woke up Kankuro and Temari along with Rasa. With a frown on his face, Rasa walked towards the door and opened it. He angrily asked, "Why are you creating a ruckus?" The messenger immediately said, "Kazekage-sama, we just received a report from Elder Manabu from the West. Gaa..." He stopped speaking as he noticed Temari and Kankuro watching them from behind. Rasa noticed it. The messenger handed a scroll to Rasa and said, "Kazekage-sama, it''s an emergency." Rasa opened the scroll and began reading. Anger formed in his eyes as he gritted his teeth. He instructed, "Summon all the elders and the council members right now." The messenger nodded and left. Rasa turned around. The Council Members agreed. If not for the result, no one would suspect the sannins. However, one of the Council Members, who was reading the report, asked, "But if not for the Sannins, who in Konoha could do something so remarkable? Even if we consider other villages, there is no one who is famous for using Wind jutsus. Manabu said that his ability with the Wind Jutsus exceeded his." The Council Members began thinking and discussing. Finally Goza said, "In the last couple of years, Konoha''s Copy Ninja has been gaining a lot of fame. Could it be done by him? After all, they say that he has copied a thousand jutsus. In addition, he was taught by that cursed Yellow Flash." They debated among themselves a lot and finally agreed. Joseki said, "I thought Konoha was just pushing his reputation to deter other countries. I didn''t think that he could actually live up to his reputation. Regardless, we have to retaliate." He was cut off by Sajo who said, "But we first need to secure the West. And set better traps for him. If he is in the West, then he can make more attacks. Even if he doesn''t, the journey from there to the border with the Land of Rivers will take 4 days at the very least. We need to intercept him inside our country and kill him. Once he is dead, we can create Anbu squads led by Elite Jounins to infiltrate the Land of Fire and target their Nobles." Everyone agreed with his words. However, Ryusa asked, "But who can stop him? He was able to run away from a combined attack by Manabu, Odaka and Susumu. We don''t have anyone to stop him." His words caused another wave of silence to spread in the room. None of them wanted to fight the Copy Ninja. However, Rasa suddenly said, "You don''t need to be worried about it. I will make a move myself and bury him in the desert permanently. After I leave, you guys decide which Nobles to target and create foolproof plans for the same. For the time being, begin arranging ninjas to scour the desert. As soon as he is discovered, I will make a move." Rasa''s words caused mixed feelings to spread among the Council Members. On one hand, they were proud and relieved that their Kage was making a move himself. Though Kakashi was strong, none of them believed that he would stand a chance against Rasa. However, on the other hand, they were ashamed that there was no one other than Rasa who could act in this situation. After all, their opponent wasn''t even in the top 3 in terms of strength inside Konoha. They nodded and immediately got to work. By noon, they had prepared more than 500 ninjas to move out! Rasa himself was ready to move out. Unfortunately, before he could leave, Rasa received another message. Rasa opened the scroll. A chill passed through his spine as he read about the events that took place in Shunkuto! Cities and Towns around Shunkuto had finally started receiving the migrants. They sent a message to Sunagakure as soon as they heard about the events the migrants described. The news about the events spread through those cities in no time. A fear about Sunagakure and disgust for Rasa spread in those cities as well. Rasa held the scroll tightly. He was shaking in rage as he thought, ''Did Konoha deploy this man to split our country into two? But, how can that happen? Unless Konoha also plans to invade us at the same time. But, has Konoha''s military recovered to this extent? Are they not afraid of Kumo and Iwa taking advantage?'' He looked at the messenger and instructed, "Call all the Council Members. Even call those two elders. We will be having another meeting." The messenger''s eyes widened as he wondered, ''What message did the scroll contain for his expression to become so grim and for him to contact those two?'' He nodded and quickly left. Chapter 284: One Man makes the Entire World move! Within 15 minutes, every Council Member and Elder except 2 were in the meeting room once again. They noticed Rasa''s grim expression and asked while sighing, "What happened now, Kazekage-sama?" Their sigh wasn''t an act. All of them were sick of the recent events. It was just one thing after another continuously with no respite! Rasa didn''t say anything and just handed them the scroll. Their eyes widened and arms shivered in rage and horror as they read the report. Joseki shouted, "This is outrageous! We are in an alliance. Do they want to launch a full-fledged war?" All of them were experienced. They reached the same conclusion as Rasa. Rasa said, "I received these reports from the cities and towns around Shunkuto a few minutes before I called the meeting. Wait for some time. There are still more people to come." Joseki looked around and asked, "Who else is remaining?" As if to answer his question, the door opened and two very old ninjas walked in. The Council Members and Elders were surprised. They were Ebizo and his sister Chiyo. Behind them, the messenger finally sighed in relief. Bringing these two here was a huge headache. He thought, ''I know she is just fooling around, but one of these days she might really end up dead!'' Chiyo and Ebizo immediately noticed the tense expressions in the room. Chiyo asked, "Why are your expressions so grim? I haven''t even played possum yet!" Rasa handed them a scroll and said, "This isn''t the time to be fooling around. Please read." The siblings began reading. Unlike the time when Gaara was kidnapped, Rasa was still alive. Though he was junior to them, they couldn''t dismiss him casually like Baki. In addition, their health was much better as compared to what it would be 6 years later. Their eyes widened as they completed reading the report. Chiyo chuckled and said, "That''s why I told you to not form any alliances. They will stab you in the back the very first chance they get." However, her brother said, "True, but we were the ones to make a move first. They didn''t act against us until we took steps towards breaking the alliance." The real culprit had a nice long sleep and was enjoying his lunch in Ichiraku. He wasn''t aware of the movements inside the Land of Wind. But if he was, Fujin would wonder what sort of expressions Rasa, the Council Member, the Elders, and the 500 ninjas would make if they learnt the truth. Though Fujin didn''t care about this matter, others did. The next morning, every major village received reports that 500 ninjas had moved from Sunagakure towards the Western part of the Land of Wind. Due to how massive the movement was, every spy in Sunagakure noticed it immediately. Most leaders were puzzled as to why Suna was making such huge movements. Onoki wondered, ''What''s going on in Suna? They have already deployed more than 600 ninjas. And now 500 more? And even Rasa moved? Don''t tell me that bastard Rasa intends to start another dumb war.'' He immediately called for a council meeting. After a discussion, they decided to deploy 500 ninjas on the borders with the Land of Bird and another 750 ninjas on the border with the Land of Bear. Just like Onoki, the Fourth Raikage Ay was also puzzled. After thinking for a bit, he decided to secretly ready his forces to take advantage in case a war broke out. Unlike the rest of the world, two people were very clear about the situation. Shikaku analyzed the news, ''I can understand why the 500 ninjas left. But why did Rasa leave? Do they not know that Fujin already left?'' He opened the report Fujin had made and checked the end. He thought, ''His report doesn''t mention how he returned. Now that I think about it, he returned way too quickly. Does he have a flying summon or know a space-time ninjutsu?'' He thought for a bit before giving up, ''Leave it, I''ll just ask the Hokage. According to the movements, Rasa likely wants to hunt Fujin. But Fujin is already here.'' A smirk formed on his face as he thought, ''Looks like you will have a nice wild goose chase for quite some time.'' His smirk faded away as he let out a sigh, ''Unfortunately, once they give up, there is a high likelihood of them moving those troops towards our border. And thanks to the vast deserts, we won''t even know where that army is. The best way to counter this would have been to deploy Konoha''s forces. Unfortunately, that''s the worst option here. I''ll have to deploy many Anbu and spies in the Land of River to warn us if the Suna army enters it. In addition, I will have to have Konoha''s forces prepared for war. Sigh, so much work.'' Fujin''s face appeared in his mind as he decided, ''No more long-term missions for this guy. Fortunately, I sent him to Suna. If this was Kumo, the Fourth Great Ninja War might have already started.'' Fujin was blissfully unaware of all these developments. He was back in his training ground doing his morning physical workout after a long time! Chapter 285: Ambition! Fujin stretched his body casually as he wondered, ''Should I increase the intensity of the training seal? Though I didn''t train my body for almost 3 months, I did eat healthy and ran a lot. Alright, I''ll increase it from 40 to 45%.'' Fujin had long reached the maximum limit on the training seal that Hiruzen had created for him during his academy days. During his time in the Anbu, he had replaced it with a new training seal that he created. This one could apply four times the max pressure and resistance as the previous seal. Forgetting about all the turmoil he created a few days ago, he began training with maximum intensity once again and continued for four hours straight before going to Ichiraku for breakfast. As he ate the ramen, a smile could be seen on his face. He thought, ''Now this is a good life. Sleep long, train hard, eat delicious food and don''t worry about anything else. If I can''t break through the limits to reach the top and events progress just as they did in the original story, then perhaps I''ll retire after the 4th War and recreate all the famous fast food chains from my previous world here.'' Ayame noticed Fujin''s good mood and asked, "What''s the good news, Fujin?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "No good news. Just missed the ramen for the past few months." Teuchi smiled and said, "It''s good to have you back again, Fujin." Fujin nodded. He lifted the bowl and drank the soup and said, "Thank You for the meal. I''ll see you tomorrow." Ayame replied, "Take care, Fujin. Don''t train too much." Fujin nodded and left. As he walked back to the training ground, he thought, ''Though a retired life enjoying all the delicacies sounds pleasant, it''d be a pity if that''s all I manage to do after working so hard. My current strength is pretty much at the Elite Jounin level. S rank is still quite far, but I feel that it is just a matter of time before I reach it as long as I keep training hard. I should reach it before Akatsuki starts collecting the tailed beasts. And, if I can learn Senjutsu or Flying Thunder God, I''ll be able to rise all the way to the peak of S rank reaching a similar level as Jiraiya or Minato. Perhaps only Nagato and Obito would be able to keep up with me then. However, once I reach that stage, getting any stronger will be difficult. If I ignore the Otsutsuki, only four ninjas are known to surpass that level. They are Hashirama, Madara, Naruto and Sasuke. But, Madara and Sasuke were able to do it due to Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Naruto did it due to Kurama. As for Hashirama, he is just ridiculous. No point in thinking about him. The only way I could potentially keep up with them is if I capture and seal a Tailed Beast in me or through the Eight Inner Gates. But even these have limits and dangers and aren''t sure-fire.'' The Wind Explosion Clone immediately got out of the way. At the same time, two spheres of Wind began forming in his hands. However, instead of forming proper spheres, the jutsu collapsed! The Wind Explosion Clone was surprised and looked at his hand while thinking, ''What the hell? I can''t use a simple D rank jutsu?'' The Wind Clone immediately took advantage of the opening and built up his chakra. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' The Wind Explosion Clone immediately noticed the incoming attack and flickered out of range. He tried making Wind Explosion Spheres again but failed. Fujin observed the fight and realized, ''I see. Since the balance is so off, the Wind Explosion Clone can''t use normal jutsus. More likely, it can only use jutsus that require more Yang Chakra. I guess the only way to use this clone is to flicker and explode. But, despite this, distinguishing between this and a normal wind clone is quite tough. Once I am able to make this clone without any hand signs, I can confuse my opponents with ease. So the effect would be quite similar to if the clone could use jutsus.'' As Fujin analyzed, the Wind Explosion Clone couldn''t form any jutsu at all. So he gave up and flickered towards the Wind Clone to self-destruct and make the fight a draw. However, the Wind Clone immediately flickered away and the two began a game of tag. Fujin watched with a deadpan expression as he thought, ''I created you two to test out the differences. Why the hell are you two playing tag?'' He immediately dispelled both the clones and analyzed, ''Making this clone without seals shouldn''t be difficult. But I''ll leave it for later after I become used to using it. It''ll save time.'' Fujin began weaving hand seals again. Anticipation could be seen in his eyes. Of the jutsus he found, he was the most excited about this jutsu. ''Wind Release: Assassin''s Rush jutsu'' Immediately, a high amount of chakra began flowing around Fujin. The chakra was rapidly converted into Wind and in an instant, a vast amount of wind was forced behind him. The wind blasted multiple trees behind him and uprooted them. At the same time, Fujin disappeared and travelled in a straight line at a speed far exceeding the speed of Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu! In the blink of an eye, Fujin appeared in front of a boulder. Chakra concentrated in his fist as he punched the boulder. The boulder was instantly blown apart! And a wide grin could be seen on Fujin''s face. He analyzed, ''Great speed! Though it uses a lot more chakra than flickering, it will be very domineering in a battle. With practice, I''ll be able to sustain the wind longer and even change my direction freely. Combined with my swordplay or Senju Taijutsu Style, it will be extremely lethal. Not to mention, it also prevents any attacks on my back. Alright, I''ll master this jutsu right away!'' Chapter 286: What makes a jutsu Rank A? For one hour straight, Fujin continuously trained the Assassin''s Rush jutsu. His breathing became heavy as he thought, ''Damn, it''s been such a long time since my chakra reserves hit so low. Rank A jutsus are very taxing on chakra. But, it isn''t as bad as I thought it''d be.'' A thoughtful expression appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''I used to think that the more destructive or complicated a jutsu is, the higher ranked it''d be. However, now that doesn''t seem to be the case. After all, in terms of pure destructiveness, none of the rank A jutsus I read is anywhere near as destructive as Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Instead, it seems like the jutsu is ranked depending on how efficiently it can utilize the Yin and Yang aspects of the chakra. Though I learnt this jutsu just an hour ago, I have tried it dozens of times. And I don''t see any way to optimize it further like I could optimize my rank C and B jutsus. The reason for this is that this jutsu is already optimized to limit. It''s the same for Wind Explosion Clone jutsu. The ratios of the Yin and Yang chakra were optimized to be what is the most effective. So looking at it from another perspective, when I optimized my jutsus using Yin and Yang chakra earlier, I was actually increasing their ranks. Or at least bringing them closer to rank A. This is why I directly managed to learn Blade of Wind jutsu. After all, I had already modified Wind Sword jutsu enough to replicate the same results as the Blade of Wind jutsu. I guess the experienced Ninjas like Hiruzen and Orochimaru have already completed this process for all or most of their jutsus. It''s probably why they don''t use a lot of higher-ranked jutsus as their rank B and C jutsus are basically as strong as a Rank A jutsu. I guess Renjiro was implying this back then. I thought he was just referring to supercharging jutsus.'' Fujin concluded, ''In essence, a rank A jutsu is a pinnacle jutsu that can''t be improved any further. As for the S rank jutsus, they probably can''t be explained with this logic. They should be jutsus that either surpasses these limits like Rasenshuriken or jutsus that are beyond logic like the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.'' Fujin began walking out of the training ground thinking, ''Anyways, I''m on the right track. No point in thinking about S rank jutsus for now. Time to meditate until I recover my chakra.''N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. A mischievous smile appeared on Fujin''s face. His chakra signature transformed as he changed into his Anbu attire with a different mask. He entered Anbu''s training in one of the Wind Training rooms. Within the next six hours, he absorbed all energy from the Wind Crystals in 3 Wind training rooms! He left as quietly as he arrived while thinking, ''Looks like maintaining disguise anymore wouldn''t be possible. There is no way Hiruzen won''t know that it is me. Still, this is fun. I''ll keep up the disguise for old time''s sake, hahaha.'' He left the Anbu headquarters and continued training the Assassin''s Rush jutsu. In the next hour, his chakra ran out once again. However, he had reduced the number of hand seals required to use the jutsu to just one! Satisfied with his progress, he went out for dinner. Around the same time, an Anbu ninja appeared in Hiruzen''s office and reported, "Lord Hokage, the energy in Wind Crystals in 3 Wind Training rooms suddenly disappeared. As per my estimates, 2 of them should have had around 40% energy while the last one should have had around 75% energy left." Fujin stopped the jutsu and analyzed, ''I initially thought that this jutsu would only be useful to kill enemies hiding underground. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, this technique could be used to kill Zetus by thousands if I catch a large number of them underground. But, on second thought, this can be an excellent continuation while using the Senju Taijutsu Style. After all, no one would want to take a hit from a chakra-enhanced punch head-on. If I use the chance to punch the ground and release this jutsu, the enemy will be caught completely off guard. It will be a good tactic. But I''ll have to learn how to use this jutsu without hand signs as well.'' Fujin let out a sigh as he thought, ''I was planning to move on to Fuinjutsu today. Leave it, I''ll master this jutsu first. If I''m assigned new Anbu members under me, I''ll have to train them. And the initial missions will likely be Police duties in the village. I can use that time to learn the seals as well.'' Fujin continued training. While he trained, Shikaku was busy reading the numerous reports that he kept receiving. He muttered, "First Iwa moved 500 ninjas to the border with the Land of Birds and 750 ninjas to the border with the Land of Bear. In response, Suna deployed 200 ninjas on each of the borders. And in Kumo, many ninjas are moving around. All this confusion over a simple promotion mission..." Shikaku was left speechless. He thought, ''Fortunately Suna and Iwa haven''t moved into those buffer countries. Otherwise, Kumo will move for sure. And this time we won''t be able to fool the world and get the Land of Iron to be in the same camp as us. Still, I believe Onoki just got worried due to how many Suna ninjas moved West and took precautionary measures. The matter should cool down after a few weeks as neither intends to start a war. But, if three major villages are moving around and we don''t move, others will get suspicious. Kumo might think that we are weak or unprepared for war. Meanwhile, Suna will confirm that we were behind those recent events.'' Shikaku got up and laid a map on his table as he analyzed the actions Konoha should take to come out of this period unharmed. After running a few calculations, he made up his mind and went to Hiruzen''s office. Hiruzen looked at Shikaku and immediately realized why he was there. Shikaku said, "Lord Hokage, in light of recent events, I have come up with a pla..." Hiruzen cut him off and said, "No need to consult me. Just implement what you planned. I have full confidence in your capabilities." Shikaku''s expression immediately became dark. Hiruzen knew all about the recent events. However, since Fujin had returned to Konoha, there would be no further hostilities. So the situation would defuse by itself as no one other than Kumo wanted a war. Shikaku obviously realized Hiruzen''s thought process. His face was dark because Hiruzen threw all the work on his shoulders. He nodded and left the room. Later that day, 500 Ninjas left Konoha and moved towards the border with the Land of Grass. They had strict orders to not enter it. At the same time, smaller squads sneakily left Konoha one by one. In 3 days, around 1200 ninjas had left Konoha this way. They all met up at the assigned location for Kakashi to take control of this army. They stayed hidden while preparing for war. However, Shikaku arranged for Kakashi to drop hints of their movements. In a few days, all the major villages became aware of a large Konoha force wandering around their borders with the Land of Hot Water. Chapter 287: A Long Game of Shogi By the time the Konoha ninjas were deployed outside the village, Fujin had managed to perform the Geyser Creation jutsu without the use of hand signs. Satisfied with his progress, Fujin decided to move his attention to Fuinjutsu. He returned to his basement and created a Shadow Clone which dispelled itself instantly. The Shadow clone that was in the Library immediately received the message. He packed the scrolls and placed them back and dispelled himself. Fujin received memories and began analyzing. During the last week, Fujin left one clone in the Library to plan out the order in which he should learn the seals. He didn''t have clones working actively on the seal as training rank A jutsus was very straining on his chakra. He could barely train for an hour straight with all his chakra. A frown formed on Fujin''s face as he realized, ''The Four Symbol Seal is too complicated. I won''t be able to learn it right now. In fact, most of the top seals are very complicated. I will have to start with the easier seals. It''s fine though. I still have a lot of time.'' Fujin planned for a couple of minutes and decided, ''Using too many clones to learn the seals will be redundant. I''ll leave some chakra with me and meditate in the Wind Training Room. As long as none of my clones is dispelled, I won''t be disturbed and can meditate in peace.'' Fujin created a Shadow Clone with 70% of his max chakra. The clone used Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu to equally divide his chakra into 60 clones. They began practicing the seals while Fujin left his house and moved towards the Anbu Training Facilities. In a remote location in the desert, a camp was set up. A dozen similar camps were set up in the desert. However, this camp was special as it housed one of the five Kages in the world. A messenger ran into Rasa''s tent and reported, "Lord Kazekage. 500 ninjas have left Konoha and appeared on the Eastern border of the Land of Grass. Iwa reciprocated and deployed 500 ninjas on the Western border of the Land of Grass. And Iwa''s ninjas still haven''t entered the Land of Birds or Bear." A frown formed on Rasa''s face. He thought, ''What the hell is happening? I first thought that this was done by Konoha. But when Iwa moved, I felt that I could have been wrong. But Iwa didn''t invade us and instead, Konoha assisted us. How do I make sense of this situation?'' He thought for a bit but couldn''t come to any conclusion. Finally, he instructed, "Have Goza deploy more spies in the Land of Grass. If Konoha and Iwa have allied, then this might be a trick to fool us. Is there any news from Sajo?" The messenger shook his head and answered, "No. He hasn''t even seen the shadow of the culprit! It''s as if he has disappeared from the desert." Rasa snorted and instructed, "Where will he disappear? Ask him to keep searching." He looked at Hiruzen as a thought appeared in his head, ''Does he intend to groom him like Kakashi for the Hokage position? I can see why considering his performance on the previous mission. But, he''s still too young.'' Homura also looked at Fujin and thought, ''So this is the kid that Hiruzen refused to give to Danzo. I wonder what''s special about him.'' Hiruzen hadn''t mentioned Fujin''s achievements in the Land of Wind to anyone. So no one apart from him and Shikaku knew. Though Danzo, Homura and Koharu had questions and doubts after the recent event, Hiruzen feigned ignorance and pushed the blame on Iwa. Inside the room, discussions continued for another half an hour. Finally, the civilian officials left. A few minutes later, Hiruzen left as well. He was followed by Choza, Homura and his Anbu guards. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "Come with me." Fujin followed him. The group of 8 left the village and began travelling to the South. Hiruzen informed Fujin, "We are going to the Land of Tea to discuss some trade-related matters as well as some cooperation. You don''t have to do anything, just pay proper attention in the meeting." Fujin was confused. He tilted his head and asked, "What will I observe in a trade-related meeting?" Fujin''s first thought was that Hiruzen knew that someone would ambush him. But he immediately dismissed that idea. Despite his age, Hiruzen was one of the strongest ninjas in the world. Why would he need Fujin''s protection? He wondered, ''Is he planning on burning some city and needs an assist from my Wind jutsu?'' Hiruzen replied, "Just pay proper attention. I''ll tell you later." Fujin said, "Alright." The group travelled through the vast forests rapidly. Fujin was a bit surprised that Homura was able to keep up with ease. He looked at him from the corner of his eye and thought, ''Looks like despite his age, he has retained a good part of his strength. I wonder why he and Koharu never fought in the original story. Be it Orochimaru''s attack, Pain''s attack or the Fourth Great Ninja War, they didn''t participate in any fight despite being available. I don''t recall properly, but I think they didn''t fight even when Kurama rampaged inside Konoha.'' At the same time, Homaru also sized up Fujin. He observed, ''Not bad. Despite travelling with Hiruzen, he hasn''t put his guard down and is prepared for any ambush. His chakra isn''t bad either. It''s at the Jounin level at such a young age. However, I can sense that he is hiding a portion of his chakra. So I can''t be sure yet. Still, it shouldn''t be much higher. But, why does Hiruzen want to make him a negotiator?'' Chapter 288: Negotiations The journey to the Land of Tea took a couple of days. Hiruzen made a lot of small talk on the way to inspire Fujin and his Anbu guards. Fujin took the opportunity to interact with Choza as he thought, ''Akimichi clan''s body size manipulation is part of Yang Release. Though it''s unrealistic to get the methods of learning the jutsu from him in just this journey, there is no harm in creating a good relationship with him. After all, he is the only one from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to live after the Fourth Great Ninja War. And if in the future my reputation becomes as good as Hiruzen''s, I could try to ask him for it.'' The next afternoon, the group from Konoha arrived at Degarashi port in the Land of Tea without any incident along the way. However, Fujin was surprised when they arrived outside the gates of the village. Every major Noble in the city was standing at the entrance of the gate. In fact, even the Daimyo of the country was present! Fujin had made multiple trips to this country as an Anbu ninja in the last couple of years. So he easily identified most of the Nobles and Ministers waiting at the Gates. Fujin peeked inside to see the sides of roads packed with spectators. Fujin thought, ''I didn''t think I''d underestimate how much influence this old fox still has!'' The Daimyo of the Land of Tea stepped forward and cordially greeted, "Lord Hokage, it''s good to see that you are still hale and hearty!" Hiruzen smiled and replied, "It''s great to see that you are doing well too, Lord Daimyo." While the two exchanged pleasantries, two people walked to the sides of Daimyo. Hiruzen looked at one of them and said with a smile, "Jirochi, are you doing well?" Wasabi Jirochi bowed slightly and answered with a smile, "I have been well, Lord Hokage. All thanks due to how efficiently Konoha carries out the missions." As he spoke, the face of the other man fell. However, he quickly hid it behind a fake smile and greeted Hiruzen politely. Hiruzen looked at him and thought, ''So he is the one who wants to take over Degaroshi port from the Wasabi family?'' Hiruzen just nodded and began talking with the Daimyo. Wagarashi Kyuroku controlled his anger and didn''t say anything disrespectful. One of the missions that Jirochi referred to, cost him more than 90% of his forces and over 50% of his wealth. After that, he lost his ability to create trouble for the Wasabi family. He had still not recovered from the blow that 5 squads sent by Hiruzen had dealt the Wagarashi family when they dared to enter the Land of Fire to eliminate Wasabi Daichi. Having learnt his lesson, he had no intention of openly opposing Hiruzen. If it wasn''t for ensuring his own benefits, he wouldn''t even have shown up there. As they talked, the Tea Daimyo and Hiruzen walked into the village. Jirochi, Kyuroku, the nobles, ministers and the Konoha ninjas followed them. As they walked, Fujin noticed a lot of curious gazes from the people that crowded both sides of the road. Some cheered, but most just watch casually. The Tea Daimyo said, "Alright, Lord Hokage. As you know, there is a civil war happening in the Land of Water. Due to this, many ninjas are fleeing away. Unfortunately, instead of living peacefully, most have resorted to banditry. Though our major cities are safe, they cause great harm to small villages. When we send missions to Konoha to eliminate them, it generally takes around a week for any squads to come here. And in the last month, the delay has been even longer. This causes unnecessary loss of life and property. So my request is for you to establish a small military outpost in the Land of Tea. At least until the chaos caused by the Civil War in the Land of Water is settled." Until last month, the Tea Daimyo was fine with the one-week delay. However, due to the sudden buildup of tension between the four major villages, the villages reduced the number of missions they accepted drastically. Shikaku had deployed 1700 ninjas within a few days to deter other countries and was showing that the other troops were being prepared as well. So Konoha was quite short on manpower as well. A frown formed on Homura''s face as he said, "Lord Daimyo, that won''t be possible. After all, if anyone has any enmity with Konoha, they might attack these ninjas instead of trying to attack in the Land of Fire. So it will be very dangerous for our ninjas." Hiruzen and Choza maintained their silence while Fujin just watched carefully. He was interested in seeing how they would negotiate. The Daimyo said, "We can host them in big cities that are well protected. So they won''t be in any danger normally. The only time their lives will be at risk is during the missions. But that would be true in any case." Homura shook his head and said, "That isn''t the same. We study every mission properly and then assign squads with the necessary strength to complete the mission safely. If we don''t, then the number of deaths will be very high." Homura''s words caused the Daimyo to fall silent. After all, he was putting the Konoha ninjas at risk. He couldn''t force this matter. Jirochi said, "Lord Hokage, there is something that you can do. What if we consider every mission as rank A?" Kyuroku snorted and asked, "Do you know how expensive that would be?" Jirochi immediately replied, "How can money be compared to the lives of our citizens? If needed, I can contribute my family''s wealth for this purpose as well." Kyuroku was surprised. At the same time, he was elated. He thought, ''This is great. If he wastes all his money here, then I can catch up with his family in strength within 2 to 3 years!'' He immediately became quiet and let Jirochi commit a blunder. Since the opposite party was willing to pay, Homura became silent and looked at Hiruzen. The entire room paid attention to what his decision would be. Chapter 289: Lord Hokage is Magnanimous! Hiruzen stayed silent for a minute. The silence made the Nobles from the Land of Tea nervous. Fujin noticed it and thought, ''I remember that in my previous world, some politicians used to have long silences in their speeches. Looks like it is quite an effective tool here as well.'' Finally, Hiruzen said, "It isn''t a matter of money. However, I can''t ignore the suffering of the people here. I''ll deploy an Elite Jounin along with 4 dozen ninjas at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Tea on the coast. You can issue your missions to them. That will reduce the journey time from a week to one or two days which wouldn''t be much longer than deploying ninjas in this or any other city. However, you will have to pay an appropriate cost for this." Jirochi asked, "What is the cost, Lord Hokage?" Kyuroku snickered in his mind as he thought, ''Great! Take all the fool''s money away!'' Hiruzen maintained another few seconds of silence and said, "I''ll need 400 Fire Crystals and 400 Wind Crystals every year that we deploy the ninjas here." Hiruzen''s request surprised all the people from the Land of Tea. Choza and Homura already knew that Hiruzen would ask this. It was the main reason why they accompanied him. However, Fujin was surprised. He quickly looked at Hiruzen as his left eye twitched and thought, ''Don''t tell me! He brought me all the way here to tell me that he knows I''m using the Wind Crystals and he wants me to decrease the rate of using them because Konoha is running out of them?'' Hiruzen noticed Fujin''s gaze but didn''t look back at him. He thought, ''Though this isn''t the main purpose of bringing him here, it is a nice bonus. He should be smart enough to notice the hidden message. It''d be great for the village if he doesn''t consume them at such a ferocious speed!'' Fujin''s initial consumption speed was already giving Hiruzen headaches. However, in the last month, Fujin focused a lot on meditating there. Due to this, his rate of consumption increased several times! In the last month alone, he had consumed the energy in around eighty Wind Crystals by himself. Fujin immediately removed that thought from his head and analyzed, ''No, how can the Great Grand Hokage ask a young and promising ninja to reduce using Wind Crystals? I feel ashamed of thinking so little of the leader of my village! I''m sure that he brought me here to tell me that no matter how many Wind Crystals I use, he has my back. Even if Konoha runs out of Wind Crystals, he will visit smaller neighbouring countries and ask them for Wind Crystals. This way, I can keep absorbing their energy without worrying that the village might run out of them. Sigh, he is such a great guy. Going up to such lengths to reassure the younger Generation. I''ll work hard and absorb energy from more and more crystals to repay his faith in me. It''s a shame that Shadow Clones can''t absorb this energy. Otherwise, I''d have repaid all faith.'' The Tea Daimyo was relieved. He nodded and said, "Alright, but I still have one issue. I can pay you 400 Fire and Wind Crystals each for the first year as we have some stock. But, I can''t sustain it for every year after that. I can only pay 100 Fire and Wind Crystals each." Hiruzen already knew that they wouldn''t be able to do that. He said, "That''s too low. But understanding your difficulties, how about you pay me 200 Fire and Wind Crystals each from the 2nd year?" The Tea Daimyo thought for a bit and said, "That''s reasonable. Let''s do this deal, Lord Hokage." The Tea Daimyo''s limit was 230 crystals. He willingly agreed. Choza said, "In addition, we would also like to discuss additional imports of herbs from your country and some discounts on the tea you sell." Jirochi smiled and said, "Alright, but our population needs additional meat and some other food items." They immediately began negotiating for discounts on both sides. Fujin watched with interest as both sides negotiated for benefits nonstop shamelessly. The officials from the Land of Tea were unwilling to offer discounts on Tea until Homura pointed out that they have eliminated almost all bandit groups from the Land of Fire and that the new post could slowly bring the same change in the Land of Tea. So their business won''t be as risky anymore. Fujin was especially impressed by Homura''s expertise at negotiating without any shame. He thought, ''Looks like all of Hiruzen''s friends are as shameless as him. No wonder they never fight. Why bother fighting and risking your life when the younger generation is willing to do that enthusiastically? I wonder if this is why Jiraiya doesn''t want to be the Hokage. Still, negotiating seems fun. Never thought I''d enjoy seeing it. It''s kinda the way I kept bugging Hiruzen and Renjiro for stronger jutsus. I wonder if Hiruzen brought me along to show that my shamelessness is still not enough and for me to take inspiration from Homura and these Nobles and Ministers. That said, I wonder if the legendary Talk-no-jutsu would work during negotiation between shameless politicians.'' After a long discussion, the Land of Tea agreed to export multiple rare herbs to Konoha. They even agreed to a 5% discount on it as Konoha would buy them in bulk. In addition, they agreed to an 18% discount on their Tea exports. As for Konoha, they agreed to a 7% discount on the meat and food items exported to the Land of Tea and agreed to increase it to 12% after the bandit groups in the Land of Tea were eliminated. After some more discussion about smaller matters, the meeting finally ended. Hiruzen and Homura exchanged glances. Both were satisfied with the outcome. As usual, Homura acted as an aggressive negotiator while Hiruzen acted as a peaceful and empathic negotiator. The officials from the Land of Tea were also satisfied with the results. The meeting concluded with a toast, a symbol of unity and cooperation between the Land of Tea and Konoha. After exchanging pleasantries and bidding farewells, the Konoha group left as quickly as they came. However, the discussions in the grand hall weren''t over. Instead, they were just about to get very intense. And unlike the discussion so far, it would be extremely unfair to one person! Chapter 290: Guiding the Younger Generation As soon as the Konoha ninjas left, the Nobles and the Ministers exchanged glances. Without exchanging any words, a scheme was formed in mere seconds! Kyuroku said, "Lord Daimyo, we need to decide on the distribution of the ninjas that will be sent for training. And we also need to decide who will bear the cost of the Elemental Crystals we have to give. Since Jirochi agreed to pay Konoha out of his own pockets, I say we should let him bear the majority of the cost." Kyuroku was immediately supported by the ministers that were bribed by him and other Nobles. After all, if Jirochi paid, it''d mean that they would have to pay less. Jirochi was immediately put under pressure. He was disgusted by their actions. However, he stood by his morals and said, "Lord Daimyo, I''m willing to contribute to the safety of our citizens." The Tea Daimyo nodded. He was worried about Jirochi using Konoha to increase his own influence. He said, "It won''t be fair for you to pay the majority cost. However, since you were the one to put forth the proposal and offered to pay, I won''t reject it. But making you pay the majority share won''t be fair. I''ll contribute 25% of the funds needed for this and you do the same. The other Nobles will contribute the remaining 50% equally. As for the ninjas, we will wait for Konoha to send the details. I will allow everyone to send an equal number of ninjas. But since the Wasabi family is paying more, they will get the first choice. Does anyone have an objection to it?" Kyuroku was surprised. He wasn''t expecting Jirochi to go along with what he said. And he didn''t expect the Daimyo to agree to his words. Though Jirochi only had to pay 25%, it would still be many times more than what he would pay. In addition, Jirochi only received the first preference. This implied that he would at most get to send one more ninja than the rest of the Nobles. So he received nothing despite paying more. He was elated as he realized, ''This is a great opportunity. Since I helped the other Nobles save a lot of money, they will owe me a favor. I''ll use these favors to secure control of Degarashi Port in the future! But, I''ll have to be careful of Jirochi. He could sway public opinion in his favor by spreading the fact that he contributed the most to public safety. As soon as I leave, I''ll begin spreading rumors that Jirochi offered Konoha the money of this country and paid them several times what we got in return. Though not true, I''m sure every other Noble will cooperate with me. Though the Daimyo can clear his name, Jirochi would gain no benefit from spending so much money here.'' Kyuroku and the rest immediately agreed. The group discussed a bit more and left. As they left, the Daimyo looked at Kyuroku''s back and thought, ''This guy is good. Having bribed so many of my ministers, he could corner Jirochi despite having much lesser influence overall.'' The Daimyo shook his head and concluded, ''Unfortunately, he is too short-sighted. The Wasabi family is backed by Konoha. They won''t allow Degarashi Port to switch hands. If he truly threatens the Wasabi family''s position, Konoha will eliminate him or make me take action. Oh well, until that time, I can make good use of him.'' While the officials of the Land of Tea were discussing, the Konoha''s group was travelling rapidly across the country. Their next target was the Land of Noodles. Fujin thought for a bit and asked, "The other major villages might take action if we openly gain the Elemental Crystals?" Hiruzen nodded and answered, "Yes. While Elemental Crystals aren''t very useful for someone at my level, it is quite useful for young ninjas at the Chunin level. Though they won''t start a war over this, they would do something similar and get the Elemental Crystals assigned to their neighboring villages forcefully. In addition, it would also expose that we are spending a lot on our Military. So other villages will also openly build their armies and we will progress towards the Fourth Great Ninja War." Fujin nodded and replied, "That makes sense." He thought, ''In the last month I noticed that the effect of the Wind Crystals on me is reducing slowly. If I keep consuming them at this rate, their effect would be negligible after around half a year. Or rather, it''d be more appropriate to say that I''d need a lot more Wind Crystals in order to have some improvements. But, if my speed of absorbing the energy doesn''t increase, then it''ll take months of meditation to make small gains. Definitely not worth the time or cost it''d take.'' However, Fujin had one confusion. He looked at Hiruzen and wondered, ''Why is he teaching me how negotiations happen?'' Hiruzen noticed Fujin''s look and asked, "Are you wondering why I am explaining to you how negotiations happen?" Fujin nodded. Hiruzen chuckled and said, "I want you to be responsible for Konoha''s negotiation in the future." Fujin was surprised. He asked, "Isn''t it the Hokage''s job to negotiate? Also, I have no experience in this." Hiruzen replied, "Not really. Any of the elders can negotiate in my absence. So can Shikaku as the Jounin Commander. As for the experience, don''t worry about it. I''ll be taking you along to all the negotiation meetings from now on. We will be heading to the Land of Noodles next. Just like the Land of Tea, we have good relations with them as well. So the discussion will probably go similarly. However, since they are a newer and smaller country, the amount of Elemental Crystals with them will be lesser. Just observe once again and understand how the negotiations go better. A month later, we will go to negotiate with the Land of River and the Land of Grass. Our relationship with them, though good, isn''t as good as these two countries. So the negotiations will be tougher. During those negotiations, you are allowed to speak if you feel that it''ll benefit the village." Homura was surprised once again. He looked at Hiruzen and thought, ''He has permission to speak after just two meetings? Sensei took us to several meetings for over two years before allowing us to speak! Why is Hiruzen being so impatient?'' Chapter 291: Forgotten Job Offer Before Fujin could nod, Homura objected, "That won''t be appropriate, Hiruzen. Wouldn''t we suffer a loss if he speaks something that is incorrect? Though I am impressed by his analytical ability, he needs to be a part of a lot more such meetings before allowing him that right." Fujin looked at Homura. He wasn''t offended as he completely agreed with his analysis. Choza silently agreed with him as well. Homura looked back at Fujin and thought, ''I was even going to mention that he isn''t strong enough to be given such a responsibility. But that might be demotivating for the young kid. Besides, Hiruzen should have enough confidence in his talent if he is giving him such a responsibility.'' However, Hiruzen dismissed his worries and said, "It''s fine. After all, we old fellows can handle it if he messes up. You don''t need to worry about failure, Fujin. Just do what you think is the best." Fujin nodded and replied, "Alright. I''ll try my best to not disappoint you and get more benefits for our village." However, he couldn''t help but feel that something was off. He wondered, ''Why is he in such a rush? I know that he isn''t dying. Is Konoha short on capable diplomats? That shouldn''t be the case as Konoha is the best at diplomacy as long as it doesn''t involve Kumo. Don''t tell me that he just doesn''t want to leave me alone in the village when he is touring outside... No, that shouldn''t be the case. After all, if I mess up, the potential costs will likely be much higher than the few Wind Crystals I use up. I guess he really wants me to become a good negotiator. Though it''ll take away some of my training time, it''s fine. This seems fun and will be a good way to take a few breaks.'' Just like Fujin, Homura was confused as well. He wondered, ''Why is Hiruzen pushing him so much? Even though we are old, the younger generation still has Kakashi who is very smart at such things. And there is still Shikaku and Jiraiya who could help him out.'' Hiruzen smiled on hearing Fujin''s reply and said, "Good." Hiruzen knew that Homura would be confused, but he didn''t care much. After all, Homura had rarely interacted with Fujin. He thought, ''My students'' generation was almost wiped out by the two great wars. The ones who survived died during Kyubi''s rampage. Though Minato''s generation produced a few decent Elite Jounins, no one other than Minato and the Clan Leaders showed any interest in politics and diplomacy. While Kakashi is smart and takes responsibility when necessary, he had a very upright upbringing. First under Sakumo''s care and then under Minato''s tutelage. He doesn''t have the same selfishness and greediness that Fujin possesses. In the future, even if Kakashi becomes the Hokage, Fujin should be the one responsible for leading Konoha''s negotiations. Of course, it''d be great if Shikaku or Jiraiya aided Kakashi. Unfortunately, I don''t see either of them willing to travel to foreign countries unless there is no other option. So I''ll have to guide Fujin and have him prepared for this task before the next big war starts.'' As for Fujin''s strength, Hiruzen didn''t even bother considering it. After all, unlike Homura, he was quite aware of the reason behind Suna''s headaches. Once again, they had similar discussions along with a lavish lunch that had a large variety of noodle dishes. After a couple of hours of discussion, Konoha agreed to create a similar outpost on the border with the Land of Noodles. However, instead of an Elite Jounin, the outpost would be overlooked by a Veteran Jounin. In exchange, the Land of Noodles agreed to supply 125 Fire and Wind Crystals each and 50 of them every year after it until the situation calmed down. In addition, they also agreed to sell Noodles at a discount in exchange for discounted meat imports from Konoha. But, the biggest gain for Konoha was something else. Chikara informed the details of Hiruzen''s offer to his father. The old Daimyo sighed knowing the error his son made. He instructed, "It''s fine. You don''t have any threat from Hiruzen. But ask for someone who is young, preferably under 20. And say that he shouldn''t have been a part of any black ops. In addition, stay on guard when with him. Especially if you plan on doing anything against Konoha''s interest." Chikara''s father was well aware of Danzo''s reputation. He trusted Hiruzen but had no intention of letting his son''s life be in Danzo''s hands. Though he wouldn''t be able to verify whether the ninja was in the Anbu or not, he knew that Hiruzen would receive the message. Chikara nodded. He put the same conditions to Hiruzen who agreed immediately. With all the matters settled, the Konoha ninjas bid farewell and left. While they were back on their way to Konoha, Hiruzen looked at Fujin and asked in a teasing tone, "I wasn''t aware that you had a job offer from a Daimyo. Why didn''t you tell me, Fujin?" Fujin shrugged and replied, "It was years ago. I completely forgot about it until I saw him again. Besides, I thought that Tamotsu reported it to you." Hiruzen replied, "So Tamotsu knew as well? Weird that he forgot to report to me. Else I''d have remembered." Fujin looked back at him and said, "Well probably for the best. We did gain a huge advantage today." Hiruzen nodded. However, Homura thought, ''Yeah because we were lucky. It''d have gone a lot smoother if it was reported.'' Hiruzen began discussing the negotiations with Fujin and gave him more tips. This continued until late at night when they finally stopped in one of the newly created Patrol Camps in the Land of Fire. Post the Uchiha massacre, Shikaku had ordered the construction of several Patrol camps deep within the Land of Fire. These camps weren''t meant to patrol the borders. Instead, they patrolled important routes and at times went on random paths to patrol more thoroughly. The group from Konoha stayed here to have a peaceful sleep. However, the night wouldn''t be a peaceful one. Chapter 292: The Unluckiest Squad! The ninjas in the Patrol camp were very respectful towards Hiruzen, Homura and Choza. Since Fujin was with them, he received the same treatment. They immediately made the best arrangements for everyone. While eating dinner, Fujin thought, ''The normal food tastes kinda bland after enjoying two exquisite feasts. Oh well, at least it''s much better than my cooking.'' Like Fujin, everyone ate dinner. Hiruzen even praised the cook and told some stories over the dinner to reignite the Will of Fire in everyone. Finally, the group went to sleep in the small camp. The ninjas in the Patrol camp guarded the camp with a lot of enthusiasm. After all, their beloved Hokage was resting in it. At the same time, a dozen kilometers away, 6 ninjas were hiding in the forest. They were surrounded by thick forest cover as they sat around a map that was laid on the floor. One of the ninjas asked authoritatively, "Are you sure that the intel is accurate, Naomasa?" Naomasa replied, "Yes, Hideyoshi-sama. According to our intel, Konoha has established a new Patrol Camp here." Hideyoshi took another long look at the map. After a couple of minutes, he said, "Good. Let''s move closer. We will destroy the camp before continuing our journey." His words shocked the group. One ninja immediately said, "But Hideyoshi-sama, our target isn''t this camp. Why don''t we just go around the camp and avoid it? It would be troublesome if Konoha begins hunting us." Hideyoshi looked at that ninja and asked, "Kaname, are you the leader, or am I?" Kaname immediately became nervous and said, "It''s you. I am just worried that if they have any Hyuga or sensor, then we will be sensed and our mission will have to be abandoned." Hideyoshi scoffed and replied, "You don''t need to be worried about it. With me here, they won''t have any opportunity to report us. Besides, I doubt a random patrol outpost will have a better sensor than Naomasa." Kaname sighed secretly as he thought, ''Getting promoted to Elite Jounin has inflated his ego even more. Though Konoha is not as strong as it used to be, they still have many existences that can decimate us with ease. Especially since their Sannins randomly roam throughout the country. But he is right, we should be alright. Naomasa is a very capable sensor.'' Hideyoshi instructed, "Naomasa, lead the way. Lead the way and sense them when you are in range."N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Naomasa nodded. The group of six moved quickly through the dense forest until they were around 2.5 km from the Patrol camp. Naomasa made a hand seal and activated his chakra field. Immediately, a chakra field with a 3 km radius spread around him. As the chakra field engulfed the Patrol camp, 4 sets of eyes opened instantly. Fujin got up and wondered, ''Are any other Konoha ninjas passing through?'' He didn''t activate his own chakra field. Hiruzen, Homura and Choza also got up. The Anbu Guards were already up. As for the ninjas stationed at the camp, they didn''t notice the chakra field. Naomasa sensed everyone and frowned. He said, "Hideyoshi-sama, the camp has 9 ninjas. 4 are Genins, 3 are Chunins and 2 are Jounins. I believe there are 2 civilians as well." A similar thought ran through the minds of every Konoha ninja. Of all places, they attacked the camp where their Hokage was resting despite having so few members. Hiruzen observed the situation from his room and wondered, ''Who are these guys? Seeing their numbers, they shouldn''t be here to assassinate me. But since when did the Land of Fire have such powerful rogue ninjas who impersonate Konoha ninjas?'' At the same time, his eyes moved towards Fujin as he thought, ''Though I have read all his battle reports, I have never seen him fight. This would be a good opportunity to see him fight.'' At the same time, Homura also watched Fujin. He was curious as to why Hiruzen was so interested in grooming him. The six ninjas jumped towards Fujin and Choza at the same time. Choza gripped his Bo staff tightly as he took his fighting posture. At the same time, he unleashed his chakra. Their attention was immediately glued to Choza. Hideyoshi gritted his teeth. He cursed, ''His chakra is almost twice that of mine! But we have the advantage of numbers.'' Unfortunately, Fujin took advantage of the momentary lap in concentration. He immediately disappeared. Naomasa''s eyes widened. He immediately grabbed his kunai and swung it in front of him and shouted, "Be careful!" His shout attracted everyone''s attention. They noticed a sword appearing in front of Naomasa. The kunai and the sword clashed. However, instead of hearing the clash, they saw the sword cut through the kunai as if it was hot butter. Naomasa''s eyes widened. He didn''t have any time to move. He could only see as the sword cut his head off. Except for Hideyoshi, the remaining ninjas immediately attacked Fujin. However, he continued with the momentum and moved a long distance away in the same direction. None of them could hit him. Soon, a thud was heard. Naomasa''s body fell on the ground and subsequently dragged along the ground due to his momentum. His head fell some distance away. At the same time, the transformation jutsu was dispelled and his real appearance could be seen. Hiruzen squinted his eyes on seeing the real face. But the ninjas had no time to watch their fallen comrade. They looked at the ninja who they had thought to be an easy target. Disbelief could be seen in their eyes as they thought, ''Naomasa was a veteran jounin! He wasn''t a weak Jounin like those from smaller villages. And he was one of the best sensors we had. How was he killed off so easily?'' However, they had no time to grieve for him. After landing on a tree, Fujin flickered back towards them. Choza engaged Hideyoshi and ensured that he couldn''t move towards Fujin. Seeing Fujin, one of the ninjas opened his mouth and shot out 6 Air Bullets at Fujin. Fujin''s eyes widened and he immediately jumped up in the air as he thought, ''Sealless jutsu? These guys are no pushovers. Luckily I caught the sensor off guard. It would have been troublesome if he ran away and hid his chakra signature.'' The remaining ninjas immediately began weaving hand signs while one threw shurikens at Fujin. However, they suddenly felt danger. 2 ninjas quickly moved away. However, the one who just shot out air bullets and the ninja who threw the shurikens couldn''t react quickly. Two swords pierced through both their bodies. Hideyoshi watched the scene through the corner of his eyes and was horrified. He attacked Choza fiercely while screaming in anger, "Why does this small post have a clan leader and four Anbu ninjas?" Chapter 293: Losses Keep Piling Up! The two Jounins were killed by the four Anbu ninjas who were hiding. Their transformation jutsu was also dispelled. Half of the intruders were dead within a minute of beginning the clash! Kaname gritted his teeth as he looked at Hideyoshi with pure hatred. He had led them all to their deaths! However, he had no time to curse him. A dozen air bullets were heading at him. He immediately dodged while looking at Fujin who appeared in front of him and swung his sword at him. He thought, ''He must be using Wind nature chakra flow. Otherwise, Naomasa wouldn''t have lost so easily.'' He grabbed a kunai and ducked down to avoid the sword. The sword passed harmlessly from over his head. At the same time, he jabbed the kunai towards Fujin''s chest. However, Fujin''s cheeks suddenly puffed out. Kaname''s eyes widened and he stopped attacking and instead rolled to the side. At the very moment he moved to the left, Fujin shot a Vacuum bullet at point-blank range. The bullet passed by Kaname''s left ear and ripped it out completely! But, he still managed to survive and rolled away. However, such damage caused his transformation jutsu to be dispelled. Fujin watched his real face with some respect in his eyes. He thought, ''He is good. If instead of ducking, he had moved away, he would have been dead. And if he continued that attack, he''d be dead again. But he survived on both occasions.'' At the same time, Kaname was in shock as he observed Fujin. He thought, ''Who is this kid? His attacks are relentless and uses Wind Vacuum jutsus without any hand seal. I don''t even have any time to create a jutsu!'' Fujin was about to attack when he noticed someone moving extremely quickly. Kaname sensed that someone had appeared behind him and immediately swung his kunai backwards. However, his arm was blocked by a palm. At the same time, two fingers jabbed into his back and hit just behind where his heart was. Chakra poured from the fingers into Kaname''s chakra point and blocked it. At the same time, several other chakra points in his body were blocked. Kaname suddenly felt a wave of weakness. He fell to the ground. Knowing that his life was no longer in his hands, he turned his head to see who the attacker was. His eyes widened in terror as he muttered, "Lo... Lord H... Hok... Hokage?" Hiruzen didn''t reply and jabbed two fingers into his neck. Kaname instantly lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground. Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''The Gentle Fist of the Hyuga? He can replicate the effects of that as well? Did he memorize the locations of some important chakra points?'' While Fujin was dealing with Kaname, the other Jounin was also killed by the four Anbu ninjas. Only Hideyoshi was still alive. However, he looked at Hiruzen with horror in his eyes. No matter how arrogant he was, he knew that he wouldn''t last even a minute against a Kage! He stopped fighting with Choza and asked fearfully, "Why is the Hokage here? Don''t tell me he was the civilian that Naomasa detected!" I can understand his Taijutsu being better than mine. But despite all my training, his speed still exceeds mine. And by such a huge degree. I won''t be able to keep up with him in a head-on fight. And that Juinjutsu... What a freak! Sigh, the last mission increased my confidence a lot. I thought I''d be able to at least run away from S ranked ninjas. But now... Luckily I didn''t challenge Rasa. If I didn''t manage to get reverse summoned in time, I''d probably be buried deep within the desert had I challenged him. Looks like there is still a considerable distance between my level and the S rank despite my high chakra.'' Hiruzen''s little display gave Fujin a reality check. Though he relied a lot on his skill with Wind jutsus, his biggest reliance was his speed. The ability to keep up and run away from any opponent was what he felt was the most important skill for a ninja. However, Hiruzen''s speed shook Fujin''s confidence in his speed. While Fujin was comparing himself with what Hiruzen showed, Hideyoshi''s life flashed in his eyes multiple times. Hiruzen noticed the range of emotions in his eyes and said, "Don''t worry. You won''t be able to move." He placed his right hand on his head. Chakra flowed from his palm into Hideyoshi''s brain! Hideyoshi felt immense pain as Hiruzen began reading his memories. He wanted to scream in pain but the seal didn''t allow him to make any sound. In the next seven minutes, Hiruzen read most of Hideyoshi''s memories. He let go of his head as he analyzed, ''I see. Sunagakure has already started creating plans to target the Nobles from our country. This was their first squad. Unfortunately for Suna, they decided to attack this camp to do more damage to Konoha. Furthermore, their plans have a lot of inefficiencies.'' Hiruzen walked away from him and instructed, "Kill him and get rid of all the bodies." The four Anbu Guards nodded and got to work. They knew that Hiruzen meant that there should be no proof of these bodies ever being here. Fujin, Homura and Choza immediately realized the reason for this. If Hideyoshi was left alive, then Suna would demand him back. And it would be difficult for Konoha to refuse that request. Though Konoha could inform about these matters to the Wind Daimyo, it would deteriorate the relationship between the two countries. Konoha wanted to maintain the alliance with Suna, even if it was just on paper. So keeping Hideyoshi, whether dead or alive, was disadvantageous for Konoha. However, Fujin couldn''t help but think, ''I killed one Elite Jounin and several Jounins from Suna during my promotion mission. And now another one of the Elite Jounins has died along with 4 Jounins. Their losses just keep piling up. At this rate, will they even have the necessary forces to launch the Konoha Crush?'' Fujin suddenly became worried. He thought, ''Shit, if the Konoha Crush doesn''t happen, then a lot of future events will change. I might not have much advantage of knowing the future if that happens. Sigh, I hope Rasa doesn''t get too intimidated.'' Hiruzen read Kaname''s memories as well to gain any information that he could. He was disposed of the same way as well. Hiruzen analyzed the information and concluded, ''These two don''t have all the information. I''ll have to arrange strong patrol squads in the country. In addition, the security of Fire Capital has to be increased.'' Chapter 294: Lying with a straight face He quickly made some plans and let out a sigh, ''This is getting very complicated. I''ll leave the planning and operations to Shikaku.'' He said, "We are leaving now. We need to get to Konoha quickly." He looked at the ninjas who were deployed in that Patrol camp and instructed, "Keep up your good work. Clear all traces of the battles here. And don''t tell anyone about what happened today." The ninjas immediately nodded and said, "Yes Lord Hokage." Hiruzen nodded and instructed, "Fujin, create shadow clones and sweep through the area. Check if there are any suspicious squads in a 20-kilometer radius." Fujin replied, "Alright." He focused on his chakra. His chakra began splitting into two. One had 40% of his maximum chakra while the other had around 59%. The 40% part of his chakra suddenly disappeared and 20 Shadow clones appeared around him. They immediately dispersed in separate directions. Hiruzen left the camp along with Fujin, Choza, Homura and the Anbu Guards without waiting for Fujin''s clones to finish the search. While moving, Hiruzen''s eyes landed on Fujin. He analyzed, ''I didn''t see him much in action. Seeing that they were from Suna, I had to ensure that they don''t die so that I could read memories with better accuracy. Still, just those few attacks show why he was so successful in Suna. With good control over Wind manipulation and the ability to take advantage of every little opening, he ends up killing his opponent before they have a chance to display their prowess.'' Unlike Hiruzen, Homura wasn''t aware of Fujin''s capabilities. He was shocked at how good he was. He looked at Fujin and analyzed, ''This boy... He is very good. Though I can''t say for sure how strong he is. After all, he killed that sensor using a sneak attack by using the distraction that Choza created. But the ability to take advantage of such small opportunities is far more valuable than strength. After all, we are ninjas. The ability to kill is way more important than the strength we possess. If a Genin kills a Kage by injuring him with a poisoned needle or kunai, then that Genin is far more valuable than a Kage who sits in his village during a war. Besides, he is still just 14. He can gain strength in the future. I can see why Hiruzen is putting such emphasis on this boy. He could become just as capable as Kakashi. Though I still don''t see why he wants to make him a negotiator.'' Fujin suddenly gained several memories. He said, "My clones didn''t find anyone else. It looks like those six were travelling alone." Hiruzen replied, "Alright, good work." Hiruzen rejected his idea by replying, "I just killed one of their Elite Jounins. If you want to talk now, we would have to pay a big price. Besides, considering how much they suffered, it seems impossible that they didn''t catch anyone. Though Suna is incompetent, they shouldn''t be that useless. I''m sure they already know who the culprit is and are just using the opportunity to create trouble for us. Regardless, the situation is very beneficial for us. We just need to kill some of their ninjas. Once they realize how high the risks they have to take for these attacks are, they will stop immediately." Homura became quiet. He thought, ''His words make perfect sense. But I know that something isn''t right. Sigh, I don''t think he will tell us the truth.'' He looked at Shikaku, but Shikaku looked like he would close his eyes and fall asleep at any second. Having seen Hiruzen''s ability to bullshit for so many years, Shikaku didn''t feel anything at the lies he made up. Homura couldn''t find anything from Shikaku''s expression. He nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll take my leave." Since he wasn''t getting any information, Homura left. Hiruzen instructed, "Along with this situation, also decide which ninjas to deploy in the new camps that we have to build along the borders of Tea and Noodle countries. If needed, you can temporarily move them to assault any Suna infiltrators." Shikaku nodded and left. After closing the door, he sighed and muttered, "Why does my workload keep increasing? And we aren''t even at war!" Shikaku immediately got to work. Unlike Shikaku, Fujin had no responsibilities. He rested for a day and got back to his training. His clones worked hard to master more seals. They had already learned all the new symbols that the scrolls had. And they had mastered all seals in 18 of the 58 scrolls. As for Fujin, he recalled how ''magnanimous'' Hiruzen was and absorbed the energy in the Wind Crystals faster than ever! After a week, he was finally called to the Anbu Headquarters. Fujin walked to the headquarters while thinking, ''Looks like they finally arranged subordinates for me. Still, I haven''t led a squad since the Uchiha massacre. I hope I haven''t gotten too rusty. Granted the first missions will be easier ones. I can''t wait to make them police the streets, hahaha.'' When Fujin reached the headquarters, he saw Eagle, the commander of all Anbu ninjas, waiting for him. Eagle said, "Follow me." Fujin nodded and followed him to a room. On entering, he noticed 3 masked Anbu in the room. One wore a Cat mask with 3 red stripes. She had long straight purple hair. Another wore a Dog mask. He had golden hair. The last one had short black hair. Unlike the other two, he was much younger and wore a sparrow mask. Eagle said, "He will be your team captain. Hawk, I''ll leave them in your care." He disappeared from the room leaving Fujin alone with his new subordinates. Chapter 295: Subordinates Fujin looked at his new teammates and thought, ''I didn''t think Yugao would be assigned under me. Shouldn''t she be a part of Yamato''s unit? Looks like my unit isn''t made of newly selected ninjas. Makes sense I guess considering how many people Hiruzen recruited two years ago.'' He removed his mask and took a seat and said, "Take seats, make yourself comfortable and introduce yourself. I''m Suzuki Fujin. You can call me Captain or Haw... No, Turtle." Fujin tossed his Hawk mask in the open box that contained dozens of masks while thinking, ''The Hawk mask along with my swords is just too well known. Fame is not good for Anbu missions. I need a new disguise.'' Fujin had seen a turtle mask at the top of the box. Wind suddenly began flowing in the closed room. The turtle mask soon began floating in the air and moved towards Fujin. Fujin grabbed it and said, "I specialize in Wind Release and Swordsmanship. I prefer ranged battles and using hit-and-run tactics." Yugao and the blonde Anbu weren''t surprised or impressed by Fujin''s display. However, the third Anbu was quite impressed. He thought, ''That''s cool!'' Yugao removed her mask and said, "I''m Uzuki Yugao. My codename is Neko. I am currently training in various Sword styles. I specialize in Wind release as well. In addition, I can also use a few Fire and Water jutsus. And I can sense up to a distance of 800 meters. As for the battle, I don''t have any preference for tactics. I can adjust to any battle style." Fujin raised his eyebrow and thought, ''Apart from Water jutsus, her skill set is almost identical to mine.'' At the same time, Yugao wondered, ''When Lord Hokage said that I could learn from my new captain, did he mean that I could improve my sword styles and wind jutsus by observing him?'' The blond ninja removed his dog mask and said, "I am Yamanaka Fumito. My codename is Inu. I specialize in Yamanaka clan secret techniques. I can sense up to 1700 meters. My affinity is Wind as well. My secondary nature is Lightning. I prefer hiding and sneak attacking the enemies." Fujin nodded. Fumito looked to be as old as Yugao. Considering that they would have been ninjas for close to a decade, it wasn''t surprising that they decided to learn more than one element. Finally, the last ninja removed his mask. A smile was plastered on his face. Fujin felt that his face looked familiar, but he didn''t recognize him at first glance. However, soon, Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''This guy became an Anbu?'' Though Fujin didn''t show it, he was genuinely surprised. The ninja introduced himself, "I am Handa Bunjiro. My codename is Sparrow. My affinity is Water and I am learning Wind jutsus as my second nature. I have also learnt the basics of being a sensor. But currently, I can only sense up to 80 meters. As for combat style, I don''t have any fixed style but I prefer to drown my enemies from a distance." Fujin nodded and analyzed, ''Yugao and Fumito have Wind as their primary element whereas Bunjiro has it as his secondary element. In addition, all 3 are sensors. And Yugao also uses a sword. Looks like my team will specialize in hitting from a distance or assassinations instead of engaging in combat directly. Fujin began reading Fumito''s file. He was surprised as he discovered, ''I see. He has already tried a promotion mission but failed to pass. His power should be at the Jounin level as well. No wonder I saw disdain in his eyes when I said that I will take on all 3 of them myself.'' Fujin placed his file down and began reading Bunjiro''s file. This was the one he was most interested in reading. As he read, Fujin thought, ''Though I guided the five of them, I didn''t have much expectations from any of them. At most I expected them to reach Low Chunin levels. After all, none of them had the talent or determination to get stronger. Guess I was wrong. I wonder what happened to the remaining four.'' He read all his information and analyzed, ''I see. He and Tatsuya were placed in the same squad under a Jounin who took an interest in guiding them properly. And he is quite hard-working as well. He managed to become a Chunin around 6 months ago. But he was the only one from his squad who got promoted. Not bad. No wonder he managed to join the Anbu. But his strength doesn''t compare to the other two and is probably average among Chunins. Though he is 6-7 years younger than the other two. Still...'' Fujin looked up at Eagle. Though he couldn''t see his face due to the mask, he could see that Eagle''s eyes were glued on him. He thought, ''I don''t understand my team. One is ready to be promoted to Anbu Captain, one has failed the promotion mission and the third is a newbie. What does he aim to achieve by giving me such an imbalanced team?'' Eagle asked, "Is there any issue?" Fujin handed over the files and said, "No. I do have a question though. Since my team is newly formed and has a new member, we will have to Police the Village for a few months, right?" Eagle was confused by the question. He replied, "No, who told you that? You will be assigned field missions right away." Fujin asked, "Won''t that be risky with an inexperienced ninja?" Eagle replied, "The other two of your subordinates are quite strong. And Lord Hokage believed in your strength as well. So I believe that his safety wouldn''t be an issue." Fujin replied, "Alright." He left while thinking, ''As I expected, Hiruzen was behind such a weird team. Though Eagle''s logic makes sense, it is very flawed. Knowing Hiruzen, he should have other motives. Unfortunately, I can''t guess them.'' While Fujin was thinking, his new subordinates had discussed and planned for a few minutes before stopping and waiting for Fujin. Yugao and Fumito were sitting in a meditative position while Bunjiro had a frown on his face. Chapter 296: Establishing Clout! Bunjiro looked at Yugao and Fumito who were just sitting in the training ground. He asked with a frown on his face, "Shouldn''t we discuss more strategies and work on our teamwork?" Yugao and Fumito just talked about their abilities and asked Bunjiro to do the same. After knowing everyone''s abilities, Fumito formed a very basic plan and Yugao agreed without any arguments. Bunjiro wondered, ''What the hell? This is even worse than when we were put in a Genin squad! Aren''t they supposed to be experienced Anbu ninjas?'' Fumito shook his head and replied, "We won''t be able to improve our teamwork much in 30 minutes. So it''s pointless. Just ensure that we don''t get in each others'' way while fighting and we will be good. After all, our opponent is someone who has just been promoted to Anbu Captain." Bunjiro wasn''t convinced. He said, "But..." Yugao cut him off and said, "He is right. Captain could have given us more time to prepare to form better teamwork. But we aren''t Genins. As an Anbu, we may spontaneously be asked to team up with other Anbu ninjas, or other Anbu teams or even operate solo. So we have to be prepared to form good coordination with any other ninja. Consider this as a part of your training." Bunjiro thought for a bit and replied, "Alright." He sat down as well and joined his new teammates. Yugao''s mind wandered as she recalled the meeting she had the previous day. One day ago : Yugao appeared in the Hokage''s office. Only Hiruzen and Shikaku were present in the room. She respectfully asked, "Lord Hokage, what are your orders?" Hiruzen waited for a few seconds and said, "Yugao, your Anbu Team will be changed. I''m placing you in a different Anbu unit." Yugao was surprised. Her eyes lit up. She asked, "Am I getting promoted to Anbu Captain, Lord Hokage?" Hiruzen smiled and said, "No, not yet. We have observed your improvements and you have been performing very well. But it''s not yet the time for your promotion." Yugao became silent. She was confused. She thought, ''Captain Yamato said that I''m ready for the Promotion mission. Why did Lord Hokage say the opposite? And why am I being shifted?'' Hiruzen continued, "This change will be beneficial for you. Your new Captain will be Suzuki Fujin. I believe you will learn a lot from him." Shikaku handed her a file that contained some basic information regarding Fujin but didn''t mention anything about his abilities or mission record. Yugao glanced through the information. A look of surprise appeared behind her mask as Yugao noticed Fujin''s age. Hiruzen replied, "It''s fine. He is only 14. Let him stay in the dark and keep accumulating his strength. When the time is right, we can create multiple opportunities for him to gain fame. Even the Anbu Commander post can be handed over to him if need be." Shikaku nodded. Raising someone''s reputation wasn''t very difficult for them. Especially if that someone was worthy of that reputation. He discussed the Sunagakure matter with Hiruzen and left the office. Alone in his office, Hiruzen looked at a scroll lying on his desk. There were many scrolls on his desk at all times, so Shikaku didn''t pay any attention to that scroll. Hiruzen thought, ''I was initially planning to give Fujin a couple more months off. Learning Advanced Fuinjutsu is difficult and very time-consuming. But with Shadow Clones, he should be able to do the symbols and the easier seals in 3 months. But...'' Recalling the contents of the scroll, Hiruzen shivered involuntarily. He thought, ''I thought I had hinted it to him quite clearly. But, why did he increase his consumption of Wind Crystals? Did he get the wrong message somehow? Don''t tell me he thought that my buying more Wind Crystals from other countries was a message to keep using as many as he wants. Sigh, this kid is too good at giving me headaches. If I let him be free for another couple of months, Konoha might actually begin running out of Wind Crystals! And that would invite scrutiny from the Council. Though I might be able to handle it, it will bring a lot of unnecessary attention to Fujin and his access to them in the future will be limited heavily. So I can only send him on missions and limit the amount of time he has to spend in the training facilities.'' Present : Fujin waited for 30 minutes and appeared at the training ground. Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro got up and got ready. Fujin looked at them and said, "In order to cooperate properly, we need to know where everyone''s strengths lie and what everyone''s weaknesses are. There won''t be any killing or maiming in this fight. But give it your all. You won''t stand a chance against me if you hold back." Though Fumito was a bit skeptical, he planned to give it his all. Yugao and Bunjiro also became serious. He picked up a stone and tossed it in the air and said, "The fight begins once the stone hits the ground." Yugao grabbed her sword, Fumito grabbed a few shurikens and Bunjiro held 3 shurikens in each hand. As soon as the stone hit the ground, Yugao rushed forward with her sword while Bunjiro launched all six shurikens at Fujin. Meanwhile, Fumito stayed back and weaved hand signs to take advantage of any openings Fujin provided. The six shurikens ripped through the air and hit Fujin''s body. Bunjiro''s eyes widened. He thought, ''So easy?'' However, he saw the Shurikens passing through his body and Fujin''s image dispersed a bit before dissipating completely! He asked, "When did he create a clone?" Fumito''s expression was serious. He said, "That wasn''t a clone. It was an afterimage!" Fumito didn''t see Fujin move at all. He closed his eyes and activated his chakra field. All his previous disdain was tossed out of his mind. Yugao was serious as well. She only saw the general direction of where Fujin had gone. She turned her head to her right and shouted, "Incoming!" Chapter 297: Displaying his Might! On their right, a gigantic dragon made of wind was flying towards them. Yugao immediately jumped forward and out of its way. Fumito sensed the attack as well. Only Bunjiro was caught off guard. Fumito grabbed his arm and jumped in the opposite direction. Hiding among the trees, Fujin observed their movements and thought, ''Not bad. I was expecting Fumito to dodge by himself.'' The Dragon suddenly turned towards Fumito and Bunjiro and chased after them. Fumito let Bunjiro''s arm go and said, "Use a Water jutsu to stop it." He began weaving hand signs himself while moving backwards. Bunjiro also did the same. Just when the Wind Dragon was about to crash into them, Bunjiro released his jutsu. ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'' A wall of water appeared in front of the dragon. Fumito immediately launched his jutsu as well. ''Lightning Release: Lightning Net jutsu!'' Lightning began flowing through the water wall and a blue net could be seen sparkling inside it. Bunjiro''s eyes widened in shock, ''He created a perfect combination attack on the first try?'' At the same time, Yugao traced the Wind Dragon''s path and tracked Fujin''s location. She tried approaching him sneakily but Fujin spotted her immediately. Since stealth was of no use, Yugao approached him openly and jumped in the air. She swung her swords in a circular motion, leaving a trace of afterimages behind. ''Hazy Moon Night'' Yugao moved at a remarkable speed, forming a blur as she closed the distance between her and Fujin in the blink of an eye. In one swift motion, she unleashed a slashing strike aimed directly at Fujin''s neck. Though her sword movements were irregular and her speed very high, Fujin had no issues in seeing her actions clearly. A sword appeared in his hand. He raised it just in time, meeting Yugao''s blade with a resounding clash! Yugao had expected Fujin to stop her attack. She intended to use the impact to halt her momentum and swiftly transition into her next series of attacks. Yet, to her surprise, she found herself unable to feel the expected resistance from Fujin''s forceful strike. Instead of blocking, Fujin parried her blow and sent it veering to his right. The sword harmlessly passed by him. Yugao, carried by the momentum of her own strike, continued her movement and found herself dangerously close to Fujin''s flank. In one fluid and precise motion, Fujin continued the natural flow of his sword and slashed her thigh, cutting the straps of the weapon pouch attached to her right leg. Yugao stopped a few meters behind him. Her right leg had a shallow sword cut causing it to bleed. She turned around to look at Fujin. Shock could be seen in her eyes as she thought, ''He parried my attack? But how? Even Hayate-senpai never managed to do this. He could only dodge or block my attack.'' ''Fire Release: Fireball jutsu'' Fujin saw a giant Fireball that was being deconstructed into flames and spreading along the wind, heading towards him. He immediately moved out of the range of the attack. However, the last clone and Yugao followed him. ''Wind Release: Air Bullet jutsu'' ''Water Release: Water Bullet jutsu'' Both shot a dozen bullets each at Fujin. However, Fujin rapidly moved towards them while dodging the bullets with ease and leaving multiple afterimages behind. Yugao tried targeting Fujin''s path but was unsuccessful. Fujin appeared behind her as chakra gathered on his palms. Yugao and her clone tried moving away while grabbing their swords. However, Fujin hit their abdomens with his palms. Yugao''s shadow clone dispersed due to the damage. Yugao herself was sent flying and slammed into a tree! The damage caused her remaining clones to dispel as well. On the other side, Bunjiro realized that Water Shurikens won''t help him resolve the situation. He weaved a few hand seals quickly. ''Water Release: Raging Waves jutsu'' Bunjiro supercharged the jutsu by pouring most of his chakra into it. He spewed a large amount of water that rushed towards Fujin''s clone like a giant waterfall! Fumito was waiting for such a move. Lightning appeared on his palms and a beam was launched into the Water that Bunjiro released, electrifying it! Fujin''s clone noticed the combination attack and smiled, ''Not bad. He bluffed when he said he wanted to use the Mind Body Switch jutsu. He was waiting for Bunjiro to try and drown me. Looks like I won''t have to worry about them dying easily. Oh well, time to establish my prestige in this team.'' The electrified water wave appeared in front of him. Fujin''s clone refined his chakra instantly and attacked. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' Fujin''s clone exhaled very strong winds. It clashed with the combination jutsu and overpowered it instantly. The electrified water was sent flying towards where Yugao''s clones had lit a fire. The winds created deep scars in the ground. Many trees were cut while a few were uprooted. Bunjiro created a water wall to protect himself. However, it kept crumbling at every second. He desperately put all his chakra into the Wall to ensure that it protected it. He gritted his teeth and thought, ''Fujin is this strong? This is crazy! Luckily this attack isn''t targeted at me. Otherwise, even if there were a hundred of me, we would have died!'' Fumito escaped into the ground without any hesitation. He was horrified by the attack. He cursed, ''What the fuck? How the hell can a 14-year-old use such an insanely strong attack? That too with just half his chakra! Anbu Captain my ass. His level should be far beyond it!'' Chapter 298: Chaoter 295: Doing Paperwork with Enthusiasm! Yugao got back on her feet and grabbed her sword. However, Fujin raised his palm and said, "Enough. That''s sufficient combat for today." Yugao nodded and sheathed her sword again. Suddenly, she looked behind her. At that instant, a strong wind blew through the area. Numerous branches were broken. Yugao struggled to keep standing. A massive amount of water suddenly landed on the fire that was spreading, dousing it and covering the area with steam. After the winds passed, Yugao asked, "What is that?" Fujin replied, "Looks like my clone decided to end the battle. Let''s go and check on them." Just like Fumito, Yugao also sensed the fight happening at the other place. But she was still surprised that Fujin could unleash such destruction with just a clone. Both flickered towards where Fumito and Bunjiro were. The winds had finally calmed down. Fujin and Yugao saw Bunjiro sitting on the ground while breathing heavily. Despite wearing a mask, they could see that he was scared. Sensing them, Fumito climbed out of the ground. He looked at Fujin. This time, there was no disdain in his eyes. Instead, there was admiration and respect. Fujin looked at his clone who dispelled himself in response and passed all the memories to Fujin. Fujin said, "I have seen enough for now. We will end the fight here." Neither Bunjiro nor Fumito objected. They didn''t want to be on the receiving end of such a devastating jutsu again. Fujin looked at Bunjiro and said, "Take a good rest, your chakra levels are very low." Bunjiro nodded and replied, "I will." Fujin looked at Yugao and Fumito and said, "Though the cuts on you are shallow, get them healed as well. We will meet back in our room after 3 days. I''m not sure when we will be assigned missions or which missions we will be assigned." He looked at Bunjiro and explained, "Generally speaking, easier missions are assigned when a new Anbu joins the unit. But, Yugao and Fumito have a lot of experience. So we may be given tougher missions to start off. So be prepared." Bunjiro nodded again and said with confidence, "Don''t worry Captain. I''m prepared." Fujin nodded and said, "Good. Let''s meet later." He flickered away leaving his three subordinates together. Bunjiro said, "I never thought that the gap between an Anbu and an Anbu Captain would be so strong." Fumito shook his head and said, "You are overthinking. He is just too strong. I don''t think my old Captain would stand a chance against him. I wonder how he trained to be so strong at just 14. And why isn''t he famous? I never heard of him until today." I''ll send Fujin''s team here to ensure that the head of the Kagawa family returns safely. Since this meeting is supposed to last for over a week, they will be away from the village for at least 2 weeks.'' Hiruzen decided to assign the mission to the Land of Grass to Fujin''s unit. While Hiruzen was picking out a mission, Yugao was training extremely hard along with Hayate. Sounds of swords clashing could be heard for hours in their training ground. Finally, Hayate said, "That''s enough for today. You need to rest." Yugao stopped and sheathed her sword. Both went out to grab a meal. Hayate asked, "What''s gotten into you today? I haven''t even seen you train with such intensity?" Yugao sighed and said, "I was assigned to a new team yesterday. The Captain arranged a sparring session. He parried my Hazy Moon Night slash with ease. During the fight, I couldn''t land a single hit on him." Hayate was surprised. Even though he was teaching Yugao, her strength wasn''t far from his. He asked, "He sounds very powerful. Who is your new captain?" Yugao replied, "Suzuki Fujin." Hayate tried recalling, but he couldn''t remember anything. He said, "I don''t think I have ever heard of him. Is he a Veteran ninja who keeps a low profile by hiding in the Anbu?" Yugao shook her head and replied, "No. He is just 14 years old. I looked up his information as well. But I didn''t find much on him other than the fact that Senju Renjiro was his teacher and that he was the champion during his Chunin exams." Hayate was shocked. He asked, "A 14-year-old boy defeated you in swordplay? Which style did he use?" Yugao had a bitter smile as she said, "None. I couldn''t make him use any." Hayate was left speechless. He thought, ''Seeing the intensity of her training and her voice, she should have been defeated very thoroughly.'' He muttered, "A 14-year-old genius who is already an Anbu Captain. Looks like our village will have another strong ninja in the future." Yugao nodded. To cheer her up, Hayate changed the subject and talked about the stuff she liked. Just as Hiruzen expected, Fujin''s name would slowly be known among the generation that was around 6-8 years older than him. These were the batches that had graduated from Academy right after the Third Great Ninja War and hence had very high numbers. Due to this, Fujin''s reputation would slowly build up in the village. Chapter 299: A Boring Mission? On the day Fujin was supposed to meet with his team, an Anbu ninja showed up at Fujin''s house and passed him a message. Fujin frowned as he thought, ''A mission on the very same day we decided to meet? That old fox must be spying with that perverted ball again.'' Fujin and his team met in their assigned room at the decided time. Fujin looked at his subordinates and asked, "Are any of you still injured?" Everyone shook their heads. Fujin said, "Good. Lord Hokage will assign our first mission today. Follow me."N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Fujin walked towards the Hokage''s building. Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro followed him while lost in their own thoughts. Bunjiro was excited. He thought, ''Wow! I never expected that Lord Hokage would assign my first Anbu mission himself. I lucked out by joining Fujin''s team. Though I hate Daisuke, I am so glad that he led us to meet Fujin!'' Fumito thought, ''A mission after such a long time. And this is assigned by Lord Hokage as well. I have to perform properly and show Lord Hokage how capable I am. Only then I will have any chance of becoming an Anbu Captain.'' Yugao''s eyes were glued to Fujin''s back. She was interested in finding out more about Fujin and his skill with the sword. The group soon entered Hiruzen''s office. Hiruzen looked at Fujin''s Turtle mask and asked, "Why aren''t you wearing the hawk mask?" Though Hiruzen had seen that Fujin used the turtle mask during sparring, he thought that Fujin would go back to the Hawk mask during normal Anbu missions. Fujin replied, "That mask gets identified quite quickly. So it kinda loses its purpose." Hiruzen nodded but he was surprised. Though it was a very logical move, most ninjas wouldn''t do it unless the mission demanded a high degree of anonymity. After all, who wouldn''t want to build their fame and be well-known and respected throughout the ninja world? Hiruzen explained the mission details to Fujin''s team. Fujin analyzed the details and thought, ''Looks like this will be another long and boring mission. Sigh, I wanted to continue training.'' After understanding the details and importance of the mission, Team Fujin left the office. Fujin said, "This will be a 2-3 weeks long mission. Pack up the supplies and meet me at the village gate in 30 minutes." Everyone nodded and dispersed. Twenty minutes later, Team Fujin left the village and moved towards the Land of Grass. A day later, they entered a town under disguise. The street was bustling with a high number of people who were going about their lives in a happy mood. Fumito looked around the town and said, "Looks like the Kagawa family is doing a great job. This town is very peaceful and prosperous and the citizens look happy and content." Daisuke, Ryoma and Buncho were put in the same Genin squad under a Chunin sensei. But, we had an argument after the graduation exam. So I don''t know much about what happened to them later. I heard that they participated in this chunin exam but were eliminated in the 1st round." Fujin was surprised. He asked, "You five used to be so close to each other. Why did you suddenly argue?" Bunjiro let out a sigh and answered, "After you guided us for the last time, they just practiced the 3 basic ninjutsu and didn''t train any further. But me and Tatsuya began learning the elemental jutsus and hence gained a better rank in the exam. So after the exam, they blamed us and said that we trained in secret instead of training at the same speed as them. They stopped speaking to us after it." Fujin shook his head in disappointment and replied, "I see. That''s a bad attitude. But seeing how strong you have grown, I guess it was good for you." Bunjiro nodded. After the argument, he had become very careful in choosing his friends. He only befriended the ones who worked as hard as him and pushed him to be better. He looked at Fujin and secretly sighed in relief. He thought, ''Daisuke said that he was friends with Fujin from the time that they were very young. I was afraid that Fujin would get angry at me since I abandoned his friend. Luckily he is moral and just and doesn''t blindly side with his friends.'' Bunjiro felt that his worries were just. After all, Daisuke was the one who brought their group to Fujin and he claimed that he had played with Fujin since they were 2 years old. However, Fujin had long forgotten that. After all, he wasn''t sure whether he could even consider those memories as his. He had agreed to guide them just as an experiment. Since they didn''t have anything to do, Fujin began talking with Bunjiro about his abilities. Sensing the chance to gain additional guidance, Bunjiro told him everything about himself. Fujin made a few comments on how he could improve further. After learning everything about him, Fujin thought, ''Looks like Renjiro isn''t the only one who trains his students very seriously. He lucked out by getting a Jounin sensei who was dedicated to raising the next generation.'' Fujin said, "Your progress is very good. Your control over Water jutsus is good. But, you should focus on improving your speed. Work on your Body Flicker jutsu. Learn how to do it without making any hand seals and sustain it for longer distances. When you combine that speed with your sustained Water Shuriken offense, you will see far better results." Bunjiro immediately nodded. He recalled how Fujin had disappeared in front of their eyes and his clone had appeared behind them. If he could replicate the same, then his attacks would become much more deadly. Fujin asked, "Do you use a Training Seal?" Bunjiro nodded and replied, "Yes, Sensei bought one for each of us a few days after we became his students. It exerts pressure and resistance up to 125 kg. I can currently handle up to 69% of the maximum pressure." Fujin replied, "That''s good. Focus on maxing it out. When you do, I''ll make a new one that can exert pressure up to 500 kg." Bunjiro said, "I will do it. Thanks, Captain!" Chapter 300: Ambush! As the sun rose, casting its golden rays upon the town, a sense of anticipation filled the air. Many people gathered along the streets, their faces beaming with excitement and curiosity. Vibrant banners fluttered in the gentle breeze, displaying the emblem of the town and symbols of its proud heritage. The atmosphere was charged with a mixture of admiration and reverence. At the center of the commotion stood Kagawa Noriyuki, adorned in regal attire, radiating an aura of authority. Accompanying him were a retinue of influential nobles and skilled ninjas, each exuding a sense of confidence and purpose. Their presence commanded attention and respect. The townsfolk lined the streets, their eager eyes fixed upon the procession as it made its way through the heart of the town. Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd, echoing through the bustling thoroughfares. Among the crowd stood Fujin and his team who had disguised themselves. It had been over three days since they arrived in the town. Fujin observed the procession and thought, ''Not bad. He converted this meeting into some sort of festival. This will increase his prestige and reputation. And all he had to do was put up a display while leaving the town instead of just leaving silently.'' Fujin was impressed by Noriyuki''s intelligence and methods. Standing next to him, Yugao said, "The ninjas wearing those fancy vests are the 8 Jounins protecting this town. Even the leader is supposed to be at Jounin level." Fumito commented, "Only 3 of them can barely be considered at the Jounin level. The rest, including the leader, are at the Chunin level." Fujin nodded and said, "Still, it''s impressive considering that it is just a town in the Land of Grass." Not long ago, Fujin had raided the Western cities in the Land of Wind. Of the five cities he attacked, 4 didn''t have any Jounin protecting them. Yugao observed properly and said, "The man standing next to Noriyuki is Hoshino Ryoichi. He is hiding his chakra but is quite strong. He is said to be among the 3 strongest ninjas in Kusagakure. In the Third Great Ninja War, he held back a division of Iwagakure to save a city." Fujin nodded. He already knew about him. After recruiting Kasai Shigeki, Fujin began looking for information on talented ninjas outside the five major villages. Hoshino Ryoichi was among those ninjas. Fujin was wondering how he could recruit him. Unfortunately, Fujin didn''t have any means of recruiting or controlling him. He was hoping to get some additional intel on Ryoichi during the mission. After passing through the main streets in the town, the entourage left the city and slowly disappeared in the distance. In the mansion, 5 people stood on the balcony and saw the entourage leaving with worry in their eyes. They were the family of Noriyuki. Considering the danger during this trip, Noriyuki hadn''t taken any close family members with him. Instead, he had made all preparations to ensure that his son would succeed him if something happened to him. The ones who could pose a threat to his son were all made to accompany him to the meeting. Team Fujin followed the entourage from a distance. Bunjiro sighed and said, "They are moving slower than even the trade caravans!" Fumito nodded and said, "It''s because they have many civilian Nobles. Those bunch are the slowest when it comes to moving long distances. But learn to be patient. As an Anbu, you may have to spend weeks or even months doing nothing but keeping a watch." Bunjiro heard their conversation and was confused. He asked softly, "What do you mean?" Fujin replied, "16 ninjas are hiding in the river. Be ready to flicker." Bunjiro immediately became serious and mentally prepared himself for a fight. The group watched as the entourage began crossing the bridge. Despite walking on it, none of the Kagawa family ninjas detected the ones hiding underwater in the strong water current. Without leaking any chakra, everyone in the group underwater grabbed a kunai with an explosive tag attached and threw it at the entourage. At the same time, one ninja made the confrontation hand sign. Immediately, the explosive tags attached to the bridge began glowing. Since no incident had happened, most of the people in the entourage had become lax. However, Hoshino Ryoichi was on guard and noticed the kunais. He threw a couple of shurikens to intercept them and shouted, "Watch out!" Immediately all ninjas became alert. However, it was too late. Other than the kunai Ryoichi deflected, the remaining explosive tags all went off at the same time! The people from Mizukoshi, who were watching the entourage leave, watched in horror as the bridge that connected them with the rest of the Land of Grass blew up! Many immediately began screaming in horror. A few ran away as chaos spread in the town! At the same time, a smile crept on the face of Ide Tomoki, the leader of the Ide family. However, he soon hid it and shouted, "We are under attack. Everyone prepare immediately! We will save our fellow countrymen!" Ide Tomoki looked at the explosion with ecstasy in his eyes. He thought, ''Great! I was getting worried by how rapidly the Kagawa family was spreading their influence in recent years. Even my interests were being compromised. But with them out of the way, we will no longer have any threat. And by showing how quickly I decided to help them, my prestige will increase uncontrollably.'' Team Fujin didn''t move and just observed the smoke. Soon, 15 figures jumped out of the smoke and stood on top of the river. They were Kagawa Noriyuki, Hoshino Ryoichi, 8 Jounins and 5 Chunins. Fear and horror could be seen on their faces. Apart from them, everyone was dead! Even Ryoichi had a grim expression. Bunjiro thought, ''6 chunins died to such a lame attack? These guys aren''t worthy of being called Chunins.'' Immediately, the ninjas hidden in the water came out and assaulted them. Fujin saw their headbands and said, "Rogue ninjas. Kill them all!" Since they weren''t wearing the headband belonging to Kusagakure, Fujin could just kill them and claim that the Kagawa family had issued a mission to Konoha to ensure their protection. Since the attackers had disguised themselves as rogue ninjas, no one could question them. All four flickered at the same time. Chapter 301: A Chaotic Battle! Hoshino Ryoichi looked at the ninjas approaching them and commanded, "Stay together and guard Noriyuki. I''ll cut down their numbers one by one!" His words calmed them down. They immediately prepared for the battle thinking, ''As long as we have Ryoichi, we can get our revenge.'' Ryoichi weaved a hand sign. Lightning could be seen on his palms. He placed his palms in the river and said with utter confidence, "Face the consequences of your actions." ''Lightning Release: Lightning Eels jutsu'' The lightning on his palms transformed into small lightning eels and moved towards the rogue nins. However, one of the ninjas weaved hand signs in response. ''Wind Release: Great Breakthrough jutsu'' He exhaled a strong wind current into the river. The attack hit the Lightning eels head-on and dispersed them. Though the river absorbed the Wind current, the winds caused a wave of water to form and move at the Kusa ninjas. The rogue ninjas used the cover provided by the wave to quickly close in the distance. Ryoichi was surprised. He thought, ''He countered me so easily. This isn''t a random attack. Someone wants us all dead!'' He wanted to use another jutsu, but the ninja who used the Great Breakthrough jutsu suddenly appeared in front of him and attacked with his kunai. Ryoichi raised his kunai and blocked the attack. The rogue ninja smiled and said, "Sorry. I can''t let you run amok, Ryoichi." At the same time, the other rogue ninjas attacked the ninjas protecting Kagawa Noriyuki with Earth jutsus. Ryoichi realized it and asked, "So the Ide family has allied with Iwagakure?" The Iwa ninja smiled but didn''t say anything and continued attacking. He was evenly matched with Ryoichi. Ryoichi''s expression became grim. He didn''t have the same confidence as before. He shouted, "We may be weak, but do you think that you can walk over Kusagakure without any consequences?" The Iwa Jounin just smirked. However, he suddenly became very serious and dived into the river. Fractions of a second later, an air bullet passed from where he was standing. He quickly looked at where the attack had come from and his eyes widened. Fujin observed the fight for a minute and jumped in at the right opportunity. He flickered next to an Iwa ninja and shot a couple of dozen air bullets at the rogue ninjas. 4 Iwa ninjas that were closest to him died while a few others were injured. Just like the Iwa ninjas, the Kusa ninjas were also surprised. Only Noriyuki was expecting such assistance. He shouted, "They are our allies. Cooperate with them and eliminate these rogue ninjas!" The Kusa ninjas were relieved. In just a minute of fighting, they realized that they were completely outmatched. With Ryoichi being held back, their hopes were dying very quickly. Fujin observed the situation. On one side of the river were ninjas of the Ide family. On the other side were 21 Iwa ninjas. While on the river, there were 15 ninjas from the Kagawa family and Fujin''s team. Fujin observed the ninja who launched the Earth Spears and thought, ''An Elite Jounin. I have been running into way too many of them in recent times. Oh well, now that everyone is out of hiding, I can kill them in one single fight!'' If Fujin wanted to, he could have killed another 3-4 Iwa ninjas. But he refrained from doing so as he wanted to use them to draw them out. Due to this, any traps that they might have set up would be useless. The ninja, at whom Fujin was staring, looked at the Iwa ninjas who retreated and asked, "Chiharu, are you fine?" Chiharu nodded and said, "Yes but 7 of our ninjas died. The Kusa ninjas have Ryoichi among their ranks. But Gin, be careful of that Konoha Anbu with the sword. For some reason, he is giving me a very bad feeling." Gin looked at Fujin and said, "It doesn''t matter, they will all die today." There wasn''t a single shred of doubt in his voice. While Gin was checking on the Iwa ninjas, Noriyuki analyzed, ''Even though Tomoki wants us out of the way, he can''t attack us openly. So we have two options. We can withdraw into Mizukoshi and force them to fight with us. Then these ninjas will withdraw. But this option is very risky. The second option is to fight the Iwa ninjas and break through into the interior parts of the country. They won''t chase me too deep into the Land of the Grass.'' While he was debating internally, Fujin flickered next to Ryoichi and Noriyuki and said, "Ryoichi, your Lightning nature will give you an advantage against that guy. Hold him back. I''ll eliminate the others." Ryoichi frowned and said, "That is very risky. With his ability, sneak attacking Noriyuki will be very easy." The scale of Earth spears that was launched was just too big. Despite being far from the land, they were still threatened by that attack. However, Noriyuki said, "No, that is the only way. Going back to Mizukoshi will be very risky and we all may be wiped out. You hold him back. Konoha ninjas can focus on eliminating the rest. And when the fighting is intense, I''ll escape with 4 ninjas protecting me so that I won''t hold you back anymore." Ryoichi asked, "What if there are more Iwagakure ninjas hiding?" Noriyuki let out a sigh and said, "It''s unlikely that Iwagakure will send so many ninjas here just for me. But if they have, then it is only a matter of time before they kill me. After all, that group is already stronger than us. Just escape and ensure that you stay alive. If possible, please see that no harm befalls my family." Ryoichi didn''t want to agree. Unfortunately, he couldn''t see any other option. Meanwhile, Fujin was surprised. He looked at Noriyuki and thought, ''That''s a surprise. Most of those in power, even if they are just, won''t risk their own lives to help others escape. I guess this is why Hiruzen and Shikaku valued him highly.'' Fujin said, "Don''t worry. I don''t sense anyone else. But be careful regardless." Noriyuki nodded. They stopped talking at the same time as Gin. Gin rapidly weaved hand signs and slammed his palms on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Spike Hell jutsu'' Chapter 302: The Battle on the River Bank! ''Earth Release: Earth Spike Hell jutsu'' The Kusa ninjas were surprised by the massive chakra emanating from Gin. On the river bed, thousands of small sharp spikes began forming. Fujin sensed the change and shouted, "Leave the river immediately!" Fujin flickered right away. So did his team. The Kusa ninjas were slightly slower to react as Fujin wasn''t their superior and they didn''t feel the change happening under their feet. However, when Noriyuki and Ryoichi began moving, they immediately followed. In a second, the spikes were launched. They tore through the strong river current and propelled skyward. 3 Kusa chunins were a bit slow to move. The spikes pierced into their feet and drilled through their bodies, shattering their bones and puncturing their internal organs. They emerged from heads and shoulders and soared into the sky tracing a vivid arc of red blood. The three chunins died without even understanding how they were hit from below the river. The ninjas from the Ide family saw in horror as blood spouted from their bodies as they fell into the river and dyed it red color momentarily. The scene was hellish. They thanked their lucky stars that their leader asked them to stay away! As soon as Fujin stepped on the river bank, he felt the ground under his feet transforming into small spikes. He immediately flickered while thinking, ''This is annoying. Even my team might not stay safe for long from such a barrage.'' Fujin flickered continuously while building his chakra up. Gin tried attacking him and the places he might appear in, but Fujin was too fast and unpredictable for him and maintained a sufficient distance from the remaining Iwa ninjas. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' Gin was surprised. He thought, ''He is good. A sealless supercharged jutsu.'' However, he didn''t react. Instead, a ninja next to him slammed his palms on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'' A gigantic earth wall appeared instantly and protected the Iwa ninjas. At the same time, Gin changed his target from Fujin to the Kusa ninjas thinking, ''The Konoha Anbu are quite strong. It should be an Elite unit. I''ll whittle down the Kusa numbers first and then use the numerical advantage to crush them.'' The Kusa ninjas had seen Fujin dodging at a fast pace. They began imitating his movements and didn''t stand in the same spot for long. Gin sensed their movements and smirked while thinking, ''I couldn''t hit him due to his speed. Do you think that you can replicate the same speed?'' Gin predicted where they would dodge and preemptively began creating spikes on those spots. This immediately created more pressure on the Kusa ninjas as the number of times they had to dodge increased by 2-3 times. ''Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'' He extended his arms towards Gin as bolts of lightning crackled on his arms. He discharged all the lightning bolts at Gin. Gin saw the Lightning bolts with a frown on his face as he thought, ''Lightning is the biggest weakness of Earth jutsus. Back in the 3rd Great ninja war, he gained fame against us because his unit encountered a division that was exclusively made of Earth affinity ninjas and didn''t have any strong Jounin.'' Despite the frown, Gin wasn''t worried about Ryoichi. Instead, his attention was on Fujin. The threat of Wind Vacuum jutsus far exceeded Lightning in his eyes. Chiharu appeared in front of Gin. After knowing that Ryoichi was with the Kagawa family entourage, Gin had specifically requested Chiharu to join this mission to counter his Lightning jutsus. Even though Gin could still deal with Ryoichi, it would be very annoying and would allow Fujin to run amok. ''Wind Release: Great Breakthrough jutsu'' Chiharu confronted Ryoichi with a supercharged jutsu as well. Both jutsu clashed. Ryoichi frowned and stopped. Despite the power of the jutsus being the same, he was at a disadvantage. The winds neutralized his lightning bolts one after another. However, Fujin flickered next to Ryoichi. ''Fire Release: Searing Migraine jutsu'' Taking advantage of the winds, Fujin exhaled a massive fire at Chiharu. Chiharu''s eyes widened as he cursed, ''Shit! He also knows Fire jutsus!'' Gin also became serious. He was waiting to find an opportunity against Fujin. Instead, it was Fujin who seized the opportunity. He gathered chakra and slammed his hands on the ground. Another gigantic wall appeared out of the ground. It was tall and wide enough to keep the massive firestorm on the other side temporarily. However, Gin shouted, "Move away from the walls!" Every Iwa ninja followed his instruction without any hesitation. A second later, blades of wind cut through the gigantic wall with ease. Fortunately, the Iwa ninjas were far enough to have the time to dodge them. Gin observed the blades with an annoyed expression. He thought, ''Fortunately my sensei had informed me about Shimura Danzo''s skills. Otherwise, the death toll would keep piling. Still, Wind Vacuum Technique and such ruthlessness. Is he Danzo''s successor? If so, he can''t be allowed to live any longer. Who knows how many of our sufferings had that bastard''s hand in the shadows? If another Shinobi of Darkness appears in Konoha, then we will suffer for a few more decades.'' Kagawa Noriyuki noticed the destruction and thought, ''I owe Lord Hokage one.'' He instructed, "Let''s escape." Chapter 303: Breaking through Iwas Obsrtuction! Taking opportunity of the situation, Noriyuki, along with 4 Jounins, began escaping. Gin sensed it and muttered, "Do you think it''d be this easy to escape from me?" He weaved hand signs and slammed his hands on the ground once again. Despite the large distance between them, the ground under the feet of Noriyuki''s group turned into a swamp. They immediately jumped backwards. However, several mud balls were launched at them from the swamp. One of the Kusa ninjas weaved hand signs. ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'' A water wall appeared in front of them and stopped the Mud balls. However, soon the land to the right of them began moving. A second later, a large, bronze dragon head popped out of the ground. It opened its mouth and shot multiple cannonballs made of mud at the group. The Kusa ninjas hurriedly dodged while the dragon head dived underground once again. One of the Kusa ninjas shouted, "Be careful! It will attack us from below and blow itself up!" His words alarmed Noriyuki and the rest. They stayed on their toes and tried attacking the Dragon underground in order to make it explode deep underground. However, several spikes and needles were launched at them forcing them to keep evading and cutting off their escape routes. Fujin sensed the attack and thought, ''Such a large range. But, why hasn''t he ordered a retreat? Their losses are already too high and this situation is very disadvantageous and dangerous for him.'' Though he and Ryoichi tried to stop him, they were outnumbered. When Fujin used any Vacuum attack, Gin would move away and then place his palms on the ground once again. Finally, the remaining Kusa and Konoha ninjas made their way across the fire and debris and joined the battle. Ryoichi instructed, "Keep their weaker ninjas busy. We will eliminate their leaders." The Kusa ninjas immediately obeyed his command. As for Fujin''s team, they had already attacked. With their aid, the number advantage was evened out. Fujin flickered towards Chiharu while Ryoichi confronted Gin. He launched more spikes at Ryoichi and forced him back while he rushed at Fujin. Winds blasted behind Fujin once again as he appeared in front of Gin in the blink of an eye. Gin saw Fujin swinging his sword at him. He only had one thought, ''Shit!'' Gin''s body turned black as he tried to grab Fujin''s sword with his right hand. His right hand was even blacker than the rest of his body. Fujin''s sword hit his right hand. Though the Iron Skin jutsu was strong. It was no match for a sword enhanced by Wind nature chakra flow. In addition, Fujin was also assisted by his massive momentum. The sword cut his right palm open. It cut through his right forearm. Gin gritted his teeth and endured the pain and managed to just get his body out of the way of Fujin''s sword. However, he had to pay an extremely high price. Gin''s right hand was cut off. Half of his right forearm was cut off vertically! What remained just bled and hurt like hell. Gin looked at Fujin with hatred in his eyes. Though Gin and Fujin were quite evenly matched, their strengths lay in different areas. Fujin excelled at close-range fighting and had numerous jutsus to make him lethal at mid-range and long-range. Meanwhile, Gin was better than Fujin at controlling the battlefield and fighting while keeping his enemies at bay. Though his close-range skills were nothing to scoff at, he wasn''t comparable to Fujin. Under normal circumstances, he would maintain his distance and keep Fujin away. Such a battle would only result in a draw. That is why both Fujin and Gin tried to target the weaker enemies to gain a numerical advantage while distracting the other. Fujin gained an advantage in that aspect. He didn''t care about the losses Kusa suffered and he had killed far more Iwa ninjas than the damage Gin managed to inflict on Kusa ninjas. This caused Gin to make a mistake and end up confronting Fujin head-on. Since Gin had stopped targeting them, Noriyuki and the 4 Jounins with him left the banks and began running towards the interior. Noriyuki said, "We will run full time till we reach back to our town. Once we reach there, Iwagakure won''t dare to attack us. We will lodge a complaint with Lord Daimyo and make Iwa pay dearly." The jounins nodded. They ran a couple hundred meters without any obstruction. Since none of the Iwa ninjas chased them, one Jounin said, "Looks like your plan has worked. The Iwa ninjas can''t spare anyone to chase after us." They were relieved. Noriyuki nodded and said, "Yes, but stay on guard. We can''t afford any more los..." Noriyuki''s words were stuck in his mouth as he felt extremely high heat on his right side. He and the jounins turned around to see. A look of shock and terror appeared on their faces. A massive rock covered in lava was heading straight at them. They wanted to get out of the way. Unfortunately, it was too late. Before their feet could move, the massive lava-covered rock hit them. It crushed the 5 ninjas under its immense weight while burning them and exploded almost immediately. Chapter 304: Attacking Indiscriminately? Seeing Fujin attacking him again, Gin retreated. Fujin was about to give chase when the loud explosion sound was heard attracting everyone''s attention! Seconds later, dust and smoke covered the entire area. Some debris also fell. The Iwa ninjas took the chance to retreat and regroup as the sensors on Fujin''s side were shocked. Fujin looked towards the spot of the explosion and thought, ''The chakra of all 5 of them disappeared. And what''s with that massive chakra? Even Hiruzen''s chakra wasn''t as high as this!'' Though Fujin''s first mission as the Anbu Captain had failed, he had no time to think about it. He was more concerned about the chakra that the ambusher was emitting. Gin looked at the destruction and sighed, ''We had to resort to this. Now everyone will know that it was Iwagakure who did the attack. This will be a diplomatic disaster.'' He turned his attention towards his bleeding arm. His expression became determined as he thought, ''But that''s fine. Though we will lose our influence in the Land of Grass, we found out about this fearsome Anbu from Konoha. I don''t recall any powerhouse in Konoha having such skills. So he should be someone who they raised after the last Great War ended. Killing him will be far more beneficial!'' Suddenly, Gin''s eyes widened and he looked in front only to see a sword heading straight at him. He instinctively moved backwards but knew that he had no chance of avoiding the attack. Having sensed a formidable foe, Fujin didn''t want to leave any other trouble behind him. Fujin''s blade was just a few inches away from Gin''s neck when he sensed molten rocks headed towards him. Fujin flickered backwards and fired a few Vacuum Bullets at Gin. Gin barely managed to dodge them. They created a few cuts on his body causing him to lose even more blood but none were fatal. However, Fujin had no time to look at him. A figure rushed towards him at rapid speed. Fujin shot a few Vacuum Bullets, but he dodged them all. His fist began glowing red as he punched Fujin. Chakra began flowing along Fujin''s sword as he slashed at the incoming punch. The sword and the fist clashed creating a slight shockwave. Fujin''s expression behind his mask became serious as his sword couldn''t cut into the fist. The punch sent him flying backwards. He flipped in the air and landed back on the ground but was still dragged behind for a few minutes. His eyes landed on the ninja who attacked him. He had red hair, mustache and beard. Unlike the other Iwa ninjas, he didn''t bother hiding his identity. He wore a large headpiece that proudly displayed the symbol of Iwagakure. On seeing his face, Ryoichi and the other Kusa ninjas were horrified. Even Fujin''s team raised their guard to the max. Ryoichi asked in disbelief and horror, "Roshi! Why did Iwagakure send someone like you?" Roshi ignored his question and looked at Fujin. He said, "Youngsters these days are getting even more ferocious. You forced me to take action." Fujin cursed in his mind, ''Shit. If I knew someone like him was hiding here, I wouldn''t have wasted time dealing with the rest. Though if I did that, he might have jumped in sooner. But... Why the hell is Onoki sending his Jinchurki on a mission? It''s an absolute taboo during peacetime. Even their own citizens don''t trust them. Let alone citizens of other countries.'' Fujin roared, "Iwagakure! You dare send your Jinchuriki to the Land of Grass? Do you intend to start a war?" Ryoichi had just begun fighting Gin when they both stopped and looked above. Ryoichi''s eyes widened. Even Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro were surprised and scared. A second later, a strong wind current engulfed the entire battlefield. Enemies and allies both felt the tremendous wind flow. Even the Ide family ninjas on the opposite bank felt the massive wind current. The winds caused the river water to flood the opposite bank. They immediately retreated back into Mizukoshi and activated their protective seals. Layers of Lava walls formed around Roshi protecting him from the winds. Several wind blades hit it every second causing it to crumble. But it reformed itself at an even faster pace. He thought, ''Though my Fire nature should have an advantage, the Winds are so strong that everything will be reflected back to me. But, what is he planning? Does he want to kill his own allies as well? Since when did Konoha become so ruthless?'' At the same time, Gin was horrified. He thought, ''This bastard is definitely Danzo''s successor. He''d kill his allies as well rather than letting any of us escape!'' A similar fear ran through the minds of the Kusa ninjas. After all, they had no idea who Fujin was and what his intentions were. Even Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro had solemn expressions. Even though they were his subordinates, none of them had worked with him earlier or knew what missions he undertook. Suddenly, the Iwa ninjas in front of them were attacked by wind blades. Long cuts appeared on their bodies. The Iwa ninjas dodged while the Kusa and Konoha ninjas were afraid that they too would suffer the same fate. But they soon noticed something odd. They realized, ''The wind blades are only attacking the Iwa ninjas. Though we are facing the extreme winds as well, they don''t pose much threat to us.'' Roshi noticed it as well. His eyes widened and pupils dilated. He realized, ''This level of control... His control over Yin-Yang should be excellent. This isn''t a blind attack. He can perfectly control his jutsu. He wants to kill all Iwa ninjas so that they won''t interfere with our fight.'' Realizing that they were safe, the Kusa and Konoha ninjas began attacking Iwa ninjas. The Iwa ninjas immediately fell into peril. A red coating of chakra appeared around Roshi as he rapidly weaved hand signs. Chakra and lava gathered on his right fist as he punched the ground with full force. Immediately, the lava and chakra were released into the swamps he created earlier. The ground around him raised 10 meters in height forming a miniature Volcano. The lava began gathering towards its mouth. ''Lava Release: Flower-Fruit Mountain jutsu'' The miniature volcano exploded with a loud sound! It sent a shockwave in the surrounding area nullifying the winds Fujin had created. Following the shockwave, a large amount of molten rocks was launched into the air. However, since the Iwa ninjas were also in the vicinity, Roshi controlled it to fall far away from the battlefield. One of the molten rocks fell on Mizukoshi town. It hit the protective barrier and broke it with ease. Fortunately, it hit the wall and didn''t fall in the town. The wall crumbled in an instant. The people who still hadn''t hidden underground were horrified by the sight. Chapter 305: Contemplating the Situation Roshi gathered chakra once again and shouted, "Retreat!" ''Lava Release: Fiery Rock Bullet jutsu'' He spat a single rock made of molten lava at Fujin who was falling down from the sky. Fujin gathered chakra as well. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Cannon jutsu'' The Vacuum Cannon hit the lava rock and broke through it and travelled towards Roshi. Roshi didn''t dare test his defenses against the Wind Vacuum attacks. He immediately dodged. The Vacuum Cannon hit the miniature Volcano Roshi built earlier and crumbled it down. Fujin wasn''t sure whether Roshi could use the same jutsu through it. He didn''t want to see whether he could or not. He landed on the ground and instructed, "Chase and kill them off." The Iwa ninjas had already begun escaping. Fujin''s allies were wondering whether they should aid him or chase the Iwa ninjas. Hearing his command, most of them began chasing the Iwa ninjas. Seeing what Roshi could do, none of them wanted to face him. Only Ryoichi and Yugao stayed behind. Yugao looked at Fujin and recalled the words Hiruzen had said to her before she joined Fujin''s team. She analyzed, ''If he kills Iwa''s Jinchuriki, then it could cause a war between Konoha and Iwa. The best solution is to disengage now and let them retreat. But how do I tell him that? And what would be the optimal route if that Jinchuriki decides to keep chasing after us?'' Ryoichi had similar thoughts. Konoha could afford to offend Iwa, but they couldn''t. He said, "Kagawa Noriyuki is already dead. Let''s stop here and leave." Fujin and Roshi were about to begin their battle but halted on hearing that. A frown appeared behind Fujin''s mask. He pointed at Roshi and said, "Tell him that." Roshi thought for a few seconds and replied, "Sure. Kusa ninjas can leave but Konoha will have to pay for killing so many of our ninjas." Ryoichi was stunned by his words. He immediately fell into a dilemma. If he escaped, then the remaining Kusa ninjas would live. If he stayed and Fujin lost, then they could all be wiped out. A frown formed on Yugao''s face as she stared at Ryoichi. Fujin didn''t say anything. He decided that if Ryoichi withdrew, he would run away as well. And after he gets away from Roshi, he would hunt them down and pin the blame on Iwa. After all, an entire town had seen them fighting Iwa ninjas. Ryoichi let out a sigh and said, "Then I have no choice but to continue fighting." Fujin''s expression suddenly became very serious. Though his face was hidden by the turtle mask, Roshi felt the change in his attitude. Fujin suddenly disappeared and appeared behind Roshi and swung his sword vertically. Roshi immediately moved to his left. A sword slash passed by leaving a deep scar on the ground. Suddenly, several cuts appeared on his arm despite dodging the attack. Roshi''s eyes widened as he flickered away. He realized, ''In addition to the main slash, there were hundreds of smaller slashes surrounding it.'' Fujin followed Roshi and swung his sword 6 times in quick succession. 6 razor-sharp sword slashes streaked towards Roshi with blinding speed. Roshi''s eyes widened as he thought, ''If these also have the additional slashes, then...'' He moved his body such that he would narrowly dodge all the sword slashes. At the same time, one tail appeared behind him and red chakra appeared on his body. Before the sword slashes reached him, a coating of lava enveloped his entire body! The sword slashes narrowly missed his body while the accompanying winds hit his lava armor. Numerous cuts appeared on his armor but none reached his flesh. Fujin thought, ''A lava armor? That''s interesting.'' He immediately shot a vacuum bullet at his heart. Roshi immediately dodged. Though the armor could stop weaker attacks, it wouldn''t stand any chance against attacks with high penetrating power. Fujin observed, ''I see. It''s defense shouldn''t be very high. At least he isn''t confident of blocking my Vacuum jutsus.'' ''Lava Release: Fiery Rock Bullet jutsu'' Roshi shot 3 lava boulders at Fujin. Fujin dodged them but Roshi used the distraction to reduce the distance between them. He appeared at Fujin''s right, jumped above and sent a punch towards his head. Knowing that his sword won''t be cut through Roshi''s fist from the previous exchange, Fujin moved backwards. Roshi''s punch hit the ground causing cracks to appear in the ground. One such crack extended towards Fujin while emitting red light and a lot of heat. Fujin immediately got out of the way. Lava erupted out of that crack. At the same time, Fujin''s clothes caught on fire! Fujin was shocked. Roshi used this distraction to once again appear in front of Fujin. Fujin looked at Roshi''s grin and wondered, ''When did he burn my clothes?'' Roshi sent a punch at Fujin once again. Fujin slashed at his lava-covered fist with his sword again as he realized, ''I see. The heat from his armor is so intense that my clothes caught on fire despite not being touched by him.'' Just when the fist and sword were about to clash, Roshi opened his fist and caught the sword. The sword cut a couple of inches into his palm but couldn''t cut any more due to the highly concentrated chakra flowing through his arm. Roshi held the sword tightly as he raised his left fist to pummel Fujin to death! However, before he could punch Fujin, a punch landed on his abdomen and sent him flying backwards. Chapter 306: Changing the Terrain! Roshi flipped in the air and landed back on his feet but was still dragged backwards for another dozen meters. He looked at Fujin who was standing in the same spot. However, his left hand was lit on fire. Roshi chuckled and said, "Since you dared to punch my lava armor, you can say goodbye to your ha..." His words got stuck in his throat as he saw Fujin wave his left arm in the air and the fire dissipated. He noticed that Fujin''s left arm was completely black in color. A frown appeared on Roshi''s face as he realized, ''Iron Skin jutsu. He can use rank B Earth jutsus as well? Though it isn''t enough to resist my armor for a longer period but should enable him to be able to punch or kick me.'' The cut on Roshi''s right hand stopped bleeding and began healing slowly. Suddenly, Fujin''s entire body became covered in the same color. The fire on his clothes was extinguished as Fujin flickered and appeared behind Roshi. He slashed his sword at his back. Roshi immediately escaped. A sword slash was released from Fujin''s sword. It hit the river and left a deep scar across it. Fujin chased after Roshi thinking, ''I can''t maintain Iron Skin jutsu for too long. I need to deal some critical blows quickly.'' Just when Fujin was about to reach him, Roshi turned around and spat out a large amount of lava. Fujin''s eyes widened as he flickered away in an instant and landed on top of the river. The lava covered the entire area. Waves of lava surged towards Fujin like a Tsunami. Fujin frowned and wondered, ''Does he want to massacre the entire town behind me? Even if it silences the ones who heard my roar, there is no way Iwa can get out of this mess without suffering any major diplomatic consequences. '' Fujin swung his sword at the river. This time, he didn''t focus on the penetrating power. Instead, he created a 100-meter-long wind slash. The wind slash hit the river vertically along the length of the river. It caused the river water to gush out towards the lava wave. The water and lava waves clashed, covering the entire area in mist. The lava wave broke through the water wave but lost a lot of its momentum. It still continued forward and entered the river. Knowing that it won''t be able to harm Fujin, Roshi appeared on the river bank and ran across the river to fight Fujin. Fujin was about to attack when he sensed a chakra build up behind him. ''Water Release: Raging Waves jutsu'' ''Water Release: Raging Waves jutsu'' ''Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'' Bunjiro and Yugao spat a large amount of water. The water in the river mixed with their attack and it rushed towards Roshi like a waterfall. At the same time, Fumito released a strong Lightning current in the waterfall. A frown formed on Roshi''s face. He spat out a large amount of lava once again while he retreated back to the river bank. Fujin swung his sword at the lava wave and flickered next to Yugao on the river bank behind him. Bunjiro wondered, ''Spectral Swordsman? What''s that?'' Meanwhile, the Kusa ninjas had a grim expression. After all, the number of Kusa ninjas that fell to the Spectral Swordsman''s blade wasn''t small. Ryoichi looked at Yugao and asked, "Is he the Spectral Swordsman?" Yugao shook her head and replied, "I''m not aware of him having any such title." A frown formed on Ryoichi''s face. Though Yugao was wearing a mask, he could sense from her words that she wasn''t lying. He looked back at Roshi and wondered, ''Is he lying? Or is that Konoha Anbu the Spectral Swordsman but his subordinates are unaware.'' Suddenly, his eyes widened. So did the ones of other ninjas who were watching them. For the first time since they began fighting, Fujin grabbed his sword with both hands and pulled it to his right side. An immense amount of wind chakra flowed through the sword. In an instant, he swung his sword forming a proper arc. A gigantic wind slash was released from his sword. Alongside it, extremely sharp and strong winds were released. The winds under the slash hit the river water. Several cuts appeared in the river. And all the river water for around a hundred meters was sent rolling to the other side of the bank! The Kusa ninjas were horrified by the attack. Bunjiro was starstruck while Yugao and Fumito had serious expressions. Though they had realized that Fujin was stronger than them, they never imagined that the difference between them would be so high. Despite their emotions, they, like the Kusa ninjas, doubled their speed and escaped. Of course, the one who was the most serious was Roshi. The lava armor on his body began burning brightly as he jumped up immediately and dodged the main wind slash. At the same time, he spat out molten lava and swiftly shaped it into a half-spherical shield. In an instant, it solidified. Hundreds of small cuts appeared on the shield, but it held on as Roshi kept pouring more chakra and lava into it. A second later, it was hit by the water wave. Roshi wasn''t concerned about the water. After all, Fujin couldn''t control it. But he was on high alert. Though his shield stood strong, he abandoned it and moved to his left. A moment later, a Vacuum bullet streaked through the water and hit the shield, piercing it with ease. The river water travelled a long distance along the banks. Due to the heated ground, which was mixed with Lava, a lot of it was turned into steam. In a few seconds, the entire terrain was covered in steam and it became very difficult to see. Roshi''s frown deepened. A second later, he gathered a lot of chakra in his right fist and punched towards his left. His fist hit Fujin''s sword and stopped it. He noticed that Fujin''s body was covered with the Iron Skin jutsu once again. Instead of attacking again, Fujin took a step back and disappeared from Roshi''s eyesight. Chapter 307: Where the fuck did you summon me? Roshi cursed, ''This is annoying. He has completely hidden his chakra just like in Kiri''s assassination technique.'' Before he could do anything, Fujin appeared in front of him and slashed at his chest. Roshi punched the sword once again and managed to push Fujin away. Fujin disappeared and a second later appeared behind him. Roshi turned around and stopped Fujin once again, forcing Fujin to disappear once again. Roshi was expecting another attack from Fujin, but none came. Regardless, he stayed on guard. Seconds kept passing, but no attack came. After 30 seconds, Roshi had enough. Continuously maintaining full awareness while waiting for an attack was very taxing and increased the stress. He gathered a massive amount of chakra in his right hand once again and punched towards the ground. He intended to use the Flower-Fruit Mountain jutsu to clear up all the steam. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he stopped his punch. A vacuum bullet passed through the space where his fist would have been had he continued his attack. Quickly, he bent below before moving backwards. Two more Vacuum bullets passed through the space he would have been in had he not moved. Roshi gathered chakra and shot a Fiery Rock Bullet from the direction the Vacuum Bullets were launched. Unfortunately, he didn''t sense it hitting anything. Fujin stopped attacking once again. Roshi thought, ''Shit, this is getting annoying. Though I''m confident I can keep dodging successfully, one mistake could cost me my life. But, since when did Konoha get the courage to kill a Jinchuriki in peacetime? Has their strength recovered to such an extent that they don''t mind getting attacked by both Kumo and us at the same time?'' Though Roshi was stronger, Fujin had complete control of the battlefield. Unlike Roshi, whose attacks caused large-scale devastation, Fujin''s attacks were always on point. They were all deadly and gave Roshi very little time to react and were quickly followed up by more attacks. For the next minute, Roshi maintained full guard but wasn''t attacked by Fujin even once. Finally, Roshi began building his chakra once again. However, he stopped midway and ducked down. A Vacuum Wave passed above him. He immediately began rolling to his right and dodged 3 Vacuum Bullets and 1 Vacuum Wave. Soon after, he got off the ground and continued moving to his right as a Vacuum Wave landed on the ground. His eyes widened as another vacuum wave grazed past his left leg. He quickly jumped backwards, but a deep cut is left in his left leg, almost exposing his bone! Before he could gather himself, he sensed movement behind him. He ignored the wound and turned around and threw a punch at the incoming sword. The fist and sword clashed once again. Roshi was surprised as Fujin didn''t retreat. He was about to punch with his other fist, but his eyes widened and he quickly took a couple of steps behind. He saw two Vacuum Bullets passing a few inches in front of him! His expression became grim as he realized, ''Shadow Clones!'' Immediately, Fujin focused his chakra field under the ground. He realized, ''Someone is hiding his chakra underground. Should be that Iwa Elite Jounin. Sigh, what a mess. I need to retreat.'' Fujin dispelled the two shadow clones on the ground to gain their chakra. Roshi looked at Fujin who was around a hundred meters in the air and muttered, "To jump airborne against a Jinchuriki who has displayed some control over his tailed beast. What a stupid move." He began gathering chakra to end the fight but his eyes suddenly widened in shock. Multiple seals on each of Fujin''s bracers lit up. Roshi watched in shock as he noticed more than 2000 Explosive tags appearing in the sky. The number was utterly ridiculous. Roshi was speechless. He wondered, ''Was his real mission to destroy a city or something?'' In an instant, the wind began blowing. All the explosive tags moved towards the ground at a rapid speed! Roshi didn''t bother creating any defenses. He was confident that despite their high numbers, the tags won''t cause any harm to him. The chakra body of Son Goku opened its massive maw wide open. Concentrated chakra began gathering in a swirling vortex and pulsated with an overwhelming intensity. Behind his mask, Fujin''s expression became very grim. He controlled the explosive tags while weaving hand signs. As the explosive tags moved down, they spread over the entire battlefield and split into multiple waves. The first wave had 400 explosive tags, the second had 600, and the third had 1200 tags. The explosive tags in the first wave landed on the ground. At the same time, the explosive tags in the second wave maneuvered in the air and surrounded the chakra body of Son Goku. Meanwhile, the third layer appeared on top of the tailed beast bomb. At the same time, it also blocked Fujin from Roshi''s view. While the explosive tags were moving, Fujin completed his hand signs. ''Summoning jutsu'' A cloud of smoke appeared under him. A figure appeared in it and arrogantly said, "The Great Winged Sabertooth Lord Goro is her..." However, his words were cut short. All the explosive tags exploded at the same moment! In an instant, the entire area was covered by a loud explosion sound. The intensity of the explosion made Goro look down in horror. At the same time, he sensed Son Goku''s chakra and the fluctuations from the Tailed Beast Bomb. Every single hair on his body stood up! He muttered in shock, "Where the fuck did you summon me, Fujin?" Chapter 308: Killing Tsuchikage with One Hand tied behind the back! Fujin landed on Goro''s back and shouted, "Goro, there is no time. Return and reverse summon me!" For the first time, Fujin saw Goro nod obediently. Fujin used Goro''s body to jump even higher in the sky. Immediately after Goro disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Gin, who was underground, had sensed Son Goku''s chakra. Instead of running away, he decided to move deeper into the ground. The massive explosion rocked the land. Despite being over 50 meters underground, he felt the ground around him vibrating! He quickly escaped deeper while thinking, ''Don''t tell me Roshi used Tailed Beast Bomb! Shit, we are in another country!'' At the same time, the people in Mizukoshi town were all hidden in underground bunkers. Though the Ide family wasn''t as generous as the Kagawa family, they had spent a lot of effort on building good bunkers as their town was very close to the border. So the people were feeling safe. However, they suddenly heard an extremely loud explosion sound. The people were confused and scared. A few seconds later, they began feeling a vibration under their feet. Soon after, the entire bunker began shaking! The people were horrified by the sound of the explosions and didn''t want to move out. However, they were worried that they might be buried in the bunkers. So they quickly began leaving the bunkers. Fortunately, none of the bunkers crumbled due to which no deaths happened. Unlike Gin and the people in Mizukoshi, Roshi was directly attacked by the tags. The explosions covered him in dust and smoke. However, soon, a massive amount of chakra began surging into the dust cover. As the Tailed Beast Bomb was being formed, winds began moving rapidly. The dust was blown apart and revealed his figure. Fujin''s face became solemn as he noticed, ''The explosions didn''t harm him even a bit. I was hoping that the explosion from the 1st two waves destabilizes him and the explosion from the 1200 tags pushes the incomplete Tailed Beast Bomb onto him. I guess it was too much to expect.'' In a few seconds, the Tailed Beast Bomb reached its full potential and stopped growing any further. The noise generated due to the formation of the bomb disappeared. Fujin concentrated on the tailed beast bomb completely. The momentum due to jumping from Goro''s body was completely lost and his body had begun falling down slowly. Roshi looked at Fujin and muttered, "Rest in Peace." He launched the massive Tailed Beast Bomb at Fujin. As soon as the Tailed Bomb was launched, Fujin''s bracer began glowing again. 100 Explosive tags appeared and moved towards the bomb. These were the last tags stored in his bracer. At the same time, he twisted his body in the air to face East. A large amount of Wind was blasted from his back making him fly out of the path of the Tailed Beast Bomb. Roshi noticed Fujin''s efforts but wasn''t bothered by them. He shook his head and thought, ''Looks like he is still too young. Against a Tailed Beast Bomb, such efforts are pointless.'' In a moment, the Tailed Beast Bomb hit the explosive tags. Though the tags all exploded, they couldn''t even slow down the bomb. The Tailed Beast Bomb reached the same altitude as Fujin and exploded! Fujin turned his head and looked behind him. Fear coursed through his veins causing his pupils to constrict in terror as he noticed the massive explosion behind him. He thought, ''So fast! Hurry up Goro or I''ll be dead!'' Against a ninja who could use the Wind-Vacuum Technique, hiding underground was very risky. It would severely restrict mobility and the attacks could easily pierce into the ground. But by moving so deep, Gin had unknowingly got into the best defensive position. So Fujin''s clone decided to completely ignore him. He focused over 80% of his chakra into his throat. The sudden chakra build-up attracted Roshi''s attention. He quickly turned his head and looked at where the clone was. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Cannon jutsu'' In an instant, Fujin''s clone shot the vacuum cannon at Roshi. Roshi''s eyes widened. He instinctively moved within the chakra construct. The jutsu travelled at a very high speed and hit the head of the chakra shaped like Son Goku. The cannon easily pierced into the chakra and broke through the other side leaving a massive hole in the head! However, Roshi had moved out of the path of the attack. He controlled the chakra to refill the hole with Son Goku''s chakra in a second. Though he wasn''t hurt, his expression was dark. Despite being in his strongest state, he was still in danger. Despite not doing any damage, the clone had a smile on his face as he analyzed, ''Though the chakra cloak of a tailed beast provides decent defense, it is much weaker than that of a Sussano. As long as I have a way to dodge the Tailed Beast Bomb safely consistently, I can threaten even a Jinchuriki. But winning should be impossible for now. Their bodies are just too big and their attacks are too strong. They can easily maneuver their position and dodge my attacks while counterattacking.'' Roshi began moving towards the clone and said, "Impressive. To deceive me and make me attack your clone while you stayed hidden safely. No wonder your chakra disappeared so suddenly. But you should have stayed hidden instead of trying to kill me." Roshi was about to attack him again when the Clone raised his palm and said, "Let''s stop here." Roshi was confused by Fujin''s actions. He asked, "What do you mean?" The Clone said, "Both our squads have already retreated and neither of us can kill each other. Let''s call it a day. We will settle our battle on another battlefield. After all, Iwa and Konoha aren''t at war." Roshi''s expression became dark at Fujin''s shamelessness. He had killed so many Iwa ninjas and yet didn''t have an ounce of shame in his voice while claiming that Iwa and Konoha weren''t at war. Roshi did not doubt that if Fujin could finish him off, he would never speak such words. Though Roshi could sense it, he never managed to get a hang of Fujin''s chakra reserves as Fujin always masked it to show that it was very low despite being able to fight for a long time. But he was sure that after using so many high-level ninjutsu in intense combat, Fujin''s reserves should be very low. He said, "You killed so many of our ninjas and you think that I will just let you go? Besides, how much chakra do you still have left after fighting for so long?" He was about to attack when the Clone snorted and replied, "Chakra? I have got more than you and Han combined! If Lord Hokage didn''t permit me to kill you, then do you think you would still be alive? Heck, I would have gone to Iwagakure and killed your old Tsuhikage with one hand tied behind my back!" Chapter 309: Injuries Roshi was left speechless. It was the first time he had heard someone claim something as ridiculous as that. Even him and Han fighting together wouldn''t dare to claim that they could kill Onoki. The claim was so absurd that he didn''t even get angry and instead laughed. He asked, "Kill the old man with one hand tied behind your back? Are you called Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara?" At the same time, he calmed down and thought, ''He is trying to rile me up by trying to make me angry. So, he wants me to drop my guard or make a mistake and land a critical hit. But, what means does he have to harm me when I am cloaked by the Four Tailed Beast''s chakra? Does he still have a stronger attack than that cannon and the chakra to perform it?'' Fujin''s clone didn''t care how absurd his claim was. He wasn''t sure if his main body had used reverse summon or flew away on Kaito. If it was the second case, then he needed to waste some time to ensure that they would be too far away for Roshi to even know where to chase. If it wasn''t then he could just collect more information from Roshi and transmit them back to his main body. The clone cursed angrily, "What? Do you not believe me? Do you think I am bluffing? Lead me to Iwagakure. I''ll defeat that old geezer with one hand tied behind my back. I will even spare his life as my leader didn''t ask for it!" Roshi looked at the clone with a deadpan expression and thought, ''Yeah right. Bring along someone with as lethal jutsus as you. Still, this is amusing. Even that Deidara kid isn''t as brazen as him.'' Roshi replied, "Sure. Let me seal your chakra and then you can travel with me." The clone retorted, "Seal my chakra? What if you go back on your word and attack me when I''m helpless? That won''t do. I''ll be travelling without any restrictions." A frown formed on Roshi''s face as he thought, ''Something is off. He is giving almost no signs of a sneak attack. Is he wasting time to regain his chakra with a soldier pill?'' Though Roshi had an advantage in chakra, he didn''t want to let Fujin recover his chakra and keep bugging him with the Wind Vacuum jutsus. He opened his mouth and spat a wave of lava towards Fujin''s clone. Fujin''s clone sighed and began running away. He muttered to himself, ''I barely have any chakra left. I think I can flicker just twice at best.'' Roshi noticed him running and thought, ''As I calculated. He is low on chakra.'' He immediately chased the clone. Due to his larger size, his movement was much faster. He reached the clone and threw a punch at him. However, despite having a complete advantage, he was on guard against any counterattacks. The clone flickered along the river banks and ran in the direction opposite of what his subordinates and the Kusa ninjas had taken. Roshi chased and was led away from the town on the opposite bank. A frown formed on his face as he thought, ''I have to finish the battle quickly. Though I can control the beast''s chakra, I don''t have total control over it. I can''t maintain this state for long.'' Though Roshi wasn''t the strongest opponent he encountered, this was the first time he came so close to death. Against Kakazu and Kaminari, he had managed to escape very quickly. Against Darui, though his position was bad, his life hadn''t been put in danger directly. Despite the risks, he always held his life and death in his own hands. This was the first time that he had completely trusted his life and death in the hands of another. Goro noticed Fujin''s fear. He stopped complaining and became serious. This was the first time he had seen Fujin in such a state. He asked, "Are you alright?" Fujin nodded. He finally ended his Iron skin jutsu and inspected his body. His left hand had several burns up to the elbow. There were several other burns on his body. The worst was his back. He had inscribed several seals into his clothes. Despite them, the back of his jacket and shirt was blown apart. Even his mesh upper body suit was blown. A few of the metal pieces from it were embedded in his back. In addition, the blastwave had damaged his back as well. He could feel that some of his rib bones were cracked. Realizing the damage, Fujin''s expression became grim. He thought, ''Fortunately I used the Iron Skin jutsu. Otherwise, just the mesh itself might have killed me.'' Goro noticed the injuries and said, "You are injured." Fujin nodded and said, "It''s fine. None of the injuries are serious." Goro sighed in relief and asked, "In what mess were you? And what was that dangerous chakra?" Fujin sighed and said, "He was a Jinchuriki, a ninja who hosts the Four Tailed Beast. I thought that he couldn''t control it. But my information was wrong. That''s why I fell into such a dangerous position." He looked at Goro and said, "Thanks Goro. Had you been a second late, I''d have been dead." Fujin genuinely was thankful. Goro chuckled and said, "You are worrying too much. Though you aren''t as good as this Lord, your skin is extremely thick as well!" Both suddenly looked towards the entrance of the cave. Ryu''s massive body appeared in their eyes. Ryu entered the cave and observed the destruction. He asked, "What happened here?" His eyes landed on Fujin and narrowed. He asked, "Who injured you?" Goro and Fujin gulped as they felt the killing intent emitted by Ryu. Chapter 310: A Bottleneck! Ryu was indeed angry. He had placed a lot of hopes on Fujin. Though he hadn''t taught him anything yet, he was preparing to guide Fujin in the future. Fujin was about to answer when he said, "Leave it. Heal yourself first. Then find me. Goro, look after him in the meantime." Ryu calmed down as he noticed that though there were a lot of injuries on Fujin''s body, none were life-threatening. Goro replied, "Don''t worry Dad. You can leave Fujin in this Lord''s care!" Ryu ignored his son''s antics and left. Following him, the remaining Winged Sabertooths left as well. Goro looked at Fujin and said, "But, this Lord doesn''t know how to heal humans." Fujin took out a bottle and said, "Yeah, I know." He ate a soldier pill. The battle with Roshi drained his chakra a lot. Just when Fujin was about to retreat, Roshi unleashed his full strength. Summoning Goro had taken up most of his remaining chakra while the rest was poured into Assassin''s Rush and Iron Skin jutsus. Had Goro not reversed summoned him in time, he was prepared to dispel his clone underground to get some more chakra. Fujin withdrew a paper seal from his ninja bag and crushed the seal on it. He looked at Goro and said, "I''ll need around half an hour to regenerate some chakra. Carry me to a glacial lake. It will help to soothe the wounds temporarily and aid in the healing process." Goro replied, "Sure. Hop on."N?00v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Fujin jumped on his back. He flew out and carried Fujin to a glacial lake that was located lower on the mountain. Land of Grass - The Kusa ninjas and Fujin''s subordinates were rushing away from Mizukoshi. Ryoichi looked at the Konoha Anbu and said, "We won''t be able to accompany you to the Kagawa family''s town. We will be heading straight to Kusagakure." One of the Jounins with him said, "But shouldn''t we inform his family about the losses first? Our families are there as well. We need to mee..." Ryoichi cut him off and said, "No. This matter is huge. If you spread the news, chaos will spread throughout our country. We need to report to Kusagakure and form a proper plan first. This matter needs to be handled by the diplomats." He looked towards Konoha Anbu and said, "I am grateful for your aid, but I hope that you won''t spread the news of what happened in Mizukoshi either." Yugao replied, "I''ll pass the message to our captain. It will be his decision." While all forces withdrew away from Mizukoshi, Fujin was resting in the glacial lake. He wondered, ''So, where did I mess up?'' He analyzed for a bit before concluding, ''My information wasn''t right. I don''t recall Roshi having such control over Son Goku in the series. And none of the intel about him in this world mentioned this. But, Roshi has been the Jinchuriki since before the Second Great Ninja War. It''s impossible that the village doesn''t have this information. So the only possible answer is that for some reason, they have kept this information as top secret.'' A frown formed on Fujin''s face. If he had known this information, then he wouldn''t have fallen into such a risky situation. However, his expression became normal as he thought, ''Though the village has to be blamed, I am at fault as well. I was overly dependent on the intel I had and didn''t even consider Roshi using Tailed Beast Bomb while maintaining his sanity as a possibility. Even if the village had provided all details, what if my opponent gained new skills and abilities in secret? Though depending on intel gives a good advantage, I need to avoid over-dependence on it. Especially when it comes to Jinchuriki and S rank ninjas.'' As someone who gave the highest importance to his survival, Fujin immediately figured out his flaw and decided on what changes he should make to avoid falling into such desperate situations again. His mind immediately began thinking about the oddity. He thought, ''But why isn''t Roshi considered a perfect Jinchuriki? Wait, now that I think about it, though he controlled a lot of chakra, he didn''t transform into Son Goku like how Bee could with Gyuki. Could it be that even without a Tailed Beast''s approval, Roshi could harness his chakra to such an extent and use Tailed Beast Bomb?'' Fujin thought for a bit and concluded, ''Yes, that should be it. So though he isn''t a perfect Jinchuriki, he isn''t far from it. It''s kinda like Naruto''s first Kurama Chakra Mode, but instead of having just a little bit of Son Goku''s chakra, he has access to at least half of it. Now that I think about it, I recall Yugito transforming into Matatabi against Akatsuki. While Gaara was able to construct Shukaku''s body during the Konoha Crush. I guess it is easier to harness the chakra from Tailed Beast with lesser tails. I should be careful if I run into Yugito or Han in the future. They might be able to use Tailed Beast Bombs as well.'' On concluding, his mind immediately began analyzing the fight, ''Ignoring the battle after he released that massive chakra, this fight was a bit weird. Roshi was much stronger than me. Be it in chakra, experience, defense or physical strength. But I had the advantage in speed and lethality, giving me the initiative for the majority of the fight. But, no matter my advantage or initiative, I just couldn''t injure him. Even the few injuries I caused began healing almost immediately due to the massive chakra. This sort of exposes a big flaw in my combat system. Or rather, the imbalance in it. Right now I am heavily dependent on my combat speed and the speed and piercing power of Vacuum jutsus. These two factors make it impossible for anyone under Elite Jounin to last long against me. But, Elite Jounins are able to dodge my Vacuum Attacks and stop or dodge my sword safely. It makes it impossible to win those fights if they don''t get distracted. Another flaw is that this method of fighting is very exhaustive on chakra. The main reason for this is that my other skills haven''t managed to keep up with these two. Only sword skills and Taijutsu comes close. The other elements and Genjutsu are much weaker and can only be used in certain situations. Even Fuinjutsu can''t be used effectively in battle yet. However, I don''t see any way of improving those skills in a short time. In fact, even improving Vacuum jutsus is becoming very difficult. I can only create more forms that won''t increase my combat strength drastically. It''s almost as if I have reached some sort of bottleneck... How do I break through?'' Involuntarily, Fujin''s gaze moved towards the peak of Mount Muteki. Chapter 311: Restlessness! Fujin''s gaze landed on the peak of Mount Muteki. He thought, ''One easy way to break through this should be learning how to harness Nature energy. With Sage Mode, I''ll be able to keep up with the best of the current ninjas. The other alternative is learning Flying Thunder God. With it, I''ll be able to teleport. It will make dodging my Vacuum jutsus almost impossible. And I will be able to retreat at will. Unfortunately, when I learn either of them isn''t in my hands. It depends on Ryu and Hiruzen. And I can''t be sure whether I''d manage to learn them or not. If I end up failing to learn both, Senjutsu and Flying Thunder God, then my future prospects drop hard. Apart from these 2, there are four other methods I can think of. The first is creating Scorch or Swift Release. Though in terms of difficulty, it might be even more difficult as I would have neither guidance nor any information and just have a book with unsuccessful attempts towards a different Kekkei Genkai to refer to. The second method is to improve my speed even further. With the aid of Assassin''s Rush jutsu and training my body even further, I could enhance my speed even further. That could allow me to crush Elite Jounins. In addition to this, I need to create a few original jutsus. Though they won''t be as strong as the rank A jutsus in the library, I will have to create them such that they complement my high-speed style of combat. The third method is likely the one that has the highest prospects. That is Fuinjutsu and Juinjutsu. Once I become a Grandmaster, I can make a list of seals that I can use on the battlefield. If I can use them as skillfully as Hiruzen did against Suna ninjas, it will be at the same level as my Vacuum jutsus. The above two methods will need time as well but they are the ones I am most confident in achieving. However, if I''m not able to learn Senjutsu or Flying Thunder God, then they won''t allow me to reach the top of this world. That would leave me with just one option. Learning Eight Inner Gates from Guy...'' Fujin let out a sigh and stretched. He immediately winced due to pain. He muttered to himself, ''This is so taxing. All these methods will need a lot of time. The time that I just don''t have. I will need to quit Anbu soon. If I waste my time on long missions, I won''t have enough time to train.'' Fujin let out another sigh. How to inform Hiruzen and convince him to let him quit Anbu was another headache. He stopped thinking about it and muttered, "My chakra has recovered a bit." Fujin got out of the lake and sat down. A shadow clone appeared next to him and began healing him. The cold water in the lake had soothed the burns on his body. The clone healed all the burn marks with ease and finally turned his attention towards Fujin''s back. He poured chakra into his back and said, "3 ribs are cracked. Luckily the spine is not damaged. Though I can heal them, it''s better to avoid training or fighting until we visit Konoha Hospital." Fujin nodded. The clone healed his back before dispelling itself. Fujin got up and stretched his back once again. A loud and satisfying cracking sound was heard. Fujin muttered, "Finally, it feels better." He looked up and said, "Goro, it''s time to visit your father." Goro was flying above. He immediately landed next to Fujin and asked, "Done healing?" Seeing Fujin silent, Ryu asked, "Are you planning to go back?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "No way. If he is still waiting for me, I''ll be dead. Not to mention, his village has an even scarier old man." He looked into Ryu''s eyes and said, "I was hoping to stay here for a while and learn Senjutsu." Ryu looked back and observed Fujin for a few seconds. He replied, "You aren''t ready yet." Fujin complained, "Come on! The world is so scary. I almost died today. With Senjutsu, I will be able to protect myself." Ryu looked down at Fujin and said, "Stop being childish. Your body isn''t strong enough to contain nature energy yet. Nor is your chakra reserve high enough. More importantly..." He stared at Fujin for a few seconds before continuing, "You are restless. I can feel restlessness and impatience from your mind, body and will. In such a state, you will never manage to learn how to harness nature energy." His words surprised Fujin. Ryu waited for Fujin to digest them and continued, "Stop being so impatient. For your age, you are very strong. Your attacks can even threaten me. Instead of worrying and taking needless risks, slow down and focus on all-round development. You still have a lot of time ahead of you." Ryu''s words made Fujin think. After a couple of minutes, he let out a sigh and thought, ''He is right. I have been too restless lately. I am too worried about the Fourth Great Ninja War and increasing my strength. However, my restlessness might become the biggest obstacle.'' He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Ryu." Ryu nodded. In the last couple of years, he was quite impressed with Fujin''s intelligence and maturity. He knew that he didn''t need to say more. He said, "Rest here for as long as you want. You can fly back on Kaito." Fujin nodded. He was about to leave when he recalled something. He said, "Ryu, I have created a new seal. I was wondering if I could leave one with you. It works on the principle that if I destroy my seal, it will cause the corresponding seal with you to catch fire. I can use that in times of danger and inform you to reverse summon me immediately." Ryu replied, "That sounds handy. Unfortunately, we, Winged Sabertooths, sleep for long periods and at times engage in battles with other worthy foes. If it doesn''t catch our attention, then you''ll be left in danger with false hope. Stick to the traditional method with us as it doesn''t take very long. That said, leave the seal with me. If you can''t even summon Goro for some reason, then you can use it as a last resort and pray that you are lucky." Fujin agreed and handed him a paper tag similar to the one he had given his squad. He rested for a day on Mount Muteki. While Fujin rested, the situation in the elemental nations became turbulent once again. Ryoichi reached Kusagakure and reported all the events to Ashikaga Hiroshi, the leader of Kusagakure. Chapter 312: The Difference between Iwa and Suna Hiroshi''s expression became grim. He muttered, "It hasn''t been even a month since the Iwa and Konoha armies withdrew from our borders. I thought the situation would calm down since Suna no longer made any strange moves. Instead, they clashed inside our country. And Iwa even deployed their Jinchuriki while Konoha sent someone who could fight a Jinchuriki!" Ryoichi said, "Kagawa Noriyuki was probably aware of something. That''s why he had issued a secret mission to Konoha. So we can''t blame Konoha." Hiroshi shook his head and said, "No. The fact that their Anbu Captain was The Spectral Swordsman shows that they had ulterior motives as well. But you are right. We can''t blame them. We can''t afford to offend both villages.N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Besides, I have already received multiple messages from Mizukoshi. The area around the town is extremely damaged. Even the town walls have suffered a lot of damage. Fortunately, there weren''t many casualties. I have discussed this with Daimyo. He has already started the process of launching a protest against Iwagakure by sending an official letter to the Earth Daimyo. He also sent a message to the Fire Daimyo and Waterfall Daimyo. A diplomatic process will begin soon. It should apply a lot of pressure on Iwa and Onoki." Ryoichi nodded. He had anticipated a similar action. The only thing that he didn''t expect was that Mizukoshi would send a message before he reached. He asked to see the messages to confirm that there were no falsehoods. To his surprise, all messages stated the truth other than the fact that Ide Tomoki feigned ignorance about any collusion with Iwa. Hiroshi said, "I have asked our ninjas to begin preparing for an emergency situation. You should join them. Your participation will increase their morale a lot. Help them increase their preparedness. Though I doubt Iwa and Konoha would start a war, I want to make them unwilling to start a war on our lands." Ryoichi nodded. Before he left, he said, "We need to investigate the Ide Family. Noriyuki was confident that they had invited the Iwa ninjas. In addition, they didn''t help us in the fight." Hiroshi''s expression became serious. He said, "I know. Don''t worry, I have already made my move. They won''t be let off easy." Iwagakure - The next morning, a letter from the Earth and Fire Daimyo reached Iwagakure and Konohagakure respectively. Onoki had just gotten to his office while complaining about his back problems. Suddenly, the door slammed open and a ninja rushed in, "Lord Tsuchikage! We have an emergency letter from Lord Daimyo." Onoki looked at him and scolded, "Why are you creating such a ruckus? I almost pulled my back once again!" The ninja was quite used to the scolding and didn''t get offended. Kitsuchi took the letter and said, "Don''t mind father." He opened the letter and began reading. His eyes widened. He quickly handed the letter to Onoki and said, "This matter is serious." Onoki read the letter. His eyes widened. He muttered, "What the hell are those fools doing? Why did they create such a ruckus?" Kitsuchi asked, "Which mission were they sent on, Father? And why did you deploy Roshi? I could have gone if needed." Onoki replied, "I have to keep giving him and Han missions occasionally to keep them active." Onoki got up and scolded, "Don''t you feel any shame in admitting that so bluntly? How did he get away from you? Tell me everything that happen... Ugh" He immediately sat back in his chair and said in a pitiful voice, "I pulled my back again!" Roshi sighed at his old Kage''s antics and narrated his fight with Fujin. His words shocked Kitsuchi and Onoki. Both their expressions became grim. They recalled that in the past, Minato had managed to escape from Tailed Beast Bombs as well. After thinking for a bit, Onoki sighed and said, "Another fearsome talent has appeared in Konoha. And he will be even more troublesome due to his Wind nature. Kitsuchi, get to work and find out who this ninja is. Also, make plans to eliminate him. Considering his speed, Hiruzen might be planning on making him the next Yellow Flash. He needs to be eliminated before the start of the next war. And send some spies to check on Konoha''s current strength. They are acting too brazenly. I am afraid that their strength might have already recovered sufficiently enough to start the next Great War or at least close to it." Kitsuchi nodded. Roshi waved the letter and asked, "What should we do about this?" Onoki replied, "I will just reply that the information is false. Even if Kusa provides proof, what can they do?" Gin became a bit serious and asked, "But what if the Daimyo gets offended and decreases our budget like what happened to Suna?" Onoki scoffed and replied, "Do you think I''m as weak and stupid as Rasa? The Earth Daimyo won''t dare to do something like that. If he dares to, I''ll just reduce him and all the Nobles to dust." Kitsuchi and Roshi weren''t surprised by the claim. However, Gin''s eyes widened. But he didn''t say anything. After all, though Onoki often suffered from back pain and looked silly, he was still his Kage. Onoki noticed his expression and said, "You are thinking too much. Even if I kill the Daimyo, we won''t suffer any consequences. After all, Rasa looks like he wants to do the same. If I do it, he will kill the Wind Daimyo as well. The Water Daimyo currently holds no power. So only Konoha and Kumo can try to attack us and Suna. But, there is no way they can cooperate properly with each other. It''s more likely that Kumo will take the opportunity to attack Konoha. Though we may enter the Fourth Great Ninja War, our strength will not be affected." Gin understood the situation and said, "I didn''t think about it so deeply." Kitsuchi added, "But, our relations with the Daimyo are quite good. So things won''t deteriorate to that extent." Onoki nodded and said, "So you don''t need to worry about this. Leave and treat your arm first." Gin nodded. The meeting ended. Onoki wrote a reply to the Daimyo denying the accusations. He wrote a letter to Ide Tomoki as well. Chapter 313: Consequences! Mount Muteki - Fujin rested the entire day and left Mount Muteki the next day on Kaito''s back. While flying high in the sky, Kaito asked, "Have you ever toured outside the continent you live on?" Fujin replied, "Nope. I haven''t even visited my continent entirely." Though his time in the Anbu had him make several trips, they were mostly within the Land of Fire and the weaker countries surrounding it. He hadn''t visited the Land of Water, Earth and Lightning much. And there were still some countries beyond them. Kaito replied, "Then you will be in for a hell of a ride. Enjoy the scenery. I''ll explain some important locations to you." Fujin replied, "Cool. I always wondered how the world outside the elemental nations is." He thought, ''I wonder how it will compare to my previous world. And whether there are other civilizations in this world.'' Kaito flew the entire day without needing to rest. As someone who was addicted to roaming around the world, Kaito could fly for over 3 days without rest. Fujin rested his body while watching below. Most of what he observed was just a never-ending ocean. But, there were many islands that were full of life. However, Fujin didn''t notice a single human living there. He asked, "Kaito, do no humans live outside the continent I live on?" Kaito replied, "I don''t recall seeing any. But I have barely seen around 15 to 20% of the world. So there might be some in other places. But the chances are low." Fujin was puzzled. He asked, "Why is the chance low?" Kaito smirked and answered, "You will understand it soon." Fujin sighed. He recalled that Kaito loved showing rather than telling. The two continued their journey. It was his way of making others accompany him rather than losing interest after hearing the answer. Though Fujin was stuck with him regardless, his habit couldn''t be changed so easily. Land of Grass, Mizukoshi Town - Ide Tomoki was sitting in his office. It was already late in the evening. He had two letters in front of him. One was from Onoki while the other was from Hiroshi. And his expression was very ugly. The news of Tomoki''s betrayal spread like wildfire in Mizukoshi and then throughout the Land of Grass. His death directly crushed Onoki''s plans. The citizens of the Land of Grass also began hating Iwagakure for pulling such a stunt in their country. However, Onoki wasn''t bothered much. After all, Iwagakure''s reputation in the Land of Grass was already very bad. It didn''t have any effect on him if it worsened any further. After all, why would it matter if an ant hated you a little or a lot? Both situations were the same in Onoki''s eyes. Around the time Tomoki was killed, Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro finally reached Konoha. They reported to Hiruzen and informed him about how the mission went. Hiruzen had already received a letter from Daimyo. So he had some ideas, but their report cleared the picture for him. His expression became grim as he analyzed, ''Why did Onoki send Roshi on such a simple mission? Was he aiming for something else? And, where is Fujin?'' He looked at the trio and asked, "Which seal did Turtle give you?" Yugao replied, "Captain said that it was a simple seal he created himself. If he crushed the seal that was with him, it would cause our tags to vibrate and burn." Hiruzen asked, "What if it was destroyed?" Yugao replied, "In that case, our tags wouldn''t activate." Hiruzen eased a bit and thought, ''This means that he shouldn''t have died. I was worried. Roshi is very strong. He can pose a danger to me as well. As for those seals... I recall a couple of simpler seals. I guess he combined two to create this effect. It is very convenient to pass simple instructions.'' He said, "Alright, you can leave. Until Turtle returns, take a break." The group nodded and left. They returned to their Anbu room and changed into their usual attire. Bunjiro asked, "Is there anything we should do?" He was worried. It was the first time that he returned from a mission with one person short. Fumito shook his head and asked, "What can we do in this situation?" Yugao added, "We can''t help Captain. The only thing we can do is train harder so that the next time we can help the Captain instead of just escaping." Fumito nodded. Bunjiro decided, ''I thought that I already trained hard. I will need to train harder. Otherwise, I might never be able to catch up to him.'' Determined, all three dispersed. Unknowingly, Fujin added fuel to the fire burning in the hearts of his three subordinates. If Hiruzen knew it, he would be extremely pleased with his decision to assign them under Fujin. Chapter 314: The Dangerous World! While the Ide family was eliminated and his subordinates returned to the village, Fujin was enjoying flying under the starry sky. This journey expanded his horizons a lot. Kaito had shown him various sights and numerous wild beasts including some species he had never seen before. He even informed Fujin about locations and information of stronger wild beasts from whom he stayed away. Fujin saw a couple of mountain ranges that were on par with Mount Muteki in height. Finally, around midnight, they reached a location from where they could see nothing but water. There wasn''t a single island in sight. Kaito suddenly flew very high in the sky. He said, "This is the sea surrounding the elemental nation continent. For thousands of kilometers, there is nothing but water. I haven''t seen a single island in this area. This is one of the reasons why I said that the chances of finding humans elsewhere are low. After all, who would continue sailing for thousands of kilometers despite finding nothing but water?" Fujin fell into thought. He analyzed, ''Though this world doesn''t have aircraft, the ships are quite well developed. Though they are poor technologically as compared to my previous world, especially in maps and radars, it should be better than what was in the medieval era in my world. In addition, they are much stronger in terms of defense due to ninjas. Surely there would have been some adventurous folks who made it all the way through.'' He asked, "What are the other reasons?" Kaito chuckled and replied in an evil tone, "These oceans have terrifying beasts living within them! I have seen at least 13 who are as strong as my father. Some are even stronger. Even if someone as strong as you sailed these oceans, the chances of making it through alive would be very low. And I am not even considering the natural calamities that suddenly happen in the ocean. Numerous times I have seen a giant whirlpool forming out of nowhere. At times, a giant tide arises without any prior signs. Even if a ninja strong enough to defeat the stronger beasts and overcome any calamity sailed, they would have to suffer countless attacks from smaller beings in the ocean. They will definitely damage the ship and leave you stranded in the middle of the ocean. Eventually, all of them will die." Fujin was surprised by the answer. He hadn''t expected the calm ocean to be so dangerous. However, instead of being afraid, he let out a chuckle and said, "Perhaps after the wars are over, I should build a good ship, gather a few friends, wear a straw hat and sail these waters. Hahaha." Kaito asked, "Why a straw hat?" Fujin replied, "You won''t understand." Kaito was confused. But he replied, "Alright. Call me if you do so. That sounds like an interesting adventure." Fujin replied, "Sure." Fujin thought, ''It will be interesting to see what would happen if I drop Isobu in this whirlpool. Will it kill the beast or force it to withdraw? Or will it be forced to retreat? And how much damage will it take?'' Suddenly, he had an idea, ''Now that I think about it, this might be a very easy way to subdue Isobu. Just have to move him here and make these two fight. Zetsu shouldn''t be able to keep an eye on this place. It is the perfect plan. Or would have been if I had any means of transporting Isobu so far. Even the Flying Thunder God shouldn''t allow me to do that unless my chakra is at a ridiculous level.'' He looked at the whirlpool and wondered, ''Were those whales I saw while using the summoning jutsu from this ocean as well? Now that I think about it, it''s fortunate that I appeared there and not next to this monster. That water flow alone is insane. No ship will be able to survive that. Let alone face that beast inside.'' Kaito continued flying forward. En route, he shared the location of another strong beast. This one wasn''t as strong as the Hydra but still very strong. By afternoon, they finally saw land! Fujin observed the land but couldn''t identify where it was. He asked, "Which country is this?" Kaito replied, "This should be an island in the Land of Water." Fujin replied, "I see. So Mount Muteki is to the East of this continent." Kaito nodded and said, "Yes. Though more like it is on the other side of this world. You''ll reach it even if you fly West. But the journey is around twice as long." Fujin replied, "Alright." At the same time he thought, ''Now that I think about it, I haven''t ever been to the Land of Water. A shame that I can''t start my organization yet. This would have been the best place to recruit from. I might have even found a few kids with Kekkei Genkai with some luck. That said, I wonder how Shigeki is doing.'' Unknown to Fujin, his former sensei was doing the very same thing in the Land of Water. Except for the fact that it was a mission from the village rather than some personal ambition. Fujin decided against stopping in the Land of Water. After all, he had already created conflicts in the remaining 3 major villages. Against Kumo, his squad had killed over a dozen ninjas, which was followed by Jiraiya killing more than 250. Against Suna, he had created a giant mess. And not long ago, his team killed 19 Iwa ninjas and injured an Elite Jounin. He didn''t want to create a mess in Kiri as well. By evening, Kaito flew over the vast Land of Water and landed inside the Land of Fire. The two bade farewell. Fujin stretched his body and thought, ''This is the first time I flew for almost 36 hours straight. Luckily his back is quite comfortable to lay on.'' He moved towards Konoha. The spot Kaito dropped him at was very close to it. So he reached within an hour and directly went to see Hiruzen. Chapter 315: Konoha Under Attack??? Hiruzen was surprised to see Fujin return so quickly. He emptied his office and asked, "So, how was the fight with a Jinchuriki?" Fujin sighed and said, "Very difficult. I almost died. Why isn''t there any information about Roshi being able to use the Tailed Beast Bomb? He caught me off guard." Hiruzen let out a sigh as well. He answered, "The abilities of Jinchuriki are too strong. If I put it out in public, then panic will spread among the citizens. Even with the little information everyone has, they are still terrified." Fujin furrowed his eyebrows. He said, "I can understand about hiding it from common people. But why are Anbu and Anbu Captains not informed about them?" Hiruzen replied, "Because you are not supposed to engage them. Even an Elite Jounin has to retreat on sight. Only rank S ninjas have the ability and permission to engage with them. Even a Jinchuriki who has no control over their tailed beast can lose control and unleash its full strength." Fujin thought for a bit and said, "That makes sense. But there''s still no reason to hide the information. There are so many ways with which we can neutralize them before they can unleash their full power." Hiruzen''s expression hardened. He replied, "You shouldn''t be neutralizing them. That can directly lead to a major war. Jinchurikis are the backbone of those countries. Harm them and other countries will think that we are decreasing their strength in preparations for a war. It will cause them to ally with other countries." A frown appeared on Fujin''s face. He asked, "But isn''t that Anbu''s job? Every mission I took in the last couple of years restricted other villages in one way or the other." Hiruzen shook his head and answered, "All those acts were subtle. They left no links or proofs pointing towards us. And they were far from the bottom line of other countries." Hiruzen could see that Fujin wasn''t being combative with those questions. Otherwise, he might have had to reevaluate Fujin. Fujin replied, "Alright. But pass me information on the other Jinchuriki. I don''t want to be short on information again." Hiruzen nodded and asked, "This matter aside, describe the battle between you and Roshi." Fujin nodded and briefly narrated the battle. Though he didn''t show it on his face, Hiruzen was shocked to know that Roshi had to resort to that form to defeat Fujin. Fujin''s performance far exceeded what Hiruzen had expected. He said, "You did well. Don''t be discouraged by the result. Roshi is a veteran of two Great Wars and one of the strongest ninjas in Iwa. But avoid fighting Jinchurikis. Even if it was someone weaker, they will give up control to the beast inside them when their life is at risk. When that happens, not only will you be at risk, but so will your teammates and the common citizens around that place." Fujin nodded and said, "I need some time off. I''ll need to get my back looked at." Fujin replied, "On my back, around 3 days ago. I had 3 broken ribs, but I healed them. Just came here to ensure everything is fine. But for some reason, you are the fourth medical ninja to show up here." Isamu thought, ''Obviously that reason is Lord Hokage. It looks like he needs Fujin ready for a mission rather quickly.'' Isamu inspected Fujin back. The bones were already healed properly. However, Isamu was taken aback after inspecting his back with chakra. He wondered, ''How much does this kid train? Looking at his muscles and their wear and tear, it''s as if he has trained continuously for over a decade.'' Isamu was surprised. Extremely few ninjas would put their bodies through such continuous training for such a long period. Even if someone was enthusiastic, they would lose that enthusiasm in a year or two. After all, after the initial boost in strength, the effects of training on the body diminish a lot. No visible effects would be seen. Most ninjas would stop training their bodies at that stage and focus on other skills. Isamu didn''t say anything and slowly healed the hidden issues and internal trauma that were caused due to constant training and fighting. He couldn''t help but sigh in admiration, ''No wonder Lord Hokage values him so much. If someone learning Medical ninjutsu also had such dedication, we might have another ninja of the same calibre as Lady Tsunade.'' As his back slowly healed, Fujin''s back felt very relaxed. In fact, he had never felt that good in either of his lives. Isamu said, "You don''t have any major injuries and I treated some old ones. Rest for the next couple of days. You can return back to training or missions." Fujin got up and nodded. He said, "Thank you. I don''t recall my back ever feeling this good." Isamu replied, "Every time you train or fight, some trauma accumulates in your body. Over time, it accumulates and can cause hidden injuries. If you train a lot, then visit me every 3 months or so. Your progress will become much faster and threats to your body will decrease if you get checked up once in a while." Fujin nodded and replied, "Alright." Isamu turned around to leave. A smile formed on his face. As he walked out of the door, he said, "Normally I charge 500 thousand Ryo for that treatment. But since I know you so well and want you to become a medical ninja, I will offer you a 50% discount. Take care." In a flash, he disappeared. Fujin watched with a deadpan expression. He cursed, "This damned world. Every freaking one is shameless!" Fortunately, money wasn''t an issue for Fujin. Even if he ever ran short on it, he knew numerous corrupt Nobles and officials. He wouldn''t bother thinking twice before stealing from them. Fujin left the hospital in the morning thinking, ''Isamu only asked me to rest physically. Should I continue Fuinjutsu training?'' Fujin pondered for a bit before shaking his head. He decided, ''I should take a proper rest. After all, even my brain needs some rest. Perhaps a decent break would help me master those seals even faster. Oh well, time to indulge in some delicacies.'' Suddenly, Fujin''s eyes moved and landed on a mask shop to his right. His eyes landed on a small ball that was releasing some smoke and the shopkeeper who was inspecting it. A moment later, the ball exploded with a loud sound, engulfing the shopkeeper and some early-morning customers around him in smoke! Chapter 316: What Moves? Fujin didn''t have any time to rescue them. He instinctively moved away and observed from a distance with a frown on his face. He wondered, ''Someone is planting explosions inside Konoha? But who? Don''t tell me that Iwa or Suna went crazy and decided to retaliate this way... Wait, what''s this?'' To Fujin''s surprise, none of the people were harmed by the explosion. Instead, the people engulfed by the smoke began coughing. Soon after, they covered their nose and mouth and ran out while feeling nauseated. Fujin had a weird expression upon seeing that sight. His eyes moved and landed on a corner of the street. He chuckled and muttered, "Now it makes sense. Still, my missions lately have been so intense that I almost considered this an attack... I really need a long break!" In the corner, a blond goofball was struggling to contain his laughter. He jumped out and laughed loudly, "Hahahahaha. You fell for it!" Without waiting for another second, he immediately began running away. Fujin watched in amusement as the shopkeeper ran behind him but was obviously much slower. Fujin''s eyelids twitched as he observed, ''This kid. He is purposefully moving slowly so that the old man can chase him. I almost forgot how much of an attention seeker he was before becoming a ninja.'' Fujin suddenly had an idea. A malicious smile appeared on his face as he decided, ''If Hiruzen doesn''t give me access to the Flying Thunder God jutsu after I become a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, I will teach Naruto a few simple Wind jutsus and give him some ideas to prank Hiruzen. That would be a satisfying sight. A shame that the old fox is just too damn capable. Otherwise, I would have definitely hidden around to click some pictures, haha. But that will have to wait for another year or so. He should be entering the penultimate year in the academy after the vacation. If I help him now and he somehow passes this year, then most of my future knowledge might become useless. That said, I doubt Hiruzen would allow him to graduate early even if he does well. Especially considering that the current situation is quite peaceful despite the occasional movements. Not to mention, he might already have some ideas about putting him and Sasuke on the same team under Kakashi.'' Fujin ignored the incident and walked to Yakiniku for a large meal! He spent the next couple of days visiting his favorite restaurants, spas and hot springs in Konoha to relax his mind and body. On the third day, 60 Shadow Clones began learning new seals while he did his intense morning workout and called his squad for a meeting in their assigned room. While waiting for them, he met up with Eagle and took the scroll that had information related to the Jinchurikis. While reading, his teammates arrived one by one. In a few minutes, all four were sitting in that room. Bunjiro looked at Fujin and sighed in relief secretly, ''Fortunately, he is fine. I was worried for him.'' Yugao and Fumito were also glad to see him. Fujin asked, "So, did anything happen after I asked you to retreat?" A frown formed on Yugao''s face. She quickly said, "I know that I can''t change my style now. But I can still learn a few moves from you and incorporate them into my swordplay." Fujin tilted his head and asked, "What do you mean by moves?" Yugao was confused by the question. She answered, "I mean something like my Hazy Moon Night or the Dance of the Crescent Moon." Fujin shook his head and said, "I don''t know any sword moves." Yugao was surprised. She asked, "What do you mean?" Yugao had always assumed that Fujin wasn''t taking her seriously. She never expected such an answer. Fujin chuckled and replied, "What moves do you need to learn with a sword? It''s a sword. It has sharp edges. Just grab the handle and hack or stab the ones you want dead. Or block an incoming attack. It is very simple and uncomplicated, isn''t it?" Yugao was stunned by the answer. She thought about it deeply. At first, it seemed like Fujin was completely bullshitting her. However, the more she thought, the more sense Fujin''s answer made. She realized, ''That''s right. Other than slashing and blocking, there isn''t anything to swordplay. Even my techniques can be broken down to just slashing. But, is it really everything to his swordplay?'' This wasn''t an answer Fujin had made up. In fact, it was something that he had realized when Renjiro was teaching him. Renjiro''s own swordplay was based on this principle. When he had asked Renjiro his opinion on the various dance forms of Swordplay, he had a similar answer. After thinking for numerous months, this was the answer Fujin had reached. His swordplay didn''t have anything fancy. It was just plain old slashing and stabbing. He just added wind chakra to enhance its lethality to an extreme. While he did have some variations in flying slashes, those were more of a Wind jutsu rather than a sword move. Yugao looked at Fujin while recalling the wind slash released from his sword. Fujin noticed her gaze and realized what she was thinking. He said, "That is everything to my swordplay. I just use chakra flow and change it to wind nature to enhance its sharpness and range. There are no other complications in my sword skills." Yugao thought for a long time, but couldn''t think of a response. Fujin let out a sigh and said, "That''s why I said that you should stick with your current master. My ways will just confuse you. If you want, you can try to learn chakra flow to strengthen your current moves. But apart from that, there is nothing else I can contribute." Yugao calmed herself and replied, "Alright. Thank you for the guidance. I''ll stick with my current methods for now." Fujin nodded. That was indeed the best. She took her leave. Fujin sighed in relief, ''Fortunately, she didn''t ask me to teach her chakra flow. Now, should I go raid the Wind Crystals in training rooms or should I try improving my wind jutsus and perhaps creating new ones?'' Fujin already had a few ideas for new jutsus. And he had thought of proper training plans to learn them. However, he shook his head and decided, ''No. I won''t be able to sustain training for a long time as my clones have the majority of my chakra. I''ll go raid those wind crystals.'' He moved to the Wind Training Rooms and began meditating. Chapter 317: Infiltration Three days later, Fujin was summoned to Hiruzen''s office. He quickly went to his office in his regular ninja outfit. After entering, he noticed that there were 4 other ninjas there. Yugao looked at Fujin and gave a small nod in acknowledgement. Fujin gave a small nod back. The other faces were familiar as well. They were Genma, Yamanaka Ken and the head of the T&I department, Ibiki. Ken recognized Fujin instantly. After all, Fujin had left quite an impact on him during the mission where Fujin acted as the bait against the Bounty Hunters. Ibiki and Genma looked at Fujin for a few seconds before recalling who he was. Ibiki was the first one to recognize him. He said, "Suzuki Fujin. I didn''t expect you to be assigned missions with us so soon." Genma nodded. Just like Ibiki, he recalled judging Fujin during the last round of the Chunin Exams. He thought, ''I didn''t expect him to become capable enough to be deployed on the same mission as us. Did he train his Wind jutsus to such an extent that he can aid Jounins? Or did he develop some other speciality?'' Fujin nodded and replied, "It''s good to see you as well." He looked at Hiruzen and asked, "So, what''s the secret mission?" Hiruzen looked at the door and said, "Wait for some time. There is still one ninja yet to arrive." Fujin nodded and waited patiently. After a couple of minutes, everyone looked at the door. Kakashi walked in and said in an unapologetic tone, "Sorry for being late. I was on my way here when I saw a black cat cross my path, so I had to take a different route." Yugao, Ibiki, Ken and Genma gave Kakashi a deadpan look. Meanwhile, Fujin was confused. He wondered, ''I know that he tends to be late by a few hours. So why is he apologizing for being late by just a couple of minutes?'' Hiruzen replied, "It''s fine. You are here after all. Close the door." He thought, ''That is why I asked you to come 3 hours before everyone else.'' He looked at a corner of the room and said, "Leave and activate the privacy seals." The four Anbu guards, hiding in the room, immediately left the room. All windows were shut close and seals were activated. Realizing the importance, everyone in the room became serious. Hiruzen said, "Recently, there have been sightings of some Suna ninjas sneaking into the Land of Fire. Their activity is especially high around the Fire Capital." Seeing their appearances, the Suna ninjas sighed in relief. However, they were still vigilant. One of them transformed into his real appearance and said, "It''s good to see that you are safe, Hideyoshi-sama. The council was worried about you since we haven''t heard from you for over a month. They were even wondering if they should cancel the entire operation." Fujin walked ahead and said, "Yosuke, we were ambushed by that damned Copy Ninja. We were fooled. Somehow, that Copy Ninja had already escaped through all the perimeters we established. We fought several rounds with his squad and had to go into hiding." Yosuke was surprised. He asked, "You encountered the copy ninja? Doesn''t that mean..." Fujin nodded and continued, "Yes, reindeer. We have to ask Lord Kazekage to stop wasting manpower there and focus here." Hearing the word ''reindeer'', the Suna ninjas sighed in relief. In order to prevent anyone from infiltrating their secret base, the Suna ninjas were made to follow a certain protocol. The first was to show their real face. The second was to call the name of the ninja who talked with them accurately. And the third was to call him reindeer. Since the conditions were satisfied, Yosuke said, "Welcome back Hideyoshi-sama. Please exert your chakra so that I can confirm your identity." While the above means were good enough in most circumstances, they weren''t good enough in the Land of Fire. Konoha had the Yamanaka clan that could read memories. That is why Suna had placed a capable sensor in charge of the secret base. He remembered the chakra signatures of the important ninjas so that he could cross-identify them. Fujin exerted his chakra. The amount of chakra he exerted was just higher than the amount of chakra Hideyoshi had used against Choza. Yosuke observed him and nodded, ''Similar chakra signature, just more than the amount I saw last time and shows off his affinity to wind. Just like I remember. Looks like there shouldn''t be any issue.'' He also asked Kaname and Naomasa to show their chakra and identified both their chakras as well. As for the other three, he didn''t remember. He said, "Come..." However, Fujin interrupted him and said, "Enough wasting time, let''s go to the base. I have important information to report to Lord Kazekage. If we don''t report this, then we will suffer during the next war." Yosuke nodded and quickly welcomed him to the base while thinking, ''His arrogance is still the same.'' Suna''s plan was almost foolproof. While some ninjas could replicate the chakra signatures as well, such ninjas were very rare. They would either be very capable sensors or experienced jounins. More importantly, reading memories from a dead ninja wouldn''t allow a Yamanaka to copy their chakra signature. The ninja had to see and observe it properly, only then they could do so. Unfortunately, Hideyoshi''s squad ran into Hiruzen of all people. That encounter sealed the fate of all ninjas in the secret base. He was able to memorize the chakra signatures of all 6 ninjas at a glance and could replicate them well enough for all of Kakashi''s team to copy it. Even Fujin had forgotten Hideyoshi''s chakra signature and only managed to replicate it with Hiruzen''s help. The Konoha ninjas walked into the base along with the Suna ninjas. Chapter 318: An Intense Confrontation! As they walked into the base, Fujin commanded, "Call everyone. I have important information. Konoha''s forces have been moving. The coming period will be very critical. If we make a mistake, the entire operation will become a failure and we may be wiped out!" Yosuke realized the gravity of his words and nodded and said, "Alright." He immediately asked a subordinate to call everyone. The group entered into an underground base. Within a minute, 28 Suna ninjas arrived in the meeting room. Fujin observed them and thought, ''Hiruzen''s analysis was right. None of them is Elite Jounins. 11 are Jounins while the rest should be special jounins or close to that level.'' Yosuke said, "This is everyone currently here." Fujin nodded and asked, "How many have gone to the Fire Capital?" Yosuke answered, "9 have currently infiltrated the Fire Capital. Four more have infiltrated other cities." Fujin had a grim expression. He said, "The other cities are fine. But Konoha has sent their Sannin, Jiraiya the Gallant into the Fire Capital." The eyes of the Suna ninjas widened in fear. Though none of them had faced Jiraiya, they knew the horror of the Sannins. After all, one of the Sannin was directly responsible for Sunagakure''s horrible defeat in the Third Great Ninja War against Konoha forcing Sunagakure to sign an alliance agreement with Konoha. Yosuke said, "Wha..."N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Suddenly his eyes widened and he immediately ducked down. Among the 28 ninjas, only 12 others managed to react and quickly jumped or ducked. Taking advantage of their distraction after mentioning Jiraiya''s name, Fujin used Vacuum Serial Wave jutsu at the Suna ninjas. 15 died without even reacting! As soon as he attacked, the 5 Konoha ninjas flickered. A loud chirping-like sound was heard as Kakashi appeared in front of Yosuke. Yosuke saw the attack coming. Thoughts ran rapidly through his mind, ''Vacuum jutsu and Lightning jutsu? They aren''t Hideyoshi''s squad! We were fooled. But how? Was Hideyoshi''s squad killed? Not good...'' He wanted to fight back. Unfortunately, he was completely outmatched. Kakashi pierced his heart with the Chidori. Yugao flickered behind one of the Chunins that survived and slashed her sword towards the back of his neck. The Chunin quickly tried to move forward while throwing a shuriken behind him. Yugao moved forward while dodging the shuriken and cut his head off. At the same time, Ebiki also killed one Chunin while Genma and Ken began fighting a Jounin each. Fujin himself flickered in front of a Jounin and slashed at him. The jounin had just dodged the Vacuum Wave. He grabbed his kunai and tried to block the sword. Unfortunately, Fujin sliced straight through the kunai. The attack horrified the Puppeteer. He immediately focused his attention on Fujin. Meanwhile, Fujin thought, ''Tsk... I should have targeted the Puppeteer instead.'' He didn''t have any time to think about it or do a follow-up attack. Despite the loss and incredible pain, the Jounin he was fighting didn''t flinch. He immediately took advantage of the fact that Fujin was open on his left and attacked with the sword in his right hand. Fujin stepped to his right while raising his left hand. The seal on his bracer lit up and a sword appeared in his left hand as well. Almost instantly, wind chakra began flowing through his sword. His opponent''s sword clashed with his and was stopped. His opponent''s eyes widened. He screamed, "Impossible!" A smile appeared on Fujin''s face. Now his opponent was completely open. His other sword immediately moved towards his opponent aiming to hack him in two. ''Wind Release: Air Bullet jutsu'' Fujin''s smile soon changed into annoyance and he immediately jumped backwards. Realizing their threat, the Suna Jounin, who sent the bird out, targeted Fujin and Kakashi. Half a dozen bullets were fired at each of them. Kakashi immediately withdrew back under the ground to avoid the attack. As for Fujin, he stepped backwards and maneuvered his body to dodge all 6 air bullets in time. Fujin''s opponent attacked him again. At the same time, the Puppeteer grabbed another scroll while throwing a purple ball into the hole that Kakashi had escaped into. He made the confrontation hand sign once again. Another puppet appeared while the purple ball exploded, releasing poisonous gas into the hole. Kakashi immediately jumped out from another spot and slammed his hands on the ground again. Both the holes in the ground were sealed, trapping the poisonous gas underground. However, that was enough time for the Puppeteer to take control of the second Puppet. It was shaped like a Crocodile. It opened its mouth and shot needles at Kakashi. At the same time, the other Jounin used the Blade of Wind jutsu to cut off Kakashi''s escape route. Kakashi slammed his hands on the ground once again. A wall rose in front of him, blocking all the needles. Since the blades of wind were aimed at his escape routes, he didn''t need to avoid them. The Puppeteer looked at Kakashi and Fujin and thought with a frown on his face, ''The battle has entered a deadlock. I need to poison one of them quickly. Otherwise, we may be wiped out here.'' Unfortunately, for him, the situation didn''t last. Genma and Ibiki neutralized their opponents at the same time. Almost instantly, they sneak attacked the ones fighting Yugao and Ken. Realizing the danger, the Suna ninja at the back shot Air bullets at Ibiki and Genma to slow them down. The crocodile puppet launched its poisonous scales at them as well, blocking them and saving the lives of the Jounins fighting Yugao and Ken. Unfortunately, this reduced the pressure on Fujin. Without the support from the Puppeteer and the Wind ninja hidden in the back, Fujin went on the attack immediately. He slashed his right sword vertically at his opponent''s head. Realizing the danger, the opponent blocked it with his own sword. However, at the same time, he saw Fujin''s other sword heading at his waist. He immediately jumped up and barely managed to dodge it as well. Unfortunately, Fujin shot an air bullet at point-blank range. Due to the close range and his feet being off the ground, he couldn''t dodge. It pierced his heart and he dropped dead. At the same time, Kakashi neutralized the Jounin that was engaging him. Both turned their gaze towards Puppeteer and the ninja hiding behind him. Their gaze made their scalps tingle in fear. Chapter 319: Ruthlessness! After the first round of assaults, Suna had 8 ninjas against Konoha''s 6. But when Ibiki and Genma killed their opponents, they equalized the numbers. And after Kakashi and Fujin killed their opponents, it became 4 Vs 6. All Suna ninjas realized the inevitable result of that fight. The Puppeteer observed the situation. His heart ached at the fact that 24 of his fellow ninjas had been killed in less than a couple of minutes. He looked at Kakashi, who had stopped disguising himself, hatefully and shouted, "Retreat!" The Suna ninja in the rear immediately left the base. The ones fighting Yugao and Ken also tried retreating but were stopped by Ibiki and Genma. At the same time, Fujin and Kakashi moved towards the Puppeteer. However, their eyes widened and both stopped. The Puppeteer made the confrontation hand seal. His crocodile puppet exploded! Numerous hidden mechanisms were fired in all directions! Even the two Suna ninjas in the room were targeted. At the same time, purple gas began spreading out. Fujin and Kakashi were shocked at the brutality of the attack. The first person who was hit was the Puppeteer himself. His body was turned into a pincushion! Both Kakashi and Fujin immediately jumped underground. So did the remaining 4 Konoha ninjas and one of the two Suna ninjas. But, surrounded by four Konoha ninjas, he was killed as well. Kakashi and Fujin ignored that ninja and immediately travelled far away from the base before exiting the ground. Fujin immediately spread his chakra field. A frown formed on his face as he said, "I can''t sense him. He must be good at Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu!"N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Kakashi nodded and said, "The Puppeteer provided a good opportunity for him to escape. Who''d have thought that he''d be so ruthless." Fujin nodded. There were numerous people who could act ruthlessly against others who are weaker or helpless. But to be the same with themselves was extremely rare. In half a minute, their allies crawled out of the ground as well. Ibiki looked around and asked, "He managed to run away?" Kakashi nodded. Ibiki sighed, "This means that the mission wasn''t entirely successful. With him on the run, we won''t be able to use this base as a trap to catch and kill any Suna ninjas that might return here." Kakashi replied, "They had managed to send a message out. It would have been tough to do that even if we killed him. It''s fine. I''m just glad that all of us are alright. The fight was much tougher than I had anticipated." Everyone nodded. Despite the overwhelming victory, the fight was very close. One mistake could have caused a few deaths on their side. Ibiki turned his attention towards Fujin. Though there was no expression on his face, he was shocked by Fujin''s abilities. He thought, ''This kid is very good. I thought that he''d be the weakest in the group. But he is second just to Kakashi. Ibiki''s clone responded, "Yeah, but Fire Capital doesn''t really have Jiraiya. We can''t snuff them out. Finding them will be difficult unless they make a move." Genma''s clone chuckled and said, "It''s fine. We will let Lord Hokage worry about it." Involuntarily, Kakashi, Genma and Fujin''s clones nodded while Ken and Yugao''s clones looked at him with a deadpan expression. As no one had any ideas, Kakashi''s clone sealed the dead bodies into a seal that Kakashi had handed him. Though the dead bodies didn''t have any memories, the bodies themselves could provide a lot of information. All the remaining clones dispelled themselves while Kakashi''s clone handed him the scroll before dispelling. After getting the memories, Kakashi sighed and said, "Let''s wait here till Lord Hokage sends another squad with the mission to either create a new base or set up a parameter. Until then, let''s keep an eye out. If any Suna ninja returns, we will neutralize him and check his memories." Everyone nodded. They dispersed into teams of two and kept an eye out for anyone who''d stumble there. A bit after Midnight, Hiruzen received the message from Kakashi''s summon. Since he was expecting the message, he stayed in his office. He read the report and analyzed, ''One ninja managed to escape. And he also sent a messenger bird. Looks like keeping this a secret from Suna won''t be possible. We can''t use this base to lure more ninjas from Suna and kill them.'' A frown formed on Hiruzen''s face as the situation caused him a headache. According to Shikaku''s plan, Kakashi''s squad should have killed all the Suna ninjas. After reading their memories, they would impersonate them and lure more ninjas from Sunagakure and kill them, creating a death trap for Sunagakure. By the time they realized, their losses would have already exceeded the acceptable levels and they would be forced to back off. He analyzed, ''Now Sunagakure has two choices. In addition to the squad that we killed earlier and the two killed in the Fire Capital, 35 Suna ninjas have met their demise in the Land of Fire. They can either stop, or they will attack using different routes. Either by creating a new base, or more likely, giving individual missions to every ninja as we did.'' Hiruzen sighed and muttered, "I should have sent stronger ninjas there. Preferably a squad full of Elite Jounins." Unfortunately, such a squad was rather difficult to assemble. Most of the Elite Jounins in Konoha were Clan Leaders or retired from active duty. They wouldn''t agree to participate in such a small matter. The few Elite Jounins he could deploy were already stretched thin due to other important matters. For instance, Renjiro was currently in the Land of Water while Eagle was in the Land of Birds. He shook his head and thought, ''Leave it. Even that wouldn''t have been a guaranteed success. They probably were on guard against such a situation. The result we wanted was too idealistic. I''m sure Shikaku has planned for such a situation.'' Without any hesitation, Hiruzen decided to pass the headache to Shikaku. He deployed four Anbu squads to relieve Kakashi''s squad and maintain an eye around the base. Unlike Hiruzen, a certain person couldn''t pass his headache to someone else. Chapter 320: Suspicions! Despite it being a couple of hours past midnight, a loud banging sound could be heard. The man in the house grumpily woke up and walked to the door while muttering, "I should have made the door out of gold and created spikes on the surface. At least then no one would bang so loudly!"N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. He opened the door to see a messenger. The messenger quickly said, "Lord Kazekage, there is an extremely important matter." Without giving Rasa any opportunity to speak or respond, he handed him a scroll. Rasa opened the scroll and his eyes widened. However, soon a look of tiredness appeared on his face. He let out a sigh and said, "Ask the council to meet tomorrow morning." The messenger nodded and left. Rasa ignored Temari and Kankuro, who were woken up by the loud banging, and walked back while reading the scroll again. He thought, ''Another loss against Konoha. The base was compromised. The status and the number of the ninjas in the base are still not known. We need to revamp our plans in the Land of Fire.'' Rasa had grown sick of the recent incidents with Konoha. Ever since the day Fujin had stepped into the Land of Wind, he kept receiving one bad news after another! No matter how much he analyzed, calculated and planned, he was completely helpless in every instance. He even took action himself but never found an opponent to crush. Not wanting to ruin his sleep, he kept the matter aside and went back to bed. The next morning, every Council member gathered in the Council Meeting room. Goza asked, "What''s this meeting about, Lord Kazekage?" Rosa put forth 2 scrolls on the table and said, "I received these two scrolls. The first one is an emergency message sent from the secret base we established in The Land of Fire saying that the base was discovered by Konoha." The expressions of everyone in the room became grim. They all understood what getting exposed so deep within enemy territory would mean. Joseki gritted his teeth and asked, "How did Konoha find out so quickly?" Ryusa added, "Yeah, we took so many measures while building that base. It shouldn''t have been exposed so quickly." Rasa said, "It''s due to Hideyoshi''s squad that went missing." Rasa pointed at the other scroll and said, "I received this scroll a few hours later. It was sent by Takara Osamu. He said that Konoha ninjas disguised as Hideyoshi''s squad and entered the base. They knew all the three codes and could imitate the chakra signatures well enough for Yosuke to not be suspicious." Rasa opened a page on the Bingo book and placed it on the table. The council members looked at it and had a peculiar look on their faces. Rasa noticed their confusion and said, "He is Suzuki Fujin. Two years ago, just before we began mining in the Land of Hot Water, Kumo placed a bounty on this boy and stated that he could use Vacuum jutsus. But he hasn''t been seen outside Konoha since then. I guess he joined the Anbu. Right now he should be 14 years old. Iwagakure ninjas encountered him during a mission and they gave his information to Baki. They are sure that his strength is at Elite Jounin level and is very lethal. And, he is extremely skilled at Wind jutsus and Wind Vacuum Technique. Onoki believed that he might have a hand to play in incidents that happened in our country earlier." The Council wasn''t surprised that Onoki knew about the incidents that had happened. But all were shocked to know that a 14-year-old Konoha ninja not only knew Wind Vacuum Technique but was so good with it that his strength was considered to be at the Elite Jounin level. As for Fujin''s identity, Kitsuchi looked into all available information on Konoha ninjas. His first suspect was Sarutobi Asuma, but he didn''t find any evidence of him using swords or Vacuum jutsus. Though that could be hidden, Asuma had been sighted when the Spectral Swordsman was killing his targets. So Kitsuchi stopped suspecting him. After days of looking into thousands of ninjas, he didn''t have any luck. But when he decided to check the Bingo book, he was surprised to see a 12-year-old with a 20 million Ryo bounty! On seeing that he could use Vacuum jutsus, Fujin became the prime suspect in the identity of The Spectral Swordsman. Kitsuchi became even more suspicious when he found out that Fujin hadn''t been on any mission after receiving the bounty. He shared his thoughts with Onoki who agreed with him despite not being 100% confident. Onoki thought, ''Regardless of whether he is the Spectral Swordsman or not, he is a young talent. He must have done something big for that brat Ay to be so pissed. But, taking action will be difficult for now. I need to find someone else who will do the job for me.'' Onoki had heard that the issues in the Land of Wind were caused by a Wind affinity ninja. So he passed the information to Suna to let them make the first move. After all, it didn''t matter to him who killed Konoha''s ninja as long as he was dead. In the Sunagakure Council room, Ryusa sighed and said, "I had seen his bounty earlier. But I thought that Kumo was lying about his skills and he did something to offend them." Tojuro cursed, "Not only did those bastards steal Lord Second''s jutsus, but they are now the only ones to have ninjas that can use the Vacuum technique!" Gazo thought for a bit and said, "In addition, no information about him has leaked in the open apart from that vague information in the bounty. Having such power at merely 14 years means that he is sure to reach S rank when he matures. As expected of Konoha. Not only did they hype up the Copy Ninja to be the leader of the next generation, but they are also raising another in secret. That said, the culprit of the previous incident should still be the Copy Ninja. After all, from the reports, he was in a clutch. If it was this kid, then he would have used Vacuum jutsus to deter or eliminate our ninjas. At the very least, he could have tried to eliminate our Jinchuriki. But he didn''t." Rasa nodded and said, "I have the same opinion. But we need to keep an eye on him. In a war, an Elite Jounin that is an expert in Wind Release will be far more lethal when considering the vast number of Fire affinity ninjas in Konoha. We were already concerned about Hokage''s younger son, but even before he could reach his peak, Konoha already has someone else who is younger and probably stronger." Chapter 321: Dreaming Beyond Ones Capability! The Council members agreed with Rasa''s analysis. There were two main reasons for this. The first was that Fujin never used any Vacuum jutsu during his time in the Land of Wind. And secondly, on a subconscious level, they would rather want the damage done to them by someone who had gained fame, was the son of the White Fang and was taught by the Fourth Hokage, rather than someone who had no fame and was merely thirteen years old. Rasa asked, "Leaving his matter aside, what are your thoughts on the operation in the Land of Fire? Two of our ninjas were killed outside the Land of Fire. Now 27 are presumed dead here. And if Hideyoshi''s squad is assumed dead, then our total losses reach 35 ninjas. 1 Elite Jounin, 16 Jounins and 18 Chunins." The entire room went silent. Such losses would make their hearts ache even if it was wartime. After some time, Gazo broke the silence by saying, "Adding the previous losses, we have now lost 2 Elite Jounins and over a hundred ninjas in total." Ryusa sighed and muttered, "At this rate, we might have been better off not acting against Konoha." Tojuro immediately rebuked him and shouted, "Are you crazy? Even if we didn''t, we would have suffered the same losses in the future. Don''t forget the stuff that Danzo keeps pulling in the dark!" Ryusa looked back at him and said, "Stop yelling and tell us a good plan if you think this was such a good idea." Tojuro snorted and said, "Of course, we have to continue attacking. This time, we should send more Elite Jounins. If the base had 3-4 Elite Jounins, then Konoha''s plot would have backfired. And instead, Hatake Kakashi and Suszki Fujin would have died! We need to make Konoha feel the pain for daring to scheme against us!" Ryusa replied, "We still don''t know how Hideyoshi''s squad was dealt with. And the base we created this time was destroyed after being attacked by just the Copy Ninja. What if the Sannins attack next time? All 4 Elite Jounins will die if they do. Can you accept the responsibility for such a loss?" Obviously, Tojuro won''t claim responsibility for such a matter. He thought, ''Why is this bastard pushing the matter on me? Besides, even if Konoha killed 4 more Elite Jounins and a few dozen Jounins, so what? It''s not like they will dare to invade our country. Other nations are lucky to have 1 or 2 S rank ninjas in every generation. In fact, Iwa hasn''t had a non-Jinchuriki S rank ninja since Onoki. But Konoha produces S ranks every decade. If Hiruzen''s actions are due to his confidence in his younger generation, then should I even be launching a war?'' Rasa had been thinking of starting a short war with Konoha for more than a couple of years. However, the recent losses Suna suffered against Konoha made him rethink his plan. After all, he had already lost one big war in the past. In order to ensure that he maintained his position, he even got rid of the only other rank S ninja in Suna''s ranks from his generation. After thinking for a long time, he concluded, ''No, right now is the best time. The Sannins barely stay in the village. All that leaves is an old Hiruzen and an injured Danzo. Though Hatake Kakashi''s fame exceeds even the Sannins at his age, in terms of accomplishments, he is lacking. And if I compare it to Minato or his father, then it''s not even comparable. He probably needs another 6-8 years to reach my level. As for this new kid, he is still at the Elite Jounin level. He will need even longer. As long as I make a move within the next 5 years, I will have a good chance. But, the attack will have to be a sneak attack. And it needs to be done at an accurate time. If I attack directly, then the Konoha armies will crush us just like the last war. And if I attack when the Sannins are nearby, I will have to face two or more S ranked ninjas by myself. The best time would be to attack Hiruzen when the Sannins aren''t in the village. Once I kill him, we can cause some damage to Konoha and retreat. Then even if the two Sannins return to Konoha, they will be helpless to do anything to me. They won''t dare to march in the desert and would need to keep an eye on Kumo. And the Wind Daimyo will be helpless as well. That war will leave him no choice but to give us all the missions. But... There are two main issues. Can I kill Hiruzen with a sneak attack? And what if the Sannins hide waiting for me to make a move?'' Rasa analyzed the answers to both of his questions. Finally, he decided, ''As long as I catch him by surprise, I can kill Hiruzen! After all, he is far past his prime. But the main issue is Jiraiya and Tsunade. I need someone to keep them in check. An S rank ally!'' Rasa thought for some time, but couldn''t think of anyone suitable. He thought, ''The only one that comes to mind is Chiyo. But she is way past her prime. She lost to Tsunade in the last war. This time, she might not be able to even put up a challenge.'' He thought of the remaining Kages but immediately removed that thought. In the end, he decided, ''I need to find a proper ally for the sneak attack. I will wait till I find one. If I don''t find any, then I will do my sneak attack after 5 years. I will have to depend on Shukaku to divert the Sanins or other strong fighters. In the meantime, I need to strengthen a few subordinates that are loyal to me. I will need a few Elite Jounins to block the Clan Leaders in Konoha.'' Unlike the rest of the council, Rasa had given up on the hopes of achieving any success in their current campaign against Konoha. Instead, he directly began preparing for a war against a village that had three times more S rank ninjas! Chapter 322: Wind Style Genjutsu! The 4 Anbu squads dispatched by Hiruzen reached the base created by Sunagakure and took over the command from Kakashi. Kakashi and the rest began returning to Konoha. By noon, they were back in the village, returning in exactly 24 hours. They met Hiruzen, handed him the scroll of the dead bodies and informed him about the poison. Hiruzen let out a sigh and thought, ''Other than elimination, this mission has failed on all parameters. Oh well, I''m sure that Shikaku has considered this situation as well.'' Understanding the importance of the mental health of a Kage, Hiruzen didn''t bother planning for even a second before tossing another headache over to Shikaku. He said, "Alright, you did a good job in eliminating the infiltrators. I miscalculated their strength and didn''t think they would fight back so vigorously. Fujin, stay back. Others can leave." Other than Fujin, the rest left. Hiruzen tossed a scroll at Fujin and said, "This scroll has the Genjutsu that you requested. I''ll let you take a week off to master them. On the 8th day, come to my office at dawn. We will be having a couple more diplomatic missions. Burn the scroll after you are done and don''t use them lightly." Fujin nodded. He understood that Hiruzen wanted to keep the Anbu Guards in the dark regarding the exact matter. He said, "Thank you, Grandpa. I''ll begin working on them right away." Hiruzen nodded. Fujin kept the scroll and walked out while thinking, ''It took so long for them to read Susumu''s memories? Normally the memories get checked within a day... Did Hiruzen keep them until today? But I don''t see any reason for him to do that. I guess reading memories to extract jutsus is a more difficult task. Or perhaps he wanted to check each and every memory before giving me the scroll in order to remove any issues or dangers in the jutsus or that might arise while learning them.'' While Fujin headed to his home, Hiruzen entered Shikaku''s office and closed the door. Shikaku looked at Hiruzen and had a bad feeling. He muttered to himself, ''This look. He is going to dump another troublesome task on my head!'' Hiruzen said, "Kakashi''s group returned. Their enemy used poison to ruin the neural network in dead people. The only one who wasn''t poisoned by it had his head destroyed by earth spikes. So we can''t read any memories from them." Shikaku raised his eyebrow and said, "I can understand a message being sent and someone escaping, but how did they fail so badly? Who did you send?" Hiruzen replied, "Kakashi, Fujin, Ibiki, Genma, Yugao and Ken." A look of annoyance appeared on Shikaku''s face. He muttered, "Why did you send such a weak squad? I recommended sending at least 4 Elite Jounins and two who are close to that level." Hiruzen shrugged and said, "I know, but you didn''t arrange to have that many Elite Jounins available. I could just make do with the ones available." Fujin turned his attention back towards the technique and analyzed, ''Regardless, I am using a lot of chakra. I have to emit the chakra into the air without exerting any externally. The chakra emitted should be so low that no one should grow suspicious.'' ''Multi Shadow Clone jutsu'' 4 Shadow Clones appeared around Fujin. All 4 began practising the art of emitting chakra into the air and converting it into wind while suppressing their chakra as low as possible. In the next hour, all 5 made rapid progress. Finally, an hour later, Fujin dismissed his Shadow Clones. He got a slight headache due to the memories he received. As all the memories and experiences mixed together, a smile formed on Fujin''s face. One of his clones had managed to successfully learn the jutsu. Fujin began emitting chakra into the air. Slowly, his chakra spread in the entire basement! And the density of the chakra was so low that other ninjas wouldn''t be able to feel it unless they activated their chakra field or other abilities that could sense chakra. Fujin thought, ''First step achieved. And since the amount of chakra that I had to emit was so low, I still have most of my chakra. The next step is to send this chakra into the opponent''s chakra network.'' He created 1 Shadow Clone and sat on the ground. His clone nodded and emitted his chakra into the air. It engulfed Fujin''s position and entered him as he breathed in the air. However, a frown formed on Fujin''s face. He said, "I can feel the chakra entering my system." The clone thought for a bit and said, "I see. Though I emitted the chakra in the right way, I tried forcing it into your body. I''ll try it again." Fujin nodded. His chakra suddenly flared and absorbed the chakra that his clone had inserted into his chakra network. Since the chakra of the clone belonged to him, he had no issue in doing it. The clone began emitting chakra once again. This time, he didn''t bother focusing it around Fujin and instead, just let the winds flow. As Fujin continued breathing, chakra slowly entered his chakra network. Over the next minute, Fujin continued inhaling the chakra. His clone observed Fujin and thought, ''This should be enough.'' ''Double Vision jutsu'' Suddenly, Fujin began seeing two clones in front of him. He disrupted his chakra and said, "That worked. The last part is stopping me from using my jutsus." The clone nodded and said, "Let''s fight!" Chapter 323: Plans for a Signature Jutsu! Fujin nodded and stood up as his clone continued emitting chakra in the air. Fujin thought, ''The process is still quite slow. Susumu was able to influence my chakra almost instantaneously. But considering that he was waiting to ambush me, he might have set up the battlefield before I encountered his group.'' Fujin''s clone said, "I am ready." Almost instantly, Fujin began kneading his chakra. ''Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu'' He exhaled a small fireball at his clone. His clone immediately moved backwards and raised two fingers. Wind began flowing around them. ''Wind Release: Blade of Wind jutsu'' Multiple blades of wind cut apart the fireball and dispersed the heat in the basement. He let out a sigh and dispelled himself. Fujin received his clone''s memories and began analyzing, ''I see. His genjutsu failed because he had too little chakra in my body. No, a more precise way of saying it would be that he couldn''t cast the Genjutsu with such less chakra. I guess I first need to learn how to cast this Genjutsu properly and then slowly decrease the amount of chakra I need to cast this genjutsu. Once it reaches the required level, I will integrate it into this technique. Now, who should I experiment the Genjutsu on?'' Fujin thought for a bit. His first thought was Goro. But he shook his head and thought, ''No. The Flying Sabertooths are too sensitive to wind and chakra. They will easily detect my attempts. And influencing Nature chakra with normal chakra is difficult. Normal Genjutsus don''t even work on them. And since Hiruzen asked me to keep this technique a secret, I can''t ask for any other Konoha ninja to aid me. I guess I''ll have to keep having my clones use the Genjutsu on me. Oh well, it should be good training to improve my alertness against any foreign chakra entering my body.'' Fujin created a shadow clone and continued his training. In three days, he mastered the Genjutsu and integrated it with the remaining technique. His clone kept casting the Genjutsu on him until he had 100% accuracy. Of course, this was when Fujin didn''t try to disrupt his chakra. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he muttered, "Another deadly technique down. This combined with Vacuum Bullets or my sword is a deadly combination. Apart from Jinchurikis and Dojutsu users, very few might be able to withstand this combination. And it still has some scope for improvement. For instance, Susumu only used it to stop opponents from using jutsu. But, I should improve it to stop opponents from even moving. I will just have to induce a Genjutsu that would make my opponent think that he has moved when he hasn''t. Fujin made up his mind. However, he soon fell into another dilemma. He muttered, "I can''t work on this jutsu and learn Fuinjutsu at the same time." Fujin had to choose between the two. After a long struggle, Fujin let out a sigh and decided, ''I''ll stick to Fuinjutsu for now. Though this idea is cool, I can still make do with Infinite Breakthrough and Vacuum attacks. But Fuinjutsu is my hope to stand out even among the S ranks. Besides, I doubt Flying Thunder God can be learnt quickly. I can train for this jutsu when I reach a roadblock on Flying Thunder God training.'' He decided to go out for dinner. En route, he couldn''t help but think, ''It sucks that I don''t have as much chakra as Naruto. I could have achieved so much with that amount of chakra and recovery speed.'' Though his chakra reserves were exceptional, they weren''t even comparable to the weakest Jinchuriki. Unfortunately, there was nothing Fujin could do regarding it. It wasn''t as if Tailed Beast would fall from the sky, let itself be sealed in him and obediently provide him chakra. Fujin rested for the day and began focusing on Fuinjutsu the day after. On the appointed day, Fujin arrived at Hiruzen''s office. After interacting with him for a bit, Fujin sat quietly as he observed how Hiruzen interacted with the diplomats and a few clan leaders on what should be negotiated with the Land of River and the Land of Grass. After a few hours of discussion, Hiruzen, his Anbu Guards, Fujin, Aburame Shibi and Kurama Illumi left the village on the negotiating mission. The negotiations with the two countries went very similar to the negotiations Fujin had seen earlier. Just the resources traded were changed. Of course, Hiruzen did ask for Elemental crystals. To Fujin''s surprise, despite Konoha''s relationship with them not being as good as with the Land of Tea or Noodles, they provided Hiruzen with more crystals than those countries. However, after thinking for a bit, the reason was obvious. Fujin realized, ''Ever since my promotion mission, Suna ninjas must be moving around erratically. They even dared to create a base in the Land of Fire. The Land of River should be nervous about these movements. As for the Land of Grass, that''s even more obvious. Iwa''s Jinchuriki entered the country and used a Tailed Beast Bomb very close to a town. This old fox is very good at extracting benefits. He waited until the right moment to visit these two countries and extracted the maximum benefit from them!'' Unlike the time before, they didn''t encounter any attacks and returned back to the village after a 3-day long trip. Following the trip, Fujin got busy with his Anbu duties. Eagle assigned his team missions at regular intervals. Fortunately, none of their missions went awry. Three months passed by in this manner. Though the villages were tense, no major issues flared up until one fateful day... The Land of Water : Renjiro stood while looking in a direction with a solemn face. He sighed softly, "I bit off more than I could chew." A wave of Lava was heading straight at his team!N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Chapter 324: Breaking through a Siege! A few minutes ago : On one of the numerous small islands in the Land of Water, an inconspicuous house stood. In the house were 11 children and 3 adults. Suddenly, a person began knocking on the door impatiently. A man got up and opened the door. The person quickly entered the house. Panic and fear could be seen on his face. He said, "Renjiro-san, I sensed multiple ninjas heading towards this island. I think the rebel faction is heading towards this island." A frown formed on Renjiro''s face. He asked, "How many did you sense, Makoto?" Yamanaka Makoto shook his head and said, "I saw 4 ships heading towards this island from the West. And I felt multiple chakra fluctuations from each ship. I didn''t dare to sense them or stare for too long." Renjiro nodded, "Good work. They might be just passing by here. Change your transformation jutsu to another appearance and keep the kids quiet. It''s best to not attract any attention." Makato nodded. He dispelled his transformation jutsu and then transformed into a young lady and went into the room where the kids were and put them to sleep. The other two Konoha ninjas got serious as well. All four suppressed their chakra to civilian levels and waited. In the sea, on one of the ships, a lady was standing on the bow while looking towards the island. She had long, ankle-length, auburn hair. She asked with a serious face, "Is your information accurate, Ao?" Ao nodded and replied, "Yes. I have received information that a group of people are kidnapping young children. Though I am not sure if they have evil intentions as all the children whose information I received were orphans and in a very bad state. But, there were many other similar orphans. Since only these kids were kidnapped, I''m afraid that it is one of the major villages trying to rescue and recruit young talent and probably kids with bloodlines." Mei nodded. She agreed with Ao''s speculation. After all, over the last decade, her family had done the same in the Land of Water. The kids she rescued were completely loyal to her and had a reason to get stronger. Ao added, "But if it is one of the four major villages, we need to proceed with caution. Though I doubt anyone would want to enter into our mess, if they do and decide to support the Mizukage faction, we will be in deep trouble." Mei nodded and said, "Let''s decide after seeing who it is. If we can kill them all, then we will do so and dispose of their bodies. The news can be blocked as well. For now, create a perimeter and send 20 ninjas to attack them." Ao nodded and flickered onto other ships to pass the instructions. Soon, all 4 ships reached and docked on the island. The Konoha ninjas were alarmed. But Renjiro said, "They might be here to restock supplies. Stay calm and don''t leak any chakra. But be prepared to run. If any issues occur, then we may have to fight or even kill our way out." Renjiro''s teammates had solemn faces. They were aware that the number of Kiri ninjas would be at least ten times their number. However, all of them were Jounins. And everyone had Water affinity and could travel rapidly in the sea. They believed in their abilities to escape from an enemy that would be composed of a mix of Genins, Chunins and Jounins. Akimichi Itaru asked, "But what about the kids?" Renjiro replied, "We will leave them here. The rebels are known to take young kids and provide them with proper care and training. So they won''t suffer." Renjiro used the snake hand sign. ''Earth Release: Iron Skin jutsu'' His skin turned into black and at the same time chakra appeared on his body. The shurikens hit his body and harmlessly bounced off. The two Jounins finally completed their hand signs. ''Water Release: Great Waterfall jutsu'' ''Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'' The two jutsu merged together and rushed like a broken dam towards Konoha ninjas. Chakra appeared on Renjiro''s palms as he slammed his hands on the ground. The ground in front of him rose diagonally. The electrified water hit it and was diverted harmlessly away from the Konoha ninjas. Instead, it moved towards the ninjas chasing them from the rear. A frown formed on Mei''s face as she watched the clash. She muttered, "They are strong." Ao nodded in agreement. The 2 Jounins frowned. The one who used the Lightning jutsu began weaving hand signs again. He wanted to destroy the ground that Renjiro had raised. However, before he could complete his hand seals, he and the remaining Kiri ninjas jumped and retreated. The ground under their feet transformed and spikes were launched at them. Each of the 3 Chunins had 4-6 spikes pierced into their body while the Jounin who was weaving hand signs took a couple of hits. However, none of the injuries were mortal. But, before they could regroup, Renjiro flicked behind one of the Chunins. With a strike to the back of his neck, he was knocked out cold. In the next couple of seconds, the other two Chunins suffered the same fate. He flickered and appeared in front of the two Jounins. They grabbed their kunai and attacked Renjiro from both sides. Renjiro''s body was already covered with the Iron skin jutsu. He punched at one Jounin and kicked at the other, forcing them to block. Using the opening, Kazuki and Makoto appeared next to Renjiro and attacked the two Kiri ninjas, forcing them to retreat. Renjiro quickly flickered behind Kazuki''s opponent and kicked his back. The chakra enhanced kick cracked numerous bones in his back and sent him flying! Being outnumbered by these times and seeing how easily his fellow ninjas were overwhelmed, the last Jounin immediately retreated. The Konoha ninjas ignored him and began running away while defending themselves from the attacks coming from their rear. To their relief, they reached the other end of the island. Renjiro instructed, "Dive into the water and create 3 shadow clones. We will travel underwater in 4 directions." Everyone nodded. Unfortunately, before they could reach the shore, they noticed a silhouette standing on the water. She weaved her hand signs. ''Lava Release: Melting Apparition jutsu'' She spat out a massive amount of Lava that headed towards the Konoha ninjas like a flood! It cut off their escape route and forced them to stop while the ninjas behind them closed the distance rapidly! Chapter 325: Threatening each other Makoto looked at the incoming Lava wave and gulped. He muttered, "The rebel forces have someone who can do this?" Renjiro became serious as well. He thought, ''Terumi Mei... It looks like the old man''s information was accurate. Still, this isn''t enough to stop me. Unfortunately, I can''t ensure the safety of these three.'' Renjiro fell into a dilemma. He was confident in running away by himself. But his teammates didn''t share his skill or stamina in the body flicker jutsu. After thinking for a bit, he let out a sigh and made up his mind. He weaved a hand sign and said, "Don''t fight. I will negotiate. They shouldn''t dare to kill us." Nara Kazuki sighed in relief. He thought, ''Good. I was afraid that he would try to leave. Renjiro might have managed to escape, but we wouldn''t have managed to do the same.'' He looked at the lava wave and realized, ''We made an error. We should have escaped when Makoto returned.'' Renjiro slammed his hands on the ground. A deep, circular trench, with him as the center, appeared around the Konoha ninjas. A large, inclined wall raised up from the ground along the inside part of the trench. The Lava wave hit the wall and fell into the trench. Once again, another large-scale attack was directed away successfully by Renjiro. Mei was surprised. She wondered, ''So strong? His wall successfully blocked my attack and even diverted it. Who is this guy?'' Before she could think further, her eyes widened. Thousands of spikes appeared on the surface of the inclined wall. Due to her lava, the spikes looked red and extremely hot. Her expression became grim as she shouted, "Take cover!" The other Kiri ninjas didn''t need to be told twice. They could see the spikes as well. Immediately numerous water and earth walls were raised! However, no spike was fired. Instead, a voice was heard, "Terumi Mei, we aren''t here to create trouble for you." Mei asked, "So, why are you here? And who are you?" Ao appeared next to Mei as a part of the inclined wall crumbled, showing the 4 Konoha ninjas who had stopped using Transformation jutsu. Ao became serious as he said, "Senju Renjiro. The commander of Konoha''s forces that faced us in the last war!" Renjiro became serious as well. He analyzed, ''Two Elite Jounins, one with a stolen Byakugan and another speculated to have two Kekkei Genkai. I could take on any of them in a one-on-one fight. But I can''t win against both of them in a head-on fight. Especially in water where I won''t be able to use my Earth jutsus effectively.'' After the fighting stopped, the people on the island were relieved. They were afraid that they would be impacted by the fight. Fortunately, the fighting happened far away from civilian areas. Konoha ninjas were afraid that some Kiri ninjas might be hidden there for an ambush while the Kiri ninjas didn''t want any harm to befall them. So both stayed clear of them. After entering the house, Makoto woke up the kids while using a transformation jutsu and handed them over to Mei after consoling them a bit. At the same time, Renjiro and Mei negotiated an amount for compensation. Ao took the kids and analyzed, ''11 kids... I had received information for just 5 missing kids. But I calculated that at least over 30 would be missing.'' After sending the kids away, he asked, "Renjiro, I have received information about 18 missing kids. Where did you keep the rest?" A frown appeared on Renjiro''s face. He said, "These are all we rescued. Feel free to search the house or anywhere else on this island." Ao asked, "If they aren''t with you, who took them?" Renjiro shrugged and replied, "We are the only ones from Konoha here. If not us, then there might be someone else who is rescuing or abducting the kids. I''d recommend that you look elsewhere for them just like you found me." Ao looked at Renjiro but couldn''t find anything on his face. He thought, ''Looks like there are other forces active here as well. I guess Kumo also sent someone. The fourth Raikage is always looking to kidnap kids with Kekkei Genkai! That said, he is most likely lying.'' While Renjiro thought, ''I have already sent 35 promising kids to Konoha. Even if he suspects me, there isn''t a thing he can do about it. Besides, I''m sure Kumo and perhaps even Iwa are doing similar operations here. So if they look in deeply, they will find and suspect them.'' After completing the negotiations, Mei said, "I will ask the four of you to stay inside this house. If you need food or water, I can arrange them." Renjiro replied, "Alright. As for food and water, we have it." For obvious reasons, Renjiro wouldn''t consume any food or water they provided. In fact, he was worried about them releasing poisons or chemicals into the air. Mei realized his concerns. She nodded and left. She arranged for 16 Jounins and 12 Chunins to keep an eye on the Konoha ninjas all the time. Chapter 326: Hiruzens Response After leaving the house, Ao said, "Lady Mei, I am afraid that he has abducted more kids." Mei nodded and said, "Yeah. But seeing his confidence, they shouldn''t be here. He must have already sent them to Konoha. Unfortunately, there isn''t much we can do. If we ask, they will deny it. Until the civil war ends, such cases will keep happening. What we need to do is end this war as soon as we can." Ao looked at Mei. He could see the seriousness on her face. However, he knew that Mei couldn''t end the war. He thought, ''Unfortunately, that isn''t possible. The Terumi clan leader is too old, while the Sakai clan leader got injured in the 3rd Great Ninja War. The other clan leaders can''t take on rank S ninjas. So we don''t have anyone who can take on the Fourth Mizukage. At least until Mei becomes a rank S ninja!'' Renjiro wrote a letter and sent it to Hiruzen. His teammates approached him. Itaru said, "Sorry, Renjiro-san. Because of us, you got captured as well." Renjiro replied, "I can''t just leave my teammates behind to die. Besides, we will be fine. Don''t worry." His teammates nodded. Despite his statement, they knew that they were under a lot of risk. Kazuki thought, ''If another Elite Jounin from the Rebel faction arrives, then even Renjiro would have difficulty escaping.'' Renjiro was aware of the risks as well. He didn''t want his teammates to let down their guard and warned them, "Though I am sure that they won''t try anything funny, be on your guard. Mei''s mother was from the Sakai clan. And there are rumors that she can use the Vapor release." His words surprised his teammates. Kazuki asked, "She can use 2 Kekkei Genkai?" Renjiro nodded and replied, "Most likely. Vapor release jutsus can harm us while we are inside the house, while Lava jutsus can submerge the entire house in an instant. Luckily, we can avoid both by entering the ground. So stay on guard." His teammates nodded. They consumed soldier pills to stay awake. Around 16 hours later, a messenger bird reached Konoha. As soon as the message was received, the ninja immediately rushed to Hiruzen and handed him the scroll. As soon as Hiruzen opened it, his eyes widened. He looked at the ninja and said, "Call Shikaku here immediately." The ninja nodded and left while Hiruzen continued reading the scroll. In a few minutes, Shikaku appeared in the room. Hiruzen tossed him the scroll. Shikaku''s expression became serious as he started reading. After he read the entire scroll, he sighed in relief and said, "Renjiro did well." Hiruzen nodded. Shikaku added, "Still, what bad luck to have. They didn''t encounter any Kiri ninja for months and then directly attracted one of their strongest units. But for Kiri to extort so much money from us..." Hiruzen said, "40 million Ryo for the life of 3 Jounins and the safety of 1 Elite Jounin is fine. Even though Renjiro could have escaped, it''s difficult to say whether he would have managed to do that without any injury. Besides, we do have a lot of funds lying around." Fujin''s eyes widened. Hiruzen noticed it and said, "Don''t worry, they are safe. Renjiro could have escaped but stayed behind as his team couldn''t. They have reached a deal with one of the rebel leaders. Your mission is to complete the deal and bring them back to Konoha safely." He gave Fujin the scroll that Renjiro sent and said, "This scroll has the information regarding the deal. See and memorize it." He handed Yugao and Fumito a scroll each and said, "These scrolls have information on Mei and Ao, the two strongest Kiri ninjas there. Memorize their abilities." Everyone began reading. Fujin let out a sigh and thought, ''Looks like he will be fine." He handed the scroll back to Hiruzen and read up the information on Mei and Ao. It was quite similar to what he recalled in addition to some more information that wasn''t very important. After everyone was done, Hiruzen handed Fujin a couple of scrolls and said, "This scroll contains 40 million Ryo. Keep it properly. And the other scroll contains information we gained from the fake Bounty Hunter who targeted you. Read up. Provide this scroll to Terumi Mei. You can use this information to get an advantage over her or a favor from her." Fujin nodded. Hiruzen''s expression became serious. He said, "Though I believe there wouldn''t be any conflict, there is a chance it might be a trap. If it is, then focus on surviving. Disperse in different directions and make your way back here somehow. I will have ninjas deployed along our coast with Kiri." Fujin and his team nodded with solemn expressions behind their masks. They understood how bad the odds were if a conflict were to break out. Meanwhile, Hiruzen thought, ''If Renjiro ends up falling because of being held back by his teammates, then it will be sad. If his student were to fall due to the same reason, then it would be a tragedy. Only by dispersing can they guarantee Fujin''s safety.'' He said, "Fujin, you will inspect Renjiro properly. If he is placed under Genjutsu or some other means of mind control or if they are tortured, then I will give you the full autonomy to decide on how to proceed." Fujin nodded though he hoped that situation didn''t reach that stage. For one, he didn''t want anything bad to happen to Renjiro. And secondly, he had no confidence in defeating Mei. After explaining all the details, Hiruzen said, "Fujin, use your Hawk mask for this mission." Fujin realized what Hiruzen''s plan was. He nodded and asked, "Does Kiri have anyone who can fly?" Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Not that I know. But their Mizukage is a perfect Jinchuriki. Flying against him won''t be much help." Fujin nodded. His team left immediately. Chapter 327: High Speed Travel As they travelled, Fujin thought, ''Facing a rank S... Sigh... I hope that no combat happens. But if it does and they kill or mutilate Renjiro before I reach, what should I do?'' Noticing Fujin being lost in thoughts and recalling his reaction earlier, Bunjiro asked, "Captain, who is Senju Renjiro?" Fujin answered, "He was my Jounin Sensei after I graduated." Yugao already knew it, while Fumito and Bunjiro were surprised. Bunjiro said, "Don''t worry, Captain, he should be alright. Lord Hokage said that the chances of it being a trap are very low." Fujin nodded and replied, "Don''t worry, I am fine. It''s best if the situation is peaceful. But if something goes wrong, prepare to run away. I might not be able to help you guys much considering their numbers. But I''ll slow them down enough to give you an opportunity. Don''t miss it." Yugao immediately said, "You can''t risk your life for us, Captain. Your speed with the Body Flicker jutsu is very high. We don''t want to slow you down." Bunjiro nodded. However, Fujin said, "You don''t need to worry about me. They won''t be able to hurt or capture me. Just focus on escaping." The determination in his voice made his team unable to respond. They just nodded and travelled without speaking more. Despite speaking with determination, Fujin wasn''t very confident. After all, Mei was a rank S ninja. Someone who''d become a Kage not long after. And unlike Gaara, who was still a kid, she was in her mid-20s. Fujin thought, ''I knew that Mieko would eventually die. As for Hoka, his life and death are controlled by the main family of the Hyuga clan. Which is why I tried to keep a sufficient distance from them. Only Renjiro was someone who I knew wouldn''t die for sure... But this world is too dangerous. One wrong mission or bad choice is all that is needed to be at risk of losing your life!'' Fujin was very close with Renjiro. Of all the people he had spent time with in this world, he had spent the highest with Renjiro. Though he wouldn''t give up his life for Renjiro, he didn''t want to see Renjiro die. Fujin sighed secretly and thought, ''Let''s put my emotions away. They won''t help me. If conflict breaks out, can I take on Mei?'' He recalled her performance from the Fourth Great Ninja War and thought, ''If I were to rank the five Kages in that war from strongest to weakest, Mei would probably be the weakest. Though having two Kekkei Genkai is cool and sounds strong, her jutsus aren''t very effective on an open battlefield. Her lava jutsus are too slow and I can easily dodge them. Same for the Vapor jutsus. They are only effective in a closed space. As long as I don''t get trapped inside a formation, I should be fine. But there are still some issues. For one, it''s the 70 other ninjas with her. I can''t take on them while fighting with her. Any distraction could be deadly. Secondly, if her speed is as fast as Hiruzen, then I will be in trouble. And thirdly, the sea... I have no expertise in water jutsus. I can barely perform a few rank E and D jutsus. But they should all be able to manipulate water and make the fight ridiculously difficult for me. In addition, even though I am confident in dodging her attacks and making them harmless, it doesn''t mean that I can harm her. To dodge her two Kekkei Genkai jutsus will force me to maintain distance, which would give her enough time to dodge my Vacuum jutsus. So the best result I can hope for is a stalemate, which won''t be of any help to me in this particular situation. Fortunately, I have two means of dealing with the situation. Fujin answered, "Nothing. Not many people know about this. So keep quiet." A small blade of wind cut his thumb as he began weaving signs and slammed his hand on the ground. ''Summoning jutsu'' A majestic 9-meter-tall Sabertooth appeared in front of them, shocking Fujin''s teammates. Due to having their chakra fields activated, they could sense the vast amount of chakra in him. He turned his eyes to the strangers, who immediately stepped back. Fujin chuckled and said, "He is my summon. You can call him Kaito." He looked at Kaito and said, "Kaito, we need a lift to the Land of Water." Kaito grumbled, "I don''t mind flying you, but don''t treat me like a free transport service." Fujin jumped on his back and chuckled, "Sorry buddy. It''s an emergency this time. I might even need some aerial support from you later. Though I hope the situation doesn''t deteriorate to that state." Though Fujin chuckled, Kaito could hear the seriousness in his voice. He asked, "Is it that serious?" Fujin nodded and replied, "I might have to summon Kurogane." Kaito replied, "Ah, big brother has been itching for a fight for a long time. I''m sure he''ll be delighted. But don''t count much on me though. Fighting isn''t my forte." Fujin nodded. Though Kaito said that he wasn''t strong, Fujin knew that he was numerous times stronger than Goro. He looked at his teammates and said, "Hop on." Seeing that he was friendly, they jumped on his back. Bunjiro asked, "Is Kaito gonna run all the way to the shore? It would help us save a lot of stamina." Fujin didn''t reply. In the next moment, Kaito spread his wings. Bunjiro, Fumito and Yugao were surprised. With one flap of his wings, he took off the ground and broke through the clouds. Bunjiro was stunned by that sight. So were the other two. Despite being a ninja for over a decade, neither of them had seen such a sight. Chapter 328: Hand me the Money! Bunjiro said, "Summons are cool! I want one as well!" Fujin replied, "Good luck. You can find the summoning seals in the library. But be careful. It''s very dangerous. I almost died. Preferably discuss with your sensei or the Anbu Commander. They might help you reduce the risk." Bunjiro nodded. Fujin said, "Kaito will carry us close to the target. Use this time to rest. Eat a soldier pill. Your chakra and readiness need to be at the highest levels." Everyone nodded. Kaito flew straight towards the target for eight hours straight. They finally reached close to the island. The island was surrounded by water for tens of kilometers. Fujin asked Kaito to stop around 7 kilometers away from the island so that they would be out of reach of all sensors. The group landed on the water. Fujin said, "Be on your guard. We will be heading straight to the island. Kaito, hide above the clouds. If a conflict happens, then sneak attack their strongest fighters from above with your Wind Breath. If that fails, clear out their weaker ninjas. Also, one of them can spit lava and blow extremely hot steam. Both will be very harmful to you if they hit. So stay on guard against them and sudden changes in the temperature. Kaito replied, "Alright. Good luck to you." He took off and disappeared above the clouds. The Konoha ninjas ran straight to the island. When they were around 2.5 kilometers from the shore, a sensor sensed them. Everyone in Fujin''s squad felt it and prepared themselves. 1 Jounin and 3 Chunin from Mei''s forces moved towards Fujin''s squad while a ninja went to inform Mei and Ao. The Kiri squad running towards Fujin noticed that they weren''t slowing down. They were alarmed by seeing the Anbu outfits. Around 1 kilometer from the shore, the two squads met. The Kiri Jounin weaved hand signs while shouting, "Stay where you are and state your purpose!" ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'' A wall of water appeared in the path of the Konoha ninjas. However, blades of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hit the water wall, causing it to crumble down. The Kiri ninjas were surprised by the result. Fujin said, "I''m here to meet Terumi Mei. Lead me where she is." The Jounin frowned and asked, "Are you from Konoha?" Fujin nodded. The Jounin replied, "I will have to ask you to wait here." Fujin sneered, "Wait on the water to meet with Kiri ninjas?" He exerted a bit of his chakra and killing intent and said, "Get out of the way. I''ll wait for her on the beach." The Jounin frowned. He understood that conflict there would result in unnecessary casualties. He thought, ''If we fight on the island, then they will be outnumbered heavily and at a greater disadvantage. The chances of escape would be zero. What a fool!'' On the other side of the island, Mei and Ao reached the beach and saw Fujin and his squad. Fujin observed Mei and Ao. In addition to them, there were 20 other Kiri ninjas. 7 were Jounins while the rest were Chunins. Fujin analyzed, ''Their numbers are divided into four groups. One is keeping an eye on the ships, another is in the village, the third is keeping an eye on Renjiro and finally these guys here. The odds are a bit better than I anticipated. Though winning is still impossible.'' At the same time, Mei also took a measure of Fujin''s group. She wondered, ''Who are they? And how did Konoha send a squad so quickly? And why didn''t the Hokage send an Elite Jounin to ensure the safety of the captured ninjas?'' She thought a bit and concluded, ''Did Konoha send a weaker squad to reduce their losses in case this was a trap?'' Seeing that she wasn''t speaking, Fujin said, "Lord Hokage received Senju Renjiro''s message and asked me to take him from here." A scroll appeared in his hand. He added, "This scroll has the negotiated 40 million Ryo. So bring the Konoha ninjas here and we will complete the deal." Mei asked, "How did you come here so quickly?" Fujin replied in a neutral tone, "I''m afraid that isn''t your concern." His tone surprised Mei and Ao. They thought, ''Despite being outnumbered and outmatched, he isn''t afraid. Does he have something up his sleeve? Or is he not afraid of death?'' Mei said, "I am afraid it is. How do I know that you are from Konoha?" Fujin replied, "Just release them and they will confirm." That sentence eliminated the doubt of their identity. However, Mei didn''t want to appear in a weaker position against a nobody. She asked, "How do I know that the scroll has the money? Give me the scroll first and let me check." Fujin answered with a question, "Why would we bother travelling so far with so few people if we didn''t bring the money?" Ao and Mei''s expressions became serious. Fujin''s rhetorical question was both, a compromise and a threat. It implied that they couldn''t win a fight but at the same time, it also threatened Mei that Konoha could crush them on a whim. Fujin knew that they would be smart enough to understand the hidden message. The serious expression on Mei''s face faded away as a seductive smile appeared. She giggled, "What an interesting young man. Unfortunately, you have no power here. Hand over the scroll or I will capture you as well!" She suddenly riled her chakra! Massive pressure was exerted on the Konoha ninjas. A look of surprise appeared behind Fujin''s mask. As for the rest, they were completely shocked. In fact, Bunjiro was terrified. Despite having met with Hiruzen numerous times, none of them had seen him exert his chakra. So they had never sensed such a massive chakra from anyone other than Roshi. But Roshi hadn''t focused on them, so they never experienced such a domineering chakra. All three of them instinctively grabbed their weapons. Unlike his teammates, the surprise on Fujin''s face was due to an entirely different reason! Chapter 329: Not yet S rank! Unlike his teammates, the surprise on Fujin''s face was due to an entirely different reason! He thought, ''That''s it? Her chakra is barely higher than Renjiro''s! But why is it so low? I thought that it''d be higher than Hiruzen at the very least!'' Suddenly, it clicked. He realized, ''I see. She hasn''t reached the S rank yet. There are still 6 years until the start of the war. She should have reached that level during this time. Now that I think about it, the scroll with her information said nothing about her being an S ranked ninja. And if she was rank S, then the rebels wouldn''t be hiding so much. Maybe even the Genjutsu on the Mizukage would have been figured out by now!'' During the last 8 hours, Fujin was under a lot of stress! Taking on S ranked ninjas was not a matter he could take lightly. Even more so when they were holding hostages. But since Mei wasn''t at that level, all the stress was released. A smirk appeared on Mei''s face seeing the state of Konoha''s ninja. The Kiri ninjas were also smirking. They saw that the leader of Konoha ninjas was looking dumbfoundedly at Mei while his subordinates were under heavy pressure. Unknown to them, a smile appeared behind Fujin''s mask. The scroll in his hand disappeared. He said softly, "Unfortunately, you won''t be able to afford the cost." To everyone''s surprise, Fujin riled his chakra as well! And to the horror of Kiri ninjas, his chakra was at the same level as Mei! In fact, it could even be said to be barely higher! His chakra lifted the pressure from his teammates and put the Kiri ninjas under pressure. At the same time, two swords appeared on the left side of his waist. Their sheaths had intricate designs carved on them. Ao''s eyes widened as soon as they landed on the swords. He looked at Fujin again and realized, ''Hawk mask... Those two swords... And those patterns!'' He immediately whispered, "He is the Spectral Swordsman!" Mei was already surprised to see another Konoha ninja match her chakra. However, after learning about his identity, she felt that it was normal. The name Spectral Swordsman was very well known throughout the Land of Water. The reason for that was the insane number of rogue Kiri ninjas that fell to his blade! Over 80% of the rogue Kiri ninjas were estimated to have been killed by him. On the other side of the island, a look of surprise appeared on Renjiro''s face as he felt Fujin''s chakra! He looked in the direction of Fujin and thought, ''He has already reached this level?'' Soon, the look of surprise was replaced with a prideful smile. He said, "Let''s move!" They appeared on top of their houses as Renjiro riled his chakra as well.N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Both Fujin and Mei sensed his chakra. Fujin chuckled and asked, "Do you still refuse to accept my terms? If you do, I''m afraid that the losses you will experience, even in victory, will far exceed what''s in the scroll." Mei wasn''t offended. She said, "I never thought that Konoha would show that the Spectral Swordsman is from your village. But, if the Hokage sent you, I doubt he''d lie about the money." Fujin knew that it was a taunt. After all, Mei had received 40 million Ryo without giving anything in return. She didn''t even risk the lives of her subordinates. However, the money didn''t belong to Fujin. So he wasn''t bothered. He thought, ''If that was my money, I''d definitely steal it back. But, Hiruzen is too loaded. Just the trade deals he did with those 4 countries would bring over a hundred million Ryo on a monthly basis. And that is without considering the cost of Elemental Crystals. 40 million Ryo is probably just pocket money for Konoha.'' Though it might be a small some for Konoha, for Mei, whose finances were tight, this was like a boon from the heavens. Fujin looked at Renjiro and asked, "Ready to leave?" Renjiro nodded. The Konoha ninjas were about to leave, when Mei said, "Wait, I have two things to clear up." From their exchange so far, Fujin knew that she wouldn''t abruptly begin attacking. He said, "Speak." Mei said, "Around 3 years ago, one squad from my faction was chased into the Land of Fire by a squad from Mizukage''s faction. However, both squads disappeared. I want to know what happened to the squad from my faction. I hope the Hokage can provide me with the truth." Fujin thought, ''Just cause he gave you money, you expect him to speak the truth?'' He was about to agree, when Renjiro asked, "Who were in the squad? And who were the ones chasing?" Before Mei could answer, a young girl said, "The leader of the squad was Sakai Chou. She was chased by a squad led by Karatachi Kazuki." Fujin looked at the girl and thought, ''She looks a bit familiar...'' After a few seconds, he recognized her and thought, ''Sakai Yumi. I didn''t expect to see her here. Regardless, it looks like Mei is nurturing her. Or at least has some hopes from her.'' Fujin didn''t pay any more attention to her. He was stronger than her during the Chunin exams. And right now, the difference in their power was even larger. Renjiro said, "I don''t know anyone by the name of Sakai Chou, but the mission to deal with infiltrators back then was taken by me. I remember encountering a squad of 5 led by Karatachi Kazuki. Unfortunately, we didn''t see anyone else. We managed to find him because we found 2 corpses that were brutally mutilated and blown up into pieces. After defeating him and searching the forests, we found another body that was destroyed and blown into bits. I don''t remember the exact number, but the blood on their weapons was tested to be from more than 15 people. But we never managed to find any other bodies. So they might have been eaten by Wild beasts or killed before entering the Land of Fire." Chapter 330: A Tragedy! Renjiro''s words shocked the rebels. To be killed and then blown up to pieces was extremely cruel. However, most Kiri ninjas didn''t doubt his words. They had seen the horrendous acts committed by the Mizukage faction. They had no doubts that they would do something as heinous as that. Mei was a bit doubtful of the accuracy of Renjiro''s words, but she knew that nothing good would happen by pursuing such an old matter. Even if Konoha were the one to kill her, she wouldn''t be able to get justice for Chou. Instead, her followers might pressurize her to make a new enemy and reduce their chances of victory in the war. After all, it was unreasonable to expect everyone to see the bigger picture. She let out a sigh and said, "What a tragedy." She looked at Fujin and asked in a serious tone, "I hope you can tell me what you meant by that statement." Her first question was just to satisfy the people who believed in and followed her. However, the answer to the second question was what she wanted to know. She had a feeling that it would have a significant impact on her campaign. Fujin replied, "Sure." He took out a scroll from his jacket and tossed it at Mei. Mei caught the scroll and opened it while Fujin said, "You have underestimated the Mizukage faction. Your estimates regarding their finances are way off. I''d be very careful if I were in your position." Fujin''s words confused the Kiri ninjas. Some thought, ''Why would we hide from them if we had underestimated them?'' However, they became serious as they noticed the change in Mei''s expression. Her face had a very grim expression. She thought, ''I thought they were all tired of the situation in the country and went rogue. But the majority of them were rogue only in name. They did bounty hunting and sent money back to the village. If that is indeed the case, we have heavily underestimated their finances. And their resolve as well. We thought that if we stayed hidden, their forces would begin disbanding in large numbers and our chances of victory would increase. In fact, we even tried to recruit them... WAIT!'' Her eyes widened as she realized, ''No! We managed to recruit a few of them. But, with this information, there is a chance that they are spies that infiltrated our forces. Shit, we are in danger.'' The rebel camp was currently hiding and engaged in a guerilla campaign. But if they had spies among their ranks, then it was only a matter of time before they encountered a trap or were assaulted by a massive force! Fujin studied her expressions. They were as per his expectations. He had already read the scroll and was waiting for an opportunity to hand it over to her. Mei looked at him and let out a sigh. She said, "I don''t know how to thank you for this information. Its value far exceeds the 40 million Ryo we agreed upon. I''d have returned the money if my finances weren''t so tight. Unfortunately, I have nothing of equivalent value that I can offer you right now. We owe you a favor." Fujin nodded and said, "Good luck with your campaign."N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Fujin replied, "Nope. Did you guys consume any soldier pills?" Kazuki replied, "Yes, around a day ago." Fujin said, "Alright, let''s just run all the way back to the Land of Fire then. We will rest in a Patrol camp." Fujin''s casual reply stunned the Nara. He muttered softly, "Run for two days straight. Great!" Makoto and Itaru chuckled at his sorrow. As for the others, they were already used to the laziness of the Nara clan ninjas. They quickly formed a basic plan on how to travel, which places to avoid and how to use their sensors to avoid any more confrontations. The group travelled for half a day straight and reached close to the outer ring of islands in the Land of Water. Once they exited it, they would leave the area officially controlled by Kirigakure. However, Makoto sensed something. He turned his attention towards a small island to their right. Smoke could be seen coming from the island. He said, "Something horrible is happening there. It''s as if death is spreading across the island." His words surprised the rest. Fujin extended his chakra field as well and said, "There are no ninjas there. But I can feel numerous people dying by the minute." Renjiro said, "Let''s check it out." The Konoha ninjas changed their directions and entered the island. They headed straight to the village on the island. But, as soon as they got close to it, they slowed down. Everyone''s eyes widened! The scene in front of their eyes was straight from a horror story! The houses in the village were all damaged. Some had a few cracks, others had crumbled. However, that wasn''t the worst sight. The entire village was dyed in blood! Corpses, that were sliced open, littered the streets. Among these corpses were a few people that hadn''t died yet, but were not too far away from it. Fujin frowned. He walked into the village and asked softly, "Who did this?" Renjiro let out a sigh and said, "It is likely the Mizukage faction. Over a dozen villages and towns in the Land of Water have been eliminated by them in this manner. Mostly due to suspecting some people with bloodlines among them or if their village had any dealings with the rebels." Chapter 331: Rescue Renjiro''s words surprised Fujin''s team. Unlike Renjiro''s teammates, who had spent almost four months in the Land of Water, they hadn''t heard of these atrocities happening in the Land of Water. To know that a village was committing such atrocities on their citizens was shocking. Even Fujin, who had some ideas regarding the civil war, was shocked. He thought, ''No wonder such a massive rebellion is happening here. I initially thought that it was just the clans with Kekkei Genkai against normal clans. But this is disturbing.'' Fujin let out a sigh and wondered, ''Is this the act of some lunatics in the Mizukage faction or has Obito made the Mizukage commit such atrocities?'' Renjiro said, "Makoto, check who all are alive and can be saved. Heal them." Fujin objected, "This place just had a conflict. If we spend time here, we could once again be attacked." Fujin was opposed to Renjiro''s decision. After all, Renjiro''s squad was captured not long ago. And seeing the horrendous state, he doubted whether any of them would be able to live a normal life after experiencing such a horrifying incident. Renjiro shook his head and said, "The situation is different. If we see any ships coming, we will run away. If not, we will save as many here as we can." Fujin sighed and asked, "Would they even want to live after experiencing such an incident?" Renjiro replied, "That isn''t something we should decide." Fujin said, "Alright. I''ll help out Makoto. But keep an eye on your chakra levels, Makoto. Running away will be difficult if it is low." Makoto nodded. The group immediately began looking for survivors. The village had around 450 people. However, only 60 were alive when they arrived. And among those 60, 20 were in a very critical state and couldn''t be rescued without complicated medical treatments. Makoto healed most of them while Fujin healed their external wounds. Among the survivors, 24 had lost one or more limbs. Only 16 were well physically. However, their mental health was a complete mess. It wasn''t a surprise though. Not only did they undergo tremendous physical pain, but they also lost their loved ones. And the streets were still covered by their blood. The Konoha group spent half a day on the island. Fortunately, no one sailed to the island. After putting everyone to sleep using Genjutsu, Fujin asked, "What are you planning to do with them? Leaving them here wouldn''t be wise." Renjiro nodded and replied, "Yeah, the trauma is too intense. I''ll build a ship for them to sail away towards nearby islands. As for whether they survive or not, it''s their fate." Fujin nodded. Though Konoha was doing well, they couldn''t interfere anymore in this matter. Until then, no other country had interfered in the Civil War happening in the Land of Water. But once Konoha stepped in, the remaining 3 villages would also have to step in. It would make the situation very complicated and could lead to an all-out war between the 5 villages with the Land of Water as the battlefield. During the night, the Konoha ninjas built a boat large enough to carry 40 people. The next day, they asked whether the people wanted to stay on the island or leave. Knowing that the Mizukage''s forces could return, everyone chose to evacuate. However, one young boy, around 6 years old, approached Renjiro. He was very skinny, had pale skin and white hair. He looked into Renjiro''s eyes and asked, "Can you train me to become a ninja?" His voice was surprisingly calm and steady. Renjiro bent down to his level and asked with a kind smile on his face, "What is your name, brave child?" Renjiro nodded and replied, "Thank you. Unfortunately, our mission was interrupted." Hiruzen looked at Hayami and asked, "So, who is this young friend?" Renjiro let out a sigh and said, "On our way back, we encountered a village in the Land of Water that was destroyed by Kirigakure ninjas from the Mizukage faction. We rescued and healed a few survivors. Kyushu Hayami was one of them. He wants to become a ninja, so I brought him with me." Hiruzen observed the boy carefully. With a smile, he said, "Alright. We will take good care of you, Hayami. I have a lot of hopes for you." He looked at Renjiro and asked, "Should I make living arrangements for him, or will you be taking him to the Senju clan compounds?" Renjiro looked at Hayami. Hayami also looked back at him with eyes full of hope. Renjiro said, "I''ll make arrangements for him in the Senju clan compound." Hiruzen wasn''t surprised. Over the last few decades, especially since the start of the Second Great Ninja War, the Senju clan frequently took in orphans. Hiruzen nodded and said, "Alright. I will leave it to you then." He looked at Hayami and said kindly, "Hayami-kun, can you wait outside the room for a while? We have some matters to discuss." Hayami obediently said, "I can." He walked out of the room. Hiruzen asked, "So, how did the mission go?" Fujin replied, "It went well. I had a small confrontation with Mei, but no conflict happened. Since everything went well, I created some curiosity in her and handed her the scroll. She was grateful and said she owes us a favor." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Good. The mission can be considered a complete success. Though your mission was cut in half, it can be considered a success as well, Renjiro. I have already moved the kids you sent over into the academy." Renjiro nodded. They discussed some more details. Finally, Renjiro said, "I''ll be needing some time off. It''s been a while since I returned home." Hiruzen nodded and replied, "You can leave. Send me a mission report later." The group left the office. Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "Meet me tomorrow at noon in Yakiniku with Hoka. It''s been a long time since we have been together." Fujin replied, "Yeah, it''s been a while. Alright, I''ll call him." Renjiro nodded. He took Hayami with him and the group went their separate ways. Chapter 332: A Get-together Renjiro took Hayami to his home and introduced him to his family. His wife and children entertained Hayami and made him feel at home while Renjiro arranged for Hayami to stay in the Senju clan compounds. After making arrangements, Renjiro took him to the T&I Department where Hayami was put to sleep using a Genjutsu and the authorities did a thorough checkup on him. They inspected his body for any possible seals. After confirming there were none, they had a Yamanaka ninja read his memories. Once again, he was cleared and they confirmed he wasn''t a spy. After confirming, Ibiki let Renjiro take him back. The procedure wasn''t created especially for Hayami. All the 35 children Renjiro had sent before were subjected to the same. Of course, none of the kids remembered any of this. The next afternoon, Fujin walked into Yakiniku. He heard, "Fujin, here." Fujin turned his head in the direction of the voice to see Hoka. He joined him and said, "It''s been a long time." Fujin had gone to Hoka''s residence the day before. Unfortunately, he wasn''t at home. So he just dropped a message for him and left. Hoka replied, "Yeah. It''s been over a year since we last met up. Time flies so quickly. Seems like the Anbu life is very hectic." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. Some missions need me to stay out for months." He let out a sigh and added, "And for some reason, Lord Hokage seems to like giving me a lot of missions. You are lucky to not be in it."N?00v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Hoka nodded and replied, "Yeah, it gives me a lot of time to train." Fujin chuckled and teased, "So, why aren''t you a Jounin yet?" Hoka immediately became dejected. He said in a depressed tone, "Lord Hokage is so strict when it comes to promoting. I can already fight against Jounins from other major villages and even in my clan. But he promoted me to just Special Jounin. Father said that I''ll probably need another couple of years to be officially promoted to the Jounin rank." He looked at Fujin and asked, "What about you? Do you remember the promise we made two and a half years ago? You only have six months left." Fujin replied, "I got promoted to Anbu Captain a few months back. That rank is equivalent to Jounin. I''ll be Jounin when I retire." Hoka quickly caught on to the information. He asked, "You are planning to quit the Anbu?" Fujin nodded and answered, "I don''t get much time to train. But I still have some work to do in the Anbu. It should be completed in around 6 to 8 months." Hoka replied, "Alright. Let''s compete when you are done with your work then." A grin formed on his face as he said, "I can''t wait to fight against you again." "Is fighting all you two can think about?" Fujin said in an uncertain tone, "Sparring... I''m kinda against doing much of that now." Fujin''s words surprised Renjiro and Hoka. Hoka asked, "Why so?" Fujin replied, "The last time I sparred with my team, I had a hard time controlling myself. The missions in Anbu have honed my killing instincts to an extreme. It gets difficult to control myself when I see openings. And it is very dangerous considering that I use Wind jutsus primarily. One bad attack could end up killing a friend." Fujin''s words surprised Hoka. Unlike Fujin, Hoka went on missions that were tailored to his growth. The Hyuga clan had a proper system in place for anyone who worked hard to get stronger. So Hoka benefited from it. And unlike Fujin, his missions didn''t involve as much killing. Renjiro said, "Yeah, that happens when you spend a lot of time in Anbu. Even after leaving the Anbu, it stays for many years. That said, losing control over your actions is not good. It may seem advantageous in battle, but you''ll end up making a lethal mistake at some point. You should find a sparring partner to learn and control those instincts." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. I guess Lord Hokage feels the same. My missions over the last few months don''t involve much fighting." After his clash with Roshi, Hiruzen realized that Fujin''s tactics and thoughts had developed to become extremely lethal. He realized that Fujin''s actions in the Land of Wind wouldn''t be a one-off event. So to tone down his aggression, Hiruzen had assigned him missions that dealt more with diplomacy and protection rather than elimination. Though the mission to rescue Renjiro''s squad had a chance of high-level combat, it too fell under diplomacy as Fujin had to avoid conflict to ensure the complete success of the mission. So as such, Fujin hadn''t killed a lot after his mission to eliminate the base that Suna had created in the Land of Fire. After talking for a bit, the group decided against sparring. Renjiro was concerned that an all-out spar between them would wreck an entire training ground. Though the village generally disregarded such destruction, he had a feeling that the scale might surpass what the village could ignore. As for Hoka, he wanted to keep his improvements a secret from Fujin. So he didn''t push for a spar either. Fujin changed the topic by asking, "How many kids did you rescue from the Land of Water?" Renjiro replied, "Including Hayami, 36." Fujin was surprised. He said, "That''s quite a lot. Do any of them have Kekkei Genkai?" Renjiro shook his head and replied, "They are too young. So it hasn''t manifested in anyone. But some of them do have the bloodline. Hopefully, a few of them will unlock their Kekkei Genkai. Though even if they don''t, it''s fine. At some point in the future, one of their descendants will unlock it." Fujin nodded. Establishing a new bloodline clan in the village was a long-term project. It would take a few decades to show results. And the frequent wars and deaths during the missions would be a huge obstacle towards that goal. But Fujin wasn''t very interested in the long-term aspect. He hoped that a few of the kids would unlock their Kekkei Genkai very soon. He was planning to start fusing his own elements soon to learn a Kekkei Genkai. Having a reference would be a huge help for him. He thought, ''I''ll need to keep an eye on those kids.'' Seeing how much time had passed, Renjiro said, "I lost track of time. I have some work to do at home. It was good meeting both of you again." Hoka nodded, "Yeah. We should do this more often in the future." Fujin and Renjiro nodded. They said farewells and went their separate ways. Chapter 333: Konohas Light and Darkness! After a few days off, Fujin once again became busy with his Anbu duties. Hiruzen was quite busy as well. He made arrangements for Hayami to join the 1st year in the academy. Though the kids Renjiro brought from Kiri were talented enough to be placed in Elite batches, Hiruzen didn''t do that and instead distributed them in the normal batches that had 100 students. His goal was to ensure that they made good friends in Konoha. Combined with his frequent ''motivational'' speeches, the unsuspecting kids were quickly assimilated into Konoha. Once the assimilation was complete, Hiruzen analyzed, ''36 good kids. Their circumstances will make them train harder than most. And they might even motivate others to train hard. Once their strength grows beyond the normal students, I''ll expand the Elite batches to include the ones that stand out.'' Seeing how good they were, Hiruzen thought, ''It''d be good if we could recruit such kids frequently from there. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult and risky. Both sides should have noticed these events. They''ll be on the lookout for such operations done by other villages. Not to mention, there will be competition from other villages.'' He began analyzing to check if he could continue the operations in the Land of Water somehow. However, he could only think of one solution. He wondered, ''Should I ask Danzo to make a move there?'' Hiruzen was in a dilemma when it came to Danzo. Though he was a comrade, he had been very extreme in the past few years. The Uchiha''s loss was a big blow for Konoha. In addition, unlike others, Danzo won''t obediently do what Hiruzen wanted. He thought, ''The only way Danzo would agree is if I let him induct the kids into Root. No, he will agree even if I decline and would instead secretly induct the most talented kids he finds into the Root.N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. But, I have already disbanded the Root. Though he still has a few dozen Root ninjas under his command, it is a far cry from what he controlled before the Uchiha Massacre. If I let him recruit kids from here, then he will begin rebuilding the Root again.'' Hiruzen began analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of such an action. After around 10 minutes, he decided, ''Though the rebels aren''t lunatics like the Mizukage faction, at the end of the day, they are still a different village. I can''t guarantee that they would ally with us. Even though Danzo is extreme, at the end of the day, he is still loyal to Konoha. I''ll let him take over this operation. Even if he recruits talented children now, he will need around 10 years to raise a large number of Jounins from their ranks. He will be too old by then to have any more ambitions towards the Hokage seat. Besides...'' A glint appeared in Hiruzen''s eyes as he decided, ''In around 6 years, I''ll pass my seat to Kakashi or Fujin. And I''ll make the other the commander of Root and force Danzo to retire along with me. That would be the best outcome for Konoha.'' Though there were a lot of reasons for Hiruzen to be upset with Danzo, it was undeniable that Konoha had benefited heavily due to him. Of all the villages, Konoha was the only village where a rank S ninja willingly took over the role of Darkness and stayed away from the limelight. One rank S ninja leading in the light and another hiding in the dark was a deadly combination. Even if Konoha didn''t have any other rank S ninjas, Hiruzen was confident in defending Konoha during the Second and Third Great Ninja wars despite being surrounded by enemies on all sides. Danzo replied, "I want my former Root ninjas back under my command." Hiruzen shook his head and replied, "That''s not negotiable. Root won''t be officially started either." A frown formed on Danzo''s face. He asked, "How will I rescue the orphans?" Hiruzen replied, "Use your current forces. You can deploy all of them if you want. In addition, the kids you recruit can be recruited into Root. But I want proper documentation on each of them, along with yearly reports on their progress. Especially if someone unlocks Kekkei Genkai." Danzo was surprised by the offer. He thought, ''I do have enough force to undertake such a task. But why is Hiruzen being so generous? I thought I would only get to induct a few kids sneakily. But if he allows me to induct them openly, I can rebuild my Root forces in 8 to 10 years.'' Hiruzen stared at Danzo, completely understanding his thought process. He thought, ''I don''t want to do something like this to an old comrade. But you left me with no choice. I can only give you false hope and take it away from you before it gives you any results.'' Not knowing Hiruzen''s plan to force him to retire, Danzo replied, "Alright. I will take over this mission. But you can''t change your mind in the future." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Of course. Recruit as many orphans as you can. But be careful of the Mizukage and Rebel factions. Their fighting will intensify soon." Danzo nodded. Hiruzen disappeared from the office as rapidly as he appeared. After he left, a frown formed on Danzo''s face. He thought, ''Konoha''s current condition is very stable. So why did Hiruzen give me an opportunity to reestablish my forces?'' He thought for a long time, but couldn''t come up with a definite answer. He decided, ''Whatever. No matter what he is up to, I''ll just counter his schemes when they pop up. Besides, even if I figured out his schemes, I would still want to recruit those orphans.'' The following day, 36 Root ninjas sneakily left Konoha. They moved into the Land of Water and began their mission of ''rescuing'' a large number of orphans who were suffering due to the war. Around the time the Root ninja reached the Land of Water, Fujin entered his basement. There were multiple scrolls in his hand. He laid the scrolls on the floor and opened them while thinking, ''In the last eight months, I have learnt all the new Fuinjutsu symbols that were in Section A of the Library. In addition, I have learnt hundreds of new seals. Finally, my basics are good enough to begin learning this jutsu.'' He sighed and muttered, "It''s been such a long time since I wanted to master this seal. Finally, I can do it!" The scrolls in front of him contained information and a training plan to learn the Four Symbols Seal! Chapter 334: Four Symbols Seal Fujin sat in his basement, carefully reading the information in the scrolls. It wasn''t the first time he had read it. In fact, it was the first seal he studied after getting promoted to the Anbu Captain rank. But the last time he read, he realized that he wasn''t ready to learn the seal. After reading all the information once again, Fujin summarized, ''Four Symbols Seal... A seal made of just four symbols. Sounds so simple... Unfortunately, that isn''t the case. The truth is that this seal contains thousands of symbols arranged in a very complicated manner. In terms of complexity, this is the most complex seal I have seen. The thousands of symbols are arranged in such a way that they take the shape of four symbols, giving the seal its name. The four symbols themselves have a particular function. The first symbol is to make the seal adaptable. It allows certain changes to be made to the seal such that every Four Symbols Seal is different from each other, sort of like a signature or a fingerprint. And once the seal is created, this symbol allows the seal to be further modified. Due to this, the ones who know this seal and are aware of the details in this symbol can make it stronger or weaker if the host doesn''t resist or considers them a threat. In addition, the seal can also be influenced by other seals to make the sealing much stronger.N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. The second symbol is to suppress what is sealed inside this seal. It restricts the amount of power the Tailed Beast controls. In fact, it can pretty much shut down all power of a tailed beast and forcefully put it to sleep. The third symbol is to make the seal resilient. If the Tailed Beast somehow overcomes the suppression of the second symbol, then the resilience granted by this symbol is enough to temporarily stop a Tailed Beast from breaking out and provide the host with an opportunity to resist and fight back. It would also provide defenses to prevent someone from forcefully changing the seal. Though if the difference in power between the two ninjas is high, it won''t be much help. The last symbol''s effect is a bit vague and variable. It uses the willpower and determination of the host to increase or decrease the effects and strengths of the other three symbols. Though it isn''t a fixed boost, it is a good addition. After all, the willpower of any person will be the highest when death is right in front of them. So at the moment when the Tailed Beast is about to break out forcefully, this symbol would provide a huge help to the host. In addition, if the host faces an external threat, such as a situation where his friends are being killed while he helplessly watched, the determination to live or resist the Tailed Beast can decrease, lowering the power of the seal and allowing the Tailed Beast to break out and rampage against a superior enemy force.'' He placed a map on the desk between them, pointed at a location and said, "The Ito family in the Land of Waterfalls has recently been experiencing strange incidents. There have been a lot of murders happening in the villages in their territory. In some cases, the entire population inside the villages have disappeared. And there have been no signs of struggle. Tanigakure sent some of their ninjas to investigate but came empty-handed. I sent another Anbu squad to investigate but they didn''t find anything either. They stayed in their territory for one month during which no incident occurred. However, a few days after they returned, the incidents began happening again. For some reason, whoever is doing this, is only targeting the civilians. And they have managed to hide from any ninjas investigating. The previous squad I sent specialized in tracking and investigation but was unsuccessful as well. So I''m guessing that a SealMaster or GrandMaster might be involved." Fujin listened carefully. Eagle added, "Your mission is to inspect who is causing this. If you find the culprit, you can decide whether to kill or capture them or even let them go if you have a good reason. If you don''t find anyone, then make a decision on when to stop and return back to the village." Fujin nodded and replied, "Alright. We will move out soon." He took the map that had all the markings of where the incidents had happened. He went into his team''s assigned room and analyzed the information while his clones moved to call his teammates. Fujin analyzed, ''This case is weird. The targets are all over the Ito family''s territory and no one area has a higher number of attacks. Still, attacking civilians and possible Fuinjutsu mastery... Is it the Jashin? They were active in the Land of Grass last time. And this area isn''t too far off from them. But the Land of Earth is also close to this place. So there could be a possible Iwagakure involvement. I need to be careful in case the Jinchurikis or Onoki are involved.'' In around half an hour, his team assembled, ready to move. Fujin explained the mission parameters and left the village. Though Fujin''s squad didn''t have anyone who specialized in tracking or picking up small clues like scent or hidden footprints, every one of them was a sensor. Though Yugao and Bunjiro''s sensor skills were very good, they were still quite handy. Both had improved considerably during the last 7 months. Within a day and a half, Fujin''s team reached the town in the Land of Waterfall where the Ito family lived. Chapter 335: A Complex Situation! Fujin''s squad went straight into the Ito family''s mansion. Seeing that another Anbu squad from Konoha had arrived, they were quickly welcomed into the mansion. Ito Yuya immediately appeared and said, "I am glad that Konoha sent another squad so quickly. Come with me. I''ll update you on the recent incidents." He began walking inside the mansion while the Konoha ninjas followed him. As he walked, Fujin looked to his left and right. Numerous servants were staring at them. On seeing his gaze, they quickly averted eye contact and continued their work. A frown formed on Fujin''s face behind his mask. He thought, ''That''s weird. Not all of those gazes were filled with curiosity. Though no one showed it on their faces, it felt like someone was excited to see us. There is a problem in this mansion.'' He remembered their faces and continued following Yuya. They soon entered a large room with a lot of maps. The room had several ninjas and people from the Ito family, who were trying to come up with a solution. As soon as they entered, all eyes landed on them. A look of relief appeared on their faces. While Fujin identified several faces, one stood out. He looked at one person and thought, ''Hara Yuto. As expected, he is here as well.'' Hara Yuto was a capable Jounin from Takigakure. In terms of strength, he was about the same level as Fumito. Around a year ago, Fujin''s previous Anbu squad had taken a mission to eliminate the ninjas from the Kawaguchi family who wanted to kill Ito Yuya and Kara Yuto. So Fujin had some impression of them.N?00v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Fujin walked towards a circular table that had a large map. The map was of the territory they controlled. He asked, "So, what''s the current status?" Yuto answered, "This is the most detailed map we have. The villages crossed out in black are villages where the entire population disappeared." He pointed towards one village and said, "This village faced their fate five days ago. The remaining three happened before your previous Anbu squad had arrived. As for the other villages, the numbers next to them state how many people have gone missing. We have tried searching for them continuously but have had no luck until now. There is no pattern to their activities. The people kidnapped are of both genders, all ages and all professions. The attacks are also at completely random places. We have tried forming a pattern to deduce what they will attack next, but have never succeeded." He took a pause and looked at the Konoha ninjas. He continued, "However, there is one thing. Not a single Ninja has gone missing. The villages where we sent a ninja squad didn''t experience such incidents. But if we withdraw the squad, then such attacks resume. In addition, when the Konoha Anbu squad was here, not a single attack took place. But after they left, it resumed." Everyone in the room was completely helpless. They had tried all they could but couldn''t do anything to resolve the situation. Previously, they had specifically asked for a squad that specialized in tracking. But that didn''t help them either. Yuto concluded, "So our analysis is that the culprit is someone who specializes in stealth but either isn''t strong enough to face our ninjas or doesn''t want to risk facing us." Fujin''s subordinates also fell into thought while Fujin focused on the map, trying to find any attack patterns. Bunjiro asked, "Why don''t you deploy a ninja squad to every village? Wouldn''t that solve the issue?" Bunjiro''s analysis was on point. Though they won''t find the culprits, they would avoid taking any more losses. However, Yuya helplessly replied, "Unfortunately, we don''t have that many ninjas. We tried asking our village for it, but the request was refused because they were afraid that these attacks would spread to other territories." Yuto nodded and replied, "In addition, if we do that, then the defenses of Takigakure will be weakened. We have to shield against the possibility of this being an attempt to launch an attack on our ninja village." Their explanations made Bunjiro''s solution unimplementable. He didn''t say anything else. However, Fujin muttered while staring at the map, "Yeah. But you might not have a country if you don''t stop this." He said, "We have come here to investigate the recent incidents happening around this town. After looking for a long time, we realized that a servant working in the mansion has turned traitor." Fujin''s words surprised the servants and the Ito family. The Ito family ninjas looked at Fujin with skepticism. After all, they had already investigated each of their servants and hadn''t found anyone suspicious. The servants quickly began defending themselves. One said, "We will never betray the hands that feed us." Another said, "Lord, please recheck your information. We will never do that." Others complained as well. Fujin said, "My information is accurate." He made a hand seal and said, "I will give the traitor an opportunity. Confess. If you do, then I will let the Ito family handle your punishment." He released some killing intent and stated very coldly, "But if you don''t, then not only will I kill all of you, I will also slaughter each and every member of your families!" ''Boufura no Ekirei jutsu'' The Ito family frowned again. Once again, Fujin had done something that they didn''t approve of. However, since he hadn''t acted yet, they controlled themselves. After all, they had already talked with him. Only Yuto noticed what Fujin did. He thought, ''A Genjutsu? But which one?'' Since Fujin used only one hand seal, Yuto couldn''t identify what he did. The servants began arguing and pleading hysterically. They didn''t want their families to suffer. However, as they shouted, they suddenly felt a pain in their stomach. They all held their stomach and fell to the ground while screaming in pain. The Ito family finally had enough, but Yuto said, "It''s fine. Stay back and watch." Meanwhile, a frown appeared behind Fujin''s mask as well. He thought, ''That''s strange. None of them are ninjas. And I didn''t sense anyone speaking lies. Was what I felt wrong? Or is there such a good civilian spy?'' The pain soon turned into panic as the servants noticed maggots drilling through their abdomen and crawling out. They pleaded with Fujin to spare their lives. Fujin looked at them and said emotionlessly, "For one last time, have you done anything to betray the Ito Family or passed information to someone else?" All 16 servants replied negatively. However, Fujin''s and Fumito''s eyes landed on one servant. Both detected that he was lying. A few seconds later, all the servants lost consciousness. Fujin looked at Fumito, who nodded in response. Chapter 336: The Right Question... Fujin created a Shadow Clone who walked towards the servant who had lied and picked him up. Fujin said, "Give me a small room. I want to interrogate him." Yuya asked, "What about the remaining 15? And what did you do to them?" Fujin replied, "They were placed under a Genjutsu. They will wake up in a day or so. Keep them in the same room and have a doctor monitor their health. And they won''t remember much of what happened. So make up a story for them." Yuya replied, "Alright." Soon, a closed room was arranged for the Konoha ninjas. Fujin placed a few privacy seals in the room and said, "Go ahead Fumito. Check what he is hiding." Fumito nodded and walked towards the unconscious servant and placed his hand on his head. Yin chakra entered the servant''s brain as Fumito began reading his memories. Fujin observed him carefully. He thought, ''It was a boon to have a Yamanaka on my squad. In the last 6 months, I have seen him read memories several times. Thanks to that, I have gained valuable insights into the technique. I used some bandits to experiment on and I can finally read some memories. But my method is still too crude. I have only a 25% success rate and I can''t read all the memories as the brain gets destroyed after a few minutes. Still, this is good. In a few years, I will be able to use this technique properly.'' For 30 minutes, Fumito kept reading his memories. Finally, he let him go and took a deep breath. Fujin asked, "So, what did you find?" Fumito replied, "He isn''t a traitor. Or at least, he doesn''t consider himself as one. That is why we couldn''t detect any lies earlier. He lives alone as his family died around a year ago. He knew who the killer was but had no proof and couldn''t do anything as the killer held a lot of influence in the Ito family. He could only bottle it up in himself and continued living bitterly. However, a few months ago, a man approached him. He knew about his situation and promised to get justice for his family if he passed information about any foreign ninjas coming into this mansion." His words generated complicated emotions in the Konoha ninjas. Bunjiro sighed and said, "No wonder he didn''t consider himself a traitor." Yugao asked, "Did he pass the information?" Fumito nodded. He said, "He agreed but added that he will only do it once. The man agreed and eliminated the person who had killed his family. In return, he informed the man when our previous squad arrived here. After passing on the information, the man gave him another deal. If he passed them information for the second time, he would eliminate the ones who supported the killer and allowed him to live in peace without any consequences for his actions. He agreed once again. When we were analyzing the map and the situation, he went out to report our arrival to that man."N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. A frown formed on the faces of the Konoha ninjas. Yugao said, "That means that our arrival is likely known to the enemy." The Konoha ninjas made themselves comfortable. Sensing the opportunity, Fujin called Yuya and Yuto into their room. Yuya asked, "What did you want to discuss? And why did you tell us to come alone?" Fujin looked straight into his eyes and said, "I have a doubt. I''m wondering if you could provide me with a satisfactory answer." Yuya replied kindly, "Just say. We will do our best to fulfill any of your requests." Fujin didn''t break eye contact and asked, "Is the Ito family behind these events?" Fujin''s question shocked everyone in the room. Yuto quickly looked at Yuya who looked angry. Yuya controlled his temper and asked in an unpleasant tone, "What do you mean?" From his reply, Fujin could see that Yuya wasn''t a part of it. He said, "Stop being emotional and think rationally. Such a large incident without the support of someone from inside is difficult. Do you suspect anyone from your family is behind this? Or perhaps providing them with information that could assist them in some way?" Yuya thought for a minute before shaking his head. He said, "I can''t think of anyone doing something like this. There is nothing for our family to gain. Some rival families may have a hand, but even after investigating, we didn''t find any proof." Fujin replied, "Alright. Keep an eye out. Though I don''t have any proof either, this being an inside job has a high possibility. For that reason, I will only be informing you two about the next step of my plan." Yuya got serious. Yuto asked, "What plan did you come up with?" Fujin replied, "If the attacks continue happening, we will begin the hunt depending on the situation. But, if the attacks stop like last time, then we will stay here for a week. You will take that opportunity to see how we act here. And you will arrange for 4 ninjas you trust to disguise as us. We will sneak out during the night without alerting anyone and those 4 ninjas will continue disguising as us to deter any future incidents." Yuya and Yuto fell silent and began analyzing. Finally, Yuto let out a sigh and said, "Looks like that is the only feasible action." Fujin nodded and said, "If the incidents continue happening in the future, then we can meet someplace outside the town secretly and create a plan to stop them. But if they keep hiding, there isn''t much we can do." Yuto nodded. They discussed some more details before leaving. While walking back, Yuya sighed and said, "Looks like this is our only way. The village won''t send us more ninjas and Konoha doesn''t want to station a squad here permanently." Yuto nodded and replied, "Yeah. But this is better than nothing. It could buy a few months of peace until they realize that something is wrong. We can use that time to investigate further." Yuya nodded. Since the information was leaked, they didn''t have any hopes of catching the culprits and could just wish for temporary peace. Unknown to them, their prediction would turn out to be completely wrong! Chapter 337: A Creepy Feeling! Yuya and Yuto began overseeing the task of searching for the man. They showed the sketch around the town. However, not a single person similar to the sketch was seen by anyone in the town. Yuya went to Fujin and reported to him the state of investigation. Fujin said, "Looks like that man is a ninja. He should have used the Transformation jutsu when the servant saw him." Yuya asked, "What do we do now?" Fujin instructed, "It''s fine. Continue the search until everyone is asked. Once it is completed, inform me. Inform me as soon as the ninjas stop the search." Yuya was surprised by the weird command. But he nodded. His ninjas investigated until the evening before giving up. Yuya informed Fujin that the search had stopped and the ninjas would return in a couple of minutes. Fujin nodded and dismissed him. Around 10 minutes after the ninjas returned, a chakra field covered the entire town! It was activated by Fujin, who sat at the top of the mansion. He thought, ''I can''t sense any other ninja. It looks like he is still being careful. That sucks. I was hoping that he''d drop his guard after the ninjas returned. Anyways, time to mess with him.'' In one ordinary house in the town, a man began sweating. He held his breath and didn''t dare to even move a muscle. After 2 minutes, when the chakra field disappeared, he finally relaxed. He thought, ''What a crazy bastard! Did he cover the entire town with his chakra field? Fortunately, I kept my chakra suppressed. If I had relaxed because those annoying Ninjas gave up, I''d be dead now.'' He collected himself and decided, ''It''s best to not use my chakra for a while. I might not get lucky every time. But as long as I don''t use my chakra, I will be safe.'' After consoling himself, he calmed down. However, his night wasn''t peaceful. Throughout the night, Fujin and Fumito kept activating their chakra fields alternately. The first started to do them at an interval of 10 minutes. But then they suddenly changed the interval to 1 minute. They followed it up by going completely random. At some point, both stopped and didn''t sense any more before suddenly sensing after 3 hours! The man didn''t dare to sleep in case he accidentally released some chakra during his sleep. And he didn''t dare to consume a soldier pill to stay awake as that would make it difficult for him to hide his chakra. So he had a sleepless night followed by a sleepless day and another sleepless night. However, he didn''t blow up his cover. Fujin finally decided to stop as he had to leave after 6 days and the Ito family wouldn''t be able to replicate such sensing skills. The squad stayed a sufficient distance from the village and hid among the trees while observing the village. Fujin''s eyes stopped glowing as he muttered, "That''s strange. I''m not seeing anyone''s chakra. But the village is giving me strange creeps." Bunjiro replied, "Maybe it is because the village is empty." Fujin replied, "No. That''s not it. Be on your guard. Fumito, let''s investigate the village." Fumito nodded. Both he and Fujin activated their chakra fields. However, neither sensed anyone or anything strange. But Fujin had a frown on his face. He said, "Let''s go. Everyone keep your chakra field active. Be on your guard and stay behind me. Retreat when I say so without any questions. Is that understood?" His team nodded. They began walking towards the village. All four were actively sensing. In a minute, they appeared at the entrance of the village. Fujin stopped walking as he stared into the village with hesitation in his eyes. His team also stopped behind him and wondered whether he discovered anything. Fujin stood for two minutes but still couldn''t make sense of anything. He thought, ''My first thought is Fuinjutsu. But this doesn''t feel like it. I normally understand it very well when something is hidden with the help of seals. What is th...?'' As he was thinking, his instincts warned him. Suddenly, a wide grin appeared behind his mask as he thought, ''Not bad at all. You almost had me!'' A sword appeared in his right hand and he swung it forward with all his strength as he said, "Retreat!" In the next moment, Fujin''s sword met with a hardened black fist! Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro immediately jumped backwards. The sword cut into the fist for a few millimeters but couldn''t pierce any deeper. Instead, the force of the punch overwhelmed Fujin''s sword. But Fujin wasn''t bothered and instead used the force of the punch to be sent flying backwards. He laughed loudly and shouted in excitement, "Very Impressive. Consider me impressed!" Though Fujin laughed and said those words, they were only a taunt to provoke the ones hiding inside the barrier and make them come outside. He didn''t want to fight on a battlefield created by the enemy. Unfortunately, no one fell for his taunt. Fujin continued moving backwards as he built up a large amount of chakra. Hundreds of shurikens, explosion tags, kunais, spikes, earth spears and a few jutsus appeared out of thin air and came rushing at the Konoha ninjas. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' Fujin released a supercharged Infinite Breakthrough jutsu at a massive speed and with dozens of wind blades and a couple of Vacuum Waves in it. The jutsu clashed with the incoming attacks! Chapter 338: Failing for the First Time! The incoming weapons and jutsus clashed with Fujin''s attack. Without any suspense, all were knocked back towards the village. In fact, the Wind current was so strong that it looked like it would uproot the entire village! However, a massive invisible barrier appeared around the village. The winds hit the barrier and couldn''t penetrate through it! Fujin observed the barrier and thought, ''Fortunately I learnt those new seals. Looks like this is the work of a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. I almost fell into a deadly trap!'' While it was easy to become a SealMaster, Fuinjutsu Grandmasters were very rare. The only one with whom Fujin interacted during missions was Uchiha Sora. Apart from him, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Tsunade and Danzo were the only ones he knew in Konoha that were Grandmasters for sure. Apart from them, there was one Fuinjutsu Grandmaster who made inscribed seals for the Anbu, but Fujin never found his identity. Fujin did speculate there to be a few more in Konoha, but the knowledge wasn''t publicly known. It was the same for the other villages. No information was available on who reached this level of Fuinjutsu due to how easy it was to hide. Though Fujin had come across seals inscribed by Grandmaster previously, they were in places where he had expected them to be and without anyone actively managing them. This was the first time for him to be ambushed on the battlefield by one. So he had never experienced how the advanced seals placed by them would be perceived by his senses. Fortunately, his long training in Fuinjutsu prevented him from walking into a trap. Fujin thought, ''It''d be great if I can see who this person is. Once the identity is leaked, he or she will be forced to stay hidden. But for now, I need to draw them out.'' While the barrier blocked the attack, Fujin and his teammates immediately retreated away from the village. Though they didn''t sense anyone, they realized that many ninjas were hiding in the village. Inside the barrier, a frown formed on the face of the ninja who punched Fujin''s sword. Seeing no way to lure the Konoha ninjas in, he shouted, "Chase and kill them!" Immediately, dozens of ninjas rushed out of the barrier. In addition, 3 squads of ninjas appeared on the flanks and behind the Konoha ninjas. As soon as they appeared, the Konoha ninjas became very serious. Fujin wondered, ''Iwagakure ninjas? What is Iwagakure planning by kidnapping so many people? This isn''t their style of action. And...'' Fujin looked at the large man that had punched his sword and thought, ''What is so important that they sent Kitsuchi on this mission? Shit, this guy is considered S rank. Though he is probably among the weaker S ranked ninjas, he will still be a very difficult opponent. We need to retreat.'' Fujin''s teammates also saw Kitsuchi and had a grim expression. One S ranked ninja along with 96 Iwa ninjas was too much for them to handle. And they didn''t know if anyone else was still hidden in the village. At the same time, Kitsuchi looked at Fujin and thought, ''Suzuki Fujin... So close. Had he stepped in, I could have killed him. But such alertness...'' An old man stepped next to him and said, "This young man has a good grasp of Fuinjutsu. It''s possible that he is a Grandmaster as well. Don''t take him lightly." Fujin''s eyes widened. He thought, ''What the hell? They dodged at such close range? Wait, I don''t sense any chakra disappearing from my clones'' attacks either. Did they all dodge?'' Fujin didn''t understand. If he used the Vacuum bullets at such close range, only Elite Jounins would be able to dodge in such a convincing manner. But the chakra levels of the four ninjas were much lower. In addition, his clones'' attacks were dodged as well. But there was no way that all the dozens of Iwa ninjas were Elite Jounins. Unfortunately, he didn''t have any time to make sense of the situation. The four Iwa Jounins facing them counterattacked. Though the Konoha ninjas managed to deal with the attacks, it provided enough time for the remaining Iwa ninjas to come swarming towards them. He thought, ''This is bad. My tactic''s success depends on killing a few enemies quickly and demotivating the rest to chase us due to the costs they would have to incur. But since neither Vacuum waves nor bullets managed to kill anyone, we will be swarmed by them.'' Fujin had a bad feeling. He properly observed the Iwa ninjas. They didn''t come flooding towards the Konoha ninjas to abuse their numerical superiority. Instead, only 7 additional squads rushed at them. The others quickly began establishing a perimeter to stop any escape. But they were very close as well and could jump into the battle at any moment. It was as if the Iwa ninjas wanted them dead at all costs. Seeing the situation, Two of Fujin''s clones moved towards a couple of incoming squads and stalled them. The remaining two clones got together and faced the direction which had the maximum number of Iwa ninjas. ''Fire Release: Searing Migraine jutsu'' ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' The two jutsus combined seamlessly and a massive Firestorm was launched at the incoming Iwa ninjas. However, before they could be hit, Kitsuchi slammed his hands on the ground. A massive Earth Wall appeared in front of the Iwa ninjas. The Fire and Wind combination jutsu hit the wall and was about to move around and over it, but the size of the wall kept increasing and surprisingly kept up with the expanding firestorm. The wall curved to properly protect all the Iwa ninjas so that the Firestorm would harmlessly pass by. Though the attack was stopped to the clones'' dismay, it stopped the Iwa ninjas behind the wall temporarily, allowing Fujin and his remaining clones a breather. One of the clones flickered in front of the incoming squad and shot a dozen Air bullets. Once again, all the bullets were dodged. The clone stopped their counterattack while analyzing, ''They know about my skills. They move as soon as I attack. The same should have happened with Vacuum waves. But why would everyone be aware of my skills?'' Suddenly, the clone flickered again and appeared behind them. The Iwa ninjas quickly dispersed in four different directions immediately. Surprisingly, a cut appeared on the back of each of their necks. Before it could cut through, two of the ninjas hardened their bodies using Iron Skin jutsu and stopped the attack. The remaining two dropped dead. The clone analyzed, ''Looks like they don''t know all my tricks. Air Bullets, Infinite Breakthrough and Vacuum jutsus were anticipated. But Blade of Wind caught them off-guard.'' As soon as the two ninjas died, a squad from the perimeter moved and attacked the clone, keeping him busy. So despite the killing, the situation of the Konoha ninjas didn''t improve. Chapter 339: Countering Fujin! While one of Fujin''s clones had some success in killing, the other clone couldn''t get rid of his opponents so easily and was stuck fighting. He realized the same too. He analyzed, ''Did Iwa know that I was coming here? Regardless, mid-ranged Wind jutsus isn''t all I can do.'' Suddenly, a massive amount of wind was blasted behind him. He disappeared and appeared next to a ninja in the blink of an eye and slashed his sword at his neck. The ninja immediately raised his kunai while moving backwards and leaning backwards. At the same time, his teammates attacked Fujin''s clone with shurikens. The sword sliced through the kunai, but the ninja leaned back enough to avoid the sword and the wind chakra flowing along it. The clone couldn''t keep attacking due to the incoming attacks.N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Fujin''s clone used Assassin''s Rush again and tried attacking another ninja but the ninja dodged once again while the others attacked the clone. This time, the clone hardened his body with the Iron Skin jutsu to block the counterattacks. At the same time, wind flowed along his blade as his sword released a Wind slash along with the swing of his blade. The Iwa ninjas quickly got out of the way of the slash and weaved the hand signs for the Iron Skin jutsu. All four of them saw their skins turning black and hard to defend against the accompanying wind slashes. However, dozens of slashes still appeared on their bodies, including a few cuts across their necks, killing them on the spot. The clone looked at them coldly. The hand signs made him realize a crucial point. He thought, ''They are too familiar with my fighting style. If not for Susumu''s Genjutsu, they would have managed to block all the accompanying slashes.'' Though the Iwa ninjas thought that they had used the jutsu, in reality, they hadn''t. While Hiruzen had asked him to keep the technique a secret, the current circumstances didn''t allow him to hold back much. That said, it was still difficult for the bystanders to figure out why the Iwa ninjas didn''t use the jutsu to defend themselves. Fujin''s clone turned his eyes towards the two squads rushing towards him and analyzed, ''All of these guys are Jounins! Though their speed isn''t as high as mine, they are able to anticipate my attacks, movements and react at the last moment to barely save themselves while the others distract me. Even though I will win eventually, I don''t have the luxury of time. Once the remaining Iwa ninjas rush in, I will be the one at greater risk.'' Fujin himself felt the same issue. Despite having more chakra than his clones and his teammates to assist, his performance wasn''t much better as they were facing two Elite Jounins along with multiple Jounins. Though he managed to kill 5 ninjas, he wasn''t happy. He analyzed, ''These guys never come too close to me so that they will have sufficient time to dodge. In addition, every one of them is aiding others in defense. And all their attacks come from my blindspots. It is almost as if someone has properly studied my fighting style and trained these guys to fight most optimally against me. The only way I can overturn this situation and get a quick victory is by spamming Shadow Clone and eliminating their advantage of numbers. But, in this situation, dividing my chakra that much is suicidal. Fifty clones fighting means the amount of chakra I use would be ten times higher than what I''m currently burning.'' The punch instantly cracked the ground. The ground trembled as a strong shockwave moved towards Kitsuchi. The shaking caught the remaining Iwa ninjas off-guard and they immediately retreated momentarily in order to not give an opening to the Konoha ninjas. Kitsuchi, who was about to launch a couple of jutsus, was shocked. He immediately hardened his skin. Due to the shockwave, he felt some impact of the punch. Sweat appeared on his face as he thought, ''Fortunately, I used the Iron Skin jutsu. Otherwise, I could have been injured. Roshi didn''t mention this absurd strength. Did he manage to hide some cards while fighting Roshi?'' Unlike Kitsuchi, Fujin didn''t bother thinking much. The punch had brought him a slight breather. He immediately shot a dozen Vacuum Bullets at Kitsuchi. Kitsuchi immediately moved. However, the Vacuum bullets fired by Fujin targeted all his escape routes as well. He could only move in one direction. By twisting his body far beyond what someone of his size should have been capable of, he barely managed to avoid the attack. The Vacuum bullet grazed his left arm, leaving a slight cut despite the Iron Skin jutsu protecting him. Kitsuchi immediately appeared out of the ground. Before Fujin could attack, he said, "Suzuki Fujin. You are very impressive for your age." Fujin''s eyes widened. Seeing Kitsuchi facing them, the other Iwa ninjas quickly surrounded the Konoha ninjas in a couple of seconds. Fujin glanced and understood, ''Looks like escaping normally is not possible. But I guess that isn''t my main concern right now.'' Since the Iwa ninjas weren''t attacking, Fujin asked, "How do you know my identity? And why are you targeting the civilians?" Fujin had understood by now that Roshi had leaked all his combat abilities and fighting style to Iwa. But he was surprised to know that Iwa managed to link the Spectral Swordsman''s identity to his real identity. Of course, what disturbed him the most was that they had prepared an army of Jounins specifically to counter his style of combat! Kitsuchi smirked and replied, "You gave us quite a scare with your fight against Roshi. Did you think that we can''t see behind your mask?" Fujin watched back without replying. Kitsuchi''s statement gave no information. More importantly, he was building up a massive amount of chakra! Fujin understood why the remaining Iwa ninjas weren''t jumping on them. Of course, Kitsuchi won''t give him the answer. When a secret gets leaked, a lot of suspicions arise. If Fujin suspected a Konoha higher-up, it could decrease his loyalty to the village. Kitsuchi looked at Fujin and thought, ''Six months of planning just to bait and trap him. It''s time to deal the final blow.'' Six months ago, Iwagakure : Kitsuchi walked into Onoki''s office and put a few files on his desk and said in a tired voice, "It''s too difficult to trap him, old man!" Onoki looked at all the files on his desk. Every file had information on Suzuki Fujin. Unknown to Fujin and anyone in Konoha, Iwagakure had begun scheming against Fujin a few weeks after his clash against Roshi! Chapter 340: A Six Month Long Scheme! Kitsuchi reported, "There is very little information on Fujin. None of our spies in Konoha have seen him in action or heard about his abilities. The only information they have is his fights during the Chunin exam three years ago. And that information is very outdated. And since he is in the Anbu, it is very difficult to track when he leaves on missions and to where. So trying to ambush him during a mission is almost impossible. We will have to lay a bait and hope Konoha sends him over."N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. A frown formed on Onoki''s face. He said, "Though it is normal for ninjas to hide their skills, some information eventually leaks out. To be so secretive... Hiruzen must be scheming something. If it wasn''t for sending Roshi on that mission, we would have been completely in the dark. It''s an even greater reason to eliminate him now. Any news from Suna?" Kitsuchi shook his head and replied, "No. I wanted to get information about the ninjas who wreaked havoc there and see if that was this kid as well. However, none of our spies saw the culprits and Suna has refused to give any information regarding the culprits." Onoki chuckled and commented, "It looks like they have been badly humiliated to hide it so deeply." Kitsuchi said, "So our only source of information is Roshi." Onoki replied, "It''s fine. He should have used most of his tricks against Roshi. Just make a plan based on it. Did you decide on the location?" Roshi nodded and replied, "The Land of Waterfall." He opened a map and laid pointed at a location and said, "Around a year ago, our scheme against the Ito family was suspected to be destroyed by the Spectral Swordsman. 2 of our Anbu died while the Kawaguchi family forces were decimated. So there is a chance that he will be sent here once again. If he does, we will eliminate him and withdraw in order to avoid any retaliatory actions by Konoha and prevent escalating the conflict. If he doesn''t and Konoha doesn''t send anyone equally powerful, then I will destroy the Ito family. We use their territory as a base and change the power structure in nearby territories. So at least a third of the influential families in the Land of Waterfall will be on our side. By the time Takigakure and Konoha react, it will be too late for them to do anything." Kitsuchi further explained the details of his plan to target the civilians to create panic in the Land of Waterfall. A smile formed on Onoki''s face as he replied, "Alright, I will send Han over." Kitsuchi understood why Onoki smiled. He thought, ''This will allow Han to interact closely with our ninjas who may fear him. More importantly, after this training is done, all the Elite Chunins will be as strong as Jounins. We will have around 60 new Jounins who will have very high survival skills during the next war. If our luck is good, then a couple of Jounins could also reach the Elite Jounin level.'' Kitsuchi added, "I also need a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster to trap Fujin. I will send a few squads over to scout the Land of Waterfall and create a proper plan of action." Onoki nodded and assigned one of their 3 Fuinjutsu Grandmasters to aid Kitsuchi. The two discussed a few more details before Onoki said, "Good work. I will leave this matter to you." Kitsuchi nodded and took his leave. Onoki looked at his back and thought, ''Since the time of peace started, the readiness of our ninjas has dropped several levels. Especially after Minato died and Konoha became weaker. This is a good opportunity to start rebuilding our famed Elite armies. Once this mission is completed and the ninjas have high motivation, I will push Kitsuchi to expand the numbers of this force to 500 ninjas. At the same time, I will start rebuilding the Thousand Ninja Elite army units that we are famed for. With the Third Raikage and the Fourth Hokage no longer alive, we won''t suffer similar losses as in the last Great War. Once the armies are raised, the only thing missing will be commanders. I, Roshi, Han and Kitsuchi could handle the next war. But we will need the next generation to step up for the wars after that. Thankfully, this generation does have some promising youngsters. Akatsuchi has shown a lot of promise. So has my granddaughter. There is also the Deidara kid who has the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai. If these 3 reach the S rank, then Iwa will be safe for another 50 years.'' After Kitsuchi left, he selected more suitable ninjas and began the training with full intensity. For 3 months straight, the ninjas trained with a plan tailored to counter Fujin. Every single ninja became capable of using the Iron Skin jutsu rapidly and had sufficient defenses to defend against normal Wind jutsus. At the same time, Han used his speed in order to give the ninjas a taste of what a fight against Fujin would be like. The initial phase of that training resulted in a lot of pain for the ninjas as they couldn''t even see Han move. However, after 3 months of being beaten daily, the reactions of the ninjas improved several times! They could finally protect themselves from Han''s attacks. As an added bonus, the beatings also motivated them to learn the Iron Skin jutsu better. A few ninjas managed to learn how to use that jutsu without any hand seals. Three months later, Kitsuchi left for the Land of Waterfall along with the ninjas who were adequately prepared in his opinion. The remaining ninjas continued their training and joined his campaign at a later stage. Chapter 341: Patience! After entering the Land of Waterfall, Kitsuchi kept a major chunk of the ninjas he trained with himself and distributed the remaining along with more Iwa ninjas around the Ito family''s territory. They immediately began their plan of creating unrest in the territory by kidnapping civilians. At the same time, Kitsuchi summoned his best spy. Sho appeared in front of him and asked, "What are your commands for me, Kitsuchi-sama?" Kitsuchi said, "I want you to infiltrate the Ito family''s main town. Keep an eye on the ninjas coming in and out of the town." Sho nodded and asked, "Alright. Is there anything, in particular, I should keep track of?" Kitsuchi nodded and answered, "Yes. I''m looking for a Konoha ninja named Suzuki Fujin." Kitsuchi showed Fujin''s appearance from the Bingo book and added, "He is now in the Anbu and generally wears Hawk or Turtle masks. The last time he moved, his teammates were a blond Yamanaka ninja, a long-purple-haired kunoichi who uses a sword, both likely in their early twenties. And the last member was probably around the same age as Fujin. If a squad that is similar in appearance shows up, then you have to inform me right away." Kitsuchi handed him 40 seals of 5 types. The seals were specifically made by the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster sent by Onoki to assist Kitsuchi. He picked up the first seal and said, "If you recognize Fujin''s squad, then crush this seal. I will understand the message." He pointed at the other four seals and said, "This seal is if an Elite Jounin from Konoha arrives instead. This seal is for any other Konoha squads. And the last seal is for considerable reinforcements being sent by Takigakure. Like at least more than 20 ninjas. And the last seal is to inform us about when Konoha''s squad quit their mission and leave. Are the instructions clear?" Sho took the seals and said, "I will do my best, Kitsuchi-sama." Kitsuchi smiled and said, "Good luck. Don''t engage in any battles with them though. We won''t be able to provide much aid." Sho nodded and took his leave. A few days later, he entered the Ito family town under disguise. Around a week after entering, Sho convinced that servant to work for him. When the previous Anbu squad from Konoha arrived, he quickly crushed the appropriate seal to inform Kitsuchi. When the Anbu squad went to investigate the villages with the missing population, Kitsuchi checked them and confirmed that they weren''t Fujin''s squad. Due to the seals, the Anbu squad never suspected anyone spying on them while they were inspecting the village. Kitsuchi waited patiently for a month until the Konoha Anbu retreated and began the attacks after they left to force Konoha to send an even stronger squad. Luckily for him, Fujin''s squad was the next one to be sent. When Sho learnt about the appearance of Fujin''s squad, he immediately crushed the seal to inform Kitsuchi. As soon as he received the message, Kitsuchi was thrilled. His six-month-long effort and patience were finally rewarded. He cooperated with the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster to create the perfect trap for him. The Summoning jutsu directly consumed nearly 35% of Fujin''s chakra! The stones shot by the Iwa ninjas crashed into the 3rd Barrier and crushed it as well but the clone safely moved above the last barrier. Despite there being only one more barrier, the Iwa ninjas didn''t rejoice. A loud jagged roar was heard throughout the region for multiple kilometers! A massive silhouette of a Winged Sabertooth appeared above the large barrier. He spread his wings wide and stared at the Iwa ninjas below as the Konoha ninjas landed on his back. The Iwa ninjas gulped as they felt a menacing stare. Kitsuchi was shocked. He thought, ''What the hell? He has a flying summon?'' Up in the sky, the beast said grumpily, "Took you three long years to summon me?" Fujin chuckled and said, "Kurogane, everyone below is an enemy. So feel free to go on a rampage. But be careful. They spit out rocks at a high speed." Kurogane said, "Alright. I had always heard about how humans are very innovative and skillful. I hope they live up to it." Fujin smirked. All three of Ryo''s children were unique. The youngest, Goro, had a mischievous personality and loved pranking and having fun. The middle one, Kaito, loved flying and spent most of his time sailing over the vast world. And his oldest, Kurogane, was a battle maniac. He regularly sought strong foes and entered into bloody duels or wars. It was the reason why his body was covered in fearsome scars! Kitsuchi thought, ''Shit, my plan didn''t consider his ability to fly! If he decides to fly away, there isn''t much I can do.'' Kitsuchi''s expression became very ugly. Fujin had rarely shown his summon to anyone. So even in Konoha, very few knew what his summon was. In fact, even Renjiro, Hoka and Teru, the three people closest to him didn''t know what his summon was. So there was no way for Iwa to get this information. Despite the unfavorable circumstances, some hope appeared in Kitsuchi''s eyes. He analyzed, ''I expected him to fly away with the help of his summon. But surprisingly, they are hovering in the same area. If he decides to stay and fight, I might have some opportunity. But it is still very low.'' An opponent who could fly and attack from a range was very annoying to deal with. But Kitsuchi had trained the ninjas in survival. So he had some confidence in fighting against Fujin. As he planned his counterattack, the last barrier disappeared and the two clones began falling to the ground. At the same time, nature chakra gathered in Kurogane''s wings as he flapped them. A very strong windstorm, multiple times stronger than Fujin''s Infinite Breakthrough jutsu, was released towards the ground. Kurogane perfectly controlled the winds so that they wouldn''t hit the two clones. As soon as the winds passed the clones, they got in action as well. ''Fire Release: Searing Migraine jutsu'' Both exhaled a massive amount of fire into those strong winds. Iwa ninjas looked up as hellfire rained down on them! Chapter 342: Annoyance! A squad of four Takigakure ninjas were rushing towards the Ito family''s town. One said, "Captain, what do you think is happening in this territory? It''s been nearly four months since the first missing case was reported. And despite sending so many ninjas, they have still failed." The captain of the squad replied, "It''s difficult to say. The situation is very serious and peculiar. If the Ito family doesn''t resolve this soon, then they might be overthrown." The ninja was surprised. He asked, "Is it that serious? After all, only some civilians went missing."N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. The captain answered, "That is why no serious action has been taken until now. However, as the number of missing cases keeps rising, everyone will become very serious. After all, what''s the use of a ninja village if it can''t protect its citizens? Everyone will begin migrating to other countries. So it is a critical period for the Ito fam..." He suddenly stopped speaking. All four ninjas stared in the Western direction. Their eyes opened wide and their throats dried as they saw a massive firestorm raining down from the skies! One of the ninjas bulked and muttered in terror, "What the hell is happening there?" Another gulped and commented, "This... this looks like Armageddon!" The captain said, "I don''t know. But we need to get away and go to the town very quickly. If something like this falls on the town, the entire town will be destroyed!" They immediately ran away. Unlike them, Iwa ninjas didn''t have the option to run away. Kitsuchi rapidly made hand seals and shouted, "Take cover!" Hearing his command, every Iwa ninja who wasn''t close to him went underground. Kitsuchi slammed his palms on the ground. A gigantic dome rose from the ground and covered him and the ninjas around him. The firestorm finally impacted the ground. In an instant, all vegetation in the vicinity was destroyed. The fire spread in the surrounding areas and soon a massive forest fire would spread in the Land of Waterfall. The sharp winds released by Kurogane impacted the ground and the dome. The dome and the ground were instantly covered in long scars. However, the dome held on and the sharp winds couldn''t dig into the ground. The attack, which the Taki ninjas believed would destroy an entire town, ended up not injuring even a single Iwa ninja! Fujin observed from the sky, ''Normally, digging into the ground against me is suicide. But everyone who went underground is at least 40 meters deep into the ground. I can''t penetrate that deep. They know how deep my attacks can penetrate. The Iwa ninjas didn''t have any time to grieve for their fallen comrades. They sensed the dome getting damaged. Thanks to their long training, they all knew what was coming. At the next moment, 36 newer and smaller holes appeared in the dome as Fujin and his two clones shot a dozen Vacuum Bullets each at the dome. The Iwa ninjas quickly took evasive actions. Thanks to being exposed to Han''s blinding speed, they were all able to dodge the attacks despite the low distance between them. At the same time, Kitsuchi weaved more hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground. The dome began transforming into spears. In a second, hundreds of pointed Earth Spears were launched in all directions at a very high speed. Fujin''s clones immediately raised an Earth Wall to protect themselves. Despite being a couple of hundred meters above in the sky, Kurogane was under attack as well. He immediately flapped his wings again. Hundreds of Wind blades were launched from his wings. They hit the incoming spears and knocked them back to the ground. A few continued down towards the Iwagakure ninjas who quickly moved out of the way, allowing the wind blades to hit the ground without harming anyone and raising a dust cover. A frown formed on Fujin''s face as he analyzed, ''This is getting annoying. Why does everyone have to be so nimble and evasive?'' Though Fujin had fought against enemies while being outnumbered vastly, he had never been troubled so much by them. In most cases, he could use the weaker ninjas to create a handicap for the truly strong enemy ninjas. The losses would instantly make their hearts bleed and make them reluctant to continue the fight. For the first time, he truly had to experience what it was like to be outnumbered helplessly. He turned his eyes towards the ninjas hiding underground and thought, ''Even them. Instead of coming up to the surface, they are staying that deep and moving towards the village. Once they enter the barrier, I might not be able to harm them.'' Kitsuchi had established strict protocols and procedures to be followed while fighting Fujin in order to keep his losses to a minimum. Anyone who escaped underground had to retreat back to the village and then rejoin the battle instead of coming up normally. Though it would take more time, it was better than dying needlessly in Kitsuchi''s opinion. Fujin observed the situation while analyzing, ''What should I do? I knew that killing Kitsuchi wouldn''t be possible, but I wanted to eliminate these ninjas that were specially trained to deal with me. But, is there any point in doing so if it is so difficult? After all, Kurogane''s summoning has a time limit. And I can''t sustain my chakra for a very long time either.'' As Fujin was planning, his clones moved towards the Iwa ninjas who were with Kitsuchi. Sensing an opportunity, Kurogane dived down. Fujin quickly ate a Soldier Pill and said, "Kurogane, focus on safety first. It''s fine if we can''t kill many, but ensure that you can fly us away from here." He quickly instructed his teammates, "If you see an opportunity, use your long-range jutsus, especially your Lightning release Fumito, to kill or injure them. But don''t fall off Kurogane. It will be very difficult to save you if you do." Fujin''s teammates ate the soldier pills as well and nodded. They all knew that survival would be impossible if they were to fall off. Kitsuchi saw Kurogane dive down and thought, ''Finally, I can have an opportunity. But if he is diving towards us, he must be very confident in his close-range fighting abilities.'' The long-range battle would soon end and instead, a mid and close-range battle would begin! Chapter 343: An Intense Clash! Fujin''s clones approached the Iwa ninjas from opposite directions. Wind chakra flowed through both their swords and at the same time, they puffed up their cheeks, preparing the Vacuum Bullets. The two Elite Jounins immediately faced each clone. Though this was the first time Fujin and Kurogane were fighting together, both had practiced several times. He knew what the clones were about to do. He quickly closed in on the Iwa ninjas from the top while gathering wind energy in his mouth. At the same time, Fujin created another Shadow Clone. The clone looked towards the village with the missing people. ''Wind Release: Instantaneous Body jutsu'' He disappeared from Kurogane''s back and appeared right on top of the Iwa ninjas who were travelling towards the village through the underground. At the same moment, the two Shadow Clones swung their swords, releasing two long wind slashes along with accompanying winds, sandwiching the Iwa ninjas between them. The Elite Jounins slammed their hands on the ground and shouted, "Their cheeks are puffed. Keep an eye out for the Vacuum Bullets!" The wind slashes hit the walls, leaving a large scar at their centers, but the wall withstood the attacks. A second later, dozens of Vacuum Bullets pierced through the walls. At the same time, Kurogane opened his mouth wide. Kitsuchi''s eyes widened as he noticed 8 spheres of wind in Kurogane''s large mouth. Kitsuchi shouted, "Keep an eye on the sky as well!" In an instant, he fired them at the Iwa ninjas who were dodging the Vacuum Bullet. Kitsuchi had a very ugly expression. Though Fujin was frustrated by the Iwa ninjas'' consistency in dodging his deadly attacks, Kitsuchi was equally frustrated with Fujin''s tactics, if not more. He rapidly weaved hand signs as he thought, ''First those deadly vacuum jutsus. And now a three-directional attack! My ninjas are barely even able to dodge the Vacuum Bullets by paying full attention to him. But now, not only do they have to dodge attacks from the front, but they also have to keep an eye on their back while also keeping an eye on the skies! Not to mention, just like his Vacuum jutsus, the perverse attack of his summon also cuts through Iron Skin jutsu!'' The attack from multiple directions finally made the Iwa ninjas struggle. They dodged the Vacuum Bullets coming from the front and quickly twisted their necks to look at the attacks coming from behind. Fortunately, they could sense Fujin''s Vacuum Bullets and Kurogane''s Air Bullets moving rapidly through their chakra fields. Unfortunately, they had very little time and space to maneuver their bodies. They moved their bodies in a manner that allowed them to save their vitals and avoid any lethal injuries. A few Vacuum Bullets grazed past the hardened arms and legs of the Iwa ninjas, leaving a few deep scars. However, to make matters worse, the large Air Bullets fired by Kurogane maneuvered as well and targeted 8 Iwa ninjas. ''Wind Release: Geyser Creation jutsu'' Numerous cracks appeared around the clone, forming a web-like appearance. The cracks spread up to 50 meters under the ground. The Iwa ninjas, who were travelling underground, were surprised by the sudden change. They all instinctively used Iron Skin jutsu to protect themselves. A second later, sharp winds ran through all the cracks, hitting the Iwa ninjas. As they endured the sharp hits, they thought, ''Thankfully we mastered this jutsu. Otherwise, all of us might have died!'' None of them had expected to be in danger despite staying so deep underground. Fujin''s clone took a few heavy breaths as his chakra became very low. He thought, ''Time to end this!'' On the other side of the battlefield, Kurogane once again shot multiple Air Bullets at the Iwa ninjas. He followed it up by flapping his wings and launching a windstorm at the Iwa ninjas. Kitsuchi ignored the bullets as they didn''t pose many challenges and could be dodged. He slammed his hands on the ground. Multiple rocks of large size were launched into the air, blocking the way of the sharp wind slashes within the wind storm. The wind slashes hit the rocks and sent them flying towards the Iwa ninjas. However, the rocks neutralized their sharpness and eliminated their threat towards the Iwa ninjas. Though the rocks were still coming at them, they were far easier to dodge than the unpredictable wind slashes in the wind storm. However, Kurogane didn''t mind this result. Seeing that all the Iwa ninjas other than Kitsuchi were focused on dodging the rocks, he immediately sped up and appeared right on top of him. He raised his massive front foot. In an instant, a massive amount of Wind chakra gathered, engulfing his leg. Kitsuchi''s eyes widened as he noticed wind chakra gathering on his paw. He immediately weaved a hand seal. ''Earth Release: Rock Fist jutsu'' His right arm was covered by rocks which kept increasing its size. He moved backwards as he punched towards the incoming paw. The paw and the rock fist clashed! In an instant, Kitsuchi was dragged backwards due to the force of the paw. The rock first kept crumbling at the point of impact. Kitsuchi thought, ''Such physical might! Thankfully I moved backwards. Otherwise, I could have been crushed under this enormous paw!'' Kurogane''s paw almost entirely crushed the rock fist. Knowing that he couldn''t hold on, Kitsuchi flickered backwards. However, his eyes widened as he saw a figure flicker even faster towards him. Noticing the opportunity, Fujin flickered towards Kitsuchi, his sword overflowing with Wind chakra! Chapter 344: A Close Call Under the ground, the Iwa ninjas were hit by extremely sharp winds. Despite their defenses, a few cracks appeared on their hardened skin. Wanting to take advantage of the momentary distraction, Fujin''s clone entered the ground. However, the Iwa ninjas were aware of the danger they would face if Fujin''s clone got close to them. A few ninjas immediately sensed the clone''s location and weaved hand signs. ''Earth Release: Spear Trap jutsu'' In an instant, the surface walls of the entire crack that Fujin''s clone was travelling through began transforming. Hundreds of spears appeared from both walls, leaving no space for a normal-sized person to move through. In addition, the walls themselves began moving closer to each other! The clone frowned and immediately hardened his skin using the Iron Skin jutsu. He thought, ''I wanted to go closer and try using Vacuum jutsus underground. Unfortunately, it doesn''t look like I can do that. My main body calculated correctly. That is why I was given so little chakra.'' Dozens of spears hit his hardened body and were stopped. But Fujin''s clone wouldn''t be able to travel normally. He weaved a hand seal and thought, ''Oh well. Time to do what I was created for.''N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. A thousand Explosion Tags appeared around him. A breeze appeared, carrying the explosion tags into all the cracks created by the Geyser Creation jutsu! Some also flew where the Iwagakure ninjas were. Their eyes widened. Without the need for any command, everyone took evasive actions focusing just on their own survival! Kitsuchi saw Fujin flicker towards him and noticed his sword as well. Rock engulfed his right arm once again as he sent a punch at Fujin. The remaining Iwa ninjas, other than the ones engaged by the clones, also noticed the attack and immediately sprung into action. Fujin observed the incoming Rock Fist, sidestepped it and shot a Vacuum Bullet at Kitsuchi. Kitsuchi barely managed to move to his right to dodge the attack. Fujin used that time to move around the Rock Fist and appeared on Kitsuchi''s left! Kitsuchi''s left arm also started transforming into Rock, but he frowned and thought, ''Shit, there is not enough time!'' He immediately used Iron Skin jutsu to cover his body. Suddenly, two Iwa ninjas appeared next to Fujin, attracting his attention. At the same time, the remaining Iwa ninjas also launched jutsus at Kurogane and Fujin. Fujin observed some lightning sparks on their bodies and thought, ''Lightning transformation jutsu... I will only get one attack.'' He immediately puffed his cheeks, preparing a few Vacuum Bullets and ignored the two ninjas who appeared using the Lightning jutsu and slashed his sword at Kitsuchi. The two Iwa Jounins slashed their kunai at Fujin. However, before they could hit him, two large Air Bullets shot by Kurogane hit them at point blank! Since they were using enhancement from Lightning jutsus to enhance their speed, neither could use the Iron Skin jutsu. Numerous cuts appeared on both their bodies as both were sent flying to their deaths. The threat to Fujin was temporarily alleviated. That is why I didn''t try to hack his arm and instead just cut through the rock fist to leave a scar on his body. This should be enough to force Iwagakure to think multiple times before trying to pull off another stunt like this. They would be far less likely to send someone like Kitsuchi after me if it meant that they could lose them. As for Onoki and the two Jinchurikis, they won''t move so easily.'' His eyes turned towards the village as he thought, ''Regardless, it should be about time!'' At the very next moment, a loud explosion rocked the entire place! The ground trembled, forcing the Iwa ninjas to turn their attention towards the source of the explosion. Fujin''s clones, his teammates and Kurogane were surprised as well. However, the clones instantly received the memories and noticed an opportunity. For the first time since their clash began, the Iwa ninjas weren''t focused entirely on them. They wasted no time in shooting multiple Vacuum Bullets. The Elite Jounins immediately noticed and shouted, "Pay attention." They got out of the way and counterattacked. Unfortunately, the short distraction was all Fujin''s clones needed. Despite their quick reflexes, one clone managed to kill 4 and the other managed to kill 3 Jounins. Both clones were very low on chakra due to the intense combat. They didn''t even attempt dodging the counterattacks and were dispelled. At the same time, Fujin built up his chakra and instructed, "Kurogane, fly over there. You three support me." The trio understood Fujin''s intentions. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' ''Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu'' ''Wind Release: Air Bullets jutsu'' ''Wind Release: Wind Dragon jutsu'' Fujin exhaled strong and sharp winds at the Iwa ninjas below him. Yugao launched the fireball in the winds he generated, turning the windstorm into a firestorm! Bunjiro and Fumito added more attacks into the Wind to make life difficult for the Iwa ninjas. The lethal combination attack forced the Iwagakure ninjas to use defensive moves. At the same time, they were on their guard. They had just seen 7 of their comrades die because they dropped their guard for a second. They didn''t want to fall prey to Fujin''s Vacuum bullets again. However, their eyes soon widened. Instead of sensing Fujin''s attacks, they sensed him moving away at a rapid speed. Kurogane flew towards the area where the blast had taken place and reached it in a few seconds. Kitsuchi understood Fujin''s intentions and had an ugly expression. Chapter 345: A Bluff! Kitsuchi had an ugly expression as he sensed where Fujin was heading. He thought, ''There are at least 40 ninjas there. We can''t lose them all.'' He looked at the storm that was obstructing them and commanded loudly, "We will move underground and chase them. If they return to attack us, we will escape deeper and move towards the village. If they don''t, then we will return to the surface after getting out of range of the storm and chase." Immediately, all the Iwa ninjas followed him. Despite his quick thinking, Kitsuchi was much slower than Kurogane who reached the location in merely a couple of seconds. Fujin looked down and sensed, ''Oh, there are 44 trapped here due to the explosion. But they won''t be trapped for long. In fact, 13 have already escaped even deeper and are moving towards the village...'' The simultaneous explosion from 1000 explosion tags had blown up the ground and transformed it into the soil. More than 60% of this soil was blown into the air while the remaining stayed in the depression that the explosion created, burying the Iwa ninjas within. However, thanks to Iron Skin jutsu and using the ground itself as cover, none of the Iwa ninjas were critically injured. And despite being buried, they weren''t in any danger. They just needed slightly extra time to move through the soft soil. But, in high-speed intense combat, time was a luxury. Without wasting any time, Kurogane once again infused a massive amount of Sage chakra in his breath and shot a beam towards the location where he sensed the maximum number of Iwa ninjas. Fujin was even faster. He shot a dozen Vacuum Bullets where the soil cover was the thinnest. Since more than half the soil was blown away, the defense provided was reduced by more than 50%. In addition, the loose soil provided far lesser resistance than hard ground. Fujin''s teammates just stayed alert, prepared to defend in case they were attacked. They didn''t have any jutsus to pierce that deeply into the ground despite the weakened defenses. The Vacuum Bullets pierced into the soil. Kurogane''s Wind Breath also hit the soil and moved straight through it, pushing the soil out of its way and creating a large hole. The Iwa ninjas sensed Fujin''s and Kurogane''s attacks and tried to move. However, they couldn''t move as freely under the ground as they could above it. Of the 12 Vacuum bullets, 7 pierced into the hearts of the Iwa ninjas. The remaining 5 ninjas managed to avoid taking a fatal blow but were still left with a hole in their body. The Wind Breath directly hit 5 Iwa ninjas that were in the path. All 5 were obliterated on the spot. Fujin created another dozen Vacuum Bullets and shot them at the 5 injured Iwa ninjas and another 7 ninjas who were escaping. He thought, ''Finally some easy kills. I was so sick of them dodging every attack!'' Meanwhile, Kurogane changed the direction of the beam towards the Iwa ninjas in the vicinity. He managed to kill another 3 when he and all the Konoha ninjas looked to their right, towards the village. A strange bird made of rocks flew from inside the barrier and moved towards Kurogane. The Konoha ninjas and Kurogane were shocked. Fujin immediately made a hand seal while Kurogane flapped his wings and began soaring into the sky. Fumito muttered, "Such high chakra!" On the ground, Kitsuchi''s group arrived a couple of seconds after the Rocky bird exploded. Kitsuchi sighed and muttered, ''Old man Yoshiki was forced to make a move...'' Inside the barrier, an old man was on his knees, coughing heavily. He had a very pale face. It was the same old man who warned Kitsuchi about Fujin''s attainments in Fuinjutsu. He thought, ''Fortunately, my bluff worked! I poured almost my entire chakra into the jutsu and would not be able to perform another any time soon. If he had stayed, then we could have faced more losses.'' A younger man supported him and asked, "Are you fine, master?" Yoshiki caught his breath and said, "I am fine, Makoto. It''s just that I used too much chakra in that jutsu. Looks like my old bones won''t support me much." Makoto sighed. Yoshiki was 76 years old. Though he was an Elite Jounin in his prime, his prime was far behind him. Of course, he was still highly respected. The reason was that he was among the only 3 Fuinjutsu Grandmasters in Iwagakure. As for Makoto, he was one of the SealMaster that Yoshiki was guiding. Makoto looked into the sky and saw that Kurogane was flying away. He asked, "Why did you scare him away? Now we can''t kill him." Yoshiki got up and shook his head. He said, "The battle was lost even before we started. Kitsuchi wasn''t aware of his summon nor did he know about his expertise in Fuinjutsu. So killing him today wasn''t possible. He would have just continued attacking until he ran out of chakra and then escaped. The only thing that would happen is that more of our ninjas would have died." Makoto had a complicated expression. He was being guided to become the next Fuinjutsu Grandmaster in Iwagakure. Though he wasn''t anywhere close to reaching it, his future prospects were very good. But, to know that someone 7 years younger than him from an enemy country was not only strong enough to fight against one of Iwa''s strongest ninjas but also better than him in his speciality was a bitter pill for him to swallow. He muttered, "But isn''t he just 14?" Yoshiki sighed and nodded. He said, "In every generation, Konoha produces many such talents. Two decades ago, it was the 3 Sannins. A decade ago it was the Fourth Hokage. And now they have the Copy Ninja, Konoha''s Green Beast and this youngster, the Spectral Swordsman. Not to mention, I heard that the children of their clan leaders will be graduating from the academy in little more than a year. Once they do, Konoha would likely gain even more elites in another 4 to 5 years even if they don''t reach the same level as these three." Makoto didn''t have any response. He could just sigh helplessly. Chapter 346: A Clash with no Winners! Outside the barrier, Kitsuchi began checking in on the ninjas who were caught in the explosion. He thought, ''I thought I could make him let his guard down and kill him in one blow. But it looks like Yoshiki disagreed with my analysis. Makes sense considering the massive losses we took. I miscalculated badly in this fight.'' Not a single ninja was alive in the pit dug up by the explosion. The reason was that whoever was alive quickly escaped after the rocky bird forced the Konoha ninjas away. They entered the village before appearing back on the surface. Everyone had minor injuries due to the Geyser Creation jutsu and the explosion tags. Only three had critical injuries. One ninja had a hole in his right thigh, another was missing his left arm and the third had a huge chunk of flesh and bones missing on the right side of his chest. Fujin''s last attack managed to kill the 5 injured ninjas while killing two more and injuring 3. Two ninjas managed to get deep enough into the ground just in time. The medical ninjas hiding inside the barrier quickly began healing the injured ninjas. In a few minutes, Kitsuchi and the rest dug out the Iwa ninjas that had been killed underground. They found 16 dead bodies that had one or more holes in them. There were 3 more spots where blood and minced flesh and bones had mixed, forming a gory sight. The Iwa ninjas understood that a ninja died at each spot. The worst was that spot that Kurogane had targeted first. The sight of the gore made even the most experienced ninjas nauseated! Kitsuchi stood still realizing the losses they took. The Iwa ninjas around him had solemn expressions. They had trained intensely for months to kill Fujin. However, after encountering him, nothing good happened. Not only did Fujin manage to escape uninjured but a lot of Iwa ninjas died! Kitsuchi asked everyone to gather the remains of the fallen Iwa ninjas and went inside the barrier. He met up with Yoshiki. Yoshiki looked at him and said, "It''s fine. You didn''t have all the information. You won''t experience such a failure the next time." Kitsuchi sighed and said, "There might not be a next time. His summon can fly at a high speed. We can''t trap him even if we know about this information unless Lord Tsuchikage makes a move himself. Not to mention, Konoha will be very careful next time." Yoshiki didn''t say anything. He agreed with Kitsuchi''s analysis and only said those words to lift his spirits. Kitsuchi glanced at the village once and said, "Make preparations to leave. We will destroy all the seals and evidence that might be linked to us. We will retreat after everyone is healed." Yoshiki nodded and looked at his students. Everyone nodded and got to work. A few seconds later, an Elite Jounin approached Kitsuchi and Yoshiki and said in a grim tone, "We have tallied our losses." While this wasn''t the first time he had to run away from a fight, it was the first time that Fujin was so disgusted by a fight. He thought, ''This feeling is almost as bad as when I had to escape from Darui. Though my life isn''t under any threat this time, it feels like I was paraded naked in front of an entire city. Bastards knew almost every move I would make in advance! Fortunately, Roshi didn''t see Goro, or else I might have been in grave danger. At the very least, these three would have died. Though I am not very attached to them, I don''t want to develop a reputation for being someone who runs while his teammates are killed. Though I could live with such a reputation, it will create a lot of inconveniences for me in Konoha.'' While Fujin wasn''t too concerned about his reputation unlike some others, he understood the importance of maintaining a good reputation. He still had a lot of more important knowledge and resources that he wanted from Konoha. If he had a good reputation, Hiruzen would not make it very difficult for him to get it. But if he had a bad reputation, then getting them from Hiruzen would become very difficult. Not to mention, he was no longer as young as he was during his Academy or Genin days. Trying to use his ''innocence'' to get rewards from Hiruzen would no longer work. Fujin sighed internally thinking, ''But now, they know almost everything about me. The only thing that is definitely a secret is my Lightning Release. One of my clones even used the Wind Style Genjutsu. I can only hope that no one figures it out. Though I did manage to kill many Jounins, that doesn''t give me any benefit. If anything, it might make Iwagakure want to kill me even more. I''d prefer keeping my skills a secret rather than killing some ninjas that don''t pose me any direct threat.'' If it wasn''t for the fact that Fujin had already exposed his secrets, he wouldn''t have bothered to even kill them. But since they were, he was forced to make use of those secrets to make Iwa suffer some losses. If he hadn''t, then he would have been the only one to experience losses and Iwa would have come after him again after making even more preparations and a better plan. Just like Fujin, his teammates were also silent and in thought. During the entire battle, forget about killing, they hadn''t even managed to injure one ninja! Bunjiro thought, ''I felt that I was getting stronger. But every single one of them was stronger than me. I didn''t think that I would still be so weak!'' Fumito and Yugao had similar thoughts. They knew how ridiculously fast Fujin was and that he could have escaped if he was by himself. They thought, ''We were the reason why Fujin didn''t escape and had to fight against such terrible odds. Though things turned out well this time, it might not always be the case.'' At the same time, all three thought, ''We need to become stronger. We need some time off so that we can train and catch up with Captain.'' Chapter 347: Ito Family Crisis! Kurogane noticed the gloomy mood on his back and was annoyed by it. He muttered to himself, ''I''d rather fight those ninjas than keep getting this depressed feeling from my back.'' He snapped them out of their thoughts by asking, "How far do you want me to carry you, Fujin? You know that I don''t like flying for a long time." Fujin answered, "We have to pass by a town which should be very close. After reaching it, just fly South for an hour. You can drop us in the Land of Fire. Our chakra is very exhausted. I''d prefer to not have any more surprises." Kurogane replied, "Alright. You''ll have to guide me though. I have no idea about the geography here." Fujin nodded. Fujin''s words surprised Yugao. She asked, "Are we not going back to the town?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "No. The enemy is stronger than us. Staying in this country is very risky. If there is any other such force here or they decide to chase us to this town, then we could be in danger. The seals in the village were made by a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster and they have someone who can create that strong explosion. So they have multiple means of trapping us in the city or even destroying the mansion when we might be resting. So it''s not worth it." None of his subordinates disagreed and they continued moving forward. Since no one was bothering him, Fujin began thinking about the situation again. He thought, ''What''s done is done. There is no point in getting upset over it. I need to analyze why I fell into such a mess in the first place and how Iwagakure knew I would be sent here. I need to calm my mind as being annoyed won''t help me analyze it properly.'' He began meditating. A few minutes later, they reached above the town. Fujin created a Shadow Clone who jumped off Kurogane. As for Kurogane, he changed direction and began flying towards the Land of Fire. The town was still in panic. It had only been an hour since they had heard about the incidents. Though the Ito family tried to calm the public down, it wasn''t very effective. While the Ito family was thinking about what methods they should use to quell the panic, their guards noticed something in the air. Their eyes widened as they noticed someone falling down. Fujin''s clone used Assassin''s rush in short bursts to slow down his fall. When he reached close to the ground, he exhaled a forceful but harmless Infinite Breakthrough jutsu on the ground to slow down his fall and landed on his feet. Though the guards were surprised, they immediately recognized his attire. However, they weren''t sure if it was him or an enemy under disguise. Fujin''s clone didn''t bother talking with them. He flickered and appeared inside the mansion, next to Ito Yuya. The guards were surprised and hurriedly ran inside to inform them what they had witnessed.N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Yuya immediately understood his mistake. He realized, ''If the Konoha ninjas get involved, then this could result in a war between Konoha and Iwagakure fought in the Land of Waterfall. Our country will be one to suffer the most. I can''t make such a decision. It will have to be made by Takigakure.'' He replied, "Alright. Thank You for your suggestions. We will act hurriedly." Fujin''s clone nodded and replied, "Good luck." He dispelled himself. Yuya thought, ''So he was just a clone.'' He immediately gathered the important members of his family and informed them about Fujin''s words. The entire Ito family was terrified. Thankfully, while the meeting for taking place, the ninjas from Takigakure, who were terrified by the flames raining down, reached the town. They quickly met up with the Ito family and informed them about what they had witnessed. The Ito family was shocked once again. Yuya wondered, ''Is that what the Konoha ninja meant by slowing them down? Who was he to be capable of doing something so crazy?'' Though Konoha was known for having ninjas with very good fire affinity, it was the first time they had heard about something like this. The fact that a single jutsu could burn down the town they were proud of was a bitter pill to swallow. The Ito family informed the Taki ninjas about what Fujin had informed them, shocking the Taki ninjas. After discussing it for a bit, they quickly formed a plan. They quickly sent messenger birds to Takigakure. In less than 15 minutes, the entire Ito family quietly departed from the town and went into hiding. Fujin and his squad were still flying on Kurogane. Fujin had calmed down. He analyzed, ''I need to start from the very basic question. How did Iwagakure know I would be sent here?'' He thought of many possible answers, ''My first thought was that someone from Konoha leaked my movements. Possibly someone like Danzo... But it doesn''t seem very practical now that I think about it. After all, Iwa had started this mess around 4 months ago. There is no way Danzo could have known that I would be sent here. Unless he or someone else influenced Eagle to send me on this mission. Still, the chances of this are low. I haven''t irked Danzo or any other ninja in power as of yet. But even though unlikely, I will need to check on this. I don''t want to leave myself vulnerable to someone scheming against me in the dark. Other than that, there is only one possibility. Iwagakure somehow predicted that I would be dispatched here... Or at least, they betted that I might be dispatched here. Maybe they hoped I''d be dispatched but were willing to trap any Elite Jounin who might have been dispatched here from Konoha. A good scheme indeed.'' Fujin felt a chill as he realized how much Iwa had planned and how much effort they were willing to take to eliminate him. Chapter 348: Becoming Stale! Fujin analyzed, ''They should have started planning right after I clashed with Roshi. These ninjas should be trained with the help of Roshi so that they can anticipate my attacks and movements and take preventive measures to avoid being killed by me. Training a hundred ninjas just to kill me... What a freaking overkill! I''m not even an Elite Jounin officially! Though it might not be just for me. The skills they develop will help them survive tough battles against others as well. With such a good trap, there were only 3 ways for me to counterattack. The one that I used was my summon. Another way was using Lighting release. But I don''t think it would be as effective as Kurogane. Though my Lightning Release is good, it is a far cry compared to my Wind Release. The last method was Wind Style Genjutsu. The three skills they didn''t know about. Of course, the simplest option was to just run away with Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. Had I been alone like I was in the Land of Wind, I''d have directly left. The plan would have been nullified without much effort. So despite being in a difficult spot, my life wouldn''t have been in any danger had I abandoned these 3. I guess since I disappeared using Reverse Summoning jutsu, Roshi and the rest don''t know about my skill with that jutsu. They should have some speculations, which is why that barrier was probably placed around the village. But they should be unaware of the specifics. Regardless, this makes my life incredibly difficult. If they provide this training for more ninjas then all my future confrontations with Iwa will prove to be a challenge. And what if they provide my information and the training plan to other villages? If that happens, then there will be special forces in all major villages just to counter me. Maybe others might come up with even better tactics in the future and create even more devious traps for me.'' Fujin sighed at that thought. He began analyzing why the trap was so successful against him. He thought, ''The main reason why I fell in such a position is my actions after I clashed with Roshi is that most of my skills were exposed in that fight. So I knew that Iwa would have a lot of information on me. Despite that, I made no effort to upgrade my skills or learn newer ones. Due to this reason, Iwa''s plan was so effective. In another way of speaking, my power has become stale... Though I can''t be entirely blamed for that as I spent most of my time on Fuinjutsu, it still left a flaw. A flaw that I was aware of but didn''t act on as I never expected anyone to make use of it. After all, if the information about a ninja is available, no matter how strong that ninja is and how well-rounded his abilities are, this world has enough smart and intuitive ninjas to come up with ways of defeating that. Though the performance of these Iwa ninjas against me can be considered remarkable, it isn''t even comparable to Shikamaru defeating Hidan. The two were leagues apart in strength and abilities. And Hidan was still someone with a lot of weaknesses. Even someone with no visible weaknesses like the 3rd Raikage was defeated by Naruto''s clone after he received information from Eight Tails. Everyone nodded and got to work. After leaving the room, one of the advisors sighed and muttered, "He is so cowardly." Another nodded and said, "Yeah. He reminds me of his father in all other aspects. But in terms of courage, he is the complete opposite. The time needed to dispatch our forces and have them confront Iwa would have been sufficient for the Konoha ninjas to arrive." He sighed as well and said, "Leave it. He is still a very good leader." Everyone nodded and began working. Thanks to Shibuki''s inaction, Kitsuchi gained valuable time. In the village where they were staying, the Iwa ninjas who weren''t injured placed the people back in their homes. The people were still asleep due to Genjutsu. Similar actions happened in the other villages with missing people. Thanks to Yoshiki''s Fuinjutsu, he had kept all the people in those villages in underground basements, hidden from the eyes of anyone who tried to inspect the villages. They deployed some ninjas in those villages to ensure that the villagers could be kept under Genjutsu and not die of thirst or hunger. As for other people they had randomly kidnapped, Iwa didn''t have any choice but to kill and bury them silently. Though they sent a considerable force, they couldn''t handle so many people properly. So keeping them alive would have created some chances of their operation being exposed. After moving the villagers, the Iwa ninjas destroyed the underground basements and filled them up using Earth Release jutsus while the SealMasters destroyed all the seals. They removed every trace of their involvement. After confirming that no evidence was left, all the Iwa ninjas in the Land of Waterfall began stealthily moving towards the village where Kitsuchi was at. Though Fujin inflicted a lot of damage on the ninjas that attacked him, the remaining Iwa forces didn''t have any casualties. Kitsuchi waited until everyone had returned to the village and then retreated to the Land of Stone along with everyone else. Only Sho was left back to continue spying. Konoha : It was late at night. Hiruzen had wrapped up all his work and was sleeping peacefully at his home when his sleep was disturbed. An Anbu woke him up and handed him the high-priority message scroll! Hiruzen opened the scroll and began reading. His eyes immediately widened before going back to their usual size. He said, "Call Shikaku to my office." The Anbu nodded and flickered away. Chapter 349: Request for a Vacation Shikaku grumpily walked towards Hiruzen''s office. He muttered, "It has just been a couple of months since the situation with Suna cooled down and I could sleep comfortably. Don''t tell me that they have become active again." He reached the office and asked, "What''s the situation this time?" Hiruzen tossed him the scroll and said, "Take a look." Shikaku began reading. He muttered in dissatisfaction, "What does Iwa want in that country?" Hiruzen said, "To send that many ninjas, for so long, and take action against so many civilians. It looks like they were looking for something. Or planning something huge in that country." Shikaku nodded. He added, "It''s tough to say exactly though. With those actions, they could annex the western half of the Land of Waterfall. But it won''t benefit them much. After all, Takigakure itself would have been safe and that''s where the forces of that country are accumulated. And hurting a buffer country between our villages will cost them diplomatically. So overall it would be a loss. I have a feeling that they were searching for something or someone. Which Anbu squad did you send?" Hiruzen replied, "Fujin''s squad." Shikaku became mildly annoyed on hearing Fujin''s name. He muttered, "Nothing good happens when that brat is involved. Our relationship with Suna is still brittle. And Kumo is eyeing us like Wolves. If he provokes a war with Iwa, then we will be in a tough spot when hostilities begin." Hiruzen sighed and said, "Even if he doesn''t our situation won''t be any different. We have always had to face all four villages. Regardless, Fujin has calmed down a bit since he clashed with Roshi. Let''s wait for him to arrive. In the meantime, start deciding who we should send to the border." Shikaku nodded. Fortunately, they didn''t have to wait for long. A few minutes after Hiruzen and Shikaku met, Fujin and his squad arrived in Konoha. Since they had eaten soldier pills, they travelled non-stop until they reached the village. After entering, Fujin said, "It''s nighttime. Lord Hokage should be asleep. You guys can go to your homes. I''ll report the mission to him." His teammates nodded. But before he could leave, Yugao said, "Captain, I thought a lot during our journey here and have a request." Fujin stopped and turned around. He asked, "What request?" Yugao said, "During this mission, every one of the enemies was as strong as me. I couldn''t do anything to help you. I want a few months'' break to train so that I won''t be a burden the next time." Fujin was surprised by her request. Before he could speak, Bunjiro said, "I have the same request." Fumito added, "Same here." Fujin said, "The enemy was strong this time. Even if you get stronger, there will still be someone stronger than you. So don''t be too discouraged. But alright. Taking time off to train is good. I was thinking about it as well. I''ll discuss with Lord Hokage to see if I can get a training vacation for our team." Yugao said, "Thank You, Captain." Fujin continued, "The attackers were led by Kitsuchi." Hiruzen and Shikaku weren''t surprised as his name was mentioned in the scroll sent by Takigakure. But what Fujin said next shocked them. He added, "Along with him were 96 other ninjas, every single one at the Jounin level." Shikaku asked in disbelief, "They moved 96 Jounins along with an S ranked ninja and a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster there?" Rank S ninjas making a move was very common. After all, they could move freely throughout the world and very few would be willing to oppose them. Just from Konoha, Jiraiya and Tsunade would frequently be heard about roaming randomly in the smaller countries. Hundreds of ninjas moving also happened frequently. Not too long ago, all the major villages were moving over a thousand ninjas each around their countries due to the volatile conditions. But a hundred Jounins moving together was extremely rare. Even during wars, that would be a rare occurrence. Fujin nodded. Shikaku asked, "What was their goal?" Fujin answered, "I am not sure, but my best guess is they wanted to kill me." Shikaku and Hiruzen were surprised again. Hiruzen asked, "Why do you say that?" Fujin answered in a serious tone, "Kitsuchi recognized my real identity. And every single one of those Jounins was trained to counter me. They all were quick on their feet and could use Iron Skin jutsu quickly, which protected them against most of my Wind Jutsus. In addition, they were very on guard against my Wind Vacuum Techniques. They would observe the slight changes in my body and take preemptive measures to assist in dodging my attack. They also had a few chances to deal a lethal blow to my teammates, but refrained from doing so to keep me from running away. If it wasn''t for the fact that they didn''t know about my Fuinjutsu skills and my summon, I would have been in deep trouble." Hiruzen and Shikaku went silent on hearing that. Both realized how serious the matter was. After a while, Shikaku asked, "How did they know you would be sent there?" Fujin replied, "I was hoping you''d find out. If the locations of Anbu ninjas are getting leaked, then we will be facing a lot of trouble. Even more so if they have some degree of control over who gets dispatched on some missions." Neither Hiruzen nor Shikaku opposed him. Both could see the Anbu squads getting picked one by one by enemies if that was the case. Hiruzen said seriously, "I will look into this matter. If someone is leaking information, then that person would be eliminated." Fujin nodded. Just like Fujin, Hiruzen''s first thought was Danzo as well. But he couldn''t think of any reason for Danzo to do that. Shikaku asked, "What happened after that?" Fujin continued, "Well, I summoned my summon and began attacking from the air. After a long difficult fight, I managed to kill 47 ninjas and a few more were injured. But someone hiding inside the village attacked us with Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai. The power behind the explosion made it look like it was another S ranked ninja. But I''m suspicious as that ninja never showed himself. I decided that it was too risky to continue and withdrew along with my team. Once again, Shikaku was left speechless. He wondered, ''Did they set a trap for him or offer him their heads?'' Chapter 350: Konoha makes a move! Shikaku asked, "You killed 47 Jounins who were trained to counter you?" Fujin replied, "Well, they didn''t have any defense against my Vacuum jutsus. So I had to create opportunities to make them drop their guard momentarily or make a slight mistake. Though difficult, I managed to do that a few times and managed to kill a few of them. But I didn''t manage to kill many. Thankfully they made a big mistake towards the end of the battle that allowed me to kill more than 20 in one go. It''s probably what forced the Explosion Kekkei Genkai ninja to act." Shikaku didn''t know how to respond. He thought, ''Killing 47 Jounins is a huge achievement. But there isn''t even a single bit of joy in his voice or a sense of achievement in his expression. Instead, he sounds like he was the one who lost 47 Jounins.'' Unlike Fujin, who was very frustrated over his skills being countered, Shikaku and Hiruzen weren''t worried about it. After all, Hiruzen was probably the most all-round ninja in the world. He had no weakness and he could freely switch to any fighting style to counter his opponent. As for Shikaku, his opponent''s intelligence was the last thing he worried about. He could make numerous strategies on the battlefield to counter whatever plan the enemy came up with. So neither shared Fujin''s vulnerabilities. Though they understood his position, from their point of view, it was just a natural obstacle that any top-level ninja would have to overcome. Hiruzen thought, ''If Fujin can overcome this by himself, he will become a force to reckon with. If not, then I will have to provide him with more jutsus to ensure that he doesn''t stay susceptible to such tactics. But if I have to do that, then his future prospects won''t be as bright as I expect. He will still become a rank S ninja but won''t reach the same heights as me or Minato.'' Hiruzen said, "You did great. Take a break. We will be sending an army to reinforce Takigakure." Fujin said, "Thank you. I have a request though." Hiruzen said, "Speak." Fujin said, "I was hoping to get a long vacation. This mission was difficult for my team. But on the positive side, it has motivated them a lot. They all want a break to train and get stronger. I want a break as well to avoid being vulnerable to such traps." Shikaku''s face became dark. He thought, ''This brat! He keeps increasing my workload and then asks for a vacation in front of my face?'' Hiruzen wasn''t a stranger to this request. Fujin had asked for vacation several times in the past. He thought, ''Though I refused his requests in the past and kept him busy with missions, it won''t look good to reject this time. Plus, this incident should motivate him to train more instead of just meditating in the training rooms. And I''m curious to see how he breaks through his current situation.'' He asked, "How long of a vacation do you want?" Fujin replied, "Preferably 6 months." Hiruzen replied, "That''s too long. I''ll give your squad a 3-month vacation. But, if the situation in the Land of Waterfall worsens, you will be called back to duty." Fujin replied, "Alright. I''ll convey the message to my team." Shikaku let out a sigh and got back to work. He wrote a reply to Takigakure and sent it to them through the same messenger bird. While the bird travelled, the two of them worked through the night. After leaving the office, Fujin wondered, ''So, what should I do now?'' As he had eaten the soldier pill, Fujin wouldn''t be able to sleep for another 2 and a half days. He thought, ''Though my chakra isn''t completely exhausted, it is still very low. It will take around 8 to 10 hours to recover. Until then, I can''t train or create a lot of clones for Fuinjutsu. Looks like I only have one choice.'' Fujin went straight to the Wind Training Room and began meditating. As he meditated, he thought, ''The Wind Crystals barely have any effect on me anymore. Though thousands of small, minute improvements could still create some qualitative change, the process will be very slow and might need decades. I don''t need to waste my time in these rooms anymore. Though there is no harm in coming here when I have to meditate for any reason.'' Fujin eliminated all thoughts from his mind and began meditating earnestly. The energy from the Wind Crystal began dissipating rapidly. By noon, Shikaku had assembled 250 ninjas. Around 60 were Jounins while the rest were Chunins. Once again, the leadership was given to Kakashi. Kakashi stood in front of the small army and muttered, "Aren''t we doing this too frequently?" Guy, who was standing close to him, said, "Yeah and we don''t even fight anyone. We just move around until the situation diffuses itself." Kakashi sighed. He wasn''t a big fan of war. But since Hiruzen wanted to nurture him, he had been assigning Kakashi to all such leadership roles. Due to frequently leading hundreds of ninjas and in addition to his reputation, almost everyone in Konoha had begun seeing Kakashi as the leader of the next generation. Under Kakashi''s orders, the Konoha forces began moving towards the Land of Waterfall. An hour later, the messenger bird reached Takigakure. Shibuki received the message and called for another meeting. He informed the council, "Konoha said that they will send out 250 ninjas this noon. Meaning that they should have already left. In addition, they will dispatch 500 more ninjas tomorrow." One of his advisors said, "Konoha is quick as always. The first force should arrive at our borders by tomorrow morning. So they will be in a position to reinforce us quickly after our clashes begin." Shibuki asked, "How is our preparation?" Another advisor answered, "We have prepared all our ninjas. All 2000 ninjas are available and are awaiting orders. Shibuki thought for a bit and said, "If we move now and run into Iwagakure''s trap, then we will suffer a lot before the Konoha forces arrive. We will wait for a bit more to prevent any needless casualties. At midnight, you will lead half our forces towards the Ito family''s territories. We will use the cover of the night to sneak attack any enemy forces in our territory. The remaining half will stay back and defend the village in case this is some sort of distraction." Everyone agreed with his decision and began making preparations.N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Chapter 351: Training Plan - New Vacuum Jutsus While Takigakure got busy, Fujin finally stepped out of the Anbu training facility. He stretched his body and thought, ''My chakra has completely recovered. Looks like I can return to training. But first, I need to inform them of the vacation. 3 Shadow Clones appeared around Fujin. They immediately flickered away and informed his teammates about the 3 months long vacation. Everyone thanked him and promised to spend the entire vacation training to become stronger. The clones gave some tips to them, especially to Bunjiro, before dispelling themselves. When Fujin received their memories, he was back in his home. He thought, ''Not bad. Their determination hasn''t decreased. But... how should I move forward?'' He thought for a bit and analyzed, ''My initial plan was to have my clones continue learning the Four Symbols Seal while I begin Ninjutsu training. But, I won''t be able to sustain such training until I eat the Soldier Pill Hiruzen gave me. So for the next couple of days, I will focus on ninjutsu. Even in Ninjutsu, I can''t keep moving blindly anymore. Though I did create a few combat systems in the past to ensure that I have no weaknesses, those systems won''t be very useful against rank S ninjas or Jounins who have been trained to counter me. But, that doesn''t mean I need to scrap everything I learnt in the past and come up with something completely new. After all, these techniques are still very lethal and provide a skeleton for my future combat systems. I just have to make a few additions or changes that would make any preparations against the current me useless against the future me.'' As he analyzed, Fujin walked into his basement and entered one of the rooms. This room was his study room. It had a few desks, a lot of books, scrolls and writing and drawing tools. Of course, nothing in the room was something that needed to be kept a secret. Fujin grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and made a few notes as he thought, ''My current strengths are my high movement and combat speed, high speed and penetrative power of Vacuum Bullets, Cannon and Waves, the versatile nature of my Infinite Breakthrough jutsu and my swordplay. In these aspects, I can compete with almost everyone except the ones that stand at the very top like Hiruzen, Ay or Onoki. Among the ninjas still alive, I guess Ay and Obito are the only ones who can dodge my Vacuum jutsus with ease and would dare to get hit by it. Even though Hiruzen and a few others could dodge, while some like Orochimaru and Kakuzu have their quirks, they would still be very wary when facing me and would be forced to place the majority of their attention on me. But, it''s this penetrative power that made me a bit complacent. Iwa took the perfect advantage of this complacency. I currently use 3 Vacuum jutsus regularly. Vacuum Bullets, Vacuum Cannon and Vacuum Serial Waves. All 3 have to be shot from my mouth. And though short, all 3 need some preparation time. Fujin shook his head and analyzed, ''This should be enough to break out of the current situation. But, it won''t be enough to dominate the rank S ninjas. I need to create jutsus and techniques that complement my fighting style and keep improving them until I can reach rank S through this. One idea I have had for a long time was using Wind chakra for Taijutsu. Though the Senju Taijutsu style is strong, just like Vacuum Bullets, dodging them is easy. But if I can cover my fists with Wind, then merely dodging won''t be sufficient. If I succeed, my punches can become as lethal as my sword. If I can go a step further and create a Wind Cloak similar to Raikage''s Lightning Chakra Mode. But that will be very difficult. I will have to see how I could use Wind to enhance me. I can see how I can use it to make a threat to anyone attacking me, but if I can also use it to increase my speed and power, then the effect will be numerous times higher. And, I will have to do the above without putting a huge strain on my chakra reserves. Apart from this, there is the idea I had with the rank E and D jutsus before I decided to drop them. That idea might be the key to implementing the idea I had when I was learning Susumu''s Wind Style Genjutsu. If I can master this and reach the level I am imagining, then I''m certain that I will be able to go against any rank S ninja. Though that is a big if. This will be a long-term project. I can''t complete this one or the cloak in a short time. But I will begin studying the basics. I will get more ideas to improvise once I start the training.'' Fujin stopped thinking and looked over the notes he had made while analyzing. After a few minutes, he nodded and crumbled the piece of paper in his fist. The paper caught fire and was soon reduced to ashes. Fujin left his home and stepped into Training Ground 23. He entered into the deepest part of the Training Ground as he thought, ''It''s been a while since I learnt a new jutsu. More importantly, this is the first time I am developing my own jutsus without much reference from this world.'' He stretched his body and muttered, "Oh well, I hope everything goes well." He clenched his right hand into a tight fist and stared at it. Chakra gathered around his fist and forearm. The chakra transformed into the wind and began revolving around Fujin''s arm. Fujin focused on the wind and made it revolve faster. Under Fujin''s control, the wind began revolving at a higher speed, almost forming a mini-tornado around his fist and forearm. Suddenly, a long cut appeared across Fujin''s forearm! Blood spouted like a fountain and mixed with the mini-tornado, giving it a reddish shade! Chapter 352: Training Begins! Fujin immediately stopped providing the chakra. The winds lost their sharpness and slowly dispersed away. 3 long cuts had appeared on Fujin''s forearm. Fujin sighed and thought, ''I was expecting something like this to happen. That is why I didn''t try this idea when I had it. Unfortunately, after learning medical ninjutsu, I became busy with a lot of matters. Since high-level ninjutsu were readily available, I didn''t bother learning this jutsu.'' A green glow appeared on Fujin''s right forearm. The 3 cuts stopped bleeding and started healing at a rapid speed. If Hiruzen saw this sight, he would be shocked. Fujin was healing himself without using any hand seals. An extremely small number of ninjas were capable of this feat. Fujin observed as the cuts closed up and thought, ''Sealless healing sure is convenient. But the chakra control needed for this is nuts. I needed over two and a half years to learn this. And my current speed of healing isn''t high enough to shrug off any damage I take in between a fight. Fortunately, I can play a game of cat and mouse until I am healed.'' Once the cuts closed up, Fujin''s right forearm became black in color. He once again gathered chakra around his fist and forearm. The chakra transformed into wind and began revolving around his arm at a rapid speed. As the speed increased, Fujin felt several blows to his arm. Fortunately, the Iron Skin jutsu prevented any more injuries. Once the speed reached an optimal level, Fujin flickered and appeared before a tree. He sent a punch towards it but stopped just before his fist made contact with the tree. The mini-tornado around his fist moved forward and hit the tree. It created hundreds of cuts on the tree every second. After around 5 seconds, the winds began losing their sharpness and dispersed away. Fujin withdrew his fist and observed the tree. The tree had thousands of small cuts on its trunk and a few small holes drilling through it but was still standing. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm... This is much weaker than I thought. But it''s understandable as this is the first time I did it and didn''t physically punch the tree. Once I master it, I should be able to blow the tree apart. The power will still likely be weaker than the Senju Taijutsu style but it will be more lethal. But, something doesn''t feel right. It''s as if the jutsu wasn''t as free-flowing as I imagined it to be.'' Fujin went silent. He once again hardened his right arm and created the tornado around it. He closed his eyes and allowed the winds to flow rapidly for a few minutes. He submerged his mind focusing only on feeling the wind to understand what was wrong. After 5 minutes, the wind slowed down and dispersed. He opened his eyes and thought, ''There are two main problems. Though using Iron Skin jutsu protects my hand, it also takes some of my concentration away from the Winds. The reason for this is that I have to simultaneously convert my chakra into Wind and Earth at the same time. So the jutsu isn''t as free-flowing as I envisioned. The other issue is the very fact why I need to use the Iron Skin jutsu. I can feel the wind hitting my arm randomly. Just like the tree, the wind hits my arm hundreds of times per second. Even though the Iron Skin jutsu protects my arm, the hit from the wind imparts some force to my arm. And this force isn''t aligned with my punching force. Hiruzen fell into a thought on hearing his words. He thought, ''His words are logical. How could anyone know that Fujin would be deployed four months ago? The only way would have been if Iwa could arrange for him to be sent. But that doesn''t seem to be the case. Did they somehow predict, or perhaps gamble, that we would send Fujin when we learnt that this matter needed an Elite Jounin to handle?'' Hiruzen said, "Alright. If you find or recall anything strange about this incident, come to my office." Eagle nodded. Hiruzen disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Later in the evening, Shikaku once again arrived in Hiruzen''s office. Dark bags were visible under his eyes due to his lack of sleep. He asked, "Did you find anything from Eagle?" Hiruzen shook his head and answered, "No. No one influenced his decision to send Fujin. Did you find anything?" Shikaku replied, "No. I didn''t find anyone suspicious. This means that Iwa didn''t know that Fujin would be sent there in advance. They might have been wanting to target any Elite Jounin we send sneakily and eliminate him. It''s likely that they had some spies in the Land of Waterfall who identified Fujin''s squad when they reached there. So they either activated the trap that they had in place or called for reinforcements within the 3 days when they were silent." Hiruzen nodded. He had reached the same conclusion as well. He said, "So that leaves us with just one more question..." Shikaku muttered, "How hard Iwa will retaliate considering the losses they took?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "47 Jounins is a huge number. Onoki should be in a rage once he gets the information about the losses his forces took. But, he should also know that a war between us will be detrimental to both our villages. Suna and Kiri aren''t in shape to take advantage of it. So Kumo will benefit heavily." Shikaku agreed. He said, "Yeah. In addition, though they suffered a heavy loss, they were the ones who attacked first. And the war won''t be just between us. Taki will assist us as well. Kusa might help as well considering that Iwa sent their Jinchuriki into their territory a few months back. At the very least, we can ask them to deploy their forces on Iwagakure borders to pressurize them and split their forces." Chapter 353: Taki Moves, Iwa Schemes! Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yeah. Let''s hope that Onoki follows common sense and doesn''t act irrationally. Keep a close eye on the situation. If the situation worsens, deploy any tactics you can to inflict heavy losses on Iwagakure as soon as the war starts. That would deter Iwa from escalating the situation, or at least slow them for some time, allowing us important time to reaccess the situation and mobilize our forces appropriately. Also, call Renjiro here. Call Eagle as well. He will act as Renjiro''s deputy and both will lead tomorrow''s army. If a war starts, then they could inflict high damage quickly." Shikaku nodded and left the office. He sent messengers to call for Renjiro and Eagle. In Training Ground 23, Fujin dispelled his clones. Over the past 7 hours, he had frequently dispelled his clones to get their experiences and chakra and created new ones to continue training. His right arm hardened once again. Winds began flowing around it.N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. The amount of times the winds hit his arm was very low compared to when he had started. Fujin flickered and punched at another tree, stopping just before his fist hit the tree. The sharp winds around his fist bombarded the tree, creating thousands of cuts and a few holes through the stem. Though the tree still stood, it looked like it might split into two with just a small force. Fujin observed the damage and thought, ''Much better. Currently, I''m only being hit around 22 times per second. I should be able to reduce it to zero in a few more training sessions. The damage also has increased. It looks like I''ll be able to add this attack to my arsenal soon. Unfortunately, my chakra is too low right now. I''ll go to meditate again. After my chakra recovers, I should be able to train for another session before the effect of this soldier pill is over and I''m forced to take a long sleep.'' Fujin immediately flickered towards the Anbu Training Facility. Shikaku returned to the office with Renjiro and Eagle after some time. Both Hiruzen and Shikaku briefed them on the situation and properly explained the plan they had come up with. Renjiro and Eagle immediately understood the severity of the situation. Both immediately got to work. In order to have the ability to quickly inflict damage on Iwa, both used their connections to call multiple veteran Jounins to assist them during the mission. Neither called in Fujin as they knew that he needed some time to rest. Land of Waterfall - At midnight, a thousand ninjas snuck out of Takigakure in search of Iwagakure ninjas who had long left. So they didn''t find any enemy en route. Before dawn, the Takigakure forces reached the village where Iwa forces had clashed with Fujin. They were welcomed by a massive fire, covering the entire horizon! Before leaving, Iwa ninjas had eliminated any and all traces of combat. The ground was brought back to normal. All the holes dug due to Fujin''s Vacuum Bullets or craters formed due to explosions or changes due to other Earth jutsus were fixed. The only thing they couldn''t hide was the massive forest fire Fujin''s and Kurogane''s combination attack had created. Though they could douse the fire, they weren''t confident of hiding the traces. He thought for a bit before deciding, ''I can''t make a decision on this matter. I will have to report it to the advisors.'' He said, "You don''t need to send a messenger to the Ito family. Stay in the village and check whether everything is in place. If you remember something else, contact me." The village chief nodded. Kegon asked similar questions to others in the village. However, everyone he asked gave the same answers. He left the village and reported what he found to the advisors hiding outside. The advisors were also stumped by the information. But they decided to ignore it for the time being and decided to inspect the village. A couple of SealMasters were sent to check the village for any seals. Iwagakure - A few hours after the Taki army reached the village, Kitsuchi returned to Iwagakure. The forces with him would return to the village in smaller batches to avoid any suspicions. In order to show that Iwa had nothing to do with the incidents, Kitsuchi didn''t deploy any forces on the border. He wasn''t worried about Takigakure attacking their borders. If they did, then Iwa would hit back hard and Konoha wouldn''t have any righteous excuse to help Takigakure. Kitsuchi entered Tsuchikage''s office. Onoki looked up and saw him. He said, "Good to see you back..." A frown formed on his face as Onoki asked, "Why is your expression so down?" Kitsuchi sighed and said, "Everyone leave." Immediately, all the ninjas and the Anbu in the room left. The doors and windows were shut and the secrecy seals were activated. Onoki asked, "What happened in the Land of Waterfall?" Kitsuchi said, "We lured Suzuki Fujin into the trap. But nothing after that happened as per our plan." Kitsuchi narrated the fight against Fujin to Onoki. Onoki''s eyes widened. His expression became serious as he learnt the full range of Fujin''s abilities. He muttered, "Vacuum jutsus, a Summon that can fly and is equivalent to an Elite Jounin in power, high Fuinjutsu attainments, 47 Jounins..." He went silent for a minute. Despite having seen so much, the details were still too much for Onoki to digest easily. A well-planned trap that was created by Kitsuchi and overseen by him was broken. They suffered heavy losses and only received more information in return. Chapter 354: Onokis Decision Kitsuchi waited without speaking, waiting for Onoki. Finally, Onoki sighed and muttered, "This brings back the bitter memories of the last war."N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Kitsuchi understood what Onoki meant. Iwa had paid a bitter price to eliminate the 3rd Raikage. Soon after, Minato eliminated an entire army of thousand ninjas consisting of only Jounins and Chunins by himself. The twin blows forced Onoki to back down and sign a peace agreement with Konoha. Onoki could see that Kitsuchi was very dejected by his loss. In order to lift his morale, he said, "Though the losses are high, they show how dangerous this kid is. Any one of these 3 aspects would force us to take that ninja seriously. But this kid has all 3. And that too at the age of 14. In the future, he will be as dangerous as Hatake Kakashi. Perhaps, he might even reach the same heights as Minato. If a similar incident like the Kyubi assault doesn''t happen again, Konoha will once again enter a Golden period. We have to crush him before he completely matures. Otherwise, we won''t have anyone to defend against Konoha in the future." Onoki thought, ''Though we too have 3 promising youngsters, they are far lacking as compared to Fujin and Kakashi. It''s very unlikely that Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi or Deidara will reach the same level as me. So once my power begins to fade, we will be very vulnerable to any attacks from Konoha.'' Kitsuchi interrupted his thoughts and asked, "I agree. But how should we kill him? On seeing his speed first-hand and knowing that he has a summon that can fly, I can''t deal with him myself. In fact, when he works together with his summon, even I am at risk." Onoki nodded and said, "Yeah, you can''t. The only way to kill him will be by catching him off guard with my Dust Release or with the Tailed Beast Bomb." Kitsuchi argued, "But creating chances to do that will be very difficult. He will be more careful while going on missions from now on. Not to mention, you, Han and Roshi can''t move around normally. It will raise a lot of questions if you do and enemy villages could set up traps to lure and eliminate you as well." Kitsuchi understood that Konoha and other countries could set up traps as well. Konoha especially was very dangerous in this aspect due to having intelligent and devious planners like Hiruzen, Shikaku and Danzo and also had the Sannins to ensure the success of such traps. Onoki said, "That''s true. In addition, creating such chances will cause a lot of losses to our village. We could endure losing 50 Jounins once. But if it happens a couple more times, our strength will be crippled. So we will need outside aid." Kitsuchi was surprised. He asked, "You mean?" Onoki nodded and replied, "Even though Fujin is a threat, he specializes in Wind Release. Hiruzen should be developing him to restrain Kumo. Ay would understand what threat he would pose to them in the future. In fact, he will be even more worried than us." Kitsuchi nodded. Onoki said, "I will send a messenger to Kumo and ask them for one thousand Earth Crystals in exchange for his information. Once they understand his threat, Ay will also act to kill him. Irrespective of whether Kumo kills him or he kills numerous Kumo ninjas, we will benefit from their losses. Once Kumo sends over the resources, I will increase his bounty from 20 million to 50 million Ryo. Luckily, there is a certain mercenary organization that seems to need a lot of money." During this time, the other villages, where the villagers were supposed to be missing, sent messengers to nearby villages and the Ito family''s town. Since those villagers also remembered just the headband, they informed everyone about the same. Due to the same thing being said to dozens of villages, a rumor started forming in the Ito Family''s territory. The rumor stated that Konoha ninjas were behind the recent missing incidents! Neither Konoha nor Takigakure were aware of the start of this rumor. Since the Ito Family wasn''t in their town, they were unaware as well and did nothing to stop it. Since the Takigakure army didn''t find anything wrong in the village or any signs of Iwagakure ninjas, they decided to move on. They left just 2 squads in the village so that they wouldn''t fall into a trap if Iwa had left one behind. They separated into smaller groups and began moving around the Ito family''s territory to find any traces of Iwa ninjas. However, despite searching for hours, they didn''t find any traces of Iwa ninjas. Instead, they found that people in the remaining villages that had gone missing months ago also reappeared safe and sound. In addition, they also heard the rumors that were spreading. They sent a message back to Takigakure and continued looking. Takigakure - Shibuki sat in his office with a confused expression. He read the scroll once again and wondered, ''What the heck is going on in the Ito Family''s territory? First, so many people went missing without leaving any traces. Then Konoha ninjas claimed that they fought against Iwa ninjas and blamed them for the incident. But our armies found no traces of combat. They only found a burning forest. And the missing people suddenly appeared back without any harm done. Only the people who were kidnapped individually are still missing. But the people who returned say that Konoha is behind the incidents...'' He wondered, ''Is Konoha trying to make a fool of me? But what would they get from such actions?'' He analyzed for a few minutes before shaking his head. He concluded, ''No, Konoha doesn''t have anything to gain from this. If they wanted something, they could have easily hidden their identities from normal civilians. They won''t do such a sloppy job. So Iwa is still the most suspicious one. But why is Iwa doing this?'' Shibuki called for a council meeting. After a long discussion, they reached the same conclusion. The only thing they couldn''t agree upon was the intention behind Iwa''s actions. They waited for a day to receive more updates from their ninjas. However, they didn''t find any additional information. The only thing that happened was that the rumor spread even more and started spreading to nearby territories. Shibuki sent a messenger to Kakashi''s camp, informing him about the situation. By the time the messenger reached, Renjiro and Eagle had already reached and joined up with Kakashi''s 250 ninjas, taking the total number to over 750. Kakashi, Renjiro and Eagle sat in the commander''s camp with confused and peculiar expressions on their faces. All three were trying to make sense of the situation. Chapter 355: Hurricane Fist Kakashi asked, "What is Iwagakure planning?" Renjiro said, "It''s tough to say. They might still be hiding considering that they have a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu. But, if they wanted to attack, they could have already taken out a good number of Taki''s forces without taking much damage." Unlike the two of them, Eagle, who frequently dealt with things in the shadows, could see a few clues. He said, "It looks like they want to change the public perception." Renjiro and Kakashi immediately understood. They thought for a bit. Renjiro said, "I see. The important part isn''t what the people in the villages saw and instead, the rumor they started. Once the rumor spreads, the common people in the Land of Waterfall will hate us or be fearful of us." Kakashi added, "Not just the Land of Waterfall, the people in the surrounding countries will also be alert. They will develop some vigilance towards us." Renjiro nodded and said, "True. But it will only spread to the common people. The military leaders will be able to see the truth at first glance. Takigakure will be forced to ally more deeply with Konoha. That''s the most important matter." Kakashi argued, "But if we leave this matter unchecked, it could develop into a big problem. Especially if the next generation of Nobles and ninjas grew up hearing this rumor." However, Renjiro shook his head and said, "That will take over ten years to happen. We can change the public perception a hundred times during this time." Eagle nodded in agreement. He could see that he would have to assign numerous Anbu missions in the Land of Waterfall to clear their image. He said, "It looks like Iwa has accepted their defeat in this matter. These rumors are like a consolation win for them." Renjiro nodded. Kakashi sighed and thought, ''Another big troop movement without any fight.'' He asked, "So, do we stay or leave?" Renjiro replied, "It''s better to stay for some time to dissuade Iwa from getting adventurous. Besides, Taki would want us to wait here as well." Neither Eagle nor Kakashi opposed his decision. Eagle sent a reply back with the messenger, asking Taki to rein in the rumors and lay the blame on Iwa. However, considering the bleak mood in the common people due to recent events, Taki decided against blaming Iwa and instead just tried to clear Konoha''s name without much success. This would create a peculiar situation in the Land of Waterfall. A situation that neither Taki nor Konoha foresaw when they dispatched their armies. The ninjas and the nobles in the Land of Waterfall believed that Iwagakure was behind the recent incidents and that Konoha saved them. Winds appeared around his right fist and forearm. In the blink of an eye, they began flowing like a tornado around his arm. To an untrained eye, it would appear that winds were revolving around his arm at a very high speed. However, there were multiple layers and features to this wind. Underneath the winds, his fist and arm were covered with concentrated chakra. The concentration was more on his fist with a very thin layer on the rest of his arm. If Fujin punched anyone who didn''t use a good defensive jutsu or didn''t have an insane physique, it was sufficient to kill that person. In addition, the chakra wasn''t static. Instead, it moved in the opposite direction of the wind that was revolving around Fujin''s arm. Due to this, in addition to its offensive nature, it also protected Fujin from his own technique. Fujin was inspired by the thin film of chakra that he used to isolate Vacuum cores while using Vacuum jutsus while creating this. In the past few days, Fujin had managed to ensure that no winds hit his arm. However, he decided to do this in order to ensure that he wouldn''t be injured in case he ever made a mistake. If he ended up making a mistake in the heat of battle and got distracted by the pain, that split-second distraction could put him at a disadvantage or, in the worst case, cost him his life. The winds themselves were extremely sharp. They could easily tear apart a person leaving only his skeleton behind. Fujin flickered and appeared in front of a small hill he had raised earlier using Earth Release. He punched it with his full might. The chakra-enhanced punch immediately created a giant crater on the side of the hill. Several giant cracks spread throughout the hill. At the very next moment, the winds around Fujin''s arm hit the damaged hill. Some winds bombarded the parts that were still undamaged, creating hundreds of deep scars in the hill. Some wind moved into the cracks that were created by the punch and began damaging the hill from inside. Fujin immediately jumped back. The part of the hill where he had punched crumbled and fell on the ground, releasing a lot of dust. Fujin looked at the damage with a smile and thought, ''Great. Iron Skin jutsu won''t be able to block this attack. The chakra-enhanced punch is sufficient to create cracks in Iron Skin jutsu used even by a top-level ninja like Kitsuchi. When followed up by sharp winds that invade into the cracks, the attack would end up ripping the person from inside!'' Fujin had a thoughtful expression. He analyzed, ''Actually, I can make this technique several times more lethal. No, I can make it so lethal that no one would dare to fight me with Taijutsu. Perhaps only the last 2 gates of Guy, maybe the sixth as well, might be able to counter me then. It''s likely that I could hurt Raikage with it as well. The way to make it so lethal is to add Vacuum waves to the winds rotating around my arm. As long as I managed to add it properly, no one would dare fight me in close range. Unfortunately...'' A wry smile appeared on Fujin''s face. The idea he came up with was great. It had the potential to be classified as a rank S jutsu and the potential to revolutionize Taijutsu. But, Fujin didn''t dare attempt it! He thought, ''If I mess up even once, I will directly lose my arm. No amount of chakra or protection from Iron Skin jutsu would help me avoid that. Though I could use Shadow Clones to master this, there is always a risk while using a technique like this even if I master it. Despite its potential, the benefits from this technique are just not enough to justify the high risk.'' Fujin shook his head and thought, ''Anyways, even without adding Vacuum, to develop a new jutsu from scratch in just a week... and such a lethal jutsu at that... Hehe, these 3 months are going to be fun. Sadly, this was the easier part. I had some inspiration from Kurogane''s attack as well as from the way Vacuum jutsus were formed. The next part won''t be easy. Regardless, this calls for celebration.'' He began walking towards Ichiraku while thinking, ''What should I call this jutsu? Hmm... Well, it doesn''t have to be something very complicated. I''ll just call it the Hurricane Fist!''N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Chapter 356: Hiruzens Soldier Pills Fujin celebrated his success in creating a new jutsu within a week by eating in Ichiraku until he couldn''t eat anymore. He followed it up by taking a long, well-deserved sleep. At dawn, Fujin woke up as usual, freshened up and got ready for another day of training. He thought, ''It''s been 6 days since the effects of the previous soldier pill ended. My body is rested sufficiently. There shouldn''t be any danger in consuming another soldier pill. Let me see how good Hiruzen''s pill is.'' Fujin grabbed the bottle that Hiruzen had handed him and moved to the lowest floor in his basement. He opened the bottle and tossed a pill in his mouth. At the same time, the chakra in his body separated into two parts, one having 80% of his chakra and another having 20%. At the next moment, the entire basement was filled with smoke. 80 Shadow Clones appeared in the basement, each having 1% of Fujin''s chakra. Without any word, every clone began working on the Four Symbols Seal. As for Fujin, he left his home and entered the Wind Training room in the Anbu facility. As he began meditating, he thought, ''I''ll skip my physical training when I''m using this chakra pill. While physical training is important, I won''t be making any major breakthroughs anytime soon. I can delay it for a bit and use the time to focus on Ninjutsu. Anyways, let''s see how effective this pill is.'' Fujin closed his eyes and started his meditation. Two hours later, Fujin opened his eyes. A look of surprise could be seen on his face. He muttered to himself, ''This pill is incredible. The pill I was using earlier would have needed 10 hours to bring me back to full chakra. But with this pill, I managed to reach it in just slightly over 2 hours! This pill is nearly 5 times as effective! Such a good pill! I should have asked Hiruzen about this earlier. Once this batch is consumed, I should ask him to procure more for me as well. These are too good. Anyway, it looks like I can train at full strength for at least 80-90 hours in the next 5 days.'' With his chakra back to full, Fujin immediately left the training facility and returned to Training Ground 23. He decided, ''It''s time to work on Wind Vacuum Technique. I will first start by creating Vacuum jutsus that don''t have to be shot from my mouth. Once I have a sufficient number of them, I will start creating a Vacuum jutsu that can affect a large area. The first part will also have to be divided into multiple phases. The first phase will involve deciding on a structure of the jutsu and creating it. This should be relatively easier. The second phase will involve increasing the number of jutsus I can use at the same time as well as using the jutsu in creative ways to catch enemies off guard. And the last phase will involve granting speed to these jutsus. As long as I can reach the same speed as Vacuum Bullet, then this fighting style will become very difficult to counter. In addition, once every 8 hours, Fujin would dispel the Shadow Clones who were learning the Four Symbols Seal and create new ones. For the first time in his life, Fujin didn''t take a single break for 4 days straight. Instead, he considered the meditation time as a break. As a result, he made rapid progress in two very complex techniques. He could feel that he was getting close to mastering the Four Symbols Seal. And, his control over Vacuum Bullets created outside his body also increased. And, despite making such rapid gains, no one was aware of Fujin''s progress. No one except one person who had rather mixed feelings about the same. Hiruzen watched in his crystal ball as a few drops of sweat rolled down his face. He swallowed his saliva and wondered, ''Does he have to return to meditate there every time he runs out of chakra? Those Wind Crystals shouldn''t even have any more effect on him. It''s a complete waste for him to keep using so many of them! In fact, I think he has already consumed more Wind crystals than I consumed Fire crystals!'' As the successor of the mighty Sarutobi clan and Tobirama''s student, Hiruzen received abundant help from his clan and the village. So he used a lot of Elemental Crystals. But once the effect of the crystal began reducing, he was made to stop. After all, the Sarutobi clan as well as Konoha had a lot of other ninjas to nurture. Hiruzen understood it and never used an Elemental Crystal after its effect decreased under a certain level. However, Fujin didn''t think about such matters. Unlike a young Hiruzen, Fujin couldn''t care less about whether others received Wind Crystals or not. He just focused on becoming strong himself. Unfortunately, Hiruzen couldn''t complain to anyone. He couldn''t even ask Fujin to stop using them or use them within limits. After all, ever since the day Fujin stepped into the academy, he had bombarded him with the Will of Fire. Though Fujin was quite mature for his age, Hiruzen wasn''t sure how Fujin would take the news of him not being allowed to use any more Wind Crystals. Hiruzen thought, ''Considering his greedy nature, he will question my Will of Fire if I ask him to limit its usage.'' A bitter smile appeared on Hiruzen''s face as he sighed. He muttered, ''Now I see why he agreed for 3 months without any argument. I messed up... I should have said 1 month and settled for 1 and a half or 2 months vacation.'' Fujin was blissfully unaware of Hiruzen''s sorrow. Of course, even if he knew, he would just grin and continue doing the same. Once his chakra reserves recovered, Fujin returned to the training ground. He extended both his arms forward and stretched his fingers. In about a quarter of a second, 10 Vacuum Bullets were created. He launched them all at the rock in front of him. The Vacuum Bullets pierced through the rock leaving 10 new holes in it. Fujin repeated the attack a dozen times until the rock crumbled. Fujin observed the result and analyzed, ''Alright, I can use this attack without any mistakes. The basic form of this jutsu can be considered as mastered. Though I still need a few improvements.'' Chapter 357: Chaoter 354: Three Improvements! Fujin analyzed, ''The first improvement is increasing the amount of bullets I can fire. The ideal will be if I can fire ten rounds of this attack in less than a second. That will make trying to outnumber me very expensive in terms of life. This attack alone could force an army to retreat. Of course, that is if that army isn''t suicidal like the one that fought the Third Raikage until he died. The second improvement is to increase my control over these bullets. Right now, I can change the direction, in which I want to fire the bullets, by pointing each finger in a different direction. But once I fire it, I can''t control it any longer and it only travels in a straight line. Also, I can''t twist my fingers too much. But if I can make the bullets curve in the air, or better, get the ability to freely change their direction mid-flight, then it will add even more aspects to this jutsu. It will completely make all preparations against me completely redundant. And the last and the most critical improvement needed is speed. Though the speed of these bullets is higher than my Vacuum Sphere, it is much slower as compared to the Vacuum Bullets I shoot from my mouth. In fact, it is even slower than the Air Bullet jutsu.N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. At this speed, the jutsu wouldn''t be as effective as I wanted it to be. Though it will still add a new dimension to my fighting style, it won''t be that threatening. After all, those Iwa ninjas could dodge the Vacuum Bullets consistently. In addition to the above, I also need to decrease the amount of time I need to create and launch the jutsu. But that will keep decreasing just like it did during the last three days.'' Fujin analyzed for a bit and decided, ''I will start by working on the speed aspect. I''ll move on to the other two improvements once its speed is at least greater than the Air Bullet jutsu.'' Fujin began working on the jutsu again. Since he was only working on the speed of the bullet, he created 3 Shadow clones and worked with just one bullet at a time. Fujin and his clones worked on the jutsu for around half an hour. A frown formed on Fujin''s face. He dispelled his clones and got their memories. His frown deepened as he thought, ''I have made no improvements at all. Is this the max speed I can go?'' Fujin shook his head and thought, ''No. How can that be? There should be some method of increasing the speed. But, I will have to innovate because the normal method doesn''t seem to be very effective.'' The Vacuum Bullet began travelling towards his right. However, due to his momentum, the Vacuum Bullet also moved forward. Fujin missed his target by a huge distance. And, the speed of the bullet was much slower. Fujin thought, ''As I calculated. The momentum is only useful while firing the Bullet in the same direction. But which fool will keep standing at the same place in a battle? The technique is almost completely useless while firing in other directions. Not to mention, it will put a huge retrain on my fighting style.'' Fujin raised his right arm and thought, ''I wonder if the momentum from a jab will be sufficient.'' Fujin pulled his arm back, preparing to jab the air in front of him. A Vacuum Bullet began forming once again. He jabbed forward as fast as he could. The hand stopped exactly when the Vacuum Bullet was formed. At the same moment, the Vacuum Bullet was fired. It travelled at nearly the same speed as the Vacuum Bullet Fujin fired earlier. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, not bad. It''s faster than I expected. This is more usable in battle. Though it still gives a little clue due to my arm movement, it''s probably better than puffed cheeks. Unfortunately, the speed is still slower than Air Bullets. There is no point in comparing it to the Vacuum Bullets I shoot from my mouth. How can I increase it further?" Fujin analyzed for a minute and concluded, ''I guess I could move at a fast speed while jabbing forward. The two boosts shout stack up and increase the speed to at least beyond the air bullet. But it still has the same weakness. I should instead focus on making my jab faster.'' Fujin suddenly had an idea. He thought, ''The Assassin''s Rush jutsu works by expelling a large amount of wind behind me at a high speed. What if I create a smaller, localized version of this jutsu? I could expel the winds just behind my elbow and move my arm forward at a high speed using the Assassin''s Rush. It will not only increase the speed of my bullet but will also reduce the amount of time I need to jab and hence reduce the warning time that my enemy has.'' Fujin thought for a bit to analyze whether the idea was feasible. After a few minutes, he nodded and thought, ''Yes, this should be the way to go. Not to mention, I could also use this method to improve my Taijutsu. I can use a similar force to increase the speed of my punches and kicks. Maybe even the speed of my sword slash. In fact, I can even do a...'' Fujin''s mind suddenly went silent as another idea appeared in his mind. A weird expression appeared on his face. He felt an overwhelming urge to facepalm himself. Chapter 358: Difficulty Level - Insane! A wry smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''Since when did I become so stupid? Why should I develop a localized version of the Assassin''s Rush jutsu to increase the speed of my jab? Instead of releasing wind towards the back of my elbow, why don''t I release it from the tip of my fingers? All the speed will be transferred to the Vacuum Bullet directly. And I won''t need to do any wasted movements that could drop hints to my opponent.'' Fujin maintained a minute of silence for missing such an obvious trick to solve his issues. Finally, he shook his head and thought, ''Leave it. Such things need to click. Otherwise, one may not see it even if it is in front of their eyes. Still, I should work on the localized version of Assassin''s Rush as well later on. Perhaps I could test it against Guy.'' Fujin raised his right hand to his chest level and pointed his index finger forward. He closed his eyes and recalled how he normally used the Assassin''s Rush jutsu. Soon, a small amount of chakra appeared on Fujin''s finger. It quickly transformed into wind and was released from Fujin''s entire index finger instead of just the tip. Fujin watched with deadpan eyes as a gentle breeze moved for a couple of feet before dissipating. He let out a sigh and complained, "This won''t be as easy as I thought. Why does everything have to be so difficult?" Fortunately, it consumed very little chakra. Fujin created a dozen Shadow Clones and started his training to modify the Assassin''s Rush jutsu. Fujin trained till 2 AM. Since the jutsu consumed very little chakra, he needed to visit the Wind Training room to rest just once. Due to his clones, he made rapid progress. However, he was still far away from reaching a satisfactory level. He walked to his home and took a bath before diving into his bed. Lying in his bed, he thought, ''Just another couple of hours for the effects of the pill to end. To think that I still don''t feel any physical tiredness. This pill is good. Still, this is so difficult... In the last 118 hours, I have had 80 clones working on the Four Symbols Seal for at least 108 hours. Which means that I spent 8960 hours learning that seal. That''s more than a freaking year! A freaking year without any break! And still, I haven''t mastered it. How the fuck did Minato, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Hiruzen even master this? I wonder if the Uzumaki clan had some sort of shortcut to learn this seal that they know of. Or is it simply a difference of talent? Then again, it is possible that all four of them took the same route as me and needed to work on it for a long time with numerous clones. All four have or had more chakra than I have right now. Leave it. It doesn''t matter. I am very close to mastering it. I should be done in another session or two with these pills. Hiruzen said that I should take a day''s break after the effect of the pill runs out. But I suppose he didn''t imagine that I would train for so long. It might be better to take two days off.?v€l?1n. Then I''ll focus on physical training while simultaneously improving my control over Assassin''s Rush for a week. Then I can consume the pill once again and repeat the entire process 5 more times until the 3 months are up.'' Fujin closed his eyes and kept lying in his bed without thinking about anything else. The last 5 days were very taxing on his mind. He needed a long sleep and a break from continuously straining his brain to find ways of increasing his strength. At dawn, the effects of the chakra pill ended and Fujin fell into a deep sleep. Kitsuchi nodded. Onoki instructed, "Send this scroll with a messenger bird. After a couple of days, increase Fujin''s bounty. Raise it to 50 million Ryo. But don''t mention any skills beyond Vacuum jutsus and Fuinjutsu." Kitsuchi became a bit thoughtful. After a few seconds, he asked, "Do you want to deal with the Akatsuki as well?" Onoki''s expression became a bit grim as he said, "That organization gives me a bad feeling. To have so many rank S rogue ninjas gathered together. If they decide to partner with some village in the future, that village will immediately have a huge advantage over the others. If they want to, they could take over a minor village and turn it into a major one. An organization that is so strong and with no mentioned goals can pose a lot of danger. Though I doubt Fujin would be able to kill their members, it''d be great if Hiruzen tasked his students to hunt them down." Kitsuchi nodded. He realized, ''No matter whether Kumogakure takes action or whether Akatsuki does, irrespective of their success or failure, Iwa will get a lot of advantage. Sigh, the old man is worthy of his title.'' Kitsuchi immediately got to work. Around a day later, Raikage received the scroll Onoki sent. Raikage''s office - Ay sat in his chair, reading the letter. Around him, Mabui, Darui and C were present. Ay read the scroll and muttered, "This brat has become strong." He handed the scroll to the three to read. Darui, C and Mabui''s expressions became serious as they continued reading. Finally, Darui sighed and muttered, "I knew that he would become strong. But I didn''t expect him to reach this level in less than 3 years." Mabui questioned, "The Tsuchikage said that he could run away from Roshi and Kitsuchi. Do you think that he is telling the truth?" Ay replied, "It should be the truth. In fact, I suspect that Iwa experienced some sort of painful loss against him. That''s why they are trying to get us involved. The information he sent mentions the same Vacuum jutsus that Darui reported. The only addition is the Vacuum Waves jutsu. The more critical matter is his Fuinjutsu skill and his Flying summon. This information, along with the fact he managed to escape from Kitsuchi and Roshi shows what threat his talent could be in the future. But, Onoki should be hiding a lot more information. Information that could cause us a lot of losses. We can only have a chance of killing him after we figure out this information." Mabui nodded and asked, "That''s right. We can''t expect him to care about our well-being. But, should we still make a move against him?" Ay answered, "We don''t have an option. Since Onoki sent this information, he must have concluded that this kid has a very high potential. Since he specializes in Wind Release, Konoha likely intends to raise him as someone to handle our village during a war. So getting rid of him before he matures will be the best scenario for us. Otherwise, he could cause a lot of deaths in our future wars with Konoha." Chapter 359: A Sparring Partner Mabui, Darui and C listened silently. None of them objected to Ay''s decision. After a few seconds, C said, "I guess the only question is how we kill him. If Iwa''s information is right and he is good at Fuinjutsu, we can''t use it to set a trap for him. In addition, he is also a damn good sensor. Drawing him into a trap would be nearly impossible. Even if we succeed somehow, he can easily escape using his summon." Darui added, "No, even without his summon, his escaping skill is very good. Last time, we only gave him a few seconds of rest and he created an opportunity to escape. And now, they should be even better. Pinning him down to kill him will be very difficult. Iwa should be hiding this information or perhaps didn''t get to see it as he decided to fly." C nodded and said, "Yeah. Such a troublesome fellow. Considering his speed with Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu and his summon''s flight, the only sure shot way I can think of killing him is if Raikage-sama and Bee-sama act together against him." C''s words left the entire room, including the four hidden Anbu guards, speechless. To deploy their Kage and their perfect Jinchuriki against a mere 14-year-old ninja! However, no one countered C. Without Ay, Fujin could just run away by spamming Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. No one apart from Ay would be able to give chase. But, Ay didn''t have any good means of attacking someone who flew at a high altitude. Though he could kill Fujin before he got an opportunity to use the summoning jutsu, if Fujin managed to summon, there wouldn''t be much he could do. So, they would need Bee''s Tailed Beast Bomb to target Fujin in that case. But, to deploy them both would be very embarrassing for Kumogakure. Ay thought, ''For both me and Bee to go on a hunt to kill one 14-year-old boy... What an embarrassment will that be!'' Just like Onoki and Iwa, Ay and Kumo fell into the same dilemma. Though Fujin wasn''t necessarily stronger than their top ninjas, killing him was an incredibly difficult task. Even if Fujin was defeated, the victory would be pointless if Fujin managed to escape. Due to his young age, he would steadily grow stronger and eventually become a headache for them. Mabui said, "That wouldn''t be wise. If we have to deploy our Leader and our Jinchuriki against him, we will become a joke in the ninja world. Not to mention, their movements will attract a lot of attention. And Konoha could retaliate by sending their Sannins after our talents as well." Ay replied, "I don''t mind being laughed at. Killing him now will save a lot of lives in the future. But you are right. I can''t move around rashly. Once I move, I will have to guarantee his death. Until that opportunity arrives, you will have to deal with him and find the information that Iwa hasn''t mentioned, Darui." Darui nodded and said, "Alright boss." Four hours later, Fujin sat exhausted in the training ground. He drank some water and ate a few ration bars while thinking, ''My Taijutsu is stuck at the same level for quite some time. Even though my body is growing stronger steadily and my chakra control is improving, in terms of basic Taijutsu, I have long grown stale. I guess the main reason for this is how rarely I use Taijutsu in combat. Generally, my sword gives a far better result. And when I do use it, it''s just a chakra enhanced punch or kick to win the fight or gain an advantage. Modifying the Assassin''s Rush jutsu will aid, but the improvement will just be on top of my basic Taijutsu which needs improvement desperately.'' Fujin thought for a bit before concluding, ''I need a Taijutsu partner. And a damn good one. The only decent ones I can think of are Guy, Renjiro, Kakashi and Hoka, in that order. But, Hoka won''t spar with me right now, Kakashi might not agree to spar on a consistent basis and Renjiro and Guy are frequently out of the village. Even now, all four have been dispatched to the Land of Waterfall border due to my clash with Kitsuchi.'' Fujin sighed and decided, ''Leave it. I''ll work on my Taijutsu forms with my clones and do a basic Taijutsu spar without using any chakra enhancement. At the same time, I will continue training my control over Assassin''s Rush jutsu. It''ll be the best if I reach an acceptable level before they return.'' Fujin continued his rest. After recovering sufficient stamina and chakra, he got up and created 11 shadow clones. 8 clones immediately moved away and began training. The remaining 3 stood around Fujin. At the next moment, 2 clones attacked Fujin, while the last clone tried to sneak attack the 2 clones. They began a four-way battle involving only basic Taijutsu. Since a one-on-one Taijutsu would be boring, Fujin decided to have some fun with a four-way battle with all four fending for themselves. The fight was as chaotic as Fujin imagined. Since all four had the same intelligence and thought process, they had to consider what others would think and do something that they normally wouldn''t do. In addition, since there were no teams, temporary alliances would randomly form and when least expected, there would be backstabbing. So they had to stay on alert even against any temporary ally. As the week progressed, Fujin''s Taijutsu began showing slight improvements. The constant scheming and backstabbing also raised his awareness and added some new aspects to his scheming abilities. However, what had the most improvement was his Assassin''s Rush jutsu. Fujin stood on the training ground and pointed his index finger at a tree. Immediately, a stream or wind was released from the tip of his finger. The wind moved at a high speed like a ray for a dozen meters. After that it began spreading out, covering a slightly larger area. Finally, it hit the tree. The highest amount of pressure was at the center of the ray, while the rest hit around it, forming a circle of about a 5 cm radius. Despite having a high speed, the attack didn''t have much destructive capability. It left no marks on the tree. Chapter 360: Wind Laser Fujin analyzed, ''It''s almost like an entirely new jutsu. Though it can''t maintain its form for more than 12 meters, that''s not an issue. After all, I only need it to give a boost to the Vacuum Bullet.'' Fujin pointed at the same tree again. A Vacuum Bullet started forming in front of his index finger. As soon as it was formed, a stream of wind was released from his finger and the Vacuum Bullet was fired. Due to the force from the wind stream, the speed of the Vacuum Bullet was much faster than what Fujin was capable of earlier. However, its aim was a bit off. Instead of hitting the center of the tree, it grazed past it. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, aiming became difficult. The Vacuum Bullet has to be right in the center of the wind stream. If it is even a few micrometers away, my target will be off. Though this isn''t entirely bad. Once I master this, I can use this to control the direction of my Vacuum Bullet. I can be pointing at one ninja and shooting another. More importantly, the speed is considerably more than the speed of my Air Bullet. Though it''s still slower than the Vacuum Bullet I shoot from my mouth. But, with practice and as I become more efficient in this technique, I should reach a similar speed. In fact, it is likely that I could even reach faster speeds. Even if it doesn''t and is slightly slower, it will still be sufficient to fulfil my needs. Though there are still a few more improvements that I need to make, I have overlooked one important fact...'' Fujin fell into a thought. He deeply analyzed and concluded, ''Though I have modified the Assassin''s Rush jutsu to create this, it is more like a completely different jutsu. While I am only concerned about the boost it provides, it also has the potential to become a jutsu on its own...'' Fujin pointed at another tree. This time, instead of releasing the wind stream instantly, Fujin concentrated a large amount of Wind chakra on his index finger. Once the chakra reached the required level, Fujin released a highly concentrated beam of wind from the tip of his index finger. This time, the beam maintained its form and travelled like a laser until it hit the tree. On impact, it immediately created a tiny 1 cm hole in the tree. However, since Fujin was continuously releasing the stream, the hole was bombarded even more by the attack. Its depth continued to increase. In addition, the sharp winds also increased the size of the hole by hitting and eroding its walls. Regardless, I will work on this later to raise it to a level that can be used in combat. Right now, I still need to improve my control over this. For one, I need more speed. And more importantly, I have to be able to use 10 Wind Lasers at the same time to give a boost to 10 Vacuum Bullets. That will need some practice to perform this jutsu correctly and consistently. In addition, I also need to improve my aim and work on controlling it such that I don''t necessarily have to fire straight. I will eat the soldier pill tomorrow. Hopefully, 5 days will be enough to bring this jutsu to a level good enough to be used on a battlefield. When I take the 3rd pill, I should do both, master this jutsu and learn the Four Symbols Seal.'' Since it was already dusk and his chakra reserves were low, Fujin decided to stop training and he returned to his home. The next day, Fujin consumed the soldier pill once again. Just like a couple of weeks earlier, Fujin created 80 Shadow Clones, who continued studying the Four Symbols Seal, while Fujin went to the Anbu Training Facilities. En route, he thought, ''The Wind Crystals barely have any effect on me anymore. There is no point in meditating there unless I can somehow increase my absorption speed by several times and compensate quality with quantity.'' Fujin thought of ways to do that until he reached the training facility. Unfortunately, he couldn''t come up with anything once again. He sighed and decided, ''Leave it. I''ll visit other training rooms. A shame that I couldn''t live up to the grand expectations of the benevolent Lord Third Hokage.'' Fujin entered one of the Fire Training rooms and meditated for a couple of hours to recover his chakra. After recovering his chakra, Fujin returned to the training ground. Fujin decided to focus on two things. The first was shooting Vacuum Bullets from his finger and propelling them forward using the Wind Laser jutsu. The second was shooting 10 Wind Lasers simultaneously from the tip of his fingers. Of course, in both aspects, the Wind Laser wasn''t the supercharged one that could do damage. Instead, it was harmless and just increased the Vacuum Bullet''s speed by providing it additional momentum. Fujin created a dozen clones and alternated his training between those two aspects. Unfortunately, the two aspects didn''t require as little chakra as it did to try and master just one Wind Laser. Using ten Wind Lasers at the same time needed ten times more chakra. While shooting a Vacuum Bullet needed more chakra than even the ten Wind Lasers. So Fujin needed to take a meditation break several times to recover his chakra. Despite that, the progress was rather quick. After experimenting just for a day, Fujin got a feel of the Vacuum Bullet combined with the Wind Laser. He could position the Vacuum Bullet in the dead center of the laser about 70% of the time he tried. On the next day, the accuracy reached 100%! Fujin stopped training this and instead divided the training time into two more aspects. The first was the speed aspect. He tried to increase the power of the Wind Laser so that it would grant more speed to the Vacuum Bullet. The second aspect was positioning the Vacuum Bullet just slightly off the center so that Fujin could aim the Vacuum Bullet in a direction where his finger wasn''t pointing. Both were considerably more difficult to achieve as compared to merely placing the Vacuum Bullet at the center of the laser. Chapter 361: Vacuum Gatling On the third day, Fujin stood facing 10 human-sized rocks on the training ground. His fingers were pointing at each of the rocks. At the same time, he fired 10 Wind Lasers from the tip of his fingers. Every laser hit the top of the rock it was aimed at. Fujin stopped the attack and once again pointed his fingers at the 10 rocks. 10 Wind Lasers were fired once again. However, this time, they didn''t hit the rocks at the same time. Instead, the fastest reached in around 0.25 seconds while the slowest hit the rock in 1 second. The rest Wind Lasers hit at some moment in between those ranges. Fujin thought, ''Great. I can use 10 Wind Lasers comfortably now. Not only can I aim accurately, but I can also control the speed. This will allow me to shoot Vacuum Bullets at varying speeds at the same time. This will make predicting the path of my Vacuum Bullets and dodging them much more difficult. In this aspect, this new Vacuum Bullet jutsu will be superior. The attack will be just too difficult to predict.'' Fujin stopped pointing at the rocks and decided, ''This is enough training for shooting 10 lasers at the same time. I should move on to working on perfecting the aim with 10 Vacuum Bullets at the same time. I can already do it with one Vacuum Bullet. So this will just need some practice until I get a hang of the remaining 9 as well.'' Fujin continued his training. However, shooting 10 Vacuum Bullets assisted by a Wind Laser each was very exhaustive on his chakra. In addition, he also had a couple of clones training to increase the speed delivered by the Wind Laser and another couple of clones training to position the Vacuum Bullet at different positions inside the Wind Laser. So he had to take a meditation break after every hour! While Fujin was training, Hiruzen was reading the reports in his office. His main focus was on the report sent by Renjiro. He analyzed the report and thought, ''As we analyzed... Onoki doesn''t seem to have any intentions of starting a war. I''ll ask them to stay there for another couple of weeks. If Iwa doesn''t make any move, they can pull back and leave around 100 ninjas on our border to take care of any emergencies.'' He wrote a message and handed the scroll to an Anbu ninja to deliver. He picked up another file and began reading. His eyes widened immediately. He thought, ''The rate of consumption of the Wind Crystals reduced? How? Did that greedy boy finally think about the good of the village? Or was the effect too little for him?'' Hiruzen immediately activated his crystal ball and searched for Fujin in Training Ground 23. On not finding him there, he turned his attention to the Training Rooms. After looking for a bit, he found Fujin meditating in the Fire Training room. A relaxed look appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He could feel a lot of pressure being lifted off his shoulders. It almost looked like he became younger by a few years! He sighed in relief and thought, ''His rate of absorbing energy from Fire Crystals is just a fraction when compared with the Wind Crystals. If he doesn''t decide to switch back to Wind Crystals, I can finally rest easy.'' Fujin wasn''t very concerned with the names of his jutsus. He just thought of a basic one and stopped thinking about it. After meditating and recovering his chakra, Fujin continued his training. He stopped when just 2 hours were left for the effect of the pills to end and began moving back to his home. En route, he couldn''t help but sigh and think, ''The Four Symbols Seal is still not mastered! And the constant influx of memories from those clones gives me such an intense headache! Processing a year''s worth of memories in just 5 days repeatedly is a tough job. Especially when I am also training Ninjutsu.'' Fujin sighed again and muttered, "Oh well. I am almost done. I am very close now. My clones have succeeded in creating all parts of this seal. It''s just that no one managed to make the entire seal by himself. Probably 2 more days of this torture and I will have this seal down. 3 at max if my luck is bad.'' Exhausted, Fujin took a couple of days off once again. During this time, he visited Isamu in Konoha''s hospital to get his body checked and to heal any hidden injuries and eliminate the accumulated trauma. It helped Fujin in relieving the stress on his body and, to an extent, his mind. After resting for a couple of days, Fujin returned to training once again. After completing the morning workout ritual and getting some rest, Fujin decided to work on adding more jutsus to his arsenal. Fujin thought, ''This idea could be fun. Though Vacuum Gatling jutsu will be devastating, it''ll be a shame if I have to expose it against normal Jounins. This jutsu can make their preparations useless while keeping my Vacuum Gatling to catch any rank S ninja off guard. Even if I''m not able to kill them, causing them a serious injury should be sufficient to force these villages to back off.'' Fujin raised his right hand and extended his index and middle finger towards the sky. His eyes focused on the two fingers as wind chakra began concentrating on the two fingers. A 15 cm long Vacuum core began forming on top of his two fingers. In a few seconds, the core took the form of a blade. It was soon enveloped by winds. Fujin didn''t move his fingers. Despite that, under his control, the blade flew towards a rock and cleanly sliced it into two! A smile formed on Fujin''s face. He muttered to himself, ''My compatibility with this jutsu is too good. Just like the Blade of Wind jutsu, I was able to succeed on its vacuum variant on my first try!'' Chapter 362: Vacuum Blade, Vacuum Slash, Hurricane Sword! Though Fujin succeeded in creating the Vacuum Blade on the first try, the jutsu needed a lot of improvements, unlike the Blade of Wind jutsu. Fujin concentrated wind chakra on his two fingers once again. 5 Vacuum Blades began forming above his fingers. However, before they could completely form, the Vacuum core collapsed. Fujin immediately moved backwards and sighed. He analyzed, ''Looks like mastering this jutsu won''t happen on the first try. Oh well, it should still be done sooner than Hurricane Fist and Vacuum Gatling. I just need to increase the amount of blades I can create and be able to control them like I can control the Blade of Wind jutsu. Though this jutsu will be much slower than the Vacuum Bullet and Vacuum Gatling, it is far superior in maneuverability. That is why, the Iwa ninjas, who could easily dodge my Vacuum Bullets, weren''t able to dodge the Blades of Wind at a close range. Unfortunately, Blade of Wind jutsu could be defended against with the Iron Skin jutsu. The Vacuum Blade won''t have that weakness.'' Fujin began his training. He started by increasing the number of Vacuum Blades to two. Within half an hour, he managed to successfully create 2 Vacuum Blades consistently. By the time the pre-lunch training session was completed and Fujin''s chakra reserves started taking a hit, he managed to successfully create the 3rd Vacuum Blade as well.N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Since he was low on chakra, Fujin decided to use the post-lunch training session to practice Taijutsu with his clones and only continued training the Vacuum Blade jutsu in the evening. For the next four days, Fujin repeated the same training pattern. The only change was that as the number of Vacuum Blades increased, the rate of his chakra consumption also increased. So his training time for Vacuum Blade decreased while he focused more on the Taijutsu spars. The terrain of Training Ground 23 became even more weird. The rocks that were riddled with holes were now slashed into several pieces. So now, small rocks that had a lot of holes were spread throughout the training ground. Several trees also had similar holes. Luckily for them, Fujin stuck to testing the Vacuum Blades on the rocks. Fujin ignored the terrain and analyzed, ''I can already create 7 Vacuum Blades at the same time and control their directions very well. This should be enough for the time being. Time for the next idea.'' Fujin slammed his hands on the ground and an Earth Wall appeared in front of him. Soon after, the seal on Fujin''s bracer lit up and a sword appeared in his right hand. Chakra immediately began flowing alongside its edge and was quickly transformed into Wind nature. Fujin sent his chakra flowing into the ordinary sword. Soon, it turned into wind and began revolving around the sword at a high speed. Unlike his arm, Fujin didn''t bother putting a protective chakra cover that spun in the opposite direction on the sword. He didn''t particularly care if the sword was damaged. Soon, 3 Vacuum Waves began forming just outside the hurricane. In a couple of seconds, they began revolving around the sword at a high speed as well. Fujin observed his sword and thought, ''It looks completely like a mini-hurricane consisting of thousands of sharp blades moving at a speed. I wonder if I can make a full-scale version of this. A massive hurricane full of sharp winds and maybe a dozen Vacuum Waves spinning at a high speed... Preferably one big enough to consume an entire village.'' Fujin''s eyes lit up at that idea. However, his excitement doused as he analyzed, ''Unfortunately, the chakra consumption for such an attack will be too high. And, the ninjas who are good with Body Flicker jutsu or other movement jutsus can easily escape from the attack. They could even hide underground. The only way such an attack will work is if I attack a village having a lot of civilians that the ninjas care about. Not too useful. Oh well, I''ll develop a medium-sized one later to see if I can think of better applications for the same. For now...'' Fujin pulled his right arm back and jabbed forward with his sword. The mini-hurricane was launched forward. As it travelled, its size grew. It hit the remaining part of the Wall. The hurricane was stopped momentarily until the Vacuum Waves hit the wall and pierced through it, carving a path out for the hurricane. The hurricane broke through the wall and carried some debris in it as it continued moving forward, tearing apart everything in its way and creating a new path in the training ground. As it moved, several wind blades were launched from the hurricane into the surroundings, cutting even more trees. It finally lost its power after travelling for around 60 meters! Fujin had a thoughtful expression as he observed his attack. He analyzed, ''I see. I never thought of this possibility. The normal winds don''t have the same penetrative capabilities as Vacuum Waves. So once they hit a tough obstacle, they get stopped and the Vacuum Waves move to the front. So anyone facing the attack will just have to dodge those Vacuum Waves if they are confident in their defense. Still, despite this oversight, this is a great attack. If any ninja were to just dodge the incoming hurricane, they could be cut by the wind blades that randomly get thrown out due to the centrifugal force. This attack can be very devastating when facing an army.'' A smile formed on Fujin''s face as he muttered, "Anyway, that''s the one jutsu nearly mastered and two new learnt today. I''ll call this attack the Hurricane Sword!" Chapter 363: Finally!!! Fujin spent the next couple of days practicing Vacuum Slash and Hurricane Sword to get used to them. Normally, getting used to such jutsus would take a lot of time. Fortunately, the jutsus suited Fujin a lot and quickly became his second nature. Fujin quickly got used to performing them as comfortably as their normal versions. Because a week passed, Fujin consumed the soldier pill and shifted back to his previous routine with his focus divided between the Vacuum Gatling jutsu and the Four Symbols Seal. On the evening of the 2nd day, Fujin stood in the training ground. His chakra was low to continue training further. He extended his arms and pointed his fingers at 10 human-sized rocks. In an instant, 10 Vacuum Bullets were launched. Each hit their target on the mark and travelled a long distance behind them. Approximately 0.23 seconds later, Fujin shot another round of 10 Vacuum Bullets. They hit their target as well. Approximately 0.76 seconds after shooting the 2nd round, Fujin shot the 3rd round of the Vacuum Bullets. Fujin nodded and thought, ''Good. This now looks like a Gatling. However, I still need to improve this more. It''ll be great if I can fire 5 rounds within one second and 10 rounds in around 2.5 to 3 seconds. Only then it''ll live up to its name.'' Fujin extended his index finger once again and pointed at a rock. He fired a Vacuum Bullet. However, instead of hitting the rock he was pointing to, the bullet hit a hole in the rock adjacent to it. Fujin muttered to himself, ''This has reached partial mastery as well. I can aim my target around 20¡ã away in any direction from what I''m pointing at. I guess I''ll be able to go up to 60¡ã max by the time I''m done tra...'' Fujin suddenly stopped his analysis as he received a memory. Immediately, an elated expression appeared on his face. He screamed in his mind, ''FINALLY! It feels like I have been working on this for fucking centuries!'' Had Fujin been as emotional and reactive as someone like Naruto, he might have screamed and jumped for joy. The memory he received was from a shadow clone who dispelled himself. He was the first and the only shadow clone so far to successfully create the Four Symbols Seal! Fujin decided, ''I will meditate later. Time to visit my basement. Since this clone passed on his memories, the other clones should be getting it done soon as well.'' Fujin immediately flickered towards his home. In his basement, 79 Shadow Clones were sitting, each and every last one of them in deep thought. Just like the clone who dispelled himself, the remaining 79 clones were very close as well. It was just that they were stuck at some level or the other. After receiving his memories, they compared their results with those memories and immediately had a breakthrough. By the time Fujin reached his home, they continued working on their seals. Inside his office, Hiruzen was writing on a scroll. There were a couple of dozen more scrolls on his desk. Konoha''s decision to withdraw the majority of their forces was conveyed to Takigakure who immediately became worried. They tried making the Konoha ninjas stay, however, they didn''t have anything to convince them. Iwa had left no clues in the Ito Family''s territory. So Taki refused to blame them openly. They had also been unsuccessful in curbing the rumors that were spreading. These two points caused dissatisfaction among Konoha leaders. So Hiruzen didn''t intend to keep the army deployed for any longer. The only way Taki could make the Konoha ninjas stay was by issuing them all missions. Unfortunately, they didn''t have that kind of budget to splurge money. So they couldn''t stop Konoha from retreating. Hiruzen had concluded his negotiations with Takigakure. The scrolls he was writing on were for the Noble families in the Land of Waterfall that supported Konoha. He assured them of Konoha''s support and stated that they were retreating because the chances of Iwa attacking were very low. Hiruzen also assured them that if Iwa attacked them, Konoha would send an even bigger army. Hiruzen had just started writing the 2nd scroll when he heard a knock. He looked up to see Fujin''s clone entering. A smile formed on his face. He said, "Fujin. Why are you here?" Hiruzen had always been fond of Fujin. However, he had been more fond of him than ever for the last couple of weeks since Fujin stopped visiting the Wind Training Room. Fujin''s clone wondered, ''Why is he so happy to see me? Wait! Does he know that I''m here to ask for help and he is so enthusiastic to help me? Yup, that must be it. Sigh, we have such a benevolent Kage!'' Fujin asked, "Grandpa, are you done with your work?" Hiruzen, who was in a happy mood a few seconds ago, suddenly became alert. He thought, ''I know that tone! He is here to ask me for something that would cost me a lot.'' He put up an exhausted expression and replied, "Unfortunately I had some extra work today. I will be busy here for another couple of hours." He thought, ''Sigh, I thought I''d leave in 20 minutes. Now I''ll have to keep waiting here for another couple of hours in case he tries to check where I am.'' Meanwhile, Fujin''s clone wondered, ''Really? Or is this old fox faking?'' He said, "That''s rough on you Grandpa. I''m here because I need your help. I was hoping you''d come with me. But since you are busy, you can send a Shadow Clone with me.'' Hiruzen was speechless. He thought, ''Despite being Hokage for so long and having helped so many young ninjas over decades, this is the first time someone directly asked me to send a clone to help him. Wait! He isn''t even asking! He is directly giving me a choice!'' Chapter 364: Seal Imprint Hiruzen took half a minute to compose himself and gather his thoughts. However, despite his lively thoughts, the look of exhaustion never disappeared from his face. Of course, Fujin''s clone completely ignored the long pause he needed. Hiruzen asked, "What help do you need?" Fujin''s clone replied, "I am working on Fuinjutsu but have hit a roadblock in terms of speed. At my current speed, I need around an hour to create that seal. It makes it useless in war. I need some help and advice in regards to that." Hiruzen was surprised. He thought, ''He has already reached that stage? A seal that needs an hour to create will be a very complicated one. It looks like he will soon be a Grandmaster. No harm in teaching him seal imprints. But...'' Hiruzen said, "Alright. I can help you with that. But, I have a question as well. Did you ask anyone else to help you?" Fujin''s clone tilted his head and asked, "Why would I ask anyone else, Grandpa? You are the one everyone calls The Professor!" Despite his vast experience, Hiruzen couldn''t help but look at Fujin''s clone with a deadpan expression. He muttered internally, ''I have led Konoha for over 4 decades. I have lived through 3 deadly wars. I never expected that I would experience so many firsts within a few minutes at this age... This is the first time anyone sent a clone to ask for my help outside of wartime. Apart from my students and children, this is the first time anyone has come to me directly for help without asking anyone else. And, this is the first time someone directly asked me to send a Shadow Clone to help him...'' Fujin''s clone maintained his ''innocent'' expression. However, he was laughing in his mind. He thought, ''Old man, you have tried brainwashing me with the Will of Fire so many times that I don''t even remember the count. I guess you even believe that you have succeeded. You even asked me to call you Grandpa. Let me see with what face you decline my request when there is no good excuse!'' Hiruzen was in the same dilemma as Fujin had calculated. Though he regularly preached the Will of Fire to motivate his ninjas to push themselves harder for the village without having to do anything himself, the Will of Fire was a two-way street. Just as he had expectations from the younger generation, the younger generation also had expectations from him that he had to live up to. Of course, that wasn''t necessarily bad for Hiruzen. After all, unlike Fujin who viewed the Will of Fire as an ideological tool, Hiruzen believed in the Will of Fire completely. In fact, he could be even said to be the most devout follower of the Will of Fire. So he usually did what was expected of him even before anyone asked him to do so. However, when faced with someone like Fujin, Hiruzen realized an issue. He shuddered while thinking, ''If I agree, it will create a dangerous precedence. What if everyone else begins running to me for every small thing? How many Shadow Clones can I even create? Until now, though everyone knows that they can ask me for help, they are very respectful and mindful to not disturb me too much. But this boy...'' Fujin analyzed Hiruzen''s words and nodded. He asked, "So, how do we shorten the time?" Hiruzen''s clone said, "It''s pretty easy. The concept is similar to pre-made seals that you use instantly in battle. Can you figure it out?" Fujin began thinking. After a couple of minutes, he shook his head and answered, "No. I had thought of creating seals for the same. But, those are for one-time use. While I can make a lot of them as a preparation and have a similar effect, it won''t be the same. In addition, I won''t be able to modify the seal if I use seals I drew on paper. The only workable idea I have is probably creating the seal partially so that I can use it by just completing the remaining seal. But I am not sure how I could sustain a partial seal for that long without it putting a drain on my chakra reserves and taking a lot of my attention." Hiruzen''s clone smiled and said, "Not bad. You are a bit off, but the method is similar to the two ideas." The clone raised his right hand and showed his palm to Fujin. In an instant, the Four Symbols Seal appeared on his palm. Fujin''s eyes widened in surprise. He thought, ''That was almost Instantaneous. It''s as if he merely needs to think about it to create the seal!'' Hiruzen''s clone said, "Most people consider Grandmaster as the peak level of Fuinjutsu. Every Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu is respected by every ninja. However, for the ones who reach that level, becoming a Grandmaster is just the start of the journey. Once you reach this level, there are two things you need to do. The first one is imprinting all the seals you have learnt on your body, preferably the palm. This allows you to use every seal that you have imprinted instantaneously. I would have taught you this after you became a Grandmaster. But since you asked me before you became one, I''ll teach it to you now." Fujin smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa. But what is the second thing?" The clone smiled and said, "It''s to create new seals." Fujin thought, ''Ah, that was a stupid question. What else could they do?'' He replied, "I''ll leave creating newer seals for the future. For now, can we start learning the imprinting part?" Chapter 365: The Complications in creating Seal Imprints! Hiruzen''s clone nodded and said, "Yes. But before we start, I need to warn you. To complete this is even more difficult than becoming a Grandmaster. In Konoha, we have 10 Grandmasters, the most of any village. But, including me, there are only 3 ninjas who have completed this step. And even we can''t be said to have truly completed this step as we didn''t imprint hundreds of seals that we judged to be unneeded in combat." Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why is it so difficult?" Hiruzen''s clone answered, "It is easy to imprint seals at the start. But as you keep increasing the number of seals imprinted on your body, it becomes increasingly difficult. The reason has to do more with your ability to create multiple imprints on your body and your ability to remember everything about them without any error. Due to this reason, this step becomes very difficult to complete. It takes around a couple of decades to complete this step as the Shadow Clones won''t be of any help here. And, the high time required makes every Grandmaster reluctant to complete this. They will just imprint a few important seals and instead use their time for other tasks. So before we begin, remember this. Only imprint the seals that are important for you on your body. If you create a good seal in the future that you want to imprint, you will face difficulties if you imprint all the useless seals on your body. In the future, if you want to complete this step like me, go ahead. But don''t waste your time on this in the short term."N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Fujin thought for a bit and nodded. He said, "Alright Grandpa. Now can we begin the process of imprinting the Four Symbols Seal?" Hiruzen''s clone immediately shook his head and said, "No. Four Symbols Seal is a very high-level seal. Creating that imprint will be a task for you so you can learn how to do this by yourself. I will teach you how to create imprints with two other seals." Though Hiruzen''s words sounded sensible, Fujin couldn''t help but think, ''Why does it feel like he is not saying something?'' Hiruzen''s clone didn''t say the following out loud and only muttered in his mind, ''Not to mention, making an imprint of the Four Symbols Seal will need around one and a half to two weeks and will have to be done in multiple phases. I don''t want to keep sending a clone daily for the next two weeks!'' Unfortunately, Fujin couldn''t read his thoughts. He replied, "Alright. Which two seal imprints will you teach me?" Hiruzen''s clone replied, "The two seals that you''ll use the most. Chakra Suppression Seal and Self-Cursing Seal." Fujin said, "I see. A Fuinjutsu and a Juinjutsu so that I''ll get a hang of both." Hiruzen''s clone nodded and said, "Yes. Once you get a hang of how to imprint these seals, you should be able to slowly work the rest out yourself. But I''ll advise you to not work on the imprint of the Four Symbols Seal until you try a few other seal imprints to get a hang of this technique." Fujin''s concentration was at its highest level. His mind didn''t have any thought apart from maintaining the shape of the symbols while decreasing the size even further. Hiruzen''s clone observed, ''I didn''t expect him to do so well on his first try. His chakra control is better than I thought. It looks like he kept working on the Senju Taijutsu style even after leaving Renjiro''s squad. And his skill with the seals is very promising too. Though seeing his performance, it doesn''t look like it''s due to his talent in Fuinjutsu and is instead due to the amount of practice he has.'' He took a look at Fujin''s face again and wondered, ''How long does he use the Shadow Clones to practice seals?'' He sighed internally and thought, ''Though he becomes very greedy when he wants something, his work ethic is admirable. It is comparable to my three students and Minato when they were young. In terms of Fuinjutsu, he is already superior to what my three students were when they were his age. Only Minato did better. But he had Kushina''s help which not only made his path simpler but also gave him a lot of motivation to become a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. And unlike those four, Fujin has done it while staying hidden in the Anbu and keeping his skills a secret. To be able to push himself without having a friend to push him or having the common people and other ninjas sing his praises is remarkable. It looks like my previous analysis of him becoming capable of leading Konoha''s darkness was on point.'' While Hiruzen''s clone was analyzing Fujin, Fujin made rapid progress. The size of the seal was finally reduced by so much that Fujin couldn''t see it. However, he was very much aware of where the Seal was. Hiruzen''s clone observed it as well and said, "Good work. You have succeeded on your first try. Can you feel where the seal imprint is?" Fujin nodded. The clone continued, "Good. I''m sure you can sense it very clearly. But the reason for this is that this is the only seal imprint you have created. Once you create hundreds or even thousands of seal imprints, sensing every seal individually becomes very difficult. As for remembering their locations, that is difficult as well. While you may remember the seals that you use regularly, you will struggle with the seals that rarely get used. That''s why I instructed you to not imprint too many seals right now." Internally, Hiruzen sighed and thought, ''Seeing the crazy work he has done with his house, I have no doubts that he will create hundreds of imprints on his body if I don''t stop him.'' He turned his head to his left and gazed towards Fujin''s house, which was just outside the training grounds, and thought, ''3 years ago, that house had more than 2500 seals. Its number has been steadily increasing since then. Right now, there are so many seals that even I can''t see them all! Despite being better at Fuinjutsu, the quantity of the seals is so much that I couldn''t keep track after the number crossed 5000 as even I can''t see through all of them!'' Chapter 366: Another Base! Fujin noticed Hiruzen''s Clone''s gaze and a wry smile appeared on his face. He realized, ''So that''s why he keeps saying that again and again. He isn''t wrong though. This method, though complicated, is still very easy to implement. If I didn''t know that it would get complicated at a later stage, I would be tempted to do just that.'' Fujin replied, "Alright. I''ll limit the number of Seal Imprints to just the essential seals. I have a question though. Since I created the imprint on my right hand, doesn''t that mean that I can use this seal quickly with just my right hand? So do I need to create the same imprint on my left arm as well?" Hiruzen''s clone answered, "If you want to, then yes. But it''s pointless to do that for a seal like the Chakra Suppression Seal. This seal merely suppresses your enemy''s chakra. There are many other seals that offer similar or even better effects. Like the Self-Cursing Seal which paralyzes your opponent. This is another reason why I suggested you start with these two seals. You can use the Chakra Suppression Seal with your right hand and the Self-Cursing Seal with your left. If you feel like a seal is very important and irreplaceable, then feel free to create imprints on both your hands." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll keep that in mind. Another question. Does the seal have to be in between the chakra points that release the chakra? I was thinking about imprinting a few stealth seals on my body, perhaps barrier seals as well. That way, I could activate them instantly and gain an advantage, be it in stealth or defense."N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Hiruzen''s clone answered, "Well, seals don''t need to be imprinted between the chakra points. But, the closer they are to the right chakra points, the faster you''ll be able to activate them and the lesser the chance of any of them failing. Since your main concern was speed, placing them in between the chakra points is the most reliable method. As for seals like stealth, hardness, barrier and other similar utility seals, having them on your clothes like you have now is more than sufficient. There is no need to create imprints for them." Fujin thought for a bit and decided, "Yeah, you are right. Doubling them up won''t help a lot. If someone is strong enough to deal with those seals on my clothes, having those seals on my body might not help me much." Fujin recalled the time he was escaping from Roshi''s Tailed Beast Bomb. Just the mere blastwave destroyed his clothes despite the high number of seals he carved on them. Only the Iron Skin jutsu managed to hold on for a few seconds. Hiruzen''s clone replied, "Good analysis. Let''s start creating the imprint for the Self-Cursing Seal. Though it is Juinjutsu, its process is almost completely similar to that of Fuinjutsu." He began guiding Fujin once again, who absorbed all his teachings in no time. An hour later, Fujin completed imprinting the Self-Cursing Seal on his left palm. Fujin observed it and thought, ''No wonder so few use Fuinjutsu in battle despite there being so many SealMasters. Without completing this step, it is very difficult to use seals in combat.'' Hiruzen knew what he was doing when he asked me to create imprints for these 2 seals. Apart from the Four Symbols Seal, none will be as effective as these 2. The issue is that though many seals are very good, they are designed to fulfill just one purpose. Though they are useful in one way or another, they aren''t so useful in battle. While I can use them by becoming creative, like say storing a lot of one element in element-specific storage seals, their effect in battle would be equivalent to just rank D jutsus. And I can''t supercharge them. And, in almost all cases, I can just inscribe those seals on my clothes and activate them when needed. There isn''t much reason to create imprints. So, what do I do...'' Fujin fell into deep thought. After a few minutes, he decided, ''Though my main reason for learning Fuinjutsu was for the Tailed Beasts and the Flying Thunder God technique, it will be a shame if that''s all it is good for after spending such a long time learning it. Though I can still use it to set up traps or create defensive bases like this house, it still isn''t good enough. There is only one way to make my knowledge implementable in battle. A very simple way... I need to create seals that I can use during battle. Of course, creating entirely new seals would be a very difficult and time-consuming task. It won''t be worth it as the chances of success will be low. What I need to do is use the knowledge of my current seals to create complex seals that contain several of those seals and replicate their effects at the same time. Only such combinations of seals could be of some help in battle. Though this can be complicated as well, fortunately, I already have two good ideas. Hopefully, I''ll get more in the future. For now, I''ll create imprints for the two seals that might be of some help to me.'' While Fujin became busy with learning more Fuinjutsu seals, creating seal imprints and perfecting Vacuum Gatling, the Konoha''s army, which had stayed on the borders with the Land of Waterfall for over a month, began withdrawing. During the past month, the Konoha ninjas had created a large and permanent base on the border with the Land of Waterfall. Though the majority of the ninjas withdrew, one hundred ninjas under the leadership of a Veteran Jounin from the Nara Clan stayed behind. This base served two purposes. The first one was that it acted as a forward base. If Iwagakure took any action in the Land of Waterfall or even in the Land of Grass, the ninjas from this base could act as a vanguard and slow them down while cooperating with Kusa and Taki. Secondly, it also acted as a mission center for missions coming from the Land of Waterfall. Thanks to the Konoha ninjas being stationed directly on their borders, their location was closer than Takigakure for some of the citizens in the Land of Waterfall. So it would bring in more mission revenue from the Land of Waterfall. Now, in addition to the Land of Tea and the Land of Noodles, Konoha had a forward base alongside the border with the Land of Waterfalls as well. Not only were those countries not offended by it, but they requested for these bases to be created and even paid Konoha to keep them running! Chapter 367: Exposed! In the Hokage''s office, Hiruzen was sitting in his chair while reading something. He had a complicated expression on his face. Even though he expected Onoki to do this, when it truly happened, he couldn''t help but feel a bit gloomy. After a couple of minutes, he exhaled the smoke and said softly, "Bring Fujin here. He should be in Training Ground 23." Immediately, an Anbu Guard disappeared from the room. Fujin, who was training his Vacuum Gatling, stopped because he sensed a ninja entering the training ground. After getting the messenger, he left to see Hiruzen. He entered the office and before he could ask anything, Hiruzen pushed forward the book on his desk and said, "Take a look at this." Fujin picked up the book while muttering, "Bingo book?" As soon as his eyes landed on the page Hiruzen had opened, his eyes widened. He sighed and muttered, "Iwa finally decided to do this..." Hiruzen nodded. Iwa had increased Fujin''s bounty from 20 million Ryo to 50 million Ryo. Surprisingly, his summon and Fuinjutsu skills weren''t mentioned in the report. But they labelled him as the ''Spectral Swordsman''! Fujin said, "Exposing this identity will cause a lot of trouble. I have killed way too many people in the last 3 years."?v€l?1n. Hiruzen replied, "Yes. It will be a diplomatic disaster. To avoid this, you won''t ever accept this title." Fujin nodded and said, "That goes without saying. But I doubt the neighbouring countries will accept that so easily." Hiruzen replied, "It doesn''t matter. Iwa can give no proof. I can just deny everything they say. And considering the recent movements in the other 4 major villages, these smaller countries don''t want any trouble with Konoha. They can only accept their losses and move on. But, they might try something against you when you are on missions. Be it for revenge or the 50 million Ryo. There are a few bounty hunters as well who would be tempted." Fujin replied, "Yeah. I will be careful. But, why didn''t Iwa mention all my details?" Hiruzen chuckled and answered, "They want others to suffer losses against you just like they did." Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''That''s smart! And so fucking shameless! Irrespective of whether I''m dealt with or if I deal with the attackers, they will benefit.'' Ao nodded and got to work. Sitting in his office, Rasa had a thoughtful expression on his face as he read Fujin''s information for the umpteenth time. A frown appeared on his face as he thought, ''I remember Iwagakure sending information regarding him and speculating that he was the troublemaker. This sudden increase in his bounty should be Iwa''s work. But, is he worthy of such a bounty or does Iwa hate him for some reason?'' He fell into deep thought. After a few minutes he shook his head and concluded, ''Regardless of whether he is worthy or not, I can''t overlook him. For Iwa to be so troubled, he should at least be at the Elite Jounin level. And at such a young age too. Not to mention, his skillset is too similar to the culprit who created so much chaos in my country. It doesn''t matter if it was the copy ninja or him, I need to eliminate him if I get the chance.'' Kumo and Iwa leadership didn''t have much reaction towards this news for obvious reasons. However, the information caused a lot of chaos in the minor villages that were allied with Konoha. Their leaders immediately called for council meetings and sent a scroll to Hiruzen asking for an explanation. The people who took this news seriously weren''t limited to other countries. In an office under the Konoha, Danzo sat with a thoughtful face as he read Fujin''s bounty and information. He thought, ''The boy I asked Hiruzen for less than 4 years ago has already reached this stage? No wonder Hiruzen refused to tell us who the Spectral Swordsman was no matter how many times I asked him.'' Danzo was genuinely surprised. However, he curbed his surprise and wondered, ''Who exposed him? And who did he offend to get such a huge bounty?'' Danzo thought about the recent events and realized, ''Recently, Iwagakure created a mess in the Land of Waterfall. Hiruzen didn''t tell me or the other elders what happened, but according to my information, one of our Anbu squads clashed with Iwa there. So it should be his squad. But why would that make Iwa so alarme...'' Danzo''s left eye widened as he recalled, ''Wait, around half a year ago, the Four Tails'' Jinchuriki, Roshi, went on a rampage in the Land of Grass. Information regarding that incident was buried as well. I thought we benefited only due to Iwa''s folly. But if I assume that Roshi clashed with him, then it would make sense for Kusa to trust Konoha so much and for Iwa to attach so much importance to him. But, can Fujin go up against Roshi?'' Danzo looked at his bounty and a frown appeared on his face. He thought, ''No wonder Iwa put up such a huge bounty. He must have survived against Roshi and they probably set up a trap for him in the Land of Waterfall. I should have been more forceful and inducted him in the Root. Such a talent will now be corrupted by Hiruzen''s naive thoughts. But, this can be an opportunity as well.'' Danzo entered into deep thought. He analyzed, ''For an Anbu, maintaining their disguise is the most important. If their identity is leaked, then everyone who they targeted and their families will try to get back at them. Hiruzen has failed him by failing to protect his identity. I can use this to try and recruit him. In addition, the Spectral Swordsman is known to be very ruthless and efficient. His method seems to be very similar to mine. I could try to influence him with my ideology as well.'' He looked at a Root ninja in his office and instructed, "Call the two elders here." Due to his analysis, Danzo was upbeat about his chances of recruiting Fujin. However, if he was to know that Hiruzen was planning to pass the Root to Fujin in the future, one would wonder what Danzo''s expression would be. Chapter 368: A Casual Spar... The people surprised by this bounty weren''t limited to just Village Leaders. Akimichi Choza saw Fujin''s bounty while looking through the new Bingo book. A thought, ''Such a high bounty. No wonder Lord Hokage wants to nurture him. But, I still don''t understand why he wants to make someone this talented a negotiator. Yamanaka Inoichi thought while looking at Fujin''s information, ''So this is the boy that has been giving Shikaku sleepless nights. Fumito is on his squad. I''ll ask him to improve his relationship.'' Hyuga Hiashi analyzed, ''So this is the boy pushing Hoka to continuously become stronger. I hadn''t paid much attention to him earlier. But if someone like him is pushing Hoka, then it''ll be very beneficial for Hoka.'' A look of surprise appeared on Inuzuka Tsume''s face as she thought, ''I remember how dedicated he was to training during the Chunin exam. I knew he''d become strong. But I never imagined he''d reach such a level so quickly.'' The other clan leaders had similar reactions. However, because they hadn''t been in direct contact with Fujin, they had to look up for more information on him. Since not everyone checked the Bingo book regularly, the ones other than the clan leaders didn''t get to know about Fujin''s bounty immediately. But as the word about this matter, almost everyone in Konoha became aware of another talented youngster rising through their ranks. Of course, the one who was the most proud was Renjiro. A smile formed on his face as he muttered, "It looks like I might not be able to keep up with him anymore." He looked at the sky and wondered, ''Is this a sign for me to retire and leave active duty?'' Fujin was unaware of the fame he was gaining in his village. However, even if he had known, he wasn''t in a state to think about it. The effect of the soldier pill had run out and he was in a deep sleep as his body and mind were completely exhausted. He rested for a couple of days before continuing his morning routine. To push himself to his limits, he started to use his training seal at 100% capacity for the duration of the training. After the training, he sat with his back against a tree while breathing heavily. He thought, ''100% capacity is too much to handle with that intense workout. I should go at 92% from tomorrow and slowly increase it to 100% in a month.'' Fujin took a while to catch his breath. On recovering, he analyzed, ''In the last 3 days before the pill ran out of energy, I managed to create imprints for all the seals that I decided on. And my clones managed to learn both, the Five Elements Seal and Five Elements Unseal. I will next create imprints for these two. Their complexity level is much higher than the other seals I imprinted. Once I manage to create imprints for them, I''ll begin working on the Four Symbols Seal''s imprint. My Vacuum Gatling is also at a usable level now. Its speed is around 71% of my Vacuum Bullet. And I can fire them at an angle of up to 45¡ã. In terms of firing rate, I can fire 4 rounds in a second and 10 in 3 seconds. Spending more time on improving any of these aspects would be pointless. Over the next few months, as I become more used to this jutsu, its speed should increase to around 90% of the Vacuum Bullet and the angle should increase to 60¡ã. The firing rate should also increase to 5 rounds in a second. I only need to train one more thing with the Vacuum Gatling. After I''m done with it, I''ll begin working on an AoE Vacuum jutsu. But, these can wait for some time. I need to do something more important today.'' Fujin kept resting until he had completely recovered and then got up and began moving towards another Training Ground. He thought, ''I hope this goes well. If possible, I would love to explore this route further as well. Maybe not to the limit, but close to that point.'' Fujin disappeared from his spot and moved at a rapid speed using Body Flicker. Fujin moved away and began stretching his muscles until Guy was done. In less than a minute, Guy shouted, "1000!" He got up and said, "Alright, let''s fight now." Fujin nodded and took his stance. A smile appeared on his face as he felt a sudden surge of excitement. He thought, ''Might Guy... Though I have fought a lot of exciting battles, be it against Kakuzu, Darui, Roshi or Kitsuchi and have seen someone like Hiruzen in action, no one comes close to this beast in terms of real strength.'' Despite it being over a decade, Fujin couldn''t help but recall the scene of Uchiha Madara declaring Guy as the strongest in Taijutsu! Guy shouted, "Here I come! Let the power of youth explode!" Without further ado, Guy burst forward like a whirlwind at an incredible speed. At the same time, Fujin moved forward as well and unleashed a punch. Their fists clashed, producing a loud sound and a minute shockwave! A look of surprise appeared on Guy''s face. It soon turned into a grin as he exclaimed, "Good! I can feel the power of youth coursing through your body!" A grin appeared on Fujin''s face as well while he said, "Might Guy... I have heard that you are the greatest Taijutsu master in our village. A shame that I couldn''t spar with you until now. I really hope you live up to your reputation because I haven''t felt so excited about a fight in a long time." Fujin immediately unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks relentlessly, forcing Guy on a backfoot. Guy blocked and dodged his attacks and in a few seconds, began counterattacking. The two exchanged blows without a break. As the fight continued, Fujin slowly started getting overwhelmed. He parried Guy''s kick while thinking, ''Such crazy raw power and speed! His experience in Taijutsu is far superior to mine as well. I haven''t seen anyone apart from Hiruzen move this fast. And we aren''t yet using Chakra to enhance our power and speed.'' Though Guy was better and was overwhelming Fujin, Fujin could still hold on. Since he was the one to request a Taijutsu spar, Fujin refrained from using Chakra to enhance himself to get an advantage. If someone were to see this fight, they would be shocked. Both Fujin and Guy moved at such a tremendous speed that neither could be seen by an untrained eye. Only the sounds of their fists and legs clashing could be heard. Occasionally, some part of the ground would blow up or a tree or two would be broken. After 5 minutes of such intense combat, both fighters finally stopped and stood around 10 meters apart while facing each other. Fujin''s breathing was slightly rough. A few bruises could be seen on his arms and legs. However, none were serious. In comparison, Guy didn''t have any injuries on his body. His breathing, though slightly heavier, seemed normal as well. Guy praised, "Excellent, Fujin! You truly embody the spirit of youth!" Fujin replied, "Thanks, Guy. Your reputation doesn''t do you justice." A grin appeared on his face as chakra began flowing around his body. He asked, "I wonder if you''d like to get serious now." Guy observed Fujin and said, "The Senju Taijutsu style. Good. Other than Lady Tsunade, I haven''t seen any other ninja from the Senju clan exerting more chakra than you." Guy took his fighting stance. Fujin immediately became extremely serious. He immediately concentrated chakra in his eyes. He could sense an intense chakra being radiated from Guy. It wasn''t as strong as his chakra in quantity, but it felt far more intense. Sweat dripped down Fujin''s forehead as he observed Guy''s application of chakra. He could only think, ''This guy...'' Chapter 369: Strong Fist Style Looking at the serious look on Fujin''s face and his glowing eyes, Guy said, "My fighting style is called the Strong Fist style. Unlike the Senju Taijutsu style which uses Chakra to just enhance the power behind the punch or the kick, this method enhances the entire body. Though it lacks explosive strength, its impact is much higher." Fujin was still surprised. He replied, "I see." He thought, ''I should have expected his fighting method to not be merely Taijutsu. His chakra is completely infused in his body! There is no leakage. But... This method is different from just concentrating chakra in one part of the body. Infusing chakra directly into the body puts intense pressure on muscles and the chakra network itself. I can understand infusing chakra in Limbs. I should be able to do that as well. Though it might be a bit painful. But infusing chakra in vital organs is very risky. Is his chakra control and medical knowledge so good that he is so confident in not damaging himself? But that doesn''t sound like Guy at all!'' Before he could analyze further, Guy made a move. He burst forward like a bullet and within the blink of an eye, he had reached Fujin. Fujin''s eyes widened as he thought, ''So fast!''N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. He immediately clenched his right fist and concentrated a lot of chakra on it and punched at the incoming fist. The two fists collided, causing a strong shockwave to spread from the impact. Fujin and Guy immediately jumped back and created some distance between themselves. Fujin shook his right hand and complained, "What is your fist made of? I felt like I was hitting Iron!" Guy chuckled, "You aren''t bad yourself. Get ready. I''m about to be serious." He moved towards Fujin and both exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks once again. Suddenly, Guy took a step back and began spinning while shouting, "Severe Leaf Hurricane!" He unleashed a series of kicks, targeting Fujin''s legs, Waist and Head in a random pattern. However, Fujin managed to block or dodge every kick. Suddenly, Guy jumped in the air and attacked Fujin with a heel drop. Fujin immediately moved out of the way and retreated. As he expected, as soon as Guy''s kick landed on the ground, rocks were sent flying everywhere around him. Guy ignored those rocks and attacked Fujin again. As the two of them fought, Fujin analyzed Guy''s abilities. He thought, ''In terms of speed, he is just barely slower than Hiruzen! The only way I could be faster than him is if I use Assassin''s Rush jutsu. Though if he uses the Inner Gates, I doubt Assassin''s Rush jutsu would be able to keep up. Not to mention, Assassin''s Rush only provides a linear speed boost. That said, though he is faster, I can still keep up and defend myself, even if just barely. One mistake and I''ll take a bad punch or a kick. I''m very intrigued about this Strong Fist style though. His punches and kicks are enhanced with chakra. But not the same degree of chakra as the Senju Taijutsu style. I can concentrate far more chakra in my fists and legs than him. On the flip side, the Senju Taijutsu style consumes chakra at a much higher rate. And it doesn''t buff speed or defenses like the Strong Fist style. Still...'' He became serious as he analyzed, ''Still, though the method is strange and unconventional, I don''t think it will be risky. In fact, I have a feeling that this might be a prerequisite for learning the Eight Inner Gates. Or at the very least, being able to strengthen the body this way could help in improving the ability to sustain the Eight Inner Gates. The reason why I don''t think this is risky is due to how often Guy might be using it. In the future, Lee would master this easily too. And it''s possible that Might Duy knew this as well. Or perhaps he knew something similar and Guy improved upon it.'' Guy saw Fujin in a deep thought and asked, "What are you thinking about?" Fujin said, "I have been feeling like my Taijutsu has been stuck at the same level for a couple of years. I was wondering whether you could help me develop a new training plan for myself." Guy raised his thumb again and replied with his trademark smile, "You can count on me." Fujin said, "Also, one of the reasons why my Taijutsu was stuck was due to a lack of fights as I prefer using Ninjutsu in combat. So, can you please spar with me on a regular basis?" A grin formed on his face as Fujin added, "I have a feeling that I''ll improve rapidly if I keep sparring with you like we did today." Guy grinned as well and said enthusiastically, "Of course. I can already see us unleashing our youthfulness in our spars! Do you have any other requests?" A smile formed on Fujin''s face. He said, "Just one more thing. How much did you hold back against me today?" A look of surprise appeared on Guy''s face. However, it quickly turned into a smile. He said, "I am surprised you noticed." Though Fujin had said that his Taijutsu was growing rusty, he was still very confident in his Taijutsu. He was confident in winning even against the Hyuga elites in Taijutsu. The number of ninjas who could defeat him in Taijutsu was quite low. However, despite his confidence, Fujin was one of the few who knew how insanely strong Guy was. In fact, even the ones who knew Guy''s strength didn''t know how strong Guy could be for sure. In fact, Fujin knew about it more than even Guy himself did. In addition, unlike Fujin, who trained in every aspect, Guy focused entirely on his Taijutsu. Despite his confidence, Fujin clearly knew that he was far inferior to Guy in Taijutsu. Guy answered, "Not much. My speed and power are as you saw. I just pulled a few punches to not injure you." Fujin thought, ''I see. He didn''t consider the Eight Inner Gates.'' Fujin replied, "Alright. Thank you. Hopefully, you won''t have to hold back against me soon. Let''s start creating a training plan." Fujin and Guy began discussing Fujin''s current body training plan and began creating a new one. Fujin''s goal for this new training plan was to infuse the chakra in his body just like how Guy could. Chapter 370: Deadly Training and a New Danger! Fujin and Guy discussed the training plan for quite some time. It wasn''t like when Fujin asked Genki or Renjiro to help with training plans. Back then, his knowledge was too low and he merely followed the training plans they created with little input from him. But now, Fujin was quite experienced as well. In addition, his relationship with Guy was more like a colleague rather than a teacher-student relationship. So both were quite casual. After around half an hour, the plan was finalized. Fujin thanked Guy and took his leave. As he left the training ground, Fujin sighed involuntarily and thought, ''What a weird exchange.'' He recalled Guy''s first words. After asking for Guy''s help, Guy immediately created a complete training plan and explained it to Fujin with extreme enthusiasm. His words left Fujin completely speechless. Guy had created a training schedule that started at 5 AM and went on till 11 PM with extremely small breaks sprinkled in between for eating. In addition, some of the training involved embarrassing tasks like walking around Konoha on his hands! Fujin thought, ''He is even more crazy than I remember. Training in such a manner is very harmful to the body. Not to mention, it is useless for anyone who doesn''t want to abandon Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. More than half the time we spent discussing it was to cut the training time from 18 hours to 4 hours. A good amount of the remaining time was spent on removing the embarrassing exercises. While I don''t mind some strangers laughing if I can benefit heavily, those exercises don''t provide any significant benefit. I guess he does it to improve his mental fortitude and to keep himself humble or grounded. But that isn''t an issue for me.'' Fujin shook his head and thought, ''All the weirdness aside, the interaction went quite similarly to how I imagined it would. His nature is as helpful and straightforward as I remember. But, he definitely isn''t as simple or naive as he was in the series.N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. No, even in the series, though he acted as a fool, I didn''t consider him as one. Though he wasn''t the sharpest, he was still very mature, stable and decently smart. But, in this treacherous world, he''d be even more smart. Regardless, since he has decided to help me, I don''t need to worry much about it. This method of training will be very effective. Since my body is already very strong, I won''t need a long time before I can replicate this. In maybe 3 to 4 months, I should be able to infuse chakra throughout my body. And, unlike Guy, I can combine the Strong Fist style with the Senju Taijutsu style. As long as I ignore the Eight Inner Gates, my Taijutsu could surpass his level if I devote the majority of my time to it. Sadly, the gains won''t be worth it as what makes Guy stand out is his skill with the Eight Inner Gates. I wonder if he''d be willing to teach me the Eight Inner Gates.'' Fujin analyzed for a bit and concluded, ''Asking for it right away will be foolish. Let me first master the chakra infusion. In that time, I can improve my relationship with Guy considerably with regular spars. It''ll be best if he proposes this idea himself. If not, I can ask him when I feel it''ll be appropriate. Other ninjas entering his training ground happened every once in a while. In most cases, it''d be someone who wanted to visit Fujin. In some rare cases, it''d just be someone who was passing through. However, it was the first instance of someone disappearing after being sensed. The clone squinted his eyes as he noticed something on the ground. He bent down and picked up two dead bugs. He analyzed, ''These should be the source of the chakra. What was an Aburame ninja doing here? And why did he kill his own bugs and run away?'' He spread out his chakra field, covering a circular area with a radius of 3 kilometers! Immediately almost every high-level ninja in this area looked in the direction of Fujin''s clone. Fujin''s clone deactivated his chakra field and analyzed, ''I didn''t find anyone hiding in nearby training grounds. Whoever it was should have mixed with the civilians and the ninjas. Regardless, why would the Aburame clan send a ninja to do something so fishy?'' He thought for a few seconds before shaking his head. A frown formed on his face as he concluded, ''No, this isn''t the style of the Aburame clan. It should be Shimura fucking Danzo. Why the hell is that bastard crawling out of the ground?'' He took another look at the bugs and observed, ''These bugs aren''t poisonous ones. Rather, they are the ones used for scouting and spying. He wants to collect my information. Knowing his record, he wants to either eliminate or recruit me. If it''s the latter I can handle him. But if it''s the former...'' The frown on his face deepened. He thought, ''Though I am confident in being able to go up against Danzo and even his remaining Root ninjas in a fair fight, these bastards will never fight fair. In addition, though Hiruzen is extremely devious, he has a soft spot for Danzo. Even though taking the Root from him might seem a big punishment, it is very tame considering that he killed a rank S ninja, caused another rank S to go rogue and was the main reason behind the massacre of Konoha''s strongest clan. So even if Danzo makes a move against me, I can''t count on Hiruzen to back me up. And, I''ll also need to be on guard against that freakish eye. Sigh, as I expected, fame is a pain in the ass. Danzo, I hope you don''t make things difficult for me, else I don''t care if Hiruzen gets offended. I should wait till I take the Flying Thunder God though. It shouldn''t be an issue as I doubt Danzo would make a move against me in a hurry.'' After completing his analysis, the clone clenched his fists. The dead bugs in his hand were cut into minute particles and cremated. A second later, he dispelled himself. Fujin was sweating heavily as he exerted his body to the max. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he received the clone''s memories. His expression went back to normal and a smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''So you have decided to crawl out? It looks like things might not get boring even after I retire from the Anbu.'' Chapter 371: Failure! Fujin didn''t bother thinking about Danzo anymore and focused on his training again. After four gruelling hours of relentless training, Fujin''s body felt like it had been pushed beyond its limit several times. His muscles burned with a searing intensity, and every breath he took was a laborious effort. With a deep, ragged exhale, he finally released the tight control he had maintained over his body. He collapsed backwards onto the training ground, his back making contact with the earth. Drops of sweat glistened on his forehead before trickling down, mingling with the earth below. His chest heaved as he lay there, staring up at the sky. He muttered, "Finally done! What a fucking crazy training plan! And I have to put my body through this hell on a daily basis..." Fujin closed his eyes and kept lying there, recovering both body and spirit. After around 5 minutes, Fujin finally got up. He stretched his sore muscles while thinking, ''No wonder the Eight Inner Gates isn''t popular. Only a maniac can put his body through this hell for years. Still, there is no doubt that this will be very beneficial for me. I should have gone to Guy right when Renjiro''s training plan began losing effect. I should also make a new Training Seal. I will be comfortable with the maximum limit of this seal in less than a month with this training.'' Fujin dispelled his clones and received their memories. A look of surprise appeared on his face. He thought, ''That''s weird. None of my clones could think of a good AoE Vacuum jutsus...'' He began walking home while analyzing, ''The only decent idea they came up with was using several vacuum jutsus while using the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu at the same time. It would affect a wide range. But it isn''t the same. It is merely spamming the normal Vacuum jutsus. Though it would appear as a similar effect, it won''t be the case. Not only will there be a lot of gaps to dodge the attack, but it won''t be stronger than my normal Vacuum attacks either. I need to think of something better.'' Fujin freshened up and had dinner before calling it a day. Lying in his bed, Fujin wondered, ''Now, what to do about Danzo?'' He stayed quiet for some time while recalling all the information he could about Danzo. He analyzed, ''From what I remember, Danzo stayed inactive since the Uchiha''s massacre until he put Sai on Naruto''s squad. He didn''t make a move during Konoha Crush or for the 5th Hokage, either. While I can understand the former considering his actions during Pain''s assault, the latter is very suspicious. Why didn''t he try and claim the 5th Hokage''s spot after Hiruzen died to his own student?'' From the next day, Fujin followed this routine. He trained with the new training plan early in the morning. He would follow it up with a 3-hour-long Taijutsu spar with Guy. After lunch, he would experiment with the ideas he had for an AoE Vacuum jutsu. This continued for 5 more days until Guy said, "The power of youth overflows in you, Fujin! Unfortunately, I have to take a mission tomorrow." Fujin nodded and said, "Good luck, Guy. Let me know when you return. I am usually in Training Ground 23 or the large house next to it." Guy gave Fujin a thumbs up and said, "Definitely!" Fujin took his leave. Guy''s trademark smile faded away as Fujin left. He thought, ''Suzuki Fujin... I never thought that someone so talented in Ninjutsu would be willing to undergo such a training regime for 6 days straight. His Taijutsu is already better than Kakashi''s if he doesn''t use the Sharingan.'' His grin returned as he exclaimed, "A junior is pushing himself so much! I need to increase my training even more. Before I leave, I will do a week''s training in only a day!" He immediately dropped down and began doing pushups at such a speed that his body looked blurry and left several afterimages! Fujin didn''t bother Guy anymore. He had another issue to take care of. While eating in Ichiraku, his mind was occupied by the issue he was being troubled with. He thought, ''It''s almost been a week since I started. But I still haven''t had any success in creating an AoE Vacuum Jutsu. Though I could create the idea I had, its effect was much lower than what I wanted. I won''t be able to pierce a Sussano with this method. Unfortunately, I don''t have any other good ideas. Creating a large enough Vacuum Core for an AoE attack is not possible. Perhaps spamming Vacuum Cannon might be the only way to replicate Danzo''s success against the Sussano. I wonder how he does it.'' Unfortunately, no matter how hard Fujin thought, he couldn''t come up with a decent idea. It came as a surprise to him considering how quickly he could create the other Vacuum jutsus. The next day, after consuming the soldier pill, Fujin decided, ''There is no point in wasting a lot of time trying to figure this out. With Vacuum Gatling, Vacuum Blade and Vacuum Slash, that Iwa army will be helpless against me. So I don''t need to worry much about this. I will begin working on taking my Wind Release to the next level. Hopefully, I''ll find some inspiration as I work on it.'' Chapter 372: Wind Domain Fujin was sitting on the training ground while waiting for his chakra to recover. His clones had continued working on the remaining seals. Fujin didn''t bother visiting the training rooms because he was deep in thought. His mind was occupied with thinking about what he wanted to create. Once his chakra recovered, Fujin got up. He began emitting chakra into the air from every chakra point on his body. As soon as the chakra was released, it transformed into the wind and mixed with the surroundings. If a normal person saw, he wouldn''t feel anything different. However, any ninja would immediately feel the high amount of chakra concentrated in the area. Fujin analyzed, ''Unlike the Wind Style Genjutsu, this can be easily detected. But doing what I have in my mind can''t be done with that little amount of chakra. But, it shouldn''t be an issue. Even though I''m sacrificing stealth, it will be compensated by the abilities of this technique.'' Fujin focused his eyes on a branch of a tree in front of him. More accurately, he focused on the wind around the branch which had his chakra mixed in. In an instant, the wind attacked the branch. The winds caused the branch to sway. A few leaves fell but no damage was inflicted to the branch. Fujin furrowed his eyebrows as he analyzed, ''This will take a lot of time.'' He closed his eyes and continued emitting more chakra in the surrounding area. As he did, he also focused all his attention on sensing his wind chakra that was mixed into the surroundings. After 5 minutes, he snapped his eyes open and exerted control on the chakra he had released. Immediately, winds began flowing around him. The branches of the trees around him began swaying in the wind and a few leaves broke off. Fujin sighed and thought, ''It''s very difficult to exert control over this chakra. Making it sharper is even more difficult. Though my control over wind jutsu is normally very good, it is because I manipulate it however I want before it leaves my body. Even though I have some more control over jutsus like Blades of Wind and Infinite Breakthrough due to Yin-Yang manipulation, it still has more to do with what I do before I launch the jutsu. As I speculated, this will be a rather difficult technique to create.'' Memories regarding his idea flashed into his mind. Fujin thought, ''It has been a long time since I wanted to create something like this. I first had the idea after seeing the rank E Wind jutsus. But the idea was very vague back then. And I didn''t have any idea of how to even start working towards it. That changed when I fought with Susumu. His application of Wind Release to cast Genjutsu gave me an idea of how I could start. My idea is to emit chakra into my surrounding winds and control it. If it goes as I want it to, then I should be able to create extremely high-speed winds at will. I should also be able to make those winds extremely sharp. At a later stage, I should also be able to mix Vacuum blades in this technique. Three days later, a ninja wearing a mask appeared in an underground tunnel. He walked towards a room and entered it. He knelt and respectfully said, "Danzo-sama." Danzo looked at him and said, "Torune, report your observations." Torune reported, "I tried keeping an eye on Suzuki Fujin for the last 10 days. For the first 6 days, he woke up at 4:30 AM. He went to training ground 23 at 5 AM. He stayed there until 10 AM. From 10 AM to 1 PM, he went to the training ground where Might Guy was at. He spent 3 hours there before going to have lunch in either Yakiniku, Ichiraku or his house. He returned to the training ground 23 after lunch and spent another 4 to 6 hours there before going back to his house. On the 7th day, Guy had to go on a mission. So Fujin stayed in the training ground 23 until Lunch time. But, in the last 3 days, he has stayed all the time in the training ground 23. He hasn''t left for food or sleep. I believe he is using a soldier pill to train continuously." Danzo was surprised. He thought, ''So much training? Is he preparing for something? Or is this how he always is?'' He asked, "What is he training in? And did you inspect his house?" Torune answered, "I planted some of my insects to spy on what he and Guy were doing. They both sparred for 3 hours straight on a daily basis. Fujin''s Taijutsu is very good. He uses the Senju Taijutsu style. In a pure Taijutsu fight, I don''t think any Root ninja will be a match for him. As for what he did in training ground 23..." He took a pause before continuing, "I couldn''t find out. He keeps his chakra field activated in the training ground all the time. I tried sending in some insects, but he detected them and even tried looking for me. I planted some bugs in the training ground in the night, but he could somehow find and kill all of them before he began doing whatever he was doing. So I have no idea what he does there. As for his home..." Sweat gathered behind Torune''s mask before he could give an answer.?v€l?1n. Chapter 373: Limitless Applications of the Wind Domain! Danzo asked, "What about his house?" Torune answered, "Whenever Suzuki Fujin leaves his house, he puts a Five Seal Barrier tag on the door. I managed to find two more tags within a day. But despite searching for a long time, my bugs couldn''t find the two remaining tags around his house. I can''t say for sure, but I think that there are a lot more seals on and around his house. I got a feeling that if I had gone to inspect myself instead of sending bugs, I would have been discovered even if Fujin wasn''t there." Danzo was stunned. He began analyzing, ''Such carefulness while training and such protection for his house. Even the Uchiha clan wasn''t so much on guard despite knowing that we could attack preemptively. What is he up to?'' Danzo became very suspicious of Fujin. No other Konoha ninja took so much effort to protect their secrets. The only one who did was Danzo himself. Danzo analyzed, ''There shouldn''t be anything fishy in what he does in the training grounds. Hiruzen can inspect them anytime he wants to. However, his house might contain a lot of secrets. But, why didn''t Hiruzen look into it? Such behavior is even more brazen than what Orochimaru did. At the very least, he didn''t do anything in his own house and created secret bases around the village. So why didn''t Hiruzen look into it? Or could it be that he has given the boy his approval?'' Danzo analyzed for a few more minutes before concluding, ''I forgot that Suzuki Fujin is only 14 years old. What secrets can he hide? Apart from some sessions to learn Mystical Palm, he has no record of any expertise in Medical Ninjutsu. Hiruzen is likely using that boy to bait me. The seals should have been placed when Hiruzen understood that it was inevitable for his identity to be leaked. Once I make a move, he will get a reason to take the orphans I just recruited.'' Danzo looked at Torune and instructed, "Don''t spy on him continuously for now. Instead, you will spy on him for two days once every fortnight. Select the days randomly." Torune replied, "I will, Danzo-sama." Torune left his office. Danzo watched him leave and thought, ''Though this might be a trap, I can''t stop spying on him. There is a lot about this boy that doesn''t add up. To recruit him, I will need information about his personality, values, ideology and his abilities. I can then find a way to drive a wedge between Hiruzen and him.'' Fujin left his house and went to the training ground to continue with the Wind Domain training. Fujin walked to the center of the training ground while inspecting the training ground with his chakra field and stood facing a tree. After confirming that there was no one spying, he began emitting chakra into the air. Soon, the entire surrounding was filled with his chakra. Fujin concentrated on the chakra in front of him. Winds formed and began moving towards the tree. However, instead of moving normally, the wind moved in a unique pattern. A large amount of wind concentrated together as if it was forming something. Soon, it took the form of a human hand. Its size was as large as a normal person and instead of fingers, it had sharp-looking claws. Fujin controlled it and used it to grab a branch of the tree. Immediately, around a quarter of the leaves on the branch were pulled off. The branch itself was assaulted by the winds several times. Fujin observed the attack and thought, ''Though I haven''t made any groundbreaking progress in the Wind Domain, I am progressing steadily. This attack is a result of 3 weeks of training. I will call it the Ghost Palm. Once I master it, I can use it to grab or just slash my opponent. If I grab it, then I can use it to either immobilize him or to shred him.'' Fujin controlled the Ghost Palm and pulled all the leaves that were broken off towards him. The Ghost Palm slowly dissipated while a few hundred leaves moved towards Fujin. The branch stopped swaying. Some of its bark was peeled off but the branch itself was largely unharmed. Fujin analyzed, ''Its power is still lacking but I still have more than a month of vacation left. By the time it''s over, this attack will be ready. Regardless, the Wind Domain has a lot more applications than I thought. Due to my chakra getting mixed with the wind, I get a lot of control over it. I can use it to concentrate the wind in one spot and decrease its density in the remaining places. It''s this ability that I used to form the Ghost Palm. And by doubling down on this, I can use the Ghost Palm to create an immobilizing effect. Even without the Ghost Palm, if I just increase the concentration of air around and above an opponent, he will feel immense pressure. And, once the Wind Domain is properly developed, I''ll be able to do the vice versa as well. Every ninja, barring Obito, Pain''s six bodies, and maybe the likes of Kakuzu, Hidan and Sasori, needs air to survive. Though this technique wouldn''t be effective by itself as even an Academy student can move out of the range, if I combine it with a Fuinjutsu Battlefield, this will be an easy killing move! If my opponent doesn''t have a space-time movement jutsu like Reverse Summoning to escape, they''ll die helplessly! Chapter 374: The Promised Fight! Fujin continued analyzing, ''The ability to control the wind and increase and decrease its density also has another advantage. My Projectile Control jutsu is on a whole new level inside my Wind Domain. As my control improves, I''ll be able to use it to redirect my Vacuum Bullets and Gatling. Though the control over them wouldn''t be too high, it''ll be sufficient to deal with anyone who tries to preemptively dodge them or barely dodge them by a few inches. Though this slight redirection can happen only inside the domain, it''s fine as I could redirect them just before they leave the domain. And...'' Fujin''s eyes sparkled as he had a terrible idea. He analyzed, ''If I can go one step forward and control individual gasses in the air inside my domain, then I''ll reach a similar level of battle prowess as Hashirama and Madara despite having far lesser chakra. Controlling what my opponents breathe... They wouldn''t even know how they died! Unfortunately, I have no clue how to differentiate between gasses, let alone control them. The difficulty of learning how to do either of that will be insane. It''ll be like trying to come up with a new Kekkei Genkai. Leave it. This kind of thing can''t be forced. It''s like what Renjiro said for Kekkei Genkai. If I''m lucky and have the inspiration or somehow manage to merge the two elements properly instinctually, I''ll learn the Kekkei Genkai. Otherwise, I might not learn one even after spending decades working on it. Besides, even if I can''t learn this, I do know how to learn a rank S jutsu that could neutralize almost all rank S ninjas if I hit them. The Rasenshuriken... Should I try to learn it?'' Fujin fell into deep thought. After a few minutes, he concluded, ''There are a lot of drawbacks. Though my body is strong, I doubt it compares to Naruto''s in healing and resilience. The backlash I''ll receive will be even more severe. However, I could circumvent that by just having my Shadow Clones use that jutsu until I am strong enough. The other issue is time. Despite having the right idea, Naruto still needed several days or weeks with hundreds of Shadow Clones to learn this jutsu. Though this soldier pill is impressive, it is shit when compared to Kurama. Even if I assume that my affinity for Wind is significantly greater than Naruto''s, I will still need a lot of time to master this jutsu. And, these aren''t even the main issues. How do I explain to Hiruzen how I learnt Rasengan? That bastard regularly peeks at my training with that perverted crystal ball. What''s so entertaining about my training to peek so frequently? Can''t he just watch girls like his perverted student?N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Anyways, he will notice my training if I train anywhere other than my basement. But learning such a destructive jutsu in my house is a strict no. Even with barriers, I don''t think my house will last for long. I had hoped that the Rasengan would be in section A of the library. That would have given me the perfect explanation for how I know this jutsu. Unfortunately, that wasn''t the case. Apart from some scrolls about Minato mentioning this jutsu, there is no information about Rasengan or how to learn it in the library.'' Fujin began thinking again. Unfortunately, he couldn''t think of any method that could work. He sighed and decided, ''Leave it. I''ll learn this technique after I master the Flying Thunder God. I can just leave the village and create Shadow Clones to learn it where no one is prese...'' Suddenly, Fujin''s eyes widened as he had an idea. He thought, ''Wait a minute! Why do I have to say that I replicated Minato''s Rasengan? I''ll use the same reason that Minato gave. I''ll say that I was inspired to create this technique by Roshi''s Tailed Beast Bomb! I can even say that I thought that the Fourth Hokage''s jutsu sounded similar to the Tailed Beast Bomb and was inspired to create it this way. Since I''ll be trying to merge Wind into it to create something that Minato failed in, I can claim the Rasenshuriken to be my personal invention! The only flaw in this line of reasoning is that it''s been just around 8-9 months since I saw it. Minato needed 3 years to create this jutsu...'' Fujin tossed the stone into the air. Unlike Hoka, he didn''t bother getting into a fighting stance. He didn''t even bother looking at the pebble. Instead, he just stared straight into Hoka''s eyes. As soon as the pebble hit the ground, Hoka attacked! ''Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm'' Hoka thrust his right palm at Fujin''s chest. A vacuum shell compressed with Gentle Fist style was fired at Fujin''s heart. However, Fujin''s figure disappeared and reappeared a meter to the left. Hoka''s eyes widened. He thought, ''So fast?'' Fujin disappeared again. This time, he was moving rapidly towards Hoka. Hoka slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Stone Shuriken jutsu'' In an instant, hundreds of stone shurikens formed and were fired at Fujin. They targeted Fujin as well as his escape routes. However, contrary to Hoka''s calculations, Fujin didn''t retreat. Instead, he continued moving forward while easily navigating through the gaps in between the hundreds of stone shurikens flying towards him. Hoka was surprised once again. He analyzed, ''His speed has increased too much. But why is he closing the distance between us? I calculated that he''d stay far away and tire me out with clones and long-range jutsus.'' Fujin''s approach to the fight was completely different from any of his previous spars with Hoka and Mieko. It made all of Hoka''s plans useless. But, it wasn''t an issue with Hoka''s strategic skills. Logically, Fujin should have maintained a distance from Hoka to avoid getting his chakra points blocked by Gentle Fist style. If he doesn''t, then he''ll be allowing Hoka to use his speciality against him. But for some reason, his approach to the fight was completely opposite of his normal fighting style. Hoka thought, ''All my plans were to force you into a close-range fight. But if you want to fight me with Taijutsu yourself, then I don''t need to bother with any distractions and complicated tactics either. Regardless, you are in my range.'' He immediately took his stance. ''Eight Trigrams: Thirty-two Palms'' Chapter 375: Fujin Vs Hoka As soon as Fujin appeared in front of him, Hoka unleashed a barrage of strikes. He didn''t increase his attack step by step and directly unleashed 32 consecutive strikes. Fujin looked at the flurry of incoming attacks and thought, ''Correct response.'' His arms moved at an even faster speed than Hoka''s. But instead of attacking, he blocked all 32 consecutive strikes from Hoka. Hoka didn''t manage to block even one chakra point on Fujin''s body! After blocking the last strike, chakra concentrated on Fujin''s right fist as he punched towards Hoka. Hoka''s eyes widened as his Byakugan noticed the high amount of chakra concentrated on Fujin''s fist. He immediately moved backwards and released chakra from all of his chakra points and immediately began spinning. ''Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation'' Fujin followed him and punched the protective shield around Hoka. The rotational force of Hoka''s jutsu repelled Fujin''s attack with an equal amount of power, forcing Fujin back a couple of dozen meters. Hoka wasn''t spared either. The force of Fujin''s punch was too high and he didn''t have enough time to reach his maximum rotation speed. As a result, he felt the full impact of the force as well and was sent flying backwards towards a tree. Hoka flipped at the last moment and landed on the tree''s trunk on his feet, before jumping back on the ground. Fujin shook his right hand while looking at Hoka and evaluating him. He analyzed, ''Not bad. I would have been disappointed if 32 Palms was the best he could do. I wonder how he learnt it. Did he copy it like Neji or did Hiashi teach him for some reason?'' He said, "Palm Rotation, the secret Taijutsu of Hyuga''s main clan. It''s impressive that you learnt it." Hoka was in no mood to hear Fujin''s praise. His mind was in shock at how good Fujin''s Taijutsu was! Not only did he take on the 32 Palms head-on, but he also made a dent in his best defense. He asked, "Did you ever take me or Mieko seriously in a spar, Fujin?" Fujin answered, "I always take all my fights seriously. I just prefer fighting in a way that has the least amount of risk." Hoka immediately realized, ''He is fighting in this manner so that I won''t be able to complain about not being able to use my forte in the spar.'' Fujin said, "Don''t get distracted." He disappeared and appeared behind Hoka and attacked him with a kick. Hoka barely managed to dodge the kick and counterattacked with Gentle Fist. He immediately jumped towards Fujin at blinding speed. At the same time, he shot the last Vacuum Palm. A smile formed on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''As I expected. He was trying to lure me in.'' He dodged the incoming Vacuum Palm and got ready for Hoka''s attack. Hoka took his stance and muttered, "You are in my range." Hoka attacked Fujin twice, but Fujin blocked his wrists and didn''t allow Hoka to hit him. Hoka followed with 4 strikes, 8 strikes, 16 strikes and eventually 32 strikes, his momentum increasing each time. However, Fujin blocked all of his attacks perfectly. Hoka gritted his teeth and began attacking with even more ferocity and speed! ''Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms'' This attack finally forced Fujin to his limit. However, instead of being bothered, a smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he continued blocking the attacks and thought, ''Now that''s more like it.'' Fujin''s arms moved at the same speed as Hoka''s as he continuously blocked every strike that Hoka did. Hoka had a grim expression. He had already attacked 48 times without any success. He gritted his teeth harder and pushed himself to his utmost limits. Fujin finally started having trouble keeping up. He barely managed to block 12 more strikes. However, just after he had blocked the 61st strike, Hoka''s right arm passed through his defenses. Hoka''s eyes lit up. He thought, ''Finally!'' His right palm reached very close to Fujin''s chest. However, before he could hit Fujin, blood sprouted out like a fountain! Hoka was shocked! The blood that erupted was from his right arm. He didn''t understand how he was hit. The sight and pain made him stop momentarily. Fujin used that small opening and kicked his stomach, sending him flying across the training ground once again. This time, Hoka couldn''t recover. Though Fujin hadn''t concentrated chakra in the last kick, the attack had caught Hoka completely off-guard and stunned him. In addition, he was mentally and physically tired from using the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palm jutsu. So he couldn''t brush off the kick and fight back like the previous times. Hoka slammed into a tree and dropped to the ground. Fujin observed him and realized, ''It looks like he isn''t used to using the 64 palms attack. All his focus was on the attack and he didn''t have the capacity to focus on anything else.'' A frown formed on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''I expected him to get much stronger than this. Did he lose the conviction that he had on that day? Or did he think that his current level was sufficient?'' This time, Hoka didn''t get up. Instead, he just sat there while coughing. Though the kick hadn''t done a lot of damage and the cuts on his arm were shallow, Hoka understood that he would have died had Fujin concentrated chakra on his leg. He muttered in disbelief, "I lost." Chapter 376: Harsh Truths! Fujin sighed on hearing Hoka''s words. He flickered next to Hoka and tossed him a bottle stored in his bracer. Hoka caught it and began drinking the water. After a minute, he said, "Thank you." Fujin nodded without replying. He wasn''t sure what would be the appropriate thing to say in that situation. Both stayed there silently. After a couple of minutes, Hoka said, "You have become very strong, Fujin. I managed to defeat my father for the first time in the last month. I even learnt several Ninjutsus to improve my medium and long-ranged fighting abilities. So I thought that I''d at least be able to fight equally with you. I never imagined that your Taijutsu would be as good as mine. And..." He looked at the cuts on his right arm and continued, "And that it would be so good that I forgot about your Wind jutsus during our fight." Fujin extended his palm towards his arm and began healing him while replying, "You have grown strong as well. Palm Rotation would have been an obstacle if I had used Ninjutsu. And I heard that only the Main family in your clan can use the 64 palms attack." Hoka nodded and said, "I haven''t yet mastered it. I managed to push myself to the limit in the last week as our challenge was close and barely managed to learn it. I still can''t do it successfully every time. That said, I didn''t know you learnt medical ninjutsu." Fujin stopped healing him as the cuts had already closed up. He replied, "Just the Mystical Palm jutsu. It is a handy skill to have. Especially if you get trapped in enemy territory. It can save your or your teammates'' lives. You should learn it as well. You can ask about it in the Hospital when you go to check your chest and abdomen. With your expertise in the Gentle Fist style, you should pick it up very quickly." Hoka chuckled and said, "We Hyuga ninjas already serve as the best support on any squad due to our Byakugan and ability to protect ourselves. If we learnt Medical Ninjutsu as well, then our clan would be known as the support clan, hahaha." Fujin chuckled as well and commented, "Yeah, that''s true." Hoka said, "Well, at least I didn''t lose to you in just Taijutsu and forced you to use a Wind jutsu. I would have been extremely embarrassed if that happened! Hahaha." Fujin didn''t join in his laughter and had a peculiar expression. Hoka immediately noticed it. His eyes widened as he cursed, "Asshole! Don''t tell me you held back!" Fujin replied awkwardly, "Well, not exactly. It''s just that I could have just stepped back to avoid your attack which broke through my defense. Even though we were clashing using Taijutsu, it wasn''t a reason for me to defend against every attack. And seeing how much attention and energy you had to put into the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palm, you''d probably be defeated quickly with my counterattack." Fujin replied, "If I had fought against Kitsuchi in a one-on-one battle to the death, I would have most likely been the one to die. Uchiha Itachi killed someone stronger than him along with the rest of the Uchiha clan ninjas at the mere age of 13! Just like how we became stronger in the last 3 years, it is very likely that he has gotten stronger at the same rate." Hoka became silent on hearing Fujin''s words. He sighed internally. Hoka''s entire basis for revenge was Itachi getting overconfident and cocky and not becoming any stronger than he was 3 years ago. He thought, ''Though I want to deny it, what Fujin said is true. If Itachi became stronger, then we might die without even getting a chance to escape.'' Fujin continued, "We probably can''t even beat the Itachi that killed his entire clan. Even if we assume he hasn''t grown even a bit since that day, our chances of victory are very low. To make matters worse, we don''t know what skills he might have been hiding back then or the new skills he might have picked up since then. We also don''t know what he has been up to since going rogue. I did try to look at his information in the Anbu, but there was no news about him. If he is alone, we could try to test him out. But if he has made any allies or created a base, then the matter will become far more complicated." Hoka stayed silent. What Fujin said wasn''t a lie. The Anbu had no record of Itachi''s movements after he went rogue. Though Hiruzen knew about Itachi''s movements and Akatsuki, he hadn''t passed the information to anyone other than the elders. Even Shikaku was kept in the dark though he had some estimates. As for the abilities of his Mangekyou and his spirit weapons, Fujin wasn''t sure whether even Hiruzen and Danzo were aware of either of them. After some time, Hoka sighed and said, "You are right. Trying to attack him with our current ability and information will be suicidal. I will continue training. But, how strong do you think that we need to be to hunt him down?" Fujin replied, "We will both need to be at least rank S ninjas. That will allow us to fight and retreat several times so that we can force him to expose all his cards one by one and create strategies to eliminate him. Killing him will take several rounds of battle. And that is assuming he has no help. But if we are both at rank S, then we could even test out his allies." Hoka sighed and said, "Rank S is more difficult than I thought it to be." Fujin nodded and said, "Even your clan leader isn''t a rank S ninja. To become one, you''ll have to defeat him at the very least." Hoka winced at that thought. Though Hiashi didn''t use the threat of the curse seal liberally, it always stayed in the back of the mind of every branch family member of the Hyuga clan. He sighed internally and thought, ''Becoming stronger than the clan leader himself... I hope nothing bad happens.'' Fujin looked at the expression on Hoka''s face and immediately understood his dilemma. He sighed internally, ''What teammates I received... One whose death was a certainty and another whose life and death aren''t in his own hands. Though there isn''t a record of Hiashi abusing this power, who would like to leave their life and death in someone else''s hand?'' Fujin understood Hoka''s internal struggle. The main job of the members of Hyuga''s branch family was the safety of the main family. The clan leader was always looked at as the leader. If a member of the branch family gained higher strength or higher influence than the clan leader, then that member could be looked upon as a threat. For this reason, the Hyuga were kept out of Anbu, Root and any high-level positions in the village. Chapter 377: Hokas Resolution and Fujins Reasoning Despite his complicated feelings, Hoka said, "I will train even harder, Fujin. Though our target is very strong, I''ll be disappointed in myself if I don''t even try to avenge our friend." Fujin nodded and said, "Good luck. You will need to train a lot more. The difference between a Jounin and a rank S ninja is very high. A couple of years of training isn''t enough to bridge that gap. In addition, you will also need a lot of strong fights during missions to help understand what you lack." Hoka nodded and smiled. He said, "I believe you aren''t too far from that level. Good luck, Fujin. I am sure sensei will be proud of you for becoming one so quickly." Fujin smiled and said, "Thanks. But I still have a lot to grow. Don''t count on me to slack off just so that you can catch up to me." Hoka grinned and replied, "I will be disappointed if you do that. If that happens, then it won''t be satisfying to finally defeat you." Fujin chuckled and said, "Don''t forget to visit the hospital. I don''t have much expertise in detecting or healing internal wounds." Hoka nodded and took his leave. Fujin looked at his back and thought, ''Though I was a bit harsh, it was needed. Mieko is already dead. There is no point in meaninglessly joining her. Though he is strong, if I give him false hope and he tries to go after Itachi by himself, he will die without a doubt unless Itachi convinces his partner to leave him alive. If Hoka doesn''t surpass Hiashi and reach the rank S, then it is pointless for him to even think about revenge.'' As he left the training ground, Hoka sighed and muttered to himself, ''I thought that I was training too much for the last three years. My parents as well as clan elders frequently told me to take it easy. But Fujin... How hard did he train for his Taijutsu to become better than mine? And the information in the Bingo book says nothing about his Taijutsu! Meaning that his Ninjutsu skills should be even more fearsome. I will have to train like a crazy person if I am to have any hope of catching up to him. After all, he doesn''t have anyone to tell him to take it easy!'' Fujin was lost in thoughts as well. After Hoka left the range of his chakra field, Fujin sighed. He thought, ''Though everything I said was what almost everyone believes to be true, I didn''t tell him that I am probably the one who knows the most about Itachi''s abilities. Though I am quite strong, and probably could even barely be considered a rank S ninja or at least extremely close to it thanks to the jutsus I learnt in the last 2 months, defeating Itachi is still pretty much impossible. Though it''s good enough for the Ghost hand, I don''t want to do this with the Wind Domain. If I have to concentrate the air in one place to make it sharp, it will make the process very slow. And anyone will be able to sense the change in air density, making dodging the attack much easier. For the Wind Domain to be as effective as I want it to be, I need the wind blades to be created spontaneously without any signs or a lot of time. Als...'' Fujin suddenly received a bunch of memories. So did his Shadow Clones. Immediately, everyone stopped training. An elated expression appeared on Fujin''s face. A massive grin broke on his face. He muttered, "It''s done! I''m a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster!" Fujin''s clones had learnt each and every seal in section A of the library! He had fulfilled the requirements of becoming a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu! Fujin almost began moving towards Hiruzen''s office to demand the Flying Thunder God jutsu when his foot stopped. A frown appeared on his face as he realized, ''Though Hiruzen unknowingly promised me the Flying Thunder God after the Chunin exam, knowing how cunning he is, I doubt he will hand it to me so easily. How do I ensure that he does so?'' Fujin dispelled the Shadow Clones in the Training Ground. At the same time, he created a new Shadow Clone and dispelled itself. Immediately, the clones that were still in the basement received a message. One by one, they dispelled themselves as well after short intervals. While he received their chakra and memories, Fujin sat down on a rock with his chin resting on his right hand while thinking about how to approach Hiruzen to raise the probability of his success as much as he could. Fujin''s mind was completely focused. He completely exerted himself and extracted every last ounce of shamelessness hidden in each and every cell in his body to come up with arguments to confront Hiruzen and create contingency plans in case they didn''t work! When the last clone dispelled himself, Fujin decided, ''There is no foolproof way. I did think of 2 arguments to appeal to him emotionally and another 5 to appeal to him logically. I can only hope that they work. If he still denies me the jutsu, then that would mean that the chances of getting this jutsu in a fair manner will be very low. Or rather, he would only give it to me when I make a huge contribution to the village. But, there is no significant event that is about to happen for me to make such a contribution. And when one happens, Hiruzen will be the one kicking the bucket unless my actions change the future. And getting it from Tsunade or the elders will be even more difficult as I have little to no connection with them. So waiting obediently is out of the question. If he doesn''t give it to me willingly, I can only force him to give it unwillingly. As for the method...'' A sadistic smile appeared on Fujin''s face. If Hiruzen had looked at Fujin''s expression at that moment using his crystal ball, he would have shivered involuntarily! Chapter 378: A Feeling of Emptiness! Fujin decided, ''If Hiruzen doesn''t give me the Flying Thunder God jutsu at all costs, I will take Naruto under my wing. I will first teach him the Shadow Clone jutsu and then teach him the Wind jutsus that would be perfect for pranks. And since he is so gullible, I''ll convince him that in order to become a Hokage, he will have to successfully prank the current Hokage one thousand times! Though I don''t think Hiruzen would refuse to relent after that, if he does, I will drop hints of intending to teach Naruto the Great Breakthrough jutsu and also of teaching him how to supercharge it.'' Fujin almost laughed in an evil manner while imagining the scene of a thousand Shadow Clones spamming a supercharged Great Breakthrough jutsu! He seriously doubted whether Konoha would continue to remain standing. There was no way Hiruzen wouldn''t take that threat seriously. He began walking towards the Hokage Building. En route, he thought, ''Maybe that''s why Kakashi never taught Naruto any jutsu to take advantage of his ridiculous chakra levels. But still, it''s such a waste to know 1000 jutsus if you aren''t going to use them yourself or teach them to his students. Could have at least given Naruto a few jutsus that weren''t too destructive in nature.'' Fujin stopped thinking about Naruto and went over the plans he had come up with to convince Hiruzen. After all, Naruto was his last resort. He''d prefer getting the jutsu directly from Hiruren on that very day. If he failed, then he could think of all the nefarious plans for however long he wanted to. Soon, he arrived at the building and knocked on his door. Hiruzen looked towards the door and wondered, ''Why is he here?'' He put a smile on his face and said, "Come in. Why are you here, Fujin?" Fujin entered and put up the same smile as Hiruzen. He said, "Grandpa, I have something to tell you. But it has to be alone." Hiruzen wondered, ''Alone? Did he figure something out about Iwa''s intentions? Or is he here to ask me for some favor?''?v€l?1n. Due to his previous interactions with Fujin, Hiruzen was on a high alert! He nodded and said, "Sure." His eyes moved towards the ceiling. Immediately, all 4 Anbu Guard flickered out of the room and shut all doors and windows. Hiruzen activated the seals and said, "Speak." Fujin said in an excited tone, "Grandpa, I have learnt all the seals from the Library. I''m now a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster!" Hiruzen immediately understood. He thought, ''So that''s why he is here. As I guessed, he wants something.'' Knowing what Fujin wanted, Hiruzen relaxed. He said, "That''s good. Have you created an imprint for the Four Symbols Seal as well?" As Fujin expected, Hiruzen shook his head! However, Hiruzen''s words were something he never imagined! Hiruzen said, "I have no talent for Space-Time Ninjutsu. The only ones I can use are Summoning and Reverse Summoning jutsus. So I can''t teach, guide or even help you in this regard. But, I''ll hand you the scroll for learning the Flying Thunder God jutsu that the Second Hokage created and the Fourth Hokage improved. Whether you can learn it or not depends upon you." Fujin was stunned by Hiruzen''s words. He thought, ''That''s it? He isn''t going to make me work to get the scroll? And he isn''t going to give me a Will of Fire lecture for 3 hours?'' Hiruzen continued, "I will arrange the scroll for you in a week. You can take it from me after you return from your next Anbu mission." Fujin was still speechless. He had calculated numerous schemes and arguments for so long. He never imagined that Hiruzen would just hand it to him. He just nodded absentmindedly. Hiruzen asked, "Anything else Fujin?" Fujin gathered his thoughts. He shook his head and said, "No. Just keep this a secret as well." Hiruzen nodded and replied, "Of course. You have done very well, Fujin. Though no one knows it yet, Konoha is proud of you. If you manage to learn the Flying Thunder God jutsu, then you will be a beacon of hope for our village, just like the Fourth Hokage was. Even if you don''t, you are still doing very well. So don''t force yourself too much.'' Fujin nodded and replied, "I will, Grandpa. Thank you. I will see you later." Hiruzen nodded and Fujin took his leave. Fujin didn''t talk to anyone and just began walking back to the training ground at a slow speed. He was still processing his thoughts. Finally, he let out a sigh and thought, ''I should be happy and ecstatic for receiving this jutsu so easily. But for some reason, it feels like I have just suffered a great defeat. It almost feels like there is an empty feeling in my heart. Why is that?'' Meanwhile, in the Hokage''s Office, Hiruzen continued his work. He recalled his earlier interaction with Fujin and chuckled. He thought, ''Does he still think that he is eleven or that I don''t know him? I could smell his intention to fight for that jutsu from miles away. Why would I even bother making things difficult for myself when I intended to give him that jutsu eventually in any case?'' Though Fujin had tricked Hiruzen four years ago, Hiruzen didn''t mind it. In his view, Fujin was already capable enough to receive a jutsu like the Flying Thunder God. After all, he had given it to Minato when he was even younger and weaker than Fujin. Though he would preferred to make Fujin contribute more to Konoha before giving him the jutsu, Hiruzen decided against it after recalling Fujin''s actions in the Land of Wind and the Land of Grass and his way of ''contributing''. Fujin reached the training ground but was still a bit down. He shook his head and thought, ''Ah, screw it. I got the jutsu. That''s all that matters. I''ll teach Naruto some Wind jutsus to compensate for the emotional roller coaster Hiruzen put me through. Besides, I will need some entertainment in my retired life. But since Hiruzen gave me the Flying Thunder God jutsu without any trouble, I''ll leave out the Shadow Clones, supercharging and the part about pranking the Hokage a thousand times.'' Having cheered himself up, Fujin returned to training! Chapter 379: The Mole in the Anbu! In one of the many training grounds inside Konoha, it looked like a calamity had struck. Hundreds of trees were broken. The ground had dozens of craters. In fact, the entire training ground was covered in cracks. In this training ground, two individuals sat on broken stumps while breathing heavily. Guy said, "You are growing very rapidly. Small quantities of chakra have already started infusing into your body." Exhaustion could be heard in Guy''s tone. Fujin''s breathing was even rougher. He said, "It''s thanks to your training plan. I already feel much stronger. In another couple of months, this process should reach the initial completion stage." In the last month, Fujin visited Yoshi in the Konoha hospital several times to confirm that the process wasn''t harmful to his body. Though he trusted his analysis and Guy''s intentions, there was no harm in being more careful. Fortunately, the process was very safe and beneficial for him. Guy nodded and said, "Yeah. Your progress will slow down once you reach that stage. But don''t be discouraged. As long as you keep training, your body will keep getting stronger." He grinned, gave Fujin a thumbs up and said, "There is no limit to how much our bodies can improve!" Fujin nodded and thought, ''Yeah. Who''d have imagined that this crazy guy would nearly kill Madara who was at a level far beyond what he was in his prime.'' Fujin said, "Don''t worry. I''ll keep working on my body." He chuckled and added, "I''d hate it if I couldn''t make you go all out in our spars." Guy chuckled as well. Fujin continued, "But, we won''t be able to spar for a few days. I''ll be going on a mission." Guy replied, "Actually, our spars will have to become less frequent." Fujin raised his eyebrow and asked, "Why?" Guy grinned and said, "Because I''m gonna be a sensei." Fujin acted surprised and said, "Ah, I nearly forgot that a new batch will be passing out from the academy." He chuckled and teased, "But I didn''t think you were the sensei-type, Guy. Hahaha!" Guy ignored the teasing tone and claimed proudly, "My squad will have a very promising youngster. In the future, he may even give you a tough time, Fujin. So don''t get too comfortable with your power." Fujin waved his arm dismissively and replied, "I''m still a few days away from my 15th birthday. So, I am still in my youth and have a lot to grow. It''s you and Kakashi who are getting older and have to be worried about being surpassed." Yugao replied, "You can leave it to us, Captain." Fumito nodded and added, "I have been wanting to test my skills for some time as well." Fujin nodded and said, "Good. I''ll go take a mission from Eagle. You three wait here. By the time I return, decide on which disguise you want to use during the mission. We will be completing the mission under disguise." After the last mission, Fujin didn''t want laziness to be the reason for getting caught in another trap. Though maintaining transformation jutsu all the time strained chakra reserves and concentration, it wasn''t unbearable. The trio nodded. Fujin left his room. While Fujin was talking with his team, Danzo''s subordinate entered Eagle''s office and approached him. Eagle looked up and asked, "Tiger, does your team want to go on a mission again?" Tiger nodded. He was an Anbu Captain just like Fujin. Of course, he was much weaker. Eagle quickly handed him a mission. Tiger read the mission information and asked, "Can I look into the other missions as well, in case there is one that suits my team more?" Eagle nodded. Anbu ninjas picking out missions for themselves during peacetime wasn''t strange. Pretty much everyone did it regularly unless there were special instructions from the Hokage or a mission required a particular set of abilities. Tiger quickly looked into all the available missions. After a couple of minutes, he shortlisted two. He analyzed, ''A diplomatic mission to the Land of Grass. Danzo-sama said that Fujin was frequently given diplomatic missions in the last year. So he could be given this mission. But...'' Tiger looked at the second mission and analyzed, ''But the situation in the Land of Waterfall is more important. We have to eliminate an entire Noble family because they are planning for a deep cooperation with Iwa. They will have a few Jounins protecting them and Iwa ninjas could also be involved. With his past record, Fujin would likely be sent here.'' Tiger said, "I want to take this mission to the Land of Grass." Eagle replied, "Alright. Your team can take it." Tiger nodded and left. As soon as he left, he created two Shadow Clones. One Shadow Clone went out to inform his teammates while the other Shadow Clone snuck into the Root facilities hidden underground. He himself kept waiting in the hall. His Shadow Clone reached Danzo''s office in a minute. Danzo noticed him and asked, "Did Suzuki Fujin appear?" Tiger nodded and said, "He and his team have appeared in the Anbu Headquarters. I believe they will take a mission today. I checked up on all the missions. There were two that I thought he would be given. I have taken one of them. So he should be dispatched to the Land of Waterfall to eliminate the Yanagi family." Danzo nodded and analyzed, ''The Yanagi family. They are trying to enter into an alliance with Iwagakure due to the previous events. A good mission. The presence of Iwagakure ninjas wouldn''t be seen as suspicious.'' He said, "Good work. Return to your duties. Send me a confirmation when you see him leaving. After that, just complete your mission properly." Chapter 380: Danzos Treacherous Scheme! Tiger nodded and dispelled his Shadow Clone. Danzo got into action as well. He dispatched a couple of Root squads. Both squads consumed soldier pills and travelled straight to Iwagakure. Their goal was to inform Iwagakure of the fact that Fujin was sent to eliminate the Yanagi family. Danzo saw the two squads leave and thought, ''Iwagakure suffered heavily at Fujin''s hands last time. They should understand that his threat is far greater than the benefits of befriending the Yanagi family. So Onoki will use this opportunity to set up a trap to lure and kill Fujin. But, according to my calculations, they will fail. Onoki and the Jinchurikis can''t move. They can only send Kitsuchi and more Jounins. Though I''m not sure what training Fujin did, considering how intense and secretive it was, I believe he should have trained in a way to counter Kitsuchi and other Iwa ninjas. So Fujin won''t die. But the same can''t be said about his teammates. However, losing 3 Anbu ninjas in exchange for dozens of Iwagakure Jounins is beneficial for the village. This clash, in addition to the previous one, will significantly weaken Iwa''s morale and confidence. More importantly, getting ambushed for the second time will make Fujin question Hiruzen and the Anbu organization''s competence and intentions. I can use that to recruit him. Hiruzen has been giving Fujin diplomatic missions and taking him along for negotiations. Such a waste of his potential. Only under my guidance can he contribute the most for Konoha!'' Danzo''s strategy was extremely treacherous. Even more impressive was that he came up with it in mere minutes. His scheme would cause heavy damage to Iwagakure and create a deep wedge between Fujin and Hiruzen. If everything went according to his plan, then he could get a very capable subordinate. Even if calculations were inaccurate and Fujin ended up dying, Danzo wouldn''t suffer any losses or lose any sleep over it. Fujin was unaware of the treacherous trap targeting him. Though he had taken sufficient precautions against Danzo, he never imagined that Danzo would use such an unconventional method to create trouble for him. He entered Eagle''s office. Tiger, who was near the office, noticed him entering. Eagle saw Fujin and said, "It''s good to have you back." Fujin nodded and said, "It''s good to see you again as well. We will be hitting the ground running. Have any good missions?" Eagle nodded and handed Fujin the mission to eliminate the Yanagi family. Fujin read the information and analyzed, ''Hmm, a typical elimination mission. They have 2 Jounins, but they are from Taki and not one of the 5 major villages. It won''t be any challenge to eliminate them. However, since Iwagakure is involved, a couple of their Anbu could also be hiding there. That could make things interesting. But...'' Fujin sighed internally and thought, ''It''ll be a rather lousy mission for my last Anbu mission.'' Fujin placed the mission file back on the desk and said, "It''s not good enough. Do you have any rank S mission?" Eagle was confused. He said, "This is a rank S mis..." Fujin''s team moved rapidly through the Land of Fire. En route, they had used Transformation jutsu to disguise themselves. No one would be able to link them to Fujin and his team. They rested at the border between the two countries at night and continued moving the next day. At noon, they reached Yugakure. They quickly flickered in front of the Daimyo palace. The samurai guards were startled to see 4 masked ninjas suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Before they could ask anything, Fujin tossed a file and said, "We come from Konoha regarding the mission Lord Daimyo issued. Inform him of our arrival." The Samurai caught the file and looked at it before replying, "Alright, stay here for a few minutes." He immediately sent a servant inside to deliver the message. Opposite the Daimyo palace was a small shop. As soon as Fujin''s squad arrived, his eyes immediately moved towards them. He observed them and within a second turned them away. He thought, ''From Konoha, eh?'' If Fujin had known that the words he spoke were heard by a shopkeeper across the street, he would be surprised. After all, though he wasn''t too soft, his voice wasn''t loud enough to be heard on the other side of the street. The shopkeeper analyzed, ''Two fatties, 1 skinny and 1 with a slightly decent build, all 4 men. Lord Raikage had said that the squad he is looking for has one girl who has long purple hair, a blond man and two with black hair. And none of them were fat. This isn''t the squad he is looking for.'' He went about his business and didn''t look at the Konoha ninjas again. Unknowingly, Fujin had dodged two menacing bullets in two days! Had he known about it, he''d be amused and be thankful that luck was finally with him. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing the two devious schemes he avoided unknowingly. After a few minutes, Fujin and his team were invited in. They were escorted to the conference room. On entering the room, Fujin noticed the Daimyo sitting on the farthest seat from the door. Several Nobles were also sitting in the room. In addition, there were a few Samurais in the room. There was a familiar face as well. Fujin looked at a large man sitting next to the Daimyo and thought, ''Tokuhei... Since when did he start sitting next to the Daimyo? Is there a change in the internal politics of this country?'' Tokuhei was one of the few who advocated for more funding for the ninjas in the Land of Hot Water. On the other hand, the Daimyo and most of the Nobles wanted to completely stop funding for the ninja academy due to numerous reasons. Though Fujin was intrigued, he didn''t have any time to investigate it. The Daimyo said, "This mission will require more than just four ninjas. And it will be a joint mission with our ninjas. Why did Lord Hokage send just the four of you?" Fujin replied, "Lord Hokage believes that Kirigakure might be the ones backing the rogue Kiri ninjas. So this mission could be far more complicated than what you imagined it to be." [Alternate Title: Dodging Two Bullets] Chapter 381: A Massacre! A frown formed on the officials from the Land of Hot Water. Tokuhei said, "We have that suspicion as well. But it still doesn''t answer why there are only four of you here?" Fujin answered, "We will be entering into their territories to investigate. If Kirigakure is involved, then Lord Hokage will send the required forces a week later. You can join them but be prepared. The conflict could be a lot more intense than what you have calculated. If Kirigakure isn''t involved, then we will be completing the mission by ourselves." Tokuhei thought for a bit and replied, "Alright." Fujin said, "Hand over what you have already analyzed so that we won''t waste any time repeating the same or searching fruitlessly." Tokuhei nodded and placed a map on the table. He quickly explained their findings and analysis to Fujin and his team. After getting all the required information, Fujin and his squad left immediately. After they left, Tokuhei sighed and muttered, "It is so difficult to cooperate with the Anbu of other countries." However, one of the Nobles snorted and commented, "At least they are willing to undertake such risky missions." Tokuhei looked at the Noble but didn''t say anything. The amount of ninjas in the Land of Hot Water was already pitifully low. He had no intention of wasting their lives just to prove a point. Fujin''s team rapidly moved through the Land of Hot Water towards the coastal areas. While moving, Fujin instructed, "As I said, this mission will be up to you. Yugao, you will take over my role. I will keep an eye out from far and will jump in if need be, but operate under the assumption that I''m not here." Everyone nodded. Within a couple of hours, they reached one of the locations that Tokuhei had pointed out. The location was a small hill that had a large cave within it. Fujin stayed back while Yugao took charge. She moved close to the cave along with Fumito and Bunjiro. Bunjiro softly said, "The cave seems to be abandoned." Yugao nodded and instructed, "Fumito, send a Shadow Clone through the underground. See if you can feel any chakra signatures. If you don''t, then activate your chakra field and inspect." Fumito nodded and created a Shadow Clone. The clone moved through the ground into the cave. He tried to feel any chakra fluctuations in the cave passively but didn''t sense anything. After a few minutes, the clone activated his chakra field. It covered the entire hill. He didn''t detect anyone and came out of the ground and began inspecting the cave. After some time, the clone dispelled himself. Fumito received his memories and said, "There is no one inside the cave. There aren''t any traps inside either. Even if there was anyone here earlier, all traces have been eliminated." Yugao said, "Alright, we will move on to the next location." He was confused. He wondered, ''This should be done by rogue Kiri ninjas. So is Hidan not involved? Or did he take the opportunity of the chaos to kidnap normal civilians for his ritual?'' Bunjiro asked, "Should we bury them?" Yugao shook her head and said, "They are already dead. There is no point in wasting time here. The killings happened more than a day ago. We will move to the next village." Bunjiro didn''t argue. He knew that saving the ones alive was more important than burying the dead. They immediately began moving towards the next village. After a few minutes, they arrived in the next village. This time, they finally found someone alive! The village was largely abandoned as well. Only a few dozen elderly and a handful younger people were in the village. The people immediately became tense after seeing them. Yugao approached an elderly man and started having a small conversation. After learning that they were sent by the Daimyo, the people finally relaxed. Yugao asked, "Why are there so few people in the village?" The elderly man sighed and said, "Around 2 months ago, all the money in our homes started disappearing. Every house in the village had most of their money taken away. And not a single person saw anything. So we believe that a ninja stole all our money." Yugao and the rest were surprised to hear that. The elderly man continued, "It caused a lot of unrest in the village. However, we slowly moved on from it as nothing could be done. But then it happened again a month ago. That made many people leave the village and migrate closer to Yugakure. Until the day before yesterday, around half the people had migrated. However, yesterday, one person came running to the village. He told everyone that everyone in the neighbouring village was killed and their bodies and blood littered the village. That caused almost everyone in the village to panic and escape immediately. Only us old fellows who don''t want to leave our home stayed behind." Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro let out a sigh. They understood the trauma those people would have faced. However, they were glad to realize that the people in the empty village were moving to Yugakure instead of being dead. Yugao said, "Thank you for telling us. We will take action immediately." The elderly man and others around him immediately thanked her. The Konoha ninjas moved out and began moving towards the shore. As she moved, Yugao thought, ''Being a captain is a lot more taxing than just having to follow orders. I have to accept the responsibility for the lives of so many people. One wrong decision could result in more massacres like the one in the previous village. No wonder Lord Hokage hasn''t promoted me yet.'' A few dozen kilometers away, along the shores of the Land of Hot Water, a miserable shriek was heard. A person, dressed in civilian attire, was on his knees. Though he looked ordinary, he was a Jounin from Kirigakure. His right arm had been cut off at the elbow. However, instead of being concerned about it, he looked hatefully at the person standing in front of him. In front of him was a tall and slender man. He had no eyebrows, creases under his eyes, and a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek. His hair and eyes were dark grey in color and his hair was short and spiky. He also had a red grid-shaped marking covering his jaw. However, the thing that stood out the most was that he held a sword that was as long as his height! Chapter 382: Betrayal! The man cursed, "Juzo! You bastard! Our village raised you and trained you for years. The Third Mizukage even gave you that sword! Why the hell did you betray us? And why are you attacking me? Did you forget how long we fought together before you were chosen as one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? Also, what''s with that weird cloak?" Juzo didn''t answer his question and instead asked, "Mitsuru, were you the one to slaughter those two villages?" Mitsuru frowned. He asked, "What of it? We have done the same thing so many times in the past war! Our village needs funds for defeating those fucking rebels. Don''t tell me you have gone soft after betraying our village." Suddenly, a grin appeared on Juzo''s face. He said, "I don''t care about that trash. I have just been asked to collect the bounty on your head." In the next moment, Juzo disappeared from his spot. He appeared behind Mitsuru. A second later, Mitsuru''s head flew from his head. He looked at Juzo hatefully as he, a Jounin from the Mizukage faction, died. Juzo collected his head while recalling his interaction with Pain. A few days ago, in a hidden base inside the Land of Rain, a silhouette suddenly appeared. Two pairs of eyes glanced towards the figure. The Deva Path Pain instructed, "Juzo, go to the southern shores of the Land of Hot Water. A large number of Kiri ninjas have infiltrated there and are causing several massacres. You will collect the bounties of the Kiri ninjas that are attacking." A frown formed on Juzo''s expression. He said, "I already informed you that I have no intention of dealing with Kirigakure. You can send Kakuzu or Itachi there instead of me." Pain shook his head and replied, "Kakuzu is finding information about the two Jinchurikis in Iwagakure. However, he had hit a dead end. Itachi will be sent there to cooperate with him. Not to mention, you are more familiar with how the Kiri shinobi operate. For that reason, I have also sent Kisame to that location." Juzo sighed and said, "Alright." Pain nodded and instructed, "Both of you will leave right away." His figure disappeared from the base. Soon after, Itachi and Juzo disappeared as well. One moved towards the Land of Earth while the other moved in the opposite direction and entered the Land of Fire. As Juzo stored Mitsuru''s head, he thought, ''Though he asked me to collect the bounty, I believe his main concern was the innocent people who were dying due to the actions of the Mizukage. Being soft like that won''t be of any help in fulfilling his goal. Regardless, I need to speed up. Once the Kiri ninjas learn about Mitsuru''s death, they will escape. I need to find their main base before that happens. That said, I have to admit that they have become far better at hiding. From what I remember, they should have been moving openly in a weak country like this one. I wonder what changed after I left.'' The Jounin nodded. Both he and Chunin began moving towards a village. Though Yugao and the others couldn''t hear their words, they understood that the Kiri ninjas were moving out to attack the villages. All three exchanged glances. At the same time, all three disappeared from their spots and silently trailed the two Kiri ninjas. After moving a sufficient distance away from the cave, they immediately sprung into action. Yugao grabbed her sword. ''Hazy Moon Night'' She flickered and moved towards the Jounin. Though he hadn''t sensed the Konoha ninjas, as soon as Yugao made her move, he became alert. He grabbed a kunai and turned around while shouting, "There are enemies!" The Chunin also became alert. The Jounin saw Yugao moving rapidly and the afterimages of her sword. A grim expression appeared on his face. Yugao appeared in front of him and swung her sword straight at his neck while utilizing her high speed. To her surprise, the enemy Jounin blocked her sword with his kunai perfectly. Yugao quickly followed up with several dozen high-speed sword attacks. The Kiri Jounin also moved his kunai rapidly and blocked every attack while retreating backwards. The Kiri Chunin was shocked to see such a high-speed battle. He was about to attack Yugao when he noticed another figure from the corner of his eye. Bunjiro appeared and threw six Shurikens at the Chunin. The Chunin blocked a couple with his kunai and dodged the rest. The Jounin moved towards him and shouted, "Send a signal immediately. I will cover you." The Chunin shouted, "I will!" The Jounin couldn''t take his attention off Yugao for even a second. He was having difficulty in blocking her sword. And due to her fast-paced attacks, he didn''t have any time to weave hand signs. The Jounin blocked another Yugao''s sword once again and cursed, "I will make you regre... Ugh!!" In horror, he turned his head to look behind him. His subordinate had stabbed him with his kunai instead of sending a signal! Before he could understand what was happening, Yugao took advantage of the distraction and beheaded him! He died without understanding why his loyal subordinate had betrayed him. Chapter 383: Ambushes! Bunjiro flickered next to Yugao. Both of them looked at the Kiri Chunin. The Chunin looked at them and said, "Tie me up as usual." Yugao and Bunjiro nodded. They knew that it was Fumito who was hiding earlier and took over the Chunin''s body. In a few seconds, the Chunin was properly tied up. Fumito released his jutsu and returned to his original body. The Chunin had just regained consciousness when he was knocked out by Yugao. Fumito immediately began reading his memories. After around 10 minutes, he said, "There are 23 ninjas inside that cave. All are Kirigakure ninjas and none have gone rogue. Of them, 4 are Jounins while the rest are Chunins." A frown appeared on Yugao''s face. She muttered, "We won''t be able to take on such numbers in a direct conflict. We will have to sneak into the cave and eliminate them silently one by one. But even that will be very risky." She looked at Fumito and asked, "Did you see the internal layout of the cave from his memories? Is there a way to target the ninjas inside one or two at a time?" Fumito answered, "I did see the layout. Unfortunately, there is no way to do that as we won''t be able to enter the cave without being detected. The cave is covered in numerous seals. They can detect if anyone who isn''t a part of their group enters the cave. And there are numerous barriers as well. This man doesn''t know which seals were used. I could read the Jounin''s memories, but I doubt they would help much either." Yugao nodded and said, "I see. We can''t infiltrate in that case. We don''t have the same Fuinjutsu skills as Captain." Fumito and Bunjiro nodded. Yugao said, "I guess that leaves us with just one option." Her eyes moved towards the unconscious ninja. She asked, "Where were they planning on going? And will the others inside the cave be moving out as well?"?v€l?1n. Fumito answered, "These two were heading towards a village. Their goal was to steal all the money inside it. As for others, they won''t be moving out. They have a rule that only 2 pairs of people can move out at the same time. The rest stay within the cave. The second group is already out. So the others won''t move out until the other group returns." Yugao analyzed for a couple of minutes and said, "Read both their memories. Find out who was in the other group that is outside. Find any other information you will need to impersonate them. You will be the one infiltrating inside the cave." Fumito nodded and got to work. He ate a soldier pill and began reading memories of the dead Jounin and the unconscious Chunin. In an hour, he had collected all the information that he wanted. He learnt that Mitsuru had moved out alone a couple of days ago. He stopped reading memories and sat down to relax for a bit while informing Yugao about what he found. Yugao immediately created a basic plan and explained it to Fumito. A few minutes later, the unconscious Chunin finally showed signs of waking up. Fumito got up. He grabbed a pill and swallowed it. Bunjiro and Yugao did the same. Fumito looked towards the Kiri ninja and made a hand seal. ''Ninja Art: Mind Transfer jutsu'' He stopped speaking and suddenly began coughing nonstop. Several drops of blood fell on the ground. Immediately, the others also began coughing. After some time, one of them cursed, "Poison! That explosion also contained poison!" The SealMaster said, "Our health will get worse with time. We need to retreat into the sea." Just after he said it, sounds of explosion were heard once again. Soon, tremors were felt as the cave started collapsing. While running inside the cave, Fumito had discretely planted a few explosion tags on the floor and walls of the cave. The cave''s structure was already damaged heavily due to the earlier explosion. The new explosions immediately caused the cave to collapse. Outside the cave, Bunjiro''s clone said, "That was a good explosion. The cave is collapsing." Fumito, who had just returned to his body, said, "It better be. I had stuck 60 Explosion tags on that guy''s body. I''m surprised that the cave is still standing despite that explosion. I wanted to use the other tags to ambush them while they were escaping." Inside the cave, the surviving ninjas immediately used jutsus to ensure that the cave didn''t collapse. Using that time, they began escaping from the cave. As they moved, they prepared themselves for a fight. Everyone had a grim expression as the poison was making it difficult for them to move normally. As soon as they exited the cave, Yugao and Bunjiro along with their clones bombarded them with Kunai that had explosion tags attached to them. The Kiri ninjas noticed it and immediately made hand seals. ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'' Multiple water walls went up in front of them. The kunais hit them and exploded. The water walls collapsed but the explosions were stopped. As soon as the water walls collapsed, Yugao appeared next to one of the Kiri ninjas who was injured. He turned his head and his eyes widened as he saw several afterimages of her sword. At the next moment, his head was sent flying in the air. Before the others could react, another head was sent flying. Finally, the Jounins managed to react and counterattacked, forcing Yugao to retreat. However, she was very determined. As Bunjiro and her clones bombarded them with another round of explosion tags, she prepared herself to attack once again. At the same time, Fumito was also looking for an opportunity. Fujin''s eyes glowed as he observed the conflict while standing on a tree branch. He analyzed, ''Hmm, that''s good. They were heavily outnumbered and outmatched as well. But by killing many of them in a trap and poisoning the rest, they have a complete advantage now. This mission has been completed almost perfectly. The only imperfect factor was that a bit of luck was involved in how they found the cave. Still, both Yugao and Fumito are good enough to be Anbu Captains. Not many Anbu Captains would be able to replicate such a result.'' The Kiri ninjas were fighting desperately while retreating to save their lives. They absolutely hated Yugao and the others. But unknown to them, an even stronger enemy was watching them. Actually, not one, but two. Unknown to Fujin, another terrifying ninja was hiding and watching the fight. Juzo watched Yugao cut down 4 Kiri ninjas while thinking, ''They were supposed to be my targets... But that ninja''s sword style... They are from Konoha. I don''t know why Akatsuki needs money, but my mission will fail if the Konoha ninjas leave with their bodies.'' Yugao had just completed her second round of attack and was forced to retreat once again. However, before she could relax, she immediately slashed her sword to her right. A much larger sword clashed with her sword! Chapter 384: Second Clash with the Akatsuki! Yugao had just completed her second round of attack when she sensed a grave danger. She swung her sword to her right, clashing with a much larger sword coming her way. The force behind Juzo''s sword forced Yugao back, but she managed to hold on and not let go of her sword. At the same time, her eyes widened when she saw Juzo''s face. She thought, ''One of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist? But hadn''t he gone rogue? Don''t tell me that it was a lie as well!'' The Kiri ninjas, who were in a clutch, were surprised as well. They recognized Juzo in an instant. A few of them thought, ''Juzo? Why is he here to help us? Does he want to take this chance to return to the village? But didn''t he hate the village a lot?'' Fumito and Bunjiro were surprised as well. Neither saw nor sensed Juzo''s movements. They wanted to help out Yugao but the Kiri ninjas attacked and stalled them. A wide grin appeared on Juzo''s face as he felt Yugao struggle. Yugao''s eyes widened while the others on the battlefield were stunned as they felt Juzo''s intense bloodlust! He said, "Not bad! You should be able to keep me entertained for a while." He suddenly applied a lot more pressure on his sword, forcing Yugao to her knees. At the same time, he formed his left hand into a claw and was about to attack Yugao. However, he stopped and leaned backwards. Multiple Vacuum Bullets tore through the space he was previously occupying. Since he was too close to the bullets, the bullets tore through his cloak and left a few small cuts on his chest and upper arms. Juzo''s eyes widened as he immediately stepped away from Yugao while thinking, ''Vacuum attacks? I didn''t even sense them. Who is it?'' Yugao immediately took the opportunity to move away from Juzo. Juzo, who was now on full alert, turned around and swung his sword behind him. As he did, he noticed chakra flowing through Fujin''s sword through the corner of his eyes. In an instant, chakra began flowing through his sword as well. The two swords clashed, producing a loud sound. Both were equally matched. However, instead of engaging in a sword fight, Fujin forced his sword out of the way and punched Juzo with his left hand. Noticing the chakra concentrated in his hand, Juzo concentrated some chakra in his feet. He used the force of Fujin''s sword to step away from him and kicked the incoming punch. Unlike the swords that were equally matched, this time Juzo was sent flying for a few meters. He winced as he felt a pain in his foot. However, he ignored it and flipped in the air to land on the ground while staring at Fujin. His entire attention was on Fujin. Seeing Fujin take action, his teammates sighed in relief. They didn''t have any confidence in taking on one of the few remaining Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist. At the same time, the Kiri ninjas were shocked once again. They were already surprised to see Juzo. But seeing him getting forced back so easily was an even greater surprise. Though Fujin had killed a lot of people in the past 3 years, it still paled in comparison to someone like Juzo who was known to inhumanely slaughter for a longer time than he spent in this world. Fujin flickered and appeared in front of Juzo, swinging his sword at full power. Juzo replied in the same manner. The two swords clashed. However, the result was different from the earlier clash. Juzo''s eyes widened as he noticed the large amount of force behind Fujin''s sword. In addition, a crack appeared on his Kubikiribucho sword. However, even before he could react to that danger, he noticed another grave threat. Instead of engaging in a pure swordfight, Fujin shot a dozen Vacuum Bullets at a close range. Juzo immediately retreated and barely managed to dodge the incoming Vacuum Bullets. However, several more cuts appeared on his body. At the same time, he became very serious as he realized, ''His reputation isn''t fake. This will be a tough fight.'' Fujin didn''t give Juzo any time to rest. He flickered behind him and shot a Vacuum Cannon at Juzo. Juzo immediately got out of the way and counterattacked with Water Bullets, forcing Fujin to dodge as well. As for the Vacuum Cannon he dodged, it kept travelling through the forest. Weirdly, it didn''t hit a single tree and kept moving in a straight line for 200 meters, as if Fujin had aimed it in a manner to avoid all the trees in its path. Finally, it was about to hit a plant that had a weird shape and was made of two distinct colors, unlike every other plant in the forest. In an instant, that plant moved and went underground. As soon as it did, one of its halves exclaimed, "That was scary! That attack nearly killed us! But how did he know that we were here? Or was that attack just a fluke?" The other half, which was completely black, said, "He was sensing the entire area earlier. I felt his chakra field at our location a few times, but he didn''t focus on us. So I thought that he couldn''t sense us. His information in the Bingo book isn''t accurate. With such sensing abilities, he is among the best sensors out there." As soon as the Zetsu moved, Fujin sensed their chakra fluctuations. A smile appeared behind his mask as he thought, ''That area felt a bit off for some reason. My guess was right. That bastard Zetsu is keeping an eye as usual.'' Juzo didn''t notice that Fujin''s real attack wasn''t aimed at him. He continued attacking. Several Water Dragons formed in front of him and moved towards Fujin. Fujin moved back and jumped on top of the trees. Several Vacuum Bullets formed in his mouth and he aimed at the heads of the Water Dragons. The Vacuum Bullets pierced through the Water Dragons and dispersed the jutsu. Juzo ignored them as they weren''t heading at him, but they kept travelling and pierced the ground a long distance away. Chapter 385: A Foreign Chakra! Zetsu, who was hiding underground, instantly felt something drilling through the soil. It immediately went deeper into the ground. A fraction of a second later, the Vacuum Bullets passed through the space it was in earlier, barely missing its head by a few inches. It pierced through the Venus Flytrap-like extensions around its head, tearing away a good chunk of it! White Zetsu looked at the damage and said, "This guy is scary! He almost killed us again. I''m afraid Juzo will have a tough time if he can even find time to attack us while fighting him." Black Zetsu said, "Juzo is strong as well. But we need to inform Tobi and Pain. This fight will be a close one. Let''s first ask Kisame to reinforce him." Zetsu immediately left the battlefield. Fujin sensed his movement and wondered, ''Did I scare it away?'' He dodged Juzo''s attack and analyzed, ''Unlikely. Black Zetsu doesn''t want to expose its fighting abilities. He should have gone to call in for reinforcements. I will have to end the fight before they arrive. I can''t take on two ninjas close to the rank S at the same time. I should also consider the possibility of just one half having left and the other half staying back to observe or interrupt. Though I doubt he would want to expose himself, I should maintain my chakra field in case he does so.'' He turned his attention towards Juzo as he wondered, ''Why is he so determined to kill me? I have given him several opportunities to retreat. Sigh, I didn''t want to get on Akatsuki''s radar so quickly.'' Despite being aware of him, Fujin barely had any memories of Juzo. After all, he was barely even shown in the series. Though Fujin did collect all his information available with Konoha, it didn''t include any information about how loyal Juzo was to Akatsuki and Pain as Hiruzen couldn''t make information he received from Itachi public. So Fujin couldn''t guess his intentions. As they battled, Fujin felt Juzo''s killing intent increasing steadily. He thought, ''I don''t remember who killed him and how, but I know that he will end up dead soon. So I wasn''t very interested in killing him. But if he wants to go all out, I can''t afford to hold back.'' Without having to monitor Zetsu''s location, Fujin became very determined and focused entirely on Juzo. He flickered to dodge the incoming attacks and flickered again to appear next to Juzo and slashed his sword at his waist. However, Juzo flickered away without any seals as well. He appeared behind Fujin and attacked him with his sword. However, Fujin flickered out of the way as well. Juzo immediately followed him. Both Fujin and Juzo flickered continuously trying to outspeed one another and land a fatal blow. Loud sounds of their blades clashing with each other were heard several times. Several scars were left in the ground and several trees were cut. However, Fujin was unharmed while Juzo didn''t take any more damage. Fujin appeared in front of Juzo once again and attacked with his sword. Juzo flickered away to dodge. Fujin stopped swinging his sword and immediately flickered as well. Both appeared close to each other at the same time. Having the initiative, Fujin slashed horizontally aiming to hack Juzo into two. Juzo raised his sword defensively while building up his chakra. Fujin''s sword hit Kubikiribocho once again. And yet again, a new crack appeared in the sword. This one was the largest yet as it moved almost halfway into the sword! Juzo couldn''t help but shudder as he suddenly had a thought. It was, ''They still have the 3rd Hokage in addition to the two Sannins who are in their prime. And from Itachi''s words, Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy are very impressive as well and live up to their father''s reputation. Now this guy. If Konoha still had Uchiha Fugaku and Itachi in addition to them...'' Juzo felt a chill at that thought. Once Fujin, Kakashi and Guy reached rank S, Konoha could have had a greater number of rank S ninjas than Akatsuki! Juzo stopped thinking about such a hypothetical scenario and turned his attention back to Fujin who was being engulfed by the mist. He was confused as he wondered, ''Why didn''t he push on the attack? Is he afraid of fighting me when there is a lot of water around me? But that doesn''t explain why he is letting the Mist engulf him and not blowing it away.'' Juzo had expected Fujin to use a Wind jutsu to blow the mist away. He intended to take action at that time and create an opening. However, Fujin''s inaction made his tactic pointless. So Juzo decided to make use of the mist and made a hand seal. ''Water Release: Water Clone jutsu'' 4 Water Clones appeared around him. They immediately moved silently towards Fujin''s location. Juzo looked at the cracks in his blade and thought, ''I will have to let Kubikiribocho drink some blood now.'' He disappeared and began moving through the mist. Not a single sound was heard as he moved. The 4 Water Clones arrived where Fujin was standing. To their surprise, he was still standing in his spot with his eyes closed. They observed him for some time, but Fujin didn''t make any movements at all and stayed like a statue. All 4 clones wondered, ''What scheme is he cooking?'' In order to not let him bide time, 2 of the Water Clones moved towards him. One appeared behind him and another appeared in front of him. Both swung their swords at the same time. Fujin''s eyes snapped open and gazed into the eyes of the Water Clone in front of him. Despite the attack, he didn''t move. The two swords cleaved him into 3 pieces! However, no blood was spilled. Instead, the two clones felt a breeze. At the very next moment, Fujin exploded, launching wind blades around him. Both the water clones were too close to react and were hit by the blades. Though the attack wasn''t extremely fatal, it was enough to dispel them both. Juzo''s remaining two Water Clones were surprised. They realized, ''A Wind Clone!'' Juzo, who was hiding not too far away, was shocked as well. He thought, ''Impossible! I didn''t feel him move at all. Where is he? I can''t feel him at all in this Mist.'' Juzo and his clones became very alert. Not being able to find Fujin in the mist made Juzo nervous for the first time. He stayed on alert but his eyes suddenly widened. He thought, ''The mist is mixed with some foreign chakra. SHIT!!!'' Chapter 386: Clash of Swords! Juzo felt a chill in his heart. He turned around while swinging his sword with full strength. Fujin chuckled internally while attacking with his sword as well. He thought, ''Though the Hiding in Mist assassination technique is impressive, how can it compare to Tobirama''s Bringer of Darkness? It even counters the Mangekyou Sharingan to a certain extent. In order to prepare myself for any future fights with Itachi, Obito or Madara, I have trained a lot in that darkness. Compared to it, fighting in this mist is a child''s play.'' The two swords clashed. Fujin''s sword hit the largest crack in Kubikiribocho. The crack immediately began enlarging and moving across the blade. At the same time, Fujin shot several Vacuum Bullets at Juzo. To his surprise, Juzo didn''t flicker away like before and instead dodged them without using any jutsu. At the same time, he disrupted his own chakra flow. Due to the close distance and being taken by surprise, Juzo couldn''t dodge by a large distance. In fact, one Vacuum Bullet grazed past the right side of his abdomen. Several new and deeper cuts opened up on his arms and legs. The Vacuum Bullet that grazed past his abdomen took out a large chunk of flesh as it passed him, causing it to bleed profusely. However, Despite injuring him, Fujin wasn''t happy. He thought, ''He realized that my Wind chakra was infiltrating into his body and hence didn''t flicker. Tsk, so much for keeping it a secret. I was hoping to kill him or at least fatally injure him.'' Juzo flickered away and disappeared within the mist. Though Fujin couldn''t see him, he could hear Juzo''s voice from all directions. Juzo said, "You know Susumu''s Wind Style Genjutsu? So you were the one who made that mess in the Land of Wind." Though Akatsuki wasn''t interested in the affairs of Sunagakure, they were forced to look into it when they received the news that Suna''s Jinchuriki was injured. So Juzo was aware of the events that occurred back then despite not interfering in it. Juzo''s remaining two Water Clones moved towards Fujin. Two Wind Clones formed around Fujin and moved to intercept them. As for Fujin, a dense wind chakra began flowing through his sword once again. Suddenly, a sound of metal hitting the ground was heard. In an instant, Fujin flickered to that spot. The large crack that he had created in Kubikiribocho expanded along the length of the sword as it snapped into two. Though Juzo was aware of his sword''s state, his attention was more towards the injury on his abdomen. This created a temporary opening. As soon as Fujin appeared, he attacked with his sword while preparing more rounds of Vacuum Bullet. Despite having just half of his sword, it was still larger than Fujin''s sword. Juzo''s chakra flowed through Kubikiribocho as he used it to block Fujin''s sword and flickered away to dodge the Vacuum Bullets. At the same time, he constantly disrupted his chakra to not be affected by any Genjutsu. Fujin gave chase and the two engaged in high-speed combat once again. The two Water Clones were dispelled by kamikaze attacks by the Wind Clones. Due to how evenly they were matched, Fujin knew that the clones would be in a deadlock as well. So Fujin chose to explode his clones to finish their battles in a rush and gain an advantage. After all, if both of them consumed their chakra at an equal speed, he would get the advantage. As they were fighting, Fujin''s eyes suddenly widened. Juzo noticed that and instantly attacked Fujin''s wrist with his free hand as their swords clashed once again. Fujin saw the attack and hardened his right arm with the Iron Skin jutsu while kicking Juzo''s elbow. Despite hardening his arm, the strike on his wrist caused Fujin to open his hand and lose his sword. Fujin''s kick did the same. It knocked the sword from Juzo''s hand and worsened the cuts on his right arm. Fujin ignored his dropped sword and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on Juzo. Fujin knew that if he concentrated chakra in his fists, Juzo would run away. So he didn''t bother doing it and focused entirely on the speed of his punches. As he didn''t sense any Chakra Concentrated on his fists, Juzo fought back as well. However, to his surprise, he was outmatched once again! Though he defended himself well, Fujin''s fists landed on his chest and abdomen several times. He had to use his bleeding arms to defend himself several times, especially because Fujin kept targeting the injury on his abdomen. Even though none of the hits were fatal, Juzo felt the impact of every punch, causing him to cough blood as he fought. Finally, he raised his leg to block Fujin''s kick and used it to get away from him. At that moment, Yugao and the rest arrived and landed next to Fujin and shouted, "Captain!" However, Fujin ignored them and fired a few Vacuum Bullets at Juzo who was still in the air. Juzo immediately shot water from his mouth into the air and used the force to fall back to the ground. He barely managed to avoid the bullets, but he crashed into the ground and was dragged due to his speed. Fujin flickered and summoned his other sword in his left hand. Juzo quickly recovered and got onto his feet. He saw Fujin appearing in front of him and swinging his sword vertically, aiming to hack him in two. Without his sword, he had no method of defending against the sword. He moved back while building up his chakra and weaving hand signs. ''Water Release: Water Prison jutsu'' A water bubble began covering Jozu in order to provide him with some defense. At the same time, he concentrated chakra on his chest, neck and head to slow down Fujin''s sword. Despite the dense water, Fujin''s sword easily pierced into the water prison. Juzo gritted his teeth and weaved hand signs. He thought, ''I''ll endure this hit and use my body to slow him down. Once his sword lands on me, I''ll kill him!'' Fujin understood Juzo''s thought but he wasn''t concerned about his counterattack. He was confident in cutting him in two before Juzo could attack. He kept going. However, at that very moment, another figure broke into the Water Prison and appeared in front of Juzo. A large white sword blocked Fujin''s sword and began sucking the chakra flowing through it. Chapter 387: Explosions! As Fujin''s sword slashed into the Water Prison, a tall, muscular ninja with a shark-like appearance appeared in front of him and blocked his sword with a large sword that was wrapped in a white cloth. Even before the two swords clashed, the wind chakra flowing along Fujin''s sword was sucked by the sword. As their swords clashed, both Fujin and Kisame stared into each other''s eyes. However, their confrontation was cut short as Juzo completed his hand seals. ''Water Release: Water Bullets jutsu'' He shot several water bullets at Fujin. Fujin pulled back and flickered out of the line of attack and appeared next to his sword that was knocked out earlier. He picked it up and flickered next to his team while storing the other sword back in the storage seal on his bracer. Fujin''s squad had very grim expressions. Just taking on one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was already an extremely difficult task. If not for Fujin, they would have retreated after just seeing Juzo. So facing two was just too much for them to think about. Kisame didn''t press on the attack immediately and checked on Juzo first instead. On seeing that his injuries weren''t fatal, he chuckled and asked in a taunting tone, "Looks like the kids roughed you up pretty badly. Can you still fight?" Juzo gathered himself and stood up. He replied annoyingly, "Stop mocking me. Of course, I can." His tone became serious as he warned, "Don''t underestimate that Spectral Swordsman brat. He is strong." While Kisame was checking up on Juzo, Fujin instructed, "Prepare to fight. Also, be ready to retreat in case more of them appear." Fujin''s teammates were surprised. They had expected Fujin to focus on retreating. With his summons, none of them felt that retreating would be difficult. Yugao said softly, "Captain, we need to retreat. We can''t take on two Swordsm..." Fujin cut her off and commanded, "It''s fine. Focus on the fight. When you get a chance, help me distract one of them." On seeing them charge their chakras, Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro grabbed their weapons and took a fighting stance. Fujin, holding his sword in his right hand, also began exerting his chakra. However, instead of attacking, he looked at Kisame and said, "Why would I want to take on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to enhance my reputation? A group that was claimed to have the capability of hunting a Kage but was annihilated by a mere Genin! If I was a part of your little playgroup, I would have long killed myself from shame." Juzo''s expression immediately became dark. Kisame was a bit offended as well. It was truly as Fujin said. Might Duy had dragged the name of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist through the dirt. Even though Duy had power beyond the Kage level, he was only a Genin officially. Once the news regarding their defeat spread in Kirigakure, their reputation hit rock bottom. The seven ninjas, who were treated as the heroes in Kirigakure, became the butt of all jokes. Though none of them committed suicide, their situation was far worse than Hatake Sakumo''s. It was one of the main reasons why 2 of the remaining 3 betrayed Kiri. Of course, Fujin didn''t care about that. Instead, he was one of the very few who knew about Might Duy and admired him. He had only said those words for one reason. A glint appeared in Fujin''s eyes as soon as their expressions became dark. He just wanted a momentary distraction! In an instant, 12 Wind Clones appeared around Fujin. Kisame and Juzo immediately became alert. However, that moment''s delay was sufficient for Fujin. All his clones flickered and surrounded Kisame and Juzo on all sides. At the same time, all 12 blasted Infinite Breakthrough jutsu from all directions. The process of creating 12 clones, surrounding the two Akatsuki members and blasting them with Infinite Breakthrough jutsu from all sides took merely a fraction of a second. So Juzo and Kisame barely had any time to react. They quickly stood with their backs to each other while weaving hand signs rapidly. They completed their hand seals at the same moment and expelled a massive amount of water from their mouths. The water surrounded them on all sides and began rushing out and hit the intense winds, acting as a barrier for the two Swordsmen. Fujin''s teammates were surprised by the quick attack. Fujin didn''t pay any attention to them as his entire attention was on Kisame and Juzo, who were trapped at the center while surrounded by water and intense winds. Though the situation was temporary, Fujin thought, ''This is sufficient.'' Chakra flowed through Fujin''s sword once again as he took a step forward. Juzo shouted as he controlled the water around him, "Look out for Vacuum Bullets. They are very fas..." Suddenly, both Juzo and Kisame felt danger. Juzo looked at his body while Kisame turned his eyes towards Juzo. Juzo immediately tried to cover his own body with chakra. But it was too late. With multiple loud booms, a series of explosions went off on Juzo''s body as if his body was covered in Explosive tags!N??v€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on N?o?v€l??n. Chapter 388: The number keeps decreasing... First, an explosion went off on Juzo''s right foot. Immediately after, around a couple of dozen explosions went off on his chest, abdomen and arms! Each explosion was just slightly weaker than the explosions from an explosive tag. Kisame, due to being very close to Juzo, was caught off guard. He was caught in some explosions. Fortunately, he was facing Juzo''s back, so the explosions didn''t harm him much. Only his cloak was badly damaged. He immediately moved away from Juzo and looked at him with a frown on his face. He wondered, ''What the hell? Why did so many explosions go off on Juzo''s body?'' He turned his attention towards Fujin and wondered, ''Did he do it? But how could he set up Juzo?'' As Juzo was hit and Kisame was distracted, their control over the water defending them from the winds was lost. So the Wind immediately began piercing through the water. Noticing the danger, Kisame took control of the water around them. It gathered around him forming a protective barrier. At the same time, 12 powerful jets of water were launched at the 12 Wind Clones who were still blasting them with Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. In addition, Kisame also launched water towards the winds to reduce their momentum and dull its sharpness. Though it consumed a high amount of chakra, Kisame''s quick action forced the Wind Clones to stop attacking and take evasive actions. It also dealt with the winds trapping him and Juzo. Having caught a breather, Kisame looked towards Juzo. His eyes widened and his pupils dilated as he saw Juzo''s condition. The smoke around Juzo due to the explosion had finally cleared. Despite the explosions, Juzo still stood straight! However, his condition was terrible. The skin on his right foot''s sole was torn off due to the explosion. Attempting to walk on it would be worse than any physical torture. His arms were in a similar state. The explosions were even worse here due to preexisting cuts on his arms. In some spots, the impact was so bad that all skin and muscles had been blown off and his bones were exposed to the air. However, they weren''t visible due to being covered with blood. The worst was his chest and abdomen. They were a complete mess. Despite having already seen a lot, Fujin''s teammates were still affected by the gory state of his chest and abdomen. It was a shock that Juzo could still keep standing! Kisame was shocked as well by the sudden change in the situation. So was Zetsu who was observing the fight from some distance. Only one person was unaffected by it. It was Fujin, who was observing without any emotion behind his mask. The entire situation played out exactly like he had pictured it in his mind. Kisame''s breather was short-lived. As per the plan, the Wind clones turned their attention towards Kisame and fired multiple Vacuum Bullets at him. Despite being much stronger than the clones, Kisame had no choice but to give those attacks all his attention and take evasive actions. Fujin''s teammates also understood Fujin''s intentions behind his actions and words earlier and moved. All three attacked Kisame from range to keep him occupied. Juzo didn''t even consider that Fujin had put a seal on his foot right at the beginning of their fight. Instead, he was more focused towards Fujin''s ability to concentrate large amounts of chakra easily. Later, when Juzo tried to unarm Fujin, Fujin gladly accepted the exchange because he wanted to engage in a Taijutsu to fight to put more seals on Juzo''s body. As a result, Fujin managed to put several seals on Juzo without him even suspecting Fujin. Of course, Fujin had no intention of explaining this to Juzo. He moved forward. Kisame noticed it and wanted to interfere, however, the Vacuum Bullets made it extremely difficult for him to interfere directly. He muttered to himself, ''So annoying! Having to keep an eye on 12 ninjas who are ridiculously fast and keep spamming jutsus that I can''t block or afford to take is a headache. And then there is also that ninja who uses Lightning jutsus into the water I am controlling.'' He turned his gaze back to Juzo and thought, ''You will have to hang on for a few seconds, Juzo.'' Suddenly, everyone in the battle felt a massive amount of chakra emanating from Kisame. The chakra was incredibly intense and massive. It was as if a Tailed Beast had arrived on the battlefield. A massive amount of water appeared around Kisame and began flowing in all directions. Fujin''s team became nervous but kept attacking from a distance. As for Fujin and his clones, they knew that even with a large amount of chakra, Kisame still wouldn''t want to get hit by the Vacuum Bullets. So they weren''t concerned. Seeing Fujin rushing towards him with a sword in his hand and sensing Kisame''s massive chakra and the water he released, Juzo''s hands moved to weave a hand seal. However, his right hand suddenly stopped. Dark markings suddenly appeared on Juzo''s body, paralyzing him! Shock could be seen in Juzo''s eyes as he realized, ''The Self Cursing Seal? When did he put it on me? And why didn''t he use it until now?'' Just like the explosive seals, Fujin had placed this seal on his body when they had engaged in a Taijutsu. Fujin had used his left palm to stop an incoming punch and had put the seal on his at that instant. Fujin didn''t activate it earlier as Juzo could try and break through it with his chakra, but in his current exhausted state, he stood no chance. Before he could get any answer, he saw Fujin''s sword flash past his neck. Unable to move or resist or get any help, he was beheaded and his head was sent flying away from his body. Juzo, one of the last two surviving members of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, died at the hands of Suzuki Fujin in the Land of Hot Water! The number of the Swordsmen from the Mist kept decreasing. Chapter 389: Testing Kisame! The act of beheading Juzo immediately gained everyone''s attention. Despite working with him for over a year, Fujin''s squad were still surprised to see Fujin kill off such a fearsome ninja so quickly. After all, though Fujin had fought with Roshi and Kitsuchi in the past, he hadn''t succeeded in killing any of them. Of course, the one who was shocked the most was Kisame. He couldn''t help but exclaim, "Impossible!" Had Juzo managed to hold on for a few seconds, Kisame would have been able to rescue him and force Fujin to retreat. However, to Kisame''s disbelief, Juzo didn''t last for even a short while. Some distance away, White Zetsu said, "He is indeed scary. Poor Juzo was so helpless." Black Zetsu agreed and added, "Yeah. He also used him as a trap to hit Kisame. Had Kisame not been careful, he would have been hit by the explosions as well. In that case, he could have tried to kill them both." Black Zetsu''s mind quickly began calculating why Juzo suffered a loss so quickly. Despite the achievement of killing such a high-level ninja, Fujin didn''t get lost in it. Instead, at the very next moment, he opened up a scroll, sealed Juzo''s body and quickly moved towards his head. However, multiple jets of water were launched at him suddenly. At the same time, water was moving towards him like a Tsunami. Fujin''s team and his clones were already retreating. Fujin was about to seal Juzo''s head when a water jet hit Juzo''s head and pierced into his brain, destroying it from the inside. Fujin frowned and retreated. He looked at Kisame. Annoyance could be seen in his eyes, but it was just an act. Though taking Juzo''s head would seem like Konoha would get a lot of information and would benefit heavily, it was actually extremely counterproductive. Itachi was a spy Hiruzen sent to Akatsuki. So he already had a lot of information about the Akatsuki without the Akatsuki, except Obito, knowing about it. As for Fujin, he was the person who was the most clear about what Akatsuki was, who their members were and what their goals were. So any information that Juzo might have was borderline useless for both Fujin and Konoha. On the contrary, Akatsuki would know that Konoha had a lot of information about them. So they could be forced to make a move on Konoha and effectively change the future to a large degree. It was something that Fujin didn''t want to see. That is why he first sealed Juzo''s body and used a storage scroll to seal his body instead of one of the many storage seals on his bracer to waste some time without making anyone suspicious of his actions. It warned Kisame and gave him an opportunity to destroy Juzo''s head. As they retreated, the massive amount of water kept following them like a Tsunami. Fujin said softly, "Back me up." He immediately began building up his chakra. His clones and teammates immediately felt a massive amount of chakra from him. While his teammates would usually be very impressed, at that moment, the chakra that Fujin built up was much less than Kisame''s. Regardless, everyone prepared themselves too. His actions surprised Kisame and his teammates. Kisame retreated backwards while wondering, ''What is he intending? Though he forced me back, such a chakra expenditure will be very disadvantageous for him.'' Suddenly, 3 Shadow Clones, each with 10% of his maximum chakra appeared around Fujin. At the same time, a seal lit up on his bracer and 600 Explosive Tags appeared in front of him. He said, "Retreat!" Fujin''s teammates, who weren''t able to understand the reason behind his actions, immediately flickered in the opposite direction along with Fujin. They finally guessed the reason behind Fujin''s actions and wondered, ''Does he intend to delay Kisame long enough that we escape his detection range? But why is he still keeping his chakra field active? And why did we fight first if he wanted to withdraw?'' Unlike Fujin, his teammates weren''t aware of Zetsu''s existence and his abilities. Due to Zetsu, Fujin knew that escaping like usual wasn''t possible. The only way to escape was by either deterring Kisame from chasing them or flying away. Unfortunately for them, Fujin didn''t bother clearing their doubts. He consumed a soldier pill and said, "We will keep running until we reach Konoha. No breaks. And at least one of us will keep chakra fields active at any given time. If any more strong enemies appear, we will avoid them." His teammates nodded and kept moving at a fast speed. Back on the battlefield, Fujin''s Shadow Clones controlled the explosive tags and rained them down towards Kisame in waves. Kisame immediately spat out more water to douse those explosions. As he did, he realized, ''Despite having so many tags, he is only using a few in every wave. He wants to delay me until he can get out of the range. It looks like he doesn''t know about Zetsu''s abilities.'' Kisame didn''t mind wasting some time to defeat the Shadow Clones. He could find Fujin easily with Zetsu''s aid. He blocked all the waves of the explosive tags and then rode a water wave to move closer to Fujin''s clones. Fujin''s clones analyzed, ''This might be a good time to test some of Kisame''s abilities. For instance, would contact with the sword immediately pop up a Shadow Clone due to its ability to suck chakra?'' One of the clones flickered and appeared on top of Kisame. Chakra concentrated on his fist as he punched Kisame. Kisame immediately raised his sword to block the punch. The chakra gathered around the clone''s fist was easily absorbed by the sword. Despite that, when the clone''s punch landed on the sword, Kisame felt an intense force. Had he been weaker, he would have been forced under the water. As soon as his fist landed on the sword, the sword began absorbing his chakra. The clone analyzed, ''Hmm, so the clone won''t be dispelled in an instant. I guess it will only happen after it sucks away enough energy.'' As he was analyzing, sharp scales broke through the bandages and hit the clone''s hand. Fujin''s clone immediately used Iron Skin jutsu to harden his fist, however, the chakra the sword absorbed caused his jutsu to fade away instantly and created deep cuts in his arm, dispelling him. Chapter 390: Swordsmen of the Mist Clash! Zetsu, who was observing the fight, felt something and turned its head around. Its eyes immediately widened as it thought, ''Not good. We can''t stay here.'' Kisame turned his attention towards the remaining two clones as all the bandages around his sword were torn apart by Samehada. Neither clone had made any move. He wondered, ''Why are they just observing like they want to test out my abilities? I thought that he wanted to buy some time.'' The clones received the memories of the dispelled clone and realized, ''It looks like the Senju Taijutsu style is ineffective on him. No, rather, it benefits him instead of harming him. And he also absorbs the chakra flow from my swords. Sigh, what an annoying fighter. Apart from those annoying Mangekyou and Rinnegan users, Kisame might be the toughest opponent for me.'' Immediately, a sword appeared in each clone''s hands as they prepared for another clash with Kisame. Kisame weaved hand signs rapidly. ''Water Release: Shark Bomb jutsu'' Immediately, the water around Kisame transformed into 5 sharks and moved towards the clones rapidly. Both clones just slashed their swords, generating wind slashes that destroyed the sharks. At the same time, both flickered away from Kisame as a lot of water was flooding towards them from behind the sharks. Kisame riled up his chakra and was about to attack when he suddenly stopped and looked behind. From the ground, two Venus Flytrap-like extensions emerged before Zetsu became visible. Immediately, the eyes of Fujin''s clones began glowing as they observed Zetsu, or more specifically, Black Zetsu. One of the clones muttered aloud, "What kind of freaks do you have in this organization? What is that? A Venus Flytrap?" Zetsu ignored Fujin and said in an urgent tone, "Kisame, you need to retreat. A large number of Kirigakure ninjas are rushing towards us." Meanwhile, Fujin''s clones observed, ''He has such a strange body. I can barely detect anything from him. I wonder if the Sharingan or the Byagukan can see more. Probably not considering how much Madara trusted him and that no Hyuga mentioned anything odd about him. I''ll need someone like Orochimaru to dissect him and study him properly.'' Kisame was surprised. He looked at Fujin''s clones and said, "I see. So you retreated on sensing them." Kisame had felt Fujin''s chakra field while approaching that place. So, he was aware of how large the range of his sensor ability was. One of Fujin''s clones nodded and answered, "Yes. Though I wasn''t sure who it was, I guessed it was Kiri. However, I''m surprised that you want to retreat so quickly. Aren''t you just an undercover Kiri ninja? I thought that you would ally with them and outnumber us." A large sword hit the Samehada and immediately a series of explosions took place, forcing Kisame to retreat. Both Mangetsu and Kisame moved away from each other. Kisame looked at Mangetsu and the Shibuki sword he was holding. He said, "Mangetsu, I didn''t expect to meet you here." Mangetsu looked at Kisame and said, "I didn''t expect to meet you here either. I know Fuguki was a traitor. So I won''t hold you to his murder. But I want the Samehada back. Give it up and you can go." Kisame grinned and asked, "Do you think you can take it from me?" A massive amount of chakra was released from Kisame. The chakra was so intense that even Mangetsu was surprised for a moment. His expression changed to normal immediately as he threatened, "If you don''t hand it over obediently, then I will have to take it from your corpse." As soon as Mangetsu finished his statement, several figures appeared. In a second, they became visible. Kisame became serious as he observed, ''24 Hunter ninjas...'' Though Kisame''s display of his chakra surprised Mangetsu, he wasn''t worried about taking him on due to the backup he had. Both sides immediately entered into an intense conflict. The two sides battled for about half an hour before the battle concluded. Unknown to any of the parties involved, a pair of eyes observed their entire battle. Fujin''s squad kept moving rapidly through the Land of Hot Water. As everyone had eaten soldier pills and frequently used the Body Flicker jutsu, they moved very quickly. They weren''t too far away from the border with the Land of Fire. Suddenly, Fujin''s eyes widened as he received new memories. He realized, ''I see, so they were all Hunter nins from Kiri and were led by Mangetsu. Still, Kisame still managed to escape. And he also killed 7 Hunter nins before getting away.'' Fujin analyzed, ''That was expected though. I don''t see Kisame being killed so easily. I am surprised that he had to face as much trouble as he did. Mangetsu is quite strong. And, he also has several of the seven swords. Even without the reinforcements, he would have managed to hold Kisame back for a long time. Kisame''s performance was surprisingly underwhelming against the Kiri ninjas as compared to me though. But it is probably due to our fighting styles. My Taijutsu and Sword skills were completely nullified by him. And, the large amount of water allowed him to create sufficient distance from me, giving him plenty of time to dodge or stop my Wind attacks. By comparison, Kiri ninjas who weren''t afraid of stepping into that water were able to give him a tougher fight. And since they don''t use chakra flow or supercharged jutsus, they don''t provide Kisame with a lot of opportunities to absorb their chakra. Of course, the biggest factor was Mangetsu himself. He has mastered all 7 swords. So it is likely that he has raised special forces to target the Seven Ninja Swordsmen members who went rogue, kind of like what Iwa did against me. This fight also made me realize. I completely overlooked an important aspect during my training. Now that I think about it, I was lucky that I didn''t manage to kill Juzo quickly and hence got to fight Kisame. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have thought of it even though it was so obvious.'' Chapter 391: Double Blow! Back on the battlefield, Mangetsu stood along with 17 Hunter ninjas. They were treating the wounded and sealing the dead. One ninja approached Mangetsu and hatefully said, "Kisame managed to escape. We need to organize more hunting parties to trap and kill him!" However, Mangetsu shook his head and said, "No." His words surprised his subordinates who were around him. Mangetsu explained, "It''s pointless. Kisame was already in a battle before we found him. And despite outnumbering him so much, we weren''t able to kill him. So any hunting squads we send will be killed by him. Even if they manage to inform us, what''s the use if we can''t kill him? Only Mizukage-sama can kill him, but he can''t move around so lightly." The hunter ninjas sighed on hearing the explanations. None of them argued against him. They had just fought Kisame. And his strength was far beyond their expectations! Suddenly, a hunter ninja approached Mangetsu with excitement and said, "Captain, look what I found!" Mangetsu immediately looked at the ninja. His eyes widened as he saw what the Hunter ninja was holding. He immediately grabbed it and observed it properly. After a couple of minutes, he nodded and said, "There is no mistake. This is the hilt of Kubikiribocho! But..." His voice became a bit unsteady as he asked, "Who damaged it to this extent? There is almost nothing left of the sword. Also, where is Juzo?" No one answered him. Mangetsu instructed, "Search this battlefield. See if you can find any pieces of the blade. Also, see if you can find any dead bodies." The hunter ninjas nodded. The ones who weren''t gravely injured immediately got to work. Due to the high intensity of the battle, neither Fujin nor Kisame had any time to pay attention to and pick up Juzo''s sword. In addition, the entire battlefield was flooded by Kisame. So, the sword was a few meters under the water. Even if they had time, neither Fujin nor Kisame were very interested in that sword. Only Zetsu could collect the sword, but it didn''t see any point in doing that as Juzo was dead. As the ones who managed to hold on to the battlefield until the end, the sword landed in the hands of the Kiri ninjas. They quickly found some of the shattered pieces of Kubikiribocho. Mangetsu observed them and concluded, ''It looks like they were cut by wind. The masked ninja that Kisame was fighting was using Wind jutsus. Did he defeat Juzo before fighting Kisame?'' While Mangetsu was storing the pieces of Kubikiribocho, a ninja appeared holding the damaged head of Juzo. The head was very damaged. Kisame''s attack had poked a hole through Juzo''s head and destroyed his brain. A large part of his face was unrecognizable. So the Hunter nins weren''t able to identify him. In a cave, the illusionary bodies of the Akatsuki members appeared. As soon as they did, Orochimaru joked, "We seem to be missing some members." No one joined in his joke. Pain informed the group, "Biwa Juzo is dead. In the last 3 days, we have lost 2 members." Everyone''s attention was immediately drawn to Kakuzu, whose partner was missing as well. Sasori asked, "How did they die?" Zetsu answered, "Juzo was killed by Konoha''s Spectral Swordsman during a mission. The other one died in friendly fire." Once again, everyone stared at Kakuzu who replied unapologetically, "He was too slow." Orochimaru asked, "You attacked him, didn''t you?" Kakuzu didn''t bother replying. Orochimaru turned his attention to Itachi and asked, "Juzo was your partner, wasn''t he? I wonder who you would team up with next?" Itachi didn''t respond. Pain offered Kakuzu and Itachi to team up, however, both refused. So, Pain announced that they would begin looking for new members. Kakuzu looked at Zetsu and asked, "Spectral Swordsman is on my hit list for his bounty. How strong is he and what are his abilities?" Quite a few Akatsuki members were interested in the answer. Though Fujin had gained a lot of fame recently, none of them expected him to kill an Akatsuki member. White Zetsu answered, "He is very strong and dangerous. His Vacuum jutsus are far more lethal than what the Bingo book mentions. His sensor skills are top-notch as well. He nearly killed us a couple of times." Black Zetsu added, "He is a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster and can apply explosive and paralysis seals stealthily. Juzo died because he wasn''t aware of those seals being applied on his body. In addition, his chakra reserves and speed can be categorized as rank S. More importantly, he is very cunning and schemes continuously. Even Kisame fell into a tough spot due to him. Don''t underestimate him or you might lose a few hearts." Zetsu''s words weren''t too much of a surprise for the Akatsuki members. After all, Fujin wouldn''t have been able to kill Juzo had he been weak. Still, no one was too alarmed as Juzo was one of the weakest members of Akatsuki. Since no one had anything else to add, Pain said, "We will be taking the first step towards our goal soon. Our target is Han, the Jinchuriki of Five Tails." Chapter 392: A Sense of Freedom Fujin was unaware of the developments taking place inside Akatsuki. But he wasn''t very concerned about them as Akatsuki didn''t have any record of taking revenge for their fallen comrades. He kept thinking about more ways to counter ninjas who could absorb ninjutsu until Konoha appeared in their sight. Fujin looked at the village and thought, ''Leave it, I''ll think about it after I develop it completely. Anyway, this mission wasn''t bad. I kind of expected things to go south when Akatsuki got involved. Fortunately, everything went well. I managed to collect some information on Zetsu and Kisame and got to see Kisame and Mangetsu in action. And the only loss I suffered was that my Fuinjutsu mastery was revealed to them. But that is fine. Even if they are aware of it, Fuinjutsu will be a big pain in their ass. Though I also used the Wind Style Genjutsu, I doubt they would be aware of it. Zetsu had probably gone to call Kisame and we were covered by Mist. But, even if that stays a secret, it won''t be very effective against rank S ninjas. All of them are too sensitive towards such chakra. More importantly, I got an opportunity to fight two very strong ninjas. It showed me a lot of my weaknesses. The new range of Vacuum jutsus that I developed, though effective, won''t have any chance of killing a rank S ninja or ninjas close to that level. But, it''s fine. I created them to cut through Jounins who were trained to counter my previous fighting style. And if killing rank S was so easy, then they would have already been dead. Besides, even if they can dodge them, it will create a lot of pressure on them. Especially when I use them along with Wind Style Genjutsu and Fuinjutsu. Hehe, they will be incredibly annoyed to face me when I go all out. One small mistake will cost them their lives.'' A glint appeared in Fujin''s eyes as he thought, ''Of course, my biggest gain was Juzo''s death. Though he wasn''t a rank S ninja, Juzo was very close to that level. To be able to kill such a ninja, especially in the presence of another rank S ninja, I can be considered as a rank S ninja! A 15-year-old rank S ninja, hehehe. Who would have thought that the thing that would help me breach the gap between rank A and rank S level would be Fuinjutsu? When I first arrived in this world, this was the step I wanted to reach. At this level, killing me would be incredibly difficult. I no longer have to worry about offending anyone or being targeted by someone with malicious intentions.'' A smile appeared behind Fujin''s mask. Though he had long gained the ability to face and escape from rank S ninjas, finally reaching that level gave him an entirely different feeling. It was as if he was no longer bound by anything. As he stepped into Konoha, he felt a sense of freedom like never before. It was a feeling he hadn''t experienced in either of his lifetimes. Fujin looked at his teammates and said, "I will report to Lord Hokage. You guys can go back home if you want but meet me in our room in half an hour for a meeting." Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro were a bit surprised by the sudden meeting. They nodded and went their separate ways. Fujin continued forward to Hiruzen''s office. He flickered directly outside Hiruzen''s office. Hiruzen, who was busy with paperwork, looked above and noticed Fujin. A bit of confusion appeared in his eyes as he thought, ''He feels a bit different.'' He said, "Come in." At the same time, he looked at the ceiling at the hidden Anbu Guards. They immediately left the room and closed all doors and windows. Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, he had two allies. While we clashed, I sensed a being hiding in the forest and later underground. When I attacked it, it escaped. Some time later, Hoshigaki Kisame arrived to reinforce Juzo. That being who escaped showed itself later. I am not sure what it was. It looked like a Venus Flytrap plant. It had a humanoid body inside, one half of it was white while the other half was completely black. It certainly didn''t look like a human." Hiruzen analyzed, ''That sounds like the Akatsuki member called Zetsu.'' To Hiruzen''s surprise, Fujin tossed him a scroll. Hiruzen caught it and asked, "What is this?" Fujin answered, "It contains Juzo''s headless body. I tried to seal his head as well, but it was some distance away from me and Kisame destroyed it." Hiruzen''s eyes widened. He instantly realized, ''I understand why I am getting this feeling from Fujin.'' Fujin continued, "I managed to catch Juzo off guard thanks to Fuinjutsu. He wasn''t aware of my expertise in it. Unfortunately, that is leaked now. I clashed with Kisame as well. Our information regarding him is incorrect. This guy is incredibly strong. His chakra is insanely high. He was in a whole different league as compared to Juzo. I didn''t see any way of defeating him. Thankfully, I received some aid and managed to escape. Hozuki Mangetsu arrived with 24 Hunter ninjas. I am not sure who informed him or why they were there. Anyways, in the fight, Kisame managed to kill 7 Hunter ninjas before escaping. I am not sure what Mangetsu did later. But considering that we killed 25 Kiri ninjas and Kisame killed 7 more, they should have retreated from the Land of Hot Water. The squads you send will just have to confirm that they did." Hiruzen nodded and said, "The mission was indeed very complicated. It''s good that everything went well." Fujin handed him a few scrolls and said, "These scrolls have the dead bodies of the ninjas my teammates killed. Their memories can still be checked to understand what their mission was." Hiruzen nodded and replied, "Alright. Anything else?" Fujin nodded and replied, "Yes. Seeing the performance of Uzuki Yugao and Yamanaka Fumito in this mission, I recommend both of them be promoted to the Anbu Captain ranks. Handa Bunjiro is growing strong as well, but he still needs some time before he is ready to be promoted to the Anbu Captain rank. I will send a report later highlighting their performance in this mission." Hiruzen had expected Fujin to say that as he had made them complete the mission by themselves. He nodded and replied, "I will have them take an Anbu Promotion mission. Good work in ensuring that they become capable enough to reach this level." Fujin replied, "I didn''t do much. All three of them are highly motivated. They have grown stronger rapidly and are very well-versed in Anbu''s strategies and tactics. I''m sure they will become capable Captains in the future." As he spoke, Fujin removed his mask. He looked into Hiruzen''s eyes and said with a smile on his face, "Just one more thing. I''m retiring from Anbu." Chapter 393: Hiruzens Headache! Hiruzen was stunned! His eyes widened. In the last few minutes, Fujin had given him one surprise after another. Be it the unfamiliar feeling, his team''s performance or the involvement of Akatsuki. Juzo''s death had shocked him the most, but he had still managed to hold it together. However, the sudden announcement of retirement completely shocked him! It was important to remember that Fujin had just turned 15. It was the age when most joined the Anbu. In all the decades that Hiruzen had been the Hokage, this was the first time anyone asked to retire from Anbu at such a young age. No, Fujin didn''t even ask him! Fujin chuckled internally and thought, ''I don''t know why, but seeing Hiruzen rattled is so exciting and satisfying.'' Hiruzen finally composed himself and asked, "What do you mean?" Fujin tilted his head and asked in a confused tone, "What else can it mean?" Hiruzen shook his head and asked, "No. I mean, why do you want to retire?" Fujin was an integral part of Hiruzen''s plans. He wanted Fujin to take over the Root or even become the Hokage depending on the situation. But for that to happen, Fujin needed a lot of accomplishments. And the Anbu was the perfect place to gain such achievements and to prove himself. Hiruzen even planned to replace his eldest son with Fujin as the commander of the Anbu to give him more exposure and experience. So Hiruzen didn''t want Fujin to leave the Anbu. Taking inspiration from Hiruzen, Fujin faked a sigh full of tiredness and exhaustion and answered, "For the last three years, I have been running around the elemental nations killing one guy after another. During this time, I have frequently encountered ninjas who were far stronger than me and would kill me had I made just one mistake. I am exhausted from all this killing and fighting on the edge. My recent clashes, be it with Roshi, Iwa or Kisame, all show me that I need to work on my jutsus a lot. But I barely have any time to train to make myself stronger while the enemies I face keep getting stronger. And between my training and missions, my schedule has become very hectic leaving me little or no time to rest. So, I want to retire from the Anbu and take a long break to learn new techniques and rest my mind." Hiruzen was speechless. He thought, ''Hectic? He is the only Anbu who regularly asks for vacations. I just gave him a 3-month long vacation! And I rarely gave him a mission that required killing in the last year. Don''t tell me he is complaining about not getting enough time to meditate in the training rooms. After nearly emptying all our Wind Crystal reserves, he is complaining about it?'' So Fujin was in a weird spot. At the present time, due to his young age, he had no way of becoming the Hokage. If anything were to happen to Hiruzen, both the Sannins and Kakashi had a much higher chance of becoming Hokage than him. His name might not even be brought up by the council and even Shikaku would be preferred over him despite being weaker than him. Even if he kept becoming stronger and gained a lot of achievements, six years later, Naruto''s reputation would reach a level far beyond any other ninja in history. So Fujin didn''t see much hope of becoming the Hokage. Even if he did, he wasn''t particularly interested in the post. Though he did see some benefits of becoming the Hokage, such as getting access to all the forbidden jutsus, holding on to that post for a long time was something he wasn''t interested in. Being a Hokage was a selfless and thankless job. While he did enjoy playing mind games, he wasn''t particularly interested in doing that all the time. After all, it was fun to do so when Hiruzen and Shikaku had to deal with all the consequences. It won''t be the same when he would have to deal with such situations on a regular basis and clear up messes that others create. So, on this topic, Fujin and Hiruzen weren''t on the same page and both were completely unaware of each other''s thoughts. Fujin didn''t think much and replied, "No, I think I am done with the Anbu. Sorry Grandpa." Hiruzen was lost for words. His last offer would have allowed Fujin to use the training rooms as much as he wanted. And still, Fujin rejected him. He understood that Fujin had already made up his mind. He sighed and said, "Alright. Let me know if you change your mind." Fujin nodded and said, "I will. Thank you, Grandpa." He left the room and shut the door behind him. Hiruzen let out another sigh and muttered, "They are all the same." He thought, ''The weird feeling I got from Fujin earlier is the same one I got from Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru and Minato. By killing Juzo, he should have understood that he is a rank S ninja. This realization brings about a change in mindset that is hard to determine. When Jiraiya reached this level, he left Konoha and began touring around the world to fulfil his prophecy. When Orochimaru did, he began doing experiments. Tsunade didn''t change much on the surface, but she became wilful enough to try to forcefully revamp Konoha''s medical ninjas in the middle of a war. By comparison, Minato didn''t change much other than becoming very confident in himself. I never imagined that Fujin would reach this level at such a young age and the changes he would experience would lead him to quitting Anbu. According to my estimates, I had thought that he would have needed at least 4 to 5 more years before reaching this level. That would have been enough for me to increase his reputation by several levels in Konoha. But now...'' Hiruzen had a massive headache. Chapter 394: A New in Fujins Life Hiruzen grabbed his smoking pipe and got up from his seat. He looked outside the window, staring at the Hokage faces as he thought, ''This brat is indeed good at giving headaches. No wonder Shikaku was so annoyed by him. So many plans I had made... All are useless now.'' His mind rapidly calculated what he could do next. After a few minutes, he concluded, ''Without him being in the Anbu, I can''t increase his influence among the younger generation. And from his words, it looks like he doesn''t intend to take missions unless they are compulsory to take. The only way I can increase his reputation now is if I tell everyone what his achievements are. But...'' A frown appeared on Hiruzen''s face as he continued thinking, ''But he wants to keep all his achievements a secret. Exposing them could make him resent me. And I can''t casually say that he is the Spectral Swordsman without facing a diplomatic disaster.'' Even though everyone knew and believed that Fujin was the Spectral Swordsman, the smaller countries around Konoha didn''t act against Konoha. They were already facing threats from other major villages and if they offended Konoha as well, they would face a lot of problems. So they wanted to bury the whole thing as much as Konoha did. As long as ''The Spectral Swordsman'' didn''t act openly against them, they wouldn''t say a word. But, if Hiruzen was to openly admit that Fujin was the Spectral Swordsman, then those smaller countries would have no choice but to act against Konoha and restrict their ties with Konoha due to pressure from their own nobles and ninjas. So Hiruzen couldn''t do that. He sighed again and muttered, "The only way for him to become popular quickly now would be a war. As long as he kills several ninjas at Juzo''s level in a war or kills hundreds of enemy ninjas in an open battle, his reputation would increase in no time at all. But until such a war happens, he won''t be able to compete with Kakashi for my seat even if he becomes stronger than Kakashi. Leave it. Until a few years ago, I hadn''t expected Fujin to become so strong. By killing Juzo, he has pretty much announced that he is a rank S ninja. As long as he doesn''t completely slack off, he will reach around my level by the time he grows up. Having such a ninja is very beneficial for Konoha, irrespective of how reputed he is or which post he has. And with his strength, gaining reputation won''t take a long time once he decides to build some.'' Hiruzen decided to stop worrying about Fujin. He knew that strength was far more important than reputation. Though Fujin foiled his plans by quitting Anbu, Hiruzen could still make use of his strength when needed. In fact, he had already thought of one method to increase Fujin''s fame within Konoha immediately. He deactivated the seals and got back to work. As for the person who had just given Hiruzen a lot of headaches, he was chilling in his Anbu room, waiting for his teammates. Since he had nothing to do, he wondered, ''Why was Hiruzen so desperate to keep me in the Anbu? My first guess was that he just wanted someone who could keep taking missions non-stop like how I was doing and how Kakashi was doing before me. But that last offer gave me a lot of advantages. To take long training breaks while in Anbu would have allowed me to go through the reserves of Elemental Crystals. Did he have any other intentions?'' Fujin thought for a bit, but couldn''t think of any good reason. So he just kept thinking while waiting for his subordinates to arrive. In a few minutes, Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro arrived and saw Fujin sitting without his mask and in deep thought. Fujin looked up and noticed them. He smiled and said, "You guys are finally here. Sit down. I have a few important announcements." Yugao and Fumito immediately guessed what it would have been about. After all, their last mission was a bit strange. They immediately sat down. Yugao, Fumito and Bunjiro said their farewells and thanked Fujin once again. All three took their leave. As he left, Bunjiro thought, ''I was dreaming about becoming Anbu Captain before I turned 16. To think that Fujin would quit Anbu at my age. Did he quit because the Anbu missions weren''t challenging him?'' Bunjiro had a lot of excitement in following Fujin''s footsteps and becoming an Anbu Captain. But he wasn''t sure about it anymore. However, he still had the determination to become as strong as Fujin. Fujin packed up all his stuff from the room and thought, ''3 years... I spent 3 years in the Anbu. During this period, my strength has increased from Jounin level to rank S. Though fighting other rank S ninjas will be fun, I have some things to do before that..'' Fujin left the Anbu Headquarters and walked on the streets as he decided, ''Now that I am rank S and have also become a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, I can start implementing my ideas one by one. How successful I am in implementing them will indicate how much farther I can go. Once I am successful, I can begin taking advantage of the future events that I know will happen. Even though I did mess up with Suna badly, which could have some effect on Konoha crush, the events regarding Akatsuki shouldn''t be influenced much. Though I did kill Juzo, he was supposed to die anyway. Kisame should join up with Itachi. Unless the one who killed Juzo can also kill Kisame, it won''t have any effect on their activities. Anyways, for now...'' Fujin looked at the Ichiraku ramen stall and entered. He thought, ''Though I don''t need to eat due to the soldier pill, there is no harm in eating to treat myself.'' As soon as he entered, Ayame noticed him and said, "Fujin, come in. What do you want to eat?" Fujin sat down and replied, "Just the usual 3 bowls." Ayame said, "Coming right up." She immediately went to assist her father in making the Ramen. Within a few minutes, the first bowl was ready. Ayame delivered it and Fujin began eating. Fujin ate, enjoying the delicious taste and the peace and tranquillity. Suddenly, a certain someone came running into the stall and sat on the stool next to Fujin''s and shouted, "2 Miso Ramens for me!" Chapter 395: Easy Mode Ayame heard Naruto''s shout and said, "Wait for a few minutes, Naruto. I''ll prepare it right away." She and Teuchi got to work while Fujin enjoyed his meal and Naruto impatiently waited for his. A few minutes later, Ayame brought out two bowls and placed them in front of Naruto and Fujin. Naruto immediately said loudly, "Thank you!" and dived into his bowl. Despite sounding happy, Ayame could clearly make out the annoyance in Naruto''s voice. She asked, "Did something happen in the academy, Naruto?" Naruto replied, "Hmph, Iruka sensei failed me once again. I have to keep studying until next year." Ayame consoled him and said, "Oh, don''t worry Naruto. I am sure you will pass with flying colors next year." Naruto replied enthusiastically, "Of course I will! I will become the Hokage. Believe it!" Ayame smiled noticing that Naruto wasn''t depressed. Suddenly, she remembered that Fujin was sitting next to Naruto and realized, ''Now that I think about it, I don''t think Fujin and Naruto have ever met. That''s weird. Both of them come here so frequently. It is strange that they never showed up at the same time.'' Despite finding it odd, Ayame didn''t dwell on it for long. After all, her mind couldn''t comprehend the fact that Fujin purposefully avoided Naruto until that day. She cheerfully said, "Fujin, you haven''t met with Naruto yet, right?" Fujin looked up at her and asked in a questioning tone, "Naruto?" He looked at Naruto sitting beside him and asked, "Him?" Naruto, who was busy eating, immediately looked up as he realized that Ayame was talking about him. He looked back at Fujin who was looking at him. Ayame introduced Fujin by saying, "Naruto, he is Fujin. He is a very strong ninja." Though Ayame didn''t know much about Fujin, she knew that he graduated at 10 and became a Chunin at 11. Though there were a few other ninjas who became chunin at that age, their number was very low. So despite not knowing Fujin''s real strength, her words were spot on. Hearing that Fujin was very strong from Ayame''s mouth, Naruto was surprised. He looked back at Fujin to see that he was still staring at him without saying anything. He introduced himself, "I am Uzumaki Naruto. I will become the Hokage. Believe it!" Fujin replied, "The Hokage, huh?" Naruto looked into Fujin''s eyes. Ayame noticed it and suddenly became nervous. She thought, ''Ugh! I forgot that most villagers avoid Naruto for some reason. I hope Fujin isn''t one of them.'' To see someone, who just said his dream was impossible, do something so crazy shocked him. However, his shock soon turned into excitement. His eyes almost sparkled as he said in excitement, "That was so cool! How did you do that?" Fujin replied, "It''s a basic application of Wind nature manipulation." Naruto exclaimed, "Wind nature manipulation? That sounds cool! Can you teach it to me?" Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Teach you?" He continued eating noodles as he said, "It might be basic, but it is still very complicated. To learn, you will have to train for hours daily for months. Do you think you can focus on training that long?" Naruto was surprised. This wasn''t the first time he had asked anyone to teach him jutsus. He had asked nearly all teachers in the academy and had also bugged Hiruzen when he met him. But this was the first time his request wasn''t denied right away. Naruto said, "Of course I can. I will train non-stop until I learn it. Believe it!" Fujin asked, "Do you know where Training Ground 23 is?" Naruto replied, "No, but I can find it in no time, believe it!" Fujin said, "Alright. Show up there at 5 in the morning tomorrow. If you can learn how to control the wind as I can, then I''ll believe that you can become the Hokage." Naruto was immediately elated. It was the first time anyone had agreed to teach him. He immediately shouted in excitement, "I will be there and learn it in no time. Believe it!" Naruto''s reactions were completely like Fujin aspected. All his words to Naruto were well-measured. He first made Naruto agitated by saying that his dream was impossible, then blew his mind with the sudden display and finally agreed to Naruto''s request of teaching him and gave him a way of making him ''convince'' Fujin that he could become the Hokage. As a result, Fujin''s impression in Naruto''s eyes skyrocketed. Considering how few people treated Naruto well, Fujin''s favorability immediately rose near the top in Naruto''s eyes. Fujin sighed internally and thought, ''This is too easy. After engaging in mind games with Hiruzen, trying to manipulate Naruto is like going from Insane difficulty mode to Baby mode. He is lucky that I have no ill intentions.'' Fujin couldn''t help but wonder, ''Now that I think about it, doesn''t Hiruzen always target little kids? Most of his Will of Fire speeches are given in the academy. He has influenced Naruto since he was young. The same could be said about Itachi. If Naruto and Itachi were older like me, would they have fallen for his manipulations?'' Teuchi and Ayame weren''t aware of what was going through Fujin''s mind. They just smiled. Though neither were ninjas, both were happy to see Naruto being treated well. Having interacted with Fujin for so long, they knew that he wouldn''t harm Naruto or leave him hanging. Teuchi said, "Your ramen is getting cold, Naruto. Eat it quickly." Naruto immediately began eating while Teuchi brought out the last two bowls of ramen. Chapter 396: Confrontation Fujin finished up his bowls of ramen before Naruto. He got up and said, "I''ll be waiting for you tomorrow morning. Don''t be late." Naruto quickly swallowed the noodles and said, "I will be there on time. Believe it!" Fujin nodded and left. As he left, he heard Naruto talking to Ayame in excitement claiming that he would be able to control winds like Fujin in no time. Naruto seemed to have already forgotten about failing the graduation exam. Fujin ignored it and began walking home. He sighed and thought, ''I forgot how much of a punk Naruto was. Even though it''s understandable considering his situation, It''ll be rather annoying to deal with all the time. Should I curtail it?'' Fujin thought for a bit before deciding, ''Leave it. It''s a thankless job and will require a lot of time and effort. I''ll just have him act properly in front of me and compensate for that by filling his head with more prank ideas. As long as I''m not the one he annoys, I don''t care. Besides, considering the amount of trauma he has, it will be better for him to let some of it out through pranks rather than bottling it all up.'' Fujin then began thinking about what to train Naruto in. Since Hiruzen had handed him the Flying Thunder God peacefully, he didn''t intend to create much trouble for him. He thought, ''Training Naruto... It is something I have contemplated for a long time.'' He recalled his analysis, ''The advantage of doing so is very simple. Naruto''s stocks are set to explode in the future. And no one, including Naruto himself, knows about this. Investing in him at this time, when very few others have, will make him feel indebted to me and make him take my side or support me as long as I don''t do anything that is totally against his morals. No, even if I do something evil, he will still fight for my forgiveness. So, if some of my future plans go horribly wrong and put me in a dangerous situation or make me an enemy of the elemental nations, I will always have a path of retreating. Regardless, if things happen just as in the canon, there are only benefits in doing this. Even if things don''t pan out the same, having a rank S ninja that I can easily influence is something invaluable. However, there is a big problem with this... If I train Naruto, and if that helps him become stronger quicker than the canon timeline, then the story could change in ways that I might not be able to calculate, costing my advantage of future knowledge. And the changes start at a very basic level. For instance, if my training somehow makes him competent enough to learn the Clone jutsu, then he will graduate and Mizuki won''t be able to make him steal the scroll. That would mean that Naruto wouldn''t learn the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu until the Sun rises from the West and Kakashi or Jiraiya decides to teach him the jutsu that is tailormade for him. And I have no idea how much that would impact his ability to fight or even survive in his future fights. Luckily, this change is easy to see and fix. I can just teach him the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu myself as a gift for graduating. Though I will lose my chance to sneak a peek at the contents of the forbidden scroll, I doubt the scroll he stole was the actual forbidden scroll. There''s no way the Hiruzen I know would be this careless. Fujin muttered, "The next time you or any other Root ninja sneaks up on me, I won''t be polite." Without looking back, Fujin walked away. The Root ninja was still in shock. It was his first time seeing someone from Konoha who had no regard for either the Anbu or the Root. He wondered, ''Who is that guy? All ninjas are very polite towards the Anbu. If they know that I am from Root, they become even more polite and slightly fearful. But he directly threatened me and other Root ninjas?'' He quickly retreated and rushed towards the underground Root base. Fujin ignored him and continued walking home. He thought, ''That''s weird. I thought all Root ninjas would be aware of me. Even if Danzo didn''t tell them, do they not read the Bingo book? That said, he felt quite weak and was probably only at the Chunin level. Maybe Danzo kept him busy for some mission. Regardless, Danzo has gone completely silent. I had expected him to do something after spying on me. Though I didn''t sense anyone later, I am sure that he still kept an eye on me. But it''s been nearly 3 months. And I also went out on a mission. It is strange that he hasn''t tried anything. The main reason why I was so provocative in this little interaction is to see what Danzo would do now. If he has some malicious intentions, then this would provide him a good excuse to take action. Even if he doesn''t take any action, I''ll be able to get some clues on his intentions.'' Fujin was very interested in seeing Danzo''s schemes. If Danzo hadn''t tried spying on him, Fujin would have ignored his existence until it was the right time. But since Danzo displayed some intentions against him, Fujin knew that just waiting passively would give all initiative to Danzo. Once he ascertained Danzo''s intentions, he would have a better idea of how to proceed forward. Fujin reached his home and entered the basement. He finally took out the scroll and opened it as he muttered in excitement, "Flying Thunder God jutsu... Finally, I can learn it!" He immediately began reading all the information regarding it. While Fujin began studying, a figure appeared in the underground base of Root. He was the same Root ninja who tried warning Fujin. He went straight to Danzo and after getting permission, entered it. He bowed respectfully and said in a hurry, "Danzo-sama, there is an issue. A Shinobi interacted with Uzumaki Naruto and promised to train him. I warned him and asked him to stay away from Naruto, but he refused to do so." Danzo was surprised. He asked, "Didn''t you threaten him?" Sweat gathered behind the Root ninja''s mask as he recalled how his threat went. Chapter 397: Flying Thunder God The Root ninja nervously reported, "I tried, but he arrogantly claimed that the Hokage didn''t tell him to stay away from Uzumaki Naruto. Then he somehow recognized that I was from the Root and asked what I was doing keeping an eye on the citizens of Konoha. When I tried to threaten him, he unleashed his killing intent and forced me to retreat. I''m not sure who it was, but that ninja has killed a lot of ninjas.'' Danzo was surprised. He wondered, ''Who did he encounter? And since when did someone start threatening Root ninjas?'' He asked, "Who was it?" The Root ninja replied, "I didn''t identify him but when he was inside the Ichiraku Ramen shop, I overheard that he was called Fujin." Danzo''s eyes immediately widened before going back to their usual size. He wondered, ''Suzuki Fujin? Hasn''t he gone to the Land of Waterfall? The two squads I sent to the Land of Earth even made Iwagakure send Kitsuchi and a few dozen Jounins to set a trap for him there. Why is he still here?'' The Root ninja was surprised to not receive any response from Danzo. He looked up and asked, "Danzo-sama?" Danzo replied, "I will look into it. For now, stay away from him. Continue spying on Uzumaki Naruto, but maintain distance." The Root ninja nodded and left. Unlike his steady voice, Danzo''s mind was in a mess. He calmed himself down and analyzed, ''Did Tiger make a mistake in identifying him? No, that''s unlikely. So why is Suzuki Fujin back in Konoha? Or could it be possible that he never left?'' Danzo analyzed for a few minutes and concluded, ''No, he should have left the village. Otherwise, Torune would have informed me. The mistake I made should be in assuming the mission he took. He should have taken a different mission that allowed him to return so quickly. But which mission did he take?'' While Danzo was aware of the mission issued by the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water, he wasn''t informed that Fujin''s squad had taken that mission. Hiruzen and Eagle didn''t have any reason to inform him and they continued creating a strong squad to send to that mission in spite of the fact that Fujin''s squad had taken the mission. So Danzo was completely clueless. He continued thinking, ''I will find that out later. For now, the important question is why he wants to teach the Nine Tails Jinchuriki?'' Naruto was someone who Danzo wanted to control. Unfortunately, Hiruzen never allowed him that. However, Danzo used the political situation in Konoha and Hiruzen''s worries perfectly to ensure that no one else managed to gain control over Naruto either. For Fujin to suddenly take an interest in Naruto baffled Danzo. The third and final step is the main step. After sensing the seal, I have to move to that location. It sounds a bit similar to the summoning jutsu, or rather, the reverse summoning jutsu. Basically, I have to be summoned to the location of the seal. Only, there is one big issue. During reverse summoning, the one who does the reverse summoning uses his or her chakra to do so. But here, there is no one to do that at the seal. Another issue is that reverse summoning needs a lot of chakra. To do that a few times will be fine. But doing that hundreds or even thousands of times repeatedly like how Minato would do, would use up all the chakra in an instant. The initial form of this jutsu that Tobirama created actually used this concept. Minato''s Thunder God Formation Technique also uses this principle. So, the initial form of this jutsu couldn''t actually be considered Teleportation. It was a long-distance movement jutsu that Tobirama created by using numerous existing concepts and techniques. Though it was still remarkable, it wasn''t very usable in battle. Understanding the drawbacks, Tobirama improved this step to actually moving through Space-Time and arriving at the location of the seal in an instant. This consumes far less chakra and is much faster, making it viable to use in combat. However, it is far more difficult to learn. Regardless, as long as I succeed in step two, even if I fail in this step, I could still copy the Reverse Summoning trick and use this jutsu for travelling long distances. Of course, if I manage to master step 3 as well...'' A wide grin appeared on Fujin''s face. His speed was already ridiculously high. Apart from the top-tier ninjas, no one could keep up with him at his current level. His Vacuum jutsus and Fuinjutsu further restricted his opponents. However, if he were to add the Flying Thunder God jutsu to his arsenal, he would become the fastest ninja alive in a heartbeat! Even the Fourth Raikage and Obito would struggle to keep up with him. Fujin calmed himself and muttered, "I need to learn this first. I can get excited later." In an instant, a hundred Shadow Clones appeared in the basement. Everyone began learning the Flying Thunder God seal. While Fujin occupied himself in learning the Flying Thunder God Seal, Shikaku entered Hiruzen''s office and asked, "What is the matter this time?" Hiruzen looked at Shikaku and said seriously, "Fujin took the mission in the Land of Hot Water with his squad. He returned some time ago." Shikaku immediately had a dark expression. He sighed and thought, ''I will miss my next few month''s sleep.'' Chapter 398: A Seat on the Council Hiruzen noticed Shikaku''s expressions. Though he was amused, his mind was still occupied by Fujin''s resignation. He thought, ''Without Fujin creating trouble, Shikaku will become lazy again. I need to think of something to keep him busy now.'' Shikaku muttered, "Say it. What upheaval did that boy cause this time?" Sorrow could be heard in Shikaku''s tone. It was as if someone was about to steal his most precious belongings and he could do nothing but see it happening with his eyes. Hiruzen looked at his Anbu Guards, who immediately left the room and locked all the doors and windows. Hiruzen activated the seals and said, "He encountered the Akatsuki organization as well as the Mizukage faction during the mission." Shikaku was puzzled. He asked, "What was that mercenary organization doing there? Aren''t they active in the West?" Hiruzen replied, "Fujin couldn''t figure that out. Our only guess right now is that they received a mission in the Land of Hot Water and encountered them fighting. Regardless, Biwa Juzo wanted to collect his bounty and was killed by Fujin." Shikaku was shocked. He asked, "He killed Juzo?" Hiruzen nodded. Shikaku immediately became serious as he analyzed the implications. He said, "Killing Juzo will imply that Fujin is a rank S ninja. And he is merely 15 years old." Shikaku was stunned. Knowing all the shit Fujin pulled over the last year, Shikaku expected Fujin to reach that stage. But he didn''t expect him to reach it so quickly. Hiruzen nodded and said, "His victory wasn''t a fluke. He also found out more information." Hiruzen informed Shikaku about Fujin''s analysis of Kisame and mentioned Zetsu''s abilities. He even told him about the actions of the Mizukage faction. Shikaku analyzed everything thoroughly and said, "The Mizukage faction is getting desperate. If the Fourth Mizukage falls, then their faction will collapse in no time. Kisame''s power is a surprise. But we didn''t hear much about him after the end of the last war. For his strength to rise significantly over the last decade, though difficult, isn''t impossible. That plant-like creature sounds like it will be good at spying and infiltration. We may need to upgrade our barriers considering that it was able to hide within Fujin''s chakra field. The more important question is, would the mercenary organization retaliate?" Hiruzen shook his head and answered, "Unlikely. It''s not a hidden village. So they don''t have the same sense of comradery. And this isn''t the first time one of them has been killed. So it is very unlikely." Hiruzen said, "With Fujin no longer a part of Anbu, I can''t use my previous method to increase his reputation." Shikaku recalled the conversation he had with Hiruzen a year ago. He nodded. Hiruzen continued, "So I have decided to do that using two methods. The first one is promoting him to Elite Jounin officially. That shouldn''t be an issue. However, I''m not sure what the impact would be of the second method. I want your opinion on it." Shikaku listened carefully. Despite his intelligence, Hiruzen''s next words surprised him. Hiruzen said, "I am planning to create a new seat in the Council. A council member who will represent the Civilian ninjas. And I want to give that to Fujin." Shikaku hadn''t expected Hiruzen to think of such a thing. He immediately began analyzing if it was feasible. After some time, he said, "Until now, civilian ninjas don''t have a seat on the council. Though Jiraiya and Orochimaru participated at times, it was due to their status as the Sannins. Fujin doesn''t have the same reputation and influence as they did. But if you create a new seat, that won''t be an issue. Creating a new seat should be fine as well as there are already a few non-ninja civilians on the council to handle the civilian matters. The only issue is Fujin himself. He is still too young. And, we clan leaders represent our clans. But, can Fujin really represent all the civilian ninjas? Currently, the number of civilian ninjas far exceeds that of any clan. Since he doesn''t have any fame here apart from his bounty and his title, it will raise a lot of questions and perhaps some dissatisfaction from the civilian ninjas. Do you need to give him that post so impatiently? There is no harm in waiting for a few more years." Hiruzen replied, "I have been sending him on almost all negotiations. If I don''t give him a seat on the council, then other countries will think that I am sending the Spectral Swordsman to intimidate them during negotiations. But if he is an official council member, then it sends an entirely different message. At the same time, it gives him the authority to close deals. As for his reputation and dissatisfaction from others, it isn''t an issue. With time, as his strength gets slowly exposed, his reputation will grow by itself and the voices of dissatisfaction will disappear as well." Shikaku nodded and said, "That''s true. Alright, go ahead. I''ll ask Inoichi and Choza to support your proposal. The civilians will support you easily as well. So there shouldn''t be any trouble in passing the proposal to create a new seat even if some Clan Leaders or Elders oppose that. Though Fujin''s appointment might face some opposition, it can be easily resolved by informing the Clan Leaders about Juzo''s death. None of the Clan Leaders would oppose him in that case." Hiruzen nodded. He discussed a bit more with Shikaku before letting him go. As Shikaku appeared back in his office, a smile appeared on his face. He thought, ''That troublemaker finally quit. This was a good surprise. I can finally sleep no...'' Suddenly Shikaku''s eyes widened as he realized something. He thought, ''Wait a minute! Why did Hiruzen allow Fujin to retire? Does that mean anyone can retire? Why does he keep blocking my retirement plans then? I need to know how Fujin convinced Hiruzen to let him go!'' Fujin was unaware of Hiruzen''s plans. He was more concerned about Hiruzen''s friend instead. He worked on the seal all night until an alarm rang. Fujin shut the alarm and thought, ''I lost track of time. It is 4:45 in the morning. Naruto should arrive soon.'' Chapter 399: Indiscipline Fujin freshened up and went to the training ground opposite his house while his Shadow Clones continued working on the seal. As he walked, Fujin analyzed, ''Though the seal is quite complicated, I should be able to learn it faster than the Four Symbols Seal. Without having to worry about any missions, I can keep training this non-stop alongside my Wind Domain.'' He soon saw Naruto who was waiting restlessly inside the training ground. As soon as Naruto saw Fujin, he immediately became excited. He thought, ''He came!'' Fujin noticed his restlessness and excitement and realized, ''He was worried that I wouldn''t show up. Sigh, so much mental trauma. I wonder whether Minato would have given up his life if he knew how Naruto would be treated...'' Even though the answer seemed simple, Fujin wasn''t sure. The Will of Fire burned intensely within some ninjas. Those ninjas would still choose to serve the village even if the village harmed their friends and family. Their decisions were difficult for someone like Fujin, who gave the highest priority to himself, to comprehend. He asked, "How long have you been waiting here?" Naruto replied, "Only 25 minutes." Fujin said, "You don''t need to show up too early. Just come at the exact moment. If I''m ever late, just knock on the house opposite the training ground." Naruto asked, "That large house is yours?" Fujin nodded and said, "Let''s start. Before we begin, show me the jutsus you can perform." Naruto nodded and immediately showed Fujin the three basic Ninjutsus. While he performed the jutsus, Fujin''s chakra field spread out and covered the entire Training Ground. Immediately, two figures escaped from the training ground and flickered outside. Both had a frown behind their masks. One of the two was the same Root ninja whom Fujin had threatened the day before. Due to Danzo''s instructions, he obediently left and stood outside the Training Ground. The other one was an Anbu assigned by Hiruzen to keep an eye on Naruto. After leaving the training ground, he wondered, ''Anbu Captain Suzuki Fujin... Though he met up with Naruto yesterday, I didn''t think that he would actually show up today. But is he doing it by himself or did Lord Hokage ask him to?'' He thought for a bit and decided, ''Lord Hokage should have told me if he assigned him this job. I should inform him to be safe.'' He created Shadow Clone which immediately flickered away. Unlike the Root ninja, he didn''t bother confronting Fujin. He was aware of Fujin''s Anbu Captain rank and knew that he couldn''t command him. So he decided to stay back and wait for Hiruzen''s response. Fujin analyzed Naruto''s jutsus, ''Hmm, not bad. His Substitution jutsu and Transformation jutsu are very well mastered. The clones are horrible though. But, it''s not exactly his fault.'' Naruto weaved hand signs and shouted, "Gale jutsu!" As he shouted, he moved his right palm forward forcefully as if he was pushing the air and then maintained that form. Unfortunately for Naruto, no wind flowed from his palm. As he stood, a gentle breeze flowed in the opposite direction and blew a leaf into his face, making him look incredibly stupid. Fujin watched with a deadpan expression, ''This kid. His ability to manipulate chakra is horrible! No, even horrible is too kind of a word!'' Had it been someone else watching, they would have questioned Naruto''s talent. Not being able to do something so basic usually showed that the ninja had little to no talent in Ninjutsu, something that was for a ninja like Rock Lee. In fact, every teacher in the Academy believed that to be the case for Naruto. Had Fujin not known about Naruto''s future achievements, he might have thought the same as well. But Fujin was very clear about how monstrous Naruto''s talent was. What he was seeing was just a result of the indiscipline of the highest grade. Naruto asked in an awkward voice, "Why didn''t any wind blow?" He looked at Fujin nervously and said, "Don''t worry, I will do it this time." He quickly weaved his hand signs, shouted the name of the jutsu and pushed his palm out again. Obviously, the result wasn''t any different. Of course, Naruto wouldn''t quit. He continued trying the jutsu again and again non-stop. Fujin didn''t say anything and just observed Naruto. He analyzed, ''Though he has a massive amount of chakra, he is barely even able to manipulate him. The reason why he is able to perform the Substitution and Transformation jutsu so well should be due to working on them for an extremely long time. But if he has to learn a new jutsu, especially one that needs the user to knead chakra inside his body, he will struggle a lot. The reason for this is very simple. He just has rarely trained in this aspect. Unlike me, who went systematically, he is directly trying to learn the jutsus despite not having the basics down.'' Fujin observed Naruto, who was getting more desperate, and wondered, ''It has only been 5 years since I left the academy. How did the quality of teachers drop so much? Or rather, why did the Academy stop being strict? Even if I assume that Naruto was the only one being ignored, why didn''t Hiruzen assign him a teacher who could ensure that Naruto had the basics right? After all, even if I ignore his parents, he is the Jinchuriki. How can a Jinchuriki be allowed to be so terrible at basics?'' Fujin couldn''t make any sense of it. Though he normally marvelled at Hiruzen''s schemes, his decisions in regard to Naruto confused him. Had he been in his place, raising the Jinchuriki to be strong and creating more bonds for him in the village had been his first move. He didn''t understand why Hiruzen didn''t do that and why no one, be it the Elders or the Clan Leaders, pushed him to do it. After trying unsuccessfully a few hundred times, Naruto walked back to Fujin with his head down. He said, "I''m sorry, I couldn''t do it. But I promise that I will learn it quickly. Believe it!" Fujin sighed and raised his arm. Naruto was fearful but didn''t move. In the next moment, a karate chop landed on Naruto''s head. Naruto immediately held his head but quickly realized, ''That didn''t hurt?'' Of course, Fujin didn''t intend to hurt Naruto. That was just an action to calm him down and stop Naruto from being too fidgety. Fujin asked, "Did you forget what I said yesterday?" Chapter 400: Temptation Naruto looked up and asked, "What did you say?" Fujin replied, "I said that you will have to work for hours daily for a few months to learn that. Why are you thinking that you will learn it in 15 minutes? And what are you so upset about? I needed more than a month to learn this jutsu perfectly. Others need around 3 months to learn it. I will ask you again. Can you put in the hard work needed to learn this jutsu? If not, you can quit now and save yourself from a lot of trouble." Naruto immediately responded, "I will train until I learn the jutsu." Fujin nodded and said, "Good. For the next three hours, keep practicing seriously. Even if it seems like you aren''t making any progress, in truth, you will be. So don''t get restless." Naruto nodded and started his practice again. He was very grateful that Fujin continued teaching him and didn''t abandon him because he was slow at learning. As for Fujin, he just observed while thinking, ''Though my words were a lie, it will give him some hope. If he knew that I learnt it within a few days, he would be very discouraged. That said, I am not sure if that''s a bad thing considering his never-give-up attitude. Still, I should give him some tips slowly. That chakra control needs to improve, even if just slightly. However, asking him to meditate would likely lead nowhere. I recall him saying to had never taken that seriously. Guess I''ll have to make up some bullshit. And maybe I should introduce him to the leaf-cutting exercise as well. Though training Wind Affinity isn''t needed for a low-level jutsu like this one, it won''t be any harm. And, it will give him something to do to spend time.'' Fujin sat down with his back against a tree while Naruto practised. Though he kept an eye on Naruto, his mind began thinking about the Frying Thunder God seal. He had a hundred Shadow Clones working on it, so he didn''t need to practice it himself. Instead, he recalled the various theories in the scroll. Though practising the seal was important, studying and analyzing it was equally important in Fujin''s eyes. Unlike Fujin, whose day was going as planned, a certain someone had a strange start to his day. Hiruzen had just reached his office when he saw an Anbu waiting for him. He immediately informed him about Fujin''s actions. With a confused expression, Hiruzen sat on his chair and grabbed his crystal ball. He thought, ''First he leaves the Anbu and then he suddenly takes an interest in Naruto? What is Fujin up to?'' He began watching in the crystal ball. Soon, the scene of Naruto practicing Gale''s jutsu and Fujin monitoring him appeared in the crystal ball. Hiruzen observed for a few minutes, but nothing else happened. That confused Hiruzen even more. Going to rank S from there won''t be very difficult either. Perhaps in just one more year, he could reach that.'' Fujin couldn''t help but sigh at the unfairness. At the same time, he had a temptation in his heart. A temptation to teach Naruto seriously and make him ridiculously overpowered. However, after a few minutes, Fujin shook his head and decided, ''Unfortunately, doing that has the potential to completely ruin any knowledge of the future I have. Would Hiruzen put Naruto on the same squad as Sasuke and under Kakashi if he is already close to the Elite Jounin level? If he does, how would it impact their clash with Zabuza? How will his relationship with Sasuke be if he is so much stronger than him even before graduating? And, if Naruto reaches close to rank S by the time the Chunin exams take place, his encounter with Orochimaru will turn out to be very different. With his unpredictability, he might even prevent Orochimaru from putting the cursed seal on Sasuke. And, it is possible that Akatsuki might take him very seriously and attack preemptively. After all, unlike the rest of the ninjas, rank S would merely be a starting point for Naruto. As he continuously keeps growing stronger, even Obito and Nagato, despite their arrogance, might not want to risk seeing Naruto getting stronger. Irrespective of what happens, my advantage will be completely ruined. Though I would still be a rank S ninja and my life won''t be threatened easily, I''ll lose out on a lot of critical opportunities.'' Fujin could only shake his head and give up on that idea. Though he pitied Naruto''s situation and could fully explore his potential, Fujin''s gains just didn''t match up with the horrendous losses he would incur due to the opportunities he would have given up. Naruto was oblivious to the opportunity he just lost. Of course, even without Fujin''s help, his future would still be very bright. Though Fujin decided against helping Naruto too much, he didn''t intend to block his path to rank S and even planned on assisting him a bit and making his path slightly easier. As he trained, Naruto''s breathing became rougher. He wanted to stop but thought, ''I have to keep going. I have to show that I am serious about learning this jutsu.'' He weaved hand signs, thrusted his palm forward and once again shouted, "Gale jutsu." Chapter 401: Building a Bond "Gale jutsu." Naruto thrust his palm forward but nothing happened as usual. He was about to do it again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Naruto turned around to see Fujin standing there. Fujin said, "You look tired. That''s enough training for now." Naruto immediately replied, "I can still keep training!" Fujin replied, "I am sure you can. But rest is equally important. While you rest, think about what you practice and analyze how you can improve." Fujin''s words confused Naruto. He wondered, ''Analyze? What should I analyze?'' However, he still nodded his head. Fujin said, "For now, go and eat something. Do you want to train in the afternoon as well? Or will you be playing with your friends?" On hearing the question, Naruto immediately became depressed. Though he would occasionally hang out with the boys in his classroom, it would generally happen when the academy was on. During vacations, meeting up with them would be very rare. Naruto nervously asked, "Can I train with you?" Fujin had expected such a response, which is why he had asked it in the first place. He answered, "Sure. You can go to eat and return in an hour." Naruto excitedly said, "Yahoo! I''ll be back in no time, believe it!" He was about to run away when Fujin said, "Wait. What are you planning to eat?" Naruto turned around and replied proudly, "Obviously instant ramen!" Fujin put up a curious expression and asked, "Do you eat anything else?" Naruto showed confusion on his face as he asked, "Why would I eat anything else?" Fujin sighed and said, "You are coming with me." Fujin began walking. Naruto quickly followed him and asked, "Where are we going?" Fujin replied, "To eat." Naruto became excited and asked, "Are we going to Ichiraku?" Fujin shook those thoughts from his mind and entered the restaurant with Naruto following him. Once again, they received very unfriendly looks. Fujin ignored them and sat on a table. He looked at Naruto and asked, "What do you want to eat?" Naruto ignored the looks and began going through the menu. Since he hadn''t ever been to that restaurant, he was confused. So Fujin asked him about his preferences and gave him some suggestions. While the two of them were busy deciding, the rest of the restaurant wasn''t very peaceful. A few customers saw Naruto, got up and left. As for others, they became much silent. The owner had a frown on his face as he saw that he was losing customers. He looked at Fujin and thought, ''That boy comes here frequently and orders a lot. But why did he suddenly bring that demon here?'' He walked towards Fujin and Naruto with an unfriendly look on his face. He stood next to their table and asked angrily, "What are you doing in my restaurant?" Naruto immediately had a grim expression. He had already experienced that several times and knew what was about to happen. While he had gotten used to it by now, he was afraid that it would force Fujin to go away from him. However, to his surprise, Fujin didn''t react much and just stared into the owner''s eyes. He replied with a hint of amusement, "To eat, of course. Why else would someone come to your restaurant?" Naruto had expected the owner to blow up, but to his surprise, nothing like that took place. Fujin smiled kindly and said, "I hope you give us your best hospitality. Naruto, make your order." The restaurant owner was shaking in his boots. Though Naruto felt that Fujin''s smile was kind, the restaurant owner was terrified due to the killing intent he felt when their eyes met. Fujin hadn''t unleashed his killing intent entirely like he did with Root Ninja, but what little he used was enough to terrify a civilian. He immediately nodded and said enthusiastically, "Of course. Everyone who comes to my restaurant is my valued guest. What do you like to eat? It will be on the house." Fujin pointed towards Naruto and said, "Ask him. As for the money, don''t worry, I have plenty." The owner looked at Naruto and tried smiling as well as he could in that circumstance and asked, "What would you like to eat, young man?" Naruto was surprised by the sudden change in the owner. He placed a rather large order for himself. Fujin ordered some Sushi as well. The owner wrote down their order and immediately left. As soon as he exited from the dining room, his legs finally gave up. He dropped to the floor and sat down. His entire back was wet due to fear. He thought, ''Why didn''t he ever say that he was a ninja? I wouldn''t have dared to do something so stupid.'' Though the crimes committed by ninjas on civilians were close to nil due to the strict laws of Konoha, they still happened at times. Even if they didn''t, a civilian would naturally be afraid of a ninja due to the large difference in their strength. So, the owner didn''t dare to offend Fujin after realizing the threat. Even if he got justice, he didn''t want to pay for it with his life. He quickly went to the kitchen and overlooked the process of cooking to ensure that nothing went wrong with the order. Naruto was still confused. He asked, "How did he go from angry and grumpy to kind and gentle so quickly?" Fujin shrugged and said, "Who knows? Maybe he had a bad day or a bad customer earlier. Or perhaps he didn''t get a proper sleep. Hard to say. I guess my smile reminded him to act kindly. What do you think?" Naruto tried thinking but he couldn''t find anything wrong with Fujin''s words. After all, Fujin had smiled and the man suddenly started acting nice. He just nodded absentmindedly and muttered, "I guess smiling is good to calm others down." Chapter 402: Promotion As they waited for the food, Fujin made some small talk with Naruto and asked him some questions about his daily life, which Naruto talked about enthusiastically. After some time, the owner arrived with the order. Fujin looked at him and wondered, ''Is he so scared that he won''t even ask his employees to serve us fearing that they might make a mistake? Oh well, whatever.'' The owner arranged the food on the table in a way that made it very pleasing aesthetically. Though nervous, he put up a smile on his face and said, "Enjoy your meal. I hope it is to your liking." A look of surprise appeared on Naruto''s face. It was the first time someone had arranged food for him this way. He enthusiastically said, "I will. Thank you, old man!" He immediately dug in. Fujin didn''t particularly care about the aesthetics but enjoyed the range of emotions the owner was experiencing. He began eating as well. The food was obviously delicious. Naruto exclaimed, "This is delicious." Fujin nodded and said, "Of course it is. Did you think that only noodles taste good?" Naruto said, "I didn''t know. I have never been here before." He continued eating. Fujin thought, ''Of course, he didn''t. Only one restaurant in the village accepts him enthusiastically. It''s little wonder why he prefers eating ramen all the time. Though, to be fair, it does taste good and needs minimal time and effort to make at home, making it very convenient for an orphan who lives alone and has no idea on how to do so properly.'' The owner watched nervously from a distance. Seeing that both were enjoying the food, he breathed a sigh of relief. After some time, all the food on the table was cleared. Fujin asked Naruto whether he wanted more, but Naruto was full. So, Fujin asked the owner to bring the bill. The owner offered to have the food on the house once again, but Fujin insisted on the bill. Not wanting to offend him unnecessarily, the owner brought him a bill. Naruto looked at it curiously and was shocked. The total amount was 5460 Ryo. He asked, "So much?" Naruto generally spent only a few hundred Ryo in Ichiraku and depended a lot on the coupons to get free or discounted ones. Fujin nodded and said, "Yup. And considering how much you ate, you have to pay 4380 Ryo." He placed the bill in front of a shocked and tongue-tied Naruto. Naruto nervously grabbed his frog-shaped wallet and said, "I don''t think Gama-chan can afford that!" Fujin immediately laughed lightly and said, "I''m just messing with you." Naruto looked at Fujin and pouted in annoyance. It was the second time in a very short time that he got pranked. Fujin paid the bill and they returned to the training ground. Recalling Fujin''s words, Naruto excitedly asked, "Which trick will you teach me to help me learn the Gale jutsu quickly?" Fujin''s clone wondered, ''Hiruzen wants to see me? That''s strange. I expected Danzo to make a move. However, he hasn''t done anything yet while Hiruzen called for me.'' He created a Shadow Clone with the least amount of chakra and dispelled it. Immediately the memory was sent to Fujin and the clones in the basement. Fujin wondered the same but couldn''t say for sure. He grabbed the report he had written and left towards the Hokage Building while his clones continued working. A few minutes later, he appeared inside Hiruzen''s office and asked, "Did something happen?" At the same time, he handed over the report and said, "This is the mission report for my previous mission." Hiruzen accepted the scroll and handed him another scroll. He said, "The reason for calling you is related to this mission. Due to your recent achievements, I have decided to officially promote you to the Elite Jounin rank." Fujin''s eyes widened for a moment. He asked, "Officially? Isn''t that too soon?" Though Fujin''s strength had long reached that rank, Konoha would rarely grant it to ninjas who were still very young. In fact, Kakashi was promoted to that rank just slightly more than a year ago while Guy had been promoted only a couple of months ago and both were nearly a decade older than Fujin. So, Fujin wasn''t expecting this promotion. Hiruzen replied, "No. I don''t promote ninjas officially to this rank to avoid them being targeted too much by our enemies. But, you have already been attacked several times and have proven yourself to be strong enough to ensure your safety and inflict heavy losses on the enemy. So no need to worry." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. Thanks for the promotion." Fujin didn''t particularly care much about the promotion. It didn''t grant him a lot of benefits other than increasing his reputation. And, it didn''t have much disadvantage either as his bounty was already very shocking. Fujin asked, "Is that all?" Hiruzen nodded. Fujin said, "Alright. I''ll see you later, Grandpa." He turned around and was about to walk out when Hiruzen said, "I almost forgot." Fujin stopped and turned around. Hiruzen said, "I recently saw you with Naruto. What is your opinion of him?" Fujin looked at Hiruzen and wondered, ''He should have been told about this yesterday or this morning. Don''t tell me that he promoted me just to get a good excuse to call me here without seeming overbearing...'' Of course, he didn''t show his thoughts on his face and said, "He is definitely interesting. The amount of chakra he has is enviable. Unfortunately, he hasn''t trained properly. His ability to manipulate and control his chakra is extremely bad." A frown appeared on his face as he asked, "Did the Academy teachers ignore him? Or has the Academy become very lenient lately? There is no way he''d be this bad if he had someone like Genki-sensei looking over him." Chapter 403: Hiruzens Knowledge, Danzos Opportunity Hiruzen was surprised by the question. He thought, ''I never imagined that Fujin would be interested in the affairs of the Academy. Now that I think about it, he was very methodological and disciplined in his training.'' He answered, "It is the second case. Our number of ninjas has recovered from the several losses we took. So, there is no need to push the Academy students to graduate earlier or train too hard. Let them enjoy their childhood and maintain their innocence for a bit longer." Fujin wasn''t surprised by the answer. He had expected that such a thing would happen. After all, it was very difficult to maintain the same level of discipline when people lived peacefully and without any grave threat. However, he was still curious about Hiruzen''s thinking. From his point of view, Hiruzen should have pushed for students to be properly trained instead of taking it easy. He asked, "Is that so? I can understand not allowing early graduation, but why is the training lenient as well? Won''t it be beneficial if they are trained properly so that they will be able to fight well on graduating?" Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Your analysis isn''t incorrect but you are missing a few critical aspects. Maintaining the same intensity for a long time is difficult. If I sustain it forcefully, then the village will slowly feel the exhaustion and when the time for battle comes, they won''t be able to give it their all. It''s like how you felt the exhaustion of continuously doing missions and wanting to take a rest. The same also happens with other ninjas and also the Academy teachers. Once they see their teachers, parents and other elders exhausted all the time, the exhaustion will also brush off on the students and negatively impact their growth." Fujin was surprised by Hiruzen''s words. He hadn''t considered that aspect. He thought, ''Now that I think about it, Konoha has been tense ever since Minato''s death. When conditions seemed to have improved, the Uchiha clan was massacred and Konoha lost 2 young rank S ninjas and a lot of Jounins and Elite Jounins. Now that the village can relax again, it''s no surprise that everyone is relaxing until hell breaks loose again.'' Fujin was snapped out of his thoughts as Hiruzen added with a smile, "Besides, the methodological way of training isn''t always good for raising the next generation." Fujin was confused. He asked, "What do you mean?" Though Fujin had his thoughts on the matter, he wasn''t arrogant enough to think that he knew better than Hiruzen at how to train ninjas. After all, Hiruzen had trained 3 ninjas who were strong enough to become a Kage. And, two of them weren''t even part of any clans or had any good background. Not to mention, he had looked over Konoha''s academy for decades. Hiruzen answered, "Training students methodologically is a good way of ensuring that most of them become Chunins and some of them become Special Jounins or Jounins. But it is very rare for an Elite Jounin or a rank S ninja to come from this method of training. For instance, from your batch, you are the only one to have reached this level. No one else has even been officially promoted to the Jounin rank, though Hoka and Teru have reached that level of strength. The rest from your Elite classroom have become Chunins. As for the other classes, most are still Genins. They will need another 3 to 5 years to become Chunins. Naruto observed the leaf in Fujin''s hand with full seriousness. Suddenly, it was cut into two without Fujin taking any action. Fujin explained, "This is the training to improve your ability to manipulate the Wind chakra. Once you can do it, it will help you in learning other Wind jutsus. So this, along with keeping the leaf stuck to your forehead for two hours, are two things you''ll need to complete if you want to learn all my four jutsus quickly." Naruto nodded and said, "Alright, it''s just cutting the leaf. I''ll get it done in no time, believe it!" He immediately began trying it. Fujin thought, ''It''s good to see that he is still upbeat despite failing in everything I have asked of him so far. Oh well, these should keep him busy for a few days until his patience runs out.'' Fujin left a Shadow Clone to watch over Naruto and answer his doubts if he had any. While the two of them trained, the news of Fujin''s promotion reached the Clan Leaders in Konoha. Since they already knew about his bounty and title, they weren''t surprised. However, they wondered why Fujin was no longer in Anbu. Under Konoha, in a dark hidden room, Danzo sat with two scrolls in front of him. Both were open. He stared at them but wasn''t reading and instead was analyzing them. He thought, ''Hiruzen promoted Fujin to Elite Jounin. On the surface, this doesn''t look odd. He promoted Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy not too long back. Soon, he will promote his younger son as well. These new promotions signal to our enemies that Konoha''s next generation is ready. However, Fujin''s promotion is different. It means that he is no longer a part of Anbu. But...'' Danzo wondered, ''Why would Hiruzen let go of such a good piece? No, that isn''t his nature. It''s too early for him to allow the boy to retire. Most likely, Fujin quit himself. As for the reason...'' Danzo''s eyes moved towards the second scroll as he thought, ''My Root spies in the Land of Water sent an intelligence report. Hozuki Mangetsu led numerous Hunter Ninjas into the land of Waterfall. He returned with the Kubikiribocho and the news that Biwa Juzo was dead. However, they didn''t claim that Mangetsu killed him. That means someone else killed Juzo. In addition, several dozen Kiri ninjas died. Fujin''s Anbu squad didn''t go to the Land of Waterfall and instead went somewhere else. Most likely, he took that mission to the Land of Hot Water. However, instead of just facing Kirigakure, he also had to face an Akatsuki member.'' Danzo analyzed it for some time. A glint appeared in his eye as he sensed an opportunity. He thought, ''In his previous mission, he was ambushed by Iwagakure and put in a difficult spot. This time, he had to fight Juzo, someone who shouldn''t have been there. Did he get upset at how bad Hiruzen''s intelligence reports are? If he did and is upset with Hiruzen, then it makes sense for him to quit Anbu in frustration and disappointment over Hiruzen. In that case, this is the right time to recruit him into Root. But I need to prepare first.'' Danzo sensed an opportunity. An opportunity that he wasn''t willing to let go of. Fujin was unaware of Danzo''s misunderstanding, but he was expecting him and waiting for him either way. Chapter 404: Come inside if you dare! Naruto spent the entire afternoon and a better part of the evening getting frustrated. But since Fujin was the first and the only person who had helped him train so far, he didn''t complain. Understanding that Naruto had enough training for one day, Fujin''s clone brought him to his house. As they arrived in front of Fujin''s house, Naruto''s eyes widened as he took a proper look at Fujin''s home. He said, "Your house is damn cool, Fujin!" Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "Thanks. Come on in." Fujin sensed his clone and Naruto entering his house. He stealthily swapped places with his clone. Naruto was too busy looking at Fujin''s house to notice the swapping. He asked, "What will we do now?" Fujin said, "Though we didn''t eat noodles today, eating outside all the time isn''t cheap and you''ll run out of money in a few days. So I''ll give you a few simple cooking tips that I used to use during the academy days." Naruto immediately complained, "That''s boring!" Fujin chuckled and replied, "Just a little. Besides, it is a lot more fun when you can make something to eat other than just instant ramen." He added, "Of course, it''s not always possible to have the time. That''s why fruits and ration bars exist." As soon as Naruto heard ''ration bar'' he made a disgusting face. It earned him another light knock on his head. Naruto held his head as Fujin said, "Once you go out of the village for a mission, you might not have any choice but to eat just ration bars and soldier pills. If you can''t even do that, then you should give up your dream of becoming the Hokage." Naruto was shocked. His mind was in a mess. He couldn''t keep up with Fujin''s words. He wondered aggrievedly, ''How did he go from there to giving up on my dream?'' He pointed at Fujin and argued loudly, "Hey, how are those two even connected?" Fujin chuckled and said in a teasing tone, "Imagine yourself hiding behind enemy lines and you get hungry. Now, will you light a fire to heat water so that your enemies can see that fire?" Naruto''s mouth opened wide. Despite how unrealistic it sounded, Fujin''s words made total sense. Fujin continued, "Even if they somehow didn''t spot the fire, won''t the smell of your delicious instant ramen spread throughout the entire area like you said it does?" He said, "Don''t worry. I''ll stock some extra groceries and fruits. Just come pick up whenever you want to. Just don''t try to enter if there is a sign on the door saying that I''m not home. As for the ration bars, just ask your sensei for them. He should provide them to you for free, but if he doesn''t, let me know." Naruto nodded and thanked Fujin. He spent the evening at Fujin''s home until they were done with dinner. When it was time to leave, Naruto asked, "Can I come to train with you tomorrow as well?" Fujin shook his head. His soldier pill would run out of effect around midnight. So he won''t be getting up until late the next day. He said, "No, I have some work to do tomorrow. So I won''t be able to look over you. Just train by yourself and visit me at 5 in the morning the day after tomorrow." Naruto excitedly said, "Alright!" He left Fujin''s house. Fujin closed his door and sighed tiredly. He muttered, "It''s been such a long time since I had to interact with someone for an entire day without talking about or doing any official matters. Hmm, now that I think about it, I have never done that in this world. Any casual meetups I had were generally for just a few hours and never for an entire day. Trying to become social after being alone for years is a pain in the ass. Oh well, at least Naruto isn''t as troublesome as I thought he would be and is even less social than me due to his messed-up situation. And luckily, his reactions are fun enough to keep me entertained." Fujin continued working on the seal until the effect of the pill ran out and went to bed. The next day, Fujin woke up after noon and freshened up. He had just grabbed a bite to eat when his doorbell rang. Fujin wondered, ''Who was planning to meet me today?'' He tried sensing the person outside the door but his chakra didn''t feel familiar. Fujin muttered, "That''s weird." He went up to his door and opened it. What he saw momentarily shocked him, but his expression didn''t change. Outside his door was an old man holding a cane in his left hand to support himself and looking straight into Fujin''s eyes. His forehead and right eye were covered in bandages, while his robe concealed his right arm, which was covered in bandages as well. Very few from Konoha''s younger generation would recognize that man. However, Fujin knew too much about him. A part of his consciousness immediately focused on his chakra network, looking out for any external interference. Yet, his expression didn''t show any alertness. Instead, he smiled and said politely, "Elder Danzo. I didn''t expect you to visit my house. Come in." He opened the door wide to welcome him in. However, would Danzo step into Fujin''s house? The answer was a clear no. He didn''t dare to take a step inside Fujin''s house! What he had sensed a few minutes ago had shocked him and made him very alert against Fujin! He no longer thought that the task of recruiting him would be an easy one! Chapter 405: Chaoter 402: Fujin Vs Danzo A few minutes ago, Danzo had completed all of his preparation. He was ready to approach and talk to Fujin for the first time and manipulate Fujin into joining the Root. Next to him were several Root ninjas who had helped him gather the information he needed about Fujin and his activities to allow Danzo to create the optimal strategy to recruit Fujin. Torune asked, "Lord Danzo, should we accompany you?" Danzo replied, "No. Hide yourself in the vicinity such that he can''t sense you, but don''t step anywhere near the seals. I''ll meet him alone." Everyone nodded. Torune led a few Root ninjas and they hid around Fujin''s house but stayed far enough to avoid any seals and hid their chakra signatures. A few minutes later, Danzo flickered to Fujin''s house and stepped in front of his house. He was planning to walk normally and knock on his door, however, his feet stopped moving as he sensed something extremely absurd! He looked at Fujin''s house in disbelief and shock while thinking, ''What the hell? It feels like there are hundreds... no thousands of seals inscribed on his house.'' He focused chakra in his left eye to observe Fujin''s house properly. The sight stupefied him! He wondered, ''Which maniac put seals on his house? Without using my Sharingan, I won''t be able to even count exactly how many seals are inscribed on those walls. There should be at least over three thousand Seals. And I can feel that several of these seals are stealth seals. But, since his house isn''t hidden, those should be used to hide more seals. So the real number of seals could very well be much higher than three thousand. Even someone like me will likely need days to find every seal and I still won''t be sure of success. Even my Root headquarters doesn''t have so many seals. Besides...'' Danzo''s eyes focused on one spot on Fujin''s house as he wondered, ''Why is there a Four Symbols Seal on his house? Is a Tailed Beast sealed inside? And why would Hiruzen put so many seals on his house? I need to reevaluate Fujin and Hiruzen''s relationship.'' Danzo kept standing in front of Fujin''s house while analyzing for a couple of minutes, confusing the Root ninjas. The only one who had a clear understanding was Hiruzen, who was sneakily watching from his crystal ball. He observed Danzo''s reaction and a peculiar expression appeared on his face. He wondered, ''Did this boy put every seal he ever learnt on his house? Still, this should be interesting.'' Hiruzen kept observing silently. Danzo concluded, ''No, this isn''t Hiruzen''s style. None of the Grandmasters in Konoha will do something like this. There is only one explanation. Hiruzen didn''t make someone put seals on his house. This boy is a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu as well. Unbelievable, Hiruzen kept something like this hidden from me? Fighting Roshi, slaughtering numerous Iwa Jounins, killing Juzo and this level in Fuinjutsu... Once a war happens, he will easily be able to compete for the Hokage seat.'' Danzo''s calmness and immunity to all hidden taunts surprised Fujin. However, seeing how different and scheming Hiruzen was, Fujin wasn''t too surprised. He sighed and said, "That''s a rather complicated thing to answer on the spot. In my opinion, the Anbu is what absorbs the darkness in the ninja world and allows the village to enjoy the light. Of course, it won''t be able to do that successfully all the time. Otherwise, the Great Ninja Wars would not have happened. As for its necessity..." A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he continued, "I am sure that you Elders know the answer the best." Danzo nodded and said, "Good answer. You are right. It is because of the work we do in the dark that our village can enjoy peace. However, there are still things that Anbu won''t do. Or rather, it can''t due to several issues such as manpower or secrecy. For that purpose, I created the Root. We ensure that everything that is needed to be done for the village gets done. We are the roots that ensure that Konoha can stand strong." Fujin asked, "Wasn''t Root disbanded around 3 years ago?" Danzo didn''t answer Fujin directly and instead said, "The village will always need us. The Root will never be disbanded in its entirety. And, the members who were disbanded still have the same capability." Fujin said, "I understand. But why are you telling this to me?" Danzo said, "Suzuki Fujin, you might not know this, but I have kept an eye on you ever since you were young due to your talent. I wanted to invite you into the Root, but the Hokage didn''t allow me. Seeing your current state, my expectations about you were correct. The purpose of my visit is to invite you to the Root. With your capability, the best way you can serve the village is by joining Root. Every mission in the Root is completed with anonymity. So your identity will never be leaked. In addition, no one will be able to track your movements either. There won''t be any incompetence in Root. And, you won''t need to hold back while dealing with our enemies." Fujin was surprised. He analyzed, ''I see. He is taking advantage of what Iwa managed to do and driving a wedge between me and Hiruzen while trying to fan and exploit any Will of Fire in me. Hmm, not bad. As expected from Danzo. No wonder so many talented folks stay loyal to Root. Unfortunately, he''s trying it on the wrong guy.'' Fujin shook his head directly and said, "I''m afraid you have the wrong information. I''m tired of fighting in the darkness. I have no intention of joining Root or rejoining Anbu." Danzo was surprised once again. This time, it was for a completely different reason. He thought, ''Strange. Not only did I miscalculate his abilities, but I also miscalculated his nature. He quit because he is tired of the darkness?'' Danzo felt a sense of disappointment. It was disappointment in failing to recruit Fujin, but rather a disappointment that Fujin couldn''t adapt to the darkness. At the same time, he had nothing to say to Fujin to convince him to join Root. Fujin''s excuse eliminated almost every reason he could use to convince him. Chapter 406: Readiness to kill Danzo! However, that reason alone would not cause Danzo to back off. He had led the Root for decades. The amount of schemes he created and the number of ninjas he manipulated during that time far exceeded anyone''s imagination. Even Hiruzen, the person who was the most clear about what Danzo did, wasn''t entirely aware of all of his operations. Danzo said, "Our village is right in between four major villages and numerous minor ones. We constantly face crises. Even a moment''s carelessness could lead our village into a life-and-death situation. And yet, despite having such amazing talent, you don''t want to serve the village the best you can?" Danzo''s tone had changed. It was no longer neutral and instead sounded disappointed with a hint of anger. It sounded like he was offended due to Fujin''s lack of passion to serve the village. Though the emotions he displayed weren''t his real emotions, even Fujin couldn''t see through them. Fujin thought, ''Wow! He is good. I had thought Hiruzen would be the best actor in Konoha. I was wrong. If I didn''t know what kind of scum he is, Danzo could have fooled me with his fake passion.'' To Danzo''s surprise, a smile appeared on Fujin''s face. He said, "While the duties of Anbu are important, those aren''t everything. I can serve the village in numerous ways, Elder Danzo. After all..." Fujin''s smile disappeared and he looked straight into Danzo''s left eye. His voice changed from a pleasant respectful tone to a completely neutral one as he added, "If I couldn''t, I doubt you''d even be here looking for me and standing outside instead of entering my home." The smile reappeared on Fujin''s face. He continued, "So, you don''t need to worry about my passion, Elder Danzo. What I do will benefit the village a lot more than staying in the Anbu and getting consumed by the darkness." Though Danzo didn''t have any change of expression, his mood became very bad. He thought, ''This boy... Those words and the threat he gave a couple of days ago. He knows more about the Root than what someone like him should know. Did Hiruzen warn him about me? Not to mention, though he is behaving respectfully and politely, he has his guard up. If I were to make any move, he would probably counterattack in the blink of an eye.'' Though Fujin''s actions didn''t give any signs, as an experienced fighter, Danzo could easily feel that Fujin was completely on guard. Indeed, Fujin was prepared. In fact, Danzo had underestimated Fujin''s preparation. After all, he couldn''t have known that Fujin would be completely aware of his abilities. Fujin looked at Danzo and thought, ''There are four ways he can attack me. The first is Wind Vacuum jutsus. But, they are too slow and easy to see. I can counterattack faster. A frown appeared on Danzo''s face. Fujin had done nothing that he had asked for so far. Danzo said, "Though I admire your talent, don''t forget that I am an Elder of Konoha. Acting against my orders won''t be good for you." Since he couldn''t recruit Fujin, Danzo no longer maintained the image of a just leader. He threatened Fujin directly. Unfortunately for him, Fujin didn''t intend to back off. He replied, "The Elders have no authority to command a ninja in Konoha. If you have an issue with me, feel free to raise it with Grandpa. I''ll follow his order." Danzo''s frown deepened. He didn''t expect Fujin to keep rebuking him. Fujin continued, "Besides, a Jinchuriki who is isolated and hated by all and has no proper training is a disaster waiting to happen. I wonder what Elder Danzo thinks would happen if Konoha''s only Jinchuriki hates the village and doesn''t have any strength to resist the beast inside of him." Fujin''s words left Danzo without a good reply for the second time. After all, Danzo completely agreed with Fujin''s analysis. He had the same thoughts about Naruto as well. It''s just that he wanted Naruto in Root and not with someone else. With Jiraiya and Tsunade not in the village and Hiruzen busy with the Hokage duties and unwilling to confront Danzo too much, he could ensure that no clan managed to get Naruto. His Root subordinates scared away any civilian ninjas who took pity on Naruto, just like the one who tried scaring Fujin. However, now that Konoha had a new rank S ninja who took an interest in Naruto and had no intentions of following Danzo''s instructions or worrying about his threats, Danzo immediately felt difficulty in ensuring that Naruto stayed away from any faction. Knowing that Fujin would argue against whatever he said, Danzo turned around and continued walking while saying, "I will talk with Hiruzen." Fujin watched Danzo leave. He wondered, ''Would Danzo be able to convince Hiruzen to make me leave Naruto alone? Difficult, but Hiruzen does have a soft spot for Danzo. Regardless, even if Danzo managed to convince Hiruzen, how can Hiruzen convince me? I have already promised Naruto to train him and overlook his training. If Hiruzen wants me to not do that, he will be forcing me to break my promise. The promise of a rank S ninja. How can anyone trust what I say in the future? Granted that any promise made by a cunning ninja has no real value, Hiruzen can''t say that to my face. I''ll just ask him for twenty thousand Elemental crystals of each element as compensation if he wants me to break my promise. Let me see if he still dares to ask me to break my word. Even if that greedy fox pays that price, I''ll just keep the crystals and say that I felt pity for Naruto and keep training him. What can he do when I''m morally correct?'' Chapter 408: Hiruzens Headache Fujin stopped thinking about Danzo and shut his door. From the meeting, he understood that Danzo wouldn''t take any direct actions against him. As for the indirect actions, he wasn''t much worried. On the contrary, he was looking forward to it. Irrespective of Danzo''s morals, it was undeniable that he was at the top of the ninja world when it came to scheming and hiding in the dark. Fujin hoped to gain some experience by engaging in such tactics against someone like Danzo. Even if Fujin suffered any losses, he wouldn''t be too concerned considering that Danzo''s influence was already waning while his influence would keep increasing as he kept getting stronger and started involving himself in Konoha''s internal politics. Not to mention, Fujin didn''t particularly care much about his influence in Konoha. As long as he stayed strong, any loss of influence or reputation was inconsequential. So, even a complete defeat won''t actually cause him any loss and would just improve his political skills. After Danzo left, the Root ninjas hiding around Fujin''s house left as quietly as they arrived. Only Hiruzen kept looking at the crystal ball with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a few minutes, he thought, ''The exchange was quite different from what I guessed. Fujin faced numerous deadly opponents in his last two missions. To think that Danzo would take advantage of that and exploit any wedge between us. Fortunately, Fujin hadn''t blamed me for any of those and I just gave him the Flying Thunder God jutsu without creating any trouble. So, our relationship was very good. Otherwise, Danzo could have temporarily poached Fujin just like he poached Kakashi. That would have been rather annoying to deal with. Though I am sure that Fujin won''t act against me, it would have been hard to say what he would have done due to Danzo''s manipulation and his devious schemes. Thankfully, I don''t have to worry about that. Still...'' Hiruzen looked at Fujin''s house and analyzed, ''Fujin gave me another surprise. Though he looked casual, it was obvious that he was prepared to fight. Though doubtful, I suspect that he was prepared to even kill Danzo. And, for some reason, I feel that Danzo would have been the one getting beaten badly despite having those eyes. Did Fujin have any previous contact with Root or Danzo? Or rather, does he have any enmity with them?'' Hiruzen went through his memories but couldn''t recall any instance that would make Fujin despise Root or Danzo. He shook his head and thought, ''Leave it. Fujin being on guard against Danzo is a good thing. I could use him to suppress Danzo further. Still, this boy''s habit of causing trouble for me hasn''t changed. This time I can''t even toss it to Shikaku.'' Hiruzen looked towards the door and wondered, ''Since when did he become so obedient that he would do everything I tell him? If that were the case, would I allow him to quit Anbu? Yet, he claimed he would listen to my commands and sent this trouble over to me.'' A couple of seconds later, Danzo arrived in Hiruzen''s office. The two stayed alone in the Hokage''s office while Danzo did his best to convince Hiruzen to instruct Fujin to stay away from Naruto. Half an hour later, a fuming Danzo left Hiruzen''s office. He had an ugly expression on his face as he thought, ''No matter what I said, Hiruzen didn''t budge an inch! I was right. Getting a new rank S ninja who is loyal to him has given him a lot more liberty and allows him to make a few political maneuvers. Lee immediately said enthusiastically, "Of course we do!" Meanwhile, Neji and Tenten looked at Fujin suspiciously and wondered, ''Why does it feel like he is taking pleasure out of our misery?'' Guy clearly saw it as well, though he didn''t mind it. He asked, "So, why did you come to meet me, Fujin?" Fujin replied, "It''s been a while since we sparred. Wanna have a go?" Guy grinned and replied, "Sure." He looked at his students and said, "No afternoon training session today. Instead, you will observe our spar and learn from it." The mood of the three Genins immediately brightened up. Suddenly, they looked at Fujin as if he was their savior. Fujin and Guy immediately moved to the center of the training ground while the genins kept sitting where they were. Lee observed Fujin and Guy taking stances and exclaimed, "This is so exciting! To see Guy-sensei in a fight so quickly!" Tenten nodded. However, Neji''s eyes were on Fujin. He said, "Pay attention to that guy as well. I heard from some of my clan members that someone named Fujin was recently promoted to Elite Jounin at the age of just 15. It should be him." Neji''s words surprised Tenten and Lee. They looked at Fujin more carefully. Guy said, "Let''s begin!" The eyes of the three Genins, who were watching carefully, suddenly widened. In front of their eyes, both Fujin and Guy disappeared! A moment later, the sound of two fists clashing was heard. And in a few seconds, hundreds of such clashes occurred. None of the three could see even the shadow of Fujin and Guy! Neji immediately activated his Byakugan. However, despite his Byakugan, he could still not see Guy and Fujin and just saw the trails of their chakra that were left behind. He was astounded. It was the first instance of his Byakugan not seeing something clearly. Unlike Lee and Tenten, Neji had been upset about receiving Guy as his sensei until he learnt that Guy was an Elite Jounin. However, he hadn''t seen him do much and was skeptical about it. Now that he saw Guy in action, Neji had no words. He thought, ''Incredible! So this is an Elite Jounin? I can''t see them move despite my Byakugan. Also, why does it feel like two mountains are clashing with each other instead of fists and feet?'' Chapter 409: Respect & Awe While the three genins observed with shocked expressions, Fujin dodged Guy''s kick and Guy''s heel slammed on the ground, creating a large crack on its surface. A lot of stones were sent flying in every direction from the crack. A few of them barely missed the three Genins. A look of horror appeared on their faces as they felt a few stones moving past them like bullets. All three immediately got up, ran backwards and jumped on trees. Lee muttered, "So scary! We nearly got hit!" Tenten said, "I thought we were a goner. I didn''t know that just watching a fight could be so dangerous." As for Neji, he didn''t say anything and kept observing. Despite only being able to follow their trails, he didn''t want to miss a single second of this battle. Only Fujin thought differently. He observed the trajectory of the stones and wondered, ''That''s weird. For every stone to miss those 3. Did he control his kick such that the stones that would fly off from its impact would avoid them?'' Fujin''s speculation was very wild. To do something like that was very difficult. Perhaps only a Sharingan could allow any ninja to make the necessary calculations and even then it would be extremely difficult. However, Fujin didn''t think it was too odd. He dodged the incoming attacks and counterattacked while analyzing, ''Though calculating it will be impossible, developing those instincts with practice might be doable. Once my Wind Domain is properly developed, I''ll be able to change the direction of stones flying in my domain with ease. And Guy has focused a lot more on Taijutsu than I have on Wind manipulation. So it wouldn''t be impossible for him to do so. Still...'' Though Fujin had focused a lot on Wind jutsus, he had also worked on his other skills. His Taijutsu was extremely good, his Genjutsu was better than most Jounins and Special Jounins who focused on Genjutsu, he was a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu and his Sword skills were phenomenal as well. By comparison, Guy devoted almost all of his time to Taijutsu. Though he had raised his other skills to acceptable levels, he never focused much on them. In addition, he had been a ninja a lot longer than Fujin. So the amount of time he spent on his Taijutsu was several times the amount of time Fujin spent on Wind jutsus even if his clones were considered. Fujin sighed internally and thought, ''His Taijutsu is just ridiculous. Heck, he is even mocking me by giving lessons to his students while fighting me. If they keep sitting like a fool while two Elite Jounins or stronger ninjas are fighting, they''ll end up dead even if they aren''t targeted.'' Fujin and Guy kept fighting while the three Genins tried to see them. After 5 minutes, Tenten asked in a dejected tone, "How can we learn if we can''t even see them? Neji, do you see anything?" Neji answered without looking at her, "No. But they won''t be able to maintain such a high-intensity battle for long. So we will be able to observe them soon." Lee and Tenten nodded. Neji''s reasoning was reasonable. Unfortunately, the two ninjas sparing in front of them were anything but reasonable. Not only did their speeds and intensity not decrease, but instead they increased! For the next 3 hours, the Genins only hopelessly tried to follow the sounds made by fists and feet colliding. Apart from a few rare instances when Fujin or Guy stopped and stood at the same spot, the Genins didn''t even manage to see them. In addition, they had to move away several times during these 3 hours. Guy noticed the expressions on the faces of his students and was pleased. He thought, ''Good timing Fujin. This will make my job much easier.'' He asked enthusiastically, "Are you ready to begin the evening training?" Lee shouted, "Yes, Guy-sensei!" The other two nodded as well. Guy shouted enthusiastically, "Good! We will run a thousand rounds around this training ground on our hands!" He immediately stood on his hands and began running. The three genins followed him enthusiastically as well. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm wouldn''t last for too long. Fujin appeared in his home and began planning, ''Hmm... This spar was good. A couple of months of intense physical training along with regular spars with Guy should complete the process of infusing chakra through my entire body. Once that is done, I''ll ask Guy whether he can teach me the Eight Inner Gates technique! If he agrees, then it''ll add another fearsome trump card to my arsenal. And, unlike the Flying Thunder God and Senjutsu, I''m sure that I''ll easily learn how to unlock the first few gates. While I train my body, I''ll also work on the Flying Thunder God seal and the Wind Domain simultaneously. The wind domain doesn''t have much scope to give me quick results. I guess I''ll need another year for it to become a viable technique to use against enemy rank S. Fortunately, my progress in the Flying Thunder God seal is much faster. At my current speed, I''ll be able to learn it around 5-6 weeks if I start using Hiruzen''s special soldier pills again. Then I can focus on the second step of the Flying Thunder God. Unfortunately, this won''t allow me any time to learn the Rasenshuriken or work on the Eight Trigram Divination Seal.'' Fujin sat silently and began analyzing whether it would be right to not focus on those two techniques for the time being. After a few minutes, he decided, ''It''s fine. Though Rasenshuriken is very powerful, Vacuum and Wind jutsus get the job done for now. Only if I encounter someone like the Fourth Raikage, Orochimaru or Kakazu will I need it. I don''t need that jutsu while I keep hiding in the village. As for the Eight Trigram Divination Seal, I won''t need it until I decide or have to face Tailed Beasts. The next encounter I could have with a tailed beast will probably be Shukaku, which still has some time. So there is no hurry here either. I will have my clones work on this seal after the Flying Thunder God Seal is mastered.'' Having made his decision, Fujin ate the special soldier pills that he had taken from Hiruzen and restarted a similar training regime that he followed for 3 months continuously earlier. The only change was that he would leave one clone to watch over Fujin. Fujin decided to focus on nothing but his training until he reached his short-term goals. Unfortunately, he would manage to do so for only a week before he got dragged into an unexpected mess. Chapter 410: Chaoter 406: Konohas Internal Political Structure Around a week after Fujin restarted his high-intensity training, numerous important people in Konoha received a notice from Hiruzen. Inoichi read the notice and wondered, ''The Quarterly Council meeting won''t happen for another couple of months. Why did Lord Hokage call for a council meeting all of a sudden?'' The same thought ran through the minds of all but one of the remaining clan leaders, elders and civilian council members. A couple of hours later, everyone from the Konoha council arrived in the council room and took their seats. Quite a few of them were surprised to see that even Danzo was present for the meeting. The council room had 15 people. They included the 7 Clan Leaders, that is, Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, Aburame Shibi, Inuzuka Tsume and the Senju clan leader. In addition, there were the three elders, Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. Finally, there were 5 civilians who looked after the policies for normal civilians in Konoha and helped the Hokage in issues such as Finance, Trade and other non-ninja matters. A couple of minutes after everyone arrived, Hiruzen stepped into the room and took his seat. Homura asked, "Why did you call for a council meeting suddenly? Did something unexpected happen?" Though Konoha was currently enjoying peace, the situation in the ninja world was very volatile. Especially in the Land of Water, where two factions were engaged in a civil war. Since nothing strange had happened in Konoha, that was their best guess. However, Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Nothing important took place recently. Well, other than a new ninja being appointed as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by the Mizukage faction. Anyway, this meeting isn''t for that purpose. I have summoned you all here to discuss expanding the council." Hiruzen''s words surprised everyone. Homura asked, "What do you mean?" Hiruzen said, "When the village was formed, all the ninjas in the village belonged to clans. However, ever since the First Great Ninja War, we began training civilians to become ninjas. The three great wars inflicted heavy damage to our clans, to the extent that some of the clans are no longer considered clans and have lost their seat in the council. On the other hand, the number of civilian ninjas is continuously increasing. After this year of graduates, their number has exceeded 50% of the total forces. In the future, it will continue increasing." Hearing Hiruzen''s words, everyone went quiet. The Clan Leaders knew about the state of their clans. The Great Wars were like a grinding machine that killed their promising ninjas. So, despite the long peacetime, their numbers were a far cry as compared to their peaks. Hiruzen continued, "Due to the circumstances, I propose adding a seat in the council to represent Civilian ninjas, or rather, ninjas who aren''t part of any clans." Immediately, Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza and 4 of the 5 Civilians raised their hands. Hiruzen looked at the civilian who didn''t raise his hand and was displeased. He wondered, ''He isn''t under any influence. Since when did Danzo dig his claws into him? Sigh, I will need to make a move here. And later on, I will have to replace this guy as well.'' Since there were only 7 votes in favor as opposed to the 8 he wanted, Hiruzen raised his own arm to support his proposal. A frown appeared on Danzo''s and the remaining two Elder''s faces. However, they quickly realized, ''With the Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi clans supporting them, the result would be obvious. Hiruzen must have already convinced Shukaku.'' Hiruzen nodded and said, "All those who are against, raise your hands." Danzo, Koharu, Homura, Hiashi, Tsuma and 1 Civilian council member raised their arms. Hiruzen nodded and announced, "8 in favor, 6 against it and 2 abstained. From now on, there will be a new seat on the council to represent ninjas not a part of any clans." Hiruzen thought, ''It''s good that those two abstained. Though even if they hadn''t, the vote would have only been a tie. I could have still pushed it through by using my second vote. Unfortunately, that would have damaged my relationship with the clan leaders.'' Luckily for Hiruzen, he didn''t have to face that. Since the results were clear, no one argued. The Senju Clan leader asked, "What about the clans who have lost their seat at the table due to the losses they took? The White Fang''s son is a genius just like him." Hiruzen answered, "The Hatake clan was badly hit in the previous war. So was the Kurama clan. I gave them 5 years to increase the number of their ninjas to beyond 100, but both failed. Once they hit the minimum requirement, they will be reinstated into the council. Hopefully their clans not being in the council will spur them to raise their youngsters more passionately. As for the Uchiha clan, Sasuke is still too young and the remaining kids are still in the academy. So, they have no ninja among our ranks currently. Considering the tragedy they faced, they might require a couple of generations to reach the minimum number. But considering their case, Sasuke will get a seat on the council once he gets promoted to Jounin. The clan leaders nodded satisfactorily. As long as a new war didn''t happen, the Hatake clan and the Kurama clans could regain their seats. Sasuke just needed time as well. Considering his father and brother, everyone believed that he would need less than 6 years to reach the Jounin rank after graduating. So the number of seats held by Clan ninjas would increase further. And, if a new war did start, then a seat on the council would be the least of their worries. Finally, for the first time since the meeting started, Danzo opened his mouth. And the question he asked was what everyone was thinking about. He asked, "Who do you have in mind for this seat?" Everyone''s eyes immediately turned towards Hiruzen. Since he had put forth this proposal, it was obvious that he would have someone in his mind.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on N??v€l--B1n. Chapter 411: Fujin Vs Three Elite Jounins! Except for Shikaku, everyone in the council stared at Hiruzen. Though many of them didn''t want an additional seat to be added to the council, since it was already done, they wanted someone who was on friendly terms with them to be appointed. As such, everyone had someone in their minds. That was especially true for Danzo and the civilian council members. Danzo thought, ''By making such a move, Hiruzen will displease the clans. The Hyuga and Inuzuka clans were directly opposed to this proposal. The Senju and the Aburame clan didn''t vote as it would have been pointless. Even though Shikaku convinced Inoichi and Choza, they would have some complaints as well. I can use this to increase my influence in these clans once again. I can also increase my influence in the clans who don''t meet the requirements for getting on the council as well. In addition, if I can get everyone to reject Hiruzen''s choice and appoint someone I can influence, then I''ll be the biggest winner in this meeting. In some time, I might even be able to restart Root openly.'' On the other hand, the civilian council members saw this as an opportunity to decrease the influence of the ninja clans and increase theirs instead. Schemes ran constantly through everyone''s minds as they waited for Hiruzen to respond. Hiruzen smiled and said, "Suzuki Fujin." Hiruzen''s reply surprised everyone in the room. Hiashi asked, "Not Jiraiya?" Many of the clan leaders had the same doubts. They had expected Hiruzen to include his own student in the council and increase his influence. More importantly, if Hiruzen chose Jiraiya, no one would oppose him for obvious reasons. Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Jiraiya has no interest in being on the council." He chuckled and added, "If he was, then I would have already passed my seat to him." Danzo frowned on hearing that. However, everyone else nodded. Though Hiruzen had more experience and had led Konoha for a long time, considering his age, Jiraiya was a far better choice for Hokage. Unfortunately, he had no interest in the position and rarely stayed in the village. The Clan Leaders began analyzing whether Fujin would be a good choice for them. Shikaku obviously agreed. Choza had interacted with him during a few negotiation missions and had also fought alongside him. So he had a good impression. Koharu said, "Though you two have a good impression of him, 15 years old is too young to be a council member. Besides, he was just promoted to an Elite Jounin. The current three Elite Jounins who aren''t from the ninja clans would have complaints if they aren''t considered." The civilian council members nodded. Most of the clan leaders also didn''t say anything. Apart from Shikaku, most weren''t completely aware of Fujin''s capabilities. The bounty and his promotion both happened too suddenly and without much information being exposed to the public. Even Choza and Homura, despite seeing him in action, didn''t know much about him. Hiruzen was about to reply when Danzo said, "I agree with Koharu. In addition to her points, Fujin''s loyalty to the village is also not completely proven. If he quits the Anbu after being a part of it for just 3 years, then it raises a lot of questions about whether he will dedicate his life to the village or not. By comparison, the three Elite Jounins, who have sacrificed their blood for the village, are far more suitable options. I recommend Elite Jounin Katsuhiro to be selected for the new seat." Hearing Katsuhiro''s names, the 5 civilian council members nodded. One of them thought, ''Though I have someone who will be more favorable for me, pushing him to this seat will be very difficult as no one else would support me. Though Katsuhiro doesn''t owe me much, he has maintained a very good relationship with all the five civilian council members and will listen to our opinion. He will be far more useful than Fujin.'' A similar thought ran through the minds of the remaining civilian council members. They understood that they would have to be united to get their way. Each of them exchanged glances. Of course, their glances weren''t missed by any ninja in the room. Though Danzo showed no expression, he was very pleased. He thought, ''Good. With these 5 and me, I already have 6 votes. Koharu should vote for me. Even if Homura doesn''t vote with me, as long as two of the Clan Leaders support Katsuhiro, I will win!'' Seeing that everyone had stopped speaking, Hiruzen looked at Koharu and said, "Age isn''t an issue. The four of us were taught about how council works by Lord Second when we were very young as well. By including Fujin in the council at the age of 15, Konoha will have someone who can stay in the council for the next 50 to 60 years just like us." Hiruzen looked at Danzo and said, "As for his loyalty to the village, there is no question. Fujin''s performance in the Anbu shows his unwavering loyalty to the village. If that wasn''t the case, would I suggest his name? As for him leaving the Anbu, I recommended him to quit. He has already learnt all he could through the Anbu. Staying there any longer would be a waste of time and will be detrimental to his potential." Danzo frowned upon listening to Hiruzen''s words while Shikaku smirked in his mind on hearing Hiruzen lie so casually. Hiruzen looked at everyone in the room and added, "As for Fujin''s strength..." Hiruzen took a small pause and let everyone wonder what he was about to say. He continued, "Two weeks ago, he led an Anbu squad to the Land of Hot Water to eliminate rogue ninjas. He killed Biwa Juzo." The eyes of everyone in the room apart from Shikaku and Danzo widened in shock. Apart from Hiruzen and Danzo, no one in the room had any guarantee of defeating Juzo. In fact, in one-on-one combat, most of them would have to work very hard to retreat alive. Before their shock subsided, Hiruzen added, "After killing him, he caused Hoshigaki Kisame and Hozuki Mangetsu to fight each other and retreated safely without taking any losses. According to our intel, several Kiri Hunter nins died in that fight and Kisame''s status is currently unknown." Chapter 412: Hiruzens Warning A wave of silence passed through the room. Despite being only 15 years old, Fujin''s feat of killing Juzo by himself was beyond what several of the Clan Leaders and Elders could do. Though they had various other ways by which they contributed a lot to Konoha, they all realized that they were weaker than Fujin in combat. The three Elite Jounins from non-ninja clans were obviously not comparable to Fujin in this aspect. Danzo frowned on seeing the reactions of the clan leaders. He thought, ''Hiruzen was ready to reveal that in public? It looks like my previous assessment was wrong. Their relationship is still very close. Since Fujin doesn''t have any mental scars like Kakashi, influencing him is very difficult.'' Danzo glanced across the room to see the shocked expressions on the faces of the clan leaders. He frowned and argued, "Even then..." However, before he could make his point, he was cut off by loud laughter. The Senju Clan Leader laughed loudly and said, "This boy sure is good. I now see why Renjiro always keeps singing his praises, haha. Killing Biwa Juzo implies that Suzuki Fujin is a rank S ninja. It''s been a long time since we had a new rank S ninja join the council. I agree with Lord Hokage''s choice. There is no need to discuss any further." Danzo''s frown deepened. He wanted to butt in again, but wasn''t allowed to as Shikaku said, "I agree as well." He thought, ''That boy has increased my workload so much. Once he joins the council, I''ll return the favor.'' Inoichi followed and said, "I agree as well. I have heard very positive things about Fujin from some youngsters in my clan. Though he is still very young, us old-timers can help him adapt to this position." Choza added, "I agree as well." Tsume chuckled and said, "I had seen that brat during the Chunin exams. I still remember how hardworking and dedicated he was back then. To think that he would surpass us so quickly... He will be a good addition to the council." Following Tsume, Hiashi and Shibi supported Hiruzen''s choice as well. With all the 7 clan leaders supporting him, Hiruzen already had 8 votes in his favor. Even if the remaining 8 voted against him, they won''t be able to overturn Hiruzen''s decision. One of the civilian council members spoke, "Though I was a bit sceptical at first, considering his future prospects, I believe that Lord Hokage''s decision is the best. The council and our village will benefit from getting such a talented youngster among our ranks. I agree too." After warning him, Hiruzen''s figure disappeared from the meeting room, leaving Danzo alone in the Council room. His expression was extremely ugly. He completely understood Hiruzen''s threat. He thought, ''Damn you, Hiruzen! If it was anyone else, no matter how strong they were, they wouldn''t be able to make my Root ninjas betray me and change their allegations. My Root ninjas would rather commit suicide. But Hiruzen... He has already inducted the majority of my former subordinates into the Anbu. Not a single one of them listens to my commands anymore. Hiruzen has changed their allegiance from me to Konoha.'' The Root ninjas that Danzo trained were indoctrinated to put the village above everything else. Even their own life could be discarded if it benefited the village. That was the basis due to which Danzo could influence so many. Danzo merely took advantage of it and made every Root ninja believe that Danzo was the only one who could lead Konoha to glory and that Hiruzen and his students were incompetent. For Hiruzen, who could wield the Will of Fire better than anyone else, changing their allegiance back to only Konoha and not Danzo was a doable task despite the difficulties involved. The Sannins or others wouldn''t have been able to do that, but Hiruzen did it extremely quickly and efficiently, leaving Danzo at a loss. Danzo muttered, "His attitude towards enemies is comparable to Sensei? Is Hiruzen lying? If not, what all about him has Hiruzen kept hidden? Was Fujin behind some other big event other than fighting Roshi and Kitsuchi? Or did he intend to do something about those two events but was stopped by Hiruzen?" Danzo snorted and began leaving. A couple of Root ninjas flickered behind him after he left the room. Danzo thought, ''I need to dig for more information about him. And, I need to see his attitude. With time, everything will become clear.'' Danzo decided to increase surveillance on Fujin. He also decided to go through the official documents in Konoha to dig out more information. Of course, he faced headaches towards implementing both tasks. Spying on Fujin was very difficult. Even the bugs raised by the Aburame clan would get detected and destroyed by him. On the other hand, Shikaku had already destroyed all the paperwork that was related to any important mission Fujin had undertaken and had created a lot of fake missions that Fujin had never performed. So Danzo had a very difficult task of analyzing which of his missions were real and which were fake. As for the person about whom the entire Konoha Council was so curious, he was lying in his bed. Exhaustion could be seen on his face. Fujin thought, ''Damn, the training is becoming more and more chakra intensive. It will be even crazier once my control over the Wind Domain improves further. Even Hiruzen''s soldier pills won''t be very effective for long. Sigh, I need something better.'' Fujin closed his eyes and was about to sleep when someone rang his doorbell. Fujin got up with an annoyed expression and wondered, ''Who is coming here to disturb me? I already told Naruto to take today''s day off.'' Chapter 413: Increased Cellular Activity! Fujin was annoyed. He had trained extremely hard without rest for several days. He didn''t want anyone to disturb him at that moment. He activated his chakra field to sense who had arrived. A frown appeared on his face as he wondered, ''An Anbu? Did Eagle send him here or did Hiruzen? Or does Danzo still have some ideas?'' He flickered to his door and opened it. As soon as he did, the Anbu said, "Lord Hokage has asked you to visit his office immediately." The Anbu ninja disappeared after giving Fujin the information. Fujin wondered, ''Calling me? Did something happen?'' It had been just 2 weeks since Fujin said he was taking a break. For that reason, Fujin wasn''t expecting any missions from Hiruzen for some time. So he couldn''t guess what Hiruzen''s motive was. He flickered to the Hokage''s building and appeared outside Hiruzen''s office in a few seconds. Hiruzen saw Fujin and smiled. He said, "Come in, Fujin. Take a seat." Fujin was puzzled. He wondered, ''What''s up with him? He rarely asks me to sit down. Now that I think about it, the only time I did was after Jiraiya destroyed that mine and killed several hundred Kumo ninjas. Has anything major happened recently? Was it due to my fight with Juzo and Kisame? And, why is he smiling so much?'' Confused, Fujin sat across from Hiruzen and asked, "Did something important happen recently?" Hiruzen replied, "Yeah, though it isn''t bad. What''s up with you though? Why are you looking so tired?" Fujin answered, "The Soldier Pill''s effect just ran out. So I need some rest. That reminds me, the bottle of soldier pills you gave me is almost empty. Can you give me a few more bottles?" Hiruzen furrowed his eyebrows and said, "It''s already close to finishing? Fujin, though I said that it is safe if you keep a week''s break in between, using them consistently isn''t good for your body." Fujin replied, "I know, but don''t worry. I get my body checked and treated in the Hospital once every month. Yoshi-sensei said that it was fine. If I overexert, I''ll immediately take a break." Hiruzen shook his head and said, "That''s good, but even then you shouldn''t use them so frequently. When you overexert, the time you waste resting will make your progress far slower as compared to if you train slow and steady." Fujin thought rapidly and said, "I had read a few theories about increasing chakra reserves in the library." A look of surprise appeared on Hiruzen''s face. However, his expression changed to serious in an instant. He thought, ''I forgot that this brat loved sitting in the library for hours while using Shadow Clones! Sigh, I wanted to tell him that he has been selected to join Konoha''s council. How did the discussion change to this?'' Fujin continued, "Unfortunately, they were only theories and it didn''t say whether anyone successfully implemented them. So I don''t want to experiment with them blindly. However, one of those theories seemed very ingenious and doable. It talked about increasing cellular activity and extracting more chakra from each cell to increase our chakra reserves. I wonder if you know more about that, Grandpa." Hiruzen muttered softly, "Orochimaru..." At the same time, he was relieved. He thought, ''I''m glad that nothing related to Lord First''s cells is in the library. Otherwise, it would have become a major headache if Fujin read it and became fixated on it. Even though Orochimaru and Danzo had some gains in the research on his cells, they are still far too dangerous to be used.'' Hiruzen shook his head and said, "I know about it. It was done by Orochimaru and I assisted him in it." Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''Hiruzen assisted him? Strange... Then again, he was his sensei. Perhaps Orochimaru researched this when he was very young.'' Hiruzen continued, "You aren''t the only one who is troubled by the matter of chakra reserves. Many capable ninjas were concerned due to it. Even rank S ninjas wanted more of it. So, over the years, a lot of study has been done on this matter. A lot of new theories appeared. Even though many of them were absurd and couldn''t even be experimented on, a few were experimented on. Unfortunately, this is very risky. Many capable ninjas were crippled while performing those experiments. And the majority of the crippled ninjas were the ones who came up with those theories. That is why I asked you to not think about this." Unfortunately, Hiruzen''s words didn''t have the effect he wanted. Fujin''s eyes widened and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He muttered, "Many were crippled... But Orochimaru became a rank S ninja, and a rather strong one at that. Does that mean that he succeeded?" Hiruzen sighed and nodded. He answered, "Though many experiments were done on several theories, this one is the most successful in Konoha until now. However, even then, it has risks and is very difficult to implement." Fujin became very curious. Though he knew a few methods, all of them involved strong forces of nature, many of which were beyond his understanding currently. He wasn''t aware of any method that was invented by humans. He asked, "What risks and difficulties?" Chapter 414: Tsunades Help Hiruzen answered, "It has very high demands for learning. To energize the cells and increase their activity, the ninja needs to have at least rank S levels of chakra reserves. In addition, the chakra control has to be extremely high as well. So, it can be done by a very small number of ninjas." Fujin wasn''t concerned by it. Rather, he was pleased. He said, "I satisfy those requirements. What are the risks?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes, your chakra reserves and control should be sufficient. As for the risks, I will first explain the benefits as the risks are related to it. Energizing every cell in our body is actually very beneficial for us. If used correctly, it maintains our cells in optimal condition, improving our health considerably. It improves the speed of chakra recovery, the speed at which your injuries heal and reduces the chances of getting sick. It also slows down ageing, but not by much. Ageing is difficult to calculate, but our estimates were around 3-4%. As for the increase in chakra reserves, it varies. I''m not sure what those factors are because we didn''t have enough information since the number of ninjas who met the requirements to try this was very low. Among the ones who tried this method, Danzo had the least gains as his chakra reserves increased by just 12% while Tsunade had the most gains. Her chakra reserves increased by 63%." Fujin''s eyes widened and his face lit up on hearing the benefits. They were very good. He almost became impatient to get those benefits. He thought, ''Damn! 63%? If I get a similar boost, my chakra reserves will be among the highest in the world not counting the Jinchurikis. Even half of that boost will increase it beyond Hiruzen''s current chakra reserves. Hehehe, I can''t wait. I''m so glad that I brought this up with Hiruzen.'' Hiruzen continued, "As for the risks, they are very simple. You get the benefits I mentioned only when you maintain the cells at an optimal level. If you want more chakra, you can overexert your cells and draw out more chakra, be it in the middle of a battle to recover your chakra or to increase your chakra reserves even further. If you do that, all the benefits will change into disadvantages. A large amount of cells in your body will begin dying due to overexertion. Though this won''t kill you and your body will produce new cells and replace the old cells, it will have grave consequences. A large number of dead cells will remain in your body. Though our medical ninjas can remove some of them, even our best medical ninjas can''t remove all of them. Those dead cells in your body will slowly affect cells around them and slowly those cells will die as well. Though you won''t suffer immediately, it will reverse the benefits you get. Once the number of dead cells in your body surpasses a certain limit, your chakra will regenerate more slowly, your chakra reserves will increase at a slower rate, you will age faster and your body will become vulnerable to diseases as more and more dead cells accumulate in your body. If you overexert your cells too much, then your chakra reserves could even start dropping, though they will likely still be higher than before you use this technique. You might not feel much immediately, but 15 to 20 years down the line, you''ll feel the damage that this will do to your body." I''m also not sure how much chakra Flying Thunder God will need. Rasenshuriken will also be very pervasive in terms of the chakra needed. So even though my combat strength won''t increase immediately, it will give me an amazing base to get stronger much quicker. More importantly, it might also make Ryo allow me to learn Senjutsu!'' Though he generally stayed very calm, Fujin was excited about the number of possibilities that would open up. Unfortunately, Hiruzen didn''t say anything and just kept smiling. Not willing to wait any further, Fujin asked, "Grandpa, can you teach me how to increase my cellular activity?" To Fujin''s surprise, Hiruzen shook his head and answered, "I can''t." A frown appeared on Fujin''s face. He immediately asked, "Why not? Didn''t you say that I have met the requirements to learn this?" Hiruzen answered, "I did. But I can''t teach you how to do it because I am not capable of teaching you that." Fujin was confused. He asked, "Didn''t you say that you helped Orochimaru develop this?" Hiruzen replied, "I did. Unfortunately, this is too complicated even for me. Even though I helped Orochimaru, I just guided him and helped him avoid some pitfalls that occurred in earlier experiments on increasing chakra reserves. The cellular activity falls under Biology which isn''t my strong suit. Doing something that requires you to employ each and every cell of your body is extremely difficult. The only reason why this could be completed is due to Tsunade." Fujin''s eyes widened. He thought, ''Tsunade! That makes sense. Even though Orochimaru is an excellent researcher, his knowledge of the human body is probably far from Tsunade''s. But, can Hiruzen really not teach this to me?'' Hiruzen continued, "To be able to increase cellular activity in every cell in your body, you will need Tsunade''s assistance. Even I could only do so with her help. Orochimaru was the only one who became capable of doing it without her help. If I try to help you without Tsunade present, I won''t be able to handle any unexpected complications that might arise. So, it is very risky and has little to no chance of success." Fujin fell into deep thought. Ideas clashed in his brain at the speed of light. Unfortunately, he couldn''t think of anything. After a couple of minutes, he sighed and muttered, "That sucks." Hiruzen smiled on seeing Fujin''s reaction. For once, he had let Fujin experience the emotional roller coaster that Fujin frequently put Hiruzen and Shikaku through. As he had guessed, Fujin''s mood became very down. Hiruzen had dangled something Fujin wanted a lot in front of his eyes and had taken it away without any hope of Fujin getting it anytime soon. Chapter 415: Council Member Suzuki Fujin Seeing Hiruzen''s smile, Fujin cursed, ''Why is this old fox smiling? It almost feels like he is enjoying my helplessness!'' Unfortunately, there wasn''t much that Fujin could do. He asked, "Is there any chance you can arrange a meeting between me and Lady Tsunade, Grandpa?" To Fujin''s disappointment, Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, I can''t. Until a Great War breaks out, she won''t return to the village. She has sacrificed too much for the village and doesn''t want to be disturbed unless it''s an emergency." Fujin sighed once again. He didn''t say anything and thought, ''I guess I can only wait for her to return to the village. Even though finding her shouldn''t be too difficult, I have no relationship with her. So, it is highly unlikely that she will agree to help even if I track her down. I can only wait until Naruto changes her heart. That said...'' Fujin looked at Hiruzen and wondered, ''Will events really play out as I remember? Hiruzen is an entirely different league as compared to what I remember about him from the show. I don''t see him playing with roof tiles when facing Orochimaru. That said, it is unlikely that Orochimaru is as weak as I recall either. Just like Hiruzen, he barely used any good jutsu in that fight apart from Edo Tensei. Tobirama didn''t use his Flying Thunder God from what I remember while Hashirama wasn''t as overbearing as he is. Even if Hashirama''s strength was limited due to the Edo Tensei not being as perfect as it was during the war, he could still be far more devastating. Besides, I myself have become a factor that others must consider. Even if they don''t get the news that I killed Juzo, the bounty should show that my threat is at least comparable to Kakashi''s. And I am an expert in Wind Release. In a war, just my ability to strengthen Fire jutsus will be very devastating. Not to mention, I have already created a lot of mess against Suna and Iwa... Sigh, so many complications and calculations. No point in thinking too much about it pointlessly. I''ll just see what happens and act accordingly.'' Hiruzen let out a chuckle on seeing Fujin think so deeply and said, "Don''t worry so much. Even if no war happens, Tsunade will eventually return to the village. When she arrives, I will ask her to help you. Now, let''s talk about why I called you here." Fujin said, "Thank you. And yeah, I almost forgot that you called me here for some reason, haha." Hiruzen smiled and said, "It''s good to see that you are happy. This news is related to you." Fujin raised an eyebrow and wondered, ''A news related to me? But I have been in the village all the time. Did someone I know experience something good?'' Hiruzen waited for a few seconds for some suspense to build up. Finally, he said, "Congratulations Fujin. You have been selected to join the Council of Konoha." Fujin raised his eyebrows and wondered, ''Konoha''s Council? What the hell?'' Fujin nodded. He got up and began walking when he suddenly had an idea. He turned around and said, "The ninja clans get a certain number of elemental crystals allotted to them every year, while the civilian ninjas don''t have access to this. If any of the civilian ninjas ask me to raise this point, what should I say?" Hiruzen replied, "Unfortunately, the number of elemental crystals we receive is too low and is decreasing continuously. If not for the deals we made with neighbouring countries, we wouldn''t have been able to sustain it. So we can''t allot the Elemental Crystals to everyone. In a few years, we may need to stop supplying them to clans as well. But, as of now, as long as a civilian ninja shows promise, I will induct them into Anbu and give them access to it. Just like you and Bunjiro. The senior ninjas will all be aware of this, so they won''t bother you about this matter." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll see you later." He disappeared from the office. Hiruzen stared at where he was standing and wondered, ''Was his query genuine or does he want more elemental crystals for himself for some reason? Hasn''t he already reached his limit of using them?'' Hiruzen thought for a bit but couldn''t reach any conclusion. After a few minutes, he dropped it and returned to his work. Fujin appeared in his house in less than a minute and thought, ''That''s a shame. Though Wind Crystals no longer have much of an effect on me while Fire and Earth Crystals are too slow to absorb, I haven''t tried absorbing energy from the Lightning Crystals since the Chunin Exam. Had Hiruzen given me the crystals, I could have used the Lightning ones in secret. After all, while Hiruzen can monitor the Anbu Training Facility, he can''t monitor my house. Ah, leave it. It''s highly unlikely that my rate of absorbing Lightning energy will increase as it happened with Wind Crystals. Anyway, this is quite good news. I wanted to enter the council before Akatsuki started making their moves. I thought I''d have to influence Tsunade into creating such a seat for me. By then, considering how much stronger I''d have grown, I would have been able to force my way in. I never thought Hiruzen would solve this issue for me so early. This will make implementing that plan much easier and the backlash will be smaller as compared to if I had just joined the council and displeased some of the members due to having forced my way in.'' Fujin yawned again and rubbed his eyes. He muttered, "I really need some sleep. I''ll see how this goes after the first meeting is arranged." Fujin went to sleep. While he slept, news spread rapidly throughout Konoha. The news that a new Council Member had been appointed surprised many people. The fact that the new Council Member was supposed to represent Civilian ninjas brought joy to the vast number of Civilian ninjas in Konoha. Though a few people were sceptical about Fujin''s selection for that seat, no one said anything considering his high bounty and the fact that the Third Hokage had recommended him for the spot. Irrespective of whether people were pleased or not, everyone was talking about the new Council Member Suzuki Fujin. Chapter 416: RIP Privacy It had barely been an hour since the Sun rose. In one of the many training grounds inside Konoha, a young man was sitting with his back against a tree while breathing heavily. As he caught his breath, Fujin thought, ''Nothing like an intense morning workout to clear up my mind. Now, what do I do about this situation?'' Due to his tiredness, Fujin hadn''t thought much about getting into the council. Fujin analyzed, ''I recall thinking about creating a faction inside Konoha post the Fourth Great Ninja War taking advantage of the void created by Danzo''s death and the insane number of deaths in the war. Though I had given up on it, to think I would receive a position that would allow me to do just that with ease...'' Fujin began thinking about his old idea about spreading his influence among the many orphan ninjas in Konoha and the civilian ninjas. After a while, Fujin shook his head and decided, ''No, it is sort of pointless. Even if it is after the war, such a faction will be heavily monitored by every force in Konoha. I will have to engage in a lot of political battles for gains that won''t be of any use to me. This isn''t the same as creating an organization outside Konoha. I will have full control over such an organization with little to no outside influence. I can use them to do work that would be very shady for someone in Konoha to do openly. But a faction inside Konoha won''t have such an unrestricted environment. Leave it. If I want more influence inside Konoha, I''ll directly contest the post of Hokage. Though my reputation inside Konoha is far lower than Kakashi''s and the Sannins'' reputation, it will change in the future. Irrespective of who the enemies are in Konoha Crush, that war will allow me to rapidly increase my reputation and influence. Once Akatsuki starts gaining fame, I can pick on their members to increase my reputation further. My current prowess is sufficient to neutralize Hidan from the future. Once Wind Domain is ready, I can also defeat future Deidara without resorting to Lightning Release. And I still have around 5 years. That should be sufficient for me to become capable enough to kill Kakuzu, Sasori and perhaps even Kisame. With those wins, I can easily gain the basis to fight for the Hokage seat if I want it. And that is without considering Flying Thunder God and Sage Mode. As long as I get any one of them down, it''s likely that Kakashi might not even want to compete against me. So there isn''t much point in creating a faction inside Konoha. I''ll just focus on increasing my influence while spending as little of my time and resources as I can.'' Having made his decision, Fujin got up and began walking to the Hokage''s Building. He had already informed Naruto that he would be busy for around a week. So, Naruto hadn''t visited him for training. Fujin entered Hiruzen''s office and thought, ''I wonder what office he will be giving me.'' Oh well, I''ll inscribe 999 seals for now. That should be more than enough. I''ll leave the remaining ones for the future in case I develop any cool seals.'' With a smile plastered on his face, 8 Shadow Clones popped next to him. Within a minute, every existing seal inside the room was wiped off. In the next few minutes, 999 seals were inscribed in the room! Of the 999 seals, only 125 seals were to prevent spying and added some defense to the room, to ensure that it could endure a couple of rank A jutsus before collapsing. Of the remaining seals, 125 seals were made for the sole purpose of spying on others. Of course, Fujin wasn''t completely unbridled. Though the seals could spy, he didn''t make the seals strong enough to break through the privacy seals in the remaining rooms despite being able to. Fujin had analyzed, ''Even though my Fuinjutsu skills are great, I shouldn''t look down on others. Hiruzen will definitely notice it if I use it several times. Others might notice too. Especially if I can break through privacy seals. But as long as I don''t do that, the chances of anyone discovering it will be low. Even if they do, they can''t do anything.'' Since Fujin dared to do something like this, he had implemented countermeasures. After all, those were just 250 seals. Fujin''s Shadow Clones inscribed 500 seals just to hide those 250 seals. All the important 250 seals were thus hidden under several levels of disguise and cover. The only way to see them would be if someone destroyed a good portion of those 500 seals. However, even if someone did that, Fujin had inscribed another 125 seals just to destroy the spying seals. So no proof would remain. As for the remaining 124 seals, all were useless. Fujin had just randomly put seals which made no sense and served the sole purpose of confusing the shit out of anyone who wanted to investigate the seals inside his office. Fujin closed his eyes and sensed the seals that his clones had just inscribed. One by one, the seals began activating. In a few seconds, the majority of the seals in the room disappeared and could no longer be sensed by anyone other than Fujin. Soon, the privacy seals were activated. The room was completely sealed. No one would be able to spy on what was happening inside the room. If anyone tried to, Fujin would be warned. If someone better than Fujin forcefully breaks through the privacy seals to spy on Fujin, Fujin will be warned of it. Finally, the seals for spying were activated. One by one, Fujin began hearing the words spoken inside the Hokage Building. Fujin avoided any rooms with Jounins or stronger ninjas inside them so that no one would be able to realize that someone was spying on them. The sounds Fujin heard were initially very chaotic. But under Fujin''s control, he began hearing distinct voices from every room. He could freely control what he wanted to hear and what he didn''t. Finally, Fujin deactivated all the spying seals. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as observed his work with pride! He thought, ''Neither Sasori nor Deidara is right. This is ART! Hahaha! I can spy on almost everything that happens inside this building. The amusing part is that I didn''t even intend to do so until a few minutes ago, hahaha.'' Chapter 417: Hiruzens Confusion Fujin became serious and analyzed, ''Though my seals can spy without being detected, there is a limit. As long as I don''t use them for spying, no one will notice anything odd. Even Hiruzen, with his expertise in Fuinjutsu and decades of experience, wouldn''t sense them. But, once I use it, top ninjas should instinctively feel that something is wrong. So, I can only use it a few times before people start suspecting something is wrong. Fortunately, my target isn''t the Clan Leaders. Even though they are important, they barely know anything important happening in the village. After all, everyone is in the dark about the Uchiha Massacre. Only the four of them know about it and perhaps Shikaku might have guessed it. The rest are completely in the dark. Even if they have their guesses, it''s not something I can spy on. The ones I wanna keep an eye on are those two Elders. Once things start getting tense, I can know what schemes they are cooking by keeping an eye on them. Fortunately, I know the future events. So I won''t have to use this frequently. So, the chances of getting discovered are low. Even if they discover it, linking it back to me will be difficult. Besides, even if guess that it is me, they can''t do shit to me without any proof. Their era is long over. And I have no intention of being polite and respectful with them like others.'' Though Fujin had just joined the council and didn''t intend to offend everyone in it, he didn''t mind doing so when the need arose. In fact, he was looking forward to it. Fujin thought, ''I found politics very tedious in my previous life and stayed far away from it. To think that I would be jumping in it at a mere age of 15 in this life... Who''d have ever thought?'' Fujin''s gaze turned towards the door. A couple of seconds later, a knock was heard. Fujin said, "Come in." Two men opened the door and entered inside. Fujin observed them. Both were in their mid-20s, had average builds and their chakra was just high enough to be considered as Chunin-level. Just like Fujin, the two of them were also observing him. Both had complicated feelings. They both had civilian backgrounds. Both were proud of having a safe job inside the Hokage''s Building. However, the boy in front of them was 10 years younger than either of them. Yet, he had such immense power that his bounty was 50 million Ryo and he had been selected to become one of the few Council Members inside Konoha and represented the highest number of ninjas than any other Council Member apart from the Hokage and the Elders. Though they felt that the other civilian Elite Jounins would have been better choices, neither dared to disrespect Fujin. One guy respectfully said, "I am Haruma." The other guy said, "I am Yasushi. Lord Hokage assigned us to assist you in your duties as a Council member." Fujin nodded and said, "Good. This seat is mine. Feel free to take any other chair in this room. Did either of you assist any other council member before me?" Yasushi chuckled and said, "Don''t worry about it. How can someone whom Lord Hokage appoints be ordinary? Luckily for us, he seems very laid back. As long as we don''t mess up, we won''t face any difficulties on this job." Haruma nodded with a smile on his face. For officials working in the Hokage Building, all they wanted was a boss who wouldn''t purposefully make things difficult for them. Hence, both Yasushi and Haruma were happy with their new position. Both reported to Hiruzen and informed him about Fujin''s arrangements. Hiruzen asked them a few questions before dismissing them. Sitting in his office, Hiruzen analyzed, ''Just meetings on Saturday... It looks like he will not be using this position to increase his influence in the village.'' Hiruzen analyzed for a couple of minutes before letting out a sigh. He got up and began walking towards the office he assigned Fujin. As he walked, he thought, ''I have been too impatient. Though becoming a Council Member representing the civilian ninjas offers the potential to gain a very high influence in Konoha, Fujin will not do that. The reason is simple. He most probably doesn''t know what the use of creating such an influence inside the village is. Even if he dreams of becoming the Hokage, he wouldn''t know that this is the easiest way for him to create a support base. Regardless, this isn''t bad. Even if he doesn''t actively try to gain influence, his influence will gradually increase in time due to the post. More importantly, his combat prowess has improved faster than my calculations. So even without this seat, his influence will increase rapidly once we enter a conflict.'' Hiruzen thought for a while and nodded to himself while thinking, ''That''s right. I don''t need to worry about increasing his reputation and influence anymore. Perhaps it is a good thing that he isn''t actively increasing it as that could have created some internal strugg...'' Hiruzen''s thoughts stopped as soon as he entered the office he had just assigned to Fujin. His expression became very dark. He looked around the room. His eyes saw dozens of seals at every glance. He muttered to himself, ''This boy! I told him not to overdo it! I can easily sense over a hundred seals inside this room. And most of them are seals that are used to hide other seals. How many seals did this boy inscribe in this room? And how did he inscribe them so rapidly? It''s been just over half an hour since I assigned him this office and I doubt he did it in front of his assistants.'' Hiruzen was speechless. Chakra concentrated in his eyes and they began glowing as he observed the seals with all his focus. 5 minutes later, he let out a sigh and stopped looking. He thought, ''I inspected through two layers of disguise. I can''t inspect any deeper without dismantling the seals. But, I don''t understand this. I clearly asked Fujin not to overdo it. Why did he still inscribe so many seals and hide them under so many layers? He hasn''t openly disobeyed me before this. Did he discover something?'' Hiruzen left Fujin''s office while analyzing what Fujin could have discovered and returned to his office. After a few minutes, he shook his head and thought, ''I can''t think of anything. Even if he discovered anything, why didn''t he come and inform me instead of creating such a complicated network of seals? I''ll wait until the meeting. If he doesn''t talk with me until then, I''ll ask him myself. Regardless, his ability at Fuinjutsu is remarkable. Though he is far from being the best Grandmaster in Konoha, his speed of inscribing seals might be the fastest in Konoha. Either that or he has created a ridiculous amount of Seal Imprints. But, in that case, he would be the fastest Grandmaster at creating seal imprints.'' Hiruzen stopped thinking about Fujin and got back to work. He had suffered enough headaches for a day to bother Fujin that day. Chapter 418: The Council Meeting Unlike Hiruzen, Fujin didn''t think much and returned to training. His thoughts were, ''Though joining the Council is advantageous for me, I need to wait a long time to reap those benefits. For now, I don''t need to waste my time on any council duties. I''ll just send a Shadow Clone on Saturday to handle anything I want to. My main focus has to be on training. Strength is the basis of everything in this world. Ignoring it and focusing on political influence will be beyond stupid. Even if I lose some reputation, it doesn''t matter. With overwhelming strength, I can have my way in one way or another.'' With such thoughts, Fujin didn''t bother thinking about the Council and instead focused entirely on his training. Two days later, the Konoha Council began preparing to meet once again. This time, they will be having one additional member! Fujin arrived in Hiruzen''s office around a few minutes before the time of the meeting. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and asked, "Nervous?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "Not really. It''s just a meeting." He chuckled and said, "If it was a fight between all the council members, then I might have been a little bit nervous." Hiruzen chuckled as well and said, "A fight between all the council members... Now that would be a sight to see." At the same time, he thought, ''Fortunately, he can''t create a mess in the Council like he did in the Land of Wind. Still, he didn''t say anything about those seals.'' Hiruzen instructed, "Meet me in the office after the meeting is over." Fujin nodded. The two left the office and walked towards the Council Room. Since it was his first time in the Council, Hiruzen decided to introduce Fujin to the Council himself. When the two arrived, everyone else was already present in the room. Everyone immediately looked at Fujin while Fujin observed them as well. The center of the room had a long table with 8 chairs on either side and one chair at the end of the table. On one side of the table, the 7 Clan Leaders, that is, Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza, the Senju Clan Leader, Hiashi, Shibi and Tsume, sat. On the other side were Danzo, Homura, Koharu and the 5 civilian council members. As their eyes met, some of the members greeted Fujin with a smile. Before anyone could say anything, Hiruzen said, "Fujin, take the empty chair." Fujin nodded and took the seat next to Tsume. Hiruzen took his seat as well and said with a smile on his face, "Today is a joyous occasion for Konoha. By introducing a new position in the Council, we have increased the representation of the ninjas in the council to a great extent. In addition, our council also welcomes a very talented young ninja to join our ranks. With the introductions out of the way, Hiruzen said, "Though this isn''t the time for our biannual meeting, since we are here, we might as well deal with the issues that have arisen recently. I believe all of you have something to discuss as well." The council meeting began officially. Fujin didn''t have anything to discuss. So, he merely paid attention to the topics that were discussed. A number of issues, ranging from food and trade to border patrols and clashes with enemy squads, were discussed. However, since nothing serious, other than Juzo''s death, had happened in the last month, the discussions didn''t get intense. Around 3 and a half hours later, the discussion finally came to a halt. Hiruzen said, "If there is nothing else, I will end the meeting now." Everyone was about to get up when Danzo said, "I have noticed something that is very important for the village recently. I''m afraid that if we overlook it, our village will fall in grave danger in the future." Danzo''s words caused a few members to frown. Everyone looked at Danzo. Danzo waited for a few seconds before continuing, "I observed some of the Academy students who will be joining the final year after the vacation. What I saw was just too disappointing. Compared to a few years ago, the standard of students has dropped drastically in almost every aspect. I looked into the reasons behind it. I noticed that the teachers in the academy have become very lax. Another possible reason is that several experienced teachers resigned a couple of years ago. As a result, the quality of teaching and discipline has dropped severely. If we continue down this path, our future generation will be handicapped." The frowns on the faces of Clan Leaders eased. Though Danzo had spoken big words, none of them felt it to be much of an issue. Their thoughts were in line with what Hiruzen had told Fujin. Fujin looked at Danzo and thought, ''Weird... I don''t think any such change had happened in the original story. Did Danzo bring this up because his spies observed Naruto more closely because I trained him? Or would he be shut down by others and the training process will stay the same?'' Fujin was interested in observing in which direction the debate would go. Inoichi shook his head and said, "We can''t maintain full intensity all the time. Doing so will cause our village to collapse due to exhaustion. It''s the same reason why so many capable teachers retired. Our village is finally in a stable position. Our ninjas deserve rest." Danzo replied, "How can you slack off when our future generation is at stake? Even if there is exhaustion, it won''t affect the academy students. We need to make the academy stricter and raise the standards of our students." He glanced at the clan leaders and added, "I know that you have plans for your children. So I won''t interfere in the Elite Classroom. However, the teaching in the other classrooms has to be made stricter. Students have to meet certain standards even to be included in the reserve forces. Otherwise, none of them will have any hope of ever becoming Chunins." Hiashi asked, "Who in the Genin reserve force even becomes a Chunin? The number of ninjas who manage to do so is too low to matter. Any talented ninja is identified in the academy and the village makes efforts to ensure that they gain strength. Though your words sound good, forcing teachers to concentrate on hundreds of students for decades is unrealistic. We need to give them rest so that they can overexert themselves when the village needs them to." Every Clan Leader nodded, agreeing with Hiashi''s words. The 5 civilian council members didn''t have anything to do with the conversation. Fujin, Hiruzen, Homura and Koharu just observed. Danzo looked at Hiashi and others and said in a plain tone, "If the Academy can''t do it, then let the Root be restarted. I''ll take in the untalented ninjas and raise them to be strong enough to become Anbu." Chapter 419: Fujins Response A frown appeared on the face of every clan leader. Not one of them wanted the Root to restart officially. Apart from the Hyuga clan, every clan had to contribute a significant amount of their talents to the Root in the past. And, no one was happy about it. Shibi snorted and asked, "Since when did Root begin taking in untalented ninjas? Over the last few decades, more than a thousand talented ninjas were incorporated into the Root. More than half of them die during the training phase itself. And despite such losses, not a single rank S ninja came out of the Root." Danzo argued back, "The Root''s contribution to the village is unquestionable. Without Root, Konoha would have had to face the full force of all our neighbours. Even if no rank S ninja appeared in the Root, its contribution far exceeds that of any rank S ninja." He looked at Shibi and added, "As for your words, this time I will take in the ninjas ranked last in the academy and raise them. Using your words, there won''t be any loss to the village, right?" Fujin was impressed by Danzo''s words. He thought, ''Impressive indeed. In terms of words, he is as good as Hiruzen. Even if Danzo recruits only untalented ninjas at first, once his authority increases, he will immediately pounce on talented kids from the clans. I wonder how the clan leaders will oppose him.'' As he thought, Fujin''s gaze turned towards Shikaku. As Fujin expected, Shikaku said, "Elder Danzo, no one in this room is a fool. So stop treating us as one. Restarting Root is out of the question. However, I can understand your concerns. Though Root won''t be started, we can make arrangements for Root instructors to teach students in the academy. We will even have the regular teachers assist Root instructors in the academy to have the optimal result." A smile formed on Fujin''s face. He thought, ''What an answer! Hehe, if all the future meetings happen like these, then they will be rather fun to attend.'' Just like Fujin, the remaining clan leaders liked the answer as well while Danzo''s expression became slightly darker. Shikaku''s reply showed his strong stance against restarting the Root. At the same time, he also gave a way for Danzo to solve the issue he had raised. In addition, by saying that the academy teachers would aid the Root instructors, Shikaku ensured that they could keep an eye on what the Root instructors were doing and ensure that Danzo couldn''t increase his influence. Of course, Danzo wouldn''t accept difficulty so easily. He replied, "How can that be the same? The methods of teaching in the Root and the Academy are completely different. It won''t have any effect on the students." Shikaku immediately replied, "That''s not right. According to you, the reason why the academy students are lacking is because the teachers aren''t good enough and are taking it easy. Since Root instructors don''t share the same problem, they should be able to deliver much better results." From your earlier discussion, it seems like more than half the talented kids recruited into Root die. I''m not sure how the clans in our village are able to bear such high costs, but the civilian families in the village can''t bear such costs. After all, most families have only one or two children. If dozens, or worse hundreds, lose all or half their kids while the kids should have been studying in the academy, I''m afraid that it would cause widespread riots in the village. As a result, no family would be willing to send their children to the academy. We would lose the main source from where our village gains new students. So while I do agree with your observations, I''m afraid that your solution would just make matters far worse very quickly." Fujin''s answer caused a smile to appear on Hiruzen''s face. He thought, ''Very good answer! He used Danzo''s tone and made the problem sound far worse than it was. With such an answer, the 5 civilian members can''t support Danzo or they will face backlash and could get replaced. With his answer, he not only took away the 5 votes that would have been in Danzo''s favor but even turned them in his favor. I wasn''t mistaken in wanting to make Fujin a negotiator and including him in the Council.'' Shikaku smiled as well and thought, ''I''m so happy that he retired from the Anbu. From his eyes, it seems like he might have some hostility with Danzo. Good, I can use him to deal with Danzo in the future and rest even more in the future.'' The remaining council members also began seeing Fujin in a new light. Other than Choza and Homura, no one expected such an answer from Fujin. Even Choza and Homura were impressed as Fujin spoke in a high-pressure environment instead of casually discussing with Hiruzen. Danzo''s expression became dark once again. He countered, "Ninjas are tools for the village. They should be prepared to sacrifice their lives for the good of the village." Fujin replied nonchalantly, "Good luck convincing anyone how losing 50% ninjas during training is good for the village. Besides, the Academy students aren''t ninjas. So I''m afraid that your logic doesn''t hold true. Your methods would just give our village a bad name like the Village of the Bloody Mist. I''m sure that no one here wants our village to meet the same fate as Kirigakure." Danzo replied, "That''s completely different. Don''t compare my methods to their barbarian wa..." Finally, Hiruzen interrupted, "That''s enough. Restarting Root has far more disadvantages than advantages. That is very evident from the discussion that we just had. Unless you want to put it to vote, this discussion ends here." Danzo looked at Hiruzen but didn''t say anything. He was aware that he would lose if a vote happened. So he didn''t bother asking for one. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and asked, "What are your views on how to improve the training for the students?" Chapter 420: Fujin Vs Danzo Hiruzen looked at Fujin with a smile on his face. Fujin''s answer had impressed him. So, instead of letting Danzo keep arguing, Hiruzen decided to see what solution Fujin would come up with. Fujin thought for half a minute and answered, "I can understand exhaustion hitting the teachers. In the four years I was in the academy, every teacher enthusiastically helped us. Even if they weren''t our assigned teachers, they still guided us if we asked them to. In addition, the exams were held in a way that promoted competition among us. Though doing that isn''t sustainable for a long time, we can just work around it. For starters, since our village is in a stable situation, the teachers don''t need to pester the students and keep checking their progress frequently. Instead, we can just create a curriculum that the students will find cool and would want to learn by themselves and even compete without the interference of a teacher. Though there will still be some who would slack off and not give their best, it will give an opportunity for the rest to improve during their basics and lay a foundation for them to get stronger in the future. Perhaps a few will get engrossed in the training and keep exploring it further. This will allow us to see which students are serious and determined about becoming strong ninjas and check how talented they are. We could focus on such students. Even if they don''t show sufficient talent to be included in the Elite batch, we could form another batch that is made of such students. The teachers guiding this batch should be as good as the Elite batches and training intensity should be kept high." Fujin''s words made the experienced ninjas in the room think. However, within a few seconds, everyone was a bit disappointed. Shibi thought, ''His previous answer was just too good. Though this answer isn''t bad, it doesn''t live up to the expectations.'' Danzo voiced what everyone was thinking. He said in a taunting tone, "If only we could create such a curriculum that students would enjoy and follow voluntarily instead of being forced to do so." Fujin waved his hand dismissively and replied, "It has been nearly a century since you were in the academy. So, it is normal that you don''t remember. Or perhaps those were different times." Fujin''s words amused the council. Only Danzo, Homura and Koharu cursed internally while Hiruzen felt a bit awkward as he was of the same age as them. Fujin ignored everyone and continued, "Regardless, there is no need to change the curriculum. After all, a curriculum where students would enjoy everything in it simply doesn''t exist. Even if someone makes it, students will eventually find that tiresome as well. For the best results, the two main factors are motivation and interest. No one forced me to train as much as I could. I just did so because I wanted to ensure that my village stayed safe and because there are so many fascinating techniques that intrigued me." Danzo shook his head and said, "Just because it worked for you doesn''t mean it would work for everyone else." Fujin smiled and said, "The fact that it worked for me makes your argument void. If you want to insist on it, arrange for any of your current or former Root ninjas who were trained by Root to face me in a one-on-one spar. I wouldn''t even insist that they be the same age as me. As long as your chosen ninja defeats me, I will accept that your method is better." Fujin''s words once again caught everyone''s attention. Koharu thought, ''What a devious brat! To openly say that Root still exist and challenge Danzo and the Root when Danzo can''t fight back. If Danzo did, it would be admitting openly that Root still exists and everyone would be forced to dismantle the Root for good. Besides, Root doesn''t have any rank S ninja. Even though a Root ninja might have the benefit of his skills being a secret, Fujin''s skills aren''t known to anyone other than Hiruzen either. So, that advantage also doesn''t lie with them.'' Everyone realized the trap Fujin casually set for Danzo. Obviously, Danzo wouldn''t step into it. He snorted and stopped arguing. Fujin broke the silence and said, "It''s true that my 3 basic steps won''t guarantee a high number of Chunins. However, that is because my idea is based on minimal efforts from the academy so that the workload doesn''t become too high. If we make some changes to the academy, then we might see better results without the teachers having to overexert themselves." Fujin thought, ''Though this world is far more devious and cunning than my previous world, it is also ravaged by wars. As such, the school system hasn''t had centuries to improve slowly. Until Tobirama started the academy in Konoha and other villages replicated it, a proper school system was basically non-existent in this world. Even after the academies were created, the world has been through several wars. So the academies have been solely focused on producing more ninjas to fill in the numbers. It hasn''t evolved like in my previous life. I can easily apply some basic knowledge from my past life to revolutionize the academy here.'' Fujin''s words intrigued the council once again. Hiruzen asked, "What changes do you suggest?" Chapter 421: Revolutionary Changes to the Academy! Fujin replied, "Off the top of my mind, I can think of two changes. The first one is rather simple, that is, specialization. I recall that we were introduced to various specializations in the Academy. However, nothing was taught regarding it. In addition, it was only mentioned to elite batches while the normal batches weren''t introduced to this. We could add additional classes where students are taught about specific specializations, like Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Fuinjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, Sensor, Tracking and Investigation, Scouting, Elemental Ninjutsus and so on. Though I haven''t seen how Konoha was in the past, considering the various clans in the village, the clans covered most of these bases without the village needing to put any effort into it. However, the same doesn''t apply to students from civilian backgrounds. They have to learn just the basics taught in the academy. If they don''t take the initiative to learn about it, they will never know these options. By introducing specializations, we may find that some students who seem ordinary at the basics taught in the academy might have hidden talent or extreme interest in one of these fields. While this may not produce Elite Jounins, it does have a scope to produce a high number of Special Jounins from civilian backgrounds. Their numbers might even touch a hundred every year. In the future, they might become the backbone of our army. We could introduce these specialization classes in the second half of the third year as most of the students would have good chakra control due to learning tree climbing and water walking by then. In the fourth year, we can make these classes optional, so that everyone just attends the specialization that interests them. In the final two years, when the students have chosen their specialization, we can segregate them into different batches based on their specialization with teachers that have the same specialization. Perhaps we could even arrange for some retired ninjas to show up once in a while to assist the teachers with their knowledge and experience or inspire the students with their stories. Of course, not every student should be segregated as per specializations. If there are some students who don''t want to specialize in anything, they can continue in normal classes. And, there will also be students who want to specialize in several fields and have the talent and determination to do so. We can include such students in Elite batches and focus on trying to make every student in that batch at least a Jounin." Fujin looked around the room and added, "That said, such a change will increase workload a lot in the short term. The Academy will need to hire more teachers and build more classrooms. However, in the long term, this workload can be decreased with the second change, that is, creating clubs. We can create student-only clubs in the school with each club in a particular field just like the specializations. For instance, there can be a Fuinjutsu club or a Genjutsu club and so on. Each club will have one teacher to handle any issues, but the role and interference of the teacher have to be minimal. Instead, the work will be done by students themselves. The senior students will be responsible for guiding the junior students. For instance, if someone in the first or second year of the academy takes an interest in Fuinjutsu and decides to join the Fuinjutsu club, then the fifth and sixth-year students could help them with the basics about how to become a SealMaster. Their guidance could even be better than a teacher''s as the students might feel more comfortable talking with other students and the senior students would have just finished learning what they would teach the juniors. Danzo observed the clan leaders as he analyzed, ''Good plan indeed. It will transform the structure of Konoha''s forces. However, he is directly intruding into the interests of the clans. Right now, most specialization is done by ninjas from clans. They get the Special Jounin ranks while most of the Civilian ninjas stay at Genin or Chunin ranks. If these suggestions are implemented, the clans might not be pleased and might view it as a threat.'' Danzo immediately sensed an opportunity. However, he knew that it wasn''t the best time to make use of that flaw. Instead, he patiently waited for Hiruzen''s decision. Since Danzo could see the flaw and understand the implications, Hiruzen could as well. Hiruzen looked at the clan leaders and observed their expressions. After a couple of minutes, he said, "Your ideas are very impressive, Fujin. They have the potential to revolutionize the ninja academy. However, implementing it will be difficult. We need to figure out what specializations to include, who to hire and how the clubs should be formed. We will also need to decide whether it will be safe for students in clubs to teach their juniors. In addition, we will also need to figure out what to do if one specialization gets a lot of students while the rest don''t." Fujin nodded. Hiruzen''s concerns were valid. Hiruzen added, "Since such a move will also require students to have good chakra control, we won''t implement it this year. Instead, we will move forward with Fujin''s earlier suggestions and implement them as soon as the academy starts. This year, we will finalize all the details regarding specializations and clubs and decide how to implement them starting the next year. Does anyone have an issue with this or any better suggestions?" No one answered. Hiruzen said, "Good." His expression hardened as he looked around the room. In a serious tone, he instructed, "This goes without saying, but nothing we discussed today should be leaked outside. Once we implement these changes, it is inevitable that other villages will find out and try to replicate it. However, they will need several years to understand the implications behind these actions. That will allow Konoha to get an edge over the other villages. If we pull it properly, then our armies will be far stronger than any other village for quite some time. Hence, nothing should get out of this room. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded in response. Hiruzen looked around the room and said, "We will end this council meeting here. Unless something comes up, the next meeting will be as per the normal schedule." Chapter 422: Hiruzens Hidden Message The council meeting finally ended. Hiruzen and the three elders left immediately. Fujin was about to leave as well when Choza stopped him. For the next 15 minutes, Fujin exchanged pleasantries with the clan leaders. They praised Fujin for his ideas and a few invited him to visit their clans later. The civilian council members also wanted to greet Fujin. However, seeing him busy with the clan leaders, the five of them left as well. Fujin politely replied to all the clan leaders and accepted their invites as it would have been rude to reject it. After getting free from them, Fujin returned to Hiruzen''s office. In Hiruzen''s office, Hiruzen was analyzing Fujin''s idea. He thought, ''Though his idea is very good, it will pose a threat to the clans... What to do?'' Hiruzen analyzed the issue properly. After a few minutes, he concluded, ''No, this is unavoidable. The number of ninjas from the clans has already dropped to less than half. If another Great War happens, that number will drop even further. If ninjas from civilian backgrounds can''t keep up with the clan ninjas, then the village will be very compromised after the end of the next war. It was a concern that we had for several years but we couldn''t think of any good solution other than taking more efforts in the academy and inducting more civilian ninjas into the Anbu so that they can be trained more. However, making them capable enough to reach the Anbu was a challenge. Fujin''s recommendation properly fills this missing link. Not to mention, even though the civilian ninjas would become Special Jounins in large numbers, the ninjas from the clans would still have the advantage. After all, the civilian ninjas won''t have access to secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai. So in their fields, the kids from ninja clans will have a huge advantage. Yeah, it should be fine. I will just have to convince the clan leaders one by one. Most of them should see the big picture. I''m just afraid that Danzo might make some moves. Fortunately, everyone is on guard against him. Perhaps I should make the clans change their focus on creating Jounins rather than just Special Jounins.'' As Hiruzen was thinking, Fujin entered the office. Hiruzen looked at him and smiled. He said, "You did great in the meeting today. I didn''t expect such a surprise from you." Fujin smiled and replied, "They were just some ideas I had that I felt might benefit the village. I''m glad that I got to present them. I didn''t think that you would value them so highly though." Hiruzen replied, "The academy hasn''t been revamped in a long time. Your suggestions were invaluable. You might not see it at your age, but in a couple of decades, you''ll see the change that your ideas bring in. Anyway, I have another important matter to discuss with you." Fujin wondered, ''So he hadn''t called me to his office to just take feedback on how I felt and give me some advice?'' Fujin asked, "What is it?" Hiruzen asked in a serious tone, "Did you notice something odd in this building?" Hiruzen''s question surprised Fujin. Fujin thought, ''What the hell? Is there something wrong with the building? Shouldn''t he be checking it himself rather than asking me? Or does he want a second opinion because he suspected something but couldn''t find it?'' Hiruzen noticed Fujin''s expression and frowned as well. He became completely confused by Fujin''s actions. Fujin analyzed but couldn''t think of anything. He shook his head and replied, "I never checked this building much. Has there been an issue recently?" One month later, inside his basement, a smile formed on Fujin''s face. He dispelled all the Shadow Clones in the room. On both of his palms, a distinct seal could be seen. With one thought, both seals disappeared. Fujin muttered, "Flying Thunder God Seal mastered and imprinted!" At the same time, in the training field opposite Fujin''s house, two words could be heard throughout the training field. "Gale Jutsu!" "Gale Jutsu!" "Gale Jutsu!" Fujin''s clone opened his eyes and looked at Naruto. A smile appeared on his face as a Shadow Clone appeared next to him and popped, sending a message to Fujin. Naruto continued stretching his right arm. "Gale jutsu!" "Gale jutsu!" Suddenly, a small amount of wind was released from Naruto''s right palm. The wind formed a breeze and caused some leaves in its path to move along the winds for around a meter before stopping. Naruto''s eyes widened. A wide grin broke out on his face as he jumped in joy and exclaimed, "I did it! I did it!" He immediately ran towards Fujin, who had already taken the place of his clone, and asked, "Did you see it Fujin? I did it! Wind blew from my hand! And I only took one and a half months!" Fujin smiled and said, "Good work, Naruto." Naruto grinned even more upon getting praised. He jumped up and shouted, "I will become the Hokage, believe it!" Fujin chuckled and wondered, ''Maybe I should make him challenge Hiruzen like how Konohamaru does. That would be a sight to see.'' Fujin chuckled at that thought. However, he decided against it thinking, ''Leave it. The old man has been rather kind to me lately. If only I could have Naruto mess with Danzo somehow. Unfortunately, that asshole keeps hiding underground and has several Root ninjas keeping an eye all the time. Even I won''t be able to enter the Root base undetected.'' Fujin let Naruto run around and celebrate for around 5 minutes until he tired himself out. Finally, Naruto collapsed on the ground and exclaimed once again, "I did it!" Fujin chuckled at the sight and asked, "Want to go to Ichiraku? My treat." Naruto''s eyes sparkled. He jumped up once again and exclaimed, "I want to, believe it!" Chapter 423: Looking past the Hateful Gazes Fujin and Naruto walked over to Ichiraku Ramen. Once again, several eyes landed on the two of them. However, unlike the earlier times, the reaction of the watchers was mixed. On one side was Naruto, someone whom everyone vilified as the demon brat! However, along with him was Fujin, someone who had recently become a Council Member. He was a person that no ordinary citizen wanted to offend for no reason. As such, not many dared to gaze unkindly at Naruto or gossip about him while he walked next to Fujin. Of course, there were a few exceptions. A middle-aged lady whispered to the lady next to her, "Why is a council member hanging around that demon brat? Wouldn''t it caus..." Her words stuck in her mouth as she suddenly felt intense danger. She almost wanted to puke in fear. She didn''t dare speak another word. The lady opposite was scared as well after looking at her expression. She asked, "Are you fine? What happened?" Similar to that lady, several others who tried gossiping or gazing hatefully at the duo also felt an intense killing intent. As such, no one dared to hang around and quickly continued their work. Fujin sighed internally and thought, ''Threatening civilians is not what I wanted to do. It could pose some trouble as ninjas aren''t allowed to attack civilians. However, I should be able to deal with it as long as I don''t overdo it. I doubt anyone, even Danzo, would bother trying to make a move against me for something like this. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable. People, even civilians, are brutal. Though there are rules and laws, they become meaningless when too many people do it. Hiruzen has already issued a gag order. However, too many still openly discriminate against Naruto while sneakily passing comments that are just loud enough for him to hear and become depressed. And it isn''t just because he is weak. After all, even Hatake Sakumo, a top-tier ninja, fell prey to such gossip and blame games. Granted that the situation with him was different and there might have been some other factors involved, it doesn''t change the fact that even civilians won''t have any constraints in talking shit about a rank S ninja if the ninja doesn''t retaliate in one way or another. So, if I just let them speak, others will be emboldened to do so as well. Very soon, things will return to normal for Naruto where everyone openly displays their hostility, undoing all my good work so far. Worse, I might be subjected to that too. Granted that I am no Sakumo to take things lying down or become suicidal due to others'' words, but it''ll be too much of an inconvenience to let things reach that stage. It''s better to just crush any such thoughts in the initial phase.'' Unlike Fujin, who was engrossed in his thoughts, Naruto was having a great time. For the first time in his life, he wasn''t getting a look wishing that he would disappear from everyone in the streets. Though people were still avoiding him and maintaining distance, it was far better than receiving those looks all the time. Naruto wondered, ''Are they treating me differently because I learnt a Wind jutsu? But why do they still avoid me?'' As Fujin had said, there was a very small minority of people who didn''t care much about Naruto. They didn''t hate Naruto and hence didn''t have any such hate in their eyes. Fujin looked at Naruto''s surprised look and thought, ''Though many hate him and have vilified him, it is unrealistic for every single person to hate him. After all, he is just a kid. None of the experienced and knowledgeable ninjas in the village hate him. Even among the ordinary civilians, there should be several like Teuchi who wouldn''t hate a kid and perhaps even feel sorry for his situation. But, since the majority hate Naruto and take the initiative to make their hate known, it is inevitable that a young kid will only notice those hateful people and will not be able to see the people who are in the background and have no hatred towards him and do nothing to convey that. After all, would a kid even dare to look at everyone in the crowd when all the ones he first looks at are looking at him hatefully?'' Naruto carefully screened through the crowd. Since everyone wasn''t staring at him hatefully, he didn''t feel nervous and depressed and could keep looking through the crowd. While most ignored him, a couple of people felt the gaze and smiled back at him in response before continuing with their work. A smile appeared on Naruto''s face as he smiled back. Fujin said, "Learn to ignore those who ignore you or are afraid of you. You''ll then see the people who are good to you. Then you won''t need to worry about the cowards around you." Naruto nodded. The two finally reached Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto rushed in while Fujin followed at his normal speed. Naruto excitedly ordered in a loud voice, "One Miso Ramen for me!" Immediately, Naruto turned his head and asked with stars in his eyes, "Can I order all I can eat once again?" Fujin stared at Naruto and asked sternly, "You want to ask that question after eating 8 bowls last time?" Naruto immediately became nervous. At the same time, Teuchi and Ayame smirked. Both recalled Naruto''s expression the last time Fujin treated him to Ramen and his nervousness after eating too many bowls. Fujin chuckled and said, "You still keep getting nervous. Order as much as you want." Naruto immediately lit up. Fujin sat down and ordered a few bowls for himself as well. He thought, ''I have finally completed the first step of the Flying Thunder God. And, I do not know whether I will succeed in step two or not. I might as well treat myself now that I am happy.'' The first step of the Flying Thunder God involved merely learning the seal and creating an imprint for it. With his expertise in Fuinjutsu, it was pretty much guaranteed that Fujin would learn it. However, the next step needed the ninja to have talent in Space-Time Ninjutsu. So, Fujin wasn''t sure whether he would succeed at the next step. As such, he decided against worrying about it and leaving it to fate. Fujin enjoyed his Ramen peacefully while Naruto kept telling Ayame and Teuchi about how he learnt a cool new jutsu. The duo stayed in the Ramen stall for quite some time until both were full. Fujin paid and both returned to the training grounds. Chapter 424: Unleashing the Little Devil! Naruto looked at Fujin and excitedly asked, "Which is the second jutsu?" Fujin had promised Naruto four jutsus. So, Naruto was very excited about knowing which other jutsus he had planned. Fujin smiled and said, "Calm down for now. I have some things to say and ask." Naruto stopped speaking and acted calm. Fujin said, "Though you have learnt the jutsu, there is a lot for you to improve. Perform the jutsu again and use it to attack me." Naruto asked, "Wouldn''t you get hurt?" Fujin waved his arm dismissively and said, "With your current skills, no. Just do it." Naruto nodded and weaved hand signs. He aimed his palm at Fujin and shouted, "Gale jutsu!" Immediately, a gentle wind flow was released from Naruto''s palm and moved towards Fujin. Fujin''s shirt fluttered and some leaves around him moved, but Fujin was unmoved. The gentle breeze had no effect on him. Fujin said, "See, nothing. Now stand in one place." Fujin raised his right arm towards Naruto. Naruto stood still and looked at Fujin''s palm. A second later, a strong wind current was released from Fujin''s palm. Naruto''s eyes widened as he felt the intense winds coming towards him. In a moment, the winds sent him flying backwards, completely surprising Naruto who yelled in shock. He flipped in the air and landed around 20 meters behind. However, he still lost his footing and ended up stumbling backwards. He quickly got up and rushed towards Fujin and exclaimed, "That was so cool! Can I do this as well?" Despite getting hurled backwards, Naruto wasn''t hurt and didn''t have any hard feelings as Fujin had only done that to prove a point. Fujin smiled and said, "You can, but you will need to keep practicing. If you never practice this jutsu again, then it won''t keep improving. Of course, spending all time on one jutsu isn''t a good thing. So you should learn other jutsus as well, but keep practicing this jutsu occasionally so that you can improve and do something like this as well." Naruto immediately nodded and shouted, "I will keep practicing, believe it!" Fujin smiled and asked, "What is your progress with Leaf Concentration and Leaf Cutting?" Naruto answered, "I can stick the leaf to my forehead for 25 minutes. As for Leaf-cutting, it is still very difficult. I am only able to create a tiny cut in the leaf." Naruto was stunned. He looked at Fujin with a stupefied expression on his face. He never imagined that the dignified Council Member would ever say such words. Fujin continued, "You can use it on several other things. For instance, balls in the playing ground. This jutsu is only limited by your imagination. Of course, the same also applies on battlefields. So don''t limit yourself to traditional use of the jutsu." Ideas kept pouring into Naruto''s mind as he comprehended Fujin''s words. A mischievous grin appeared on his face as well. He exclaimed in a goofy tone, "Oh boy! I can think of so many pranks with this jutsu! Hehehehe! Iruka sensei is going to hate me." Naruto couldn''t stop grinning. Fujin gave himself an imaginary pat on his back and thought, ''Good, entertainment for the next year is secured.'' Naruto looked at Fujin and asked, "Is it fine to use this jutsu for pranking?" Fujin nodded and said, "Enjoy. You''ll be able to improve your control over this jutsu far more quickly by employing it in pranks than trying to learn it by yourself in a training ground. Your classes should start in a couple of weeks, so you won''t be able to train here all the time. You can use the Gale jutsu for pranks as well. However..." Fujin''s face became strict as he said, "A few warnings. Listen seriously. If you don''t follow them, then I won''t teach you anything in the future." Naruto became serious. Fujin was the only one who taught him new jutsus and he didn''t want to push Fujin away. Fujin instructed, "You will never use this jutsu to control sharp objects until I allow you to do so. So no changing trajectories of shurikens, kunai, knives, needles and other such items until I permit you. For the time being, I''ll make wooden shurikens for you to practice. Understood?" Naruto nodded obediently. Fujin continued, "Good. Even after I give you permission, the same rules will apply in a few conditions. You won''t use this jutsu on sharp objects while pranking. You won''t use it to control shurikens you throw while sparring with your classmates either as they can be severely hurt if they don''t dodge. But using it against spars with teachers or someone like me or in a battle is fine. Also, take care to not hurt anyone while using this to prank. Even harmless objects can hurt someone if you accidentally poke their eyes." Naruto nodded and said, "I''ll use it carefully, believe it." Fujin smiled and said, "Good. I''ll now teach you how to use this jutsu." Fujin quickly taught Naruto the hand seals to the jutsu and explained to him the mechanics of the jutsu. It took an hour, but Fujin was finally done! Fujin created a set of wooden shurikens, kunais and needles for Naruto to practice. Naruto began practicing the jutsu. Once again, the sound of the jutsu name that Naruto shouted reverberated throughout the training field. Fujin observed him and wondered, ''Should I ask him to stop yelling out jutsu names?'' He thought for a bit and shook his head. He muttered to himself, ''Leave it. It''s kind of fun to see him yell the jutsu name so loudly. I''ll leave this job to Kakashi.'' Fujin created a Shadow Clone to look over Naruto and disappeared from the training ground. He entered his house, shut the door and muttered, "It''s time to test step two!" Chapter 425: An Unexpected Surprise! Fujin looked at his palm. The Flying Thunder God seal appeared on it. He extended his arm towards the door and touched it with his palm. In an instant, a mark of the Flying Thunder God seal was imprinted on the door. Fujin''s eyes glowed as he observed the seals on his door. A weird expression appeared on his face as he saw several dozen seals hidden on his door. Fujin wondered, ''78 seals just on the backside of a door... Exactly how many seals did I inscribe on my house? Five thousand? Ten Thousand? More?'' Fujin thought for a few seconds before giving up. Considering the crazy number of seals he inscribed, he hadn''t bothered keeping a count. In fact, he couldn''t even recall every seal he inscribed on the house. It was impossible for anyone to do so unless they had perfect memory. He muttered to himself, ''Meh, it doesn''t matter. The more, the merrier. If I don''t know, then it is impossible for anyone else to know. Fortunately, I had the foresight to ensure that the seals could act autonomously to respond to various kinds of threats. Apart from a few seals that I would need to manage actively, the rest will respond by themselves. I''ll let anyone stupid enough to attack this house figure out how many seals are here.'' Fujin focused his attention on the Flying Thunder God Seal. After a minute, he observed, ''This seal is slightly different from other seals. I can control it to change its position slightly.'' Under Fujin''s control, the mark moved a few inches upwards on the door before stopping. Fujin analyzed, ''That said, it''s the other factor that makes this seal very unique. Even though I am good at making seals, any Grandmaster can remove my seals given enough time. However, this seal is permanent. Unless I voluntarily remove this seal, it will stay forever. Of course, it is possible that Tobirama and Minato know of ways to remove the seal but Hiruzen didn''t include them in the scroll so that the method won''t get leaked. It is also possible that Hiruzen and Danzo have come up with means to remove this seal considering that they had decades to study it. Regardless, once I mark any enemy with this seal, that ninja will be as good as dead. Even if he is far stronger than me, I can just run away and keep sending Shadow Clones to kill him. Worse, I can have my clones prepare deadly jutsus before teleporting. I can even send several clones at the same time. If the enemy still somehow survives, I can keep hiding and send Shadow Clones at random times to catch my enemy off guard. There is just no way to survive unless they can cut off the body part that was marked. Perhaps only someone as perverse as Obito might have a chance. Anyway, it''s time to test it.'' Fujin disappeared from his spot and appeared at several spots inside his room. The last place he appeared in was the basement, where he sat down at the center and thought, ''I created 48 markings inside my house. Now time to see if I can sense them all.'' Or, is it because I have transmigrated here that I am talented in Space-Time Ninjutsu? After all, transmigrating in this world is far more advanced than merely teleporting from one place to another in this world. So, could the process of transmigration have given me remarkable talent in this aspect?'' Fujin let out a sigh and looked above. Though he was in his basement, the look in his eyes was as if he was seeing the vast space far beyond that world. He questioned, ''Transmigration... I was always very curious about how I transmigrated... Is it just a law of nature? Does everyone do so? Or only some lucky souls get transmigrated? Or could there be some entity who transmigrated me here? If so, what is the purpose of doing that? After all, I was just an ordinary guy. What benefit would someone get from transmigrating me into what is most likely an alternate universe? Or is it just someone bored wanting some amusement?'' Fujin had several questions. Unfortunately, he would receive no answers. He shook his head and thought, ''Leave it. There is no way I can figure out this mystery as I am now. If I ever reach the level of Hagoromo, I can explore how Reincarnation works. After all, Hagoromo''s sons have been reincarnating for centuries. As for transmigration in a different universe, that should be way more advanced than that. I doubt even the strongest Otsutsuki has any knowledge of this. I can only keep getting stronger and hope that someday I am able to solve these mysteries.'' A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''I just hope I don''t end up dead before reaching such a level. Well, whatever, that''s too far away. I first need to master the Flying Thunder God jutsu and take advantage of my knowledge to gain the most out of upcoming wars. For now, I will have to spend some time increasing the range up to where I can detect the markings. From the notes, it seems like Tobirama''s range wasn''t very impressive. It was probably why he failed to escape. However, Minato managed to increase his range to a ridiculous level. In the fourth Great Ninja War, he was able to teleport from the battlefield to Konoha while taking the Truth Seeking Balls with him. I wonder if Sage mode helps in increasing the range. If I can mark several locations on the entire planet and sense them at will, then killing me would become impossible. After all, unlike Tobirama and Minato, I have no intention of sacrificing myself. I will work on extending the range later. The 1-kilometer range is good enough. I''ll directly begin working on the third step. It''ll be wonderful if I can get it down in one try as well, hehehe.'' Chapter 426: The First Victim Fujin went through the scroll once again to revise the third step of learning the Flying Thunder God jutsu. This was the most critical step and also the step where things could go horribly wrong. After all, travelling through Space-time could be very dangerous if done incorrectly. As such, he didn''t dare to take any unneeded risks. After going through the scroll, Fujin rolled it back and shut his eyes. He began sensing the markings within his range. He focused on the marking on the pillar in front of him. Within a few seconds, Fujin''s mind became very calm. Not a single trace of thought remained. The other markings that he could sense also disappeared from his mind. He could only sense himself and the marking in front of him. Once he reached this state, he subconsciously tried using the method in the scroll to travel through space-time and teleport to the marking. Unfortunately, he wasn''t about to get two surprises in a row. After five minutes, Fujin opened his mind and let out a sigh. He muttered, "No wonder this step is said to be the hardest. I didn''t have any success at all!" Fujin analyzed the third step for a few minutes. He concluded, ''The scroll did say that it takes a lot of time and practice to learn how to travel through space-time. I suppose I''ll just have to be patient and keep trying it. If I don''t succeed after a long time, I can only depend on the inferior version that utilizes the concepts of the Reverse Summoning jutsu. Though I won''t be able to use it in battle, having a method of travelling over long distances in an instant and a better method of escaping from a battlefield will still be very handy. But, hopefully, things shouldn''t be that bad. After all, my talent in sensing the markings is ridiculously high. It would be strange if I didn''t have any talent in moving through Space-Time.'' 15 Shadow Clones popped around Fujin. Each flickered and sat in front of one of the markings. Fujin and his 15 clones all closed their eyes and began practicing. They quickly became engrossed in training and lost track of the time. While Fujin trained the Flying Thunder God jutsu and Naruto trained the Projectile Control jutsu, Hiruzen opened a scroll. As he read through it, his expression became grave. After some time, he closed the scroll and kept it back on his desk. He thought, ''Akatsuki captured Han, the Five Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure... And they somehow managed to extract the Tailed Beast perfectly and stored it inside some statue... Onoki did a good job of hiding information. If not for Itachi, we would have completely been in the dark. Fujin thought for a bit before agreeing with his conclusion. He thought, ''Orochimaru should have been a part of the process while extracting the first Tailed Beast from a Jinchuriki. He will probably leave the Akatsuki soon now. I wonder if he will still find Rasa and make a deal to attack Konoha together... As for Akatsuki, they should stay silent for some time. From what I remember, Gaara was the third Jinchuriki they captured. The second should be that girl from Taki. But there are still a few years before they make a move on her. I wonder why they needed such a long time. Does extracting a tailed beast and absorbing it into that statue have some conditions or requirements? Hmm, if there are any, it should be because Nagato isn''t strong enough. After all, Madara was able to absorb all 9 Tailed Beasts in one go. Though Nagato is ridiculously strong, he is still very lacking when compared to the likes of Hashirama and Madara. Oh well, it doesn''t matter what Orochimaru does next or what Akatsuki''s issue is. I need to return to training! I have a feeling that it won''t be too long before I have a breakthrough in the third step. Though it wouldn''t be ready for battle use any time soon. I guess I should also talk with Naruto once. His school starts tomorrow and he won''t be able to come to my training grounds to practice.'' Fujin walked towards the training ground and replaced his Shadow Clone. Some distance away from him, Naruto was completely focused on training. Naruto grabbed a wooden shuriken, threw it at a tree and immediately weaved hand signs. He shouted, "Projectile Control jutsu" Immediately, wind began flowing around the shuriken. It changed its track slightly and missed the tree. Naruto groaned as it didn''t hit the tree next to it and kept practicing. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, not bad. His progress is faster with this jutsu. Still, having to weave hand signs for this jutsu makes it too slow. Should I advise him on how to reduce and later eliminate the hand seals?'' Fujin thought for a bit and decided, ''No, his chakra control is abysmal. To reduce the number of hand seals, you need to manipulate chakra inside your body appropriately. I doubt Naruto will be able to do that any time soon. Though weaving hand signs is tedious, Naruto is very innovative and unpredictable when it comes to using Ninjutsu. I''ll let him try and resolve this himself. Trying to interfere too much in his training would have a negative impact instead.'' Fujin walked out of the shadows and approached him. He said, "Naruto, that''s enough training for today." Chapter 427: Progress Naruto, who was about to throw a shuriken, stopped and turned around. He asked, "Why?" Fujin said, "It''s already evening. The academy starts tomorrow. You need to prepare for it. Also, since you have to attend the academy, you won''t be able to train with me from tomorrow." Naruto became a bit dejected. He asked, "Can''t I skip the academy? I learnt a lot more from you than from the Academy in the past 5 years, you know." Fujin chuckled and said, "What you learn in the Academy is important as well. Ninjutsu isn''t everything. Even more so if you want to become the Hokage." Naruto nodded unwillingly and said, "I''ll go to the Academy." Fujin smiled and said, "Besides, just because you won''t be able to train with me doesn''t mean that you shouldn''t train. Keep working on the Projectile Control jutsu along with Leaf Concentration and Leaf Cutting exercises. Your Leaf Concentration has improved rapidly in the last 2 weeks. Keep up that speed. As for Leaf Cutting, you can carry a few leaves to a classroom and do that exercise there in your free time or if a lecture becomes too boring. As for the Projectile control jutsu, you are already able to slightly change the directions of flying objects. Try using it to prank and you''ll get plenty of practice for it." Naruto got several ideas from Fujin''s words. He looked at Fujin with stars in his eyes. It was as if Fujin had become his idol. He said, "Ideas to train in the classroom. Plus being able to use these jutsus to prank. You are the best, Fujin!" Fujin smiled and said, "Of course, just because you can''t train with me all the time doesn''t mean you shouldn''t come visit me. Feel free to come when you want more supplies or some help in training or just to hang around and relax if you want." Naruto smiled and said, "I will." Fujin nodded and took out a seal from a pocket. He handed it to Naruto and said, "In the past couple of months, you have trained with dedication. I am impressed, Naruto. This is a gift for you." Naruto grabbed the seal and inspected it. He asked curiously, "What is this?" The two talked for some more time before Naruto left. Fujin saw him leaving as he thought, ''Will he really listen to warnings? Oh well, it doesn''t matter much. He should listen to not controlling sharp objects with Projectile Control jutsu. Though he is known to prank a lot, there isn''t any instance of his pranks actually harming anyone. As for the training seal, I purposefully made something that applies less pressure. Even if he raises it to 100% in order to push himself, he won''t suffer any serious injuries. With Kurama''s chakra, It''ll heal in no time. All that will happen is that he will have to rest for some time. As for during the missions, any Jounin would be able to see it activated at first glance and make him deactivate him. Anyway, a few basic wind jutsus, training to improve wind manipulation, better chakra control, a slightly stronger body and some sparring practice... This is all the help I''ll give Naruto before he graduates. Though it is lacklustre when compared to what he could have achieved had I taught him the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu now and spammed it for a year, this should still improve his basics considerably. More importantly, this improvement shouldn''t have much of an impact on major events in the future. So, I don''t need to worry about the future changing too drastically. Regardless, I''m looking forward to seeing how Naruto progresses after getting a good foundation. His basics in the original story were just too lacking. The only thing he had going for him was numerical superiority due to having a large chakra reserve and the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu. If he shows some promise with the Wind Release, I''ll teach him the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu at some point in the future and teach him how to supercharge it. I also wonder if his improved chakra control will help him learn the Clone jutsu within the next 10 months... If he does so and doesn''t get the scroll, I will have to teach him the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu as a gift for graduating. Oh well, there is still some time for that. Time to get back to my training.'' Fujin returned to his training. The last couple of months of training had brought him great results in the three areas that he was focusing on. His biggest improvement was obviously in the Flying Thunder God. He had completed the first two steps and had a feeling that he would experience some breakthrough in the last step soon. His Wind Domain was also developing rapidly. Fujin felt that it was good enough to deal with normal Jounins. Even Elite Jounins could suffer heavily if they didn''t have any prior information. However, it was the third area where he would reach the critical point the earliest. A new year in the academy started and life in Konoha went as normal. Fujin continued training in solitude. Hiruzen didn''t disturb him. Danzo wanted to make some moves, but Fujin''s monotonous lifestyle didn''t give him any opportunity to do so. Apart from Naruto occasionally visiting him, no one bothered Fujin. One day, while he was in between his deadly physical training routine, a smile appeared on Fujin''s face. Excitement could be seen in his eyes. He stopped training and deactivated his training seal. He closed his eyes and focused his mind on his body. A second later, his chakra flared. However, it wasn''t what he normally did. Instead, the chakra had infused into his entire body. It even infused into his vital organs. Fujin smiled and thought, ''The insane training plan has finally given the result I wanted. To train so hard that chakra infuses into your body naturally... What a crazy training plan.'' Chapter 428: A Favor Fujin thought, ''Though this is good, I''ll have to keep up this training plan for a long time to ensure that this is permanent and to keep increasing the amount of chakra I infuse in my body. If I don''t, the amount of chakra I can infuse into my body will slowly decrease. Over a few years, my body will lose this ability. Anyway, time to test it!'' Fujin clenched his fist and punched the ground as hard as he could. A loud sound was heard throughout the training ground. Cracks spread on the ground like a spiderweb for a dozen meters from the spot where the fist landed. Fujin analyzed, ''Not bad. It''s definitely much stronger than my normal punch. No ninja with a normal body would want to be on the receiving end of this. Even with Iron Skin jutsu, they will feel the pain and might suffer some internal damage. Now...'' Fujin concentrated his chakra on his fist. He was using the Senju Taijutsu Style alongside Guy''s Strong Fist Style. Once again, he punched the ground with all his might at the same spot. This time, the impact of the blow could be felt throughout the training ground! The birds, that were brave enough to still live in the trees in that training ground, immediately began flying away due to the tremors! A few people, who were walking close to the training ground, turned their heads due to the sound that was heard! Fujin, who was the source of this commotion, was standing in a hole in the ground that had collapsed due to his punch. For several dozen meters, the ground was a wreck! The cracks had opened wide and several rocks were thrown out of the ground. Fujin himself was covered in dust. However, a wide grin could be seen on his face. Fujin wiped the dirt on his face off and analyzed, ''Great. In terms of destructive power, this isn''t too far away from Tsunade''s level. However, in terms of usability, it is still far behind. The time I take to concentrate my chakra on my fist reduces its effectiveness in a high-speed battle. My opponents will easily sense it and take evasive actions. That said, with my wind jutsus, it isn''t critical for me to improve this aspect. I''ll be able to shred my opponents far faster instead of trying to obliterate them with a punch or kick. I can also use my Wind Domain to slow down my enemy and attack them with this if Wind attacks don''t work for some reason. Regardless, this is very good.'' Fujin returned home to have a shower. Due to the intense training and being covered in dust, his body was quite dirty. After a small break, he immediately went to find Guy. As usual, Guy was training his three students. They had just finished an intense training session when Fujin showed up. Immediately, Neji and Tenten''s expression became dark. Tenten cursed, ''Great! We have just rested for 10 minutes and this monster has already shown up! Why did he arrive so early today?'' Guy smiled on seeing Fujin and instructed, "I and Fujin will spar for now. Until we are done, you three have to run 80 rounds around the training field on your arms." Tenten wanted to cry, unfortunately, her tears had dried out long ago! Since Fujin regularly showed up to spar with Guy, Guy decided to have his students train while he sparred with Fujin. After all, there wasn''t much for them to learn from their fight because the three Genins couldn''t even follow their movements. Fujin directly asked, "I want to learn the Eight Inner Gates technique. Can you teach me that?" Guy was surprised by Fujin''s directness. He thought, ''Even Kakashi wasn''t this direct.'' He became quiet and began thinking. Fujin didn''t disturb him. He thought, ''This request is no doubt huge. For one, this jutsu is a forbidden jutsu. Secondly, it is his trump card. If someone came to me and asked me to teach them my wind domain, there is no way I would agree. I would either directly say no or make some excuses depending on who asks. That said, Guy isn''t the only one who knows about the Eight Inner Gates. So there will be other means of getting my hands on this technique. It''s just that I''ll not have the benefit of someone who has learnt this technique guiding me, making it slightly more difficult to learn this jutsu.'' Fujin observed Guy and waited for his decision. After a couple of minutes, Guy said, "I can teach you. However, the Eight Inner Gates is a very dangerous technique. It has a lot of risks." Fujin nodded and said, "I know. Opening the Eighth Gate would result in death. Even the earlier gates put a lot of stress on the body. If it is used recklessly, it could cause irreversible injuries or even cripple the user." Guy was surprised. He said, "It looks like you did the research before asking me." Fujin nodded and said, "It is a forbidden technique. I won''t mess around with it." Guy smiled and said, "Alright. I''ll teach you this technique. But before you begin, I want to know how much you want to progress in it. Do you want to focus entirely on it? Or do you just want it as a hidden card and use it to gain an advantage?" Fujin sighed in relief internally and thought, ''Good. If he hadn''t agreed, I would have had to pester Hiruzen again. Not to mention, learning a forbidden jutsu alone has a lot of risks.'' Fujin answered, "I can''t focus entirely on it. My main combat method still revolves around Wind jutsus. I want to learn this so that I can use it in instances where my opponent is somehow immune to my Wind jutsus and other skills, forcing me to rely just on Taijutsu." Guy frowned and said, "I can''t think of any such opponent. Still, it''s a shame that you don''t want to focus on this entirely. With your willingness to work hard, you would have progressed a long way through it." Fujin smiled and said, "I might still go a long way, Guy. I''ll decide how much to focus on it after learning how to open a few gates. Can we start now?" Chapter 429: Eight Inner Gates Guy replied, "Yes. I''ll first explain the basics. How much do you know about the inner gates? Tell me everything." Fujin thought for a bit and replied, "I don''t know much apart from the basics. The Eight Inner Gates are limiters placed on the human body. The Eight Inner Gates technique breaks through these limiters. My information is too vague. I''ll proceed assuming that I know nothing about it and just follow your advice." Though Fujin recalled more details from his previous life, he didn''t say more because he couldn''t find in-depth information on the Eight Inner Gates technique anywhere. After looking through the library, he had only found a few scrolls that had some vague information. In addition, Fujin wasn''t sure whether all the information from his previous life would be true. Meanwhile, Guy was impressed. Throwing away what you know and just listening to someone more knowledgeable and experienced was something very few could do. Most would try to stick to their knowledge and beliefs until they experienced a loss and reluctantly listen to others. He said, "Alright. I''ll explain it to you. Your initial information is right. The human body can''t exert all of its strength. There are limiters in place to ensure that we don''t hurt ourselves. The Eight Inner Gates forbidden technique breaks through these limiters. As for the limiters, there aren''t any literal gates or blockades in our bodies. Instead, the limiters are just like ordinary chakra points. There are eight special chakra points in our body that are responsible for limiting the amount of chakra flowing through it and thus limiting our body''s capabilities. These eight chakra points act like gates. To unlock each gate, you have to push a high amount of chakra through the respective chakra point. While this sounds easy, that isn''t the case. Finding the chakra point is easy. However, you won''t be able to flow a high amount of chakra through them if your body isn''t strong enough to handle that. No matter how much you try, the chakra point will not budge. That is the biggest difficulty in learning the Eight Inner Gates technique. Your body has to be strong. If your body isn''t strong enough, you won''t even open the first gate. Even if your body is strong enough, if you don''t train in the future, you''ll slowly lose the ability to open the gates one by one. It isn''t like Ninjutsu or Genjutsu where your skill will always remain with you with little practice. That is why almost no ninja learns this technique. No one wants to keep training their body all the time. If you want to learn it, you''ll have to increase the intensity of your current training and keep doing so for as long as you want to increase the number of gates you can open. Do you still want to learn this technique?" Fujin nodded without thinking much. Training was never an issue for him. Even when he was busy in the Anbu, he still did the basic training every day except for the days he was on missions. Guy grinned and said, "Very good. I''ll now explain the gates. The First Gate is the Gate of Opening. Its chakra point is located in the left hemisphere of your brain. It removes your mental inhibitions. That is, it removes the limits placed on your body by your brain. Your chakra will increase slightly, but the main advantage is that your muscle movement will increase. Your muscles will be able to expand and contract optimally and your blood flow will improve. Of course, the backlash of being able to do that is heavy as well. You know that the Eight Inner Gates allows you to use all your strength by removing the limiters, right?" Guy smiled and said, "Good. The chakra point of the Gate of Healing is located in the right hemisphere of your brain. As I just said, this Gate re-energizes you by recovering your stamina and chakra to optimal condition and healing minor injuries such as muscle tears caused due to opening the Gate of Opening. If you are exhausted, be it from opening the first Gate or through just normal fighting, this Gate will give you a second chance of fighting. In addition, it also increases your physical strength and chakra slightly like the other Gates, The Third Gate is the Gate of Life. Its chakra point is located on your spinal cord. This is the Gate where you see an explosive growth in your strength and speed. Both are increased several times as compared to the Gate of Healing. As a result, your skin becomes red and your pupils disappear. Of course, it is also very difficult to open for that reason. If you do manage to open the Gate of Life, you''ll have to rest a long time whenever you open it. The overexertion also happens from this Gate onwards. And, as I said, some irreversible damage will be left in your body." Fujin nodded, greedily absorbing all the information and remembering all the warnings. Guy added, "For now, this much information is sufficient for you. Learning about the higher gates won''t be of any help. If you manage to learn how to open this Gate, I''ll teach you about the Gate of Pain and the Gate of Limit." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright." Guy said, "I will now demonstrate the process of opening the First Gate. Observe me carefully." Fujin nodded and concentrated his chakra in his eyes. Guy noticed Fujin''s glowing eyes and shouted, "Eight Inner Gates Formation: Gate of Opening: Open!" As soon as Guy opened the First Gate, the air around him became erratic. But that wasn''t all. With his glowing eyes, Fujin noticed a surge of chakra flowing in Guy''s body. In addition, his muscles also looked to be slightly stronger. Guy said, "This is the Gate of Opening. I will attack you now. Observe me carefully and defend or dodge." Fujin immediately moved away from Guy and prepared himself. Guy said, "Here I come..." His figure disappeared and he appeared right in front of Fujin. Fujin''s eyes widened as he thought, ''So fast!'' Chapter 430: The Gate of Opening Fujin quickly ducked down to avoid a kick and moved back to avoid Guy''s fist. However, Guy followed up with a kick straight towards Fujin''s face. Fujin cursed, ''Shit, I can''t dodge fast enough!'' He quickly jumped backwards to soften the impact of the blow. At the same time, he raised his arms to block the kick. Before Guy''s kick landed, he instinctively used the Iron Skin jutsu to harden his arms. Guy''s kick landed on Fujin''s arms. Immediately, shock appeared on Fujin''s face as he felt the power behind the kick. Fujin had sparred with Guy on a regular basis for the past few months. He had to endure several kicks and punches. Though Guy''s body was stronger and his attacks were heavier, Fujin could always endure the hits. However, this time, Fujin was launched backwards like a cannonball. The Iron Skin jutsu covered his entire body. He smashed through two trees which slowed him enough to flip in the air and land on his legs and knees. However, he was still dragged along the ground for around 25 meters and only stopped after hitting the third tree. Despite protecting his arms with Iron Skin jutsu, Fujin could still feel them aching. Fortunately, the rest of his body was fine. He thought in amazement, ''Just the First Gate provides so much buff? So this is the result of using your body at 100% and removing all mental inhibitions? His speed was fast. More importantly, his movement was just too fluid. Is this due to the improvement in Muscle Movement that he said? And his kick was so heavy as well!'' Guy looked at Fujin''s expression and said, "By removing the mental inhibitions, your brain no longer limits the extent of physical energy you can use. It also removes any sense of holding back due to the fear of hurting my body due to my power. Hence, I can use all my strength. Though the effects aren''t very obvious to the eye, you should have felt them. Apart from my increase in chakra, the improvement in my muscle movement allows me to move and more importantly react faster. You could dodge my first attack, but the successive attacks became harder for you to dodge because your body couldn''t react as fast as mine. And since I no longer cared about hurting myself, my strength was far greater than yours." Fujin thought for a bit and nodded. He said, "Yeah, dodging your first kick wasn''t difficult. But it became very difficult to dodge the follow-up attacks. Your kick was far heavier as well. I can still feel it." Guy chuckled and said, "Just a few. They don''t have details on all the Gates. I also use it to make notes in case I discover something new while training or opening the Inner Gates during a fight. Besides, most of the villages already have the method of learning this technique. They just lack anyone who would be willing to train all the time." Fujin thought, ''Hmm, that makes sense. Even in Konoha, there are the likes of Hiruzen, Danzo, the three Sannins and Kakashi. None of them lacked talent. However, none of them are willing to train all the time like Guy did. Of course, considering their talent, it could be just because they don''t need it. After all, not everyone can be like Guy who almost killed Madara who had reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths. By comparison, Might Duy, who opened the Gate of Death, was only able to kill four out of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Madara, even when he only had the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan could still kill all Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist without breaking a sweat. Heck, even Hiruzen might be able to do it, assuming someone like Kisame isn''t a part of that team. So I guess they didn''t value it that highly considering the costs.'' Still, Fujin was surprised. He chuckled and said, "I never thought of you as someone who would make notes, Guy." The image of Might Guy sitting and writing notes was just too funny for Fujin to imagine. Guy laughed as well and said, "Well, it can''t be helped. No matter who, if you want to become strong, you can''t ignore such basics. Anyways, now that you have found the chakra point, focus your chakra on it. You will feel some resistance. If you don''t, then it would mean that the chakra point you chose is wrong and stop immediately. Once you feel the resistance, force as much chakra as you can through it. Since it is your first time, it will be difficult. But your body is sufficiently strong. You should be able to do it relatively easily. In the best case, you might get it done in a few minutes. In the worst-case scenario, you''ll open it in a week." Fujin was surprised. He wondered, ''That fast? Hmm, now that I think about it, it makes sense. After all, Lee would master up to the 5th Gate in less than two years. And his body now is far weaker than mine when I graduated. Well, let''s hope everything goes well.'' Fujin closed his eyes and focused on that Chakra Point once again. He tried to gently push a little amount of chakra through it. At the start, some chakra went through the Chakra Point. But very quickly, it resisted. Fujin couldn''t push any chakra through it. He thought, ''It looks like I spotted it correctly. Alright, here goes nothing!'' Chapter 431: A Couple of Minutes Fujin focused on the chakra point once again. This time, he didn''t try to push it gently. Instead, he bombarded that chakra point with as much chakra as he could. The chakra point immediately felt a lot of pressure but resisted the bombardment. However, Fujin kept up the pressure. A couple of minutes later, under constant bombardment, the chakra point gave in. The blockade disappeared and a high amount of chakra flowed through that chakra point. Fujin''s eyes snapped open. He felt a surge of chakra flowing through his body. The air around him became erratic. Guy, who was observing Fujin, was surprised. He smiled wryly and thought, ''Less than 4 minutes? He is just like Kakashi. Even he needed less than 5 minutes to open the Gate of Opening. On the other hand, I needed a month to open it. That said, they did attempt opening the First Gate when they were far older than me and had a far stronger physique. Still, it looks like Fujin''s physique is far better than I thought. Opening the Gate of Healing shouldn''t take much time for him either. At most, it''ll take a week. However, the Gate of Life is where the real determination gets tested. While he will succeed, it will take a long time. And, he will feel demotivated to work on opening more. I wonder if he will keep opening more Gates or quit like Kakashi after the Gate of Life...'' While Guy was lost in his thoughts, Fujin was lost in the incredible feeling he was experiencing. He thought, ''Damn! I have never felt so free in my life. I can feel it. It''s as if all restraints placed on my body have been removed. My brain is much more active. It''s as if my senses are amplified several times. My eyesight is far better. I can pick up the lightest sounds and my sense of smell has improved as well. More importantly, my body''s instincts are heightened to a whole new level. I doubt anyone would be able to sneak attack on me as I am now. And the cherry on the cake is that my thinking speed seems to have increased as well. Apart from my brain, my muscles have improved considerably as well. Though there is no observable change, I can sense that my muscles can provide me with far more strength than before. And, I have a feeling that they will be far more responsive. No wonder Guy could make his follow-up attacks that quickly. Increased thinking speed plus reduced response time for muscles. My chakra also has increased by around 15%. However, the most incredible part about the Gate of Opening is the feeling I am getting. I can get addicted to this feeling! It feels as if this is how my body is supposed to be. Even those medical sensations with Yoshi and Isamu aren''t this relaxing. The only thing that came close was when I sensed Nature Energy while riding on Ryu''s back. But even that didn''t feel as natural as this! Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I mix Sage Mode with the Gate of Opening... Regardless, it''s time to test it.'' Fujin got up. He looked towards a rock that was raised from the ground due to the earlier spar. Fujin disappeared from his spot, appeared in front of the rock and punched it in one fluid motion. In addition, you also need to improve your stamina. Keep working on it until you can sustain it for at least 5 minutes while you meditate and 2 minutes while you fight. It shouldn''t take a lot of time to do this. Only after fulfilling these two conditions, attempt to open the Gate of Healing." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll follow your instructions." Guy said, "Good. I''ll help you find the Chakra Point for the Gate of Healing as well. You can try opening it later when you fulfil the two conditions for the Gate of Opening." Fujin nodded and sat down. Guy provided him with another scroll with a diagram and some notes to help locate the chakra point in the right hemisphere of his brain. After finding it, Fujin opened the First Gate and tried to push some chakra through the second chakra point to confirm whether he found the right one. After confirming, he closed the Gate of Opening. Of course, that caused him to be even more tired. Guy grinned and said, "Seeing you work this hard ignites the flames of youth in me! Take a rest for today, Fujin! I''ll focus on training my students for the remainder of the day. You don''t need to find me for sparring until you become comfortable with opening the Gate of Healing. It''ll be better if you just focus on training your body and getting it accustomed to opening the Inner Gates instead of sparring with me or anyone else." Fujin chuckled and said, "Alright, I''ll focus on the Gates of Opening and Healing. Also, have fun with your students. Let them experience the flames of youth as well. I''ll see you later, Guy. I''ll visit after opening and getting accustomed to the Gate of Healing." Fujin disappeared from the training ground. Guy disappeared as well and appeared where his three students were. All of them were running on their hands. Guy asked, "How many rounds are you done with by now?" Tenten nearly cried as she complained in her heart, ''3 hours haven''t even passed! Why is he back so early?'' Lee excitedly said, "We are doing our 57th round, Guy-sensei!" Guy said loudly, "Just 57th? That''s too slow! We will do 300 rounds today! Follow me!" Guy''s excitement horrified Neji and Tenten. Both muttered internally, ''We are doomed!'' Guy too got on his hands and began running upside down in front of his students. Lee followed excitedly while the other two followed reluctantly. Chapter 432: Permanently opening the Gate of Opening! As he returned home, Fujin chuckled at the thought of Guy training Neji, Lee and Tenten beyond their limits. He muttered, "Well, sucks to be them. Knowing Guy''s training, I doubt they''d be able to get off their bed for a few days. That said..." Fujin entered his house and took a deep breath. He pondered, ''I still feel so exhausted. Opening the Gate of Opening twice in quick succession takes a lot of toll on my body. And my fist still aches.'' Fujin stared at his right fist. Soon, a green chakra covered his fist and began healing the damage. In a minute, the pain subsided. Fujin stretched his palm and analyzed, ''Fortunately, the damage was only superficial. And though I feel tired, it''s only my body and mind being a bit exhausted due to suddenly getting used to their full extent. My chakra is still fine. After resting for half an hour, I can continue training the Flying Thunder God. Still... That sensation I had on opening the First Gate... How beneficial it''ll be if I can experience that all the time? Is it possible for me to keep the Gate of Opening open all the time?'' Fujin fell into deep thought. After a minute, he thought, ''My current body definitely can''t handle that much stress. I''ll collapse very quickly. But can I train my body so much that it becomes strong enough to sustain it?'' Fujin very quickly shook his head and thought, ''No, even if I make my body strong enough, it won''t be the same as using my body at 100% capability. Instead, what 100% of my body can do would become greater as well. Even if my future body can do my current 100% naturally, that wouldn''t be the same as keeping the Gate open. So, how can I do that?'' As he waited for his body to rest up, Fujin thought continuously about ideas to be able to use his body at 100% capacity all the time without experiencing the drawbacks. Unfortunately, even after thinking long, he couldn''t come up with anything. He sighed and thought, ''A shame, I can''t think of anything. That said, had it been that easy, I''m sure someone else would have already figured it out and a lot of top-level ninjas would have been able to do this. Now that I think about it, Guy''s description of the benefits of Gate of Healing is quite similar to that theory on increasing cellular activity researched by Orochimaru. A week later, Fujin was sitting inside the Meditation room in his house in a meditative position. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and muttered, "Today''s the day." He took an alarm clock and placed it in front of him, setting the timer for 5 minutes. Almost instantly, the Gate of Opening opened and a surge of chakra appeared around Fujin. Fujin had been able to open the Gate of Opening at will on the 4th day of practice. On the 6th day, he had become capable of keeping it open for 2 minutes straight while he moved around at a rapid speed and wreaked havoc in the training ground. His fists and legs did hurt a lot when he hit trees and rocks, but he could endure the pain and heal them later. After opening the Gate of Opening, Fujin closed his eyes again and kept meditating. He was aiming to keep the Gate open for 5 minutes straight. He had barely missed on his previous try, reaching 4 minutes and 48 seconds. Hence, he was quite confident about it. Slowly, the time ticked. 1 minute passed, then two, then four. Fujin felt a slight strain on his body, but it was nothing he couldn''t bear. He stayed in his meditative posture. Finally, the alarm sounded in his room. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face. He met the conditions set by Guy. Almost immediately, he began bombarding the chakra point for the Gate of Healing. Just like the earlier Chakra Point, this one resisted as well. Fujin continued bombardment. However, even after 30 seconds of bombardment, the chakra point didn''t show any signs of giving in. Fujin stopped the bombardment and the Gate of Opening closed. Fujin''s breathing became rough. He thought, ''Well, this is tough. The resistance is much higher. However, that isn''t an issue. The issue is that I have to keep the First Gate open. Only then can I try this. So I can only try this two or three times a day for 5 to 6 minutes each time. Looks like opening the Gate of Healing will take some time.'' Fujin got up and went to rest. He continued with the same training pattern. The only change was that he kept bombarding the second chakra point whenever he opened the Gate of Opening. Chapter 433: Dimensional Void In his basement, Fujin and several Shadow Clones were sitting in a meditative position. Each one of them faced a pillar or the walls which had one Flying Thunder God seal marking on them. Fujin''s body was tired from opening the Gate of Opening and trying to open the Gate of Healing. As such, he and his shadow clones focused on the Flying Thunder God technique. Despite having felt that a breakthrough was close, the breakthrough eluded Fujin for a month! As they meditated, one Shadow Clone suddenly felt a change. He kept his eyes closed and focused entirely on the seal in front of him. In a few seconds, some chakra disappeared from his body. Almost instantly, a small portion of the chakra that had disappeared from his body appeared on the Flying Thunder God Seal in front of him. A glee appeared on his face as he thought, ''I see, so this is how space-time travel happens...'' The clone closed his eyes and recalled how the process happened. He thought, ''When the chakra exited my body, it entered a different dimension. It was able to somehow move through it because I could sense the marking in front of me. This is exactly what is mentioned in the scroll. The scroll stated that after Tobirama wasn''t satisfied with just using Reverse Summoning for Flying Thunder God, he kept researching more about Space-Time Ninjutsu. However, it was mostly a dead-end. Only after finding this dimension, did Tobirama make a breakthrough and create a true teleportation technique that is usable in battle. The scroll says that Tobirama named this as Dimensional Void. But... What is this dimension? The scroll doesn''t mention how Tobirama found or even sensed this dimension. It doesn''t even say anything about what this dimension is. It only says that the dimension can only be accessed with the Flying Thunder God Seal and that travelling through it isn''t completely safe.'' The clone thought for a few minutes before letting out a sigh. He muttered to himself, ''This world is still so full of mysteries. Even someone like Hiruzen is unaware of the fact that all the chakra we use originated from Kaguya. And she is from a crazy strong clan. Who knows what mysteries are involved with the Otsutsuki clan? And that is just the start. How many such mysteries exist in this universe? Even just restricting myself to this planet, there is so much that no one knows. Why are there so many chakra-rich resources in this world? Do resources like those exist on every planet or is this planet special for some reason? What is this dimension that can be used for space-time travel? What is the extent of this dimension? Does it only cover this planet or does it cover the entire universe? Why do some symbols coming together form a unique power that allows us to access this dimension? Even though I have become a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu, I still don''t understand why these symbols have such power. I don''t think anyone else does as well. Sigh, so many mysteries. I wonder if I will ever get to the bottom of this... Anyway, time to test it.'' The clone was confused. The pressure was too intense. Even if he became stronger in the future, he didn''t see himself being able to move around in the Dimensional Void. The clone immediately unleashed most of his chakra to resist the pressure. Unfortunately, it wasn''t much help. He still couldn''t move. However, his eyes moved rapidly trying to absorb any information he could. At the same time, his mind tried to sense the seal markings he had created. Immediately, the clone noticed two things. The first was the dimension itself. There was nothing in the dimension at all! Even light wasn''t present there! The clone couldn''t see anything. However, as a ninja, light wasn''t something he relied on entirely. His eyes glowed and he focused chakra on his ears and nose as well. However, he still couldn''t see, hear or smell anything. He thought, ''No wonder Tobirama named this as the Dimensional Void. There is nothing here. Or at least, there is nothing here that a rank S ninja is capable of sensing. That said, this is indeed a surprise. I thought that we would have to move through this dimension in order to be able to teleport in the Naruto world. I assumed that either I would be able to travel in this dimension at the speed of light, allowing me to move like I am teleporting, or the speed at which time flows in this world would be far faster, creating a similar effect. However, I can''t even move my body in this dimension. Instead, I can clearly sense all the markings that are within 1.05 kilometer range from the place I was sitting at. I just have to decide which marking to select and I can teleport there at will... Or rather, I will be able to do so in the future. In other words, these markings act as portals. Or rather, the seal on my body and any marking I choose come together and act as a portal using this dimension as the medium, allowing me to teleport. Hmm, can this be called teleportation? Tough to say. Regardless, the effect is indeed similar.'' The clone focused his mind on the marking on the pillar in front of him and tried leaving the Dimensional Void through it. Unfortunately, he couldn''t do so. Finally, his body couldn''t handle the intense pressure and he was dispelled. Though the clone had experienced a lot, he didn''t actually spend a lot of time in it. He was in the Dimensional Void for less than a second! As soon as he was dispelled, his memories were transferred to Fujin and the remaining Shadow Clones. Chapter 434: The Complicated Third Step Fujin quickly analyzed his Shadow Clone''s memories. He let out a sigh at the questions that his clone had wondered about. Unfortunately, he wasn''t strong enough yet to resolve those mysteries. Though they weren''t as miraculous as his transmigration, they were still concepts beyond his current strength. However, unlike his transmigration, Fujin was hopeful that he would figure out these mysteries in the future. He quickly removed those thoughts from his head and focused on the Flying Thunder God jutsu. He let out a sigh and muttered, "I had a feeling that I would experience a breakthrough only two weeks after I began practicing the third step. To think that I would need another month of training to actually achieve that breakthrough! And, that is when I kept training with 15 Shadow Clones. That is equivalent to training for 16 months. No wonder such a technique didn''t exist before Shadow Clone jutsu was created. Who''d spend so much time on this while your clan was constantly at war?" Having analyzed the information, Fujin dispelled his Shadow Clones. All their experience and analysis poured into Fujin''s brain. He spent a few minutes getting his thoughts together. He analyzed, ''The first two steps to learn the Flying Thunder God were straightforward. However, the third step is quite complicated. In fact, it is further divided into four more steps. The first step is to sense the Dimensional Void and send my chakra into it. Sensing my markings from the Dimensional Void is also a part of this step. It took me a month and a half to complete this step. The second step is to transport a jutsu through the Dimensional Void. Unfortunately, only the jutsus where chakra is concentrated can be transported through the Dimensional Void. Jutsus like Infinite Breakthrough jutsu will directly collapse in the Dimensional Void. The reason for this should be the intense pressure my clone felt. I will have to add a layer of chakra coating to my jutsus for them to maintain their forms while transporting through the void. Now that I think about it, Rasengan and its elemental forms will be perfect for travelling through the Dimensional Void. They are made purely of chakra and hence don''t need any such layer of protection. Fujin looked around in his basement. He analyzed, ''Though I do have a lot of seals here, I doubt they can endure a barrage of Rasengan. I will need to increase the protection.'' Fujin made the confrontation hand seal. Immediately, several seals on the walls and pillars began glowing. One shadow clone appeared next to Fujin. He moved to the center of the basement and sat there. Immediately, several seals appeared on the floor and the ceiling with the Shadow Clone at the center. Immediately, a barrier appeared and covered the walls, pillars, floor and ceiling in the basement. With the barrier, Fujin no longer had any worries. Fujin created a new set of Shadow Clones to assist him in training. All of them began trying to teleport a Rasengan to the markings in front of them. All their attempts were unsuccessful as Fujin wasn''t used to Dimensional Void yet. Only a small amount of chakra reached the markings, causing a series of small explosions in the basement. Fortunately, the barrier ensured that his house was undamaged. Unfortunately, Fujin overlooked one important factor. Fujin dispelled his clones as his breathing became heavy. He cursed, ''Shit! I forgot that my chakra reserves won''t be able to sustain a continuous barrage of Rasengan! Not to mention, keeping the barrier up while enduring a barrage of small explosions burned the clone''s chakra rapidly as well. I''m already empty.'' There was no helping it. Even Naruto wouldn''t be able to sustain a Rasengan Barrage for more than a few minutes unless Kurama provides him with his chakra continuously. For Fujin, sustaining it for even a few minutes with 15 Shadow Clones was too difficult. Even more so when the Rasengan had to be sent to the Dimensional Void since that required chakra as well. Fujin sighed and decided, ''I guess I have to stick to the Wind Explosion Sphere. It''ll be a lot harder to do than the Rasengan. But it won''t be very chakra exhaustive and I won''t need to use a barrier as the normal strengthening seals should be sufficient to shrug off the damage due to some winds.'' Fujin took a break and continued his training once his chakra had recovered. Even though Wind Explosion Sphere consumed just a fraction of the chakra as compared to Rasengan, it still burned Fujin''s chakra very quickly. As such, his speed of training the Flying Thunder God jutsu slowed. However, his progress with the Gate of Healing was steady. Three days later, he managed to open the Gate of Healing for the first time! Chapter 435: Gate of Healing Sitting in his basement, Fujin observed his own body with amazement. He analyzed, ''Wow! I only had 75% of my chakra left. In an instant, it recovered completely. In addition, it has also increased further by 50% temporarily. I''m not sure how much, but I can feel that my physical strength has increased as well.'' Fujin closed both the Inner Gates and took a few breaths. Soon, he felt a wave of exhaustion and an intense hunger. He thought, ''No wonder Guy said that we need to eat a lot after opening the Gate of Healing. It feels like every cell in my body is exhausted. Getting used to this Gate will take some time as well if I have to wait for my body to recover properly every time I open this Gate. It looks like I should open the Gate of Healing only when my chakra reserves are full and I''m properly rested. That way, no energy would be required to recover my stamina and chakra and the backlash would be reduced greatly. So, I can recover quickly. Still, the Eight Inner Gates is far more sophisticated than I thought. The First Inner Gate allows our body to function at 100%. The Second Inner Gate recovers Chakra and Stamina. During a fight, if higher-level Inner Gates are opened, the lower ones stay open as well. It implies that while fighting, the chakra level and stamina will always be preserved at the highest levels. As long as the body can keep the Inner Gates open, I will have limitless Chakra and Stamina. In a way, the First and the Second Inner Gates provide the perfect base for fighting. Even my minor injuries will be healed so that I don''t face any obstacles in fighting. So as long as my body doesn''t crumble or I don''t take any major injuries, I will be able to fight at my strongest level. Of course, the backlash of doing so would be crazy as well. Instead of doing that, it would be better to just teleport away.'' Fujin was very tempted by the possible advantages gained by using the Gate of Opening and Gate of Healing. Unfortunately, the backlash was just as bad. As such, Fujin was in no hurry to try it out. He analyzed, ''Regardless, the buffs from these two Inner Gates are sufficient to raise a normal ninja and put him on an equal or even higher footing than the ones who have Kekkei Genkai. Only something ridiculous like the Mangekyou Sharingan is stronger, but how many ninjas unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan in every generation? By comparison, anyone who is willing to put in the hard work can learn how to open the first two Inner Gates! If Hiruzen can find children who are willing to work hard and influence them to keep training hard enough, then it might be possible to raise several dozen ninjas who can open the Gates of Opening and Healing. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' Fujin built up his chakra and was about to blow when he suddenly stopped. A frown appeared on his face. He muttered to himself, ''That''s weird.'' Fujin closed his eyes and focused on the chakra flowing through his body. He analyzed, ''My chakra is very erratic. No, rather, it is in a state of hyper-activity. Hence, it wasn''t manipulated properly as usual. But, why didn''t I face any problem in manipulating chakra earlier?'' Fujin took a deep breath again and decided to use the jutsu again to properly inspect himself. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' Unfortunately, the same thing happened. The chakra in his body didn''t knead accurately enough to form the jutsu. The frown on Fujin''s face deepened. Immediately, the chakra in his body became concentrated on his right fist. Fujin punched a rock that was next to him, obliterating it into pieces! He analyzed, ''Strange, very strange! My chakra flows very smoothly when I''m manipulating it to assist my Taijutsu. The Strong Fist Style is working subconsciously while I can use the Senju Taijutsu Style at will as well. However, when I try to manipulate the chakra for forming a Ninjutsu, it doesn''t work! Hmm, could it be because the way chakra moves while assisting in Taijutsu is very simple and something that is supported instinctively, whereas manipulating it for creating Ninjutsus is unnatural and hence not supported by my body instinctively? After all, we do need to use Hand Seals to guide the chakra inside our body to be able to create jutsus. Hmm, let me try that.'' This time, Fujin weaved hand seals for the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu to create the jutsu. Unfortunately, he felt the same obstacle once again and failed in his attempt. Chapter 436: Drawback of Eight Inner Gates Despite weaving hand seals, Fujin still couldn''t perform the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Fujin muttered to himself, ''I still failed? Hmm, this feeling... It feels familiar... I remember it now! It almost feels like the first time I tried a new jutsu. Even if I weave hand signs, I won''t be able to perform it unless that jutsu is very similar to another jutsu that I know. Still... Why am I getting that feeling? Is it because of the hyperactive nature of the chakra flowing in my body? Let me see if I can use simpler jutsus.'' Fujin tried using the Wind Explosion Sphere jutsu. The result didn''t change. Not wanting to give up, Fujin tried using Gale jutsu, the simplest Wind jutsu he was aware of. To his surprise, even that didn''t work. Fujin had a peculiar expression on his face. He closed the Gate of Opening and muttered while chuckling, "Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would fail to use the Gale jutsu." The situation was too awkward for Fujin. While he had expected some difficulty in using high-level jutsus, he hadn''t expected to fail at rank E jutsus. Fujin tried thinking about what went wrong while he rested his body. Though he thought of a few reasons, he wasn''t sure which was the real reason. He sighed and decided, ''There is no point in randomly speculating. I''ll directly ask Guy. Though he focuses on Taijutsu, it''ll be weird if he never tried or considered using Ninjutsu while having the Inner Gates open.'' Fujin disappeared from his training ground and arrived at the training ground where Guy trained after flickering a few times. To his surprise, Guy was training alone. Fujin raised his left eyebrow and asked, "Where are your students?" Guy was pleasantly surprised to see Fujin. The two hadn''t sparred for a few weeks. He said, "I trained them a bit too much yesterday and decided to give them a day off. Though they are young, it will still take some time for their youthfulness to bloom completely. Anyway, It''s good to see you again, Fujin. Did you master how to open the Gate of Healing?" Fujin wondered, ''This guy gives a day off? Those three should be in terrible shape for this monster to take pity on them.'' He nodded and answered, "Yeah. I managed to do it yesterday. But I am facing one issue." Guy became serious. He asked, "What issue did you face?" The Eight Inner Gates was a forbidden technique. Facing issues while using it could result in serious injuries. So, Guy didn''t dare to take it lightly. However, Fujin''s answer caused a peculiar expression to appear on Guy''s face. Guy answered, "I already told you, the Strong Fist Style is just training hard enough for your chakra to fuse with your body naturally. So, it is something your body does instinctively. This is amplified further when your body becomes able to function at 100% of its capability. However, you can''t use Ninjutsu instinctively. As you know, Ninjutsu requires you to carefully and properly mold the chakra inside your body in a certain way for those jutsus to form. It is so unnatural that we have to use hand seals to guide the chakra inside our body to create the jutsus. Though opening the Inner Gates increases your chakra temporarily, you can only use that chakra in the rudimentary form. You can use chakra control to create attacks that improve your Taijutsu, like say using stronger punches and kicks or strengthening your body. As for Ninjutsu, unless there is a jutsu that doesn''t require you to mold your chakra inside your body, you won''t be able to use any Ninjutsu. Unfortunately, I''m not aware of any such jutsu." Fujin immediately memorized his words. He thought, ''A jutsu that doesn''t require molding chakra inside my body... I think I might just know a few... That said, all of them are very complicated. It is difficult to say whether I would be able to use them while having Inner Gates opened...'' He replied, "Alright. Thanks, Guy. Can I start opening the Gate of Life right away? Or do I need to do something before it?" Guy replied, "Your body should be strong enough to open the Gate of Life. However, I should warn you one thing." Fujin became serious and asked, "What is it?" Guy answered, "Opening the Gate of Healing and the Gate of Opening isn''t very difficult and only depends on whether your body is strong enough. But, from the Gate of Life, just having a strong body isn''t enough. You need the will and determination of wanting to surpass yourself and be willing to subject your body to intense pain and pressure. That is why ninjas who specialize in Ninjutsu and are geniuses at it don''t succeed at Eight Inner Gates. They have already reached the top with merely their Ninjutsu skills. So, they don''t have the same determination as someone who depends only on Taijutsu. You may fall in that category too, Fujin." Guy''s words made Fujin think once again. Guy was right. Fujin had reached a very high level with the help of his speed and Wind jutsus. Once the Wind Domain reached an appropriate level, Fujin would be even more fearsome on the battlefield. With the Flying Thunder God, he''d more or less become invincible on the battlefield. As such, he didn''t desire the higher levels of the Eight Inner Gates technique as much as the likes of Guy and Lee. In a few years, Fujin would become capable of fighting against Guy even if Guy opened the Sixth Inner Gate. With the Flying Thunder God, he didn''t even need to fear the Gate of Death. He could just escape and wait for Guy to die by himself. Of course, even though he didn''t desire it as much as Guy, he didn''t have any excuse for not learning the technique. As such, Fujin would give his all. He grinned and said, "Don''t worry, Guy. I''ll be opening it. Just tell me what to do." Chapter 437: A Desire to Kill! Guy grinned and gave Fujin a thumbs up. He said, "Good! I''m impressed by the power of youth in you, Fujin! The process of opening the Gate of Life is the same. You just have to bombard the chakra point until you can open it. The only difference is that the blockade is much stronger. It''ll require a great deal of determination and will also be a painful process. The way to make this process easier is by increasing the intensity of your training by several times. So focus on doing that. You can come and find me to spar as well to push yourself more. Only when you constantly push your body beyond your limits, can you open the Gate of Life." Fujin sighed internally and thought, ''I had a feeling that just having a strong body wouldn''t be sufficient. Surpassing my limits... That would have been easier to do when my body was still quite weak. It looks like opening the Inner Gates would be easier when the body is just barely strong enough to allow the respective Inner Gates to be opened. It''ll be much harder for me. No wonder Lee progressed so rapidly. The body requirements for the initial five Inner Gates shouldn''t be too high. From the Sixth Gate onwards, it will become very difficult. Oh well, even if I don''t open a lot of the remaining Inner Gates, just this training should make my body much stronger. So there isn''t any loss.'' Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, Guy. I''ll keep working towards it. I had just opened the Gate of Opening though. So I''ll find you tomorrow to spar." Guy nodded and said, "Alright. Get good rest and let your youth explode tomorrow!" He gave Fujin his trademark grin and the thumbs up. Fujin smiled and took his leave. After returning home, Fujin wondered, ''A jutsu that doesn''t require chakra to be manipulated carefully inside our body... Fortunately, I do know a few of them and can learn a few more. Rasengan, Wind Domain and Wind Style Genjutsu all work by first releasing the chakra outside my body and then manipulating it. The Elemental forms of Rasengan are also the same. Does that mean that I can use those jutsus even after opening the Inner Gates? Fujin analyzed, ''Not bad. Though my control is a bit unsteady, this is still very good. The important factor is that the time needed to perform the jutsus hasn''t been reduced. For Rasengan, I need to improve my control. Whereas, for the Wind Domain, I''m not able to form as many sharp winds as I can normally. So it is a bit less potent, but it still has the ability to do a lot of damage. After all, I only need one good slash to kill my enemy. Regardless, this is very good. It is as if the Wind Domain is instinctual for me... I wonder if I can create Vacuum Cores as well.'' Considering the instability, Fujin didn''t want to risk creating a Vacuum Core inside his mouth. He raised his right palm once again. He started creating a Vacuum Core to create the Vacuum Sphere jutsu. Though he wouldn''t be able to use his own chakra to form a wind sphere around it, he could easily do so with the help of the Wind Domain. Unfortunately, while Fujin was attempting, the core exploded! Fujin immediately moved far away from it. Thanks to having the Gate of Opening open, reacting quickly and moving at a fast speed wasn''t an issue for him. As such, he was unharmed. Fujin analyzed, ''Too difficult. Even though a Vacuum Core forms outside my body, it is far more intricate and complicated than a Rasengan which merely requires chakra spinning at a high speed. It looks like I won''t be able to use my Vacuum jutsus with the Eight Inner Gates technique even if I learn how to create Vacuum Cores with the help of the Wind Domain. A shame... These two techniques together would have been very destructive.'' Suddenly, Fujin''s chakra surged even more! He had opened the Gate of Healing. Immediately, another Ghost Palm formed in front of him. Fujin observed it carefully before stopping. He raised his right palm and formed another Rasengan. After observing it, he stopped and closed both the Inner Gates. His breathing became a bit heavy, but a smile could be seen on his face. He analyzed, ''Good! There isn''t much difference in control be it with the First or the Second Gate. It looks like both these jutsus are very compatible with the Eight Inner Gates! Hehe. This will be fun. I wonder who will be the one to force me into using this deadly combo. Regardless, I need to train more.'' Satisfied with his experiments, Fujin continued his training. He restarted practicing the Wind Domain and split his time between training it, the Flying Thunder God, physical training and sparring with Guy. The only thing that changed was that Fujin would suddenly increase the pressure from his training seal beyond what his body could bear while training to push himself further. In the next month, Fujin made rapid progress in Wind Domain. He also became capable of using the Rasengan and the Wind Domain seamlessly while having the Gate of Opening and the Gate of Healing open. Unfortunately, he was stuck in other aspects. Though he improved in teleporting the Wind Explosion Sphere through the Dimensional Void, it hadn''t reached a satisfactory level. More importantly, despite having a strong body, he couldn''t open the Gate of Life. The lack of progress in those two aspects caused Fujin some frustration. One day, while he was eating in Ichiraku with Naruto, he muttered to himself, ''It feels like I am in a rut. The constant training with no action is causing me to feel some boredom. I''m missing the constant bloodshed I had engaged in earlier. It feels like my instincts are telling me to go out and kill!'' Chapter 438: Situation of the Uchiha Clan "Oh boy! You should have seen the drama in my classroom when the eraser Kiba threw hit Ino instead of Shikamaru. All hell broke loose, you know. It was h..." Unable to finish his story yet again, Naruto burst into laughter. Normally, Fujin would take an interest in Naruto''s pranks. However, today his mind was preoccupied with his training. He just chuckled in response and let Naruto complete his stories while eating the ramen. After some time, Naruto said, "During our recent sparring class, I managed to land a punch on Sasuke for the first time! He still beat me, but I will defeat him very soon, believe it!" Naruto looked at Fujin and asked, "When do you think I can beat him, Fujin?" Fujin replied casually, "From what I hear, he''s still quite stronger than you. So don''t get your hopes too high anytime soon. However, if you keep training seriously, you''ll be able to catch up with him and even leave him in the dust in a matter of time. So, just keep training seriously. Though you have learnt two jutsus, you are still struggling with Wind Levitation jutsu." During the last couple of months, Naruto had managed to learn Projectile Control jutsu to a sufficient level. Fujin had already taught him the next jutsu. Thanks to the training seal Fujin provided, his physique also made rapid improvements. So he was much more impressive than he was at the start of the series. That was even more true in terms of pranks. The students, teachers, and normal citizens in Konoha were all getting more frustrated by the day! Despite their frustration, no one knew that the person behind this change was merely enjoying their misery while he kept training and eating delicious food. The only person who linked the dots was Hiruzen. However, since Naruto didn''t trouble him, he didn''t bother looking much into it. He just took precautions to ensure that Fujin didn''t suddenly take an interest in Konohamaru. Unlike Naruto, who tormented the village, Konohamaru focused entirely on challenging Hiruzen. As such, Hiruzen didn''t want to risk facing the nightmare of a little kid with little control over jutsus targetting him dozens of times daily! As for Fujin, he mostly just listened to Naruto describing the success of his pranks. At times, Fujin sent a Shadow Clone to watch and have some fun, but that was very rare due to his training. Regardless, he enjoyed the entertainment that Naruto brought in. Naruto said, "I will keep training hard. Believe it!" Naruto''s words about Sasuke made Fujin recall some memories. In the last couple of months, Fujin had sent his clones to the new Uchiha clan compound. The fact that a few Uchihas survived was a major change to the story he recalled. Even though he has so much talent and has a desire burning inside him, he doesn''t train hard enough and doesn''t use that hatred as fuel to grow stronger. If he did, he could rise to the level of a Special Jounin within a year. What a waste... That said, the blame doesn''t entirely lie with him. He is already at the top of his class. In fact, no student in the academy comes close to matching him. And he has no idea how strong Itachi and the other strong ninjas are. So, I guess he just doesn''t see any need to train harder and wouldn''t see it unless someone from the Academy challenges him or he sees how strong Elite Jounins can be.'' As Fujin recalled his analysis, he couldn''t help but shake his head. He thought, ''Despite having Naruto and Sasuke, two students who were at the peak of the world in terms of talent, Konoha didn''t bother assigning anyone to train them properly and push them to become stronger. Then again, this is just because no one knows their true talent. I wonder what Hiruzen would have done had he known how strong both of them would grow in the future...'' Fujin and Naruto were done eating. Naruto ran out of funny stories to tell as well. Fujin looked at Naruto and said, "Naruto, I''ll be out of the village for some time. So you won''t see me at my house for probably a couple of weeks. Feel free to use the training ground if you want though. Keep working on your training. By the time I am back, you should manage to cut the leaf entirely and do leaf concentration for 90 minutes." Naruto was curious. He said, "I will train hard, believe it! Are you going out for a mission?" Fujin nodded. Naruto had a look of curiosity and longing as he said, "I have never been out of the village. I wonder how it is outside." Fujin chuckled and responded, "Just train hard and become a strong ninja. You can then see as much of the world as you want." Naruto nodded and claimed, "I will become strong enough. Believe it!" Fujin chuckled and said, "I do. Now go and continue your training." Naruto immediately left. Fujin left as well. He sent a clone to inform Guy of his absence and strolled towards the Mission Center in the Hokage''s Building. Chapter 439: Return of the Bandit Exterminator! Upon entering the mission center, a familiar face appeared in front of Fujin. A face he hadn''t seen for quite a few years. Shichiro looked at Fujin in surprise. He said, "I haven''t seen you here in a long time. It''s good to see you again. Do you need any help?" He thought, ''The last time I saw him, he was only a Chunin. Now, three years later, he has become an Elite Jounin and is also a council member. What rapid progress!'' Fujin smiled and said, "It''s good to see you again, Shichiro. I''m just bored from staying in the village and want to kill some time. Do you have any bandit elimination missions inside the Land of Fire?" Fujin''s question caught Shichiro by surprise. He chuckled, "This brings back the memories of the Bandit Exterminators. I recall how unwilling you three used to be to accept these missions. I never thought you''d willingly ask for them.'' Fujin chuckled as well and replied, "I''m just bored. Thought I''d help out a bit in this regard. Just give me the missions that are located in one area. Also, give any missions that involve killing rogue ninjas in the same area. The rank of the mission doesn''t matter as long as I don''t have to interact with anyone." Shichiro nodded. He was aware that Elite Jounins would frequently go on rank S missions by themselves. He quickly took out every elimination mission that existed in the southern part of the Land of Fire. Fujin accepted the missions and went through the files one by one. He analyzed, ''Hmm, these bandit camps target the trading route between Konoha and the Lands of Noodles and Tea. Didn''t Hiruzen create two camps along their borders?'' As Fujin read more mission files, he realized, ''I see. Due to the establishment of those two camps, the trade between the three countries has blossomed. The Land of Tea and the Land of Noodles even took advantage of the situation and increased their trade relations taking advantage of the safe conditions created by Konoha. The Land of Fire benefits as well due to the transit tax these two countries pay. However, since the trade has increased so much, it has attracted more bandits and rogue ninjas, especially from the Land of Water. No wonder the two camps aren''t able to clear out all of the bandits and rogue ninjas. Oh well, these missions should be plenty. Though I still haven''t mastered the Flying Thunder God jutsu, it is never too early to start preparations.'' A mischievous smile appeared on Fujin''s face. Shichiro noticed it but didn''t understand. Due to Fujin''s high position, he didn''t ask. However, had Hiruzen seen Fujin''s smile and known the fact that Fujin had experienced some success in the Flying Thunder God jutsu, he would have understood it immediately. Since his progress in teleporting through the Dimensional Void had slowed down, Fujin worked on increasing the range up to which he could sense the coordinates of his markings. In the last month, it had increased to beyond 15 kilometers. While he was training it, Fujin detected a new ability. While detecting the space coordinates of his markings, Fujin suddenly sensed some disturbances in the Space that he was detecting with the help of the Space-Time Sensing Technique. On investigating, Fujin discovered that the disturbances represented chakra signatures. It was unreliable at the start but with training, Fujin became capable of using it to sense other chakra signatures within his range. It was different from normal sensing that required Chakra Fields. Since this method didn''t require a chakra field, others couldn''t detect that someone was sensing them. The only thing Fujin wasn''t sure about was if others who have talent in space-time Ninjutsu would sense it, but on experimenting with his Shadow Clones, he understood that they didn''t sense anything. Another advantage that Fujin''s new detection method had was range. Fujin could detect his markings within a radius of 15 km. Though he couldn''t use this sensing ability for the entire 15 km, he could use it for 4.5 km, which was greater than what he could normally sense. Not to mention, it was still improving rapidly unlike his chakra field which was very difficult to improve further. In addition to sensing, it also gave Fujin another ability. He could feel that he was very sensitive to disturbances in space-time. So if someone else used Space-Tine Ninjutsus, they would have a hard time sneaking up on Fujin. While Fujin wasn''t sure how effective it would be, it was still a happy surprise. As Fujin activated his new sensing ability and the picture formed in his mind showed two disturbances in the space-time field, a smile formed on Fujin''s face. He realized that his guess was accurate. He was being trailed! Around 4 kilometers behind Fujin, two masked Root ninjas were trailing Fujin. Both were very careful as they trailed him and had concentrated chakra in their eyes to observe any changes. One of them said to the other, "Lord Danzo''s analysis was perfect. His initial chakra field stopped at 1.5 kilometers from us but it suddenly expanded so much! Had we been closer, he would have discovered us." The other ninja replied, "Yes. As Lord Danzo said, this guy is full of mysteries and his actions are very unpredictable. We have to trail him properly and collect as much information as we can. If there is some issue with him, Konoha will be in a lot of trouble considering his high post. Pay more attention. He has deactivated his chakra field. Trailing him will become more difficult." The Root ninja nodded. Though they were trailing Fujin, neither was aware of the fact that they were already discovered by the person they were trailing. And thanks to the large distance between them, neither could sense what Fujin was up to. Neither of them sensed any danger as they were moving. All their attention was in the front. Since Fujin had deactivated his chakra field, their eyes couldn''t see it. Hence, they didn''t know how far ahead Fujin was or where he was heading. They had to trail Fujin merely from the signs he left while moving, which wasn''t easy by any means. In addition, they had to ensure that they didn''t get too close to Fujin and get detected if Fujin suddenly activated his Chakra Field. As such, neither of them could sense the Vacuum Blades that beheaded them from the back! They died without knowing how they were detected and who their killer was! Chapter 440: Finally Mastering the Technique! The bodies of the two beheaded Root ninjas fell while their heads rolled on the ground. A few meters behind them, Fujin''s figure appeared as he coldly watched the two dead bodies. A few minutes ago, Fujin had created a Shadow Clone and had it move straight forward. At the same time, he moved away from the path and hid his chakra while waiting for the ones trailing him to catch up. As a result, neither Root ninja sensed him. Fujin observed the two dead bodies and thought, ''As I guessed, it was Root. Now, did Danzo send them behind me to assassinate me or for some other purpose?'' Fujin couldn''t be sure. Danzo wasn''t as reckless as he had imagined. So Fujin knew that Danzo wouldn''t make a sloppy assassination attempt. Regardless, it didn''t bother him much. He stored the two dead bodies and also the blood they spilt on the ground, eliminating all evidence of them dying there. He muttered to himself, ''Though I can''t be sure yet, it is only a matter of time. I should master that technique this time. Once I do, I''ll see what Danzo is up to.'' Fujin had inspected the area with his Space-Time sensing technique once again and didn''t sense anyone else. He analyzed, ''I guess these two are the only ones chasing me. Makes sense. Even if other villages have spies in Konoha, the spies won''t act by themselves. Oh well, no point in waiting for them. I should do what I intended to do. If any more enemies show up, I hope that they are more of a challenge.'' Fujin continued moving South. This time, his speed was much faster. And as he had planned, he left Flying Thunder God markings at intervals of 1 kilometer as he moved. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as the number of markings he left outside Konoha crossed a hundred. He thought, ''I''m not sure if Minato or Tobirama did something like this, but I''ll be touring all the Elemental nations and leave my markings everywhere. Once that is completed, I''ll tour with Kaito and leave markings in the remaining world as well. The ability to teleport anywhere in this world, hehehe. As long as I stay alert and don''t fall prey to a sneak attack or a strong Genjutsu, no one will be able to kill me!'' While Fujin was moving South, Hiruzen finally received the news about Fujin accepting several missions and leaving the village. A look of surprise appeared on his face as he wondered, ''He left the village because he was bored? That''s strange. That''s the first time I have heard him complaining about being bored. It looks like he has some other intentions. But what exactly?'' Hiruzen thought for a bit, but he couldn''t think of anything. He just let it go as he didn''t think Fujin would do anything to harm Konoha. A few hours later, Danzo became a bit nervous. Despite it being several hours, he didn''t receive a single report from the two Root ninjas he sent after Fujin. He couldn''t guess what happened to them. Fujin quickly moved towards his next target. Konoha hadn''t collected the exact location in the majority of the missions that were given to Fujin. They only had approximate locations due to which those missions weren''t given to others yet. So Fujin had to look for a bit. Fortunately, with his Space-Time Sensing Technique, the process was quite easy. He didn''t have to worry about enemy ninjas sensing his chakra field and trying to run away. However, despite the ease, Fujin didn''t hurry. He took his time and focused on mastering the mind-reading technique. Over the next 2 weeks, Fujin eliminated every single bandit group and rogue ninja that the missions required. He also eliminated several other groups in the area that were still unknown but had the misfortune of getting within the range of Fujin''s sensing technique. Fujin tried reading the memories of almost every person he killed. The only memories he didn''t read were of the ninjas whose bodies had to be brought back to Konoha. As Fujin had guessed, none of his targets was able to put up a fight against him. Pretty much everyone was assassinated in one strike. Fortunately for Fujin, he completed his original goal! On the ninth day, Fujin managed to read all the memories of one dead ninja without destroying his brain. From that day onwards, he managed to do it several times. On the thirteenth day, he managed to read all the memories of every person he killed without destroying any brain. He managed to do the same on the fourteenth day as well! A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he read the memories of the last person he killed. He thought, ''Great, no failures at all. I guess this technique can be considered mastered now! Should I try to read the memories of the Jashin Grand Priest?'' Fujin thought for a bit before shaking his head. He decided, ''No. I''ll wait a few days and experiment more. If I don''t fail even once, then I will try to read his memories. I only have one chance to read his memories properly. If I mess up, then it will be a huge loss. Besides, I''m interested in seeing who or what this Jashin is. How can rituals allow someone to control their blood or become undying? Oh well, just a few more days. I''ll understand everything that the Grand Priest knew. For now, it''s time to check those two memories.'' Fujin opened a scroll and made a hand seal. Immediately, the heads of the two Root ninjas appeared. He placed his hand on one of the heads and inserted Yin chakra into his brain. He muttered, "Now, let me see what scheme you are cooking, Danzo." Immediately, Fujin''s Yin chakra rushed into the dead ninja''s brain. Fujin followed the same process as always and tried to read his memories. Suddenly, Fujin''s eyes widened in shock! Chapter 441: Curse Seals Several symbols appeared on the head that Fujin was holding. Fujin immediately withdrew his hand and retreated. Unfortunately, the symbols travelled through Fujin''s Yin chakra and appeared on Fujin''s right hand. Fujin ignored the head and focused on his right hand. The Yin chakra dissipated and a layer of Yang chakra appeared on Fujin''s right arm and hand to stop the symbols. It stopped the symbols from proceeding any further. However, the symbols came together forming an ''X'' shape. It was a seal. Fujin frowned and wondered, ''A trap? Hmm, a Juinjutsu... Did Danzo prepare it specially for me or is this something that all Root Ninjas have?'' Fujin''s eyes glowed as he properly observed the seal on his right hand. It was a seal that he had never seen before. However, the symbols the seal used were familiar. Fujin analyzed the seal for a couple of minutes. Immediately, several symbols appeared on Fujin''s right arm and moved towards the ''X'' mark. Within a minute, the seal on his right palm was destroyed. It was as if no seal had ever appeared on his palm. Fujin muttered, "To give me a feeling of danger... What a weird seal..." Fujin turned his attention towards the head and observed it carefully. He realized that his brain was destroyed. He won''t be able to read any memories from it. Fujin analyzed, ''I see. It looks like Danzo planted a seal that protects the brains of the Root ninjas. So the Root ninjas can neither say what they do nor let anyone else read their memories to let them know. In addition, this seal attacks anyone who tries to read memories. And, the path it takes is very interesting as well. The seal is probably stimulated by foreign Yin chakra and travels through it. If I hadn''t stopped using Yin chakra and used pure Yang chakra instead, the seal would have spread all over my body. Even for me, the consequences of that could be heavy. Not to mention, the seal is quite complicated. If the one who is reading the memories isn''t a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, he would suffer the effects of the seal. The chances of someone who is able to read memories also being a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu is very low. What a devious trap! I wonder if it is another seal or if it is a part of the curse seal he plants on their tongue or if Danzo has also put a second seal on the Root Ninjas. Hmm, now that I think of it, I should also learn the curse seal on their tongue. It should be a good inspiration for creating my own curse seal.'' Four days later, Fujin completed studying both the seals. A look of appreciation could be seen on Fujin''s face. He analyzed, ''Danzo... If these two seals were invented by him, then he is indeed a genius. And a terrifying one at that. I guess he only succeeded in creating such a seal due to his obsession with the Root. The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal is made of 3 parts, all serving different purposes and acting one after another to make the seal effective. The first two parts of the seal are for merely detecting emotions. The first one detects the ninja''s intentions about divulging secrets. The second part detects the ninja''s decision to put those thoughts into action. It activates the third part of the seal, which is a very potent paralysis seal, stopping the ninja from doing so. Once the seal is activated, it remains activated until Danzo decides to turn it off. So if Danzo is unaware of such a thing happening, the Root ninja could stay paralyzed for life! That isn''t the ingenious part though. After all, any Grandmaster and even a few SealMasters know how to deactivate the paralysis jutsu. At least, I won''t have any issues deactivating it. Unfortunately, any such attempt would just reform the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and the Root ninja wouldn''t be able to say anything. The only way to counter this seal would be by getting rid of it entirely. Unfortunately, even that isn''t possible! The seal has an imprint, sort of like a thumb imprint or password. Only the person who knows what this imprint is will be able to lift this seal. It means that Danzo is the only one who can lift this seal. Unless my Fuinjutsu reaches an entire level beyond Danzo, I won''t have any way of lifting this curse seal. And since Danzo is already a Grandmaster, it means that no one other than him can lift this seal. It is the same for the other seal as well. It has 3 parts as well and no one can remove it. The first part is to detect any external Yin chakra headed towards the brain. The Yin chakra can be as I tried to read the memories or a Genjutsu which attempts to force the truth out. If it detects it, the remaining two parts get activated. The first part simply destroys the brain, making it impossible for anyone to read memories. The second part infiltrates through the external Yin chakra and attacks the one trying to read the memories with a rather strong Juinjutsu. It is a paralyzing seal as well, however, it directly attacks the brain and the nervous system of the one trying to read the memories or cast a Genjutsu. If that ninja gets hit by this Juinjutsu and isn''t an expert in Fuinjutsu or has one such expert around, he will suffer heavily. Though it isn''t life-threatening, it can reduce a ninja to a vegetative state if no help is provided in time. Such a brutal seal... No wonder Danzo is so hated by the higher-ups in other villages. The Root ninjas have no morals and lack sympathy. That alone makes them a difficult opponent. To make matters worse, even if they are captured, the enemy village won''t get anything from them. It is too much effort for neutralizing ninjas at Elite Chunin or Special Jounin levels.'' Chapter 442: Creating and Destroying the Seals Fujin continued analyzing, ''Of course, such efficiency comes only after discarding the lives of Root ninjas. The second seal shows the willingness of Hiruzen and Danzo to sacrifice them without a second thought. Though it is rather brutal to sacrifice your own ninja, I can understand why Hiruzen would allow Danzo to do so. If the situation becomes that bad, then it already means that the Root ninja is more or less dead. He will just be tortured until they can get all the information from him. By choosing to sacrifice his life and using that chance to counterattack the enemy, the enemy will be far more reluctant in trying to capture and torture any Konoha ninja, even more so if the captured ninja is an Anbu. This way, at least the final moments of the ninjas won''t be filled with torture and blaming themselves for compromising the safety of the village or their friends. Of course, the biggest reason why Hiruzen allowed Danzo to use these two seals is because Danzo doesn''t have any control over these two seals other than being able to put them and release them. Unlike the Hyuga clan''s curse seal, these two seals don''t have any features to allow Danzo to paralyze a Root ninja or to destroy his brain at will. As long as the Root ninja is safe and doesn''t intend to divulge any information, even Danzo can''t use the seal to control or torture them. He will have to depend on his other skills to do so. Only... I wonder if Danzo created the seals in such a way to ensure that Hiruzen would agree or if there are any restrictions due to him being able to include his imprint in the seal. Even though I understand all the functions of these two seals, there are still some aspects of the seal that I am not clear on. That will need experiments to be completely clear. I also wonder if the seal can be made even more dangerous. After all, I won''t be having someone like Hiruzen to restrict me. Hmm, now that I think about it, doesn''t Orochimaru use his curse seal to seal a part of his soul inside them? I wonder if his seal is just the next step of this seal. That said, even if that is the case, it won''t explain how Orochimaru is able to divide his soul to do so. Sigh, that guy is even more weird than Danzo. It''d be so damn helpful if I could read his memories!'' Unfortunately, there was no way that Fujin could think of to make that absurd thought a reality at that moment. He shifted his attention back to the head in front of him as he thought, ''Luckily, there are no backdoor mechanisms for Danzo to know if or when either of the seals get activated. So, he should be in the dark about the fates of these two. Sadly, I can''t read their memories to understand his intentions either. Oh well, it doesn''t matter much. I already know what to expect from Danzo, but he doesn''t know much about me. Even if Hiruzen gave him all my information, he still wouldn''t have the right picture. Regardless, I would need to experiment...'' The seals he inscribed on the head were to try and stop the seal from destroying the brain. As for the attack, since Fujin wasn''t using any Yin chakra, he was under no threat. Fujin had already studied the seal very thoroughly, so he wasn''t worried about it harming him. The head soon became covered in seals. However, since the seals hadn''t posed any threat yet, the seal on the back of the Root ninja''s head didn''t trigger. Once Fujin was ready, he controlled all the seals and attacked the seal on the back of the head. As he observed, Fujin thought, ''I have two main tasks to do. First, I have to stop the seal from destroying the brain. And secondly, I have to isolate the entire seal, including the imprint Danzo left.'' If Fujin succeeded, then even if he couldn''t unseal the seal, the seal would become useless as it wouldn''t be able to do its task. It would also allow Fujin to study the seal more closely and understand all its secrets. Unfortunately, while Fujin''s plans were good, they weren''t good enough. Fujin managed to keep the brain safe for a few seconds and used that time to isolate the seal. Unfortunately, he failed to do so due to Danzo''s imprint and the seal managed to damage the brain. Within a few seconds, the brain was sufficiently damaged to ensure that no memories could be read from it. Fujin sighed and muttered, "As I thought, this is too difficult. That imprint is pretty much buried into his head. I''ll need to experiment on a lot of Root ninjas to have any chance of success. But where would I find so many Root ninjas? Leave it. I had sufficient gains from studying the seal." Fujin extended his palm towards the head of the Root ninja. Chakra was emitted from his palm and began spinning at a high speed. It was like the Rasengan, but not the usual one. Instead of forming a sphere, the chakra engulfed the head while moving rapidly. Within a few seconds, the head was completely destroyed. The bodies of the two Root ninjas were also destroyed. Danzo would never know where and how his two subordinates died. With the traces of the two Root ninjas wiped out, Fujin decided, ''It''s time to read the memories of that Grand Priest of Jashin.'' Fujin removed his bracer. On his forearm was a storage seal that he had inscribed on his arm. Fujin focused on it and a scroll popped out. It was the scroll that he had stolen from Uchiha Akihiko and kept it hidden since then. A few seconds later, the body of the dead Grand Priest of Jashin lay on top of a stone table. Chapter 443: Zankokus Tragedy! Despite it being several years, the body of the Grand Priest was in the same condition as it was when he died. Though the Uchihas tried to study him, they didn''t have sufficient time to devote resources and manpower to do so. So, they took great care to maintain the state of the dead body to study it deeply after the coup. As for Fujin, he never once removed the body from the scroll to ensure that the body didn''t degrade and stayed in optimal condition. Having already experienced a backlash while trying to read the memories of the Root ninja, Fujin didn''t recklessly try to read his mind and instead observed and studied the dead body carefully. While Danzo and Orochimaru were very weird, Jashin took the crown when it came to being the weirdest in the Naruto World. Being aware of that fact, Fujin was very careful. Fortunately or unfortunately, Fujin didn''t find any seals on his body. Fujin wondered, ''Did his body have no seal or did the Uchiha remove any seals on him? Tough to say. Oh well, I hope that his memories are still well preserved. From what Fumito said, memories start disappearing after the person dies. If their head isn''t preserved in a storage scroll where time barely moves, then almost all their memories will dissipate in a few days and only some important events still stay stored. But even that becomes very difficult to find. If the brain is damaged due to the passage of time, then all the memories will be lost. So, I should try to learn as much from him as I can quickly.'' Fujin placed his palm on the Grand Priest''s head. As usual, two Shadow Clones kept a watch in case something unusual occurred. Fujin inserted his Yin chakra into his brain and began reading his memories one by one. A long time ago, in the Land of Bats there existed a small hidden village. The village was called the Hidden Bat Village. It was the sole ninja village in the Land of Bats. The village was covered in greenery and had traditional Japanese-style houses. Despite it being day, several bats could be seen flying in the village. A young handsome man walked into the central house in the village. As he did, a few servants greeted him respectfully by bowing slightly. He smiled in response and continued on his way and entered one of the rooms. An older man looked up and noticed the young man walking in. In terms of facial features, the young man looked very similar to the old man. If the old man didn''t have some wrinkles and a head full of grey hair, they would look very similar. The young man greeted respectfully, "Father." A serious look could be seen on his face. The old man nodded and asked, "Is something the matter, Zankoku?" Zankoku nodded and said, "Father, I received reports from the spies I planted in the neighboring Land of Eagles. They are rapidly building up their military. If we don''t act soon, then we will be in grave danger." Zankoku had a complex expression on his face. A struggle could be seen happening inside him. He sighed and replied, "If I perform the ritual, it will be no different than destroying the village." Ketsueki shook his head and said, "You are wrong. You won''t be killing them. You will be sacrificing them to Lord Jashin. They will merely be freed from their mortal bodies and find peace with Lord Jashin. And with the help of Lord Jashin, you can destroy anyone who has or will wrong you." Zankoku sighed once again and asked, "Is there any way to gain Lord Jashin''s help without sacrificing everyone in my village?" Ketsueki answered, "No. If you can''t even make a sacrifice for Lord Jashin, then Lord Jashin won''t help you. Your faith in Lord Jashin isn''t enough. Leave for now. In the future, when you see the truth, come and find me." Zankoku took his leave. He had encountered Ketsueki who introduced himself as a Bishop who worshipped Lord Jashin. Zankoku was immediately captivated by Jashin and accepted Ketsueki''s teachings. However, he was unwilling to perform the ritual as it needed a lot of sacrifices from the people who were close to him. Not to mention, even if he wanted to, he couldn''t do so. His father was much stronger than him. In addition, there were 3-4 more ninjas who were stronger than Zankoku. So, sacrificing all of them wasn''t something he could accomplish by himself. Life continued as usual for the people in the Land of Bats and three years passed. However, the rest of the world slowly became uneasy. Several hidden conflicts happened on a daily basis. The major as well as the minor villages began preparing for a war. The Land of Bats was unable to stay separated from this conflict. Zankoku''s father began preparing for war too late. As a result, the Hidden Bat Village was attacked by the Hidden Eagle Village. The attack was swift. The Hidden Bat Village was almost entirely annihilated. Rivers of blood flowed inside the village. Only a few Jounins had managed to hold on, but they were outnumbered as well. In one such battle, Zankoku was facing three enemies Jounins. His body was riddled with injuries and he was on his last legs. Just when one of the enemies was about to land the killing blow, a figure appeared on the battlefield and killed all three Jounins in a perfect sneak attack. He quickly grabbed Zankoku and disappeared from the battlefield. Not long after, everyone else in the village was killed and the Hidden Bat Village became one of the many villages that disappeared in the long river of history! Chapter 444: Jashins Ritual In a cave close to the former village, Bishop Ketsueki healed Zankoku. Zankoku''s condition was very bad and he needed a couple of days to even be able to move. As soon as he could, he got up and informed Ketsueki, "I''m heading back to my village." Ketsueki replied remorsefully, "Your village is no more. The battle was over in a few minutes after you fell. If I hadn''t rescued you, then you would have been dead as well. The ninjas from the Hidden Eagle Village have already retreated, leaving behind a few ninjas to watch over your village." Ketsueki''s words shocked Zankoku. While he knew what the result would be, his heart didn''t want to accept it. The village had his parents, his siblings, his lover, the friends he grew up with and trusted his back to and everyone else whom he saw on a daily basis. Losing them all at the same time was a huge blow to him. Ketsueki allowed Zankoku to mourn his loss in silence for a while. When he noticed that Zankoku had accepted the reality, he said, "Lord Jashin had warned me about the calamity that would befall your village five years ago. It is fate. Nothing would change that. Lord Jashin could only give you an opportunity to act first and strengthen yourself to take revenge on the ones who would destroy you. Unfortunately, you didn''t accept the ritual." Zankoku looked at Ketsueki. Hatred, determination and a strong will were visible in his eyes. He asked, "Will Lord Jashin allow me to complete the ritual now?" Ketsueki answered, "As long as you have faith in Lord Jashin and are willing to follow his teachings, you can." Zankoku replied, "I have faith in Lord Jashin and I''m willing to follow his teachings." Ketsueki replied, "Good. Unfortunately, everyone in your village is dead. All your family and clan members who shared your blood are no more. Fortunately, it hasn''t been too long since then. The ritual can still happen. However, it will require even more sacrifice." Zankoku replied, "It doesn''t matter who or how many need to be sacrificed, I am willing! Everyone I know and cherish is already dead. I am willing to sacrifice the entire world if I need to!" Ketsueki nodded in approval and said, "Good." Zankoku nodded. He desperately wanted the power to avenge his village and to serve Lord Jashin. So he had no intention of messing up the only thing that would immediately make him stronger. He waited patiently while meditating and worshipping Lord Jashin. On the night of the full moon, Zankoku moved to the center of the cave. The center of the cave had a large circular room with a dome-like ceiling. There were eight narrow pathways connected to the room. Several symbols and seals were drawn from those pathways to the room. At the center of the room was a small circular pool that contained blood that Zankoku had collected earlier. If one looked closely, then numerous hearts could be seen at the bottom of this pool. A narrow canal came in from each of the 8 pathways connecting to the room and joined the pool. However, those canals were empty for the time being. Following Ketsueki''s instructions, Zankoku walked into the pool and sat at its center. He closed his eyes and began meditating, his mind only having thoughts about Lord Jashin and gaining strength. Meanwhile, Ketsueki started the ritual. Zankoku was instructed to only focus on meditation and to not get distracted even for a second. Ketsueki activated all the symbols in the room. Immediately, a glow appeared in the room due to the seals shining. At the same time, several seals on Zankoku''s body were activated as well. Zankoku immediately felt a surge in chakra. At the same time, his body felt intense pressure while his mind became very restless. He gritted his teeth and recalled the bloody state of his village. He continued meditating and believing in Lord Jashin. Slowly, the hearts in the bloody pool began burning up. The blood in the pool began flowing towards the seals on Zankoku''s body. On the other side of the 8 narrow pathways surrounding the room were 8 rooms. Each had a hundred ordinary people. The seals on their bodies began glowing as well. Suddenly, they felt an intense pain. The pain was so high that they snapped out of the Genjutsu they were under. Unfortunately, they couldn''t do anything. They all screamed in pain as blood was being sucked out of their bodies! Their screams could be heard in the central room where Zankoku was meditating. However, he paid no attention to them and just gritted his teeth. The pain he experienced was far more intense than any of the 800 screaming civilians. The blood extracted from their bodies began moving through the canals connecting to the blood pool. Soon, their blood flowed into the pool as well. Under Ketsueki''s control, all the blood began flowing into Zankoku''s body with the help of seals he had inscribed on Zankoku''s body. Despite the intense pain, Zankoku hung on. Chapter 445: A Secret Organization While Zankoku could endure the pain, it wasn''t the case with the common people. Unfortunately, the pain didn''t allow ordinary people to stay unconscious for long. They screamed until they could no more and merely waited for their eventual death. The ritual continued for three days straight! By then, all the 800 people had died. The blood in the canals and the pool had been absorbed into Zankoku''s body. All the hearts were missing as well. Zankoku was now sitting at the bottom of the empty pool. The pain he was experiencing had now subsided. Or perhaps he had gotten used to it as his body still felt itchy. He opened his eyes and observed his body. Strange tattoos covered his entire body. However, Zankoku didn''t mind. Instead, his focus was entirely on the power he was feeling coursing through his veins. In merely three days, his chakra reserves had tripled. In addition, he could feel a strange power in his blood, though he wasn''t aware of what it was. Suddenly, he heard a voice. "Lord Ketsueki, are you alright?" He turned his head and noticed that Bishop Ketsueki had collapsed. He quickly approached him. Ketsueki was thoroughly exhausted. Though no blood was drawn from his body, his condition wasn''t much better than the 800 people who had died. Zankoku was shocked to see his state. Despite being in a terrible state, Ketsueki wasn''t concerned. Instead, a twisted smile could be seen on his face. He exclaimed, "I succeeded! I succeeded! I succeeded! Hahahaha!" Ketsueki''s state surprised his followers and Zankoku. None of them had ever seen Ketsueki lose his composure before. Ketsueki looked at Zankoku and said, "I lied earlier. This isn''t my first time performing this ritual. Instead, it is my 9th time! Unfortunately, the eight that preceded you didn''t have sufficient faith in Lord Jashin and failed during the ritual. As a result, all of them died!" Zankoku was shocked to learn that. He understood that the risk he had taken was far greater than what he had imagined it would be. However, he had already performed the ritual and succeeded. Ketsueki continued, "By completing this ritual, you are now a Grand Priest. You have the right and the duty to propagate Lord Jashin''s name and convert others to Jashin. Take my followers and lead them. The people you convert will also become your followers. Try to build a huge force and always follow the teachings of Jashin." Ketsueki''s passionate speed confused everyone. Zankoku asked, "What do you mean?" Over the duration of the two wars, Zankoku focused on increasing his strength and his followers. The number of Priests under him rose from 1 to 7. His nature and morals changed vastly as well, leaving no resemblance with the Zankoku who had just become a Grand Priest. His own strength became very formidable among Elite Jounins. Unfortunately, no matter what he did, his strength never rose past that rank. He never became a rank S ninja. As a result, he tried to replicate Ketsueki''s ritual to increase his strength further. Unfortunately for him, he was discovered and eliminated by Fujin''s squad. Fujin finally took his palm off Zankoku''s head. He had read several important memories from Zankoku''s life which had the highest impact on Zankoku. The conversation with his father, the conversation with Ketsueki, the fall of his village, the ritual, his revenge, a few bouts of madness and his final fight with the Uchihas were his most impactful memories. Fujin could read them clearly. The rest was very difficult to read and Fujin didn''t have much hope of succeeding in doing that. Regardless, he was satisfied with the information he gained. Fujin analyzed, ''So his name was Zankoku, huh? Looks like he led a rather eventful life. He was lucky to be born as the son of the Village Leader and be quite talented. If everything had been peaceful, he would have succeeded his father and led the village. Unfortunately, this world is anything but peaceful. His father was too pacifist and didn''t listen to his suggestions. As a result, the entire village was wiped out, leaving him as the lone survivor. However, everything might not be as straightforward as it seems. After all, these memories just show things from Zankoku''s perspective. For starters, why did that Ketsueki guy approach Zankoku? And, how did Ketsueki know that the Hidden Eagle Village would invade in the future? Did he just guess the trends of the world or did he work behind the scenes to make that invasion happen? Or is there really someone called Jashin who conveys messages like this? But, who could be such an entity? More importantly, what would he gain by creating a few Grand Priests? Hmm, is there another being like Kaguya who is sealed on this planet and trying to get out? Only in that case would it make any sense. But who is it and who sealed him?'' Fujin thought for a bit. However, he didn''t have any information to make any guesses. Fujin decided to stop thinking about it. He analyzed further, ''There is just too little information. Ketsueki mentioned several times that Jashin instructed him and he heard Jashin''s voice. However, Zankoku doesn''t have any memory of any such voice guiding him. Other than feeling a sense of compulsion, there was nothing unusual in his life. So, it is impossible to say whether Ketsueki was telling the truth or whether he just made it all up for some reason. Oh well, no point in thinking about such an entity. Even if I find it, it won''t help me unless I get a lot stronger and can subdue it. Rather than thinking about such an entity, the Jashin cult is worth paying more attention to. This Ketsueki fellow had the rank of a Bishop. The members of Jashin are generally divided into four ranks, that is, the Grand Priest, the Priest, the Devotees and the Servants, with the Grand Priest having the highest authority and the servants having the least. As for the Bishop, Zankoku never met another in his life. It seems like the Bishops perform the rituals which can create a Grand Priest. Most likely, they all die on creating a Grand Priest. This way, the Grand Priest''s knowledge will be limited to what the Bishop passed down to him. He won''t be able to threaten the place or organization from where the Bishop came. If I assume that this is the case, then there is perhaps a secret sect or a secret cult of Jashin somewhere in this world.'' Chapter 446: Hiruzen the Matchmaker While Fujin was researching about the Jashin, Hiruzen was sitting in his office facing a different headache. Hiruzen was staring intently at the 3 letters on his desk. Despite his decades of experience, Hiruzen was left clueless about how to handle the situation in front of him. The three letters were sent to him by the Hyuga, Yamanaka and the Inuzuka clan leaders. All three letters were extremely similar to one another! He cursed, ''That brat. Just when I thought that he wouldn''t trouble me again, he caused me headaches once again. Though I can''t fault him on this one, he is still the reason for this headache. Sigh, I''m getting too old. Though they don''t state it specifically, don''t they have any shame asking a widowed old man to decide something like this?'' The letters from the three clan leaders requested Fujin to be the Jounin Sensei of teams of their respective children. Some time ago - Hyuga Clan Compound - Hyuga Hiashi sat in front of a table writing a letter. Once he was done, he read it while wondering, ''Is this the right thing to do?'' He fell into deep thought for a few minutes. Finally, his expression became resolute as he thought, ''Hinata is too timid and soft. As she is now, she won''t be able to accomplish much as a ninja. The chances of that changing is negligible. Once the time comes, there will be no other choice but to put the seal on her.'' Hiashi stopped thinking. He had seen what had happened with his brother due to the seal. If possible, he would choose to not have either of his daughters be branded by the curse seal. Unfortunately, that was a difficult task and against their customs. He thought, ''Suzuki Fujin is almost opposite to her. Though not a lot of his information is available even to us clan leaders, there is little question about how lethal and ruthless he is on the battlefield. Though I failed, there might be some hope for him to succeed. Even if he doesn''t, if he trains Hinata, it''ll give me several opportunities to interact with him. I''ll take these opportunities to get closer to him and ask him to marry Hinata. The reason to brand the curse seal on branch members is for their safety on the battlefield. However, what better safety there will be than being with a rank S ninja? Not to mention, there is no way someone like him will allow his partner to be branded by the curse seal. I can use the pressure applied by a rank S ninja to avoid branding Hinata with the curse seal. That will be the best for her. I just hope everything goes well.'' However, he was already in a relationship with Kushina by the time he gained fame. No one dared to make a move fearing Kushina''s response. Since Fujin isn''t in any relationship, nothing is stopping them. Fortunately, Hinata and Ino are still very young and Fujin is stronger than the clan leaders. Otherwise, they might have gone past me and directly tried to do something.'' As Hiruzen was thinking, he heard a voice, "What interesting letters, Sensei. This brat''s luck makes even the Great Toad Sage Jiraiya feel envy, hahaha." Hiruzen looked behind him to see that Jiraiya was sitting at the window. He looked at him with annoyance. Without being asked for, Jiraiya gave his free advice, "Why don''t you just put the three of them in one squad? Won''t that solve the issue? Just imagine that lucky brat with three girls. He''ll be in heaven and hell at the same time. It''ll be fun to watch. I''ll get so much more research material for my next book!" Hiruzen looked at the letters again as he asked, "Solve the issue? Or raise a hundred new ones? The Ino-Shika-Cho formation can''t be disrupted. With the three of them working together, they can become a rank S-level threat in the future just like their parents. It''s not something we can give up on for some whim." He thought, ''Besides, what fun will I get to watch? Those girls won''t come of age for the next 6 years. Will I be even still alive and kicking by them? Even if I am, this brat hides behind a million seals. Even my crystal ball doesn''t work! Who knows what he needs so much privacy for!'' Jiraiya said, "Stop being a party pooper, Sensei. Just imagine that my next book can be titled, The Orphan and the Three Princess!" Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya with a tick mark on his forehead. Jiraiya chuckled and asked, "So, what will you do?" Hiruzen answered, "What can I do? I''ll obviously need to ignore their real agenda. As for the decision, I''ll leave it to Fujin. Let him decide." Jiraiya sighed and said, "That''s boring." Hiruzen glanced at him and said, "If you want to make it interesting, come take this seat. Feel free to do whatever you want to then." Jiraiya immediately replied, "No thanks, I am out!" A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared and Jiraiya disappeared within the smoke. Hiruzen cursed internally, ''At this rate, I''ll have to do paperwork until I am 100 years old! I need to quickly find someone to dump these neverending files on!'' He looked at the three letters and muttered to himself, ''Enjoy, for now, kiddo. I promise that your future years won''t be this carefree!'' Hiruzen decided to leave the choice to Fujin. He didn''t want any more headaches. As for Fujin, he was completely unaware of the fact that two grown men and one woman were about to force their daughters on him as soon as he returned back to the village! Whether he''d be pleased or annoyed remains to be seen! Chapter 447: So Many Complications! Fujin continued analyzing, ''That secret organization is likely responsible for training the Bishops and sending them into the Elemental nations to create Grand Priests. If that is indeed the case, then even if a Grand Priest did something extreme and all the known Jashins were hunted and killed as a result, the religion itself would never be in danger of extermination. The only other way would be if Jashin himself appointed his Bishops and directed them towards the Grand Priest. However, in that case, no one will be able to find anything and I can''t do anything either. So, there is no point in thinking about this possibility. Still, it seems like there are some similarities among the Grand Priests chosen. Hidan and Zankoku were both from minor villages. They weren''t satisfied with the pacifist leader and wanted to expand their village''s military power rapidly. And, both were quite talented for someone from minor villages. Anyway, I''ll consider them later on. For now, my only focus is on Blood Manipulation. Unfortunately, it doesn''t look like I can get my hands on it easily.'' Fujin had a serious expression on his face. He recalled all the details of the ritual that gave Zankoku the ability to manipulate blood. He analyzed, ''While I did learn a lot of surprising information, the most surprising is what was used to conduct the ritual. It was Fuinjutsu! Or rather, a combination of Fuinjutsu and Juinjutsu. I''m not sure who or what Jashin is, but that Bishop was definitely a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu. The seals he inscribed on the 800 ordinary people and Zankoku were all Juinjutsu whereas the seals and symbols covering the cave were Fuinjutsu. Unfortunately, Zankoku wasn''t a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. He wasn''t even a SealMaster. Despite participating in the ritual, he didn''t pay much attention to what Ketsueki did. Even after Ketsueki died, he didn''t try to learn it and merely focused on his revenge and spreading the word of Jashin. As such, he had no idea how to recreate the ritual. It was only when his strength began dropping due to age that he became interested in it. Unfortunately, it was too late by then. He revisited that old cave, but it wasn''t in the best shape due to being abandoned for decades. Fortunately, one of his Priests was a SealMaster. He spent a lot of time studying the seals that still remained in the cave. With the help of Zankoku, the SealMaster Priest and the one Priest who used to follow Ketsueki before his death, they managed to recreate the ritual. One complication after another left Fujin feeling a bit depressed and annoyed. He raised a small rock from the ground and sat in front of Zankoku''s dead body while calming down himself and thinking about the situation. After some time, he realized, ''Wait a minute... Why would the Uchihas wipe out the seals on his body? Unless they made some progress in replicating it and wanted to stop anyone else from gaining it. But, they already had his body with them. How would anyone else study it? Not to mention, they didn''t wipe out any markings that were on his body. So why would they only clear out the seals? Hmm, now that I think about it, I had observed this guy carefully when he fought with the Uchiha Jounins. Back then, though I wasn''t a Grandmaster, I was already a SealMaster. Even if his seals were complicated, I should have been able to detect them even if I didn''t understand them. So why couldn''t I?'' On calming himself down, Fujin realized that he had missed one, no, two important points! He analyzed further, ''Another point to consider is the Juinjutsu itself. There is no Juinjutsu in Konoha and perhaps any other Elemental villages that can give such a crazy ability. Now that I think about it, I haven''t heard of any of the dead Uzumakis having such ability either.'' Fujin''s eyes suddenly widened as he realized a crucial point. He gazed at Zankoku''s dead body once again and cursed, ''Shit! How did I miss such a simple point! This Juinjutsu... It likely has nothing to do with having faith in Jashin. Rather, it is at an entirely different level than what we ninjas practice. A Juinjutsu that can inscribe seals on and in the body so intricately that it fuses with the body and becomes a part of it. That is probably why I can''t see any seals on his body. They most likely still exist, but they have already become a part of his body. Most probably, his body has been modified by that ritual, just like Hidan. If I can learn this...'' Fujin felt a wave of excitement flowing through his body! A whole new world had opened up in front of him. He had a feeling that his strength would increase tremendously if he grasped this knowledge. He felt that this could be a way to surpass the S rank! Fujin muttered, "I have a feeling that I can escape the limits of the human body and lifespan if I can grasp this! Though I might not become as strong as Hashirama or Madara, the benefits will be far more significant than a simple increase in strength." Chapter 448: Medical Ninjutsu and a New Target Fujin felt that his speculation was on point. His mind quickly began calculating how he could learn that level of Juinjutsu. His eyes landed on the dead body in front of him as he thought, ''One way will be to study this dead body properly. I need to understand what biological changes Zankoku experienced after undergoing the ritual. I will need to compare his body to a normal body and experiment to understand which seals could cause such a change. That could form a base for me to understand how a Juinjutsu of this level could be created. To reach that stage, I will first have to properly study and research this dead body. Unfortunately, I have zero expertise in this field... To be able to do that, I will need to take up Yoshi''s offer and pursue Medical Ninjutsu. But...'' Fujin had a headache. He was already learning a lot. He specialized in Ninjutsu and had mastered well over 50 jutsus. While his main focus was on the Wind element, he had also learnt several powerful ninjutsu of Lightning, Fire and Earth elements. In addition, he was also working on Space-Time Ninjutsu, which was entirely different from any other Ninjutsu. Though Ninjutsu was his speciality, he had diversified his skills a lot already. In terms of Fuinjutsu, he was already at the highest rank in the ninja world. Considering the speed of his progress, very few would be able to claim to be as good as him at Fuinjutsu after a few years. His Taijutsu was extremely strong as well. Not only did he know two of the strongest fighting styles, he also knew the forbidden Eight Inner Gates formation and he could open two Inner Gates. That alone made him one of the strongest Taijutsu users in the Ninja world. While his Genjutsu wasn''t as spectacular as the other three fields, Fujin was still better than any Special Jounin who specialized in that field. More importantly, he had developed the skills to counter the Sharingan and was extremely good at detecting and breaking Genjutsu. If Fujin worked on Medical Ninjutsu, then it would take a lot of his time and energy. Even with Shadow Clones, it won''t be an easy task. Fujin sighed at the thought of increasing his already ridiculous workload. He decided, ''I have no choice... It looks like I have to work on this aspect. Even if not today, I might need this skill sometime in the future. In fact, I have a feeling that I''ll be needing these skills a lot in the future. That said, researching dead bodies isn''t an easy task. Though I came from a technologically advanced world, I never focused on improving my medical knowledge. So I won''t have any advantage over others in this world despite the advances in my previous world. Reading his mind will also allow me to understand whether there really is a Jashin who speaks with them or if it is just some scheme they are running to achieve some goal. The only issue with this plan is that capturing and reading the memories of that Bishop can affect Hidan''s ritual. If it doesn''t go through, then Akatsuki''s structure might undergo some changes. However, even if it causes some changes to the future I know, the benefits of doing so are too high. Akatsuki''s goals won''t change even if Hidan doesn''t join them while my strength will grow several folds due to doing this. I will do it now. I''ll return to the village and take some elimination missions in the Land of Hot Water. Once I find Hidan and the Priest, I will find my answers!'' Fujin returned to the village at a high speed, resting just once during the night. While he rested during the night, Fujin had a thought and his expression became very peculiar. He thought, ''In my previous life, whenever I read about someone working with dead bodies, I would always feel very weird and get a creepy feeling due to the nature of the job. It was even more so in anime when I read about characters like Danzo, Orochimaru and Kabuto experimenting with them. However, I unknowingly spent the last few days studying a head that I cut off and a dead body I have been storing for over 3 years! When did I become like this?'' Fujin was left speechless by the realization. While the excessive amount of killing he did in this world meant that he no longer felt any stigma while inspecting the dead bodies, he never thought that someday he would become so focused on studying dead bodies and even plan on improving his medical knowledge to do that better! Fujin just shook his head and thought, ''I doubt the me who had just arrived in this world would be able to connect with the present me. Oh well, nothing I can do about it. Surprisingly, it isn''t that hard to get used to being around dead bodies.'' Fujin began resting for the night and continued his journey the next day. In Konoha, Hiruzen was working in his office when he received a high-priority scroll from the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water. As Hiruzen read the details in the scroll, a frown appeared on his face. He thought, ''I expected them to face troubles in becoming a peaceful country, but this is just too much. No wonder the Damiyo is panicking so much. Still, this resembles a lot with that particular mission...'' Hiruzen thought for a bit and instructed, "Takao, call Fujin to my office." Chapter 449: Fujins Frustration Fujin arrived in Konoha a couple of hours before noon. He went straight to the Hokage Building and was about to walk into the mission center when someone called out his name. Fujin turned around to see Hatake Takao coming towards him. Takao appeared in front of Fujin and said, "Fujin! Here you are. I visited your house and the 23rd training grounds in the morning to find you." Takao had gone to look for Fujin in the morning following Hiruzen''s instructions. However, he wasn''t at his house or in the training ground. Instead, he met Naruto who informed him that Fujin hadn''t returned from his mission. He went to the Mission Center to confirm it and informed Hiruzen about the same. As a result, Hiruzen had begun creating another squad. However, as luck would have it, Takao had come down for some work at the same time that Fujin arrived at the Hokage Building. Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does Lord Hokage need me??" Fujin was surprised. It hadn''t even been a few minutes since he had returned to the village and yet Hiruzen was looking for him. Takao nodded and answered, "Lord Hokage was looking for you earlier in regard to a mission. You should meet him and see if he still needs you to go for it." Fujin wondered, ''A mission right when I wanted to head to the Land of Hot Water? Sigh, I hope it is in that country or some place beyond it.'' Fujin replied, "Alright. I''ll go see him." He handed Takao a scroll and said, "Hand it to Shichiro. It contains mission files and dead bodies that had to be collected. Please inform him that I have completed all the missions." Takao accepted the scroll and replied, "Sure." Fujin walked over to Hiruzen''s office and entered the room. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said with a smile on his face, "It is good to see you, Fujin. How did your missions go?" Fujin casually answered, "They went well. There were no complications." Hiruzen said, "Good, come sit. I have received a mission from the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water which is eerily similar to one of your past missions." Fujin said, "I recently faced a question while training. I wonder if you know something about this." Hiruzen asked, "What did you face?" Fujin replied, "I was wondering whether we can use Juinjutsu to permanently strengthen ourselves or give us new abilities." Hiruzen was surprised by the question and became serious. He hadn''t expected Fujin to ask such a question. He wondered, ''Did he witness anyone having such abilities or did he just think it by itself?'' Hiruzen couldn''t be sure. He asked, "Are you aware of the Uzumaki clan?" Fujin nodded. Even though almost no one from Fujin''s generation would know about the Uzumaki clan, Hiruzen wasn''t surprised to know that Fujin knew about them considering how much time he spent in the Library and learning the seals. He said, "Most of the Fuinjutsu and Juinjutsu in Konoha come from the Uzumaki clan." Fujin had speculated it to be the case. So he wasn''t surprised. Hiruzen continued, "The Uzumaki clan was a step ahead of the world in terms of sealing. It was why they were considered a threat by other villages and annihilated before the start of the Second Great Ninja War. However, even in the Uzumaki clan, a seal like you said was never propagated. It was only during their final struggle that their leader, Uzumaki Ashina, showed abilities similar to what you described. I''m not sure what exactly you mean by giving permanent abilities, but I guess you mean being able to do something beyond what normal seals should. The seals Uzumaki Ashina used touched that concept and were speculated to be able to take our understanding of Fuinjutsu and Juinjutsu to the next level. However, with his death, the technique was lost. I''m not sure why he never taught the technique to anyone else in his clan. Or perhaps he did but no one else was able to learn. Another possibility could be that everyone who he taught those seals was killed in the war. Or perhaps someone survived and the knowledge still exists but that person has kept it a secret." Fujin was surprised by the answer. Though he had asked Hiruzen, he wasn''t expecting Hiruzen to know anything about it. He thought, ''Uzumaki Ashina... Wasn''t he the leader of the Uzumaki clan when Hashirama was alive? Unfortunately, I barely remember anything about him. Now that I think about it, I don''t think much was shown about him anyway. I wonder if these Juinjutsu seals were passed down in the Uzumaki clan or if he created those seals by himself. Regardless, it shows that even if you don''t worship Jashin, you can create seals that are similar to the ones that form in the Ritual or at least have the potential to reach that level.'' Fujin asked, "Did no one try to investigate what seals they were? Also, what abilities did the seal give him?" Chapter 450: Uzumaki Ashina, Danzos Suspicion, Hiruzens Admiration! Hiruzen answered, "Uzumaki Ashina was a rank S ninja who specialized in sealing. His ability in sealing was so good that even other rank S ninjas, including myself, wouldn''t want to face him in a one-on-one battle. It made him a grave threat on the battlefield. The other villages attacked the Uzumaki clan only when he had grown very old and hadn''t been active for over a decade. The combined armies of several countries assaulted them. Though the attacking armies suffered high losses due to the traps set around Uzushiogakure, their numerical advantage allowed them to endure the losses and attack the village. When it looked like the fall of Uzushiogakure was inevitable, Ashina appeared once again. He used a technique that allowed him to regain his youth and return to his peak. As a result, the invaders suffered even more losses. Unfortunately, he was facing three Kages at the same time. We wanted to reinforce the Uzumaki clan, unfortunately, a large portion of our forces, including myself, were deployed against the Kumo border who had arrived with their full force led by the Third Raikage. In addition, other villages had also deployed small armies along our borders, forcing us to spread our armies and top-level ninjas. By the time we realized what was happening and sent an army to reinforce the Uzumaki clan, it was too late. Uzumaki Ashina had fallen and Uzushiogakure was no more. His body was taken by the Third Mizukage and Kirigakure extensively studied the seals on his body. However, they never found the seals that allowed Ashina to revert back to his peak. Hence, that is now considered a lost technique." A hint of sadness could be heard in Hiruzen''s voice. Konoha had lost a strong ally in that war. As a result, Konoha suffered a lot more losses than they would have in the two Great Wars. Fujin''s mind was completely occupied by those seals. As such, he didn''t register the sadness in Hiruzen''s voice. He analyzed the information and asked, "Doesn''t Lady Tsunade also have an ability that allows her to maintain her youth?" Hiruzen shook his head and said, "That isn''t the same. Tsunade''s technique is her own. Though it involves some seals, it is mainly based on her expertise in Medical Ninjutsu. And there are limits. Uzumaki Ashina''s transformation was very pure. From the intel we gained, his body was full of lifeforce and chakra when he activated whichever seals he did. It didn''t seem like he was an old man who was extracting all that he had left, instead looked like someone who was at his prime. More importantly, they didn''t discover any side effects or backlash of the seal he was using. We speculated that he was working on a seal that would allow him to permanently become younger or at least expand his life force significantly. Had Uzushiogakure not been attacked, it was likely that he would have succeeded and Uzushiogakure might have become the Sixth Major Ninja Village. Unfortunately, that wasn''t to be." Danzo couldn''t be sure. He looked at the ninja in front of him and instructed, "Take two squads and inspect the path Fujin should have travelled. According to the information, he took missions to eliminate bandit camps and rogue ninjas to the south. Trace his steps and find signs of any battles along or near the route. Inspect carefully as there might have been an attempt to cover up any signs of battle. Also, find out who left the village along the same route after Fujin and after how long." The Root ninja replied, "Alright, Lord Danzo." He flickered out of the room and began assembling a team. A few minutes later, Eight Root ninjas began trailing the steps Fujin took a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Hiruzen, who was unaware of the hidden exchange between Fujin and Danzo, kept thinking about his little discussion with Fujin. He thought, ''Though some simpler seals can be used to add more defenses to the body, there is no way to truly strengthen a ninja with the help of it. In fact, the main concept behind Juinjutsu is to restrict enemies. To think of using it as an enhancer instead... No wonder he managed to become a Grandmaster so quickly and with minimal guidance. Seems like the next revolution in seals will come from Konoha.'' A smile appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He could see the benefits Konoha would enjoy if Fujin succeeded in doing that. Of course, he didn''t have very high hopes considering the crazy level of difficulty. Fujin''s squad moved at a high speed and managed to reach Yugakure the next day at noon despite taking a couple of breaks. Fujin had informed them about what the mission was. Due to the state of the mission, none of them slacked off. To add to it, Fujin made everyone move at a rapid speed. He didn''t care much if those 3 couldn''t help him in combat. He just wanted to find Hidan quickly. As soon as they reached, Fujin met up with the Daimyo. Sitting in the conference room, Fujin said, "I have gone through the information you provided Lord Hokage. Do you have any additional information on the movements of Hidan or the news of any more missing people?" The Daimyo replied, "Unfortunately, there is no new news. The last person, who was reported to be missing, disappeared a week ago. No new kidnapping has happened since then. However, we haven''t found any traces of the missing people." Fujin had already thought about how to approach this mission while he was moving towards the Land of Hot Water. Without missing a beat, he said, "Tell me the areas that you had suspected the most irrespective of whether you searched for those places or not." Chapter 451: Finding the Hiding spot! Fujin''s words surprised the Daimyo and the Yugakure ninjas who were rather offended by the statement. One of them asked, "What do you mean? Do you want to say that we couldn''t find them despite looking in the right area?" In front of the Daimyo, he didn''t dare to explode in anger. However, his tone displayed his anger and dissatisfaction at being treated in this manner. He thought, ''Even if he is from Konoha, who does he think he is to look down on us? We fought in wars even before he was born!'' Unfortunately for him, Fujin wasn''t in the mood to be patient with him. He nodded and nonchalantly said, "Yes." Fujin''s brazen disregard for their pride caught everyone, including the Daimyo, off guard. Even Fujin''s teammates looked at him with surprise. Though they looked down on ninjas from the minor villages, they never spoke about it in front of them. For a moment, everyone in the room was left speechless. Before any of the Yugakure ninjas exploded in anger, Fujin looked at the Daimyo and said, "These incidents resemble the way in which a cult called Jashin operates. I had faced them in a mission earlier in the Land of Grass and more than 200 kids would have died had we been late by a day. Considering that the last missing case occurred one week ago, I''m afraid that it is already too late. So I would recommend helping me out and giving me the information I need if you want to have any chance of saving the missing people. If I was to start looking by myself, I''m afraid that it would be completely pointless. You will be better off by just giving up on them." Fujin''s words surprised the Daimyo and the ninjas in the room. Though the Yugakure ninjas were offended by Fujin''s words, they knew that getting angry at that moment would be detrimental. The Daimyo looked at them and said, "Help him out." Daimyo''s words left little room for discussion. Without any delay, everyone gave Fujin the information he needed. They pointed out and marked the locations where they had speculated where the kidnapped people could be held. They also informed Fujin about how they had inspected those locations. Fujin and his team pieced together all the information and clues and tried forming their own plans. While planning, Fujin enquired about the landscapes in each of the locations and marked them on the map. Fujin analyzed, ''It seems like the rituals are always conducted in a cave, be it created artificially or with the help of jutsus. Regardless, the mountain has to be natural or these ninjas would have noticed the anomaly. Even if Zankoku''s ritual was an exception, they should still conduct such a ritual in a closed-off space to stay hidden. If not for caves, the only other possible location is if they create and hide in an underground base. For now, I will only inspect the suspicious locations that have mountains. If I don''t find them, I''ll look at the other locations. The caves should be hidden with the help of Fuinjutsu. So it is no wonder that these guys couldn''t find anything.'' He thought, ''I have already looked through 3 locations and haven''t found anything. Since I didn''t receive any message, the others shouldn''t have had any success either. Sigh, I hope I find them in time.'' He activated his Space-Time Sensing Technique. Just like all the previous times, he didn''t sense any disturbances in the Space-Time field, implying that there was no ninja in a 4.5 kilometer radius. The clone moved around for a bit to cover the entire mountain range but still didn''t find anything. Finally, he deactivated his technique and activated his chakra field. He began inspecting the Mountain range once again. After a couple of minutes, he sensed a location that he couldn''t sense. His eyes widened. He immediately deactivated his chakra field and hid himself. He wondered, ''Is this it? But why didn''t I sense anything with my Space-Time Sensing Technique? Hmm, normal seals shouldn''t be able to hide themselves from my Space-Time Sensing Technique. This means that either the seals here counter Space-Time Techniques or, more likely, there is no one inside whatever is being hidden by the seal. I hope that it is the former. Konoha''s library didn''t have any seals to stop or block Space-Time techniques. If this cave does have such seals, then I can use them against Obito. As long as his intangibility is neutralized, killing him wouldn''t be that difficult.'' Fujin''s clone was excited by that possibility. However, he turned his focus back to the matter at hand. He analyzed, ''It wouldn''t be strange to have an abandoned base inside this country. It could have been created by them during wartime. Or perhaps it could be created by any other major villages during one of the Great Ninja Wars. So, I can''t be sure that this is done by Jashin. I need to inspect it while taking care to ensure that no one inside the hideout gets suspicious.'' He created a Shadow Clone with a very low amount of chakra. The clone immediately transformed into a rabbit and began moving towards the area being blocked by seals that he had detected earlier. The rabbit reached that location in a few minutes. He hid in bushes and observed it. The area looked completely natural. It was a mountain wall and nothing else. The rabbit analyzed, ''It looks like the entrance to the cave is properly sealed off, making it look completely normal. Now, let me see the level of the person who inscribed seals here.'' The rabbit concentrated chakra in his eyes as he began observing the wall. Soon, several dozen seals appeared in front of him. The rabbit properly analyzed every seal he could see and dispelled itself. The clone immediately received the memories. He analyzed, ''This level of sealing... Whoever did it should be a Grandmaster. More importantly, the style of the seals and symbols is quite similar to the ones in Zankoku''s memories. It looks like this is it!'' The Shadow Clone wasn''t the only one to receive the memories. Fujin and his other clones received the memories as well. Fujin immediately began moving towards the Land of Frost. As for his two Shadow Clones, they dispelled themselves, sending memories and chakra back to the main body. The Shadow Clone that found the base kept hiding there, ensuring that no one escaped. Chapter 452: A Suspicious Feeling! Within a couple of hours, Fujin and his squad reached the Mountain range and appeared where his clone was hiding. On seeing Fujin, the clone dispelled itself. Fujin received his memories. In the last 2 hours, there was no movement into or from the base that his clone had detected. In addition, the mountain range''s location was such that no major trading route passed nearby. As such, the clone didn''t detect traders or ninjas passing by either. While Fujin was analyzing the memories, his teammates were scanning the area. Shiro couldn''t smell any scent while Hisao''s eyes didn''t pick up anything out of the ordinary. Both looked at Fujin with odd expressions on their faces wondering whether Fujin had brought them to the right place. As for Yamanaka Ken, Fujin had instructed him against activating his chakra field. Hisao said, "I don''t see anything odd." Shiro added, "Same, I don''t smell Hidan or anyone else nearby. Are you sure that they are here?" Fujin replied, "I can''t say for sure. Let''s check." He began walking towards the spot where his clone had disguised as a rabbit and inspected the seals. His teammates were surprised by the casual response. They followed him. Unlike his clone, Fujin didn''t bother hiding his presence much. If his presence lured out the ones hiding inside, he would be glad instead of getting worried. His eyes glowed as he observed the seals. Without the need to hide himself, Fujin could observe in greater detail. He saw a lot more than just the seals on the surface. Even the seals on the inner side of the walls were visible. Fujin raised two fingers on his right hand. Four Vacuum Blades formed on top of his fingers. They flew and hit the wall in a way that none of the seals were damaged. Fujin wasn''t sure whether his targets were inside the cave. As such, he wanted to leave the seals unharmed to study them later and avoid being left empty-handed on a mission that gave him so many headaches. The four Vacuum Blades cut open a door in the mountain. Fujin''s teammates were surprised to see a cave hidden behind the wall. Hyuga Hisao thought in surprise, ''Incredible. I didn''t detect anything! It must be hidden with seals. Is Fujin a SealMa...'' A few seconds after the door was cut open, Shiro smelled a scent that made his expression grim. Despite not sharing his sense of smell, the other three noticed it as well and recognized what the stench was. It was the stench of dead bodies rotting! Hisao immediately activated his Byakugan, while Fujin and Ken activated their chakra fields. All 4 immediately had grim expressions. Fujin muttered to himself, ''No wonder I couldn''t sense any disturbances with my Space-Time Sensing Technique. Everyone inside is already dead. Sigh, am I too late?'' The second wave of Shadow Clones began inspecting the dead bodies. Fujin''s main goal was to find the bodies of the Bishop and his priests. At the same time, he was also curious about how the people had died during the ritual and the seals on their bodies. In Zankoku''s case, the people had died due to the blood being sucked out from their bodies. Fujin was curious about what they had to sacrifice to give Hidan such a broken ability. The first wave of Shadow Clones progressed slowly but steadily. Though there were some seals and symbols that Fujin didn''t recognize, those seals were related to the ritual and didn''t have any offensive capabilities. As such, none of his clones were dispelled. Once the pathways were secured, they continued recording the seals while the clones from the second wave began inspecting the dead bodies. On observing, the clones immediately noticed similarities among the corpses. They analyzed, ''That''s weird... According to the mission details, people of all ages were kidnapped. Still, everyone here is extremely old! There are no signs of any injuries on them. It''s almost as if they weren''t killed. Instead, they died due to old age. Hmm, does that mean the ritual absorbed the life force or lifespan of these people? Would increasing life force by multiple times give the ability to become an Immortal like Hidan? Or are there more factors involved?'' The clones began studying the corpses more carefully. As soon as they touched the corpses, the clones immediately noticed another aspect. They thought, ''The cells in their body... So weird... The cells in their bodies don''t resemble that of someone who died a few days ago. Instead, they have deteriorated to such a stage that it might look like these bodies died several years ago! But why is this? Could it be that a ritual was conducted here a long time ago? No, Shiro said that he smelled Hidan''s scent. Not to mention, the number of dead people here is similar to the number of kidnapped people. So, did their cells deteriorate so quickly because their lifespan was sucked? Now that I think about it, Hidan would frequently harm himself, be it to act as a distraction or to activate his killing technique. Despite the damage, he is able to move around freely. This should imply that he is able to heal very quickly. His ability to survive can be divided into two parts. The first is being able to survive attacks that would kill a normal person, such as a spear through his heart. The second is being able to recover from that damage. There is only one way to recover from that damage, that is, cell regeneration. It should be at the same or higher level than Tsunade''s Mitotic Regeneration. The only limit it has is when he is cut into two or more pieces like Asuma and later Shikamaru did. Or perhaps he isn''t skillful enough to use this in that situation. Regardless, it looks like they not only sucked the life force but also sucked out the cells'' ability to regenerate themselves. This is why the cells in these corpses have deteriorated so quickly. My guess is that they will continue deteriorating at a high speed and completely decompose themselves. In a few months, it will become impossible to even identify these people.'' Fujin''s clones who were studying the dead bodies began studying the seals inscribed on the dead bodies and copied them in scrolls. Meanwhile, the remaining clones from the second wave were searching for a body wearing the same outfit as Bishop Ketsueki. Chapter 453: The Mysterious Factor! While the clones were recording the Juinjutsu seals on the bodies of the corpses, one Shadow Clone placed his hand on the head of one of the corpses and inserted some of his Yin chakra into his brain. After a couple of minutes, he withdrew his arm and analyzed, ''As I expected... I can''t read the memories... The fast speed of decomposition of their bodies has also made it impossible to read their memories. All their memories have been lost to time. Sigh, I hope that Bishop''s case isn''t the same.'' After nearly an hour, Fujin''s clones had recorded each and every seal in the large cave. Fujin''s teammates, who were kept busy by the miscellaneous tasks he assigned them, had no idea that Fujin was recording all the seals in the cave under the guise of completing the mission. Despite recording all the seals properly, Fujin wasn''t very happy. Inside the cave, he had found the bodies of all the kidnapped people. However, he didn''t find anyone wearing the outfit that Ketsueki wore in Zankoku''s memories. To make matters worse, in addition to the kidnapped people, there were 32 more dead bodies in the cave which were cremated long before Fujin''s clone found the hideout. Fujin speculated that they were the Priests and servants under the Bishop. He analyzed with a grim expression on his face, ''As I thought. Someone is indeed messing with me! I can understand not being able to read the memories of the sacrifices due to the nature of the ritual, but what was the need to cremate the followers of the Bishop? This completely counters my ability to read memories and learn about the identity and appearance of the Bishop along with what exactly happened during the ritual. Besides, why would they kill the followers of Jashin instead of having them follow Hidan? The situation is completely different from Zankoku. It looks like my only option is to capture Hidan and read his memories to find out more about the Bishop. But...'' A frown formed on Fujin''s face again as he thought, ''But there are no leads on Hidan. How the hell am I supposed to find him in this vast country? Not to mention, he doesn''t need to stay in this country. Another obstacle is Akatsuki. I don''t know when the Akatsuki will make a move to recruit him. Once they recruit him, I won''t be able to deal with him for quite some time. Though I''m confident in dealing with Hidan, Kakuzu is not someone I can defeat for sure right now. Even more so when Hidan is cooperating with him. I''ll need to wait for some time for my strength to increase considerably and only then deal with both of them together.'' Fujin let out a sigh and looked at the cave in front of him. He thought, ''It looks like there are only two ways now. I can only study the seals and try to study Zankoku''s body. I have some confidence in studying the seals, but Zankoku''s body is another hopeless prospect. Hidan watched dumbfounded and thought to himself, ''I didn''t even sense them. What a coincidence that they were here and heard what I was saying.'' He suddenly laughed out loudly and exclaimed, "Lord Jashin is mighty. He already brought me more sacrifices! Be proud of the fact that you would be the first ones I sacrifice to Lord Jashin." The Kumo ninjas looked at him like he was a moron. Their leader said, "We need to meet up with Darui soon and head to the Land of Hot Water. Let''s kill this clown and get on our way. We have rested enough." Everyone nodded. In the Land of Frost, a few kilometers away from their border with the Land of Hot Water, 2 Kumo squads clashed with Hidan! Back in the Land of Hot Water, Fujin was oblivious to these developments. Fujin''s clones kept recording all the seals. It took them around 4 hours to record everything perfectly. At the same time, his remaining clones checked up on all the corpses, confirming that none of their memories could be read. His teammates scanned the mountain range and didn''t find anything suspicious. Fujin looked at the cave and wondered whether he should wipe out the seals left in the cave. After some time, he decided, ''I''ll let them be in case I need to refer it at some point in the future. I have already left a Flying Thunder God marking in the cave. When I master it in the future, I can freely access this cave. Even though doing this could allow other Grandmasters to observe this cave as well, it isn''t an issue. In fact, it might even be better. After all, I am just one person. Now that I think about it, I should give information about these seals to Hiruzen as well. If others work on it as well, the chances of someone succeeding in making sense of these new seals and symbols would be much higher. If it is someone from Konoha, other than Danzo, then getting my hands on it wouldn''t be difficult. Even if it is someone not from Konoha, as long as it is exposed, I can go and hunt that Grandmaster and read his memories. After all, once I master the Flying Thunder God jutsu, who can stop me from infiltrating and escaping? Another possible aspect can be if the spread of this knowledge makes the Jashinists come out of their cave. That would make my life easier as well. Hmm, yeah, I''ll do this. I''ll give Hiruzen some of the new seals and symbols I discovered in this cave. As for the entire seal formation, I won''t give it to him. Making it requires a lot of work. I won''t be able to create another copy to give it to him in time. Let him send a squad and take the notes.'' Fujin immediately began acting on his plan. He created a few more Shadow Clones to copy some of the new seals and symbols in different scrolls which he would give to Hiruzen. A couple of hours later, the Yugakure ninjas finally arrived. Chapter 454: Five Forces Move (1) The Yugakure forces were led by a familiar face. It was Takeshita Tokuhei leading a group of 24 Yugakure ninjas. Some of his subordinates were the same ones who had cooperated with Renjiro''s squad on an elimination 4 years ago. Tokuhei looked at Fujin. Though Fujin and his teammates had made an impact back then, Tokuhei hadn''t thought much of it. After all, several geniuses appeared every year. However, the ones that made it to the top were very few. Most would either die or not have the dedication to keep training to become a fearsome ninja. Of course, that was until he saw Fujin''s bounty poster with an insane bounty and the speculation of him being the Spectral Swordsman! It was a name even he wouldn''t want to face on the battlefield. When Iwagakure updated Fujin''s information in the Bingo book, Tokuhei was left stunned. He never anticipated that the Spectral Swordsman would be so young and someone with whom he had cooperated earlier. While the ninjas from the major villages weren''t too intimidated by the Spectral Swordsman, the situation was completely opposite for the minor villages neighboring the Land of Fire where Fujin was highly active. The sheer amount of people he killed during his time in Anbu made them very fearful of him despite him not being very active in recent times. Tokuhei thought, ''From a newly promoted Chunin to an Elite Jounin in merely 4 years... Thankfully we aren''t on opposite sides.'' He said politely, "Suzuki Fujin, it''s good to see you again." Fujin looked at Tokuhei. Unknown to Tokuhei, Fujin had worked several times with him while he was an Anbu. It is just that Tokuhei wasn''t aware that it was Fujin. He nodded and said, "It is good to see you once again as well. Unfortunately, the occasion isn''t a joyous one." On hearing it, the expression on every Yugakure ninja''s face became grim. They were informed of the information the Konoha ninjas sent to the Daimyo. Among their group were a few ninjas who were offended by Fujin''s words in the meeting room and a few who had inspected this spot earlier and not discovered any hideout. Through his actions, Fujin had proven his words true, making them feel ashamed and guilty. This loss was a significant one for the Land of Hot Water. Losing so many civilians in one blow would cause a lot of chaos and panic in the country. Their economy would suffer as well as trading would slow down and tourism would come to a halt temporarily. As a result, the country would be in for a hard time for a few months at the very least. Fujin looked at the cave and said, "There are many seals in the cave. Fortunately, they don''t trigger automatically. You guys can recover the corpses. That said, I''m not sure what the seals do. So, avoid damaging the cave and accidentally triggering any seals." Tokuhei nodded. He had no intention of arguing with Fujin. He instructed his men to collect and store the dead bodies properly. While the Yugakure ninjas were cleaning up, Yamanaka Ken asked Fujin, "The mission seems to be over, captain. Should we stay or return to Konoha?" Fujin thought for a few seconds and answered, "Let''s accompany them back to Yugakure. It''ll be in our path anyways." Fujin''s teammates nodded. Fujin thought, ''Collecting all the bodies and returning will need some time. If Yugakure gets news of Hidan''s movements, I''ll have an excuse to find and hunt him.'' One of the other ninjas said, "We can take him back to the village later, but we need to first get them justice. Which bastard dared to kill Kumo ninjas? Since when did Yugakure have such a strong rogue ninja?" Samui said, "I read some reports from the Land of Hot Water recently. Apparently, one of their ninjas killed 18 other ninjas and several civilians before going rogue. I believe his name was Hidan. It might be him." Darui thought about Samui''s information. He asked, "C, do you detect anyone nearby?" C shook his head and replied, "My chakra field has been activated for some time. I didn''t detect anyone else." Darui said, "Then our only choice is to trail his steps and find out what exactly happened. Then we can hunt that rogue ninja." Samui asked, "But what about our mission?" Darui sighed and said, "We can''t risk taking on Suzuki Fujin without a SealMaster. It''ll make it very difficult to kill him as he is speculated to be a Grandmaster. If we fail once, then he will forever be on guard and Konoha might take some retaliatory measures." Everyone agreed with Darui''s reasoning. They stored the dead body properly and began tracing his steps back. A couple of dozen kilometers away from Darui, a burst of loud laughter could be heard in the snow-covered forest. Several diagrams made from blood could be seen on the ground. In addition, there were a few corpses and a lot of blood from the dead ninjas. Hidan thought, ''I have offered my first sacrifices to Lord Jashin. Even that ninja who managed to run away. I want to know what his expression was when he died even after managing to escape.'' The thought made Hidan laugh once again. He thought, ''Still, this isn''t enough. I need to sacrifice more people to Lord Jashin!'' Hidan grabbed his weapons and continued his aimless journey. Around the same time, a messenger bird reached Tokuhei from Yugakure. His eyes widened on reading the message. Fujin noticed that and asked, "What is it?" Tokuhei informed, "To find the missing people, we had our ninjas spread out all over the country. Some even cooperated with the patrol camps of neighbouring countries along our borders. A couple of our ninjas were searching inside the Land of Frost while cooperating with the ninjas of Shimogakure. They found Hidan. He was engaged in a battle with Kumogakure ninjas and was winning. They left immediately and sent back a message." Chapter 455: Five Forces Move (2) Fujin was surprised by the information. He wondered, ''Hidan is in the Land of Frost? Makes sense that he escaped there, but why is he fighting Kumo ninjas? Is that crazy guy trying to sacrifice everyone he meets? He isn''t that crazy, right?'' Tokuhei said, "I will leave some men here to complete the work here and lead the remaining forces to hunt him down. What will you be doing?" Fujin acted like he was thinking for a few seconds and answered, "Well, our mission statement also included hunting him down if we meet him. Give me the location, we will move ahead first." Tokuhei nodded and informed Fujin about the location where Hidan and Kumogakure ninjas fought. Fujin''s squad left immediately. A few minutes later, Tokuhei also followed them with 3 squads. Around the same time, in Shimogakure, 2 squads stood in front of a person. He looked at them and informed them about the fight between Hidan and Kumo. He instructed, "Considering that the rogue ninja was winning, it is safe to say that Kumogakure will take some actions to eliminate him. From reports, he seems to have killed many Yugakure ninjas as well. So they might cooperate with Kumo ninjas to eliminate him. You don''t need to fight him. In fact, if you do meet him, escape without fighting. If you meet Kumo or Yugakure ninjas, feel free to help them out with intelligence, but don''t fight for them. Just observe what happens with the rogue ninja and try to ensure the safety of common people if you can without risking your life." The leader of the 2 squads nodded his head. He and the remaining ninjas left Shimogakure and moved towards the location of the fight. They didn''t want to get involved, but since the fighting was happening in their country, they had the responsibility of monitoring the battle and ensuring that commoners didn''t become needless casualties once again. As a result, the forces from four villages, that is, Konohagakure, Kumogakure, Shimogakure and Yugakure, began moving to find Hidan in the Land of Frost. Kumogakure were unaware of the movements of the other forces, while Fujin and Tokuhei were the most clear about which villages would be involved. However, even they weren''t aware of another force that was about to get involved. In the Land of Rain, a white & black figure appeared from the ground and looked at Nagato''s Deva Path and Konan! Black Zetsu said, "I have found an interesting person. I believe he will be the perfect partner for Kakuzu." Nagato and Konan were surprised. Konan asked, "You mean you found someone stronger than Kakuzu? Who is it?" White Zetsu answered, "It is a rogue ninja from Yugakure. He killed 18 ninjas and went rogue a few weeks ago. We saw him fighting Kumogakure Jounins a few hours ago. He isn''t stronger than Kakuzu, but it looks like his body is immortal." Around three hours later, Fujin''s squad reached the place. Shiro looked in surprise and said, "So much blood! It looks like their reports were correct. A huge battle took place here." Fujin nodded. Hyuga Hisao added, "There is no one nearby. They should have already left. Fortunately, they left a trail behind." Fujin instructed, "Shiro, investigate the scents you can find in this place and see how many tracks you can find. Ken, help him. Hisao, come with me." Fujin and Hisao moved and found the bloody trail left behind by the Kumo ninja who had escaped temporarily. Hisao pointed out some footprints that were mixed with blood which Fujin observed and analyzed, ''It looks like someone managed to escape. But, considering the amount of blood that person lost, there is no way he would survive against Hidan even if he ran away. And for that very reason, it is unlikely that Hidan would bother chasing him. That said, why did the Kumo ninja escape towards the Land of Hot Water instead of escaping towards the Land of Lightning? Was any Kumo squad in that direction?'' Fujin was confused. He could understand there being some Kumo ninjas in the Land of Frost considering that they were neighbors. But his movement made Fujin a bit suspicious. He and Hisao returned to where Shiro and Ken were. Shiro noticed Fujin and reported, "Captain, I can sense 17 scents that were lingering here some time ago. One of them belongs to Hidan but I can''t identify the rest of them." Fujin fell into deep thought. He analyzed, ''17? It looks like the ninja who escaped went to find reinforcements. He should have succeeded in finding them. That''s weird. Why didn''t Hidan kill him? Can he not lick the blood that has fallen to the ground or is there any time limit for how long the blood should have left the target''s body? No, that shouldn''t be it. After all, Kakashi had taken Kakuzu''s blood and Shikamaru took his own sweet time to use it. Could it be that he just disdains licking the blood that has fallen to the ground?'' Fujin couldn''t be sure but he felt that was the case. He asked, "Can you track where the 17 who were here have gone? Or rather, can you track Hidan?" Shiro nodded and said, "Yes. I can track his scent. The issue is that there are multiple paths. I''m afraid that he left behind some pieces of cloth which were taken by others. As a result, there are two tracks." Fujin was surprised once again. He thought, ''That''s weird. He hid his tracks so well in the Land of Hot Water. No matter what we did, we couldn''t track him. How did he become so careless all of a sudden? Regardless, if I assume that the ones who took the pieces of his clothes were reinforcements from Kumo, then they might be trying to hunt him down right now. It will create an opportunity for me. I should move quickly.'' Chapter 456: Dreams of Invincibility! Fujin asked, "Can you create Shadow Clones?" Shiro answered, "Just one. I''m not very good at it. Also, it exhausts my chakra very rapidly." Fujin nodded and said, "Don''t worry. Just make one with minimal chakra. Your clone will follow my clone to see where those bloody footprints go. Check whether you can smell some of the scents here on that route." Shiro nodded. He created a Shadow Clone with 15% of his while Fujin created one with 1% of his chakra. Both immediately left along the trail left by the bloody footprints. Shiro asked, "Which track should we follow?" He had smelled two tracks of Hidan''s scent. They could only follow one route unless they split up and made Shiro and his ninja dog move into two separate teams. Fujin didn''t intend to split the team so quickly. If the other team found Hidan, then they would be in danger and he didn''t have the ability to teleport as of now. He answered casually, "The one where you can smell a hint of blood." Shiro was surprised by the answer. However, he followed the instruction without any delay and the four moved once again. Fujin thought, ''Hidan''s fighting style involves a lot of blood. His weapons should still be smeared in enemy blood. By comparison, the Kumo ninjas would be careful enough to not make such a silly mistake. Not to mention, knowing Hidan, he should leave a bloody trail in his path. As long as there is no unexpected factor, I should get to him. The only thing I need to worry about is how I can read his memory while these three are with me...'' Fujin was finally hopeful once again. Though they were moving slightly slowly, he felt that they had a high chance of catching Hidan. While they were following the tracks, Hidan met another bunch from Kumo. Darui and his teammates had finally found Hidan. Despite not being good at smelling, everyone could smell a stench of blood from Hidan. Hidan exclaimed, "Another bunch from Kumo? You are too eager to be sacrificed to Lord Jashin!" His words immediately angered the Kumo ninjas. Darui said, "So you admit to killing our ninjas. Good. Let me see where you get the courage to do so!" Darui replied, "It could be. What an annoying opponent. No wonder they didn''t survive..." While the Kumo ninjas were talking, Hidan got up and removed the kunai from his chest. Immediately, blood poured down from the injury. He licked the blood on his nails. Immediately, several tattoos appeared on his face and body. At the same time, he used his foot to draw the sacrificial diagram on the ground with the blood that had poured down. He looked at the Kumo ninjas and cursed, "You Motherfuckers! The ritual has now begun! Let''s experience the ultimate pain together!" The Kumo ninjas were confused by his words. However, they didn''t dare to underestimate him anymore. The 8 ninjas spread out and surrounded Hidan from all sides. A few began weaving hand signs. While the Kumo ninjas were engaged in a battle with Hidan, Fujin''s squad was rapidly moving towards the location where Hidan and the Kumo ninjas were fighting. Unfortunately, they were still too far away to be able to detect the fight. Luckily for them, the two sets of scents kept merging on the same path again and again. As a result, they were able to confirm that they were moving in the right direction. At the same time, the Akatsuki members led by Konan were flying in rapidly. They had crossed over the vast area of the Land of Fire and had entered the Land of Hot Water thanks to the high speed of the Giant Drill-Pecked Bird they were riding. Since none of them were the talkative type, they flew in complete silence. As for the Yugakure and Shimogakure ninjas, they were still some distance away and they didn''t have the advanced tracking capabilities of the other three forces. At the place where Fujin''s team was heading, the Kumo squad were by themselves. The only difference was that instead of 8, there were only 6 ninjas. The remaining two were lying lifelessly on the ground. One of the ninjas cursed, "That bastard ran away." C said, "How far can he go? With that bloody wound, tracking him wouldn''t be difficult. But, we need to plan first. Otherwise, we will lose more people." Samui analyzed, "His abilities are very peculiar. I now understand how he was able to kill those 8 ninjas. Stab wounds and jutsus have no long-term effect on him. In addition, he can ensure that one of us suffers the same damage that he does, allowing him to kill that person by stabbing his own heart." Darui continued, "However, to do that, he needs to lick the blood of that person. As long as we don''t let him injure us, he won''t be able to use that curse against us. The best way to fight him would be to fight him from a distance." Samui questioned, "But how can we fight him from a distance? So far, the only wound he couldn''t shrug off was when you cut his arm off. But if we fight from a distance, we can''t do that. He isn''t impacted much by our jutsus and moves fast enough to dodge any weapon we throw." C said, "One of us would need to fight him at close range. As long as he can avoid getting injured and we keep Hidan away from the circle, we will be able to neutralize him." Darui said, "I will do it. Unless he somehow reattaches his arm, he won''t be able to keep up with me, let alone injure me. I''ll cut his legs off and then we can keep attacking him until he dies. If not, we will tie him up and carry him to the village. If we can get his technique, then the village will benefit a lot." Everyone nodded at Darui''s idea. Hidan''s technique was just too absurd. If they could gain it, they wouldn''t have to worry about much during fights. Even if a small percentage of ninjas in Kumogakure mastered that technique, their village would become invincible in war! Chapter 457: Splitting Up Tempted by Darui''s idea, the six Kumo ninjas quickly stored the dead bodies of their comrades and prepared themselves to move. Darui looked at everyone and said, "We don''t know whether he can activate his curse with any blood or only the blood he draws. So, if any of you have any cuts, get healed and apply bandages. Not a drop of your blood should flow while fighting against him." Everyone nodded. C quickly healed everyone and they restarted their chase in a hurry! Despite it not being their mission, everyone knew that the Raikage would be more pleased with Hidan''s body rather than eliminating Fujin. Hence, they gave up on their official mission entirely. Some distance away, Hidan was running at a fast speed. He was holding his left arm in his right hand while he was running away. He cursed, "What strong bastards! If I didn''t catch them by surprise and escaped, that motherfucker would have cut me into several pieces! I will find them later and sacrifice them to Lord Jashin." Though Hidan''s arm was cut, his wounds had long stopped bleeding. In fact, he wasn''t even feeling any weakness. And, he was well aware of the fact that even with his immortality, he wouldn''t win against them. So, he was rushing ahead at a rapid speed. This loss also made Hidan slightly wiser. He thought, ''I now understand why Shikabane took so much effort to ensure that we didn''t leave any trail. I need to do the same as well. But it is so much fucking work!'' Kumo ninjas didn''t anticipate that Hidan would move faster than ever and would take efforts to make trailing him more difficult. As such, their new chase would be many times more difficult than their previous chase despite being much closer. While the Kumo ninjas chased after Hidan, Fujin and Shiro''s Shadow Clones reached the location where Darui''s team was when the injured Kumo ninja found them. With Shiro''s ability, they easily found blood at the spot where that ninja had died. Shiro''s clone inspected the place and said, "The same 9 scents are lingering here. But if we continue forward, one scent disappears. I guess 8 Kumo ninjas fought with Hidan and only one managed to escape here. He met with another squad of 8 ninjas here, most likely from Kumo, and they went back to find him. That is why there were 17 scents there." Fujin''s clone nodded. He had reached the same conclusion. He said, "Well, it looks like this is a dead end. Still, it clears up the picture. Let''s dispel ourselves." Both clones dispelled themselves and sent the memories back to their main bodies. Fujin immediately analyzed the memories, ''Hmm, so that''s how it was. But Shiro can only smell 8 other scents other than Hidan occasionally. That ninja who escaped should have died as well.The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. I wonder who the Kumo ninjas chasing Hidan are and whether they would be able to stop or stall him for long enough. It''ll be great if they can exhaust him enough to force him to take a nap. Otherwise, this will be a rather long hunt.'' A little while later, the Giant Drill-Pecked Bird reached the location where the first clash between Hidan and Kumo ninjas happened. Hovering above the area, they scanned the lands below. Shiro and Hisao quickly found tracks and the team began moving once again. Shiro said, "Of the 13 people, 10 are moving in this direction. They are Hidan, six people from the 2nd group and 3 people from this new group. The one who smells like a bird isn''t moving on this route." Fujin was confused. He analyzed, ''Which ninja smells like a bird? Is it someone with a bird summoning? Or is it a bird summoned by one of those 3 people? Also, Kumo lost 2 more ninjas. It looks like they suffered losses at the hands of Hidan once again. But since they weren''t wiped out, this squad should be quite strong. But considering that Hidan escaped, they shouldn''t be too strong. At the very least, the Raikage and the two Jinchurikis shouldn''t be among those six. Since they are still chasing, they should be quite strong. I''m guessing there should be one or two Elite Jounins in that squad, giving them the confidence to still chase Hidan. Unless of course, it''s them who are escaping with Hidan chasing them. That would be a sight to see, hahaha.'' Fujin couldn''t help but wonder who it could be if it was indeed an Elite Jounin chasing Hidan. Involuntarily, he recalled Darui and his previous squad when he was a Chunin which met their demise against the Kumo ninjas under Darui''s command. The situation changed once again. Hidan was running at the foremost. He was being chased by 6 Kumo ninjas led by Darui. However, they were finding it increasingly difficult to trail him properly. They were followed by the three Akatsuki members who were moving at a very rapid speed. Behind them was Fujin''s squad. Despite not being as fast as the Akatsuki members, Fujin''s squad still moved at the fastest speed as they had four trails and ninjas who were excellent at tracking. As a result, they never had to waste any time in confirming that they were on the right track. It was an advantage that neither Kumo ninjas nor Akatsuki members had. Elsewhere, the Yugakure and Shimogakure ninjas encountered each other. They began moving together in search of Hidan. Shimogakure ninjas weren''t interested in fighting Hidan, but they offered their help to find him and to ensure that other Shimogakure ninjas didn''t fight them. Unfortunately, their squads were left far behind. After a couple of hours, the Kumo ninjas finally stopped! C said, "It''s getting increasingly difficult to keep track of him. How is that bastard still running? There are two trails in front of us. What do we do?" Darui replied, "Let''s split up. We will move in squads of three. Whoever finds him will send a signal to the other team. Don''t fight him recklessly. Just keep him at bay and don''t lose sight of him until the other squad meets up." The Kumo ninjas nodded. They split into two squads and began moving ahead. When Akatsuki reached the same location, they fell into a dilemma as well. Itachi said, "There are three different tracks ahead of us. It is difficult to say which one is Hidan." Konan thought for a bit and said, "Let''s split up." She created a few butterflies made of paper which flew and landed on Itachi and Kakuzu''s shoulders and said, "I will use the butterflies to communicate if any of us find him. Let''s move quickly." The three of them split up and began moving rapidly. Though Konan and Kakuzu weren''t as good as Itachi at tracking, they were still quite good at it. Chapter 458: Heavenly Luck! A few minutes later, Fujin''s team reached the same location. For the first time, their team stopped. Shiro inspected the scents and said, "They have split into three groups and are moving along three paths." Hisao nodded and agreed with his observation. Fujin asked, "Which path did Hidan take?" Shiro pointed in one direction and said, "He is moving along this path. Only one other person is moving in this direction. He is from the last group." Fujin instructed, "Let''s keep following him." The Konoha ninjas continued moving. Fujin didn''t particularly care about the Kumo ninjas or the other group. He only wanted Hidan. Unfortunately, as everyone split up, he wasn''t sure of how he could get Hidan alone and read up his memories. He calculated, "I was initially planning to use the Kumo group to split our group and catch Hidan alone. I could knock him out and read his memories as much as I wanted and let him go. But what do I do now?'' Fujin thought for a while and realized, ''There is only one way. I have to let Hidan kill all three of them or perhaps do it myself while they are fighting him. However, in that case, I can''t let Hidan go. I''ll have to capture and seal him. He''ll be my test subject to experiment on. But, is there any value to doing this?'' While Fujin didn''t want to kill innocent people, he wasn''t opposed to it if he had a lot to gain. If success was guaranteed, Fujin would have done it. However, the chances of success were just too low. Over a day had passed from the moment Fujin found the cave used for ritual. The ritual itself most probably took place a few days before Fujin found the cave. Even if the dead Bishop''s body wasn''t burned like his subordinates, the chances of his memories staying intact were almost nil. The longer the chase went on, the lesser Fujin''s hopes were. To make matters worse, not only was Fujin not guaranteed any benefits, on the contrary, he would suffer two disadvantages. For starters, Hidan wouldn''t be able to join Akatsuki in the future. As a result, the internal structure of Akatsuki would change. Their movements in the future could change as well. Secondly, this matter would cast a lot of suspicions on Fujin. There was no need for him to volunteer to hunt Hidan. His job was done when he found the missing people. If he were to lose all his subordinates, be unable to recover their bodies and allow their killer to escape, Hiruzen would easily suspect that there was something fishy. Fujin''s team continued moving. The one in front of them was moving slower than their group. When the distance was reduced to 3 kilometers, Fujin activated his chakra field and tried to sense his chakra signature. His eyes suddenly widened in shock. Though Fujin could detect disturbances with his Space-Time Sensing Technique, he couldn''t detect who caused the disturbances. As a result, he had to depend on his normal sensing ability to identify who it was. Of course, just like Shiro''s sense of smell, it wasn''t practical to remember everyone''s chakra signature. However, the chakra signature Fujin sensed was something he could never forget! Fujin''s shock soon changed into excitement. He thought, ''Fucking Kakuzu! Excellent. I''ll run into him and begin fighting him. It''ll be the best reason to stop chasing Hidan and retreat back to Konoha.'' Fujin immediately made plans. However, he wondered, ''That said, what is he doing here? Is he just hunting some bounty? Or is he one of the three from that last group? If so, does that mean that three Akatsuki members are here and are chasing after Hidan to recruit him?'' Fujin was surprised by how quickly the Akatsuki moved. He quickly put together all his information and speculated, ''Zetsu should have seen Hidan''s fight with Kumo ninjas. Only that would explain such quick movement. After all, 3 villages are hunting Hidan. If they are slow, even if he is immortal, he''ll be captured. Shiro stated that he smelled a familiar scent. I guess that''s Itachi. Itachi has a bird summon as well. Or it could be Nagato''s Bird summon if they used it to travel. It all makes sense now. Still... How lucky is that bastard? I hunted him so much and he managed to avoid me each time. In fact, he is probably not even aware of the fact that I''m chasing him!'' Fujin couldn''t help but wonder if Jashin''s ritual improved the luck of an individual. It was difficult to explain Hidan''s incredible luck otherwise. Despite being stronger, faster and having better assistance, Fujin lost to Hidan merely due to Hidan''s luck! He found the entire ordeal utterly ridiculous! He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He said, "Prepare yourselves. I can sense a strong chakra signature 2.7 kilometers ahead. Hisao, check whether it is Hidan or someone else." The entire team became alert at once. They had been moving around for a long time without finding any enemy to fight. As such, all of them were exhausted and had gotten slightly lethargic. They were aware of that fact. Hence, with Fujin''s warning, all of them prepared themselves. They didn''t want to be caught off-guard when they finally faced an enemy! Kakuzu turned around and looked behind him. He wondered, ''There is someone chasing me from behind? Or is it a squad just passing through the area? Or did I somehow overtake that ninja called Hidan? Or were there more people chasing him? But how are they able to track so quickly?'' Kakuzu could feel the chakra field moving rapidly, implying that whoever was behind him was coming rapidly. He stood his ground and muttered, "Whoever it is, I hope that they have a good bounty!" Chapter 459: Testing each other The Konoha ninjas got closer. Hisao activated his Byakugan. He said, "There is one person in front of us. Around 1.5 km ahead. He isn''t moving, but he isn''t Hidan either. He..." Suddenly, Hisao''s eyes widened. A look of shock appeared on his face. He said, "His body is very weird! It is as if there are multiple sources of chakra on his body." Fujin acted as if he was surprised and said, "Be careful. I recall fighting one such person before. He was very strong. If I say retreat, do so without any word or hesitation." Fujin''s teammates were surprised. However, hearing the seriousness in his voice, no one dared to oppose him. They continued moving forward. At one point, Shiro confirmed Fujin''s suspicions by saying, "I can smell him. He is one of the three from the last group." Fujin nodded in response. A few seconds later, they appeared in front of Kakuzu, who was waiting to see who was pursuing him. His eyes widened momentarily on seeing Fujin. So did Fujin''s eyes. However, unlike Kakuzu, he was just acting. Kakuzu said, "The Spectral Swordsman from the Hidden Leaf. I didn''t expect to see you here." It hadn''t been a long time since Fujin cut down Jozu. As a result, Fujin was still very fresh in the minds of Akatsuki members. That was especially the case with Kakuzu who was very tempted by the bounty on Fujin''s head. Fujin replied, "Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure. What are you doing here?" As he spoke. Fujin''s eyes landed on a couple of paper butterflies on Kakuzu''s shoulders. He immediately realized, ''Paper butterflies? That should be Konan. Hmm, Itachi, Konan and Kakuzu... What a weird team structure. Oh well, as long as it isn''t Obito or Nagato, I don''t care. I''ll run as soon as I sense Konan or Itachi.'' From the words exchanged, Fujin''s teammates immediately understood that Fujin knew the opponent. At the same time, they took a second look at Fujin. They wondered whether Fujin would accept the title. Though the majority of Jounins in Konoha believed that Fujin was the Spectral Swordsman, no one had heard him admitting it openly. However, they would be left disappointed as Fujin neither accepted nor rejected the title. Kakuzu chuckled and asked, "Do I need to inform Konoha about my whereabouts?" Fujin didn''t particularly care about his sarcasm and directly said, "Seeing the route you are taking, it looks like you were chasing after Hidan as well. I wonder what Akatsuki has to do with that rogue ninja." Kakuzu followed up with a flurry of punches. Fujin used his sword to block some and his left palm to block the rest as he retreated continuously. A deep frown could be seen on his face as he struggled to defend against Kakuzu''s onslaught. In terms of speed and strength, Kakuzu appeared to be slightly superior to Fujin. And since Fujin''s blade couldn''t hurt him, Fujin fell into a disadvantageous position. Kakuzu had complete momentum. Fujin was struggling to keep up. Eventually, a few punches made it through Fujin''s defenses. Fortunately, he was able to barely dodge them and avoided getting pummelled. Suddenly, Kakuzu stopped attacking and jumped behind, puzzling Fujin. Kakuzu looked at the spots on his body that Fujin had touched while defending himself. He looked at Fujin and said, "It looks like the information was right. You are a Grandmaster at Fuinjutsu. And a pretty good one as well. Even I wouldn''t have been able to notice them if I wasn''t anticipating them. No wonder Juzo died to you. His death wasn''t unjustified." The main reason why Kakuzu attacked Fujin with Taijutsu was because he wanted to see whether Fujin could apply seals as Zetsu had speculated. He had intentionally given Fujin an opening and as he expected, Fujin took the bait. Fujin''s eyes widened. This time, it wasn''t an act. Every time he touched Kakuzu''s body, he applied a seal. Kakuzu''s fists and arms had several Explosion seals and Self Cursing Seals inscribed on them. To keep stacking on the seals, Fujin even acted like he was struggling to keep up with Kakuzu. In an instant, Fujin activated every single one of those seals. However, Kakuzu was faster. He released Chakra from his body and eliminated every single seal on his body with perfect accuracy. Fujin cursed internally, ''This old fossil! He is an expert at Fuinjutsu as well. It shouldn''t be a surprise considering how long he has lived or what state his body is in. Oh well, since I had already exposed this against Juzo, I wasn''t expecting this to work against any other Akatsuki member anyway.'' Fujin had already exposed his mastery with Fuinjutsu against Juzo. As such, he didn''t expect to trap any other Akatsuki member as easily as Juzo. It was only because Kakuzu gave him the opening that he decided to use them and put up an act. Fujin immediately riled up his chakra and shot a dozen Vacuum Bullets at Kakuzu. Since he couldn''t trap Kakuzu with seals, he didn''t need to put up any act. Kakuzu immediately got out of the way. A few bullets grazed past his cloak, causing it to tear in various spots. Fujin flickered and slashed his sword at Kakuzu as if he wanted to cut him into two halves! Kakuzu raised his arm and hardened it. The sword hit his arm and was stopped as Kakuzu expected. This time, he was neither slower nor weaker than Kakuzu. Both were equal. Not wanting to allow Fujin to take the momentum, Kakuzu counterattacked instantly with his other fist and tried punching Fujin. Fujin''s left palm was already moving to block the incoming fist. However, Kakuzu felt something odd. Instead of blocking normally, the wind was flowing in a peculiar manner at Fujin''s fingertips. Kakuzu''s eyes widened in shock as he understood what was happening. He immediately moved backwards while hardening his entire body. However, Fujin had no intention of letting him off that easily. Though Fujin didn''t expect to kill Kakuzu and was neither interested in doing so, he would be terribly disappointed in himself if he didn''t cause Kakuzu to lose any hearts. Chapter 460: Neverending Hidden Cards! While Kakuzu and Fujin had engaged in a fight, two more face-offs were happening in the snowy forests of the Land of Frost. Darui looked at the person in front of him. His expression was very serious. He muttered, "Uchiha Itachi. Why were you chasing after us?" Darui''s subordinates were tense as well. Though they were confident in Darui''s strength, Itachi was someone who massacred the entire Uchiha clan. They didn''t dare to underestimate him. They prepared themselves for a life-and-death battle! Elsewhere, the Kumo team led by C and Samui encountered Konan. Though they weren''t aware of who she was, C was able to sense her vast chakra reserves. As a result, they were in a tense situation as well. Suddenly, Konan sensed something and looked in the direction where Kakuzu and Fujin were fighting. She thought, ''It looks like Kakuzu is fighting someone. My butterflies were destroyed.'' Konan took a look at the Kumo ninja once again before leaving the battlefield. C asked, "Should we chase her?"The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Samui suggested, "We don''t know who she is. Though she is strong, capturing Hidan is more critical right now." C and the other ninja nodded. They continued their trail. Elsewhere, Itachi received a message from the paper butterfly. He too left and began moving towards where Fujin and Kakuzu were. Darui''s team breathed a sigh of relief. They pondered for a few seconds and took the same decision as their other team. While Kakuzu was retreating backwards, 5 Vacuum Bullets formed at Fujin''s fingertips and shot at Kakuzu at blinding speed at the same time that he moved backwards. He twisted his body at weird angles to be able to dodge them. However, the small distance meant that he couldn''t dodge them entirely. Three Vacuum Bullets hit his hardened body and pierced through it. In addition, one of the two bullets he dodged destroyed the paper butterflies on his shoulders. Despite hitting Kakuzu, there was no happiness in Fujin''s expression. None of the bullets managed to hit his heart. Unfortunately for Kakuzu, it wasn''t the end of the attack. Fujin could launch four waves of attack with his Vacuum Gatling jutsu by now. Kakuzu''s remaining body had moved to the right due to him flickering before the sword had cut through his body. He fell to the ground and rolled for several dozen meters before stopping. He lay there as if he was a corpse! Lying on the ground, Kakuzu was in shock. He had lost one of his heart! One of his arms was cut off from the forearm and the other arm was completely cleaved from his body! Though they weren''t a major loss for Kakuzu, he couldn''t control them as those parts didn''t have a heart to allow him to control them. He thought, ''Zetsu''s information is incomplete! His Wind Vacuum Technique is far more dangerous than his Fuinjutsu. He applied a layer of vacuum to his sword. That is why I couldn''t block him like before. To make matters worse, he made me feel confident in being able to defend his blade and hence forced me to make this mistake.'' With his experience, Kakuzu immediately understood what his mistake was. At the same time, he looked at Fujin in a whole new light. Though Fujin wasn''t stronger than him in any way, he kept way too many cards hidden. Juzo fell to his Fuinjutsu which no one knew of despite Fujin having such a high level of mastery. On the other hand, Kakuzu almost fell prey to a completely new style of using the Wind Vacuum Technique. If he had just one heart, he would have died. That said, if he just had one heart, he wouldn''t have fought Fujin in such a reckless manner. He kept lying hoping that Fujin would lower his guard down and approach him. Fujin naturally wouldn''t believe that he was dead. He thought, ''This old geezer is good at hiding his chakra. Even though he still has 4 hearts, it feels like he is completely dead. I can''t sense any chakra from him! Still, I was only able to destroy one heart after exposing Vacuum Slash and Vacuum Gatling. And now that I have exposed them, it will be very difficult to catch him off guard with them again.'' Fujin was very careful while exposing his hidden cards. He would generally avoid exposing them even if it meant he would have to retreat if he didn''t have any benefits to be gained. That is why he didn''t use his new collections of Vacuum jutsus against Juzo despite knowing that he could gain a huge advantage in the battle. However, since then, Fujin had made rapid progress in learning the Flying Thunder God jutsu. It was only a matter of time before he completely mastered it. In addition, he was also learning the Eight Inner Gates technique. Since he would have those techniques as his hidden cards in the future, Fujin didn''t mind exposing some of the Vacuum jutsus he created. Not to mention, against someone like Kakuzu, he would struggle a lot and could be at risk if he restricted himself to using the same techniques that he did against Juzo! After all, he was far away from Konoha and Kakuzu had the backup of two strong rank S ninjas! Fujin couldn''t afford to get injured at that place. Since Kakuzu was playing possum, Fujin decided to take his time. He created two Shadow Clones and immediately riled his chakra. He shot Vacuum Cannon at Kakuzu''s body while his clones followed up with the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu and the Searing Migraine jutsu. The two jutsus merged seamlessly and moved towards Kakuzu who was still playing dead! Chapter 461: Standstill Kakuzu, who was lying pretending to be dead, was dumbfounded. It was a common practice in the ninja world to collect the dead bodies of enemy ninjas instead of destroying them. After all, the dead body of a strong ninja was a treasure trove. It contained a lot of information. It was even more true in the case of Konoha ninjas due to the Yamanaka clan''s ability to read memories. Hence, Kakuzu never expected that Fujin would try to destroy his dead body! He immediately jumped up. The Vacuum Cannon hit where he was lying and created a canal in the ground as it moved. Of course, that wasn''t the end of Kakuzu''s trouble. He quickly hardened his body before he was hit by the Fire-Wind combination jutsu! He wondered, ''Is there something wrong with his head? Or does he have information about my abilities? Did Konoha find out so much about me after that small clash with Renjiro?'' Kakuzu couldn''t be sure. Unfortunately, he didn''t have the time to ponder about it deeply. Even though Kakuzu managed to barely protect himself in time, it wasn''t enough to completely stop the combination attack. The high speed and razor-sharp winds combined with hot flames forced Kakuzu backwards! The Akatsuki cloak on his body was blown away. Several burns and a few cuts appeared on his body. Fortunately, he could endure the pain. Unfortunately, he didn''t dare to use any defensive jutsus to help himself and instead focused entirely on the incoming attack. Immediately, he moved within the firestorm. A few Vacuum Bullets pierced through the space he was standing at earlier.The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Outside the firestorm, Fujin sighed and thought, ''He dodged them so easily. Vacuum Bullets have no chance of killing a strong ninja unless I catch him completely by surprise. I need a large-scale Vacuum jutsu. He wouldn''t have had much chance of dodging while playing possum if I had it. But how do I create one?'' Though Fujin had created an array of Wind Vacuum jutsus, he had failed to create one that had a wide range. The Vacuum Core would always collapse when he tried to do so. Though he hadn''t practiced Vacuum jutsus much in recent times, he did keep thinking about solving this issue. Unfortunately, he hadn''t had much luck. As he fell back, a large number of threads began poking out of Kakuzu''s body. They replaced his missing arms and the left side of his body. Two masks, the Fire Mask and the Wind Mask, appeared next to his head. Another mask, the Lightning Mask, appeared on his chest. In an instant, the Fire and Wind masks began preparing their jutsus. ''Wind Release: Pressure Damage jutsu'' After dodging, Fujin flickered a few times to approach Kakuzu from another direction but was stopped again. The masks fired a few more shots as Kakuzu asked, "You are good. How did you detect that I wasn''t dead?" Kakuzu didn''t get any response from Fujin. Though Kakuzu was the one at a disadvantage, Fujin didn''t dare to underestimate him. Every one of the elemental attacks could hurt him considerably. And, the threads were constantly trying to sneak up on him through the ground. He had to maintain full attention on the battle to ensure that Kakuzu didn''t gain momentum once again. The two continued fighting. With his sword and Blades of Wind jutsu, Kakuzu''s threads weren''t of any danger to him as long as he detected them. Whenever they got too close, Fujin would cut them off. However, due to the elemental bombardment along with attacks from the threads, Fujin was unable to get close to Kakuzu. His Vacuum Bullets and other attacks didn''t pose much of a threat to Kakuzu as he had plenty of time to dodge them. To pressure Kakuzu, Fujin used his Shadow and Wind clones to bombard him with more Vacuum Bullets from various angles. It put Kakuzu under a lot of pressure. But even under such pressure, not a single Vacuum jutsu hit Kakuzu! The battle entered a standstill with Kakuzu successfully keeping Fujin at midrange. Though he couldn''t harm Fujin, Fujin was unable to harm him either. He also used Fire-Wind Combination jutsu several times, but Fujin dodged each time without counterattacking. The main reason for not counterattacking with large-scale jutsus was that this battle was one of the few ones where Fujin didn''t have the advantage in terms of chakra reserves. Kakuzu was considerably superior to Fujin in this aspect. Since Fujin didn''t see any way to overpower Kakuzu''s combination jutsu, he didn''t bother wasting his chakra as there wasn''t much point in merely stopping it. As a result, several Firestorms moved unrestricted through the snowy forests. A large area was burned down. If not for the snow, multiple forest fires would have started spreading throughout the Land of Frost. Fujin sighed internally after being unsuccessful in closing the distance for the nth time. He thought, ''There is no end to this. We will just have to keep fighting until one of us runs out of chakra. Of course, no one is stupid enough to reach that stage. Worse, he is getting used to my fighting style. Even if I somehow make him run low on chakra and be unwilling to use so many elemental attacks, I doubt I''ll be able to injure him as well as I did earlier. I will need to use my Wind Domain if I want to injure him now. Unfortunately, my Wind Domain isn''t strong enou...'' Suddenly, Fujin sensed a disturbance. During the fight, he had kept his Space-Time Sensing Technique activated at all times. Someone had entered into it! Chapter 462: Fooling Kakuzu Fujin thought, ''Hmm, someone is heading towards here. Is it Itachi or Konan or someone else?'' Unfortunately, Fujin couldn''t sense who it was as his Space-Time Sensing Technique didn''t allow him to identify chakra signatures. A moment later, he sensed another disturbance. A few seconds later, both of those entities entered his chakra field. However, a peculiar expression appeared on Fujin''s face. He muttered to himself, ''What''s the use of being able to identify chakra signatures if my chakra field can''t even detect that a couple of ninjas have entered it?'' Fujin''s chakra field failed to pick up either of the chakra signatures. If not for the Space-Time Sensing Technique, he would have been in the dark about their arrival. Being able to hide themselves so well left little doubt of their identities. Fujin looked at Kakuzu and said, "You are quite stronger than what we thought. We will have to reevaluate your threat." Kakuzu was confused by Fujin''s words. Fujin hadn''t spoken a word since they started fighting. He couldn''t help but wonder why he talked all of a sudden. Suddenly, 4 Shadow Clones popped next to Fujin. A breeze could be seen flowing around Fujin. He disappeared within that breeze. Kakuzu immediately recognized, ''Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu? Why did he escape when he had the upper hand?'' Though the fight was a stalemate for a long time, Fujin held the initiative due to his Vacuum jutsus. Of course, that little advantage wasn''t much of a threat for Kakuzu. He believed that he would gain the upper hand if the fight continued for a long time. Breeze began flowing around him as well, however, Fujin''s clones immediately attacked him, interrupting his attempt to use the same jutsu to chase after Fujin. One of the clones said, "Give it up. You can''t chase after me anymore. Even though you can use Wind jutsus, they can''t compare to my mastery of Wind jutsus." Kakuzu knew that the clone was right. Though he had other advantages over Fujin, in terms of control over Wind jutsus, Fujin was in an entirely different league. Since he failed to give chase instantly, he understood that he wouldn''t be able to catch up with Fujin anymore. However, he still didn''t understand why Fujin escaped. He asked, "Why did you escape?" Konan wasn''t wearing any headband. So Fujin shouldn''t know anything about her under normal circumstances. Hence his clones acted ignorant. Konan and Itachi were slightly surprised. They believed that Fujin should be able to sense how strong Konan was even if he didn''t know her. As for Itachi, there was no explanation needed. In addition, there was also Kakuzu. Facing 3 rank S ninjas, there wasn''t a hint of fear on Fujin''s or his clones'' faces. Konan said, "The Spectral Swordsman of the Hidden Leaf. To not be afraid in such circumstances, it seems like everyone has still underestimated you." Meanwhile, Itachi wondered, ''Suzuki Fujin... I still remember him asking Lord Third for a reward for breaking my record in the Chunin Exams. I didn''t think he''d become so strong so quickly. I hope he''ll be able to escape unharmed.'' Kakuzu understood the thought process of his fellow members and said, "All four of them are clones. That is why they aren''t afraid. His main body escaped some time ago. He should have detected you two coming and decided to leave." Konan and Itachi understood why their opponent was fearless. Both were also surprised by the fact that Fujin was able to sense them. Konan asked Kakuzu, "Why were you fighting him? Our mission doesn''t involve him." Kakuzu replied, "He has a large bounty. Besides, his mission was the same as ours. We would have had to fight either way. They gave up after encountering me. We just need to destroy these 4 clones and continue." Konan and Itachi finally understood the entire picture. They were about to attack when one of the clones chuckled. He asked, "Gave up? Who told you that?" Kakuzu was surprised. However, he immediately thought of a possibility. He thought, ''Wait! Were his orders false? Now that I think about it, his subordinates withdrew very quickly. Don''t tell me that they just pretended to leave and instead went around me to continue their chase. In that case...'' Kakuzu''s expression changed. Though he didn''t particularly care about Hidan, getting played in such a manner by someone so much younger than him didn''t feel good. Fujin''s clone chuckled once more and said, "By now, my main body should have already caught Hidan. As for you three, we will kill you here right now!" Immediately, the four clones flickered and entered into an intense combat with the three Akatsuki members. Of course, the clones weren''t a match for the three of them. They just wanted to get a feel of Uchiha Itachi and Konan and experience their prowess first-hand. Apart from checking out their chakra signatures, that was the main reason why Fujin left his Shadow Clones behind. Chapter 463: Collecting a Skeleton! After a few minutes of very high-speed combat, all four Shadow Clones were dispelled. However, the Konan was very annoyed. Fujin''s clones had flickered almost non-stop and peppered the three of them with Air and Vacuum Bullets all the time! As a result, dispelling them took longer than it should have. In fact, the main reason why the clones were dispelled was because they ran out of chakra. Konan looked at Kakuzu and asked, "What did he mean by those words?" Kakuzu replied, "I guess his team only pretended to retreat and went around me instead. However, his claim of being able to catch Hidan by now should be a bluff because his team would have slowed down due to having to move around me. Still, their team had a Hyuga and an Inuzuka. So, this should be the path Hidan must have taken. We need to chase faster and catch up with them." Konan was about to speak when Itachi said, "This area has completely been destroyed by your jutsus. Finding Hidan''s trail from here would be impossible." Konan frowned upon hearing Itachi''s words. However, she realized that he was right. The terrain was completely ruined. All trees nearby were burnt and even the snow below had melted into water. Whatever trail Hidan might have left behind would have long been destroyed in their fight. She said, "I will call Zetsu. We will depend on him to find Hidan." Kakuzu and Itachi agreed with her decision. There was no other alternative. As for the person who had given them the headache, he was flying above the clouds while relaxing on Kaito''s back. He let out a chuckle on receiving the memories of his clones and thought, ''I wonder if they are panicking right now. Though chances of it are low. Oh well, it doesn''t matter. This will ensure that they focus on finding Hidan rather than chasing after those three. Besides, let them experience 1% of the frustrations that I felt over the last couple of days.'' The words Fujin''s clone said were all lies. He just wanted to make them feel a sense of urgency and fight seriously so that he could get a better measure of their abilities and strength. While Fujin could have done what his clone said, it involved a lot of risk. For starters, catching Hidan was difficult as he constantly kept on changing his location. Until he stopped moving, his squad would have a very difficult time catching up to him. Not to mention, they might have to face Akatsuki on their way back. With little chance of being able to read the Bishop''s memories, Fujin had no interest in taking such a huge risk. Lying on Kaito''s back, Fujin began analyzing his battle with Kakuzu and the skills of Konan and Itachi. He analyzed, ''Konan and Itachi''s powers are quite similar to what I remember. Though Konan''s control over the paper is too good. If we fought seriously, I''ll likely end up on the losing side. But, once my Wind Domain is ready, she''ll be at a huge disadvantage against me. Back in the Land of Frost, without interference from Fujin and with Zetsu''s help, the Akatsuki members quickly found Hidan. They had taken the threat of Fujin''s clones seriously and hence moved very quickly. To their confusion, Zetsu and his clones didn''t find any traces of either Fujin or his squad. After intercepting him, Kakuzu fought with him and lost another heart before defeating Hidan. Intrigued by Kakuzu''s immortality, Hidan agreed to join the Akatsuki and became Kakuzu''s partner. In a remote place in the Land of Birds, a large Flying Sabertooth landed in front of a hill. Kaito asked, "Is this the place, Fujin?" Fujin got off and said, "Most probably from what I remember. Let me inspect." Fujin''s eyes glowed as he observed the hill. As he recalled from Zankoku''s memories, he found the cave hidden behind one of the walls of the hill. Zankoku had sealed the entrance when he abandoned this hideout. Fujin destroyed the cave and entered it. He quickly moved towards a corner of the cave. He weaved a hand seal and placed his palm on the ground. The ground opened up and a skeleton appeared underneath it. Fujin stored the skeleton and thought, ''If I manage to get my hands on Edo Tensei, I can use this skeleton to revive the bishop Ketsueki. I have a feeling that the intel I''ll get from him will be the key to understanding what Jashin is and how those rituals work. At the very least, it''ll be more useful than Zankoku''s memories and his dead body.'' Fujin turned his attention to the cave. It had been a long time since the ritual was conducted here. Though the cave wasn''t destroyed, it wasn''t in an optimal condition due to the passing of time. Many seals had faded away. Quite a few were no longer complete. Fujin still recorded as many of the seals as he could find in a scroll. Unlike the seals he found from Hidan''s ritual, Fujin had no intention of sharing these seals with anyone. He left the cave and sealed the entrance once again before flying towards Konoha on Kaito''s back. Though Hidan had escaped, this matter wasn''t closed. In the original story, no one found the place where Hidan underwent the ritual. However, Fujin''s involvement meant that it was no longer the case. Fujin, his squad and a couple dozen Yugakure ninjas had all been to the cave where the ritual took place. It was impossible to keep that place hidden anymore. Once it was understood that the cave had seals that were never seen before, every major force would flock to that cave. In addition, Hidan''s abilities were revealed to Darui and other Kumo ninjas. If his abilities were linked with the seals in the cave, the entire ninja world could become chaotic once again! Chapter 464: The Key Person! While Fujin was aware of the complications that could arise, he didn''t particularly care. Hidan will be joining Akatsuki and will be travelling with Kakuzu. Without proper information, taking them down would be pretty much impossible unless multiple Kages teamed up against them. The chances of that happening were more or less null. Even with proper information, it would take a couple of rank S ninjas to defeat them. Apart from Konoha, no other villages had a couple of rank S ninjas who took missions actively. As for the new seals, Fujin was hoping that someone would succeed in cracking them and understanding their secrets. He just intended to stay back and swoop in to steal their gains in case he didn''t succeed. Hence, Fujin decided not to interfere much in whatever would happen due to the recent movements. Kaito brought Fujin to Konoha from the Land of Birds in a few hours. Though Fujin travelled a lot more, having to go to the Land of Birds which was on the opposite side of the Land of Fire and didn''t even border it, and spent some time noting down the seals from Zankoku''s ritual, he still reached Konoha earlier than his teammates thanks to Kaito. The two bade farewell a few kilometers from Konoha. On entering Konoha, Fujin went straight to Hiruzen''s office. Hiruzen was surprised to see Fujin so quickly. He asked, "Is the mission over?" Fujin nodded and said, "More or less. Did my teammates return?" Hiruzen was confused by Fujin''s question and wondered, ''Did they split up?'' He replied, "No. What happened during the mission?"The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Fujin replied, "Quite a bit. I might have some confidential news." Hiruzen understood the message and glanced at his Anbu Guards. They immediately left the room and shut all doors and windows. Hiruzen activated the privacy seals. Fujin said, "The mission was a bit complicated. We managed to find the missing civilians. Unfortunately, they were all killed before we reached. It was the same as my previous mission against Jashin followers. The only difference was that we were late." Hiruzen sighed and said, "That''s a shame." Fujin nodded and continued, "I have a feeling that something weird is going on. The dead bodies of the civilians were in a sealed-off cave in a remote mountain range. Inside the cave, there were also a few other dead bodies. I speculated that they were followers of Jashin. Their bodies were cremated. Meanwhile, the dead bodies of the civilians had decomposed at a very fast rate. Just by looking at the dead body, one would assume that they have been dead for several years. Probably due to that, Yamanaka Ken couldn''t read any of their memories for us to understand what happened in the cave." Hiruzen nodded and fell into deep thought. Fujin had given him a lot of unexpected news. Be it Akatsuki''s movements, the dead civilians or the never-seen-before seals. On analyzing, he realized, ''Everything finally comes back to one person. That is Hidan... Who is that kid? And how did he get access to something like this?'' He looked at Fujin and asked, "Is there any chance we can capture Hidan?" Fujin replied, "Very difficult. We have lost his trail. Even assuming that he is alone, finding him will be very difficult. Not to mention those 3 rank S ninjas from the Akatsuki. If they were there to kill him, then it''s already too late. And, if they were there to recruit him, then I''m not sure how much manpower we will need to get him from them. I''m not confident in being able to kill either of those three by myself." Hiruzen understood Fujin. Facing three rank S ninjas was very difficult. Even if Hidan was accompanied by just 1 rank S ninja, Konoha would struggle to capture Hidan unless he encountered Jiraiya or Hiruzen or decided to attack Konoha for some reason. Hiruzen sighed and said, "Then there is very little we can do. Regardless, you have done a great job. Tell me about Kakuzu''s abilities in the report. We don''t have enough information on him. For now, I will call a council meeting tomorrow. These new seals will generate a lot of interest and could start a new conflict. So our village should be prepared. Also, the clans would want to study the seals as well. I will send a Grandmaster and a squad there to investigate it properly and record the formation. In the meeting, inform everyone about your findings. It''ll expose the fact that you are a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu, but this matter is serious." Fujin nodded and said, "I understand." By now, Iwagakure and Akatsuki were aware of the fact that Fujin was a Grandmaster. He didn''t know to whom the information had spread and who all knew it. Regardless, he couldn''t count on it being a surprise anymore. As such, it was pointless to keep it a secret anymore. Hiruzen said, "I will call you later." Fujin was about to leave when he stopped and suddenly asked, "Grandpa, I am facing an issue. I was wondering whether you could help me." Hiruzen''s instincts immediately warned him. The word ''Grandpa'' along with Fujin''s tone made him realize that Fujin was about to ask a favor. He sighed internally and asked, "As long as I can. What is the issue?" While he spoke, he prayed, ''I hope he doesn''t ask for my kidney this time.'' Chapter 465: Who is more Shameless? Hiruzen was indeed very fearful of Fujin''s tendencies to ask something very unreasonable. And even though what Fujin asked would be unreasonable, in most cases, it was something Hiruzen couldn''t refuse without looking like a terrible leader and damaging the image he had created. Fujin said, "It''s nothing too serious. I was developing a range of Vacuum jutsus to make my arsenal more versatile. Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I can''t create a Vacuum jutsu that has a wide range like say the Great Breakthrough jutsu. Whenever I try, my Vacuum Core collapses. Do you know any large-scale Wind Vacuum jutsu?" Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief on hearing the request and thought, ''Fortunately, he isn''t asking for my kidney this time.'' He answered, "Though I can use the Wind Vacuum technique, I''m not very proficient in it. I don''t have such a jutsu. However, there is someone else in the village who does know it." Fujin knew who that someone else was. He was hoping that Hiruzen knew the jutsu, or that he would mention that Danzo knew it. However, to keep up the act, he still asked with a curious expression on his face, "Who is it?" Hiruzen replied, "It''s Elder Danzo." Fujin put up a thoughtful expression and appeared to be in deep thought for a few seconds. Finally, he looked at Hiruzen and said, "I rebuked him quite a bit in the only two meetings we had. I doubt he''ll tell me about it. Is there any chance you can get it from him and then teach it to me, Grandpa?" Hiruzen looked at Fujin with a deadpan expression. He cursed internally, ''So he wants Danzo to ask for my kidneys?'' Hiruzen coughed and said, "Fujin, at your level, especially considering your mastery of Wind Vacuum Technique, I''ll recommend you to depend on yourself. Every person''s understanding of the technique differs slightly. If you just copy it from others, then you won''t be able to form your own ideas and might lose out on something special." Fujin sighed and replied, "I had the same feeling. That was why I never asked you about this and worked on it by myself. Unfortunately, it caused me to lose out big time. If I had such a jutsu, I might have been able to kill Kakuzu during this fight." Hiruzen''s eyes widened. He was aware that Kakuzu was far stronger than someone like Juzo. Fujin continued, "Unfortunately, I don''t think he''ll ever give me such an opening again. I just don''t miss out on any such opportunities to eliminate strong foes in the future. Though I might lose out on the opportunity to create my original jutsu that is very compatible with me, I''m willing to make that sacrifice for the sake of our village!" If anyone were to hear Fujin''s words, they would be shocked and impressed by Fujin''s righteousness and his spirit of sacrifice for the sake of the village! For a moment, even Hiruzen was caught off guard. He couldn''t help but think, ''He is asking for a jutsu... Why does it sound like he is making some big sacrifice for the village?'' The day continued as normal for the people in Konoha. Fujin''s teammates returned a few hours later and met up with his clone. They informed him about their meeting with the Daimyo. Apart from that, nothing else happened during their return journey. As for Hiruzen, he sent messengers to every clan leader and elders to inform them about the council meeting the next day. Fujin already knew about it. Considering the nature of the meeting, Hiruzen didn''t invite any civilian council members. He studied the seals until late at night. He took a look at every seal that Fujin had handed him. Though he didn''t study any seal in detail, he was still expecting some gains. To his surprise, he failed to figure out the functions of any seal. He thought, ''These seals are quite different from the normal seals we use. It looks like this will require a thorough study to understand what these seals do. To completely understand their functions, it might take years. I''ll need to hand these seals to every Grandmaster in the village and have them study it. Fortunately, I won''t have to persuade them as everyone will be intrigued by these new seals. Apart from this, the only way to speed up the process of understanding the seals would be if that formation has any clues. Regardless, these seals have the potential to cause a breakthrough in our current mastery of seals. If their functions are useful, then Konoha will have an advantage over other villages.'' Hiruzen could easily see the advantages of these seals. While he couldn''t be sure, any chance of getting an advantage over your enemies that didn''t involve much risk was precious. Hiruzen had no intention of letting it go. He immediately sent his Anbu ninjas to call for a few ninjas. Within half an hour, four ninjas gathered in his office. They were Kakashi, the Anbu Commander Eagle, the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster of the Senju clan and the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster of the Yamanaka plan. Hiruzen informed them about Fujin''s mission and findings and shared some of the new seals with the Grandmasters. Seeing seals that they had never seen before immediately made them very curious. Kakashi and Eagle understood the importance as well. Hiruzen instructed, "Leave the village secretly and reach that cave. Once you do, record the entire formation properly. Don''t miss a single detail. Once you have recorded everything, destroy the cave. No other village should get a hand on these seals. Though Yugakure sent a few ninjas earlier, they didn''t include any SealMaster. So they should be unaware of the uniqueness of these seals. I want it to stay that way. The cave should be empty as the process of storing the dead bodies should be long done. However, if Yugakure has stationed a few ninjas at the cave, eliminate them and don''t leave behind any proof." Everyone nodded seriously. They understood the importance of the matter and the need to keep it a secret from other villages. They left the village secretly under the cover of the night. The next morning, the Council of Konoha met once again. It was the third time a council meeting was convened due to Fujin. Chapter 466: Emergency Meeting Hiruzen, the three Elders, the seven Clan Leaders and Fujin sat in the council room. Since it was an emergency meeting, everyone had arrived on time. Except for Fujin, everyone looked at Hiruzen, waiting for him to start the meeting and state the reason for the emergency meeting. Hiruzen looked around the room, meeting his eyes with everyone in the room. He started the meeting by saying, "I''m sure every one of you is curious about why I called this meeting. This meeting is due to some recent events that Fujin discovered during his mission to the Land of Hot Waters." His tone became serious as he said, "What will be discussed today will be very important for the future of our village. It goes without saying that all the information must stay within these walls. If any information gets leaked, I''m afraid that it will provoke some countries into starting a war." Hiruzen''s words made everyone serious. Even Shikaku, who was looking sleepy and yawning until then, became sharp. Meanwhile, Danzo looked at Fujin and thought, ''This meeting is due to him as well? I still haven''t discovered what happened to my two subordinates. And he is already a part of something that involves the future of the village?'' He looked at Hiruzen and wondered, ''Did Hiruzen give him some secret mission and ask him to eliminate everyone who interfered? But what mission could that be?'' Danzo was indeed confused. His ninjas had looked along the path Fujin should have taken when he eliminated the bandits. However, they didn''t find any clues regarding the two missing Root ninjas. So even though Danzo suspected Fujin, he had no evidence to blame him or make Hiruzen investigate him. Seeing that everyone in the room was serious, Hiruzen said, "In Yugakure, a ninja named Hidan went rogue recently. He killed 18 ninjas and several civilians before going rogue. He was also involved in kidnapping more than 300 civilians. Fujin was sent to hunt him down and rescue the kidnapped people, however, he arrived late. All the kidnapped people were killed in a mysterious way, their bodies decomposing several hundred times faster than normal. And, the cave they were in was covered in a formation made of seals. Many of those seals and symbols are the ones we have never seen before. They are completely different from our usual seals and..." He looked around the room before completing his statement, "Even I couldn''t identify their functions despite studying them for several hours." The words surprised everyone in the room. Though most in the room weren''t good with seals, they all understood what Hiruzen''s words implied. At the same time, everyone looked at Fujin as well. Since Fujin was the one who discovered it, that meant that he should be able to identify every seal in Konoha at the very least. It implied that he was close to being a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu if he wasn''t one already. Except for Danzo, Shikaku and Senju Hiromasa, no one had heard about Fujin even being a SealMaster, let alone a Grandmaster. It made everyone reevaluate the young man. Danzo asked, "Do you mean that the seals are completely different from any other seals we studied?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "I did make a copy. However, this one was made by Fujin. I was intending to return it to him so that he can continue studying them." Danzo was confused. He wondered, ''What is he planning by giving such an answer? Does he want to give these to Fujin and stop me from getting access to them? But what will that accomplish considering that he is planning to distribute the formation to every Grandmaster?'' Unlike Danzo, Fujin didn''t miss the obvious helping hand Hiruzen had given him. Danzo looked at Fujin and asked, "Are you planning on studying these or can I take them?" Fujin put up a thoughtful expression and replied, "I was planning to study them. It is the first time that I''ve seen seals that aren''t recorded in our village." Danzo frowned. He thought, ''Though I don''t know what these seals do, I have a feeling that they will be very beneficial for me! I don''t want to give Hiruzen any opportunity to play any games.'' Before Fujin could continue, Danzo replied, "I can study the seals far faster than you. Considering the importance of the seal, I insist that you let me study them for now." Fujin replied with a smile on his face, "That''s true. I can wait. Actually, even if you didn''t say it, I was planning to let you take it, Elder. But I hope that you can help me resolve an issue I''m facing." Danzo immediately realized. He glanced at Hiruzen and cursed in his mind, ''So this is why he said those words. He wanted me to owe Fujin one and help him out.'' He asked, "What is the issue?" Fujin replied, "I was trying to create a Vacuum Jutsu that covers a wide range, something similar to the Great Breakthrough jutsu. Unfortunately, I couldn''t create a Vacuum Core stable and large enough to do so." Danzo immediately realized the issue. He couldn''t help but think, ''I heard that he is extremely good with Wind Vacuum Technique, but is he treating it as just Wind Manipulation? Still, before I answer, I need to know one thing.'' Danzo said, "Before I help you, I have one thing I wanted to ask you as well. I heard that you had taken a few missions around 3 weeks earlier and moved south. During your journey, did you see any ninjas from the Root?" Chapter 467: Forcing Danzo to Teach! Danzo''s sudden question surprised Hiruzen. He looked at Danzo with suspicion and wondered, ''Was it a coincidence or did he specifically send them after Fujin?'' Even Fujin was surprised. He didn''t expect Danzo to openly ask such a question. Fortunately, he was prepared just in case. He put up a confused expression and replied, "I didn''t. In fact, I didn''t come across any Konoha ninja during my time down south. Did something happen?" While Fujin answered, Danzo observed him carefully. He analyzed, ''His chakra flow was calm as he answered. But he is an experienced sensor. It shouldn''t be difficult for him to disguise it if he is lying.'' Danzo replied, "Yes. Two Root ninjas left around the same time that you left the village and were headed in the same direction. Both went missing immediately. I never heard back from either of them." Fujin put up a thoughtful expression. Meanwhile, Hiruzen observed both Fujin and Danzo. Unfortunately, neither of their expressions gave any hint of the truth. Hiruzen speculated, ''Knowing Danzo, it is likely that he sent them to keep an eye on Fujin. The chances of it being a coincidence are very low. But what happened to them? Don''t tell me Fujin really eliminated both of them.'' Hiruzen became serious. While he knew that there was some tension between Fujin and Danzo, he didn''t want it to develop into an all-out battle. He immediately started feeling a headache. Cutting his thoughts off, Fujin asked, "Did you find out whether they left the village before me or after me? Also, how strong were they?" Fujin''s questions confused both of them. Neither Danzo nor Hiruzen could understand the reason behind the questions. Danzo answered, "Both were Jounins. They left the village a few minutes after you." Fujin replied, "No wonder I didn''t sense them. I was travelling at a very fast speed. A normal Jounin wouldn''t be able to catch up with me. Besides, I activated my chakra field several times while moving. Had they come close to me, I''d have detected them even if they hid their chakra. That said, I did inspect the route I was travelling along. I didn''t detect any ninja hiding along the route. Unless it was a rank S ninja or someone absurdly good at stealth, I''m confident that there was no one hidden along the path. The only possible explanations are that those two took a different route or someone crossed that encountered them long after I had already moved on. Unfortunately, I am afraid that I can''t help you in either of the cases. I''ll recommend asking ninjas who left the village after them. If there was someone faster among them, maybe they might have seen something." He found the situation extremely amusing. For once, he wasn''t the target of Fujin''s demands. Instead, it was the guy who constantly gave him headaches. Danzo was surprised once again. He couldn''t help but glance at Hiruzen. Having known Hiruzen for so long, he could easily recognize the amusement in his eyes. He cursed internally, ''Now I understand. I wondered why Hiruzen pushed this boy to the council despite never attempting to do the same for Kakashi, whose background is considerably stronger and would have received a lot more support. Hiruzen didn''t get Fujin into the council because he was strong. He did it because this boy is as shameless as him!'' Danzo had no choice but to answer. Hiruzen''s earlier words implied that Danzo was receiving a favor from Fujin. In addition, Fujin also cooperated in providing information regarding the missing Root ninjas. Not to mention, passing knowledge to the next generation was a part of the Will of Fire. Even though Danzo had fallen into the Darkness, he still needed to keep up his image. So, even if Fujin didn''t do him any favors, he would have still had to tell Fujin about it. After all, Danzo was no longer active on the frontlines while Fujin would be active for decades. If he declined, Hiruzen would find another reason to restrict whatever remained of his Root even more. Danzo answered, "It''s simple. Just reduce your goal. Though it won''t be as wide or as strong as you want it to be, the jutsu will still be very strong. Observe this." Danzo stretched his left arm forward. A Vacuum Core began forming in his hand. Fujin''s eyes began glowing as he concentrated chakra in them. So did Hiruzen''s eyes. As the core formed, both were surprised. While Danzo had created a Vacuum Core, it was very different. The Vacuum Core itself consisted of several Vacuum Cores. Fujin could see 9 Vacuum Cores inside it. Danzo explained, "Create a Vacuum Core that can store multiple Vacuum Cores inside it. When you use it to attack, you can split the Vacuum Cores inside and send them in different directions, increasing the area your jutsu can cover. You have two choices in this aspect. One, you can send the Vacuum Cores very far away from each other. This is helpful when you are facing several ninjas that are considerably weaker than you and close to each other. However, stronger ninjas can easily dodge the vacuum cores and endure the rest of the jutsu. The other way is to have those Vacuum Cores move close to each other. The distance should be such that no one can slip in between any two Vacuum Cores. This way, the area the jutsu covers is far less than the first way. However, it is still greater than a normal Vacuum jutsu. You can compare it to shooting multiple Vacuum Bullets very close to each other. To dodge them, your enemy would have to move out of the way entirely. However, since those are individual bullets, they aren''t as impactful as this. If you do it by storing those Vacuum Cores in another Vacuum Core, sharp winds will naturally form between each individual Vacuum Core once they split up. As a result, they are far more dangerous. In addition, there is a limit to how many Vacuum Cores for Vacuum Bullets or other techniques you can form at the same time. By comparison, it is easier to increase the number of cores stored inside this Vacuum Core. Of course, there are limits as well, but that limit is much higher. Creating over 50 Vacuum Cores inside it isn''t difficult. Then, you can increase the range further without losing its power and threat." Chapter 468: Tunnels in the Training Ground Fujin properly observed the Vacuum Core while listening to every word Danzo said. He wasn''t worried about Danzo lying. After all, he had the Professor sitting with him and listening as well. Not to mention, Fujin''s own expertise in the Wind Vacuum technique wasn''t very far from Danzo''s. In fact, Fujin was even more efficient than Danzo considering the fact that Danzo hadn''t been active for years while Fujin had several run-ins with Elite Jounins and Rank S ninjas. Fujin only fell short in the amount of time they had the jutsus for. Analyzing Danzo''s words, he realized, ''I see. I had nearly got it right! I created multiple Vacuum Cores and spread them inside the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Unfortunately, those independent cores don''t amplify the effect and don''t have any interaction between themselves. Instead of creating multiple separate Vacuum Cores, I have to create multiple Vacuum Core inside one Vacuum Core!'' Fujin finally understood the point he overlooked. Though Danzo''s method wasn''t as good as the one he wanted, it was still far stronger than what he had come up with. Regardless, it was still a major improvement for Fujin. If he had learnt that jutsu earlier, Kakuzu would have lost far more than just 1 heart. Fujin looked at the Vacuum Core in Danzo''s palm and analyzed, ''The Vacuum Cores inside it are for the Vacuum Bullet. Once he shoots it, it''ll split into 9 different Vacuum Bullets. Assuming he keeps one at the center and the remaining 8 forms an octagon around it and stay a foot away from it, it''ll cover a distance of 1 foot in every direction. Considering the ability of the Vacuum cores to absorb nearby items, the target would have to move slightly more than a foot in any direction. That said, Vacuum Bullet isn''t the ideal jutsu for this. Vacuum Waves jutsu will be ideal for this as it covers a larger area than a Vacuum Bullet. Once I increase the number of cores I can store inside it beyond 30, it''ll cover more area than a Great Fireball. Not too extravagant but still far better than my current attacks.'' Danzo extinguished the Vacuum Core in his palm, snapping Fujin out of his thoughts. He asked, "Anything else?" Fujin shook his head and said with a smile on his face, "No. Thank you for your guidance." Though Fujin had long planned out Danzo''s death and still intended to follow it unless Danzo forced him to kill him earlier, he saw no issue in accepting Danzo''s help. In fact, if Danzo offered more help, Fujin was willing to accept all help with a smile on his face. After all, how could he get anything from Danzo after Danzo died? Of course, Fujin understood that this was a one-off event. Danzo only helped Fujin because he wanted those scrolls and because Hiruzen was there. Danzo nodded and grabbed the scrolls on the table before leaving. Fujin took a look at the scrolls and thought, ''Though Hiruzen applied some pressure, the main point was those seals. I hope that it is just his instincts and not some clue he found. With Izanagi, though he is annoying, killing him isn''t difficult. However, if he gains something like Hidan''s immortality, he could be a pain in the ass to deal with.'' After Danzo left, Hiruzen smiled and said, "Didn''t I tell you? All elders will support the youngsters in our village. Especially if the youngsters are as promising as you. Though I''m normally busy, you can approach the other Elders whenever you want." Fujin looked at Hiruzen. He understood that Hiruzen wanted him to trouble Homura and Koharu as well. Unfortunately, there wasn''t anything Fujin could think of to ask them for. Instead, Hiruzen''s mischievous speech caused him to have an irresistible temptation to ask for the Edo Tensei jutsu! Naruto weaved a few hand seals and shouted, "Wind Release: Wind Levitation jutsu" Naruto was looking at a few twigs that were in front of him. In a second, winds began flowing around the twigs. Soon, they were lifted into the air due to the airflow and floated a couple of feet above the ground. Around 5 seconds later, Naruto couldn''t maintain the jutsu and the twigs fell back to the ground. Naruto said excitedly, "See! I told you that I will master it. Believe it!" Fujin nodded and said, "Good progress. However, the time you can maintain the jutsu is too little. Try to maintain it for at least 30 seconds. Only then it can barely be considered as mastered." Naruto nodded. Fujin asked, "What is your progress with Leaf Concentration and Leaf Cutting exercises?" Naruto said, "I can stick the leaf to my forehead for 90 minutes. The Leaf Cutting exercise I''m almost done with." Naruto picked up a leaf and placed it on his left palm. He placed his right palm on top of it and began releasing wind chakra. It slowly cut through the leaf and almost split the leaf into two halves. Only around half a centimeter was left. Fujin observed it and thought, ''Not bad. His progress in these two exercises has surprisingly been quite fast. Looks like he didn''t slack off. He should be able to cut through the leaf in a week. Leaf Concentration might take another month though. Still, that''s fine. There will be enough time to teach him tree climbing and water walking before he graduates.'' Naruto asked, "Will you teach me the fourth jutsu?" Fujin replied, "For now, focus on Leaf Cutting. When you can cut through it and maintain Wind Levitation for 15 seconds, I''ll teach it to you." He smiled and said, "Keep working hard Naruto. You have progressed a lot since I met you." Hearing Fujin''s praise, Naruto felt proud. He smiled and nodded his head while saying, "I will, believe it!" Fujin said, "You can train at your home for the next couple of weeks. This training ground is going to be a bit busy." Naruto was confused and wondered, ''Huh? Is it because of these tunnels?'' He nodded and left. Fujin saw him leave. Naruto''s progress was very much in line with what Fujin had expected. However, for the time being, he didn''t spend much time thinking about him. Instead, his focus was on his Vacuum jutsus. He thought, ''I have successfully learnt how to store multiple Vacuum Bullet Cores inside a Vacuum Core. Today, I''ll master how to store Vacuum Wave Cores!'' Chapter 469: AoE Vacuum Jutsu Fujin muttered to himself, ''This might take some time. With Vacuum Bullets, I could refer to and replicate Danzo''s vacuum core. However, I will have to create an entirely new core this time to accommodate the cores of Vacuum Wave. After all, the shapes of the cores of the two jutsus are very different from each other. Still, it shouldn''t take too long.'' Fujin extended his palm ahead. A large spherical vacuum core formed on top of his hand. Soon, a vacuum core began forming inside the larger core. Unlike the Vacuum Bullet core, which was shaped like a bullet, this one was shaped like a thread. It was a lot longer but very thin and curved in shape. Since Fujin could already store 9 Vacuum Bullet cores inside the larger core, it wasn''t a challenge for him to create one Vacuum Wave core inside it. Suddenly, Fujin noticed something. He analyzed, ''Wait a minute! Unlike the Vacuum Bullet core, where I need to maintain the spherical shape and have to create proper spaces inside the larger vacuum core to hold them, the Vacuum Wave core has a huge advantage. Since their shape is elongated and doesn''t need to be straight, I can just curve, or better yet, coil them inside the larger core while creating a small chakra film to keep them separated from each other. In that case, I''ll be able to increase the number of Vacuum Wave cores inside it very easily. As I thought, Vacuum Wave is indeed the jutsu most suited for this technique.'' Fujin''s expression lit up upon realizing it. He quickly began creating more Vacuum Wave cores inside the larger core. As he expected, he faced very little trouble in creating it. He quickly managed to create 7 cores inside it. The Vacuum Wave cores were just too compatible with this technique. Fujin dispelled the vacuum core and thought, ''Wow! 7 on my first try! I needed a couple of days to reach 9 with Vacuum Bullet cores. Still, that bastard Danzo... He knew that Vacuum Wave would have been the most compatible jutsu with this, yet he only showed me Vacuum Bullets. I guess he was very reluctant to inform me about this technique. Well, whatever. It shouldn''t be hard to apply this technique to my remaining Vacuum jutsus.'' Fujin began practicing again. On every try, the amount of vacuum cores he could store inside the larger vacuum core increased. An hour later, the number reached 76! Fujin stared at the vacuum core in his hand and thought, ''This should be my limit for now. Though increasing it further shouldn''t be much harder. I just need more practice. Anyway, It''s time to test it.'' Fujin dispelled the vacuum core and a Shadow Clone appeared next to him. The clone stood around 25 meters in front of Fujin and slammed his palm on the ground. A large wall appeared in front of him. He moved backwards slightly while continuing to slam his palm on the ground. In all, 4 large walls stood between the two. Each wall was about 0.5 meters thick. Fujin took a deep breath and began forming the vacuum core in his mouth. Soon, 76 Vacuum Wave cores formed inside that vacuum core and the large vacuum core was surrounded by Wind chakra. Fujin thought, ''I damaged the training ground a bit too much. Fortunately, there aren''t any penalties for doing so. I''ll just ask Hiruzen to do something about it. Anyway, the good news is that I finally have an AoE Vacuum jutsu! At a range of around 20 to 25 meters, I can spread this jutsu 10 meters wide and 5 meters high to have the optimal effect. Once I increase the cores inside it even further, the area it covers can be increased more or alternatively I can make it stronger by focusing on a limited area.'' Fujin chuckled while thinking, ''I never would have imagined that Danzo would have been the one to help me take my Vacuum jutsus to the next level! I can replace my older Vacuum Serial Waves jutsu with this one. This one is far more efficient and powerful in every way. As for the Vacuum Bullet jutsu, I should replace it as well. By keeping several vacuum cores within one, I''ll be able to create more Vacuum Bullets at a time. Not to mention, sharp winds flow between the Vacuum Bullets, making dodging far more difficult. The only time I''ll need to use my normal Vacuum Bullets is when my enemies are very far from each other or to conserve my chakra if the enemy is too good at dodging. With this method, even though I can spread the Vacuum Bullets, they still have to be in a similar direction. Unless I can create two large cores with multiple cores within them. Hmm, I''ll try this out later once I''m comfortable with this technique. That said, there is one drawback. The time needed in this method is higher. But, that shouldn''t be an issue after using this method for a few months. Not to mention, needing more time to create more cores is a natural thing. There isn''t much I can do about it if I have to create several dozen cores. Due to this drawback, using this technique on Vacuum Gatling isn''t very practical. After all, the essence of that technique is speed and surprise. Though there is no harm in learning it in case I need it for some reason. It could be a good way to learn how to create multiple such cores. As for Vacuum Cannon, this method would be good only when I have a defense to pierce. I can line up the Vacuum Cannons behind one another and have them hit the same spot. I wonder if Susanoo would be able to resist such an assault... Anyway, in all other cases, the normal Vacuum Cannon will be better. As for Vacuum Blade and Vacuum Slash, this method isn''t very compatible with them. Is there any way I can use them?'' Fujin thought for a few minutes and concluded, ''Using this method with Vacuum Slash is pointless. I need to form it in the time I swing my sword. I can''t waste time creating multiple vacuum cores. However, Vacuum Blades can have a possible use. If I can store Vacuum Blade cores in this vacuum core and activate it after I have thrown the jutsu, then it has the potential to catch enemies by surprise. The enemy might see it as a normal Vacuum Bullet or Vacuum Sphere and dodge it, only to be attacked by several Vacuum Blades. This has some potential. If I manage to store it in a seal, then it can act as a deadly trap. Alright, I''ll learn this as well.'' Chapter 470: Hiruzens Disbelief! Fujin analyzed his plans for a while before nodding. He thought, ''Alright, these plans should be good. It''ll make my attack patterns extremely unpredictable and increase the difficulty of dodging. At the very least, there is no way a group of well-trained Jounins will be able to counter me as Iwa did. In fact, once I master them, even a rank S ninja will have to be very careful against me. It''ll no longer be as easy as dodging my Vacuum jutsus and putting up a defense for the rest.'' Fujin''s eyes moved towards the spot where his clone had dispelled and thought, ''There is just one other thing. Rashomon isn''t good enough for me. I need the Triple and the Five-Layer Rashomon. Unfortunately, they aren''t available in the library. That said, creating them shouldn''t be very difficult, but it''ll require some time for me to create those variations...'' Fujin thought for a bit before deciding, ''Unfortunately, I have been feeling that I have very little time as of late. Screw it, I''ll just ask Hiruzen. Once my chakra recovers, I''ll tell him to send a Shadow Clone and also take the opportunity to find a better training place. If I keep practicing my Vacuum jutsus here, the scenery in front of my house will be completely destroyed!'' Increasing the number of vacuum cores also increased the amount of chakra required in the same ratio. As a result, Fujin''s chakra reserves had become quite low. He decided to do physical training until his chakra recovered. While Fujin got busy with his training, one place became quite chaotic and heated up. "What did you say?" A loud shout was heard in the Raikage''s office. Darui, C and Samui stood in front of the Fourth Raikage. There was no one else in the room and all privacy seals were activated. Otherwise, everyone in the building would have heard that shout. Even then, the ones near the office felt some tremors. Ay looked at his three subordinates and asked, "I sent you three to find and kill Suzuki Fujin. You didn''t even meet him and yet ten of the sixteen ninjas died? What the hell were you three doing?" Ay was mad. When Kumo ninjas met Fujin for the first time, he managed to kill more than a dozen ninjas and escape despite facing Darui. His escape resulted in Konoha getting crucial information which resulted in Jiraiya wiping out more than 250 Kumo ninjas while Hiruzen''s political maneuvers eliminated every possibility of Kumogakure getting revenge without having to face extremely serious consequences. Since he couldn''t attack Hiruzen or Jiraiya, he set his eyes on Fujin. However, Fujin stayed holed up inside Konoha and later in the Anbu for years, leaving no traces of himself. While it annoyed Ay and strategic planners in Kumo, their annoyance reduced with the passage of time and eventually no one thought of him anymore. Samui said, "There is another piece of intel we received. Apparently, Hidan had kidnapped 300 civilians inside the Land of Hot Water. Suzuki Fujin''s mission was to find them. He managed to find them, but could only recover their corpses. Our spy reported that the cave where the corpses were was covered in seals, which is why Yugakure ninjas couldn''t find them. In addition, every corpse had decayed at an extreme speed. Suzuki Fujin chased after Hidan in the Land of Frost as well, but we aren''t sure what happened to him after that. However, the cave where the corpses were found was destroyed yesterday. Someone eliminated the six Yugakure ninjas stationed there and destroyed the cave. There is no information on who did that." The additional information troubled Ay even more. He thought, ''So many events... I have a feeling that there is something important happening here. But what is it?'' Unfortunately, Ay had very little information. He said, "We have a lot of ninjas who don''t have any missions. I''ll deploy them in the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water. Lead them and try to find Hidan. Give proper instructions to ensure that they don''t fall prey to his technique. I don''t want to lose more ninjas meaninglessly. As for Suzuki Fujin, ignore him for now. I''ll send a Grandmaster with you to inspect that cave. I have a feeling that it will have the clues we need." Darui and the other two nodded. They had the same thoughts as well. Within a few hours, several hundred Kumo ninjas were dispatched. Every single one was instructed to not engage Hidan in a fight. Their only job was to inform the Elite Jounins they were under about Hidan''s location once they found him. Every ninja was given hundreds of Explosion Tags to help escape if Hidan chased after them. Once an Elite Jounin found Hidan, he would trail him without engaging in a battle while waiting for Darui''s team to reinforce him. Needless to say, the entire mission was pointless. Hidan had already joined Akatsuki and was moving towards the Land of Rain. As for the cave, the Grandmasters Hiruzen deployed had eliminated most seals inside them before the cave was destroyed. The only seals that still remained were the ones that were very well-known throughout the ninja world. So, there was nothing that they could gain. While Kumogakure was carrying out a meaningless operation, Hiruzen was staring in disbelief at the person in front of him. For the second time, Fujin had sent a Shadow Clone and asked Hiruzen to send a Shadow Clone to help him out. In fact, this time Fujin didn''t even bother requesting or asking it! Chapter 471: Pitiful Hiruzen A few moments earlier, Fujin''s clone entered Hiruzen''s office. Hiruzen looked at him and asked with a smile, "Welcome Fujin. Is anything the matter?" Fujin clone nodded and answered with a smile, "Yes Grandpa, but it is nothing too serious to disturb you a lot. I am facing a couple of issues. Just send a Shadow Clone to help me out." For a moment, Hiruzen was completely speechless. In fact, he even struggled to form proper thoughts. He was even wondering whether he heard the right thing! The speechlessness could be seen on his face. Needless to say, Fujin enjoyed the disbelief on Hiruzen''s face but didn''t react to it and acted as if everything he didn''t notice it. Hiruzen finally gathered his thoughts and cursed, ''This brat! Last time, he was at least respectful about it! This time... This time he didn''t even ask or request it! He just said it as if it is the most natural thing to do and I have no reason to say no!'' Though Fujin''s tone wasn''t disrespectful nor his words extremely demanding, it wasn''t servile either and it didn''t sound like he was making a request. It was as if an old friend came up to you and asked you to tag along with him to do something. The old friend wouldn''t request it due to your long relationship while you too would go along with it because of your relationship and the fact that the request wasn''t anything ridiculous. The only issue was that it wasn''t the relationship Fujin and Hiruzen shared. One was the leader of the village and had been sitting in that position for decades while the other person was just a youngster who received guidance from time to time. The two were multiple generations apart. And though Fujin called Hiruzen Grandpa, Hiruzen was aware that Fujin just took complete advantage of the fact that Hiruzen loved to act as a Grandfather-like figure for promising kids while Fujin was aware that Hiruzen was aware of that fact! Hiruzen was once again put in a tough spot. The last time Fujin approached him, he set a precedent. So, if Fujin had sent a clone and requested him like before, he would have agreed. Unfortunately for Hiruzen, Fujin decided to push the bar a bit, putting Hiruzen in an awkward situation once again. Hiruzen''s mind calculated rapidly, but there was only one solution. He sighed in his mind and thought, ''If it was someone else, I''d have thrown them out. But I have invested too much in this boy. I can''t damage our relationship by declining him when he isn''t asking for much despite his method being too straightforward.'' He looked at Fujin and thought in grief, ''Why isn''t this boy as respectful as Kakashi? Even though Kakashi reads that lewd book openly and shows up late, he is at least respectful towards me and never asks me for anything. Sigh, I wonder which demon possessed me when I asked him to call me Grandpa. I need to be more careful in the future.'' Hiruzen hadn''t responded for over half a minute. Fujin looked at him with a confused expression and asked, "Grandpa?" That snapped Hiruzen out of his thoughts. He said, "Sure. I''ll send one." He was about to make his Shadow Clone when Fujin said, "Ah right, don''t create the clone with too little chakra. I''ll need him to have some to help me." Hiruzen''s clone shrugged and said, "The only other way would be for you to travel to the south and practice it on seas. However, training while away from the village isn''t a good idea. Iwa or Kumo might make a move if they receive news of you training in the middle of nowhere. The Akatsuki organization might come after your bounty as well. If they find you when your chakra is low, you''ll be in trouble." Fujin nodded. Despite being as strong as he was, training outside the village was too risky. At his full strength, there weren''t many foes that Fujin was afraid of. However, it was a different story once his chakra dropped too much. Fujin let out a sigh and asked, "Is it fine if I change the terrain of this training ground?" Hiruzen''s clone understood what Fujin was implying. He nodded and said, "Sure. Just keep it limited to the training ground and maintain the trees on the edges of the training ground. Also, don''t build something so big that it''ll affect the surroundings on being destroyed." Fujin replied, "Alright. I''ll make a suitable one for this training then." He thought, ''This might be a good opportunity to practice Earth jutsus again. I have been wanting to upgrade them and Fire jutsus for some time. Hmm, I should ask Hiruzen for suitable jutsus for them as well. Actually, Fire and Earth elements aren''t the mainstay of my strength. Even if I strengthen them, they will be far inferior to Wind and Lightning. So it''ll be better if I directly ask him for a ready-made combat system for those elements. I won''t need to waste any time creating them. Anyway, that can wait for the time being.'' Hiruzen''s clone asked, "What was the second thing you wanted?" Fujin replied, "I wanted a stronger defensive jutsu. Unfortunately, the library didn''t have Triple Rashomon or the Quintuple Rashomon jutsus. Can you teach them to me?" Hiruzen''s clone stared at Fujin. He thought, ''As I guessed. He wants me to teach him a jutsu that he can''t find in the library. Don''t tell me he''ll keep finding me whenever he needs new jutsus.'' He wasn''t sure, but his speculation was exactly on point. Fujin was lucky enough to find an expert old ninja who was so good that everyone called him ''The Professor''. In addition, he was very kind-hearted and magnanimous and always showed how much he favored the younger generation. There was no way Fujin wouldn''t deny such a kind-hearted soul the opportunity to pass down his knowledge to a promising youngster. Fortunately, Hiruzen was unaware of Fujin''s thoughts. If Hiruzen knew what Fujin''s thoughts were, who knew what expression he would show? Chapter 472: New Jutsus (1) ''Summoning jutsu: Quintuple Rashomon'' Fujin weaved the snake seal, bit his thumb and slammed his hands on the ground. In an instant, 5 Rashomon Gates appeared one after another in a straight line in front of Fujin. Standing next to him, Hiruzen''s clone nodded. He said, "That''s good. You can use the jutsu perfectly." Fujin''s eyes were focused on the gates. The Triple and Quintuple variants of Rashomon weren''t difficult to learn as Fujin already knew the Rashomon jutsu. Even without Hiruzen''s help, Fujin would have figured them out in a couple of weeks. However, thanks to Hiruzen''s clone, Fujin was able to learn and master both the jutsus in merely half an hour. Since it was just basic summoning, there wasn''t much for Fujin to improve upon the jutsu once he could summon them in an instant. Fujin turned his gaze away from the gates and looked at Hiruzen''s clone. With a smile on his face, he said, "Thank You, Grandpa." The clone nodded and said, "I forgot to mention this earlier, but Kakashi''s squad returned earlier today after recording the entire formation. We are making copies currently. Since you were the one who discovered it, you can get the first copy." Fujin thought for a few seconds and said, "I will be busy with training in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Though I want to study it, I won''t be able to focus on it anytime soon. So, it is fine if you give it to me last. You can give it to the Grandmasters who have the time and are interested in studying it." Fujin already had recorded the entire formation even before Hiruzen had learnt about it. It made no difference to him whether Hiruzen gave it to him first, last or never gave it to him at all. As a result, he wasn''t concerned about it and took the chance to earn some brownie points. Hiruzen''s clone felt better. He thought, ''Though he is very greedy when it comes to jutsus and money, he knows when to step back and let the village benefit. Though it doesn''t seem very significant, it shows that his nature is good.'' The clone nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll focus on the ones who have time to study it right now. Is there anything else you want to know?" Fujin shook his head and replied, "No, Grandpa. If I need anything, I''ll come visit you." The clone''s eyes twitched. The good feeling he had evaporated in an instant. Fujin''s words were extremely casual. It was as if he saw Hiruzen helping him to be a completely natural thing. In the decades he had served as the Hokage of Konoha, this was the first time Hiruzen was experiencing something like this. He muttered to himself, ''I made a mistake last time. I shouldn''t have agreed. But...'' The winds in the domain prevented the soil and dust from being launched into the sky and attracting unwanted attention. Within a few seconds, the soil fell back to the ground. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face. This was the perfect place to not only train the wide range Vacuum jutsus but also to improve his control over the Wind Domain. For the next week, Fujin continued training here daily until he ran out of chakra. He even consumed a special soldier pill to allow him to train more. The ground couldn''t sustain such a bombardment and had collapsed more than once. Fortunately, there wasn''t anywhere it could escape or fall. Fujin had to use Earth jutsus to stabilize the ground and make it firm once again. A couple of the ramparts collapsed as well at some point during the week but were rebuilt by Fujin. In a week''s time. Fujin had more or less mastered the jutsus. Standing on top of one of the ramparts, Fujin thought, ''This much should be sufficient. Though I can improve it further, it''ll take some time as I''ll need a lot more practice. Anyway, though the jutsus are quite similar, they are still quite different from their previous versions. Calling them advanced variants will not necessarily be true, but I should name the new jutsus in order to differentiate them. Fortunately, I have thought of a few good ones.'' Fujin gathered chakra and began forming a vacuum core in his mouth. The vacuum core contained 144 smaller vacuum cores inside it. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves jutsu'' Fujin unleashed a massive attack towards the ground. The jutsu bombarded the ground, causing a mini-earthquake between the four ramparts. In some places, the jutsu pierced more than a couple of dozen meters into the ground. The entire ground, which was fixed by Fujin not long ago, was covered in scars once again. He thought, ''I don''t need to rename this jutsu. After all, I have no reason to use the previous variant of this jutsu. Anyways, in terms of area covered, this is my best Vacuum jutsu. I managed to increase the number of cores to 144. And, I can even control how much this jutsu should spread, allowing me to switch between hitting a larger area or concentrating on a smaller area to overwhelm defenses.'' Fujin gathered chakra once again and began making vacuum cores. This time, he created 36 vacuum cores. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Cluster Bullets jutsu'' Fujin shot the larger vacuum core which contained 36 Vacuum Bullets in it. The bullets exited the larger vacuum core and moved towards the ground. Some bullets travelled next to each other, and the others were behind or in front of other bullets, maintaining a distance of 1 foot from each other. In addition, extremely sharp winds flew between the bullets. It caused the attack to look like a beam. The beam hit the ground and drilled into it with little resistance. It created an 80-meter-deep hole in the ground! Not to mention, the hole was quite wide as well due to the high number of Vacuum Bullets and the sharp winds flowing in between them. Fujin thought, ''I''ll call this jutsu the Vacuum Cluster Bullets jutsu. This jutsu is most destructive when travelling as a beam. That said, against a nimble opponent, I''ll be better off spreading the bullets slightly farther from each other. Though it won''t be that destructive in that case, there aren''t many ninjas who can defend a normal Vacuum Bullet. So it shouldn''t matter.'' Chapter 473: New Jutsus (2) For the third time, Fujin gathered chakra and created a large vacuum core in his mouth. This time, there were only 9 smaller cores inside the larger core. However, each of these 9 cores was double the size of the vacuum bullet cores. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Cannon Barrage'' Fujin shot out the jutsu. It split into 9 Vacuum Cannons, travelling in a straight line! Each Vacuum Cannon drilled 20 meters into the ground, before being slowed down enough for the Vacuum Cannon behind it to catch up and continue the destruction. In less than a second, a 187-meter-deep hole formed in the ground! A smile formed on Fujin''s face. He thought, ''In terms of penetrative power, this is indeed my strongest jutsu. Unfortunately, it isn''t very practical in combat. No top-level ninja will be stupid enough to stay in the path of this jutsu. It''ll only work on someone who is extremely overconfident in his defense and dodge as soon as I shoot the jutsu. Another usage of this jutsu will be killing those who stay hidden deep underground to be safe from my Vacuum jutsus. Though it is possible to travel deeper than 200 meters underground, it is not something that is commonly done and not something most ninjas would have tried before. Going more than 25 meters underground itself is extremely rare. As long as I kill everyone who tries to hide underground from my attacks and don''t let the knowledge spread, this will be a sure shot method to kill my enemies who think that underground is safe.'' Fujin extended his hands and fingers towards the ground. A vacuum core began forming in front of each of his fingers. 15 smaller vacuum cores were created inside each of the 10 bigger vacuum cores. The cores were soon covered with wind chakra. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Infinite Gatling jutsu'' Unlike the previous three jutsus, Fujin didn''t shoot out the jutsu. Instead, the smaller vacuum bullets inside the 10 cores were launched. In a second, 15 rounds of Vacuum Gatling were launched. In all, 150 bullets hit the ground, creating 150 new holes in the ground. Fujin thought, ''This jutsu was a surprise. I was initially not very interested in applying this technique to Vacuum Gatling. After all, it sacrifices the most important aspect of the jutsu for which I had created the Vacuum Gatling jutsu. The Vacuum Infinite Gatling takes quite a long to create as compared to the Vacuum Gatling. I can''t catch even a normal Jounin by surprise with this. However, it instead allows me to shoot a ridiculous amount of Vacuum Bullets, justifying its name. As a result, I could create elongated cores which kept coiling around the center in the larger Vacuum Core. Since the core is outside my body, I don''t need to be considerate about its size. Due to these two factors, I could fit in a ridiculous amount of vacuum cores inside it. That said, though the jutsu is very strong, it does have a few limitations. The speed of the jutsu before it explodes and unleashes the Vacuum Blades isn''t fast enough. If someone is alarmed and moves a long distance away, then they can dodge it just like I did. Another issue is the amount of time needed to create it. My enemy will have a chance to attack me multiple times while I am creating it. Fortunately, I can move around freely while creating it. Another issue is that I can be hit by the jutsu as well, meaning that I can''t let it explode very close to me. Of course, in a battle, using this level of jutsu isn''t practical. If I fail to hit, then the amount of chakra wastage would be unjustified as well. The only way I can use it is by reducing the number of vacuum cores inside it significantly. The real usage of this jutsu is using it as a suicide attack or a trap. If my clones use this jutsu like a Rasengan and try to slam it into my enemy, he will be dead even if he defends or barely dodges the ball. Another possible usage is using it like a trap. Though I can''t control the Vacuum Blades after the ball explodes, the ball itself is very stable. If I can seal the ball and store it stably, then it can become a deadly trap.'' A mischievous grin appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''Imagine if someone broke into my house. They''ll first have to worry about the ridiculous amount of seals there. And if they somehow make it inside, they''ll be welcomed by a few hundred or a few thousand Vacuum Blades.'' The thought made Fujin chuckle. He thought, ''Unfortunately, it would also destroy my house. So it is better to avoid it. That said, bases outside the village are a fair game. After all, I can build as many as I want. It only takes a little bit of time. If I can succeed in sealing this jutsu, then it''ll be a good trap against any invaders.'' Fujin took a deep breath and took a look at the collapsed ramparts. The training ground was a mess once again. Fujin thought, ''It''s time to switch my attention back to Flying Thunder God. I also need to analyze those two curse seals that Danzo uses on Root ninjas and need to create my own curse seal.'' Fujin sighed and thought, ''It''s been a long time since I have been working on Flying Thunder God jutsu. It''s time to completely master it. Until I''m done, I won''t be taking any missions or doing any task that will require a lot of time!'' Fujin resolved himself. He fixed the training ground, creating the four large ramparts once again for future training. Once he was done, he focused entirely on his training, detaching himself from the other happenings in the ninja world! Chapter 474: Jutsu List (Chp 468) (Not a Chapter) Chapter 474: Jutsu List (Chp 468) (Not a Chapter) [A/N: This post includes the list of jutsus Fujin has mastered. It was requested earlier, unfortunately, I forgot to post it earlier. Anyway, this contains all the jutsus Fujin has been shown to learn/use so far (up to chapter 468). It doesn''t mean that these are the only jutsus Fujin knows as some of the training might not have been shown. The same in the case of seals. For instance, very little (or probably nothing) is shown of the Lightning release since Fujin joined the Anbu. Same in the case of Genjutsu and Fuinjutsu as there are too many seals that Fujin had to learn to become a Grandmaster. So, more jutsu/seals can be revealed in the future. Anyway, enjoy.] Ninjutsu : Transformation jutsu (E) Clone jutsu (E) Substitution jutsu (E) Body Flicker jutsu (D) Shadow Clone jutsu (B) Multi Shadow Clone jutsu (Forbidden) Rasengan (A) Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu (A) Summoning jutsu - Flying Sabertooths Summoning Jutsu : Rashomon (B) Summoning Jutsu : Triple Rashomon (A) Summoning Jutsu : Quintuple Rashomon (A) Sensing Technique (range 3.5km) Wind Release : Gale Jutsu (E) Wind Clone (E) Wind Levitation (E) Projectile Control Jutsu (E) Wind Retrieving Jutsu (E) Gale Surge (D) Breakthrough (D) Dust Cloud (D) Wind Explosion (D) Propelling Winds (D) Great Breakthrough jutsu (C). Spinning Shield of Wind (C) Wind Gale Wolf (C-S) Wind Dragon (C-S) Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu (C) Wind Sword Jutsu (B) Infinite Breakthrough jutsu (B) Wind Torpedo jutsu (B) Air Bullet jutsu (B) Vacuum Sphere jutsu (B) Vacuum Bullet jutsu (B) Vacuum Wave jutsu (B) Vacuum Serial Wave jutsu (B) (old one) Blade of Wind jutsu (A) Wind Explosion Clone jutsu (A) Assassin''s Rush jutsu (A) Geyser Creation jutsu (A) Original: (Created by Fujin) Vacuum Cannon jutsu (B) Hurricane Fist (B) Vacuum Gatling jutsu (S) Wind Laser jutsu (B) Vacuum Blade (A) Vacuum Slash (A) Hurricane Sword (A) Silent Cut (A) Fuinjutsu : Basic Seals (E) Storage Seal Heat Seal Cool Seal Hard Seal Soft Seal Shock Seal Wet Seal Intermediate Fuinjutsu (D) Elemental Sealing Smaller storage seal Rank (C) Finger Carving Seal Five Seal Barrier Binding Cloth Explosion Tag Advanced Fuinjutsu (C-B) Sealing Tag Chakra Suppression Seal Barrier Tag Silence Seal Anti-Byakugan Seal Anti-Sharingan Seal Stealth Seal Light Absorption Seal Training Seal Resistance Seal Gravity Seal Sensory Seal Grandmaster level (A-S) Four Symbols Seal Five Elements Seal Five Elements Unseal Evil Sealing Method Iron Armor Seal. Juinjutsu : Self-Cursing Seal Seal Imprints : (only the mentioned once) Chakra Suppression Seal - right palm Self-Cursing Seal - left palm Sensory Seal - back Sealing Tag - chest Explosion Seal - palms, soles Four Symbols Seal - left palm Flying thunder God Seal - palms Kenjutsu : Basics learnt Dual wielding Samurai Saber Techniques Chakra Flow Flying slash (made of wind) [A/N: Good luck remembering all of them ???? I''m struggling to do so ????] Chapter 475: Three Months Later... Chapter 475: Three Months Later... "Huff huff huff" Deep breathing sounds were heard in the basement. A 15-year-old youngster was on his knees, his hand resting against a pillar. His body was covered in sweat. His chakra was exhausted. It looked like he was barely hanging on. However, contrary to his physical state, a wide smile could be seen on his face despite the fact that he was breathing heavily. Suddenly, the smile grew wider and the youngster began laughing in an unbridled manner! "Hahahaha hahahaha!" The sound of deep breathing was replaced by continuous laughter. Fortunately, the basement was sealed. If he was outside, people would wonder if he had some issues. Finally, the youngster took his hand off the pillar and sat with his back resting against the pillar. He constantly switched between laughter and breathing heavily. The spot from where the youngster removed his hand had a small mark. Fujin took a few minutes to catch his breath. However, the smile was plastered on his face. He thought, ''I did it! I''m the 3rd person in Konoha and perhaps in the history of this world to master the Flying Thunder God jutsu!'' He continued taking deep breaths while thinking, ''This damn jutsu! For so long I felt like I was close to learning it. It still took me 3 months to finally master it! Also, how insane was that pressure? It sapped all my chakra when I tried resisting it! Though my clones also experienced that pressure, it was far more intense for me! Why is it so?'' Fujin couldn''t be sure. He could only guess, ''Is it because my chakra is far greater than my clones? Hmm, I doubt it. Even when my chakra decreased, the pressure didn''t decrease. Besides, the clones that tried entering the Void Dimension didn''t necessarily have the same chakra. If not chakra level, could it be because I''m a being made of flesh and blood instead of a chakra construct?'' Fujin felt that this was the case. Unfortunately, the scroll Hiruzen provided didn''t have any information regarding this matter to verify his speculations. Fujin thought, ''After I enter the Void Dimension, I have to resist the pressure while locating the mark I want and creating a connection with that mark. Both of them take a lot of chakra. Moving through the dimension takes some chakra as well, though it isn''t much. From what Tobirama wrote, the amount of chakra I consume will reduce once I get used to the pressure. If I can locate the mark and teleport in an instant, then I won''t have to resist any pressure. Only at that stage, this jutsu can be freely used in battle with very little chakra expenditure. Fortunately, it isn''t very difficult. I''ll just need to practice it a few tens of thousands of times to reach that stage. Once I do, I''ll need to start working on increasing the range I can teleport. For now, I have been only practicing in the basement. My Shadow Clones can freely teleport to any marker in my house. This distance isn''t enough to escape but it is good enough to be a menace on the battlefield. That said, how do I practice teleporting a longer range? I can''t practice it in the open. Hiruzen will notice me without the seals. Suddenly, Fujin stopped using his chakra to defend against the pressure. His chakra reserves were still quite full. His mind was at the highest alert. He was prepared to use the chakra to defend himself once again if his body couldn''t bear the pressure. To Fujin''s surprise, as soon as he stopped resisting, his body was expelled out of the Void Dimension and he appeared at the same spot in his basement. A wry smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''No wonder they didn''t say anything. We just get pushed out if we run out of chakra to resist the pressure. That''s quite convenient. Now I see why this method can''t be used to kill other nin...'' Suddenly, Fujin had another idea. He analyzed, ''Wait, even if I can''t send other ninjas to this dimension to kill them, can''t I send them here just to exhaust their chakra? After all, any rank S ninja will instinctively resist the pressure. And, in a dimension where they can''t see, smell, hear, feel or sense anything, they''ll exert themselves to the fullest just to survive.'' Fujin thought for a bit before concluding, ''Yes, this seems practical. The only issue is that this method was never used before either and isn''t mentioned in the scroll. Neither Tobirama nor Minato should be stupid enough to overlook such a simple thing. I guess I''ll need to find a test subject to experiment on...'' [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank you Thomas, Arunachalam, Lazy_Daoist, LazyLizard, Kyle, FukikoFam, Faizal and Zay for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Parvathini for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 476: Twisted Personality Chapter 476: Twisted Personality [A/N: Bonus chapter for reaching 6838 Power Stones last week! We ranked 8th this week! Keep it up guys :)] Fujin''s first thought was to use his summons to experiment. However, he quickly shook his head and decided, ''No, I''m still new at using this jutsu. Even though it is unlikely, if an accident happens and one of them dies, then that will be a great loss. I''ll leave the village once again and find some rogue ninjas to experiment on. That said, I need to practice this jutsu a bit before going out to experiment. I''m also very close to completing that seal. I''ll go out once I''m done with that task. I also need to meet up with Shigeki and actually start working on the organization. Sigh, it''s been a long time since I met Shigeki...'' Thinking of Shigeki, a weird expression appeared on Fujin''s face. Kasai Shigeki was the Jounin from Tanigakure whom Fujin had rescued while he was returning from the Land of Wind after completing his Anbu Promotion mission. Fujin made Shigeki the first member of his non-existent organization after making some promises and lying about the organization. However, it had been a long time since he had met him. Fujin wondered, ''Would he still be even there? It''s been over two and a half years, I won''t be surprised if he left by now. Even though I promised to help him take the revenge, it won''t be a surprise if he lost his patience after such a long time and left to get it himself.'' Fujin let out a sigh and thought, ''Oh well, nothing I can do. It was too early to start an organization in any case. If he has left, I will just have to start over. Besides, I didn''t make much effort to recruit Shigeki or spend any resources or time. So I won''t be losing anything.'' The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. There was nothing Fujin could do about it. The situation just didn''t allow him to do much about it. Even though he could have met Shigeki after he left the Anbu, there wasn''t anything for Fujin to say to him. Fujin stopped thinking about him and continued his training. The soldier pill he consumed would stay active for 5 days. And Fujin would require another couple of days of rest after that. Fujin decided that he would completely master the Flying Thunder God jutsu for low range within these 5 days. Fujin made rapid improvements. His clones had already practiced the jutsu for sufficient time in order to ensure that he wouldn''t face any danger. As a result, his main body was getting used to it rapidly as well. Every day, he became more accustomed to teleporting using the Void Dimension as a medium. Three days later, Fujin''s bell rang, marking the first time he was disturbed in recent days. Fujin was planning to ignore it and focus on his training, however, the bell kept ringing continuously. An annoyed expression appeared on Fujin''s face. He cursed, "Which bastard is it?" He activated his chakra field and sighed while muttering, "I should have known." A Shadow Clone popped next to him and left the basement. He opened the door and saw an over-enthusiastic blonde boy. Naruto excitedly said, "Fujin, I managed to stick the leaf to my forehead for 2 hours straight!" Naruto was extremely excited. Though Fujin taught him a few Wind jutsus which he had to work hard to learn, it was this exercise that was the most difficult for him to complete. Fujin''s clone thought, ''He finally managed to do it. His speed fell considerably in this exercise. I expected him to reach this stage a month and a half ago. By comparison, he has progressed rapidly in Wind jutsus. I suppose he just got bored and lost his drive. Well, not surprising considering how boring it is.'' Naruto said, "You promised me that you''ll teach me something cool after I manage to do it." Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "Sure, but show it to me first." Naruto immediately nodded repeatedly and said, "Super cool! How did you do it?" Fujin''s clone answered, "To do this, you have to release chakra from the bottom of your feet. Use that chakra to stick to the tree. Then you can climb on trees like I did. Try it." Naruto immediately released chakra from his feet and tried climbing on the tree. Needless to say, his feet slipped and he fell to the ground. Fujin''s clone chuckled and said, "It''s not that easy. The chakra you release from your feet has to be an exact amount. If it is too little, your feet will slip and you''ll fall down. If it is too much, you''ll damage the trunk and won''t be able to continue walking up. So, it requires very good chakra control. That is why I had to do the leaf concentration exercise until you could reach 2 hours." Naruto nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll try it." Fujin''s clone stopped sticking to the branch and dropped to the ground. He made a hand seal and slammed his hands to the ground. Immediately, some changes happened on the surface, but nothing much happened. Naruto looked at Fujin''s clone with confusion. Fujin''s clone said, "I have softened the ground. So, even if you fall, you won''t be hurt much. Keep training under this tree for the next half an hour. I''ll teach you something else as well today." Naruto immediately became excited and continued trying to climb up the tree. [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Weirwood, G 21, CHieF_1s_cOol, Kazim, Arunachalam, Nathan and Jadson for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 477: A New Path for Naruto Chapter 477: A New Path for Naruto For the next half an hour, Naruto kept trying to climb the tree and consistently kept falling to the ground. Thanks to Fujin''s clone, the ground was quite soft. So Naruto was barely hurt, if at all. Fujin''s clone looked at Naruto and thought, ''I had initially planned to teach Naruto the four basic Wind jutsus to get some inspiration from him for the Wind Domain. After all, he is very unconventional and usually comes up with crazy ideas. That said, my Wind Domain is more or less ready now. Jounins won''t have any chance of survival if they enter my Wind Domain. Elite Jounins will struggle as well and are very unlikely to survive. Only if they have excellent defense and are able to move instinctively, they will be able to survive. Only rank S ninjas are difficult to kill. But once I manage to integrate Vacuum Blade jutsu into my Wind Domain, they won''t be able to rest easy either. As such, there is no longer much need to push Naruto in this direction. That said, there is no harm in doing so either. Maybe he''ll give me a surprise. Even if that isn''t the case, it''ll be interesting to see how Naruto does with this technique at his disposal.'' Fujin had been very careful while teaching Naruto. Unlike others, he knew how scary Naruto''s potential was. If he trained Naruto seriously, the majority of the plot would have changed completely. However, within limits, Fujin was curious to see how Naruto would grow when he had a few more options. After all, until Naruto met Jiraiya, his jutsu repertoire was extremely pathetic. He only knew the Transformation jutsu, Substitution jutsu and the Shadow Clone jutsu. The only thing he could do was leverage his vast chakra reserves, spam the Shadow Clone jutsu and use ordinary Taijutsu along with shurikens and kunai. Only after he learnt the summoning jutsu and the Rasengan, did he gain more variety. However, even that was extremely limited. By comparison, Fujin knew close to a hundred jutsus. And, he was still far inferior in this aspect when compared to the likes of Orochimaru, Hiruzen or Kakashi. While knowing more jutsus didn''t mean that they used all the jutsus or that all jutsus would be strong, it allowed them to choose the jutsus that suited them the most. In addition, there could be circumstances where a particular jutsu or a particular element was extremely effective. In such instances, having a range of jutsus was extremely effective. Naruto, despite his insane chakra reserves, didn''t have this advantage until the very end. After Naruto fell for the umpteenth time, Fujin''s clone said, "That''s enough for today. You can keep practising this later on. Come here." Naruto immediately got up and rushed towards Fujin''s clone. While he was interested in climbing on the tree, he was more interested in knowing what new technique Fujin wanted to teach him again. Fujin''s clone said, "Naruto, display the four jutsus I taught you so far." Naruto was confused, but he did so without any questions. He weaved a few hand signs and pushed his right palm forward. A gentle breeze was released from his palm. He grabbed a few wooden shurikens and threw them into the air and quickly made a few hand seals. He was able to change their direction 40 degrees to the right and once again changed it 20 degrees to the left before the shurikens collided with a tree. He then displayed Wind Levitation jutsu by making a few leaves and small stones levitate and then used Wind Retrieving jutsu to pull some leaves towards himself and catch a couple of them. He looked at Fujin''s clone with a proud expression and said, "I told you I''ll master them, believe it!" Fujin''s clone chuckled and said, "Go easy while pranking civilians. If you are pranking your teachers, then it''s fine to go all out. If they aren''t a challenge, you can even try using your pranks on Lord Hokage. If you can prank him successfully, then you would have made a huge progress towards your goal." The clone had a gentle smile on his face. Naruto''s eyes sparkled and said, "Alright, I''ll do that!" The clone laughed in his mind while thinking, ''I haven''t messed with Hiruzen much in the last three months. I am not sure if I''ll get many opportunities in the future. It''s time I pass the baton to Naruto. Can''t let the poor old man feel lonely.'' The clone added, "You can leave and train by yourself, Naruto. I''ll be a bit busy and will be heading out of the village soon. Master walking up the tree by the time I return. I''ll teach you another cool trick when I return." Naruto was even more excited. He thanked Fujin and left. As Naruto left, the clone analyzed, ''Though these four basic jutsus won''t increase his strength considerably, if he manages to use these four jutsus simultaneously at will, then his control over the Wind will go far beyond what a Genin, or perhaps even a Chunin can have. It forms the perfect base to learn the more complicated Wind jutsus easily in the future. It''ll be interesting to see how h...'' The clone suddenly received a set of memories. A grin appeared on his face as he thought, ''It''s about damn time!'' The clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Inside his basement, Fujin received the same memories as well. For the first time in 3 days, he stopped training the Flying Thunder God jutsu for a reason other than running out of chakra! [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Calbear, Lind, Raafa, Raphael and Dillon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 478: Phantom Seal Chapter 478: Phantom Seal Fujin stared at a seal in front of him. It was created by the Shadow Clone who dispelled himself and sent everyone the memories. A smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''The curse seal is finally complete!'' The curse seal was shaped like a windmill, with several symbols in it. Fujin thought, ''Though I hadn''t seen either of the seals before, studying it wasn''t difficult as they were made of familiar symbols. The difficult part was learning how Danzo could create an imprint to ensure that others couldn''t remove his seals. Fortunately, I managed to get a hang of it a week ago. I guess that''s another reason to be thankful to Danzo, hehe.'' Danzo''s help allowed Fujin to raise his Wind Vacuum Technique to a whole new level. And now, he had also helped Fujin improve his Juinjutsu. Fujin''s smile faded as he thought, ''Unfortunately, while I can apply the curse seal at will, I can''t apply my imprint at will. I can only do so if the one I''m planting the curse seal on doesn''t resist. If there wasn''t this flaw, then Fuinjutsu Grandmasters would have been the strongest ninjas in the elemental nations. It''d be stronger than any Kekkei Genkai. In fact, I doubt even the Mangekyou would be comparable to this ability. Fortunately, I don''t need to inform the target about the abilities of this seal. As long as I have his or her consent and they don''t resist, I can apply it to them. So it shouldn''t be an issue for me to apply it to my subordinates. Not to mention, I can also add it to seals I place in any bases I create in the future. It''ll increase their defenses considerably. Anyway, coming back to the seal, it has all the functions of Danzo''s two seals in addition to a few more functions that I added. I also changed the structure and used a different method to construct them so that no one would be able to connect those two seals to each other. Of course, without anyone constraining me, my seal is far more powerful than what Danzo uses on the Root ninjas!'' Unlike Danzo, Fujin didn''t intend to use two different seals. Instead, he had merged the two seals into one, but the seal was still made of two different parts. The first part was similar to the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. It would detect whether the ninja had any thoughts of divulging secrets of the organization. If the ninja ever tried to put those thoughts into action, the seal would activate and paralyze him. The only difference was that, unlike Danzo, it would alert Fujin that the seal was activated. In addition, it would also allow him to locate the position where the seal was. Of course, it wasn''t a godly ability and was instead an application of the Flying Thunder God mark. As such, Fujin could only locate the position if it was within the range Fujin could detect it. During the 3 months of training, Fujin''s range of detection had increased from 15 kilometers to 80 kilometers. His Space-Time Sensing Technique''s range had also increased from 4.5 kilometers to 12 kilometers. As such, it was far superior to Fujin''s chakra field. Regardless, for the time being, Fujin wouldn''t be able to detect the location of the seal if it went off in the Land of Rivers while he was in Konoha. However, if someone managed to do so, they would activate the second part of the seal, making it impossible to study it. Not to mention, the seal had Fujin''s imprint. So only the part of the seal that Fujin had purposefully not protected by the imprint could be removed and it wouldn''t be sufficient for anyone to study the second part of the seal. In all, it was quite an effective and disgusting seal. It was an extremely effective seal for ensuring discipline and maintaining control in an organization. And, it was disgusting for anyone trying to undo the seal. It was filled with several traps. Once Fujin''s Flying Thunder God''s range improved, he could directly send Shadow Clones who had prepared rank S jutsus to the location of the seal and destroy anyone who had captured his subordinates and was trying to undo the seal. Fujin was extremely pleased with the seal. He had worked quite hard to cover all aspects he wanted to. He spent a couple of hours making an imprint of the new seal. He looked at his left palm where the new seal imprint was created and thought, ''This seal... I''ll call it the Phantom Seal. It will be the sign of every member of my organization. It will also go well with the name I have thought of.'' Fujin smiled and muttered, "The name of my alliance will be..." [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. [A/N: Latest chapter on P@treon - First Kiss] Chapter 479: Phantom Haven Society Chapter 479: Phantom Haven Society Fujin smiled and muttered, "The name of my alliance will be Phantom Haven Society." During the last three months, whenever Fujin wasn''t training, he had spent a lot of time thinking about what to do with the organization. His reasons for creating the organization were extremely selfish. Fujin desperately needed a better way of getting information. Konoha was obviously very good at it, however, Fujin had no control over it. Jiraiya''s information network was the most famous, but all his findings would only be reported to Hiruzen. Hiruzen would only share the information with Fujin if saw any need to. Otherwise, Fujin wouldn''t be able to access any information at all. Danzo had his spy network as well, but he didn''t even share his findings with Hiruzen unless he had something to gain from it. Fujin had no chance of getting access to it. The only information network Fujin had access to was Anbu''s information network. Even though he wasn''t a part of the Anbu anymore, Fujin could still access it and did so every once in a while. However, once again, the information was filtered by the Anbu Commander. Information could still be hidden from Fujin. Not to mention, there were limitations. If Fujin discovered some important information and decided to do something about it, it would be child''s play for Hiruzen to link the related events to Fujin. If Fujin did something that harmed Konoha''s interests, it would strain his relationship with Hiruzen and Hiruzen could restrict his access to intelligence. As a result, having his own organization that gathered information would be very helpful to Fujin. The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Another aspect was gaining some capable subordinates. While Fujin wasn''t very interested in this aspect initially as he preferred to rely on his own strength, he realized the importance of having capable subordinates when he was trying to study Zankoku''s dead body. If he had a subordinate like Kabuto, he could leave the task to him. Even without someone as capable as Kabuto, having a few ninjas who specialized in Medical Ninjutsu could have helped Fujin a lot. As a result, if Fujin could raise some capable subordinates in each field through such an organization, it could make his life quite easier. Though it was unlikely that Fujin could raise rank S ninjas before the start of the Fourth Great War, especially considering the fact that Fujin would be spending most of his time in Konoha, the organization had the potential to flourish once a power vacuum was created after Akatsuki''s destruction and death of the majority of the ninjas in the next Great Ninja War. Though Fujin hadn''t completely planned out what he would do after the war, having this option would give him a lot of options and flexibility. Unfortunately, all these reasons were extremely selfish. Who would like to be a part of an organization if these reasons were listed? So, Fujin needed a noble purpose and a dream. A purpose that people would be passionate to follow. A dream that people would be willing to give their lives up to achieve. Thankfully, in the current world, it wasn''t difficult to come up with a good reason. After all, the world was a complete mess. Only the major and the minor villages enjoyed long periods of peace in between wars. The people who didn''t live there had an extremely difficult life. It would only take one unfortunate event for them to die or lose their family members and fall into misery. Fujin didn''t say anything and instead placed his palm on his chest. In an instant, the rogue ninja disappeared from the Land of Fire and appeared in the Void Dimension! However, a moment later, he was ejected and appeared in front of Fujin once again. A frown formed on Fujin''s face as he analyzed, ''His chakra didn''t decrease at all. On second thought, he barely stayed in that dimension for even a moment. I didn''t seal his chakra because I wanted to experiment with this idea. But why did nothing happen? Though he is barely at the Chunin level, his chakra is still higher than some of my Shadow Clones when they tried entering the Void Dimension. So, it shouldn''t be a matter of strength. Is he so terrified that he can''t resist, or is he incapable of resisting for some reason?'' Fujin couldn''t be sure. He sent the rogue ninja into the Void Dimension several times, but the result was still the same. Finally, he applied the Self-Cursing Seal on the rogue ninja and began reading his memories. He realized, ''I see. It''s not that he didn''t try to resist. Rather, he did it and was still expelled from that Dimension. Even with his chakra, he couldn''t resist the pressure at all. That said, it isn''t the issue with the amount of chakra. I guess only the ones who have some level of mastery of the Space-Time technique can resist the pressure. I guess using this to drain chakra of enemies isn''t possible either. A shame.'' Fujin read his remaining memories before knocking him out. He tried sending the second rogue ninja to the Void Dimension as well, but the result was the same. He knocked him out as well after reading his memories. The third one was ejected as well. However, Fujin wanted to do one more experiment. [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Carlos for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 480: 1 Person, 3 Identities Chapter 480: 1 Person, 3 Identities [A/N: A couple of points I kinda underestimated the amount of work that would be needed to create an organization. As a result, quite a few chapters were needed to complete it. Going by the comments (not just the recent ones), I can see that there are many who don''t want an organization. Unfortunately, this organization is something that I had decided on very early on while creating the plot and will be playing a very important role in the future events. So, it isn''t something I could change without completely messing the plot that I have planned out. For the ones who aren''t very interested in organization building, I''d recommend taking a break for a couple of weeks and just reading briefly through it (can continue from chp 486). Would honestly prefer if the comment section isn''t again filled with asking me to skip past this arc as it is extremely discouraging for a writer to see that in every arc. Secondly, my chapter length on average is 1.5k words. I do go around 1.7-1.8k in some rare cases, however it is extremely draining for me to do so regularly. Even maintaining the 1.5k words per chapter is extremely taxing to do. If such a chapter length is a turn off for you, I can only recommend reading every other day so that you can read 2 chapters in one go. If that''s not cool either, then unfortunately there isn''t much I can do about it. Apologies for not being able to live up to what your expectations are.] Fujin held the ninja and entered the Void Dimension along with him. Once again, he felt the pressure. He used his chakra to resist it. At the same time, he also used his chakra to help the rogue ninja resist it. The rogue ninja was finally able to stay in the Void Dimension. He was confused as he couldn''t sense anything at all for a second. It was as if all his senses had been shut down. After verifying, Fujin stopped resisting and immediately returned back to the Land of Fire. He didn''t want to exhaust a major chunk of his chakra for no reason. He analyzed, ''The scroll was right. I need to help whoever I bring into the Void Dimension resist the pressure there. The roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. Of course, once my speed of teleporting increases, I won''t need to resist pressure as I can complete the process in an instant. That said, bringing others with me will increase chakra consumption. The additional chakra I''ll need will depend on the number of people I''m teleporting, their chakra levels and whether they are resisting or not. Teleporting a Tailed Beast that doesn''t want to be teleported will likely be impossible for the time being. Sigh, how much chakra did Minato have to teleport a complete Kurama?'' Fujin stopped thinking about it. There was no point in comparing himself with Minato. After all, Minato was already dead while he was still alive and kicking. He looked at the three rogue ninjas in front of him. Though he was done experimenting with the Flying Thunder God jutsu, there was still another experiment he wanted to carry out. Fujin applied the Phantom Seal on the three of them and tested it out to confirm that there was no issue with the seal. After some time, Fujin thought, ''Alright, it looks like there are no issues with the seal. Now, time to test the kill switch.'' Fujin made the confrontation hand seal and activated the three seals. In an instant, the brains of the three rogue ninjas were destroyed! Fujin nodded in satisfaction and followed up with his usual ritual of destroying and cremating the dead bodies and burying the ashes deep in the ground so that even Edo Tensei wouldn''t be able to revive them. He continued the journey. He completed the missions he had accepted within a couple of days while also testing out the Phantom Seal on the rogue ninjas he was supposed to eliminate. Needless to say, he had also left hundreds of Flying Thunder God marks between Konoha and the Land of Grass. Instead of returning to the village, he moved south and headed past the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain to move towards the Land of Rivers. En route, Fujin changed his appearance to that of Shiden, the identity that he had used when he met Shigeki. He thought, ''I overlooked one aspect earlier. I was initially planning on using this Shiden identity to fight under disguise. However, Shiden will be the leader of the Phantom Haven Society. The only reason for me to display my strength should be if an unruly rank S was raised through the Phantom Haven Society. Though I can use the Phantom Seal to suppress such a person, I don''t want to follow the Hyuga model. Though effective in maintaining control, it is terrible in terms of morale and mentality. No matter how loyal, no one would want to place their lives in the hands of others.'' Fujin understood clearly that the real effects of the Phantom Seal should never be exposed to anyone. As for suppressing a rank S that might arise in the future, Fujin wasn''t concerned. After all, he was still growing as well. The Phantom Haven Society wouldn''t be able to raise a rank S ninja out of thin air. By the time such a ninja appeared, Fujin believed that his own strength would be at an entirely different level. Engrossed in his thoughts, Fujin, using Shiden''s disguise, entered the Land of Rivers and moved towards the cave where he had left Shigeki. He couldn''t help but wonder if Shigeki was still waiting or had already left. [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Total77, Hidan, Vrga and Immortal Ancestor Dialoo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 481: A Capable Subordinate (1) Chapter 481: A Capable Subordinate (1) Moving at a rapid speed, Fujin reached close to the cave where Fujin had carved seals to create a safe hideout for Shigeki. When he was 12 kilometers from the cave, a smile appeared on Fujin''s face. He thought, ''Though I''m not sure it is him, I can sense a disturbance in the Space-Time field. If it is him, then I''ll be impressed. To have such perseverance Hehe, I got lucky in being able to recruit such a good subordinate so easily.'' Gaining a capable person to handle matters when he wasn''t present was important for the organization''s ability to survive and become stronger. It was the reason why Fujin made a move when he got the chance. Though Fujin couldn''t visit him since then, that also served a purpose. It allowed Fujin to test his character and perseverance. After all, Fujin was the one who saved his life and gave him an opportunity to get revenge for his family. While this wasn''t something Fujin did intentionally, he wouldn''t reject the observations he gained due to it. As he reached closer, Fujin could finally sense the chakra signature. Behind the mask, his smile grew wider. Meanwhile, inside the cave, Shigeki looked outside and wondered, ''Someone is able to sense me despite the seals in the cave?'' He immediately became alert. It was the first time someone had sensed him inside the cave. At the same time, he became hopeful and wondered, ''Has the Lord returned?'' Shigeki hoped that was the case. However, he prepared himself for a battle as well. While Shigeki wouldn''t stand out if placed in a strong village like Konoha, in a minor village, he was ranked quite highly. After training continuously for nearly 3 years, his confidence had grown. Very soon, Fujin appeared in front of the cave and entered it. On entering, he saw Shigeki in front of him. Shigeki immediately recognized him. He bowed slightly and said respectfully, "It''s good to see you again, Lord Shiden." Fujin nodded and said, "Drop the ''Lord''. It''s good to see that you are still here, Shigeki. I''m impressed that you haven''t left." On hearing the command to drop ''Lord'', Shigeki sighed in relief. It wasn''t anyone in disguise nor had his savior''s nature changed over the last 3 years. Shigeki said, "You saved my life and gave me an opportunity. I won''t break my promise unless you do something that goes against my beliefs." Fujin nodded and said, "Good." Shigeki asked, "If I may ask, can you tell me why you didn''t appear for so long?" While he did wait patiently, he couldn''t help but think that Shiden had abandoned plans to build a branch there and hence hadn''t come to visit him. Had he been strong enough to get his revenge, he might not have waited. Fujin nodded and said, "It was a test." Shigeki was surprised. He asked, "A test?" Fujin replied, "Yes. It served two purposes. The first purpose was to test your nature. If you had left during this time, then it would have implied that you are ungrateful and don''t stick to your words. I wouldn''t want someone like that in our organization. The second purpose was to test your perseverance. You were too weak to avenge your family back then. This time in isolation was the perfect environment for you to train yourself. I will need to check whether you have stayed true to yourself and your family and used this time well. Then I''ll judge how you performed in this parameter." Shigeki was surprised. At the same time, he was relieved and thought, ''Luckily, I didn''t leave and kept training all the time!'' A smile formed behind Fujin''s mask as he said, "To the deepest point obviously." Shigeki was surprised. The Valley was surrounded by tall mountains. Compared to the edges, the deepest point of the Valley was almost a kilometer and a half deep. If it was a flat surface, then the deepest point would be around 10 kilometers away from the closest edge. As a result, the deepest point will be completely hidden from anyone! He couldn''t help but wonder, ''Is Shiden planning to create a base so deep in the valley? Wouldn''t it make accessing it very difficult? Also, what''s the purpose of this organization? He didn''t even tell me the name of his organization.'' As they moved rapidly, Fujin asked, "Shigeki, before we fight, how would you evaluate your strength?" Shigeki answered, "If I return to Tanigakure, then I''m sure I''ll be able to contend for the spot of the strongest ninja in the village. If I was in a major village, I guess I would be an Elite Jounin." Fujin was surprised by his self-evaluation. That said, he didn''t assume it to be true. After all, most minor villages didn''t believe themselves to be much weaker than major villages. The only points where they accepted their inferiority were the absence of rank S ninjas, Jinchurikis and the total number of ninjas. Fujin asked, "And, what do you specialize in and what are your abilities?" Fujin already knew the answer to this question. However, he didn''t know what Shigeki did after their meeting. As such, he was curious to know. Shigeki answered, "I specialize in Ninjutsus. More specifically, Wind and Water nature manipulation. The Land of Rivers is covered by numerous rivers. These two natures allowed me to restrict our enemies and keep them on the opposite bank. I''m decent at Taijutsu and can use some Genjutsu as well. Though they aren''t as good as my Ninjutsu." Fujin already knew that information. He asked, "And which are your strongest jutsus?" [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Clement, Haley, That Guy and Snir for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 482: A Capable Subordinate (2) Chapter 482: A Capable Subordinate (2) Shigeki was about to answer when Fujin said, "Leave it, just use them in our spar. It won''t be fair to you if I know everything beforehand." Shigeki nodded. The two travelled to the deepest part of the valley. As they ventured deeper into the valley, an expanse of lush, verdant landscape greeted their eyes. Towering trees draped in moss and vines, their canopies interlocking in a verdurous ceiling, cast intricate patterns of light and shadow across the forest floor. Due to the absence of human interference, myriad species of flora carpet the ground, from delicate ferns to vibrant, sprawling bushes bearing succulent fruits. Amid this tranquillity, there was a range of wild animals. As he moved deeper, Fujin saw a bunch of deer, bison and rabbits. He also saw various predatory animals, such as a small pack of wolves, a few sleek panthers hiding among the trees waiting for their prey and an array of snakes, some poisonous, and some gigantic. Fujin thought, ''This brings back the memory of that wolf valley I entered while finding my summon. If the animals in this valley could use chakra as the summons can, then this valley would have been a forbidden area even for ninjas. Even rank S ninjas won''t casually enter too deep if that was the case.'' Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn''t to be. Very quickly, Fujin and Shigeki reached the deepest part of the valley. The place was entirely covered in mist. Shigeki looked around and asked, "Are you sure that we should make our base here? The visibility isn''t good and this place isn''t exactly safe." The area was sprawling with wild animals. While they weren''t a concern for Fujin or Shigeki while they were awake, even they would be on guard while they slept. Fujin nodded and answered, "It''s fine. Our spar will scare away the wild animals. As for the environment, I''ll handle it. Don''t worry." Fujin flickered and appeared 20 meters in front of Shigeki, facing him. While Shigeki couldn''t see through the mask, he could see a pair of eyes staring at him. Fujin said, "Let''s start. Come at me with the intention to kill me. Show me your full strength." Shigeki prepared himself and began building up his chakra. The wild animals, who were on guard and observing the two intruders who entered their territory, immediately began fleeing away on sensing his aura. Shigeki grabbed a kunai and said, "Here I come!" Having trained continuously for nearly three years, Shigeki was excited to test his strength. If it wasn''t for the fact that he wanted to keep his survival a secret, he would have long challenged other ninjas to a spar. At the same time, he was curious how strong Fujin, or rather, Shigan was. After all, Fujin had killed his pursuers in the blink of an eye, giving him no opportunity to evaluate his strength. He moved forward at a fast speed and thrust his kunai towards Fujin''s heart. However, Fujin easily moved out of the way. He continued attacking Fujin with his kunai, shot a few shurikens and tried kicking several times, but Fujin dodged them all with relative ease. Fujin was about to counterattack when Shigeki retreated realizing that he was completely outmatched in close combat. He began weaving hand signs as he moved away from Fujin. Fujin observed him and thought, ''Those hand seals The Water Dragon jutsu, huh? Sigh, it is so tempting to attack. I''m too used to killing. Thankfully, my spars with Guy helped curb some of the killing instincts I developed during my Anbu days. Shigeki observed Fujin''s movements and thought, ''He is still able to dodge them so easily? How did he even train to have such a speed? I''ll have to change my style of attack.'' He exhaled more wind into the water. A second later, hundreds of shurikens were shot at and around Fujin, leaving him no space to dodge. Of course, it wasn''t enough to stop Fujin who flickered a couple of times and appeared to Shigeki''s left. For a moment, Shigeki was left speechless. He thought, ''He flickered such a long distance? Though my shurikens covered a large area, it was useless against him. How am I even supposed to land an attack on someone like him?'' As opposed to Shigeki''s helplessness, Fujin was excited. He thought excitedly, ''He improved so much in these few years? Marvellous! To be able to keep me on my toes. Now, let me see the limits of this combination jutsu, hehehe.'' To Shigeki''s surprise, Fujin flickered on top of the large water body he had created and shouted, "Give me your best shot." A sword appeared in Fujin''s right hand. It wasn''t his usual sword and instead was just an ordinary sword he had picked up from the targets he eliminated earlier. With Fujin standing atop the water, Shigeki''s attacks became much faster as they didn''t need to travel. Fujin flickered continuously to dodge the incoming attacks. In most cases, he moved just a couple of meters away to dodge an attack. However, every now and then he''d be forced to flicker long distances or defend with his sword. Fujin stayed atop the water for 5 whole minutes, dodging everything Shigeki could throw at him. The combination jutsu surprised Fujin a lot. He had researched Shigeki before he left the village. Shigeki did have a history of using Wind attacks in water bodies to block enemies from progressing. However, what he was using was in a completely different league. Fujin judged with excitement, ''He is good. He''s at least on par with Tokuhei from Yugakure. Though he still can''t be considered an Elite Jounin, he isn''t too far away. With my help, he''ll reach it in no time at all. Anyway, it''s time to end this. His chakra has almost run out.'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Piranha, Liberiu, G 21, Onebullet, Victor and Charles for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 483: The Cover Story Chapter 483: The Cover Story Fujin''s figure suddenly disappeared. Shigeki couldn''t see him but could still track his movements due to the splash he would create whenever he stepped on the water. He tried attacking, however, he was late every time. After missing 3 attacks, Shigeki realized, ''He is coming towards me. In close range, I''m no match for him!'' He immediately weaved hand seals and shot another Great Breakthrough jutsu in the direction that Fujin was last in. However, at the next moment, he felt a light tap on his back. In an instant, various symbols covered his body. Shigeki became paralyzed! He couldn''t move his body nor could he use his chakra. He immediately realized, ''Self-Cursing Seal! To be able to apply and activate it so quickly He should be a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu! No wonder no one could detect that cave!'' Without Shigeki''s control, the water began spreading in all directions. Fujin deactivated the seal and said, "That''s enough for now. Your skills have impressed me." Shigeki smiled but didn''t think much of it. He was already in his late thirties. Hearing such praises wasn''t something that would make him happy. However, to his surprise, Fujin added, "That said, you are still some distance away from becoming an Elite Jounin." Shigeki was surprised. He wondered, ''Even my combination jutsu won''t allow me to fight against an Elite Jounin?'' Fujin continued, "Your chakra reserves are slightly lower and they are unlikely to increase much considering your age. And, you are still falling short in some aspects. Can you use the Body Flicker jutsu?" Shigeki nodded and said, "Yes. I just didn''t use it in the fight because there wasn''t any chance to use it." Fujin said, "Good. However, can you use it without any hand seals?" Shigeki replied, "No." Fujin advised, "The first thing you need to do is train yourself to use the Body Flicker jutsu without any hand seals. It will improve your mobility a lot and you can move around like how I did. Other than that, your Water manipulation and that combination jutsu is very impressive, but do you know any Wind jutsus stronger than the Great Breakthrough jutsu?" Trace the lineage of this substance back to the dawn of N?v€l??n¡ï Shigeki shook his head and answered, "No. Tanigakure doesn''t have many Wind Release jutsus. Due to the high number of rivers in this country, Water Release is the one that has been focused on the most. So I only had access to stronger Water jutsus." Fujin replied, "I see. In that case, I''ll give you these." Fujin grabbed a couple of scrolls and handed them to Shigeki. He said, "Your Water jutsus are sufficiently strong. I don''t have anything that''ll strengthen you in that aspect. However, your wind element can be strengthened. You, despite having decent strength and status, still fell prey to the schemes of an elder. The normal people who can''t utilize their chakra have it far worse. They are entirely dependent on the whims of the strong. The Phantom Haven Society will work to get strong to be able to help such people." Shigeki was stunned. In such a cruel world, he never expected there to be someone with such noble goals! In fact, even he himself wasn''t that noble and only wanted revenge. Though Shigeki couldn''t see Fujin''s face, he could sense how serious Fujin was through his voice! He thought, ''Such a noble goal. I was lucky to be saved by him. Once I complete my revenge, I''ll dedicate my life to this goal. To ensure that no one else goes through the same suffering as my family. I''m sure my daughter and wife would want that as well.'' Shigeki had several doubts about who Shiden was and what his goals were. On learning the truth and realizing Fujin''s seriousness, he was heavily influenced by the idea of making the world a better place. Fujin observed his expression and sighed in relief while thinking, ''Good. He bought it!'' While Fujin regularly played games with Hiruzen and at times with Shikaku and Danzo, this was the first time he tried it when something was at stake. He immediately became pleased after he tested what he learnt from them. Shigeki said, "I''ll be honored to help you make that goal a reality. However, such goals will harm the benefits of several Nobles and Leaders. We could be targeted by major and minor villages." Though he was influenced, Shigeki understood how difficult the task was. Fujin nodded and said, "Yes. That is why it is necessary to be elusive and act in secrecy. If the word of our activities spreads, others will ignore us at the start. However, once we begin intruding on anyone''s benefits, we will be opposed heavily. Even with my strength, I can''t bear the force of an entire ninja village. Even if we keep acting in secrecy, there is always a chance that details still get leaked. That is why, every branch is independent of each other. If one branch messes up and attracts trouble, the others will be safe. I''ll dissolve that branch and have them help other branches or create another secret force that will secretly aid other branches." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 484: Phantom Will Chapter 484: Phantom Will Shigeki nodded. He agreed with the steps Fujin had taken. He asked, "Alright. What should I do right now? How will I manage this branch?" Fujin said, "Though the goal of Phantom Haven Society is good, we can''t do good just by wishing for it. Otherwise, this world would have long achieved peace. To help progress towards our goal, we need to do three things. They''ll be your main activities. One, we need to recruit more people. I can''t stay here all the time. And you won''t be able to handle everything by yourself. For starters, you''ll be responsible for recruiting other ninjas like you. Ninjas who you trust, are good-natured and will be willing to work with dedication towards such a goal. Of course, considering the risky nature of the job, you should only recruit ninjas who don''t have anything to lose and don''t have anyone dependent on them." Shigeki understood the reason behind Fujin''s words. Once someone joins such a secret organization with such an outrageous goal, they will have a difficult time returning to live with their loved ones. Not to mention, they could be hunted down once their past is exposed. Even if they escape, their families will suffer. Fujin continued, "Once you have recruited a few capable ninjas, you can start operating. To start with, we will be focusing on two things. Our goal is to help unfortunate people who face calamities. But, in order to help such people, we need to know that they are suffering and need to know that quickly enough. Otherwise, we won''t be able to help them all. To do so, you will need to build an information network. The third thing will apply when we get into action and rescue an affected village or community. We will help them resettle, either in the same place by eliminating the danger if we can or in a nearby village if we can''t and they are willing to move. During such rescues, we will also recruit young kids who have the passion to join an organization like ours and the talent to become a ninja. Unlike the hidden villages, we will never send the kids to war. Instead, they will stay safe in this hideout until they are trained enough to be considered Chunins. This will be your most important task. Though we are decently strong, there isn''t much two people can do by themselves. In fact, even with help, we can''t be sure if this goal will be achieved during our lifetime. We will need strong and passionate youngsters with the drive to see that our goal will be achieved even if we pass on." Fujin looked into Shigeki''s eyes and asked in a serious tone, "Kasai Shigeki, are you willing to take over this role?" Shigeki replied respectfully, "I am willing." Fujin nodded and said, "Good." Memories resurfaced as he thought of his own experiences. He recalled how he observed the unfairness in the world several times. However, he never did anything to reduce it despite wanting to and having a few opportunities. He was also at the receiving end during the previous Great Ninja Wars when the Land of Rivers was completely at the mercy of Konoha and Suna ninjas. He felt helpless but didn''t have the strength to do anything about it. The ones who did have the strength were engaged in a deadly war instead of helping others. Within a few minutes, Shigeki had convinced himself and become the greatest follower of the Phantom Will. It was a strange situation where his belief in the Phantom Will was infinitely greater than the one who could be considered its founder! Shigeki looked at Fujin and asked, "Shiden, can you tell me how strong you are? Are you a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu? Also, what are your other specialities?" The sudden question surprised Fujin. He wondered, ''Exactly what conclusion did he reach to suddenly ask me such a question?'' To maintain the flow and ensure that Shigeki stayed loyal to him, Fujin had no choice but to satisfy his query. For a moment, Fujin felt just like how Hiruzen feels while dealing with him. [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jose, Eduardo, Sanguinus and Lord Varan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 485: Structure and Ranks Chapter 485: Structure and Ranks Fujin answered, "Yes, I''m a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu. It is why I dare to make a base in such a place. I don''t specialize in anything else, but I do know a little bit of everything. I can use all five nature manipulations, Samurai Saber Techniques, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Medical Ninjutsu and Sensing. Of course, they aren''t comparable to my Fuinjutsu. Overall, I can be considered as a rank S ninja." This creation is firmly rooted in the depths of N?v€l??n¡ï When Fujin had thought about how to answer this question, he had expected Shigeki to be awed. However, the sudden change in Shigeki''s attitude made his speculation incorrect. There was no awe on Shigeki''s face. Instead, there was pride! Learning all 5 elements was an extremely rare feat. Very few ninjas could claim to have done that in history. And, very few of them could claim to be Grandmasters in Fuinjutsu. Not to mention, Fujin had mentioned that he had some expertise in nearly every other field. To have such a person as the leader was something to be proud of. Shigeki immediately felt much more confident in achieving the goals of the Phantom Haven Society. Fujin felt uncomfortable on seeing Shigeki''s passionate stare. The hair on his body stood as he felt goosebumps from the gaze. He muttered to himself, ''If I ever decide to take off the mask, I need to disguise myself as an old man. Maybe I shouldn''t have bluffed about the five elements.'' Though Fujin said he could use all 5 elements, his ability in the Water element was extremely lousy. Fujin had only managed to learn some rank E and D jutsus which were more or less useless in battle. In fact, his most effective way of using water in a fight was unleashing a large amount of water that he kept in a few storage seals and speeding it up with wind. Of course, he wasn''t particularly concerned about it being exposed as he never planned on fighting much with this identity. Ignoring Shigeki''s passionate stare, Fujin was very satisfied with his reaction. He had to think extremely hard to come up with the philosophy of the Phantom Will. Though the goal of the Phantom Haven Society was something people would support and would want to be a part of, in Fujin''s perspective, the Phantom Will was even more important. Looking at the history of the ninja world, there was no doubt that the most successful organizations were the major villages. Each of them had their own Will and passed it on to the next generation who firmly believed in it. If Fujin wasn''t a transmigrator and had directly been born in Konoha or didn''t have the memories of his past life, he didn''t doubt that he would have been a staunch believer in the Will of Fire too. By comparison, Akatsuki had terrifying power and a noble goal as well. However, they didn''t have any such Will to believe in. With none of their members believing in a common Will, they lacked the same cohesiveness as a ninja village. Most of their members had their own goals. Even the loyalty of most members was questionable. Despite having so many top-tier ninjas, the fact that they didn''t even bother trying to avenge a fallen comrade said a lot about the nature of their organization. For Fujin, the strength of his organization wasn''t very important. Instead, he needed loyalty and diligence. As long as they created and maintained a good information network and provided real information to Fujin, he didn''t care as to whether they actually did anything else. As a result, having a Will that united everyone became very important for Fujin. Seeing Shigeki''s reaction, Fujin became confident that the Phantom Will would be good enough to keep his organization united for a long time. He thought, ''I guess I need to be thankful to Hiruzen. Without his frequent attempts to influence me with the Will of Fire, I might not have been able to create this.'' Fujin took out a scroll and said, "I''ll explain to you the structure of the Phantom Haven Society. Of course, these are just the guidelines. If you want to make some changes to improve the efficiency, feel free to do so." Despite having good guidance in the academy and an amazing sensei after Graduation, Fujin still needed almost 6 years to reach the Jounin level. Though he managed to reach the level of Elite Jounin soon after, it would have taken a lot longer if Hiruzen hadn''t taught him the Wind Vacuum Technique as a reward for beating the record in the second stage of the Chunin exams. Similarly, to become a rank S ninja, Fujin was extremely overdependent on using Shadow Clones to become a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster and developing a few extremely stealthy seals. Without either of those factors, Fujin''s route to becoming a rank S would have been much more difficult and time-consuming. That is why, Fujin wasn''t counting on any young kid the organization recruited to have the ability to reach rank S in the next 5-6 years. Even reaching the Elite Jounin level would be only possible if Fujin or Shigeki managed to directly recruit a promising young Genin or Chunin. The only possible exceptions would be if Fujin managed to recruit someone who was already a rank S ninja or an Elite Jounin. Unfortunately, the chances of someone that strong joining and willingly accepting the Phantom Seal were extremely low. Shigeki followed up by asking several questions that were important for running the base successfully. Fujin had already thought of all the questions and patiently answered every question properly. [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Libois, Ganbayar, Felix, Tajiks and Kordie for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 486: Two Choices Chapter 486: Two Choices At one point, Shigeki asked, "What if one of our members wants to quit and return to a normal life?" Fujin answered, "Then we let them go. As I said, though the Phantom Will exists in everyone, it is unrealistic to expect everyone to act on it. Of course, we won''t be removing the Phantom Seal. So there won''t be any danger of them leaking sensitive information. If they change their mind in the future, they can rejoin. They could also recommend others to join us. Not to mention, any former member will help us with gathering information. Whether they do it actively or passively will be their choice. So, they will still help us reach our goal faster. Besides, with them out there, they can ensure that the crimes against the weak are reduced. At the very least, no normal bandit group will be able to harm the village they are staying in." Shigeki nodded. Though it could reduce their fighting power temporarily, it''ll make their unity stronger if they aren''t forced to serve. Shigeki continued asking more questions until he covered every aspect. Once he was done, Fujin asked, "Do you have anyone in mind that you would like to recruit?" Shigeki nodded and answered, "Yes. I thought of them when you said that I would have to recruit. I know 13 former ninjas from Tanigakure who were falsely accused at different times. They became rogue ninjas and I was even sent to hunt a few of them down. But after learning the truth, I let them off and reported that those missions had failed. All of them became rogue ninjas. Some lived while hiding from the official ninjas while some became bounty hunters. 5 of them stayed together in a group and 4 more stayed together forming another group. The remaining four moved alone. Unfortunately, it has been 3 years since I heard about them. So I''m not sure if I''ll be able to find them or even if they are still alive and well." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, that''ll be a start. How long will it take you to find them?" ovelllbbin Shigeki answered, "I can''t say for sure. If I''m lucky, then in 3 days. If not, then it might take a month and I still might not track all of them down." Fujin thought for a bit and instructed, "Alright, you''ll set out to find them. Return here in 10 days'' time irrespective of how many you find. I''ll build the basic structure of the base until th" He suddenly paused and began thinking. Shigeki wanted to ask something but stopped since Fujin was busy thinking. After a minute, Fujin looked at Shigeki and said, "Actually, I''ll build the main base here and a mini base halfway into this valley. Only the members I have applied the seal on will be allowed in the main base. The rest will have to stay in the mini base until I visit to apply the seals. This will reduce the risk of any spy leaking information about our main base. Also" Fujin grabbed a storage scroll and opened it. From one of the seals, he summoned a few hundred tags with some sort of seal on them. Fujin handed them to Shigeki and said, "Though my Phantom Seal is very safe, accidents could always happen. If someone accidentally triggers the seal and it paralyzes them, you can use these tags to undo the paralysis. The Phantom Seal will reform itself, so don''t worry about someone trying to use this to get rid of the seal. When you try to recruit those guys, be careful what you speak. You can''t leak the secrets of Phantom Haven Society until the Phantom Seal is applied to them." Shigeki nodded and said, "Yes, I figured that out. And thank you, this will make my job easier." Suddenly, Itsuki screamed once again. He could hear everything the medical ninja said. However, it wasn''t his chakra network or the pain that caused him the most sorrow. It was what was missing between his legs. He shouted angrily, "Father, I want to see that motherfucker Shigeki and mutilate him too!" Kanji sighed seeing his son''s situation. As time passed, his mental state continuously became worse. He said, "Shigeki is long dead, Itsuki. If he was alive, he would have tried to get his revenge long back." Kanji had sent 5 ninjas to kill an injured Shigeki. He had expected it to go without any accident. Unfortunately, Fujin had ruined his plans. He never heard about those 5 ninjas again. For some time, he was afraid that Shigeki had killed them. However, as time passed, he believed that Shigeki died as well. He speculated that he did a suicide attack that killed all six of them. Of course, that didn''t do much to reduce the hatred he felt for Shigeki. Just as the father-son duo were cursing Shigeki, a voice was heard, "Oh, you wanted to see me? Good. I have been wanting to see the two of you for every second since that accursed day!" Suddenly, everyone in the room turned around and looked in the direction of the voice. To their surprise, Shigeki stood there, along with a masked man. Itsuki jumped out of his bed while screaming, "Bastard! I''ll kill you!" Luckily for him, the medical ninjas held him back. Meanwhile, Kanji asked in surprise, "How did you enter here undetected?" [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Luci, Donavon and Call of Duty for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 487: Revenge Chapter 487: Revenge Memories flooded Shigeki''s brain as he recalled the answer to Kanji''s question. He had prepared himself for an extremely difficult battle when he and Fujin were moving towards Tanigakure. In fact, he was surprised when Fujin claimed that he could help take revenge with just the two of them despite seeing a portion of his strength. They would have to pass through several layers of defenses to reach Kanji. For the first time in his life, Shigeki discovered how convenient it was to work alongside a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. Is the wall around the village covered with seals and a barrier? Not an issue. Fujin created a small hole in the barrier which went undetected. He freely manipulated the seals on the wall and the two of them entered the hidden village without any obstacle! From there, reaching Kanji''s palace was a walk in the park. Of course, the palace had some defenders. They were mostly ninjas from Kanji''s family who patrolled occasionally. Needless to say, every single one of them was killed. Their bodies were pinned to the walls of the palace with their own weapons. Thanks to Fujin, no one else heard a single thing. Shigeki answered, "That''s not something you should worry about. Instead, you should think about the disgusting and vile acts you and your son committed all these years." He began walking forward while saying, "Karma has finally caught up with you. I''ll let the two of you feel the pain I felt since that accursed day!" Kanji snorted and prepared himself for a battle. He said, "You have grown very cocky. Do you think that you can defeat me? Actually, I am glad that you have appeared here yourself. I''ll shred you to pieces with my own hands!" Kanji wasn''t afraid of Shigeki. His attention was instead on the mysterious masked ninja next to him. If Kanji and Shigeki had fought 3 years ago, Kanji would have easily won. After all, his strength was the reason that he could become an elder in a hidden village. Even if he was placed in a major village, he could be considered a Jounin. It was one of the main reasons why Shigeki listened to Fujin and didn''t try to get his revenge instantly. Even now, though Shigeki had grown a lot stronger, defeating and killing Kanji would still take some time. The commotion it would cause would make the other ninjas in the village rush over there. As a result, if Shigeki had come by himself, he would have lost and been captured instead. Thankfully, he had a very strong ally. Kanji and the medical ninjas began grabbing their weapons. However, even before Kanji could take out his kunai, Fujin''s left hand clutched his throat. Kanji''s eyes widened in horror as he realized, ''So fast! Who is he? And is this Swift Release?'' Before he could figure anything out, Fujin lifted him and slammed Kanji''s entire body into the ground, creating cracks in the floor. Kanji''s back and spine were severely damaged due to the impact. He still tried to attack, but various symbols appeared on his body. Fujin had used the Self-Cursing Seal to restrain him. The medical ninjas and Itsuki were shocked by the sudden development. They looked at Fujin who was staring back at them instead of paying attention to Kanji. Before either of them could react, two shurikens pierced through the necks of the two Medical ninjas. Both died on the spot, leaving only the Father-Son duo alive. Seeing his father and the two medical ninjas on the ground, Itsuki was horrified. He walked backwards while asking, "Who are you?" Terror could be heard in his voice. Unfortunately, there would be no mercy as Shigeki flickered behind him and knocked him out. Kanji wanted to speak but couldn''t move his mouth. Fujin knocked him out as well and asked, "Do you still want to torture them?" Shigeki nodded. Fujin said, "Alright, carry their bodies. We need to leave this village first before someone discovers something odd." Fujin disappeared from the base and moved towards the mini base as well. With Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu, he didn''t require a long while to reach. A few minutes later, Shigeki''s group arrived at the spot where the mini base was. However, confusion appeared on Shigeki''s face as he stopped moving. Hayato asked, "What happened? Why did you stop?" Shigeki answered in an unsure tone, "The base was supposed to be here." Everyone immediately looked around in confusion. After a few seconds, Hayato said, "There is nothing here." Mitsuo sighed in disappointment and asked, "Shigeki, is your benefactor unreliable or has your memory gone bad in these last few years?" Shigeki was confused. He wondered, ''Did something happen to the benefactor? Why else would there be nothing here? Should I go and check the main base? But, I can''t take these guys there. There is no choice. I''ll have to ask them to wait here while I go ahead and check.'' Shigeki was about to leave when suddenly everyone felt a killing intent. Before anyone could react, a voice was heard, "I wouldn''t move if I was in your place." [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Colin and Mark for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 488: New Recruits Chapter 488: New Recruits "I wouldn''t move if I was in your place." Everyone except Shigeki, who identified the voice, wanted to move. However, their legs froze as the scenery around them changed. Instead of a lush green valley, everyone was surrounded by long spears that had risen from the ground. Had they moved, they would have been stabbed by several spears. They quickly looked in the direction of the voice. A large cave opening appeared out of nowhere on the surface of the slopes. A masked man stood next to it while leaning against the wall. Mitsuo asked, "What''s the meaning of this? Shigeki, we trusted you. How could you betray us, you bastard?" The same thoughts ran through everyone''s head. Fujin chuckled and said, "Relax. He didn''t betray you. I just wanted to test out the new base." Fujin snapped his fingers. In an instant, all Earth Spears crumbled and fell to the ground. The rogue Tanigakure ninjas finally relaxed. Hayato asked, "Is this the benefactor you mentioned? Quite an impression he made. I have never seen such a high level of Genjutsu. I never felt anything influencing my chakra." Fujin said, "This isn''t Genjutsu. Instead, it is Fuinjutsu. It''ll ensure that the base is safe even when I am not here." Fujin''s response surprised them. None of them had ever seen Fuinjutsu in this way and to such a degree. In fact, some of them were still suspicious. N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Fujin said, "Anyway, enough small talk. Shigeki, are these the ones you wanted to recruit?" Shigeki nodded and said, "I managed to find 10 of the 13 I mentioned and found another friend who was banished from the village a year ago." One by one, Shigeki introduced all 11 members. The members covered a lot of specializations. There were a couple of sensors and a decent medical ninja. At the end, he added, "Mitsuo and Hayato were formerly Jounins in our village. The rest were Chunins." Fujin observed them properly and said, "Alright. Hayato and Mitsuo will be Captains. The rest will be Field Agents." Shigeki immediately realized, ''Shiden doesn''t think that they are strong enough to be considered Jounins in a major village.'' Hayato said, "While we have agreed to join, Shigeki said that we won''t learn any more information before we actually join you. We would like to hear the further details." Fujin nodded and said, "In order to be a member of the Phantom Haven Society, you have to accept the Phantom Seal. It will prevent you from ever leaking the secrets about the organization or your fellow members. At the same time, it will also give you some benefits." Hayato coughed and said, "Well, if you had become successful in the future, we could have leaked the location of your base." Fujin waved his arms dismissively and said, "This is just a mini base. There are 3 other such bases in this valley. And that''s apart from our main base. If you guys had left and betrayed us in the future, all that would welcome you would be a deadly trap. Even a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster wouldn''t have noticed the trap until it''s too late. While some ninjas could survive, you fellows would definitely have died." Once again, everyone was speechless. There was no need to think about how advanced that base was. All 12 of them would have died without any chance of resisting had Fujin wanted them dead. Heck, they wouldn''t even know how they died! And now they learnt that Fujin still had 3 more similar bases along with a main base that would have undoubtedly been much more advanced! Unknown to them, Fujin had initially planned just one mini base to act as a cover for any spies that infiltrated. However, on seeing how easy it was to create it, he created 3 more. After all, the more the merrier. If Hiruzen was here, he would have understood Fujin''s point of view. Fujin said, "That said, even though I built the bases, they are still very basic. You guys will need to do some construction. Come on in." Fujin entered the cave. The others quickly followed him in. As soon as they did, their eyes widened. Mitsuo muttered, "I never would have imagined that there would be something like this in the normal-looking valley!" In front of them was a massive base. Though its appearance was basic as everything was carved out of rocks and had no decorations whatsoever, the base in itself was extremely huge! They could easily house over a couple of hundred people inside the cave without making it seem crowded. While everyone was observing, Fujin said, "There isn''t much more to see here. I''ll let you guys handle the decorations and make this place look more welcoming and accommodating. I''ll inform you guys later how the seals here work and how you can use them in case someone somehow discovers the base and manages to forcefully enter. For now, let''s visit the main base." [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Raven, Quentin and Frederic for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 489: Phantom Haven Base & Possible Future Expansions Chapter 489: Phantom Haven Base & Possible Future Expansions [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Terrance Smith. You can thank him for the double release.] Fujin''s words caused the 12 members to feel excited. All of them knew how rare Fuinjutsu Grandmasters were. Even Major Villages would treasure them. To be able to control the seals created by a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster was a huge honor. In addition, everyone was anticipating how majestic the main base would be. Even though the mini base looked simple, none of them doubted that it would look grand once they improved the aesthetics. And, with all the protective seals along with the locations of the bases, they no longer had to worry about someone trying to hunt them. In a few minutes, the group reached the deepest point of the valley. Shigeki looked around. The place looked exactly how it was when he and Fujin had gone there the first time. Everyone was looking around as well. Mitsuo asked, "So, where is the base hidden?" Fujin made the confrontation hand seal and said, "Watch your feet." In the next instant, the ground under their feet disappeared, surprising all 12 of them. Fortunately, they could see another layer of ground below them as they fell and landed safely on it. It was 25 meters deeper than the land they were standing on initially. Shigeki asked in surprise, "What was that?" Fujin answered, "A barrier. Look up." Everyone looked up. The sky looked normal. Suddenly, a brown net appeared 25 meters above them. Fujin explained, "I created a barrier on the top of the base. As you saw, it looks just like the ground and stays consistent with the terrain. It also guards against all forms of sensory skills. So, it is impossible for anyone to sense anyone who is hiding in this base even if they are standing above it. Of course, if another Fuinjutsu Grandmaster appears here, then he or she might be able to find the barrier. I have prepared a few escape routes with several traps to slow down the enemies in that scenario. I''ll show them later." Everyone marvelled. They truly were speechless. Mitsuo muttered, "Even our village isn''t this well protected." Hayato added, "Yeah. This is truly a hidden base. If anyone finds us here, then it only means that even the Gods want us dead!" At the very least, we should be able to maintain peace in the Land of Rivers when no Great Ninja Wars are happening. That said, moving beyond this country would be impossible. All of our neighbors have very strong armies and leaders." Shigeki nodded. The Land of Rivers was surrounded by the Land of Wind to the west, the Land of Fire to the east, the Land of Rain to the north and a sea to the south. Their respective hidden villages were in an entirely different league when compared to Tanigakure. However, Shigeki wasn''t worried as he thought, ''This isn''t the only base. Shiden said that he has created several other such bases. So our responsibility should be only limited to this country. I''m sure he has his plans for the remaining countries as well.'' Unfortunately for Shigeki, he would never know how much he was lied to by Shiden. That said, from Fujin''s perspective, the situation wasn''t that restricted. Once Nagato and Konan fell, the Land of Rain would no longer be as strong as it had been since Hanzo rose to power. If Fujin developed any intentions of expanding the Phantom Haven Society in the future and making it a formidable force, then he could expand to the north without stopping by creating bases in the Land of Rain, Land of Grass and finally the Land of Waterfall, who would have lost their only Jinchuriki by then. If that happened, then the Phantom Haven Society would stand directly between the Land of Fire and the Lands of Wind and Earth, becoming the new but hidden buffer zone. Of course, Fujin would need to create another similar organization to create bases in the countries between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning to spread his influence further and potentially raise a force greater than any of the 5 major villages. That said, it was a matter for the future. For the time being, Fujin''s attention was focused only on the events leading up to the Fourth Great Ninja War. Until Kaguya''s threat was resolved, he didn''t see any point in making plans for the time beyond it. The group spent some time looking around the base. It was much larger than the mini base as it covered the entire plane in the deepest layer of the valley. The academy Fujin had constructed could hold more than a thousand students. The living quarters were even larger. The training facilities were inspired by Anbu Training facilities though there weren''t any elemental training rooms. As such, the base would have no issue in holding close to ten thousand people if managed well. The only real drawback was that there wasn''t much space for things that would need a lot of space. For instance, there were no training grounds inside the base. However, that wasn''t much of an issue as the entire valley outside the base could be used as Training grounds. Another issue was that there were no farmlands. While it wasn''t an issue for the time being thanks to the wildlife in the valley, food would need to be bought in large quantities once the population inside the base increased. It could raise some suspicions. Fortunately, there was abundant drinking water in the valley. After looking around the base for a while and making some plans about future renovations and aesthetics, the 12 Phantom members walked towards the Library, where Fujin was waiting for them. Once everyone arrived, Fujin glanced at everyone and said, "I''ll now explain to you guys my plans for this base and what you need to do." Chapter 490: Plans and Arrangements! Chapter 490: Plans and Arrangements! [A/N: Saturday''s bonus chapter.] Everyone became serious upon hearing Fujin''s words. At the same time, they were curious as well. Fujin explained, "As I told Shigeki, I won''t be staying here frequently. In my absence, Shigeki will be the leader here. As such, the rest of you need to follow his instructions." N??v€l--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. No one opposed it. They were quite familiar with Shigeki and didn''t have an issue in working under him. In fact, they preferred it to working under an unknown person like Fujin. Fujin continued, "Once I leave, you''ll have to focus on 4 tasks. The first one is obviously making this base and the mini bases more hospitable. As for the details, I''ll leave it under your capable hands. You can visit nearby villages and towns to buy whatever you need. Just make sure to hide your identity and don''t let anyone trail you." Shigeki asked, "Will you be providing us with monetary support? Though we do have some money, I doubt any of us has enough to undertake such a huge project." The others agreed with Shigeki. While they each had some money due to being rogue ninjas and bounty hunters, none were very rich. To their relief, Fujin nodded and tossed a scroll to Shigeki. He said, "This scroll has over 41 million Ryo. I had arranged 25 million Ryo initially. However, I met a few bandits and rogue ninjas who were willing to ''donate'' to our just cause." Everyone had a weird expression on their faces. They all understood what ''donate'' implied. Fujin placed a few more scrolls on the rocky table he was leaning against and said, "These scrolls contain weapons that those kind souls donated. Put them to good use. Anyway, returning to our topic, the second task you''ll handle is creating an information network. Needless to say, these informants won''t be members of Phantom Haven. So, no need to explain our goals or to give them much information. Just pay them and treat them as employees. Retain or replace them based on how useful they are. You can use civilians or rogue ninjas who have a good reputation for this purpose. If any rogue ninja shares our values and goals, then we could recruit him or her in the future. You could divide yourselves into teams to handle these two tasks at the same time. You can start with the third task only after the first two are complete." Fujin answered, "In a sense, but not exactly. In truth, every hidden village has the power to eliminate all bandits and most of the rogue ninjas in their country. They just don''t because these bandits bring in jobs for their ninjas and help run the economy of the ninja villages. After all, who will be hiring ninjas if the world is peaceful? We don''t need to think about that. Once our strength grows, we will be sweeping through all bandits and rogue ninjas in this country. What we do after that will depend on how Tanigakure reacts when they don''t get many mission requests." Fujin''s words forced everyone to think. Suddenly, they all understood the implications of creating such an organization. They immediately realized how Tanigakure would react if they suddenly stopped getting mission requests! The village would stop receiving funding soon if that happens. As a result, the interests of all forces in the village would be harmed. They would immediately begin investigating the reason behind such happenings. They might even resort to creating fake bandit groups and rogue ninjas to create trouble so that they get missions. It might put them at direct odds against the Phantom Haven Society. Everyone nodded solemnly. They understood that they might have to clash with the mighty hidden village in the future. However, there was also a sense of excitement as everyone other than Shigeki had someone they wanted to kill from Tanigakure. What none of them saw was that such a development could lead to other hidden villages becoming wary due to such a development. They might aid Tanigakure in eliminating the Phantom Haven Society. Only Fujin saw this threat, but he wasn''t concerned as it was highly unlikely that the Phantom Haven Society would become that strong anytime soon. Shigeki nodded and said, "Alright. We understand. We will do the best we can while keeping ourselves safe." Fujin nodded and said, "Good. I''ll now explain my plans on how to raise and guide the kids we recruit. Does any of you have any experience in guiding young children?" Everyone exchanged glances. After a minute, one guy said, "None of us have taught in the Academy. However, all of us have some experience in guiding Genins." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. But guiding Genins and guiding untrained kids are completely different. I have created training plans and noted them down in scrolls which I will leave with Shigeki for you to refer to in the future. For now, make yourself comfortable. It will take quite some time to explain everything." Everyone sat on seats that were made of rocks as well. Fujin explained all his plans on how to train the kids. The plan was quite similar to how children were raised in Konoha''s academy but with quite a few changes. For starters, the focus was very heavily inclined towards practical and combat skills instead of theory. The plan was created aiming to make every dedicated student as strong as a Chunin before they turned 12. Unlike Konoha, which had only implemented a part of Fujin''s recommendations, Fujin intended to implement everything here from the word go. The academy inside this remote valley would be the first in the entire ninja world to have clubs and offer specializations to every student despite being the youngest and having access to the lowest amount of resources. Chapter 491: A Killing Zone Chapter 491: A Killing Zone After explaining all the details regarding how to raise the kids, Fujin added, "The two places I said that you shouldn''t try to modify are this library and the meditation center. I have inscribed several seals in the meditation center, making meditation much more effective than normal. You will have them practice the Leaf Concentration exercise in the meditation room. You guys can use it for meditation as well. As for this library, I have stored hundreds of scrolls in here to help the kids. They cover almost every field that a student needs. There will also be some stuff that you might find useful." Once again, everyone was surprised. To build a library that covers every aspect and could even help the veteran ninjas It implied that either the person who built the library was incredibly knowledgeable or that he had stolen the scrolls from the library of a hidden village! Needless to say, Fujin had copied most of the information from Konoha''s library. That said, he was extremely careful about it. He had only copied a very small amount of scrolls and he focused on the jutsus that were commonly used in every major village to ensure that no suspicions would be cast on him and no members would be able to guess where he came from. He didn''t copy any jutsus that were only used by Konoha ninjas. The place where Fujin and the rest were sitting was just the lobby. There were several doors surrounding it. In addition, there was a staircase going to the underground floors. Fujin pointed at the doors one by one and said, "This room has a range of rank E jutsu scrolls in it. It covers all elements. This room has rank D jutsus. This room has basic information on other fields, such as Fuinjutsu, Sensor, Medical Ninjutsu and some other basic stuff. That said, I couldn''t get a lot of scrolls on medical ninjutsu. Hayato, since you are a healer, you will be tasked with going through the available information and adding more if you can." Hayato nodded and said, "Leave it to me." Fujin continued, "As for the last room, it is empty for now. Everyone, including the students you recruit, can access any scrolls on this floor. However, the underground floors will be restricted as per ranks. The first underground floor has several rank C jutsus and can be accessed by Field Agents. The second underground floor has several rank B jutsus and can be accessed by Captains. Above the Captain ranks are Commanders and above them are Special Elites. Commanders can access the third underground floor which currently has very few rank A jutsus. Special Elites can access the last underground floor which is supposed to have rank S and forbidden techniques but is empty as of now. While I won''t be here to monitor the library, I have inscribed several seals that will keep track of who uses which floors. I hope that none of you or the ones who you recruit break these rules. That said, there is no need to be extremely strict with this. For instance, if a captain feels that a particular rank B jutsu will be extremely useful for a field agent, then he can teach the jutsu to him or ask Shigeki to allow him to read that scroll. Similarly, students who show excellent talent can either be rewarded with a visit to the first underground floor to select one jutsu or the teachers could directly give them the jutsus that could help them become much stronger. The same applies to all ranks. Another important aspect is that I alone can''t completely fill up this library. So, if any of you know a jutsu that isn''t in this library, then you can create proper scrolls for them and add them to the library. For example, I''m sure that the number of water jutsus in this library will be far inferior to what you had access to in Tanigakure. So, you could add those water jutsus in the library. This would help us slowly improve the library and make it as good as the ones in the major ninja villages." Everyone pondered on Fujin''s words. After some time, everyone nodded in satisfaction one by one. Even though Fujin had restricted access depending on the ranks, he still provided everyone access to several jutsus. They just needed to see if there were any jutsus that would be helpful to them. Not to mention, Fujin still had left a way for them to get access to higher-level jutsus. In a manner of speaking, all of them were getting a lot of benefits from Fujin without having contributed anything. Fujin knew about it. His initial plan was to introduce a contribution point system and only give the benefits once a member has contributed towards the growth of Phantom Haven Society. Fujin was satisfied with his response. He said, "Good luck." In front of the 12 members of the Phantom Haven Society, Fujin disappeared. A look of surprise appeared on their faces. Mitsuo asked, "Was that Fuinjutsu as well?" Shigeki shook his head and said, "No. His speed is otherworldly. I have never seen anyone move as fast as him." The others were surprised that it was just pure speed. It made Fujin''s impression even stronger. They decided to rest for a bit before starting what would be a rather arduous task. As for Fujin, he turned around and glanced at the valley as he left. A thought appeared in his mind, ''Though I had initially just planned on creating a base here, this valley is perhaps my best killing zone! The number of Flying Thunder God Marks I left there is probably greater than the number of seals on my house. Once my teleporting range increases to around 15 kilometers, I can solo any army that dares to step inside here. Of course, that might also give away my identity. Oh well I wonder if I''d ever use this killing zone'' [A/N: Next chapter: A Surprise] [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Michael, Kenny, Dillon, SnowFairyAsuna and Cauan for supporting me on P@treon. Thank You The Reverse Flash for supporting me through UPI Chapter 492: A Surprise Chapter 492: A Surprise Since his mission was supposed to be close to the Land of Grass, Fujin had to move back to that location and then make his way back to Konoha in order to avoid any suspicions in case something happened on that route. This time, he travelled inside the Land of Rivers and moved North while leaving his Flying Thunder God at regular intervals. While making his way to the Land of Rivers, he had done the same on the opposite side of the border. As he moved, he sensed a few ninjas every once in a while but ignored them. His mind was still busy thinking about whether he missed any important detail while building the Phantom Haven Society and whether he could do something more to strengthen it. After some time, he concluded, ''There is nothing I can think of that I missed. Everything now will depend on the sincerity of the ones I recruited. If they decide to slack off, there is little I can do. That said, Shigeki was affected quite a lot by the Phantom Will. Hopefully, this issue won''t occur. If there are any bad apples, I''ll need to come up with a scheme to eliminate them. The one shortcoming that Phantom Haven will have is a lack of high-level combatants. Shigeki should reach the Elite Jounin level soon even though his chakra levels aren''t sufficiently high. However, apart from him, others don''t even qualify to be called Jounins. Not to mention, even when Shigeki becomes an Elite Jounin, he''ll be one of the weaker ones. There is not a lot I can think of to improve his strength after he masters Pressure Damage and Blades of Wind jutsus without giving him any classified jutsus I guess I''ll give him the Ice Kekkei Genkai book that I received from the Land of Frost. If he succeeds in merging the Wind and Water elements completely, then his strength will increase immensely. Though he still might not reach rank S, fending off weaker rank S like Kitsuchi or perhaps even Darui shouldn''t be much of an issue. Unfortunately, mastering a Kekkei Genkai is extremely difficult. All the information in the book is about failed attempts. So, this method has a very low chance. Should I try to recruit a rogue Elite Jounin to increase top-level combatants? But who?'' There weren''t many rogue Elite Jounins. The ones who existed were almost all recruited into the Akatsuki. The worst part was that most of them had already died! Needless to say, Kakuzu was the one who killed the most. Fujin analyzed, ''The only ones I can think of are Zabuza, Raiga and the Six-Tail Jinchuriki, Utakata. Unfortunately, all of them are rather difficult to deal with. I might be able to convince Utakata, but Akatsuki is hunting the Jinchurikis. It could directly expose the base in the future. It''s too risky. However, Zabuza and Raiga''s personalities don''t suit the Phantom Haven Society. Not to mention, Zabuza''s goal is still Kirigakure. If I recruit them, then it might result in a conflict within the society. Without me being there to manage them, it''ll be too risky. Unless I can create a second organization with morales that suit them. However'' A bitter smile appeared behind Fujin''s mask. It was too much work. He had to spend long hours and had dozens of Shadow Clones wrecking their brains to come up with every arrangement for Phantom Haven Society. To do something that might be even more complicated would take a lot of time. Fujin let out a sigh and decided, ''Screw it. There is no point in spending so much time on an organization. Even in Phantom Haven Society, my interference has to be minimal. In this world, the only thing that matters the most is the strength that you have. If I were to become as strong as Hashirama or Madara, or better yet the Sage of the Six Paths, would it matter if I have 10 ninjas under me or 10 million? I can''t dedicate any more time to the organization than I already have. As long as it gathers sufficient information, I''ll be satisfied. If I happen to come across any talented ninja or someone with a Kekkei Genkai or a secret technique who is worth recruiting, then I''ll recruit them. Beyond that, my contribution to the Phantom Haven Society will be limited to finances, jutsus and a bit of management.'' Having made his decision, Fujin began freely changing his appearance to decide what his third identity would look like, what his name should be, what mask he should wear, his back story and so on. Unlike his organizations, this identity was far more crucial for Fujin. It would be what he''ll be using to wreak havoc in the ninja world! Fujin quickly dodged the incoming attacks while thinking, ''This guy has Tobirama''s sword? No wonder he was this cocky. Hehehe, what luck! I never imagined that I would get a suitable sword so easily for this identity!'' Fujin did research on Tobirama''s Blade of the Thunder Spirit while he was in the academy. From what he recalled, the sword was stolen only a few years before Naruto graduated. So, he wanted to steal it from the ones who would attempt to steal it later. Unfortunately, the information from his memories didn''t match up. The Blade of the Thunder Spirit had been missing since Tobirama''s death. Konoha always guessed that it fell in Kumogakure''s hands. However, a couple of decades later in the Second Great Ninja War, this sword was in the possession of an Ame Jounin who was a close aide of Hanzo. Due to Hanzo''s existence, Konoha couldn''t retrieve the sword. Fujin had given up on the sword as well as he knew that there was an entity far more dangerous than Hanzo in the Land of Rain. In fact, he had pretty much forgotten about it. He never expected that an Ame Jounin would bring him such a valuable gift. A grin appeared behind his mask as he thought, ''I thought he was stupid. How ungrateful of me. This guy is even more generous than Hiruzen.'' As Fujin kept dodging, the Ame ninja with the sword appeared in front of Fujin and swung the sword vertically. A grin appeared on his face as he shouted, "DIE!" To his surprise, Fujin raised his right arm and caught the sword with his right hand. A grin appeared on the ninja''s face as a massive current electrocuted Fujin! A painful scream escaped Fujin''s mouth as he was assaulted by innumerable electric shocks! [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Zeno, Voltic, WhiteFireX and DarthRoy for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 493: Blade of the Thunder Spirit Chapter 493: Blade of the Thunder Spirit Seeing Fujin in pain, the grin grew wider on the Ame ninja''s face. His teammates grinned as well. He said, "That''s the price you pay for your arrogance. Finish him!" His subordinates quickly moved to finish Fujin off like they had killed innumerable other ninjas using the same combination attack. Dozens of shurikens were launched at Fujin''s vital organs and neck. To their surprise, Fujin suddenly stopped screaming and said in a mischievous tone that didn''t suit his deep voice, "Just kidding" At that very instant, three lightning spears suddenly shot out from where Fujin was standing. The sudden development caught everyone off guard. In the blink of an eye, the lightning spears had knocked off all incoming shurikens and stabbed through the hearts of the three Ame ninjas. All fell dead without any struggle. While the Lightning spears were launched, Fujin thought, ''I guess I have finalized the name and the backstory of this identity. I wonder who would be the first one to hear this bullshit story, hehehe.'' The leader''s eyes widened. Fujin let go of the sword and the Ame Jounin immediately retreated away from Fujin. Fujin looked at him and said, "Second Hokage''s Blade of the Thunder Spirit. That''s a rather impressive weapon. Whether you join your subordinates or not depends on whether or not you are able to impress me." Fujin thought, ''While I barely recall this sword, I have no recollection of what the skills of this sword are The scroll in the library only mentioned the ability to shock others and to cut through chakra. But, if the ability is so lousy, then it wouldn''t be a weapon that a Hokage would use. I hope he can showcase some skill.'' While Fujin was thinking casually, the Ame Jounin was terrified! Fear was visible on his face. He thought, ''How was he able to endure the electric shocks? Who is he? And how did he kill 3 Jounins in the blink of an eye? Even I wouldn''t be able to do that!'' The Ame Jounin was completely on guard. All his attention was focused on Fujin. He didn''t dare to make the first move again. Instead, he asked, "Who are you? What do you want?" Fujin replied, "No one famous, I guess. I used to go by the name Akuro. As for what I want, I was just passing by until you fellows decided to stop me." The Ame Jounin was even more confused. He wondered, ''Used to go by? What does he mean by that? Also, was he really just passing by? No way. He should have some goal in mind.'' He quickly said, "My village is led by a God and an Angel. If you attack me, God will judge and kill you." Fujin replied, "Eh, a God and an Angel descended into this world? Alright. I''ll go pay them a visit later. As for you, do you want to join your subordinates or do you want to fight for your life?" The Ame Jounin''s mood became even worse on being looked down so much. He shouted, "Don''t underestimate me! Lightning Dragon!" He swung his sword towards Fujin. A large amount of lightning was unleashed from the sword. It took the form of a Dragon and dived towards Fujin at a fast speed. At the same time, he opened an umbrella and launched a rain of poisonous needles towards Fujin. To his surprise, Fujin once again extended his left arm forward and stopped the Lightning Dragon''s head with his left palm! In less than a second, the entire dragon hit Fujin''s palm, but he stayed still. The Lightning Dragon dissipated, leaving only a few Lightning charges around Fujin''s palm. The Ame Jounin wondered, ''Is he immune to Lightning? But how can that be? In terms of destruction, nothing comes close to Lightning. Especially when it comes from this sword. How do I fight him?'' N?v¦ÅlB?n: Transforming Moments into Memories. Fujin let out a sigh and muttered, "How disappointing" A senbon appeared in Fujin''s left hand. Fujin''s lightning chakra began flowing through the needle as he threw it towards the Ame Jounin who was escaping. As he escaped, the Ame Jounin turned around to see what the loud noise was. His eyes widened as he saw his water jutsu getting blasted away mercilessly! Suddenly, he noticed a small shiny object surrounded by blue sparks piercing through several trees. Before he could react, the lightning-charged senbon pierced through his heart! His eyes widened in disbelief. He looked towards his chest as his jacket was being dyed red with his blood. As he lost his footing and dropped to the ground from the branches he was running on, he looked forward and saw the lightning-charged senbon continuing forward while piercing several more trees until it escaped beyond what he could observe. A few seconds later, his eyes closed as he followed his three subordinates into the afterlife. Fujin flickered next to him and took the sword hilt from his hands. Fujin observed the Vajra-shaped hilt and inserted some chakra into the sword. Once again, a Thunder Blade appeared. Fujin observed the blade as he continued analyzing, ''That said, though it can be used to conserve chakra, it isn''t strong enough to create an impact in any other way in a fight between rank S ninjas. Then again, even though Tobirama lost this sword during his death, he didn''t leak the correct methods of using this sword as the scroll in the library said. Those should be with Hiruzen or Danzo. Even though Amegakure had this sword for some time, they shouldn''t have unlocked all its secrets. If that is the case, then it might have more secrets. Oh well, let me see what this generous fellow knows.'' Fujin placed his palm on the Ame Jounin''s head and began reading his memories. [A/N: There is very little information about this sword as it only appeared in one filler (and apparently a game later on). So its applications will all come from me. If you guys have some cool ideas for this sword''s power, feel free to drop them in the comments (though nothing too overpowered). I''ll use them if I like it :) ] [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kelevra and Mister Vii for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 494: Learning a Strong jutsu Chapter 494: Learning a Strong jutsu [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Zero1995. You can thank him for the double release.] After reading his memories, Fujin analyzed, ''I see. So Nagato has already killed and replaced Hanzo quite some time ago. The Land of Rains is officially a forbidden place from now onwards. Though I should be able to escape from the Six Pains, there is no need to risk confrontation with him as of now. Anyway, it looks like the Lightning Dragon and the Lightning Crows were the two strongest jutsus this guy could use with the help of this sword. Still, this guy The sword was given to him by Hanzo after the previous wielder died. To think that he would betray Hanzo and beg Pain to allow him to serve him instead. Should I consider him traitorous or just a smart guy to leave the sinking ship? Hmm, probably the former. He wouldn''t have attacked me if he was that smart. Oh well, it''s good that Ame at least did some research on this sword. When they first got it, they could only use it to cut through chakra and zap anyone by physically touching the sword to them. That would have been borderline useless in a battle at my level.'' Fujin stopped providing chakra to the sword and the Thunder blade disappeared. Fujin stored it in one of the storage seals he had inscribed on his right forearm. He cremated the Ame Jounin''s body and buried the ash deep into the ground as usual and left the area. As for the other 3 bodies, Fujin didn''t particularly care. After all, they barely saw anything before dying. As Fujin left, he analyzed, ''Though I have this sword, I might still need to get a couple more made of chakra metal. The Blade of the Thunder Spirit, though good, is in elemental form. I''m not used to such a sword. I''ll need to test how this sword will perform against a normal sword that has chakra flow charged with different elements. If it doesn''t work against Wind or Lightning chakra flow, then using it for defense will be suicidal. That said, using this sword as a medium for using long and mid-range Lightning jutsus will be very useful. If I can''t settle a fight quickly against an opponent who is about as strong as me, then I should use this sword to conserve my chakra. Oh well, I''ll experiment with this later and decide what to do.'' Fujin quickly moved towards Konoha, changing his appearance back to Fujin once he entered deep into the Land of Fire. A day later, he reached Konoha without any other incident. He visited Shichiro and reported the completed missions before returning back to his house. After returning, Fujin thought, ''So what should I do now? Should I continue with the Flying Thunder God training? Or should I continue with what I started in the valley?'' Fujin thought for a bit before deciding, ''I have been training the Flying Thunder God non-stop for quite some time. I''m developing some fatigue. I guess it''ll be good to take some time off that jutsu and focus on others. I guess it''s time to finally master this'' Fujin raised his right palm and began releasing chakra. It began rotating and Immediately formed a Rasengan. Immediately, Fujin began infusing Wind chakra into the Rasengan. Slowly, Wind began revolving at a very high speed around the Rasengan. Four very small blade-like shapes appeared around the Rasengan, spinning rapidly around it. Fujin looked at the chakra ball and thought, ''I knew that my affinity to Wind is high, but I never imagined that it would be so ridiculously high. Thanks to the Shadow Clone trick, I managed to infuse Wind Chakra successfully into the Rasengan with an hour of practice back in that valley. However, my clones managed to infuse the Wind Chakra into the Rasengans without the aid of any other Shadow Clone on the second day of training itself. To think that I would learn Wind Release: Rasengan so quickly without needing any clones to assist me'' Fujin slowly dispelled the jutsu without letting it explode. A breeze appeared inside his house, but thanks to Fujin''s control, no damage occurred. However, Fujin''s breathing became rougher. Naruto nodded and followed Fujin''s instructions. Needless to say, he fell into the water on his very first step, causing Fujin to chuckle. Naruto quickly swam up, moved to the river bank and took deep breaths. Fujin said, "This is much more difficult than walking up the trees. The surface of the tree stays firm unless you apply too much chakra. However, the surface of the river keeps moving as the water moves. In addition, the amount of chakra you need to release to stand on it is much higher. Keep those in mind as you try again." Naruto said, "Alright. I''ll try it again." Fujin got off the river and saw Naruto trying it. After a few minutes, Naruto managed to take 2-3 steps before falling into the river. Fujin said, "Good. Just keep doing this until you are able to walk on it. Once you are comfortable, you can try running and even try to skate on it. Practice this along with the two combination jutsus. I''ll leave for now." Naruto said, "Thanks again, Fujin. I''ll begin running on water in no time. Believe it!" Fujin smiled and said, "I will. That said, if your chakra becomes low or if you are too exhausted, don''t continue this training. If you fall in and have no energy to swim out, then you will be stuck in the middle of the river, flailing your limbs and might drown, unable to exit the river and will never achieve your dreams. So, be careful." As Fujin spoke, his voice became a bit scary, causing Naruto to shiver. Naruto nodded and said, "Don''t worry. I won''t overdo it." Fujin once again smiled and said, "Alright. See you later." Fujin disappeared from Naruto''s vision. Naruto muttered, "Fujin can be scary at times. Still, I want to learn how he can disappear out of nowhere." Of course, though Fujin''s words were scary, he wasn''t really worried. Naruto was the last person in this world who could die of chakra exhaustion. Even if he fell into such a situation, Kurama would have no choice but to send him chakra. Of course, that would attract Hiruzen''s attention, which was something that he didn''t want to see. That is why he warned Naruto. Fujin returned to his training ground, summoned Kaito and said, "Kaito, reverse summon me back to Mount Muteki." Kaito said, "You sound impatient. Anyway, sure. Give me a minute." A minute later, Fujin disappeared from Konoha and appeared on Mount Muteki! ------------------------- A/N: You can sponsor a chapter through P@treon. Chapter 495: Request Denied! Chapter 495: Request Denied! [A/N: Happy Valentine''s Day everyone. I hope you guys have better luck than me ] Kaito looked at Fujin and asked, "So, what''s up? Why did you want to come here?" Fujin replied, "Well, I wanted a place where I could train alone. A place where I can cause a lot of destruction without attracting trouble. Know any?" Kaito replied, "Sure. There are plenty of unoccupied mountain peaks nearby. Want a lift?" Fujin answered, "Sure, but I want to meet your father first. Take me to him." Fujin jumped on Kaito''s back as Kaito took a flight. He asked, "What do you want to do with father?" Fujin replied, "Not much. Just wondering whether he''ll teach me how to harness and control nature energy. One of the jutsus I''m learning has a massive backlash. I''ll probably not be able to handle it unless I can strengthen myself with nature energy." Kaito was surprised. He asked, "Such a strong backlash? The jutsu must be impressive." Fujin chuckled and replied, "It is. I''ll show it later." They reached Ryu''s cave. Ryu opened his eyes as he saw Kaito and Fujin flying in. Kaito landed in front of his father and Fujin jumped down. Ryu observed Fujin and a surprise appeared on his gigantic face. He said in his jagged voice, "Impressive. Your body has gotten a lot stronger since the last time we met. I didn''t expect you to make such quick progress." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, it was one of the aspects I focused on." There was no need to guess what caused the explosive growth. Though Fujin''s main focus in the last four months was on mastering the Flying Thunder God jutsu, he also kept his training on the Eight Inner Gates. Though he struggled to open the Gate of Life, once he did, it didn''t take him a long time to open the Gate of Pain. He was currently working towards opening the Gate of Limit, though he would require a lot more time to actually be able to open it. Ryu asked, "Good. Why did you come to visit me?" Fujin didn''t beat around the bush and directly said, "I want to learn Senjutsu. My chakra has already increased beyond what you had mentioned the requirement for learning it was. My physical body is perhaps even stronger in that regard. So, can you teach it to me now?" Fujin had thought a lot about the matter before asking. Learning how to harness Nature energy was risky. In terms of chakra, he was far lacking compared to what Naruto''s chakra levels would be when he attempted it. However, he should be much better off than Jiraiya when Jiraiya began learning how to use Nature energy. It was why Fujin was being insistent for the first time. The only variable that Fujin was aware of but couldn''t calculate was the Winged Sabertooths would have a different method of teaching as compared to Toads involving different risks. So, he couldn''t be certain about the risk level. Ryu''s eyes widened on learning that a single group was capturing the Tailed Beasts. Fujin continued, "It is unknown what they plan on doing with the Tailed Beasts. However, I have a gut feeling that soon a huge war will break. A war that will make the previous three Great Ninja Wars look insignificant in comparison. I want to learn Senjutsu before all hell breaks loose. Otherwise, it''d be too late to learn it." This time, Ryu fell silent. He had no interest in the Elemental ninjas or the ninjas. As such, he wasn''t very aware of what was happening. However, from Fujin''s tone, he could understand the severity of the matter. Though Fujin didn''t provide any proof, the ''gut feeling" of someone as strong as Fujin wasn''t something anyone would take lightly. After all, it wasn''t as if there was any proof to show that the prophecy he believed in was true either. Ryu asked, "What''s a Great Ninja War?" Fujin was dumbfounded by the question. However, he quickly recalled, ''Ah right. He hasn''t had any summoner for a long while. Even I never summoned him due to how chakra-intensive it is to summon him.'' Before Fujin could answer, Kaito replied, "It''s a war where every Ninja village on that continent fights against one another. They do it every once in a while. The last one was over a decade ago. Several strong ninjas die in each war." Unlike Ryu, Kaito loved flying across the world. As a result, he had seen various battles play out while he stayed above the clouds. Ryu thought for a bit and asked, "How long do you think it''ll be before the start of the next Great Ninja War?" [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Yuuyoh, Finn and Alex for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 496: My Own Twist Chapter 496: My Own Twist [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Phillip. You can thank him for the double release.] Fujin thought for a bit and answered, "I can''t be sure. No major village will make a move until the civil war in Kirigakure is over. As for the organization that is capturing the Tailed Beasts, they are lying low as well and doing their job secretly. However, that might change once they capture more Tailed Beasts. Once that happens, the ninja villages will react and I can''t calculate what will happen. Considering the seriousness of the matter, I might not be allowed to take time off to train until the issue is resolved. And, as I am right now, I have no confidence in taking on the Tailed Beasts. If my estimates are right, then nothing big should happen within the next couple of years unless someone goes crazy. However, a big war will break out soon. I guess it''ll happen in 3-4 years." This time, Fujin''s words weren''t entirely true. He wasn''t really afraid of the Tailed Beasts. The only thing that he was afraid of about the Tailed Beasts was the Tailed Beast Bomb. It was true that as of now he didn''t have any counter against it. However, once the range of the Flying Thunder God increases, he can dodge them with ease. In fact, once he became more efficient at the jutsu, he could even transfer an incoming Tailed Beast Bomb into the Void Dimension. That said, he couldn''t do that at that moment. As a result, his words were true in a sense and Ryu didn''t feel any lies in Fujin''s words. Ryu thought for a bit and said, "Alright. If nothing drastic happens, then I''ll teach you how to harness Nature Energy in two and a half years. If you think that the war will happen before that, then I''ll teach it to you earlier. That said, remember that I''m asking you to wait only so that you have a better chance of learning how to harness Nature Energy. So, don''t try making any reasons to learn it earlier if there is no need for it." Fujin nodded and said with a smile, "Alright. I am fine with that. Don''t worry, I won''t insist on it unless a war is close and inevitable." Ryu nodded and said, "Good. Keep up your training. You''ll have to work much harder if you want to try it in just 2 and a half years." Fujin said, "Of course. I''ll be staying here for a while though. I need space to practice a new jutsu." Ryu replied, "Sure. Kaito will be with you while you are here." Kaito said, "I had already agreed, Father. Let''s go, Fujin." Fujin nodded and flickered onto his back. Kaito and Fujin quickly left, leaving Ryu alone who was in deep thought. He wondered, ''A Great War I wonder if the prophecy has anything to do with it.'' That said, one thing I realized in the 5 days I trained this jutsu is that I don''t need to stick to just the Rasenshuriken that I remember. While the jutsu is perversely strong, there should be other methods to apply Wind Chakra to Rasengan. I can apply my own twists to the jutsu, creating unique effects that might be quite useful in combat.'' Six Shadow Clones appeared next to Fujin. 4 of them had 10% of his chakra while the remaining two had 20% of his chakra. The two clones with 20% chakra went away alone, while the ones with 10% chakra moved away in pairs. As for Fujin, he began doing what he did whenever he stayed in a new place Kaito didn''t have any interest in seeing Fujin apply seals. Instead, he was attracted by the intense chakra he was feeling from the Shadow Clones. He flew to a spot that would allow him to watch all the Shadow Clones. His eyes first landed on the Shadow Clones in pairs. He saw one clone making the Rasengan and the other infusing wind chakra into it. His eyes widened as he saw how intense the jutsu was. He muttered to himself, ''Such a concentrated and intense jutsu. I don''t think that even Father would be able to endure such an attack. No wonder he said his body isn''t able to handle the backlash'' He turned his eyes towards the two clones training by themselves. Just like the ones in pairs, they formed a Rasengan as well. However, instead of infusing wind chakra into the Rasengan, they were releasing a lot of wind chakra under the Rasengan. One of the clones was satisfied with his creation and aimed his right hand in front of him. The Rasengan on his palm was separated by a layer of Wind Chakra. Suddenly, the winds blasted, sending the Rasengan flying for around 5 meters before it exploded. The clone smiled and analyzed, ''Good! This idea works. I thought of this idea while trying to create the Rasenshuriken. It uses the principles of Assassin''s Rush and Wind Laser jutsus instead of infusing wind chakra directly into the Rasengan. With the help of this wind blast, I should be able to send the Rasengan flying away at a fast speed. I''ll call this attack Rasengan Cannon. Unlike my Vacuum jutsus, from which enemies are mostly safe if they barely dodge it, with Rasengan, they''ll need to also dodge the area of the explosion. I should try to use this method with Vacuum Trap Ball and later Rasenshuriken as well. It will be a great variation to have. In fact, with the Rasenshuriken, I could apply in a lot of different ways if I can control the wind chakra within the jutsu.'' The clone immediately got back to training. While the idea was good, he could only send the Rasengan flying for 5 meters as of then. The speed wasn''t very impressive either. Fujin would need to train a lot to make his ideas a reality. While Fujin''s clones were training, Fujin was done with applying the seals. He took out the Blade of the Thunder Spirit and muttered, "Now, let me see what all you can do." ---------------------------- A/N: You can sponsor chapters through P@treon. Chapter 497: The Broken Sword! Chapter 497: The ''Broken'' Sword! Fujin inserted his chakra into the vajra-shaped hilt. Immediately, a sword made of pure electricity appeared in front of him. Fujin observed it for some time while thinking, ''The most basic use of the sword is to shock enemies. While it won''t shock the wielder, that can still be arranged if the wielder wants to do so.'' Fujin poked the blade with one finger. As expected, an electric current passed through his body. Fujin analyzed, ''Though it can shock, this feature is more or less useless against any Elite Jounin. For a rank S ninja like me, this is only a child''s play.'' Fujin stopped touching the sword and swung the blade at the rock next to him. The sword entered into the rock and travelled through it as Fujin''s arm moved before exiting the rock. Fujin''s eyes glowed as he observed the damage to the rock. He noticed, ''I see. As expected of an elemental sword. It doesn''t cut like a normal sword. Instead, it just passes through the rock like an electric current would. Instead of cutting the rock, it actually burnt where it passed through. So it makes the sword kinda useless to cut like with normal blades. Of course, it isn''t entirely bad. Normal weapons won''t be able to stop the blade. It''ll shock the opponent on contact and continue attacking. Depending on their resistance to lightning, they''ll be hurt. Now, let''s see how it works against chakra flow'' Fujin was about to create a Shadow Clone when he suddenly had a thought. He wondered, ''Now that I think about it, can this sword be replicated with the help of Shadow Clone jutsu? When I create Shadow Clones, they also get a copy of all weapons that work just as efficiently. However, this blade is extremely unique. So, will it still be replicated?'' Fujin couldn''t be sure. However, he was extremely intrigued by the idea. He immediately created a Shadow Clone. A grin appeared on his face as the Shadow Clone was also holding a Blade of the Thunder Spirit! Fujin thought in excitement, ''Holy Shit! This sword is freaking broken! If my clones have access to this sword as well, then I can spam Lightning jutsus from every direction! It''ll be even more lethal against armies of ninjas! Such a broken combination! That damn Tobirama. What exactly was he thinking while creating so many broken things? Was he planning on finding ways to defeat Madara by himself?'' Fujin couldn''t be sure. However, he felt that was a possibility. Though there were several ninjas throughout history who created new techniques, Tobirama stood out by a huge margin. Shadow Clone, Flying Thunder God and Edo Tensei were all jutsus that defied logic. To invent so many techniques, one needed to have a very high motivation. And what could be a greater motivation than having the Ghost of the Uchiha as your enemy? While the Blade of the Thunder Spirit was a good weapon, it wasn''t something that could disturb the balance of power. However, in combination with the Shadow Clone jutsu, the blade became a menace! Fujin couldn''t help but think, ''Would Shadow Clone jutsu also replicate Kisame''s sword? Hmm, it might be possible. I don''t recall if his Water Clones had the sword, but the advanced clone technique he used to intercept Guy''s team when they were on their way to rescue Gaara could replicate the sword. So, it is very likely that it can be done. If I can get the Samehada as well and if I can create a terrifying combination I can create an army of Shadow Clones wielding both blades. They will use Samehada to absorb the enemy''s chakra. Thanks to Blade of the Thunder Spirit''s amplification, it''d be like stealing 10 times the enemy''s chakra. Once the Shadow Clone is dispelled, I''ll receive all the chakra. I can create more clones or spam powerful jutsus without the worry of running out of chakra!'' Fujin muttered, "It looks like this blade is completely useless against Wind Chakra Flow Not really a surprise. Fortunately, this sword can''t break due to its elemental form. Otherwise, it would have been a great loss. Oh well, let''s try Fire." The clone nodded. He stopped providing Wind chakra and instead converted his chakra into fire. In an instant, his blade was covered in fire. Fire chakra flow wasn''t a commonly used technique as it wasn''t as lethal as Lightning or Wind chakra flows. However, Fujin wanted to test out the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. The clone attacked Fujin and the two swords clashed once again. This time, the clash was similar to how it was against normal chakra flow. Fujin''s blade cut through the chakra flow, zapped the clone and moved towards him. He stopped at the last moment and dispelled his clone. Fujin analyzed, ''Looks like using this sword in a head-on confrontation is a strict no. I''ll be better off using a normal chakra metal sword. This blade will be used at long and medium ranges. The only way I could use it in close combat is if I wield two swords at the same time. After all, thanks to the elemental nature of the sword, this sword has a few interesting properties.'' Fujin pointed the tip of his blade at the same rock he had attacked a few minutes ago and increased the amount of chakra he inserted into the blade. Under his control, the blade suddenly began getting longer and pierced through the rock. It was around 5 meters long! [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tobias, Information Hierarchy, Keng, Jose, Mello and 66835 for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 498: Rasengan Variants Training Chapter 498: Rasengan Variants Training Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, not bad. With some practice, I will be able to freely control the shape and size of this blade. It can catch opponents off guard.'' New novel chapters are published on Fujin decreased the length and instead changed the shape. Instead of a sword, the weapon now looked entirely like a Vajra. Fujin changed the sword''s shape to various other shapes to find out its limits until he was satisfied. He stopped experimenting with the sword and muttered, "Time to experiment with the main feature of the sword" Fujin closed his eyes and recalled the training the Ame Jounin had gone through after he received the sword. Fujin knew neither the Lightning Dragon nor the Lightning Crow jutsu. Though they weren''t difficult to learn, he decided to keep it simple and experiment with the False Darkness jutsu instead. Fujin began sending his chakra into the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. He closed his eyes and began creating the False Darkness jutsu while using the sword as the medium. Soon, he opened his eyes and pointed the sword at the sky. A large amount of Lightning was unleashed from the sword. It travelled towards the sky without any control. Fujin frowned and analyzed, ''It''s difficult to control I have no control over the Lightning I released with the help of the sword Also, my efficiency was quite low. I lost nearly half my chakra while trying to create the False Darkness jutsu. However, with the 10 times amplification that the sword provides, the jutsu was 5 times stronger than what it would have been without the sword. It looks like I''ll need to practice with this sword for a long time to increase my efficiency and control.'' Fujin let out a sigh. He had added yet another training to his already ridiculously tight schedule! Fortunately, this one won''t need as much time and dedication as some of Fujin''s other projects like the Flying Thunder God jutsu, the Wind Domain or the Eight Inner Gates Technique. Fujin decided, ''Since Shadow Clones can have the Blade of the Thunder Spirit as well, I''ll just create multiple Shadow Clones to practice. Due to chakra amplification, the clones won''t need much chakra to practice anyway. I''ll create 10 Shadow Clones with 1% of my chakra reserves and have them train while I meditate the entire five days and only replace the Shadow Clones after they pop.'' Fujin quickly acted on his plan. He created 10 Shadow Clones which began practicing, while he constructed a cave in the mountain and inscribed the seals to improve the efficiency of meditation like the room in his basement. Fujin''s clones continued training while Fujin only meditated and created new Shadow Clones when the existing ones got dispelled or ran out of chakra. On day 3, Fujin made a change. He stopped training the Rasengan Cannon and instead created 2 Shadow Clones with 30% of his chakra each and another two clones with 10% of his chakra each to work on the Rasenshuriken. The reason for the change was that two clones with 10% of his chakra each were insufficient to create the Rasenshuriken! The clone infusing Wind chakra into the Rasengan needed a lot higher chakra to properly create it. Fujin was surprised by the amount of chakra he needed for the jutsu. However, on thinking for some time, he recalled that Naruto couldn''t make many either until he learnt Sage Mode and got control of Kurama''s chakra. The training continued for 5 days straight before the effect of the soldier pill ran out. While he made huge progress, he wasn''t satisfied. He rested for a couple of days before consuming another pill and continuing his training. If my efficiency was only 20%, then the chakra I needed would have risen 2.5 times. So, it won''t be a surprise if he needed several times more chakra as compared to me to create a Rasenshuriken of the same power. Of course, it also means that I can work towards decreasing the amount of chakra needed to create the Rasenshuriken by a large degree. At the very least, I should try to create at least 4 Rasenshuriken with my current chakra reserves. Of course, that is only one part. I''m not a fan of needing a Shadow Clone to help create a jutsu. I need to work towards creating the jutsu without needing another Shadow Clone to help. Apart from that, I also need to create a Lightning version of this jutsu. I shouldn''t be able to create it with the help of the Blade of the Thunder Spirit due to the level of chakra shape transformation involved, but even without that, having a rank S jutsu that is so destructive is always helpful. However, I am not as used to using Lightning as I am with Wind. My efficiency will be a lot worse with Lightning. It could create some complications. Another variation I want to explore later on is if I can add Fire Chakra to the Rasenshuriken. If I can, then the jutsu will be far more devastating than the Rasenshuriken. Sigh, so much to do again. Just when I feel that I''m heading somewhere, more training comes up.'' Fujin let out a sigh. While he understood the importance of training and strictly followed his training schedule, he couldn''t help but get a sense of Fatigue. He thought to himself, ''No wonder there are so few ninjas who reach rank S. Despite having so much motivation, I''m still feeling tired. For normal ninjas, it is highly unlikely for anyone to maintain a strict training schedule for more than a few months. Anyway, I should stay here for another week. Once I get a hang of the Rasenshuriken and Rasengan Cannon, I''ll leave. I''ll return later to improve it and learn the variants. Staying any longer here without informing Hiruzen about my absence won''t be good.'' [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You K0D4S, BK201, Oliver, Ryan, Yert and Vinayak for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 499: One and a half Months... Chapter 499: One and a half Months... [A/N: Saturday''s Bonus Chapters.] Fujin got back to training. He trained for the next couple of days until the effects of the soldier pill ran out. After resting for a couple of days, he consumed another pill and trained for another 5 days. During this time, he had learnt the Rasenshuriken, which now needed 34% of his maximum chakra. His clones could create it successfully every single time. However, he couldn''t create it with just one clone. The Rasengan Cannon was mastered as well. Fujin could propel it in a straight line for nearly 50 meters and control the timing of its explosion. In addition, he could change its direction by a few degrees by controlling the winds that propelled it forward. And lastly, he had managed to master the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. Unlike the other two jutsus, Fujin could assign a lot of Shadow Clones to train the blade. As a result, his control over the blade had already exceeded that of the Ame Jounin who gifted him the sword. Satisfied with how far he had progressed, Fujin decided to go to Konoha. In all, he had spent 20 days training on that mountain. Fujin ended his reverse summoning and appeared back in the training ground. As soon as he appeared, he saw Naruto training in front of him. A deadpan expression appeared on his face as he wondered, ''I have been running into him too frequently lately. Is someone messing with me?'' The last time, Naruto appeared a couple of minutes after he had returned home. This time, he appeared instantly! He couldn''t help but wonder, ''Is Hagoromo helping the reincarnation of his son? Hmm, probably not. I doubt he''d pay attention to something so insignificant.'' Naruto immediately saw Fujin when he appeared. He quickly ran towards him and asked excitedly, "Fujin, when did you return?" Fujin answered, "Just a moment ago. I''m a bit hungry, wanna visit Ichiraku?" Naruto excitedly jumped and said, "Of course I do. Believe it!" Fujin smiled and said, "Alright, we race there. Believe it." Naruto was surprised. He asked, "Rac?" However, before he could complete his question, Fujin had already disappeared. Realizing that Fujin had already started, he complained, "Hey, no fair! Wait for me!" Naruto immediately began running towards Ichiraku. Needless to say, Fujin reached the stall within a few seconds and sat down on the stool. Ayame was surprised as Fujin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was sitting on the stool. She quickly smiled and said, "Fujin. You haven''t visited in a while." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. I was busy with some missions. Get me the usual Actually, double that. I haven''t eaten good food in a while. Also, make a few bowls for Naruto. He should be here in some time." Ayame said, "Naruto is coming as well? Alright, order coming right up." Fujin entered his basement and began training. He had already dug a kilometer-long hole under his house and covered it with a range of seals to prevent detection. He had just begun his training when his bell rang. Fujin wondered, ''I have sent Naruto away. Who is it now?'' He spread his chakra field and sensed two ninjas. For a moment, he wondered, ''Who are these tw Ah, it''s them. I wonder what they want?'' Though Fujin could remember chakra signatures, he had seen way too many of them. As such, it was difficult to identify the chakra signatures of the people whose chakra signatures he didn''t specifically try to remember or didn''t see on a regular basis. It was like trying to remember names or faces but a bit more difficult. After all, you would see faces whenever you meet the person and use their names while talking with or about them. However, Fujin could only see the chakra signature once he activated his chakra field or focused chakra in his eyes. It wasn''t something Fujin did regularly while in Konoha. He sent a Shadow Clone to see what the two visitors wanted. As soon as the clone opened the door, relief appeared on the faces of the visitors. Yasushi sighed in relief and said, "Finally, we found you." Harume sighed as well and added, "We were getting worried after not seeing you for so long." The two of them were the assistants Hiruzen had assigned to help out Fujin with his Council duties. Fujin''s clone raised an eyebrow as he noticed that both of them looked to be under immense pressure. He asked, "Leave me, what''s bothering the two of you? Did something happen?" While Fujin rarely interacted with them, the two were still his subordinates. As such, Fujin would help them out unless the matter was too troublesome. However, to his surprise, instead of answering, the two of them looked at him with an expression full of complaints. The clone wondered, ''Why are they looking at me like I owe them a million Ryo?'' The two Chunins were speechless seeing the confused expression on the clone''s face. After a minute of silence, Yasushi said, "You haven''t visited the office for more than one and a half months!" ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Zeca, West Wind, Derrick, That Guy, Pieter and Brandon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 500: Disrespect Chapter 500: Disrespect [A/N: Sunday''s Bonus Chapter.] Fujin''s clone suddenly realized why the two of them were complaining. He thought, ''Ah, I see. Since I was busy with training, I started visiting just once every fortnight. It had been almost two weeks when I left to establish the Phantom Haven Society. I spent more than two weeks there. Then immediately went to Mount Muteki and spent nearly 3 weeks there. Now that I think about it, I have been so busy that I completely forgot about this job. Sigh, that Hiruzen Gives me so much work'' Fortunately, Hiruzen couldn''t hear Fujin''s thoughts otherwise he would have summoned Enma and chased Fujin down or at least thought of doing that. Of all the Council Members other than the Elders, Fujin represented the highest number of ninjas. Yet, he was the one who worked the least. Without any shame on his face, the clone asked, "Ah, I was busy with training and missions. Anyway, what''s the issue? Since when did we start getting so much work for you to be so stressed?" Yasushi answered, "Well, the day after you left for the mission, Katsuhiro-sama wanted to meet with you. He has something very important that he wants to discuss with you. However, you weren''t there. He was patient until you returned from the mission, but since then, he has been pressuring us on a daily basis. We tried finding you, but your door had a sign saying that you were away." The clone wondered, ''Katsuhiro? That old Elite Jounin? What does he want with me? That said, seeing how much these two are troubled, it looks like he has been doing more than just pressuring them. Sigh, it looks like I need to establish some prestige.'' Even though Fujin was extremely strong and feared in most of the other villages, in Konoha, he didn''t have the same prestige. Whatever reputation he had was due to his bounty, rumors about him being the Spectral Swordsman and his seat on the Council. Only a very small group of people knew how terrifying Fujin''s strength was. And, even they had never seen Fujin in action. As such, his reputation was far lower than Kakashi or the clan leaders. Fujin didn''t particularly care about this as he never faced any obstruction in Konoha. Hiruzen more or less agreed to his requests unless they were outrageous and Guy had selflessly taught him the Eight Inner Gates. He wasn''t interested in any more influence. However, that was under the assumption that no one tried playing politics with him. Fujin''s clone said, "What was so urgent for him to keep visiting daily? Anyway, alright. Send a messenger to inform him that I have called him to my office." Follow current novels at novelhall.coma asked, "Umm, should we go to call him?" The clone replied, "No. Just send a normal messenger. You two don''t need to act like messengers unless you are contacting me, Lord Hokage or the Jounin Commander. I''ll meet you at the office." In front of them, the clone closed the door and disappeared. As for Fujin''s main body, he continued training in the basement. Yasushi and Haruma exchanged glances. Relief could be seen on both their faces. The last three weeks had been rather tough on them. Haruma said, "Though it didn''t sound like it, it seems like he was upset." Yasushi nodded and said, "Yes. I was worried that he wouldn''t care about us. Katsuhiro has been an Elite Jounin for a long time and is very respected. In fact, he has been one since before Fujin joined the academy. I was worried that Fujin might not know much about politics. Thankfully, that doesn''t seem to be the case. He might take this opportunity to establish his prestige." A smile could be seen on Yasushi''s face. He had seen several such political battles when he worked under Inoichi. However, Haruma was worried as he was new. He asked, "Katsuhiro is very reputed. In fact, he is the most reputed among the civilian ninjas. Almost all civilian ninjas look up to him. Will it create an issue if Fujin confronts him?" The clone asked, "Why are you getting so worked up for a few minutes then? Seeing your state, one would assume that we are at a war or something. You should relax, Katsuhiro-san. Otherwise, others would misunderstand. Now, why did you want to meet me?" Haruma just kept watching Fujin with a dumbfounded expression. He thought, ''Not only did he ignore the fact that he didn''t meet him for weeks, but also ignored the fact that he only sent a clone. Instead, he admonished Katsuhiro for being worked up. Yasushi, are you sure that we will be fine?'' Despite his experience, Yasushi was getting increasingly worried as well. He had seen Inoichi being strict and disrespectful, but he had never seen him be that way to an Elite Jounin. Meanwhile, Katsuhiro was stuck in a dilemma. Fujin''s shamelessness had completely caught him off-guard. He couldn''t decide whether he should blow up the matter or relent because Fujin wasn''t confronting him openly. The disrespect, though obvious, wasn''t something he could complain about as Fujin could easily claim ignorance and give excuses. He thought, ''Damn you Danzo! You didn''t say that dealing with him will be this difficult. I need to calm down. Since he doesn''t want to openly offend me, I''ll continue with the plan.'' Katsuhiro said, "I had a proposal for you, a plan that would be extremely helpful to the civilian ninjas and would make us much stronger. I want you to put it forth to the council and get it passed." Fujin''s clone was intrigued. Not long ago, Fujin had given one such proposal to the council which was still not implemented. He asked, "Oh, what is the proposal?" At the same time, he thought, ''He controlled his anger too easily. Old ninjas are particularly sensitive about the respect they get from youngsters. As I guessed, he is scheming something.'' [A/N : I''ll be taking a break this weekend. There won''t be any chapter from Friday to Sunday. More details on Pat reon.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 501: As long as Konoha benefits, I am happy Chapter 501: As long as Konoha benefits, I am happy Katsuhiro explained, "In the ninja clans, the seniors in the clan always instruct and guide the juniors. They pass them their secret techniques which make it very easy for them to become Special Jounins with little effort. In addition, they also arrange groups for them to join once they become Chunins. By comparison, we have no access to any jutsus or guidance from any seniors. I want to level the playing field." Fujin''s clone tilted his head and said, "The village library is open to all and has hundreds of jutsus. Anyone can pay a visit and take the jutsus that are suitable for them. Similarly, everyone can ask their Sensei for guidance. What exactly are you complaining about?" Katsuhiro shook his head and said, "It''s not the same. The normal jutsus in the library aren''t as useful as the secret techniques." Fujin''s clone said dismissively, "I disagree. Instead of complaining about not having secret techniques, we need to train with more dedication and train our jutsus to the next level. There is no excuse for not having stronger or suitable jutsus other than a lack of effort." Fujin himself had depended heavily on the library. Though he received some help from Hiruzen and Renjiro who taught him Samurai Saber Techniques, Wind Vacuum Technique, provided the scroll for the Flying Thunder God and allowed him to learn Shadow Clone jutsu quite earlier than he would have normally, there was no denying the help the library provided. Even without Renjiro and Hiruzen''s help, Fujin wouldn''t have any issue becoming a rank S ninja. The only difference would be that he would have needed more time and progressing further would have been difficult. That said, which rank S ninja wouldn''t receive special attention from Hiruzen? Fujin saw little reason why someone wouldn''t become a Jounin other than unwillingness to put in the required effort. Katsuhiro understood that he wouldn''t be able to beat Fujin in this debate. After all, he had depended on the library as well. He said, "Even if jutsus are available, it isn''t the same. Without proper guidance, it is difficult to learn the jutsus. Even though everyone gets a sensei assigned, most civilian genins get assigned just a Chunin sensei. They aren''t very qualified to help them after they become Chunins. That is why, I want you to propose the construction of a Guidance Hall for civilian ninjas." Fujin''s clone was intrigued again. He asked, "What will the Guidance Hall be?" Katsuhiro explained, "It''ll act as a hall where civilian ninjas can put up requests. For instance, say someone wants help in learning the water dragon jutsu. He could put up the request in the Guidance Hall. Everyone else will be allowed to view the existing requests. If a veteran civilian ninja who has mastered that jutsu has time, then he can guide that ninja. Of course, teaching one at a time will not be very feasible. That is why, the Guidance Hall will analyze all the requests and group them together. That way, the veteran ninjas can see which jutsu has the highest number of requests and guide several ninjas at the same time. This will allow us civilian ninjas to be more courageous while deciding the jutsus we learn and avoid any mistakes we might make while learning them." Fujin''s clone was surprised. The proposal was indeed very good. There was no question that the civilian ninjas would benefit a lot. Fujin''s earlier suggestions in the Council were extremely beneficial for the future civilian ninjas. On the other hand, Katsuhiro''s proposal would benefit the existing civilian ninjas who still had the hunger to become stronger. He thought, ''I see. Such a plan... Not bad. Not bad at all. What a good scheme this is... He wants my seat on the council. That said, who gave him the confidence to think that he would be able to take my seat?'' Seeing that Katsuhiro had disappeared from his view, Yasushi softly said, "Fujin You are still new to the council and haven''t been very active. So you may not have seen this, but he wants your seat on the council." Since Fujin had stood up for him, Yasushi felt compelled to inform him about the political plays others played. To his surprise, Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "I know." Yasushi asked, "Then why are you letting him put forth the proposal and giving him the credit? If you had made the proposal, then you could have taken the credit." Fujin''s clone smiled and asked, "What will I do with this little credit? I''m not interested in political games. As long as Konoha benefits, I am happy." Yasushi and Haruma were surprised by the words. Though Yasushi didn''t say anything he was disappointed. He thought, ''He is still too young. If he maintains this attitude, he might not be able to keep his seat. What a pity. Someone like him will be able to help the village a lot. Unfortunately, people like him don''t last in the political arena.'' [A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week''s Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You James, Dave, Tanner, Hellspawn, Totallynotok, Yoel and Marukusius for supporting me on P@treon. Thank You Harish for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 502: Fujins Counterattack Chapter 502: Fujin''s Counterattack Yasushi''s thoughts were extremely accurate. Or rather, they would have been, had Fujin''s words and thoughts been the same. Fujin thought, ''What''s the use of trying to take credit? He obviously came prepared. If I had tried to steal the credit, I would have fallen into a trap. Even Hiruzen would have been unlikely to support my seat in the council if that happened. Since I can''t take the credit, why should I put in the hard work? Let him do it all by himself or with Danzo''s aid. Besides, even though I never did any politics in my previous life, I do know how bureaucracy works. In the council, only I can put forth this proposal due to its nature. The civilian members can''t do it as they represent the non-ninja population. The Elders obviously won''t do it as they will offend the clan leaders. As for the clan leaders, there is no reason to even think. So, let him put forth a proposal. I''ll delay my response as much as I can and then point out the flaws in his proposal and ask him to redo it. As long as he fails to complete the proposal before the council meeting happens, he''ll have to wait for 6 months until the proposal can be put forth again. That''s enough time for me to figure out why Danzo''s attempting this and who are the others that are helping him'' Fujin''s clone looked at Yasushi and said, "Let''s handle the remaining cases. We will complete all the pending ones today." Since he was there, he might as well complete everything. Yasushi and Haruma immediately got to work. While he continued working, Fujin''s clone was thinking about the new issue that popped out of nowhere. He analyzed, ''My position in the council should have been stable. If there is any instability, then it should be due to my last proposal. I didn''t think much back then as I had thought of them on the spot. But when I analyzed it more later, I realized that it compromises the authority of the ninja clans. In fact, it also affects Hiruzen''s Sarutobi clan. So, if he decides against it, there is little I can do about it. However, this shouldn''t be a reason for my seat to be vulnerable. After all, if Hiruzen is against it, then those changes will never be implemented. As such, no one has any reason to oppose me as long as I don''t try to force those changes. On the other hand, if Hiruzen is onboard, he''ll convince the rest of the clans. In fact, even Homura and Koharu should support those changes. The only way an issue can occur is if Danzo manages to turn 1 or 2 clan leaders against me and also gains the support of the 5 civilian members and the 2 other elders. Since he is pulling off this move, it means that he has made at least some gains. Otherwise, there is no point to it. But, why would any clan leader support him? It''s not like the issue is big. They will just need to put in more effort. As long as they can train their ninjas to be Jounins instead of stopping at Special Jounins, they will still be the ones in charge of the village. Not to mention, their survivability will increase.'' Though it was a plausible reason, Fujin didn''t think it was big enough for anyone to actually oppose him. After all, Fujin''s strength would remain irrespective of whether he was a part of the council or not. The clone concluded, ''I guess he was hoping that I would mess up against this scheme. If I had presented this proposal as my own, then the clan leaders could have seen me as someone who wanted to make the civilians strong very aggressively. My proposed changes to the academy will make an impact in around 10-15 years. However, Katsuhiro''s proposal will make an impact within 2 years. One is a future threat while the other is an immediate threat. However, the Root still operated 4 of those bases, covering every direction. Each of those four bases had 2 to 6 Root ninjas managing it at any point depending on the available manpower. Only if Root had to deploy all its forces outside the village would those bases be shut down. Fujin''s target was those 4 bases! Fujin''s clones moved secretly through Konoha, leaving no signs of their tracks. Not a single ninja was able to detect them. The clone heading South reached his target first. He stopped just outside the base as surprise appeared on his face. He analyzed, ''Hmm, there are 9 ninjas inside this base? That''s strange. Is Danzo up to something? I need to check who it is. If Danzo is present here, I''ll have to retreat. My main body can send a clone to target the main Root base instead.'' Fighting someone like Danzo would leave a lot of clues. Not to mention, killing someone as strong as Danzo would require Fujin to go all out and he still wouldn''t be able to guarantee Danzo''s death let alone keep that fight a secret. It couldn''t be done with a mere clone. However, since Fujin was attacking all four bases, the clone didn''t see a need to be too careful. The Root bases were hidden very well from the public. All the bases were several meters below the ground. In addition, they were covered in numerous seals to ensure they stayed hidden and were strong enough to not collapse due to a few jutsus. So, there was no fear of any external forces interfering in the fight. The clone directly entered into the base and activated his chakra field, covering the entire base. Immediately, all the 9 Root ninjas detected the chakra field and flickered towards the clone''s location. Behind his mask, a smile appeared on Fujin''s clone''s face. He thought, ''Good, Danzo or any other Elite Jounins aren''t here. Time to go on a rampage!'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Extrasmall, James, Alucard, Serzh for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 503: Lightning Release Chapter 503: Lightning Release It was late at night in Konoha. Most people had already gone to sleep. Only a few Anbu and some ninjas on Patrol duties and similar jobs were awake. In a rather inconspicuous spot in between two remote training fields, a hidden base existed around a couple of dozen meters underground. The base wasn''t very big like some of the other bases in Konoha. It only had 7 rooms and 2 paths to enter and exit the base. Under normal circumstances, this base was never disturbed. However, on this day, every Root ninja sensed a Chakra field aggressively detecting everyone in the base. It stunned the Root ninjas momentarily. Ever since they joined the Root, they had never experienced someone barging into a Root base with so little restraint. Even the Hokage wouldn''t do so. Another important factor to remember was that the base was covered in numerous seals. It was perfectly hidden. Even a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster would have trouble spotting the base. Yet, someone had barged in. In less than a second, all 9 Root ninjas got into the act. They began moving towards the source of the chakra field. Unfortunately, the intruder was much faster. Having sensed that there were no chakra signatures that he was familiar with, Fujin''s clone didn''t have any reason to hesitate. He moved forward and broke through the door blocking his path. Inside the room, the eyes of the two Root ninjas who were moving rapidly as well widened. There was indeed someone who was barging into the Root base! The Root ninjas immediately grabbed their weapons. There was no need to exchange words with someone who''d do that. They only needed to kill or capture him. Both threw several shurikens and kunai at Fujin''s clone. Seeing the incoming attack, Fujin''s clone flickered and appeared to their right. At the same time, 3 senbon appeared in Fujin''s right hand and Lightning began flowing through them. In a flash, Fujin threw the three senbon at the Root ninja next to him. The Root ninja immediately grabbed his kunai to block the senbon. However, even before he could move his arm, the senbon moved at lightning speed and pierced through his eyes and forehead! Due to Fujin''s position, the two Root ninjas were in a straight line. As a result, the Root ninja behind the one Fujin targeted wasn''t spared either. Two senbon pierced through his head while the third one pierced through his neck. Both the Root ninjas dropped dead in an instant. Their brains were damaged as well, making it impossible for anyone to read their memories. As for the Senbon, they continued piercing through several walls before they stopped. At the same time, the remaining Root ninjas entered the room from opposite directions. They were horrified to see that two of their comrades had already fallen! The Root ninjas were extremely efficient while working in the dark. Among the ninja villages, there wasn''t any other force that came anywhere close to Root in this aspect. However, in terms of frontal assault, the Root ninjas were no better than a normal ninjas. In fact, due to the lack of practice in fighting openly, they could be even considered weaker. Not to mention, the Root ninjas in the base were only at Elite Chunin and Jounin levels in terms of strength. Even though Fujin wasn''t using Wind jutsus and his Lightning combat system wasn''t as mature as his Wind combat system, it wasn''t an issue for Fujin to face a bunch of Jounins. Even if Fujin didn''t use any Elemental Ninjutsu, strong jutsus like Rasengan or the Flying Thunder God, forbidden techniques like the Eight Inner Gates and his sword, Fujin''s speed and physique made him far stronger than a Jounin. It would take an Elite Jounin to stop Fujin even if he didn''t use the techniques listed above. With his Lightning jutsus, a normal Elite Jounin wouldn''t stand much of a chance against him either. It would take someone like Juzo or Zabuza to stop him. Of course, against rank S ninjas, Fujin didn''t stand any chance with merely Lightning jutsus for the time being. Unfortunately for the Root ninjas, they didn''t have someone like that. They were about to attack when something happened that horrified them! Lightning suddenly appeared on the right hand of Fujin''s clone. It released a distinct sound of birds chirping! However, Fujin''s target wasn''t them. The Root ninja who was running away felt something coming at him. He was about to flicker away, but he wouldn''t be able to do so before being hit by the shurikens. Hence, he stopped weaving hand seals and stepped out of the way. Unfortunately for him, this small pause would prove to be fatal. As soon as he stepped out of the way, he felt a hand grabbing his leg. ''Earth Release: Headhunter jutsu'' Immediately, his entire body was buried underground while Fujin''s clone appeared in front of him. Before he could understand what was happening, a finger, which was covered in Lightning, jabbed into his forehead. The Lightning released from the finger completely destroyed his brain, killing him directly. The remaining two Root ninjas turned around to see that their comrade who was supposed to pass the message had already died! It didn''t take a genius to know what fate awaited them. Their attacker was in an entirely different league! However, that wasn''t entirely a bad thing. Once your death was inevitable, the ninja had no reason to be afraid. One of them weaved hand signs while the other grabbed a tag while shouting, "Hatake Kakashi! Don''t think that you can kill us and leave scot-free! Lord Danzo will deliver justice!" The clone''s eyes widened as he noticed the hand seals and the tag. Immediately, senbon appeared in both his hands and he threw them at two Root ninjas. Having seen how fast the senbon was a few times, both the Root ninjas acted Immediately and began moving as soon as the senbon left the clone''s hands. As a result, the senbon didn''t hit any critical part. Though two small holes were drilled through their bodies, the injury wasn''t critical. However, that was enough time for Fujin''s clone to attack again. He flickered behind the one holding a tag and beheaded him in a flash. At the same time, he shot another senbon at the other Root ninja. From a short distance and without seeing the clone''s attack clearly, he had no chance of dodging. The senbon pierced through his forehead. However, he was still smiling as his hand seals had completed! ''Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags'' In an instant, the ground around Fujin''s clone began transforming into explosive tags! He was surrounded by thousands of explosive tags in mere moments! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Eric, AR3S, B P and Brandon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 504: Enemy of all 5 Villages??? Chapter 504: Enemy of all 5 Villages??? Just as the Fujin''s clone was surrounded with explosive tags, he released a large amount of lightning from his body which spread in every direction, forming a lightning field. It covered every explosive tag around him causing Lightning to pass through the tags, diffusing them within a few moments. In a few seconds, the ground stopped transforming into explosive tags and the clone was done defusing them. However, it drained away almost all of his chakra. He sighed and muttered to himself, ''After I did such a good job creating such a good crime scene, why do you want to ruin it with explosions? As for the tag, that was even more dangerous! It was the standard tag used to blow up the entire base! It would have dispelled me and instantly alerted everyone. I wouldn''t have been able to decorate this crime scene like I want to if that happened. New novel chapters are published on Anyway, time to get to work. Hehehe, I can''t wait for Danzo to come and look at this scene. Let me see if you still have the time and energy to try and create trouble for me.'' Though the clone was very low on chakra, he could still maintain himself. He walked towards the Root ninja who had survived after being hit by the Lightning beam. Though his resistance was rather admirable, his paralyzed body was covered in deep cuts and was burnt thoroughly by the combination jutsu. He didn''t survive such a torture. Fujin''s clone used a senbon and charged it with Lightning to destroy his brain. He did the same to any other Root ninja who still had their brains intact so that no one could read any memories. Needless to say, Fujin wanted to divert the blame to Kakashi. Had someone''s memories been read, Danzo could openly question Kakashi. However, doing that would be equivalent to proving that Kakashi was innocent. Kakashi was an extremely experienced ninja! He had been a ninja for more than a decade when Fujin graduated. He had spent several years in the Anbu. Would someone like him make the mistake of not destroying memories? All it would prove is that someone was framing Kakashi. So, Fujin''s clone didn''t bother leaving something so obvious. There were only two clues he left behind to point towards Kakashi. The first was that almost every wound on the dead bodies, other than the ones caused by the combination jutsu, had signs of damage due to Lightning. Any decent medical ninja will be able to find that out during the autopsy. Even the large number of explosive tags were damaged due to Lightning. Danzo would easily see that. The second clue was the hole he left in the chest of one of the Root ninjas. Kakashi''s Chidori was extremely famous. This injury plus the Lightning would force Danzo to suspect Kakashi. Of course, it wasn''t an ironclad proof. In fact, even this would be considered as someone setting up Kakashi. However, it was exactly as Fujin wanted. After all, he didn''t have any enmity with Kakashi and just wanted to mess with Danzo. After inspecting the base once again, Fujin''s clone dispelled himself. As soon as he was dispelled, every senbon he had used to attack also disappeared! All that was left behind were six burnt dead bodies, one of which had a hole in the chest, and three more dead bodies that weren''t burnt. A few of the dead bodies were beheaded while one was buried upright in the ground, with only his head visible above the ground with a small hole in his forehead. Fujin chuckled at that thought. Unknowingly, he had caused losses to every major village and almost every minor village around the Land of Fire. He stopped thinking about it and began analyzing his Lightning jutsus, ''My Lightning combat system is developing very well. Though there weren''t many Lightning users in Naruto, the ones that were focused on were all top-tier. The range of Lightning jutsus in the library isn''t very impressive. However, it was easy to replicate some of the ideas. The entire basis of my Lightning Combat system is speed and high penetrating power. One of the uses of Lightning that impressed me the most was when Killer Bee sneak attacked Kisame with a pencil that was enhanced with Lightning. Kisame could dodge those due to his strength and speed and also the fact that Bee didn''t spam them. However, even he found those troublesome. I have merely applied the same technique to senbon, making them extremely deadly. Even someone like Renjiro will have to be extremely alert against this tactic. As for the ones weaker than him, they''ll struggle heavily. Until I can replicate Raikage''s Lightning Chakra Mode, this will be my main tactic while fighting with Akuro''s identity. The Lightning Chakra Mode is difficult to replicate though. I already have a decent base thanks to the Burst jutsu, Lightning Transformation jutsu and Electric Skin jutsu in the library. However, Lightning Chakra Mode is several levels above basic stuff like that. It''s difficult to say whether I''d manage to replicate it without getting some help'' [A/N : Have a fun weekend :)] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Fanfic Sage, Steven, Rain, David, Dawid, Brandon and Demilade for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 505: A Grave Loss Chapter 505: A Grave Loss Fujin continued analyzing, ''Compared to that, the Chidori is a bit easier. While my Chidori isn''t as good as Kakashi''s Chidori, it''s only a matter of time before it becomes as good as his. Actually, even without it, my current level with Chidori is sufficient to poke holes or overwhelm the usual defenses. The only time I''d struggle would be if I try going head-on against another Chidori or a Rasengan or go up against a defense at the level of Gaara. Visit for the best novel reading experience In addition, I also managed to create a 1 finger lightning jab by taking inspiration from the 3rd Raikage''s attack. Though it is nowhere near his level, it''ll continue improving. My initial plan with the Lightning Release was to have a combat system like this. I did create some more jutsus to help out with defenses and for some other uses. What I didn''t expect was that I would get the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. It allows me to fight comfortably from a range as well. It was indeed a very helpful gift as it directly resolved the issue of me not having good mid and long-range jutsus. I was overly dependent on the Lightning Beam and the False Darkness jutsus. And, neither was strong enough to threaten an Elite Jounin. Now, it is a completely different story with the amplification the sword provides me. Looks like my Lightning Combat System is almost complete.'' A smile formed on Fujin''s face. Unlike with Wind, he had received very little help to improve his Lightning jutsus. Reaching such a level with just himself was a great accomplishment. Fujin let out a yawn and muttered to himself, ''It''s late at night. I need to sleep. There is still some exhaustion from the soldier pill. Tomorrow, I need to see what happens after Danzo finds the dead bodies. If nothing serious happens, I need to start working on creating the Eight Trigrams Divination Seal. I''ll have my clones work on it while I train Flying Thunder God and the Eight Inner Gates.'' Fujin went to sleep. The night was very peaceful in Konoha. However, no one knew the storm that would soon hit the higher-ups in the village! The next day, a Root ninja visited one of the four bases on a routine visit. When he entered it, his eyes widened as he saw two Root ninjas lying dead. He immediately sent a clone to inform Danzo. Within a few minutes, Danzo and 8 Root ninjas arrived at the base. Root ninjas dying inside Konoha was a huge matter. Danzo bent down and began observing the two dead bodies. So did a couple of other Root ninjas, one of whom was a medical ninja. The medical ninja said, "They died without any struggle. There is only one small injury on their foreheads which looks to be made by a senbon piercing through their head. Their opponent should have been much stronger than them." Another added, "There is no senbon inside this room." Danzo''s eyes landed on the two small holes in the walls. He walked towards them. Immediately, everyone else noticed them as well. Danzo said, "The senbon were thrown with a lot of power. Not only did they pierce through their heads, they also pierced through the wall. Follow this hole to see where the senbons are." Danzo didn''t particularly care about the lives of his subordinates. During the Great Wars, many of them would die frequently while doing extremely high-risk missions behind enemy lines. However, that was a different era. Danzo had several hundred ninjas in Root at that time. And, Danzo could freely recruit hundreds of talented kids and train them to replace the dead Root ninjas. Unfortunately for him, it was no longer the case. Hiruzen had been hard on the Root after the Uchiha massacre. He didn''t have many subordinates. Losing 15 subordinates in one go would mean that he would lose more than a third of his manpower! In actuality, that was even worse than it sounded. Danzo thought, ''Though I had 41 subordinates in Root, many can''t be deployed due to their duties. Losing 15 would mean that I would lose more than half the forces that I could deploy for missions... It will be a grave loss for Konoha if they are dead.'' Another aspect was that Danzo couldn''t recruit any kids either. He had managed to get his hands on slightly more than a hundred kids from the Land of Water, but they were still in training. It would easily take half a decade for some of them to meet the minimum requirements of taking a Root mission. The remaining kids could take an even longer time. In addition, Danzo couldn''t kidnap any more kids from the Land of Water. Both the Mizukage faction and the Rebel faction had noticed the cases of children going missing and understood that someone was kidnapping young kids. Despite their conflict, both came to a tacit understanding and began taking action to prevent such incidents, making it extremely risky for Root to continue their operations. Danzo had long withdrawn his subordinates from the Land of Water as he didn''t want to lose the few capable Root ninjas he still had under his command. Danzo''s group finally reached the last base. Every single person, including Danzo, was stunned by the sight! [A/N : Power Stones guys! Let''s go back in the top 10!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Dmalf, Andreas, Khalif and MemezSyndicate for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 506: Reminding Danzo of his Situation Chapter 506: Reminding Danzo of his ''Situation'' [A/N: 500th Chapter! Kinda in disbelief that we have come so far... Thanks for all your support and love guys. There is no way I could have written half a thousand chapters without your love and support. Let''s hope we keep going strong further as well :-)] As soon as they entered the base, they were greeted by the sight of one Root ninja stuck underground with only his head stuck above the ground facing them. A finger-sized hole could be seen in his forehead. Some distance behind him were innumerable damaged explosive seals. On those seals laid two dead bodies, one of which was beheaded. Behind them was a burnt room. The smell of burnt flesh still lingered in the air. Danzo''s expression became very grim. It was a great loss. In terms of percentage, this was the second-worst loss that Root experienced. The worst was of course when Hiruzen disbanded the Root and inducted a large amount of Root ninjas into the Anbu. They quickly began inspecting the dead bodies. Danzo''s expression became very serious when he noticed the hole in the chest of one of the dead bodies. He quickly thought of Kakashi. In the past, he had looked at the bodies of a few enemy ninjas who had fallen to Kakashi''s Chidori. The injury was identical. Danzo''s expression became ugly as he thought, ''Hatake Kakashi! This attack is undoubtedly his work! How can an enemy find all the hidden bases and pinpoint the four where ninjas were deployed? However, why would he suddenly do this?'' Danzo fell into deep thought. This time, none of the Root ninjas dared to disturb him. This loss was too big for Root. Danzo quickly concluded, ''Kakashi has no reason to do this. The only reason why he would do something like this is if he was ordered by Hiruzen.'' He cursed internally, ''Hiruzen! What scheme are you making this time? Still, to secretly kill Konoha''s shinobi This is so unlike Hiruzen. Did he discover something? Or, is someone scheming in the shadows to make me go against Hiruzen?'' Danzo couldn''t be sure. However, all clues pointed directly towards Hiruzen. He didn''t see any way that enemy countries would be able to sneak inside Konoha, search the hidden Root bases and kill 15 Root ninjas without drawing any suspicion at all! Even a Kage might not be able to pull that off. However, the Hiruzen he knew wouldn''t have done such a sloppy job. Having worked with Hiruzen for so long, Danzo knew that if Hiruzen was the one behind this incident, then the evidence would have been such that Hiruzen would have been the last person Danzo suspects. One of the Root ninjas asked, "Lord Danzo, should we shut down the entrance of the village to prevent culprits from escaping?" Danzo answered, "No. If they wanted to escape, they would already have. How long has it been since their death?" The medical ninja who was inspecting the bodies answered, "All 15 ninjas died roughly around 12 to 14 hours ago. I''ll need to perform an autopsy to be sure." Danzo ordered, "Alright, keep inspecting the bodies." He looked towards the other two subordinates and instructed, "Inspect the entire base. See if you can find any clues. The fight here is much more intense than the rest. Hopefully, there might be some clues left behind." The Root ninjas immediately got to work. While the Root ninjas worked, Danzo began planning what action he could take. Despite his decades of experience, he didn''t see an easy way out of that situation. It was bad no matter what he assumed. If the current situation was created by enemy villages, then his Root faced an existential crisis as they seemed to want to take out Root before making any moves on Konoha. On the other hand, if it was Hiruzen, then Danzo was outmatched once again. While Danzo still had several trump cards and could make Hiruzen suffer as well, there was no doubt that Danzo would be the bigger loser. Hiruzen''s expression hardened. He asked with a hint of aggression, "What do you imply by that, Danzo?" Danzo turned around and said, "Follow me." He led the group to the body with a hole in his chest and said, "All my subordinates in the 4 Auxiliary Root bases were killed last night. Everyone was killed with Lightning Release. Do you still want to feign ignorance, Hiruzen?" Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu and the Anbu Guards immediately connected the dots. Every single one was surprised as Danzo was blaming Kakashi! Before anyone could say anything, Danzo asked angrily, "Why did Kakashi kill my men, Hiruzen?" Hiruzen''s face became very serious. He harshly replied, "Watch your tone, Danzo. Kakashi isn''t even in the village. He left for a rank S mission a week ago. Besides, if I wanted to deal with you, I would have disbanded Root for good. Why would I waste the lives of capable Konoha shinobi?" Danzo replied equally harshly, "Is this how you want to play, Hiruzen? Since you don''t want to accept responsibility, I''ll arrest and question Hatake Kakashi." Immediately, Koharu said sternly, "Danzo, control yourself. Arresting Hatake Kakashi is out of the question no matter what the situation is. The evidence you have is only speculative. Besides, even if you had solid evidence to prove that Kakashi was the culprit, we can''t arrest him." Homura added, "The Root was disbanded 4 years ago. Officially, no Root Ninja exists. The village can''t punish a ninja for killing someone that doesn''t exist. So calm down and work together with us. We first need to investigate to understand for sure who was behind this incident. If we fight among ourselves, then whoever is behind this will benefit at our expense." Unlike Danzo, Koharu and Homura had nothing at stake and hence weren''t affected by emotions. Both could clearly see the fact that it was not Hiruzen''s style. Hiruzen wouldn''t have killed Konoha''s shinobi. If he was forced to do so by circumstances, there was no way he''d leave behind such a flaw. [A/N : Power Stones guys! Let''s go to the top 10!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jai, Wahed, Ayuub and hh for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 507: A Bizarre Situation... Chapter 507: A Bizarre Situation... Danzo snorted and said, "I said, my subordinates in all four bases were killed. Do you think an external enemy can locate the exact 4 out of all the hidden bases and kill Root ninjas without raising any suspicions at all?" Homura added, "I didn''t rule out an internal hand in the incident. But blaming someone without any evidence is pointless. Though the signs here point towards Kakashi, Kakashi is someone who knows a thousand jutsus. Why would he use his signature jutsu? Even if he was forced to, why would he leave such evidence behind? He could have just taken the body with him or changed the nature of the injury to fool us. Instead, everything is precisely set up to blame Kakashi. If anything, it looks like someone tried to set him up to cause an argument between you and Hiruzen." Danzo finally calmed down. Or rather, he was always calm but had only just shown it. His attention was focused on Hiruzen all the time. He didn''t see any flaw in Hiruzen''s expressions. He sighed internally and thought, ''Looks like it isn''t him after all. However, there is no other clue Whoever it was, they did a damn good job. Even if Hiruzen is innocent, I can''t take this lying down. Otherwise, the Root will really be finished!'' Seeing that Danzo had finally stopped pretending to be angry, Hiruzen said, "I''ll say it again, Danzo. This incident has nothing to do with me. If you want, you can cross-check Kakashi''s mission as well. For now, look for evidence. I''ll dispatch 4 Anbu squads to help you out in this regard. Once all evidence is gathered, we will meet in my office." Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only Homura and Koharu agreed with Hiruzen''s decision while Danzo stayed silent. Hiruzen and his guards left. He quickly dispatched four Anbu squads who specialized in investigation to investigate this matter. As for the other three, they stayed to look over the investigation. Though Hiruzen and Danzo''s conflict had settled for the time being, all four of them were still left with a big question. Who was the one behind this incident? The matter was very serious. If it was done by outside forces, then it was a huge lapse in Konoha defenses! Someone could enter the village without being detected, search the bases without raising any suspicion and kill 15 Root ninjas in one go. The other possibility was the existence of an exceptional spy or a traitor inside Konoha. No matter what it was, they needed to solve the situation before something worse happened. Not a single one of them considered the possibility that this was done merely as a retaliation for a political play. Like every other village, deaths due to political conflicts, though rare, happened in Konoha as well. However, it was always Root eliminating the ones creating trouble for Danzo or Hiruzen. There had never been any incident where someone else had taken the initiative to eliminate Root ninjas without Root ninjas attacking first. For the next few hours, the investigations continued. However, just like their initial investigation, they came up empty-handed. The only new information they received was from the autopsy of the dead Root ninjas. However, there wasn''t any useful information in that data either. The four of them gathered in Hiruzen''s office in the evening. Danzo snorted while looking at Hiruzen with displeasure, "The job has been done too cleanly. There isn''t any information for us to use." Everyone understood that Danzo was blaming Hiruzen. However, all 3 understood that Danzo had no other choice. They didn''t bother pacifying him once again. They stayed quietly in the room while thinking for a while. Unfortunately, none of them could come up with any reasonable explanation. Koharu sighed and muttered, "There is just too little information. From what we know, we can only say that a group or a single person who is an expert in Lightning Release and is a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster was involved. We could lay the blame on Kumogakure, but there is no proof." He filled in Fujin and Shikaku about the killings. Surprise could be seen on both their faces. However, both immediately became serious as Hiruzen said, "We brainstormed for a long time but haven''t come up with anything substantial. What do you think about the situation?" Both Shikaku and Fujin fell into thought. Shikaku was actually thinking about what the situation could be. On the other hand, Fujin cursed internally, ''What the hell? They called me to analyze and speculate on the crime I committed? What the hell do I say?'' Fujin never expected that Hiruzen would ask him for his opinion. He expected the Elders, maybe Shikaku and perhaps a few clan leaders to work on this matter. So, he hadn''t thought of an answer. His mind quickly began thinking of what to say and who to blame. Suddenly, his eyes landed on Danzo as he thought, ''Now that I think about it, if Danzo plays this well, he could try and coerce Hiruzen into getting some of his old subordinates back as compensation to stop blaming him and Kakashi. Though it is unlikely that Hiruzen would agree as the accusations are absurd, I''ll take this opportunity to add more oil to the fire. Hehehe, I wonder how he would react once he hears my reply.'' A devious plan immediately formed in Fujin''s mind. The more he thought about it, the more he loved his interpretation of the situation. Danzo''s bad situation was about to get far worse! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mike, Luca and Firefly for supporting me on P@treon. Thank You Abhinav for supporting me on UPI. Chapter 508: The Hidden Meaning Chapter 508: The Hidden Meaning After some time, Shikaku muttered, "Whoever is behind this incident is very brave and efficient. At the very least, a rank S ninja who specializes in Lightning, a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster and a high-level spy are involved. On the surface, all evidence points towards Kakashi. However, anyone with brains can see that this is a set-up. As such, due to the involvement of high-level application of Lightning, our suspicions fall on Kumogakure. I feel that this is a diversion as well. Whoever is behind this act most likely wants us to blame Kumogakure and for our relationship to sour. I am afraid that the real culprit is someone else." Fujin looked at Shikaku and thought, ''He can overcomplicate things a lot. Then again, his final conclusion isn''t wrong.'' Fujin hadn''t thought of blaming Kumogakure. He knew that Kakashi wouldn''t be blamed at the end of the day. As for who gets the blame, he didn''t particularly care. Regardless, he found the situation amusing. Hiruzen and the others thought of Shikaku''s answer properly. His intelligence was something everyone rated very highly. After a while, Homura said, "A double cover We hadn''t thought of that. It might be the case that the other three villages want us to fight with Kumogakure. Still, that doesn''t explain who was behind these attacks." Hiruzen looked at Fujin and asked, "What is your view, Fujin?" Fujin answered, "Shikaku''s viewpoint is valid and it might indeed be that the culprits want us to fight against Kumo or other major villages. However, I feel that the culprit might not be from an enemy village and this might be an inside job." Everyone''s eyes widened. Especially Danzo''s who thought, ''I didn''t expect him to support me. Saying that points a finger at Kakashi and Hiruzen. It looks like you made a mistake calling him here, Hiruzen.'' At the same time, Hiruzen got slightly worried. Though Fujin was dependable, he had a tendency to put Hiruzen in difficult positions. Hiruzen prayed that this wasn''t that time. Fortunately for him, Fujin continued, "It is clear that someone is trying to blame Kakashi. However, the only evidence they left to blame him are injuries caused due to Lightning and an injury that looks like it was made by Chidori. However, even though Chidori is a strong jutsu, it isn''t unique by any means. The Raikage can cover his entire body with Lightning. He can replicate the effects of Chidori with little effort. It wouldn''t be too far-fetched for someone who specializes in Lightning to come up with a jutsu that is similar to Chidori. Another crucial point is that every one of you seems to have decided that a spy or a traitor was involved. However, you have overlooked one important aspect." Everyone in the room, including Shikaku, was confused. At first, it seemed like Fujin was suspecting Hiruzen and Kakashi, but he very quickly said the entirely opposite and said that Kakashi had no blame, something that everyone agreed. Yet, he said that everyone was overlooking an aspect Fujin shrugged and replied, "How am I supposed to know that? All of you should know them much better than I know. After all, I never interacted with them while you elders saw them rise from an academy student to deadly rank S ninjas." Fujin''s words suddenly made them feel embarrassed. His words were completely true from their point of view. How could he know what they were up to without knowing anything significant about them? Fujin continued, "Anyway, that''s just my thought. I don''t see how an enemy village could have inserted a spy at such a high level or forced someone at a high level to betray Konoha without alerting Anbu or other special forces in the village. Considering the situation, Orochimaru and Itachi are the most likely culprits behind this incident. Either they are directly involved in the attack, or they could have traded the information. Of course, I can be wrong as it is just a speculation." Shikaku, Homura and Koharu nodded. Fujin hadn''t provided anything substantial. He just provided another viewpoint that was quite different from theirs and made some sense but it was still just a speculation. The three of them didn''t notice Hiruzen and Danzo being in a different state of mind. Fujin could have noticed, but he chose to ignore it. After all, both were smart enough to get his hidden meaning. The room went silent once again as everyone except Fujin began thinking about the current situation and how to handle it. [A/N : Latest Chapter on Pat reon - ''Displaying Kekkei Genkai''] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You SHIK, Ron, lazy_daoist, Victor, Jace, Thilo, Duskmar, Howellsy and Diametric for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 509: An Opportunity to establish Prestige in Konoha Chapter 509: An Opportunity to establish Prestige in Konoha Over five minutes passed without a word being spoken. Finally, Shikaku said, "There is no point in wasting time here. Let''s just continue the investigation. If we receive more information, then we could understand the picture better. If we don''t then we will have to plant a bait and hope the culprits fall for it. Otherwise, the only option is waiting until they attack again." Everyone nodded. Hiruzen said, "Alright, this meeting ends here. I''ll assign all available Hyuga, Inuzuka, Yamanaka and Aburame ninjas to do a blanket search of the entire village. I''ll call the Clan Leaders here and inform them of the situation. Even clan compounds will be investigated. Does anyone have an issue?" No one had an issue. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "Those ninjas won''t be able to detect any new structures hidden with the help of high-level seals. Though I can dispatch other Grandmasters, their numbers aren''t high. Can your clones search through the entire village?" Everyone else in the room was surprised by Hiruzen''s question. Apart from Shikaku and Fujin, worry appeared on their faces. That also included the Anbu Guards. However, before anyone could say anything, Fujin nodded and answered, "Sure." Hiruzen replied, "Good. Map out every location that is hidden with the help of seals inside the village. Also, inspect abandoned bases. Keep your main body nearby. I''ll inform you when clan compounds can be inspected as well. If possible, inspect a few kilometers outside the Village Walls as well." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll begin." Fujin opened the door and disappeared from the room. Hiruzen looked at Shikaku and instructed, "Shikaku, stay in my office. You''ll be analyzing all the new information that comes here." He looked at his old friends and said, "You three can look over the investigation conducted by the ninjas I will dispatch and ensure that nothing is missed." They nodded and left the room as well, leaving only Shikaku and Hiruzen in the room. The two of them will have to soon pass a lot of orders. New novel chapters are published on Fujin appeared on top of the Hokage Building. Though his expression was plain, he was still feeling very weird. He thought, ''When I decided to kill a few Root ninjas to trouble Danzo, I never expected that I would be asked to speculate about the matter and be given the most important task of investigation It''s like a judge asking a murderer who he thought was the murderer and then ordering the murderer to find the murder weapon and check the places he could be hiding in. The situation is so freaking amusing and yet I can''t laugh'' Fujin could only shake his head in disbelief. Though his plan was good, it wasn''t supposed to be this good. Even he couldn''t understand how things reached this stage. In an instant, 48 Shadow Clones appeared around Fujin. All instantly dispersed. While Fujin had done plenty of crazy things in the Ninja World, be it the riot he caused in the Land of Wind, forcing Roshi to transform, slaughtering Iwa Jounins or killing Juzo, this was the first time he would be doing something crazy openly in Konoha and allow everyone to know that it was his action. Hiruzen had asked Fujin to investigate every single secret base inside Konoha. That included Anbu bases, Root bases, secret bases created by the ninja clans and anything else that existed inside and just outside the village. It displayed two things. The first was Hiruzen''s trust in Fujin. After today, there will be very little that is hidden from Fujin in the village. That is why everyone in Hiruzen''s office was surprised and worried. Danzo for one didn''t want Fujin to gain so much authority. Unfortunately for him, the situation didn''t allow him to speak as it was his Root facing the losses. Unlike Katsuhiro, Danzo''s thoughts were the exact opposite. He was stunned to hear what Katsuhiro had said. He thought, ''He gave him credit so easily? No, it isn''t right. How can someone Hiruzen chose to join the council so early be so open-minded? He must have seen through my scheme. As long as he says that this proposal was put forth by Katsuhiro and doesn''t try to force it on the council, the clan leaders will be vigilant against Katsuhiro and not Fujin. They will have no reason to vote him out. And, since he isn''t stealing any credit, I can''t defame him. Such a crafty kid! The only thing I can do is ruin his reputation among civilian ninjas. That said, will he be affected by public opinion?'' Danzo couldn''t be sure. Fujin openly hung around and guided someone like Naruto who was a social pariah and probably the most disliked person in Konoha. It showed that Fujin didn''t care much about his reputation. Seeing that Danzo was lost in thought, Katsuhiro asked, "Why did you call me here?" Danzo looked at it and replied, "Just to ask for your progress with the proposal. You can leave." Katsuhiro was annoyed at being called for such a small matter. He left the Root base without exchanging any pleasantries. Danzo didn''t mind that. He had more important things to think about. He thought, ''Suzuki Fujin Something about this boy is awfully off But I can''t put my finger on what exactly is off.'' [A/N : Latest chapter on pat reon - Fujin''s first official students!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tronic, Justin, Jordan, Mat Hias, Hunter, Wolf Hunter and for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 510: Danzos Suspicion! Chapter 510: Danzo''s Suspicion! [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Terrance Smith. You can thank him for the double release.] Danzo recalled all his interactions with Fujin, ''When he first got my interest, Hiruzen refused to let me induct him in the Root. That wasn''t too odd considering Hiruzen''s nature. However, there is no explanation as to why Fujin was so on guard when I met him. Even in the council meeting, he opposed me and even challenged Root to a fight to prove his point. The two Root ninjas I sent after him mysteriously vanished. And today, his words caused Hiruzen to suspect me of something I haven''t done and put me in a terrible position. I have only suffered losses due to this boy. Not to mention, why is his house covered in so many seals? I felt that it was just a trap to lure me into making a mistake, but the more I find out about this boy, the more I feel that something about him is horribly wrong. Even this incident I manipulated Katsuhiro into making a move against him. Yet, he somehow managed to stall Katsuhiro for over 5 weeks. And, the day he met Katsuhiro, 15 of Root ninjas died. It was as if this was a retaliation for me manipulating Katsuhiro into making a move against him. It''s just that there is a lot of information I am missing! Why was he so on guard against me? Why would he eliminate any Root ninjas following him? How could he link Katsuhiro''s actions to me? And, how could he, someone who has no history of using Lightning, kill 15 ninjas with Lightning jutsus and replicate a high-level jutsu like Chidori?'' Danzo had no answer to any of his questions. In fact, he couldn''t even make an educated guess as there was no information relevant to those questions. It was why Danzo wasn''t sure whether what he thought was true or not. Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only In fact, even he found his analysis to be completely absurd. There wasn''t even a hint of proof that Fujin did any of that. If he were to tell it to someone else, they would look at him like something was wrong with his brain. Yet, he couldn''t get rid of the feeling that something about Fujin was odd. Danzo decided, ''I need to put him under surveillance once again. The only issue is that he is extremely careful. Nothing inside his house can be spied upon. Even in his training ground, he is extremely careful. Even bugs can''t enter undetected. The last time I spied on him, I didn''t find anything substantial on him. Unlike others in the village, I can''t threaten the ones close to him either. He is an orphan and mostly stays by himself. The few people he could be considered friends with are quite strong or well-connected as well. There is very little I can do against him'' Danzo was troubled. He had made up his mind to act, however, his options were extremely limited and without much hope. Though they lived in a deadly world of ninjas, even ninjas had weaknesses and Danzo specialized in exploiting those. However, Fujin had none. Danzo couldn''t help but mutter, "I now see why you compared him to Sensei. He''s almost a perfect ninja. He might be the toughest opponent I faced. Yet, I can''t even be sure if he is facing me or whether this is all in my head!" While Danzo was in a dilemma and wondering what he should do, be it about Fujin or his dead subordinates, he suddenly heard a commotion. He stopped thinking and looked in the direction of one of the entrances to the Root headquarters. At the entrance of the base, two Root ninjas stood extremely alert, as if they were facing an enemy. One of them asked, "Suzuki Fujin, why are you trying to enter the Root headquarters unauthorized?" Danzo turned around without speaking to his subordinates. He walked over to Torune and ordered, "Once Suzuki Fujin is done with his search, you will keep an eye on him. Take four Root ninjas with you." Torune was surprised. He asked, "But Lord Danzo, the killer is still roaming free. Would it be wise to disperse our forces secretly?" Torune wasn''t concerned about his death, but losing 5 more capable ninjas would be a deadly blow for Root. Danzo shook his head and said, "If an attack happens to you while you are spying on him, he''ll sense it and will be forced to help you out. It might be a good way of luring the attacker." Torune was surprised by the logic. However, on thinking about it, it was completely sound. Fujin couldn''t stand by if a fight broke out in the village. Torune asked, "What will we be spying for?" Danzo answered, "Nothing specific. He seems clean on the surface, but I have suspicions that he is involved in this incident somehow. Keep an eye on him and see if there is something off about him. If my intuition is accurate, then we will save Konoha from a great tragedy in the future." Torune was surprised by how serious Danzo was. He immediately said, "Alright, I''ll start spying on him as soon as he is done scanning the village." Danzo nodded and left. On top of the Hokage Building, Fujin received the memories of his clone and a smile appeared on his face. He opened his eyes and looked towards the location of the Root base. He thought, ''Just like the Anbu Headquarters, the Root Headquarters is big as well. Unlike the four auxiliary bases I targeted the previous night, the main base is huge. There are several underground floors in the base. Seeing what all he is scheming in those underground bases would have been interesting. Though I have been in the Anbu, I still never saw that Sakai clan Jounin we captured after becoming Chunins. If she is still alive, then I suspect she is being kept in the Root Headquarters. I wonder what else is hidden there and how much Hiruzen knows'' ------------------- A/N: You can sponsor chapters through P@treon. Chapter 511 - 505 : Reasons to NOT use Shadow Clones! Chapter 511: Chapter 505 : Reasons to NOT use Shadow Clones! While Fujin and Danzo had their little confrontation, Hiruzen met with the clan leaders and informed them of the situation. While they were displeased about their clan compounds being searched, no one opposed Hiruzen. After all, if someone who could silently eliminate 15 Root ninjas hid in their clan compounds or secret bases, then their entire clan could be in danger. Without any restrictions, Fujin''s clones searched the entire village methodically. Needless to say, it was all an act. With his Space Time Sensing Technique, there wasn''t much that could hide from him anyway. Not to mention, the culprit was him. How would he find anyone else? He merely took the opportunity to check out all the secret bases inside Konoha and left the Flying Thunder God mark secretly whenever he could. He had already put thousands of marks inside the village. However, now he could truly claim that he had marked the entire village! Once his range increased, he could appear almost anywhere inside the village. Unless the village was destroyed, Fujin could soon be considered as invincible inside Konoha! Of course, his search wasn''t entirely unrestricted. While the clans didn''t stop him like Danzo, their ninjas still followed him when he inspected their clan compounds or secret bases. As such, his clones couldn''t brazenly mark every place there. Regardless, he was long satisfied with what he had done. After all, these were unintended benefits of his move against Danzo. Besides, this search had become common knowledge among the ninjas. Almost every clan ninja became aware of such a search despite not knowing the reason behind the search. A few civilian ninjas noticed as well. The ones who didn''t notice would soon come to know of it from their friends who were a part of ninja clans. Within a few days, the fact that Fujin could sustain dozens of Shadow Clones for hours and his Grandmaster attainment in Fuinjutsu would be known to every ninja in Konoha! One of those civilian ninjas was Katsuhiro. He was dumbfounded by what he had discovered. He immediately realized, ''So this is why Danzo seemed so annoyed. How did he suddenly get the authority to do something like this? Shit, if he is a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu, then taking his seat will be extremely difficult. Everyone wants to have a good relationship with a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. However, how did he become a Grandmaster out of nowhere? I didn''t even know that he was a SealMaster, let alone a Grandmaster. What do I do now?'' Needless to say, the spies would learn of this as well. However, seeing how tense Konoha was, they didn''t dare to send messages until things calmed down. The search continued the entire evening, continued throughout the night and only ended around late in the afternoon the next day. Fujin was long done with his part, but he still needed to coordinate with the ninjas specializing in sensing and detection to ensure that there wasn''t anyone hiding in the village. While they couldn''t find any culprits for obvious reasons, they did find a few spies who were hiding in the Konoha pretending to be civilians. It ensured that the Torture & Interrogation department in Konoha would have fun for a few days. In the Hokage Office, there were several people including Fujin. Hiruzen and Shikaku were busy going through all the information gathered in case they noticed something others might have missed. The leaders of the sensing team were making reports as well. As for Fujin, he was just sitting on one side of the room, watching everyone work so hard to find the person sitting in that very room. Fujin nodded and disappeared from the room. Meanwhile, Shikaku wondered, ''Was he really tired or was he taking clues from us? Such a troublesome youngster...'' Fujin returned to his house after flickering a few times. He activated his Space Time Sensing Technique and surprisingly, there was no one around keeping an eye on his house. He wondered, ''Did Danzo decide to not confront me? Or is he planning to attack in some other way? Oh well, I''ll handle it when the time comes.'' While Fujin learnt from the two of them, he was indeed quite sleepy. He hadn''t consumed any soldier pills this time. He quickly entered his house, cleaned up and fell asleep. While the village was quite tense, Fujin didn''t have a reason to worry. Unfortunately, his speculation wasn''t correct. An hour after he fell asleep, 5 Root ninjas led by Torune began spying on his house. Since none of them used chakra or stared at the house for too long and they stayed quite a long distance away, the seals on his house didn''t pick up anything. After all, Torune had tried spying on Fujin earlier. He knew how crazy his house was. All Root ninjas knew that the real spying would only be conducted when Fujin wasn''t in his house. Since he slept quite early, Fujin woke up early as well. It had only been 3 AM when he woke up. He stretched and was about to go freshen up when he activated his Space Time Sensing Technique out of habit. Suddenly, all the laziness disappeared as his eyes became serious. [A/N: Next Chapter - Explosion!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Brandon, Fireguy, Glorious_Dragon, Saddie, John, Alfie and Gurwarris for supporting me on [email protected] latest chapters at novelhall.com Only Chapter 512 - 506 : Explosion! Chapter 512: Chapter 506 : Explosion! [A/N: 5534 Power Stones and rank 12 last week. Let''s go back into the top 10 this week!] Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only A hint of craziness appeared in Fujin''s eyes and a smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''Hehe, you made your move after all, Danzo. Good. Now, let me see whether you are skillful enough to ensure that the Root survives.'' While the Root ninjas were skillful enough to hide from chakra fields even when someone as skilled as Fujin used it, they had no idea about Fujin''s other skill. Even Danzo was completely unaware. He never imagined that the spies he sent would be detected in an instant. If he knew Fujin had such an ability, he wouldn''t have bothered sending anyone to spy on him. Even if Fujin didn''t retaliate, the spies would only see what Fujin wanted to show them, which could make the Root fall into a trap. Unfortunately for Danzo, Fujin no longer had intentions to keep playing games. He planned to use this opportunity to completely escalate the situation. On this day, two events would happen that would send shockwaves throughout Konoha that would be remembered for quite some time. One of them would also bring back some unpleasant memories. Fujin fell back into his bed. Sleep had recovered most of his chakra, but he was still not at full capacity. It was understandable as he had maintained a lot of Shadow Clones. However, in this circumstance, that was a good thing. A Shadow Clone, with 20% of his maximum chakra, appeared next to his bed. Without a word, he disguised himself perfectly and disappeared from the room. Neither of the 5 Root ninjas around Fujin''s house detected the Shadow Clone leaving from under the ground. There were two main reasons for this. Firstly, the Root ninjas didn''t dare to openly activate their chakra fields. Secondly, Fujin''s methods of hiding chakra were extremely good and his clone left through a place where none of those 5 were present. Minutes later, Fujin''s clone reached the outskirts of the Root Headquarters. He thought, ''Yesterday, I showed up at the front door. However, with a base this huge, I have innumerable ways of entering. Even though this base is very well hidden and protected with seals, Root currently lacks the manpower to defend its main headquarters. Of course, it is also because they don''t expect to be attacked in the first place. After all, Konoha will be the one to take the hit first before any attacker reaches the Root Headquarters.'' Danzo had only 26 Root ninjas left after Fujin''s stunt 2 nights ago. Out of those, 5 were outside Fujin''s house, while another 5 were outside the village training the kids from the Land of Water in a secret location. In addition, 2 were deployed in the Fire Capital, 1 always followed Naruto and 1 was hiding in the Anbu. As a result, the massive Root headquarters had only 12 Root ninjas along with Danzo. Even among them, 5 of the Root ninjas were in the underground laboratories at the lowest two levels of Root Headquarters, meaning that only 7 were available to keep an eye on their base. Hence, they couldn''t pay attention to every entry into the Root Headquarters. Of course, Danzo had long sealed up such entry points. Fujin''s clone was standing in front of one such sealed entry point. The clone''s eyes glowed as he began studying the seals. He nodded as he realized, ''Not bad. Even I will need some time to decode these seals and enter inside without being detected. Not to mention, there are some seals I don''t recognize. Unfortunately, I don''t have the time to study them slowly. Oh well, even if I did, they would detect me in no time. So, no need to bother with stealth.'' The Blade of the Thunder Spirit appeared in his right hand, but the hilt was covered by his long sleeves. The shape of the blade looked nothing like a sword and instead looked like a ball of Lightning. In an instant, nearly 35% of the clone''s chakra was transformed into Lightning and transferred into the Lightning ball. ''Wind Release: Serial Vacuum Waves jutsu'' Immediately, Fu and the other Root ninja moved behind Danzo. At the very instance when Danzo was done weaving the hand seals, the Lightning broke through his office walls and moved towards him when he exhaled his jutsu. Several Vacuum Waves hit the incoming Lightning flood continuously and kept bombarding the incoming attack for a few seconds. The Lightning headed towards Danzo was finally stopped. Only some Lightning charges made it through the intense wind and hit the three of them. They weren''t strong enough to cause them any damage. Danzo and the two Root ninjas with him were safe. However, their moods were anything but calm. Even Danzo was extremely tense. He thought, ''Fortunately the Lightning wasn''t all concentrated on me. Otherwise, I would have no chance of stopping it without using Wood Release or sacrificing Shisui''s eye by using Izanagi. I didn''t even have time to remove the seals on my right arm! Which crazy bastard attacked my base? And who is strong enough to unleash such an attack? Even Hiruzen shouldn''t be able to do something like this!'' Though Danzo stopped the Lightning flood from hitting him, it still continued spreading in other directions. Within seconds, 3 underground floors were completely in shambles! Thankfully, while the seals weren''t strong enough to stop the Lightning flood, it slowly whittled down the power of the Lightning flood, putting an end to the destruction... Unfortunately, the destruction caused by the Lightning until that moment was too high! The top 3 floors collapsed entirely, forcing Danzo and the two Root ninjas to evacuate in a hurry. If it wasn''t for the fact that Fujin''s clone didn''t target the pillars, the entire base might have collapsed! Thankfully for Danzo, the laboratories on the bottom two floors weren''t damaged. However, the loss was still extremely high! Danzo was extremely angry. Unfortunately, he was unaware that this was just the first step of Fujin''s plan. Not a single person in Konoha would even consider the possibility of such a massive attack being merely a distraction! Fujin''s next steps would threaten Root''s existence in a way Danzo would never have imagined. The only question was whether Fujin would succeed in his goal or whether Danzo would succeed in defending his Root! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Billy, Bring, Alex, Jonas, 1Sword, Yoel, Zutu, Gorama, Brian and Supreme Vendetta for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 513: Apprehending the Spies! Chapter 513: Apprehending the Spies! While the village was tense, not many people in Konoha were actually aware of what was happening. Only the ninjas having authority were aware of the death of Root ninjas. The others were only following orders and weren''t provided any information. Even someone like Guy had no clue of what was actually happening in the village. After all, the Root was supposed to be disbanded. Besides, releasing such news could cause panic to spread in the village. Of course, not being aware made everyone tense as well. However, since they hadn''t found anyone in the long search, the village had relaxed slightly. Most ninjas felt that it was just an exercise in case anything happened. The village was sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, several ninjas sensed a massive chakra spike despite not having any chakra fields activated. At the same time, a tremor was felt in a part of the village! After all, Root headquarters was created underground. When Fujin''s clone destroyed three underground floors in a single attack, it caused a mini earthquake in the nearby area. Sleeping in his room, Hiruzen''s eyes snapped open. He immediately flickered and appeared on top of his roof. Moments later, four Anbu Guards appeared behind him. He looked towards Root headquarters in confusion and wondered, ''What the hell is happening there? Such a massive chakra signature. For a moment I thought that the Nine Tails had broken loose again. Fortunately, the chakra is much smaller. Still, what is happening?'' He immediately began moving towards the Root headquarters. Similar scenes happened all around the village. Every Clan Leader woke up. Unlike Hiruzen, they didn''t move themselves and instead sent a couple of Jounin squads to check out what was happening and reinforce Hiruzen. Several civilian ninjas, including Guy, were making their way towards the source of the explosion. Memories of the Nine Tails assault resurfaced in the minds of several people. And just like everyone, Fujin''s eyes snapped open in his bedroom as well. In moments, he was on top of his house. In fact, he was even faster than Hiruzen, but unlike Hiruzen he merely watched towards the Root headquarters. He looked in that direction with an expression that said he was wondering what was happening while spreading his chakra field towards the location. Needless to say, Fujin wasn''t the only one looking towards the Root Headquarters. The 5 Root ninjas looked towards the source of the explosion as well. Their eyes widened as they realized that the Root Headquarters had been hit! And sensing how strong the explosion was, they couldn''t help being worried. All 5 decided that the mission to watch over Fujin could be postponed. In a moment, all 5 began moving towards the Root Headquarters. However, the moment they decided to do so, Fujin could sense their chakra! A frown appeared on his face as 5 Shadow Clones appeared next to him. All 5 flickered and threw a kunai each, blocking the paths of the 5 Root ninjas. They stopped as Fujin''s clones stood in their paths. Aburame Torune shouted angrily, "Suzuki Fujin, why are you attacking us and blocking our path? The village is under attack!" Fujin flickered a few meters behind Torune and said, "That''s what I want to ask. The village is under threat and the 5 of you are surrounding my house instead of looking for the culprit? What is the meaning of this?" Torune and the Root ninjas immediately understood why Fujin had blocked them. Torune immediately turned around and said, "It was just a coincidence. This isn''t the time to argue about this. We need to reinforce Lord Danzo." Fujin snorted and asked with a hint of anger, "So it was a coincidence that 5 of you were strategically surrounding my house during the night right when the attack happened? I wonder what your intentions are. Lord Hokage and Elder Danzo speculated that this incident was caused by someone inside the village. Seeing how suspicious you five are, I can only assume that you are working with the culprit!" Fujin''s accusation stunned them. They couldn''t even imagine how Fujin reached that conclusion. One of the Root ninjas cursed, "Bastard! Stop your meaningless accusation. Get out of the way! Otherwise, we will assume that you are the one working with the culprit." Torune immediately turned his head and saw Fujin standing a safe distance away. Slightly behind him, the remaining 4 Root ninjas were already dealt with. All had the Self-Cursing Seal and were knocked out cold. He thought, ''I attacked a Shadow Clone? He sent a Shadow Clone to sneak up on me? No wonder he was this fearless. I thought he was just arrogant. That said, is this one a clone or the real body?'' Torune wasn''t sure. Fujin said, "Stop resisting. If your bugs attack after you are unconscious, then I''ll have no choice but to kill all of them." Torune said, "I hope you know what you are doing, Suzuki Fujin." A large number of minute-sized bugs began exiting his body. However, Torune received no response, other than a punch in his gut from the clone he had poisoned. The punch was enhanced with chakra and strong enough to immediately knock him out. At the same time, a couple of clones flickered next to Torune and activated a barrier, sealing Torune, his bugs and Fujin''s clone inside. The clone sealed inside immediately applied a few more seals on Torune before being dispelled due to being attacked by the bugs. Fujin left his 5 Shadow Clones there to keep an eye on the Root ninjas and flickered towards the Root Headquarters. He thought, ''Step 2 completed. Now, time for step three. Unfortunately, unlike the first two steps, I will have very little control over the outcome. If things go perfectly, then Root will no longer exist! If they don''t then the status quo will be maintained. Regardless, it will heavily restrict Danzo while I won''t have any loss.'' Though the expression on his face still showed that he was annoyed and angry, internally, he was very indifferent the whole time. Even the emotions he displayed while arguing against Torune were fake. He only had them to make his actions look more convincing. The Root headquarters were currently in chaos as no one knew who the attacker was and why the Root was attacked. If Danzo knew that the only reason his headquarters was targeted was so that his subordinates spying on Fujin would expose themselves, who knows how he would have reacted. ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kyler, Alan, Wendel and Marshall for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 514: Aftermath Chapter 514: Aftermath Before Fujin and the Root ninjas entered into a fight, Hiruzen along with his Anbu Guards reached the Root Headquarters. Their eyes widened as they noticed the state of the top three underground floors of the base. The walls and floors of the base had almost entirely collapsed! Hiruzen quickly sensed Danzo and flickered towards him. He appeared behind him and asked, "Danzo, what happened here?" Danzo was already annoyed. As soon as he left the base, he had Fu sense the attacker. Unfortunately, Fu couldn''t sense anyone anymore. It was as if the attacker had disappeared in thin air. Of course, seeing the level of attack, Danzo speculated that the attacker was too good at hiding himself and managed to escape during the destruction. On hearing Hiruzen''s question, Danzo answered, "My headquarters was attacked!" Hiruzen asked, "By whom? Did you already kill the attacker?" Danzo said, "No. He disappeared. I can''t sense his chakra signature." Surprise appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He couldn''t help but say, "You mean, someone attacked the Root Headquarters while you were inside it and left before you could even see what he looked like?" To say Hiruzen was surprised was an understatement. While some thought of Danzo as weak and a relic of the past, he knew very well how strong Danzo still was. He couldn''t help but wonder if Danzo was sleeping when the attack happened. He said, "Tell me everything as it happened." Danzo informed him about suddenly detecting the chakra signature and the massive Lightning flood that followed seconds later. Hiruzen fell silent. His expression became serious as he learnt how strong the attack was. He didn''t suspect Danzo as he had felt the chakra spike as well. He said, "This level of attack It can only be done by a Jinchuriki. No other ninja has enough chakra to do something like this and still get away. Unless" Danzo completed Hiruzen''s words, "Unless they have Sensei''s sword." A frown appeared on his face as he said, "But Sensei''s sword is in Ame. Why would Hanzo do something like this? It makes no sense for him to provoke Konoha like this." Hiruzen added, "Unless he has allied with some other Major Village to create trouble for us. Or if an incredible talent has appeared in Ame and Hanzo has become ambitious once again." A frown appeared on Danzo''s face as he thought of that possibility, ''Just Hanzo alone is a lot of trouble. If he gets a rank S under him, then he''ll become even more troublesome to deal with. However, why is he trying to pick on me? Couldn''t he just have attacked anyone else to establish prestige? Some things still don''t add up. Or could it be that Kumo sent one of their Jinchurikis and is trying to set us up against Hanzo? However, how can a Jinchuriki infiltrate Konoha completely undetected? That should be impossible.'' Slowly, more ninjas began arriving. Hiruzen passed commands to clear up the debris in the destroyed base. Danzo had already sent one of his subordinates to inform the ninjas in the Labs to seal the place and keep other ninjas away from it. In fact, Danzo was hoping that the attacker would target his subordinate who was moving alone so that he could see who it was. Unfortunately, no one attacked. After a few squads had appeared, Fujin appeared as well. He directly met up with Hiruzen and asked with a frown, "Someone attacked the Root headquarters?" Hiruzen nodded. He noticed the annoyance on Fujin''s face and wondered, ''Why does he look so annoyed? Is it related to this attack or something else?'' Guy''s eyes widened momentarily. He said softly, "It looks like someone is targeting the Root. To think that the culprits couldn''t be caught." He looked at Fujin and said, "Thank you for letting me know. Usually, Kakashi fills me in on these things, but he has been away on a mission." Fujin nodded and said, "No worries. Just be careful. I wasn''t too concerned about the situation earlier, but the destruction here is insane. If the culprits are trying to eliminate high-level ninjas in the village, then we could be targeted as well. I doubt it would be an easy fight. Even more so if he attacks us when we have to protect others" Guy could feel the seriousness in Fujin''s voice. He said, "I''ll be careful. I guess I''ll need to ease up on the training for a bit. You be careful too." Fujin nodded. While Guy and Fujin were chatting, Danzo and Hiruzen were monitoring the search. Both were concerned as nothing was found. Needless to say, Danzo''s mood was beyond terrible. Unfortunately, there wasn''t anything he could do to find the attacker. Nor could he take his anger out on someone else. This was a grave threat his Root was facing and yet he was helpless and without any lead that he could pursue immediately. Since nothing was found, Hiruzen deployed some Anbu ninjas and sent the remaining ninjas back. Fujin, the clan leaders and the elders were called to Hiruzen''s office for a quick meeting. Fujin said farewell to Guy and flickered to Hiruzen''s office. Once everyone arrived, Hiruzen informed everyone about the events of that night. Hiruzen''s office became silent. Everyone except Fujin, Hiruzen and Danzo had complicated expressions. The clan leaders thought about what would have happened if such an attack had been aimed at their clan compounds. They realized that their clans would have unimaginable losses! After all, even someone like Danzo wasn''t able to do much other than protect himself. Hiruzen noticed Fujin''s expression but didn''t find anything odd. With Fujin''s strength and abilities, dodging such an attack wouldn''t be a difficult task. Even if his house was sneak attacked the same way, there was a good chance that his house would actually survive the hit! While there were places in Konoha with more seals than in Fujin''s house, nothing came close in terms of the density of the seals! Seeing that no one was saying anything, Hiruzen asked, "Does anyone have any ideas on what we should do further?" Hiruzen was hoping for Shikaku to figure something out. Unfortunately, the situation didn''t make any sense to him either. It was just too peculiar. Two big attacks had happened and they didn''t even know who was behind it apart from some speculations. And even the speculations were such that Konoha couldn''t take action easily. He didn''t say anything. Seeing that no one was saying anything, Fujin said, "I have something that I was wondering about." [A/N : Next Chapter - Confronting Danzo] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You AJ, Greed, Alexander, Sukhdeep, Sklop, T T, Jonathon, Ron and Leonardo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 515: Confronting Danzo! Chapter 515: Confronting Danzo! Everyone immediately looked at Fujin. Fujin looked at Danzo and said, "Four Root bases were attacked two days ago. Seeing that nothing else happened, there is little doubt that the culprit is targeting the Root. At such a time why weren''t your Root ninjas keeping an eye on the Root headquarters and were instead spying on me?" Everyone''s eyes widened as they heard Fujin''s words. They all immediately looked at Danzo. Danzo was stunned as well. He never imagined that the elite ninjas he sent to spy on Fujin would be discovered within hours. Nor did he think that Fujin would confront him in front of everyone during a time when the village was facing a grave threat. Before Danzo could reply, Fujin added, "Your actions are too peculiar, Elder Danzo. Instead of protecting the Root ninjas, you spread them even thinner. Perhaps if they were in the Root Headquarters, then the attacker might have been spotted before it was too late. You could have kept the Root Headquarters safe. You could even have had a chance to fight and capture him. However, you decided to send them to spy on me." Everyone was staring at Danzo. Deploying Root ninjas at such a time made little to no sense. Not to mention, Fujin was a Council Member as well. Spying on him meant that others could be spied upon as well. Though Fujin had provided no proof, knowing Danzo, everyone in the room believed that Danzo had indeed done something like that. Of course, that was no reason for Danzo to accept it. He said, "I didn''t send anyone to spy on you. I don''t know what you are talking about." Fujin asked, "Is that so? Could you tell me why 5 of your Root ninjas were hiding their chakra signature and surrounding my house instead of staying in the Root Headquarters?" Danzo frowned. He said, "Don''t accuse me without any proof, Suzuki Fujin. I had dispatched a squad for an important secret mission. It had nothing to do with you." Fujin continued asking in a neutral tone without a hint of expression on his face, "Oh, I wonder what secret mission you had to do at such a point." Danzo displayed slight anger and asked, "Do I have to explain myself to you? Besides, my ninjas should have returned by now. Did you do anything to them?" Seeing that Fujin had discovered them, Danzo wondered why they hadn''t returned yet. Not to mention, they should have returned after the explosion. But there was no sign of them. Fujin replied, "I apprehended them." The eyes of everyone in the room widened. That included Hiruzen and Shikaku who were familiar with the kind of shit Fujin always pulled off! Shikaku muttered to himself, ''I''m dead! He''ll increase my workload once again! He created a mess in the Council!'' The other clan leaders also stared at Fujin. Nearly everyone had suffered at the hands of Root at some point. However, no one had ever taken the initiative to apprehend them. They would raise their concerns with Hiruzen and solve them diplomatically. It was the first case of someone taking down 5 Root ninjas before considering any diplomatic options. Danzo exploded in rage and shouted aggressively, "You traitor! You dare to attack Konoha ninjas inside the village due to mere suspicions?" Meanwhile, Danzo was dumbfounded. He wondered, ''What the hell happened with Torune? Their job was to spy on him. Why did he attack Fujin? Fujin even stated his ability, meaning that what he says must be true. But why did he attack?'' Despite being at a loss, Danzo immediately answered, "The mission I assigned them had nothing to do with Fujin. I don''t know whether they attacked Fujin and what reason they might have to attack him. I will need to talk with them to understand what actually happened." Since he didn''t know what exactly happened, Danzo decided to take a step back. Of course, he wasn''t actually giving up anything. Even if Torune and the rest were at fault, there would be no punishment against them or him. Once again, Fujin asked, "What was the mission you assigned?" Danzo once again refused to answer Fujin and said, "Don''t overstep your limits, Suzuki Fujin. I don''t have to answer to you." Fujin snorted and said, "If that''s the case, then it means that those 5 Root ninjas have betrayed the village and have become traitors. The only other possibility is that you are lying and are the one who has fallen." Immediately, Homura said, "Fujin, stop suspecting Danzo. He has served the village for decades and has been a cornerstone for Konoha in every Great War. His contribution to the village is unquestionable." [A/N : Next chapter is going to be fun :) It''ll show the true extent of the third step of Fujin''s plan.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Disa, Matthew, Naruto, Jon, Mehul, Khalil, Anderson, Hibrael and Wendel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 516: Ganging up on Danzo! Chapter 516: Ganging up on Danzo! Without missing a beat or even looking at Homura, Fujin replied, "Just because you have contributed in the past doesn''t give you a right to behave like a rogue ninja inside the village. If every ninja who contributed to previous wars acted this way, Konoha would collapse within a few hours. Regardless of how much a ninja has contributed, if he begins targeting the Konoha ninjas for any reason, he should be eliminated or at least imprisoned. Don''t forget that not too long ago one of the three Legendary Sannins did something similar and went rogue. Today, he is one of the main suspects behind the deaths of 20 Root ninjas and the destruction of Root Headquarters. Even if Elder Danzo wasn''t the one who gave those instructions, this event shows that he is incapable of leading the Root. His subordinates are willfully ignoring his commands and attacking a Council Member. Not to mention, he has shown that he doesn''t care much about the lives of Root ninjas. Instead of protecting the headquarters in time of crisis, he dispatched them away not caring that they might be targetted and leaving the Root headquarters with very low manpower! We cannot afford to keep losing excellent ninjas just because he is no longer capable of leading them properly." Silence spread in the room once again. Rage was once again visible on Danzo''s face. However, this time, it wasn''t an act. Fujin had openly called him incompetent in front of everyone! Danzo was extremely tempted to use the eye but controlled himself as Hiruzen was in the room as well and staring at him. Before he could explode in rage, Shikaku said, "He isn''t wrong." Danzo immediately looked towards Shikaku and said, "Instead of searching for the culprit, you want to blame me? This time Root was targetted. Who would you blame if he targets the Nara clan?" Shikaku explained, "Dealing with the culprit would have been the best way. Unfortunately, we don''t even know who the culprits are or what their motivation is. The only thing we know is that they are targeting the Root for some reason. If their goal is just to seek revenge on something you or the Root have done, then the attacks should stop once Root ninjas are mixed in with the Anbu. If their enmity is too high and they still try to target Root ninjas, then they won''t be able to cover up their traces as well as they have been. So, it''ll be best for the Root to disband entirely. It might be our only method of dealing with the culprit. Not to mention, the incident of spying on and attacking Fujin needs to be investigated properly as well. If even council members get attacked within the village, then no one will feel safe inside the village. I suggest that we disband the Root entirely for the time being. We will continue looking for the culprit and investigate the attack on Fujin. Depending on our results on those two findings, we can decide whether Root should continue existing secretly or leave it in the past and move forward." As the Jounin Commander and publicly accepted as the smartest ninja in Konoha, if not the world, Shikaku''s words held a lot more sway than Fujin''s. Danzo understood that. He immediately replied, "Whether Root continues to exist or not is not up to the Council." Not too long ago, Danzo was hoping to use the Council to revive his Root. And now, the circumstances had forced him to do the complete opposite. He understood that saying it meant that he could never use the Council to force Hiruzen to revive the Root. However, he could only handle one situation at a time. As long as the Root continued existing, he could always come up with more schemes to increase its strength. It was a strange plan as every successive step was less intense and destructive than the previous step. The first step was total annihilation, the second step was just retraining a few ninjas and the third step was diplomacy without any fighting involved. It went against the traditional way of slowly escalating the situation. However, it fitted perfectly in this scenario. Seeing every clan leader speaking against Danzo, Koharu and Homura decided to go silent. Danzo, of course, wouldn''t take everything lying down. He argued against everyone, but Fujin didn''t even need to open his mouth. In terms of politics, the clan leaders were far better than him. Even in terms of intelligence, no one was a slouch. If they were, then they wouldn''t have been clan leaders. They couldn''t do anything earlier as Danzo never gave them an opening. Now that they had it, they immediately ganged up on Danzo and countered every single point he made while levelling more accusations against the Root. The situation became intense in no time. With neither side backing off, it immediately became very ugly. Understanding the situation, Hiruzen sighed. He flared his chakra, silencing the room once again and gaining everyone''s attention. He looked at everyone and said, "Don''t forget that we are the leaders of Konoha. Please maintain decorum. I had called everyone here to keep everyone informed about the attack on Root headquarters. I didn''t think that the meeting would take such a turn. I''ll think about what to do and we will have an official council meeting soon. For now, everyone except Danzo is dismissed." [A/N : Next Chapter - Hiruzen''s Decision] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Clumbicass, GN, ry10970, Cancer, Kiiiddd, Barbecow, Zavid, Deadpool, Satinder, Nuubman, Moon, Aryadath, Grant, Lelouch, Ikenna, Quintin, Hakiem and Delgado for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 517 - 511 : Hiruzen’s Decision! Chapter 517: Chapter 511 : Hiruzen''s Decision! Seeing how serious Hiruzen was, no one spoke a word. Everyone except Danzo and the Anbu Guards began leaving the office. Hiruzen suddenly realized something and said, "Fujin, take the Anbu Guards with you. Hand over the Root ninjas you captured to them." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright." The Anbu Guards followed him out. As the group began walking out of the building, Homura said, "Fujin, I can understand that you were angry due to the situation, but refrain from threatening other council members in the future. It won''t do you or the council any good." Homura still remembered how brazenly Fujin had threatened Koharu. While he spoke, his tone wasn''t overbearing. He spoke as if he was an elder trying to pass wisdom to the young. Hence, no one tried refuting him on the spot. Fujin nodded and said, "Sorry about that. I was just making a point. Besides, if I really intended to do something like that, I would have just done it. Why would I speak about it and draw suspicions?" Once again, Fujin''s words caught everyone''s attention. The two elders and the clan leaders all stared at Fujin. They were forced to reevaluate him once again. Sweat appeared on Homura and Koharu''s faces. Fujin''s words implied that they need to be more worried about him when he doesn''t speak instead of otherwise. In a way, that was a far greater threat than what he had said in Hiruzen''s office. Another way of looking at his words was that if something actually happened to Koharu, he shouldn''t be considered a suspect because he wouldn''t do something so stupid. It removed all responsibility from him while increasing the threat to Koharu several times. Before anyone could say anything, Fujin said, "Anyway, it''s been a long day and a bloody night. I''ll take my leave for now. Stay safe. If the attacker is still in the village, then he might target others as well." Without waiting for anyone''s reply, he flickered out of the building. The Anbu Guards followed him to his house. Koharu cursed under her breath, "This brat..." Senju Hiromasa chuckled and said, "The boy is still too young. Don''t take his words to heart." Shikaku agreed and said, "I haven''t seen him act like this before. I guess Danzo''s actions truly infuriated him this time. Not only did he leave Root unguarded, but he also sent someone with such a dangerous ability to spy on him." Inoichi added, "Still, his ability to control his emotions is truly unbelievable. At 15, I would have exploded in rage if someone had done that against me in the village." Hiruzen said, "I am disappointed in you, Danzo." Danzo displayed some anger and asked, "Do you want to say that my instincts are wrong?" Hiruzen replied, "It doesn''t matter what your instincts say. You are way out of line with your behavior. There is nothing suspicious about Fujin. You only showed interest in him once he became very strong." Hiruzen''s expression hardened as he said, "Fujin''s and Shikaku''s words are true. From today onwards, I can''t allow Root to operate inside the village." Danzo''s eyes widened on hearing that. He never expected Hiruzen to say something like that. His expression became grim. He was angry for real. He asked in a grim tone, "What are you implying?" Hiruzen said, "If I let you continue doing what you are right now, it is inevitable that you''ll try to eliminate him the same way you tried killing Shisui. If you hadn''t meddled back then, then perhaps the Uchiha clan would still be in the village and things might have taken a turn for the better. I can''t change what has already happened. However, if you display even a bit of intention of harming Fujin or any other ninja in the village..." Hiruzen''s expression became extremely serious as he stared into Danzo''s eye. He said, "Then I won''t show you the same mercy that I showed Orochimaru!" [A/N : Latest chapter on pat reon - An Extremely Bad Feeling!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Archit, Oliver, Anthony, Aryadath, Xylneir and Delgado for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 518 - 512 : Root’s Fate Chapter 518: Chapter 512 : Root''s Fate Danzo''s expression became even more grim on hearing Hiruzen''s words. He had known Hiruzen for too long and knew that he wasn''t bluffing. While Danzo wasn''t a weakling and wouldn''t be afraid if Fujin or even some other Kages said it, it was different with Hiruzen. He knew that even with Shisui''s eye, Hashirama''s cells and Izanagi, he wouldn''t stand much chance against Hiruzen. He asked, "You will kill someone who has worked with you for over 6 decades, given everything to the village including my limbs just because that boy accused me of something that I didn''t do?" Danzo knew Hiruzen had a soft spot for him and the other two elders. The four of them truly had been through thick and thin together. Even though Danzo did many things that opposed Hiruzen directly or indirectly, this was the first time Hiruzen had threatened him in this manner. Hiruzen didn''t back off and replied, "I wouldn''t have a choice. Fujin isn''t Shisui or Itachi. Both of them matured too quickly because of the Uchiha Coup. When you attacked Shisui, both he and Itachi thought about the village and didn''t retaliate as the Uchiha clan will get a reason for officially launching a coup. Shisui chose to take his life while Itachi kept his mouth shut. As a result, you didn''t face any consequences for your actions. Even though Fujin is mature for his age as well, he hasn''t gone through something similar. If you attack, he won''t see any reason to not retaliate and start a huge fight. A fight that will alert everyone. Once it is out in the open, I won''t have a choice but to kill you. Even if you kill Fujin without giving him a chance to retaliate, your actions would show that you''ll target every new rank S ninja that appears in Konoha irrespective of how loyal he or she is to the village. As Fujin said, your past contributions mean nothing if your current actions actively harm the village. Konoha will be better off without you if you fall that low." He took a pause before continuing, "I forgave your previous actions because I hoped that you did what you did believing that it was for the good of the village. However, your actions have long stopped being for the good of the village, Danzo. If you were to continue down this path, then I would forget our friendship and comradery and kill you with my own hands." Hiruzen''s tone was extremely serious. It was the same when he disbanded Root after the Uchiha Massacre. Danzo understood that he wouldn''t be able to change Hiruzen''s mind. Fortunately, he had a few more cards. He asked, "What about the Root Laboratory? Will you be bringing it to the open? You know very well what consequences it will have if what happens inside gets leaked to the public." Hiruzen thought for a few seconds and asked, "Do you still want to continue experimenting?" As he said, Hiruzen''s eyes lingered on Danzo''s bandaged arm. Danzo replied, "There is no one else in the village who could handle that." Danzo turned around and looked at Hiruzen once, before leaving his office without speaking a word. On this day, Danzo had lost a lot. And unlike the Uchiha incident, he didn''t think that he had committed any fault. Things just spiral out of control somehow. He was in no mood to discuss anything else with Hiruzen. As he left the office, his expression became very ugly. He thought, ''Such a terrible day. Of course, I''ll be prepared for an attack. Those bastards! I hope they attack once again. This time, I''ll catch and kill them myself even if I have to sacrifice a few eyes! I haven''t even done anything recently to attract such hatred. Also, I need to find out what happened with Torune. Why did he attack Fujin and expose his skills? As long as he hadn''t used his ability, I could have said that Fujin was making things up. But by mentioning that ability, Fujin made his words sound too convincing.'' As he thought of Fujin, Danzo''s mood worsened. He thought, ''The odd feeling I am getting about this boy has gotten even worse. I never expected him to do something like this. He gave the clans an opportunity that they had been looking for decades! Unfortunately, Hiruzen completely trusts him. I can''t do anything to him in the near future. Otherwise, Hiruzen might truly carry out his threat.'' With nothing else to do, Danzo left to see what was left of his base. He would be spending a considerable amount of time adding more seals to the Root Laboratories to ensure that they could withstand a destructive jutsu if the Root was attacked once again. Back in the Hokage''s office, Hiruzen let out a sigh. Unlike all the times he acted, he truly was tired. The Root was attacked twice in two days inside Konoha and they still hadn''t found any culprit. On the other hand, Danzo was returning back to acting however he wanted. Both incidents gave headaches to Hiruzen. He thought, ''Danzo, I truly hope you don''t do anything outrageous once again. I would hate having to kill you myself. Sigh, age hasn''t been kind to me. I can''t continue as a Hokage for long in this way. I can no longer take decisions as ruthlessly as I once did.'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aeonstorm, Galaxy-Past, Vrga, Michal, Lasse, Hakiem, ArcticRaven and Drey for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 519: Hiruzens Exhaustion Chapter 519: Hiruzen''s Exhaustion [A/N: A bit late, but found out only yesterday. RIP the legend Akira Toriyama. He will be missed. Can''t say for sure how much I''d be into anime had I not been introduced to it through DBZ as a child.] [A/N: We are back into the top 10! We ranked 9th last week with 6303 Power Stones. Let''s keep it up and stay in the top 10!] Hiruzen had carried the responsibilities of the Hokage position right from the end of the First Great Ninja War to the end of the Third Great Ninja War. The era during which he led the village was far more turbulent as compared to the relatively peaceful time Konoha currently enjoyed. Unlike today, when Suna was weak, Kiri was embroiled in a civil war and Onoki had grown old and wary, Hiruzen had to deal with the neverending schemes of the powerful Third Raikage, a young and more active Onoki, the cunning Third Mizukage and a Sunagakure that was much stronger with several rank S ninjas and promising youngsters among their ranks, all of whom eyed the Land of Fire like hungry wolves. In addition, he also had to watch out for the powerful Hanzo who led the Land of Rain. Though he hadn''t been perfect, he had led the village admirably and had ensured that Konoha stayed strong throughout despite being surrounded by enemies on all sides. He had done his duty of passing the Will of Fire to the next generation by passing the hat to Minato. When he had retired, Konoha had 7 rank S ninjas in Hiruzen, Danzo, Minato, the three Sannins and Uchiha Fugaku along with a matured Jinchuriki and a powerful group of veteran Jounins who had survived through two Great Ninja Wars. Unfortunately, the Nine Tails'' assault caused the death of Minato and Kushina and eliminated the majority of the veteran Jounins in Konoha, directly pushing Konoha from being the strongest village to a vulnerable one. Hiruzen didn''t want to let the two people who competed with Minato for the Fourth Hokage''s seat become the Hokage as Orochimaru grew increasingly dark while Fugaku was suspected to be behind the Nine Tails attack. As a result, Hiruzen had to take the Hokage seat once again. Unfortunately for him, the conditions were far worse than merely the village being vulnerable due to the losses. The powerful Uchiha clan had to be treated with suspicion due to the Nine Tails Assault. Danzo''s dreams of becoming the Hokage reignited with Minato out of the way and Jiraiya and Tsunade showing no interest in the position. He created more and more problems for Hiruzen which he failed to curb in time. And, Orochimaru became increasingly dark to a point where he was considered beyond saving and Hiruzen had to exile him. Hiruzen''s second stint as the Hokage was a mere shadow of what he had achieved during his initial reign. Being as smart and experienced as he was, he could see it clearly. Unfortunately, he hadn''t been able to handle the matters as efficiently as he could when he was younger. In his old age, he had been reluctant to be as decisive as he once was. Even after Minato''s death, Hiruzen had done well in keeping Konoha''s enemies at bay. Apart from the Hizashi incident, Konoha didn''t suffer any significant loss at the hands of enemy villages. Of course, the weak situations of the other villages were a big help. However, when it came to internal politics, Hiruzen had performed miserably during this time. Every time it felt like the village would stabilize after a lot of effort, the village would be hit by something that would set it back several years. And that ''something'' would always be an internal issue in Konoha which he should have handled long before it reached such a level. It was what exhausted Hiruzen to the point that he became tired of the job. And yet, he had no choice but to continue sitting on the post as no one who was qualified was willing to accept the responsibilities of the Hokage seat. Hiruzen couldn''t continue sitting in his office for a long time. After feeling pity for himself for some time, he got up and began dispatching the Anbu ninjas to cooperate with what Shikaku and the other clan leaders were doing. In addition, he left to see Torune and the other four Root ninjas who were with his Anbu Guards. The Anbu Guards had woken the five of them up. Fujin''s clones had only knocked them unconscious while placing seals on them. It wasn''t difficult to heal and wake them up. On seeing Hiruzen, they all became serious. Hiruzen asked some questions which they answered truthfully. On hearing them, a peculiar expression appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He thought, ''That''s it? Are they hiding something or is this all that happened?'' Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only Hiruzen thought for a bit and concluded, ''I doubt they will lie to me. Besides, they were indeed spying on Fujin. Considering Fujin''s nature, things might have developed in this manner. Regardless, I should call him tomorrow as well in case there are some differences. Hmm, leave it, he and Danzo might break into a fight. I''ll just confirm during the council meeting. Still'' Danzo replied, "It''s useless. Hiruzen and the others won''t relent even if you do something like that. They are only using this opportunity to take the Root out." Danzo looked at his subordinates and said, "Even if I have to let some of you go, don''t forget that you are a part of Root. Konoha will always need us to ensure that the village stays peaceful. In the future, the village will need us once again. At that time, I''ll call you all back and we will reform Root once again!" Danzo''s image, which was already heavenly in their hearts, improved even further. Despite facing such injustice, he still wanted to serve the village. Since he only had a few hours, Danzo spent them increasing his influence on his subordinates further. He didn''t want to let Hiruzen brainwash them like he did with his previous subordinates. Danzo had little to no chance of recruiting them once again. Unfortunately, the kids kidnapped from the Land of Water were too far away. As such, Danzo didn''t get an opportunity to brainwash them as well. Sitting in his office, Hiruzen wondered, ''What should I do with those Kiri kids? They could have stayed hidden in the Root and wouldn''t have raised any questions. But if I bring them in the open, there is a chance that their identity will be leaked. If that happens, Konoha''s reputation will plummet hard.'' He thought for a while when he suddenly had an idea. He thought, ''Yeah, this might be the best way to deal with them.'' A mischievous smile appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He looked at his guards and said, "Invite the Council Members for a meeting. Don''t invite the civilian members." [A/N: Oof! Almost 2k words chapter after a long time. Anyway, almost done with this arc. Hope you guys enjoyed how Root was dealt with. I know that Danzo isn''t dead yet, but Fujin does have a use for him (which will be explained later on in the story) due to which he doesn''t want Danzo to die so soon. Also, Danzo hasn''t really given Fujin an opportunity to eliminate him or to allow Fujin to convince Hiruzen that he needs to be eliminated immediately. Anyway, this was the last major thing before the start of the canon. There are just a few small matters that need to be dealt with in the upcoming chapters (won''t take too long as they will be dealt with very quickly). The canon will start very soon (by the end of this week)] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Lucas, ZXCVB, Drey, Nadial, Kaladin, Benjamin and Phokingchin for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 520: Sudden Responsibility Chapter 520: Sudden Responsibility [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Zero1995. You can thank him for the double release.] Within minutes, Fujin, the Clan Elders, Homura and Koharu arrived in the Council room. Hiruzen was already present there. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he said, "Since everyone is here, I will start the meeting. Today''s meeting has two agendas." In an instant, everyone was surprised. Danzo had still not arrived and yet Hiruzen said that everyone was present. They understood that one of the agendas was related to that. Fujin wondered, ''A meeting without Danzo? Interesting Now, the question is whether Hiruzen really did something or is it just an act and he''ll let Danzo continue as usual after staying in the dark for some time?'' Hiruzen said, "First, about the attack on the Root Headquarters. Despite searching for several hours, none of us have found anyone remotely suspicious. Considering how strict the security was, I doubt anyone could have escaped from the village the normal way. So, I suspect that the attacker escaped using Reverse Summoning jutsu. We still haven''t ascertained how the culprit entered the village. For the near future, we will be maintaining the highest level of vigilance. The walls will be properly manned and the number of patrol units will be increased. The Anbu can''t handle these duties without any help. So, I''ll need every clan to contribute 2 Jounins, 7 Special Jounins and 21 Chunins to help in this matter. Let me know if anyone has any objections." Hiruzen scanned around the room. No one complained. Except for Fujin, everyone had participated in the search. They all knew that it was completely pointless. It was as if the attacker had disappeared in thin air. They had reached the same conclusion as Hiruzen as well. Since no one opposed it, Hiruzen said, "Good. Of course, we can''t give up on finding and apprehending the culprit. The internal searches will continue for a week. In addition, I will be activating our spies in enemy villages. They might be our best way to understand whether any enemy is making preparations to make a big move against us. If someone is, then it''ll be safe to assume that these attacks were a distraction to keep us occupied internally while they make their real move." Everyone nodded. It was the only way they had to keep investigating the matter. If there were no such movements, then it could only be assumed that someone was acting against Danzo or the Root to fulfill a personal vendetta! Hiruzen continued, "Now, on to Elder Danzo''s matter." Hiruzen took a pause before continuing, "In light of recent events, Danzo''s ability to lead Root has come under question. Despite repeated attacks on Root and even an attack on their headquarters, he didn''t manage to find who the attacker was. Not to mention, our village lost 20 capable ninjas. I investigated the matter between Fujin and Root ninjas as well." The results were already better than what Fujin was hoping for. Though Danzo still had a few subordinates, it was impractical to expect him to lose every subordinate. He nodded and said, "Yes. Thank you for being fair." The clan leaders were happy as well. While Danzo''s interference had stopped after the Uchiha Massacre, he had started getting more active in recent times. With this decision, he won''t be able to interfere with their clans in any way. If he did, then they could raise the issue just like Fujin did. Since a precedent had been created, Hiruzen would have no choice but to act again. Hence, none of them pushed Fujin to keep pursuing the matter. Though Koharu and Homura weren''t happy, neither said anything as the two of them were outnumbered and wouldn''t be able to change Hiruzen''s mind. Hiruzen continued, "Good. There is another matter. Around a year ago, a certain disaster had happened which was witnessed by some Anbu ninjas who were returning from a mission. They managed to rescue 134 Orphans from the disaster. Since they weren''t from Konoha, I handed them to Danzo so that they could be trained and inducted into the Root once they became qualified. However, with the current developments, I''ll be taking over them as well. Instead of joining the Root, they will directly join the Anbu once they become qualified enough. Unfortunately, my hands are full and I can''t keep my attention on them until then. Since they are orphans and hence would fall under civilian ninjas, I have decided that they will be placed under Fujin''s care." Hiruzen''s words once again surprised everyone. Apart from Hiruzen, not a single person in the room knew that 134 kids were being trained in secret to join the Root. Of course, no one believed Hiruzen''s bullshit story. Just the fact that they had been recruited into the Root by Danzo implied that every one of them was talented. Fujin immediately connected the dots and thought, ''Around a year ago? Don''t tell me these maniacs continued Renjiro''s mission and kidnapped more kids from the Land of Water! Hiruzen had no choice but to give them to Root. The real identities of those kids can never be exposed! No wonder Danzo suddenly became more active around a year ago. Those 134 kids meant that Root now had a future. That is why Danzo suddenly began bothering me. If he didn''t have these kids, he would have stayed silent and in the dark like in the original story. That said Why does Hiruzen want to put this burden on me? I already have so little time to train. Now I have to watch over kids who were trained by Danzo and might want me dead? Besides, the clan leaders might truly see me as a threat now as I might have to take a share of their resources. Sigh, why can''t I catch a break?'' ------------------------- A/N: You can sponsor chapters through P@treon. Chapter 521 - 515 : Welcoming trouble with open arms Chapter 521: Chapter 515 : Welcoming trouble with open arms Fujin almost wanted to cry at how much workload he had. Unfortunately, the situation didn''t allow him to even complain. He couldn''t even ask why because Hiruzen had already given an appropriate reason. Everyone was looking at Fujin. Until the day before, Fujin didn''t have any subordinates, unlike the Clan Leaders. However, he had suddenly received an opportunity to create a force that would exceed every ninja clan in the village which couldn''t get a seat in the council and might exceed even some of the ninja clans of the clan leaders sitting in the room. All wanted to see his reaction. To their surprise, his expression displayed some annoyance and unwillingness instead of happiness. Thoughts moved at light speed in Fujin''s brain. He quickly said, "Umm, I don''t have any experience in watching over kids. Though I am an orphan myself, I was always busy training and never had the chance to interact much with others. Could you find someone more capable for the kids? They deserve better considering that they had to go through a disaster and then spend time in Root." Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Before Hiruzen could reply, Shikaku said, "You are underestimating yourself, Fujin. Don''t worry, we have full confidence in your abilities. As Lord Hokage said, there is no one better than you to handle this job. We believe that you will do it splendidly." A smile could be seen on Shikaku''s face as he thought, ''Finally a chance!'' Shikaku still hadn''t forgotten how much work Fujin had put him through. Even after Fujin joined the council, he had avoided taking any responsibilities. Finally, he had a chance to take some revenge! Meanwhile, Fujin thought, ''When the hell did Hiruzen say that? Don''t put words in his mouth!'' Unfortunately for Fujin, Hiruzen quickly followed up, "I agree with Shikaku. Don''t worry. Just do your best. I believe that the kids will benefit from having a role model like you. Besides, I''ll be making arrangements so that it isn''t too much of a problem for you." Seeing how much both of them were praising him, Fujin was lost for words. The only way for Fujin to argue against Hiruzen and Shikaku would be to prove to the council that he was terrible and irresponsible. While Fujin didn''t care what others thought of him, that went against the careful persona he had constructed and he doubted whether he could still escape the responsibility. He could do nothing but curse the two of them. He looked at Hiruzen and Shikaku and thought, ''If I''m going down, I''m taking the two of you with me!'' He muttered, "Alright. If I face any troubles..." Before Fujin could complete his sentence, Hiruzen cut him off and said, "If you are facing any troubles, or doubts or don''t understand what you should do or how you should handle the kids, you can approach Elder Homura and Elder Koharu. Both of them are very experienced in this matter." Fujin looked at Hiruzen and thought, ''This old fox! Is he taking revenge for me forcing him to act against Danzo? Oh well, bothering those two stuck-up old schemers isn''t bad either.'' Fujin didn''t particularly care who he was irritating as long as it wasn''t he who would be irritated. Seeing that Fujin wasn''t saying anything, Homura smiled and assured, "Don''t worry Fujin. You can approach us whenever you want. We will help you out." Though Koharu was still upset about the threat the previous day, she nodded as well. Hiruzen and Shikaku smirked in secret. Neither Homura nor Koharu knew what sort of trouble Hiruzen had diverted towards them. Considering the situation, Fujin nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll trouble the Elders. Thank you for looking out for me." Fujin had two thoughts while buying the larger piece of land. For one, Fujin didn''t want the area around his house to be crowded by other houses. As someone who came from Earth, he knew how quickly a city would expand outwards and even the outskirts would soon become crowded with houses in a few years or decades. The other reason was having the ability to build more houses for others in case he decided to build a faction inside Konoha. Since he had dropped that plan, the place was just lying idle for several years. Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes. However, once the kids grow up, they would want to move out and buy their own house anyway. So, that''s not a concern. Regardless, I will give you 4 plots of land adjacent to your land having a similar area. The village will also fund the construction of houses and a fence, though seals will be left to you. As for the kids being a bother, I don''t think you should be worried about that. If anything, your concerns must be the exact opposite considering their past." Fujin thought for a bit and said, "Alright. That is acceptable." He sighed and added, "Still, Grandpa... I am feeling short of time to train even after leaving Anbu. And now this responsibility..." Hiruzen chuckled and said, "I have a feeling that this will be good for you. So see it as an opportunity instead of a chore. You might get some surprises." Fujin thought, ''Yeah, it would have been great if I wanted to fight for the Hokage spot. I''m sure I could raise most of these kids to be Jounins and have their unwavering support. But I don''t have much interest in it. So this will just be a chore... Still, this is a good opportunity.'' Fujin immediately asked, "Grandpa, do you know of any seals similar to the ones we use inside storage scrolls that can increase the flow of time instead of slowing it down?" [A/N : Latest chapter on Pat reon - Kusagakure prepares for a war!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Stefan, Calbear, MSSC, Frederic, SDA, Logan, Drea and Charles for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 522 - 516 : Expanding the Territory! Chapter 522: Chapter 516 : Expanding the Territory! [A/N: Ugh, I didn''t think I''d meet a troll after writing for over 500 chapters ????? Guess I should be glad for being able to avoid them so far... Then again, I sort of found it amusing how persistent he is, lol. Anyways, as you guys know, I''m all for trolling and pranking. So it''s not something I mind. However, kindly keep it civil. After all, we are all Naruto fans here. Making sexual comments, abusing other''s mothers, abusing other readers will result in your comments getting deleted. Peace out and have a fun week :)] Hiruzen was surprised by the question. He thought for a few seconds before answering, "Not that I know of. Why do you want such a seal?" Fujin answered, "I could inscribe such seals in a room and use it to train at a much faster speed." Hiruzen''s eyes immediately widened as he understood what Fujin was thinking of. He couldn''t help but think, ''From where did he get such a crazy idea? If such a seal exists, it will completely break the power balance in the world! A large number of Jounins and even a handful of rank S ninjas could be raised in a few years. In fact, this method could be the perfect way to raise the young kids we rescued. No one will be able to point any fingers as their ages won''t match up. Unfortunately...'' Hiruzen said, "It''s a good idea. Unfortunately, such a seal doesn''t exist. Even if it did, you should be very careful of it. You wouldn''t want to spend your entire youth in a room." Though the idea was good, it was more effective for an organization like the Root. It wouldn''t be very effective in raising a future Kage as they will lack qualities other than strength. Fujin sighed and thought, ''I thought as much. Guess trying to reverse that seal is the only way. Of course, it''s easier said than done. Fortunately, I don''t need it desperately as I still have more than 4 years. If I had to forcefully create it, I guess my best bet would be to revive Tobirama and have him work on it. Unfortunately, I don''t know Edo Tensei nor can I control him to do something like this...'' He said, "Alright, Grandpa. I''ll continue training the same way." Fujin got up to leave but before he could disappear, Hiruzen said, "Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Some of the kids have Kekkei Genkai. One of your tasks will be giving them some attention and guiding them. I want them to become Elite Jounins in the future. And, another task you''ll have is ensuring that this stays a secret. Only clan leaders and Anbu can know of it, but you don''t need to take the initiative to inform them." Without waiting for Fujin''s reply, Hiruzen disappeared from the room. Fujin cursed, ''This old fox, he keeps giving me more tasks! He even ran away before I could ask for anything in return... Still, this isn''t bad. I wanted to create a Kekkei Genkai with Wind and Lightning or Wind and Fire elements. In fact, that is my next goal after my current training is complete. Unfortunately, I never had any inspiration in this direction. Perhaps watching those kids might be helpful. I guess there is some benefit in watching over those kids...'' Fujin left his house and entered the Training ground. As he had expected, he ran into Naruto who was training as well. On seeing Fujin, Naruto excitedly said, "Fujin! Are you finally done with your work?" Fujin didn''t want much distraction while he was working on the seal. So he had asked Naruto to not disturb him unless it was very important. Seeing Fujin finally leave his house, Naruto was a bit excited. Fujin nodded and said, "Done for now. Anyway, what''s up with you? And why is your right wrist bandaged?" Naruto laughed nervously and said, "There were several ninjas moving around the village for the last few days. I decided to prank them. Hehehe, you should have seen them panic. One of them got startled and accidentally hurt me." A frown appeared on Fujin''s face. While he didn''t care that much for Naruto, he didn''t want to see him getting bullied, especially by grown-up ninjas. The poor guy already had a rather miserable childhood. He asked, "Who did it? And how exactly did he hurt you?" Seeing Fujin serious, Naruto immediately explained, "No no, it''s fine. That person was wearing a mask, so I don''t know who he was. He only appeared next to me suddenly and grabbed my hand very tightly. But when he saw me, he quickly apologized and took me to the hospital to heal me. He also paid all the expenses and just told me to not do that again." A weird expression appeared on Naruto''s face as he said, "Actually, he was very polite and apologized several times and ensured that I was fine. I don''t think anyone has been that polite with me. But he didn''t tell me what his name was." Fujin was slightly surprised. He thought, ''I see. I guess Naruto just startled them. Since they were tense, they assumed it to be one of the culprits and took action rapidly. Anyway, being able to startle Anbu is good. It looks like Naruto has made some progress recently.'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Charles, Blue Bird, Roporien, Juan and Ikenna for supporting me on [email protected]ow current novels at novelhall.com) Chapter 523: Wind Domain Chapter 523: Wind Domain Fujin said, "Alright. Next time, don''t prank a ninja when he is very busy. It''s fine to prank the ones idling around though. Anyway, how many of those masked ninjas were there?" Naruto said, "There were 8." Fujin chuckled and said, "Being able to prank 2 squads of Anbu. Hehe, that''s good progress." Naruto asked in a confused tone, "Anbu?" Fujin replied, "They are the ones wearing the mask. Don''t prank them in the future. Their jobs are quite tense and they might not hold back." As someone whose killing instincts were honed during his time in the Anbu, Fujin was well aware of how cold and quick Anbu could be. Pranking them was generally not a good idea. Naruto obediently said, "Alright. I won''t prank them." He looked towards Fujin''s house with some interest and asked, "What is happening with your house? Are you making it even bigger?" Fujin chuckled and said, "Lord Hokage wants me to look after some orphan students. They''ll be moving over once everything is constructed." Suddenly, Fujin had an idea. He smiled and said, "Once they do, maybe you could make several friends." Fujin chuckled internally while thinking, ''Root''s training makes a ninja very antisocial and a bit robotic. While Hiruzen''s brainwashing should have some influence, I doubt it''ll compare to what Naruto can achieve. This guy literally talked Nagato into reviving the ones he killed Besides, I can encourage Naruto to teach them how to prank. Hehehe. I''ll have an army of minions to unleash on the village. I wonder what an army of talented brats trained by Root and influenced by Naruto will do to the village.'' While Fujin was scheming to unleash a different type of hell on Konoha, Naruto was lost in his own thoughts. Involuntarily, he asked, "I am an orphan too. Can I move here as well?" Fujin was caught off guard by the question. A look of surprise appeared on his face as he muttered, "You want to move in here?" Naruto immediately answered, "Yes!"Updated from A smile appeared on Fujin''s face after seeing the destruction. Very few ninjas would be able to defend against such an attack. Of course, it did have the drawback of needing a very high amount of chakra. It used up half of the chakra that he had emitted in the air. But considering the devastation, Fujin felt that it was appropriate. He moved both his hands forward as if he was grabbing something. Immediately, 8 Ghostly Palms made of wind appeared around him. Under Fujin''s control, the Ghost Palms swept away the debris within the Wind Domain and sent them flying in all directions. Soon after, they transformed into small wind blades as well before dissipating into the air. Fujin tried a few more things until he was satisfied. A grin appeared on his face as he thought, ''Wind Domain is finally good enough to be used against rank S ninjas. However, there are still a couple of flaws I need to look out for and one improvement I still need to make. If I go up against someone who can absorb chakra like Kisame or Pain, then I''ll just be gifting them my chakra. The only way to avoid it is by turning my chakra completely into Wind blades. But, no matter how efficient I am, some chakra always gets left even in the Wind blades. Otherwise, the Wind Blades just collapse. Forming an attack purely of wind without any chakra involved is almost impossible. The only way I can think of is to improve my physique to such a level that I can replicate Guy''s air punches that he used against Madara with my sword. Something similar to what Swordsmen in One Piece did. That said, if my Physique reaches such a level, why would I need to depend on Wind Domain? I can just pummel them to death. I guess the only way to properly counter this would be learning Senjutsu. That will make absorbing it a folly. Until then, I will just have to rely on teleporting Samehada or the chakra-absorbing Pain away. Of course, that is if I have to engage in a life-and-death battle with them. Otherwise, I can just run away. The other flaw is the amount of chakra the Wind Domain needs. I had to pour half my chakra into creating the Wind Domain just now. In a battle, I should limit myself to 10%. I can increase it depending on the battle situation. As for the improvement, I still haven''t been able to create Vacuum cores inside the Wind Domain. Luckily, the current destruction is pretty good already. I can leave this matter for later.'' Fujin stretched his body for a bit before deciding, ''I will pause the Wind Domain training for a long time now. And, I still can''t leave the village. I guess it''s time to ask Hiruzen''s help again. While I didn''t need a reason, considering the huge responsibility he has put on my shoulders, he can''t refuse, hehe.'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 524: Fire and Earth Combat Systems Chapter 524: Fire and Earth Combat Systems Without wasting any time, Fujin flickered towards Hokage''s building and entered his office. Surprisingly, Hiruzen wasn''t in his office and Fujin instead saw Takao arranging some files. Takao greeted Fujin and asked, "It''s been a while, Fujin. Are you here to see Lord Hokage?" Fujin nodded and asked, "Yeah, where is he?" Takao answered, "He went to the Anbu Headquarters for some work. He" Without waiting for him to be done speaking, Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll find him there." He immediately disappeared without waiting for Takao who continued his sentence "He will be back in a couple of hours" Unfortunately, he only spoke to the air. Takao cursed, ''Why do I even bother? He didn''t even ask whether he could go or not and directly left!'' Fujin entered the Anbu Headquarters while thinking, ''Is he influencing those kids again? Well, whatever, that doesn''t need much chakra.'' Updated from Finding Hiruzen wasn''t difficult. As Fujin expected, he was drilling the Will of Fire into them. In the past month, most of Danzo''s influence on them was already wiped out. Their belief in the Will of Fire even exceeded an average Konoha ninja''s belief in it! By the time Hiruzen handed them over to him, Fujin had little doubt that those poor kids would believe in the Will of Fire fanatically! A few Anbu noticed Fujin but didn''t say anything as he regularly entered to meet with Eagle and was a former Anbu Captain. Hiruzen noticed him as well and suddenly had a bad feeling. He thought, ''Why does it feel like he is here to ask something from me again?'' Unknowingly, Hiruzen got a bit tense. He cursed Homura whose idea it was to arrange rewards for the top academy student in each year. It had caused him numerous headaches over the last few years. Thankfully, Hiruzen had stopped it. Unfortunately, it was already too late to do anything about Fujin for whom it had become normal. Fujin waited for a couple of minutes for Hiruzen to be done with the kids he was talking to and flickered next to him. Hiruzen smiled and asked, "Good to see you, Fujin. Are you here to meet the kids as well?" Fujin looked towards the kids standing close to Hiruzen and smiled. He answered, "I''ll be seeing them for several years, Grandpa. It''ll be better for them to enjoy your company right now. Anyway, I need your help." Hiruzen complained internally, ''He didn''t even pretend'' This was the first time anyone approached Hiruzen to ask for his help without making any efforts themselves! To make it worse, Fujin said as if it was the most natural thing in the world! It was as if he didn''t see anything wrong or inappropriate in it. Hiruzen''s clone bitterly wondered, ''What exactly did I do to deserve this in my old age? Not only do I have to look after the village and maintain peace between clans while having to deal with Danzo''s mess, but I also have to teach anyone who asks me for help? What if others decide to follow Fujin''s example in the future? How many clones will I need to use all the time? When will those ungrateful students of mine return and allow this old man to retire?'' Unfortunately for him, no one was interested in hearing about his troubles. He could only be grateful for the fact that Fujin did not spread this news around and didn''t tempt others to do the same. Otherwise, his peaceful days would truly be over. Hiruzen''s clone sighed and said, "Fujin, I have already said that in order to develop properly and grow stronger in the future, you need to work on such things yourself. It''s fine if you face a problem and want my help, but you should work on it first yourself. Asking for my help should be when you are left with no choice." Fujin nodded obediently. Unfortunately, his words were anything but obedient as he replied, "I know Grandpa. I have thought this through properly. I have no interest in developing Fire or Earth natures any further. After having spent so many years training Wind Manipulation, I have a feeling that I might be able to advance it far further than anyone else. And doing that will require a lot of time, perhaps even decades. In the future, I''ll be busy with it and I don''t think I''ll have any time left to develop Fire and Earth natures. So, I decided to skip the long process of developing the combat systems around them and directly ask for your help. This way, I can train those two natures to a high level in a short time and then focus entirely on Wind nature. I could have thought of which jutsus to learn from the library, but I figured that it''d be best to directly ask you. That way, I won''t take any wrong turns." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You nuubman, Dchungz, Ebuka, No Name, No_Name_Marco, Devanon, AWG and for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 525 - 519 : Learning from the Master! Chapter 525: Chapter 519 : Learning from the Master! As he spoke, a smile appeared on Fujin''s face. His expression and words displayed that he had full confidence and trust in Hiruzen. While Hiruzen''s clone thought of a few arguments, seeing Fujin''s expression, he understood that no matter how he argued, he would eventually have to agree to train Fujin. He sighed internally accepting his fate of performing another thankless task! The reason why Hiruzen''s clone relented so easily is that he understood that Fujin had a point. One ninja had limited time and energy. Mastering several elements to the extreme was an impossible task. Hiruzen, despite having trained for over 6 decades, wouldn''t claim to be the best in every element. He specialized more in Fire and Earth Release as compared to the other three elements. Even if a ninja learnt how to use all 5 elements, they would still gravitate towards one or two elements that they would master to the limit. One good example of this was Kakashi. Kakashi was one of the few ninjas who could use all 5 elements. However, he specialized only in Lightning. In addition, he was very good at Water and Earth as well even though they weren''t at the same level as his Lightning. But he only used 2 or 3 jutsus while using the Fire element and barely ever used any Wind jutsus. In Hiruzen''s eyes, Fujin''s decision to rely on him to directly increase his Fire and Earth mastery to a high level was a smart decision. The only issue was that Fujin was asking him to put in the hard work! Had he bothered someone else, Hiruzen would have been as supportive as he could be! Hiruzen''s clone asked, "What can you do currently with Fire and Earth?" Fujin answered, "For fire, my main attacking jutsu is the Searing Migraine jutsu which I use along with the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu to create a combination jutsu. I haven''t used any other jutsu for a while even though I know Great Fireball, Fire Release: Five, Fireproof, and Fire Dragon Flame Bullet jutsus as well. For Earth, my main focus is on defense and evasion. The jutsus I generally use are Earth Wall, Iron Skin, and Earth Instantaneous Body jutsus. In addition, I also know Rampart of Flowing Soil jutsu and can create camps." Hiruzen''s clone thought, ''Hmm, not bad. These jutsus complement Wind Release extremely well. It also gives him a good base to start with.'' He asked, "I know you didn''t plan it, but do you have any specific ideas in mind or should I teach you what I think will be appropriate for you?" Fujin thought for a bit and replied, "I haven''t thought of anything particular in Fire. So I''ll depend on you. As for Earth, I haven''t thought of much either. The only thing that intrigued me was Tsuchikage''s ability to fly by controlling or changing weights. If I can learn that, then it''ll be very helpful." The ability to fly at will was something Fujin wanted for a long time. While he could use Assassin''s Rush jutsu to stay in the air for some time, it exhausted his chakra at a terrifying speed! If he could fly like Onoki, then very few ninjas would be able to resist his Wind or Fire-Wind combination jutsus. As a result, Katsuhiro was on his own. Of course, he still believed himself to be a better option than Fujin and completed the proposal and reached Fujin''s office. He entered the office and saw Yasushi and Haruma, who immediately recalled the bad memories related to him. However, this time Katsuhiro restrained himself. Fujin''s status in the past couple of months had undergone a massive change. While he still desired Fujin''s seat, he no longer dared to openly offend him. He handed a few files and said, "This is the proposal. Hand it to Fujin and ask him to contact me as soon as he can." Yasushi accepted the files and said, "We will get it to him as soon as we can, Katsuhiro-sama." Katsuhiro nodded and left. Once he had gone a long distance away, Haruma chuckled and said, "He is no longer arrogant while talking to us. Last time he pressured us so much!" Yasushi chuckled as well and said, "Of course. Fujin is a Grandmaster at Fuinjutsu and is probably a rank S ninja as well. I still recall his clones scouting through the village. Even though Katsuhiro is strong, he will no longer dare to show any hostility towards Fujin." Haruma nodded and added, "Not to mention, he is already old, while Fujin is still in his teens. He will continue growing stronger. Anyway..." A grin formed on his face as he asked, "How long do you think Fujin will make Katsuhiro wait this time?" Yasushi glanced at Haruma. The two immediately broke into laughter. Ever since Fujin sent a Shadow Clone to meet Katsuhiro after making him wait for over a month and a half, it had become something that Yasushi and Haruma joked about frequently. If it wasn''t for the fact that they were still a bit fearful of him, the two would have spread the news of their meeting all over the village! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Hubert, Ganbayar, DoubleD, AWG, Njordt Mo Hassi for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 526: Dressing Down! Chapter 526: Dressing Down! Despite joking around, the two of them informed Fujin about Katsuhiro handing in the proposal in the evening along with some other reports. Fujin was slightly surprised. Over the last month, he was so engrossed in training that he nearly forgot about Katsuhiro. He said, "I''ll look into it when I visit the office this Saturday. If he tries to pressure you two again, let me know." Yasushi said, "We will." He and Haruma quickly left. Fujin wondered, ''Why did he take so long to come up with a proposal?'' After thinking for a bit, Fujin concluded, ''I guess he was assigned to several missions during the chaos that followed after my attack on Root, preventing him from working on it. Oh well, whatever. I''ll look into it later.'' Fujin put the matter out of his head and continued his training routine. With Danzo no longer in the council, Fujin didn''t see Katsuhiro as much of a threat. Besides, the clan leaders owed Fujin a great favor for giving them an opportunity to deal with Danzo. Fujin doubted any of them would go against him due to such a matter. At most, they would reject the proposal. As long as he didn''t push it too hard, no one would care much. Regardless, he didn''t intend to let Katsuhiro have an easy time. Katsuhiro would get a taste of bureaucracy that was from a whole different world! On the next Saturday, Fujin sent a Shadow Clone to check out the proposal while handling other matters as well. Needless to say, he decided to handle Katsuhiro''s proposal only after he was done with every other matter that had reached his office over the last couple of weeks. Katsuhiro, who was waiting patiently at his house, frowned. He thought, ''Today is a Saturday. He didn''t show up on the previous Saturday. So Fujin should have gone to the office today. But why hasn''t he called me yet? Don''t tell me he will make me wait for another month again!'' Anger flashed on Katsuhiro''s face due to being repeatedly disrespected. It was soon followed by a helpless expression. With Fujin''s recent fame and with Danzo no longer backing him, Katsuhiro was left without any options. In fact, he had begun questioning whether such a proposal would help him take Fujin''s spot at all. Unfortunately, he had no option but to wait. This chapter is updated by Fujin''s clone only reached Katsuhiro''s proposal very late in the evening. Yasushi and Haruma exchanged several glances as they understood that Fujin was purposefully doing so. While reading the proposal, a surprised look appeared on the clone''s face. He wondered, ''That''s weird Though the proposal is good, it has a few major flaws. Hmm, I can understand some of these flaws as this would put me against the clan leaders in a very aggressive manner. If Danzo is still supporting Katsuhiro, I can understand why he would want to do this. But, if Danzo was the one to make this proposal, there is no way he would leave such a big flaw This proposal will be thrown out in a heartbeat.'' Fujin''s clone continued reading as he said, "Send someone to call Katsuhiro here." Yasushi immediately dispatched a messenger. Minutes later, Katsuhiro appeared in Fujin''s office. He had nearly given up hoping that Fujin would call him that day. When he finally received the message, he hurried, afraid that Fujin might run away and leave him hanging if he delayed. Of course, he didn''t show those emotions on his face and maintained a stoic expression. He asked, "Did you go through the proposal?" Fujin''s clone nodded and replied, "I''m disappointed. I had better expectations from you." Yasushi nodded and said, "Yeah, this was very exciting. Inoichi-sama was way too polite when compared to Fujin. Hehehe, his face was worth watching!" Haruma laughed along with Yasushi and said, "That''s what he deserves for putting us under so much pressure back then!" While Haruma and Yasushi enjoyed the interaction, the same couldn''t be said of Katsuhiro. He could barely contain his anger at being humiliated in such a manner by someone so junior to him! Unknown to Fujin, the way he dealt with Katsuhiro resulted in him getting a couple of fans! Katsuhiro returned home and opened his proposal. The more he looked at it, the more he was reminded of Fujin''s words. In anger, he punched the desk, breaking it into two and cursed, "Suzuki Fujin! I''ll show you! Your seat will be mine soon! I''ll create a proposal that the village would be forced to accept and then I''ll take that seat on the council!" Spirited, Katsuhiro spent all night thinking about how he could improve the proposal further. Unfortunately, he was assigned a rank S mission by Hiruzen that would keep him out of the village for a couple of months the very next morning! Fujin didn''t bother thinking about Katsuhiro and continued his training. A few days later, a wide grin could be seen on Fujin''s face! He broke out into a burst of laughter. He had finally completed an extremely difficult task! A task that only two other ninjas were known to have achieved in the history of the ninja world! After some time, Fujin stopped laughing and his expression became serious. At that very moment, he suddenly disappeared and appeared next to a pillar, with his hand on the Flying Thunder God mark on that pillar. He immediately disappeared and flashed next to three other pillars before disappearing again and again before finally stopping. With joy on his face, Fujin muttered, "I have mastered the fucking Flying Thunder God jutsu! And just in time as well!" While Fujin was joyful in his basement, another important event was happening in the village. Iruka looked at Naruto and said, "Naruto, perform the Clone jutsu!" [A/N: End of Volume 5!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You K0D4S, Kabir, Matt, Tassapol, Roodarnley and Lazy Dragon... nah just lazy for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 527: Perverted Old Man! Chapter 527: Perverted Old Man! [A/N : We got 6657 Power Stones and reached rank 8th last week!!! Keep it up guys!] In his basement, Fujin analyzed, ''I can finally move quick enough through the void to not have to resist the pressure from the Void Dimension. However, I still need to improve the number of times I can teleport continuously. Right now, I can do it only 4 times before needing to stop. However, Minato could probably teleport hundreds of times within a second. It''s why he was called the Yellow Flash! Another aspect I need to work on is teleporting others with me at the same speed. I need to resist the pressure if I take a Shadow Clone with me. Oh well, these aspects will improve as I practice more. It''s not something I need to be worried about. For now, I should check on Naruto. Today is his Graduation exam. The last time I met him, he still wasn''t able to perform the Clone jutsu. That said, his Taijutsu has improved a lot thanks to sparring with my clones occasionally. And, he knows 4 Wind jutsus. I wonder if the academy will make an exception for him and let him pass'' Fujin hoped that wasn''t the case. Naruto would steal the Scroll of Seals after he failed. While Fujin seriously doubted that Hiruzen would let him take the real one, Fujin didn''t want to give up that small chance in case Naruto really did perform a miracle. Besides, this was also the time that Naruto would be learning about Nine Tails. Fujin created a Shadow Clone and sent him to keep an eye on Naruto after applying several stealth seals on him. In the academy, Naruto weaved hand signs and shouted, "Clone jutsu!" Immediately, two clones appeared next to him. Unfortunately, both were terrible and looked almost dead. Iruka shook his head and said, "Naruto, you fail!" Naruto''s mood immediately became very depressed. At that moment, Mizuki said, "Iruka-sensei. This is his third time and he did manage to create two clones, even though they were a bit flawed. Besides, his performance in Taijutsu and remaining Ninjutsu was very good. Why don''t we let him Graduate?" Iruka refuted, "He only created two and both are terrible. He has to create three to pass. This is a basic requirement of the academy. I can''t pass him." Just like in the original story, Naruto failed to graduate. A depressed Naruto went back to his seat. He thought, ''Even after training so much and after Fujin helped me so much, I still failed! Fujin will be disappointed in me.'' Naruto was even more depressed than in the original story as this time someone had helped him. Fujin''s clone appeared sometime later and noticed him sitting dejected while the other students were undergoing their tests. He thought, ''Looks like he still failed. Oh well, I guess I just need to wait." The clone kept hiding and witnessed the events play out. It had been over a decade since he transmigrated to this world. And it had been years since he had read the entire manga even before he transmigrated. So apart from the important events, Fujin had forgotten most of the minute details. Witnessing the events play out made Fujin recall some of those memories that were hidden deep within his brain! As he recalled, Naruto was contacted by Mizuki while he was leaving. The clone dispelled himself after seeing Naruto leave with Mizuki. Fujin received the memories of the clone and wondered, ''That''s strange Why didn''t Naruto try to find me after failing? Even while he was leaving, he wasn''t moving towards my house Is he embarrassed to approach me after he failed?'' Updated from Fujin felt that to be the case but wasn''t entirely sure. While Naruto was easy to read, his childhood was extremely brutal even in this messed-up world. Fujin wouldn''t say that he''d be able to understand the psychology of such a person perfectly having never gone through something like that himself. Fujin stretched his body and thought, ''I should sleep early. If events happen just as in the original story, then Naruto will steal the scroll tonight. I need to get up early and find him so that I can ''borrow'' the scroll.'' Fujin went to bed. A few hours later, Naruto snuck into Hiruzen''s house and stole the Scroll of Sealing successfully. Fujin broke out into laughter and said, "You defeated Grandpa Hokage by transforming into an adolescent girl? Hahahaha! I didn''t know that the respected Lord Hokage was this perverted. What an unexpected surprise. Anyway, which jutsu are you practicing?" Naruto replied, "It is the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu." Fujin said, "Oh, that''s a powerful jutsu. Continue your training. I''ll check the scroll and see if I can give you some tips to improve faster." Naruto''s face brightened up. He said, "You are the best, Fujin!" He continued his training. Fujin grabbed the scroll and opened it while thinking, ''Stare all you want you old fox! If this is the real deal, then I''m copying it entirely while you watch from that perverted ball!'' Fujin had already felt Hiruzen''s gaze. So he knew the chances of the scroll being legit were low. Regardless, there was no reason why he shouldn''t mess with Hiruzen! Sitting in his room, Hiruzen had a helpless expression as he watched through the crystal ball. He cursed, ''This brat! First, he calls me perverted despite knowing that I did it purposefully. And then he brazenly opens the Scroll of Seals despite knowing that I''m watching? He has grown too brazen! Thankfully the scroll is a fake! Otherwise, I would have had a real headache to deal with.'' Hiruzen was looking forward to Fujin''s disappointed reaction. However, there was none. Fujin opened the scroll and thought, ''As I guessed This scroll isn''t the real deal. It only has Multi Shadow Clone jutsu and the Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu. That old fox set this whole thing up to make Naruto graduate so that he could be placed under Kakashi along with Sasuke. I wonder if he knew Mizuki''s intentions all along. Or did he just eavesdrop on their conversation and decide to do this? Doesn''t matter I suppose. I guess I''ll be giving Ibiki a gift today. Now that I think about it, I haven''t given him any gift since the mission where I clashed with Kitsuchi!'' [A/N: One thing. I have said several times (though I haven''t repeated this for quite some time) that I am not a fan of writing down what happened in canon in the story if there are no changes. One of the things that I hated while I read fanfics was when the same events in Canon were written down in the fanfic with little to no change. Everyone who is reading Naruto Fanfics would have already read/seen the original story, making this quite pointless. So, when I began writing, I decided to never do that. However, when I was writing the Uchiha Massacre, I realized that I would have to include some of the scenes that happened in the manga in this story as well to keep the story coherent and ensure that the story has a proper flow. So, you might see some repetition from the manga, but I will be keeping this to a bare minimum (like how this chapter had Mizuki & Iruka conversing, though there was a slight change due to Fujin''s influence on Naruto). In normal cases, I''ll only write it if there is a change to the story that didn''t happen in the canon and I feel would add to the story. If there is no change and I don''t see a need to mention it in the story (which will be quite frequent), then I''ll just say something like - ''The events played out just like in the original story''. Anyway, if you feel like I am including too much of the manga content and should decrease it or vice versa, then let me know in the future.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Trempor, Willydasilva, ImMrRev and Javier for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 528 - 522 : Did you really believe that? Chapter 528: Chapter 522 : Did you really believe that? Fujin hung around for a couple of hours while monitoring and occasionally guiding Naruto. He didn''t need to do much as the scroll was absurdly detailed! Hiruzen had pulled out all the stops to ensure that Naruto would be able to learn it in a day. When the Sun rose, Fujin thought, ''I should leave. Iruka and Mizuki will soon come looking for him...'' He looked at Naruto and said, "Naruto, you are doing well. Continue training hard and you''ll master this jutsu in a few hours. I have some work, I''ll see you later. You can use this training ground." Naruto looked back at Fujin and said, "Thank you, Fujin. I''ll master Multi Shadow Clone jutsu, believe it!" Fujin smiled and disappeared. Suddenly, Naruto recalled and exclaimed, "I almost forgot! He promised to teach me this jutsu after I graduate! Hehe, I need to master this jutsu quickly." He continued his training. He was already capable of creating imperfect Shadow Clones when Fujin left. In the next couple of hours, he had completely mastered the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu! A kid who couldn''t master the rank E Clone jutsu had mastered the forbidden Multi Shadow Clone jutsu within a single night! Just like in the original story, Iruka found Naruto soon after and was attacked by Mizuki who revealed to Naruto that he was the Demon Fox who assaulted the village 12 years ago before attacking him! Iruka took the blow for him before Naruto escaped. The secret he just learnt shocked Naruto. He involuntarily wanted to escape towards Fujin''s house but could only escape in the opposite direction as Mizuki was standing in the way. As he hid in the forest, he wondered, ''Grandpa Hokage knew this and still hid it from me? What about Fujin? Does he know that I am the Demon Fox? If he doesn''t, will he still treat me nicely after he learns the truth?'' Naruto was scared. He was always confused and sad, not understanding why everyone hated him. Now that he learnt the truth, he didn''t understand what to do. He stayed hidden while occasionally changing his situation, confused about what he should be doing. Unknown to him, he was watched by the watchful eyes of a certain someone through the crystal ball while another individual kept track of him using a Space-Time Technique. Fujin, who received some memories from his Shadow Clones, was speechless as he wondered in marvel, ''Wow! From where exactly did Hiruzen find these jokers? Does he have a list of terrible ninjas with low intelligence? Or are they in on the play too? No, he won''t involve so many people in such a scheme. There is no doubt...'' Fujin''s clones observed the ninjas Hiruzen dispatched to find Naruto. Despite being Chunins, they could barely be considered as one. Most were actually inferior as they hadn''t been active for quite some time. Not a single one among those ninjas was a sensor or excelled in tracking. To Fujin''s surprise, not a single one among them ever wondered why Hiruzen sent them to find Naruto and not his Anbu or any Ninja that actually excelled in searching and tracking. The only good thing they did was ensure that they didn''t look in the same area. Fujin thought, ''I didn''t think that a Hokage would keep a list of such people as well. I wonder if he kept it just for a moment like this or if he just did it for fun so that he could entertain himself occasionally...'' Knowing Hiruzen''s nature, Fujin strongly felt that it was the latter! While they were searching for him, Naruto continued changing his location until he heard someone falling. He quickly looked in that direction while staying hidden and noticed Iruka and Mizuki who soon began talking. After a few exchanges, Mizuki said, "I can use that scroll to achieve the same kind of limitless power! The Demon Fox within him hungers for the same kind of power. You were right to fear and despise him." Needless to say, Mizuki got his ass beaten terribly. After a brutal beating, he was knocked out cold and lay on the ground. Naruto looked at his body and laughed awkwardly, "Hehe, I went too far!" Fujin flickered next to him and chuckled, "Don''t worry about it. He''s going to be far worse soon." Naruto was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?" Fujin replied, "The price to pay for trying to betray the village is very costly. No need to think about it. I''ll handle it. Anyway, you fought very well. While I believed that you would have won, I didn''t anticipate such a one-sided fight." Naruto giggled on hearing the praise. Iruka was smiling as well. Naruto asked, "Does it mean that I''m a Genin now?" Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you really believe that?" Naruto was stunned. Fujin continued, "I have no authority in the academy. So, I''m afraid that you''ll have to stay in the academy for another year. The good news is that since you have mastered this jutsu, you''ll graduate easily next year." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank you Migratory, Oliver, Alphahail, Levitress, Rube?n, Nate, Stephon, Jonathan, Satyendra, Jack, Z2567, Frank and Ryan for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Prahasth for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 529: Helping an Old Man Chapter 529: Helping an Old Man [A/N: Important notice - 1. If you haven''t done so yet, do follow me on p@treon. Even if you can''t support me monetarily, join as a free member. Updates such as delay notices and some others are posted there. 2. Read today''s public post on p@treon. It has something that a lot of you have been asking for a long time :) For the ones who read this chapter in the future, it''s the public post made on 9th March, 2024. The title of the post is ''Suzuki Fujin''] Fujin''s words completely caught Naruto off guard. Disbelief was visible on his face! He didn''t know how to react for a few seconds. As soon as he gathered his thoughts together, he jumped and argued loudly, "Hey! That''s not fair! I have learnt the jutsu and I even beat him! Also, you promised! You can''t go back on your word!" Seeing Naruto panic and complain in such a manner, Fujin couldn''t control himself and began laughing out loud. Even Iruka smiled and thought, ''So he was the one guiding Naruto. No wonder he has been training in the Training Ground opposite his house.'' Naruto realized that Fujin had pranked him once again, causing him to pout in annoyance. Fujin said, "Don''t worry kiddo, I was just kidding. I''ll be taking Mizuki and the scroll with me. Come visit me during dinner. Iruka, I''ll leave Naruto in your care for now." Naruto nodded and handed him the scroll. Fujin grabbed Mizuki and flickered away. Just like in the original story, Iruka passed his Forehead protector to Naruto and treated him to Ichiraku. As for Fujin, he first dropped off Mizuki in Ibiki''s office. Just when he was about to leave, Mizuki woke up. On seeing Ibiki, he was horrified. While he wasn''t aware of the vast gap between him and Fujin''s strength, he was very aware of Ibiki''s horrible reputation. Fujin chuckled and said, "It looks like he is already loving his new home. I''ll leave him in your capable hands, Ibiki-san." Ibiki chuckled and said, "Don''t worry about it. I''ll take good care of him." Just those words were too much of a mental torture for Mizuki. He looked viciously at Fujin and said spitefully, "Don''t think that you will be safe for long. It is only a matter of time before that demon fox goes on a rampage once again!" Fujin looked into his eyes, chuckled and said, "Once again, you should be more concerned about yourself, Mizuki." Fujin turned around and began leaving. Mizuki felt that Fujin was just mocking him about the torture he would have to experience in Konoha''s Torture & Interrogation department. However, to his surprise, he suddenly felt pain in his abdomen. He held his abdomen while grimacing in pain. Suddenly, the pain increased beyond what he could endure. He collapsed to the ground while yelling. It felt like something was drilling out of his stomach. In addition, he felt like several insects were crawling under his skin. The pain kept increasing far beyond what he could bear but somehow he didn''t pass out. His eyes widened in horror as he saw maggots tearing the skin on his forearms and legs and crawling up his body. Seconds later, maggots drilled out of his abdomen making him scream hysterically! The maggots that were crawling up his arms reached his face and began eating his face. He could no longer endure and finally lost consciousness! Unfortunately, there wasn''t anything Hiruzen could say. Fujin''s reply was just too perfect. He chuckled and said, "These old bones can still hold on for some time. Don''t worry." Fujin smiled and said, "I know, Grandpa. That''s why I knew it''d be fake. That said, I can still help you keep the real one safe if you want. If it''ll take some pressure off your shoulders, I''d be happy to endure it for you." Hiruzen looked at Fujin with a deadpan expression. Knowing how many jutsus Fujin asked him for, it didn''t take a genius to understand what Fujin wanted to do. He replied, "It''s fine. It isn''t much pressure considering everything else. If you want, you can hang on to this scroll." It was Fujin''s turn to be speechless. He wondered, ''What the hell am I supposed to do with it?'' He smiled and said, "I think I''ll pass." Hiruzen nodded and said, "You did a good job apprehending the traitor. I''ll look into him now." Fujin nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll see you later." He was about to leave when Hiruzen said, "Wait!" Fujin stopped and turned around. Hiruzen said, "Did you think about whether you would like to become a sensei?" Hiruzen had asked Fujin about this matter some time ago but Fujin hadn''t given a clear answer. Fujin asked, "Aren''t the Jounin sensei already decided?" Hiruzen answered, "I do have several in mind but nothing has been finalized yet other than Kakashi''s squad. Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke will be under his tutelage. As for the others, they haven''t been finalized yet. I can appoint you as the Jounin sensei for team 8 which will have Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata and Aburame Shino or team 10 which will have Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Choji. All 6 of them are children of clan leaders. While their parents didn''t say anything, they would like you to guide one of the squads." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You James, Bananamaneater, K, Dominic, RedThe2nd, Tiger and Nyd. Studio for supporting me on [email protected] chapter is updated by Chapter 530 - 524 : The ’Truth’ Chapter 530: Chapter 524 : The ''Truth'' [A/N: Check today''s public post as well.] Fujin was slightly surprised. He thought, ''He is willing to give me the squad that was supposed to be given to Asuma? If I can guide one of those squads, my influence in the village will increase considerably. Along with those kidnapped orphans that I''ll be looking after and my seat on the council, I could be a major contender for Hokage post the Fourth Great Ninja War. Unfortunately, the position of Hokage will be quite meaningless by then. There isn''t much I can gain from it. Besides, if I have to look after a group of Genins, then it''ll take up a major portion of my time. And, time is something I am extremely short of! It''ll eat into my training time and I won''t be able to visit Phantom Haven easily until they graduate. It will also interfere with several of my future plans.'' Fujin replied, "I am still very busy with my training, Grandpa. And, I will also have to look after the orphans very soon as the construction is almost complete. While I would have liked to guide promising young kids, I can''t accept that responsibility for the time being." Hiruzen sighed and said, "That is a pity but I understand. Continue focusing on your training." "I will" Fujin replied with a smile and disappeared from the room. Hiruzen muttered internally, ''Such dedication towards training is very good. If only he had been a few years older...'' New novel chapters are published on Hiruzen''s expression became serious as he thought, ''That said, I didn''t expect Fujin to be so interested in the Scroll of Seals. Was he interested in a particular jutsu or did he just want to learn dangerous jutsus to expand his jutsu repertoire?'' Hiruzen couldn''t be sure. He stopped thinking about it after a while. Though Fujin was brazen, he had just taken advantage of an opportunity and hadn''t tried something by himself. Despite the greed he usually displayed, Hiruzen didn''t think that Fujin would do something like what Orochimaru did. Of course, if he knew that Fujin was the one responsible for the tense situation the village was in for the last couple of months, who knows what he would have thought? As Fujin left the office, he thought, ''That was a shame. I was hoping Hiruzen would give me the scroll. Of course, it wouldn''t be for safekeeping, but rather to give me an opportunity to learn the jutsus inside. Oh well, I guess he doesn''t want me to have access to the darker jutsus like the Edo Tensei. Knowing what happened with Orochimaru, I am not surprised with his decision.'' Fujin was hoping that Hiruzen would provide him with the same opportunity as Naruto. Though Hiruzen hadn''t, Fujin wasn''t offended. After all, Hiruzen had helped him a lot and even provided him with all the information on the Flying Thunder God jutsu along with several other jutsus. The matter of refusing to train the kids was also a missed opportunity. Though Fujin realized it, one person had limited energy and time. After weighing his options, he could only give up on it and continue forward on his original path without thinking about it for a second time. Later that day, Naruto arrived at Fujin''s house. Fujin opened the door and said, "Already received the headband? Congrats on passing, Naruto." Naruto smiled and said, "Thank you, Fujin. It was thanks to you." Naruto was genuinely grateful. Not only Fujin had taught him Wind jutsus and improved his chakra control, but he had also provided him with an opportunity to graduate after he had failed and even defended him when Mizuki was trash-talking about him. Fujin chuckled and said, "Don''t worry about it. Come on in." Naruto nodded. Fujin said, "Those are the ones who know that the seal won''t break and recognize that you are a hero for keeping the village safe." Naruto understood what Fujin was saying. However, he could still see the unfairness. After all, he hadn''t done anything and yet so many hated him. Naruto asked dejectedly, "Why did Lord Fourth seal him inside me?" Fujin shrugged and answered, "How can I know? I was only four years old back then. Perhaps you were the only one nearby. Or perhaps Lord Fourth saw something special in you and believed that you would be the best host for the Nine Tailed Beast and do something miraculous when you grew up. It''s tough to know the real reason. Perhaps Lord Hokage might have some idea." On hearing the second guess, Naruto''s eyes lit up. Though there was no guarantee for it to be true, Naruto hoped that it was the case. Of course, that was the reason why Fujin said it. Naruto asked, "But how can I convince everyone that I am not the Demon Fox?" Fujin replied, "Just keep doing what you are doing. Train harder, become stronger and keep striving to become the Hokage. Eventually, everyone will realize the truth." Naruto nodded with determination on hearing that. Fujin sighed internally and thought, ''It is so tempting to tell him to stop thinking about others. Unfortunately, I have no idea what will happen if I undo Hiruzen''s work. Besides, even though Naruto struggled in his life until now, his days will get better very soon. As satisfying as it would be, there''s not much point in driving him towards taking revenge on the ones that mistreated him.'' [A/N: Sorry guys. I know that many wanted to see Fujin as a Jounin Sensei to one of the teams, but I couldn''t adjust it into my existing plans. I would have had to adjust a lot of plans and I am not sure what the end result would have been if I went through with it as I was unable to adjust the time line to include both, looking after genins and the several responsibilities Fujin currently has and some of my future plans. So, unfortunately can''t do so here. That said, I''ll consider making the MC in the next story a Jounin sensei (this wasn''t the plan either but I received several good ideas from you guys that I can incorporate in that story as I am still finalizing the plot :) Thanks for it.) Have a fun week everyone.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Yuuyoh, Turean, Pascal, DoubleD, Khaled, Rial, Dakota, Mo01ronaldo, Middlemost, Antonio, Moises, N, Matthew and Thomas for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 531 - 525 : Complicated Topics Chapter 531: Chapter 525 : Complicated Topics [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Phillip. You can thank him for the double release.] Naruto asked, "Do you know why the Nine Tailed Beast attacked our village?" Fujin answered, "I don''t know for sure. The Tailed Beasts, though strong, don''t have a history of randomly attacking humans. Perhaps someone provoked it to attack us. There is also some speculation that it was controlled by someone to attack us. So though everyone blames it, it is possible that the fox was a victim as well. Unfortunately, I''m not sure of what was the exact case." Naruto was surprised. He asked, "Can a demon like it also be controlled?" Fujin replied, "There are various mysterious techniques and jutsus, Naruto. Don''t underestimate anyone. Also, don''t judge someone too quickly. Though I don''t have proof, I believe that Nine Tails was indeed controlled. Otherwise, why would it attack a strong village like ours? New novel chapters are published on Regardless, if that is the case or not, I hope you won''t treat it the same way the misinformed people in the village treated you." Fujin''s words surprised Naruto even more, forcing him to think, which wasn''t a very common occurrence. Fujin chuckled internally on seeing Naruto trying to think hard. Of course, there was another entity that fell into a thought. It was the tailed beast sealed inside Naruto. He never imagined that a human would defend him and sympathize with his situation! Naruto said, "Alright. Thank you for telling me, Fujin." Fujin smiled and said, "Of course, that doesn''t mean that you should treat it as a harmless being. Regardless of whether it was innocent or not, it is currently sealed inside you. It would want nothing less than to tear you apart and become free once again. It is still scarily strong. Is that understood?" Naruto shivered while picturing the Nine Tailed Beast ripping his body and coming out. He immediately nodded repeatedly and said, "Understood." The two continued eating. After some time, Naruto asked, "If the Nine Tailed Beast was controlled, wouldn''t that mean that everyone in the village is wrong in hating it?" Fujin nodded. Naruto asked, "But why would people hate when they aren''t sure about the truth?" Naruto had suffered a lot due to the hate. So he had to ask that question. Fujin said, "People are complicated. They direct their hatred where they can to vent their sorrow. Since Nine Tails was the one who attacked and did the job, they hate it." Naruto tried thinking but it was too complicated. His expression became comical as he complained, "Your statements today are too complicated, Fujin!" Fujin chuckled and said, "The topic is as such. Here''s another complicated topic. This will be a test for you. Do you remember my challenge to you and Mizuki?" Naruto nodded. That challenge had allowed him to graduate. Fujin asked, "Do you think that it was a fair challenge?" "Which jutsu?" Fujin became confused and wondered, ''When did I promise to teach him when he graduates? I''m just planning to make him eat Kakashi''s head. Though his past is traumatic, that bastard has been having it easy for too long.'' Naruto''s expression became very annoyed as he pointed at Fujin and said, "Hey! You promised to teach me that jutsu that allows you to disappear!" Naruto''s words made Fujin recall. He said, "Ah, the Body Flicker jutsu. I almost forgot. Sure. Wanna train after we are done eating?" Naruto nodded. He began eating and asked again, "While we are at it, could you also teach me a stronger Wind jutsu?" Fujin replied, "You are now a Genin, Naruto. You''ll be assigned a Jounin Sensei in a few days. Until you become a Chunin, he or she will be the one responsible for training you. If I interfere, then you''ll end up confused." Naruto asked in a surprised tone, "I''ll get my own Sensei?" Fujin looked at him with a deadpan expression and said, "I thought you promised that you will pay attention in class. I even ''believed'' you." Naruto immediately laughed nervously and said softly, "Well, I tried to. But Iruka sensei was just too boring." Fujin just continued staring at Naruto who quietly focused on the food. Fujin chuckled internally while thinking, ''Good. He''ll be a Genin for who knows how long. I''ll just throw him at Kakashi until that bastard diverts him back to me. Thankfully, he knows almost every jutsu out there. Sending Naruto back to annoy him wouldn''t be much of a challenge.'' After dinner, Fujin took Naruto to the training ground opposite his house and began teaching him the basics of the Body Flicker jutsu. After explaining the basics of the jutsu, Fujin said, "This jutsu isn''t very complicated in terms of Chakra molding as it only requires the Tiger Seal. The difficult part is chakra control. You have to concentrate a lot of chakra at your feet. If you had tried it earlier, you would have failed. Luckily for you, your chakra control has improved a lot thanks to Tree Climbing and Water Walking exercises. So try it." Naruto immediately began trying. Needless to say, the first few tries were all a failure. Only after a couple of hours of trying continuously did he manage to flicker for a few meters for the first time. Fujin sighed as he watched, ''Having such a high chakra is a boon. When I was trying to learn it, I could barely practice it for some time before I ran out of chakra. Meanwhile, he can practice for two hours straight despite having spent last night and early morning training the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and escaping from Mizuki for another hour and still is able to practice continuously... Fortunately, my chakra has become quite high as well thanks to training continuously for so long. Otherwise, I''d be tempted to go catch a Tailed Beast irrespective of the dangers involved!'' ---------------------- A/N: You can sponsor chapters through P@treon. Chapter 532: Another Mission to Sunagakure??? Chapter 532: Another Mission to Sunagakure??? Naruto excitedly shouted, "I did it!" He quickly made the Tiger seal and shouted, "Body Flicker jutsu!" However, nothing happened this time. He kept standing in the same place. He tried it a few more times. "Body Flicker jutsu!" "Body Flicker jutsu!" "Body Flicker jutsu!" Unfortunately, he failed every time. Suddenly, he heard a chuckle. He turned around to see Fujin who said, "That''s enough for today, Naruto. You did good work by managing to do it successfully once within just 2 hours." Naruto immediately said, "Just a few more minutes. I''ll completely master it!" Fujin shook his head and said, "No. You are tired. And, this jutsu will take a long time to master. Right now you only managed to flicker by a couple of meters. That isn''t very helpful in the battle. You will need to practice sincerely for a few weeks until you can flicker for at least a few dozen meters and can do so continuously." Naruto unwillingly nodded and left. Fujin went to sleep as well. While he hadn''t stayed up all night like Naruto, he did wake up absurdly early even by his standards. The next day, Fujin returned to his training, while Naruto had a rather eventful day. He met Konohamaru and later in the day created his legendary Harem jutsu. The day after, Fujin had just begun training when he had an unexpected visitor. One of Hiruzen''s Anbu Guards visited Fujin and called him to visit Hiruzen''s office. Fujin wondered, ''Hmm, did something happen?'' He flickered along with the Anbu Guard and reached Hiruzen''s office. When he entered, Hiruzen sent everyone out and activated the seals. Fujin became serious and waited for Hiruzen to start speaking. Hiruzen asked, "Fujin, you were planning to go out for some missions, right?" Fujin nodded. He had asked to go out of the village a couple of weeks ago but was asked to stay in the village by Hiruzen. He replied, "Yeah, training all the time becomes boring and stale. I find it more helpful to go out for a week or two for a change. It helps me relax and increases my efficiency in training." Hiruzen said, "Good. We have a couple of situations. I''ll let you handle it. Suna has been acting strangely for the past few months. From the reports from our spies, it almost looks like they are preparing their forces for something. They have raised their security so much that even the spies have been unable to send messages out for the last two weeks." Fujin was planning to use this opportunity to meet up with his Phantom Haven Society subordinates and create another set of a few thousand Flying Thunder God marks in the Land of Fire. If he had teammates, then that would be difficult to do. Hiruzen wasn''t surprised as he understood that Fujin preferred working alone. He said, "Alright. Other than the bodies you bring back, make it seem like everyone in the Yamakawa family was killed by Sunagakure ninjas." Fujin said, "Alright. Do we have any idea as to which Elite Jounin was sent?" Hiruzen shook his head and said, "No. The squad couldn''t gather much information as they would have been in danger if the information was true." Killing an Elite Jounin wasn''t an easy task. Only a few ninjas in Konoha could do so consistently. Hiruzen would have needed to dispatch Eagle along with a few squads of experienced Anbu ninjas to be able to ensure that Konoha wouldn''t suffer needless losses. And that force couldn''t guarantee that they would be able to complete the mission. Since he had the option of sending Fujin, Hiruzen didn''t need to go through other complicated alternatives. Fujin replied, "Alright. I''ll leave within a few hours then." Hiruzen nodded as Fujin disappeared from the room. Fujin entered his house while thinking, ''It looks like Konoha crush will happen after all. Though I interfered, what I did should have infuriated Rasa even more. The attack might be more fierce than what I remember. Orochimaru and Rasa will also need to consider my existence and make arrangements to ensure that I don''t cut through Suna and Oto ninjas or directly attack the barrier the Sound Four will erect. Hehe, I am looking forward to what they come up with.'' Fujin made preparations and left the village. Around the same time, Eagle entered Hiruzen''s office. ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mark, Gavin, Yoel, Yahye, Turean, Andy and VDZERM for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 533 - 527 : First Kiss! Chapter 533: Chapter 527 : First Kiss! As Fujin left Konoha and headed towards the Land of Rivers, Eagle entered Hiruzen''s office and asked, "Did you assign that mission to Fujin?" Hiruzen nodded. Eagle sighed in relief. That mission fell under Anbu and Eagle had a major headache on how to handle it. The Anbu didn''t have any other Elite Jounin. Not to mention, they were stretched extremely thin due to the mess Fujin created some time ago. However, Fujin going on the mission meant one thing. Eagle asked, "So he declined to become a Jounin Sensei?" Hiruzen answered, "Yeah, he wants to focus on training for now." Behind his mask, Eagle smiled and said, "Yeah, he is only 15 now. It''s not a bad thing. Besides, you could make him Konohamaru''s sensei later." A shiver passed through Hiruzen''s spine. He had thought about it when Fujin rejected the offer. What he analyzed made him raise his guard several times! Hiruzen thought, ''I didn''t notice it until Fujin started guiding Naruto. He tends to double down on the existing characteristics of the ones he is guiding. Among the 5 kids he guided initially, 2 became very promising as that was their nature while 3 haven''t shown much progress beyond their initial improvement. He didn''t do anything to make those 3 orphans train harder and left them to their means. It was the same story with his Anbu subordinates. It''s just that they were very dedicated. I didn''t notice this as it seemed normal. However, with Naruto... Naruto''s pranks have become a hundred times worse since he came in contact with Fujin. They increased in both intensity and frequency. The only explanation is that Fujin used this aspect and motivated Naruto to prank more so that Naruto would train harder. Though it was an annoyance to the village and I had to deal with several complaints, it was a very good method to train Naruto. If I give Konohamaru to Fujin to train, then...'' Konohamaru challenged Hiruzen more than a dozen times daily to battle! Fortunately, he was extremely weak and was just a headache to Hiruzen rather than an actual problem. However, if Fujin trained Konohamaru and encouraged him to challenge Hiruzen more, Hiruzen''s old age would become a complete nightmare! The very thought of that future made Hiruzen shiver. "Father?" Eagle called out seeing that Hiruzen was lost in thoughts. Hiruzen replied, "Yeah. I will think about it when the time comes." Eagle nodded and discussed some official matters before he left. Hiruzen stopped doing his paperwork and looked outside the window, staring at the statues of the Hokages while he smoked. After some time, he decided, ''If that happens in the future, I''ll just make Fujin or Kakashi the Hokage and retire. Let my Grandson challenge either of them instead of me.'' Updated from While Hiruzen was worrying about his future, another interesting change happened in the village. Even though Team 7 wasn''t created yet, all but one of its members had their first kiss. The only one who still didn''t was their soon-to-be 26-year-old Sensei. Naruto and Sasuke kissed accidentally just like in the original story. However, Fujin''s interference in Naruto''s life brought one change that he didn''t even consider. Fujin ensured that Naruto had access to good food and understood when food got spoiled. So, Naruto no longer drank milk that was a few weeks past its expiry date. Hence, he wasn''t interrupted when he disguised himself as Sasuke to kiss Sakura and managed to do it without any interruption. As a result, Sakura had her first kiss as well. Only, it was with Naruto who was disguised as Sasuke. Having kissed her dear ''Sasuke'', Sakura was on cloud nine! Unfortunately, that only lasted for a minute as she heard, "Naruto, what are you doing?" The shurikens curved through the air and moved towards Kakashi from several directions, who still dodged them with ease while wondering, ''Lord Hokage said that Fujin guided Naruto for some time. But why didn''t he tell Naruto to stop screaming the attack name? How is it supposed to hit an enemy when the enemy knows what is coming?'' Seeing that Kakashi dodged the shurikens, Naruto changed his hand seals and shouted, "Wind Release: Wind Retrieving jutsu" The shurikens that were flying away suddenly stopped and began flowing back. At the same time, Naruto threw more shurikens towards Kakashi. Sasuke and Sakura, who were observing the fight while hiding, had an annoyed expression when Naruto displayed his two jutsus. That said, they couldn''t be faulted for it. While Naruto was initially hated for no reason, these two jutsus had given half of the village a reason to hate him! Of course, since they already hated him, he couldn''t see any difference. Fujin noticed it but he felt that it was justice in a weird way. So he didn''t particularly care about it as it didn''t affect him. Hiruzen had received several complaints due to this, but he couldn''t tell Naruto to stop pranking considering what his daily life was, and since he didn''t actually hurt anyone. Not to mention, Fujin was the one who was teaching him the jutsu. That was another trouble he didn''t want to poke needlessly. Regardless of their annoyance, both Sasuke and Sakura were surprised to see Naruto surround Kakashi from all directions with shurikens. Sasuke wondered, ''Since when did his control over the shurikens become this good?'' Meanwhile, Sakura muttered to herself, ''Since when did Naruto become so strong?'' The shurikens enclosed Kakashi and hit him moments later, covering his entire body with shurikens. A second later, a smoke cloud appeared and his body turned into a log. Naruto''s eyes widened as he exclaimed, "When did he use the Substitution jutsu?" He quickly looked around himself but couldn''t see Kakashi. Suddenly, he heard a voice, "A ninja should always be aware of what is happening around him. Especially what is happening behind him." Kakashi''s hands were making the Tiger seal. Both Sakura and Sasuke immediately became tense on seeing that seal! [A/N: Focused a bit on the original story in this chapter as there were some changes and wanted to show some of Naruto''s progress. Focus will change back to Fujin in the next chapter :) Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the ''change''.] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Woat is Aim, Plan Z, Mooge and Julian for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 534: Who Attacked? Chapter 534: Who Attacked? "Konoha''s most secret and sacred jutsu! Thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi hit Naruto with the hand seal and sent him flying. Naruto fell into the water while holding his backside. As he drowned, he thought, ''Not like this! I trained so much. I can''t be defeated so easily. But how do I defeat him?'' Naruto made the Shadow Clone hand seal but stopped as his eyes widened. Naruto suddenly had an idea. He thought, ''Wait, I can only control a few Shurikens. What if all my clones control them as well? Also, I don''t need to defeat him. I just need to'' Immediately, he created several Shadow Clones inside the water and swam out. Naruto made small talk with Kakashi waiting for him to turn his back. As soon as he did, almost a hundred shurikens were launched from the water. At the same time, his clones jumped out as well, surprising his two teammates. Kakashi turned around and noticed every Shadow Clone weaving hand signs. He muttered, "Hmm, impressive. However, it''s still not enough." Instead of dodging, Kakashi just grabbed the Shurikens one by one and threw them into the ground, ensuring that they stuck there. Naruto thought, ''Now!'' ''Wind Release: Wind Retrieving jutsu'' He quickly weaved hand signs and used the jutsu on the bell. The bell was yanked from Kakashi and flew towards Naruto. Unfortunately, Kakashi disappeared and appeared next to the bell and grabbed it before it reached Naruto. He said, "Not bad, not bad. However, this isn''t enough to be the Hokage." Realizing that using Wind jutsus wouldn''t help him much, Naruto shouted, "Let''s just beat him up!" Naruto and his clones engaged against Kakashi in Taijutsu. Kakashi easily dealt with him while observing his skills. He analyzed, ''Hmm, his Taijutsu is much better. It looks like Fujin sparred with him to give him some experience. And he has decent control over Wind as well even though he doesn''t have any destructive jutsu. Fujin likely only wanted to improve his basics.'' Within a couple of minutes, all of Naruto''s clones were dispelled while he too was beaten back. Kakashi asked, "Is that all you can do?" Naruto wiped his face while thinking, ''I know Fujin asked me to not use them against an ally but he asked us to come at him with an intention to kill. Also, he is so strong, so it shouldn''t be an issue, right?'' Naruto made another set of Shadow Clones who surrounded Kakashi and immediately jumped away, confusing Kakashi who wondered, ''What is he up to this time?'' His eyes widened as he saw every Shadow Clone grab a couple of Kunai that had explosive tags attached to them and throw them at him at close range. The Explosive tags all exploded at the same time, covering the area in dust and smoke! Sakura watched with a dumbfounded expression as her eyes widened. She exclaimed, "Did Naruto blow up Sensei? And when did he become so powerful???" Even Naruto was surprised by the degree of Explosion. He hadn''t ever exploded so many explosive tags at the same spot. He thought, ''So that''s why Fujin asked me to run away and to not use this tactic on an ally. How many dangerous techniques does big brother Fujin know? He casually told me about this idea while we were eating dinner!'' Kakashi, who hid some distance away, looked at the explosion with wide eyes as he complained, ''What the hell has Fujin been teaching him? If he used that against a fellow Genin or even a Chunin, they would likely end up dead! I was nearly caught off guard as well!'' While Fujin was studying the seals, the Yamakawa family head appeared in the underground base and entered a room after knocking. Inside the room were a middle-aged man and an elderly man. The middle-aged man, who was also an Elite Jounin, asked with a smile, "Hiromu-san, are the preparations complete?" Yamakawa Hiromu smiled and answered, "Yes, Koichi-san. You can begin expanding this base in an hour. I have made all the preparations above. No one will suspect even if some disturbances happen as long as Okazaki-sama inscribes the seals quickly." Okazaki was the old man who was also one of the few Grandmasters in Suna. Hiruzen never imagined that Suna would send one of their Grandmasters to this place. Grandmasters were something every village treasured. Sending them to a risky place was something they rarely did. If he knew, he would have sent Fujin much earlier and sent several Jounins to assist him. Koichi said, "Good. We will get it done as soon as we can." Hiromu said, "It has been a month since you started making this base. As per our deal, it is time for you to hand in the second scroll." Koichi nodded and looked at Okazaki who handed a scroll to the Yamakawa family head. In order to make the Yamakawa family ally with them, Suna offered them a rank A jutsu for every month they stayed there. For a family with limited access to jutsus, this was a heavenly opportunity. After thinking for some time and discussing the details with the Suna ninjas, Hiromu agreed to the deal. It was a win-win situation for both sides. The Yamakawa family got jutsus that could make them stronger and gain more influence in the Land of Rivers, while Suna got a safe base while only giving away jutsus that all the 5 Great Villages already knew how to perform. Just as Koichi accepted the scroll, the faces of all three of them became serious as they looked above. In fact, they weren''t the only ones who were surprised. Fujin was surprised as well as he wondered, ''What the hell? Who attacked the mansion before me?'' [A/N : Latest chapter on P@treon - Hiruzen''s Joy!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aveli, SimplyF, Extrasmall, Blanket, Dumesle, Ethan, RaidenEi and GodEye for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 535: Wind Domain (1) Chapter 535: Wind Domain (1) [A/N : We got 6941 Power Stones and reached rank 7th last week!!! Keep it up guys!] For the people living in the Yamakawa town, it had been a normal day like any other. Even though various schemes were operating underground, both figuratively and literally, they didn''t affect the common citizens. Even in the Yamakawa family, very few were aware of the deal between Hiromu and Sunagakure. Suddenly, several figures surrounded the central mansion and attacked it. At the same time, several figures appeared on the walls of the small town, completely surrounding it. Yamakawa Hiromu immediately rushed out of the underground base. Koichi wondered aloud, "Who would attack them right now? Could it be Konoha?" Okazaki shook his head and said, "That''s unlikely. However, if they are the ones behind it, then this is a good thing for us. We could turn the entire Land of Rivers around them?" Koichi nodded and replied, "Let''s go and check out. If it is Konoha, then they might be after us as well." Koichi passed some instructions to the remaining Suna ninjas and snuck out along with the Grandmaster. Hiromu, who had rushed out without waiting, watched in shock as the majority of his family members had already been killed within a few seconds. His expression became extremely ugly as he noticed the culprit. He thought, ''Puppets? It is Sunagakure''s speciality. Don''t tell me that those bastards double-crossed me. But why would they do that?'' The figures that attacked the mansion were all puppets! Fujin, who had exited the underground and was secretly watching the attack, was puzzled as well. He immediately activated his Space Time Sensing Technique. At the same time, his eyes glowed as he concentrated chakra in them. He immediately noticed that all the chakra threads controlling the puppets seemed to be coming from just one place. And, there was only one disturbance in his field at that spot. Fujin wondered in surprise, ''To control so many puppets single-handedly... Sasori? Why is he here? Did someone pay Akatsuki to destroy this town?'' Fujin observed the area around the town more thoroughly and concluded, ''It looks like he arrived alone. Has Akatsuki still not recruited Deidara? There is just one other person hiding some distance away. It should be Zetsu or one of his clones'' Standing outside the town, Sasori controlled all the puppets. The reason for the attack wasn''t what Hiromu or Fujin speculated. While Sasori was locating Orochimaru, he discovered that some Oto ninjas visited the Yamakawa family secretly and repeatedly for some reason. He captured some Yamakawa family members but they didn''t have any information. It made him even more suspicious. He wanted to catch some Oto ninjas but they stopped showing up. As a result, Sasori decided to attack the Yamakawa family to provoke Orochimaru. If this town was important to Orochimaru, he would be able to lure Orochimaru out and kill him. If it wasn''t, then he could just increase his puppet collection. Either way, it was a win for him. Sasori never thought that this town wasn''t important to Orochimaru and was instead important to Sunagakure who was his alliance partner. Nor did he think that Hiruzen also wanted the family destroyed. Even though Sasori could sense the Wind Domain that was engulfing the mansion, he couldn''t locate Fujin who was continuously emitting more chakra into the air. Fujin''s Wind Domain engulfed the mansion and even entered the underground base. Everyone was on alert due to the sudden attack and immediately realized the presence of a foreign chakra in the air. Koichi and Okazaki immediately disrupted their chakra flow to ensure that they didn''t fall into a Genjutsu. In the base, a few veteran ninjas warned everyone to do the same as well. Koichi cursed, "First Sasori and now Susumu? What is happening here?" Hiromu heard his words and asked, "Isn''t Sasori a rogue ninja from Suna? And isn''t Susumu your Elite Jounin? Why the hell did they attack my family?" Despite understanding that he was weaker, Hiromu was filled with rage and sorrow and couldn''t think rationally. Sasori''s puppets had killed everyone in the mansion! Unlike Hiruzen''s order, Sasori saw no need to keep children alive. Other than the ones that had gone outside the mansion, every Yamakawa family member besides Hiromu was dead! Okazaki answered, "We don''t know either. This jutsu is used to cast Genjutsu. Prepare yourself against it. If you get influenced as well, then your family will disappear for good." Hearing the word ''Genjutsu'', Hiromu immediately disrupted his chakra. Sasori had stopped his attack as well due to the sudden change and was planning his next move when suddenly something happened that no one expected! Blades of Wind appeared out of thin air without any sign or warning. Within the blink of an eye, all 20 Suna ninjas in the base were beheaded! Hiromu, who was disrupting his chakra, was caught off guard as well and died with his eyes wide open in disbelief! Koichi and Okazaki managed to defend themselves, but were soon overwhelmed by dozens of Blades of Wind attacking them from every direction! They too died within a couple of seconds. And they weren''t the only casualty. Sasori watched in disbelief as several Blades of Wind suddenly appeared out of thin air and severed his chakra threads, disconnecting the Puppets in and around the mansion from Sasori''s control! In an instant, Sasori lost control over most of his puppets! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Austin, 66835, hh, Aleya, Luci, Sonny, Baba, Ian, Michael, Bernard, Marukusius and rain for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 536: Wind Domain (2) Chapter 536: Wind Domain (2) Puppet Masters were generally known for having one weakness. That weakness was close combat. If someone good at Taijutsu got close to them, they could defeat them easily without letting the Puppet Master use their puppets. However, there was another critical weakness that Puppet Masters had which wasn''t generally mentioned due to the difficulty in exploiting it. That was the very chakra threads that they used to control the puppets. If those chakra threads were severed, they would lose control over the puppets and would be left vulnerable without their greatest strength. Destroying the chakra threads wasn''t very difficult either as it was just normal chakra and not some indestructible thread. While an experienced Puppet Master could ensure that the threads didn''t break against an AoE attack, if the threads were specifically targeted, they would still break. Of course, that was easier said than done as the puppets would be used to block such attempts. And even if you succeeded, the Puppet Master could just create new chakra threads and connect to the Puppet once more. When Sasori''s chakra threads were destroyed, he did the exact same thing. In less than a second, he created more chakra threads to connect to the puppets. Unfortunately for him, Fujin''s Wind Domain was the perfect counter to chakra threads. Even before the chakra threads reached his puppets, they were severed by more blades of wind that appeared out of thin air. Sasori cursed, ''What the hell is this ability? And who is the one controlling that chakra? Is it one of Orochimaru''s subordinates or are some other forces present in this town?'' Despite not knowing the answer to those questions, Sasori didn''t stop. There were more than 60 puppets trapped inside the Wind Domain. It was more than a fourth of his puppet collection that he had been working on for over a decade. Sasori repeatedly attempted to take control of his puppets but failed each time. The Wind Domain, which was only around the mansion like a dome, began extending in Sasori''s direction. Sasori observed, ''It''s like a branch extending from that dome. Whoever it is, should be inside that dome. Regardless, what does he want to achieve by extending that chakra here? Does he think that he can defeat me without even showing his face? Or is he up to something else?'' Updated from Sasori wasn''t someone who''d lose control of his emotions just due to his opponents'' words or actions. However, he hadn''t ever been insulted to such a degree before. Even then, he patiently waited to see what his mysterious opponent was up to. In a minute, the Wind Domain had extended all the way from the mansion to Sasori who was standing outside the town. Winds began moving at a rapid speed and took the form of a Dragon. Sasori wondered, ''The Wind Dragon jutsu? So this chakra can be used to create Wind jutsus other than Blades of Wind jutsu. Still, this Wind Dragon As I thought'' As Sasori observed the Wind Dragon, he realized that it wasn''t a normal Wind Dragon. Instead, it contained several dozen blades of wind inside it. In a sense, it was a deadly combination of two Wind jutsus. The Wind Dragon suddenly dived towards Sasori. Sasori immediately took a defensive posture and extended Hiroku''s tail forward while thinking, ''Those wind blades might work against normal puppets. However, it is useless against Hiroku''s defenses.'' Fujin emitted more chakra into the air. The wind dragon disappeared as the attack took the majority of the wind chakra in that area. The iron wall was able to withstand the assault and no wind blades reached Sasori. However, Sasori was still perplexed. Instead of a new Dragon forming, the Wind Domain continuously extended in his direction. Sasori retreated while analyzing, ''If I enter that area, then he can form wind blades at will. I will lose control over the puppet once again. I need to attack the one who is controlling this wind.'' Sasori got out of the path of the wind domain that was extending like a branch and began moving towards the town at a fast speed. Fujin''s Wind Domain didn''t have any chance of catching up with him. Fujin sensed his movements and a smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''In Akatsuki, Sasori is one of the most dangerous members. If I ignore the ones with Dojutsu, I''d say that Sasori is the most dangerous one even though Kisame and maybe Kakuzu are stronger. Unfortunately for him, my Wind Domain is the perfect counter for a Puppet Master. It makes him one of the easiest Akatsuki members to deal with for me!'' Immediately, another branch extended out of the Wind Domain. However, it wasn''t moving towards Sasori but instead was quite far from him. While the first branch that had extended began cutting off Sasori''s retreat. Instead of confronting Sasori directly, Fujin attempted to trap him inside the Wind Domain! Understanding his intentions, Sasori immediately retreated once again. Fujin chuckled as he muttered to himself, ''What a shame. I thought that he wanted to gift me the Third Kazekage puppet as well.'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You TDE, Pranav and AD for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 537: Second Strongest Puppet Collection! Chapter 537: Second Strongest Puppet Collection! Sasori, who had just entered the town, retreated once again and avoided getting trapped within the Wind Domain. He looked at the Wind Domain extending slowly towards him and muttered, "What a difficult opponent How do I retrieve my puppets?" Suddenly, Sasori became stunned. He sensed that his puppets were getting sealed! Within a few seconds, he became unable to sense any of his puppets that were trapped in the Wind Domain. Updated from Sasori cursed, ''Which bastard wants to steal my puppets? What the hell has been happening in this town?'' Sasori was thoroughly confused. Everything was going well until the mysterious chakra appeared. After that, nothing made sense! He still hadn''t seen who his opponent was and didn''t know what his goal was. The only thing that he knew was that he was completely enraged! Fujin saw a massive amount of iron floating in the air outside the town. He stored the scroll that his clone had just handed him while wondering, ''Does he want to destroy the town to force me out? Oh well, it doesn''t matter. I already have what I want.'' Fujin had already gathered the dead bodies that Hiruzen had asked for and had also accepted Sasori''s generous gift. He looked at the four Shadow Clones next to him and nodded. At the very next moment, Wind appeared around them and all 5 of them disappeared from the city. Sasori immediately noticed the sudden movement and noted, ''5 ninjas ran away using Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. All are extremely good at it. I won''t be able to chase them. However, the chakra is present in the town.'' Sasori felt in doubt once again. He analyzed, ''There are several possibilities. The ones who were controlling this chakra got afraid and ran away as they wouldn''t be able to stop my attack. They left the chakra here as they can''t take it back. Another possibility is that the one controlling this chakra is still here and only his teammates ran away. Or perhaps the ones who escaped were just clones and the real one is still hiding here and wants to bait me. The opponent is so tricky that I can''t even say which case it is Even if I decide to chase, I can only chase after one and catching him will be difficult. And, if the puppets are still here or with one of the other 4, I''ll lose my puppets!'' At the next moment, a rain of small iron balls showered towards the town. They pierced through every house in the path before reaching the mansion and wrecked it as well. The mansion collapsed within seconds. Everything within the Wind Domain was crushed. Fortunately, the people had escaped into underground bunkers. Hence no one died other than a few who had heart attacks due to the sound of destruction above the ground and the tremors they felt. Sasori wasn''t interested in killing common people. His attention was entirely focused on the Wind Domain. Despite the destruction, the chakra was still present there. However, it no longer extended towards Sasori and just stayed in that location flying along the direction of the wind. The only strange thing was that despite all the winds, it still primarily stayed in the area around the mansion. He became a bit perplexed as he muttered, "What of my puppets? I can''t locate any of them!" Sasori''s puppets weren''t ordinary puppets. They were human puppets and he had worked a lot on each of his puppets. Losing more than a quarter of them in one go was a substantial blow to him even though it wouldn''t affect his fighting prowess much. He thought, ''One of those 5 would have left with it. Finding them will be difficult normally as I don''t have any information on them. Fortunately, the only information I have is a very unique one. I just have to find the appearance of this technique in other places and I will find clues to them. Once I find them, they will be good additions to my puppet collection!'' As for the one who had stolen Sasori''s prized puppets in broad daylight, he was already a long distance away from the Yamakawa town. Fujin finally stopped moving as he received the memories of his Shadow Clone. He thought, ''As expected, Sasori didn''t chase after me. Well, even if he did, he wouldn''t have been able to keep up with me. Now, what do I do about this?'' Fujin was looking at the scroll which held 64 human puppets. In less than an hour, Fujin had gone from having zero puppets to having the second-strongest collection of puppets in the entire ninja world! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You AR3S, Alexander, TMac, Isk0, Antonio, Matteo and Cake_is_nice for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 538: Seeking the Serpents Aid Chapter 538: Seeking the Serpent''s Aid Fujin looked at the scroll and analyzed, ''While I am quite fascinated with puppet mastery, trying to become a puppet master doesn''t have much benefits for me. Though it is quite good, it is unlikely for me to raise my puppeteer skills to the level of my Wind jutsus. It also falls quite short of Flying Thunder God and Eight Inner Gates. The only good thing is that learning it will be extremely easy for me. I can easily improve my control over chakra threads by spamming the Shadow Clone jutsu and I am already a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu. More importantly, I have Sasori''s puppets to study. I can easily learn the mechanisms of his puppets and raise my puppeteer skills to a very high level. Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Within a few months, I can raise it to a level that would be below only Sasori and Chiyo''s level. The only thing I lack is medical and poison knowledge. However, I am planning to study that as well. So I have everything I need to learn puppeteering.'' Fujin was in a strange situation. He didn''t see much benefits to learning puppeteering. However, it was just too easy for him to master it with his current skills! Fujin shook his head and decided, ''I will decide what to do after I improve my medical skills and learn more about poison. I have finally completed my training on Wind Domain and have mastered Flying Thunder God jutsu. Once I open the Fifth Gate, I''ll ease up on training Eight Inner Gates as well. That will finally ease up my schedule. If I begin focusing on Puppeteering as well, then I''ll be locked in another brutal training regimen for a few months!'' Fujin''s time had been extremely tight for the last few years. He didn''t want to go into such a tight schedule once again unless it was extremely critical for him. Fujin analyzed, ''That said, there are some issues. For starters, the seals on these puppets Even though I am a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu, I can''t look down on others. I can''t even begin to imagine the seals needed to convert a dead human into a puppet and retain that human''s skills and Kekkei Genkai. Even if I don''t learn puppeteering, I should spend the next few days learning the seals Sasori used. Of course, the bigger issue is if there are any seals in these puppets that allow Sasori to detect the location of his puppets over a long distance. Though I suppressed the seals, I can''t be too sure as there are too many freaks in Akatsuki. Who knows what else they know? In addition, Sasori made no effort to chase me at all. It''s too big of a risk to leave these puppets in the Phantom Haven base'' Fujin had the idea of giving these puppets to the Phantom Haven Society. If someone there had an interest in puppets and focused on it with dedication, the Fujin could raise an Elite Jounin in a very short time. However, if Sasori had any way of detecting the puppets and showed up there when Fujin wasn''t present, the Phantom Haven Society would be history in no time. Fujin didn''t want to take such a risk. He decided, ''I guess there is no choice but to take them to Konoha. I''ll give Hiruzen a few puppets and keep the rest to myself. Considering the level of these puppets, this might be a good opportunity to ask Hiruzen for another Forbidden jutsu. While I would like Edo Tensei, I doubt he will give it to me considering that he refused to share the Scroll of Forbidden Seals with me. However, getting that Forbidden jutsu might be doable. Oh well, I''ll do that. The only thing is that I will need to study the seals before handing the puppets to Hiruzen. That''ll mean that I can''t do the second mission that Hiruzen assigned me'' Fujin thought for a few seconds before deciding, ''Oh well, that mission isn''t compulsory. Hiruzen can just deploy some more Anbu squads and dig to the bottom of those incidents.'' Fujin immediately changed his direction towards Tanigakure. Within a span of a few months, Tanigakure were in panic for the second time. A few months ago, Fujin and Shigeki had infiltrated the ninja village and killed a major family. The village had raised their defenses and made them several times more potent while the remaining powerful families were on alert. Their situation was just like the situation in Konoha after Fujin destroyed the Root headquarters. Just when things had started to calm down, they received news of the destruction of the Yamakawa town! Even though there weren''t many civilian deaths, the Yamakawa family was wiped out! Apart from a few kids who weren''t in the mansion, there were no survivors. The few ninjas who were present in the town informed them that they had seen Puppets attack the mansion and surround the town. A couple of them also reported that Sunagakure ninjas killed the Yamakawa ninjas and that the wounds on the Yamakawa family members were made by wind. In a panic, Tanigakure sent several ninjas to the Yamakawa town and requested quick assistance from Konoha. When Hiruzen received the emergency request, he thought, ''Looks like Fujin did a great job. They are convinced that Sunagakure attacked them. But, how did he attack them with puppets? Did he practice puppeteering in secret? And, why did he kill the kids in the mansion?'' Hiruzen wasn''t sure. Regardless, he quickly dispatched Guy and a couple dozen other ninjas to Yamakawa town to assist Tanigakure ninjas. Unknown to Tanigakure, they had requested assistance from the very person who ordered the destruction of the Yamakawa family. And, the very person who carried out the destruction was leisurely strolling in their streets while muttering, "Now then, which are the three most corrupt Nobles here?" ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nathan, The Reapers Shadow, The Last Guardin and Calvin for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 539: A Sick Pervert Chapter 539: A Sick Pervert Despite raising their defense by several levels, Tanigakure would have never imagined that the culprit behind the previous massacre would still be able to infiltrate the village without alerting anyone. All the time, effort and money they spent improving the seals on their village wall was nothing impressive in Fujin''s eyes. He only had to spend a couple of minutes more to be able to enter the village. If the leaders of Tanigakure knew that the culprit they were looking for in the Yamakawa town was roaming freely in their streets, who knew how much panic would spread among them? It had been quite some time since Fujin was active in the Anbu. He needed a few minutes before he recalled the names of the most corrupt and scummiest Nobles in Tanigakure. In less than half an hour, Fujin entered their huge mansions and looted their treasuries without alerting anyone. While the Nobles were worried about what happened in the Yamakawa town spilling over to Tanigakure, they were oblivious to the fact that their treasuries had already been looted! Fujin began moving in the direction of the Phantom Haven base while thinking, ''A little over 64 million Ryo Not a bad howl from just 3 Nobles in a poor village like this one. If I had taken the jewellery and other ornaments, it could have been much higher. However, selling them could leave a trail. Not to mention, 64 million is plenty. I''ll just loot more if more is needed. If there is one thing that no world lacks, it is corrupt scums sitting in the positions of authority. It''s almost like an infinite source of money'' Fujin chuckled while thinking how those 3 Nobles would react when they discovered that their treasuries no longer had any Ryo. Fujin continued moving while noting down the other corrupt nobles whom he had encountered during his time in the Anbu. Other than the Land of Rain, where Nagato ruled, Fujin planned to loot Nobles from every other country, including the Land of Fire''s Fire Capital if needed. Unless they made their Kage protect the scums among Nobles or hired Akatsuki for that job, Fujin didn''t see any way they could stop or trace him. This was the basic advantage that the strong enjoyed in such a world. It was also why Fujin never concerned himself much with money apart from the initial few years when he needed it for weapons and other basic necessities. As Fujin reached closer to the Phantom Haven base, he took a slight detour and created a Shadow Clone with nearly 30% of his chakra and left the scroll containing puppets with him before continuing towards the Phantom Haven base. Within a few hours, Fujin reached the valley. As he passed by the first Mini base, Fujin was surprised. His eyes glowed as he observed, ''Interesting. 8 people with Chunin level chakra, 1 with Jounin level and 26 with very low chakra in addition to the 3 whom I recognize. It looks like this organization has been growing well. However, it can also be because they used their contacts to recruit more. Regardless, this is good.'' Fujin was pleased. While it may seem like he put a lot of effort into the organization, in reality, he had put very little. Almost all the effort he put in was to create the philosophy of the organization. So, seeing the organization flourish without bothering him much was a good surprise. Fujin moved past the mini base, reached the main base and entered it. The original members of the Phantom Haven Society were surprised to notice that the barrier was deactivated by itself! They immediately became very alert and relaxed only after seeing that it was Shiden. Shigeki, in particular, breathed a sigh of relief as he thought, ''Thankfully he returned quickly this time! I was worried he wouldn''t show up for another couple of years!'' Fujin looked around the base. He could see that it looked much better now. In his absence, the infrastructure of the base had improved a lot. It was still very basic without any extravagant decorations, but it definitely was a major improvement. Shigeki immediately went forward to welcome Fujin and said, "It''s good to see you again, Shiden." Fujin nodded and said, "It looks like you guys have been doing well." Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Though the money is good, being entirely dependent on the funds he gathers isn''t a good thing. At some point, we will need to find our own streams of income. Otherwise, the Phantom Haven Society will have a very big weakness.'' What Hayato and others didn''t know was that Fujin had directly stolen the money from 3 of Tanigakure''s nobles. In fact, he had 14 million Ryo more. However, Fujin decided against handing the entire 64 million Ryo as the Phantom Haven Society needed to stick to a budget. If he kept giving an unlimited amount, then it would be inevitable for there to be a lot of splurging and no amount of money would be sufficient. Shigeki said, "Thank you. We are facing another problem." As he spoke, Shigeki''s face displayed worry. He continued, "A formidable ninja arrived in the Land of Rivers around a month ago. His acts have been too evil. Wherever he goes, he captures people and buries them alive. Tanigakure decided to ignore all his actions as they didn''t have anyone strong enough to deal with him. I wanted to attack him with our forces, but it would be a close fight and even if we won, many of us would have died. Remembering your words, I decided against it and waited for you." Fujin was surprised. He wondered, ''Burying people alive? Which sick pervert is that?'' He asked, "Who is it?" ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jeff, Alex, Jacob, Amin and Daniela for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 540: Replacing Tanigakure? Chapter 540: Replacing Tanigakure? Shigeki answered, "Raiga, one of the former members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!" Fujin was surprised. He wondered, ''What is he doing all the way here? If it''s him, then could he also be the one behind those two missing Chunin squads that Hiruzen spoke about? Looks like I''ll complete my second mission after all.'' Shigeki continued, "Raiga wields the thunderswords Kiba and is the boss of the Kurosuki family. From what we found out, he has several capable ninjas under him. So we won''t be able to defeat him by outnumbering him." Fujin nodded and said, "You made a good decision by deciding to not attack him. The members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are generally much stronger than an average Elite Jounin. Tell me his location. I will look into him. No one else from Phantom Haven Society is allowed to attack him." Shigeki nodded and informed Fujin about Raiga''s location. Since the Kurosuki family was mining gold, finding Raiga was quite easy. After noting down the information, Fujin said, "Alright. Let me meet the new members. I will apply the Phantom Seal on them so that they can enter this base as well. Others can wait here for us to return." Fujin and Shigeki left. En route, Fujin asked, "How is your training progressing?" Fujin was quite impressed with Shigeki the last time he sparred with him. As a result, he had given him some jutsus and a few tips. Shigeki answered, "It''s going great thanks to you. I can now flicker without making hand seals though the distance is still quite short. I also learnt the Pressure Damage and the Blades of Wind jutsus. I am currently working on learning how to use the Blades of Wind jutsu without making hand seals. It will allow me to attack an enemy suddenly." Fujin nodded and said, "Good work. Continue training your Body Flicker and Blades of Wind jutsu. Also, take a look at this book. It might help you become much stronger." He handed Shigeki a book. Shigeki accepted and opened it. His eyes widened as Fujin said, "One of my colleagues had Wind and Water affinity as well. He spent several decades trying to fuse the two elements in order to create the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. Unfortunately, he didn''t succeed. This book has all the information about what he did. You could use it to try and fuse the elements yourself. Perhaps, you might be lucky. However, do it only after you can''t improve your Water and Wind Release anymore. After all, there is no guarantee that you''ll be able to succeed in doing this." Fujin had created a few copies of the book he had received from Konda Kunio in the Land of Frost. Since he didn''t have a good Water affinity, the book hadn''t been very useful for him. However, it was still a very valuable book. In the eyes of Shigeki, it was a treasure! Shigeki immediately thanked Fujin and promised him to do his best to learn it. After receiving so much help from Fujin, he didn''t expect to receive something so valuable. The two reached the mini base and Fujin applied the seal on everyone after a slight talk and explaining the Phantom Will to everyone. He paid special attention to ensuring that he made a lasting impression on the kids. Despite the existence of a Rogue Elite Jounin, they didn''t issue a mission to Konoha to eliminate him. And they are allowing such large bandit camps to thrive in their country. Even their leadership is extremely corrupt. In fact, it is probably the second most corrupt after Kusagakure.'' Fujin shook his head in disappointment. He muttered, "The next time I visit Tanigakure, I''ll plunder it entirely." Immediately, the Blade of the Thunder Spirit appeared in his hand. Several Lightning bolts moved towards the bandit camp. Before anyone understood what was happening, every bandit was knocked out due to being zapped by Lightning! The 12 captive girls, who were being tortured were shocked to see the sudden change. It caused them to be even more afraid and become silent as something had knocked out the strong bandits that had been harassing their village for months. Suddenly, a sound filled the air, "Get dressed and leave." The girls didn''t need to be told a second time. Everyone immediately got dressed and rushed out of the camp. They hurried towards their village. Fujin sent a Shadow Clone to take care of the few people he detected along the path the girls took in case they were bandits as well. He looked at the bandits who were unconscious and muttered, "Looks like I have more than enough test subjects." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Michael and Silentdiving for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 541: Fiery Hell Chapter 541: Fiery Hell Fujin approached a bandit. The Eight Trigrams Divination Seal appeared on his right palm as he placed the palm on the bandit''s abdomen. Immediately, a seal formed on his abdomen. The bandit, who was still unconscious, winced but didn''t wake up. Fujin observed the seal and analyzed, ''That looks about right. Now, let me see how it works.'' Fujin placed his palm on the seal and inserted some chakra in it. In an instant, the scenery around him changed. Fujin looked around. He was standing in what seemed to be an abandoned cave. The entrance of the cave was locked behind a large gate. Fujin observed, ''Hmm, as I guessed. The Eight Trigrams Divination Seal allows us to access a spiritual space within ourselves. A spiritual space that can be used to seal up massive Tailed Beasts The Four Symbol Seal can also create such a spiritual space, but it isn''t flexible. Only the person and the sealed being can access it and it doesn''t create such a space when there is nothing sealed inside. This chapter is updated by Anyway, it looks like its appearance differs from person to person. This guy''s spiritual space looks like a cave. I wonder what it will look like for others'' Fujin immediately began testing it out on the other bandits. As he expected, everyone had a different type of spiritual space. Some had plain grasslands, some had buildings, some had mountains, a couple had sea and so on. Satisfied with his experiments, Fujin thought with a smile, ''I haven''t made any mistake while creating it. The Eight Trigrams Divination Seal is perfect. Now, I can finally move on to the next step and the difficult part. That is, to improve this seal further! To create a seal that no one has done before! If I can make it as I envisioned, then I could increase my power exponentially. At the very least, I''ll be a step ahead of every rank S ninja. Only the likes of Hashirama and Madara will be stronger than me. Unfortunately, this will be very difficult and could be risky. Not to mention, I have to ensure absolute secrecy. And, I need something weaker to test the more advanced seal on. Fortunately, I will have a perfect opportunity not too long from now. I just have to prepare the seal by then'' Fujin''s smile faded away as he began planning for the future. His eyes landed on the bandits. His hands moved like a blur weaving a set of hand seals. Chakra began emitting from his body. Instead of turning into the wind, it turned the surroundings extremely hot. In the blink of an eye, the entire camp caught fire! The houses in the camp, the unconscious bandits and any other object in the camp began burning! The pain caused every bandit to wake up. Their noses were immediately bombarded with the smell of burning flesh. In a fraction of a second, their brains registered the pain they were feeling. Terrified screams full of pain and fear could be heard for hundreds of meters around the camp. Unfortunately or fortunately, there was no one around to hear it. The only one who could hear was standing in the middle of the fire, completely unaffected by the heat and the screams. Some bandits managed to get up to their feet and wanted to run away. To their horror, their feet sunk into the ground. They looked down and to their dismay, the ground itself was melting! Within a couple of minutes, every bandit met a painful and traumatizing death. The fire had thoroughly destroyed their bodies. Their skins and even their bones had melted! In fact, all signs of the camp had been destroyed. The only thing that was left was the burnt ground! The jutsu Fujin had used was Fire Release: Fiery Hell jutsu. During the First Great Ninja War, a dozen ninjas who were under Hiruzen''s command were captured by Kirigakure ninjas and tortured brutally. By the time Hiruzen reached to rescue them, all he found were their tortured and mutilated dead bodies. It was then that Hiruzen had created this jutsu to take revenge for his fallen comrades. Raiga''s followers continued pouring the soil until the ground was levelled. Raiga was about to say his final condolences when a ragged voice was heard, "A live burial. Hehe, now that''s something I haven''t seen in a long while." The sudden words surprised everyone, including Raiga and Ranmaru who didn''t detect anyone. They immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw Fujin standing there wearing a demon mask and a long black cloak. Most of them immediately drew their weapons. One of Raiga''s subordinates shouted aggressively, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Fujin chuckled and replied, "Just a traveller. I came looking for a village to eat some food. Your little show just attracted me here, hehe." Raiga''s subordinates immediately became angry as they understood that they were being mocked. One of them said, "You want to eat food? Sure, we will arrange it for you. It shall be your last meal before your funeral!" As he spoke, some of the subordinates began walking towards Fujin. Fujin broke out into laughter and replied, "Hahaha, that sounds fun! You guys seem to be the kind of guys who can arrange for my favorite meal as well." Raiga''s subordinates were surprised by such an answer. The only ones who weren''t surprised were Raiga and Ranmaru, who felt that something was odd about the cloaked stranger. Even so, one of his subordinates laughed and asked, "Arrange your favorite meal? Hahaha. Sure we will. What is your favorite meal?" His laughter and the mocking grins of others froze as an arm poked through his chest, holding his heart in his palm. A whisper was heard through the graveyard. "Human hearts!" ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You lazy_daoist, Sam, , Reen and N for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 542 - 536 : Clash of Lightning! Chapter 542: Chapter 536 : Clash of Lightning! [A/N: We got 6355 Power Stones last week and were ranked 9th! Keep it up everyone!!!] [A/N: Watched Raiga''s filler episodes... I think I have seen the strangest anime character ever ????? He is the first (or the only) character to first be shown in Anime (filler) and then incorporated into the manga. But his story is kinda messed up. In the Anime, he was said to only be an Anbu when he met Ranmaru and was only able to become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist with Ranmaru''s help. If Ranmaru didn''t help him, then he wouldn''t be considered a ninja of that level. His strength was very low too considering an unconscious pre-timeskip Lee was able to fight him equally while wearing weights even when Ranmaru assisted him. On the other hand, in the manga, he was shown to be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist during the 3rd Great Ninja War, long before Ranmaru was even born. He was among their ranks when Might Duy wrecked them and managed to survive (though that might be more due to Duy running out of gas) which should imply that he is at least strong enough to not be beaten by pre-timeskip Naruto & Lee. Anyway, considering all the inconsistencies, I''ll be taking liberties with Raiga and Ranmaru (Ranmaru''s Kekkei Genkai is another mystery). So you might not find them consistent with manga/anime.] Fujin pulled his hand back while holding the heart in his palm. The action of someone so casually ripping the heart out of one of their comrades when they outnumbered him stunned everyone. The body of the ''heartless'' guy fell to the ground. The sound finally snapped everyone back to reality as they grabbed their weapons and shouted, "You are dead!" This chapter is updated by Except for Raiga, everyone rushed towards Fujin. Raiga carefully observed as he wanted his subordinates to test out Fujin. Ranmaru, who was hiding in Raiga''s cloak, focused in the direction of Fujin''s voice. His eyes had been glowing red the entire time, however, he still couldn''t see anything. He whispered in a worried tone, "Raiga, I can''t sense him. I am getting a feeling that something or someone is helping him hide from my ability." Raiga was surprised. This was the first time Ranmaru''s ability had failed. It was even more surprising as for the first time he could see the person who Ranmaru couldn''t sense. While Ranmaru''s Kekkei Genkai was quite strong, it wasn''t a surprise that he wasn''t able to detect Fujin. The reason was very simple. Fujin''s cloak was so densely covered in seals, that there were at least a thousand seals on that cloak, most of which were for stealth and anti-detection. A little kid like Ranmaru didn''t stand a chance against such a cloak despite his Kekkei Genkai. Fujin looked at Raiga and his subordinates and thought, ''Hmm? He wants them to test me? Why even bother? He should have guessed by now that I''m not weak.'' Fujin just sidestepped Raiga''s subordinate who swung a sword vertically at him. At that very moment, a chakra-enhanced punch landed on his abdomen. The punch obliterated his abdomen. His innards were blown at the Raiga and his subordinates, who were immediately covered in blood. Before they could register what was happening, another 4 people were blown apart in the same manner by Fujin. Seeing their comrades getting blown up in such a manner finally made them understand the difference in their strength. One of them shouted, "Everyone, gather here!" In an instant, all of Raiga''s subordinates retreated to the guy who shouted. In a second, they piled up on top of each other, surprising Fujin who thought, ''Hmm, what are they up to? Still, it''s a surprise that they aren''t terrified yet and are still looking aggressively at me.'' Whenever Fujin fought against ninjas of minor villages, they always lost their confidence after a few of their comrades died and they understood the difference in the power between Fujin. They generally lost their will to fight and would escape in different directions to survive. To his surprise, these ninjas weren''t afraid to that degree. He looked at Raiga and wondered, ''Is it because they are backed by a former Swordsmen of the Mist?'' The guy, who had shouted earlier, shouted again, "Ninja Art: Black Tornado." Taking advantage of the time Raiga needed to redirect and dodge the attack, Fujin slammed his hands on the ground. ''Lightning Release: Four Pillar Bind'' Four giant rocks were summoned, surrounding Raiga from all sides. Seeing the pillars, Raiga immediately cursed, "Shit! Hang on Ranmaru!" He immediately unleashed a large amount of Lightning from his Kiba blades. At the same time, the four pillars shot Lightning bolts at Raiga. The Lightning Raiga unleashed stayed around him and he began spinning at a fast speed. ''Ninja Art: Thunder Dragon Tornado'' Raiga''s spinning caused a whirling vortex of wind and electricity to form around him. The four lightning bolts hit the vortex and were stopped by it. Fujin was surprised by the development. He analyzed, ''A Wind and Lightning combination jutsu... Not bad at all. Perhaps I could recreate it. Though I won''t be able to use it as Fujin.'' Fujin immediately shot a few Lightning-charged senbon at Raiga, but they were deflected due to the lightning spinning in the vortex. The vortex soon took the form of a Dragon. However, Raiga didn''t use it to attack. Instead, he stayed within the dragon and poured his chakra into the Kiba blades. ''Lightning Release: Fangs of Lightning'' Raiga launched a Lightning bolt into the sky. It hit the clouds and disappeared. Fujin looked into the sky as his eyes glowed. Soon, surprise appeared on his face. The surprise soon turned into a grin as he muttered to himself, ''It looks like the information was accurate. Hehe, now I want these swords even more!'' As Fujin was staring into the sky, a ''natural'' Lightning bolt fell towards Fujin! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Wellstr, T5p6, G 21, No One and Javier for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 543: A Scare Chapter 543: A Scare Fujin looked into the sky and saw a Lightning bolt falling towards him. Even though Raiga controlled the Lightning bolt with the Kiba blades, it didn''t include any of his chakra. The Lightning Bolt was completely natural and hence far more feral. However, Fujin didn''t move and instead raised his left arm. A loud sound like the chirping of birds was heard as Fujin intercepted the Lightning bolt with Chidori! Raiga watched with widened eyes as he saw Fujin cutting the Lightning strike! He immediately launched the Dragon Thunder Tornado towards Fujin. Behind his mask, a wide grin appeared on Fujin''s face. He thought, ''I always wanted to try this. Hehe, the Lightning Cutter indeed. Now, what else can those swords do?'' Fujin saw the Dragon Thunder Tornado coming towards him. At the same time, his glowing eyes noticed some red dust within the tornado. Fujin''s left palm clenched into a fist as he punched the ground in front of him with a lot of strength. The chakra-enhanced punch completely wrecked the ground, creating a giant crater. At the same time, several rocks were launched out of the ground and hit the Dragon Thunder Tornado, disrupting it completely and stopping it from approaching Fujin any longer. The red dust was also sent in the opposite direction. The impact was so strong that the force of the punch caused even the ground under Raiga''s feet to collapse! He immediately flickered away while thinking, ''Who is this guy? He uses lightning-charged weapons like Kumo ninjas, can cut Lightning like the Copy Ninja and has the same monstrous strength as Konoha''s Sannin. Did he come all the way here to just insult me and mess up with my plans?'' Raiga didn''t get any time to think about the answers to his questions as more lightning-charged senbons were launched at him. He dodged a few and blocked the rest with his sword. "Behind us." Raiga''s eyes widened as he heard Ranmaru''s voice and sensed a massive chakra. He turned around and saw a massive Lightning Wave coming towards him. Fujin had used the amplification of the Blade of the Thunder Spirit to amplify a supercharged False Darkness jutsu to a ridiculous level. Raiga instinctively used Fang of Lightning jutsu and flickered away. A Lightning bolt fell from the clouds on Fujin. However, Fujin just sidestepped the Lightning strike and controlled the False Darkness jutsu to chase after Raiga. Raiga continued running away while launching more Lightning Fangs on Fujin, who continued sidestepping the Lightning strikes and focused on hunting Raiga. Raiga immediately realized, ''I can''t continue this. I can only dodge a few more times before being hit but he looks like he can dodge me all day. Not to mention, I''ll run out of chakra very quickly at this rate.'' Raiga used the Fang of Lightning once again. This time, Fujin was surprised. Instead of being aimed at him, the Lightning was aimed at Raiga himself! Raiga raised his swords and let the Lightning strike hit himself. A fraction of a second later, the amplified False Darkness jutsu hit Raiga, creating an explosion. However, there was no joy on Fujin''s face. Instead, he was confused. Fujin could sense that neither Raiga nor Ranmaru were injured. He wondered, ''What the hell happened? Did he somehow use that Lightning strike to neutralize my attack? But how? That Lightning strike fell a few moments before my jutsu landed.'' As the dust and smoke due to the explosion cleared, Fujin''s eyes widened. Fujin, who had been completely assured of his victory and quite relaxed in the fight, suddenly raised his guard to the maximum. Fujin didn''t chase after them and just analyzed, ''Weak That was too weak! That defense probably isn''t even 1% of Raikage''s defense. The only good thing was that the armor absorbed the impact of my kick and spread it throughout the armor. Otherwise, that kick might have been just enough to cripple him despite having the armor.'' Fujin sighed internally, ''What a bummer. This guy scared me for no reason. I even brought out the Flying Thunder God kunais'' What Raiga had used was just a jutsu he created with the help of the Kiba blades. The jutsu was called Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Armor. Its main use was enhanced defenses. It didn''t provide any increase in speed nor did it have any offensive capabilities other than zapping anyone who touched it. So even though it looked like the Lightning Chakra Mode, it was nowhere near its level. Of course, it wasn''t completely useless. Raiga used the defense provided by the armor without compromising on speed to engage opponents in close combat. Since his armor could resist ordinary attacks, it allowed Raiga to focus completely on his offense, providing him with a huge advantage. Other than ninjas at or close to rank S power level, everyone would struggle against this combination. Raiga coughed blood as he gathered himself. Ranmaru was hurt as well due to the crash. Fortunately, Raiga had used his own body as the shield to prevent him from getting harmed a lot, something that Fujin found very peculiar. Ranmaru endured the pain to not distract Raiga. He asked, "Raiga, are you alright?" Riaga coughed a couple of times more and said, "Some of my ribs are damaged, but I should still be able to fight. Track and inform me about his movements." ''Hidden Mist jutsu'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You N, Jacopo and Kecksinator for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 544: Uncharacteristic Obsession Chapter 544: Uncharacteristic Obsession The graveyard and the area around it were soon covered in mist. Fujin didn''t bother stopping it as the jutsu was pretty much useless against him. Yet, he was surprised as he wondered, ''Is Raiga confident in being able to detect me in such dense mist? Does that kid have more capabilities other than controlling that red dust? I still don''t understand what that red dust can do. I thought that it might be something similar to Gaara but that doesn''t seem to be the case. Also, why does Raiga care so much for him? It is so uncharacteristic for him to be so concerned. I initially assumed that it might be a relationship similar to Zabuza and Haku but that doesn''t seem to be the case. Though there is a chance that he might just be acting. Oh well, I''ll find out all the answers soon.'' A thick mist cover engulfed the entire area. Fujin changed his location and activated his chakra field and Space Time Sensing Technique. What he sensed surprised him once again! With his chakra field, Fujin sensed 16 chakra signatures gathered in groups of 2 or 3. However, with his Space Time Sensing Technique, he detected just one disturbance. And, his chakra field couldn''t detect any chakra signature at that place. It was the first time Fujin had gotten two completely opposite results from his two sensing techniques! 6 Shadow Clones appeared around Fujin. They flickered to investigate those 16 chakra signatures. Meanwhile, Raiga asked, "Where is he, Ranmaru?" Ranmaru nervously replied, "I can feel that he is sensing us but he hasn''t been able to find us. However, I can''t detect him anymore. I can''t hear any sound from him." Ranmaru was confused. He didn''t understand what was happening with this opponent. It was the first time he had experienced something like this. On the other hand, Raiga was easily able to understand due to his vast experience. He figured out, ''Ranmaru was able to hear him earlier because he didn''t bother reducing the noise of his movements while fighting against me. However, in the mist, he is paying special attention to ensure that his movements are as quiet as possible. It''s the good old hunting in the mist then. That said, I need to be careful. Something about him feels off. It''s as if he is hiding something. I also don''t understand why he threw the kunai around when I used Lightning Strike Armor.'' Raiga changed his position as well. Though Ranmaru wasn''t much help, he had decades of experience in fighting in the mist. It far exceeded Fujin''s total experience. If not for the Space Time Sensing Technique, Fujin would have been at a disadvantage in the mist as long as he didn''t use Wind jutsus. Fujin''s clones reached the chakra signatures Fujin had sensed. As expected, there wasn''t anyone there. Instead, red dust was present there. His clones analyzed, ''I see, the red dust can cloud my judgment of chakra. It can create fake chakra signatures and can probably hide the real chakra signatures as well. No wonder my chakra field didn''t sense their real bodies. Still This ability means that they think that I can''t sense them, hehe.'' Fujins''s clones dispelled themselves and sent the memories back to him. A smile appeared on his face as he muttered, ''You didn''t think that you''d become the prey in this hunting ground you created, did you Raiga?'' Fujin stealthily moved towards Raiga. Since he still hadn''t been attacked in the mist, Fujin was sure that Raiga couldn''t sense him. Even so, Fujin knew that he couldn''t overdo it. If he built up his chakra, Raiga would feel it easily. Even without it, an experienced ninja like Raiga would have a very high sense of danger. So, Fujin knew that he would have only one chance of ambushing. If he failed, then Raiga would disperse the mist, understanding his disadvantageous position. This chapter is updated by ''Unnatural This is too unnatural!'' Fujin thought. He said, "Tell me who that kid is, what his abilities are and why you are so concerned about him. If you can convince me, I''ll let you meet him." Raiga immediately said, "He is my family. He is the only one who completes me. Bring him to" Raiga''s words were stuck in his mouth as his throat was slashed! Fujin muttered, "Since you thought about the answers, I can just find the truth myself." Fujin placed his palm on Raiga''s head and inserted Yin chakra into his brain. In a remote village in the Land of River, which was only known for its proximity to a Gold Mine, Raiga Kurosuki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, met his end! It was the second one who had fallen by Fujin''s blade! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Cajun, Wahed, Benjamin, Kenny, MumifiedZombie and Ruben for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 545: An Overpowered Kekkei Genkai Chapter 545: An Overpowered Kekkei Genkai Seeing Raiga''s state of mind, Fujin understood that he wouldn''t be able to get clear answers for him. Even if he did, he couldn''t be sure whether the answers were truthful, lies or Raiga''s delusions. The reason why he asked those questions was to make Raiga subconsciously think about them, making Fujin''s job of reading his memories easier. While Fujin was dealing with Raiga, Fujin''s clone set the bag on the ground. His eyes glowed as he observed, ''The bag is full of red dust making it difficult for me to sense. Oh well, let me see what ability this kid has and how he made someone as heartless as Raiga be so concerned about him.'' The clone pointed a finger at Ranmaru. A small lightning bolt shot from the tip of his finger and pierced into the bag, zapping Ranmaru. He yelped and immediately lost consciousness. The red dust disappeared as soon as he lost consciousness. Fujin''s clone opened the bag and placed the young boy on the ground. He placed his palm on Ranmaru''s forehead and inserted Yin chakra into his brain to read his mind as well. While Fujin was reading Raiga''s memories, his Shadow Clone flickered away and reached the graveyard where someone had been buried alive not too long ago. Since not much time had passed, that man was still alive. Fujin''s clone created a small tiny hole from the ground to the coffin. He created a hole in the coffin to ensure that air would keep flowing into the coffin. He then stayed in the area to ensure that no one came to disturb Fujin or his clone. Since Raiga had been thinking about Ranmaru during the time of his death, Fujin managed to read all of Raiga''s memories related to Ranmaru and some other matters in around 10 minutes. The more he read the more confused he became. At the same time, a sense of alertness appeared in his eyes. Fujin analyzed, ''This is weird Too weird! Someone as heartless as Raiga felt pity for the kid while he was slaughtering an entire village. Even though Ranmaru spoke some words to display sympathy, how can one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist be manipulated this easily? Even Naruto''s Talk-no-jutsu might not have such an effect. What''s even weirder is that Raiga''s obsession with Ranmaru just kept increasing over time. And it isn''t like Zabuza whose affection for Haku grew naturally over time. It''s some weird sort of obsession that made Raiga care far more for the kid than even himself. He truly believed that he would be incomplete without Ranmaru.'' A frown appeared on Fujin''s face as he muttered, "It''s almost like he was under some Genjutsu or perhaps on some drugs. Was it this kid or was it someone else?" Obito''s image appeared in Fujin''s mind, but he couldn''t think of any reason for Obito to do something like that. Fujin sealed Raiga''s body while thinking, ''I''ll read the rest of Raiga''s memories later. I will be able to learn a lot of Kiri''s secrets from him. It might be helpful at some point in the future. Those two missing Chunin squads from Konoha were also buried by him. I will need to capture some of his subordinates who were present then so that I''ll have an excuse to give to Hiruzen on how I found them. I''ll keep Raiga''s dead body with me instead of cremating and burying the remains like I usually do. Since no one knows that it was me who killed Raiga, it will be safe to use him for Edo Tensei after I learn that jutsu. Though he won''t have the swords, he is still stronger than an average Elite Jounin.'' Updated from And that was just the basic application. Since it could transfer ''Life Force'', the first question that popped into Fujin''s brain was whether this ability could be used to increase lifespan! Fujin thought for a while before concluding, ''Probably not. However, even if there is a small chance, there is no reason to not test it. If I need Life Force in the future for some reason, then it''ll be good to have a way to get it. Even without it, just having someone who can save me from the brink of death is a good thing. Once my Flying Thunder God range can cover thousands of kilometers, I could just teleport next to him and get him to heal me in a few seconds. Guess I will recruit him after all. That said, I still need to be careful. There are a few things that still don''t make sense. For starters, Raiga''s obsession with Ranmaru. From Ranmaru''s memories, he didn''t do anything to make Raiga more obsessed with him. Instead, Raiga''s obsession just increased slowly over time. It became so big that it was the main reason for him to leave Kirigakure and become a rogue ninja. He came all the way here to create a new faction where the two of them would be in charge of everything. So either Raiga developed some mental problems or Ranmaru used some ability subconsciously to influence Raiga and make him more obsessed. Considering Ranmaru''s past, I''d say that it is the latter.'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Axel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 546 - 540 : Creating a Kekkei Genkai? Chapter 546: Chapter 540 : Creating a Kekkei Genkai? Fujin continued analyzing, ''Before he met Raiga, Ranmaru was a crippled orphan who couldn''t walk. While it is understandable for everyone to feel pity for him, the amount of help he got from the villagers increased significantly once he awakened the red dust ability. Until he exposed his abilities and scared everyone away, the village was obsessed with ensuring his well-being. The only difference is that they weren''t as obsessed as Raiga, but that could be because none of them spent as much time with him as Raiga. If it is a part of his Kekkei Genkai, then that would mean that he has some means of mentally influencing those who come in contact with him. I have a feeling that this is the feature of that red dust due to that incident, though I could be wrong. Regardless, I will have to be mindful of my feelings when interacting with him. If it feels like I am getting influenced, then I''ll be better off killing him on the spot. If I leave him in the Phantom Haven with this broken ability, I''ll lose control of the organization very easily. It''s not something I want to see. Another thing that doesn''t make any sense is this Kekkei Genkai itself. There is no record of such a Kekkei Genkai in Konoha''s library. It could mean one of three things. The first possibility is that the previous users of this Kekkei Genkai died centuries ago and this Kekkei Genkai has been lying dormant since then. The second is that all the users of this Kekkei Genkai hide it, sort of like the Jashin Priests who stay hidden from public view. And, the last possibility is that this Kekkei Genkai has been created by that kid! If he managed to create this Kekkei Genkai without any bloodline, then...'' Fujin''s breathing became slightly rougher as he realized the implications of it. Fujin had long wanted to create a Kekkei Genkai. Even though he had been busy and couldn''t invest much time to actually try it, Fujin did think of it quite frequently and did some small experiments. Unfortunately, he never had any luck. As a result, Fujin understood very well how difficult it was to create Kekkei Genkai when you didn''t have the bloodline. And that was when Fujin tried to recreate an already existing Kekkei Genkai with elements that he had practiced for years. If he were to try creating a Kekkei Genkai that didn''t exist in that world, the difficulty level might increase by several hundred times! Fujin analyzed, ''If that is the case, then this kid is an unprecedented talent! In the current generation, only Naruto and Sasuke would be more talented. He might give me clues on how to actually create a Kekkei Genkai. Looking at his past, he obviously couldn''t create the Kekkei Genkai on purpose. If he did create it, then it was created subconsciously. And the Kekkei Genkai that was created perfectly suits his needs. And somehow, the Kekkei Genkai kept evolving to suit any more of his desires. The first aspect of the Kekkei Genkai that manifested was the red dust. It actually manifested one day when he had been starving for several days and would have likely died if no one fed him. However, once the red dust manifested, everyone in the village slowly began caring for him. Due to being born as a cripple, he couldn''t go outside to see the outside world. He yearned to see the outside world. And, the second ability that he developed allows him to see through obstacles and for long distances like the Byakugan. Finally, he discovered his ability to supply Life Force when Raiga was critically injured one day and he saved his life by transferring his Life Force and healing Raiga. This makes me wonder whether this Kekkei Genkai still has any scope to improve... If so, then how far can it go?'' Fujin was tempted to see that. Unfortunately, he couldn''t stay with Ranmaru for a long time to test it out. Taking him back to Konoha was out of the question as Hiruzen would take him. Keeping him in Phantom Haven was risky as well due to his ability. That more or less eliminated the two identities that Fujin could use. Ranmaru''s choice of words surprised Fujin. He thought, ''Interesting. Even though he is accepting his fate, his choice of words will inevitably invoke a sense of sympathy within most people. Combined with that red dust ability, no wonder Raiga spared him. I wonder how it would have impacted me had I not sealed his abilities.'' Seeing that Fujin wasn''t doing anything, Ranmaru said, "Go on, why do you hesitate?" Fujin chuckled and replied in his heavy voice, "Hehe, you are an interesting kid. I never expected that a child would accept his death so calmly. Perhaps if Raiga was as calm as you, he might have still been alive." Fujin extended his fingers towards Ranmaru''s forehead and said, "Since you are so calm, I''ll grant you a painless death." Ranmaru closed his eyes as Fujin''s fingers touched his forehead. However, he didn''t feel anything else. It was as if it was an ordinary tap. Fujin just took the opportunity of Ranmaru''s willingness to accept death to apply his imprint on the Kekkei Genkai Seal, ensuring that no one could remove his seal any longer! He chuckled internally while thinking, ''Well look at that. He is actually willing to die. There was no resistance at all. No wonder his words feel so genuine. Tsk, to do so without a scheming mind. He will have a talent comparable to Naruto in talk-no-jutsu. I wonder how strong he will become with proper guidance.'' Ranmaru opened his eyes and asked, "Why did you stop?" ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jan, James, Lotas, Gerald, MC, Scott for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 547 - 541 : Controlling Lightning Chapter 547: Chapter 541 : Controlling Lightning Ranmaru asked, "Why did you stop?" Fujin pulled his hand back and said, "Your words intrigued me. You said that you had found the meaning of your life. What did you find?" Ranmaru replied, "It''s as I said. I completed Raiga and Raiga completed me. That was the meaning of our lives. We are two people who have different bodies but the same mind." "Hehehe... Hahahaha!" Fujin broke out in a burst of loud laughter. Ranmaru didn''t understand the meaning of the laughter but didn''t say anything. After half a minute, Fujin finally controlled himself and said, "That''s the most delusional thing I have heard in my life." He looked into Ranmaru''s eyes and continued, "I don''t know what the two of you have been doing before you reached this village, but here, all you did was enslave the villagers and force them to work for you. In addition, you buried several defenseless villagers alive. Villagers who were no different from cripples in Raiga''s eyes. Is the meaning you found in your life? Hahaha, that''s the most bizarre thing I have heard." Ranmaru replied, "We came here to free people from the tyrannical taxes that were imposed on them." Fujin laughed again and said, "Oh really? Of all the places, you came to ''rescue'' the village that has a gold mine? Do you think that making them work like a slave and burying them alive is helping them? Hahaha. You are one sadistic bastard." Fujin''s words surprised Ranmaru. It was important to remember that Ranmaru was just a child. He stayed in his house all the time since he couldn''t walk outside. And once Raiga took him away, he always stayed with Raiga. As a result, his sense of morality wasn''t normal in any sense. Hearing Fujin''s words, Ranmaru began introspecting. Fujin touched Ranmaru''s forehead once again with two fingers and said, "I have changed my mind. I won''t kill you. However, I will make you experience how life is for a person without any abilities. From this day onwards, you won''t be able to use your Dojutsu. Only when you have helped 100 times the people you and Raiga harmed, you will be able to use your abilities again. Hehe, enjoy your new life! Perhaps you might find the real meaning of your life." As those words fell on Ranmaru''s ears, he fell unconscious. However, even when he was unconscious, he kept hearing those words! It was as if those words were imprinted on his brain! Fujin picked Ranmaru up and flickered back to the graveyard. He placed his unconscious body there and disappeared once again. Seconds later, the soil covering one of the graves suddenly shifted apart. The coffin lid cracked and crumbled and the restraints tying the person inside the coffin were cut apart by the wind. This chapter is updated by The man opened his eyes. His fists and legs were bleeding as he had tried for over an hour to break out of the coffin. He had given up but as soon as he saw the light, he pulled at his restraints with as much force as he could. To his surprise, he managed to break free. He quickly crawled out of the coffin and took heavy breaths. Anyway, another restriction of the Kiba blades is that these blades aren''t as versatile as the Blade of the Thunder Spirit when it comes to channelling jutsus. Raiga spent a long time trying to figure out the optimal jutsus for the blade. I won''t be able to use this blade for other jutsus. Fortunately, I don''t have a need to do so. I just need one jutsu!'' Fujin pointed both his Kiba blades towards the sky and flowed his Lightning Chakra into the blade. He fired a Lightning bolt from the blades into the clouds. He closed his eyes and felt his chakra that dispersed into the cloud. Normally, he wouldn''t be able to control that chakra. However, with the Kiba blades, he could sense the changes that chakra caused in the sky very clearly and control it to an extent. Fujin looked at the skies and thought, ''Incredible! It''s as if the main purpose of this sword is to control Lightning. The Lightning chakra I fired is stimulating the formation of Lightning in the cloud. Though it takes some seconds, I''ll be able to control when and where the Lightning falls.'' As soon as he felt that it was ready, Fujin pointed his Kiba blades towards one of the other cliffs. A Lightning bolt fell towards the cliff from the sky. However, it missed the mark and struck on its slopes. Fujin muttered, "I will need to work on perfecting my aim." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Libois and Jonathon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 546: Creating a Kekkei Genkai? Chapter 546: Creating a Kekkei Genkai? Fujin continued analyzing, ''Before he met Raiga, Ranmaru was a crippled orphan who couldn''t walk. While it is understandable for everyone to feel pity for him, the amount of help he got from the villagers increased significantly once he awakened the red dust ability. Until he exposed his abilities and scared everyone away, the village was obsessed with ensuring his well-being. The only difference is that they weren''t as obsessed as Raiga, but that could be because none of them spent as much time with him as Raiga. If it is a part of his Kekkei Genkai, then that would mean that he has some means of mentally influencing those who come in contact with him. I have a feeling that this is the feature of that red dust due to that incident, though I could be wrong. Regardless, I will have to be mindful of my feelings when interacting with him. If it feels like I am getting influenced, then I''ll be better off killing him on the spot. If I leave him in the Phantom Haven with this broken ability, I''ll lose control of the organization very easily. It''s not something I want to see. Another thing that doesn''t make any sense is this Kekkei Genkai itself. There is no record of such a Kekkei Genkai in Konoha''s library. It could mean one of three things. The first possibility is that the previous users of this Kekkei Genkai died centuries ago and this Kekkei Genkai has been lying dormant since then. The second is that all the users of this Kekkei Genkai hide it, sort of like the Jashin Priests who stay hidden from public view. And, the last possibility is that this Kekkei Genkai has been created by that kid! If he managed to create this Kekkei Genkai without any bloodline, then'' Fujin''s breathing became slightly rougher as he realized the implications of it. Fujin had long wanted to create a Kekkei Genkai. Even though he had been busy and couldn''t invest much time to actually try it, Fujin did think of it quite frequently and did some small experiments. Unfortunately, he never had any luck. As a result, Fujin understood very well how difficult it was to create Kekkei Genkai when you didn''t have the bloodline. And that was when Fujin tried to recreate an already existing Kekkei Genkai with elements that he had practiced for years. If he were to try creating a Kekkei Genkai that didn''t exist in that world, the difficulty level might increase by several hundred times! Fujin analyzed, ''If that is the case, then this kid is an unprecedented talent! In the current generation, only Naruto and Sasuke would be more talented. He might give me clues on how to actually create a Kekkei Genkai. Looking at his past, he obviously couldn''t create the Kekkei Genkai on purpose. If he did create it, then it was created subconsciously. And the Kekkei Genkai that was created perfectly suits his needs. And somehow, the Kekkei Genkai kept evolving to suit any more of his desires. The first aspect of the Kekkei Genkai that manifested was the red dust. It actually manifested one day when he had been starving for several days and would have likely died if no one fed him. However, once the red dust manifested, everyone in the village slowly began caring for him. Due to being born as a cripple, he couldn''t go outside to see the outside world. He yearned to see the outside world. And, the second ability that he developed allows him to see through obstacles and for long distances like the Byakugan. Finally, he discovered his ability to supply Life Force when Raiga was critically injured one day and he saved his life by transferring his Life Force and healing Raiga. This makes me wonder whether this Kekkei Genkai still has any scope to improve If so, then how far can it go?'' Fujin was tempted to see that. Unfortunately, he couldn''t stay with Ranmaru for a long time to test it out. Taking him back to Konoha was out of the question as Hiruzen would take him. Keeping him in Phantom Haven was risky as well due to his ability. That more or less eliminated the two identities that Fujin could use. Ranmaru''s choice of words surprised Fujin. He thought, ''Interesting. Even though he is accepting his fate, his choice of words will inevitably invoke a sense of sympathy within most people. Combined with that red dust ability, no wonder Raiga spared him. I wonder how it would have impacted me had I not sealed his abilities.'' Seeing that Fujin wasn''t doing anything, Ranmaru said, "Go on, why do you hesitate?" Fujin chuckled and replied in his heavy voice, "Hehe, you are an interesting kid. I never expected that a child would accept his death so calmly. Perhaps if Raiga was as calm as you, he might have still been alive." Fujin extended his fingers towards Ranmaru''s forehead and said, "Since you are so calm, I''ll grant you a painless death." Ranmaru closed his eyes as Fujin''s fingers touched his forehead. However, he didn''t feel anything else. It was as if it was an ordinary tap. Fujin just took the opportunity of Ranmaru''s willingness to accept death to apply his imprint on the Kekkei Genkai Seal, ensuring that no one could remove his seal any longer! He chuckled internally while thinking, ''Well look at that. He is actually willing to die. There was no resistance at all. No wonder his words feel so genuine. Tsk, to do so without a scheming mind. He will have a talent comparable to Naruto in talk-no-jutsu. I wonder how strong he will become with proper guidance.'' Ranmaru opened his eyes and asked, "Why did you stop?" ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jan, James, Lotas, Gerald, MC, Scott for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 547: Controlling Lightning Chapter 547: Controlling Lightning Ranmaru asked, "Why did you stop?" Fujin pulled his hand back and said, "Your words intrigued me. You said that you had found the meaning of your life. What did you find?" Ranmaru replied, "It''s as I said. I completed Raiga and Raiga completed me. That was the meaning of our lives. We are two people who have different bodies but the same mind." "Hehehe Hahahaha!" Fujin broke out in a burst of loud laughter. Ranmaru didn''t understand the meaning of the laughter but didn''t say anything. After half a minute, Fujin finally controlled himself and said, "That''s the most delusional thing I have heard in my life." He looked into Ranmaru''s eyes and continued, "I don''t know what the two of you have been doing before you reached this village, but here, all you did was enslave the villagers and force them to work for you. In addition, you buried several defenseless villagers alive. Villagers who were no different from cripples in Raiga''s eyes. Follow current novels at novelhall.com) Is the meaning you found in your life? Hahaha, that''s the most bizarre thing I have heard." Ranmaru replied, "We came here to free people from the tyrannical taxes that were imposed on them." Fujin laughed again and said, "Oh really? Of all the places, you came to ''rescue'' the village that has a gold mine? Do you think that making them work like a slave and burying them alive is helping them? Hahaha. You are one sadistic bastard." Fujin''s words surprised Ranmaru. It was important to remember that Ranmaru was just a child. He stayed in his house all the time since he couldn''t walk outside. And once Raiga took him away, he always stayed with Raiga. As a result, his sense of morality wasn''t normal in any sense. Hearing Fujin''s words, Ranmaru began introspecting. Fujin touched Ranmaru''s forehead once again with two fingers and said, "I have changed my mind. I won''t kill you. However, I will make you experience how life is for a person without any abilities. From this day onwards, you won''t be able to use your Dojutsu. Only when you have helped 100 times the people you and Raiga harmed, you will be able to use your abilities again. Hehe, enjoy your new life! Perhaps you might find the real meaning of your life." As those words fell on Ranmaru''s ears, he fell unconscious. However, even when he was unconscious, he kept hearing those words! It was as if those words were imprinted on his brain! Fujin picked Ranmaru up and flickered back to the graveyard. He placed his unconscious body there and disappeared once again. Seconds later, the soil covering one of the graves suddenly shifted apart. The coffin lid cracked and crumbled and the restraints tying the person inside the coffin were cut apart by the wind. The man opened his eyes. His fists and legs were bleeding as he had tried for over an hour to break out of the coffin. He had given up but as soon as he saw the light, he pulled at his restraints with as much force as he could. To his surprise, he managed to break free. He quickly crawled out of the coffin and took heavy breaths. Anyway, another restriction of the Kiba blades is that these blades aren''t as versatile as the Blade of the Thunder Spirit when it comes to channelling jutsus. Raiga spent a long time trying to figure out the optimal jutsus for the blade. I won''t be able to use this blade for other jutsus. Fortunately, I don''t have a need to do so. I just need one jutsu!'' Fujin pointed both his Kiba blades towards the sky and flowed his Lightning Chakra into the blade. He fired a Lightning bolt from the blades into the clouds. He closed his eyes and felt his chakra that dispersed into the cloud. Normally, he wouldn''t be able to control that chakra. However, with the Kiba blades, he could sense the changes that chakra caused in the sky very clearly and control it to an extent. Fujin looked at the skies and thought, ''Incredible! It''s as if the main purpose of this sword is to control Lightning. The Lightning chakra I fired is stimulating the formation of Lightning in the cloud. Though it takes some seconds, I''ll be able to control when and where the Lightning falls.'' As soon as he felt that it was ready, Fujin pointed his Kiba blades towards one of the other cliffs. A Lightning bolt fell towards the cliff from the sky. However, it missed the mark and struck on its slopes. Fujin muttered, "I will need to work on perfecting my aim." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Libois and Jonathon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 548: A Little Play (1) Chapter 548: A Little Play (1) "Daimyo-sama! The environment finally seems to have calmed down! It might be safe to continue our journey." A man rushed into a tent and announced loudly. Inside the room was the Daimyo of the Land of Frost. The Daimyo''s ears perked up on hearing that. He cursed, "It''s about time. Did anyone find out what it was?" The man shook his head and said, "I am sorry, Daimyo-sama. The Samurais couldn''t get close to it as it was very dangerous for them as well. A couple of them almost died. They decided against investigating again." The Daimyo thought for a bit before saying, "Let it be. Since it has passed, we don''t need to worry. We will send some experts here later to investigate this area." The Daimyo of the Land of Frost was visiting several other Daimyos on a schedule for some political talks. He was en route to meet another Daimyo when suddenly Lightning began falling nonstop from the skies some distance ahead on their path, forcing them to camp there. Though the Lightning would stop occasionally, it would begin again when they started moving. They dispatched the Samurais to check what was happening, but some Lightning strikes fell very close to the Samurais, scaring them away. Since it was mountainous terrain, they only had one path to move through. As a result, his group was stuck there for two whole days! Needless to say, all the Lightning that fell in their path was from Fujin who was training. Though he had no idea who it was, he didn''t want to be disturbed while he was training. As a result, the entire mountain pass stayed closed for two days! After training for two days, Fujin was finally satisfied and moved from the area. As he moved back to the village near the Gold Mine, his appearance changed again. His height returned to normal and his appearance changed into that of an old man. He changed his outfit as well. If someone saw him now, they would think that he is a wise and holy old man. As he moved, he analyzed, ''I can now control the Lightning very well with the Kiba blades. I''m still not as good as Raiga, but it''s only a matter of time before I surpass what he could do with these blades. For Raiga, the Kiba blades were the core of his strength. However, even for my Akuro identity, it is just one of my many trump cards. There are just three abilities of these swords that I need and will focus on. The first is using them as normal swords for close combat. With my chakra flow, I don''t need to work on this aspect even a bit. The second is controlling the Lightning. Even though the Kiba blades aren''t very versatile for using other jutsus, they are amazing at manipulating natural Lightning. With their help, I can create a jutsu equivalent to or stronger than Sasuke''s Kirin. Considering the amplification feature of these blades, I will need only a fraction of the chakra that he needed to use Kirin. Once I create this jutsu, it will undoubtedly become Akuro''s most destructive jutsu. The third application of these blades that I found very interesting was the Lightning Strike Armor. Konoha already tried replicating some aspects of the Lightning Chakra Mode by developing Burst, Lightning Transformation and Electric Skin jutsu. Along with this Armor, I might have some headway in copying the Lightning Chakra Mode. If I somehow master it, then this identity will have Peak Rank S battle strength without having to use the Flying Thunder God jutsu. That said, replicating the Lightning Chakra Mode is easier said than done Maybe I should infiltrate Kumogakure someday to steal information on how to master the Lightning Chakra Mode'' Had I not read their memories, I would have wondered why Raiga didn''t ask a Medical Ninja to look at Ranmaru. However, the answer to that question becomes very easy to figure considering that they considered each other to be an extension of themselves. How would Raiga be Ranmaru''s hands and feet if Ranmaru can walk by himself?'' Fujin smiled and asked, "What is your name, young one?" Ranmaru was surprised by the kind smile. In the past couple of days, he had seen too many kind smiles. He had thought that it was just the villagers who were happy to see Raiga gone. Seeing their relief, he understood that the words of Raiga''s killer were true. He and Raiga had committed several sins which weighed heavily on him and made him depressed. Ranmaru replied, "I am Ranmaru." Fujin said, "Ranmaru, such a good name. From today onwards, you will be able to walk like anyone else." Fujin''s words shocked Ranmaru. Before he could process his thoughts, Fujin pointed his palm towards his legs and a green glow appeared. He said, "It will sting a bit but don''t worry, it won''t hurt. Clench your fists and grit your teeth." Fujin inserted his chakra into Ranmaru''s legs. Ranmaru immediately clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. The villagers watched with slight nervousness on seeing his expressions. [A/N : Latest chapter on P@treon - Passing Hot Potato!] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You T T, Alireza, Bernard and Mike for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 549: A Little Play (2) Chapter 549: A Little Play (2) Though Fujin said that it wouldn''t hurt much, Ranmaru felt as if several dozen needles were being inserted into his legs every second. If it was any normal boy instead of him, he would have long started crying loudly. After a few minutes, Ranmaru grew used to the pain. More importantly, he began feeling sensations in his legs. For the first time in his life, he was able to move them slightly. "Don''t try to move your legs right now. Don''t worry, you can walk and run as much as you want very soon." Fujin instructed on seeing Ranmaru trying to move his legs. Ranmaru immediately stopped. After another 10 minutes, Fujin finally stopped. He pulled his hand back and said with a smile on his face, "You can try to move now." Ranmaru nodded and tried to move his legs. To his surprise, he was able to move his legs. However, he was still quite slow. Fujin said, "It will feel weird at the start. However, you will soon get used to it." Ranmaru tried to get up. A couple of villagers assisted him and helped him get off the bed. With their help, Ranmaru took the first steps of his life. When he did, his feelings immediately became very complicated. He thought, ''I always believed that Raiga was my hands and feet. However, Raiga is dead and I can walk by myself now. Does this mean that the meaning we discovered was fake?'' The villagers were unaware of his internal struggle and became happy for him. Many began to congratulate him. A few thanked Fujin as well. Fujin waited for a few minutes for the commotion to settle down before saying, "Everyone, I need to talk with Ranmaru about his condition. Could you give us a few minutes alone?" The villagers nodded and left. Within a minute, only Ranmaru and Fujin were left in the room. Ranmaru thanked Fujin for healing him. Fujin smiled and said, "For someone who walked for the first time in his life, you sure don''t seem happy. Mind telling me what it is that is weighing on your mind?" Since his abilities were sealed, Ranmaru couldn''t detect that Fujin was using a Genjutsu on him to make him trust Fujin more easily. In addition, he had just healed Ranmaru''s legs. As a result, Ranmaru felt that Fujin could be trusted. However, even then, he shook his head and said, "It''s nothing." Fujin was surprised. He wondered, ''Even in this situation he isn''t willing to open up? Looks like staying with Raiga made his mentality quite strong. Oh well'' Fujin said, "Nothing? I wouldn''t call such a complicated seal on your body nothing, kiddo. When I first saw you, that seal shocked me. I never thought that someone would put such a complicated seal on a little child. So, can you tell me what it is? Perhaps I might be able to help you." Ranmaru was surprised. Ever since Fujin woke him up after killing Raiga, he hadn''t been able to use his abilities. As a result, everyone thought that he was an ordinary kid. He didn''t imagine that he''d meet a Fuinjutsu expert just a few days after the seal was applied to him. His expression became dejected as he admitted, "I unknowingly did some horrible things. Things I thought were good for the people but were actually harmful. As a result, someone sealed my abilities and said that my abilities will stay sealed until I do good work." Fujin acted like he was surprised and said, "That''s a surprise. I thought someone had some ill intentions towards you. I don''t know what you did, but it''s good to see that you have identified your mistakes. Do you want me to break this seal?" Ranmaru was surprised by the offer. He thought for a couple of minutes before shaking his head. He answered, "No. I can''t do anything for the people who suffered due to me. However, I want to do good for the people in the future. I am afraid that my abilities might put me on the wrong path again." Fujin carried Ranmaru to the Phantom Haven Base. En route, he wore a mask and instructed, "Ranmaru, don''t tell anyone that you saw my face. Also, don''t tell anyone about your past with Raiga or your sealed abilities." Ranmaru nodded. Fujin reached the Phantom Haven Base, handed Ranmaru to Shigeki and said, "He''ll be joining here as a student. Raiga and his subordinates were dealt with by someone. He won''t be harming anyone else." Shigeki was surprised to hear that someone as strong as Raiga was dealt with by someone else so soon after he informed Fujin about him. He nodded and arranged for Ranmaru to be placed with other students. Following Fujin''s advice, Ranmaru tried making friends with the kids. Fujin and Shigeki observed them from some distance away. Shigeki asked, "Is there anything special about him, Shiden?" The reason why Shigeki asked the question was because this was the first time Fujin recruited someone other than him. Fujin answered, "The circumstances he grew up in were very bad. Though life in our base isn''t exactly normal, it''ll still be a great improvement for him. Anyway, he is quite talented. I anticipate that he''ll manage to become an Elite Jounin in a couple of decades." Shigeki was surprised to hear Fujin''s evaluation. He remembered how strict Fujin had been while categorizing the ranks. What Shiden didn''t know was that Fujin believed that Ranmaru should be able to become a Rank S ninja if he didn''t slack off. Though it was unlikely for him to reach that level before the Fourth Great Ninja War, he might reach it a few years after the war. Even though Fujin didn''t have any concrete plans for the organization after the Fourth Great Ninja War, there was no reason to not recruit a possible Rank S ninja who could heal him within moments especially considering how little time he personally invested in Ranmaru. Seeing Shigeki''s expression, Fujin instructed, "Don''t treat him differently from other kids for that reason though. Other kids won''t like it if someone gets special treatment. Just train him like anyone else." Shigeki nodded. Fujin gave some more instructions and took his leave. On leaving the Phantom Haven base, he muttered, "Time to complete the mission that Hiruzen assigned me." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Damian, Alex, Caesar, Alan and Skndndhx for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 550 - 544 : Magnet Release Chapter 550: Chapter 544 : Magnet Release Fujin and his clone created Shadow Clones and dispelled them to trade information. On understanding the location of his clone, Fujin quickly made his way across the Land of Rivers and located the two subordinates of Raiga whom he had left alive. The two had set up a tent in a forest and were hiding there. What they had seen in the gold mine had horrified both of them and they had travelled several hundred kilometers away from the gold mine. They relaxed only after surviving for a couple of days as no one chased after them, or so they thought. It hadn''t been even a day since they had put their guard down slightly when suddenly a strong wind began blowing through the area. To their horror, the winds casually tore through their tent. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of small cuts appeared on their bodies! The wind was so potent that several nerves and tendons in their bodies were cut, forcing them to their knees. They were unable to move their limbs when Fujin''s figure appeared in front of them. The two looked at the Konoha headband he was wearing and immediately became worried as they remembered their past actions. As if reading their minds, Fujin asked, "You two used to work for Raiga, right?" Both immediately shouted, "No. We never worked for Raiga." Immediately, more cuts appeared on their bodies. The new cuts were much deeper than the previous cuts, causing them even more pain. Their screams scared away some wild animals around that area. Fujin said, "I can sense whether you are telling the truth or not. If you lie again, I will kill you. Now, tell me whether Raiga attacked two squads from Konoha." One of the two instinctively answered, "We don''t know. We never saw him attack any Konoha ninja." The guy kneeling next to him watched with horror in his eyes as his friend was beheaded! Fujin turned his gaze towards him and asked, "Do you want to die as well?" The guy immediately said everything that had happened between Raiga and Konoha ninjas. Fujin asked, "Do you remember where their bodies were buried?" Not wanting to end up like his friend, he nodded and told Fujin the location. Fujin stored the dead body in a scroll before he grabbed the alive guy''s neck from behind and dragged him for hundreds of kilometers across the Land of Rivers until he reached the spot the guy said. He dug out the dead bodies and stored them in a scroll. The last Kurosuki family member asked, "I have led you to their bodies. Can you let me go now?" "Sure," Fujin replied before letting him go from this world. He stored his dead body in a scroll as well while thinking, ''Hiruzen will definitely enquire how Raiga died. For him to die right after the mission was assigned to me is suspicious. Not to mention, considering that Raiga could control the Lightning, Hiruzen might suspect him to be behind the destruction of Root headquarters. These two will form the perfect alibi for the details I plan on feeding to Hiruzen. He can read their memories and verify a part of my details. That will be enough to stop him from looking any further. That said, it might have been fun to see him trying to find who killed Raiga, hehe. Though going by what happened when I attacked Root, he might assign this mission to me as well.'' Updated from With the mission complete, Fujin began moving back to Konoha. Having eaten the soldier pill, Fujin didn''t need to rest. He travelled non-stop and reached Konoha by the next evening. Hiruzen was just about to wrap up his work when Fujin appeared in his office. He was slightly surprised to see Fujin arrive so soon. He thought, ''The ninjas I dispatched to the Land of Rivers didn''t see any signs of him. Did he find out why those two squads went missing so quickly?'' Hiruzen sighed and muttered, "They were very thorough. Nothing we can do, unfortunately. Anyway, what happened in Yamakawa town? When did you become a puppeteer?" Fujin raised his left eyebrow and asked, "When did I have time to become a puppeteer? I wasn''t the one who attacked with puppets. The Yamakawa family was attacked by Sasori of the Red Sand when I was in the town. So even if we hadn''t undertaken this mission, the Yamakawa family would have been history." Hiruzen was surprised. He wondered, ''What was Sasori doing there?'' Fujin continued, "I am not sure why Sasori attacked them. My only guess is that someone gave that mission to Akatsuki. Most of the people in the mansion were killed by Sasori. I only killed their family head and the Suna ninjas hiding under his mansion." Fujin placed some more scrolls on Hiruzen''s desk while saying, "These scrolls have their dead bodies." Hiruzen looked at his desk. Even though they were stored inside scrolls, there were as many as 33 dead bodies on his desk! While Hiruzen didn''t find it odd, if a common person were to know of it, he would wonder if it was the Hokage''s office or a morgue! Hiruzen asked, "Did you fight Sasori?" Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. I wanted to test a new jutsu against a rank S opponent." A frown appeared on his face as he said, "There is something strange about him. One of his puppets could control Iron!" Hiruzen''s eyes immediately widened! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You DarkSlayer, Wolf_hunter, Mads, Srikar and Loc for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 551: A Fair Trade Chapter 551: A ''Fair'' Trade [A/N: Apologies for the delay, guys. I had to plan out a few things for the upcoming arc to make it interesting while ensuring that there are no inconsistencies in my plans. Took a bit longer than expected...] Hiruzen''s eyes widened. Immediately the image of the Third Kazekage appeared in his mind. Unlike most of the people, Hiruzen was well aware of Sasori''s human puppets and that they could retain some of the abilities that they had when they were alive. However, if Sasori had made the Third Kazekage, who had been missing since before the Third Great Ninja War began, his puppet, then it would send shockwaves throughout the Ninja World! Hiruzen asked, "Did you see what the puppet looked like?" Fujin shook his head and said, "No, I was fighting from a distance and couldn''t see him. I retreated right when a large amount of iron was floating outside Yamakawa town. So I can''t say whether he has made the Third Kazekage his puppet or if it is some other ninja who had awakened the Magnet Release. Irrespective, Sasori''s threat is much higher than what we believe. If he can retain Kekkei Genkai in the puppets, then there is a chance that he could have several such puppets. He''ll be difficult to deal with." Hiruzen agreed. Sasori''s threat had to be reevaluated. Just the Magnet Release was extremely troublesome to deal with. He asked, "The reports stated that over a hundred puppets attacked the town at the same time. Is that true?" Fujin answered, "Yes. He could control over a hundred puppets at the same time while he was standing outside the town. And from what I saw, his control over all his puppets was extremely good. Even Elite Chunins might not be able to take on a single puppet considering the various traps and poisons involved. However, Jounins should be able to destroy his normal human puppets as long as Sasori isn''t nearby." Hiruzen nodded and asked, "So, how did your fight go? And what happened in the town?" Fujin explained the events since he reached the town until Sasori''s attack. He continued, "I took advantage of the distraction caused by Sasori''s attack to sneak attack and kill the Yamakawa family head and Suna ninjas. I am not sure, but it is possible that one of the Suna ninjas was a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu. If you find some new seals from his memories, please let me know." Hiruzen was shocked to realize that a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster of Suna could have been killed! Every country treasured their Fuinjutsu Grandmasters. It was extremely difficult to kill them as they would rarely leave the village and even when they did, they would move in secrecy and be with at least 1 Elite Jounin. The death of 1 Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, 1 Elite Jounin and 20 Jounins and Chunins would be another huge blow to Sunagakure. Fujin continued, "As for Sasori, I fought him using the new technique I created. I''m sure you might have seen it a few times. I call it the Wind Domain." Hiruzen felt slightly awkward about being called out on his spying. Even though everyone was aware that he would do it, no one ever mentioned it on his face. Luckily, he was shameless enough to not let it affect him. His expression didn''t change and he just nodded. Fujin cursed internally at his shamelessness before continuing, "My Wind Domain can sever his chakra threads. So Sasori lost control of all of his puppets within my Wind Domain. I stole 64 of his Human Puppets before escaping." Hiruzen''s eyes widened in shock once again as Fujin claimed with a mischievous smile, "Even though I am not a Puppet Master, I believe that I have the second strongest collection of puppets. If I train for a bit, I will become one of the top 5 Puppeteers in a few months." Fujin looked at Hiruzen and thought, ''Wow! Good speech. His words are true but that requires me to give things without getting anything in return. While it''s true that Hiruzen helped me in the past, he didn''t spend money on anything other than my swords. In fact, he probably earned more than that by betting on me in the Chunin exams! I would have still given them if I needed a lot from Hiruzen in the future. Unfortunately, there is not much he can give me anymore. He won''t give me the Edo Tensei right now. If he dies against Orochimaru, then obviously I can''t take anything from him. If he survives, then the fame I gain during that war will be sufficient to ask for what I want from him irrespective of our relationship.'' Hiruzen looked at Fujin and asked, "Well?" Fujin sighed and said, "I was planning to use the 64 Puppets as a trump card. If I fell in a situation where my squad had to retreat, I could have my Shadow Clones use the puppets to hold back enemies while we retreated to safety. I might not be able to do the same with a few puppets. That said, I understand your view. Getting more Jounins and perhaps Elite Jounins will be beneficial for the village. How about this? I''ll keep just 10 puppets with me and give you the rest. However, I want a forbidden technique to have another trump card." Hiruzen was surprised. He thought, ''I should have known. I guess he is still upset that I didn''t give him the scroll of sealing.'' He asked, "Which jutsu do you want?" Fujin said, "Spirit Transformation Technique." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Phokingchin, AJ, JN and Lurdhu for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 552: Hiruzen’s Suspicion & Soul Chapter 552: Hiruzen¡¯s Suspicion & Soul Hiruzen was surprised. He wondered, ''The Spirit Transformation Technique? The one Dan created? Why is Fujin interested in it?'' Hiruzen fell into deep thought. The technique was extremely complicated. More importantly, it was extremely powerful and dangerous, both to the enemies and to the user. Hiruzen analyzed why Fujin would need such a technique, but couldn''t come up with any answer. In the end, he speculated, ''Does he plan on taking over someone''s body temporarily? Or does he just want another Trump Card as he said?'' Hiruzen couldn''t be sure. He said, "Learning too many complicated techniques at the same time isn''t good, Fujin. You are learning the Eight Inner Gates Technique. In addition, I also gave you the scroll on Flying Thunder God jutsu. What is your progress with them?" Fujin sighed and said, "I haven''t been able to make any progress with the Flying Thunder God jutsu. I managed to create the seal with ease but I am stuck on stage 2 of the training. I am progressing well in the Eight Inner Gates, but that technique is just dependent on how much my body progresses. So it won''t interfere with other training." Hiruzen sighed internally, ''A shame. It would have been very helpful for the village if he could master the Flying Thunder God jutsu. We would have reached close to our strength during the Third Great Ninja War in terms of rank S ninjas. That said, if he hasn''t learnt the Flying Thunder God jutsu, then there is no need to not give him the Spirit Transformation jutsu. If he manages to master it, then Konoha will have another strong means of attack during the next Great War. Even if he doesn''t learn it, the training will improve his control over the Yin chakra which will allow him to strengthen his Genjutsu, which lacks in comparison to his other skills. Besides, Sasori''s puppets could be very important for the village. Even though it won''t have a huge impact today, it could result in a wave of enthusiastic youngsters choosing to become puppet masters at some point in the future. Once that happens, the village can create a new special unit. That said, I don''t necessarily need to make Fujin hand over those puppets. Even if I let him keep them all, he will eventually pass them to someone. Perhaps his students or children or someone who catches his eye. However, it will stay only among that small group of people. It is better if those puppets and their knowledge are directly under the village''s control.'' The source of this content nov(el)bi((n)) He replied, "Alright. I''ll prepare the scroll for you." Fujin commented in his mind, ''Of course you will. It doesn''t cost you anything. Why did you take so much time to think like I was asking you to donate a kidney?'' Fujin said, "That''s great. I''ll decide which Puppets to keep in the meantime." Hiruzen replied, "Sure. Is there anything else that happened during your mission?" Fujin shook his head and answered, "Not really. At least nothing that caught my eye." However, in this world, there are several techniques that utilize the soul. The Yamanaka Clan''s Mind Body Switch jutsu can transfer consciousness. Orochimaru can divide his souls and seal them into other people, making him the most difficult ninja to kill. In addition, he can also transfer his soul permanently into a vessel''s body. The Reaper Death seal sacrifices the user''s soul and seals his enemy''s soul. And, the Edo Tensei directly summons souls from the afterlife and has them occupy a body. The Spirit Transformation jutsu will give me a deeper understanding of these soul-based techniques. It might also be possible to create my own soul-based techniques. If I can add the ability to affect souls to my Wind Domain, then I can''t even guess to which level that technique would reach! And that''s just the start. If I can learn more about my soul, I might be able to glean some insights into how I was able to transmigrate across worlds, or perhaps dimensions! Is my soul somehow different from an ordinary soul, or does every soul transmigrate in such a manner? Studying souls might also be a way to understand whether immortality can be achieved. Orochimaru''s research has already had some success. His curse seals give him a way to revive even if his main body is killed. And, if his main body can''t sustain itself, he can switch bodies. However, both his methods definitely have flaws. And the flaws are quite terrifying. For someone so strong and experienced, he is extremely vulnerable to Genjutsu. There is no way Hiruzen would fall prey to Itachi''s Genjutsu that easily. Even Jiraiya was very confident in being able to avoid his Genjutsu. And, in the Fourth Great Ninja War, despite fighting against Madara for so long, there was only one instance of a Kage falling into Genjutsu. And even then, Ay easily understood that he had been caught in a Genjutsu. I believe that the act of dividing his soul through curse seals should have made Orochimaru more susceptible to Genjutsu. Similarly, though he can switch bodies, it is highly unlikely for a new body to be as strong as his real body. If that is true, then the Orochimaru that will fight against Hiruzen is undoubtedly not at his peak! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio and Hector for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 553: Boredom Chapter 553: Boredom Fujin continued analyzing, ''That said, even though there are issues, there is no question that both those techniques are invaluable. It''s just that Orochimaru became too obsessed with them. If he had waited until he grew old to change his body, then the issue of his new body not being as strong as his real body would have been a moot point. Similarly, if, instead of creating and applying his curse seal on dozens of ninjas, he had applied curse seals on only a couple of people, then his soul wouldn''t have been divided so many times and perhaps he might not have been as susceptible to Genjutsu as he currently is. Unless the very act of dividing the soul causes him to be more susceptible to Genjutsu. I will need some more information on these two techniques to be able to properly analyze their flaws. Unfortunately, reading Orochimaru''s memories is impossible at this point. Even with my Flying Thunder God jutsu, I can''t be sure that I''ll be able to capture or kill his main body. Unlike others, whom I can track down with the Flying Thunder God mark, Orochimaru might be able to get rid of that mark by shedding his skin. Fortunately, there is someone else who might have a lot of information on these two techniques. That said, I need to improve my knowledge about Souls first. Without a firm base, it won''t help me even if I have information. The Spirit Transformation jutsu should be more than enough to help me with that.'' Fujin stretched his body. The effect of the soldier pill was about to run out and he could feel some tiredness. He let out a yawn and thought, ''Oh well, no point in getting too worked up for this. Once the range of my Flying Thunder God jutsu increases, I''ll be the toughest ninja to kill after Obito and Orochimaru. And, I''m only sixteen years old. I have no need to go Orochimaru''s way. At least not for another half a century. The best-case scenario would be if I could increase the lifespan of this body itself and make it infinitely more, like the Otsutsuki clan. Though it''s difficult to say how that can be done I wonder if Hagoromo''s body would have been immortal if he hadn''t released the Ten Tails and divided it into 9 parts. Or did he divide it because his body was growing old and he understood that his body wouldn''t live for long? Sigh, so many questions and so few answers. I wonder how many mysteries I''ll be able to solve'' Filled with such thoughts, Fujin fell asleep. The next day, he got up quite late despite sleeping early. Due to the backlash of the soldier pill, he wouldn''t be training that day. He freshened up and wondered what he should be doing for the day. He stood lazily on his balcony and looked at the construction work that was happening around his house. He thought, ''Most of the work is already done. Hiruzen will start moving those kids here soon. Sigh, even more work. I''m kind of bored. Now that I think about it, I haven''t done anything fun lately. It has just been training and work. Though I occasionally mess with Hiruzen and Shikaku, I haven''t had too many opportunities to mess much with them. Now, what should I do for some entertainment today?'' Fujin thought for a while. Several ideas appeared in his mind but none seemed fun enough. He let out a sigh and thought, ''There''s not much I can do Though I can think of some pranks using Wind, it''ll be more of an annoyance rather than fun pranks for anyone I target Not to mention, considering my strength, pranking civilians, or even ninjas, might not be that fun. I could prank Naruto as his reactions are fun to see, but the poor guy might get scarred for life if I overdo it. I guess I shouldn''t have destroyed Root. If they still existed outside that little headquarters, I could have targeted them and enjoyed the drama and chaos that would follow If it wouldn''t have impacted the future, I could have considered starting a couple of wars to give Hiruzen and Shikaku a headache. Those two lucked out due to how considerate I am. Oh well...'' Fujin let out another sigh and muttered to himself, ''Once the effects of Suna and Oto''s attack are dealt with, I''ll leave the village temporarily and tour the world with Kaito. Even though I was excited to be reborn in this world, the fear of the dangers here has kept me tense all the time. Fujin tilted his head and asked, "You said your sensei is Kakashi, right?" Naruto nodded. Fujin asked again, "Hatake Kakashi?" Naruto became confused but nodded again. Fujin showed a deadpan expression and asked, "Why are you asking me to teach you jutsus then?" Naruto became even more confused and asked, "What do you mean?" Fujin sighed and asked, "Did you not do any research on him? Hatake Kakashi is a ninja famous throughout the world for knowing more than a thousand jutsus!" Naruto''s eyes widened in shock! He exclaimed, "Th Thou A THOUSAND?" Fujin showed a tired expression and sighed. He looked at Naruto and asked, "You didn''t know that?" Opposite to his expression, Fujin''s thoughts were very cheerful. He thought, ''I finally have an extremely entertaining idea!'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Rial, Delgado and Blood_Prince for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 554: Target Kakashi! Chapter 554: Target Kakashi! Naruto exclaimed, "I had no idea that Kakashi sensei was so cool!" Suddenly he had a thought. He looked at Fujin and asked in a confused tone, "But if he knows that many jutsus, why didn''t he ever teach us any jutsu? I even asked him several times to teach me a cool jutsu but he never taught me anything!" Fujin showed a confused expression as well and asked, "He didn''t?" Naruto replied, "He didn''t. He just taught us formations and teamwork, you know." Fujin put up a thoughtful expression as he said in an unsure tone, "Well, teamwork and formations are important too, but why wouldn''t he teach you jutsus?" Fujin pretended to be in deep thought for a few seconds. Naruto didn''t disturb him and waited patiently for Fujin to be done thinking. Fujin''s eyes suddenly widened as he exclaimed, "Ah! I got it!" Naruto listened with anticipation as Fujin explained, "I guess he doesn''t think that you and your teammates are worthy enough to be taught his special jutsus yet. Did you do anything to prove yourself to him yet?" Naruto replied unsurely, "We passed his graduation test." Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Your team managed to defeat Kakashi?" Naruto''s voice became softer as he answered, "No, we didn''t manage to get the bells. He passed us because we decided that our teammates were more important than orders." Fujin waved his hand dismissively and said, "That''s good but that''s just the basic requirement to become a Genin. It can''t be considered as proving your worth. Did you or your team do anything else that was impressive?" Naruto crossed his arms and answered unhappily, "Other than that we only did lame missions and teamwork exercises. How can I prove myself while we are catching cats and dogs?" Fujin''s expression became very serious. He looked at Naruto and said in a strict tone, "Naruto, a ninja must see underneath the underneath! I suspect that Kakashi has been giving you three opportunities to prove yourselves. However, since your mind is so focused on missions and training, you three have completely missed it." Naruto muttered, "Underneath the underneath? I know that, but what signs did Kakashi sensei give us?" He became confused once again. Looking at Fujin, he wondered, ''Why do I become so confused whenever I talk with Fujin? What was underneath those lame missions?''The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m Fujin rested his right elbow on his left hand and his chin on his right hand. He put up his thinking face again and muttered, "Let''s see Hatake Kakashi Three new Genins Easy missions And teamwork exercises Hmm" Fujin pretended to think for a couple of minutes before his face suddenly lit up. He smiled and said, "I see it now." It''s a shame that I can''t use these three to harass Shikaku or Danzo. Otherwise, it would have been perfect. Oh well, I''ll start sending a Shadow Clone to keep an eye on them from tomorrow. Wouldn''t want to miss the free entertainment, hehe.'' With some entertainment guaranteed, Fujin''s mood improved. He divided the puppets that Sasori donated to him. Unlike what he had said to Hiruzen, Fujin had already thoroughly researched the puppets. He didn''t need any time to decide. He kept the 15 best puppets for himself and decided to give Hiruzen the remaining 49 puppets. He rested the rest of the day and visited some of his favorite restaurants in Konoha. Meanwhile, Naruto gathered Sakura and Sasuke together despite it being an off day. He quickly explained to them what Fujin had informed him. Both looked at him skeptically. Sakura asked, "How could a ninja know a thousand jutsus? I only know three. Even Sasuke-kun knows less than 10. I know Kakashi sensei is strong, but a thousand is too much even for him." Naruto was skeptical at first as well of that information, but he trusted that Fujin wouldn''t lie to him. He said, "There is no doubt about that information. Kakashi sensei knows a thousand jutsus!" Sasuke was surprised as well, but he decided against questioning whether it was accurate or not. After all, that information was irrelevant to him. What mattered was whether Kakashi would teach them. His mind was focused on the other part of Naruto''s story. He muttered to himself softly, "Could this really be a test for us?" Naruto nodded and repeated Fujin''s words, "A ninja must look underneath the underneath. Otherwise, why wouldn''t Kakashi sensei teach us his cool jutsus and why would he make us do lame missions?" Sasuke thought, ''That makes sense, but since when did Naruto become so smart?'' Both Sakura and Naruto looked at Sasuke who thought for some time. Finally, he said, "Well, there is no harm in trying. If this is indeed a test, then we might make him teach us more seriously. Even if it isn''t, then it''s not like he can make things worse for us." With Sasuke agreeing, Sakura didn''t oppose and Naruto was always on board. The three of them decided to think of ways to accomplish either of the two tasks Fujin suggested. After a long discussion and creating several plans, they finally left. Walking towards his home, confusion was visible on Sasuke''s face. He thought, ''Something about this feels off. The biggest question is since when did Naruto become so smart to look through something like this? Yet, I can''t deny that his words made complete sense. I guess, we''ll find out soon.'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Yazeed, Zoro, Charlie and Arunachalam for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 555: Focus - Fuinjutsu! Chapter 555: Focus - Fuinjutsu! Fujin completed his morning training routine before taking a small break to decide how to progress further. He analyzed, ''I have a feeling that I will open the Gate of Limit very soon. I might be able to do it this week itself. Once that is done, I''ll have completed my previous training plan of training the Wind Domain, the Flying Thunder God jutsu and the Eight Inner Gates Technique simultaneously. My Wind Domain is nearly perfect right now. The only improvement I can make is creating Vacuum jutsus using the Wind Domain. Though it is possible to improve it even more, it is very difficult. It''ll depend more on any inspiration I get in the future or any improvements I experience in other fields. For instance, once I become more knowledgeable about poisons, I could try to mix poisons in the Wind Domain. That might make me more efficient than Sasori at poisoning my enemies. I have mastered the Flying Thunder God jutsu as well. The only thing I need to work on is increasing the range. I will be able to slowly improve that over time. So, I don''t need to assign any time to training it consistently. As for the Eight Inner Gates Technique, the Gate of View is several times more difficult than opening all the first five Inner Gates. According to what Guy said, I''ll need at least a couple of years to open it. And that is if I focus entirely on it. I guess the Gate of View would be the most I''ll be able to open until the Fourth Great Ninja War unless I decide to push the war back by a few years. Regardless, other than my usual morning physical workout routine and sparring with Guy, I don''t need to focus more on this technique. That finally opens up my schedule after a long time!'' Ever since he had quit Anbu, Fujin had been focused on these three jutsus. It had been over a year since then. Though he did some other things as well like creating the Eight Trigrams Divination Seal, investigating Jashin, mastering the Mind Reading technique, learning the Rasenshuriken and creating the Phantom Haven Society, more than 90% of the time he spent other than sleeping was on training these three techniques. Even for someone as disciplined and focused as Fujin, he had started to feel a sense of exhaustion. As a result, he was extremely glad to finally have reached a stage where he could stop focusing on them. Fujin continued analyzing, ''I can finally train something else. The two obvious things that I''ll start focusing on soon are Spirit Transformation jutsu and Medical Ninjutsu along with more in-depth knowledge of poisons. I am not sure how long it''ll take to master the Spirit Transformation jutsu. I just hope that it isn''t as difficult as the Flying Thunder God jutsu. Hopefully, the fact that I have transmigrated might help. As for the Medical Ninjutsu and poison, I never loved studying Biology and Chemistry in my previous life. Granted it could just be because it wasn''t as interesting as in this world and I couldn''t get superpowers by studying it. Regardless, even if I can generate enough interest, neither of those two things is simple to learn. Despite being excellent academically and having the best Medical Ninja helping her, Sakura still needed 3 years to reach the level she did. It''s not the kind of time I can afford to spend right now Three days passed. While Fujin became busy with his training again, Kakashi had a few eventful days. Lying in his bed, he had a peculiar expression as he wondered, ''What exactly happened with those three? They suddenly began acting suspiciously'' In the last few days, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had all made moves on him, or rather his book and his mask. They first tried sneaking up on him which resulted in him grabbing each one of them by the back of their necks like he was grabbing cats. When he asked what they were up to, they all made excuses. Next, they tried distracting him and taking his book. Unsurprisingly, that failed either. Since the straightforward methods didn''t work, they became innovative. They began transforming into strangers and animals and running into Kakashi while he was walking in the streets. Unknown to them, Kakashi could perfectly smell their scents. As a result, they never succeeded in their attempts. Regardless, while their initial attempts had been amusing, Kakashi had started to get slightly irritated as they kept increasing the intensity. After thinking for a bit, Kakashi wondered, ''Did someone put them up to it? But who could it be? Lord Hokage? Hmm, I don''t see why he would do that. Eh?'' It was late at night. Most of the Konoha were asleep. Had Kakashi not been wondering about the recent events, he might have slept as well. To his surprise, someone broke into his house! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You ry10970, Daniel, Baba and William for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 556 - 550 : Kakashi’s Headache! Chapter 556: Chapter 550 : Kakashi''s Headache! For a moment, Kakashi was shocked. In his entire life, his house had never been broken into by anyone! Even when his father was disgraced and committed suicide, no one actually broke into his house. For a second, Kakashi had raised his alertness to the maximum. Just like the rest of the village, he had raised the security of his house after the Root Headquarters had blown up. However, that shock and alertness quickly changed into worry as he thought, ''How can he not know the details of the jutsu he calls his speciality? The Shadow Clones are good at hiding the main body as they can replicate the appearance, chakra and even the scent perfectly. If he wants to sneak into my house, shouldn''t he at least do something to mask or alter his scent? Sigh, I have so much to teach him...'' As he was thinking, several figures snuck into his room. They were wearing black clothes along with masks to hide their identity. All of them were surprised to see Kakashi awake and staring back at them. One of them asked in surprise, "Why are you still up?" Another asked, "And why do you wear that mask so late in the night?" Kakashi watched with a deadpan expression. He decided to play along with Naruto and asked, "Who are you people and what are you doing in my house?" One of the clones suddenly realized that and shouted, "Crap, change of plans!" Immediately, all the clones exploded into a cloud of smoke, covering Kakashi''s house in smoke. Knowing how strong Kakashi was, Naruto didn''t see any point in trying to gang up on him with his clones. That would only expose him. Some distance from Kakashi''s house, Naruto exclaimed, "Crap! He''s still awake. Our plan failed!" Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were hiding while keeping an eye on Kakashi''s house and were waiting for their signal to enter Kakashi''s house when Naruto''s clones failed. Sasuke asked, "Did he know that it was you?" Naruto shook his head and said, "No way. I didn''t fight him as you planned." Sasuke said, "Good. Let''s retreat. We will try again with a new plan." In the blink of an eye, the three Genins ran away stealthily. Of course, it wasn''t stealthy enough to escape Kakashi''s watch. He looked at his students from a distance and thought, ''So even Sasuke and Sakura were involved and yet they didn''t notice such a simple flaw... Sigh, I wonder how long it''ll take them to realize that I can identify their scents. That said...'' A tired expression appeared on Kakashi''s face as he complained, "This is too troublesome! Will they keep bothering me like this all the time?" Seeing how full of energy Naruto was, Kakashi understood that he wouldn''t get any rest until he stopped them. He decided, ''I need to get to the root of this change. Someone is influencing this change for sure. Also, these three have too much energy. I''ll borrow some of Guy''s tricks. That should be enough to keep them obedient. Also...'' Fujin''s clone stopped analyzing and sent the memories back to Fujin who was waiting in the basement. On receiving the memories, Fujin thought, ''Great, it works as I want. It seems like I can make a complete battlefield in this way. Though making the seal imprint for it will be far more complicated.'' Three days ago : After deciding to make a stealth battlefield, Fujin decided to get down to work. The first task that he needed to do was to create the battlefield normally. That was the easy part. Fujin and his clones brainstormed and came up with a structure of the battlefield with seals placed in the right places within a few hours. The stealth battlefield was different from the battlefield that Uchiha Sora had created to deal with the Jashinists. The one Sora created was to trap the enemies and prevent them from running while giving Sora and his allies the initiative to attack and defend at will. However, what Fujin created focused solely on the stealth aspect. No sensor, no matter how good, would be able to detect that someone was in that battlefield as long as he didn''t step into it. Only Fuinjutsu Grandmasters would be able to detect that something was off. However, it didn''t have any other capabilities. Meaning, that the battlefield didn''t assist Fujin in attack, defense or even in trapping the enemy. The reason why Fujin created such a simple battlefield was the second task. It was very difficult and Fujin was sure that he would be the first Fuinjutsu Grandmaster to do something like this. The difficult part was that Fujin would have to condense the entire battlefield into one small seal imprint. The seal imprints, though convenient, were traditionally used to create only one seal quickly. However, the battlefield that Fujin wanted to create had several dozen stealth seals of various types. As a result, the seal imprint he would be creating was a seal imprint that consisted of several dozen seal imprints within it. And, each of those several dozen seal imprints had to be placed at the proper place inside the main seal imprint. If Fujin made a single error in the distances between each seal, the seal imprint would fail in creating the battlefield. Most of Fujin''s time was spent creating that imprint. He and his clones failed several times. However, he had managed to create it. Fujin looked at it and thought, ''This stealth battlefield will act as a prototype for my main battlefield. Hmm, main battlefield is kind of a boring name. I''ll call it the Fuin Battlefield instead. Anyway, I''ll begin working on it tomorrow.'' Fujin decided to call it a night. The next day, before he could begin his training, an Anbu appeared and called Fujin into Hiruzen''s office! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jackie, Calbear, K0D4S, Zoro, Kwabena and Adrian for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 557: Naruto Chapter 557: Naruto At around 6 in the morning, team 7 gathered in the training ground. Well, all except their sensei. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all had a sleepy face. Naruto said, "We barely got to sleep last night. I am so sleepy!" Since they had been up late at night to sneak up on Kakashi, they only got a few hours of sleep. Sakura yawned and said, "Luckily sensei won''t be here for at least another 3 hours. We can take a nap here." Sasuke didn''t say anything but agreed with her. The three of them sat with their backs resting against trees and closed their eyes. "Hmm, did you come here for training or sleeping?" It had barely been a minute since the three of them closed their eyes when they heard Kakashi''s voice. All 3 woke up in an instant. Sakura looked at Kakashi and shouted internally, ''Of all the days, he had to come early today? Shannaro!'' Sasuke wondered, ''Does he know that it was us last night?'' Naruto watched nervously as well. Kakashi looked at his 3 students and said, "Enough lazing around. Today, we will have a special training session." On hearing the words ''Special Training Session'', the eyes of the three Genins lit up. Naruto thought, ''Did we prove ourselves to him? Fujin was right as always!'' Sasuke thought, ''Finally, we can get some real training.'' Naruto excitedly jumped and asked, "Will you teach us your special jutsus, Kakashi-sensei?" Updated from Kakashi said in confusion, "Special jutsus? Well, the training will be very special. All three of you will grow strong rapidly with it. So, we will start right away." Despite their sleep-deprived state, the three Genins were very excited. Unfortunately, the excitement didn''t last very long. Sakura''s excitement died 15 seconds after Kakashi''s ''Special Training Session'' started. Sasuke''s excitement died after 10 minutes while Naruto''s excitement nearly lasted for half an hour. The training Kakashi put them through even surpassed the intensity of training that Guy put his students through! None of them had the physiques to endure such training. When Kakashi noticed Naruto running out of gas, he said, "The warm-up is over. Now, we will begin the real training." This time, none of the three genins felt any excitement. Instead, horror was setting in! True to his words, the trio that had been harassing him for 3 days were being put through hell! Not to mention, if I let him get his hands on this forbidden technique, Danzo will surely create a large number of Human Puppets. In the worst case, he might even use Konoha ninjas for this purpose and I won''t be able to do much because it is very easy to keep these puppets hidden. I shouldn''t allow him to get his hands on this technique unless we are at a war and in a tough spot. I will create another unit for researching such forbidden techniques.'' Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "There is another reason that I called you here. The construction of the buildings and facilities around your house is finally completed. I am planning to move the orphans there tonight." Fujin nodded and said, "Sure, no issue. That said, I received a request some time ago." Hiruzen was surprised. He wondered, ''Since when did Fujin start accepting requests? And, who is rich enough to ask for his help?'' He asked, "What is it?" Fujin smiled and said, "Naruto asked whether he could move in along with other orphans." Immediately, a thoughtful expression appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He thought, ''So he only accepts requests that involve giving me a headache? I know that he has been teaching Naruto for some time, but Naruto moving into his territory will be a political matter'' Naruto was the only Jinchuriki in Konoha. As a result, several clans and factions in Konoha wanted him under their control. Considering that he was an orphan, almost every clan, including the Uchiha clan, had offered to take him under their wing. In fact, even Hiruzen wanted to take Naruto into the Sarutobi clan. So did Danzo, who wanted him in the Root. Since everyone''s interests clashed and everyone restricted each other, Naruto eventually ended up alone. No one had asked to take him in recent times other than Danzo. So Fujin''s statement came as a surprise to Hiruzen. Hiruzen analyzed, ''Since I am placing several orphans under him, he does have a good reason to justify Naruto moving in with them. Not to mention, he is already on good terms with him. So it will be good for Naruto. However, it will cause political clashes. It is difficult to say how the clans would see this. Danzo might even use this opportunity to say that I am trying to take control of Naruto through Fujin. The only good thing is that Fujin doesn''t have an established faction yet. So others might not see it as a threat. Regardless, it will be a headache for me!'' [A/N : Latest chapter on Pat reon - How did Fujin defeat Jiraiya?] ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 558: Warnings Chapter 558: Warnings Hiruzen asked, "Will Naruto be moving into your house?" Fujin shook his head and answered, "No. He just feels that he might make friends more easily with the orphans. If there is no issue on your end, then he will move in only if he gets along well with them and will be living alongside them." Hiruzen sighed internally, ''He makes a very strong case as usual. How will I come out looking good if I refuse Naruto the opportunity to make friends and get along with the ones who might not discriminate against him?'' Hiruzen asked, "Are you sure it''ll be a good idea? Don''t forget that Naruto is a Jinchuriki and hosts the Nine Tailed Beast. If he loses control, then the orphans and even you might be at risk." Fujin raised an eyebrow and said, "If he is going to lose control, then he might as well lose control next to a rank S Fuinjutsu Grandmaster and a bunch of Anbu Trainees instead of in the middle of the city where civilians live." For a second, Hiruzen was left speechless. He didn''t expect to be countered so quickly and without a shred of mercy. Despite the shamelessness running through his veins, even Hiruzen couldn''t help but feel embarrassed. Of course, it wasn''t visible on his face. In fact, even Fujin wondered, ''What happened to him today? Is he sick or did he fall on his head in the last 3 days? This is the first time I ever saw him say something so dumb''Updated from While Fujin loved messing with Hiruzen, it was generally because of how difficult Hiruzen made it to mess with him. As a result, he couldn''t help but be surprised by the excuse Hiruzen was trying to use. Hiruzen faked a cough and said, "Of course. I just wanted you to be aware. Even though Lord Fourth''s seal is very secure, we should always take precautions." Fujin just stared at Hiruzen, making it obvious that Hiruzen''s half-assed attempt at covering up what he said wasn''t working. Hiruzen added, "That said, while I don''t have any issue, Naruto is the village''s only Jinchuriki. So his safety is of utmost importance. In addition, other Council Members will need to be informed as well. I will give you the answer a few days later." Fujin nodded and said, "Well, even though my compounds are on the outskirts of the village, safety shouldn''t be a concern as I''ll apply seals on the compounds soon. My compounds will become one of the safest places in the village. The Anbu can continue keeping an eye on him from the shadows. If needed, one of the underground bases in the compounds could be used as an Anbu base." All the Kiri orphans that would be moving into his compounds were Anbu trainees. In addition, a few experienced Anbu would also be staying in his compounds to train those orphans. So it didn''t make much of a difference to Fujin if a few more Anbu came in. Besides, even at such a close distance, no one would be able to spy inside his house. Fujin continued, "As for the other council members, I don''t see any reason why anyone would have an issue. Though if they do, just let me know." Hiruzen was surprised. He asked, "Oh? What will you do?" Fujin smiled and replied, "Why would I do anything? I''ll just ask Naruto to prank their houses. The kid hasn''t been pranking much since he graduated. Though..." Kakashi looked at him and said, "Your main method of fighting is Shadow Clones. In a fight, you''ll lose your stamina the quickest. It is even more important for you to improve your stamina." Kakashi''s words shut him up as well. However, it was what he said next that horrified them. Forming his usual eye smile, Kakashi said, "You three couldn''t last your early morning training session. I hope you do better in your pre-afternoon training session which begins now." Sakura immediately complained, "But sensei, we haven''t eaten anything." Naruto added, "Yes Sensei. We can''t train on empty stomachs." Kakashi maintained his eye smile and asked, "Do you think your enemies will give you lunch breaks in the middle of the war? We begin now. Also, if any of you fall asleep this time, I''ll be waking you up with the Thousand Years of Death jutsu!" All three Genins shivered on hearing that threat. None of them wanted to experience that. Not giving them any further break, Kakashi started the next round of training which continued until noon. All three got too tired at some point and couldn''t continue the training, but no one dared to pass out and everyone kept a close eye on Kakashi. At noon, the trio quickly ate the lunches they had packed. Not one second after they were done eating, Kakashi took them to the Hokage''s office to accept a mission. The exhausted kids unwillingly followed Kakashi in their half-dead states. Even Hiruzen was surprised when he saw them. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''What did Kakashi do with them? And why are they so on guard?'' "Lord Hokage?" Hearing Kakashi, Hiruzen said, "Madam Shijimi''s cat has escaped again. Your mission is to catch and bring the cat back." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ben, Logan, LazyAsh, Hector, Naash, Yert, Alan and Charlie for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 559: Jiraiyas Dream jutsu! Chapter 559: Jiraiya''s Dream jutsu! [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Terrance Smith. You can thank him for the double release.] "Not the damn cat again!" Naruto shouted in horror. Both Sakura and Sasuke sighed in agreement. Their bodies were already aching to the extreme. They didn''t want to chase the cat around the village for hours in that state. In fact, they didn''t even have any energy to do any mission. All the three of them wanted was to return to their homes and sleep until the next morning. Unfortunately, Kakashi didn''t give them any choice. Hiruzen was surprised to see the three Genins accept a rank D mission without asking for difficult missions for once. Fujin received the memories from his clone and chuckled while thinking, ''Guess Guy will be proud of Kakashi. Hmm, maybe I should inform him the next time we spar. Oh well'' New n0vel chapters are published on His expression became serious as he clenched his fists and exerted his strength. ''Gate of Opening: Open!'' ''Gate of Healing: Open!'' ''Gate of Life: Open!'' In one go, Fujin opened the first three inner gates. His skin turned red, his pupils disappeared, all the hair on his body stood up, and bulging veins appeared all over his body. At the same time, a high amount of chakra was flowing around his body. ''Gate of Pain: Open!'' Fujin exerted his body further and opened the fourth inner gate! True to its name, pain spread through his body as his muscles were affected. Fujin gritted his teeth and muttered, "Here goes nothing." Despite the pain, Fujin closed his eyes and focused on the chakra point in his abdomen. In an instant, a large amount of chakra bombarded the Gate of Limit. Fujin kept up the bombardment for half a minute. Despite the steady increase in the pain his muscles were feeling, the bombardment only became more fierce. The Gate of Limit couldn''t withstand it and snapped open. In an instant, Fujin felt a massive increase in his chakra reserves. Despite the pain, he could feel that his body was far stronger. I wonder if this was a reason why Hiruzen didn''t oppose much while giving this jutsu. It might be possible that all he did was just act so that he could get as many puppets from me as he could. After all, in terms of chakra natures, I and Dan are quite similar as Hiruzen doesn''t know about my Lightning Release. That said, I wonder why his chakra reserves were absurdly high Now that I think about it, he did help Tsunade recover her entire chakra including the chakra stored in her seal in the last war. Being able to fill up her seal is nuts. Does the Spirit Transformation jutsu help increase the chakra reserves? However, it could have also been due to the Edo Tensei. Oh well, I''ll wonder about it later. Coming back to the Spirit Transformation jutsu, it is remarkable. To be able to control the soul A normal person, actually, even most rank S ninjas, can''t even feel their soul, let alone control it freely. Just to be able to sense my soul, I''ll need remarkable control over Yin Release. By extension, my control over Yan Release has to be remarkable as well. Though my current Yang Release and Yin Release aren''t bad, I''ll have to improve them significantly to just begin training this jutsu. Once they improve, I will first have to sense my soul and differentiate it from my body. The next step will be detaching it from my body, allowing me to roam freely. In this form, I''ll be invulnerable to normal chakra and energy. Even Nature energy won''t be able to harm me. Unless someone develops attacks that specifically target the soul, I won''t be harmed. That said, I could still be trapped within high-level barriers. Anyway, the last step would be learning combat skills with my Spirit. The basic way of attacking with spirit is by entering the enemy''s body and damaging his Spirit, or better, completely collapsing it. Straightforward and brutally efficient. In addition, I can also take control of my enemy''s body temporarily. I can also use this technique to communicate or transfer my chakra to an ally. Another important feature is the broken passive tracking ability. If I set someone as my target, my Soul will be able to find its way all the way to him even if I don''t know where my target is. Hmm I wonder if this jutsu was purposefully kept away from Jiraiya'' Fujin was genuinely surprised that Jiraiya didn''t do everything he could to learn this jutsu. It seemed like the perfect jutsu for him! Fujin continued reading the scroll over and over to ensure that he didn''t miss anything. He noted down all the doubts he had as Hiruzen would be paying a visit later in the day. The remainder of the day passed without any incident. Kakashi planned on training the kids once again after the mission was completed. However, he could see that they were completely drained. They didn''t make a single move on him during the mission. As a result, he let them go home early. Later that night, Hiruzen arrived at Fujin''s residence along with the orphans from Kiri. -------------------------- A/N: Sponsored chapters are closed for new patrons for the time being. Chapter 560: 50 years more... Chapter 560: 50 years more... Sensing a bunch of chakra signatures coming towards his house, Fujin muttered, ''I guess Hiruzen is finally here.'' Fujin flickered outside his house. The construction around his house was completed. The 4 plots adjacent to his land, each 2500 sq. meters in size, had been incorporated to create a compound and a wall had been constructed around the entire property. Fujin''s house was at the centermost plot, near the front. The vacant area behind his house now had two buildings. One of them was the training facility. It was as good as the Anbu training facilities, though they were a bit smaller and lacked elemental training rooms. The other building was for any Anbu stationed in his compounds. The plots just to the right and left of Fujin''s house had several small buildings. They were for the Kiri orphans to live in. The last two plots, which were farthest from Fujin''s house, were left for future expansion. In order to not leave them empty, parks and playgrounds were constructed there. Fujin thought, ''Hmm, not bad. Though it is rather simple, it seems like Hiruzen asked the constructors to maintain consistency with my house. Instead of overshadowing my house or looking pale in comparison, they are in sync with my house, making it quite a good sight. Though, it makes my house stand out a bit. Oh well, it''s not like anyone would dare intrude on my house for that reason...'' A few seconds later, Hiruzen appeared in front of Fujin. Behind him were a few Anbu ninjas and the 134 orphans from the Land of Water. Hiruzen looked at Fujin and nodded, indicating that it was time. Fujin looked at the kids. As he had expected, almost all of them had emotional expressions. Only a few looked around curiously. Hiruzen had already explained to them that they would be living in Fujin''s compounds. Updated from Hiruzen introduced Fujin to them before the Anbu began assigning them the rooms to live in. While they were busy, Fujin asked, "Are all of them from the Land of Water? Also, how many have awakened Kekkei Genkai and how many have bloodlines?" Hiruzen looked at Fujin and thought, ''So he has already connected the dots between these kids and the ones Renjiro brought back.'' Hiruzen wasn''t surprised. It was rather easy to connect. He nodded and said, "Yes. 5 of them have unlocked Kekkei Genkai. We have confirmed that another 14 have bloodlines. As for the rest, it is difficult to say. As you know, the Mizukage faction has been hunting everyone with Kekkei Genkai. So, several people changed their surnames while going into hiding. It is difficult to say if some of these kids are among them. Regardless, their talent is still very high. So it isn''t an issue." Fujin agreed and asked softly, "Are you planning on creating more clans in the village?" While getting slightly more than a hundred talented kids who might become Jounins in the future was something no village would say no to, it wasn''t something that the major villages would fight for. After all, the villages received talented kids every year. However, most of them would die even before they became Jounins. Some would lose their drive and would never reach that level. So, it wasn''t a big deal. However, it was a whole different thing when Kekkei Genkai and bloodlines were involved! It presented villages with an opportunity to raise an entirely new force. In addition, it was much easier to become Elite Jounins if you have Kekkei Genkai. It even made becoming rank S slightly easier. Hiruzen glared at Fujin and said, "Some things are better left unsaid. Don''t talk openly about such things. But yes. Over the next half-century, we can create several new clans. It''ll increase the special units that our village will have considerably." Thankfully, Hiruzen already had a basic plan prepared. He explained it to Fujin. After explaining everything, Hiruzen concluded, "In short, you don''t need to do much. The Anbu I deploy will take care of their training. For other basic needs, civilians will be employed. Since you don''t have any way to earn funds, the village will be handling the expenses. You only need to watch over the kids. If they have an issue that they or their teachers can''t resolve, then they will be approaching you. In addition, if someone catches your eye, feel free to guide them. If you want to, you can even create and lead a squad. The only important thing is to ensure that no one knows about Kekkei Genkai users among the kids. Even the clan leaders and other elders are oblivious to this fact. While I don''t need to hide this from them, seeing how long they take to realize this will give us an idea of how long other villages will take to suspect us of having pulled something like this off." Fujin nodded. He didn''t doubt the fact that other villages would be pissed on seeing Konoha gaining so many new Kekkei Genkais. There was little doubt that there would be several assassination attempts on them. What Hiruzen''s words implied was that Fujin would have to be the one to deter the other villages from doing something like that. However, Fujin wasn''t very worried. After all, Konoha would be at its strongest by then. Even if things didn''t happen as he remembered, Konoha would still be at the top in regards to rank S battle power. With the two Sannins, Fujin, Kakashi, Guy and Naruto, that''d be 6 rank S ninjas even without considering Danzo. That wasn''t something other villages could match. Of course, Fujin couldn''t say those things out loud. He nodded and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll handle it. Besides, it has been some time since I butted my head against the other great villages. Anyway, show me the ones with Kekkei Genkai and bloodline. I''d keep a closer eye on them." Hiruzen chuckled thinking about what had happened when Fujin previously butt his head against other villages and informed him about the kids who had the Kekkei Genkai and the bloodlines. The information that Hiruzen gave him caused Fujin to be surprised! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Akilan, Lurdhu, Veronica, Information Hierarchy, Benjamin and GN for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 561: Categorizing Kekkei Genkai Chapter 561: Categorizing Kekkei Genkai [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Zero1995. You can thank him for the double release.] As Fujin had expected, there were kids from the Yuki clan among the orphans. In fact, more than half of the ones whose bloodlines had been identified were from the Yuki clan. 3 of the 5 kids with Kekkei Genkai were from the Yuki clan as well and had Ice Release. It was the other two Kekkei Genkai that surprised Fujin. Neither were native to the Land of Water. One had the Storm Release while the other had the Scorch Release, the Kekkei Genkai Fujin felt that he was most likely to learn. Fujin thought, ''Weird Why did these two Kekkei Genkai appear in the Land of Water? On second thought, it isn''t too strange. After all, no matter how much a clan tries to keep their bloodline in their clan, there will always be a few in every generation who''d sleep around. Actually, it is a surprise that the genes aren''t that well spread despite existing for centuries. Regardless, Danzo is undoubtedly extremely lucky to get his hands on these two. Or rather, was lucky. Guess I should be glad for his luck. It might just give me the inspiration I need. Anyway, there aren''t any kids from the Sakai or the Terumi clan as I expected. After all, both their clans are still quite strong and are actively fighting against the Mizukage faction. There aren''t any from the Kaguya clan either. Though there are 3 from the Hozuki clan, that clan doesn''t have a Kekkei Genkai. Their clan is famous for their secret technique, but these 3 kids don''t know that secret technique. So that makes them no different from any other kid'' While Fujin and Hiruzen were conversing, all the kids were assigned their rooms. Two kids were placed in each room. As a part of Root''s training, Danzo had ensured that each kid had a ''best friend''. Hiruzen naturally knew what Danzo would have eventually done. However, even though the kids were no longer in Root, Hiruzen didn''t see any harm in letting the friendships continue and become stronger. If anything, it was beneficial. Seeing that everyone had settled, Hiruzen said, "Fujin, I''ll leave the rest to you. If you have any doubts or require assistance, you can contact Homura and Koharu. Both have more experience than me in handling such matters." Fujin looked at Hiruzen skeptically. While he didn''t doubt their skills, there was no way Hiruzen would lose to either of them in these matters. Fortunately for Hiruzen, Fujin didn''t mind bothering them as well. He nodded and asked, "What about Naruto?" Hiruzen answered, "I talked with the clan leaders and the elders. They don''t have an issue with him moving in here. However, as you said, only do so if he gets along with these kids." Hiruzen sighed internally as he recalled, ''To think that after so many years of unsuccessfully trying to put Naruto in a better place, the answer was so simple. Without Danzo''s influence, it is much easier to get things done. Though Fujin was a huge factor as well.'' On the contrary, Scorch Release fits me perfectly. My talent in Wind manipulation is exceptional while my Fire manipulation ain''t bad either. What''s more, it is also one of the simpler Kekkei Genkai.'' When he was studying about Kekkei Genkai, Fujin had categorized them according to their complexity and how easy or difficult they would be for a normal ninja to master. The first category was the simple Kekkei Genkai. Fujin had put Scorch, Storm, Lava and Steam Release. All these Kekkei Genkai were very straightforward. In fact, Fujin already had a small degree of success in two of these Kekkei Genkai. Scorch Release just involved using fire and winds to amplify each other. Considering how compatible the two elements were, Fujin felt that it was probably the easiest Kekkei Genkai. Fujin could heat up winds within his Wind Domain using Fire. Even without Wind Domain, he could create Wind Explosion spheres that were made of extremely hot winds. It was his attempt at copying Pakura''s technique. Unfortunately, he fell short in a very important aspect. On the other hand, Steam and Lava Release worked by using Fire to evaporate the water and melt the rocks respectively. As for Storm Release, it involved manipulating Lightning like it was Water. With his control and with the help of the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, Fujin could control his Lightning to an extent, though it wasn''t as flexible as what Darui could achieve. The second category had the slightly more sophisticated Kekkei Genkai. It included Ice, Explosion, Wood and Magnet Release. Fujin understood the basic concepts of these Kekkei Genkai and knew their properties. However, what he couldn''t understand was how exactly the elements would mix to create the Kekkei Genkai. For instance, Ice Release was a combination of water and wind. However, unlike Lava Release, where he could clearly explain the functions and interactions of the two elements, Fujin couldn''t understand how exactly Water and Wind would need to interact to create Ice. Similarly, it was difficult to calculate how Wind and Earth together could replicate the Magnetic effect or how Water and Earth together could create Wood. How Earth and Lightning, two very incompatible elements worked together to create Explosion Release was also something he couldn''t figure out. For these reasons, Fujin considered these 4 Kekkei Genkai as more sophisticated as he had no idea how to begin working on them. While he did have some help in studying Ice Release due to that book, all it did was help Fujin eliminate some guesses as none of the methods mentioned in the book ever worked! -------------------------- A/N: The feature for sponsoring chapters isn''t available for new Patrons temporarily. Chapter 562: Categorizing Kekkei Genkai (2) Chapter 562: Categorizing Kekkei Genkai (2) The third category had the Kekkei Genkai which seemed even more complicated and somehow had an effect on the user''s body, increasing their difficulty level exponentially. Fujin included Swift Release, Steel Release and Dark Release in this category. The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m For Fujin, whose highest talents were in Wind and Lightning Manipulation, Swift Release should have been the easiest Kekkei Genkai to learn. However, unlike the Scorch Release where Fujin had limited success, he didn''t make any progress whatsoever towards Swift Release. Fujin could use Wind as well as Lightning to increase his speed. Despite that fact, he didn''t even manage to conceptualize how to merge those two elements and create Swift Release. It was the same for Steel Release and Dark Release. Unlike the Swift Release, Fujin didn''t even know which elements were involved in creating those two Kekkei Genkai. The Konoha Library wasn''t much help either. Fujin did have his own estimates, but he wasn''t sure. The fourth category included the Kekkei Genkai which were impossible to replicate by anyone without the bloodline. Those included all the Sharingan and its forms, Byakugan and its forms, Ketsurygan and Shikotsumyaku. There was no way for Fujin to learn or create these Kekkei Genkai. He could still use the Doujutsus by stealing and transplanting the eyes, but he didn''t see any way to replicate Shikotsumyaku. In addition to these four categories, there were still a few more Kekkei Genkai about which Fujin didn''t have any clear information. In fact, most of the ninja world didn''t have much information about it due to how rarely they appeared. They included Typhoon Release, Mud Release, Ranmaru''s Kekkei Genkai, Jugo''s Kekkei Genkai, Sakon and Ukon''s Kekkei Genkai, Kurama Clan''s Kekkei Genkai, Crystal Release and perhaps a few others. Some of these were relatively easier. For instance, Mud Release could have been placed in the first category if there was more information on it as it was very easy to explain how to create Mud by combining Water and Earth Release. Typhoon Release would have been easier as well if Fujin knew which elements merged to form it. Fujin speculated that it was a combination of Wind and Yang Release but wasn''t sure. In addition, the effects of Typhoon Release didn''t seem too different from Wind Release. Fujin could already replicate its effects with his normal Wind Release. Crystal Release would have possibly been in the second category if Fujin knew which elements were involved. By comparison, Ranmaru''s Kekkei Genkai and Sakon and Ukon''s Kekkei Genkai were much more complicated. Fujin would place them somewhere between the Third and Fourth Categories if he knew more about them. On the other hand, Jugo''s Kekkei Genkai and Kurama Clan''s Kekkei Genkai were strange. Kurama Clan''s Kekkei Genkai was an extreme stage of Genjutsu. Though extremely unlikely, Fujin felt that even a normal ninja who was extremely talented in Genjutsu could eventually reach that stage without needing the bloodline. Similarly, Jugo''s Kekkei Genkai was just an inferior form of Senjutsu. Anyone who learnt Senjutsu would be able to exceed them. So, Fujin wasn''t sure whether it would be appropriate to call them Kekkei Genkai. Fujin thought, ''Even though I can merge Fire and Wind to an extent, I can only do so out of my body. It is more of a combination jutsu rather than a Kekkei Genkai even though I can replicate some features. A true Kekkei Genkai should merge the elements even before they are released from the body. Though it seems the same, doing so will cause a qualitative change. After all, Lava Release users directly spit out Lava from their mouths instead of first melting rocks and creating lava from it. If they had to do the latter, then they would be a laughing stock in the ninja world instead of being a terror for weaker ninjas. Unfortunately, no matter how much I thought, I couldn''t get that merger to happen inside my body. Luckily, I now can observe someone who can use the Scorch Release. It might just be what I needed for a breakthrough in this aspect.'' "I am Sayaka", said a 10-year-old girl who looked confident and prideful. She boasted shoulder-length black hair that framed her determined face, and her fair skin complemented her assertive personality. Fujin heard their names and thought, ''Hmm, none of them mentioned their family names I guess Hiruzen instructed them to do so to avoid attracting obvious suspicions. Oh well.'' Fujin smiled and said, "Good names. Lord Hokage spoke quite fondly of you 5. Follow me. I''ll see what you have learnt so far." Fujin turned around and began walking outside as the kids followed him with curiosity. They also attracted the attention of other kids. Seeing that Fujin was leaving the training facility, the Monkey-masked Anbu captain flickered next to him. He had heard what Fujin had said and became worried that Fujin might accidentally expose their abilities. He said softly, "Lord Hokage advised against letting them fight in the open." Fujin nodded and said, "I know, don''t worry." Fujin led the 5 kids out and entered the Training Ground opposite his house. Fujin had long placed seals throughout the training ground. So, there was no worry about anyone other than Hiruzen spying. In addition, since he became a Council Member, others stopped moving through that Training Ground as well. The only one who would frequently visit the Training Ground was Naruto. However, Naruto was being put through the grinder by Kakashi. Kakashi gave his ''energetic'' students no break and put them through training of similar intensity for the second day as well. Despite their bodies being extremely sore and aching everywhere, the three Genins dragged their feet afraid of the fearsome Thousand Years of Death jutsu! So, there wasn''t any chance of anyone intruding on the training ground unless Hiruzen sent a messenger. Fujin stood opposite the 5 kids and said, "Come at me with all you got. Don''t hide anything, including your Kekkei Genkai." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You FalsifiedSky, TMac, Kylie, Lazy Dragon.. nah just lazy, Oliver, Yoel, Hector, Gage, Reen and Alan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 563: Displaying Kekkei Genkai Chapter 563: Displaying Kekkei Genkai "Come at me with all you got. Don''t hide anything, including your Kekkei Genkai." The eyes of the 5 kids widened slightly. They were under strict orders from Hokage to not expose their Kekkei Genkai to anyone except their trainers. They weren''t sure if Fujin knew about it or not. To their surprise, he did. Being the oldest among the 5 and being the unofficial leader, Sayaka said, "Lord Hokage told us to never expose our Kekkei Genkai. If we use it here, others might see." Fujin replied, "It''s fine. You can use them when I allow you to use them. No one will see it here when I am with you. Of course, you shouldn''t use it if there is someone else along with us here but it''s fine for now. Any more questions?" The 5 kids shook their heads. Fujin said, "Good. Come at me with the intention to kill. We start NOW!" As soon as they heard Fujin shout ''now'', all 5 grabbed shurikens and threw at Fujin in one smooth action without any hesitation. Unlike the normal academy students and newly graduated Genins, they didn''t have any qualms about trying to kill. Fujin''s right eye twitched at that sight as he muttered to himself, ''The time they spent in the Root wasn''t entirely wasted.'' The shurikens ripped through Fujin, or rather his after image which dispersed moments later. Instead, they saw him standing a few steps to his right. However, all the 5 kids had expected it. While they didn''t know exactly how strong Fujin was, all of them knew that he was one of the few Elite Jounins in Konoha. Though they weren''t sure how strong Elite Jounins were either, they knew that he would at least be stronger than their teachers. Even before the Shurikens reached Fujin, four of them had grabbed their tanto and all 5 of them rushed towards Fujin. Sayaka was taking the lead. Just behind her were Yuji, Takeshi and Hikari who were moving together. Shoma was moving behind them. He was the only one not holding a tanto. Instead, he weaved hand seals which Fujin identified at a glance. Sayaka reached Fujin and stabbed her tanto towards his heart. However, a sword appeared in Fujin''s hand and blocked the tanto. Sayaka was about to follow up with a few kicks, but her eyes widened as she was suddenly flung backwards by a few dozen meters as Fujin swung his blade. She thought in disbelief, ''What strength!'' Fujin didn''t have any time to check on her as the next wave of assault reached him. Yuji attacked Fujin''s neck, Takeshi attacked his legs while Hikari moved around Fujin and tried to stab him in his back. Updated from Fujin was impressed by their teamwork. He thought, ''Not bad. At least in terms of formations and teamwork, they are far ahead of the Academy kids. Even among Genins, very few would match them. That said, this isn''t exactly what I wanted to see.'' Fujin stepped a few steps backwards, creating distance between him and the two boys and not letting Hikari move behind him. He used his sword to divert her tanto and slapped her away with the flat side of his sword. In one smooth motion, he changed the direction of his sword and swung it at Yuji who had jumped in the air. In a panic, Yuji stopped his attack and tried to defend himself. Though he saved himself, he was sent flying just like Sayaka. Despite sending Yuji flying, his sword continued its fluid motion and hit Takeshi''s tanto, knocking it out of his hand. A moment later, a kick landed on Takeshi''s abdomen, sending him flying for a few meters as well. At the same time, chakra began flowing through his sword. Despite dodging by a comfortable distance, Fujin felt a cold breeze due to how cold the ice darts were. He analyzed, ''Impressive. If I had defended using Iron Skin jutsu, even though darts wouldn''t have pierced my body, the cold itself would have damaged my body to an extent.'' Fujin''s eyes turned from Sayaka to Yuji as Yuji fired a bolt of Lightning at Fujin. Fujin flickered again but the bolt of Lightning took a hard right turn and followed to his new location, forcing him to flicker again. A grin appeared on Yuji''s face as he thought, ''You can''t escape from my Lightning! No one can move as fast as Lightning. I''ll chase you until it hits you.'' Meanwhile, Fujin analyzed, ''So, this is the Storm Release. I did see Darui use it, but our fight was very brief. Though Yuji''s power in the Lightning isn''t very impressive, his control is very good. Even my control over Lightning is nowhere near as good as his.'' Fujin continued flickering. The smirks that had formed on the faces of the kids faded away. A frown formed on Sayaka''s face as she wondered, ''I am supposed to assist Yuji with Ice Petals. But, how can I do so when I can''t even follow his movements? We need to send him close to Takeshi!'' Yuji was stumped as well. He thought, ''Even though no one can move as fast as Lightning, I can''t follow his movements. He flickers right when I change the direction of my Lightning bolt. I won''t be able to hit him at this rate.'' Similarly, Shoma and Hikari were serious as well. According to their tactic, they would follow up if the initial attack failed. However, they couldn''t even follow Fujin''s movements! Even so, the kids didn''t give up. Yuji continued attacking Fujin while Sayaka launched a few rounds of Ice Petals by estimating Fujin''s location. After dodging a few times, Fujin understood their intentions and thought, ''They want to divert me towards Takeshi. Let''s see what they are planning.'' Since they were unable to divert him towards Takeshi, Fujin himself went towards him. As soon as Takeshi saw Fujin coming close, he grasped his chance. ''Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder jutsu'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, AWG, Onebullet, That Guy, Charlie and Greedsmith for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 564: Should I train them? Chapter 564: Should I train them? As soon as Fujin stepped close to Takeshi, one flaming orb formed in his hand. He threw it at Fujin. Fujin immediately felt an intense heat. At the same time, Sayaka launched another round of Ice Petals and Yuji diverted the Lightning bolt towards Fujin once again. Fujin nonchalantly observed the three attacks while analyzing, ''So the other two have Ice Kekkei Genkai. Can they perform Ice Release jutsus as well or can only that girl do so?'' Fujin''s entire body suddenly became black as he used the Iron Skin jutsu. The flaming orb hit Fujin. He felt an intense heat from the orb. The grass and trees in the vicinity caught fire. Moments later, the Lightning bolt hit him. Having an advantage over the Earth Release, it pierced through the Iron Skin and hit him. A second later, a few Ice Darts hit his back and pierced into it as his Iron Skin jutsu was weakened due to the Lightning bolt. The 5 kids were surprised. Takeshi, who was the closest, wondered, ''How did we manage to hit him? Also, why isn''t he showing any pain on his face? Shouldn''t he be getting burnt and frozen at the same time?'' He received the answer quickly as ''Fujin'' disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Immediately, they thought, ''A Shadow Clone! When did he switch with a clone? Was it when he was moving rapidly?'' They immediately looked around but saw no sign of Fujin. Hiding among the trees, Fujin saw the 5 kids and analyzed, ''Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all. The Iron Skin jutsu isn''t very effective against Kekkei Genkai. Though it can normally resist a Fire-Wind combination jutsu, my clone felt a burning sensation from inside his body. If it was my actual body, my insides would have probably been cooked. Similarly, though it could''ve blocked the ice darts, it couldn''t keep out the cold that my clone felt due to the ice. It would make movement difficult. Sigh, though their advantage isn''t as broken as Naruto''s, having a Kekkei Genkai is still a massive boost for any ninja. They''ll have it much easier to become an Elite Jounin and will have an advantage over other Elite Jounins due to the Kekkei Genkai alone. That said, Rank S is a whole different game. It''s tough to say whether they would reach that level. Anyway, let me see whether they can do anything else.'' The 5 kids had gathered together since they couldn''t find Fujin. Shoma was standing in the center with his eyes closed while the other 4 were standing with their backs to him and looking in every direction. Shoma muttered, "I can''t sense him at all. It''s as if he isn''t in this training ground at all!" Yuji replied, "Why would he leave us here and escape? He might be hiding. Keep sensing. You might sense him when he makes a move." Sayaka added, "He''s right. Keep looking, Shoma. He might be staying just outside the range of your chakra field. Others be prepared to fight when he appea" Before she could complete her sentence, all 5 felt something and looked towards the ground. Their eyes widened as they saw two hands popping out of the ground. They grabbed Yuji and Shoma''s legs. Seeing his reaction, Fujin chuckled and said, "That''s plenty for today. Help your friends out and come and see me together." Takeshi nodded and went to help others. Sayaka and Hikari were fine and were just stunned due to the sudden change while Shoma and Yuji were stuck in the ground. Fujin observed them while thinking, ''Their talents are definitely very high. Little wonder considering that all of them have awakened their respective Kekkei Genkai. They are already stronger than a typical Genin. They could be considered as Low Chunin level, though they could win against stronger Chunins if they can surprise them with their Kekkei Genkai. Considering their age, this is very good. If I train them properly, most of them will reach the Elite Jounin level or at least close to it in three years. The only one doubtful is Shoma as he is much younger than the rest. Regardless, by the time of the Fourth Great Ninja War, there will be at least 4 Elite Jounins among them. Though very unlikely, even a rank S ninja can appear. The important question is Should I train them?'' Fujin was in a dilemma. Accepting students was a huge task and needed a lot of time. It was one of the main reasons why he refused to become a Jounin sensei when Hiruzen asked him. He just didn''t have the time to watch after Genins. However, it was different with these kids. They weren''t Genins. He didn''t need to take them to do missions. Fujin could train them as he wished and could delegate the training to his clone while he continued his own training. In addition, he could make use of the Anbu Hiruzen had sent to take care of the boring or time-consuming training sessions. So, it wouldn''t take a significant amount of his time. The only question was whether he would benefit by taking them under his wings and how much. Fujin kept thinking while Takeshi and the rest dug out Yuji and Shoma. After a couple of minutes, he sighed and thought, ''I had decided against getting into political conflicts after getting a seat on the Council as there isn''t much benefit to gain in a short time. However, I have a feeling that I will be dragged into some political battles irrespective of whether I want to or not'' ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Immortal Ancestor Dialoo and Gage for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 565: Fujins first official students! Chapter 565: Fujin''s first official students! [A/N: We ranked 10th last week with 5917 Power Stones! Keep it up guys!] Fujin recalled, ''Danzo already tried to drag me into a political battle once. Fortunately, I could make him pay dearly. It also allowed me to make the clan leaders owe me one. That said, I can''t take all the credit as there is one big factor that has given me an unfair advantage. That factor is Hiruzen. Even though he didn''t do anything on the surface, Hiruzen completely supports me right now. He was the one to add me to the council and also the one to generally support my ideas even if they aren''t implemented yet. Even if he doesn''t say anything, there is little doubt that every council member can see that he backs me. It is the main reason why Danzo didn''t go overboard and no one else is bothering me. It is also the main reason why no one else has tried to make a move against my seat or tried giving me a headache. However, if Hiruzen dies and Tsunade replaces him, then I won''t have that protection. Once that happens, I''ll be dragged into politics slowly, one step at a time. With time, it''ll only become intense. Granted that I could just take a step back as I don''t have much to gain politically, but that will create a situation where others think that I am easy to push around. Not something that I want to see as it''ll just keep increasing my troubles until I decide to push back. The only way to deal with it would be to make the one who makes the first move pay dearly just like Danzo. However, I can''t rely on brute strength every time. After all, why would anyone engage against me in an actual fight when they know how strong I am? They will use schemes that don''t involve fighting. If I use the Akuro identity again to flip the chessboard, then everyone will inevitably begin suspecting me even if they don''t have any proof. After all, they aren''t stupid and Danzo will connect the dots as well. So, I will have to do a political counterattack. But to do that, I''ll need more influence in the village. And, I need to start increasing it while Hiruzen is still alive so that I don''t face heavy opposition while I try to do so.'' Fujin''s eyes wandered on the 5 kids. He thought, ''Since Hiruzen has given me such a gift, then I might as well take complete advantage of it. I guess the reason why he put these kids under me is the same as well. He probably realized that I wouldn''t have enough influence in the future once he gave up his hat or kicked the bucket and hence, he decided to take advantage of the Danzo''s situation to strengthen my influence.'' The 5 kids finally began walking towards Fujin. All of them were covered in dust and soil. Fujin finally made up his mind, ''Alright, I will accept these 5 as my students. I''ll also increase my influence over the other orphans. They can all believe in the Will of Fire as much as they want. However, as long as the village isn''t at risk, they have to take my side and support me. Of course, this won''t be enough. After all, it''ll take years for these kids to mature. I''ll need to increase my influence among Konoha''s ninjas as well. Fortunately, I have just the thing to do so'' The 5 kids finally reached Fujin and stood in front of him. To Fujin''s surprise, there weren''t any complaints in their eyes despite Fujin defeating them in such a manner. Instead, there was some admiration and respect as they understood how strong Fujin was to defeat them so comprehensively. He quickly realized, ''Looks like having a terrible background followed by training in Root and brainwashing with Will of Fire diminishes one''s sense of unfairness. Hmm, it''s sort of the same as Naruto.'' Fujin said, "Not bad. I can see why Lord Hokage spoke highly about you five. That said, there is still a lot of room for improvement. I am sure our fight made you realize that." The remaining two were living in extreme poverty despite having parents. And, they still remember the deaths of their parents. Of course, they were unaware that Root was behind the death of their parents instead of Kirigakure whom they blamed. However, that memory was still fresh in their minds. Even though they found a new home in Root which treated them well and later found a Grandfather-like figure in Hiruzen, it was the first time someone had tried to create a personal relationship with them. Unlike Danzo, who categorically stated that they would become Root ninjas in the future, and Hiruzen, who said that they would join the Anbu in the future, Fujin didn''t put any conditions or mention any expectations with his offer. Instead, he only specified that he could make them much stronger. While their young minds weren''t able to process this difference, they somehow instinctively felt it. As a result, the emotional impact of his words on them was far greater than Fujin had thought of. So, be it emotionally or intellectually, accepting Fujin''s offer made the most sense to them. Looking at each other, they nodded. In one voice, they answered while bowing slightly, "We will be honored to be your students." A smile formed on Fujin''s face. He replied, "Good." ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nathan, James, Frank, Fun Yoga, Niggalas, James and Mr Falcon for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Space Dandy for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 566: This world still has some kindness! Chapter 566: This world still has some kindness! A smile formed on Fujin''s face as he just got 5 students who had a Kekkei Genkai. Fujin couldn''t help but think, ''Until a little while ago, I didn''t have contact with anyone who had a Kekkei Genkai other than Sharingan or Byakugan. And out of the blue, I now have 6 subordinates who have Kekkei Genkai, giving me an invaluable opportunity to observe them from a close distance.'' Fujin sat down on the ground with his back against a tree and said, "Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Since I am your Sensei, my first task for all of you is to tell me everything about yourselves. Tell me about your life before you entered Konoha. Tell me everything that happened after you entered Konoha. Tell me who all taught you, what they taught you and when." The kids were surprised once again. Though Root ''rescued'' them and provided them with a new life, this was again the first time when someone showed interest in their past. On the contrary, both Root and Hiruzen just asked them to forget about their past and only focus on their future in Konoha. Fujin was the first one who showed interest in knowing who they were before they entered Konoha. As a result, they told him everything about their past. Fujin listened carefully without disturbing them. Undoubtedly, every one of them had a tragic backstory. And, every one of them hated the Mizukage faction with passion. All their sufferings were rooted in the action the Mizukage faction took against Kekkei Genkai users. For the very same reason, they were also very grateful and loyal to Konoha. Telling their pasts to each other made them feel much closer as a team and even made them feel closer to Fujin even though Fujin didn''t say anything about his past. After hearing everything, Fujin let out a long sigh. He said softly, "I never thought that all of you would have such a tragic past. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to change the past. However, I can promise that no student of mine will suffer like you did. Always remember your past. Remember the pain and suffering you went through. Use that as fuel to train yourself. Become so strong that no one will even dare to look at you the same way those people did. Become so strong that when you become parents, your children will never suffer the same fate." A smile appeared again on Fujin''s face as he added, "And if there is something that you can''t handle, always come to me." The kids were touched by Fujin''s words. For once, Fujin''s words were genuine. Though Fujin didn''t have much of an emotional attachment to them, they would be his students. If others bullied them for no reason, it wouldn''t look good. In addition, if someone wanted to mess with him, they could target the five of them because Fujin would be too strong for them to target. Not to mention, Fujin had been wanting a good fight for quite some time. He didn''t mind using such opportunities to flex his muscles a bit and create some chaos. Fujin got up and said, "Take today off. Hang out with each other. No need to train today. Meet me here tomorrow at 6 in the morning. We will have our first training session." The five of them immediately became excited, completely oblivious to the hell that awaited them in the upcoming days! While Fujin didn''t intend to be as sadistic as Kakashi or as relentless as Guy, his training schedule wouldn''t lose in intensity to either of them. With time, it would only become more intense! Thankfully, his students all had pasts that he could use as fuel to ensure that they didn''t run out of gas. Fujin humored himself and actually thought of the answer. After a few seconds, he concluded, ''No, Hiruzen is far more benevolent. He did teach me the Wind Vacuum Technique, provided a few thousand elemental crystals, got me on the Council, gave me scrolls of Flying Thunder God and Spirit Transformation jutsu and even taught me Fire and Earth jutsus along with other assistance that I keep asking him regularly. Danzo, though very generous, doesn''t compare with that. He only helped me improve my Wind Vacuum Technique, gave me over a hundred talented subordinates and gave me a proposal that I could use to build my influence. Oh well, Danzo is the second most benevolent person then. He narrowly beats the Ame Jounin, who gifted me the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, and Sasori, who gifted me over 60 top-quality puppets. Sigh, I didn''t know that so many people went out of their way to help me. I guess this world isn''t entirely bad after all.'' Thankfully, Hiruzen, Danzo and Sasori couldn''t hear Fujin''s thoughts. If they could, they would have forgotten about their differences and enmities and ganged up on Fujin! ----------------------------------- A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Gavin, Maike, Robert, Stinky, HunteZ, Angelo, Jess and Crepusculum for supporting me on P@treon. Thank You The Reverse Flash for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 567: Confusing Naruto Chapter 567: Confusing Naruto Having dealt with all the issues, Fujin finally decided to start training the Spirit Transformation jutsu. He sent a Shadow Clone to Hiruzen to clear up some of the doubts he had while reading through the scroll. While waiting for the clone to send back the memories, he went through the scroll once again. Meanwhile, his remaining clones continued working on the Fuin Battlefield. After the clone met with Hiruzen and discussed the doubts and sent memories back to Fujin, he began his training. The next morning, Fujin sent a Shadow Clone with 5% of his chakra to train his new students while he continued his training. As for their training, Fujin divided it into two parts for the time being. The first was the physical workout which would happen in the morning. The training made the five of them understand why Fujin was so much stronger than their previous instructors. Fujin''s clone replaced the training seals Danzo had given them with his own. As for the training intensity, it was slightly lower as Fujin wanted to make them get used to it. That said, it was still far more intense than what they had experienced so far. The reason for such intensity was that Fujin intended to teach them the Strong Fist Style! Apart from its effectiveness, the main reason for it was this thought of Fujin, ''I could teach them either the Senju Taijutsu style or the Strong Fist Taijutsu style. That said, even though Renjiro said that anyone could learn it, teaching it liberally without their permission might cause some dissatisfaction. They might agree if I take permission, but they will use it to show that I owe them a favor. By comparison, Guy will be ecstatic that I taught his fighting style to more kids who are full of youth. In addition, it is more practical in a fight than the Senju Taijutsu style. More importantly, I can just dump their Taijutsu training on him after they reach a certain level. Knowing him, he might see it as a gift rather than work.'' The second part of their training, which would happen in the afternoon, was Ninjutsu. The 5 of them were already very good at Ninjutsu for their age. Neither Fujin nor any of his classmates were that good. Despite that, Fujin stopped all their current training in Ninjutsu. Instead, he made them focus on just one jutsu. That was the forbidden Multi Shadow Clone jutsu! Unlike Naruto, where Fujin was afraid that the future would change dramatically if Fujin made him abuse that training method, Fujin didn''t have any such concerns with these kids. Their chakra was too low for them to abuse that training method beyond a certain limit, just like how it was for Fujin when he was younger. And, considering their young age and significantly lower potential than Naruto, Fujin didn''t see any of them going beyond the rank S level in merely 4 years. Even with his guidance, he couldn''t guarantee that they would reach rank S, let alone surpass it. That''s why, he decided to abuse this training tactic to its limits while training them. Life continued for a few days in this manner without any external disturbances until Naruto finally visited Fujin''s house. Kakashi had finally taken some pity on the trio and given them a day off. The three of them never appreciated a holiday as much as they did now. Fujin opened his door to see an exhausted Naruto. He raised his eyebrow and wondered, ''Kakashi let them go last evening. Since when did this kid stop recovering in a day?'' Of course, he couldn''t say that he had been spying on them. So Fujin asked in a peculiar tone, "What happened to you? You look like you have just run a marathon around the world without taking a break, almost as if you''d be killed if you stopped." Naruto looked at Fujin with a look full of complaints. After all, it was his suggestions that had created this situation. He muttered, "You don''t know how right you are!" Fujin chuckled and said, "Oh really? Come on in. Tell me everything." While Fujin had already seen most of the things that happened, there was no reason to refuse the amusement Naruto''s ranting would bring. Updated from However, his excitement quickly waned as he remembered what training he had been undergoing. They barely had the energy to do the training. In fact, none of them could live up to Kakashi''s ''standards'' as none of them could actually complete the workouts. They had to do their level best to ensure that they didn''t pass out. He became dejected and said, "That''s impossible!" Fujin chuckled and asked, "Do you think that you can become the Hokage if such simple training makes you quit?" That immediately hit Naruto''s ego. He exclaimed loudly, "I will steal Kakashi sensei''s book! Believe it!" While Fujin was tricking Naruto into creating more trouble for Kakashi, both of them were unaware that someone was secretly spying on Fujin''s house. Some distance away from Fujin''s house, Kakashi hid among the trees while watching Fujin''s house even though he couldn''t see anything inside it. He thought, ''As I expected. Someone was behind their change. That someone should be Fujin. However, why would he do something like that?'' Kakashi tried thinking but couldn''t come up with any good reason for Fujin to do something like that. However, he had a strong hunch that Fujin was indeed the one who prompted Naruto and the rest to act. Since he couldn''t think of a reason, he turned his attention back to the house and wondered, ''That aside, why does his house give me a weird feeling? It''s as if there are many seals around that house.'' Kakashi, though he wasn''t a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, still knew enough basics that he could be considered a SealMaster. He could see and identify most, if not all seals. He closed his right eye, opened his left eye and began observing Fujin''s home. His eye immediately widened as much as it physically could! A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aveli, Piranha, Mark, Steven, G, Alexander and HunteZ for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 568: 27569 Chapter 568: 27569 ''WHAT IN THE FUCKING HELL?'' Even someone as calm and composed as Kakashi was completely flabbergasted by what he witnessed. The sight was just too absurd and too horrifying! With his Sharingan, he could clearly see the seals that Fujin had placed. The entire compound was densely covered in seals. Fujin''s house was the worst. It was so densely covered in seals that Kakashi''s Sharingan couldn''t even see the walls of his house! He cursed, ''What is that? Why are there so many seals? Did he put seals on the house to protect it or did he build a house there to have something to put the seals on?'' Kakashi was astonished. Every top ninja''s house would be covered in seals. Even Kakashi''s house had several seals. After the Root was blown up, even the Jounins from the civilian background paid SealMasters to secure their houses with seals. However, it was the first time that Kakashi had seen such a dense collection of seals. Normally, it would be rare to see a house in Konoha with more than a hundred seals. Kakashi wondered, ''How many seals are there exactly?'' Since he had nothing better to do and had a Sharingan, Kakashi began counting the seals. His eyes kept getting wider as the number kept rising! His throat became dry as he realized, ''27569 seals! And a very high number of those seals are the ones that can hide other seals. So the actual number might be double that or even more! More importantly, that is just the number of seals on his house! The entire compound has a similar number of seals as well. What in the world is Fujin planning? His house and compound are more of a fortress than a house! Kakashi couldn''t think of any good reason for Fujin to do something like that. He thought, ''Since Third hasn''t done anything, it''s safe to say that there isn''t any ill intention behind his actions. That said, I need to be very careful if I ever have to enter that compound. Also, I still need to ask why he made my students do something like that If I don''t, then I have a feeling that my days will become far more chaotic!'' Kakashi had seen enough for a day. He decided to leave. Fujin was unaware that Kakashi had just checked his house and left as silently as he arrived. If he knew, he would have chuckled at his reactions. By the time Kakashi left, Fujin was done talking with Naruto. He said, "Ah, I nearly forgot. The kids who were supposed to move into the compound did so a few days ago. I''ll introduce you to a few of them. If you get along, then I''ll arrange for you to move into one of the buildings next to the house?" Naruto was immediately excited. All his exhaustion due to Kakashi''s training suddenly disappeared as he exclaimed, "Really? You''re the best, Fujin!" Fujin chuckled and thought, ''Guess it was more of a mental fatigue than physical fatigue.'' He sent a Shadow Clone to call his 5 students, who arrived in a few minutes and entered his house. They immediately saw Fujin sitting with a blonde kid who looked a few years older than them. Fujin smiled and said, "Come on in, make yourselves comfortable." They entered the circular room and sat on the sofas in the room while curiously looking at Naruto. Yuji curiously asked, "Who is he?" Naruto immediately introduced himself, "I am Uzumaki Naruto! I''ll be the Hokage! Believe it!" The 5 kids just stared at Naruto with a deadpan expression. None of them expected to hear something so absurd. Seeing their stares, even Naruto felt embarrassed. *Cough* Fujin suddenly coughed, attracting everyone''s attention. He said, "Naruto, they are my official students. Get along well with them." Yuji teased him once again, "Dude, do you live under a rock?" While training in the Root, they had been made to memorize the entire Bingo book. They expected that other ninjas would have done so as well. To their surprise, they were wrong. Sayaka said, "Yuji, don''t be mean. And yes. Sensei''s title might be even cooler. He is called the Spectral Swordsman!" Naruto exclaimed, "Damn! That''s a cool title! What did big bro do to get such a cool title?" Yuji grinned and answered, "No one knows for sure. Sensei''s mission record is a top secret. I guess only Lord Hokage knows. Everyone else only knows some rumors." Naruto asked, "What are the rumors?" Yuji grinned even more and added, "They say that he appears and disappears like a spectre while harvesting the lives of his targets. He is so scary that the person doesn''t realize that he is dead until sensei is long gone. Some rumors say that there were two people who were walking and talking together and sensei killed one of them. The other person didn''t realize that the one who he had been talking to was dead for several minutes!" The way Yuji said it, made Naruto feel chills. He nervously said, "I knew Fujin was scary, but I didn''t know that he was this scary..." Sayaka nodded and added, "Apparently, he has killed a few hundred ninjas in this manner. It was why he was given that title. That said, until this day, no one knows whether he really is the Spectral Swordsman as there is no proof against him. As Yuji said, these are just rumors. The only thing that is true for sure is that those guys are dead!" Naruto''s face became slightly blue as he said, "That just makes him even more terrifying!" The kids nodded. Yuji had gotten bored of teasing Naruto. He asked, "Anyway, Sensei has given us the rest of the day off. Do you know anything fun, Naruto? Sensei said something about pranks." Immediately, a mischievous grin appeared on Naruto''s face. That day, several people in Konoha had an extremely annoying day! A particular old man, who was peeping into a crystal ball, was experiencing a terrible headache. Once again, he was cursing his past self for the choices he made. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nishi, Yuuyoh, Joe, MSSC, Dias and Gabryel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 569: Spirit Transformation Technique Chapter 569: Spirit Transformation Technique ''Spirit Transformation jutsu'' Fujin was sitting at the center of his basement. Around him were his Shadow Clones, silently working on a seal that had never appeared in the Ninja world. Fujin''s mind was focused on his own soul completely. He made the necessary hand seals and used the jutsu Dan created decades ago. Suddenly, a white light slowly exited his body. It immediately attracted the attention of every Shadow Clone in the basement, who looked at their main body. The white light quickly took form and took Fujin''s appearance. Fujin observed himself while thinking, ''Hmm, interesting. My form is just like that of my body. There isn''t even a hint of my previous life''s appearance. In addition, even my soul has similar clothes as my main body, even though it''s just my soul taking that form and not actual clothes. I wonder how the soul works Does it just take the form of whatever body I am currently occupying? If so, how will it work for someone like Orochimaru who keeps changing his body? Does his soul''s appearance keep changing every few years? Or has only my soul changed due to getting transmigrated? After all, how can I know what changes my soul underwent during transmigration? Sigh, so many new questions again'' Fujin stopped thinking about those questions and instead focused on his soul. He thought, ''Anyway, time to test what all this technique can do. Now, who do I choose as a test subject?'' The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m Fujin''s first thought was one of the orphan kids. However, on second thought, he decided against it. If something went wrong, then the one he chose be crippled or worse, dead. Fujin thought, ''Normally, I''d go out and choose some bandits. I have been training this jutsu for almost a couple of months, so it won''t raise any eyebrows if I head out as it has been several months since my last trip. However, this technique isn''t like others. I could test something like the Eight Trigrams Divination Seal without any worry. Unfortunately, Spirit Transformation jutsu has a huge chance of something going wrong. I should test it inside the village, where I can ask for Hiruzen''s help quickly. Oh well, it''s not like there aren''t any test subjects here. That said, let me at least test the movements and other basic skills first.'' The most basic abilities of this form were invisibility and intangibility. Both were mentioned in the scroll. Fujin applied the techniques and his soul became invisible. He chuckled and wondered, ''It works. I don''t understand why Jiraiya never learnt this jutsu! It''s the perfect jutsu for his ''research''. I wonder if Tsunade and Hiruzen predicted that and decided to never give him that scroll. Hmm, that should be it. Otherwise, I don''t see any reason for Jiraiya to not learn this jutsu.'' Fujin moved towards the ceiling of the basement and thought, ''Though I didn''t know this jutsu earlier, some of my seals are effective against this jutsu. So, no spirit should be able to move in and out of my house. At least not with this technique.'' Fujin touched the ceiling. As he expected, his hand couldn''t phase through. He deactivated the seals that stopped the Spirits temporarily and phased through the ceiling. He quickly phased through his house and began flying above his house. A smile formed on his face as he thought, ''Hmm, not bad at all. This feeling is great. Other than a few seals and barriers, nothing can stop me. I can even fly in this form. Not to mention, my Flying speed is amazing!'' Fujin immediately flew around the village, while avoiding the sensitive places. No one could see his spirit. What was more impressive was the speed at which his soul could fly! It exceeded the speed of sound by several times! ''Spirit Transformation jutsu'' Fujin''s soul exited his body. The prisoner watched with confusion as he didn''t understand why his ''torturer'' had begun meditating. He wondered, ''Is this some new style of torture?'' Suddenly, his eyes widened as he instinctively felt something enter his body. He felt a chill and fear like never before. Yet, he didn''t understand what was happening! What his eyes couldn''t see was that Fujin''s soul had already entered his body! Meanwhile, Fujin could clearly see the man''s soul. He extended his arm towards the man''s soul. Remembering the steps in the scroll, he began using his energy to affect the man''s soul. Within a few seconds, his soul fell under Fujin''s control. Fujin analyzed, ''Hmm, not bad. By controlling his soul, I can control his entire body. Of course, it is this easy because his soul is too weak and has almost no willpower. A rank S ninja''s soul will have tremendous willpower. I might not be able to control it so easily. Even more troublesome would be someone who actually trained or strengthened his soul or knows how to use his soul. I shouldn''t rely on this technique against Orochimaru. Similarly, I can''t use it against a Rinnegan wielder. I am not too sure about Obito and Zetsu either. Who knows what additional techniques they know? Oh well, time to test it.'' Fujin quickly took control of the prisoner''s body and said in a calm voice, "Release his restraints." One of the clones nodded and removed all the chains and cuffs. Fujin stretched the prisoner''s body while analyzing, ''Hmm, my control isn''t very smooth. It''s more like controlling a puppet. However, I have a feeling that the Yamanaka''s Secret Technique is better at controlling others than this jutsu. That said, this jutsu has other specialities which the Yamanaka technique can''t match.'' Acting on his thoughts, Fujin began suppressing the prisoner''s soul. The prisoner, who had lost control of his body, suddenly felt a pain like never before. A soul-wrenching scream exited his throat! If not for the silence seals in the prison, the entire T&I Department would have heard his scream! A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mateus and Xander for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 570: Narutos Outburst & Hidden Grass Crisis Chapter 570: Naruto''s Outburst & Hidden Grass'' Crisis Fujin was satisfied with his scream. He thought, ''This is the main killing method of this jutsu. By suppressing and destroying the soul. The victim will fall dead without any signs of injury on his or her body. If that happens in the middle of the war, armies would be scared and demoralized to see their comrades dying mysteriously in such a manner. Apart from this, there is another technique that makes one of my hard-earned jutsus kind of redundant'' Fujin placed his hand on the soul. In an instant, he began reading the memories of the prisoner''s soul, seeing everything that he had done in his life. He pulled his hand back while thinking, ''Hmm, memories of just this lifetime Does it mean that this is his first life, or does it mean that ordinarily, a soul can only have the memories of just one lifetime? Perhaps something along the lines of memories getting eradicated during the process of reincarnation. Or perhaps the memories of other lifetimes have been hidden somewhere inside the soul to such a degree that this technique can''t access them. Regardless, this method is far more efficient than the Yamanaka Mind Reading technique. The Yamanaka''s technique targets the brain. The memories one can read are only the ones that are fresh in the target''s brain. Reading older and suppressed memories or memories that the target has forgotten about is extremely difficult. In addition, damaging the brain could cause the memories to disappear as well. By comparison, reading memories from the soul is extremely convenient. More importantly, it has another fearsome application. I understand why Tobirama developed the base version of this technique. It''s to read the memories of the souls summoned with the Edo Tensei jutsu!'' Fujin''s soul sighed as the amount of respect he had for Tobirama''s research and inventing abilities increased once again. He had just found the perfect solution to a problem he would have to face in the future. Having tested everything he wanted to, Fujin left the prisoner''s body and returned to his own. He got up and dispelled his clones after they tied up the prisoner again. The prisoner gradually gained clarity as well. Suddenly, the prisoner felt an extreme pain coming right from his soul. He shrieked and looked at Fujin, who was walking out of the cell, with terror and asked while breathing roughly, "What did you do?" Fujin didn''t turn around and disappeared from his line of sight. Only some words lingered in the air, "Just tried a new torture technique to keep you entertained. Enjoy your remaining life." Since Fujin had read all his memories, he knew exactly the kind of scum the guy was and why Ibiki had asked Fujin to torture him even though he had already been tortured to such an extent. As Fujin shut the door, the screams of the prisoner filled the cell. It''d be several hours before someone would come to check on him and realize that he had been screaming continuously for hours! Fujin analyzed, ''The pain he is experiencing is a little injury that I inflicted upon his soul. That said, souls are quite resilient. His injury will heal by itself in a couple of weeks. I suspect that even if I had destroyed his soul, only his physical body would die. As for his soul, it should pass into the afterlife and reform. I guess this can be considered a form of immortality in itself. The only issue is being able to retain memories from one life to another. I should try this on someone after I go out of the village to get a better picture.'' As a result, the village was facing heavy losses. There was even a chance that the hidden village could be attacked. And the recent losses had made them very nervous. As Fujin reached the end of the scroll, he squinted his eyes. A sly smile appeared on his face as he muttered, "Interesting." His smile and the amusement in his voice were immediately noticed by everyone in the room. Koharu asked, "What did you find so amusing about the scroll?" Fujin replied, "It''s the demands they have put forth. They have asked us to eliminate the rogue group. However, they have also said that they don''t have any money or resources to pay us. At the same time, they are saying that if we don''t help them, they might have to take drastic actions to resolve the issue. They are implying that it''ll somehow negatively affect us. Considering their strength, the only thing they can do to negatively affect us is ally with Iwagakure. I didn''t expect that a minor village would be so aggressive while negotiating with us." Hiruzen nodded. Everyone in the room had realized the same. He said, "Kusagakure specializes in diplomacy. It is their greatest strength. So that threat isn''t a baseless one. They do have the capability to ally with Iwa. Of course, there are obvious issues in doing so." Hiruzen looked at Shikaku as finished speaking. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Fanfic Sage, Gill, Rain, Blanket, Kin and for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 571: Fujin the Diplomat! Chapter 571: Fujin the Diplomat! Understanding Hiruzen''s intention, Shikaku added, "Though Kusa is good at diplomacy, they can''t ally easily with Iwa as their relationship is quite bad currently. Iwa had invaded the Land of Grass in both the Second and the Third Great Ninja Wars. Their people still remember that. Their civilians as well as ninjas hate Iwa for causing so many deaths and putting them through hell. In addition, Iwa had sent their Jinchuriki to the Land of Grass a couple of years ago. Their relations had deteriorated to the level it was at during the Great Wars after Roshi used the Tailed Beast Bomb on their lands. And, these two aren''t the biggest issues. The biggest issue is that Iwa is definitely funding and assisting the rogue group that is fighting against Kusagakure. Though the rogue group likely formed by itself, there is no way that they would become such a threat without Iwa''s aid. Even if Kusa decides to overlook this fact and not raise this issue while negotiating with Iwa, Iwa would want both groups to coexist in the Land of Grass so that they can restrict both sides and control the Land of Grass. This will cut down Kusa''s influence considerably as the country would have two Hidden Villages instead of one. It will also give a chance to that rogue group to create a proper army and grow without having to fight Kusagakure. In the future, they wouldn''t need to resort to guerilla warfare whenever they have to fight Kusagakure and could confront them head-on. So even with their good diplomacy, it is unlikely for them to get favorable terms by allying with Iwa." Fujin nodded, agreeing with Shikaku''s analysis. Hiruzen added, "So in other words, this high-priority message is just Kusagakure''s way to coerce us to do their job for them without getting anything in return." Though Hiruzen talked plainly, Fujin could clearly see that Hiruzen wasn''t pleased. He chuckled internally while thinking, ''It looks like they hit a nerve. That said, this scroll from Kusagakure is quite ingenious. On the surface, it might seem that they are arrogantly threatening Konoha, a village far stronger than them, by saying that they would ally with Iwa. However, nowhere in the scroll is this explicitly mentioned. If confronted, they can just decline it and say that this isn''t what they implied and can give some other examples of what the ''drastic actions'' will be. Though it seems that they will offend Konoha by doing so, in truth, there isn''t much Konoha can do. The worst we can do is ignore this scroll and decline to help, in which case Kusagakure doesn''t win or lose anything. The status quo will prevail. If we decide to act against them in the dark, then that will be equivalent to jumping on an axe as that will weaken Kusagakure and will allow a faction that is supported by Iwa to take power in the Land of Grass. So, they know that we won''t take such a step. Besides, even if we decide not to help, we will still be forced to help if Iwa gets involved directly. Hehe, no wonder Hiruzen is annoyed. Considering that he didn''t take any advantage of the critical situation I had placed Rasa in pretty much says that he wants to avoid a major war at all costs even though the village is no longer as weak as during the Hyuga incident.'' Fujin looked at Hiruzen and said, "They are indeed quite good at diplomacy. Anyway, why did you call me? Are we going to war? Or do you want me to silently make a few people disappear?" Unfortunately, Shikaku couldn''t guess what the crazy thing Fujin would be doing. Hiruzen said, "I have already assembled the diplomatic team. You can join them and plan out your strategy before moving out. Move out by this evening." Fujin nodded. He and Homura began walking towards the room where the diplomatic discussions would usually be held. En route, Fujin created and dispelled a Shadow Clone. Homura immediately realized, ''Hmm, he sent a message about this meeting to his Shadow Clones. I wonder what they are doing.'' It was as Homura had speculated. Fujin sent a message to his clones that were working on the seal, the clone who was guiding his 5 students, and a couple of clones that he had sent to the Training facility to guide other orphans. Fujin had begun sending a few clones to the training facilities whenever he had some chakra to spare so that he could influence the other kids as well. The help he provided them was nowhere near what his students got. He would let Hiruzen''s Anbu train them and only occasionally observe them and give some advice to help them improve further. As a result, even though the Anbu instructors did most of the work, the kids were more grateful towards Fujin as he took time from his ''busy'' schedule and ''council duties'' to guide them. Some Anbu noticed it but didn''t do anything as Fujin outranked them considerably and he wasn''t doing anything harmful to the kids or the village. Besides, Anbu Hiruzen had sent to train the kids were of civilian backgrounds as well because he didn''t want to alert the clans about the kids having Kekkei Genkai. So they didn''t mind Fujin, who represented the civilian ninjas in the council, increasing his influence. In any case, the message Fujin sent to his clones was to inform his students that he would be out of the village for a few days and to inform the same to the Anbu Captain stationed in his compound. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 572: An Extremely Bad Feeling Chapter 572: An Extremely Bad Feeling Back in the Hokage''s office, Koharu asked, "Are you sure about this, Hiruzen? Even though he has done well so far, I still don''t think asking him to lead such a mission is a good idea. Fighting and negotiation are two entirely different things." Hiruzen shrugged and said, "It''s alright. Besides, what''s the worst he can do? At max, we will have to help them eliminate that rogue faction for free. And even then, he will be doing most of the work." Hiruzen knew about Fujin''s Wind Domain. While he wasn''t entirely sure how strong it was as Fujin no longer practiced it in the open, the fact that he could steal Sasori''s puppets was all Hiruzen needed to know. Even if they had to fight, he was sure Fujin would be able to take care of it without any issue. If Iwa tried interfering, then he could deploy Jiraiya to deter them. Unlike him, the others in the room had different thoughts. Koharu wondered, ''Why does he trust that boy so much? Even though he could kill Juzo, fighting a rogue faction is different from fighting a single ninja. It could cost us several lives. But from the way Hiruzen is speaking, it''s as if he is sure that we won''t lose any lives.'' As for Shikaku, his mind was stuck on a few words that Hiruzen spoke. They were, ''What''s the worst he can do?'' For some reason, Shikaku had an extremely bad feeling. Fujin and Homura entered the room. Immediately, 12 eyes looked at them. There were several papers on the round table and it looked like they had already been discussing how to handle the negotiation. On seeing the two of them, one of them said, "Elder Homura, Councilor Fujin, it''s good to have you. Elder Homura, we wanted to ask you a few things." To his surprise, Homura raised his palm and said, "While I will be joining the mission, I won''t be participating in the discussions. Fujin will be the one leading this mission." Immediately, everyone in the room was surprised. They all assumed that Homura would lead the mission. While they were familiar with Fujin, he barely used to participate in the missions. For a moment, none of them knew what to say. Fujin had expected such a reaction and wasn''t particularly offended. In fact, he was surprised as well when Hiruzen informed him that he would be leading this mission. He chuckled to break the silence and asked, "What''s with this reaction? Don''t worry. I won''t mess up too much. Let''s start the meeting." His words caused some awkward smiles to appear on their faces. However, it broke the ice and they finally began the meeting as Fujin and Homura sat down. Fujin asked, "Did you guys decide on what resources to ask in return for helping them?" One of them answered, "We haven''t discussed that much yet. Considering the tone in their letter, our discussion so far was focused more towards what we should say to counter their points when they ask for help free of cost." So, Onoki will be paying a lot of attention to Akatsuki and their movements. He won''t risk a battle with Konoha while Iwa is the weaker side.'' Due to his knowledge of the future, Fujin didn''t have the same considerations as Homura and others. The group discussed what to ask from Kusa. When they reached the final amount, Fujin said, "Hmm, that''s too little. Even if they gave us normal missions, it would cost 25% more than this value. Increase its overall worth by 25%. Wait" Fujin took a pause before adding, "Actually, they are in a tough spot. And, they are asking us to deploy our forces rapidly. We should charge them a premium considering how badly they need our help. Increase it first by 25% and then increase it by 50% once more." "..." The entire room became silent. No one had any words. Even Homura was left speechless. Everyone just looked at each other not knowing what to say. Every single one of them was surprised by Fujin''s greediness and shamelessness. Only one person smiled. It was Hiruzen who was watching through his crystal ball. He cried imaginary tears of happiness while thinking, ''Finally, the village will benefit from his greedy nature. That said, there is no way Kusa will agree. Though the scroll mentioned that they are in a tough spot, this isn''t something that they can''t handle. The only thing they truly require from us is our preparedness in case Iwa makes a move.'' Though Koharu and Homura were worried, Hiruzen was truly looking forward to how Fujin would handle the negotiations against someone who didn''t particularly care for his well-being as Hiruzen did. He had to see whether Fujin''s greed would work while negotiating with other villages or whether it would become an obstacle. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You t S, Gabriel, Happyftw, Raafa, Emilio, Cody, Extrasmall, Morgan, Luci, Mooge, Anima, AR3S, Yazeed and Sonny for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 573: Fujins Effect Chapter 573: Fujin''s Effect In the meeting room, everyone exchanged glances. Finally, one decided to speak up and said, "Councilor Fujin, with all due respect, there is no way that they would agree." Fujin waved his hand dismissively and said, "It''s fine. We can negotiate. As long as it is above what it would cost them normally, there is no harm in doing the deal. In fact, even if it goes slightly below it, it''ll be fine considering that it is a bulk deal. Anyway, finalize the amount soon. We still need to decide on the points to use to make them understand that helping them for free is off the table. That will be the main topic during negotiations." The diplomats sighed in relief as Fujin finally showed some flexibility. They quickly finalized the normal cost and the premium cost for Kusa to pay. The discussion quickly changed towards how to convince Kusa to pay, how strict they should be during the negotiation and when to pull the plug in case Kusa refused to pay under any circumstances along with some other points. After discussing all the aspects for a few hours, they finalized all the details. Fujin smiled and said, "Good work everyone." He turned his gaze towards the closed door. The doors automatically opened and he said, "You guys can enter." Two Anbu squads entered. They were dispatched by Hiruzen to assist Fujin. Fujin looked at them and asked, "Did Lord Hokage inform you about the mission?" One of the Anbu Captains answered, "He provided us with some details. He said that we have to ensure your group''s safety while you are negotiating with Kusagakure." Fujin nodded and said, "Yes. However, all of you will follow us in disguise. You will pretend to be diplomats, but you don''t need to speak during any discussions." Fujin''s words confused the diplomats and Homura once again. For the first time, Homura said, "Fujin, everyone knows who our diplomats are. While having one or two more diplomats won''t be suspicious, having 8 new diplomats will easily arouse suspicion. It''ll be better to have them follow us in their Anbu uniform as Kusa won''t stop them." Fujin replied with a smile, "I know it''ll be suspicious, but that''s fine. I want them to be suspicious." Fujin looked at four diplomats and pointed at them one by one and said, "You four won''t speak anything during the meeting as well. Just pay attention to the meeting, but don''t speak unless I ask any of you to." The group were puzzled even more. None of the diplomats understood what Fujin''s intentions were. Homura wondered, ''Why does it feel like he is going there to fight instead of negotiating? Even if our negotiations don''t result in anything, Kusa won''t dare to attack us. What exactly is he planning?'' Not providing any explanation, Fujin said, "We will move out in an hour. Settle your matters if you have any and return to this room in less than an hour." Everyone nodded. Some left, some stayed there. After an hour, the group left Konoha. They travelled the night and the following day, before waiting in one of the Patrol Camps the entire night. Before the sun appeared in the sky, their group entered the Land of Grass and moved towards Kusagakure. A few hours later, the group reached Kusagakure. They had already sent a message informing Kusagakure about their arrival. As a result, the leader of Kusagakure and other prominent leaders were waiting for their arrival. When the Konoha ninjas appeared in their sight, the face of every single person fell without any exception. Their leader cursed, ''Damn Konoha! Where are the Hokage or other Elders? And why is that cursed brat leading the group?'' Kusagakure wasn''t informed who''d be leading the diplomatic team. On seeing that it was the guy who was rumored to have cut down several of their ninjas, everyone became very alert. Understanding their terrible situation, Kakashi shouted, "Everyone listen! Take Tazuna and retreat! It''s a fight you can''t win! If he wants to hold me in this Water Prison, he can''t leave this place. He won''t be able to hurt me through the Water Prison either!" Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were very tense when they heard Kakashi''s words. Suddenly, a look of surprise appeared on Naruto''s face as Kakashi''s words stuck in his mind. He quickly got up and weaved hand signs while shouting, "Sensei, are you sure he can''t hurt you inside the Water Prison?" His sudden question surprised everyone. Kakashi thought, ''Well he can, but if I say that, you guys won''t retreat'' He quickly shouted, "Yes he can''t! Now retreat!" A grin formed on Naruto''s face as he said, "Good! Then I don''t have to worry. Multi Shadow Clone jutsu!" In an instant, a few dozen Shadow Clones formed around Naruto. Seeing that Naruto was still intending to fight, Kakashi cursed, ''Darn it! Wha Eh, is he planning that tactic? Hmm, it could work. However, it is still very risky.'' Seeing Naruto and his clones put their hands in their ninja pouch to grab a kunai, memories of the graduation exam resurfaced in Kakashi''s mind. Even so, he maintained a worried expression on his face. "Haha hahahaha!" Seeing Naruto planning on attacking him, Zabuza''s Water Clone began laughing. His laugh immediately offended Naruto who wondered, ''Why is he laughing like a lunatic?'' Zabuza''s clone said, "Apparently you don''t care whether you get any olde" Suddenly, his eyes widened. Hanging around Fujin and falling prey to his sudden attacks without caring whether he was ready or not had an effect on Naruto. He didn''t bother waiting for Zabuza to be done with his speech. At the same time, Naruto and each of his Shadow Clones launched several kunai. Each of the kunai had an explosive tag attached to them! [A/N: Latest Chapter on P@treon - FUCK YOU DANZO!] A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You SHIK, MonitorLizard, Stefan, Desolate, Ee Seng, Felix, John, GodEye, Siddarth, Cypher, Isaiah, SVDDXNLY for supporting me on [email protected] from Chapter 574: The Negotiations Start! Chapter 574: The Negotiations Start! Zabuza''s clone watched as several hundred kunai with explosive tags moved towards him. He immediately weaved hand signs. ''Water Release: Water Wall jutsu!'' Immediately a water wall appeared in front of him. Around 20% of the kunai hit the water wall and exploded. The remaining 80% moved towards Zabuza''s main body, which was watching over Kakashi. The eyes of both Jounins were wide. Kakashi worriedly looked towards Zabuza and thought, ''I never imagined that someday I''d be hoping that my enemy keeps me protected! Luckily he is quite strong. Otherwise, I might lose a layer of my skin!'' Zabuza was no longer relaxed as well. He weaved hand seals with just his left hand and created a few more Water Clones who immediately used Water Wall jutsu to stop the incoming kunai. The kunai hit the water walls and exploded. Though every water wall collapsed, the explosions were stopped. Unfortunately, Zabuza and his clones were left dumbfounded as Naruto followed up with several more rounds of kunai while thinking, ''Luckily, Fujin gave me a few hundred explosive tags. Otherwise, we would have no way of fighting against him!'' Seeing Naruto continuously throwing explosive tags, Sakura shouted, "Naruto, be careful! Don''t hurt Kakashi-sensei!" Meanwhile, Sasuke thought, ''This isn''t enough. Though Zabuza looks under pressure, he is able to defend against the explosions. We need something more. But what?'' Sasuke saw another set of the Water Walls collapsing under another round of explosions. His eyes widened as he saw an opportunity. Meanwhile, Zabuza''s water clone wondered, ''How many explosive tags does this damn brat have? How freaking rich is Konoha to give such a little brat so many explosive tags? I can''t let this continue. Otherwise, Kakashi will take advantage of the situation.'' Even though the Water Prison jutsu was good at trapping people, it didn''t mean that it couldn''t be broken from the inside. If Naruto kept Zabuza''s attention on him, Kakashi could break through even if Zabuza didn''t take his hand off. ` After blocking the next round of explosions, the water clone moved forward at a rapid speed towards the place where Naruto''s original body initially was. A few Shadow Clones tried to stop him but were cut apart by his large blade. He swung Kubikiribocho at Naruto, who quickly used his kunai and barely managed to block the blade. Unfortunately, the water clone quickly followed with a kick, knocking the kunai off his hand and sending him flying backwards for a few meters. In the blink of an eye, he appeared on top of Naruto and said, "You did well. Unfortunately, your journey ends here!" Seeing Zabuza''s clone about to kill Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna became very worried. To everyone''s surprise, Naruto grinned and said, "I said that I would become a great ninja and become the Hokage! Nothing will stop me until then! That''s my Ninja Way!" Zabuza''s clone felt something odd. He immediately slashed Naruto, only for him to dissipate in a cloud of smoke. At the very instant, several explosive tags exploded right behind him, dispelling the Water Clone along with several of Naruto''s clones! Seeing that it was just a clone, Sakura and Sasuke sighed in relief. Sakura looked in surprise while wondering, ''Since when did Naruto become so smart and strong?'' Sasuke merely smirked and grabbed a couple of Fuma Shurikens. He waited for a few seconds before throwing them! Under the strain of the explosions, another set of water walls collapsed. Zabuza''s Water Clones created another set of Water Walls. However, before they could form, Sasuke''s Fuma Shuriken moved through the area and flew straight at Zabuza! He had timed his shuriken perfectly to take advantage of the opening Naruto''s explosions created. One of the diplomats on Fujin''s side said, "While I sympathize with your situation, we can''t provide help without getting anything in return. As much as we would like to help you, do understand the situation from our side as well. We can''t ask our ninjas to come and risk their lives here without getting anything in return. Every dead ninja''s family has to be compensated. Similarly, everyone who gets crippled has to be paid a pension. The morale of our ninjas will be very low and they might even refuse to join if they aren''t paid." Another person from the Kusagakure camp argued back, "We understand your situation. However, Konoha is the richest village. I''m sure you can afford to bear those expenses." A second person from Fujin''s side responded with a sigh, "Actually, Konoha''s finances are spread very thin as well. Even our forces are spread thin. We have to continuously send our ninjas to the surrounding countries to deter the other major villages from doing anything to harm you. We also had to deal with many rogue ninjas from Kiri which strained our finances further." A third person quickly added, "In fact, we sent ninjas to the Land of Grass several times as well even though you didn''t pay us. Lord Hokage had even sent Hatake Kakashi, the son of the White Fang, a few months ago to deter Iwagakure. Lord Hokage is magnanimous enough to not ask for any payments for those missions. So, we should discuss the payments you will need to make to get our help." He was immediately countered by another person from the Kusagakure camp. The discussion went on in this manner. Neither Fujin nor Hiroshi spoke and let others do the negotiating. They just looked at each other. As time passed, Hiroshi became more suspicious as he noticed that 4 of the usual diplomats in Fujin''s team weren''t speaking at all. All work was done by the 8 diplomats. He wondered, ''Is someone impersonating them? Also, Konoha is awfully stubborn today. We were prepared to owe them a small amount, but they haven''t even brought up the matter of loans until now.'' For three hours, the two sides negotiated! Konoha diplomats kept attempting to start discussing how much Kusagakure would have to pay to get Konoha''s help. But Kusagakure''s leaders never began that discussion and instead kept arguing that Konoha could afford to help them for free. Finally, Fujin said, "Hiroshi-san, it doesn''t seem like you guys actually want a deal." A faint smile could be seen on Fujin''s face, a smile that made Hiroshi very nervous. [A/N: Next chapter: Four Choices] A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Howellsy, Jay, Matthew, Zeca, Extra Thicc, Dylan, Crypto, Alisher, Chouaibou, Grant, Alexander and Tanav for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 575: Four Choices! Chapter 575: Four Choices! Hiroshi became slightly nervous on seeing the faint smile on Fujin''s lips. While Konoha had a good negotiating team, the negotiations usually used to be very straightforward and Konoha would rarely use the threat of using force as that wasn''t Hiruzen''s style. If Hiruzen ever wanted to use force during diplomacy, he''d send Danzo to make a move in the dark. However, there were too many suspicious things during this meeting. The first was the fact that there wasn''t any Elder in the diplomatic team. The second was the fact that Fujin was leading the team. The third suspicious thing was the 9 new faces. And probably the most suspicious thing was that as many as 13 members of Fujin''s team hadn''t said a word since the meeting began! Due to these four factors, Hiroshi had been on edge. He thought, ''Even though a lot of things are very suspicious, Konoha has a reputation to maintain. This should just be a pressure tactic. If they wanted to make a move, they wouldn''t have sent a diplomatic team here. We can''t show weakness!'' Hiroshi replied, "We are serious, Fujin-kun. Though I feel ashamed to say this, it is true that we can''t afford to pay anything right now." His words immediately attracted the attention of Homura and the other diplomats on Fujin''s team. Homura thought, ''Right now It seems like he is agreeing to owe us money. Not bad. It looks like Fujin''s tactic of applying pressure is a success. However, it''ll only be a success if he takes a step back and accepts this offer.'' The leaders on Kusagakure''s side understood it as well. In truth, they had all decided to resist as much as they could. However, they were nervous due to those four points just like Hiroshi. As a result, no one opposed. Everyone''s eyes were on Fujin. Fujin''s smile faded away as he shook his head and responded, "That is impossible. Irrespective of the fact whether we can afford to do so or not, we aren''t running a charity. Nor is this situation something you guys can''t handle by yourselves. I wanted to discuss the costs for various degrees of cooperation that you might require from us. Unfortunately, you guys have done everything you can to not even begin that discussion for the last three hours. From the way you are going, it seems that won''t change even if we negotiate for an entire week." Everyone''s eyes were glued to Fujin. Though no one said anything or showed it on their face, everyone was blaming him for their current situation. After all, had he been a bit flexible, the deadlock could have been resolved. Fujin continued, "So, we will end the negotiations here. Instead, I''ll present you the four choices that Kusagakure has for the time being. I don''t care which one you choose nor will I debate about it with you. You can choose whichever you want as per your free will and what you think would be the best for Kusagakure." Everyone, including the Konoha ninjas, was surprised by Fujin''s words. Despite having been in several negotiations, they had rarely seen something like that. At the very least, no one had seen such a development on day 1 of negotiations. Homura watched curiously to see what Fujin was up to. Hiroshi asked, "So, what are the four choices?" Fujin pulled out a scroll and passed it to Hiroshi. As Hiroshi opened it to read, Fujin raised his right arm slightly and raised his index finger. He said, "Since you guys don''t want to discuss different levels of cooperation, the help we will give you will either be complete or nothing. Your first choice is to ask for our help. We will annihilate the rebel faction entirely. However, you will have to pay the cost mentioned in the scroll to get us to help you. And, the payment will have to be made before we make our move." New n0vel chapters are published on The Kusagakure leaders subconsciously rejected this choice. No one said anything and only looked at Hiroshi, whose expression became grimmer the more he read from the scroll. He looked at Fujin and asked with a hint of anger in his voice, "Is this supposed to be a joke?" "..." Several more such statements were made, making the Konoha diplomats very tense. However, Homura became slightly relaxed and puzzled as he noticed two things. He thought, ''That''s weird Even though they are showing an aggressive front, not one of them has any intention of attacking. I can understand that they will refrain from attacking as it''ll bring Konoha''s retaliation, but it is almost like they are scared of attacking. What''s even more peculiar is that none of them launched any personal insults at Fujin despite his open threat!'' It was as Homura observed. Not a single person had any intention of attacking. And not a single one wanted to stand out in front of Fujin. While ''The Spectral Swordsman'' was only a myth and a rumor in Konoha, no one in Kusagakure had forgotten about him despite Fujin not being very active for over a year. They knew that whoever attacked first would lose their life. Even if they somehow managed to kill him eventually, none of them wanted to be a sacrifice for others. Similarly, they knew The Spectral Swordsman''s reputation. None of them wanted to be hunted down by Fujin after the meeting ended. They had no confidence in surviving if Fujin decided to hunt them later. Sitting calmly in his chair, Fujin asked plainly, "So, should I assume that you are making this choice?" Hiroshi immediately said, "Everyone, calm down and return to your seats." He looked at Fujin and replied, "Please don''t joke around. Konohagakure and Kusagakure have been allies since the end of the First Great Ninja War. We have no intention of changing that. There wasn''t any hidden threat in the scroll either. I am afraid that you might have misinterpreted it. Can you tell us what our fourth choice is?" Fujin nodded and answered in the same casual tone while raising his fourth finger, "Sure, your fourth option is to lie to me and ally with Iwagakure after we leave. In that case, I''ll return later and assassinate every one of you and kill every single person living in your houses." [A/N: Next Chapter : Kusagakure prepares for a war!] A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jack, Reginald, Crypto, Pranav, Tanav, Chris, Bernard, Neil, Grant and for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 576: Kusagakure prepares for a war! Chapter 576: Kusagakure prepares for a war! The room was left speechless yet again. Even when Kusagakure leaders had taken a step back, Fujin threatened them once more! It was so strange that the Kusa leaders were confused about whether they should put up a strong face again or just sit in their chairs. In the end, no one got up. Even the Konoha side was weirded out by the situation. Finally, Hiroshi replied, "You can rest assured that we won''t be betraying Konoha." Fujin nodded and said, "That''s good." He smiled and added, "We would hate to see such a long-standing alliance getting broken as well." Hearing that, everyone on Kusagakure''s side cursed him internally. All of Fujin''s actions made them think that he wanted a fight instead of a peaceful negotiation. Yet, he shamelessly claimed that he wanted to preserve their alliance. Fujin got up and said, "Let''s conclude the meeting. I have already informed you what the cost would be to ask for our help. And that cost won''t decrease in the future. If you change your mind in the future and decide to ask for our help, you can send a message to Lord Hokage." Seeing that Fujin was prepared to leave, Hiroshi asked, "Why not wait for some time and experience our hospitality?" As offended as he was by Fujin''s attitude, he understood that he couldn''t make Konoha too upset. In addition, if someone like Fujin stayed in Kusagakure for a few days, it would send a message to the rebels and could make them tone down their aggression. It could even make Iwa back off. Fujin understood his thoughts. However, why would he do something like that? He smiled and replied, "Some other day for sure, Hiroshi-san. I have to return to the village quickly. The world is too tumultuous right now. I''m sure you understand it the best." Hiroshi sighed and said, "That''s a shame. Alright, we will show you our hospitality some other day." Fujin nodded and turned around. The Konoha ninjas got up and followed him. Within a few minutes, the group left Kusagakure. Back in the meeting room, there was a total silence. Seeing that no one was leaving the room, the ninjas, who were overlooking the security, assumed that they wanted to discuss among themselves and closed the door. As soon as the door closed, curses were heard inside the room! "That fucking bastard!" "Konoha crossed all limits today!" Everyone in the room nodded. The old man, who spoke earlier, said, "Though his words were humiliating and we were refused any free or cheap help, the situation isn''t bad. We can deal with the rebels ourselves. So we don''t need to consider whatever Konoha wants to charge us for help. It''s just that our losses will be significant." Hiroshi nodded and added, "Yes. But since we don''t need to worry about Iwa''s interference, we can finally stop being on the defensive and begin our counterattack. I want to see how much unity they show once their losses start mounting." He got up and looked at everyone in the room. Making eye contact with everyone, he said, "I know that none of us have deployed all our forces until today due to our worries. However, from this moment onwards, we will be focusing entirely on this war. No more holding back. It''s time to eliminate those fucking traitors!" Hiroshi''s words had the intended effect. Everyone in the room began making plans for their counterattack. As the Konoha group left Kusagakure, Homura looked at Fujin. By that moment, he had analyzed everything that had happened in the meeting. He thought, ''The Spectral Swordsman I almost forgot that he was called that when he was in the Anbu. I never imagined that he would have such a deterrence effect in the minor villages! None of them had any intention of fighting him. Even though they tried to hide their emotions, fear was visible even in Hiroshi''s eyes when Fujin said that he would hunt them down later. It seems that Koharu and I underestimated his reputation. However, Hiruzen should know it very well. Is this the reason why he insisted upon training him to become an negotiator?'' The others from Konoha had their thoughts as well. The ones from Anbu had worked with Fujin earlier. As a result, they weren''t too surprised with the effect he had. However, seeing the Kusagakure leadership being so afraid of him increased their respect for him. As for the diplomats, they were still full of complaints. They suffered several panic attacks once Fujin started speaking. One of them asked, "Did we need to be so harsh? It could hurt their ego and push them towards Iwagakure. Due to your open threat, they might even do so in the dark." Fujin replied, "If they want to do so in the dark, then there was nothing stopping them earlier either. It''s better to just deter them right now instead of hoping that our goodwill moves them. Besides" A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Archit, Landlord, BattleMaster, Jack, Dave, Marcio, Scottyboy, ZephyrZepar, Yokai, Lexi, Ildar, Charlie and Thilo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 577: Changing Konohas Image! Chapter 577: Changing Konoha''s Image! Fujin took a pause of half a minute as they continued moving forward. Even Homura became curious to know what Fujin was intending to say. His eyes widened when he finally heard Fujin''s words. Fujin continued, "Besides, which village has helped out another village in such a huge matter for free? Their demand was completely unreasonable in the first place. And the tone of their letter implied that Konoha was weak. It''s not surprising for other villages to think that. After all, we suffered innumerable losses post the Third Great Ninja War. The Kyubi assault and the Uchiha Massacre caused grave losses to our combat power. On the other hand, our diplomatic potential took a great hit due to the Hyuga incident. Even though we were recovering, the recent massive attack in the middle of our village where we failed to even identify the culprit caused another blow to Konoha''s image. These losses have changed the perception that other villages had towards Konoha and might make them think that it is easy to push us around. While we can''t stop them from thinking in this manner, it is important to let them know how bad the consequences will be if they act while thinking along those lines." Fujin''s words surprised the diplomats and Homura. All of them were aware that Konoha''s diplomatic powers had waned drastically after Minato''s death. They had to keep it in mind while negotiating. It was after a long time that someone had negotiated like Konoha was still the strongest village! Even so, not everyone agreed with his viewpoint. One of the diplomats immediately argued, "While I understand your point of view, it is the truth that we are no longer as strong as we once were. Even though Lord Hokage has done a lot, we are still far from our peak strength. If we go to war with Iwa now, we will be in a very difficult spot." Fujin chuckled and said, "True. But that is if we go to war with Iwa. Don''t worry, it was the first thing I considered when Lord Hokage gave me this mission. There is no chance that Iwa would act unless we show that we are weak." Some of the diplomats agreed with Fujin''s confidence due to Onoki''s reputation. Some were still doubtful but didn''t say anything as there wasn''t any point in doing so. Fujin had already threatened Kusa and there was nothing anyone could do to reverse that. If anything went wrong, Fujin would be the one to shoulder the responsibility. Only Homura was stuck in deep thought as he analyzed Fujin''s words. After thinking for a while, he muttered to himself, ''I now see what you were aiming for, Hiruzen. You wanted to use him to change Konoha''s perception in the eyes of other countries. From a gentle and patient image that we were forced to project to a fierce one, indicating that our weak phase has already passed. As long as this matter plays out properly, Fujin will become the face of our negotiation team whenever we have to make tough decisions. He is already a rank S ninja. Once he grows older and stronger, he could even negotiate with other Kages on equal grounds.'' Homura glanced towards Fujin and couldn''t help but wonder, ''Are you planning to raise him as your next successor, Hiruzen?'' Homura didn''t voice out his thoughts. The group continued their journey towards Konoha. In the Land of Waves, Kakashi''s eyes snapped open and he immediately sat upright, scaring Naruto and Sakura who were trying to peek under his mask. Kakashi didn''t pay any attention to their antics and thought, ''What''s this odd feeling? I know that Zabuza is dead. But I can''t shake the feeling that I''ve overlooked something Something big!'' Kakashi''s brain went into overdrive as he recalled and analyzed his clash against Zabuza. Very soon, he realized the peculiarities in the hunter-nin''s actions. He quickly speculated, "Zabuza is most probably still alive!" His words shocked everyone in the room. He explained to them his analysis causing Naruto, Sakura and Tazuna to freak out. They only calmed down after Kakashi informed them that Zabuza wouldn''t be able to move around for over a week. Or rather, the other two calmed down. Naruto, on the other hand, became excited at the prospect of facing Zabuza once again. His words surprised Sakura and Sasuke. Though Naruto had used this skill at times, he had used it for extremely short durations as none of the rank D missions required that skill in particular. As a result, neither of them had noticed it. Naruto immediately ran up the tree and said, "See, I told you! Big brother Fujin already taught me this when I was in the academy! Hehe!" Sasuke and Sakura were surprised once again. Neither expected Naruto to do something that would look so cool! Sakura''s inner self shouted, ''Since when did Naruto become this cool? Even my Sasuke-kun seems a bit upset!'' Meanwhile, Sasuke frowned and asked softly, "Who is this Fujin that he keeps talking about every time?" Though Naruto mentioned Fujin''s name several times, neither Sakura nor Sasuke had paid much attention to him. It was only when he learnt that Fujin had taught Naruto this technique that Sasuke became interested in knowing about him. Sakura looked at Sasuke and said, "I am not sure. I never heard anyone other than Naruto speaking about him." [A/N: A small note, none of these three are particularly well informed. They hadn''t heard of Guy and didn''t know how famous Kakashi was until Zabuza spoke about Kakashi.] Hearing their words, Naruto, who was now standing upside down on a branch, said loudly, "Fujin is an extremely strong and cool ninja, believe it!" Both just stared at Naruto with a deadpan expression. Kakashi couldn''t help but chuckle as Naruto spoke about Fujin while not giving any information. [A/N: Hey guys. I''ll be taking a break for a couple of days. Chapters will resume as usual from Monday. Have a nice weekend!] A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 578: Who is Fujin? Chapter 578: Who is Fujin? Kakashi got down from the tree while saying, "Suzuki Fujin He is one of the few Elite Jounins in Konoha, the same rank as me. He isn''t particularly famous as most of the missions he did were undercover missions. However, there is no doubt that he is one of the strongest ninjas in the world. Sakura, you in particular need to know about him as he is the one who represents the civilian ninjas in Konoha''s Council. If you face any political issues, then he is the one you need to approach." Sakura and Sasuke were surprised. Sakura''s inner self screamed, ''What the hell is going on? First, we learn how impressive the old Hokage is. Then Zabuza said how cool Kakashi-sensei is. And now even the person Naruto always keeps talking about is so strong? Why is everyone so impressive?'' Even Naruto was surprised. He thought, ''Man, I thought that his title was cool. But I didn''t know that he was one of the strongest ninjas in the world!'' Kakashi chuckled on seeing their reactions and asked, "You guys know that Zabuza is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, right?" All three nodded. Kakashi continued, "While there is no question about his strength, Zabuza could become a Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist only when he was given the Kubikiribocho blade. And, the only reason why he could get that blade was because Fujin killed the previous wielder of Kubikiribocho, who was as strong as Zabuza." The three Genins were stunned once again. For a moment, Naruto didn''t control his chakra properly and lost his footing. Luckily, he flipped in the air and landed on his feet. He looked at Kakashi and exclaimed, "No way! Big brother Fujin killed someone who was as strong as Zabuza!" Meanwhile, Sasuke clenched his fists and thought, ''So Naruto has been getting the help of someone that strong? No wonder his strength has increased so rapidly. I need to get stronger faster as well.'' Kakashi noticed Sasuke''s emotions and thought, ''Good. This should motivate him to work harder.'' Kakashi looked at Naruto and said, "He did. But that is a secret that very few in Konoha know. So, never speak about it." The three Genins nodded. Kakashi said, "Anyway, that''s enough chit-chat. Sasuke and Sakura, try climbing the tree. Naruto, come here." Sakura and Sasuke immediately began trying while Naruto walked over to Kakashi. Kakashi said, "Since you have already learnt this, I''ll teach you another trick. It''s a more advanced application of chakra control. Instead of climbing on trees, you''ll walk on water." Naruto immediately replied, "I know that exercise too, sensei! I can walk and run on water with ease." Kakashi wasn''t very surprised. Since Fujin had taught him one exercise, it wasn''t far-fetched for him to have taught the other one as well. The only reason why Kakashi was surprised at all was that Naruto''s chakra control despite knowing these two exercises was lacking. Kakashi sighed internally while thinking, ''Fujin He keeps making my job more difficult. What do I teach Naruto now?'' As he thought of Fujin, Kakashi couldn''t help but think about his meeting with Fujin. A few weeks ago, Fujin had just gone through his morning workout and was about to return to his house when he suddenly stopped and said, "Kakashi What a pleasant surprise." A couple of trees away from Fujin, Kakashi was reading his book with his back resting against a tree. Hearing Fujin''s voice, he closed his book while saying, "Your senses are sharp as always." Fujin nodded and informed Kakashi about the same. Kakashi had already figured out most of it. The only thing that surprised him was the fact that he had made Naruto complete the Leaf Cutting exercise. Kakashi replied, "I see. So he already has the basics down. That should make my work easier. Anyway, I''ll see you around. I have to continue the training of my ''cute'' students." Fujin chuckled and said, "Enjoy." Kakashi''s figure disappeared from the training ground. A smirk appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''I didn''t expect him to connect the dots so quickly. His instincts are quite good. Oh well, Naruto should get used to that training routine in a month or two. I''ll manipulate him to create more trouble for Kakashi then. For now, he can continue teaching those 5 how to prank.'' Kakashi, who was moving towards his team, sighed and thought, ''Such a troublesome fellow. Even though he didn''t show any peculiarities, I got a feeling that he wanted to see me in trouble. Did the Third put him up to this? Or is he still fond of causing trouble like he was when he asked the Third for chakra metal swords'' Even though it had been some time since Kakashi met Fujin, he still wasn''t sure of the answer nor could he find Fujin''s motives. "Well, Sensei? Can you teach me some cool jutsus like Sasuke''s Fireball?" Naruto grew impatient as Kakashi didn''t say anything for a few seconds. Kakashi was about to answer when they heard, "This is easier than I thought!" The voice immediately attracted everyone''s attention. Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke all saw Sakura sitting on the branch of a tree. Sasuke frowned as it meant that he was the only one who couldn''t do so. Meanwhile, Naruto thought, ''So quickly? I needed more than a week to do it properly!'' Even so, Naruto cheered for her while Kakashi praised her chakra control while teasing, "It looks like there is just one of you who can''t do this exercise then." Sasuke''s frown intensified but he didn''t say anything and continued training. Kakashi asked Sakura to keep training as well and said, "Naruto, follow me." A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Lotas, Kian, DarKDriller, Shyamal, T5p6, Connor, Moritz, Alexander, Joseph, Nathan, Andres, Aldur, Kevin, Denpa, Sapteup, Michael, Samuel, Thomas, xXVairexXx and for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 579: Great Breakthrough jutsu Chapter 579: Great Breakthrough jutsu Kakashi and Naruto moved around a hundred meters deeper into the woods before Kakashi stopped moving. Naruto asked curiously, "What are we doing here, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi said, "I''ll be teaching you a special jutsu." Naruto immediately became excited and exclaimed while jumping in joy, "Really? Yahoo!!! Which special jutsu will you teach me, sensei?" Kakashi sighed at Naruto''s antics and said, "Calm down, Naruto. Before I teach you, run your chakra through this piece of paper." Kakashi handed Naruto a chakra paper. Naruto was confused but followed his instructions. As soon as his chakra flowed through the paper, the paper split into two, surprising Naruto. Kakashi thought, ''It looks like Fujin''s decision wasn''t entirely random.'' Naruto asked in surprise, "How did that happen?" Kakashi explained, "This is the chakra paper. It is used to find out your nature affinity." Naruto asked in a confused tone, "Nature affinity? What''s that?" Kakashi slowly explained to Naruto the basics of nature manipulation and how chakra paper reacts to each affinity. It took a few tries and a huge portion of Kakashi''s patience, but Naruto finally understood. He said, "So my affinity is Wind Manipulation. That''s why the paper split. Does that mean the paper will begin burning if Sasuke tries it?" Kakashi answered, "Not necessarily." Naruto became confused once again and asked, "What do you mean? Doesn''t he have an affinity for Fire Manipulation?" Kakashi said, "You don''t need to have an affinity to be able to perform the jutsus of that particular nature. Even though you have an affinity for Wind Manipulation, you can learn jutsus of other natures as well. It''s just that you''ll have a harder time doing so. The Chakra paper only shows your strongest affinity. For you, it is Wind. For Sasuke, it might not be Fire." Kakashi thought, ''From his chakra, I have a feeling that Sasuke is the same type as me. Even though he didn''t say so, I guess Fujin had the same feeling with Naruto, which is probably why he decided to teach Naruto Wind jutsus.'' Naruto spoke with a confused expression, "I don''t understand. But whatever. Can you teach me the jutsu now, sensei?" Not waiting for anyone''s response, Fujin disappeared from the room, leaving the two old men alone. With a few flickers, Fujin arrived at his house and muttered to himself, ''Creating a mission report for a negotiation mission is a pain in the ass. It takes several days to complete even with the help of the diplomats. Though I can have my clones work on it, why should I waste them on such a pointless task when there is someone more experienced to take care of it?'' Back in the office, both Hiruzen and Homura were left speechless. Given their experience, both could see the lack of sincerity in Fujin''s gratitude. He had just dumped the work on Homura and escaped. As someone who had gotten used to dumping his work on others, Homura felt that he had returned half a century into the past! Hiruzen was the one to gather his thoughts first. He said with a smile on his face, "In that case, I''ll be waiting for your report, old friend." Homura immediately cursed, "Old friend my ass! Why didn''t you tell me that this boy is such a lunatic? He is even worse than Danzo! Danzo would have ensured that Kusagakure was surrounded by a thousand Root ninjas before even thinking about making such a threat! Instead, I nearly suffered a heart attack due to this boy! What would have happened if they didn''t stay calm and attacked us instead? Do you think these old bones could have endured such an attack?" Hiruzen knew that there was no point in debating with Homura as there wasn''t any way he''d win. He instead chuckled and said, "But everything worked out well, didn''t it? I have to admit that even I underestimated how much he is feared though. When he was active in the Anbu, all the minor villages were terrified of him. I didn''t imagine that that terror would still exist to such a degree." Hearing Hiruzen''s words made Homura think about the reactions of the Kusagakure leaders. He said, "I didn''t know that his reputation was so fearsome back when he was active either. You should have seen their reaction when Fujin mentioned their third choice. Even Hiroshi''s eyes showed fear. It was as if he was certain that he would die if a battle broke out. Which missions was Fujin exactly a part of when he was in the Anbu? And how many of the rumors regarding him are true?" Hiruzen replied, "Most of his missions were assassination and elimination missions. With how efficient he was, he gained a reputation very quickly. That said, there is no record of his mission reports. We burned it a long time ago. It''ll create a lot of diplomatic issues if they ever come out. As for the rumors, there is not much point in paying attention to them. They are exaggerated as always." A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Marko, Carlos, David, Jacob, Zachary, Authur, Allen, Talha and Sosa for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 580: The Compassionate Elders Chapter 580: The Compassionate Elders "As for the rumors, there is not much point in paying attention to them. They are exaggerated as always." Homura was annoyed by Hiruzen''s response. Even though it seemed like Hiruzen answered his queries, in truth, Hiruzen didn''t give him any details. Understanding that Hiruzen didn''t intend to leak details about Fujin''s past and abilities, Homura didn''t push and instead said, "By the way, when we were returning, Fujin said something that was very intriguing. I didn''t expect someone as young as him to have such thoughts." Hiruzen was surprised. Fujin hadn''t mentioned anything that had happened after the meeting was over. He asked, "What did he say?" Homura informed Hiruzen about Fujin''s words to the diplomats when they questioned his methods. It caused Hiruzen to fall into a deep thought. Homura asked, "What are you thinking?" Hiruzen sighed and said, "It looks like the next generation isn''t fond of my conservative methods. Though I guess I shouldn''t be surprised considering that they grew up on stories of how strong Konoha once was and the mighty warriors we produced but only got to experience a weak Konoha." ura nodded and said, "In terms of approach, he is more similar to a young Danzo than you." Hiruzen agreed and said, "That said, a bit of aggression isn''t bad. Konoha has been passive ever since Minato''s death. Though I and Danzo schemed quite a bit, all our work was done in the dark. With youngsters like Fujin and Kakashi stepping up, there is no harm in loosening up a bit and flexing our muscles. It might just be a good deterrent." Homura shook his head and replied, "A bit of aggression will be good. However, being overbearing will have the opposite effect. Even though Konoha''s strength has recovered to a great extent, we are no longer as strong as we were during the Second and the Third Great Ninja Wars when we could take on all four Great Villages at the same time. Both Iwa and Kumo are as strong as us and have an advantage in terms of numbers. They only lack in terms of rank S ninjas. When the next Great War takes place, we can''t take on both of them at the same time. If Suna or Kiri were to help them, we would collapse for sure and might be forced to give up the majority of our lands or even the village. Fortunately, the current situation is favorable for us. Suna is very weak. All their old rank S ninjas have retired or died. Apart from the Kazekage, they don''t have any rank S ninja. And, Kiri is in ruins due to their civil war. Considering their weak strength, both will be wary of Iwa and Kumo''s strength, worrying that they will be the next if we fall. We can use that fear to ally with these two countries. As long as we do that, we won''t be at risk of confronting Iwa and Kumo by ourselves. However, if Fujin deals with the two of them just as aggressively, then there''s no chance of making a lasting alliance." Homura''s expression became serious as he continued, "Hiruzen, I can see that you are planning on grooming him to become a Hokage candidate. However, you should wait for him to become more mature. Otherwise, Konoha''s future will be in danger. Becoming a Kage requires not only strength but also wit and willingness to scheme in the shadows." Homura''s concerns weren''t unfounded. Even though Konoha had an advantage in rank S ninjas, in a large war, a single ninja had limited ability. Of course, that was unless someone like Hashirama or Madara, who could solo even the great villages, appeared. It was the reason why Minato was so feared and became the Hokage so easily despite the village having so many ambitious ninjas. Though not at the same level as those two monsters, killing a thousand ninjas by himself had a great psychological impact on every single village. A few rounds and Minato alone could destroy half of their armies. No village could afford such losses. Had Homura known that Fujin had mastered the Flying Thunder God jutsu or knew about the degree to which Fujin could control winds, Homura might not have said what he did. Hiruzen replied, "You are forgetting that he is still only 16. We were very hot-headed and reckless back then as well. As for scheming in the darkness, Fujin isn''t a slouch either. I guess he just felt that a direct approach was more convenient in this particular case." Thankfully, he had a way out. After listening to Monkey, Fujin''s clone replied, "Hmm, these will assist the kids a lot. I agree, we should make these changes. Visit Elder Koharu and inform her about the situation. Ask her to get these done as soon as she can. It''ll be best if everything is done within 3 days." Despite wearing a mask, Fujin''s clone could observe that Monkey was feeling awkward. He said, "With all due respect, I don''t think we should trouble the Elders for such small issues. The last time I went to Elder Koharu, she was looking extremely annoyed." In the last couple of months, Monkey had visited Koharu five times. The first couple of times, she didn''t mind. The next couple of times, he could sense that she was annoyed. The last time, she directly scolded him for coming to her with such small issues. Fujin''s clone became extremely serious and replied, "Don''t view our respected Elders through the same lens as other officials. Unlike them, who only have those jobs because they are afraid of risking their lives, Elder Koharu and Elder Homura do it because of their compassion and love for the younger generation. Nothing makes them happier than seeing the young kids grow. Even though they might act like they are annoyed, in truth, they are happy that they get to guide the youngsters. It''s just that they don''t show it on their face. However, having worked closely with them on the Council, I can guarantee this. So, you don''t need to be concerned. Just ask her. If she acts unwilling, just tell her that I requested it so that the kids can train in the best possible environment." Despite Fujin''s seriousness, Monkey was very skeptical. He thought, ''I''m afraid he has the wrong impression of the Elders. It didn''t look like she was acting at all! But'' Despite what he thought, there was nothing he could do. He could only follow Fujin''s instructions and went to see Koharu. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Slade, Yahye, Brij, Nate, Khalil, Mael and Sharon for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Space Dandy for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 581: Best Pals! Chapter 581: Best Pals! Seeing the Anbu Captain leave, Fujin''s clone smirked and thought, ''Homura will be busy with the mission report for some time. I guess I''ll just continue annoying Koharu. Thanks to the image she created, she can''t even say no without taking a significant hit to her reputation.'' He flickered a few times and reached his office. Yasushi and Haruma were slightly surprised to see Fujin arrive so early. Fujin''s clone took his seat and said, "Bring all the files that appeared in the last couple of weeks. Also, send a messenger to call Katsuhiro. Ask him to see me immediately and bring the proposal with him." Yasushi was surprised but nodded and got to work immediately. While he did so, Monkey reached Koharu and informed her about what he needed. He even mentioned that all that needed to be done in three days. With an annoyed expression, Koharu scolded, "Boy, how many times do I have to tell you to not bother me for such small matters? I already told you to approach the other officials. Do you think I am free to attend every small matter?" Monkey got a bit nervous. However, he recalled Fujin''s words and thought, ''She acted just like he anticipated. Now, is this just an act or is she really annoyed? Sigh, I don''t get paid enough for such a risky job.'' He bowed slightly and replied, "I apologize, Elder Koharu. However, Suzuki Fujin instructed me to make this request to you. He said that only if you take care of this will the kids get the best possible environment to train and become stronger." Hearing his name, Koharu was annoyed even more. She cursed, ''That brat! He is purposefully annoying me! From what I know, he didn''t approach Homura even once. It must be because I was the one to speak against him. Unfortunately, declining his requests isn''t easy. If the issue blows up, I could lose my hard-earned reputation over a small matter, just like Danzo." Both Koharu and Homura were informed by Danzo about the injustice he had suffered. Both were shocked by how such a small matter had blown up. It had made the two of them look at Fujin in a different light. It was also one of the factors why Homura tried to dig up on his past and didn''t argue when Hiruzen said that Fujin could scheme in the dark as well. In the end, Koharu said in an unpleasant tone, "I''ll look into it. However, ask him to not bother me again for such small tasks." The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m Monkey was surprised. He exclaimed internally, ''She accepted? I was sure that she would decline! Could Fujin be right? Could it be that this was really an act?'' He immediately gathered his thoughts and said, "Thank you, Elder." He was still confused but decided to get the job done first. Katsuhiro entered the Hokage Building and walked towards Fujin''s office. En route, several eyes noticed him. He ignored them and reached Fujin''s office. Even before he could knock, he heard, "Come in." He entered the office and saw Fujin''s clone going through several files. To his surprise, the clone closed the files and set them aside. Generally, the clone would make him wait until he was done reading the files he was going through. It was the first time Fujin''s clone had given him any priority. Fujin''s clone looked at Katsuhiro and asked, "Have you made the corrections to the proposal?" "Look, it''s Katsuhiro-sama. He visited Councilor Suzuki Fujin''s office again." "Yeah, he has been visiting here a lot. In the last two months, this is his sixth visit. I wonder why he visits him so often." "I wonder about it as well. It''s almost like they are best pals!" "No way, he is like 30 years older than the Councilor, haha." A few similar comments were passed by others. Fujin had become famous inside the building for showing up so rarely. Hence, whenever he appeared to work, it would gain everyone''s attention. Some out of genuine interest, others out of jealousy. After all, who wouldn''t like to work just once every 1 or 2 weeks? And every time Fujin visited his office, Katsuhiro would show up. Quite a few eyes had noticed it and had become interested. Several speculations flew as to why Katsuhiro visited him every single time. Katsuhiro gritted his teeth and continued moving while ignoring the small talk of others. He cursed, ''Best pals? I''d fucking kill him if I could do it and get away with it! Thankfully, no one knows what exactly happened inside the office. I''ll just need to ensure that his two assistants stay quiet.'' Back in the office, Fujin''s clone finished reading the proposal Katsuhiro had sent. He chuckled while thinking, ''Not a bad proposal, it is pretty much perfect. I just need to make slight changes to it so that I can include the clans as well. This way, even if they aren''t happy with this, they still won''t be offended as their ninjas will benefit as well. While they won''t benefit as much as civilian ninjas, the clans can''t complain as everyone gets the same benefits.'' A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Shoku, Evernight, Obo maz, Liberiu, Lazy_Daoist, Angel, Gorama and Samuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 582: A Shortcut! Chapter 582: A Shortcut! Sitting in his basement, Fujin was looking at the proposal in front of him. He had figured out what changes he should be making to the proposal. However, he faced an issue when he started incorporating the changes into the proposal. Fujin let out a sigh and muttered to himself, ''I now see why Tsunade hated paperwork so much. The changes I plan to make aren''t a lot, but putting it on paper will take more than a day to complete No wonder Katsuhiro was that angry. I thought it was just due to the passive humiliating comments I kept passing, but now I guess that a good part of that anger was due to working on this proposal 7 times!'' I don''t even want to imagine how torturous that would be for someone who never worked in the Hokage Building before. Fujin shook his head and got up. He created a few Shadow Clones and left the work to them. While he would still need to endure the headaches, at least he wouldn''t be wasting his time. The new Shadow Clones began working on the proposal while the remaining Shadow Clones kept working on the seal. While they worked, Fujin left his house and looked towards the building to his right. Winds suddenly picked up pace and began moving towards the building at a high speed. Takeshi was relaxing in his room, going through one of the books he had taken from the library. Suddenly, he felt something and got on his feet with his alertness raised to the max as he muttered, "This chakra and the breeze" In Takeshi''s closed room, Winds suddenly took the form of a person! He watched with a surprised look as the Winds transformed into a clone of Fujin and wondered, ''Holy hell! How can winds do something like this? Why is sensei''s Wind Release cooler than my Scorch Release?'' He asked, "Sensei, is that you?" Fujin''s Wind Clone looked at Takeshi and said, "Meet me in the Training Ground immediately." The clone quickly dispersed into the wind. In a few seconds, the air in his room calmed down. Takeshi muttered, "That was cool and freaky at the same time!" He quickly left his room and ran to the training ground opposite the compounds, where he saw Fujin sitting on a stump. He stopped right in front of Fujin and asked, "Sensei, are we beginning our training?" Fujin replied, "Sort of. I''m a bit busy with Council duties. We will begin the regular training in a few days after the council meeting is over. I called you here because I mastered an interesting jutsu recently. I wanted to see if I could use it to teach you more efficiently. If it works, then it might be very helpful for you and a bit helpful to your teammates." Takeshi became confused. He asked, "Why will it be only a bit helpful to the others and very helpful to me?" Fujin answered, "It''s because Scorch Release is a fusion of Fire and Wind Release, which are my strongest affinities as well. I don''t have much expertise in Water and Lightning Release. So they will have limited help. Anyways, you''ll understand once we try." Takeshi nodded. Fujin said, "Sit down and calm your mind. For what I am planning, you need to be as calm as you can be. Otherwise, it''ll be difficult to implement." Takeshi became even more curious. He sat down on the ground and began meditating. Fujin thought, ''Luckily, he is the most calm one from his group. Now, let''s see if this will work. Even though this jutsu has a lot of other uses and benefits, it was this ability that pushed me to ask for it from Hiruzen. I''ll later try it with Ranmaru as well, though I''ll have to do something about the seals I placed on him'' Takeshi asked, ''Which jutsus should I use, sensei?'' Fujin replied, "Use Great Breakthrough, Great Fireball and Extremely Steaming Murder jutsus." Takeshi nodded and began weaving his hand signs. ''Wind Release: Great Breakthrough jutsu'' ''Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu'' ''Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder jutsu'' One by one, Takeshi displayed all the 3 jutsus. Fujin didn''t care about the first two jutsu. It was the third one where all his attention was focused on. With his soul inside Takeshi''s body, Fujin could feel how Takeshi''s chakra was being molded as if it was his own! Fujin thought, ''So that''s how Fire and Wind chakra fuse to form Scorch Kekkei Genkai As I calculated, the fusion has to happen inside my body. Otherwise, it can''t be considered a Kekkei Genkai and will only be a combination jutsu. Still, even though I can feel it clearly, replicating this will still be difficult. The only good thing is that I now have a reference point. I might succeed in copying Scorch Kekkei Genkai with some practice!'' A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Reaper, Reece, Hidan, Michal, aoquendo and Kenny for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 583: Rasas Troubles Chapter 583: Rasa''s Troubles Everything Fujin had said until that point, though true, was completely bullshit. The real reason why Fujin used this technique was to get a better hang of Takeshi''s Scorch Release! Apart from being able to study his soul, this was the main reason why Fujin wanted this jutsu and willingly traded top-quality human puppets with Hiruzen to get it! Of course, Fujin wasn''t completely sure of its effectiveness. After all, if learning Kekkei Genkai was that easy, then Dan would have unlocked several Kekkei Genkai and would have likely been far stronger than the Sannins. However, that wasn''t the case. On the contrary, he hadn''t mastered any Kekkei Genkai. Nor had Orochimaru, who could use a more advanced jutsu. ''What should I do now?'' Since Fujin didn''t reply, Takeshi became doubtful. Fujin''s soul answered, "It looks like I underestimated the difficulty of influencing your chakra and molding it properly. I will need to observe your chakra network for far longer. Continue using Extremely Steaming Murder jutsu." ''Alright.'' Takeshi replied and continued creating more flaming orbs. Fujin just carefully observed. While he had seen the process and got some clues by observing the first time, he was still quite far away from understanding how to fuse it properly. As he had expected, even though experiencing it in this manner was extremely helpful, he couldn''t learn it in an instant. Fujin thought, ''Oh well. Even though it isn''t instantaneous, I have a feeling that I''ll master Scorch Kekkei Genkai sooner or later. After all, I can always refer to him if I ever face any issues or have doubts.'' After using the jutsu 5 times, Takeshi''s breathing became heavy. He said, ''My chakra is running low. I can''t use this jutsu again.'' Fujin''s soul replied, "Don''t worry. Continue doing it." Fujin''s soul placed his palm on Takeshi''s soul and transferred some of his chakra to him. In the blink of an eye, Takeshi''s chakra reserves became full once again! Takeshi''s eyes widened. He asked, ''Spirit Transformation jutsu can do this as well?'' Fujin''s soul chuckled and said, "Yup. Don''t tell others though. Depending too much on others at this age isn''t a good thing." Takeshi nodded. Fujin thought, ''Well, it''s not like I''d ever transfer chakra even if someone asks. A shame that this jutsu doesn''t allow me to absorb chakra. If I could, I''d have definitely made some chakra batteries. I could even issue missions for that purpose. Perhaps the lazy ninjas would have accepted for making some easy money'' Takeshi ran out of chakra once again and was again refilled by Fujin. Fujin''s soul thought, ''That said, I''m not at my full chakra level either. 70% of my chakra is with my clones. Fortunately, his chakra reserves are much lower than mine. I can refill it a few times. Then, I''ll give him the reward. I''ll only give him one jutsu at a time. That way, I will have reasons to keep doing this.'' Fujin refilled his chakra reserves four times when he felt that he wouldn''t learn anything more from just observing him. He immediately had another idea. He said, "Alright, I have got a hang of it now. Relax, I''ll take over your body. Don''t resist." Takeshi replied, ''Alright.'' He mentally prepared himself. A second later, Fujin took full control of Takeshi''s body and said, "Feel how the chakra moves in your body. This will be an important jutsu for you." While Fujin was working on growing both his strength and influence, a particular individual was very annoyed due to Fujin''s actions despite being over a thousand kilometers away from him. In truth, he wasn''t aware that Fujin was the one behind the incident that troubled him. In Sunagakure, Baki was in Rasa''s office. Only the two of them were present in the office. Rasa asked, "Is there any update?" Baki shook his head and answered, "No. We have exhausted all means of trying to find them or create contact with them. Unfortunately, nothing has succeeded. Our spies in Tanigakure got hands on a lot of their secret information as well. However, there is no mention of them. It''s as if they have vanished entirely." Baki paused for a few seconds before continuing, "It has been nearly three months since Yamakawa town was attacked. Since that day, we have completely lost contact with the ninjas stationed there. We can only assume that they were killed along with the Yamakawa family. The killers probably took their bodies with them." A frown appeared on Rasa''s face. He cursed, "Those ninjas included an Elite Jounin and a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster! Unless we recover their bodies, we can''t assume their deaths. It''s too costly for the village to face such losses just before our plan is put into action. Not to mention, reports claimed that the town was attacked by puppets. It has worsened our relationship with Tanigakure. Since I didn''t send anyone, it can only mean that it was someone else. I had my spies collect information in the other hidden village to see if someone suddenly began training a large number of Puppeteers. However, no village has done so. It could only mean that it was Sasori!" Rasa''s words were full of hatred. Yamakawa was the perfect town to station his ninjas in. However, that town was completely ruined due to Sasori''s actions. Not only were his losses grave, but the town had also become a hub for Konoha ninjas, increasing the difficulty in moving secretly for Suna. A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ibra, Benjamin, Justin, Hellspawn, Elias and Harman for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 584: Six Ninjas to watch out for! Chapter 584: Six Ninjas to watch out for! Baki pointed out, "But Lord Kazekage, there are still some inconsistencies, due to which I''m not sure if it was Sasori. The reports say that nearly a hundred puppets were involved in the attack. A single puppeteer can''t control so many puppets. It was why we suspected involvement of other villages." Rasa replied, "It doesn''t have to be him alone. It has been thirteen years since he went rogue. He could have accepted some students and taught them our secret technique. I have confirmed with Orochimaru that Sasori is in Akatsuki. He has also trained a lot of spies. So it isn''t far-fetched for him to have trained some underlings." Baki''s mood became heavy on hearing Rasa''s speculations. He asked, "What do we do now, Lord?" Rasa thought for a long time to decide what his next step should be. Baki waited patiently while thinking as well. Finally, Rasa said, "Sasori has to be eliminated. He is too big of a danger to be left alive. However, now is not the time. We can''t divide our forces to find and fight him. For now, we will focus on crushing Konoha. That is more important for our village. Since Yamakawa town has been destroyed and Tanigakure is hostile towards us, we can''t use their towns to hide our forces. If we do so, Konoha might become suspicious as well and make better preparations. Updated from We will only move small squads to the Land of Rivers a few days before the war begins. They will sneak into the Land of Fire and stealthily travel to Konoha a few days before I reach Konoha. When the signal is given, they will use Reverse Summoning to summon our Elites for a quick and deadly attack on Konoha." Baki thought for a bit and nodded. That was the only option they had left. Rasa looked at him and said, "You should begin preparing as well. As planned, you will be leading Gaara''s squad for the Chunin Exams. Your squad will be our Vanguard and also our secret weapon. Only with Shukaku can we buy enough time and avoid being swamped by Konoha ninjas. It''s time to inform and prepare the kids. Call them here." Baki nodded and left. A few minutes later, he returned with Rasa''s children. Temari and Kankuro became a bit nervous upon seeing Rasa''s serious expression. As for Gaara, he didn''t care. Rasa said, "Listen to what I say very carefully" Rasa informed his children that Suna would soon be attacking Konoha. He informed them about the plans that they needed to know. Temari and Kankuro were shocked when they heard Rasa order Gaara to let Shukaku lose when the signal was given! They wanted to protest, but one look from Rasa made them eat their words. Rasa said, "That''s all you need to know. I will emphasize this once again. Nothing that we discussed in this room should get out. Remember your roles properly. The future of the village will depend on whether you can do your job properly. If you fail, we will be surrounded by thousands of Konoha ninjas without any reinforcements to help us." He wore Konoha''s headband on his forehead and was wearing the standard Jounin vest. The shirt underneath as well as his pants were black in color. On his forearms were bracers and his hands were covered in fingerless gloves with metal plates covering the back of his hands. After seeing his appearance properly, the three of them began reading his details. Baki spoke once again, "He is Suzuki Fujin. He is just a bit older than you guys and gained fame a year ago when the Third Tsuchikage announced that he was the Spectral Swordsman. Even though he is very young, he is still extremely strong. He specializes in Wind jutsus and can even use the Wind Vacuum Technique that Lord Second created. He is well known for his blinding speed and assassination skills. In addition, he is also a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, which could give him some means to deal with Shukaku." The trio was surprised. Kankuro said, "Seriously? He''s just a couple of years older than me!" Rasa ignored his elder son and looked at Gaara while saying, "We also suspect that he was the one to injure you and kill Susumu. If he attacks you for some reason, always ensure that your sand is defending you." Gaara''s eyes widened. The memory of him bleeding resurfaced in his brain. At the same time, Temari exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Uncle Susumu died two and a half years ago! Do you mean to say that he killed Uncle Susumu and injured Gaara when he was just 13 years old?" A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Carlos, The Reapers Shadow, Blue Bird, Harman, Lucas, Neopolotansoso and Nicholas for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 585 - 579 : Delusion Chapter 585: Chapter 579 : Delusion Shock could be heard in Temari''s voice. Kankuro was shocked as well. A minute ago he was wondering whether he''d be as strong as Fujin when he turned 16. However, he soon discovered that he was far inferior to a younger Fujin! Temari had similar thoughts as well considering that Fujin was just a year older than her. To their surprise, Rasa didn''t say anything and just nodded. Baki said, "Well, we only suspect it is him. We aren''t entirely sure as he never used any Vacuum jutsus during the fights. However, if what the Tsuchikage said is true, then it was most likely him." Baki''s words weren''t reassuring. While they had relaxed after learning that two of Konoha''s strongest ninjas weren''t in the village and two more were old and past their prime, hearing about Kakashi and Fujin made Temari and Kankuro nervous. Rasa could see it and said, "You don''t need to worry about these ninjas. I''ll be making arrangements to deal with them. I''m just informing you so that you three don''t engage with them. There are still other names in the book. Though they aren''t as strong as these six, they have the Elite Jounin rank as well. Go through them as well." Temari and Kankuro nodded. The three of them looked through the remaining names. There were over a dozen ninjas which included the likes of Guy, Asuma, Renjiro, Katsuhiro, the Clan Leaders and others. Once they were done reading, Rasa said, "The success of this plan is critical for the prosperity of Suna. Keep that in mind and train seriously for the next few months. All three of you should qualify for the last round of the Chunin Exam." Temari and Kankuro nodded while Gaara went back to being indifferent. The three of them left Rasa''s office. Once the door closed, Kankuro said, "Man, Konoha is scary! Their 13-year-olds can attack Gaara and kill Uncle Susumu!" Temari corrected him, "It was just one ninja. Others should be ordinary. Otherwise, Konoha would have conquered the entire world by now." Kankuro replied, "Yes, you are right. But still, that''s scary. Gaara, how did he injur..." "Shut up!" Gaara, whose memories of that day had resurfaced, unleashed his blood lust, scaring both Temari and Kankuro. With a crazy expression on his face, Gaara exclaimed, "Next time, I''ll kill him!" The bloodlust Gaara was oozing quietened his siblings. Not wanting to provoke him, they silently went away from him. Back in the office, Baki asked with uncertainty, "Do we really have plans to deal with all of them? Even though the Hokage is old, he should still be extremely strong. If one of the Sannins appeared, then we would lose our advantage. If both appeared, we would be at a disadvantage. Stopping Kakashi and Fujin will be a challenge as well. I can stop one of them, but the other will likely cut through our ninjas and stop Shukaku." Rasa replied, "I''m aware. Don''t worry. Though he didn''t tell me why, Orochimaru is certain that Tsunade won''t return. He is also certain that Danzo won''t participate in the defense unless we attack his Root Headquarters. Jiraiya will most likely return, but we can handle him and Hiruzen as I''ll have Orochimaru assisting me. For Fujin, Orochimaru said that he has a capable subordinate from the Kaguya clan. He''ll be responsible for stopping the boy. I''ll be inspecting that Kaguya clan ninja before we start our plan. Orochimaru said that he''ll be having one of his subordinates face Kakashi as well. Only if he fails, you''ll have to ensure that Kakashi doesn''t use his Sharingan on Shukaku. Even though we will be outnumbered, we''ll gain the upper hand by taking advantage of Shukaku''s rampage. In addition, we will force them to disperse their forces by attacking with Orochimaru''s snake summons from all directions." The eyes of the people in the room widened. Every piece of evidence in the town pointed towards Sunagakure. In fact, Konoha had officially reported to Tanigakure that Sunagakure was the one to attack the town and slaughter the Yamakawa family! Yet, Hiruzen said the opposite. Koharu looked at Hiruzen and asked, "Did we set them up or was it someone else?" Hiruzen answered, "It is deeper than that. Even though Sunagakure wasn''t behind the attack, it was a ninja from Sunagakure. The attack was conducted by Sasori of the Red Sand. I''m not aware why he attacked the town or why he eliminated the Yamakawa family, but we discovered something interesting from their mansion. Underneath the mansion, a secret hideout was constructed. The hideout contained the dead bodies of more than 20 Sunagakure ninjas. Those bodies also included an Elite Jounin and a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. Their deaths happened at the same time as the attack. We read the memories of the head of the Yamakawa family to understand what exactly happened. We discovered that he had entered into an agreement with Sunagakure to allow their ninjas to hide under his mansion. We read the memories of the Sunagakure ninjas as well. Unfortunately, they didn''t know much. The only important thing we discovered was that they were planning to hide several hundred ninjas inside the town." The entire room became silent. Everyone who wasn''t already aware was shocked. There were two main reasons for the shock. The first was that a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster had died! Every village treasured them. The death of a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster was even more rare than the death of a rank S ninja! The second reason for the shock was the location of Yamakawa town. It was located right at the border of the Land of Fire. Having several hundred ninjas so close would mean that Suna could launch a surprise attack while giving Konoha very little time to react! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Dmalf, Senmori, Killbot, Peter, Rue, Matthew and Ali for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 586: Shikakus Brilliance Chapter 586: Shikaku''s Brilliance "Damned Sunagakure! Their intentions are nefarious!" Tsume cursed. If not for the incident, Konoha would be completely oblivious to Sunagakure''s schemes. It could have resulted in a catastrophe for Konoha if they failed to act appropriately. Of course, not everyone thought so. The remaining clan leaders and Elders looked at Hiruzen, trying to gauge his reaction. There were some inconsistencies in his story. Homura thought, ''There is more to this story. It seems like Hiruzen was already aware of Sunagakure building a hideout there. The ninjas we sent after Tanigakure''s request only reached a couple of days after the incident. By then, most of the memories would have dissipated. Not to mention, Tanigakure sent ninjas before us. They would have discovered Sunagakure ninja''s bodies before our ninjas reached there. The only way for things to develop this way would be if some Konoha ninjas sneaked into the town right after the attack had taken place. However, that would only happen if Hiruzen was suspicious and sent someone there beforehand. The squads he sent should have witnessed the attack and likely took advantage of the situation.'' Since Fujin had asked Hiruzen not to expose the fact that he was the one in the Yamakawa town who confronted Sasori, Hiruzen changed the story slightly. However, the experienced ninjas quickly understood how the events had happened. Only the civilians were clueless. Shikaku added, "To make matters worse, Sunagakure seems to be preparing for something. Their village has been closed off for a few months, making contacting the spies very difficult. Even though we aren''t sure, we need to be prepared to deal with any stunts they might try to pull. We have to deal with whatever they throw at us swiftly and with minimal losses. Otherwise, things can become ugly very quickly." Hiruzen said, "Thankfully, the civil war in Kiri is still at a very high intensity. Kumo won''t do anything until that civil war ends. As for Onoki, he won''t start a war by himself. Regardless, what Shikaku said is correct. We will need to deal with their schemes quickly. If possible, we will still need to find a way to maintain our alliance after dealing with their scheme or come to a new agreement after defeating them. We will need to do that before the civil war in Kiri ends." For the first time, Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''Seeing his attitude, it''s no wonder Konoha let Suna off so lightly after the war. While I can understand that Kumo and Iwa are as strong as us, it''s not like they don''t have any enmity between themselves. Is there a need to be so passive?'' Fujin wasn''t on board with staying so passive. After all, what if Sunagakure didn''t follow the agreement once a war broke out? If Rasa hadn''t died and continued being the Kazekage, he''d definitely take advantage of such a moment. That said, Fujin didn''t speak up despite not agreeing with Hiruzen''s methods. After all, it didn''t have much to do with him. He already knew the future. He knew that there wouldn''t be any war between Konoha and Kumo or Iwa. And he knew that Konoha and Suna would be very strong allies once Gaara took over. Of course, that was assuming Gaara still becomes the Kazekage! Inoichi asked, "Do you have any speculations about what their scheme might be?" If they make a move during the Chunin exams, I''ll kill Rasa myself. You guys will ensure that no Suna ninja inside Konoha is able to leave in one piece!" Despite being veterans of several wars and quite old, Hiruzen''s words raised the morale of everyone in the room. Even Fujin was slightly impressed and thought, ''Now that''s more like it. Almost makes me wish that they invade the Land of Fire. It''s been a while since I have fought unrestrained...'' Hiruzen looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone have anything else to discuss?" He wasn''t expecting anyone to reply as the village had been peaceful. To his surprise, Fujin took the initiative to speak for once! Even Shikaku was surprised as Fujin said, "I have a proposal that will be helpful for our village. Considering what you said, it might probably be the best time to implement this." Fujin activated the storage seal on his bracer and withdrew a few files. Looking at more than a dozen files in front of Fujin, Shikaku wondered, ''Since when did this troublemaker start working?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You N and SeRaFcz for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Mahesh for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 587: Guidance Hall! Chapter 587: Guidance Hall! Everyone looked at the files Fujin had placed on the desk with curiosity. Fujin said, "Some time ago, Katsuhiro had come to me with a proposal. Even though his proposal had a lot of flaws, it pointed out an important flaw in our current system and also gave quite an ingenious solution." Shikaku squinted his eyes and thought, ''Katsuhiro? That Elite Jounin who has been frequently visiting his office?'' Others in the council knew about his visits to Fujin''s office as well. It wasn''t something that could be hidden. Besides, Fujin didn''t particularly care about it. One of the civilian members thought, ''Katsuhiro was working with him on a proposal? Why did he keep dropping hints that he wanted Fujin''s seat if that''s what he was doing?'' Fujin continued, "The issue he pointed out was that ninjas who belong to ninja clans get guided by their seniors. Considering the varying specialities of everyone, they can get help in any area they want to. However, civilian ninjas don''t have the same opportunity. Even though the jutsus are available in the library, without a proper teacher, learning the jutsus isn''t easy. When one tries by himself, then mistakes can occur and injuries can happen. Even though everyone is assigned a sensei while graduating from the academy, a majority of the senseis are just ordinary Chunins who aren''t that knowledgeable. Even if a Jounin is assigned as the sensei, he or she won''t know everything. Not to mention, once their sensei dies in battle, they no longer have anyone they could ask for guidance." Everyone in the room subconsciously nodded. What Fujin said was true. Even so, most of the clan leaders raised their guards slightly. They still remembered the changes Fujin had recommended for the academy. Hiruzen had started implementing some of Fujin''s recommendations. And now, Fujin was proposing something that would reduce the difference between clan ninjas and civilian ninjas even further. Though Fujin noticed it, he ignored it and continued, "Katsuhiro came up with an ingenious solution to solve this issue. He suggested that we make a Guidance Hall in the center of the village. The basic idea is that civilian ninjas can put up requests in the Guidance Hall for the jutsus or techniques for which they need guidance. For instance, if someone wants to practice Fire Dragon Flame Bullet jutsu, he or she can put up the request in the Guidance Hall. If a veteran civilian ninja who has mastered that jutsu wants to teach it to that ninja, then he can do so. Of course, doing it on a one-by-one basis will not be feasible. So, the Guidance Hall will be responsible for gathering all the requests and collating them. That way, a veteran can guide multiple youngsters at the same time. If it is implemented properly, then we could help a large number of Chunins become Jounins." Hiruzen was surprised. He immediately thought, ''Hmm, not a bad idea. I had been thinking about this issue for some time as well. Unfortunately, I couldn''t come up with anything. That said, there are some major flaws.'' As Hiruzen expected, Hiashi said, "While it sounds good on paper, creating a Guidance Hall in the center of the village is unfeasible. The cost that will be required to move the shops and other buildings currently there would be enormous." Inoichi added, "That''s right. It might be worth several years of our budget. While the idea is good, such costs aren''t something we can afford." The civilian council members immediately began calculating how they could argue against them. However, to everyone''s surprise, Fujin nodded and said, "That''s true. In fact, it''s not just about the cost. Creating the Guidance Hall there will also cause Konoha to lose an excellent opportunity. It is one of the major flaws that were in Katsuhiro''s proposal. Actually..." Hiruzen said, "That is very well thought. I agree with these methods. Continue." Fujin nodded and said, "The second major flaw is restricting the Guidance Hall to just civilian ninjas. While it is true that currently civilian ninjas don''t get much guidance, that''s no reason to keep the clan ninjas out. While the clans represented by the people in this room are relatively well off, there are several clans that are too small due to the losses they took in previous wars. They will benefit from the Guidance Hall as well. Even the larger clans can benefit. For example...'' Fujin gazed towards Hiashi and continued, "I have never met any Hyuga clan ninja who knows any Taijutsu other than Gentle Fist. So if any Hyuga clan youngster wanted to pursue any other form of Taijutsu, then the Guidance Hall would be a great help." Since Hiashi was the first one to speak, Fujin decided to target him. He continued, "Besides, there could be other things that ninjas in your respective clans don''t know. Or even if they know, they might not know it as well as someone who has devoted a long time to mastering that particular technique. So, even the ninjas from your clans can benefit. That''s why, I changed the proposal to make the Guidance Hall open to every Konoha ninja irrespective of their background." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Marco, 1Sword, Jiroth, Tobias and SeRaFcz for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 588 - 582 : A New Economic Center Chapter 588: Chapter 582 : A New Economic Center Fujin''s words caused the clan leaders to lower their guard slightly. Just like the changes he recommended to the academy, Fujin hadn''t excluded the Clans from his proposal. Even so, there was no doubt that his proposal would benefit the civilian ninjas a lot more. It would contribute a lot to decreasing the gap between clan and civilian ninjas. It would decrease the political power the clans held with time. Shikaku thought, ''Not bad. He has included us as well. Due to this, rejecting this proposal would cause resentment to form among our ninjas against us. After all, this proposal would help them as well. Not to mention the thousands of civilian ninjas who will resent us for blocking this proposal. Unless there is a major flaw, Fujin''s proposal can''t be stopped.'' Seeing that no one was saying anything, Fujin continued, "As for the opportunity, it is rather simple. If the Guidance Hall is successful, it''ll result in several ninjas visiting there on a daily basis. It might become the second most busy building in the village after the Hokage''s Building. Though creating such a building in the center of the village might be the first idea for everyone''s convenience, it will cause us to lose a good opportunity. Right now, the village is very crowded. More and more houses are being constructed on the outskirts on a daily basis. However, every major economic activity happens near the center of the village, forcing everyone to try to get a home closer to the center of the village. Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com We can use the Guidance Hall to create a new Economic Center in the village. Instead of the center, the Guidance Hall will be constructed on the outskirts of the village, at a place where there is nothing around. Since a lot of people will visit it daily, it''ll provide the village with an opportunity to create another economic center around the Guidance Hall. New shops and businesses can open up around it. Once these activities reach a certain level, residential places can also be constructed close to the Guidance Hall so that people can stay there. It''ll relieve the pressure on the village as the people who work there will choose to live around there. I''m sure all of you have got the idea. All of you should know more about economics than me." It was as Fujin had said. Everyone in the room had already begun imagining ways to increase the income of their respective clans and families by expanding their businesses to the Guidance Hall. Combined with the fact that their ninjas would benefit as well and that stopping this proposal would be very difficult, everyone began thinking about the maximum amount of benefits they could gain instead of thinking about ways to stop the proposal. Fujin sighed internally while thinking, ''It''s all about the benefits... Oh well, I can''t complain either as that''d be rather hypocritical of me.'' Homura asked, "Did you choose the location of the Guidance Hall?" Fujin nodded and opened one of the files to a page that had the map of the village and pointed towards a marking he had made. As soon as he did so, a strange expression appeared on everyone''s face. That included Hiruzen as well. He looked towards Fujin and wondered, ''Since when did this kid become so selfless? Is he scheming something? Did he do something in the dark that''ll benefit him somehow?'' The other clan leaders looked at him as well. Inoichi thought, ''I was sure that he would put the Guidance Hall close to his new compounds. That way, the prices of his compound would have skyrocketed. It would also increase his influence tremendously as everyone would be reminded that it was he who started the Guidance Hall whenever they saw his compound. It would also allow the civilian ninjas to approach him more easily. Koharu answered, "This is something that will have a great impact on the village. We can''t afford to make any mistakes here. A week will be needed for everyone to go through the proposal and ensure that everything is right. It will also provide an opportunity for newer ideas that could be incorporated into the proposal." Fujin replied, "Hmm, there is no reason why everyone can''t read through the proposal properly right now. If there are any changes that are recommended, we could conduct another meeting to make the changes. However, we should vote on finalizing this proposal before this meeting ends." Fujin''s insistence on getting the voting done right then surprised the room again. Seeing his behavior, everyone in the room, including Hiruzen and Shikaku, thought, ''Looks like he has made arrangements to earn a fortune...'' Senju Hiromasa shook his head while thinking, ''While it is good to get gains for yourself, you should learn to share the pie with everyone. Otherwise, everyone will oppose you. In the end, you might not get anything.'' Not wanting everyone to gang up on Fujin, Hiruzen said, "Fujin, there is no need to rush through such things. A proposal like this has to be properly analyzed." Fujin replied, "While I understand that, the reason I''m pushing for it to be done now is due to the nature of this proposal, or rather the economic and financial aspect of it. Once the site of the Guidance Hall is made public, the prices of land around that site will skyrocket. Most of the landowners will refuse to sell and will wait for it to inflate due to the demand. It might increase the cost of this proposal significantly. And, it will definitely slow down the economic development that should happen around the Guidance Hall." Once again, the entire room was surprised. What had been just on their minds had been spoken by none other than Fujin! Even Hiruzen was lost for words and wondered what exactly Fujin was thinking. Fujin activated another seal on his bracer and another file appeared in front of him. Everyone curiously looked towards it and wondered what it contained. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You K0D4S, Yasait, Mounir and Zachary for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 589: Hiruzens Joy! Chapter 589: Hiruzen''s Joy! As everyone was looking at the new file, Fujin said, "This file consists of the land deeds to all the open lands at the chosen location and around it. I represented the village and made deals with every landowner in and around that area in the last couple of days. The prices agreed upon are as per current land rates and only Lord Hokage''s signature is left to complete these dealings. If this proposal is voted on and agreed upon in this meeting, then we could complete these deals today as well before the details are leaked to the public. It''ll help us save a lot of money. It can even help us raise money by selling the land in the future at the right time, striking a proper balance between profits for the village and development around the Guidance Hall.New stories at novelhall.com If we don''t and these guys come to know of my proposal, then they will want to renege on my terms as the deals won''t be finalized until the council approves of the proposal for obvious reasons." Silence engulfed the council room once again! This time, it was absolute silence! Every single one was staring at Fujin with a stunned expression. Fujin had done something that not a single one of them had thought of! Except for one person, everyone looked at Fujin as if he had just snatched the food from their hands, just as they were about to eat it! The fact that Fujin was the one to put the food in their hand didn''t make it any easier to digest. As for the only person who wasn''t thinking that he was looking at Fujin with his eyes full of disbelief. Hiruzen still couldn''t believe it! He thought, ''Is that real? Did he just do that? Did Fujin do something that would actually benefit me???'' Having always been on the losing end due to Fujin''s antics, Hiruzen couldn''t believe that it was real. Even when he had some gains, he''d be forced to compensate in some other manner. For instance, when he won 120 million Ryo by betting on Fujin in the Chunin exam, Fujin immediately made him get the swords he wanted and also made him spend several weeks teaching the Wind Vacuum Technique to Fujin. However, just now, Fujin had given him something that could allow the village to gain hundreds of millions of Ryo with little effort! Seeing that Fujin didn''t suddenly say something that would cost him a kidney, Hiruzen almost wanted to cry tears of joy. He thought, ''Finally! My years of investment and hard work have paid off! First the puppets and now this! I don''t remember the last time I was so happy!'' Even though Fujin noticed that Hiruzen was pleased, he didn''t know how pleased Hiruzen was. If he could read Hiruzen''s thoughts, he would have definitely tried his luck and asked for the Edo Tensei jutsu. Hiruzen''s blissful state was broken when one of the civilian council members said, "I think it''ll be better if we wait unt..." He was mercilessly cut off by Hiruzen who said, "You are right, Fujin. You have done a great job. We will analyze the proposal right now. The meeting will end only after we have voted. If any corrections are needed, we will make them later." The civilian council member who was speaking just looked awkwardly at Hiruzen. He wanted to speak before Hiruzen did, but never expected to be cut off so harshly and be completely ignored. Everyone else who planned on taking advantage of the situation just sighed and gave up. He glanced towards Fujin and thought, ''This was a trap. A trap for Fujin. Danzo likely expected him to steal credit. Even if he didn''t, the proposal would have made the clan leaders see Fujin as a threat. However, Fujin didn''t steal the credit. Seeing his nature, that wasn''t surprising. There are a lot of things that he can take credit for but he instead prefers to keep them a secret. And thanks to the changes he made to Katsuhiro''s proposal, the clan leaders don''t see it as much of a threat as they would have otherwise. Fujin avoided one trap due to his nature and nullified another due to his diligence. That''s a relief! However, he is oblivious to these schemes. For Danzo to do something like this, it''ll only mean one thing. He wants to replace Fujin with Katsuhiro on the council. If my guess is right, he will now try to give the credit for the proposal to Katsuhiro, making the ninjas grateful to him instead of Fujin. That might give him just enough capital to threaten Fujin''s seat. Hmph, I''ll strike first. Let me see what you''ll try then, Danzo!'' Even though Hiruzen''s guesses were accurate, he didn''t know that Danzo had stopped supporting Katsuhiro after the incident as he wouldn''t be able to use the council to make a comeback. Katsuhiro was planning on progressing the plan by himself. As a result, Katsuhiro would soon find himself competing against a Hiruzen who thought that he was facing Danzo! Not to mention, Fujin was unaware of the fact that Hiruzen had connected the dots. Nor was he aware of whether Danzo was still helping Katsuhiro or not. Hence, he had his own plans which he would be putting into motion very soon after the meeting ended. Katsuhiro, who had just spent two miserable months being forced to correct the proposal again and again, was unaware of the misery that still awaited him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ron, Daniel, James, Frederik and Primael for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 590: Reward Fujin? Chapter 590: Reward Fujin? The council went through the proposal carefully, inspecting every single point and seeing whether they could find any flaws or any scope for improvements that might help them delay the proposal a bit. Unfortunately for them, there were no flaws and making any improvements would require a lot of time to ponder. It wasn''t something they could come up with on the spot. In around an hour, everyone had gone through the proposal a couple of times. Seeing that everyone was done reading, Hiruzen asked, "Does anyone have anything to add to it?" No one said anything. Hiruzen looked around once before saying, "In that case, let''s put it to vote. All those in favor, raise your hands." After Danzo was removed from the Council, the number of people in the Council had gone back to 16, as it was before Fujin became a part of the council. It meant that if there was a tie, Hiruzen would get an additional vote for the tiebreaker. In addition, the Clan Leaders only had 7 out of the 16 seats, meaning that they were in the minority. 9 votes would be needed to fail the proposal. As the one who put forth the proposal, Fujin raised his hand. Hiruzen raised his hand as well as the idea was extremely beneficial for the village no matter how he looked at it. Koharu and Homura supported it for the same reason and raised their hands. Apart from these 4, there were 5 civilian council members. Each of them was bitter that Fujin had taken away a chance to earn millions from them. However, the proposal was for the benefit of the civilian population as even the ones who weren''t ninjas wanted their children to become one. If they dared to vote against it, they would be booted out of the council within days. None of them dared to risk that and all 5 raised their hands. Among the clan leaders, Senju Hiromasa was the first one to raise his hand. In fact, he was even quicker than the Elders and raised it alongside Fujin and Hiruzen. He was the only clan leader who didn''t have any reservations about Fujin''s proposal and would have wholeheartedly lobbied for it if Fujin didn''t have enough support. Shikaku and Choza didn''t particularly care much about the proposal and raised their hands as well. The remaining 4 clan leaders had reservations, but seeing that voting against them would be pointless, they raised their hands as well. As a result, Fujin''s first official proposal was unanimously passed! Hiruzen smiled and said, "A unanimous vote after a long time. I suppose that shows how important the Guidance Hall will be for our village. Great work, Fujin. I''m glad that we decided to induct you into the council." Fujin nodded while commenting, ''Of course you are, you old fox. What''s the use of words? Just ask me what reward I would like!'' Since joining the council, Fujin had gotten rid of Danzo''s influence and gave two ways to strengthen our village. He also gave a nice little boost to the village''s finances and economy. Any leader would be pleased. Unfortunately for Fujin, Hiruzen had become too smart to say anything in regards to that. He turned his eyes back to the council and said, "I have checked the land deeds as well. They are properly documented and priced. I will sign them now. The construction of the Guidance Hall will begin immediately. The funds will be assigned within a couple of days and this project will be given the highest priority." Everyone agreed. Hiruzen signed the land deeds. Since no one had any other proposal, the meeting finally ended and everyone dispersed. Hiruzen returned to his office. Even though he had signed the papers, he still had some work to do, such as actually paying the ones who were selling the land. He quickly got to work and dispatched his subordinates to bring them to the office while he ran the numbers. After analyzing everything, a smile appeared on Hiruzen''s face. He thought, ''The village will need to spend around 60 million Ryo to purchase the land. Building the hall and some surrounding infrastructure will require another 40 to 50 million Ryo. Hiruzen''s clone smiled and said, "Good. I''ll leave it to you." He dispelled himself. Eagle immediately got to work. He summoned some of his most trusted subordinates and informed them about the situation. A few minutes later, a couple of dozen Anbu ninjas exited the base and mixed into the common people under disguise. As Hiruzen had expected, Katsuhiro was doing the same. Right after the meeting ended, he met up with one of the civilian council members and asked him about the details of the meeting. The council member looked at him peculiarly while wondering why he was so enthusiastic about the meeting and the proposal. Even though Fujin had given him the credit for the idea, he had also said a lot of other things... Even so, he informed Katsuhiro about everything that had happened. His expression became ugly after hearing how Fujin described his proposal! He almost vomited blood when he heard that Fujin worked hard for a couple of weeks to correct his proposal. His rage increased his blood pressure once again! Even so, he was surprised when he heard about the changes Fujin had made to the proposal. Especially the financial aspect, it was something he had completely overlooked. He thought, ''I underestimated this boy. Even though the basic idea of Guidance Hall came from Danzo, the number of changes he has made almost makes this look like a new proposal. Even though he mentioned my name, he will get the main credit. How did he even do all this in just 2 days? Was he just messing with me?'' He shook his head and decided, ''It doesn''t matter. I will make him pay. Even if the council gives you credit, what matters is what the people think! Even though opening the Guidance Hall to the clans increased its chances of being accepted, it also gives me a weapon against you! I''ll completely ruin your reputation! That would put enough pressure on the Hokage and the Council to appoint me to the council!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 591: The Power of Words! Chapter 591: The Power of Words! Katsuhiro left the Council Member''s house and got to work. He created 8 Shadow Clones who used Transformation jutsu and mixed with the public to improve his reputation while ruining Fujin''s reputation. His clones got into action a few minutes before Eagle dispatched the Anbu ninjas. What neither Katsuhiro nor Hiruzen knew was that Fujin was the very first one to act! Not even 5 minutes had passed since the meeting ended when Fujin created and dispatched 20 Shadow Clones! They had begun spreading the rumors long before Hiruzen or Katsuhiro made their moves! A few Anbu entered the marketplace while disguised as old men. They began buying some groceries before a couple of them ''accidentally'' ran into each other. They enthusiastically greeted each other before one of them said, "Did you hear what happened in today''s Council Meeting?" Though the Anbu wasn''t too loud, his words were clearly heard by everyone nearby. They became curious as the Council Meeting included the most influential people in the village and generally made all the big decisions. The other Anbu asked curiously, "I didn''t. What happened? And why are you so happy?" The first Anbu said, "You won''t believe it. Suzuki Fujin, the youngest member of our Council, put forth a proposal to create a Guidance Hall inside the village. In the Guidance Hall, youngsters will be able to get guidance from experienced ninjas when they try to learn a new jutsu. It''ll be a great help for the ninjas who are from a civilian background. My grandson became a ninja a few years ago. He used to complain about how kids from the clans are stronger than him as their seniors help them while he is weaker because we can''t help him. Now, he will get the same help as them! You should tell it to your granddaughter as well. It''ll be very helpful for her as well!" The other Anbu exclaimed happily, "Wow! She''ll be jumping for joy on hearing this! She was complaining about the same as well. I had some reservations when someone so young was selected to represent the civilian ninjas, but I now see why Lord Hokage chose him! To think that a 16-year-old youngster would come up with something like this!" The people around them heard their words and were surprised. Some of them had children or relatives who were ninjas or aspired to be one. A couple of them were ninjas themselves. The first Anbu said, "Well, from what I heard, the basic idea had come from Katsuhiro. He is an Elite Jounin. However, his idea was very crude and unrealistic. It also excluded the clan ninjas. The Council wouldn''t have accepted such a proposal. Fujin worked day and night for a couple of months to make the proposal good enough. I heard that he hadn''t slept for days and looked very tired with giant bags under his eyes during the Council Meeting. However, he improved it so much that his proposal was accepted unanimously by the Council! That hasn''t happened in years!" The second Anbu replied, "That''s even more impressive! Anyone can come up with ideas, but only a true leader can realize their potential and put them into action." The first Anbu agreed, "I know, right? I heard that he even argued against the Elders and the Clan Leaders to get the proposal accepted immediately so that the civilian ninjas wouldn''t have to wait. We are lucky that the one selected to represent us can fight against such formidable people for us!" He handed Danzo the scroll. Danzo opened it and a peculiar expression appeared on his face. He thought, ''So they finally put forth the proposal... However, the proposal has been modified almost entirely. It won''t offend the clans much, something my proposal was intended to do. Even though Fujin didn''t steal the credit for the idea from Katsuhiro, he ended up stealing all the credit without putting himself at risk...'' Danzo analyzed for a few seconds before concluding, ''This looks like Hiruzen''s work. Even though the boy is smart and suspicious, he shouldn''t be able to make the proposal this good. Especially the financial aspect, it was something I intended to exploit while using Katsuhiro. If he did, he wouldn''t have foolishly given all the benefits to the village. That is something only Hiruzen would do. Fujin must have approached Hiruzen at some point and talked about this proposal. Hiruzen saw through my scheme as Katsuhiro kept visiting me even when Hiruzen had increased the surveillance around my labs. The modifications should be a result of that. Sigh, Katsuhiro turned out to be a complete disappointment.'' Danzo burned the scroll and stopped thinking about it. Without being in the council, there wasn''t much he could do. Not to mention, Hiruzen had been watching him like a hawk. He was worried that Hiruzen might actually carry out his threat if he tried to interfere. More than half of his base was still missing due to the ridiculous Lightning attack. He didn''t want to see what was left being burned down by an unstoppable fire. With Katsuhiro hospitalized and Danzo staying out of the matter, Fujin''s clones and the Anbu spread the rumors unrestricted for a couple of days until the rumors began spreading by themselves. Hiruzen allotted the budget for the Guidance Hall and its construction officially began. After hearing about Katsuhiro, he also made an official announcement, giving Katsuhiro some credit but giving Fujin most of the credit for the proposal. Fujin continued with his training while guiding his students. A couple more days passed. In the Land of Wave, team 7 readied themselves to face Zabuza once again. Meanwhile, Fujin had an unexpected visitor. He opened the door and said, "It''s been a while, Hoka. Come in." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mike, LazyAsh and Abdullahi for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 592 - 586 : Hoka’s Worry! Chapter 592: Chapter 586 : Hoka''s Worry! [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Terrance Smith. You can thank him for the double release.] Hoka entered Fujin''s house while saying, "Yeah, it really has been a while. It''s been over 6 months since our last get-together. Our get-togethers have been getting less frequent lately." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, though it''s not exactly a surprise. All of us get missions constantly from the village. Sensei was sent to the southern base on the border of the Land of Tea a couple of months ago. Who knows when he''ll return." Hoka looked at Fujin and asked, "You didn''t hear? Sensei was recalled a few days ago. He''s back in the village." Fujin showed slight surprise and said, "Eh? Really?" Hoka nodded and answered, "Yes. A lot of the Jounins who were deployed along the borders were recalled. Sensei was one of them." Fujin thought for a bit before realizing, ''Ah, I see. Hiruzen and Shikaku must be worried about a possible Suna surprise attack on our borders. They probably recalled the Jounins and above to ensure that higher-level combat capabilities wouldn''t be impacted. It''ll also allow us to mount a swifter and more powerful counterattack. In addition, they''ll also be able to help out if Suna attacks during the Chunin exams. I guess Shikaku made this move.'' Hoka entered the circular room, where they used to hang around whenever they visited Fujin''s house and asked with a chuckle, "Do you still keep snacks?" Follow newest stories at novelhall.com Fujin asked in a deadpan tone, "You still eat snacks like a kid?" Hoka awkwardly complained, "Hey, we are still just 16! Don''t treat us like old men!" Fujin chuckled and replied, "Well, if you behave that way, it makes it hard to think of you as anything but a kid. Hahaha." Fujin broke into laughter. Hoka sighed and sat down on the sofa while muttering, "It looks like your sense of humor hasn''t improved much." Fujin replied with a grin, "You can''t improve something that is already perfect. Anyway, snacks are still in their usual place. Treat yourself." Hoka raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "I thought you said that only kids eat them." Fujin nodded and replied, "Yup, my students eat them. They are still kids. Didn''t think you''d still be into it, but I suppose there isn''t a reason for me to say no." Hoka nodded and said, "That is true. However, I can''t be sure if they eliminated someone in the dark. After all, many geniuses from my clan died during the previous Great Wars. Though it is possible that all were genuine casualties of the war, I just can''t help but think what if things aren''t as they look on the surface? That is why I am having thoughts of removing the seal." This time, Fujin didn''t try to convince Hoka against doing so. After all, Hoka''s concerns were valid. Had Fujin transmigrated into a Hyuga clan member, he would have surely done everything he could to remove that seal. Even if the person who controlled the seal was kind, who would feel comfortable with someone else being able to control their life and death? At least, Fujin wasn''t. If he couldn''t find a way to remove the seal, Fujin would have even thought of finding a way to eliminate everyone who could control the seal, making it useless. Even though Hoka had become concerned, his thoughts weren''t as radical and extreme as Fujin''s. Fujin replied, "I understand..." He looked into Hoka''s eyes and said, "That said, I hope you know that it might cause you to confront the Hyuga clan. If Hiashi tries to use that Caged Bird Seal in the future and it doesn''t work, he''ll know that you have tampered with it. I''m not sure what would happen then as there is no precedent for this, but there will be a political fallout for sure. Not to mention, he can still target your parents to keep you in check." Hoka nodded and said, "I have thought of it. It worries me as well. It will have severe political consequences. That is why I approached you. If he is going to use it at some point in the future even if I don''t give him a reason to, then that''s all the more reason for me to get rid of the seal. Even if he wants to target my parents, he won''t dare to do so as long as I''m alive and stronger than him." A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he realized the hidden meaning behind Hoka''s words. He chuckled and said, "I see. You want me to help you handle the political fallout that will happen if he discovers it. No wonder you approached me now. Looks like I was wrong in calling you a kid. Since when did you become so good at scheming?" A smile appeared on Hoka''s face as well. He said, "I didn''t expect that you''ll see through it at a glance. As expected of someone who was inducted into the council by Lord Hokage. You should leave your house some time and go and hear what everyone is saying about you. The entire village is discussing you and the way you stood up to the Elders and the Clan Leaders." The reason why Hoka approached Fujin now and not earlier was because of how much reputation Fujin had gained in the past few days. The stories of his bravery and the rumors of the Spectral Swordsman were flowing all through the village. Hence, even if Hiashi wanted to act against Hoka, he would have to consider Fujin''s reaction as the two were teammates. Hoka could use that as leverage to come to an understanding. Fujin looked at Hoka and thought, ''I guess I shouldn''t be surprised. As a ninja, having this level of deceit and cunning is to be expected. That said, I wonder what he would think if he knew that I was the one to spread those stories in the first place...'' Hoka asked again, "So, can you remove the seal?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N: You can sponsor chapters through P@treon. Chapter 593: Suspicion! Chapter 593: Suspicion! "So, can you remove the seal?" Hearing Hoka''s question, Fujin became quiet once again. Hoka didn''t disturb him as he could see that Fujin was in deep thought. After a couple of minutes, disappointment appeared on Hoka''s face as Fujin shook his head. Fujin answered, "Don''t get me wrong. I''ll help you but don''t get your hopes too high. Even though I''m a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu, I have become one very recently. I lack both experience and skill when compared to the older Grandmasters. The Byakugan is something every village covets. There is no doubt that other villages would have done everything they could to get their hands on it. Yet, there hasn''t been any instance where enemy Grandmasters lifted the Caged Bird Seal and stole the Byakugan. So, you are asking me to do something that the Grandmasters in Kumo, Kiri, Suna and Iwa haven''t been able to do for decades. In addition, there isn''t any record of the seal being cracked before the formation of the hidden villages either. It is a seal that hasn''t been cracked for centuries. More importantly, my priority will be ensuring that I don''t make a mistake that could cripple or kill you while removing the seal as it''ll be pointless if either of that happens. This makes the task even more difficult. So, I can''t guarantee that I''ll succeed in removing the seal." Hoka sighed in relief on hearing Fujin''s words. He, of course, knew of the difficulty in doing so. So, he wasn''t worried whether Fujin would succeed or not. He just hoped that Fujin would give it a try as that was the only way he could have some hope. He had already tried learning Fuinjutsu but had found it extremely difficult to comprehend. Considering the sensitive nature of the task, he couldn''t risk approaching any other Grandmaster. So, Fujin was his only choice. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Fujin. I appreciate it! I know how difficult it is and I won''t pester you to keep working on it." Fujin nodded. That was what he wanted to hear. Hoka continued, "That said, I have one piece of information for you. There was someone who successfully undid the seal and stole a Byakugan. It happened in Kiri. Their Elite Jounin Ao has one Byakugan." Fujin replied, "I know of him and even met him during a mission. However, his example isn''t something I can follow for you. After all, the Hyuga from whom they extracted the Byakugan is dead. And that''s not exactly an option for me, is it?" Hoka immediately had an awkward expression. He replied, "You are right." Fujin added, "Besides, there are too many things that aren''t clear in Ao''s case. Whatever method they used shouldn''t be foolproof. For starters, why did they take only a single eye? Were they unable to save the other or did something else happen? The anomaly that sticks out the most is why they haven''t tried it again. After all, they don''t care whether the Hyuga ninjas live or not. Why didn''t they harvest one eye from every Hyuga they captured? They could have implanted it into other ninjas like Ao and raised a strong unit. However, there isn''t a second case like Ao in Kiri... Is there an issue?" A weird expression appeared on Hoka''s face as Fujin was talking. Hoka shook his head and answered, "Nothing. I just found it strange how casually you mentioned that. It''s as if Byakugan was a commodity." Hoka noticed Fujin''s eyes widening momentarily and his expression becoming even more serious. He nervously asked, "Did you discover a problem?" Fujin answered, "Yeah, but it isn''t something that''ll help you. I was just wondering how the Hyuga clan came up with such a seal. This seal is too advanced and is probably the most complicated seal in Konoha. And we are currently the most advanced village in terms of Fuinjutsu. If the Hyuga clan could create a seal like the Caged Bird Seal centuries ago, you guys should have been well-known for your Fuinjutsu prowess as well. However, I don''t think I have ever heard anyone talking about Hyuga''s Fuinjutsu prowess even once. Don''t you find that odd?" Hoka thought for a bit and nodded. He said, "Now that I think about it, Hiashi-sama isn''t a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu. We do have one Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu, but he is from the Branch family. And, he still has the Caged Bird Seal on him. Do you think something fishy had happened?" Fujin nodded and replied, "Yeah. Unfortunately, it happened way too far in history. Any records related to it would have long been destroyed by the Main family. In fact, I doubt Hiashi even knows anything about the seal apart from how to apply it and how to trigger it. If he was creating it from scratch or could remove it, he''d be a Grandmaster as well." Hoka agreed with Fujin''s analysis. As much as he wanted to go back to the past and kill the one who created the seal, he knew it was impossible. Besides, the seal was very useful during the warring era. Without it, there was a chance that the Hyuga clan would have been wiped out. He asked, "So, what are the chances of removing this seal?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, Primael, Pervysage, Kibg Scales, Information, Jese, Camy, Mukut, Austin and Timberwolf for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 594 - 588 : Medical Ninjutsu Chapter 594: Chapter 588 : Medical Ninjutsu Fujin answered, "I won''t lie to you. It is very difficult. Most Grandmasters will be stumped on how to handle the seal. And that''s just the first problem. See this..." Fujin grabbed a scroll and a pen and placed it on the table. He began drawing the Caged Bird Seal. Hoka was surprised when Fujin began drawing how the seal connected to the nerves in his head. Fujin said, "It is just a rough drawing. I''m not that good at biology yet, but you should get the basic idea. In order to remove the seal, the person attempting it should be both a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu and a top-tier Medical Ninja to ensure that there isn''t a single mess up. I suppose that should give you an idea." Hoka replied dejectedly, "That''s almost impossible. Does that mean only someone like Lady Tsunade can have a chance?" Fujin nodded while thinking, ''And Orochimaru, though he isn''t an option either.'' Hoka continued, "But she hasn''t been in the village for over a decade. Not to mention, she might report me to Hiashi-sama instead of helping me. I can''t risk asking her." Fujin chuckled and said, "Pretty much. Fortunately, you are in luck." Hoka asked in confusion, "What do you mean?" Fujin replied, "I was planning to pursue medical ninjutsu more seriously. If you had arrived a couple of days later, you might not have been able to find me here at this time of the day." Hoka was surprised. This time, it was a pleasant surprise. He was about to express his joy when he suddenly stopped and became serious once again. He said, "Fujin, are you telling the truth or are you planning to pursue it just to help me? If it''s the latter, then you don''t need to do it. You are already busy with the council duties along with missions. And your skills are already too varied with you focusing on Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Fuinjutsu. Focusing on something as complicated as Medical Ninjutsu while trying to work on my seal will eat into too much of your time. It''ll burden you too much." Fujin raised his eyebrow and asked, "Since when did you become so thoughtful? That said, you don''t need to worry. I won''t exactly be wasting time while working on your seal. In Fuinjutsu, becoming a Grandmaster is the highest you can achieve. However, no Grandmaster is satisfied by it. We want to reach the level beyond irrespective of whether it exists or not. Researching that seal might help me take a few steps forward. As for medical Ninjutsu, as I said, I intended to learn it either way. It is related to one of the jutsus I learnt recently. It was actually my first thought when you asked for my help. However, seeing how complex the seal is, it wouldn''t work." Hoka became curious. He asked, "Which jutsu could have been helpful?" Fujin replied, "Spirit Transformation jutsu." Unlike the Flying Thunder God, Fujin didn''t intend to keep this technique a secret. In fact, he had already used it in the T&I department and front of Takeshi. So, it was only a matter of time before others knew of it as well. Hoka asked, "What jutsu is that?" With a deadpan expression, Fujin asked, "Seriously? Even my 9-year-old student knew about it!" Yoshi was enjoying his tea when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He immediately became alert and turned around. His eyes immediately landed on Fujin. He complained, "Stop startling me every time you show up. I almost spilled my tea!" Fujin asked in a deadpan tone, "I arrived as quietly as I could. Why are you getting startled?" Yoshi said in annoyance, "That''s what startles everyone. Stop flickering in the hospital. Anyway, why are you here?" Fujin sighed and said, "I was here to accept your offer. I expected you to be a bit more excited. I guess I''ll ask Lord Hokage to arrange for someone else to guide me." Yoshi''s eyes widened. He cursed, "You brat! After making me beg for years, you think I''ll allow you to just run to someone else! Hmph, as if I''ll let you!" Fujin''s left eyebrow twitched as he asked, "Are you angry or happy? Make up your mind?" Even though it seemed like Yoshi was scolding Fujin, a smile could be seen on his face. He replied, "Who said humans can''t feel both emotions at the same time?" Ever since he had taught Mystical Palm jutsu to Fujin, Yoshi had always pestered him to pursue Medical Ninjutsu. Even though Hiruzen had said that Fujin wasn''t as talented as he thought and explained that Fujin could master the Mystical Palm jutsu so quickly because he was good at Yin & Yang Release, it didn''t change Yoshi''s mind as that was equally good. However, Fujin never agreed to his pestering as he had an extremely busy schedule and couldn''t divide his time any further. As a result, all of Yoshi''s attempts were futile. He had almost given up when Fujin suddenly showed up today. He couldn''t help but ask, "By the way, why did you suddenly change your mind?" Fujin tilted his head and asked, "When did I change my mind? I told you that I was too busy with other stuff. My schedule opened up just a few days ago." Yoshi looked at Fujin with an unconvinced expression and wondered, ''Was he really telling the truth? Oh well, it doesn''t matter. He''s still 16. That''s not too old to start learning Medical Ninjutsu. I just hope that he doesn''t get discouraged by the amount of books he''ll have to memorize. Young ninjas don''t like to do boring things like that.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jeff, Ethan, Yoel, Knuckled and Tomasz for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 595: Chakra Pathways Chapter 595: Chakra Pathways Yoshi finished his cup of tea and got up. He said, "I hope you know that you''ll have to memorize a lot of books in order to learn Medical Ninjutsu." Fujin sighed and answered, "Yes. That was a big reason why I didn''t try to do it when I was busy." Yoshi nodded and said, "Alright. Come with me." He led Fujin to the library inside the Hospital while saying, "I''ll personally guide you to ensure that you get the best guidance and become a very capable Medical Ninja. In addition, I''ll ask Isamu and a few other experienced Medical Nins to guide you as well in some aspects." Fujin nodded. He had expected as much considering how much Yoshi had pestered him. They reached the library. Yoshi immediately grabbed half a dozen thick books, placed them on the table in front of Fujin and said, "These books have the basics of the human body. Even though we taught you a bit while teaching you the Mystical Palm jutsu, you''ll be learning everything in far more depth." Fujin looked at the books and asked, "It''s cool if I take them and any other books in the library with me, right?" Yoshi nodded and said, "You should. I''ll discuss with Isamu to come up with a schedule for you." Fujin nodded while thinking, ''Good luck trying to stick to any schedule.'' He said, "Alright. I''ll see you later then." Yoshi nodded and said, "Just come find me in my office. If I''m not here, you can visit my home as well." Fujin smiled and said, "I will." Yoshi felt that Fujin''s smile was slightly strange, but he didn''t think much of it. The pitiful old man was completely unaware of how crazy the next couple of months would be for him. Unfortunately, he didn''t have the same experience as Hiruzen, or he would have raised his guard several times! He left the library to share the good news with Isamu. Meanwhile, Fujin stayed in the Library and grabbed 6 more sets of those books and stored them in a storage scroll before returning to his home. In his basement, 72 Shadow clones were working on a new seal. He immediately said, "Other the ones who are close to a breakthrough, dispel yourselves." 70 Shadow Clones dispersed themselves. Fujin planned, ''I can''t stop working on the seal. It is far more important than Medical Ninjutsu. However, there is no need to have too many clones working on the seal as that is rather redundant. I''ll have 30 clones work on the seal and have 42 go through the medical books. That won''t leave me with much chakra, but I guess I can still continue experimenting with fusing the Fire and Wind elements. If I run low on chakra, then I will focus on physical training.'' Having made his decision, Fujin created Shadow Clones and assigned them the work. The clones working on the seal continued as usual. Visit for the latest updates Under normal circumstances, the amount of physical energy that gets drawn out is very negligible. When a ninja tries to use chakra for something, only then does it extract more physical and spiritual energy. This is also the reason why exhausting all chakra results in coma or death. It is because all the physical energy in the ninja''s body is consumed. In addition, if the chakra is created but the ninja decides against using it, which happens quite frequently with the Shadow Clones, the chakra just gets converted back into physical and spiritual energy with negligible losses for creating and deconstructing the chakra. This nature of chakra is also why the amount of chakra in a ninja''s body is directly related to his physical energy and spiritual energy. Even if one is lacking, then the amount of chakra they can create will be severely restricted. Of course, that is unless one is born with a special physique, like the Uzumakis, or have their physiques tempered by the Tailed Beasts sealed inside them or other methods. In those cases, the physical and spiritual energy of the ninjas improves at a rapid rate. So, even if I manage to widen or strengthen my chakra pathways, it won''t help me to increase my chakra reserves. Instead, the only advantage might be that they will be able to extract physical energy fractions of seconds quicker and supercharge my jutsus more quickly... Hmm, on second thought, that''s not a bad buff at all. Especially while dealing with ninjas who move too quickly. Perhaps I''ll ask Phantom Haven''s future research team to work on this after all...'' Fujin stretched his body and muttered to himself, ''Regardless, learning medical ninjutsu will likely bring me some surprises. Though it might not be very useful before the Fourth Great Ninja War, it might be the most important thing for me once I become old. There is no harm in working on it for a few months and building a good base right now. It''ll also help me create a bond with Tsunade rather easily. Even if that doesn''t happen, I can just bribe her to teach me the stuff that is beyond Yoshi. Now then, I hope Yoshi has created a good training plan for me and got a lot of good help.'' With a smirk on his face, Fujin disappeared from his house. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Lazy Dragon.. nah just lazy, Wemstar, Visually Upset, Kordie, Michael and SnowfairyAsuna for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 596: Headaches Chapter 596: Headaches Sitting in his office inside Konoha''s hospital, Yoshi grumbled, "Where is that insensitive kid? He came to me to ask for guidance but hasn''t shown up for a week!" Isamu sighed and said, "I told you that you shouldn''t have started by giving the books. That bores anyone who wants to learn Medical Ninjutsu and they become reluctant to continue learning." However, Yoshi argued back, "And I already said that if someone can''t read 6 books, then they have no business in being a Medical Ninja! They''ll need to read dozens of books and thousands of papers to be an acceptable Medical Ninja." Isamu sighed again and said, "It''s about generating interest, Yoshi sensei. Once we generate enough interest, they can read even a hundred books to satisfy their curiosity. If not..." "What curiosity?" Isamu was stunned and immediately turned around. He hadn''t sensed anyone approaching him from the back. Fortunately for Yoshi, he was looking at Isamu and hence noticed Fujin suddenly appearing behind Isamu. Isamu relaxed slightly seeing that Fujin was the one behind him. Yet, he couldn''t help but curse, ''This brat! How the hell does he keep sneaking on me?'' It was important to remember that even though they were Medical Ninjas, both Yoshi and Isamu were Jounins. They weren''t Special Jounins like many other Medical Ninjas who could get that rank due to their expertise in Medical Ninjutsu, but proper Jounins who could compete equally against Jounins who fight on the frontlines. In addition, both had lived through two wars. So, they weren''t lacking in experience or survival instincts. Yet, Fujin kept sneaking behind them successfully. Fujin smiled and said, "It''s good to see you here, Isamu sensei. Yoshi sensei, shall we move to the next step?" Isamu grumbled, "Fujin, one of these days you are going to give me a heart attack." Fujin chuckled and replied, "Don''t worry, you''re still very young and healthy. If something does happen, I''ll quickly bring you to Yoshi sensei." ''...'' Isamu was left speechless. Yoshi ignored their interaction and asked in annoyance, "What next step? You didn''t show up for over a week after I gave you the books!" Fujin tilted his head and asked, "Didn''t you ask me to read and understand those books? It took me some time. Is a week too slow to understand them?" Yoshi and Isamu''s eyes widened. Yoshi said, "You were just supposed to read them. I would have taught the contents inside it to you. Also, did you go through the six books and understand them in a week?" Neither Isamu nor Yoshi believed Fujin''s words. Each of the six books he was given had over 2000 pages! It wasn''t something that could be read in a week, let alone understood. Yoshi had planned to teach everything inside those books to Fujin in 4 to 5 months! ViSit for latest novels To their shock, Fujin nodded and said, "Yup, I just kept the books back in the library. What''s next?" Yoshi and Isamu were left speechless by his reply. Needless to say, they still didn''t believe it. Yoshi quickly asked Fujin a few questions, which Fujin answered promptly. The more he asked, the more he was stunned. Isamu joined in and asked a couple of questions as well, but Fujin answered those as well. Yoshi and Isamu glanced at each other, shock visible in their eyes. He looked at Hideaki and asked, "The lab doesn''t lack dead bodies, right?" Hideaki nodded, still confused about Fujin''s intentions. Regardless, they didn''t lack any dead bodies. After all, too many missions involved killing. Several missions involved bringing back the dead bodies, which would be donated to the hospital. In addition, storing dead bodies was extremely easy in this world. As a result, the hospital had several hundred dead bodies stored in scrolls. Fujin continued, "That''s great. In that case, let''s work on all 30 bodies at the same time. It''ll help speed up the learning process considerably." In the blink of an eye, smoke covered the entire room. As it faded away, 30 Fujins could be seen in the lab, one standing at each desk. In an instant, Yoshi and Isamu understood how Fujin managed to go through the books within 7 days! Isamu muttered in disbelief, "Did you use Shadow Clones to study the Physiology books within 7 days." Hideaki, who was hearing it for the first time, looked at Fujin with a shocked expression and thought, ''What the hell? He completed the introductory books in a week? Even with Shadow Clones, that should be extremely difficult. Not to mention...'' Fujin nonchalantly replied, "More or less. Anyway, let''s continue." Yoshi ignored his words and said with a solemn expression, "Fujin, using Shadow Clones for training is a bad idea. The memories that are transferred back to you create a strain on your brain. You must have felt the headaches. Even if you want to use Shadow Clones to help you, you should have all clones work on the same thing. Otherwise, it can cause trauma." Fujin nodded. Having been using the Shadow Clone technique since the academy, he had long gotten used to the headaches. Even though he was worried about any side effects it might cause initially, the worries disappeared when no medical ninja said that there was anything wrong with him. He just needed to have adequate rest and sleep for the headaches to go away. With time, Fujin stopped making his clones work on just one thing and allowed different clones to work on different tasks. While getting several kinds of memories would cause even more headaches, Fujin''s brain had become used to handling such chaotic memories as well. That said, he still dispelled the clones working on the same tasks at a time to reduce the headaches. So, Fujin wasn''t as concerned as Yoshi regarding this drawback of Multi Shadow Clone jutsu. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Isaiah and Runneng for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 597 - 591 : What the hell happened? Chapter 597: Chapter 591 : What the hell happened? [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Zero1995. You can thank him for the double release.] To the surprise of the experienced Medical Ninjas, Fujin said, "I''m aware of the drawbacks. Don''t worry, I do take proper precautions." For some reason, all 3 Medical Ninjas doubted Fujin''s words. However, they understood that it wasn''t their role to instruct Fujin. After all, even though he was a junior, he was ranked higher than them as an Elite Jounin. Not to mention, he was a Council Member as well. Yoshi said, "As long as you are aware, it''s fine. However, do take care of yourself. This jutsu is forbidden for a reason. If you take it lightly, the jutsu will burn you in more than one way." Fujin nodded and replied, "I will." Yoshi said, "Good. You can dispel two-thirds of your clones. Unlike you, I''m not young enough to maintain 30 Shadow Clones for a long time." Fujin immediately looked at Isamu and Hideaki and asked, "You two can maintain 9 clones each, right?" The three of them were left speechless once again. There was no hesitation or doubt in Fujin''s voice. He didn''t even take a second to think after Yoshi asked him to dispel 20 Shadow Clones. Instead, he acted as if it was the most natural thing! Both Isamu and Hideaki nodded involuntarily. Fujin smiled and said, "That''s great, let''s start!" Lost for words, the three of them created Shadow Clones and began guiding Fujin and his clones after discussing among themselves what each one of them would teach Fujin. Despite having been teaching Medical Ninjutsu to young trainees for decades, it was their first time doing something like this. For the next 8 hours, they continued teaching Fujin without a break, before finally calling it a day. Fujin thanked the three of them and left the lab after confirming that they would meet again the next morning. As soon as Fujin left, the three of them collapsed into chairs and their breathing became rough. Hideaki asked, "What the hell happened today?" Isamu echoed his question and asked, "Why exactly did we create Shadow Clones to teach Fujin? I don''t think I have ever created 9 Shadow Clones at the same time, let alone maintain them for 8 hours!" Yoshi scoffed, "You two are still a decade younger than me. What would you know about how many headaches I''m getting?" He paused for a minute, thinking about what exactly happened in the last 8 hours. Finally, he grumbled, "I was too enthusiastic to teach him. We got sucked into that kid''s pace. We didn''t even realize what he was asking from us. Not to mention, we already promised to keep teaching him in this manner..." The three senior Medical Ninjas looked at each other helplessly. While they had been hot-blooded and enthusiastic during their younger years, they had long passed that phase. In the peaceful time, they had gotten used to playing with the trainees to have fun. If Hiruzen knew that the three of them had realized Fujin''s potential, he would have encouraged them to spread the information instead of keeping it a secret among them. Yoshi smiled seeing that the two of them agreed. He thought, ''Even though we shouldn''t spread the information, I need to inform Inoichi. The Yamanaka clan should have good relations with him. At the very least, we shouldn''t be at odds with him.'' Suddenly, a few knocks were heard on the door of the lab. Yoshi looked at it and said, "Come in." Two girls entered the room. They were his assistants, Hyuga Emi and Kurama Asuka. They approached Yoshi and said, "You are finally free sensei." Yoshi asked, "Did something happen?" Emi nodded and said, "Yes, you are supposed to teach the next batch the Mystical Palm jutsu tomorrow. They want to confirm your availability." Yoshi replied, "I''ll be busy tomorrow. Ask the management to arrange someone else tomorrow." Having realized Fujin''s potential, he didn''t want to focus on anything else for the time being. Asuka showed a difficult expression and explained, "Sensei, all the senior medical ninjas are busy. They can''t arrange anyone else so quickly." Yoshi waved his hand dismissively and said, "It doesn''t matter. I''ll be busy for a few days or weeks. So will be Isamu, Hideaki and the anatomy lab. Ask the management to handle things accordingly. They can arrange another teacher temporarily or push back the training session." The two girls were helpless against Yoshi''s stubbornness. Having worked under him for years, the two understood that they wouldn''t be able to change his mind and took their leave. Even though the management of Konoha Hospital wouldn''t be pleased, they knew that there wasn''t anything they could do against someone like Yoshi. If anything, they were afraid that he might retire due to his old age. The management decided to ignore their antics and delayed the new batch by a few days. However, when the situation didn''t change for over a couple of weeks, they had to inform Hiruzen about their behavior. Hiruzen was about to leave when he got their report. He read it with a confused expression while thinking, ''That''s weird... Since when did Yoshi start saying no to teaching youngsters? Isn''t he usually very enthusiastic about teaching them? I can''t have someone as dedicated as him slack off or retire.'' From the report, Hiruzen understood that the three of them had been occupying the anatomy lab, denying others access to it. He activated his chakra field to sense whether the three of them were still there. On sensing them, Hiruzen disappeared from his office. In a couple of seconds, he appeared outside the anatomy lab. Without knocking, he opened the door and entered. The sudden intrusion attracted the attention of the 3 senior medical ninjas. They were surprised to see Hiruzen. However, Hiruzen was even more surprised at seeing their appearances. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''What the hell happened?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : You can sponsor chapters through P@treon. Chapter 598: Avoiding the Plague! Chapter 598: Avoiding the Plague! The three senior medical ninjas looked in terrible shape. Large bags could be seen under their eyes. It looked like they hadn''t slept for years. Tiredness could be seen all over their body. It was as if they had just been to war and healed a thousand ninjas! Hiruzen couldn''t help but be stunned by their state. Before he could ask anything, the three of them stood up through a lot of effort and respectfully asked, "Lord Hokage, why are you here?" Hiruzen replied, "Forget about me, what happened to you guys? Why do you look so tired?" Hearing his questions, the three of them sighed. After realizing Fujin''s potential, the three ignored their tiredness and began teaching him wholeheartedly. Their enthusiasm lasted exactly two days before they realized that they couldn''t keep up with Fujin. Unfortunately, it was too late to back away by then. They were ashamed to tell Fujin to slow down and take it easy. Hence, they resorted to dropping subtle hints about the same. Unfortunately for them, Fujin seemed to be completely oblivious to any hints they dropped. Instead, he pushed them even more! Yoshi grumbled, "Kids these days... They have no respect for the elders!" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow in confusion. Isamu added, "I feel like he is doing this intentionally as revenge for all the time we pestered him to become a Medical Ninja." Hideaki looked at him and asked, "I didn''t do that. So why is he making me suffer? Besides, no one can be so oblivious! He is definitely doing it intentionally!" A few question marks in Hiruzen''s head. He didn''t understand what they were talking about. However, he felt something very familiar with the situation. He asked, "Could you stop beating around the bush and explain why you three are so tired?" Yoshi sighed again and explained, "We had been pestering Fujin to take Medical Ninjutsu seriously since the day we approached you. He finally accepted our offer 3 weeks ago. We began teaching him about human anatomy a couple of weeks ago. He requested us to use Shadow Clones to teach him so that he can learn it more quickly. Since then, we have been teaching him for more than 12 hours daily with each of us creating 9 Shadow Clones. We thought that he''d slow down eventually... However, he has been pushing us to teach him even faster. And we have been unable to convince him to take it slow..." A shiver passed through Hiruzen''s spine as he realized, ''No wonder I was getting a familiar sensation!'' The three senior medical ninjas looked at Hiruzen with hope in their eyes. They hoped that their mighty and wise Hokage would be able to provide them with a method to get off the back of the tiger they had unknowingly climbed. Unfortunately for them, all they got was a look full of pity as Hiruzen turned around and said, "I see. It''s good to see you make such efforts to train our next generation and pass the Will of Fire to them. Good luck. I''ll ensure that the Hospital management won''t bother you." The three of them watched Hiruzen''s back with wide eyes. Isamu tried calling out, "Lord Hokag..." However, even before a word exited his mouth, Hiruzen had disappeared from the room! He had no interest in poking his nose in Fujin''s business. If anything, Hiruzen was glad and thanked the gods that Fujin wasn''t present in the lab when he visited! Otherwise, Fujin might have asked him to send a few clones too! The three looked begrudgingly at Fujin, who continued maintaining an ''innocent'' smile. The smile had become a nightmare for the three of them! They dreamt about it every night for the past few nights! Yoshi said, "Fujin, you are done with basic human physiology and human anatomy. The next part is Pathology and Toxicology. For these topics, you need to know the theory first. I will give you the books. You can come back and visit me once you are done reading and understanding them." Once Fujin became busy reading the books, the three of them could rest. It was the reason why they were relieved. However, a frown appeared on Fujin''s face. He said, "Sensei, I could learn Physiology books by myself as they were only the basics and you two had already taught me a lot of that stuff while teaching me the Mystical Palm jutsu. I won''t be able to learn Pathology and Toxicology so easily. And, I''ll have several doubts as well." The trio were stunned by Fujin''s reply. They couldn''t help but think, ''Will you only be happy when we die due to overworking?'' However, after thinking for a bit longer, they understood that Fujin was right. Those topics were far more complicated. Needing help was natural. Yoshi''s mind quickly thought of a plan and said, "You are right, Fujin. I was planning to conduct daily classes for you. We''ll clear all your doubts and guide you with the difficult topics. However, I overlooked an important point. You have just learnt Anatomy and Physiology. Not to mention, you used Shadow Clones to learn them very quickly. If you start learning something else so quickly, you''ll jumble everything and become confused. Hence, you shouldn''t study anything new for at least a week. Revise what you have learnt so far for a week. Come visit me when you think you have revised enough anytime after a week has passed. I''ll hand you the books then." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mark, Joa?o, Jonas and GodEye for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 599 - 593 : Guidance Hall Chapter 599: Chapter 593 : Guidance Hall Fujin looked at Yoshi suspiciously. The three senior medical ninjas immediately became tense. They quickly began thinking of all possible reasons they could give to convince Fujin to take the break in case he insisted on continuing the training. Unlike his expression, Fujin was laughing in his mind. He thought, ''It looks like not everyone is as shameless as Hiruzen. He would have long escaped after telling me not to approach him for a week. Then again, these guys aren''t as fast as him. So who can say for sure?'' To the relief of the three senior medical ninjas, Fujin replied, "Alright, I''ll revise what I have learnt so far for a week. I''ll see you later. Thank you for teaching me about human anatomy." Fujin disappeared from the room. The three of them let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed on the floor! Isamu said, "Finally! I can take a break! I haven''t even been able to sleep for 3 weeks. Every time I close my eyes, I see his smile and hear his voice pushing me to teach him more!" Yoshi and Hideaki agreed. They went through the same. Hideaki caught his breath and stood up. He looked at Yoshi and said respectfully, "I only promised you that I''d guide Fujin in anatomy. I have completed my promise. Please don''t find me again in the future and ask other experienced ninjas to teach that demon. I won''t be telling them anything related to him." As soon as he was done speaking, he turned around and ran out of the room. Yoshi cursed under his breath, "This brat!" Despite having guided Hideaki when he was young, Yoshi knew he couldn''t share his misery with him anymore. Instead, he said, "He is right. I''ll ask other experienced medical ninjas to help us. That way, our workload will be reduced." Isamu replied, "Yeah, you should! Why should others be spared from this hell? However, I''m not sure if it''ll reduce our workload..." Yoshi immediately turned his head towards Isamu and asked, "What do you mean?" Isamu answered, "I''m afraid that he''ll just create more Shadow Clones..." Pain could be heard in Isamu''s pitiful voice. It could also be seen on Yoshi''s face who was lost for words! Time continued flowing. As he had said, Fujin gave Yoshi a week''s break. Unfortunately, the three of them still experienced nightmares every night and woke up with sweat flowing down their foreheads. During this time, Takeshi managed to master the jutsus Fujin had taught him. He decided to take the next step and create a new Scorch Release jutsu. Fujin used the opportunity to enter his body again with the Spirit Transformation jutsu and performed Scorch jutsus which Takeshi already knew. It allowed him to become much more familiar with Scorch Release and understand better how Wind and Fire chakra fused inside the body. He took a step closer to learning Scorch Release, but still couldn''t do it. However, he wasn''t very worried as he could feel that it was only a matter of time before he took the last step! Fujin also used the break to take a mission and make a quick visit to the Phantom Haven Society to ensure that everything was moving smoothly. The Phantom Haven Society had recruited two more batches of young children but were only able to recruit 3 experienced ninjas. None of them caught Fujin''s eye. He applied the Phantom Seal on them and gave a speech about the Phantom Will before focusing on the information network. Fujin ignored his reaction and they entered the Guidance Hall. The design on the inside was just as captivating as the designs on the outside. Fujin and Hiruzen inspected the arrangements made inside the Hall for doing its main job. The main hall was extremely spacious and could easily accommodate a few hundred ninjas. At the end of the hall was a wide office with windows. Employees would sit there and accept requests from the youngsters who wanted someone to guide them for any jutsus. The office behind the windows would have people who would assign the youngsters to appropriate guides. There were several spacious rooms on the two sides of the hall as well. One of them was to keep a record of the Veteran Ninjas who were willing to guide youngsters and the jutsus they were willing to teach. The remaining rooms served other purposes. One of those rooms was for the Anbu that Hiruzen was planning to station there. He had planned to station two Anbu squads permanently at the Guidance Hall. In addition, several more Anbu squads were arranged to inspect the ninjas who wanted to guide the youngsters. Fujin and Hiruzen inspected everything and didn''t have any complaints. Hiruzen teasingly asked, "Do you want to register as a guide? I''m sure everyone would want to learn Wind Release jutsus from you." Fujin imitated Hiruzen''s sigh of exhaustion and said, "I have my hands full guiding nearly a hundred and fifty kids. Besides, I''m only 16 years old. People are doubtful of my capabilities. However, if you register, I''m sure everyone will come to learn from the Professor." With a smirk on his face, Fujin added, "I''ll be sure to be the first one to ask for your guidance, Grandpa." This time, Hiruzen sighed and said, "As a Hokage, I''m very busy to sign up as a guide here. The Guidance Hall needed a lot of my attention. It has just finished and now I''ll be busy with the Chunin exams." Hiruzen became serious and looked at Fujin. He said, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the Chunin Exams..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kwabena, Travis, James, Tronic, Jesu?s, William, Diago and Samuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 599: Guidance Hall Chapter 599: Guidance Hall Fujin looked at Yoshi suspiciously. The three senior medical ninjas immediately became tense. They quickly began thinking of all possible reasons they could give to convince Fujin to take the break in case he insisted on continuing the training. Unlike his expression, Fujin was laughing in his mind. He thought, ''It looks like not everyone is as shameless as Hiruzen. He would have long escaped after telling me not to approach him for a week. Then again, these guys aren''t as fast as him. So who can say for sure?'' To the relief of the three senior medical ninjas, Fujin replied, "Alright, I''ll revise what I have learnt so far for a week. I''ll see you later. Thank you for teaching me about human anatomy." Fujin disappeared from the room. The three of them let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed on the floor! Isamu said, "Finally! I can take a break! I haven''t even been able to sleep for 3 weeks. Every time I close my eyes, I see his smile and hear his voice pushing me to teach him more!" Yoshi and Hideaki agreed. They went through the same. Hideaki caught his breath and stood up. He looked at Yoshi and said respectfully, "I only promised you that I''d guide Fujin in anatomy. I have completed my promise. Please don''t find me again in the future and ask other experienced ninjas to teach that demon. I won''t be telling them anything related to him." As soon as he was done speaking, he turned around and ran out of the room. Yoshi cursed under his breath, "This brat!" Despite having guided Hideaki when he was young, Yoshi knew he couldn''t share his misery with him anymore. Instead, he said, "He is right. I''ll ask other experienced medical ninjas to help us. That way, our workload will be reduced." Isamu replied, "Yeah, you should! Why should others be spared from this hell? However, I''m not sure if it''ll reduce our workload" Yoshi immediately turned his head towards Isamu and asked, "What do you mean?" Isamu answered, "I''m afraid that he''ll just create more Shadow Clones" Pain could be heard in Isamu''s pitiful voice. It could also be seen on Yoshi''s face who was lost for words! Time continued flowing. As he had said, Fujin gave Yoshi a week''s break. Unfortunately, the three of them still experienced nightmares every night and woke up with sweat flowing down their foreheads. During this time, Takeshi managed to master the jutsus Fujin had taught him. He decided to take the next step and create a new Scorch Release jutsu. Fujin used the opportunity to enter his body again with the Spirit Transformation jutsu and performed Scorch jutsus which Takeshi already knew. It allowed him to become much more familiar with Scorch Release and understand better how Wind and Fire chakra fused inside the body. He took a step closer to learning Scorch Release, but still couldn''t do it. However, he wasn''t very worried as he could feel that it was only a matter of time before he took the last step! Fujin also used the break to take a mission and make a quick visit to the Phantom Haven Society to ensure that everything was moving smoothly. The Phantom Haven Society had recruited two more batches of young children but were only able to recruit 3 experienced ninjas. None of them caught Fujin''s eye. He applied the Phantom Seal on them and gave a speech about the Phantom Will before focusing on the information network. Fujin ignored his reaction and they entered the Guidance Hall. The design on the inside was just as captivating as the designs on the outside. Fujin and Hiruzen inspected the arrangements made inside the Hall for doing its main job. The main hall was extremely spacious and could easily accommodate a few hundred ninjas. At the end of the hall was a wide office with windows. Employees would sit there and accept requests from the youngsters who wanted someone to guide them for any jutsus. The office behind the windows would have people who would assign the youngsters to appropriate guides. There were several spacious rooms on the two sides of the hall as well. One of them was to keep a record of the Veteran Ninjas who were willing to guide youngsters and the jutsus they were willing to teach. The remaining rooms served other purposes. One of those rooms was for the Anbu that Hiruzen was planning to station there. He had planned to station two Anbu squads permanently at the Guidance Hall. In addition, several more Anbu squads were arranged to inspect the ninjas who wanted to guide the youngsters. Fujin and Hiruzen inspected everything and didn''t have any complaints. Hiruzen teasingly asked, "Do you want to register as a guide? I''m sure everyone would want to learn Wind Release jutsus from you." Fujin imitated Hiruzen''s sigh of exhaustion and said, "I have my hands full guiding nearly a hundred and fifty kids. Besides, I''m only 16 years old. People are doubtful of my capabilities. However, if you register, I''m sure everyone will come to learn from the Professor." With a smirk on his face, Fujin added, "I''ll be sure to be the first one to ask for your guidance, Grandpa." This time, Hiruzen sighed and said, "As a Hokage, I''m very busy to sign up as a guide here. The Guidance Hall needed a lot of my attention. It has just finished and now I''ll be busy with the Chunin exams." Hiruzen became serious and looked at Fujin. He said, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the Chunin Exams" A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kwabena, Travis, James, Tronic, Jess, William, Diago and Samuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 600: The Greatest Idiot! Chapter 600: The Greatest Idiot! [A/N: We got 6814 Power Stones in the last week and ended at rank 6 in the Power Stone ranking! Keep it up guys. This is our highest rank at the end of a week :)] "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the Chunin Exams..." Fujin was surprised to hear Hiruzen talk about it. After the previous council meeting, they hadn''t discussed Sunagakure again. He wondered, ''Did he get more information on Sunagakure''s movements to be so alert all of a sudden? Or did Jiraiya notice Orochimaru''s movements?'' Fujin paid close attention as Hiruzen continued, "You know the three stages of the Chunin Exams, right?" Fujin nodded. It wasn''t something he would forget easily. Hiruzen continued, "I want you to be the proctor for the second phase." Fujin was surprised. He never expected Hiruzen to put forth such a request. Hiruzen could see the surprise on Fujin''s face as well. What he didn''t know was that it was a happy surprise for Fujin! Of course, Fujin had no intention of showing his real emotions and asked in a confused tone, "Why? Didn''t Anko take over Clan Leader Tsume''s job? Did something happen?" Hiruzen replied, "Nothing has happened yet. It''s just that I have a feeling that something strange will happen during the Chunin Exams. As for what that is, I have no idea. My Anbu couldn''t find any clues that could answer my unease. Nothing should happen during the first phase as all the Sensei will be close by. Similarly, I''ll be looking over the third phase personally. Only the second phase is where we won''t be able to keep an eye on everything properly. If anyone has ill intentions, they will make a move during that phase. Considering that the children of most clan leaders might take part in the upcoming chunin exams, I don''t want to leave it to chance. With you overlooking the second phase, it''ll deter anyone who has any nefarious plans. Especially if it is Suna." Hiruzen knew that Suna would have connected the dots by now. Even though Rasa was a bit slow, Fujin''s reputation outside Konoha was too high for anyone to overlook him. If Fujin was the proctor, then Hiruzen believed that Suna wouldn''t try anything unless someone like Rasa or Chiyo could somehow sneak into the Forest of Death without being detected. Fujin was surprised by Hiruzen''s reason and thought, ''To feel unease about a future calamity... That''s very impressive. I wonder if that is something that develops with experience. That said, he couldn''t guess that his source of unease was his former student and not Suna. Regardless, this is very good for me. I''ll be able to recruit Karin with ease. I''ll also be able to monitor if there are any changes to the original story due to my involvement. At least, team 7''s fight against Orochimaru should be different, though I don''t think it''ll affect the end result. I might also get a hint about what plans Orochimaru has made for me.'' "Well?" Hiruzen broke Fujin''s chain of thoughts. Fujin nodded and answered, "Alright. I''ll be the proctor. It shouldn''t be an issue." Hiruzen said, "Good. I''ll have Anko help you out. You can make some changes to the exam format if you want but don''t make it very complicated. Alternatively, you can just let Anko run the show in the background while you show your face and appear to be in charge." Fujin replied, "Sure." Why would Fujin complain when Hiruzen did everything he could to lessen his workload? He just nodded happily. With the talk done, Hiruzen began interacting with others in the Guidance Hall. A few hours later, it was time for the Guidance Hall to be inaugurated. Since Hiruzen had decided to make it a big event, he invited a lot of people. Several hundred veteran ninjas appeared in the courtyard. Thousands of young ninjas appeared as well despite not getting any official invite. They stayed away from the courtyard, watching the inauguration from a distance. As a result, the Guidance Hall was completely surrounded by them and their excited chatter filled the air. Fujin''s students looked at him with pity. Fujin hadn''t held back any words. Before Naruto could recover, Fujin grabbed him by the back of his neck and lifted him like a cat. "Eh? What are you doing? What''s this wind?" Fujin''s students watched as Naruto was engulfed in some kind of wind. All 6 of them heard, "Go find Kakashi and pester him to teach you jutsus instead of doing something so foolish." With a flick of his wrist, Fujin sent Naruto flying in the air. Fujin''s students saw Naruto flying through the sky while hearing his shocked screams. Several people in Konoha looked above as they heard a scream. They were shocked to see Naruto flying over their heads. While the village was busy with talks of the Guidance Hall, a silver-haired ninja was standing silently in front of the Memorial Stone. Suddenly, he heard a scream and turned around. Confusion appeared on his face as he muttered, "What the hell?" Seconds later, Naruto fell in front of him. The Winds surrounding him cushioned his fall and immediately dissipated. Even so, the poor boy was scared due to the unexpected trip. To his surprise, he saw Kakashi in front of him and asked, "Kakashi sensei?" Kakashi asked, "Naruto, how did you come flying here?" Naruto didn''t register his question and instead recalled Fujin''s words. He quickly ran towards Kakashi and said, "Kakashi sensei! Please teach me more cool jutsus!" Kakashi watched with a deadpan expression as Naruto ignored his question and began pestering him non-stop. Back at Fujin''s house, his students asked with a stunned expression, "What was that?" Fujin casually replied, "A new jutsu that I came up with. It''s quite handy for throwing others away. Now, which one of you wanted to learn at the Guidance Hall with empty pockets? I''ll help you get there in no time." Immediately, all his 5 students shook their heads. While it seemed fun, none of them wanted to be sent flying like Naruto. Fujin replied, "Good. Get back to your training." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Bananamaneater, Drakun, Daniel, Noctussy, Nashz, Alex, Brandon and Ashywar for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 601 - 595 : Anko’s Annoyance Chapter 601: Chapter 595 : Anko''s Annoyance For the next week, almost all ninjas in Konoha were discussing the Guidance Hall. Several Veteran ninjas who were enthusiastic to teach the younger generation signed up. At the same time, nearly every young ninja from the civilian background expressed interest in getting their guidance. It wasn''t just Konoha ninjas who were trying to get into the Guidance Hall. Spies placed by the other villages wanted to know everything about the Guidance Hall as well. One of those spies had successfully managed to secure guidance under a Jounin. Even though nothing could be seen on his face, Kabuto was extremely serious internally. He wondered, ''Konoha made such a huge move just before Orochimaru-sama would make his move. It''s almost like they are preparing for a war. Could it be that our plans have been leaked? But how?'' Kabuto analyzed for a bit before concluding, ''No, if they knew about our plans, then they wouldn''t have made such a show and would have instead prepared in the dark. There was no reason to make the youngsters pay to get guidance. Instead, they should have just guided talented ninjas secretly and we wouldn''t have known. Still, this is a very good method. Now, several hundred ninjas will master one or two additional jutsus by the time our invasion starts. Their strength will be slightly higher than what we calculated initially. This makes matters more complicated considering how outnumbered we will be. Sigh, all will depend on whether Orochimaru-sama is able to kill the Third Hokage quickly enough. Once the high-level battle is won, the numerical disadvantage will be meaningless.'' He adjusted his spectacles while looking around and thinking, ''Suzuki Fujin... There is very little information available about him. Even though everyone in the village is discussing him, the normal ninjas don''t know anything about him. Everything about him is just a rumor. Even I thought that it was just Konoha''s tactic of raising his reputation. Vissit for updates To think that he is someone who killed Juzo and escaped from Kisame... If Orochimaru-sama hadn''t informed me, I''d have been completely oblivious to his real strength as well. We will have to treat him as someone at the same level as Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy. Considering that he specializes in eliminating weaker ninjas at a rapid speed, he can''t be left unchecked during the war. Under normal circumstances, it''d have been best if we eliminated him before the war began. However...'' Kabuto gulped his saliva as sweat rolled down from his forehead. Seeing his expression, the Jounin asked, "Kid, are you understanding? If you have any doubts, ask me." Kabuto immediately asked a random doubt related to the jutsu the Jounin was teaching them. The Jounin didn''t find anything odd and cleared his doubt. As for the reason for Kabuto''s reaction? It was rather simple. After understanding Fujin''s threat, Kabuto immediately gathered all information related to Fujin. He was already aware that Fujin lived on the outskirts of the village. It created some ideas in his mind, making him wonder whether he or Orochimaru could sneak attack Fujin in his house and eliminate him before Hiruzen could react. As a result, he went to check Fujin''s house and casually passed by his compound pretending that he was going somewhere. What he witnessed made him decide on the spot to never go anywhere close to Fujin''s house. It still gave him the creeps whenever he recalled that sight. As the Jounin went back to explaining, Kabuto thought, ''Which lunatic inscribed tens of thousands of seals on that little compound? I initially thought that it was a trap. However, no one is blind enough to walk into that trap. Whoever inscribed those seals is definitely a lunatic! Even if I and Orochimaru attacked his house, he''ll easily be able to stall us until the reinforcements arrive.'' As for the one whom Kabuto was cursing, he was currently in Hiruzen''s office along with 3 other ninjas. Hiruzen looked at Fujin, Ibiki, Anko and Hayate and said, "The next Chunin exams will start soon. Ibiki, you''ll be the proctor of the first round. Fujin, you''ll be the proctor of the second round. Anko will assist you. Hayate, you''ll be the proctor of the last round. Any questions?" All the ninjas shook their heads. Hiruzen had already informed Anko about his decision to make Fujin the proctor for this particular exam. On hearing his reasoning, she didn''t have any complaints. She was also interested in seeing the one who everyone was talking about lately. Anko immediately replied, "I did that last time. It became boring after a few hours!" Fujin chuckled and replied, "I should have guessed." They reached the central tower in the Forest of Death. Anko said, "As you know, this will be our base for the exam. I''ll first introduce you to all the instructors here and show you all the arrangements." Fujin nodded and followed. Anko first called everyone in the tower together and introduced them to Fujin. Fujin already knew most of them as it hadn''t been too long since he took the exam. There were only a few new faces. Of course, even if he remembered their faces, he didn''t remember any of their names nor knew their abilities. After meeting everyone, Anko brought Fujin to the monitoring room. There were several displays in that room. Anko said, "There are several security cameras placed in the forest. We can use them to monitor the situation. Of course, this is still very limited. The beasts in the forest regularly break them and any ninja can easily avoid or destroy them without arousing any suspicions. The only cameras you can count on are the ones in the building." Fujin replied, "Hmm, I didn''t expect that there would be cameras in the forest... But yeah, even Genins would avoid them. It is sort of pointless. Only someone who is very cocky will arouse suspicion." Anko chuckled and said, "You don''t know how many ninjas become cocky." Fujin shrugged and replied, "It''s hard to say when they die too soon." Fujin''s reply immediately made Anko recall the rumors about Fujin. She turned around and looked at him, only to find Fujin staring at her. Seeing where his gaze was, a tick mark appeared on her forehead once again! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You hh, adilzhan, Drakun, Leonardo, GodlyShade and Xylneir for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 602: Anbu Captain! Chapter 602: Anbu Captain! Seeing Fujin''s gaze, Anko became annoyed once again. She snorted and said, "First, you refuse to make any innovative changes to the Chunin exams. And now, you are acting like a pervert! Aren''t you too young for this?" After hearing all the rumors about Fujin, Anko was very curious about him. She had asked several people in her friend circle about him as his name kept coming up in conversations. However, no one knew much about him. Only Ibiki seemed to know a few things but he didn''t say much. Unfortunately, she had only been disappointed due to her sky-high expectations. Fujin raised his right eyebrow and turned his gaze towards Anko''s eyes while saying, "Pervert? I''m not the one wearing a metal mesh and showing off. Besides, I was looking at the back of your neck. Or more specifically, that little tattoo." Anko was annoyed by his first sentence but was soon surprised. She wondered, ''He is looking at my curse seal? But why? Wait, didn''t the rumors also say that he is a Grandmaster?'' Fujin rested his right elbow on his left palm and massaged his chin with his right hand making him appear to be in deep thought. His gaze returned to her neck as he continued, "I initially thought it was just some sort of tattoo. However, on looking closely, it looks like an incredibly high-level seal. And from the dark aura it gives, it definitely doesn''t look like something that is beneficial for you. I wonder what it is..." His gaze turned back to her eyes as he said, "As for your last question, I''m sixteen, not six. Grow up." Had it been his first life, Fujin would have definitely mentioned that her age was 50% higher than his, implying that she was too old. Thankfully, the experience of two lifetimes had made him smart enough to not make meaningless statements like that and needlessly invoke a lady''s wrath. Unlike Fujin, Anko''s emotions were a mess. Even after a few seconds, she couldn''t make up her mind as to what to think! She cursed, ''This brat! Why is he so difficult to talk to? First, he implies that I''m a pervert. Then, he expresses concern about the curse seal. And finally, he says that he is sixteen and not six, implying that he is of the age to do something like that. Seriously, what the hell is up with this kid?'' The normally outspoken and brash Anko was lost for words. Fortunately for her, there wasn''t anyone else in the room apart from Fujin to witness her in that state. Meanwhile, Fujin wondered, ''Why does it look like she is going to experience a seizure? I asked her a rather simple question.'' Fujin asked again, "Well, what is that seal? Can I take a look at it?" Fujin''s question snapped Anko out of her complex thoughts. She shook her head and covered the seal while saying, "No. It is a memory of the past. Lord Hokage and Jiraiya-sama have sealed the seal. So, it isn''t a worry." To her surprise, Fujin looked to be in deep thought once again. After a few seconds, he muttered, "Hmm? A seal that even Grandpa and the Toad Sage couldn''t remove and had to resort to sealing... Now I''m even more curious about its origin." He looked back at Anko and said, "I have been studying quite a few weird seals lately. If you want to remove the seal, perhaps I can have a look at it. Who knows if you might get lucky." Despite Fujin''s kind offer, Anko shook her head and answered, "Sorry. Some other time." Fujin had been very impressed with Bunjiro''s talent and work ethic. He was surprised to see him enter the Anbu just two years after he graduated. And now, he managed to become an Anbu Captain in less than three years after becoming an Anbu! Even though Fujin had interfered and asked Eagle to give Bunjiro the Promotion mission earlier than he would have normally, Bunjiro''s progress was still very fast. After all, the fact that Bunjiro had completed the promotion mission successfully proved his ability. As they sat on the sofa, Bunjiro said, "I might have become an Anbu Captain, but I still can''t compare with you, Captain. You became a Council Member and are now taking care of so many orphans. If we had an environment like this growing up, we would have aced the academy!" Tatsuya chuckled and asked, "Are you forgetting that we still aced the graduation exams? Otherwise, we wouldn''t have been assigned to Sensei." Bunjiro replied, "Ah, I almost forgot. But you know what I mean. You have seen how good these kids are. As expected of you, Captain!" Tatsuya nodded. The orphans in Fujin''s compound were abnormally good. Fujin just looked at them and wondered, ''How Danzo would react if he learnt that all the credit for his hard work of finding talented children, making them orphans, kidnapping them and training them to build strong basics was being given to me?'' Though Fujin didn''t think Danzo would show much of a reaction, he could imagine how offended Danzo would be internally! He replied, "I didn''t do much. The kids are just too talented. Anyway, I''m sure two are curious why I asked you two to come here after Bunjiro gets promoted, right?" The two immediately nodded. Fujin hadn''t given them any explanation so far. They just followed his instructions as they owed and respected him a lot. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jai, Brent, Mitchell, Ludvig, Hans, Mello, Limonday and Crepusculum for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 603: Playing Hot Potata! Chapter 603: Playing Hot Potata! Fujin said, "Well, I have a request for you two. It''s a rather simple one, but at the same time, it could be huge depending on how you see it." Tatsuya and Bunjiro were intrigued. They listened carefully to his words. A few months ago, when Fujin realized that he would have to increase his prestige in Konoha to avoid any political troubles if something happened to Hiruzen, Fujin had two options. The one he chose to act on was the proposal of the Guidance Hall. It had been as successful as Fujin had hoped. The other option Fujin had was to create a faction equivalent to the clans in Konoha. Hiruzen had already laid a foundation for Fujin by giving him talented orphans who were trained by the Root and were being trained to join the Anbu. However, Fujin lacked the mid and high-level combat that the clans had. Most major clans had around a dozen Jounins, a few dozen Chunins, over a hundred Genins and 1 to 3 Elite Jounins. Fujin could match the highest level of combat, but he had no one at Jounin level. The Kiri orphans could all be considered as Genins thanks to the training by Root and Anbu. Only a handful like some of Fujin''s students could barely be considered as Chunins. However, they had zero battle experience. When Fujin had thought about recruiting high-level Ninjas, the first name that came to his mind wasn''t Renjiro or Hoka, two Elite Jounin level ninjas whom Fujin was very close to. Instead, it was Bunjiro! The reason for this was rather simple. Both Renjiro and Hoka had their respective clans. They couldn''t look after the orphans in Fujin''s compounds. Hoka deciding to remove the seal had given Fujin an opportunity to recruit him, but that was a recent development and there was still some time for that to happen. Even others whom Fujin could ask for a favor like Teru, Hana, Kaen, Tsuyoshi and Fumito were all from the clans. The only one who wasn''t was Yugao. However, she wasn''t someone whom he could call either for this purpose. As a result, Bunjiro and, by extension, Tatsuya were his only options. Though both were quite good for their age and did well beyond what Fujin imagined they would achieve when he had helped them on a whim, it was not enough to create anything comparable to a clan''s high-level force. That was why Fujin focused more on the Guidance Hall while silently making arrangements with the Anbu Commander to ensure that Bunjiro wouldn''t have to wait for several years before being allowed to take the promotion mission. Fujin continued, "I have been looking to have someone help me with the orphans. It was why I pushed Eagle to allow you to take the promotion mission and made him station you here." Bunjiro became confused. He asked, "What do you mean? Won''t we help you here from now onwards as we will be stationed here?" Fujin shook his head and answered, "That''s not the same. Even though Lord Hokage has arranged for several Anbu Squads to stay here, they aren''t orphans and have their own families. So, they don''t understand it exactly. What I want from you two is to move into the compounds permanently. Or well, at least until you two decide to start your respective families. This way, I won''t have to be worried about something happening here when I''m out of the village." Bunjiro and Tatsuya''s eyes widened. They realized that Fujin wanted them to move from the rooms they were assigned by the academy to the rooms in his compound. That was different as compared to the other Anbu who stayed there temporarily and worked in shifts. Even so, both nodded immediately with a smile and excitement on their faces. Bunjiro said, "I''ll be honored to stay here." As Kakashi spoke, he recalled the events of the day when Naruto came flying at him. After an endless pestering, Kakashi began teaching him. While Naruto was practicing, Kakashi asked curiously, "By the way, how did you come flying here, Naruto?" Naruto became embarrassed and flustered on hearing that question. He answered while looking away, "Fujin threw me." Kakashi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Threw you? Why?" Naruto replied with even more embarrassment, "I was planning to visit the Guidance Hall and told him. He scolded me for thinking about that when I have a sensei who knows a thousand jutsus much better than anyone teaching there and threw me over here." Since Fujin hadn''t asked Naruto to keep it a secret this time, he didn''t. A deadpan expression appeared on Kakashi''s face as he thought, ''I knew it! That bastard hates to see me be happy!'' Back to the present, Kakashi continued, "Also, Wind Release isn''t my expertise. Even though I can use those jutsus, I am not very good at them. That''s why I said that you should be able to perform them at least as well as I can." Naruto was surprised. He asked in a stunned expression, "You call that being not very good?" He thought, ''That''s unbelievable! Kakashi sensei''s wind jutsus are several times stronger than mine!'' Kakashi nodded and said, "You are still new at learning them. In a year or two, you''ll realize it. So, I can''t guide you much." A smile appeared on Kakashi''s face as he quickly added, "Fortunately, our village has someone who is probably the best at Wind Release in the world." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Virgil, 66835, Mooge, Timothy and Ruben for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 604: The Best Wind Ninja! Chapter 604: The Best Wind Ninja! "Fortunately, our village has someone who is probably the best at Wind Release in the world." Naruto immediately became excited and exclaimed, "Really? Who is it?" Kakashi continued smiling and said, "It''s none other than Fujin." "WHAT??? Big brother Fujin is the best at Wind Release in the entire world?" To say Naruto was shocked was an understatement. Until a few months ago, he didn''t even know that Fujin had a cool nickname. And now suddenly, Kakashi dropped this bomb. Kakashi just nodded and coolly said, "Yes, he is." At the same time, Kakashi thought, ''Though that is more due to the fact that there are no strong Wind users in the world as Sunagakure themselves are heavily lacking in this aspect. If Fujin is ignored, then the next best ones will be Elder Danzo and Lord Hokage. By comparison, the Raikage specializes in Lightning Release and is very strong. For Earth Release, it is difficult for anyone to compete with the Tsuchikage. For Fire Release, Lord Hokage could probably set fire to the entire Land of Fire while the Land of Water has several formidable ninjas who specialize in Water Release. Of course, there is no reason to tell Naruto this.'' Naruto thought, ''I didn''t know big brother Fujin was so good! No wonder he decided to teach me Wind jutsus. Now that I think about it, he can do some crazy things with Wind. I still remember how he could restrain me with just a snap of his fingers!'' Seeing Naruto in thought, Kakashi coaxed, "For now, focus on mastering those 3 jutsus. Once you master them, you can ask Fujin to teach you more Wind jutsus. Hmm, wait..." Kakashi pretended to be in deep thought. Naruto paid attention carefully. Suddenly, Kakashi said, "You know, now that I have thought about it more, I think it''ll be better for you to go to him as soon as you can and ask for his guidance. He might know some jutsus that are more suitable for you. It''ll save some time." Excitement appeared in Naruto''s eyes. He immediately said, "Alright! I''ll go ask him, believe it!" Without waiting for Kakashi''s reply, Naruto began running. Kakashi looked at his back and muttered, "Now that''s more like it. I should''ve done this on the very first day. It would be fun to see Fujin''s reaction when Naruto approaches him. Unfortunately, his house gives me creeps. I won''t be able to spy in secret." With Naruto gone, Kakashi opened his book and walked away while reading it. A few minutes later, Kakashi had become quite engrossed in that book when he suddenly felt something. He looked behind him. His right eye widened as he saw Naruto flying towards him once again while shouting, "Kakashi sensei! Wait!" Seconds later, Naruto crashed in front of Kakashi. He quickly got up as Kakashi asked, "Why are you back? Didn''t I tell you to ask for his guidance?" With a grin on his face, Naruto answered, "I did. He praised me saying that I''m learning the right jutsus and added that I''m on the right track. He told me to master those three jutsus as well and told me to use Gale Palm jutsu and Projectile Control jutsu together so that others won''t be able to dodge my weapons easily." Kakashi nodded and said, "That makes sense. Still, why are you here?" Sayaka placed her hand on Yuji''s shoulder and said with a smirk, "If you continue being mischievous, Sensei might throw you next." Immediately, Yuji became nervous and said, "Hey, I don''t create any trouble, like Naruto! I''m smart enough to know that I shouldn''t annoy sensei! Besides, what''s up with Sensei''s Wind Release? It is so different from any other ninja''s Wind Release!" Takeshi nodded and said, "Yes. It almost feels like a Kekkei Genkai! However, Sensei said that he doesn''t have any Kekkei Genkai. No one else says that sensei has a Kekkei Genkai either." Sayaka added, "I was intrigued as well. That''s why, I did some digging." Her words immediately gained the attention of the remaining kids. As the eldest and the one who led their small squad, her words held slightly more weight than others. Hikari quickly asked, "What did you find?" Sayaka said, "It''s difficult to find anything concrete. Instead, I looked at other top-tier ninjas. I discovered that nearly all top-level ninjas can use nature manipulation in a way that almost makes it seem like a Kekkei Genkai. For instance, the Third Tsuchikage can fly using Earth Release. He can also make other objects heavier and lighter with Earth Release. The Fourth Raikage can create an Armor of Lightning with Lightning Release. Apparently, no attack can pierce through that armor and he can move at the speed of Lightning! So, sensei''s Wind Release may have reached a similar level. That is why it is so different as compared to our and our Anbu instructors'' Wind Release." Yuji exclaimed in surprise, "You mean that our sensei is at the same level as the Raikage and Tsuchikage?" Sayaka answered, "I can''t say for sure. The only thing I can say is that sensei''s Wind Release is likely at that level. In a way, it is actually cooler than Kekkei Genkai as it is far more versatile and rare. As for whether he can fight against them, it''s hard to say for someone like me." Sayaka''s explanation made sense. The four kids nodded. Even though they weren''t sure, their respect for Fujin increased by a few levels! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jay, Lucchi, Mr. Falcon and ¦Ð¦Á¦Í¦Á¦Ã¦É¦Ø?¦Ó¦Ç? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 605: How long will you keep playing? Chapter 605: How long will you keep playing? [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Terrance Smith. You can thank him for the double release.] Thanks to Kakashi''s warning, Naruto no longer bothered him and focused on mastering the 3 jutsus. Of course, that didn''t mean that Kakashi was completely free. He still had to lead Team 7 on their missions. With Naruto and Sasuke becoming increasingly competitive, his days weren''t peaceful by any means. It was quite a contrast from Fujin who had relieved himself from nearly every duty and focused on his training. Even in his absence, his students focused on mastering their jutsus earnestly. In one of the many training grounds in Konoha, loud sounds were constantly being heard. Even the ground shook frequently, as if an Earthquake had hit the training ground. If someone passed by, they would think that some sort of calamity was happening! If they were to check, they''d be shocked to see that all the sounds and shaking were happening due to clashes of fists and legs! Standing some distance away, Tenten sighed and said, "Every time I see them fighting, I find it hard to believe that ninjas can fight in this manner... If it was me, my hands and legs would long be injured!" Lee nodded and said, "They are even more fierce today! As expected of Guy sensei and Fujin-san!" Neji added, "It looks like they aren''t holding back this time." Unlike a year ago, Guy''s students could now follow Fujin''s and Guy''s movements. In the training ground, Fujin''s and Guy''s fists clashed once again before they retreated. Both their breathing was heavy. Guy said, "Not bad. You are very enthusiastic today, Fujin. Your stamina with the Strong Fist style is several times higher than when you first used it. As expected as someone so youthful!" Fujin thought, ''Yeah, but looks like forcing him to open the Gates with just my Taijutsu is still impossible. Oh well, that''s not a surprise.'' Fujin chuckled and said, "I haven''t been in a good fight for some time. Guy, how many Gates can you open without putting much of a strain on your body?" Guy was surprised by Fujin''s question. It was the first time Fujin had asked something like that. It also was the first time when Fujin had pushed him this much despite them having sparred so many times. He wondered, ''Is he preparing for something?'' Guy answered, "Five. If I open the sixth, I''ll need to rest for some time." Fujin replied, "That''s impressive. Lord Hokage recently gave me a task and I don''t want to be caught lacking. Are you fine with taking a spar a notch higher?" That said, at my level, getting a good fight is a very rare event. I doubt Ororchimaru fought with anyone after his little clash with Itachi either. Oh well, this spar with Guy should be enough warm-up. I''ll train for another week until the exam begins.'' As Fujin returned home, another interesting event occurred in Konoha. Naruto and Sakura, who had just returned from their mission, met with Konohamaru''s gang. As in the original story, Sakura beat both of them up when Konohamaru asked whether she was Naruto''s girlfriend and Naruto agreed. Holding the bump on his head, Konohamaru said, "I don''t even think she''s human! Did you see how wide her forehead is?" Unfortunately for him, he hadn''t bothered lowering his voice. Sakura, who was walking away, froze. She mechanically turned around, with an expression that terrified the four of them. All four began running away as she chased after them. The chase didn''t last for long as Konohamaru ran into Kankuro. While Hiruzen held a meeting with the senseis, Kankuro held up Konohamaru. To rescue him, Naruto moved forward, but Kankuro used a chakra thread to make Naruto slip. As he fell, Naruto thought, ''What the hell? My foot froze... That''s similar to big brother Fujin''s Wind Release!'' Despite the chakra thread, Naruto managed to control himself and didn''t entirely fall. He quickly regained his balance and shouted, "Hey you in the black pig suit! Release him now and I''ll go easy on you!" Unfortunately, that earned him a scolding from Sakura. While she held him. Kankuro threatened to kill Konohamaru and went for a punch. Realizing that it wouldn''t be good, Naruto weaved hand seals while cursing, "Bastard!" Temari recognized the hand seals and thought, ''Not good'' She quickly grabbed her fan. Not wanting to accidentally injure Konohamaru, Naruto didn''t throw any weapon and instead just sent a small blast of wind towards Kankuro with Gale Palm jutsu. However, Temari opened her fan and used it to cover Kankuro, blocking Naruto''s attack. The wind blast caused Temari to move behind slightly and made her, Kankuro and Konohamaru feel a breeze. At the same time, a stone hit Kankuro''s wrist, stopping his punch and forcing him to let Konohamaru go. Like in the original story, Kankuro tried to fight with Sasuke until Gaara appeared and threatened him. The only difference was that Konohamaru wasn''t that disappointed in Naruto and others didn''t look down on Naruto. Especially Temari, who was surprised to see a Wind jutsu being used. At the same time, Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma gave their approval for their Genins to take part in the Chunin exams. Iruka opposed it but was shut down ruthlessly by Kakashi. A week later, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke met outside the Academy, ready to participate in the Chunin Exams! Meanwhile, two individuals were playing a game a Shogi in a tower that was at the center of a deadly forest. One of them was young, the other was middle-aged with a few scars on his face showing his experience. A lady, with Dango sticks in her hand, scolded in annoyance, "How long will you keep playing? The Genins should be gathering right now!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N: You can sponsor chapters through P@treon. Chapter 606 - 600 : Cold Winds... Chapter 606: Chapter 600 : Cold Winds... "How long are you going to keep playing?" Anko asked in annoyance. She had been pestering Fujin to accompany her to the academy since the morning. However, Fujin had shown no signs of getting up. Instead, he just made a move. Renjiro made his move as well and asked with a chuckle, "What''s the rush, Anko-chan? There''s still a couple of hours before the first round will be done." Sitting next to him, Hoka added, "Yeah. Calm down, Anko. You have been restless since the morning." Since Fujin had nothing to do, he had asked Renjiro and Hoka to accompany him to the tower in the Forest of Death. He just mentioned Hiruzen''s worries and since neither of them had anything to do, they agreed. As a result, Anko was outnumbered three to one, making her feel frustrated! She said with a flustered expression, "You! Alright, keep playing! Hmph!" She began walking away when Fujin chuckled and said, "Don''t worry, Anko. I have already made the arrangements." Anko was surprised. She wondered, ''He has been sitting here for the last few hours. What arrangements did he make?'' Unable to figure it out, she asked, "What arrangements?" Fujin smirked and said, "Pretty cool ones." The other three in the room stared at him with a deadpan expression. However, Fujin showed no intention of explaining anything. Finally, Anko''s shoulders drooped as she slumped into a chair and exclaimed tiredly, "I give up!" Fujin chuckled once again and continued focusing on the game while chatting with Renjiro and Hoka. Over at the academy, things changed slightly due to Fujin''s influence. Luckily, they weren''t too drastic. The largest change he had caused was undoubtedly to Team 7. Naruto was considerably stronger by this time than in the original story. He knew several Wind jutsus and had better control over his chakra. His confidence was higher as well. In addition, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were all considerably stronger physically as Kakashi had made their training significantly more difficult. Due to his increased confidence, Naruto didn''t challenge Lee when Lee challenged Sasuke. Sasuke fared better in his fight but still got defeated humiliatingly and would have been thrashed if Guy''s summon didn''t stop the fight. The trio met Might Guy for the first time as well and were shocked due to his eyebrows and speed. Their interactions after entering the exam hall were more or less the same. They caught up with their old classmates before meeting Kabuto who gave them some information about the Chunin Exams. He also gave them details on a few strong participants like Rock Lee and Gaara. Eventually, he was attacked by the squad from Hidden Sound before Ibiki appeared in the room and began the exam. Ibiki''s exam was the same. The first part required the participants to copy smartly. Even though Naruto had become slightly more intelligent, he still couldn''t figure out the meaning behind the test and refused to copy Hinata''s answers due to fear of being caught and eliminated from the exam. While the exam was underway, Fujin looked towards the clock and muttered, "It''s almost time." Anko''s ears perked up hearing his words. She got up and asked, "Finally! If we leave now, we might still be able to make it to the academy in time." Fujin nodded and said, "Hmm... Why don''t you move ahead, Anko? I''ll meet you outside the Forest of Death." Fujin''s words confused her. Having interacted with Fujin for the past few days, Anko had realized that Fujin was quite eccentric. She suspiciously asked, "What do you mean?" Fujin chuckled and replied, "Just what I said. Why are you hesitating?" She continued looking at Fujin suspiciously, but he didn''t give her any hints. She began walking while cursing under her breath, "If you don''t come soon, I swear that I''ll make Hokage sama change the proctor in the middle of the exam!" Fujin''s fake worry once again annoyed Anko. She cursed, ''This fucking brat! I want to beat him up so damn much!'' She snorted and turned around, moving away from Fujin who just chuckled in response and went back to his chair. Back in the academy, Ibiki put forth the rules of the last question. Hearing that they would never be allowed to take the Chunin exam if they failed to get the answer right, many quit. Only 78 Genins were left when Naruto had his little outburst, which raised the confidence of the remaining participants. Ibiki looked at the remaining participants and announced, "Good call. So, everyone who is still here... You''ve just passed the first exam!" Ibiki''s announcement shocked every participant still in the room. They quickly asked their queries as Ibiki patiently explained the reasoning behind the test and gave them valuable lessons. With a smile on his face, Ibiki ended by saying, "Part one of the chunin selection exam is now concluded. I''ll pray you fight the good fight." Needless to say, everyone was pleased to hear Ibiki''s explanation, none more so than Naruto. A smile was present on the faces of all 78 participants when they suddenly felt a chill. Even the examiners keeping an eye on the Genins felt a chill. Except for Ibiki, who guessed accurately, every one of them became alert. Naruto muttered, "How did it get so cold all of a sudden and what''s this wind?" Next to him, Hinata shivered slightly due to the cold. Sasuke had a frown on his face as he wondered, ''What is this chakra I am feeling?'' Even Gaara was surprised as he wondered, ''What is this chakra? Why am I getting such a dangerous feeling from it?'' Temari, Kankuro, Lee and others in the room wondered the same thing and prepared themselves. No one in the room had ever experienced such a chakra. Even the Chunin examiners got up. ''Byakugan!'' Neji activated his Byakugan and was immediately shocked. He wondered, ''What the hell? This chakra has invaded the entire room!'' A ninja wearing the Hidden Grass headband became amused and looked at the front of the room as he thought, ''Such a high-quality Yin and Wind chakra. Interesting...'' At the place where he was looking, the winds began flowing and taking a form! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Duskmar, Rain, datguytyron, Daniel, Rahul, Blanket, Carl, Morotz, Kiiiddd, Trotic, Naruto, Jordan, Jonh, Kenneth, Dez and Adrian for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Abhinav for supporting me through UPI Chapter 607 - 601 : A Mini-Test! Chapter 607: Chapter 601 : A Mini-Test! In the exam hall, everyone''s attention was attracted by what was happening in front of Ibiki. Sakura asked in fear, "What is that? How can winds move like that?" She wondered if it was a Genjutsu and tried disrupting her chakra. However, the scene in front of her didn''t change. The other Genins as well as the Chunins in the room had the same question. None of them had seen winds doing anything close to what they were witnessing. They tried disrupting their chakra as well to ensure that they weren''t in a Genjutsu. There were only four people in the room who had different thoughts. Ibiki looked at the winds in front of him and thought, ''That''s quite a show he has planned. Did Anko put him up to this? Still, isn''t his control over the wind a bit too ridiculous? I don''t think anyone in the Land of Wind can do something like this.'' Gaara carefully observed the winds and noticed, ''The winds are moving just like my sand.'' Orochimaru looked at the winds and analyzed, ''Marvellous! I have never seen such a high degree of control over the Wind. In addition, a high amount of Yin chakra is mixed in the winds, making everyone feel a chill and making it seem like the room temperature has dropped. Interesting. To think that you''d put him as the proctor of the next round, Sensei. Do you already know about my plans? No matter, this boy was causing me headaches. This is a good opportunity to eliminate him before the war begins!'' And the last person who had some clue about what was happening had a peculiar expression on his face. Naruto looked at the winds and muttered softly, "Don''t tell me it is big brother Fujin!" He wondered whether he should call Fujin out. However, he shivered and thought, ''Let it be. I don''t want to be thrown into the sky again.'' Naruto chose to keep his mouth shut. In front of the room, the winds took the form of a human-shaped figure wearing a large cloak who was floating in the air! The only human-like features that could be seen were two glowing eyes. Those glowing eyes scanned the room for a few moments before everyone in the room heard a whisper, "26 squads... The second part of the Chunin Exams begins now. The squads who have passed the first round go to Training Ground 44. If anyone doesn''t make it there in 15 minutes, then your entire squad will be disqualified. You are allowed to ask for anyone''s help, but if anyone fights or causes any destruction or chaos in the village, then your entire squad will be disqualified and handed to Ibiki. Your time starts now!" The human-like figure dispersed into winds after passing the message. Within a few seconds, the breeze inside the room and the chill everyone was feeling disappeared. The entire room was stunned. No one expected an order to be given in such a manner. The impact it had was far greater than Ibiki''s entrance. Suddenly, everyone came to their senses and the genins quickly began reacting. Kiba exclaimed, "Shit! What was that? Since when could wind speak?" Many others had the same reply. Shino appeared next to him and replied, "It''s probably the proctor of our Second Exam. Anyway, we don''t have time to waste. Let''s get together with Hinata and move." Someone from the Hidden Rain complained, "This is so unfair! The Hidden Leaf ninjas get an unfair advantage. They know where the training grounds are in their village!" However, standing next to him, his teammate said, "Why bother crying? Can''t we just follow them to the training ground?" The ninja who complained immediately felt stupid. The ones who had taken the exam earlier knew about the location of the training ground. They immediately began moving. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke gathered together. Naruto immediately asked, "Do either of you know where the training ground 44 is?" Lee, whose squad reached the Forest of Death at the 11th minute, noticed Fujin and said, "Look, Fujin is there." Neji and Tenten noticed him as well. Tenten wondered, "Is he one of the examiners?" Neji replied, "Could be. Or perhaps he could be the proctor." Even though they had seen Fujin fight with Guy, they had only seen Fujin using Taijutsu. The last spar was the first time when they saw Fujin use Wind Release. And even then, Fujin mostly used Winds to enhance his own speed and used non-lethal attacks like Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. He didn''t use his Wind Domain, Vacuum jutsus or even attacks like Blades of Wind jutsu since they would have forced Guy to open more Inner Gates. Hence, they couldn''t connect the winds to Fujin like Naruto could. Soon after them, Naruto''s squad reached close to the Forest of Death. As they were running, Naruto saw Fujin immediately and said, "Crap! It is big brother Fujin!" Sakura and Sasuke immediately heard him. Sakura asked, "The one you always keep talking about? Where is he?" Naruto pointed towards Fujin and said, "Him, the one reading a book. He should be the Proctor of our next round." Sasuke looked at Fujin and thought, ''So, he is the one who taught Naruto Wind jutsus and how to climb a tree. Still, how could he control winds like that? From Kakashi''s expression, I don''t think even he could do anything like that. First Might Guy and now him, how many strong ninjas are there?'' Having seen Guy''s speed and Fujin''s application of Wind, Sasuke felt a lot more pressure. Naruto warned nervously, "Don''t annoy him. He can throw you across the village with a flick of his wrists. He can be very scary." Sakura looked at Naruto and thought with surprise, ''So there is someone who even Naruto is scared of! But what does he mean by that? No one can throw someone across the village, right?'' Around a minute after Naruto''s squad reached, Karin''s squad from Kusagakure reached the Forest of Death. They were the last ones to arrive. Fujin closed his book and got up. His movements were immediately noticed by the Genins as they had seen other examiners frequently looking at Fujin earlier. Fujin walked in front of the Genins and said with a sly smile on his face, "I am Suzuki Fujin, the Proctor of the second round of the Chunin Selection Exam. The arena for this round will be the training ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mohammed, AR3S, Rodrigo, Marcio, WaterIsOld, Yuuyoh, Randall, Eakawat, SimplyF, Carl, Random123, Sebastian, Todd, Astaroth, Edward, Marcus, Aron, Alvin, Javier and Kyy for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 608 - 602 : Missed Opportunity... Chapter 608: Chapter 602 : Missed Opportunity... [A/N: Wow! We were ranked 4th in Power stones in the last week! Excellent job guys! Keep it up!!!] Hearing the name ''Forest of Death'', every Genin turned their attention to the forest behind Fujin. Many gulped nervously, noticing the humongous trees and the darkness within. On the other hand, there were a few maniacal laughs. Sakura looked at it and said nervously, "It looks like a creepy place!" She looked at Fujin and thought, ''It''s a good thing that Naruto is close with the proctor, though I''m not sure whether he''ll help us during the exam.'' Temari was looking at Fujin as well but her mind wasn''t on the Forest of Death. Instead, she thought, ''The ninja who controlled the winds in the exam hall should be him. They were right. His mastery over Wind Release is better than anyone from Sunagakure. Even Father and Baki sensei''s Wind Release isn''t as good as his. Still, how did he do that? And why were the winds so cold?'' As someone who focused on Wind Release, Temari became very interested in Fujin''s control over the wind. Unfortunately, she wasn''t in a position to ask him. Fujin continued, "The second round will be a survival test. It means that you can die in this round. Similarly, you can kill others if you wish to. If any of you aren''t willing to risk your life, you can turn around and leave." Fujin looked around. Needless to say, no one did so. Fujin nodded and said, "Good. Hand them the papers." A couple of examiners came forward, each holding a set of papers. They began distributing the papers. Fujin said, "You''ll receive two sets of papers. The first one is a consent form. All of you have to sign it so that we won''t be liable for any injuries you might suffer or your deaths. The second is the topography of the training ground. As you can see, the training ground is circular with a radius of 10 kilometers, a river flowing through it and a tower at the center. Remember it properly as you will be disqualified if you step out of this training ground for any reason during this round..." The Genins listened carefully and properly observed the map. Standing next to Fujin, Anko had a frown on her face. She looked at the Genins in confusion, ''Why is everyone so obedient and looking at him with such respect?'' Having proctored the exam a couple of times, Anko knew how arrogant the Genins were. It was why she resorted to taking actions that created an impact on them to keep them in line. However, Fujin had been chilling in his chair and then chatted casually with everyone. Yet, no one dared to pass any odd comment. Anko looked at him and wondered, ''Is this also a part of one of his arrangements? Or did Ibiki put the Genins in line?'' She couldn''t be sure. Fujin completed explaining the training grounds and answered a few queries before saying, "Now, about what the exam will be." Fujin took out two scrolls and explained, "This is a scroll of Heaven and this one is a scroll of Earth. Thirteen teams will be given a scroll of Heaven while the remaining will be given a scroll of Earth. In order to pass this round, your squad needs to collect both scrolls and bring them to the tower at the center. However, if any of your teammates die during this round, then your entire squad will be disqualified. In addition, if anyone opens either of the scrolls during the exam, your squad will be disqualified no matter to which squad that scroll was initially assigned." Hearing Fujin''s words, Sakura said, "In other words, at least half of us, the thirteen teams whose scrolls have been stolen, will fail." Anko recalled the faces Fujin mentioned. Knowing the reason why Hiruzen had appointed Fujin as the Proctor, she had carefully observed the Genins as well. Before she could say anything, Fujin spoke again, "I''ll leave the formalities here to you. Meet me in the tower once everything is taken care of." Immediately, Fujin dispersed in a cloud of smoke. Anko''s eyes twitched as she realized, ''He was a Shadow Clone! No wonder there wasn''t a drop of sweat or a speck of dust on him! That brat fooled me!'' Suddenly, her eyes widened as she realized, ''Wait! Don''t tell me he sent a clone to the Academy as well. No wonder those brats were so alert against him. I need to ask Ibiki what he did!'' Anko snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a loud scream. She looked towards the forest and said with a smirk, "Well, that was fast." As in the original story, Kurenai''s squad eliminated a squad very early. And, Naruto had an urge to urinate. So, he went away from the squad after getting punched by Sakura. He was peacefully doing his business when suddenly Sasuke appeared behind him. Naruto was surprised. He looked at him and asked, "Why did you come here? Do you want to take a leak as we... What the hell, Sasuke???" The poor guy hadn''t even completed his business when he suddenly had to duck down to avoid a blow, nearly planting his face in his own urine! Not wanting to give up such a good opening, ''Sasuke'' threw several kunai at Naruto, who had jumped away and was busy closing his pants. Naruto barely managed to avoid them but his eyes widened as he saw that one of the kunai, which landed right in front of him, had a paper bomb which was burning! He exclaimed, "Well fuck me!" while hurriedly moving backwards and weaving hand seals. The paper bomb exploded but before the impact could reach Naruto, he used the Great Breakthrough jutsu to blow everything away! He sighed in relief and muttered, "Barely safe! Now, which bastard was pretending to be Sasuke? I''ll beat him u..." Naruto''s words were stuck in his throat as he heard a voice behind him, "One false move and I''ll kill you! Now, hand over the scroll!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Lucas, Alexander, Nathan, JCZP, Nabijan, Hunter212, Hunter, Gerald, Sketchy, Eden, Chouaibou, Niko, Vc Bot, West Wind, Eternal Happiness, kev, Lancer, everett, Juan, James, E Who and Nitsu for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 609 - 603 : Orochimaru’s suicide? Chapter 609: Chapter 603 : Orochimaru''s suicide? Naruto glanced behind him and wondered, ''Who is this joker?'' Naruto saw a Genin wearing a rebreather and a yellow jumpsuit. Since his disguise hadn''t been as effective as he had envisioned, Oboro had dropped his Transformation jutsu. In addition, since Naruto performed much better than he speculated, he thought that Naruto might have the scroll. However, before Oboro could do anything, he jumped behind as several Shurikens attacked him. Hearing the sound of an explosion and due to the winds generated by Naruto''s jutsu, Sasuke and Sakura were alerted. They didn''t waste any time and quickly came to reinforce Naruto. Seeing Sasuke and Sakura, Oboro analyzed, ''That blonde kid is tougher than he looks. Others might be stronger as well. I should have come here with my teammates instead of trying to conceal my presence!'' Not wanting to take any undue risks, he escaped. Sasuke appeared beside Naruto and asked, "What the hell happened here, Naruto?" Naruto immediately replied, "He disguised as you and tried to sneak attack me when I was taking a leak! I''m gonna beat that joker if I see him again, believe it!" Sasuke immediately thought, ''Terrible! We will need to ensure that something like this doesn''t happen again. Or we could all end up dead! Hmm?'' While Sasuke was thinking of countermeasures, Sakura got angry and smacked Naruto on the head once again while shouting, "Close your pants properly, Naruto!" Naruto immediately did so while complaining, "Hey don''t blame me! That bastard didn''t even let me take a leak in peace!" Sasuke ignored their antics and said, "Remember this, if we get separated again, we can''t trust each other blindly. Otherwise, it can get much worse than they just did." Sakura asked, "But, what can we do?" Sasuke said, "The safest thing for us to have is a secret password. That way, we''ll know. No matter who they look like or how they sound, if one of us gets that wrong, they''re an enemy." Naruto and Sakura nodded. Sasuke continued, "Listen very carefully, I''ll say it only once. It''s a poem called Ninki..." Sasuke recited a long and complicated poem. Sakura memorized it right away. However, Naruto couldn''t do so. He asked in a deadpan tone, "And you expect me to remember that? How?" Naruto tried changing the password to something easier but wasn''t paid any attention to by either of his teammates. Sasuke grabbed the scroll and said, "I''ll keep the scroll with me." A second later, the three Genins were hit by a powerful wind current! Naruto cursed in surprise, "What the hell?" Sasuke exclaimed, "A new enemy! Stay on guard!" Even though the three Genins raised their guard, they weren''t able to take the attack head-on and were blown away! While he did so, his teammates began fighting a Kusa Genin, who was in fact a fearsome rank S ninja in disguise! Unfortunately, they had no idea. Even if they did, there wasn''t much they could do about it. Just like in the original story, Orochimaru used a Genjutsu mixed with his bloodlust to frighten and paralyze Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke stabbed his own thigh and used the pain to break out of it before escaping. He hid along with Sakura before being sneak attacked by a gigantic snake as well. Even though he killed it, Orochimaru appeared from within the snake, spooking him and Sakura. Orochimaru immediately went on the attack but was stopped by the shurikens Naruto threw who reached their position. Some distance away from the four of them, a figure could be seen standing with his back resting against a tree. None of them knew that he was aware of their battle. He sighed and thought, ''Tsk, that disrespectful snake. He is making a mess even though I''m the one in charge of the exam. Oh well, since he''s planning to weaken himself even further, why should I bother stopping him? Plant a dozen more curse seals. I''ll see what countermeasures you have prepared for me after you divide your soul even more.'' Even though Fujin considered Orochimaru a formidable ninja and someone extremely difficult to kill, he didn''t actually view Orochimaru as a threat. In the original story, after being weakened by Hiruzen''s last strike, his prowess weakened a lot and he was later killed by Sasuke. So, Fujin didn''t bother putting a stop to his plans. Even though he could prevent Orochimaru from putting the curse seal on Sasuke right then, it wouldn''t mean much in the long term as Orochimaru could just do so later. If anything, interfering right then could create changes that Fujin wouldn''t like to see. For instance, Sasuke would spend most of his time with Kakashi after the second round was over. If Orochimaru decided to act at that time, there was a chance that Kakashi might die prematurely, something Fujin would loathe to see due to the ripple effect it would have on the future. Even if Kakashi somehow managed to hold off Orochimaru while protecting Sasuke, Orochimaru had the option of applying his seal to some other Uchiha kid. And it wasn''t feasible to expect another Uchiha to kill Orochimaru as Sasuke did. In that case, Orochimaru would survive with a Uchiha body with unknown strength and ridiculous goals. He could affect major events in the future. Fujin didn''t want to calculate all that. The only thing he saw was that it wasn''t beneficial to him in any way. If he interfered, then he would only bring Orochimaru more benefits. In fact, from Fujin''s perspective, interfering now was equivalent to stopping Orochimaru from committing suicide! For those reasons, he didn''t bother helping Kakashi''s students. Fujin looked in the direction of the battle and thought, ''Even though I don''t want to interfere, I need to ensure that Naruto and Sakura stay alive. He might not do anything to Naruto due to his status, but Sakura is just an ordinary Genin right now. However, she''ll be quite significant in the future, be it her prowess or the emotional impact her death might have on Naruto. Anyway, the good thing is that Orochimaru wants to see Sasuke fight in higher rounds. Not to mention, she won''t bother him much. So, he shouldn''t kill her. Otherwise, saving her from such a distance will be rather difficult even with my Flying Thunder God jutsu.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Galaxy-Past, MSSC, Tanav, Steven, Robert, Jared, Mohamad, Peplum, Worawat, Dark, Ben, FightingShadows, Dave, Cosmic, Ari, Mike, Jay, Jragonic and Gabriel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 610 - 604 : Terrified Sakura! Chapter 610: Chapter 604 : Terrified Sakura! "One, two, three... All of them are as dead as stone Buddhas!" "What kind of Ninjutsu is this?" Outside the forest of death, a squad of Konoha ninjas found 3 dead bodies. Kotetsu, who was inspecting their bodies, scratched the back of his head and sighed, "What bad news... We have just started the exam and have already faced a problem!" He instructed, "Report this to Council Member Fujin or Lady Anko who are conducting the second exam." The two ninjas immediately disappeared. ''Nothing goes better with dango rice dumplings than oshiruko bean soup! As soon as I''m done with my lunch, I''ll get to the tower and see what he is up to.'' Anko was eating peacefully when one of the ninjas reached and shouted, "Terrible news, Lady Anko!" He informed Anko about the dead bodies and led her to them. As soon as she arrived, her eyes widened and fear was visible on her face. Kotetsu said, "Judging from their belongings and papers, they are all shinobi from Kusagakure and were registered to take part in the Chunin Exams. And, as you can see, their facial features are completely gone! Their faces are as smooth as though they have been melted away!" With horror on her face, Anko analyzed, ''There is no doubt about it! It''s his technique! But why would he meddle in this?'' "Show me the photos from the dead shinobis'' ID!" Anko ordered. They quickly handed her the IDs. She looked at the pictures and thought, ''So, this is the face he stole! Incredible! How did Fujin know that something was off about it? However, he''ll be in great danger if Orochimaru attacks the tower!'' Anko shouted, "This is awful! You three! Report what''s happened to Lord Hokage! Ask him to deploy additional Anbu squads to the forest! If possible, ask him to come as well, but ask him to be careful of any traps! I''m going after the imposters!" Anko hurriedly left towards the Forest of Death. The three ninjas didn''t waste time either and rushed towards the Hokage Building! Back in the forest, the fight between the Genins and Orochimaru wasn''t much different. Even though the Genins were stronger than their canon counterparts, it didn''t have any impact against Orochimaru. The only effect it had was that Orochimaru was more impressed with Sasuke. Realizing that they couldn''t win, Sasuke tried giving up the scroll in order to avoid the fight, but Naruto didn''t allow that to happen and got angry at Sasuke instead. His rage allowed some of Nine Tail''s chakra to leak, impressing Orochimaru. However, Orochimaru still caught him and used the Five Elements Seal to cut off his access to Nine Tail''s chakra. Following Naruto''s defeat, Sasuke put up a valiant effort and managed to burn Orochimaru''s mask, but ultimately didn''t do any real damage to him. Watching from a long distance away, Fujin shook his head and muttered to himself, ''Well that''s a shame. I expected Sakura to join the fight as well instead of just cheering Sasuke due to Kakashi''s training... I guess only Tsunade can make her useful.'' Sakura wondered, ''First the Legendary Spectral Swordsman and now Legendary Sannins? What''s up with all these cool names?" Orochimaru chuckled in surprise and asked, "I didn''t expect you to be much of a talker. Do you want to appeal to my conscience?" Fujin didn''t bother answering that and instead looked at Sakura and asked, "Girl, are you injured as well?" Sakura immediately answered, "No! But Sasuke is in pain. And, he knocked out Naruto as we..." Before she could complete her sentence, Fujin disappeared from her sight before suddenly appearing next to her. To her surprise, he was carrying Naruto and dropped him next to her and the wailing Sasuke. Orochimaru looked at his speed and analyzed, ''Not bad. His speed is spectacular for his age. I can see why Juzo fell and how he could escape from Kisame...'' Without looking at her, Fujin said, "The battle that''ll take place here will be too destructive for you to witness. Hold both of them very tightly. Their lives are in your hands." Sakura was confused but followed his instructions properly hearing the seriousness in his voice. Sasuke was still in pain while Naruto was still unconscious. She held both of them tightly when she heard, "Good." To her surprise, Fujin picked her up by the back of her neck. A strange wind surrounded her and her teammates. She shouted in shock as Fujin sent them flying backwards parallel to the ground with a flick of his wrists! However, even before the shock had passed, her eyes grew wide as she sensed two terrifying chakras! To her horror, the entire area where they were initially at was blown up by horrifying winds! The massive trees were uprooted and cut! Moments later, the entire thing was set ablaze! Terrified, she thought, ''What the hell was that? Even Kakashi sensei and Zabuza''s chakras weren''t this horrible! And what was that terrifying Wind and Fire? Could ninjutsu be that strong?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Marcus for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 611: A Kind Donation... Chapter 611: A Kind Donation... Sakura was horrified by what she was seeing and feeling. Even though she had witnessed Kakashi and Zabuza''s battle, they had primarily relied on Water jutsus and had used the stronger jutsus much later in the battle. However, Fujin and Orochimaru had started with deadly supercharged attacks. Despite being far away, she could still feel the heat of the flames and was afraid that she, Sasuke and Naruto would be cut up just like the massive trees. Luckily, she was soon sent flying long enough that she couldn''t see anything. However, the terror in her mind would take a long time to reduce. She crashed nearly a couple of kilometers away from where Fujin and Orochimaru had entered into a fight! Due to the winds, none of the four were harmed. In addition, Fujin had thrown them in a spot where there weren''t any other squads nearby while still keeping them close to Shikamaru''s and Neji''s squads, allowing them an opportunity to rest and ensuring that those two squads would be able to reinforce them later on so that the events wouldn''t be too different from the original story. Needless to say, he would send a Shadow Clone later to ensure that none of them died due to his interference. As soon as she landed, Sakura thought, ''Naruto wasn''t kidding. He can really throw someone very far enough! If he had thrown me towards the sky instead of parallel to the ground, we might have reached the Academy! Still, what is this jutsu? I couldn''t resist those strange winds at all. However, those strange winds kept us safe as well and prevented any injury to us when we landed. How can such a magical jutsu exist? I don''t think even Kakashi sensei knows anything like this...'' Sakura''s surprise wasn''t unfounded. The jutsu used concepts of Wind Domain and Assassin''s Rush jutsu. Since Fujin was the creator of the Wind Domain, no one else could use this method yet. Suddenly, Sasuke groaned due to the pain. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts hearing Sasuke''s groan. Due to the pain from the curse seal, he passed out. A determined expression appeared on Sakura''s face as she decided to protect her teammates by herself! She muttered, ''It''s all up to me now! This time, I''ll protect them and keep them safe!'' In the tower, Renjiro was still playing Shogi with ''Fujin'' while Hoka was watching their game. Suddenly, the three of them sensed something and looked outside the window. Each of them got up and walked onto the balcony. They saw a large amount of smoke rising from the forest a few kilometers away! "What horrible chakra! I am not even a sensor and I can still feel the clash of the jutsus all the way over here!" Hoka took a deep breath and exclaimed. He activated his Byakugan but the fight was happening too far for him to see anything other than the smoke and the fire. Renjiro frowned and said, "This feeling... It almost feels like Orochimaru!" Renjiro had worked with Orochimaru and even served under his command during the previous wars. So, he was quick to connect it to him. However, his expression became grim as he knew just how terrible Orochimaru was! He was someone Renjiro never wanted to fight! He gazed at Fujin and said, "You have gotten quite strong. I didn''t even sense that I had been playing with a Shadow Clone all this time... Was your main body patrolling the forests all along?" Fujin''s clone replied, "Yes. These dense forests are a good place to set up traps and an ambush without alerting anyone. I wanted to ensure that there were none set up earlier. Anyway, now''s not the time to be impressed. Hokage''s intuition was accurate, but who would have thought that such a horrible ninja would interfere..." Her eyes widened as she observed, ''That''s definitely Orochimaru''s chakra! However, who is forcing him to go to this extent?'' Immediately, a face appeared in her mind. She immediately rushed towards the location while thinking, ''I hope that brat isn''t fighting him! Orochimaru is in a whole different league! It''ll be a shame if he were to die here!'' At the very moment that Fujin sent Sakura flying, Fujin attacked Orochimaru with a supercharged Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Orochimaru responded by using a supercharged Flame Dragon Bullet jutsu to take advantage of the winds. However, his flames were blown back by the supercharged Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Of course, that wasn''t enough to harm him. In fact, Orochimaru wasn''t even surprised and had expected as much. The attack was just to test Fujin''s ability. His laughter could be heard, "Hahaha, not bad at all! No wonder Juzo died at your hands!" As he laughed, he pulled out the sword of Kusanagi from his mouth and swung it to his left! It clashed with Fujin''s sword. Wind chakra flowed through both blades. Fujin realized, ''What a good sword. Even though my chakra is sharper, his blade is much better than mine! I wonder if he''d make a kind donation like his former Akatsuki partner...'' Unfortunately, Orochimaru didn''t seem as kind-hearted as Sasori. That said, Fujin had just met him. So he couldn''t be entirely sure. Who could say if Orochimaru would have a change of heart later and give Fujin the greatest gift in this world? Greater than even what Hiruzen did for him! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Austin, Niccolo, Gaming, Alex, Matthew, BornTripleA, Quintin, Lucas, Bishal, Raven, Jacob, Siraj, ITGT12, Dersbyth, DarKDrilleR, Bernardo, Ethan, Yanis and GRP666 for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Sanchit and Tushar for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 612: How did Fujin defeat Jiraiya? Chapter 612: How did Fujin defeat Jiraiya? Fujin''s and Orochimaru''s swords clashed hundreds of times within the blink of an eye. Neither of them could get an advantage over the other and the two rank S ninjas pulled back. Fujin said, "That isn''t common knowledge, which means that you should be in Akatsuki as well. Sigh, I didn''t expect that one of the Legendary Sannins had fallen to the level of becoming a mercenary. What a shame! Did they order you like an underling to come here and attack Genins as well?" Pity could be seen on Fujin''s face as he spoke. However, Orochimaru completely ignored Fujin''s taunt. He thought, ''From the information Akatsuki collected, he prefers to fight in complete silence without engaging in any talks, killing his enemies ruthlessly. However, when he meets someone who he can''t defeat easily, he talks with the sole purpose of angering his opponent, hoping that they give him an opening.'' Orochimaru had talked with Kisame to ask for information about Fujin where he learnt that Fujin had taunted them to create a small opening which he managed to exploit successfully. As a result, he wasn''t bothered by his words. Besides, it wasn''t like Fujin was the only one who could play that game. Orochimaru replied almost immediately after Fujin taunted him, "You shouldn''t be overconfident just because you killed Juzo. This world is vast with too many hidden experts. If you act arrogantly, it''s just a matter of time before you die." Fujin chuckled and teased, "Oh, and I suppose you consider yourself a hidden expert as well? Haha. Let me guess, you are following one such hidden expert now, hahaha!" Ignoring his taunts again, Orochimaru laughed as well and said, "Don''t worry. I''m just advising you so that you won''t be this reckless in your next life." ''Hidden Shadow Snake Hands jutsu'' Orochimaru flung his left arm towards Fujin. Instantly, 8 snakes appeared and moved towards Fujin at an incredible speed. They almost reached him when Fujin just casually swung his sword. Sharp winds flew and dismembered every single snake. However, Orochimaru used that time to launch a stronger jutsu! ''Ten Thousand Snake Wave jutsu'' He opened his mouth and countless snakes crawled out of Orochimaru''s mouth, forming a wave. Fujin looked indifferently at the incoming snake wave and muttered disdainfully while building up his chakra, "A hidden expert? What''s so special about being a Sannin? I defeated that pervert not too long ago!" ''Vacuum Serial Waves'' A vacuum core with a hundred and forty-four vacuum cores formed in Fujin''s mouth as he shot out the jutsu. Orochimaru''s eyes widened as he was startled for the first time! He immediately flickered away! The thousands of snakes he had summoned were all blown back and cut into several pieces! Not a single one survived! However, that wasn''t what startled Orochimaru. He thought, ''He defeated Jiraiya? Impossible! Even though he fools around, he shouldn''t have fallen so far that this brat can defeat him!'' Orochimaru quickly dodged again as a few Vacuum Bullets passed through where he was standing at while thinking, ''Did he really defeat Jiraiya or did he just say it to disturb me? That said, his mastery over the Wind is very good. Even Danzo''s Wind Vacuum Technique isn''t this good. I''ll need to disrupt him!'' Orochimaru used Hidden Shadow Snake Hand jutsu once again to attack Fujin, who changed his strategy and flickered a few times to reduce the distance between them. Wind chakra flowed along his sword as he swung it at Orochimaru from a dozen meters away! Once again, Orochimaru flickered away as a wind slash accompanied by sharp winds was launched from Fujin''s blade. Several more trees were cut down but Orochimaru wasn''t hurt. Fujin gave chase but he sensed Orochimaru building up a massive amount of chakra. Fujin instinctively swung his sword behind him, but Orochimaru hit his wrist, forcing Fujin to lose his grip and losing his sword. In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru coiled around Fujin without giving him any time to react! Fujin immediately used Iron Skin jutsu to protect himself while analyzing how exactly he fell into a trap. Orochimaru tried biting Fujin''s neck to place a curse seal on him as well but was stopped due to the Iron Skin jutsu. Orochimaru''s teeth failed to break his skin as Fujin had used even more chakra to protect his neck. Fujin''s eyes widened as he finally realized the reason behind those weird moves Orochimaru made. He muttered, "Incredible. So this was the ambush you prepared for me?" Fear and shock could be seen on Fujin''s face and heard in his voice as he turned his head to see Orochimaru''s face. An evil grin could be seen on Ororchimaru''s face as he coiled tighter around Fujin to break his jutsu. He said, "This was a child''s play. How did you defeat Jiraiya if you couldn''t handle such a simple tactic?" With fear in his voice, Fujin replied, "It was simple... I lied!" Orochimaru, who was looking forward to playing with Fujin before finally killing him, was startled. He never expected such an answer! He suddenly felt something amiss... At the next moment... BOOM!!!!!! Before Orochimaru could figure out what was wrong, Fujin exploded! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Extrasmall, Soy Sauce Crusader, Kyler, Thrower, Jared, Niccolo, Alexandru and Argiraspide for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Sanjeev for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 613: The Sword of Kusanagi! Chapter 613: The Sword of Kusanagi! BOOM!!!!!! A massive explosion took place inside the Forest of Death! The sound of the explosion was so loud that it was heard nearly throughout the training ground. Several Genins looked towards it and wondered what was happening. The most shocked one was none other than Sakura who had been laying traps. She looked in the direction of the sound and wondered, ''What is happening over there?'' Anko, who was rushing towards that spot, suddenly stopped. She looked towards that place and thought, ''Shit! I hope I''m not too late!'' In the tower, Hoka asked with surprise in his voice, "What a powerful explosion! What is happening over there, Fujin?" Both Renjiro and Hoka glanced at Fujin with worry in their eyes. To their surprise, they saw that his lips had formed a small smile. Fujin''s clone said softly, "I just baited Orochimaru. That was an explosion with 20% of my chakra. Hehe, it seems like I might be able to kill him even before Hokage arrives." Renjiro immediately warned, "Don''t get too overconfident. Even if you manage to land a critical hit, Orochimaru is very good at healing himself." Fujin''s clone nodded and replied, "I know. Don''t worry, my main focus will be my safety. We are anyway on home ground. It''s Orochimaru who is restrained by time." Some distance away from where the explosion took place, a figure could be seen standing on a branch while resting against a wide trunk. It was the same figure who had been keeping an eye on Orochimaru''s fight against Kakashi''s students. Fujin hadn''t moved from that spot and had instead sent a clone to do the entire battle! As he received the memories of his clone, a smile appeared on his face. He immediately flickered towards the location of the explosion while thinking, ''Not a bad ambush. As expected as someone of Orochimaru''s calibre. When he discovered that his Snake jutsus wouldn''t stand a chance against my Wind jutsus, he changed his tactics very quickly. The massive water jutsu was to increase my confidence against him while the needle attack was to raise my guard. He used the distraction caused by the thousands of water needles to create a clone who followed it up with a Fire and Yang combination jutsu that overwhelmed my Wind jutsu, making me feel like I was not his match and forcing me to retreat and reevaluate the fight. As I retreated, he controlled the flames to make me retreat in the direction where his main body was hiding to ambush me. However, there was one point he overlooked. Even though his plan was very good and he hid his chakra very well, he couldn''t hide from my Space Time Sensing Technique. On understanding his plan, my clone went to the exact spot where he was hiding, giving Orochimaru an opening that he couldn''t resist. Hehe...'' The smoke and debris slowly cleared from where Fujin''s clone had exploded. Fujin had initially put a third of his chakra into that clone to ensure that Orochimaru wouldn''t suspect that he was a clone. The battle until that point had used up 40% of the clone''s chakra. What remained was around 20% of Fujin''s max chakra. Hence, the explosion was truly intense. The tree that they were standing on was obliterated. Several nearby trees were destroyed as well. As for the one who was coiling around Fujin''s clone, Orochimaru was in terrible shape! His body was lying on the ground. Unfortunately, it was already cut into several pieces and it was only its head that was moving. In a fraction of a second, it stopped moving. The sword of Kusanagi, one of Orochimaru''s prized possessions was destroyed in the Forest of Death! Orochimaru was stunned beyond belief. He immediately looked at Fujin''s sword carefully and realized, ''A Vacuum Blade? He applied the Wind Vacuum Technique to his sword?'' Orochimaru was shocked to see it. Even though his sword was better and the chakra flowing through it much stronger than the chakra flowing through Fujin''s sword, in the end, what mattered was the sharpness of their respective blades. In that aspect, Fujin was much superior! Even though Orochimaru had extended the Sword of Kusanagi earlier, he hadn''t extended it too much as Orochimaru knew that Fujin would dodge it easily. As a result, Orochimaru was within the reach of Fujin''s sword. He quickly retreated while raising his left arm to use Hidden Shadow Snake Hands jutsu. Several snakes appeared from his arm and moved towards Fujin who was very close to him. However, on the very next second, Fujin''s sword cut through Orochimaru''s arm, slicing it at the elbow! At the same time, Fujin sneakily pointed all the fingers on his left hand at Orochimaru. Vacuum cores began forming at the tip of his fingers. Orochimaru, who was retreating, immediately noticed it. Unfortunately, the distance between them was too little. ''Wind Release: Vacuum Infinite Gatling jutsu!'' Dozens of Vacuum Bullets were launched from the tip of his fingers at Orochimaru. Due to the short distance between them, Orochimaru couldn''t dodge them all. Several of the Vacuum Bullets pierced through Orochimaru''s body as he coughed blood and crashed to the ground! [A/N: Alternate title: The Fall of Kusanagi!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You John, Lancer, Bonobo, Joseph, Seraphim, Darkslayer, Drey, Jewel, Kevin, JTSSE, jskdjdkk and GRP666 for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 614 - 608 : A Double Bluff! Chapter 614: Chapter 608 : A Double Bluff! Orochimaru fell to the ground and looked very vulnerable. It seemed like it would take just a push to kill him for good. Even so, Fujin didn''t jump ahead to attack him impatiently. Instead, he looked at Orochimaru with disdain and cursed, ''This snake! Does he think he can fool anyone after recovering completely from that explosion? None of the bullets even hit his heart or brain. Even Kakuzu put up a better act!'' Not wanting to fall prey to his schemes, Fujin created a shadow clone. ''Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu'' ''Fire Release: Searing Migraine jutsu'' Fujin knew that even though he was great at close combat, someone like Orochimaru had too many hidden cards. So, he used the combination attack to test what he was planning. He was initially thinking about using the Vacuum Serial Waves jutsu, but he knew that Orochimaru would dodge it with ease. Having already lost a third of his chakra, Fujin wanted to preserve his chakra in case Orochimaru pulled out a surprise like the Edo Tensei jutsu. Orochimaru, who was looking very feeble, looked at the incoming sea of firestorm and thought, ''As expected, he didn''t take the bait. I can finally reset the momentum. I got sucked into his pace due to his stunt and it would be disadvantageous if he continued controlling the flow of the battle. Still, to think that I''d lose my sword of Kusanagi here of all places... I underestimated this kid. He is much stronger than the likes of Kabuto and Kakashi.'' Orochimaru had expected that Fujin wouldn''t attack and hence managed to double bluff Fujin! He rubbed his right arm on his injuries, staining it with blood and slammed it into the ground. ''Summoning jutsu!'' A massive snake appeared and surrounded him. The combination jutsu hit the snake. Massive cuts and intense burns appeared on its body causing it to hiss in pain. However, it resisted Fujin''s combination attack with relative ease. Under the cover of his massive summon, Orochimaru began shedding his skin once again to heal himself. Fujin sensed it and went on the attack once again. The massive snake noticed Fujin and dived down towards Fujin. Vacuum cores formed along the sharp edge of Fujin''s sword once again as he slashed his sword multiple times towards the snake and Orochimaru, who was hiding behind it. Even though the snake Orochimaru summoned wasn''t Manda, its size meant that a simple Wind jutsu couldn''t kill it. Even though there were several cuts and burns on its body, they were far from being able to cause it any permanent harm. Unfortunately for the snake, it couldn''t imagine how sharp Fujin''s Vacuum Slashes would be. As it saw the incoming slashes, it suddenly felt an intense danger. However, it was too late by then. It couldn''t avoid the Vacuum Slashes that pierced into its massive body and cut straight through it. Due to the size of the snake, Renjiro and Hoka could see it from the tower. Even Anko, Sakura and a few Anbu saw it. To their shock, they first saw a massive firestorm engulfing it. And seconds later, they saw that ginormous snake being sliced into pieces! Hoka wondered aloud, "What the hell is happening there?" Renjiro replied, "That''s Orochimaru''s summon... I didn''t think it''d be possible to cut it up." Wind chakra flowed through Fujin''s sword once again as Fujin swung it. Once again, Orochimaru''s clones became alert and prepared to dodge the incoming attack. However, Fujin''s sword didn''t unleash the Vacuum Slash. Instead, a wind stream was created along the arc of Fujin''s blade. The wind stream nullified the winds created by Orochimaru''s clone while trapping the poison gas released by the other clone inside the winds and diverting it towards the sky. Two Shadow Clones suddenly appeared next to Fujin. One of Fujin''s clones took control of the wind stream and ensured that all the poisons flew into the sky. While he did so, Fujin ignored Orochimaru''s clones and went after his main body. Orochimaru''s clones immediately gave chase but were stopped by Fujin''s other clone, who stepped in their way. Orochimaru''s clones became serious as they noticed an extremely unstable wind orb in the clone''s hand. One of Orochimaru''s clones asked with interest, "What''s this jutsu? It almost looks like the Fourth''s Rasengan but doesn''t have the same amount of chakra or stability as it is made with the Wind Vacuum Technique." To his surprise, Fujin''s clone entertained him and said with a smile on his face, "This one is my own creation. Please critique it." He threw the wind orb towards Orochimaru''s clones. Both the clones immediately got out of the way as they expected it to explode and be as fast as Fujin''s other jutsus. To their surprise, the jutsu was extremely slow. Even a Genin wouldn''t have any issue dodging it. The same clone asked in a puzzled tone, "Is this another one of your time-wasting tactics?" Just as he finished asking his question, the wind orb exploded! 81 Vacuum Blades were launched randomly in every direction! Due to their proximity, Orochimaru''s clones couldn''t dodge in time and were dispelled. Fujin''s clones were expecting the attack and dodged the waves. Even then, one clone dispelled himself while the other dispelled himself after ensuring that the poison wouldn''t be an issue. Some distance away, Fujin and Orochimaru''s main bodies were once again facing each other. A sly smile could be seen on Orochimaru''s face as he said, "Not bad, not bad at all!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You G 21, Death Note, Kevin, Nazar, JHMetrix, John, High Socks, Jacob, Marc, Niccolo, Mohamad and Mael for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Akshay for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 615: Orochimaru, The Genius! Chapter 615: Orochimaru, The Genius! A sly smile could be seen on Orochimaru''s face as he said, "Not bad, not bad at all! You have surprised me, Fujin. I didn''t expect you to be so good." Fujin smirked and teasingly asked, "Is that so? Can I also be considered a hidden expert then? Maybe you should stop slaving yourself in that mercenary organization and follow me. I''ll have a chat with Gramps and ask him to cut you some slack for betraying the village. I might also give you one of my old swords since I broke yours." Having fallen for Fujin''s words once, Orochimaru completely ignored any words that came out of Fujin''s mouth. Besides, even though Fujin destroyed Orochimaru''s best sword, Orochimaru still had plenty of good swords. At the very least, he had more than a dozen swords better than the one Fujin was using. Not to mention, Fujin was still using his cracked sword instead of switching it with a better one! Orochimaru chuckled and said, "You are an interesting fellow. I''ll admit, at least in terms of Wind jutsu, you are far better than any Ninja I have seen. However, even though specializing in a single aspect can make you stronger quickly, it also leaves a big flaw." Without any hand seals, Orochimaru slammed his hands on the ground as he loudly added, "No matter how lethal and sharp your Wind jutsus are, there are several ways to neutralize them." As soon as Orochimaru''s hands landed on the ground, the ground for a couple of hundred meters around him became very soft. Fujin obviously wouldn''t wait for Orochimaru to be done with his set-up. Vacuum cores appeared along the edge of his blade as he swung it again towards Orochimaru. In response, Orochimaru retreated backwards. However, he didn''t retreat in a simple manner! A Mud Dragon formed on each and every spot where Orochimaru stepped on while retreating! Fujin''s Vacuum Slash cut through the Mud Dragons with relative ease initially, but as it absorbed more Mud, the Vacuum cores became unstable and the jutsu lost its form and fizzled out. Fujin''s eyes widened temporarily. The surprise soon disappeared as a smile appeared on his face. He muttered softly, "Well look at that. It seems like it was possible to use Earth Release in such a manner..." Back when Fujin had just started to learn Earth jutsus, he used to depend on the rank E Rock Shield jutsu to defend himself. Back then, he had pondered whether he could create Rock Shields by stamping on the ground instead of slamming his hands on the ground. He felt that it would have been way more efficient and he could create more defenses while on the move. Unfortunately, Fujin couldn''t figure out how to do it. He had asked for Renjiro''s help, but Renjiro couldn''t do it either and asked Fujin to not waste his time on such things. Later, when Fujin learnt stronger jutsus, he stopped thinking about it and moved on. However, Orochimaru displayed a level far beyond what Fujin had envisioned! He wasn''t creating simple Rock Shields and was instead creating Mud Dragons with every step! After the Vacuum Slash dispersed, the remaining Mud Dragons rushed towards Fujin from different directions and at different speeds so that they wouldn''t fall prey to the same Vacuum Slash. Understanding their attack pattern, Fujin raised two fingers of his left hand. Vacuum blade cores formed on top of his fingers. When the Mud Dragons reached close to him, Fujin launched Vacuum Blades at the incoming Mud Dragons. One Vacuum Blade hit a Mud Dragon, destroying it! Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com Fujin noticed their movements and wondered, ''That''s strange. He should know that his summons are easy pickings for me. Does he plan to use them as a sacrifice to bait me into making a mistake? Or does he think that they can stay safe just because they are underground?'' Even though the snakes moved towards Fujin, each one of them stayed at least a couple of dozen meters under the surface. Not one of them got above that level! Fujin pointed his index finger towards one of the snakes. A Vacuum core with several vacuum cores inside it formed on the tip of his finger. Fujin fired the Vacuum Cluster Bullet at one of the snakes while thinking, ''Well, whatever your plan is, it doesn''t matter. My Vacuum jutsus can kill people hiding even a couple of hundred meters underground!'' Despite seeing Fujin''s attack, a sly grin appeared on Orochimaru''s face. As Fujin''s attack drilled through the mud, the snakes underground felt the vibrations and moved at a rapid speed! Fujin''s attack drilled through their previous location without hurting any snake at all! Fujin was beyond shocked. He could accept someone like Orochimaru dodging his attacks with ease, but he couldn''t believe that those large snakes could dodge his Vacuum jutsus! Seeing his expression, Orochimaru laughed and said, "Those are my special hunting pets. Even though your Vacuum jutsus can pierce into the ground, they are well trained to dodge any attack drilling towards them. You can fire at them all day but you won''t achieve anything. Hehe, you''re in my hunting ground now. The only way out of here is straight to hell!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Bjorn, Marc, Painman, Jal, Everett, My House, Benjamin, Wolf_Hunter, Mackimus, CAaB iLnE, JHMetrix, Pietro, Kham, ARandomFan, Alex, Nixon, Omar, Earth General, NovelReader, Kalonji and Ahyap for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 616: The Technique Ill Be Known For!!! Chapter 616: The Technique I''ll Be Known For!!! [A/N: Read some comments... For the umpteenth time guys, follow me on pat reon. You can do so even as a free member. If there are any delays, a delay notice is posted there. If for some reason you can''t/don''t want to do it, you could just open the site up to see if there are any such notices. So bigmadtoe, you don''t need to feel stupid the next time.] "Hehe, you''re in my hunting ground now. The only way out of here is straight to hell!" Fujin''s expression didn''t change. He hadn''t expected snakes to have trained in this manner. However, on thinking for a bit, he felt that it made sense. After all, a snake''s ability to feel the vibrations in the ground was known to be remarkable even in his previous world. Fujin thought, ''This truly is a terrible situation to be in. This environment is terrible for my Wind jutsus. Unless I use my Wind Domain, there isn''t anything I can do to counter him. Of course, that is unless I use my Lightning jutsus. If I do so, I can change this battle in an instant and kill those snakes with ease. I might even be able to catch Orochimaru off guard. Unfortunately, I don''t think I''d even be able to kill this body of his even if I managed to catch him by surprise, let alone the parts of his soul sealed in the numerous curse seals. So, there is no gain in exposing my Lightning jutsus. Sigh...'' At the same time, Orochimaru was thinking, ''Even though those snakes can dodge everything, his Vacuum jutsus are very lethal and unique. If he can launch the jutsu that destroyed my clones at high speed, he might be able to kill them. Not to mention, it''s hard to say which other Vacuum jutsus he knows. However, after my words, he will be less likely to try killing them. Even though those snakes won''t be able to harm him, they''ll apply a lot of pressure as he''ll need to keep an eye on them as well. With so much pressure, it''s only a matter of time before he makes a mistake.'' As he was thinking, Orochimaru was radiating a massive amount of bloodlust! He didn''t bother hiding how much he wanted to kill Fujin. He didn''t want to see such a strong threat during the war. Without displaying any emotions on his face, Fujin replied, "I have to admit, your reputation is well deserved. I didn''t think I''d be pushed so far. However, hehehe." Fujin began laughing as he continued, "Don''t forget where you stand. By now, your Sensei would have already heard about your presence and should be rushing here. If you don''t manage to kill me within a few minutes, it''ll be your head that''ll be rolling, hahaha!" Orochimaru maintained his grin and said while building up his chakra once again, "Don''t worry, I''ll kill you long before Sensei reaches here." As soon as he stopped talking, Orochimaru spat out a large amount of water towards Fujin. However, this water wasn''t normal water. Fujin could sense that there was a massive amount of Yin chakra mixed in that water! Fujin looked at the incoming attack while thinking, ''Sigh, that''s what I get for reminding him to escape before Hiruzen arrives! After all, I won''t be able to read his memories and get everything he has collected and researched if Hiruzen kills him here...'' Fujin slammed his hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'' Three layers of massive earth walls appeared in front of Fujin. Due to the environment Orochimaru created, the size and strength of the Earth Walls were much greater than normal. Immediately after, Fujin weaved a few hand seals and slammed his right hand on the ground! ''Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld jutsu'' Despite losing a sword that had been with him for years, Fujin had no time to take a second look at it. The reason for it was that the attacks by Orochimaru''s clones had cut off all escape routes! The only way Fujin could dodge every attack and leave unharmed was by escaping with the Flying Thunder God jutsu. And, the speed of the attacks meant that Fujin had almost no time to put up a defense! Fujin looked at the incoming attacks with a cold look and muttered to himself, ''I guess it''s time to make this technique public! From today onwards, this will be the technique I''ll be known for.'' While he was thinking, Fujin released a massive amount of Chakra from his body! Orochimaru, who was looking for a way to enter the battle with his main body, was surprised by the sudden change and wondered, ''What is he up to this time?'' As soon as the chakra exited his body, it transformed into winds! The sudden winds knocked all the shurikens off course and hit the explosive tags, making them explode prematurely. They also stopped any force from the explosions from reaching Fujin! The winds also penetrated into the ground, dismantling every mud spike created by Orochimaru''s mud clones. The Air Bullets dissipated as well and mixed with the winds! All this took place within a second of Fujin releasing his chakra into the air! In the next second, sharp wind blades appeared out of thin air around Orochimaru''s Mud Clones and chopped them up! All of Orochimaru''s clones were dispelled. The brand-new technique piqued Orochimaru''s interest. He wondered, ''What technique is this? How can he control winds in such an elegant and fearsome manner?'' In the next few seconds, the winds took the shape of a domain, covering everything within a 50-meter radius! As for Orochimaru''s main body, he immediately retreated a safe distance after seeing what happened to his clones. He observed Fujin''s technique carefully before laughing, "Not bad! Not bad at all! However, with so much wind, aren''t you afraid of getting burnt?" Just like Fujin, Orochimaru built up a massive amount of his chakra. He poured nearly 5% of his chakra to supercharge his jutsu. Against the dome of Wind protecting Fujin, Orochimaru exhaled his Majestic Destroyer Flame jutsu! Just like earlier, it had a massive amount of Yang chakra along with Fire chakra! The flames entered into Fujin''s Wind Domain and were further strengthened by the Winds! In the blink of an eye, the entire Wind Domain was lit on fire! Standing in the center, all Fujin could see were flames! Even though Orochimaru couldn''t see Fujin''s face, he could imagine the shock on Fujin''s face! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Calbear, Call of Duty Mobile, Zaoprimo, ilhas, OwO OwO, Jan, Pascal, Connor, Shoku, J Correa, Samuel, Marcio, Lucian, Shea, Jose? and Marc for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 617: A Shocking Development! Chapter 617: A Shocking Development! ''Majestic Destroyer Flame!'' Orochimaru was initially caught off guard by Fujin''s Wind Domain. He had never seen a technique like that one. However, when he sensed Fujin''s Wind Domain, he realized that it was made purely of Wind Chakra. Hence, he attacked with a massive supercharged Fire jutsu and even strengthened it with Yang chakra to prevent Fujin from blowing the flames away before they reached the domain. As Orochimaru had expected, from the moment his fire jutsu touched Fujin''s Wind Domain, it expanded at an extreme speed, filling up the entire domain in less than a second! In the Forest of Death, a fire dome with a radius of 50 meters appeared in the blink of an eye! Anko, who was the closest to Fujin and Orochimaru''s battlefield, looked at it with shock and thought, ''What the hell is that? And who used that jutsu?'' Immediately after, a bitter smile appeared on her face as she realized, ''He was right. I wouldn''t stand a chance against something like this. Even after all this time, I''m still not capable enough to take my revenge...'' In the tower, Hoka and Renjiro were looking at the fire dome with a worried expression. They weren''t sure if it was Fujin''s jutsu or if it was something Orochimaru used. They glanced at Fujin''s clone, but his face didn''t display any emotions. Around 1.5 kilometers away from the Fire Dome, three Genins were standing on a branch and looking towards the Fire Dome. Lee asked, "Neji, can you see what is happening there?" Neji''s squad was initially farther from the battlefield. However, after realizing that a massive battle was taking place, they moved closer to investigate what was happening. Their current spot barely allowed Neji''s Byakugan to see the fight. As Lee and Tenten looked at Neji, they were surprised to see his dumbfounded expression. Tenten asked, "Neji?" Neji snapped out of his thoughts and said with slight fear in his voice, "It''s incredible. I didn''t know that jutsus like these existed. Both of them are too strong..." Unlike his canon self, Neji had seen Guy sparring with Fujin regularly and understood that there was a vast difference between him and them. However, the glimpses that he caught in this battle were a real eye-opener! Despite being called as one of the most talented Hyuga, Neji understood that he wouldn''t last even a second in such a fight. Lee asked, "Who is fighting?" Neji answered, "One of them is Fujin. His opponent is the one who used snake summons. From his abilities and appearance, I''m afraid that Fujin is fighting Orochimaru, one of the three Legendary Sannins!" Lee asked in surprise, "What? It''s Fujin? As expected of someone who spars regularly with Guy sensei!" Neji shook his head and said, "His spars with Guy sensei were a joke compared to the abilities he is displaying. Fujin is far stronger than I imagined. However, he is in trouble right now. His opponent is too strong. Being trapped in such a devastating flame, I''m not sure whether he can survive!" Around 2.3 kilometers from the Fire Dome, another squad was sneakily looking at the Fire Dome. Ino asked, "What do you think that is, Shikamaru? The heat is so intense that I can feel it all the way here!" Shikamaru replied, "First that massive snake and now this dome... The ones who are fighting definitely aren''t Genins. We should stay away from them." Ino and Choji nodded. Several kilometers away, Kurenai''s squad was also looking at the Fire Dome. Akamaru whimpered in fear once again while Shino looked at his bugs and said, "My bugs are afraid to go near those flames. That battle is very dangerous. It might be more dangerous than the Suna squad." Kiba nodded and said, "Yes, even Akamaru feels so. Man, I wonder what is happening there! Did someone hijack our Chunin Exams?" He controlled the entire Scorch Dragon and launched it at Orochimaru without holding anything back! ''Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave jutsu'' The size of the Dragon meant that there was no way to completely avoid the attack. Orochimaru needed to defend. He used another 5% of his chakra to supercharge the Water jutsu and strengthen it with Yin chakra to restrain his Yang chakra. The Scorch Dragon slammed into the massive waves! A large amount of water turned into steam as the Scorch Dragon drilled right through it! Its power weakened, but not by much. Orochimaru bit his thumbs and slammed both his hands into the ground. ''Summoning jutsu: Triple Rashomon!'' Three massive gates appeared in front of Orochimaru! The Scorch Dragon crashed into the first gate and its head exploded. The explosion destroyed the first gate, nearly destroyed the second gate and caused some damage to the last gate! However, the gates stopped the explosion from reaching Orochimaru and he just felt the heat waves. Of course, that wasn''t the end of it. After all, the Scorch Dragon''s body was huge and was over a hundred meters long. Its remaining part split into two and moved around the gates. Orochimaru cursed, ''Damn! I shouldn''t have put so much chakra into the Majestic Destroyer Flame!'' He immediately flickered away. Orochimaru had already anticipated that he wouldn''t be able to block the Scorch Dragon head-on! He just wanted to reduce its power so that he wouldn''t take too much damage from it. Even though the Scorch Dragon had evaporated a lot of the water from his previous jutsu, most of the water was still remaining and had spread evenly in every direction. Orochimaru immediately took cover behind it as the remaining Scorch Dragon exploded releasing intense heat waves in every direction! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Samuel, Mugen, V Stan, Joseph, Tyler, Hector, Mateus, Topnotch, Snoww, Mohamed, Devildham, Makhlouf, Zavid, Borgino, Alder, Tomas, LessThanAvg Player for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Kabir for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 618: Leaving a Scar! Chapter 618: Leaving a Scar! As the remaining Scorch Dragon exploded, an intense heat wave spread in every direction! Orochimaru quickly put up a couple of additional defenses, but the heat still pierced through all his defenses and hit him! His entire body felt the scorching heat! Several burns appeared on him but the injuries weren''t serious enough to affect his strength. The heat also moved towards the Wind Domain, but Fujin moved the winds to avoid getting hit. The trees nearby weren''t as lucky. The scorching heat caused every tree in a 500-meter radius to light up! Several trees beyond it were also affected. The ninjas who were within 3 kilometers of the explosion also felt the heatwave. Thankfully, it was no longer dangerous. Had it been as intense as what Orochimaru had to endure, the future would have completely changed and Fujin would have attracted a lot of trouble! Regardless, the heat made everyone realize just how crazy the battle was! Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief as he thought, ''What a ridiculous techni...'' He immediately stopped thinking about the Scorch Dragon, turned to his left and prepared himself for a battle! Without giving Orochimaru any time to rest, Fujin pushed on the offense. Despite being over a hundred and fifty meters away from Orochimaru, Fujin reached him in the blink of an eye thanks to the Assassin''s Rush jutsu. Orochimaru relaxed on seeing that Fujin wasn''t holding a sword and thought, ''Strange, why did he leave the domain he had created? I thought he''d hide inside it until Hiruzen came. Also, doesn''t he have any other sword?'' Fujin''s strange action made Orochimaru raise his guard even more. However, he didn''t have any time to think about it deeply or use a jutsu. To Orochimaru''s surprise, Fujin didn''t use any jutsu and attacked him with a simple punch! Orochimaru easily blocked it and attacked back while thinking, ''Does he want to compete against me in Taijutsu to take advantage of the burns on my body? Hmm?'' To Orochimaru''s surprise, the speed of Fujin''s arms and legs was boosted by small blasts of winds that Fujin was creating. It was an advanced application of the Assassin''s Rush jutsu! His speed caught Orochimaru by surprise as Fujin diverted Orochimaru''s attacks successfully and pulled his right fist back. Orochimaru''s eyes widened as he finally understood what Fujin was planning! He immediately flickered backwards, but winds blasted behind Fujin at the same moment! Assisted by wind blasts, Fujin''s speed was faster than Orochimaru''s flickering speed. A chakra-concentrated punch, whose speed had been increased several times by wind blasting behind Fujin''s elbow, landed on Orochimaru''s chest! Like a broken kite, Orochimaru flew for a couple of hundred meters, crashing through several large trees before his speed reduced just enough to not break through the trees. His body was stuck halfway into a large tree which was already burning due to the heat wave, making it seem like he was being cremated! His chest was a mess as his rib cage had been pulverized. His internal organs were severely damaged as well. However, that wasn''t what worried Orochimaru. What worried him was the fact that he sensed Fujin right above the tree he was stuck in and preparing a Wind jutsu! He quickly freed his arms from the tree and made a hand seal! ''Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves jutsu'' However, before it could hit him, Orochimaru disappeared once again! With nothing stopping it, the Wind Dragon continued moving forward through the Forest of Death. Shikamaru, Choji and Ino''s eyes popped out in shock and surprise as the massive Wind Dragon plowed through the area where Orochimaru was! They saw as the Dragon disappeared out of their sight, leaving a trail of destruction behind it! A massive 12-meter wide and 4-meter deep canal now existed in front of them. As for its length, they couldn''t see where it started nor could they imagine where it would end! As the Wind Dragon moved, every tree and animal in its path was annihilated. A few Genin squads saw it and were terrified. Temari and Kankuro''s eyes widened as they saw the Wind Dragon heading in their direction. They quickly moved a few meters to their left. Thankfully, the Wind Dragon didn''t change its direction and continued moving forward. It only stopped after reaching the other end of the Forest of Death! Renjiro and Hoka, who had the clearest view, were left dumbfounded as they witnessed a new 12 kilometers long channel being formed in the Forest of Death by a single jutsu! The reason why the Wind Dragon was so powerful was pretty simple. Once Fujin unleashed his chakra to form the Wind Domain, he couldn''t take the chakra back. Since Orochimaru had escaped, the Wind Domain had become meaningless. So, Fujin simply used all the remaining chakra in the Wind Domain to create a massive Wind Dragon! Fujin appeared where Orochimaru had reversed summoned to and thought, ''His chakra signature disappeared again. However, I didn''t sense any other disturbance in Space-Time. It looks like he was reverse summoned out of this training ground...'' Fujin let out a long breath. He stretched his body slightly and muttered to himself, ''Now that was a good fight.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Gray, Anthony, Chavi and Juan for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Sam for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 619: A Shocking News! Chapter 619: A Shocking News! Fujin let out a long breath. He stretched his body slightly and muttered to himself, ''Now that was a good fight. If only I could have these more frequently... However, I exposed too many of my secret techniques. And, I lost one of my swords as well. Though replacing the sword wouldn''t be an issue, the next battle against Orochimaru won''t be easy. That said, Hiruzen will be the one facing him next. Even though he is no longer at his peak, Hiruzen is much stronger than what I remember from the original story. I won''t be surprised if he''s able to kill Orochimaru and seal the Senju brothers without having to resort to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Anyway, irrespective of whether Hiruzen kills or cripples him, Orochimaru wouldn''t be a match for me even if I tell him all my secrets. So, there is no need to worry about him. The only issue is if he leaks my abilities to Akatsuki. Thankfully, I still have several hidden cards in my arsenal!'' Back when Fujin created his Wind Domain, he had decided to use it as his go-to jutsu. It''d be his equivalent of the Tsuchikage''s Dust Release or the Raikage''s Lightning Chakra Mode. He didn''t intend to keep it secret. The technique was strong enough to be impactful even if everyone knew about it. "Hmm?" Fujin turned his head and looked to his right. He had sensed someone looking at him very carefully. His eyes glowed as he observed, ''Eh? Kabuto is here as well? I wonder if Orochimaru planned to meet him here. Oh well, it''s good that he didn''t come to heal Orochimaru. Else things might have gotten complicated.'' Seeing Fujin looking at him, Kabuto immediately returned to acting as an ordinary Genin and looked respectfully at Fujin. However, his thoughts were anything but ordinary, ''His chakra level should be very low after his fight with Orochimaru-sama. Should I try to assassinate him using my disguise?'' Kabuto thought for a few seconds before deciding, ''It''s too risky. He won''t drop his guard after facing Orochimaru-sama. Not to mention, the Hokage should be on his way here as well. I''ll keep my focus on Sasuke for now.'' Fujin ignored Kabuto and glanced at the Ino-Shika-Cho trio before disappearing. The trio were holding their breath as they couldn''t believe what had happened earlier. As soon as Fujin disappeared, they released their breath and sat on the branches. Choji muttered, "That was scary! Who knew our proctor would be this powerful!" Ino nodded and said, "Yeah, but that was so cool! Did you see that dragon? It ate that disgusting creep in the blink of an eye! And the way he suddenly appeared there out of thin air was so cool too! Also..." She looked towards the canal left by the Wind Dragon and said, "I can''t see where it starts and where it ends! How long do you guys think this trench is?" She looked at her two teammates before noticing something off. She quickly and quietly asked, "Shikamaru, is everything alright?" Shikamaru snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Suzuki Fujin... A few months ago, I heard my father saying that he is a fearsome ninja. I didn''t think he''d be this strong. To be honest, I don''t think my father knows that he''s this strong either. The ninja we saw earlier was Orochimaru, one of the three Legendary Sannins! The massive fight we noticed earlier should have been between the two of them." Ino and Choji were surprised. Both were aware of Konoha''s Legendary Sannins. Ino asked in surprise, "That was the rogue Sannin? What was he doing in the Chunin Exams? Also, does it mean that our Proctor killed one of the Legendary Sannin?" Shikamaru shook his head and said, "No. From what my father said, it is extremely difficult to kill Orochimaru. He should have escaped somehow. Irrespective of whether he''s dead or escaped, it means that he was defeated by Suzuki Fujin. This is huge! I''m afraid that something big is about to happen soon." Ino and Choji were surprised by Shikamaru''s words. Ino, in particular, was very impressed by Fujin. Anko muttered in disbelief, "Did Fujin defeat Orochimaru? How? Is he that strong?" Anko couldn''t believe it. As someone who was trained by Orochimaru, she knew how insanely strong Orochimaru was. She knew that he had too many tricks under his sleeve. For him to be defeated by a 16-year-old ninja was too outrageous to believe! However, she couldn''t deny the facts in front of her. She quickly moved towards the area where the battle had happened to investigate. As for the Anbu and other ninjas, they quickly began controlling the fire. Unfortunately, the fire was too large and was spreading too rapidly for them to even control. On realizing that, they sent a ninja out to ask for ninjas who could use Water jutsus to reinforce them. The remaining ones tried their best to slow down the speed at which the flames were spreading. Except for a few, most of the Genins stayed on guard and didn''t make any moves as they weren''t sure what was happening in the forest. None of them wished to be caught amid such an intense battle and lose their lives pointlessly. Meanwhile, Fujin returned to the tower and stepped onto the balcony where Hoka and Renjiro were standing. He dispelled his clone, getting all of his memories. Renjiro and Hoka looked at him in surprise. Neither expected him to return there so quickly considering who his opponent was. They could see that Fujin''s breathing was rough. In addition, his clothes were torn in a few spots. However, there were no injuries on him! There was some blood on his clothes, but the two experienced Ninjas could easily see that it didn''t belong to him. Renjiro asked, "Well? What happened there?" [A/N: I guess that was the longest fight I wrote. Though to be fair, this is one of the fights that I had been planning for a long time and played the battle in my head more than a few dozen times ???? I''m glad that everyone enjoyed it! Several interesting developments will happen soon as a consequence of this battle. They will be covered in the upcoming chapters. Have a fun weekend :)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Chen, Gorama, Elijah, Frederic, Peachfarmer, Ethan, Gray, Skarlet, Mehmet, Ugur, Snoww, Jerrod, Arceus and ???????? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 620: Hiruzen Arrives! Chapter 620: Hiruzen Arrives! Renjiro asked, "Well? What happened there?" A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he said, "It''s over for now. Orochimaru escaped." Shock appeared on both their faces. Neither expected such a result. Fujin continued, "The Fire Dome was due to Orochimaru trying to take advantage of my jutsu. The following two dragons were my attacks." Fujin let out a tired sigh and added ruefully, "It''s a shame that his body was far more weird than what I was told. He could heal perfectly from any injury no matter how serious it was. Otherwise, I could have killed him with that initial explosion. Anyway, he escaped using the Reverse Summoning jutsu." Both Renjiro and Hoka sucked a cold breath simultaneously, their eyes wide with disbelief. At the same time, Hiruzen reached the Forest of Death! Despite Fujin''s words, Renjiro couldn''t believe what he was hearing. Unlike Hoka, he was well aware of how terrifying Orochimaru was. Be it Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Kinjutsu or any other skill, Orochimaru excelled in everything. Even the ones who specialized in any of those skills couldn''t compete with him. Even in his wildest dreams, Renjiro could never imagine that someone like that would be defeated by his 16-year-old student! He muttered to himself, ''I knew that he would surpass me but I never thought that he would surpass me so quickly and by such a large degree.'' Pride appeared in Renjiro''s eyes as he looked at Fujin again. His student had defeated Orochimaru! He wanted to go out with his friends and brag about this fact. Unfortunately, the situation forced him to stay put. After all, someone like Orochimaru was dangerous even if he was defeated. Hoka had a complicated feeling. On one hand, he was happy that Fujin had grown so strong. On the other hand, he became slightly depressed as Fujin had left him behind by such a large margin. Even though Fujin was always stronger than him, he hoped that he''d be able to reduce that gap with time. However, he understood that their gap had become so large that the chances of him bridging it were getting lesser every passing day! Renjiro quickly controlled his emotions and looked towards the place where the fight had happened. He saw the massive fire and noticed a few Water jutsus being used. He asked, "Should I go to help control the fire?" Fujin shook his head and returned inside the building to sit down. He said, "No need. My chakra reserves are very low. If Orochimaru has someone assisting him, I''ll need you two to help me until I can recover my chakra. Thankfully, Orochimaru''s chakra levels should be worse than mine. So, he is unlikely to attack again in a short while." Renjiro understood and nodded. Compared to a forest fire, Fujin''s safety was much more important. While the three of them were talking, Hiruzen reached the Forest of Death. Fujin''s clone had sent Fumito to inform him while Anko had sent a few Chunins. The Chunins sent by Anko reached earlier because she had sent them a couple of minutes earlier and they had to travel 10 km less. Hiruzen was about to leave when Fumito reached there and informed him about Fujin''s message. As a result, Hiruzen stopped and summoned a few Anbu squads which took another couple of minutes. With 5 Anbu squads and his Anbu guards, Hiruzen reached the Forest of Death in just 4 minutes! However, when he reached, he couldn''t sense any battle happening. Instead, he just saw the smoke rising from the forest fire. He looked towards it and thought, ''Why am I getting a weird feeling?'' Fumito immediately informed, "Lord Hokage, Fujin and Orochimaru were fighting around the spot where the fire is." Hearing his words, everyone apart from his guards stopped following him and focused on the flames. Hiruzen continued moving towards the tower. He had only moved a few hundred meters when Hiruzen noticed something odd once again. His eyes widened as he noticed a massive new canal in the Forest of Death. He stopped temporarily and wondered, ''What the hell happened here? Who created such a canal? Did Orochimaru get an even larger summon than Manda? But why would the canal be straight if it was created by a snake?'' In the tower, Hoka asked, "By the way, what was that Fire Dragon jutsu you used? It didn''t feel like normal Fire jutsus. The heat it radiated was far more intense. It almost reminded me of your and Mieko''s combination jutsu, but this one seemed a lot more intense." Before Fujin could answer, Renjiro said, "It looked like the Scorch Kekkei Genkai. I didn''t expect that you''d actually manage to fuse Fire and Wind chakras to create this Kekkei Genkai." Fujin shook his head and said, "I can''t use Scorch Release. I just combined Orochimaru''s Fire jutsu with my Wind jutsu. His jutsu also had a lot of Yang chakra. Somehow, the merger of our jutsus created an effect that was very similar to Scorch Release. Unfortunately, the amount of chakra we used was very high. Using it in a battle just by myself isn''t feasible for the time being." Renjiro''s eyebrows twitched. He thought, ''When he was young, he used to always ask me for new jutsus. He even pestered the old man for chakra blades. However, I didn''t think he''d begin using the enemy''s jutsus to strengthen his attacks and send it back at the enemy!'' Suddenly, Fujin, Renjiro and Hoka looked towards the balcony. Moments later, Hiruzen and his Anbu guards arrived. Seeing that Fujin was all right, Hiruzen sighed in relief. He was worried that Orochimaru would injure Fujin seriously. Before Hiruzen could express his relief and express his concern, Fujin looked at him, sighed tiredly, just like Hiruzen usually did, and said, "You''re late, Grandpa. I had to fight that snake just by myself! It was sooo scary!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Alexander, Neeroch, Angel, Obo, Robin, OneBullet, Nick, Kishor, Tyler, Adam, King_Atlas, Draz, Jeppe, ZXCVB and T5p6 for supporting me on P@treon.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com Chapter 621: Hiruzens Nightmare! Chapter 621: Hiruzen''s Nightmare! [A/N: For those commenting in every chapter whether the chapters are shorter, no, the chapters aren''t shorter. I still average over 1.5k words per chapter (without the author notes). As I have repeatedly said, it''s not possible for me to write longer chapters and still be able to write daily. I did try 1.7k-1.8k words, but I was completely exhausted within a week and found it very difficult to continue writing. However, I understand that 1.5k words are too little for some people causing my book to be a complete disappointment to you. So, I humbly request you to read the books that do this as I, unfortunately, am not a good enough writer to be able to satisfy your requirements. Have a good day. I wish you well in life.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "You''re late, Grandpa. I had to fight that snake just by myself! It was sooo scary!" Hiruzen''s left eyebrow twitched in annoyance. All his good feelings disappeared in the blink of an eye. He muttered to himself, ''Scary? Does this brat know what fear even means? Where are your injuries? Did Orochimaru take pity on this brat? Or did this little devil somehow manage to convince Orochimaru to give up violence and accept a beating as a punishment for leaving Konoha?'' No one was more clear about Orochimaru''s strength than Hiruzen. Unlike the rest, who had come to terms with this unbelievable feat, Hiruzen still had some doubts. Knowing Fujin''s nature and his cunning tongue, Hiruzen strongly suspected that Fujin caused him mental damage instead of physical damage! He looked at Renjiro and Hoka and said, "You two, assist in clearing out that fire. I helped out a bit, but there is still a lot left." Renjiro and Hoka nodded and left immediately. Hiruzen glanced at his guards and they followed them. With just the two of them in the room, Hiruzen said, "Now that we are alone, tell me everything that has happened since the second round started. Also, tell me why Orochimaru targeted you." Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Didn''t you see it in that pe... in that crystal ball?" ''Pe...?'' Hiruzen''s eyebrows twitched in annoyance once again as he understood what Fujin was initially saying. He shook his head and said, "No, there were seals in the Forest of Death to stop my technique. I guess Orochimaru placed them there beforehand." Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''Oh, so those were the seals I sensed earlier... Makes sense I suppose.'' He looked at Hiruzen and said, "Orochimaru entered the chunin exam disguised as a Kusa Genin. He didn''t target me, at least not initially. His target was Kakashi''s squad, or more specifically Uchiha Sasuke. Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com He used the Five Elements Seal on Naruto to cut off his access to Nine Tail''s chakra. And he planted his curse seal on Sasuke, just like the one that is on Anko''s neck." Hiruzen''s eyes widened in surprise. He muttered, "So his goal was Sasuke... That''s troublesome..." Hearing Sasuke''s name, Itachi''s face appeared in his mind. Remembering Itachi''s sacrifice and words, Hiruzen didn''t want to see his little brother suffering. Unfortunately, the situation was very complicated. He asked, "If they were his target, why did he fight you?" Fujin shrugged and answered, "My clone had found him and Rasa''s youngest son suspicious. So, I was planning to keep an eye on the two of them. Unfortunately, Orochimaru made his move very quickly. By the time I discovered his attack, he had already placed the seal on Sasuke. I threw Kakashi''s squad to a safe place, then engaged against him and sent messengers to you so that we could eliminate Orochimaru here and solve this headache for good. Unfortunately, that bastard was too slippery and he recovered from every injury with ease..." Suddenly, Hiruzen had a terrible feeling. His eyes widened as he realized what it was. Unfortunately, before he could do anything about it and save himself, Fujin said, "Could you arrange for a better sword to be made for me? This time, I want the sword to have more chakra metal instead of using it miserly. And, it''ll be best if the sword is as strong as Orochimaru''s Sword of Kusanagi. If I can have a blade that is as strong and sturdy as it was, then I won''t need to worry about ever losing due to having a weak sword." Hiruzen cursed internally, ''Shit! I knew it! He was so generous with the information because he wanted a new sword from me! And what does he mean by adding Chakra metal miserly? His swords are excellent! They cost me millions of Ryo and ate into a lot of the money I won by gambling on him! Most importantly, he asked me for pure chakra metal swords when he had just graduated from the academy. Now that he has defeated Orochimaru, which swords will he ask?'' Hiruzen was terrified to think of the answer. Knowing Fujin, he knew it''d be something that even selling both his kidneys wouldn''t be enough. He quickly said, "I can arrange the top blacksmiths for you. However, you''re no longer as young as you were 6 years ago. So, you''ll pay for it yourself." With a smile on his face, Hiruzen added, "Back when you graduated, I knew that your future would be bright. It was why I didn''t mind the costs and got the swords for you. However, I never expected that you''d be able to deal with Orochimaru so quickly. Great job, Fujin. I''m proud of you. I''m happy that the Will of Fire burns strong within you. You are a role model for the younger generation." Not wanting Fujin to shamelessly ask Hiruzen to pay, Hiruzen quickly changed the subject and began praising him so that Fujin would feel awkward asking the village to sponsor it. Unfortunately, Fujin had trained in shamelessness from none other than him! Fujin smiled and said like an obedient youngster, "Thank you, Grandpa." Hiruzen smiled thinking, ''I''m saf...'' Unfortunately, even before he could complete his thoughts, Fujin''s smile changed into a helpless one as he continued, "Unfortunately, I can''t afford to make a good quality sword by myself. I have been busy looking after the orphans and no longer have much time to go on missions. As a result, my funds have been drying up very quickly. I''m afraid I won''t even be able to afford my current swords..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You K0D4S, AH, Cesar, Caner, JustDrinkSomeGlue, Mohamad, Ko Ling, Estevan, Cesar, Xander, Demitri, Joe, Krystian and Kay4t for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 622: Taking advantage of a Perilous situation! Chapter 622: Taking advantage of a Perilous situation! ''...'' Hiruzen was left speechless by Fujin''s sorrowful words. He wondered, ''You are poor? Since when? And, what do you mean by taking care of the orphans? My Anbu ninjas look after them! I''m paying for all their expenses! You only train the ones with Kekkei Genkai and only send a clone to train them! Not to mention, you stopped going on missions long before I gave you the orphans!'' Hiruzen wanted to vent his frustration at being played around by Fujin. Unfortunately, he knew that those words couldn''t be spoken aloud. He could only swallow his words and frustration. However, if Hiruzen knew that Fujin had plundered hundreds of millions of Ryo from corrupt and vile Nobles and had that money with him, how would he have reacted? Hiruzen sighed in his trademark manner and said, "Fujin, the village finances are tight for the time being. You know it since you saw the village budget. It is difficult for me to arrange such funds." Fujin tilted his head and immediately said, "The village will earn around 4 to 5 billion Ryo by selling the land around the Guidance Hall. Along with the other sources of income, I don''t think you''ll need to worry about funds for a few years at least." ''...'' Once again, Hiruzen didn''t know what he should reply. After all, what Fujin said was true. Had it been anyone else, they would have tried to profit at least 500 million Ryo from that proposal. They would have let the Council Members profit by 1.5 billion Ryo and left the remaining to the village. It was how things normally happened. However, Fujin gave everything to the village. Hiruzen sighed internally thinking, ''He''s right. The village will profit heavily due to it... So the village sponsoring his sword wouldn''t be improper. Especially considering that he defeated Orochimaru. However...'' He looked at Fujin and thought, ''It looks like expecting him to be completely selfless was too much. Though to be fair, he couldn''t have known that he would fight Orochimaru and break his sword. I guess he just took advantage of the situation. That said, it is possible that he acted that selflessly just so that he could make me pay for his expenses in the future...'' Hiruzen became worried thinking that Fujin would keep using this reason and ask him to keep paying in the future. Fujin continued looking at Hiruzen and thought, ''Wow, he''s so deep in thought. If it wasn''t so fun to make him pay, I wouldn''t have minded paying for it myself. Even though Hiruzen would''ve been suspicious about how I gained so much money, he wouldn''t have looked into it and just been happy that I wasn''t making him or the village pay. Unfortunately, I couldn''t think of any jutsu I could ask from him. Otherwise, I''d have asked him for a jutsu and paid for the sword myself. The only one that comes to mind is Edo Tensei jutsu, but Hiruzen won''t give it to me. The only way I could ask for it is if he survives against Orochimaru. Even then, it is highly unlikely that he''ll give me that jutsu.'' Hiruzen resigned himself to the fact that he couldn''t deny Fujin''s request. He said, "Making a sword as good as the sword of Kusanagi is more or less impossible. I don''t know any living blacksmith who could do it. Lower your requirements a bit." Fujin thought for a bit and said, "In that case, could you make me a sword equivalent to the Blade of the Thunder Spirit which Lord Second had created? If I can get a similar sword that helps in controlling winds, it''ll be very helpful to me." Hiruzen''s left eye twitched again as he angrily thought, ''Even 5 billion Ryo won''t be sufficient for that!'' He immediately replied, "Unfortunately, that is even more impossible. Sensei had found the materials required to create the sword by himself. I''m not sure where and how he found those materials. Unless you have the materials that could create such a sword, no one can make one." Fujin sighed and said, "That''s a shame. Oh well, I guess we can just stick to the basics then." Hiruzen asked, "Which means?" Fujin smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa. Do you also know a jutsu that could put a stop to Orochimaru''s jutsu where he sheds his skin? Or some other jutsu that''d be effective against the snake or others like him?" Even though Fujin didn''t know which other jutsu to ask from Hiruzen, there was no reason to decline a jutsu that Hiruzen would give himself. After all, who knew which forbidden and rank S jutsus Hiruzen knew that wasn''t known to anyone else? Unfortunately, Hiruzen just stared at Fujin and replied, "Unfortunately, there aren''t any such jutsus. Let me know if you come up with any." Fujin stared suspiciously at Hiruzen, to see if he was lying. Unfortunately, Hiruzen didn''t change his expression. While the two of them were talking, Renjiro and Hoka reached the forest fire. Thanks to Hiruzen''s massive jutsu, the fire had been brought under control. Over 70% of the fire was extinguished and its spread had been halted. ''Water Release: Great Waterfall jutsu!'' As soon as Renjiro reached, he spat out a massive amount of water. It dealt with a third of the remaining flames in one go. The ninjas who were working on extinguishing the forest fire were surprised. Seeing that it was Renjiro, they sighed in relief. With Renjiro''s help, they were able to extinguish the remaining flames within a few minutes. As soon as the flames were dealt with, Anko flickered next to him and asked, "Is it true that Fujin defeated Orochimaru?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Shreyas, Bau, bftchris, Slothy, Ko Ling, Goeckner and Ugur for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 623: Fame Explodes! Chapter 623: Fame Explodes! "Is it true that Fujin defeated Orochimaru?" Anko''s voice wasn''t soft. Most of the Anbu and other ninjas who had helped extinguish the fire heard it and paid attention to Renjiro. Even though they had already heard it, they were still in disbelief. Knowing Renjiro''s reputation and the fact that Fujin was his student, they wanted to hear it from him. To their surprise, Renjiro nodded and said, "That''s true. Fujin defeated Orochimaru and forced him to escape using the Reverse Summoning jutsu." A stunned silence appeared in the burnt forest. For a few seconds, no one said anything. Due to the fire, all birds and animals had escaped or died. So, other than the breeze, no sound could be heard. Hoka looked at everyone and wondered, ''Why are they so suspicious? Is it really so hard to believe? Also, why is everyone silent?'' Among the ones present there, Hoka was the youngest at just 16 years old. He hadn''t seen the horrors of the Great Ninja Wars. Nor did he know how terrifying Orochimaru was. So, he couldn''t understand their emotions. However, Renjiro could clearly understand what was going through their heads. A smile appeared on his face. "Oh my god! I still can''t believe it! This means that all those rumors were true!" "This is such amazing news! We have a ninja who could force that fucking traitor to escape!" "Hell yeah! Since he defeated Orochimaru, Suzuki Fujin is definitely a rank S ninja! We have another rank S ninja!" "Forget rank S, he defeated Orochimaru, the Sannin! Fujin should be extremely strong even among the rank S ninjas! He is at least in the same league as Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade!" "He might be even stronger! Even if he isn''t, don''t forget that he is only 16 years old! He''ll keep getting stronger!" . . . Hoka looked dumbfounded as the silence was broken by the excitement coursing through the experienced ninjas in front of him! Even the feared and disciplined Anbu ninjas weren''t an exception. They were celebrating like ordinary citizens! Hoka looked at Renjiro in confusion and asked, "Sensei, why are they so happy? And why are you smiling like this?" Renjiro explained without looking at him, "For every village, a rank S ninja is someone who they could rely on to protect the village. As long as a rank S ninja exists, they wouldn''t worry about their safety. If something happens to Lord Hokage, we will have another leader available to take charge. And on the battlefield, a rank S ninja can take command of entire armies. They can roam on the battlefield with no fear of being killed. Hence, it is a joyous occasion whenever we get a new rank S ninja. Orochimaru became a rank S ninja over two decades ago. He was trained by none other than Lord Third. By defeating him, Fujin has established that he is one of the stronger rank S ninjas. Just like Lord Hokage and the Sannins, he is now someone who''ll deter the other villages from daring to start a war against us. If they dare to do so without considering his threat, he''ll cut down through their ranks and turn the battle in a day or two. Even if they make a plan for him, they''ll be forced to move forces away from elsewhere. That will save the lives of a few hundred Konoha ninjas. So, it would be weird if they weren''t so happy and excited." Hoka was surprised. He looked at the joyous ninjas again and said, "I didn''t think that it''d be such a huge deal. Now I understand." He chuckled and said, "It looks like Fujin is a big shot now, haha." Everyone looked at Hiruzen''s clone curiously, wondering what this meeting was about. Seeing that everyone had appeared, Hiruzen''s clone said without getting up from his chair, "An unforeseen situation happened during the second stage of the Chunin exam." Many sensei became nervous on hearing that. The one who was the most nervous was none other than Baki. He thought, ''Shit! Don''t tell me that they caught wind of our plans and dealt with the children of Lord Kazekage! We can''t lose any of them!'' Hiruzen paused for a few seconds to make everyone as nervous as he could. He especially paid special attention to Baki''s reactions. He continued, "Orochimaru, the rogue Sannin, infiltrated the training ground 44." Baki relaxed internally on hearing that. However, his expression showed that he had become even more nervous. Everyone else, apart from Orochimaru''s clone who had disguised as the sensei of Oto Genins, was nervous as well. After all, they weren''t confident in dealing with Orochimaru. What could their young students do? Hiruzen''s clone continued, "Thankfully, before he could harm anyone, he was intercepted by the proctor of the second round, Suzuki Fujin. After an intense fight, Fujin injured Orochimaru, broke his Sword of Kusanagi and forced him to escape. None of the Genins were harmed. The exam will continue as usual." Baki''s eyes widened involuntarily. He shouted in his head, ''Suzuki Fujin defeated Orochimaru? That''s impossible! How could that happen?'' Immediately, Baki felt like someone was looking at him. He cursed, ''Shit!'' Baki quickly took control of his emotions. Others weren''t able to control their mouths like him. A few exclaimed loudly. "How can that happen?" "No way!" "Is that true?" They quickly controlled their emotions. After all, they were in front of the Hokage. Even Kakashi, Guy, Asuma and Kurenai were shocked and left speechless. Elsewhere in Konoha, the clones sent by ninjas reached their respective clans and quickly rushed to their clan leaders, forcing them to stop whatever they were doing. With a visible bump on his head, Shikaku walked with an annoyed expression and asked, "What was so important that you made my wife wake me up?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jay, Shreyas, Landlord, RaidenEi, Harry, Jose, fr lg, pat reonuser, joshua, Caio and Matyas for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 624: A Change in Plan! Chapter 624: A Change in Plan! The clone of the Nara Anbu ninja said, "The sun hasn''t even set, why are you sleeping now? Anyway, this is no time to be sleeping. Something huge has happened. Suzuki Fujin defeated Orochimaru and forced him to retreat!" Shikaku''s eyes widened. While he rated Fujin very highly just like Hiruzen, he didn''t expect to hear something like this. In the Yamanaka clan compounds, Inoichi exclaimed aloud, "What did you say?" In the Akimichi clan compounds, Choza said, "He defeated Orochimaru? That''s incredible!" In other places, Hiashi went silent. Tsume nearly interrogated the clone who reported the news. Shibi was shocked as well. A smile appeared on Senju Hiromasa''s face as he muttered, "You have trained one hell of a shinobi, Renjiro." Every single Clan Leader was shocked by the news. They quickly reevaluated Fujin. When they heard that Fujin killed Juzo, they accepted that Fujin was stronger than them. However, they believed that they could still face him in battle and keep him at bay. After all, Fujin could barely be considered a rank S ninja. Being at the Elite Jounin level, they could fight such ninjas to a standstill. With a combination like the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, defeating Fujin should have also been possible. However, this news caught them off guard. Despite their abilities, none of the clan leaders wanted to face someone like Orochimaru. Even if they fought together, they wouldn''t have much confidence in defeating Orochimaru. They would be happy if they managed to keep him at bay and avoid their deaths. Yet, such a formidable ninja was defeated by Fujin without any help! Of course, there was a person who was even more shocked than the clan leaders. The tiger-masked Anbu ninja''s clone snuck into the Root headquarters under disguise while avoiding the eyes of the Anbu squad Hiruzen had positioned to keep an eye on the Root headquarters. He quickly reached Danzo''s office and dispelled his disguise. Danzo looked at him and asked, "Why are you in such a panic?" The clone said, "Lord Danzo, something incredible has happened in the Forest of Death. Orochimaru infiltrated the Forest of Death after the second phase of the Exam began. He and Suzuki Fujin fought an intense battle. In the end, Orochimaru was injured and escaped using the Reverse Summoning jutsu!" Danzo''s eye widened in shock! He exclaimed in disbelief, "That''s impossible! How can someone like Orochimaru be defeated by a brat? Are you sure that this news is accurate? Did Hiruzen make up a lie?" The clone answered, "I don''t think it was a lie, Lord Danzo. Several ninjas saw a massive snake, something that only Orochimaru could summon. In addition, a few Hyugas saw the ending stages of the battle. They had no doubts that what they saw was true. Lord Hokage arrived after the battle was over. He met with Suzuki Fujin alone and seems to have confirmed that he really defeated Orochimaru. He doesn''t plan to suppress this news. By now, most of the clan leaders should have learnt about this battle." Danzo''s expression became grim. He thought, ''Could it really be true? Could Fujin be really at the same level as Orochimaru? Even I can''t say for sure whether I''d be able to defeat him even with Shisui''s eye. Wait! Irrespective of whether he is at that level or not, Hiruzen is planning to spread this information... A 16-year-old ninja who can defeat a Sannin... His reputation will increase to the same level as Minato''s! That damned Hiruzen!'' He fell into a thought. While he was thinking, Hiruzen''s clone said, "That''s all I wanted to say. The Genins weren''t affected by their battle and Fujin will continue keeping an eye on the training ground. The exam will continue as usual. You guys can leave." He gazed at Kakashi while leaving the room. Kakashi immediately got the message and softly said, "I''ll meet you guys later." Kakashi disappeared from the room. Everyone was still in shock. The room immediately emptied as the foreign sensei went to inform their respective villages. As for the sensei who were from Konoha, they rushed to tell their friends and families. Orochimaru''s clone left as well while thinking, ''There is no choice. I can''t handle everything by myself. I will have to change my plans. I can''t kill Rasa. Instead, I''ll have to convince him to continue with the plan and increase the number of Suna ninjas in the attack. I''ll deal with Hiruzen and have Rasa deal with Fujin. That way, we will have a temporary advantage in terms of quality. Once I kill Hiruzen, I can summon Manda and others to destroy the village.'' After realizing Fujin''s strength, Orochimaru quickly made changes to his plan. Otherwise, even if he could kill Hiruzen, all Suna and Oto ninjas would be eliminated by the time he was done. Once that happened, he wouldn''t be able to destroy the village and would need to retreat. In fact, if he failed to kill Hiruzen by then, then the barrier would come under an intense assault from Konoha ninjas. If that happened, then he wouldn''t even be able to kill Hiruzen. In order to succeed, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and make adjustments to his plans. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Cole, Ciaon, Bernard, Disa, Shinu, Luco, pervysage, Jay, Tomasz, Abraham, Sosa, Mike, Whatsittoyou, Jon, Landlord and An Hofi for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 625: Regret! Chapter 625: Regret! Kakashi quickly followed Hiruzen''s clone and appeared behind him. Hiruzen''s clone looked at him and said, "There is something you should know..." Kakashi''s expression became serious as he learnt that Orochimaru had entered the forest to target his students. He relaxed slightly on learning that Fujin would be keeping an eye on them. In the end, Hiruzen said, "If you want, you can move to the tower in the Forest of Death as well. You can seal Sasuke''s curse seal once the second round is done." Kakashi nodded. Danzo and the Clan Leaders were still absorbing the information they learnt. Even the two Elders had been informed and were in shock. They could hardly digest the fact that Fujin defeated Orochimaru when the messengers informed them of something equally outrageous. "What did you say???" Danzo got up and exclaimed in disbelief. Despite having decades of experience and excellent control over his emotions, Danzo couldn''t keep his cool. The clone replied, "It''s true. Every ninja who was present in the Forest of Death saw it. Orochimaru first attacked him with a massive fire jutsu. I believe it was the Majestic Destroyer Flame jutsu. However, Fujin responded with a Scorch Dragon seconds later. After he attacked Orochimaru with it and exploded it, trees within 500 meters were set ablaze!" Danzo''s expression became very serious as he wondered, ''How could he have Scorch Release? Does he have the same bloodline as Pakura? But that''s impossible. As far as I could check, no one in his ancestry was even a ninja. Did he learn how to fuse Fire and Wind chakra by himself?'' A frown appeared on his face as he analyzed, ''I can accept that he is very talented in Wind Release. However, is he equally talented in Fire Release? Why isn''t his Fire Release as strong as his Wind Release then? Or did he just get lucky and somehow manage to merge the two natures accurately? Or was he somehow able to replicate it from that Orphan?'' As someone who chased after power, Danzo had long attempted everything he could to increase his strength. That included attempts to fuse different elements to create Kekkei Genkai. Unfortunately, he never succeeded despite trying for decades. He only managed to get Kekkei Genkai by implanting Sharingan and transplanting Hashirama''s cells. As such, Danzo was unwilling to believe it. However, the emotion that Danzo was feeling the most wasn''t disbelief. Instead, it was regret! He sighed and thought, ''I missed out. I should have pushed harder back then. Even though Hiruzen was adamant, I could have forced him to change his mind. If only I had recruited him back then... Today, I would have someone who could fight Orochimaru as my loyal soldier! My situation in Konoha would have been completely different as well...'' Unfortunately, there was nothing Danzo could do about it as there was no way to go back in the past and change his actions. Of course, even if he could go in the past, there was no way Fujin would have joined Root. "Fujin used Scorch Release..." "Under normal circumstances, that would be big news. However, everyone will only discuss the fact that he defeated Orochimaru! I find it hard to believe." Homura and Koharu were together when they received the news. Both were shocked. Koharu agreed with Homura''s words and said, "Yeah, it''s so difficult to believe that I can''t help but think that there are some hidden details. Do you think Hiruzen is behind this?" Homura thought for a bit and shook his head. He replied, "No, this isn''t his style. What the Anbu said must be true. Of course, there are some additional details. For instance, Orochimaru wouldn''t want to fight Hiruzen without any backup which might be the main reason behind his retreat. And, Orochimaru''s Fire jutsu seemed to be linked with Fujin''s Scorch Dragon somehow." Koharu nodded and said, "Regardless, even with these details, this is a great achievement. All of us underestimated that kid. Perhaps only Hiruzen saw his true potential and strength. No wonder he supports him so much." Since Fujin didn''t have any background, his seat in the council should have been very unstable and full of headaches. In fact, a couple of moves had been made to cause him trouble. One of which was made by Koharu herself after Fujin openly threatened her twice in a row on the day he blew up the Root''s headquarters. Renjiro nodded as well. Hiruzen left along with his Anbu Guards, leaving just Fujin, Renjiro, Hoka and Anko in the room. Hoka chuckled and said, "You are really something Fujin. You should have seen the reactions of the senior ninjas. All are shocked by this battle." He glanced at Anko and teasingly said, "Anko was in disbelief the longest." Anko immediately became annoyed at Hoka and said, "That''s only natural you punk! Do you even know how terrifying Orochimaru is?" Hoka immediately replied, "Perhaps, but doesn''t that mean that Fujin is even more terrifying?" Anko immediately became quiet. What Hoka said made sense. Before she could think of a response, Fujin said, "Don''t underestimate him, Hoka. Even though I injured him a few times, he recovered to perfect health every time. I''m not sure whether it is even possible to kill someone like him. On the other hand, I don''t have any such ability. The next time he fights me, I might be at a disadvantage as he now knows about my skills." Renjiro smiled and said, "It''s good to see that you''re as pragmatic as ever, Fujin. What you said is true. Someone like Orochimaru should never be underestimated. Even the old man is very wary of him." Renjiro thought, ''I was worried that he''d become overconfident after defeating Orochimaru. It''s good to see that he''s still the same kid as back then.'' Memories of Fujin staying far away from Mieko and Hoka during their spars appeared in Renjiro''s mind. Renjiro had to work hard to get Fujin to break that fighting style. However, he was happy to see that Fujin''s cautious nature never changed. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. An examiner entered and reported, "I have something to inform you. The first Genin squad has reached the tower!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, Ganbayar, Calvin, Michael, ZephyrZepar, Chopper4ever, mozart, Bernardo and Grant for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 626: A Trap! Chapter 626: A Trap! Anko''s eyes widened. Due to Orochimaru''s interference, she stopped thinking about the exam. She exclaimed in shock, "What? It hasn''t even been 2 hours since the exam started! How could someone pass so early? Which squad is it?" The examiner reported, "It is a squad from Sunagakure. Actually..." He paused before continuing with a serious expression, "They reached the tower 1 hour and 46 minutes after the exam began. It is the second fastest record in all the Chunin Exams. However, what is even more surprising is the fact that one of the Genins from that team didn''t have even a speck of dust on him." Surprise and disbelief could be heard in his voice. Anko''s eyes widened once again. Her eyes quickly turned towards Fujin as she remembered that Fujin had said that their squad was suspicious as well. At the same time, she recalled, ''Wait a minute, isn''t Renjiro''s squad the current record holders?'' Fujin chuckled and said, "Looks like they don''t intend to hide how formidable they are. Oh well, let me see what those kids are made of." His words surprised the ones in the room. Anko asked, "Do you intend to take action against them as well? Since they haven''t done anything yet, acting against them could create problems for us." Fujin shook his head and said, "Nothing like that. I''ll just be talking with them." Anko sighed in relief while thinking, ''Due to Orochimaru''s actions, we already need to inform Kusagakure about their loss. Since they are a minor village, that won''t be that troublesome, but Sunagakure won''t be as easy to deal with.'' The examiner asked, "Should I call them here?" Fujin shook his head and said, "No need, I already took care of it. Return to your post. You did well informing us about this. Let us know if you notice anything else that seems odd." The examiner nodded and left. As Fujin said, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were walking up the tower. Unlike Gaara, both Temari and Kankuro were very tense due to what they had seen a few seconds earlier. They had just reached the tower and were told the meaning of the words in the wall scroll when a figure made of Wind suddenly appeared and asked them to come to the top floor of the tower. As soon as they saw the Wind figure, they understood that Fujin was in the building. Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances in shock after the figure disappeared. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com Both had just one thought running through their minds, ''How is he here? Wasn''t he fighting against Orochimaru? Don''t tell me that he won their fight...'' Despite having seen the deadly Wind Dragon, they couldn''t believe that Orochimaru failed to kill Fujin. They immediately became tense thinking about why Fujin wanted to see them. If Orochimaru had leaked any details, then the three of them would be history! As they walked up the stairs, Kankuro and Temari could only pray that Gaara didn''t act impulsively. Soon, they reached the highest floor and entered the room Fujin was in. To their surprise, they saw Fujin and Renjiro looking at a Shogi board while Hoka and Anko were observing their game as well. Without looking at them, Fujin said, "You guys took your sweet time coming here." The Suna trio were surprised to hear the disappointment in Fujin''s voice. Temari wondered, ''He is disappointed? Why? Also, why isn''t he even a bit injured? Even though Orochimaru couldn''t kill him, why did he fail to injure him even a bit?'' Fujin thought, ''A shame. If he had attacked, I would have had a proper reason to act. Killing him now would have a massive impact on the future for sure. That change will likely not be good for Konoha. However, if I can get Shukaku, I can test my new seal. If I succeed, my power will increase by a level. Even though I''ll lose a considerable amount of my advantage of knowing the future events as Gaara plays a major role in the future, the gains would more than makeup for the losses. The only major drawback is that I''ll attract Akatsuki''s attention. Pain and Obito are still a bit too strong for me to deal with. However, I am not afraid of them. Even though I can''t defeat them, they can''t kill me either. Hell, they wouldn''t want to kill me anyway due to Shukaku. Anyway, if I can''t get my hands on Shukaku, I''ll have to wait for the Fourth Mizukage to die and for Isobu to be reborn. That''ll take a few years...'' For years, Fujin had been careful to not affect future events beyond a certain limit. Even though he had gone overboard a few times like when he created a mess in the Land of Wind, he hadn''t ever purposely tried to do something that would irreparably change the future other than the time he went after Hidan. The reason for that was twofold. The first thing he needed to consider was his strength. If he wasn''t strong enough, there was no point in attempting to do anything like that. It would have been better to stay in the background and stay alive. It was only after he became a rank S ninja that he considered this option. The second and most important reason was that there were certain incidents from which Fujin could profit heavily. If he acted recklessly and changed the future just for the sake of it, he would lose all those opportunities. Hence, he needed to think over a hundred times before doing something that would forever change the course of the future. He had to be sure that his gains would make up for losing all those future opportunities! Temari was oblivious to the trap Fujin had laid for her brother and complained, "Shouldn''t you give us this information before the exam began?" Anko joined in, "Where''s the fun in that? Besides, if you need motivation to finish your mission most efficiently, then you aren''t suited to be Chunins." Temari frowned. Before she could complain, Fujin said, "Anyway, I just called you guys here to inform you that the next round will start in 5 days. Until then, you have to stay inside the tower. If you leave for any reason, you''ll be disqualified. Feel free to use any facilities inside the tower that you fancy while you stay here. Also, remember that fighting isn''t allowed here. Now shoo shoo." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Smitty, Nicholas, Cory, Saddie, Mickle, MrLikeMe and King Atlas for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 627: FUCK YOU DANZO! Chapter 627: FUCK YOU DANZO! Fujin waved his hand dismissively, shooing the three of them away like they were pests. It annoyed the three of them once again but Gaara surprisingly didn''t lose his control once again. He just stared at Fujin as the three of them left the room. As soon as the trio exited, the expression of all four Konoha ninjas became serious. Hoka activated his Byakugan. Anko muttered, "Such strong bloodlust. No wonder you found them suspicious. It''s surprising to see that the Kazekage trained his youngest son to be such a ninja." Hoka agreed, "Yeah, I thought that he would attack us for sure due to the bloodlust he was oozing. Still, his chakra network seems very weird. I haven''t seen anything like that." Renjiro chipped in, "Knowing how lousy Suna''s seal for sealing their Tailed Beast is, it''s no wonder that the boy''s chakra network is a mess and his bloodlust is so strong." Anko and Hoka were shocked. Anko exclaimed, "A Tailed Beast?" Hoka asked, "You mean that he is a Jinchuriki?" Unlike Renjiro, who knew about it thanks to his connections and rank, Hoka and Anko weren''t aware that Gaara was the Jinchuriki. Both knew how terrifying the Tailed Beasts were and immediately became tense. Renjiro nodded and said, "Yeah. I guess that''s why you called them here and taunted them, right?" Fujin nodded and answered, "More or less. I was active in Sunagakure during my Anbu days and even saw him once. From the intel I collected, he was extremely unstable and frequently lost control of the Tailed Beast inside him. I wanted to make sure that he wouldn''t lose control easily. Otherwise, he could cause a catastrophe inside the village. From the restraint he displayed, it seems like he has gotten better control of his emotions and might not be that big of a threat. Regardless, his appearance in the Chunin Exam is very suspicious. Normally, no village allows their Jinchuriki to even go out of the village. The fact that Orochimaru made a move makes it even more fishy." "But, wouldn''t it be dangerous if he lost control here? You''re low on chakra and I''m not sure if we three would be able to defeat a Tailed Beast!" Anko exclaimed anxiously. Fujin casually replied, "It''s fine. I inscribed a few seals on the tower when I learnt that he would be participating. As long as he loses control inside the tower, I can suppress and capture him." Hoka nervously asked, "A few seals? Would that be enough?" Anko agreed with him, "Yes, don''t underestimate the Tailed Beasts. A few seals wouldn''t be sufficient to deal with them. Don''t forget that Lord Fourth died while sealing the Nine Tails" Only Renjiro looked at Fujin with a weird expression and thought, ''A few seals? Does he even understand what ''a few'' means? His ''few'' should be a few thousand for a normal person, right? That said, I didn''t sense any seals. It looks like his Fuinjutsu has gotten better.'' As he realized it, one word escaped his mouth, "Fuck!" Katsuhiro shivered in rage and fear when recalling his exchanges with Fujin. When Fujin kept him waiting for nearly a couple of months, he badly wanted to rush into Fujin''s house and teach him a lesson. The only reason that he didn''t do so was that anyone so impulsive would never be selected for the council. When Fujin continued belittling him, it had taken a great amount of willpower for him to control himself. However, he was glad that he managed to control his impulses. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been alive! He cursed, ''FUCK YOU DANZO!!! You sent me to compete against someone who was as strong as fucking Orochimaru? What the fuck did I do to offend you? Youu...youuuu bastard! I will never forget this scheme of yours! I nearly died so many times! Thankfully I controlled myself, else that demonic brat would''ve even swallowed up my bones!'' From wanting to rip Fujin into pieces, Katsuhiro began wanting to dismember Danzo. All his resentment towards Fujin disappeared and was transferred to Danzo. In fact, if Danzo hadn''t been protected by Root, he would have definitely gone there to vent his frustrations. Unknowingly, he was saved by those Root ninjas. In the Forest of Death, things calmed down. Kurenai''s team managed to reach the tower on day 1 as well. Things didn''t happen much differently than in the canon other than the fact that the Genins were far more alert. Sakura planted several traps and stayed on guard to protect Naruto and Sasuke. Meanwhile, the Oto squad searched for them following Orochimaru''s orders. The next morning, the Oto squad attacked her. What they didn''t know was that their actions were closely watched by a pair of eyes. With nearly a day''s rest, Fujin had recovered most of his chakra. He sent a clone with 5% of his chakra to keep an eye on Naruto and Sasuke. The reason for the same was to guard against any unexpected moves from Orochimaru due to Fujin''s existence. However, this wasn''t the only clone Fujin had sent. There was another Shadow Clone who was at a different location in the Forest of Death. That clone had 25% of Fujin''s chakra, 5 times more than the clone watching over Naruto and Sasuke. He was keeping an eye on three unsuspecting Genins. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nick, Cory and King Atlas for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 628: A New Home Chapter 628: A New Home Among the Genin squads Kusagakure sent to participate in the Chunin Exam, only two managed to qualify for the second round. Unfortunately for Kusagakure, one of them was the disguised Orochimaru''s squad and the second squad was being watched like a hawk by Fujin''s clone! The second squad was planning what to do to get the other scroll. After planning for a bit, the two boys decided that they would go together to find other squads. They bit Karin''s forearm to recover their chakra and left her alone in the deadly forest. Fujin''s clone watched the scene and analyzed, ''Hmm, from what I remember, she was attacked by a bear before being saved by Sasuke. However, Sasuke is injured right now. Those events probably happened on the third or the fourth day. It looks like these two leave her like this daily. So, I suppose that no one will attack her today. Hmm...'' He activated his Space Time Sensing Technique. As he guessed, there wasn''t anyone nearby to threaten her. He muttered to himself, ''Oh well, I''ll have to wait for a ''natural'' event.'' Alone in the deadly forest, Karin couldn''t help but feel fear. She thought, ''What should I do if someone finds and attacks me? What if I get attacked by dangerous wild animals? Or what if those awful chakras reappear? I need to hide!'' Karin quickly began to look for a place to hide in. After searching for a bit, she found a large tree with a hole in its trunk at the base. She quickly entered inside and hid in it, making her feel safer. She closed her eyes and waited patiently for her teammates to return. It had only been around half an hour when she suddenly sensed some tremors. She opened her eyes and activated her chakra field while wondering, ''Who is it?'' As she sensed, her eyes widened. She quickly jumped out of the tree. Half a second later, a large paw hit the tree and destroyed it! Karin looked at the figure in fear and muttered, "A lion? How did it find me?" In front of her was a 5-meter-tall lion. It stared at her ferociously, fully displaying its hunger. Karin immediately threw a few shurikens at it, but her shurikens couldn''t pierce through its thick hide and only left a few scratches. Even though the lion wasn''t injured, the scratches annoyed it and it rushed towards Karin. While Karin was being attacked by the lion, Yamanaka Fumito passed very close to that place. He was on patrol and had his chakra field active in order to sense any suspicious activities. While he wasn''t the best sensor by any means, he was a very good one. Yet, despite being only 50 meters away from Karin and the lion, Fumito couldn''t sense either of them! In fact, even Karin failed to sense him. It was as if she was in an alternate dimension where no one could detect her! If either of them knew that they were just 50 meters from each other, they would be shocked. As for the reason why they couldn''t sense each other? It was quite simple. In order to not be disturbed, Fujin''s clone had used the Stealth Battlefield that he had developed a few months ago. Unless a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster were to arrive, no one would be able to sense its existence! As the lion charged at Karin, she threw a few more kunai and shuriken while attempting to run. Unfortunately, her weapons barely affected the wild beast. And her speed was much slower than it. As his paw came crashing down on her, she jumped out of its way, barely dodging it. However, there was no relief on her face as another paw slapped her like a fly and sent her crashing into a tree. The impact injured her back and arms, making her unable to move for some time. She opened her eyes and saw the ferocious beast running towards her. A few tear drops ran down her cheeks as she thought, ''Am I going to die here?'' The memories of her dead mother appeared in her mind as she tried her best to get up. She barely managed to stand up by the time the lion reached her. However, she knew that it was too late. She resigned to her fate when she suddenly heard a crackling sound. Seeing her silent, Fujin''s clone asked, "Does it have anything to do with the bite marks on your arm?" Sadness could be heard in Fujin''s voice as he spoke. It lowered Karin''s guard considerably. Her eyes became wet as she answered, "My mother had the ability to heal others if they bit her. I have the same ability to. My village is at war. They bit my mother too many times and she passed away..." As she spoke, she couldn''t control her tears and a few drops rolled down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them and controlled herself as much as she could. Fujin''s clone stayed silent for a few seconds before releasing a long sigh. He muttered in a sorrowful tone, "A Shinobi without a homeland is quite tragic. What happened to your mother is an unfortunate tragedy. If you continue living there, then you might share the same fate..." Hearing his words, Karin shivered. What he said was her worst nightmare. She lost control of her tears once again. Fujin''s clone placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair gently to calm her down. He said, "You have a choice to make. Do you want to continue living in a place that killed your mother and is mistreating you? Or do you want to move to a place where people will value you for who you are? A place where you can change your destiny. A place where you can ensure that no one else suffers the tragedy that you and your mother did?" His words surprised her. She wondered, ''Does such a place truly exist? Or...'' Sadness appeared in her mind once again as she asked, "Does such a place truly exist? Or do you want me just for my ability?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nate, Krystian, Nassim, Simo, Graham, Crypto, ikkei, Zachary and Thegamertags for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 629: Karins Death... Chapter 629: Karin''s Death... "Does such a place truly exist? Or do you want me just for my ability?" Fujin''s clone could feel the tiredness in Karin''s voice as she asked that question. He could feel that she had grown to resent the power that she had. Knowing her past, he could understand her emotions. Fujin''s clone shook his head and sighed. He stopped ruffling her hair and pointed his palm at her, confusing her. A green chakra appeared from his hand and entered Karin''s body. It healed the injuries caused by the lion''s slap and crashing into the tree. Even the bite marks on her forearms began fading away. Her chakra recovered as well. Karin was surprised by what she was experiencing. Fujin''s clone said, "Though the ability to heal others by letting them bite you is quite remarkable, any Medical ninja can do the same. Even transferring chakra isn''t that difficult. So, I don''t particularly care about your ability. What I do care about is whether you are willing to work hard to ensure that others don''t suffer in the same way you did. So, are you interested?" His words surprised her once again. Realizing that she had an opportunity to escape her hell and find a new home, she couldn''t help but break into tears as she answered, "Yes. Thank you." Fujin''s clone didn''t disturb her this time and allowed her to let her emotions out. Karin took a couple of minutes to control herself. She said, "Even though I''m willing to follow you, I''m afraid that my village would make Konoha give me back." Fujin''s clone asked in amusement, "Who said you''ll become one of Konoha''s ninjas?" He chuckled and continued, "Even though Konoha isn''t as bad as Kusagakure and they have many good medical ninjas, your life in Konoha wouldn''t be much different than in Kusagakure." He didn''t say the following words out loud, ''The only difference would be that instead of being forced to let others bite you, you''ll do that willingly and feel pride in sacrificing your life in the same way as your mother instead of resentment.'' Karin was surprised to hear his words. She wondered, ''Where will he take me then?'' Fujin''s clone continued, "You''ll be joining an organization I created to help the weak people who can''t defend themselves against the bandits and the rogue ninjas. It is called the Phantom Haven Society." Karin was surprised once again. She thought, ''Is there really such an organization?'' Fujin''s clone could understand her thoughts from her expression and added, "Almost everyone in this world wishes for peace. Yet, almost no one does anything to bring about that peace. That is why we call such wishful thinking the Phantom Will. Every person in my organization believes in the Phantom Will. Unlike others who merely wish it, we will put it into action. That is the goal of our Society. Perhaps someday we''ll succeed and ensure that most of the people in this world live without the fear of being attacked. Or perhaps we might fall trying. Regardless, it is the goal of our lives. Though I don''t need your healing ability, I need your commitment to this goal if you want to come with me." Those words immediately created an impression on Karin''s young and innocent mind. She began dreaming about such a future. A future where no one would be forced like her and her mother. She quickly replied, "I want such a world too." Fujin''s clone inspected the ''evidence'' a couple of times before getting rid of all the seals he had used to create the Stealth Battlefield and dispelling himself. In the tower, Fujin received the memories of his clone and thought, ''Hmm, so Karin has been successfully recruited. Good, everything went as planned. If things still happen as in canon, I wonder who Sasuke would recruit in his team now...'' He thought for a bit before concluding, ''It doesn''t matter. Orochimaru should have several talented underlings for Sasuke to choose from. Itachi will still give up his life. So, that battle won''t have a different result. It''ll be against Killer Bee that this move of mine might have some grave consequences for him...'' Fujin remembered Sasuke being injured critically by Bee. Without a healer like Karin, he couldn''t say for sure whether Sasuke would get out alive or not. However, considering that he was Indra''s reincarnation, Fujin doubted that he''d be killed that easily. Regardless, he had no reason to worry about it right now. While Fujin''s other clone planted the evidence, Fujin''s clone and Karin appeared around a hundred kilometers away in the vast forests of the Land of Fire. They disappeared almost instantly before appearing another hundred kilometers away. In less than a minute, Fujin''s clone teleported over a dozen times and carried Karin from Konoha to the Phantom Haven Base in the Land of Rivers! He stayed slightly away from the base and laid Karin down while thinking, ''She might get suspicious if she learnt that we just reached here in the blink of an eye. I''ll let her sleep for a few hours before waking her up.'' While Karin slept in the Land of Rivers, the shockwaves of the battle on the previous day were being felt in faraway places! Sitting in his chair, Ay loudly exclaimed, "What did you say?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Khaled and Frederik for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Abhinav for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 630: That Dumb Snake! Chapter 630: That Dumb Snake! In the Raikage office, Ay loudly exclaimed, "What did you say?" Mabui repeated calmly, "Our spies sent reports stating that Orochimaru interfered in Konoha''s Chunin Exams. Everyone in Konoha is saying that he was confronted and defeated by Suzuki Fujin, the Spectral Swordsman." Ay had a hard time believing what he heard. He asked, "How accurate is this information?" Mabui replied, "It''s hard to say. None of the spies witnessed the battle. They only learnt about it as the information was rapidly spread throughout Konoha." Ay frowned and analyzed, "Since the information spread so easily, it means that Konoha is actively spreading it. That should imply that they either couldn''t keep this incident a secret or they just wanted to increase Suzuki Fujin''s reputation. There are three possibilities. The first is that they are just making up lies to increase that boy''s reputation for some reason. The second is that the fight did occur, but the information they are spreading isn''t accurate. And the last possibility is that he truly defeated Orochimaru. Which of these three is it?" A frown was visible on Ay''s face as he analyzed the information. Mabui stayed silent and thought about it as well. Just like Ay, she was surprised as well. She thought, ''I knew that he was strong and expected him to give Darui a tough fight. However, if this news is true, then he could even be able to fight Raikage-sama! Considering his age, he is a terrible enemy to have.'' Ay analyzed, ''Knowing Hiruzen, he won''t falsely increase the reputation of a ninja without any good reason. He is smart enough to know that if he does that, it''ll bite him later. I could understand if Konoha was facing a grave threat and he wanted to deter others, but no one has made any major moves recently. Not to mention, I already expected him to be close to Darui''s strength. So it isn''t as if he is promoting someone out of nowhere. However, could he really be at the same level as Orochimaru? A 16-year-old boy defeating a Sannin... His talent might be at the same level as Minato. If the reports are true, then even I might not be able to kill him. Since he specializes in Wind Release, I''ll need to be on guard against any secret Wind jutsus he might have. That said, one thing doesn''t make much sense. How could he become so strong within a few years while staying in the background? There aren''t even any wars for him to mature through them like how most from my generation did.'' As Ay analyzed, he realized that he was missing a lot of information. He looked at Mabui and asked, "Do we have any Jounin rank spies in Konoha?" Mabui shook her head and answered, "We don''t, Raikage-sama. It is very difficult to maintain high-level spies in Konoha. We only have 3 at the Chunin rank and 8 at the Genin rank. The rest are civilians." Ay thought for a bit and said, "Send secret missions to the Chunin rank spies and ask them to inspect the place where Fujin and Orochimaru fought. It might give us a better idea about what happened. In the rebel camp, Mei was reading the reports as well. A smile appeared on her face as she said, "What a splendid young man." Memories of her meeting with Fujin appeared in her mind. Ao and other leaders in the rebel camp discussed this news in a similar manner as Ay and Onoki. The only difference was that they weren''t finding ways to eliminate him as they were already in an intense war. The minor villages received the information as well. In fact, they received it faster than the three Great Villages as the sensei of their Genins sent them the messages. Those villages had long suffered at the hands of the Spectral Swordsman and were already terrified of him. Fujin''s reputation grew even more terrifying in their hearts and they decided to bury all their complaints about his previous actions. Of course, the most tense among them was none other than Kusagakure. Ashikaga Hiroshi was still like a statue after he read the report. After a couple of minutes, he let out a sigh of relief and muttered, "It''s a good thing that we didn''t accept his bait back then. If we did, then I''m afraid that Kusagakure would have been history by now!" The memories of nearly every Kusa higher-up grabbing their weapons after Fujin gave them their third choice during the negotiation kept playing in his mind. Back then, Hiroshi thought that they might have been able to kill him at a great cost and the only reason they didn''t do so was that none of the higher-ups, including him, wanted to be a sacrifice for others. However, Hiroshi now understood that the danger was much greater than he envisioned. In the Village Hidden in Rain, Konan and Nagato receive the information as well. However, neither of them gave much importance to it. Both paid more attention to Orochimaru''s movements than to Fujin''s strength. However, there was one village that attached more importance to this news than even Konoha! The Council of that village were sitting together and reading the reports sent by Baki with a grave expression on their face. After a few minutes of silence, Tojuro angrily exclaimed, "That dumb snake! He''s ruining all our plans!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Bear, Sahil, Willy, Uz Wol, Mounir, R K, Kyosuke, Gray and Burntliquid for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 631: Sunagakures Decision Chapter 631: Sunagakure''s Decision "That dumb snake! He''s ruining all our plans!" Tojuro exclaimed angrily in the Suna council. He continued, "For our plans to succeed, we had to catch Konoha off guard. However, that dumb snake has ruined it all! Now Konoha would be on their guard and we might not get an opening to make a move!" Rage could be heard in his voice. Thankfully, Orochimaru couldn''t hear his words. Otherwise, Hiruzen wouldn''t need to worry about his backstabbing ally. No one opposed Tojuro''s words. Ryusa said, "This move would have been understandable if he could get rid of that troublesome boy. However, not only did he fail, but he also roused the morale of Konoha ninjas and alerted their higher-ups. Our plan will no longer be smooth." Goza added, "That said, it isn''t all bad. This battle shows that we underestimated Suzuki Fujin to a large degree. If we had proceeded with our plan without knowing the threat he posed, we would have suffered heavily." Tojuro argued, "We would have still been able to handle him. If Orochimaru hadn''t alerted Konoha by making this stupid move, Konoha wouldn''t have smelled anything fishy and wouldn''t have called back their Sannins. The preparations we made for Jiraiya could have been used against him. However, now we can be certain that Konoha would at least call back one of their Sannins. In fact, they will most likely call both of them. So, we will need to make arrangements for the Third Hokage, two Sannins, the Shinobi of Darkness, Copy Ninja and this brat! This is impossible to do unless we can suddenly call upon a couple of rank S ninjas!" The Suna council went quiet. Everyone could feel the pressure. Their initial plans involved dealing with just Hiruzen quickly and causing some wide-scale destruction with Shukaku. Once they achieved these two goals, they would retreat before Konoha could reorganize their forces. However, due to just one move of Orochimaru, they would have to deal with 2 Sannins and realized that Konoha had another ninja at that level. So, they needed to make plans for 3 Sannin-level ninjas. Even for experienced ninjas like them, it was too much to handle. Seeing that no one was saying anything, Manabu said, "Silence won''t resolve this issue. We need to decide whether we would still make a move against Konoha during this Chunin Exam. Or should we postpone our plans to some later time when Konoha drops their guard again?" Ryusa nodded and said, "Yes, that''s right. We have no reason to hurry. What is more important is our chances of success. If we can''t deal with them, then we should stay patient and postpone our plans. Once the Sannins leave Konoha, we could create circumstances that would force Konoha to dispatch the Copy Ninja and the Spectral Swordsman to separate missions. Once they are away, we may have some opportunities to make a move against the Hokage." For the first time, Rasa spoke, "That isn''t necessarily correct. The longer we wait, the greater the possibility of Konoha getting a hint of our plans. Don''t forget the incident in Yamakawa town. Even though Konoha wasn''t behind it, they have become very active in the Land of Rivers after that incident. If they discover some of our movements, they will forever be on guard against us and we won''t have any opportunity until the next Great Ninja War breaks out. Not to mention, attacking the entire Konoha is too difficult. I''ll need to meet with Hiruzen face to face like in the Chunin exam to have any chance of killing him. Arranging such a meeting at the same time when everyone is outside Konoha will be difficult." Due to the massive battle between him and Orochimaru, most of the Genins stayed away from the burnt area as it gave them creeps! Since Sakura was quite close to that area, most of the remaining squads weren''t near her. Fujin''s clone sensed Lee''s position while thinking, ''Luckily he isn''t too far away. Oh well, I''ll bring him here. After all, this was the first time these squads worked together.'' Another clone appeared next to him and disappeared immediately. Standing on a branch, Lee looked at dropping leaves and thought, ''If I can catch all 16 of these leaves before any of them hit the ground, then Sakura will fall in love with me! But if I miss even one, then my love for her will never be requited and she''ll probably make fun of my hair!'' After creating his own training exercise, Lee jumped down to catch the leaves. However, just then, a strong breeze blew in that area. He barely managed to catch 4 of them when the remaining 12 began flying in another direction at high speeds. Lee was surprised and thought, ''What a strong wind current! Is a battle happening nearby?'' He changed his direction and caught 11 more leaves one by one before they fell to the ground. However, the last one moved forward at an incredible speed! Even though he ran after it at his highest speed while wearing the weights, he barely decreased the distance between them! He couldn''t help but wonder, ''What is happening? Don''t tell me that this is nature''s way of telling me that my love will always be unrequited! No, I cannot accept it! I will not be defeated by a mere leaf!'' He continued running after it and managed to catch it in the end. Before he could rejoice, he heard a loud sound. He quickly moved forward to investigate it. Just like in the original story, he intervened in the battle in the nick of time! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 632: Can humans do somthing like this? Chapter 632: Can humans do somthing like this? Fujin''s clone watched as Lee intervened in the battle just in the nick of time. With him there, Fujin''s clone decided to continue staying in the background. Just like in the original story, he saw Lee overwhelming the three Oto Genins initially. However, things quickly turned around once Lee was hit by a sound wave. Fujin''s clone ignored the result and focused on two things. Needless to say, the first thing was Lee''s weights. The clone couldn''t help but sigh and think, ''Guy is just too strict...'' Fujin himself used Training Seals. He still did. However, he always turned it off during missions, no matter how easy the mission was. Going outside with weights was plain stupid in his opinion even if he was under Guy''s care. And yet, Guy made Lee do it. The reason for doing so was actually quite simple. Fujin''s clone thought, ''In order to open more Inner Gates, we need to push our body beyond our limit. Though the inner gates have some requirements in terms of physique, opening them doesn''t have much to do with the strength of the body beyond those basic requirements. After all, in terms of physique, the Raikage is much better than even Guy and yet he can''t open any Inner Gates. Guy is forcing Lee to wear the weights so that he continues facing challenging situations which would slowly allow him to attack the remaining Inner Gates and open them one by one. While I understand the logic, he should give the kid some level of autonomy while he isn''t close by. After all, it''d be a shame if he died without getting the opportunity to remove the weights...'' If Fujin didn''t know that Lee would survive, he would have had a chat with Guy about the same. The second thing Fujin''s clone paid attention to was the equipment attached to Zaku and Dosu''s arms. He thought, ''Using a speaker, though clumsy, is still alright. However, modifying his body in order to create sound waves...'' Fujin''s clone shook his head as he thought, ''With that body modification, improving his physique would become several times harder. Even if he somehow lived, he''d never become a Jounin. That said, it could be a good way to increase the powers of the adult ninjas who have given up on becoming Chunins. Then again, doing that operation for hundreds of ninjas might not be feasible. Besides, why go through all this trouble when sound can be created just by the vibration of air...'' With Lee injured, Sakura stepped up. Even though she was slightly stronger than her canon counterpart, she was very exhausted due to having to stay up the entire night. Even so, she put up a better performance. She landed a hit on Kin and injured Zaku more than she did in the original story. Unfortunately, without any good Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, she was completely outmatched. It was rather ironic considering that her Sensei was said to know a thousand jutsus. There were no more surprises after that. Ino''s team jumped in to help Sakura. When they were about to be defeated, Neji and Tenten arrived. However, they didn''t take any action as Sasuke woke up. Powered by Orochimaru''s curse seal, he crushed Zaku before being stopped by Sakura. Fujin''s clone muttered, ''It looks like the fun is over for now.'' The Oto ninjas escaped and Naruto finally woke up. He had a lot of catching up to do. The three Genin squads hung together for some while so that their members could catch their breaths. Just when they were about to leave, Naruto asked, "By the way, what is this burning scent I have been smelling since I woke up? Also, where did that snake guy go?" Hearing his question, Sasuke realized and muttered, "That''s right. I was getting an odd feeling. It''s this smell. Why is there such a smell in the forest?" Hearing their questions, Sakura answered, "We were saved by the proctor. He sent us flying to this safe place and confronted Orochimaru." Recalling their horrible chakra, Sakura shivered and added, "Their chakra was terrifying. It was even worse than Kakashi Sensei and Zabuza. I don''t know what happened in their battle but it caused a massive fire to break out. I guess the examiners later doused it." They stayed in the same area until evening when the trio felt better. They were about to plan what to do to get the required scroll when Sasuke said, "Before we go hunting for the scroll, I want to see the location where the two of them fight." Realizing what he was referring to, Naruto said with a grin, "I want to see it too." Sakura was curious as well and didn''t object. The three of them quickly moved to the area where Sakura had seen the fire. As they stood on the edge of the burned area, disbelief could be seen on all their faces. Naruto exclaimed, "No freaking way!" Sakura muttered, "What happened here? How could this..." Sasuke clenched his fists in anger and reluctance, ''If he could do something like this, then have I only been playing games until now? If Itachi is as strong as these two, how much more do I need to train to have any chance of killing him?'' Sasuke found the reality very hard to digest. In front of him was a patch of land that was burned as far as his eyes could see! The Fire jutsus that he prided in couldn''t even achieve 1% of the destruction he was seeing! As he was looking at the burnt land, he noticed something from the corner of his eye and immediately began moving towards it. Naruto and Sakura chased after him asking for him to wait. They reached him when he finally stopped. To their shock, he was as still as a statue as he looked in one direction. Naruto and Sakura followed his eyesight and were equally stunned. They were standing at the location from where Fujin had launched the Wind Dragon. In front of them was a trench that extended for more than a dozen kilometers across the forest! Sakura couldn''t help but ask, "How can all this be caused by just one jutsu? Can humans even do something like this?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Gray, Marcus, Shinu, Bilal and Eric for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 633: Subtle Manipulation Chapter 633: Subtle Manipulation While Team Kakashi was watching the destruction in disbelief, another squad was in panic mode. Karin''s teammates returned after an unfruitful day. Both had several injuries and wanted to bite Karin to heal. To their shock, they couldn''t find her. They quickly tried to look for her and found her ''remains''. Both looked at each other and said, "Crap! Did that useless bitch die?" "Shit, if she is dead, then we won''t be able to pass this round!" "Why couldn''t that dumb bitch just stay hidden here? How hard is that?" "That''s true. I didn''t think she''d be so pathetic. We shouldn''t have split up. Now Sensei will scold us due to her incompetence!" With Karin dead, the two of them immediately began cursing her, completely unaware of the fact that she was safe and healthy at a place that was very far away from them. Meanwhile, Fujin would be quite happy that they collected ''evidence'' of her death themselves. In the Land of Rivers, Karin finally woke up. She saw that the Sun was about to set. Her eyes landed on Fujin''s clone sitting some distance away from her and the memories of their meeting quickly appeared in her mind. Karin quickly gathered herself and asked, "Did I fall asleep?" Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "Yes. I''d have woken you up, but it seemed like you were very tired. I guess you didn''t sleep much last night." Karin nodded. The clone continued, "Anyway, we are almost at our base. I just stopped here because there is something I need to tell you first. It is related to your ability." Karin immediately became alert and asked, "What about my ability?" Fujin''s clone said, "Even though I said that I don''t need your ability, your ability is very convenient to use. So, if others knew about it, they would definitely ask you to use it to heal them. Of course, no one will force you and no one will keep using it to the extent that you would end up like your mother, but they''ll still want to use it if only for the convenience." Karin became slightly dejected on hearing that. She thought, ''I can''t escape this curse. Still, at least I''ll have a say here. I can accept that.'' To her surprise, Fujin''s clone continued, "However, I can understand that you wouldn''t want to use this ability. In fact, I don''t want to see you use this ability either. So, you won''t be telling anyone about this ability of yours. Is that understood?" To say Karin was shocked was an understatement. Even though Fujin had claimed that he didn''t want her for her ability, she didn''t entirely believe him and just felt that she wouldn''t suffer as much as she did in Kusagakure. There wasn''t any way for her to guess that the reason why Fujin recruited her didn''t have much to do with her healing ability. It had more to do with her Uzumaki blood and her future potential. While he would use her healing ability if need be, he didn''t intend to make her the ''healer'' of the Phantom Haven Society. If anything, making her do that would be counterintuitive to his goal of creating top-quality medical ninjas in the Phantom Haven. It would also make her hate him. Hence, forcing her into that role would be extremely short-sighted. On the contrary, what he did will ensure that Karin becomes very loyal to him. She could become as loyal to him as Kimimaro was to Orochimaru. Since he couldn''t keep an eye on the base all the time, this aspect was way more important for Fujin as compared to Orochimaru and Danzo. Fujin''s clone made a hand seal while saying, "Even though your ability to heal others and transfer chakra is neat, that isn''t what the Uzumaki clan was known for. I guess you don''t know much about the original Uzumaki clan because it was destroyed long before your birth." Hearing about her clan, Karin became very curious. Her mother didn''t tell her much due to her young age. So Karin was always curious about her clan and wondered frequently how her life would be if her clan still existed. Fujin''s clone continued, "I''ll tell you a few things about the Uzumaki clan. They were known for two things. The first was their vast chakra reserves. It made them quite a menace on the battlefield as they almost always outlasted their enemies. Your ability to heal others should be an added effect due to this aspect of Uzumaki ninjas. The second thing that they were known for was Fuinjutsu. This was even more dangerous. It was so dangerous that even the major villages were afraid of their seals. That fear made several major villages align together and attack Uzushiogakure which ended up destroying the village and forcing some survivors like your mother to flee. Watch carefully. I''ll show you what seals can do." Karin paid full attention to his words. For the first time, she had gotten a reason for her having that ability. She had also heard that the Uzumaki clan excelled in Fuinjutsu for the first time. She was very curious to see what the seals could do. Her eyes widened as the scenery around her changed. She saw the ground under her feet disappearing. Instead, a barrier appeared under her feet! Under the barrier, she saw several buildings and ninjas who were looking at the two of them. She realized that it was the Phantom Haven base. She couldn''t help but wonder, ''Was that Genjutsu? No, my chakra isn''t influenced. Can seals do something so extraordinary? I couldn''t sense them despite them being so close to me!'' Fujin''s clone said, "This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Fuinjutsu. If you are interested in it, then I''ll provide you with the materials needed to learn it. Of course, you''ll need to work with a lot of dedication for decades to actually become a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. So don''t think about it for the time being. I''ll teach you more tricks once you become stronger if you develop an interest towards it." Karin just nodded obediently. The barrier under their feet suddenly disappeared and the two entered the base. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kazim, Frederik, James, Vinayak and Rogerick for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 634: Spy Network! Chapter 634: Spy Network! Inside the main office in the base, Shigeki and Hayato sat on the opposite side of the desk. Both were looking at half a dozen papers on the desk while doing several calculations in their head. After a few minutes, Hayato sighed and said, "Our size is getting bigger. It''s getting difficult to handle everything by ourselves." Thanks to the funds provided by Fujin, the Phantom Haven Society was able to expand rapidly. When he first started it, they had only 12 members other than Fujin. However, in less than a year, their numbers had increased by more than 10 times! Shigeki nodded and replied, "Yeah. We can handle it for now but if our numbers double once again, then we will need to delegate these tasks to others and only do the final approval. Even if our numbers don''t double, we won''t be able to handle it all once the students become Field Agents." Hayato agreed and said, "We are almost becoming like an official hidden village. Hmm, what happened?" As he was talking, Hayato saw Shigeki''s expression becoming serious. Shigeki said, "Someone just activated the barrier. Shiden is probably back. Let''s go." He immediately flickered. Hayato couldn''t flicker without any seals and was a bit slower. He weaved a hand seal and flickered while thinking, ''He returned so soon? That''s strange. Earlier, he always visited with a gap of at least 3 months. However, it has just been a month since his last visit.'' As soon as they arrived outside, they saw Shiden landing in the base along with a red-haired girl. The others in the base who were at the top were also looking at them. Shigeki immediately flickered in front of Fujin and said respectfully, "Shiden, it''s great to see you again so soon." Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "It''s good to be back." He looked at Karin and said, "She is Karin. She''ll be joining us. Her rank will be Field Agent, but for now, she''ll focus on training like the students. Karin, he''s Shigeki. He''s a Vice Leader of the Phantom Haven Society and the Leader here in my absence. If you have any queries, you can approach him." Even though his words created a lot of questions in her mind, Karin nodded and said respectfully, "I''ll be in your care." Shigeki looked towards Karin and thought, ''So that''s why he''s early. This is the second time he''s brought a young ninja here. Will her talent be as ludicrous as Ranmaru?'' Shigeki didn''t understand why Fujin had brought a little kid the previous time. All his questions and doubts were blown away when he saw the progress Ranmaru made in the academy. His talent was off the charts! None of the older ninjas in the base had seen anyone even remotely as talented as the boy in Tanigakure! It had increased their respect for Shiden by another level. Since he brought another young ninja, Shigeki became curious about her. Fujin''s clone looked at Hayato and said, "Hayato, make her staying arrangements and introduce her to some of the facilities here. I''ll catch up with Shigeki." Don''t forget that we don''t enjoy the same benefits as a Ninja village. We can''t train a large number of kids at the same time. For the time being, stop recruiting new students. Only recruit if someone displays high talent like Ranmaru. We will focus more on quality than quantity. Due to what they have experienced, all the students will be highly motivated. With our training plan, they will become stronger faster even compared to the kids in the major villages even if they aren''t as talented as them. Right now, they have just started training. In the next 12 to 18 months, you''ll observe some students standing out as compared to the rest. Once that happens, we can implement my idea for making clubs in the academy. After that, you''ll see the students taking care of each other and reduce the pressure on teachers. That might allow us to recruit some more students. Of course, even though the recruitment will stop, our activities shouldn''t. Continue helping the villages you can help while avoiding confrontation with Tanigakure." Shigeki immediately nodded and said, "I understand." Fujin''s clone continued, "As for recruiting Field Agents, Captains and Commanders in decent numbers, that''ll be difficult. Not everyone will believe in the Phantom Will. There are too many like Raiga who''d cause trouble instead of solving it. Instead of focusing on recruitment, focus more on increasing the strength of our current members. By the time the students start becoming Field Agents, our current Field Agents should become strong enough to become Captains. Similarly, the Captains should work hard to become Commanders. It''ll take a while, but this is the most stable way to become strong enough to achieve our goals." Shigeki thought for a bit and agreed with Fujin''s thoughts but he had a few doubts. He said, "While I agree with your thoughts, it isn''t easy to make older ninjas stronger. How will we do that?" Fujin''s clone chuckled and said, "That is the other reason for my visit." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You The reapers shadow, ITGT12, Devildham and Rogerick for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 635: A New Student Chapter 635: A New Student Fujin''s clone chuckled and said, "That is the other reason for my visit." Shigeki was surprised. However, his surprise soon changed into glee. Shigeki had benefitted heavily due to Fujin''s guidance. He could now be considered an Elite Jounin even in the major villages. In addition, Fujin was extremely resourceful and had single-handedly built the entire library and created the entire base. If he intended to help improve the strength of other members, then Shigeki didn''t doubt the results at all. He said in excitement, "That''s great! Will you be guiding them like you guided me?" Fujin''s clone replied with a hint of amusement, "That was my plan initially. However, seeing how much you''ve improved over the last year, I got another idea. You''ll test all Field Agents and Captains except Karin and guide them just like how I guided you. Help them reach the next level." Shigeki''s smile faded away in an instant. He became hesitant and said, "This... I don''t think I can guide them as well as you can." Fujin''s clone chuckled and said, "Consider it as a test. I want to see how well you can do this task. Besides, even though you are unsure, I''m confident in you." Hearing those words, Shigeki couldn''t refute him. He could only accept the task and said, "I''ll do my best." Fujin''s clone nodded approvingly and said, "That''s what I expect as well. Anyway, don''t take a lot of pressure. Just test out their strengths, identify their weaknesses and analyze what they should work on to become considerably stronger. Of course, I won''t leave you without any assistance. Read this." He handed Shigeki a scroll. Puzzled, Shigeki opened it and began reading. The scroll had a list of jutsu names with their basic descriptions. Fujin''s clone explained, "This scroll contains a list of the jutsus I will add to our library." Shigeki''s eyes widened in shock. He looked at Fujin''s clone and asked, "There are hundreds of jutsus mentioned here. Many of them are rank A and B. Will you add this many scrolls???" Shigeki didn''t believe it. Fujin''s clone wasn''t surprised by his reaction. This time, he had created jutsu scrolls for nearly every jutsu that existed in multiple villages. In addition, he also created scrolls for several jutsus that were known only to Kiri, at least on the surface. Needless to say, he had obtained all of them from Raiga''s memories. Combined with their previous collection, Phantom Haven Society''s library would exceed that of every minor village by a large degree. It would be just under the 5 major villages. In fact, it could even compete with some of them! So, Shigeki''s shock was completely justified. Fujin''s clone replied, "Of course, I will. While it is true that strengthening older ninjas isn''t easy, it is important to remember that all of you grew up in Tanigakure which didn''t have as many jutsus as we do. Though these jutsus won''t promote them to the next rank, they would at least become far more formidable within their current ranks. Along with your recommendations, they might just be able to make a breakthrough." Shigeki nodded and replied, "Yes. That should be enough." Fujin''s clone added, "I''ll let them improve themselves in this way. Once they hit their next bottleneck, I''ll guide them like I guided you." Shigeki was relieved to hear that. Fujin''s clone got up and said, "Go through the list in the scroll once. Let me know if you have any queries. I''ll place the scrolls in the library while you do so. When I return, we''ll head out to apply the Phantom Seal on our new recruits." Fujin''s clone thought, ''Hmm, that''s not much to work on. If not for her healing ability, she wouldn''t be much different from an average Genin. Then again, considering that Kusa only exploited her healing ability, it is to be expected. And given her depressing circumstances, I doubt she''d have the heart to train in Kusa. Now that I think about it, she didn''t have many good skills apart from healing and sensing even in the future until she unlocked that chain ability of the Uzumaki clan. Though good in that particular role, it''d be a waste to keep her limited to that.'' Karin became nervous about seeing him in deep thought. She thought, ''I should have practised more in the village. However, they always drained all my chakra...'' Fujin''s clone finally spoke, "Don''t take it the wrong way, but that''s very basic. You''ll need to work very hard to become strong enough to protect yourself from anyone and help others." Karin became depressed after hearing that. Luckily for her, Fujin''s clone continued, "The good thing is that since you have only done the basics, you haven''t gone down any wrong path. So, you can train the right way. Are you ready?" Karin''s mood became better. She smiled and said, "I am!" She immediately bowed slightly and said gratefully, "Thank you, sensei." Behind his mask, Fujin''s clone raised an eyebrow and thought, ''I didn''t expect her to become cheeky so soon. I guess she has become comfortable with the new environment. Then again, this isn''t bad by any means.'' Fujin''s clone handed her a chakra paper and said, "Run your chakra through it." Karin sighed in relief internally as Fujin didn''t reject her. She accepted the paper and followed his instructions. Fujin''s clone saw the chakra paper becoming wet and wondered, ''Why do nearly all my students have an affinity to water?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Eli, A Reader, LessThanAvg Player, Mukut, Frederik, Mitch, Veronica and Plan Z for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 636: Training Plan Chapter 636: Training Plan ''Why do nearly all my students have an affinity to water?'' Among the 5 orphans he was training, 4 had an affinity to water. Thankfully, an equal number of them had an affinity to wind as well. Now, Karin had an affinity to water manipulation as well. He thought, ''Then again, it isn''t a bad thing. Nearly everyone I recruited from Tanigakure have an affinity to water. I can dump her elemental training on Shigeki.'' Karin looked at the wet chakra paper and asked, "Why did it get wet, sensei?" Fujin''s clone explained, "That is a chakra paper. It identifies your nature affinity. Since it became wet, it shows that you have an affinity for water manipulation." Karin asked, "What does that mean?" Fujin''s clone wasn''t surprised by that question. He had no expectations from Kusa to have given her a proper education. He explained to her everything about nature transformation including the Yin and Yang Release, Kekkei Genkai, strengths and weaknesses of all elements among other things. He patiently answered all her doubts. In the end, he added, "Even though the chakra paper shows that you have an affinity to water, considering your ability to heal, you should have a very high talent in Yang Release since Yang chakra is used for healing others. Once you get a hang of Yang release, learning Yin release becomes easy as well. However, those are rather advanced concepts. I''ll teach you how to use them later. For now, we will start by establishing a very strong foundation. Are you ready to start?" Having been put to sleep for nearly half a day, Karin wasn''t sleepy. She nodded and said, "Yes, sensei!" Fujin''s clone replied, "Good. Follow me." The two left the base and arrived in the valley. They didn''t walk too far away as Fujin''s clone just led Karin to the nearest tree. He said, "Your training will be conducted in phases. Each phase will make your foundation sturdier and help you become stronger faster in the future. We will first start with chakra control." Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com He explained Karin the theory behind chakra control and demonstrated the tree climbing exercise. Karin immediately tried it and ended up falling down. Fujin''s clone said, "This will be your first exercise. It''ll take around a week or two for you to completely master it. Then, you''ll move on to the next exercise, that is, the water walking exercise." Karin asked curiously, "Sensei, do you mean that I can walk on water?" Fujin''s clone nodded and answered, "Yes." He turned his gaze to the tree and said, "When you climb up the trees, you are walking against trunks that are sturdy and solid. By comparison, using your chakra to walk on water is much more difficult due to it being liquid." Karin nodded, understanding how complex it would be. Fujin''s clone continued, "Don''t worry. It''ll feel easier when you try it. Coming back to your training, you''ll train these two exercises until you can freely run and spar on water. Once your chakra control is up to par, we will begin on the more interesting aspects. Did Hayato show you the library?" Karin nodded. Fujin''s clone continued, "In the library, you''ll find a scroll for the Body Flicker jutsu. When you are completely comfortable with water walking, you''ll learn this jutsu. This jutsu will be a very important jutsu in your arsenal for decades. So, train it with all your heart. He also met up with Ranmaru, who''s progress was as good as he expected. Within a few months, he had learnt tree climbing and water walking along with the three basic jutsus. He was currently working on the Body Flicker jutsu. Needless to say, the training plan for him was also created by Fujin. After meeting with Ranmaru, Fujin''s clone thought, ''My chakra is nearly empty. I won''t be able to sustain myself for much longer...'' He quickly called Shigeki and Hayato for a brief meeting in the main office. Once they arrived, he explained to them the training plan for Karin and asked them to help her out. He ended by saying, "Shigeki, once she''s done with the Body Flicker jutsu, guide her in Water Release. Hayato, you should guide her to become a Medical Ninja." Hayato replied hesitantly, "If I may, I don''t think it is a good idea. Our manpower is already very low. We will be struggling just with the students. To guide her so much might not be feasible. Also, making someone learn two fields so different from each other at the same time isn''t good for their growth." To his surprise, Fujin''s clone replied, "They are valid points. However, don''t worry. I don''t make any rash decisions. Karin''s talent is worth spending so much effort on her. As for multiple fields, I recruited her because she seems talented in Medical Ninjutsu. So, you''ll have to do a good job, Hayato. I have added several books related to Medical Ninjutsu in the library. Feel free to go through them." Having seen Ranmaru''s talent, neither Hayato nor Shigeki questioned his judgement. However, both were puzzled about one important aspect. [A/N: Next chapter in a few hours. Latest chapter on P@treon - Fujin''s Righteousness!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You AR3S, Tobias, Matthew, Luco, hh, Tommy, Michael, Cody, Gerald and Pius for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 637: Phantom Havens Path! Chapter 637: Phantom Haven''s Path! Hayato asked, "If she is talented at Medical Ninjutsu, wouldn''t it be better if we make her focus entirely on training Medical Ninjutsu? That way, she''ll become a very good Medical Ninja instead of someone like me who doesn''t specialize in either Medical Ninjutsu or Nature Manipulation. Right now, we are lacking a lot in Medical Ninjutsu as I''m the only one who can do it a bit. It''ll be beneficial for our organization if we can have someone who specializes in it entirely." Shigeki nodded, agreeing with Hayato''s opinion. The lack of Medical Ninjas was a very troubling aspect for him as they couldn''t heal the people they rescued unless Hayato went on the mission. Even in that case, he wasn''t always able to heal everyone due to limited chakra. To their surprise, Fujin''s clone shook his head and said, "A Medical Ninja who can''t defend herself is a useless one. Do you think that Tsunade of the Sannin depends on others to defend her?" Shigeki replied hesitantly, "This... I don''t think that comparing with a rank S Medical Ninja is appropriate. After all, nearly every other Medical Ninja in the world doesn''t focus on fighting and there is no one else who is at rank S. If needed, we could train Karin a bit to defend herself after she has become a capable Medical Ninja. For now, we could focus on just improving her medical skills." Hayato added, "That''s right. Doing both at the same time is very difficult." Despite their arguments, Fujin''s clone replied, "This point is non-negotiable. The Phantom Haven Society won''t have any Medical Ninjas who can''t defend themselves." He looked at Hayato and said, "Hayato, once the students complete their chakra control exercises, you''ll get an idea of who has some talent at becoming medical ninjas. After you test them and select the ones who have some talent at the Yang and Yin release, you''ll be following a training plan along these lines. While their main focus will be on Medical Ninjutsu, they won''t abandon everything else as most of the Medical Ninjas in the world. Every one of them has to be a master at the Body Flicker jutsu and should be able to use it without any seals. Similarly, they will train the element they have an affinity to, which could become their main method of fighting. Alternatively, they could focus on Genjutsu if they prefer it to nature manipulation. Irrespective of what they choose, they''ll learn the jutsus that allow them to hide and travel underground along with a defensive jutsu like Earth or Water Wall. Along with Ninjutsu, they will also have decent basics in Taijutsu and basic weapons like Shuriken, Kunai or Senbon needles. A few years in the future, once they learn about poisons, they could use them to complement their fighting skills. These are the basic requirements for becoming a Medical Ninja in the Phantom Haven Society. If they can''t handle it, then they are better off becoming a normal ninja." His strict tone caught Shigeki and Hayato off guard. Neither expected Fujin to be so adamant about this aspect considering that he had been quite flexible until then. Both fell quiet. Fujin''s clone noticed their emotions and said softly, "Don''t restrict yourself to what you have experienced in Tanigakure. The children that grew up within those safe walls don''t have the same will and determination as the ones here. If you hold our students to the same standards, then your lax expectations will lead to them being satisfied with becoming ordinary instead of striving to be extraordinary. Kabuto thought for a bit and replied, "I understand. I''ll see if I can get any information that might help us convince the Fourth Kazekage." Orochimaru said, "Good. Do that after this round is over. Until then, continue your current mission and collect information on Sasuke. Keep the information with you and pass it to me later. We won''t meet in the tower as planned initially." Kabuto became confused and wondered, ''That''s strange. Is Orochimaru so afraid of that boy?'' Orochimaru could read his thoughts at a glance and laughed dryly. He said, "While I enjoy your snarky nature, you shouldn''t be so impudent, Kabuto. The tower is under strict surveillance. I won''t be able to enter it undetected. I can still enter using the disguise of a Jounin Sensei. However, there are a few thousand seals that are newly inscribed on the tower. Knowing that Hiruzen will be there as well, it might just be a trap set for me. I''ll just send a Shadow Clone to attend to the normal duties of a Sensei." "Seals..." Kabuto muttered as he felt something fishy. He looked at Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru-sama, I have a feeling that these seals don''t have any meaning." Orochimaru was intrigued by his statement and asked, "What do you mean?" Kabuto answered, "I have a feeling that he inscribes those seals just for the sake of it. Or perhaps it is his hobby. Otherwise, it doesn''t make any sense for him to have tens of thousands of seals on his house when a few hundred are more than sufficient. I guess he just inscribes seals wherever he stays!" Orochimaru was surprised. He thought for a bit. A malicious smile appeared on his face as he said, "That''s interesting..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ben, Shinu and Jordan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 638: Mind Games? Chapter 638: Mind Games? "That''s an interesting way to look at it." Orochimaru fell into a thought. He began analyzing whether he should take a risk or not. He had several ideas to create a mess and cause chaos in Konoha but failed to see how any of the situation would be beneficial to him or his plans. After a couple of minutes, he said, "Perhaps, or it could also be his attempt to make it feel like this is normal for him and bait others by making them think that it is a bluff. Regardless, there is no reason to test it out right now as it might give Hiruzen a reason to cancel the exams. We''ll continue as per my instructions." Kabuto nodded and said, "Alright, Orochimaru-sama." Orochimaru immediately disappeared. Realizing the real strength of Fujin caused him some headaches. He had just a month to make sufficient arrangements to ensure that no one else would disturb him until he had killed Hiruzen. Otherwise, he would be swamped by thousands of Konoha ninjas and wouldn''t have any chance to kill Hiruzen. He wanted to make plans to avoid that situation as well as on how to deal with it if he couldn''t prevent it from happening. With Orochimaru not making any move and other villages waiting patiently to get more accurate intel, things calmed down. The Chunin exams returned to their normal course. Apart from a few squads who completed the second phase early and the ones who were eliminated, the remaining squads stayed in the forest until the last day. Fujin''s clone kept an eye on Kakashi''s students the entire time just in case Orochimaru or Kabuto made a strange move. On the last day, Kabuto showed up to stop Naruto from opening their scroll. As soon as he did, he realized, ''Someone is watching me, or rather Sasuke''s squad. Is it Suzuki Fujin or other Anbu ninjas? No, I didn''t sense anyone until now. In fact, I could barely feel anyone looking at me when I grabbed Naruto''s hand. It should be Fujin or his clone. Understandable I suppose. They should be on guard against another sudden move by Orochimaru-sama.'' Kabuto didn''t show any indication that he realized that he was being watched and acted completely normally. He tagged along with them until they fell into the trap set by the Ame squad. Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com Thanks to Kakashi''s training, they had far more stamina and chakra as compared to their canon counterparts at this point. Even though Sasuke struggled due to the curse seal, Naruto was able to destroy their illusions on a large scale using the Great Breakthrough jutsu and force them into a head-on battle. The Ame Genins used another round of Genjutsu and attacked by hiding underground. Naruto used another Great Breakthrough jutsu but it didn''t affect this Genjutsu. He tried attacking with close combat and nearly fell into their trap but was rescued by Kabuto who got injured in return. Since Fujin was keeping an eye, Kabuto didn''t do anything strange and quietly endured the beating instead of scaring and paralyzing them. Even so, he provided Naruto with an opening to knock them all out. Seeing Kabuto''s actions, Fujin''s clone couldn''t help but chuckle in amusement. He muttered to himself, ''As expected of a spy of his caliber. If I didn''t know about the truth, it would have been difficult to suspect him of being such a deadly spy. To think that a guy playing with Genins would become one of the most dangerous people 4 years later. Hmm...?'' A deadpan expression appeared on his face as he realized, ''I guess that''s not even the least bit strange when compared to how much those three kids would grow! One would reach the level of the Sannins and the other two would reach Hashirama and Madara''s level!'' He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. If he said such things openly, everyone in the village would laugh at him. After Naruto and company entered the tower, the clone dispelled himself and sent the memories back to his main body. The top floor of the tower had a lot more people as compared to the first day. Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Guy and a few others were present along with Fujin''s group. In fact, even Hiruzen had returned to the tower along with his Anbu Guards and other proctors! Fujin said, "Kakashi, it looks like your students have made it through as well." Naruto immediately tried arguing, "Hey, don''t talk abo... Huh? What do you mean by my chakra network is a mess?" Fujin asked, "Didn''t you have difficulty in channeling your chakra and creating jutsus?" Naruto thought for a bit and said, "Ah, that''s right! My Great Breakthrough jutsu''s power was weaker than usual and took slightly longer to create! Why is that?" Fujin replied, "It is due to your encounter with Orochimaru. He put a seal on you to cut off Kyubi''s chakra. Remove your shirt and flow chakra through your chakra network." Naruto was surprised. He followed Fujin''s instructions while saying, "You mean that snake lady did something to me?" Fujin''s eyes twitched as he thought, ''Snake lady? Pervy Sage, Granny and Snake Lady... I wonder what image the Sannins will have left if these names spread...'' [A/N: Oof, writing is a roller-coaster! Fujin currently is a bit more powerful than I had initially planned for him to be during this arc. It created a lot of issues for me as most of the things I had planned for the Konoha crush became unusable due to his increased strength (though it helped make Fujin Vs Orochimaru much better than my initial plan). So I was quite troubled about how to change those things for quite some time. A few other issues were troubling me as well which were more of a fault or a plot hole/inconsistency in canon. I was thinking about how to deal with it and was thinking about nerfing one technique to make those events seem logical in this story. While thinking of an answer for this, I got an amazing idea and it resolved most of the issues I was facing! Rewrote the plot for the war today and finalized most of the details. It''s going to be amazing! Can''t wait to write those chapters ???? Have a few interesting events planned out before that as well. The preliminaries will likely start in the next chapter. I won''t be covering individual fights IF there aren''t any major changes to the way the battle takes place (I might at most add some of Fujin''s analysis). Even so, expect a few surprises/changes :)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jordan, Shinu, Ben, Emanuel, Colin, Dave, Efrain, Alan, Cauan, Khalif, Faisal and Danny for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 639: A Natural at Yin u0026 Yang Release! Chapter 639: A Natural at Yin u0026 Yang Release! Fujin didn''t say anything and just nodded. As Naruto began regulating his chakra and flowing it through his network, the Eight Trigrams Divination Seal appeared on his abdomen. Soon, the Five Elements Seal appeared surrounding it. Naruto kept looking at Fujin and asked, "By the way, how strong is that snake lady? Was she difficult to defeat?" Fujin replied, "Very strong. I might not have won if we were fighting in a neutral territory. Anyway, don''t move and brace yourself." Naruto watched as the fingertips of Fujin''s right hand began glowing. Before he could ask what it was, Fujin slammed his hand into his abdomen and hit the seal Orochimaru had placed on Naruto. ''Five Elements Unseal'' Naruto immediately collapsed to the ground and asked in annoyance, "What the hell was that?" Fujin chuckled and said, "Told you to brace yourself. Now stop being a crybaby and regulate your chakra once again." Naruto complained, "Crybaby my ass! At least tell me what you are doin... Huh? My chakra is flowing very smoothly! What''s going on?" Fujin said, "I have removed the seal that the snake lady put on you. In the next round, you will have to fight again. With this, you''ll be able to fight at your best. Now run along. The next round should be starting soon. You might get disqualified if you''re late." Naruto immediately panicked and rushed to the location where the Genins were gathered after Fujin informed him about it. Alone in the room, he asked, "Were there any complications?" Out of thin air, Hiruzen''s clone appeared in the room and said, "No. You were correct. Orochimaru didn''t interfere with the Eight Trigrams Divination Seal and only applied the Five Elements Seal to cut off the connection between the seal and Naruto''s remaining chakra network. It would have been complicated if he had interfered with the seal." Fujin nodded but wasn''t really worried. Not only did he already know that Orochimaru wouldn''t mess with the seal, but he also knew about the arrangements Minato left in that seal. So there wasn''t any danger of Kyubi breaking loose. Hiruzen''s clone said, "You did good work. Go join the others. The fights might be entertaining." Fujin chuckled and replied, "True. The Genins participating aren''t ordinary by any means. Did you catch any trail of Orochimaru?" Hiruzen''s clone shook his head and said, "No. It''s as if he has withdrawn from the village. Though knowing him, he''s probably hiding somewhere to make a move. Be careful after this round is over. He might try to assassinate you." Fujin nodded and replied, "Don''t worry. I''m always on my guard." He muttered softly, "It might be interesting if he attacks my house. Even though I have applied a lot of seals, I''ve never tested it." Hiruzen''s clone''s eyes twitched on hearing his words. He thought, ''Even though Orochimaru is reckless, he isn''t that reckless to attack that messed up house. Heck, even at my peak, I wouldn''t attack that house! Seeing Yoroi lying on the ground, Fujin thought, ''I nearly forgot about this guy''s technique. Absorbing chakra... That is a rather handy technique. Though he is far inferior to Nagato and Kisame in this regard.'' Fujin thought for a bit. A smile appeared on his face as he decided, ''I want that technique!'' Yoroi, who was lying unconscious, had no idea the calamity he attracted due to his unique skill! If he did, he would regret trying to use that platform to make an impression on Orochimaru. The next couple of battles didn''t have any surprises as Shino and Kankuro won their respective battles with relative ease. It was the fourth match, perhaps the most boring fight in the entire Chunin Exams, which attracted Fujin''s attention. There was one major change. Be it Taijutsu or chakra control, Sakura had a decisive advantage over Ino. Unlike the original story where they fought equally for over 10 minutes, Ino''s situation became bad in just a couple of minutes. Fujin looked at the two girls and thought, ''As I expected... Ino hasn''t begun training seriously yet. Unlike her, Sakura has been trying to chase after Naruto and Sasuke. Though unsuccessful, it is a good motivator. Of course, the main reason for this change is Kakashi putting her through hell due to Naruto following my advice.'' Fujin wasn''t too surprised by this change. What surprised him was when Sakura resisted Ino''s Mind Transfer jutsu! Fujin''s eyes began glowing as he concentrated chakra in them and observed Sakura. He realized, ''So that''s how it is. No wonder Tsunade accepted her as her student so easily. This girl... Not only is her chakra control good, but she is also a natural at Yin and Yang Release! That''s the three most crucial basics for any Medical Ninja! It is only due to her talent at Yin and Yang release that she could resist and overcome her Mind Transfer jutsu. Of course, the main reason is that Ino isn''t strong enough!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ayoub, r c s x, BornTripleA, Landen, Tanav, Aron, vaekou, Krazy Legs, Jacob, Daniel, Eric, Simon and Lucca for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you t e for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 640: The Butterfly Effect Chapter 640: The Butterfly Effect To everyone''s shock, Sakura was able to break Ino''s Mind Transfer jutsu and force Ino out of her body! Everyone was surprised for a variety of reasons. Fujin couldn''t help but look at Kakashi and wonder, ''If her talent at Yin and Yang release is so good, why did he never teach her anything related to it? From what I recall, he did know that she had the potential to learn Genjutsu. But apart from how to break it, Sakura didn''t know any Genjutsu...'' Fujin couldn''t make any sense of Kakashi''s training plan to his students. If not for the fact that Fujin pushed Naruto to bother him, he wouldn''t have put them through intense physical training either. The only saving grace for Kakashi was that he had his students for less than a year, following which he didn''t have much opportunity to train them as they found new teachers. However, a year was still a very long time. When compared to the methodological training of Renjiro, Kakashi lacked quite a bit. Fujin''s gaze turned back to Sakura and Ino. Both were very low on chakra due to their mental battle. Both girls ran at each other at full speed and punched each other with all their might! Their punches landed on each other''s cheeks, sending both girls flying as they crashed into the ground. After a few seconds of lying, both Sakura and Ino tried their best to get up. Ino barely managed to raise her upper body but soon collapsed and passed out. However, Sakura was able to get up though she remained seated on the floor. Her breathing was extremely erratic as she muttered, "Did I win? I beat Ino?" Having grown up looking up to Ino, Sakura was in disbelief about finally winning against her. Naruto immediately began cheering loudly. Every ninja looked at Sakura admirably for her hard-fought victory! Well, nearly everyone. There was one exception. Even though there was no change on his face, Fujin''s mood wasn''t good. He nearly blurted out ''Uh-oh!'' when he saw Sakura staying up! Fujin thought, ''Ugh! This is my fault. Sakura''s physique is much better due to the torture Kakashi put them through. That''s why she won that exchange. Shit! This victory could have a lot of impact. Now there will be 10 finalists instead of 9! Due to Sakura, the matchups could change... The finals were decisive moments for several important characters. Be it Neji finding the right path due to his loss against Naruto or Temari and Shikamaru''s battle. While I don''t particularly care if Neji keeps believing in bullshit fate, if Shikamaru doesn''t become a Chunin, it''ll have an impact later. Of course, the biggest issue is Gaara and Sasuke''s match. If that matchup doesn''t occur, then Gaara wouldn''t get injured and lose control over himself. It would mean that Shukaku would break loose in the middle of the stadium! That would change too many things. The biggest change could be that Naruto might not get an opportunity to use the invincible Talk-no-jutsu!'' The next match between Temari and Tenten began. However, Fujin paid no attention to that battle. Instead, his mind was calculating dozens of possible scenarios simultaneously. Temari won her battle and Shikamaru and Kin began their fight. Fujin let out a long breath and thought, ''If Sasuke and Gaara don''t end up fighting, then the future will change too much. I can handle Shukaku, but Gaara won''t turn over a new leaf without Naruto''s influence. That would mean that he wouldn''t become the Fifth Kazekage and would stay as a bloodthirsty killing machine. In that case...'' Fujin glanced at Gaara and decided, ''If that''s the case, then there''s no advantage in letting him live. I''ll extract Shukaku from his body and seal him within myself! Even though that would attract Akatsuki towards me, I''m not afraid. If they send their weaker members, I''ll just kill them. If Obito or Nagato show up, I might still have some chances of killing them if I get lucky. Even if Obito and Nagato attack me simultaneously, I can easily escape. Heck, even if Madara is revived, he can''t stop me from escaping since I''ve no intention of sacrificing myself like Tobirama or Minato. Hayate replied, "It''s permitted. The soldier pills are just like other Ninja tools." "You are no help! You always say that!" Naruto shouted at Hayate. Kiba immediately went on the assault and used the Four Legs Technique once again. Both he and Akamaru attacked Naruto at high speeds. Luckily, Naruto wasn''t as slow as his canon counterpart and managed to barely dodge their attacks each time. Naruto thought, ''Shit! He''s very fast. I don''t have any time to counterattack!'' He quickly dodged another attack while thinking, ''Even if I could, I can''t identify which one of them is Kiba. If I counterattack Akamaru but get hit by Kiba, I''ll lose! I need to do something...'' Naruto dodged another couple of attacks and began weaving hand signs. Kiba immediately saw it and thought, ''Which jutsu is he using? No matter, I won''t let him use it.'' He immediately went on the offensive. At the same time, Akamaru attacked from the opposite side, leaving Naruto no space to dodge. Naruto immediately gathered chakra under his feet and jumped high above to dodge their attacks. However, Kiba grinned and thought, ''There''s my chance!'' He shouted, "Take this! Man-Beast Ultimate Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!" Kiba and Akamaru both rotated their bodies at high speeds and moved towards Naruto who couldn''t dodge them in the air. Naruto immediately thought in panic, ''They are in the position I wanted, but what the hell is this?'' He completed his hand seals and took a deep breath. ''Wind Release: Great Breakthrough jutsu'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Frank, D.De, Clumbicass and Landen for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 641: Earning Respect Chapter 641: Earning Respect ''Wind Release: Great Breakthrough jutsu'' Naruto immediately blew an intense wind current at Kiba and Akamaru. He thought, ''I wanted to blow both of them away and win in one shot, but their rotation could create an issue. I need to keep blowing intense winds until they are blown away! Otherwise, it''ll be painful.'' At the same time, Kiba wondered in shock, ''What the hell is this?'' The Great Breakthrough jutsu hit Kiba and Akamaru and put immense pressure on both of them. However, since they were rotating at high speeds, they weren''t blown away and continued to move towards Naruto. Even so, none of them were relaxed as their linear and rotational speeds were both decreasing rapidly! Kiba wasn''t the only one who was shocked. Ino shouted, "What the hell is that? Since when could Naruto do that?" Shikamaru exclaimed, "That''s the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough jutsu! No way, has he improved so much?" "Naruto-kun" A smile appeared on Hinata''s face as she looked at Naruto''s cool new jutsu. Lee exclaimed, "Impressive, Naruto!" Kankuro said, "I underestimated him. His wind jutsu is almost as intense as yours, Temari." Temari frowned on hearing his words. Gaara, Dosu and Neji watched intently as well. None of them expected Naruto to use such a strong jutsu. With no other choice, Kiba and Akamaru continued drilling through the intense winds until they were only a foot away from Naruto! Unfortunately, the intense winds from the Great Breakthrough jutsu finally prevented them from moving any further. Both Kiba and Akamaru were launched back at great speed! Akamaru crashed into a wall and was knocked out. Kiba crashed into the ground and barely managed to land safely even though he skidded along the ground for a few meters. To make matters worse, the sharp winds created several cuts on his body with his arms and legs taking the most damage! He began losing blood very rapidly. Naruto finally stopped blowing air and took a deep breath as he landed on the ground as well. Seeing that Akamaru was knocked out and Kiba was in terrible shape, there was no more suspense in the match. Kurenai''s expression became dark as she thought, ''No way! I thought that Naruto was a total dunce. His academic record was terrible. How did he improve so much in less than a year?'' When the match started, Kurenai was as confident as Kiba in his victory. However, Naruto repeatedly proved her wrong. She couldn''t help but look at Kakashi. Most of the other Jounins in the room did so as well. Naruto was just too famous, be it for his legendary pranks or his Jinchuriki status. None of them ever expected such a turnaround in the boy. It caused everyone to respect the boy. The silence in the hall was finally broken when Sakura loudly cheered, "Great job, Naruto! Go get him! Finish the match with another Great Breakthrough jutsu!" Hayate checked Kiba and announced Naruto as the winner of the battle. Among cheers from a few of his fellow Genins, Naruto returned back to the viewing area while Kiba was carried away on a stretcher. The next battle was a fight between the two Hyugas. Their battle was identical to the canon fight. Seeing Neji hitting the chakra points on Hinata''s arm, Hoka said softly, "That''s Neji. He is probably the greatest genius in the entire history of the Hyuga clan!" Standing next to him, Renjiro nodded. Fujin, who was standing in front of them, said, "Hmm, I have seen him a few times earlier though this is the first time I have seen him fight. I have to say..." Fujin paused for a bit as Neji gave a speech about genius and failures. He continued, "I''m disappointed." Both Hoka and Renjiro were surprised by Fujin''s words. Kakashi, Guy and their students heard his words and looked at him as well. Neji''s incredible talent was visible to the naked eye. Yet, Fujin said that he was disappointed. Lee asked, "What do you mean, Fujin-san?" Hoka added, "What disappointed you? In terms of talent, he is head and shoulders above me." Fujin watched as Hinata got back to her feet once again and said, "True, he has talent. However, what use is that talent when he has constrained himself by imaginary chains of Fate? He thinks too highly of himself and too little of the ones who weren''t born geniuses. With such a mentality, he''ll find it hard to progress. Perhaps he might become a Jounin. However, I don''t see him progressing any farther beyond that rank unless he improves his mindset." Hoka frowned on hearing Fujin''s words. As someone who had the Bird Cage, he knew how horrible the feeling of someone else controlling your life was. In fact, he had even talked about Fujin regarding the same. He also knew how Hizashi was sacrificed to save Hiashi. So, he could understand why Neji developed such a mindset. Naruto heard his words as well and said, "That''s right! Who is he to say that a failure will never improve? HANG IN THERE, HINATA!" Hoka ignored Naruto and said, "Even though his words are harsh and misguided, that doesn''t mean that his future progress would be restricted. Besides, his words are having a mental impact on his opponent. That''s not much different from your trash talk." Fujin replied, "If he did it just to get under her skin, I would have been impressed. Unfortunately, he believes every word he says. Besides, his words aren''t the issue. The issue is how narrow his view is." Hoka became confused and asked, "What do you mean?" Sakura, Naruto and Lee were confused as well. Unlike them, Kakashi, Guy and Renjiro understood what Fujin was implying. Fujin chuckled and answered with a question, "How exactly can he maintain such beliefs after being his student for nearly 2 years?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 642: Fate Chapter 642: Fate Immediately, all of them looked at Guy. Lee asked in confusion, "What do you mean? What''s wrong with Guy sensei?" Hoka, Naruto and Sakura didn''t understand either. Fujin answered, "Guy''s talent was so bad that his admission to the academy was rejected initially." The information surprised Hoka and the Genins. Lee wasn''t aware of that particular information either. Even though Guy had told him that he was a failure as well, he didn''t entirely believe him and felt that he was only saying so to make him feel better and motivate him. Naruto thought, ''No way! How was someone as strong as him rejected by the academy?'' Seeing everyone staring at him, Guy displayed his trademark smile and gave a thumbs-up. He said, "That''s right. I wasn''t accepted initially. However, I didn''t think you''d know about this, Fujin." Fujin chuckled in response and continued, "By comparison, Orochimaru was the most talented student of his batch and perhaps his generation. He became a Genin when he was six years old and was trained by Lord Third since then. And yet, today, I would rather have Orochimaru as my enemy than him. Even after having such a sensei, if he can''t see this simple reality, then his future prospects are just hopeless no matter how talented he is." Immediately, the eyes of everyone other than the Elite Jounins widened. Hoka looked at Guy in shock and thought, ''Is Fujin implying that Guy is stronger than Orochimaru? No, he is saying that Guy is considerably stronger than Orochimaru! Is he for real?'' Even Naruto looked at him in shock and thought, ''Wait! Fujin said that he might have not won against Orochimaru if they fought in neutral territory. And Sasuke said that Orochimaru is likely far stronger than Kakashi sensei and Zabuza. And yet, Fujin said that he would rather fight Orochimaru than Guy sensei! Does that mean that Bushier Brows sensei is stronger than both Kakashi sensei and big brother Fujin? Holy crap! How strong is he?'' Sakura felt the same as well. She recalled the horrifying chakra emitted by both Orochimaru and Fujin and thought, ''Is Guy sensei so strong that he can defeat Orochimaru?'' Fujin continued, "Considering his upbringing, I can understand his emotions and thought process. I wouldn''t have said what I did if he was still in the academy. However, since he is still stuck on those beliefs despite training under Guy for a couple of years, it shows that he has a very narrow mindset. If he doesn''t change it, it will become his bane." Hoka was surprised by Fujin''s words. As he analyzed them, he couldn''t help but see things from his perspective and felt that Fujin wasn''t wrong. He thought, ''Even though Fujin said those words, his words could also be implied as if Neji changes his mindset in the future, then he might become very strong. So, it depends on Neji.'' Fujin''s words had more impact on someone other than Hoka. Lee fell into deep thought. He had gone through the entire academy without any talent. He was then placed on the same team as Neji, who frequently talked about fate and repeatedly said that a failure will always stay a failure. Every time he lost to Neji, Tenten repeated Neji''s words and said that he wouldn''t be able to defeat Neji since Neji was a genius. Of course, Lee later found his confidence due to Guy''s training and the Eight Inner Gates Technique. However, those words always stayed in his mind as he hadn''t defeated Neji yet because Guy didn''t allow him to use the forbidden technique. He asked, "Fujin-san, what are your views about fate?" ?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com Fujin looked at him and asked in return, "Fate? What of it?" Fujin''s words made everyone think. Sakura thought, ''That''s right! Our fates can be like that as well. After all, who said that a failure can''t grow strong? We have a live example of Guy sensei in front of us!'' Kakashi analyzed Fujin''s words and discovered a slight inconsistency in them. While he didn''t particularly care about fate, he was interested in knowing more about Fujin. He asked, "Good answer, but what if someone is fated to be weak? Wouldn''t that be unfair to them? What would be the point of them training hard if they are fated to stay weak? Should they just give up?" Fujin answered, "Perhaps, but how would they know that they are fated to stay weak? It''s not like everyone is given a fate certificate at birth to tell them what they can and cannot achieve in their life, right?" Renjiro chuckled and said, "That''s right. How would anyone know what their fate is?" Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah. And this is under the assumption that fate exists, which is again something we can''t say with certainty. So, there is no point in staying stuck on it. Even if fate exists, no one knows what your fate is. Just live to your fullest extent and don''t fall short on your effort so that you don''t have any regrets." Naruto, Sakura and Lee smiled confidently on hearing that. Even though the three Genins would grow to be extremely strong in the future and be famous throughout the world, all of them still had several insecurities. Fujin''s words provided them with a lot of confidence. Hoka involuntarily nodded as well while Renjiro, Kakashi and Guy smiled seeing their students gaining confidence. Fujin''s eyes were still on the fight as he muttered, "Besides, there are so many more scary things in this world. For instance, no matter how much you train, what you do, how strong you get and how many goals you achieve, you''ll eventually die in a few decades. Compared to the inevitability of death, fate is rather cute." Immediately sweat appeared on Renjiro, Guy and Kakashi. They wondered, ''Is he motivating them or demotivating them?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Anima, Tanner, Jared, Malik and ?????? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 643: Medical Ninjutsu Chapter 643: Medical Ninjutsu "Compared to the inevitability of death, fate is rather cute." Hearing Fujin''s words, the genins became quiet. A few seconds later, Lee''s shoulders dropped. In a depressing tone, he said, "That''s right. No matter what we do, we won''t be able to escape death!" Naruto added sadly, "Yeah... Even if I become the Hokage, I''ll eventually die." Sakura thought, ''I never thought of it. Someday I''ll be separated from my Sasuke and there''s nothing I can do to stop it." Seeing their depressed students, Kakashi and Guy panicked. Guy placed his hand on Lee''s shoulder and said, "Don''t worry about that now Lee. You are still young. Now is the time to enjoy your youth and not worry about old age!" Kakashi immediately followed up, "That''s right. Instead of worrying about dying due to old age, you should focus on getting strong so that no one can kill you before that. You don''t want to end up regretting not fulfilling your dreams just because of this, right?" Hearing their words, Lee, Naruto and Sakura snapped out of their thoughts. Lee said, "Ah, that''s right! My flames of youth are still burning!" Sakura thought, ''That''s right. I''m still just a young girl! Why am I getting worried about my old age?'' Even Naruto realized the same. Fujin said without taking his eyes off the fight, "What are you guys getting so depressed about? I just meant that just because you''ll eventually die, doesn''t mean that you''ll commit suicide today, right? In the same way, stop worrying about fate. Look at Hinata fighting despite knowing that she''ll lose while you three are getting depressed about something that''ll happen decades from now." Fujin''s words immediately made them feel embarrassed. At the same time, they felt better about their future. Even though their paths wouldn''t be easy, they felt better, knowing that at least there was a path in front of them. "But you''re wrong, cousin Neji. I can see it now that even more than me, it''s you who are torn and suffering... Caught between the main and branch families of our clan!" Hinata replied to Neji''s neverending taunts. Her words caused Neji to lose control of himself! He rushed at Hinata fully intending to kill her! Fortunately, the jounins took action. Guy appeared behind him and grabbed him, Kakashi grabbed his arm, Hayate appeared in front of him and was ready to knock him out if he continued while Kurenai would have knocked out his legs had he continued! Neji said, "Well, why are the other Jounins getting involved? Special protection for the Main family, eh?" Guy immediately said, "Enough Neji. You swore that you wouldn''t drag your issues with the main family here." As they were speaking, Hinata''s heartbeat faltered. She immediately coughed out blood and dropped to her knees, before lying on the ground. Naruto and Sakura immediately went to check on her. Seeing Naruto, she wondered as her eyes closed, ''Naruto... I wonder if maybe I managed to change just a little bit...'' She fell unconscious. While Naruto was looking at her, Neji said, "Hey, you, Mr. Failure! A couple of words of advice. A true shinobi would have too much class to make a spectacle of themselves by cheering during a serious match. And one more thing. You may as well accept who you are. Once a failure, always a failure!" As Fujin continued healing Hinata, the medics realized that none of them were as good as Fujin at healing! Hiruzen thought, ''Not bad. Yoshi, Isamu and others did a good job. Even though Fujin drained them so much that I had to give every Jounin rank Medical ninja in the hospital a couple of weeks of vacation, having another excellent Medical ninja is a good thing for Konoha. The fact that he''s a rank S ninja and extremely powerful means that no one can neutralize him. However, since he is a fighter, I can''t have him waste all his chakra on healing during a battle. He can only heal himself and perhaps Elite Jounins in the heat of a battle.'' At the same time, Baki analyzed, ''He is a medical ninja as well? It should mean that he is decent with poisons as well. We can''t count on killing him with poisons. Not to mention, if he has been guided by the Legendary Sannin Tsunade, it could mean that Konoha has another ninja who can neutralize all our poisons on the battlefield. However, the chances of that should be low considering how young he is. Regardless, we will have to keep it in mind in the future.'' As Fujin continued healing Hinata, color appeared on her pale face. In around 3 minutes, Fujin healed all her internal injuries before opening up the chakra points Neji blocked. He finally got up and said, "She isn''t in danger, but her internal injuries were quite serious. Keep her under observation and ensure that she doesn''t do any strenuous activities for at least a couple of weeks. And of course, no fighting or practicing Gentle Fist for that period." The medics nodded and said, "Alright, Councilor. We''ll take over from here." They quickly checked Hinata once again before carrying her away. Kurenai sighed in relief and said, "Thank you, Fujin." Fujin nodded and said, "It''s no big deal." With Hinata taken away, the area was finally cleared and the electronic board began deciding the next matchup. It displayed - Gaara Vs Lee! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Woat is Aim, Malik, Slade and Matthew for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 644: Fujins Choice! Chapter 644: Fujin''s Choice! Gaara Vs Lee! As in the original story, Guy warned Lee about Gaara''s gourd, though he didn''t mention any details. Kakashi looked at Gaara and thought, ''So he is the Fourth Kazekage''s son, and also Suna''s only Jinchuriki. This should be an interesting fight.'' Since Naruto was standing close to Fujin, Kankuro didn''t dare to get close to him to get some information about Neji. The fact that Fujin was able to injure Gaara when he was only 13 was enough of a deterrent for Kankuro. As for Fujin, he was looking forward to the fight. He thought, ''Even though there were several good fights in Naruto, if there was one that stood out, it would be this one. A shame that it was also the last time Lee was in the spotlight. If it wasn''t for the fact that I have been in even more intense battles, I would have been even more excited to watch this in person.'' "Let the ninth round battle begin!" Lee went on the attack as soon as Hayate announced the start of the battle but was blocked by the Sand pouring out of Gaara''s gourd and protecting him autonomously. Fujin looked at it and thought, ''I didn''t get time to have a closer look at him in the desert, but the sand in his gourd is quite intriguing. Unlike normal magnet release, the sand in his gourd works autonomously like it has its own mind... No, that wouldn''t be correct. A better comparison would be a robot having a set of instructions to always follow. The technique his dying mother used to achieve this should undoubtedly be a Kinjutsu that would cost the caster''s life. If it can be used more liberally, then it can be used to create several powerful tools.'' Of course, Fujin wouldn''t use that technique himself. However, he saw a lot of scope in it if given to his Phantom Haven Society members. Even if a small percentage of them could use that technique during their death, Fujin would gain several Jounin and Elite Jounin level members. He continued analyzing, ''The best case would be someone enchanting tools that can be used by me. However, I''ll need to create a very strong personal bond with everyone to achieve that. It''s not something that I can do from so far away. Also, spending that much time is probably not worth it, though I could send low chakra Shadow Clones...'' As he was analyzing, Guy asked Lee to remove his weights. While most considered it lame, everyone was shocked when Lee dropped those weights to the ground. When he attacked again, only a handful of people were able to see his movements and Gaara wasn''t one of them! Fortunately for him, his sand could still protect him. Fujin thought, ''Oh well, I''ll think about it after I get my hands on that technique. I''ll first need to get the Edo Tensei jutsu. Hopefully, he''ll know how to perform this jutsu. Once I learn it, I''ll have to dig up his mother''s grave and resurrect her...'' Fujin''s mind fell silent for a bit as he thought, ''Sigh, how far have I fallen? From someone who never killed to being comfortable with killing to working on dead bodies and now to digging up graves...'' Fujin stopped thinking about it. In his previous life, he would never have done something like this. Be it for his morals or just the disgust about doing something like that. However, the ninja world slowly changed his morals and moulded his personality to a point where such things became acceptable to him. "Bushy Brows has gotten even faster! He really is strong!" Naruto exclaimed in shock and surprise. I might be able to get Hiruzen to call her to the village using my accomplishments during the war and get my cellular activity increased, but Lee''s career as a ninja will most likely be over...'' Everyone watched in awe and shock as Lee made Gaara his punching bag after opening the Fourth Inner Gate, Gate of Pain, as Gaara''s sand could no longer keep up with Lee''s incredible speed and Gaara''s sand armor crumbled. Fujin was the only one having different emotions as he wondered, ''Should I let nature take its course and leave it to Lee''s luck? Or should I make a move and end the fight early?'' As Fujin was deciding, Lee opened the Fifth Inner Gate, Gate of Limit and used Reverse Lotus and hit Gaara with all his strength. The impact of his palm and foot on Gaara''s abdomen was so intense that high-speed winds and dust were launched in every direction. Most of the spectators immediately covered themselves up while Fujin just continued watching the duo as the winds and dust avoided him. Guy''s and Kakashi''s eyes widened in shock as Gaara''s gourd turned into sand and softened his fall. Even though he was hurt, this move ensured that he wouldn''t get knocked out. Lee fell to the ground as well as his body was too tired and hurt from the backlash of opening Five Inner Gates for so long. As the dust cleared, Lee saw Gaara lying in his sand and extending his arm towards him. He muttered in disbelief, "How can that be?" While everyone was still in shock from these developments and trying to process what had taken place, Gaara controlled his sand and moved it towards Lee! Due to the state of his body, he couldn''t move properly and the sand reached his left arm and left leg! [A/N: Thought quite a bit about changing this fight as well. However, the original fight between Gaara and Lee was just too epic. So, I decided against interfering with it. Fujin did have some influence on both of them since Lee saw his spars with Guy while Gaara was injured by him, but the influence wasn''t high enough to force me to make changes in their battle (like I had to in Sakura and Naruto''s matches). Anyway, find out in a few hours what decision Fujin makes :)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aldur, Archit, Mo El, Luis and Reginald for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 645: Fujins Strictness Chapter 645: Fujin''s Strictness While everyone was watching in shock, Gaara controlled his sand and moved it towards Lee! Due to the state of his body, he couldn''t move properly and the sand reached his left arm and left leg! As the only one who had seen that move in action, Shino thought, ''It''s that move!'' Lee tried getting away, but the sand crawled up his fist and foot and continued moving upward. He didn''t have the energy to free himself. Seeing that he had encased enough of his arm and leg, Gaara was about to clench his fist. However, at that very moment, a wind blade suddenly cut through the sand that was holding Lee down! The winds accompanying it sent the sand around his limbs flying as well without leaving a single scratch on him. Lee, who was trying to pull away from the sand, suddenly lost his balance as nothing was holding him anymore and tumbled forward. The sudden change once again shocked everyone. Even Gaara''s eyes widened as everyone stared at Fujin. Fujin wasn''t bothered by their stares and calmly said softly, "The battle is over. Gaara of Sunagakure is the winner." At the same time, Fujin thought, ''Ah, screw it. It doesn''t have any impact on me whether Lee gets injured and then healed or never gets injured in the first place. What could affect the future is if he has to stop being a ninja and Guy''s team either breaks up or he has to take another teammate. However, if Hiruzen survives, all talk of the future is meaningless anyway. Regardless, it will be a pity if someone like Lee can''t continue being a ninja. Not to mention, I did benefit a lot from Guy. And unlike Hiruzen, he never tried to get anything in return except a good spar. I suppose I owe him this much.'' Baki became serious and looked at Fujin. He wondered, ''Why did he make a move? I need to ensure that he doesn''t make a move against Gaara. Even though his sand will protect Gaara for a while, he can''t be allowed to lose control yet. Otherwise, Konoha would eat him alive.'' Even Hiruzen wondered, ''Why did Fujin make a move? That''s not like him.'' Kakashi and Guy were surprised as well and weren''t sure what to say. Neither of them expected that Fujin would make a move. Of course, the one who was the most stunned was none other than Rock Lee! Not only had Fujin involved himself in the battle, but he had also declared that Gaara was the winner. Even before he could stand on his legs, he said, "Wait! I haven''t lost yet! I can still fight!" Unlike Baki, Gaara didn''t see the larger perspective. Instead, the memories of him getting injured a few years ago resurfaced in his mind. He recalled Baki and his father saying that Fujin was the one who injured him. Hence, instead of calming down, he became even more angry and sent a lot more sand towards Lee, intending to kill him for good! Fujin had just looked at Lee and was about to speak when Gaara controlled his sand and sent it towards Lee. The Sand reached the area through which Fujin''s Wind Blade had passed through and stopped moving! Gaara''s eyes widened as he observed, ''My sand stopped moving? No, there is a wind flow there. My sand is flying towards the wall instead of piercing through it. What is it?'' Even Baki looked in shock and questioned, ''How can a Wind Blade continue moving for so long? And how can it affect Gaara''s sand? It''s almost like a barrier!'' Kakashi observed with his Sharingan, ''His control over the wind is remarkable. The wind is flowing in such a way that anything that enters it gets thrown back. That is why the sand particles can''t move to the other side. Did he develop such a technique earlier or did he come up with it to stop his sand technique?'' Needless to say, it was an application of Fujin''s Wind Domain which he had applied on a very small scale to specifically counter Gaara''s sand. Fujin turned his gaze towards Gaara and asked casually, "Oh, do you still want to fight?" Suddenly, Baki flickered in front of Gaara and said, "As you said, this battle is over. Gaara has won." Fujin dismissively replied, "Tell that to your student." Baki frowned and thought, ''That look in his eyes... It''s as if he doesn''t consider me a threat at all.'' Had it been before, Baki would have been offended. He had prepared himself to stop either Kakashi or Fujin during their assault. However, he understood that he wouldn''t stand a chance against Fujin after learning that Fujin defeated Orochimaru. "Guy sensei!" "Lee!" "Guy sensei!" "Lee!" The two immediately hugged each other tightly with tears rolling down their faces. Somehow, a sunset appeared in their background as everyone watched the two ninjas with disbelief and disgust. Temari blushed due to that sight. Kankuro couldn''t help but mutter, "How did Gaara get smacked around by a loser like him?" Sweat appeared on Baki''s face as he wondered, ''What the hell is up with this village?'' Even Gaara was disturbed by that sight. He couldn''t make sense of what he was seeing. Ino shouted in disgust, "Eww! What are they doing?" Neji just closed his eyes and turned his head away in embarrassment. He wished that everyone would forget that he was on the same team as them. Even Kakashi felt the same, as Sakura looked at him and asked, "Sensei, how did he become your rival?" Her question left him speechless. He thought, ''He forcefully became my rival without my consent. There wasn''t anything I could do...'' Finally, Guy sent Lee away along with the medics. Even though his injuries weren''t life-threatening due to Fujin''s action, his body suffered immense backlash due to opening the Inner Gates. He needed to be treated immediately. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Matthew, Krys, Lotas, Dip, Lluis, Yereem and J.Rogue for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 646: The Matchups for Finals! Chapter 646: The Matchups for Finals! After the medics took Lee away, Guy returned back to Fujin''s side. A frown appeared on his face. He couldn''t help but say, "I know you mean well, Fujin, but why were you so strict? Even though he never said it, Lee does look up to you due to our frequent spars. Such words could affect his confidence." As Guy was speaking, the last match began. However, the ones around Fujin didn''t pay much attention to it. They were more interested in hearing Fujin''s reply. Fujin answered, "If you knew the technique he was using, you''d have done the same, Guy. The jutsu Gaara used to encase Lee''s arm and leg is called Sand Coffin. The jutsu he was about to use is called Sand Burial. He uses the first jutsu to encase his opponents in sand and the second jutsu to crush them to death." Naruto and Sakura''s eyes widened in horror. Of course, the one who was the most stunned was Guy. Fujin continued, "If I hadn''t acted when I did, Lee would have lost his left arm and leg. No medical ninja currently in Konoha would have been able to heal them. I don''t think that even someone like Lady Tsunade could fix wounds of that level. Such an injury would end any ninja''s career, let alone someone like Lee who knows nothing but Taijutsu. Even though my words would hurt his pride and confidence, it is far better than the cost he would have to pay otherwise." Guy became silent for a while. Naruto exclaimed in disbelief, "No way! That Sand guy has such a deadly jutsu?" Fujin didn''t say anything but his serious expression gave Naruto the answer he needed. Both he and Sakura wondered, ''How can we even defend from that?'' Finally, Guy said, "I was mistaken. I apologize, Fujin. Thank you for looking out for Lee." Fujin smiled and replied, "Don''t worry about it, Guy. I''m sure you''d have done the same for me." Guy smiled and nodded, "Of course." Renjiro smiled on seeing his reaction and said, "You don''t need to worry about Lee''s confidence taking a hit. If a single loss were to demotivate him, then he would never amount to much. However, hearing his past and his struggle, I don''t think that this loss will keep him down. Instead, it is an opportunity for him to become even stronger, not just in terms of fighting capabilities but also mentally." Guy nodded and said with a thumbs-up, "Of course! Such a loss will never keep Lee down." None of them paid any attention to Dosu defeating Choji. With all the preliminary battles done, all the winners were called down. Before going down to join the winners, Sakura enquired with Kakashi about Sasuke. Kakashi reassured her that he''d be fine and asked her to pay attention to the instructions before flickering away. Fujin looked at the place where Kakashi was standing and thought, ''I forgot that he leaves before the matchups are decided...'' A frown appeared on his face. Renjiro noticed it and asked, "Is something the matter?" Fujin replied, "Just getting an odd feeling." Renjiro frowned. Fujin''s instincts had generally proved right. Fujin said, "I''ll leave as well. I''ll keep a Shadow Clone behind to inform you if I need any assistance." Renjiro and Hoka nodded. After creating a Shadow Clone, Fujin left the tower as well. He activated his Space Time Sensing Technique and chased after Kakashi while leaving enough distance between them for Kakashi to not realize that someone was trailing him. In the tower, Hiruzen explained the rules and details of the Final round to the Genins. In the end, Anko stepped forward with a box while Hiruzen said, "There are slips of paper in the box Anko is holding. Each one of you, take one." Fujin looked at the matchups with a strange look as he thought, ''Even though only one person was added, it should have ended up changing the matchups completely. However, Sakura barely has had any effect on the matchups... I just talked about fate... Don''t tell me that shit really exists...'' He sighed internally while concluding, ''Oh well, screw it. This just might be a coincidence. Even if it does exist, I just have to follow my own words. Besides, considering that it allowed me to transmigrate to such a faraway and distinct place, a place that might not even be in the same universe or timeline, I doubt my fate would be bad. Perhaps it might just allow Ten Tails to fall in my lap and make me the strongest in this world and later in this universe...'' Of course, he didn''t ever plan on counting on things happening so easily considering how much he had to train and struggle to reach up to this time, but there was no harm in just thinking that for a few seconds. Elsewhere, Kakashi reached the place where Sasuke was kept under observation. Fujin reached there as well but a frown appeared on his face as he wondered, ''Why does it feel like someone is looking here?'' He focused on his Space Time Sensing technique and tried to locate everyone who could spy on that place. He immediately located one disturbance and looked in that direction. His eyes immediately widened as he thought, ''Orochimaru? Why the fuck is he here?'' Thoughts clashed in his brain at the speed of light as he recalled, ''Wait, I remember. He was afraid that Kabuto would try to kill Sasuke or something along those lines. He won''t make a move, or at least shouldn''t unless he has decided to eliminate Kakashi to reduce obstacles for the invasion. Irrespective of whether he makes a move or not, I can''t have him observe like this. Else, I wouldn''t be able to do what I want...'' Orochimaru didn''t sense Fujin''s arrival or the fact that he had already been sensed. He continued looking with amusement and thought, ''So Kakashi is finally here. This should be interesting to watch... Huh?'' Orochimaru immediately looked behind and heard Fujin speaking, "I didn''t expect that you''d return so quickly. Were you so impatient to accept my offer and follow me instead of slaving for Akatsuki?" [A/N: Next Chapter: Fujin Vs Orochimaru - Round 2!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Eduardo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 647: Fujin Vs Orochimaru - Round 2! Chapter 647: Fujin Vs Orochimaru - Round 2! "Were you so impatient to accept my offer and follow me instead of slaving for Akatsuki?" As Orochimaru heard Fujin''s nonchalant tone, he saw Fujin standing a few meters behind him while holding a sword in his hand. A smirk appeared on his lips as he tauntingly asked, "You think so?" Having been burned once by Fujin''s words, Orochimaru didn''t take his words to heart anymore and treated them as the air. Fujin tilted his head and asked in confusion, "Why are you here then? Do you want to be beaten again? I didn''t know you were a masochist. Sigh, you Sannins are all weird!" Disgust was visible on Fujin''s face as he spoke those words. Despite having decided to ignore all of Fujin''s words, Orochimaru couldn''t control his eyes from twitching. He thought, ''This brat! He is very good at getting under the skin.'' He said, "I''m more interested to know what you are doing here. Shouldn''t you be in the tower?" Fujin replied, "I was but I felt like some snakes were crawling underground and came to check. And from the looks of it, I was right. For you to first put that seal on Sasuke and then watch him in this manner... Why are you so obsessed with that Uchiha kid?" Orochimaru replied, "Oh you know how it is. Two guys have something and a third one''s just got to get it." Fujin asked, "Oh, the Sharingan? However, what use is a two Tomoe Sharingan to you? Even if you implant it, it''ll be more of a constraint than a boon. Wouldn''t it have been better if you went after his brother''s Mangekyou?" Orochimaru''s smile faded away. Fujin made an expression that displayed that he just figured out something. He chuckled and said, "I see how it is. You went after him and failed, presumably got your ass handed to you. So, you are now going after his younger brother instead. Hehehe." With amusement on his face, Fujin added, "When I grew up, I always heard stories about the Legendary Sannins. As the strongest among them, I heard especially a lot about you. Nearly every kid in my class looked up to you and wanted to be as powerful as you. Unfortunately, it looks like the reality is disappointing. Instead of seeing a powerful Sannin, all I see is a loser going after Genins because he is too afraid of the stronger ninjas. I wonder how disappointed they would be when they learn the truth." Fujin shook his head in disappointment. Orochimaru''s expression became dark upon hearing his words. Despite having decided to ignore his words, Fujin had successfully managed to get on his nerves! Before he could respond, Fujin flowed chakra through his sword and said, "I have changed my mind. I gave you the offer due to your past reputation. However, after seeing the truth, I have no intention of having such a weak follower. Just let me kill you without any resistance so that others don''t learn how disappointing you are and you maintain your reputation!" Fujin disappeared and appeared in front of Orochimaru while swinging his sword. While Fujin and Orochimaru were in a face-off, another face-off was happening very close by. Inside the tower, Kakashi and Kabuto were looking at each other. The bodies of 4 dead Anbu ninjas were lying in the room while Sasuke was sleeping in the center on a bed. Kakashi asked, "What do you want to do with Sasuke? Depending on the circumstances, I''ll have to arrest and interrogate you." Kabuto smirked and asked in return, "I wonder if someone like you can?" Kakashi replied, "Do you want to test someone like me?" As the two jutsus clashed, Orochimaru saw that Fujin''s winds were overpowering his jutsu. The flames were being sent back into the skies by the intense winds. A grin appeared on Orochimaru''s face as he thought, ''Impressive! Very impressive! He added Yin chakra to his jutsu to counter my Yang chakra. And, he has added it in enough quantity to be able to match me. To come up with this so quickly, his control over Yin & Yang chakra must be exceptional. As impressive as he is, he is too big of a threat to be left alive. If he''s allowed to mature completely, he might end up surpassing Minato. I need to eliminate him during the invasion, or Konoha will rally around him even if I kill Sensei.'' The massive waves of flames dispersed in the skies as a good portion of Konoha''s population noticed a fiery sky and felt a heatwave. Several ninjas rushed towards their location. Just then, the sound of a glass window breaking was heard behind Fujin as Kabuto jumped out while being disguised as an Anbu ninja. Kakashi looked out of the window while thinking, ''Darn it, he got away!'' His attention was quickly diverted towards Fujin and Orochimaru as he thought, ''I sensed their clash. Did Orochimaru also come here for Sasuke? And, what is Fujin doing here?'' Kabuto saw them as he fell from the building as well. However, he didn''t stay and quickly escaped. Seeing Kabuto get away successfully, Orochimaru, who was standing in the center of a firestorm, said while weaving a hand seal, "This isn''t the time for us to battle. But don''t worry, it''ll be very soon." Using Reverse Summoning jutsu, Orochimaru escaped from Konoha once again. Fujin didn''t stop him from escaping as he thought, ''Oh, it''s good that he''s escaping himself. Saves me a lot of trouble.'' In a quiet and dark corner inside Konoha, where there was no one nearby, Kabuto appeared. He sighed in relief and thought, ''It''s a good thing that Orochimaru-sama was keeping an eye. Otherwise, with both Kakashi and Fujin, I might not have been able to esca...'' Suddenly, Kabuto''s eyes widened and his pupils dilated. He lowered his head and glanced towards his chest. An arm, covered in Lightning, had pierced through his chest and was holding his heart! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Shinu, Mugen, Ruben, Simon, Fanchu, Gillum, West, Will, Reggie and Emmanuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 648: Striking Preemptively! Chapter 648: Striking Preemptively! Suddenly, Kabuto''s eyes widened and his pupils dilated. He lowered his head and glanced towards his chest. An arm, covered in Lightning, had pierced through his chest and was holding his heart! In complete shock, he turned his head and saw Kakashi. He muttered, "Hatake Kakashi... How did you follow me? And why didn''t I detect you?" Kakashi''s eyes widened as he thought, ''This fellow is remarkable! Even without his heart, he is able to replicate blood circulation with just his chakra! Tsk, this troublesome fellow''s expertise in Medical Ninjutsu is even better than I remember! Fortunately, I had a chance to make a move against him inside Konoha. Otherwise, killing him would have been troublesome. The fact that he will always stay around Orochimaru would make it even tougher.'' Needless to say, the attacker wasn''t Kakashi. Instead, it was Fujin under disguise. The ''Fujin'' who confronted Orochimaru was his Shadow Clone. Unlike the Shadow Clone that he left in the tower and contained only half a percent of his chakra, the clone fighting Orochimaru had 70% of his chakra. That is why Orochimaru didn''t suspect anything. Upstodatee from As for how Fujin snuck up on Kabuto? That was actually extremely simple. Back when Fujin was tasked to search for the culprit that killed the Root ninjas, Fujin had marked nearly the entire village with his Flying Thunder God mark! Only some clan spaces and important buildings where he was closely watched were spared. If anyone else could see those marks, they would struggle to find a single square meter in any other place inside Konoha that didn''t have one of those marks! Anyone who could see seals found Fujin''s home terrifying and stayed as far from it as they could. What none of them knew was that the number of seals he inscribed on his house paled in comparison to the number of Flying Thunder God marks he had placed throughout the village! Even Hiruzen and Danzo were unaware of this! If they did, both would have been terrified! When Fujin''s Shadow Clone was fighting against Orochimaru, Fujin''s entire attention was on Kabuto and Kakashi''s battle. Even though Kabuto escaped from Kakashi, Fujin never lost his track due to his Space Time Sensing Technique. Once Kabuto entered an area where no one was around, Fujin just teleported to the closest Flying Thunder God mark behind Kabuto, which was just one step behind him, and stabbed his chest with Kakashi''s Chidori before he had any time to react. It was the perfect assassination! Had it been any other place, Fujin would have had a hard time killing Kabuto despite being significantly stronger than him. However, inside Konoha, even someone as strong as Kabuto had no chance of resisting Fujin for a second! Kabuto didn''t get any response to his question. Instead, Fujin clenched his fist and crushed Kabuto''s heart while concentrating more Lightning chakra on his arm. From his arm, Lightning sparks flowed in all directions inside Kabuto''s body except the top direction! As the Lightning ripped through Kabuto''s body, he felt pain that he had never experienced. His eyes widened and he let out a gut-wrenching scream! Under normal circumstances, people would have heard his scream for several hundred meters. Yet, not a single other person heard his scream due to the Stealth Battlefield Fujin deployed right after stabbing Kabuto. Despite several Ninjas, who were rushing towards the spot where Fujin''s clone and Orochimaru fought, passing by from very close to where Fujin and Kabuto were, none of them sensed the chakra spikes from Fujin''s attack or heard Kabuto''s miserable screams. Despite his terrible situation, Kabuto still tried to heal himself. Unfortunately, the speed at which he could heal was too slow compared to the destruction Fujin was causing inside his body. His struggle, though admirable, failed to earn him even a second! Anyway, the reason I was being so careful wasn''t just so that everything happens exactly the same way. I did it so that I could take advantage of the moments that I know will occur as long as I don''t cause any major changes. When I do something that would affect the future, the move I make has to change the future such that it becomes more advantageous for me! This is one of those instances and the first time I made such a move. I have a few more such moves planned for the future, though it would depend on whether things stay the same or not for those events to occur. If Hiruzen wins or survives against Orochimaru, then I won''t be able to take advantage of any of them as all of those events are unlikely to happen. That was also why I made a move against Kabuto now instead of later. If Hiruzen kills Orochimaru, then there is no saying what this psychotic brat would have done. He went from barely rank S to someone who controlled dozens of peak rank S ninjas in less than a year after Orochimaru''s death. If he''s left unchecked for over 4 years, who knows what level he would reach! Leaving him alive would have been too risky...'' A smile formed on his face as he teleported away while thinking, ''Of course, it isn''t all about the future. There are too many benefits for the present as well!'' [A/N: Next Chapter: Edo Tensei!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Reggie, AgentBoin, Nilaouh, Phil, Damian, Mads, Varun, Blanket, Sharmaake and Sernote for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Nishant for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 649: Edo Tensei! Chapter 649: Edo Tensei! Fujin, in Kakashi''s disguise, disappeared from Konoha along with the scroll storing Kabuto''s body. He appeared in an empty underground base 73 kilometers away from Konoha. It was one of the bases Fujin had created outside Konoha. Fujin had created around a dozen of them, each one being over a hundred meters underground, around 60-100 kilometers from Konoha and on routes where Konoha ninjas didn''t usually travel. Needless to say, these were even more hidden with his seals. However, unlike his house, Fujin didn''t go all out here and only used the minimum amount of seals needed to ensure that the bases stayed hidden and safe. If he overdid it, then Fuinjutsu Grandmasters passing close to the area would be able to detect the existence of so many seals. Fujin walked towards a smaller room and dispelled the transformation jutsu while thinking, ''Kabuto''s entire body is with me and I also cleaned up all his blood and flesh that were in that area. So, Orochimaru shouldn''t be able to revive him with the Edo Tensei jutsu... Unless he already has some of Kabuto''s DNA, that is. If Orochimaru manages to revive Kabuto, then he''ll think that Kakashi killed him, not me. Of course, that will be very suspicious as well. However, even if he realised that it wasn''t Kakashi, he wouldn''t be able to link it to me. So, I have no reason to hand over Kabuto''s dead body to Konoha! Another aspect I need to consider is that Kabuto''s death will have a great impact on Orochimaru. He is his right hand after all. After Hiruzen took away his arms, Kabuto was the one who looked after him. Unless he can revive Kabuto with Edo Tensei and maintain it for a long time, he''ll be severely handicapped. It''ll have an impact on the future as well. The good thing is that it isn''t bad for me either. If Sasuke still goes to him, Kabuto''s absence would make it easier for him to kill Orochimaru as Orochimaru will likely be a bit weaker without his assistance. If he doesn''t, then I won''t need to worry about Orochimaru having a strong ally when I go to hunt him down and eliminate his main body before he can mess with future events.'' Fujin entered a small room with a table at its center. He opened the scroll and summoned Kabuto''s body on top of it. At the same time, a few Shadow Clones appeared next to him. They began checking Kabuto''s body to see if there were any seals on him that could alert Orochimaru of his location. As for Fujin, he placed his hand on Kabuto''s head and invaded his brain with his Yin chakra while muttering, "Now, let me see whether you know the Edo Tensei jutsu or not!" While Fujin read Kabuto''s memories, the village had become quite eventful as well. Several ninjas were rushing towards the area where Fujin''s clone and Orochimaru clashed. A few, who were close by, saw a glimpse of Orochimaru before he escaped. "Was that the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru?" "He was! I was in his division in the Third Great Ninja War! I''ll never forget his face. But why is he here?" "Incredible! Suzuki Fujin forced him to retreat! No, he forced Orochimaru to retreat twice!" "This is crazy! I was a little suspicious earlier, but there is no doubt now! Fujin can force a Legendary Sannin to retreat! Hahaha, we have another ninja who can fight against other Kages! We don''t need to worry about facing multiple enemies in the future!" "That''s right! With Lord Hokage, Master Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade and young Fujin, we can fight all four enemy Kage at the same time! And, don''t forget that we still have the Copy Ninja Kakashi!" The ninjas who witnessed Orochimaru escaping immediately began discussing among themselves. As more arrived, they heard their talks and became even more excited! Kakashi appeared next to Fujin and asked, "Did Orochimaru also come here for Sasuke?" Fujin''s clone replied, "Yes, though I am not sure whether he intended to make a move or not. I felt a bit odd after you left and followed your trail. When I reached here, I saw Orochimaru staring at Sasuke''s room. Fujin''s clone checked the Anbu whose face had been surgically modified and asked, "What exactly was Kabuto doing here? Was he really here for Sasuke? Couldn''t he have killed or kidnapped him in the time it took to do all this? Orochimaru said that he wanted Sasuke''s Sharingans, so Kabuto could have even stolen them during that time." A frown appeared on Kakashi''s face as he realized, "Yeah, that is strange. I didn''t consider that earlier." He thought for a bit before answering, "I''m afraid I can''t make any sense of what Orochimaru is planning. We need to report it to Lord Hokage as he might have a better idea." Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "That''s true. His mind is so messed up that it is difficult for us to comprehend his thoughts." Kakashi involuntarily nodded when he suddenly realized something. He looked at Fujin''s clone with a peculiar expression and wondered, ''Is he implying that Hokage''s mind is also messed up?'' Fujin''s clone noticed his expression and asked, "What is it?" Kakashi thought, ''I guess he only said so because Third taught Orochimaru..." Kakashi replied, "I was wondering whether you''d be willing to guide Naruto for a month. All three of my students qualified for the finals..." He turned his gaze towards the sleeping Sasuke and continued, "And considering Sasuke''s situation, I''ll have to put my entire focus on him. Otherwise, Orochimaru might end up digging his claws into him." Fujin''s clone raised an eyebrow and asked, "You know a thousand jutsus. Can''t you teach the three of them by yourself? Hmm, now that I think about it, Naruto only knows the Great Breakthrough jutsu while Sakura didn''t display any jutsu other than the basic academy jutsus. What exactly is your training plan with those three?" [A/N: Hey guys. I''ll be taking a break for a few days. The chapters will continue at usual schedule (16:00 GMT) from Sunday onwards. Have a nice week :)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 650: Just beat them up! Chapter 650: Just beat them up! "What exactly is your training plan with those three?" Fujin asked Kakashi. He was truly curious about why Kakashi had trained them in such a manner. Kakashi answered, "I could normally but the training I intend to put Sasuke through will require all my focus. I won''t be able to guide Naruto or Sakura at the same time. As for my training plan, it''s rather straightforward. I want their basics to be rock solid before they move up to more advanced stuff. Hence, my focus was more on teamwork and formations rather than their individual strength..." A weird expression appeared on his face as he continued, "To be honest, I didn''t expect that all three of them would end up reaching the finals. I just wanted them to gain some experience and I planned to start their Ninjutsu and Genjutsu training after the Chunin Exams. However, this year''s batch of Genins was quite weak with a few exceptions. So, they are a bit under-prepared for the real event. Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com Anyway, you don''t need to keep that in mind. Just focus on raising Naruto''s strength as much as you can without teaching him any new forbidden jutsus. So, will you train him?" Instead of answering him, Fujin''s clone replied, "Teamwork over individual strength, huh?" Kakashi asked, "You don''t agree?" Fujin''s clone answered, "Not entirely. Though teamwork is essential, how useful will the teamwork between three Genins be against a Jounin or even an Elite Chunin? I would have gone with personal strength as the main focus while ensuring that their teamwork stays acceptable." Kakashi shook his head and said, "You are wrong. For any squad, teamwork is the most essential aspect. Without it, no matter how strong the squad is, it has no future." Fujin''s clone raised an eyebrow and asked, "It''s true that without teamwork any squad is dead, but they are ninjas. They should understand its importance as well and would work together at least when circumstances demand so. If they can''t even do that, then it''s better to just make them quit as ninjas. Besides, why does individual strength have to be sacrificed for teamwork? On the contrary, stronger individuals would be able to work better together as they''ll have more ways of cooperating and using combination jutsus. Not to mention..." Fujin''s clone paused, looked into his eyes and added, "A couple of your students have some amazing potential. Sasuke''s talent is extraordinary while Naruto''s potential seems as limitless as his chakra. Had you focused on increasing their strength and jutsu arsenal, both would have likely already been strong enough to go up against any Chunin. They might have even been able to resist a Jounin for a short time. Once they faced off against stronger opponents, their teamwork would have automatically improved." His words made Kakashi think for a bit. However, he still shook his head and said, "No, trying to make them improve their teamwork at that stage would have been too difficult. It''s best to teach it to them when they are still Geni..." Before Kakashi could complete his sentence, Fujin''s clone chuckled and said, "What''s so difficult about it? Just make them fight as a team against you and beat them up until you feel their teamwork is acceptable. Even if they are complete blockheads, they would eventually figure it out." Kakashi was speechless as he looked at Fujin''s clone. His right eye twitched as he wondered, ''Just beat them up until they work together? Who puts such weird ideas in this kid''s head? However, that just might be effective when dealing with Naruto and Sasuke...'' Hiruzen nodded. He immediately left along with his Anbu Guards and met with Fujin''s clone at the top floor where Fujin''s clone informed him about the events. Hiruzen''s expression became serious on learning that Kabuto was a spy and how strong he was. Of course, what alerted him the most was that Kakashi could have been killed had Orochimaru intended to do so and if Fujin wasn''t present there. He muttered, "This is a problem. Orochimaru knows the village too well. Even if I modify the barrier, I don''t think that''ll stop him from entering without alerting us. And as long as he can enter, he can threaten the lives of nearly every ninja. Kabuto is troublesome as well. I didn''t think that someone of his level would hide inside Konoha as a Genin. It seems like too many spies have infiltrated our ranks. We need to clear them out as well." Hiruzen''s tone was extremely serious as he said it. Renjiro chuckled and asked, "Time for another massacre, eh?" Hiruzen didn''t say anything and massaged his forehead. He said, "I''ll discuss it with Shikaku first. Since Orochimaru is involved, it''ll have a lot of complications." Everyone nodded. Shikaku was the best one to handle such complicated tasks. Hiruzen looked at Fujin''s clone and said, "You did a great job again, Fujin. I''ll leave for now to start making the arrangements. Meet me tomorrow evening. I have something for you. Renjiro, have Hiromasa start preparing the Senju clan for a war but ensure that others don''t catch a whiff of it. Hoka, pass the same order to Hiashi. The coming times might not be as peaceful as I would have liked." Fujin''s clone nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll be there." Renjiro replied, "I''ll take care of it, old man." Hoka said respectfully, "Yes, Lord Hokage." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nikhil, John, SerectYami, Niklas, Alexzander, Cole, Scottyboy, Colman, Michael, Veileihi, Brad, Surya, Fireguy, V B, Teddy, Kaan, Blue_Bell, MSSC, Shyamal, James, Alex, Seth, AAUnlimited, SchwiftyZ and ba bong shoe for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 651: A Threat Chapter 651: A Threat Following Hiruzen''s orders, Fujin''s clone, Renjiro and Hoka dispersed. Hiruzen and his Anbu Guards began moving towards the Hokage building as well. The Genins and their sensei left the Forest of Death as well while Fujin''s clone and Hiruzen were having their small meeting. Naruto and Sakura rushed straight to the hospital and tried to meet Sasuke but were denied entry as it was quite late in the day. Before they could create a ruckus, Kakashi appeared and said, "You two are in a hospital. Be quiet." Naruto and Sakura immediately exclaimed, "Kakashi sensei!" Both immediately rushed to him. Naruto said, "Kakashi sensei! I need a favor!" At the same time, Sakura asked, "Sensei, how is Sasuke? Can we meet him?" for new novels Kakashi answered, "Sasuke is fine, but needs rest. He is still asleep, so there is no point in seeing him right now. Naruto, I already know what you''re about to ask. So, I have already found someone to oversee your training." Naruto immediately replied, "Huh, I want you to train me!" "I''ve got other things on my mind. I wouldn''t be able to give you my full attention." Kakashi replied immediately. However, Naruto wasn''t convinced. He looked at Kakashi suspiciously and said loudly, "Let me guess! You''re training Sasuke, right?" Sakura asked, "Is that true, Sensei?" Kakashi immediately said, "Now now, don''t complain, Naruto. I found you an even better teacher than me, who can help you improve your specialty considerably. Sakura, I''ve found you a teacher who will be more suitable for you as well. For the next month, both of you will train with them." In one voice, both asked in surprise, "Who is it?" Kakashi answered, "Fujin will be overlooking your training, Naruto." Naruto immediately became excited and exclaimed, "Fujin will train me for the next month? That''s great!" Kakashi sighed in relief and said, "Quieter. We are still in the hospital. As for you Sakura, you''ll be..." "So, she''s the one you want me to train, Kakashi?" A sudden voice interrupted Kakashi. Naruto and Sakura both turned around and saw a tall, well-built man with long hair. Naruto and Sakura wondered, ''Who is he?'' Kakashi introduced him by saying, "Sakura, he is Kurama Illumi. He is an expert in Genjutsu and is far better than me at it. He''ll teach you how to perform Genjutsu and use it properly in battle." Sakura was surprised. She didn''t think Kakashi would arrange for her to master Genjutsu. Knowing how much she lagged behind Sasuke and Naruto, she immediately resolved, ''I''ll master Genjutsu so that I won''t need them to protect me. But...'' That jutsu alone made him invincible on the battlefield. Without it, he wouldn''t have been able to have the accomplishments that he achieved. If Fujin had a similar technique that granted him superiority on the battlefield, it would have been understandable. However, Fujin has done something even more impressive without any such technique...'' Hiashi couldn''t make any sense of Fujin''s absurd strength, nor could any of the Hyuga elders. Though to be fair, no one could. Even Hiruzen, the one who had the best idea about Fujin''s strength, didn''t expect Fujin to defeat his former student. He, along with most of the people in Konoha, just accepted it because it was extremely good news for the village while most outside Konoha prayed for it to be merely propaganda. Hiashi said, "I see. This is great news for the village." He looked at Hoka and added, "From what I know, Fujin mostly stays by himself and has very few friends. Since you were in his batch and also his teammate, you are one of his closest friends. Ensure that you always maintain this friendship. Perhaps it might help the clan sometime in the future." Hoka was surprised. He wondered, ''He wants Fujin''s help? What for? As for the friendship, of course, I''ll maintain it.'' He replied, "Yes, Lord." Hiashi nodded and dismissed Hoka. When he left the room, one of the elders said, "Suzuki Fujin... That boy is remarkable. To be able to force Orochimaru to retreat not just once but twice is a huge achievement." Another elder added, "Even though he doesn''t have any background, he is very close to Lord Third. Perhaps he might be grooming Fujin to become the next Hokage. I always thought that the son of White Fang might succeed him, but Kakashi is lacking in raw strength when compared to Fujin." A third one said, "To be honest, Hoka is quite impressive as well. To become a Jounin at just 16 is very impressive." He immediately got a reply, "True, but I can sense some hostility from the boy even though he did very well to hide it. He is not content, presumably due to the Caged Bird Seal. Hiashi, he might become a threat." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Luso, Zutu, Grant, K, Kenny, Pierce, Gorama, G 21, Bhavnick, MocPoc, Rain and PervySage for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Prahasth for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 652 - 646 : Inhuman Talent! Chapter 652: Chapter 646 : Inhuman Talent! "Hiashi, he might become a threat!" Everyone became serious. A betrayal from any Hyuga was unacceptable. If anyone dared to do it, they would only have one fate, that is, death! However, Hiashi said, "That''s understandable. He is young and becoming strong quite rapidly. Being discontent about the seal is rather natural. Were any of you different when you were that age?" Hiashi''s question made the Elders quiet. In the Hyuga clan, only the Clan Leader and his/her successor wouldn''t have the Caged Bird Seal. Even though they were called the Main family, in reality, there would be less than five people in the Main family at any point. The only members would be the current Clan Leader, his/her children and any previous Clan Leaders if they were still alive. Currently, Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi were the only members of the main family. Everyone else, including the Elders, was from the Branch family! Of course, the Elders understood the importance of the seal and no longer hated the Main family or viewed it with contempt. They trusted the Clan Leader completely and hence didn''t mind the seal. However, it was true that they too hated having the seal in their youth. Hiashi added, "He''ll mature with age. If needed, we can include his father in the Elder council. That would reduce and later eliminate any resentment he feels." None of the Elders opposed Hiashi. However, if they knew that Hoka asked Fujin to find a way to remove the Caged Bird Seal, their reaction would have been very different! Hiashi said, "Anyway, that''s enough discussion. It''s time to begin preparing for a war!" Everyone nodded. Just like the Senju clan, the Hyuga clan began preparing. Neither Suna nor Orochimaru was aware that the two largest clans in Konoha had begun preparing. Of course, they weren''t the only ones. Hiruzen met up with Shikaku and informed him about Fujin and Kakashi''s clash against Kabuto and Orochimaru. In the end, he said, "It''s time to eliminate the spies inside the village. What do you think?" Shikaku thought for a few minutes before sighing. He muttered, "Another troublesome matter. It never ends." He looked at Hiruzen and said, "You''re right. Eliminating the spies would be helpful. We haven''t done so for a while. Not to mention, we also have an excellent opportunity." Hiruzen replied, "To verify Fujin''s strength... The spies would go to investigate the location of Fujin and Orochimaru''s battle even though the risk is high." Shikaku nodded and added, "Yes. We can lay a trap there and secretly restrain everyone who shows up to check that. Once we catch the spies, we can read their memories and then make every village pay dearly." Hiruzen nodded. Installing spies inside Konoha carried a severe risk. Decades ago, Tobirama had exploited it and made every village pay dearly for doing so after they tried to do so following Hashirama''s death. It was why the other villages were extremely careful while doing so. It was only after Hiruzen took a step back during the Hyuga incident and displayed Konoha''s weakness that the other villages dared to place more spies inside Konoha. Even though Konoha eliminated the spies they identified, Hiruzen didn''t use the same tactic as Tobirama due to Konoha''s weak situation as that would have offended the other villages a lot and irked a response he didn''t want to face. Fujin thought, ''If Danzo didn''t exist or if Hiruzen had not been soft and eliminated him, then perhaps Konoha might have had three terrifying rank S ninjas among their ranks at this moment. And, all three of them would have been fiercely loyal to the village. It''s so absurd that Konoha would become the laughing stock if this information was spread around. Not to mention, this is just the information I am aware of and after Minato''s death. Who knows how many such promising ninjas were ruined by Danzo when he was at his peak?'' Fujin stored Kabuto''s body back in the scroll while thinking, ''Oh well, that''s none of my business. If they were in Konoha, then it would have disturbed my plans. Regardless, time to focus on the main thing. Even though I didn''t get Edo Tensei jutsu, Kabuto was a treasure trove of information! His knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu is several times better than what Yoshi and others taught me. Though I need to practice, I''ll be able to improve quite easily with time. As for his ability to study dead bodies, that might be comparable or even superior to Tsunade''s. It might even allow me to study Zankoku''s body and get some hints about how those seals have fused with his body. So, I might have some hope of learning it even without reviving that Bishop. However, reaching Kabuto''s level of mastery will need some time and a lot of practice. Perhaps several months or even a year with the help of my Shadow Clones. A better option would have been to recruit him into the Phantom Haven and put him in charge of the Medical Division or perhaps even the whole branch. A shame that he was so loyal to Orochimaru.'' Fujin created another 6 Shadow Clones who began writing down the information he obtained from Kabuto''s memories. While they did so, he began removing all traces of him and Kabuto from the base. Elsewhere, a ninja was stealthily moving towards the Forest of Death using the cover of the night! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Calbear, G 21, Nathan, Drew, Sukhdeep, Aman, Razgriz, Cypher and N for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 653: Trapping the Spies! Chapter 653: Trapping the Spies! In the darkness of the night, a ninja stealthily entered the Forest of Death while thinking, ''As I expected, the security around the Forest of Death is very low. Considering its massive size, Konoha would need to deploy a lot of manpower to properly keep an eye on this training ground. I can complete my mission with little obstacles. Still, I need to be careful in case someone from the Inuzuka, Hyuga or Yamanaka clan is present here.'' The ninja continued moving stealthily while looking for something in the Forest of Death. After around an hour and a half, he finally found what he was looking for! He continued hiding among the trees while looking at the area burnt down by Fujin during his fight against Orochimaru. The destruction in front of him left the ninja shocked. With a solemn expression, he thought, ''There is no doubt about it. There was a massive battle here! Only rank S ninjas can leave behind the destruction of this scale!'' He quickly analyzed all the available information and even checked the canal left behind by Fujin''s Wind Dragon jutsu. He concluded, ''Even though there are signs of battles, I can''t say for sure whether Fujin defeated Orochimaru or not. I can''t say whether Fujin fought alone or whether Orochimaru was ganged up on either. However, considering what happened last evening, it is most likely true. I was lucky enough to be close to that spot. Though I didn''t witness Orochimaru and Fujin clash, there is little doubt that Orochimaru ended up running away! Since it happened last evening, there is no reason that it might not have happened 5 days ago. I need to report all of this to Raikage-sama! He''ll make the final call'' He quickly moved away from that spot and found another hiding spot. He quickly wrote an encrypted message with all the details, attached it to a messenger bird he summoned and sent it flying towards Kumogakure! He sneakily began making his way out of the forest and reached its border when he suddenly realized, ''There is someone ahead! And they have sensed me!'' Instead of panicking and trying to escape in futility, he continued moving forward confidently. Within seconds, he saw two Hyuga waiting ahead. The Hyuga ninjas muttered, "Are you from the Yamanaka clan?" The spy had blonde hair like the Yamanaka clan members and the Yamanaka clan crest on his clothes. Even his appearance was quite similar to theirs. Of course, he looked like that because he had used Transformation jutsu long before he decided to approach the Forest of Death. The spy smiled kindly and said in a friendly manner, "Our clan leader sent me here to take a look at the battlefield. I hope that it wasn''t an issue." One of the Hyuga ninjas said, "Lord Hokage has ordered this training ground to be sealed off and prevent others from entering. Please ask Lord Inoichi to not send any more ninjas here." The spy smiled and said, "Yes, of course. I''ll be on my way." He walked past the Hyuga ninjas, happy that he had successfully managed to fool them. He had just taken a couple of steps when his instincts suddenly warned him! Unfortunately, before his body could move, 2 fingers jabbed into his back right behind his heart. He looked behind in disbelief and lost consciousness before he could say anything. At the same time, his transformation was dispelled and his real appearance could be seen. Naruto became excited at the prospect of defeating both Neji and Sasuke. However, his excitement fizzled out in an instant as he asked, "How can I do that when I can barely move!" With a lot of effort, Naruto managed to get to his feet. As for training, that was out of the question. Fujin asked, "Why aren''t you using your chakra to assist you?" Naruto was surprised and asked, "We can do that?" Fujin nodded and said, "Try it. My training seal is twice as strong as yours and I use it at its maximum power. Yet, it doesn''t affect me much. Circulate your chakra through your entire body and use it to help yourself move just like you do it while climbing a tree or walking on water." Naruto followed Fujin''s instructions. He failed a couple of times before finally succeeding. He began moving normally and said, "This is incredible! I have never tried anything like this." Fujin chuckled and said, "In the future, try to incorporate this into your training. It''ll improve your Taijutsu as well as Chakra Control considerably. Anyway, run along now. Complete your training as I said. Don''t slack off, I''ll know. I''ll see you later." Naruto followed Fujin''s instructions and went into the training ground opposite their compound. Fujin watched him go and yawned while thinking, ''It''s a good thing that he isn''t very bright. I can get another 2 and a half hours of sleep.'' Fujin had been reading Kabuto''s memories until late at night. He only wrapped everything up by 1:30 AM and Naruto showed up at 5 AM. While he could function properly even with that little sleep, he didn''t have a reason for doing so. He turned around and went to bed. Just like Fujin, another person was woken up at 5 AM. Unlike Fujin, he couldn''t go back to sleep. He looked at the report with a stunned expression as he muttered, "Scor... Scorch Release?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You lazy dragon... nah just lazy, Jese, TMM, Pietro, Niggalas and O A for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 654: Eliminating Fujin! Chapter 654: Eliminating Fujin! Rasa looked at Baki''s report with a stunned expression and muttered, "Scor... Scorch Release?" He looked at the messenger and commanded, "Call the council meeting, right now!" The ninja immediately left, seeing Rasa''s mood. Rasa looked at the report once again and wondered, ''How did a Konoha ninja gain Scorch Release? Did Pakura have a child with a man from Konoha?'' He thought for a bit before concluding, ''No, even though she was foolish, she was very loyal to the village. Not to mention, she was always occupied by the Third Great Ninja War during that time. Could it be that Suzuki Fujin''s bloodline had someone with Scorch Release? Or did he fuse Fire and Wind elements to create Scorch Release? Both possibilities are rather troublesome to deal with. Hopefully, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were just mistaken. I''ll need to confirm this with Orochimaru as well. If he indeed has it, then that boy must die! I won''t allow any other village to have Scorch Release! Even if he doesn''t, I''ll still eliminate him! He has become too big of a threat to be left alive!'' After the preliminaries, Baki talked with the Rasa''s children and learnt the details of the battle. He was horrified when he heard about the Scorch Dragon that had appeared followed by the Wind Dragon which left a massive scar in the Forest of Death! He didn''t dare to tarry and sent a message to Rasa as soon as he could. Within a few minutes, the entire Suna council assembled in their council room. Rasa placed the scroll received from Baki on the table and said, "I just received an update from Baki. My children saw Scorch Release being used during the fight between Orochimaru and Fujin, presumably by Fujin. And, Fujin forced Orochimaru to retreat once again! This time, it happened inside the village and Baki believes that it is true." Shock appeared on everyone''s faces. Goza muttered in disbelief, "This... Fujin forced Orochimaru to retreat twice???" Ryusa added, "Forget about that! How did Konoha get our Scorch Release?" Joseki said, "This is unbelievable. What do we do about our plan? Do we still go forward with it?" Even the experienced ninjas couldn''t help but lose control of their emotions and the council became chaotic as everyone began discussing Suna''s next move. Rasa''s expression became ugly as he said loudly, "Silence. Why are you panicking so much?" Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m The council immediately quietened down and everyone looked at Rasa. He said, "Even though Baki sent a report, he hasn''t witnessed either of the clashes. Even Gaara and the other two were several kilometers away from where their first clash had happened. So, they are unaware of the specifics as well. We will only learn the truth once I meet with Orochimaru and confront him. Seeing the financial situation of the village, we will have to move forward with our plan unless there is no choice. If we don''t, then the Daimyo will continue clamping down on us. Besides, irrespective of whether we attack Konoha or not, Suzuki Fujin has to die!" Everyone in the council nodded solemnly. Until a few days ago, they hadn''t taken Fujin that seriously. Most still didn''t believe that the ruckus in their Eastern territories was caused by him. It was only when Hiruzen spread the news about Orochimaru''s defeat that they considered him more seriously. However, they were still sceptical of the news. Only now did they understand how big of a threat he actually was? No one disagreed with Rasa''s words. However, Goza couldn''t help but say, "I agree, but how can we kill him? Even someone like Orochimaru couldn''t kill him. We should have tried to do so when the Tsuchikage warned us about him. I''m afraid that it is too late by now." Tojuro muttered, "His teammates are either dead or sufficiently strong. Is it a coincidence or did someone in Konoha act in the dark to ensure that he doesn''t have any weakness?" Ryusa shrugged and said, "Hard to say. Knowing it wouldn''t help us either. Regardless, hoping unconventional means work wouldn''t be a good idea unless we can get more intel about him." Seeing that the morale of the council was low, Rasa said, "Even if there''s no guarantee of success, we will still need to try as long as we have a chance. In fact, we need to make an attempt before we put our plans into action. Killing or critically injuring someone like him beforehand will decrease our losses considerably. Irrespective of whether we succeed or not, we need to increase the number of Elites that will participate in this attack. Make adjustments to the plan and increase their numbers in any way you can while giving the highest priority to not alerting Konoha about our movements. In the meantime, I''ll arrange a meeting with Orochimaru and confirm the details from him." Everyone in the council nodded. Without wasting any time, everyone got to work! As for the one they were targeting, he was completely unaware that Suna was cooking a scheme to eliminate him. Then again, he didn''t particularly care as he expected several villages to try the same. Fujin appeared on the training ground and saw Naruto breathing very roughly. He teasingly asked, "You ran out of breath from such a simple training session? Are you sure you can handle the responsibilities of the Hokage? They are far heavier than the little pressure you are enduring." A tick mark appeared on Naruto''s forehead as he exclaimed, "This is nothing! I can do this for the entire month without any rest! Believe it!" His false bravado disappeared in an instant and he looked at Fujin with a dumbfounded expression as Fujin clapped and said, "Good, because this will be your training for the entire month!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You MonkeyGod, Uz Wol, Happyftw, Wildhunter, Jese, Immortal Ancestor Dailoo and Khalil for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 655 - 649 : Training (1) Chapter 655: Chapter 649 : Training (1) "This will be my training for the entire month?" Naruto muttered in disbelief and shock. It took half a minute for him to snap out of it. He jumped and complained loudly, "No way! Do you want to kill me???" Fujin broke out into laughter and said, "Be careful of what you say while boasting. You should have seen your face, hahaha!" Naruto turned his head away and pouted in annoyance at being fooled yet again by Fujin. As soon as he did so, he noticed 5 kids running towards them. They stepped right next to him. Sayaka said, "Sensei, we''re here." Yuji looked at Naruto and said, "Looks like you got here before us, Naruto." Naruto looked at them and asked, "Will you guys be joining the training too? That''s cool!" Before any of them could answer, Fujin said, "That''s enough chit-chat. They are here to learn as well as to help you prepare for the exam." He deactivated Naruto''s Training Seal and asked, "Naruto, are you ready for your real training for the Chunin exam?" Naruto immediately forgot about the previous prank and said excitedly, "I am, believe it! What jutsu are we training?" Fujin''s students were curious as well. Fujin said, "Before we begin, I wanted to ask you something. According to you, which jutsu is better? A rank C jutsu or a rank A jutsu?" Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m Naruto confusedly asked, "Wouldn''t rank A jutsus obviously be better? What sort of question is that?" Fujin glanced at his students as well and asked, "What do you guys think?" Sayaka, Hikari, Takeshi and Shoma answered, "Rank A jutsus." Only Yuji thought for a few seconds and answered, "Rank C jutsus!" All 5 kids looked at him. Naruto asked curiously, "Why do you say that?" The others were curious as well. Even Fujin wondered what he was thinking. With a smug expression, Yuji answered, "Sensei wouldn''t ask such a simple question. So, it is obviously a trick question. That''s why I said rank C!" All the 5 kids looked at his smug face with a deadpan expression. Fujin chuckled and said, "Not bad thinking, Yuji. Unfortunately, you''re incorrect." Yuji''s smug look disappeared. He asked, "What is the right answer then?" Fujin smirked and replied, "The correct answer is that both have their advantages and disadvantages. Hence, neither is better than the other. So, none of you were correct." All 6 of them stared at Fujin with deadpan expressions. Yuji said, "That''s such a boring answer." Sayaka said, "Yeah, it''s too diplomatic, sensei! What use is diplomacy to us?" Fujin replied, "Yes. But first, observe this carefully. I''ll show you the difference between the two ways of using the jutsu." Fujin gathered his chakra and said, "This is the normal Great Breakthrough jutsu." Fujin blew intense winds in front of him. Due to his previous training, the training ground had become quite barren. Only a few lucky or unlucky trees still stood in the interior of the training ground. The branches of those trees waved in the air while a few leaves were broken off and flew a long distance away along with dust and other things on the ground. Other than that, no destruction happened. Fujin asked, "This should be how strong your Great Breakthrough jutsu is, right Naruto?" Naruto answered, "Yeah, that''s right." Fujin said, "This jutsu consumed a minuscule amount of my chakra. Now, I''ll display a Great Breakthrough jutsu that is created with 5% of my chakra!" Fujin took a deep breath once again while concentrating 5% of his chakra into the jutsu! A second later, he exhaled intense and sharp winds! The winds immediately tossed a layer of soil into the air and flew away at a very rapid speed! The few remaining trees in the way finally joined their fellow martyrs. Despite standing behind Fujin, all six of them felt the winds and covered themselves. Hikari muttered, "That''s incredible!" Takeshi said, "Yeah, if it was directed at us, we''d be dead!" Sayaka agreed and said, "Yeah, I don''t think my defenses would hold." Meanwhile, Naruto exclaimed, "That''s only 5% of his chakra? This is nuts!" Fujin ignored the commotion in front of him and said, "The technique of infusing more chakra into a jutsu is called Supercharging a jutsu. Of course, not all supercharged jutsus are the same. Their effect will vary depending on how much chakra you infuse into the jutsu. There is another thing you need to consider. Even though the destruction and power are very high, it does have two drawbacks. The obvious one is that your chakra will run out faster if you use it repeatedly. During a battle, you''ll only be able to use this a few times. So only use it when you know it can give you the best results. Which is the second drawback?" [A/N: Initially had written Fujin training just Naruto. Realised later that it would be a good opportunity to show Fujin guiding his students as well and teach them supercharging jutsus too (granted it won''t be very beneficial for them at this stage due to limited chakra). So rewrote the chapter.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Reaper, Leonardo, Dingus, Aldar, Sal, Kyyate, An Hofi, Eric, Earth General, Jorge and Javier for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 656: Training (2) Chapter 656: Training (2) "What is the second drawback?" Fujin''s students and Naruto thought for a bit. While they did so, the commotion created by Fujin''s jutsu finally settled down. Sayaka glanced at it and her eyes widened. She said, "I understand. The scale and the power of the jutsu is a drawback in itself! We can target a normal jutsu at our enemies but a supercharged jutsu might hit our allies or any other bystanders. There will be a lot of collateral damage." Fujin replied, "That''s right. Due to the increased power, the supercharged jutsus will hit everything in its path. If your teammates or allies are nearby or your enemies have hostages who you want to rescue, then you''ll have to be very careful while using this technique." Everyone nodded. They imagined themselves getting hit by Fujin''s supercharged Great Breakthrough jutsu and shivered. None of them wanted to be in the way of such an attack or see their friends get hit by it. Fujin continued, "Of course, you''ll be able to control even supercharged jutsus perfectly with training. However, that takes several years to master and your chakra control will have to be far better than your current levels. So, remember these drawbacks for now. Anyway, we''ve talked plenty. It''s time to learn it. Who all... who all want to master this technique?" As Fujin was speaking, his eyes widened momentarily before going back to their normal size. None of the kids noticed it and they shouted that they wanted to learn it. Fujin thought, ''I was sensed... Someone sensed me. However, it wasn''t a chakra field nor was it that pervert ball...'' Fo?ll0w current novE?ls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m) Fujin''s gaze fell on Naruto as he realized, ''I guess Jiraiya is finally in the village to look for Naruto. That was probably a Senjutsu-based sensing technique. Well, if he''s here, then I have to pull that off, hehe!'' Fujin barely took a second to analyze who sensed him. He chuckled at the reactions of the six kids in front of him and said, "Due to the nature of this technique, all of you can''t train at the same place. This training ground is a bit too small for all six of you to practice at the same time..." The six of them immediately looked at the training ground. Yuji muttered, "More than small, it is too sad." Hikari agreed with him, "Yeah. Other than trees on the outskirts of the training ground, it is almost completely barren!" Naruto looked around and said, "The training ground has become like this once again. Doesn''t grandpa Hokage say anything? Also, how do the trees recover every time?" Fujin chuckled and said, "On the contrary, he promotes using training grounds to their full extent so that we can train and become stronger. Besides, such things are very common when you train. If he begins nitpicking, then no one would use training grounds and the strength of our ninjas will decrease." A bewildered expression appeared on Naruto''s face as he wondered, ''Is it really so common? Our training ground never once suffered so much even though we trained for so long...'' Fujin replied, "Anyway, no need to bother with this. I''ll ask him to ''transplant'' trees here once again. He won''t mind." Naruto and the rest nodded. They had frequently experienced the phenomenon of the training ground transforming from a barren wasteland to a lush green place filled with dense trees! Of course, they didn''t know that a certain someone would be completely spent due to having to undertake such an arduous task. While Naruto began training, Jiraiya reached Fujin''s compound while thinking, ''So this is the house of the boy Sensei told me so much about. Why does he live on the outskirts? There is nothing interesting here. Hmm?'' A frown appeared on Jiraiya''s face as he muttered, "Something feels weird..." He concentrated Chakra in his eyes as he focused on Fujin''s house. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. The book he was holding fell to the ground as his hands forgot to hold on to it! He shouted, "Which lunatic did this???" The light coming from the seals was so intense that Jiraiya could see nothing but the seals! Forget Fujin''s house, even the compound walls weren''t visible! Jiraiya''s throat became dry as he muttered in disbelief, "This... How many seals are here? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Or hundreds of thousands? And, Naruto lives here?" Jiraiya gathered his thoughts and wondered, ''Did sensei order this or was it that boy? So many seals... Did they want to hold the Nine Tails here in case he ever broke out of Naruto? Or does sensei want to imprison all 9 Tailed Beasts here?'' No matter how Jiraiya tried to analyze, he couldn''t make any sense of the sight in front of him. He thought, ''I''ll have to discuss it with sensei.'' Even though there weren''t any passersby near Fujin''s compounds, Jiraiya''s outburst attracted the attention of a few Anbu ninjas who flickered on the walls to see who it was. On realizing that it was Jiraiya, they respectfully greeted him before continuing their duties. Seeing that one of their Sannins returned to the village, their morale increased. Jiraiya thought to himself, ''I need to meet with Naruto.'' He turned his head away from Fujin''s compounds and looked towards the training ground on the opposite side of his house. He was about to take a step when his feet suddenly froze. He muttered, "Why does the training ground feel odd as well?" His eyes glowed once again as he observed the training ground. The book that he had just picked fell down again as disbelief appeared on his face yet again! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Julian and Devon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 657: Mysteries! Chapter 657: Mysteries! Jiraiya once again picked up his book without taking his eyes off the training ground. He wondered, ''What has been happening in the village? I can understand someone protecting a compound, but why do the training grounds also have thousands of seals? If I hadn''t used Nature chakra to detect, I might not even have detected Naruto inside this dense network of seals! Let me see what he is doing inside...'' Jiraiya became completely still. Small amounts of nature chakra entered his body and mixed with his chakra. Around half a minute later, his eyes began transforming and started looking similar to that of the toads! However, since the amount of nature chakra he absorbed was so low, he didn''t gain other features of the toads. Of course, this low amount of nature chakra wasn''t sufficient for Jiraiya to enter Sage Mode. It wasn''t very useful in combat either. Instead, it served just one purpose, that is, to sense! While sensing using nature chakra took a longer time and restricted his mobility temporarily, it had several advantages. For starters, other sensors wouldn''t detect anyone sensing them. This made it perfect for undercover missions, which Jiraiya frequently undertook, be it for the village or himself. More importantly, traditional seals couldn''t block nature chakra based sensing techniques. Had Jiraiya used other means to sense Naruto, he would have never been able to sense him within that training ground as it blocked everything other than Fujin''s Space Time Sensing Technique and Senjutsu-based techniques since Fujin didn''t have the seals to negate them. Jiraiya was surprised that Naruto was no longer in the training ground. Instead, he sensed him some distance away near the river. He thought, ''So, Naruto is training there now. He seems to be training some kind of Wind jutsu. The one next to him must be Suzuki Fujin...'' Jiraiya''s eyes returned to normal as he thought, ''I''ll go there instead. That place is far better than either of these two.'' Jiraiya began walking towards it while thinking, ''Still, I didn''t expect to see such sights on returning to the village. People celebrating openly about a 16-year-old ninja defeating Orochimaru twice... A house hidden behind thousands of seals without anything suspicious inside it... And 5 kids practicing Kekkei Genkai that shouldn''t be in Konoha... Life is full of mysteries... Perhaps I should use some of it for my next story. A young princess is imprisoned by her father in such a house, while her prince goes through hell to reunite with her. Yeah, that book should be a total hit!'' Jiraiya immediately noted down his ideas for his next book while planning a few more ''research'' trips. A couple of minutes after Jiraiya left, an Anbu Guard entered the compound. He wanted to meet Fujin but discovered that Fujin wasn''t there. So he quickly passed a message to Monkey before leaving. Monkey went to the training ground to inform Fujin about the message. At the river bank, Fujin was watching Naruto train when he received memories of his Shadow Clone. He thought, ''Hmm, Hiruzen wants to see me? Is this in regards to what he said yesterday?'' Fujin created a Shadow Clone to watch over Naruto''s training and flickered towards the Hokage Building. Elsewhere, confusion could be seen on Orochimaru''s face. If any of his subordinates were next to him, they would have been surprised to see such an expression on the face of their master. Orochimaru muttered, "Where is Kabuto? Why haven''t I heard from him yet?" Orochimaru expected Kabuto to find him soon after. After all, Kabuto''s cover had been blown. He didn''t have any reason to stay inside Konoha. Knowing that they had to prepare an assault against Konoha, Kabuto should have been by Orochimaru''s side, assisting him with everything. Yet, not only had he not returned to his side, he hadn''t even sent a message to Orochimaru! Seeing their sensei acting subserviently had spooked the Genins. Fujin''s fierce gaze made them sweat in fear. Both felt that their heads would roll if they lied. They immediately spilled all the beans. Fujin looked at them disdainfully and said, "You left your teammate by herself in that dangerous forest and have the gall to come here and ask us for explanations? Did you even attempt to look for her or did you just ignore the fact that she was missing?" The Genins immediately answered, "We tried to look for her but couldn''t find her. Instead, we just found her clothes, spectacles, some dried blood and some strands of her hair." Hanae''s expression became ugly as he saw the Genins spill everything. However, he didn''t blame them. Facing both Fujin and Hiruzen at the same time was extremely demanding for him despite his experience. For two inexperienced Genins, it was impossible to resist either of them. Fujin turned his gaze towards Hanae and said, "Looking at the evidence, I''m afraid that there isn''t much Konoha can do. She should''ve been long dead and perhaps in the belly of some wild beast by now." Hanae nodded unwillingly and said, "I understand. Thank you for cooperating with us." He looked at Hiruzen and thanked him as well before leaving. Fujin waited for them to leave before turning to Hiruzen and saying, "That was strange. Since when did Kusa start worrying about a Genin who couldn''t even survive in the forest?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Extra Thicc, Julian, Joe, Little Lanten and J.Rogue for supporting me on [email protected] your favorite novels at novelhall.com Chapter 658: Intense Negotiations! Chapter 658: Intense Negotiations! "Since when did Kusa start worrying about a Genin?" Fujin asked with such a straightforward face that he would be the last person anyone would suspect! Hiruzen answered, "The identity of the Genin was a bit special. She was from the Uzumaki clan and had an excellent healing ability." Fujin frowned and asked, "The Uzumaki clan... What was she doing in Kusagakure then? Considering our history, shouldn''t we have taken in all Uzumaki survivors?" Hiruzen sighed and answered, "Apparently her mother took refuge there. Unfortunately, by the time I knew about their existence, they realized how useful her ability was and exploited her to their full limit while keeping her protected all the time. The only way to rescue her was to massacre too many Kusa ninjas, which wasn''t wise at that time. She died a few years ago and her daughter took over that role. They''ve been exploiting her since then." Fujin displayed a thoughtful expression and said, "That''s a shame. You should''ve told me about it sooner. Perhaps we could have made some arrangements for her and inducted her into the Anbu like the rest of the kids." Hiruzen became serious and said, "Fujin, you shouldn''t look at every situation through the same lens. Kidnapping any participating Genin in the Chunin exam is something that should never be done, irrespective of who it is. Even if we hide that Genin in the Anbu, the secret will be out sooner or later. Once it is out, every enemy village will use it as an opportunity to drag our reputation through the mud. Our allies will become fearful of our intentions and will stop sending their talented Genins to the Chunin exams. And, when our Genins go to other villages to participate, they will make a move on our talented Genins. As a result, the Chunin Exam will lose its meaning while our alliances will become extremely fickle and untrustworthy. It would be a huge blow for the village when the next Great War breaks out. If you want to kidnap and induct anyone from outside Konoha, then you need to do it when they are outside Konoha, no, outside the Land of Fire. That way, even if anyone points their fingers at us, we can make up any story to make it seem like we are the good guys. For instance, had I known about these two Uzumakis before Kusa recognized their importance, I would have sent Anbu to kidnap both of them. We would have brought them to Konoha and kept them hidden. In the future, when Kusa realizes that we have them, I would have made up a story about how some of our ninjas rescued them from their ''kidnappers'', who ran away on seeing Konoha ninjas and said that the mother-daughter pair asked for Konoha''s protection. That way, even though they know that the story is made up, they can''t do anything about it and could only take that loss." Fujin listened carefully and analyzed, ''Hmm, that''s true. I hadn''t considered the geopolitical impacts of such a move. Though to be fair, I didn''t analyze it much and was just saying it just because it was a natural move and because there is nothing Hiruzen can do about Karin now.'' Fujin nodded and said, "I hadn''t considered those factors. Thank you for letting me know." Hiruzen smiled and said, "You should, in the future. Be it as the leader of a hidden village or as a simple negotiator, you should always consider all aspects so that you don''t end up hurting the village in the long term. Anyway, leave this matter. It''s too late to discuss in any case. I had another reason for calling you here..." Hiruzen got off his chair and said, "Follow me." A look of disbelief appeared on Hiruzen''s face as soon as he heard the price. He said, "That''s too expensive, Fuji-dono. Reduce it." Fujin glanced at Hiruzen and thought, ''His acting is really good. Knowing him, he must have been aware of what the price would be even before we stepped into this house.'' While others would feel pressured to face Hiruzen, Furutani Fuji was no slouch. He had decades of experience in negotiating as well and easily saw through Hiruzen''s act. However, considering Hiruzen''s position, he didn''t dare to point it out. Instead, he showed a difficult expression and replied, "Lord Hokage, as you can see, the cost of the materials itself will be very high. Considering the high requirements of the sword and the fact that you require it in less than three weeks, I won''t be able to do it without the help of other top-tier blacksmiths. Even if I agree to not include any crafting charges for myself, I''ll need to pay them a considerable amount to get their help on such short notice." Hiruzen immediately shook his head and said, "On the contrary, considering the high level of sword you''ll be crafting, others will be interested to work willingly. After all, it''s not every day that you get to create a sword of this level. If they miss this opportunity, who knows when they''ll get another one." Fuji immediately replied, "Even in that case, I won''t be able to reduce the price much. At most, I might be able to reduce it to 350 million Ryo." [A/N: Next chapter - A visit to the Land of Iron? Latest chapter on Pat reon - A Lone Battle...] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Teddy, Terry, Sam and Vrga for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 659: A Visit to the Land of Iron? Chapter 659: A Visit to the Land of Iron? "At most, I might be able to reduce it to 350 million Ryo," Fuji said while making an expression as if to indicate that he was giving his kidney away. Of course, the person he was negotiating with wouldn''t budge even if someone actually did that! Hiruzen pointed out that the cost of the material would be only 225 million Ryo and started negotiating from that point. For the next half an hour, Fuji''s apprentices and Fujin got front-row seats to two veterans negotiating! Fuji''s apprentices thought, ''Wow! I didn''t know my master could negotiate so well. Even in front of someone like the Hokage, he isn''t budging back!'' Meanwhile, Fujin analyzed, ''As expected. His negotiation skills are off the chart! Even though I had major success in Kusa, my negotiation skills were based on the threat of using force. By comparison, Hiruzen hadn''t threatened the use of force even once and yet he has whittled Fuji down to 300 million Ryo.'' While Hiruzen and Fuji were in an intense discussion, Naruto managed to use the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu correctly for the first time. He immediately came running towards Fujin''s clone and said, "Fujin! Did you see it? I got the jutsu down already!" Fujin''s clone was amused by his enthusiasm and replied, "Got the jutsu down already? You just managed to perform it successfully once. By the end of the day, I want to see you perform the jutsu successfully every time." Naruto immediately replied, "I''ll get that done as well, believe it! Huh? Where are you looking?" Vissit for updates As Naruto was speaking, Fujin''s clone turned his head and gazed behind him. Naruto followed his gaze and noticed what he was staring at. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he shouted, "Ahhh! A pervert!" Naruto saw a white-haired man hiding behind a bush and peeking through it at girls having fun near the waterfall. Fujin''s clone muttered, "A pervert indeed..." He turned his gaze towards Naruto and said, "Let me see how much you''ve learnt Naruto. Use your Infinite Breakthrough jutsu to teach that pervert a lesson." Naruto was surprised. He asked, "Me? I won''t be able to control it and might end up hitting everything." Fujin''s clone said, "And that''s why you need to keep training your jutsus until you have perfect control over them. Only then will you have any chance of becoming an exceptional ninja. Anyway, don''t worry for now. I''ll direct your jutsu. Observe it carefully. In the future, when your control over the Wind improves, you can try doing something similar." Naruto nodded, weaved the hand seals and shouted, "Infinite Breakthrough jutsu!" At the same time, Fujin''s clone emitted a quarter of his chakra into the air and created a mini-Wind Domain as his chakra was quite limited. Instead of forming a dome around him, his domain occupied the area in front of Naruto. Naruto blew the intense winds into the Wind Domain, allowing Fujin''s clone to easily direct the intense winds. Jiraiya, who was doing his research, suddenly felt the chakra spike behind him and turned around. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "What the hell?" In the blink of an eye, he slammed his hands on the ground and a mud wall rose in front of him. He cursed, ''Sensei said that he was peculiar, but he didn''t say that he was a complete lunatic! Who the hell uses such an attack inside the village?'' To his shock, the intense winds moved around the mud wall, completely avoiding it! As if responding to the winds, the mud wall changed its shape too, protecting Jiraiya from all sides. Fujin nodded and said, "His sword was too tough. That is the only reason my sword cracked and why I emphasize that my next sword should be very tough." Fuji couldn''t believe what he was hearing. The toughness of the Sword of Kusanagi was well-known in the ninja world. Destroying it was unthinkable. He turned his gaze towards Hiruzen and noticed his smile. He immediately realized, ''Shit! He purposely gave me that info so that I would willingly walk into a trap! As expected of someone who has ruled one of the strongest Hidden Villages for decades. Still, if this is true, then it changes everything! Even though the sword I crafted was good, it was nowhere near the level of the Sword of Kusanagi. If he can use it to destroy that sword, what can he achieve with a sword that is among the best?'' Fuji immediately became excited upon thinking about it. His breathing became rough as he forgot all about profits. He said, "In that case, I might be able to reduce the price even further. I can''t make any promises, but perhaps I might be able to lower it to 250 million Ryo." Hiruzen smiled and said, "That''s good. I''ll leave it to you, Fuji-dono. Please create the sword quickly and bring it to Konoha within 3 weeks." Furutani Fuji nodded. He immediately left Konoha and began making his way to the Land of Iron. Once they were alone again, Fujin said, "That was a good negotiation tactic. First, you lowered the price as much as you could and then you waited for him to enter into that trap. Once he had stepped in it, you just let his pride of being one of the best swordsmiths do the work for you. I really learnt a lot today, Grandpa." Hiruzen was initially smiling on hearing Fujin''s praise. However, when he heard ''Grandpa'', a shiver passed through his spine and he immediately became very alert. He looked at Fujin and wondered, ''What now? Don''t tell me he is going to ask for the 120 million Ryo I was able to save!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Emmanuel and Ayuub for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Varun for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 660: Blowing up the Pervert! Chapter 660: Blowing up the Pervert! ''What now? Don''t tell me he is going to ask for the 120 million Ryo I was able to save!'' Hiruzen wondered fearfully. Raising his guard to the highest level, he said, "I''m glad you learnt something. In the future, when you lead more negotiation missions for the village, I expect you to save or earn a lot of money for the village as well." Fujin replied, "Yeah, I understand. Though to be entirely honest, it''s not the money I''m worried about. I can''t shake off the feeling that there will be a battle in the future..." Hiruzen was surprised by his words and looked carefully at him. On one hand, he was relieved that Fujin wasn''t asking for anything and was instead thinking about the village. On the other hand, Fujin''s words raised his concerns as well. He had been feeling that something was about to happen even before the Chunin exams started. A frown formed on Fujin''s face as he continued speaking, "Do we really have no counter for Orochimaru''s skin-shedding technique? How are we supposed to fight him if he always recovers to perfect health? The only possible counter I could come up with was fighting him till he ran out of chakra. However, he is very good at using the Reverse Summoning jutsu. He''ll escape long before he reaches that stage. He can just wait until he recovers and attack again. If he intends to cause harm to the village, then it is only a matter of time before we suffer." Fujin''s words made Hiruzen sigh in fatigue. He had been considering how to deal with Orochimaru ever since Orochimaru and Fujin fought in the Forest of Death. Fujin observed his reactions while thinking, ''I''ve already asked for all the jutsus I could from him. The only ones left that I know of are Edo Tensei and Dead Demon Consuming Seal. However, I know that he won''t give either of the techniques to me. One is too dark and deadly while the other is suicidal. That said, who knows what sort of technique he and others have created in the dark and kept a secret from everyone else? If I can get any more strong jutsus from him, then it would be a nice bonus.'' Unfortunately for Fujin, Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Sadly, there is no counter. Even seals wouldn''t work against him. The jutsu had the drawback of requiring too much chakra and exhausting him physically, but he seems to have improved upon those limitations. The only way to stop him would be to kill him in one blow and hence not allow him to use this technique." Fujin said, "That is extremely difficult as well. His physique is much stronger than ours. Had he been normal, he wouldn''t have survived my Shadow Clone Explosion jutsu. My final attack should have killed him as well." Hiruzen replied, "He is a rank S ninja after all. And perhaps the most peculiar one out of them all. Killing a rank S ninja is never easy. That has always been the norm..." Hiruzen left the next part unsaid, ''Well, at least that''s the norm since Lord First passed away...'' Fujin sighed and said, "Oh well, I guess I''ll just have to create a jutsu strong enough to kill him in one shot. I''ll see you later, Grandpa." Fujin disappeared, leaving Hiruzen alone. Hiruzen sadly thought, ''Even for me, killing him in one shot is probably no longer possible. 10 years ago I wouldn''t have any issue in doing it. However, my strength has decreased considerably since then. The only guaranteed way to kill him now is Dead Demon Consuming Seal. However, if I use it, I''ll die... But if I don''t do it, then I might not be able to kill him even with this technique in the future. Should I correct the mistake I made a decade ago at the cost of my life? Or should I trust the future generation to take care of him?'' Fujin''s words ''I''ll just have to create a jutsu strong enough to kill him in one shot'' echoed in Hiruzen''s ears. Hiruzen thought for quite some time before letting out a long sigh. He decided, ''Oh well, at least let me first see what scheme my traitorous student has been brewing. I''ll take a call depending on what the situation is.'' While Hiruzen pondered what to do about his rebellious student, his perverted student was sitting behind a mud wall, anticipating Fujin''s next move. Jiraiya expected the winds to cut through his mud wall and had prepared his next move. However, to his surprise, the intense winds didn''t target the mud wall protecting him at all! Fujin''s clone chuckled and said, "Sure we are. Would you like to go and tell them that?" Naruto shivered at that thought and immediately shook his head. Fujin looked at the spot of the explosion and thought, ''I sensed that those girls were ninjas, I didn''t expect them to be from the Anbu. Sucks to be you, Jiraiya. Even though he is unharmed, this might give him some trauma... Hmm, on second thought, probably not. He might trump his sensei when it comes to shamelessness.'' Fujin was on his way towards his house when his clone sent him the memories. He spontaneously broke out into laughter. So did all his other clones. Fujin thought, ''Not bad, that went better than I thought. I picked the right spot to train Naruto, hehehe.'' On returning to his house, Fujin entered his basement and thought, ''Suna and Orochimaru should be quiet for some time now though I should still keep some chakra with me in case something unexpected happens. It''s time to get back to training...'' Inside his basement, 50 Shadow Clones appeared! They immediately divided themselves into two groups. 10 Shadow Clones continued working on his original seal while the remaining 40 began working on making Kabuto''s medical capabilities his own. As for Fujin''s main body, he had around 30% of his chakra still remaining. However, instead of doing any training himself, he sat down while reading a scroll. The scroll contained information on Yoroi and Misumi''s abilities that Fujin had obtained from Kabuto''s memories. Fujin went through the information once again and thought, ''Sigh, why are all of Orochimaru''s followers so strange...'' Fujin was intrigued by both of their abilities. Yoroi could absorb chakra from his opponents while Misumi could manipulate his body as if it was made of rubber. Even though neither was strong, their abilities were quite unique and useful.'' [A/N: Latest chapter - Fujin''s Profound Loss!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Karlo, Scott, Dan and Christian for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 661: A Walking Morgue! Chapter 661: A Walking Morgue! Fujin analyzed, ''Unfortunately, neither of their abilities are easy to gain... Misumi''s body was surgically modified by Orochimaru to allow him to dislocate his joints to fit into any space... He was one of Orochimaru''s experimental subjects, one of his earliest ones before Orochimaru modified his own body... So, replicating him will be stupid. If I want to replicate, then I should directly replicate what Orochimaru has done instead of this Genin. Unfortunately, even though Kabuto has quite extensive knowledge about body modifications, he doesn''t have a lot of it considering how little time he spent with Orochimaru... Perhaps I should have just marked him and killed him after he spent some time with Orochimaru...'' Fujin sighed. Even though he had received a lot of useful knowledge from Kabuto''s memories, he couldn''t help but want more. However, he quickly shook his head and thought, ''No, my timing was accurate. If I had some guarantees that the future wouldn''t change, I would have done that. However, who knows how Hiruzen and Orochimaru''s battle will go here... Besides, I''m not too keen on body modifications in any case. At least not right now. So it isn''t exactly a loss. If I feel a need later on, I''ll just capture someone with Orochimaru''s curse seal, extract Orochimaru from him or her and read Orochimaru''s memories directly. Regardless, the one whose ability intrigued me more was Yoroi... To be able to absorb the chakra of other people. If I can generalize it and make it usable in other circumstances, then his ability could be incredibly broken. It''d be like the difference between Kisame without Samehada and Kisame with Samehada. Unfortunately, his ability is even more difficult to replicate. Unlike Misumi, no experiments were conducted on him. Instead, the chakra points on his palms were naturally mutated such that he could absorb chakra from other ninjas on contact. However, there are various limits on his ability. The biggest limit is that he can only absorb chakra from someone''s body. He can''t absorb chakra from jutsu like how the Rinnegan and Samehada can. In addition, he can only absorb it from his palms since only those chakra points are mutated. To make matters worse, his speed of chakra absorption is very low. Against a rank S ninja, that ability is more or less a waste. And, he can''t absorb Nature chakra with his ability...'' Fujin fell into deep thought. He analyzed, ''Even though this ability seemed overpowered at first glance, it isn''t that special after considering all the limitations. If I can get it, the only use of this ability would be that I could use other friendly or captured ninjas as chakra batteries in between fights or training. Handy for sure, but not too useful in the middle of a fight. If I can modify it to absorb the chakra from my Wind Domain back, then it could be game-changing for my Wind Domain. I could freely put more chakra into my Wind Domain without the fear of running out of chakra. As for Nature chakra, I''ll have to see it after Ryu teaches me Senjutsu. Anyway, all that is if I can gain this ability... A natural mutation in chakra points. Not something I can learn or copy. Thankfully, Kabuto did extensive research on him. Even though he didn''t succeed in replicating it, he reached very close. If he could have opened up Yoroi''s hands and studied them, he would have succeeded...'' Fujin let out a sigh and muttered, "I''ll have to carry another dead body with me now..." On the river bank, the Anbu kunoichis left after trying to look for the peeper unsuccessfully for around half an hour. A couple of minutes after they left, Jiraiya climbed out of the ground. His face and clothes were covered in mud. He cursed, "What a devious brat! I nearly died! His first move made me think that he wanted to attack me directly. However, his real target was those bushes all along. Due to the suddenness of his attack, I wasn''t able to anticipate that he wanted those ladies to attack me instead! Normally, that wouldn''t have been an issue, but their attack was too quick and ruthless..." Even though Jiraiya said so, there wasn''t a single scratch on his body. He thought, ''It looks like approaching him in an unconventional way wouldn''t work. I''ll have to talk with him directly. In the Hokage''s office, Ibiki arrived hurriedly and reported, "Lord Hokage, we have finished reading the important parts of everyone''s memories. We have the information we were looking for. The Yamanaka ninjas are still reading their memories to get the finer details, but that will take a while." At around 7:30 in the evening, Naruto finally managed to use the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu successfully ten times in a row. He looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin! I succee..." Before he could complete his words, his body ran out of energy and he fell to the ground while breathing heavily. Fujin smiled and thought, ''So he does have a limit. I thought he might train through the night like he did while learning Multi Shadow Clone jutsu.'' Fujin walked towards him and said, "Good job, Naruto. Tomorrow I''ll teach you how to supercharge this jutsu." Naruto smiled and said while breathing heavily, "I did it!" Fujin chuckled and asked, "Want to go to Ichiraku?" If he had any energy, he would have jumped up in joy. Instead, he only nodded his head. Fujin picked him up and flickered to Ichiraku. At the same time, his clones asked his students to go to Ichiraku as well. Since they trained extremely hard, Fujin let his students and Naruto have a blast to end the day. As they walked back to Fujin''s compound, Fujin suddenly stopped and said, "You guys go ahead. Rest well tonight. Training will begin early tomorrow morning." The kids immediately rushed forward. Standing alone in an alley, Fujin said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Jiraiya the Gallant?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Seth, Lorenzo, Calvin, SHIK, Disa, GRP666 and SDA Slummy for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 662: Its only 6.9%!!! Chapter 662: It''s only 6.9%!!! Standing alone in an alley, Fujin said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Jiraiya the Gallant?" In the dark alley, a white-haired figure became visible behind Fujin. Stepping out of the darkness, Jiraiya said, "It''s good to finally see the Spectral Swordsman in the flesh. I have to admit, I thought you''d look far scarier considering the rumors I kept hearing about you." Unlike others in Konoha, Jiraiya spent more time in nearby villages and countries than in Konoha. Hence, he was very well aware of the fearsome reputation Fujin had outside Konoha. In fact, it was he who informed Hiruzen about how feared the Spectral Swordsman was in the neighboring countries, causing Hiruzen to reevaluate Fujin all those years ago. Along with Fujin''s strength, this was the main factor behind letting Fujin take the Anbu Captain promotion mission at a mere 13 years of age! Fujin chuckled and replied, "Looks can be deceiving. I''m sure someone like you would already know that." Jiraiya became slightly irritated as he realized that Fujin was hinting at the girls Jiraiya was spying on. He muttered, "Today''s generation is really reckless. They don''t even let poor old men do research in peace." Fujin chuckled again and said, "Luckily for you, you''re neither poor nor old. You shouldn''t have an issue in dealing with some turbulences." Jiraiya sighed and asked, "Did you have to be so heavy-handed? Had it been someone else, he could have died." Fujin shrugged and answered, "Naruto has a habit of pranking others. While I don''t mind it, he doesn''t always understand where the limits lie. Since you provided such a good opportunity to educate him, I couldn''t say no." Jiraiya was surprised by Fujin''s reasoning. However, he couldn''t help but find it a bit suspicious. He thought, ''Is what he said true? But why do I have a feeling that it isn''t the case? It almost feels like he did it to mess with me rather than teaching Naruto a lesson. No, to be more accurate, it feels like it was a trap he had set for me to step into!'' Fujin continued, "Besides if it was anyone else, I''d have just picked him up and thrown him in between those kunoichis." ''...'' Jiraiya was left speechless by Fujin''s honest admission. He thought, ''Indeed, he is very peculiar! I now understand why sensei used this word so many times in his reports. I thought it was just us, but it seems like everyone taught by sensei becomes peculiar in a unique way.'' Yo?ur favorite stories on Fujin said, "Anyway, enough about me. Why have you been hovering around me?" Jiraiya scoffed internally, ''Why would I be hovering around you? Not only aren''t there any pretty girls around you, but your house is so far away from the village that there isn''t a single soul around it!'' He replied, "I wasn''t hovering around you. I was keeping an eye on Naruto." Jiraiya became serious and continued, "Since you''re training Naruto, I can guess that Kakashi gave him to you to prepare him for the Chunin Exam finals." Fujin nodded as Jiraiya became quiet for a few seconds. He continued, "Forgive me, but I want to take over Naruto''s training from you." At the same time, he thought, ''It''s a shame that Orochimaru would likely be dead or severely weakened in a month''s time. Otherwise, someone like him would have been a very good whetstone to help me refine my techniques and combat systems. And, Konoha wouldn''t have stopped me from trying to hunt him down, which would have given me several opportunities to clash with him. Even though there are others who are stronger than Orochimaru, their knowledge of Ninjutsu is nowhere near his. Instead, they are stronger just because they have honed a particular technique or fighting style to the limit or have a broken Kekkei Genkai. They won''t be able to help me in the same way as someone like Orochimaru can.'' Jiraiya didn''t have a clue about what Fujin was thinking. Seeing his expression, he thought that Fujin was thinking about what he had said. Meanwhile, Fujin sighed internally, deciding, ''Oh well, I''ll just use my Akura identity to pick fights with the ones that can help me improve. Hmm, I hope Ay and Onoki don''t have any heart problems. I have a feeling that I''ll be beating up too many Kumo and Iwa ninjas by the time Akatsuki becomes more active...'' Fujin snapped out of his thoughts when Jiraiya suddenly exclaimed, "I nearly forgot!" Jiraiya stepped close to Fujin and softly asked, "Looking at your house, compound and training ground, I couldn''t help but be curious. Why do you have so many seals inscribed on your house? Did Sensei order it? Or is there an issue that you noticed? Or was it for the kids you were training?" Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked with a confused look, "What do you mean by so many seals?" Fujin''s response stumped Jiraiya. Even though he had a lot of speculations, a confused look followed by that question wasn''t one of them. Jiraiya said, "I mean the tens of thousands of seals on your house and compound." Fujin frowned and said, "What''s ''many'' about it? It is actually too few. It is only 6.9% of the seals I was planning to inscribe on my house. Unfortunately, I ran out of space. So, I inscribed a few seals on my compounds. Though I''m still not satisfied." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mike and KAAT for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 663: The Key to World Peace??? Chapter 663: The Key to World Peace??? Jiraiya''s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Not in a million years would he have predicted such a response. Fujin didn''t pay any attention to his expression and instead said with a thoughtful expression, "Once I have more free time, I''m planning to hire a few architects and builders to increase the area of the walls on my house. That could allow me to double or triple the number of seals on my house. But I still don''t know how I should increase them any further to reach the number of seals I initially intended on..." To say Jiraiya was shocked was an understatement. The normally unstoppable, decisive and shameless Jiraiya the Gallant was left speechless. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing. From his experience, he could easily tell that Fujin''s house had over a hundred thousand seals even though he couldn''t sense most of them. In addition, the compound had a similar amount of seals. Yet, Fujin claimed that it was 6.9% of the seals he wanted to inscribe on his house! He couldn''t help but wonder, ''Is this kid for real? Does he want over a million seals on that little house? What does he even want so many seals for? Is he planning to hold an army off while hiding inside his house?'' Unable to control himself, Jiraiya voiced his thoughts, "What do you need so many seals on your house for?" Fujin tilted his head and answered, "What else? It is to ensure that my house stays safe. Why else would you inscribe seals on your house?" His response left Jiraiya speechless once again. Controlling himself, Jiraiya said as calmly as he could, "You can keep your house safe with just a hundred seals. Why are you using a million seals? Even Konoha''s wall doesn''t have that many seals." Fujin looked scornfully at Jiraiya and said, "What protection does a mere hundred seals provide? I have killed hundreds of fools who felt that a hundred seals would keep them protected in their house. As for the wall, if it had that many seals, then perhaps it would have been useful and would have stopped someone like Orochimaru from entering and exiting the village at will. In fact, other villages would think twice before making any move against us as well if the wall had a few million seals instead of a couple of thousand." Once again, Jiraiya was left tongue-tied by Fujin''s response. Even though Fujin''s words were completely unreasonable, Jiraiya couldn''t argue against them as they held some truth. After all, the wall around Konoha was completely useless against the likes of Orochimaru. Fujin chuckled internally at Jiraiya''s reaction and said, "Anyway, it is rather late in the night. I''ll see you later. You should meet with Grandpa if you haven''t yet. He was very troubled about this situation." Jiraiya just nodded as Fujin''s figure disappeared. He looked at the spot where Fujin was standing and thought, ''If Fujin becomes the next Hokage, then perhaps Konoha''s wall will have tens of millions of seals. NOOO!!!'' Jiraiya''s eyes widened as he imagined something far more terrifying. He thought, ''No, I''m wrong! If this kid becomes the Hokage, he might seal up the entire border of the Land of Fire! Billions of seals protecting the Land of Fire from every direction...'' Jiraiya could imagine the entire border of the Land of Fire lighting up with seals and got creeped out. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''Could this be a way for world peace? His actions would alarm other villages and they would try to do something similar. Once every country is sealed up, defending would become very easy while attacking would be a nightmare. Though war will still exist in one form or another, the Great Ninja Wars might become a thing of the past. No one will dare to launch an attack lightly...'' Jiraiya was surprised at his imagination. He thought, ''I didn''t think that my first meeting with Fujin would provide me with such insights. As amusing as such a path to peace would be, it unfortunately is unrealistic. Inscribing billions of seals isn''t an easy task. The seals can''t be inscribed randomly. They need to interact optimally with each other. Just creating such a complex seal formation design on paper might take over a decade. Inscribing the seals physically will take even longer. And that is with the Shadow Clone jutsu. Without them, it might take centuries. Jiraiya replied, "I didn''t expect that you would have already created it. It''s almost like the real deal. You only need to learn how to stabilize it better." Jiraiya demonstrated his Rasengan as well before telling Fujin about the three steps of learning it. Fujin thanked him and said, "By the way, I can''t help but feel like the Rasengan is an incomplete jutsu. It only uses Shape Transformation. I have a feeling that it would become much stronger if Nature Manipulation is added to it." This time, Jiraiya wasn''t too surprised. Anyone who knew Rasengan had a similar thought. He nodded and said, "That is true. Minato intended to add Nature Manipulation to Rasengan and elevate it to a rank S jutsu. Unfortunately, that step is too difficult to achieve. No one has managed it." Fujin replied, "Ah, that makes sense. Yeah, considering how difficult the Rasengan is, adding nature manipulation to it will make it far more complicated. Thanks for letting me know." Fujin and Jiraiya separated once again. Jiraiya thought, ''Such a strange day... Definitely not how I anticipated my meeting with him would go.'' Meanwhile, Fujin flickered to his house while thinking, ''That went just as I thought. I suppose there was no need to threaten him, but where''s the fun in that? Regardless, he definitely gave me a good idea. In the future, if I''m unable to learn Senjutsu from the Winged Sabertooths, I could blackmail Jiraiya into asking the toads to teach me. Anyway, Orochimaru has already shown up while Akatsuki would soon follow. I might need a jutsu that is beyond rank S in terms of destructiveness. Depending on the circumstances, I might need to use the Rasenshuriken. With this little discussion, it won''t be suspicious. To be honest, it doesn''t matter if anyone suspects me or not considering my current strength. However, there is no harm in being a bit more careful.'' While Konoha went to sleep, a few individuals stayed awake. For the second night in a row, the Hokage''s office was a busy place. Shikaku stood in front of Hiruzen and said, "All the preparations are complete. We''re ready to act." [A/N: Avoid reading chapter names on pat reon (unless I deem them safe to put out here as a teaser). Some major spoilers there.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You K0D4S, Drake, Noctussy, Scott and Nabijan for supporting me on [email protected]ated chapters on Chapter 664: A Shocking Scheme! Chapter 664: A Shocking Scheme! [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Zero1995. You can thank him for the double release.] At midnight in Hiruzen''s office, Shikaku stood in front of Hiruzen and said, "All the preparations are complete. We''re ready to act." A couple of dozen Anbu Captains stood behind Shikaku. Each of their squads was prepared to move out at a moment''s notice. The table in front of Hiruzen had 15 scrolls on top of it. Each of the scrolls looked identical to the scrolls they had confiscated from the spies. The words inside them had the same handwriting as the spies who were captured earlier. Hiruzen looked at everyone and said, "Good. Implement the third step, Shikaku." Shikaku nodded and immediately got into action. At his order, the Anbu ninjas attached each scroll to the appropriate messenger birds and set them free. The birds immediately began flying towards the respective villages. Kumo, Iwa and the two factions in Kiri would soon receive the messages around the time the Sun rose. The only difference would be that instead of getting them from their spies, they would be receiving messages that Hiruzen wanted them to read! As soon as the messenger birds departed, Shikaku dispatched all 24 Anbu squads. Each of the Anbu squads had their 4 usual members in addition to a specialist member temporarily added to their squads. They quickly left Konoha and rapidly moved towards their targets. As the citizens of the Land of Fire slept peacefully, the Anbu dispatched by Shikaku captured or eliminated every single person in the Land of Fire who played a role in installing spies inside Konoha. Some of those people were other spies from the same countries who had advised the spies before they entered Konoha. All such people were captured by the Anbu ninjas. Their memories were read on the spot by the Yamanaka clan ninja in their squads. After noting down all the information, the specialist member, who was temporarily added to the team, would transform into them and impersonate them, living the spy''s life as if nothing had happened. The remaining Anbu squad began moving back to the village while carrying their prisoner along with them. Others targeted by the Anbu ninjas were local people who helped the enemies in return for certain favors. Every single one of them was eliminated without mercy. By the time the Sun rose, nearly the entire spy network of Kumo and Iwa''s inside the Land of Fire was being controlled by Konoha. Hiruzen and Shikaku would use the new memories obtained to take control of it entirely. Kiri''s spy network was temporarily left as it was since they had only managed to capture 2 of their spies. So, Hiruzen and Shikaku decided to focus on Kumo and Iwa first. However, these actions didn''t attract any attention due to how stealthily the missions had been carried out. What attracted attention was that several people had gone ''missing'' during the night, including some of the Fire Daimyo''s family members! As a result, dozens of missions were issued to Konoha within hours! The step 3 of Hiruzen''s plan was a resounding success. Under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult to have such a level of success in a spy clean-up exercise. However, due to the information Hiruzen spread about Fujin, Iwa and Kumo became desperate to confirm whether the information was accurate or not. In the rebel camp, Ao said, "I didn''t think that boy would become someone so strong in a few years." Mei seductively smiled and muttered, "Yeah, he has become quite the man." Ao nodded and added, "It was a good thing we didn''t battle then. Our entire campaign might have derailed if someone like him chased after us." Mei agreed and said, "More importantly, we''ve already established a good relationship with him. Once the Civil War is over, we should improve our relations with Konoha. That will deter Kumogakure from making any sudden moves when we are weak." In Hiruzen''s office, Shikaku said, "They must have received the scrolls by now. And we''ve begun the process of eliminating and taking over the remaining spy network of Kumogakure and Iwagakure." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes. It''s time to start preparing for the next move." Shikaku sighed tiredly and asked, "Yes. Should I prepare plans to eliminate the entire spy network of Iwa and Kumo?" A mysterious smile appeared on Hiruzen''s face as he said, "Not quite." Both Shikaku and Eagle, the only two people in the room other than Hiruzen and his guards, were surprised. Shikaku asked, "What do you mean?" Hiruzen said, "A week later, we''ll send a couple of scrolls to Kumogakure once again. They will say that Fujin has left Konoha and is moving towards the Land of Hot Water." Shikaku and Eagle''s eyes widened in shock. Shikaku immediately muttered, "To send such a message to them... Knowing the Raikage, he would want to eliminate Fujin and might send Darui along with several Elite Jounins and Jounins to kill Fujin. Do you want to kill Daru... NO!" Shikaku''s eyes widened as he suddenly realised something. He said, "No, Fujin is too strong for Darui and others to guarantee his death. If the Raikage was to know that Fujin was in the Land of Hot Water, he would make a move himself! Are you planning to kill the Fourth Raikage?" Shikaku was shocked by what he realized. He looked at Hiruzen in disbelief and thought, ''Kill the Raikage? Difficult... Extremely Difficult... He is undoubtedly the fastest ninja alive and his defense is too good. However, if there is one ninja that could kill him, it would be...'' Chapter 665: A Hokages Duty! Chapter 665: A Hokage''s Duty! [A/N: I thought it was very obvious who Shikaku was thinking about in the previous chapter... I guess not considering that the comments were similar on pat reon ????] ''However, if there is one ninja who could kill the Raikage, it would be...'' Looking at Hiruzen, Shikaku recalled his glorious days. In his prime, Hiruzen was so devastating on the battlefield that he received the same nickname as the First Hokage and was called as the God of Shinobi. To receive such a title while living in the same era as the Third Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, Hanzo and several other formidable shinobi showed how strong Hiruzen was. Even though Hiruzen''s strength had waned with age, there was no question about his skills and capabilities!Follow the latest novels on Shikaku couldn''t help but think, ''If Lord Hokage is serious and we set the perfect trap, we could get rid of the Fourth Raikage! However, can Lord Hokage still do it without getting injured? If he were to get critically injured, then it would be a massive blow to Konoha during these tumultuous times. Not to mention, if we failed to kill the Raikage and allowed him to escape, Konoha might have to go to war against Kumogakure. It is too risky...'' Before Shikaku''s thoughts wandered any further, Hiruzen said, "Kill the Fourth Raikage? No, that is too risky and too troublesome. A battle against someone like him can''t be hidden from others. And unlike Sunagakure and Kirigakure, the top leadership in Kumogakure is very stable and united. Even if we kill him, Kumogakure would reorganize quickly under Darui or Killer Bee and they would launch a war against us for killing the Fourth Raikage. Irrespective of how that war might go, it is not something we need at this moment." Hiruzen grabbed Kumogakure''s map and laid it on his table. Shikaku and Eagle immediately glanced at it and noticed 10 places that were marked. Shikaku muttered, "So that''s who your target is..." Looking at the 10 marked places, Eagle muttered, "After we spread rumors in the Land of Lightning to lower the morale of their citizens, Kumogakure created 10 bases at strategic places inside the Land of Lightning. A hundred ninjas having at least the Chunin rank are stationed in each of those bases at any given time. Those bases make it very difficult and risky for our Anbu to operate within the Land of Lightning as they can react within an hour or two. That said, while their official reason for creating the bases was to quickly eliminate any foreign or rogue ninjas in their territory, their real reason was to prepare their ninjas for the next war. Everyone stationed there trains as if a war is on the horizon. Do you want to eliminate one of these bases?" Hiruzen replied, "Not just one, but as many as we can. Of course, everyone inside the destroyed bases will be killed as well." Eagle and Shikaku quickly analyzed Hiruzen''s words. After a minute, Eagle asked, "Is this wise? By taking over the spy network of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, there is a lot we could do. We could cause them so much pain that they would regret ever sending spies to Konoha. Your plan would do just that to Kumogakure. However, is this a good time? Orochimaru is hovering around our village and Sunagakure is most likely planning to backstab us. In such a situation, antagonizing two villages that are equal to us in strength is not a good idea. If they were to be offended and make a move after we deal with Orochimaru and Sunagakure, we could be in a very difficult position." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes, if we antagonize them both, then we would be in a difficult position. That is why we will only target Kumogakure. As for Iwagakure, we will settle for dismantling their spy network in our neighboring countries and making the minor villages hate Iwagakure even more. Onoki won''t make a move against us for just this reason. Even if he wants to, he''ll need to consider all the minor villages between us who would ally with us right away. As for Kumogakure, we will put a massive dent in their war preparedness if we can eliminate just half of the bases. At the very least, they won''t try to start a war in the next 2 or 3 years unless we somehow become very weak. However, they would do that regardless of whether we make a move or not." Mabui''s words caused Ay to recall his fight against Minato. He shook his head and said, "No, he still can''t be compared to the Fourth Hokage. However, he is still only 16 years old. If we can''t kill him now, then we''ll likely never have another chance." Mabui nodded and asked, "Should we send an order to our spies to keep an eye on his movements." Even before Ay could answer, a frown appeared on Mabui''s face as she said, "However, our spies have been very active recently. If we give them more orders, they could be compromised." Ay nodded and said, "That''s right. We don''t need to send any more messages to them. They should be aware of the importance of this matter and should be doing all they can even without our orders. We just need to be ready to act when the time comes." Mabui nodded. She and Ay discussed some strategies to deal with Fujin, unaware of the fact that Hiruzen was already scheming against the entire Kumogakure! As for the one who was about to be the bait as well as the executioner, he was with Naruto on the river bank. Fujin looked at Naruto and asked, "Excited to learn how to supercharge your jutsus?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You SilverLeavesFall, Jwan, Gameover, King_ Atlas, Wiggy, Zay and TJ Carpenter for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 666: A Weird Combination... Chapter 666: A Weird Combination... "Of course I am! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. Fujin chuckled and replied, "Oh, let me see whether you''d still stay excited after a few hours." Naruto''s smile immediately faded away as he thought, ''I have a bad feeling! Nothing good happens when he chuckles like this...'' Fujin said, "Let''s start. First, use the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu as you normally do." Naruto nodded and weaved the hand seals while shouting, "Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough jutsu!" He prepared the jutsu and blew intense winds along the river. Everything on the ground along its path was blown away for a few dozen meters. The flow of water in the river became faster as well. A minute later, everything calmed down. Fujin said, "Good. Now observe carefully." Fujin weaved the hand seals just to give Naruto a better idea while saying, "As you just experienced, you prepared the jutsu and exhaled it out immediately, right?" Naruto nodded. Fujin continued, "In order to supercharge, you should hold the jutsu for a few moments longer and infuse more chakra into it. Try to pour as much of your chakra as you can while still holding the jutsu''s form. When you feel like you can''t hold it anymore, exhale it out." Fujin took a deep breath, sucking in a lot of air. Naruto observed that Fujin didn''t exhale immediately after completing his hand seals. Instead, he gathered chakra for a couple of seconds before exhaling the jutsu out! The winds Fujin exhaled left several scars on the ground for over 50 meters! The water in the river rushed ahead as if a dam had broken! However, the water behind stayed unmoving, making the river seem barren for over a hundred meters! Naruto''s eyes widened as he thought, ''Man! No matter how many times I see it, it always looks even cooler than the previous time!'' He snapped out of his thoughts when Fujin said, "Even though it is much stronger than a normal Infinite Breakthrough jutsu, it has the drawback of needing more time. Be mindful of that, otherwise your enemy might kill you while you''re supercharging your jutsu. It is better to use Shadow Clones to keep your enemy occupied while you supercharge your jutsu. If you want, you could have your clones hold down the enemy and hit the enemy as well as your clones with the supercharged jutsu. Do you understand, Naruto?" Naruto immediately nodded. Fujin smiled and said, "Good. Try it now." Naruto quickly weaved the hand seals and followed Fujin''s instructions. He only managed to hold his form for a fraction of a second before exhaling the jutsu. Taking deep breaths, he said, "That looked much easier when I was seeing you doing it. I barely managed to hold the jutsu without losing control over it!" Fujin''s left eyebrow twitched. Naruto had managed to hold his form for less than a tenth of a second. And, the amount of chakra he fused into the jutsu was just around 0.01% of the chakra he needed to actually create the jutsu! It was a minuscule amount of chakra! Fujin couldn''t help but wonder, ''What a weird combination... How can someone have limitless potential and yet be this untalented at the same time? Is this nature''s way of balancing things out?'' Realizing something off with Fujin''s expression, Naruto asked, "What? Is something wrong?" Fujin sighed and said, "Nothing. Continue practicing." Neew updates at Naruto immediately started practicing what Fujin displayed. Fujin found a place to sit while thinking, ''It''s no wonder no one thought much of him when he was young. If I didn''t have the knowledge of the future, I probably wouldn''t have thought much of him either. Though considering his chakra reserves, I might have still tried to take him under my wing and used the Shadow Clone trick to strengthen him if it suited my plans...'' Fujin chuckled and said, "That''s right. I won''t be." Naruto immediately complained, "Hey! That''s not fair! You promised to train me for the entire month!" Fujin chuckled again and said, "I was, but someone else was more interested in teaching you." Naruto asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Who is interested in teaching me?" Fujin replied, "A rather interesting fellow. Normally I wouldn''t have agreed, but he can teach you a couple of things that would be very beneficial for you which I unfortunately can''t. It would also allow you to make supercharged jutsus even more terrifying." Naruto asked in surprise, "Something that even you can''t teach me? Who is he?" Fujin grabbed a kunai and handed it to Naruto while saying, "This kunai has 10 explosive seals inscribed on it. Throw it at that bush and you''ll see who he is." Naruto looked at the bush in confusion. Moments later, a white-haired man popped out and shouted, "Do you want to kill me?" Fujin chuckled while Naruto took a closer look at that guy. His eyes widened and he pointed at him while shouting, "Hey! He''s that pervert!" Jiraiya''s eyebrows twitched as Fujin barely managed to control his laughter. Naruto looked at Fujin and asked, "Why are you letting this pervert train me? Who is he?" Before Fujin could make the situation worse, Jiraiya bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground, summoning a toad beneath him. He loudly said, "Good question! I''m the holy hermit sage of Mount Myoboku, otherwise known as the Toad Sage! Pleased to meet ya!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You AR3S, Battlemaster and Burntliquid for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 667: Two Lunatics! Chapter 667: Two Lunatics! "Toad Sage??? More like Pervy Sage..." Naruto commented instantly. Jiraiya, who was holding a cool pose, slipped due to being caught off guard by such an immediate reply. Fujin chuckled and added, "Hmm, Pervy Sage... That is more appropriate. I''m surprised no one ever called you that before." Jiraiya dispelled the summoned toad while sighing, ''The young generation has no respect... Who''d dare to call me that?'' Before he could say anything, Naruto asked again, "Can he really teach things you can''t teach me?" Fujin replied with a smirk, "Well, he might be a pervert, but he is one of the strongest ninjas in the world." Naruto''s eyes widened as he exclaimed, "One of the strongest ninjas in the world?" Fujin nodded and said, "Yup. Remember Orochimaru?" Naruto nodded. How could he forget someone who trashed them so brutally? Fujin replied, "Just like Orochimaru, he is one of the three Great Sannin, the shinobi trained by the Third Hokage." Naruto''s eyes widened once again as he looked at Jiraiya in shock. Jiraiya grinned thinking, ''Not bad, I guess I have some reputation left.'' Unfortunately for Jiraiya, Naruto exclaimed instantly, "No way! How did someone trained by Grandpa Hokage become such a pervert?" Fujin chuckled and said, "And, the mighty Fourth Hokage was also his student. Perhaps you might learn about how to become a Hokage from him. Are you still unsure whether you want to learn from him?" Naruto''s mouth opened wide, his jaw nearly falling to the ground! He wondered, ''What crazy world is this? How come a pervert is so cool???'' Jiraiya was finally satisfied with Naruto''s reaction. He asked teasingly, "So, do you want to train under me or not? Maybe I should look for someone else to train." Wasting no time, Naruto smiled and said, "Hehehe, of course I want to train. I was just messing around earlier. I would love to learn from the great sage!" Jiraiya''s eyes twitched as he thought, ''Such a shameless brat... He''s more like me than Minato!'' Fujin smiled as well and said, "Good. I''ll leave Naruto to you. Look after his training to supercharge jutsus as well. As you saw earlier, he''ll need some time to master it." Jiraiya nodded and said, "Don''t worry, I will." Fujin nodded in response and walked away as he said, "Good luck, Naruto." Fujin answered, "Common sense says that we should focus on Suna and Orochimaru. As long as we endure their scheme without losing any strength while making them pay dearly, no other village will dare to attack us. However, if we suffer heavy damage, then Kumo will make a move and Iwa will follow even if we didn''t do anything to offend them. With this move, Kumo''s war readiness will suffer and they will think several times before making a move even if we are weakened. Without Kumo, Iwa won''t make a move either. Even if they end up making a move, Kumo''s forces would be weaker and Iwa would lack intelligence and will have to face the armies of Kusa and Taki before they reach us, giving us some room to maneuver. And, in the case where we don''t suffer much against Orochimaru''s plans, Kumo and Iwa won''t try to make a move against us even if they are offended considering the losses they just suffered. No matter how the situation develops, this move will be beneficial for us." Hiruzen and Shikaku nodded, happy that Fujin was able to see their motives at a glance. However, even though Fujin recognized their strategy, he couldn''t help but think, ''These two are remarkable. I''d have never thought of a plan like this... To make use of the simple news of me defeating Orochimaru to destroy their intelligence network and kill hundreds of Kumo elites... Ay might vomit blood if he knew how badly he''ll be played by Hiruzen! Not to mention, this is just Hiruzen and Shikaku scheming... Exactly what kind of shit did these guys pull when Danzo was assisting Hiruzen instead of hindering him?'' Fujin now had a far better idea about why Konoha always came on top in the previous Great Wars. While having an array of rank S ninjas was definitely an important factor, it was these sorts of bizarre schemes that gave Konoha an upper hand even when outnumbered and surrounded from all sides. Snapping Fujin out of his thoughts, Shikaku said, "Once the decoy unit lures the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee, you''ll follow this attack route to eliminate the bases one by one. We''ll contact you once the Raikage reaches the intended spot using the Chakra Transmission Communication device. You can make your move then. However..." Shikaku paused for a couple of seconds before continuing, "While I and Lord Hokage agree on nearly every aspect of this plan, there is one aspect where we have different opinions. Each base has at least a hundred ninjas. You''ll have to kill every single one without allowing even one to escape. While I don''t doubt your strength, doing this alone is extremely difficult. I am of the opinion that you should lead a small force of 25, 50 or 100 ninjas to the Land of Lightning to assist you in this attack. However, Lord Hokage believes that you''ll be better off going there by yourself." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kazim and Charles for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 668: An Opportunity! Chapter 668: An Opportunity! Shikaku continued explaining his analysis, "If you lead a small force, you''ll be able to delegate tasks to others. Some will ensure that no one runs away. The stronger ones will assist you in eliminating enemy ninjas, ensuring that you don''t get overwhelmed or waste too much of your chakra. You can also assign one to specifically communicate with us. Since you still don''t have much experience in leading a force, I''ll assign Renjiro to join you. In addition, I''ll also send Guy along with you to ensure that no one is able to put up a resistance. As for the remaining forces, if you choose 25 ninjas, every one of them will at least be a Jounin. If you choose 50, then half will be Special Jounins. And, if you choose 100, then the last 50 will be Elite Chunins. Considering the nature of this mission and the importance of stealth and rapid movement, a small force of 25 ninjas will be the most optimal. After all, you also have to return safely once the Raikage returns to the Land of Lightning." He turned his gaze towards Hiruzen and added, "While I do believe that is the best plan, Lord Hokage believes that you''d be better off by yourself..." Hiruzen nodded and thought, ''Under normal circumstances, I would have liked to see how Fujin performs while leading a larger force. It would have been a good practice to improve his leadership skills. However, the Land of Lightning is too dangerous. A larger group moving together will have a higher chance of being detected. Once they are detected, Ay and others would turn around right away and head back. And Kumogakure will send an army with at least a thousand ninjas to hunt them down. Though killing them won''t be easy unless they run into Ay and Bee, we will lose a good opportunity and the mission will fail. It is better to just let him let loose with his Wind Domain technique and eliminate the entire base.'' At the same time, Fujin thought, ''Lead a small army with Renjiro and Guy as my commanders? Damn, that would be fun! However...'' Fujin recalled the fact that he had been in less and less battles in recent times. In fact, after he had been ambushed by Kitsuchi, he had never been in a battle involving several strong enemy Jounins. Instead, he just fought against ninjas who were either rank S or very close to it. And, those battles were extremely rare as well. Fujin thought, ''This might be a good opportunity to test some of my jutsus that I haven''t tested yet. Jutsus that I''d like to keep secret until the time is right. A mission where I have to eliminate everyone and destroy their bodies would be perfect for doing that! In addition, if I go alone, I could seek out a battle against Ay. However, I''m not sure if I can take him on with my Akura identity. Considering that Bee is with him, I can''t take them on even if I go all out... Even with Flying Thunder God, I doubt I''d be able to defeat the two of them at the same time. However, I can always escape... Oh well, I''ll decide after I visit there. Perhaps I could use Darui to sharpen my blade... Even if I don''t find him, I''m sure that there are a bunch of strong Elite Jounins to practice my Lightning jutsus on. I''m sure Ay wouldn''t mind some mess. If he does, he can always search for Akura.'' Hiruzen and Shikaku didn''t disturb Fujin, thinking that he was analyzing what option to choose. Fujin finally looked at Shikaku and said, "I have a technique that is perfect for eliminating a large group of ninjas. In addition, I''ll be able to use Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu more effectively to travel faster between the bases by myself. So, it''ll be better if I go alone." Under normal circumstances, Shikaku would have argued against it. Instead, he just looked at Hiruzen and thought, ''As I expected. Fujin has a technique that would make this mission easier for him. That is why Third said that he should go alone.'' Shikaku replied, "Alright, as you wish. However, we need to ensure that the communication works properly so that we can contact you whenever required. Since you''ll be fighting, you won''t be able to carry it on your back all the time. Without it, we won''t be able to warn you of the Raikage''s movements." At the same time, Fujin thought, ''Even if I don''t, it is quite easy to reverse engineer these seals. I''m actually surprised that Hiruzen didn''t do that until now. I expected these seals to be pretty popular among the Anbu by now. I wonder why Hiruzen didn''t do that...'' If Hiruzen heard Fujin''s thoughts, he would have cried tears of frustration. He had that thought but didn''t dare to do so fearing how Fujin might respond after knowing his seals had been replicated without asking him. Knowing how greedy Fujin was, Hiruzen knew that the price of whatever he wanted would double if he did that! Shikaku said, "Thank you. I''ll make official arrangements regarding it. Anyway, I''ve explained the entire plan to you. You''ll leave with the decoy squad after 4 days. Prepare in any way you have to. Remember, while we will lure the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee away, they still have Yugito, the Jinchuriki of Two Tails and Darui. You may have to face them. In ad..." Fujin cut him off and asked, "Should I kill them as well if I encounter them?" Fujin thought, ''I didn''t think I''d get a chance to go up against Yugito. Getting Two Tails might be easier than Shukaku and wouldn''t have many repercussions in the future.'' Shikaku answered, "I''d recommend just using Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu and escape if you sense them. While I don''t doubt that you may be able to kill them, considering the nature of the mission, they''ll be moving in large groups. It''ll be extremely difficult to eliminate a rank S ninja reinforced by several Jounins and Elite Jounins." Fujin nodded and said, "That makes sense." Shikaku added, "Reinforcements from Kumogakure are just one factor. The bigger issue is that they might just recall everyone from the bases back to Kumogakure once they realize that someone is targeting them. So prepare accordingly. Keep the fact that you''ve destroyed some bases hidden for as long as you can. If you have any doubts or want to exchange any ideas or plans, approach me right away." Fujin thought for a bit and said, "Alright." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Scott, Tanav, Turean, David and Cory for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 669: Calling off the war! Chapter 669: Calling off the war! [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Terrance Smith. You can thank him for the double release.] The three of them discussed the plans for a while before calling it a night. As Fujin returned to his house, he thought, ''This is an interesting turn of events. I didn''t expect that my existence would give Konoha such an opportunity. However, it is more than that. Hiruzen is far more confident right now as compared to a few years ago. Earlier, he might not have taken this risk. If he had this confidence when I returned from my promotion mission, there might have been a new country on this continent... I guess my wins against Kitsuchi, Juzo, Sasori and Orochimaru are a big factor in this change in mindset. That said, the bigger factor should be that the number of Konoha ninjas has increased dramatically in the last few years. In particular, the Anbu has become very strong. Anyway, how should I approach this attack?'' Fujin fell into a deep thought. He analyzed, ''While I have many attacks that cause destruction on a large scale, the only technique that can guarantee everyone''s death is the Wind Domain. However, it has a fatal flaw. I can''t reabsorb the chakra I emitted to create the Wind Domain. It will exhaust my chakra very rapidly. Even though I have Yoroi''s body, experimenting on him can''t be done in a few days. And that is after I make Kabuto''s skills my own. That''ll take several months... The natural alternative is decreasing the amount of chakra I use to create the Wind Domain. However, that isn''t feasible in this situation either as it might allow some to escape. So, I''ll only be able to destroy 3 to 5 bases before I am forced to stop and recover my chakra... With soldier pills, I should be able to recover my chakra within a few hours and have another go before Ay returns. However...'' A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he muttered, "That''s no fun..." Fujin thought, ''I had an inspiration during my fight against Orochimaru. If everything goes like how I imagine, then my Wind Domain will have a new aspect. It wouldn''t be as convenient as absorbing the chakra back, but it might have some combat applications. Oh well, I have four days to try it out.'' Fujin let out a yawn and muttered, "I''ll train tomorrow, I need some sleep first." The next day, Fujin left his clones to look after the training of his students while he went to a different training ground. Jiraiya began training Naruto as well. Just like in the original story, he had a talk with Naruto about the two types of chakra and had him sign a contract with the Toads. The only difference was that instead of making him walk on the river or making his clones fight among themselves to exhaust his chakra, he did it by making Naruto practice supercharging the Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. In Sunagakure, Rasa finally received a reply from Orochimaru. He read the scroll several times, his expression becoming uglier every single time. In the end, he sighed and ordered, "Summon the Council Members for another Council Meeting." Within a few minutes, the Sunagakure council assembled once again. Goza asked, "Did we get a response from Orochimaru?" Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com All the other council members were curious as well. Rasa didn''t speak and just placed the scroll on the table. The Council Members quickly went through the scroll and their expressions became ugly as well. Tojuro muttered, "It was true!" Ryusa said softly, "The Hokage didn''t lie!" Fujin chuckled and said, "Ah, that would sound awkward. Leave it, you know I''ve never been one for formalities." Teru smirked and said, "Looks like you haven''t changed much, Fujin." Fujin replied, "Why would I change?" Teru laughed and said, "You''ve become quite a legend in the Anbu. Well, you already were one, but it has reached a whole new level since you defeated Orochimaru. Even my subordinates can''t stop talking about you!" He faked a sigh and complained, "It was fun at the start but now it has become very annoying." Fujin just chuckled without replying. He turned his gaze towards Fumito and Yugao, his former subordinates. Both greeted him saying, "It''s great to work with you again, Captain." Fujin replied, "Well, we won''t be working together much in this mission. But yeah, it''s good to see you two." Fujin looked at Yugao and thought, ''Since I killed Kabuto, Hayate didn''t have anyone to chase after and hence isn''t dead. Not to mention, Orochimaru''s defeat made Suna very apprehensive. Baki won''t be as bold as he was in the original story. I guess she is the one who benefited the most after me due to my move.'' Seeing that they were done greeting each other, Hiruzen said, "It''s good to see all of you. Are you ready to move?" Fujin and the others looked at Hiruzen and Shikaku and became serious knowing how critical their missions were. Everyone nodded. Hiruzen said, "Good. Stick to the plan as much as you can. However, if you need to change it due to the situation, feel free to do so. Just try to convey the same to us as soon as you can." Everyone nodded as Hiruzen took a pause. With a serious expression, Hiruzen said, "Be careful. I want to see all 5 of you back in the village within a week!" The Four Anbu Captains nodded solemnly. They didn''t know what Fujin''s mission was but knowing that their mission was to lure the Raikage and the Jinchuriki of Eight Tails, they were very nervous. Hiruzen smiled and said, "Good luck. You can disperse." Fujin and the rest immediately left. A minute after they left, a messenger bird flew from Konoha. A few hours later, Mabui ran into the Raikage''s office. Ay looked at her with surprise and asked, "Why are you in such a hur..." Before he could complete his sentence, Mabui said, "We have received a report that Suzuki Fujin left Konoha and is moving towards the Land of Hot Water!" [A/N: Latest chapter on pat reon - Black Flames!] Chapter 670: The Raikage Moves! Chapter 670: The Raikage Moves! "We have received a report that Suzuki Fujin left Konoha and is moving towards the Land of Hot Water!" Ay''s eyes widened. While he wanted to make a move against Fujin, he didn''t think that he would get an opportunity so quickly. He couldn''t help but smell something fishy. He asked, "Do we know where exactly he is heading?" Mabui shook her head and answered, "Unfortunately no. We only know that he is moving towards the Land of Hot Water. We don''t even know whether that is his actual target or if he is heading elsewhere. The spy only managed to see a glimpse of him leaving Konoha. He didn''t dare to chase him." Ay nodded and said, "It doesn''t matter. He did very well. From what we know, Fujin rarely left Konoha in the last few years. Since he is on the move, it can only mean one of two things. Either Konoha received an important mission from one of the Nobles in the Land of Hot Water or Konoha wants to eliminate someone. If it''s the first case, then our spies will inform us about his movement. If it is the second, then his actions will attract attention and we''ll know his approximate location. However, we can''t wait until then." With a serious expression, Ay ordered, "Call Bee and the others. I''ll be going myself!" Despite his orders, Mabui didn''t move and stood at the same spot. With a complicated expression, she said, "Raikage sama, I have a bad feeling about this... Everything is happening too quickly. I feel like it''s a scheme." Ay didn''t say anything. He had the same feeling as well. Unsure whether he took her words seriously or not, Mabui added, "First, Fujin unexpectedly defeated Orochimaru. Next, the Hokage propagated this news openly instead of trying to keep it hidden. Thirdly, our spies were able to confirm the situation very easily. And soon after, we received this news. If Konoha noticed the movements of our spies, then this might be a trap set by the Hokage. A trap targeting..." Mabui didn''t complete her words. However, Ay understood that she was referring to him. He snorted and asked, "Do you think I can''t sense a scheme? Especially after what the Third Hokage pulled near that mine? Orochimaru''s involvement itself is suspicious. He was a student of the Hokage. Who knows whether he really is a rogue ninja or whether this is another one of Konoha''s schemes? Considering the recent movements in the Land of Rice, there is a high chance that this is a scheme of Konoha to take over the Land of Rice. However..." A confident look appeared on his face as continued, "Even if it is a trap, what of it? Had the Third Hokage been young, I would''ve had some reservations. However, even if he, Fujin and the Sannin lay a trap for me now, they won''t be able to kill me or Bee. Instead, they will have to worry about getting hit. So, stop worrying and get to work. Summon Bee and the others. Establish a communication network and send a message to our spies. I''ll leave in less than an hour." Mabui nodded and quickly began working. In less than half an hour, Kumo had set up their communication unit using Chakra Transmission Communication devices just like Konoha. In the Raikage''s office, 12 people gathered. They were Ay, Bee, Mabui, Darui, C, Samui and six other Elite Jounins! C muttered, "So we are finally making a move against Suzuki Fujin." Ay replied, "I am. You three will stay in the village and help Mabui." All four Anbu Captains nodded. Luckily, the major part of their mission would be over after they visited the Noble they were supposed to meet. After that, they were allowed to retreat whenever they wanted to. The four of them finally split from Fujin and changed their direction. The town, in which the Noble they were supposed to meet lived, was quite close to the border of the Land of Fire. It was done so that Ay would have to travel more distance while returning to Kumogakure. As they moved, Teru created a Shadow Clone containing 80% of his chakra, who transformed into Fujin and moved alongside them. Since he had a high amount of chakra and had known Fujin for a long time, Shikaku had given him this important task. This way, no one would suspect that Fujin had split from the group and was moving alone. Shikaku knew that there were a few Kumo spies in the town they were heading in. He wanted them to see ''Fujin'' and inform Kumogakure about the same. This served two purposes. Firstly, Ay and Bee would be lured all the way to the borders of the Land of Fire. They would also have to travel at a very high speed to ensure that ''Fujin'' doesn''t complete the mission and return to Konoha. In such a state, returning to the Land of Lightning quickly would be tough for them. Secondly, it also created an alibi for Fujin. If Kumo tried to blame Fujin for the deaths of their elites and turn some hidden villages against Konoha, they would use this to prove that Kumo was lying and convince everyone that this was just Kumo''s way of attempting to start the next Great War. This would make everyone wary of Kumo instead. As for Fujin, his path went straight through the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost into the Land of Lightning! Even though Ay realized the possibility of a scheme, he never imagined that his target was heading straight towards his country! As he moved, a smile appeared on Fujin''s face. He muttered to himself, ''Now then, I hope that they can put up some fight. I don''t want it to be too boring... Otherwise, I really might have to ambush Ay for some entertainment. Anyway, I hope that there are some marks along the path...'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You ShadowedGeneral, David, Nassem, Michal, Isaac, TrustZee, Emanuel, OwO OwO, Scott and Balde for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Tushar for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 671: Shikakus Mind Games! Chapter 671: Shikaku''s Mind Games! ''Anyway, I hope that there are some marks along the path...'' Fujin began sensing the Flying Thunder God marks he had left in the Land of Hot Water. There weren''t many as Fujin hadn''t been to this country much after he had learnt that jutsu. The one time he did was to hunt down Hidan. However, he was accompanied by other Konoha ninjas. So, he couldn''t brazenly leave thousands of marks. Instead, he had just left a handful when no one was looking at him, each being over 50 km from the other. Fujin immediately disappeared, teleporting around a hundred and fifty kilometers away. He teleported a few more times and reached into the Land of Frost. Fujin finally stopped and thought, ''Hmm, this was the last mark I made while chasing Hidan. The place where I fought Kakuzu shouldn''t be too far from here. Oh well, just another couple of hundred kilometers to reach the Land of Lightning. According to Shikaku''s plan, I need to enter the Land of Lightning, move close to the base closest to the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Frost and hide myself waiting for his signal. However, I should be reaching there in around 6 to 8 hours from now...'' Fujin chuckled. The distance between the Kumogakure and Konoha was very large. Normal ninjas would require around 4 to 5 days to make such a long trip. Even an Elite squad would still require around a couple of days if they consumed soldier pills. Since Fujin had a flying summon, Shikaku counted on Fujin to reach there in a quick time without exhausting himself. However, he couldn''t have imagined that Fujin had mastered the Flying Thunder God jutsu! Fujin decided, ''I''ll keep the communication device inside the scroll. Once I take it out and activate it, Inoichi will be able to sense my location. Since I have around six hours, it''s time to do some setup...'' Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com Fujin continued moving towards Kumogakure. As he ran, he left a Flying Thunder God mark on trees along his path every now and then. He stopped 50 km from the border. Fujin found a quiet spot, weaved a few hand seals and slammed his hand on the ground. ''Earth Release: Camp jutsu!'' A massive underground camp was created around 50 meters under Fujin''s feet. Fujin disappeared into the ground and entered into the base. He looked around the base and nodded while thinking, ''Hmm, this should do. I''ll make some changes here and apply some seals to keep this base hidden. Once done, I can use this base as a retreat point. If something goes wrong during the mission or if I need to take a break to recover my chakra, I''ll return here. And, my clones can use this base for that purpose...'' Fujin made up his mind and got to work. A few hours later, Fujin frowned and opened his eyes. He was long done with setting up the base and was meditating. When he activated his Space Time Sensing Technique, he noticed something odd. Fujin thought, ''What speed! All 8 of them are traveling at such a fast speed!'' A smirk appeared on Fujin''s face as he chuckled, "Looks like Ay is on the move. I wonder what expression he''ll make when he returns to the Land of Lightning." He could imagine how sorrowful Kumogakure would be by the time he was done. Hiruzen and Shikaku''s plans were too ruthless. Fujin thought, ''Considering the future, there isn''t a need for this attack. After all, Kumo would be our ally in the next Great War. My actions would weaken the Allied Shinobi Force. However...'' Fujin shook his head and muttered, "Who asked them to go after my head?" While Ay was confident in his abilities and didn''t fear facing Hiruzen, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Fujin and other Konoha ninjas by himself, he knew that even someone like him would end up dead if tried to foolishly fight all of them at the same time. The reason for his confidence was that he could just turn around and escape if it was indeed a trap. With Minato no longer alive, he didn''t believe that anyone in Konoha had the capability to stop him from retreating. Just like Mabui, Hiruzen and Shikaku also received a scroll from a messenger bird. It was from a spy they installed in Kumogakure. As he read the message, Hiruzen smiled and said, "The Raikage has taken the bait. He left Kumogakure." Shikaku smiled and said, "Good. Now we just have to wait for some time. Knowing the Raikage, he''ll rush to that location in under a day. I''ll ask Fujin to make a move after 16 hours." Hiruzen nodded and said, "If Kumogakure doesn''t pull back their ninjas, then Fujin will have enough time to go for a couple of rounds. He should eliminate at least 6 bases." Shikaku replied, "Yeah, let''s hope so. Such a loss will keep Kumogakure under check for some time. I''ll ask Eagle to make a move. He''ll start cleaning up Iwagakure''s spy network at the same time Fujin starts." In a few hours, Fujin reached the base that would be his first target. He stayed some distance away and observed the base without activating his chakra field. A slight surprise appeared on his face as he thought, ''Interesting...'' [A/N: Next Chapter - Slaughterhouse!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Alucard, Jeff, Daniel, BigTurner, Seraphim, Ayoub, Luciaron, Tristan, Limonday and Aron for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Teju for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 672: Slaughterhouse (1) Chapter 672: Slaughterhouse (1) ''Interesting...'' Fujin muttered. Even though he had heard how the base looked from Shikaku, seeing it personally surprised him. Calling what he was seeing as merely a base would be inappropriate. Instead, it was almost a village by itself! The base was spread over a region with a radius of over half a kilometer. There were dozens of houses and an equal number of facilities to train the ninjas. All of them were spread over the base. There were also a couple of patrol camps some distance away from the main base. In addition, hundreds of seals were inscribed around the base. They served various uses, but the main uses were keeping the base hidden and warning the Kumo ninjas if someone tried to break into the base. Even though these bases were no secret, Ay had paid a lot of attention to ensure that their inner workings stayed a secret. No village had been able to send their spies inside any of the ten bases. In fact, Kumo had uncovered a few spies who took too much risk and ended up exposing themselves. Konoha was only able to get the details when Jiraiya paid a visit to the Land of Lightning. Fujin analyzed, ''The influence of Jiraiya''s attack is quite visible on the way this base has been constructed. Even though there are only 103 ninjas here, all are spread out across the base. So, a single attack can''t wipe them out like how Jiraiya killed over 250 ninjas in a single attack back then. Under normal circumstances, wiping out everyone in such a base would be very difficult. Unfortunately for them, Kumo decided to target me...'' Fujin chuckled and created another small base underground. He retrieved the Chakra Transmission Communication device and informed Konoha that he was in position. Shikaku told him to wait there until further communications and asked him to rest well. Around half a day later, in the middle of the night, Ay, Bee and the others reached a spot close to the town where Fujin and the rest were last spotted. A man bowed respectfully and said, "It''s good to see you, Raikage-sama!" Ay quickly said, "Enough pleasantries, Itaru. Tell me where Suzuki Fujin is." Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m Itaru nodded. He was a spy Kumo had placed close to the borders of the Land of Fire. In time, he had become quite capable and was completely trusted by the Noble in that town. As a result, he was able to get the information very easily. Of course, this was the very reason Shikaku chose that town. Itaru reported, "Raikage-sama, a few powerful rogue ninjas appeared in the vicinity of this town around a week ago. There are probably 4 or 5 Jounin-level ninjas and it is possible that there might be more. Since they used Water jutsus, we suspect that they are rogue Kiri ninjas. Hence, a rank S mission was issued to Konoha. Konoha sent Suzuki Fujin along with 4 other ninjas. I didn''t find any information on them, so they might be from their Anbu. I believe all four are at the Jounin level. They headed out to eliminate the rogue ninjas around half a day ago. We haven''t heard back from them yet." Ay frowned and asked, "If it''s just some rogue ninjas, why did Konoha send more ninjas along with Fujin?" Itaru answered, "The rogue ninjas also destroyed a couple of villages. They also have to rehabilitate them. Suzuki Fujin might leave once the rogue ninjas are eliminated while his subordinates take care of rehabilitation." Ay nodded and said, "Alright, tell me the location of those rogue ninjas." Itaru immediately handed Ay a map that had a marked location. Ay observed, ''Hmm, I suspected that it would be close to the borders of the Land of Fire. However, this place is a couple of dozen kilometers away from their border. They don''t want to be too obvious, huh? Oh well, let me see what scheme you''re cooking this time, Hokage!'' He said, "Good work. Return and continue your work." Itaru nodded and immediately left. Ay turned his gaze to others and said, "We''ll move immediately. Stay on guard. If Konoha has set a trap for us, it can become very risky. Be prepared to retreat if I order it. Also, don''t go too far away from the group. Especially you, Bee!" Everyone nodded and the group immediately headed towards that location. However, they moved slower compared to their traveling speed prior. All 8 of them were very careful, paying full attention to the non-existent trap. Soon, they reached the location on the map. It was a large cave. They all hid themselves while observing the cave from a distance. Confusion appeared on everyone''s faces. Everyone nodded and immediately moved. In Hiruzen''s office, Hiruzen and Shikaku were looking at a tag that was burning. Hiruzen chuckled and said, "The Raikage finally reached that cave." Shikaku smirked. There were no rogue ninjas. Instead, he just had an Anbu squad do some mischief and force Yugakure to issue a rank S mission. They had returned to Konoha a long time ago! Shikaku said, "I''ll tell Inoichi to pass a message to Fujin and Fumito." Hiruzen nodded. A couple of minutes later, Fujin heard Inoichi''s voice, "The Fourth Raikage has reached the cave. You can begin. Good luck." Fujin plainly replied, "Alright." He turned off the device and put it back in the scroll. Eating a soldier pill, Fujin muttered, "Time to debut another technique never seen in the ninja world!" Fujin exited the base and appeared above the ground. He was still a couple of kilometers away from the base. A couple of Shadow Clones appeared next to him. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared again, moving towards the base at a blinding speed! Despite the large number of seals around the base, no one detected Fujin''s movements. In the blink of an eye, Fujin reached the center of the base and slammed his right hand on the ground. ''Fuin Battlefield!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Marc, Bagus, Shrekk, Kizzle, Roodarnley, Mclovin It, Ssaahhiill, Satvir, Smitty, Cheol, Jon, Thrower, TheeDetonator, Ramiro and Darkslayer for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 673: Slaughterhouse (2) Chapter 673: Slaughterhouse (2) ''Fuin Battlefield!'' Fujin slammed his hands on the ground as a seal imprint lit up. This seal imprint was special as compared to other seal imprints. Instead of a single seal, the seal imprint contained thousands of other seals! In less than a second, the seals spread throughout the base! A base that had hundreds of seals, now suddenly had thousands of seals! The only difference was that over 90% of the seals were under Fujin''s control! In one of the many facilities in the base, a youngster sat awake despite it being late in the night. He let out a yawn and thought, ''This is so boring. Sensei hyped up this place so much that I was thrilled when I learnt that I''ll be joining here for training. However...'' He let out a tired sigh thinking, ''All I have to do here is monitor these boring seals for half a day daily! Nothing else happens. I don''t understand what Lord Raikage is thinking. Why do we have to keep such a watch on the base? Who''d even dare to come here to attack us? Wouldn''t it have been better if I spent time studying more seals?'' Even though Kumogakure had only 4 Fuinjutsu Grandmasters, they had plenty of Sealmasters. In terms of number of Sealmasters, they were only below Konoha. They had deployed a couple of Sealmasters to each base to control the seals to ensure that someone always monitored them. It also prepared the Sealmasters for wars as they would have to look over their forward bases. The youngster was about to sigh again when his eyes widened and he cursed, "What the fuck? What happened? Why does it feel like a large number of seals suddenly appeared out of thin air?" He quickly began focusing and what he saw shocked him! The walls in his room suddenly had dozens of new seals. He couldn''t even identify some of the seals! In disbelief, he muttered, "What in the hell? How did so many seals appear? No! More importantly, who inscribed these seals? And how? They couldn''t have already been here, could they? Wait!!! The seals have created a barrier along the ground! It means that no one can escape underground. Do the attackers want to cut our escape routes and eliminate us? But who has the courage to attack Kumogakure?" He began panicking realizing that everyone in the base might be trapped. He wasn''t the only one. The other Sealmaster in the base also woke up and was scared witless on sensing the seals. A few experienced Jounins woke up as well as they instinctively felt danger. As for the ones who didn''t wake up? They woke up a second later as they sensed a massive amount of chakra! A second after activating the Fuin Battlefield, Fujin released 40% of his chakra into the air! The chakra immediately transformed into winds. However, unlike his usual method, a dome wasn''t formed around him. Instead, the winds extended like tentacles toward the Kumo ninjas! The massive chakra spike woke up everyone in the base. Despite many being deep in sleep, every Kumo ninja got up and was ready for battle in the blink of an eye! It displayed how well-trained and disciplined everyone in the base was. Even Fujin was surprised by such a quick reaction. He thought, ''Not bad. Or perhaps I should say, as expected from the elites trained by Kumogakure.'' Even though the Kumo ninjas reacted quickly, they were still confused about what was happening and began discussing among themselves while moving rapidly towards Fujin. "What was the chakra spike?" "Are we under attack?" "Which fool has the courage to attack us?" Luckily for them, they didn''t have to suffer in terror for long. In just a couple of seconds, Fujin beheaded everyone else in the base. In under a minute, Fujin had eliminated 99 Kumo ninjas. At the same time, his clones eliminated the four ninjas who were outside the base in patrol camps. In all, Kumogakure lost 22 Jounins and 81 Chunins! It was a shocking loss. While it wasn''t as bad as the wound Jiraiya had inflicted, it was just as painful. Even though this was less than 1% of the total number of ninjas in Kumogakure, everyone here could be considered elites. The higher-ups in Kumo valued every single one of their lives! In particular, Ay was very fond of the ninjas trained in these bases. Unbeknownst to him, he had just lost 103 of his elites while he was hunting for ''Fujin'' in the Land of Hot Water. The worst part for Kumogakure was that this was just the start! Using his Space Time Sensing Technique, Fujin observed, ''Hmm, so everyone is dead. That was a bit disappointing. They couldn''t even see who the attacker was. Oh well, it was as I expected. Fortunately, there are at least some gains.'' Fujin glanced towards the barrier around the base. Even though it stood firm, Fujin could sense that it was badly damaged. A couple more rounds of jutsus would have caused it to crumble. Fujin analyzed, ''Even though Fuin Battlefield can create a barrier, this isn''t a normal barrier. Normal barriers use the chakra of their users as the source. Until they can keep supplying chakra, the barrier will stand firm and heal. However, the barriers inside the Fuin Battlefield are created solely by seals. How sturdy I can make them is limited by the number of seals I inscribe... I guess I''ll have to find a way to inscribe more seals inside the Fuin Battlefield. No, that would be difficult...'' Fujin recalled how much work he had to put into creating the Fuin Battlefield. Dozens of Shadow Clones worked on it for months. He didn''t have the time to repeat that process. In fact, he wasn''t even sure whether that would be possible to do! Fujin thought, ''Since that isn''t an option, I''ll have to find a way to make multiple Fuin Battlefield seals work properly with each other. Probably in a similar way to how two Four Symbols Seal create the Eight Trigrams Divination Seal. That would make it far more lethal... Anyway, it''s time to go after my next target!'' Fujin stopped thinking about the Fuin Battlefield. Though he got ideas to improve it further, its current level was sufficient for him for the time being. He turned his gaze towards the winds flowing inside the base. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Lind, Jan, Dez, Nazar, Roodarnley, Dundidleedoodle, Keir, Gurwarris and Gaming for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 674: Wind Cloak! Chapter 674: Wind Cloak! Under normal circumstances, Fujin would use only around 10 to 20% of his chakra to create the Wind Domain. However, since the base was so huge, he used up 40% of his chakra to create it. Even though he had killed everyone in the base, not much chakra of the Wind Domain had been used because no one actually put up a fight. Fujin only had to create Blades of Wind to kill the Kumo ninjas. Under Fujin''s control, the winds began flowing back towards him. Had anyone been alive to witness it, they would have been shocked to see all the winds inside the base suddenly moving back towards the center as if there was a black hole sucking everything. Fujin watched as the winds began revolving around him at a high speed, forming a hurricane with him at the center. Slowly, the speed of the winds decreased and they compressed together, occupying less and less space. In half a minute, a transparent cloak appeared around Fujin! A cloak made solely of winds! Fujin thought, ''While fighting against Orochimaru, I used up all the chakra in my Wind Domain to create a Wind Dragon to attack him after he escaped. It made me realize that even though I can''t absorb the chakra back into my body yet, I can at least transform the domain into something that I can carry along with myself. Though some chakra will still be lost to maintain this cloak, it is still far better than using it for a single jutsu. Not to mention...'' A grin appeared on Fujin''s face. The Wind Cloak had some remarkable abilities! Though not as strong as the Raikage''s Lightning Chakra Mode, it was still quite a remarkable feat. For any ninja specializing in Wind Manipulation, it would be a dream technique to have in their arsenal! Fujin dispelled his Shadow Clones, who were outside the barrier, and created a new Shadow Clone with 5% of his chakra. His clone nodded and flickered. Since he had Fujin''s memories, Fujin did not need to give him any instructions. Fujin focused on his Wind Cloak. A second later, he began floating in the air! A wide smile could be seen on Fujin''s face. As someone who once lived in a world without any superpowers, there was no way he wouldn''t have wanted to fly by himself. Fujin thought, ''An unexpected gain from this technique I created is the ability to fly! Even though I could fly a bit earlier using my Assassin''s Rush jutsu, it wasn''t the same. I had to continuously blast winds from different parts of my body to be able to fly using that technique. And, it was extremely chakra exhaustive. By comparison, flying using the Wind Cloak is much smoother. Even though the chakra needed to create the Wind Cloak is high, the chakra spent on flying is considerably less. However, there are still some restrictions...'' Fujin suddenly disappeared and traveled through the air at a rapid speed using the Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu. He thought, ''The Wind Cloak makes using this jutsu much more natural. So, it is very good in terms of flying in a straight line. Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om However, my mobility in the air is still far inferior to my mobility on the ground. Even though it''ll be good against most opponents, I shouldn''t use it against someone like Onoki. I''m not sure if I can dodge his Dust Release while I am in the sky. Well, at least not without using the Flying Thunder God jutsu...'' While Fujin moved rapidly across the Land of Lightning, his Shadow Clone collected all the dead bodies in the destroyed base. After storing all the dead bodies in scrolls, he buried the bloodied soil deep underground before removing the Fuin Battlefield seals. After inspecting everything once, he thought, ''Good. There are no signs of any battle here. Though Kumogakure might find the bloodied soil with some digging, there isn''t much that they can gain from it. After all, they don''t have a jutsu like Edo Tensei...'' Konoha''s got ''em fixed up, all situated. Did they finish up the mission, make it back to their land? Got us chasin'' shadows, man, I don''t understand!" All the six Elite Jounins had the same thought as Bee. Each of them experienced a range of emotions. While they were glad that no deadly trap was set for them, they were also remorseful that they missed an opportunity to eliminate such a threat. However, there was one person who didn''t experience such emotions. That was none other than Ay! Ay thought, ''What Bee said is logical. However, why am I getting this bad feeling? What did I miss?'' Ay had a feeling that he had missed something important. He calmed his thoughts and analyzed, ''Let me think from the very beginning. First, Fujin openly left Konoha, giving us an opportunity to make a move against him. When we made a move, everything felt like it was a trap set by Konoha. However, we didn''t find any traps. In fact, we didn''t even see any signs of combat. In addition, the villagers said that the Konoha ninjas helped them resettle in their villages and assured them that the rogue ninjas were eliminated. At first glance, everything looks natural. However, there is one big problem!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tonninenhilti, Justin, Carlos, Turean, Hugh, Archit, Woat is Aim, Jajaiaishs, Grzegorz, Yert, Robert and Cypher for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 675: Target Kumogakure??? Chapter 675: Target Kumogakure??? ''However, there is one big problem!'' As Ay analyzed calmly, he discovered some anomalies. He thought, ''There is no question about the fact that Konoha has schemed something. Otherwise, we wouldn''t have learnt about Fujin leaving Konoha, let alone about where he was heading. Their real scheme should be what is giving me this bad feeling. However, what could their scheme be?'' Immediately, Raikage recalled two things. The first was him telling Darui to protect the village while he wasn''t there. The second was the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster saying that there was one unknown seal among the explosive seals. His eyes widened in shock as he realized, ''Don''t tell me! Did those bastards actually do this to lure me out? Is Konoha brave enough to launch an attack on Kumogakure? Besides, even without me and Bee, Kumogakure is still very strong. They wouldn''t be ab...'' His eyes widened even more as he recalled Jiraiya''s attack on the mine that killed over 250 Kumo ninjas! He thought, ''Even though the village is strong, without me and Bee, we won''t be able to stop their rank S ninjas easily. What if their plan is just to make a large attack and retreat? If we''re caught off guard, Kumo might lose hundreds of ninjas.'' He glanced in the direction of the Land of Fire and wondered, ''Does Konoha really want to start a war right now?'' Bee noticed Ay''s change in mood. He became serious and asked, "What is it?" With a grim expression, Ay answered, "I suspect that this might have been a scheme to lure me and you here. Konoha might be planning to make a move against our village. While we''re hunting Fujin, they might have sent the Sannin to attack Kumogakure with their large summons." The eyes of all 7 Kumo ninjas widened in disbelief. One of them exclaimed, "That''s impossible! Konoha is known for not starting wars! They wouldn''t make the first move!" Ay replied, "That''s why they might be able to catch us off guard. Inform Mabui. Ask her to increase the defenses of the village. Until we return, the village has to be on the highest alert." Minutes later, Mabui and Darui received Ay''s message. Both became tense. Darui muttered, "Boss thinks that Konoha wants to surprise attack our village with their summoned animals. However, would Konoha really launch a war?" Darui didn''t see Konoha with as much suspicion as Ay. He could believe that Konoha might try to secretly assassinate the Fourth Raikage but didn''t think that Konoha would start a war without any provocation. Mabui said, "I''m not sure either. However, there is no question that something very fishy is happening. We need to be on guard." Darui nodded and said, "Yes. If Konoha wants to do a surprise attack on us, then they won''t bring too many troops since we would find them. Most likely, only their rank S ninjas would make a move and attack the village with large-scale attacks. Against such tactics, we''ll suffer if our ninjas are gathered together. Hmm..." Darui thought for a bit and said, "Without Boss here, we''ll take the safe approach. Deploy the barrier team on the walls and have them create a barrier to surround the village. Tell them to extend the barrier underground as well in case Orochimaru attacks us. In the headquarters inside the base, Dodai sat calmly while recalling the message he received from Mabui. He thought, ''To think that Konoha might make a move against us. Their strength should have already recovered. As we suspected, they won''t take the humiliation we inflicted upon them a decade ago too kindly. We might soon be in another Great War...'' He turned his gaze outside the headquarters and activated his chakra field. He thought, ''Fortunately, we''re very well prepared. If Konoha thinks that they have any chance of a swift victory against us, they''re badly mistaken!'' As Dodai was thinking that, Fujin reached the base. He looked at his Wind Cloak and thought, ''Just 6% remaining...'' The Wind Cloak separated from him and began changing its shape once again. This time, instead of transforming into the Wind Domain, it took the form of a human and transformed into a Wind Clone! He chuckled and said, "Alright, I''ll have some fun." This was the second method Fujin created to use the leftover chakra in the Wind Domain. Fujin could transform it into a Wind Clone and keep it with himself until he recovered his chakra. This way, if someone attacked him while he was still recovering his chakra, he could recreate the Wind Domain. Of course, there was no need for anyone to guard him now. So, Fujin just let his Wind Clone go to cause some havoc and leave a few nightmares in the Land of Lightning. As for Fujin, he continued looking at the base and muttered, "Here goes nothing..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Daniel and Alfie for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 676 - 670 : Return of the Nightmare! Chapter 676: Chapter 670 : Return of the Nightmare! Dodai was just casually sensing everyone in his base to see how far everyone there had come along. He was about to deactivate his chakra field when he suddenly sensed a chakra that he didn''t recognize rushing rapidly into the base. He muttered, "What the hell? Who entered the base? And what''s with this speed?" He immediately got up while thinking, ''Who is it? And how did that person enter the base without activating any of the seals? Wait! I can sense a couple more chakra signatures! They are heading towards the patrol camp! Shit, what''s happening?'' By the time he came out of the room, Fujin had already reached the center of the base and slammed his right hand on the ground. ''Fuin Battlefield!'' In the blink of an eye, the entire base was covered with seals and was sealed by the Fuin Battlefield. At the same time, a sword appeared in Fujin''s left hand. Dodai only saw a glimpse of Fujin''s figure. Before he could take a better look, Fujin disappeared! Dodai thought, ''Fast! I couldn''t even see his fac...'' His thoughts froze as shock appeared on his face. The shock soon changed into horror as he sensed Fujin''s chakra signature disappearing and appearing in a different place instantly repeatedly! Every time his chakra signature disappeared, the chakra signature of one Kumo ninja disappeared! Visitt (.)co/m for the latest updates Dodai muttered in horror and disbelief, "Fl... Flyi... Flyin... Impossible! This is the Fourth Hokage''s Flying Thunder God jutsu! Another ninja in Konoha learnt this accursed jutsu!'' Despite the shock, his brain quickly realized, ''Konoha''s target isn''t Kumogakure! Their target is our bases!'' "Dodai... I didn''t expect someone like you to be here..." Dodai heard a cold voice behind him. However, even before he could react, a sword entered his back, pierced through his heart and appeared in front of his chest. There was nothing he could do except watch the bloody sword in horror as his eye closed permanently. Fujin stored his body properly before finishing off the remaining Kumo ninjas. After confirming that everyone was dead, Fujin created three Shadow Clones to collect their dead bodies and hide the evidence of a slaughter. While they collected the bodies, he thought, ''I didn''t think Dodai would be in charge of one of the bases. Then again, it isn''t too strange. He is very experienced and commands a lot of respect in Kumogakure. So, having him guide the youngsters is only natural. In the future, he would have assisted Naruto''s Shadow Clone in sealing the Third Raikage... However, I have already killed Kabuto. So, the Third Raikage shouldn''t be revived. If he still does somehow, I''ll just seal him by myself. Anyway, there''s no need to focus so much on the future. Dodai was someone who was close to the Third Raikage and he was also close to Ay and Bee. He might know some details about the Lightning Chakra Mode. Not to mention, he is also one of the few individuals who created a Kekkei Genkai without a bloodline... His memories should be very interesting.'' A smile appeared on Fujin''s face. Though he didn''t intend to target Dodai, it was a good surprise. However, more than Dodai, Fujin was happier about another thing. He glanced at the dead bodies in the base and thought, ''The Flying Thunder God jutsu... I have used it effectively in combat for the first time. Even though I''m not used to using this jutsu, this technique is just as fearsome as I remember. Anyone under the rank S level can''t last even a few seconds against me. It''s little wonder why Minato was so feared. While I''m not as accustomed to using the Flying Thunder God jutsu as Minato and Tobirama and my proficiency in this jutsu is definitely far lesser than either of them, I might exceed them in terms of lethality. After all...'' I dispatched an Anbu squad to each of the three bases that didn''t respond. They should have reached there by now and contacted us. However, I still haven''t heard anything from them." Everyone in the Raikage''s office became serious on hearing her words. C muttered, "That''s strange. Understanding the seriousness of the situation, they should have responded right away. For them to not reply, means that something has happened there." Darui''s eyes widened. His expression became grim as he said, "Quickly show me the bases that didn''t respond." Everyone noticed his expression. Mabui didn''t delay and showed him the map. With an ugly expression, he said, "Boss'' assumption was incorrect. Konoha wouldn''t attack our village directly. It would be a declaration of war and from my understanding of the Third Hokage, he would never want an all-out war. Instead, he likes to use schemes and hurt us in the dark. Their real target must be our outer bases! Most likely these 5 that are closer to the border! Shit!" The expression of the remaining 4 ninjas also became ugly. The memories of the wounds Jiraiya inflicted upon them were still fresh in their minds. They didn''t want to see Kumogakure suffer a similar loss again! [A/N: A few fun chapter names on pat reon. 723 - One Jutsu to Suppress Them All! 724 - Poking the Beehive! 725 - Unexpected Casualties!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 55 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kelevra, Caleb, Simon, Sasvin, Ron, Suras, Pluto, CallMeDanny, Jannes, ShimAmazake, Daniel, Tristan, Daniel, JTSSE, Pink Panda, Aeonstorm and Frederick for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 677: Daruis Decision, Fujins Plan! Chapter 677: Darui''s Decision, Fujin''s Plan! Realizing how devastating their losses would be if Konoha destroyed those 5 bases, Darui ordered, "Contact these two bases and tell them to be on guard. I''ll take 100 ninjas with me and go to see what the situation is. Yugito, you stay in the village in case my guess is incorrect and their real target is our village." Discover new chapters at novelhall.com Darui began moving towards the door. However, before he could leave, Mabui said, "Don''t be reckless, Darui! Konoha has already managed to lure Raikage-sama away. If you act without considering all the possibilities, you could fall into a trap as well. If that happens, we could suffer even more." Darui stopped and looked at her. Mabui continued, "There are still a few more possibilities other than Konoha attacking those bases. In fact, I think that those are more likely than Konoha attacking our bases. Don''t forget one of the main reasons behind creating these bases." Darui''s eyes widened as he realized what Mabui was indicating. He said, "Sorry, I lost control for a moment. You''re right. While making these bases, we kept Konoha''s attack on the mine in mind. The bases were specifically created in a way to ensure that a few large-scale attacks won''t be able to destroy them." Samui agreed and added, "That''s right. Even if they were attacked and at a great disadvantage, they should have been able to contact us. So, it is highly unlikely that they were attacked." Mabui nodded and said, "That''s right. I feel that Konoha has sent a few squads to intercept the messenger birds between us and those bases. Their goal might be to make us think that those bases are under attack and make us send reinforcements there. Once we do, they would ambush our reinforcements and eliminate them. Without Raikage-sama and Bee, our reinforcements won''t be able to resist if the Sannins are involved in the ambush. Even you might lose your life, Darui. Not to mention, there is still the chance of this being an attempt to lure even more capable ninjas away from our village so that our defenses weaken even further. So, we need to tread carefully." Darui and the rest analyzed Mabui''s words and felt that they were reasonable. However, it left them in a dilemma. C sighed, "So, what do we do in this situation?" A helpless expression could be seen on C''s face. No matter what they did, the situation was bad. If they didn''t go and their bases were under attack, then it would be the same as giving up on the lives of hundreds of capable ninjas. On the other hand, if they did go to reinforce and fell into an ambush, it could also result in painful casualties. Mabui sighed as well and said, "There are only two things we could do. Either we stay holed up here until Raikage-sama returns, or we send a large group to check what is happening. However, there won''t be any half-baked attempts. Either you all stay here, or all four of you head out leading an army of 500 ninjas. We can''t risk sending a small group and losing someone like you, Darui." Everyone looked at Darui. As the leader in Ay''s absence, he would have the final say. After thinking for some time, he said, "Even if Konoha attacked our village, they won''t have an easy time getting inside the barrier. After all, even the Eight Tails'' Tailed Beast Bomb can''t break the barrier. Besides, that isn''t Konoha''s way of doing things. I''ll head out towards the closest base along with an army to see what is happening. If Konoha really wants to ambush us, let me see what they have brought to ambush us!" Everyone nodded and got to work immediately. Samui, C and a few others left to gather the army. Since everyone was already on guard, it wasn''t a very difficult task. However, it would still require some time. He didn''t have any affinity to Lightning manipulation and his main affinities were Fire and Earth. However, even there, his affinities weren''t particularly spectacular. Yet, he managed to fuse the two elements in his late teens in a stroke of luck while he was trying something else...'' Fujin let out a sigh. Even though he hadn''t devoted his life to creating a Kekkei Genkai like a few others, he still worked a lot. He even experienced how Takeshi did it several times with the Spirit Transformation jutsu. And, even though his talent in Fire Manipulation wasn''t extraordinary, his talent in Wind Manipulation was beyond extraordinary. Yet, he hadn''t managed to properly recreate Scorch Release. On the other hand, Dodai managed to do it by a stroke of luck... Fujin muttered, "No wonder Renjiro said that it is luck-based rather than skill. No wonder Hiruzen and Orochimaru never managed to create any Kekkei Genkai despite having excellent affinities and access to even more jutsus than me... Sadly, even though I read Dodai''s memories, I won''t be able to recreate Lava release that easily. I''ll have to get that combination right just like how he did and that''s not something I can copy by just reading memories... I''ll need to learn how to do it instinctively..." Fujin shook his head and thought, ''Leave it, it''s too much work for something that adds very little to my strength. Besides, if that plan works, then all my efforts would become pointless. I''ll rest for a bit and continue my attack...'' Four hours later, Darui''s army reached Dodai''s base. As they looked at the base carefully, a puzzled look appeared on everyone''s face. [A/N: Latest chapter - A Game of Death!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Alder, Thilo, Luka, Frederic, Jean, Manjot, Ganbayar, robamason, El Cid, Yuuyoh, runneng, Anthony, Corrupt Man, Danial, Caleb and Simon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 678: The Ambush Chapter 678: The ''Ambush'' [A/N: IMPORTANT Notice - For anyone planning to join to my pat reon in the future and uses iOS, please read today''s public post on pat reon. There will be some changes from 4th November due to Apple''s policies. The post includes methods to avoid getting charged more.] Darui and his army reached the base that was under Dodai''s command. En route, they were very careful and alert against a surprise ambush. To their surprise, they didn''t sense any Konoha ninjas while traveling. Not a single shuriken was thrown at them. Most of the ninjas relaxed on reaching the base. However, as they drew closer, everyone was puzzled. Under normal circumstances, the patrol units should have noticed and met them. Yet, no one did. Instead, the sensors said that they didn''t sense anyone inside the base. C frowned and asked, "Did they activate all the seals to hide the base? Hmm, Dodai might have done that to hide the base from anyone else. No wonder we didn''t sense anyone." Darui muttered, "Let''s hope that is the case. Because the alternative is terrifying..." The ones around Darui became very serious. Darui shouted and commanded everyone to be prepared for a battle! The entire army became serious. They carefully moved to the center of the base, their expressions becoming solemn as they inched closer. Even when they reached the headquarters in the center, they didn''t see anyone! There wasn''t even a single Kumogakure ninja inside the base! Everyone had vanished in thin air! C activated his chakra field and said, "I can''t sense anyone at all! Where is everyone? There are no signs of combat here either! I didn''t even see a scratch on any building on the way here." Darui and the rest frowned as well. Darui wondered, ''Did something happen to make Dodai take everyone here away and hide elsewhere? But what could have happened? And why didn''t he inform us? Or did he try but fail as Konoha cut off our communications? Did something similar happen in the other bases as well? But wha...'' Darui''s eyes widened. He immediately looked under his feet and shouted in horror, "Fuck!!!" Instinctively, he released a large amount of Black Lightning from his feet! The Black Lightning traveled through the surface of the ground. He wasn''t the only one. Samui, C and several others in the army did the same! Yugito instinctively unleashed Matatabi''s chakra and covered herself and several others around her with her chakra. Why did all the Kumogakure ninjas react so drastically? It was rather simple. Innumerable explosive seals suddenly appeared under their feet! The ninjas Darui brought along were all very experienced. They sensed it right away and acted instinctively. A second later, the entire base blew up! Soil flew up hundreds of meters in the sky due to the force of the explosion! Every structure on the base was decimated by the explosions! Fujin, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at a few tags burning in front of him. He thought, ''Hmm, every tag in the Sixth base blew up? Did Kumo send an army there? I wonder if they discovered the explosions and set them off or stepped into the trap... If they stepped into it...'' Fujin shook his head. He had already inflicted heavy losses on Kumogakure. If another group blew up, he could imagine how miserable Ay would be once he returned. Fujin couldn''t help but wonder, ''My actions in the Land of Wind should have made their higher-ups hate Konoha. I doubt even Gaara would be able to change that. And now Kumo will lose close to a thousand well-trained ninjas due to me implementing Shikaku and Hiruzen''s scheme. Would the Allied Shinobi Force even be formed?'' Fujin wasn''t too sure. On one hand, even if his actions weren''t considered, all the major villages hated each other. Nearly everyone had lost someone close to them during the Great Wars, creating a cycle of hatred that Jiraiya and later Naruto tried to stop. That cycle of hatred was far greater than the wounds inflicted by Fujin. On the other hand, time was a crucial factor. When the Allied Shinobi Forces formed, it had been nearly 18 years since the previous Great War. A lot of the scars had faded away with time. The large period of relative peace had also made the common ninjas reluctant to start another Great War as fresh scars would appear once it began. Samui and the rest were filled with confusion. They couldn''t make any sense of the situation. No matter how they analyzed, all their analysis led them to one single conclusion. With a grim expression, Darui muttered, "Something happened to everyone in this base. Either they were forced to retreat or somehow restrained and taken away or..." Darui didn''t want to say it. He looked around and saw Yugito using Matatabi''s chakra to protect several dozen ninjas. However, there were several casualties among the rest of the army. Darui instructed, "C, take a look at our army. Heal the injured ones and check how many casualties we have." C nodded and got to work. Several other ninjas had already started looking for their comrades even before him. Yugito appeared next to Darui with a grim expression and said, "Our losses will be heavy. What was that explosion? Didn''t Mabui talk with Dodai just a few hours ago? How did anyone plant so many explosive seals and hide them so perfectly in so little time?" Darui replied, "No idea. However, I have a feeling that something very bad is about to happen... Not to mention, other bases might have such traps as well. I have to inform Mabui." Samui and Yugito nodded. Darui grabbed a Chakra Transmission Communication device and contacted Mabui. While he did, a figure stealthily appeared some distance away. No one sensed him and due to the dust cover, no one was able to see him either. Surprise appeared on Fujin''s face as he thought, ''Would you look at that... Both Darui and Yugito are here. If they''re here, who''s in Kumogakure?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Simon, Oliver, Benjamin, Jordan, rmuttmoja, Diaden, Serzh, Kalvin and Kakashi for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 679: Terrifying! Chapter 679: Terrifying! ''Both Darui and Yugito are here. If they''re here, who''s in Kumogakure?'' Fujin couldn''t help but wonder in surprise. He had anticipated Darui or Yugito leading an army but didn''t think Kumo would send both of them when neither Ay nor Bee were in the village. Fujin thought, ''Kumo is very brave. To be without a rank S ninja when they''re facing an unknown threat... I suppose they''re just confident in their defenses then. Not really surprising I guess. Their barrier team is quite strong. And they should have several Elite Jounins and hundreds of Jounins in their village along with those ridiculous tools. Anyway, now that these two are here, should I continue with my plan or should I change it and infiltrate Kumo first?'' Fujin fell into thought. On one hand, he had a very good plan prepared. If he continued, he''d be able to kill another 300-odd Kumo ninjas and might still be able to infiltrate Kumo. On the other hand, the opportunity in front of him was very good as well. Even if Darui and Yugito rushed back at their full speeds, they would require at least a couple of hours to return. The Raikage''s group was several hours away as well. So, Fujin could roam unobstructed inside Kumo for a few hours. Fujin analyzed, ''If I go to Kumo, then killing everyone in the remaining bases would become very troublesome. Since Darui''s group fell into a trap, they''ll likely disband the bases. Normally, that would have been fine and I''d still be able to hunt them. However, if I spend time inside Kumo, they could retreat to nearby cities and villages and mix among civilians. I can''t attack the villages openly or it''d be a declaration of war... Hmm...'' After thinking for a bit, Fujin decided, ''Ah, leave it. From what Shikaku said, killing everyone in just 3 bases would be enough to consider the mission completed. Killing everyone in 5 bases would be excellent. I have already killed everyone in 6 bases and who knows how many died from Darui''s group. That is sufficient. Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com Even though I can kill more Kumo ninjas, there isn''t any gain for me. By comparison, raiding Kumo could provide me with several benefits. I''ll head towards it. Sigh...'' Fujin sighed and muttered to himself, ''I didn''t think I''d get such an opportunity. I should have sent a clone to mark places close to Kumogakure. I''ll need an hour to travel to Kumo from the nearest Flying Thunder God mark...'' Fujin thought for a few seconds before deciding, ''I''m interested in seeing what Darui would do. Perhaps I might be able to get some entertainment.'' Fujin chuckled and teleported a few kilometers away. He created a Shadow Clone and sent him towards Kumogakure. Meanwhile, he waited to see what Darui would choose to do. In the base, Darui contacted Mabui. She was shocked by everything Darui said. With a grim expression, she thought, ''Everyone in that base is missing and Darui''s army fell into a trap that even old man Jin couldn''t detect? How did that happen? Don''t tell me that''s what happened to the three squads I dispatched earlier!'' As she expected, Darui said, "Contact the 5 Anbu squads you sent to the other bases and inform them about the trap. Inform Boss as well. He could check upon those bases on his way here." Mabui replied, "Yes, I will. What are you planning to do next?" Darui thought for a bit and asked, "Can you contact the remaining 4 bases?" Mabui answered, "Yes." Darui sighed in relief and said, "That''s good. Order them to disband. Everyone should move separately in squads of 4 and head towards nearby towns and villages. They''ll hide there until further communications. If they don''t receive any orders, they should start heading back to the village after two weeks." Mabui replied, "Alright." Darui paused for a bit before saying, "Tell Boss that I have a hunch that Suzuki Fujin is involved in whatever is happening here. I''m not sure who else is involved. However, we have fallen prey to a deadly scheme!" Others agreed with him. Samui said, "Didn''t Iwagakure''s message say that Suzuki Fujin was very close to becoming a Grandmaster several years ago? Do you think that this was set up by him?" Darui''s eyes widened. He replied, "It could be possible. Not to mention, using so many explosive seals is consistent with his style..." Jin shook his head and said, "From what I hear, he is only 16 years old. He might be involved in creating this trap but it''s unlikely that it was entirely his creation. However, if it was just him, then his threat is no lesser than the Fourth Hokage''s!" Everyone''s expression became solemn on hearing it. As they were discussing, an Elite Jounin appeared and reported with a grim expression, "Darui, 43 ninjas have died. And, 24 are still missing. Since we can''t sense them, I''m afraid that they''re dead as well and are buried somewhere here." The moods of Darui and the rest became heavy. It was a painful loss. Since they didn''t know what exactly happened to the ninjas stationed in the bases, it piled upon their misery. Jin sighed and said, "The losses are still far lesser. Since the trap was dependent on our seals, they could only lay the explosive tags close to them. Not to mention, this army is an Elite one with every squad being led by a Jounin. Many of them were able to neutralize most of the explosive tags near them before they set off. The ones who couldn''t do so jumped high up in the air to avoid getting directly hit by the explosion." The Elite Jounin nodded, "Yes, that is the case. Among the 43 dead, only 18 were blown up by the Explosive seals. The rest died due to stones piercing through their vital organs at a high speed due to the explosions. A few also died due to suffocation caused by the large amount of soil entering their respiratory system. Of course, if Yugito hadn''t acted quickly enough, then it would have been terrible. Not only did her chakra save a few dozen of our comrades, but it also shielded others by stopping the high-speed debris that could''ve hit others. Without her, our casualties might have tripled." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tristan, Steven, Malik, Dan, Nofathana, Nur, Samuel, androide, Aman, Jasper and TrustZee for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Nishant for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 680: The Strangest Scene! Chapter 680: The Strangest Scene! "Without Yugito, our casualties might have tripled." The Elite Jounin said. Everyone agreed with him. Darui thought, ''It''s a good thing that Mabui stopped me from going alone. Otherwise, even I could have died... Especially if they had any way to know what has happened here.'' The Kumo army continued treating their wounded, sealing the dead ones and finding the missing ones. While they did, Mabui contacted the five Anbu squads she had dispatched earlier. Unfortunately, she lost contact with one of them. One of the other four squads reported that they had already reached close to the base and seen that a part of the base was blown up and 4 dead bodies lay nearby. Mabui solemnly thought, ''I sent 3 squads to their death. The one squad that didn''t respond was headed towards a base where I hadn''t sent a squad previously. They must have fallen into the trap as well.'' Mabui''s mood became heavy. Her orders had caused the deaths of 4 Anbu squads. She quickly adjusted her mood and thought, ''No, I can''t let my emotions affect me. Even though it''s not official, we''re pretty much at war! A war that we''re badly losing. I need to contact Raikage-sama.'' She quickly used the Chakra Transmission Communication device to talk with Ay and informed him about the traps and the state of Darui''s army. To say that Ay was shocked was an understatement. He nearly burst out in rage but controlled himself understanding how serious the situation was. Ay asked, "What about the remaining 4 bases?" Mabui answered, "I have given them the orders to disband. They should mix among common civilians very soon." Ay replied, "Good. Ask Darui''s group to return as well. I''ll check the 5 bases while returning. Once they analyze the situation, get the details of the trap from them and inform me." Mabui replied, "Yes, Raikage-sama." Vissit (.)c.om for updates Seeing Ay''s solemn expression and feeling the rage he was controlling, Bee seriously asked, "What is the situation there, brother?" Ay replied, "Their target wasn''t our village. They targeted our bases. Everyone in the base Dodai was looking over is missing. Darui led an army to check but fell into a trap. He''s fine but several of our ninjas are dead. Not to mention, we aren''t able to contact 5 more bases and they likely have similar traps." Bee and others were shocked to hear that. None of them expected Konoha to make such a move. Ay roared, "Increase your speed, everyone! I''ll crush every Konoha ninja still on our lands! They''re mistaken if they think they can get away with this!" Half an hour later, C returned to Darui''s side and said with a tired expression, "We have healed everyone to our best abilities. Unfortunately, 12 have serious injuries. We will need to take them back to the village to properly treat them." Darui sighed and said, "What a mess. Mabui said that the remaining 4 bases have successfully disbanded. We''ll head back to the village and plan what to do next." Everyone was distraught on hearing that. Even though everyone in the army was slightly fearful of the unknown enemy, they wanted to fight for their village and earn pride for Kumogakure. However, they didn''t run into any enemies. Instead, they fell into a trap and lost 67 capable comrades! Hundreds were injured to varying degrees. Everyone felt terrible. Darui sighed understanding everyone''s thoughts. However, there was nothing else he could do. If they fell into another trap, their entire group might be wiped out. With the 4 bases disbanded, they didn''t have any reason to head there. As for the remaining 5 bases, the Raikage''s group would reach there faster than them. So, Darui had no reason to head there. He could only mutter, "I''m sorry. I led us all into this trap." C shook his head and said, "There was nothing you could do. We were completely outplayed. We can only get stronger and more capable so that this doesn''t repeat." Everyone nodded, agreeing with C. The Kumogakure army finally began their retreat. Needless to say, the morale of the army was quite low. With hundreds of ninjas having minor injuries, they no longer moved at the same speed at which they marched there. 15 minutes after they began their retreat, a sensor in their vanguard frowned and said, "There is someone up ahead." The ninjas around him frowned as well. The Jounin next to him asked, "Just one? Do you recognize the chakra signature?" He released another long sigh and said without taking his eyes off the chicken, "Leave. I''m not in the mood for a fight." His tone was so dismissive and filled with a blatant disregard towards the Kumo ninjas that everyone who heard it was offended. Once they got over their surprise, the Kumo ninjas in the back began cursing. "That bastard!" "Who does he think he is?" "How dare he treat us like pests?" The Kumo ninjas were quite distraught and demoralized from what had happened in the base. Now that they came across someone asking for a beating, they wanted to vent their frustrations. Unlike them, Darui and his group controlled their emotions. All realized that something was off with the situation. They weren''t sure whether the person in front of them was confident in taking them on or just bluffing. Darui wondered, ''Questions? Mysteries? What is this old man blabbing about?'' Darui softly asked, "Old man, are you sure that there are no seals?" Jin nodded and said, "Yes. There are no seals around here. However, both his cloak and mask are densely covered in seals. I can''t see which they are though." Darui nodded and calmly asked, "Could you tell us who you are and what you''re doing here? Also, did you notice any small group of ninjas moving around a few hours ago?" Despite being asked so politely, that person continued to ignore Darui. Instead, he took the roasted chicken off the fire. Darui sighed and muttered, "I don''t want to disturb your dinner but we need some answers. Sorry, but I''ll need you to come with us." He grabbed his sword. The remaining Kumo ninjas grabbed their weapons as well. While they wanted to vent their frustrations, none of them dared to drop their guard considering the deadly trap they walked into not too long ago. Despite being so heavily outnumbered, the masked individual didn''t panic. Instead, he sighed in disappointment and muttered, "Another unsolved mystery... Why does every era have fools who run to their deaths? Is there any answer? Or is it just the way of the world?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You James, Hurtault, Skyaftermath, Miso, Huy, Rodrigo, Viking_Daoist, Kecksinator and Tristan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 681: The Greatest Weapon! Chapter 681: The Greatest Weapon! "Another unsolved mystery... Why does every era have fools who are run to their deaths? Is there any answer? Or is it just the way of the world?" The masked man''s words confused the Kumo elites yet again. Darui couldn''t help but think, ''Era? Why does he talk as if he has lived through eras? Is there something wrong with his head? Or is something else going on?'' Others wondered the same as well. It caused their movements to falter for a few moments and no one made the first move. The man looked at them and wondered, ''Ugh, don''t tell me I spooked them enough to deter them! I guess this is enough shit-talking for now.'' Needless to say, the masked man was Fujin, who was using his Akuro identity. It was the same identity that he used to kill several Root ninjas, destroy the Root headquarters and kill Raiga and his henchmen. He had been keeping an eye on Darui''s group while his clone marked the path to Kumogakure. When he saw Darui''s group heading back to Kumogakure, he decided to stall them until his clone reached Kumogakure. He also decided to take the opportunity to build up some reputation for Akuro so that it wouldn''t be too strange when he did more things with that identity in the future. Thankfully for Fujin, his little act wasn''t enough to deter the Kumo ninjas completely. After suppressing their doubts, Darui and the ones with him rushed towards Fujin while the other Kumo ninjas readied themselves to attack. However, his first move made everyone''s eyes widen in disbelief! Seeing how he talked and how fearless he was, Kumo ninjas expected the masked man to be strong. So, they were on guard against lethal Ninjutsu or Genjutsu or even Forbidden jutsus. Grandmaster Jin was keeping an eye out for any seals. However, Fujin''s first move contained none of those. Yet, it stunned every single Kumo ninja who witnessed it! As Darui and company moved towards him, Fujin flung the roasted chicken towards Darui in one smooth motion! As he raised his sword to block the roasted chicken, Darui couldn''t help but mutter, "What in the hell???" However, immediately after, his eyes widened again and a large amount of lightning flowed through his sword. Others coated their weapons in Lightning chakra as well. The reason for this sudden change was that they detected a strong Lightning chakra within the roasted chicken! Suddenly, the roasted chicken exploded and its bones, which were strengthened by Lightning, flew towards them at an incredible speed! Darui quickly used his sword aiming to block 8 pieces of bones while thinking, ''What a troublesome fellow... This is the first time I''ve seen such a method of attacking. What the...?'' His eyes widened once again in shock. A couple of lightning-charged bones hit his blade and were destroyed as they couldn''t bear such intensity. However, the remaining six suddenly changed direction mid-way. He quickly moved his sword to block, but the lightning-charged bones didn''t head towards him. Instead, they moved at the Kumo army behind him. Others faced a similar situation. The Kumo army in the back didn''t expect such an attack when the likes of Darui and Yugito were in front of them. Several Kumo ninjas fell to the ground lifelessly as the lightning-charged bones pierced through their hearts! ''Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'' Suddenly, C shot out several spears of Lightning. A few moved towards Fujin while the rest moved in the space between them. They targeted the chakra threads that were controlling the lightning-charged bones and cut them off! Despite facing the devastating jutsu, the Kumogakure elites didn''t panic and immediately responded with their own jutsus. ''Storm Release: Laser Circus jutsu'' ''Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'' ''Lightning Release: Lightning Beam jutsu'' ''Lightning Release: Spinning Lightning Shot jutsu'' The four ninjas immediately counterattacked. The four Lightning jutsus clashed with the Lightning Flood, stopping it momentarily. However, they knew that it wouldn''t be enough to stop the attack as they couldn''t supercharge their jutsus to that extent. After launching their jutsus, all four immediately retreated until they crossed Yugito, who was running towards the Lightning Flood. Yugito released a large amount of Matatabi''s chakra and used it to shield her teammates from the Lightning Flood. Fujin saw as she almost created Matatabi''s form with her chakra cloak. Before it could take the complete form, the Lightning Flood bombarded her, creating several openings in her cloak. Even so, Fujin didn''t press on the attack and instead analyzed, ''What a difficult situation... I get outnumbered when I try close combat. However, in the long or mid-range, Yugito will just block all my attacks. Even with the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, I can''t compete with her in terms of chakra. I need to change my tactics... Hmm?'' [A/N: Still writing the next chapter but should be done before I fall asleep :)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Shiv, Greedsmith, T T, Benjamin, Lucas, Rue, Mehmed, Declan, Jue, Perry, Mannmann, Colvy, Pablo and Alex for supporting me on [email protected]e?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com Chapter 682: Weather Report - Hurricanes! Chapter 682: Weather Report - Hurricanes! ''I need to change my tactics... Hmm?'' Fujin glanced towards his left and saw dozens of kunai with explosive tags flying towards him. A couple of dozen Kumo ninjas from the army''s vanguard had moved around the battlefield to sneak up on Fujin. In addition, Fujin sensed a couple of dozen ninjas quickly moving towards his right as well. Lightning appeared in his left hand again as Fujin flung it towards the incoming kunai. The Lightning transformed into a net, deflecting every kunai and disabling all the explosive tags. A moment later, he jumped and appeared on a branch behind him as the ground under him turned into spikes. His new position was immediately bombarded by Water and Lightning combination jutsus as more Kumo ninjas jumped into the battle. Finally getting a breather, Darui said, "That guy is intense. Are you guys alright?" Everyone nodded. Even though the fight was intense, no one was injured. Well, no one but one. Darui looked at Yugito and asked, "Yugito, how''s your leg?" Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com Yugito replied, "I think his punch cracked some of my bones. However, Two Tails'' chakra has healed most of it. I can fight normally. That said, be careful in a frontal battle against him. His strength is phenomenal." Darui said, "Yeah, there''s no doubt about it. He was able to stop my blade with just his fist." Suddenly, Jin said, "Darui, all his clothes are densely inscribed in seals. That is why your blade was stopped so easily. You guys need to be more careful in close combat. Those seals raise his defenses by several levels. Your attacks might not have as much effect on him as you think. In addition, I''m not sure whether those seals have any offensive features." While Darui and the rest were having a quick discussion, Fujin was standing in the forest surrounded by electrified water. However, he wasn''t worried. On the contrary, it made it difficult for the Kumo ninjas to make any follow-up attacks. Fujin analyzed, ''A frontal assault against the 7 of them will only result in a loss. The only real way I can change the tide of the battle is by using Kirin. However...'' A helpless smile appeared on Fujin''s face. As good as Kirin was, it was just too strong. He didn''t want to risk killing either Darui or Yugito. That would have far-reaching repercussions. Darui was Ay''s right hand. Among everyone in Kumo, he was the only acceptable successor to Ay. Losing someone like him could force Ay to take drastic measures, such as targeting the young ninjas of Konoha and perhaps even other villages. While Fujin wasn''t afraid of him and could take him on, the future would change drastically if Kumogakure killed any of Naruto''s batchmates. On the other hand, Yugito was a Jinchuriki. If she died, Matatabi would die as well and revive somewhere a few years later. Even though Fujin had created the Phantom Haven, his ability to gather information was still nowhere near Zetsu''s level. And unlike the Three Tails, Fujin didn''t have a clue about where it would resurrect. Hence, Fujin didn''t want to kill her for the time being. Fujin analyzed, ''I guess there is just one option then... The most basic tactic... Let''s see how they respond.'' ''Storm Release: Laser Circus!'' A halo of bright light spread around Darui''s hands and encircled them. Dozens of Lightning beams fired from it towards Fujin. Unlike his previous attack, Darui had taken time to supercharge this attack properly. He had poured almost 10% of his chakra into a single attack! Sensing the immense chakra, the other Kumo ninjas retreated. Fujin looked at the incoming beams and thought, ''Storm release is quite fascinating... It would go perfectly with this identity. A shame that my talent in Water manipulation is beyond terrible...'' Fujin knew that there was no point in dodging those beams. He stood at his spot and released a large amount of Lightning charges. They began spinning at a rapid speed and formed a Lightning vortex. Darui frowned and thought, ''He didn''t try to dodge... He must know about Storm Release.'' Darui immediately controlled his beams to spread them apart and attack Fujin from every direction. However, to his surprise, he began losing control over his beams! Instead, the beams all moved towards the Lightning Vortex as if it were a black hole! The Kumo ninjas were shocked. No one had ever seen Darui lose control of his Lightning! C, who had observed everything clearly, muttered in disbelief, "That''s incredible. I have never seen Lightning being used in this manner. That vortex he created naturally attracts electricity around it. The closer Lightning gets to the vortex, the stronger the force of attraction is. Since he waited until your attack was very close to him, you couldn''t control your own attack." Fujin looked at the Lightning vortex and thought, ''It''ll be inappropriate to not return the gift, won''t it?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You MSSC, Surya and Justin for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 683: Lightning Combat System! Chapter 683: Lightning Combat System! The Lightning vortex in front of Fujin stopped spinning for a moment before spinning in the opposite direction at an even faster speed! From the center of the vortex, hundreds of Lightning Crows flew out into the sky every second! C''s expression became ugly as he muttered, "He used the Lightning absorbed by that vortex to create this jutsu. His chakra has barely decreased at all despite using such a massive jutsu." Realizing that Darui''s chakra was now being used against them, the Kumo ninjas had an ugly expression. Standing behind C, Jin said, "Yes, his techniques are exceptional. I haven''t seen anyone fight in this manner in my entire life. He can hide his chakra within a roasted chicken, use chakra threads to control its bones, has excellent speed and strength, can amplify his chakra instantly and can even utilize our Lightning jutsus against us. As peculiar as he is, there is no doubt about the threat he poses. We shouldn''t hold back anymore." If Fujin could hear their conversation, he would have chuckled. His Lightning combat system was quite unique. In fact, he hadn''t even planned most of it. When he started creating it, he only focused on 3 points. The first was using Lightning to enhance his body''s speed. He had a decent amount of success in this aspect due to the jutsus in Konoha''s library even though he was still very far from the Raikage''s level. Copying Kakashi''s Chidori along with his swordplay also made Fujin''s close combat skills excellent. The second was the speed of his weapons. Fujin had complete success in this aspect. He was definitely among the best in the world in controlling Lightning-charged weapons. Their speed and penetrative power made it very difficult for enemies to defend. It was his substitute for the Vacuum Bullets. And the last aspect was strong Lightning jutsus. By supercharging the False Darkness jutsu and improving his control over the jutsus with Yin and Yang manipulation, Fujin had sufficient skill in this aspect as well. Backed by his basics, Fujin felt that these three aspects should be enough for him to be able to confront weaker rank S ninjas and even kill Elite Jounins. In the future, once he could get his hands on the Lightning Chakra Mode, he would be able to go up against top-tier rank S ninjas with just his Lightning release. However, through several strokes of luck, Fujin''s Lightning combat system had become far more sophisticated. The first stroke of luck was undoubtedly meeting a kind Ame ninja who donated the Blade of the Thunder Spirit to Fujin''s cause. It allowed Fujin to conserve his chakra while creating insanely overpowered Lightning jutsus in the blink of an eye! The next stroke of luck was accidentally creating the Lightning vortex jutsu while he was training. It was an excellent defensive jutsu, something that was very rare in Lightning Release. However, it excelled against enemy Lightning users. The vortex could absorb all of his enemy''s Lightning and allowed Fujin to use it instead. Even though he couldn''t amplify it with the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, it was extremely restrictive for an enemy specializing in Lightning Release. After all, not everyone could create a cloak of Lightning to fight like the Raikages. And the third stroke of luck was gaining the Kiba Blades. It helped Fujin to control natural Lightning and allowed him to create Kirin, giving Fujin a lethal attack. In addition, since the Kiba blades also had an amplification aspect, Kirin didn''t leave him completely drained. As a result, Fujin''s Lightning combat system had unexpectedly become very efficient in terms of chakra and hence made his ''Akuro'' identity very resilient. Even without the Lightning Chakra Mode, Fujin had some confidence in resisting top-tier rank S ninjas and escaping successfully. Perhaps, only the likes of Hiruzen, Ay and Onoki could force him to escape using the Flying Thunder God jutsu. Not to mention, Fujin was excited to see what level he would reach if he managed to get his hands on the Lightning Chakra Mode. Seeing thousands of Lightning crows diving towards them, Yugito unleashed Matatabi''s chakra once again. This time, her chakra cloak took Matatabi''s form properly. The Lightning crows hit the gigantic fire cat with full force, however, the fire in her chakra cloak destroyed all the Lightning crows with ease. Not even a single lightning spark reached Yugito or the ninjas behind her! Fujin sighed and muttered to himself, ''As expected, even an attack of this scale won''t work...'' He looked as Matatabi''s right paw covered the skies above him and moved down to crush him while thinking, ''I guess it''s time to use that tactic, otherwise, I really might get pummeled by her...'' They quickly caught up with him, but Fujin had already killed 7 Kumo ninjas. The sight of their dead comrades enraged them. They were about to attack Fujin when he moved away rapidly without even glancing at their group. Instead, he used his superior speed to target the weaker Kumo ninjas. Darui could no longer bear it and immediately increased his speed to go after Fujin. Yugito wanted to do the same but the presence of weaker allies restricted her. She could no longer attack indiscriminately. Fujin glanced behind and thought, ''While I don''t particularly care about the lives of these Kumo ninjas, they certainly do. With these weaker ninjas around, Yugito will be restrained. Even though Jinchurikis are treated slightly better in Kumo, in truth, it''s just due to the Raikage taking every precaution. The common people and even most ninjas still fear them, they just don''t dare to say anything openly. If she injures any Kumo ninja, the ones who find Ay an eyesore will take the opportunity to make her life harder. So, with Yugito restrained, I''ll have some room to breathe. I can use these weaker ninjas as meat shields and distractions to restrict their teamwork as well.'' Even though Fujin killed over 700 Kumo ninjas, he didn''t really hate them. For him, it was a simple mission. Their deaths were neither beneficial nor detrimental to him. The only ones with whom he had a reason to be hostile were Darui''s squad. After all, they killed his previous teammates and nearly killed him as well. However, Fujin didn''t particularly hate them either. He fell into that situation only because he wasn''t strong enough. Over the course of his career as a ninja, he himself had put thousands of other ninjas in the same position. At the end of the day, it was only a matter of who was strong and who was weak. Fujin didn''t see any point in fostering hatred over things that were completely normal in the ninja world. So, the only reason why he made a move against the weaker ninjas was to distract the stronger ninjas. In fact, considering the situation, they were actually more useful to him alive than dead. He only killed a few to send a message to the Kumo elites. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, Pervysage and Ignacio for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Arpit for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 684: Repeating Lies until everyone believes it! Chapter 684: Repeating Lies until everyone believes it! Seeing Darui splitting off from his group and charging ahead, Fujin wasted a few seconds toying with the two Kumo ninjas facing him. Right when he killed them, Darui caught up with Fujin and swung his blade at Fujin. He shouted, "Shameless old man! Stop targeting them and fight us!" A sword appeared in Fujin''s hand. Lightning flowed through it as he slashed it at Darui''s sword while replying with a chuckle, "There is nothing shameless about it. What you''re seeing is one of the greatest war strategies since ancient times!" His words infuriated Darui even more. However, he didn''t drop his guard and noticed something off. Instead of clashing their swords, Darui stopped and stepped to his right. Three lightning-charged senbon passed through his previous position, barely missing him by a few centimeters! Darui immediately realized, ''Shit! I nearly fell for his tactic! He is targeting them so that we would be restrained and might make a mistake!'' Fujin threw a few more lightning-charged senbon at him before attacking him with his sword. Their blades clashed several times in a few seconds as Fujin said, "Always finish off the weaker enemies before targeting the stronger ones. A simple tactic that reduces several complications and uncertainties. However, if it is done right, it can have a devastating effect on the battlefield. Hehehe..." Darui''s eyes widened as he heard Fujin claim absurdly, "During my era, several kingdoms locked their armies in their pretty castles due to the fear of me using this tactic against them. Eventually, that became unsustainable and many had to disband their armies!" Darui recalled all of Fujin''s previous words and concluded, ''There has never been any such incident for the past few decades. And considering how he speaks, he has no doubts in his words. Could he really be some ancient ninja who somehow still survived? But how? How can one live for so long? And how strong was he at his peak? Regardless, since he isn''t at his peak, this might be the best time to capture him. We could gain a lot of information from him!'' As their swords clashed yet again, Darui said, "Even if you put it in such a fancy way, there is no doubt that you are acting shamelessly and cowardly by picking on the weaker ones!" ''Lightning Release: Black Panther'' Black Lightning appeared on Darui''s left hand and pounced on Fujin while taking the form of a panther. Lightning appeared in Fujin''s hand as well as he waved his hand in front of him creating a small electric field. The Black Panther changed its direction and discharged into the ground. Darui used this distraction to swing his sword at Fujin with full strength once again, but Fujin blocked his attack with his sword with ease. At the same time, he launched several Lightning spears behind Darui to stall his teammates and asked, "Cowardly?" He chuckled and continued, "Have you forgotten that you fellows are the ones who attacked me? More than four hundred ninjas attacking someone who wasn''t in the mood... Not to mention, those weaklings tried to sneak attack as well not too long ago. Instead of regretting and accusing pointlessly, pick your opponents more wisely if you survive today." Using the force of Darui''s sword, Fujin moved a few steps behind before flickering away. At the same time, Yugito and the rest appeared next to Darui. Even though the Lightning Spears didn''t do any damage, they were stalled just long enough for Fujin to retreat easily. The Kumo ninjas chased after Fujin again as C cursed, "He is heading towards another group and there are 12 ninjas in that group! We can''t continue in this manner. Our losses would be too heavy..." Samui asked, "But how can we stop him? Among us, only Darui''s speed is close to his. Even though Yugito can keep up, his tactics restrict her perfectly. How could we force him to fight us?" Without wasting any time, he moved towards the ninja on his left. Since there were twelve ninjas in this group, Fujin didn''t need to stall for Darui to catch up. Not to mention, their attacks had already slowed him down by a few seconds. Fujin was about to kill the third ninja when a look of surprise appeared on his face as he exclaimed, "Huh?" The ninja Fujin targeted had a resigned look on his face. As he saw Fujin merely a meter away from him, he thought, ''It looks like this is the end... Sigh, I had a bad feeling from the start. However, if I''m going to die...'' A hint of craziness appeared in his eyes as Fujin sensed several tags activating on his body. Fujin couldn''t help but think, ''Impressive and admirable... A shame that his strength doesn''t match his resolve...'' Fujin sensed 16 explosive tags activating on that ninja''s body. He intended to take Fujin along with him. Unfortunately, he was still too slow. Fujin''s kick landed on his chest and sent him flying through the forest. By the time his explosive tags exploded, he was already 50 meters away! The difference in their strength was too big to be compensated by courage and bravery. Fujin couldn''t help but think, ''While courage and bravery are respectable, they can''t necessarily compensate for tens of thousands of hours spent on grueling training.'' He glanced behind him, watching a black lightning panther moving towards him as he continued thinking, ''Without the discipline to train for years or even decades, courage would only get you killed. He didn''t even have a plan to deactivate the tags in case his attempt wasn''t successful.'' Fujin disappeared and the black panther changed its direction as well. Darui''s eyes widened as he realized, ''As I suspected. He plans to use them as human shields!'' Fujin had appeared behind another Kumo ninja and attacked with a sweep kick. The chakra-enhanced kick immediately damaged the poor ninja''s legs, temporarily disabling him. Due to how quickly it happened, his brain didn''t register the damage his legs had just taken. Instead, what horrified him was that Darui''s black panther was heading directly towards him! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Moritz, Kenan, Sapteup, Makhlouf, Mumm Ra, Xander and Pink Panda for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 685: Cloak! Chapter 685: Cloak! The Kumo ninja was so horrified by the black lightning panther, that he didn''t register the pain in his legs as he fell down. To his relief, the black panther changed its direction and tried to go around him. His relief instantly changed into horror as Fujin picked him up and continued using him as a shield! The poor guy experienced a roller-coaster of emotions in a single second. Seeing his state, the other 8 Kumo ninjas were terrified. None of them wanted to be subjected to such torture. All of them only had one thought, ''What a terrifying monster!'' Darui frowned and changed the direction of the black panther again. Realizing that Fujin would continue using that ninja as a shield, he just diverted it into the ground and charged towards Fujin with his sword. However, to Darui''s surprise, Fujin flung the ninja at him. Once again, Darui felt the absurdness of his opponent''s fighting style. He had never been in any such battle in his entire life. He was forced to stop his attack and catch the poor ninja. As soon as he did, his eyes widened as he felt something burning on that ninja''s back! The remaining Kumo ninjas saw it as well and shouted, "Darui-sama! Stay away!" A dozen explosive tags were stuck on his back. Darui tried to use his Lightning to disable the tags, but it was too late. The explosive tags exploded! Darui barely managed to retreat half a meter before the ninja''s dead body crashed into him with great speed! Even though he stopped his torso with his hand while retreating, he was drenched in the dead man''s blood! Darui looked at Fujin hatefully. However, he didn''t have any time to let his hatred out as he quickly dodged several lightning-charged senbon coming straight at his vital organs. The remaining Kumo ninjas tried to attack Fujin since they were surrounding him. However, their attacks hit thin air as Fujin flickered in front of Darui and slashed his sword down at him! Lightning flowed through Darui''s sword as he blocked Fujin''s sword. Unfortunately, Darui was slightly overwhelmed by what was happening. In addition, Fujin''s momentum was truly great. His sword pushed down on Darui''s sword, putting Darui in a very vulnerable situation. Fujin''s sword was barely a few centimeters from Darui''s forehead when his eyes widened and he stepped to his right. Moments later, a lightning-charged tanto passed by from just next to his cheek! Fujin glanced behind Darui and saw Samui running towards them at full speed. The two other Elite Jounins were moving in from the flanks while Yugito, C and Jin were in the rear. Darui took advantage of the distractions and kicked Fujin. Fujin used his feet to block his kick and jumped backwards. He was about to flicker away and retreat again when Yugito''s chakra exploded once again. However, it was different this time. Instead of taking Matatabi''s form, the blue flame-like chakra branched into two and moved through the forest. In the blink of an eye, Fujin and the other Kumo ninjas were surrounded by blue flames! Fujin was surprised. He thought, ''Her control over Matatabi''s chakra is this good? Even Roshi''s control wasn''t this good... It''s hard to believe that she still isn''t a perfect Jinchuriki. Still...'' A peculiar expression appeared on Fujin''s face as he realized something very odd. He thought, ''It was Hashirama who captured all the nine Tailed Beasts and distributed them among the villages. The ideal way to control the Tailed Beasts is Fuinjutsu and Konoha is a step ahead of other villages in this aspect. The only two other methods that are better at suppressing the Tailed Beasts are the Sharingan and Wood Release. Both belong to Konoha. And yet, Konoha is the worst in terms of utilizing the Tailed Beast!'' They had a plan for when Fujin acted unscrupulously again. However, the Kumo ninjas were caught off guard by the change in Fujin''s fighting style. Since the situation was advantageous to them, they continued attacking. Fujin hung on for two whole minutes in such an intense situation before he finally made a mistake! A shuriken hit his mask, very close to his left eye, before bouncing off. Thanks to the seals on the mask, he wasn''t harmed but Darui''s kick landed on his chest at the same time, sending him flying backwards. Fujin quickly flipped in the air and landed on his feet, but the two Elite Jounins used False Darkness yet again while C backed them up with Lightning Release: Flash Pillar. Excitement appeared in the eyes of several Kumo ninjas as they were finally about to land a critical blow! What they couldn''t see was that there was a smile behind Fujin''s mask. He thought, ''Not bad. Now that was a good fight! Maybe I should visit the Land of Lightning frequently in the future. I''ll improve rapidly with such battles.'' Just before the attacks could land on him, Fujin''s cloak moved and formed a dome around him. The three attacks landed on the cloak. The eyes of Kumo ninjas widened. Even Darui couldn''t help but mutter, "What in the hell?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Chandave and Hunter for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 686: A Deadly Plot! Chapter 686: A Deadly Plot! "What in the hell?" The attacks landed on Fujin''s dome-shaped cloak. As everyone expected, C''s attack was easily blocked since light couldn''t travel through an opaque object. However, what shocked everyone was that the dome tanked the other two jutsus as well without budging even an inch. There wasn''t even a single scratch on the cloak! Jin couldn''t help but wonder, ''How many seals has he inscribed on that cloak? How in the world could it block two False Darkness jutsu with such ease?'' Taking advantage of his temporary safety and the fact that he couldn''t be seen or sensed by anyone, the Blade of the Thunder Spirit appeared in Fujin''s right hand. A wide grin appeared on Fujin''s face as he decided, ''Enough defense, now let me see how you guys react when I go on the offensive!'' ''Lightning Release: Lightning Roots jutsu'' Fujin unleashed a massive amount of Lightning using the blade as a medium to amplify his jutsu. The Lightning pierced the ground, forming a root-like network as it traveled in every direction. While the Kumo ninjas couldn''t sense anything inside the dome due to the large concentration of seals on Fujin''s cloak, everyone felt a large amount of Lightning moving underground. Darui immediately jumped while shouting, "Everyone, be careful!" Others jumped in the same manner as everyone felt Lightning moving towards them. As their feet left the ground, Lightning drilled out of the ground under everyone''s feet and moved towards them. Instinctively, everyone used jutsus to defend themselves. Only four Chunins failed to do so and were zapped. Luckily, the Lightning wasn''t strong enough to critically injure them. Even so, everyone''s expression was ugly as they looked at C. Darui thought, ''Not good! His real target is C! The attacks on the rest of us were just a distraction!'' ''Wind Release: Great Breakthrough'' Sensing the strong Lightning jutsu approaching him, C immediately realized that he wouldn''t be able to counter it with a Lightning jutsu. Hence, he supercharged the Great Breakthrough jutsu as much as he could until the Lightning was very close to him before exhaling strong winds. The winds ripped through the Lightning, dispersing most of it. A few charges still hit C, but they weren''t strong enough to injure him. Only the hair on his body stood due to the electric charge. Unfortunately, he still wasn''t out of danger. Even before he used the Wind jutsu, the barrier around Fujin disappeared and the cloak went back around his body. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was still in the air, he rapidly moved towards C. ''Shit!'' Darui cursed. He was about to use a jutsu to intercept Fujin but he suddenly stopped and used his sword to block the incoming lightning-charged senbon! Samui met the same fate as well. Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m In the blink of an eye, Fujin reached C and his sword was right in front of him. C had a grim expression. He grabbed a kunai but had no confidence in being able to defend himself. Luckily for him, Fujin suddenly changed the direction of his sword to hit another sword. Fujin''s eyes widened as the two Elite Jounins launched their attacks completely ignoring the two Chunins in the way! The massive amount of lightning electrocuted both of them to death in an instant! Fujin, who was merely a couple of meters away from both of them, was caught completely off guard! Fujin immediately stepped backwards and flickered. However, with the attacks so close and incoming at the speed of Lightning, even his quick flicker was slow. Both attacks landed on his cloak. The defensive seals on his cloak managed to block the jutsus, ensuring that no harm came to Fujin. However, their force still sent him flying backwards. He landed just a couple of meters away from a Kumo Jounin. The Kumo Jounin was shocked by what he had witnessed. He never expected that two of his teammates would be killed by his superiors. However, understanding how critical the situation was, he didn''t ask any questions and attacked Fujin. Fujin immediately waved his sword to his left to block him but his eyes widened once again. Yugito, in Matatabi''s form, appeared behind the Jounin and swung her massive paw at both of them. At the same time, Darui, Samui, C, Jin and the two Elite Jounins also attacked to cut all paths of escape. Matatabi''s paw hit the Jounin as well as Fujin, who was very close to him, and sent both flying! As the one who had to take the major hit, the Jounin died on the spot. His dead body was flung away for around a hundred meters. Fujin was sent flying straight through Matatabi''s fire-like chakra surrounding the entire group. He finally flipped in the air and landed on his ground, but he still skidded along for a long distance. Yugito''s attack sent him half a kilometer away from them! Behind his mask, blood trickled down his lips. Despite being injured, a smile was plastered on his face. He broke out into laughter and muttered, "What crazy bastards!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aman, Huntez, Evrit, Gorama, Onebullet, Ruben, Brayan, Mark and ¦Ð¦Á¦Í¦Á¦Ã¦É¦Ø?¦Ó¦Ç? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 687: Backup Plan! Chapter 687: Backup Plan! "Hehehe. What crazy bastards!" Fujin exclaimed aloud with blood trickling down his lips. He thought, ''To think that Darui would resort to such tactics. I didn''t expect that. What a grave miscalculation!'' Even though Fujin was in a disadvantageous position, he never expected to get injured. While it could be said that he was arrogant to think so, he had a very good reason for thinking so, which was his cloak. It was so densely covered with seals that even rank A jutsus wouldn''t make it through unless he was continuously bombarded. As long as he stayed quick on his feet, injuring him was extremely difficult. The only ones who could injure him were Darui and Yugito. Darui''s Lightning wasn''t very difficult to handle but Fujin knew that he couldn''t take Yugito lightly. He was completely on guard against her. However, their tactics completely caught him off guard. Had her attack been any stronger, Fujin could have been forced to use the Flying Thunder God to dodge. Of course, the Kumo ninjas weren''t happy either. In spite of their resolve, backstabbing their own comrades didn''t feel good. In fact, it was just the opposite as they felt contempt for their own actions and blamed themselves for being weak. What made it worse was the fact that this tactic couldn''t finish Fujin off. They could still feel an intense chakra from him. Needless to say, the ones who had it the worst were the ninjas from the group Fujin targeted. Four of them were still alive. Their faces had become pale in horror seeing their leaders kill their comrades. None of them ever anticipated it and were scared for their own lives. Yugito began preparing a follow-up attack right after her attack landed on Fujin. She thought, ''We underestimated his cloak. To think that it''d be so sturdy that it would protect him from my full-power attack! And now he is no longer surrounded by us. I have to get him with this attack.'' She fired a massive ball of fire towards Fujin. Fujin immediately sensed a massive amount of chakra at its center. The vajra-shaped hilt of the Blade of the Thunder Spirit appeared in his right hand as he wondered, ''Hmm? A disguised Tailed Beast Bomb? No, the chakra is too little. It''s more similar to Scorch Release somehow.'' Fujin immediately realized that dodging wouldn''t be the best idea if the jutsu could spread like Scorch Release. He shot a Lightning Beam straight through the hilt at the incoming ball of fire. Due to being Lightning, Fujin''s jutsu traveled much quicker and they collided right around the halfway point between him and Yugito. Fujin''s Lightning Beam easily ripped through the flames and hit the chakra concentrated at the center. As soon as the Lightning touched the inner core, both jutsus exploded! Fujin''s eyes immediately widened while Yugito cursed, "Fuck!" She immediately retreated and used her chakra to cover her allies. As for Fujin, he directly escaped underground. The reason for such drastic reactions was that an intense heat wave spread in all directions from the explosion. The heat was so intense that Fujin felt that he might lose a layer of his skin even despite the defenses of his cloak! Every Kumo ninja in the area turned their heads and looked in the direction of the explosion. As soon as they did, they instinctively felt danger. Luckily, the ones who were close by could see Matatabi''s form and immediately realized what was happening. They quickly took defensive measures. Only a few failed to react in time and suffered intense burns as the heat wave reached them. Within a few seconds, a massive forest fire with a radius exceeding 3 kilometers started in the Land of Lightning! Yugito asked, "Are all of you alright?" Findd new stories at novelhall.com Darui answered, "Thanks to you. What about that guy?" C answered with a grim expression, "He moved underground to dodge the heat wave but has now escaped. I can sense him heading towards another group." The faces of ninjas from Darui''s group became ashen. Despite sacrificing three of their capable ninjas, they had failed to take the enemy down. They knew that they couldn''t create such an opening again. "WHAT???" Several Kumo ninjas exclaimed loudly in unison. Fujin had cut down Kumo ninjas like crops without a shred of mercy. He also toyed with several of them. Yet, Darui claimed something so absurd. Darui explained, "The feeling I get from him is how the boss felt about the Fourth Hokage. He just wanted a good fight and compete with him in terms of speed. This guy too is fighting like he''s sparring. Since he can''t take on all of us at the same time, he resorted to such tactics to restrain us so that he can battle to his heart''s content." The eyes of other Kumo ninjas widened. They still couldn''t believe Darui''s words. Yugito muttered, "Why would he seek out such a spar? Hell, didn''t he claim that he had no interest in fighting us?" C immediately recalled all the events up to that point. Shock appeared on his face as he exclaimed, "Do you mean to say that his words are true?" Darui nodded and answered, "Yes, that''s the only explanation. If he is indeed an ancient expert who somehow lived until now and hasn''t recovered his real strength, then he is likely treating this battle as a spar to get back in shape. That is why he hasn''t used his full speed to eliminate the weaker ones. Otherwise, our death toll would have been much higher." As everyone analyzed Darui''s words, they felt like his words made more and more sense. Suddenly, C said, "You might be right. He hasn''t killed any more of our comrades!" Fujin became curious about what Kumo was planning. He didn''t see much point in killing as much as he could as there wasn''t much to gain. He decided, ''I''ll leave them alive for now. Perhaps they might be able to put up a fight the next time. Anyway, let me see what they are planning.'' Every Kumo ninja, including the injured ones, rushed towards the signal sent by the Elite Jounins. Within a couple of minutes, 381 Kumo ninjas gathered at that spot. The only ones who were slightly away were Darui, C, Yugito, Samui and Jin. To Fujin''s surprise, a barrier formed around the 381 Kumo ninjas. Fujin''s left eye twitched at that sight as he wondered, ''Are they tempting me to kill them all?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You iDogei, Bhavnick, Isaac, Silent Rain, ARandomFan, Lizzerik and Ugur for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 688: Wild u0026 Unpredictable! Chapter 688: Wild u0026 Unpredictable! [A/N: Once again, thanks for all your love and support guys. My family and I are doing much better now. The rituals are more or less done as well, and most of the relatives have left too, though a few may come to visit in the coming days. So, the release schedule could be inconsistent for a week, but I shouldn''t miss any chapters hopefully. Anyway, let''s get back to the story. Stay safe and healthy!] When he left Kumogakure, Darui led an army of 500 ninjas along with C, Samui, Yugito and Jin. Due to Fujin''s trap and the battle, 119 ninjas had already died. The remaining 381 gathered together and hid behind a dome-shaped barrier. Needless to say, the barrier was very strong. It could even stop Yugito. C sighed in relief and muttered, "Luckily your speculations were on point. He didn''t kill anyone. We can finally take him on without any worry." What Darui and the rest couldn''t calculate was that Fujin was almost tempted to kill all 381 ninjas within the barrier! Since he had been waiting here for Darui and his army, he had long left countless Flying Thunder God marks around. While Fuinjutsu Grandmasters could sense his other seals, they couldn''t spot the Flying Thunder God marks. If they could, then Hiruzen and Danzo would have long suffered a deadly heart attack and rested in peace and left poor Orochimaru without any targets. So, Fujin wasn''t conservative in marking the area. Needless to say, there were several marks within the barrier. Fujin could just teleport inside and kill everyone with his Wind Domain before the Kumo ninjas could even deactivate the barrier! Due to how close they were standing to each other, doing so was considerably easier than killing everyone in the bases. Fujin muttered to himself, ''They''re lucky that killing others doesn''t increase a person''s strength in any way. Otherwise, Ay might have had a mental breakdown. Anyway, with all of them sealed within the barrier, I won''t face any sneak attacks while fighting them. However, taking on both Darui and Yugito with just Lightning Release is still too tough for me. I guess I''ll have a final round before leaving my name behind and setting up conditions for more such battles in the future...'' With the army safe, Darui''s group quickly moved towards Fujin. They promptly reached Fujin, who was casually standing while resting his back against a burning tree patiently waiting for them. Darui said, "I didn''t expect you to be waiting for us." Fujin sighed and muttered, "Well, chasing and killing those weaklings is rather boring. Sigh, did you really have to disturb my meal?" The Kumo ninjas were left speechless by his casual disregard for the lives of their comrades. At the same time, they felt anger. Before they could respond, Fujin said, "Oh well, the two of you did provide me with some entertainment. State your names. If you manage to make it out alive, then perhaps I''d pay this country more visits." Fujin casually ignored Samui, C and Jin and asked Darui and Yugito. Needless to say, it sent their anger through the roof. Yugito once again transformed into Matatabi and shouted while swinging her massive paw down at him, "Now that I no longer have to worry about others, prepare to pay with your life!" Fujin just chuckled. He released several Lightning rays through the tip of the fingers of his right hand into the ground in front of him. The Kumo ninjas became alert for an underground Lightning attack. However, no Lightning bolts moved towards them. Instead, Fujin moved his hand as if he were digging his hand into the ground and taking out some soil. Matatabi''s massive paw was just a dozen meters above Fujin''s head when the entire ground under their feet moved! Needless to say, he was the most alert against Yugito. Even though he knew that she wouldn''t sacrifice Darui or Samui, he no longer dared to bet on it. Due to his alertness, any tactics the Kumo ninjas came up with fell short. C''s attempts didn''t have any success either as Fujin''s chakra flow was too chaotic to place him under a Genjutsu with merely his skills. For the next half an hour, the Kumo elites continued to clash fruitlessly with Fujin. Their coordinated attacks did catch Fujin off guard a few times due to the nature of the combat, but they failed to inflict any serious injury on him as Fujin always dodged at the last moment or used his cloak to absorb most of the attack. The Kumo ninjas, except Yugito, took varying amounts of injuries as well but no one was seriously injured either. Regardless, Fujin gained some very important experience in using Lightning Release in combat. Several new ideas also popped into his head and he couldn''t wait to train them and make them a part of his combat system. Finally, Fujin decided, ''Good, but it''s now getting repetitive. I need to digest my gains before challenging them again. Oh well, my clone should''ve reached Kumo by now. Time to leave...'' Fujin suddenly stepped back and swung his blade at the Kumo ninjas from a distance. A lightning chain was launched, forcing Samui and Darui to retreat. Yugito launched a Fireball to counter the Lightning chain and attack Fujin, but Fujin just flickered out of the way. To their surprise, he didn''t continue attacking them and instead said, "Impressive but not enough. From your headbands, you fellows are from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, right? Are you the strongest in your village or are there fighters stronger than you?" The Kumo ninja was surprised by the sudden change in Fujin once again. Being totally tired and annoyed at Fujin, Samui shouted, "Of course, there are stronger ninjas in our village. If the Raikage was here, then you''d be long dead!" To her shock, Fujin replied, "Hmm, the Raikage, huh? Alright then, I''ll pay a visit to your village." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ee Seng, Simo, Famous, Misinput, Kieran, Margo, Adrian, Matthew, Marcos, Liberiu, Zeke, Paul and Kenny for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 689: Saisho no Hikari Chapter 689: Saisho no Hikari The eyes of the five Kumo ninjas widened in shock. None of them expected such a response. Samui had said what she did only due to frustration caused by Fujin''s antics. She wanted to intimidate him with the Raikage''s strength but never imagined that her opponent would take it as a challenge instead of a threat! Before they could understand how to respond, Fujin said, "Before I leave, let me teach you youngsters something about controlling Lightning." The Kumo ninjas were once again confused. After going through such a weird but intense battle, they didn''t expect their opponent to ''guide'' them. Darui wondered, ''What the hell is up with this guy? First, he kills dozens of our ninjas and creates an irreconcilable enmity with our village and then he wants to guide us and give us tips to become stronger?'' Once again, the possibility of Fujin being an ancient expert solidified in the hearts of the Kumo elites. As much as they hated him and wanted to see him die, they were looking forward to his ''guidance''. Fortunately, they didn''t know that the one they considered an ancient expert was actually younger than any of them, had far less experience with the Lightning Release than them and loved to confuse the hell out of his opponents. Heck, even most of the ninjas hiding inside the barrier had a greater experience than Fujin in this regard! If they did, their expressions would have been a sight to watch. Fujin continued, "No matter how good your control over Lightning is, there are only two factors that matter when using Lightning. How effective you are depends on how wild and unpredictable your Lightning is. If you lack in either of these two aspects, then it doesn''t matter how strong you are. You''ll never be able to use Lightning as it should be." Suddenly, a Lightning charge appeared around Fujin and he disappeared! Samui raised her guard and asked while looking around, "Where is he?" C looked up in the sky and shouted, "Above us!" Everyone looked above and saw Fujin nearly a couple hundred meters in the sky! Their eyes widened in horror as they saw a sight too familiar to them! "Impossible!" "There''s no way!"Vi?Sit no(v)3lb/!n(.)com for new novels "How can he use that technique?" Even the elites of one of the strongest hidden villages couldn''t keep their cool. However, they couldn''t really be blamed as what they were seeing was truly shocking. In the sky, Fujin''s body was covered in armor made of Lightning! For the first time, both Yugito and Darui were scared. As strong as they were, they had no confidence in facing someone who might be at the same level as their leader! Needless to say, what Fujin was using wasn''t the Raikage''s Lightning Chakra Mode. Instead, it was Raiga''s Thunder Armor. The difference between the two techniques was like Heaven and Earth but they were very similar in appearance. Hence, just like Fujin, the Kumo ninjas also mistook it for the Raikage''s technique. Unfortunately, even the Body Flicker jutsu was simply too slow in this critical situation. Luckily, Yugito acted solely by her instincts and sent a large portion of Matatabi''s chakra to act as a shield for her comrades. Due to how concentrated it was, the Lightning still pierced through Matatabi''s chakra and hit the Kumo elites. Even Yugito wasn''t spared. Fortunately, Matatabi''s chakra weakened the Lightning considerably. Darui, C, Samui and Jin were in the middle of Body Flicker when they were hit by the Lightning. They instantly lost control of their jutsus as well as their bodies. They fell to the ground and rolled for several dozen meters due to their momentum. Each of them had varying degrees of injuries on their bodies. Among the four of them, the one who was the least hurt was C as he had been the first to retreat. His left cheek, chest and abdomen had some burns caused by the Lightning. His internal organs were injured as well due to the Lightning shock. He bit his tongue and thought, ''I have to control myself. Who will heal everyone if I can''t?'' Through amazing grit and determination, he managed to get up to his knees. Darui and Samui barely managed to do it as well. They didn''t dare to lie down when the enemy could close in for a kill at any moment. On the other hand, Jin was the one who had it the worst among the four of them. His left arm had been completely burnt by the Lightning and so was the lower half of his left leg. His chest and abdomen both were covered in blood. He was the only one who continued lying on the ground as his body uncontrollably spasmed. Yugito wasn''t spared either. Since she went all out to save her comrades, her defenses fell short. The Lightning ripped through her cloak, tearing it down in several places before hitting her body! Despite being weakened considerably, the Lightning ripped through her body and covered her in blood as she fell to her knees and vomited some more blood. Even then, she continued looking at the sky to see what had happened to Fujin. She desperately hoped that her attack got him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Steve, Alex, J Correa, Brayan, Dontletmecook, KAAT, Greninja, Baba, Quarky, Kaito, user and Jwan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 690: Disastrous Injuries! Chapter 690: Disastrous Injuries! A few hundred kilometers to the East of the Village Hidden in the Clouds, a huge forest fire was spreading in the Land of Lightning. In one part of this forest fire was a large dome-shaped barrier containing nearly 400 ninjas, who were anxiously waiting. In another part was what looked like a gigantic blue cat who seemed to have been brutally tortured. Next to it were four injured ninjas. Yugito looked carefully at the flames burning in the skies, attempting to look for their opponent. C approached Jin and began healing him. Darui and Samui walked next to him and asked, "Where is he?" As he healed Jin, C answered, "I''m not sure. His chakra disappeared moments after that Lightning sphere suddenly appeared on the ground." Darui and Samui frowned. Jin finally stopped spasming. Using all his strength, he said, "I saw him using the Reverse Summoning jutsu just when that sphere exploded. He escaped..." The reason why Jin had been slower was because he kept an eye on Fujin. Among the five Kumo ninjas, he had been the only one to do so. Samui, Darui and C had complicated expressions. On one hand, they were upset that the murderer of their comrades had escaped scot-free. On the other hand, they were relieved that he left. Otherwise, they could have died as well. With them out of the way, the entire army could''ve been annihilated. Finally, Darui sighed and said, "Sorry, old man. You had to suffer due to my incompetence." Jin just chuckled and said, "Don''t worry. I have to work my old bones occasionally." He thought, ''Besides, I can''t really blame you. After all, I should have been the one to spot that deadly trap.'' Hearing their words, Yugito finally took back Matatabi''s chakra and appeared next to them. Just like the rest, her clothes were covered in blood as well. She asked, "How did that slow-moving technique suddenly appear on the ground?" C replied, "I''m not sure. That sphere just disappeared and appeared in front of us almost instantly. I''m not sure how he did it, but the speed of that sphere was definitely greater than Raikage-sama''s speed." Darui thoughtfully said, "He said that Lightning has to be wild and unpredictable to be most effective. That jutsu is the embodiment of his words. It first moved slowly and then surprised us with a speed that we couldn''t even track. I haven''t seen a more unpredictable jutsu..." Samui replied, "Even so, there must have been some reason why his jutsu was able to move in such a manner." Darui nodded and replied, "Yes, but I suppose it could be explained considering that the jutsu was made of Lightning. Real Lightning moves at a speed that even Boss can''t reach. I guess he somehow managed to incorporate that into his jutsu along with a way to hide its chakra signature temporarily. That is probably why we couldn''t track it." Samui thought for a bit before sighing. She said, "His methods of manipulating Lightning were really something else. Though it doesn''t make any sense, his words might have been true. An ancient expert who somehow resurfaced in the current times. We need to dig up more information on him. Did you get his name?" Darui agreed and said, "Yes. He said he used to be called Akuro." Yugito frowned and asked, "Akuro? It suits him. However, considering how he put it, this might be a name others gave him." Darui and the rest nodded solemnly. C continued healing them to the best of his abilities. A couple of kilometers from Kumogakure, Fujin stood next to a small hill while looking at a massive barrier. He thought, ''Saisho no Hikari... It''s the result of my attempts to infuse Lightning chakra into the Rasengan. Just like the Rasenshuriken, this jutsu has some devastating effects as well. The Rasenshuriken consists of countless microscopic wind blades. They''re so dense that every cell in the victim''s body is pierced several times and destroys their chakra network as a result. Though different, the devastation caused by Saisho no Hikari is just as crazy. When the jutsu explodes, it unleashes a bright light in every direction. This light is nothing but highly concentrated Lightning. If it falls on anyone, it''ll destroy the flesh and nerves at and around the area of impact, effectively handicapping them. Even though the wounds are treatable, it''ll be a long process and the pain will likely stay for decades. Not to mention, if Lightning penetrates up to the bone, then that body part will forever be unusable. Therefore, if anyone takes the entire blow of the jutsu, then surviving is pretty much impossible. I believe that even Orochimaru would fall. The only one who might have a good chance of survival is Ay. However, even if anyone dodges the jutsu, completely avoiding it is extremely difficult as Lightning is discharged in every direction. This is an edge this jutsu has over Rasenshuriken. Kakuzu wouldn''t be able to interfere with it like he did against Naruto and Pain''s bodies wouldn''t be able to dodge it entirely. However...'' A wry smile appeared behind Fujin''s mask. The advantage itself was a lethal disadvantage. The jutsu was less of an attacking jutsu and more of a suicidal jutsu! [A/N: No double today. Will try to do it tomorrow.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Gerald, Fernandes, Arnell, Weirwood, Lex, Yazeed and §¦§Ó§Ô§Ö§ß§Ú§Ú? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 691: Fujins Righteousness! Chapter 691: Fujin''s Righteousness! A wry smile appeared behind Fujin''s mask. The advantage that the jutsu had was itself a lethal disadvantage. The jutsu was less of an attacking jutsu and more of a suicidal jutsu! Fujin continued thinking, ''Due to the high chakra density, the jutsu can''t be thrown at a great speed. Instead, it moves at a snail''s pace and I can''t even use winds to speed it up like I can with a normal Rasengan. Whoever uses this jutsu will definitely be hit and die along with his or her enemies. The only way to feasibly use this jutsu is by teleporting it through Flying Thunder God marks...'' One of the main reasons why Fujin had talked about Lightning having to be wild and unpredictable was to confuse the Kumo ninjas. Due to his words, they felt what he did was an application of Lightning manipulation when, in fact, it was a Space Time technique. Even though Darui and the rest had doubts, they suppressed them due to Fujin''s words and convinced themselves that what they saw was a pure application of Lightning manipulation. After creating the jutsu, Fujin merely teleported the sphere at a Flying Thunder God mark which wasn''t neither too close to the Kumo ninjas nor too far away from them. This ensured that they wouldn''t die but would be injured enough to make them take his threat very seriously and make several preparations to deal with ''Akuro'' the next time. V/\Issi?T for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce Fujin thought, ''Hence, that jutsu is still incomplete. It''s even worse than Rasenshuriken in this regard. Even though it doesn''t hurt the arm like Rasenshuriken does, the user will be hurt way more than the target. That is why, even Sage Mode won''t be a help to overcome this drawback. Perhaps the Lightning Chakra Mode might help, though I''ll need to test this jutsu on Ay in order to be sure. The other option is to learn how to control the direction in which the Lightning is launched after the sphere explodes. Currently, only a fraction of the actual attack hits the enemy due to the omnidirectional nature of the jutsu. If I could control the direction of the Lightning after it explodes, it would not only remove the drawback but also increase the effective power of the jutsu by at least 2 times without having to spend any additional chakra. However, this is also very difficult because I''ll need to modify the jutsu considerably... Another issue, which I may not be able to fix, is that I can''t amplify this jutsu with either the Blade of the Thunder Spirit or the Kiba Blades like other Lightning jutsus because this jutsu isn''t like other Lightning jutsus. The presence of Rasengan is too big of an interference for normal amplification to work. The only help I can get is with the Lightning that I infuse into the Rasengan. That can be amplified by the blade, saving me a considerable amount of chakra even though the amount of Lightning chakra lost during the process of fusing it into the Rasengan increases. So, the chakra I need to create Saisho no Hikari is around half what I need for Rasenshuriken...'' Fujin thought about the issues with the jutsu for some time before taking a deep breath. He turned his attention towards the barrier and muttered, "I''ll continue working on this jutsu later. If I can modify it, it''ll be a much more lethal weapon in my arsenal. Even if I can''t, that''s not a worry since I can still use it along with the Flying Thunder God jutsu. Not to mention, I still have Kirin. Anyway... Why are these lunatics maintaining such a massive barrier?" The barrier surrounding Kumogakure was truly ridiculous. Fujin could sense its immense power. He believed that even Kurama would fail to tear it down. Fujin wondered, ''Did anyone else threaten them as well? Or did they do it just because Ay, Bee, Darui and Yugito were out of the village? But that doesn''t make much sense. Even without them, there should be thousands of capable ninjas here. Who''d dare to attack them openly?'' Had Shikaku seen the barrier, he''d have chuckled. While planning to destroy the bases, he had to consider a lot of variables. Ay and Bee were the two biggest variables, but the large number of ninjas in Kumogakure was a big variable as well. His and the eyes of other Kumo ninjas widened as the ''civilian'' disappeared in front of their eyes! Not one of them saw his movements. They couldn''t help but exclaim, "What was that?" "More importantly, who was that? And where did he go?" "Shit, we need to inform Lady Mabui." "Hurry! He might be an enemy. We need to take care of him immediately!" That small group of ninjas immediately rushed inside the building and reported to their superior, who immediately rushed to report to Mabui. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Earth General, Mukut, Jonas, Abel and Mikey for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 692: Uninvited Guest! Chapter 692: Uninvited Guest! In Kumogakure, two Jounins rushed into the Raikage''s office at their full speed and saw Mabui and Elder Inazuma. Seeing the panic on their faces, both Mabui and Inazuma became serious and asked, "What''s the matter?" One of the Jounins answered, "Some of my subordinates spotted a civilian walking towards here. However, when they tried to stop him, he disappeared. I''m afraid that one of the spies has decided to take action." Inazuma frowned and questioned, "Which stupid spy would act when we are so alert? It must be something else. Did your subordinates see where he went?" The Jounin shook his head and answered, "No. They said that it was almost as if he disappeared in thin air. Either it was some kind of Genjutsu or his speed is very ridiculous." Mabui and Inazuma became serious. Mabui muttered, "If it''s the former, then it shouldn''t be an issue. However, if it is the latter, then things can get troublesome. Someone who can move at that speed should at least be an Elite Jounin." U//ppTodated fr/o/m a nodded agreeing with her. While they discussed the intruder, a pair of eyes opened up in a room just under the Raikage''s building. The pair of eyes belonged to an old man in his early sixties. Surprise could be seen in his eyes as he wondered, ''Someone infiltrated this building? Who''s so courageous? And how did he or she do it?'' Even though the old man wasn''t a Grandmaster, he was a Sealmaster who wasn''t too far away from the Grandmaster rank. He was currently on duty to monitor the seals on the Raikage''s building. As soon as Fujin entered the building, it was picked up by the seals in the building and hence alerted him. He was about to take action and inform Mabui when the surprise in his eyes suddenly changed into horror. He muttered, "What in the world? How can this happen? No, this is impossible! What is happening? Who is it?" He got up in panic as he sensed thousands of foreign seals appearing inside the building. As more and more seals appeared, he began losing control over the seals already present in the building. No matter what he tried, he couldn''t control it. In panic, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Takahiro! Quickly contact Mabu..." He suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood and glanced at his chest in disbelief. He saw a bloody arm poking out of his chest. The poor man died on the spot. Following his shout, 4 Anbu ninjas rushed into the room. Unfortunately, each was welcomed by a lightning-charged senbon to their hearts. They collapsed right after entering the room and joined the old man in the afterlife. Fujin stored the dead bodies of all 5 ninjas while thinking, ''My Flying Thunder God marks have already spread throughout the building. Unless they destroy the building and build a new one, they''ll always stay here. Even if they destroy it, my clones are currently marking the rest of the village right now. With those seals inside the village, I can infiltrate Kumo at will in the future. Perhaps I could use Akuro''s identity to lure Ay out and then look here again in case I don''t find what I want. Now then, I wonder where he has kept the scroll containing the secrets of the Lightning Chakra Mode and Kohaku no Johei.'' Fujin''s first target was undoubtedly the Lightning Chakra Mode. Unfortunately, its scroll wasn''t easy to find. From Dodai''s memories, Fujin knew that Kumogakure maintained two scrolls that had the information he wanted. The reason for this was in case all masters of that jutsu ended up dying on the battlefield, the jutsu wouldn''t be lost. In addition, the Raikage never carried the scrolls while on missions in case he lost them due to circumstances. However, even with those conditions, finding the scroll wasn''t easy. Kumo had taken the highest level of precautions to ensure that the scrolls would never fall into enemy hands. If Fujin hadn''t been taking advantage of the circumstances created by Shikaku''s plans, he would never have had such an easy time infiltrating into the building. Mabui quickly barked orders. She summoned a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster to take a look at the seals on the building. In addition, she called on the other Kumogakure ninjas in the village. Within a couple of minutes, the building was surrounded by more than a couple thousand ninjas! The remaining council members had arrived as well. Understanding the severity of the situation, Mabui didn''t dare slack off. Someone had just taken over their leader''s building! It was a matter of great humiliation for Kumogakure! As the one in charge of Kumogakure in the absence of other leaders, Mabui felt even more responsible. The deaths of the Anbu squads were still weighing on her and now she was in yet another crisis! As soon as Grandmaster Nanako arrived, she began inspecting the seals on the building. The more she inspected, the grimmer her expression became. Inazuma asked, "Well, Nanako, what is it? How was the building taken over by seals so suddenly? And, can we break in?" Nanako replied, "I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. There are hundreds, probably thousands of new seals on the building. These seals have skillfully avoided clashing with the older seals and are coexisting with them, but their existence makes it very difficult for us to control our seals. If we make a mistake, then we could end up triggering the explosive tags and I''m not sure what the result will be. Still, I don''t understand how so many seals could appear so suddenly. We regularly checked the seals. So, they couldn''t have been hidden in this building, could they?" Mabui was suspicious as well. She asked, "Do you think that this is an inside job... Huh?" All of a sudden, all the Kumo ninjas looked up. They saw a figure wearing a black cloak and a demon mask leaning against the window and looking down at them! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Rain, Libuis, LessThanAvg, Sharmaake and SilverLeavesFall for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 693: A Great Shame! Chapter 693: A Great Shame! Kumogakure had been experiencing a strange day. When the people in the village woke up, they saw a massive barrier surrounding the village and every single ninja in the village was ordered to be alert. A few hours later, Darui led a huge army outside the village. The people wanted to hear from their Raikage, but he was nowhere to be found. And now, a couple of thousand ninjas had placed the Raikage''s building under siege! It immediately caused panic among the common people and even some ninjas. Discussions immediately broke out. "Why have they sieged the Raikage Building?" "Do you think those ninjas are committing mutiny?" "No way! As if those ninjas have any chance against Raikage-sama." "Is there an enemy inside the village?" "But how could they have infiltrated into the Raikage building?" "Have the other villages declared war on us?" "Will the Fourth Great Ninja War break out soon?" The people in Kumogakure immediately started making conspiracy theories. After all, there was nothing people loved more than gossiping. Of course, the spies in the village also took note of it. They were very curious about what was happening. They wanted to go closer to take a better look but didn''t dare to do so in case it was a trap. Around the Raikage building, hundreds of Kumo ninjas, along with people in power like Mabui, Inazuma, Nanako and the Council Members, looked at the building to see an unfamiliar figure casually leaning against the window and looking down at them! Immediately several discussions broke out wondering what the identity of that person was. Mabui and the rest frowned as well. They had never seen or heard about anyone using such a disguise. Inazuma asked loudly, "Who are you? And how did you inscribe so many seals on the building?" As he spoke, he unleashed his bloodlust, displaying his seriousness. However, he didn''t get any reaction from Fujin, who continued looking casually. He glanced at Inazuma and thought, ''So he is the Elder who served as an advisor to the Third Raikage and continues to serve an important role in their council. From what Shikaku said, he was one of the main planners behind the Hyuga incident. Unfortunately, he is well past his prime to be much fun right now...'' Being ignored so casually was embarrassing for Inazuma. However, there wasn''t even a hint of embarrassment on his face. Just like the Elders in Konoha, he had long mastered the Dao of Shamelessness. Such a casual insult didn''t even increase his heartbeat. Upstodatee from abui followed up, "Who are you? And, what do you want?" Finally, Fujin sighed and asked softly, "What are you doing? Your headquarters is taken over by someone and you are just standing outside obediently?" He let out another long sigh and muttered, "Those brats scammed me..." The Elite Jounin frowned. He was one of the two who fought against Fujin. He didn''t want to leave the barrier until Darui and the rest returned. The Elite Jounin next to him said, "Our sensors said that the fighting stopped a few minutes ago. So, either that freak is dead or he''s planning another fucked up move. Regardless, it should be safe temporarily. I''ll take him along with me and meet up with them. You stay back in the barrier and ensure that it stays safe." The other guy nodded and said, "Be careful." The Elite Jounin and the communication ninja left the barrier and rushed towards Darui''s group. Inside the Raikage''s building, Fujin''s shadow clones were working at full speed. Dozens of Shadow Clones rummaged through the scrolls and files inside the building. They intended to look through as many scrolls as they could. Of course, many scrolls in the building were traps set for anyone attempting to steal them. Fujin knew that from Dodai''s memories, which is why he didn''t look personally for them and instead left everything to his clones. In addition, even though Dodai didn''t know the most important things like the location of the scroll containing the secrets of the Lightning Chakra Mode and the location of Kohaku no Johei, he knew some other important things. The first Shadow Clone that Fujin created inside the building flickered to one important scroll from Dodai''s memories. He quickly found it and opened it. As he read through the contents, a smile appeared behind his mask. The clone thought, ''Even though this isn''t the real Lightning Chakra Mode, this scroll contains the Third Raikage''s notes from when he was creating this jutsu. It also contains the basics of Black Lightning. With these, I might be able to replicate those techniques by myself even if I don''t find the final scrolls. The only drawback is that I''d need to spend several months, or perhaps even a few years to replicate them. Then again, it isn''t entirely bad. After all, the process of creating a new jutsu is extremely beneficial for any ninja. During that period, a ninja''s creativity is at its peak. Just like how I got the ideas for this battlefield while I was working on the Fuin Battlefield, hehehe. I wonder if the Kumo ninjas will step into this building...'' At the same time, another clone went into the underground. Just like Konoha, Kumogakure''s Anbu headquarters was just under their Kage''s building. They had emptied the base since the seals had spread through it as well. However, Fujin''s clone had no interest in the Anbu ninjas. Instead, he moved towards some storage rooms, removed the seals on them and opened them. A wide smile appeared on his face. Had Hiruzen seen that smile, he''d definitely recall a few unpleasant memories. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nathan, Scar, ITGT12, The Last Guardin, CoolingCloud, David, Light Pvp, Ikkei and Timothy for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 694: The Most Generous Village! Chapter 694: The Most Generous Village! After opening the storage room underneath the Raikage Building, a wide smile appeared on Fujin''s clone''s face. Had Hiruzen seen that smile, he''d shiver and recall a few unpleasant memories. It was the smile Fujin had whenever he extorted elemental crystals from him. In front of the clone''s eyes was a storage room filled with Lightning Crystals! In a matter of seconds, the entire room became empty as all the crystals went into the storage scrolls Fujin''s main body had arranged. Of course, it wasn''t the only storage room. There were four more storage rooms. Two of them were filled with Lightning Crystals just like the one which the clone had just plundered. The last two had the remaining four elemental crystals. Fujin''s clone emptied all 5 storage rooms. He calculated that he had taken 4369 Lightning Crystals, 822 Fire Crystals, 764 Water Crystals, 712 Wind Crystals and 484 Earth Crystals! It was a massive loot! Fujin never expected Kumogakure and Ay to be so generous. Fujin''s clone thought, ''I have to admit, the people in Kumo are undoubtedly the most generous folks. As soon as I arrived, all of them obediently left the building and let me take whatever I wanted in any quantity. Even Konoha has never been so generous towards me. Jokes aside, these shouldn''t be all elemental crystals Kumo has. Ay should still have quite a few stored in storage scrolls while other factions in Kumo should have some too. Regardless, this will be a big loss. According to my calculations, these should be over half of the elemental crystals Kumo has. I wish I could see Ay''s reaction when he realizes that these storage rooms are empty, hehehe.'' Meanwhile, his remaining clones were going through the remaining scrolls, looking for any techniques available in the building. They also came across several trap scrolls, but it wasn''t too difficult for Fujin''s clones to identify the traps before they opened the scrolls. In the end, not even a single trap was triggered. The Elite Jounin and the communication ninja ran through the burning forest and reached Darui''s group. Both were shocked to see the injuries on everyone''s bodies. Darui looked at them and asked, "Why are you here?" The Elite Jounin quickly replied, "There is an issue in the village. Mabui wants to talk with you immediately." The other ninja quickly handed the Chakra Transmission Communication device to Darui. He put it on and asked, "Mabui, can you hear me?" His eyes widened and his pupils dilated as he heard Mabui''s question, "Darui, do you know any ninja who wears a long black cloak and a demon mask?" He asked in disbelief, "How did you know?" Mabui replied, "So, you know who he is... Quickly give me all the information regarding him. We''re in a mess." Darui quickly said, "Hold up, Mabui! Please tell me how you know about him. What''s the situation in the village?" Mabui answered, "He showed up a few minutes ago and has taken over the Raikage building! Somehow, he managed to place thousands of seals on the buildings under our noses and is keeping all of us out. He said that a blonde girl with you told him that Raikage-sama could kill him and has given us 4 hours to summon him. Otherwise, he threatened to destroy our village." To say Darui was shocked was an understatement. He couldn''t understand how Fujin could make a move against their village so quickly as it had only been a few minutes since their fight ended. All the ninjas around him noticed his expression and promptly enquired what was happening. A Lightning cloak suddenly appeared around Ay as he said, "The village is a mess. I''m heading ahead. Bee, come with me. The rest of you follow our original plan. Inspect the five bases, but be careful and don''t trigger any traps. You''ve already heard from Jin how well-hidden the traps are. So, take every precaution and give your safety the highest priority." The six Kumo Elite Jounins nodded. A red chakra cloak appeared around Bee as he and Ay left the others behind. Bee said seriously, "Brother, you can''t sustain your chakra long enough to run all the way to the village in this manner. What is happening in the village?" Ay replied, "Don''t worry, I''m well aware. I''ll slow down at times to conserve my chakra. As for the village..." Ay informed him about Akuro''s actions. In the village, Mabui said, "Raikage-sama said that he''ll return to the village within four hours. We''ll be safe." Everyone around her sighed in relief. After hearing what he had done against Darui, none of them wanted to confront Akuro. Everything they heard about Akuro was bad news. Be it his disgusting fighting tactic, his terrifying strength or his jutsu leaving wounds that couldn''t be healed. Needless to say, what horrified them the most was the possibility that Akuro might know the Lightning Chakra Mode! They knew very well how overwhelming and mighty that technique was and wanted nothing to do with him even if he was low on chakra. If they could stay outside for a few hours without fighting, they''d be glad. They just prayed that their enemy wouldn''t suddenly change his mind and attack them before Ay returned. However, there was one exception. Inazuma said in a grim tone, "No! We can''t wait for the Fourth to return! We have to make a move!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Quarky, Cory, Osman and Zypharus for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 695: Devils Playground! Chapter 695: Devil''s Playground! Inazuma said in a grim tone, "No! We can''t wait for the Fourth to return! We have to make a move!" A look of surprise appeared on the council members around him. No one expected him to keep insisting on his original idea. Mabui said, "We don''t have any rank S ninjas inside the village to take him on. If we try, a lot of our ninjas will lose their lives pointlessly. Not to mention, we could even irk him and change his mind about waiting for four hours." Inazuma shook his head and replied, "Death is better than living without any dignity. The morale of our ninjas will drop to rock bottom if we don''t even show the will to fight against someone who has taken over our headquarters. Our enemies will be emboldened as well. Once the next Great War breaks out, we''ll suffer heavily due to this." Even though he said so, others weren''t convinced. One of the council members said, "We''ve already lost a lot of ninjas. Don''t forget that Darui''s army suffered heavily against him. If we lose any more ninjas, this might become another incident like the one in the Land of Hot Water. We can''t take responsibility for such losses." Mabui became even more depressed after hearing her words. The remaining council members were still unaware that everyone in six bases was missing or that Darui''s army had already suffered much damage due to the trap. Only she knew that this incident was already several times worse! Inazuma sighed and said, "As I said, there''s no other choice. What do you think everyone will think if none of the over ten thousand ninjas in the village dared to make a move against someone who challenged and insulted our entire village? I will take responsibility for this. Once Akuro is dealt with, I''ll accept the blame for any deaths until the Fourth returns and resign from the council." Everyone''s expression became solemn. Inazuma had been the oldest and longest-serving member on the Kumogakure council. He also held the most influence after Ay and was usually the one to tone down Ay''s aggression. None of them expected him to make such a sacrifice. Inazuma turned his gaze towards the window where Fujin was standing earlier and said, "Besides, don''t take everything at face value. Darui said that Akuro''s chakra reserves might have dropped low. Perhaps these 4 hours are just for him to recover his chakra. I''m not sure where the Fourth is, but if he''s too far away and has to use the Lightning Chakra Mode to return quickly to the village, then he''ll be very exhausted by the time he returns. He might be at a disadvantage against a fully rested Akuro. If he falls or is seriously injured like Jin, then our village will be in grave danger! In addition, all our official documents are in the building as well. He may say that he''s from an ancient era, but if that is a lie and he is from one of the other villages, then he will take this opportunity to get all our secrets. I don''t need to tell you guys what the consequences would be if those secrets leaked." Everyone followed Inazuma''s gaze with an ugly expression. In truth, they knew this in their hearts as well. However, none of them wanted to accept it as the cost would be too heavy. Since Inazuma took initiative and responsibility, no one could oppose him. Under Inazuma''s orders, the Kumo ninjas immediately got into action while Mabui informed Darui about Ay''s orders. Inside the building, Fujin was inside the Raikage''s office when a couple of clones teleported next to him. They handed him a couple of scrolls and dispelled themselves to transfer the memories to him. A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he looked at the scrolls and thought, ''Good. Everything in that scroll is copied in this one. And this scroll has all the elemental crystals. What a good loot... I can finally use Lightning crystals to improve my Lightning affinity a bit. Nanako answered, "As I said earlier, the seals are interconnected. Any attack will be distributed along the entire network. We could destroy it with enough attacks, but that would cause the building to collapse as well. In addition, there are several explosive seals in the seal network. They''ll be triggered and everything inside the building will be destroyed, except Akuro of course. I doubt he''d be foolish enough to leave himself vulnerable." Inazuma immediately rejected that option. Ever since Kumogakure was established, there had never been an instance where the Raikage Building had fallen. He didn''t intend to be the one to do it. Not to mention, the loss of all the important documents would create a lot of work and he knew that Ay would give that task to him since he''d take the responsibility. Inazuma sighed and said, "This is even more dangerous than I imagined... Summon the ninjas who can use Elemental Clones. Send eight clones through each pathway! Nanako, you send a couple as well. Keep a close eye on the seals inside the building and improve your understanding of this seal network. Mabui, instruct the sensors to begin their task" Nanako and Mabui nodded. Within a few minutes, a few gaps opened up in the barrier as 64 clones entered inside. At the same time, several sensors activated their chakra field, covering the entire village! Fujin realized Kumogakure''s intentions but didn''t even pay any attention to it. Instead, a wide smile appeared behind his mask as he thought, ''Good. Let me see how good my third battlefield technique is. Welcome to the Devil''s Playground.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tristan, Bernard, Ethan, Pablo and Fun Yoga for supporting me on P@treon. Thank You t e for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 696: Flaws??? Chapter 696: Flaws??? As the 64 clones rushed into the eight pathways, Mabui became tense. She thought, ''If he is low on chakra, he could use the reverse summoning again. He must have someone inside the village helping him. Once he uses it, our sensors will find him and the one helping him. However, this will likely result in a heavy loss of civilian lives...'' All 64 clones entered the building while everyone outside the building paid close attention. Suddenly, their eyes widened. Nanako stuttered, "This... How are we supposed to know what is happening inside?" When Fujin decided to create the Fuin Battlefield, his goal was to create a battlefield that would trap anyone who was already inside the battlefield and kill them before they could get or even ask for any reinforcements. However, while he was creating it, one of his Shadow Clones had a different idea. If the Fuin Battlefield was similar to an invisible fort, his clone wanted to create a battlefield similar to a labyrinth. Instead of trapping the ones inside, it would be laid at a location the enemy wanted to attack or pass through. Entering inside it would be easy, however, that was when it would show its fangs. Fujin worked on this idea later and made it a reality. The end result was so devious that Fujin immediately named it the Devil''s Playground. As soon as the clones entered the building, a barrier appeared on the entrances to the eight paths. Neither the sensors nor the Sealmasters could sense what was happening inside. The only way they could still know what was inside was if the clones came outside. They waited patiently for over 10 minutes, but nothing happened. Finally, there was a change. However, the change left them dumbfounded! The barriers at the entrance of the eight pathways disappeared. Everything seemed to be just the way it was 10 minutes ago. The only difference was that there were no signs of any clones! The Kumo ninjas exchanged glances, fear visible in their eyes. 64 elemental clones had just disappeared! All signs pointed out that all 64 clones had been wiped out. What scared them even more was that there weren''t any signs of combat in the pathways. Inazuma sucked a cold breath and asked, "Nanako, did you notice anything? How could the clones be wiped out without any signs of combat?" A few drops of sweat rolled down Nanako''s face. She answered, "I''m not sure. It is possible that he is hiding any such signs with his seals. No... That would mean that he eliminated everyone very quickly and had enough time to fix all eight pathways. That would be difficult to do in just ten minutes. I guess the fighting happened at a deeper place inside the building. Either that or our clones are trapped somewhere. There is also a chance that he has some helpers. Maybe the one who reverse summoned him into our village wasn''t the only one. That would explain a lot." Inazuma calmed down and said thoughtfully, "It is also possible that the seal formation has mechanisms to hurt clones just enough to dispel them quickly. Regardless..." Inazuma sighed. Things looked very bad. However, he couldn''t stop. Waiting obediently for Ay to return would be too big of a blow to Kumogakure''s morale. That said, understanding how difficult the circumstances were, Inazuma decided to focus more on keeping the losses to a minimum. He lowered his goals and said, "Let''s test out this seal formation more. Even if we are unable to crack it open, we can at least get Fourth some information regarding this." The Kumo ninjas immediately began experimenting. They sent 8 elemental clones, including Nanako''s Lightning clone, in a single passage and tried to communicate with them. Unfortunately, all their attempts ended in failure. Nanako''s clone attacked the barrier from inside but stopped immediately after confirming that the damage was being distributed along the entire formation and damaging the building''s foundation. Outside the building, the Kumo ninjas kept a watchful eye. To their surprise, the barrier disappeared much more quickly this time. Nanako muttered, "The barrier disappeared in just 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Just like earlier, there are no signs of our clones or combat. Does it mean that how quickly the barrier opens depends on the number of pathways we enter into?"V/\Issi?T for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce Inazuma had the same thought. They continued testing the seal formation. Another hour passed. Only two and a half hours were left from the four hours. Looking intently at the information written in front of her, Nanako said, "I see it now. If we take just 1 or 2 pathways, the barrier disappears in 2.5 minutes. If we take 3 or 4 pathways, it takes 5 minutes. Taking 5 or 6 pathways requires 7.5 minutes for the barrier to disappear while 7 or 8 pathways take 10 minutes. However, irrespective of how much time it takes, our clones always disappear. Huh?" Hiruzen''s clone and Shikaku were surprised. Shikaku muttered, "I didn''t expect them to hurry in such a rush. The situation inside the Land of Lightning must be very serious for them to leave their comrades behind." Hiruzen''s clone sighed and said, "We had calculated for 8 more hours. However, if he continues moving using that technique, they''ll reach Kumogakure within a couple of hours. It''s time to end the operation." Shikaku sighed as well and muttered, "A shame. Then again, I suppose this is the best we''ll get without having to pay a terrifying price." As he spoke, he grabbed a black tag and crushed it. Several thousand kilometers away, another black tag began burning. Shikaku placed his hand on Fumito''s shoulder and said, "I''ll talk with Fujin. You mark his location on the map and see whether he has any risk of running into the Raikage. Since Killer Bee is with him, even flying over them could be risky." Fumito nodded and looked at the map in front of him. Just then, he heard a voice, "Has the Raikage returned so quickly?" Shikaku replied, "It''s not just the Raikage. Killer Bee is with him as well. Both are rushing back at full speed. They might reach Kumogakure in a couple of hours. It''s time to abort." As Shikaku spoke, he and Hiruzen''s clone looked at Fumito''s hand as he grabbed a pencil and marked Fujin''s location on the map! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Disa, James, Luco, ArcticRaven, CrazyMonkey and Gabriel for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Abhinav for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 697: Wearing the enemy down! Chapter 697: Wearing the enemy down! [A/N: Jeez! Nearly 750 chapters and I still can''t estimate how many words it''ll take to reach a particular scene. I wanted to cover a particular scene (in the latest chapter on pat reon) and thought it''d take around 1.7k-2k words. So, I decided to write a long chapter because I wanted to end with that scene. However, I ended up writing nearly 3.3k words ?????????Anyway, enjoy a double release.] In front of Fumito was a large map of the Land of Lightning. As soon as Fujin contacted him, he could trace his location. Shikaku observed carefully as he marked the area on the map. A look of surprise appeared on Shikaku and Hiruzen''s clone''s faces. Hiruzen''s clone muttered, "He reached that far?" The location Fumito marked was the 7th base that Fujin was supposed to hit! Needless to say, the one talking with Shikaku was a Shadow Clone. Fujin had created him even before intercepting Darui''s army and sent him towards the 7th base along with the Chakra Transmission Communication device. This ensured that Konoha couldn''t associate his movements with Akuro''s. Fujin''s clone sighed and replied, "I see. Oh well, it doesn''t matter much I suppose." Shikaku asked, "What do you mean? And, how many bases did you destroy?" Fujin''s clone answered, "I destroyed the first six bases as per our plan. I just reached the seventh one a few minutes ago. However, it is empty. They have abandoned the base and the ninjas here seem to have gone into hiding. They haven''t left any traces behind for me to track. I guess the situation might be similar in the remaining three bases." Surprise flashed in Shikaku''s eyes as he thought, ''He destroyed six bases so quickly? This is excellent. However, Kumogakure acted very quickly. I didn''t anticipate that they''d take this step on the very first day...'' Fujin''s clone continued, "I left some traps in the bases I destroyed. Some of my tags burned around an hour ago, indicating that nearly all the traps in the 6th base were triggered. Kumogakure caught on quickly. Even if the Raikage didn''t return, continuing this mission would be pointless." Shikaku replied, "That does seem to be the case. Regardless, you''ve done an excellent job. Return back to the village but be careful. I''d recommend going around the Land of Lightning and flying over the seas. If you accidentally fly above the two of them and they notice you, they''ll attack. In addition, dispose of all the bodies. If they have any means to track them, the bodies could lure Kumogakure to us." Fujin''s clone replied, "Alright, I''ll take care of it." Shikaku replied, "Good. Meet us as soon as you return." Fujin''s clone replied in affirmative before terminating the connection and putting the device back in the scroll. He thought, ''I''ll wait here until my main body is done. If Shikaku tries to contact me again for some reason, I''ll just teleport some distance away to show that I''m on the move...'' Fujin''s clone created a Shadow Clone and dispersed it to send the message back to Fujin. In Konoha, Hiruzen''s clone asked, "How many did he get?" Shikaku answered, "Six. The seventh base disbanded." Hiruzen''s clone replied with a smile, "Good. This is more than what I hoped for. This will cripple Kumogakure for quite some time and buy us a sufficient amount of time." His words confused others. Nanako''s eyes widened and she muttered, "The explosive seals..." Inazuma nodded and said, "That''s right. Even if he loses, he might be able to blow up the building. Even if we kill him, the ninjas we send inside will be gravely injured, if not dead." Everyone agreed. Sending ninjas into a building that could blow up was suicidal. However, not sending any was also not a good solution. The Council Member frowned and said, "But clones might not work, especially if he has the means to dispel our clones." Inazuma nodded and replied, "Of course. I have considered it. Send 2 Jounins through every pathway. At least one of them in every pair has to be an expert at the Water Prison jutsu. If the building blows up, they''ll try their best to survive. As for the main attack, it''ll be carried out by clones. Order everyone who can to make elemental clones! Only the Anbu and Elite Jounins won''t do so. We''ll attack ceaselessly until the enemy is dead! Nanako, create eight Lightning clones and send one to every pathway along with them. It''ll be your task to analyze the seals. Mabui, he could use reverse summoning to escape once he is about to lose. Order the sensors to be on a high alert. As soon as we sense his movements, the Anbu will hone in on his new location. Kill whoever is summoning him before attacking Akuro. If he doesn''t have a way to reverse summon himself outside our village, then we''ll kill him here too! We''ll show what happens to the fools who dare to attack Kumogakure!" His speech immediately raised the morale of the Kumogakure ninjas. They couldn''t wait to see the death of the one who dared to humiliate their great village! The Kumogakure ninjas began preparing with full force. Within a few minutes, everyone was prepared. The barrier around the building opened up as 16 Jounins and thousands of elemental clones entered! They divided into eight groups and dived towards the Raikage Building! Even though the Raikage Building was quite huge, it wasn''t large enough to house thousands of elemental clones. To complicate matters further, the pathways inside the Devil''s Playground were quite narrow since Fujin wanted to limit the movements of his enemies. As such, there was no way they could handle such huge numbers. Thousands of clones gathered at the entrance to the pathways while around a dozen entered the building every second! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kitty, ilhas, Luis, Clover, Ben and Alanduardo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 698: Kumogakures massive attack! Chapter 698: Kumogakure''s massive attack! [A/N : Hey guys. This chapter is Sponsored by Zero1995. You can thank him for the double release.] Watching from outside, the morale of the Kumogakure ninjas soared ceaselessly! The sight of thousands of clones rushing into the building was just too powerful. It displayed Kumogakure''s indomitable strength. Smiles appeared on the faces of the council members as well. Mabui muttered, "Incredible! Every time we entered with low numbers, a barrier appeared after everyone had entered. However, what can he do this time? The clones can continue rushing in for several minutes in this manner. That much time is enough for them to search through the entire building!" Nanako replied, "He could still close the barriers and keep the clones out. We won''t be able to attack unless we decide to destroy the building. Not to mention, my clones will need some time to analyze the seals." To her surprise, Inazuma said, "No, it is very unlikely for him to do that. Don''t forget that he is attacking an entire hidden village by himself. And, just a couple of hours ago, he looked down on us. His pride won''t allow him to back down from a challenge. At least not until he is at a risk of dying. We should be able to take this building back. I just pray that he doesn''t blow it up." As they entered, the Jounins asked Nanako''s clone, "Lady Nanako, how do we proceed ahead?" Unlike other elemental clones, who were there as sacrificial pawns, Nanako''s clones were protected by the Jounins. They knew that she was critical to take down the seal formation. Nanako''s clone said, "There is no danger here. We''ll continue moving forward. Let the clones rush in ahead. It''ll let me observe the seals more carefully." Everyone followed her words and continued moving forward. As the clones rushed forward, they met the first obstacle. The path in front of them was blocked by a barrier. Nanako''s clones immediately began analyzing the barriers. They wondered, ''This is strange. Why would he keep barriers here? What difference would there be from just keeping the entrance closed? Hmm? This is...'' They immediately noticed an anomaly. Her clones realized, ''Wait a minute, these barriers are different. Even though seals are complicated, I can crack them without resorting to brute force. Actually, even a SealMaster might be able to do so.'' Nanako''s clones confirmed whether the entrances to the pathways were still open and ordered a message to be passed outside to inform her main body about their findings. As eight clones rushed out, Nanako''s clones began working on cracking the barrier open. For someone at her level, it wasn''t difficult. All the clones neutralized the seals in half a minute and the barriers blocking them disappeared. Before the Kumo ninjas could rejoice, a look of surprise appeared on their faces. One of the Jounins muttered, "This path separates into four different paths. How did this guy even manage to make such a mess of the Raikage Building and the Anbu Headquarters? Which path do we take now?" Nanako''s clones weren''t sure either. After thinking for a bit, they said, "Send the clones ahead to inspect. He isn''t closing the entrance to the pathways this time. We can take some time to inspe..." Each of her clones stopped talking mid-sentence as their eyes widened in horror. Nanako''s clones weren''t the only ones shocked. Every clone and ninja inside the building saw a blue light with horror on their face. Before even a word could escape their mouths, all of them were engulfed by a massive Lightning flood! It didn''t matter who was in the way, whether it was a clone or a real ninja, no one stood a chance. In the blink of an eye, the entire building was cleared up! "I have never seen such a strong Lightning!" "How do we even fight this?" "We''re lucky that Elder Inazuma ordered the barrier to be raised first! Otherwise, we''d be dead too!" "Where''s Raikage-sama?" "What about the guys who entered the building?" "There''s no way they would have survived. We just lost 16 Jounins!" "Fuck! Why are the leaders so restless? Couldn''t we just wait for Raikage-sama to show up? Where even is he when the village is in such trouble?" "Can Raikage-sama defeat that?" "Of course, he can! Don''t underestimate Raikage-sama!" Several such discussions broke out. The entire force became a mess. Not only were they demoralized, but they also began blaming their leaders. Yet, not a single council member did anything to control them. After all, they were in an even bigger shock! Mabui''s heart ached. The losses kept on piling. She muttered, "He hasn''t gotten weak! He baited us!" Nanako said, "Thankfully we sent only a few ninjas. Otherwise, our losses would be catastrophic!" One of the council members replied, "It is already catastrophic. What do we do now? Sending any more ninjas inside is suicidal. Not to mention, if we irk him and he reverse summons into the village, then such jutsus can kill thousands of people!" Everyone looked at Inazuma, who looked to be deep in thought. As the one who gave the order, Inazuma was directly responsible for the deaths of 16 Jounins. They wanted to hear from him, but he didn''t say a word and looked lost in his thoughts. The council member called out, "Elder Inazuma?" Chapter 699: Speculations... Chapter 699: Speculations... "Elder Inazuma?" The call brought Inazuma out of his trance. He looked around to see everyone staring at him. He turned his gaze back to the building and asked, "Do you remember the reports we received from our spies in Konoha around a year ago?" Everyone was confused by his question. A few wondered, ''What do our spies in Konoha have to do with this? Why is he discussing that now?'' However, the eyes of a few ninjas widened. Mabui muttered, "Around a year ago, there were reports of a massive attack inside Konoha. The attack was so strong that several in Konoha feared that the Nine Tails had been set loose once again. And, that attack was a Lightning jutsu as well!" Everyone''s eyes widened. Inazuma nodded and said, "Yes. And, from my calculations, that attack was made on the Root, a disgusting special force led by the Shinobi of Darkness. This attack makes me suspect that the one who attacked Root was none other than Akuro." Nanako questioned, "But why would he attack the Root and now attack us? What is his motivation?" Mabui asked, "Do you think Konoha is involved in this?" Mabui thought, ''Konoha lured Raikage-sama away and targeted our military bases. If Akuro is also affiliated with Konoha, it would explain a lot of things. However, why would Konoha employ someone who attacked them?'' Inazuma answered, "I can''t be sure. Seeing his strength, there would have been a big fight if they found him. So, there is a chance that they don''t know anything about him. Or perhaps, they reached a deal with him and are using him to humiliate and weaken us. There''s no way to tell for sure unless we can capture him." Everyone thought carefully about Inazuma''s words. However, one guy lost his cool and shouted, "What does that have to do with the current situation? We just lost 16 Jounins! What should we be doing now? If he can bypass the barrier and attack with that jutsu again, our losses would be incomprehensible!" Inazuma didn''t lose his cool and calmly replied, "Considering who our opponent is, our losses are still quite small because I had the foresight to erect this barrier and send only a few ninjas inside." Everyone around cursed internally at Inazuma''s damage control attempt. Before anyone could explode again, Inazuma continued, "The fact that he resorted to such an attack shows that he didn''t have any other way to deal with our attack. An attack of this scale would have also eaten into his chakra reserves considerably. However, you''re right. It is too risky to continue attacking. We don''t know how many times he can use that attack. Even if he can use it just once more, the losses we suffer would be unacceptable. As demoralizing as it may be, we have no other choice but to wait for Lord Fourth. We can just take solace in the fact that we forced him to consume so much of his chakra." Everyone around nodded. Being unable to do anything when the most important building was taken over by an enemy was too insulting. However, there was nothing they could do but wait. Of course, there were a few who sneered internally. After decades of advising two Raikage, Inazuma had made an error and they didn''t intend to let him off easily. Unfortunately, none of them knew how big the issue had truly gotten! Alternatively, I could just make them raise animal companions like the Inuzuka clan though that might be a bit complicated. It''ll need a lot of resources and I''ll need to steal information from the clans who have such companions...'' As he was thinking, Fujin destroyed the underground base along with all the corpses. He only kept Dodai''s corpse with him as he found his abilities interesting and felt that he might be useful if Fujin got his hands on the Edo Tensei jutsu. Fujin teleported to the nearest Flying Thunder God mark and wondered, ''I still have around half a day before I should be back in the village. What do I do in the meantime?'' Several ideas flashed in his mind. The first was visiting Phantom Haven Society, but he dropped it since it hadn''t been a long time since his previous visit. After thinking for a bit, a mischievous smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he decided, ''Since I''m here, I might as well mark the entire Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water.'' A couple of hours later, Ay and Bee could finally see Kumogakure! Both their breathing was rough. Ay muttered, "Just in time." [A/N: Next chapter: Walking into the Trap!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You G21, Neeroch, Taylor, Michael and Jannes for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 700: Walking into the Trap! Chapter 700: Walking into the Trap! The two strongest Kumo ninjas had arrived just a few minutes before the four-hour deadline was reached! As soon as the Kumo ninjas saw them, their morale soared. They opened the barrier to let them in and both rushed straight towards the Raikage Building. "What is the status here?" Ay asked loudly even before others could register that he was there. They quickly looked in that direction and saw Ay standing right between them. A second later, Bee appeared as well. Their expressions bloomed and a huge pressure was relieved from their shoulders. Everyone had been on the edge due to how close they were to the four-hour deadline. Before anyone could respond, Ay frowned and asked, "Why is everyone so gloomy? Tell me everything that has happened here since we last talked." Mabui quickly informed him about their attempts to test the seal formation, the massive Lightning jutsu and the deaths of 16 Jounins. Ay''s expression became gloomy. He said, "I can understand your thoughts, old man. However, don''t risk everyone''s lives again. Even if I''m low on chakra, I can handle my battles." Inazuma replied, "I''m sure you can, Lord Fourth. However, we gained some critical information." Inazuma informed him about the similarity with the attack on Root and the possibility of Akuro being an Edo Tensei. Just like others, Ay was surprised as well. However, he quickly shook his head and said, "That''s not possible. Don''t underestimate Darui. He would have realized it if his opponent was not alive." Unlike Mabui, who thought rationally, Ay simply dismissed the idea due to his trust in a ninja''s instincts. For him, Darui being unable to realize something so basic was too absurd. Inazuma frowned but before he could say anything, Ay asked, "Nanako, have you cracked the seal formation?" Nanako answered, "Unfortunately no, Raikage-sama. None of my clones were able to send a message outside to inform me about the structure inside." Ay frowned and asked, "How confident are you of cracking it from the inside?" Nanako confidently replied, "I''m not sure about cracking the entire formation, but I can definitely make a path for you. However, there are hundreds of explosive seals in the formation. We need to be careful in case he decides to blow up the building." Ay thought for a bit and said, "Explosive seals won''t have much effect on Elite Jounins. Let''s head inside. I''ll kill that bastard right here!" Everyone nodded. Within a couple of minutes, Ay, Bee, Nanako and four Elite Jounins, entered the barrier and stepped into the pathway closest to the Raikage''s office since Akuro was seen in the window of the highest floor. After they entered, a frown appeared on Nanako''s face. She wondered aloud, "Why hasn''t the entrance to the pathway closed this time?" One of the Elite Jounins asked, "Do you think that it is because Raikage-sama is with us? Akuro said that he wanted to fight Raikage-sama." Nanako replied, "I''m not sure. Wouldn''t it be better if he closed the entrance so that no one would interfere in the battle?" Ay said, "It''s difficult to know what people like him are thinking. Let''s continue. Keep an eye on the seals." Nanako nodded as they moved ahead carefully. To Nanako''s surprise, there were barely any foreign seals in the building. The ones present didn''t hinder them in any way. She wondered, ''What''s happening? This is completely unlike what I observed from the outside. Was it an illusion to bluff us? However, why did it feel so real? A Grandmaster can''t be fooled in this manner...'' Black Zetsu answered, "He wore a mask and I haven''t ever seen anyone with his fighting style. So, I''m not sure of his identity. We may need to interrogate some Kumogakure ninjas to gain more information about him. And yes, based on his strength, he''ll be a good fit for the Akatsuki. However, we''ll first need to find out more about him." Obito muttered, "Interesting... I''ll look into him." Zetsu''s clones were too good at hiding. Even though Fujin had once sensed and attacked Zetsu, he began taking precautions and improved his stealth by another level. Unfortunately, no matter how stealthy he and the White Zetsus were, they couldn''t hide from Fujin''s Space Time Sensing Technique. Fujin, who wanted to create a reputation for his Akuro identity and needed sparring partners, was more than willing to put on a show. Of course, what amused him was the thought of Akatsuki trying to find the non-existent Akuro. White Zetsu said, "There are a few more interesting things happening in the Land of Lightning. A strong barrier is protecting the Village Hidden in the Clouds. I can''t breach the barrier but something is happening inside it. The weather in that country is weird as well. Many of my clones were hit by hurricanes." The leaders of Akatsuki were confused by these events. Not understanding what they could mean, they ordered Zetsu to keep an eye on the Land of Lightning and find out more about the events there. In the Raikage Building, Ay''s group searched for an hour but didn''t even see Akuro''s shadow. They did find the dead bodies of the 16 Jounins, but that enraged them even further. Their bodies, along with the bodies of 4 Anbu, were stored in the storage room while all the elemental crystals were missing! When the group returned to the Raikage''s office, Ay was fuming. This day was so terrible that it was comparable to the day he lost his father. He raised his right arm as he shouted, "Not only did he brazenly kill our ninjas, but that bastard also stole all our Elemental Crystals!" His arm fell on his desk, obliterating it. However, at that very instant, the eyes of all Kumogakure ninjas widened. They instinctively raised their guard and grabbed their weapons. [A/N: I''ll be a bit busy over the weekend as well. I shouldn''t miss any chapters, but the chapters could be delayed (though hopefully not as much as today''s). Have a fun weekend, guys.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You K0D4S, Tom, Moon Rabbit, Godphaze, Pietro and AR3S for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 701 - 695 : WEAK Chapter 701: Chapter 695 : WEAK Ay''s arm hit the desk, obliterating it to smithereens! However, at that very instant, the eyes of all Kumogakure ninjas present widened. They instinctively raised their guard and grabbed their weapons. The reason for their reaction was that the desk that had blown up suddenly released some fluids. In addition, Nanako suddenly sensed some additional seals! Ay, who had one of the best reaction speeds of all ninjas, was caught off guard. To make matters worse, his speed was far lesser without the Lightning Chakra Mode active. Due to how close he was, his right arm was covered by that fluid. In addition, his clothes, the parts of his chest and even some parts of his face and neck were sprayed with that liquid! "Brother!" "Raikage-sama!" Instinctively, Ay activated his Lightning Chakra Mode as others called out worriedly. Nanako cursed, ''Shit! How did I not see those seals? If that liquid is poisonous, then we would be doomed!'' Nanako recalled how horrifyingly strong their opponent was. However, what horrified her even more was his bag of tricks! If the Raikage was subdued and Akuro managed to neutralize Bee in a similar way, Kumogakure would be doomed. The same thoughts ran through the minds of the four Elite Jounins. To their relief, Ay showed no signs of pain and said loudly, "Calm down, I''m fine." He turned his gaze towards the Elite Jounin who had some expertise in medical ninjutsu and said, "Check what this liquid is. Even though I didn''t feel any pain, I felt a mild burning sensation initially. It might have some other effects or a delayed reaction." The Elite Jounin nodded and immediately inspected Ay. Ay''s right arm as well as the golden vambrace were dyed pink! Half of his face, nearly his entire neck and his exposed chest were dyed pink as well! The Elite Jounin frowned and was about to check his clothes when Nanako shouted, "Be careful! The seals are behaving weirdly." Nanako had a grim expression. She could sense that the few foreign seals left inside the building were activating. In addition, the seals on the outside walls were behaving strangely as well. In a grim tone, she muttered, "We may have fallen into a dangerous trap!" Lightning appeared around Ay''s body once again as he said seriously, "Let him come." The others prepared themselves as well. To their surprise, Akuro didn''t appear. The seals didn''t trigger any additional attacks on them either. Instead, words started appearing on the wall. Boring... I''m disappointed. I expected better after fighting those kids. Seeing your desperation, I shall spare this village for the time being. I will visit again in the future. If your Raikage continues hiding cowardly, then I won''t show any mercy. As they read the message, every single one had a dark expression. Ay''s expression was a sight to see. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Under normal circumstances, several things, perhaps even the walls, would have been smashed. Unfortunately, Ay couldn''t even do that in case something else sprayed on his body! Outside the building, the two thousand ninjas had a shocked expression as well. The seals covering the building had disappeared. Instead, a few large and bold letters carved into the building appeared. Bee suddenly asked seriously, "Didn''t Darui say that he claimed to be from an ancient era and didn''t have an idea about how strong you were? How did he know that you''d smash the desk?" Ay was puzzled as well. Before he could think of anything, Nanako answered, "The trigger might not have been the breaking of the desk. I assume that he wanted to show this message to Raikage-sama. So the trigger could have been simply touching the desk. In addition..." Her expression became grim as she continued, "Inazuma had ordered to check whether everyone had escaped from the building. We found out that 5 didn''t make it. Four were the dead Anbu we found. However, the last one is still missing. And that person is Kiyoshi. So many seals can''t appear suddenly. In addition, keeping them hidden from not just me but also the other Grandmasters is incredibly difficult even considering Akuro''s expertise. As difficult as this is to believe, I suspect that Kiyoshi helped him by secretly placing these seals after our last inspection. He could''ve given Akuro some information about you." "Kiyoshi..." Ay muttered, having a tough time believing that he was a traitor. One of the Elite Jounins said, "I would''ve never imagined old man Kiyoshi to be a traitor. He was so cheerful and always helped everyone." Nanako nodded. She couldn''t believe it either. Suddenly, the one who was examining Ay called out, "Raikage-sama, I''ve examined this liquid..." He had a weird expression on his face as he spoke, making everyone curious. Ay asked, "What is it?" Ay''s expression became increasingly dark as the Elite Jounin replied strangely, "I still need to do more studies to confirm, but everything I have seen so far makes me believe that it is nothing but a conductive pigment. However, it is a very strong one and bonds very quickly with our skin. Your lightning amplified it even further. I''m afraid that the stains it left behind will be very difficult to remove..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kelevra and Mark for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you The Reverse Flash for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 702: Questioning the Raikage Chapter 702: Questioning the Raikage [A/N: Sorry guys, fell asleep last night. Will try to complete the next chapter before I sleep tonight.] "I''m afraid that the stains it left behind will be very difficult to remove..." ''...'' Ay stared at the ninja with a dumbfounded expression. The eyes of other Kumogakure ninjas widened as well. While they were relieved that it wasn''t harmful, seeing their leader dyed pink felt extremely weird and strange. Had the circumstances been better, they''d have struggled to stifle a chuckle. However, one person wanted to uplift the depressing mood in the room. Bee smirked, looking at Ay, and rapped, "Yo bro, you lookin'' like a pink parade, Did you join a new ninja masquerade? Half your face and neck in a rosy hue, Pink''s your color, bro, who knew?" Ay roared, "Shut it, Bee! What do you mean that this dye won''t be easy to remove? How can I remove it?" The Elite Jounin thought for a few seconds and answered, "I can''t remove it. We''ll need to check with our chemists on what we can do to remove it. However, as I said earlier, your lightning assisted the pigment to react with your skin very rapidly. Even if we have something that can clear it, it''ll take a long time. The only alternative that could get rid of it quickly is if we remove the flesh that was affected by the dye and use Mystical Palm jutsu to heal you and grow new flesh." Ay frowned and gazed at his palm. His gaze immediately made everyone nervous. It looked like he was planning to rip off his skin on the stop! Bee called out loudly, "Brother, you..." Nanako loudly spoke at the same time, "Raikage-sama, I''d recommend waiting for some time. This Akuro fellow is too devious. I wouldn''t be surprised if he did all this to drop our guard and make you inflict injuries on yourself. We should wait until things calm down!" Ay snorted and replied, "Of course, I know. Inspect the building once again and inspect the Anbu headquarters as well. If everything''s clear, call Inazuma''s group inside and ask others to disperse. No need to maintain the barrier anymore. Nanako, create a few squads of Sealmasters and inspect the building thoroughly. Also, order someone to look into Kiyoshi''s friends and family. I want to know why he betrayed us after serving the village for over 5 decades!" Nanako nodded and everyone other than Bee left his office. Bee asked teasingly, "Are you planning to appear like this in front of everyone, brother?" Ay snorted and a cloud of smoke appeared. As it faded away, Ay looked to have reverted to his original appearance. He said, "It''s a cheap trick just to infuriate me. As if I''ll fall for it." Needless to say, he used the Transformation jutsu to hide the embarrassment. He stopped thinking about it and instead said, "That said, I won''t spare Akuro. I can ignore this prank, but the losses he caused are too high. In addition, the missing ninjas from the camps..." Ay''s expression became grim. Bee became serious as well. Outside the building, one of the Sealmasters said, "Elder Inazuma, the seals have disappeared. Should we enter inside and tell Raikage-sama about these words?" "How?" "How can they go missing in a single day?" "No, this can''t be! My daughter was in one of the camps too! Which camps were targeted?" Even the experienced ninjas panicked. Only Inazuma maintained his cool. He asked, "Only missing and not dead? Do we have any more information or any leads?" Mabui answered, "Yes, they''re missing. We haven''t found even a single dead body, nor have any idea where they could be. However, things aren''t very hopeful. Darui led an army to the base watched over by Dodai. He didn''t find anyone there and instead, the entire camp was filled with explosive seals that were hidden so ingeniously that even Elder Jin failed to sense them. They fell into the trap and suffered heavy losses. Darui believes that Suzuki Fujin might have been involved in laying the traps but we don''t have any proof." The leaders of Kumogakure hadn''t recovered from the earlier shock when they received even more shocking news! Nanako muttered in disbelief, "Jin was fooled?" Inazuma sighed tiredly and asked, "What are our losses so far? And, what were their ranks?" Ay glanced at Mabui and everyone followed his gaze. Mabui reported, "658 ninjas are missing from the military camp. They include 3 Elite Jounins, 111 Jounins, and 544 Chunins. In the trap, Darui''s army lost 67 ninjas, among which 8 were Jounins and 59 were Chunins. 52 more died when fighting against Akuro. 6 of them were Jounins while 46 were Chunins. In addition, we have lost 5 Anbu squads and 16 Jounins. Old man Kiyoshi is missing as well, though he is suspected of betraying the village." Silence engulfed the room once again as stunned expressions appeared on everyone''s faces. Even Ay, Bee, and Mabui had ashen expressions. In the span of 24 hours, Kumogakure had lost 814 ninjas! More than a sixth were Jounins while the rest were Chunins. The loss was just too huge. Not too long ago, the council members were shaken by the deaths of 16 ninjas. When they learnt that the real losses could be more than 50 times that number, they were too stunned to even think! Not a single person in the room even dared to assume the 658 missing ninjas as dead. For several minutes, not a single word escaped anyone''s lips. Finally, Inazuma asked softly, his voice quivering, "Ay... How could you have fallen into such a trap? Why didn''t you consult me before making a move?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You rmuttmoja, Mohamed, Zaoprime, Calvin, David, Wazel, Abel, Mateus, Kay4t and ???? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 703: Sacrifice Chapter 703: Sacrifice Inazuma''s voice quivered as he questioned Ay. Others in the room could feel the pain he was feeling due to the losses Kumogakure had just suffered. Everyone else was feeling the same. As the leaders of Kumogakure, most were well-connected and had someone close to them in the camps. Even if they didn''t, the loss was just too painful for Kumogakure. Ay didn''t reply and just stayed quiet. The opportunity had come suddenly when he least expected it. He didn''t have the time to consult others as any opposition would have resulted in the opportunity slipping away. In addition, the manner in which the military camps were cleared by Fujin meant that even if he had involved others, it wouldn''t have made much of a difference. In fact, had Shikaku and Hiruzen known about Fujin''s Fuin Battlefield, they would have changed their plans drastically. There was no need to lure Ay and Bee out. Fujin could have silently eliminated all 10 bases over a couple of days before Kumogakure realized what was happening because they wouldn''t have been nearly as alert as they were. Their losses would have been even higher in that case. Of course, no one knew how the camps were eliminated. Even if they did, it didn''t take the blame away from Ay. After all, he was the leader of Kumogakure. He was the one responsible for the village''s protection. And, he had failed miserably at his job. One of the council members muttered, "This will cause a great upheaval in the village. The family members of the dead will grieve. The family members of the missing ninjas will be troubled until we can find them. And..." She paused for a moment before continuing grimly, "And, if we can''t find them, then this would be one of the greatest tragedies that the village has suffered since the foundation! The longer we go without finding them, the more unstable the village will become." Everyone stared at Ay as the council member shared her thoughts. Even though she painted a solemn picture, there was another hidden message in her words which was caught by everyone. Bee''s expression became serious and Mabui barely managed to restrain herself. She asked as calmly as she could, "What are you implying?" An underlying threat could be perceived from her words. It made the council members nervous, but all of them stood their ground. Suddenly, Ay said, "Mabui, calm down. As the Raikage, I have to accept responsibility for this matter." The loss of close to a thousand elite ninjas was something that threatened Ay''s seat! The fact that he carelessly left to hunt Fujin without consulting anyone made it even worse. Needless to say, this was one of Shikaku''s goals as well. While he didn''t believe Ay would lose his seat, any instability in Kumogakure was good news for Konoha. The more Ay would be caught up in internal politics, the less energy he would have to create trouble for Konoha. What Shikaku didn''t anticipate was how thorough Fujin would be and that he would amplify the matter several times with Akuro''s identity. Despite being as strong as he was, Ay was feeling the heat at that instant. Both he and Bee were out of the village when they needed them the most. Even Darui and Yugito suffered a defeat at the hands of Akuro while Mabui sent several Anbu squads to their deaths. As such, all the top leaders in his faction had messed up. Political instability inside Kumogakure was inevitable. Luckily, the few rank S ninjas in Kumogakure were all loyal to him and all shared the blame to a certain degree. So, there wasn''t anyone to replace him. Everyone in the council understood that and hence no one openly dared to tell him to resign. To everyone''s surprise, Inazuma suddenly asked, "Accept responsibility? What are you going to do? Retire?" Still, to think that Konoha would make such a deadly scheme. To cause us such heavy losses and even threaten my chair. And, Darui just happens to run into someone as strong as Akuro at the same time, who, for some reason, goes all out to humiliate us. Was all this just a coincidence, or is Konoha behind everything? In any case, I now understand why Father was so wary of Konoha. From the start to the end, I had no control of the situation!'' Ay felt a great hatred towards Konoha. However, he knew that his options against Konoha were very limited. More importantly, he''d have to devote all his energy to stabilizing Kumogakure. If he made another reckless move and Kumogakure suffered once again, the opportunity he got due to Inazuma''s sacrifice would be wasted and he wouldn''t be able to control the internal situation. Ay, the council members and some senior ninjas discussed how they should deal with the situation throughout the night. Darui and his army returned to the village during this time. He quickly met up with Ay and the rest and informed them about his experiences. Of course, the spies also took advantage of the darkness. With the barrier no longer covering the village, they sent messenger birds to their respective villages. As luck would have it, a couple of ninjas from Darui''s army were spies as well, one from Konoha and one from Iwa. As soon as they got an opportunity, they did the same. Even though Kumogakure was alert, they couldn''t track this as they mixed among the messenger birds continuously sent from the Raikage''s office. As the first rays of the Sun fell on Konoha, Fujin returned to Hiruzen''s office. Hiruzen and Shikaku were already waiting for him and cleared the room immediately. Both had smiles on their faces. Hiruzen asked, "How many did you get?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sanjay, Kwabena, Galaxy-Past, Kenny, Zukamime, §³§Ñ§ê§Ñ, Luan and Argiraspide for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 704: Turbulent times... Chapter 704: Turbulent times... Fujin answered nonchalantly, "658, including 3 Elite Jounins." Since they already knew that Fujin had eliminated 6 bases, both had expected such an answer. Even so, their smile widened. Hiruzen couldn''t help but say, "You''ve done a great job, Fujin." Fujin nodded and continued, "I''ve no idea how many fell to the traps, though I suppose our spies should get that information easily once they arrange the funerals. I also sent a few Wind Clones around. I didn''t task them with killing anyone and just sent them to create some disruptions. They should''ve started several hurricanes which will disrupt their internal trading for some time." Shikaku said, "That''s good. It''ll keep them busy with their internal matters for longer. Along with Eagle eliminating their spies, their losses exceed 700 ninjas even without considering the traps. With such heavy blows to their elite ninjas and their intelligence network, Kumo will be unable to start a war for at least 3 to 4 years. The fourth Raikage will have no choice but to tone down his aggression." Ever since Minato''s death and Orochimaru''s betrayal, Kumogakure had always been on the lookout to find Konoha''s weak spots. The Hyuga incident was just the start. They continued poking Konoha continuously since then, but Hiruzen had done an excellent job ensuring that Konoha wasn''t caught in another scheme while giving Kumogakure a bloody nose once. Even though Konoha''s strength had recovered, Kumogakure always remained a major threat due to its aggressive nature. For the first time in over a decade, Konoha would be able to enjoy some peace. Of course, that was if they fended off Sunagakure and Orochimaru''s scheme. Fujin had the same thought. He nodded in agreement, but asked, "While it does cripple their military temporarily, aren''t you afraid that the Raikage might do something drastic? He isn''t exactly known for his calmness, is he? If Orochimaru extended an olive branch to him and he accepts, we could be in deep trouble." Shikaku chuckled and said, "You don''t need to worry about that. He''ll soon be buried in so much internal work that he wouldn''t even be able to glance in our direction. I''m sure he would want revenge on us for this maneuver, but he is on thin ice. If he tries something and Kumogakure suffers once again, he''ll have a very difficult time keeping his chair. Any alliance with Orochimaru has the potential of being backstabbed. The circumstances won''t allow him to take this risk." Hiruzen agreed and added, "The Fourth Raikage''s decisiveness is quite troublesome to deal with in difficult situations. Fortunately, your actions will ensure that Kumogakure won''t allow him to be that decisive. Of course, we''ll keep an eye on them just in case they do something drastic. However, considering the pressure he''ll face internally and even in their council, I don''t think there''s any reason to be worried." Hiruzen suddenly sighed and muttered, "It''s a shame that we don''t have any spies inside their council. If we did, I could have kept him occupied in Kumogakure''s internal problems for at least a decade." His words immediately earned stares from Fujin and Shikaku. Both were slightly surprised at how miserable Hiruzen wanted to make Ay. Fujin couldn''t help but wonder, ''Is he still salty about the embarrassing loss he took during the Hyuga incident?'' Sensing their stares, Hiruzen shrugged and said, "Neither of you had the chance to see Sensei in action. What we''ve pulled this time is a child''s play compared to what he did on a regular basis. Anyway, you''ve done a great job, Fujin. Take a good rest. We need you to be at your best during the final round of the Chunin Exam." To the south of the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water was still engulfed by a civil war. Their battles were becoming increasingly tense. A few thousand kilometers away, the Sunagakure ninjas were busy preparing for an assault on Konoha, while their higher-ups were still debating whether they should go forward with the plans or halt them for the time being. To their north, even the higher-ups in Iwagakure were stressed out. In a matter of days, they lost contact with more than half of their intelligence network! They were busy checking what had happened in their neighboring countries for such a sudden change. At the center of everything, Konoha looked stable as a monolith, seeming unbothered by everything happening around them. However, in the dark, the Anbu and the clans were preparing for another major war. As such, the entire ninja world was on a thin edge. At such a time, a few birds were flying peacefully towards their targets, carrying terrifying news on their back. It was evening when a few of them reached the Land of Water and informed both factions about the events that took place inside Kumogakure. A few minutes later, a few birds reached Konoha. Sunagakure and Iwagakure were farther from Kumogakure, so they received the messenger birds a few hours later. The minor villages received them at varying hours as well. Regardless of when they received the scrolls or which leader opened and read it, everyone''s eyes widened in shock! Even Hiruzen was no exception as he muttered, "What in the hell?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Milena, Caleb, Jai, Kham, Max, Khalil, Arnell, Reggie, Bobby and Emmanuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 705 - 699 : Shocking the World! Chapter 705: Chapter 699 : Shocking the World! Within the span of a few hours, all the leaders of various hidden villages received messages from Kumogakure. No matter who it was, every single one was shocked. In Kirigakure, Mangetsu read the scroll and muttered in disbelief, "Impossible!" He immediately got up and went to inform the Fourth Mizukage. In the rebel camp, Mei had a similar stunned reaction. However, a smile immediately appeared on her face as she muttered, "Interesting. To think that someone would humiliate Kumogakure. However, why wasn''t the Raikage in the village?" In Sunagakure, Rasa read the report with a solemn expression. He had the same doubt as Mei when a certain memory surfaced in his mind. He thought, ''Irrespective of why the Raikage and the Jinchurikis weren''t in Kumogakure, this event will destabilize Kumogakure. Even though the means are different, the end result will be similar to how my position became unstable a few years ago. Was Konoha behind this as well?'' He quickly analyzed before concluding, ''This is undoubtedly Konoha''s work! Lightning masters are rare outside Kumogakure. The only famous one is Hatake Kakashi. If I assume that Suzuki Fujin destabilizing the Land of Wind was some sort of test, then this could be a test for Hatake Kakashi. Unfortunately for Konoha, they''ve picked the worst time to do this...'' A glint appeared in Rasa''s eyes as he had an idea. He decided, ''Orochimaru hasn''t given me any response on how to deal with the rank S ninjas in Konoha. However, if we can ally with Kumogakure as well, then we won''t have much difficulty in crushing Konoha. I need to act quickly!'' In Iwagakure, Onoki read the two reports. Kitsuchi was with him as well. A serious expression appeared on their faces. Kitsuchi muttered, "Strange... This is very strange! An entire base suddenly became empty and for some reason, Kumogakure decided to send a whole army. This should mean that they were already aware of what caused that base to be emptied and the threat was large enough to dispatch an army. Yet, the army fell into a trap despite having a Grandmaster. While returning, they ran into this Akuro fellow and he not only fought them but also went to Kumogakure and humiliated them to this degree. Have you heard of this guy?" Onoki shook his head and replied, "No. However, he must be very formidable. Taking on an entire army led by Darui and a near-perfect Jinchuriki is extremely difficult. Very few ninjas can accomplish this. However..." A smirk appeared on Onoki''s face. He said, "There is no doubt that he must have great hatred for Kumogakure. This is good news. That brat Ay was too arrogant. This should tamper him down considerably. Pay attention to news coming from Kumogakure. We''ll get some interesting news." Unlike the major villages, the minor villages were in a panic. If Kumogakure, despite all its military might, couldn''t deal with Akuro and were humiliated to such an extent, what could they do? Akuro immediately became the most feared ninja among the leaders of the minor villages, even exceeding the Spectral Swordsman! They could bear losing some of their ninjas, but being humiliated to such a degree would be a very big slap on their faces. None of them wanted to experience what Ay had to. The leaders immediately decided to order all their ninjas to stay clear of him after Kumogakure put his appearance in the Bingo book. In Konoha, Hiruzen muttered in disbelief, "What in the hell?" He continued reading the scrolls. His eyes suddenly widened and he thought, ''A Lightning jutsu of this caliber? This is similar to the attack on Root Headquarters! Could it be the same guy? However, why is he in Kumogakure? No...'' Fujin nodded in agreement. He looked at Hiruzen and asked, "Grandpa, did you find out anything about this guy from Elder Danzo? Surely he must have tried to do an independent investigation and figured out some details regarding the attacker and how the Root offended him, right?" There wasn''t a hint of doubt or shame in Fujin''s voice. Even experienced and intelligent people like Shikaku and Hiruzen didn''t find anything wrong with the way he said it. Hiruzen could only shake his head and answer, "No. He always claimed ignorance related to that matter. That said, if this guy is as peculiar as these reports suggest, then it could be something very petty. So, it''s not a surprise that Danzo doesn''t know about it." Neither Shikaku nor Fujin found anything wrong with Hiruzen''s line of thinking. Hiruzen asked, "Fujin, did you find anyone suspicious while traveling through the Land of Lightning?" Fujin replied, "Not really. However, from the information in this report, he was very close to the route I had taken. If I had gone on foot instead of flying, I might have run into him. A shame... We may have got some details about what exactly happened on that day." Shikaku immediately replied, "What shame? Considering his performance, killing him would be very difficult. Even if you had fought and defeated him, you''d have attracted a lot of trouble for Konoha if you failed to kill him. At this time, it could have put us in a tough spot. So, it was undoubtedly a good thing that you didn''t run into him. Lord Hokage, I propose that we avoid offending this guy, at least until we have more information on him. Even though he may have killed a few of our ninjas, we don''t know for sure whether it was Akuro. Even if it was Akuro, the losses we will suffer to deal with him aren''t worth taking his head. It''ll be better if we let Kumogakure be occupied in trying to hunt him down. If we''re lucky, some other villages might offend him as well." [A/N: Wrote the next chapter a bit as well. Should be able to finish it today in probably around 6 hours.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Asapek, Benjamin, Christopher, Abram, Rundar, Bernardo, Blue Bird, Ry, Kyle, Khalif, Tronic, rmuttmoja, Juan and Raiden for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 706: Our Time has Passed... Chapter 706: Our Time has Passed... [A/N: A few years ago, I never would have imagined writing a fanfic that would have more chapters than Naruto Manga. But, here we are, on our 700th chapter. Thanks for all your love and support guys! Couldn''t have done it without you.] Unlike Shikaku, Hiruzen didn''t want to ignore the deaths of those Root ninjas and the destruction of the Root Headquarters. However, Shikaku''s logic was on point as usual. Under current circumstances, Konoha didn''t have any strength to spare to deal with such a troublesome fellow. Hiruzen decided, ''A shame, but there is indeed nothing we can do right now. Once I''ve dealt with Orochimaru and Suna, I will ask Jiraiya to find more information on him. Future actions will depend on the information we get.'' Hiruzen replied, "Alright." Fujin sighed in relief internally thinking, ''Good. I was worried he''d send me to hunt myself once again...'' Shikaku immediately said, "You''ll also need to ensure that Elder Danzo doesn''t do anything. Last time, we were lucky that the enemy decided to only target Root. However, we can''t be sure next time." It was Hiruzen''s turn to sigh tiredly. He didn''t want to deal with Danzo again, especially at a time when he was so busy. Unfortunately, he couldn''t say no and agreed. Of course, since Shikaku put him up to such a troublesome task, he''d have to suffer as well. A glint appeared in his eyes as he looked into Shikaku''s eyes. A shiver passed down Shikaku''s spine as he realized, ''Crap! He is planning to give me a very troublesome task! I need to leave in a hurry! But what excuse do I use? Right, Shikamaru is in the finals. I have to train him!'' Fujin noticed it as well and became quite intrigued by what Hiruzen would say. Unfortunately for Shikaku, Hiruzen suddenly disappeared from his chair and appeared next to him before he could open his mouth. Hiruzen said, "I''ll meet Danzo now. Shikaku, start working on a defensive plan in case Sunagakure and Orochimaru attack us during the Final round and complete it within the next 4 days. I''m counting on you. Also, consider whether Akuro''s actions could invoke any strange reactions from Kumogakure. Fujin, continue doing what you want to. We''ll call you once the plans are made. You''ll undoubtedly have a huge role to play." Fujin nodded and replied, "Alright, Grandpa." He glanced at Shikaku and said, "Good luck, Shikaku-san. The entire village is counting on you." A tick mark appeared on Shikaku''s face as both Fujin and Hiruzen disappeared from the office, leaving him alone. Shikaku cursed, ''These two troublesome fellows. I swear that the old man has become more troublesome since he began interacting more with that brat! I just dealt with the Kumogakure situation and now he has already dumped more work on me.'' Unfortunately, the poor guy had no one to complain to. He could only begin working. Hiruzen flickered a few times and entered the underground Root Headquarters. When Fujin blew the Root Headquarters, only the underground laboratory was spared. Danzo made his new office inside the laboratory. Danzo was slightly startled to see Hiruzen suddenly appear in his office but he wasn''t too surprised. He looked at Hiruzen and wondered, ''Does he want my help to deal with Orochimaru and Sunagakure?'' For nearly a year, Danzo had been looking for an opportunity to get his authority back. Unfortunately, Konoha was too stable and peaceful. Orochimaru''s appearance and Gaara''s presence gave him the opening he needed. However, Hiruzen was in no mood to play mind games. He placed a couple of scrolls in front of Danzo and said, "We received some interesting information from Kumogakure." Danzo frowned. He grabbed the scroll while wondering, ''Kumogakure? Shouldn''t he be occupied with Sunagakure?'' However, Hiruzen cut him off and said, "That''s the end of the discussion, Danzo. I''m here to tell you to not do anything foolish. Once the current threat is dealt with, I''ll send Jiraiya to dig out more information about him. If he''s truly as reckless as he seems, dealing with him won''t be too difficult. However..." Hiruzen paused to put more emphasis on his words. He said, "Until we get more information, you won''t make a move." Hiruzen''s tone left little room for discussion. Danzo snorted and sat in his chair while commenting, "You''ve grown soft, Hiruzen. In the old days, you''d be the first one out to hunt him down for killing our ninjas." Hiruzen sighed. He disappeared from the room, leaving just his words behind, "Our time has long passed, Danzo. Stop clinging on to the past." Even though he seemingly backed down, Danzo had no will to follow Hiruzen''s orders. Unfortunately for him, Hiruzen increased the surveillance on Root severalfold. The restrictions ensured that neither he nor his few remaining subordinates could set a foot outside the laboratory without Hiruzen knowing about it. Danzo could only do his best to get as much information as he could from Kumogakure so that he wouldn''t be completely reliant on Hiruzen for information. The other villages were the same. Akuro''s sudden appearance had made them curious about him and they activated their intelligence network to get as much information about him as they could. At the same time, Akatsuki had begun their search for Akuro. At such a time, in a secret base inside the Land of Rice, Orochimaru weaved a few hand seals. Suddenly, the person in front of him let out a blood-curdling scream. Soon, his appearance changed as Orochimaru revived Kabuto in his body! Surprise could be seen on Orochimaru''s face as he muttered, "You really are dead..." Kabuto''s long absence had been very surprising for Orochimaru. He waited patiently for nearly 3 weeks and yet hadn''t heard anything related to Kabuto. In the end, he finally decided to try the Edo Tensei jutsu to check whether he was dead or if he had betrayed Orochimaru. To his surprise, the Edo Tensei jutsu worked! [A/N: Latest chapter : The path to surpass rank S! (Never imagined it''d take 700+ chapters to reveal the suspense at the end of chapter 34!)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Louis, James, Grant, Shreyan, Sedan, Alucard, Ryfio and Lotas for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 707: Konohas Relentless Schemes!!! Chapter 707: Konoha''s Relentless Schemes!!! Kabuto was slightly startled. It felt like he had gotten up from a long sleep. He saw Orochimaru immediately and was about to speak when he realized that something was off with his body. He glanced down and his eyes widened. He looked at Orochimaru again and asked in shock, "Is this the Second Hokage''s Edo Tensei?" Orochimaru nodded and said, "It is. How did you die and who did it?" Kabuto let out a long sigh and said, "I''ve disappointed you, Orochimaru-sama. It was Hatake Kakashi." Orochimaru asked in surprise, "Kakashi was able to kill you? How? And, why did you run into him again?" Orochimaru suspected that Kabuto ran into Hiruzen, Jiraiya or Fujin. He didn''t expect it''d be Kakashi. Kabuto answered, "It was immediately after I escaped. I thought that I had managed to get away successfully. However, he was still somehow able to track me. In addition, he was also able to sneak behind me without alerting me. I had no idea until he stabbed me with his Chidori." Orochimaru frowned. While he knew Kakashi was strong, he didn''t think he''d be strong enough to kill Kabuto in such a manner. He wondered, ''Was he putting up an act against my clone? Or did Kabuto lower his guard? Even though assassination is his speciality, he shouldn''t have been able to kill Kabuto without any assistance.'' Kabuto could see Orochimaru''s thoughts on his face and said, "I hadn''t lowered my guard. On the contrary, I had raised it to the highest level considering the situation. However, he still managed to sneak up on me. I''m afraid that Kakashi has been hiding a considerable amount of his strength until Konoha needs him to show it. If not for the Edo Tensei jutsu, you wouldn''t have found out about it either." Orochimaru''s lips curled up as he muttered, "Interesting. I didn''t expect him to play such a card. I suppose I shouldn''t be too surprised considering the talent he displayed in his younger days. I wonder how much more Sensei is keeping hidden." Kabuto added, "We underestimated Konoha. Be it Fujin or Kakashi, both would be very difficult to deal with. And, we don''t know how strong Might Guy truly is. If we don''t make any arrangements to restrain him, he could turn the tides of the war single-handedly. Even you might not survive if he can and does open the Gate of Death. Not to mention, since Kakashi killed me, Konoha must have read my memories. They should know that we have allied with Sunagakure and plan to attack Konoha during the final rounds. They''ll be prepared." Orochimaru replied, "It''s fine. I haven''t told you about the final plan. Even if they prepare, it won''t have much effect on me. As long as I kill Hiruzen, any resistance they put up and losses we take are inconsequential. That said, you''re right. We need to make several changes to our plans..." Orochimaru weaved a few hand seals as he continued, "Fortunately, I''ve already made a few. I can''t sustain the Edo Tensei for a long time yet. However, you''ll play a role in the upcoming war. Even though you won''t be at your full strength, you can''t be killed in this state and can only be sealed. Make sure to use it to the fullest." Kabuto nodded as Orochimaru sealed him and stepped out of his laboratory. Kimimaro and Sound Four were waiting patiently for him. He glanced at them and said, "It''s time to meet up with the Kazekage. Follow me." The six of them immediately left the hidden base and began moving towards the Land of Rivers. In Kumogakure, the council had come together for another meeting. Even Inazuma, who had already resigned and accepted the blame for the missing ninjas was present. However, the reason for this meeting was quite different from the meetings they had been having for the past few days. Everyone thought for a bit before agreeing that his words made sense. Even Ay was pleased. However, Inazuma said, "As good as the idea is, I''ll recommend not to go overboard right now. Don''t forget Akuro''s threat. Hunting Orochimaru won''t be easy and you''ll have to participate in it, Lord Fourth. However, if Akuro attacks the village when you''re away again, it''ll cause an even larger turmoil in the village." The faces of the Kumogakure leaders became ugly on hearing Akuro''s name. They hated him even more than Konoha. Even though Ay was cursed for not being in the village and Inazuma took the blame, the people in Kumogakure didn''t shy away from calling other leaders incompetent and useless. They did nothing despite facing only one enemy and let him humiliate the village to this extent! The entire Kumogakure Council''s reputation was at its lowest point throughout its history. Ay said, "Don''t worry, I''ll be careful this time. Even if I move out, Bee will stay in the village. Even though targeting Orochimaru is a good idea, hunting down Akuro is our priority." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. The council continued making plans to deal with the situation and also discussed the reports sent by the ninjas to look for the missing ninjas. In Konoha, Hiruzen and Shikaku were in Shikaku''s office as he explained the defensive plans to Hiruzen. Unlike what Orochimaru and Kabuto suspected, Konoha had no access to Kabuto''s memories. They didn''t know how and when they would be attacked. So, Shikaku developed a comprehensive plan covering all aspects. After going through everything, Hiruzen nodded and said, "Great work as usual, Shikaku. However..." A worried expression appeared on his face as he asked, "Are you sure Fujin would accept this role without any complaints?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, Turean, Munkasir, Sahil, Andres, Blaj, Lexi and Ba bong shoe for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 708: A New Moniker! Chapter 708: A New Moniker! A worried expression appeared on Hiruzen''s face as he asked, "Are you sure Fujin would accept this role without any complaints?" Shikaku replied casually, "As troublesome as that boy is, he doesn''t have the ego that most other rank S ninjas have. You can''t imagine how thankful I am for that. So, it shouldn''t be an issue." Hiruzen didn''t reply but complained internally, ''Sure he doesn''t have an ego, but he makes me pay for any injustice he suffers, even if that injustice is imaginary! Sigh, I hope Shikaku is correct. I don''t want to spend money to craft another sword.'' Shikaku suddenly said, "That said, this will likely be the first time Fujin will fight in the open in front of everyone. Or rather, it''ll be the first time after he became a rank S ninja. Even though he fought Orochimaru twice, that battle wasn''t witnessed by many. Considering the role he''ll play, it is also a good time to give him an official moniker." Hiruzen snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. He replied, "True. The Spectral Swordsman can''t be used openly. And, even if we deny it, it''ll be troublesome if our enemies keep calling him by that name for decades as it could drive a wedge between us and our allies. Do you have any thoughts on a new moniker for Fujin?" Shikaku smiled and said, "Considering what his missions have been, what his role would be in this battle and his current moniker, it''s a rather simple answer. I can''t think of a more appropriate moniker than Konoha''s Sword." Hiruzen chuckled and said, "That''s very fitting. Konoha''s Sword, a sword that cuts through our enemies. It perfectly indicates what he has been doing for the past few years. At the same time, it also carries a word from his current moniker, reminding everyone of the threat he could pose. Alright, propagate this moniker after the situation is dealt with." Shikaku nodded and replied, "Sure. Anyway, who do we call first?" Hiruzen replied, "Well, Jiraiya is busy training Naruto and Kakashi is training Sasuke. Guy is with his disciple as well. The only one who is free right now is Fujin." Shikaku couldn''t help but sigh enviously. He thought, ''When Hokage proposed bringing Fujin into the council, I thought I could finally have some revenge for all the work he put me through. However, why is it that I''m still buried in work while he is on a never-ending vacation?'' Poor guy shed a few non-existent tears as Hiruzen sent an Anbu ninja to call for Fujin. In a few minutes, Fujin entered Shikaku''s office. He looked at the maps on Shikaku''s desk as well as the envy in Shikaku''s eyes. With an innocent smile on his face, Fujin said, "Impressive, Shikaku-san. You''re already done with the planning." Shikaku''s expression became slightly dark, understanding the taunt behind Fujin''s words. Hiruzen coughed to distract him and said, "Take a seat, Fujin. Shikaku will explain the plan and your role." Fujin obliged as Shikaku began explaining, "Before I tell you about your role in the war, let us first discuss who our enemies could be." Fujin nodded as Shikaku began explaining the situation to the person who knew more about what was about to happen than even the planners of the war despite the changes that could occur in the future. Shikaku said, "As you know, our opponents could be Sunagakure and Orochimaru. In addition, I also considered Kumogakure. A frown appeared on Fujin''s face as he said, "I''m not too sure how effective my jutsus will be against the Kazekage''s gold. If he can maintain his control over his gold against my Wind jutsus, then he''ll be difficult to deal with. Do you know whether fire would work on it? Perhaps I could melt his gold particles." Hiruzen chuckled at Fujin''s idea. Even though Rasa was undoubtedly the weakest Kage currently and perhaps even in history, he was still a rank S ninja. Dealing with him wouldn''t be a child''s play. Shikaku replied, "Unfortunately, fire doesn''t work much. If it did, he wouldn''t have still been alive. I''m not too sure of your wind jutsus, but it doesn''t matter. You won''t be facing him either. He''ll be sitting next to Hokage-sama in the final round. If he plans on attacking us, then he''ll definitely sneak attack Hokage-sama in an attempt to take him down quickly. So, he''ll be the one to deal with the Kazekage." He glanced at Hiruzen and added, "You''ll have to be careful. As Fujin said, his gold can be troublesome." Hiruzen nodded and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll keep my guard up. Knowing his arrogance, he might attack me without any backup. If that''s the case, I''ll focus on killing him quickly. It should result in the Suna ninjas surrendering or fleeing." Fujin nodded but was confused. He wondered, ''So what''s my role in the battle? Take down Gaara? Deal with any unknown factors that might pop up? Or does he have something special in his mind?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You King Scales, Sahil, Ars_Balam, Yereen, Pervysage, Win, CallMeDanny, Gillium, Extrasmall, Nicolas, Zypharus, Gabriel, Matias, An Hofi, Arch Bishop and Scott for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 709: A Long Vacation to the Land of Winds! Chapter 709: A Long Vacation to the Land of Winds! Shikaku continued explaining his calculations, "If Orochimaru hadn''t fought you in the second round, then they might have attacked us with just the two of them. Even more so if Jiraiya-sama wasn''t in the village. However, Orochimaru''s attack warned us about their possible plans, which made us call Jiraiya-sama back. In addition, they became aware of your real strength. Now they know that they''ll have to deal with you, Jiraiya-sama and Hokage-sama. So, it is very unlikely that they''ll attack without involving a third or perhaps even a fourth rank S ninja." He paused and glanced at Hiruzen before continuing, "My initial thought was that they might recruit Akatsuki''s help. However, he has received intel that Orochimaru is no longer involved with Akatsuki. Or rather, he betrayed them. So, that isn''t a threat for now. However, considering how unexpectedly Akuro appeared, it won''t be too strange if they find someone like him. In fact, they might even ally with him considering that he attacked Root in the past. Regardless of who it is, they will make some arrangements." Fujin nodded and said, "I see. Yeah, that makes sense. They''ll be outnumbered if they''re attacking the village. So they will want to compensate quantity with quality. I guess my job will be to deal with this unknown factor." A smirk appeared on Shikaku''s face as he answered, "Once again, no." Fujin raised an eyebrow but there was no change in Shikaku''s expression. Seeing Shikaku enjoying the suspense, Fujin let out a sigh and muttered, "You should''ve said that you''re going to talk in riddles for so long. I''d have brought some Ramen along." Shikaku chuckled and explained, "As he said earlier, Orochimaru will make plans to counter you. Whoever they recruit will have a way to either counter or restrict you. At the very least, that ninja will keep you occupied during the duration of the battle. That''ll put a major dent in our counterattacking capabilities. So, unless there is no choice, you''ll stay clear of any other rank S ninja who show up. Instead, Guy will be the one to deal with them. He''ll open the Sixth or the Seventh Inner Gate depending on the enemy and kill them before they realize what is happening. Once the enemy is dead, Guy will be escorted to a safe place by a couple of Anbu squads and their retreat will be covered by Kakashi. I''ll assign a couple of Elite Jounins as well to cover his retreat in case Kakashi is occupied." Fujin was a bit surprised. He thought, ''Now that''s unexpected. Having Guy go all out at the very start... That will catch anyone by surprise. I wonder who''ll be the unlucky fellow to be on the receiving end.'' Shikaku continued, "While Guy is dealing with them and Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama keep the Kazekage and Orochimaru occupied, you''ll focus on cleaning up the weaker enemies. As you know, we must not only win this battle but also do so with minimal losses. If our losses are high, then it''ll give an opportunity to other villages to become adventurous, especially if our losses exceed Kumo''s losses. Your job will be to ensure that this doesn''t happen by cutting down the enemies swiftly." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, I had been thinking of this role for you ever since we received intel about Sunagakure''s possible betrayal. Your performance in the Land of Lightning made me even more sure. Cut down as many of their elites as you can before they even get a chance to go on the attack. It''ll not only free up our forces to help others but also put the Kazekage and Orochimaru under pressure to win their battles quickly which could result in them making a mistake." Shikaku''s expression became serious. He asked, "Even though I planned for their attack, what are your plans for after the battle is over? If Sunagakure attacks us, it''ll destroy the agreement we reached during the Third Great Ninja War. Such a violation will force us to retaliate as we''ll be seen as weak if we don''t, which will give ideas to our other allies. However, fighting Sunagakure in the desert will be too costly." Hiruzen sighed and massaged his forehead. He said, "Yes, it will be a big diplomatic issue and be very complicated to deal with. Our alliance with Sunagakure and the civil war in Kirigakure are the two main reasons why the next Great War hasn''t started yet. That said, it''s too soon to say for sure. It''ll depend on how the battle ends. If the Kazekage is killed, then we could use the ninjas we detain to broker a new contract and install a Kazekage who''ll be subservient towards us. If not, then it''ll get more troublesome." Shikaku nodded. He thought for a bit and muttered, "I suppose we could always send Fujin to a long vacation in the Land of Wind if they decide to continue the hostilities." Hiruzen chuckled, recalling the mess Fujin created a few years ago and replied, "That might work. Perhaps they might start begging to start the negotiations in a few weeks." The two continued calling other ninjas who''d play an important role in the battle and the discussions continued until late in the day. By midnight, all of them were aware of their role. The next day, in a secluded region in the Land of River, a secret meeting was taking place. A simple table had been set up, with a chair on either side of the table. On one side sat Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin and the Leader of Otogakure. Behind him were Kimimaro and the Sound Four. On the other side was Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage. Behind him were four of the strongest Anbu in Sunagakure. The discussion between these two powerful ninjas would decide whether the world would witness the first official war between two Great Villages since the end of the Third Great Ninja War! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Alex for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 710: Danger! Chapter 710: Danger! In his basement, Fujin was working intently. What his clones had created was a new seal, a seal that had likely never existed in the history of the ninja world! Fujin was working on developing its seal imprint when his eyes suddenly widened. He immediately stopped working and looked in the western direction with a grave expression. At the very next second, he disappeared from his basement, leaving only a Shadow Clone behind. In the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru and Rasa were sitting facing each other. To throw Orochimaru off his game, Rasa casually said, "Orochimaru, you finally decided to meet me. My council were worried that you became fearful after your loss against The Spectral Swordsman." Kimimaro and the rest frowned but Orochimaru just chuckled and replied, "Your council has a very wild imagination. You should bring them along next time." Rasa''s smile faded away at the indirect threat in Orochimaru''s words. He glanced at Jirobo and asked, "Who''s that?" Jirobo was holding a bloodied body with a large hole in his back. The man was already dead, yet a fearful expression was plastered on his face. Rasa was surprised to see someone close to this location. They had carefully selected a location where no one would trespass for their meeting. Orochimaru chuckled and answered, "Just a rat who was scurrying at the wrong place. I hadn''t thought much of him, but he ended up being very interesting. I hadn''t expected something to be happening in the dark in this country as well." Rasa frowned. The Land of Rivers was directly situated between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind and acted as a buffer. As such, both villages were wary of the other village using the Land of Rivers as a forward base to invade the other country, especially at such a critical time. Rasa couldn''t overlook any threat from this country. He asked, "What do you mean?" Orochimaru replied, "He was barely a Chunin. However, there was a very complicated seal on his body. A seal that would be difficult for even a Grandmaster to see. Even I suffered due to it." Orochimaru let out a chuckle as he glanced towards his right arm. Fifteen minutes ago - Even though the number of ninjas in the Phantom Haven Society was still low, it maintained a large intelligence network that went even beyond the Land of River. The Field Agents had to frequently make trips to collect information from the informants. Unfortunately, one of them happened to pass right through the area where Orochimaru''s group was waiting for Rasa to arrive. Needless to say, the poor guy stood no chance. He was easily captured by the Sound Four. They asked him a few questions but he didn''t give any answer. Orochimaru walked towards him as he said, "Interesting. I wonder why you are in such a desolate area at this time. Whose orders are you following?" Fear appeared on the field agent''s face as he muttered in shock, "Orochimaru?" Orochimaru placed his right hand on his head and said, "Let me see what brought you here." He inserted Yin chakra into his head. However, at that very instant, Orochimaru''s eyes widened. He quickly withdrew his arm and shouted, "Let him go!" Orochimaru answered, "For starters, you won''t fight against the Hokage. Instead, I''ll fight him alone. You, on the other hand, will stall Suzuki Fujin. With your magnet release and ability to manipulate Gold, that wouldn''t be too difficult." Rasa frowned. He asked, "How strong is the boy? How true is the news propagated by Konoha?" A smirk appeared on Orochimaru''s face as he answered, "Strong, very strong. He might be the strongest ninja at Wind manipulation currently alive. At the very least, he is stronger than you. You won''t be able to kill him. Hence, your focus needs to only be on stalling him until I''m done with Hiruzen. Of course, Konoha has stretched the truth. The main reason for my retreat was to avoid having to face both Fujin and Hiruzen at the same time. However, he was able to fight against me on equal ground and even gain the upper hand a few times. Don''t underestimate that boy when you stall him." Rasa''s frown deepened. He didn''t like what he was hearing. He snorted internally and thought, ''Stronger than me? Are you implying that you''re stronger than me? How presumptuous! However...'' Under normal circumstances, Rasa wouldn''t have taken such an insult lying down. However, Orochimaru''s belief was advantageous for his plans. So, he kept his calm and said, "Tell me everything about his abilities." [A/N: I had initially written Orochimaru reading the Phantom Haven member''s memory to set up a future event. Luckily, I recalled that the Phantom Seal doesn''t allow memories to be read. Had to read up on all my notes on the Phantom Seal, which felt weird for some reason ????. So, I had to rewrite most of that stuff. That kinda pushed the fun part of Orochimaru and Rasa''s conversation into the next chapter. Sorry about that. Anyway, would like to say something about this arc. There will be quite a few changes to the canon in this arc. In terms of divergence from canon, this arc will likely have it the most. We have already seen that with Kabuto''s death and Kumogakure''s losses. It won''t be restricted to just events but will also extend to some jutsus/techniques, with which I''ll be taking some liberties (for instance the Flying Thunder God mark in this chapter). There will be a lot of unexpected moments (and maybe an instance that''ll probably be very controversial) in this arc. And, I''ll be making a few long plays (that is, events that''ll only be completely clear after a few chapters but will be cleared in this arc). So, please cut me some slack in this arc and please continue reading until the arc is done to make final judgements ???? I can only promise that you''ll love it by the end.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nitsu, Gabriel, SupremeBeefos, Surya, John and Ivan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 711: Old u0026 New Plans Chapter 711: Old u0026 New Plans "Tell me everything about his abilities." Orochimaru agreed and informed Rasa about the abilities Fujin displayed. He covered everything from Fujin''s speed, control over the wind, combination jutsus, Vacuum jutsus and Wind Domain. The only part that he left out was Fujin''s sharp tongue as he was looking forward to Rasa getting a taste of it. Rasa frowned and analyzed, ''His ability to manipulate winds is truly remarkable. To create a dome of wind and perfectly control it... We don''t have anyone with such control. It almost reminds me of the things said about Lord Second.'' Before Orochimaru could finish speaking, Rasa asked, "Is it true he can use Scorch Release?" Orochimaru shrugged and answered, "I can''t say for sure. He used the Wind dome he created to take control of my fire jutsu and merge it with his wind chakra. The result was very similar to Scorch Release, but I didn''t see him use it independently. According to my calculations, he must be working on recreating the Scorch Release and is very close to the last step. If he succeeds, then it''ll be quite remarkable." A smirk appeared on Orochimaru''s face as he continued, "Considering his previous actions, I''m afraid your village will suffer heavily if he is allowed to fully mature." Rasa''s expression became slightly ugly. He wondered, ''How does Orochimaru know that he was behind that incident?'' Akatsuki had taken an interest in why the Western region of the Land of Wind had become so unstable. Due to being the only Akatsuki member from Sunagakure, Sasori had been assigned to investigate. As his partner, Orochimaru got the information from Sasori''s spies too. Initially, he was unsure about the information, but his doubts disappeared after Fujin killed Juzo. Rasa analyzed, ''He''s right. That boy will become more troublesome if he continues to grow stronger. Especially the Scorch Release. We can''t allow any other village to get their hands on Scorch Release! Especially not Konoha! However, Orochimaru is purposefully trying to make me restless. Everything will be fine if we win. However, if we lose, then Sunagakure will be doomed.'' Rasa said, "You still haven''t said how you''ll deal with Jiraiya. Also, what about Tsunade? What are your plans if Konoha brings her back to the village and keeps her hidden until we attack?" Orochimaru answered, "I have already made arrangements to keep Jiraiya occupied during the battle. As for Tsunade, she won''t participate in the war. I have long made arrangements to ensure that." Rasa frowned and replied, "That doesn''t tell me anything." Orochimaru chuckled and asked, "Do you expect me to tell you all my secrets, Rasa?" Rasa snorted and said, "If you don''t, how am I supposed to know whether the arrangements are good enough? You said that you wanted to fight the Hokage while I stall Fujin. Considering our positions, I''ll be next to him. How are you planning to switch our positions when they''ll be monitoring me closely?" Orochimaru replied, "It''s simple. I''ll disguise as you and sit next to the old man. You disguise as a normal Sunagakure ninja and intercept Fujin when he tries to reinforce the old man." Once Konoha''s top-level fighting capabilities are reduced, we can target Konoha once again and put this plan into action. What do you say, Orochimaru?" Orochimaru''s expression became even darker. If someone were to hear Rasa''s words and plans, they would find it very reasonable and appropriate. However, Orochimaru wasn''t just someone. He knew fully well about Konoha''s capabilities. He cursed, ''This moron! Does he think that Sensei will just wait around for him to make his moves now that Konoha has recovered its strength? If we don''t make a move now, he''ll have the Naras start making plans to make a move against both Oto and Suna. If he foolishly tried to target their elites, the most likely scenario is that his head will roll.'' Thoughts clashed in his brain at the speed of light as he analyzed, ''Should I do it and continue the plan alone? The arrangements I made over the last 3 weeks should be enough to crush Konoha. However, things will be tricky without a second rank S ninja to look after the operation while I''m dealing with Sensei... If something goes wrong, there won''t be any chance of saving the situation.'' Orochimaru immediately began convincing Rasa about continuing the plan. He warned him that Konoha wouldn''t wait for him and might send Fujin to do something similar again. Rasa obviously knew that. However, the situation had become too risky and he had no reason to trust Orochimaru. He would rather deal with Konoha''s schemes than blindly trust the snake. Hence, Rasa didn''t budge from his position. Instead, he tried to convince Orochimaru to assault Konoha in the future and join him in the plan to eliminate Konoha''s top ninjas. The situation became quite weird. Both of them hated and despised each other, but didn''t show it and tried to remain cordial since they needed each other''s help. The two had an intense discussion for over ten minutes but were still at an impasse. Neither had good expressions as they realized that the other party was too stubborn to change their mind. Finally, Orochimaru let out a long sigh and said, "Kazekage-san..." Suddenly, without any change in his expression or demeanor, Kimimaro''s fingertips parted, creating holes and exposing his hardened finger bones. He pointed them at Rasa and his guards in one smooth action and fired his bones like bullets at the unsuspecting Suna ninjas! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Elissa, Eddy, Siraj, T I, Sonny, Quintus, Micheal, Shiyam, Jack and Chandave for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 712: Overwhelming Might! Chapter 712: Overwhelming Might! "Kazekage-san..." The moment Orochimaru said those words, Kimimaro got into action. Even though Fujin''s existence had forced Orochimaru to change his plans, if Rasa didn''t cooperate, he had no reason to leave him alive. If the talks didn''t go as planned, he asked Kimimaro to attack if he said those words. Kimimaro''s fingertips parted without making any sound. Since Rasa and his subordinates weren''t aware of his background, no one suspected anything. However, the instant Kimimaro''s hands moved to point his fingertips at them, all four Anbu ninjas stared at his hands. After all, the four of them could be considered elites among elites in Sunagakure. They wouldn''t miss such an obvious movement no matter how stealthy it might have been. However, none of them anticipated that Kimimaro would shoot bones from his fingertips. Rasa wasn''t an exception either. Unlike his guards, he didn''t dare to take his eyes off Orochimaru. That proved to be a mistake as Kimimaro fired 6 bones at Rasa and one each at his 4 subordinates. "Careful, Kazekage-sama!" The four Anbu guards immediately got into action. In a flash, kunai appeared in their hands. They dodged the bones aimed at them and moved to block the bones aimed at Rasa. Unfortunately, the bones were too fast for them. Just as the six bones were about to hit Rasa, they froze in the air. Surprise appeared on Kimimaro''s face. He focused on his bones and realized, ''Gold particles? How did he stop my attacks with so little gold?'' Rasa thought, ''I should''ve known. We can''t trust this snake!'' Unfortunately, before Rasa could make a move, Orochimaru opened his mouth and exhaled poisonous gas at Rasa and his guards. Under normal circumstances, Rasa and the rest would have easily dodged it. However, Kimimaro''s attack had distracted them. Coupled with how close the two sides were to each other, they didn''t have a chance to dodge and were engulfed by purple smoke. In the blink of an eye, all five Suna ninjas flickered backwards while holding their breaths. One of the Anbu ninjas asked, "Kazekage-sama, are you fine?" Rasa immediately replied, "I am. Focus on the enemy, he is from the Kaguya clan. Don''t lose sight of Orochimaru and others." Giving them no time to regroup, Kimimaro moved towards the Suna ninjas right through the purple smoke. Two bone swords had appeared in his hand. With a frown on his face, Rasa wondered, ''Wasn''t the Kaguya clan wiped out? Why does Orochimaru have a subordinate from that cursed clan?'' At the same time, Orochimaru slithered along the ground and moved towards Rasa. ''Wind Release: Pressure Damage jutsu'' ''Fire Release: Searing Migraine jutsu'' Two of the Suna Anbu blew intense winds towards the incoming attackers while the remaining two exhaled a fierce fire into the intense winds. In the blink of an eye, the entire terrain was covered in a firestorm, engulfing both Kimimaro and Orochimaru. The intense attack forced the Sound Four to retreat. Kidomaru commented, "Those guys are strong." The two continued to exchange blows as Rasa asked with a frown, "But how? We were the ones who chose the meeting spot. How could you find the gold I hid?" As someone who could control and manipulate gold freely, Rasa was very confident in his methods of hiding gold. No one without Magnet Release should have had any chance of finding it. Yet, it had happened! In fact, things were so bad that he couldn''t feel any gold in the vicinity. It almost felt like someone had removed all gold particles for dozens of kilometers around that spot. Orochimaru chuckled and continued attacking as he answered, "I have my means." After tanking their jutsus, Kimimaro immediately went on the assault. The Suna ninjas immediately evaded and moved away from him. As a ninja from the Kaguya clan, the Suna ninjas were already wary of his close combat skills. The fact that he brushed off their jutsus with such ease, they were even more sure of their decision. Seeing the Suna ninjas avoiding him, Kimimaro ignored them and moved towards Rasa. It forced the Suna ninjas to attack him. One of them flowed his chakra along his kunai and attacked Kimimaro, who used one of his bones to stop the kunai before counterattacking. The Suna ninja immediately retreated while shouting, "We can''t fight him in close range. How do we stop this monster?" One of them replied, "Use formation 6!" In the blink of an eye, all four ninjas flickered. They surrounded Kimimaro on all four sides and blasted him with Pressure Damage jutsus. Being bombarded by intense winds from all four directions made it difficult for Kimimaro to move. In addition, sharp winds continued bombarding his body. A few cuts opened up on his body. Yet, the Suna ninjas were shocked as the effect of their jutsus was far lesser than what they wanted. At the same time, they tossed dozens of explosive tags along the winds and exploded all of them as soon as they reached Kimimaro. A massive explosion took place, launching dust in every direction. The Suna ninjas shielded their eyes and wondered, ''Did we get him?'' Suddenly, the eyes of the four Suna ninjas widened as they felt pain in their feet. They looked down and tried to move away but couldn''t move their feet and lost their balance. Bones had appeared from the ground and pierced through their feet, pinning them to the ground. As they looked down, a bone spike was launched from the ground at each of the four Suna ninjas. It pierced right through their bodies, killing them on the spot! Without giving them a second glance, Kimimaro moved towards Rasa, who was already having a tough time resisting Orochimaru! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Happyftw, Nazar, Matthew, Niiaouh, Mason, BattleMaster, Scott, Lucchi, Charlie, Eddy and Ryan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 713: A Lone Battle... Chapter 713: A Lone Battle... In a secluded spot in the Land of River, an intense confrontation was taking place. Rasa''s breathing had become rougher and his surroundings were covered in dead snakes. In front of him was Orochimaru whose clothes had holes and were drenched in blood but there wasn''t a hint of fear or exhaustion on his face. From the corner of his eyes, Rasa glanced towards his Anbu subordinates. His eyes widened as he saw their impaled bodies behind Kimimaro. He thought in shock, ''He killed them so easily?'' Suddenly, he flickered as a powerful jet of water pierced through his previous position. Orochimaru chuckled and asked, "Can you afford to be distracted, Rasa?" Gold dust floated around Rasa as he prepared to take on both Orochimaru and Kimimaro. He snorted and said, "Don''t underestimate me, Orochimaru. I''m the Kazekage. You''ll pay for this misadve... Huh?" As he was speaking, Rasa began hearing a melodious tune from a flute. He immediately felt his chakra flow being affected and disrupted it. At the next moment, he instinctively moved to his right as an arrow barely missed him! Kidomaru frowned and wondered aloud, "How did he dodge? I attacked from his blind spot right when he fell under your Genjutsu?" Tayuya replied, "Fool. He is a Kage. Besides, our attacks have served their purpose." Orochimaru and Kimimaro went on the offensive using the opening provided by their attacks. Orochimaru bombarded Rasa with Water jutsus, which were blocked by shields made of gold! However, the limited amount of gold with Rasa meant that he didn''t have any gold left to stop Kimimaro. Seeing Rasa without his greatest tool, Kimimaro flickered towards him. However, Rasa glanced in his direction while taking a deep breath. ''Wind Release: Desert Wind jutsu'' A chilling wind blasted Kimimaro as countless small wind blades bombarded his body. Rasa had merged Yin chakra into his Wind jutsu. As the winds moved, it also moved the soil along, turning it into a deadly weapon. Hundreds of minute cuts appeared on Kimimaro''s body, covering him in blood. Coarse soil particles hit these wounds, making them hurt even more. Yet, Rasa''s eyes widened as Kimimaro continued moving forward unflinchingly. Even though Rasa''s attack managed to break through Kimimaro''s skin, it couldn''t do anything to the layer of bone he had created under his skin. Rasa immediately slammed his hand on the ground while moving backwards, away from both his opponents. Dozens of giant spikes rose from the ground and attacked Kimimaro, but he simply crushed them under his feet and instead used them to move even faster. Rasa immediately recalled the gold that was being used to block Orochimaru''s attacks, but Orochimaru attacked once again, forcing him to use the gold dust to defend once again. Rasa cursed, ''Shit, this is bad. I need to retreat...'' Seeing Kimimaro''s bone sword inches away from him, Rasa quickly analyzed, ''I need to create some distance. Once I have my gold dust back, I can fly in the sky using it and create a distance from them. Then I''ll only need to be careful about Orochimaru''s summons. Still, being forced to retreat in such a manner... How humiliating.'' Unfortunately, Rasa could do nothing but swallow his pride. He concentrated chakra on his feet and flickered backwards... Or rather, he tried to. Just as he was about to flicker backwards, he suddenly coughed out blood and his chakra flow was disrupted! Since he failed to manipulate his chakra perfectly, the jutsu failed! Kimimaro wouldn''t miss such an opportunity and pierced Rasa''s chest with his bone sword. Moments later, more bones appeared out of his forearm and pierced Rasa''s chest and abdomen. They immediately rushed towards Kimimaro. Orochimaru had an ugly expression on his face. Kimimaro had coughed a few more mouthfuls of blood and looked to be completely out of strength. He could barely stop himself from falling to the ground. As the Sound Four reached close to them, they heard Orochimaru saying, "Even though you blocked the needles, the needles dispersed into gold dust and mixed into your bloodstream. This will make your illness even worse..." Even though Rasa failed to kill Orochimaru, he had successfully worsened Kimimaro''s condition. Just like in the original story, Kimimaro wouldn''t be in a state to join the attack on Konoha. Considering Fujin''s presence and Konoha''s preparedness, the odds were heavily stacked against Orochimaru. Yet, the thought of canceling the attack didn''t even cross Orochimaru''s mind! He was still as confident as ever! A few hundred kilometers away, Fujin was still standing, trying to figure out the situation. He finally gave up thinking, ''Ah, leave it. Finding the dead guy in this vast country without the mark is too difficult. I''ll need to wait for Shigeki''s reports. He could give me some information. That said, there is one piece of information I have. Whoever killed him tried to read his memories. That lowers the number of suspects. It''s either a Yamanaka ninja Konoha stationed here or Orochimaru unless there are others who have learnt this trick too. Hmm, I think Nagato could do it and maybe the Jashin faction could have this ability too. Of these, the most suspicious one is definitely Orochimaru as I don''t think any of the remaining three have a reason to target a Phantom Haven member. Of course, that is assuming he didn''t do anything crazy. Oh well, no point in speculating too much. I''ll soon have another headache to deal with. The first death of a member of Phantom Haven Society. I''ll need to handle this issue carefully. If I mishandle it, the members will become restless and the organization will suffer. However, if I handle it properly, I could use this to increase everyone''s bond to the organization and make everyone improve their strength seriously.'' Fujin immediately began making plans to use this situation to his advantage. Elsewhere, Orochimaru was even busier than Fujin. Unlike Hiruzen, who had an array of capable subordinates to rely on, Orochimaru had lost an ally and his two strongest subordinates! He had only a week to ensure that all his arrangements were perfect before he launched his assault on Konoha! [A/N: Latest chapter : A deadly infection!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sernote, MerciLess, Bagus, Reginald, Grim, Chris, Kris, DontLetMeCook, Eddy and Alphahail for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 714: Kazekiri Chapter 714: Kazekiri Sitting in his office, Hiruzen was going through the updated bingo book. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He chuckled and muttered, "So they figured it out, huh?" Without taking his eyes off the book, he ordered, "Call Fujin here." One of his Anbu Guards disappeared from the room. Minutes later, Fujin appeared in his office. Hiruzen passed him the bingo book and said, "Take a look." The page Hiruzen had opened had Fujin''s entry in the bingo book. He muttered, "So, they doubled my bounty to a 100 million Ryo, huh?" Hiruzen said, "It looks like they figured out some details due to your involvement and the trap." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, Darui and others had seen me use explosive tags earlier. So, it isn''t surprising. Still, I guess they haven''t figured out all the details yet. Otherwise, they might have raised the amount much higher." Hiruzen chuckled and said, "There is no point in increasing the bounties any further. If someone has the strength to kill you, then they can''t be bought anyway. The 100 million figure is just to signify the threat you pose. Such a bounty amount isn''t really a threat to you as no one will try to claim it. The only reason why Kumogakure did this was to send a message to other hidden villages. They should soon enter into talks with Iwagakure using." Fujin was surprised, but after thinking about it, he found Hiruzen''s words logical. Even if his bounty was increased to 1 billion, who would bother trying to kill him? He thought, ''Now that I think about it, there is one who might be tempted. I wonder if I''ll have a third round against Kakuzu soon...'' Seeing Fujin nod, Hiruzen added, "Of course, it doesn''t mean that there aren''t any bounties beyond that amount. However, they are generally reserved only for individuals who are extremely hated. The village that issues such a bounty usually goes all out to ensure that person dies. Turn seven pages." Fujin flipped the pages and saw Akuro''s bounty. It was twice that of Fujin''s! Fujin felt a bit peculiar and wondered, ''So if someone kills me, does he get 100 million or 300 million Ryo? Hmm, it might be fun to create more such identities and wreak havoc. It''ll be amusing to see a dozen pages in the Bingo book being occupied by me.'' Even though Fujin thought so, his expression hadn''t changed even a bit. Hiruzen asked, "Do you recall running into someone like this?" Fujin shook his head. Hiruzen sighed and said, "The fact that they put up the image of his mask implies that no one in Kumogakure knows what he looks like. Looking for Akuro will be difficult if he refuses to show himself." Fujin agreed and added, "True, but if his personality is as he displayed, I doubt such a person can stay without creating chaos." Hiruzen shrugged and said, "Only time will tell. Anyway, I had another reason to call you. Come with me." Both flickered out of the room as Fujin followed Hiruzen to Oto Momo''s house. He asked, "Is my new sword done?" Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes, Fuji did a great job completing it in such a short time." Momo immediately opened the door and welcomed the two of them inside. They entered and saw Furutani Fuji and some of his apprentices. However, unlike the previous time, each one of them seemed completely spent this time. He handed the blade to Fujin and said, "Check it and see whether it fits properly." Fujin held the sword and observed it. The sword was sleek and slender with a faint bluish hue, hinting at its unique composition. The blade''s edge was honed to an extraordinary sharpness, capable of cutting through the toughest materials with ease. The hilt of the sword was wrapped in a combination of dark, navy-blue silk and white leather, providing both comfort and a firm grip. Fujin swung his new sword a few times to get an idea of its balance. He quickly realized that the sword''s balance was meticulously tuned, making it incredibly responsive and agile. It was even more suited for him than his previous blades. In addition, the sword was considerably lighter than his previous swords, which would further complement Fujin''s speed and precision in battles. Considering that his main requirement was sturdiness and durability, Fujin was surprised that Fuji managed to make the sword so light. He muttered, "This sword is amazing. I have never felt more compatible with a sword." Fuji smiled and said with pride, "I had already crafted two swords for you earlier. So, it was easier this time to make the sword even more compatible with you. Of course, this is what I''d have done for any sword. You should have sensed what makes this sword special, right?" Fujin grinned and flowed his wind chakra into the blade. His eyes momentarily widened as he felt how smooth the chakra flow was. He thought in surprise, ''So smooth! It''s almost as if the sword was an extension of my arm!'' Fuji explained, "Even though the sword is exceptionally sturdy, the most remarkable feature of the blade is its ability to channel wind chakra. I incorporated a special lattice structure within the blade''s core that amplifies and seamlessly guides Wind Chakra along the blade''s length. It will make you feel like the sword is an extension of your will and help you by enhancing your vacuum slashes and razor-sharp wind currents to another level." Pride could be felt in Fuji''s voice as he enthusiastically explained the features of the sword. He continued, "Considering the features of the sword, I have named it Kazekiri!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Cristian, Salt Soul, Gabriel, jj, Damion, Maik, Ethan, Mark and Kyyate for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 715: Fujins Profound Loss! Chapter 715: Fujin''s Profound Loss! "Kazekiri, as in the Wind Cutter, huh? Sounds good." Fujin said with a smile on his face. He thought, ''Now I can''t wait to try this sword out. Orochimaru, I hope you make sufficient arrangements. It would suck if I can''t fight a rank S ninja.'' Furutani Fuji said, "I''m glad that you liked it. That said, I have a request. No, the swordsmiths in the Land of Iron have a request from you. I wonder if you''d oblige." Fujin took his eyes away from the sword and looked at Fuji. He asked curiously, "What request?" Fuji said, "You said that you destroyed Orochimaru''s Sword of Kusanagi. Do you have the pieces of that sword? If you have them and are willing to give them to us, we''ll use them to make a new sword for you. And, we''ll also be bearing all the costs. Depending on their state, we might be able to make a sword better than Kazekiri." Fuji''s gaze was so passionate that everyone else in the room was weirded out. It was extremely clear that he desperately wanted to get his hands on the remains of the Sword of Kusanagi. Unfortunately for him, Fujin shook his head and replied, "Unfortunately no. I don''t know what Orochimaru did with that sword, but it turned into a snake after I destroyed it. All its remains were burned down during our fight." Fujin would have liked to get his hands on the sword''s pieces had it been a normal sword. Unlike the Kubikiribocho, the Sword of Kusanagi was a very good fit with Fujin''s fighting style. However, he didn''t want to do anything with it knowing that it could turn into a snake. Despite his strength, he wouldn''t foolishly underestimate Orochimaru''s means. Hence, he didn''t bother avoiding the corpse of the snake when he blew up the entire place with his combination jutsu. Fuji''s enthusiasm died down like someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him. He sighed ruefully and said, "That''s a shame. Still, converting a sword into a snake. It seems like Orochimaru''s understanding of swords might exceed ours." Fuji handed Fujin the sheath and the box while Hiruzen discussed some official matters with Fuji. After around half an hour, they left Momo''s house. After ensuring that no one was around to eavesdrop, Hiruzen asked, "Are you prepared, Fujin? The finals will start in a few days. Even though your role might seem the easiest, it''ll be very complicated as you''ll have to change your plans depending upon the situation." Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, don''t worry. I''ll be at my best." Hiruzen replied, "Good. I''m counting on you." Both disappeared. Hiruzen continued working while Fujin got back to his training. In the Phantom Haven Base, Hayato entered Shigeki''s office with a worried look on his face. Shigeki immediately noticed it and asked, "Still no news on Masanori?" Hayato answered, "No. The squad I sent to investigate returned. They didn''t find Masanori. The informant he was supposed to meet said that Masanori never met him. They even looked for any signs of battle on the route he was supposed to travel but didn''t find anything." Shigeki frowned and muttered, "That can only mean two things. Either he ran into such a strong opponent that he couldn''t even put up a resistance or he betrayed us." The room became silent for a minute. Hayato shook his head and said, "No, he wouldn''t betray us. His hatred towards our former village runs deep. He wouldn''t give up his chance of getting revenge on them. It should be the first case. However, even if he ran into someone so strong, why would they restrain him?" They quickly checked the bases that had blown up and discovered the same in those bases. In an instant, everyone reached the same conclusion. Within days, everyone in Kumogakure learnt about it and another shocking news spread throughout the ninja world. Hundreds of missing Kumogakure ninjas were now presumed dead! The backlash of this news forced Ay to be entirely busy with the internal matters of his village. Under such circumstances, the day of the finals of the Chunin Exam finally arrived. However, one person was more busy and concerned than the Genins who were about to participate. That person was none other than Shikaku, who, for once, didn''t complain about waking up early. Even before the first rays of the Sunlight reached Konoha, Shikaku stealthily dispatched nearly half of the clan ninjas to the walls under the cover of the night. A few hundred clan ninjas were supposed to act as the audience in the stadium during the final round. Considering that the Kazekage and Hiruzen would be present there, the majority of Konoha''s top powerhouses were stationed there as well. That included Fujin, Kakashi, Guy, Hiashi, Renjiro, Asuma and a few more Elite Jounins. Shikaku couldn''t predict where Orochimaru would attack from and what he would target. If he teamed up with Rasa and attacked Hiruzen, Fujin''s role would change and he would assist Hiruzen while Jiraiya would act depending on the situation. However, Shikaku didn''t think that Orochimaru would do this as there was no way Rasa and Orochimaru could completely trust each other. For that reason, Jiraiya would stay back in the Hokage''s building along with the majority of the Anbu ninjas. Shikaku would be there as well to manage all the forces. Once Orochimaru made his move, Jiraiya would go to confront him. The remaining clan ninjas continued to stay in their respective clan compounds so that Shikaku could use them to reinforce others as per the situation. While Shikaku was ensuring that everything was under control, Fujin reached the stadium. He stood in the position assigned to him while observing the stadium. Not many people had arrived yet as there were still several hours before the matches began. Fujin didn''t pay any attention to any of them as his mind was in a different place. Fujin recalled the events that happened in the Chunin exams in the original story. Even though it had been over a decade since he last saw it, he still remembered it vividly. He let out a sigh as he realized, ''From this moment onwards, my memories will no longer be reliable.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Simon, MerciLess, Mammi, MSSC, Yamir, Lucifer, N, T I, Tino, Simo, AH, Franco, GimmeDaLoot, Javier, Ayoub and Mamii for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 716: The Finals Commence! Chapter 716: The Finals Commence! A sigh escaped Fujin''s lips as he realized, ''From this moment onwards, my memories will no longer be reliable.'' When he entered this world, Fujin prized his knowledge of the future very highly. Once he gained sufficient strength to thrive in this deadly world, he could use this knowledge to make immense gains. That was why he was always careful about his actions. Fujin had long gained the strength to thrive in this world. Even though there were still existences who were stronger than him, Fujin was confident in his abilities. However, even though he calculated as much as he humanly could, there was one aspect that he couldn''t control. As he continued gaining strength, his existence itself created ripples that would force any sane person to change his actions. It was just like how Orochimaru decided against killing Rasa, even though he was ultimately forced to do the same. Fujin''s existence would force others to make changes in their plans as they would have to consider his interference. Fujin thought, ''Even though I messed quite a bit with the other hidden villages, I did my best not to mess much with Akatsuki. Even though I tried to kill Hidan once, it ultimately ended in a failure without much impact on the Akatsuki. After this battle, things should calm down until the Akatsuki decide to take center stage. According to my calculations, they will target other Jinchurikis in the same way as in the original story. However, if Konoha takes minimal losses in this war, other villages won''t let their Jinchurikis get taken away so easily. Konoha''s strength will be too immense and they will feel threatened. Under such circumstances, they can''t afford to lose their Jinchurikis. So, Akatsuki will face quite a challenge while trying to capture the Jinchurikis. It could cause losses which may result in a serious impact on the future. If Onoki or Ay intercept them while they try to kidnap Roshi or Yugito respectively, it could cause severe repercussions. In addition, Akatsuki''s plans for Konoha will change as well. If I continue gaining strength at a similar speed, there is no way Nagato would dare to attack Konoha alone, even more so if Hiruzen stays alive. Considering all these factors, Akatsuki will be forced to make some major changes, whether it be recruiting more ninjas or something else. Of course, even with all the changes, my knowledge of the future isn''t useless. It is still precious, considering I know which events will happen in the future and the hidden abilities of so many rank S ninjas. It is just that I can''t act blindly based on just those events and abilities as I could when Orochimaru attacked Naruto''s team in the Forest of Death. Still...'' Fujin let out a sigh. He didn''t like losing something so valuable without being able to do anything about it. Suddenly, he heard a chuckle, "I didn''t think I''d ever see you be so worried." Fujin didn''t even need to turn around to recognize who it was. He said, "You seem upbeat as always, Guy." Guy stood next to him and said, "Of course. What''s the use of being worried about something that''ll eventually happen? We''ll just have to deal with whatever we have to face." Guy, obviously, couldn''t know what was going through Fujin''s head. Instead, he thought that Fujin was worried about the upcoming battle. As his senior, he decided to raise Fujin''s morale a bit. Coincidentally, his words were also applicable to what Fujin was concerned about. Fujin chuckled and replied, "That is true. There''s no point in worrying about what we can''t control." Guy gave his trademark grin and replied, "That''s the spirit." He became serious and said, "That said, this could be your first war. So, it isn''t too strange for you to be a bit nervous. We were quite the same during the Third Great War. By comparison, you''re holding much better." ''...'' Poor Lee was left speechless. Needless to say, he had made that statement due to his affection for Sakura instead of thinking rationally. Fujin and Renjiro ignored him and turned their gaze back to the arena while Guy was left without any words to defend his star disciple. Fortunately for Lee, a loud cheer was heard throughout the stadium, taking attention away from him. The two Kages had entered the stadium. Fujin''s eyes glowed as he observed the ''Kazekage'' like a hawk. A smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''Not bad. I don''t sense a hint of Orochimaru from him. No wonder Hiruzen couldn''t tell either. Now, the main questions are... Is he Orochimaru or Rasa? And, if he is Orochimaru, is Rasa dead or alive?" While Fujin and several others observed the two Kage, Hayate informed the Genins about the changes in their matchups. With Dosu dead, Shikamaru got a free win and his first match was directly against Temari. The other matches were the same as initially decided. Hayate informed them about the rules of the Chunin exam. Finally, a loud announcement was made, "Ladies and Gentlemen... Welcome, and a heartfelt thanks for gathering here in Konohagakure for the Chunin Selection Examination. We will now begin the matches of the final round between the nine candidates who advanced in the preliminaries. Please sit back and enjoy!" Another loud cheer began in the crowd. In the arena, Hayate instructed, "Haruno Sakura and Gaara, you two stay here. Rest of you, proceed to the waiting room outside the arena." [A/N: Latest chapter : The Dawn of a New Era!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Coles, Trempor, Howell, Bennett, Moon, ScrubLord, Zachary and Derion for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 717: Burying Sakura Chapter 717: Burying Sakura "Haruno Sakura and Gaara, you two stay here. Rest of you, proceed to the waiting room outside the arena." Sakura looked at Gaara with seriousness in her eyes. Knowing how difficult her opponent was, Naruto said, "Good luck, Sakura! You can beat him, believe it!" Sakura nervously nodded as Temari and Kankuro chuckled, thinking, ''You''ll be lucky if Gaara even leaves her bones intact.'' Hayate coughed, indicating the Genins to clear up. A minute later, Gaara and Sakura stood face to face in the middle of the arena. A determined expression appeared on Sakura as she assured herself, ''Get a grip, Sakura. Even though he is strong, you have trained hard for a month. You can''t get cold feet now. Not to mention, Sasuke still isn''t here. He will be disqualified if he doesn''t appear by the time his match begins. So, I have to stretch this battle as long as I can so that Sasuke can reach here. No!'' Sakura decided, ''I can''t think that way. If I win this match, I can battle against Sasuke. Only that way I can prove myself to him. I''m no longer someone who has to hide behind the two of them. I''ll follow Illumi sensei''s plan and defeat Gaara!'' Unlike Sakura, who was going through emotional turmoil, Gaara stood without a single expression on his face. Much like the rest of the audience, he was more interested in fighting Sasuke and had no interest in Sakura. He didn''t even consider her as a warm-up. Even among the audience, there were several wondering whether Sakura was ready for this stage. Their murmurs fell on the ears of Kurama Illumi, who smirked and thought, ''I can''t blame them. After all, I underestimated her as well. Who would have thought her talent in Yin Release would have been so outrageous... From everyone I have seen, only Yakumo''s talent exceeds her''s. Lord Third really knew what he was doing when he created Kakashi''s squad.'' Even Fujin was watching intently. However, the reason why he was doing so was quite different from others. Instead, it was because Illumi had visited him the day before to ask for his help. Fujin looked at Sakura thinking, ''I wasn''t expecting much from this battle, probably I still am not. However, she might spring some surprises...'' "Now then... Match one, BEGIN!" Hayate announced loudly. At that very second, sand rushed out of Gaara''s gourd and moved towards Sakura. At the same time, Sakura grabbed two kunai with attached explosive tags and threw them at the sand. The tags exploded as soon as the kunai touched the sand, dispersing the sand temporarily and covering the area in smoke. Sakura concentrated chakra at her feet and immediately moved under the cover of the smoke. She launched more kunai with explosive tags at Gaara while thinking, ''Even though he can control sand flawlessly, his sand can''t withstand the explosions. Step one is nearly completed!'' Several tags exploded around Gaara, each explosion slowing down his sand for a second. More importantly, the explosions created a smokescreen around Gaara, ensuring that he couldn''t see Sakura. In the stadium, surprise appeared on Ino''s face as she muttered, "Incredible. She has been working hard..." Ino clenched her fists. Just like Sakura, she trained hard in the previous month. Yet, she could feel the distance between them increasing slowly. Lee shouted, "That''s awesome, Sakura. Keep it up!" In the waiting room, Naruto acted similarly. Among the judges, Kotetsu said, "She is impressive." Izumo nodded and added, "Not only has she created conditions suitable for her, but her chakra control is incredible too. She has continuously concentrated chakra at her feet, allowing her to move at a faster speed." The common people were impressed as well and began cheering for Sakura. Of course, the truly strong ninjas could see that Gaara wasn''t even a bit affected. He was still as expressionless as earlier. At the next moment, the soil in the arena began moving. Within seconds, Sakura''s vision was filled by a massive wave of sand. She was still in shock that her attack had failed. Even if she wasn''t, there was nothing she could do to dodge the massive wave. Hayate''s eyes widened. He cursed, ''Shit! I won''t be able to make it!'' In the stand, Naruto, Lee, Ino and a few others were horrified as well. In front of their eyes, the sand engulfed Sakura, completely submerging her underneath! "Sakura!!!" Naruto shouted in horror as he jumped down from the waiting room. Most of the audience thought the same as Naruto. Quite a few were sad that such a promising kunoichi died. Of course, there were a few who became even more thrilled. And, there were a few ninjas who were glancing at a spot in the stadium. Illumi breathed a sigh of relief as he thought, ''Even though I didn''t know his sand could move autonomously, I made contingency plans in case he broke the Genjutsu quickly and attacked Sakura in rage.'' A serious look appeared on the ''Kazekage''s'' face as he analyzed, ''It feels like he has gotten even faster.'' Hiruzen glanced at the ''Kazekage'' to study his reaction. A solemn expression appeared on Baki''s face as he thought, ''His speed is insane. An ordinary Jounin will stand no chance against such a speed. Even I won''t last long if I fight him by myself.'' Hayate flickered in front of Naruto, who was running towards the sand where Sakura was ''buried'' and said, "Naruto, calm down and look there." Naruto barely controlled himself and looked in the direction where Hayate pointed. In an instant, relief and joy appeared on his face as he saw Fujin holding Sakura by the back of her neck. Fujin could feel Sakura shivering in fear. He gently placed her down and said, "Calm down. You''re safe." [A/N: For the first time in nearly a couple of years, I spent a couple of days without thinking about the book at all. Sorry for the sudden break, but I guess I needed to take my mind off it for a few days to refresh a bit. Anyway, let''s go strong once again. Hopefully no more breaks until the start of the timeskip. The release schedule for the upcoming chapters will be this time (plus minus an hour).] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Will, Ericisbest, Aman, Elijah, Quanta, Tomas, Mo el, Zypharus, Pierre, Peplum, Lucca, Tj Pot, Gerald, LinCJun7, Khaled, Nick, Turkey, Jimmy, Kev, VDZERM, Gan, Extrathicc, Maximilian, Leonardo, Calbear, HugeGreenPickle and Razgriz for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 718: Implications of a simple move! Chapter 718: Implications of a simple move! One day before, Illumi sent his Shadow Clones to look out for Kakashi. Even though he created the battle strategy for Sakura, giving her some chance of winning against Gaara, he knew the risks if she failed. He wanted to ask Kakashi to rescue her when that happened. Unfortunately, his clones couldn''t find Kakashi. So, he visited Fujin, informed him about her attack strategy and asked him to save her in case Gaara retaliated. Considering the amount of disturbance her death would cause to the future, Fujin had no reason to refuse. That is why Illumi was calm throughout the match. "Calm down. You''re safe." Hearing Fujin''s voice and seeing that she was no longer about to be engulfed by the sand, Sakura''s fear subsided. Even though her heart was still beating rapidly, being next to Fujin and Guy made her feel safer. Her knees eventually gave out as she collapsed to the ground while breathing rapidly. Lee immediately checked up on her and asked, "Sakura, are you alright?" Sakura nodded. She looked at Fujin and said, "Thank you." Fujin casually replied, "Don''t worry about it." He turned his gaze back to the arena, where Gaara was looking hatefully at Fujin. It was the second time Fujin saved his prey. Needless to say, Baki intervened before Gaara did anything stupid. Hayate announced, "Due to outside interference, Haruno Sakura is disqualified. Gaara is the winner of this round." Fearing that Sakura would be depressed, Lee said, "Don''t worry, Sakura-chan. You did great!" Renjiro added, "He is right." Sakura glanced at him as Renjiro said, "You implemented your battle plan perfectly. In addition, you also displayed your skills perfectly, impressing everyone. Unfortunately, you didn''t have any plans to save yourself from his counterattack. If you did, you''d have been promoted to Chunin irrespective of the result of the battle. Still, you should be proud of your achievement. During the next Chunin Exams, both of you should become Chunins." It was as Renjiro said. Izumo said, "Her chakra control and Genjutsu are definitely on par with Chunins. Her ability to implement plans also shows her ability to lead squads during missions." Kotetsu nodded and added, "True. By using 18 explosive tags, just under the permissible limit of 20, she also used the updated rules to the fullest. Unfortunately..." Izumo continued his sentence, "Unfortunately, she didn''t have any countermeasures and froze when the enemy attacked. That shows she isn''t prepared to lead a squad. If she had defended herself until Hayate could rescue her, she would have been ready for a promotion." Kotetsu and others around him nodded in agreement. Needless to say, Illumi knew about it too. If he wanted to, he could have easily made some plans for Sakura to achieve that. However, he refrained from doing so. He glanced at Sakura and thought, ''Under normal circumstances, no one would train the Genins to counter their opponents or make plans for that. It is something that the Genin has to come up with to prove that they''re ready for the promotion. The only reason I helped Sakura with that was because of how unfair the match was for her. However, I didn''t help her create a plan to protect herself until the proctor interfered. If I had done it, she would have been promoted even if she wasn''t ready. Hence, I left it as a test for her. Unfortunately, she failed." Illumi was slightly disappointed that Sakura didn''t bother to think of any such countermeasures by herself. Still, he wasn''t too bothered by it. He thought, ''Considering her talent at Yin Release and Chakra Control, her promotion is only a matter of time. This loss will be good for her.'' Sakura asked in surprise, "I could have been promoted if I had just defended myself? How?" Izumo nodded and added, "Yes, but considering the surprise the kunoichi gave us, I wouldn''t count him out just yet." Hoka chuckled and said, "I know you guided Naruto a bit, but this is the end of the line for him." Fujin chuckled as well and asked, "Care to put money where your mouth is?" Sakura glanced at the two of them and questioned, ''Huh? Are these two betting on the match?'' "Sakura! Come and sit here!" She turned her head to see Ino calling her and joined her. Hoka looked at Fujin with a deadpan expression and asked, "Who doesn''t know how loaded you are? As if I''ll risk bankrupting myself by betting against you." Fujin let out a sigh and asked, "When did you lose your courage?" Needless to say, Hoka knew Fujin too well to fall into his traps. He just turned his gaze to the two Genins. Fujin just chuckled and looked at them as well. Meanwhile, Renjiro wondered, ''Was Fujin just messing with Hoka or does he have confidence in Naruto? If it''s the latter, then this battle might be fun.'' "Match two, BEGIN!" Neji took his stance while saying, "Ho ho... It''s more fun this way. I can''t wait to see the despair in your eyes when the truth finally dawns on you!" Naruto made a hand seal as he replied, "Quit yapping and fight! Multi Shadow Clone jutsu!" [A/N: Next chapter : An Epic Clash!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Max, Miky, Tanav, Brad and Zypharus for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 719: An Epic Clash Chapter 719: An Epic Clash "The Hyuga blood flows thicker in his veins than in anyone else''s. Watch closely, Hanabi." "Yes, Father." Hanabi replied to Hiashi. The two of them weren''t the only ones. All Hyuga ninjas in the stadium were watching closely. Naruto, who had just created his Shadow Clones, suddenly shivered. He wondered, ''What the hell? Why does it feel like I''ll be in huge trouble?'' The reason for his instincts warning him was Fujin''s gaze that had locked on him. Fujin thought, ''If he gives Neji a free attack like he did Kiba, I''m taking over his training for a month.'' "Heh. Scared already?" Neji teased Naruto who immediately replied, "As if someone like you can make me scared!" Neji chuckled and taunted, "Come at me then if you dare!" Naruto''s Shadow Clones rushed ahead and attacked Neji. The four clones ganged up on Neji and attacked him from every direction. Unfortunately, no matter what they did, none of their attacks landed on Neji. Neji hit and dispelled all four clones with extreme ease. Hoka shook his head and said, "Forget Neji, he wouldn''t hit any Hyuga ninja with that level of Taijutsu." Fujin nodded and replied, "That''s true. Even though he prefers Taijutsu, it isn''t exactly his strong point." Hoka glanced at Fujin and thought, ''Weird. I thought he''d defend Naruto. Why was he so confident that Naruto would win then?'' Neji smirked and said, "You want to be the Hokage, huh? I don''t think that''s gonna happen. I can pretty much tell with these eyes of mine that abilities and talent are determined at birth. In other words, your entire destiny is set from the time you''re born!" His words pissed Naruto off, who shouted, "Why are you so stubborn? You''re always so sure that the future is full of gloom and doom! Why?" Neji replied, "Well, are you saying that anyone can become the Hokage if they just try hard enough? Only a select few individuals are even considered for Hokage. Wake up and face reality! Those who become the Hokage are born with that fate. You can''t get there by trying. You have to be pre-selected!" A chuckle escaped Fujin''s lips as he heard Neji''s words. Ignoring the gazes the ones around him gave, Fujin thought, ''Well, as delusional as he is, I can''t say he is entirely wrong. Then again, how could he know the history of the supposed loser? The son of the Fourth Hokage and the Jinchuriki of the strongest Tailed Beast, a fate he received at his birth. The absurd part is that those factors are more or less irrelevant considering that he is the reincarnation of Asura. Poor kid, blabbering so much in front of the wrong person.'' Neji continued, "Each person''s life consists only of being swept along in the inescapable current of his destiny. All of us have only one thing in common... One shared fate... Death!" A frown appeared on Hiashi''s face. Naruto snorted and asked, "Even if that is the case, what makes you think that your eyes can see the fate of everyone?" Naruto created dozens of Shadow Clones and attacked Neji. Despite the huge numerical disadvantage, Neji dodged and countered every attack. Having seen through Naruto''s attack pattern, Neji predicted that the Naruto who was standing at the back of the clones was the real one. He made his way through the army of the clones, reached the Naruto hiding behind the clones and jabbed his fingers towards the chakra point near his heart. Just before his attack could land, Naruto caught his wrist. However, Neji quickly followed up with more attacks and landed a hit in the blink of an eye, forcing Naruto to vomit blood. Immediately, several Shadow Clones around him were dispelled, covering the area in smoke. Neji said, "You''re the real one. I told you it was useless." Lee shouted, "Excellent, Naruto! Keep it up!" Ino questioned with a stunned expression as she covered her eyes, "What the hell? When did Naruto become so powerful?" Sakura answered, "I don''t know. His Wind jutsus weren''t this strong before!" Kiba had a similar stunned expression as he thanked the heavens that Naruto didn''t use such a jutsu against him. Hinata, whose condition didn''t worsen like in the original story due to Fujin''s treatment, smiled as she looked at everyone acknowledging Naruto. When the winds died down, Neji''s figure appeared once again. This time, he wasn''t completely unhurt. Even though Rotation kept Neji safe from the Wind blades, stopping such strong jutsu made Neji feel the backlash. His entire body was aching and blood could be seen trickling down his lips. However, he still stood on his feet, shocking Naruto and his clones once again. "Holy crap! What is that defense?" "How is he still standing?" "Boss! Give him another! If two isn''t enough, three will take him down!" "That''s right! Let me see if he still stays standing! Infinite Breakthrough jutsu!" To the shock of Neji and the audience, Naruto fired another supercharged Infinite Breakthrough jutsu at Neji, and by extension, the people behind him! [A/N: Quite a bit of a repeat of what happened in the original story in this chapter. Initially, I had decided to omit it all but eventually decided against it so that you guys wouldn''t have to re-read the manga to know what Fujin was commenting on. That said, there won''t be much repetition of canon in the upcoming matches.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kaiyuto, Tanner, Bobby, Gorama, JTSSE, Zalof and Aman for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 720: Spam till you win! Chapter 720: Spam till you win! Neji coughed, spitting out blood. He looked at Naruto and wondered, ''What the hell was that? How was he able to infuse so much chakra in the same jutsu and increase its strength to such a level? Why does he even know such a strong jutsu?'' Before he could find an answer, his eyes widened as he saw Naruto''s chakra moving in the same way it did a few minutes ago. He once again released chakra from his chakra points while cursing, ''Crap! How many times can he use this jutsu? Why does he still have so much chakra?'' For the first time, Neji was more than a bit nervous. Unlike Naruto, his chakra reserves were extremely limited. Even so, he still trusted his defense. However, there were quite a few who didn''t have that luxury. "Holy fucking hell! That demon is making the same fucking hand seals!" "Stop! Stop! Are you crazy? Do you want to kill all of us???" "That Hyuga kid is not at the center of the arena this time. He is very close to the wall. If he attacks here, then we..." "Fuck! STOP KID!" "Mommy, I''m sorry. I won''t ever force you to bring me here." "I''m sorry! I''ll never look at you hatefully again! Please stop your attack!" The audience behind Neji was in full panic mode! Young children were in tears. The adults who mistreated Naruto were now sorry. Quite a few people were trying to run away while several kids and even more adults fell unconscious due to fear. The civilians weren''t the only ones who were afraid. The ordinary-looking lady, who was glancing at Fujin earlier, nervously wondered, ''Have our plans been leaked? Does Konoha intend to launch a surprise attack using the excuse of the Chunin Exam?'' Hoka looked at the commotion awkwardly and asked, "Should we help out?" Fujin''s group was quite far away from the line of attack. So, none of them had made a move so far. However, realizing that some people may die, a few of them became nervous. Renjiro answered, "It''s fine. Arrangements are made to stop any attacks from harming the audience in every Chunin Exam. It''s just that Naruto''s attack caught them off guard." As Renjiro spoke, four Anbu ninjas made a move. They flickered and appeared on top of the walls while weaving hand seals. Just before Naruto''s attack could hit the audience, a barrier appeared in front of them and stopped the winds! Orochimaru keenly observed the barrier and realized, ''The barrier team is much stronger than what they usually keep. As expected, they''re here to keep Gaara in check. Unfortunately for them, they have foolishly given away their location. Who''d have thought that Naruto would help me...'' A smirk appeared under his mask as he said, "That''s quite a Genin you''ve got there, Lord Hokage. His strength is more than enough to be classified as a Chunin. Even some Jounins may suffer against him." Hiruzen replied, "True, but there are a lot of requirements to become a Chunin. I''m sure you understand, Lord Kazekage." Even though the barrier protected the audience, Neji still had to bear the brunt of the attack. He couldn''t keep using Rotation endlessly. Hayate frowned, calculating, ''Under such intense winds, Neji will die if he can''t sustain his jutsu. How can I save him if that happens? Sigh, why are the battles so troublesome?'' Sakura shouted, "Yes! Naruto won!" Ino exclaimed, "That was incredible." Others cheered as well while several senior ninjas were impressed by the skill Naruto displayed. For Konoha, a village where the majority of the ninjas practiced Fire jutsus, a ninja who could spam supercharged Wind jutsus was someone most wanted in their squads. Naruto was surprised to hear everyone cheering for him. In a few seconds, a wide grin appeared on his face and he began celebrating too. Hiruzen smiled, thinking, ''In this aspect, Naruto will leave even Fujin behind. If he learns how to harness the Nine Tails'' chakra better, he could launch supercharged jutsu for hours. Still, I need to have a word with Naruto. If he uses supercharged Wind jutsus inside the village, the village''s funds will bleed dry in no time...'' Even Orochimaru looked at Naruto with interest. He hadn''t expected Naruto to make such gains in so little time. In the waiting room, Kankuro muttered in disbelief, "I underestimated this knucklehead. His Wind Release might be stronger than yours, Temari." Temari frowned. She was already having a hard time accepting that Fujin, who was only a year older than her, was so much better than her at Wind jutsus. Seeing Naruto''s supercharged Wind jutsus ignited competitiveness in her heart. The medics finally came to take Neji away. Naruto stopped celebrating and looked at him. Neji said, "To think you kept such a card hidden. I admit, I underestimated you. If I had known earlier..." Naruto cut him off and said, "Your eyes can''t see which jutsus I know and think that they can see fate? Since I defeated you, doesn''t it mean that the fate you saw was nothing but fake? So, shut up about fate and destiny. You shouldn''t whine about such things!" Neji didn''t say a word. He had nothing he could say to prove Naruto wrong. Fujin heard their conversation and thought, ''Interesting. Since he used Wind jutsus to attack, Neji didn''t get an opportunity to seal Naruto''s chakra points and tell him about the caged bird seal of the Hyuga clan... Still...'' Fujin glanced at Hiashi and concluded, ''Yeah, he won''t be letting this opportunity go.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Pablo, Multiverse, Jordan, NaasH, Matan and SilverLeavesFall for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 721: Chaoter 715: The Opening Attack! Chapter 721: Chaoter 715: The Opening Attack! Fujin observed Hiashi''s expression and easily concluded that he planned to take advantage of the opportunity Naruto provided. Just like in the original story, Hiashi met Neji and informed him about what truly happened before offering an apology. Due to Sasuke''s absence, the crowd got a breather and the stadium became chaotic once again. The only difference was that instead of demanding for the next match to be started, the audience was hounding the authorities to ensure that they wouldn''t get attacked once again. After all, Naruto had won his match and no one wanted to be at the receiving end of his jutsus when he fought in the next round. Due to Orochimaru''s insistence, Sasuke wasn''t disqualified and his match was postponed. Kankuro forfeited his match against Shino to keep the mechanisms of his puppets a secret, much to the displeasure of the audience. However, Temari rushed into the arena while Shikamaru was pushed into it by Naruto. Hoka glanced at Kankuro and thought, ''That''s weird. Why would someone forfeit from the Chunin Exams without even trying? No, this doesn''t suit the personality he displayed during the preliminaries... It looks like the reason why the entire clan was training and why sensei asked for my help has something to do with Sunagakure.'' In order to keep their preparations a secret, very few people were aware of the real reason why the clans were preparing. Hoka wasn''t one of them. Even though Fujin and Renjiro knew about it, they couldn''t spread that information around. As such, both just asked Hoka to keep himself in top shape without giving him any details. However, Kankuro''s withdrawal caused Hoka and several other Konoha ninjas to become suspicious. Hoka glanced at Shikamaru and muttered, "Why is he lying like a dead fish in the arena?" Fujin chuckled and replied, "Well, he is a Nara after all. This battle should be interesting." Fujin glanced at the arena and thought, ''Due to my influence on Naruto, he resorted to wind jutsus instead of digging a hole to catch Neji off guard. So, Shikamaru doesn''t have a hole to take advantage of. That said, it''ll probably not have that much impact. When Gaara attacked Sakura, he overturned a good part of the arena while Naruto''s supercharged jutsus left massive scars on the ground. I guess he''ll resort to using that.'' Due to feeling pressured by Fujin and Naruto, Temari was even more ferocious in the match. Unfortunately for her, her momentum was useless against someone like Shikamaru. The initial part of their battle was more or less similar to what Fujin remembered. However, Fujin noticed one important detail. He thought, ''As expected. He has positioned himself in such a spot that his shadow won''t have to go through the cuts on the ground left by the wind blades. He''ll use this to surprise Temari.'' As Fujin predicted, Shikamaru used the shadows in those cuts on the ground when Temari hid behind her giant fan. The sudden change caught everyone off guard. However, what truly shocked them was that Shikamaru forfeited a few seconds later! Renjiro chuckled and said, "As expected of Shikaku''s son. Not only does he have his father''s intellect, but he might exceed him in laziness as well." The ones around Renjiro chuckled. Naruto couldn''t hold it in and went to the arena to lecture Shikamaru. Meanwhile, the experienced ninjas in the stadium were impressed by Shikamaru''s ability to plan. With Shikamaru and Temari''s match done, the audience began asking where Sasuke was. Fortunately for them, Sasuke and Kakashi arrived in the nick of time. After a short chat, Naruto and Shikamaru left the arena and ran into Gaara killing two Chunins who were trying to fix the match. Fujin sensed their chakra signatures disappearing and wondered, ''They tried to attack him even after seeing his match against Sakura? Oh well, I guess this is just natural selection. It''s a shame that this Chunin Exam will be interrupted. Otherwise, I could have bankrupted whoever is conducting the gambling.'' The battle between Sasuke and Gaara began. To the shock of most people, Sasuke displayed speed equivalent to Lee''s along with his Taijutsu, overwhelming Gaara''s sand. In the stand, Shikamaru and Naruto were still in shock due to the sight of Gaara killing those two. Naruto suddenly stood and said, "Let''s go see Kakashi sensei and Fujin. We need to ask them to save Sasuke just like Sakura in case anything goes wrong!" By the time he reached Kakashi, Gaara hid in a cocoon made of sand. Kakashi didn''t take Naruto''s warning too seriously and said, "Don''t worry about it, Naruto. There was a reason why we were late. Calm down and watch the match." Naruto argued, "But sensei..." Orochimaru pulled off his mask and said, "You praise me too much, sensei." Hiruzen sighed and asked, "Why exactly are you after Konoha?" Hiruzen couldn''t make any sense of why Orochimaru hated him and Konoha to such an extent. Not only had he let Orochimaru go a decade ago, he hadn''t even sent anyone to hunt him down. Yet, Orochimaru had done something so outrageous! While the teacher-student duo talked, the Sound Four successfully fooled the Anbu Guards and set up the Four Flames Formation to isolate Hiruzen from other Konoha ninjas. At the same time, one hundred Oto ninjas and six hundred Suna ninjas appeared outside the arena. Their leaders shouted, "Kill every Konoha ninja you see! If their civilians get in the way, kill them too! Don''t leave anyone alive! By the end of the day, Konoha should be no more!" Everyone shouted as 700 ninjas rushed towards the stadium! In the stadium, Hanabi nervously said, "Father, nearly 700 ninjas will reach the arena in a few seconds." Hiashi was serious as well. Within moments, the Konoha ninjas in the stadium saw the figures of the Suna and Oto ninjas covering the entire horizon! Loud shouts of "Kill all Konoha ninjas" were heard throughout the stadium. Sakura shivered as she fearfully muttered, "What''s happ...?" Her words got stuck in her words and her eyes opened wide. She wasn''t the only one, Hanabi''s eyes, along with the eyes of several hundred ninjas, widened similarly. The Suna ninjas who had jumped over the walls suddenly noticed an unstable ball of wind right in the middle of their formation. One of the Jounins wondered, ''What is that?'' Before he or anyone else could take a better look at it, the ball exploded, sending Vacuum Blades flying in every direction! Everyone in the stadium who was still awake saw the bodies of nearly a hundred Suna elites being dismembered mid-air. Blood and body parts rained down on the arena, painting the trees near the walls red! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Alexander, Fanchu, Micky, Qweku, Dip, QanonMinority, Celestial, Vaekou, Ali, Coldsun, Taghagata, Arcanist, Slothy, Fernando, Moayad and Setret for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Sanchit for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 722: A Terrifying Assault! Chapter 722: A Terrifying Assault! Shikaku had stationed over 400 clan ninjas in the stadium. Along with the Anbu ninjas, various sensei, the ninjas who looked after the Chunin Exams and some civilian ninjas who came to spectate, the number of Konoha ninjas in the stadium was close to 600! As such, Konoha wasn''t at much of a disadvantage numerically. On the contrary, once Shikaku diverted more ninjas to the arena, Konoha would gain numerical superiority. However, the issue was that very few knew about the arrangements Shikaku made. Since Shikaku sent everyone under disguises, most Konoha ninjas didn''t know how many allies they had in the stadium. Hence, when the Konoha ninjas saw the seven hundred enemy ninjas rushing into the arena, their hearts grew cold. The civilian ninjas in the stand were shocked while the clan ninjas understood why they had been training for the past month. Believing that they were at a disadvantage, they resolved to fight until their last breath. And, those were experienced ninjas. There was no need to mention how terrified the Genins like Sakura and students like Hanabi were. The seven hundred Suna and Oto ninjas moved in seven divisions, each consisting of around a hundred ninjas and led by an Elite Jounin. Each division approached the arena from different directions and entered with great momentum, further building up the pressure on Konoha ninjas. Unfortunately for them, Fujin had long sensed their location with his Space Time Sensing Technique. All their preparations to hide themselves were useless against that technique. He disappeared using the chaos created by the Genjutsu, hid in the mini-forest in the arena and attacked with the Vacuum Cluster Bullets jutsu right when they jumped across the wall. Not expecting to be attacked even before they stepped foot in the arena, the entire division was caught completely off guard! The Konoha ninjas and the enemies mixed in the audience saw dozens of Vacuum blades appearing out of thin air, cutting down nearly a hundred unsuspecting Suna ninjas! Their dismembered bodies rained down while their blood washed the mini-forest inside the arena as everyone watched! Despite being seen as the more gifted sibling and someone who had the right attitude towards being a ninja and a leader, Hanabi couldn''t help but shiver and puke at that sight. The sight was just too horrendous. Sakura barely managed to hold herself and asked while shivering, "What is that? How did so many ninjas die? And, who killed them so brutally?" Even several experienced ninjas felt nauseated at that sight. Sasuke, who was still in the arena, looked at the gore with a stunned expression and exclaimed, "What the hell?" Temari and Kankuro, who entered the arena to check up on Gaara, were no different. In fact, they felt even more terrified considering that the ninjas who died were their comrades. Baki had a dark expression as he was one of the few who realized what truly happened. Inside the barrier, Hiruzen asked, "Do you still think that Konoha is weak?" Orochimaru frowned and analyzed, ''It''s that jutsu. He used it to dispel my Shadow Clones in the Forest of Death. I figured it''d have a devastating effect on the battlefield but I didn''t expect him to use it so effectively.'' Seeing that Orochimaru didn''t reply, Hiruzen sighed and said, "No matter. I suppose I should be thankful to you. Not only did you make Suna show their real face, but also gave me a chance to fix the mistake I made a decade ago." Hiruzen''s expression became very serious. He fully intended to settle the matter once and for all. The two clashed, starting an epic battle! In the stadium, one Konoha ninja shouted, "Look there!" Immediately, the ones around him glanced in the direction he was pointing in. They saw another dozen headless bodies falling down along with the one who was cutting them down. Guy muttered with a serious expression, "So, this was Fujin''s role." Kakashi solemnly nodded and said, "Yeah. He is strong. Very strong." Hoka and Renjiro were surprised as well. Neither of them expected that Fujin would start the war in such a manner. Instead of being the attackers, the Suna ninjas seemed like the victims at that point. To say Kabuto was confused was an understatement. Sensing that something was fishy, he decided to stay quiet and collect more information to understand the truth behind his death. With Kabuto stopping him, Kakashi ordered, "Sakura, wake up Naruto, Lee and Shikamaru. Chase after Sasuke and bring him back. Don''t engage with Gaara." He summoned Pakkun to guide them and began fighting Kabuto. Inside the barrier, Hiruzen and Orochimaru began their battle. Both started with Taijutsu and ordinary weapons. Unsurprisingly, Orochimaru gained the upper hand due to his modified body and the fact that Hiruzen hadn''t been in a fight for a long time. Within moments, snakes surrounded Hiruzen and slithered towards him. A ring of fire appeared around Hiruzen and suddenly expanded in every direction. In the blink of an eye, every snake was burnt so thoroughly that even their bones disintegrated! The entire rooftop was decimated as well, exposing the floor of the barrier. Orochimaru quickly retreated towards the barrier while using the Waterfall jutsu and spitting out a massive amount of water! "What are these winds?" The ninjas, who were facing Fujin, wondered aloud when they suddenly felt winds around them. Before any of them could react, Fujin''s Wind Domain was completed. Unfortunately for the Suna ninjas, they were inside the Wind Domain! The Elite Jounin leading them suddenly had a bad feeling. His instincts were warning him to run away. He immediately retreated while shouting, "Fall back! Get away from these wi...!" Once again, he failed to complete his words as his head detached from his shoulders. He wasn''t the only one. The entire division, consisting of more than eighty ninjas, was beheaded in the same instant. For a moment, most of the ninjas stopped fighting and glanced at Fujin. The eyes of the Suna and Oto ninjas widened in horror as they saw that another hundred ninjas were eliminated by Fujin! Konoha ninjas were shocked as well. Not a single person from that division was alive. Not even a minute had passed since the Suna and Oto ninjas reached the arena. Yet, Fujin had already killed nearly two hundred elite ninjas of the Village Hidden in the Sand! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aeonstorm, hz, Drey, Sherry, SevenSins, Jorge, KioKuru, E Who, Brendan, Richard, Mustapha, BaldRhaegar, z2567, Michelle, Devine, A Heart, Gabriel, Yert, Dennis and sda for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 723: The Terror of the Wind Domain! Chapter 723: The Terror of the Wind Domain! ''Water Release: Waterfall jutsu'' Orochimaru spat out a large amount of water to block the expanding ring of fire. The ring of fire hit the water and continued expanding through it, evaporating all water that came in contact with it! However, Orochimaru continued spitting out more water and retreating until his back was to the barrier! By the time the fire could reach him, the water had absorbed all the heat and doused the fire. Orochimaru only felt a heat wave hitting his body. He laughed and said, "The Hellfire Clap jutsu, brings back memories. You have grown old, sensei. In the old days, your fire would have made it through the wat..." Orochimaru suddenly stopped talking and glanced outside the barrier. Hiruzen glanced in the same direction at the same time. Despite not having their chakra fields active, both instinctively felt that a large number of chakra signatures suddenly disappeared. Their eyes widened seeing the headless bodies around Fujin. Soon after, a smile appeared on Hiruzen''s face as he thought, ''So this technique has reached this level? Haha, not bad, not bad at all! A technique of this scale, I won''t be able to replicate it entirely.'' Meanwhile, Orochimaru thought, ''It''s that wind dome... So, not only can he control winds inside the dome but also spontaneously create wind jutsus inside the dome. It was a good thing that I attacked with a Fire jutsu instead of entering it. Otherwise, things would have been far worse...'' After their clash, Orochimaru rated Fujin extremely highly and considered him a great threat that needed to be eliminated if he wanted to destroy Konoha. However, Fujin''s impression became even deeper in Orochimaru''s mind after seeing what the Wind Domain could achieve. For a moment, he became unsure about whether the arrangements he made for Fujin were enough to deal with him. Hiruzen chuckled, attracting Orochimaru''s attention, and said, "It''s true. My powers have waned considerably. However, there will always be a new leaf to replace the old leaves. If you want to destroy Konoha, I''m afraid that killing me won''t suffice." Orochimaru built up his chakra while replying, "Don''t worry. I''ll rip out both old and new leaves by the time I''m done!" ''What in the world? Is that a Wind jutsu? However, how can Wind jutsus be used in such a manner?'' Baki wondered in disbelief. He couldn''t fathom Wind jutsus being used in such a manner. Seeing the winds in the Wind Domain being completely under Fujin''s control terrified him. His expression became grim as he realized, ''Not good! He cut down two divisions in no time. We lost two hundred of our finest ninjas. This is far beyond the acceptable level we decided in the council. If he continues, we may be wiped out! Where is Kazekage-sama? Why hasn''t he appeared yet? What arrangements did he and Orochimaru make to stop this monster?'' Unlike Baki, who could still keep his calm and analyze the situation, the remaining Suna ninjas were downright terrified! "What in the hell?" "How did so many of our comrades die so suddenly? Who cut their heads?" "Was it all the Spectral Swordsman doing?" "Don''t joke around! He is just one person! How can he kill two divisions so rapidly?" Some of them were still in disbelief and didn''t accept the simple truth in front of them. It wasn''t due to arrogance or stupidity, but rather the absurdity of the situation that forced their minds to deny it. Just a minute ago, they were rushing to attack and destroy Konoha with great momentum. And yet, a third of their comrades had been wiped out by a single person before they killed even a single Konoha ninja! In the stadium, Sakura was terrified once again as she saw the headless bodies. She wondered, ''Are all wars so terrifying? No, I can''t lose control of myself. Sasuke is all alone in the midst of this war. I have to bring him back.'' She quickly woke up Lee and Naruto before discovering that Shikamaru was just pretending to be asleep. Naruto asked in confusion, "What is happening? Why is everyone fighting?" His eyes widened as he asked, "How did those trees become red all of a sudden? And why are those people sleepi...?" Words got stuck in his mouth as he realized that the people lying on the ground were headless! Sakura replied, "Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas attacked us. We are at war! Those people were killed by Fujin!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, "Big brother Fujin killed so many people? No way! Where is he?" Sakura pointed in a direction and said, "He is ther... Huh? Where is he?" After transforming his Wind Domain into Wind Cloak, Fujin moved once again. Baki sighed in relief that the closest group to Fujin was the Oto division. He blocked Hayate''s and Genma''s attacks while keeping an eye on Fujin. Unfortunately, his relief didn''t last for too long. Using the Wind Cloak to propel himself, Fujin reached the Oto division in the blink of an eye. He was so fast that everyone, who was keeping track of him, lost sight of him for a second. Only by following the wind trail could they understand his movements. The Oto ninjas had just engaged several Konoha ninjas when Fujin appeared on their flank and cut down four ninjas with one swing of his sword. His sudden appearance made the heads of Oto ninjas turn. They just saw Fujin waving his arm, causing the Wind Cloak to release some winds, which quickly transformed into wind blades and cut down the 16 ninjas closest to him. Even before those ninjas were cut down, Fujin disappeared from his spot. He appeared on another side of their army. Seeing the winds suddenly become intense, the Oto ninjas understood that Fujin was approaching them. One of the Jounins shouted, "Bastard! How dare he kill our comrades! Stop holding back and kill him!" As soon as he gave the command, tattoos appeared on the bodies of half a dozen ninjas, including the ninja who shouted. Fujin immediately noticed the change and realized, ''Huh? The curse seal? Tsk, that snake is really generous with his soul.'' [A/N: Next chapter: Black Flames!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You KnuckledBehemoth, Brendan, Pranav, T T, K0D4S, Amin, Kazuha, Colman, GRP666, Joe, Shawn, Zypharus, Re, Ozev, Derrick, Adithyaa, HangLena, Blanket and Yaya for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 724: Black Flames! Chapter 724: Black Flames! The bodies of six Oto ninjas began transforming as they activated stage two of the curse seal. Unfortunately, even before they could complete their transformation, a red line appeared on their bodies, starting at their forehead and ending below their abdomen. All 6 ninjas were sliced in two even before they had a chance to make a move! Baki cursed, ''What in the world is that speed? He''s even faster than when he saved that girl! Don''t tell me that Wind Cloak enhances his speed! And he can even fly! Shit! Where in the fucking hell are the arrangements that Kazekage-sama said he has made?'' While Baki just felt that they were at a massive disadvantage and in great danger earlier, he now understood that they were done for sure. If Fujin was left alone for a few minutes, not a single Suna or Oto ninja, including him, would be left alive. He had no doubts regarding that. Seeing Fujin cleave through the Oto division with such ease, the Suna ninjas, who were still in denial, accepted the reality. The morale of the entire army dropped in an instant! More than half of them wanted to retreat. However, knowing the punishment for betrayal and not wanting to leave their absent leader to fight alone, they continued defending against the spirited assault of the Konoha ninjas. On the other hand, Fujin''s presence raised the morale of the Konoha ninjas fighting against the Oto ninjas. They immediately intensified their assault while shouting, "Councilman Fujin is leading the charge! Follow him and kill these bastards!" "Show these fools what fate awaits them!" "Leave no one alive!" Sakura, Naruto, Lee and Shikamaru heard their shouts and glanced at them. None of them saw Fujin''s silhouette but only saw wind blades cutting down the Oto ninjas. Naruto immediately realized, ''Wind blades? Is this how big brother Fujin fights? Woah!'' For a moment, Naruto''s mind went blank. He calmed himself down and thought, ''Those guys are completely helpless! They can''t even resist Fujin. Not to mention, Fujin is so decisive. He isn''t giving them any chance of survival and is killing everyone so mercilessly!'' Seeing the bloodshed, Naruto felt conflicted. Fujin had cut down the enemies with zero hesitation. Had it been him, Naruto knew he wouldn''t have been able to do that. In fact, he wasn''t even sure whether he''d want to kill people like how Fujin did. He glanced around and saw everyone else was doing the same. Kakashi and Guy had killed a few enemies while keeping Kabuto at bay. Some distance away, Anko and Ibiki were fighting as well. A few dead bodies lay around Asuma and Kurenai too. Everyone who Naruto recognized was busy killing the attackers. He thought sadly, ''So, this is a war? Where ninjas cut each other down so mercilessly? Why did Sunagakure and Otogakure attack us and start a war?'' His chain of thoughts was cut by Sakura, who said, "Naruto, stop looking there. We need to take advantage of the opening Fujin provided and chase after Sasuke. He is chasing after Gaara''s squad by himself! We need to bring him back!" Naruto nodded. The five of them were about to leave when their attention was once again attracted towards the arena. Fujin, who had cut down nearly half of the Oto ninjas, suddenly glanced towards his right and moved backwards. Moments later, a massive crystal wall appeared in front of him, separating the remaining Oto ninjas from him and the Konoha ninjas! Fujin looked at the crystal wall and the kunoichi behind it. He thought, ''Guren... So, Orochimaru decided to bring her here. However, is this all? He should know that she can''t stop me. Is she supposed to stall or distract me while my real opponent sneak attacks me?'' In truth, Fujin could have eliminated all the Oto ninjas before Guren appeared. Even though he couldn''t use large-scale jutsus due to the Konoha ninjas nearby, cutting down the Oto ninjas wasn''t too difficult for him. For the first time since their battle began, Hiruzen weaved a hand sign and replied, "You don''t think such a lousy combination can stop me, do you?" ''Fire Release: Undying Flame jutsu!'' Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen exhaled an intense fire! However, unlike the normal fire, this Fire jutsu had so much Yang chakra mixed in that the color of the fire had changed to black! The black flames expanded towards the incoming flood. Orochimaru immediately controlled the winds and let the water engulf the winds to prevent the winds from assisting the flames. At the same time, he began fusing large amounts of Yin chakra into the water. The two jutsus collided, filling most of the barrier with steam. The Sound Four and the Anbu Guards, who had the front row seat to watch this epic duel, wondered in disbelief, ''How could fire overwhelm water with such dominance?'' The only one who wasn''t surprised was Orochimaru. After all, fire was what Hiruzen was known for. If anything, Orochimaru was disappointed that Hiruzen''s fire wasn''t as hot as it was decades ago. Hiruzen sighed as he realized, ''To think that my old age would cause this jutsu to be doused for the very first time. How embarrassing...'' Even though the fire was overwhelming the water, Hiruzen knew that he couldn''t sustain the momentum. Eventually, Orochimaru would gain the upper hand. Thankfully, there was still quite some time before that could happen. The Lightning net around Hiruzen suddenly collapsed and transformed into large Lightning Dragons. They flew through the flames and hit the water! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Damian, Kyler, Tezz, Matthew, Gaming Experience, J.Rogue, Darkslayer, Bishal, Emmanuel, Lucas and Tomasz for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 725: Countering Fujin! Chapter 725: Countering Fujin! Orochimaru''s eyes widened on seeing the Lightning Dragons enter the water. He quickly controlled the winds that had been absorbed by the water earlier to form a barrier, separating the flood into two parts. The Wind barrier reduced the strength of the Lightning Dragons to the extent that they were no longer a threat to Orochimaru. Unfortunately, the Lightning Dragons left a path for the flames, which Hiruzen didn''t miss. As his black flames hit the Wind barrier, the strength of Hiruzen''s flames increased once again. Having gotten a second wind, quite literally, the flames moved through the water with an unstoppable force, completely transforming a large amount of water into steam. Orochimaru cursed, "Shit!" He immediately spat out a large amount of mud, which transformed into a dome around him to shield him from the flames. Unfortunately, the flames were too intense for the mud to handle. Even though its strength was reduced considerably, Orochimaru was still engulfed by the black flames! The black flames started burning his entire body mercilessly. Orochimaru gritted his teeth as he endured the flames while using every suitable jutsu in his arsenal to reduce the intensity of the flames. He succeeded in reducing the fire''s intensity to an extent where it was manageable for him. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done as he collapsed inside the flames. However, there was no joy or relief on Hiruzen''s face. Even before he could take advantage of the situation, a pair of hands opened Orochimaru''s mouth from the inside and Orochimaru crawled out, completely unharmed. A wide grin could be seen on his face as he began laughing nonstop. "Hahaha hahaha hahaha!" The sounds of his laughter echoed inside the barrier as he shouted, "You failed, sensei! You can''t kill me!" Despite his laughter, there was no change in Hiruzen''s expression. He replied, "Indeed, killing you has become difficult. However, let me see how many times you can use this jutsu." Orochimaru stopped laughing and said with a grin on his face, "That was your only chance, Sensei. Here onwards, the only thing that awaits you is your death and the destruction of Konoha!" For the first time, Orochimaru began weaving hand seals rapidly before slamming his hand on the ground, or rather, the floor of the barrier. In the arena, Fujin''s Vacuum Slash hit the crystal wall raised by Guren. Shock appeared on her face as a cracking sound was heard. She exclaimed, "That''s impossible!" A gigantic crack appeared along the entire length of the wall before the Vacuum Slash cut straight through the crystal wall! Guren stopped weaving hand signs and ducked down to avoid the Vacuum Slash. Without the need for any order, every single Oto ninja ducked or jumped to avoid the Vacuum slash. Having seen what it did to the crystal wall, none of them dared to get in its way. However, their eyes widened in shock as they realized something horrifying. Crystal armor appeared around Guren and her four subordinates, protecting them from the sharp winds that accompanied the Vacuum Slash. The other Oto ninjas weren''t so lucky. The ones who didn''t have the curse seal died due to the large number of cuts opening up on their bodies due to the merciless winds. The ones who activated the second stage of the curse seal had far stronger physiques than regular ninjas. Even then, two of them died as wind blades repeatedly cut one''s throat till he was beheaded and destroyed another''s brain by piercing through her eyes. The rest were injured to varying degrees but still had the ability to fight. He brought his right fist down like a hammer at Fujin''s head, aiming to crush him where he stood! At the same time, Shigeru moved again at an insane speed and appeared on Fujin''s left side. He intended to attack Fujin at the same time as Kurogaki. Suddenly, Shigeru''s eyes widened and he retreated once again. A millisecond after he retreated, strong winds blasted through the area where he was in. He thought, ''So he could still control his cloak despite Kurogaki''s interference? No matter. I successfully distracted hi...'' Shigeru''s eyes suddenly widened. Before Kurogaki''s fist could land on Fujin, he suddenly stopped and vomited blood. He glanced at his abdomen and saw a giant hole at the place where Fujin''s punch landed. Due to the curse seal, Kurogaki''s body was much stronger than a normal ninja. Even though he had absorbed the chakra flowing through the sword, Kazekiri would have sliced through a normal human with little difficulty. That showed how strong his body was. Hence, Kurogaki was very confident in his physique. Paired with his ability, he never feared close combat against any ninjas. To his shock, Fujin''s punch had opened up a hole in his body! He glanced at Fujin and muttered, ''Ho...?'' His eyes widened as he noticed the veins on Fujin''s body bulging and his skin flush with raw power. The Konoha ninjas who were keeping an eye on Fujin immediately exclaimed, "That''s the Eight Inner Gates technique! Fujin knows that technique as well?" Fujin glanced at the collapsing Kurogane as he closed the three Inner Gates he had opened and thought, ''Dark Release, huh? I guess he can''t absorb a Fist. Tsk, I should just raid Orochimaru''s hideouts if I want some good specimens to research on. Now then, let me see how fast Swift Release is.'' Fujin''s eyes landed on Shigeru, who immediately became nervous. His eyes widened and he hurriedly stepped to the left as Fujin''s blade passed through his previous location. He immediately retreated while thinking, ''Shit! He is even faster than befo...'' Terror appeared in his eyes as Fujin appeared in front of him once again despite him moving at his greatest speed. He tried to change his direction, but Fujin''s blade sliced through his body, cutting him in two pieces! At the same time, a Vacuum Slash was unleashed from his sword. It flew straight at Guren, who had just completed what she had been doing and slammed her hands on the ground! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Douglas, Cody, Limonday, Darkdriller, Chavi, Shawn, HBomb, Jd, Shen, Stefan, Krys and Mohamed for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 726: Orochimarus Trump Card! Chapter 726: Orochimaru''s Trump Card! Despite possessing the Swift Release Kekkei Genkai, Shigeru failed to outrun Fujin. While his speed was faster than Fujin''s, even when Fujin was assisted by the Wind Cloak, the Wind Cloak allowed Fujin to use the Assassin''s Rush jutsu seamlessly and continuously. It allowed Fujin to outspeed Shigeru temporarily. As his sword sliced through Shigeru''s body, he thought, ''It looks like Swift Release can''t keep up with me either. Well, at least not when used by a Jounin-level ninja. I guess Ay is the only one who is faster than me. At least when I don''t use the Flying Thunder God jutsu...'' His eyes focused on Guren, who had just completed a complicated set of hand seals. The two subordinates protecting her noticed the Vacuum Slash flying at her and cursed, "Shit! Protect Lady Guren!" Both weaved hand seals and slammed their hands on the ground. ''Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'' Multiple layers of earth walls appeared in front of them. However, recalling what Fujin''s attack did to the crystal wall, both knew that such a defense wouldn''t block Fujin''s attack. Hence, they didn''t rest easy and weaved hand seals once again. ''Earth Release: Iron Skin jutsu'' As Fujin''s Vacuum Slash pierced through the walls, the two of them stood in its path to block the deadly jutsu with their bodies! Needless to say, both were sliced into two pieces as the slash continued towards Guren, who had slammed her hands on the ground. Fujin''s eyes widened as he saw six coffins rise from the ground! A smile appeared on Guren''s face as she thought, ''It''s done! This is our victory!'' She suddenly felt something and glanced at her right. Her eyes widened as she saw a Vacuum Slash mere meters away from her! The Vacuum Slash sliced through four of the six coffins, destroying the boxes as well as the bodies within! Guren instinctively moved behind to dodge the Vacuum Slash. Unfortunately, she had too little time. Even though she managed to save her life, the Vacuum Slash cut her right arm at the elbow cleanly! Fujin cursed, ''Shit, did she just perform the Edo Tensei jutsu? And summoned 6 ninjas at the same time?'' For the first time since the start of the battle, Fujin felt some pressure. At the same time, 3 coffins rose inside the barrier. Unlike in the original story, Hiruzen didn''t try to attack the coffins. Instead, he just looked at Orochimaru with a dark expression. Reading the words on the coffins, he knew who Orochimaru was trying to summon and understood why he was so confident. He thought, ''To think he would try to summon the three dead Hokages... Sigh, he has completely drowned in hatred. For him to be so confident, has he improved the Edo Tensei jutsu to let the revived ninjas have the strength that they possessed when they were alive?'' Thoughts flashed in Hiruzen''s mind at the speed of light as hope appeared in his eyes. He analyzed, ''Minato can''t be revived. However, if Orochimaru can revive Lord First at his full strength, he won''t be able to control him. Even Lord Second might be able to gain control. If that happens, we''ll win in the blink of an eye.'' Even though Hiruzen had that hope, it was a very small one. He knew that Orochimaru wouldn''t make such a basic error. In an inconspicuous corner of the stadium, a figure stood. Even though several battles were happening around him, no one attacked him. In fact, none of them even saw him. It was none other than a clone Fujin had left behind in the stadium long before the finals began. From the moment the battle had begun, this clone had done only one thing, which was to observe the fight between Hiruzen and Orochimaru. He analyzed, ''So, Hiruzen didn''t bother to try blocking the coffins. It makes sense considering that it really won''t have any effect. Only Baki was slightly nervous. He wondered, ''Why hasn''t Kazekage-sama appeared yet? I can''t trust Orochimaru''s arrangements...'' As the figures became visible, the surprised voices of several ninjas could be heard. "That''s Juzo and Zabuza! Two of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!" "The Kumo rogue is here too? When did Kaminari die? No wonder there was no news about him." "Who is that girl?" "Holy crap! Kaguya Shirogane is also revived! That madman led his entire clan to its demise!" Finally, the last person''s appearance became clear. Immediately, the blood of all Suna ninjas who saw him became cold. Terror appeared in the eyes of Konoha ninjas. Even Fujin''s expression became grave! While the remaining 5 weren''t a threat to Fujin, the last person forced him to raise his guard to the highest level! [A/N: Kaminari appeared in chapter 136.] [A/N: The author''s notes in chapter 632 were related to this. I was struggling with one simple question - Why didn''t Orochimaru spam the Edo Tensei jutsu to destroy Konoha in the original story? It would have been an easy win. Even though Orochimaru''s Edo Tensei isn''t as advanced as Kabuto''s, it was never said that he could control only a small number of reanimated ninjas. The limitation was more focused towards the fact that the revived ninjas (more specifically the strong ones like Hashirama and Tobirama) couldn''t reach their full strength (and even this was added later in the story). Since there was no explanation, my initial plan was to temporarily nerf Edo Tensei jutsu so that Orochimaru could do only what he did in the original story. However, when I was considering what to do with Fujin (since he is considerably stronger than my initial plans), I suddenly wondered why I was nerfing the Edo Tensei jutsu when it was the perfect answer to my issues. Kinda glad that the idea appeared in my mind when it did as it''ll make this arc far more fun. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it. Plenty of fun battles to come (but please keep the author''s notes from chapter 704 in mind).] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tj Pot, Mohamed, Lucky, Olamide, Eswar, Michael, Pablo, Zypharus, Eric, hh, Jeppe, Evenjudge, Robin and Douglas for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 727: Fortunes Reversed! Chapter 727: Fortunes Reversed! "Hmm? What''s this? I''m alive again?" Juzo glanced at his own body in surprise before noticing others around him. His eyes widened as he realized, ''This... Is this Konoha''s Edo Tensei jutsu?'' "That bastard Kakuzu! He fucking stabbed me in the back!" Kaminari seethed in rage once he realized that he was revived. He wanted to do nothing more than get his revenge. Unfortunately, he knew that he was nothing but a puppet under the control of the one who reanimated him. "Zabuza-sama, is that you? Where are we? How am I alive again?" Haku asked curiously. Unlike the other experienced ninjas, he knew nothing about this jutsu. Zabuza replied, "You aren''t. Someone used a jutsu to bring back the dead temporarily. We''ll be under that person''s control." A sad look appeared on Haku''s face as he muttered, "Does that mean that you''re dead as well? I failed in my duty." To his surprise, Zabuza chuckled and said, "Don''t beat yourself up. You did very well, Haku. Anyway, we seem to be in Konoha and in the midst of a war." Juzo glanced at Zabuza and noticed Kubikiribocho with him. He said, "Zabuza... So you are the one who succeeded by blade. However, it looks like you have fallen as well." Zabuza looked at Juzo as well. Before he could say anything, Kaminari began hurling another round of creative curses at Kakuzu. He suddenly stopped when his eyes fell on Fujin. He said, "He looks a bit familiar... Who is he?" Juzo overheard him and replied, "He is Suzuki Fujin. I heard that you clashed with him before you died." Kaminari''s eyes widened in surprise. He exclaimed, "That brat has grown so much? Not bad... As expected of someone who could injure me. How did you die, Juzo?" Juzo sighed and answered, "I was killed by that brat." "What?" Kaminari shouted in surprise. While he was impressed by Fujin''s chakra, he didn''t think he''d be able to kill someone like Juzo at such a young age. While the reanimated ninjas chatted a bit among themselves, the last reanimated ninja''s appearance became clear. As soon as they saw him, fear appeared in the eyes of both Suna and Konoha ninjas! Fujin''s expression became serious as well as he thought, ''Hatake Sakumo... Sigh, such a difficult opponent. Even if he isn''t at his full strength, sealing him will be a difficult job...'' "Long time no see, Saru..." "You''ve aged, Sarutobi..." As soon as they were reanimated, the Senju brothers noticed how old Hiruzen had become. Hiruzen sighed and apologized, "I never imagined I would see you two again under such circumstances. I am so sorry." Hiruzen quickly assessed the situation, ''So much for that hope... Their chakra levels are far lower than when they were alive, especially in the case of Lord First. They won''t be able to break free of Orochimaru''s control. However, they should still have the strength of a rank S ninja along with their skills... While Sakumo''s strength was always known, he gained fame during the Second Great Ninja War when he led Konoha''s armies on the Suna front. The wounds he inflicted on Sunagakure were worse than what Fujin inflicted on Kumogakure. Unlike Fujin, who did it stealthily and without any witnesses, Sakumo did it in front of everyone on the battlefield. For over a decade, there wasn''t a single person in Sunagakure who didn''t hate him! Kakashi and others glanced in the direction of this commotion as well. It was too big to ignore. His eyes widened as he muttered, "Father..." He looked back at Kabuto and said, "Edo Tensei... So that is the weird feeling I was getting. However, who killed you, Kabuto?" Having faced Kabuto, Kakashi knew how formidable he was. Seeing that he had suddenly died caught him off guard. Of course, the one who was caught off guard most was none other than Kabuto. He wondered, ''What in the hell? It doesn''t seem like he is lying. In fact, he has no reason to lie. What is going on? Who killed me? And, who can use Chidori as well as Kakashi?'' Kabuto immediately felt like he was on the verge of finding out about a great conspiracy. He racked his brain to figure out what it was while continuing to restrict Kakashi. Sakumo glanced at the headband Guren was wearing and the Oto ninjas around her before glancing at Fujin. Seeing the wind cloak around him, Sakumo immediately concluded that all the Oto ninjas had been killed by Fujin. He sighed, "To think that I would be revived to fight my own village... You, what is your name?" Fujin replied, "I didn''t expect to see a ninja of your caliber in the enemy ranks. I''m Suzuki Fujin." Sakumo said, "Fujin, good name. Even though I''m revived, I can feel that I''m not at my full strength. However, you can''t kill someone who has been summoned by the Edo Tensei jutsu. This jutsu can only be stopped by either sealing us or by putting the caster under a Genjutsu and dispelling the jutsu. Call for a few Uchiha Jounins and have them suppress her..." The eyes of Konoha ninjas widened while the Suna ninjas smirked. The famed Uchiha clan no longer existed. The only ones who lived were Sasuke and a few academy students. The only two strong Uchiha were rogue ninjas. Even though they hated Sakumo, seeing him on their side raised the morale of the Suna ninjas. Just a minute ago, Fujin was ruthlessly butchering Suna and Oto ninjas. Now, it would be Konoha''s turn to suffer! Before the Konoha ninjas could say that there was no Uchiha Jounin in the village and ask Sakumo to give a different advice, Guren shouted, "Stop stalling time and attack him! Kill Fujin before he is reinforced and annihilate the remaining Konoha ninjas!" [A/N: Next Chapter : Fujin''s Decisiveness!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sevensins, Antonio, Ernesto, Mike, AWG, Max, Alex, Mounir, Hsao and rain for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Rohit for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 728: Fujins Decisiveness! Chapter 728: Fujin''s Decisiveness! "Stop stalling time and attack him! Kill Fujin before he is reinforced!" Immediately, five of the six reanimated ninjas rushed at Fujin. Only Sakumo stood in his spot, trying his best to resist the order. Ice needles appeared between Haku''s fingers as he said, "My body... Zabuza-sama, my mind is clear but my body is moving on its own." Zabuza frowned while gripping his Kubikiribocho tighter. He replied, "That''s what this jutsu does. It forces us to fight as per the wishes of our summoner even if it is against our will..." As he approached Fujin, Juzo, wielding a large black sword that reminded Fujin of Darui''s sword, said, "To think I''d get a rematch with you under such circumstances. It wasn''t what I wished but here I come!" Unlike him, Kaminari laughed while conducting lightning through his sword made of chakra metal. He shouted, "I''ll first kill you, before taking revenge on Kakuzu! It was due to you that Kakuzu got an opening to attack me!" As for the last person, he was awfully quiet until this point and didn''t carry any weapon. Strangely, he was also the fastest one to move! When he was just a couple of meters away from Fujin, a wide grin appeared on his face. Several sharp bones popped out of his body as he exclaimed in ecstasy, "To think I could battle even after my death! Haha, this is marvelous!" The eyes of the Konoha ninjas widened. A couple of veteran ninjas shouted, "Fujin! Please stay away from him! He was the clan leader of the Kaguya clan and a rank S ninja! Don''t let him get close to you!" From the barrier, Orochimaru glanced at the arena and thought with a smirk, ''According to my original plan, I would have let Rasa deal with Fujin. Kimimaro would have assassinated whoever won. I predicted that Shikaku would make Jiraiya stay in the Hokage Building to deal with me and later send him to deal with my summons. I would have sent Guren along with the reanimated ninjas to take care of him. Unfortunately, Rasa''s sudden change of heart disrupted my plans. Luckily, my summons can keep Jiraiya occupied for a while. Even if he comes here immediately, my next move will be enough to make the battle unsalvagable for Konoha.'' The Three Hokages began their battle while Fujin looked at five strong and unkillable ninjas coming at him with the intention to kill. Shirogane''s bones extended towards Fujin and touched his Wind Cloak. At that very moment, Shirogane and the eyes of the other four reanimated ninjas widened. Before any of them could react, all five were hit by intense winds and launched back like cannonballs at an even faster speed! The eyes of all onlookers widened as they guarded against the intense wind current flowing from the Wind Cloak in every direction. Before they could stabilize themselves, another intense wind current was blasted behind Fujin, sending any unlucky ninja in its path flying for several dozen meters. As for Fujin, he appeared in front of Sakumo in the blink of an eye and swung his sword straight at Sakumo''s throat! Lightning coursed through Sakumo''s body, increasing his speed tremendously and allowing him to keep up with Fujin''s speed. He unsheathed a white tanto and swung it at Fujin''s sword in one smooth movement. Lightning circulated through it as well causing it to release a white light. As their blade drew closer to each other, Fujin thought, ''The White Fang, huh? A shame that he isn''t at his full strength and the circumstances don''t allow me to have some fun. Otherwise, it would have been a very fun duel. In addition, his tanto is very good too. It is at least as good as my Kazekiri, if not even better. If I didn''t have the Kiba blades, I''d be tempted to steal his sword. It looks like Orochimaru has left no stone unturned to ensure the success of his assault.'' He unleashed several lightning rays at Fujin''s group, which were immediately intercepted by Fujin''s air bullets. Sakumo said, "I''m still not in control of my body." Fujin sighed and muttered, "As I suspected, that woman wasn''t the true user of the Edo Tensei jutsu. The real one must be..." Fujin glanced in the direction of the barrier. An intense battle was taking place inside. However, Orochimaru was looking hatefully in Fujin''s direction. He cursed, ''Fuck! That brat! I didn''t expect that he''d be so decisive!'' Orochimaru flickered to dodge Hiruzen''s jutsu as he thought, ''Even though I have improved the Second Hokage''s Edo Tensei jutsu considerably, this jutsu still has a lot of limitations. I still can''t revive the ninjas at their full strength. However, that''s not necessarily a bad thing. The bigger issue is distance. My control weakens considerably as the distance between me and the reanimated ninjas increases. For the time being, I can only keep two rank S ninjas under my control when they are away from me. I can control a few more Elite Jounins at the same time, but if I add a third rank S ninja, all three will break out of my control...'' Orochimaru frowned as he continued thinking, ''Even though Sakumo and Shirogane are strong, they wouldn''t be able to defeat the Konoha ninjas led by Fujin and Jiraiya. Their job was more to whittle them down. By the time they sealed these 6 ninjas, Guren would have summoned another 6 ninjas and attacked them when they were exhausted. However, I never anticipated that someone would just kill Guren, even after the complicated set of hand seals I gave her to fool everyone into thinking that she was the real summoner...'' Orochimaru flickered once again as a water jet and a fireball clashed at the spot he was standing in. As he analyzed the situation, Orochimaru realized how the battle would play out. A grin appeared on his face as he suddenly began laughing. He thought, ''It looks like the battle outside is a lost cause. To think that I''d lose even after putting in so much effort. No matter. I still have a couple of cards left. Even though I lost this battle, I''ll be the final victor in this war!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You SnowFairyAsuna, Jack, Nice1bud, Dez, Arturo, Mateus, John, Fouad, Bozo, Sleepyblackcat, Jai, Shadow and Krishanth for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 729: One Jutsu to Suppress Them All! Chapter 729: One Jutsu to Suppress Them All! Sakumo unleashed over a hundred rays of lightning which approached Fujin''s group from different directions as he warned loudly, "Be careful. I can feel that my body is programmed to focus on killing you, Fujin. If you fall, my blade will turn towards other Konoha ninjas. Anyone who gets in my way will be attacked as well. I will try to resist as much as I can, but prepare yourself." Fujin''s Wind Cloak transformed into winds and intercepted the lightning rays. At the same time, it recreated the Wind Domain around him. The remaining reanimated ninjas, who were charging towards Fujin''s group, immediately stopped and retreated before the winds could engulf them. Kaminari questioned, "What are those winds?" Haku wondered aloud, "Can he control the winds in that dome? That''s incredible. I have never seen anyone use Wind Release in this manner." Zabuza, Juzo, Shirogane and Sakumo looked in surprise as well. Despite spending years on the battlefield fighting all kinds of ninjas, none of them had seen anything like that. At the center of the Wind Domain, Guy asked, "What do we do now? Should I use..." He was cut off by Renjiro, who replied, "The Eight Inner Gates technique is too risky against the Edo Tensei. Even if their bodies are destroyed, they will reform. It''ll depend on whether they can be sealed before they reform. Fujin, you should be able to seal them, right?" Once they were destroyed, sealing a reanimated ninja wasn''t a difficult job. Even SealMasters could do so if they had learnt the appropriate sealing methods. As a Grandmaster, Fujin obviously could do it as well. In fact, he had several methods to do so. Fujin nodded and replied, "Sealing them wouldn''t be an issue. However, it''ll be better to save your technique for later in case Orochimaru has other arrangements. At the very least, don''t open the latter gates which would slow you down." Guy nodded. While their enemy was strong, the situation wasn''t bad enough to take huge risks. Considering Orochimaru''s methods, Fujin''s words seemed appropriate. Hoka, the last person in their group, activated his Byakugan and asked, "So, how do we deal with them?" Kakashi replied, "Fighting them together will be troublesome. Due to their bodies, they won''t be concerned with friendly fire. We won''t have that luxury and could be put in a difficult situation." Renjiro added, "That is correct. The best way to deal with them would be to split them up." Fujin agreed as well and said, "Alright, I''ll use winds to split them up. Which opponents do you guys want?" Kakashi was the first one to reply, "I''ll take on my father..." Without missing a beat, Fujin questioned, "You sure? We won''t be able to back you up if things go wrong..." Needless to say, Fujin wanted to take Sakumo on. As per his initial calculation, Guy, Kakashi, Renjiro and Hoka would take on Shirogane, Kaminari, Juzo and Zabuza respectively while a Jounin restricted Haku. Once he sealed Sakumo, Fujin could team up with others to seal everyone up one by one. However, Kakashi replied resolutely, "I am. Father isn''t as strong as he was when he was alive. In addition, he is resisting Orochimaru''s control. I can restrain him." Even though Kakashi spent the month training Sasuke, he also started to take his own training more seriously after his encounter with Kabuto. At the same time, he wanted to take this chance to talk with his father. Everyone understood it and hence no one opposed Kakashi. Fujin glanced at others and asked, "Well, what about you guys?" Guy was about to answer when his eyes widened and he shouted, "Careful!" Even so, Shirogane laughed loudly and continued moving forward. Hundreds of cuts appeared on his bones but none managed to pierce through. Only some scars were left, but they couldn''t slow him down. However, his laughter suddenly stopped as a giant palm, made of winds, formed around him and stopped him. In the blink of an eye, he was pinned to the ground! While Fujin dealt with the attacks, everyone quickly began deciding their opponents. Guy said, "I''ll take the Kaguya." However, Renjiro said, "No, I''ll take on Shirogane. I had fought against him during the previous war. I won''t have much difficulty in restricting him for a while. You take on Zabuza. Unlike me, you should be able to suppress him easily. Hoka, take on the Ice user." Guy and Hoka agreed. Fujin glanced at Juzo and Kaminari and thought, ''So, time to face these two again, huh? Well, it should be interesting. It''ll allow me to see how far I have come...'' Renjiro continued, "You''ll have to take on those two, Fujin." Fujin replied, "Alright." While they planned, the onlookers were shocked. A Suna ninja dropped his kunai and questioned in disbelief, "Did he just suppress all six of them alone?" A Konoha ninja exclaimed, "Holy crap! Fujin is cool! Look how he is holding down that Kaguya ninja!" Another asked, "Didn''t you say that he was a rank S ninja? Look how helpless he is against Councilman Fujin!" The older Konoha ninjas were just left speechless. They recalled how they tried to warn Fujin earlier. And now, Fujin was holding him down without even glancing at him. Baki gulped his saliva nervously as well. With a grim expression, he thought, ''Impossible! He blocked the full power attacks of a rank S ninja, 3 Elite Jounins and a Kekkei Genkai wielder and suppressed another rank S ninja with the same technique! How is this technique so powerful? How can we even counter it?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mounir, Federico, true, Kishor, Fanfic Sage, Vrga, Vortigern, Lucas and Jon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 730: Poking the Beehive! Chapter 730: Poking the Beehive! For a few moments, Baki felt a sense of helplessness. He didn''t see any way to counter such a strong jutsu. In fact, he wasn''t even sure whether Rasa could stop this technique. The fact that the enemy village had a sixteen-year-old ninja who could go up against their Kage and possibly overpower him was extremely difficult for Baki to digest. Yet, Baki quickly controlled himself. As the Sunagakure ninja with the highest authority on the battlefield, he wasn''t allowed to lose control of his emotions like the rest. He quickly analyzed, ''No! A jutsu this strong has to have weaknesses. And, the weakness of this jutsu is rather obvious. Sustaining it will take a massive toll on his chakra reserves. While we can''t confront him head-on, we can keep attacking him until he runs out of chakra and then take his head! However, it''ll be a very painful victory. It''ll be best if they are able to kill him right here...'' Baki''s analysis wasn''t off the mark. The Wind Domain had a ridiculous requirement for chakra. A normal ninja wouldn''t be able to sustain it. After creating the Wind Domain, Fujin used it to annihilate a division of Suna ninjas and a division of Oto ninjas. In addition, he lost a big chunk of chakra to Kurogaki''s Dark Release. Along with his liberal use of the Assassin''s Rush jutsu and blocking the reanimated ninjas, his Wind Domain was almost out of chakra. It became quite evident when Shirogane''s bones ripped through Fujin''s Ghost Palm. Baki observed it with a keen look and thought, ''As I suspected. The technique''s power had decreased significantly. Even though he is still ridiculously strong, he won''t be invincible once this technique ends!'' The reanimated ninjas and others around, especially the sensors, also noticed the same thing. Sakumo sighed internally while thinking, ''I guess expecting a jutsu of this scale to be sustained for too long is too much...'' However, unlike the expressions of the Konoha ninjas, there wasn''t even a hint of worry on Fujin''s face. The Wind Domain began moving once again and strong winds were blasted in the direction of all six ninjas once again. The sudden move from the weakening Wind Domain caught them off guard and all six ninjas were hurled a long distance backwards. With this attack, Fujin''s Wind Domain finally ran out of chakra as well. Without exchanging a single word, everyone in Fujin''s group flickered towards the opponents they decided upon! Baki immediately realized, ''That technique has run out of chakra! This is our chance!'' He quickly glanced towards three Suna Jounins, all of whom glanced back at him at that moment. Without the need for any orders, they nodded and flickered. The three Suna ninjas specialized in assassination. In a head-on battle, they knew that they didn''t stand any chance against Fujin. However, with the reanimated ninjas keeping him busy, they were confident that they would get some openings! Fujin appeared in front of Juzo and Kaminari and thought, ''More than 300 elite ninjas for 25% of my chakra... Not a bad exchange. That said, fighting these two and later sealing the rest... My chakra reserves can go seriously low... And, depending on the situation, I may have to fight with Orochimaru as well. Worse, he might have more dead people to summon...'' Kaminari looked at Fujin and chuckled, "Aren''t you looking down at us, boy? You want to take the two of us at the same time without that cloak?" Juzo said, "If we were still alive, I''d have warned him to not underestimate you. However, I suppose it doesn''t matter now. How long has it been since you killed me?" Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Kill you? We never even met." Juzo was immediately left speechless. Kaminari looked at Fujin in confusion and wondered, ''Why is he denying it?'' Juzo, who lived a few years longer than Kaminari, understood why Fujin denied it. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''How much shit did he do to refuse his identity completely? I suppose even Konoha can''t handle the backlash if he accepts it openly. Yuji chuckled and said, "Don''t worry, when has Takeshi ever taken anyone lightly?" Sayaka looked at him and scolded, "I''m worried more about you, Yuji!" She turned her gaze towards their Anbu instructors and said, "Don''t worry, our instructors are still here. Even if Sensei isn''t here, they can instruct us how to deal with them." Everyone nodded obediently. Unknown to them, Monkey had a worried expression behind his mask. He thought, ''We don''t have enough manpower to face them... The only way we''d have any chance at victory is if I make the trainees fight. However, this is very risky. Even though they have a couple of years of training, they have never been on an actual mission. If I make them fight here, many would die. Considering their immense potential, this will be a painful loss for the village. However, what other choice do I hav... Huh?'' In shock, Monkey asked, "What are you doing here?" Fujin''s clone asked in return, "Why are you so agitated? Calm down, I''m just a Shadow Clone." Monkey sighed in relief and said, "Thankfully you''re here. I was getting worried about sending the trainees to battle. Even though you''re just a clone, our losses will be significantly lower... What''s the issue?" He suddenly felt uncomfortable as he saw Fujin''s clone looking at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world! Fujin''s clone turned his gaze back towards the enemy and asked, "What do you mean by losses?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, Mugen, Cody, ChatChaPong, TreasonPhoenix, PervySage, EliasJ, Miyuki and Aibek for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 731: Unexpected Casualties of the War! Chapter 731: Unexpected Casualties of the War! [A/N: Sorry guys. Fell asleep while writing last night ???? Was gonna upload the chapter earlier today, but had a few ideas and I kept writing. Anyway, today''s chapter will be out later as well. Hope you guys been doing well :)] "Shikaku-sama! One group of enemies have broken through and are heading towards the village!" Yamanaka Shin opened his eyes and reported with a grim expression. Several Yamanaka ninjas in the room had grim expressions as well. They were responsible for sensing the position of enemy ninjas. A group entering the village meant that there would be a lot of death and destruction. Shikaku wasn''t too disturbed. He had already calculated that this would happen as a couple of spots hadn''t been protected that well and had long made arrangements for both spots. He asked, "Which group is it? The third or the seventh?" Yamanaka Shin replied, "It''s the seventh group. They are about to reach the 23rd Training Ground and will reach Fujin''s Compounds soon. There are 3 giant snakes and 26 ninjas in their group." Worry could be seen on Shin''s face. Even though he hadn''t interacted with Fujin much, he had taught him the basics of sensing when Fujin was still in the Academy. He didn''t want to see his house and compound being destroyed. However, to his surprise, he saw a smile appear on Shikaku''s face. He wondered, ''What the hell? Was it a trap prepared by Shikaku-sama?'' Shikaku ordered, "Dispatch 4 Anbu squads to intercept them." For a moment, Shin couldn''t believe his ears. He asked to confirm, "Only 4 squads?" Shikaku plainly nodded and said, "Yeah, it should be more than enough. Now go." Shin left immediately while Shikaku thought, ''I left that group as the last one to be dealt with because of what stands in that direction. To think that they would run straight to it. Poor souls...'' Despite being enemies, Shikaku couldn''t help but feel bad for them. By now, every strong ninja in Konoha knew that Fujin''s compounds were the last place to mess around. Even someone as lazy as Shikaku wanted to witness that battle. Unfortunately, he couldn''t move around freely. "What do you mean by losses?" Fujin''s clone asked while looking at the giant snakes. Monkey was dumbfounded. He wondered, ''Is he saying that we can win without taking any loss? But how? Does his clone have enough chakra to deal with them?'' Bunjiro and Tatsuya flickered behind Fujin and said, "Fujin, we''re here. What should we do?" Fujin''s clone replied, "Just watch and learn what you should never do on any battlefield or mission." Both were confused. Just like Monkey, they were preparing themselves for a difficult battle. However, the way Fujin''s clone spoke was very casual. It was as if he didn''t consider the incoming enemy a threat. As the snakes retreated, it became very visible that they were terrified of something. Their massive bodies shuddered uncontrollably, scales rippling as if crawling with unseen horrors. They thrashed their heads from side to side, slamming into the ground in frantic desperation as if trying to shake off an invisible menace clinging to their skin. Their forked tongues flicked out rapidly as a hissing sound filled the air. However, instead of being intimidated by them, the Konoha ninjas could see dread in their eyes. The powerful serpents, who dominantly made their way to the outskirts of Konoha, were now slithering back in frantic, erratic patterns! The sudden change shocked the Suna and Oto ninjas. None of them could understand what was happening. However, it suddenly became extremely clear. Every scale on each of the giant snakes began glowing as the snakes panicked even more. Everyone first thought that this was an ability of the snakes. However, when they realized what it was, their eyes widened in horror as they shouted, "Holy Crap! Take cover!" What was glowing wasn''t the scales themselves. Instead, it was the explosive seals that somehow appeared on every scale of each snake! Within moments, each and every explosive tag exploded! Two giant snakes were blown into smithereens as their blood and flesh rained into the nearby area. A part of the transparent barrier was now covered in blood as well! As for the third snake, it became too terrified and undid the summoning jutsu. It suddenly appeared in the Ryuchi Cave while hissing fearfully. Its hissing attracted the attention of all the powerful snakes in the Ryuchi Cave. However, before they could do anything or even understand the situation, the snake exploded! The explosion was so powerful that tremors were felt throughout the Ryuchi cave! Countless small snakes in the vicinity died due to the explosion. The ground underneath the explosions collapsed as well, crushing hundreds of snakes living underground to death. The sudden attack shocked the Ryuchi cave. Powerful snakes like Manda and their sages felt the loss of life and immediately moved in rage! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You ASCS, Dartx, Faris, Gu and Ze''keeveon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 732: A Game of Death Chapter 732: A Game of Death [A/N: So many negative comments/criticism in the comments section in the previous chapter. Was planning to reply, but it seems like these guys have been making similar comments for quite a while. Not sure if I should be troubled or be flattered that they still keep reading for months despite ways complaining, lol. Anyway, not gonna bother today. Very low on energy. Good night and have wonderful week everyone. Stay safe and healthy. Happy Diwali in advance :)] ------------------------------ [A/N: I wasn''t aware that Ryuchi cave was shown in Boruto and had to look it up when I came across it. I recall reading the three tests in some of the fanfics I read earlier. For a moment, I thought that Boruto took inspiration from the fanfics until I realized that it had come out nearly six years ago, lol.] The entire Ryuchi cave shook due to the powerful explosion. The strongest snakes began moving and within a few seconds, their massive shadows covered the spot of the explosion. Garaga looked around and asked, "What was that? Are we under attack? Where is the enemy?" Manda replied, "There is no enemy. It was one of our own that exploded..." Suddenly, both of them turned their heads and saw a large white serpent appearing behind them. Both respectfully said, "Sage!" The White Snake Sage muttered, "He was summoned by Orochimaru a few minutes earlier. When he returned, his entire body exploded... The explosion and the destruction killed two thousand three hundred and fifty-six young snakes..." Even though her voice was calm, both Manda and Garaga became nervous. The other powerful snakes, who had appeared, weren''t any different either. Manda cursed, ''Crap! This old hag is angry! You''re on your own, Orochimaru.'' Unlike the toads, the snakes weren''t as protective of each other. They didn''t mind the deaths of their fellow snakes much. Under normal circumstances, the White Snake Sage didn''t care about it either. However, an attack on their holy ground crossed a line! The White Snake Sage let out a snort. Immediately, every giant snake who was still rampaging throughout Konoha disappeared in a cloud of smoke and returned back to the Ryuchi cave. The Suna and Oto ninjas, who were engaged in an intense battle against the Konoha ninjas, were suddenly left dumbfounded. "What just happened?" "Where are the damned snakes?" "Shit! Is this Orochimaru''s trick? I knew that snake couldn''t be trusted!" "Be careful! The Konoha ninjas are on the move!" Just like them, the Konoha ninjas were surprised as well. However, it was a happy surprise. Without wasting any time, they launched a ruthless counterattack. Without the giant snakes to distract and block the Konoha ninjas, they gained an overwhelming upper hand. Similar scenes appeared in all 6 groups that were still alive. While they faced a severe challenge, the 26 Suna and Oto ninjas in front of Fujin''s compound were in disbelief. Their greatest weapon was destroyed so easily. What horrified them was that none of them understood how that had happened. The fact that hundreds of explosive seals appeared on the giant snakes out of nowhere had shocked them to their core. In a panic, everyone began retreating. Fujin''s clone waited until everyone was in the training ground before making the confrontation hand seal. Immediately, all the seals in the training ground were activated. The entire training ground was covered in barriers. The Suna and Oto ninjas shouted in panic, "Why are their barriers here?" Regardless, I won''t be able to test the few other seal combinations in the training ground. Well, whatever... I didn''t expect much from them anyways.'' Despite their failure, the Suna and Oto ninjas didn''t give up and continued giving their best. Suddenly, their eyes widened in horror as they realized the chain around their neck was continuously tightening more and more. A few cursed with terror in their voice, "At this rate, we''ll be strangled to death in less than 10 minutes! We have to hurry up! Someone, please break these chains!" Realizing that they were on a timer, they exploded with more strength than they ever had in their lives. A few managed to move their limbs a bit but still couldn''t break the chains. Finally, an Oto ninja let out a primal scream as he summoned every ounce of strength from deep within. He raised his right arm until it was in front of his mouth and yelled, "As if I''ll let some chains strangle me to death!" He opened his mouth wide and bit down upon the chain without any concern for his safety. Several of his teeth cracked but the chain finally crumbled. He quickly grabbed a kunai and cut the remaining chains, finally freeing himself. As soon as he was free, he began laughing loudly, partially due to the relief of having made it out alive and partially for defeating the deadly trap Konoha had set for him! The remaining Oto and Suna ninjas were relieved as well. They shouted, "Quickly, hel..." Their words stayed stuck in their throats as the ''freed'' Oto ninja exploded! His blood and flesh rained upon the ninjas still trapped by the chains. They were so shocked that for half a minute, not a single word escaped their mouth. Finally, one person said, "Hey, what is this? What does this mean? If we break the chains, we''ll explode like those snakes? However, if we don''t break the chains, we''ll still be strangled to death! Hahaha! WHAT IS THIS HELL?" Every single person hearing his voice could feel how terrified he was. Terror had taken such a hold in his mind that he laughed like a maniac. The remaining ninjas felt the same terror. The glimpse of hope that had been lit was completely doused. Instead, they were filled with endless dread and misery. Fujin''s clone shook his head and finally took his eyes off the 25 enemy ninjas. He thought, ''That''s hopeless. They''ve already given up. No miracles will happen here. Anyway...'' He glanced towards the village and thought, ''Of the 8 groups that attacked, only this one made it through. Hmph, this is undoubtedly Shikaku''s doing. That lazyass definitely took it easy because my house is in this direction.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Chandave, Shreyan, Jaydon, Taylor, ImMrRev and Call of Duty for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 733 - 727 : Instant Revenge! Chapter 733: Chapter 727 : Instant Revenge! [A/N: Double Release, either today or tomorrow.] [A/N: Thought I''d clear this up right now, as it caused quite some confusion on pat reon later on (though I guess I share the blame too as I could have shown the events in the last couple of Chapters later in the story). Anyway, the battle currently happening is quite a complex one and there are several different confrontations happening at the same time. To be more precise, Hiruzen Vs Orochimaru & Senju Brothers, Fujin Vs Juzo & Kaminari, Renjiro Vs Shirogane, Kakashi Vs Sakumo, Guy Vs Zabuza, Hoka Vs Haku, Fujin''s Compound Vs the unfortunate group, Jiraiya Vs other groups are all happening at the same time. Unfortunately, I can''t show them at the same time and it''ll feel like the events in the last Chapter happened a long time ago when they are happening concurrently to the other fights. The picture will be more clear once all the fights end as I''ll add more details (especially about the previous fight) about their timing as events occur. So, keep that in mind when you don''t see a particular individual not appearing in another battlefield ??] ''That lazyass definitely took it easy because my house is in this direction!'' While Fujin''s clone understood Shikaku''s thinking, he wasn''t happy that some of the defenses of his compound were leaked. Now, everyone would know the existence of a strong barrier that activated once the compound was attacked. In addition, the smart people would also realize that the attackers would somehow be covered in explosive seals. As such, the effectiveness of his defenses would reduce a bit. Fujin''s clone thought, ''While normal people won''t understand the workings of the barrier, any Fuinjutsu Grandmaster can analyze it with rather ease. They''ll realize that there are thousands of dormant explosive seals on the barrier that move on to the bodies of whoever comes in physical contact with it. Of course, they won''t be able to replicate it. The principles behind this mechanism are based on the Flying Thunder God mark''s ability to move and my Fuin Battlefields. However, they''ll be able to create counters to avoid falling into the same trap as these unlucky ninjas and snakes. Fortunately, this is just my outermost defenses. The barrier followed by the dormant explosive seals are the two crudest defenses around my compound. My main arrangements are still a secret. However, I can''t let this go so easily. Otherwise, that bastard will continue exploiting my house!'' Fujin''s clone turned his gaze towards an Anbu ninja and said, "Pass a message to Shikaku immediately. Tell him that one of the snakes canceled his summoning, returned to the Ryuchi cave and exploded there, likely killing hundreds of other snakes." The eyes of the surrounding ninjas popped out as Fujin continued, "The Ryuchi cave might take offense and retaliate against us, either now or when our ninjas go out for missions. The losses could be catastrophic. Ask him to take countermeasures quickly." The Anbu ninja nodded and flickered in an instant. Considering how serious the matter was, he didn''t dare to be tardy. Fujin glanced at the spot from where the snake disappeared and thought, ''I didn''t think a summon would be careless enough to endanger their sacred land. I''d have marked him if I knew... Well, I suppose I can always mark Anko''s snakes to gain access there.'' A smile appeared on his face as he thought, ''A place as ancient and mystical as the Ryuchi Cave should be loaded with a lot of good stuff. Considering how strong the snakes are and the sages that exist there, ransacking that place will be fun.'' He broke out of his thoughts as he heard Tatsuya ask, "Fujin, what about the ninjas stuck in the training ground?" Shikaku immediately realized, ''This should be a result of that snake exploding in the Ryuchi Cave. There is no doubt about it, they are definitely angry. The only question is, who will they take their anger out on? Will it be Orochimaru or us?'' Since Orochimaru was the summoner, he was the main person to be blamed for this mishap. As a summoner, he should have been more responsible. However, it was Konoha who performed the attack, even though they couldn''t be blamed. So, Shikaku wasn''t entirely sure. He just hoped they focused their rage on Orochimaru so that his life would be more peaceful. Shikaku let out a sigh and muttered, "One problem at a time. Without the snake summons, the Suna and Oto ninja aren''t our match. Pass a message to Lord Jiraiya to go to the arena and help out Lord Hokage. It''s time to put an end to their misadventure!" While Konoha dealt with the 8 groups Orochimaru sent as a distraction, the battles in the arena hadn''t stopped. On the contrary, they became far more intense. With the Edo Tensei summons keeping the strongest ninjas busy, the Suna ninja breathed a sigh of relief. Without Fujin attacking them, their numbers finally stopped dropping drastically. Even though Fujin''s assault had dropped their numbers drastically giving Konoha a numerical advantage, the four hundred Suna and a few Oto ninjas, who were still alive, gave their all to hold them back. The only thing that still bothered the Suna ninjas was their Kage''s absence. Intense battles broke throughout the stadium and arena. Since there wasn''t enough space for everyone to fight, the battles spilled outside the arena as well. Needless to say, the most intense battles were happening inside the barrier and in the arena. No other ninja dared to step anywhere close to them. A part of the arena was now covered in ice. Another part looked like a submerged skeleton of an enormous animal. The ground in one part of the arena looked burnt. However, the burns were caused by Lightning instead of fire. A huge chunk of walls around the arena were missing. Instead, huge scars filled with water could be seen on the ground. "Renjiro! I forced your entire army to retreat a dozen kilometers the last time we met! Even though I have been dead for a while, the result of our battle wouldn''t be any different!" Kaguya Shirogane said in an annoyed tone. For the past few minutes, he had been doing everything he could to go past Renjiro. However, Renjiro used Earth and Water jutsus artfully to keep him restrained and nullify his Kekkei Genkai. Not only did he prevent Shirogane from interfering in other battles, but he did so without getting injured. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 Chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aldar, Death Note, LazyAsh, Lazy Dragon.. nah just lazy, Cori, MG, WiN, Julio and Scottyboy for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 734: Another Hyuga Genius! Renjiro chuckled and replied, "The last time we faced, I managed to lead my army back unharmed from your army''s attacks. This time will be no different. Even though you are faster than me, you can''t move faster than my jutsus. I can keep you here all day." Shirogane snorted and said, "You said it''s been a decade since I died. Yet, you''re still weaker than me. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Since his attacks couldn''t break through Renjiro''s defense, he resorted to taunts to make Renjiro make a mistake. However, Renjiro just laughed and said, "Oh, I''m nearly retired now. Nowadays, I focus on guiding youngsters. Considering how easily my student suppressed you a few minutes ago, I have to admit that I''m doing a damn good job. Don''t you agree, Shirogane?" Shirogane asked in surprise, "That boy is your student?" Their short clash had left quite an impression on Shirogane. While he believed that Renjiro was weaker than him, Fujin was a whole different matter. Even though his bones blocked most of the wind blades, Shirogane knew that he would have been killed by Fujin''s Wind Domain if he was still alive. As a rank S ninja with a terrifying Kekkei Genkai, it was extremely rare for him to experience that. "Under your feet!" Haku warned as Hoka flickered. Moments later, several large ice spikes appeared from under the ground where Hoka was initially standing. Haku followed it up by launching hundreds of flying water needles at Hoka, who flickered repeatedly. The constant barrage forced Hoka to retreat further and an annoyed expression could be seen on his face. His situation was the exact opposite of Renjiro''s. In terms of overall strength, he was superior to Haku. However, Haku''s control over his Kekkei Genkai and proficiency in ranged attacks meant that Hoka couldn''t land a single attack on him. Hoka flickered once again, dodging another barrage of water needles. However, instead of retreating further, he moved towards Haku at a tremendous speed and suddenly appeared a few steps in front of Haku. Haku analyzed, ''He is good. He first backed away, giving the impression that he was being overwhelmed by my attacks when in reality, he was just looking for a way to maneuver through my attacks. However, this puts him at risk...'' Several water needles formed between Hoka and Haku and shot towards Hoka. However, Hoka was even quicker. The moment the needles started forming, he thrust his left palm forward and launched Vacuum Palm! The Vacuum Palm moved through the water needles, dispersing them, before landing on Haku''s chest and sending him flying backwards for a few meters. Hoka flickered again to reduce the distance between them. Before Haku could gather himself, Hoka appeared in front of him and attacked with the Gentle Fist technique. Haku tried dodging, but Hoka landed two hits on him. The first was on his right arm and the second on his abdomen before Haku could retreat. Hoka thought, ''Finally, I got him! His fighting style is nearly as annoying as Fujin''s! Huh?'' Hoka''s attacks blocked a few critical chakra points on Haku''s body. Under normal circumstances, it would have been enough to end the battle. However, his Byakugan saw that the closed chakra points opened by themselves. Haku said, "It looks like the Hyuga''s Gentle Fist technique doesn''t work against this body..." He weaved hand seals while warning, "Get away. If you are trapped in the formation of ice mirrors, you''ll die!" Hiashi thought, ''For the past 6 months or so, Hoka has been spending a lot of time near Fujin''s compound. From what I heard, he even guided some of the orphans that were put under Fujin''s command. Initially, I thought that it was just due to their friendship. However, now it seems like he did so to hide his strength and be closer to a ninja that the Hyuga clan can''t afford to offend.'' Hiashi''s fingers landed on the chest of a Suna ninja, killing him on the spot. A smile appeared on his face as he continued thinking, ''As expected of a hot-blooded youngster. They tend to overthink everything. However, I can''t blame him entirely. The conditions of today are no longer like those of the warring era. Even though there are still many who''d want to get their hands on the Byakugan, the danger is minuscule today compared to those days. Hence, with every generation, the discontent towards the Caged Bird Seal grows...'' Unlike what Hoka and many other branch ninjas thought, Hiashi had no intention of using the caged bird seal to eliminate Hoka. Even if the threat of Fujin didn''t exist, Hiashi would still feel the same. The only instance when he''d use it is if Hoka attacked the main family or displayed the intention to do so. As long as Hoka stayed peacefully with the main family, Hiashi didn''t mind even if Hoka exceeded him and became a rank S ninja. As the leader of the Hyuga clan, having a rank S ninja among his ranks would only increase his influence. Seeing that his attacks didn''t work, Haku suddenly launched senbon needles from every direction at Hoka. The Hyuga ninjas immediately became worried about seeing that. They didn''t see any way for Hoka to dodge the attack. However, their eyes widened! Hiashi was surprised too as Hoka released chakra from all his chakra points and used Rotation! The senbon needles hit the rotating chakra and bounced off harmlessly! [A/N: Latest chapter: Chaos in the Ninja World!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You lazy_daoist, Rei, Kabir, Fernando, Muhammed, Andre and Ze''keeveon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 735: Unfulfilled Desires! [A/N: A small note. Orochimaru''s Edo Tensei isn''t as good as what Kabuto''s was during the Fourth War (The fact that old Hiruzen was able to fight Hashirama and Tobirama should say it all). While I have taken some liberties with the jutsu, this aspect isn''t changed. Hashirama, Tobirama and Sakumo are still rank S, but they are barely at that rank. In addition, Sakumo is resisting Orochimaru''s control to an extent. That should answer the doubts about Kakashi Vs Sakumo.] "The rumors don''t do your strength any justice, Might Guy!" Zabuza claimed after getting kicked yet again. Even though Guy didn''t open any of his inner Gates, he was still strong enough to easily keep Zabuza at bay. It didn''t matter what Zabuza threw at him, Guy just brushed everything off. The thick mist proved to be utterly ineffective. His water jutsus failed to hit Guy. Any Water Clones he created would be dispelled by one punch or kick. Luckily, his body could heal automatically, or several of his bones would have been broken as well. Of course, since Guy didn''t open the Inner Gates, he didn''t have any means to completely destroy Zabuza''s body either. Another powerful punch landed on Zabuza''s sword as Guy asked, "Oh, there are rumors about me in the Land of Water? I wonder what they say about Konoha''s Blue Beast!" Zabuza grinned and replied, "You''ve no idea, do you? Tell me, did you ever fight against an Elite Jounin from Kirigakure?" Guy was surprised. He couldn''t recall ever fighting against any strong ninja from Kirigakure. What Zabuza didn''t know was that Guy was terrible at remembering faces. As they battled, Zabuza thought, ''If there is one ninja who the entire Kirigakure, no matter the faction, is afraid of, it''s this monster! After the end of the Third Great Ninja War, he was the highest priority target for all Kiri ninjas. We were ordered to kill him if we came across him, even if it cost our lives. From what I heard, elaborate plans were also created to eliminate him. Kirigakure didn''t want to see another ninja like Might Duy appear in Konoha. However, before any of the plans could be implemented, the Civil War began and all plans were put on hold. By the time the Mizukage faction could focus on him again, he had already become a Jounin and all plans were shelved. Instead of killing him, all top ninjas in the village were ordered to avoid confrontation with him at all costs!'' As he got pummeled once again, Zabuza muttered to himself, ''He doesn''t even need to use that forbidden technique anymore!'' "No matter what the end result was, you did your best, Father. I can now see and understand why you violated the rules to save the lives of your comrades. I''m proud to be your son." Surprise appeared on Sakumo''s face as he heard Kakashi. Soon, a smile broke out on his face, displaying his relief. Having received an opportunity to communicate nearly four years before they would have without Fujin''s interference, Kakashi and Sakumo had a nice chat while battling. While Sakumo, despite not being at his strongest, was undoubtedly stronger, he was able to resist Orochimaru''s control enough so that Kakashi didn''t have any trouble keeping up with him. Fujin, who was in the middle of an intense battle, glanced in their direction. He had long anticipated that they''d have such a discussion. In fact, it was what he was counting on. A major weakness of the Edo Tensei jutsu was that it''d be undone if the summoned ninja attained peace and decided to pass on. As such, he expected Sakumo to simply pass on and undo the Edo Tensei jutsu. However, a frown appeared on his face as that didn''t happen. "Brat! You dare to take your eyes off us?" Kaminari shouted as he charged towards Fujin while preparing another Lightning jutsu. Without even glancing at him, Fujin slashed his sword and released a strong wind slash. He slashed it once again at Juzo''s water jutsu. Despite being angered by Fujin''s attitude, Kaminari was no longer careless. Lightning sparks always surrounded his body. Even though it didn''t enhance his defenses and didn''t make him as fast as the Raikage, it still allowed him to move ridiculously fast. There were quite a few who were even more tense than Juzo and Kaminari despite not facing Fujin. They were the Suna ninjas, who were unnerved and freaking out. "Holy Crap! Why can he still use that technique?" "Wasn''t he unable to use that technique again, which is why he didn''t use it despite facing two strong ninjas?" "NOOO! How can that technique be used repeatedly? What are we supposed to do?" "Calm down! The fact that he didn''t use that technique until now shows that it has some shortcomings. A technique of this scale must be extremely straining on his chakra reserves. Even though he used it again, this should be the last time he can use it. Hopefully, those two can exhaust it once again!" Even the three ninjas who wanted to assassinate Fujin were disturbed. With the Wind Cloak, they didn''t stand a chance. Panicked discussions broke out among the Suna ranks. However, they all quickly came to the conclusion that this would be the last time Fujin could use that technique. Of course, several among them understood that their reasoning had several flaws. However, they had no choice but to hope that their speculations were true. After all, the alternative meant that not a single one of them would survive! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Frederic, CloneOfClone and Serban for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 736: Guidance by the Expert! "Among all the elements, Lightning is the most destructive and has the highest penetrative power. Hence, Lightning jutsus are extremely difficult to defend against. Neither Earth nor Water jutsus can stop it. Only Wind jutsus can counter it, but there aren''t many defensive Wind jutsus." Ignoring the reappearance of Wind Cloak around Fujin, Sakumo explained while Kakashi continuously dodged and defended against his assault. He continued, "This is common knowledge. However, the advantage that this destructiveness provides is rather minimal. Even though Lightning jutsus are fast, any good ninja wouldn''t have any difficulty dodging them. That said, there are ways you can use Lightning manipulation to take your skills to the next level. More specifically, there are two ways. The first is using Lighting to enhance your physical abilities. Even here, there are two aspects, though both are closely related to each other. I''m sure you know how the Third Raikage and his son fight, right Kakashi?" Kakashi blocked another attack and replied, "Yes, Father. Both create a Lightning armor that enhances their speed, strength and defense by a huge degree." Sakumo replied, "Yes. The first aspect is using Lightning to enhance your physical attributes temporarily. When I was younger, I found the Third Raikage''s technique quite fascinating. With Third Hokage''s assistance, I researched his technique for several years. Unfortunately, we weren''t able to replicate it. It''s still a mystery to us how he was able to create such a technique. However, the research bore some fruits. We were able to replicate certain aspects of the technique like improving speed momentarily, granted none were good enough to be used at the highest level independently. What we succeeded in was the second aspect. Unlike the first aspect, where you have to actively use Lightning to enhance yourself, the second aspect focuses on permanently improving your strength." A smile appeared on Sakumo''s face as he said, "I can see that you have already had some success in this aspect." Kakashi was surprised, but immediately understood what Sakumo was referring to. He asked, "You mean my Chidori?" Sakumo replied, "So that jutsu is called Chidori? That''s an appropriate name. Your Chidori is quite similar to the Raikage''s Lightning Chakra Mode, just that it is limited to a very small part of your body. However, due to using Chidori with your right hand, I can feel that your right hand is far stronger than the rest of your body. This is the second aspect. You have to use Lightning to temper your body and make it stronger. This is why the Third Raikage''s body was so much stronger than a normal ninja. Of course, while it sounds easy, it isn''t that straightforward. Tempering your limbs is easy and so is tempering your flesh. However, in order to completely master this aspect, you need to temper your entire body, including your internal organs, with Lightning. Needless to say, this is very dangerous and can result in death. That is why, I didn''t leave any scrolls regarding this to you. The Third Hokage should still have those scrolls though. Once this war is over, you should ask him or the Elders for it. It''ll increase your strength considerably and make it easier for you to explore the second way." A smile appeared again on Sakumo''s face as he said with pride, "I have no doubt that you''ll master it, Kakashi." As Sakumo said, Kakashi had memorized the technique with his Sharingan. Even though he couldn''t copy it on the spot, he could use it as a reference while training. For a ninja of his caliber, it was more than enough. Not to mention, he also received several other paths to explore. For Kakashi, who had started to take his training seriously after his clash with Kabuto, this was a timely and godly assistance. It was something that didn''t miss the eyes of Fujin''s clone, who immediately fell into thoughts, ''Strange... Since when did Kakashi become this serious about becoming stronger?'' He analyzed it for some time, ''It shouldn''t be me. The fact that I''m rank S has been propagated for a while. While others could have been doubtful, he should have known the truth through Guy. Similarly, it can''t be Guy either. Was it just because of Sakumo?'' Fujin''s clone wasn''t sure and felt that it might not be the case, but he didn''t dare to overlook this small detail. At that time, Fujin''s strength was considerably higher than Kakashi''s strength. In fact, the difference was so huge that Kakashi didn''t even have a chance of competing against Fujin. However, Fujin didn''t dare underestimate Kakashi''s talent. If someone like him was to train seriously for several years, it''d result in a change that couldn''t be ignored by anyone. A smirk appeared on Fujin''s clone''s face as he muttered to himself, ''Interesting...'' [A/N: Next Chapter: The Momentum of a Kage!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tiger, Eddy, Roger, Robert, Jacob and Pieterjan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 737: The Momentum of a Kage! Fujin''s clone could easily see Kakashi becoming an existence at the same level as the Sannins, if not surpass them, in a few years. He thought, ''In the original story, though Kakashi was a lot stronger after the time skip, he still lacked considerably compared to the Sannins. It was only during the fourth war that his strength, chakra and stamina somehow increased dramatically. If he gains that strength before Akatsuki makes a move against Gaara, then all the future events involving Akatsuki will drastically change too. Sigh, to think that the one thing I was a bit confident about having avoided will be affected as well. I guess it is time to dig a grave and bury my knowledge of the future.'' Even though Fujin had the realization before the finals began, he still clung to the hope that some events, especially the ones related to Akatsuki, might still play out similarly up to a certain point. However, Kakashi''s determination buried that last hope in him. Fujin''s clone stopped thinking about the depressing stuff and analyzed the good stuff, ''That said, I never expected that Sakumo''s main attacking method would be a near-perfect fusion of Yin and Lightning natures. As expected, every powerhouse''s main method of attacking is peculiar...'' Fujin''s clone had observed their clash very carefully. The reason why Kakashi''s Chidori lost wasn''t due to the strength of their Lightning but their forms. A typical Lightning jutsu would have the form of a bolt or a current. However, Sakumo''s White Lightning was akin to a bombardment of tiny needles. When Kakashi jabbed towards Sakumo, his hand was bombarded with thousands of small independent lightning sparks in an instant. It made Fujin recall the Rasenshuriken, though Sakumo''s attack wasn''t that dense. The bombardment pierced through the Lightning covering Kakashi''s hand before hitting it. Had Sakumo been at his full strength, he could have easily won the battle with this one exchange. Fujin''s clone concluded, ''That technique is at the same level as the black flame Hiruzen exhaled. In terms of destructiveness, it even surpasses the black flame. To think Yin chakra could affect Lightning in this manner... Darui''s Black Lightning was nowhere near this level. Otherwise, I would have been injured in Kumogakure... Hmm, no. I''d have died five years ago. Back then I had caught his Black Lightning with my palm. Had it been Sakumo''s attack, that''d be no different than committing suicide. Other than my Wind Domain and the Raikage''s body, I doubt any defenses can stop this attack. Even Rashomon would collapse due to the constant bombardment. I guess a barrier might have a chance. Regardless, this opens up a whole new door of possibilities for me.'' He took a deep breath and thought, ''Several years ago, I had used Yin-Yang manipulation to enhance my jutsus to the next level. However, during our battle, Orochimaru displayed phenomenal skill in fusing Yang chakra into elemental jutsus that went far beyond what I had done. Just when I started getting a hang of it, Hiruzen and Sakumo displayed jutsus that are far superior to even that. To think that it had so much potential... Hehehe, it looks like my Wind still has a lot of scope to improve!'' Fujin''s clone continued watching their battle while calculating how he could infuse more Yang and Yin chakra in his Wind jutsus. Of course, he also thought of doing so with Lightning jutsus. He had a feeling that if he succeeded, he could take on Ay for some time with his Akuro identity without having to resort to the Flying Thunder God jutsu. While Sakumo passed his jutsus to Kakashi, Fujin finally decided to end the battle. Juzo, Kaminari and hundreds of Suna ninjas became tense on seeing the Wind Cloak reappear around Fujin. Along with his previous Wind Domain and his battle against Juzo and Kaminari, Fujin''s chakra reserves finally dropped below half. Kaminari snorted and said, "Impressive. I didn''t think you could use it again. However, I wonder if you can sustain it for as long as you did earlier. Unlike us, your chakra is limited." A smirk appeared on his face as he taunted Fujin. Juzo grabbed his sword as well and became completely serious. While he wasn''t a fan of being controlled in this manner, Fujin''s display had riled him up. He wanted to see how strong the person who killed him truly was. The explosions forced Fujin to move away, while Kaminari flew backwards due to the force of the explosion. He flipped in the air to regain his balance and used the trees as footholds to constantly retreat at a high speed. As Fujin appeared next to him once again, a face appeared in Kaminari''s mind. Kaminari thought, ''This is just like that time. No matter what we do, we are unable to even phase him. None of our techniques can harm him, while he easily toys with us! It''s as if we''re nothing but pests!'' Hatred appeared in Kaminari''s eyes as he fiercely clashed with Fujin! Once again, he barely clung onto his body at the cost of getting trashed around. A grim expression appeared on his face as he thought, ''This is just like that accursed Raikage!'' The face that appeared in his mind was of none other than the Third Raikage! Due to the talent he showed, Kaminari was an important part of Kumo''s forces. As such, the Third Raikage had taken an interest in him and guided him a bit. As any hot-blooded and ambitious youngster, Kaminari wanted to become stronger than his Kage. However, no matter what he did, he was never able to close the distance between the two of them. Even when he became an Elite Jounin who was just a step away from becoming a rank S ninja, it was still the same. Against the Third Raikage, he was always as helpless as an academy student! The feeling Kaminari got from Fujin was the same. No matter what he and Juzo tried, nothing worked against Fujin! He just brushed off all attacks like they were nothing but dust while they were continuously trashed by him! It caused Kaminari to recall some unpleasant memories. Kaminari hatefully muttered, "There is no doubt about it. If he''s left alive, this brat will reach that level. He already has the momentum of a Kage!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You The reapers shadow, Noctussy, Qvintus, Yahye, Alex, Kaito, Alan, Thomas, Adithyaa, Harsha, Lewikey, Sanjay, Yuuyoh and Igor for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 738 - 732 : Blitzing through the Battlefield! Chapter 738: Chapter 732 : Blitzing through the Battlefield! "He has the momentum of a Kage!" Kaminari muttered solemnly. As someone who lived through two Great Wars and fought countless ninjas, Kaminari had experienced nearly everything he could on the battlefield. However, the moments that created the highest impact on him were when he saw certain ninjas fighting with an unstoppable momentum. When they battled, even the rank S ninjas in the enemy camp would be fearful. As a high-level Kumo ninja, the one who he watched the most was the Third Raikage. With his absurdly powerful physique and the invincible Lightning Chakra Mode, he was a force to reckon with on the battlefield. Kaminari was also fortunate enough to witness Hiruzen, Onoki and Sakumo on the battlefield and make it out alive. None of them were ninjas Kaminari could take on. And now, as he fought Fujin, he got the same glimpses as those ninjas. The fact that Fujin did so with a technique that had never appeared before, reinforced that feeling. While he could see that there was still some distance between Fujin and them, that distance was inconsequential for him. As he continued getting trashed, the hatred in Kaminari''s heart grew. After seeing what the Third Raikage could do, he longed to reach that level. After years of unsuccessful efforts, he gave up on creating new techniques and put all his hopes into the Lightning Chakra Mode. Unfortunately, the Third Raikage realized how troublesome his personality was. To ensure stability in Kumogakure, he didn''t teach Kaminari the Lightning Chakra Mode, dooming his hope of ever reaching that stage. It was why he hated Kumo and left the village. Of course, he only dared to do so after the Third Raikage was dead. Wind blades continued ripping through his body. He had already lost both of his arms and several chunks in his chest and abdomen were missing. A deep cut could also be seen in his neck. However, Kaminari continued moving while looking at the location where Juzo''s body was reforming from the corner of his eyes. He thought, ''I just have to hang on for a few sec... What the hell?'' As Juzo''s body was reforming, a gentle breeze appeared and engulfed him in the blink of an eye. The winds took the shape of a palm with Juzo''s body at the center of the palm. A seal appeared on the palm, stopping Juzo from being revived! Kaminari immediately saw who was doing so and spotted a person. He thought, ''A Shadow Clone? When did he create a Shadow Clone?'' Kaminari immediately recalled his battle against Fujin and realized, ''It was when I was launched into the forest! Shit!'' He quickly stepped to his left to avoid the sword Fujin was thrusting towards his abdomen. However, a mini hurricane appeared around Fujin''s sword and expanded in the blink of an eye, engulfing Kaminari and dismembering his body into several more pieces. Kaminari cursed hatefully, "Bastar..." Even before he could finish a single word, Fujin grabbed his floating head with his left hand, applying a seal at the same time. Kaminari''s eyes widened as his body stopped regenerating. In such a poor state, Kaminari had no way to resist Fujin''s seal, which not only immobilized him but also sealed his soul! Under Fujin''s control, the earth moved and boxed his head and other body parts in, before Fujin applied more seals to ensure that the job was done. Some distance away, his clone did the same to Juzo. In under a minute after using his Wind Cloak again, Fujin had sealed Juzo and Kaminari! Haku''s senbon needles bounced harmlessly off Hoka''s rotation as the Hyuga ninjas watched in surprise. Haku, who was moving to launch the finishing blow, was surprised. After blocking the needles, Hoka suddenly flickered without bothering to properly end his jutsu. He appeared next to Haku, who was still mid-air. While Fujin joined forces with Guy, Hoka moved to assist Renjiro. Unlike Renjiro, he didn''t intend to fight Shirogane from a distance. He ran on the water bodies Renjiro had created and faced off Shirogane. A grin appeared on Shirogane''s face. For the past few minutes, Renjiro had left him completely frustrated. All his attacks were absorbed by near endless amounts of water and earth. The insults he hurled at Renjiro had no effect either. Instead, Renjiro engaged in a playful banter to waste more time. He was a few moments away from losing his cool when Hoka moved towards him. Several bones popped out of his body as Shirogane laughed and claimed, "Finally! Someone in Konoha has balls!" Hoka knew that Shirogane was just saying so to prevent him from doing the same thing that Renjiro had been doing. He snorted and took a battle stance. ''Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!'' Instead of attacking chakra points as usual, Hoka used the jutsu defensively to block all of Shirogane''s attacks. Shirogane attacked maniacally but his grin slowly faded away. He realized, ''What the fuck? Even though he is close, his tactic is the same as Renjiro''s! But why did he come close to me if he didn''t intend to attac...?" His eyes suddenly widened as he felt a presence behind him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 Chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ruben, Alan, Luco, Snoop, Earth General and Tara for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Parthiban for supporting me through UPI Chapter 739: Turning the Tides in the Blink of an Eye! Under normal circumstances, Shirogane would have easily sensed anyone sneaking up on him and countered before that happened. However, Hoka''s frontal assault kept him occupied. He immediately realized, ''So that''s why this bastard is fighting this way. He isn''t here to seal me, but only wants to distract me when the real attack arrives!'' Shirogane could have still spared some attention towards the new attacker, but Renjiro continued distracting him by launching Water Shurikens from weird angles. These two factors, combined with Fujin''s ridiculous speed, meant that Shirogane couldn''t divide his attention to focus on the new opponent. Hence, he simply decided to launch several sharp bone projectiles from his back to force Fujin away. However, his bones had barely appeared out of his back and hadn''t even been launched when several Vacuum Blades cut through his body and ruthlessly sliced him into several pieces. No matter how strong his bones were, they couldn''t resist the sharp Vacuum Blades. Realizing the danger, Shirogane twisted his head at a very odd angle to ensure that his brain wasn''t sliced through. Even though his neck was sliced through, his head remained intact. He looked at Fujin and scoffed internally, ''As if I''d let myself be sealed without getting a taste of blood!'' He immediately controlled all the bones in the pieces of his body and was about to launch every single one of them in all directions. He thought, ''Renjiro is too far away to be hit and this guy has weird defenses, but the Hyuga won''t stand a chance against my...'' Suddenly, his eyes widened as several Vacuum Palms landed on crucial chakra points on Shirogane''s floating head. Hoka thought, ''Even though I don''t like studying much, there was no way I wouldn''t research the Kaguya clan. They were the only clan who could defeat a Hyuga in Taijutsu! Even though Fujin cut him, he won''t lose his vitality so easily.'' A fraction of a second after Hoka''s attacks landed on Shirogane, a fist landed on his head. The water under their feet retreated and exposed the hard ground as Guy''s punch pulverized Shirogane''s head along with the remaining pieces of his body. Renjiro chuckled. He had noticed Guy''s movements and immediately withdrew the water around the area while hardening the ground at the same time. As a result, the bones that had previously been slashed by Fujin were almost entirely pulverized by Guy and Shirogane lost consciousness. Before the Edo Tensei jutsu''s regeneration could kick in, Fujin sealed him up as well. The battlefield came to a standstill once again as the Suna and Konoha ninjas looked at the arena in shock. Just a couple of minutes ago, the entire battlefield was in a deadlock. The reanimated ninjas kept the strongest Konoha ninjas busy while the Suna elites held off the remaining Konoha ninjas. However, the situation changed in the blink of an eye! Before they could realize it, Fujin suddenly sealed five of the six reanimated ninjas. And now, Fujin, Guy, Renjiro and Hoka were glancing at Sakumo. The morale of the Konoha ninjas rose once again and several ninjas exclaimed loudly. "That''s incredible!" "They defeated those reanimated ninjas just like that! Now only the White Fang is left!" "As expected of Councilman Fujin! They didn''t stand a chance against him!" "Hahaha! This is incredible! We can''t lag behind. Kill these Suna scums! Make them pay for trying to invade our home!" On the other hand, the Suna ninjas were horrified. "How can that be?" Guy asked in confusion, "What happened? Why did your father suddenly go all out?" Kakashi answered grimly, "It looks like Orochimaru has taken control of his mind completely." Renjiro agreed and added, "Orochimaru was likely struggling to control all 6 of them at the same time. However, since Sakumo-sama is left now, Orochimaru must be focusing entirely on him." It was exactly as Kakashi and Renjiro analyzed. Once Fujin sealed five reanimated ninjas, the only ones left were Kabuto and Sakumo. Unlike the others, Orochimaru did not need to control Kabuto. Due to his loyalty, Kabuto followed Orochimaru''s plans without the need for any control. Hence, Orochimaru focused entirely on Sakumo which increased his control drastically. He completely suppressed Sakumo''s will and made him go all out, at least to the extent to which his body allowed. As such, Sakumo fought just like how Hashirama and Tobirama were fighting. Hoka asked with a frown, "What do we do now? Sealing him will be extremely difficult. Should we assist Fujin or should we leave him to Fujin and focus on others?" Guy immediately answered, "Let''s assist Fujin. I can open my Inner Gates once again for a short while without tiring myself." Kakashi nodded too. However, Renjiro glanced in the direction of the barrier and looked at Hiruzen and his opponents. Looking at the state of the battle, he quickly analyzed the situation. Before Kakashi, Guy and Hoka could join the battle, he softly said, "Wait!" Kakashi, Guy and Hoka glanced at Renjiro, wondering what he was planning. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ikkei, Dark, Shahzab, Hochmuetig, Derrick, Rodrigo, Jack, Ismael, Michelle, Benjamin, Kenny, Samuel, Rick, NameJeffAlive, EarthGeneral and Tara for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 740: Spectral Swordsman Vs White Fang! [A/N: A reminder for iOS users on pat reon (if you plan on supporting me or other creators there).] [A/N: Schedule Update notice on pat reon. I''ll be taking Saturday''s off here onwards since I''m unable to maintain a proper schedule right now. We''ll be going back to 6 chapters per week.] ''Lightning Release: White Death jutsu!'' Fujin frowned as nearly every chakra point on Sakumo''s body released white Lightning and moved in all directions. However, the majority of it was moving towards Fujin. Fujin immediately waved his left arm, transforming a part of the Wind Cloak back into winds, which formed a sphere around him. The white light engulfed the wind sphere, making the Konoha ninjas worried as they could no longer see him. Renjiro and others retreated as well. In the middle of the lightning storm, Fujin saw several lightning sparks continuously entering the wind sphere before being discharged harmlessly. Even so, he couldn''t help but think, ''The amount of Yin chakra concentrated in his Lightning is beyond ridiculous. I have a very strong resistance to Lightning, but if I try to endure this attack with just my body, I''ll be seriously injured.'' During his fight against the Kumo ninjas, Fujin frequently stopped powerful Lightning jutsus with just his palm. However, he didn''t dare to test out Sakumo''s jutsus despite having his Wind Cloak. "Damn! Such an intense jutsu! What is happening inside? Due to the Lightning chakra, I can''t sense anything inside it!" A sensor from the Yamanaka clan exclaimed. The Hyuga ninja beside him replied, "I can''t see anything inside either. The white lightning blinds even my Byakugan!" They weren''t the only ones, even Fujin''s chakra field didn''t work inside the range of Sakumo''s attack. Fortunately, he still had other means to sense. A vacuum layer formed around the edge of his blade as he swung his sword forward. Taking advantage of the blindness his jutsu would cause, Sakumo attacked Fujin. His white tanto pierced through the Wind Sphere before he noticed Fujin swinging his blade to intercept his attack. At the same time, the Wind Sphere around Fujin suddenly expanded, neutralizing the intense lightning around him. Noticing the Vacuum Layer along Fujin''s blade and fearing being trapped inside the Wind Domain, Sakumo retreated immediately. However, strong winds blasted behind Fujin as he used the Assassin''s Rush jutsu to take Sakumo head-on! Realizing that he wouldn''t be able to outrun Fujin, white Lightning appeared around his right fist as he punched forward. The Lightning was unleashed from his fist and transformed into a White Dragon as it moved towards Fujin. Fujin immediately countered by swinging his sword. A massive Vacuum Slash along with accompanying winds was launched in the arena. Sakumo immediately dodged the Vacuum Slash while using Lightning to defend against the accompanying winds. However, Fujin''s attack cleared the battlefield of the white lightning while leaving hundreds of new scars on the ground. The Konoha and Suna ninjas were finally able to see what was happening inside. The fear in the eyes of the Suna ninjas increased while relief appeared in the eyes of Konoha ninjas on seeing Fujin unharmed. However, these feelings immediately disappeared from a few ninjas as their eyes widened in shock. Fujin''s Vacuum Slash cut through whatever was remaining off the wall and continued forward. Every ninja who was in its way, irrespective of which village they belonged to, stopped fighting and scurried to dodge the incoming Vacuum Slash. In a moment, the war happening at that side of the arena paused entirely. Fujin weaved a hand seal as a mini-hurricane began forming around his left forearm. He analyzed, ''It looks like the battle intelligence of a reanimated ninja decreases considerably once his will is suppressed. As impressive as this jutsu is, Sakumo should have understood that large-scale wind jutsus don''t work against me.'' Fujin punched the ground with his full strength. Deep cracks appeared in the ground. As they continued expanding, the ground began transforming into a swamp! The hurricane around Fujin''s left forearm entered the swamp and soon, a second hurricane appeared! Unlike Sakumo''s hurricane, this one was made of Winds and dirt! It was a combination jutsu using Fujin''s Hurricane Fist and the Swamp of the Underground jutsu! Fujin called it the Swamp Hurricane jutsu. The battlefield came to a standstill once again as everyone looked at the two hurricanes in shock. One was flashing continuously while the other was brown in color due to the swamp. "What the hell? How did such gigantic hurricanes appear out of nowhere?" "That''s Flashing Hurricane, the cursed jutsu of the White Fang! Hundreds of Suna ninjas died to that technique!" "Will Councilman Fujin be fine? Why did he use an Earth jutsu?" Suna ninjas watched hatefully while the Konoha ninjas became worried. The Flashing Hurricane and the Swamp Hurricane finally met. The eyes of the Konoha ninjas widened as the Flashing Hurricane easily overpowered the Swamp Hurricane! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Cori, Melegant and Aristidis for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 741: Battles within a battle! In the arena, which was supposed to be the battlefield for deciding which Genin was good enough to be promoted, two massive hurricanes, created by two rank S ninjas, clashed! In the blink of an eye, it became obvious that Sakumo''s attack had a huge advantage over Fujin''s counterattack. The Konoha ninjas became worried, but there wasn''t a hint of emotion on Fujin''s face. In fact, he had pretty much expected it. His jutsu paled in comparison to Sakumo''s attack. Not only had he not strengthened his elements with Yin and Yang chakras, he hadn''t even poured a quarter of the chakra Sakumo poured into his jutsu. While ordinary ninjas couldn''t see the difference, the stronger ones and sensors immediately noticed this anomaly and wondered what he was up to. As the Flashing Hurricane entered into the Swamp Hurricane, the lightning sparks began eroding the swamp. However, even though the swamp was being eroded, it started consuming the electrical energy within the Flashing Hurricane. At the same time, the winds in the Swamp Hurricane infiltrated into the Flashing Hurricane. Even though Sakumo''s winds were enhanced by Yang chakra and he was better than Fujin in this aspect, Sakumo couldn''t compare with Fujin in terms of control over the winds. Sakumo immediately resisted Fujin''s attempt to wrestle control over the Flashing Hurricane. This created a peculiar situation. On the surface, it looked like Sakumo''s jutsu was overwhelming Fujin. However, the real battle was being fought over the control of Sakumo''s jutsu. And, the more electrical energy was consumed by the swamp, the bigger Fujin''s advantage got. Along with this clash, there was another aspect that almost everyone missed. While everyone''s attention was focused on the hurricanes, the ground underneath continued converting into swamps and expanding continuously. Had he been conscious, Sakumo would have spotted it very easily. Unfortunately, that wasn''t the case. By the time he realized, the swamp had expanded up to just a few meters away from him. Fujin chuckled and thought, ''Finally, he noticed it. Unfortunately, it''s too late.'' Suddenly, a large muddy dragon appeared from the swamp and lunged at Sakumo. Sakumo immediately bombarded it with lightning, neutralizing it instantly. However, behind the swamp dragon was another smaller hurricane that rose from the swamp! This move caught Sakumo off guard. Fujin smirked while thinking, ''Even though my combination jutsu isn''t as strong as yours, this is the true essence of my jutsu. Due to the high amount of wind chakra I poured into it, I can spontaneously start hurricanes from the swamp. While it has its limits, it is plenty to deal with most ninjas. Now then, how will you defend from this?'' Sakumo''s position became extremely vulnerable. Despite facing just one opponent, he was fighting three battles simultaneously. The first and the most apparent was the clash of the two hurricanes, where Fujin had successfully slowed down Sakumo''s offensive. The second was the battle to maintain control of the Flashing Hurricane, which was the most decisive battle. And now, he had to deal with the new hurricane, which flowed in the opposite direction of his Flashing Hurricane and continuously reduced its strength while posing a danger to Sakumo. Despite seemingly losing the initial clash, Fujin gained an overwhelming advantage over Sakumo. Instead of defeating Fujin, Sakumo''s terrifying jutsu provided Fujin with a chance to break the deadlock and win the battle. A wide grin appeared on Fujin''s face as the three factors continued increasing his advantage. In just half a minute, Sakumo seemed unable to hold on. Fujin extended his arm forward and muttered to himself, ''It''s over. Once I gain control of his winds, I can create a new Wind Domain with it. Sakumo won''t be able to escap...'' His eyes suddenly widened. He quickly dispersed his Wind Cloak, which transformed into winds and moved very quickly as he cursed, ''Shit! Is he aiming to kill everyone here?'' When he realized that he had lost the exchange and was about to be trapped inside his own jutsu, Sakumo simply exploded all the Lightning chakra that was still in the Flashing Hurricane. Even though the explosion wouldn''t harm Fujin much, it would harm most of the unconscious people and even the ninjas in and around the stadium. In the worst-case scenario, thousands of civilians and over a hundred ninjas might die! Both Konoha and Suna ninjas became fearful of sensing the massive explosion. The Flashing Hurricane collapsed due to the explosion, and so did Fujin''s Swamp Hurricane which couldn''t withstand the explosion. Even the swamp in the ground was ruined to a great extent. Hiruzen changed his fighting style and became completely defensive. He blocked and dodged any attacks his former student and teachers threw at him while spending his chakra minimally. Even though the arena was covered in dust, Fujin and Sakumo were looking in each other''s direction. Fujin thought, ''It looks like I won''t be able to reinforce Hiruzen after all. In the end, Orochimaru''s arrangements were enough to ensure that I''ll be tied down...'' Fujin was about to go on the offensive once again but suddenly stopped. ''Lightning Release: Lightning Hound jutsu'' ''Water Release: Great Waterfall jutsu'' Fujin turned his head and saw Kakashi''s Lightning jutsu merging with Renjiro''s water jutsu and moving towards Sakumo at a great speed. Sakumo immediately retreated but was engaged by Guy in an intense Taijutsu battle. Renjiro flickered in front of Fujin and said without taking his eyes off Sakumo, "Dealing with him will take a long time. Unfortunately, time is not a luxury we have for now. I''m not sure how long the old man can hang on. We''ll hold him back, you reinforce the old man." [A/N: Latest chapter: Betrayal!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nick, V Stan, Gerald, Zoro, Sahith, James, Qt4x and some random person for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 742 - 736 : Typing up the loose ends Chapter 742: Chapter 736 : Typing up the loose ends "We''ll hold him back, you reinforce the old man." Renjiro said without taking his eyes off Sakumo. Fujin asked unsurely, "Are you sure? He might not be at his peak, but his strength is extremely terrifying." Kakashi answered, "Don''t worry, even though Orochimaru is controlling him, my father is still restraining a considerable amount of strength. Though I''m not confident in sealing him, we''ll be able to hold him back." Renjiro added, "Besides, don''t forget we still have Guy with us. If needed, he can settle the situation. So, leave him to us. You and Hoka deal with the barrier and Orochimaru." Kakashi and Renjiro''s reasoning was completely sound. Fujin didn''t have anything to say against it. He replied, "Alright, be careful." Renjiro replied, "You two stay careful as well. Who knows what else that snake is hiding." Renjiro''s initial idea was to let Fujin deal with Sakumo while they go to help Hiruzen. However, Renjiro wasn''t sure whether they''d be able to deal with any more hidden cards that Orochimaru might have. Hence, he decided to do the opposite. Even though Fujin''s chakra was running low, he still had the best chance to deal with Orochimaru''s schemes. Fujin and Hoka nodded and both flickered away. Orochimaru noticed it and had Sakumo go all out, but Guy, Kakashi and Renjiro managed to hold him back while Fujin and Hoka moved towards the barrier! In a matter of moments, the situation changed drastically. Hiruzen, who had been fighting a lone battle, now had two rank S ninjas coming to his aid. Even though Fujin had been through several battles and Jiraiya was still a bit away, the situation had become extremely favorable for Konoha. Yet, Orochimaru continued battling without showing any signs of retreat. As he moved, Fujin thought, ''It looks like I''ll be reinforcing the old fox after all. Tsk, he is really strong though, undoubtedly far stronger than what he was shown to be in the original story. Even though Hashirama and Tobirama are nowhere near their full strength, being able to block the two of them along with Orochimaru for so long without taking a single injury is remarkable. I wonder how strong he was in his prime...'' "What''s the plan, Fujin?" Hoka asked. Fujin replied, "I''ll just bombard the barrier and go for Orochimaru''s head, you take out those four ninjas maintaining the barrier and then act according to the situation. But first..." The Wind Cloak reappeared around Fujin''s body as he disappeared from Hoka''s side. In the stadium, an intense battle was taking place. A special feature of this particular battle was that none of the unconscious audience was harmed. Instead, the bodies of more than a dozen dead Konoha Jounins lay around. One of the Konoha ninjas frowned and said, "Shit! He''s too strong! How do we deal with him?" Needless to say, they were facing the reanimated Kabuto. As strong as they were, they didn''t stand a chance against Kabuto. They were about to attack again when they suddenly stopped. Kabuto''s eyes widened and he launched several shurikens behind him instinctively. Unfortunately, all of them missed and he saw a fist covered in a mini-hurricane heading straight for him! Fujin thought, ''As expected, Orochimaru had DNA samples of this troublesome fellow. Oh well, let me see whether your healing can keep up with my Hurricane Fist!'' While he followed them, Fujin''s clone noticed several changes, many of which were direct consequences of his actions. The first was Lee''s presence, which only happened because Fujin saved Lee during the preliminaries. The second was that no Oto ninjas chased after them. This was a direct consequence of what Fujin did when the battle began. Due to his indiscriminate massacre, the majority of the Oto ninjas were dead, causing them and the Suna ninjas to be under extreme pressure. They no longer had any manpower to chase after a bunch of Genins. While a couple of squads still tried to chase after Sasuke due to Orochimaru''s instructions, they were quickly intercepted by Konoha ninjas who assumed that they were escaping due to Fujin''s deadly assault. Kankuro stayed behind just to stall Sasuke but was confronted by Shino just like in the original story. As such, the entire squad reached Gaara and Temari together. Fujin''s clone continued looking at them and analyzed, ''Shikamaru and Lee... Shikamaru isn''t strong, but his brain could result in some changes. On the contrary, Lee has the might required to force a change. Though he isn''t allowed to open the Inner Gates, he is quite suicidal. I wonder how the battle will play out now...'' Back in the arena, Hoka asked, "Was he that important to be taken care of?" Fujin withdrew a scroll while replying, "Yeah, he''s a troublesome fellow. If he interfered in the fight against Sakumo-san, Sensei and others would have been in trouble." Hoka understood his thoughts and nodded. Opening the scroll, Fujin weaved the confrontation hand seal. At the next moment, thousands of Explosive tags appeared in front of him. The Anbu ninjas, standing outside the barrier, rejoiced to see Fujin come near the barrier. They were about to greet him and inform him about the barrier when they saw a sight that horrified them. All of them scattered immediately! At the same time, the Sound Four looked at the insane number of Explosive tags with grim faces. They immediately activated the second stage of their curse seals to provide more chakra to the barrier. Fujin glanced at them and muttered, "I have always been curious about how many Explosive tags it''ll take to break a barrier of this level. Any guesses, Hoka?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 Chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You killbot and Zogio for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 743: The Biggest Joke! [A/N: Once again, thanks for all your love and support guys. My family and I are doing far better now. The rituals are more or less done as well, and most of the relatives have left too, though a few may come to visit in the coming days. So, the release schedule could be inconsistent for a week, but I shouldn''t miss any chapters hopefully. Anyway, let''s get back to the story. Stay safe and healthy!] "I have always been curious about how many Explosive tags it''ll take to break a barrier of this level. Any guesses, Hoka?" Hoka just chuckled as eight thousand Explosive tags flew towards the barrier. He replied, "Does it matter? No matter how many it takes, it won''t even leave a dent in your storage of explosive tags, will it?" Hoka fully expected Fujin to have at least a dozen more such scrolls on him. As for how many might be in his house, Hoka didn''t even bother to make a guess. He just knew that it would be some unbelievable number. Tayuya shouted, "Don''t hold back!" The sight unnerved the Sound Four, who wondered, ''Why does he carry so many explosive seals on him?'' The same thoughts ran through the minds of the Suna ninjas who were relieved that they weren''t heading towards them. Baki wondered, ''Was he planning on blowing up an entire village or something?'' Inside the barrier, Hiruzen chuckled and said, "It''s over, Orochimaru. I hope you have already secured an escape route. If not, I''ll fix the mistake I made a decade ago." To Hiruzen''s surprise, Orochimaru chuckled and asked, "Are you so sure that it''s over Sensei?" As he said that, a large amount of Gold Dust appeared in the path of the tags! Relief and hope appeared in the eyes of the Suna ninjas keeping an eye on the barrier. Baki muttered to himself, ''Finally, Kazekage-sama has arrived. However, defeating Fujin will be difficult. Everything will depend on why he was so late. This will be the crucial moment of the war. Whoever wins will win the war!'' A massive explosion attracted the attention of every ninja in the vicinity as the tags exploded after coming in contact with the gold dust. Most of the ninjas stopped fighting and glanced in its direction. The explosion was so massive that even Jiraiya, who was several minutes away, heard the explosion. He looked worriedly in the direction of the arena and muttered, "What is happening there? Hang on, old man." Smoke had covered an entire side of the barrier, which was bombarded by high-speed gold particles. Several shockwaves hit the barrier as well. Both Konoha and Suna ninjas wondered whether the barrier had been broken. At the same time, the few remaining Oto ninjas became worried. As the smoke cleared, the Oto ninjas sighed in relief seeing that the barrier was still up. Even though it was bombarded by gold dust and shockwaves, it was nowhere near enough to create a crack in the barrier, let alone destroy it. The Sound Four sighed in relief. While they had the confidence to weather the barrage of explosive tags, none of them had any confidence against Fujin. Tayuya thought, ''That was close. Fortunately, Orochimaru-sama made arrangements for all possibilities. Though Rasa isn''t strong enough to defeat that monster, stalling him shouldn''t be an issue. With him, the barrier won''t fall.'' Fujin looked at the gold dust and analyzed, ''So Rasa was here too? However, he didn''t make any move when I was cutting down the Suna ninjas. I even slowed down to see whether he''d make a move. In addition, he''s waiting here and obediently protecting the barrier, a task unfitting of a Kage. That means...'' While Oto ninjas were relieved when the smoke scattered, the Suna ninjas were ecstatic. They couldn''t care less about the barrier. Instead, their eyes were glued to the massive amount of gold dust floating around the barrier. "Yes!!! Kazekage-sama is finally here!" "He''ll take revenge on our fallen comrades and kill that bastard swordsman!" "Enough defending! It''s time for our counterattack! Kill Konoha scums!" Confusion immediately spread among the ranks of Suna ninjas. Instead of attacking Konoha ninjas, they shifted their focus back to defending and tried to get closer to the barrier to understand the truth. Baki stopped fighting Genma and Hayate and flickered towards Fujin. Needless to say, he wouldn''t take the word of his enemy at face value. However, the bad feeling he had intensified several times when he heard Fujin''s words. He appeared some distance away from Fujin and shouted, "Bastard! Stop lying!" From a close distance, Baki could see that Rasa didn''t have the features of a reanimated ninja. However, he could see that something was off. Be it Rasa''s absence when Fujin was slaughtering Suna ninjas, or the fact that he hadn''t refuted Fujin''s words. Yet, he shouted to ensure that the Suna ninjas didn''t lose their morale entirely. Fujin merely chuckled and taunted, "Why don''t you talk with your dear leader then? Hehehe." Baki immediately followed his advice, "Kazekage-sama! Please reply!" Inside the barrier, Orochimaru frowned and wondered, ''When did he learn Sound-based jutsus? Tsk, this is annoying.'' Hiruzen heard Fujin''s words and was shocked as well. He stared at Orochimaru while analyzing, ''So, he killed Rasa first? The main question is when this was. Even I was fooled by his impersonation of the Kazekage. Was Suna the one who wanted to make a move against Konoha, or were they manipulated by Orochimaru? Regardless...'' Hiruzen immediately went on the offensive, directly targeting Orochimaru. He was aware that the caster could speak through the Edo Tensei. He didn''t want to give that opportunity to Orochimaru. As Orochimaru became busy dealing with Hiruzen''s assault, Hiruzen thought, ''Good thinking, Fujin. This war is over!'' Unknown to Hiruzen, Orochimaru didn''t intend to attempt fooling Suna ninjas again. He knew that the Suna ninjas weren''t all fools. Now that Fujin had planted a seed of doubt in their minds, they would suspect Rasa. Any act Orochimaru put up would be seen through. So, Orochimaru didn''t see any point in doing something like that. Hence, Rasa, whose will had been completely suppressed, didn''t reply to Baki. Baki just stood there with a stunned expression and disbelief on his face! For a moment, he had let his guard down completely! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kaiden, Edward, Garett, Christian, Landlord and Thariaus for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 744: Hidden Cards! Looking at his unresponsive leader, Baki stood with a stunned expression. He was in such disbelief that he let his guard down completely, a fact that didn''t miss Fujin''s watchful gaze. However, Fujin didn''t make a move. Baki was going through an intense internal turmoil. Just a few months ago, Sunagakure''s top leadership were high in morale after having made a deal with Orochimaru to deal Konoha a massive blow. Their preparations progressed smoothly. However, ever since the second round of the Chunin Exams, nothing seemed to be going their way. The slaughter Fujin unleashed just a minute into their attack made him realize the severity of the situation. And now, their leader, their last hope, the man who was supposed to turn things around in their favor, was already dead. And, his killer was none other than their ally! Baki muttered in shock and disbelief, "How did this happen? When was Lord Rasa killed? No way! Did Orochi..." Baki was no fool. He connected the dots very easily and understood. He knew that Rasa had gone to meet Orochimaru a few days ago. According to the discussion in their council, the war should''ve been postponed unless Orochimaru had made some excellent arrangements. Yet, Rasa suddenly acted in a very different manner after meeting with Orochimaru. He went from caution to going all out to crushing Konoha! The council was baffled and wanted a proper explanation, but they didn''t get any as Rasa never returned to Suna. Ultimately, the council had no choice but to follow their leader''s orders. None of them imagined that he''d be killed by Orochimaru so secretly. They didn''t even have that thought. Yet, Baki was seeing the worst-case scenario happening for his village! A scenario that no ninja in Suna imagined! Seeing Baki standing in shock, the remaining Suna ninjas understood that Fujin wasn''t lying. Their morale dropped immediately. Genma flickered behind Baki and asked with a chuckle, "Do you still want to fight?" Baki didn''t reply. He retrieved a kunai and launched it into the sky. The kunai exploded, releasing red smoke and a strange noise. In an instant, every Suna ninja in and around the arena heard the voice and looked in the direction of the explosion. Their pupils dilated as soon as they saw the smoke. Without a single word, every Suna ninja stopped fighting and retreated! They only kept an eye on possible attacks from Konoha ninjas while they left the battlefield! Leading them was none other than Baki. The Konoha ninjas chased for a few seconds but stopped, realizing that Suna ninjas had no intention of stopping. For a moment, most of the battles ceased. Of course, that didn''t mean that the Suna ninjas were happy. Instead, terrified questions were heard throughout their forces. "Why are we retreating?" "Don''t tell me! Is what he said true? Is Lord Rasa dead?" "No, how can that be! Baki! What happened? Didn''t you get a close look at Kazekage-sama?" With a grim expression on his face, Baki answered, "Kazekage-sama is dead. Orochimaru reanimated him like the White Fang and others. That bloody snake betrayed us!" Hoka, who retreated right before Fujin slammed his hand on the ground, thought, ''Such a massive and powerful summon! Since when did Fujin have such a summon?'' Similar questions ran through the minds of the Konoha ninjas. Konoha was famous for having ninjas with strong summons. Be it Hiruzen or the Sannins, all of their summons were extremely famous throughout the world. And now, they saw another summon who didn''t lose to any of them. Of course, none of them questioned where he had got the summon from. Instead, they were just pleased. "Incredible! I didn''t even know he had a summon!" "As expected of Councilman Fujin! Only someone like him can have such a strong summon!" The retreating Suna ninjas noticed the massive summon as well and their mood dropped further. Baki thought, ''Even if Gaara had stuck to the plan, I don''t think it''d have made much of a difference. Even if Orochimaru hadn''t backstabbed us, this entire campaign was destined to be a disaster!'' Fujin ignored everyone''s gazes and said, "Ryu, it''s time for a rampage!" [A/N: Next chapter in 6-8 hours. Latest chapter on Pat reon - Sand Slayer] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Daniel, Tariq, Helios, Cesar, Kordie 1, Frederic, Kyle and luri for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 745: Setting the skies ablaze! Chapter 745: Setting the skies ablaze! "What an odd sight..." Ryu muttered softly in his jagged voice. The situation in front of him truly puzzled him. Having lived for several centuries, Ryu had seen several odd things that seemed far beyond common sense. However, he had never seen so many weird people simultaneously. He observed, ''These two don''t have the aura of the living... They''re undoubtedly dead but seem to be completely fine. Those two inside the barrier have similar auras. Since when could the dead rise in such a manner? Also, what''s with this barrier? It seems sturdy enough to endure my strongest attacks. Not to mention, those four powering the barrier are harnessing nature energy. However, it feels off too. It''s almost as if they''re using some artificial means...'' For over a century, the Winged Sabertooths didn''t have a summoner. Even though a few of them liked to travel, they couldn''t learn about the advancements in Ninjutsu. As such, Ryu was quite surprised to see so many oddities when he was finally summoned. Of course, he couldn''t be entirely blamed. Orochimaru''s forbidden techniques had even surprised Hiruzen, the person publicly acknowledged as having the greatest Ninjutsu knowledge. The other Kages would have been even more surprised as they weren''t even aware of Orochimaru''s forbidden experiments. So, it was natural for Ryu to be surprised. However, since it was the first thing he saw when he was summoned, he couldn''t help but feel like the human world had changed a lot. Fujin sensed his feelings, chuckled and said, "What you''re seeing is odd for us too. I''ll explain the details later. For now, we need to smash the barrier, seal those dead ninjas and kill that snake." Ryu replied, "Alright!" To the shock of nearly every ninja, Ryu''s fur began moving and two large wings appeared on his back. With a single flap, the massive Sabertooth got off the ground and flew above the barrier, one of the most difficult spots for ninjas to defend. Of course, facing him were two extremely strong ninjas. Fujin said, "Aerial attacks might not work much. Both of them have mastered the Magnet Release. Don''t be engulfed by the Gold or Iron, they might be poisoned. Also, be careful of suicidal attacks. They can''t be killed and I''ll have to seal them after we destroy them." While Fujin spoke, a large amount of gold and iron floated towards them. The gold dust spread through the entire area instead of targeting Ryu directly. As for the iron, it transformed into several sharp weapons, all of which were launched towards Ryu. Ryu sighed and replied, "I forgot how complicated humans were..." Wind chakra suddenly flowed through his wings, giving them a green glow. Intense winds were released downwards as he flapped them, which transformed into several mini-hurricanes. They engulfed the iron weapon projectiles and the gold dust, stopping their movement before sending them back at the enemy! The two former Kazekage had to defend against their own attacks. However, that was just the first part of the attack. They noticed that following them were extremely sharp winds! Within moments, they controlled a large amount of gold and iron to form a protective wall mid-air! Hoka looked at Ryu''s counterattack with a helpless smile on his face. He thought, ''Even his summon is stronger than me... He just sent back the attacks of two Kazekages like it was nothing! Not to mention, those winds could annihilate ordinary ninjas. How many more cards does Fujin have hidden?'' Inside the barrier, Orochimaru frowned while analyzing, ''Troublesome. I knew he had a summon, but I didn''t know it''d be this strong. This one might be able to go up against Manda... Interesting, I wonder how many more surprises you''ll give me, Suzuki Fujin.'' Ryu replied, "Yes. Do you have a plan?" Fujin smirked, "Yes, let''s give them a big one." Like Fujin said, the one who was under the pressure of time was Orochimaru and not Fujin. When Renjiro asked Fujin to help Hiruzen, it was the opposite. However, the situation had changed entirely once the Suna ninjas withdrew. In just a minute, every Oto ninja in the arena, other than Orochimaru and the Sound Four, was killed. Hundreds of Konoha ninjas turned their gaze towards the barrier and started moving towards it. The eyes of the Sound Four ninjas widened as they realized what was about to happen. The two Kazekage also turned their attention from Fujin to the other Konoha ninjas. However, they were forced to turn their heads up immediately. They weren''t the only ones. Every ninja in the arena, including Hiruzen and Orochimaru, turned their gaze to the sky. Following Fujin''s suggestion, Ryu had unleashed a massive Wind jutsu. Its scale far exceeded Fujin''s supercharged Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Not only did it have more chakra, but it also had a perfect balance of Wind chakra, Yang chakra and Nature chakra. That attack, in itself, would have been extremely strong. However, Fujin shot the Majestic Destroyer Flame jutsu right into those intense winds. The two jutsus merged perfectly, resulting in an even more devastating combination jutsu than the one Fujin created with the help of Orochimaru''s flames! Everyone looked in shock as the sky above the arena was set ablaze! It seemed like the Sun itself had come down to the planet! [A/N: Break tomorrow.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aman and Allen for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 746: A Peculiar Expression... "What in the world is that?" "Is this what the hell looks like?" "That fire is nowhere near us and yet it feels so hot! It''s almost like my skin is burning!" "Fire? That''s no fire! That''s Scorch Release!" "No doubt! The rumors were true! Fujin defeated Orochimaru with Scorch Release in the Forest of Death!" The Konoha ninjas discussed among themselves. Fujin had merged his flames perfectly with Ryu''s winds and created Scorch jutsu once again. Due to the scale of Ryu''s jutsu, the attack covered the entire sky, making it seem like it was raining fire! Even for the experienced ninjas, it was a hellish sight! Orochimaru and Hiruzen looked at it in surprise as well. Orochimaru thought, ''This is even stronger than what he did earlier. The addition of nature chakra takes it to an entirely new level!'' At the same time, Hiruzen wondered, ''Has he really not mastered Scorch Release yet?'' Enma said, "So this is the boy you told me about? His summon is strong. That Winged Sabertooth has very good control over nature chakra." Fujin''s attack forced the Konoha ninjas to stop. They didn''t want to be caught in its range. A few veteran Jounins shouted, "Retreat! Take cove... Huh?" Instead of continuing to spread, the attack suddenly converged towards the barrier. Once again, the Konoha ninjas marvelled at Fujin''s control over the winds. Rasa and the Third Kazekage immediately unleashed all the Gold and Iron Orochimaru had arranged for them. It began floating on top of the barrier, forming a dome around it to protect it from the attack. However, several Konoha ninjas immediately noticed something. They observed, ''Fujin''s attack is only concentrated at top. Even though it is extremely strong, defeating the two Kazekage will be difficult. So this is why he...'' Immediately several Konoha ninjas shouted loudly, "Attack the barrier from the sides! The iron-gold dome is very weak in that direction. Destroy the barrier! But be careful with your jutsus. Don''t destroy the stadium!" Immediately, a few dozen Konoha ninjas moved forward while weaving hand seals. While Fujin attacked from the top, they attacked with Fire jutsus supported by a few Wind jutsus from all sides of the barrier. The two Kazekage noticed it and quickly reinforced the sides as well, weakening the top part a bit. At the same time, the Sound Four prepared themselves to put their entire chakra into the barrier. They weren''t sure how long they could last under such an assault but decided to buy every second they could buy for Orochimaru. A massive explosion took place once Fujin''s and Ryu''s combination attack landed on the iron-gold. It was so intense that the entire dome shook and its top layer began melting! The explosion also sent a few shockwaves at Ryu and Fujin, but they were a sufficient distance away to be threatened by it. As Hiruzen calculated, Orochimaru began weaving hand seals while saying, "I wanted to give you a poetic ending. To die at the hands of your predecessors, how ironic would that have been... Unfortunately, I have completely failed to do it. But, no matter. The end result will still be the same!" Some distance away from Konoha, the Genins were in a fierce battle. Fujin''s clone didn''t interfere, but a peculiar look was visible on his face. Of course, no one saw it. The reason for having such an expression was due to how the battle had played so far. Due to the presence of Shikamaru and Lee, Fujin''s clone expected a lot of changes. While it seemed so initially, the situation became extremely familiar once again. Shikamaru tried using his Shadow Possession on Gaara, but it was pretty much useless against a partially transformed Gaara, who not only had a tremendous amount of chakra but also moved quite quickly. Even Shikamaru''s brain wasn''t a big factor due to how absurd his opponent was and how limited his information and knowledge were about the Jinchurikis. Sasuke was down due to the curse and could barely move while Naruto wasn''t giving his all either as he wondered whether he could deal with Gaara, someone who had found a different answer to deal with loneliness and appeared to have overcome it through his own strength. As a result, the only one who could fight was Lee. Unfortunately, he hadn''t completely recovered. Even if he had, there wasn''t much he could do against a normal Gaara, let alone a partially transformed one. He too took a bit of beating before Gaara trapped Sakura just like in the original story. Wanting to save Sakura, Lee decided to open his Inner Gates. Unfortunately for the boy, it immediately opened up his previous internal injuries and the boy collapsed on the spot. His condition became worse than Sasuke''s. In the end, it all came down to Naruto, though he had Shikamaru''s support. Fujin''s clone couldn''t help but think with a serious expression, ''This is weird... Despite my interference creating so many changes, how can this battle unfold exactly like how it did in the original story?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Gilberto, Allen, Tanav, Michael, SacredLoneWolf, Extrasmall and Ze for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 747: The Inevitable Fate? ''Despite my interference creating so many changes, how can this battle unfold exactly like how it did in the original story?'' A deep frown appeared on the face of Fujin''s clone. Ever since he stepped into this world, Fujin had been careful not to mess with the story too much. Unfortunately, things hadn''t been as he had wished, and his presence inevitably caused several changes. Things had gone so out of hand that Fujin had mentally prepared himself to discard most of his future knowledge. As such, seeing something happen similar to the original story should have been good news to Fujin. However, his clone wasn''t happy. On the contrary, his mood was grave. He analyzed, ''The circumstances here and in the original story were completely different. In the original story, Konoha was shown to be ignorant to the fact that Gaara was a Jinchuriki. Even if I assume that Hiruzen knew, he hadn''t made any arrangements to take care of him. Suna''s betrayal had come as a shock to Konoha. However, due to my interference, Konoha was well aware of Suna''s treachery and prepared for the war. The higher-ups have long known that Gaara is a Jinchuriki. Hiruzen and Shikaku even assigned Kakashi to take care of him. Yet, despite all the preparations and arrangements, despite the changes caused due to my actions, why have things reached exactly this stage?'' Fujin''s clone saw Naruto creating a dozen Shadow Clones and using them very creatively to maneuver around Gaara. He used the Thousand Years of Death jutsu, with one small change. Instead of sticking an explosive tag to his kunai, Naruto used the kunai that was given to him by Fujin when he left his training to Jiraiya. As a result, the explosion was much stronger. Had the circumstances been different, Fujin''s clone would have been amused. However, his mind was in a different place. Just a month ago, Fujin had dismissed Neji''s thoughts about Fate and put his own perspective. However, there was one major difference between Neji and Fujin. Neji''s perspective was a result of his traumatic childhood and the arrogance of a genius. Fujin, on the other hand, knew what the future held. He knew that fate played a major role in this world, especially with events involving Naruto and Sasuke. Even so, he hadn''t given much importance to it. Fujin believed that once he gained sufficient strength, he could change the future to be extremely advantageous for him. However, what he was witnessing shook his confidence. For the first time, since coming into this world, Fujin was forced to take ''fate'' seriously. Fujin''s clone couldn''t help but wonder, ''If fate truly exists and if things will eventually happen just like they did in the original story, then what''s the meaning of my existence? Once I make those moves, it should change the future entirely just like when I killed Kabuto. Even the Fourth Great Ninja War will be completely different if it happens at all. However, if fate exists, does it mean that I wouldn''t be able to do that? Or, could it be that all my actions will prove futile and the end result will be similar to it was this time?'' Needless to say, Fujin''s clone didn''t want to believe it. He could gain strength and fight against stronger foes. With Flying Thunder God jutsu, he wasn''t afraid even of beings like Madara as he could always run away. However, what could he do against something as intangible as fate? If he didn''t know the future, he wouldn''t have cared about it as it would have been pointless. But, that wasn''t the case. Fujin''s clone quickly concluded, ''I guess I can still chalk this up to a freakish chain of coincidences. Directly blaming fate wouldn''t do me any good. I need more information. Apart from Naruto changing Gaara, there is another critical event that is supposed to happen. Hiruzen is supposed to die in this war. If he doesn''t, then the changes will be too huge. However, from the memories I just received, the battle is nearly over. Hiruzen should end up living. If fate truly exists, then it means that something strange will happen and he''ll die... If that truly happens, then I''ll need to reevaluate my situation entirely.'' Disbelief could be heard in Hiruzen''s voice. He never expected to see such a sight in his old age. Fujin thought, ''Except Minato, every dead Kage is here. This crazy bastard collected everyone''s DNA in the month-long break! That''s why he was so confident! However, can he control them all?'' Fujin''s mind immediately went into overdrive, analyzing every information he had so far. He immediately concluded, ''No, he definitely must have some limits. Otherwise, he''d have revived way more ninjas and sent them after me. That said, he must have some means to keep some degree of control. Regardless, how do I tackle this?'' Even Fujin felt a bit overwhelmed and helpless. Had it been a few, he could have dealt with them. However, there were 14 reanimated Kage in and around the barrier. Not to mention, Sakumo was keeping Guy, Kakashi and Renjiro occupied in the arena. Fujin realized, ''This is impossible to deal with. If we break the barrier now and try to use our numerical advantage, hundreds of Elite ninjas will be slaughtered. There is a good chance that the entire army would be wiped out. Even when Jiraiya reaches here, we won''t have the forces to eliminate them. Even if I go all out and use my Flying Thunder God jutsu and all my other hidden cards, I can''t change the battle much. All of them are strong even among the S rank. Some of them stood at the peak of S rank when they were alive. They won''t be caught off guard that easily. The best I can do is touch them and teleport them hundreds of kilometers away from here. However, Tobirama can easily counter this tactic. Even if I assume that they aren''t marked yet and send 3 away before Tobirama reacts and marks everyone, that''s still too much...'' Fujin glanced at Hiruzen and thought, ''The only way is the Death Reaper Seal. However...'' Just like his clone, Fujin too felt extremely uncomfortable at the way the events suddenly changed. He couldn''t help but think about fate as well and have the same thoughts as his clone! [A/N: PS: Please keep the author notes of chp 704 in mind.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Vinicius, Zalof, Slothy, Foret, Anima, Dip, Umaid, Calvin, Madyan and Shrekk for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 748: A Second of Hesitation! [A/N: Predicted the outrage on Webnovel over 3 months ago, lol. Now you guys know why I made that author''s note ???? Enjoyed the comments, though kinda hurts by how quick some people are to insult the story as well as me as the author inspite of being nearly 750 chapters into the story. Anyway, that is out of my control. I guess I need to clarify somethings based on the comments made in the earlier chapter. 1. The limits I had mentioned earlier on how many reanimated ninjas Orochimaru can control was based on range. Away from himself, he''s limited to 2 rank S, 3 Elite Jounins and some Jounins. As for when they''re closer to him, his control is far better. Whether he can control 15 Kage level ninjas at the same time, you''ll see soon. 2. The strength of the reanimated Kages isn''t at the same level as when they were alive. They are barely at the rank S level (this includes Hashirama, Sakumo and Tobirama), otherwise Hiruzen would have long been dead and Fujin would be tied down by Sakumo. I guess I should write something about why I increased the number of people Orochimaru could control, but I''m pretty sure there''ll be another author note addressing that once this battle ends. That should clear things up. All said and done, enjoy. Not sure if this chapter will be more controversial or less ????????] "Heh, to think that the mighty Konoha would one day have to see such a day." Hozuki Gengetsu, the second Mizukage, taunted Hiruzen. He found the situation quite amusing. He wasn''t the only one. The rest of the reanimated Kages were quite surprised too. Irrespective of who it was, all of them had tried to destroy Konoha and failed miserably. No matter how many villages attacked Konoha, it remained a Behemoth that couldn''t be destroyed. Even though they weren''t pleased that someone was controlling them, seeing the destruction of Konoha was quite a pleasant surprise for them. Hiruzen snorted and replied, "I wonder if you''ll be this amused when he reanimates all of you to attack your villages next. If Konoha falls, do you think your villages could stop him when he turns his eyes towards them?" Immediately, the faces of all the Kages became dark. Needless to say, that was their first thought. Even though none of them were at their full strength, their power was more than sufficient to destroy any Great Village. Since Hashirama and Tobirama had stopped their attacks momentarily, Hiruzen immediately decided to strike with his words. The Third Mizukage thought, ''Hiruzen is correct. Unless the strength of our villages has immensely increased somehow, they won''t be able to stop us. The best hope for their survival is if Hiruzen stops us. Of course, that is unless we can regain control of our bodies. If we do so, we can just kill Orochimaru first and then kill Hiruzen and destroy Konoha.'' His eyes quickly scanned through the situation outside the barrier as he analyzed, ''There are only Konoha ninjas. There must have been a war and Konoha won overwhelmingly, forcing Orochimaru to summon us. In this case, we could have a chance to break free of his control.'' The Third Mizukage''s scheming mind immediately calculated all the scenarios. The other Kages had similar thoughts. The First Kazekage suddenly chuckled and said, "As expected of the schemer''s student. Even without lifting a finger, you''re making us want to eliminate your enemy first. Haha, Tobirama selected a good successor." Without skipping a beat, Hiruzen asked, "Do you see the Fourth Kazekage outside the barrier? He was killed not too long ago by the very person who summoned you. Right now, your village doesn''t have a single rank S ninja." The eyes of the First and Second Kazekage widened in shock. Instinctively, both tried to break free of Orochimaru''s control, making his job much more difficult. Orochimaru cursed, ''Shit! If I allow him to keep speaking...'' Without showing his real emotions, Orochimaru chuckled and said, "It looks like age failed to tone down your scheming nature, Sensei. You allied with Suna and killed the Kazekage under the pretence of a meeting, forcing the Sunagakure to attack Konoha recklessly and fall into your trap. The bodies of Suna ninjas are still littered in the arena." Without wasting any time, Orochimaru tried to confuse the two Kazekages. Needless to say, they didn''t believe his words. However, they knew that they couldn''t trust Hiruzen either. Orochimaru continued, "You can give up trying to break my control. The only thing that will be broken is the village you hold so dear to yourself. Hahaha!" In the sky, Fujin sensed the change in Hiruzen''s chakra and stopped creating the Rasengan. He let out a sigh and thought, ''In the end, this still happened...'' ''That order of hand seals... Sarutobi, you are performing that jutsu!!!'' Enma thought in disbelief. Hiruzen glanced behind him and thought, ''So this is the God of Death that Minato was saying only the caster of this jutsu can see. Sigh, I hope this works...'' Orochimaru noticed Hiruzen''s odd actions and said, "No matter what you try, it''s too late. I''ve won! Konoha will fall!" Hiruzen didn''t reply as he saw all 12 reanimated Kages moving towards him. Without wasting any time, all of his Shadow Clones immediately moved towards them! In the forest, Gaara couldn''t resist the bombardment of Naruto''s supercharged Wind jutsus! The explosion of Fujin''s kunai had damaged the sand armor around him considerably and before he could fix it, he was attacked by Naruto. To his horror, several sharp wind blades cut straight through the sand around his body! Several long cuts opened up on his body, injuring Gaara like he never was in his entire life. Even Fujin''s clone was surprised. As Gaara''s screams echoed through the forest, Fujin''s clone couldn''t help but wonder, ''Could this attack kill Gaara or will he...?'' Even before he could complete his thoughts, Gaara transformed entirely into Shukaku! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You psybermonk, Suras, umaid, Dailoo, Divichan, Trotin, Draz, Bram, Ismail and Conner for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 749: The Indomitable Third Hokage (1) Fujin''s clone saw with a deadpan expression as Gaara transformed and Naruto used Kurama''s chakra and summoned Gamabunta to stop him. He let out a sigh and muttered, "Fuck it. This is still beneficial for me. Time to do what I have to do." The chakra signature of Fujin''s clone suddenly changed and so did his appearance and physique. The change was so drastic that no one would be able to associate him with Fujin. At the same time, a seal imprint lit up on his right palm as he slammed it on the ground. Hundreds of Flying Thunder God marks spread throughout the area as a new seal imprint appeared on his left palm. He didn''t make any other move and instead watched Shukaku and Gamabunta like a hawk. Inside the barrier, Orochimaru watched in amusement as Hiruzen''s Shadow Clones moved to intercept the 12 former Kage. The ones leading the charge were none other than Hashirama and Tobirama. Hiruzen''s clone immediately noticed the changes in Hashirama''s chakra and realized, ''So, he''s using that technique...'' ''Bringer of Darkness jutsu'' In an instant, Hashirama placed a hallucinatory darkness on Hiruzen and all his clones'' eyesight, causing them to see nothing but black. However, Hiruzen and all his clones disrupted their chakra flow and released a large amount of Yang chakra. ''Yang Release: Annihilator of Darkness jutsu'' Hashirama and Tobirama were surprised. Not even half a second had passed and Hiruzen and his clones had broken Hashirama''s Genjutsu. Hiruzen thought, ''I may not have reached the raw power of Lord First or the speed of Lord Second, but I have lived long enough to surpass them in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu.'' Two of his Shadow Clones flickered in front of Hashirama and Tobirama. Both attacked his clones immediately, but his clones grabbed their arms. The arm of the God of Death appeared from the chests of Hiruzen''s clones, pierced the bodies of the former Hokages and began extracting their souls! Hashirama muttered, "So sorry, Sarutobi." Tobirama smirked and said, "Forgive us for troubling you." Hiruzen''s clones replied remorsefully, "Please forgive me, Lord First, Lord Second." While Hiruzen''s clones dealt with Hashirama and Tobirama, the other Kages didn''t stand still. They had already begun clashing with Hiruzen''s clones. Lightning Armor appeared on the Third Raikage''s body as he said, "Even though I''m not at my full strength, do you think that a mere clone can stop me? I never imagined that Konoha would be so desperate, that too against your own student... A shame that this didn''t happen when I was alive!" The clone facing him didn''t reply. Instead, he wondered, ''How would he react if I informed him of the mess Fujin and Akuro created in the Land of Lightning?'' ''Hell Stab: One finger assault'' Dozens of Vacuum Bullets, Cannons, Arrows and Vacuum Blades were launched at Hiruzen''s clone continuously from the large Vacuum Spheres. What made it even more complicated was that each of them acted in a different manner, making defending extremely difficult. However, Hiruzen''s clone shot multiple Vacuum Bullets at him. For a moment, Shamon was confused as Hiruzen''s clone had attacked instead of dodging. After all, piercing wounds were useless against an Edo Tensei, but the clone would be dispelled if gravely injured. As the first Vacuum Bullet shot by Hiruzen''s clone reached close to the incoming barrage, it exploded! The winds released from the explosion were strong enough to divert the incoming attacks just enough to miss Hiruzen''s clone. All of his other bullets exploded in the same manner, creating a path for Hiruzen''s clone to move forward. Shamon''s eyes widened as he thought, ''Incredible! To think that he can even use my Vacuum Bullet jutsu in such a manner. It''ll shut down most of the wind jutsus. Of course, it isn''t completely safe, but he has managed to avoid all my attacks...'' As a wind user, Shamon liked to fight from a distance. He was about to retreat, when the Mud clones behind him launched suicidal attacks, cutting his retreat paths. Without being able to retreat and having very little time to react, he coated his fists and legs in Wind Chakra and attacked Hiruzen''s clone. However, Hiruzen''s clone very easily gained the upper hand in Taijutsu and quickly grabbed both of his hands. Shamon said, "You''ve grown very skillful. I don''t recall ever seeing anyone as skillful as you." As the God of Death''s arm entered Shamon''s body, Hiruzen''s clone replied, "I''ve had time to train. To be honest, your mastery of Wind manipulation was one of the few things I couldn''t get a hang of. Fortunately, I''ve had some inspiration lately." Hiruzen''s clone chuckled, offending Shamon slightly who retorted, "If I was at my full power and not inside a small barrier, even your main body wouldn''t have been able to stop me." Hiruzen''s clone chuckled once again and said, "The times have changed. In your time, your talent in Wind manipulation was the best. For decades, no one came close to your level. Until a few years ago, when a young ninja showing even greater talent than yours appeared in Konoha!" [A/N: I know this will be asked a lot, so clarifying once again. These battles are very fast-paced and are happening at the same time. So, the battles against Hashirama, Tobirama, Third Raikage and Second Kazekage (along with the battles in the next chapter) are happening simultaneously. The time difference in between their souls being sealed is just a few seconds. So, very little time has passed.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sevensins, Sara, Zimablue, Swimming_potato, Hammel, G 21, Thilo, Jan, Killer Squad, Said, Eternal Happiness, Elmer, Archit and Ry for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 750: The Indomitable Third Hokage (2) ''The most talented ninja in Wind Manipulation is from Konoha?'' Shamon, the Second Kazekage was shocked while being disappointed at the same time that no one in Sunagakure reached the same heights he did. He turned his head up and observed another intense bombardment on the defenses raised by his two successors. His eyes immediately fell on Ryu and widened. He observed, ''Such a pure wind chakra. No, it is enhanced by nature chakra. How is his wind chakra still so pure then? And the boy on his back... His control over the winds is...'' He turned his attention towards Hiruzen''s clone and asked, "Is it that boy?" Shamon was truly surprised by Fujin''s control over the winds. He never expected a teenager to reach such a level. Hiruzen''s clone nodded. Shamon chuckled and said, "A shame that he was born so late. I''d have enjoyed fighting him far more than Tobirama." A peculiar expression appeared on the face of Hiruzen''s clone as he recalled the shit Fujin had pulled in the Land of Wind. He thought, ''I honestly doubt you would. Sensei did a lot of things, but he never shook the foundation of any country for a mere promotion mission. I can''t even imagine what this boy would do in the next Great War... Sigh, I should have warned Jiraiya. Luckily, Shikaku also knows about it.'' "The last time I saw you, you were a hot-blooded fellow. I didn''t think I''d see you in your old age. Tell me, is Onoki still the Tsuchikage?" Mu asked. Hiruzen''s clone replied, "Yes, he has developed quite a reputation as well." Mu chuckled and began floating in the sky and began forming a cube in his hands. With a grin, he said, "You can thank me later. If you''re quick enough, you could seal some of them before they regenerate." "I''m afraid you won''t have the chance to do that, Master Mu." Mu was surprised to hear a familiar voice. He looked behind him to see old Onoki floating and preparing the Atomic Dismantling jutsu even faster than him! Mu immediately realized, ''A Genjutsu?'' He quickly disrupted his chakra and broke the Genjutsu. Onoki disappeared, but Hiruzen''s clone appeared in front of him. He realized, ''He delayed me just enough that he could reach me before I completed my jutsu...'' Mu immediately flew backwards, but before he could get away, sparks appeared around the hands of Hiruzen''s clone. ''Lightning Release: Hell Prison jutsu'' He launched hundreds of Lightning chains from his fingertips. None of them directly attacked Mu, instead they moved around him making it impossible for him to fly away before attacking him from every direction. However, even that was a distraction. The lightning itself wasn''t strong enough to cause much damage. Its real purpose was just to slow down Mu. The real attack was Hiruzen''s Shadow Clone using the opportunity to get closer to Mu! However, since the clone didn''t manipulate his chakra, Mu became confused and wondered, ''Does he want to engage in a Taijutsu battle against me so high up?'' The clone''s palm struck Mu''s abdomen and the God of Death''s arm entered his body. Mu''s eyes widened in shock as he finally saw the God of Death behind the clone. He realized, ''So, this is why he acted in such a manner. Still...'' He realized, ''So that''s why he has been acting in such a way. This is why others suddenly stopped moving after Hiruzen''s clones touched them. He wasn''t aiming to fight and defeat us. Instead, he just wants to have that thing extract our souls. However, what jutsu is this? How can such a jutsu even exist? Why didn''t he just kill everyone with this jutsu during the previous wars?'' Several questions arose in his mind. Unfortunately, his soul would be sealed inside the God of Death before he could receive any answers. Hiruzen''s remaining clones dealt with their opponents as well. The First and Second Raikage, First Mizukage, First Tsuchikage and First Kazekage had their souls extracted by the God of Death! Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, had taken on twelve former Kage while being trapped inside a barrier. Even though the former Kage were nowhere near their full strength and could barely be considered rank S ninjas, they still had immortal bodies. Yet, in just 30 seconds, Hiruzen''s Shadow Clones had started extracting everyone''s souls and sealing them inside the God of Death. The first one to be sealed was Hashirama, followed by Tobirama. Neither of them resisted the process. The Third Mizukage was the last one to have his soul getting extracted, but even that was a mere 10 seconds after Hashirama was sealed. Unlike the previous Hokages, the other Kages tried to resist just like how Orochimaru did in the original story. Unfortunately for them, the immortal Edo Tensei body didn''t help them much in this regard and everyone''s souls were extracted within a span of a few seconds with little struggle, leaving Orochimaru with wide eyes! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. (iOS users, sign up from website and not through iOS app to avoid paying extra due to Apple''s policies) Thank You Taylor, K0D4S, Proyar, that0nemf, Disa, Borgino, AR3S, 4KKeyKay and heinzkevin for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 751: The Opportunity! After reanimating the former Kages, Orochimaru was under heavy strain. His Edo Tensei was a far cry from the level Kabuto raised it to years later in the original story. Not only were the reanimated ninjas weaker, but he had a much more difficult time controlling them as well. He had exceeded his limits by summoning 15 rank S ninjas at the same time! As a result, he could barely even move. Hiruzen''s analysis was accurate. If Orochimaru got even a bit distracted, there was a high chance that he could lose control and the reanimated Kage would be able to act as per their will. Needless to say, he was well aware that all of them would try to kill him first without a shred of doubt in their hearts. Even though there was a chance that they could destroy Konoha later and Orochimaru could be revived through the curse seals, he didn''t want to let that happen. Hence, he hid behind the twelve reanimated Kages after summoning them. He expected Hiruzen to attack him as sealing the twelve Kage by himself was more or less impossible. However, Hiruzen was equally concerned with stopping the reanimated Kage from the enemy villages. Even if they killed Orochimaru, the 12 former Kage could wreak havoc throughout Konoha before they were sealed. Hiruzen didn''t want to see hundreds or thousands of Konoha ninjas falling. Hence, to Orochimaru''s surprise, Hiruzen had done the opposite, targeting the reanimated Kages instead of him! Hiruzen''s main body stayed back and only moved towards Orochimaru when he wanted the reanimated Kage to move towards himself and give his clones an opening to seal them. What Orochimaru never imagined was that a single touch was enough to stop all the reanimated Kages! His eyes widened as he completely failed to hide the shock on his face or understand what the hell had just happened! He involuntarily exclaimed, "What the fuck happened?" Orochimaru had worked hard to collect DNA samples of all the former Kage. As a true researcher and someone obsessed with Ninjutsu, Orochimaru had longed for their DNA samples for a long time. He had access to the cells of Hashirama and Tobirama from Danzo when he was in Konoha. Getting Minato''s cells was easy as well after his death. However, getting access to the dead Kage of other villages was extremely difficult. Danzo had tried it long ago with his Root subordinates. However, the other villages were well aware of Tobirama''s Edo Tensei jutsu and protected their dead very well. Even the elite Root ninjas couldn''t reach it while sending rank S ninjas to such a place was too risky. As a result, Danzo never got his hands on them. Since Konoha never displayed the Edo Tensei jutsu despite two deadly Great Wars happening in close succession, the other villages finally started relaxing. Combined with the fact that the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars had resulted in massive casualties, the villages decided to focus more on the living than the dead. Hence, Orochimaru got the opening required to steal a few cells from their dead bodies. Of course, it wasn''t easy. He didn''t know the ins and outs of other villages. So, infiltrating them and sneaking into their graveyard was far more difficult than entering Konoha. To make matters even more complicated, he had to do it sneakily. Had his actions been noticed, every major village and Kage would start hunting him down. While he wasn''t afraid of them, they''d also increase security around their graveyards or destroy the dead bodies to prevent anyone else from doing what he did. That would be a huge loss of future research material for Orochimaru. Hence, he had worked for several years to get the DNA samples of the Kage from other villages. However, there was one exception. Unlike other villages, Kumogakure didn''t reduce the security around their graveyards. Orochimaru wasn''t able to get the DNA samples of the previous Raikages. He finally got the opportunity just before the invasion began. And, that opportunity was provided by none other than Fujin, who killed hundreds of Kumo elites following Hiruzen''s plans and wreaked havoc inside Kumogakure using his Akuro identity. Due to these events, Kumogakure became more engaged in improving the security of their village and finding the missing ninjas. Protecting their graveyards, which had never been attacked, took a backseat. Despite being busy with preparations, Orochimaru had spent a few days collecting their samples. Shukaku laughed exclaiming, "Steal that fucker! Hahaha! Now it''s your turn toad!" Naruto asked, "Steal? What is he talking about? Chief, is Sakura safe?" Gamabunta ignored him and wondered, ''Did that person die so easily? His chakra signature disappeared right when the air bullet hit that area. Did he die or somehow retreat?'' Naruto shouted, "Chief! Is Sakura alright? That attack was in their direction!" Gamabunta answered in an annoyed tone, "She is fine. All of your friends are safe. As long as he is defeated, everyone will be safe." Naruto sighed in relief and their battle continued. A long distance away, Fujin''s clone appeared out of thin air with a giant grin on his face. He thought, ''Though I couldn''t get Shukaku, this is good too. Now, time to test that seal! I hope it works as intended...'' [A/N: Next chapter: A Wind Blade!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Angelica, Rohanbarr, Joe, Lucas, Cristobal, Liberiu, paul, hedgy, Benjamin and Nioreski for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 752: Momentum! Chapter 752: Momentum! Orochimaru immediately flickered away while thinking, ''Whatever his weird jutsu is, it works by touching his opponents. I can''t let him touch me! At least not until I figure out what it does.'' Hiruzen immediately chased after Orochimaru, intent clearly visible on his face. He resolved, ''Ten years ago, I made a grave mistake by letting my emotions cloud my judgment and letting you go. In all the decades I have led this village, that was my second biggest mistake. I can''t fix my biggest mistake, but I''ll fix this one!'' The Student-Master duo flickered at an intense speed inside the barrier. They were so fast that the Sound Four couldn''t even track their movements! Overall, Orochimaru was faster. Unfortunately, he was restrained by the very barrier he raised to trap Hiruzen! Due to the confined space, Hiruzen made steady gains, reducing the distance between them every second! As he appeared just a few steps away from Orochimaru, Orochimaru used the Hidden Shadow Snake jutsu and launched dozens of snakes at Hiruzen while shouting, "Old geezer! Do you think you can sustain that jutsu forever? How much chakra do you still have left? Just die!" Orochimaru''s prediction was on point. Even though Hiruzen had made a short work of the reanimated ninjas, it wasn''t without cost. His chakra reserves had taken a major hit. Even so, Hiruzen grinned and said, "I can sustain it until I fix my mistake, my ignorant disciple! Let me educate you one last time!" ''Fire Release: Yang Demon jutsu'' Hiruzen''s chakra suddenly flared and an intense Yang and Fire chakra exited from every chakra point in his body. It immediately transformed into black flames and covered his entire body! The snakes hit the flames and hissed painfully as they were burnt alive! The fire rapidly spread through their bodies and moved towards Orochimaru, who cut them while retreating. He cursed, "Have you gone senile, old man? You dare to use that jutsu without any protection?" The black flames around Hiruzen''s body not only burnt the snakes but were also burning his flesh. After the Third Raikage created the Lightning Chakra Mode, Hiruzen was inspired to create a Fire Chakra Mode. He gained some successes initially, but soon reached a bottleneck. While he could create extremely hot flames, his body couldn''t endure such heat. Initially, his body adapted, making his skin and flesh far more resilient to fire. However, it reached a limit very soon and couldn''t endure higher temperatures. No matter what Hiruzen tried, he couldn''t overcome this physical limit. Later on, he tried to use jutsus to resist the flames so that he could fight without getting hurt. He tried several Water and Earth jutsus as those two elements resisted Fire the most. In the end, he created a modified version of the Iron Skin jutsu that worked very well. Unfortunately, the result was subpar as using another element decreased the power of the Yang Demon jutsu considerably. Hiruzen still made a few modifications, but the final result paled when compared to Raikage''s Lightning Chakra Mode. As a result, Hiruzen ended up dropping that idea. However, Hiruzen wasn''t very concerned about his life at that moment. His goal was to kill Orochimaru irrespective of the cost. Hence, he didn''t hesitate to use such a suicidal jutsu. Hiruzen quickly gave chase again, the flames making him even faster! In just a couple of seconds, he appeared close to Orochimaru. A wide grin appeared on Orochimaru''s face as Enma couldn''t sustain his transformation and turned back into his original appearance. He thought, ''Finally I have a chance to reset the momentum. Now, it''s my tur...'' However, Orochimaru''s grin was wiped out in the blink of an eye. Even though Enma''s transformation ended, the shadow that the staff was casting on the floor of the barrier still existed! And, it was connected to Orochimaru''s shadow! Orochimaru''s expression became grim as he wondered, ''Nara''s secret technique. However, when did he...'' His eyes widened as he realized, ''The Rashomon... I took my eyes off him for a mere second. He must have extended his shadow along the shadow of the staff then!'' When two top-tier ninjas battled, momentum was a major factor that could decide victory and defeat. When Fujin and Orochimaru battled in the Forest of Death, Fujin had gained complete control over the momentum after Orochimaru was blown up due to his trap and Fujin destroyed the Sword of Kusanagi. However, Orochimaru successfully reset the momentum by double-bluffing Fujin. However, his opponent this time wasn''t Fujin. It was the vastly more experienced Hiruzen. Even though Fujin was very experienced for his age, he was still a child when compared to a veteran like Hiruzen. Hiruzen had gained the momentum by attacking Orochimaru before he could recover from the strain the reanimated ninjas put on him. And, now that he had the momentum, Hiruzen wouldn''t squander it like Fujin did. Of course, it also showed the difference in their priorities. Fujin always gave the highest priority to his own safety. He didn''t mind squandering such advantages to ensure he stayed safe. On the other hand, Hiruzen gave the highest priority to Konoha. He was willing to give up his life if the need be. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Pablo, QanonMinority, Antonio, Kapalay, Shreyas, Wolf-hunter, Ilhas, Hammel, Irving, Xylneir and Olamide for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 753: A Blade of Wind... ''Ninja Art: Shadow Stitching jutsu'' Several sharp tendril-like needles rose from the shadow under Orochimaru''s feet and pierced through his body, binding him in one spot! At the same time, Hiruzen''s figure became visible as he moved through Orochimaru''s Gale River jutsu. Even though the jutsu failed to stop him, the flames on Hiruzen''s body were significantly weaker. Orochimaru cursed, ''Shit! I was too focused on the mysterious jutsu he used to seal the Kages and the flames around his body. He noticed it and used my own jutsus to hide his real scheme. This won''t be easy. I need to break this shadow first and then deal with those pesky flames while keeping him away...'' Orochimaru began exerting his chakra. A large amount of Yang chakra was released from his chakra points and began weakening the shadow''s hold. At the same time, Orochimaru''s body itself started transforming! His human features started fading away as he began looking even more like a white snake! Several snakes exited his mouth and began moving towards Hiruzen. However, Hiruzen moved without any fear. The weakened flames around his body still had enough heat to burn all the snakes coming towards him. Before Orochimaru could fully transform, Hiruzen appeared in front of him and punched Orochimaru''s abdomen with all his might. All the remaining flames on his body transferred onto Orochimaru''s body, burning him! However, his snake body was far more resilient than a normal human body. Along with the fact that the flames had weakened a lot, Orochimaru wasn''t hurt. A grin appeared on Orochimaru''s face as he exclaimed, "Such a weak flame will not burn me..." Suddenly, his eyes widened. He failed to release any more Yang chakra. His transformation also stopped. Orochimaru wondered, ''What the hell? I can''t initiate any jutsu?'' He suddenly exclaimed fearfully, "What is that?" As the God of Death''s arm entered his body and began extracting his soul, Orochimaru finally saw the God of Death behind Hiruzen! Hiruzen chuckled and replied, "This is the jutsu the Fourth Hokage used to seal the Nine Tails." With a grin on his face, Hiruzen exclaimed, "I will now fix the mistake I committed a decade ago. I will now pull out your soul from whoever''s body this is. You''ll be sealed inside the God of Death and suffer inside his belly for eternity!" Hiruzen immediately began extracting Orochimaru''s soul while Orochimaru analyzed, ''So that''s the God of Death? No wonder he was able to seal them so easily. However...'' Orochimaru immediately exerted all his strength. Though he couldn''t move nor use any jutsus, he managed to pull his soul back into his body! He chuckled and said, "You won''t get your way, old man! You don''t have the chakra to seal me! Hehe, I admit, you nearly scared me by putting up a strong front. However, you used up most of your chakra while sealing them." Hiruzen''s grin disappeared. He realized, ''Ugh! I reached this stage and fell short on chakra?'' Hiruzen was livid. He was one step away from sealing Orochimaru but fell short as he was about to run out of chakra! Had he been a few years younger, he''d have done the job. Unfortunately, that was no longer the case. Sealing twelve Kage had drained him! He quickly analyzed, ''I don''t have the chakra to completely seal him inside of me. The only way I can do that is if...'' Suddenly, the entire barrier shook! Both Hiruzen and Orochimaru glanced above and saw it being hit by another Wind Breath from Ryu! The Sound Four fell to their knees and began coughing blood violently! They immediately began inserting all their chakra into the barrier while thinking, ''This is the last time! If another attack hits the barrier, it''ll collapse. However, how can he stop another round of attack by himself?'' While Hiruzen dealt with Orochimaru and the reanimated Kages, the Third and Fourth Kazekages blocked three more rounds of attacks from Fujin and the Konoha ninjas. However, Fujin and Ryu finally got the opening they were looking for. Ryu immediately fired a Wind Breath through the opening, which first hit the defenseless Third Kazekage and obliterated him! His body had been minced into minute particles as the Wind Breath passed through it before the Wind Breath hit the barrier. A stunned expression appeared on Orochimaru''s face as he realized, ''Don''t tell me...'' He shouted, "NO!" As the blade began falling, Hiruzen shouted "I shall take away all your jutsu! SEAL!" The God of Death''s blade sliced through Orochimaru''s soul, taking his arms away! Orochimaru realized, ''My arms! They''re paralyzed!'' He shouted, "You useless old man! Give me back my arms!" With a smile on his face, Hiruzen said, "It''s over. You can no longer use your arms and hence, never weave any hand signs. You''ll never be able to learn any new Ninjutsu. Even though you can perform many jutsus without any seals, good luck performing them without a part of your soul. Of course, that is if you managed to get away alive." Orochimaru continued screaming, but Hiruzen no longer heard his voice. The part of Orochimaru''s soul, that had been cut by the God of Death, was pulled into Hiruzen''s chest by the God of Death. He grabbed Hiruzen''s soul as well and began extracting it out. The cost of using such a deadly jutsu was the soul of the caster. Just like Minato and the twelve Kages he sealed inside the God of Death, Hiruzen''s soul would also be sealed inside the God of Death! Most of Hiruzen''s soul had been extracted, however, before the God of Death could take his entire soul, a blade of wind appeared out of thin air and sliced through Hiruzen''s soul! [A/N: Next chapter: The Impact of Fujin''s Existence!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Lucky, Godphase, Samuel, Gorama, Jaidin, Civil, Pablo and Antonio for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 754: The Impact of Fujins Existence! Before the God of Death could extract Hiruzen''s entire soul, a blade of wind appeared out of thin air and sliced through Hiruzen''s soul! For the very first time, the smile on the face of the God of Death disappeared! His eyes widened as around 20% of Hiruzen''s soul returned to his body. He immediately extended his arm towards Hiruzen''s body, but before he could reach his body, the God of Death began disappearing! The Reaper Death Seal jutsu had ended. Hiruzen fell to the ground with a smile on his face! Shock appeared on Jiraiya''s face as he wondered, ''What in the world was that? Could only a part of the soul be used as a sacrifice for this jutsu? Regardless, this is good news. The only question is, can Sensei live with so little of his soul remaining?'' However, there was one person even more shocked than Jiraiya. And, that person was none other than Fujin. He looked at Hiruzen with a stunned expression and exclaimed internally, ''What the hell??? That''s my fucking Wind Domain!!! When did this old fox copy it?'' The Wind blade that sliced Hiruzen''s soul wasn''t from Fujin or any other ninja. It was used by none other than Hiruzen! After Minato''s death, Hiruzen had studied the Reaper Death Seal in great detail! He reached such a stage that no other ninja in history, including the Uzumaki ninja who created this seal, knew as much about it as Hiruzen did. It was during this study, Hiruzen realized that once the enemy''s soul had been sealed, there was a chance that the caster could continue living by cutting his own soul and deactivating the jutsu. However, there were several issues. The very first was that the God of Death''s blade couldn''t be used for that purpose. And, normal attacks couldn''t cut through the soul perfectly and could end up destroying the soul entirely. Hence, Hiruzen worked on creating a jutsu that could cut through the soul perfectly. It wasn''t very difficult to do due to his expertise in manipulating Yin chakra. He created a jutsu that looked very similar to the Blade of Wind but had very little Wind chakra and far more Yin chakra which was the most effective against souls. That led him to the second issue, which was to time the jutsu to cut through his soul at the perfect time. In order for this to work, he would need to wait until the God of Death sealed the soul of his enemy and only then cut his soul. However, the God of Death took both souls at almost the same time. There was an extremely small window of opportunity to cut his soul and still live after using the Reaper Death Seal. If he created the jutsu early and waited, the God of Death could become suspicious and take his soul before the enemy''s soul. On the other hand, if he waited until the God of Death sealed the enemy''s soul, it would be too late. Trying to make a move hastily would only result in the caster''s death. For over a decade, Hiruzen couldn''t solve this issue. He had pretty much given up on it. Fortunately, he gained the solution to his problem when he saw Fujin using the Wind Domain! It perfectly resolved the timing problem. Hence, it could be said that Hiruzen''s survival was an impact of Fujin transmigrating to the Naruto world. Without Fujin, Hiruzen would have never seen the Wind Domain and wouldn''t have any chance of survival after using the Reaper Death Seal. Even though Fujin was shocked to see Hiruzen copying his technique, he was relieved to see the future possibly changing. When Hiruzen was debating whether to seal Orochimaru or not, he had two choices. The first was to wait for Fujin and Jiraiya and have them injure Orochimaru and consume his chakra. That way, he could seal his soul entirely. However, Hiruzen had very little chakra left. Even if Orochimaru ran out of chakra, his willpower alone would require every bit of Hiruzen''s chakra to seal him. That meant that he wouldn''t have any chakra left to save himself. He would have still done it had Orochimaru''s death been absolute. However, knowing that he could still be revived, Hiruzen decided to ensure his own safety. If he lived, he could once again counter the Edo Tensei jutsu in the future and the next Hokage wouldn''t need to sacrifice his or her life to stop Orochimaru again. Hence, Hiruzen released most of his chakra into the air, which transformed into Winds consisting of a high amount of Yin Chakra. The God of Death didn''t pay any attention to it since it mixed with the air while Orochimaru''s attention was more on the God of Death. Hiruzen waited until the right moment and made a move right after the fragment of Orochimaru''s soul had been sealed and ended the jutsu right after. Of course, even if he was alive for the moment, the damage to his soul was truly devastating. He fell unconscious as soon as his soul was sliced! In a secret base in the Land of Grass, Jugo exclaimed in panic, "Kimimaro! What happened to you? Did your illness flare up again?" Juzo was talking to Kimimaro when Kimimaro suddenly collapsed to his knees. Even though he didn''t scream, the pain was visible on his face. He placed his hand on his curse seal and thought, ''This pain... Orochimaru-sama...'' "Old man! Give me my arms!" Orochimaru screamed in rage. However, Hiruzen had already lost consciousness. "Orochimaru-sama!" Tayuya, Kidomaru and Sakon shouted as they flickered towards him. Orochimaru glanced at them and noticed Fujin and Jiraiya right behind them. He shouted, "Kill Hiruzen!" Tayuya, Kidomaru and Sakon were surprised by the order. But, they didn''t dare to disobey his command. Despite his injuries, Enma got up and said resolutely, "You''ll have to go through me!" I guess there still might be some who didn''t like how this particular fight ended. Unfortunately, I can''t satisfy everyone, but I hope you guys enjoyed the suspense and the twists :) Anyway, I guess I owe some explanations. When I said I''ll be taking some liberties with canon content, I was referring to the Reaper Death Seal and Edo Tensei. I''ve explained the changes to the Reaper Death Seal in this chapter. As for the Edo Tensei jutsu, the data was very little. One of the questions I had to think about a lot was - why did Orochimaru revive just the 3 Hokage? Why didn''t he revive more to win the war? While the obvious answer is the plot, I couldn''t use that ???? Hence, initially, I had decided to nerf Edo Tensei jutsu, so that Orochimaru could do only what he did in the canon. However, I had the idea to do the reverse later on and I felt that this would fit the story a lot better. Not only would it counter the fact that Fujin is extremely strong and Konoha is very prepared, but it also gave me an opportunity to do justice to Hiruzen''s prowess. I know some of you said that Orochimaru didn''t summon more because he couldn''t, but that isn''t mentioned anywhere in the original story. The only part that was later added was that Hashirama and Tobirama were much weaker than their peak (which was a restriction I followed). Yeah, you can easily spin the story to say that Orochimaru''s limit is 3 Edo Tensei, and that wouldn''t be wrong either, but I decided to go the other way. Another thing I should address is the ''Wind Calamity'' title for Fujin. I know many of you were expecting it in this battle, but there''s still some time for it. I won''t say when it''ll happen, but I can promise you this - When it does happen, the battle will be more epic than Fujin''s battles in this volume. That scene was something I thought of even before I wrote the first chapter and have thought of it for much longer than I thought of Fujin Vs Orochimaru! Anyway, all said and done, one of my main focuses while writing a story was inconsistency and keeping plot holes to the minimum (or best if there were none). Unfortunately, we have our first inconsistency in the story. According to my initial plans, Hiruzen was supposed to die in this fight like in the original story. However, as I kept writing, I felt that the story would be far better if I did otherwise. I did think about it for several months before making this decision. So, I''ve to kick myself for needlessly adding that statement in chapter 108 (though it could still be true if Hiruzen dies). Anyway, this would affect some of my other plans. The epic ending I had planned for Danzo can''t happen if Hiruzen lives. So, I may have to think of a new epic ending for him (and have been getting quite a few good ideas in the comments). My plot for Shippuden would need major changes too (though I''d have to make drastic changes even if Hiruzen had died here. Fujin has grown too strong and his impact has been felt throughout the world). So, I may need to take a longish break if I can''t think of all the changes in time. Luckily, I do have the events until the timeskip planned out very well. Have a good structure and several major events (though one could be extremely controversial) and battles planned out during the timeskip. So, I''ll have quite some time to think about Shippuden (and hopefully, we won''t need any long breaks after the timeskip). And, this goes without saying, but ideas from you guys are always welcomed. Those who read the comments should have noticed that I do use several of the ideas that you guys give me to make the story even better than what I can do alone :) Anyway, I have talked quite a lot, lol. Enjoy your day, guys :) Have a nice day and stay safe and healthy!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Serevi, KAAT, Michael, Steven, Nabijan, Bartimeaus, Adrien, Sayawaru and Javi for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Nishant, Rohit and Ductor Storage for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 755: Hiruzens State ''Is this it, Orochimaru?'' Jiraiya wondered as Fujin''s Vacuum Bullets were merely inches away from Orochimaru''s body. Even though Jiraiya wasn''t sure that such an attack could kill Orochimaru, he could sense the massive chakra Fujin was building up. He did not doubt that Fujin was going for the kill. However, just as the Vacuum Bullets were about to rip through him, Orochimaru disappeared! Fujin squinted his eyes and thought, ''As expected, he had already set up reverse summoning jutsu. However, he got very lucky with the timing. In his state, he couldn''t have initiated it. If the person who used the jutsu had been a couple of seconds late, he''d be dead!'' In a base in the Land of Rice, Orochimaru appeared in front of Kimimaro and Jugo. Kimimaro''s hand froze mid-air, the words caught in his throat, while Jugo''s usually steady gaze flickered, both of them staring at Orochimaru as if they had just witnessed the impossible. Neither of them imagined that they''d ever see Orochimaru in such a terrible state! Finally, Kimimaro gathered himself and asked, "Orochimaru-sama, what happened in Konoha?" On the stadium rooftop, Jiraiya thought, ''I should have expected as much...'' Fujin appeared next to Jiraiya and asked, "How''s the old man?" Jiraiya''s expression became grim. He replied, "I haven''t taken a closer look yet, but he isn''t good. His soul is almost completely shattered. It''s a miracle that he''s still alive..." Fujin nodded. The sight of Hiruzen slashing his own soul was too shocking. After learning the Spirit Transformation jutsu, Fujin studied souls quite a bit. Even though he couldn''t be compared to the likes of Orochimaru, Hiruzen or Danzo in this aspect, he still knew a lot. A simple injury to the soul could end up destroying a person for good and put them in a vegetative state, if not kill them outright! In the rarest of cases where the person managed to live properly, they''d experience extreme pain until the soul was completely healed. The pain alone would exhaust the will to live of most people. Hiruzen''s case was far more extreme. Fujin thought, ''Even though I couldn''t see the God of Death, I saw Hiruzen''s soul being extracted from his body. Only around a fifth of his soul returned to his body. And, that too was cut hastily. To think that he is still alive...'' Fujin was feeling complicated. Initially, he was disturbed by the possibility of Fate controlling everything and pushing the world in the same direction as the story he read. It had made him feel helpless just like his clone. However, Hiruzen''s unexpected move gave him some hope. As long as Hiruzen lived, it proved that the future wasn''t set in stone. It wouldn''t disprove fate''s existence, but it at least meant that Fujin didn''t need to worry about a transcendent force forcefully keeping certain events the same irrespective of what he did. Fujin, who once wished for things to remain the same, now wanted to save Hiruzen to see some change. Fujin immediately said, "I''ll check up on him." While Fujin examined Hiruzen, two individuals regained control of their bodies. Since Kimimaro reverse summoned Orochimaru back to the Land of Rice and his soul had been sliced and sealed by Hiruzen, he could no longer maintain his control over Rasa and Sakumo. Rasa looked around. Even though he couldn''t control his actions, he had witnessed everything. He knew that Sunagakure had lost the war horrendously. He had seen the dead bodies of his subordinates litter the arena. Never did he imagine that his war would leave his village in such a vulnerable position. He was filled with regret at having allied with Orochimaru. Unfortunately, he didn''t have much time to introspect. Moments after he gained clarity, Ryu''s Wind Breath reached him. He instinctively used the gold dust around him to create a barrier while he got out of the way. Unfortunately, he had too little time to react and the amount of gold dust around him was too little. Ryu''s Wind Breath tore through the gold barrier. Rasa couldn''t get out of its way entirely and nearly half of his body was decimated by the sharp wind blades! He couldn''t help but wonder, ''First Fujin''s ridiculous technique and now this... Why does Konoha have better Wind jutsus than us?'' Suddenly, he heard a chuckle and glanced behind. Fujin''s clone placed his hand on Rasa''s back and asked, "Are you satisfied by the result of the war you started, Fourth Kazekage?" To the surprise of Fujin''s clone, Rasa asked, "What war? What happened here? Why are there so many dead bodies of my ninjas in Konoha?" Fujin glanced at Jiraiya and added, "However, if someone heals his soul, then he might be able to wake up. I don''t know any medical ninja in Konoha who can heal souls. However, since he went to this extent, I''m guessing she can do so." Jiraiya realized who Fujin was speaking of. He said, "Tsunade... Yes, she can do so." He thought, ''Even though she can heal souls, it is extremely difficult, even for her. She has never healed anyone whose soul was injured to this extent. Regardless, she is our only hope.'' Jiraiya asked, "Is he in any danger of dying?" Fujin replied in a sad tone, "I can''t say for sure... He''s stable for now, but I don''t know what complications could arise. Perhaps the more experienced Medical ninjas could have a better idea." Jiraiya nodded. Even though Fujin healed Hiruzen''s external injuries very rapidly, Jiraiya knew that Fujin didn''t have much experience in this field. The other Konoha ninjas began rushing towards the three of them. However, there was one group who didn''t. All of them looked at the same spot and muttered in surprise, "Where is Kabuto''s body?" [A/N: This is another change I''m making to the Edo Tensei jutsu. I actually had this headcannon and used to consider this to be canon, but apparently it isn''t (or at least never stated to be, though feel free to correct me if I''m wrong). Anyway, this story will follow the following rules. 1. The reanimated ninjas who dispel the jutsu by fulfilling their wishes or reaching peace can''t be reanimated again using the Edo Tensei jutsu. (Rinne-rebirth may still work). 2. The reanimated ninjas who are sealed cannot be released by the caster of the jutsu (unless the seal is very weak). Though the Edo Tensei will eventually run out, their souls will stay trapped in the seal, kinda like how souls are sealed within the God of Death. They can only be reanimated again if the seal is destroyed. (This point is directly against Canon information, as when Itachi made Kabuto release the jutsu, everyone was released (except Madara of course)). 3. I''ll be adding time limits to how long a reanimated ninja can stay in the ninja world. Haven''t finalized this yet, but the limits will generally be decided by the strength of the sacrifice made to reanimate the ninja.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sleepyblackcat, Spectator, Dragontaylor, Roman, Sully, HunteZ, Matt and Bartimeaus for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 756: Aftermath! "Is Hokage-sama alright?" One of Hiruzen''s Anbu Guard asked. Several other Anbu and Jounins had appeared on the rooftop as well. Jiraiya answered, "He''s fine for now, but needs to be checked upon urgently. Summon the best medical ninjas here." Three Anbu Guards nodded and flickered away. The last one stayed and asked, "What of the Suna ninjas who escaped earlier? Should we chase and hunt them down while they are in the Land of Fire?" Fujin answered, "No need. They have already lost their will. Chasing after them will just needlessly increase our casualties and spread our forces thin." The Anbu Guard nodded and didn''t ask anything else. Fujin thought, ''Considering the situation, chasing and eliminating them now would be more beneficial for Konoha. It''d allow us to inflict the highest damage to Suna before the negotiations begin. Unfortunately...'' The words Fujin spoke weren''t his own. It was what Shikaku and Hiruzen told everyone they shared their plans with. Unlike Fujin''s Kumo mission, where he was tasked to kill as many Kumo ninjas as he could, their focus was exactly the opposite in this war. They wanted to keep the casualties to a minimum. While killing more enemies could send a strong message to other hidden villages, ensuring that Konoha stayed strong was a bigger deterrent to other villages. They didn''t mind letting a few hundred enemies escape if it meant that fewer Konoha ninjas lost their lives. Of course, the circumstances were quite different from what they imagined. Suna''s morale was truly shattered. If Fujin chased after them, he could annihilate their entire forces with little trouble. Even if they dispersed, Fujin could hunt most of them down before they could leave the Land of Fire. Fortunately for the Suna ninjas, Fujin didn''t have anything to gain by doing so. Hence, he just followed Shikaku''s plan. Other ninjas soon came to check up on Hiruzen. Realizing how serious Hiruzen''s situation was, the atmosphere became solemn. The morale that was high due to Fujin''s actions finally began dying down as the war was finally over. Even so, many ninjas looked at Fujin respectfully, something that didn''t escape Jiraiya''s eyes. Jiraiya analyzed, ''I had sensed Sakumo-san''s presence earlier. In addition, Orochimaru likely had sensei trapped inside the barrier since the start. And, considering how important the battles here were, this place should have been attacked the most. Yet, there isn''t a single enemy ninja here. This boy probably did a remarkable job to ensure complete victory here. No wonder they are looking at him with such admiration in their eyes.'' Soon, senior medical ninjas arrived and began examining Hiruzen. At the same time, a Jounin flickered next to Fujin and said in a soft voice, "Councilman Fujin, the box in which you sealed Kabuto suddenly disappeared." A frown immediately appeared on Fujin''s face. He asked, "What do you mean by disappeared? Did anyone see where it went?" The Jounin replied with a hint of embarrassment, "We momentarily looked at the barrier when you destroyed it. When we looked back, the box was missing." Seeing Fujin deep in thoughts, Hoka asked, "Do you think it was Orochimaru?" Fujin replied, "Yeah, most likely. I guess whoever reverse summoned Orochimaru also reverse summoned Kabuto. Still, it''s strange for such importance to be given to a dead subordinate." Kakashi added, "He wasn''t an ordinary subordinate. I guess Orochimaru still has some use for him even though he is dead. With the Edo Tensei jutsu, he can still make use of him." Sunagakure lost 625 ninjas in total while Otogakure lost 307 ninjas. I suspect that these are over half of the forces Orochimaru controlled before he started the war. It might even exceed 75%!" The numbers surprised almost everyone in the room. While they had overwhelming victories on their battlefield, they didn''t think it''d be the same case everywhere. After all, the attack was truly powerful. Several council members glanced at Fujin. By now, they knew about the events in the arena and how easily Fujin had cut down the enemy numbers! Over a third of the dead ninjas were cut down by Fujin alone! Most still had a hard time believing how much of an impact Fujin had on the war. Fujin ignored their glances and asked, "So, what''s next? How do we deal with Sunagakure and Otogakure?" Koharu replied, "If the Fourth Kazekage were still alive, we''d have very little choice other than retaliating. However, he died even before the invasion. Sunagakure will claim that they were fooled by Orochimaru and remove the blame from their head. They''ll use the death of their Kage during negotiations and we can use it to our advantage." Hiromasa added, "That is obvious. However, Sunagakure has crossed a line this time around. Even though they have heavy losses, we''ll look weak if our allies are left scot-free after stabbing us in the back. In the future, our other allies might be emboldened to do the same." Homura sighed and said, "That is true. I propose we send an army to the Land of Rice and wipe out all of Orochimaru''s bases in that country once our wounded are healed. Since he is weakened by Hiruzen, we may have a chance of killing him for good. As for Sunagakure, we''ll make them pay up." Inoichi asked, "Pay up what? They are already poor. With the Fourth Kazekage dead, they can''t even mine Gold any longer. We already made them give their Wind jutsu collection in the previous Great War." Koharu replied, "They still have mastery in creating and controlling puppets. We can force them to hand us their knowledge about the same." The council immediately began discussing what they could make Suna pay. However, Fujin was slightly confused. He asked, "I don''t understand. Suna is weak right now. Their Kage has died and they don''t have anyone strong enough to replace him. Why don''t we just attack Sunagakure and return the favor?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Bence, LinCJun, Ron and Nofathana for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 757: Fifth Hokage! "Why don''t we just attack Sunagakure and make them pay the consequences of attacking Konoha?" Fujin''s question silenced the room in an instant. Without exception, every single council member stared at him. None of them expected him to say such a thing. Shikaku sighed internally, ''This boy... He''ll be at peace only when I have worked to death. I should have forced Jiraiya to attend the meeting...'' Hiromasa chuckled internally and thought, ''Considering how terrifying his power is, I forgot that he''s still just a child. As always, youngsters are hot-headed. Regardless, this is a good opportunity to guide him. It''d be a shame if he ended up following Danzo''s footsteps.'' At the same time, Koharu wondered, ''Why are he and Danzo at odds? He''s more similar to Danzo than to Hiruzen. Is this why Hiruzen guided him so much?'' Homura broke the silence and answered, "Fujin, a war is easy to start but very difficult to end. Once you ride the tiger, you can''t get off easily. If Hiruzen was here, he''d have said the same. Sunagakure isn''t a place that can be attacked on a whim. The Land of Wind is full of deserts. It is very easy to defend and extremely difficult to attack. The desert won''t provide us with any resting spots. We''ll be out in the open while the Suna ninjas lay traps on our routes. They''ll set countless ambushes to attack us. Even though the ambushers will die, it''ll slowly but steadily slow down our forces and erode our morale. Combined with the frequent sandstorms in the desert, we''ll lose a large number of ninjas despite the absence of rank S ninjas in Sunagakure. Hence, attacking Sunagakure is very unwise. If we make one bad move, we can change our overwhelming victory into a disastrous defeat." Before Fujin could respond, Hiromasa added, "Even if you assume that we could push through their traps and ambushes and reach Sunagakure before crushing them, you have to see what our gains and losses would be. We''d lose thousands of capable ninjas and gain barren deserts in exchange for it. What are we supposed to do with those barren deserts? Even though they have some resources, they aren''t much considering how much Suna is struggling financially. In addition, defending the Land of Wind from Konoha will be a difficult job unless we can double the number of our shinobis in the blink of an eye. In the next Great War, it''ll become an easy target for Kirigakure and Iwagakure." Koharu quickly added, "Don''t forget about Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Even though Kumogakure took heavy losses recently, they still have a very strong force. Our actions of destroying Sunagakure would alarm them. Both of them will immediately attack us to prevent Konoha from gaining a lot of new territories. We''ll be attacked from all sides while our main forces are in the Land of Wind. You can analyze how dire our circumstances will be then." Fujin shrugged and asked, "Who talked about sending thousands of ninjas to the Land of Wind? All we need to do is send a few elite teams. Their western part is still quite unstable. All we have to do is pour some oil on it and watch what they do. Considering their losses, they''d hide in their village. However, once they are in danger of losing a part of their country, they''ll have to make a decision. While Shikaku was happy to see the Daimyo, he was blissfully unaware of the neverending headaches that would soon start flowing towards him! The Fire Daimyo took his seat, sighed and muttered, "What a terrible day! To think that Orochimaru and Sunagakure would ally and attack Konoha during the Chunin Exams. They even targeted the officials and the civilians. How are the Hokage''s injuries?" Koharu answered, "He is in a coma, but is stable. Unfortunately, we aren''t sure when he''ll wake up." The Fire Daimyo replied, "It''s good that he made it through alive. However, the other villages will be looking at Konoha like vultures. If the village has no leader, it could spell trouble." Unlike the Daimyo and the civilian members, the others weren''t that worried about any possible moves from other great villages. Suna had just lost their Kage and taken a brutal beating, Kiri was still embroiled in a civil war, Kumo had lost nearly a thousand elite ninjas and were facing internal struggles while Iwa''s intelligence network had been almost entirely annihilated. As such, none of them were in a position to act quickly. More importantly, Konoha''s losses were minimal. Even if Kumo decided to surprise Konoha and make a move, they had sufficient confidence to give Kumo a bloody nose and deter any other village from having similar thoughts. Since no one opposed him, the Fire Daimyo looked at the members and asked, "So, who''ll be the Fifth Hokage?" [A/N: Break tomorrow.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Michael, Yoel, Pervysage, christian, Douglas, Evernight, Mister DB, Jan, David, Paul, Khaled and Teodor for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 758: Fujin, the Fifth Hokage? "Woah! Why is there a bloody mess here?" Naruto exclaimed while looking at the gore left behind by the explosion of two giant snakes outside Fujin''s compound. After returning, Naruto entered the hospital like most of his comrades. Unlike them, he was discharged within an hour. Yuji cheekily replied, "They were two giant snakes. You should have seen them. They bared their fangs and hissed viciously as they slithered towards our compounds. However, a single glance from sensei''s clone made them go BOOM!" Naruto looked at him and asked, "Huh? How did they explode just by the big brother''s gaze?" Yuji shrugged and answered, "How would I know that? Sensei is too mysterious." Naruto looked at Yuji with a deadpan expression. Sayaka said, "Yuji, stop fooling around. Naruto, they were dealt with by Sensei''s Fuinjutsu. I''ll explain..." In the council room, the Fire Daimyo glanced at everyone after asking his question. After Minato''s death, Konoha hadn''t appointed the Fifth Hokage as Hiruzen took the reins once again. However, he was growing old rapidly. The severe injury raised huge doubts about his ability to lead Konoha again. Even though the Fire Daimyo wasn''t sure about the level of Hiruzen''s injuries, the fact that no one opposed him made him realize their severity. He thought, ''His injuries must be far more severe than they let us believe. Sigh, I hope Konoha has enough strength. If the next Great War begins, we''ll lose all the progress we made once again!'' Once again, Homura broke the silence and said, "There isn''t much to consider. Though we have several capable ninjas, there is only one who is suitable for the role of Fifth Hokage right now. I propose we make Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, the Fifth Hokage!" Koharu added, "I agree. Jiraiya''s combat prowess has long been proven. He made several contributions during the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars and is the student of the Third Hokage and the teacher of the Fourth Hokage. Every Konoha ninja respects him while enemy villages fear him." Everyone in the room subconsciously nodded. There weren''t any doubts about Jiraiya''s capability. The only question that most wondered was whether Jiraiya would accept the seat or not. After all, it was well known that Hiruzen had long wanted Jiraiya to succeed him but Jiraiya always declined the seat. Even though no one opposed it, the Fire Daimyo didn''t make any announcement and instead looked at Fujin. To everyone''s surprise, he said, "While I was outside, I kept hearing about a mighty youngster who turned the tides of the war single-handedly several times. Almost every Konoha ninja is speaking of you, Suzuki Fujin. I suspect so will everyone in Sunagakure. Would you like to become the Fifth Hokage?" For the first time, every clan leader''s and elder''s gaze became sharp. The civilian council members became slightly nervous but didn''t show it on their faces. The Fire Daimyo was unbothered by their gazes and continued looking at Fujin. Shikaku squinted his eyes and analyzed, ''Is he trying to sow discord? Hmm, no. He should know that wouldn''t work. In that case, his goal must be...'' Inoichi glanced at Fujin with curiosity in his eyes. He wondered, ''To get an offer to become the Fifth Hokage directly from the Fire Daimyo... Tempting, especially for his age. However, I have never seen him act like a teenager. This should be interesting. I wonder if he''ll fall for it.'' The others had similar thoughts as Inoichi. They wondered how Fujin would respond. More importantly, they wanted to see what Fujin''s ambitions were. With the strength and intelligence Fujin displayed and how invested Hiruzen was in him, they knew that Fujin would be a sure candidate for the Hokage in the future. However, they weren''t sure whether Fujin would compete with Jiraiya over the seat of the Fifth Hokage or wait patiently for his turn. Fujin was confused by the sudden offer. He thought, ''What the hell? Since when did Daimyo get the power to choose who the next Hokage would be? Is it the civilian council members?'' First, we need Lord Third to recover and wake up. The only one who can heal his soul is Lady Tsunade. Unfortunately, we have no idea where she is. Lord Jiraiya has already agreed to find and bring her back. He wants to take Naruto with him to find her." Koharu squinted her eyes and said, "The Jinchuriki? Why him?" Shikaku shrugged and answered, "No idea. I guess he wants to train Naruto, considering that he trained him for the finals of the Chunin exam." Homura thought and said, "That is fine. He won''t be in any danger with Jiraiya looking over him. However..." Shikaku completed his sentence, "We have to convince Lord Jiraiya to accept the position of the Fifth Hokage. While I''d have liked to help, I don''t think a junior convincing him would work. I hope you two can convince him to do so." Homura and Koharu nodded and replied, "Alright." Shikaku replied, "Good, we''ll leave it to you. That brings us to the second point..." Shikaku''s gaze turned towards Fujin as he spoke. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jorge, marc, Christian, Dwhateverprof, Person X, MSSC, Ali, Alireza, Senpoo, Javier, Leon and Chris for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 759: The New Successor! Shikaku wasn''t the only one, the two Elders also gazed at Fujin. Fujin immediately wondered, ''What are these old geezers scheming? Did they meet up before the council met?'' Homura looked at Fujin and thought, ''Before this time, this role belonged to Kakashi since he was expected to lead the next generation. However, Hiruzen specifically passed this responsibility to Fujin before the war even started. I didn''t agree with the decision then, but I now understand why he did so. From today on, it is official that Hiruzen prefers Fujin over Kakashi as the next candidate for the Hokage seat.'' Shikaku said, "Even though our losses are low, the other villages will be curious about our state. Since we wiped out the spy network of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, they won''t know that we are alright. In addition, the minor villages that are allied with us will be concerned as well. Even if Iwa and Kumo don''t dare to make a move against us, they can use this attack to scare the minor villages and tempt them to betray us and ally with them instead. Though it won''t affect us much in the short term, it could be troublesome if everyone switches sides. So, we need to send a message across that Konoha is still as powerful as ever." Fujin immediately realized, ''So that''s why they were staring at me... Sigh, I shouldn''t have shown off so much. Unfortunately, it''s too late now...'' Shikaku smiled and said, "The main reason why our losses were so low is you, Fujin. Without you, our losses in the arena would have been very heavy. In the worst case, we could even have lost. I have to admit that I didn''t think Orochimaru could revive the dead Kage with so much strength. Orochimaru outplayed me with that move. Fortunately, you and Lord Third dealt with his cards. As a result, everyone in Konoha is looking up to y..." Fujin cut him off and casually asked, "Just tell me who we are targeting. Is it Iwagakure or is it Kumogakure?" Fujin''s abrupt interruption caught Shikaku off guard. What surprised him even more were Fujin''s words! For a moment, he forgot to breathe and began coughing roughly while thinking, ''This brat! Does he always have to go all the way? We were just talking about how Iwa and Kumo could be a problem and he wants to go and poke them?'' Others had similar thoughts as they hadn''t seen this side of Fujin. However, they didn''t have the information that Shikaku did. He fully knew that Fujin could single-handedly start a war if he was let loose. If Suna or Kumo had any proof of his actions in their countries, both would have long launched an all-out war against Konoha. As such, they weren''t aware of the weight of Fujin''s words and assumed that he was taking them lightly. Shikaku finally caught his breath and said, "No, we won''t be targeting anyone. Lord Third had already decided to give you three thousand ninjas to lead once the war was over. Take them away from Konoha and march around the Land of Fire for a bit." Fujin nodded while thinking, ''So, they finally gave me this role... I remember that Hiruzen made Kakashi lead such armies after I pulled that stunt in the Land of Wind and after I clashed with Kitsuchi in the Land of Waterfall.'' Shikaku continued, "Due to the possibility of Suna''s and Orochimaru''s attack, I had recalled most of our ninjas back to the village. Their absence and the fact that we just attacked would tempt bandits and rogue ninjas to try their luck. Your job will have multiple objectives. The first and the most important one is to have the army conduct war exercises. It''ll send a message to other villages while preparing our forces at the same time and giving you some experience in leading large forces. I''ll send Renjiro with you to help you. The second is to eliminate all bandits and rogue ninjas in the vicinity of the army. In addition, I''ll directly transfer any elimination missions that we receive that are in your vicinity to your army. You can send appropriate squads to eliminate them. If you are close to the border area, then I''ll also send missions that are from the neighboring countries. A fraction of a second later, Inoichi added, "Same here." Homura smiled and replied, "That''s a very good proposal. I agree." In just a couple of seconds, every Council Member agreed while Shikaku saw it happen with the same dumbfounded expression. Despite his intelligence, he couldn''t stop it from happening! He finally opened his mouth to protest, but Choza patted his back before a single word escaped Shikaku''s mouth and said, "We''ll be in your care, Shikaku!" Shikaku looked at the smile on Fujin''s face and thought, ''This brat! He must have seen me popping that communication seal to inform the Anbu ninjas to send the Daimyo in! Damn it!'' Shikaku immediately regretted not being more stealthy while doing so. He still wanted to oppose, but a few others got up from their seats and wished him good luck. Knowing how lazy he was, no one gave him a chance to decline. Fujin got up as well and said, "I''ll be at my home, Shikaku-san. Send a messenger for me when the army is ready to move." Since everything had been discussed, the council meeting finally ended. Everyone left, leaving a speechless Shikaku alone in the room. Fujin flickered a few times and reached his house. Without wasting any time, he entered the basement and asked, "So, did you get it?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, SilverLeavesFall, Christian, Julio, Onebullet, Pablo and Ben for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 760: Conducting an Experiment! Even after Orochimaru was defeated, Fujin couldn''t return to his house. As one of the strongest ninjas and a member of Konoha''s council, he couldn''t just retire to his house after such a huge attack. Fortunately, he didn''t have many responsibilities as a council member. While Hiruzen had plans to give Fujin several responsibilities over time, he postponed his plans due to how rarely Fujin visited his office. Hence, while other council members continued working even after the meeting, Fujin returned to his house without any worries. "So, did you get it?" Fujin asked as soon as he entered his basement. In front of him was his Shadow Clone who was keeping an eye on Naruto and Gaara. Next to the clone was a pot and a large box. Needless to say, the large box was where Kabuto was sealed. As soon as the ninjas around the sealed Kabuto were distracted by the fall of the barrier, the clone, who was initially keeping an eye on Sakumo, teleported the box to his basement. His timing was so perfect that not a single ninja realized what had happened. As for why he did so? It was rather simple. Even though Kabuto was dead, Fujin didn''t want any accidents that could see him revived again, whether temporarily or permanently. In addition, he also didn''t want to see Danzo getting his hands on the box and unsealing Kabuto to get more intel about Orochimaru and his experiments. Not only could that strengthen Danzo, but it would also cause Danzo to become suspicious about Kabuto''s death. Even though there wasn''t anything linking his death to Fujin, someone like Danzo would definitely feel suspicious. While Fujin no longer cared about Danzo or his actions, it would be a bit troublesome if other leaders in Konoha began suspecting him as well. Fujin''s clone grinned and replied, "Of course." He dispelled in a cloud of smoke, sending memories back to Fujin, who thought, ''So, even the battle between Naruto and Gaara was almost identical to the original story... Sigh, whatever. I have checked Hiruzen thoroughly, he won''t succumb to his injuries. As long as he lives, it proves that the future isn''t set in stone. I suppose this is just the result of my wanting to keep the events as similar to the original story. Even though my influence surpassed my calculations and caused several changes, it wasn''t high enough to change the future drastically. Perhaps, if I had shown off my Flying Thunder God jutsu, Suna would have directly backed off. Regardless, with Kabuto dead and Hiruzen alive, the future will be quite different. I am not sure how much strength Hiruzen would retain, but as long as he retains some, he''ll be feared due to the Reaper Death Seal, irrespective of whether he can use it or not. Along with my existence, it would be too foolish for Nagato and Konan to attack Konoha by themselves. Sigh, what a waste. That would have been a great opportunity to kill Konan and steal Nagato''s Rinnegan before Obito could make a move. Oh well, since I won''t be able to benefit from it any longer, I don''t need to be too constrained with my actions. It''s time to let loose!'' Fujin chuckled as he stored Kabuto''s box before turning his gaze towards the pot which contained Shukaku''s chakra. Fujin analyzed, ''Even though my clone absorbed chakra from Shikaku''s entire arm, he didn''t get much chakra. This pot has around 5% of Shukaku''s chakra. It should be enough for my plans, but there''s no harm if I can increase it. Time for my first experiment...'' While Fujin was busy in his basement, Homura and Koharu met Jiraiya and informed him what had happened in the council meeting before telling him that he would be the Fifth Hokage. Just like the original story, he refused and recommended appointing Tsunade instead. Homura and Koharu didn''t care which Sannin sat on the seat as long as it was one of them. Homura replied, "If you can convince her, then we have no issues. However, if you fail to do so, you have to accept the position of the Hokage. We don''t have anyone else suitable for that position for the time being." Jiraiya didn''t reply as he was well aware of Konoha''s situation. In addition, he was confident of convincing Tsunade. Just like in the original story, he took Naruto with him by promising to teach him a jutsu cooler than Chidori. Around the same time, Shikaku dejectedly walked to his office, still sighing about the huge job Fujin dumped on his head. As soon as he reached his office, his eyes widened. Several ninjas were carrying stacks of paperwork to his office while others were hurriedly leaving to bring back more! Shikaku cursed under his breath, "That cursed brat! Don''t tell me..." He quickly picked up the pace and entered his office. However, his steps faltered and he became still like a statue, with one foot inside his office and the other outside! His face became as white as the countless piles of white paper he saw! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You An Hofi, Colin, Michael, Abbas, Christian, Fernando and Ronquillo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 761: The path to surpass rank S! While the Suna ninjas were scurrying back to their village and Konoha worked on dealing with the aftermath of the assault, Fujin stood still in his basement. A huge seal was visible on his abdomen, where Fujin had placed his left palm. The seal suddenly began expanding, covering Fujin''s entire body in the blink of an eye! Countless symbols crawled on Fujin''s body for half a minute before calming down and disappearing into his body! Fujin took a deep breath and muttered, "Here goes nothing..." He closed his eyes and completely stabilized his chakra. In a few seconds, not a single chakra fluctuation could be detected from Fujin. He stood still just like a statue. A few seconds later, Fujin opened his eyes. Surprise appeared on his face as he exclaimed, "Huh?" For a moment, Fujin couldn''t see anything, for he was standing in a pitch-black darkness! Chakra gathered in his eyes and flowed out of his chakra points as the area was lit with his chakra. Fujin glanced below and chuckled, "So this is my inner world?" What Fujin was seeing was no longer the real world, but his inner world. It was a space similar to the one where Kurama was sealed inside Naruto. However, there were more than a few differences between them. Fujin was standing on a cliff, and a step in front of him was a pitch-black valley. He couldn''t see the bottom of it. Fujin glanced behind him and observed the scenery behind him. Unlike the deep valley in front of him, there was hard ground behind him. The area looked like a flat mountain top. Fujin spent a couple of minutes walking around the area. There wasn''t much to observe as it was just a plain mountaintop. There was only one distinct feature. Fujin walked to the center of the mountaintop and stood on the edge of a lake, or rather, a large pit as the lake was empty. Fujin thought, ''I see. I didn''t imagine my creation would look like this. However, I understand. This would suit me perfectly. Especially...'' Fujin glanced up above. There was no sky in his inner world, but if one were to observe carefully, they''d notice a transparent sphere floating some distance above the lake. The reason why it was hard to spot was because the sphere was completely empty! Yet, a glint appeared in Fujin''s eyes as he observed the sphere carefully. That inconspicuous sphere was the main part of Fujin''s seal! The barrier that made the sphere was extremely strong. According to Fujin''s calculations, even a complete Nine Tails wouldn''t have any chance of breaking it! As for the Ten Tails, Fujin wasn''t sure. Fujin muttered, "I''ll call this seal the Myriad Tetragram Seal, a seal made by an outrageous combination of sixteen Four Symbols Seals overlapped in an almost impossible manner. I still have a hard time believing that my clones managed to create it. However, I can finally put that plan into action!" The Myriad Tetragram Seal was based on an inspiration Fujin had back when he had just graduated. It was inspired by Minato''s Eight Trigrams Divination Seal, or rather, one aspect of it. The seal Minato used to seal Kurama in Naruto allowed minute quantities of Kurama''s chakra to constantly seep out of the seal and enter Naruto''s body. It served a very important purpose. As the chakra continued seeping into Naruto''s body, it increased Naruto''s chakra reserves. And, Fujin figured out several things. For one, he had no interest in influence and power like most other rank S ninjas. The seat of Hokage didn''t interest him. If there were a seat for a ''King'' in this world, Fujin wouldn''t have been interested in it either. He simply had no interest in ruling. Unlike Naruto, Jiraiya, Nagato, Hashirama and even Madara, Fujin didn''t care about peace either. Due to having experienced two worlds, Fujin understood that war was a part of humanity. No matter how much anyone tried to establish peace, it would be broken eventually and humanity would war once again. Even if a utopia was created, it would eventually be taken over by leaders who weren''t satisfied with it and wanted more. That was just humanity''s nature. Fujin had no interest in wasting his life doing something so futile, especially when there were others who wanted to do it and fighting to realize their respective means. As such, Fujin''s mind became very clear. There were only a few things he truly wanted. [A/N: The seal''s details ended up being a lot more complicated than I had initially thought... There are still some aspects that I''ll cover in the next chapter. Anyway, I never thought that it would take me 720 chapters to cover this seal. For the ones who still remember, Fujin had an idea at the end of chapter 34 (the first chapter of volume 2). It referred to this seal. It was a long journey and needed a lot of work, but has finally realized it :)] [A/N: Latest chapter on pat reon : When Gods want you dead, what can mortals do?] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Peter, OwO OwO, Ludwig, Anthony, Mukut and Eternal Happiness for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 762: Pursuit of Strength! As such, Fujin''s mind became very clear. There were only a few things he truly wanted. One of them was to explore. Fujin wanted to explore this world. His trips with Kaito ignited this desire in him long back. He wanted to see everything that was hidden in this world. And, he wanted to explore further beyond this world! Now that he had abilities that he could only dream of in his previous life, Fujin would regret it if he couldn''t do it. His second ambition was his strength. Fujin wanted to be truly strong. He wanted to surpass the likes of Hashirama and Madara before reaching the level of Hagoromo and the Otsutsuki clan and surpassing them as well. Weirdly enough, there wasn''t any strong motivation behind this particular ambition. He didn''t seek revenge nor did he have any noble goal which needed such strength. It was no longer about necessity either as Fujin already had the strength to ensure his safety. While there was no doubt that having such strength would help him in several ways, like exploring beyond this world and combating the new threats he would face among other things, it wasn''t the reason for this particular ambition of Fujin. It was a simple, unadulterated and passionate pursuit of strength! Fujin wanted to see how strong a mere human could get. He wanted to see how deep the rabbit hole went. He wanted to see what bottlenecks he''d face and he wanted to break through them. In a war-torn world, where people frequently had to grieve the loss of their loved ones which fueled their desire to gain strength, such a pure pursuit was extremely rare. That said, Fujin had another goal, for which having strength was extremely necessary. The power he needed to accomplish that goal was so high that Fujin couldn''t even imagine it. Fujin wanted to understand the circumstances of his transmigration and the secrets behind it. If there was something that Fujin felt strongly about, it was this. Unfortunately, he knew how difficult that was and understood that he may never reach a level where he could understand this. Even if he died before understanding the secrets, he wouldn''t care much as long as he enjoyed his journey up to that point. Regardless, those were his long-term goals. The successful creation of the Myriad Tetragram Seal was a small but critical step in realization of those goals. Fujin gazed away from the transparent sphere and glanced at the center of the empty lake. Unlike a minute ago, it was no longer empty. Though extremely faint, a blue glow was visible. Fujin thought, ''While the main purpose of Myriad Tetragram Seal is to absorb a Tailed Beasts chakra, it also has a secondary function. Though not as groundbreaking as the main purpose, it is still very handy. I can use this seal to store my chakra just like how Tsunade can with the help of her Strength of a Hundred Seal!'' Fujin looked at the tiny amount of chakra at the center of the lake and thought, ''I can transfer some of my chakra here whenever I can. And, I can retrieve it to strengthen myself any time I want to. So, the issue of me running out of chakra will soon be history. Unfortunately, filling this lake would take a while. This lake can contain about 50 times my current chakra reserves. Even with the best quality soldier pill, it takes me 8 hours to completely recover my chakra. And, I can''t exactly stop training or fighting until this lake fills up. Even with Shukaku''s chakra, it''ll probably take me a year or two for me to fill it up completely. Of course, that''s when the fun begins. Once I fill this lake up, the amount of chakra stored here will be comparable to that of a Tailed Beast. Though I''m not sure if I''ll be able to channel as much chakra as a Tailed Beast can because this is an artificial chakra reserve and not my own, it would mean that I can last as long as Tailed Beasts in a battle! Of course, it''ll be a one-time thing since I''ll need a year or two to refill this lake, unlike Tailed Beasts who probably recover their chakra in a few hours or days. Fortunately, I have thought about that as well!'' Goza muttered, "Calm down. The scroll isn''t going to run awa..." His lips suddenly stopped moving as his eyes widened. The very first sentence in the scroll said that Sunagakure suffered a complete defeat! He hurriedly read through the rest of the scroll. Seeing his expression change, the rest of the council tensed up as well. Ryusa asked, "What is it? What happened in Konoha?" Sajo asked, "Are our losses higher than our bottom line?" The more Gazo read, the grimmer his expression became, especially when he learnt that Rasa had been killed by Orochimaru. Despite his vast experience, his mind froze! For a moment, he wasn''t sure what to say or do. As if on auto-pilot, he placed the scroll on the table and muttered, "Call the siblings here immediately!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Rubicon, John, Person X, Neeroch and Aeonstorm for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 763: Panic in Sunagakure! "Call the siblings here immediately!" Hearing Goza''s grave tone, the Anbu ninja, who had brought the scroll, flickered away immediately. The remaining council members had a bad feeling. They quickly grabbed the scroll and started reading. Every last one of them was shocked to their very core! Sajo muttered in shock, "How can this be? Orochimaru betrayed us and killed Rasa? He used us like puppets!" Ryusa muttered, "And, only 233 ninjas are returning with Baki. We sent 858 ninjas to Konoha! He doesn''t know whether the others survived or not!" Ikanago added, "The status of Kazekage-sama''s children is unknown too!" Joseki shivered fearfully. He glanced at the other council members and questioned, "Does this mean that we not only lost our leader but also lost over 600 of our Elite ninjas and possibly our Jinchuriki?" Silence engulfed the room as no one answered him. After a few seconds, Goza let out a sigh and said, "Don''t jump the gun and assume the worst-case scenario. Baki said that Gaara and his siblings escaped earlier. So, they might have gotten away. It''s just that we can''t contact them until they return or run into Baki. Similarly, Baki estimated the death toll to be only around 300. He just doesn''t know about the rest. Perhaps most of them have escaped as well. We can only hope for the best..." Tojuro immediately replied, "What do you mean by the best? Kazekage-sama is dead! We lost the war! It''s already the worst-case scenario!" Silence engulfed the room again. Unlike others, the Suna Council was very aware of the reason for the attack. Suna''s economy was in tatters. While they had never been an economic powerhouse, their situation had continuously worsened in the past decade. There were several reasons for this. For one, they experienced great losses in the Third Great Ninja War. They would have recovered with time as they did from the previous great wars, but there was one big issue. Due to their losses, they had to form an alliance with Konoha. While the alliance was beneficial for them initially, they realized a big issue. Due to their alliance with Konoha and the fact that the Wind Daimyo was upset with Suna''s leadership, Konoha began getting most of the missions that they would have gotten otherwise. Over time, as people realized how efficient Konoha was with the missions, this trend just got worse for Suna. As a result, Suna was deprived of an opportunity to recover completely. To make matters worse, ''Konoha'' secretly made a move to destabilize the western part of the Land of Wind and painted Rasa and Suna as the bad rulers. This further increased the differences between the Wind Daimyo and the Suna leadership while the common citizens of the Land of Wind also began viewing Suna with suspicion. Since Suna didn''t have any proof against Konoha along with the fact that Konoha had completed the missions efficiently, Suna couldn''t even blame Konoha. If they did, people would have been even more suspicious. As a result, Suna needed this surprise attack to go well to turn things around. As long as their surprise attack worked, they could use Konoha''s wealth to stabilize their economy. Even if they couldn''t do that, an attack on Konoha would tear their alliance. As a result, the people in the Land of Wind will be forced to give the missions to Suna instead of Konoha. Everyone agreed to his words and continued planning. Within a couple of hours, 700 squads were sent out of the village. They were responsible for setting traps throughout the desert to hinder any incoming army! Another 300 squads were deployed to secure important defensive positions, while 100 squads moved to the Western part of the country to prevent any more misinformation campaigns from Konoha. In addition, they started creating elite ambush units. Though the people in Sunagakure were unaware of what was happening, everyone became tense. They realized that something terrible was about to happen. While the Suna ninjas were being deployed, Suna received a few more messages. They were from the Suna spies in Konoha. The council immediately got together and went through the new scrolls. Immediately, relief appeared on the faces of several council members. Ryusa said, "Even though he isn''t dead, the Third Hokage is injured too! So is that snake! However, we still don''t know the scale of their injuries." Goza added, "Yeah, that is the important part. If the Third Hokage is critically injured, then Konoha won''t attack us recklessly. Even though Kumo took a lot of losses, the Raikage will jump on any opening Konoha provides them." Sajo agreed, "Yes. We need to create a communication line with Kumogakure. If Konoha attacks us, we can draw them deep into the desert and give Kumo an opportunity to attack Konoha. That will force Konoha to abandon their attack!" Suddenly, a snort was heard and everyone turned their eyes to Chiyo. Without glancing at everyone, she asked, "Aren''t you forgetting something?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Dak Koro, Bernado, Brandon, Will, Raghav, Christian, Chandave, Jag, Charles, Gu, Sagerat and Marvin for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 764: Misunderstandings can be terrifying! Aren''t you forgetting something?" The Suna Council members looked at Chiyo in confusion. In the last few hours, they had debated all possibilities. Yet, Chiyo asked such a question. Seeing that no one had an answer, Chiyo sighed and said, "You seem to have forgotten that Orochimaru was Hiruzen''s student." Her statement caused even more confusion. Ryusa asked, "What does that have to do wi...?" Ryusa''s eyes widened in horror as he realized something terrifying! His expression became a sight to see! So were the expressions of other council members who finally realized what Chiyo was hinting at! Tojura muttered fearfully, "You mean that?" Sajo muttered, "How can this be? Was it all a scheme? Did we fall so badly to Konoha''s ploy?" Chiyo replied, "Who can say? Perhaps only the leaders in Konoha would know. Regardless, we can''t overlook the possibility of this being a trap set for us." Goza said thoughtfully, "You''re right. We completely overlooked this. It is possible that Orochimaru never betrayed Konoha. Instead, it was all an act to lure and weaken us! Perhaps they sensed our restlessness and sent Orochimaru to bait us. Even though our spies reported that the Third Hokage and Orochimaru were injured, they didn''t see them. Both may be just faking it!" Ryusa immediately questioned, "But, why are they doing so? Why did they need to continue acting after killing Kazekage-sama? Even if we assume that they wanted to kill more of our ninjas, why didn''t they stop pretending and chase after Baki and his forces? Wouldn''t that have weakened us further? And, why are they pretending to be injured right now?" Tojuro answered in a shocked tone, "It''s simple. Their target isn''t just us. Recently, Kumogakure took heavy losses. Nearly a thousand of their Elite ninjas are dead or missing. If we ignore the loss of our leader, then their losses are even greater than ours. There is no doubt that Konoha was behind those events. Kumo would be filled with rage and would want revenge. By pretending to be weak, they''re giving Kumo an opening that doesn''t exist. Their real target isn''t us but Kumogakure! It''s incredible no matter how I think about it. As expected of Konoha scums! They first killed Kazekage-sama and weakened us. Then, they pretend to be weak and lure Kumo. Once Kumo falls into their trap, they''ll go all out against them! With us weakened and hiding, Kiri busy in a civil war, and the Tsuchikage''s nature, no one will be able to bail Kumo out!" Silence engulfed the room once again. Except for Chiyo and Ebizo, everyone was in shock at how deep Konoha''s plans ran! Even though it was just a speculation, everyone believed it to be the truth! After some time, Joseki wondered aloud, "Should we warn Kumo?" He was harshly rebuked by Tojuro, "And then what? Let Konoha deal with us while Kumo and Iwa just watch? The Raikage, though impulsive, isn''t a fool. Konoha will have to attack us in order to tempt Kumo into attacking. Let them fight each other. Even if Kumo loses, they would cause a lot of harm to Konoha. That would be our chance to recuperate!" Everyone nodded subconsciously, but Ebizo suddenly asked, "That''s all well and good, but what if Kumo doesn''t attack them? Are you sure our traps and ambushes would be sufficient to stop Konoha from reaching us?" Everyone turned their eyes to Ebizo. Ryusa asked, "What do you mean? Didn''t we just discuss the plans?" Ebizo explained, "Yes, we did. But we didn''t consider that Orochimaru could still be loyal to Konoha, nor did we have this additional information." While the Suna Council brainstormed to create new plans, Kirigakure received messages from their spies in Konoha. The subordinates of the Fourth Mizukage were surprised by the events but didn''t pay much attention to them except for one aspect. They had their hands full with the rebels. Unlike them, the rebels paid careful attention to the news. Mei thought, ''He has a flying summon. So, that''s why he was able to reach us so quickly...'' Ao said, "To think Konoha would be attacked by their former rank S ninja and an ally. Sigh, alliances are too fragile. Without an alliance between them, the situation will destabilize quickly." Mei replied, "Not quite. Even though Konoha was backstabbed, it looks like they were very well prepared. Other than their Hokage, they barely had any losses. By comparison, Suna and Oto lost too much. That will intimidate anyone planning to attack them. Unless Kumo, Iwa, and Suna could ally, they won''t attack Konoha. However, as you just said, alliances are too fragile." Ao replied, "That is true." He turned his gaze towards the reports and said, "Still, this boy has grown too ferocious. To think that he could take on so many strong ninjas and eliminate over 300 elite ninjas by himself!" Mei smirked and said, "Yeah, he has grown to be quite a man. I hope we don''t have to meet on a battlefield." Ao agreed. While several types of enemies were troublesome, the type that could cut through hundreds of elite ninjas in the blink of an eye was the most terrifying. They could take out a huge chunk of their forces and heavily restrict their movements! Mei said, "Anyway, we have an important matter at hand. The Edo Tensei jutsu..." Ao nodded, understanding what she was hinting at. "Hahahahaha!" Thousands of kilometers away from the Land of Water, laughter broke out in a room! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sergio, LazyLizard, Ashfield, Cypher and Johanna for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 765: Kumos Target? Unlike Suna and Kiri, Iwa and Kumo didn''t have any spies in Konoha. As such, they received messages about the attack a few hours after them. As soon as Onoki looked through the scroll, he broke out into a huge laughter. Kurotsuchi glanced at her father and looked into his eyes, as if questioning, ''Did Gramps finally go senile?'' Onoki''s laughter abruptly ended and he screamed in pain, "Ouch! My back! I strained it again!" Kitsuchi sighed and helped Onoki out while Kurotsuchi asked, "What is in the scroll, Gramps?" Onoki replied, "It''s quite amusing. Take a look." Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi read the scroll and their eyes widened in shock. Kitsuchi muttered, "So, Suna finally betrayed Konoha." Kurotsuchi added, "Not just that! They were attacked by the Third Hokage''s student too! Konoha is weird." Onoki said, "Now it makes sense. Konoha should have known about Suna''s betrayal and expected the attack. That is why, they hit Kumo preemptively so that Kumo wouldn''t be able to take advantage of their weakness. As expected of Hiruzen and Danzo." Kitsuchi nodded and asked, "Should we be taking advantage of the Third Hokage''s state?" Onoki snorted, "Take advantage? Did you read the same report as me? They defeated Suna and Oto with minimal casualties. Even though Hiruzen is injured, they still have Jiraiya and Suzuki Fujin. Not to mention, there is no mention of Danzo and Tsunade in these reports. Konoha is still very strong." Kurotsuchi asked impatiently, "So, why were you laughing?" Onoki explained, "Don''t you see? In a short span, every hidden village has taken heavy casualties. Kiri is continuously taking losses due to their civil war and their condition is worse than what it was at the end of the Third Great Ninja War. Kumogakure lost nearly a thousand elite ninjas and their dignity a few weeks ago. And now, Suna not only lost hundreds of elites but also their leader and the only remaining rank S ninja from their younger generation. Even though Konoha''s losses are low, they should still exceed a hundred. More importantly, Hiruzen is an unknown state. If he dies, then that''ll be splendid news, hahaha!" Onoki calmed down and continued, "What decides the village that has the upper hand in a Great War is the preparation they do in between the Great Wars. Our progress was derailed quite a bit. The first major blow to us was the nearly 50 Jounins who died under your command, Kitsuchi." The memories of that dreadful mission resurfaced as Kitsuchi felt a bit depressed. Onoki continued, "Later, we lost Han along with the Five Tails. I''m still not sure how he went missing and who made a move against him. One of our most promising youngsters went rogue and we lost a huge chunk of our spies and intelligence network. As such, our preparation lagged behind quite a bit. Though we were still doing better than Kiri and Suna, we were far behind Konoha and Kumo. However, Kumo''s recent losses far exceed our own. As for Suna, they have been set behind by almost a decade. Their condition might be worse than even Kiri''s. And now, Konoha has taken some losses too. Hiruzen being dead or handicapped is a far bigger blow than us losing Han. We finally can rest easy and concentrate on preparing our forces for the war." The father-daughter duo were surprised by Onoki''s thinking. Unlike others, Onoki didn''t even entertain any thoughts of taking advantage of Konoha''s momentary vulnerability. On the contrary, he was well aware that the vulnerability was just a facade. Whoever tried to take advantage of it would be burned badly! Instead, he focused on the preparations for the next Great Ninja War! Samui''s question forced everyone to think deeply. After all, why would Konoha kill over a hundred allied ninjas? C''s eyes widened as he said, "Maybe they were a sacrifice!" Everyone looked at C as he explained, "If so many Oto ninjas hadn''t died, everyone would have suspected Orochimaru and Konoha to be working together. No, it would be extremely clear. However, by killing so many Oto ninjas, others wouldn''t suspect them as much. I guess Konoha wasn''t satisfied with just trapping Suna. They want to trap someone else..." C''s eyes were on Ay as he spoke the last sentence. Everyone immediately realized that Konoha may have wanted to use Ay''s recklessness to lure Kumo into a trap as well. Ay''s expression became dark as he said, "Of course, they want to inflict even more damage on us. They might even attack Suna to provide us with a fake opening to lure us. Doesn''t matter. We won''t target Konoha. Instead, focus on Orochimaru. That snake dared to desecrate my predecessors! We have the perfect excuse to go after him. Let me see what Konoha does once I kill him!" Ay looked at C and asked, "How is the investigation in the Land of Rice going?" C replied, "We found a few hidden bases and have calculated several more locations. However, it is very difficult to say which is the base where Orochimaru is hiding. If we attack, it could alert him and he may either escape or lay a trap for us." Ay replied, "Of course. Killing him won''t be easy. And, I can''t move around easily due to Akuro. Continue monitoring the situation. We will have to kill him in one attempt." C nodded. Unlike Iwa, Kumo didn''t cremate their dead. Suna did the same but in a different way. Instead of cremating their dead, they started laying all sorts of traps within their graveyard to catch Orochimaru if he showed up again. It would soon become a forbidden area for others in Suna and the third-most well-defended location among the elemental countries! On the other hand, Kiri had no confidence in defending their dead from Orochimaru in the middle of a war. Both factions made the same decision as Onoki. The minor villages were quite shocked by the developments as well. They immediately became worried about the possibility of the start of the next Great Ninja War. Meanwhile, the silhouettes of several terrifying ninjas appeared in a cave! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You BP, PainMan and Kazuha02 for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 766: The Art of Diplomacy In a dimly lit cave, several phantom bodies flickered into existence, standing atop the ominous fingers of the massive Gedo Statue! Their forms distorted as the eyes of the Akatsuki members lay on Nagato. Hidan immediately complained, "What is it this time? Did we already capture the second Jinchuriki?" Nagato answered, "Not quite. However, there has been an interesting development." Everyone followed his gaze and looked at Zetsu. White Zetsu reported, "Konoha was attacked by Sunagakure and Otogakure half a day ago. It was quite a shocking battle!" Sasori chuckled and said, "So they finally broke that ridiculous alliance. Took them long enough. What about Orochimaru? Did he show up too?" As his partner, Sasori was well aware of the fact that Orochimaru led Otogakure. White Zetsu answered, "Yes, he was the main attacker. His methods were quite terrifying. As expected of a Legendary Sannin. Maybe it''s a good thing you didn''t find him, Sasori. I''m afraid it''ll take a lot more than one group to take him down." Sasori frowned but before he could reply, Itachi asked, "So, did Konoha lose?" Black Zetsu answered, "The opposite. The Third Hokage is a force to reckon with despite his old age. And, Konoha was prepared for their assault." Deidara complained, "Stop increasing the suspense and just tell us what happened already." White Zetsu informed the Akatsuki about the events in Konoha. Despite their aloofness and arrogance, almost all of them were shocked by what had happened. Needless to say, what shocked them most was the improvement in the Edo Tensei jutsu. After all, if Orochimaru had reanimated a dozen dead Kage against them, they would be in extreme danger. Forget defeating him, even escaping would be a challenge. The only ones who still had confidence in facing him were Nagato, Itachi and Hidan. Kisame muttered, "Incredible. Despite facing a dozen rank S ninja, the Third Hokage still sealed them and defeated Orochimaru. How injured are they?" Black Zetsu answered, "I''m unsure. Gold and Iron dust was covering the barrier in the ending stages of the battle, so it was difficult for my clones to see. I''m not even sure what jutsu the Third Hokage used to seal the reanimated ninjas and defeat Orochimaru. However, he was unconscious after the battle and needed the Toad Sage Jiraiya and the Spectral Swordsman Fujin to save him from Orochimaru''s subordinates. In addition, he doesn''t seem to have made any public appearance yet. So, it''s safe to say that his injuries are serious. Orochimaru looked in a weird state as well. From what little my clones could see, his arms seemed to be paralyzed. From his rage, that injury won''t be easy to heal." Zetsu''s clones had kept an eye on the arena and other spots attacked by Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas. However, they couldn''t get too close. As good as they were at stealth, they would be discovered by the Hyuga ninjas if they became too active. As such, they couldn''t get a good look once the Third and Fourth Kazekages began defending the barrier. Even after the war ended, Konoha was in a state of high alert. So, Zetsu''s clones couldn''t investigate. Hidan chuckled and said, "If both the Hokage and Orochimaru are injured, then this might be a good chance to kidnap the Jinchuriki of Nine Tails and kill Orochimaru at the same time." He was immediately refuted by Nagato, who said, "The Nine Tailed Beast is quite different from the other Tailed Beasts. The Gedo Statue can''t absorb it right away. We''ll need to seal the weaker Tailed Beasts first." Konan added, "Even if we could do so, attacking Konoha at this time would be foolish. Once Konoha loses their Jinchuriki, the other villages will become wary of us and might cooperate with Konoha to eliminate us. Even though they wouldn''t be able to, it''s easier to operate without them pestering us. His statement immediately increased the panic in the room. Though no one made a move, their nervousness was very visible. Hiroshi was slightly disappointed with his council, but he couldn''t blame them. Fujin''s strength had become quite scary. He thought, ''With the strength he displayed, there is no doubt that he''ll be a Hokage candidate in the future. If he becomes the Hokage, we can''t have any animosity between us.'' Hiroshi sighed and said, "You''re right. We''ll accept Konoha''s offer for help." His statement surprised the council members. Several said at the same time, "But we are already winning the war and have done the main work. What''s the point in taking Konoha''s help now?" Hiroshi explained, "That''s the point. We''re giving them the full money for doing an almost completed job. Since it is a deal put forth by him, Fujin will get the credit of getting such a lucrative offer for Konoha. And, since they were just attacked, they''ll cherish the resources and funds even more. This will raise his stature even more and he is smart enough to know that this was due to our decision. Though I don''t think he''ll ever repay this favor, he''ll know that he can have an ally in us in the future." The Kusa council members thought for a bit and agreed. Though it was costly for the village, it was way better than losing their heads. Not a single person opposed the move. Suddenly, Hiroshi''s expression hardened as he continued, "That said, this move serves another important purpose. Even though the reports say that Konoha didn''t take much loss, we have no idea what the numbers are. There is also a small chance that they might be bluffing. Even though we have destroyed half the forces of the rebels, their remaining forces are still quite formidable. How Konoha handles them will show us whether Konoha is still strong enough to deter Iwagakure or whether we need to make other arrangements to ensure our safety." The Kusa Council understood what he meant immediately. After all, diplomacy was their speciality, at least when someone like Fujin wasn''t sitting in the same room with a blade against their throats. [A/N: Latest Chapter : Battling 7 rank S ninjas!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Elijah, Igor, Nick, Lazy Dragon.. nah just lazy and WiN for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 767: A different kind of army... Just like Kusagakure, all the minor villages neighboring Konoha decided never to offend Fujin. All their grievances about the actions of The Spectral Swordsman were buried and forgotten. The news of him killing a hundred Suna ninjas with each attack had shocked them to their core. Unlike Suna, they didn''t have the forces to handle such losses. At the same time, they too began pondering what to do in case Konoha was more weakened than what the reports suggested. Some countries, like the Land of Noodles and the Land of Tea, didn''t have any options. They had to depend on Konoha. Meanwhile, the Land of Hot Water still remembered Kumo''s blatant attempt to take over their mines and still hated Kumo. Similarly, the Land of Waterfall hated Iwagakure for its stunts a few years ago. Unlike Kusagakure, those hidden villages couldn''t swallow their pride and were left with no option but to hope that Konoha stood tall. On the other hand, the Land of Rivers, a buffer country between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, was in a panic. If Suna and Konoha fought, their country would become the battleground. As such, Tanigakure immediately gathered all their ninjas and began preparing for another war they may have to endure. Even the Land of Iron took note of this battle and Fujin''s capabilities while calculating the implications of this sudden attack on Konoha. Council meetings ran through the night in several villages as the world waited to see how Konoha would respond. As for the person they were discussing the most? He got off from his bed after a nice deep sleep, completely unbothered by the chaos and panic around him and in the world. If anyone were to see him, they wouldn''t even be able to guess that he had killed over 300 ninjas and 2000 snakes less than 24 hours ago! Fujin glanced at the clock and thought, ''7 hours... My chakra reserves are almost full again. However, Shikaku should call me soon... I''ll transfer 20% to the lake. Anyway, it was a good thing that I made them create such a pill.'' Fujin had consumed a special soldier pill less than a couple of days ago. As such, he shouldn''t have been able to sleep due to the increased stimulation caused by the soldier pill. However, Fujin had an idea, which was to create another pill that would temporarily pause the mental stimulation caused by a soldier pill. The reason Fujin had this idea was due to how large his chakra reserves had become. Even the best soldier pill in Konoha would need nearly 7 to 8 hours to recover his chakra completely. Once his chakra reserves were nearly empty, there wasn''t much point in him staying awake until they recovered as it just increased his mental fatigue. As such, Fujin approached the kindhearted medical ninjas who poured their heart and soul into making him an acceptable medical ninja and made them work on creating such a pill. As a gesture of ''gratitude'' for teaching him, he even let them take credit for the idea. After nearly a month of hard research and experiments, they came up with such a pill. However, it had a certain limitation. In fact, Fujin had already known that this limitation would exist even before the pill was created. Whoever consumes it would need to wake up before their chakra reserves were full. If they didn''t, then it would cause a lot of harm to their body and cells over time. As such, the pill was only ideal for ninjas with high chakra reserves, limiting its usefulness to only a handful of ninjas, but that didn''t concern Fujin. Fujin thought, ''Even so, this pill does have an adverse effect on the body as well as the mind due to the clash of opposite types of enzymes and chemicals in the two pills. It''s best not to use it much. Then again, once I absorb Shukaku''s chakra, soldier pills will be far less effective for me as I might need an entire day to recover my chakra completely. Its only use would be when I need to stay awake for several days for a mission or during a war...'' Fujin stopped thinking about it and freshened up. As he expected, an Anbu ninja came to call for him an hour later and said, "Shikaku-sama asked you to go to the third training ground as soon as you can." Fujin nodded and muttered, "The third training ground, huh? I guess he has already started gathering the army." The Anbu ninja nodded and replied, "Yes, more than half have already appeared. The rest should gather in another half an hour. Shikaku-sama will visit once everyone is there." Fujin replied, "Alright, tell him that I''m there." The Anbu ninja nodded and flickered away. Fujin thought, ''I didn''t think much about this yesterday, but now that I think of it, this is a good time to do that...'' "Even Orochimaru ran away like a coward when Fujin appeared in front of him!" In under a minute, everyone in the training ground was looking at Fujin! By now, there wasn''t a single person in Konoha who hadn''t heard about his exploits in the battle. Hundreds of ninjas had witnessed him slaughtering the two divisions of Suna ninjas in the blink of an eye! Nearly every one of them had also glanced at Fujin''s other battles. None of them held back in singing his praises and the news had spread like fire through the entire village. After seeing him once again, the ones who had witnessed his acts recalled their memories subconsciously while the ones who hadn''t imagined it. Immediately, everyone began discussing him. "He is so young!" "Yeah, and handsome!" "Bah! Do you only care about looks? Focus on his strength!" The younger ninjas began discussing his strength as well as his looks. While Fujin had always gained the interest of other young ninjas, there was too little information about what he did and his real strength. His missions used to be so secretive that even the ones who had seen him couldn''t say a word about it to anyone. Most of his mission records were burned by Hiruzen and Shikaku. The only information everyone had was rumors. Of course, the rumors surrounding him were so crazy that everyone wanted to know him. Unfortunately, he was extremely difficult to get in touch with. However, Suna''s attack finally made everyone realize how ridiculously powerful Fujin was. For once, they saw someone who lived up to the rumors. Unknown to Fujin, he had an army of fangirls and fanboys in under 24 hours! [A/N: Next chapter in 6-8 hours (if I don''t fall asleep ????).] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Nathan, Pax, Rodrigo, Gan, Max, Jeff, Cain, Fanfic Sage, Shreyan and Olen for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 768: A Deadly Infection! While Fujin''s presence excited the younger ninjas, it had a relieving effect on the older ninjas. Seeing Fujin made them feel confident about Konoha''s future. "With him, Konoha will be safe for another half a century." "Hahaha, yeah. What I''m looking forward to is how much stronger he''ll become. He is only sixteen." "Indeed! He might even surpass the Fourth Hokage! Once he does, other villages will think ten times before starting a war against us or they''ll be burned just like Suna!" "While there is no doubt about his strength, I''m looking forward to how he''ll lead us." The ones present in the training ground weren''t just strangers. There were several acquaintances of Fujin in the army as well. In one corner of the training ground, three men stood together while looking at Fujin. Kimiyama Yasuoka muttered, "I knew he''d become strong, but I never imagined that he''d reach this level, let alone in just a few years." Obake Kaneie recalled his memories while saying, "Yeah, I still remember that mission like it was yesterday. To think he was so modest back then." Endo Tadao chuckled and said, "You know, we may never be promoted to Chunin, but how many Chunins here can say that they had Suzuki Fujin as their team leader? Already so many of our classmates are jealous of us, haha!" The other two chuckled as well. Years ago, the three of them were the first group Fujin led on a mission. While they weren''t talented enough to become Chunins nor had the drive to put in the effort, that mission became a source of pride for the trio. Outside of the Anbu ninjas, they were the only ones who could brag about this. In another part, several young ninjas of the same age as Fujin were gathered together. A boy sighed, "To think that Fujin would reach this stage and I''m still a Chunin..." Next to him, Aoki Nora chuckled and said, "Why are you sighing? Even back in the academy, you could never compete with him. The only ones who could were Teru, Yori, Nobu, Hoka and Hana..." As he spoke, his eyes landed on a girl not too far away from him. Hyuga Hana noticed his gaze and glanced back at him as Nora teased, "Now that I recall, you used to be quite competitive with him for the top rank. Do you still want to compete with Fujin?" Hana immediately replied, "At least I am a Special Jounin, unlike you." Nora chuckled and said, "You''re still as sharp-tongued as ever, Hana." Hana ignored him and said, "Besides, what''s the point in comparing me with that monster? Just feel honored that we were lucky enough to be in the same class as him and know him so well. You may not know how strong he truly is, but I know it from Hoka. He is already far beyond a level we could reach." Shin looked at him and said, "It''s all your fault for giving that lousy introduction!" Genki grinned. Without even glancing at his friend, Genki began catching up with Fujin. The two talked, completely ignoring Shin who stood there awkwardly. After some time, Genki introduced his comrades to Fujin. Seeing Fujin with Genki, all other acquaintances of Genki also showed up one by one. They wouldn''t miss the chance to connect with someone who could become the next Hokage. For the next 20 minutes, Fujin was introduced to nearly 50 Jounins, Special Jounins and some Chunins! As they talked, Genki chuckled and asked, "Does your offer still stand? I''m sure every squad would like you on a rank A mission." Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "You remembered it after 5 years?" Genki coughed awkwardly and said, "You can''t blame me. You were a part of a couple of teams and joined the Anbu soon after." Fujin chuckled, "I know, I was just messing with you." Genji smirked and said, "I guess it''s my turn now to ask you to take me on rank S missions." The ones around Genki also began looking at Fujin, who was left completely speechless. Fujin couldn''t help but wonder, ''Wasn''t he alright? Since when did he become so shameless? Sigh, this damned village... Everyone is infected by Hiruzen''s shamelessness!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Grant, Dip, Josh, Shyamal, Qvintus, ArcticRaven, Cory and J. Hurtault for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 769: Flustered! [A/N: Just a reminder, Mieko wasn''t a part of Fujin''s class. She was a year younger than him and Hoka. She just graduated in her 3rd year while Fujin and Hoka graduated in their 4th year.] Seeing Fujin''s reaction, Genki laughed and patted Fujin''s shoulder while saying, "I''m just joking. I can guess that your missions are so difficult that we will only be in your way." For once, Fujin agreed. While he rarely did missions, the ones he did were absolutely nuts. The entire ninja world was still in the dark about how Kumo lost more ninjas than Suna despite not being in a war. Seeing Fujin nod without any hesitation left Genki and his comrades speechless. Genki was just giving Fujin a way out so that he wouldn''t need to answer his awkward question. He didn''t expect Fujin to actually agree. He awkwardly thought, ''Shit! I forgot how shameless he can be! He hasn''t changed a bit!'' Fujin chuckled on seeing their reactions and said, "Well, we may not do missions together, but we''ll be marching together today. Unfortunately, I don''t know much about leading armies. So, I''ll be in your care, seniors." Fujin addressed Genki and the others with him. They immediately smiled and assured Fujin of their support. Fujin looked at Genki and said, "I''ll be catching up with my classmates, Sensei. I''ll see you later." Genki smiled and said, "Of course." As Fujin disappeared, Shin chuckled and said, "He''s still as cheeky as ever. He got us good with that nod." The others around him agreed. A Jounin said, "You are very lucky, Genki. To get a student like him in the academy. It''s like a god-given gift." Genki smirked and said, "That''s why I said that you should teach in the academy for some time. Not only is there a chance that you could teach very strong future ninjas, but the kids are also full of energy and ideas. I couldn''t have become a Jounin without their help." Renjiro glanced at them and thought, ''Hmm, not bad. If he wants to become a Hokage in the future, he''ll need the support of the Jounins. Socializing with dozens of Jounins is a good start. And, since he has a civilian background, the civilian Jounins would support him just like they supported the Fourth Hokage. However, does he truly want that seat? Or was he just being polite due to Genki?'' Renjiro wasn''t sure. As much as Fujin loved learning new and powerful jutsus, he had never shown any similar ambition for authority. Even so, he was already a Council Member and a definite candidate for the next Hokage. So, Renjiro couldn''t get a proper grasp on Fujin''s ambition despite being one of the closest people to him. While Renjiro wondered and Genki''s group discussed Fujin, Fujin''s batchmates were still discussing ninja ranks. Nora sighed and asked, "What about Hoka? He is already a Jounin. Can he reach Fujin''s level?" Everyone looked at Hoka again. Before he could speak, Hana said, "He''ll be Jounin for only a few more days. My father said that Hoka will be promoted to Elite Jounin very soon due to his performance in the war." The eyes of everyone around widened. After all, they hadn''t seen Hoka in action. Someone commented, "You''ve got to be kidding me! An Elite Jounin at just 16!" "Man, I thought our batch was already very good due to Fujin. Now Hoka is also about to become an Elite Jounin!" "That''s right. We have Fujin, a rank S ninja, Hoka, who''ll soon become an Elite Jounin, and Teru, who is an Anbu Captain. It''s a shame that Yori died and we still don''t know where Nobu went after graduating. Otherwise, we might have two more Jounins." "That''s right. But we can discuss that later. Congrats, Hoka!" "Jounin isn''t enough, wouldn''t it be epic if the entire class becomes Elite Jounins?" "Thanks, Fujin. Don''t worry, we won''t let our batch''s reputation fall." Fujin smiled and was about to speak when he stopped and looked behind. He said, "It was great meeting you guys. I''ll hang around sometime later. However, I have to go now." Everyone followed his gaze and saw that Shikaku had arrived. They nodded and wished him luck in his new role as the commander of the army. Needless to say, Fujin took Hoka with him as he left. Leading a large army consisting of over 3 thousand ninjas was a lot of work. Fujin fully intended to pawn the boring tasks on Hoka. Fujin thought, ''While leading 3,000 ninjas sounds exciting, this mission will be a bore. This army has no opponent. No one will make a move against Konoha right now and Konoha''s leadership has little interest in going to war. So, it''ll be just military exercises and hunting some poor bandits and rogue ninjas. I might as well stay in the background and focus on filling up the lake. Anyway, this guy can certainly put up an act...'' Shikaku''s appearance was quite different from how he normally looked. The most noticeable change were the large bags under his eyes. His entire face looked exhausted and his body looked drained of energy! It was almost as if he''d collapse any second and fall asleep! Fujin thought, ''Even if I assume that he did paperwork all night, that still shouldn''t reduce him to this state... Bastard is definitely acting.'' Fujin and Hoka flickered next to Shikaku. Hoka worriedly asked, "Shikaku-san... Are you alright?" Shikaku glanced at him, but before he could answer, Fujin patted his back with a lot of force and said, "Don''t worry, Konoha''s Jounin Commander is very strong! Isn''t that right, Shikaku-san?" Shikaku glanced at Fujin with a look full of complaints. If Fujin hadn''t spoken up, he''d have let the Elders step in and divide the work among the council members. However, Fujin had pushed him right into the fire. He sighed and muttered, "I''ll be alright" while promising himself, ''I''ll get back at you for this maneuver, Fujin!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ruben, Yuuyoh, Mo01ronaldo, Moon Rabbit and Mael for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 770: Armys Composition! While the ninja world was waiting to see Konoha''s response, three thousand Konoha ninjas gathered in the third training ground. Following the orders, everyone began arranging themselves in an orderly manner. Facing this massive army were 6 ninjas, Nara Shikaku, Suzuki Fujin, Senju Renjiro, Hyuga Hoka and two more figures. While the ninjas moved, Shikaku said, "While they arrange themselves, I''ll tell you about the army composition." Fujin and others looked at Shikaku as he continued, "Needless to say, you''re the commander-in-chief of the entire army. From the moment you leave Konoha to the moment you return, everyone in the army must follow your orders. Renjiro will be your second in command. He''ll basically serve the same role as you due to your inexperience in this regard." Fujin and Renjiro already knew about their roles. Due to Fujin''s performance the other day and several rumors floating around, pretty much everyone knew he would be the Commander-in-chief of the new army. Shikaku continued, "Directly under you two would be the three Generals of your army. The army will be composed of 3 divisions, each led by one of the Generals. They are Hyuga Hoka, Sada Konomi and Kurama Illumi. You already know Illumi and Hoka very well, and I''m sure you have heard of Konomi too." Fujin nodded and glanced at them. Having entered his 40s, age was visible on Illumi''s face. However, he looked even more imposing than before. On the other hand, Konomi was a beautiful lady. She was from a civilian background and was a couple of years older than Kakashi''s batch. Fujin said with a smile, "Of course. It''s good to see you again, Illumi-san. It''s nice to meet you, Konomi-san. Belated congratulations on your promotion." Illumi smiled and replied, "I always had high hopes for you, but I didn''t think I''d be serving under you so quickly, haha. It''s quite an honor to be a General in your army on your very first assignment." Konomi also smiled and greeted, "I have heard so much about you. It''s good to finally see you in person. Your performance on the battlefield yesterday was phenomenal. I never saw anyone fight like you did." Fujin smiled while thinking, ''It looks like the entire leadership will be new, with the exception of Renjiro. Hoka''s experience in leading armies is just as bad as mine. Konomi was promoted to Elite Jounin around a month ago. Illumi was also promoted a few months ago. Though they have experience from the previous wars, neither has led an entire division before. It looks like Shikaku wants to develop new army commanders.'' It was just exactly how Fujin speculated. Since there wasn''t going to be much danger, Shikaku wanted to give an opportunity to the newly promoted ninjas. Even most of the leaders of smaller units were leading such large units for the first time. Shikaku said, "Normally, the position of Generals is only given to Elite Jounins. However, you will be promoted to this rank after the dust settles down, Hoka. So, consider this as preparation for the future. We have a lot of hopes for you." Hoka nodded and said, "I won''t disappoint you." Shikaku nodded and replied, "Good." He turned his gaze to Fujin and said, "I am sure you must have read how Konoha''s army is formed, but I''ll explain to you either way in case you or others missed something. Hoka, Illumi and Konomi nodded. While Illumi had plenty of experience and felt comfortable, Konomi and Hoka were slightly overwhelmed by the situation. The fact that the lives of a thousand Konoha ninjas depended on their decisions applied a lot of pressure on them. Both were relieved that this was just a training exercise. Shikaku glanced at Fujin and said, "Adding the four of them, you''ll be leading 3004 ninjas. However, this isn''t a set number for a Commander-in-chief. During wars, you can be leading anywhere from a single division to the entire Konoha force. Though we can only hope that circumstances don''t deteriorate to that level." Fujin nodded without any hesitation. For a single person to lead the entirety of Konoha''s forces would mean either all other rank S ninjas in Konoha were dead, or all of Konoha''s enemies had come together and faced off Konoha on a single battlefield. Shikaku asked, "Do you have any questions?" Fujin immediately asked, "How many medical ninjas do we have?" Without a hint of shame on his face, Shikaku answered, "6 squads along with 6 backup medical ninjas." Fujin and the three Generals were surprised. Hoka frowned and asked, "So few? That''s less than 1 per 100 ninjas! How will they be enough?" Shikaku immediately corrected Hoka, "Well, technically Fujin is an excellent medical ninja. So, it is slightly more than 1 per 100 ninjas." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mael, Bagus, Aron, Sanda, Yasait, Youthful, Piranha, GRP666, Jack07, IDaGoat, Alistate and Onoronodonovon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 771: The Dawn of a New Era! Immediately, everyone looked at Shikaku with a deadpan expression. It didn''t matter whether it was slightly higher than 1 medical ninja per hundred ninjas or lower, the fact remained that it was very low. It was important to remember that Tsunade had once proposed having a medical ninja in every squad to ensure prompt medical attention. However, Shikaku wasn''t bothered by their gazes and explained, "Even though you are going out, you don''t have to face any strong enemies. It''s just bandits and rogue ninjas. The medical ninjas are more for healing the injured civilians and assure them that Konoha is looking after them. So, you won''t need any more. On the contrary, they are more needed in the village to heal the ninjas injured yesterday. Of course, I''ll keep some medical ninjas available to reinforce you in case you end up facing a decent enemy." Hearing his explanation, everyone was about to nod when Fujin asked, "What about Orochimaru''s bases in the Land of Rice? We''ll need more medical ninjas to deal with whatever shenanigans he has set up in those bases." Shikaku seriously answered, "I meant it when I said a few bases. You can have some fun, but don''t overstretch yourself and the army. Only target the bases that are easy to find and eliminate. Orochimaru treats his subordinates as expendable. It won''t matter much even if we destroy all the bases in the Land of Rice. He''ll keep his important subordinates with him and hide from us. The only way to truly hurt him is to directly kill him. However, an army will be too slow to achieve that. It will require a targeted operation to eliminate him, and even then the chances would be low. Keep that in mind." Fujin sighed and muttered, "You''re no fun..." Illumi and Konomi looked at Fujin with a hint of surprise while Hoka and Renjiro shook their heads. Shikaku smirked and said, "Of course, if you want to go all-out, then you''ll need to create Shadow Clones and have them act as Medical Ninjas. However, I wouldn''t recommend it." Fujin just shot a glance at Shikaku. Needless to say, he had no intention of doing so. In fact, he had no intention of using medical ninjutsu even with his main body unless it was essential. After all, he was the only rank S ninja in the army. If he wasted his chakra healing others, the army would be doomed if faced with real danger. It was very essential for the Commander-in-chief to stay in top condition. Shikaku was aware of this. Had it been someone else, he would have never suggested it. However, he was well aware that Fujin would never do something like that. Fujin asked, "So, what is the army composition like?" Fujin''s question confused Hoka, who wondered, ''Didn''t he just explain it?'' Konomi had similar doubts while Renjiro and Illumi weren''t surprised. Shikaku answered, "The army is primarily composed of civilian ninjas. 2,250 ninjas are from the civilian background and only 750 are from ninja clans." Illumi asked in surprise, "So few clan ninjas?" Shikaku nodded and replied, "Yes, while planning the defense of Konoha, I had deployed the clan ninjas on the forefront and in the hot zones. So, most of the injured ninjas are from the clans. So, this is the only way." Fujin''s eyes moved through the ranks of the army. Nearly everyone felt like they had exchanged eye glances with Fujin. After a minute of silence, Fujin spoke in a loud but calm voice, "Yesterday, we were attacked by the combined forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure. Many of our comrades and innocent civilians died. Our infrastructure was damaged too. However, Sunagakure and Otogakure paid the price for underestimating us. A price that they won''t forget for a long time. However, several other hidden villages have the same delusional belief. They think that we are easy targets to bully. Several cowardly rogue ninjas also think that we are weakened by the attack." Fujin paused as he let the Konoha ninjas realize the gravity of the situation. If everyone had the same thought and kept attacking Konoha, then they would suffer even if they keep winning. Perhaps, they would be the ones to die the next time. Everyone was feeling a bit grim when they were surprised. A small smile appeared on Fujin''s face. Several wondered, ''Why is the Commander-in-chief smiling?'' Fujin suddenly raised his voice by a level and roared, "It''s time to remind everyone why Konoha is the strongest village. It''s time to remind everyone of the consequences of antagonizing us! Prepare to march! Let me see who dares to mess with our village!" Fujin''s confident roar ignited a fire within them which dispelled the dark clouds in their hearts. After all, in front of them was a youngster who forced Orochimaru to withdraw and contained several rank S ninjas! They had no reason to be afraid. Instead, it was the enemies of Konoha who should be cowering in fear! Their morale rose drastically before the entire army exploded in a roar! The air buzzed with energy as three thousand Konoha ninjas roared at the same time. Their roar was heard for kilometers as several people in Konoha glanced towards the training ground with curiosity. Shikaku smiled and thought, ''As expected, he came prepared. However, I didn''t expect him to go with such a simple approach. Sigh, that''s the luxury the strong have. Their presence alone lifts the spirits and morale of any army!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Elmar, Michael, BabyAnn, Pablo, Jayden and Adrian for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Ganesh and Parthiban for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 772: A Slow March! Chapter 772: A Slow March! "What is happening there?" "Yeah, what was that loud roar? Are we under attack again?" "Fool, we just beat Sunagakure and Orochimaru. Who''d dare to attack us so quickly?" Discussions broke out among the civilians in Konoha. The ninjas immediately realized, ''So the army has already gathered...'' Even the few remaining spies in Konoha became alert. Needless to say, they didn''t dare to attract any attention. Instead, they just followed the crowd to get an idea of the army''s scale. It would help them to get an idea of Konoha''s intentions. In the third training ground, the morale was high. Everyone was quickly assigned to their units and the three Generals moved ahead to take charge of their divisions, leaving just Fujin, Renjiro and Shikaku behind. Fujin turned his gaze to the right and said, "Ah, I forgot to inform you about them." Shikaku followed Fujin''s gaze and saw Bunjiro flickering in the training ground along with Fujin''s students. He glanced at Fujin and asked, "Are you planning to take them with you?" Fujin nodded, "Yeah. I have trained them quite a bit, but haven''t given them any real experience. Considering their strength, going through normal Genin missions will be useless for them. So, this will be a good opportunity to break them in. I''ll take them with me for this exercise." Shikaku thought for a bit before nodding. He replied, "Alright. That shouldn''t be an issue." Fujin added, "Though I didn''t train the other kids much, they have grown quite strong too and most can compete with Chunins. While they are still some distance away from being able to join the Anbu, you could send them on normal missions with one of the Anbu instructors, either from my compounds or from the headquarters." Shikaku immediately nodded and said, "Over a hundred new ninjas. That''ll be very helpful." Even though the number of deaths didn''t reach three figures, the number of wounded far surpassed it. Depending on their injuries, they needed a few days to several weeks of treatment and rest. In addition, Konoha was forced to deploy a large number of ninjas to dissuade any other hidden village from doing anything stupid. Fujin''s three-thousand-strong army was a part of those efforts too. As such, getting over 30 new and enthusiastic squads to do easier missions was a timely help for Konoha. Bunjiro''s group walked to Fujin while looking at the army formations. Sayaka asked curiously, "What is happening here, sensei?" Fujin replied, "We are heading out to have some fun. Wanna join in?" Yuji immediately exclaimed, "Of course sensei!" However, his companions were a bit more wary and didn''t immediately nod. Unlike Yuji, they weren''t very fond of what Fujin called ''fun''. "Make them pay, Fujin-sama!" The spies were relieved and worried at the same time. The fact that there were only 3 divisions meant that Konoha wouldn''t be attacking Sunagakure directly unless they were planning to send a follow-up army. However, Fujin''s terrifying track record against Sunagakure worried them. Not to mention, he had already displayed the ability to slaughter hundreds of ninjas by himself. It made the Legend of the Spectral Swordsman even more terrifying. The spies waited patiently, intending to send messenger birds right after the army left and the crowd dispersed. Renjiro teased with a hint of amusement, "You''ve become quite famous now, Fujin." Fujin wasn''t bothered. This world wasn''t like his past one. He wouldn''t be endlessly followed by everyone who admired him. Even if a few did, he wasn''t worried about anyone trying to enter his house or bother him while training. So, being famous didn''t change his life in any way. As for the enemies, he was on their radar for a long time. Fujin replied, "It was expected after yesterday''s battle. Still, I should''ve expected Shikaku to ask us to move so slowly. He doesn''t let any resources go to waste..." Fujin chuckled and so did Renjiro, who replied, "That is natural. He wouldn''t let go of such an easy opportunity to raise the morale of the village. Armies and strong ninjas are too convenient to do that. And, it isn''t just at the top level. You can use it at all levels in a war too. For example, if a group of Chunins is in a tough spot and you send a reputed Jounin to reinforce them, their morale would shoot through the roof. They could hold an enemy that they shouldn''t even with the Jounin''s help. Of course, morale has its limits. Unless the enemy is scared off into retreating, they will eventually die. However, they can buy you valuable time to move your other forces around. Keep that in mind. How you do this will be a major factor in your success or failure as a commander." Fujin nodded as he and Renjiro finally placed a foot outside the village. At the very next moment, both disappeared! The three divisions in front of them were moving fast as well. Within moments, the entire army disappeared from the crowd''s sight. Fujin said, "Well, we can discuss such tricks later. What are the main strategies and tactics we use during wars?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aman, Shrekk, Charlie, luri, eiario and Michael for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 773: Tobiramas Invincible Formation! "What are the main strategies and tactics we use during wars?" Fujin asked as he and Renjiro followed the army. Renjiro replied, "I was thinking of just letting you see them and form your conclusions. However, Shikaku''s words and the army composition change some things..." He glanced at Hoka''s division as he explained, "Traditionally, we would have several specialist units move ahead of our army when we marched to war. The Hyuga ninjas would surround our armies and keep an eye on several kilometers around us. Along with them would be the Inuzuka ninjas and their companions. Their noses can pick up any scents the enemy leaves behind, which are important in spotting traps and figuring out the movements of our enemies. The Yamanaka ninjas would follow behind them. They excel at traditional sensing. However, their chakra fields can be sensed by the enemies. So, they activate it only if the Hyuga or Inuzuka ninjas ask them to do so. What they do more is use their secret technique to transfer their minds into wild birds to keep an eye on the skies. Several Sealmasters move with the Yamanaka clan ninjas as well to spot any traps set for us using seals. Generally, we assign the Sealmasters belonging to these 4 clans to this group so they don''t fall short on other aspects. Following the Yamanaka ninjas and Sealmasters would be the Aburame ninjas. While they don''t have any of the skills the three clans I just mentioned have, the bugs they control make them more useful than the three clans combined. I don''t need to explain their use to you, do I?" Fujin shook his head. He was well aware of the Aburame clan''s prowess. He wasn''t surprised by the way the other clans were used either. In fact, it was very obvious. What he wanted to know more was what would happen later. He asked, "So, what do you do when you finally spot the enemy?" Renjiro answered, "It depends on what we encounter. If it''s the scouting units of the enemy army or any small groups, then these four clan ninjas eliminate them without any assistance. If we face their vanguard, the Inuzuka, Hyuga and Yamanaka clan ninjas would step behind and let the Aburame clan launch a sneak attack. They send a small amount of poisonous bugs to kill as many of our enemies as they can before the enemy realizes the threat. Once they realized the threat, the specialist units would act as the vanguard and confront, or rather, contain the enemy. The main army following them would split into two and attack the enemy from their flanks, completely crushing them. Before the enemy''s main forces even realize, their vanguard and smaller units. When they finally realize it, their morale would hit rock bottom while ours would be at its peak. The army would continue with the same momentum and even crush the enemy army, forcing them to disperse and retreat." Fujin looked suspiciously at Renjiro. While the strategy was undoubtedly good, it couldn''t be that successful. Otherwise, Konoha would have eliminated the enemy countries long ago. Renjiro noticed Fujin''s gaze and chuckled, "Well, at least that was the intention. This formation was created by Lord Second and he used it successfully to cause heavy losses to all other Great Villages. At the start of the First Great War, Konoha was nearly invincible despite being considerably outnumbered due to this tactic. Unfortunately, the other villages took note of this tactic and changed their approach. Traditionally, ninjas always engaged in guerilla warfare. Confrontations of large forces would happen very rarely. Only large and powerful clans like the Senju and Uchiha could do it. Renjiro was surprised. He thought for a bit before replying, "Interesting... I hadn''t thought of this. However, how would you strengthen the army to crush the enemy''s morale so thoroughly?" With a thoughtful expression, Fujin answered, "I have no idea." Fujin''s reply caught Renjiro completely off guard. He almost missed his step and nearly fell. Fortunately, he got hold of himself in the nick of time and glared at Fujin while thinking, ''This brat! I almost fell! I was expecting a new and unique idea. Why did he put up a thoughtful expression to say this?'' Fujin shrugged and explained, "You still haven''t explained how the main army operates, what combinations they use and other details. A new and all-encompassing combination jutsu is an obvious idea, but I can''t comment much on it until I see our current methods in action. Anyway, let Shikaku-san think about it. He''s the best at strategy." Renjiro continued glaring and replied, "We can''t leave everything to him. Several good ideas come on the battlefield. You should watch the training exercises and see if something comes to your mind." Fujin chuckled. The army traveled for a few hours, covering several hundred kilometers until they reached close to the Fire Capital and camped a dozen kilometers away. This would be the place where the military exercises would finally begin! According to Shikaku''s original plan, they would stay here for a week. However, things rarely go according to plan. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Julian, Kyyate and BabyAnn for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 774: Sunagakures Reaction Silence engulfed Sunagakure''s council room as everyone sat deep in thought. They had just received reports from their spies informing them that a Konoha army led by Fujin had marched out. After some time, Ryota said, "Three thousand ninjas... That''s not enough to attack us. However, it is still too high for a simple training exercise. What is their intention?" Sajo said, "My first thought was that they were out to hunt Baki''s group. However, Baki has crossed into the Land of Rivers. They''ll enter our country soon. So, it''s too late to do it..." The council was perplexed. Not knowing whether Konoha intended to attack them, put them in a spot. If they acted rashly, then Konoha would know about their movements. On the other hand, if they didn''t do anything, Konoha could catch them off guard. Suddenly, Ebizo chuckled, causing everyone to turn their heads towards him. He shook his head and said, "I have been retired for so long, but Konoha still hasn''t changed." Chiyo sighed and said, "Yeah, every single move they make can be interpreted in several ways. It''s no different this time. It must be Nara." Ebizo looked at the puzzled expressions and exclaimed, "There are several objectives Konoha could have with this move. On the surface, this looks like a simple military exercise. Their numbers aren''t high enough to invade us and the leaders of the armies are inexperienced. If this is indeed the case, then this is the best-case scenario for us. Unfortunately, Konoha always implements several schemes at the same time and we have to look beyond the surface. Even though the leaders are inexperienced, it doesn''t take much time to send experienced leaders to take over or advise the current ones. In addition, nothing is stopping Konoha from sending more ninjas. Perhaps this army is just the vanguard meant to catch us off guard. Or, Konoha could have secretly sent a few thousand more ninjas to join Fujin''s army later. So, while we anticipate a three-thousand-strong force led by inexperienced commanders, we may end up being attacked by a force that is twice or even three times stronger and led by their Sannins. This will be the worst-case scenario for us. There are several possibilities between these two extremes. Irrespective of what it is, there is no doubt about one thing. Konoha wants to see how we''ll react. No, they want to see how every village will react. This army will be flexible enough to change their tactics depending on what sort of reaction everyone gives." Solemn expressions appeared on everyone''s faces. Most of the current council members in Suna were selected after the end of the Third Great Ninja War. Even though they fought against Konoha during the war, they didn''t have to face them in tactics. They suddenly realized how difficult it was to understand Konoha''s intentions. Ryusa asked, "So, how do we..." Tojuro cut him off and said, "There is another important aspect that we need to consider. Don''t forget what Suzuki Fujin did in our western parts. They may be planning to create several such situations to weaken us." Chiyo immediately replied, "It worked the previous time because you weren''t prepared. They can''t do it openly during the war. Sending him alone would have been a far more effective way to repeat that. The bigger danger is what the boy did in yesterday''s battle." Goza sighed and muttered, "That''s true. If he can kill over a hundred ninjas in the blink of an eye, then this army could cause us a lot of harm. They could send such a small army into our country to bait us into attacking and have him run amok our forces. Along with yesterday''s losses, our situation will be dire." Ebizo nodded and said, "Yes, that is why, we won''t engage them on the battlefield." Chiyo nodded. Even though Ebizo put out a sound analysis, he instinctively felt that Konoha''s plans weren''t what he speculated. He was just preparing for the worst-case scenario. As for what Konoha''s real plans were, neither could guess. Much like Konoha, Suna became very busy too. Following Ebizo''s suggestions, three hundred Suna ninjas left the village. Over the next couple of nights, another four thousand ninjas left secretly! The silent desert suddenly became very active. Suna''s movements were immediately picked up by other hidden villages. Shikaku guessed some of their plans but didn''t bother thinking about it too deeply. Onoki and Ay readied their forces while waiting patiently. The minor villages nervously paid attention too. Contrary to everyone''s expectations, the first move wasn''t made by Konoha or Suna! In Konoha, the council members met once again at the request of Shikaku! Only the clan leaders and the elders were called. Koharu asked, "Is there a new development for you to call for another meeting so quickly?" Shikaku replied, "Something like that, though it hasn''t happened yet. I received a rather interesting proposal an hour ago." Shikaku placed a scroll on the table. The symbol of Kusagakure was visible to everyone. Koharu and Homura went through the scroll first. Immediately, a weird expression appeared on Homura''s face. On the other hand, Koharu frowned and muttered, "This doesn''t make sense. Are they setting a trap for us so openly?" [A/N: Sorry guys. For some reason, the latest chapter took a lot longer to write. Won''t be able to do a double today, but I''ll write tomorrow too since I technically had a break yesterday.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Reaper, Pepperoni_please, BabyAnn, Luso and Dez for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Tejesh for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 775: New Orders! "This doesn''t make sense. Are they setting a trap for us so openly?" Koharu muttered in confusion. Her words intrigued the clan leaders who quickly went through the scroll. Just like Koharu, they had similar doubts. The scroll contained a request for help. Kusagakure asked Konoha''s assistance to finish off their rebels. In return, they agreed to pay Konoha as per their previous deal. Hiashi muttered in confusion, "Didn''t the reports say that they have annihilated half the rebel forces at a great cost? The rest of the job should be far easier. So, why are they requesting our help now? Also..." Tsume completed his question, "What is this previous deal? When did we reach a deal with Kusagakure?" Everyone''s eyes turned towards Shikaku, who glanced at Homura and said, "I believe Elder Homura can explain it better than me." They followed Shikaku''s gaze and realized that Homura still had the same weird expression. Koharu asked, "What''s the matter?" Homura composed himself and replied, "It''s a bit complicated..." He sighed internally, ''I never expected that Kusa would accept this absurd proposal... Sigh, Hiruzen''s decision to send Fujin was extremely good. I don''t think even he anticipated this.'' He turned his gaze towards the council members and said, "As you know, Kusagakure had sent such a request to us earlier. However, it was more of an attempt to arm-twist us than transact fairly. Hence, Hiruzen had sent a diplomatic group led by Fujin to Kusagakure, and I had tagged along." The clan leaders were aware of this as this information wasn''t kept hidden. However, none of them were aware of what happened during discussions. Homura recounted the events of that day. Everything seemed normal at first, but they were soon left speechless after learning how casually Fujin threatened and challenged them, putting the entire diplomatic delegation including Homura in grave danger. What shocked them more was how unfair the terms of his proposal were! Homura concluded, "Due to how ridiculous the proposal was, we didn''t see a need to discuss it in the council. However, I never imagined that Kusagakure would accept it someday, let alone do it a few days after we were attacked..." Everyone nodded and began analyzing the situation deeply. As good as the reward for annihilating the rebels was, they understood that it wouldn''t be straightforward. After a few minutes, Senju Hiromasa let out a long sigh and muttered, "Kusagakure... As expected of them. They really excel in diplomacy." Homura nodded, "Yes. That meeting left bad blood between them and Fujin. Even though they would never dare to act upon it, it was extremely clear that they hated Fujin. However, Fujin''s performance in the war was too intimidating. They realized the need to improve their relationship with Fujin and quickly acted. By accepting this proposal, we will gain a large amount of resources at the moment when we need them the most. Since Fujin is the one who facilitated this deal, he''ll get the credit and his reputation would improve further. In essence, they''re paying to strengthen Fujin''s influence in Konoha and using it to reset their relationship with him. Perhaps, they''re also hedging their bets on him becoming the Hokage in the future." Everyone agreed. There was no doubt about it. Even though it would hurt Kusa''s pockets, this move was extremely well-timed! As long as Fujin stayed alive, their investment would have multi-fold returns. Homura suddenly became serious as he continued, "Of course, this isn''t all. Their diplomacy isn''t that simple." Shikaku said, "Yeah. Along with mending ties with Fujin, this is also a test for us. We were attacked by two formidable forces. Our allies are unsure whether they can continue counting on us. Kusagakure likely shares the same doubt. If we fail or even struggle, it''ll send a message that we have taken a huge hit. On the other hand, an overwhelming performance will reassure our allies and keep them in check while deterring Iwagakure and Kumogakure from making any unprovoked move. Fujin asked, "Do we have intel about the rebels?" The Yamanaka ninja replied, "It is being conveyed to us as we speak. It''ll be brought here as soon as we get everything. Proper scrolls might be sent later while we travel..." Fujin nodded. Within minutes, another ninja arrived and handed Fujin some notes before clearing the tent. Only Fujin and the other four leaders were left in the tent. Renjiro said, "This is surprising. I thought they had the upper hand... Hmm? What''s the matter?" As Fujin was reading, a weird look appeared on Fujin''s face. Fujin shook his head and said, "They have the upper hand. They are just sucking up to me..." His words confused the ones in the room. Hoka asked, "What do you mean? How does going to war benefit you?" Fujin answered, "It doesn''t. It''s the price we''ll receive to complete this. I had led the negotiation mission and the terms were very unfair for them and we ended on bad terms. So, it''ll be very helpful for the village in the aftermath of the war and I''ll get the credit." Hoka''s eyes widened. He replied, "I see. That makes sense." He chuckled and added, "They must have gotten the reports of Sunagakure and Orochimaru''s attack on us." Renjiro agreed, "Yeah. Still, it''s impressive how quickly they acted. As expected of a village that excels in diplomacy. How many rebel forces are left?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You DarkDriller, Noctussy, Kash_kxng, Kham, Garrett, Mason and Sevensins for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 776: Knocked Out! "How many rebel forces are still left?" Everyone looked at Fujin, wanting to know the answer, too. Fujin answered, "According to Kusagakure''s estimates, the rebels initially had around 1,500. However, they recruited various rogue ninjas, either through money, the promise of power or through Iwagakure''s manipulation, increasing their numbers to beyond 2,000. The two forces have been clashing constantly and Kusa had two major victories, which eliminated around two-fifths of the rebel forces. However, Kagero, the rebel leader, is still at large and they still have around 1,200 ninjas. Our job would be to eliminate at least 800 ninjas and eliminate their leadership entirely." Fujin pushed a note forward and said, "These are their current leaders. Kagero is their leader and Tsuchiro is his right hand. He has four more competent ninjas under him, who lead the armies. They are Reiko, Hisato, Shizuma and Ganku." Hoka muttered, "This is the first time I''m hearing about them... How strong are they?" Renjiro replied, "They are formidable; otherwise, Kusagakure wouldn''t have lost hundreds of ninjas and so much of its territory. Kagero used to be the rival of Hiroshi, the current leader of Kusagakure. In terms of strength, he is slightly stronger than Hiroshi. However, he lacks in other aspects and hence couldn''t become the leader. His strength is at the Elite Jounin level by our standards. Tuschiro is like a brother to him and always stays by his side, even during wars. He wasn''t Elite Jounin level but was very close to it before they betrayed Kusagakure. Considering that it has been years since then, he too should be considered as an Elite Jounin level threat. The other four are Kagero''s students. Each one of them is a formidable Jounin." Hoka replied, "Two Elite Jounins... No wonder Kusagakure struggled so much." Fujin agreed, "Yeah, even though they have twelve Elite Jounins, only three could have that rank if they were in Konoha. Even among those three, only Hiroshi could compete with stronger Elite Jounins like Sensei. Anyway, I heard quite a bit about Kagero during my Anbu days, but I never saw him in action. How does he fare against you, Sensei?" Renjiro thought for a bit and replied, "It''s difficult to say. I shouldn''t have any issue in fighting him, but killing him will be difficult. For you, he should be rather easy to kill." Fujin sighed and replied, "Yeah, but that''d be rather boring..." All four of them looked at Fujin with a deadpan expression. Fujin chuckled and replied, "It is what it is. If I fight, then it won''t be a war and our army won''t get any practice. So, I''ll be staying back and will only interfere if our losses cross a certain threshold or if Iwagakure decides to reinforce the faction they nurtured." Before anyone could reply, Fujin looked at Hoka and said, "Hoka, you''ll be responsible for taking out Kagero. You won''t receive any assistance from me or Sensei, but you can use your division''s help. Illumi-san, you''ll be dealing with Tsuchiro." A glint appeared in Hoka''s eyes. He realized that Fujin was giving him an opportunity to establish his reputation. Killing someone like Kagero would make Hoka very famous throughout Konoha and even make other villages take note of him. While Fujin had asked Hoka to maintain a low profile earlier, things had changed. Hoka had performed splendidly during the assault, making everyone, especially the Hyuga clan, take note of him. So, Hoka was understandably worried about Hiashi making a move on him in the dark. However, if Hoka''s performance was amazing, Fujin''s performance was downright terrifying. Hoka knew that Hiashi wouldn''t do anything foolish enough to attract Fujin''s ire. After all, not only was Fujin''s strength terrifying, but he also had a fearsome reputation for acting in the dark. Fujin''s deterrence along with the fact that Hoka had already exposed his strength meant that Hoka had no reason to continue acting conservatively. Instead, he had to go all out and build his own reputation. Kagero is believed to be in the valleys of Kagetani with his main army. Tuschiro is handling the affairs in the hilly regions of Midorino. While Reiko and Hisato are controlling their forces in the grassy plains of Tsuchioka." Hoka asked, "What''s the plan?" Fujin replied, "Since they are separated, we can''t destroy the entire army in one swoop. However, it''ll increase our numerical advantage even further." Fujin picked up a pencil and put a cross mark on the Tsuchioka province. He said, "Our first target will be Tsuchioka. We''ll hit them hard and fast and finish off this group before they realize they''re under attack. The next move will depend on how they react." Fujin turned his gaze towards others and asked, "Do any of you have a different opinion?" Everyone shook their heads. Since everyone agreed, they began discussing the plan of attack. Needless to say, the Nara Jounins handled most of these matters. In the Fire Capital, most people were talking about Konoha''s army that was camped just a dozen kilometers away. Due to the nature of the mission, Fujin hadn''t hidden his traces. Instead, the army trained grandly, attracting a lot of attention. Even though no one was allowed close to the camps, many noticed it from a distance as they travelled. Several hundred civilians even made a trip to see a glimpse of the strong Konoha ninjas. However, once the darkness covered the skies, Fujin''s army wrapped up the entire camp and stealthily left. No one was aware of their departure. In the Land of Grass, two ninjas wearing Kusagakure''s headband were moving along the grass. One of them yawned and muttered, "Do we have to keep patrolling so early in the morning? After the beating we gave the rebels, they won''t dare to step out of that little valley." The ninja next to him scolded, "Stop being lazy. Even though they''re hurt, they still have a lot of force. If we''re caught off guard, thousands of people will die!" The first ninja sighed, "You are too paranoi..." His words froze as his eyes widened. His partner was shocked too as neither of them could move a muscle. Before either of them could realize what was happening, both were knocked out! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Tom, Nioreski, Gaymer and jils for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 777: A Strange Phenomenon... [A/N: Search ''Map'' on my pat reon page. Check the public post related to map of Land of Grass to get a clearer picture. PS: I''m a novice at this ????] After the end of the Third Great Ninja War, the world enjoyed a relatively peaceful decade. While several clashes happened from time to time and the world was tense once again due to the attack on Konoha, most countries were still enjoying their peace. However, there was one exception. Due to Iwagakure''s instigations, Kusagakure was embroiled in a deadly internal war. Even though it still stood strong, the people in the Land of Grass suffered. Luckily, after several deadly and painful clashes, Kusagakure had the upper hand and the rebels were contained in the Southwestern corner of the country, finally providing some much-needed relief to the common people. Just as the people relaxed their guards, a strange phenomenon occurred in the Land of Grass. A phenomenon that they had never experienced. In a narrow strip of land, which ran from East to West in the Land of Grass and lay almost at the center between Kusagakure and the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire, nearly three dozen ninjas were knocked out and captured alive, irrespective of which faction they belonged. As for who the culprits were? They were none other than the very people Kusagakure asked for help! Moving such a large army in absolute secrecy was almost impossible. They had to be spotted by just one spy or loudmouth to bust their cover and warn their target. So, Fujin came up with a simple solution. Of course, his ''simple'' solution left his Generals and the Nara strategists speechless. However, both felt that it was plausible after thinking for a bit. The reason for this was the unexpected charge by Fujin''s army and the degree to which they outmatched any force in the vicinity. There was no doubt that Kusagakure as well as the rebels would notice something was off. However, by the time they realized it, Fujin''s army would have accomplished their first goal. As such, the Nara clan ninjas joined the other clans in the specialist units and led the charge. The Kusagakure ninjas were simply helpless against the combination of so many secret techniques supported by the Byakugan. Of course, there was a simpler solution. They could have just killed off everyone in their way so they wouldn''t need to put seals on everyone they captured and carry them along. Fortunately or unfortunately, the nature of the mission eliminated this option. So, with such a relentless charge, Konoha forces marched straight into the Tsuchioka province! Needless to say, they followed the same approach. In an underground base in the Northern region of the Tsuchioka province, a lady frowned. She muttered, "We haven''t received reports from two groups..." Hisato frowned and asked, "Where were they?" Reiko answered, "One group was outside our territories, they could have fallen. However, the second was sufficiently within our borders." Hisato''s expression became ugly. He cursed, "Those scums! Are they already starting another attack so soon? Do they have no regard for their losses?" Reiko expressed, "They want to press on their advantage to rout us completely. Even though we can''t be certain, order everyone to get ready." Hisato nodded and said, "Of course. I hope that this is a false alarm. Our army isn''t in a state to fight another war so soon. We need Iwagakure''s supplies and assistance quickly." Reiko solemnly nodded. Despite launching a strong attack, every single ninja in the camp was preparing to retreat. They just wanted to inflict some damage on the enemy so that they would slow down and wouldn''t risk chasing after them. Having warred against Kusagakure for a long time, they had mastered this tactic. Otherwise, they would have been annihilated a long time ago. Unfortunately for them, they misjudged who their enemy was. Instead of seeing their enemy slow down and hearing the screams of any injured ninjas, a bright orange light flooded their eyes. As far as their eyes could see, they could only see flames! A Tsunami of Fire was heading right towards them! The Water and Fire jutsus clashed. However, instead of being doused, the flames moved straight through them, evaporating any water that reached them! Needless to say, these flames were assisted by winds! Even though the winds weren''t as strong as Fujin''s, they were more than sufficient to overwhelm the rebels. Their jutsus were scattered and their weapons repelled. Even the explosive tags failed to create a dent in the flames. Realizing the immense danger, several senior ninjas shouted, "Use Earth and Water Walls! Hurry! Any defense would help!" Everyone who knew any defensive jutsus immediately weaved hand seals. Dozens of ninjas prepared the Earth Wall and Water Wall jutsus while another couple of hundred ninjas prepared weaker defensive jutsus. However, before they could finish their jutsus, their chakra flow was suddenly disrupted. Several ninjas coughed blood. Quite a few felt dizzy. A few had difficulty moving their bodies, almost as if they had been paralyzed. The ones who suffered muttered in horror, "Those damn bugs! This... They aren''t Kusa..." Due to the sudden disruption, more than half of the ninjas failed to complete their jutsus! Even so, over a dozen powerful jutsus and nearly a hundred weaker jutsus were used. Earth and Water Walls appeared in front of them, giving them a minuscule sense of security. Unfortunately for them, Lightning Spears pierced through their defenses even before they could take a deep breath. Moments later, the Fire-Wind Combination jutsu hit the punctured defense and completely crushed it! The rebels stared in horror as nothing stood between them and the fire tsunami! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ganbayar, Chavi, Ahyap, Luco, AR3S, Jai, JTSSE and xXiamfalloutXx for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Abhinav for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 778: The Best War Tactic! The rebels stared in horror, as their defenses were first punctured by the Lightning spears before being crushed by the overwhelming Fire-Wind jutsu! Without the need for a single order, every single one retreated! As they ran, one of the senior ninjas looked back and thought grimly, ''This is a scheme! We were fooled! If we knew it was Konoha, we would have retreated right away irrespective of our casualties. However, now...'' Another thought, ''This isn''t the first time we were ambushed. Under normal circumstances, we would launch a strong combination attack and slow down the enemy just enough for us to escape. Of course, depending on how strong the enemy was, we would lose somewhere between 5-20% of our forces. But, Konoha crushed our attack directly! We failed to slow them down. That fire alone would wipe out more than a third of our forces! And, we''ll soon be hunted down by them. We''ll be lucky if 20% of us escape alive today.'' Similar thoughts ran through the minds of the experienced ninjas. As for the young ones, terror had long flooded their minds. Despite their proficiency in escaping, the fire engulfed 125 ninjas! Their legs just couldn''t outrun the wind-assisted flames. Shrilling screams echoed through the grassland as all of them were burned alive! Needless to say, only the weakest ninjas failed to escape the range. Hence, they didn''t have any means to resist the scorching flames. Even the ones who had jutsus to move underground failed to do so in time. The remaining rebels gritted their teeth in rage but continued escaping without looking back. They could only swear to avenge their comrades. However, in order to do that, they had to escape alive. Konoha''s army split into platoons and chased after the scattered rebels. Since the rebels failed to retreat orderly, they were easy pickings for Konoha ninjas. The slower rebels were eliminated one by one. Realizing that they would die, several fought to buy some time for their comrades. Unfortunately, the slowest ninjas were once again the weakest among those who remained. They couldn''t do much. However, Konoha ninjas paid careful attention to them. They were wary of suicidal tactics and didn''t want to lose ninjas needlessly. As such, they successfully managed to slow down the Konoha army. The faster rebels sensed that the distance between them and Konoha was increasing and sighed in relief. However, they suddenly froze and stopped running. Their relief changed to horror and helplessness in a moment! Even the experienced ninjas were stunned. A few were so shocked that they even dropped their weapons and muttered, "Why...? Why is there another Konoha army here?" The sensors realized, ''There are over 2000 ninjas... Konoha sent 3 divisions... Fuck! They aren''t here just for us! They want to eliminate Kagero-sama and all those who support him!'' The army that attacked the base was merely Hoka''s division. Using the combination attack, they killed 125 rebels and hunted another 68 as they escaped. The remaining 107 rebels were welcomed by the remaining two divisions. Without exchanging a single word, Konomi and Illumi''s divisions started the assault. From some distance away, Fujin and Renjiro witnessed the massacre. A few Nara Jounins stood behind them. Renjiro teased, "It looks like the new combination attack worked." Fujin shamelessly nodded and muttered, "Hmm, I didn''t think that the answer would be so simple. We only need to attack with ten times the number our enemy has and with stronger ninjas. We''ll always win overwhelmingly." Renjiro chuckled and said, "Maybe we should ask Shikaku for six thousand more ninjas to maintain our advantage in the next battle." Without hesitation, Fujin nodded. The Nara Jounins were left speechless at the duo''s plan to mess with their clan leader. Needless to say, none of them had any intention of defending their clan leader. It was too troublesome. They thought, ''No matter what trouble these two create, our leader is intelligent enough to deal with them. If we help, he might feel humiliated. We can''t humiliate our clan leader!'' While the rebels were being slaughtered, two silhouettes were moving at a rapid speed. Hisato said fearfully, "Luckily you realized the threat, or we would have been dead too! Damned Konoha! Not only did they launch an attack on our base, but they also established a perimeter around the base! We were almost caught!" He was interrupted by Hoka, who asked in surprise, "Why did you attack me? I only wanted to talk. Who would assist you?" Reiko and Hisato felt like Hoka was mocking them. Reiko replied, "You are clearly strong. Why are you trying to stall us instead of fighting directly?" Confusion appeared on Hoka''s face as he asked, "Stall? I''m not doing anything like that. Rest assured, no one will come here. So, why don''t you answer my question?" Reiko shouted angrily, "Kill us if you want to, but you can''t humiliate us! We''ll never betray Sensei! Even if I have only one leg, I''ll still crush your skull!" The innocence vanished from Hoka''s face, replaced by an indifferent gaze. He asked, "One leg? Are you sure you still have it?" Hoka''s change and question caught the two off guard. They felt a tremor and looked below. Before they could react, a pair of arms appeared and grabbed their legs. They immediately stabbed kunais into the figure that appeared from the ground, but not before the chakra points in their legs were damaged! As the figure dispersed in a cloud of smoke, they heard, "Aren''t you forgetting something?" They couldn''t even turn their heads before being hit by the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms technique! Hoka sealed all their chakra points before knocking them unconscious! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kelevra, Bring, Yamin, Fishnoblade, Aetherist, Chris and Dracule for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Nishant for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 779: The First Shocking News! Reiko and Hisato collapsed to the ground. They were knocked out cold! Even though they possessed the strength of a real Jounin, they were completely outmatched by Hoka. Not only did they fall short in speed and abilities, but they were also under heavy pressure and had to act constrained to avoid attracting any attention. These factors made the battle even more unfair. To make matters even worse, Hoka wasn''t arrogant due to his various advantages and hid a Shadow Clone underground even before the duo reached that area. So, the poor souls stood no chance. A few ninjas appeared behind Hoka, looked at the two unconscious ninjas and exclaimed, "You already got them, General?" Hoka nodded and ordered, "I have sealed their chakra points, but add proper seals on their bodies and bring them to the commander." Hoka''s subordinates immediately got to work. Before they could leave, a squad led by Konomi appeared as well. She looked at the unconscious bodies and said with a smile, "Good work, Hoka." Hoka smiled and replied, "It''s all thanks to your and Illumi-san''s divisions establishing a perimeter." The two interacted cordially while the captured rebels were brought to Fujin. However, Hoka overlooked one thing, though it could be attributed to how good Konomi was at controlling her expressions. Even though Konomi interacted cordially, she successfully hid her jealousy from Hoka. She sighed internally while thinking, ''No matter at what level we are, people in power always prefer to give control and credit to their friends and family. Even though I couldn''t kill Kagero, I could have captured these two with ease and improved my reputation. Yet, this task was also given to him. I can''t even say anything as they take 3 spots from the 5 leaders and even have a good relationship with Illumi. Sigh, I hope that Fujin has some plans for me other than just supporting these two. Otherwise, I''ll have to work hard by myself once again...'' Since Konomi was a ninja from a civilian background, she hoped that she would finally receive more opportunities from Fujin, who was the council member representing all civilian ninjas. Unfortunately, she was only disappointed so far. "What is the current status?" Ashigaka Hiroshi asked grimly. Due to the sudden disappearance of several ninjas, Kusagakure was on high alert. They immediately convened a council meeting. An elderly man answered, "Currently, 41 ninjas are missing. All were patrol groups operating to the South of the village. I suspect that this is Kagero''s scheme. He might be planning an attack from this direction." Another countered, "We can''t be sure. This could also be a diversion. Perhaps he wants us to focus on the South while he ambushes us from the North. Even though we won the last clash, we must not underestimate him!" The elderly man replied, "It doesn''t matter what his plan is. Don''t forget that we have asked Konoha to eliminate them. We only need to maintain our defensive position and we will win. However, we need to take steps to check what happened to our ninjas and also ask for Konoha''s help for the same. Hiroshi-sama, did Konoha accept the proposal?" Hiroshi frowned and said, "I still haven''t heard from them." The mood in the council became solemn. If Konoha didn''t accept the proposal, this troublesome situation would be the least of their worries as it would signify that Konoha had weakened and Iwagakure could drastically increase their support to the rebels! Suddenly, three knocks were heard. Everyone gazed towards the door as Hiroshi said, "Come in." An Anbu ninja walked in, handed Hiroshi a scroll and reported, "Hiroshi-sama, we have received a message from Konoha. They have accepted the proposal." Everyone nodded solemnly. Hiroshi looked at the Anbu ninja and asked, "Anything else they reported?" The Anbu ninja replied, "Yes. They said that they''d soon be marching into Kagetani and were predicting that Kagero and Tsuchiro''s forces would come together. They have advised us to deploy our forces to the East and South of Midorino to ensure that the rebels don''t scatter into our country and create a hidden danger." Frowns appeared on several faces as they quickly began analyzing this particular information. Not far away from the destroyed rebel camp, Fujin and others had set up their camps. Fujin and other leaders sat in the main tent while others rested. Yamanaka Shin reported, "Commander, Reiko sent four messenger birds to Kagero from the time we attacked till General Hoka captured her, each message providing greater detail. The fourth bird was intercepted by ninjas on our perimeter and I have confirmed that the message in it was the same as her memories. So, the enemy should know that this camp was attacked by one division of Konoha. Since they wouldn''t receive any more communications, they should be aware that their forces were eliminated or captured." Hoka sighed, "They were able to send a message despite all our preparations..." Fujin casually replied, "That''s to be expected. They wouldn''t have survived so long if they couldn''t do even this. Regardless, our tactic was quite successful. To eliminate a force of 350 ninjas and capture their two leaders without a single casualty is an excellent start to our campaign." He turned his gaze to Shin and asked, "I suppose the fourth message stated that there are three and not just one division." Shin nodded. He was about to speak when Hoka asked, "Why don''t we fool them by pretending to write messages? After all, we have their memories." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You The reapers shadow, Blanket, Information Hierarchy, Gabriel, Adrien, AUWfb, Sukhman, pat reon user, Daniel, 4KKeyKay and RexRegis supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 780: The Will of People! Hoka asked, "Why don''t we fool them by pretending to write messages? After all, we have their memories." Shin shook his head and said, "That won''t work. It has already been a few hours since we captured them. Since no message was sent during this time, they''ll suspect that something has happened to them. They''ll be cautious about any new messages they receive, especially considering that they know Konoha is the one who attacked." Hoka sighed, "That''s a shame." Illumi warned, "Hoka, don''t underestimate our enemies. Even though we have several secret techniques which have no good counter, our enemies are aware of what they can do. They will always consider it while planning. If you blindly believed in the secret techniques, the enemy might use them to lure you into a trap instead!" Hoka''s expression became serious. He replied, "I understand." Fujin looked at Shin and asked, "Did you mark the positions of the enemy bases on the map?" Shin nodded and handed Fujin a map. As Fujin observed the map, Shin said, "I also marked the other locations they used as their hidden bases earlier along with some of the locations these two thought suitable for future bases. It''s unlikely for them to use the current and past ones, but some of these could be a possibility. However, they might consider this as well." Fujin nodded while Renjiro said, "It''s fine. We can track them from the clues they leave behind in their current headquarters. However, it won''t be that easy." Konomi agreed, "Yes, they will do everything they can to eliminate the traces. In addition, they will also set up several decoy traces to confuse us." Illumi added, "There is also another possibility. Since they know we are heading towards them, they could set a trap for us. I know this seems unlikely since they wouldn''t want to face Konoha, but that''s what they could use to surprise us." Konomi quickly added, "Actually, I was thinking about the same thing. While they don''t have the strength to fight against us, they could ask for reinforcements from Iwagakure." Fujin chuckled and asked, "And who would Iwagakure send? Unlike the rebels, they will be aware that I''m leading the army. To fight against me, the Tsuchikage might need to move himself, which would be akin to declaring war against Konoha. It''s too risky, not something the Tsuchikage would do." Fujin''s words surprised the ones in the tent. However, they quickly realized that Iwagakure truly didn''t have anyone else to fight Fujin. Hoka chuckled and said, "We forget how strong you are. Anyway..." His expression became serious as he looked at the map containing their plans and said, "There is one aspect we didn''t consider. If we hit them through the border between Tsuchioka and Kagetani while Kusagakure surrounds Midorani, the rebels could feel trapped and escape to the Land of Earth to seek their protection. In that case, we can''t do anything. If we do, then it''ll be tantamount to us declaring war on Iwagakure as you just said. And, this mission will be a failure." To Hoka''s surprise, Fujin simply shook his head and said, "Don''t worry, they won''t." In Kusagakure, the council meeting had taken a whole different turn from the reason it was convened. The council members were analyzing how to respond to Fujin''s request. Unfortunately, things have gone exactly where I didn''t want them to. I wouldn''t have minded losing my life if Hiroshi did it himself. Even though we lost two battles, Kusagakure had become stronger. However, by asking for Konoha''s help, he has become their lackey. Kusagakure will undo the good work they had been doing and be their vassal for decades. The only way it''ll change is if Konoha collapses or becomes weaker. Unfortunately, that won''t happen anytime soon with all the talented young blood they keep raising. Just this kid alone will ensure that they''ll stay at the top for half a century." Ganku and Shizuma were lost for words. Neither could find words to comfort their sensei. After a long silence, Ganku said, "If Hiroshi took Konoha''s help, then why don''t we take Iwagakure''s help?" Kagero immediately shook his head and said, "As much as I''d love to make Konoha and Iwagakure consume each other''s strength, neither are that foolish. Onoki won''t confront Konoha head-on. Especially not when they have such a strong momentum." Ganku shook his head and replied, "That''s not what I mean. Since defending is useless, why don''t we retreat to the Land of Earth and wait till Konoha withdraws their forces? We can take that time to regroup and come back stronger." Kagero frowned while Shizuma shook his head. Shizuma explained, "I know your strategy sounds good, but you''re missing one important aspect. The will of the people." Ganku looked at Shizuma in confusion when Kagero suddenly spoke, "During all three Great Ninja Wars, Iwagakure attempted to attack Konoha through our country, making it a battleground. Hence, the people in the Land of Grass have a hatred towards Iwagakure. It decreased with time, but the hate exploded once again when they sent their Jinchuriki to our lands and allowed him to use the Tailed Beast Bomb. If we retreat to the Land of Earth, we''ll forever lose the support of any people we have. Not just that, most of the members of our army will lose their faith in me. Even though we''ll be unharmed, our army will crumble. In addition, Kusagakure will be forced to be even more subservient to Konoha!" Ganku''s expression became grim as Shizuma added, "Even if the army stays intact, we''ll be subjected to the whims of Iwagakure. They will definitely use us as cannon fodder during the next major war." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Alex, Vinayak, Hunter, 1Sword, Zakj, Pascal, Jack and Sleepyblackcat for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 781: The Largest Concentration of Force! Kagero agreed, "Yes, we''ll be sent on the frontlines to face Konoha in this country since we are most familiar with it. And there will be only one result: our complete annihilation. Even though Iwagakure has supported us, don''t forget that they only did it to increase their influence in this country and not out of any concern for our cause." Ganku solemnly nodded and said. "I apologize, I didn''t think clearly." Shizuka asked, "What do we do now?" Kagero answered, "We change our base again." Both Ganku and Shizuma were surprised. Shizuma asked, "We already changed our base thrice. Shouldn''t that be enough?" Kagero suddenly chuckled and said, "Don''t underestimate our enemy. They aren''t as weak as Hiroshi''s forces. We could change our base a thousand times and they would still find us if they have the will to do so." His expression became serious as he continued, "Of course, that is if they have the will. We''ll leave behind countless false trails and traps. Hopefully, the losses and delays they face along with external pressures due to their recent war will force them to withdraw. Since they already destroyed a third of our forces, they can claim victory to increase their morale and destroy others even if they don''t manage to find us. We can only hope..." Silence filled the tent as Ganku and Shizuma finally realized how grave their situation was. Finally, Ganku asked, "What if they continue looking for us?" Kagero''s eyes became murderous. His students were terrified by the bloodlust they felt! Kagero answered, "Then we give them hell! I''ll use my blood and life to remind every Kusagakure ninja what they could be capable of!" Ganku and Shizuma''s expressions became solemn. Both decided to follow their teacher until the very end. Unlike the solemn atmosphere in the Rebel Camp, the Konoha camp was rather lively and in high spirits. After the first battle, Fujin had given them a day''s rest since the army had rushed from the Fire Capital to Tsuchioka and engaged the enemy without a break. They were finally ready to go and were looking at Fujin, who was facing the entire army. Fujin glanced through the army before speaking, "I know that everyone is excited due to yesterday''s victory. Even though we outnumbered our enemy considerably, killing 350 ninjas and capturing their leaders without losing a single ninja is an extremely impressive achievement. It is something that rarely happened in history. However, don''t let your excitement make you careless and don''t let yesterday''s victory make you overconfident. We not only had an overwhelming advantage in numbers and strength but also had the element of surprise. The enemy didn''t know they were facing us until the last moment. That will no longer be the case. Our enemy will now expect us and be prepared. They''ll set countless traps to target us and break our morale. Even though they are weaker than us, unlike us, they have been in constant war for a long time. So, don''t underestimate our enemy. So, always pay full attention to your surroundings and be careful. Look out for yourself and your comrades. Ensure that your enemy is dead and be on the lookout for suicidal attacks. Only then can we win as thoroughly as yesterday. When we win, I want to return to Konoha with all of you." However, not making any move made Iwagakure look weak, which didn''t sit right with several people in the room. A council member asked, "So we do nothing?" Onoki replied, "Of course not. Konoha has not only attacked the Kusagakure rebels but also provoked us. Kitsuchi, you''ll take 5,000 ninjas and go to the Kusagakure border. Roshi, you''ll go with him and always stay with him. Don''t make any move, just station your army at the border and let them feel the pressure." Onoki''s words surprised everyone in the room except Kitsuchi and Roshi. Several glanced at them in confusion. Kurotsuchi asked in surprise, "Do you mean that Uncle Roshi and Father can''t defeat Suzuki Fujin despite having more ninjas?" Onoki answered, "No, they can''t. However, Fujin won''t be able to defeat them either as long as they are together. On the contrary, Roshi''s Tailed Beast Bombs will force him to withdraw the entire army. However, the trouble with this boy isn''t just his strength. It''s his ability to kill ninjas. The reports said that he killed a hundred Suna elite ninjas in the blink of an eye with just one technique twice! Perhaps that might be their intention as well. So, don''t let your guard down. How they respond after we deploy our forces will give an idea about their true intentions." He looked at Kitsuchi and Roshi and seriously said, "If they retreat their army, you guys should retreat as well. This might just be a ploy for us to send our forces so that Fujin could run amok among our ranks and eliminate hundreds of ninjas, just like the Fourth Hokage did previously. Though it''s very unlikely, a lot of strange things are happening and every one of them seems to benefit Konoha in some way." Kitsuchi and Roshi nodded. Unlike others in the room, neither dared to underestimate Fujin. Kitsuchi had already suffered a terrible loss at Fujin''s hands while Roshi was forced to his limits as well. And, both those battles had happened years ago. Within a day, 5,000 Iwagakure ninjas marched. Along with Konoha, Kusa and Rebel forces, nearly 11,000 ninjas would soon gather in and around the western part of Kusagakure. It would be the largest concentration of force that involved several hidden villages since the end of the Third Great Ninja War! Would tensions escalate, causing the three hidden villages to go to war? Or would things calm down? Only time would tell. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Chris, Gaming Experience, GastricSalmon, Sam, Mammi, Luis, Alex, Matt and Micky for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 782: Hide u0026 Seek The movements made by Iwagakure and Konoha were quickly picked up by other hidden villages. In Sunagakure, the council met again to figure out what to do. Ryusa muttered with a frown, "Instead of targeting us, Konoha went to the Land of Grass. What are they intending?" Goza replied, "This should be Kusagakure''s doing. They want to prevent Konoha from being weakened by attacking us. Even if Konoha wins against us, a weak Konoha will put Kusagakure in a lot of danger." Ryusa asked, "Does that mean Konoha wouldn''t pursue our attack?" Tojuro snorted, "Of course, they will. However, it''ll depend on how this campaign goes. If they fail to eliminate the rebels or enter into a conflict with Iwagakure, they won''t be in a position to attack us." "I wouldn''t be too sure about that." The council members turned their heads to Baki, who had rejoined the council after returning. After meeting him, they had a far clearer picture of what happened and how terrifying that battle was for Sunagakure ninjas. Baki explained, "We underestimated Konoha by a huge degree the previous time. And, we paid a terrible price for it. During our attack, Konoha was even more prepared for it than us. Considering how quickly Fujin attacked, it felt like they were waiting for us to attack so that they could begin slaughtering us. It''ll be foolish to believe that they aren''t prepared this time. The only scenario that would be in our favor is if Iwagakure decides to go on the offensive. However, that is even more unlikely. The Tsuchikage would never do something so risky. We should be thankful to Kusagakure for buying us some time and need to use this time to prepare for any plans Konoha might have for us later." The rising hopes in the Suna Council were immediately crushed by Baki''s trauma of the battle. Before they could recover, Baki muttered, "Besides, they have sent that demon to lead their army. Inexperienced as he may be, Konoha''s intentions must be very nefarious." Ebizo glanced at Baki and wondered, ''How much trauma did the battle leave on him? Suzuki Fujin... How terrifying is he?'' In Kumogakure, several important ninjas gathered in Ay''s office as he read the reports. A smirk appeared on his face as he muttered, "Interesting, the fence-sitter is finally making a move." He glanced at Darui and Yugito and ordered, "This is the perfect opportunity. Make the move. Be careful and stay in constant touch with Mabui. If needed, I''ll make a move myself. We can''t afford another loss after the earlier debacle. " Darui, Yugito, C and Samui nodded. Along with a few other elite squads, they left Kumogakure within half an hour and began moving towards the West! Both factions in the Land of Water ignored this news. They were too busy with their civil war. They were just glad that other villages were facing losses too, even though to a lesser extent. The minor villages became tense. A war between Konoha and Iwagakure could easily turn into the next Great Ninja War. Considering that the matter between Konoha and Sunagakure was still unresolved, they were very nervous. Needless to say, the ones who were the most tense were Kusagakure. However, they had already foreseen this situation when they asked for Konoha''s help. They could only hope that their calculations were accurate. While the world was paying close attention to the events, Konoha''s army reached the rebel faction''s base. Fujin replied casually, "Hmm, I expected as much... These guys aren''t slouches. We''ll follow every track to find them. Rank the ones you think are the most plausible and start the work. We''ll inspect each one by one to avoid falling into any traps." The ninja nodded and left. The army quickly began working through the tracks. It took several hours to find the right track, and they reached the second base where the rebels hid. Unfortunately, they were met with the same situation! The Iwagakure army reached the border and stayed along it. A few squads entered the Land of Grass occasionally to see if there would be any reaction. However, both the Konoha army and the Kusagakure army completely ignored their activities. Neither paid any attention to them, puzzling as well as angering the Iwagakure ninjas. Kitsuchi muttered, "Tsuchikage-sama was correct. Something is indeed fishy. Despite our forces being so close and in a position to launch a massive assault, the Konoha army continues to do their job as if we aren''t even here." Roshi nodded and added, "Even if they know his nature, they shouldn''t be this confident. It''s as if they are waiting for us to attack them. However, I can''t seem to put a finger on what their plan could be." Kitsuchi agreed. He had the same feeling. Regardless, they didn''t have the orders to attack Konoha in any case. They were just fishing to see how Konoha and Kusagakure would react and so far, neither had taken the bait. In Kagetani, the Konoha army trailed after the rebels for 8 days! Yet, they didn''t even catch a glimpse of the rebel army. The rebels set behind several traps to cause harm to the Konoha ninjas, but all failed since Fujin ordered them to prioritize their safety. Though the traps slowed down the Konoha army, they failed to harm a single ninja. On the contrary, 25 rebel ninjas were caught and eliminated. Finally, the Konoha army reached an inconspicuous valley, where they were confident the rebels were hiding. Since the Nara Jounins were sure of it, no one doubted them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mason, Alisher, Diogo, Wazel, Caleb, Corrupt man, Santiago, Reggie, Matteo, Christian and Pervy Sage for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 783: An Ambush! Hoka led his division down the valley while observing it with his Byakugan. He thought, ''To think I thought that this would be an easy mission... These guys are remarkable. They set up hundreds of fake trails and dozens of traps on each of those trails! We searched all the good hiding places thoroughly without any success. To think that they''d hide in such an inconspicuous place... Even now, I can''t spot a suspicious detail with my Byakugan!'' Even though Hoka didn''t battle even once in the last week, his horizons were expanded considerably. He never knew that a weaker force could trouble a stronger force in such a manner. He continued thinking, ''Had Fujin focused on speed instead of safety, we could have lost a few dozen ninjas. Perhaps, the number might have even exceeded a hundred. It would have discouraged the army and killed our morale. On the other hand, if Iwagakure or any other force had moved against Konoha, we would have been forced to withdraw and they would have been safe. They were just unfortunate that none of the circumstances was in their favor...'' Hoka was about to sigh when his eyes suddenly widened. He immediately turned his head to his right! "KILL THEM!!! LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE! EVEN IF YOU DIE, TAKE 5 WITH YOU!!!" A loud shout forced Hoka''s division to turn their heads to their right. A force of 300 ninjas was rushing towards their flank! Needless to say, the Hyuga ninjas and the sensors had already spotted them as soon as they appeared, which is why the enemy didn''t bother trying to move silently and instead focused on raising their morale. Hoka immediately realized, ''Isn''t that Tsuchiro? Why were hiding here instead of deeper in the valley? How did they fool our SealMaster? Shit! These bastards want to battle on the slopes! Even if we win, our casualties will be very high if we make a single mistake!'' Hoka immediately flickered while shouting, "Intercept them with the combination jutsus!" Hoka''s division was halfway down the valley. They were walking down the slopes when they were suddenly ambushed. As per their usual formation, the specialist units were at the forefront and they were followed by the ninjas who excelled in the Fire-Wind combination jutsu. However, Tsuchiro''s forces attacked Hoka''s division on its flank, which didn''t have the main attackers. Of course, some were still stationed there for such a scenario, but their numbers were rather limited. Even so, they immediately acted. Dozens of ninjas used Fire and Wind jutsus. At the same time, the ones who could contribute to the combination jutsu quickly rushed through the army ranks to reinforce them. The specialist units moved as well to harass the flanks of Tsuchiro''s small force. However, Tsuchiro''s forces were faster since they were the ones who ambushed. They attacked with Water and Wind jutsus even before the Konoha ninjas attacked. Even the ninjas who couldn''t use Water jutsus released large amounts of water from storage scrolls, increasing the scale of the attack even further! The two attacks collided. The Kusagakure rebels had the upper hand as the water doused the flames and continued moving towards the Konoha ninjas, making them quite nervous. Hoka quickly analyzed, ''Even though my division is relatively dispersed, quite a few will be hit if that jutsu reaches us. And, considering that we are on the slope, dozens will die and hundreds will be severely injured. Probably a few hundred more would die in the battle following it...'' His eyes quickly spotted the ninjas rushing towards the flank while calculating, ''Even though we are on the back foot, we''ll gain the upper hand once they reinforce. However, their attack will hit us before that happens... Sigh, this is an excellent ambush. I can''t hold back!'' Suddenly, a Yamanaka ninja shouted, "Commander, be careful!" Hoka didn''t need to be warned. He had already turned his gaze towards the flames. A silhouette appeared in them before dispersing the flames around him. The Konoha ninjas were surprised to see Tsuchiro making it through their combination jutsu. Only a few sensors and Hyuga ninjas realized, ''They concentrated their combination jutsu at a small point, making a way for their leader to make it through. However...'' Hoka''s eyes met with Tsuchiro as he thought, ''How ruthless. Even though this tactic made a path for them, dozens of their ninjas would burn to death. They will lose at least a fourth of their forces. Yet, they are marching forward. It seems like they have completely given up on their lives. All this sacrifice just to come here to die?'' Tsuchiro saw the pity in Hoka''s eyes and was enraged. He smiled coldly and said, "Let me see what Konoha''s next generation is made of!" ''Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'' Tsuchiro extended his palm towards Hoka and launched several Lightning Spears at him. At such a close range, dodging it was difficult. Besides, even if Hoka did so, several of his subordinates would die. As such, Hoka released a large amount of chakra and used Rotation to defend against the attack. At the same time, the remaining forces under Tsuchiro reached. From their original number of 300, only 214 ninjas reached Hoka''s division. The rest were burned alive, most of whom were dead while a few were still screaming in pain. However, the rebel army wasn''t discouraged. Instead, the death and screams of their comrades fueled their rage as they attacked the Konoha ninjas with everything they had! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Senmori, Deaps, Quintin, Wazel, Calvin, Benjamin, DarkSlayer, Jar Jar, ITGT12, One Piece, Angelica and BaldRhaegar for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 784: Paying the Price! [A/N: Merry Christmas!] On the other side of the valley, Illumi''s division was moving down as well. The sensors under his command reported, "General Hoka''s division is under attack by 300 ninjas. It''s difficult to say who has the upper hand from here." Illumi thought, ''We don''t need to worry about the upper hand. Even if his group is caught off guard, there is sufficient backup. However, this is rather surprising. To think that they would ambush us instead of hiding." "General, should we reinforce them?" Illumi shook his head to answer his subordinate''s question and instead asked, "Can you see who''s attacking them?" Most sensors stayed quiet, but a senior Yamanaka ninja replied, "It is Tsuchiro. I had sensed his chakra signature during the Third Great War." Illumi thought for a bit before saying, "Just 300 ninjas won''t be able to stop Hoka''s division. And, if we go there, the remaining rebels might be able to sneak away. We''ll continue moving down the valley, but we''ll slow down a bit. That way, we''ll attack first while Hoka''s division can follow up by attacking their rear and trapping them betw..." Illumi stopped mid-way and something unexpected happened. Some distance away from him, 500 ninjas appeared and rushed towards him! This army was led by none other than Kagero, the leader of the Kusagakure rebels! Following him were his two students, Shizuma and Ganku! The three of them went straight for Kurama Illumi! "We failed to detect both the forces?" A SealMaster exclaimed in shock. Despite several SealMasters inspecting the valley, not a single one noticed the two spots where the rebels hid. Instead, we calculated the incorrect location. A Nara Jounin said, "Not just that, the location they hid in is perfect for ambushing as well. They outplayed us." Renjiro nodded and asked, "Where did you mess up?" The SealMaster thought for a bit before answering, "It was how they planned their bases in this valley. Every seal here is carefully hidden. Just finding the seals hiding the base at the bottom of this valley took a long time. In fact, if the Nara Jounins didn''t insist, we wouldn''t have looked deeper into this valley either. It was only due to them that we managed to locate that base. We did try searching more bases, but we couldn''t spot any since these were even better hidden." Renjiro asked, "Could you guys have done anything different?" The Nara Jounin looked at Renjiro suspiciously and thought, ''Hmm, why does it feel like he is educating us instead of being worried about the battle?'' The SealMaster answered unsurely, "Perhaps if we had searched longer, we could have discovered them, but it would have taken a couple of days, if not more. In addition, I can''t guarantee that we would have found it. Perhaps, we could have fallen into the trap too and lost our lives. The only way we could have avoided this trap is if a Grandmaster took a look. Perhaps if the Commander had..." Renjiro cut him off and said, "Our enemy is quite weak. If the Commander did everything, we wouldn''t need an army." Itachi''s sudden appearance got the attention of the big shots in Konoha. Every Clan Leader paid careful attention to it and raised their clan''s guard. After all, they didn''t know the truth. From their perspective, Itachi had massacred the mighty Uchiha clan by himself. Even though Shikaku had some guesses, he didn''t want to take unneeded risks either. Fujin and Jiraiya were informed about the same. Needless to say, the ones who were alarmed the most were Danzo and the other elders. They received Itachi''s hidden message without the need for a single word, forcing them to drop any ideas they had about the Uchiha kids immediately. "Kagero... This is a brave choice. I didn''t expect you''d come out and battle instead of hiding." Kurama Illumi said as he stood face-to-face with Kagero and his students. The 500 ninjas under Kagero''s command began battling with Illumi''s 1000-ninja strong division while their leaders faced off. Kagero chuckled and asked, "Where can one hide from Konoha ninjas? Surely you didn''t expect me to wait for my death, did you, Illumi? That said, this is rather unexpected. Illumi, you have come a long way. I didn''t think you had the talent to reach the Elite Jounin rank in Konoha. It should have been a matter of pride for you. Unfortunately, it''ll be the cause of your death. Anyway..." Kagero rapidly weaved hand signs while saying, "Enough talk!" Illumi became serious and withdrew while weaving hand signs as well. He glanced at the three opponents and thought, ''His two students are as strong as the Veteran Jounins in Konoha. If they had been in Kusagakure, they would have been promoted to Elite Jounin rank. Renjiro also said that Kagero is as strong as he is. Winning against him will be very difficult. However...'' A sly smile appeared on Illumi''s face. He didn''t need to win. He just needed to stall Kagero. As for Kagero''s students, Illumi wasn''t worried. Reaching the level of Konoha''s Veteran Jounin might be extraordinary in a minor village, but it wasn''t so in Konoha. Illumi had 9 Veteran Jounins under his command, three of whom were standing right next to him. As such, Shizuma and Ganku''s task wasn''t to gang up on Illumi along with their Sensei, instead, it was to avoid Konoha from ganging up on their Sensei. ''Water Release: Vapor Gale jutsu!'' ''Phantom Mist jutsu'' [A/N: Latest Chapter : Konoha''s Premium Transportation System!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, James, Eli and Nashz for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 785: The Second Shocking News! ''Water Release: Vapor Gale jutsu!'' Kagero exhaled mist, which quickly surrounded him and his students, concealing them from the Konoha ninjas. The mist expanded towards Illumi and his subordinates. Without a moment''s hesitation, the Konoha Jounins retreated. One of them muttered, "The intel was accurate. The mist is not only hiding them but is also hiding sharp wind currents. If it reaches us, we''ll be diced up." Another added, "It is a bit similar to Commander''s technique. Of course, it isn''t comparable since he can''t control the winds like Commander can." Illumi completed his hand seals and said, "Don''t underestimate him. He spent decades trying to recreate two Kekkei Genkai. Even though he failed, he has several combination jutsus. So, pay careful attention to every jutsu he uses." ''Phantom Mist jutsu'' It was the turn of Kagero and his students to raise their guards. The thick mist around them suddenly turned purplish giving an eerie feeling. They heard several echoes and saw shadows of the Konoha ninjas flickering in the dense fog. Kagero immediately disrupted his chakra and said, "It''s a Genjutsu. Disrupt your chakra." Shizuma and Ganku didn''t need to be told. They disrupted their chakra flow at the same time as their sensei. As soon as they snapped out, their eyes were filled with a bright orange light. They immediately flickered away as flames ravaged through the windy mist Kagero had created. Kagero began weaving hand signs once again when trees suddenly sprouted from the ground. In the blink of an eye, they coiled around him and his students, trapping them. Kagero cursed, ''This Genjutsu... Do these fools think that the First Hokage is still alive for this Genjutsu to scare us?'' Illumi''s figure appeared in front of them as he casually asked, "Why don''t you just surrender? I''m sure our Commander will be merciful and let you live. Perhaps you can enter a deal with Kusagakure and ensure the survival of most of your subordinates. Perhaps you could negotiate your life too. Why fight a lost battle?" Needless to say, neither Kagero nor his students paid any attention to Illumi''s words. They could see that he was just buying some time and focused entirely on breaking out of the Genjutsu. As soon as they did, they were once again greeted by hot flames. This time, they were even closer! Kageo immediately raised a water wall while Ganku raised an earth dome to protect themselves. The flames easily broke through the hastily erected wall of water but failed to penetrate the dome. Kagero frowned and thought, ''As expected, it won''t be easy. Though not as dangerous as the Uchiha clan, the Kurama clan''s Genjutsu is difficult to deal with as well. If he keeps trapping us in Genjutsu while others try to blow us up, we''ll eventually lose...'' Kagero whispered, "Shizuma, Ganku stall the others. I''ll deal with Illumi first and then assist you." "Yes, Sensei." Both answered and moved towards Konoha''s Veteran Jounins from under the ground. The two unleashed all their might to keep the three Veteran Jounins occupied. In addition, they also kept an eye on the other Veteran Jounins making their way towards them. Illumi and Kagero finally faced off against each other without external disturbances. Illumi asked with a smirk, "Do you want to take on a Genjutsu specialist by yourself?" Kagero answered, "If you had the Sharingan, I wouldn''t have dared to. Unfortunately for you, the Kurama clan can''t compare with the Uchiha clan." Illumi understood that Kagero was trying to get under his skin. He laughed and said, "Good, let me see how long you can maintain this attitude." The two engaged in an intense battle as Illumi tried to trap Kagero under Genjutsu while Kagero tried to hit Illumi with his complex Ninjutsus before that happened. The armies clashed as well. However, unlike. Tsuchiro''s division, which made some inroads into Hoka''s division, Kagero''s army failed to gain an upper hand. Even though they ambushed Illumi''s division, their attack was from the front, where the stronger Konoha ninjas were. In addition, Illumi''s division not only enjoyed numerical superiority but also had far stronger ninjas. ¡ª¡ª Mabui nodded and immediately got to work. The two factions in the Land of Water were shocked as well, but neither cared much about the information as their battles were becoming more intense. However, there was one person who cared deeply about it. In Iwagakure, Onoki read the report with widened eyes. For a moment, he couldn''t believe what he was reading and he read the report once again. As he confirmed the information, his anger soured through the roof. The scroll in his hands was obliterated into dust as he cursed loudly, "Those bastards dare to look down on me so much!" His subordinates stayed frozen in his office. Not a single one of them had ever seen their leader this angry. In Kusagakure, a Council Meeting was ongoing just like in Konoha. While they were careful, the meeting was a joyous one. Hiroshi said, "According to Ryoichi''s reports, the Konoha army will finally engage the remaining rebels today. Iwagakure''s forces haven''t made any moves." A smile appeared on his face as he announced, "The war will finally be over." Relief spread through the Council room. Though it had cost them a lot, their internal war would finally end. However, before they could celebrate, an Anbu ninja broke into the room, attracting everyone''s attention. His breathing was very rough and even though he was wearing a mask, everyone could sense that he seemed afraid. The Council immediately raised their guard. Hiroshi asked, "What''s the matter?" The Anbu ninja reported, "Hi... Hiroshi-sama. We''ve... We have just... received information." Seeing how terrified the Anbu ninja seemed, Hiroshi frowned. He asked with an ugly face, "Did Iwagakure make a move?" The Anbu ninja took deep breaths as he answered, "No... Iwagakure isn''t involved. The news is from the Land of Rice!" His words confused the council. Before they could guess, the Anbu ninja exclaimed loudly, "Konoha has set fire to the Land of Rice! Otogakure is completely destroyed! Orochimaru is believed to be on the run!" Without an exception, the pupils of every council member dilated and their eyes widened. Konoha had just been attacked by the combined forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure. Kusagakure had successfully diverted the army Konoha raised into the Land of Grass and kept them occupied. They couldn''t believe that Konoha had the manpower to do something so ridiculous. One of the council members asked in disbelief, "Do you mean that Konoha sent another army to the Land of Grass secretly while fighting a war here?" To the council''s surprise, the Anbu ninja shook his head and answered loudly, "No, it wasn''t another army. It was none other than Suzuki Fujin, the Spectral Swordsman!" [A/N: I''m aware that Otogakure wasn''t a village. I''ll cover it in the next chapter.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aveli, David, Travis, Kiiide, Allen, Matteo, Madara, Tathagata, Ugur, Aidan, Book Warm, Lind, Vrga, ITGT12, Kaito, Mustapha and Emmanuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 786: Konohas Outrageous Move! Thick smoke rose into the sky as four figures moved swiftly through burning rice fields. Waves of flames had devoured the entire landscape in every direction around them, casting an orange glow. The figures weren''t phased by the rampant destruction caused by an intense battle and instead had something else on their mind. The lady leading the squad muttered, "Suzuki Fujin... What a crazy man!" There was no hate or disgust in her voice. It was just plain disbelief. She still struggled to digest all that she had experienced recently. However, her words alarmed her followers, who quickly whispered, "Konomi-sama, not so loudly! Someone might hear us!" Konomi snorted, "Even if they do, what''ll they do? Report us to the Commander?" The three Jounins accompanying her were left speechless. Neither could figure out any reply as they too were left flabbergasted by the events in the last one and a half weeks. Just like Konomi, they struggled to believe it was real despite having witnessed everything. What Fujin had done in the Land of Grass was shocking in itself. From outrageously capturing the ninjas of their ''ally'' to authoritatively destroying an enemy base without a single casualty, it left an impact on the minds of the Konoha ninjas. However, instead of pressing on the advantage, Fujin made an extremely strange move. Only the Hoka and Illumi divisions moved forward to continue the mission. As for Konomi''s division, Fujin took command and led them in the opposite direction. The Konoha ninjas speculated that Fujin might be pulling off some maneuver to catch the enemy off guard. To their surprise, Fujin led them back into the Land of Fire. They traveled for two days, taking adequate rest during their journey, unlike their rush to the Land of Grass. When they finally arrived at their destination, the entire army was left speechless upon realizing they had traveled to the opposite end of the Land of Fire and reached the Land of Rice, which was under Orochimaru''s control! However, there was something that shocked them even more. Perhaps, more than shocked, weirded out would be a better way to describe it. They had just traveled across the width of the Land of Grass, which was on high alert due to Fujin''s outrageous actions, and the Land of Fire, which was on guard due to the recent attack. Yet, they didn''t encounter a single human on their journey! Konomi recalled, ''If that wasn''t strange enough, then the events in this country have been even more crazy. Sigh, I don''t even know what I should call it... Strange? Weird? Crazy? Outrageous? I don''t even know... But, I shouldn''t have wished for that...'' Konomi let out an exhausted sigh. Her division reached the Land of Rice six days ago. Needless to say, everyone understood that it was Konoha''s retaliation. However, Otogakure wasn''t a village in the traditional sense. Instead, it was made up of a vast number of hidden bases throughout the Land of Rice. Except for Orochimaru, no one knew how many bases existed in the Land of Rice. Even his closest subordinates were unaware of a few. Luckily, Konoha excelled in gathering intelligence and Fujin had a jutsu that was perfect to detect people hiding in secret bases. Fujin led the initial investigation to find a few of the bases. Needless to say, it was just a cover-up for his Space Time Sensing Technique. Once a few bases were discovered, the Yamanaka ninjas read the memories of the Otogakure ninjas to find other bases. While no one knew the locations of all bases, the leaders of bases generally knew the location of a few other bases where they had been earlier. Fujin took a step back and let the army do its thing. With Fujin having little interest in fighting the weaker ninjas, Konomi was given the honor of leading Konoha''s attack. As someone who wanted an opportunity to contribute and make a name for herself, Konomi was overjoyed when Fujin asked her to lead. However, her enthusiasm started fading away pretty quickly as they kept on finding new bases. The number far exceeded anyone''s guess. In a mere 6 days, they had destroyed 184 Otogakure bases! No?v(el)B\\jnn Hiroshi muttered, "Suzuki Fujin... What a fearsome individual... We were completely fooled..." Hiroshi didn''t look at any of the council members while he spoke. Instead, he appeared to be lost in thoughts. He muttered, "Suzuki Fujin''s request of sending our army to stop the rebels from hiding in the Land of Grass wasn''t out of goodwill in his heart nor was it a trap set for us. No, he merely wanted to disrupt our forces and divert them temporarily." Shock appeared on the faces of nearly every council member as Hiroshi continued, "When we moved our ninjas, it opened up several gaps in our defenses. We didn''t care as the Konoha army was within our borders and attacking us would be equivalent to humiliating them. In addition, none of the gaps were leading to our village. However, Fujin used those openings to lead a division out undetected. He must have cooperated with Konoha ninjas in the Land of Fire to ensure they could continue traveling in secrecy. So, when the whole world believed that he was here hunting down the rebels, he''d be secretly eliminating Orochimaru''s forces." Silence spread through the council room. If Hiroshi''s words were true, Konoha''s actions were too outrageous. There was no doubt that the entire ninja world would be in a state of shock and disbelief. One said in confusion, "However, isn''t that too risky? What if Iwagakure had attacked? Wouldn''t Konoha''s army be destroyed without the Spectral Swordsman leading them?" Hiroshi shook his head and said, "It means that they were sure that Iwagakure wouldn''t make a move. Either that, or they have a different arrangement to take care of Iwagakure in case they attack." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You V B, Joel, Alan, MG, Leandro, Andrew, Nathan, Jose, Erwin and Ethan for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 787: Pity! Hiroshi shook his head and said, "It means they were sure Iwagakure wouldn''t make a move. Either that, or they have a different arrangement to take care of Iwagakure in case they attack." No?v(el)B\\jnn Kusagakure''s council members glanced at each other, confirming that they weren''t the only ones having such a hard time believing it. Even so, no one had any point to disprove their leader''s words. In mere seconds, they experienced a range of emotions. Strangely, the last emotion they felt was relief... Indeed, they were relieved that they took this opportunity to mend their relationship with Fujin. ¡ª¡ª A large-scale war wasn''t the appropriate place to test his students. So, Fujin had kept them out of the attack on the base of Kusagakure rebels. He didn''t want to see any of them die to a stray kunai or shuriken. On the contrary, the smaller bases in the Land of Rice presented a perfect opportunity to give them some experience. Under Bunjiro and Fujin''s careful watch, they participated in almost every battle and killed at least a dozen Otogakure ninjas each. Thanks to the time they spent under Danzo''s care, Fujin didn''t need to worry about them adjusting to killing like Renjiro once did with his squad. On the battlefield, his five students were like fish released into the sea. The Oto ninja hatefully said, "You cursed brats! Orochimaru-sama wouldn''t spare you! You may think you have won, but he will avenge us! Hahaha! Leave the rest of your miserable life in the fear of not knowing when Orochimaru-sama will strike you!" Despite his threatening tone, there wasn''t a hint of fear on the faces of Fujin''s students. Instead, Yuji teased, "You sure have a lot of confidence in your boss. It''s almost as if we didn''t destroy his main base. Hehehe." Yuji''s taunt sent the Otogakure''s ninja''s rage through the roof. He wanted to respond but no words formed in his mouth. After all, what Yuji said was true. Memories surfaced in the Otogakure ninja''s mind. A few hours ago, he was at the main base where Orochimaru handled matters related to Otogakure. Of course, due to the wounds inflicted by Hiruzen, Orochimaru was more focused on nursing his injuries instead of managing the hidden village. Even though Fujin had killed Kabuto and sealed his Edo Tensei, Orochimaru still had quite a few capable Medical Ninjas who were working round the clock to heal him, granted they were a considerable distance away from Kabuto''s level. Despite not attaching himself to any subordinate, Orochimaru felt his absence. The Otogakure ninja expected Orochimaru to stay there until his condition stabilized, but he recalled the change in Orochimaru''s expression when he learnt that the Konoha army led by Suzuki Fujin had found their main base. Without a moment''s hesitation, Orochimaru decided to abandon the base. He escaped with some of his subordinates while sending the rest in a different direction to divert the attention of Konoha ninjas. The tactic successfully threw Fujin off his tail but raised doubts about Orochimaru''s capabilities in the hearts of his followers. His godlike image fell considerably. Seeing the hesitant expression on the face of the Otogakure ninja, Yuji grinned and continued, "How about you stop dreaming and tell us where your leader ran away like a scared little girl? I''ll see..." Sayaka interrupted him, "That''s enough playing around. Focus on the mission." Needless to say, they had no reason to trust his words. On the other hand, his memories wouldn''t tell any lies. Just as they stepped close to him to knock him out, a grin appeared on his face, alarming Fujin''s students. The Otogakure ninja thought, ''It is exactly as Orochimaru-sama said! You want to read my memories? Hahaha! Be my guest!'' At the next moment, he exploded! It wasn''t a simple explosion from explosive tags. Instead, Orochimaru inscribed several explosive tags on him before he escaped. His body blew up from the inside out, destroying his brain in the process. No one could read the memories from his brain any longer. Shoma muttered nervously, "That was scary! He almost got us!" Hikari agreed, "Yes. If Sensei hadn''t taught us to flicker without hand seals, we''d be dead!" Yuji immediately added, "She''s correct. We didn''t slack off, Sensei." Fujin said, "Well, to be sure, I''ll be doubling your training in this aspect so that the four of you can catch up to Takeshi." Bunjiro and Konomi watched speechlessly as Fujin''s remaining four students looked at Takeshi with eyes full of complaints. Needless to say, none of them dared to voice their complaints. They were sure Fujin would triple it if they did so. Takeshi sighed in relief internally thinking that he was safe. Unfortunately for him, Fujin continued, "Just in case they haven''t been slacking and you''re just talented, your training will be doubled too, Takeshi. After all, it''d be embarrassing if others catch up with you in the aspects you''re talented in, right?" It was Takeshi''s turn to suffer. The poor boy could only nod obediently, no matter how unwilling he was. His fellow students watched his misery with glee. While they were going to suffer, it definitely felt better when all of them suffered together. Konomi''s eyes twitched as she realized, ''No wonder they''re so strong...'' Fujin explained, "Anyway, what I''m holding is this ninja''s soul. This is an application of a technique created by Lord Second and later improved by Kato Dan. Though it''s a bit tricky and very dangerous, this technique can be used to read memories too. Fortunately, the soul takes some time to depart after the body dies." Fujin began reading his memories directly from his soul while others observed with a deadpan expression. The same thought ran through their minds, ''So, even though he destroyed his brain, it was a useless sacrifice?'' The Otogakure ninja could have never expected that his remains would be looked at with pity by the very same Konoha ninjas he tried to kill. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Slothy, Benjamin, 66835, Happyftw, Brayan, Ikkei, Erwin, Mike and Scott for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Mahesh for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 788: Annexing the Land of Rice? "Is everything alright, Orochimaru-sama?" While Fujin read the memories of the Otogakure ninja, Orochimaru''s group was focused on running away. However, Kimimaro noticed a sudden change in Orochimaru''s expression. Orochimaru answered, "The group we left behind was eliminated." The mood of the group dulled a bit. In the last few days, their forces had suffered extensively. Not only was the attack unexpected, but Konoha ninjas hadn''t shown a shred of mercy during their operation. Kimimaro said, "It doesn''t matter. As long as you can recover, we will rise again, Orochimaru-sama!" Orochimaru thought, ''I couldn''t care less of those useless fools. They served their purpose by securing my escape route. However, why hasn''t Manda been responding to my summons? I can''t summon any snakes at all. Did something happen to the Ryuchi cave or is this also the consequence of sensei''s blow?'' Amachi, the medical ninja who tried healing Orochimaru, agreed, "He is correct, Orochimaru-sama. Though our forces here were destroyed, the true foundation of Otogakure is you. And, Konoha can only dream of killing you. Besides..." A smirk appeared on his face as he said, "We finally have a lead about Tsunade." ¡ª¡ª "Not bad, you have come a long way. I didn''t think you''d last so long against me or be able to injure me." Kagero said with a hint of surprise and respect in his voice. A large cut could be seen across his left cheek, almost exposing his teeth. His right arm was bleeding as well. Facing him, Illumi wasn''t in a good state either. His breathing was much rougher. Several cuts had opened up on his body while his left arm had been electrocuted not too long ago. Kagero added, "No matter. Even if I can''t kill you myself, I''ll do it soon. Once Tsuchiro is done with the Hyuga boy, it''ll be your turn." Illumi chuckled and said, "You seem to have made a miscalculation." Kagero shook his head and said, "It''s because you Konoha ninjas are too arrogant. If your commander had made a move, we''d have been wiped out by now. However, he thinks it''s beneath him to fight us. Of course, if he makes a move now, then it''ll still be the same result. Even if I kill you, it likely wouldn''t change the result of this war. However..." Illumi cut him off and said, "No, you seem to have miscalculated who the weaker General is." "Huh?" A frown appeared on Kagero''s face. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he quickly turned around and shot sharp water jets. To his shock, the person moving towards him was none other than Hoka! He thought, ''He dealt with Tsuchiro so quickly? Fuck, that''s what Illumi meant!'' Unlike Illumi and Konomi, Hoka wasn''t an Elite Jounin officially. Hence, Kagero expected him to be the weakest of the three generals and assumed that he was only given the position due to his closeness to Fujin and Renjiro. As such, he wanted Tsuchiro to kill him while he would kill one of the other two. He knew they would still lose, but killing two of Konoha''s Generals would send a message throughout the Land of Grass, which was Kagero''s goal. Unfortunately, he made a small miscalculation as Illumi said. Hoka dodged the water jets and said, "You''re in my range!" ''Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms technique'' Kagero cursed, ''Shit! I can''t fight him in close range...'' Chakra gathered around his hands and transformed into winds. However, before he could do anything, a tree appeared under him and trapped him once again. He immediately disrupted his chakra, but that short delay was all Hoka needed! ¡ª¡ª Konomi thought, ''Yeah, it''ll cut off the path between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, meaning the two villages will focus all their strength on Konoha. It would make things too disadvantageous for us.'' She asked, "Will you meet with the Daimyo?" Fujin answered, "No, ask the village to send a diplomatic team. I''ll handle those pests now." ¡ª¡ª "He did what???" Much like the rest of the world, the Konoha council was shocked by the sudden change of events. Except for Shikaku, not a single one was aware of Fujin''s actions in the Land of Rice. In fact, they were all under the impression that he was leading Konoha''s army in the Land of Grass. Homura asked in a worried tone, "If Fujin is the Land of Rice, then who is deterring Iwagakure in the Land of Grass?" Shikaku replied, "I calculated that the Third Tsuchikage wouldn''t make a move unprovoked. Besides, the outrageous nature of this move is a deterrent in itself." Everyone in the council agreed. The move was so strange and outrageous that it would force anyone to analyze it a dozen times before making a move. And, the more they explore, the more misconceptions they will develop. It was exactly what Onoki felt. The more he thought, the more nefarious schemes he discovered even though there were none. After all, who would believe a village led by the likes of Hiruzen and Danzo wouldn''t have hundreds of dark schemes running continuously? Their work, along with what their Sensei did, had left so many scars on the enemies of Konoha that they would look at it suspiciously even if a saint led it for a decade. Hiromasa sighed and muttered, "As expected of you, Shikaku. Your mind always amazes me." Shikaku chuckled and said, "This one wasn''t my idea. Fujin suggested it. I just gave the permission." His words once again surprised the council. Inoichi thoughtfully said, "If that''s the case, then he is quite good at strategizing." Shikaku nodded, "Yes. His strategic acumen is very high. He is a natural at discovering paths that would either benefit the village or be very painful for our enemies. The only issue is that the ideas he has are generally very high risk in nature. However, they also have high rewards, which makes them acceptable if pulled off right, like in this case." [A/N: Next chapter : Chaos in the Ninja World] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Slade, Gilberto, Raven, Luan, Mike, Scott, Roodarnley, Jaimenz and ¦Ð¦Á¦Í¦Á¦Ã¦É¦Ø?¦Ó¦Ç? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 789: Chaos in the Ninja World (1) [A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Have fun, but stay safe. I hope you have a prosperous and fun 2025. Also, good luck with your New Year resolution :)] Everyone understood Shikaku''s words. While Fujin''s sudden decision to attack the Land of Rice was very good, it had several pitfalls. Any one of them could force Konoha into a difficult position. The first pitfall was information. Konoha''s army was vulnerable in the Land of Grass as a far stronger Iwagakure army stood close to their location. So, it was important that no one knew about Fujin''s maneuver and the fact that he was in the Land of Rice. Considering that even Konoha''s council was in the dark, Fujin did a very good job at it. The second pitfall was the Otogakure forces. Fujin had to ensure that they were wiped out. If he failed to eliminate enough bases or kill enough ninjas or if his forces were repelled by their resistance, it would be a huge blow to Konoha''s reputation. Instead of deterring their enemies, the failure would embolden them. The worst-case scenario would be if Konoha''s forces were embroiled in a complicated war in the Land of Rice. If they had been forced to send reinforcements, Kumogakure and Iwagakure could have decided to take a risk. However, Fujin had pulled it off perfectly and Onoki had acted as he and Shikaku predicted. Hence, Konoha could now enjoy the rewards of the outrageous move. Destroying Otogakure had far-reaching implications, nearly all of them were beneficial for Konoha. The only real downside was that the other villages would be more wary of Konoha in the next Great War. However, that was rather ordinary for Konoha, and it changed nothing. Even without this incident, the Council made plans to deal with all four Great Villages while cooperating with the minor villages. The absence of a hostile minor village on their border made this planning easier. The council immediately began preparing for the aftermath of the two operations. They formed a diplomatic team and dispatched them to the Land of Rice. While Konoha wouldn''t annex the Land of Rice, the Daimyo would be forever indebted to Konoha and Fujin. The council wouldn''t let go of such an opportunity. In the coming days, the Land of Rice would be subservient to the Land of Fire, almost akin to a vassal state. ¡ª¡ª While the Konoha council became busy making that a reality, Kumogakure ninjas set up a camp on the Northern coast of the Land of Hot Water. In a tent, Darui worriedly asked, "How many ninjas have returned?" Samui answered, "So far, only 36 have returned. The remaining 294 should be on their way." C advised, "We just sent the order. It''ll take some time." Darui muttered, "I know. It''s just that I have a bad feeling..." When Konoha''s forces moved into the Land of Grass, Ay intensified his efforts in the Land of Rice. He believed that Orochimaru was still loyal to Konoha and wanted to clip their wings by eliminating one of the students of the Third Hokage. As such, he sent over 300 ninjas to investigate the locations of their bases. He also dispatched the Darui''s team along with Yugito to oversee the operation and handle the situation in case things heated up. In addition, he was planning to make a move himself once they had concrete information. However, unlike his previous expedition, he planned to let Bee stay in the village in case Akuro decided to show up once again. However, the presence of Konoha''s army caught the Kumogakure leadership off guard. It also raised doubts over their speculation about Orochimaru''s loyalties. Ay ordered an immediate retreat of his forces. However, things were concerning for Kumogakure. Their forces had been active in the Land of Rice for over a week yet they hadn''t received a single message about the presence of Konoha ninjas in the Land of Grass. That was a huge cause of worry for Kumogakure. After all, the memories of the missing ninjas and Akuro''s actions were still fresh in the minds of Kumogakure citizens. If they suffered more losses with nothing to show for it, chaos would erupt once again and Ay''s position would become even weaker. C was about to reassure Darui when he suddenly became alert. Darui asked, "What did you sense?" Darui and the others frowned. They wondered, ''Does Orochimaru know something about that incident? Or, is he just throwing mud on Fujin to infuriate us and force a conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure?'' While Darui and others were sure that Fujin was involved in some way, they weren''t sure to what extent he was involved. More importantly, they weren''t sure whether Orochimaru knew something or not. Regardless, they didn''t have the forces to confront Fujin and the Konoha army in the Land of Grass. So, they could only focus on the ones in front of them. C asked softly, "What do we do?" Darui sighed and whispered, "There is only one thing we can do..." His expression suddenly became serious as he rapidly weaved hand signs and said loudly. "Orochimaru, I''m afraid you will have to stay with us as a guest. Since you know about our missing ninjas, I can''t let you go." ''Storm Release: Laser Circus jutsu'' ¡ª¡ª While Kumogakure forces confronted Orochimaru who had unfortunately run straight into them, large areas in the Land of Rice were still burning. In one area that wasn''t touched by the flames, two individuals stood unbothered by the destruction. One of them muttered, "The Konoha ninjas have been scurrying more and more around this area. Can we finally kill them, my man?" His partner replied in an annoyed tone, "There are too many of them. It''ll attract a lot of attention. Not to mention... Hmm?" The two immediately jumped away as a few stealthy air bullets landed at their previous location and drilled a few holes in the ground. They turned their heads to see where the bullets were fired from. Their eyes landed on a youngster standing on a branch and looking down at them. A smirk appeared on his face as he muttered, "Heh, I didn''t think I''d run into Sasori of the Red Sand here. What an honor!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 790: Chaos in the Ninja World (2) [A/N: Jeez, you guys make me doubt my own work and make me recheck... So many comments about chp 781 being short when it is 1,550 words long (without the a/n at the bottom). The comments made me think that I uploaded half a chapter or something ????] ¡ª¡ª "Heh, I didn''t think I''d run into Sasori of the Red Sand here. What an honor." Fujin was genuinely happy. He couldn''t even hide the glint in his eye! The last time they met, Sasori had given Fujin quite a gift. Fujin had even traded some of it with Hiruzen and got his hands on a very useful rank S jutsu. Even though he still wasn''t very comfortable with handling the other puppets, there was no reason to decline another generous gift. He couldn''t help but wonder whether Sasori would give him the legendary puppet of the Third Kazekage during their second meeting! A chill passed down Deidara''s spine as he shivered involuntarily and wondered, ''I have never seen such a passionate gaze. Why is he staring at Sasori in such a manner? It''s almost as if he found some great treasure!'' Sasori, despite having changed his body to a puppet, immediately lost his temper. Needless to say, he had already connected the dots when Zetsu reported Fujin''s abilities. However, he never imagined that Fujin would look at him in such a brazen manner on their second meeting. There wasn''t a hint of doubt in his mind that Fujin wanted to steal more of his clones. He cursed, "It was you wasn''t it, Suzuki Fujin? You are the one who stole my puppets!" The Konoha ninjas, who were following Fujin, were dumbfounded. None of them ever imagined that their commander would be accused like this by a rogue ninja. Konomi wondered, ''What in the hell? He stole puppets from Sasori? Is that even possible? No wonder he is so angry. I can feel his bloodlust.'' To the surprise of the Konoha ninjas, Fujin immediately replied aggressively, "Bullshit! This is the first time I have seen you. Don''t try to sully the reputation of Konoha ninjas without any proof." Fujin''s words confused the Konoha ninjas. They wondered who was lying. While they would normally believe their commander, they saw no reason for Sasori to make such a ridiculous lie. Even Deidara was confused. He thought, ''Such a passionate response, it almost makes me believe him. However, what was the glint in his eyes earlier? No, Sasori should be the one telling the truth. Still, to steal his puppets... What a lunatic!'' Unlike the confused fellows, Sasori was even more enraged. Not only had Fujin humiliated him by interfering with his mission, defeating his puppetry and stealing his invaluable puppets, but he also refused to take credit for any of those achievements! For a moment, Sasori wasn''t sure what was more humiliating. A dozen puppets suddenly appeared around Sasori, and he said, "It doesn''t matter whether you lie or not; I''ll refine you into my next puppet." Seeing the puppets, the Konoha ninjas became slightly nervous. Sasori may have gone rogue over a decade ago, but his reputation still remained. No one wanted to deal with his countless, unpredictable and poisonous traps. Thankfully, Fujin ordered, "Retreat. I''ll handle these two. Don''t come close to our battlefield." The Konoha ninjas nodded and immediately retreated. While some were worried for Fujin, the ones who saw him fight in the arena were confident in his abilities. Deidara put his hands in his bag and began eating clay with the mouths on his hands while looking at the retreating ninjas. However, before he could make a move, Sasori said, "Let them go. We can''t afford any distraction against him." Deidara frowned and asked, "Wouldn''t it be better if we forced him to protect his weaker allies?" Sasori answered, "No, he isn''t soft like the recent generations of Konoha ninjas. He is as ruthless as their older generations." Sasori moved a few fingers, launching several poisonous needles at Fujin. However, a breeze appeared, blocking them with ease. Soon after, Fujin expelled large amounts of chakra, immediately transforming into winds. Darui was extremely strong just by himself and was supported by two Elite Jounins. However, it was Yugito who made Orochimaru''s subordinates feel helpless. A near-perfect Jinchuriki was too strong for them. Even at his peak, Orochimaru wouldn''t take her lightly. To make matters worse, 36 more Kumogakure ninjas had joined in the battle. While they lacked in strength, they took away the numerical advantage of Orochimaru''s subordinates and put them at a heavy disadvantage even in this aspect. In just a couple of minutes, four of Orochimaru''s subordinates had sacrificed their lives. ''Dance of the Seedling Fern!'' Kimimaro dug his right arm into the ground and sprouted a bone forest around him! Thousands of blades of bones rose from the ground, piercing several Kumogakure ninjas. Due to her massive form, even the cloak around Yugito was pierced. Kimimaro huffed as he said, "I''ll stall them, Orochimaru-sama. You must escape." Orochimaru immediately left with the rest of his subordinates. Had Kimimaro been in good condition, there was some hope of him making it out alive. Unfortunately, his condition had only worsened after Rasa''s final blow. Even without this battle, he didn''t have much time left to live. Orochimaru could only sigh at how rapidly he kept losing his most reliable subordinates. Kabuto, Guren and the Sound Four, all had died due to his plans of attacking Konoha! And now, Kimimaro was about to join them. ¡ª¡ª ''How did we go from hunting that snake to fighting this monster? My art has no effect on him... The birds just explode whenever they enter those winds. Even the shockwaves of the explosions don''t reach him. I suspect that he might repel even the C4 Karura!'' Deidara sighed helplessly. [A/N: Latest chapter : The Most Valuable Resource!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You SilverLeavesFall and Derick for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Parthiban for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 791: Chaos in the Ninja World (3) Deidara was feeling helpless and annoyed at Fujin''s Wind Domain. He couldn''t help but recall the events that landed him in this situation. He and Sasori were looking for Orochimaru to eliminate him at Nagato''s orders. They successfully found his main base even before Konoha''s forces located it. However, they were misled just like Konoha''s forces by Orochimaru''s little scheme. Since they weren''t as good as the Konoha ninjas at tracking, their speed was slower. Before they could find the sacrificial unit, the place was swamped by Konoha ninjas, trapping them in the area too. As they had no reason to kill hundreds of Konoha ninjas and attract unneeded attention, they stayed hidden. Under normal circumstances, Konoha ninjas wouldn''t have found them. Unfortunately for them, the army was led by none other than Fujin, who found it peculiar that the Konoha ninjas couldn''t spot the two disturbances in space that he was feeling with his Space Time Sensing Technique. In the few minutes they clashed, Sasori ensured that his chakra threads didn''t enter the Wind Domain, allowing him to keep control of his puppets. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to hit Fujin from 50 meters away. Any surprising traps in his puppets would be just too slow to reach him. Not to mention, the winds would just knock off all of his attacks. Even poisonous gases were contained by the winds. On the contrary, Fujin destroyed the dozen puppets Sasori controlled. That said, it wasn''t as if Sasori didn''t have any gains. As for Deidara, he went through half of his explosive clay to get a feel of the Wind Domain. While they gained some intel, they failed to inflict a single scratch on Fujin. However, intelligence was a crucial aspect in ninja battles. While Deidara was still too young and inexperienced, Sasori''s analytical mind quickly calculated ways to counter the absurd jutsu. He thought, ''What a remarkable control over the winds. I have never seen anyone even remotely close to this level of mastery in Wind Manipulation. At first glance, this technique is completely invincible. However, every technique has weaknesses. His weakness should be Pain''s and Kisame''s ability to absorb chakra. Unfortunately, neither is here. Luckily, there are still several other shortcomings. Even though the technique is very strong, it severely restricts his movement. He can''t move the Wind Domain along with him at a fast speed. Otherwise, we would already be trapped inside it. In addition, the Wind Domain doesn''t extend into the ground for obvious reasons. So, he can''t counter underground attacks that easily. However, Zetsu said that he also displayed the ability to fly. He could avoid underground attacks that way, but it would increase his chakra consumption, which is another weakness of this jutsu. Even though it looks like the dome is entirely made of winds, it contains a large amount of his chakra which he uses to control the winds. While my poisons and weapons have no effect on it, Deidara''s explosions have consumed a decent amount of that chakra. Unfortunately, Deidara will run out of clay as well as chakra long before Fujin shows any signs of exhaustion. However, we could employ this tactic when we have a significant numerical advantage.'' Fujin knew Sasori and Deidara were analyzing his technique. It was very much expected and one of the main reasons why Fujin kept most of his techniques a secret. However, this time he didn''t mind it. He thought, ''Interesting. I wonder if he can find any counters. That''ll be the way for me to improve this jutsu further and take it as close to perfect as a jutsu can be.'' Unlike his other techniques, the Wind Domain was going to be Fujin''s core technique. Though he hasn''t used it too many times publicly, he absolutely intended to do so whenever he faced strong opponents. It showed his confidence in the technique. Even if all its secrets were leaked, Fujin was confident that no one could break it. Of course, nothing was perfect. Every technique would have some shortcomings. Especially a newly created technique like the Wind Domain. Thankfully, several capable individuals were willing to help him improve the technique. Hence, Fujin was looking forward to seeing how far he could perfect this creation of his. Sasori grabbed a different scroll and opened it, summoning the puppet of the Third Kazekage. At the same time, he said, "Deidara, leave him to me. You hunt down those Konoha ninjas who escaped. Blow up as many as you can." While the Wind Clone was very strong and could bully weaker ninjas and even force Jounins to retreat, Deidara was in a whole different league. Killing him with just the clone that contained around 5% of Fujin''s chakra was highly unrealistic. Fujin just wanted to waste Deidara''s time, chakra and clay while he dealt with the bigger and the generous threat. ¡ª¡ª While several high-profile battles happened simultaneously around the world, the rebels were wiped out quickly following the deaths of their leaders in the Land of Grass. Kagero, his students and Tsuchiro were all dead. Several ninjas tried to run away, but it was a hopeless prospect due to the Hyuga and the Aburame ninjas. Not a single one made it out alive. The only survivors were among the ninjas who had been dispatched earlier to set traps and fake routes for the Konoha ninjas. While Konoha killed several of them, 3 dozen still remained. However, it didn''t have anything to do with the Konoha forces. They had already fulfilled their mission requirements. After storing the bodies of the rebel leaders, they quickly retreated. Now that Iwagakure was aware that Fujin was not present in the Land of Grass, the risk increased several times and they had no intention to wait and find out what decision Iwagakure would make. Renjiro sent a few squads to Kusagakure to deliver the bodies and report the success while the remaining army moved towards the Land of Fire. Ryoichi retreated with the Kusagakure army as well and returned to his village. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You John, Faisal, Cypher, Samson, Chandave, Woat is aim, Re, Uddin, Serzh and SimplyF for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 792: That is Art! ''Magnet Release: Iron Sand Gathering Assault jutsu'' Sasori controlled the Third Kazekage''s puppet and unleashed enormous amounts of iron sand, transforming them into highly dense shapes and launching them at Fujin. Fujin looked at the weapons and thought, ''Not bad, the dense nature of these blocks means that there isn''t much my Wind jutsus can do against it. Even though the Vacuum jutsus can poke a few holes, it wouldn''t be much help... Oh well...'' Massive palms appeared in the Wind Domain and grabbed the iron objects, stopping them. Under normal circumstances, Fujin wouldn''t have any issue sending such objects back at the enemy, but Magnet Release meant that the Third Kazekage''s puppet had a greater influence on the iron objects than Fujin''s Wind Domain. Sasori looked at the Ghost Palms and analyzed, ''So, he can also do this? No matter, I can already see a weakness in his technique.'' His fingers moved slightly. The large iron objects disintegrated into small particles once again. The sudden loss in density caused the ghost palms to tighten into fists while almost all the iron sand escaped into the Wind Domain. They began moving along the winds while inching dangerously closer to Fujin. Fujin immediately controlled the winds to throw the smaller iron particles out of his domain. They were much easier to handle than the larger particles. However, he faced another issue. There were too many iron particles! His initial move couldn''t get rid of them all. And, the Third Kazekage''s puppet ignored the iron that was blown away and focused entirely on what remained behind. As a result, its control increased considerably and Fujin couldn''t expel it from the Wind Domain as easily. A frown appeared on Fujin''s face as he realized, ''I didn''t think Magnet Release would pose such a challenge to my Wind Domain. Although I have thrown out most of the iron sand, he can still exert control over them. Not to mention, it''s the few remaining that pose a challenge. If I make a mistake, they could even pierce through my Wind Cloak!'' Fujin knew that defense wasn''t particularly a strong point of Wind Domain. After all, it was made of air, what defense could it provide? What made it such a threat was that it could redirect almost all jutsus and living beings made of Flesh and Blood wouldn''t dare to step into the domain. However, against mere iron particles, that threat was useless. Redirecting it wasn''t very useful either as the Third Kazekage''s puppet could redirect it once more. As several iron particles moved at high speeds through his domain, Fujin suddenly flickered and began floating around 25 meters above the ground. The sudden move wasn''t to dodge any iron particles controlled by the Third Kazekage''s puppet. Instead, it was to dodge the sneak attack coming from underground by Sasori''s other puppets. Sasori observed, ''So, he discovered the sneak attack. No matter, I doubt his mobility in the air is as good as his mobility on the ground. The chakra he needs to maintain his technique should be much higher than what I need to control the iron sand. Now, let me see how long he can endure the pressure.'' The poisonous needles launched by the puppets stopped moving in the Wind Domain due to the strong winds. However, the Third Kazekage''s puppet took control of them as well and attacked Fujin with it while the other puppets escaped underground once again. Sasori was actively limiting Fujin''s movements while forcing him to pay attention to several threats at the same time. Fujin looked at the needles while thinking, ''Hmm, as fun as this is, it''s time to stop being on the defensive. My clone won''t be able to stall Deidara forever...'' The winds in the Wind Domain became chaotic once again and knocked all of the iron controlled by the Third Kazekage''s puppet off course. At the same time, Fujin directed his Wind Domain towards the ground. While digging into the ground would waste a lot of chakra and Fujin would normally use Vacuum Bullets to create underground routes for his winds, he had an even better option. Small holes had been opened up in the ground by the poisonous needles that were shot from underground. They connected to the larger spaces that were created by the puppets themselves. Winds rapidly moved into them and caught up with the puppets. Before Sasori could realize it, his chakra threads that controlled those puppets were sliced by the wind blades that formed underground! Sasori suddenly realized, ''Incredible, he used the paths created by the needles and puppets to extend his technique underground. Hmm, wait... That means... SHIT!'' The clone''s eyes widened as surprise appeared on his face. He muttered, "Damn! How did you do that in just a handful of meetings? I heard every boy in Iwagakure is mad. Most are training their hearts out to hunt you down and gain Kurotsuchi''s favor." Once again, Deidara was left completely speechless. He wanted to curse, but couldn''t even decide how to do so considering that Fujin was praising him. Before he opened his mouth, Fujin''s clone continued, "That said, I''m surprised that this is the first time you heard. From what I heard, the news is spreading rapidly throughout the Land of Earth. Does Akatsuki keep you on a leash or something?" While Deidara didn''t care about the news, some doubts about the Akatsuki appeared in his mind. After all, he should have heard about it. He wondered, ''Could it be that Akatsuki is keeping me in the dark to prevent me from returning to the village? Even though I don''t want to return, manipulating me in this way is...'' He decided to think about it later and replied, "I don''t care about that shitty village or Kurotsuchi." His hands chewed more clay as he continued, "I just want to perfect my art! Art is..." Fujin''s clone interrupted him as he said with disgust, "You call those lousy explosions art?" Once again, Deidara was annoyed. However, before he could retort, Fujin''s clone pointed in a direction and said, "Look there, that is art!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Libois, Disa, Pablo, Sanjay, Tronic, MSSC and SupremeBeefos for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Mayukh for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 793: Losses pile on... "You call those lousy explosions as art? Look there, that is art!" Deidara looked in the direction Fujin''s Wind Clone was pointing in. Deidara squinted and raised an arm to shield his eyes as the intense flare burst in that direction, momentarily forcing him to look away. Moments later, a searing wave of heat washed over him, prickling his skin and making the air around him feel heavy and suffocating. Deidara tried to look in that direction again as he wondered, ''What was that explosion? And, why did it release such intense heat waves? Though my explosions are bigger and more destructive, they never release such heat...'' Deidara''s eyes gleamed with admiration as he took in the fiery spectacle before him. The heatwave set fire to the area that was previously untouched by the flames. It rapidly expanded towards the burning fields and intensified the flames even further while triggering a few more explosions! While others would find the scene distasteful or dangerous, Deidara was mesmerized by the swirling heat and vapor. He subconsciously muttered, "Now that is true art..." "Isn''t it? You should go take a closer look." Fujin''s clone casually said. Deidara subconsciously nodded when he suddenly realized, ''Wait, what did he mea...?'' His eyes widened as an intense wind current formed behind him and hit him and the clay bird he was standing on! Both were dragged along by the wind current. The clay bird couldn''t endure such pressure and exploded, hurling Deidara towards the ground even faster. As he tried to stabilize himself, he wondered, ''What the hell? Why didn''t I sense that attack?'' The answer was rather simple. The clone''s attack simply lacked the intent to kill or even hurt Deidara. Though Deidara was very young, he was still someone who the Akatsuki considered worthy enough to recruit to their ranks. If the clone had tried to sneak attack with wind blades or air bullets, Deidara would have instinctively felt it and dodged despite being so close and distracted. Fujin''s clone wouldn''t look down on Deidara to that extent. What he did was quite similar to how Naruto pushed Shikamaru into the arena, except that it was a wind current instead of a simple push. Without his instincts warning him, Deidara simply failed to react quickly enough. ¡ª¡ª On the ground, Sasori hid behind an iron dome to protect himself from the scorching heat. He thought, ''That was close! I didn''t think he''d leave that dome or know Pakura''s Kekkei Genkai. Hiroku''s puppet stood no chance against that attack. In fact, my core could have been hurt as well due to the invasive nature of the Scorch Release. Hmm?'' Sasori noticed that the temperature inside the Iron Dome was heating up. However, he didn''t find it too strange. Even though the iron particles stuck together closely, they couldn''t block the heat completely. Once the heat from the jutsu dispersed, the pressure on the dome would ease too. Yet, Sasori suddenly felt uneasy. He wondered, ''Did I miss something?'' He quickly analyzed his situation when he suddenly realized a terrifying possibility. The iron dome moved, creating a path behind him from where Sasori immediately escaped along with the Third Kazekage''s puppet. His eyes immediately noticed the terrifying possibility he saw was not just a possibility but a reality! The winds that formed the Wind Domain were moving. Had Sasori stayed inside the Iron Dome for a couple of seconds more, he''d be trapped inside Fujin''s Wind Domain! While he wasn''t sure whether Fujin could kill him, he did not doubt that Fujin would steal most of his puppets irrespective of the result of their battle. That said, his new position wasn''t safe either. He and the puppet were bombarded with Air Bullets and Wind Blades. Luckily, he could still control the iron sand to block or divert the deadly attacks. Sasori blocked and dodged all of Fujin''s attacks. Just when he finally caught a breather, Deidara crashed next to him. He quickly got on his feet and cursed, "That bastard! I''ll get him next time!" In the Land of Rice, Fujin suddenly launched the Vacuum Gatling Gun towards Sasori and Deidara. However, there was one big difference between the way he used it this time as compared to the previous times. Instead of just targeting Sasori, Deidara and their escape routes, the jutsu was wayward. As a result, the Vacuum Bullets covered a much larger area but there were several gaps between them as well. While Fujin became more famous in Konoha quite recently, his fame had spread outside Konoha long ago. While every major village and almost every minor village studied him closely, there was one organization that focused the highest on him. That was none other than Akatsuki. While they didn''t pay much attention to Team Renjiro''s encounter with Kakuzu and Kaminari or to the rumors of the Spectral Swordsman, Fujin killed one of their members during his second encounter with them. Juzo''s death made them take Fujin very seriously and they conducted a thorough investigation of him. Yet, Fujin''s abilities surprised them once again when he clashed with Kakuzu for the second time, this time destroying one of his hearts and putting Kakuzu in a difficult spot several times. He also managed to get away successfully from Kakuzu, Konan and Itachi. So, the Akatsuki members were very well aware of the abilities that Fujin had previously displayed. Therefore, Sasori couldn''t help but be surprised, ''Didn''t Kakuzu say that he could only fire one bullet at a time from each finger and fire five rounds in quick succession? The old information has become too unreliable now. Luckily, he has lost his aim while trying to increase their numbers.'' Deidara also observed, ''So, this is the famous technique of the Spectral Swordsman? Tsk, it is extremely sharp! However, why is he attacking me when he says that he wants to work together with me? Hmm? Weird, though the bullets look like they''re heading towards me, none of them will hit me. Could this be his way of saying he wants to cooperate with me? However, why is he so confident that I''ll cooperate with him?'' The words and actions of Fujin and his clone left Deidara completely confused. Before his mind could come up with any strange theory, he felt something behind him. While dodging Fujin''s attack, they glanced back and saw a sight neither had seen in their lives! Deidara questioned in shock, "What''s that?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Reginald, BabyAnn, Joe, Lord Ytalo, 2nd_Most_Handsome, Palikka, QanonMinority, Razgriz, Wahed, Will, Alexander, LazyAsh, Erwin and Zaoprimo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 794: Confusion! Chapter 794: Confusion! "What''s that?" Deidara exclaimed as he saw something he had never seen. Even Sasori was surprised. As for Fujin, the scene was oddly familiar even though it was his first time seeing it in this lifetime. Around a meter behind Sasori and Deidara, a crack opened up in space! A man, wearing an Orange mask began appearing. It was none other than Uchiha Obito, the successor of Uchiha Madara and the one who impersonated him following Madara''s death! Ever since the day he awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan, Obito enjoyed complete invulnerability. His opponents failed even to touch him, let alone harm him. There was just one person who managed to land an attack on him. Unfortunately for Obito, today was the day when he''d meet the second person. Even before Obito completely exited his Kamui dimension, dozens of Vacuum Bullets were mere meters away from him! Fujin observed, ''Oh, so that''s how it feels when someone interferes with the Space-Time field. Hehehe, what a good opportunity!'' Though surprise could be seen on Fujin''s face as well, his true emotions were hidden deep within. Even though none of it leaked out, he was filled with bloodlust at that particular moment. As annoying as Obito''s ability was, it had one weakness! A weakness Fujin fully intended to exploit! Hence, the one who was most surprised in reality was none other than Obito! He cursed, ''Shit, why did he fire Vacuum Bullets everywhere?'' Since he was moving between dimensions, he couldn''t make his body intangible. A Vacuum Bullet passed right through the spot where his head was about to appear. However, it passed harmlessly before Obito exited the Kamui dimension. Fujin frowned and thought, ''So, he can slow down the speed at which he is leaving the Kamui dimension? Sigh, I can''t kill him that easily, can I?'' Even though one of the biggest threats passed harmlessly, the danger wasn''t over for Obito. He immediately leaned his head to the left as two Vacuum Bullets grazed past his right cheek and head. Two deep cracks appeared on his mask as deep cuts appeared below and above his ear. However, he had no time to pay attention to the injuries as he twisted his body while he was materializing into the ninja world. A Vacuum Bullet grazed his right rib, a couple left cuts on his left arm and another couple of bullets slashed past his legs. However, Fujin wasn''t pleased. None of the injuries were fatal in any way. Sasori and Deidara watched as 5 more Vacuum Bullets were about to hit him. One was aimed straight at his forehead, one at his right lung, one at his abdomen and the last two at his thighs. Since Obito had barely dodged the previous round, he wasn''t in a position to dodge the next round. The two members of Akatsuki watched one of the creators of Akatsuki being pierced in 5 spots! Deidara wondered, ''What the hell? He just appeared out of thin air and died before even speaking? Eh???'' No?v(el)B\\jnn Fujin sighed internally, ''A shame. His timing was impeccable. If he had been a fraction of a second late or early, I might have killed him! Anyway, I wonder how much he values these two... This could be fun. I''m glad he isn''t wearing Akatsuki''s cloak, hehe.'' So far in their battle, Fujin hadn''t gone all out. Actually, none of the three had gone all out. The battle was still in its early phases and they were merely testing each other. Hence, even though they were at a disadvantage, they never realized the true danger they were in. While Fujin never envisioned such a scenario, he had his reasons for not going all out right at the start. For starters, Sasori and Deidara weren''t weaklings. Fujin wasn''t aware of how strong Deidara truly was. If he could self-destruct like he eventually did against Sasuke, then Fujin wanted to make sure Deidara was completely exhausted before he chose to do so. After all, hundreds of Konoha ninjas were still in the vicinity. As for Sasori, he had a lot of puppets that Fujin wanted to borrow, especially the Third Kazekage''s puppet. So, he had to take it easy and ensure that he could kill Sasori in one clean strike. In addition, he was also wary of any Akatsuki reinforcements. While he never imagined that he would draw out Obito, he wouldn''t have been surprised if another duo appeared to help the two of them. Fujin wanted to keep his cards hidden for such a scenario. With Obito appearing right when Fujin put Sasori and Deidara in a tight spot, his concerns were proven true. As a result of the weird sequence of events and Fujin''s carefulness, Obito was left in a weird situation. He had appeared to rescue two Akatsuki members, but neither trusted him. On the contrary, they seemed more willing to trust Fujin rather than him! Obito''s eyes twitched as he thought, ''I didn''t think the situation would be so weird. I would have worn the cloak otherwise.'' He was about to think what to say when Fujin suddenly shouted, "Sasori, Deidara, let''s set aside our differences for now. We''ll kill this scammer first and settle our battle later." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jag, Shreyan, Laziness Aight, Rodrigo, Lazy Dragon.. nah just lazy and Ange for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Ganesh for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 795: A Shameless Battle Maniac! "What''s the status? Is Commander alright?" Konomi asked a Hyuga Jounin. The Hyuga Jounin frowned and answered, "A third person appeared out of thin air. However, my view got blocked. It looks like they have applied some seals in the area." Konomi frowned and wondered, ''Should we interfere? However, the opponent is too strong. I''m afraid we''ll just get in Commander''s way...'' ¡ª¡ª "Sasori, Deidara, let''s set aside our differences for now. We''ll kill this scammer first and settle our battle later." The sudden proposal left Obito dumbfounded. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''Does he plan to make my underlings attack me? Exactly what did I step into?'' Needless to say, Obito wasn''t afraid. While he found Fujin intriguing, he didn''t see either of the 3 rank S ninjas as a challenge. It was just that the situation was completely out of control. He could see that both Sasori and Deidara were thoughtfully considering his offer. Of course, there wasn''t enough trust between them for them to actually accept Fujin''s proposal. While Deidara thought about it seriously, Sasori didn''t even entertain it. He thought, ''There is no doubt that he will stab us in the back if we team up. Once we enter that wind dome, it''s game over for us. As expected of a schemer from Konoha. His clone must have fed similar bullshit to Deidara! That kid doesn''t know how devious Konoha ninjas are. They may have a reputation for being soft, but only brainwashed fools believe that! Even now, he''s actively moving the winds to himself.'' Fujin looked at Deidara''s and Sasori''s reactions and sighed internally, ''A shame. Though useless, seeing them fight Obito would have been a sight to watch. Oh well, it would have been pointless anyway. To think that as many as 4 Akatsuki members, including 2 founding members, would show up in the middle of nowhere... What an interesting day!'' The battlefield was disturbed yet again as a plant-like being appeared out of the ground. Deidara and Sasori finally saw a familiar face. Black Zetsu asked, "What''s the matter? Why are these two confronting you?" Obito didn''t know how to explain the situation. Thankfully, Deidara asked, "Do you know him, Zetsu?" White Zetsu answered, "He is a member of Akatsuki too. This mission is a failure. Orochimaru was spotted running towards the Land of Frost. Unfortunately, I couldn''t keep track of him." Deidara and Sasori were surprised. They thought, ''So, he wasn''t lying. Instead, Fujin was the one sowing discord. However, did he know that or was he genuine?'' Even Obito had the same question. However, he knew that he wouldn''t get an answer. He glanced at Fujin, who quickly closed his eyes and muttered, "The Sharingan, huh? So, there was another Uchiha among the ranks of Akatsuki. Interesting..." To the surprise of the four Akatsuki members, seals appeared on Fujin''s eyelids as he continued, "That absurd Space Time Ninjutsu surpasses both the Second and the Fourth. For someone to surpass them, I suppose your eyes aren''t just ordinary Sharingans. No, they must be the fabled Mangekyou Sharingan. Sigh, that is scary... Not to mention, that plant-like being''s underground speed and stealth is remarkable too. I almost didn''t sense him. Hehehe..." Deidara''s eyes twitched as he wondered, ''What the hell is he talking about? Doesn''t he see that he is at a heavy disadvantage? Why is he talking nonsense instead of retreating?'' Obito also observed Fujin curiously, ''Impressive. He sealed his eyes right when he observed my Sharingan eye. I didn''t even have time to cast a Genjutsu. He also did well to analyze my abilities. So, this is Konoha''s latest genius? Should I let him grow? Or... Should I take this opportunity to eliminate him?'' A wide grin appeared on his face as he laughed, "If you can''t, then this battle will be decided by whether I run out of chakra first or you are unable to maintain that form. Hahahaha! This is even more exciting than fighting Orochimaru!" Obito and the rest had dark expressions when they heard Fujin''s laughter. All had the same thought running through their minds, ''Unseal your eyes if you want excitement!'' Unfortunately, Fujin''s relentless assault left them with no time to retort. They knew it would only take a few seconds for Fujin''s wind domain to encircle the entire battlefield. It wouldn''t take too long after that for the Winds controlled by Fujin to flood the entire area. When that happened, the only escape route Sasori and Deidara would have was underground. However, Sasori wasn''t too confident in that escape route after what happened earlier. Sasori counterattacked with iron dust while he and Deidara desperately dodged all attacks. Unlike Obito, they couldn''t turn intangible. They could only be thankful that they weren''t under the intense assault that Obito was. Especially Deidara, who seemed to have it much easier. Obito couldn''t help but wonder, ''Why is he taking it easy on Deidara? Is there really something going on or is he just sowing seeds of discord?'' When Obito reached Sasori, the Third Kazekage''s puppet unleashed all the Iron Dust it had to create several protective layers to stop Fujin''s relentless assault temporarily. Obito placed his right hand on the Hiruko puppet, extended his left hand to Deidara and said, "Quickly hold me!" At that moment, Deidara''s hands were in his bag, eating clay. Before he could move his hands, Fujin''s laughter roared once again as he shouted, "Now, Deidara!" [A/N: Next Chapter: Betrayal!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aldar, Masamitsu, Gabriel, Moon Rabbit, Shubham, Gilberto, Win and Extrasmall for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 796: Betrayal! "Now, Deidara!" Fujin''s laughter roared as he called his new ''friend'' to make a move! Obito, whose hand was moving towards Deidara, faltered! His eye observed Deidara''s hands which were still eating clay. While Obito didn''t consider anyone present there a threat, he didn''t dare underestimate anyone. Deidara may be young, but his reputation for blowing things up was well known. Additionally, Obito was also informed that he had a jutsu to blow his entire body up! If Deidara were to suddenly explode while he transferred the two to his Kamui Dimension, even Obito would suffer a great loss. Depending on how subtle Deidara could be, there was even a chance that Obito could die! With Fujin and Deidara acting weirdly, Obito grew increasingly suspicious. Even Sasori looked at his young partner with suspicion. He kept the iron sand ready to block any explosives Deidara might throw at them. With Fujin''s shout, Sasori mentally prepared himself for a strong explosion. While such thoughts ran through the minds of Sasori and Obito, Deidara was thoroughly confused. He wondered, ''Now what? What am I supposed to do? And, why does this bastard think I''ll act at his will? Eh? Fuck! Not this again!'' Deidara ignored Fujin''s call and looked at Obito, who had called him earlier. However, all he saw was red. The sight immediately brought memories of his humiliating loss against Itachi. Just like that day, Deidara was put under a Genjutsu! Obito decided, ''Whatever it is, I''ll investigate later. Time to leav... What the...???'' A Wind Pillar hit Deidara''s back, surprising Obito and Sasori. However, it wasn''t an ordinary Wind Pillar. It was an inferior version of Ryu''s Wind Breath. The Wind Pillar consisted of countless small wind blades. Due to being under Obito''s Genjutsu, Deidara couldn''t react to the danger behind him. The pillar passed through Deidara''s body as if it were nothing but thin air, leaving a massive hole in his abdomen and chest! Deidara, one of the prominent members of the Akatsuki, who would have defeated and captured the Fifth Kazekage and nearly killed Sasuke, a reincarnation of Indra, fell in a nameless field in the Land of Rice! Ironically, the main reason for his death was none other than Uchiha Obito, who cast a Genjutsu on him in his final moments! Though Akatsuki had its fair share of betrayals, be it Kakuzu backstabbing his partners or Orochimaru attacking Itachi, this would be the first instance where a founding member betrayed an Akatsuki member! Obito and Sasori immediately retreated as the Wind Pillar continued towards them. Both had the same thought, ''Did we misjudge Deidara or did Fujin kill him to stop us from getting information?'' With Deidara dead, it wasn''t something they could figure out easily. Both looked at Fujin in a new light. If it was the second case, the two admired Fujin''s decisiveness in eliminating a rank S ally. If it was the former, they had to admire and be wary of Fujin''s scheming mind. Through just a few words and actions, Fujin successfully planted the doubts of Deidara''s loyalty in their minds. Of course, what was also impressive was the speed at which Fujin attacked. Neither of them noticed the attack until it was too late for Deidara. Some distance away, both the Zetsu were shocked as well. White Zetsu muttered, "To think that Fujin could kill Deidara in his presence. We have underestimated him. His threat is extremely high. This is the second time an Akatsuki member fell to him. Only Kakuzu has killed more." Obito said, "Unfortunately, you no longer have any residue chakra around me. Your Wind Domain will require a few seconds to reach this area as well. None of your jutsus can reach me in time..." Obito''s eye suddenly widened. The Vacuum Bullet Fujin fired, even though it looked like an ordinary Vacuum Bullet, flew at over ten times the speed of Fujin''s previous Vacuum Bullets! As the Vacuum Bullet reached right in front of his right eye before he could completely transfer himself to the Kamui dimension, a question rose in Obito''s mind, ''Why is this Vacuum Bullet so much faster?'' At the same time, Fujin thought, ''Even though it looks just like a normal Vacuum Bullet, its core has been greatly modified by me. Under normal conditions, its speed is twice that of my normal Vacuum Bullets. However, that''s where the fun part comes in. A normal Vacuum jutsu merely consists of winds flowing through a Vacuum core. However, the way I created the core leaves me space to add another component to the jutsu. Though it is very small, it is extremely significant. This component is fire! The fire provides the explosive speed initially, quite similar to the boosters on missiles or rockets. The Winds then sustain this explosive speed for a couple of seconds. This was a lucky inspiration I had while I was working on Scorch Release. Unfortunately, the implementation is quite difficult. I completed it just a couple of days ago while others were cleaning up the bases. Modifying the remaining Vacuum cores will take months even with Shadow Clones. In addition, it is riskier than the normal Wind Vacuum Technique due to the fire''s presence. I have to pay careful attention to the jutsu to ensure that it won''t harm me. So, it''s unlikely that I can spam this technique. Regardless, it is still an excellent technique to catch troublesome enemies off guard. Now then, is your Kamui still faster than my attack, Obito?'' Fujin received his answer immediately. Even though Obito''s body disappeared and entered the Kamui dimension, it wasn''t before a hole was left in his head, starting from his right eye and opening up at the back of his head! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You iDogie, Michael, ilhas, Bam_the3, Parzivel, Colby, Zaoprimo, Shadow, Xander, Jordan, Hibrael, Bleachboy and Rain for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 797: Human Puppet Obito! Chapter 797: Human Puppet Obito! ''What place is this? Is this even the real world?'' Sasori looked around the Kamui dimension once he appeared there. The unknown dimension raised his curiosity. He had a strong feeling that the place was different from the ninja world and he couldn''t return by himself. Sensing a disturbance, he immediately turned his gaze to the crack in the space. He was left speechless and shocked as Obito''s dead body fell into the dimension! Sasori froze as he continued looking at Obito. Unfortunately, Obito didn''t move a single muscle. He was dead as a rock! While Sasori had no reason to feel sad about Obito''s death, he wondered in disbelief, ''If he''s dead, how do I get out of this place?'' Needless to say, if Obito died, Sasori would forever stay trapped in that dimension, unless he somehow mastered Space Time Ninjutsu and found a path to the ninja world. ¡ª¡ª In the Land of Rice, the seals on Fujin''s eyelids disappeared and he opened his eyes. His gaze stayed on the location where Obito disappeared. There was no happiness on his face. Instead, Fujin sighed and thought, ''His chakra changed drastically moments before he was hit. So, that must be how Izanagi feels...'' Fujin sighed once again as he analyzed, ''I miscalculated. In addition to rapidly depleting my chakra reserves, I should have slowed down the speed at which my Wind Domain encircled this place and shown it to be weaker than it actually is. If I had done that, maybe he might not have retreated right away. As long as we battled, I would have had some opportunities to send my Shadow Clones into his dimension and start marking the hell out of it. Once that is done, killing him would be possible. Unfortunately, I don''t think he''ll ever give me such an opportunity now unless I can force him into a battle somehow...'' Fujin thought a bit before giving up the idea. After all, there was another way to gain access to the Kamui dimension. And, it was far easier and without any risks. The winds moved, finally covering the entire area in his Wind Domain. Unlike his usual Wind Domain, which covered a radius of 50 meters, this one covered a radius of 500 meters and consisted of nearly 60% of his chakra! The reason why Fujin had gone to such an extent was to project weakness and tempt Obito into attacking Fujin when he was low on chakra. As for low chakra reserves, Fujin was no longer afraid. The artificial chakra lake in his Myriad Tetragram Seal already had enough chakra to fill his reserves twice over. So, he could just pretend to have low chakra and continue fighting while secretly having plenty of chakra. Unfortunately, his plans failed due to him going overboard with the Wind Domain. Fujin maintained his domain while wondering, ''Now then, will he reappear here or in the Kamui dimension? Also, how long does his Izanagi last? I''m pretty sure Danzo''s lasted a minute, but Obito''s probably lasts much longer considering his battle with Konan. Oh well, though the chances of him reappearing here are low, it''s not like I have anything else to do. After all, Zetsu has fled some time back. His speed underground is remarkable. I wonder if that technique can be copied or does it work only for Zetsus.'' Since he had nothing to do, Fujin''s mind wandered, thinking of more ways to increase his strength. Meanwhile, Zetsu reappeared from the ground a long distance away. Even Fujin''s Space Time Sensing Technique could no longer sense him. Fujin looked at the second Wind Clone and instructed, "You follow him. If you two find Orochimaru easily, then help him. Otherwise, head into the Land of Lightning and change the weather a bit. As for you, fly over us in case Akatsuki decides to sneak attack. Since there isn''t supposed to be any more fighting, I''ll let my chakra recover naturally." The three clones nodded and got to work. While Fujin didn''t particularly have any reason to send a clone after Orochimaru or inflict more damage on Kumogakure, he had to do something about the chakra he poured in the Wind Domain. They were just unfortunate to be the nearest. Fujin flickered a few times and reached the Konoha army. The Konoha ninjas were alarmed initially but relaxed on seeing, sensing and smelling that it was Fujin. Konomi asked, "What happened there? We couldn''t observe after the first few minutes." Fujin replied, "They had some weird abilities. Anyway, they have retreated for now, but be on the lookout for any sneak attacks. It''s time to wrap up the operation here and return to our country. We''ll meet up with the other two divisions." Konomi nodded without asking any more questions. Even though Fujin didn''t give her a clear answer, it wasn''t her place to insist on it since she wasn''t the commander of the army. She reorganized the ranks and began the retreat. As the army reached the borders of the Land of Fire, Konomi once again approached Fujin, this time with a worried face. She softly asked, "What about them? Wouldn''t it create an issue for the village?" Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked "Them?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Yuuyoh, Jack07, Landlord, Brian, Qweku_v and Emanuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 798: Losing a few hairs Konomi''s eyes twitched as she insisted, "Yes, them. You know what I am talking about!" Fujin indifferently answered, "I really don''t know." Speechless at Fujin''s indifference, Konomi could only stare at him continuously. It was almost as if she wouldn''t leave until Fujin answered her. The situation was too serious to be ignored in her opinion. Finally, Fujin sighed and said, "Tell me, were they cremated?" Konomi nodded. Fujin replied, "Good, were their ashes dispersed?" Konomi nodded again. Fujin asked again, "Were our ninjas involved in the matter warned?" Konomi answered, "Yes, they know about the consequences if they open their mouths." Fujin instructed, "Good, you should forget about it too then. Don''t mention it in any reports and delete it from your brain. You shouldn''t stress yourself over such pointless matters. Now go back to your subordinates. They need their general to lead the way." Without waiting for her response, Fujin just flickered away. While he understood her concerns, he had no reason to worry about that issue. That was Shikaku and the Hokage''s job, and Fujin had zero intention of forcefully taking either of their jobs. Unaware of his true thoughts, Konomi was left dumbfounded. She couldn''t help but wonder, ''Is it really that simple? I know they have their issues, but would merely feigning ignorance be enough?'' Her mind refused to accept that it was. However, she wasn''t the commander. She couldn''t refuse a direct command from Fujin. If she did, she could face the same consequences as others despite her rank. ¡ª¡ª The Konoha army finally entered the Land of Fire and moved towards the Fire Capital. Hoka''s and Illumi''s divisions were also headed in that direction. Meanwhile, on the eastern borders of the Land of Rice, a force stayed with solemn expressions on their faces. C muttered in a grave tone, "It has been quite some time since we sent the orders. Yet, 206 ninjas have still not returned..." Darui and Samui stood silently. They were still in disbelief that Kumo suffered another massive loss in such a short span! Yugito said, "Maybe they were held back for some reason. They might return in a few more hours." Even though she said that Yugito didn''t have much confidence in her words. It would have been understandable if a few squads were held up. However, nearly two-thirds of the ninjas being late spelled trouble. There was no doubt that something bad had happened. However, it was a scenario they just couldn''t accept. ¡ª¡ª In Iwagakure, Onoki read several reports and thought, ''The civil war in Kiri is finally in the ending stages. It''ll be interesting to see how this ends. The Fourth Mizukage is a perfect Jinchuriki. Even without the Tailed Beast, he''s a formidable shinobi. Do the rebels have the means to defeat someone like that?'' Onoki thought a bit before shaking his head, ''It doesn''t matter. As long as the two factions don''t unite, Kiri would be severely weakened. Even though they have lost the most among any great village, their ninjas are also the most prepared for a war. So, despite their lower numbers, they could cause trouble to any major village. However, if a faction is completely wiped out, that would no longer be the case.'' Onoki shifted his gaze to another report and a puzzled expression appeared on his face. He wondered, ''What is that Ay brat up to? Why are Kumo''s forces so erratic? It almost feels like he''s up to something, but it doesn''t feel like he''s preparing for war. Did he suffer some loss again?'' ¡ª¡ª Just like the reports stated, panic had gripped Kumogakure. Ay was facing endless headaches and he couldn''t even lash out in rage for the blame lay with him once again! 16 ninjas had died and 206 went missing. Kumogakure became the first village in the history of the ninja world to have 864 ninjas classified as ''missing'' at the same time, breaking their previous record of 658 ''missing'' ninjas! Sitting on his desk, Ay couldn''t help but wonder, ''Even though he didn''t have any proof, Darui said that he believed Suzuki Fujin was involved in the previous incident. This time, he is definitely involved. I can understand if my ninjas die. I could accept responsibility and take revenge. However, what do I do when they go missing? How do hundreds of ninjas even go missing???'' The more he thought, the more enraged the Fourth Raikage became. Fujin''s actions had completely infuriated him. Unfortunately, he couldn''t act. The internal politics were a complete mess! He couldn''t afford to take a step outside the village. ¡ª¡ª While Ay lost more than a few hairs due to the headache, Suna''s council met once again. In front of them was a scroll. Everyone looked at it solemnly. Finally, Goza muttered, "Konoha finally sent an official message. They want to talk with us in the Fire Capital." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Javier, ArcticRaven, Matthew, Heinzkevin, Elijah, Raghav, Sukhdeep and Satvir for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 799: Sand Slayer Silence engulfed Sunagakure''s council room as the council members pondered seriously. While Konoha was attacking Otogakure and the rebels in the Land of Grass, Sunagakure was continuously preparing for an all-out assault from Konoha. They had deployed thousands of ninjas strategically throughout the desert and planted tens of thousands of traps. Sunagakure had been transformed into a fortress. When the news of Otogakure''s destruction arrived, they believed Konoha would turn their forces to them. However, they received an invitation to negotiate instead. The council wasn''t sure how genuine Konoha was, whether they truly wanted to negotiate, or if it was just a trick to lower their guard before the real assault began. Goza sighed and muttered, "If this is a genuine invitation, it might just save our village. However, is it? Konoha''s schemes run deep and they must be pissed off at our betrayal. I''m afraid that this is a trap to eliminate some of our top ninjas to make their invasion easier. After all, from our sources, both Konoha armies are making their way to the Fire Capital, where the negotiations will happen." The Council had solemn faces. Ebizo said, "It''s unlikely that Konoha would harm our negotiators. They have a reputation to maintain. The Hyuga incident showed us that. Even in the worst case, they would just arrest the ones who go there." Tojuro said, "Don''t forget their Yamanaka clan. Even though we attacked Konoha, our Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru and used by him with the Edo Tensei jutsu. Konoha isn''t sure if we attacked them or were fooled by Orochimaru into attacking them. Perhaps, the negotiation is just a way for them to read the memories of whoever we send to negotiate and decide whether to attack us or not. Even though others wouldn''t be sure whether Konoha is telling the truth or not, Konoha, right now, is strong enough to not care as long as they know it. To make matters worse, the external conditions are excellent for them. The civil war in the Land of Water is entering a crucial stage. They can''t interfere elsewhere. Kumogakure is suffering from some internal trouble too. They were our biggest hope but they have been a disappointment so far. We can''t count on them. The only forces that are intact are Iwagakure. However..." The Suna Council was well aware of Onoki''s nature. Despite such an insult, he hadn''t made a move. Instead, he had already recalled the forces he deployed on the borders with the Land of Grass. As such, the Sunagakure''s situation had become far more grim. Suddenly, Chiyo said, "I don''t think Konoha would read the memories of our council members. Well, at least not as long as the more mature figures are making the decisions. However, the risk is indeed high. We can''t send any council member to negotiate." Ryusa argued, "If we don''t send any council member, Konoha would assume we aren''t serious about negotiating. That could force them to act even if they don''t want to due to the losses and the potential of a wider conflict. After all, even though Kumogakure is in disarray and Iwagakure is watching, they would be wary of what Konoha did in the Land of Rice!" Chiyo nodded and said, "Of course. That is why we need to expand the council and accept two new members who aren''t sure of what really happened. And, in order to prove that they aren''t just scapegoats, they will be treated as full-fledged members even in the future. They''ll have as much power as any of you here." The council room grew quiet once again. Expanding the council wouldn''t mean they would magically get new responsibilities, power and resources. Instead, the current members would have to give up some of their power to ensure that the new members stand on par with them. It would be a huge loss, something that none of them would accept without resisting under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, these weren''t normal circumstances. Even though they were unwilling, no one opposed Chiyo''s suggestion. After all, their lives were far more important. One by one, everyone agreed. Knowing how ugly political conflicts could get, Chiyo and Ebizo made everyone decide what they would give to the new members. Once everything was settled to their satisfaction, Ebizo turned his gaze to Sajo and asked, "Is it done?" No?v(el)B\\jnn "Holy crap! What sort of demon is he?" "Shit! Calling him Sand Slayer is correct. I hope he never visits this village." Everyone around him nodded promptly. While they weren''t ninjas, none of them wanted to see Sunagakure fall. Similar discussions were happening throughout Sunagakure, giving Fujin a new moniker, The Sand Slayer. Ironically, the number of Sunagakure ninjas Fujin slaughtered was nowhere near the number of Kumogakure ninjas he killed. Unlike the civilians, who cheerfully indulged in gossip, most of the ninjas were tense. They realized that there was a high chance that they would have to go to war. Hearing the rumors about Fujin, fear gripped most hearts. One of those ninjas frowned while roaming the streets and hearing the rumors. He thought, ''Bullshit! Those council members were definitely supporting the attack. The ninjas had been training for nearly half a year to prepare for an assault. There''s no way Rasa was controlled by Orochimaru for all this time.'' This person wore Sunagakure''s headband and Chunin vest but was actually a Konoha spy. He decided, ''I need to report this to the village. They have finally relaxed the security around the village since most forces are preparing for the defense. I''ll also mention the rumors as it seems like Sunagakure doesn''t want a war right now. They are very weak after the death of Rasa and all those elites.'' [A/N: Next chapter in 6-8 hours.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Christopher, Peplum, Jan, Blue Bird, Lexi, Cory, Lucchi and Geisterlos for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 800: Shikaku makes a move! Just like in Sunagakure, the council met in Konoha. In the absence of Hiruzen and his successor, the head seat was left empty. Fujin''s seat was also empty, as were the seats of the civilian council members. Koharu started the meeting by asking, "Did Suna receive the message?" Shikaku nodded, "They should have received it by now. Their reply should come in a few hours. There isn''t much suspense as to what it''d be." Everyone agreed. Under the current circumstances, there was no way Sunagakure would refuse to talk. Senju Hiromasa asked, "Shikaku, were you the one who started the discussion currently happening throughout the village?" Shikaku answered, "Yes, though it wasn''t my decision entirely. Lord Third had asked me to do it before the attack." Hiromasa replied, "Thought so, this feels like his work. Spread it outside of the village as well, especially in the Land of Wind. Though it won''t have a direct impact on Sunagakure''s council, it''ll reinforce the fear in the hearts of their ninjas. Though intangible, it''ll increase the pressure on their council, which would help us during the negotiation." Shikaku smirked and said, "Don''t worry, it is already set in motion." Hiromasa chuckled and replied, "I should have expected that." He turned his gaze towards others and said, "Now then, it''s time to discuss whom to send to negotiate with Sunagakure. Have you thought about it as well, Shikaku?" Shikaku nodded, "Yes. As the two most experienced ninjas as well as the ones who have dealt with such matters the most, I believe Elder Homura and Elder Koharu would be the optimal candidates to lead our team. In addition, we''ll also need to send a few Clan Leaders. Any of you want to volunteer?" He turned his gaze to his fellow Clan Leaders. Tsume was the first one to speak up, "I''ll go. I want to see what those geniuses were thinking to attack us." Inoichi said, "Well, I doubt they''d risk sending anyone important due to my clan''s abilities. So, chewing them won''t get us any useful intel, though I suppose it''ll be great for applying more pressure. I''ll go too to add to the pressure." Hiromasa said, "I''ll go as well. It''s been a long time since I left the village. I want to see what this generation of Sunagakure''s leaders are like." Shikaku said, "Alright, that should be plenty. Fujin will join the negotiating team as well. You can meet him directly at the Fire Capital. I have already explained to him his role. It''ll be similar to what he did against Kusagakure, except he won''t be leading the team." Tsume suddenly sighed and asked, "Are you trying to give away my job, Shikaku? How am I supposed to chew them off if he scares them?" One of them said, "I used to think the rumors about him were exaggerated. Now, it seems like even they didn''t do him justice. Councilman Fujin is insanely good. No one even knew that he made a move against Otogakure until it was over. His moniker is truly appropriate. A swordsman who appears and disappears like a ghost. Whoever called him ''The Spectral Swordsman'' did a very good job." The Nara ninja in the group shook his head and said, "While the name is good, we can''t use it. Besides, why should we use the name our enemies gave him?" Everyone looked at the Nara ninja as he continued, "When Orochimaru interfered in the second round of the Chunin Exam, Councilman Fujin faced him alone and forced him to retreat. When the village was attacked by the combined forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure, Councilman Fujin stepped up and annihilated 3 divisions before they understood what was happening. He also stopped the Edo Tensei summons and sealed all of them. He even stopped the legendary White Fang and protected us. And, he also led our forces to swiftly take revenge for the injuries Orochimaru inflicted on Lord Third. No matter who our enemies are or what the situation is, Councilman Fujin strikes them down. He is the sword that strikes fear in our enemies. We should call him Konoha''s Sword instead! Only such a title could do justice to what he has done for our village!" The ninjas around him were moved by his passionate speech and immediately agreed. The ones around them heard the passionate speech too and soon the entire bar cheered to Konoha''s Sword. Similar discussions were happening throughout the village due to Shikaku''s moves. By the end of the day, everyone had heard the title and referred to Fujin by it. It would soon spread throughout the Land of Fire and the ninja world. Fujin, who reached close to the Fire Capital with his army, was completely unaware of the two new monikers he gained. Only time would tell how he''ll react to this move made by Hiruzen and Shikaku. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sully and Bagus for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 801: Explode on Sight! Two individuals exited the Sunagakure Council Room while deep in thought. As they walked, one of them sighed and muttered, "To approach the Wind Daimyo at this time. Sigh, will it work? It''s no secret that the Daimyo doesn''t like Sunagakure and prefers good relations with Konoha instead." The lady next to him replied, "He may prefer Konoha, but he is the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. He wouldn''t like to see his country being invaded by Konoha. He''ll be even more desperate than us for peace. So, we don''t need to worry about whose side he''ll be on, Yura. Of course, that isn''t entirely good news as he may try to force us to accept some unfavorable terms. However, anything is better than an all-out war against Konoha at this point." Yura replied, "That is exactly what I''m worried about, Arisa. Our economy is already in bad shape due to his preferences. It''ll be even worse if more restrictions are imposed upon us. Anyway, I suppose the council already considered these aspects before making the decision. We can only hope that we apply enough pressure on Konoha to stop them from making another audacious move. We need to prepare for the negotiations." Arisa nodded. She and Yura were the two new members of the Sunagakure Council. Tenma Arima was from a civilian background but had considerable influence due to being a Strategist and an Elite Jounin. Yura had a significant influence among the Sunagakure ninjas too. Unfortunately for Sunagakure, he was Sasori''s spy. Within minutes of the end of the Sunagakure Council Meeting, two squads left their village and traveled at high speed. One squad was headed to Iwagakure, while the other was headed to Kumogakure. At the same time, a news spread throughout Sunagakure which brought relief to most of their ninjas. "Thank god! I was so worried!" "Yeah, me too! I''m so glad the Council made this decision. My wife and kids were so worried for me!" "Yeah, we don''t have to fight that monster! We can flee as soon as we see him even if we are at war!" Realizing the fear of Fujin that had penetrated into the bones of the Sunagakure ninjas, the Council finally issued a flee-on-sight warning for Fujin, just like Iwagakure did a long time ago. It restored the morale of their ninjas to an extent. However, there were a few hundred ninjas who weren''t relieved. Instead, they became even more worried. "Shit! Does this mean that we will go to war with Konoha?" "Fuck! What use is the ''Flee on sight'' order? How the fuck are we supposed to run from that demon?" "Exactly! That monster slaughtered two hundred of our comrades in the blink of an eye. Poor guys didn''t even know what hit them!" "What the hell is the council thinking? They should avoid war at all costs. This was a short conflict. If we start an official war, he''ll make White Fang look like a saint! I don''t even want to imagine him hunting our forces for several weeks, let alone several months!" Needless to say, the council was well aware of this when Baki spoke up. Unfortunately, they were out of options. They could only be thankful for the fact that they had dispatched nearly 3,000 ninjas before Baki''s group returned to Sunagakure and spread Fujin''s infamy. As such, they were unaffected and still in good morale. ¡ª¡ª Konomi asked gravely, "Would we really invade one of the Great Villages?" Fujin answered, "It is unlikely. The council is opposed to war, especially considering that the Fifth Hokage has yet to take power officially. Whether it is Lord Jiraiya or Lady Tsunade who takes charge, neither supports unnecessary wars. In addition, I doubt Sunagakure wants a war right now. However, there is no reason for us to not prepare for the worst-case scenario. So, prepare the army assuming you''ll receive orders to march out at any moment. No need to train right now, just let them get sufficient rest and ensure that even the minor injuries are healed." The three generals nodded. Renjiro asked, "Will you leave for the Fire Capital right away?" Fujin shook his head and answered, "No, our team will arrive tomorrow morning. I''ll rest with the army and join them tomorrow." Renjiro smiled and thought, ''Not bad. Being with the army for as long as he can is a good way for any commander to increase their morale.'' The group discussed some more important topics before being dismissed. Fujin spent the remaining day catching up with Hoka and Renjiro while interacting with the army following Renjiro''s suggestions. In the night, Fujin stayed up in his tent while writing a report on a scroll. The report looked strange and unreadable because it was encoded in a cipher. Very few ninjas knew how to decode this cipher, as its secrets were taught only to a handful of elites in Konoha. Fujin went through his reports once while thinking, ''Shikaku won''t come to the negotiations. A bummer, it could have been fun to negotiate alongside him. Oh well, since he''s being lazy again, I need to be a responsible Konoha ninja and give him a few sleepless nights. After all, our Jounin Commander and best strategist has to be in top shape all the time!'' Without wasting any time, Fujin dispatched a messenger bird to Konoha before sleeping soundly. [A/N: Not sure if I can do a double today. Check in like 4-6 hours. If no update, I''ll try to do a double tomorrow.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mark, J.Rogue, Shrek, Anthony, Abdul, Calbear, Davaughn and ShadowedGeneral for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 802: Hiruzens Substitutes? "Another tiresome day..." Shikaku sighed as he let out a yawn. His wife looked at him and chuckled, "Your work won''t decrease just because you sigh and complain. In fact, it always has the opposite impact." Shikaku tiredly replied, "It''s all that brat''s fault. Until Lord Jiraiya brings back Lady Tsunade, I''ll have to suffer irrespective of how much I sigh..." His laziness soured his wife''s mood and she immediately scolded, "You should show more enthusiasm. Your laziness has been influencing Shikamaru. He is already showing signs of the same laziness as you and complains about everything!" Shikaku knew very well that anything he said would only make his wife more upset. As such, he just listened to her nagging before falling onto his bed. Within moments, he fell asleep. While he always complained, he had really been working a lot as he was handling the Hokage''s duties along with his duties at the same time! Unfortunately, merely a minute after he fell asleep, his eyes opened up as their bell rang. Shikaku immediately became serious and got up. He quickly moved to the door while thinking, ''To contact me at this hour, did something happen? However, what can be so important? Our armies are back in our territories and the negotiation team shouldn''t have reached yet.'' Shikaku''s mind immediately analyzed a few dozen scenarios before opening the door. An Anbu ninja handed him a scroll and reported, "We just received an extremely important message from Suzuki Fujin. He added a small note to hand the scroll to you directly and immediately." Shikaku accepted the scroll and said, "Alright, I''ll look into it." The Anbu ninja flickered away while Shikaku entered his house again. He opened the scroll and laid his eyes on the contents inside. As soon as he did, his eyes twitched as he wondered, ''Did he have to use this cipher or did he do it just to increase my workload? The cipher team can''t decode this message. I''ll have to do it all by myself... Sigh, I hope this message is actually important and solves some of my troubles instead of increasing them.'' Though unwilling, Shikaku spent half an hour decoding the message before reading the entire scroll. His eyes widened as he thought, ''This... Shit! I told him to decrease my workload, not increase it! Why did he order the death of over 200 Kumogakure ninjas? And what does he mean by doing it silently? It may not have been obvious the last time, but it is very obvious this time. Besides, just because they couldn''t react the last time doesn''t mean that we can keep poking them. At some point, they''ll explode in our faces even if it hurts them! I''ll have to now calculate how they''ll react and if we need to prepare for any attacks from them as well!'' Shikaku wanted to cry. He had just pawned off the work of negotiations on the Elders and hoped to have a few easy days at last. If Tsunade returned to the village in those days, he''d be free again. Unfortunately, Fujin denied him that luxury by needlessly antagonizing Kumogakure again! Even if Tsunade returned, Shikaku would have to pay attention to Kumogakure''s movements. ¡ª¡ª Unlike Shikaku, who had a sleepless night, Fujin slept soundly. By the time he woke up, Konoha''s negotiation team had already arrived in the camp. Fujin freshened up before walking into the main tent, where the elders, clan leaders and the leaders of the army had already gathered. Fujin yawned and muttered, "You guys are up awfully early." Fujin''s comment earned an irritated look from the ones present. The negotiation team had arrived even before the Sun rose. They wanted to discuss some matters before heading to the Fire Capital. However, Fujin instructed his guards to not disturb him unless an enemy attacked. Konomi, who had seen how Fujin operated first-hand, wondered, ''Does he plan on disarming Sunagakure''s traps and eliminating their ambush squads one by one like how we did in the Land of Rice? A couple of weeks ago, I would have dismissed that idea as crazy. However, after what I have seen...'' Of course, the ones on the council wouldn''t agree to Fujin''s words. Hiromasa finally intervened, "Fujin, while your statements are logical, you''re missing one aspect. That is pride. Kusagakure is a minor village that specializes in diplomacy. Compromising isn''t humiliating for them. However, Sunagakure has the pride of a great village. If we humiliate them too much, they''ll refuse and go to war even at the risk of annihilation. Even though we are in good shape right now, an all-out war against a great village is not something Konoha can afford to do. Anything short of a decisive victory like you had against Otogakure will be an open invitation for Kumogakure and Iwagakure to attack us. In fact, we believe they may already be in talks. So, let''s calm down and discuss." A smile appeared on his face as he added, "Besides, even though our approach should be cordial, our demands will be very strict. So, relax and let''s continue the discussion." Since Fujin had good relations with the Senju clan, Fujin didn''t reply aggressively. Besides, while his ideas were good, Fujin didn''t particularly care whether Konoha went to war with Sunagakure or not. He just wanted to mess with the two Elders since Hiruzen was out of commission and couldn''t be bothered. Fujin replied, "Alright." With Hiromasa playing the mediator, the tensions calmed down and the group finally started discussing their negotiation strategy. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mukut and Devine for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 803: A warm and not-so-warm Welcome! "Deidara died on your watch?" Nagato asked emotionlessly. However, Obito could feel a sense of disdain directed at him in Nagato''s voice. The image of ''Uchiha Madara'' he created in Nagato''s and Konan''s minds long ago was slightly shaken. After all, if Madara couldn''t stop a teenager, was there any reason to treat him like he was in his prime? Obito understood it. Unfortunately, there wasn''t much he could do considering that something else had happened during the battle which was far more humiliating than Deidara''s death. He ignored their hidden disdain and replied, "Deidara may have betrayed Akatsuki. Or rather, he had some dealings with Fujin. It was why I didn''t save him. Fujin turned on him to ensure that we didn''t get any information." Nagato and Konan were surprised by the revelation but didn''t care much. After all, Deidara''s death didn''t affect Akatsuki much and Akatsuki was already dealing with another traitor. Obito continued, "As for Suzuki Fujin, he is a rather odd young man. Don''t underestimate him if you face him in battle. Zetsu will inform you about his abilities." Obito was about to leave when Nagato said, "Sasori is without a partner once again. We''ll have to find a replacement for Deidara." Obito nodded before disappearing into his dimension. Konan muttered, "To think the mighty Uchiha Madara failed to protect a rank S ninja from a young Shinobi... I knew he had lost his strength, but I didn''t think he''d deteriorate to this condition." Nagato replied, "Even so, his ability can''t be underestimated." Konan nodded. She had no intention of taking him lightly. While they were allies, she was extremely suspicious of him and was preparing a plan in case he ever targeted Nagato. [A/N: Ideas for a new partner for Sasori are welcomed. Exceptions: Tobi, Fourth Mizukage.] ¡ª¡ª "I didn''t expect that boy would force you to use Izanagi." Black Zetsu muttered in an underground base when he noticed a crack in the space. Obito appeared in the room while taking his mask off. A couple of cuts were visible on his face and the side of his head. In addition, his left eye had gone blind! Obito said, "Yes, thankfully Sasori doesn''t know about this jutsu and thinks it was some sort of Genjutsu. Otherwise, my image would have been hurt even more." White Zetsu said, "Suzuki Fujin is dangerous. This is the second time he killed an Akatsuki member. If you hadn''t shown up, Sasori might have been killed as well. I''m afraid Kakuzu''s team wouldn''t stand a chance against him either. Unless Pain or you move, only Itachi and Kisame could win, assuming he doesn''t convince Kisame that Itachi is a spy." Obito agreed. Fujin''s abilities were already quite strong. In addition, he was also excellent at scheming. Together, these two aspects made him extremely dangerous. He thought for a bit and said, "In the next gathering, inform everyone about Fujin''s abilities and the threat he possesses. I doubt they''ll take the warning too seriously, but they''ll at least be prepared. Inform me if any other team ends up confronting him. I''m interested in seeing how many more hidden cards he has in his arsenal." White Zetsu replied, "I will." Obito walked into another room while saying, "Also, keep an eye on Nagato. I doubt he''d betray me, but it''s better to be careful than be caught off guard." Obito focused on healing himself and replacing his left eye with another three-tomoe sharingan. Fujin''s left eye involuntarily twitched as he wondered, ''So they were indeed referring to me... Which asshole gave me such a lousy title?'' Before Fujin could say anything, Hiromasa laughed, patted Fujin''s back and said, "I forgot to mention it earlier. In light of your recent achievements, everyone in Konoha has been referring to you by that title. The name caught on very quickly." The Daimyo smiled and said, "Oh, I didn''t know you were unaware. I''m glad that you heard it from me then. It''s good to see you again too, Hiromasa." The group interacted for a few minutes before taking the main road to Daimyo''s palace, while being cheered by thousands of people. Fujin didn''t pay much attention to the proceedings and instead wondered, ''How did I get such a title? And, how did it spread so quickly?'' He thought for a bit before concluding, ''A title generally spreads as a result of an incident, several incidents or a feature of that ninja. My previous title spread purely due to my actions. As I continued assassinating, the title caught on very quickly. I guess I also got credit for some of the kills that weren''t done by me. However, Konoha''s Sword... This title is a little weird. Instead of describing me, it''s a title that''ll boost the morale of Konoha ninjas. There''s no way an enemy would give me this title... It''s definitely Shikaku''s... No, he''s too lazy to take the initiative to do something like this. It must be that old fox! Sigh, why is he messing with me while in a coma? Is he really in a coma or just pretending to be to avoid paperwork and force either of his students to finally accept his seat?'' Fujin couldn''t help but sigh. While he didn''t care what moniker he was referred to with, he had one small complaint, ''Why is my new title lamer than my old one? Couldn''t they think of something better than Spectral Swordsman? Sigh, I need to prepare a recovery gift for Hiruzen for when he finally wakes up.'' After a meeting in his palace, the Daimyo got Konoha''s group settled in the best hotel in the Fire Capital. Five days later, Sunagakure''s negotiation team arrived. Even though they received a welcome, it wasn''t exactly warm. Even experienced leaders like Yura and Arisa became nervous, let alone the weaker ninjas following them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Khaled, Jackson, DivineSlims, GimmieDaLoot, Malo, Jeppe, Zeca, Arvin and Marvin for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Kabir for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 804: Nerves, Danger, Bait! Before Sunagakure''s negotiation team entered the fire capital, they were greeted with a completely unexpected sight. Though the path to the city was open, thousands of ninjas surrounded the path. While they weren''t as visible as the civilians in Fire Capital, they didn''t bother hiding their presence. As such, experienced ninjas like Yura and Arisa and sensors could feel the vast amount of ninjas in the trees around the paths. Even the ones who couldn''t sense them were unnerved as they felt the gazes of hundreds of bloodthirsty ninjas lock on to them! After all, though Konoha didn''t suffer much due to their attack, over a hundred people died and thousands were injured. As such, most Konoha ninjas had a friend or a relative who was injured in the attack. Fearing the worst, a few Suna ninjas gulped nervously, ''Don''t tell me Konoha plans to eliminate all of us as revenge for our attack...'' Luckily, Arisa spoke softly but firmly, "Get a hold of yourself. Don''t forget that we are representing our village. Stop standing still like bloody fools and follow us." Led by Arisa and Yura''s brave march, the others in the negotiation team found courage and followed their two new Council Members. Either that, or they were afraid of being left behind. Until the moment they set foot in Fire Capital, the entire group was watched like hawks by the Konoha ninjas! The members of the negotiation team let out a sigh of relief. They were finally out of danger, or so they thought. Just like Konoha''s team, Suna''s team was welcomed as well. However, there were some differences. Instead of the Fire Daimyo and dozens of nobles and officials welcoming them, they were greeted by a single noble who was in the Fire Daimyo''s bad graces. In addition, there was no audience to cheer them. The noble welcomed them and led them to Daimyo''s palace. However, they were stared at hatefully once again, this time by ordinary citizens of Fire Capital who spotted them. Their looks conveyed the Land of Fire''s disappointment, disgust, anger, and myriad other emotions due to Sunagakure''s actions. The peace they enjoyed was nearly destroyed due to Sunagakure''s folly. Yura sighed internally, ''This must be Konoha''s play to put us on the back foot. We should have traveled here with the Wind Daimyo...'' Suddenly, he had a realization. He thought, ''Wait! Don''t tell me this is why the Wind Daimyo refused to travel with us and left before we did. The Fire Daimyo must have conveyed him a message because Konoha couldn''t do this had he been with us.'' Yura''s mood became heavy. Arisa had the same realization. They finally realized how stacked the odds were against them! In complete silence, the Sunagakure group traveled to the Daimyo''s palace. They hadn''t even entered it when they saw another scary sight. As unnerving as the gazes of thousands of Konoha ninjas were, this sight was downright horrifying! From the corner of their eyes, they noticed several chefs attending to a young man and serving him the best food Fire Capital could offer. In a Daimyo''s palace, such a sight would be considered ordinary. Unfortunately, there was nothing ordinary about that young man! One of the Suna ninjas involuntarily muttered, "Sand Slayer..." Others wondered, ''Why is he here? Wasn''t that army enough?'' A few realized, ''Don''t tell me that is the same army Konoha used to attack Kusagakure rebels and Otogakure! Why did they move to this city? What is Konoha planning?'' While Fujin couldn''t hear their thoughts, his ears picked up the soft mutters. He thought, ''Sand Slayer, huh? Sigh, why are my enemies so much better at coming up with new monikers for me than my allies who are supposed to be some of the smartest people on this planet?'' Fujin let out a sigh, making the chef next to him very worried. He nervously asked, "Is the soup not to your liking?" The Wind Daimyo replied, "Perhaps. Or they could have been intimidated by the two of you." Koharu shook her head and said, "No, we would have seen their intentions easily if they had any such plans and dropped them due to our presence. I can say for certain that they didn''t plan on eliminating the two of you. Or at least, this group isn''t responsible for or aware of it." Homura added, "Besides, I doubt the two of us could stop suicidal attacks from over 20 ninjas by ourselves. On the contrary, they would have attempted to drag us along with themselves." The Fire Daimyo chuckled and guessed, "Maybe our young hero deterred them outside. We should be thankful that he agreed to stay in the palace and look after us old folks." Koharu''s eye twitched as she thought, ''If he had his way, then even the two of us wouldn''t have been in this room. You two would have served as the perfect baits for Suna''s doom!'' Homura calmly said, "While he definitely would have made an impact on them, it wouldn''t matter. Whoever tries to kill you, will do so without any expectations of making it back alive. As I just said, it would be a suicide mission and Sunagakure would declare them rogue ninjas. So, you can relax." The Wind Daimyo breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "That''s a relief. You have it easier here. Do you know how dangerous my position is in the Land of Wind?" The Fire Daimyo was left speechless at how his fellow Daimyo complained. He could only say awkwardly, "Well, you''re welcome to stay here for as long as you want." Without a hint of shame or hesitation, the Wind Daimyo replied, "I''ll take you up on that offer then." [A/N: Next chapter in a few hours.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Luco, KAAT, Adrien, G 21, SnowFairyAsuna, James, Ethan, Cristian, Ruben, Zay, Jose, Kelevra, Jai, Sir Alex and Allyouknow for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 805: A New Alliance? "lady arisa, lord yura, i checked the rooms. there aren''t any seals keeping a tab on us." the sealmaster in sunagakure''s group reported. after leaving the daimyo''s palace, they were led to the second-best hotel in fire capital and settled there. needless to say, they wouldn''t blindly trust konoha''s arrangements and immediately inspected the place for traps and seals. while sunagakure didn''t dare to send a fuinjutsu grandmaster on this dangerous mission, they could spare a sealmaster, who did most of the work. however, arisa shook her head and said, "good work, but it''s hopeless. ask everyone to act as if we''re being kept watched at all times." the sealmaster frowned and asked, "what do you mean?" realizing she had hurt his pride, arisa explained, "it''s not your fault. it''s due to the reports we received from kumogakure. their grandmaster failed to detect a trap set for their army and kumogakure believes that suzuki fujin had a hand in that trap." yura added, "we aren''t sure how accurate the reports are, but if true, then even our grandmasters could miss seals planted by konoha." the sealmaster was shocked. he asked, "then, what do we do? how can we deal with someone who can fool grandmasters?" arisa replied, "that''s why i said what i did. call everyone. we need to have a meeting. konoha put up an excellent show today. i have to admit, i wouldn''t have thought of so many tactics to apply pressure on our opponent. they have already entered our minds. we need to make sure that we don''t get affected by it and negotiate as if we aren''t in any danger. after all, it''s not like we can do anything if they decide to kill us. the sand slayer alone can kill us silently if he wants to. so, we might as well act as if we don''t care about our lives and the danger that may appear. only then can we get a good deal for our village!" realizing the seriousness of the situation, the sealmaster nodded and immediately left. sunagakure''s negotiation team began their first meeting in fire capital. for obvious reasons, they didn''t discuss or revise their tactics and strategies during this particular mission. instead, yura and arisa focused on the mental state of their subordinates. they worked on removing their fear and nervousness and ensured that they stayed sharp throughout the negotiations. ¡ª¡ª "raikage-sama, the damage done to our trading routes by the hurricanes is finally fixed. however..." mabui''s expression dulled as she reported, "i''m afraid this will have a major impact on our trade. the hurricanes that appeared a month ago had caused extensive damage, much of which is yet to be repaired. it scared all the traders and merchants. the matter of our missing ninjas and akuro''s attack only amplified that fear. it took a lot of effort to make them start trading in our country again. however, these hurricanes will deter them once again. i''m afraid that nearly 80% of our trade will be impacted for a month or two. if such incidents occur again, then it could be even longer." ay''s mood wasn''t good. he was still being harrassed constantly by the families of the ninjas that went ''missing'' in the land of rice. his new policy regarding fujin wasn''t taken well by the ninjas either. the ones who didn''t want to see him in power or curtail his arrogance were also bringing back the issue of the previous missing ninjas and the humiliation inflicted by akuro. as a result, his time was absolutely miserable. "our two villages have been in an alliance since the end of the third great ninja war. during this time, no conflict broke out between us. in addition, our alliance deterred kumogakure and iwagakure from starting a new war." homura started the discussion by emotionlessly putting the facts on the table. he continued, "neither dared to attack you when you were vulnerable after the previous great war due to us. in addition, neither dared to attack us when we were weakened by the nine tails'' assault. in a way, our alliance ensured that the next great ninja war didn''t break out and it maintained peace in the ninja world." his tone became cold as he stated, "yet, you broke our alliance. you allied with a traitor and assaulted konoha. your actions destabilized the world and nearly pushed us into the next great ninja war. more importantly, nearly two hundred of our people died. and, my dear friend and our beloved hokage was gravely injured." without a shred of mercy or hesitation, homura asked, "give me one good reason why konoha shouldn''t dispatch our armies and wipe out sunagakure from the face of this world?" just like hiruzen and danzo, homura''s strength had waned with age. coupled with the fact that he was never as strong as those two, he was no longer considered a great ninja or a major threat. however, the pressure and the killing intent he released this day made all 24 sunagakure ninjas, other than yura and arisa, tremble! irrespective of whether they were chunins or jounins, their expressions became grave and their instincts forced them to raise their guard even though they knew homura wouldn''t make a move. even arisa and yura could feel homura''s experience in the pressure he was exerting. even though either could go toe-to-toe with him easily, they were nowhere near in terms of experience. the two daimyos, who had a few plans to act as mediators since neither wanted another war, were dead silent and neither dared to move a muscle. while homura''s chakra wasn''t directed at them, they were just ordinary people irrespective of their status. the pressure terrified them regardless of who it was directed at! without a word, both decided to stay quiet throughout the meeting! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª a/n : if you can, then please support me on p@treon. link - www.pat /devilhex (no space) alternatively you can support me on upi (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi can read up to 50 chapters ahead on p@treon. thank you lucca and tristan for supporting me on p@treon. Chapter 806: Refusal to accept responsibility! [a/n: 800th chapter! just 200 more to go to reach 1,000! thanks for all your love and support once again guys. couldn''t have done it without you :)] it hadn''t been even a minute since the negotiations began, but the room was already tense. homura''s display unnerved most of the sunagakure ninjas. suddenly, yura and arisa riled their chakra to counter homura''s pressure. yura asked, "do you mean other than the fact that you can''t?" arisa asked, "does konoha dare to step into the desert? perhaps you''ve forgotten what happened in the second great ninja war." their chakra brought relief to the other sunagakure ninjas who were facing the heat. of course, neither dared to exert pressure on the konoha side. both knew very well what the result would be if they tried to do so. even if fujin was ignored, konoha''s side was considerably stronger with as many as 5 ninjas at the elite jounin level even though 3 were very old. tsume bared her fangs and asked, "would you like us to try again?" unlike homura, she didn''t apply any pressure or direct her killing intent at the sunagakure ninjas. instead, she stopped restraining her bloodlust. even the weaker konoha ninjas felt nauseated by her display, let alone the sunagakure ninjas who knew the bloodlust was meant for them. there were two other casualties, who suffered the most and had to fight very hard not to puke due to her horrible aura. while they succeeded, they cursed themselves for poking their nose into this matter instead of enjoying their lavish lives. ''cough''no?v(el)b\\jnn just when the tensions seemed to reach a breaking point, a cough echoed in the room. accompanying the cough were strange winds that eliminated all sorts of auras in the room. be it homura, tsume, arisa or yura, everyone''s presence and bloodlust were suppressed. the konoha ninjas turned their heads while sunagakure ninjas became even more nervous despite the absence of the bloodlust. in a moment, everyone looked at fujin. fujin calmly said, "we are here for negotiations. there is no need to declare a war before even discussing the matters civilly." his words calmed down the sunagakure ninjas. however, before they could completely relax, fujin turned his gaze towards them and said, "besides, if need be, i''ll just pay a visit to sunagakure. i''m sure you guys wouldn''t mind, would you?" a slight smile appeared on fujin''s lips as he asked the question. needless to say, every sunagakure ninja understood the true meaning behind his words. yura thought, ''while rank s ninjas are a threat and play a significant role in wars, a single ninja can''t affect a huge war without the support of massive armies. however, he can''t be treated as an ordinary rank s ninja. not only does he have techniques that can kill over a hundred ninjas in one go, but he also has a strong flying summon, which would allow him to attack and retreat at will. the only way to stop such a ninja is fuinjutsu traps, but he is already a grandmaster in that field too and a rather terrifying one. if konoha wants to cause us pain, then he alone can cause us a lot of harm just like how iwagakure suffered at the hands of the fourth hokage. other than sunagakure, there wouldn''t be a single safe space in the land of wind. not to mention, he could even attack sunagakure and escape if we don''t maintain a barrier around the village.'' needless to say, sunagakure wouldn''t give up the opportunity orochimaru provided them to absolve themselves of all responsibilities. while it would ruin rasa''s reputation, his reputation had already been dragged through the mud. it also portrayed sunagakure''s council as incompetent, but they didn''t mind it. on the contrary, they gave full permission to yura and arisa to portray them as incompetent if it could prevent sunagakure from falling into a war they desperately wanted to avoid. in addition, arisa also mentioned the wind daimyo''s tilt towards konoha harming their economy, a matter they hoped to change while putting konoha on the back foot at the same time. despite the good argument by the sunagakure side, there wasn''t any change in the expression on konoha''s side. fujin thought, ''as we expected, they chose this option. it was just too convenient not to use it.'' koharu coldly replied, "so, not only did you attack us, but you also want not to accept any responsibility for your actions?" yura was about to reply when homura added, "i have to admit, this was an excellent excuse. if luck was on your side, i would have accepted it and convinced my comrades to go easy on you. however, you overlooked one important aspect." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª a/n : if you can, then please support me on p@treon. link - www.pat /devilhex (no space) alternatively you can support me on upi (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi can read up to 50 chapters ahead on p@treon. thank you chavi, cypher, pietro, kyler, sayawaru and ayoub for supporting me on p@treon. thank you tejesh for supporting me through upi. Chapter 807: Heated Negotiations! "however, you overlooked one important aspect." the sunagakure side tensed up as homura and koharu refused to accept their argument. fujin suddenly sighed and muttered, "when i suggested we discuss civilly, i didn''t mean you should lie through your teeth. are you here to negotiate or did sunagakure just promote two scapegoats to sacrifice?" yura and arisa frowned as fujin glanced into their eyes and continued, "i was the one who fought the reanimated fourth kazekage. we had a nice little chat before i sealed him. he accepted that sunagakure had allied with otogakure with the intention of attacking us long before he was killed by orochimaru. while he was regretful of his decision, it doesn''t absolve sunagakure from their crimes." the sunagakure ninjas weren''t surprised. on the contrary, they expected konoha to use this point. arisa cursed in her mind, ''talk civilly? not lying? asshole, follow what you preach! as if lord kazekage would accept that after we were defeated!'' she quickly replied, "no, that doesn''t sound correct. lord fourth would never break his word and renege from our alliance despite our difficulties. i believe that orochimaru might have controlled lord fourth and made him say those things." fujin immediately replied, "that''s not the case. by then, orochimaru was defeated by lord third and had escaped like the coward he is. besides, telling whether someone is controlled or not is rather easy to tell. not to mention, he also gave us some more interesting information. unlike your claims, he said that sunagakure had been preparing for war for over half a year. thousands of ninjas were trained extensively to attack us and prepare for the aftermath. tell me, do you think we''ll believe that he manipulated everyone in your villages for over 6 months and yet no one realized?" before the suna ninjas could reply, inoichi added, "don''t bother trying to cover this up. we cross-checked the recent activities in your village. there is no doubt about this. your village was closed off for others for several months preceding the attack. we didn''t bother looking much into it back then since we had no reason to be suspicious, but now it is crystal clear what you were planning." the room became silent as the konoha ninjas stared intensely at the sunagakure ninjas. it was as if they couldn''t wait to launch a war against sunagakure. the two daimyo were nervous. the fire daimyo thought, ''this is very different from konoha''s earlier ways of negotiations. they''ve generally been more forgiving in order to get peace. of course, that might be their intention today too and they may be turning up the heat to get what they truly want. still, konoha has become like how they were before the start of the second great ninja war. their recent victories are no flukes. their military might has recovered!'' the wind daimyo realized the same. as for the sunagakure ninjas, they were well aware of it. unlike the two daimyo, they showed no signs of nervousness. yura calmly replied, "it is true that we closed our village for special training around 7 months ago. however, the purpose of this training had nothing to do with our attack. it is related to another incident that made us suffer." some konoha ninjas as well as the two daimyo were confused. arisa explained, "around 3 years ago, the land of wind suffered heavily due to the actions of a certain individual or perhaps a group of individuals. they killed dozens of our ninjas and incited a riot in our western regions. he also injured our jinchuriki and caused him to lose control, killing more of our ninjas. we had to deploy nearly 2000 ninjas in that region for over 2 years to quell the riots and clear the misunderstandings of our citizens. that incident made our council realize that our ninjas were lacking in several aspects, due to which the special training was initiated." while arisa spoke, yura stared at fujin. he wanted to see how fujin would react to this news. however, there wasn''t any change in fujin''s expression. it was almost as if he had nothing to do with the incident. yura thought, ''sigh, this is troublesome. not only is he ridiculously strong, but he is also shameless enough to lie with a straight face and can maintain a perfect poker face. that makes him an even bigger threat...'' luckily for them, the wind daimyo intervened timely, "if i may..." the aggressive glances turned towards him, putting him under a lot of pressure. thankfully, he was used to it. he said, "we seem to be stuck in a deadlock. while there is no doubt that sunagakure shares the blame for assaulting konoha, you can''t prove that sunagakure wasn''t manipulated by orochimaru. of course, they can''t prove that the fourth kazekage was manipulated by orochimaru because such a thing is impossible to prove and there is no way they can provide any proof." fujin said, "we can see that. what do you propose?" the wind daimyo replied, "i don''t want to see the two countries going to war once again. irrespective of who wins, both sides will suffer. in the end, the only ones who''ll win are our enemies. after our war, kumogakure might launch an assault on the land of fire while iwagakure gobbles up what is left of the land of wind before turning their gaze to konoha. it would be the start of the fourth great ninja war and we have seen that no one wins such wars. at the end of a great war, we can only see who is the biggest loser and who lost the least. hence, i''m proposing a compromise so the talks can proceed." his words gained the attention of both sides. they paid careful attention to his next words, as they could determine how the talks progressed ahead. nearly all ninjas on both sides hoped he would provide a wise compromise. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª a/n : if you can, then please support me on p@treon. link - www.pat /devilhex (no space) alternatively you can support me on upi (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi can read up to 50 chapters ahead on p@treon. thank you soko, nazar, trempor, alfie, book worm, neeroch and ???????? for supporting me on p@treon. Chapter 808: The Fourth Great Ninja War! the wind daimyo slowly spoke, "since konoha can''t prove that the fourth kazekage wasn''t controlled by orochimaru and sunagakure can''t prove that he was, i propose we move forward under the assumption that the fourth kazekage was indeed controlled by orochimaru. in return, sunagakure will accept responsibility for their actions. they''ll accept the blame for launching an assault on konoha even if the fourth kazekage was controlled." thoughtful expressions appeared on the faces of ninjas on both sides. the wind daimyo''s initial words pleased sunagakure ninjas while upsetting the konoha ninjas. however, his latter words leveled the field. both sides quickly calculated the pros and cons of the proposed compromise. a couple of minutes later, fujin thought, ''this is rather ingenious. i guess this is to be expected of a daimyo, an ordinary human who deals with the dangerous ninjas on a daily basis... by accepting that rasa was controlled by orochimaru, konoha loses its biggest excuse to launch a war. it alleviates his greatest worry while giving some breathing room to sunagakure in the negotiations. however, by making sunagakure accept responsibility, they''ll have to pay a painful price to quell konoha''s anger and slowly mend the ties between the two villages. it also allows konoha to set terms to ensure such an attack doesn''t happen again. of course, any terms will be unreliable and everything will eventually depend on the actions of the next kazekage. however, if gaara becomes the next kazekage like in the original story, that''s not really an issue.'' a sunagakure ninja suddenly spoke loudly, "this is bullshit! why should we accept responsibility when this isn''t our fault? we are the real victims here!" immediately, a konoha ninja snorted, "indeed, this is bullshit! who''d believe that no one in sunagakure can tell whether their kage was controlled or not? you should disband your village if you''re that weak. elder homura, i don''t think we should accept such an unfair proposal." while the council members on both sides stayed quiet, the other ninjas immediately dismissed the wind daimyo''s proposal and continued blaming the other side. ironically, it was all an act. in truth, both sides liked the wind daimyo''s proposal as it would avoid the result they didn''t want the most. however, they couldn''t accept it too willingly. if sunagakure ninjas accepted it quickly, it would display how weak they were to konoha and could tempt konoha to actually attack them. even though arisa claimed they would fight to the last ninja, it wasn''t a future they wanted to experience. on the other hand, konoha ninjas couldn''t accept it quickly either as it would show their unwillingness to go to war. it would undermine the greatest advantage they possessed to apply pressure on sunagakure. as things started getting ugly, the leaders on the two sides finally intervened to ease the tensions and accepted wind daimyo''s proposed compromise. as calmness returned to the room, yura asked, "what are konoha''s demands to put this matter to rest?" he paused for a moment before continuing, "then again, i suppose this was inevitable considering konoha''s rapid recovery and their increasingly audacious actions. still, i didn''t think it''d happen so quickly and that the raikage would swallow his pride and ask for our help." roshi said, "i don''t think he has any other option. to think that another couple of hundred kumogakure ninjas would go missing. i can only imagine how much pressure he is under. it''s no wonder he wants a war to distract the citizens of kumogakure. still..." he turned his gaze to onoki and continued, "such a war will be very risky. with four great ninja villages fighting, we''ll start the fourth great ninja war. even though kirigakure wouldn''t be involved, they''re already at war. what do you think, old man? do you think this is the right time to start the next great ninja war?" onoki put the proposal back on his desk and said, "perhaps or maybe not. if a war starts now, it''ll be quite a unique one with two villages being woefully unprepared to go to war. it might be the first war where a great village falls." roshi and kitsuchi saw onoki''s eyes land on sunagakure''s proposal as he spoke. needless to say, sunagakure was the most vulnerable village at that moment. kirigakure was embroiled in an all-out civil war while kumogakure had its share of problems. neither village was in a shape to launch a war against konoha. in such a situation, if iwagakure and konoha joined hands and attacked sunagakure, sunagakure would have a difficult time surviving the war without anyone forcing konoha and iwagakure to split their forces! ironically, instead of joining forces against konoha, the most tempting option for onoki was to join hands with konoha and wipe sunagakure from the map. would he choose to suppress his temptation and join hands with kumogakure and sunagakure to stop a rising konoha? would he fall to his temptation and do the opposite by wiping out sunagakure? or would he do neither and sit on the fence as he was known for? roshi and kitsuchi eagerly waited for their leader''s decision! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª a/n : if you can, then please support me on p@treon. link - www.pat /devilhex (no space) alternatively you can support me on upi (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi can read up to 50 chapters ahead on p@treon. thank you qvintus, pervysage, kenny, colman, harsha, niiaouh, declan, runneng, v stan, alan and godeye for supporting me on p@treon. Chapter 809: Creating a sense of Urgency! onoki felt roshi and kitsuchi''s curious gazes and shook his head. he said, "you are looking too much into these proposals. an alliance between three nations can''t happen within the blink of an eye. not unless konoha declares war against one of the villages and gives us an opportunity to attack. however, they''re too smart to take such a risk. besides..." the two proposals on his desk turned to dust as onoki angrily questioned, "who do these brats think they are? asking iwagakure to be the vanguard and the brunt of konoha''s counterattack while they reap the rewards. hmph, they might even stay out of the war once we attack konoha and just watch the two of us get weaker. i haven''t gone senile to trust these snakes like that fool rasa did!" roshi and kitsuchi glanced at each other while thinking, ''as expected...'' while kumogakure''s and sunagakure''s proposals were good, there was a major flaw that even they understood. the three villages didn''t trust each other. hence, no one wanted to be the one to start the war. after all, if they attacked konoha and the other two villages reneged on their agreement, they''d be beaten extremely badly by konoha! it was too big of a risk. the only one bold enough to take such a risk was ay. unfortunately, hiruzen had schemed against him just before sunagakure and orochimaru attacked konoha. fujin''s actions in the dark not only gave a huge blow to kumogakure''s military might but it also meant ay would never have the political support to start a new war before raising several hundred new elite ninjas. so, kumogakure wasn''t in a state to start a new war. sunagakure was in an even worse position. while they had some confidence in engaging in guerilla warfare in the desert, they would need to send their forces to the plains of the land of river to declare war on konoha. if they sent a small army, there was a high chance that konoha would wipe them out even before iwagakure and kumogakure could join the war. however, if they sent most of their ninjas and were betrayed yet again by their new allies, konoha could deal a massive blow to their main forces, possibly wiping out more than half, if not nearly all their ninjas. sunagakure will simply cease to exist and be disbanded in that case. they didn''t dare gamble on it. the only one who was in a state to launch a war was onoki. he also had a good reason considering the recent humiliation he suffered on the border with the land of grass. hence, both sunagakure and kumogakure insisted that iwagakure should be the one to start the war and they''ll join immediately. unfortunately, there was no way to know whether other villages had launched a war or not instantly. while some means of communication, like the chakra transmission communication devices, existed, they couldn''t be trusted. so, onoki had no desire to go along with such a proposal. kitsuchi asked, "what should we say then?" onoki replied, "send a letter to them and say that one of them will have to lead the war. iwagakure will join in immediately after. unlike them, we''ll have to face kusagakure and takigakure too. though they aren''t great villages, they are still quite strong. we won''t risk facing three enemies at the same time by ourselves. this is non-negotiable." kitsuchi nodded. he was about to leave when onoki ordered, "also keep an eye on the negotiations between konoha and sunagakure. if they fail, we may have a good opportunity." recalling onoki''s earlier gaze, kitsuchi smirked and said, "i will do so." ¡ª¡ª in fire capital, konoha''s elders called for an internal meeting of the council members the night before the fourth round of talks were supposed to happen. hiromasa shook his head and refuted, "such an agreement won''t hold. their council will tear it up once they return to sunagakure. threatening is fine, but we can''t threaten in such a distasteful way. in addition, our reputation will plummet once the news spreads. it''ll also ruin our relationship with the wind daimyo." fujin said, "alright, but i''d still like to try." fujin didn''t bother giving an explanation or put forth his ideas, putting others in an awkward position. on one hand, giving fujin a free hand was risky and could derail the talks entirely. on the other hand, they couldn''t just say no considering what he had done in the past couple of months. finally, homura decided, ''oh well, the reason why we are in such a good place is due to his performance during the assault and how he destroyed otogakure. even if he squanders the negotiation, it won''t be a big issue for the village as we''ll just have to make some more compromises. it''ll also be a good lesson for him. of course, if he pulls off another miracle like he did in kusagakure, then the benefit to the village will be endless." he nodded and said, "alright. hiruzen wanted to see you lead our negotiations in the future anyway. however, i don''t think he saw you negotiating against sunagakure so early. take the aggressor role, but be careful." fujin nodded. others had similar thoughts as homura and didn''t oppose his decision. the group discussed their negotiation strategy going forward and the demands they could compromise on if they had to. once everything was finalized, the elders met other members of the negotiation team and informed them of the same. the next morning, the two sides met again to begin the fourth round of negotiations, a round that would end in a strange manner. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª a/n : if you can, then please support me on p@treon. link - www.pat /devilhex (no space) alternatively you can support me on upi (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi can read up to 50 chapters ahead on p@treon. thank you sagerat and diogo for supporting me on p@treon. Chapter 810: Fujins Bizarre Actions! the two sides started their negotiations just as they previously did. as konoha predicted, sunagakure was more resistant to their demands and slowed the talks. with homura and koharu easing up the pressure, the sunagakure side gained more confidence and slowly started to test where konoha''s true limits lay. arisa observed, ''something is different. they seem far more patient and enduring today. their elders have mellowed down as well. no wonder the council asked us to slow down the talks. something disadvantageous to konoha must have happened. i don''t know what it is, but it''s the best time to check their bottom lines.'' in actuality, the konoha ninjas were puzzled too. while they planned on letting off the pressure, they didn''t plan on doing it suddenly to this extent. it was just that fujin had asked for the aggressor''s role, causing others to anticipate the havoc he''d create and mellow down even more as a precaution. however, fujin didn''t perform the role he asked for. while the two sides discussed, fujin didn''t speak a single word. minutes passed and soon turned into hours, yet fujin didn''t even move his lips. instead, he did just one thing. he stared! for two hours, his eyes stayed on the sunagakure ninjas. while they weren''t bothered by his stare initially, nearly every sunagakure ninja was spooked after being stared at constantly for 2 hours by one of the strongest ninjas in the world! even if they were prepared for death, no one wanted to be kept on the edge of death for hours. it was torturous. even so, they did their best to not let his stare affect the negotiations. as the discussions continued, yura said, "this is unacceptable for sunagakure. we can''t have konoha interfere in who we select as our kazekage. that will be too big of an interference in our internal matters. no sunagakure ninja will endure such humiliation." in order to ensure that the next kazekage doesn''t make stupid moves like rasa, konoha wanted veto power in the appointment of the fifth kazekage. while they wouldn''t appoint the fifth kazekage, they wanted to have a say in whether the one selected by sunagakure should become the kazekage. seeing how compromising konoha was during the 4th round, yura took the opportunity to raise this point. however, before others could reply, they heard, "i''m afraid we must insist." everyone''s gazes turned to fujin, who had spoken for the first time. yura frowned and replied, "just becau..." fujin interrupted him and calmly said, "this point is non-negotiable. you fellows may be suicidal enough to choose another incompetent fellow, but konoha has had enough of backstabbing from sunagakure." while fujin was calm and his statement wasn''t too outrageous, one word in his statement was. neither the konoha ninjas nor sunagakure ninjas could believe that fujin used it. the two daimyo were in disbelief too and stared at fujin in shock. tsume smirked and thought, ''he''s something. to openly say that... does he want to ruin the negotiations? no, he isn''t short-sighted. what is he planning?'' at the same time, homura thought in disbelief, ''did he call the kazekages ''incompetent''? even though i agree with his assessment, it is not something you openly say especially when we want to reach an agreement!'' hiromasa, inoichi and others from konoha''s team did their best to hide their surprise and glanced at fujin. they were curious about what his plan was. on the other hand, sunagakure ninjas didn''t care what fujin''s plan was. fujin had just insulted their leader! one of their ninjas cursed, "bastard!" the only one who was amused was tsume, who thought, ''no wonder shikaku asked us to switch roles. if he played the aggressor from the start, sunagakure and konoha would have already met on the battlefield. still, this is surprising. he should understand the consequences of his actions. how can he recover from this situation? or, does he want to force a war between our two villages and replicate his achievements in the land of rice?'' arisa glanced at yura, her gaze containing some annoyance. his words gave a reason for konoha to become aggressive once again. unfortunately, it was too late. she said, "you mis..." once again, the poor lady was interrupted by fujin, who got up and said, "it''s pointless. there is only one side negotiating in good faith. with the way you''re acting, we''d negotiate for years without reaching a consensus. the fourth round of talks ends now." without waiting for anyone''s response, he turned around and walked out of the room. the move was so unpredictable that everyone else sat dumbfoundedly in the room. the konoha ninjas, sunagakure ninjas and the two daimyos stared at each other awkwardly, wondering for a moment what they should do. hiromasa was the first one to gather his wits. he got up and followed fujin, following which the remaining konoha ninjas did the same. yura and arisa looked at each other, both wondering, ''what the hell happened?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª a/n : if you can, then please support me on p@treon. link - www.pat /devilhex (no space) alternatively you can support me on upi (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi can read up to 50 chapters ahead on p@treon. thank you luke, abdifatah, . ., harman, sonny, christian, david, yassine, jacob, nice1bud, memezsyndicate, devildham, ar3s, mohamed, nofathana, yamir, drey, blazesavage, colman and zoro for supporting me on p@treon. thank you abhinav for supporting me through upi. Chapter 811: Authority! "what in the fucking hell was that? first, they suddenly mellow down and start compromising on nearly everything. just when the talks are going smoothly, that bastard just explodes and wrecks everything! which fucking game are they playing at?" a suna ninja let out his frustrations after they returned to their hotel. needless to say, the entire sunagakure team was confused. the events in their meeting weren''t just unusual but downright bizarre! no one had ever seen talks swing this wildly and abruptly before. they couldn''t understand what konoha''s plan was. after discussing it for a bit, an old jounin said, "actually, i was observing the reactions of konoha ninjas when fujin had his outburst. they too were caught off guard by his actions. and, i don''t think any of them were acting. i believe something happened, causing konoha to soften their stance to reach an agreement with us quickly. however, fujin may not have been satisfied by the sudden change and lost his cool due to the constant compromises they were making. considering how he was staring at us before he went ballistic, i''m even more certain that this is the case..." arisa shook her head and said, "don''t underestimate him. he isn''t just a brute. if he was truly the one behind our troubles in the west, then he''s as good at scheming as he is at fighting. his actions, though bizarre, must serve a purpose. a purpose that would be very disadvantageous for us." yura sighed and muttered, "yes. i didn''t think he''d use my words in such a manner..." arisa said, "while there is little doubt that konoha was involved, we don''t have any proof. trying to use it in negotiations will only hurt us. let''s not mention it from here onwards." everyone nodded. the old jounin once again spoke, "actually, there was another odd thing. do you recall how the sand slayer referred to lord third''s death?" his words made everyone think. within a matter of seconds, everyone''s eyes widened. another suna ninja asked, "do you mean to say he knows what happened to lord third?" the old jounin replied, "that could be the case. otherwise, why would he mention it repeatedly? of course, it may also be a move to distract us since we presume that konoha was behind that incident. he could be trying to divert our hatred towards another great village." ¡ª¡ª while sunagakure ninjas wondered what fujin''s actions implied, some of the konoha ninjas were absolutely livid. no one had any idea how the talks could proceed forward. the five council members walked towards fujin''s room. koharu said in dissatisfaction, "i knew he was too impulsive. that is why i didn''t want him to lead. shikaku must have known this too, which is why he switched our roles." homura didn''t say anything since he was the one who let fujin be the aggressor. however, hiromasa countered, "let''s not jump to conclusions so hastily. fujinhasn''t disappointed us so far. he should have a reason for acting in such a manner." koharu replied, "let''s hope so." the five of them reached his room. to their surprise, the door opened even before they knocked. what shocked them was that it wasn''t fujin who opened the door. instead, it was a bunch of servers who were quickly leaving while carrying several empty plates. they politely bowed slightly on seeing konoha''s elders and clan leaders before leaving quickly without giving them a second glance. before the elders and clan leaders could enter fujin''s room, another group of servers arrived carrying several freshly prepared dishes. they rushed into the room without even glancing at them. without an exception, all five had dark expressions as they glanced at each other speechlessly. they finally entered the room, only to see fujin sitting in front of a table filled with exquisite dishes and stuffing his face without a worry in the world. if anyone were to look at him, they would never guess that he had just destroyed the peace talks between two great villages! fujin replied, "well, i did say i would give them a sense of urgency, didn''t i? i''m leaving the city once i''m done with this food." hiromasa asked seriously, "what are you planning?" ¡ª¡ª a few minutes later, fujin''s room was quiet. other than the sound of fujin eating, no other sound could be heard as all the remaining council members were deep in thought. hiromasa analyzed, ''this plan... it could work. however, it is very risky. we''ll be betting that sunagakure doesn''t want a war under any circumstances. but, if we''re wrong...'' tsume glanced at fujin and thought, ''outrageous... he''s completely outrageous! to think those bizarre actions were to set this plan in motion. i don''t think even shikaku would predict this particular move from those actions. however, this is the type of move i''d expect from shikaku. the only question is whether fujin considered every possibility to check whether his plans could go wrong or not...'' hiromasa analyzed further, ''actually, even if our bet is wrong, it won''t be entirely a bad thing. it''ll show us the extent to which sunagakure is willing to go. in the future, we''ll know for sure not to trust sunagakure.'' inoichi and homura looked unsure. koharu said, "no, this plan is too risky. if it fails, we''ll face an all-out war with sunagakure. it would result in sunagakure agreeing to all demands of iwagakure and kumogakure and forming a three-nation alliance against us!" without even glancing at her, fujin replied, "you misunderstand me, elder koharu." koharu frowned as fujin continued, "i wasn''t asking for anyone''s permission. even though i''m negotiating here, my army hasn''t been disbanded yet. as such, i''m still the commander-in-chief. the only one who can order me is the hokage or the acting hokage. if you have any issues, feel free to take it up with shikaku-san." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª a/n : if you can, then please support me on p@treon. link - www.pat /devilhex (no space) alternatively you can support me on upi (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi can read up to 50 chapters ahead on p@treon. thank you phillip, frosty, harman, irlloser, drey, onoronodonovon and yazeed for supporting me on p@treon. Chapter 812: A Message "If you have any issues, feel free to take it up with Shikaku-san." Fujin said dismissively. Koharu''s expression became ugly. Homura''s expression became dark too while the clan leaders watched in curiosity. It wasn''t the first time Fujin faced off against Koharu. On the contrary, he had done it every time the elders tried to go against him. Hiromasa analyzed, ''As I expected, there are definitely some hostilities between them beyond what happened during Danzo''s incident. Still, Fujin is reckless. Though not essential, he''ll need the support of the Elders if he wants to become the Hokage...'' Koharu replied, "I will. Fujin, I hope you know what you''re doing. Even a slight mistake could result in the deaths of thousands of our ninjas, which will be fatal for our village." She turned around and left before Fujin questioned her authority any further. The others gave Fujin some advice before leaving. Fujin quickly finished up his food and thought, ''Time to leave before she actually contacts Shikaku. I wonder how that conversation would go. Will he shut them down, or will he try to convince me? Either way, he should have fun, hehe.'' Fujin flickered out of his room while still in thought, ''That said, I need to talk with him once. However, it would have to be done without these old folks pressuring me. Irrespective of whether he is in favor or against it, he''ll have ideas to make this plan even more potent and foolproof. Now that I think about it, Hiruzen and Shikaku had failed to eliminate Suna''s spies. How convenient. Anyway, I should do that before I go.'' ¡ª¡ª After a short meeting with his colleagues, Hiromasa retired to his room and tiredly sighed, "These youngsters... They are so full of energy. I wonder how the talks will proce..." He suddenly heard a knock. He turned around and opened the door just to see Fujin standing outside. He said in surprise, "I didn''t expect to see you so soon, Fujin. I thought you''d be on your way. Is something the matter?" Fujin''s clone nodded and replied, "My main body left earlier. I''m a Shadow Clone. I came here to give you this." Fujin''s clone handed Hiromasa a scroll. Hiromasa opened it while asking, "What is this?" Fujin''s clone answered, "A little gift for the next round of negotiations. I learnt this in the Land of Rice. If you can use it to make Sunagakure relent more, feel free to do so. If not, there is no need to use it. We could save it for another day." Hiromasa''s breathing became rougher and his eyes widened in shock as he read the information in the scroll. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "To think the Third Kazekage disappeared in such a way... Sunagakure... What a fucked up village!" He looked at Fujin''s clone and said, "Thank you. This will be a great help in the negotiations. I''ll use it at the most critical point." Fujin''s clone smiled and replied, "Good luck", before dispersing into a cloud of smoke. Hiromasa took another look at the scroll, thinking, ''He is full of surprises. To think he had such a card and didn''t use it despite going through four boring rounds. I suppose all the anger he displayed earlier was fake too. It is rare to see such control in youngsters. Hanging around those two has undoubtedly had an effect on him...'' ¡ª¡ª In Sunagakure, the council met once again. Considering how fragile their situation was, the council meetings had become a daily occasion. Goza glanced at everyone and started the meeting. He reported, "We received a message from our squad in Iwagakure. The Tsuchikage is still refusing to lead the attack. He is insistent on us or Kumogakure starting it." The council calmed down on hearing Chiyo''s words. Ebizo was about to say something when the door to the council room suddenly opened. An Anbu ninja rushed in and reported, "We were just contacted by Lord Yura. It''s an emergency, please speak with them!" ¡ª¡ª A few minutes ago, the Sunagakure ninjas in Fire Capital were discussing their strategy for the fifth round of negotiation. However, no matter what approach they took, they hit a dead end. One muttered, "This is pointless. We can''t decide what to do until we know what approach Konoha will take." Arisa replied, "That is true. However, we need to be prepared for all possible approaches they can take, including if the Sand Slayer has another outburst or threatens us physically." The mood became solemn. Before anyone could reply, a knock was heard. With permission, a Sunagakure ninja entered the room and handed Yura a scroll as he reported, "We just received a message. I''m unsure where it has come from or who sent it, but it has our stamp." Yura frowned as he looked at the scroll. He thought, ''This is weird... We use this mark when we aren''t sure if the communication channel is safe. Still, why would the village send us a bird when they can contact us through the Chakra Transmission Communication Devices?'' He handed the scroll to the Sealmaster, who deemed that it was safe to open and handed it back to Yura. Yura opened the scroll and began reading its content. In an instant, his body froze! Next to him, Arisa froze too! Shock and disbelief were visible on both faces, alarming the remaining Sunagakure ninjas! "Lady Arisa, Lord Yura, what''s the matter?" A ninja grimly asked. Without saying a word, Yura handed the scroll to them. They quickly began reading the message. ''I''m a member of the Sunagakure patrol team deployed in the Land of Rivers. A few minutes ago, a massive Konoha army reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. We aren''t sure how big the army is, but it definitely numbers in the thousands! We suspect that this is the same army Suzuki Fujin led earlier. However, we''re unsure if he is leading this army or not. Please confirm whether he''s still in the Fire Capital and report to the village.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Vanessa, Book Warm, Terry, Jorge, Harman, Marcus, Drey and Stephon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 813: Sunagakure in Crisis! Chapter 813: Sunagakure in Crisis! The scroll fell from the hands of the ninja holding it. Everyone could see his hands shiver in terror. He wasn''t the only one. Nearly everyone else was terrified! This was the worst-case scenario for Sunagakure! It was the situation they desperately wanted to avoid! "Th... This... This is crazy!!! Will Konoha really attack us?" "Shit! Has our mission failed? What will happen now?" "Unless other villages interfere, thousands of our comrades will die. We may also be killed on our way back... However, since when did Konoha become so reckless?" "It''s all that monster''s fault!" Sunagakure''s negotiation team was in complete panic! Arisa suddenly shouted, "Calm down!" Everyone turned their gazes to her. She said, "Don''t lose yourself. We still need to confirm how true this information is. And, we still need to know Konoha''s intention. Perhaps this is another pressure tactic. This move could be just to force us to compromise." She paused and glanced at everyone before calmly saying, "Don''t forget how many compromises they were making yesterday. This is definitely a bluf..." Before she could complete her words, the door opened once again and another Sunagakure ninja entered hurriedly. He handed Arisa a scroll and reported, "We received the highest priority message from the same source!" The room was silenced once again. Arisa opened the scroll while Yura peeked into it. ''The Konoha army isn''t stopping! They have entered the Land of Rivers and are heading towards the Land of Wind! Please inform the village about this quickly! I will send several messenger birds towards the village, but they''ll arrive a couple of hours later as compared to you. The village needs to be notified immediately so that they can react!'' As they read the message, their pupils dilated and their eyes widened in fear and shock! Their breathing became rougher as well, which worried others even more! Others quickly read the scroll and were terrified even more. Everyone had the same thought, ''This doesn''t look like a bluff!'' Without wasting any time, they contacted Sunagakure, disturbing their council meeting! As a sensor, Sajo took the Chakra Transmission Communication Device and talked with Yura. The entire council was stunned to learn that Konoha sent an army toward them! Chiyo frowned and muttered, "Have they gone senile? How could those fools let a youngster dictate their policies?" Ebizo was confused as well. He quickly analyzed before sighing. He muttered, "Konoha''s actions have been too confusing. I can''t put my finger on what their real intentions are." Stunned silence appeared in the council room. Everyone was visibly nervous. It was obvious that this was no longer a bluff. Konoha was serious! They quickly began evaluating all their options and analyzing the information. After some time, Goza muttered, "Konoha wouldn''t send all three armies to us. That will leave them vulnerable to Kumogakure and Iwagakure. I believe they''ll keep the larger army in the village to attract attention while the smaller army secretly reinforces Fujin''s army. Considering that it''ll be led by Tsunade, it would make sense." However, Ebizo shook his head and said, "They aren''t so defenseless. Both Kusagakure and Takigakure hate Iwagakure due to their actions in the recent past. They''ll be Konoha''s first line of defense against Iwagakure forces. They''ll buy Konoha enough time to allow them to have a decisive war against us. Similarly, Yugakure hates Kumogakure for how they tried to take over their mine. They''ll stall Kumogakure''s forces, granted they aren''t strong enough. Konoha will send their smaller army to secretly reinforce Yugakure and stall Kumogajure while their larger army takes the route secured by Suzuki Fujin''s army and assaults our village directly!" Ebizo''s words made the room even more gloomy. After a few moments of silence, Tojuro said, "If we can''t ambush them in the desert, our only option will be to put our best defense in the village. Even if they send 8,000 ninjas, we can stop them. However, Suzuki Fujin and Jiraiya are in a different league. Both can turn the tide of the battle single-handedly. Can you defeat the two of them, Lady Chiyo?" With Rasa dead, Chiyo was the only rank S ninja in Sunagakure. As such, she was their only hope. However, their hopes came crashing down as Chiyo shook her head. At the end of the day, Chiyo was as old as Hiruzen and her strength waned rapidly. Combined with the fact that she was much weaker than Hiruzen when the two were in their prime, she didn''t stand much chance. She said, "It''s almost impossible. The only way I could win is if they get careless and get poisoned. However, Jiraiya is a very experienced ninja. He won''t fall for my poison. Fujin''s youth and inexperience make him more susceptible to my tactics. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that his wind technique will be a perfect counter for my puppets. If my fears are true, I wouldn''t be able to defeat him even if I had been a couple of decades younger." The last hope the council had disintegrated. Goza sighed and muttered, "Then we have no choice. We have to count on Yura and Arisa. They are our only hope now!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Luco, Astaroth, Efrain, Gorama and Ductor Storage for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 814: Shikakus Arramgements! "Then we have no choice. We have to count on Yura and Arisa. They are our only hope now!" Goza sighed tiredly. No?v(el)B\\jnn Ebizo thought, ''There is another hope. That is if Iwagakure and Kumogakure make a move right away after getting this news. Unfortunately, they won''t do that. Even if they did, sending a message here would take several hours, something we don''t have. Our negotiations have to be completed before Fujin''s army enters our country. Besides...'' Ebizo glanced at the council members. Instead of heroic or brave faces, all he saw were tired and defeated faces. From the day the Chunin exams ended and they received the terrifying news of their defeat, the Sunagakure council was on edge. They had to dig deep into their reserves and use any resource they had to dissuade others from making a move and limiting their losses simultaneously. Unfortunately, Konoha''s latest move was the final nail in the coffin. Sunagakure had reached a limit. If they tried anymore, they would increase their losses drastically instead of limiting them. The Sunagakure council lost all will to continue playing games with Konoha and the other villages. Ebizo sighed internally, ''This was a thorough defeat. In a sense, it is worse than even the previous great war. We don''t have any good candidate for the Fifth Kazekage.'' He said, "We should discuss what compromises we''re willing to make. Even though Konoha is in a dominant position right now, they''d still make some concessions to maintain good relations with us." The Council nodded and began discussing. Within fifteen minutes, they were done discussing almost all topics. Since Konoha had compromised so much the previous day, the terms were somewhat acceptable for Sunagakure. There were only three aspects where they had some reservations. The first wasn''t a demand made by Konoha but the fact that Konoha took most of the missions from the Land of Wind. The second was the amount they had to pay to Konoha. And the most important aspect was the selection of the next Kazekage. Tojuro, who had his sights on the seat of the Kazekage, completely opposed it knowing that Konoha wouldn''t support him. On the other hand, the remaining council members weren''t so stubborn. Tojuro had been the biggest instigator in clashing with Konoha. He encouraged Rasa on every turn to attack Konoha. As such, none of them wanted to see him in the Kazekage''s seat. Realizing the conflict, Chiyo said, "You''re taking this issue too lightly. It''s a pity, but I''ll make concessions to their demand for our puppetry techniques. However, we can''t take a step back on this issue. If Konoha gets a veto, they could continuously veto all our options and keep us without a Kazekage for years. They could use the absence of a leader in our village to create factions and cause conflicts within the village, weakening us further. This will not only ensure that we never have the strength to attack them again but will also make it easier for them to attack us in the future. Even if they don''t, we won''t be any different from a minor village within a few decades." Chiyo diverted their attention from the Fifth Kazekage to the hidden danger within Konoha''s condition. Their moods became grave. However, they were troubled by the circumstances. Sunagakure had no option but to accept Konoha''s demands. Goza asked, "What if they refuse to drop this demand?" Chiyo said, "Then we''ll have to alter the demand. Instead of giving them the sole veto, we''ll follow their decision only if the Wind Daimyo has an issue with our candidate as well. Even though he is friendly with Konoha for now, he knows he can''t let Sunagakure be too weak. In such a case, he won''t side with Konoha even if we don''t pressure him. However, only resort to this if they''re adamant since it is still a hidden danger for our village." The council thought for a bit and agreed. Ryusa said, "That''s a good idea. Konoha wouldn''t refuse it as it would worsen their relationship with the Wind Daimyo." Sunagakure''s spy network was spared because they had no reason to investigate, and thus, they avoided the trap. However, Sunagakure''s spies became an asset for Fujin as he wanted to send a message through them. His tactic succeeded with ease as Shikaku agreed with his plans and began preparing an army as if Konoha planned to invade a great village! In order to appear more convincing, Shikaku also prepared a second army a bit more discreetly. With his modifications to Fujin''s plan, Sunagakure was put in a position where they didn''t dare to take any risks. And since there weren''t any Iwagakure and Kumogakure spies, those villages weren''t aware of the pressure bearing down on Sunagakure and hence couldn''t take advantage of the same. Since Sunagakure wasn''t aware of it, they''d think that neither Iwagakure nor Kumogakure were serious about allying, forcing them to be even closer to Konoha in the future. So, while Konoha was actually preparing two armies, Shikaku had no intention of sending them out of Konoha. Despite the work he did, it was just a bluff. Even if Sunagakure refused to compromise, he didn''t plan on sending the two armies to reinforce Fujin. Instead, he''d just ask Fujin to do something along the lines of what he had done in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Rice. Fujin would be allowed to target the ambush squads and eliminate several hundred or possibly up to a couple of thousand ninjas. Konoha would then claim that as a fitting punishment for Sunagakure''s cowardly attack and close the matter. While there were some dangers, Shikaku was confident about his plans. He knew Sunagakure wouldn''t dare to leave the desert and confront Fujin''s army head-on. Similarly, Iwagakure and Kumogakure wouldn''t act if only 3,000 Konoha ninjas were deployed in the Land of Wind. Combined with the minor villages, Konoha had more than enough forces to deter the two villages from making a move. Of course, it was still risky. Shikaku would have to work a lot in order to maintain the delicate balance. And, all this was due to Fujin deciding to implement such a bold and risky move. So, Shikaku had another reason to curse Fujin for the needless work he kept piling on Shikaku''s head. Luckily, things had happened as he and Fujin anticipated. Shikaku replied, "Yeah, it is. Anyway, inform him that Sunagakure has started negotiating and ask him not to enter the Land of Wind. Tell that to Renjiro and the other Generals too. Who knows how he''ll spin my orders if we don''t?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kapalay, Cherudim, Proyar, 1Sword and Samuel for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 815: The Best Actor! Eagle chuckled seeing how worried Shikaku was and flickered away. Not wanting to entertain any more unconventional ideas Fujin might get and want to implement with his permission, Shikaku didn''t bother communicating with Fujin by himself. He no longer wanted to discuss anything about this matter with Fujin. Alone in his office, Shikaku thought, ''His performance against Sunagakure and Otogakure forces and his recent achievements as a commander have caused people to overlook that his real expertise is in hunting down isolated squads. Sunagakure''s terrifying ambush squads will be easy pickings for him. I can''t even imagine what that boy would do if I didn''t send explicit orders to stop and not do anything. I still have to deal with this Kumogakure mess. Iwagakure is looking for a weak spot in our defenses too. I don''t want to deal with Sunagakure at the same time if there''s no need.'' His expression became serious as he thought, ''Even though our forces have recovered to a great extent, there is no need to start the Fourth Great Ninja War just yet. Now is not the time for a war. Instead, it''s time to take Konoha''s military might to the next level. As long as we can maintain peace for another 5-6 years, we can raise a new batch of elites from the ninjas who graduated in the last 8 years. If we raise around 1,500 new elite ninjas it''ll be a game changer for Konoha. Not to mention, this time will be sufficient for Fujin to mature completely. Along with any new geniuses that would appear in this time, we could become as strong as we were before the start of the Second Great Ninja War! That said...'' Shikaku sighed tired yet again. It was a lot of work. He thought, ''Luckily, this isn''t my work. Lord Third and Lady Tsunade can focus on it. Hmm, maybe Fujin will play a role too since the orphans in his compound will be a part of this next generation of elite ninjas. Regardless, I''ll have nothing to do with it!'' ¡ª¡ª While Fujin marched towards the Land of Wind, Shikaku contemplated the future and the two negotiation teams quickly worked on finalizing the terms, two individuals met on the outskirts of Tanzaku town. One of them extended her palms towards the other''s arms and emitted a green light. Suddenly, both individuals retreated as several shurikens landed between them. They turned their heads to see Amachi on a branch. Orochimaru''s expression became grave. He asked, "What is the meaning of this? Coming here and betraying me... Tsunade!" With a crazed expression, he continued, "What led you to such a decision, Tsunade? To try and kill me!" With Kabuto dead, Amachi, Orochimaru''s next best medical ninja accompanied him. Orochimaru had met with Tsunade a week ago. Their meeting was quite similar to what had happened in the original story. While Orochimaru was undoubtedly in a worse condition and under great stress, he did well to hide it and used Tsunade''s hemophobia to ensure that she wouldn''t make a move against him. Naruto''s battle with her was a bit different due to Naruto learning supercharged Wind jutsus. Unfortunately, it made no difference against a monster like Tsunade. Coming back to the present, Orochimaru looked at Tsunade''s conflicted expression and said, "Tsunade, I really did intend to bring them back to life..." Cutting him off, Tsunade muttered, "It''s merely the Edo Tensei jutsu... Do you think I can''t learn the jutsu that my Granduncle created? However, that''s not the way the two of them would accept to be revived..." Edo Tensei needed a sacrifice to be used. And, in order to sustain it over a long time, even more sacrifices would be required. With their morales, neither Dan nor Nawaki would accept living in such a manner. As much as Tsunade wanted to see them, she wouldn''t insult their memories and wishes in such a manner. She glanced at Orochimaru and said, "I had higher expectations from you, Orochimaru. After all these years, all you can do is just copy that forbidden technique. No wonder you are in such a state. You''ve fallen too much." Memories of being forced to escape from Konoha, the Land of Rice and the Land of Hot Water surfaced in Orochimaru''s mind upon hearing Tsunade''s insults. The last month had been extremely rough on him. His expression hardened as he said, "The negotiations have failed... Too bad... Now I''ll just..." At the same time, Amachi was stunned as well. He was so shocked and terrified that he couldn''t even move! He could only stutter, "H... How??? You should be..." Amachi couldn''t believe what his eyes were seeing. The one who hit Orochimaru was none other than Tsunade! Despite being covered in blood, she still moved and attacked at her full strength! As her fist moved towards Amachi again, she exclaimed, "Figure that out in hell!" Much like Orochimaru, Amachi didn''t have much of a chance to dodge at such close range. While he wasn''t caught by surprise like Orochimaru, he was too slow compared to Tsunade. Her fist landed on his chest before he could make any move. Instead of flying away, a massive hole opened up at the center of his chest. Cracks spread through that hole as Amachi screamed in terror and pain. The spread along his chest and eventually, his upper body, consisting of his head, neck and upper half of his chest, tore away and was sent flying while his remaining body fell to the ground. Without giving him a second glance, Tsunade flickered towards the direction in which Orochimaru had flown. She stopped when she heard a maniacal laughter echoing through the area! "Hahaha hahaha!" Orochimaru''s condition was beyond terrible. His face was bloodied! He could feel that even his skull had been fractured! Yet, he laughed like a madman. Finally, he glanced at Tsunade and asked, "When did you cure your hemophobia?" Tsunade indifferently replied, "When do you think?" Her reply surprised Orochimaru, who immediately felt something was off. His eyes widened as he realized, "Could it be? No, it can''t all be an act. You definitely had hemophobia after Dan died. That can''t be faked. However..." It suddenly clicked in his mind and disbelief appeared on his face! [A/N: A slight twist to canon here. Hope you guys enjoyed it. More details in the next chapter :)] [A/N: Next chapter: When Gods want you dead, what can mortals do?] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Eric, The Reapers Shadow, NeedHealth and Efrain for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 816: When Gods want you dead, what can mortals do?(1) It suddenly clicked in his mind and disbelief appeared on Orochimaru''s face! A second later, he began laughing maniacally again! He said, "No wonder! It all makes sense now! I always felt that you leaving the village with such a deadly phobia and a young child was suicide. Even if you wanted to go, Sensei would never allow you to. Your clan wouldn''t either. That means you should have cured yourself before you left the village. Yet, all these years, you acted as if you had it. For over two decades, you used this reason to avoid every Konoha duty with the exception of the Third Great Ninja War! The elders backed off due to this reason. I couldn''t sense anything off about your acting either, not back then or last week. If not for this incident, I would have been in the dark, hahaha. Well played, Princess Tsunade!" Tsunade''s expression stayed indifferent, but it was as Orochimaru predicted. Hiruzen flatly refused to let her leave in such a state. He even sent several Anbu squads to keep an eye on her led by none other than Sakumo to ensure she didn''t sneak out. Considering that they had just endured a great war and were soon heading towards another, Hiruzen wasn''t even willing to let her leave. However, understanding her state of mind, losses, and contribution, he had no option but to relent, but he did so only after her hemophobia was cured. However, this was kept hidden. The only individuals aware of her being cured were Hiruzen and Hiromasa. Sakumo had some doubts, but he wasn''t sure. The remaining 3 elders, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, weren''t informed of this and believed that she still suffered from it. As for the rest, they weren''t even aware of this issue, except for Shizune who learnt it later since Tsunade decided to keep up the act to avoid being called to duty. Her acting was so good that no one aware of her phobia ever questioned it. Even Hiruzen wondered at times whether she had been cured. So, Orochimaru''s shock was completely understandable. Even though he was laughing, Orochimaru felt a chill running down his spine. In his original plans for attacking Konoha, he had only considered Hiruzen and Jiraiya as threats. He had completely dismissed Tsunade and wasn''t aware of Fujin''s strength until he clashed with him in the Forest of Death. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''So, you didn''t think of me as a big enough threat to play this card, Sensei? Or, did you not play it because you wanted to respect her wishes? Regardless...'' His attack had already failed. It was pointless to think about it. Seeing her former teammate laughing like a madman, Tsunade felt a tinge of sadness. After all, they, along with Jiraiya, had fought countless battles together and trusted their backs to each other. Yet, the person in front of her didn''t seem to have any such memories. He was almost like a stranger. As she began concentrating chakra in her fist, Orochimaru finally stopped laughing and said, "Come on, Tsunade. You don''t think I would come here without any escape route. You may have fooled me today, but the next time wouldn''t be like this. Besides, even without your help, I hav..." Surprise appeared on Tsunade''s face as Orochimaru disappeared mid-sentence. She thought, ''Reverse summoning? However, something feels odd. It seemed forced for some reason...'' Orochimaru had the same thought. He wondered, ''Since when did Jugo become so quick in rever...'' His eyes widened as an unexpected sight appeared in front of his eyes. Three massive snakes were towering around him. Moments later, his eyes landed on a figure standing between them. He thought, ''What the hell? Why is White Snake Sage here? What is happening? I wasn''t able to summon anyone for over a month and now they suddenly reverse summon me? Hmm?'' Suddenly, Orochimaru noticed something even more strange. The place he stood at wasn''t like how he remembered. Instead, it looked like a massive explosion had happened there. The surrounding terrain was in a bad shape and several burn marks were on the ground and surrounding rocks. Orochimaru wondered, ''What the hell happened here? Did someone attack Ryuchi cave?'' Before he could analyze, Manda asked, "Orochimaru, do you have anything to say in your defense?" Orochimaru frowned and asked, "What do you mean? And, why couldn''t I summon you?" Manda angrily asked, "You dare to ask that after you attacked Ryuchi cave and killed thousands of young snakes? Bastard! Do you have a death wish!" Orochimaru was stunned by the accusation. He wondered, ''What the hell? I attacked? When did I do that?'' The moods of the council members became grim once again as they immediately imagined the worst. Goza thought, ''What now? Don''t tell me that maniac still attacked us!'' At the same time, Chiyo wondered in shock, ''Would he attack? No, Konoha wouldn''t take that decision. However, if he disobeys their order and acts independently...'' Everyone had similar thoughts. While they had some confidence in Konoha''s leadership, Fujin was an unknown factor. If he forced a war upon them, Konoha would undoubtedly be forced to follow! Ryusa nervously asked, "What happened?" The Anbu ninja reported, "We have lost contact with Grandmaster Renkaze!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You for supporting me on P@treon. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ahmad, JTSSE, Marcio, . ., Ryan, Kyosuke, ZimaBlue, Adrian and Frank for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 817: When Gods want you dead, what can mortals do?(2) "So this is the Land of Wind? The deserts seem to have no end..." Hoka muttered as he gazed at the Land of Wind. Fujin asked, "Is it your first time here?" Hoka nodded, "Yeah. I visited the Land of Rivers a few times for missions, but never the Land of Wind. What about you?" Fujin casually replied, "A few times. It is pretty much the same throughout the country..." Hoka turned his gaze back to the desert and muttered, "Irrespective of how magnificent the deserts look, I didn''t expect Sunagakure to be such a disappointment. They didn''t even send an army to confront us. Instead, I only spotted 3 patrol squads, who are cowering in fear." Renjiro replied, "Don''t judge a book by its cover. If they face us in battle, they''ll obviously lose. The true terror of Sunagakure appears when someone invades this desert. We had tried it during the Second Great Ninja War, but our losses became too high to sustain the campaign. In the end, we had to retreat." Konomi, who was standing nearby, heard him and thought, ''Sure, their ambush units are deadly. However, considering what he did against Otogakure, will these ambush squads stand any chance against us? Even though we can''t use the exact tactic, I won''t be surprised if Fujin comes up with something new and equally crazy. Sigh, it''s a shame Commander ordered us not to attack. Otherwise, the infamy of Sunagakure''s deadly ambush units could have ended soon...'' Illumi curiously asked, "What do we do now?" Fujin answered, "What can we do? The talks should be nearing the conclusion by now. Just have the army pretend to set up a camp until we are recalled." ¡ª¡ª "Orochimaru!!! You can''t escape this time!" Manda shouted as he bit down at Orochimaru. As he said, Orochimaru didn''t have any route to escape. So, he didn''t bother doing so and instead jumped into Manda''s mouth, confusing him. Manda quickly clamped his mouth, but failed to harm Orochimaru with his deadly teeth! "You oaf! Spit him out! He''s wasting time inside your mouth!" Garaga yelled as Manda failed to kill or harm Orochimaru. Of course, Manda had no reason to follow a fellow snake''s command. Instead of spitting, he tried to swallow Orochimaru entirely. However, before he could do so, Orochimaru disappeared from his mouth. "He disappeared! It''s your fault!" Garaga hissed angrily. They had summoned Orochimaru 8 times continuously and had realized that his injuries were extremely severe and he was nowhere near his full strength. Yet, Orochimaru always found a way to slip away! No matter what tactic they used, they couldn''t harm him before he disappeared, causing the snakes to be very frustrated and even more humiliated. Manda hissed back, "What did you call m..." "Calm down, both of you!" The two gigantic snakes froze as the White Snake Sage roared angrily. He said, "Neither of you can harm him. This time, I''ll make a move myself!" While the snakes were angry, Jugo and other subordinates of Orochimaru were worried. Though no new wounds opened up on his body, they could sense that Orochimaru was extremely exhausted. Once again, Baki stunned the council. Ryusa asked, "Do you mean to say he came here alone as the vanguard?" Goza said, "That''s impossible. Konoha has no reason to risk his life in such a manner." However, Baki questioned, "Is it really a risk? As long as he stays away from our village, can anyone stop him? Our scattered units will just be easy pickings for him." This time, the council was left speechless by Baki''s question. After all, it was true. Who could stop Fujin if he entered the desert? Only Chiyo looked sharply at Baki and thought, ''What a shame... The loss in Konoha has mentally impacted him. I can feel his dread at the prospect of facing that boy again. With such a mentality, he can''t reach rank S in this lifetime...'' She said, "We can''t blame every incident on Suzuki Fujin. Dispatch Anbu to find out what happened." ¡ª¡ª "This is what?" In the main tent of the Konoha army, Hoka exclaimed in shock as he was looking at a map placed in front of him. He wasn''t the only one. Konomi, Illumi and Renjiro were in shock too. Unlike Hoka, they nervously glanced towards Fujin. Renjiro thought, ''Sorry, Shikaku. This is just too much. I don''t think I can stop him now. You''re on your own...'' What none of them noticed was that Fujin''s left eye twitched slightly. He thought, ''Even though I put up an aggressive front, it was just because I was bored and didn''t want to spend another month in the Fire Capital. As good as the food was, I need to get back to training. I didn''t actually want to go to war and waste another few weeks or months bullying some weaklings. However...'' Fujin glanced at the unfamiliar face in the tent and thought, ''What a strange chain of events. To think something like this would happen... Sigh, this is too much, even by my standards. It''s almost as if the Gods want Sunagakure annihilated through my hands for some reason...'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Parthiban for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 818: Karma! A few minutes earlier, a figure rushed through the vast deserts in the Land of Wind while Sunagakure dispatched several Anbu squads towards Aramachi town. Surprisingly, despite running for a long time, he didn''t run into a single Sunagakure ninja. As he ran, he glanced behind and thought, ''My Clone ran out of chakra nearly an hour ago. By now, Sunagakure should have realized something is off. That said...'' A smile formed on his face as he chuckled and muttered, "What an unfortunate village... Of everyone they could have selected, they chose me... No, this isn''t bad luck, this is karma. It is retribution for their treacherous acts! Sunagakure is doomed! Hehe, I''m finally here!" The ninja was running straight to the camp being set up by Fujin''s army. His movement was finally picked up by Sunagakure''s patrol squads, but they couldn''t identify who he was since he had used the Transformation jutsu. They wanted to stop him, but it was too late. He was very close to the Konoha camp. Several Konoha sensors, including Fujin and Hoka, also picked up his presence. Hoka muttered, "A Jounin-level ninja is coming straight at us. I can''t see any traps on him. Hmm, that''s strange. He doesn''t look afraid. On the contrary, he seems happy and excited. What''s up with Sunagakure?" Fujin replied, "Who knows? It''s a crazy village for sure. Maybe it has finally spread into their ordinary ninjas too." Renjiro glanced in his direction and asked, "Does he have seals hidden on his body? Or perhaps, poison?" Fujin replied, "I don''t feel any seals on his body. As for poison, it''s hard to say. Though I have some knowledge about it, I can''t be compared to the experts in Sunagakure. Thankfully, poisons need a medium to travel. Anyway, this should be interesting." Renjiro and Hoka nodded. The Konoha ninjas responsible for keeping an eye out immediately reacted and confronted him. A Yamanaka ninja grabbed a kunai and asked, "Who are you? And, why did you come here?" The ninja calmly answered, "I am here to meet Konoha''s Sword, Suzuki Fujin. I have something he needs." The Yamanaka ninja snorted, "Do you think we''ll let anyone meet our commande..." He stopped talking as winds suddenly began moving around him and echoed, "Send him in..." Surprise and shock appeared on the faces of the Konoha ninjas as well as the Sunagakure Jounin. He thought, ''Incredible... His control over the winds is insane! No wonder those guys were so spooked! I would be too if I had to face something like this...'' Following Fujin''s orders, the Konoha ninjas led him into the main tent. The man finally dropped his disguise and respectfully said, "I''m Hisakawa Takahiro. I bring you information that is very critical for Konoha''s plans. However, it is extremely sensitive. The fewer people who know it, the better it would be for Konoha." Renjiro raised an eyebrow and wondered, ''Information, huh? Is he betraying his village, or is he a...'' Renjiro glanced at others in the tent who quickly left. In a few seconds, only Fujin, Hoka, Renjiro, Illumi and Konomi were left in the tent, all watching Takahiro like hawks. Takahiro didn''t pay much attention to others, instead focusing on Fujin. As such, everyone''s gaze turned towards Fujin, the commander of the army. Konomi and Hoka thought, ''This intel... It is marvelous! If we make a move, we could cripple Sunagakure''s army and completely crush their morale. However, Shikaku... Will Fujin disobey Shikaku''s orders and act upon this intel?'' Illumi sighed internally, ''This is troublesome... Why didn''t we get such information during the Second or Third Great War?'' Renjiro looked at Fujin, who was deep in thought, and said, "Fujin, don''t forget what Shikaku-san said." Fujin finally took his gaze off the map and looked at Renjiro. He said, "I understand, but the situation has changed drastically. With this information..." Fujin thought, ''Even though sending the army in could be risky, in case this is some sort of a trap. I could make a move and eliminate them one by one within a few hours. Unless Sunagakure realizes what''s happening and orders a mass retreat, they are doomed. That said, a mass retreat will be another opportunity to kill a large number of ninjas. Unfortunately...'' Fujin said, "Contact him and get his opinion. We''ll see what he has to say after this development. Takahiro, you''ve done a great job. Eliminating one of Sunagakure''s Grandmasters is a huge accomplishment. However, it is also a sensitive matter as you rightly said. Returning to Sunagakure will be too risky for you now. Transform into a different disguise. You''ll stay with the army and return to Konoha with us. Let the absence of their Grandmaster stay a mystery to them." Takahiro nodded and left as Fujin continued thinking, ''Unfortunately, there isn''t much for me to gain. If I could plunder their treasuries like I did in Kumogakure, it could have been worth the effort. However, my attack on Kumogakure had the element of surprise. Sunagakure knows that a war might be coming. They should have moved everything of value a long time ago. Finding it would be difficult and dependent on luck. It''s not worth it considering I could earn a lot more while just sitting here and enjoying the show...'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You SilverLeavesFall, Marvin-Ace, Slothy, Sanjay, Archit, Zypharus, Olamide, MyFaceIsAusome, K0D4S, Niggalas, Travis and Alex for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 819: Complications! [A/N: Thanks for all the wishes guys. Still very sick, but was able to write today. Can''t promise about tomorrow. Enjoy and take care.] Shikaku, who finally found a moment of peace, was suddenly disturbed. He glanced at Eagle and muttered, "I thought I said not to entertain any weird ideas from him." Eagle replied, "You did, but Renjiro said that Fujin will most likely attack Sunagakure if you don''t get in contact. I thought talking with him now would be less troublesome." Shikaku''s eyes twitched as he muttered, "He''ll attack without permission?" Eagle replied, "Most likely. However, considering the situation, I won''t blame him. This is indeed quite extraordinary." Disbelief appeared on Shikaku''s face as Eagle informed him about Takahiro and his accomplishments. He instinctively muttered, "This..." For a moment, even Shikaku was left speechless. Takahiro''s accomplishments were just too good. Shikaku sighed and thought, ''This is a huge change in the situation. No wonder Fujin is insistent on hearing my opinion. Takahiro... I recall reading his name but I didn''t think he''d give us such a surprise. Killing a Grandmaster and bringing his body intact... That''s extremely rare, even though Fujin did it not too long ago. Not to mention, he has compromised the positions of over a thousand Sunagakure ninjas and delivered the information to the one ninja who can slaughter every last one of them... Still...'' A tired expression appeared on Shikaku''s face as he wondered, ''Why do so many strange incidents occur when he is in charge of that damned army? It was supposed to be a simple training mission... How did it turn into a war against Kusagakure rebels, the annihilation of Otogakure and the vanguard against Sunagakure? If such incidents keep occurring, the next great war might begin if we let him lead more armies for ''training'' missions. Anyway, what do I do?'' While Shikaku hated doing the work, as a military strategist, he understood how valuable the information was. In fact, he was tempted to make a move and deal another crippling blow to Sunagakure. A quick successful campaign would break Sunagakure''s will and force them to retreat deeper into the desert. It would also force them to doubt the effectiveness of their ambush units, something that was a big headache to Konoha''s strategists. And, as long as Konoha didn''t venture deeper into the Land of Wind, Iwagakure and Kumogakure would be on guard and not attack Konoha prematurely. While there were plenty of risks, the advantages seem to outweigh them considerably at the moment. Yet, Shikaku shook his head and thought, ''As tempting as this is, I am not the person who can order the start of a new war. That is something only the Hokage can do. In the absence of the Hokage, the entire council has to agree to it unanimously. Considering that Lord Jiraiya and nearly everyone in the council was against war and the fact that negotiations with Sunagakure are nearing an end, I''ll be crossing too many lines if I give him permission right now. Besides, even though we appear strong, we have too many vulnerabilities right now. Lord Third still hasn''t woken up and Kakashi is down as well. I still don''t know whether Lord Jiraiya has found Lady Tsunade or not. Under such circumstances, I can''t send Guy out of the village. So, even though our forces are relatively unharmed, Fujin is the only capable commander available right now. On the off chance that Iwagakure and Kumogakure attack us and Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade do not return in time, we''ll be in a terrible situation.'' Shikaku stayed still, his mind completely focused on the matter. Eagle didn''t disturb him as Shikaku calculated hundreds of possibilities before letting out a sigh. He muttered, "What a waste of such a good opportunity..." Thinking quickly, Koharu said, "This can be controversial. What if your ninjas don''t do the missions to the same standard as our ninjas? Our reputation could be dragged through the mud if they mess up!" Arisa immediately replied, "Don''t worry. If anyone isn''t satisfied with our job, we''ll reimburse the full amount to them, even though they''re paying Konoha." Homura sighed internally, ''Their council has thought about everything... I didn''t think they''d be wise enough to come up with something like this. Where was this wisdom when they decided to ally with Orochimaru?'' He glanced at the Wind Daimyo and thought, ''Luckily, past differences can''t be settled so quickly. They''ll need several years to prove their sincerity.'' Realizing the futility of negotiating in this matter, Homura said, "Alright, we will accept it. However, this arrangement will continue for a minimum of 3 years. And, during this time, Sunagakure can''t undercut Konoha''s mission prices." Yura immediately said, "Thi..." However, Homura interrupted him and said seriously, "This is non-negotiable. If you want to make a move, better commit to it." Seeing his strong stance, the Sunagakure side relented. Arisa said, "Alright. There is one more matter. It''s regarding the appointment of our 5th Kazekage." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ren, Wahed, Blanket, Snoww, Roodarnley, HangLena, Faris, CoolingCloud, pat reonuser and ¦Ð¦Á¦Í¦Á¦Ã¦É¦Ø?¦Ó¦Ç? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 820: A Colossal Loss! The Konoha side prepared themselves. As they expected, Sunagakure would fight tooth and nail to ensure that Konoha wouldn''t have a say in who became their Kazekage. Arisa said, "We can''t give you a say in who becomes our leader. It''s a strict no for us. However, we understand the points Suzuki Fujin made yesterday. As such, we want to offer you something that will be even more beneficial for Konoha." Homura asked, "What is it?" Arisa replied, "In exchange for giving up on this demand, we will not only give you our knowledge on puppetry techniques, as you want, but we will also give you Elder Chiyo''s research in this area." ¡ª¡ª With the help of a Yamanaka ninja, Shikaku used a Chakra Transmission Communication device to contact Fujin''s army. To his surprise, the one talking was Renjiro and not Fujin. He thought, ''On one hand, it''s a relief that I don''t have to convince him. On the other hand, the fact that he isn''t communicating despite having such critical information is worrisome. I hope he isn''t acting independently right now...'' From the perspective of others on the council, Fujin wouldn''t make such a bold move as it would hurt his prospects of becoming a Hokage. They were only worried due to Fujin''s youth and relative inexperience. However, Shikaku understood very well that Fujin didn''t have much interest in taking such a troublesome responsibility. So, he was far more worried. Unfortunately, there wasn''t much he could do to stop Fujin from such a long distance away. He explained his reservations to Renjiro and told him not to make a move as of now. In the end, he said, "For now, let''s wait for the negotiations to end. If they are successful, we''ll give up on this opportunity since we''ll gain a lot anyway." However, if they are still incomplete, I''ll discuss the matter with others in the council to make a decision. Most likely, Fujin will have to make a move during the night to eliminate most, if not all of the squads Takahiro marked. In the meantime, have a few Yamanaka ninjas read the memories of the dead ninjas to ensure that Takahiro''s information is accurate and that this isn''t a trap. Also, ensure that Fujin doesn''t make a move until we give orders." Renjiro replied, "Alright, I''ll see what I can do." He began walking back to the main tent while thinking, ''As I suspected, the village is still against starting a war impulsively. If Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade had returned and Lord Third and Kakashi had healed, the situation could have been different. However, right now...'' Renjiro sighed and wondered, ''Now, how do I convince Fujin? He has become way too adventurous in the last few weeks. Sigh, I hope he hasn''t already snuck some clones out...'' Returning to the main tent, Renjiro informed the rest about Shikaku''s decision. Once he was done, everyone looked at Fujin, wondering what he''d do. The senior ninjas were slightly nervous. However, Fujin''s response would stun every one of them! ¡ª¡ª In Land of Hot Water, Orochimaru reappeared in his base and saw Jugo weaving hand seals once again. He dropped to the ground and rested against the wall while breathing roughly. He muttered, "That''s enough. You can stop now. I have broken the contract." Jugo stopped weaving hand seals, but he couldn''t believe his ears. He wasn''t the only one. The remaining subordinates of Orochimaru in the base were shocked to their core! For decades, Orochimaru''s name had been intertwined with the snakes of Ryuchi Cave. Their raw power and cunning had been one of his greatest weapons, carving a bloody legacy through countless battlefields. Alongside the other Sannin, his snake summons had toppled armies, striking terror into all who opposed him. Hiromasa''s words surprised everyone. In a moment, everyone glanced at him. Homura and Koharu wondered, ''What in the...? What is he doing?'' Meanwhile, the Sunagakure side wondered, ''For our good? How is it in our interest for Konoha to have such a power over us?'' Had it been anyone else, they would have rejected it right away. After all, the deal was nearly done. They could see that others were on board. However, the one speaking was the clan leader of the legendary Senju clan! Hence, Yura and Arisa decided to see what he was talking about. Yura asked, "What do you mean?" Hiromasa sighed and said, "I know you have your doubts. But believe me, if you know what I do, you would agree without a second''s hesitation." The Sunagakure ninjas frowned. It didn''t sound like Hiromasa was lying. However, they couldn''t make such a huge decision by trusting the words of their enemy. Even so, they hesitated. Arisa realized, ''The key here is the information he knows. It''s likely he wants to give that information to make us agree to this. In a way, he''s selling information to us for these rights.'' She quickly analyzed before concluding, ''If this information is truly that important, then agreeing here wouldn''t be a loss. Luckily, we still haven''t reached our bottom line. I can link their veto with Wind Daimyo and it''ll still be acceptable for Sunagakure. The only question is, is that information worth such a price?'' Arisa calmed down and asked, "What is the information?" [A/N: Next chapter: Battling 7 rank S ninjas!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Cole, One Piece, Gilberto, Ithaque, Ajami and Wade for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 821: Battling 7 rank S ninjas! Chapter 821: Battling 7 rank S ninjas! "What is the information?" The Sunagakure ninja looked at Hiromasa attentively. They had a feeling that the information would be very important. Hiromasa replied, "It is related to the mysterious disappearance of the Third Kazekage." The Sunagakure ninjas were surprised, though there were several reasons for that. For starters, they hadn''t expected Hiromasa to mention this matter. More importantly, they believed that Konoha was behind that incident despite not having any concrete evidence. Arisa wondered, ''What does this mean? Is he saying the truth or is this another attempt to confuse us?'' Thoughts clashed at the speed of light in her mind as she carefully analyzed every aspect of Hiromasa''s words. At the same time, the Konoha ninjas also looked at Hiromasa with surprise. Needless to say, the ones who were shocked the most were the two elders. Homura wondered, ''When did we learn about what happened with the Third Kazekage?'' Koharu wondered, ''Why didn''t he inform us if he had information on that? Or, is this just a bluff?'' Arisa analyzed, ''He shouldn''t be faking it. Though it can give Konoha some benefits, he won''t ruin the Senju clan''s reputation for such small benefits. However, this can still be an attempt to misguide us and divert our attention...'' @@@@ After thinking for a bit, Arisa asked, "How accurate is this information? And, what do you know about it? Do you know everything related to his death?" Hiromasa shook his head and answered, "It has been nearly two decades since his death. Getting concrete evidence about everything that happened then is impossible. However, with this information, we are 99% sure who the killer is. We also know why no one ever discovered anything related to him. It''s..." Hiromasa let out a long sigh. He looked at the Sunagakure ninjas and muttered, "The information is quite shocking. Even I never expected it''d be something like this. If you don''t learn it, who can say how many more losses you''ll face in the future? If you don''t take the necessary precautions, you may even lose another Kazekage. That is why I insist that you give Konoha the veto power." The room became dead silent. Both sides realized that Hiromasa wasn''t bluffing. The Sunagakure negotiation team felt the gravity of the situation. They realized that their village had a few terrifying hidden dangers. At the same time, Homura and Koharu were miffed at not being informed of something so important. Even Inoichi and Tsume wondered why Hiromasa never shared this information with the council. After a few minutes, Yura said, "Alright. However, we want to make a change to your terms. Instead of Konoha having the power to veto our choice of Kazekage, that power will lay with both you and Daimyo-sama. Only if both of you reject the person we choose will we change our choice." The Konoha side had already considered that Sunagakure would demand this change. So, Hiromasa immediately agreed, "That''s fine with us. However, the information will cost you extra. You''ll have to pay 1,000 Wind Crystals, 250 Fire Crystals and 250 Earth Crystals to get this information. In addition, the payment will have to be made first." Once again, everyone was caught off guard by Hiromasa''s words. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a kind, compassionate old man to an experienced swindler. For a moment, no one knew what to say. Her eyes widened once again as she realized the answer to her question. The council members on both sides realized it as well. Arisa analyzed, ''The Akatsuki? The mercenary organization recruited several rogue rank S ninjas... To think they would have as many as 7 while our village barely has 1. So, that organization has something to do with the disappearance of Lord Third? From what I know, it didn''t exist back then. However, someone strong enough to recruit such ninjas wouldn''t appear out of thin air. Could he be the one behind it? Not to mention, Elder Chiyo''s grandson, Sasori, is also said to be a member of Akatsuki. Did he have something to do with it? Or, could it be that he figured it out and wanted to pass the message through Fujin? Or, is it something completely unrelated to the Akatsuki but something Fujin found just due to their battle? Of course, there''s also a chance that this is a lie. He knows that we can''t take on such an organization at this moment. Maybe they got the information from somewhere else but are mentioning them in case we make a stupid decision and confront them.'' Arisa had a headache. Though Hiromasa''s words gave them some clues, it created more confusion instead of solving the mystery. Complicated expressions started appearing on the Sunagakure ninjas as they grasped Hiromasa''s move. Even though her face gave away nothing, Arisa was completely annoyed. Doing her best to hide her hate, she looked at Hiromasa and thought, ''What a cruel move. He has dangled this information in front of us like bait! There is no way we can say no after coming this close to understanding what happened to Lord Third! The price he put is just low enough that we can''t use it as a reason and try to bargain it down. Honorable clan my ass! He''s more cunning and devious than anyone I have seen!'' [A/N: Volume 6 has ended on Pat reon today. I''ll be taking a week off. More details on pat reon.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Daichi, Shreyan, lazy_daoist, Aldar, Pallav, Ben, Jayden, Dylan, Wade and rain for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 822: Concluding the Negotiations! [A/N: Been a long break. I don''t think I''ve taken such a long break from writing since ending my hiatus. Glad you guys supported me taking the break. It''s been a good break to cool off a bit. Also thank you for all the responses in the polls. Gave me several new and fun ideas, which we''ll see later in the story. Anyway, let''s hit the ground running. We''ll follow the same schedule as before. I''ll write 6 days per week and take a break on Saturdays. Chapters will be published daily around this time.] Arisa and several others understood they had no choice but to accept Hiromasa''s terms. Even though the cost had truly surpassed what the Sunagakure Council had agreed upon, they would have to accept it considering the circumstances. It was just that it was humiliating how badly they were being manipulated, making them reluctant. Hiromasa easily read their feelings as he glanced at the Sunagakure ninjas. He said, "If you don''t think this information is worth this small cost, then I have no words for you. It is due to this information that Fujin was against the alliance. I had to work hard to convince him to sell this information at such a low cost. If you don''t want it, then it''s fine. We can complete the negotiations without including this." @@@@ He quietened down after expressing himself displaying no concern about whether Sunagakure accepted the deal or not. To ensure that he didn''t start adding more conditions later, Arisa unwillingly muttered, "We accept. However, considering how critical this information is, I hope you can provide it to us immediately." Hiromasa smiled and said, "Unfortunately, this was Fujin''s decision. Considering the danger he had to face, I couldn''t ask him to compromise any further." Arisa thought, ''As if! Seeing how devious he is, I am even more certain that Fujin didn''t fight 7 rank S ninjas! At most, he may have had a run-in with them and escaped immediately. Or perhaps he just met a few of them, if at all, and they are now exaggerating it.'' Unfortunately, she had no choice but to relent. They had to know what had happened with the Third Kazekage and the dangers they were unaware of. Arisa and Yura agreed to the terms. With their agreement, the long negotiations finally came to an end! Konoha and Sunagakure would continue their alliance despite the small hiccup. The two sides began drafting the final agreement and sent messages to their respective villages at the same time. ¡ª¡ª In Konoha, Shikaku had a strange expression. He looked at the Yamanaka ninja who reported the news and asked, "Tell Fujin that Sunagakure accepted his deal? What did they mean by that?" The Yamanaka ninja answered, "I don''t know." Shikaku replied, "Contact them and ask them. Hmm, wait! I''ll come with you." He followed the Yamanaka ninja into the communication room and contacted the negotiation team. As he learned what it was, Shikaku entered into deep thought. He wondered, ''The news of the Third Kazekage... Did Fujin confirm that the puppet with Sasori is the Third Kazekage? When did he do that? Or is he just betting that is the case?'' Shikaku analyzed for a bit before concluding, ''No, Hiromasa won''t stake the reputation of the Senju clan on speculation. Fujin must have some solid proof. Did he run into the Akatsuki again? Why didn''t he report it to me?'' Shikaku frowned. He had a hunch that something critical had happened. Unfortunately, he couldn''t guess what happened. He thought, ''I suppose the information is too sensitive to send through messenger birds or Chakra Transmission Communication devices. I''ll ask him when he returns to the village.'' In the Fire Capital, the two sides drafted the final agreement and signed it along with their respective Daimyos. The Fire Daimyo wanted to have a celebration for the new alliance, but both sides rejected it due to the losses they faced. Once they retreated to their respective hotels, Koharu and Homura called for a small meeting of the council members. They immediately asked, "Hiromasa, how did the Third Kazekage die?" Hiromasa looked at the two Elders and replied with a smile, "To be honest, even I''m not completely sure. Fujin just told me he learnt about it during his trip to the Land of Rice and is almost certain of what happened. He said that Sunagakure would desperately want that information. So, I used it to get more resources from them." Needless to say, Hiromasa wouldn''t give out the secret now. After all, Sunagakure had promised to pay a huge price, which would entirely go to Fujin. He could see that Fujin and the Elders had some friction between them. If Koharu or Homura gave that information to Sunagakure for free or at a smaller cost, they would have no reason to honor the deal with Fujin. Konoha wouldn''t pursue the matter either since Sunagakure would honor the remaining agreement, which would mean that Fujin would be the only loser. Koharu and Homura realized his thoughts and had ugly expressions. Koharu asked, "Do you mean to say that you staked the reputation of the Senju clan without knowing whether his information was accurate?" Hiromasa casually replied, "You''re forgetting that Renjiro trained the boy. He completely trusts Fujin. So, I have no reason to doubt his words." He chuckled and added, "Don''t be impatient. I''m sure he would inform the council of what he discovered once we meet in the village." Homura and Koharu understood that Hiromasa wouldn''t back down. Pursuing it wasn''t of any use. Inoichi and Tsume understood the same, though they didn''t mind it unlike the Elders. Inoichi suddenly said, "Now that I think about it, it''s rather amusing. Sunagakure doesn''t know how the Third or the Fourth Kazekage died, while we know exactly what happened with the Fourth Kazekage and have clues about the Third Kazekage." [A/N: This brings an end to the cliffhanger arc *cough* the negotiations arc. Volume 6 still has some chapters left, related to the matters of Sasuke along with some training chapters involving techniques/concepts discussed earlier in the story.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You BornTripleA, Christopher, Arttu, Gray, Veileihi, No Name, Jd, Dailoo, Tom, Ivan, Ren, QanonMinority, Pallav, Michal, K ray, Manbe, Marcio, Cesar, Austin, Cawa, ziyd, Varuntej, Tyler, Sid, Garrett, Kash and Idrees for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 823: Ripping off the skin! Homura, Koharu, Hiromasa and Tsume had strange expressions as they thought about what Inoichi said. Sunagakure never learned what happened with their Third Kazekage. Even though they understood that the Fourth Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru, they didn''t know how that happened either. They just knew the final result. On the other hand, Fujin discovered clues about the Third Kazekage''s death while Konoha knew exactly what happened to Rasa thanks to the memories of the Sound Four. They knew how, when and where Rasa had been killed. This was why, there was never a doubt in the hearts of any council members when Sunagakure ninjas claimed that they were fooled by Orochimaru. It was unfortunate that they couldn''t use this in the negotiations. Even though they read the memories of some of the Sound Four ninjas, they couldn''t provide any concrete evidence of Sunagakure''s involvement since no one else had a technique to read memories. Sunagakure could simply accuse Konoha of lying and it would be their words against each other. So, it wouldn''t give Konoha any substantial upper hand in the negotiations. More importantly, claiming this information would force Konoha to take harsh measures. Otherwise, they would look weak and their decision to make peace would come under question. Hence, this information was never used during the talks. Regardless, Inoichi and the rest found this quite amusing. Tsume chuckled and said, "Maybe it would have been a good idea to go with Fujin''s proposal. With their sheer incompetence and tendency to backstab, we can''t count on them." Inoichi sighed, "If only they weren''t so difficult to invade..." ¡ª¡ª In Tanzaku town, Naruto and Tsunade had a rematch, as in the original story. Needless to say, the result was no different from their first match. However, there were several changes as compared to the original story. Due to Kabuto''s death at the hands of Fujin, Naruto didn''t have a chance to battle him and master the Rasengan in the process. And, since Tsunade had long recovered from her phobia, Naruto didn''t get an opportunity to show how strong his resolve was. As such, the impression he left on her was far from what he did in the original story. That said, it wasn''t as if he had no impact on Tsunade. His dream and words made her remember Dan and Nawaki. In addition, she saw how hard he trained to win his bet. As such, he still made a good impression on her. Knowing that her necklace would help him suppress the Nine Tails, she gave it to him despite winning the bet. However, she took his ''Gama-chan'', which held all the money he won in gambling while travelling with Jiraiya. They were about to call it a night when Jiraiya received a scroll from one of his toads. His eyes immediately widened, something that didn''t miss the eyes of others. Tsunade asked, "What happened?" Jiraiya replied in a grim tone, "Suzuki Fujin is marching his army towards the Land of Wind. We may soon be at war with Sunagakure. The army should have already reached the border of the Land of Wind by now..." Even though Shikaku had no way to contact Jiraiya, Jiraiya had his own information network, which was independent of Konoha''s network. However, it couldn''t keep up with the instantaneous nature of the Chakra Transmission Communication devices. In addition, Fujin''s army had moved swiftly and stealthily. As such, Jiraiya received the message when the Konoha army was already withdrawing. Unfortunately, he didn''t know that. Tsunade sighed, "A war, once again..." Naruto asked in shock, "What does this mean? Why is big brother Fujin attacking Sunagakure? Wasn''t our war over?" Jiraiya replied, "I can''t say for sure. When I left, the council was against starting a new war. Perhaps the peace talks collapsed. Or, this could just be a bluff to force Sunagakure to accept our demands. Or something critical may have happened. Irrespective, we need to head to the village immediately to understand what is happening?" With neither Jiraiya nor Naruto speaking anything bad about Fujin, Tsunade rushed towards Konoha while being completely in the dark about what she would have to deal with in the future. ¡ª¡ª As Fujin, his army, Jiraiya''s group, the council members and the negotiation team started returning to the village, news began spreading throughout the ninja world. Konoha actively informed their allied village about the new alliance between the two villages. All the minor villages around the Land of Fire breathed a sigh of relief since the next Great Ninja War had been avoided for the time being. Even though Kumogakure and Iwagakure had no spies left in the Fire Capital or the surrounding villages, they had several in Sunagakure. Pretty soon, reports arrived on Onoki and Ay''s desks. Onoki frowned and cursed, "Those cowards! I knew they were using our talks as leverage to renew their alliance with Konoha." Similarly, Ay cursed, "I knew those sand crawlers couldn''t be trusted! The minute we attacked Konoha, they would have turned around and betrayed us!" Mabui asked, "What now, Raikage-sama?" Ay replied, "I don''t trust that old geezer. Even if I did, attacking Konoha right now is too risky. By forming this alliance instead of taking revenge, Konoha has shown that they aren''t ready for the next Great War yet. We will use this time to rebuild our forces and overcome our recent losses." Mabui nodded in agreement. Ay suddenly frowned and said, "Also, assemble the best medical team in the village right now. I will be ripping this skin off my body!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Caleb, Idrees, HeatingGold, Igor and Nixon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 824: Peace on Borrowed Time! [A/N: iOS users who plan on supporting me or any other creator on Pat reon in the future, please read today''s public post on my page.] For over a month, Ay tried every method available in Kumogakure to remove the pink color sprayed on his body. Unfortunately, nothing worked. Though the shade became slightly lighter, it was still very visible. He had to maintain Transformation jutsu every time he met others. Of course, there were several instances when he wanted to rip his skin off. Unfortunately, something important would happen just before he took that step, forcing him to return to work. @@@@ Now that Konoha and Sunagakure made peace, he wanted to do it before something else happened. Mabui thought solemnly, ''To force Raikage-sama into such a situation without even facing him... Akuro, what a fearsome enemy. The fact that we have no idea where he is and when he''ll attack us again is scarier. Sigh, I hope he doesn''t show up right when Raikage-sama does this...'' Even though several shocking events had happened around the world, the humiliation inflicted by Akuro was still fresh on the minds of people living in Kumogakure. Their hatred hadn''t decreased either. Unfortunately, the subject of their hatred was nowhere to be found. They could only divert their hatred elsewhere which caused Ay even more headaches. ¡ª¡ª Kirigakure received information about the new alliance too. However, neither faction paid any attention to it. The situation in the Land of Water, though tense, was a bit strange. After the death of Mangetsu, the Fourth Mizukage was expected to join the frontlines. However, he didn''t do so. Not knowing what he was planning, the rebels pulled back their forces and waited to see what move he would make. As such, no battles were happening in the Land of Water. The ninja world, which was on the verge of exploding into another great war, suddenly calmed down completely. Of course, this peace was very brittle. All it would take to break it would be a single rank S ninja. It was something that every leader understood. Not one of them was counting on this peaceful phase to continue for long. The two factions in the Land of Water had a war to settle. The rest would soon begin building their forces to prepare for the next round of hostilities. In Kumogakure, Ay had to rebuild his reputation and regain the trust of his subordinates. In addition, he had to rebuild their elites. Sunagakure was the most hit among any village. They needed to do some serious introspection to stop declining any further. They had taken the first step by establishing another alliance with Konoha and buying much-needed time. However, the road to rebuild their village was very long. Iwakagure was doing relatively well. They had already recovered to some extent from the blow Fujin gave them a few years ago. However, Han''s absence was a painful blow to Iwagakure. With Onoki not getting any younger, Iwagakure needed to raise more rank S ninjas. At the same time, Onoki wanted to raise more elite forces to make up for this shortcoming temporarily. Konoha, which looked extremely strong and near invincible, had its fair share of troubles too. What other villages didn''t know was that Hiruzen was still in a coma. Kakashi, one of their strongest ninjas, was also unconscious. In addition, they would have to adjust under a new leader. However, with the two Sannins finally returning to the village, their situation was far better than others. They would soon start working to become so strong that they would truly seem indomitable. There was another who finally enjoyed some peace. Even though he was still hiding, he was relieved that no one was chasing after him or reverse summoning and ganging up on him. While Ay healed his mutilated body, Fujin''s army marched back to Konoha, the two Sannins rushed back to their village, and Sunagakure searched for their missing Grandmaster, Orochimaru was preparing to use his forbidden technique to take over a new body! While the Fire Capital slept peacefully, the schemes in the dark never halted! As the first rays of the Sun hit Konoha, a few figures appeared at their gate. The guards were shocked as soon as their eyes lay on those figures. However, their shock quickly changed into relief. Two of the strongest ninjas in Konoha''s history had returned to the village! Shikaku thought, ''So the reason why I was woken up was because he heard something... And that ''something'' was Fujin''s doing... In the end, it''s still that kid disturbing my sleep!'' He sighed and answered, "You''re late." Jiraiya, Tsunade, Naruto and Shizune tensed up as they feared the worst. Shikaku continued, "The talks concluded yesterday. Sunagakure accepted most of our demands. We did march towards them, but the army is already returning to the village." Everyone sighed in relief while Shikaku complained in his heart, ''You could have asked this to anyone. Why did you have to disturb my sleep?'' Despite not saying anything, both Tsunade and Jiraiya could read him like a book. It was very obvious that Shikaku wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Smiles appeared on the faces of two Sannins. Tsunade walked next to Shikaku and said, "You haven''t changed at all since we last met." Jiraiya added, "Come, sit here. Tell us all that has happened since I left the village. Naruto, you can go home. I''ll come see you later!" Naruto complained, "Hey, I want to listen too. Besides, she has to heal Sasuke!" Jiraiya shrugged him away, "You can listen when you become the Hokage, besides, Sasuke''s safe for now. The old man takes priority. You can wait outside if you''re impatient. Shizune, take him out. Shikaku, why are you still standing?" Naruto was unwillingly dragged out while Shikaku was unwillingly forced to stay in the room and inform the two Sannins of everything that happened after Jiraiya left to look for Tsunade. Poor guy could do nothing other than curse in his heart as the two Sannins shamelessly piled onto his misery. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Thrower Emblems, 883388, Alucard and Keaton Dragonball for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 825: Hiruzens Burden! Chapter 825: Hiruzen''s Burden! Outside the Hokage''s office, Naruto became increasingly agitated. Once again, he lost his cool and shouted, "It''s been two hours! How long will they take? Sasuke needs to be treated immediately!" Shizune muttered internally, ''Here we go again.'' She tried to soothe Naruto once again, "It''ll be over soon, Naru..." Suddenly, the door opened and Tsunade and Jiraiya walked out, followed by Shikaku who walked like a sleep-deprived zombie. Naruto was about to scold the two Sannins when he noticed Shikaku and asked curiously, "What happened to him?" Tsunade replied, "He just needs some sleep. Take me to the old man. I''ll inspect him first." The Anbu ninja nearby immediately said, "Follow me, Lady Tsunade." He immediately led the group to the top floor of Konoha''s hospital. As many as twelve Anbu squads were deployed to protect Hiruzen at all times. Relief appeared on their faces on seeing Tsunade finally appear. They quickly allowed Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune in the room while Naruto and Tonton were left out once again. As soon as they entered the room, their eyes fell on Hiruzen, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Isamu immediately brightened on seeing Tsunade. Along with the 12 Anbu squads, one senior medical ninja was also stationed at all times. Isamu joyfully said, "Lady Tsunade, you''ve finally returned." Tsunade nodded without taking her eyes off Hiruzen. She observed, "He has no external injuries... That''s good." Jiraiya said, "Yes, Fujin healed his external injuries immediately. It''s just his soul which we couldn''t heal." Tsunade asked in surprise, "That boy is also a medical ninja?" Jiraiya replied, "Ah, yes. I forgot to mention it." Isamu added, "He''s quite a good one too. He''s still rough around the edges due to low experience and short learning time but is excellent at healing physical injuries. In fact, he''s already better at it than us old fellows. He''s probably second to only you in this aspect." Surprise appeared on Tsunade''s face. She muttered, "Interesting. I didn''t expect a frontline fighter to specialize in this field at such a young age. I''ll meet him later. Let me first check sensei." She placed her palm on Hiruzen''s chest and slowly inserted Yin chakra into his body. Within a few moments, her expression changed from normal to concerned to grave. Isamu and Jiraiya also became worried but didn''t disturb her. Tsunade continued examining him for nearly five minutes before withdrawing her hand. Jiraiya asked, "How is his condition?" For a moment, Tsunade didn''t know how to answer. After a few seconds, she let out a sigh and muttered sorrowfully, "I have never seen a soul mutilated to this extent..." She glanced at the Anbu Captain and ordered, "Go to the Torture & Interrogation Department and ask them to round up all prisoners who have been given the death sentence for committing some heinous crimes." The Anbu Captain immediately flickered away. Shizune asked, "Lady Tsunade, you mean...?" Tsunade nodded and answered, "Yes, I''ll damage their souls to the same extent that Sensei''s is and try to heal them." She looked at Jiraiya and said, "This will take some time. For the time being, I''ll focus on healing Sensei. The Fifth Hokage''s position can wait." Jiraiya replied, "That shouldn''t be an issue. We can trust Shikaku. He''s even more capable than his father was." Tsunade sighed, "Those lazy Naras... I tell you, we should be making them the Hokage. Village will be far more efficient." Jiraiya chuckled, "If only they accept..." Tsunade said, "I''ll heal Kakashi and the Uchiha kid first since healing Sensei will take a while." Isamu immediately asked, "Is it safe to keep him like this?" Tsunade nodded, "Yes. For a soul to recover, a healthy body is required. Since Sensei was healed immediately, his body is nourishing his soul irrespective of how negligible that is. So, he''s not in any danger for the time being." Isamu sighed in relief. While Fujin and every other medical ninja in Konoha including Isamu had come to the same conclusion, hearing it from Tsunade was a huge relief. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Keaton Dragonball, Calvin, Scar, Qt4x_, Zadkiel, Gummygamer, Swimming_potato, Samuel, UnderwaterCrab, MC, Nioreski, Damian and ?????? ???????? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 826: Why are you still up? Chapter 826: Why are you still up? "Aaaaaaaargh!" In the dead of the night, a blood-curdling scream escaped a locked room. Outside, two Konoha ninjas looked at each other, horror visible on their faces. Neither dared to utter a word but both had the same thought, ''We were wrong. Ibiki-sama is a saint compared to these monsters.'' In front of them were 7 Genin-level ninjas. All were handcuffed and had several chakra suppression seals inscribed on them. However, none of them cared about those. Instead, they were frozen in terror, their faces ashen as if life had been drained from them. Suddenly, the screams stopped and the night became silent once again. A minute later, the door creaked open once again and a figure stepped into the dimly-lit corridor, her figure framed by the flickering torchlight. Even in the gloom, her flawless features and golden hair radiated an ethereal beauty. Her piercing eyes burned with a cold intensity that cut through the darkness like a blade, commanding both fear and reverence. However, to the seven people waiting their turn, she wasn''t a woman of legendary beauty. They didn''t see the famed healer or the revered Sannin. In their eyes, she was death incarnate! Tsunade muttered, "Who''s the next one in?" Without missing a bit, one of the guards said, "This one, Lady Tsunade!" As Tsunade stepped towards him, the man immediately dropped to his knees, slammed his head on the floor and begged, "Please forgive me! I understand I shouldn''t have targeted those villagers! Please give me another chance. I promise I''ll never do any of those acts again! I''ll dedicate the rest of my life to serving people!" @@@@ A smile appeared on Tsunade''s lips as she reached the man. Bending down, she said, "It''s good that you''re finally feeling some remorse. As for repentance, don''t worry. You''ll soon make up for your sins by contributing to a noble cause." For a moment, the man felt relief. However, it vanished immediately and was replaced with dread as Tsunade dragged him into the room and shut the door. The remaining 6 prisoners were equally terrified as they heard the man''s pleas and frightened screams. That said, it was when the man''s scream suddenly changed from a horrified scream to a blood-curdling scream that the real horror set in. In an instant, every one of them regretted the acts they committed that brought them here. They weren''t the only frightened ones. While the Torture & Interrogation Department wasn''t in the middle of a residential area, it wasn''t far either. Over the years, several residential houses were constructed closer to their building. Hence, the blood-curdling screams echoed even in some of those houses, scaring their inhabitants. And, one could imagine what other prisoners in the building, who weren''t imprisoned in soundproof rooms, felt that night. This was another purpose that the Torture & Interrogation Department served indirectly. The reason why residential houses were allowed to be built close by was that people could occasionally catch glimpses of the terror that happened here. It would result in those people starting rumors which would become more terrifying as they spread, thus discouraging anyone from committing acts that could land them there. Inside the room, the screams stopped once again. As she looked at the man lying on the bed, a troubled expression appeared on Tsunade''s face. She muttered, "This is the third prisoner... I want to heal a soul to see if I can heal Sensei, but... How did you do it, Sensei?" Tsunade let out a sigh. In order to get the best idea, she wanted to work with souls that had been mutilated exactly like Hiruzen''s soul. Unfortunately, she couldn''t mutilate any soul to that extent. All three prisoners died before their souls were reduced to that state! As Tsunade looked at the lifeless body in front of her, she couldn''t help but marvel at what Hiruzen had done. She thought, ''To think Sensei could sever his soul this perfectly while it was being sealed by the God of Death... He must have had only a fraction of a second and just one chance to get it right. And, he also had to keep an eye on Orochimaru and his subordinates... Not to mention, it was his own soul. Meanwhile, I''m failing to reduce the souls of these powerless prisoners to that condition despite having ample time and no obstacles...'' Tsunade realized that the task would be much more difficult than she initially envisioned. Looking at the lifeless body, she muttered, "I''ll need more test subjects..." Through the night, blood-curdling screams echoed around the Torture & Interrogation Department as Tsunade worked tirelessly. For anyone in the vicinity, irrespective of whether they committed a crime or not, the night was a terrifying one. Realizing that Fujin wasn''t joking, Shikaku became extremely serious as well. It wasn''t the first time Fujin had spoken about the village''s defenses. However, he didn''t use such strong language even when they had to face Orochimaru and Sunagakure. Fujin rolled the scroll back, looked at Shikaku with a puzzled expression and said, "Anyway, I thought you''d be asleep. Why are you still up at this hour?" In an instant, Shikaku''s expression changed. Disbelief appeared on his face as he looked at Fujin, the person solely responsible for disturbing his sleep. Yet, Fujin asked the question as if he had nothing to do with it. His expression gave nothing away. There wasn''t even a hint of amusement in Fujin''s voice, implying that he wasn''t enjoying Shikaku''s misery. But, that didn''t change the fact that Fujin was the one who forced him to wake up! Shikaku immediately asked, "What do you mean? Didn''t you tell them you had something extremely important to tell me?" Fujin nodded, "Yeah, but it isn''t very urgent. I have known this for over 2 weeks now, a few more hours wouldn''t have mattered. I just returned earlier so that I can familiarize myself with the events back then..." Shikaku stopped hearing what Fujin was saying as his mind went into overdrive. He analyzed, ''Something very important but not very urgent? Why did the Anbu ninjas wake me up then?'' Suddenly, Shikaku''s eyes widened as he realized what had happened. He looked at Fujin with a gaze full of resentment and complaint as he cursed, ''This brat! Something extremely important but not urgent... He must have told Anbu only the ''extremely important'' part. They must have just assumed it was urgent and woke me up. However, how could he not see that?'' In an instant, Shikaku understood that Fujin purposefully left out that part. His words were just to pull his leg! And, his acting had improved so much that Shikaku was fooled for a moment. Before he had a chance to let out his frustrations, Fujin said, "Anyway, it''s great that you''re up. I have been wanting a second opinion for too long now. Come, sit. This will take a while." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Mugen, Chopper4ever, Sahil, Pervysage, Max, E, Rhys, Fernando, Noctussy and MC for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 827: Detective Fujin! Shikaku was experiencing a tornado of emotions. For a moment, he didn''t understand which of those emotions he should focus on. Without a shred of doubt, Shikaku was extremely annoyed and frustrated. For two days in a row, his sleep was interrupted when there wasn''t a need to disturb him. Jiraiya and Tsunade could have learnt from the Anbu ninja they sent to wake him that Konoha and Sunagakure had signed a peace agreement and Fujin''s army was returning. And, Fujin''s information wasn''t exactly urgent. Yet, none of them bothered to convey the exact message to the Anbu ninjas and instead disturbed his sleep. Any normal person would have exploded in rage and given Fujin a piece of his mind. However, Shikaku wasn''t exactly normal. Even ''lecturing'' Fujin was too much work for him. And, he understood very well that it wouldn''t have any impact on Fujin. Besides, there was a generational difference between the two, considering that Fujin was just a few years older than his son. Not to mention, Fujin''s status in the village wasn''t much different from the two remaining Sannins. So, Shikaku couldn''t scold him like he could a colleague or a subordinate. As such, he even felt helpless. At the same time, he was also curious about what information Fujin had gotten his hands on. He still wanted to know what had happened with the Third Kazekage and here Fujin was dealing with a matter that was as important to Konoha as the Third Kazekage''s mystery was to Sunagakure. In the end, he could only sigh and collapse in a chair as he muttered, "What is it? Why are you looking into the secret reports of the Nine Tails'' Assault and the death of the Fourth Hokage?" He glanced at the scrolls and said, "Besides, those scrolls don''t have all the information recorded." Fujin replied, "Of course not. However, they cleared up the picture a bit. The previous Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails was Uzumaki Kushina, the wife of the Fourth Hokage. Considering the timing of the assault, the Uzumaki name, Naruto''s birth date, his appearance and the fact that he has the beast inside him, it''s safe to say that he''s their son. Which means, something went wrong during her pregnancy. Am I right?" Shikaku wasn''t surprised by Fujin connecting the dots so easily. He simply nodded lazily. Fujin asked, "So, what was that strange factor?" Shikaku answered, "We don''t know the entire truth yet. The seal that contained the Nine Tails weakens during pregnancy, so there was always a risk of something going wrong. However, Lord Third''s wife and Lord Fourth were handling the matters personally. In addition, dozens of Anbu squads were deployed and a barrier was erected to ensure nothing went wrong. When the Nine Tails assaulted our village, we thought the unthinkable had happened. However, we discovered some things later. Apart from Lord Fourth and Kushina, everyone else inside the barrier was killed by a sharp weapon. And, the Nine Tails couldn''t inflict such small and precise wounds. So, there was another aspect involved. We believe that the person or the group that attacked them were responsible for causing this accident in some way. Unfortunately, we never found out who was responsible. Since everyone involved was dead, we had no clue." Fujin didn''t say anything and instead stayed silent as if he were analyzing Shikaku''s words. Before he divulged any information, he looked at Shikaku again and asked, "And, what about the Nine Tails? Was he just feral or was he controlled by something? Or, more specifically, the Sharingan?" Shikaku became silent. Since Hashirama was no longer alive, the Sharingan was the best method to control the Tailed Beasts. Everyone was well aware of this. So, everyone was suspicious of the Uchiha clan. Even though Hiruzen didn''t involve Shikaku in this matter, he was well aware of how closely the Uchiha were watched by the Anbu and the Root for years until the massacre. In fact, Shikaku also had several suspicions about the massacre, though he failed to confirm any. He sighed and muttered, "Once again, we didn''t find any explicit proof, but the Nine Tails appeared inside the village very suddenly. It was almost as if he was summoned. So, there were several suspicions, if you understand what I mean." Fujin nodded and said, "With this information, I''m even sure of my hunch. I may have run into the very person responsible for that tragedy." @@@@ He actually has another crucial weakness. His body has to become tangible when he''s transporting himself or anyone else into a different dimension or whatever that it is. Even though it is only a fraction of a second, it''s still a chance to hurt him." Shikaku thought and said, "It''s still very difficult to deal with, but at least there''s some hope now. Good work discovering this, Fujin. I''ll see what arrangements I can make to counter his ability. Anyway, I take it that Sasori used a human puppet of the Third Kazekage?" Fujin nodded, "He didn''t give any information regarding it or reply to my taunts, but it''s obvious that he has something to do with his death. I''m not sure if the Akatsuki was involved, but that''s a problem for Sunagakure to deal with." Shikaku nodded. His mind was completely occupied by the mysterious Uchiha. He asked, "How did the battle end then? Did he rescue Sasori and Deidara and escape?" A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he answered, "Not quite..." The look on Shikaku''s face was a sight to see as Fujin continued, "I killed Deidara, though I couldn''t secure his body. Sasori got away, but I got a few more of his puppets. As for this guy, I shot a Vacuum Bullet straight through his eye when he was transporting himself." Shikaku thought in disbelief, ''He killed them both? No... Something''s off... Why would Fujin consider him a threat if he''s dead?'' As Shikaku expected, Fujin continued, "Unfortunately, his chakra suddenly underwent a massive change just before my attack landed on him. It almost felt like a Genjutsu, but something he cast on himself. Even though I saw his dead body enter that plane, I have a feeling that he isn''t dead..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Dragonsworn, Luke, Christopher, Fahkriddin, §¥§Þ§Ú§ä§â§Ú§Ú?, Zereket, Daniel and Scar31 for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 828: A troublesome person... "A Genjutsu cast on himself..." Shikaku muttered. He felt another headache as he thought, ''Akatsuki... Everything about them is troublesome.'' He said, "That sounds like the forbidden Izanagi jutsu of the Uchiha clan?" Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Izanagi? What does it do?" Even though Fujin knew very well what that jutsu did, he hadn''t encountered any scroll mentioning it. Hence, he could only feign ignorance despite being one of the most knowledgeable about the technique. Shikaku explained, "It''s a very powerful jutsu that the caster casts on himself. It blurs the line between reality and illusion. It''s quite complicated and even I don''t know how it works, so I''ll just explain the effects. From the moment this jutsu is cast, any damage the Uchiha ninja takes is reversed when the duration of this Genjutsu ends. Even if they die, they''ll be back in the same condition they were in at the moment they cast Izanagi. However, it comes at the cost of an eye as they forever lose the eyesight of the eye that casts Izanagi." Surprise appeared on Fujin''s face as he muttered, "That''s an incredible jutsu... Even though the cost is high, losing an eye is better than losing their life. Is there any way to counter it?" Shikaku answered, "There is one jutsu which is called Izanami. It was created to counter Izanagi. Unfortunately, it was created by none other than the Uchiha clan and needs a Sharingan to cast. And, it also costs the eye. So, only Kakashi could use it, if we knew how to use it. So, the only available option is to kill them twice or thrice depending on how much they''re willing to sacrifice. The only good thing is that they''ll be much weaker once they lose both eyes, especially if it''s the Mangekyou Sharingan. Did he have a Sharingan in the other eye?" Fujin answered, "Not sure. The mask was covered with dense seals, blocking all my sensing techniques. Since the mask only had one eyehole, his left eye should have an issue. Even if it were the Mangekyou, he would only have one Mangekyou Sharingan left in the worst-case scenario. If that was his only Sharingan, he''s no longer a big threat. Unfortunately..." Shikaku completed Fujin''s words, "Your instincts feel that isn''t the case." Fujin nodded. It wasn''t his instincts since he knew Obito had normal Sharingan in his left eye, but it didn''t matter. Shikaku wouldn''t overlook the instincts of a ninja of Fujin''s caliber. Shikaku sighed tiredly. He had another troublesome matter to handle. Even so, he was glad that Fujin brought this information. It was better to take precautions than be caught off guard by someone with such a troublesome ability. After thinking for a while, Shikaku asked, "How do you think you would have fared without your Wind Domain technique?" Fujin thought for a bit before answering, "Not so good. I would have still been able to defend myself and counterattack, but my position would be very passive and vulnerable. A single mistake could have been fatal for me while landing a single attack would have been an uphill task. Without a technique like Wind Domain, I''d consider him a greater threat than the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage. Perhaps only someone with a Space-Time mastery like Lord Fourth could take him head-on. Maybe Jiraiya-sama''s Senjutsu could stand a chance too but he''ll be quite passive too. If Grandpa recovers completely, then he may have another way too. Speaking of him, is he up?" Shikaku answered, "Not yet. Still, you''re increasing my headache further. An opponent of this level. If he was indeed the one behind the Nine Tails'' assault, then he''s a huge threat for us. No, the fact that he is in the Akatsuki is already a big threat." Fujin said, "Now you know why I said he''s a bigger threat than Orochimaru and Sunagakure. Also, he wasn''t a normal member of Akatsuki." Just as Fujin was about to leave the room, Shikaku said, "Don''t forget you have to be present for the victory parade." Without turning around, Fujin replied, "There won''t be any more fighting or talking. Ask Hoka or Sensei to disguise themselves as me. Don''t send anyone for me, I won''t answer my door." Fujin disappeared as soon as he was done speaking. Shikaku muttered in annoyance, "He disturbed my sleep but doesn''t want to be disturbed himself... Still, this is good. I still have time to return to my house and take another nap..." As soon as Shikaku had that thought, an Anbu Captain entered the room and reported, "Shikaku-sama, Lady Tsunade said that the prisoners on death row may not be enough for her. She wants you to immediately work with Ibiki and decide who else can be experimented on." ''...'' Without uttering a single word, Shikaku just stared at the Anbu Captain. "Shikaku-sama?" The Anbu Captain asked, puzzled at Shikaku''s unresponsiveness. Shikaku sighed and thought, ''They just won''t let me sleep...'' Shikaku could only respond, "Alright, I''ll look into it. Tell her that I had asked the army to bring back bandits alive. So, we''ll provide as many prisoners as she needs." The Anbu Captain nodded and flickered away. Even though the rays of the Sun fell on Konoha, the houses around the Torture & Interrogation Department continued to be tormented by horrendous screams! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You hh, ArcticRaven, Zereket, Alfie, Jacob, Melegant and Paolo for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 829: Tsunades Curiosity! Chapter 829: Tsunade''s Curiosity! As soon as he reached his house, Fujin entered the basement. Despite his returning to his home after nearly a month, a Shadow Clone was sitting at the center of the basement with a pot placed in front of him. Of course, no Shadow Clone could sustain itself for a month. The reason why there was still one there was that Fujin regularly sent Shadow Clones back to his house to keep an eye on Shukaku''s chakra. Since the pot needed to absorb nature energy, he didn''t keep it with him. With strong ninjas like Renjiro staying around him along with several Hyuga ninjas and other sensors, Shukaku''s chakra would have been discovered no matter how careful Fujin was. Seeing Fujin, the clone dispelled himself and sent the memories and chakra back to Fujin. Fujin carefully observed the pot as he sighed, ''It is way too slow now...'' As he expected, the chakra grew. Unfortunately, it is way too slow. Fujin thought, ''The rate at which it increased initially was still decent. I had around 5% of Shukaku''s chakra and it increased by 20% in just 3 days, taking the amount of Shukaku''s chakra in the pot to 6%. It took another week to increase to 7%. The rate dropped drastically after that and I still have only around 7.5% of Shukaku''s chakra. I have a feeling that even if I wait for over a year, the amount still wouldn''t reach 10%...'' The drastic fall in its growth rate discouraged Fujin from waiting any longer. The gains didn''t justify the amount of time needed. Fujin thought, ''Anyway, the good thing is that the chakra didn''t develop sentience. Even though the chakra is quite bale and I can feel Shukaku''s hatred, it''s not an issue since it can''t think or act. There shouldn''t be any complications with the seal though I need to monitor whether the vile nature and hatred would affect me. Still, I wonder how much chakra is needed before it can develop sentience...'' Fujin thought for a bit but couldn''t make an estimate due to the limited data with him. He muttered, "Leave it. The next time I target any Tailed Beast, I''ll try to steal more chakra. It''ll be a good way to learn how sentience can affect my seal. That said..." Fujin turned his gaze back to the pot and decided, ''I''m not sure how absorbing the chakra inside the pot will affect me. Regardless, it''ll be suspicious that my chakra reserves increased so drastically in such a short time. Normally I wouldn''t have cared. In fact, it''d be very difficult to even realize that. However, Tsunade is now in the village and I can finally explore that method...'' Fujin thought for a minute before deciding, ''I''ll explore her method first. No reason not to say yes to a free power-up, assuming there are no complications. If there are, then I don''t need to explore that method now that I have this seal.'' Fujin let out a yawn. Realizing how tired his body and mind were, he decided to get a good sleep. Unlike him, Shikaku couldn''t return to the dreamworld due to Tsunade''s orders. Instead, he disturbed Ibiki''s sleep, though Ibiki didn''t care much about it, unlike Shikaku. The two immediately worked on deciding which prisoners could be sacrificed for the greater good. At around 8, the Konoha army finally returned to the village. Hoka disguised as Fujin and created a Shadow Clone to take his place as the army participated in the victory parade organized by the council to increase the ninjas'' morale, motivate the students to train harder and encourage the civilian population to enroll more children in the academy. The entire army marched around Konoha as several people flocked on both sides of the streets and cheered for them. It continued for several hours until they finally stopped in front of the Hokage Building at noon, where Tsunade delivered a speech before dispersing the army, except for the generals. The generals met up with the council members on the rooftop. Tsunade observed ''Fujin'' carefully and thought, ''So, he''s the wonder kid... Not bad. His temperament looks good for someone who accomplished so much at such a young age.'' She smiled and said, "We finally meet, Fujin. I''ve heard a lot about you." Jiraiya added, "Good work kiddo. Sensei would be proud when he learns what you did in the last few weeks." Shikaku said, "That should do. Fujin heard that you were working on this and wanted to help. He''ll probably come to you later." Tsunade asked, "Does he have knowledge of souls too?" Shikaku nodded, "He has some expertise, but I''m not sure to which extent. You can make the judgement when you meet him." Even though Shikaku and Hiruzen knew that Fujin had learnt the Spirit Transformation jutsu, it wasn''t public information. As such, Shikaku didn''t want to disclose it in front of the entire council. Tsunade was surprised by Shikaku''s answer. She couldn''t help but wonder, ''Did this kid dip his paws into every aspect? That''s not a good thing at such a young age, but Sensei must have a reason to let him diversify his skills to such an extent...'' Tsunade''s curiosity towards Fujin increased even further. The very fact that Fujin defeated Orochimaru and led Konoha''s armies to several outrageous victories had evoked her interest. She expected him to be an intelligent ninja completely focused on training and fighting. She never expected him to have a deep knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu and souls especially since he was already a Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu. Tsunade said, "Alright. Just send him to the Torture & Interrogation Department. I''ll head back there and continue experimenting." Shikaku said, "Alright. We''ll focus on ensuring that Sunagakure honors the terms of the agreement. We also need to start a new recruitment drive to capitalize on the high morale of the citizens. With more children signing up for the academy''s entrance test, the number of students who get selected will skyrocket." He turned his eyes towards the two elders and requested, "I hope you two can focus on this aspect. Lord Third wanted to create a new elite force from the next generation to raise our strength to the next level and this is our best chance. In his absence, only the two of you can handle such an important responsibility." [A/N: Still writing the next chapter. ETA: 6-8 hrs.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Dip, Jayden, Yamir, . ., Evrit, Damian, Michael and Matthew for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 830: Narutos Troubles? "In his absence, only the two of you can handle such an important responsibility," Shikaku said to the elders. Needless to say, if the number of children who applied for the Academy''s Entrance Exam skyrocketed, the workload would skyrocket too. They would need to recruit more teachers, expand the infrastructure, and implement the new schemes that Fujin had proposed earlier. None of the clan leaders were free to take such an undertaking. The only council members who had time to handle this were Fujin and the Elders. However, Shikaku knew very well that Fujin wouldn''t volunteer for this. So, he could only dump it on the Elders. Of course, the Elders also understood what Shikaku was thinking. Unfortunately, he had phrased the question in such a manner that refusing would look very bad. Koharu replied, "Of course. We will take care of it. However, it''ll be a lot of work for our old bones. We''ll need the clans'' support." Just like the elders, the clan leaders could only nod as well. As the representative of the civilian ninjas, this job should have fallen on Fujin''s shoulders. Not to mention, he was the one who recommended the changes to the academy, increasing his responsibility further. However, he was still very young and everyone on the council knew that Fujin prioritized his training over council duties. As such, they couldn''t count on him in this matter. Of course, it wasn''t completely a bad thing for most of the council members and many were actually relieved. Ever since the Chunin Exams started, Fujin''s reputation and prestige in Konoha had skyrocketed. Kakashi, who was extremely popular and looked at as the leader of the next generation, had been left far behind by Fujin in this short time. Fujin''s popularity had even surpassed that of the Sannins and was only under Hiruzen''s. If he started taking more responsibility in the council and increased his influence further, he could very easily start eating into their spheres of influence and perhaps their benefits too. If it had been a few months ago, they wouldn''t feel so threatened. However, with the fearsome prowess Fujin revealed, they now understood that they wouldn''t have an easy time protecting their benefits if Fujin decided to make a move. As such, they didn''t want to see his prestige grow further by undertaking a task of such importance. This was the reason why Homura and Koharu agreed without much resistance despite seeing what Shikaku was trying to do. They intended to use this matter to improve their image further and rebuild their prestige, ensuring their positions wouldn''t be threatened under Tsunade. The group finally dispersed but not before praising Hoka, Konomi and Illumi for leading their divisions successfully and asking them to write and hand the reports to Shikaku. ¡ª¡ª "And then, we went all over the place looking for Granny Tsunade! You wouldn''t believe how much trouble Pervy Sage caused, always stopping at random inns and spending all our money on who knows what! But when we finally found her, she was super stubbo... Huh?" As the parade ended, the village finally returned to work in high spirits. Naruto rushed straight to Ichiraku and enthusiastically shared his recent achievements with Ayame and Teuchi while enjoying his ramen when suddenly, someone appeared behind him. Before he could turn around, he heard, "You sure are in high spirits, Naruto..." Naruto quickly looked behind him and exclaimed, "Fujin! You looked cool earlier today!" @@@@ Without any change in his expression, Fujin nodded and sat next to Naruto while thinking, ''Looks like Hoka did a good job as always. Hmm, maybe I could pawn off some of the council work on him too. Something to consider for the future. That said, I''m more curious how his mission went. Even though Orochimaru might still have some capable subordinates, no one should be able to match Kabuto. Without him pushing Naruto, Naruto shouldn''t have mastered the Rasengan and Tsunade shouldn''t have recovered from her phobia. Or, did things go down the same path as Naruto''s battle against Gaara, somehow forcing the events to stay the same?'' Ayame said, "It''s good to see you again, Fujin. Congrats on the successful campaign." Teuchi smiled and asked, "The usual?" Fujin nodded and said, "Yes. Thank you, I missed this place too. What about you Naruto? When did you return to the village?" As Teuchi prepared and served ramen, Naruto enthusiastically shared most of the details with Fujin. Even though Fujin''s expression stayed the same, he was quite surprised. Fujin sighed and said, "Think sometimes, Naruto. You''re one of the poorest people in the village. The only people poorer than you are the ones in debt and cannot pay it back. Why would I ask you to pay for my food?" Fujin shook his head in disappointment. For a moment, Naruto didn''t know how to feel. On one hand, he was glad that Fujin was only joking and he wouldn''t have to pay a huge price. On the other hand, being reminded of his financial state dulled the joy he felt. Not to mention, he was pranked by Fujin once again. He slumped onto his stool and complained internally, ''He hasn''t changed one bit! Still messing with my head so easily.'' Fujin chuckled and said, "Well, don''t feel too bad. You''ll get a good salary when you become the Hokage. Anyway, the trick is rather simple and it suits someone with a ginormous amount of chakra as you." Naruto''s negative emotions vanished in the blink of an eye as he asked, "What is it?" Fujin answered, "Just use a Shadow Clone to assist in maintaining the shape of the Rasengan. You''ll learn it in no time." Naruto''s eyes widened as he visualized the idea and thought, ''That''s right! With a clone''s help, I won''t have to concentrate that much.'' He immediately exclaimed joyfully, "Thank you, Fujin!" Fujin chuckled and said, "Just train later. Anyway, why were you so down earlier?" Naruto asked in confusion, "What do you mean?" He was met by Fujin''s steady gaze. After looking back for a few seconds, he averted his eyes and said, "I don''t know what you mean. It could be because I hadn''t mastered the Rasengan or due to losing the bet." Fujin took his eyes off Naruto and continued eating. Naruto sighed internally when he heard Fujin''s voice again, "You suck at lying, kiddo. Spit it out..." Fujin paused momentarily but continued seeing that Naruto wasn''t answering, "Or, you''ll experience something that''ll completely make you forget whatever was bothering you." Naruto shivered as he noticed Fujin''s smile. He didn''t doubt Fujin''s words one bit! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Antonio, Dip, TT, Crimson, Book Worm, Mr Falcon, Roman, Lizzerik, E million, Muzika, Bronson and Luis for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 831: You have too much time... Naruto shivered as he noticed Fujin''s smile. He didn''t doubt Fujin''s words one bit! While he knew Fujin wouldn''t harm him directly, he understood that what awaited him would be a training session more hellish than any he endured so far. As he thought of what troubled him and how to say it, Naruto''s energy unusually subdued and he slumped on the table. After a minute of silence, he finally spoke in a low voice, "It''s just... I don''t get it, you know? Sakura-chan... after everything we went through, after all that trouble to bring Granny Tsunade back to the village, she just... ignored me. I mean, I fought my heart out and gave everything I had! And who does she run to first? Sasuke. She hugs him, cries over him like he''s the only one that matters." Naruto stared absentmindedly at the table as he continued, "I know she doesn''t see me like that. I''ve always known. But... I thought after everything, I''d at least get something. A ''thanks,'' maybe. Or at least a smile. But nothing. Not a word, not even a look. Like I wasn''t even there." Ayame paused in her work, glancing at her father, who quietly continued wiping a bowl, both clearly listening but choosing to remain silent. Fujin didn''t say anything either as he continued slurping the noodles. Naruto sighed again and leaned back. "Whatever. It''s not like I helped Sasuke just to get noticed. But... it''d be nice to feel like I mattered even a little." Ayame smiled and said, "Of course you matter, Naruto. It''s just that her mind was occupied by Sasuke because he had been sick for such a long time. I''m sure you felt relief on seeing him get up too, am I correct?" Naruto replied with another long sigh, "You are... But still!" He turned his eyes towards Fujin, who always seemed to have a good solution, and wondered, ''Could Fujin give me some tips to get closer to Sakura and make her forget about Sasuke? Hmm, he might. He seems to know everything. I should have asked him sooner!'' Expectations rose in Naruto''s heart as he waited in anticipation for Fujin''s response. To his surprise, Fujin asked, "You''re done eating, correct?" Naruto nodded as Fujin asked again, "Good, how old are you?" Naruto answered with a confused look, "Twelve." Fujin asked for the third time, "Do you remember what Itachi and his partner said?" @@@@ Naruto''s expression became gloomy as he remembered their threat. He unwillingly nodded. Fujin summarized, "So, if I understand correctly, you, a twelve-year-old kid, are being hunted by two terrifying individuals from a dangerous organization and you''re more worried about being accepted by a girl who rejected you a million times?" Naruto could only whisper softly, "Hey, it wasn''t a million..." Fujin sighed and muttered, "Looks like Jiraiya''s training was very lax. You have too much time to waste on such frivolous activities instead of training..." A hand suddenly clamped on the back of Naruto''s neck. Naruto''s face instantly darkened, a sickly purple hue creeping across it as if all the color had been drained. Fujin said strictly, "Inform Sayaka and the rest that the break is over and to get back to training. I''ll soon overlook your training personally." "Wai... Not again!!!" Naruto screamed as Fujin sent him flying with a flick of his wrist. Several people looked above to see Naruto flying and screaming once again. He flew all the way from the Ichiraku shop to the compounds and landed right in front of Sayaka''s little group. Yuji looked at Naruto and sighed, "Again? What did you do this time for Sensei to send you flying?" Sayaka asked, "More importantly, why did he send you to us?" Fujin smiled and greeted, "Lady Tsunade, it''s great to see you in person finally." Tsunade smirked and asked, "Oh, so you have seen me in other ways?" Fujin chuckled and said, "Nah, other than your Bingo book entry of course. I just heard several stories about you." He suddenly placed his hand on the shoulder of an unsuspecting prisoner and said, "Just now, he was saying a lot of things about you." The prisoner immediately snapped in horror, "Bullshit! I didn''t utter a word!" Tsunade looked at that prisoner meaningfully and said, "Why don''t you come in? We''ll find out what you said and what you didn''t. Fujin, join us." No matter how much he screamed, the remaining prisoners saw him being dragged to ''hell'' by the two ''demons''. Even though the ''gates of hell'' shut close, they could still hear his terrified screams. As the prisoner was laid on the bed and his movements sealed with more seals, Tsunade said, "Shikaku said you have some knowledge about souls. What do you know?" Fujin answered, "It''s hard to say as I don''t have much to reference against. Lord Third was the only one I knew who knew about it, but comparing with him isn''t exactly fair." Tsunade agreed without any hesitation. She believed her knowledge in this area exceeded that of Hiruzen, yet she couldn''t reduce a soul to his state without killing the prisoner. Fujin added, "In addition, my understanding has some gaps. So, I won''t be able to help you much in that regard, though I don''t think you need it. Shikaku-san said that you were struggling to injure a soul to the same extent as Grandpa. Since I learnt the Soul Transformation jutsu, I might be better suited than you to cutting the soul." Fujin''s eyes were focused on the prisoner, so he didn''t notice Tsunade''s pupils dilating. She thought in disbelief, ''He learnt Dan''s jutsu?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Marcus, OwO OwO, Timothy, MSSC, Lotas, Jere, Samuele, Zoro, Ismael, LinC, Jacob, Kaito, Scar, MP, Bronson and OneBullet for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 832: Tsunades Guidance [A/N: Hey guys. Apologies for my absence. Had an eventful Sunday, barely leaving me any time to write. I thought I''d catch up on Monday, unfortunately, I had a couple of crazy busy days to start the week. Didn''t get any time to write yesterday and only got it later today. Anyway, I''m doing well, just kinda tired. (Cough, unfortunately haven''t been isekai''d.) Good news is that the rest of the week shouldn''t be this messy. So, I should be able to write in peace without any more unscheduled breaks (hopefully).] ''He learnt Dan''s jutsu?'' Shock and disbelief appeared on Tsunade''s face as she turned her head towards Fujin. She quickly hid her expressions and regained composure. ''Fortunately'', Fujin was looking at the prisoner and not her. She thought, ''I never expected this. Isn''t he specializing in Wind Release? How did he learn Fuinjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu and Soul-based techniques at the same time? Also, why didn''t anyone inform me?'' Tsunade emotions were complicated. It hadn''t been long since she met Naruto, a boy with the same dream as Dan and Nawaki. And now, she met another talented youth who had learnt Dan''s jutsu. It had been over a decade since she returned to the village. While several old faces remained, she was seeing most for the first time. Yet, a vague sense of familiarity remained through coincidences she never anticipated. She muttered, "I didn''t expect you to have learnt the Spirit Transformation jutsu. Shikaku and Jiraiya didn''t mention it." Fujin replied, "Hmm, I haven''t used it openly yet. So, very few know it and it''s one of my hidden cards. It is a powerful jutsu. It''s a shame that it has such a terrifying weakness..." Fujin sighed. Several unpleasant and pleasant memories resurfaced in Tsunade''s mind upon hearing his words. Fujin continued looking at the prisoner, so as to not make things awkward for Tsunade, while thinking, ''It''s a pity that I''m not supposed to know a lot of stuff, including her relationship with Dan...'' Fujin added, "Anyway, let''s continu... Hmm? Is something the matter, Lady Tsunade?" Fujin finally turned his head towards her and noticed her complicated expression. Tsunade shook her head and answered, "No, I''m just wondering how best to use that jutsu. Did you witness Sensei cutting his soul?" Fujin nodded, "Yes. It was a blade made mostly of Yin chakra. However, he did it in one swing. I guess I misjudged the complexity based on how easily he did it." Tsunade agreed. She had made the same misjudgment after hearing how it happened from Jiraiya. However, the complexity was mind-boggling. Tsunade said, "I''ll first explain more about souls to you so that you have sufficient knowledge." ¡ª¡ª While Tsunade taught Fujin, Naruto and the rest started their training. Without wasting any time, Naruto began practicing the Rasengan with the help of a Shadow Clone. Needless to say, he got it right on his very first try! His display attracted the attention of other kids. Takeshi muttered, "It''s strong!" Sayaka agreed, "If it hits us, we won''t survive." Yuji asked, "What jutsu is that?" Naruto grinned and answered, "It''s the Rasengan. Pervy-sage taught it to me!" Hikari said, "You didn''t say he taught you such a jutsu earlier..." Fujin said, "Anyway, I should learn better by directly studying this soul." Tsunade agreed and began teaching Fujin once again. By directly inspecting the prisoner''s soul, it became quite easier for Fujin to understand the concepts he couldn''t grasp earlier. As Tsunade taught, she observed, ''I can now see why Sensei likes him and has such high hopes for him. He has a similar curiosity towards learning and comprehension ability as Orochimaru. However, he has Minato''s politeness. That said, he also possesses his unique sense of aloofness and indifference, which distinguishes him from Minato''s gentle nature.'' Tsunade had seen how casually Fujin extracted the prisoner''s soul. He didn''t show any signs of hesitation or discomfort. It was not something someone with a gentle nature like Naruto could do. However, knowing that Fujin served in the Anbu for several years and knowing how many he killed in the last month directly or indirectly, Tsunade wasn''t too surprised. Especially, when she considered that their goal was to heal Hiruzen, something that was far more important than the lives of a few death-row prisoners. After Fujin grasped all the details, Fujin muttered, "That''s strange..." Tsunade looked at him as Fujin carefully analyzed Hiruzen''s move based on the knowledge he just gained, ''It looks like several parts of a soul can be sliced without destroying the soul if it is done perfectly. Even the core can be sliced if some parts of it are preserved. So, why did Hiruzen wait for such a large portion of his soul to be absorbed before slicing himself? Wait...'' Fujin suddenly realized, "He waited so long before slicing his soul so that Orochimaru''s arms could be sealed first. Otherwise, he could have substantially reduced the harm to his soul." Tsunade said, "Yes, Jiraiya had the same view. Orochimaru''s improved Edo Tensei jutsu was too big of a threat to let him go unharmed. He could have just kept attacking and eventually, the village would have collapsed. Unfortunately, even after such a sacrifice, his threat still exists." Fujin nodded. While Hiruzen and Tsunade knew Orochimaru more closely, Fujin was the only one who truly knew how difficult it was to kill Orochimaru for good. Though defeating Orochimaru was no longer a challenge for him, he was harder to kill than even Obito. Fujin asked, "So if the God of Death had taken a moment longer to seal Orochimaru''s arms, would it mean he would have missed that opportunity?" Tsunade answered, "I''m not completely sure. My understanding of the soul isn''t complete either. No ninja understands all its mysteries. Perhaps Sensei had a way to survive with an even weaker soul. We can only ask when he wakes up." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Cory, David, Ayoub, Aroachin, Bogdan, Keng Lee, Michael, Nikhil, Cypher, Jd, Loni, Lucky, Sukhman, Marcos, Muzika, Mat and Michal for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 833: Elders Discontent! Fujin wasn''t too surprised by Tsunade''s answer. The soul was extremely mysterious. Fujin was already surprised to learn that Tsunade knew which parts of the soul were responsible for maintaining consciousness. To an extent, Konoha had already learnt about the basic features of a soul, which explained how Hiruzen managed to stay alive. However, there was much they didn''t know about the soul. For instance, the soul was capable of reincarnating. Hagoromo had displayed incredible understanding in this aspect, be it the way his sons reincarnated across generations or how the nine tailed beasts could revive years after being killed. Fujin hoped he could mooch the same from him just like how he was mooching off Tsunade, though he didn''t have much idea about how to find him other than reviving Kaguya, let alone persuade him to guide him. Yet, Fujin believed that even Hagoromo''s knowledge wasn''t complete. As he gained a deeper insight into souls, Fujin had a vague feeling that his understanding and mastery of the soul would play a crucial role at some point in the future. Tsunade looked at the soul and said, "Since you extracted the soul, slicing it will be much easier. Unfortunately, we kept his soul out of his body for too long. He won''t wake up even if we put it back in his body. We can only practice slicing on this one before testing the next prisoner." Fujin agreed. Outside the room, the two guards and the prisoners were puzzled. Previously, Tsunade used to take a new prisoner every few minutes. However, Fujin and Tsunade were inside the room for several hours. The prisoners recalled Fujin''s words and hope reignited in their hearts. They prayed, ''Please... Let them get what they want from him and let me have a normal death. I don''t want to be tortured so inhumanly.'' Unfortunately, their prayers weren''t answered as the door opened up once again and another prisoner was dragged inside. ¡ª¡ª "Sigh, youngsters have no respect for the elderly these days. We just returned from Fire Capital and yet, were made to work all day." Homura sighed tiredly. They had returned the previous night after concluding the negotiations. However, there was still a lot of work left to ensure the terms of the agreement were properly implemented. Since the two elders led the negotiation team, Shikaku dumped most of this work on them. He only overlooked Fujin''s deal. "It''s not a joking matter. I don''t mind doing work, but they''re looking down on us. No matter how we ask Shikaku about the Third Kazekage''s death, he always changes the subject. He doesn''t have any intention of passing the information to us." Koharu said seriously. They could ignore it when it was just Fujin acting aggressively. From their perspective, he was still very young and was unaware of the way politics happened. In addition, Fujin hadn''t been active in politics beyond certain incidents despite being a member of the council. So, he didn''t harm their interests unlike what happened with Danzo. However, Shikaku wasn''t a greenhorn. If he maintained such an attitude, the remaining clan leaders would get a hint and most would soon start treating them similarly. Both understood that they would lose their positions in no time if this continued. Even if they somehow hung on to it, their powers and influence would be severely curtailed, similar to what happened with Danzo. Neither wanted to see their influence erode. Homura muttered, "It has barely been a month since Hiruzen was injured. I didn''t think the next generation would find us an eyesore so quickly." Koharu agreed. Shikaku wouldn''t have acted this way if Hiruzen was still at the helm. Even though they understood that he was a big reason why they held such power and influence in the village despite retiring a long time ago, they were shocked to realize how big of a factor Hiruzen was. Suddenly, both turned their heads as the door opened and an old man walked in with the support of his walking stick. Even though he looked feeble, neither of them considered him weak or helpless. Danzo looked at the expressions of his former teammates and said calmly, "You don''t look well." Fujin agreed. In the corner of the room was a large number of scrolls, each containing the dead body of a prisoner. In the last few hours, Tsunade had made rapid progress due to Fujin''s assistance. They managed to reduce the soul to 33% of its original size while keeping it stable and were just one step away. Fujin was about to bring in another prisoner when Tsunade suddenly said, "Wait. Let''s take a break. It''ll be easier once we are relaxed." Fujin didn''t reject her suggestion. Though he could continue, they had to focus entirely on slicing the souls to avoid making a mistake. Doing so for a few souls was fine, but the two had worked on so many souls that Shikaku and Ibiki were getting worried. They even sent recently captured bandits, who wouldn''t have been given a death sentence normally. So, Fujin and Tsunade were feeling mentally tired. Tsunade sat in a chair and asked, "So, why did someone so good at combat become interested in Medical Ninjutsu and Soul-based techniques?" In the past few hours, Tsunade was completely impressed by Fujin''s dedication and his ability and hunger to learn. Even though she had heard about him from Jiraiya, Shikaku and Isamu, she felt like they were exaggerating due to how much he had accomplished at such a young age. From her experience, it was extremely rare for someone so skilled at combat to take an interest in such boring things. Even if they did, that would generally happen later in their life. There were two reasons for this. Other than being boring, fields like Medical Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu needed a lot of time to master. At a young age, talented ninjas would rather use their time to increase their strength than pursue these fields. They would only focus on these once they reached a major bottleneck and understood that their strength would no longer continue improving at a rapid rate irrespective of how much they trained. However, Fujin''s thought process was quite different from Tsunade''s. With a puzzled expression, he asked, "What do you mean?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You G 21, Pablo, Helios, Jere, Naash, Hugh for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 834: Testing each other With a puzzled expression, Fujin asked, "What do you mean?" Tsunade explained, "Learning these things takes a lot of time... Spirit Transformation jutsu is just a single jutsu, so it''s still understandable. However, Medical Ninjutsu is a very deep field. You need to devote a lot of time to become an acceptable Medical Ninja. It''s the same with Fuinjutsu. Why did you take away the time you could have used to improve your Wind Release or other combat-oriented Ninjutsus further?" Fujin thought, ''Ah, that''s what she was referring to. It''s understandable. I don''t think anyone else learned Fuinjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu like I did.'' Fujin remembered the days when he used to feel like he needed 72 hours in a day. He had used Shadow Clones extensively for years to learn Fuinjutsu. As for Medical Ninjutsu, he made nearly every senior Medical ninja working in the Konoha Hospital devote several weeks to guide him. It had been so extreme that even Hiruzen had become worried. Tsunade, who had just returned to Konoha, was obviously unaware of such information. Fujin smiled and took a seat as well. He said, "I never thought from this perspective. I always found Fuinjutsu interesting. I used to read and practice it whenever I was out of chakra after my training sessions. It didn''t eat into my training time apart from some instances. As for Medical Ninjutsu, my team once fell into a trap and we were almost wiped out. Only I managed to escape while carrying my injured team leader. It took me several hours to bring him to the Land of Fire and find a patrol camp where he could be healed properly. That motivated me to learn a few basic healing jutsus like the Mystical Palm jutsu. Other than providing immediate treatment to any injured teammate, the jutsu also has a huge potential to change the tides of a battle. I''m sure no one knows more than you how much of an upper hand you will have in a battle if you can heal yourself while your enemy can''t." Tsunade nodded. It could turn a close battle into an easy victory if the ninja had sufficient chakra left. Fujin continued, "That said, you''re correct. I didn''t focus on other aspects of medical ninjutsu back then even though Yoshi-sensei pestered me continuously due to the limited time. I only accepted his offer after I reached a bottleneck in my Wind Release." Tsunade''s eyes twitched. She thought, ''So, instead of resting after exhausting his chakra from Ninjutsu training, he learnt Fuinjutsu while waiting for his body to regenerate chakra to train again? And, he hit a bottleneck in Wind Release in his early teens? Did he do nothing except train?'' Tsunade felt like she got a small insight into the reason behind Fujin''s phenomenal capabilities. She thought, ''I guess he has also been abusing Multi Shadow Clone jutsu to learn faster. Only that can explain his expertise in so many time-consuming areas. No wonder Sensei held him in high regard. Over the years, I have seen several geniuses, but he might be the most hardworking of them all. Even Orochimaru, despite his obsession with Ninjutsu, wasn''t this capable at such a young age. And, seeing how dedicated he has been today, he still hasn''t stopped training.'' A smile appeared on her face as she wondered, ''How long would he keep this up?'' While children had a greater drive to train, their motivation would decrease as they grew older due to the repetitive nature and diminishing gains. Once they received responsibilities, the time they could devote to training would also reduce drastically. Tsunade herself had barely trained in the last couple of decades. Similar was the case with most rank S ninjas. Cases like Guy and Orochimaru, who continuously trained or experimented to strengthen themselves, were very rare. Fujin continued, "Then again, I never thought of Fuinjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu as non-combat-based abilities. Both are more than handy in combat and complement my skills perfectly. Not to mention, the benefits don''t end there..." His answer intrigued her once again. She asked, "What other benefits?" Fujin answered, "When I was young and weak, I heard stories and rumors of how strong the top ninjas were. Back then, it seemed impossible ever to reach such a level. I couldn''t even imagine how some of those things were possible with a normal human body. However, as I trained, my body somehow slowly strengthened itself to a level where I could compete with such ninjas. Since the change was gradual, I didn''t notice it until I reached this stage, nor did I understand how my body went through such a change. Even though it has been a while since I reached this level, I am still amazed at times at how much my body has improved. While Fujin and Tsunade continued talking, the three elders were sitting in silence, contemplating how they should approach the future. Suddenly, Danzo asked, "You said Fujin is currently working with Tsunade, correct?" Homura nodded. Danzo asked, "Don''t you two find it strange?" His question surprised Homura and Koharu. Fujin was working with Tsunade to help heal Hiruzen. Neither could see anything strange about it. Koharu asked, "What do you mean?" Danzo explained, "He has been at odds against the three of us from the very start for seemingly no reason. Yet, he is cooperating with Tsunade without any such ill will. From what I heard, he also cooperated with Jiraiya easily. So, it isn''t something as naive as hating old people or people with authority. So, why is it that he always stood against us?" His words forced Homura and Koharu to think. A few moments later, Koharu muttered, "You''re correct. I too wondered several times why he is so opposed to us. However, I could never come up with a definite answer. Even though there were a few smaller flashpoints, there weren''t enough to make him act this way. Not to mention, he acted like this even before those incidents." Homura said, "I''ve always been under the assumption that you did something to set him off, Danzo. Do you want to say that you never did anything to antagonize him other than deploying spies around his house?" [A/N: Quite a few dialogues in the last few chapters. It used to be one of my weak points and I still think there''s plenty of room for improvement, but let me know if it''s fine. There will still be some discussion between the elders, but Fujin and Tsunade will move onto their task quickly here onwards.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Lurdhu, Loni, Nick, Jere, JTSSE, Coleman, Blood Prince and ????? ??? for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 835: Fujins Strangeness... Homura and Koharu stared at their former teammate. While they always supported him, they fully knew of his nature. Neither would believe him if he said that he never did anything to antagonize Fujin given Danzo''s track record. Danzo muttered, "I wouldn''t say I did nothing at all. However, nothing I did should antagonize him to this extent against me, let alone transfer it to you two." Koharu directly asked, "What did you do?" Danzo answered, "When he started gaining fame in the Anbu, I had some of my ninjas keep an eye on him. However, nothing came of it. He took a lot of care to ensure he couldn''t be spied on. You should know how many seals his house and the training ground opposite it has." Homura and Koharu nodded. Everyone in Konoha who understood and could sense or see seals knew what monstrosity Fujin''s house was. It had been subject to a lot of speculation and Koharu had even tried using it to attack Fujin''s reputation once but was shut down by Hiruzen so quickly that Fujin never learnt of it. After that, none of the others in charge raised this matter officially. Even if something suspicious was happening, they knew Hiruzen was onboard. So, it wasn''t their concern. Danzo continued, "In addition to seals, he was very sensitive to any spying attempts. Hence, my spies had to retreat without finding anything. They weren''t spotted by Fujin..." Homura asked, "Are you certain they weren''t spotted? Seeing how suddenly he revealed his strength, he must have been hiding it for quite some time." Danzo answered, "My ninjas would have known if they were spotted. Even if I assume they weren''t, linking them to me should be near impossible. They never act carelessly." Homura and Koharu didn''t doubt the capabilities of the Root ninjas to carry out covert operations, but Fujin had given them surprise way too many times. Koharu said, "However, if they were, it would explain why he felt hostility towards you. But..." Danzo cut her off and said, "No, it doesn''t. I still remember my first meeting with him vividly. Though he hid it very well, I could feel that he was on edge. I didn''t understand it very well back then because we weren''t supposed to have a history. Looking back at it, it is obvious that he was ready to kill me if I made any suspicious move. Simply being spied upon shouldn''t result in such hostility. It was almost as if he had some deep enmity with me. Not to mention, none of this should tie to how he sees the two of you. Even though the two of you defended me, it shouldn''t have led to him treating you with hostility." Koharu nodded. Homura thought for a moment and said, "He isn''t exactly hostile towards us. While it''s true that he certainly doesn''t trust us, he hasn''t gone out of his way to target us. Any clashes we had were merely differences of opinion on crucial matters. In a way, it is similar to how you and Hiruzen frequently had opposing views." Unlike the other two, Homura has a decent relationship with Fujin, mostly built during the times the two went together on diplomatic missions. Danzo frowned upon realizing, ''Strange... His relationship with all four of us is different. He is extremely close with Hiruzen while being completely at odds against me. His relationship with Homura is cordial while he is confrontational with Koharu. Is it just a coincidence or did he purposefully do this? Was it an attempt to divide us?'' Danzo''s hunch was quite close to the mark. Fujin was close to Hiruzen because he needed his help to get stronger while he was hostile to Danzo due to the threat he posed. As for the two elders, he didn''t care much. Unlike his proactiveness with Hiruzen and Danzo, he was more reactive with Homura and Koharu. Since they decided to oppose him during his standoff with Danzo, Fujin initially planned to hammer both of them down. However, Hiruzen slowly but steadily gave responsibilities to Fujin. Fujin understood that he needed someone whom he could dump the responsibilities on. Since Homura had been the cordial one and Koharu had been the aggressive one, he maintained a cordial relationship with Homura while confronting Koharu whenever the opportunity presented itself. So, Danzo''s hunch of Fujin doing so purposefully was on point. However, he didn''t particularly have any intentions of dividing them and pitching them against each other. Fujin knew very well that the four old ninjas were too smart and cunning to see through any such attempts. Even though he ended up forcing Hiruzen to suppress Danzo, that was more due to Danzo''s actions and Hiruzen''s disappointment in them than Fujin''s scheme. Koharu said, "Even if his relationship is more cordial with you, it still doesn''t answer several of our questions. Since you showed up here, I assume you have already thought of the answer. Am I right, Danzo?" Danzo shook his head and answered, "Unfortunately, I don''t have anything concrete. If something is wrong with him, he has done a very good job hiding it. However, I noticed something peculiar about him." Homura and Koharu listened curiously as Danzo listed a string of Fujin''s actions. They included the care Fujin took to ensure he wasn''t spied on, the fact that he hid his strength for so long, his hidden battle with Katsuhiro, the two Root ninjas who went missing while chasing him, Fujin''s sudden interest in Naruto along with other activities that Danzo found suspicious. Initially, Homura and Koharu didn''t feel much as not one of those actions alarmed them. However, as Danzo continued speaking, both Homura and Koharu became serious. Koharu muttered grimly, "Individually, not a single one of these events can raise a question about Fujin. They merely feel odd. However, there are too many such oddities. If we consider all of them... Something is horribly wrong about Fujin!" Homura thought longer before adding, "Actually, even with all this together, it doesn''t prove anything. These are merely suspicions. However, I understand you finally..." Just like Koharu and Danzo, Homura had a bad feeling. Though they didn''t have any proof, they instinctively felt something was off. As veteran ninjas and politicians, they trusted their instincts completely. Danzo continued, "There''s more. He had been out of the village for some time and only returned on the day he met Katsuhiro for the first time. On that very night, my Root bases were attacked for the first time. So, I had ample reason to be suspicious about him, though I didn''t understand how he could possibly link Katsuhiro to me. A few days later, my headquarters was attacked by a massive Lightning jutsu. Though we didn''t know who it was, Hiruzen now believes that it was Akuro, the ninja who attacked Kumogakure recently. Weirdly enough, Akuro appeared in Kumogakure at the same time Fujin was in the Land of Lightning. I can consider Akuro attacking me when I was scheming against Fujin a coincidence. However, his attacking Kumogakure at the same time Fujin was eliminating their ninjas is just too convenient to be a coincidence. I feel like the two are connected somehow and possibly have a cooperative relationship. Unfortunately, this is merely a hunch too and Hiruzen never listened to me." Both Homura and Koharu were shocked. Koharu thought, ''As shocking as Fujin''s achievements are, Akuro has been far more outrageous. If these two are working together, then...'' Koharu felt fear. Fujin''s words, threatening to kill her, echoed in her ears. She believed Fujin would never dare to attack her despite their differences unless he intended to go rogue like Orochimaru. However, if Akuro could do his dirty work for him, then it was an entirely different matter. Koharu knew she wouldn''t stand a chance. Worse, she understood that both her killers would go scot-free. Without any proof, no one would point fingers at Fujin. And, Akuro''s displays so far showed that no one could stop him from escaping or track him later. ¡ª¡ª "Finally!" Fujin and Tsunade exclaimed in relief. The last step took a lot longer than they expected, but they finally managed to inflict similar injuries on a soul as Hiruzen had. Tsunade said, "Good work, Fujin. Now, put the soul back in the body. Souls have to be healed while they''re inside the body to avoid complications." Fujin nodded and followed her instructions. He slowly lowered the soul and used his Yin chakra to manipulate it and push it back into the prisoner''s body. However, just as he was about to do so, the soul crumbled and began dissipating. ''...'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Wahed, Gaming Experience, Quentin, Sully, Mc, Josh, Pietro, Jack07, Pierre, Abz and Murc for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 836: Staring impolitely for three hours... Chapter 836: Staring impolitely for three hours... Tsunade wore a deadpan expression while Fujin awkwardly looked at the dissipating soul and thought, ''Jeez, that''s embarrassing. I didn''t think it''d be so brittle...'' He sighed, "The soul was too weak. I didn''t expect it to crumble from such a gentle nudge..." Not wanting to embarrass Fujin, Tsunade said, "It''s alright. We still have enough prisoners." Fujin nodded. Another prisoner was unwillingly dragged into the gates of hell and had his soul extracted and sliced by two of Konoha''s top ninjas. This time, Fujin was extremely careful. Instead of using his Yin chakra directly, Fujin created chakra threads of Yin chakra to manipulate the injured soul and pushed it back into the prisoner''s body. Tsunade was surprised. She thought, ''These are chakra threads from Suna''s puppeteering techniques. That''s another technique that needs a lot of time and excellent chakra control... How much did he abuse the Multi Shadow Clone technique? And, why didn''t anyone stop him? It isn''t safe to use that jutsu without any constraint.'' Before Tsunade could ask Fujin about it, the prisoner woke up for a moment. In that instant, he felt pain like never before. He lost consciousness even before he could open his mouth to scream. Even though he gained consciousness for only a fraction of a second, Fujin and Tsunade noticed it. Complicated expressions appeared on their faces. Fujin thought, ''He smiled while feeling such pain? Sigh...'' Even though Fujin and Hiruzen had a very close relationship on the surface, Fujin didn''t entirely trust him. He didn''t agree with several of his policies and some of his past actions among other things. However, as a ninja, Fujin had no choice but to pay the highest respect to Hiruzen. Tsunade said, "You''ve done a good job, Fujin. Leave the rest to me." She took a couple of steps and stood next to the unconscious prisoner. Extending her palm towards him, she thought, ''I can''t treat him as a test subject. I have to assume that I''m treating Sensei. There is no scope for being complacent.'' She immediately pushed herself into a state of absolute focus, her mind shutting out everything but the task at hand. A moment later, she began healing him. Fujin''s eyes glowed as he concentrated chakra in them and thought, ''Healing souls that are harmed to this extent... Even Orochimaru can''t do it. I doubt any other ninja can do this either. If I have to improve my understanding of souls, I need to know how to heal them.'' Just like Tsunade, Fujin entered his highest state of concentration. Though he didn''t have Sharingan in his eyes, it didn''t matter. Tsunade''s technique was so advanced that seeing it with a Sharingan was pointless. The only way to learn it was to have incredible healing capabilities and a deep understanding of Yin manipulation, Yang manipulation, the human body and the soul. Luckily, Fujin was one of the very few individuals who barely qualified across all aspects. ¡ª¡ª Danzo glanced at his former teammates, who had gone silent and were wrecking their brains to calculate the implications of Fujin and Akuro working together and what they should or should not do. It went beyond just their interests or safety. If Fujin could make Akuro target Konoha ninjas to resolve his issues, he would be a major threat to the village. Of course, it was a big ''if''. They had no proof apart from Danzo''s hunch and there was extremely limited information on Akuro to calculate and analyze properly. Not to mention, Hiruzen still showed a lot of trust in Fujin, which was another factor that played against Danzo''s speculation. Danzo said, "If my speculation is true, then Fujin is a big threat to our village. We need to..." Koharu interrupted him, "Don''t even think of doing what you did with Shisui with Fujin. The fact that Hiruzen hasn''t shared any details about Fujin with us must have to do with your independent actions against him. He doesn''t want Konoha to lose another promising ninja due to your misconceptions." Danzo frowned and said, "Shisui''s ability was a threat..." He was interrupted again, this time by Homura, who said, "Perhaps it was. But Fujin''s situation is different. He doesn''t have the ability to control us or the Hokage. And, unlike Shisui, he''s already the village''s hero. If you take action against him without any proof, we won''t be able to handle the backlash. The Clan Leaders have seen us as an eyesore for long, they won''t give up this opportunity. You may be tried for treason while we''ll lose our seats. Besides, Hiruzen may be soft, but he isn''t foolish. Nor will he make the same mistake he did with Orochimaru. His trust in Fujin is more reliable than your speculation. We should wait until Hiruzen regains consciousness and discuss this matter with him. He is the best person to make a judgement." Danzo''s frown deepened. He realized, ''These two have no intention of supporting me... At least not until I can get some proof. However...'' Danzo was in a difficult spot as well. His forces were extremely limited. He couldn''t find anything on Fujin even when the Root hadn''t been restricted and had all their members. Doing so now was impossible. The only way was to plant evidence, something Danzo excelled in. Unfortunately, that wasn''t easy either. The Anbu watched the Root Headquarters at all times, just like they watched the Uchiha clan earlier. They documented all the visitors and when the Root ninjas left and returned. Hiruzen ensured that there weren''t any blind spots, and Shikaku maintained the surveillance in Hiruzen''s absence. So, planting evidence was very difficult as well since the attention could be diverted to him and the Root. Not to mention, he didn''t have enough information about Fujin and what he had done as compared to Hiruzen and Shikaku, which introduced another element of risk. That was why Danzo needed the assistance of his two former teammates. Unfortunately, despite their differences, they weren''t convinced enough to make a move against Fujin. Seeing the futility of continuing to talk, Danzo got up and said, "He may not have an ability like Shisui, but his partnership with Akuro is an equally great threat. Though he cannot control Konoha''s leadership, he can eliminate it entirely with Akuro''s help. Don''t let your guard down just because he hasn''t directly harmed you yet." Danzo''s words lingered in the air as he walked out of the room. Though Danzo''s words were grave and Homura and Koharu didn''t take them lightly, they didn''t take them completely seriously either. As the door closed, Homura sighed, "Danzo... He hasn''t changed a bit. Instead, his paranoia has increased further. He has also become impatient." Koharu agreed, "His words would hold a lot more weight if Akuro had killed any of our important ninjas. However, other than the attack on Root, he hasn''t interfered with our village. Even in Kumogakure, he didn''t kill anyone in a leadership position. It is too soon to say what sort of relationship he has with Fujin, assuming there''s one in the first place." Homura nodded and added, "True. However, we need to be careful. With Fujin''s tendency to hide his strength and his shrewd mind, it might be too late if we don''t keep this in mind, especially if we plan on making him the next Hokage. We have to discuss it with Hiruzen as soon as he wakes up. Though I don''t think he''ll betray Konoha, the bad feeling I had earlier was too intense. Irrespective of what it is, something about Fujin is off. I just hope it won''t be bad for the village." ¡ª¡ª For nearly three hours, Tsunade worked continuously to heal the prisoner''s soul. For the entire duration, Fujin focused entirely on observing how she healed the soul. Finally, Tsunade stopped radiating her chakra into the prisoner''s body and let out a shaky breath. Her shoulders sagged as she straightened up, the strain of the prolonged effort evident in the slight tremor of her hands. Sweat clung to her brow, and her eyes were dulled with exhaustion. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and turned her gaze towards Fujin. Squinting her eyes, she asked, "Didn''t find anything else to look at?" Needless to say, Fujin''s actions were considered impolite. Most ninjas didn''t like it when someone else observed their techniques so carefully with the intention of copying them. It was a different thing if it was an old man secretly peeping through a crystal ball, but others weren''t usually provided the same courtesy. This was another reason why other ninjas didn''t like the ninjas from the Uchiha clan. Fujin''s eyes stopped glowing. He shrugged and replied, "What else could I look at? The only other option was looking at you." Tsunade raised an eyebrow and said, "You say as if it''s an unpleasant thing." Without missing a beat, Fujin raised an eyebrow and replied, "Of course not. However, doing that for three hours would have been beyond impolite, don''t you think so?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Kelevra, Shreyan, Jonas, Julian, Disa, Kian and Geisterlos for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 837: The 3 Qualities of the Sannin! Chapter 837: The 3 Qualities of the Sannin! Tsunade''s eyes twitched as she thought, ''Is he turning this on me? Sigh, Sensei''s shamelessness has rubbed on him too...'' Even though Fujin''s actions were impolite, Tsunade wasn''t offended. She was just teasing him but didn''t expect Fujin to respond without a shred of shame or embarrassment. She sighed and asked, "Did you learn anything from observing me?" A helpless smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he answered, "Yes. Healing souls is extremely difficult and complicated. To think I wouldn''t have a clue after observing you so carefully for nearly three hours." Even though Fujin looked at her technique for so long, he still had no idea how to manipulate his chakra as she did to heal souls. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. Even though Fujin was good at healing, Yin Release and Yang Release, Tsunade was at a whole different level. Fujin sighed internally, ''I should have expected this. Had it been easy, Orochimaru would have known it too. After all, he had been her teammate for decades and his mastery of Yin and Yang Release is greater than mine. Though I don''t recall him healing others, he has a jutsu that eliminates all his physical injuries. So, even in healing, he might be better than me. Yet, he couldn''t do anything about losing just his arms.'' Fujin''s gaze fell on the unconscious prisoner, and he recalled, ''Unlike healing the physical body, healing the Soul needs a lot of Yin chakra while the Yang chakra is negligible. However, the way she manipulated Yin chakra... It''s almost like the difference between a normal Jounin using Wind Release and me using it...'' Tsunade chuckled at Fujin''s expression. She said, "Learn to walk before you run. Healing flesh is merely a small part of Medical Ninjutsu. Even though you''re good at it, you''ve barely scratched the surface yet." To Tsunade''s surprise, Fujin nodded and accepted, "I''m aware. Apart from poisons and healing physical injuries, I''m no different from an ordinary Medical Ninja. Actually, I might be even worse off than them due to lack of practice." Tsunade thought, ''Not bad. He hasn''t let his success get to his head. At the very least, he''s aware of his strengths and shortcomings and isn''t afraid to accept them.'' Fujin added, "That said, this has intrigued me quite a bit. You haven''t completely healed his soul, have you? Though it feels slightly more stable, it is still very weak. In fact, it hasn''t even reached the previous step when we were slicing his soul." Tsunade nodded, "Yes. Healing this soul entirely is impossible, even for me. I''m trying to retrace our steps and rebuild the soul step-by-step. According to my calculations, I can heal the soul by retracing a couple of steps, bringing it to around two-fifths of the entire soul. Any more, and the soul will feel strain and could collapse just like the previous one did. The body and the soul will have to realign with each other once again. Once they''re in sync, I could try to heal Sensei again. Unfortunately, that''ll take around a couple of years to happen. Any subsequent healing will take an even longer time." Tsunade sighed and continued, "That''s a worry for later. Right now, simply retracing a couple of steps is very difficult too. I''ll need three sessions for every step." Tsunade stretched and muttered, "It''s getting quite late, and we have been working the entire day. I''ll continue tomorrow..." Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Would it be fine to leave his soul like this?" Tsunade nodded, "Yes. The only problem is the amount of pain he''ll experience. However, that isn''t an issue since he''s unconscious. While healing Sensei, I''ll monitor him myself. As for him, I''ll have other medical ninjas keep an eye throughout the night." She looked into Fujin''s eyes and said, "Since I''ll only be healing him tomorrow, I won''t need your help. Do you still want to come?" Without any hesitation, Fujin nodded and answered, "Yes. Though it won''t be used commonly, this seems quite a useful technique, especially if I mess up while using the Spirit Transformation jutsu. I''d like to learn it. That said..." Fujin paused for a moment before continuing, "I''m not sure if I can learn it just by observing you. So, I was hoping you could guide me." Tsunade chuckled, "Of course, you won''t. Alright, I''ll give you some tips between the sessions. However, don''t get your hopes too high. Even Sensei had failed to grasp it while Orochimaru barely managed to grab some rudimentary healing technique. That is why he couldn''t do anything about his soul. Even though your control over Yin Release is impressive for your age, you still have a long way to go." Fujin smiled and said, "Thank you." The two finally split up. Tsunade arranged for a couple of medical ninjas to keep an eye on the unconscious prisoner while thinking, ''I can see now why Sensei took such a keen interest in him. He is talented like Orochimaru, diligent like me and shameless like Jiraiya. Those are three of our best qualities. Though, knowing Sensei, I''m sure it''s his shamelessness that intrigued him." Tsunade chuckled as she wondered what the initial interactions between Hiruzen and Fujin were like. Meanwhile, Fujin returned to his house and thought, ''Not bad, her nature is consistent with what I remember. Getting her help shouldn''t be difficult, assuming I don''t bother her when she''s pissed. As long as Naruto and Jiraiya aren''t around her and she isn''t buried under paperwork, that shouldn''t be an issue. The only techniques I''d struggle to get from her are the forbidden techniques and that seal on her forehead. Luckily, with my Tetragram Seal, I don''t need her Byakugou Seal. In terms of storing chakra, my seal is better. Though I lose out in terms of healing, that isn''t an issue either. As for the forbidden techniques...'' A sly smile appeared on Fujin''s face. While Tsunade would become the next Hokage, Hiruzen was still alive. There was no doubt which one had a greater knowledge of forbidden techniques. Fujin had no reason to bother Tsunade with this matter, especially when Hiruzen would no longer have the duties of the Hokage and the two had such ''good'' relations. Luckily, Hiruzen couldn''t hear Fujin''s thoughts, or he may not want to wake up any time soon. ¡ª¡ª The next day, Fujin and Tsunade began working again. Tsunade healed the soul for another three hours before taking a break and guiding Fujin. At the same time, Naruto and Sasuke finally clashed on the rooftop of the hospital, until Kakashi stepped in and put an end to it. Jiraiya observed the clash as well and thought, ''He used a Shadow Clone to complete the Rasengan? Hmm, not bad. Though it''s rather inefficient, he isn''t lacking in chakra. That said, I didn''t expect him to throw it at a friend... Is something up between these two?'' Kakashi lectured Sasuke, who ignored it, instead paying attention to the small hole Naruto made in the water tank and smirked. He jumped off the building and was shocked to see the other side of the water tank, which further fueled his insecurities. Kakashi muttered, "Was it you who taught him that technique? Naruto is too young to handle it. He could have killed Sasuke. Even against Akatsuki..." Jiraiya immediately called out Kakashi''s hypocrisy, "Look who''s talking..." While Kakashi explained the dynamics between his two students to Jiraiya, Sasuke left towards the new clan compounds of the Uchiha clan, still distraught about how much stronger Naruto''s jutsu was. Unlike the original story, the Sound Four were already dead and Orochimaru didn''t dare to send his remaining subordinates to fetch Sasuke. So, after Kakashi had a talk with his student and tried to help Sasuke see what was more important, no one attacked him and manipulated him further. As a result, Kakashi''s little lecture was slightly more effective. Sasuke gathered his thoughts before returning to his compounds. As soon as he did, several curious eyes landed on him. Moments later, several small figures rushed towards Sasuke. "Sasuke! Are you alright?" "We were worried for you!" "What happened? Why were you admitted for so long?" "Was it that snake again?" The small figures were the orphan Uchiha kids, who were spared during the massacre. Though none of them were a ninja yet, nearly everyone had joined the academy. Since he wanted to rebuild the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen had paid special attention to them, ensuring that they received the best possible guidance. Of course, even more attention was paid to engraining the Will of Fire into them, to ensure that the new Uchiha clan never followed in the footsteps of the old one. Since Sasuke was the oldest and also the top student of his batch, he was the role model for all of them. Everyone wanted to follow his example. That is why the young kids were distraught when Sasuke was admitted for so long. Sasuke smiled and reassured them, "Don''t worry. I''m fine. Are you training properly?" The young kids enthusiastically updated Sasuke on their progress. Their words distracted his mind from the turmoil he had been experiencing. Of course, that wouldn''t be for long as all their parents and older siblings had been killed by his brother, something he could never forget. However, before those thoughts could appear in his mind, an 8-year-old boy mischievously giggled and said, "Sasuke, you don''t need to worry about the snake. I doubt he''d ever bother you again." Sasuke was puzzled. He asked, "What do you mean?" The boy continued giggling as he explained, "You didn''t hear because it happened while you were asleep. Fujin wiped out Otogakure and Orochimaru scurried away like a rat without daring to face him. Everyone in the village was talking about it for weeks." Sasuke''s pupils dilated and his eyes widened. He was caught so off guard by the news that he couldn''t hide the shock on his face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You QanonMinority, Emlio, Jacob, Kishore, Nathaniel and Kingwarrior for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 838: Sasukes Choice Chapter 838: Sasuke''s Choice In his house, Sasuke sat alone in complete silence, his mind occupied by what he had just learnt. He couldn''t believe what the young Uchiha kids said and even confirmed the same with one of the Anbu ninjas watching over the compound. His shock increased even further. After a few minutes, Sasuke finally gathered himself and thought, ''Orochimaru offered me the power to take revenge on Itachi. However, if he ran away without daring to face Fujin, can I trust his words?'' The answer was clear. Even though Orochimaru had failed to kill Hiruzen, his performance was still very impressive considering he was in the enemy territory. Though the impression he left on Sasuke was lesser than in the original story, it was still very high. The curse seal also subtly influenced him. However, that impression had now shattered. Orochimaru had failed to protect his village. There was no excuse that Sasuke could accept this time. Fujin had led an army and expelled Orochimaru from the Land of Rice. The fact that Orochimaru didn''t even dare to face him made Sasuke lose all respect for his strength. He muttered, "How could someone who ran away from Fujin make me strong enough to kill Itachi? I doubt he can even kill Itachi himself, let alone give me the power to do so. That said, is Fujin stronger than Itachi?" Sasuke immediately recalled that Naruto was guided by Fujin. His wind jutsus had come from Fujin. While he would never say it openly, Sasuke knew that Naruto''s Wind jutsus were formidable. Even though they didn''t compare to his summoning jutsu, the supercharged Wind jutsus were extremely problematic for normal ninjas. Sasuke knew he wouldn''t fare any better than Gaara against hundreds of Shadow Clones spamming supercharged Infinite Breakthrough jutsu. Unlike the original story, where Naruto was considerably weaker than Sasuke until Jiraiya taught him how to harness Kurama''s chakra and the Summoning jutsu, the two were more evenly matched due to Fujin''s interference. Sasuke had seen how Naruto''s strength had grown steadily since the last year in their academy. His strength grew even faster once they graduated as Fujin taught Naruto stronger Wind jutsus and the Body Flicker jutsu. That was also when Sasuke learnt of Fujin''s existence, though he hadn''t paid any attention to him until Fujin forced Orochimaru to retreat in the Forest of Death. Sasuke couldn''t help but wonder, ''The reason why Naruto, who was at the bottom of the class, suddenly improved should be due to Fujin. However, why did Fujin suddenly take an interest in Naruto and begin training him? Would he also be open to training me?'' Unknowingly, Sasuke had been completely influenced by Itachi. Unlike his other two students, Kakashi hadn''t done a bad job with Sasuke. Other than Naruto, who also received guidance from Fujin and Jiraiya, Sasuke was the one who improved the most among his classmates. The rest couldn''t even compare. Yet, after meeting and losing that badly to Itachi, Kakashi''s image had taken a heavy fall in Sasuke''s eyes. At the very least, he didn''t trust Kakashi''s capabilities to make him strong enough to get revenge. Not to mention, Kakashi had lost to Itachi as well just like he was. Since Orochimaru was no longer reliable, Sasuke subconsciously thought of the next option. He thought, ''Naruto lives in the same compound as him. I may be able to meet him there.'' Since he had nothing else to do, he quickly left towards Fujin''s compound. He was about to reach when he suddenly saw Naruto and hid. He observed, ''He''s hanging with those kids again. If I recall correctly, he had said that they are Fujin''s official students.'' Naruto had returned to continue his training after talking with Sakura for a bit. Monkey, who oversaw their training in Fujin''s absence, turned his head and noticed, ''Hmm, Uchiha Sasuke? Why is he here? Also, why is he hiding?'' Sasuke observed the 5 Kiri orphans and thought, ''Weird, why are they of different ages? And, why haven''t they been enrolled in the academy and instead get trained directly by Fujin?'' He thought for a bit but couldn''t understand. However, it didn''t matter to him. Instead, he wondered how strong they were. Sasuke thought, ''This is a good chance to see how strong his students are. I can decide whether to approach him or not based o... Huh???'' Sasuke''s eyes popped open as he saw one of the most absurd things! Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan, but the shock didn''t subside. He wondered in shock, ''What in the hell? How did they disappear out of thin air? It isn''t Genjutsu unless someone like Itachi casts it. No, even then I could sense that it was a Genjutsu. What the hell happened?'' As Naruto and the rest walked into the training ground, they completely vanished from Sasuke''s sight. He had never seen anything like that. He calmed himself and quickly analyzed, ''They disappeared right when they stepped into the training ground. Something is fishy about it...'' After contemplating for a bit, Sasuke walked towards the training ground to figure out what was happening. Before he could set foot in it, he suddenly heard, "Looking for something, Uchiha Sasuke?" Startled, Sasuke immediately raised his guard and turned around. To his relief, it was just an Anbu ninja wearing a monkey mask. Sasuke replied, "I saw Naruto and a few others disappearing while going inside the training ground." Monkey replied, "Hmm, this is the personal training ground of Suzuki Fujin. He doesn''t like to be spied upon while training. No one can see what is happening in the training ground from outside." Sasuke thought in surprise, ''This is his work too?'' He quickly asked, "How?" Monkey answered, "Seals. I''m sure you''ve studied about Fuinjutsu in the academy." Sasuke thought, ''Seals? Yeah, we studied about Fuinjutsu. But I never heard about seals being able to do something like this.'' Seeing Sasuke silent, Monkey asked, "Are you here to meet Naruto?" Sasuke answered, "No, I want to meet Fujin." Monkey replied, "He isn''t at home currently." Sasuke immediately asked, "When will he be back?" Monkey thought for a moment and answered, "I can''t say for sure. He returned quite late yesterday. If you want to meet him, you should come early in the morning. If you''re lucky, you may run into him." Sasuke thanked him and left. As he walked back, he thought, ''Do all strong ninjas have a veil of mystery around them? With Orochimaru, it was his weird body, the snakes and this curse seal. Fujin''s Fuinjutsu is unlike I have ever seen before. And, there''s that bloodbath.'' The sight of blood raining down on the arena was still fresh in Sasuke''s mind. It was horrifying, disgusting and nauseating. He thought, ''I never guessed someone like him could cut down ninjas like grass. Perhaps he could help me get revenge...'' Naruto continued training, unaware that Sasuke tried to meet Fujin. As for Fujin, he spent the entire day again with Tsunade, observing her healing process and receiving her guidance. While he made no progress in learning how to heal souls, his knowledge of the Yin and Yang chakra deepened. ¡ª¡ª Fujin yawned lazily as he woke up. Stretching his body, he thought, ''Things will be boring for some time... Tsunade''s experiments will run for 8-10 days more before she starts treating Hiruzen. Nothing else interesting is about to happen...'' Fujin sighed. For the last couple of months, he had been involved in a lot of interesting events, starting from his battle against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and ending with the peace talks with Sunagakure. It had been quite a change in pace from his usual training routine. Returning to the monotony of training felt like stepping into a shadow after basking in the sunlight. Fujin sighed again before starting to freshen up. He thought, ''Oh well, my continuous training sessions are the reason I could go undefeated during this chaotic period. I can''t let my guard down so quickly. There are still enemies who are far stronger than what I faced. And, I can''t even think of the Otsutsuki clan yet. I''ll have to endure several more years of such training. Besides, there should be some smaller incidents. The payment from Sunagakure should arrive soon. I can have some fun with it. Also, Orochimaru is supposed to take Sasuke, though I wonder how he''ll do it. Most of his capable subordinates are dead. Surprisingly, Kimimaro also died against Darui and others. That said, I won''t be surprised if he still has a few capable subordinates left. I only eliminated his bases in the Land of Grass. He should still have a few bases in other countries. However, even if the Sound Four were alive and healthy, he wouldn''t dare to send them here. The Anbu in the Uchiha compound would have killed them. Even if they somehow captured Sasuke outside the Uchiha compound, there is no way they could escape the Land of Fire. Then again, this shouldn''t be enough to deter Orochimaru. I wonder what he''ll do now...'' While Fujin freshened up, Naruto saw Sasuke waiting outside the compound. He immediately recalled their battle the previous day and asked, "Sasuke? Why are you here?" Sasuke plainly replied, "I have some work." Naruto was surprised. He asked, "What work?" Sasuke replied, "None of your business." Annoyed, Naruto snorted, "Hmph, you must be here to see Fujin. Konohamaru, follow me! We''ll meet him first." A tick mark appeared on Sasuke''s forehead due to Naruto needlessly competing with him here. Konohamaru and his friends followed Naruto while shouting, "Wait up, boss!" The four of them rushed towards Fujin''s house and rang the bell continuously. Fujin, who had just grabbed a bite to eat, gazed towards the door and wondered, ''This boy... Why''s he so impatient at this hour?'' [A/N: Next Chapter: Konoha''s Premium Transportation System!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Darkslayer, Kainololol, Phillipp, Slade, Jordan, Raghav and a for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 839: Konohas Premium Transportation System! As Fujin walked towards the door, his annoyance increased since Naruto didn''t stop ringing the bell. He opened the door and gazed at Naruto. Before he could say anything, Naruto said, "Fujin! I finally see you. Can you train me like you said earlier? I want to improve my Wind jutsus further!" Sasuke, who had just entered the compound, was annoyed even further. Naruto asked what he wanted to ask before him. He didn''t want to be stuck with Naruto again. Naruto looked at Fujin with hope in his eyes, but Fujin just looked plainly at him and observed, ''He sure is full of energy. Very well.'' Fujin said, "It''s good that you want to improve. However, your Wind jutsus are already quite good. With Rasengan, the Summoning jutsu, Body Flicker jutsus, Multi Shadow Clone jutsu and some Wind jutsus, you aren''t lacking in Ninjutsu skills. Unfortunately, there are other areas where you are lacking heavily. Being unbalanced in your skills can be a severe disadvantage, something your enemies will always take advantage of." Naruto was stumped by Fujin''s reply. He hadn''t expected Fujin to say something like this. He quickly asked, "What areas am I lacking in?" Without a hint of politeness, Fujin answered, "Your Genjutsu skills and ability to counter it are non-existent. It is something you should work on immediately. That said, it''s better if you make Kakashi work with you on this. The Sharingan is very good at casting Genjutsus and will be the best at helping you build resistance against Genjutsu. For now, I want you to work on the second area, your body." "My body?" Naruto asked in a confused tone, "What''s wrong with my body?" Fujin answered, "Nothing on the surface, but plenty if you dig deeper. For a ninja, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu or any other fancy techniques are secondary. The most important thing is how strong your body is. If it''s weak, it doesn''t matter what else you specialize in. Naruto, your body isn''t weak by any means. It is probably the strongest among your peers. Unfortunately, you have little control over it. Your speed is too slow for your physique and you can''t transfer your full strength in your attacks. If you don''t correct this, forget about becoming the Hokage, you''ll never become a strong ninja." Naruto became very serious. Though Fujin spoke plainly, his words sounded grave to his ears. He immediately asked, "What should I do?" Fujin smiled and said, "Relax your body." Naruto was puzzled but followed Fujin''s instructions. Fujin placed his hand on Naruto''s shoulder and said, "I''ll be busy for the next couple of weeks. Thankfully, I know someone even better than me at this. He''ll be very willing to help you." Fear appeared on Naruto''s face as he screamed, "Crap! Not again....!!!" Konohamaru''s gang nervously watched as Naruto''s voice slowly faded away and he flew far away with a mere flick of Fujin''s wrist. A shiver passed through their body as Fujin''s gaze fell on them. He said, "Shouldn''t you three be preparing for the academy? Why do I always see you hanging around here?" Konohamaru immediately said, "The academy is closed for now." Moegi added, "That''s right! The vacations have started." Fujin replied, "Oh... Well, there is no reason you three shouldn''t work on improving your bodies. The earlier you start, the better it''ll be. It''ll also make your ninja games way more fun. Off you go." Before they could react, Fujin grabbed them by the back of their necks and flung them in the same direction as Naruto. Their screams faded away slowly just like Naruto''s screams. Sasuke was shocked to see this scene. He wondered, ''What the hell? He just threw them like that? And, why do they seem to fly? Wait, Sakura said someth...'' He was spooked as he suddenly heard, "Shouldn''t you be in the hospital?" He immediately turned around and questioned, ''How did he get behind me?'' He tried to answer, "I..." Unfortunately, Fujin tiredly sighed and said, "Leave it. I''ll send you there. Don''t run away this time." Before Sasuke could understand what was happening, he was sent flying just like the rest, though his destination was the Konoha hospital. As he flew, he wondered, ''What the fuck? I didn''t even see him move despite him standing in front of me! How fast is he? Also, what are these winds? How can they forcefully keep me in the air?'' Sasuke activated his Sharingan to observe the winds. Even though he saw their flow, he couldn''t understand how the flow was sustained. He could only let the winds hurl him across Konoha as his Sharingan noticed everyone below looking at him. Fujin turned his head and noticed his five students trying to sneak away silently. They stopped as soon as they felt his gaze. Worried they''d be sent flying similarly, Yuji said, "You don''t need to throw us. We''ll run after Naruto and do the same training that he will." Fujin was amused by their reactions. He said, "Oh, I didn''t know you were so enthusiastic to learn from Guy. It seems like you have grown accustomed to my training plans. Alright, I''ll talk with him to see if he is free to train you. If you somehow survive, you may become splendid ninjas." A smile appeared on Fujin''s face. However, neither his smile nor his words comforted his poor students. They shivered involuntarily, wondering, ''His training is more difficult than Sensei''s training routine? What kind of monster is he?'' Fujin turned his head and said, "Monkey, make their training more difficult today. Ensure that they are ready to endure Might Guy''s training." Monkey nervously thought, ''Don''t tell me he''ll make them run around Konoha on their hands... Though it''ll be good to build their character, we don''t want them to be very popular just yet...'' ¡ª¡ª For most people in Konoha, this morning was like any other. However, a few got to enjoy a strange sight. A man muttered, "Since when did ninjas learn to fly?" The woman beside him asked, "Are you sure they''re flying? They''re screaming their lungs out. Will they be safe?" The man had no answer. Luckily, an older man replied, "That''s Uzumaki Naruto. I had seen him flying this way earlier. He should be fine. However, I never saw those three kids fly like this. Isn''t that Lord Third''s grandson?" In a nearby food stall, Jiraiya sat with his mouth wide open. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn''t seeing things. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''They are flying? What in the world?'' He squinted his eyes, concentrating chakra in them, and observed, ''Hmm, what are those strange winds? It doesn''t look like Naruto''s controlling them.'' He trailed their flight path with his eyes and realized, ''Isn''t that absurd house in that direction? Did Fujin send them flying? Hmm?'' He turned his head and noticed another person flying, albeit on a different path. He thought, ''That looks like Uchiha Sasuke. However, he''s moving towards the center of the village. Why didn''t Sensei tell me about this new way of travelling across the village? Though it''ll be for a fleeting moment, I can do research from an entirely new angle if I can fly like that. I can get so much new inspiration from a new angle. And, I won''t even need to run away!'' Since it was Fujin''s work, Jiraiya wasn''t too concerned about their safety. He continued eating while imagining the advantages of such a technique. In a training ground, Team Guy suddenly stopped training and turned their heads as they heard a scream. Lee wondered aloud, "Is that Naruto?" Tenten replied, "It is! How is he flying?" Neji observed, ''Those winds... What are they?'' The four saw Naruto crash right next to them. Lee immediately went to check whether he was alright. To his relief, Naruto was unharmed. Lee asked, "Naruto, why are you here? Also, how did you fly?" Naruto muttered, "That''s embarrassing. I''ll tell you another day." He looked at Guy and said, "Fujin said that I need to improve my control over my body and increase my spee..." He became speechless at the massive grin that appeared on Guy''s face. He shouted, "Very good! Fujin sent you to the right perso... huh?" Guy turned his head again and saw Konohamaru''s group flying towards them. Moments later, they crashed just like Naruto did. Konohamaru got up, dusted himself and exclaimed, "Incredible! It didn''t hurt even a bit!" Udon added, "Yeah, I thought we were done for!" Neji''s eyes twitched as he wondered, ''What is happening today?'' Naruto quickly checked up on them and asked, "Why did Fujin send you here?" Moegi answered, "I''m not sure. He said there wasn''t any reason for us not to improve our bodies..." Her attention went towards Guy, who became very excited. He enthusiastically roared, "They''re so full of youth! To come to train at such a time! I''ll train everyone. Let your youth explode!" The young trio became nervous due to Guy''s excitement. Lee became excited as well while Neji and Tenten couldn''t help but feel pity for them. Without asking whether they wanted to train or not, Guy forced Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi to train alongside Naruto and his students. ¡ª¡ª The guards outside the hospital were startled as Sasuke fell right at the entrance of the hospital. They quickly went to check on him, while raising their guard in case it was an attack. They were relieved to see that it was just Sasuke and he seemed unharmed. Sasuke cursed under his breath, "That bastard! He sent me flying all the way to the hospital without hearing a single word I wanted to say!" "What''s the commotion here?" Sasuke looked back and saw Yamanaka Yoshi standing behind him. Yoshi observed, ''Those winds... Was that Fujin''s doing? However, this boy looks fine. Why did he send him here?'' Sasuke got up and said, "Nothing. Ignore it." He was already embarrassed at being seen by so many people. He didn''t want to pile on to his misery. Unfortunately, Yoshi didn''t let him leave. He said, "Hold it there, young man! Why did you come flying here? Was it Fujin''s work?" Sasuke was surprised that the old man made such an accurate guess. He just nodded, hoping the old man would back off. Unfortunately, Yoshi placed his hand on Sasuke''s shoulder and said seriously, "I don''t know how he did it, but if Fujin sent you flying here, he must have a reason. Come with me, I''ll do a thorough check-up." Sasuke was stunned by the sudden change in Yoshi''s behaviour. He slapped away Yoshi''s hand and said, "I''m alright, old man. Leave me alone." However, Yoshi had no intention of letting such a promising ninja suffer due to his arrogance. He grabbed Sasuke''s shoulder again, this time firmly and showed that his Jounin rank wasn''t for show. He scolded, "Nonsense! Don''t take your health too lightly. It''ll only take a few minutes." Against his will, Sasuke was dragged into the Konoha hospital! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. .bg-container-10448ed3ed0{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-container-10448222eb6{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Malikulashter, S1NN, DragonTaylor, Andre, Gilberto, Trempor, Derick, Jacob, JD, N, The Reapers Shadow, Yuuyoh and Dunny for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 840: Mental Trauma Chapter 840: Mental Trauma "Hmm..." Yoshi stared thoughtfully at Sasuke, who became a bit concerned. He asked, "Why are you looking at me like this?" Yoshi answered, "Well, your body is alright. There are no physical injuries. However, you seem extremely tense, showing signs of several types of mental traumas..." He thought, ''He was subject to more intense Genjutsu torture than Kakashi. And, it was done by none other than his older brother, the person who slaughtered every ninja in the Uchiha clan along with his parents. So, this is inevitable. Even though Lady Tsunade healed him, she can''t treat something like this in a short time...'' Sasuke got off the bed and said, "I told you nothing''s wrong with me. I can handle myself..." Before he could leave the room, Yoshi shook his head and said, "You''re wrong. Though it is often overlooked, the mental health of a ninja is critical considering what we have to go through on a daily basis. If you aren''t in the right state of mind, you may make foolish decisions which would not only hurt you but also your close ones." He let out a sigh and his following words stopped Sasuke in his tracks! Yoshi continued, "Unfortunately, many ninjas ignore it and end up doing something very foolish. Perhaps that may be a reason why your older brother did something as drastic as he did. If his mental state had been checked, he may not have done what he did." Sasuke turned around and shouted, "You don''t know anything about Itachi! He''s not some victim of his own mind, but a monster! A cold-blooded murderer who slaughtered my clan without a second thought! Don''t try to make excuses for him, he''s beyond saving!" Sasuke completely lost his cool. However, Yoshi wasn''t bothered. On the contrary, he understood Sasuke. He nodded and said, "Perhaps that might be the truth. However, I can''t take a risk in you doing something like what he did. While I believe you won''t do anything to your remaining clanmates, I can''t say for sure that you won''t do something that''ll harm you." His tone became strict as he stated, "Until I approve your discharge, you''ll stay admitted to the hospital. If you try to escape, I''ll make a few Anbu ninjas watch over you." Sasuke was stunned. He never predicted his trip to Fujin''s house would somehow end up in him being admitted again. Before he could burst out again, Yoshi smiled and said, "You don''t need to look at this like a chore. I can feel a burning desire from you to get stronger and get your revenge. Once you improve your state of mind and become calm, your strength will improve rapidly. Let me tell you a secret." He got closer to Sasuke and asked in a soft voice, "You know Konoha''s Sword, Suzuki Fujin, correct?" Confused, Sasuke nodded. Yoshi said, "He visits me every month to get a complete medical check-up, get rid of any hidden stress forming inside his body and ensure that his mental state is always at its peak." Sasuke was surprised and wondered, ''Fujin also visits him?'' Yoshi chuckled internally, ''Well, he no longer visits every month and has never talked about his state of mind, but Sasuke doesn''t need to know that.'' To strike when the iron was hot, Yoshi quickly added softly, "He also has his students get a similar checkup every month. Your teammate, Naruto also comes along with them. I''m sure you must have noticed how rapidly his strength has been growing." Sasuke''s eyes widened and he thought, ''Naruto also comes here? Why didn''t he ever mention it? And, why didn''t Kakashi arrange the same for us?'' Yoshi continued, "I don''t know if you know how strong Fujin''s students are. I''m not entirely sure myself. However, from what I heard, despite not even being official ninjas yet, they''re stronger than every Genin who participated in the Chunin exams. So, don''t worry about wasting time here. It''ll absolutely be worth it." Finally, Sasuke relented. Yoshi made the necessary arrangements for him while thinking, ''Young ones. It''s so easy to convince them. The only one who was a pain in the ass was Fujin! That brat not only fooled me but made me beg him for years. Even when he accepted my offer, he made me regret that I ever offered to teach him!'' Yoshi had no idea how strong Fujin''s students were. While he knew Naruto''s strength grew at an insane rate, it had nothing to do with him. In fact, he was completely amazed by his progress. He just said those things to convince Sasuke to stay voluntarily. Fujin had no idea that his random act ended up causing Sasuke to be admitted once again. If he did, he''d be amazed at how accurate Yoshi''s actions were. After all, this was the time when Sasuke was supposed to betray Konoha and go to Orochimaru, the one who had killed their leader in the original story. While Fujin went to work with Tsunade, the entire village was talking about Flying ninjas. Unlike Naruto and the kids, who were sent flying through the outskirts of the Konoha to another training ground, Sasuke flew right through the most crowded areas. Too many people had seen him and gossip spread like wildfire. Several ninjas had seen Sasuke flying as well. And, they weren''t capable enough to connect dots like Jiraiya. So, they believed that Sasuke had the ability to fly. The news spread so much that it reached Danzo''s ears too! In the root headquarters, Danzo read a report with a puzzled expression. He thought, ''Uchiha Sasuke learnt how to fly? And, he flew across the village to the hospital?'' Danzo recalled everything he knew about Sasuke. He couldn''t remember anything related to him working on a technique to fly. So, Danzo couldn''t understand how he learnt something so complicated. Danzo analyzed, ''The ability to fly isn''t very rare. Quite a few have succeeded in doing so, most notably the Second and Third Tsuchikage. However, no one has been able to make a technique that allows hundreds of ninjas to fly, other than those buffoons. If Uchiha Sasuke''s technique can be used by others, Konoha''s strength will increase by a huge degree...'' Danzo was tempted to find Sasuke and get the technique from him. However, recalling Itachi''s recent visit to Konoha, he dropped any ideas he had. Not to mention, Sasuke was Kakashi''s student, someone who was famous for copying jutsus. If the technique could be used liberally, then Kakashi would coordinate with Tsunade to spread the technique among other Konoha ninjas. It was difficult for Danzo to make a political comeback using this matter without making some shady moves, a path cut off by Itachi. Danzo decided, ''I''ll ignore it. Something about this feels off. There''s no need to attract negative light at this time. As long as I stay patient, I''ll have my chance to turn things around.'' ¡ª¡ª Unaware of such happenings, Fujin spent the entire day with Tsunade again, improving his understanding of the soul further. Tsunade succeeded in healing the prisoner''s soul to the state she wanted. She handed him to a couple of medical ninjas to be kept under observation. Fujin slashed the soul of another prisoner and she started healing it. The next day, before he and Tsunade could start their experiments, they were called by Shikaku. A team had arrived from Sunagakure, led by Tenma Arisa and Yura. They were welcomed by a team led by none other than Hatake Kakashi, unnerving them a bit. Yura thought, ''To send Kakashi to receive us, they must be on guard against us pulling off a strange move.'' As they walked to the Hokage Building, they attracted hateful gazes from Konoha ninjas and citizens, increasing the pressure on them further. The gazes finally stopped once they entered the Hokage Building. The remaining members stayed behind as Kakashi led Yura and Arisa to the Hokage''s office. As she followed Kakashi, Arisa thought, ''Truly mending ties with Konoha will take a lot of time and effort. Their people still hate us due to our attack. That said, I''m not sure if the council truly is interested in it. As long as Konoha doesn''t attack us until we recover our strength, it''ll be good enou...'' Her thoughts froze as she stepped into the Hokage''s office. In the office were the two elders of Konoha, Homura and Koharu, along with 3 Clan Leaders, Shikaku, Hiashi and Shibi. However, they weren''t the ones who terrified her. Sitting in the Hokage''s seat was Tsunade, the Slug Princess, her eyes staring at the two Suna Elite Jounins. Standing behind her was Jiraiya the Gallant, with a smile on his face. And, standing on one side of the room with his back leaning against the wall was the Sand Slayer, Suzuki Fujin, his eyes watching their every move closely. If either of them made one false move, they didn''t doubt that their heads would roll in the blink of an eye! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Devine, Chavi, V B, Malikulashter, Arttu, Dunny, S1NN, BroWski, Mc and One Piece for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Ganesh and Parthiban for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 841: More Deals Chapter 841: More Deals Despite all their experience, rank and status, Arisa and Yura lost composure for a moment. The sight was just too terrifying. Even so, they quickly gathered themselves and hid their feelings. Of course, everyone in the room had already noticed the change in their expression. Jiraiya thought, ''Not bad. They controlled themselves in under a second.'' Arisa and Yura respectfully greeted, "Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya." At the same time, Yura analyzed, ''Our fears were true. Tsunade has returned to Konoha too. If we hadn''t agreed on a peace agreement, we would have to face Fujin, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kakashi on the battlefield. Just Fujin alone gave us countless headaches. The council had no confidence in our famed Desert Guerrilla tactics against his army and our formations were a complete mess as a result of the confusion. If these three had also joined...'' Yura understood how disastrous a war would have been. While there were several other factors, there was no doubt in his heart that Sunagakure would have taken a brutal beating at the start of the war. Unlike Yura, who thought of the past, Arisa focused on the present. She analyzed, ''Tsunade is sitting on the Hokage''s seat. She should be the Fifth Hokage, unless this is some sort of trickery, though I can''t think of a reason why Konoha would do that. More importantly, the Third Hokage isn''t here!'' There was no doubt in Arisa''s mind that this was a power play by Konoha. There was no need to have the Sannins and Fujin in the room otherwise. Just one of the three would suffice. Arisa concluded, ''The reports from our spies are true. The Third Hokage has made no public appearances since the end of the war. His injuries must be severe!'' For Sunagakure, this was good news. If Hiruzen had been hale and hearty, Konoha would be too powerful. It wasn''t merely his strength but the fact that he had been leading Konoha''s forces for nearly half a century. His presence alone was a huge morale boost for Konoha forces. Even if he didn''t go to the battlefield, Hiruzen''s presence inside Konoha was good enough to assure all Konoha ninjas that their loved ones in the village would stay safe, something he proved once again when Orochimaru attacked Konoha. So, if he were severely injured or crippled, Konoha would lose more than just a rank S ninja. Arisa glanced towards Fujin for a moment before turning her gaze back to Tsunade. She thought, ''No, it won''t affect their morale much. Their situation isn''t like ours. The Third Hokage''s fall coincided with Fujin''s sharp rise. As long as he doesn''t fall like the Fourth Hokage, Konoha ninjas will revolve around him. Seeing how much power he has been given after our war, this must be Konoha''s intention. Perhaps, for all common people and most ninjas, nothing will change. They''ll just assume that Fujin stepped into the Third Hokage''s role. Of course, that isn''t entirely accurate...'' Arisa wasn''t a normal ninja, she was a military strategist. She saw things differently as compared to others. For other people, Konoha''s top leadership simply changed from Hiruzen, Jiraiya and Tsunade to Tsunade, Jiraiya and Fujin. It didn''t affect their daily lives as Konoha maintained the same deterrence level. However, Arisa knew that Konoha was far deadlier earlier. Just because no one knew how strong Fujin truly was didn''t mean that he wasn''t that strong. On the contrary, that made him a far bigger threat than even Hiruzen and the Sannins as no strategist could make appropriate plans for him. In addition, Hiruzen''s strength hadn''t degraded as much as others believed. Arisa thought, ''These two factors were so big that they messed up all of Orochimaru''s calculations and caused him such a heavy defeat. But, now everyone knows how strong Fujin is. And, the Third Hokage''s strength will definitely degrade further, though we can''t be sure how much. Even though nothing seems to have changed, Konoha lost 2 big hidden cards. They''ll have a difficult time replicating such a performance again. That said...'' Arisa felt helpless. While this information was critical, it hadn''t come for free. Sunagakure had paid a terrifying price, be it in manpower, economy or political power. They couldn''t do anything with this information. Even selling it was pointless as the other hidden villages couldn''t do anything either and hence wouldn''t be willing to pay a substantial amount for the information. Arisa thought, ''By the time we or anyone else could do anything, who knows how many new hidden cards Konoha would have developed? Even if they don''t, the mere prospect of Fujin maturing over the next 5 years is terrifying!'' Even though the two Sunagakure Council Members thought and analyzed so much, it happened very quickly. Tsunade gained their attention, asking, "I believe you have brought everything as per the agreement. Am I correct?" Yura immediately replied and handed several storage scrolls. Shikaku had a few Anbu ninjas accept them and check their belongings after leaving the room and entering safe rooms. Needless to say, they used Shadow Clones to avoid any loss of life in case Sunagakure did something as absurd as setting traps in them. Just one scroll still remained with Yura. He placed it on the desk and said, "This scroll contains 1,000 Wind Crystals, 250 Fire Crystals and 250 Earth Crystals, the price for the information related to Lord Third Kazekage''s disappearance." Shikaku glanced at Fujin, who created a Shadow Clone, which took the scroll and disappeared from the room. A minute later, Fujin received the memories and nodded. Shikaku handed Yura a scroll. He immediately opened it and read it along with Arisa. Their eyes immediately widened in horror. Arisa muttered in shock, "Sasori did it?" Others in the room were keenly watching them. Other than Fujin, Shikaku, Jiraiya and Tsunade, no one knew what was in the scroll. While it would be discussed in the council later, they were curious to know. Needless to say, all of them were surprised as well. Homura thought, ''So, it was one of them after all. Yet, they blamed us and started a stupid war...'' Arisa glanced at Fujin and asked, her voice quivering, "Is everything here true? Did he have Lord Third''s human puppet that can use Magnet Release?" Fujin nodded, without entertaining her much. It was very easy for someone like her to understand the importance of this information. Fujin didn''t need to emphasize it. Besides, it wasn''t like Sunagakure would pay more if he provided a detailed analysis. Arisa bitterly thought, ''What a bloody mess... There were some murmurs about getting Sasori back and appointing him the next Kazekage. Though it was highly unlikely to make him the Fifth Kazekage, the council would have been willing to pay any price to make him come back to the village...'' Arisa sighed. While Fujin''s information had saved them from a huge headache, it created more headaches too. Other than Chiyo, Sasori was the only rank S ninja who grew up in Sunagakure. Until new rank S ninjas rose from the younger generations, Sunagakure wouldn''t have an active rank S ninja. Not to mention, Chiyo''s reputation would fall heavily due to her grandson''s actions. She''d be unable to help much in restoring their strength if everyone looked at her with suspicion. Worse, there will be distrust among the Sunagakure ranks, especially toward the puppeteers. However, it showed that Sunagakure needed to take the security of their Kage way more seriously. Arisa said, "Thank you for the information. It is worth the price. Please don''t take this as me being impolite, but this is very important for my village. Do you have any hard evidence to prove this?" Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you expect me to provide you with the human puppet of the Third Kazekage? Just find Sasori, and beat him up until he is forced to use this card." Fujin shrugged. Arisa wasn''t surprised by his response. Yet, she sighed and muttered, "Understandable, I apologize. Could you tell us the other 6 rank S ninjas you fought alongside Sasori?" A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he answered, "Sure if you can afford it. Don''t expect a discount this time as I don''t think this information is essential for Sunagakure''s survival." Arisa felt awkward while Shikaku shook his head and thought, ''We''ve already squeezed them all we could. They can''t pay any more. A shame, it could have been interesting to watch.'' With Fujin in no mood to do charity, Arisa and Yura could only continue with their task. They handled most of their official duties before being led back by Kakashi to wait until the Anbu were done checking all the remaining scrolls. In the Hokage office, Tsunade muttered, "They were very cooperative. I didn''t think I''d see Sunagakure be so humble." Jiraiya chuckled, "It just shows how catastrophic their losses were." Tsunade nodded. Sunagakure''s position wasn''t something anyone would envy. They were unlikely to be a threat for several years. Koharu suddenly said, "This is the first time someone made a deal that benefits just a single person instead of the village." Everyone''s attention turned towards Fujin. Shikaku sighed internally, ''Does she need to keep poking him?'' Fujin was surprised as well. He didn''t expect to be attacked without any provocation. He glanced back at Koharu and asked, "Really? I need to check our former agreements once. Besides, what do you mean by not benefiting the village? If not for me, you''d have settled for a third of what Sunagakure paid the village today." The only reason why Sunagakure agreed to such terms was that Fujin marched on their country. Konoha had already benefited a lot due to Fujin, be it from Sunagakure''s reparations or Kusagakure''s mission. Everyone in the council was aware of this. Of course, that wasn''t enough to make Koharu back down. Her discussion with Danzo had alarmed her way too much. She shook her head and said, "Those two matters are different. Doing what you''re now will set a dangerous precedent. It''ll be problematic for the village in the future if everyone selfishly just thinks of them instead of the village." Fujin replied, "The only thing that is dangerous is the inability of some people to focus on the larger picture and compete within our ranks while missing out on more gains for the village. If your vision is so narrow, Elder Koharu, I''d recommend you resign from your seat on the council." Fujin''s words were just as merciless as Koharu''s. While Koharu targeted his nature, he targeted her competence. As someone who had been an Elder for so long, Koharu was immediately offended. She icily asked, "What do you mean?" Fujin ignored her, turned his gaze towards Shikaku and asked, "Do we have any underground means of contacting Kumogakure and Iwagakure?" Shikaku nodded. They had been created and maintained by Danzo, and they later fell into Shikaku''s hands. Fujin said, "Good. Sell them this information. Set the price at minimum 1,000 Elemental Crystals of any element, so that they don''t think it''s fake." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Philipp, WiN and aroachi for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 842: Experienced Schemers! ''Sell the information regarding the Third Kazekage''s death to Iwagakure and Kumogakure?'' Hiashi was intrigued. He analyzed for a few moments and realized, ''Yeah, why not? Even though this has nothing to do with them, they would be curious to know how someone that strong suddenly went missing. To ensure nothing similar happens to their Kage, they''d be willing to spend a fortune. The information isn''t useless either as they''ll take Sasori way more seriously. To think he not only killed the Third Kazekage but transformed him into a human puppet that can use the Magnet Release! After Orochimaru''s Edo Tensei, he may be the greatest threat!'' Hiashi understood how troublesome it would be if Sasori could transform a few more Kekkei Genkai users into human puppets. So did the rest. Shikaku thought, ''I had the same thought, but I didn''t think he''d recommend it himself.'' Shibi said, "Before you sell the information further, I think it''s time that the council is made aware of the developments too." While Shibi didn''t mind Fujin keeping it a secret until he got paid, not informing the council properly any further was insulting. Fujin casually replied, "There isn''t much. I''m sure you''ve guessed most of it by now. My army ran into Sasori and Deidara in the Land of Rice. During our battle, he used the Third Kazekage''s human puppet. The rest is just our speculation." "So, you did run into Akatsuki," Homura exclaimed. He quickly added, "The mission reports didn''t say anything about it." Fujin nodded, "Hmm, it was quite unexpected. I also gained a lot of information other than the Third Kazekage, though we aren''t completely sure of it. But, if our fears are true, we may have a hidden danger." The mood in the room changed. Koharu''s words were completely ignored by everyone. While it was true that no one ever made such deals to gain personal benefits as Fujin did, deals were frequently made by clans, even the smaller ones. Considering the youngsters living in Fujin''s compounds, his actions could also be interpreted as him looking out for them. Koharu understood this as well. She was merely fishing for trouble due to her conversation with Danzo. With no one backing her and everyone focusing on the new information, she stopped pushing. Instead, she asked, "How long will you be keeping secrets from the council? If something that important happened, the council should be informed immediately." Fujin didn''t reply and instead looked at Shikaku. Shikaku sighed and muttered, "I wanted to wait until Lord Third woke up. However, it looks like that will take some time. Alright, let''s convene a Council Meeting immediately. I could use some help in handling this matter." With Kakashi keeping an eye on the Sunagakure ninjas, they didn''t have much reason to worry. They left Eagle in charge of confirming the contents of the storage scroll while the council members gathered in the council room. Tsunade occupied Hiruzen''s seat while Jiraiya grabbed a seat as well. Of course, the civilian members weren''t informed about the meeting. Fujin informed the council about his clash with Sasori and Deidara along with his discoveries about the Third Kazekage. Inoichi grumbled, "Sasori... He seems almost as troublesome as Orochimaru." Choza asked, "How did the battle end? Did they escape?" Fujin replied, "Not quite. Another Akatsuki member interfered. I believe he may have been the one behind the Nine Tails incident years ago." Other than Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were already briefed by Shikaku, every single council member was shocked. No one expected Fujin to solve one, let alone two major mysteries. The ones who were most shocked were the two elders. Homura thought, ''Wasn''t it the Uchiha clan?'' Koharu wondered, ''Were we mistaken? Was it outside interference all along? However, who could be strong enough to defeat Minato and control the Nine Tails?'' Fujin passed the same information to the council that he did to Shikaku, connecting the dots as he spoke. Even though there wasn''t any solid evidence, every single member of the Council was convinced that Fujin''s analysis was accurate. While Fujin spoke, Shikaku subtly observed Koharu and Homura. He had a strong hunch that the Elders had something to do with the Uchiha massacre. He wanted to see if their expressions would change on realizing that they had wrongly targeted the Uchiha clan. Unfortunately, he was left disappointed. Koharu and Homura had excellent control over their expressions. They didn''t give a single clue to Shikaku. Of course, while they maintained perfect control of their expressions, their inner minds were a mess. Homura thought, ''As we suspected, it was a Uchiha. However, he shouldn''t have anything to do with the Uchiha clan, or Itachi wouldn''t have succeeded... We wrongly judged the Uchiha clan...'' Homura sighed internally. Koharu felt the same. Their misjudgement had proved to be extremely costly for Konoha. Konoha lost their strongest clan, a rank S ninja and two extremely promising young ninjas who became rank S ninjas in their teens due to that debacle! Homura and Koharu didn''t dare to speak out aloud. However, others weren''t shy. Tsume directly said, "The Uchiha clan was mistreated wrongly!" Everyone in the room knew that the Uchiha clan had been relocated to the outskirts of the village and monitored all the time for years. Their discontent now seemed justified. Their gazes turned towards the two Elders, who were among the decision-makers to implement that. Homura sighed and muttered, "The Uchiha clan was schemed against. He acted in such a way that all suspicions led to the Uchiha clan. The thought of such a terrifying Uchiha living outside Konoha didn''t even cross our minds. The Uchiha clan should be unaware as well." Koharu immediately added, "Considering that Itachi joined the Akatsuki after massacring the Uchiha clan, this masked ninja may have played a role in the massacre as well. However, it is difficult to say whether he actively participated or just manipulated young Itachi." Fujin glanced at the two old schemers and thought, ''As expected of these geezers. They immediately diverted the blame towards Obito and the Akatsuki. No one would even suspect them because of how absurd the order given to Itachi was...'' Hiashi said, "There''s nothing we can do about the past. We need to focus on the future. This mysterious Uchiha and the Akatsuki pose a grave threat to our village. If he can really use Izanagi on top of having such a powerful Space Time Ninjutsu, he''s a grave threat to every Konoha ninja. I doubt our clans would fare any better than the Uchiha if they target other clans." Hiashi''s words brought everyone back to a bitter truth. They couldn''t ensure their safety! Other than Fujin, only Tsunade and Jiraiya had confidence in surviving Obito''s attack. The clan leaders would be completely helpless. They could only find solace in the fact that he hadn''t made a direct move for over a decade! Inoichi asked, "Did you think of any counters for him, Shikaku?" Shikaku sighed and answered, "It is difficult. I have never heard of such an ability. Though I have thought of several countermeasures, none is foolproof. We can''t even bait him to eliminate him due to how slippery his ability is." He paused and looked around the room before adding, "I was hoping Lord Third could think of something. However, since he hasn''t woken up yet, I hope some of you can give me better ideas." The council meeting suddenly turned into a brainstorming session where new and unique ideas were put forth to target Obito. Unfortunately, Fujin shot most of them down. The ones he didn''t were shot down by others before he had a chance to say anything. They were either not comprehensive enough, implementable or couldn''t be implanted over a large scale. In the end, they couldn''t decide on any good idea despite spending several hours. Fujin wasn''t really surprised. They had minimal information on Obito''s ability, and his ability was truly broken. Jiraiya shook his head and said, "We''ll just have to wait until Sensei wakes up." Tsunade sighed and added, "This ability is too strange. To become intangible for a long time... I doubt Sensei has a way either..." No one opposed her. The only way they could agree on was to kill Obito before he targeted them. Unfortunately, that wasn''t a cakewalk either. Suddenly, Fujin said, "Well, if we can''t do anything about him, we can only hope others can do so..." Tsume asked, "Others? Who do you mean?" Shikaku''s eyes twitched as he muttered, "Don''t tell me..." The entire council was left dumbfounded as Fujin chuckled and said, "Yeah, let us sell this information too." [A/N: Next chapter later tonight.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. .bg-container-10448869e4d{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-container-10448222eb6{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Happyftw, Ikkei, Matthew, Susu, Nathaniel, Bethel of God, Mark, YHBA, Alireza, Shadow and MrLikeMe for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 843: Misunderstanding "Yeah, let us sell this information too." The entire council looked at Fujin weirdly. Other than Shikaku, not a single person expected Fujin to say something like this. Even Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at Fujin in a new light. Fujin explained, "Kumogakure and Iwagakure will pay a high price to learn about a threat that could kill their Kage or kidnap their Jinchuriki. We could even blame him for kidnapping Han. Even though Sunagakure has been wrung dry, they should still fork up more resources to learn of such a threat. The only disappointment is that it''s unlikely for either faction in the Land of Water to pay anything due to their state..." None of the council members paid much attention to his words. Once Fujin suggested the idea, they immediately realized the pros and the cons. Their mind was still stuck on how absurd the idea was. Yet, somehow it made complete sense. Under normal circumstances, no village would sell information that was this critical. They would instead wait for Obito to cause some harm to other villages, indirectly making Konoha''s position stronger. However, the four Great Villages didn''t pose a threat to Konoha for the time being. None of them were in a position to launch a huge war. Conversely, Akatsuki felt like a greater threat. So, it was logical to sell such information despite its absurdity. Understanding the threat such a ninja would pose, Konoha could demand a higher price than the Third Kazekage''s information. It was just that Fujin proposed this idea, someone who hadn''t had much exposure to business, as opposed to the Clan Leaders and Elders, who handled several financial matters for their respective factions. Tsunade couldn''t help but think, ''This boy... His thought process is completely different from that of a normal youngster. What did he go through to find opportunities in such vague and unrelated matters? Hmm, no. That''s not what this weird feeling is. I understand now. He''s treating these deals as a way to extort resources from other villages. He''s a few steps ahead of sensei in this aspect, though I can''t say whether it is a good thing...'' Jiraiya noticed the same thing while the remaining council members got a glimpse of what evoked Hiruzen''s interest in Fujin. Shikaku thought, ''I had heard tales of him extorting the old man during graduation and his chunin exams... No wonder he pushed so much to bring Fujin into the council and on negotiation teams! He just wanted other villages to experience what he had to...'' For a moment, Shikaku was worried that the next Great War might start when Fujin overdid on such matters. He could only pray that he''d be retired from official duty by then. Hiromasa suddenly chuckled and said, "Not bad. What we received from Kusagakure and Sunagakure is already enough to recover from our losses. If we can make Iwagakure and Kumogakure pay a heavy price, it''ll be a good boost to help us improve our forces to the next level." With Hiromasa breaking the ice, several others chuckled as well. Tsume said, "Indeed, this is a good idea." Inoichi added, "We must make this a high priority." Hiashi replied, "I agree, but we shouldn''t be impatient. Otherwise, they''ll suspect something fishy and may not be prepared to pay a high price. We need to first build trust by selling the Third Kazekage''s intel." The entire council, consisting of several respected people, began discussing how to extract the maximum price from other villages like a group of bandits. Suddenly, Koharu coughed and said, "You are putting the cart in front of the horse." Everyone''s gaze turned towards her. She looked at Fujin and said, "You took all the elemental crystals Sunagakure gave in exchange for the information about the Third Kazekage. Do you want to do the same again?" Fujin thought, ''Well, I wasn''t planning to take any. But if she is asking me so kindly, refusing would be rather impolite...'' Luckily or unluckily for Koharu, Tsume spoke before Fujin could open his mouth, "That wouldn''t be appropriate. The deal with Sunagakure is a different matter. Fujin''s actions were the reason why they capitulated so easily. The deal related to the Third Kazekage was just a cherry on top. We can''t treat every case similarly. The more appropriate action would be to give him 25%, as we do when a clan contributes majorly to a particular task." Tsume wasn''t present in the Hokage office when Koharu tried to lecture Fujin for being greedy. So, she didn''t know Koharu''s intentions and assumed that Koharu wanted Fujin to get a fair share since nearly all the work had been done by him. Of course, it was strange to see Koharu looking after Fujin despite their disagreements in Fire Capital, but Tsume had seen stranger things. In politics, benefits frequently outweighed petty squabbles. Quite often, council members who were on the opposite sides joined hands if both their factions benefited. Tsume merely assumed that this was one of those cases. She didn''t want the Inuzuka clan to lose out on their share of the fortune Konoha was about to earn. Since the other clans would have similar thoughts, Tsume wasn''t afraid to speak her mind. Koharu immediately understood, ''She misunderstood me!'' Koharu quickly said, "However, he is only one ninja..." Koharu wanted to say that Fujin was alone without any clan. As such, he shouldn''t be treated as a clan and the benefits he got should be substantially lower. Unfortunately, she was cut off by Inoichi, who said, "That''s incorrect. He is looking after over a hundred orphans from the Land of Water. In the future, they''ll be a huge part of our Anbu. Even though it isn''t official like the clans, it is more or less a faction and Fujin is the de facto leader." Much like Tsume, he was afraid Koharu and Fujin had reached some sort of deal behind the scenes. He didn''t even let her make an argument. Koharu wanted to respond, but Hiromasa said, "Actually, that''s not completely fair. The clans, even the smaller ones, get resources from the village every year. Fujin''s faction doesn''t receive any such budget, though the kids are being trained by the Anbu trainers. To make things fair, we should give Fujin a bigger share of this deal or assign his faction resources just like clans get." Without wasting a breath, Inoichi said with a smile, "With the way those kids are growing, the latter is inevitable. We should make it official now." More than the orphans, it was Fujin''s growth that was extremely overwhelming. While they would look out for their interests, none of the clan leaders wanted to oppose Fujin if they could avoid doing so. Inoichi knew it was just a matter of time before his faction received a similar status as the ninja clans. In the past, Danzo, Homura and Koharu had developed their clans substantially when they gained fame and strength. So, he expected Fujin to do the same at some point in the future. The loss of Fujin taking some of their resources was insignificant compared to the gains from selling the information. Inoichi didn''t need any time to calculate. Choza nodded, "Hmm, that is reasonable. I agree with Inoichi." Tsume and Hiromasa agreed too while the rest kept watching the scene in disbelief. The rest had seen Koharu and Fujin clash in the Hokage''s office. They knew Koharu wanted to ensure that Fujin didn''t get anything and not the opposite. Yet, Fujin''s faction now somehow had the support of four clan leaders! Koharu was completely at a loss of words while Homura failed to understand how things reached such a stage. Fujin was surprised as well. He never anticipated such a thing. For once, he was being selfless until Koharu decided to poke him. However, even before he could counter her, Tsume, Inoichi and Hiromasa worked together to make the village pay him a neat little sum. With a smile on his face, Hiromasa asked, "What do you think, Fujin? Is this acceptable?" Naturally, Fujin didn''t have any problem with such a deal. Though he could push for more benefits, it wouldn''t have made any difference to him. Besides, he wasn''t planning to take anything initially. As such, he could only nod. With him having the support of four clan leaders, the remaining three had no option but to go along with this arrangement despite knowing what was truly happening. With seven clan leaders supporting him and Tsunade not showing any opposition, there was nothing Koharu could do or say to clear up the confusion. Homura looked in confusion as he wondered, ''What the hell happened here?'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Michael, Brian and Frederic for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 844: Fujins Surprise! Over half of the Council Members watched in confusion as Fujin became the official leader of a new faction in Konoha and gained a clan-like status. Due to a variety of reasons, none of them could step in and put a stop to it. In the end, they could only accept it. Fujin looked at Koharu, thinking, ''I misjudged her. She isn''t as magnanimous as Hiruzen or Sasori, but she isn''t too bad either. I still recall how adamantly Hiruzen denied my request to get Elemental Crystals for the orphans or other civilian ninjas. The only way they could have access to them was through the Anbu. However, Koharu sidestepped him with such ease... As expected of an experienced politician!'' Seeing Fujin smiling at her annoyed Koharu even further. Unfortunately, she could only swallow her rage and regret how she had framed her question. The council discussed how to sell the information to Iwagakure, Kumogakure and even Sunagakure before discussing other general matters. After the meeting, Fujin and Tsunade returned to the Torture & Interrogation Department and continued their experiments. Over the course of the next week, Tsunade healed the souls of three more prisoners. During this time, Guy trained Naruto, Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi along with his students. Needless to say, the three kids regretted following Naruto towards Fujin''s house. Initially, Naruto struggled as well, but thanks to his unique physique, he quickly adjusted to it and experienced small but noticeable gains in no time. As for Sasuke, Yoshi kept him in the hospital, worrying the remaining Uchiha orphans once again. In the Torture & Interrogation Department, Tsunade sighed tiredly, "Finally, it''s done!" Fujin nodded, thinking, ''Impressive. All four souls were healed accurately as per her plans without causing any further harm. In addition, she improved considerably during the second and third healing. Though there wasn''t much improvement during the fourth healing, it just shows that she has reached close to perfection. There shouldn''t be any accidents with Hiruzen.'' Fujin asked, "Is it time to heal the old man? Or do you want to improve further?" Tsunade replied, "Improving any further will be a long process with no end. This is enough. I''ll heal Sensei tomorrow. You should come too, in case there''s any disturbance. Eat a soldier pill as I''ll heal him continuously until he wakes up. The only breaks we''ll take are the ones his soul needs." Her tone was very serious. Fujin nodded, "I''ll be there." ¡ª¡ª Early the next morning, Fujin and Tsunade met on the top floor of Konoha Hospital. Due to Fujin''s intel about Obito''s abilities, the security had been increased further. Not only had the number of Anbu squads increased, but a couple of Elite Jounins were also stationed permanently. In addition, Jiraiya also occasionally kept an eye. Entering the room, Tsunade ordered, "Until I leave the room, allow no one to enter or even knock on the door. Is that understood?" The Anbu Captains immediately answered, "Understood!" Tsunade added, "Good. Secure the perimeter." Everyone flickered out, leaving only Fujin, Tsunade and Shizune in the room along with the unconscious Hiruzen. Without wasting any time, Tsunade got to work. Outside the room, the people in Konoha continued their work as usual. However, everyone could feel a sense of unease, as if the air had been oppressive. Sasuke, who was a few floors below Hiruzen''s room, wondered, ''What is happening today? Why are there so many Anbu ninjas monitoring the area?'' Since Hiruzen was being healed and Tsunade didn''t want any disturbances, the entire village was on high alert. While most didn''t know what was happening, Shikaku had deployed thousands of ninjas, including Jiraiya, to ensure nothing unexpected happened. Fortunately, there were no accidents. Tsunade healed Hiruzen for an entire day with just 2 breaks to allow Hiruzen''s soul to adjust. Wiping off the sweat on her forehead, she placed her palm on Hiruzen''s chest. Shizune and Fujin carefully watched as they understood that she was almost done. As her chakra entered Hiruzen''s body, his eyes suddenly snapped open! His eyes landed on Tsunade and a weak smile appeared on his lips. Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief. The process had been a success! Looking at Hiruzen, Tsunade muttered, "You went too far this time, Sensei..." Hiruzen sat up with Shizune''s help and replied with a chuckle, "Unfortunately, I''m no longer young. I could only place my trust in your abilities. Since I have regained consciousness, I was right to do so." Tsunade''s expression dulled as she said, "Stop putting up a strong front. You know you haven''t recovered entirely. Only 20% of your soul was left. Even with my skills, your soul could only recover to 33%. Recovering it any further will take a lot of time..." Tsunade sighed. Though Hiruzen put up a brave face, everyone in the room knew how much pain he was bearing at that moment. Orochimaru, who was merely missing his arms, suffered tremendously. The pain Hiruzen was experiencing couldn''t be put into words. Hiruzen smiled again and said, "It''s fine. Being alive after summoning the God of Death is good enough." He turned his gaze towards Fujin and teased, "I didn''t expect to see you so surprised. Didn''t expect my old bones to survive?" Fujin replied, "No, I knew you''d wake up. It''s just that I overheard Shikaku-san saying that you won''t wake up until someone becomes the Fifth Hokage. I didn''t expect him to be wrong..." Fujin''s words stunned the three ninjas in the room, especially Hiruzen, who was so surprised that he missed a breath and began coughing violently. Tsunade and Shizune immediately helped him while glaring at Fujin. Tsunade scolded, "Fujin, now is not the time for jo..." Before she could complete her sentence, Hiruzen asked while breathing deeply, "What do you mean? Has the Fifth Hokage not been appointed yet?" ''...'' Tsunade and Shizune were left speechless by Hiruzen''s worries. The old man was more worried about being forced to take the reins again than about his fragile soul and health. They had a feeling that Hiruzen would refuse to ever leave this room if the next Hokage wasn''t appointed. Shizune quickly said, "Lord Third, don''t worry. Lady Tsunade has accepted the position of the Fifth Hokage." Fujin chuckled and added, "And, Shikaku has been the Acting Hokage in your absence. So, you can relax." Hiruzen was relieved and surprised at the same time. He thought, ''Tsunade returning to the village and accepting responsibility after acting for so long is already a surprise. To think that Shikaku would accept such a troublesome job... What happened when I was unconscious?'' Before he could ask, Tsunade said, "I suppose you''re already aware of the consequences of having an injured soul." Hiruzen nodded, "My reserves will fall drastically and I won''t be able to control my chakra as usual. I''ll need to train my chakra control again and relearn how to manipulate my chakra with a shattered soul. It''s unlikely I''ll ever regain my former strength, but I''ll relearn the Reaper Death Seal in case Orochimaru attacks us with the Edo Tensei jutsu again." Tsunade frowned and asked, "You plan on taking a dozen rank S ninjas simultaneously despite your condition?" Hiruzen chuckled and said, "Don''t worry. Even though Orochimaru''s Edo Tensei was very formidable, it has one weakness. Summoning more dead ninjas increases the pressure on his soul. He could barely even move. With his soul injured, it is unlikely he''ll ever be able to control that many rank S ninjas simultaneously. As long as his soul doesn''t recover completely, we don''t need to worry." Fujin asked, "Isn''t his knowledge of souls very deep? What are the chances that he heals his soul?" Hiruzen''s expression became serious. If Orochimaru regained his strength, Konoha could face another calamity. And, Hiruzen wouldn''t be able to save Konoha the next time. Hiruzen sighed and answered, "It is difficult... very difficult. Unfortunately, I can''t say for sure. Did he approach you?" Tsunade nodded, "He claimed he had other means to heal himself. However, I don''t think they can heal his soul completely. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have approached me." Hiruzen agreed, "We can only hope that is the case." Fujin muttered, "Oh well, if luck is with us, he may run into me at some point before he completely recovers. You should rest now, Grandpa. Leave the troubles to us, unless you plan on returning back to the Hokage''s seat." He immediately earned a glare from Hiruzen. Hiruzen warned, "Don''t underestimate him just because he is injured. This is a good time to kill him, but he''ll fight back with all his hidden cards. We still don''t know if he has any more capable subordinates or allies." Tsunade chuckled, "Otogakure is no more and Orochimaru is on the run. I wouldn''t be too worried if he runs into Fujin." Surprise appeared on Hiruzen''s face again. He asked, "What happened when I was unconscious?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Travis for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 845: The Most Valuable Resource! Hiruzen was left in shock when he heard of the various events that had happened. From Kusagakure accepting the most unfair agreement he ever saw, Fujin setting fire to Otogakure and marching on Sunagakure, to solving the long unresolved mysteries surrounding the deaths of Minato and the Third Kazekage, Hiruzen didn''t anticipate either of those events occurring. What shocked Hiruzen most was that Fujin supposedly ''killed'' the masked Uchiha from the Akatsuki. He thought, ''From his description, he sounds just like the person Itachi mentioned in his first report. Though he didn''t know the masked ninja''s abilities, Itachi had the same thoughts as Fujin as well. Unfortunately, he mentioned his existence to me after the Uchiha Massacre had taken place. It was already too late. More absurdly, he claimed that person was Uchiha Madara...'' Hiruzen wasn''t sure what to make of Itachi''s report. Since Itachi didn''t report his abilities, his speculations weren''t as convincing as Fujin''s. Since he claimed the masked ninja to be Uchiha Madara, the report lost more credibility in Hiruzen''s eyes. Hiruzen thought, ''Even if I somehow entertain the absurd thought of Madara fooling Lord First and somehow surviving till now, how can I even explain Madara being forced to use Izanagi to survive against Fujin?'' It was not that Hiruzen looked down on Fujin, but Madara''s power was too out of the world. Even though he was called the ''God of Shinobi'', Hiruzen knew he wouldn''t last more than a few minutes against Madara even in his prime! He fully understood how terrifying Madara and Hashirama were. So, the thought of Fujin killing Madara was beyond absurd for Hiruzen. So was the thought of Madara rescuing the likes of Sasori and Deidara. Hiruzen analyzed, ''While I''m sure he isn''t Madara, his ability is extremely peculiar and troublesome. To become intangible at will... Only techniques equivalent to Fujin''s Wind Domain can counter it effectively. The other ways that could allow us to fight him equally should be Senjutsu, which increases the ninja''s awareness and sensitivity, and other Space Time techniques like Sensei''s Flying Thunder God...'' Hiruzen felt a headache. Obito''s ability was just too absurd. Having Izanagi on top of it was simply disgusting! "Are you fine, Lord Third?" Seeing Hiruzen lost in thoughts, Shizune became worried and asked, snapping him out. Hiruzen nodded and said, "I am. You''ve done an excellent job, Fujin. I couldn''t have done it better myself." Fujin chuckled, "Told you not to worry too much." Hiruzen smiled. For a moment, he felt joyful that the long hours he put into guiding Fujin were finally showing results. Unfortunately, that feeling lasted just for a fleeting moment as Hiruzen wondered in confusion, ''That''s strange. Since when did he become so compassionate? Is it because I''m injured or is he playing something?'' Hiruzen wanted to believe the answer was the former, but his experiences with Fujin made him more than a bit worried. He could only find relief in the fact that Fujin hadn''t put a new problem on his head yet. ¡ª¡ª Even though Hiruzen woke up, his health was still fragile. Tsunade did all she could to help Hiruzen recover as much as he could in a few hours. Thanks to her efforts, Hiruzen was no longer confined to the bed and began walking around. Tsunade finally tasked several veteran Medical Ninjas to take care of his further treatment. The news of Hiruzen getting better spread through Konoha like wildfire. The entire village rejoiced and celebrations broke out. The celebrations continued into the next day as Tsunade officially accepted the post of the Hokage and was appointed the Fifth Hokage! While everyone had heard rumors, the Konoha ninjas were relieved to see it happening officially. Not only was it good for Konoha''s leadership, but it also meant the best medical ninja would permanently reside in Konoha. It was a massive boost to their morale. Of course, the one who rejoiced the most was none other than Hiruzen. The hat had finally been passed! The second happiest person was Shikaku, who was forced to be the Acting Hokage even after Tsunade returned. While he couldn''t retire like Hiruzen, he desperately wanted a complete sleep along with his morning, afternoon and evening naps! As soon as the ceremony was done, he handed over all the paperwork and other tasks to Tsunade. Tsunade''s expression darkened as she noticed his impatience and delight. Shizune awkwardly thought, ''It''s almost as if he can''t wait to run away!'' Shikaku began leaving when Tsunade suddenly said, "Hold it!" Shikaku stopped and asked, "Is there anything else, Lady Tsunade?" Tsunade replied, "There is." She glanced at her Anbu Guards and ordered, "Activate all the seals. Don''t disturb us unless it is something important." The Anbu Guards followed her command and within moments, the Hokage''s office was under lockdown, leaving just Tsunade, Shizune and Shikaku in the room. Before Shikaku could ask anything, Tsunade turned around, sat in her chair, opened a drawer and withdrew a tokkuri. Shizune dumbfoundedly wondered, ''When did Lazy Tsunade put alcohol there?'' Tsunade calmly poured the alcohol into her ochoko, looked at Shikaku and said, "Out with it. Tell me about Fujin''s mission record and every other crazy thing he did to gain Sensei''s interest and trust. Also, tell me why Jiraiya was so reserved while talking about him." Her words immediately piqued Shizune''s interest. She thought, ''The story of the infamous Spectral Swordsman? This should be entertaining. No wonder she brought out her sake.'' Unlike Shizune, Shikaku''s face fell. He sighed and muttered, "I''ll be here all day..." ¡ª¡ª ''Hmm...'' Sitting in his basement, Fujin observed several open scrolls in front of him, each containing information about the human soul. Nearly all of the scrolls were handed to him by Tsunade, with the last one being the one where he was writing down his observations and analysis. Fujin studied the information for a long time before letting out a sigh. He thought, ''No matter what it is, I need a crazy amount of time if I have to become competent in it... Just when I was done with Flying Thunder God, Wind jutsus, Spirit Transformation jutsu, Fuinjutsu and even the Eight Inner Gates to an extent and thought I could relax a bit, I am already swamped with so many new projects... I have to recreate the Lightning Chakra Mode from the Third Raikage''s scroll I stole from Kumogakure and also learn how to infuse more Yang and Yin chakra into Lightning based on his notes and Sakumo''s lecture. I''ll have to see whether I can do something similar with Wind too. Yin-Yang manipulation goes far deeper than I initially thought. The techniques I saw Hiruzen, Orochimaru and Sakumo using were far more advanced than mine. I''ll have to spend a substantial amount of time to advance my jutsus similarly. Then there''s the new stream of Fuinjutsu that the Jashin followers use. Unfortunately, I haven''t had much of a breakthrough there yet. Luckily, I might be able to convince Hiruzen or Tsunade to give me the Edo Tensei jutsu now. Once I reanimate Ketsueki and read his memories, I should finally have my breakthrough. That said, I feel that mastering it would take even longer than normal Fuinjutsu. I also have to continue working on recreating Scorch Release. I''m only a step away, but I have been unable to take that final step. Even though I can easily copy its effects, the real deal still evades me... There are still several other ideas that I want to try out. Though they shouldn''t take much time individually, combined, they might take the longest. And now, I''ve added Soul to my list... Fuck the elemental crystals, I need time crystals!'' Fujin was left speechless. The amount of things he wanted to learn to keep improving never seemed to decrease. Fujin sighed once again and thought, ''I hope nothing serious happens over the next 3 years like in the original story. I need that time. I might need even more... I may have to kidnap a Tailed Beast or two to delay the Fourth War. Anyway, I''ll worry about this later. For now, how does Orochimaru split his soul to implant it in his curse seals?'' Fujin turned his attention back to the scrolls, analyzing what Orochimaru could have done. Though learning how to do it was so far away that Fujin couldn''t even consider it, he was interested to see whether he could figure out its principles with his newly acquired knowledge. ¡ª¡ª "WHAT DID YOU SAY???" Shizune exclaimed in surprise. Disbelief was visible on Tsunade''s face too! Neither could believe Shikaku''s words! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Bernard, Aroachin, Sedan, AR3S, Stefan, Cain, Moses, Anteneh, Mike, Tom, Travis and Saptarsi for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 846: A Terrifying Mission Record! [A/N: Sorry guys, it took a lot longer than I expected. Good news is that I have finally completed the chapter. Hopefully, I can continue without another block. I will aim to get one chapter daily without missing until next Saturday (I''ll be writing on this Saturday). I haven''t checked the comments yet (It''s sadly quite depressing as an author when you get a writer''s block. So, I couldn''t get myself to read them), but I''ll go through the comments in the last couple of chapters tomorrow. Once again, apologies for this unplanned break. I know there weren''t many chapters this week, but I hope you guys have had a good week.] [A/N: The next four chapters are sort of a recap. Take a break if that''s not what you prefer to read.] Shikaku started by telling Tsunade a bit about Fujin''s younger days. Tsunade and Shizune listened with interest but were slightly surprised. Shizune thought, ''That''s weird. Seeing what Fujin achieved at such a young age, I thought his talent would be so extreme that it would dwarf Kakashi''s talent. However, he was rather ordinary in the academy.'' Tsunade had a similar thought, ''He was definitely a genius, but he was more of a normal genius. He wasn''t a generational talent like Kakashi or us. He must be like those from the second category, the ones whose talent blooms as they get older and gain more experience. However, Sensei wouldn''t pay much attention to such a genius. How did he become so interested in Fujin?'' Tsunade soon got her answer when Shikaku mentioned what Fujin asked as a reward for ranking first in his class during graduation. Shizune was too stunned to say anything. Tsunade lost her composure and exclaimed, "A sword made entirely of chakra metal? Did he want to bankrupt the village?" Shikaku chuckled, "I don''t think he knew its true value." His expression became odd as he muttered, "Then again, I''m not sure if he''d have changed his request even if he knew..." Tsunade was left speechless. She thought, ''I was right! His absurdity in the Council Meeting wasn''t a one-off incident. His nature is materialistic to the extreme! Hmm, no, that doesn''t sound right. Based on what I saw and heard, he doesn''t seem materialistic. On the contrary, he is quite generous, especially with Naruto. However, he definitely gets a kick from forcing such deals.'' Tsunade zeroed in on understanding Fujin''s nature. She felt a headache. Though it wasn''t as problematic as Orochimaru''s darkness or immoral like Jiraiya''s pervertness, it was definitely troublesome. As the Hokage, Tsunade understood she''d have to deal with it. Shizune couldn''t think like Tsunade. Instead, she asked curiously, "So, did Lord Third give him such a sword?" Shikaku shook his head. He wasn''t aware of all the details, but he knew that Hiruzen had ''educated'' Fujin and made him change his request. Tsunade nodded and said, "I would have done the same." Shizune glanced at Tsunade and thought, ''That''s assuming you didn''t throw him out first...'' Shikaku continued, "After graduating, he was placed under Renjiro''s tutelage. Renjiro focused on building his team''s basics for a long time before allowing his team to accept the missions. When they finally started, they slaughtered so many bandits that they were known as the Bandit Exterminators..." He mentioned a few incidents that were talked about a lot in the offices in the Hokage Building. While they weren''t thrilling, Tsunade and Shizune realized, ''So, this was the groundwork laid for him to hunt down so many ninjas later that he became a legend in the minor villages...'' Shikaku moved on to the Chunin Exams. Tsunade and Shizune once again had odd expressions when they heard Fujin asking for a reward from Hiruzen in front of everyone for creating a new record in the Forest of Death! Tsunade nervously thought, ''I have to be very careful with my words around this boy... Shit, I hope I haven''t made a mistake already!'' Tsunade had spent a considerable amount of time with Fujin after returning to Konoha. Until Hiruzen recovered, the two were together at all times except for when they slept. She quickly tried to recall whether she had said anything that could result in a headache. Shikaku continued speaking about the final round of the Chunin Exams, the teams Fujin was a part of after he became a Chunin, some of his missions, Fujin becoming a Sealmaster in a short time, the death of one of his original teammates, the defeat his team endured when they fell into Kumogakure''s trap, and the opportunity he provided Hiruzen. Tsunade sighed, ''So, he has his fair share of losses too. Unfortunate, but this is how this world is.'' Shikaku continued, "Fearing Kumogakure''s revenge, Lord Third didn''t send him on any missions following that and decided to include him in the Anbu. Fujin learnt the Mystical Palm jutsu during that time and also signed a summoning contract. Once he joined the Anbu..." Tsunade and Shizune''s interest was piqued once again as they finally reached the fun part. Shikaku recalled several memorable missions that Fujin was a part of. While Hiruzen had known Fujin for a long time, Shikaku had come in contact with him during this period. So, he had a lot more to say. Tsunade and Shizune finally understood why Fujin was so feared in the neighboring countries. Shikaku sighed and said, "During this period, Fujin killed 793 ninjas, including more than a hundred Kirigakure ninjas who were pretending to be rogue..." The final tally left Shizune tongue-tied. She thought, ''No wonder he''s so feared. He probably eliminated a squad or two every week. And, those villages couldn''t even find who was killing them...'' While Tsunade knew a lot more was to come, Shizune thought Shikaku had already mentioned the most thrilling parts. It was why she couldn''t see his next words coming. Shikaku glanced at the ladies and asked, "I am sure the two of you would have heard about the turmoil that happened in the Land of Wind a few years ago, right?" Both nodded. Shizune said, "Yeah, that was strange. Even though we were in a remote town in this country, we heard of a possible civil war breaking out in the Land of Wind due to the Fourth Kazekage''s actions. Things got so out of control that Sunagakure had to make an official statement to calm down their citizens. They blamed unknown rogue ninjas for disguising themselves as Sunagakure ninjas and causing trouble." When things were threatening to go out of hand, Rasa had to make a statement to transfer blame. While the affected people were suspicious of Rasa''s words, the uninvolved people, like Tsunade and Shizune, believed Sunagakure''s statement. It made little sense for Sunagakure to do something like that." Shikaku said, "That''s correct. All that was caused by Fujin." "WHAT DID YOU SAY???" Shizune was caught so off guard that she exclaimed loudly in surprise. Luckily, the seals were activated, otherwise, the Anbu ninjas standing outside would have been shocked by her shout. Disbelief was visible on Tsunade''s face too! She couldn''t believe Shikaku''s words! She immediately asked, "What do you mean? He must have been only 13 back then. Did Sensei send him on such a mission at that young age?" Shikaku nodded, "Yes. He had been sent to the Land of Wind for his Anbu Captain promotion mission..." Tsunade interrupted Shikaku, "Something doesn''t add up. We should have been weak back then. Be it the losses of the Nine Tails incident or the Uchiha massacre. Sensei wouldn''t make such a risky move at such a time..." Shikaku nodded once again, "He didn''t..." Confusion appeared on Tsunade and Shizune''s faces. Neither could understand what Shikaku was implying. Before they could analyze, Shikaku continued, "Our Anbu Captain promotion missions used to be kept vague to evaluate the candidate better. Fujin wasn''t ordered to do anything so drastic. He just assumed that it was expected of him and did it." "..." Neither knew what to say. Despite having rich experiences and having seen all sorts of tragedies, this was still the most absurd thing Tsunade heard. A 13-year-old ninja nearly started a civil war in one of the five major countries merely to ensure he got promoted in the Anbu. Tsunade couldn''t wrap her head around this. Despite it being several years and having seen more of Fujin''s accomplishments, Shikaku was the same. Even though he understood Fujin far better now, he still couldn''t understand how Fujin reached that conclusion. He stayed silent for a few minutes, allowing Tsunade and Shizune to calm down. Finally, Tsunade sighed and said, "Alright, tell me what more absurd things he has done. No need to mention any of the routine stuff." Shikaku nodded, "Well, a few months after becoming the Anbu Captain, his team ran into an Ambush set up by Iwagakure. They wanted to kill a faction in Kusagakure, which was being protected by Fujin''s squad. We had anticipated it, which is why his squad was sent. What we didn''t anticipate was that Iwagakure would send Roshi..." Tsunade became serious. Roshi and Han''s Tailed Beast Bombs were a huge threat to her. She couldn''t take either of them lightly. Even without transforming into his tailed beast, Roshi was still a formidable ninja. She asked, "How did he get away?" Shikaku answered, "He fought against Roshi, buying time for his team to retreat. The mission was successful and most of the Iwagakure ninjas were dead. I''m unaware of the details, but he forced Roshi to use the Tailed Beast Bomb and escaped using Reverse Summoning jutsu." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank you everyone who supported me on P@treon despite my writer''s block! Chapter 847: A Terrifying Mission Record (2) "So Fujin was the one who forced Roshi to use the Tailed Beast Bomb in a foreign country..." Tsunade muttered in disbelief. That incident had created shockwaves throughout the minor villages. A Great Village like Iwagakure sending their Jinchuriki to neighboring countries alarmed them. Most people knew it, though almost no one knew why it happened. It was the first time Tsunade and Shizune heard it. Tsunade thought for a moment and asked, "Was he already rank S back then?" Shizune was surprised. She thought, ''She''s right. Only rank S ninjas could force a monster like Roshi to this extent. Still, attaining rank S at just 14 despite not showing any overwhelming talent until he joined Anbu... Didn''t his strength increase too rapidly since joining the Anbu?'' Shikaku answered, "I had the same doubts, but Lord Third didn''t think so. Even though he pushed Roshi to that extent, he was defeated in the end. From what Fujin said, he barely managed to get away and was severely injured too." Tsunade realized, ''I see. So it wasn''t overwhelming strength, but rather his combat skills must be overwhelming to force Roshi into a corner. However, this is even more impressive. No wonder he managed to face Orochimaru multiple times without losing.'' Shikaku continued, moving on to the incident in the Land of Water where Fujin''s squad was sent to make a deal with Terumi Mei and rescue Renjiro''s team. After learning all the details, Tsunade said, "Not bad. Having Terumi Mei, who''ll likely be the Fifth Mizukage if the rebels win, owe him a favor is very handy. Sensei made a good move. Though, I didn''t expect Sensei to ''rescue'' the Kiri orphans. I suppose these are the same kids that Inoichi referred to in the meeting." Shikaku nodded, "Yes. They were initially given to Elder Danzo since he was the one who continued the operations until it became too risky. Due to a strange twist of fate, they eventually ended up in Fujin''s care." His words intrigued Tsunade, who thought, ''He stole Danzo''s recruits? That''s even more impressive than forcing Roshi!'' She quickly said, "That sounds interesting. What happened?" Shikaku explained the way in which Root was targeted by an unknown ninja. The scale of the attack surprised her and Shizune, but what shocked Shizune more was Danzo spying on a Council Member without any permission. Of course, Tsunade wasn''t surprised by it. What surprised her was how badly such a small misdemeanor forced Danzo to pay a heavy price. She thought, ''Incredible! After all the shit he has done, he lost merely for spying on Fujin? I guess the clan leaders took the opportunity to gang up on him. No wonder he hasn''t shown his face yet.'' She asked, "Who was the mysterious attacker?" Shikaku answered, "We didn''t know for a long time. Even now, we aren''t sure. But, we suspect that it was Akuro, the ninja who humiliated Kumogakure. Sadly, Elder Danzo refused to acknowledge anything his subordinates might have done to piss off that blight." Tsunade frowned and grumbled, "That''s troublesome... Akuro''s actions in Kumogakure were so disgusting that even I heard everything about that incident. When did this happen? Did he do anything after that attack?" Shikaku answered, "It''s been slightly over a year. And no, there have been no attacks since Root was officially disbanded, except for 10 ninjas who still follow Danzo and maintain his laboratory." Tsunade thought and said, "Good. It must not have been too serious then. Continue." Shikaku said, "The next major event also involves Iwagakure. Due to his clash with Roshi, they somehow deduced his identity and set a deadly trap in the Land of Waterfall. They did an excellent job as none of us saw it coming. The trap was set by one of their Fuinjutsu Grandmasters with over a hundred ninjas waiting to ambush him. Leading them was Kitsuchi. Fujin also said that the entire group was somehow trained to counter his fast-paced style of combat and could deal with nearly all of his attacks." Once again, the two ladies were shocked. Shizune wondered, ''Roshi, Mei and now Kitsuchi... Isn''t he running into too many top-tier ninjas since the Land of Wind incident?'' She curiously asked, "How did he get away from such a trap?" Shikaku plainly answered, "He used his flying summon openly for the first time, catching Iwagakure ninjas off guard. They had only prepared to face Fujin and not to face him while being attacked from the sky. Of course, it was still a very difficult battle. The reports said he forced a high number of ninjas into the ground to avoid his attacks. He confronted Kitsuchi while his clones used Geyser Creation jutsu to create cracks in the ground and used a thousand explosion tags to trap the Iwagakure ninjas underground and kill them later. In the end, he killed 47 ninjas, left a scar on Kitsuchi, and escaped on his summon with his team when they were sneak attacked by someone with Explosion Release." The eyes of the two ladies widened. They both had a similar thought, ''Did Iwagakure set the ambush or did Fujin do so?'' The result of the battle was simply absurd. The two didn''t even know what to say. Shikaku continued, "Following this trap, Fujin''s frequency of going on missions became very low since he focused more on his training. A few months later, he led his squad to a mission in the Land of Hot Water and ended up confronting Biwa Juzo and Hoshigaki Kisame. He killed Juzo and stalled Kisame until Mangetsu appeared and attacked Kisame." Tsunade muttered, "I suppose this is when it became official." Shikaku nodded, "Yes, this fight proved he was indeed a rank S ninja. To become one at the tender age of 14 was quite an accomplishment." Tsunade nodded. Fujin, despite not showing extraordinary talent in the academy, had accomplished more in his early teens than the Sannins. His growth had been quite shocking. Shizune couldn''t wrap her head around it, but Tsunade guessed, ''He must have abused the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu until the limit. He may have also used soldier pills to stay awake for days. There is no way anyone could progress at such a speed otherwise!'' Tsunade was in awe at Fujin''s perseverance while being worried at the same time. While every genius in Konoha was aware of this trick and had used it at some point, none had continued using it for years. At the same time, using Multi Shadow Clone jutsu for extended periods of time wasn''t exactly safe. Using soldier pills alongside was even worse. So, Tsunade was concerned for Fujin''s long-term health. She asked, "So, how did he change?" Shizune didn''t understand her, but Shikaku did. Every ninja went through changes after reaching rank S. For some, it''d be very subtle and almost unnoticeable, while others would change drastically. Shikaku muttered, "Honestly, he didn''t change much apart from being more confident. The only major change was that he left the Anbu and started devoting even more time to his training. This was also the time when he took Naruto under his wing." Tsunade thought, ''Interesting. He''s more like Sakumo and Minato in this regard than us. I didn''t think that''d be the case seeing how shameless he is.'' Luckily, she couldn''t hear Shikaku''s thoughts. Shikaku could only complain in his heart, ''The only real change was that he started creating even bigger messes and became very liberal in dumping them on my or Third''s head. However, she can learn this later. It''ll be troublesome if she quits on the first day. We need her to stay at least until we can force Fujin or Kakashi to accept this job.'' Shikaku hid his thoughts well and continued, "Following his departure from the Anbu, Lord Third created a new position in the council to represent the civilian ninjas and appointed him. I believe he wanted to use his unique nature to give us an advantage in negotiations, which is why he frequently took Fujin along on diplomatic missions even when he was in the Anbu. Since you know how the talks with Sunagakure went, I''m sure you understand his intent." Tsunade nodded. Fujin''s role in the negotiations was simply too critical. Without him, Konoha would have been forced to compromise considerably. Even she or Jiraiya couldn''t have done a better job than Fujin since their natures were already well known. They couldn''t pretend to be as unpredictable or outrageous as Fujin. Shikaku added, "His time as a council member has been rather eventful too. You should pay attention to the ideas he proposes. They''re quite unique and revolutionary. Once they''re implemented properly, the academy will become quite different from what you or anyone else remembers." He mentioned the ideas Fujin proposed to make changes to the academy''s curriculum and teaching methods. He also mentioned Katsuhiro''s proposal and how Fujin tweaked it to get everyone aboard. Tsunade and Shizune, who were already beyond impressed by Fujin''s fighting abilities, didn''t expect Fujin to have this side too. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sloth, Matt, Yazeed, Kay4t, M9, Alan, Elo, Rezwan, Shadow, Julian and Ludvig for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 848: An Emotional Rollercoaster! ''Not only does Fujin have terrifying combat capabilities, but he also has an innovative mind. He also had early success as a diplomat and managed to restrict Danzo. Though it should be the clan leaders who forced Sensei''s hand, it still shows his political acuity... No wonder Sensei has such high hopes for him and has taken so many steps to improve Fujin''s political standing. Creating a new position of the council, giving him Root trainees and letting him experience diplomacy at a young age... He must have also worked in the background to shield Fujin from political moves from the ones not happy about this. Considering our next goal is to improve the village''s strength to the next level, Fujin will be critical in more than one way.'' Until a few minutes ago, Tsunade just admired Fujin''s combat strength, perseverance and found his diplomatic tactics amusing. However, her focus had changed to his innovative nature. She knew that Konoha would experience a period of peace. Combat prowess won''t be too useful during such a period. Instead, the nurturing skills would take forefront until the world became chaotic again. She could see that just the changes to the academy and the establishment of the Guidance Hall would result in a qualitative change in Konoha''s forces. Unless the other Great Villages copied them, Konoha would have a terrifying edge in the next war. Tsunade continued analyzing, ''Also, just as I thought, he isn''t greedy. Despite having an opportunity to earn hundreds of millions of Ryo or even over a billion, he selflessly gave everything to the village. He just gets a kick out of making deals like those...'' Tsunade''s hunch was confirmed when Shikaku informed her that Fujin didn''t try to make any money from the Guidance Hall. As a result, his impression on her mind became much better. However, if she knew Fujin treated corrupt nobles as his personal bank, who could say what her thoughts would be? Or, if she knew that the ''Hokage'' wasn''t safe from Fujin''s tendencies, would she still have such an impression of Fujin? She said, "That''s impressive. I didn''t expect Fujin to have so many talents. Did he take any missions while in the Council?" Shikaku nodded, "Yes, but very few were voluntarily. He just takes all elimination missions in a particular area once a while to kill his boredom. The rest were all specifically requested by Lord Third." Tsunade nodded and said, "Once again, just tell me the important ones." Shikaku said, "Well, the first one was in the Land of Hot Water, where he went to solve the mysteries of several missing ninjas. It ended up being a hunt for a Jashin fanatic called Hidan, who also attracted Akatsuki''s attention. Fujin solved the mystery and chased after him in the Land of Frost, until he had another encounter with Akatsuki. He took on Kakuzu, a formidable rogue ninja, and destroyed one of his hearts. Unfortunately, the two were evenly matched and Fujin couldn''t destroy his remaining 4 hearts. He retreated after Itachi and a rank S kunoichi showed up. As per our reports, Hidan has joined Akatsuki and became Kakuzu''s partner." Tsunade sighed, "His ability still feels so weird. A ninja with five hearts, who kills teammates like Kaminari... Who could have created such a messed up group?" Shikaku answered, "Unfortunately, we have no idea. Fujin''s speculation is the first clue we have about any possible leaders of that organization. In the future, we have to pay careful attention to any news coming from them. I have a gut feeling that they''ll be a greater threat than other villages." Tsunade nodded. An organization with so many rank S ninjas was a great threat to every village. While a small group of rank S ninjas couldn''t take on thousands of ninjas led by a couple of rank S ninjas, they could easily kill hundreds and retreat before the village could mobilize their entire force. Shikaku continued, "Regardless, this mission brought us an unexpected surprise. The cave where Hidan did his ritual was filled with seals that are completely new to us. Fujin copied some and we sent a couple of Grandmasters to get the remaining. Unfortunately, none of our Grandmasters have had much luck in cracking these seals." Tsunade muttered, "Interesting, I''ll take a look at them later..." Shikaku nodded and said, "That also makes Hidan important for us. If we can capture him and read his mind, we may get clues regarding this seal. Unfortunately, that''s easier said than done. We don''t even know what his abilities are..." Tsunade said, "Alright, we''ll keep an eye out for him. Which other missions did Fujin go on?" Shikaku said, "The next important mission he went to was in the Land of Rivers. There were reports of Suna ninjas being spotted around Yamakawa town and a couple of our squads went missing in that country. Fujin went to investigate and found 22 Suna ninjas, including a Grandmaster, hiding in a base under the Yamakawa family''s mansion. However, the town was assaulted by Sasori before Fujin could take action." Shizune muttered, "Another encounter with Akatsuki? Isn''t it too frequent?" Shikaku replied, "Not really, the missions were a long time apart. Also, he was sent because they were tricky and could attract a lot of curious gazes, something proven true by Akatsuki''s involvement. Anyway, he killed the Sunagakure ninjas using the distraction provided by Sasori and later confronted him. I''m not aware of the details, but he escaped after stealing around fifty of Sasori''s puppets." Shikaku''s tone was a bit awkward towards the end. Needless to say, Tsunade and Shizune, especially Tsunade, were looking at Shikaku with disbelief. She asked, "Can you repeat that again?" Shikaku sighed, "You heard it right. It should be the Wind jutsu he displayed during the attack on the village. Fujin probably used it to cut Sasori''s chakra threads. But yeah, I was as shocked as you." Shizune thought, ''What a crazy guy! Puppeteers treat their puppets like their own children. And yet, he stole around fifty? I''m surprised Sasori didn''t assault Konoha before Orochimaru did!'' Tsunade was at a loss for words. The good feeling she had earlier was once again shaky. Thankfully, Shikaku added, "He gave most of the puppets to Lord Third since he wanted to establish a puppeteer division in Konoha. Several talented ninjas with interest in puppets are currently working with them and getting used to their mechanics." Tsunade thought, ''Alright... Though bizarre, he did it for the village. It''ll make Konoha stronger.'' Shikaku continued, "His next major was a diplomatic one to Kusagakure. I know you know the terms of the deal, but you should know how he made it..." His wording intrigued Tsunade and Shizune. They listened carefully as Shikaku described the scenario as Homura had described it to him long ago. The ladies were horrified to learn how he threatened their entire leadership! Neither had anything to say. They could only silently wonder whether Fujin went for diplomacy or to declare war. What was even more absurd was that they already knew the talks were a success and Kusagakure had accepted this unfair proposal! Tsunade had stopped drinking by now. The barrage of shocking revelations forced her to stay sober. She asked, "What all crazy things did he do?" Shikaku said, "Quite a few, though here onwards, most of it was sanctioned by Lord Third or me. That said, he exceeded our expectations each time. Feeling something off, Lord Third asked Fujin to proctor the second round of Chunin Exams. He ended up facing Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and surprised everyone by forcing him to retreat." Tsunade and Shizune nodded. They had heard about this battle in detail from Jiraiya. Of course, it was what followed that shocked them to their core. Shikaku continued, "Lord Third used this surprising event to trap the curious spies. As we expected, all Iwagakure and Kumogakure spies stepped into it and were captured. We read their memories and destroyed their intelligence network in and around the Land of Fire. However, we first used it to trick Kumogakure into sending their Raikage and Killer Bee to hunt Fujin. While they travelled to our border, Fujin sneaked alone into the Land of Lightning and closed in on the forward bases Kumogakure had created. Lord Third wanted to weaken Kumogakure to ensure that they wouldn''t be in a position to take advantage if Sunagakure and Orochimaru attacked us. So, Fujin''s mission was to eliminate every Kumogakure ninja in at least 3 of the 10 bases." The mission shocked Shizune, but Tsunade wasn''t too surprised. She had seen Hiruzen and Danzo do such stuff too frequently to ensure Konoha held an advantage. Yet, even her pupils dilated and eyes widened in horror as she heard Shikaku''s next words. Shikaku stated, "He exceeded our expectations and eliminated 6 bases, killing 658 Kumogakure ninjas and another 83 from the traps he placed." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Thomas, Paolo, Calbear, Ian, Dracule, Vong, Doh, Pottier, mukut, Yamir, Conner, Mo, Aden and Hunter for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 849: Tsunades smile... Chapter 849: Tsunade''s smile... ''He k... he kill... he killed 658 ninjas? And another 83 died... from the traps he placed?'' Shizune completely lost her composure. She couldn''t even form her thoughts properly. Though Tsunade didn''t lose her composure, she was equally shocked. Even though Hiruzen and Danzo engaged in such acts frequently, she had never heard either of them ever killing so many ninjas outside the Great Wars. More often than not, their covert operations would only eliminate a few squads at a time. Killing 741 ninjas from the same village during peacetime in a single mission was completely outrageous. Before either of them could say anything, Shikaku added, "All of them were elite ninjas, who the Raikage was grooming for the next major war. That is why Kumogakure has been quiet despite the chaos caused by Orochimaru and Sunagakure." Tsunade''s eyes twitched as she thought, ''741 elite ninjas... That''s enough to take out most minor villages. Ay''s heart must have bled... To be played so badly by Sensei, having his ninjas slaughtered by Fujin, and then getting humiliated by Akuro. Hmm?'' She asked, "Does Akuro''s involvement have anything to do with us or Fujin? I know you said we haven''t confirmed whether he was the one who attacked Root, but this is too coincidental, isn''t it?" Shikaku answered, "We felt it too, but no, it wasn''t. Kumogakure was just unlucky..." Shikaku explained how Kumogakure pissed Akuro off by disturbing his meal and how he reacted. The ladies were left without words again. Despite having seen a myriad of peculiar ninjas, Tsunade hadn''t seen anyone as unreasonable as Akuro. Shizune muttered, "Kumogakure just jumped on the axe, didn''t they?" Shikaku nodded, "Not once, but twice." Shizune immediately realized, ''That''s right! There was no reason for them to hunt Fujin. If they didn''t try to do so, Lord Third wouldn''t have risked sending Fujin there...'' Tsunade said, "Tell me all the details about this mission. What were those military camps? Why did they have such a high number of ninjas? And, how did Fujin kill so many ninjas?" Shikaku nodded and informed Tsunade everything about the mission, or at least as much as he was aware. After all, Fujin never explained how he eliminated 6 bases. So, Shikaku could only speculate. As they learnt about the finer details, their shock slightly subsided. Instead, they marveled even more at Fujin''s capabilities. Tsunade analyzed, ''To eliminate 6 bases, that were hundreds of kilometers from each other and consisted of over a hundred ninjas each, so quickly, efficiently and stealthily... This isn''t just a testimony to his strength. Even if I, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had attacked together, we couldn''t have stopped them from sending a message back to Kumogakure. To do this, he must have needed Fuinjutsu or barriers to stop any attempts to contact their village. In addition, his flying summon had to be fast enough to make the trips between the bases very quickly. Most importantly, he needed to eliminate everyone in the base quickly to reduce variables.'' The third point no longer surprised Tsunade. Considering what Fujin had done during and following the attack, Tsunade knew that was the easiest part for Fujin. It was the others that startled her. Luckily, it wasn''t too much for her to take due to everything she had heard so far. Tsunade continued analyzing, ''In addition, he also set traps in every base... Traps that were so thorough that even a Grandmaster failed to detect them. His Fuinjutsu skills are far better than I imagined. Of course, in order to do all of this, his planning and strategy skills also needed to be top-notch. However, considering what he did in the Land of Rice, this isn''t surprising either.'' Unlike Tsunade, who quickly accepted it and began analyzing, Shizune was still in a daze. Due to having left with Tsunade at a young age, she hadn''t seen the world as much as her mentor. While she knew of the tragedies of war, she couldn''t wrap her head around killing hundreds of ninjas during peacetime irrespective of the objectives. She turned her head towards Tsunade to say something, but her words stayed in her throat as she wondered in surprise, ''Lady Tsunade is smiling?'' She couldn''t understand why Tsunade would smile. However, after being Hiruzen''s advisor for so long, Shikaku could read her thoughts at a glance. He thought, ''As expected. For a leader, there''s nothing more pleasing than having a weapon like Fujin.'' Shikaku didn''t judge her. As much as Fujin loved creating headaches for Shikaku, Shikaku was more than glad to have him. Without Fujin, Shikaku''s headaches would have been far greater. Shikaku said, "As for the events of the Chunin Exam, I''m sure Lord Jiraiya has already informed you about the same." Tsunade nodded. She also knew what happened after the battle since she and Jiraiya grilled him on the day they returned to the village. As such, she expected Shikaku to be done. To her surprise, he said, "Actually, there is another thing that happened that I didn''t tell you earlier since I wanted you to focus on healing Lord Third." Tsunade wasn''t offended. The very reason she didn''t accept the seat for nearly a couple of weeks was to heal Hiruzen. She asked, "What is it?" Shikaku awkwardly said, "When Fujin was in the Land of Rice with his army, he found several Kumogakure squads sneaking around. He had the army eliminate all of them secretly. Along with Otogakure ninjas, 206 Kumogakure ninjas met their end. He didn''t leave behind any proof that could connect their deaths to us though. So, we can feign ignorance and blame it on Orochimaru if Kumogakure ever tried to raise this issue. However, we should stay on guard." ''...'' Tsunade and Shizune were left speechless for the last time. Shizune muttered to herself, ''He''s too relentless...'' At the same time, Tsunade thought, ''He doesn''t let go of any opportunity!'' Shikaku sighed and muttered lazily, "Well, that''s all of his sealed missions. If ther..." Shizune interrupted him and asked, "I don''t understand. If Fujin did all this, shouldn''t he have been famous a long time ago? Why was he only famous as the Spectral Swordsman until he faced Orochimaru?" Shikaku sighed again, this time showing how exhausted he was, and answered, "It''s because no one knows he did them. No one else in Konoha knows he was the one behind the events in the Land of Wind. Even Sunagakure only has speculations. His clash against Roshi, Kitsuchi and Juzo are only known to his Anbu subordinates while his fight against Kakuzu is only known to his teammates in that mission. His actions in Yamakawa town and the Land of Lightning are a secret too. Considering the sensitive nature of these missions and the number of ninjas he killed while in Anbu, we could only deny knowing anything about it..." Shizune replied, "I understand. However, was Fujin really alright with you keeping nearly all his major accomplishments a secret?" Youngsters were generally quite hot-headed. They chased after fame and cared about their reputation. From Shizune''s perspective, Fujin, with his unbelievable strength, should have been even more enthusiastic about gaining fame. Shikaku understood her thoughts and chuckled, "He was the one who asked us to keep most of it hidden. Lord Third wanted to improve his reputation for a long time but couldn''t due to this. It was only due to Orochimaru that Lord Third finally found an opportunity." Surprised, Tsunade thought, ''Impressive. At such a young age, even Jiraiya, Orochimaru and I wanted fame and acknowledgment. Minato was no different either. For Fujin to keep so many things a secret...'' Shikaku looked at her and recommended, "Lady Tsunade, I would advise you to keep these events a secret. Not only would they bring trouble to the village, but Fujin wouldn''t be pleased either. Besides, there''s no need to increase his fame any further. All villages are aware of him and consider him a major threat by now. Tsunade nodded. Shikaku said, "That''s everything, Lady Tsunade. I''ll take my leave now." Before Tsunade could give him another task, Shikaku escaped. Tsunade grumbled, "He''s as lazy as ever. Couldn''t he give me a brief rundown on which files I should focus on?" Tsunade sighed and turned her gaze to Shizune. She instructed, "Let''s get to work, Shizune. By the end of the day, I want to get a hang of all the files here and rearrange them." "Yes, Lady Tsunade," Shizune replied obediently and began assisting her. Thanks to Shikaku and Jiraiya, Tsunade understood the state of the village. Rearranging the files wasn''t much of an issue for her. She also had time to take a look at several other important matters. As the Sun set, Tsunade sat in her chair, looking unsurely at a file in front of her. She let out a sigh and muttered, "This is too complicated... What a troubled kid..." She glanced towards the ceiling and muttered, "Ask Sensei to visit me tomorrow morning. I need his view on a matter." [A/N: Apologies for the erratic release schedule. Have had a tough time writing for the past few days. However, today it felt like I''m getting my rhythm back. Won''t make any promises but I''m keeping my fingers crossed. Have a good day :) ] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Dev, Humlocks, Agusto, Reginald, z2567, Thanpisit, Ryan, Benjamin, Kay4t, Kaiyuto, V Stan, Rial, THEN_XY, Teddy, Ian and Brandon for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 850: Another Student? A few hours after Sun rose, Hiruzen strolled into the Hokage Building. Unlike the previous times, he was completely relaxed. He thought, ''It''s been so long since I didn''t have many responsibilities. I got a short respite when Minato succeeded me. It''s a shame that it ended so quickly...'' Even though he was far weaker and in tremendous pain, not having the pressure of what came with the seat relaxed Hiruzen. He walked into his old office calmly. Looking at his student buried in paperwork brought back some of his memories. Luckily, he could afford to smile this time since he didn''t have to do them. His peaceful smile annoyed Tsunade. She thought, ''He sure is enjoying life after burying me in paperwork!'' He said, "You seem to be recovering well, Sensei. Are you missing your old job?" Realizing his thoughts were being read, he coughed and said, "I''m just happy to see you in this chair. Even though it''s much later than I hoped, I''m glad it happened." As he spoke, Hiruzen thought, ''The injuries and retirement have affected my mental state. I am too relaxed, making it far easier to read me. I need to work on this before working on my chakra control.'' Needless to say, his words didn''t fool Tsunade. Unlike others, she knew Hiruzen too well. She turned her attention to a file in front of her and said, "You''re losing your game, Sensei. Anyway, I need your help with this. It''s so messed up that I don''t have any idea of how to approach him..." Hiruzen was surprised. He walked forward and sat on the chair Shizune placed opposite Tsunade. He picked up the file and muttered, "Uchiha Sasuke? Why was he admitted?" Tsunade answered, "Yoshi found his mental state off and forced him to be admitted. His suspicions were correct. This kid is a complete mess. Then again, it ain''t surprising..." Hiruzen became serious. Considering how Itachi had sacrificed, he couldn''t let his brother suffer. However, he was confused and wondered, ''That''s strange. Wasn''t he doing well? He also picked up Kakashi''s Chidori and improved his Taijutsu drastically... Could it be Orochimaru''s curse seal?'' He looked at Tsunade and asked, "What do you mean it isn''t surprising? Is the seal out of control?" Tsunade asked in surprise, "You don''t know?" She immediately realized, ''That''s right. Fujin never ran into Itachi and hence never mentioned him. Since Sensei is still recovering, others haven''t burdened him with the messier stuff...'' Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and asked, "What happened?" Tsunade informed him about Itachi and Kisame''s visit to the village and their encounter with Naruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya. Hiruzen''s expression became even more serious. Placing his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his palms, Hiruzen entered into a deep thought. He analyzed, ''Itachi visited... Hmm, he must be warning Danzo and others from making a move on Sasuke since my status was unknown. However, why would he harm Sasuke to such an extent? He should know that his actions would only push Sasuke to do something drastic like accepting the darkness and seeking Orochimar...'' His eyes widened as it suddenly clicked in his mind, ''Wait, that''s it... He''s pushing Sasuke to become faster quickly. This means...'' Tsunade noticed his reaction and asked, "Did you figure out something, Sensei?" Hiruzen sighed, "No, it''s just a pity to see Sasuke suffer so much. Let me read Yoshi''s report first." In order to not make Tsunade suspicious, he opened the file and read while his thoughts were in a different place. Hiruzen sighed internally as he realized, ''Itachi''s illness must be worse than what he reported. If he doesn''t have a long time to live, his actions would make some sense, though I still don''t agree with it. In a way, this is not only a message for Sasuke, but also to me. He increased Sasuke''s thirst for strength and hopes I satisfy it so that Sasuke can avenge the Uchiha clan before Itachi succumbs to his illness. If I can''t, he wants Sasuke to pursue Orochimaru''s help. Of course, it''ll be very risky, but Orochimaru must have been forced to change his body by now. Itachi must believe that Sasuke would have the strength to kill Orochimaru by the time he can change his body again...'' While Hiruzen understood Itachi''s confidence in his younger brother, it didn''t change how risky the whole thing was. Hiruzen''s current state was due to none other than Orochimaru. Unlike Itachi, he had no confidence in Sasuke killing Orochimaru. Naturally, he preferred to let Sasuke get stronger in Konoha''s safe environment. He thought, ''I can only ask Kakashi to quicken up Sasuke''s trainin... hmm?'' Hiruzen felt troubled. Just as he decided to let Kakashi increase Sasuke''s training, he read in Yoshi''s report that Sasuke didn''t think of Kakashi as capable enough to teach him. Hiruzen analyzed, ''There is no doubt that Kakashi is the best person to teach Sasuke. Be it the Sharingan, Lightning nature or Kakashi''s vast array of jutsus and expertise. He''s even more suitable than me to teach Sasuke. Unfortunately, due to his loss against Itachi, Kakashi''s image has drastically fallen in Sasuke''s mind. He won''t be satisfied if I force him to keep training under Kakashi. However, who do I appoint to train Sasuke?'' Even though Kakashi was the optimal candidate, Hiruzen understood Sasuke''s emotions perfectly. He realized forcing Sasuke would have a negative result. Unfortunately, there weren''t many options. Hiruzen thought, ''The only ones with a greater prestige than Kakashi are Jiraiya, Tsunade, myself and Fujin. Jiraiya''s teaching style doesn''t suit Sasuke. Neither does Tsunade''s style. I could train him, but in my current state, he might respect me even less than Kakashi. That only leaves Fujin... However...'' Hiruzen felt another headache. Normal missions were one thing, but asking Fujin for personal favors was very expensive. Hiruzen didn''t want to have such a conversation with Fujin so quickly after waking up. He wasn''t sure whether his soul could handle such an intense battle. Though he could let Tsunade handle it, he had a feeling he would regret not aiding her. Hiruzen thought, ''I''ve to be there. Anyway, should I do that?'' Hiruzen fell even deeper in thoughts. For some time, he forgot everything around him, focusing entirely on this troublesome matter. He didn''t turn the pages in the file for several minutes. "You''ve been thinking for quite a while, Sensei. Is everything alright?" Tsunade asked. She knew that Hiruzen was still suffering tremendously and was concerned for his health. Hiruzen turned his gaze towards Tsunade. The look in his eyes surprised Tsunade. Never before in her life had she ever seen Hiruzen being so unsure. She could see the intense struggle happening inside him even though she didn''t know what it was. Hiruzen, the man who didn''t hesitate to become the decoy to let his comrades and sensei escape, hesitated long and hard before coming to a decision. He let out a long sigh and muttered, "Shizune, bring Jiraiya here." Shizune was surprised but followed immediately. Hiruzen softly said, "You guys, secure the office." Tsunade''s Anbu Guards flickered out of the room and activated all the seals. Before Tsunade could ask, Hiruzen said, "There''s something you should know. But, let''s wait for Jiraiya to come here." Tsunade nodded. The two waited in silence for Jiraiya to come. The confusion in Hiruzen''s mind slowly faded away during this time. He became more sure of his decision. When Jiraiya returned, Hiruzen asked Shizune to stay outside. Jiraiya asked, "Is everything alright?" Hiruzen replied, "It is, but there''s something you should hear too. Take a seat." Jiraiya grabbed a chair and became comfortable as he and Tsunade wondered what Hiruzen wanted to say. As Hiruzen began speaking, surprise appeared on their faces. In the next few minutes, their surprise changed to shock, which quickly changed to disbelief and by the end, they were completely stunned. Hiruzen could only see the grim expressions on his two students. Jiraiya and Tsunade stayed silent for a long time, unable to digest the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre! Even in their wildest dreams, they didn''t imagine something like this would have happened when neither of them were in the village. Finally, Jiraiya muttered, "To think things deteriorated to such an extent... You should have called me, Sensei." Hiruzen sighed, "That was my plan. With you in the village, the Uchiha Clan would have been more careful and that would have bought me the time to negotiate with the Uchiha clan. Unfortunately, Danzo went around me and influenced Itachi to do something so drastic. Not that it reduces my fault. I completely failed to handle this matter properly. It was the greatest mistake I committed during my tenure. With Fujin''s recent findings, it''s almost certain that we were wrong to suspect the Uchiha clan. If true, this was a colossal failure on my part." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Aeonstorm, Palikka, Jean, Mr Falcon, Jeppe, Rogerick and Pham for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 851: Jiraiyas Shock u0026 Disbelief! Tsunade and Jiraiya stared at their old Sensei for a long time. They wanted to scold Hiruzen for letting things deteriorate to such an extent, but both could feel the sincerity on his face, accompanied by guilt and regret. Unfortunately, neither his guilt nor his regret could undo his mistake. The Uchiha Clan, one of the two founding clans of Konoha, had been betrayed by the very same village they helped create. Tsunade sighed, "As much as I want to argue with you for allowing something like this to happen, we share the blame too. Had we been in the village, things could have been different." Jiraiya sighed as well. Suddenly, Tsunade''s expression hardened. She said, "I won''t blame you anymore regarding this matter. However, I can''t ignore it either. I acknowledge the efforts they put in the village, but I don''t want to be advised by the ones who allowed things to deteriorate to this extent. I''ll remove Elder Koharu and Elder Homura from the council." Jiraiya agreed with Tsunade. While the crimes against the Uchiha clan could never be reversed and even their perpetrators would never receive any punishment, letting them enjoy the same powers and privilege crossed all lines. Now that Tsunade had taken charge, there was no reason to let them continue. Both looked at Hiruzen, who traditionally protected his old teammates. Hiruzen thought for a bit and sighed, "I understand. However, neither will accept it without resisting since you can''t tell this to everyone. They''ll also become hostile towards me and assume I threw them under the bus since I''ll keep my seat on the council." Jiraiya frowned and asked, "Are you still defending them? You of all people should understand the gravity of this incident." Hiruzen shook his head and answered, "I''m not. It''s just a natural feeling to have. Luckily, there''s a simple solution. I''ll resign from my seat too. That should make them accept the situation. Hokuto or Asuma can represent the Sarutobi clan in the council." Hiruzen''s words surprised his students. One had to remember that Hiruzen had been leading Konoha''s council for too long. While he shared blame too, neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya wanted to blame him and instead wanted to focus on the remaining elders. Of course, this showed a certain bias, but neither cared much about it. It wasn''t as if they needed to answer to anyone. "Sensei..." Tsunade muttered. Hiruzen smiled and said, "It''s fine. I have been in power for too long. Accepting it back after Minato''s death was a mistake. Besides, this will also give you a perfect cover. Danzo is already not on the council. Koharu and Homura leaving would have raised eyebrows. However, this way you can send a message that Konoha is moving past the old generation and the younger generation is taking charge." Tsunade sighed, "If you''re fine with it, then alright." She turned her attention back to Sasuke''s file and muttered, "I still don''t understand Itachi''s actions. Why did he treat his brother in such a manner?" Hiruzen explained his earlier analysis to Jiraiya and Tsunade. Though Itachi''s illness was surprising, Jiraiya and Tsunade could no longer feel any surprise due to the shocking information Hiruzen had given earlier. Jiraiya muttered, "Though I understand his thoughts, this is too risky. Sending Sasuke to Orochimaru will be no different than killing him." Tsunade added, "I agree. But, if he isn''t satisfied with Kakashi, who do we ask to train him? I can''t think of anyone more qualified than Kakashi in Konoha. My and your skill sets are completely different and Sensei is in no condition to train him right now." Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, there''s only one possible option. Fujin..." Tsunade raised an eyebrow and asked, "Fujin? Doesn''t he specialize in Wind? Does he have good command over Lightning as well?" Hiruzen answered, "No, he has no talent in Lightning Release. However, he forced Orochimaru to retreat thrice. He''s the only one with enough reputation and prestige to make Sasuke listen to him." Jiraiya thoughtfully said, "I see. You''re using his recent explosive gain in fame to cloud Sasuke''s mental bias." Hiruzen nodded, "Yes. It should be easy to make Sasuke curious about him and Fujin has shown a good handle over kids. So, this should go smoothly. Unfortunately, that is where the smooth part ends." Jiraiya muttered, "Since Fujin doesn''t know how to use Lightning Release, we can''t entirely depend on him to teach Sasuke..." Hiruzen said, "That''s just one aspect. Even though Fujin has several students, including Naruto, he hasn''t trained anyone very seriously. He rarely trains them in person and more often than not, delegates their training to others like the Anbu instructors or even Hoka. They seem more like projects he picked to amuse himself than the master-disciple relations we promote through squads. While he has undoubtedly done a good job in guiding those 6, it''s not the same as being a full-time teacher. So, I''m not sure how good or bad of a Sensei he''ll be for Sasuke." Tsunade and Jiraiya were stumped. Due to all the recent events involving Fujin, they had quite an impression of him. Neither imagined there would be so many problems in making him Sasuke''s teacher. To their surprise, Hiruzen sighed again and muttered, "And, that''s just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest issue is Fujin himself. I still don''t understand how his mind works. Who knows how he''ll interpret our requests?" Confused, Jiraiya asked, "What do you mean?" Tsunade didn''t say anything but a vague answer formed in her mind. Since she had gotten so much information from Shikaku the other day, she had a vague understanding of Fujin''s nature. However, she wasn''t entirely sure either. Hiruzen muttered, "It''s too complicated to explain. You''ll get an understanding soon as you interact more with him. It''s just that we need to properly monitor his progress with Sasuke. Anyway, since there are these issues, we''ll have to take some preventive measures. I''ll help Fujin guide Sasuke, to ensure he stays on the right path. As for Lightning jutsus, we could have Kakashi continue guiding Sasuke in Lightning Release while Fujin takes care of the rest." Jiraiya replied, "There''s an issue. Sasuke is Kakashi''s student and he has taken quite a lot of effort in guiding him. Suddenly assigning him to Fujin will be insulting. Similarly, Fujin will not understand the significance of this. Unless we tell them the truth behind these actions, Kakashi could feel humiliated while Fujin will stay carefree." Tsunade muttered, "That''s true. However, this isn''t news we can spread so much..." Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, it isn''t. Kakashi might understand, but I don''t want Fujin to learn about this. I have been guiding Fujin with the hope that he succeeds you later. Though it isn''t set in stone, he has the best credentials from the younger generation. I don''t want him to think that eliminating a clan is an option..." Knowing what Fujin had done in the Land of Wind, Tsunade immediately understood. Meanwhile, Jiriaya wondered, ''Exactly what did Fujin do for Sensei to be so on edge despite completely trusting him?'' Tsunade asked, "Before we decide to do this, are you sure this is how things should happen? We could ask Itachi to return secretly and I could check up on his illness. Though he can never stay in the light, he can still live peacefully in the shadows." Hiruzen said sadly, "I had offered him the same. Unfortunately, he doesn''t want that. He wishes to sacrifice himself by letting Sasuke avenge the Uchiha clan..." Tsunade sighed, "That''s a shame. Let''s decide how to break the news to Fujin and Kakashi and how to train Sasuke..." The trio discussed for nearly half an hour before reaching a plan acceptable to all three. Jiraiya asked, "So, who do we call first?" Hiruzen answered, "Fujin as he''s the more unpredictable one. However, before we call him, I want to tell you more about Akatsuki." Tsunade and Jiraiya became serious. From Hiruzen''s tone, they understood he considered them a greater threat than other villages. Hiruzen said, "By now, you should be aware that they''re targeting the Tailed Beasts. You should also know most of their members." Tsunade and Jiraiya nodded. Though Akatsuki hadn''t been very active, they had accepted quite a few missions. They had several encounters with Konoha ninjas, especially Fujin. Hiruzen said, "The members we have confirmed so far are Sasori, Kisame, Kakuzu and Hidan, along with Itachi. In the past, Orochimaru was a part as well, while Kaminari, Juzo and Deidara have died. There''s also the plant-like being who they call Zetsu. And, the Uchiha who Fujin recently confronted refers to himself as Uchiha Madara..." "Madara? That''s impossible!" Tsunade exclaimed in shock. Hiruzen replied, "Itachi believes he''s Madara, but I don''t think that is the case. He may just be using the name to intimidate others, or perhaps he may have some connection to the real Madara. Regardless, he isn''t the real Madara." Tsunade and Jiraiya calmed down. Jiraiya muttered, "So, I suppose he''s the leader of Akatsuki?" Hiruzen answered, "He isn''t. Or he may be, but he works in the background. Their leader goes by the name of Pain." As he heard Hiruzen''s next words, Jiraiya''s pupils dilated and his eyes widened, shock and disbelief was visible on his face! Hiruzen revealed, "He wields the fabled Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat /DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Gabriel, Robin, Dhia, Shilo, Keanu, Ugur, Isk0, Kevin, Sanda, Jacob and Stiven for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 852: Taking the Uchiha Clan under his wing? "He wields the fabled Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths." Shock and disbelief appeared on Jiraiya''s face. He couldn''t believe his ears! He thought, ''Rinnegan? Nagato? Are you still alive?'' Tsunade was shocked as well. She had never heard about anyone possessing the Rinnegan. Being shocked by its appearance was natural. However, Tsunade and Hiruzen noticed that Jiraiya was far more shocked. His reaction felt unnatural. Tsunade asked, "Is something the matter, Jiraiya?" Hiruzen asked, "You know something about it, don''t you?" Jiraiya sighed, "Yes... Do you recall the three students I accepted in the Land of Rain?" Tsunade nodded and asked, "Didn''t they die during the Third Great Ninja War?" Jiraiya answered, "I thought so too, but that may not be the case. Nagato, the red-hair one, possessed the Rinnegan." The revelation shocked Tsunade and Hiruzen. Neither expected Jiraiya to know the Rinnegan user, let alone train him. Hiruzen immediately asked, "Why didn''t you ever report that?" Jiraiya answered, "I believed him to be the Child of Prophecy. I didn''t want him to be influenced by others. If the news was made public, it''s easy to guess what the result would have been." Hiruzen immediately understood. If Jiraiya had mentioned it to him, he would have made Jiraiya bring all three of them to Konoha. If Danzo had learnt it, he would have tried to get Nagato''s eyes before he reached Konoha. Even if he failed, his schemes would never end. Regardless of what would happen, he would undoubtedly be dragged into the messy waters of Konoha and any hopes of bringing peace to the world would take a backseat. If other villages learnt of this too, a new war might have broken out where the remaining four villages try their best to get their hands on the Rinnegan! Instead of bringing peace, he could have triggered another bloody war. Hiruzen sighed, "I still wished you would have informed me. Anyway, now I know why the name sounded familiar. A kunoichi, who uses Paper techniques, always follows Pain around. Her name is Konan. I thought it was just a coincidence, but I suppose not." Jiraiya muttered, "So, Konan is alive too... What about Yahiko? Is he in Akatsuki too?" Hiruzen shook his head, "Itachi''s reports never mentioned Yahiko or Nagato. Otherwise, I would have connected the dots. Anyway, tell me everything about him, including any abilities of the Rinnegan." Jiraiya answered, "There isn''t much to say. He was still a child and hadn''t unlocked the Rinnegan''s potential. The only impressive abilities were his sensing ability and that he could use all five natures..." Jiraiya talked more about the days he spent in the Land of Rain, informing Tsunade and Hiruzen everything he knew about the trio. In the end, he asked, "Where is the Akatsuki''s headquarters?" Hiruzen answered, "In Amegakure..." Jiraiya and Tsunade frowned. Tsunade asked, "Is Hanzo also among them?" Hiruzen shook his head, "Hanzo is dead. Itachi didn''t know the details but believes it was done by Pain." Tsunade, who had received a myriad of shocking news for the last 24 hours and didn''t think she could be shocked anymore, was once again shocked. Her teammate was no exception. Tsunade muttered, "To be able to kill someone as formidable as Hanzo... Troublesome... We need to be wary of the Rinnegan." Jiraiya immediately said, "If they are in Amegakure, I''ll go there and pay them a visit. It''s time I see what my old students are up to." "Absolutely not!" Hiruzen and Tsunade exclaimed loudly at the same time, startling Jiraiya. He muttered, "Jeez, I''m just going to check. If things heat up, I''ll retreat." Hiruzen said, "It''s too risky. We don''t know what abilities the Rinnegan has and how strong the person who can keep so many rogue rank S ninjas in line is. Just the fact that he killed Hanzo shows that we can''t underestimate him. If he has anything that can prevent you from escaping, you''ll be doomed without any backup. Not to mention, there''s still that Uchiha with his weird Space Time Ninjutsu. If he''s also present, your chances of making a successful escape will drop even further." Tsunade agreed, "I''m with Sensei on this. There is no reason to take such a risk." Jiraiya replied, "It''s not a risk. I''ll use one of those communication tags Fujin created and reverse summon to Mount Myoboku if I am in danger." Hiruzen thoughtfully said, "Hmm, that could work, but there''s no reason for us to jump into the fire. We''ll divert the Akatsuki towards the other villages first and let them test out the Rinnegan''s abilities. Once we have information, we could make strategies to counter it and eliminate him with minimal losses. Until then, stay away from Amegakure. That area is a death zone for now." Jiraiya finally relented, "Alright..." Hiruzen said, "Though it''s a surprise that the Rinnegan user was your student, I primarily wanted to discuss the abilities of the remaining Akatsuki members with you..." Hiruzen informed Tsunade and Jiraiya everything that he knew about the Akatsuki. They were already aware of most of it, with the exception of Hidan and Zetsu. A major portion of their time was spent talking about Zetsu. With his fondness of scheming in the background, Hiruzen considered Zetsu as the greatest threat after Pain and Obito. His ability was simply too useful for schemers like him. After a long discussion, Jiraiya sighed, "All of them are troublesome... To think that Itachi would be the most normal among all of them..." Tsunade was feeling a similar headache and muttered, "It''ll be a huge problem if all of them can cooperate and act together. We need to reduce their numbers before they reach such a stage. Fujin did a splendid job in eliminating Juzo and Deidara. We should look for an opportunity to eliminate Sasori or Hidan & Kakuzu." Hiruzen and Jiraiya nodded. Hiruzen said, "Well, that was all I had to say. Time to talk with Fujin." Tsunade and Jiraiya agreed, unaware of the reluctance Hiruzen felt in saying those words. As they called one of the Anbu Guards in the room and sent him to fetch Fujin, Hiruzen prayed, ''Other than asking for that ridiculously expensive sword, Fujin hasn''t been that greedy in recent times. I hope that remains the same. Unfortunately, I have a feeling he''ll ask for something more expensive than my kidney...'' Fujin was at his house when the Anbu Guard arrived and delivered the message. He thought, ''Eh, again? Oh well, I was wondering when to approach her. Now may be a good time to finally ask that...'' Fujin followed the Anbu Guard and reached the Hokage''s office, where he entered alone. Looking at the trio, he wondered, ''Hiruzen and Jiraiya are here too? Did anything happen? Oh well, it''s better that they''re together.'' Fujin said, "I didn''t expect to see you here so quickly, Grandpa. Did something happen?" Tsunade answered his question, "Not really. We just have a new task for you." Fujin raised an eyebrow and replied, "I thought things would calm down for sometime. I didn''t expect you to take advantage of this false sense of security to target someone. Which village are we targeting this time?" Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at Fujin with a dumbfounded expression. Both wondered, ''What the hell? When did we say we are targeting another village? How did he even reach that conclusion?'' Hiruzen coughed and said, "It''s not an elimination mission. We want you to train Uchiha Sasuke." It was Fujin''s turn to be surprised. He wondered, ''Train Sasuke? Did he learn about my Akuro identity? No, that shouldn''t be it. I haven''t used that identity again. Does Sasuke look down on Kakashi to such an extent now? Wait, was that why he was wandering around my compound a few days ago?'' Hiruzen looked at Fujin thinking for a few seconds and thought, ''Here we go again...'' As he expected, Fujin''s following words caught him off guard. Yet, the words were nothing he imagined. Instead of accepting or declining the task, Fujin casually asked, "Do you want me to train all the remaining Uchiha orphans too?" Jiraiya wondered, ''He wants to take the entire Uchiha Clan under his wing? That would increase his influence tremendously. Especially after legitimizing his faction in the last Council Meeting...'' At the same time, Tsunade wondered, ''Was Shikaku mistaken? Fujin seems to be going all out in increasing his influence.'' Only Hiruzen felt something off and thought, ''Take the Uchiha clan under his wing? That doesn''t sound like him... No, his tone was odd...'' As Hiruzen expected, Fujin let out a long sigh and complained, "I barely have any time to train myself. For the last couple of months, I have been running all around the world with little to no time to train. I''m planning a long training session to improve my strength further, which will take most, if not all of my time. I''m not even sure whether I can train those five kids properly. Taking any more at this point isn''t viable for me." [A/N: Is Fujin serious about not training Sasuke? Or, is this just a trick to extort more from Hiruzen? Things to wonder until tomorrow (hopefully)... ????] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Bring, Alexander, Mooge, Joe, Ackap, Kaenu, emrullah, Alex, Steven, Brian and Jean for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Jay for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 853: Personalities! Fujin''s words caught Hiruzen and his students by surprise. Unlike Hiruzen, who expected Fujin to extort something in exchange for this favor, Jiraiya and Tsunade weren''t familiar with this side of Fujin. They didn''t expect anyone from the younger generation to reject a request made by Hiruzen. While the two of them did the same several times, it was different as they only did so after following Hiruzen obediently for decades. Not to mention, it wasn''t the request of only Hiruzen. It was the combined request of Hiruzen, the former Hokage, Tsunade, the new Hokage and Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. Yet, Fujin not only rejected their request without a second''s hesitation, but also made fun of it by asking whether he should take the entire Uchiha clan under his wing. Jiraiya and Tsunade didn''t know how to respond to Fujin since they couldn''t exactly force Fujin to accept it. Hiruzen was unsure how to respond, when he suddenly had an absurd thought. He wondered, ''Is Fujin serious? Or, has his technique of making me pay improved to such an extent that he wants me to offer him top tier jutsus or something invaluable to convince him to guide Sasuke?'' Hiruzen wasn''t sure what was the case, though his instincts warned him to guard against the second possibility. With Fujin''s current strength, there wasn''t much he could offer Fujin. And, everything that he could, he didn''t want to so early. Fortunately or unfortunately, his hunch was incorrect. While the three of them were lost in thoughts, Fujin thought, ''Teaching Sasuke... I had thought about this extensively after I quit the Anbu. Not just him, but Sakura as well. After all, Sasuke is the reincarnation of Indra. His strength will be on par with Naruto. Even though Sakura won''t reach their level, she will become a splendid rank S ninja. As such, ensuring these two owed me and looked up to me should have had nothing but advantages. Unfortunately...'' There was a major difference between Naruto and his two teammates. A difference that made Fujin against guiding the two of them. It was nothing else but loyalty! Fujin continued thinking, ''Naruto may be foolish compared to other kids his age, but he is rock-solid in his principles. He is loyal to the ones who did him a favor, no matter how small it is. Any investment I made on him will have multibagger returns. The same isn''t true for Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke betrayed his village, his Sensei, the comrades he trained with, and went to Orochimaru, a man who killed Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. He didn''t know he''d become strong enough to do what he eventually did and yet he did so despite the risk of Orochimaru gaining the strength to destroy Konoha and killing everyone who helped him. Eventually, he killed Orochimaru, the person who trained him. Though it was called for, it''s another red flag. After Obito manipulated him, he was also willing to kill Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, the three people who were closest to him. Eventually, when Itachi manipulated Sasuke again, he turned around and fought against Obito, the very person who implanted Itachi''s eyes on him and helped him gain the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan! So, even if I train him, he wouldn''t hesitate for a second to turn on me. Why should I bother to waste my efforts on him? There is no practical advantage for me. While I can manipulate him, the problem is that it is too easy to manipulate Sasuke. Someone else can easily manipulate him again and make him turn on me. This is something I don''t need to worry about with Naruto. Sakura, even though not as extreme as Sasuke, is still the same. Her love of Sasuke triumphs over all her other loyalties. In the original story, she was willing to leave Konoha and follow him to Orochimaru despite everything he had done.'' Since Fujin wasn''t sure he''d have their loyalty, he didn''t want to waste his efforts and, more importantly, his priceless time on Sakura and Sasuke. Of course, he was aware that he was more than a bit hypocritical. After all, he wasn''t particularly loyal to Konoha. Despite possessing a technique as deadly as Flying Thunder God, he didn''t use it during the deadly assault and only decided to use it when he was given a scare by ''fate''. However, Fujin didn''t care how hypocritical he was. All he cared about was ensuring his own benefits, something he couldn''t guarantee with Sasuke and Sakura. Fujin thought, ''Besides, this was my analysis 2 years ago, when I had just quit the Anbu. A lot has changed since then. Back then, I was barely a rank S ninja. If I had ran into someone like Ay or Onoki, escaping would have been extremely difficult. Without any gifts or special bloodline, I wasn''t sure how strong I would become. However, today I can stand against the best of the ninjas. With my Wind Domain, I have the capability to confront the likes of Onoki and Ay. It also heavily restricts someone as troublesome as Obito. Thanks to Danzo, my Vacuum jutsus are in a whole different league as well. In these 2 years, I have grown tremendously in every aspect! So, I already have the ability to stand tall during the Fourth Great Ninja War. In a year or two, I''ll make Ryu teach me Senjutsu and my Wind Domain''s weakness against the Rinnegan will be dealt with as well. And, all this is without considering Flying Thunder God jutsu. Once I start using it openly, only reanimated Madara can stop me, apart from the ones having access to Sage of Six Paths'' powers. However, once my Myriad Tetragram Seal starts showing its effect, I may gain the power to even confront them, though winning would likely be impossible unless I gain similar powers. Regardless, I no longer have any reason to gain Sasuke''s or Sakura''s favor, even if their personalities were different. Having Naruto owe me is more than sufficient. Right now, I have to devote all my energy to increasing my strength rapidly. Everything else is secondary!'' With all four engrossed in their thoughts, the office became silent. Tsunade and Jiraiya expected Fujin to say something, but he didn''t. Hiruzen became even more sure that this was Fujin''s new strategy. Left with no choice, he sighed and muttered, "Just tell what you want, Fujin. I''m too tired to bargain with you..." His words left Tsunade and Jiraiya speechless. Both exchanged eye glances, as if asking each other, ''What sort of relationship do these two have?'' Unlike them, Fujin was amused. He thought, ''Interesting. I never thought of using this tactic to force Hiruzen to cough up some forbidden jutsus. A shame I didn''t think of it earlier. Right now, it''s more or less useless for me.'' To Hiruzen''s surprise, Fujin sighed and replied, "You''re forgetting that I''m only a few years older than Sasuke. Unlike you three, my powers haven''t peaked yet nor have I learnt everything I want to learn. I need to devote all my energy to learning them. I truly have no time to accept a new student." Jiraiya''s eyes twitched as he thought, ''You forced Orochimaru to retreat twice, burned his entire country, killed an Akatsuki member while facing four... Are you still not satisfied with your strength?'' While Hiruzen and Tsunade were aware of how much Fujin trained earlier, neither expected Fujin to continue such a training schedule given what he accomplished in the last two months. Everyone who reached such a stage decreased their training time considerably and instead accepted more responsibilities or worked on increasing their influence. As such, they didn''t even consider this point while discussing earlier. Before any of them could say anything, Fujin added, "Even if I did, I''m not sure what you expect me to teach Sasuke. I don''t specialize in Lightning, nor do I have any experience in using the Sharingan. I don''t see how I could do any better job than Kakashi in guiding him. If he just wants to change his Sensei, I''d recommend one of you to guide him. Any of you would be better than me." Naturally, they couldn''t argue with Fujin on this as this was a reservation they shared. They just never expected Fujin to own up to it instead of seeing it as a challenge. Hiruzen sighed internally, ''I didn''t expect this... He''s serious. It''s impossible to convince him...'' Seeing that none of them had anything to say, Fujin asked, "Anything else, Grandpa?" Hiruzen shook his head, "No, that''s all we wanted to talk about." Fujin smiled and said, "Alright, I had some things to discuss with you, or rather you and Lady Tsunade." He turned his gaze to Tsunade and politely said, "I want your help to increase my cellular activity and by extension, my chakra reserves. Grandpa had said you were the only one who could help me do it. Now that he''s healed, can you help me with that, assuming you aren''t too busy of course?" Hiruzen''s eyes twitched while Jiraiya and Tsunade stared at Fujin strangely. Not only had Fujin declined their request, but he shamelessly asked for their help without any hesitation or embarrassment in his voice! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You SpaceIsCold, An-Icha, Christopher, Revan, Mario, Kenneth, Giang, Florida Man, Lith and Palikka for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 854: Promotions! The reason why Fujin felt the tactic of declining any requests until Hiruzen voluntarily offered something was useless was rather simple. He was no longer just an upcoming ninja who could lead Konoha''s forces in the future. Despite his young age, he had already become such a ninja. As such, there was no longer any need for Fujin to scheme, play games or barter to get what he wanted. He would directly ask for it, just as he did a few moments ago. Of course, he couldn''t go overboard and there would still be some techniques that the village may not give him, but Fujin understood that properly. Tsunade glanced at Hiruzen. From the way Fujin framed his words, it felt like Hiruzen had already agreed to ask Tsunade to help him with this when she returned to the village. Hiruzen could only nod in return. After all, he had promised Fujin, even though it had been several years. Tsunade turned her attention back to Fujin and said, "I can, but that technique has a terrifying drawback if used incorrectly. I''m afraid that it''ll be more disadvantageous to you instead of increasing your strength." Fujin frowned and asked, "It happens only if I overexert my cells, right?" Tsunade nodded. Fujin said, "Then it''s fine. I''ll be careful." Tsunade sighed and explained, "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn''t have opposed. Unfortunately, your training method is anything but normal. You still use Shadow Clones to increase your training efficiency. That technique is inherently dangerous to use in this manner. If you learn how to extract more chakra from your cells, you''ll be tempted to do so while you train. Even though you won''t feel the side effects immediately, you''ll regret it years later. That''s why..." Fujin cut Tsunade off, "I think you''re missing a point." Tsunade asked, "Hmm, what do you mean?" Fujin answered, "I train to increase my strength. What''s the meaning in training if it makes me weaker? So, you don''t need to worry. Unless my life is in danger or the village is in great danger, I won''t resort to doing that." Tsunade frowned thinking, ''That is logical... Unfortunately, maintaining a clear head during an intense moment isn''t very common. I have seen too many ruin their future by doing something stupid during training.'' "It''s fine, Tsuna..." Hiruzen muttered, giving his approval once again. Tsunade sighed, "Alright, but please be mindful, Fujin." Fujin nodded, "I will. So, when can we start?" Tsunade replied, "It is a complicated process and I''ll need half a day or more to help you energize your cells. We have a meeting in a few hours. You haven''t forgotten, have you?" Fujin muttered, "Not really. Ibiki sent a messenger to me earlier. It shouldn''t take too long, but I suppose we can''t stop in between." Tsunade nodded, "That''s right. Meet me on the top floor of the hospital tomorrow at 7." Fujin replied, "Alright." He glanced at the trio and asked, "So, can I leave or is there anything else?" Hiruzen answered, "You can leave." Fujin replied, "Alright, take care," before disappearing from the room. Silence engulfed the room once again, before Jiraiya broke it by asking, "Say, how did the meeting change from us asking a request from him to him asking a request from Tsunade?" Hiruzen sighed, "Now you get a little of what I mean... This is still fine. Tsunade, be very careful with the words you use around him. There''s no telling how he may interpret them. I have regretted not doing so more than a few times." Tsunade thought, ''I knew it!'' ¡ª¡ª A few hours later, a meeting began in one of the meeting rooms in the Hokage Building. Leading the meeting were Tsunade and Hiruzen, who sat next to each other around a long table. Fujin sat on the opposite side, thinking, ''Interesting, I always wondered how these meetings went...'' Hiruzen glanced at everyone in the room. Ibiki, Anko and Hayate sat on his left while three old Jounins from Hyuga, Yamanaka and Aburame clan sat on his right. Hiruzen said, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, this meeting was delayed for too long. It''s time to decide whom to promote to Chunin based on their respective performances." The Chunin Exams had taken a backseat after Orochimaru and Sunagakure''s assault. Konoha was forced to devote all its energy to focus on the aftermath, be it Fujin leading Konoha''s armies, the negotiations with Sunagakure or preparing the village for another unexpected war. It was only after Fujin and the Sannins returned to the village that things calmed down. However, with Hiruzen in a coma and Tsunade focused on healing him, this meeting got delayed again. Ibiki said, "Six of the nine finalists were our Genins. The ones under consideration today are Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto, Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru and Uchiha Sasuke..." Anko interrupted him, "Let''s get the obvious one out of the way before discussions heat up, shall we? Sakura isn''t ready to be promoted." Hayate coughed and said, "Her plan against Gaara was quite good. It might have worked if he wasn''t a Jinchuriki. Unfortunately, she failed to react once her plan failed." The old Yamanaka Jounin commented, "I''m not sure whether the plan was created by her..." "It wasn''t..." The eyes in the room moved to Fujin, who added, "The plan was created by Kurama Illumi-san, who trained her for the finals. However, considering how unfair the matchup was, I wouldn''t consider this a negative point. Of course, it''s a moot point since she failed to think of any back up plans, which was the hidden test he created for her. It''ll be better for her to remain a Genin and gain more experience and strength." Everyone nodded. Tsunade looked around and said, "Since no one opposes, Sakura will remain a Genin." She glanced at Anko and asked, "Any more obvious ones?" Anko thought for a bit and replied, "No, the rest are a bit complicated. The Nara kid may be, but he lacks strength. Then there''s the Aburame kid. He performed very well in the first two rounds and the preliminaries but didn''t get any opportunity in the finals due to the attack." Ibiki said, "Let''s consider the Nara first. Though Shikamaru doesn''t have outrageous strength or stamina, what he displayed shows he''ll be an excellent team leader." Hayate added, "I agree. His plan was too ingenious. Even though I was the proctor, I didn''t see it coming." The others in the room also praised Shikamaru''s quick thinking and his ability to use the terrain to the maximum effect. Fujin didn''t bother speaking since the result was obvious. With no one opposing, Tsunade decided that Shikamaru would be promoted. Ibiki turned the pages in his files and asked, "So, what do we do with Shino? His performance in the preliminaries was eye-catching. He showed sufficient strength as well as good planning, playing with his opponent like he was an academy student." Anko added, "His team completed the second round very quickly as well. Considering his clan, he must have played an important part..." Hiruzen sighed and said, "Be that may, we can''t promote someone who didn''t fight in the finals. Though no one will say anything, it''ll raise some eyebrows among the guests we invited. He''ll have to participate in the next Chunin exam." With Hiruzen speaking up, no one else said anything. Fujin thought, ''It looks like Konoha gives a lot more importance to the guests than other villages. From what I remember, Kankuro and Temari were promoted to Jounins despite not participating in any more Chunin exams. On the other hand, Konoha kept Naruto at the Genin rank for who knows how long despite there being several provisions for promoting ninjas without participating in the Chunin exams...'' Hayate said, "The next one is Hyuga Neji. He''s a rather interesting one. At the start of the exam, he was considered as the strongest Genin from our village. Yet, he lost his first fight in the finals. Then again, we can''t entirely blame him for it. Most Jounins would do worse against a non-stop barrage of supercharged Infinite Breakthrough jutsus." No one disagreed with Hayate. Everyone recalled how pitiful Neji looked against Naruto, the host of the terrifying Nine Tailed Beast! Even more absurd was the absence of any traces of exhaustion on Naruto''s face. Even the ninjas in the meeting room, apart from Fujin, Hiruzen and Tsunade, would be troubled while dealing with such a barrage. Other than hiding underground and attacking from there, they didn''t have many other options. The old Hyuga Jounin spoke, "While the Hyuga clan has methods to deal with opponents who fight at range, those techniques aren''t taught to our Genins. Besides, even the ones who are taught may not be able to withstand such a barrage without resorting to Earth Release jutsus. His performance, despite being at such a disadvantage, was very good. We can promote him just like Shikamaru." "I don''t agree with your observations." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Sai, Matt, Whitefrog, Amin, Jorge, Sleepyhead, Qvintus, Spectator, Book Warm and Giang for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 855 Chapter 849 : Inconsequential! Chapter 855 Chapter 849 : Inconsequential! [Status: Hey guys. I apologize once again for my erratic schedule recently. I can understand most of you are annoyed by it (trust me, I''m highly frustrated too. Writing in the past month or so hasn''t been fun for me). During the last couple of days, I have given the story a lot of thought. I sorted several of the issues that have been getting in my way and have looked into ways to get out of this rut and deal with writer''s block. From today, I''ll try to get back to my original schedule (1 chapter daily with 1 break per week). Please wish me luck. If I can do it, the story will continue as usual. However, if my schedule continues to stay erratic, I''ll pause payments on Pat reon for the month of May and go on a month-long hiatus. For those who are unaware, pausing payments will extend your membership by a month (assuming your subscription ends in May. So, if your membership ends on 10th May, it''ll extend to 10th June). I have been reluctant to make this decision because my last hiatus lasted way longer than I wanted. So, it''s not something I''m looking forward to. Hopefully, I''ll manage to get back to my original schedule in the next couple of weeks. Upload Time: I won''t commit to an exact time for release for the next couple of weeks. Chapters should be out sometime between 17:00 to 23:00 GMT (will obviously try to complete it as early as I can to get back to a decent sleep schedule, but the last few weeks haven''t been kind ????)] --- "I don''t agree with your observations." The eyes in the room turned towards Ibiki who didn''t agree with the Hyuga Jounin. A frown appeared on the Hyuga''s face as Ibiki said, "In the preliminaries, he showed extreme immaturity by trying to kill a member of his own clan. Someone who loses his temper so quickly isn''t capable of becoming a team leader. He might lead the entire team to its demise. In addition, he is very arrogant. It was visible in his match against Naruto. Not only did he look down on Naruto, but he didn''t make adequate preparations for dealing with his Wind jutsus despite seeing them in the preliminaries." The Hyuga ninja countered, "The Wind jutsus Naruto displayed in the preliminaries were nowhere near the level of the supercharged jutsus he used during the finals." Ibiki immediately replied, "Even in that case, there''s no reason why he couldn''t learn a few simple Earth jutsus to work around Naruto''s Wind jutsus. He had a month to prepare for him. As impressive as his skills are, the lack of adequate preparation shows his arrogance and his overconfidence in his techniques. He was the complete opposite of Sakura in this aspect. Besides, his strength isn''t as critical of a factor as his attitude." The Hyuga Jounin frowned and muttered, "He has a troubled past which was the cause of his attitude. Fortunately, he has calmed down after the Chunin Exams. It won''t be an issue anymore." Ibiki said, "That''s good to hear, but it can''t be considered for this evaluation. He should prove himself once again in the next Chunin exams." The Hyuga Jounin thought for a bit before letting out a long sigh, "Alright, you win. I can''t argue against that." Anko added, "I agree with Ibiki too. It''ll be interesting to see how much he''ll improve until the next exam." Several others nodded. Tsunade looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone oppose that?" With no more objections, Neji wasn''t promoted to Chunin. A smirk appeared on Anko''s lips as she said, "The next candidate is an amusing one. Uzumaki Naruto. The difference in what he showed in the Preliminaries and the Finals was like Heaven and Earth. It was almost as if he was an entirely different ninja." She glanced towards Fujin as she spoke. By now, everyone in the room was aware that Fujin was the one who taught Naruto how to supercharge the Wind jutsus. Ibiki said, "He did very well in the first round as well. Due to him, the number of Genins who passed was nearly twice my estimates." He chuckled and added, "He was also the first Genin I passed who left behind a blank answer sheet." Hayate said, "His performance in the final round doesn''t need to be emphasized. All of you have seen it." The Yamanaka Jounin said, "There''s no doubt about his strength. If it was the only criterion, I would agree right away. However, a Chunin is also a team leader. I''m not sure if he is mature enough to lead squads yet. Truthfully, he seems far worse than Neji in this aspect." Anko replied, "I wouldn''t underestimate him that much. He managed to pass the second round despite being attacked by Orochimaru and being virtually handicapped. He also did well in keeping his cards hidden and abusing his advantage to the fullest extent, be it against Kiba or Neji." Ibiki said, "While that speaks to his battle intelligence, leading squads is an entirely different challenge. In round two, he was accompanied by his teammates who helped fill this gap. He has been Genin for too short of a time and hasn''t done anything in the Chunin Exam to indicate he''d be a competent squad leader." "I concur," the Aburame Jounin muttered. Hayate and the Hyuga Jounin agreed as well. Tsunade thought, ''Looks like you''ll stay Genin for a while, kiddo. I have to agree too. While Naruto''s grit and determination are beyond impressive, he isn''t ready to lead squads yet. Not only will he endanger his team, but he will also be in great danger since he''ll try everything he can to save his team.'' Tsunade was about to ask whether anyone had a different opinion, when Fujin suddenly said, "Those are good points, but they''re inconsequential in deciding whether Naruto should be promoted or not." His words caused several frowns to appear. Ibiki asked, "What do you mean they''re inconsequential? A Chunin''s main job is to lead squads." Fujin nodded, "It is, but only for ordinary Chunins. Naruto is a Jinchuriki, the only one we have. Even though he isn''t in the Bingo book, there''s little doubt every enemy village wants to hunt or kidnap him. Their hunter squads should already be informed to act if they ever receive an opportunity. As such, even after becoming a Chunin, Naruto cannot be allowed to lead Genins or Chunins on missions. Until he becomes an Elite Jounin, or better yet, a rank S ninja, he can only leave the village when accompanied by someone like Kakashi. But, with someone like Kakashi present, Naruto won''t be leading the squads. That is why I said this point is inconsequential for Naruto." Fujin''s words forced everyone to ponder. He had approached the issue from a different angle than everyone else. If Naruto wouldn''t lead squads, the only aspect that mattered was Naruto''s strength and his teamwork. He excelled in both. However, ignoring such a big aspect wasn''t an easy thing. Tsunade thought, ''What a unique perspective! He''s correct. Though I won''t treat Naruto as a weapon, I can''t allow him to leave the village without adequate security when a dangerous organization like Akatsuki is hunting for him!'' Ibiki muttered, "Your words make sense. However, can we overlook something so important while promoting? I''m afraid it''ll set a precedent that could result in Genins who aren''t prepared for the responsibilities of a Chunin to be promoted. Having him go through the next Chunin Exam will be a better choice." Fujin chuckled and asked, "Oh, and how do you think the next Chunin exams will go if Naruto participates? Without someone like a Gaara, he could just spam supercharged jutsus and no Genin could resist it. I hope you remember the supercharged jutsus, he used in the finals, were so effective after less than a month''s practice. Who knows how much better he''ll be at it after half a year or year, whenever he participates again?" Fujin''s words forced everyone to picture how the next Chunin Exams would be. They could envision Naruto spamming his way through all the matches in the finals. None could see any Genins cracking such an absurd attack. As such, the finals would become pointless in a way." Hiruzen awkwardly muttered, "Fujin is correct. Other than nearly half of the battles becoming pointless, he might also cause heavy damage to the Forest of Death. While our finances are in good shape, there''s no need to add a huge expense to the village''s budget." Fujin said, "I hadn''t considered that, but if we think along those lines, we also need to consider the guests we invite to watch the finals. I don''t see Naruto suddenly becoming that smart by the next exam. There''s a very good chance he will be rejected for the same reason. So, Naruto continuously defeating the Genins in every exam would raise more than a few eyebrows. People would wonder why we aren''t promoting him. Perhaps they might also think we''re bullying minor villages by keeping him at the Genin rank." Anko began nodding in agreement but suddenly stopped midway. She couldn''t help but wonder, ''Since when did the Chunin Exam committee have to consider these aspects? Ain''t that the council''s job?'' With Hiruzen and Fujin speaking of matters that were beyond the scope of the proctors and judges, they couldn''t oppose anymore and only accept their decision. Hiruzen decided, "Let''s promote Naruto to Chunin. We''l inform the Mission Center to never give him any missions, irrespective of whether he''s leading the team or just a part of it. All his missions will have to be approved by the Hokage." Tsunade nodded and said, "Alright. Naruto will be the second Genin to be promoted. That only leaves us with Uchiha Sasuke." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 856: Hiruzens concern "That leaves us with just Uchiha Sasuke." Tsunade said. Before anyone could say anything, Fujin said, "Actually, we don''t need to think much about him either. His case is similar to Naruto''s. The Uchiha clan was quite an eyesore to other villages during the previous wars. They would love nothing more than seeing the Uchiha clan completely wiped out. As the next Clan Leader of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke will be a target. And, there''s also the issue with Orochimaru, who may still be an even greater threat to Sasuke. So, he shouldn''t be let out of the village without someone like Kakashi with him. I suppose keeping team 7 intact even after their promotions should solve this issue. Regardless, Sasuke''s promotion can be decided simply by his strength too." Once again, Fujin''s point made sense. While Sasuke wasn''t a Jinchuriki, his status as the next Uchiha clan leader was quite sensitive. If there was someone like him in other villages, the ones in the room would have jumped at the chance to eliminate him when he was young. However, the proctors and the judges felt awkward once again. Fujin was taking discussions outside the purview of this meeting. After all, their judgements should be based solely on the performance put forth by the Genins in the Chunin Exams. Their eyes turned towards Hiruzen, who didn''t say anything again. Seeing that he agreed with Fujin, they didn''t bother raising any objections. Meanwhile, Fujin thought, ''As amusing as it''d be to make Naruto a Chunin and keep Sasuke a Genin, the poor kid might truly develop some mental problems. He just managed to escape Yoshi''s claws. I''m afraid he might become a permanent resident there if that happened.'' Even though Fujin had no intention of spending time on Sasuke, he didn''t intend to make him suffer or restrict his growth. After all, if the events occurred just as they did in his memories, then Naruto and Sasuke were the two main pieces to stop Kaguya. Fujin didn''t want to lose this insurance at least until his strength crossed a certain threshold. Ibiki muttered, "Then the only question now is whether Sasuke is strong enough to become a Chunin." Anko stated, "He''s strong, there''s no doubt about it. He carried through the second round despite suffering from Orochimaru''s curse seal. With all the handicaps, his win in the preliminaries was even more impressive. I didn''t expect him to surprise me again during the finals. His speed is beyond most Chunins and he has also learnt Kakashi''s Chidori." The Yamanaka Jounin sighed and said, "I don''t argue with that. However, his battle was interrupted by the attack. Though it isn''t as bad as Shino, we can''t..." Hiruzen interrupted him, "Since Sunagakure was the one who interrupted the fight, Sasuke can be considered the winner of this fight. Besides, the injury he inflicted on Gaara prevented Gaara from transforming into Shukaku in the middle of the arena, saving countless lives and disrupting the enemy''s plan." Having read Sasuke''s file and knowing what the encounter with Itachi did to his psyche, Hiruzen knew very well what would happen to him if he wasn''t promoted while Naruto was. He thought, ''With Fujin not stepping up and Jiraiya and Tsunade not suitable, I''ll have to train Sasuke myself once I recover my strength to an extent. Until then, I can only hope Kakashi can keep him in check. However, if he receives another mental blow, I''m not sure what I''d be dealing with. It''s better to promote him now.'' Tsunade understood Hiruzen''s thoughts as well. With both of them supporting the decision, no one else opposed. Ibiki said, "Actually, this is quite convenient. If Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru are promoted, the remaining members of Kakashi and Asuma''s squads can team up in the next Chunin Exam. How Ino and Choji perform without the help of Shikamaru''s intelligence and how Sakura performs without the strength of Sasuke and Naruto will tell us whether they''re ready to be promoted." Tsunade replied, "That is indeed quite convenient. Does anyone oppose Sasuke''s promotion to Chunin?" Without any opposition, Sasuke became the third Genin to be promoted by Konoha in this round of the Chunin Exams. The group discussed a bit about any ways to improve the exams before leaving. Fujin returned to his house thinking, ''With Orochimaru in no shape to send any subordinates to lure Sasuke and both Naruto and Sasuke being promoted to Chunins, I wonder what the future holds...'' Fujin chuckled. He could no longer calculate what would happen with the two of them. The only thing he was certain of was that both would keep improving their strength rapidly. ¡ª¡ª In the Hokage''s office, Naruto complained, "Why did you call us here, granny? I had to stop training to come here!" Standing next to him, Shikamaru yawned and muttered, "How troublesome..." Meanwhile, Sasuke wondered, ''Is this due to Yoshi? No, why would she call these two? It must be a mission... I can''t keep wasting my time on pointless missions. I barely managed to get that freak off my back!'' Seeing the annoyed faces of the three youngsters, Tsunade sighed, closed her eyes and said, "Naruto... I wanted to tell you that you are being promoted to Chunin due to your performance in the exams." Naruto''s eyes widened. Since it had been so long and so much had happened, he completely forgot about it. To his horror, Tsunade continued, "However, since that annoys you so much, I''ll take the promotion back." With a smile on her face, she added, "You can stay Genin for as long as you want." Naruto''s eyes widened in shock. "W-Wait, no! That''s not what I meant!" he stammered, waving his hands frantically. "Of course, I want the promotion! Granny, you''re amazing, the best Hokage ever! Seriously, you''re so kind and generous, way better than the other Hokage! Please don''t take it back!" Tsunade opened an eye and said, "Hmm, I''m not sure. You don''t sound as convincing as you did when you displayed your annoyance..." Joining his palms together as if in prayer, Naruto shouted, "I swear I mean it, Granny! If I knew it was about this, I''d have sprinted here faster than Bushy Brows! Please don''t take it back! I''ll even call you ''Lady Tsunade'' from now on!" Tsunade smirked, clearly enjoying his desperation. "Now that''s more convincing. I''ll..." "Umm... If you don''t mind, can I stay a Genin?" Shikamaru interrupted the drama unfolding between Naruto and Tsunade. Naruto turned his head towards Shikamaru and cursed, ''What the hell, Shikamaru!!!'' Sasuke''s eyes twitched. He couldn''t help but wonder, ''Couldn''t they find someone else to promote along with me?'' Tsunade smiled and answered, "Actually, you''ll be fast tracked to become a Jounin, Shikamaru. The village has great hopes for you. You were the only one to be selected without any opposition. So, train hard and don''t disappoint us." Shikamaru sighed, muttering once again, "Troublesome..." "Eh? You mean my promotion was opposed?" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke frowned thinking, ''From her words, Shikamaru was the best candidate to be promoted. However, why''s that?'' While both were aware of Shikamaru''s intelligence, neither believed they would lose in a match against him. Tsunade explained, "A Chunin is more than just a fighter. Just your strength isn''t sufficient for you to handle the responsibilities of a Chunin. Both you and Sasuke fall quite a bit short in other aspects. Luckily for you, Fujin argued in your favor and convinced others to promote the two of you. However, there''s still a lot for you to learn. I''ll suggest following Kakashi closely on your future missions with him and learn from him how to lead teams properly and everything else a squad leader has to do. They''ll be important if you want to be promoted to Jounin and get access to tougher missions." The allure of tougher missions attracted both Naruto and Sasuke. Unlike Shikamaru, who just wanted to live a peaceful and uneventful life, they wanted to challenge themselves to become stronger. Both nodded. Tsunade gave them a small lecture and took over Hiruzen''s role of injecting the Will of Fire into the youth before saying, "Shizune, given them the Chunin vests." Naruto looked at the vests Shizune was carrying and exclaimed, "A vest like Kakashi-sensei... That''s cool!" ¡ª¡ª After being dismissed, Naruto immediately met up with Sayaka and the rest, showing off his new vest and rank. Sayaka joyfully wished, "Congrats, Naruto!" Hikari, Takeshi and Shoma congratulated Naruto as well. Yuji grinned and said, "It''s time for party! Let''s go to Ichiraku! Your treat, Naruto!" Without a second''s hesitation, the remaining four agreed with Yuji, leaving Naruto dumbfounded. He immediately grabbed his empty wallet and muttered sadly, "My Gama-chan is almost empty. I can''t treat everyone..." Yuji sighed, "Even though you became Chunin, you''re still poor." Naruto complained, "Granny took away all my winnings. And, I haven''t done any missions since the Chunin Exams began..." Sayaka giggled and said, "He''s just teasing you, Naruto. Let''s go, we''ll put it on Sensei''s tab!" Unlike Naruto, who at least received payments from missions, the others were completely broke without a single Ryo to their name. Since the Anbu Trainers took care of everything, they didn''t generally need cash. Naruto nervously asked, "Are you sure Fujin won''t be angry?" Sayaka replied, "No, Sensei never cares about money. At least as long as we don''t go overboard. Don''t worry, he won''t ask you to pay." Naruto replied, "I''m more worried about him training us to death than asking the money back." ''...'' Everyone shivered at that thought. Luckily, Sayaka reassured them, "It''s fine. It''s just food. Sensei won''t say anything. We''ll meet up with him later, once he''s done training." The six of them had a little party in Ichiraku. Asuma took his team to Yakinaku to celebrate Shikamaru''s promotion. Sasuke didn''t waste any time and continued training late into the night. Naruto and the rest wanted to meet Fujin after their party, but the ''Do Not Disturb'' note on Fujin''s door hadn''t been removed. As such, they could only spend their remaining time pranking the village until it was time to sleep. ¡ª¡ª The next morning, Fujin arrived at the top floor of the hospital, standing outside a room he had never visited before. He observed the room and muttered, "Not bad. I didn''t expect such a room to be here..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Jan, Dunlap, Nate, Masamitsu, Keanu, Seraphim and Antonio for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 857: Awakening the Cells! "Not bad. I didn''t expect such a room to be here..." Fujin muttered. The room had over a hundred seals inscribed intricately throughout it. The seals were hidden so carefully that Fujin didn''t sense their presence despite visiting the hospital so many times. Only when his eyes fell on the room did he realize it. Tsunade chuckled and said, "Every Fuinjutsu Grandmaster said so. I and Orochimaru designed this room when we were still in the village. The seals in the room assist in this process." She sighed and added, "Unfortunately, the room was closed after Orochimaru betrayed the village and went rogue. I checked the seals to see if they''re the same as I recall. Fortunately, they haven''t been disturbed." Fujin said, "That''s good. Let''s start." Tsunade teased, "You sure are excited." Fujin chuckled, "Who wouldn''t be? I never expected for a method this miraculous to exist. Even a small percent boost to my chakra reserves will be a huge deal." Tsunade nodded, "It is invaluable for a rank S ninja. More importantly, your reserves are still growing unlike mine. If you are careful and never trigger the backlash of this technique, I can''t imagine how strong you''d become in 5 to 10 years." Though Tsunade had some reservations about teaching Fujin this technique, she truly wanted him to succeed. While the two didn''t share much of a personal connection yet, Tsunade could see how important Fujin was for Konoha''s future and why Hiruzen had invested so much into him. Both turned their heads and saw Shizune running towards them while holding a couple of large scrolls. Breathing heavily, she said, "I got everything you asked for, Lady Tsunade." Tsunade smiled, "Good. Follow me." Tsunade entered the room as Fujin and Shizune followed her. She weaved the confrontation seal while walking to the center of the room, where a futon had been placed. The seals in the room lit up, revealing a circle at the center of the room and around the futon. Standing just outside the circle, Tsunade instructed, "Strip to your waist and sit here. I''ll draw the necessary seals on your body." Fujin complied, taking his shirt, mesh, bracers and other equipment off and sat cross-legged on the futon. Tsunade motioned for Shizune, who handed her a brush dipped in a glowing blue ink. Fujin observed, ''Interesting. This ink is quite unique. It feels like it''ll assist in Yin-Yang chakra manipulation. As I suspected, Yin & Yang will play a major role today.'' Before she began, Tsunade warned strictly, "You already know the dangers of this technique. So, I won''t warn you about it anymore. However, let me be clear! This process is dangerous. One slip from me, or a mistake in your chakra control, and you could end up crippled or worse." Fujin frowned and asked, "You''ve never slipped before, have you?" Fujin didn''t want to take any undue risk since he already had another method to increase his chakra reserves. Even though that aspect of the Myriad Tetragram Seal hadn''t been tested yet and he wasn''t sure about any drawbacks, Fujin still had a lot of confidence in it. The only reason he wanted to pursue this method first was because he was told it was rather safe. Tsunade answered, "I have not. However, several old or injured Elite Jounins had asked me to try this technique on them so that they could contribute in wars. A couple of them suffered as they couldn''t maintain their chakra control." Fujin replied, "That''s a shame. I''ll be careful." Tsunade replied, "Good. Until we''re done, maintain your focus at the highest level." She crouched down and began painting intricate seals on Fujin''s arms, chest and back. "These seals will stabilize your chakra network and protect your organs during the process," Tsunade explained. "They''ll also help me monitor your cellular activity in real time." Once the seals were complete, Tsunade sat across from Fujin. "The next part is... delicate. I''ll use my chakra to energize every cell in your body. At the same time, I''ll guide you to sense the changes and control the process yourself. This isn''t just a medical procedure, it''s a lesson in mastery. You''ll need to take over eventually to maintain your cellular activity." Fujin nodded. "I''m ready." Tsunade''s hands glowed with a brilliant green light as she channeled her chakra into Fujin''s body. Her focus was razor-sharp as she began the delicate process of stimulating cellular activity. Each of her fingers acted with precision, adjusting the flow and intensity of chakra with a surgeon''s finesse. "Focus on my chakra. Feel how I use it to energize your cells. Feel how my Yin and Yang chakra interact with your cells," she instructed, her tone firm but encouraging. "Once you get a feel, match my flow perfectly. If you falter even slightly, it could disrupt the process or damage your cells." Fujin closed his eyes, his face calm and determined. He took a deep breath and started regulating his chakra. Fujin immediately felt Tsunade''s chakra enter his body, spreading like a gentle wave through his chakra network and into every cell. At first, the sensation was pleasant. His body felt lighter and his breathing easier. However, as Tsunade deepened the connection, the warmth turned into an intense heat. His cells seemed to vibrate, humming with new energy. Tsunade glanced at him, expecting the usual signs of strain, such as erratic breathing, tension, or even involuntary jerks. But to her surprise, Fujin had no reaction. He sat still with unwavering concentration as if he wasn''t the one experiencing the pain and discomfort. As he got a feel of Tsunade''s chakra, his chakra began moving. It moved with a precision Tsunade didn''t expect, matching her flow seamlessly. She could only think, ''Impressive!'' Shizune, standing nearby and observing the process, couldn''t help but think in amazement, ''What an incredible chakra control! It''s far better than mine! It''s almost as good as Lady Tsunade''s control!'' Slowly, Fujin began adjusting the intensity of his chakra, fine-tuning it in response to Tsunade''s signals. It was a delicate dance, one that demanded not just precision but also incredible stamina. The minutes stretched into an hour, and the process intensified. Tsunade increased the output of her chakra, pushing Fujin to match her pace. "I''m raising the output," she warned. "Keep up, or this will backfire." Fujin didn''t respond verbally, but his chakra surged in sync with hers, adapting to the change with startling ease. However, as Tsunade continued surging her chakra, the pressure on Fujin intensified. Almost on instinct, his chakra was about to surge aggressively to throw out the foreign chakra running through his body. Luckily, Tsunade read the signs well in advance despite the lack of any physical changes in Fujin. "Hold it!" Tsunade barked. "Don''t let your chakra flare. Keep it steady. Visualize your cells and regulate the flow." A slight frown appeared on Fujin''s lips as he curbed his instincts. In the blink of an eye, he regained control and channeled his chakra with the precision Tsunade demanded. Tsunade thought, ''Excellent! He has gone past this step better than Jiraiya and Orochimaru did. Only Sensei did it better than him. The remaining process should be smooth.'' Hours passed like this. Tsunade worked tirelessly, her chakra pouring into Fujin while teaching him how to maintain and fine-tune his cellular activity. Fujin carefully sensed every change in Tsunade''s chakra and slowly grasped the process. While he couldn''t help others increase their cellular activity like Tsunade could, his control over his cellular activity steadily and rapidly improved every passing hour. At the twelfth hour, Fujin''s body trembled slightly as Tsunade''s chakra started leaving his body. Tsunade pulled her hands back, the green glow fading. She stepped back and let out a long breath, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. She announced, "It''s done!" Fujin opened his eyes, his breathing steady despite the intense effort he''d put in. He flexed his fingers and clenched his fists, feeling the surge of vitality coursing through his body. "I feel... incredible," he said, marveling at the energy brimming within him. Feeling the changes in his body, Fujin muttered, "My chakra reserves have increased by 32%..." Tsunade crossed her arms and gave him a satisfied nod. "That''s good. Minato and Jiraiya had similar gains. Not just that, your chakra recovery will be faster too. However, don''t get cocky. You still need to train to adapt to this sudden increase. More importantly, you need to master your control over your cells'' activity right away. Until I''m satisfied with your control, you''ll stay here." Fujin had no reason to oppose her. Under her guidance, Fujin began practicing at the same spot. It took another four hours before he reached a stage that satisfied Tsunade. She sighed in relief and muttered, "Good. As long as you don''t actively try to overexert your cells, you won''t face any backlash. Also, rest for a couple of days for your body to adjust itself." Fujin let out a deep sigh and said, "Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Fujin was genuinely grateful. Though his body was more sore than it would be after Guy''s training sessions, a 32% jump in his chakra reserves in a single day was an unbelievable boost. Fujin''s understanding of human cells as well as Yin-Yang manipulation had deepened too. Tsunade got up tiredly and said, "It''s almost midnight. You should go home and rest. Approach me if there''s any problem." Fujin nodded as Tsunade and Shizune began leaving, but his nod stopped midway. Before Tsunade could leave, Fujin cleared his throat and said without a hint of shame, "Actually, I had another request." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Neevan, Moritz, Tanner, Salty and Nofathana for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 858: Returning to the Training Grounds! "Actually, I had another request." Tsunade, who was about to open the door, stopped. In order to help Fujin increase his cellular activity and learn how to control it, she had been with him since 7 in the morning. Even before that, she was making sure the room was still usable. She spent over 16 hours continuously helping Fujin. Yet, instead of letting her leave and rest for the night, Fujin mentioned that he had another request. Tsunade turned around and asked, "What request?" Fujin said, "I tried learning the Wild Lion''s Mane jutsu some time ago. Unfortunately, I failed at the very first step. I couldn''t grow my hair out. The scroll sadly didn''t have any information on this, but I analyzed that it doesn''t have much to do with how I knead my chakra. Rather, the growth has to be stimulated externally somehow. Do you know how to do it?" Tsunade replied, "Oh, the Lion''s Mane jutsu... Yeah, you analyzed it correctly. Simply using chakra won''t allow you to grow your hair, though you could control its movement. Your body naturally limits hair growth through hormonal regulations. To grow your hair, you need to first gain control of these regulations and then use your chakra to mimic the natural hormonal signals that stimulate hair growth. This process is temporary and your hair will revert back to your original state once the jutsu ends. Under normal circumstances, this is quite a difficult jutsu to learn. However, it should be quite easy for you now that you have learnt how to control your cellular activity." A frown appeared on Tsunade''s face as she asked, "Actually, even without learning how to control cellular activity, this isn''t too difficult for a medical ninja. You should have figured it out yourself. When did you try to learn the jutsu?" Fujin answered, "Around 5 years ago." A deadpan expression appeared on Tsunade''s face as she stared at Fujin. Fujin chuckled, "I hadn''t learnt Medical Ninjutsu back then. As such, I could only give up. To be honest, I completely forgot about it. I only remembered it today while learning how to control my cellular activity." Internally, Fujin thought, ''Actually, I had thought about it while learning from Yoshi and the rest. It''s just that I''ve never seen anyone other than Jiraiya use this technique. I guessed they wouldn''t be able to help me with it and didn''t bother asking... I would have still asked, but they looked like they would drop dead just by teaching me Medical Ninjutsu!'' Tsunade sighed, "Alright. Though it''s easy, hormones can be tricky to mess with too. Let''s meet here tomorrow at the same time. I''ll teach you how to control them." Fujin smiled and said, "Thank you once again." Tsunade yawned and muttered, "Due to the sudden increase in your cellular activity, you won''t feel sleepy today. Use this time to accustom yourself to the changes in your body. Don''t train until your body calms down and you feel as comfortable with it as you did today morning. You don''t want to accidentally overexert yourself due to carelessness." Fujin nodded at Tsunade and Shizune. Once they were some distance away, Shizune asked, "Lady Tsunade, you just became the Hokage. Is it alright to spend so much time away from the office?" Tsunade seriously said, "Shizune, always remember this. The duties of the Hokage extend far beyond the office. Some things are far more important than handling official duties." Shizune was surprised. She thought, ''I know Fujin is very important for the village, but I didn''t think Lady Tsunade would give his requests such a high priority. She left all her duties behind to help him!'' Unknown to Shizune, Tsunade scoffed internally, ''He is definitely beyond shameless! I''m afraid even Sensei loses out to him in this regard. That said, I can''t say no to 2 days without paperwork. Doing this is far more enjoyable than being stuck with those endless piles of white paper!'' As she walked to the Senju compounds with Shizune, Tsunade decided, ''I should increase Kakashi''s cellular activity too. His chakra reserves are quite low for a ninja of his caliber. By comparison, Fujin...'' When she helped increase Fujin''s cellular activity, Tsunade got a clear understanding of Fujin''s physique and chakra reserves. To say she was surprised was an understatement. The fact she didn''t react showed how professional she was as a Medical ninja. Tsunade thought, ''His chakra reserves were on par with mine when I was his age. After today, it''s even higher. His current reserves are almost on par with Jiraiya''s. And, he''s only 17. He should surpass even me in the next 5 years or so. If Sensei hadn''t said Fujin''s reserves were rather ordinary during his earlier years in the academy, I might have suspected him to have a connection with my or the Uzumaki clan... I didn''t think it was possible for chakra reserves to grow so much merely from constant training. And, it isn''t simply physical or ninjutsu training. He must have meditated for long hours to improve his spiritual strength.'' Yet again, Tsunade was amazed by Fujin''s discipline and dedication. She couldn''t help but think, ''Maybe we should run a pilot project where young talented ninjas are made to train as hard as Fujin did. However, how can we ensure they stay motivated even after a decade of grueling training?'' Tsunade didn''t have an answer to her question. Though there was another example of Might Guy, he wasn''t exactly normal either. On the contrary, his training regimen was even more extreme than Fujin''s regimen due to Guy focusing on a singular aspect. While Tsunade pondered over that issue, Fujin returned to his house and entered the meditation room. He sat in a meditative posture and thought, ''A 32% increase... not bad at all. However, the bigger gain today was understanding and gaining control over cellular activity. This will be very helpful once I start using my Myriad Tetragram Seal. I can now monitor and understand the entire process, which will allow me to detect any hidden dangers immediately.'' Fujin was very pleased. His gains were substantial. He closed his eyes and began circulating his chakra. Fujin spent the entire night getting accustomed to the changes in his body. The next day, Tsunade taught Fujin everything related to growing and controlling his hair as she promised. Needless to say, Shikaku had to cover for her on both days of her absence. Fujin spent the following day adjusting to his higher cellular activity until he was completely comfortable with it. The following day, Fujin returned to his training ground. He looked around and thought, ''It''s been quite a while since I trained here. Ever since the attack on the village, I have been busy running around. Fortunately, the last few days made up for all the training I missed.'' Fujin weaved the snake seal and concentrated chakra on his head, or more specifically, on his hair follicles. His pitch black hair slowly started growing, first making his spikes even longer before growing along his back. Fujin thought, ''The tough part is finally done. Ironically, it now feels the easiest. That said, I need to practice until my hair can grow at a faster speed. At much current speed, my opponent might fall asleep, not like that''d be a bad thing but still... In addition, I also need to remove the snake seal. Neither is difficult to do. They just need some time. However, there is no emergency to master this jutsu right now. I can work on it later. For now, I''ll simply learn this jutsu.'' Fujin''s chakra suddenly flared before it began flowing through his hair. His hair continue growing while becoming harder at the same time. Every strand of his hair became like a steel wire. His hair circled around his body, protecting him from all sides.'' A smile appeared on Fujin''s face as he analyzed, ''Not bad, this jutsu is quite strong and very convenient. If my mid-range defensive jutsus fail, I can use this jutsu to protect myself while launching a counter attack at the same time. It can potentially disrupt follow-up attacks while adding another layer of defense before I have to depend on my clothes and the Iron Skin jutsu. Hehe, I wonder who will make me show all the layers of my defense!'' Fujin already had a four layered defensive tactic for extreme situations. The first layer would be the Earth Wall jutsu or the Rashomon Gates, which could be multi-layered in itself. The second layer was made up by the winds of his Wind Domain. If both these layers failed and the attack landed on his body, the defensive seals inscribed on his clothes would come into play. And, the Iron Skin jutsu formed the final layer of his defense. Now, he learnt a jutsu that formed another layer between his second and third defensive layers. Fujin was about to experiment further when he suddenly stopped and turned his head. His eyes locked on Monkey, who was rushing towards him. Fujin''s hair gradually retracted, reaching their original shape before Monkey arrived and reported, "Fujin-sama, there''s a shocking news from the Hokage''s office." [A/N: Ugh, finally done! Sorry for the delay guys. There was a family event on Sunday, so I didn''t get much time to write. On Monday, one of my neighbours sadly passed away. Wasn''t particularly close to him (could be considered an acquaintance at best), but had to spend the majority of my day there. Should have completed it yesterday, but was hit with writer''s block ?????????. So, it took far longer than it should have.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Niccolo, Jackson, Pal, JTSSE, Vrga, Mc, Sweaty, 1Sword, Moritz, Ivan, Ajami, Sagerat, z2567, Leonardo, Frederik, ITGT12, KAAT, Lord Ytalo and 883388 for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 859: Passing the Torch! Surprise appeared on Fujin''s face as he heard the news from Monkey. Fujin glanced in the direction of Hokage Building and thought, ''Now that''s something I never expected to see. And to think that this happened without my direct intervention too. I wonder what happened to make Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura leave the council at the same time...'' Knowing their natures, Fujin could only think of one possible reason. He realized, ''The Uchiha Massacre... Hiruzen must have informed Tsunade about the truth. Itachi''s little visit must be the trigger. To think he''d do this after surviving...'' This realization surprised Fujin as much as the news. He knew very well that neither Homura nor Koharu would willingly give up their seats. However, he didn''t expect Hiruzen to tell anyone about his biggest failure either. If the truth were to come to light, much of Hiruzen''s reputation would be destroyed irrespective of how much he had done for the village... It was a big risk Hiruzen took. Similarly, Tsunade was quite decisive as well. She swiftly eliminated the positions of the elders and even did it in a way that it looked like a natural succession of power. Of course, the more keen minds would find it odd and be suspicious, but connecting the dots to the Uchiha Massacre was more or less impossible unless one already knew the truth like Fujin did. That said, Fujin didn''t completely agree with Tsunade''s decision. Fujin thought, ''While she was very decisive, she also gave up on some free labour... Koharu and Homura''s situations are much different than in the original story. My existence and frequent clashes with them have lowered their prestige and standing considerably. If we ever clashed like I did with Danzo, the clan leaders will take my side. Be it because of my youth, any past differences they may have with the elders or they''d just prefer to deal with someone younger and less experienced than those two old schemers. As a result, they were under a lot of pressure to keep their power. How readily they agreed to accept the tiresome responsibilities of implementing the changes to the academy just proves that. Instead of taking away their seats, she could have worked them until they retired voluntarily. Oh well, her choice. It''s not like I have to go do the work.'' Fujin said, "Thank you for letting me know. Is there something else?" Monkey answered, "No. Everything else in the village is as usual." Fujin sent him away. Just like Fujin, the other council members were informed about the same before the news slowly spread throughout the village. Most viewed it as the older generation passing the torch to the next one. However, the council members knew very well how much the elders loved their powers. Shikaku couldn''t help but wonder, ''Exactly what did she have to make both of them retire? Whatever it is must also incriminate Lord Third or perhaps is bad for the village and he gave up his seat to prevent any bad blood. Though, it is also possible he did it just due to his injuries. With his eldest son taking his seat in the council, he won''t be losing much influence unlike the other two.'' Others had similar guesses. In the training ground, Fujin muttered internally, ''Quite a lot of strange events are occuring. I need to learn these jutsus quickly. I can master it at a later date. It''s time to do that...'' Fujin spent a couple more days training. The speed at which his hair grew increased considerably, though it was far from Jiraiya''s level or even a level Fujin deemed sufficient to use against rank S ninjas. Regardless, he learnt the Wild Lion''s Mane jutsu, Needle Jizo jutsu, Hair Needle Senbon jutsu and Needle Hell jutsu in those two days. On the next day, instead of going to the Training Ground, Fujin entered his basement and sat in front of a pot. Sensing the Shukaku''s chakra sealed within the pot, Fujin sighed, ''Again, it has barely increased. It was 7.5% when I returned to the village. It''s been 2 weeks and it hasn''t even reached 7.6%... No point in waiting any more. I didn''t do it earlier because I needed Tsunade''s help to increase my cellular activity. As I suspected, that process allowed her to inspect my body and chakra thoroughly. If my chakra reserves had grown that much, she''d have noticed. She could have even connected it with Shukaku if there''s any lingering chakra left after I absorb it. But, now that it''s done, I have no more reservations. It''s time to see the Myriad Tetragram Seal in action!'' Fujin''s expression became very serious. At the next moment, thousands of seals lit up in the large basement, isolating his basement from everything else. The density of seals was so ridiculously high that his basement was almost like a different space! Under Fujin''s control, the seals on the pot started disappearing, and a dense, swirling mass of chakra floated out. The chakra was a murky golden-brown, with streaks of black pulsating through it like veins. It seemed alive, constantly shifting and writhing as if seeking an outlet for its chaotic energy. Occasional wisps broke away from the main mass, releasing a faint hiss as they dissolved into the air. A faint pressure filled the basement, as though the chakra carried a primal, untamed essence. Had it not been for the seals in Fujin''s house, every sensor and experienced ninja in Konoha would have felt the pressure and run towards Fujin''s house to investigate! Fujin observed it for a couple of minutes, his sharp eyes analyzing every detail. He thought, ''Tsk... there''s no sign of intelligence or consciousness, yet the chakra is so feral! As expected of a Tailed Beast''s chakra. The streaks of black are probably the remnants of Shukaku''s malice, though at this size, it seems harmless. If this chakra had been twice or thrice its current size, I suspect it would have coalesced into something resembling an evil spirit irrespective of whether it developed intelligence. Perhaps I could experiment with that later. I don''t think Shukaku or his siblings would mind it much.'' Fujin chuckled as new ideas flooded into his mind. He extended his left palm towards the chakra. A seal appeared on his palm and Shukaku''s chakra was sucked into it. In the blink of an eye, the pressure in the basement disappeared and calmness returned. Closing his eyes, Fujin returned to his inner world. Fujin''s inner world was quite different from when he visited it the first time. Unlike the pitch-black darkness that filled his inner world initially, a faint glow illuminated most of his inner world now. There were two sources that illuminated his inner world. The first was the artificial chakra lake. The lake was no longer empty. Instead, 20% of it was already filled! Until a few days ago, that would have been over 9 times Fujin''s normal chakra reserves! However, due to the recent boost to his chakra reserves, it was just over 7 times Fujin''s chakra reserves. Since Fujin hadn''t done intense training after the attack on the village, he always kept storing small portions of his chakra in the lake whenever he could. He had to be careful when he was on the march, but Fujin spent over a couple of weeks in the Land of Fire negotiating with Sunagakure and over a week and half experimenting with Tsunade. This was why the lake filled so quickly. The second source of light was a new one. Until a few moments ago, the sphere in the sky of Fujin''s inner world was completely empty. However, it now contained over 7.5% of Shukaku''s chakra and emitted a yellow light. Observing the sphere, Fujin raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Weird... There shouldn''t be any light emitting from the sphere... Also, why is the light so dim? If it is being lit due to the chakra, shouldn''t it be much brighter?" Fujin carefully observed the sphere and realized, ''I see. The sphere is completely suppressing Shukaku''s chakra. Does it mean how bright the light is depends on how strong the chakra sealed inside it is? Perhaps had it been Kurama, the sphere might have looked like a mini-Sun. Still, why is the sphere emitting light? Based on my seals, nothing should have been emi... Eh?'' Fujin immediately noticed a couple more things that surprised him. The first one, he had expected, but the second caught him off guard. As soon as it appeared, the sphere began refining Shukaku''s chakra so that it could become compatible with Fujin and be absorbed by him with little to no backlash or side-effects. However, Shukaku''s chakra was fighting back as Fujin predicted. What surprised Fujin was how intensely it was fighting back! Fujin thought, ''I didn''t expect such a fierce struggle from chakra that doesn''t have any sentience. If this is how intense 7.5% of Shukaku''s chakra is, how intense would be a complete Tailed Beast? Fuck, it''s resistance is stronger than the sphere''s refinement. The sphere can''t refine it all!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Luke, Noel, Keagan, Michael, Derek, Kalonji, Pervysage, Khalid and Mitchell for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 860: A Hidden Danger! In the ninja world, there were various techniques of absorbing foreign chakra. The Rinnegan could absorb any chakra, tools like Samehada could assist in absorbing it, the Dark Release Kekkei Genkai did something similar and there were even some weaker ninjas like Yoroi who had their own methods. However, all these abilities only absorbed the chakra temporarily. Once they used that chakra, it''d be gone from their bodies forever. Even if they didn''t use it, they couldn''t hold the chakra for a long time. Their chakra reserves wouldn''t increase due to it. What Fujin was trying with the Myriad Tetragram Seal was quite unique. Even though he was inspired by Minato''s seal, it wasn''t the same. Minato''s seal achieved what it did over several years at a slow but steady rate. In addition, it needed Kurama''s cooperation, even though he cooperated due to being fooled by Minato. Fujin''s plan was to forcefully refine chakra and permanently make it a part of his body. It couldn''t be done with any chakra. Heck, Fujin couldn''t even use the chakra in his artificial chakra lake to achieve this. He could only use the chakra of a Tailed Beast or similar entities whose chakra perpetually regenerated due to nature. Of course, such chakras couldn''t be absorbed directly either. If he did, Fujin would be affected by the same drawbacks and backlashes like the Jinchurikis. And, those changes could be permanent too. Fujin didn''t want to be wild and out of control like imperfect Jinchurikis. The role of the sphere within the Myriad Tetragram Seal was crucial here. It first suppressed any chakra or beast sealed within it. The next step was to extract the chakra little by little and eliminate the influence of any being over it, making it unaffiliated with its original owner. The third step was to transform the extracted chakra and not only make it compatible with Fujin, but also make it easy for the chakra to assimilate into Fujin''s body. It was a rather complicated process consisting of several crucial steps. Since he couldn''t actually test this particular feature on normal bandits or rogue ninjas, Fujin didn''t entirely understand it either. However, Fujin didn''t expect he would face a hurdle at the very first step. Even so, Fujin wasn''t panicking despite Shukaku''s chakra gaining the upper hand. For starters, irrespective of whether the sphere could refine the chakra, Shukaku''s chakra had no chance of breaking through the barrier. Even if Shukaku was present, it would have no chance of escaping. The barrier was just too sturdy. Secondly, expecting a mere seal to completely absorb a Tailed Beast''s chakra was simply foolish. As magical as Fuinjutsu was, even it had its limits. Otherwise, the Uzumaki clan wouldn''t have been destroyed and Jashin could have taken over the world. Fujin could control the sphere and the refinement himself. That was the true essence of the Myriad Tetragram Seal. A confrontation between Fujin and the Tailed Beast where Fujin would be aided by the seal and the artificial chakra reserves to forcefully refine a Tailed Beast''s chakra. It wasn''t a gentle or delicate process like Minato''s modifications on the Eight Trigram Divination Seal he used to seal half of Nine Tails inside Naruto. There were no tricks, no baits but a direct confrontation. If one had to derive a similarity, it would be somewhat similar to Naruto and Kushina confronting Kurama to steal a small part of his chakra. Of course, Fujin had no sealing chains that suppressed Tailed Beasts. Instead, he entirely depended on his will, strength, artificial chakra reserves and the sphere. As such, Shukaku''s chakra resisting the sphere didn''t pose any threat to Fujin. It was just that Fujin didn''t expect a non-sentient chakra to force him to take action. That said, the bigger worry was something else. Fujin observed, ''No matter how strong the chakra sealed in the sphere is, no light should be emitted. The sphere seals off everything. Only I should be able to see what''s happening inside because this is in my inner world. The light that the sphere emits isn''t directly due to Shukaku''s chakra. No, the light is a product of the struggle between the sphere and the chakra. If that was all, I wouldn''t care. Unfortunately, the light seems to have a destructive impact on my inner world. It''s almost as if it is trying to decay or erode my inner world. Sigh, I didn''t expect such a hidden danger. Luckily, this light isn''t too destructive. The erosion is almost non-existent. If I wasn''t connected to it, I wouldn''t have even felt it. At its current rate, it might take a million years to merely show signs of erosion, let alone destroy my inner world. However, I need to be careful while dealing with actual Tailed Beasts. I won''t be as simple as I thought it would be... The light their struggle would produce will be much more intense. I can''t say for sure how much of an impact it''ll cause on my inner world. Even though I have some failsafes, like simply throwing the Tailed Beast out of the seal and my body since I''m not exactly a Jinchuriki, it''ll be such a waste if I have to resort to that.'' Fujin''s Myriad Tetragram Seal was different from typical sealing techniques. In normal sealing techniques, the Tailed Beast would be directly sealed inside the Jinchuriki''s inner world. Their chakras would be connected with each other and so would their lives. However, the sphere inside Fujin''s inner world was like an entirely different space in itself. If he sealed a Tailed Beast inside the sphere, he wouldn''t be connected with the Tailed Beast, nor would the Tailed Beast be connected with it. Fujin couldn''t borrow the Tailed Beast''s chakra like other Jinchurikis nor transform into the Tailed Beast unless he sealed the Tailed Beast outside the sphere. Similarly, if Fujin were to die, the Tailed Beast sealed inside the sphere wouldn''t die. Instead, it''d be released. As such, his life wasn''t in danger. However, the hidden dangers alerted Fujin and made him far more cautious. He wasn''t entirely sure what would happen if his inner world were to be destroyed. If it was merely losing the artificial chakra reserves, Fujin wouldn''t mind risking it if the rewards were sufficiently high. However, if the damage extended beyond his inner world, Fujin cared deeply. Fujin thought, ''Now that I think about it, I never destroyed anyone''s inner world... I should test it out to see what effects it has on the person. Perhaps I should create a weaker variant of the Myriad Tetragram Seal where the sphere is easier to destroy so that I can study its effects as well. That said...'' Fujin sighed. His army had done a number on the bandits and rogue ninjas in the Land of Fire. Finding new experimental subjects wouldn''t be easy. Fujin decided, ''Oh well, some other country can thank me. I''ll take payments from their nobles later with a miniscule interest. For now, it''s time to refine Shukaku''s chakra!'' Fujin began floating in his inner world. The chakra in the artificial lake became chaotic for a moment before completely calming down and becoming still. Fujin sat in a meditative posture while floating a few feet above the center of the lake, his eyes completely fixed on the sphere floating right above him. Slowly, he closed his eyes as his consciousness as he took complete control over the sphere. Shukaku''s chakra, which had begun wreaking havoc inside the sphere, suddenly calmed down as the pressure on it increased ten-fold! The chakra was easily suppressed. However, its ferocity only increased as it fought back against Fujin''s will! ¡ª¡ª The Sun had long set, yet sounds of shurikens hitting their targets and the rhythmic thuds of punches against wooden dummies were heard from a training ground not far from the new Uchiha clan compounds. Sasuke stood alone, his shirt drenched in chest and his breathing rough. His Sharingans glowed faintly as he continued practicing his forms, remembering his vow to kill Itachi. Not too far away, four figures sat stealthily in nearby trees. Sasuke hadn''t noticed their presence. Yet, they looked at him and nodded in admiration. One of them, wearing a bird mask, muttered, "His resolve and determination is extraordinary. He''s completely out of stamina and yet is training at this intensity." The Anbu ninja next to him nodded, "It''s truly a sight to see. At least in terms of strength, the next clan leader of the Uchiha clan may not be much weaker than his predecessors. This is good for the vill..." He suddenly croaked, though no voice escaped his lips. His partner immediately turned his head. To his shock, a kunai appeared from his throat. His eyes moved, noticing someone had pierced the back of his comrade''s neck. Before his body could react, he was beheaded as well! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Ivan, BornTripleA, Dismal, Howard, Ashser, Lewey, Blue Bird, Chris, Jiroth, Melegant, Bigturner and Zekram for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 861: Hiatus: 1 month The last three days, I have been relatively free. Spent most of my writing, or at least trying to. Sadly, I stayed stuck at a single point for over two and a half days. Was depressed and had almost given up earlier today, but wanted to give it one last shot so that I don''t leave you guys waiting for the last few days and without anything. Luckily, I got a good rhythm and managed to complete the chapter today. Sadly, this kinda shows that if I continue writing this way, it''s unlikely I''ll ever return to the consistency I had in 2023 and 2024. Thought it was just a phase and I''d grind it out of it, but I sadly failed. Writing this way isn''t fun for me, on the contrary, the last month or so has been rather depressing for me as a writer due to how frequently I have missed the schedule and disappointed you guys. I''ll be taking a hiatus in the month of May as per my previous notice. I''ll likely spend the first couple of weeks completely away from my book, taking some time to cool off. Might finally look into my long ''to read'' list, which kept on increasing due to all the recommendations you guys gave me, lol. The next couple of weeks, I''ll restart my grind. To be honest, I do have most of my story planned out. It''s the fighting scenes that troubled me the most recently. Kinda ironic as I used to be most comfortable with writing them (if you guys recall, I did 3 double releases in a row while writing the first round between Fujin and Orochimaru). So, I''ll be using the last two weeks to sort out the battle scenes so that I can write them without having to face writer blocks. This is even more important as the fighting scenes will be far more complicated in the upcoming arc and I''ll need to create a lot of original content. In addition, I''ll also try to build some reserve chapters so that I can maintain a regular release time as I once used to do. Important : I''ll be pausing my payments during the hiatus. It should result in the following - 1. Everyone who still has a membership will get a +1 month time added to your membership. 2. No new members will be able to join when the payments are off (including older returning members). PS: This is my first time doing this, so everything I know is from what I read. If you face any issues, please comment in this post. Also, I''m not sure if I''ll be allowed to make new posts during this period (though my DMs should work normally). Note: I''ll pause the payments in 12 hours to give time to anyone who wants to join at the last minute. I hope all of you have a joyful, peaceful and fulfilling month of May. Stay safe and healthy. I''ll focus on my health too. Once again, thank you for all your love and support guys. I couldn''t have written over 900 chapters and 1.4 million words without you guys pushing me. Praying I keep receiving your love and support even after my hiatus. Take care ?? Chapter 862: A Choice! "Huh?" "What was that?" Two Anbu ninjas became alert and looked to their left. Without wasting any time, both flickered towards the source of the noise. However, while they were in the middle of flickering, a kunai pierced through the heart of one of them! The eyes of the last Anbu ninjas widened. He stopped his Body Flicker jutsu and thought in disbelief, ''He was killed while he was flickering? Who the hell...?'' Terror appeared behind his rhino mask as his eyes finally fell on the attacker. He immediately flickered backwards, abandoning his dead teammate and escaping towards the village. At the same time, a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it appeared in his right hand. Unfortunately, before he could throw it, he was beheaded too. At the same time, Lightning sparks hit the explosive tag, disarming it. As the Anbu''s head floated, his last sight was the killer''s pale, serpentine face and golden, slit-pupil eyes gleamed faintly in the moonlight, exuding an eerie, predatory calm. ''Hmm?'' Orochimaru''s eyes fell on the dead Anbu''s waist. A black paper attached to his belt was burning. Orochimaru immediately doused it and thought, ''Weird, what''s this tag?'' He observed it for a few seconds but didn''t understand. He thought, ''Oh well, it doesn''t matter, but I should hurry.'' Sasuke, who was still training, stopped and looked around. He frowned thinking, ''What was that sound? Who fell...?'' His eyes suddenly widened as a familiar figure appeared before him. He immediately grabbed his kunai and muttered, "Orochimaru... What are you doing here?" ¡ª¡ª In the Anbu Headquarters, Eagle was sitting in his office. Though he was added to the council, he didn''t receive any additional duties. After all, he was already the commander of the Anbu and was looking after the affairs of the Sarutobi clan. His hands were full. It was a normal day for him when one of the tags in his room began burning. His eyes immediately moved the tag and he realized, ''The Uchiha clan... Strange, I didn''t expect any incident right now. What could have happened?'' Two Shadow Clones appeared next to him. One flickered towards the Hokage''s office while the other got hold of four nearby Anbu squads to go to the Uchiha Clan compounds. ¡ª¡ª "Kakashi, this is your next mission. The Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water has..." Tsunade stopped speaking and her eyes moved towards Eagle''s Shadow Clone. Without wasting any time, the Shadow Clone immediately reported, "Lady Tsunade, there seems to be a mishap near the Uchiha Clan Compounds. One of the Anbu I stationed there lit the black communication tag. My other clone is assembling the Anbu ninjas in headquarters and should be leaving any moment now." Tsunade was aware of the communication tags created by Fujin. Though it hadn''t spread much yet, Konoha''s leadership used it to its fullest extent. A frown appeared on her face as she wondered, ''The Uchiha clan? Does this have something to do with Sensei telling me the truth? Or, is this unrelated?'' Having learnt the truth behind the Uchiha massacre just a few days ago, her mind immediately thought in that direction. She cursed, ''If those old geezers are still up to something after having committed what they did, I won''t forgive them!'' She commanded, "Kakashi, go with them and check what this is about. I''ll send more reinforcements soon." Kakashi nodded and flickered. ¡ª¡ª Orochimaru smirked as he saw Sasuke''s defiance, his golden, snake-like eyes gleaming with malicious intent. His voice was soft but menacing, "Still as sharp as ever, Sasuke-kun. I see the fire in your eyes hasn''t diminished. But I wonder... How far has that fire taken you? Have you grown strong enough to face your brother yet? To make him suffer the way he made you suffer?" Sasuke tightened his grip on his kunai, his Sharingan flaring to life, and asked, "What do you want, Orochimaru? I don''t have time for your games." Chuckling, Orochimaru tilted his head and said, "What I want? Oh, Sasuke-kun, it''s not about what I want. It''s about what you want. I know the hatred that burns in your heart. The thirst for vengeance against Itachi. And I also know... you''re not strong enough to defeat him yet." Sasuke''s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Orochimaru took a step closer, his voice turning almost seductive as he continued, "You''ve realized it, haven''t you? No matter how hard you train, no matter how much you push yourself, the gap between you and Itachi is insurmountable. You''ll never reach him on your own. But with me... I can give you the power you crave. The power to crush him." Sasuke narrowed his eyes and icyly asked, "And what would you get in return?" Orochimaru tilted his head, his expression a mix of amusement and malice. He answered, "Your body... your talent... your potential. I could help you become a vessel of unparalleled power. All I ask is that you come with me, and I will unlock your full potential and help you take revenge for everything your brother has stolen from you." His answer immediately angered Sasuke. Holding his rage back as much as he could, he asked, "So that''s your plan? To take my body and use me like one of your experiments?" Orochimaru let out a soft laugh, his tone almost mocking. He asked in return, "And if I did, would it matter? You''d have your revenge, wouldn''t you? Itachi would die, and the Uchiha name would live on, stronger than ever." He leaned in slightly, his golden eyes boring into Sasuke''s. "Think carefully, Sasuke-kun. Are you really going to let your pride stand in the way of ultimate power?" Sasuke took a step back, his anger replaced by a smirk. He prepared himself for a battle as he countered, "You''re pathetic, Orochimaru. You lost everything, and now you''re grasping at straws. You''re not worthy of being my teacher." For the first time, Orochimaru''s smile faltered. Sasuke continued, his voice filled with scorn, "There''s someone stronger than you in the village, someone who''s beaten you and destroyed everything you built. Tell me, why shouldn''t I seek guidance from him instead of following a loser like you?" Orochimaru''s expression darkened for a moment as he recalled a memory he hadn''t given much importance to. It was Fujin advising Orochimaru to give up his life and die at his hands so that he could maintain his reputation and no one would learn how disappointing Orochimaru was. Back then, Orochimaru didn''t take Fujin''s words seriously as he knew Fujin was simply trying to get into his head. However, the sight of Sasuke looking down on him suddenly brought back those memories. Orochimaru never expected such words to turn into reality! Orochimaru removed those thoughts from his mind. His dark expression disappeared as quickly. Orochimaru quickly composed himself, his unsettling grin returning. He muttered "Ah, Fujin-kun... He did surpass my expectations by a large degree. I won''t lie, his strength is ridiculous, especially for his age. However, what of it? He can''t make you stronger like I can. He has no idea of how to explore your true potential. Even if he agreed to guide you, you''ll never become strong enough to kill Itachi. Of course, you could ask Fujin to kill Itachi and take revenge for you. I wouldn''t be surprised if he manages to do that. Is that what you want, Sasuke-kun? To stay back like a weak little coward while others fight your battles for you? Surely my eyes haven''t deceived me, have they?" Sasuke''s smirk disappeared, replaced by a frown. Orochimaru''s words hit where it hurt the most. Sasuke had approached Fujin once, but was sent flying before he could say anything. After he was released from the hospital, Sasuke tried several times to meet with Fujin. However, he never succeeded in even seeing his face, let alone talk to him. Whether Fujin could train Sasuke to become as strong as him was secondary, Sasuke wasn''t even sure whether he could get Fujin to train him. From Sasuke''s perspective, Fujin had no reason to train him. There was nothing Sasuke could offer him. The only hope he had was that Fujin had guided Naruto for no apparent reason, but it was a distant hope. As such, Orochimaru''s offer was far more tempting. Though Sasuke understood he could lose his body and perhaps himself, his safety wasn''t high on his priority list. ¡ª¡ª "Who is missing?" Eagle''s clone asked impatiently. Along with the Shadow Clone, 16 Anbu ninjas and Kakashi had appeared near the Uchiha Clan compounds and met with the Anbu Captain stationed there. Following his orders, the Anbu Captain recalled all patrolling units to check who had lit the black communication tag. As soon as everyone returned, the Anbu Captain reported, "Rhino''s squad is missing. They were looking over Uchiha Sasuke!" Kakashi''s right eye widened. He immediately said, "Lead the way to him!" Eagle''s clone added, "Half of the patrol units stay here. Rest come with us!" Without wasting any more time, most of the Anbu ninjas flickered! ¡ª¡ª Orochimaru asked, "So, what is your decision, Sasuke?" [A/N: Good to be back guys :)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Cade, Fossor, Untitled, TheGreatGert, David, Mustafa, Florin, Shahad, Tshering, idkanymore, Mounir and Damian for supporting me on Patreon. Chapter 863: Revenge or Responsibilities? "So, what is your decision, Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked with a grin. He could see his words had an impact on Sasuke''s young mind. While Fujin undoubtedly had a greater potential, he couldn''t compete with Orochimaru''s experience in this aspect. Sasuke entered into a deep thought, ''Should I accept his offer? Is it worth it?'' Unlike the original story, there were two aspects for Sasuke to consider. The first was obviously his hatred for Itachi and his thirst for revenge. However, Sasuke also shouldered the responsibility of leading and protecting the remaining Uchiha kids. They looked up to Sasuke and idolized him. Unlike Fujin, who rarely attached himself to anyone, Sasuke deeply cared about them. Sasuke analyzed, ''If I go with him, I may not be able to lead the Uchiha clan and rebuild it. No, I definitely won''t be able to do it. He wants my body. I''m not sure if I''ll live, let alone have any control over my body. However, that could allow me, or my body, to take revenge on Itachi. Is it worth it to sacrifice myself to get revenge on Itachi?'' Sasuke didn''t need to think much to know his answer to that question. His desire to kill Itachi vastly exceeded every other dream of his. It was important to note that Sasuke''s dream in the original story wasn''t just to kill Itachi but also to rebuild the Uchiha clan. As the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, the onus was on him to rebuild it. Yet, he decided to abandon that goal and went to Orochimaru even if it meant that the Uchiha clan could go extinct! Sasuke thought, ''Even though I''m older than them, there isn''t much I can do to guide them. Their training is taken care of by the village. Even without me, the village will look after them. They can rebuild the Uchiha clan irrespective of my presence. The only question now is, is Orochimaru my best bet to kill Itachi?'' Unlike his previous decisiveness, Sasuke hesitated. Much like how Kakashi''s image had deteriorated in his eyes, Orochimaru had fallen too. Sasuke thought, ''He lost against Fujin, he lost against Third and he even ran away from his village. I even overheard Naruto saying that Orochimaru ran away from Fifth! Can someone like him really defeat Itachi? And, can I trust him to defeat Itachi after he takes over my body?'' While Sasuke couldn''t know for sure whether Orochimaru could defeat Itachi, he had no reason to trust Orochimaru. He couldn''t help but think, ''Fujin, Third and Fifth, all gained their strength by training in Konoha. Even Itachi gained his strength the same way. Why can''t I gain strength similarly? If Fujin can defeat Orochimaru despite being only 4 years older than me, there''s no reason for me to not grow strong enough to kill Itachi in a few years. Instead of placing all my bets on someone as untrustworthy as Orochimaru, I''d rather trust myself!'' The answer had formed in Sasuke''s heart. Once it took root, it gripped him even tighter, increasing his belief every moment. He grabbed his kunai even tighter and prepared himself for a battle as he answered with conviction and belief in himself, "I don''t need your help, Orochimaru! I''ll kill Itachi myse..." He suddenly stopped speaking as he felt a pain in the back of his neck. Before he could understand what was happening, he collapsed unconscious in front of Orochimaru. Orochimaru''s expression was a mixture of amusement and disappointment. He thought, ''Tsk, I never expected Fujin''s words to come true. For such a stripling to look down on me... My reputation is down in the gutters. That said, did he really think I''d give him a choice? It''d have been simpler if he cooperated, but either way is fine. His body will be mine...'' Orochimaru''s pale palm landed on Sasuke''s curse seal, making Sasuke writhe in pain despite being unconscious. Several marks spread around his body. At the same time, Orochimaru opened a large scroll. Carefully, he extracted some of Sasuke''s chakra with the help of his curse seal as well as some of his blood and imprinted both on the large scroll. He thought, ''Unlike the reverse summoning done by summoning tribes who hold contracts, reverse summoning among ninjas has several restrictions. The basic requirement is for a temporary contract to be signed. It requires a ninja''s blood, chakra as well as consent. However, since Sasuke bears my curse seal, I have sufficient control over his chakra to form consent irrespective of whether he wants to give it or not. Another major obstacle is that the ninja can resist the reverse summoning conducted through such temporary contracts. While there are ways to side-step that as well, it''s just easier to knock Sasuke out instead... Huh?'' A frown appeared on his face as he sensed several figures approaching him at a fast speed. He thought, ''This speed, it must be the Anbu. How were they warned? I carefully killed everyone without letting them send a signal...'' Suddenly, Orochimaru recalled the burning black tag and wondered, ''Was it due to that? No matter. They''re too late.'' ¡ª¡ª In a hidden base in the Land of Hot Water, Jugo and several other ninjas became alert. Jugo observed, ''A new name appeared on this contract. Uchiha Sasuke... Orochimaru-sama succeeded!'' ¡ª¡ª Within moments, 9 Anbu squads appeared along with Kakashi and Eagle''s clone. Their eyes widened in shock on seeing Orochimaru crouching over Sasuke, who was lying on the ground, occasionally writhing in pain. Without a second''s hesitation, Kakashi raised his headband and opened his left eye. Flaring his chakra, Kakashi asked, "Orochimaru, what are you doing here?" Under normal circumstances, they would have attacked right away but Sasuke''s presence complicated things. Kakashi, in particular, was very careful. He glanced towards a few Anbu squads, who quickly flickered and surrounded Orochimaru from all sides. Orochimaru chuckled, "You fellows burned down my entire village. My soul was so sorrowful that it needed a new house." The sound of hundreds of bird chirping buzzed in everyone''s ears as Kakashi prepared his Chidori and replied, "Did you forget you were the one who attacked first? I''m surprised you dared to return here in your state." Kakashi was informed of Orochimaru''s state and hence never expected Orochimaru to show up here. He was so surprised by the sight that he wondered, ''Has Orochimaru healed his injured Soul so quickly? Or, has he made any other arrangements for him to be so calm?'' Knowing Orochimaru, Kakashi prepared himself for several hidden traps and possible ambushes. Suddenly, his eye widened as Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke! Kakashi immediately realized, ''Shit! The Reverse Summoning jutsu! However, when did Sasuke sign a contract? And, where did he take Sasuke?'' With Sasuke no longer in the way, Kakashi ran straight towards Orochimaru at blinding speed. At the same time, the nearby Anbu ninjas attacked as well. Orochimaru dodged their attacks while retreating from Kakashi and said, "In my current state, taking you on will be quite a challenge." Kakashi didn''t care for Orochimaru''s words. He followed him with precise movements, giving Orochimaru quite a difficult time. A few sparks hit Orochimaru, burning his skin on contact. Orochimaru observed, ''This Lightning style... He''s infusing Yin chakra like his father once did. He''s far from his level, but this is remarkable progress in such a short time...'' "Where did you take Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as more Lightning sparks hit Orochimaru, despite him evading Kakashi''s main attack. ''Lightning Release: Lightning Hound jutsu!'' Unable to stab Orochimaru with his Chidori despite assistance from the remaining Anbu ninjas, Kakashi transformed the lightning on his hand into a hound and launched it at Orochimaru. Concentrating his chakra on to his right foot, Orochimaru stamped the ground with all his might as he continued retreating. ''Earth Release: Sand Rift Surge jutsu'' Deep cracks spread along the ground with Orochimaru''s foot as the epicenter. As the cracks grew, sand rushed out through them moving forward at a very rapid speed. The nearby Anbu ninjas immediately flickered out of the way as the sand slicked through everything in its path. Despite Lightning having an advantage over Earth, the Lightning Hound was slowed down and dispersed by a continuous barrage of sand blades. Even Kakashi was forced to retreat. Orochimaru successfully reset the momentum, even getting an upper hand momentarily. Yet, he didn''t press on the advantage. He stood at the same spot thinking, ''I''m still not used to this new body. My calculations of healing my soul using this body''s original soul were off too. My arms still haven''t healed completely. I won''t be able to last much longer. If I keep this up, I might lose to Kakashi even if he doesn''t get any reinforcements. That would drag whatever reputation I still have left even more through the mud! Time to end this...'' The counterattack Kakashi and the rest expected never came. Instead, Orochimaru said, "I didn''t come here to fight with you, Kakashi. Tell Sensei that I remember the humiliation Konoha inflicted on me. Sooner or later, I shall settle the scores..." Orochimaru''s voice lingered in the air as he disappeared from the training ground just like Sasuke did a few moments ago. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Killjoy, WiN, Paul, Marq, Roman, Mounir, Yamir, Palikka and Muabe for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Mudassir for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 864: Rescue Mission? "What did you say?" Tsunade asked, her eyes widened in shock. She could barely believe her ears! Shizune was in shock as well. Kakashi sighed sorrowfully, "I apologize, I couldn''t stop him. Sasuke was kidnapped by Orochimaru and he escaped using the Reverse Summoning jutsu. We searched the entire area, but couldn''t find any traces of him. We found the bodies of 4 of our Anbu ninjas. Orochimaru killed them earlier. One of them set off the signal." Tsunade''s frown deepened as she thought, ''I just learnt the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, and soon after Sasuke is kidnapped? Sigh, to let his brother be taken from the village. How disappointing... Then again, his actions pushed Sasuke towards Orochimaru. Did Sasuke go voluntarily or was he kidnapped?'' Tsunade instructed, "Tell me everything that happened in detail." She paused before adding, "Call Jiraiya and Sensei here. Bring Fujin too." Three figures disappeared from the office. Kakashi reported, "When we reached the training ground, Orochimaru was crouching over Sasuke, who was lying on the ground. I noticed the curse marks on his body. I believe that must have something to do with his reverse summoning. My first thought was that Orochimaru used it to paralyze Sasuke, but my Sharingan observed that he was unconscious..." Kakashi reported every little detail of the events that followed. After Orochimaru was reverse summoned, he ordered the Anbu ninjas to thoroughly search the place just in case Orochimaru was fooling them. Unfortunately, they didn''t find anything other than the four bodies. Tsunade''s reinforcements reached the training ground too, but they were very late. Even if they had arrived earlier, they didn''t include anyone as strong as Kakashi. After all, Tsunade never expected someone like Orochimaru to infiltrate the village. She had no reason to send someone like Jiraiya or Fujin. Tsunade cursed internally, ''That bastard! To think he''d be so obsessed with Uchiha Sasuke... I never expected him to take such a risk in his current state...'' She asked, "What is your view on Orochimaru''s state?" Kakashi thoughtfully answered, "It''s difficult to say for sure. His movements were slightly slower but he could easily keep up with me. He also used a powerful Earth Release jutsu which also consisted of some aspects of Wind manipulation. However, I could see he was struggling. His strength almost felt like a facade. I don''t think he would have lasted very long. His arms may have healed a bit, but Orochimaru hasn''t recovered entirely. That said..." A complicated expression appeared on Kakashi''s face as he added, "If he attacks and keeps using the Reverse Summoning jutsu, there''s little we can do against him." Tsunade replied, "All rank S ninjas are difficult to deal with. Orochimaru might be the most difficult of all..." Kakashi asked, "What about Sasuke?" Tsunade answered, "We''ll rescue him. Unfortunately, it won''t be that easy. The only good thing is that he must have already changed his body to recover to this extent. Sasuke''s life shouldn''t be in danger for a few years at least. Let''s wait for sensei, Jiraiya, and Fujin to come here..." Tsunade hadn''t been in the village for a long while. Though a lot was done to ensure she caught up with everything, there was only so much you could do in a few days. As such, Hiruzen and Jiraiya had far deeper insights into Orochimaru and could have better ideas than Tsunade. Though Fujin wasn''t close to Orochimaru like the three of them, he had burned down the Land of Rice and destroyed hundreds of Otogakure bases. So, Tsunade valued his input as well. A few minutes later, Hiruzen and Jiraiya arrived at the office. Both became serious on noticing everyone''s solemn expressions. Jiraiya asked, "What is the issue? Why are so many ninjas moving around the village?" Tsunade sighed and informed them about the events. Just like her, both were shocked to learn about Orochimaru''s short visit. Hiruzen frowned, ''Just when I was about to guide Sasuke myself, he made a move... Sigh, this is almost a lost cause. I didn''t expect Orochimaru to be so desperate for Sasuke that he''d take such a huge risk...'' Jiraiya had similar thoughts. Their attention moved towards Tsunade, who asked, "So, any good ideas to rescue Sasuke?" Hiruzen glanced towards Jiraiya. After all, Jiraiya was the one who chased after Orochimaru when he went rogue. Jiraiya sighed and answered, "It''s difficult... Very difficult. In all the years I chased after him, I only found him thrice before I gave up on making him return to the village. And, that was when he wasn''t injured and overconfident in his abilities. Now, he''ll hide better and maintain several escape routes including the Reverse Summoning jutsu. Merely finding his location might take months, if not years. And, he might just escape if he detects us closing in on him." Tsunade frowned as Jiraiya continued, "Our best bet is for me to sense him with Senjutsu. Even that is risky as his instincts will warn him. However, if he doesn''t escape quickly, we can launch a quick and all-out attack. Killing him will be difficult, but we will have a chance to reach Sasuke before he reverse summons him, which could allow us to break his contract forcefully." Tsunade asked, "Is there no faster way? Even though Orochimaru can''t take over Sasuke''s body for a few years, leaving Sasuke with him for several months is dangerous." Jiraiya shook his head. He had spent a long time chasing after his friend and knew very well how difficult it was. If he could narrow his search down to say the Land of Rice, then there could have been some hope of finding Sasuke more quickly. However, since Fujin destroyed Otogakure, Orochimaru could be anywhere in the ninja world. He said softly, "Even what I said before is the most ideal situation. If we fail once, he''ll raise his guard drastically, making any future attempts nearly impossible. Not to mention, he could brainwash and manipulate Sasuke, making the kid unwilling to cooperate with us. That would increase the difficulty of rescuing him by a notch..." Tsunade sighed tiredly. She could see how hopeless the situation was. However, knowing what Itachi had sacrificed, she couldn''t just let Sasuke be kidnapped by Orochimaru. The village held a duty to bring him back. Especially since Sasuke hadn''t betrayed Konoha but was kidnapped by Orochimaru instead. Kakashi''s expression also dulled. Though Sasuke had been troublesome to deal with in the past few days, he was his student. Seeing him in such danger didn''t feel good. He could only hope that the village didn''t give up. His expression relaxed slightly as Tsunade said, "That complicates things, but we can''t give up. Who would you need to help you with this mission?" Jiraiya thought for a bit and answered, "No one while I''m searching for him. Once I find him, I''ll need assistance from a few strong ninjas, preferably Elite Jounins or even stronger. I suppose Fujin and Kakashi would be perfect." Tsunade was about to nod when she suddenly felt something amiss. She looked around the room and asked, "Why isn''t Fujin here?" One of her guards appeared in front of her and reported, "Lady Fifth, Fujin''s house has a ''Do Not Disturb'' sign. I tried knocking for a few minutes, but he didn''t open his door." Tsunade frowned again, "Do not disturb? What the hell? Does he do it frequently?" Her eyes moved towards Hiruzen. Even though she hadn''t been in Konoha for a long time, she had grown up here. In all her years, this was the first time she heard something like this. Even Kakashi and Jiraiya were bewildered. However, Hiruzen was well aware of it. He said, "Hmm, he does do it often. However, he always answers his door since if anyone disturbs him at this time, it implies that there''s an emergency. For him to not respond is strange..." Tsunade furrowed her eyebrows, not knowing what to make of the situation. She thought, ''Having seen him so far, I don''t think he''ll wilfully ignore me or be insubordinate. What is he doing?'' Before she could say anything, her Anbu Guard added, "Actually, I talked with the Anbu Captain stationed at his compound. He said Fujin hadn''t removed that sign for over three days. Fujin hasn''t left his house ever since he put up that sign." Worry appeared on Tsunade''s face as she muttered, "Three days? Don''t tell me Orochimaru targeted Fujin before he targeted Sasuke!" In almost a synchronized manner, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen shook their heads. Kakashi said, "No, that can''t happen." Hiruzen agreed, "It''s impossible." Jiraiya added, "Even if he wasn''t injured, Orochimaru wouldn''t try that." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Saptarsi, Idrees, Benjamin, Thomas, Pax, THEX_XY, KAAT and Xiamfallout for supporting me on P@treon. Thank you Ganesh for supporting me through UPI. Chapter 865: An Abomination! Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Unlike Hiruzen, Kakashi, and Jiraiya, she had never seen Fujin''s house or his compounds or the monstrosity that surrounded it. She felt the three were confident about Fujin''s skills and knew he wouldn''t fall so easily. She said, "Whatever it is, we need to check on Fujin." She glanced at her Anbu Guard and said, "Enter his house and check whether he is alright." The Anbu Guard immediately became nervous and said, "Umm... I don''t think I can do that." His reply caught Tsunade off guard. She didn''t think her Anbu Guard would refuse to follow her orders. Annoyed, she asked angrily, "Do you want me to go down there and break his door?" Her Anbu Guard became even more nervous and advised, "I wouldn''t recommend that either, Lady Fifth." His reply angered her further. Luckily, Hiruzen coughed before she could completely lose her temper and said, "Tsuna, he''s right." "What do you mean he is right? Sasuke is kidnapped and we don''t know whether Fujin is safe or not! And you want me to sit here and do nothing?" Tsunade barked at her sensei, who could only blame himself for jumping in the line of fire. Luckily, Jiraiya said, "It''s not what you think, Tsunade. It''s Fujin''s house. It is..." For a moment, Jiraiya didn''t know how to describe it. During all his decades of travels, Jiraiya had never seen anything similar. He wasn''t even sure whether the dictionary had any words to describe what Fujin had done with his house. Kakashi and Hiruzen wanted to help him, but they faced the same problem. "What is it? What''s the matter with his house?" Tsunade asked, wanting answers. Had the situation been different, she would have been amused by seeing Jiraiya at a loss for words. Unfortunately, the situation was too serious. Jiraiya muttered, "His house is..." Even though a few seconds had passed, Jiraiya still didn''t know how to explain it. Finally, Hiruzen sighed and muttered, "It''s difficult to explain. You should take a look at his house yourself. It''ll be easier that way. Just send a Shadow Clone." Kakashi nodded, agreeing with Hiruzen''s words. Shizune wondered, ''Exactly what is the matter with his house? Why are all three of them speechless?'' Helpless, Tsunade could only accept Hiruzen''s suggestion. She created a Shadow Clone, who was about to flicker when Shizune said, "I''ll come too, Lady Tsunade." Unable to suppress her curiosity, she created a Shadow Clone too and the two clones flickered. Within a few seconds, they reached Fujin''s compounds. When their eyes fell on his compounds, both saw an elegant but normal house surrounded by several more elegant buildings. However, Tsunade''s clone suddenly felt uneasy. She wondered, ''Something feels strange. It feels like the seals. What sort of seals were used to protect his house?'' Tsunade''s clone concentrated chakra in her eyes to check out the seals on Fujin''s house and compound. As soon as her eyes glowed, Tsunade''s clone froze! The sight was so bizarre and shocking that her face failed to display the shock she felt! "Hmm, this house looks ordinary. Even though the design is good, why were they so speechless?" Shizune''s clone muttered before looking towards Tsunade''s clone for answers. However, Tsunade''s clone didn''t react. It was almost as if she didn''t hear a single word Shizune''s clone spoke. "Lady Tsunade?" "LADY TSUNADE?" Shizune''s clone spoke slightly loudly and shook Tsunade''s clone on seeing her frozen like a statue. Broken from her trance, sweat appeared on Tsunade''s clone''s face. Concerned, Shizune''s clone asked, "Lady Tsunade! What''s the matter? Why are you so pale? What''s wrong with the house?" Tsunade''s clone didn''t answer, instead taking deep breaths. She finally formed coherent thoughts as she wondered, ''What an abomination! Who built such an abomination? Did Sensei order it? No, he isn''t this extreme. I don''t think Danzo would do something like this either...'' Her eyes moved towards the compounds once again. She couldn''t see a single brick. Instead, her eyes were blinded by the innumerable seals carved on the compound. The light was the brightest at Fujin''s house. Tsunade''s clone couldn''t even see how many layers of seals existed on his house! "Lady Tsunade? Can you hear me?" Shizune''s clone asked again. "Calm down, Shizune," Tsunade''s clone finally said. She took another deep breath and said, "That house isn''t normal. No, the entire compound isn''t normal." Shizune''s clone wondered, ''What does she mean? What did she see? I haven''t ever seen her being this shocked and terrified!'' Tsunade''s clone continued, "It''s the seals protecting his house. You can''t see it because you haven''t focused on Fuinjutsu." Shizune''s clone confusedly asked, "I still don''t get it. Isn''t it natural to have seals protect your house? What is so strange about his house? Did he use any special seals?" Tsunade''s clone answered, still in disbelief, "It''s not whether the seals are special but how many seals are inscribed here..." Shizune''s clone followed her mentor''s gaze and looked at Fujin''s house. Her eyes widened as she heard, "A normal house barely has a dozen or so seals if any at all. If it is someone important, their house can have several dozen seals. The Hokage Building has several hundred considering how important it is. But this house... I''m not sure how many seals are inscribed here but it is in the thousands. No, it should be tens of thousands. There might even be over a hundred thousand seals here!" "A HUNDRED THOUSAND?" Even though Shizune wasn''t a Sealmaster, she was aware of how strong Fuinjutsu was due to Tsunade''s Strength of a Hundred Seal. Though she didn''t learn Fuinjutsu, she was aware of several seals. As such, she understood how ridiculous the number of seals on Fujin''s house were. For a moment, she was happy they stopped so far away from the house. Tsunade''s clone muttered, "No wonder he was so scared. My command was no different from a death sentence. There''s no way Orochimaru would attack Fujin here. I don''t think anyone can break this seal formation. However, why was such an abomination created? What did Sensei want?" The two Shadow Clones pondered over the implications of a house with so many seals. At the same time, they also wondered why Fujin hadn''t exited his house for 3 days and still wasn''t responding. ¡ª¡ª "There''s another matter we need to address. Our village''s seal formation is useless against Orochimaru. Even though some modifications were carried out, the skeleton of the formation is still the same. He''s able to sneak inside undetected with ease." Tsunade said in the office. Hiruzen agreed, "Yes. It may be time to overhaul our defensive formations completely. I hadn''t expected him to hold such hatred towards me and the village. He might sell the information to other villages to increase our troubles." Kakashi added, "It isn''t just Orochimaru. Itachi did the same. It leaves us vulnerable to Akatsuki''s attempts to kidnap Naruto. They might try to kidnap him just like Orochimaru kidnapped Sasuke. The new Akatsuki member Fujin discovered also poses a big threat." Since Kakashi wasn''t aware of the truth, the three of them could only agree. Hiruzen and Jiraiya nodded, but Tsunade stopped mid-way. Shock and disbelief appeared on her face. A similar expression appeared on Shizune''s face. As for the rest, none of them were surprised. Jiraiya thought, ''So she finally received the memories of her clone. Hehe, now you know what I felt like!'' Tsunade''s eyes moved towards Hiruzen as she asked, "Why are there... Why were so many seals inscribed there???" As shocking as the sight of the innumerable seals was, Tsunade couldn''t help but wonder what they were hiding. Shizune thought, ''Whatever the reason may be, the seals must be hiding a top secret!'' To their surprise, Hiruzen plainly answered, "Fujin inscribed them to keep his house safe." Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Needless to say, she didn''t believe such a lousy answer and felt Hiruzen was keeping some things hidden from her. She sarcastically asked, "Protect the house from what? Another Kyubi assault?" Hiruzen nonchalantly replied, "That may have been one of his considerations." Jiraiya thought, ''More like he considered the 9 Tailed Beasts attacking at the same time!'' Tsunade frowned and said, "Okay, cut the act. Tell me why you had so many seals inscribed there." Hiruzen asked, "I? I have nothing to do with it. It was all Fujin, be it the decision to inscribe so many seals, the plans and formations or inscribing them." Not believing him, Tsunade asked, "So, you want me to believe that Fujin inscribed tens of thousands of seals without your approval and you never did anything to stop him?" While Fujin had inscribed the seals on his house, he lived inside Konoha. Such a ridiculous number of seals would raise alarms throughout the village. Generally, the Hokage wouldn''t allow something like that to be made. As such, Tsunade''s analysis was correct. However, she simply failed to comprehend the absurdity of the situation. To her surprise and annoyance, Hiruzen sighed and muttered, "That seems about right..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You Slade, Ryfio, Edwardinosaur, Leonardo, Sravan, Nigel, Quentin, pinq, Mateus, Ganbayar, Wander and BigCountry for supporting me on P@treon. Chapter 866: Tsunades Regret! Before Tsunade could ask anything else, Hiruzen explained, "Fujin''s house initially had a normal amount of seals inscribed by a Sealmaster. However, when he became a SealMaster himself, he inscribed a ridiculous amount of seals before anyone could notice. Back then, I thought he''d stop at that. Yet, he kept increasing the number of seals on his house as his knowledge of Fuinjutsu deepened. Each time I thought it''d be the last time. By the time I realized his nature, it was too late..." Hiruzen grumbled under his breath, "That brat still keeps adding on to those seals. Does he think the moon will drop on his house?" Hiruzen''s words, though soft, were heard by everyone in the room. Seeing Hiruzen at a loss due to Fujin''s peculiar obsession surprised them. Over his long life, Hiruzen had dealt with countless peculiar and eccentric individuals. Be it Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Danzo, or even his counterparts in other villages. It wasn''t frequent to see Hiruzen like this. Tsunade, still doubtful, muttered, "So, you mean to say, Fujin inscribed thousands of stealth seals of various types, and an even greater number of barrier seals and who knows how many explosive seals under them for no reason other than to protect his house? I even saw a Four Symbol Seal and 32 seal tags of the Five Seal Barrier. Worse, I don''t even know if those 32 are from the same eight sets or where the final tags forming the Five Seal Barrier are placed! Are you certain there''s nothing hidden in there?" Hiruzen answered, "Yes, there isn''t. I have visited him a few times. He never acted secretively, even subconsciously. You can visit him too, though I''d recommend using another reason. Besides, it isn''t the only case. You and Jiraiya asked me earlier about how different his interpretation of our words can be, right? Send a Shadow Clone to his office." Jiraiya and Tsunade followed his instructions. Curious, Kakashi sent a Shadow Clone as well. Within a minute, they received memories and doubtful expressions appeared on their faces. Kakashi muttered, "There were dozens of seals in the room, all of them are seals that are used to hide other seals. So, the real number of seals must be several times higher." Jiraiya estimated, "From what I was feeling, there should be more than 500 seals in that room. This was the first time I stood in a room with such a dense number of seals. It was suffocating." Frowning, Tsunade said, "Did he treat the office as his house? Even though he''s young, he is smart enough to know that isn''t acceptable. What do those seals do?" Hiruzen sighed and answered, "Nothing. And no, he didn''t do it without any reason." Everyone looked at him curiously, wondering why Fujin had done something so outrageous. Their confusion increased further as Hiruzen continued, "When I showed him his office, I informed him not to treat the office like his house. I specifically instructed him not to inscribe thousands of seals in his office." Shizune wondered, ''Then why did Fujin still inscribe so many seals? Or did something change later?'' Their eyes widened as Hiruzen explained, "Unfortunately, Fujin interpreted my words in a manner I didn''t think possible. I said not to inscribe thousands of seals and he interpreted it as he should inscribe 999 seals in his office." Shizune was stunned, disbelief appeared in Kakashi''s right eye and Jiraiya''s jaw fell. Tsunade''s eyes twitched as she finally wondered, ''Exactly why did I accept this job? Who in their right mind even thinks like that? Surely he can''t be that oblivious!'' Tsunade now regretted accepting the seat of Hokage. Unfortunately, it was too late to escape responsibilities. She asked, "What do you mean by those seals doing nothing? How can 999 seals do nothing?" Hiruzen answered, "When I confronted him, he said that he thought I said so because I was facing an issue in here. Apparently, those seals do nothing but hide the seals underneath them. Since he didn''t know what I supposedly wanted, he hasn''t inscribed any more seals there. And, he explained it to me so thoroughly that, for a moment, I began suspecting my earlier words to him..." The disbelief of the people hearing Hiruzen only increased. Jiraiya noticed Tsunade''s worried expression and thought, ''I knew he was peculiar, but I didn''t think he was so peculiar. Apologies Tsunade. I didn''t know it. Though even if I did, I don''t think I''d do things differently...'' Tsunade didn''t notice her teammate''s gaze. Her mind was racing, remembering every word she spoke to Fujin and finding out whether she could be in trouble. Hiruzen instantly understood what she was doing and thought, ''I lost count of the number of times I calculated the same. Unfortunately for her, it is already too late. The only good thing is that he has calmed down considerably in the last year and even gave me a great gift. Then again, it might be just because of how careful I have been...'' In the end, Tsunade could hopelessly sigh. She muttered, "Oh well, at least now we know who will overhaul the village''s defenses." Hiruzen immediately said, "I wouldn''t recommend that." Confused, Tsunade asked, "Why not?" Hiruzen answered, "While his ability to inscribe a large number of seals is indeed shocking, he likely achieves that through a combination of seal imprints and Shadow Clones. Other than that, he hasn''t differentiated himself from other Grandmasters. He''s still too young to do so. If we task him with overhauling the village''s defenses, I''m afraid he''ll do so by inscribing a ridiculous amount of seals, something that might make his house look like a child''s play. Only a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster could control and maintain such a large number of seals. Actually, even they''ll struggle to do so. Regardless, the Grandmasters wouldn''t like to spend their time maintaining the seal formation daily. The defenses have to be something that a Sealmaster could control with ease. We''ll be better off having the other Grandmasters overhaul our defenses." Hiruzen paused, before adding, "I was tempted just like you. However, I decided against doing so for these reasons." Hiruzen''s analysis, though not incorrect, was slightly behind the time. A year ago, his analysis would have been perfect. However, he was unaware of the large amount of time Fujin spent trying to create the Myriad Tetragram Seal. The number of times his Shadow Clones failed while creating the seal exceeded the number of seals on his house! As such, Fujin had learnt a lot. He had made several breakthroughs in Fuinjutsu during that process. The final result, the Myriad Tetragram Seal, was one of the most advanced seals in the ninja world, even exceeding the Strength of a Hundred Seal created by Tsunade. As such, Fujin was no longer lagging behind his counterparts. While he obviously lacked experience and fell short in several aspects compared to the Fuinjutsu Grandmasters in Konoha, he also exceeded them in a few aspects. He was already better than even Hiruzen when dealing with Tailed Beasts. Fujin also exceeded them in terms of using Fuinjutsu amid battle thanks to the several battlefields he created. Even in terms of laying traps, Fujin was among the best. This was the only aspect Hiruzen was aware of since Fujin displayed it in the Land of Lightning. As such, Fujin already stood shoulder to shoulder with the Fuinjutsu Grandmasters of Konoha despite his relative inexperience. That said, even if Hiruzen was aware of this, he might have been reluctant to let Fujin create the village''s defenses due to the remaining reasons. Jiraiya muttered, "I suppose having him inscribe the seals after a plan is created is out of the question too due to what he did in his office." Hiruzen nodded. Jiraiya sighed, "That''ll be too much work, though I suppose it is better than having additional work later. Anyway, I''ll be off to track Orochimaru!" Tsunade immediately glared at Jiraiya, stopping him in his tracks. While he was a Grandmaster too, Jiraiya didn''t want to do something so boring and time-consuming. Hiruzen coughed and said, "There''s no point in searching aimlessly. Let''s narrow down the search first. Also, Kakashi would have to inform his students. The remaining Uchiha kids have to be informed too." Tsunade added, "We also have to keep an eye on Fujin''s house. I hope there are no complications there. We have enough headaches as it is..." The group discussed further, making Jiraiya stay in the village until things cleared up. They also formed a committee consisting of nearly all Fuinjutsu Grandmasters in Konoha to undertake the cumbersome task of overhauling the village''s defenses. Unlike Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, who were Fuinjutsu Grandmasters, Kakashi had nothing to do with that meeting. He walked on the streets of Konoha while wondering, ''Now then, how do I tell this news to them?'' Kakashi could easily imagine the reactions of his students. He immediately developed a headache. Sighing, he resigned himself to the task and decided to meet with his two students. He bit his thumb, weaved a hand seal, and slammed his hand on the ground. He sent a couple of his ninken to call Sakura and Naruto for a meeting. "YOU ARE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura screamed in unison, as Kakashi finally arrived on the training ground a couple of hours later. Not giving Kakashi any time to make excuses, Naruto complained loudly, "Why did you call me from my training sensei? I was training with Guy sensei to become faster than Sasuke! The next time I fight him, I''ll show him what speed is! Also, why didn''t you call Sasuke here?" Sakura, wanting to see Sasuke, asked, "Yes Sensei! Where is Sasuke?" "Actually," Kakashi said, "This meeting is due to Sasuke..." He paused for a few seconds before stating, "A few hours ago, Sasuke was kidnapped by Orochimaru." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Chapter 867: Complications! Chapter 867: Complications! A/N: Apologies for the delay. Was unsatisfied with how the fight (in latest chapter on pat reon) was ending and kept rewriting. Unfortunately, it caused took quite a long time ?????????. Hopefully a more consistent schedule this week ????] "A few hours ago, Sasuke was kidnapped by Orochimaru." Naruto and Sakura''s eyes widened! They neither could nor wanted to believe their ears. With a quivering voice, Sakura asked, "What did you say?" At the same time, Naruto asked, "You''re kidding, right, Sensei?" Kakashi didn''t answer. Seeing his expression, Naruto questioned angrily, "But why? Why would that snake kidnap Sasuke? And why did Sasuke let himself be kidnapped? How did Orochimaru even enter the village?" Kakashi sighed, "We don''t know everything ye..." Cutting him off, Naruto emotionally exclaimed, "We have to bring Sasuke back!" Sakura immediately added, "Yes Sensei. We have to rescue Sasuke!" Kakashi assured his students, "Don''t worry. Lady Tsunade is working on it. Once we have some clues, Lord Jiraiya will head out to look for Sasuke." "Pervy Sage? I''ll go with him too!" Without waiting for Kakashi to say anything, Naruto immediately left. Sakura ran after him too since she wanted to join the mission as well. Left alone in the training ground, Kakashi could only sigh. ¡ª¡ª For three hours, Naruto hounded the poor ninjas and Anbu stationed in the Hokage Building by relentlessly pestering and complaining! Finally, Jiraiya exited the meeting room along with Hiruzen and Tsunade. Before any of them could escape, they were ambushed by the blonde knucklehead. "Pervy-sage! Let''s go and rescue Sasuke-now!" Naruto exclaimed loudly as soon as he saw them. Jiraiya, Tsunade and Hiruzen''s eyes twitched as Naruto ignored everything else and began pestering them. He once again attracted weird gazes from everyone else. Had the situation been normal, Sakura would have been self-conscious. However, Sasuke''s kidnapping made her forget about everything and she looked at the three leaders of Konoha with hope in her eyes. Finally, Tsunade sighed and said, "Calm down, Naruto. Follow me." The five of them left towards Tsunade''s office. Inside the previous meeting room, the Fuinjutsu Grandmasters breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily he didn''t enter this room. I don''t know how Fujin deals with that kid on a daily basis and still concentrates on Fuinjutsu." "From what I heard, Fujin is even worse. It can''t be a coincidence that all his students are so good at pranks. Even some of my students fell for their pranks. If they devoted half the time they spend preparing their pranks on learning Fuinjutsu, they might have already been a Sealmaster." "Hmm, perhaps Fujin concentrates better when there''s chaos. Whatever be the case, I''m leaving before they change their mind and return here. We will discuss the formations tomorrow." In a few seconds, every Fuinjutsu Grandmaster disappeared from the meeting room. While they didn''t hate Naruto, they had no intention of dealing with his idiosyncrasies. ¡ª¡ª As Tsunade sat down, Naruto complained again, "This is no time to be sitting, Granny! We have to rescue Sasuke right away!" A tick mark appeared on Tsunade''s forehead. She asked, "Do you know where Sasuke is?" Naruto replied, "I don''t, that''s why we need to find him!" "Where will you look for him?" Tsunade asked, still annoyed. Without a moment''s hesitation, Naruto answered, "Everywhere! I''ll find Orochimaru no matter where he''s hiding!" "How long will it take for you to search everywhere?" Tsunade asked for the third time. Naruto obviously didn''t have an answer. However, it didn''t matter because his annoyance was far greater than Tsunade''s. Whatever little patience he had ran out while answering those few questions. He exploded, "This isn''t the time to be wasting on silly questions, Granny! We need to act." Finally, Jiraiya sighed and muttered, "That''s exactly why you need to know the answers to those questions, Naruto. Search blindly, and you won''t find Orochimaru even if you look for him for a hundred years. Is that what you want?" His question finally calmed Naruto slightly. Before he could say anything else, Tsunade said, "Orochimaru kidnapped Sasuke because he wants his body. However, he can''t take Sasuke''s body for another 3 years according to our calculations. Meaning, we have 3 years to find him. We could either search for him properly and rescue him in these three years, or we could panic and search blindly and let Orochimaru take over Sasuke''s body and kill him. What do you want, Naruto?" Unable to argue with her logic, Naruto could only answer in a soft voice, "Search for him properly." Tsunade said, "Good. Let us deal with it. Jiraiya will go after Orochimaru once we reduce the search area." Without wasting a beat, Naruto said, "I''ll go with Pervy Sage to rescue Sasuke!" Tsunade frowned, but Jiraiya was intrigued. He thought, ''Take Naruto with me again? Hmm, this might be a good opportunity to train him while letting him see more of the world.'' Before he could say anything, Sakura added, "I want to go too!" Jiraiya turned his gaze towards her, ''Hmm, but looking after two kids will be difficult, especially if I run into Orochimaru or Akatsuki.'' Hiruzen coughed, "This isn''t a picnic. If you slow Jiraiya down, tracking Orochimaru will become more difficult. And, so would rescuing Sasuke." His words drowned the desire of the two kids. Unlike Naruto, Sakura knew very well how weak she was. Suddenly, Jiraiya said, "I''ll take Naruto with me. I can train him while searching for Orochimaru. Perhaps I could lure someone else out too..." Hiruzen realized, ''He wants to take out some Akatsuki members while tracking Orochimaru.'' Tsunade thought, ''That is risky. However, it might be the best way to reduce Akatsuki''s strength. Once we sell the information Fujin gained, the other villages will be forced to take action against Akatsuki too.'' Naruto''s mood cheered up a bit. Sakura wanted to say something, but she stopped and looked at Naruto. The memories of his battle against Neji surfaced in her mind. She thought, ''I can''t even compare with Naruto. I''m not strong enough. If I go, I''ll only get in their way.'' Silently, Sakura became determined to be as strong as her two teammates, a change that didn''t escape the eyes of Hiruzen and his students. With Naruto calmed down, the village began focusing on two new tasks. The Fuinjutsu Grandmasters began wholeheartedly working on overhauling the village''s defense mechanisms. At the same time, every intelligence network of Konoha was activated. Shikaku was tasked with reducing the search area so that they could track Orochimaru faster. Of course, either of these tasks needed a long time to succeed. Tsunade was patient, though another matter troubled her. Another day had passed, yet Fujin hadn''t left his house! His status was still unknown and his house was no easier to enter. ¡ª¡ª In his basement, Fujin still sat in a meditative posture, his mind entirely focused on his inner world. In his inner world, Fujin was still floating on top of the lake with his eyes closed. The chakra in the lake had decreased by nearly a quarter. The light emitted by the sphere floating in the sky had dimmed substantially. If not for the darkness in his inner world, it would have been almost invisible to see. A few seconds later, the dim light also vanished as the sphere once again became nearly invisible. Fujin finally opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He muttered, "Finally..." Fujin inspected himself while analyzing, ''I didn''t think mere chakra of a Tailed Beast would have so much resistance... I''m so glad that events in the Chunin Exam happened as I recalled. If I had made a move on Gaara and sealed Shukaku in here, I''d be in deep trouble. I was too naive. Even Akatsuki needed nearly 3 days just to extract a Tailed Beast from its host without killing the Tailed Beast. And, they were supported by several rank S ninjas and the Gedo Statue. I might need a long time to refine its chakra, assuming my inner world isn''t destroyed by then... I''ll have to be a lot stronger before I make a move against Tailed Beasts. At the very least, I need to master Senjutsu first... There''s also the matter of the chakra lost. I didn''t expect to lose so much of Shukaku''s chakra while refining it. Nearly 60% of it was lost while I refined it. Only slightly more than 40% of chakra was absorbed into my body. What a gigantic waste...'' Even though Fujin''s calculations were off and there were several complications, not a single frown appeared on Fujin''s lips. Instead, a smile was plastered on his face! Regardless of the complications, the Myriad Tetragram Seal was a success! Fujin could feel the power coursing through his body! Fujin concluded, "My chakra reserves have increased once again, this time by over 70%. Though it''s a shame it didn''t increase by 170% as I expected, this isn''t bad. Compared to before I increased my cellular activity, my chakra reserves are up by 127%!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N : If you can, then please support me on P@treon. Link - www.pat reon.com/DevilHex (No space) Alternatively you can support me on UPI (google pay) - patilsarvesh8@oksbi Can read up to 50 chapters ahead on P@treon. Thank You GRP666, meowidesu, Zay, KaidenEl, Corruptman, Jacob, Stefan, Jacka$$, H delay, Jack, Gamer Type, Alfie, Fortnight, Wilkenson, Nigel and Bagus for supporting me on P@treon.