April 24, Year 43 of Konoha.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki officially got married.
Although the wedding wasn't grand and didn't have many guests, those who attended were all heavyweights, and the atmosphere was lively.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, acted as the officiant.
The Legendary Sannin were all present, along with Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, Sakumo Hatake, the head of the Shimura clan, and Minato's close friends from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Seeing these people gathered, Shūichi could faintly sense sothing brewing.
But... Jiraiya was just too unreliable.
He even sent a shadow clone to take over for the busy Shūichi, dragging him off to a corner to beg for "research material."
Shūichi's face darkened. As a model student, how could he engage in such behavior?
What if they were discovered?
Although he wanted to beco famous in the ninja world, definitely not through "Sexy Justu" like this.
So, Shūichi firmly rejected Jiraiya but promised they could study sothing else together another ti.
...
In the afternoon, after seeing off the guests, Shūichi, Kakashi, Shisui, and Obito all felt exhausted.
"I didn't expect a wedding to be so troubleso," Obito grumbled. "It would be nice if we could skip this step in the future."
Kakashi imdiately retorted, "You can always skip getting married!"
Obito panicked and quickly glanced at Rin Nohara, who was still busy nearby.
Shisui smiled warmly. "Don't worry, Obito. When it's your turn to get married, it'll be others doing all the hard work."
"Look at Minato Sensei; he's extrely happy right now!"
The group turned to look and saw Minato wearing a blissful smile, even though his ear was being tugged by Kushina.
Shūichi couldn't help but ntally comnt: I've had enough of this lovey-dovey display today.
Obito, on the other hand, muttered, "Kushina-san is way too violent. Rin is much gentler."
He couldn't resist sneaking another glance at Rin, his face breaking into a shy smile.
Noticing this, Shūichi playfully teased, "Obito, do you have a crush on soone?"
Obito jumped in shock, practically leaping into the air as he frantically denied it, "No! Shūichi, don't say such things!"
Shūichi grinned, "If you do, don't let the chance slip by. Be brave and confess your feelings."
"Look at Asuma; he already made his move on Kurenai!"
Kakashi chid in dryly, "Shūichi, isn't Shizune the one you like?"
Flustered, Obito found his escape. "Yeah, Kakashi's right! Shūichi, are you and Shizune already together?"
Shūichi spread his hands. "I never denied it, did I?"
So arrogant!
Obito turned red with frustration.
With a sly smile, Shūichi suggested, "Obito, how about we have a duel? Whoever loses has to confess to the girl they like."
Obito wasn't falling for it. He pouted, "You've already reached Special Jōnin. There's no way I'd win against you!"
Shūichi shifted his gaze to Kakashi. "Then duel Kakashi!"
Obito looked at Kakashi, hesitating but also itching for a challenge.
At that mont, Kushina's voice called out, and everyone turned to see her waving them over.
The conversation abruptly ended.
Destiny at work!
Shūichi sighed inwardly and, along with Kakashi and the others, made their way toward Kushina.
...
That evening, dinner was held at Minato's house. After parting with Kakashi and the others, Shūichi and Asuka strolled ho together.
Though it was nightti, the streets of Konoha's central district remained bustling and lively. The sounds of vendors shouting, children laughing and crying filled the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere of daily life.
Shūichi walked with his hands in his pockets, quietly observing and listening, a faint smile playing on his lips.
This feeling wasn't bad at all.
anwhile, Asuka's gaze lingered more on Shūichi than their surroundings.
She couldn't help but feel that there was always a mysterious aura around this young boy, sothing that unknowingly captivated people.
"Do you have any dreams, Asuka?" Shūichi suddenly asked.
Asuka was taken aback but then smiled. "Of course."
"And that's to live like this, with you and Nonō."
Shūichi raised an eyebrow. "That dream might not be so easy to achieve."
Asuka was startled. "Is it... very difficult?"
Shūichi responded, "Because one day, Asuka will fall for soone else, right?"
Asuka breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. "No way. Don't overthink it, Shūichi!"
Shūichi chuckled but felt more and more the strength of bonds.
Unless soone was utterly heartless, spending ti together inevitably ford bonds, feelings, and attachnts.
Just like now, this peaceful Konoha... he enjoyed it and didn't want to see it destroyed.
There were also people like Nonō Yakushi, Shizune, Tsunade, Kushina, Minato... each person, like threads, had woven into a net that had captured him.
Shūichi had originally only wanted to live a good life, but now... he wanted more.
"Asuka, you'll have to work hard for your dreams!" Shūichi suddenly said with a smile, then leaped away.
This brief mont of enjoynt was enough; now it was ti to continue striving—until... until he stood at the very top!
"Of course! I've always been working hard!"
Asuka clenched her fist, then jumped after him.
...
At night, Asuka and Nonō Yakushi were studying dical ninjutsu in the study, while Shūichi was training with the Lightning Release Body Flicker in the courtyard.
When it cos to the Body Flicker Technique, the most basic version is simply a burst of chakra that propels the user forward at high speed. For most ninjas, this is the standard thod, though individuals may have different tricks, and the strength of their chakra determines their speed.
Beyond this basic version, there are also Body Flicker techniques infused with different nature transformations.
Water Body Flicker allows for high-speed movent in watery environnts.
Wind Body Flicker, Shūichi only rembered seeing Haku from the Ice Release clan use it, moving as swiftly as the wind.
As for the Lightning Release Body Flicker, the most famous practitioners are undoubtedly the Third Raikage and the future Fourth Raikage of the Cloud Village.
In Lightning Release Chakra Mode, their speed is said to be the fastest in the ninja world.
The only technique faster than that would be space-ti jutsu, like the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Even Naruto, when first using the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, couldn't confidently say he was faster than the Fourth Raikage at the ti.
This shows that, in terms of raw speed, the Lightning Release Body Flicker has a natural advantage.
Aside from the Cloud Village's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the most typical example of Lightning Body Flicker is the Chidori technique.
The nature transformation of lightning activates the user's cells, increasing their speed, and this counts as a form of Lightning Release Body Flicker.
However, the Chidori Stream is clearly nowhere near the level of the Cloud Village's Lightning Chakra Mode.
Even so, it's still considered an A-rank difficulty technique.
At this mont, Shūichi was surrounded by flickering electricity, moving at high speed through the courtyard, using the Chidori Stream that he had exchanged with Kakashi for.
However, Shūichi didn't plan to make Chidori Stream his primary Lightning Release Body Flicker technique.
Although it's classified as A-rank, for soone like him, who had acquired the [Lightning Release Expert] tag and nurous other traits that enhanced his talent, it posed no challenge.
With superior chakra control, a deep understanding of the human body, a stronger spirit, and sharper ntal focus, Shūichi could take the Lightning Release Chakra further, activating his cells at a deeper level.
This required him to gradually probe, test, and allow his body's cells to grow accustod to the electrical stimulation.
Since different cells have varying thresholds for electrical current, figuring out how to optimize the overall activation of his cells was a slow, thodical process that needed careful experintation.
The conditions Shūichi possessed simply accelerated this exploration process.
...
Ti flew by quickly. Between his training and experints, the vacation passed in the blink of an eye.
Mission work resud, but for Shūichi, not much had changed.
Of course, under the guidance of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, his proficiency with Water and Earth Release had indeed improved at a much faster pace.
On May 16, Year 43 of Konoha, while eating lunch, Shinnosuke suddenly said, "Shūichi, I have so bad news for you."
"Huh?"
Shūichi blinked. "Bad news?"
Before Shinnosuke could continue, Chihiro jumped in, "Shūichi, you've been put on a bounty!"
"Huh?"
Shūichi didn't quite grasp it at first. "A bounty?"
"Looks like I've been exposed..."
"From Iwagakure or Kumogakure? How much is the bounty?"
Chihiro held up three fingers. "Thirty million!"
"The bounty was issued by Iwagakure, according to the information."
Shūichi chuckled, "Thirty million? That's not too much."
Shinnosuke shook his head. "That's a significant amount. It's typically reserved for Jōnin or even elite Jōnin."
Shūichi grinned. "If I rember correctly, Captain's bounty is 40 million, right?"
Shinnosuke smiled wryly. His 40 million bounty had a boost due to being the Hokage's son.
Chihiro warned, "Shūichi, from now on, you need to be extra cautious when doing solo missions. There are plenty of bounty hunters out there, including so S-rank criminals who are extrely powerful."
Shinnosuke nodded seriously. "Chihiro's right."
Shūichi nodded as well, his playful tone gone.
He was well aware of bounty hunters, such as the infamous Kakuzu, who had been one of the top bounty hunters before joining the Akatsuki—and even afterward, he still loved collecting heads for money.
Like with Asuma... or Chiriku.
Kakuzu was a dangerous figure, after all, and proficient in all five elental releases. He was no joke!
...
In the afternoon, Shinnosuke and Chihiro had to leave for their respective matters, leaving Shūichi alone in the Hokage's office.
The mories from the shadow clones training outside suddenly returned, and the Tag Tree in his mind imdiately reacted.
ntal manifestation occurred, and Shūichi's form appeared beneath the tag tree.
This was sothing he had recently discovered, akin to a ntal world connected through chakra.
Looking up at the tag tree, the [Water Release Expert] tag had finally t the criteria to be activated.
Activate!
With a thought, the leaves of the tag tree lit up, and the effects of the tag took effect imdiately.
Water Release talent increased by 100%, allowing the use of Water Release techniques without hand seals.
"Only one more to gather the Five Release Expert—Earth Release is left..."
Shūichi felt quite eager.
However, even after obtaining the [Ninjutsu Professor] tag, his focus would still primarily be on the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Once he mastered the Flying Thunder God, he would turn his attention back to becoming a master of all five releases.
He wondered if there would be tags stronger than [Ninjutsu Professor] in the future.
As he was contemplating, Shūichi suddenly heard Kakashi's voice from the adjacent room, followed by his teacher, Minato Namikaze.
Shūichi imdiately focused.
What's going on?
He faintly heard sothing about Hatake Sakumo.
Soon, he heard that Minato and Kakashi had left.
"What's happening?"
While pondering, Shūichi heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice: "Fla!"
Shūichi's figure imdiately sank into the floor, and he soon erged in the underground area of the Hokage's office: "Hokage-sama!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke gravely: "It has been confird that Jōnin Hatake Sakumo, who was on a mission, is missing!"
Shūichi looked up in shock, his expression hidden behind his mask.
Hatake Sakumo missing?
What kind of joke is this?
Sarutobi Hiruzen seed to notice Shūichi's surprise and sighed: "Sakumo was executing a secret mission alone. According to the previous agreent, he was supposed to return to Konoha within half a month, regardless of whether the mission was completed."
"But now it's been a month. The two teams sent out previously—one team lost contact and was later confird to have encountered a strong enemy, with all mbers killed."
"The information we have is from the second team, and based on so details left by the first team, Sakumo likely fell into an ambush, which included a puppeteer!"
Shūichi's gaze sharpened: "Puppeteers... Third Hokage-sama, based on current information, the only puppeteer in the entire ninja world who could pose a threat to Sakumo-senpai is probably Chiyo of Sunagakure."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, his expression solemn: "Sakumo's mission was indeed in the Land of Wind, and that's where he lost contact."
"So, En—this ti, we need you to lead a team to the Land of Wind to investigate this matter."
"Besides you, Minato's team will also join."
Shūichi nodded: "Understood!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen then said: "Prepare yourself. They will be waiting for you at the village entrance!"
Shūichi imdiately vanished.
...
At the exit of Konoha Village, Shūichi appeared, having removed his long cloak and mask.
He saw his two teammates.
Yūhi Shiwei, who should be the next head of the Yūhi clan.
The other person was unfamiliar to Shūichi, but the distinctive ninja dog indicated that he was from the Inuzuka clan.
Approaching them, Shūichi said: "Hello, I'm Shūichi Hoshita!"
The bespectacled Yūhi Shiwei responded: "Captain, I'm Yūhi Shiwei."
The other person said: "Captain, I'm Inuzuka Kaku!"
"Woof woof!"
The ninja dog following Inuzuka Kaku greeted Shūichi, and Inuzuka Kaku promptly added: "Captain, this is Hoshimaru."
Shūichi looked at the white-furred ninja dog with black spots and greeted it: "Hello, Hoshimaru!"
Then he turned to Minato Namikaze: "Minato Sensei!"
Minato Namikaze nodded: "Let's talk on the way!"
Shūichi complied, and the group of seven set off imdiately.
Once they left the village, Shūichi glanced at the sowhat anxious Kakashi and chose not to offer comfort, instead asking Minato: "Minato Sensei, do we have more detailed information?"
"Let explain,"
Yūhi Shiwei said: "The information we have is from my previous team."
Shūichi turned his attention to Yūhi Shiwei.
Yūhi Shiwei continued: "Due to the terrain in the Land of Wind, we didn't find traces left by Sakumo-senpai. What we found was the battlefield where the first team sent out by the Third Hokage was killed, partly buried by sand."
"Fortunately, they were poisoned, so their bodies were relatively well-preserved, allowing us to gather so information they left before they died, indicating that Sakumo-senpai had encountered an ambush, which included puppeteers."
"But there was no additional information beyond that."
Shūichi considered: "So, the information obtained by the previous team was also very limited."
"Perhaps the battlefield was covered or destroyed by sand, or maybe soone cleaned the site."
Yūhi Shiwei nodded: "We leaned towards such a deduction. The key point is that the information left by the previous team didn't ntion whether Sakumo-senpai was dead or if there were any clues about his body."
Uchiha Obito couldn't help but say: "If there's no body, it ans Sakumo-senpai is still alive, right?"
"In that case, he must have been captured by the enemy."
Ignoring Uchiha Obito, Shūichi said: "Sand can cover many traces—blood, scents, even bodies."
"If there were no poison, the body wouldn't need to be covered by sand; insects and birds would quickly consu it."
"Given the current situation, Sakumo-senpai is either captured, dead, or injured and escaped, but possibly poisoned or severely wounded, making it impossible to return to Konoha."
Although he listed three scenarios, it was clear to everyone that there were only two possibilities.
Either he was dead or captured!
As for the third scenario of escaping and being poisoned... in the environnt of the Land of Wind, after such a long ti, the likelihood of death is high.
However, Uchiha Obito, clearly emotional, shouted: "Even if he's dead and his body is consud by insects and birds, there should still be so traces left!"
Minato Namikaze said sharply: "Obito!"
At this mont, Kakashi suddenly said: "Shūichi, you haven't ntioned one possibility: that the enemy might have taken his body!"
Kakashi's voice trembled a bit as he said the last part.
Shūichi nodded: "If the enemy likely cleaned the battlefield, they might have also taken Sakumo-senpai's body."
"Keep in mind, even a body can be of great intelligence value, especially for a ninja like Sakumo-senpai."
Uchiha Obito looked at Kakashi and said: "A powerful ninja like Sakumo-senpai would require the Sand Village's Kazekage or a large number of elite ninjas to subdue him, right?"
Shūichi pondered seriously: "It's possible that the Third Kazekage personally intervened..."
"The strongest puppeteer in Sunagakure is Chiyo, but given Sakumo-senpai's strength and his fighting style, Chiyo couldn't stop him."
"Obito is right. Either the enemy had a large number of people or there were other strong individuals restricting Sakumo-senpai's speed."
He then looked at Minato Namikaze: "Minato Sensei, there shouldn't be much useful information left if we revisit the site previously investigated by the teams."
Minato Namikaze understood imdiately: "So, you suggest we infiltrate Sunagakure?"
Shūichi nodded: "The likelihood of Sunagakure being involved is very high, considering Sakumo-senpai had a significant enmity with them."
"Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law were killed by Sakumo-senpai. They were both powerful Jōnin-level puppeteers."
"Infiltrating Sunagakure seems to be the fastest way to make progress!"
Inuzuka Kaku said: "But it's also the most dangerous way!"
"Even if we enter Sunagakure, the most effective thod to verify information would be to target Chiyo or the Third Kazekage, right?"
Minato Namikaze added: "We could also verify indirectly, checking if the Third Kazekage led any team out of the village around half a month ago."
"There should be quite a few people who know this information."
Shūichi nodded and then said: "Then it's decided. We'll split into two teams. Minato Sensei and your team will follow the previous traces, while I will take on the task of infiltrating Sunagakure."
Minato Namikaze quickly said: "I should go instead!"
Shūichi shook his head: "Minato Sensei, your transformation jutsu can't compare to mine, and your genjutsu might not be as effective..."
Minato Namikaze had no choice but to agree.
Infiltrating Sunagakure is not better with more people.
However, Uchiha Obito was stunned by Shūichi's confidence.
Shūichi is incredibly bold, isn't he?
The key point is that Minato Sensei actually agreed!
...
Once the two leaders made their decision, it was set.
That evening, they stayed overnight at the border of the Land of Fire. The next day, after crossing the Land of Rivers and entering the Land of Wind, Shūichi and Minato Namikaze agreed on a rendezvous point, and Shūichi set off alone towards Sunagakure.
Additionally, a flock of crows flew overhead!
(End of Chapter)
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