Leaving the experintal base and passing through a forest, Shūichi saw Kakashi sparring with Rin.
After being bedridden for so long, even with regular care, it was impossible for Rin to recover her full strength imdiately after waking up.
Walking was manageable, but regaining combat readiness required constant training.
Shūichi quietly observed from a distance, stepping forward only when Rin took a break. "Looks like you're recovering well."
Rin smiled brightly. "Thanks to the First Hokage's cells, my body is even stronger than before. Recovery has been really quick."
Shūichi imdiately summoned a peculiar-looking blade and handed it to her. "Here. I originally planned to give you Sahada since you have the Three-Tails, but this pair of swords, Hirakarei, suits you better."
Rin stared at the uniquely shaped weapon in surprise. "This... isn't it too extravagant for ?"
Shūichi chuckled. "Rin, you're no ordinary dical-nin anymore. You're the Three-Tails' jinchūriki."
"Hirakarei can store chakra and release it explosively during battle, unleashing trendous power. It's a perfect match for you."
"As for training with the blades... let Kakashi help you with that."
Rin glanced at Kakashi, who gave her a slight nod. "A dical-nin with strong combat abilities can cover a team's weaknesses."
Encouraged, Rin accepted Hirakarei with determination. "I'll work hard to master it."
Shūichi smiled. "When Obito cos back, you three might beco the strongest squad in the ninja world."
Rin bead happily but responded modestly, "That's an exaggeration, Shūichi."
After chatting for a while, Kakashi said, "Shūichi, can you escort Rin to the Root base? I need to return to my mission."
"Sure, let's go."
The three set off together.
---
At the Root Base
On the way, they parted ways—Kakashi returned to relieve Shūichi's clone, while Shūichi brought Rin to the Root base. There, Rin donned a black hooded cloak and a mask, with Hirakarei strapped to her back. Even if she stood face-to-face with Uchiha Obito, he probably wouldn't recognize her.
Seeing Rin's new look, Shūichi grinned. "Rin, why not give yourself a codena?"
"A codena?" Rin thought for a mont before answering, "Let's go with 'Karei,' after Hirakarei!"
(T/N: Both hira and karei are Japanese nas for species of flounder. The flounders with their eyes on the left side of their body are called hira (鮃, 平目, 比目魚), while those with their eyes on the right side are called karei (鰈). Befitting its na, Hirakarei is shaped like these fish.)
"Sounds good."
Turning to Tenka, Shūichi said, "Tenka, I'll leave Karei in your care."
Tenka smiled warmly. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."
Leaving Rin with Tenka, Shūichi departed swiftly.
---
Two Months Later
At the Root base, Shūichi reviewed a report on Hayate Gekkō submitted by Tenka.
Sitting elegantly in a figure-hugging cheongsam, Tenka smiled. "Hayate Gekkō might be the most outstanding perforr since the reestablishnt of Root, don't you think?"
Shūichi nodded. "Indeed. Hayate's talent in ninjutsu has exceeded my expectations."
"In such a short ti, he's mastered two nature transformations—Fire and Wind. Combined with his previous proficiency in Yin Release for genjutsu and Water Release, that's four nature transformations. While he's only proficient with Fire and Wind, that alone is at a jōnin level."
Tenka laughed softly. "That's thanks to your excellent teaching, Shūichi."
After signing the report, Shūichi instructed, "Have Karei deliver this to the Hokage's office. Also, please bring Hayate Gekkō to ."
Tenka nodded, took the report, and sashayed out.
---
Soon, Hayate entered, carrying a massive blade that seed disproportionate to his slender fra.
"Lord Shūichi!"
Shūichi nodded slightly. "I've reviewed your evaluation report. An A-grade. It's the highest rating since the reestablishnt of Root."
Hayate's face lit up with excitent, and he quickly said, "It's all thanks to your guidance, Lord Shūichi."
Shūichi replied indifferently, "This is an excellent result, but rember, the ninja world has many powerful individuals. Continue striving to improve."
Straightening his posture, Hayate responded, "Yes, Lord Shūichi!"
Shūichi continued, "In recognition of your achievents, I have a cursed seal for you. It's called the Star God Seal, which enhances Fire and Wind Release ninjutsu. The degree of enhancent depends on your own capabilities, ranging from several tis to dozens of tis."
"However, as the seal is linked to my chakra, it essentially acts as a marker. You've heard of the Flying Thunder God Technique, haven't you?"
Hayate's eyes widened in astonishnt but quickly steadied himself. "Lord Shūichi, I'd like to receive the cursed seal."
Unsurprised, Shūichi placed the seal on Hayate.
Hayate beca the first person, aside from notable figures like Nonō Yakushi, to receive a cursed seal—albeit an initial version that only boosted Fire and Wind Releases.
Activating the cursed seal granted a pseudo-Sage Mode, significantly enhancing ninjutsu potency and compensating for Hayate's limited chakra reserves.
After the seal was complete, Shūichi instructed, "The cursed seal won't appear in your records, but when reporting to the Fourth Hokage, you'll need to disclose it to him."
"Yes, Lord Shūichi!"
Hayate bowed deeply before leaving.
---
Outside the Root base, Hayate paused and glanced back.
"What an incredible training experience. Lord Shūichi's thods are godlike. No wonder everyone who's been here says it's worth it."
He clenched his fists. "When Yugao becos a chūnin, I'll make sure she gets a spot for special training too."
With that, he leapt toward the Hokage building at full speed.
---
At the Hokage office, Hayate soon t Minato Namikaze.
After reading the detailed report submitted by the Root training division, Minato listened to Hayate's verbal report with a calm expression and nodded slightly. "I understand about the cursed seal. Keep it confidential."
"Rest for two days, then officially join the Anbu."
Hayate, brimming with energy, responded, "Lord Fourth Hokage, I'm ready to join the Anbu and take on missions imdiately."
Minato studied Hayate's determination and, after a mont's thought, nodded. "Very well. Genma, escort Hayate to the Anbu and hand him over to Wind."
Genma Shiranui appeared.
"Understood!"
---
Following Genma to the Anbu base, Hayate was asked to choose a codena.
After so thought, he said, "Sahada."
Genma glanced at the massive blade on Hayate's back and chuckled. "That sword is said to be one of the most difficult to wield."
Taking his Anbu gear and mask, Hayate smiled wryly. "Sahada is demanding, but Lord Shūichi has tad it for . It's quite obedient now."
Genma laughed lightly. "Tad, huh? More like it's been taught a lesson."
The two quickly arrived at a changing room where three others were already preparing for their mission.
"Wind, this is Gekkō Hayate. He's just transferred over from the Root division, rated A-level. I'll leave him in your hands," said Shiranui Genma as he introduced Hayate.
Sarutobi Bofū and the other two team mbers imdiately focused their attention on Hayate with curiosity.
They were seasoned ANBU operatives who had been transferred from the Sarutobi Hiruzen era. Although they hadn't undergone Root's new special training, the revamped division's reputation preceded it.
"As far as I know, he's the first one to achieve an A-level rating, isn't he?" Sarutobi Bofū asked.
Genma nodded. "Indeed, he's gained Shūichi's trust."
With that, Genma left.
Bofū turned back to Hayate. "Introduce yourself."
Hayate nodded. "Codena: Sahada. Bloodline Limit: Transparent Escape. Proficient in kenjutsu, wind release, fire release; sowhat skilled in water release and genjutsu."
One of the team mbers exclaid, "As expected from a Root-trained elite!"
"My codena is Puppet. I specialize in kenjutsu and earth release," the mber said.
Bofū and the remaining mber also introduced themselves.
After a brief exchange, Bofū said, "Get ready. We're moving out soon."
---
*10 minutes later*
The four-mber team left Konoha and headed north.
As they traveled, Bofū, their leader, briefed them on the mission: "Our target is the Land of Hot Water. The cult of Jashin is experiencing a resurgence there, and we're tasked with eliminating its followers."
Puppet raised a brow. "Jashin cult? I thought they were eradicated?"
"Wasn't the Hidden Hot Water Village established after defeating the cult? Is it bad enough now to require outside assistance?"
Bofū explained, "The Hot Water Village is no longer what it once was. So of their own shinobi have been corrupted by Jashin's power, stealing sealed forbidden energy. As a result, the cult has re-erged in the Land of Hot Water."
"Our job is to assist the village in wiping out these cultists. Be ntally prepared."
The three team mbers replied in unison, "Understood!"
---
The next day, the team arrived at the Hidden Hot Water Village. Under the guidance of a village shinobi, they reached the outskirts of a small settlent.
About twenty Hot Water Village shinobi were already stationed there, keeping a close watch on the activity inside the village.
Standing atop a mountain overlooking the village, Hayate and his team observed the central square, which was crowded with people.
"What are they doing?" Hayate asked.
The Hot Water Village jonin replied grimly, "Performing a Jashin ritual."
He handed Bofū a pair of binoculars. Bofū looked through them and was imdiately alard. "The villagers..."
The jonin's face was dark. "They've all beco Jashin cultists."
Bofū frowned beneath his mask. "Even the children and elderly?"
The jonin gritted his teeth. "Last night, we infiltrated the village to try to rescue the residents. But they betrayed us. The people on the altar about to be sacrificed are our comrades."
Hayate was shocked. "Are these people insane?"
Bofū lowered the binoculars. "It seems so."
"Prepare for a direct assault. If we delay, they'll complete their blood sacrifice."
The jonin quickly added, "We'll handle rescuing the prisoners. You focus on dealing with the cultists. Those lunatics have completely lost their minds, so kill them all to avoid a repeat of last night."
Hayate was taken aback—were they really going to kill even the children? But as soone trained for combat, he held his tongue and looked to his captain for instructions.
Bofū said, "Focus on the rescue first."
"Besides, we're only a four-man team. It's impossible to eliminate everyone."
The jonin nodded. "We'll send two teams to assist you."
"But the cult leader must be eliminated. He's the one who stole Jashin's power and has already killed three of our jonin."
Bofū nodded and handed the binoculars to Puppet. "That man on the altar is the primary target."
"Be cautious of his Jashin abilities. According to Shūichi's intel, do not let him obtain even a drop of your blood, or you'll be cursed and killed."
The three mbers shivered at the warning and nodded solemnly.
"Move out!"
At Bofū's command, the team descended the mountain and charged toward the village.
In the village square, a middle-aged man shouting praises to "Lord Jashin" suddenly turned, spotting the approaching team. His face twisted into a cruel and excited grin. "Finally!"
"Konoha's ANBU, huh?"
"It seems Lord Jashin will soon have more sacrifices!"
The cult leader turned back to his followers and shouted, "Lord Jashin has responded! He demands more sacrifices! He will grant us greater power—immortality itself!"
"So, join ! Capture the intruders and offer them to Lord Jashin!"
The gathered cultists—ninjas, samurai, and ordinary villagers—grew even more frenzied, loudly chanting "Lord Jashin" as they charged toward the Hidden Hot Water Village shinobi stationed on the periter.
anwhile, the cult leader, flanked by six Hot Water Village chunin who had joined the cult, advanced toward Hayate's team.
"Sahada!"
At Bofū's command, Hayate stopped and raised a hand. In an instant, he disappeared.
"Hmm? One of them vanished..."
The cult leader sneered. "Trying to rescue the prisoners?"
"Heh, there's a surprise waiting for you."
However, Hayate had no intention of rescuing anyone.
According to the plan, saving the captives was the Hidden Hot Water Village's responsibility. Their first objective was to eliminate the cult leader.
The confrontation began.
Sarutobi Bofū and his two teammates fought head-on, while Gekkō Hayate, holding his sword, stealthily approached from behind the enemy, suddenly appearing and effortlessly eliminating one opponent.
Hayate imdiately disappeared again after the kill.
The cult leader of Jashin was stunned. "He didn't go to save anyone... He even hid his presence."
"But this won't be a problem for !"
He was still a sensor ninja, after all!
Seeing another subordinate fall, the Jashin cult leader quickly used a water clone to distract Sarutobi Bofū, then leaped out of the battlefield. He plunged his scythe into the ground and rapidly completed hand seals.
"Die!"
The Jashin cult leader spat out water, which surged and slamd into one of his subordinates.
At nearly the sa mont, Gekkō Hayate appeared and attacked that very sa subordinate.
Water Release: Exploding Water Collide Wave!
"Sahada, watch out!"
Bofū shouted a warning.
Having just eliminated an enemy, Hayate looked at the approaching torrent of water and realized it was too late to dodge. He imdiately drew his large sword, Sahada, from his back.
The bandages ca undone, and Sahada imdiately expanded.
With his right hand abandoning his katana, Hayate swiftly wielded Sahada with both hands and cleaved downward with imnse force.
Boom!
The raging water was cleaved in two by the swollen blade of Sahada.
But right after, a scythe ca screaming from the right.
It was the Jashin cult leader, erging from the water on the right side.
Clang!
Hayate swung Sahada in his right hand, deflecting the scythe's strike.
The two engaged in a rapid exchange of blows on the water's surface, the sound of clashing tal ringing in the air.
"This kid's swordsmanship isn't bad..."
The Jashin cult leader thought to himself, surprised. He perford a flip and quickly retreated while making hand seals.
Hayate reversed Sahada, and the sword's mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth, from which two blades—one long, one short—were ejected.
He drew the long blade, retracted Sahada, and with a single hand seal, Hayate summoned two shadow clones, one on each side of him. Almost instantly, an orange-red fla appeared on the blade.
Star God Seal activated.
The orange-red glow shifted to a blinding white light.
The three Hayates charged forward simultaneously, their images leaving behind distorted afterimages in the air due to the intense heat and the brilliant white light emanating from the blades.
At that mont, the Jashin cult leader completed his hand seals. Streams of water, like water serpents, slithered through the water, heading straight for Hayate. The cult leader followed closely behind, wielding his scythe.
The Jashin cult leader aid to trap Hayate in his water serpents while attacking him with the scythe.
Hayate, seemingly oblivious to the water serpents below, attacked from three different angles to surround the cult leader.
The Jashin cult leader slashed his scythe to destroy one of Hayate's clones, but when he struck at the second clone, the distortion of the light caused by the intense heat made him miss. The clone's sword pierced his heart.
With a cruel grin, the Jashin cult leader caught the hot blade with his left hand and blocked Hayate's real body's attack with his scythe.
Imdiately afterward, water snakes wrapped around Hayate's two remaining clones.
Boom!
The shadow clone was effortlessly destroyed in a single coil of water. As the cult leader raised his scythe to strike down Hayate's real body, the water constricting around him suddenly exploded.
Hayate swung his blade, and with a flash of intense white light, the sword severed the cult leader's right arm before slicing through his neck.
The scythe fell from his severed arm, and the cult leader's head remained on his neck, still shocked as he managed to speak:
"How could you escape my water serpents?"
This was his prideful, self-created water technique, B-rank difficulty.
Hayate said nothing, but he was astonished by the sight in front of him.
Despite his neck being completely severed, the cult leader was still alive and able to speak.
So, this is the power of Jashin?
As for breaking free of the water serpent technique, it was purely the result of Sahada's abilities.
The Jashin cult leader's water technique was based on using his own chakra to create water, which Sahada effortlessly absorbed and neutralized, causing the technique to collapse.
"Sahada, how's it going?"
Bofū, having taken care of the clones, approached.
"This guy's neck was cut off, and he's still talking. He hasn't died," Hayate replied.
Even though they had the intel, Bofū was still stunned. "So this is what Shūichi ant by 'immortality'? Truly amazing."
The Jashin cult leader roared, "You dare offend Lord Jashin? You're all dead!"
"Ha-ha-ha! You can't kill ! I've been blessed by Lord Jashin!"
Hayate casually swiped his sword, sending the cult leader's head flying. "Captain, what now? This guy won't really revive, will he?"
Bofū thought for a mont. "Leave a clone to watch him. Once the battle is over, we'll take him back to Konoha and hand him over to the Fourth Hokage for disposal."
(End of Chapter)
???
Support on Patreon - Read Up to 45 Advanced Chapters There!
/RedX43
???
Reviews
All reviews (0)