Chapter 74: Blue Flame Waterfall Blade, Kusagakure!

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Blue Flame Waterfall Blade, Kusagakure!

The beginning of Konoha Year 41 was rather "leisurely" for Hoshita Shūichi. Playing with the White Tiger and feeding crows had become part of his daily routine.

However, a technique he thought would be relatively easy to master—High-Temperature Ray—ended up posing quite a challenge.

By the now-thawed lakeside, Hoshita Shūichi winced, his mouth full of blisters.

He got burned!

The highly compressed fire stream in his mouth reached such extreme temperatures that even the Yin Healing Wound Destruction technique couldn't fully heal it.

The reason he needed to compress the fire stream inside his mouth was that this position offered the most control over chakra, allowing him to compress the Fire Release to a laser-like state.

Once ejected from the mouth, this would not only have an extremely long range but also tremendous power.

Unfortunately, his mouth couldn't handle it.

After treating the blisters, Hoshita Shūichi sat down on the ground, trying to reorganize his thoughts.

A high-pressure water jet doesn't harm the mouth, and the Storm Release is a combination of lightning and water, which is further enhanced by Sage Mode, offering more protection.

But plain Fire Release is different. It won't work unless he lowers the power.

However, if he lowers the power, there would be no point in developing this technique.

After much thought, Shūichi couldn't find a solution, so he decided to set it aside for now and focus his energy on other matters.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, the new academy year at the Ninja Academy had arrived.

As planned by Tsunade, Shizune submitted her graduation application as soon as school started.

On January 9th of Konoha Year 41, Shizune successfully passed the graduation exam and officially became a Genin.

Shizune then entered the Konoha Hospital, where she spent her days working with Yakushi Nono and receiving guidance from Tsunade when she returned home.

Whenever Shūichi was at the Konoha Hospital, Shizune would follow him around like a little shadow.

But after the New Year, Shūichi began taking on missions again with Minato Namikaze and the others.

March passed in the blink of an eye, and Shūichi's 8th birthday quietly came and went while he was on a mission.

However, after the mission, Yakushi Nono threw a small birthday celebration for Hoshita Shūichi, complete with a birthday cake and longevity noodles.

After eating the longevity noodles, Yakushi Nono took out a scroll. "Shūichi, happy birthday!"

"Thank you!"

Hoshita Shūichi accepted the scroll, curious. "Did the Director develop a new medical ninjutsu?"

Yakushi Nono shook her head but smiled mysteriously.

"So secretive?"

Shūichi grew more excited and immediately opened the scroll, only to be stunned. "This is..."

The scroll was filled with densely packed seals, forming a series of complex jutsu.

Given Shūichi's current level of medical ninjutsu, it was impossible for him not to understand it, even though the scroll contained more than just medical ninjutsu.

Yes, this was a ninjutsu scroll. Even those who didn't know medical ninjutsu could activate the jutsu within the scroll to perform techniques they didn't otherwise possess.

In the original story, Shikamaru Nara once used a Water Release ninjutsu scroll to fight Kakuzu.

And this scroll before him was clearly a medical ninjutsu scroll.

"Director, this is the Jutsu of Regenerative Healing, and... the incomplete jutsu that Lady Tsunade has been working on?"

Hoshita Shūichi was very familiar with the jutsu on the scroll.

Yakushi Nono nodded, smiling. "Yes, it's the Jutsu of Regenerative Healing, and also Lady Tsunade's incomplete jutsu."

"Tsunade discussed this jutsu with me before. Although it's far from complete, it can still be used."

"You made a medical ninjutsu scroll for Tenka before, so I got the idea to create this."

Yakushi Nono's smile faded as she carefully explained to Hoshita Shūichi, "However, the Jutsu of Regenerative Healing requires extremely precise chakra control. Lady Tsunade's jutsu doesn't meet the necessary requirements yet. So, when dealing with severe injuries like missing flesh or shattered organs, this scroll can heal the injuries but not perfectly, and it may cause side effects."

"Because the healing process is too rough, relying on massive amounts of chakra to force rapid cell division, it inevitably shortens the injured person's lifespan."

Suddenly, Hoshita Shūichi turned his head and saw Uchiha Shisui appear.

"Shūichi, Minato-sensei has called a meeting. There's an urgent, last-minute mission. We're to gather at the village gate in half an hour."

With that, Uchiha Shisui vanished in a puff of smoke—it was a shadow clone.

"That urgent?"

Shūichi didn't dare delay and immediately headed home to gather his things.

After packing, he sent a shadow clone to the Konoha Hospital to inform Yakushi Nono while his real body headed to the village gate at top speed.

When he arrived, Minato Namikaze and the other two were already waiting.

"Let's move out!"

Without any unnecessary words, Minato Namikaze gave the order.

The four of them leaped out of the village and entered the forest to the west.

"Our mission's destination this time is Kusagakure in the Land of Grass."

As they traveled, Minato Namikaze explained, "Kusagakure is an ally of Konoha. A critical situation has arisen, so they requested assistance from Konoha to send sealing specialists. The Third Hokage assigned this mission to our team."

"According to the information from Kusagakure, the object that needs to be sealed is said to be a ninja tool passed down from the time of the Sage of Six Paths, possibly even crafted by the Sage himself."

Kurama Sanyō couldn't help but exclaim, "A ninja tool from the Sage of Six Paths?"

"That must be incredibly powerful. No wonder Kusagakure is asking for help with the sealing."

"So, it looks like the key players in this mission will be you, Sensei, and Shūichi."

Minato Namikaze shook his head. "According to our own intelligence, other parties are also targeting this ninja tool in Kusagakure."

"So, this mission isn't just about sealing a dangerous ninja tool. That's why the Third Hokage selected our team, instead of sending a sealing squad."

Uchiha Shisui responded, "So, Minato-sensei, you're saying we need to be extra vigilant during the sealing process."

Minato Namikaze nodded. "Exactly."

At that moment, Hoshita Shūichi's mind was racing with thoughts.

When Minato mentioned Kusagakure, the first person he thought of was Karin.

With her Uzumaki clan bloodline, Karin would make an excellent teammate.

Without Karin, Uchiha Sasuke would likely have been defeated long ago.

And when Minato mentioned a ninja tool connected to the Sage of Six Paths, Hoshita Shūichi guessed it was probably the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

"Karin... Karin probably hasn't been born yet. Her mother might even be around the same age as Minato-sensei. I wonder if she's currently in Kusagakure."

"Maybe I can investigate while we're there."

As these thoughts ran through Hoshita Shūichi's mind, he asked, "Minato-sensei, did our village's intelligence mention who our enemies might be?"

"Iwa-nin?"

"Or Kumo-nin?"

Iwagakure had long aimed to expand its influence eastward, even eyeing the fertile land of the Land of Grass.

But Kusagakure was cunning, skillfully navigating between the great nations and ninja villages like a socialite, even managing to establish the Hōzuki Castle(Blood Prison) with support from several ninja villages.

As for Kumo-nin, Kumogakure had a reputation for stealing others' secrets.

Kusagakure's unique Fire Release techniques were noteworthy, and not to mention, Kumogakure was the most familiar with the power of the Six Paths ninja tools.

(End of Chapter)

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