Chapter 119: Displaying the Bijuu Sealing Mark, Target: Kazekage!

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Displaying the Bijuu Sealing Mark, Target: Kazekage! [Bonus Chapter]

The allure of the God Tree and the Ten Tails was incredibly strong.

Even after returning home, Shūichi continued to ponder the feasibility of it.

Since he wasn't aiming to become the Jinchūriki of the Ten Tails, the risks didn't seem too high for now.

ōtsutsuki Kaguya wouldn't be able to possess him either.

The only real challenge was transforming into the God Tree or the Ten Tails.

With his [Transformation Master] tag, Shūichi had acquired the instincts and nature of the creatures he transformed into, but the prerequisite was being sufficiently familiar with them—this was essential to performing the Transformation Technique properly.

Lying in bed, Shūichi gradually gathered his thoughts, "The God Tree is still a distant goal, but I need to start collecting the chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts."

"Especially the power of the Nine-Tails..."

...

The next day, Shūichi personally went to the Tenka Store to meet Tenka.

He wasn't there to see a beauty, but to place an order.

He was confident in his progress with the Flying Thunder God Technique and was close to mastering it. Naturally, he needed to prepare a batch of custom-made kunai, specifically designed to carry the Flying Thunder God mark.

Besides the kunai, there was also special paper to carry the Flying Thunder God seal, similar to the material used for explosive tags and scrolls.

Hearing Shūichi's request, Tenka was startled, "A thousand kunai and special paper? Shūichi, is the Shinobi World about to break out in war?"

Shūichi smiled and shook his head, "No, it's not for war. I need them for training a ninjutsu."

Tenka breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled, nodding, "No problem."

"When do you need them? I'll have them rushed!"

Shūichi thought for a moment, "Three days."

"I'll come back in three days to pick them up."

Tenka replied, "Got it. We already have the special paper in stock, so I'll give you that first."

After receiving the paper, Shūichi chatted with Tenka for a while longer before paying and leaving.

Tenka, not one to be overly formal, accepted the payment without hesitation.

Gifts were gifts, but business was business!

...

December 28, Year 43 of the Konoha Calendar.

Inside his study.

Shūichi looked at the lotus seal left on his desk, exhaled deeply, and a broad smile spread across his face.

It was finally done!

Before turning 11, he had completed the training for the Flying Thunder God Technique and mastered its marking formula.

From the moment he started learning, it had taken him less than half a year.

Standing up, Shūichi stepped out of his study and into the courtyard. He effortlessly sensed the Flying Thunder God mark he had left behind, and with just a thought, he instantly appeared, squatting on his desk.

"Cool!"

Shūichi was in an even better mood now.

Unless it was some kind of plot armor or world-destroying event, he could now escape from almost anything.

Of course, the key was to place his marks all over the world!

Jumping off the desk, Shūichi grabbed his Totsuka Blade and the specially crafted kunai from Tenka, wrapping their handles with the special paper. Then, he applied the Flying Thunder God Technique, leaving his unique lotus mark on them.

"I should leave a mark on the Director, Asuka, and Shizune as well."

As Shūichi thought this, his hands kept moving. He stored the Flying Thunder God scroll, picked up another scroll, and left the house.

At his teacher Minato Namikaze's home.

Uzumaki Kushina, who opened the door, was momentarily surprised to see him. "Shūichi, isn't your shadow clone here?"

Shūichi waved the scroll in his hand, "I'm here to return something."

Seeing the scroll, Kushina immediately understood, but she was still shocked. "Shūichi, don't tell me... you've already completed the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

Shūichi smiled and nodded, "I've mastered the Flying Thunder God formula. I've got the basics down."

"This..."

"This is unbelievable!"

Although Kushina had always thought Shūichi was exceptionally talented and might even master the Flying Thunder God faster than Minato, she hadn't expected it to happen this quickly.

Not lingering long at his teacher's house, Shūichi then made his way to the Hokage Tower, where Sarutobi Shinnosuke announced his arrival, and he met with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Smoking his pipe and reading the completed plan in front of him, Hiruzen looked up and asked, "So, Danzō has already started the pseudo-Jinchūriki project?"

Shūichi nodded, "Although Danzō-sama doesn't trust me, it's clear from the situation in the lab."

"This might also be Orochimaru-sama's way of informing me, indirectly."

Hiruzen nodded, recalling Shūichi's earlier manipulations. He couldn't help but ask, "Do you think the Daimyō will approve this plan?"

Shūichi replied seriously, "As long as the Daimyō sees results, he won't refuse."

"And I am one of those results."

"In the future, once we have more candidates, we can send them to the Daimyō as undercover agents for a period of time."

Surrounded by smoke, Hiruzen's face twitched slightly, but he nodded, "Alright, we'll proceed with your plan."

The plan Shūichi had submitted was thorough, and there was no reason to reject something that only benefited Konoha.

"Understood. I will do my best."

After a pause, Shūichi added, "Hokage-sama, aside from this matter, I would also like to request permission to freely enter and leave the village."

"Because I've recently completed my training in the Flying Thunder God Technique."

What?

Hiruzen almost dropped his pipe.

Quickly steadying himself, Hiruzen regained his composure and asked, "If I recall, you haven't been training in this technique for long, have you?"

Shūichi quickly replied, "Thanks to Minato-sensei's guidance, it went quite smoothly."

For a moment, Hiruzen didn't know what to say.

It should have been a moment of great joy, but for some reason, there was a hint of frustration.

Back then, Minato had taken two years to master the technique, which Hiruzen already found remarkable.

And now Shūichi... six months...

After a few deep puffs, Hiruzen nodded, "Very well, go find Shinnosuke for the formalities."

"But be cautious when outside the village. Remember, Suna, Iwa, and Kumo have all set their sights on you."

Shūichi gratefully replied, "Understood. Thank you, Third Hokage-sama, I will be careful!"

...

After leaving the Hokage office and receiving his travel permit from Shinnosuke, Shūichi departed the Hokage Tower under Shinnosuke's astonished gaze and picked up his custom kunai from the Tenka Store.

Upon returning home, Shūichi began marking his kunai with the Flying Thunder God seal.

However, this process consumed a considerable amount of chakra, and even with the ability to transform into the Four-Tails to quickly recover through natural energy, it wouldn't be completed in just a day or two.

With that, he vanished.

Shūichi glanced at the sword hilt, wrapped with special paper, and couldn't help but smile: Minato-sensei is still as thoughtful as ever!

Grasping the sword hilt, the lotus patterns subtly appeared on its surface.

"Let's go!"

Glancing back at Nono, Shūichi called out softly, then leaped into the air.

Asuka turned to wave goodbye to Nono, who was watching them, before she jumped to follow him.

...

After successfully leaving Konoha Village, Shūichi found a nearby spot to leave a Flying Thunder God kunai, embedding it in a stone, with only the handle visible.

At this distance, he could easily sense the Flying Thunder God markers he had placed within Konoha. There was one in his study, one on Yakushi Nonō, and one on Shizune.

After leaving the kunai, Shūichi continued his journey with Asuka, heading towards the Land of Wind.

Since they weren't in a rush, they reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers on the second day.

Along the way, Shūichi placed five more Flying Thunder God kunai throughout the Land of Fire.

After resting overnight at the border, the two crossed into the Land of Rivers the next day and entered the Land of Wind by that evening.

Throughout their journey, a flock of crows followed them from a distance.

Having experience from his previous visit to the Land of Wind and the ability to transform into a bird, Shūichi had no trouble navigating, and they didn't get lost.

However, Shūichi's goal wasn't Sunagakure, and he didn't approach the village recklessly.

Instead, he left Flying Thunder God markers or kunai around the surrounding oases and towns near Sunagakure.

Once the preparations were complete, Shūichi and Asuka withdrew from the Land of Wind, disguised themselves as traveling merchants, and settled in a mid-sized town in the Land of Rivers, where they opened a small general store, giving the appearance of having tired from their travels and choosing to settle down.

Asuka managed the store while Shūichi focused on training, using shadow clones and crows to monitor the areas around Sunagakure.

He wasn't sure if Sasori of the Red Sand would attempt to assassinate the Third Kazekage again.

But from the intelligence he had gathered earlier, the Third Kazekage often left the village to explore within the Land of Wind, possibly searching for iron mines, having had success with such endeavors in the Land of Rivers.

Time passed as Shūichi continued his training and surveillance.

Before long, Shūichi's 11th birthday arrived.

That afternoon, Asuka trimmed his hair and remarked with a smile, "Shūichi, without realizing it, you've grown taller than Nonō!"

Shūichi sighed, "Well, I've grown a year older, so of course, I've grown taller!"

Indeed, over the past year, he had grown much faster than before.

Yakushi Nonō was only about 155 centimeters tall, and Shūichi was now 160 centimeters, just a few centimeters shorter than Asuka.

Growing taller was a good thing, though the only downside was that he could no longer act spoiled around Nonō like before.

Yes, it was time to change their dynamic!

Shūichi decided to fully embrace his mature persona and become the solid pillar of the household.

...

That evening, though it was just the two of them, Asuka prepared a grand birthday feast for him.

There was longevity noodles, a birthday cake, and all of Shūichi's favorite dishes, filling the table.

Halfway through the meal, Shūichi suddenly paused, then smiled, "It seems today is my lucky day!"

Asuka blinked, then quickly caught on, "Something happening in the Land of Wind?"

Shūichi nodded and stood up, "The Kazekage is on the move!"

Though Asuka was a bit disappointed they couldn't finish the meal, she smiled and said, "We've already had the longevity noodles and birthday cake, so your birthday celebration is complete. Let's go, time to move!"

She quickly began packing their things.

Five minutes later, they were fully equipped and vanished from the room in a flash.

...

In the Land of Wind, within an abandoned outpost near Sunagakure.

Amidst the ruined walls, Shūichi and Asuka suddenly appeared.

Shūichi immediately sent out a shadow clone, transforming it into a hawk that flew off into the night sky.

About ten minutes later, Shūichi received the clone's memories and raised an eyebrow.

Asuka quickly asked, "Shūichi, what's the situation?"

"Are there many people with the Kazekage?"

Shūichi shook his head, "The Kazekage is alone."

Earlier, Shūichi's clone had detected the Kazekage leaving Sunagakure with his guard and stopping at a nearby oasis, but now, the Kazekage was moving alone away from the town.

Asuka was shocked, "What... how could this be?"

"Shūichi, could this be a trap?"

Shūichi understood her concern and smiled, "A trap won't work on us."

"Come on, let's see what the Kazekage is up to."

With that, they moved out, Asuka quickly following behind.

The two sped through the desert, but Shūichi maintained a cautious distance, keeping the Kazekage in sight.

About half an hour later, using aerial reconnaissance, Shūichi saw the Third Kazekage entering an abandoned town.

The most crucial detail—there was another humanoid heat signature in the ruins.

"Sasori of the Red Sand?"

Shūichi speculated.

He hadn't met Sasori before and didn't have any of his chakra information, so he couldn't identify him through his listening technique, nor could he discern his appearance through thermal vision.

But regardless of who the Kazekage was meeting, this was a perfect opportunity to eliminate him!

Whether they could kill him or not was uncertain.

But they had to try!

Shūichi removed his hooded cloak and handed it to Asuka, saying, "Asuka, you'll stay back and provide cover for me."

"If the Kazekage's guards show up or if any other shinobi approach, fire a signal flare to warn me!"

Asuka nodded but then quickly added, "There are two people with the Kazekage, and anyone important enough to meet the Kazekage won't be easy to handle."

"How about leaving a shadow clone for guard duty while I go in and assist you?"

Shūichi shook his head, "I won't reveal my true identity for now, so you shouldn't approach the battlefield either."

He thought for a moment and added, "Once I activate my Fire Release Chakra Mode, then you can join in."

Asuka nodded firmly, "Understood!"

With the plan set, Shūichi leaped into the air, transforming into an eagle and soaring out of Asuka's sight.

(End of Chapter)

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