Of the three, one was from Konoha. His name was Shirakumo Hayama. He had been captured not long ago while carrying out an investigation mission in the Land of Grass. His ninja registration number matched Konoha's records, but for the moment, they still couldn't confirm whether Kusagakure had placed any measures on him.
The other two were from Amegakure and Iwagakure respectively. Their experiences were similar to Shirakumo Hayama's. The Iwa ninja was suspected to possess the Lava Release kekkei genkai.
Lava Release was a kekkei genkai formed by combining Fire and Earth.
Depending on the ratio of Fire and Earth chakra, this bloodline had two different manifestations.
The first was the "magma faction," represented by the Four-Tails jinchūriki Rōshi, where the Fire nature occupied the main role and manifested as high-temperature magma with stronger offensive properties.
The second was the more common "lime faction," represented by the Leg Kage Kurotsuchi, where the Earth nature occupied the main role and manifested as volcanic ash that restricted enemy movement.
Kusagakure had most likely captured this Iwa ninja because they wanted to use him to replicate the Lava Release bloodline inside their own village. Unfortunately, before they could achieve that goal, Yuu's group had ruined it.
Minato thought for a moment and decided to bring all of them back to Konoha first. The Intelligence Division would process them, and then they would see how to handle them afterward: whether to imprison them in Konoha's prison, attempt to turn them, or seal their memories and release them back to their respective villages.
That decision had to be made personally by the Hokage.
Uzumaki Kana and the others did not object to this decision.
Objecting would be useless anyway. After all, their current status was still that of captives. It was just that the people holding them had changed from Kusa ninja to Konoha ninja. At least to the current Uzumaki Kana, she still did not feel that her future would necessarily become brighter.
At once,
the group rested in place for a while, ate a little to replenish their strength, and after a short break, set off again.
Because the number of people had increased, and because they subjectively intended to conceal their identities, Minato naturally could not use Flying Thunder God on the way back.
On the contrary, he deliberately collected all the Flying Thunder God kunai he had left earlier, then led the team in a detour toward the Land of Lightning, creating the illusion that the "Kumo ninja" had succeeded and were quickly withdrawing toward the Land of Lightning to report back, in order to mislead Kusagakure.
Along the way, they encountered several more Kusagakure tracking squads.
These squads had clearly received strict orders and searched with great effort. But against a squad made up of four jōnin-level fighters, they were no different from moths flying into fire.
Minato killed most of the pursuing Kusa ninja, only leaving a small portion alive to serve as "eyewitnesses." After several encounters, Kusagakure's pursuit noticeably weakened. Clearly, the high casualty rate made them feel both pain and fear.
Only then
did Minato seize an opportunity to turn back toward the Land of Fire. After several days of winding travel, the group returned to Konoha travel-worn and dusty.
After returning to the village,
Uzumaki Kana and the others were immediately taken separately to the Intelligence Division and Medical Division for identity verification, physical examination, and intelligence questioning.
For ninja coming from outside the village, this process was basic and could not be skipped. However, depending on the circumstances, it could be carried out more gently rather than directly having the Yamanaka clan search their souls.
As Shirakumo Hayama was a Konoha ninja who had gone missing and returned, his process was relatively simple. After confirming there was no suspicion of him being turned, he was released.
Uzumaki Kana and Uzumaki Naoto underwent more detailed examinations, especially regarding the information they had been exposed to during captivity and their physical conditions. The final conclusion was that both of them suffered severe physical depletion and needed long-term rest and conditioning, but there were no signs of espionage or potential threat.
This report was soon delivered to Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk.
So,
two days later, that morning,
Minato brought Yuu, along with Kana and Naoto, who had undergone preliminary washing and changed into clean clothes, though their exhaustion was still difficult to hide, into the Hokage's office.
Several people were already in the office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was naturally seated in the main position, his expression somewhat serious. Tsunade stood by the window with her arms crossed, her golden ponytail especially bright in the sunlight. Kushina stood beside Tsunade, staring intently at Kana, her eyes slightly red and her hands unconsciously clenched.
"Lord Hokage, Lady Tsunade, Kushina."
Minato brought Yuu forward and bowed.
The two Uzumaki followed their example.
Kana secretly looked toward Kushina, seeming to see the shadow of a childhood playmate from over ten years ago.
"Thank you for your hard work, Minato, Yuu. You completed this mission very well."
Hiruzen first offered a few words of praise, then turned his gaze to Kana and Naoto. His tone became gentler.
"Kana, Naoto, welcome to Konoha. I am the Third Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Minato has already roughly reported your situation to me. Konoha will never forget the atrocities Kusagakure committed against you. Please rest assured. Here, your personal safety is absolutely guaranteed. You are Konoha's guests, and also family."
"Th-thank you, Lord Hokage."
Kana and Naoto were still somewhat reserved.
At this moment, Kushina, who had been waiting at the side, could no longer hold herself back. She rushed forward in a few steps and grabbed Kana's hand. Then, in a choked voice, she said,
"Kana! It really is you! I thought I'd never see you again! Those damn Kusagakure bastards… How dare they! How dare they treat you like that! I really want to go to Kusagakure myself, tear those bastards apart, and pay back all the suffering you endured!"
As she spoke, red chakra faintly overflowed from Kushina's body. Her long hair also floated up faintly like an octopus, making the air in the office seem thick and heavy.
Minato was startled and quickly went over to hold Kushina's shoulders, injecting chakra into her body to help calm the restless power inside her.
"Calm down, Kushina. Yuu, Agō, and I have already vented anger on behalf of Kana and Naoto. Kusagakure suffered heavy losses this time.
"The most important thing now is to let Miss Kana and the others rest peacefully and recover their health."
"…"
Kushina's anger gradually subsided.
In Yuu's senses, several chakra presences hidden in the shadows outside the room concealed themselves again. They were probably Anbu responsible for monitoring the Nine-Tails and protecting the Hokage's safety.
At this moment,
Tsunade also coughed and spoke.
"This is our first meeting. I am the granddaughter of the First Hokage. My grandmother was Uzumaki Mito, so one-quarter of Uzumaki blood also flows through me.
"The Senju and Uzumaki have been close for generations. If you are willing, you may settle in the Senju compound. The environment there is quiet, and all kinds of facilities are complete. I will personally handle your follow-up treatment and conditioning to ensure you recover as quickly as possible."
This was indeed the first time Uzumaki Kana and the other had met Tsunade.
However,
the value of the title "granddaughter of the First Hokage" was still significant.
As one of the two heroes who ended the Warring States Period, Senju Hashirama's name carried great deterrent force and a good reputation even in countries hostile to Konoha.
Just as Senju Tobirama also had a high reputation, though in a direction opposite to Hashirama's…
Now,
Tsunade made this promise as Hashirama's granddaughter, and with the additional connection of being Mito's descendant, this undoubtedly gave the two Uzumaki some sense of belonging.
Uzumaki Kana looked at Tsunade, then at Kushina, who was still emotional beside her, and felt the kindness in Minato's and Hiruzen's gazes. The string in her heart, which had been tense all this time, finally slowly relaxed. Tears slid down her face.
"Thank you… Thank you, Lady Tsunade, Lord Hokage, and Kushina-nee… I am willing to stay in Konoha."
Beside her,
Uzumaki Naoto also nodded in agreement.
Seeing this,
a gratified smile appeared on Hiruzen's face. "Good. Very good. Tsunade, I will entrust their arrangements to you and Kushina. You must let them feel the warmth of Konoha's big family."
"Alright."
Tsunade nodded and accepted.
After that, Hiruzen looked at Minato and Yuu again.
"Minato, Yuu, you completed this mission extremely well. Especially you, Yuu. Your performance exceeded expectations. Regarding the special jōnin nomination, the jōnin council has already passed it unanimously."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Yuu's heart stirred slightly, though his expression remained calm.
Hiruzen continued, "Also, Yuu, regarding the advanced ninjutsu I mentioned before, have you considered your choice?"
"…"
Yuu pondered.
This was indeed an important question.
For the current Yuu, the technique that would give him the largest boost was Flying Thunder God. However, Minato had already clearly promised to teach him that, and the galgame system had already judged it as a limited skin for Summoning Technique, so there was no need to ask Hiruzen for it.
Techniques like the Strength of a Hundred Seal were similar.
So,
the choices worth considering were techniques Hiruzen was skilled in and compatible with him, such as Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet and Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, as well as the forbidden techniques recorded in the Scroll of Seals.
Regarding the latter option, the ones Yuu most wanted to learn were not Impure World Reincarnation or Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. After all, the current Impure World Reincarnation still had major defects. It could not reproduce the living strength of the deceased, and it required living sacrifices. Both points were troublesome. Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, meanwhile, was only suited for chakra-ton-level physiques.
If he really wanted to learn a forbidden technique, he might as well consider Spirit Transformation Technique. But that would definitely be a separate target. Like opening a blind box, before it entered the list and reached 25 affection, Yuu could not be sure what kind of trait it would produce.
After weighing things over,
Yuu slowly spoke. "I want to learn Lord Third's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, and Lord Second's Water Severing Wave."
"Oh?"
Hiruzen smiled. "That makes two techniques. And both are above B-rank. Are you sure you can learn them both?"
"To be honest with you, Lord Hokage,"
Yuu smiled, "I'm still rather confident in my ninjutsu talent. If Lord Third is interested, you can personally test me."
If nothing unexpected happened, Water Severing Wave should be an advanced or legendary limited skin for Wild Water Wave. As for Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, Yuu was a little unsure. Judging by nature and origin, this technique should belong to the line of Flame Bullet and Great Flame Bullet.
But it didn't matter.
Even if Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was a new technique, Yuu believed he could master it in a relatively short time.
After all, the Fire-nature chakra affinity he had gained from Great Fireball was not for nothing. In Fire Release, he could genuinely be called a genius.
"…Very well."
Hiruzen thought briefly and nodded.
"Since you are so confident, come to the training ground this afternoon and try. I look forward to your performance."
…
That afternoon.
Konoha Village's western side, Training Ground Three.
Yuu arrived early. He first practiced swordsmanship and Fire Release as usual, then sat cross-legged under a large tree at the edge of the field to rest.
Before long, two figures appeared at the entrance to the training ground.
They were Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had finished handling official business, and Minato, who accompanied him.
Yuu stood. "Lord Hokage, Minato-sensei."
"No need for formalities, Yuu."
Hiruzen was still wearing his iconic Hokage robe, holding his pipe, his expression calm.
"It looks like you've been waiting for quite some time. Are you ready? Then let us begin with Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."
Very soon,
Hiruzen walked to an open area in the center of the training ground. While explaining, he formed hand seals.
"Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger… Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Whoosh—!!!
Accompanied by a deep and shocking roar, three ferocious flame dragons made of blazing, high-temperature fire suddenly surged from Hiruzen's mouth. Then, from the left, center, and right directions, they twisted and pounced toward the giant stone pillars opposite him.
Rumble—!!!
Explosions rang out.
Scorching air waves rolled wildly and spread outward. Even from a considerable distance, Yuu could feel the burning hot wind rushing toward him. Only after more than ten seconds did the firelight gradually fade. The row of sturdy stone pillars had vanished completely, leaving only a pungent sulfur smell in the air.
"So strong…"
Yuu secretly praised it.
This move was on the same level as Great Dragon Fire, both being B-rank, but their focuses were different. One emphasized wide-area suppression and explosive power, while the other focused on single-target strikes. When used by the Third Hokage, a Fire Release grandmaster, its momentum was truly astonishing.
"Did you see clearly, Yuu?"
Hiruzen turned around and exhaled smoke.
"The key to this technique lies in the instant explosive power of chakra and the fine control of shape transformation, thereby forming sustained impact and burning ability… You try it."
"Alright."
Yuu nodded. As he walked over, his attention also fell on the text box floating up from the galgame system.
[Ding! Giftable limited skin fragment detected — Flame Bullet / Dragon Fire Technique: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!]
"So…"
A "skin" without a scroll would be judged as a "fragment"?
Then if he directly gifted the skin fragment, what would happen? Would it conflict with gifting a full skin, or could it be assembled in multiple parts like Cell Activation Technique?
Yuu's thoughts moved, but he was in no hurry to act. Instead, he decided to try once using his own understanding first and see to what degree his current "real talent" had reached.
At once,
Yuu settled his mind, recalled what Hiruzen had just taught, controlled his chakra, and formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
~~~
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