Chapter 84: A New Mission, the Ancient City of Loulan (Part 2)
Early morning.
Tsunade was suddenly jolted awake from her sleep. She felt the entire bed shaking.
"An earthquake?" Tsunade rubbed her eyes and sat up.
Just then, the shaking stopped. She raised an eyebrow. The sensation didn't feel like an earthquake; it felt more like someone was using Monster Strength.
As the thought struck her, Tsunade's heart moved. She immediately got out of bed and looked out the window.
In the open field not far away, a deep crater had appeared, with dense, spiderweb-like cracks spreading out from it.
"That kid really did learn Monster Strength in a year." Tsunade watched Hanekawa's silhouette, muttering to herself. No one would believe her if she told them a nine-year-old child had mastered her signature technique.
"Teacher!" Hanekawa turned and waved at her.
More than half a year had passed since their trip to the capital of the Land of Fire. He had finally managed to master Monster Strength.
[A-rank Jutsu: Monster Strength][Trigger Condition: Successfully cast the jutsu.][Effect: This jutsu automatically reaches the Proficient level.]
Besides Monster Strength, he had also unlocked four new abilities.
The C-rank entries, 'Wind Release Chunin,' 'Water Release Chunin,' and 'Kenjutsu Chunin.' These three were similar to the previous 'Medical Chunin,' each granting a 50% boost to their respective skills. The promotion conditions were also the same: advance their proficiency to Mastery, and they could be upgraded to Special Jonin.
The last entry was the C-rank ability, 'Lightning Release Chakra Activation,' which he had finally gotten a handle on after a year of effort.
[C-rank Jutsu: Lightning Release Chakra Activation][Trigger Condition: Mastered the basics of Lightning Release Chakra Activation.][Effect: Physical stats are increased by 50%—including defense, offense, and speed.][Note: Can be synthesized with the C-rank 'Lightning Release Chunin' and 'Taijutsu Chunin' to create the B-rank 'Lightning Release Body.']
It had to be said, all the hard work was worth it. This single ability boosted three stats at once—defense, offense, and speed—making it truly comprehensive.
In the original story, the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode and his strongest Lightning Release Armor made him a peer to Minato Namikaze in speed and allowed him to physically dodge Amaterasu, which was insane. Of course, besides his speed, his defense and offense were equally astonishing. The Fourth Raikage once severed the horns of the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, with a single hand. It was no coincidence that he was appointed the Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Hanekawa stroked his chin. The 'Lightning Release Chunin' and 'Taijutsu Chunin' required for the synthesis were not difficult to obtain; it was just a matter of grinding it out. He just wondered what the effect of the B-rank 'Lightning Release Body' would be.
"Not bad." Tsunade walked over, offering a rare word of praise. "Truly my student."
"Teacher, who praises themselves like that?" Hanekawa said, snapping back to reality and teasing her.
"If I hadn't taught you, how would you have learned Monster Strength?" Tsunade asked, a smile on her face. "Who gets the most credit?"
"You do, Teacher." Hanekawa said, yielding immediately.
"That's better," Tsunade nodded in satisfaction. "When do you get out for break?"
"The day after tomorrow," Hanekawa explained. "These two days are the third-year final exams. Today is theory, and tomorrow is the practical."
"Alright then." Tsunade chuckled softly. "You won't be idle during these two months off. We're going to take on some missions."
"Okay," Hanekawa said without any objection. Now that he had mastered Monster Strength, he might be able to take down a Jonin with a surprise attack. A head-on confrontation, however, would still be difficult. The Jonin from the Five Great Nations were no joke, though he might be able to defeat one from a smaller village.
"Go take your exam," Tsunade waved him off. "I'll go check the Mission Hall for suitable missions."
"Teacher, I want to learn Lightning Release," Hanekawa suddenly remembered something and said.
Tsunade furrowed her brow slightly. She knew Hanekawa had both Lightning and Fire nature affinities. But he was a medical ninja, and she thought it would be better for him to spend his time on medical ninjutsu.
Then she remembered his excellent performance at the Konoha Hospital. The medical jutsu he had learned had reached an astonishing level of proficiency. The only medical ninjutsu left for him were A-rank and S-rank, which were forbidden jutsu. But those were still too advanced for him. Not because of a lack of talent, but because of his limited chakra reserves, he would have to wait another two years.
"Alright," Tsunade agreed. "I'll also ask the old man for a few Lightning Release jutsu."
In Konoha, you couldn't just learn any jutsu you wanted. A ninja had only three ways to learn: through a teacher, through clan or family lineage, or as a reward from the Hokage. If you were caught learning or teaching a jutsu privately, you would be punished. Of course, with his status as Tsunade's student, it didn't matter. He could learn anything, except for forbidden jutsu. That was why Hanekawa directly asked Tsunade for Lightning Release ninjutsu. As for Wind and Water Release, since he didn't have an innate affinity, and he was still young, he decided to play it safe.
After breakfast, Hanekawa went to school, and Tsunade headed to the Hokage Tower.
The Mission Hall was on the second floor of the Hokage Tower. As Tsunade entered, she saw a familiar figure.
"Lady Tsunade," Minato Namikaze said, hurrying forward to greet her.
"On a mission?" Tsunade nodded slightly.
"Yeah." Minato scratched his head. "Lord Hokage just gave me a difficult one."
"The most capable people take on the most work," Tsunade said with a small laugh. If she were Hokage, she definitely wouldn't pass up a ninja who could use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. After all, it was far too convenient.
"Are you here to take a mission, too, Lady Tsunade?" Minato's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Yes," Tsunade noticed his change in expression and waved a hand. "It's to train Hanekawa. Your mission is too difficult and not a good fit."
"No, this is a perfect fit!" Minato smiled. "How about you take a look?"
"Oh, really?" Tsunade extended her hand and took the mission scroll.
"I was planning to find two Jonin and one Chunin to form a team with me," Minato said with a wide smile. "If you and Hanekawa join, it would be just right."
"The Ancient City of Loulan in the Land of Wind?" Tsunade said, surprised as she read the mission scroll.
"Legend says that a Ryūmyaku containing infinite energy lies beneath the city," Minato explained. "According to intelligence from the Anbu, a minister of Loulan named Anrokuzan wants to use the Ryūmyaku to create a terrifying weapon and unite the ninja world."
"Unite the ninja world?" Tsunade scoffed. "He's quite a dreamer."
"What do you think of this mission, Lady Tsunade?" Minato asked after she finished reading.
"It works," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. "I'll go with you."
"With you there, Lady Tsunade, it will be much easier," Minato said, relieved. "It shouldn't take too much time."
"What is it?" Tsunade returned the scroll to him. "Hoping to get back to see Kushina early?"
Minato, his thoughts exposed, gave an embarrassed laugh.
"How about we leave the day after tomorrow?" Tsunade explained. "Final exams are happening these two days."
"No problem," Minato readily agreed.
"See you the day after tomorrow." Tsunade turned and went upstairs.
Arriving at the door to the Hokage's office, she pushed it open and walked in.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled and quickly hid the Black Beast book he was reading.
"What were you looking at?" Tsunade said, her eyes narrowing. "Why is your face so red?"
"Is it?" Hiruzen cleared his throat, his expression serious. "It's been hot lately."
"It's spring," Tsunade said with a cold laugh.
A bead of cold sweat ran down Hiruzen's forehead. If she found out about the Black Beast, his reputation would be ruined for life.
He quickly changed the subject. "What do you need? Are you here to take a mission?" Ever since she started training Hanekawa, Tsunade had been taking missions about once a month.
"I've already taken one—I'm going to Loulan with Minato," Tsunade said, stating her purpose, no longer interested in questioning him. "I need a few Lightning Release jutsu for Hanekawa."
"Hanekawa?" Hiruzen was stunned. "Does he have the energy to learn Lightning Release, too?"
As a genius of the new generation and Tsunade's student, he naturally kept a close eye on Hanekawa. As far as he knew, he was already learning Kenjutsu, Genjutsu, and medical ninjutsu. Most ninjas were at their limit learning just one. And he was learning three, and now he wanted to learn Lightning Release too?
"You can't judge a genius by normal standards," Tsunade said with a slight smile. "He's already learned Monster Strength."
"What?" Hiruzen's eyes widened in astonishment.
"He is my student, after all," Tsunade said, lifting her chin proudly.
"You've indeed taken on a great student," Hiruzen agreed. "His accomplishments won't be any less than Minato's."
While the Flying Thunder God Jutsu was important, an excellent medical ninja was equally valuable.
"Haru," Hiruzen called out.
An Anbu ninja wearing a mask appeared.
"Go and get three basic Lightning Release jutsu scrolls," Hiruzen said after a moment's thought.
"Yes," Haru said, turning and leaving.
"Three?" Tsunade was a little dissatisfied. "Old man, can't you be a little more generous?"
"You can come and get more once he's mastered these," Hiruzen explained. "It's not safe to take so many at once."
"Fine." Tsunade grudgingly accepted his explanation.
Once she had the scrolls, she left the Hokage's office.
Time quickly passed into the afternoon.
With the theory exam over, Hanekawa said goodbye to his friends and went to Tsunade's house.
"New mission." Tsunade sat on the couch and casually tossed the mission scroll to him.
Hanekawa caught it and opened it.
Loulan? His heart thumped. This was the story from the Naruto the Movie: The Lost Tower. In the original story, it was a mission carried out by Yamato, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai after Sasuke Uchiha's defection. They pursued a ninja named Mukade, who led them to Loulan. Because of the Flying Thunder God seal left by Minato Namikaze and the explosion of the Ryūmyaku's power, they traveled back in time.
And this 'past' was the present in which Hanekawa now lived.
In other words, he was about to meet the future Naruto and his friends.
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