Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Backstab! [Bonus Chapter]

After testing the Fire Nether Chains sealing technique, Shūichi shifted his attention to the Bijuu Sealing Mark.

With a single thought, a brilliant blue light immediately burst forth from the center of his forehead.

Tadpole-like symbols then emerged, spreading across his entire body, with the blue light at the center of his forehead as the origin.

This was the first version of the Bijuu Sealing Mark, which, when activated, could absorb natural energy from the environment to amplify the power of Fire Release jutsu.

The advanced version he now possessed also recreated the sealing technique from the Tostuka Blade, granting the ability to store natural energy.

However, the seal could still only enhance Fire Release, without increasing the power of other types of jutsu.

Nevertheless, Shūichi was confident that with further research, he could develop a natural energy seal capable of enhancing all kinds of jutsu.

Now, it was time to modify the Bijuu Sealing Mark on his own body.

This wasn't too difficult; the symbols could be formed entirely by chakra.

As a result, the runes that appeared on his body swiftly shifted and transformed. New symbols emerged, integrating into the original seal.

Once the new formula was completed, the symbols contracted, returning to his forehead, and the once-bright blue light faded away.

Shūichi could now feel natural energy flowing continuously into the seal, stopping only when the amount matched his chakra reserves.

The speed of absorption was incredibly fast.

"The power of a human is insignificant compared to the vast energy of nature. No wonder the ōtsutsuki clan plants trees everywhere."

After a moment of reflection, Shūichi stowed away two scrolls, sealing them securely.

"With the Fire Nether Chains, my abilities have become even more versatile, especially now that I have a method to subdue Tailed Beasts."

"And the new Bijuu Sealing Mark raises my upper combat limits."

For Shūichi, his strongest ability remained his Fire Release techniques.

In particular, developing the Fire Nether Chains allowed him to skillfully integrate the power of Yin Release into his Fire Release.

This not only enhanced the strength of his Fire Release but also improved his ability to manipulate its forms.

...

The year 44 of Konoha passed quickly, and the 45th year arrived.

This New Year, Yakushi Nono led Shūichi and Asuka in celebrating at the orphanage.

While Shūichi was playing ninja games with the children, elsewhere, in Sunagakure, Pakura, fresh from the battlefield, was being hailed as a village hero, receiving cheers and praise from all the villagers.

At that moment, Pakura was bathed in supreme glory.

However, as Pakura basked in the villagers' admiration, within the Kazekage office, Sunagakure's upper echelon was holding a high-level meeting.

"The demands from Kirigakure for a ceasefire and alliance are outrageous! There's no way we can agree to them!"

"But the village can't handle an attack from two other villages simultaneously!"

"How about we ask Konoha for aid?"

"No way! If we do that, Konoha will demand concessions from the Land of Rivers, and we'll end up being branded as traitors to our village and the Land of Wind!"

"Then how about negotiating with Iwa?"

"The Third Kazekage was killed by Iwa! How can we make peace with the murderers?"

"Besides, we're already close to driving Iwa-nin out. We could even push into the Land of Birds next!"

A heated argument broke out among the elderly Sunagakure jonin.

Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, remained silent.

Chiyo and her brother Ebizō were absent from the meeting, stationed at the frontlines to guard against sudden attacks from Iwa or Kiri-nin.

After a long, fruitless debate, the Sunagakure leadership was unable to reach a consensus, and the first meeting ended without resolution.

...

Konoha Year 45, January 12th.

While Shūichi was in his study working on improvements to the Spirit Transformation Technique, he suddenly looked up as Sarutobi Shinnosuke appeared outside his window, removing his mask. "Shūichi, Lord Third Hokage has summoned you!"

"Understood!" Shūichi nodded, tidied up his things, and followed Shinnosuke to the Hokage's office.

When they arrived, not only was Hiruzen Sarutobi present, but also Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Jiraiya, who greeted Shūichi with a playful wink.

Ignoring Jiraiya's usual antics, Shūichi respectfully greeted the senior advisors.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then spoke: "Shūichi, based on the intelligence you provided, and the information gathered by the Anbu from Sunagakure, we've confirmed that Sunagakure is determined to negotiate peace with Kirigakure."

"As such, we need to determine whether they plan to ally with Kirigakure to attack us."

"If they do intend to form such an alliance, we must disrupt it, buying more time for Konoha to prepare."

At this, Jiraiya chimed in, "I'll handle the infiltration. That's my specialty, after all."

Mitokado Homura shook his head. "Jiraiya, we need you to stay in Konoha to handle any unexpected situations."

Hiruzen Sarutobi then turned to Shūichi and asked, "Shūichi, what do you think?"

After a moment of thought, Shūichi replied, "Since Sunagakure is planning to ally with Kirigakure, they'll likely send someone to the Land of Water as an envoy, correct?"

"In that case, we can tackle both tasks at once."

"We should intercept Sunagakure's envoy. Not only would we disrupt their alliance, but we could also extract information about Sunagakure's future plans from the envoy."

Utatane Koharu frowned. "Such an envoy would likely be a highly secretive individual. It won't be easy to intercept them en route."

Shūichi smiled. "In that case, we'll use a simpler method."

"Keep track of everyone leaving Sunagakure."

Koharu blinked in surprise. "Is that... even feasible?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Shūichi began filling the Hokage's office with his Shadow Clones.

Then, under their watchful eyes, one of Shūichi's clones opened a window, and they transformed into crows and hawks, flying out of the office, much to the astonishment of Koharu and Homura.

However, Homura quickly regained his composure and said to Hiruzen, "Given this, Hiruzen, I think Shūichi's suggestion is worth adopting. He's also the most suitable candidate for the task."

Koharu nodded in agreement. "I also heard Shūichi is due to be promoted to jonin. I believe, once this mission is completed, we can officially promote him."

Homura immediately concurred. "I agree."

After listening, Hiruzen turned to Shūichi and said, "Shūichi, this will be your final mission before becoming a jonin!"

Shūichi solemnly responded, "Rest assured, Lord Hokage, I will do everything in my power to complete this mission!"

"Then go make your preparations."

Hiruzen nodded approvingly.

Without delay, Shūichi used the Flying Thunder God technique and disappeared.

...

At home, Shūichi was packing his things when Jiraiya suddenly appeared, leaning against the doorframe. "You seem pretty invested in this mission, huh?"

Without turning around, Shūichi responded, "If I become a jonin before March, I'll be an 11-year-old jonin."

"Plus, to fully master the Flying Thunder God Technique, I need real combat experience."

Hearing Shūichi mention the Flying Thunder God Technique, Jiraiya stroked his chin and said, "Speaking of which, maybe I should continue studying the Flying Thunder God as well. After all, I'm pretty talented myself!"

Shūichi couldn't help but glance back with a grin. "Jiraiya-sama, don't waste your time. Some things just can't be learned. It's not a matter of effort—it's about brains!"

Jiraiya's face immediately twitched in embarrassment. "You little brat, you're really blunt, aren't you?"

Shūichi continued packing. "Everyone has their strengths. If you asked me to write a book, I wouldn't be able to match you, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya's face lit up, and he burst into laughter. "Seems like you've got good judgment after all!"

Then, looking a bit bashful, he added, "This mission of yours will probably take a while. How about giving me a bit of inspiration before you go?"

Shūichi barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Jiraiya-sama, be careful, or I might just tell Lady Tsunade."

Jiraiya immediately adopted a serious expression. "Actually, I came here for a reason!"

With that, he took the scroll off his back, placed it on the ground, and unrolled it. "Even though your crows and that white tiger of yours are quite well-trained, they still don't compare to the sages of Mount Myōboku."

"Why don't you go ahead and sign a contract with Mount Myōboku? Minato mentioned it to me when I got back, but you know, gathering research materials takes time."

Shūichi hadn't expected that he would be signing a contract with Mount Myōboku.

Should he sign it?

Of course!

Even if he didn't need the Sage Mode from Mount Myōboku, it was still a place worth exploring.

After thanking Jiraiya, Shūichi expertly placed his chakra and blood handprint on the scroll.

Jiraiya smiled. "Even though you have the Flying Thunder God, sometimes Reverse Summoning can be really useful too."

"Call on them whenever you need to. Don't hesitate!"

With that, Jiraiya slung the scroll back over his shoulder, waved, and left casually.

After watching Jiraiya leave, Shūichi left a Shadow Clone behind, strapped on his scroll, and disappeared.

...

In the southeastern mountains of the Land of Rivers, Shūichi's figure suddenly appeared.

There was a Flying Thunder God mark left by one of his Shadow Clones on a large rock nearby.

Sitting on the rock, Shūichi gazed in the direction of the Kirigakure frontline base.

Although he had told Koharu and the others he would use a "dumb" method, he didn't actually plan to do so.

Two Shadow Clones were watching over Sunagakure, while two more were keeping an eye on the major ports.

As soon as Pakura appeared, she wouldn't escape his sensory abilities.

Of course, things could change, and Pakura might not end up as Sunagakure's sacrificial pawn.

But no matter who Sunagakure sent for the negotiations, he'd be able to sense them.

For Shūichi, who had a bit of an "omniscient" view of the situation, this mission was relatively easy, so he felt quite relaxed.

"I'll let my Shadow Clones handle it for now..."

Shūichi withdrew his gaze, unrolled the scroll, and resumed the interrupted research from earlier.

Time quickly passed, and before he knew it, it was February.

Shūichi had only returned to Konoha once, before coming back to continue his vigil.

With this level of dedication, it would indeed be unreasonable not to promote him to jonin.

"The youngest jonin, but the 'Tag Tree' hasn't shown any updates yet..."

Feeling a bit disappointed, Shūichi unstrapped his scroll and sat back down on the large rock. Suddenly, a flood of memories surged into the seal within his memory palace.

"They're finally here!"

Shūichi leaped to his feet.

Pakura of the Scorch Release had appeared!

Strapping on his scroll, Shūichi leapt into the air, transforming into a hawk and soaring through the sky with a sharp cry, heading straight for a port in the southern part of the Land of Wind.

Upon reaching the port, Shūichi dispelled his transformation technique and touched the ground with his fingers, sensing the surroundings. "It's definitely Pakura."

"Alone... It seems the wheels of fate have begun to turn!"

After confirming his target, Shūichi altered his appearance and entered the port.

However, he didn't approach Pakura directly. Instead, he waited for her to hire a ship to sail out to sea. Once she had departed, he left the port, found a secluded spot along the coast, dismissed his other Shadow Clones, and then leaped into the water, transforming into a fish and swimming swiftly after her.

Once deep in the sea, Shūichi transformed again, this time into a shark.

This transformation felt even more natural, and he quickly caught up to Pakura's ship.

From a distance, he followed her trail. To his surprise, Pakura switched ships three times, taking three full days before finally entering an area of islands under Kirigakure's control.

The route she took led out of the southeastern coast of the Land of Wind, then eastward around the peninsula that extended from the south of the Land of Fire, eventually reaching the Land of Water.

Watching Pakura disembark and the ship sail away, Shūichi finally came ashore. Transforming into a seabird, he flew into the mist-covered island.

...

Mist swirled thickly, with steep mountains rising on either side as Pakura walked forward slowly.

"Lady Pakura of the Scorch Release!"

Suddenly, a clear voice echoed out, causing Pakura to stop in her tracks, her eyes narrowing. Ahead of her, a figure emerged from the mist.

It was a young ninja wearing the standard Kirigakure attire, his face full of a warm and cheerful smile. "I'm here to escort you!"

"It's truly an honor to meet you!"

The young Mist ninja stepped closer to Pakura, still smiling. "In such heavy mist, you definitely need a guide, after all."

Pakura nodded slightly. "Thank you for your trouble."

"But once we pass through this gorge, I shouldn't have any trouble finding my way, right?"

The young ninja scratched the back of his head and laughed. "That's true!"

As he spoke, he walked to Pakura's side, gesturing with his hand. "Please, lead the way!"

"Mm."

Pakura nodded again and took a step forward.

Thud!

Pakura's body suddenly froze, her eyes widening in shock.

Behind her, the young Mist ninja had plunged a kunai into her back, the once-warm smile on his face now twisted into a cruel, vicious grin.

"You..."

Pakura slowly turned her head. "What are you doing?"

"The pain of my comrades who were killed by Sunagakure..."

The young ninja shouted, "Now you'll taste it too!"

With those words, he pulled the kunai from her back.

Pakura staggered forward. Suddenly, a group of Mist ninjas appeared on both sides of the gorge, sending a barrage of shuriken raining down, pinning Pakura to the ground.

However, just as the Mist ninjas moved closer to Pakura, a figure suddenly appeared beside her.

"Watch out! Enemy!"

One of the Mist ninjas shouted in alarm.

But before the Mist ninjas on both sides of the gorge could react, two of Shūichi Hoshita's Shadow Clones, disguised as Sunagakure ninjas, descended from the sky.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

Sharp gusts of wind swept across both sides, tearing through the Mist ninjas.

Slash! Slash!

Screams echoed as blood splattered, and in the blink of an eye, severed limbs and bodies littered the ground.

"Damn it, Sunagakure has no intention of negotiating!"

"Kill that guy!"

A few surviving Mist ninjas, having escaped using the Body Flicker Technique, shouted in fury.

But Shūichi didn't intend to continue the fight. In one swift motion, he scooped up Pakura with one arm.

In a flash, he grabbed the young Mist ninja who had stabbed Pakura and was preparing to weave hand signs for a jutsu.

With a burst of strength, Shūichi hurled the Mist ninja into the stone wall, knocking him out cold.

As the ninja lay unconscious, a Flying Thunder God mark silently appeared on his neck, then spread into a lotus-shaped seal at the back of his head, hidden beneath his hair.

Just as quickly as he had come, Shūichi vanished.

The Mist ninjas had no time to counterattack—Shūichi was already gone, disappearing so swiftly that even sensory ninjutsu couldn't track him.

"Damn it!"

"Bastard!"

The remaining Mist ninjas looked at the dismembered bodies of their fallen comrades, their faces grim and filled with rage.

What should have been a satisfying act of revenge had turned into the loss of more comrades.

"That guy... he probably wasn't from Sunagakure."

The Mist ninjas, having calmed down, quickly realized the gravity of the situation.

"If he were from Sunagakure, there would have been no need to wait for us to kill Pakura before intervening."

"Could it be the action of an individual from Sunagakure?"

"Either way, we need to report this to Lord Mizukage immediately and let him decide!"

(End of Chapter)

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