Yellow Flash's Request

That night, Bing San heard that command of the front lines was about to change hands, so he called together his small team. It included Hyuga Go, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, the Wind Release squad, and the Root guard squad.

Aburame Torune was too badly injured to come, so the captain of the Anbu squad protecting Bing San this time was Aburame Ryoma. How should he put it? Ryoma had an especially low profile. He was good at infiltration and assassination, but the downside was that people often forgot about him.

Bing San leaned forward in his seat, his little eyes wide open, and said, "That's the situation. Jiraiya will be here within a week at most, so everyone should get ready. Remember to keep this confidential."

Everyone got up and left, leaving only Hyuga Go behind. Bing San looked at his once-hot-blooded classmate with a strange expression, not quite understanding.

Hyuga Go's lips quivered as he said, "Thank you for trusting me, Bing San. From now on, I'll go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

Bing San was slightly taken aback. What was going on? But when he spotted a hint of green showing above Go's head, he remembered that the man had been branded with the Caged Bird. He had no way to lie to the Main Family or refuse its demands.

Bing San stood and patted his shoulder. "I've always trusted you as much as I trust my own hands and feet, Go!"

Hyuga Go's eyes reddened slightly. After graduating and being assigned to a team, his recklessness and refusal to follow orders had led to all his teammates dying (Naruto: You're so stupid!). He never found teammates who trusted him again, and he became a man of few words.

That night, before going to bed, Bing San made his customary pull. He glanced at the result: a black scroll. It was the first black item he had ever seen, and he was quite curious. But when he examined it closely, he couldn't make sense of it. He decided to ask Orochimaru about it the next day.

Early the next morning, Bing San's intelligence clone went to see Orochimaru. Orochimaru sat lazily on a low couch in his kimono, eating breakfast.

At this time of day, Bing San was usually either training as hard as he could or storing up Chakra. This was the first time he had come to see Orochimaru so early. Orochimaru wasn't particularly surprised; he merely waved for Bing San to join him for breakfast.

Orochimaru was usually gentle and refined, with the air of a scholar. He was polite and courteous to everyone, and never put on airs.

But as soon as he entered a battle, he became bloodthirsty, cold, and cruel.

Compared to fighting, Orochimaru preferred to conduct his research alone in peace and quiet.

Bing San walked over, greeted him, and joined him for breakfast. Only after they finished eating did Orochimaru ask, "What is it, Bing San?"

Bing San nodded. "Teacher Orochimaru, are there any creatures in the Shinobi World that possess dark energy?"

Orochimaru looked puzzled. The Shinobi World didn't divide energy into light and dark attributes, and this was the first time he'd heard of such a thing. He considered the question. "Dark energy? The attributes currently known in the Shinobi World are Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Yin, and Yang. But in the nearby Land of Demons, there's a power called the Vengeful Spirit. It may be a variant of Yin Release and Natural Energy. In the Land of Wind, there's a power called the Dragon Vein, which may be a mixture of Yang Release and Natural Energy."

Orochimaru paused, then continued, "Natural Energy is a kind of Chakra without an attribute. It's everywhere in nature, though some places have a greater abundance of it than others. Some people can absorb this Chakra and fuse it with their own to create a new power called Senjutsu. But it's dangerous, and not everyone can use it."

Orochimaru rubbed his chin and fell silent for a moment before adding, "As for light and dark, you could call the Dragon Vein's power light, and the Vengeful Spirit's power dark. But ordinary people can't make use of either."

Bing San scratched his head. Then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Teacher, what do you think the Tailed Beasts' power would count as?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Tailed Beasts? They have no physical flesh, yet they bleed and can be injured. A very strange way of existing. They seem to be composed purely of Yin and Yang.

"No, on second thought, they shouldn't be divided by attributes alone. They should be a collection of all attributes. But the proportions of Chakra within each Tailed Beast differ, which is why they display different attributes."

Bing San scratched his head and thought, So all attributes include dark energy, too. Seeing his expression, Orochimaru shook his head and left. Bing San often asked Orochimaru all sorts of inexplicable questions, and Orochimaru was used to it by now.

Bing San took out the black scroll and read it over and over.

Scroll: Hollowfication (single-use item)
Effect 1: Creates an inner world deep within the soul.
Effect 2: Seals dark-energy creatures that come into contact with it.
Effect 3: Uses dark energy to create a special state: Hollowfication.

Hollowfication: Increases all attributes by 15%–300%.
Note: The effect grows stronger as Hollowfication deepens. The user is gradually assimilated by dark-energy creatures as Hollowfication deepens.

(A shoddy invention by some unscrupulous inventor. Just a failed experiment that couldn't break the limits. Nothing to worry about.
Gin, Captain of the Fifth Division)

Bing San thought, Isn't this basically Tailed Beast Chakra Mode? As he imagined himself rampaging around in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he sensed someone approaching his main body.

Bing San focused his thoughts on his main body. A familiar face walked in. It was Yellow Flash—no, Yellow Minato.

Bing San frowned. "Senior Minato, what are you doing here? Aren't you over with the Rock Ninja? The Yellow Flash is so famous among the Rock Ninja that he can stop children from crying at night!"

Minato Namikaze awkwardly rubbed his head. "That's not true. Shimura Unrivaled is the one who's famous throughout the Shinobi World."

After they exchanged a few more pleasantries, Bing San finally couldn't take any more of this fussy man and asked impatiently, "What do you want?"

Minato Namikaze scratched his head sheepishly. "Junior Bing San, could I borrow your Summoning Scroll?

"Here's the thing. Ever since Kakashi, Obito, and Rin saw you show off your power last time, they've been fired up. Now they're acting a little too recklessly, so I'd like them to write their names on it. When the moment comes, please use one of your special clones to protect them."

Bing San wasn't very willing at first, but then he thought about it and realized that Minato had come at exactly the right time. He'd just been thinking about making a move on a Tailed Beast, and now Minato was handing him an opportunity.

How had Obito turned evil? Wasn't it because the Third Mizukage had foolishly sealed part of the Three-Tails inside Rin, planning to make the Three-Tails run wild and strike at the Land of Fire?

But hadn't Madara Uchiha arranged that? If Black Zetsu and Madara Uchiha set their sights on him, he'd be dead for sure.

He had to keep a low profile and not get carried away. But he wondered whether One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones could use this scroll.

Bing San hesitated for a long time. Damn it, I'll take the chance. Fortune favors the bold. If it works, I'll be set. Even if it fails, I'll only lose one scroll. I'll definitely get another chance later.

So Bing San handed the Summoning Scroll to Minato and reminded him, "Senior Minato, make sure to keep an eye on that blockhead Obito. Don't let a mountain crush him to death."

Minato Namikaze took the scroll, perplexed. How stupid would someone have to be to get crushed by a mountain?

(Obito: You have no idea how stupid I am, do you?)

(End of Chapter)