A Turbulent New Year (Seeking Reads)

Shu Furukawa's thrust was silent and swift. As he appeared behind Killer B, wind-attribute chakra extended along his short blade, the blade of light piercing the enemy's left shoulder.

"Ah!"

Killer B, having narrowly avoided a fatal blow to his heart, let out a cry of pain. Immediately, a cloak of Tailed Beast chakra erupted around him, and his flexible tails lashed out toward Shu Furukawa and Kakashi.

"What is this?"

Kakashi, dodging in a hurry, whispered as his feet clung to the tree trunk. Beside him, Hideichi Hyuga wore a look of horror; his Byakugan could clearly see the chakra surging from the enemy's body.

Shu Furukawa had aimed for the heart. Although Killer B had managed to dodge, the wind-attribute chakra still inflicted severe damage on his body.

"The healing speed is incredible!"

Shu Furukawa, having regrouped with the others, whispered in admiration. Tailed Beast chakra was truly a miraculous energy.

Minato Namikaze also instantly returned to the side of the three, his expression turning grave as he saw the additional tails sprouting from the enemy's back.

"B! Calm down..."

A shouted a reminder while clutching his right ribs. The enraged Killer B turned his head to look at his elder brother, who had blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, and immediately ceased his roaring.

The battle had erupted too quickly. Now that both sides had put some distance between them, they began to size each other up. A, breathing heavily, realized he had been careless and said with a hateful sneer:

"Do Konoha ninjas only know how to launch sneak attacks?"

"Kumogakure ninjas have no right to say that."

Minato Namikaze replied expressionlessly. He kept his eyes locked on Killer B, who was cloaked in the Tailed Beast mantle; if the opponent unleashed an attack like a Tailed Beast Bomb, he would have to protect his subordinates in time.

"Cough..."

Killer B, who had been so aggressive just a moment ago, suddenly coughed up blood. He clutched his chest with his right hand, his face twisted in pain, while the Eight-Tails inside him hurriedly warned:

"That peculiar wind-attribute chakra has remained inside your body. Forcing it out recklessly will damage your heart."

When Shu Furukawa saw this, a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. His attack had worked after all; he had almost been fooled by the enemy.

"B!"

A could no longer be bothered to trade barbs with the yellow-haired man. He hurriedly supported his younger brother, a look of anxiety appearing on his dark face. Killer B, unwilling to show weakness, responded in his usual strange, rhythmic tone:

"Despicable Konoha brat! Your sneak attack cannot hurt me!"

"I will tear you apart in the rhythm of battle!"

The sudden rap ruined the tense atmosphere. Kakashi stared at the enemy with dead-fish eyes, while Hideichi Hyuga's mouth twitched, nearly blurting out a retort on the spot.

Minato Namikaze held a kunai, eyes fixed on the pair, while the short blade in Shu Furukawa's right hand began to flicker with white wind-attribute chakra.

"Consider yourselves lucky! I'll remember you!"

A threw a smoke bomb and dragged Killer B away. They had been careless this time, failing to gather proper intelligence.

Kakashi twitched his nose, then looked up at Minato Namikaze, who shook his head slightly and explained simply:

"Jinchuriki are extremely dangerous. I could only ensure that I brought you all out safely. The mission is already complete."

"The two of them were incredibly fast. Is this the AB Duo mentioned in the previous intelligence reports?"

Hideichi Hyuga asked after confirming the enemy had left. The brief exchange had left a deep impression on him; that speed of attack was truly astonishing.

"It should be them. It's understandable that the Land of Frost would lean toward Kumogakure; they cannot handle enemies of this caliber."

Minato Namikaze replied with a serious expression. The massive amount of chakra, the robust physique and reaction speed far exceeding ordinary people—the Kumogakure ninjas were even more troublesome than he had anticipated.

"We should head to the outposts, Captain! There are several more along the border of the Land of Hot Water; we must warn everyone as soon as possible."

Shu Furukawa reminded him. A smile returned to Minato's face, and he quickly signaled for the group to continue their journey:

"I will make a proposal to the Hokage when we return to the village. This mission will come with extra rewards!"

A few days later, back at a base on the border of the Land of Frost, Killer B was still sulking. The fact that a Konoha ninja had actually harmed his beloved elder brother made him feel as though he had failed his duty.

"Minato Namikaze, there is very little intelligence on him."

"The one who hurt you is a genius ninja who appeared in Konoha a few years ago, Shu Furukawa. During the Chunin Exams, he clearly hid most of his true strength."

A said as he tossed a scroll to Killer B, who glanced at it twice before rhythmically grumbling:

"Next time I meet him, I will definitely chop him in half!"

That wind-attribute chakra inside his body was extremely sharp, having even damaged his meridians. If not for the protection of the Tailed Beast chakra, Killer B felt he might have been done for.

"The Konoha ninjas first used the Byakugan to lock onto us, then laid an ambush on our path in advance."

"This time it was my fault for underestimating the enemy's strength. Konoha is indeed a formidable opponent."

"Next time we need to add a sensory ninja to our team. The Byakugan is truly practical in battle..."

As A spoke, he grew envious of Konoha's Kekkei Genkai. Although Kumogakure had plundered a few over the years, their elemental Kekkei Genkai clearly could not compare to the utility of the Byakugan.

Having completed the mission, Minato Namikaze was now reporting at the Hokage's office. Speaking of the Jinchuriki they had encountered, he said with a grave expression:

"The Kumogakure Jinchuriki can already utilize the Tailed Beast Cloak, and based on my observations, he should have mastered the partial Tailed Beast transformation as well."

"The effects of the Iron Armor Seal won't be very effective; the Kumogakure Jinchuriki has frequently suffered from rampages in the past."

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen responded simply. According to the intelligence gathered, Kumogakure would even extract the Tailed Beast from the Jinchuriki's body prematurely just to curb its rampages.

Now hearing that the opponent might have further mastered the power of the Tailed Beast, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help but frown. In recent years, every ninja village's development of Tailed Beasts had been advancing by leaps and bounds.

Not wanting to worry Minato Namikaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped discussing the Tailed Beasts and asked with a smile:

"How are the young ones performing? You seem very satisfied with them."

"Impeccable. At this age, one cannot ask for more from them. In terms of mastering techniques, they have already surpassed most Chunin."

Minato Namikaze seemed to recall something else, revealing a bright smile as he continued to add:

"Shu Furukawa caused quite a bit of damage to Kumogakure's Killer B. Considering the level of his medical ninjutsu, there should be no problem with promoting him to Special Jonin."

"Haha, nomination for promotion is Tsunade's business; she must be feeling quite troubled by it now!"

"I had this same feeling when I taught Orochimaru back then. Jiraiya also talks to me about you sometimes; the pressure of teaching geniuses is immense."

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt genuine happiness when mentioning these juniors. The future of the village depended on these young geniuses, and he had not betrayed the trust of his teachers.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze also forgot about the undercurrents within the village. It did not matter who the next Hokage would be, as long as the village could remain prosperous, that was enough.

At the end of January, having finished his mission, Shu Furukawa returned to Konoha Hospital, continuing to practice medical ninjutsu every day while taking the opportunity to discuss the application of chakra with Tsunade.

"Activating the whole body? Accelerating nerve conduction?"

Tsunade began to eye him askance after finishing her bento upon hearing the question. Seeing Shizune also reveal an expectant look, she finally responded to Shu Furukawa reluctantly:

"You are daydreaming again! The Lightning Release Chakra Mode might not be difficult to master, but the prerequisite is that you possess a superhuman body."

"It is the same with secondary stimulation and activation; ordinary ninjas simply cannot refine such massive amounts of chakra."

"Accelerating nerve conduction is the same; receiving signals rapidly does not mean the brain can make the correct decisions."

"Have you learned the Body Pathway Derangement I taught you?"

Tsunade tapped the table with a serious expression. Shu Furukawa saw Shizune signaling him and knew that she was in a bad mood, perhaps because she hadn't eaten enough for lunch:

"Teacher, I have already mastered it completely."

Tsunade was somewhat speechless. Shu Furukawa had been back for less than three days, and he had already learned the new technique she taught. Noticing Shizune's look of admiration, she couldn't be bothered to check and directly demanded:

"The bento was too small; go buy me another eel rice bowl!"

"Teacher, Fugaku-sama will be bringing his wife here for a physical examination in a moment."

Shu Furukawa reminded her. Tsunade felt a bit embarrassed, only then remembering the matter regarding Mikoto Uchiha; she had almost forgotten the appointment:

"Then have a shadow clone go buy it! Don't think about slacking off!"

"..."