Shu Furukawa's thrust came without a sound. As he appeared behind Killer B, Wind Release chakra extended along his short blade, and the glowing edge pierced the enemy's left shoulder.
"Ah!"
Having narrowly avoided a fatal strike to the heart, Killer B cried out in pain. A Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak immediately appeared around him, and his agile tails lunged at Shu Furukawa and Kakashi.
"What is that?"
Kakashi hurriedly dodged and clung to a tree trunk with his feet, murmuring under his breath. Beside him, Hideichi Hyuga wore an equally horrified expression. His Byakugan could clearly see the chakra surging from the enemy's body.
Shu Furukawa had aimed for the heart. Although Killer B had barely avoided it, the Wind Release chakra had still inflicted severe damage on his body.
"It's healing unbelievably fast!"
Shu Furukawa quietly marveled as he rejoined the other two. Tailed Beast chakra truly was a wondrous kind of energy.
Minato Namikaze also returned to the three of them in an instant. Seeing the additional tails behind the enemy, his expression became especially grave.
"B! Calm down..."
A clutched his right ribs and shouted a warning. The enraged Killer B turned to look at his older brother, blood at the corner of his mouth, and immediately stopped roaring.
The battle had erupted too quickly. Only after both sides had pulled apart did they begin carefully sizing each other up. Panting heavily, A knew he had been careless and said bitterly:
"Are Konoha ninja only capable of sneak attacks?"
"Kumogakure ninja have no right to say that."
Minato Namikaze replied expressionlessly. He stared intently at Killer B, who was wrapped in a Tailed Beast Cloak. If the other side used an attack like a Tailed Beast Bomb, he would need to protect his subordinates in time.
"Cough..."
Killer B, who had been so imposing moments ago, suddenly coughed up blood. He clutched his heart with his right hand, his face twisted in pain, while the Eight-Tails inside him hurriedly warned:
"That unusual Wind Release chakra remains inside your body. Forcibly driving it out will damage your heart."
The corner of Shu Furukawa's mouth lifted when he saw this. His attack had worked after all. He had nearly been fooled by the enemy.
"B!"
A no longer had the mind to trade words with the blond-haired man across from him. He hurriedly supported his little brother, anxiety appearing on his dark face. Unwilling to show weakness, Killer B continued in his strange tone:
"You despicable Konoha brat! Your sneak attack can't hurt me!"
"I'll tear you apart to the rhythm of battle!"
The sudden rap ruined the tense atmosphere. Kakashi narrowed his dead-fish eyes at the enemy, while Hideichi Hyuga's mouth twitched as he barely stopped himself from commenting.
Minato Namikaze held a kunai as he watched the two of them, while white Wind Release chakra began flickering from the short blade in Shu Furukawa's right hand.
"You got lucky! I'll remember you!"
A threw down a smoke bomb, grabbed Killer B, and fled at once. They had been careless this time and had not done their intelligence work properly.
Kakashi's nose twitched, and he looked up at Minato Namikaze. The latter shook his head slightly and gave a brief explanation:
"A Jinchuriki is extremely dangerous. I can only guarantee that I'll get all of you out safely. The mission is already complete."
"They were incredibly fast. Were they the AB Duo mentioned in the earlier intelligence?"
After confirming that the enemies had left, Hideichi Hyuga spoke up. The brief clash had left a deep impression on him. Their attack speed had been astonishing.
"They should be. It's understandable that the Land of Frost sided with Kumogakure. They couldn't deal with enemies of that level."
Minato Namikaze replied seriously. Their enormous chakra reserves, physiques and reaction speeds far beyond ordinary people—Kumogakure's ninja were more troublesome than he had expected.
"We should head to the outpost, Captain! There are still several places along the Land of Hot Water's border. We need to warn everyone as soon as possible."
Shu Furukawa reminded him. A smile returned to Minato's face, and he quickly called for the group to resume their journey.
"Once we return to the village, I'll make a proposal to the Hokage. This mission will earn you additional rewards!"
Several days later, Killer B had returned to the border stronghold in the Land of Frost, but he was still sulking. Konoha's ninja had actually injured his beloved older brother. He felt that it was his own failure.
"Minato Namikaze. There's very little intelligence on him."
"The one who injured you was Shu Furukawa, the genius ninja who emerged in Konoha a few years ago. He clearly hid most of his strength during the Chunin Ninja Exams."
As A spoke, he tossed a scroll to Killer B. After glancing at it twice, Killer B complained rhythmically:
"The next time I meet him, I'll chop him in half!"
The Wind Release chakra inside his body was exceptionally sharp and had even damaged his chakra pathways. Without the protection of Tailed Beast chakra, Killer B felt that he might have been finished.
"The Konoha ninja first used the Byakugan to locate us, then set up an ambush along our route."
"This was my mistake. I underestimated the enemy's strength. Konoha truly is a powerful opponent."
"Next time, we need to bring sensory ninja. The Byakugan is truly useful in battle..."
As A spoke, he became envious of Konoha's Kekkei Genkai again. Although Kumogakure had plundered some over the years, elemental Kekkei Genkai were clearly nowhere near as useful as the Byakugan.
Minato Namikaze, having completed the mission, was also giving his report at the Hokage Building. When the topic turned to the Jinchuriki they had encountered, he said gravely:
"Kumogakure's Jinchuriki can already use a Tailed Beast Cloak. From my observations, he should have also mastered a partial Tailed Beast Transformation."
"The Iron Armor Seal's effects won't be very good. Kumogakure's Jinchuriki used to have frequent rampage problems."
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, replied simply. According to the intelligence they had gathered, Kumogakure had even extracted Tailed Beasts from Jinchuriki in advance just to restrain their rampages.
Now that he had heard they might have gained further control over Tailed Beast power, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help frowning. In recent years, every ninja village had made rapid progress in developing Tailed Beasts.
Not wanting Minato to worry, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped discussing Tailed Beasts and asked with a smile:
"How did the youngsters perform? You seem very satisfied with them."
"They were beyond reproach. At their age, it would be impossible to ask more of them. In their mastery of techniques, they have already surpassed most Chunin."
Minato Namikaze seemed to think of something else. A radiant smile appeared on his face as he added:
"Shu inflicted considerable damage on Killer B of Kumogakure. Considering his level of medical ninjutsu, there should be no problem promoting him to Special Jōnin."
"Haha, promotion nominations are Tsunade's responsibility. She should be feeling troubled now!"
"I felt the same way when I taught Orochimaru back then. Jiraiya sometimes talks to me about you as well. Teaching geniuses brings a lot of pressure."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was sincerely delighted whenever he mentioned these younger generations. The village's future would depend on these young geniuses. He had not let his teacher's trust down.
At that moment, Minato Namikaze also forgot about the undercurrents within the village. It did not matter who became the next Hokage, as long as the village continued to prosper.
At the end of January, Shu Furukawa returned to Konoha Hospital after finishing his mission. Every day, he continued practicing medical ninjutsu while discussing chakra usage with Tsunade.
"Activating the entire body? Accelerating neural transmission?"
After finishing her lunchbox, Tsunade cast him a sidelong glance upon hearing the question. Only after noticing Shizune's expectant look did she reluctantly answer Shu Furukawa:
"You're fantasizing again! Lightning Release Chakra Mode may not be difficult to master, provided you have an inhuman body."
"It's the same with activation through repeated extraction. Ordinary ninja simply cannot refine such enormous amounts of chakra."
"Accelerating neural transmission is the same. Receiving signals quickly doesn't 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. When Shu Furukawa saw Shizune signaling him with her eyes, he knew Tsunade was in a bad mood. Perhaps she had not eaten enough for lunch.
"Teacher, I've completely mastered it."
Tsunade was somewhat speechless. Shu Furukawa had been back for less than three days, yet he had already learned the new technique she taught him. Noticing Shizune's admiring expression, she could not be bothered to inspect it and simply ordered:
"The lunchbox was too small. Go buy me another serving of eel rice!"
"Teacher, Lord Fugaku will be bringing his wife for a physical examination shortly."
Shu Furukawa reminded her. Tsunade looked a little embarrassed, only then remembering the matter of Mikoto Uchiha. She had nearly forgotten their appointment.
"Then have a clone buy it! Don't even think about slacking off!"
"..."