Rumors: Tsunade

"Captain!" The three of them emerged from the breach in the Earth Prison, only to see Uchiha Fukuyama leaning against a nearby tree, smoking, with the corpses of three rogue ninjas at his feet.

"Hmm, faster than I expected. Well done."

Seeing the three of them, Fukuyama offered a rare smile.

"Captain, is our mission complete?!"

"Yes!" Fukuyama nodded. "All the rogue ninjas have been dealt with."

"Do we need to bring these corpses back?!"

"Just cut off their heads!" Fukuyama glanced at the pale-faced Haku. "Haku, you do it. Sever their heads and seal them into a scroll!"

"Ah!"

"Captain, let me do it?!" Hideki volunteered, but was silenced by a single glare from Fukuyama.

"I, I will do it!" Haku said weakly.

"Suifeng, go help him. You handle the last two!"

"Yes!" Suifeng was equally resigned. He knew this mission was primarily intended to familiarize him with the battlefield environment and the sensation of killing, so he wouldn't be a greenhorn when he eventually hit the front lines. He had no objections to this.

As a ninja, one exists as a tool; a ninja who doesn't want to be a tool is not a good ninja.

At least that is the case until one becomes a Kage. In fact, even with Kage-level strength, if one has a screw loose, they are still just a tool—take White Fang, for example.

This is an abnormal world. Whether it is the rules of the world, the power system, or the institutions, nothing is normal. In Suifeng's words, this is a world with a screw loose; it's a sickness that needs curing!

But for now, he lacked the ability to provide a cure. He could only obediently act as a tool, biding his time until his strength was sufficient to make his own voice heard.

Therefore, how to better utilize his role as a tool had become the top priority.

Come to think of it, he was now a qualified Genin, capable of defeating most Chunin he encountered. This mission had undoubtedly given him new insights into taijutsu. Unlike his usual sparring with Fukuyama, this was a true life-or-death struggle. With this experience, he wouldn't be caught off guard when facing enemies on the battlefield in the future.

Likewise, through this mission, he had identified his own shortcomings.

He lacked a high-damage, single-target ninjutsu.

To put it bluntly, his output wasn't enough.

His Lava Release was strong, but it consumed chakra. He wasn't an Uzumaki with a bottomless well of energy. Although the bloodline limit had improved his physical constitution and significantly increased his chakra reserves, that was only relative to ordinary ninjas; it only brought him to the level of a Chunin. And what can a Chunin do?

Maybe fire off one or two big moves, and that's about it.

Just like earlier, he had to perform the Great Fireball, or rather the Lava Ball Technique, six times just to break through the Earth Prison. It was time-consuming and exhausting—nothing like the convenience of Tsunade's super strength.

Well, he wanted to cultivate a ninjutsu-taijutsu style like that super strength.

However, he also knew that as a member of the Uchiha clan, learning such a technique was nearly impossible. Tsunade wouldn't teach it to him, and even if he stole the knowledge, could he openly use it? Certainly not.

Instant explosive power, or a high-damage single-target ninjutsu—he would have to think about it when he got back.

He needed to see if his imagination was up to the task.

The journey back to Konoha after completing the mission was uneventful. However, when they passed the spot where they had been attacked by the Rock Ninja, the enemies were gone, and the traces of the battle had been cleaned up completely.

"Captain, those Rock Ninja...!"

One had to realize that from the moment they killed those Rock Ninja to finishing their mission against the rogue ninjas and returning from the camp, less than a day had passed.

"We are so close to Konoha that this is within the patrol range of the Anbu. It's hard to spot them when they are hiding, but since a battle occurred here and there were corpses everywhere, do you really think the Anbu are dead?!"

Fukuyama said coldly, "Regardless, Konoha is the premier ninja village. Do you have so little faith in Konoha's defensive capabilities?!"

"No, no!"

Hideki said quickly. There had been too many surprises during this mission. His previous dissatisfaction with Fukuyama's decision to abandon the idea of taking the Rock Ninja back for interrogation and rewards had mostly dissipated.

The clan does not want Suifeng to have contact with the Anbu for the time being!!

This was the conclusion he drew from this mission.

As a Chunin, he was no longer a Genin who only knew how to take missions. He was quite familiar with the situation in the village and knew that there were certain issues between the clan and the village. This wasn't something he could influence; he just needed to know that the waters were deep and not something he could get involved in.

Suifeng was a genius of the clan. Not only had he awakened his eyes at a young age, but he had also developed a brand-new taijutsu and awakened the Lava Release bloodline limit. How such a clansman should be handled was not something a lowly Chunin like him could comment on.

As soon as the four returned to Konoha, they clearly felt that the atmosphere in the village was off. Compared to usual, there were more people whispering on the streets, and a strange, eerie mood permeated the entire village.

White Fang failed his mission to save his comrades, causing Konoha to suffer massive losses!

Soon, the four learned what had happened. Fukuyama's expression shifted slightly. He hurriedly turned in the mission and ordered Suifeng and Hideki to take Haku to Konoha Hospital for treatment, while he headed straight for the Great Elder.

Is White Fang about to commit suicide?!

So it's happening at this time!

Hearing this news, Suifeng was not as shocked as the others. The suicide of White Fang was a fixed point in history, and he had no intention of changing it. Only someone with a screw loose would try to change that.

White Fang was a staunch supporter of the Hokage faction. If conflict were to arise between the Hokage faction and the Uchiha clan in the future, he would definitely stand with the Hokage faction, perhaps even becoming their sharpest blade.

If he didn't take this opportunity to let him die, should he keep him around for the holidays?

The Hokage faction infighting and making such a mess of things—it was truly a rare and wonderful sight to behold!

...I am a separator...

At Konoha Hospital, Hideki helped Haku slowly walk out of the hospital gate, with Suifeng following behind, looking indifferent.

"Wow, what a huge pair of basketballs!"

Just as he stepped through the courtyard gate, Uchiha Suifeng saw a pair of massive basketballs swaying toward him, golden hair dancing in the wind.

Well-deserved reputation, truly well-deserved!

Staring fixedly at the blonde woman walking toward the three of them, Uchiha Suifeng's breath hitched.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Hideki and Haku stopped in their tracks simultaneously.

Although the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan did not get along, they still had to maintain a respectful attitude when facing someone like Tsunade.

"Hmm!" Tsunade nodded upon seeing the two, her expression impassive as she continued forward.

"Lady Tsunade, please wait!"

At this moment, Uchiha Suifeng felt a stir in his heart and suddenly spoke up.

Tsunade stopped and her gaze narrowed slightly as she looked at Uchiha Suifeng.

It had to be said that the saying "looks are justice" was absolutely correct; even though she was at odds with the Uchiha clan, she could not bring herself to feel any ill will toward this exceptionally handsome young boy, Uchiha Suifeng.

She was simply curious as to why he had suddenly called out to her.

"Is there something you need?!"

"It's like this, I've heard that Lady Tsunade's strength is unparalleled, so I would like to ask for some guidance!"

"Ask for guidance?!" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "You must be that genius from the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Suifeng, right?!"

"That is correct!"

"You want to test my Strength Enhancement Technique?!"

"Of course not!" Uchiha Suifeng laughed. "I just wanted to confirm with you whether the principle of the Strength Enhancement Technique is to concentrate chakra into one part of the body and then release it in an instant to achieve immense destructive power."

"So what if it is? Are you thinking of training in it?!"

"That's right. I lack a ninjutsu with great destructive power and am very interested in the Strength Enhancement Technique, but I also know you wouldn't teach it to me easily, so I wanted to research it myself and see if I could succeed!"

"Little one, a principle is just a principle. Everyone knows this principle, but there aren't many people who can actually use the Strength Enhancement Technique!" Tsunade said slowly, a faint aura radiating from her body as she pressed it toward Uchiha Suifeng.