A New Mission

Yu changed the way he released his ninjutsu.

By compressing it and fusing it with his own body before unleashing it, he had finally succeeded in developing a forbidden technique like Shunko.

Not only was it dazzling to behold, its effects were remarkable too. It had easily given him ten times his usual strength.

If the Eight Inner Gates were a mindless, all-out fighting style,

then the Shunko Yu had developed was a clever, technical one.

But it also consumed chakra and stamina at an alarming rate. After that one burst, Yu already felt as if he could barely stay on his feet.

"You... you lunatic..."

"You're clearly just eager to die so I can eat your soul!"

The Demon inside Yu was obviously so furious that he didn't know what to say.

"Come on, don't be mad at me just yet."

"My Shadow Clone sent word. Looks like the old Third Hokage is looking for me."

As he soothed the angry Demon inside him, Yu suddenly received a message from his Shadow Clone. He put his haori back on and left the woods, which had already been completely destroyed.

A few minutes later, two Anbu Ninja appeared in the woods where Yu had been.

"What is this?!"

The two Anbu Ninja gaped at the almost completely destroyed woods and the vast lake that had appeared out of nowhere. After examining the damage, they quickly reached a conclusion.

"That's incredible destructive power. It even changed the terrain..."

"This must have been caused by an immensely powerful Water Release Ninjutsu. We should hurry back and report to Lord Hokage!"

With that, the two Anbu Ninja used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the woods.

Back at the Konoha Medical Corps, an Anbu Ninja stood in front of Yu's Shadow Clone.

"Yakushi Hane."

"Lord Hokage requests your presence. He has a new mission for you."

Seeing Yu's real body return, the Anbu Ninja spoke.

"Understood. I'll go now."

At the Anbu Ninja's words, Yu nodded. With a poof, he dispelled the Shadow Clone standing before him, which looked exactly like him.

The Medical Corps wasn't busy that day, so Yu had left a Shadow Clone there while his real body went to train in the Konoha Back Mountain.

When he dispelled the clone, its returning chakra made Yu feel as if his drained body had filled up again.

About five minutes later, Yu followed the Anbu Ninja to the Hokage's office.

"Heh heh, you're here, Yu."

Seeing Yu enter, the Third Hokage smiled warmly, set down his pipe, and spoke to him.

"Lord Hokage, do you have a new mission for me?"

Once inside, Yu noticed that there were four other ninja in the office besides the Third Hokage.

Two boys wore blue headbands. One had black sunglasses on his face, while the other had a senbon clenched between his teeth.

Another boy wore a green, skin-tight outfit that was impossible to look at, with a glossy black bowl cut and an outrageously thick pair of eyebrows. He flashed his white teeth from time to time, giving Yu goosebumps.

Ebisu, Genma Shiranui, and the future Might Guy.

Yu recognized all three of them at a glance.

As Yu sized them up, they watched him with curious eyes, too.

They seemed to be trying to reconcile the six-year-old white-haired boy in front of them with the Konoha's First Genius everyone had been talking about lately.

"You're Yakushi Hane, aren't you?"

A gentle voice sounded. Yu looked up to find a girl standing in front of him.

She had long, slightly wavy black hair and wore a white ninja skirt with red trim. She looked both pure and charming, and her big red eyes studied him curiously. "My father has told me about you. He said you're the most outstanding genius ninja he's ever met."

"I finally get to meet you today. I didn't expect you to be such a handsome little boy."

Kurenai Yuhi?!

Recognizing the girl before him, Yu remembered who she was: the future jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village, and the sultriest older woman in the original story.

But right now, all five of them were around eleven or twelve years old. They had only been promoted to Chunin this year.

"So you're Kurenai-senpai..."

"You're too kind. I've heard Teacher Kurenai Yuhi's Father talk about you often, too."

Facing the beautiful girl's gaze, Yu lowered his head slightly and replied modestly.

Kurenai was the only daughter of Kurenai Yuhi's Father, Yu's ninja instructor at the Ninja Academy.

"Ahem. Yu, I called you here today because I have a new mission for you."

The Third Hokage cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.

"A new mission?"

Yu looked at the Third Hokage curiously.

"Yes. It's an A-rank mission to scout the battlefield."

The Third Hokage paused to gather his thoughts, then explained the mission to everyone present. "Konoha is facing pressure from the Sand Ninja, Rock Ninja, and Cloud Ninja on the battlefield..."

"Recently, our ninja discovered that the Mist Ninja of the Land of Water have gathered a large number of ninja near the border of the Land of Fire. They're likely planning a new move."

The Third Hokage's expression grew grave. He looked at the four young ninja kneeling on one knee and Yu standing beside them, then gave his order in a low voice. "Genma, Ebisu, Guy, and Kurenai..."

"You four are newly promoted Chunin. As Hokage, I'm ordering you to investigate the situation at the border."

"Given what might happen along the way, I've specially assigned Yu to accompany you as a medical ninja and support your team."

"Yes!"

Yu and the four young Chunin answered in unison.

After listening to the Third Hokage's instructions together with Might Guy and the others, Yu and the four of them left the Third Hokage's office.

In the hallway outside the Hokage Office Building.

"Konoha's First Genius... Everyone in the village has been talking about you lately!"

Walking beside Yu, Kurenai turned to him and smiled playfully.

"It's just everyone being kind. And you're even prettier than I imagined, Kurenai-senpai."

At Yu's words, Kurenai turned to him as well. He caught her smiling brightly, her charm making the scenery around her seem dull.

"Really?!"

At Yu's sincere compliment, Kurenai covered her face with both hands and smiled shyly.

"Hmph. Konoha's First Genius? He's just a kid who recently graduated from the Ninja Academy."

Watching Yu walk beside Kurenai, Genma Shiranui, who had a senbon between his teeth, spoke disdainfully.

"Hmm?"

Yu turned around and noticed that Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, walking behind them, didn't seem too friendly.

"Don't be like that, Genma."

Seeing the tension in the group, Might Guy hurriedly tried to smooth things over.