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Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Frail Body!

"Who could have done something like this?"

"Could Lord Roshi be in danger?"

"Impossible! He\'s already transformed into his Tailed Beast form. No ordinary person could stand against him."

"But the enemy this time is clearly no ordinary ninja."

Breathing in the hot air, a few Iwa ninja cautiously advanced while continuing their search.

"Lord Roshi is here!"

Suddenly, someone shouted.

Upon hearing that, several Iwa ninja immediately rushed over.

There, inside a sunken crater, lay Roshi, barely breathing.

"To think he was pushed to this extent!"

"Could it have been the Sannin from Konoha?"

The two Jonin leading the squad couldn\'t help but be shocked. Without wasting any time, they quickly took Roshi and retreated straight back to Iwagakure, bypassing the Daimyo\'s palace in the Land of Birds entirely.

...

Riding on Shinnosuke\'s back, Shūichi Hoshita, who had recovered some of his strength, couldn\'t help but ask, "Captain, that guy... he didn\'t die, right?"

Shinnosuke nodded, "You inflicted serious injuries on him, but Jinchuriki have incredibly strong vitality. Plus, with his Lava Release powers, he was able to negate a large portion of the damage."

Although Shūichi didn\'t ask further, Shinnosuke knew what he was curious about, so he continued, "Iwa reinforcements are already on their way, and at a time like this, we can\'t give them an excuse to start a war."

In that situation, he could have easily ended Roshi\'s life with a single kunai or taken the heavily injured Roshi away.

But either option would have driven Iwa into a mad pursuit.

Most importantly, Konoha did not want a war to break out.

After hearing the explanation, Shūichi nodded.

In fact, when Shinnosuke chose to retreat immediately, Shūichi understood the reasoning. That\'s why he had suggested gathering the scattered pieces of the Four-Tails\' flesh, rather than capturing Roshi.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had made it clear he did not want war. Otherwise, they wouldn\'t have been assigned this mission today.

Still, next time, Shūichi thought, he should modify his Lotus Inferno Fire Prison Explosion into a Dragon Flame Breath beam. That way, he could blast the Four-Tails Jinchuriki into a sieve. Let\'s see if he could survive that!

...

Shūichi was thinking to himself, but with a smile on his face, he said, "If Iwagakure dares to start a war, next time we meet, I\'ll finish that guy off!"

Shinnosuke secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Shūichi might not understand the village\'s policies or the stance of his father, Hiruzen.

After all, Shūichi was someone highly regarded by his father, a key figure in the Hokage\'s faction, a young genius with immense potential. His future was incredibly promising.

Now that Shūichi wasn\'t harboring any resentment, it was a huge relief.

Hearing Shūichi\'s somewhat childlike remark, both Shinnosuke and Chihiro couldn\'t help but chuckle.

Chihiro added, "Shūichi, those two jutsu of yours are powerful, but they consume too much chakra. You can\'t use them recklessly, especially without teammates to back you up."

Shūichi replied, "With you and Captain around, I can let loose without holding back!"

...

Half an hour later, Shūichi had mostly recovered his strength and climbed down from Sarutobi Shinnosuke\'s back.

Without pausing, the three continued their journey towards the border of the Land of Birds.

By the time the sky began to brighten, the trio reached the rendezvous point and found Yamanaka Shinichi and Nara Satoshi waiting for them.

"Where\'s Force?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked.

Satoshi and Shinichi remained silent.

Shūichi\'s heart sank.

Moments later, they returned to the cave, where they found Akimichi Chōgan\'s lifeless body.

Shūichi knelt by the body to examine the wounds, which were identical to those of Kurama Sanyō\'s from before.

Both had been struck by an Iwa Iron Cannon(Rock Bullets), the blow piercing through vital areas.

Shūichi sighed in frustration.

This was the second teammate he had lost.

Taking lives in battle didn\'t faze him, but watching those around him die magnified the fragility of life tenfold.

Behind him, Satoshi explained, "We ran into Iwa ninja reinforcements while retreating after completing the mission. They were likely the squad protecting the Daimyo of the Land of Birds."

"Chōgan died covering our escape," Yamanaka Shinichi added. "If it weren\'t for your fight with Roshi drawing the pursuers away, Satoshi and I might not have made it out in one piece."

They were elite members of the Anbu, but the Iwa forces were no slouches either, with two Jonin leading them.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, suppressing his grief, nodded. "Understood."

"Let\'s rest while we can. We\'ll head out in two hours—this place isn\'t completely safe."

Everyone nodded silently. Chihiro stayed behind to help Shūichi prepare Akimichi Chōgan\'s body.

Two hours later, they sealed Chōgan\'s body in a scroll, and the five of them set off again, crossing the border of the Land of Birds into the Land of Rain.

By evening, they had returned to the Land of Fire.

Compared to the lighthearted mood of their departure, their return was much heavier.

After resting at the border for two hours, the team resumed their journey, traveling through the night until they finally reached Konoha.

...

In the locker room.

The four of them silently removed their gear, waiting.

About half an hour later, Sarutobi Shinnosuke returned. After a brief pause, he said, "We\'ll hold a funeral for Chōgan tomorrow. Everyone should attend."

"And unless something unexpected happens, the team will have a month-long break."

"Dismissed!"

Everyone nodded and left.

Outside the Anbu headquarters, Shinichi and Satoshi left together.

Chihiro patted Shūichi on the shoulder and softly asked, "Want us to walk you home?"

"Don\'t worry about me, Chihiro-san. I\'m not that fragile."

Shūichi shook his head, waved to Shinnosuke and Chihiro, and disappeared in an instant using the Body Flicker Technique.

...

"How can I improve my defense?"

On his way home, Shūichi pondered to himself.

A ninja\'s body sometimes felt too fragile.

Orochimaru\'s current research on snakes and his experiments with soft-body modifications stemmed from this very issue.

"Looking across the ninja world, the highest defense is probably the Lightning Release Chakra Mode used by the Cloud Ninja, which forms a Lightning Armor. Though it can\'t block something like Amaterasu and has elemental weaknesses, it can withstand many physical attacks. Otherwise, the Third Raikage wouldn\'t have died from exhaustion."

"Then there\'s the Chakra Cloak, but without massive amounts of chakra, it\'s impossible. Plus, regular chakra wouldn\'t be enough. Still, Chakra Modes could also be seen as a form of Chakra Cloak."

"Creation Rebirth is another safeguard, but the cost is steep."

Suddenly, Shūichi thought of Orochimaru\'s ability to shed his skin to avoid death, and for a moment, he felt a twinge of envy.

"Stop it!"

He shuddered, pushing away those dark thoughts. "I have the Tag System; I don\'t need those methods. Even if I can\'t escape becoming a freak in this world, I refuse to lose my humanity."

"Working with Tsunade to develop the Strength of a Hundred Seal, then combining it with a Fire Release Chakra Mode... After that, Creation Rebirth. Losing lifespan is better than dying outright."

"Besides, with the Strength of a Hundred Seal, I can use chakra to slow cellular aging, indirectly increasing my lifespan."

"And what\'s after that? Mastering all five elemental releases would make me versatile, but it wouldn\'t necessarily raise my overall potential that much."

Lost in thought, Shūichi didn\'t realize he had reached home until he snapped back to reality.

Yakushi Nonō and Asuka were already asleep, so he moved quietly.

But when he came out of the bathroom, he saw that Yakushi Nonō had already prepared a late-night snack for him.

"It must have been exhausting to rush back after completing your mission. Come, have something to eat before resting," she said, smiling warmly.

Nonō\'s gentle, comforting smile immediately melted away the fatigue in Shūichi\'s heart.

He hurried over and, without a word, wrapped his arms around her, pressing his ear to her chest to listen to her strong heartbeat. A sense of peace filled him.

Nonō was momentarily surprised but quickly understood. She returned the hug with one arm, softly stroking his hair with the other.

Meanwhile, the door to Asuka\'s room opened slightly, and a pair of eyes quietly watched the scene unfold.

A few moments later.

Shūichi pulled away from Nonō and smiled. "Director, I\'m fine now!"

Nonō didn\'t ask any more questions. She simply nodded with a smile. "How about that snack, then?"

She added, "Asuka, would you like some too?"

Asuka, who had been secretly watching, was startled and panicked. "U-uh... yes, please!"

Shūichi couldn\'t help but chuckle.

Not long after, Asuka emerged from her room in her pajamas, her face still slightly flushed.

Being caught peeking was understandably embarrassing.

But Shūichi thoroughly enjoyed the late-night snack.

After all, who doesn\'t like being cared for?

Once they finished eating, the three cleaned up and chatted for a bit in the living room before bidding each other goodnight and heading to bed.

Shūichi had only just fallen asleep when he was suddenly woken up, feeling a soft body pressing against him.

"Shūichi, I\'ve decided—I\'m going to apply to join the Anbu, and we\'ll form a team together, okay?"

Asuka\'s voice whispered in his ear, sending a tingling sensation through him. Just as he was about to respond, she continued, "With me around, I won\'t let anything happen to you. I\'ve already mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains and the Kagura Mind\'s Eye. I won\'t be a burden."

Shūichi turned to face her and smiled. "Asuka, I\'m not the Hokage."

Her bright red eyes shone brilliantly in the darkness. "Then, when you become Hokage, I\'ll be your personal guard!"

Shūichi embraced her, burying his head against her chest. "It\'s a deal, then."

But in his heart, he thought that becoming Hokage felt like a distant dream.

Once Minato-sensei became Hokage, he could arrange for Asuka to be on his team.

Yeah, and maybe he could pull Shisui into the team as well.

...

The next day, Shūichi dressed in black and bought flowers to attend Akimichi Chōgan\'s funeral.

Accompanying him, much to his surprise, was Asuka, who had insisted on coming. Yakushi Nonō had also approved of her decision.

While Asuka stayed outside the cemetery, Shūichi joined Shinnosuke and the others and entered the burial grounds.

There weren\'t many people at the funeral, just the members of their squad and the Akimichi clan. But what surprised Shūichi slightly was the presence of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

They observed a moment of silence, laid down flowers...

After speaking briefly with Chōgan\'s family, Shūichi, following a gesture from Shinnosuke, went to meet Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After paying his respects, the Third Hokage said, "Shūichi, during your break, try to spend more time with Tsunade and Minato. I\'ve heard Tsunade is developing a new technique?"

Shūichi nodded. "Yes, Lord Third, I also plan to assist Lady Tsunade soon."

"And I\'ll be studying sealing techniques with Minato-sensei."

After observing Shūichi\'s condition for a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded again and added, "As for the research on the Four-Tails, don\'t push yourself too hard. And don\'t experiment on yourself lightly. Prioritize your safety above all."

All his words were filled with concern. Shūichi quickly replied, "Don\'t worry, Lord Third. I\'ll be careful. Besides, Orochimaru-sama will take the lead in that research."

Let Orochimaru handle everything!

(End of Chapter)

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