In the days that followed, after Tenzo stopped focusing on guiding the newcomer, both the frequency and difficulty of the missions quickly escalated.
Fox and Hyena adapted well, their performance remained steady despite the increasing difficulty. Their abilities were quite average.
Hyena was slightly stronger, with the 'Fang over Fang' techniques proving difficult for some opponents to counter, though it struggled against higher-level enemies.
Typically, Tenzo would handle enemies of this higher tier, but now with Natsuro on the team, there was now an alternative.
Natsuro was tasked with dealing with special Jonins. Initially, he faced mostly Chunin-level opponents, but this quickly changed when he used Rasengan to kill an special Jonin in a surprise attack.
Previously, if their team encountered two special Jonin, typically one would be dealt with by Tenzo, while the others would hold off the second until Tenzo arrived.
In essence, weaker enemies were eliminated directly, while stronger ones were held back for Tenzo.
However, with Tenzo possessing Wood Release, he had earned the right to be waited for. Until…
During a battle with a special Jonin, Natsuro used the Flying Thunder God technique again. This time, instead of attacking with a blade, he used the classic Rasengan, successfully eliminating the elite Jonin. Hyena and Fox were left speechless.
So, it turns out that we are the weak links?
Not entirely.
Over these days, Natsuro had gained a clear understanding of his own level of strength.
With the Flying Thunder God technique, he was inherently at an advantage against many enemies. Unless faced with a mission requiring a direct confrontation to resolve the situation in one go, so he could even handle a special Jonin in a prolonged battle.
However, for missions requiring direct combat, the greatest threat Natsuro posed to a special Jonin was when they were unaware of his Flying Thunder God technique.
Once an opponent learned about this technique and took precautions, even if they couldn't react to the teleportation instantly, they would be prepared with countermeasures.
Natsuro would then face a tough fight. After all, the Flying Thunder God technique didn't raise his baseline attributes like Sage Mode did.
He wasn't at the level of the Fourth Hokage, who had mastered the technique to a divine level. Additionally, due to his current chakra limits, he couldn't use Flying Thunder God frequently or consecutively.
Therefore, tough battles were inevitable. He was satisfied with this, knowing that while his ninjutsu were powerful, they were mostly one-time-use trump cards, and could not be used indiscrimately like Naruto uses them.
Without relying on his ninjutsu, his fundamental skills were about Chunin level—far from top-tier. However, considering his young age, this level of skill was already quite formidable.
This was the result of years of training combined with Lightning Release and the secret medicines from Mount Myoboku.
Due to his outstanding ninja skills, he exerted a pressure on Chunin-level enemies that was almost unimaginable. This pressure was even stronger than that of a Jonin on a Chunin.
In simple terms, he was invincible against lower-level enemies.
Against a special Jonin, he was capable of maneuvering around them and even had the chance to kill them using his trump cards.
Natsuro also estimated that he could potentially kill a true Jonin on the first encounter, but only if he could catch them off guard with Flying Thunder God. If the opponent knew his abilities in advance or if the initial attack didn't kill them, killing them would be nearly impossible.
In summary, he assessed his combat strength as being able to potentially kill elite Jonin on a first encounter. Against elite Jonin, he could ensure victory but couldn't guarantee total annihilation.
Nevertheless, his presence had significantly improved the task efficiency of Tenzo's team, leading them to take on numerous missions.
Despite this, the likelihood of encountering special Jonin during missions was quite low. Having already encountered two of them was considered very unlucky.
True Jonin were exceedingly rare and any place would consider them a rare commodity.
With Tenzo leading, their safety was relatively high. Wood Release's versatility was immense, which was likely why the Third Hokage had arranged for him to join this team.
As for teamwork, he had no intention of fully integrating into Tenzo's team. The others also understood this and didn't push for Natsuro to align his combat style with the team's. Instead, they focused on complementing his approach.
From Hyena and Fox's perspective, as long as his kunai had a chance to be thrown when the opponent was unprepared, there was a high chance of instantly decapitating the enemy. This was far better than their previous exhausting battles.
To them, Natsuro's strength was on par with a Jonin, given how overwhelming his performance was.
His displayed strength gradually elevated his status in the team, making him second only to Tenzo, though Natsuro generally made few demands.
...
One day, Natsuro and his teammates waited in the Anbu headquarters for Tenzo.
This time, the mission was directly assigned from above, rather than chosen by them.
Hyena and his partner Gray Fang were focused on Natsuro, particularly the kunai that constantly hovered around him.
Gray Fang seemed to find it amusing, but Hyena was baffled, wondering why the kunai floated around Natsuro. It seemed related to the electric arcs around him, but he couldn't figure out how it worked. Could it be a Bloodline Limit? Magnet Release? It didn't quite fit…
Natsuro, however, paid no attention to Hyena's curiosity. He sighed inwardly, finding it indeed difficult and requiring continuous practice.
If he had Magnet Release, it would be much easier, but since it's a Bloodline Limit, it would involve combining releases, which wasn't something he should consider at the moment.
For now, he could only keep practicing. It was already challenging to maintain the perfect floating motion of a single kunai…
But, if he mastered it, could he use it like a flying sword?
Or…
Like Ionian's Irelia!!
Natsuro guessed that he could simulate it, but the power would likely be limited. Generating a magnetic field using electricity might not be very strong…
As he pondered and continued his practice, Tenzo entered the room with the mission scroll in hand...
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