Bonus Chapter ✅✨
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Assigning Shūichi Hoshita as the team's medical ninja was Minato Namikaze's way of looking out for and protecting him.
Shūichi understood this well and immediately responded, "I'll take care of everyone's backs!"
Uchiha Shisui and Sanyō Kurama both smiled and said in unison, "We'll make sure to protect you too, Shūichi."
Seeing this interaction, Minato felt a sense of relief. The atmosphere was unexpectedly positive.
Given the unique nature of this newly formed team, Minato decided not to conduct the traditional bell test, which is usually used to assess team cooperation.
Instead, he directly announced their mission: "Earlier, when I met with the Third Hokage, I received a mission. It seems that a summoning beast has appeared in the Forest of Death. Our task is to investigate and, if the summoning beast is confirmed, track it down and capture it if possible."
Shisui asked, "Minato-sensei, do we have any more information about the summoning beast?"
Minato shook his head, "No, we don't. The assumption is based on the disturbances caused by the wild animals in the Forest of Death, leading us to speculate that a summoning beast might be involved."
"Any more questions?"
Shūichi and the others shook their heads in unison.
"Let's move out!"
With Minato's command, he took the lead, and Shūichi and the others quickly followed.
For Shūichi, the first day after graduation was clearly beyond his expectations.
No bell test, straight into a high-stakes mission.
If there truly was a summoning beast involved, could this mission be classified as a C-rank?
After all, the danger posed by a summoning beast could be on par with that of a ninja.
The group swiftly left the core area of Konoha, reaching the entrance of the Forest of Death within minutes.
"The Forest of Death is full of wild beasts and poisonous insects, so be careful," Minato reminded them before leading the team inside.
The ancient trees towered overhead, making the people below seem insignificant.
The four of them moved through the forest, occasionally stopping to analyze traces left by the animals.
Minato, Shisui, and Sanyō did most of the talking, while Shūichi listened intently, absorbing the information like a student in class.
The three of them were clearly making an effort to guide him.
Shūichi humbly sought their advice, eagerly learning from them, gradually converting the theoretical knowledge he had acquired at the academy into practical experience.
Through this tracking process, Shūichi noticed that while Minato didn't say much, Shisui's skills in tracking were clearly superior to Sanyō's.
Of course, Sanyō Kurama, who hailed from a clan known for their genjutsu, was also quite adept.
Those who specialize in genjutsu often pay close attention to details.
An hour later, the four of them landed on a thick tree branch.
Shisui said, "Minato-sensei, it should be here."
Sanyō Kurama added, "The traces of animal activity around here have noticeably decreased, and there are signs that they've been migrating outward. It seems this area has already been claimed as a territory by the summoning beast."
Wild animals have territorial instincts, especially powerful ones.
Summoning beasts are no exception.
Minato nodded, "Based on the traces, this summoning beast appears to be a wildcat, with speed likely being its primary advantage, so everyone stay alert."
Shūichi and the others nodded in unison, "Yes, Minato-sensei."
Minato gave a hand signal, and the four of them moved forward in a semicircular formation, closing in.
Suddenly, Shisui signaled for them to stop, and Shūichi and the others followed his gaze.
On a tree branch, in a patch of sunlight filtering through the leaves, a black cat lay lazily, its tail swaying back and forth.
Minato quickly signaled again.
Encircle it!
Except for Shisui, Shūichi and the others immediately moved to surround the black cat.
However, the black cat was very alert. Before they could complete the encirclement, it sensed something, stood up, and with a "meow," leaped in the direction of the gap in their formation, right where Shūichi and the others had left an opening.
"Stop it!" Minato shouted.
Since their cover was blown, there was no need to be cautious anymore.
In an instant, Shūichi Hoshita and the others surged forward with chakra bursting from their feet, each using the Body Flicker Technique to pounce on the black cat.
However, the cat's speed was astonishingly fast—at least, Shūichi felt that he was no match for the cat in terms of speed, especially in this environment.
But Minato Namikaze and the others were even faster.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Kunai flew through the air, embedding themselves with sharp thuds into the branches ahead of the black cat.
They were thrown by Minato.
The cat, startled, immediately changed direction.
Just as Shūichi saw the cat land on another branch, it abruptly changed course and leapt straight toward Uchiha Shisui.
"It's genjutsu!" Shūichi noticed Sanyō Kurama lowering his hand.
The next moment, Shūichi saw Shisui and the cat lock eyes mid-air, and then the black cat fell limp, caught by Shisui.
Sharingan! As Impressive as ever.
So Sanyō Kurama used the False Surroundings Technique, perhaps?
So what is the technique used by Kurama Sanyo here?
Shūichi silently speculated.
Minato smiled, "Excellent teamwork."
"Well, the mission is successfully completed. Let's head back."
The four of them left the Forest of Death without any hesitation.
However, Shūichi noticed a new leaf on his Tag Tree.
Tag: Tracking Expert
Condition to Obtain: Successfully track an enemy's whereabouts at least five times during missions.
Effect: Increases tracking talent by 100%, and sensitivity to traces by 100%.
Another "Expert" tag—Shūichi was starting to feel numb to these now.
But the conditions didn't seem too difficult, as this recent mission had already been counted toward the requirement.
This meant he didn't have to track the enemy entirely on his own to succeed.
Watching Minato and the others ahead, Shūichi thought, [Tracking Expert] might be the easiest and quickest expert tag for me to acquire.
Smiling to himself, Shūichi caught up to Sanyō Kurama, walking alongside him and asking about genjutsu techniques.
Of course, he only asked about theoretical aspects and avoided specific jutsu.
Sanyō, not one to be stingy, answered every question.
Upon returning to the Hokage's office, Minato reported the mission and received the commission fee, distributing it afterward. Shūichi immediately earned 6,000 ryō.
"We're done for the morning. How about I treat everyone to some barbecue for lunch?" Minato said with a smile as they left the Hokage building.
Shūichi and the others quickly thanked him and headed to the barbecue restaurant.
On the way, Minato asked, "Shūichi, what's your next focus in training?"
"Is it Fire Release?"
Although Minato hadn't personally witnessed Shūichi using Fire Release, he had received information from the Third Hokage.
He knew that Shūichi had managed to replicate the Great Fireball Technique just by observing a classmate perform it—a clear sign of exceptional talent in ninjutsu.
"Fire Release?" Shūichi shook his head. "Minato-sensei, I've already mastered five Fire Release techniques, covering short, mid, and long-range."
"For me, there's no need to learn more Fire Release techniques, given the chakra limitations."
This statement surprised Minato and the others.
Sanyō Kurama couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Are rookies this amazing nowadays?"
He had been graduated for over a year but hadn't mastered five genjutsu techniques.
Minato nodded and continued, "So your next focus will be on close combat and swordsmanship?"
He pointed to the Totsuka Chakra Blade at Shūichi's waist.
Shūichi nodded, "Yes, Minato-sensei."
"Due to my chakra limitations, I believe I'll be engaging in close combat most of the time on the battlefield."
"And the overall physical conditioning is the foundation of a ninja's abilities, so my training will focus on enhancing my physical strength, taijutsu, ninja tools, and swordsmanship."
Minato smiled approvingly, "That's a very wise choice."
Shisui then offered, "If you need any help with ninja tools or swordsmanship, Shūichi, don't hesitate to ask me."
Sanyō Kurama also smiled, "My taijutsu is decent, so I think I can manage as a sparring partner."
Shūichi, thick-skinned as ever, didn't hold back, "Then I'll be counting on you both from now on."
(End of Chapter)
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