Chapter 5: The Divination Technique
Under Kudo Ryoufan's strong insistence, he underwent a full body examination before finally leaving Konoha Hospital with Might Guy.
Fearing that his parents might worry about him, he and Might Guy parted ways shortly after, with Ryoufan heading directly to his home located away from the center of Konoha.
Upon returning from a mission, his mother was in the kitchen preparing his favorite local dish: sashimi.
After taking off his shoes at the entrance, Ryoufan stepped in wearing wooden sandals. At that moment, his father, who was rumored to have mysterious Eastern ancestry, was lounging with a cigarette in his mouth, casually reading the Konoha Gazette and commenting on the conclusion of the Second Great Ninja War.
At this time, it was the 39th year of Konoha, nearing the end of the Second Great Ninja War. As the father was a regular Chūnin and the mother a member of the Anbu, Ryoufan felt both pride and fear.
He felt proud that even a Chūnin directly under the Hokage, like his mother, must have some extraordinary skills. However, he was also afraid, as working for the Hokage's Anbu meant a significant increase in danger.
Thus, despite Ryoufan's attempts to persuade her, his mother refused to heed his advice. So Ryoufan placed great hope in the newly acquired Divination Technique.
After a while, with his mother's hard work, dinner was ready and filled the room with delicious aromas. The table was laden with all of Ryoufan's favorite dishes, but after taking another glance at his mother, he hesitated and stopped eating.
In his eyes, a virtual screen appeared displaying four blood-red characters: **Fire Ze Kui Hexagram**. According to the little sprite's explanation, this hexagram indicated great danger, suggesting that someone might be in imminent mortal peril.
He hurriedly cast a divination for his father, who, fortunately, had no significant danger looming. However, his mother's fortune was exceedingly perilous. But how could there be danger right after she had returned from a mission?
Could it be that she was going on another mission outside the village? After all, tasks within the village typically carried minimal direct risk. After hastily finishing dinner, Ryoufan didn't say much and instead took his parents by the hands, leading them into his bedroom.
Once seated on his small bed, he looked directly at his mother and asked, "Mother, you're going on another mission soon, aren't you? And it's outside the village?"
His mother cast a puzzled glance at his father, who merely shook his head lightly, indicating he hadn't said anything.
At that moment, Kudo Shinichi (Ryoufan's father, and yes, you read correctly) looked utterly bewildered. Although it wasn't typical for non-Anbu to pry into their spouse's missions, as a husband, he felt he should be informed whenever his wife was assigned a dangerous task.
Kudo Ryoufan could see the confusion on his parents' faces and began to explain, "To be honest, I felt today during the battle that I might have awakened a bloodline limit, and it seems to be more than one."
His father and mother both sat there in stunned silence. While it wasn't unheard of for commoners to awaken a bloodline limit, it was extremely rare. But to awaken more than one at the same time—this shattered their understanding of the world.
In the gaze of his parents, Ryoufan continued, "One of the abilities I sensed is that I can seemingly defend against all D-rank ninjutsu just by relying on my skin. When Uchiha Qian hit me with the Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique, I emerged from it completely unscathed."
"The other ability I'd like to call the Divination Technique. I just used it on you, Mother, and it indicated that you are in potential danger soon! That's why I asked you the question earlier," Kudo Ryoufan stated with a tone that suggested he was relaying facts.
Under Ryoufan's "confession," his mother bent Anbu protocol and reluctantly revealed that she indeed had an upcoming mission outside the village.
Knowing that danger was predicted, Kudo Ryoufan was determined not to allow the person who cared for him the most to be harmed!
Even against the Third Hokage, Ryoufan would fight tooth and nail.
After an uneventful night, Kudo Ryoufan woke up extremely early the next day, brimming with energy. After confirming that his parents were still home, he felt a huge burden lift off his chest.
Following a quick breakfast, without a moment's hesitation, Ryoufan resolved to fight for his family's safety, even if it meant exposing his Divination Technique as a "bloodline limit." What he didn't know was that the Third Hokage was already prepared to welcome them (Don't ask how the Third Hokage knew 😅).
With his mother, a member of the Hokage's Anbu, leading the way, the three walked into the village's administrative center under the astonished gazes of the Anbu.
After exchanging formalities and the Third Hokage inquired about their purpose, Kudo Ryoufan knew it was time to put on his best performance! Who would suspect that a six-year-old child with innocent eyes concealed the soul of a twenty-year-old within?
In front of the Third Hokage, he elaborated passionately on the same theories he had used to convince his parents the night before. There were no tricks involved, just genuine sincerity.
Many examples indicated that a person with a bloodline limit might awaken it unconsciously in critical situations.
Looking at a direct Anbu to his left, Kudo Ryoufan activated his Divination Technique. Sure enough, it was identical to his mother's earlier reading—an omen of great danger.
Considering there was a living example right in front of him, Ryoufan confidently stated, "Hokage-sama, the Anbu to your left will also be heading out on a mission soon. If my guess is correct, she is a companion of my mother, and they will be leaving the village together."
The Third Hokage nodded, confirming Ryoufan's statement, and with a questioning look, Ryoufan elaborated, "Hokage-sama, because I just used my bloodline limit against this Anbu."
Clearing his throat lightly, Ryoufan continued, "My Divination Technique indicates that this Anbu and my mother both belong to the same category of ominous signs. Thus, I deduced that this Anbu is indeed my mother's companion."
Having "spied" on the events the previous night, despite some lingering doubts, the Third Hokage couldn't deny the reality before him that corroborated Kudo Ryoufan's "lie."
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