Chapter 840 : A Terrifying Mission Record (1)

[A/N: The next four chapters are sort of a recap. Take a break if that's not what you prefer to read.]

Shikaku started by telling Tsunade a bit about Fujin's younger days. Tsunade and Shizune listened with interest but were slightly surprised. Shizune thought, ‘That's weird. Seeing what Fujin achieved at such a young age, I thought his talent would be so extreme that it would dwarf Kakashi's talent. However, he was rather ordinary in the academy.’

Tsunade had a similar thought, ‘He was definitely a genius, but he was more of a normal genius. He wasn't a generational talent like Kakashi or us. He must be like those from the second category, the ones whose talent blooms as they get older and gain more experience. However, Sensei wouldn't pay much attention to such a genius. How did he become so interested in Fujin?’

Tsunade soon got her answer when Shikaku mentioned what Fujin asked as a reward for ranking first in his class during graduation. Shizune was too stunned to say anything. Tsunade lost her composure and exclaimed, “A sword made entirely of chakra metal? Did he want to bankrupt the village?”

Shikaku chuckled, “I don't think he knew its true value.”
His expression became odd as he muttered, “Then again, I'm not sure if he'd have changed his request even if he knew…”

Tsunade was left speechless. She thought, ‘I was right! His absurdity in the Council Meeting wasn't a one-off incident. His nature is materialistic to the extreme!

Hmm, no, that doesn't sound right. Based on what I saw and heard, he doesn't seem materialistic. On the contrary, he is quite generous, especially with Naruto. However, he definitely gets a kick from forcing such deals.’

Tsunade zeroed in on understanding Fujin's nature. She felt a headache. Though it wasn't as problematic as Orochimaru's darkness or immoral like Jiraiya's pervertness, it was definitely troublesome. As the Hokage, Tsunade understood she'd have to deal with it.

Shizune couldn't think like Tsunade. Instead, she asked curiously, “So, did Lord Third give him such a sword?”

Shikaku shook his head. He wasn't aware of all the details, but he knew that Hiruzen had ‘educated’ Fujin and made him change his request. Tsunade nodded and said, “I would have done the same.”

Shizune glanced at Tsunade and thought, ‘That's assuming you didn't throw him out first…’

Shikaku continued, “After graduating, he was placed under Renjiro's tutelage. Renjiro focused on building his team's basics for a long time before allowing his team to accept the missions. When they finally started, they slaughtered so many bandits that they were known as the Bandit Exterminators…”

He mentioned a few incidents that were talked about a lot in the offices in the Hokage Building. While they weren't thrilling, Tsunade and Shizune realized, ‘So, this was the groundwork laid for him to hunt down so many ninjas later that he became a legend in the minor villages…’

Shikaku moved on to the Chunin Exams. Tsunade and Shizune once again had odd expressions when they heard Fujin asking for a reward from Hiruzen in front of everyone for creating a new record in the Forest of Death!

Tsunade nervously thought, ‘I have to be very careful with my words around this boy… Shit, I hope I haven't made a mistake already!’

Tsunade had spent a considerable amount of time with Fujin after returning to Konoha. Until Hiruzen recovered, the two were together at all times except for when they slept. She quickly tried to recall whether she had said anything that could result in a headache.

Shikaku continued speaking about the final round of the Chunin Exams, the teams Fujin was a part of after he became a Chunin, some of his missions, Fujin becoming a Sealmaster in a short time, the death of one of his original teammates, the defeat his team endured when they fell into Kumogakure's trap, and the opportunity he provided Hiruzen.

Tsunade sighed, ‘So, he has his fair share of losses too. Unfortunate, but this is how this world is.’

Shikaku continued, “Fearing Kumogakure's revenge, Lord Third didn't send him on any missions following that and decided to include him in the Anbu. Fujin learnt the Mystical Palm jutsu during that time and also signed a summoning contract. Once he joined the Anbu…”

Tsunade and Shizune's interest was piqued once again as they finally reached the fun part. Shikaku recalled several memorable missions that Fujin was a part of. While Hiruzen had known Fujin for a long time, Shikaku had come in contact with him during this period. So, he had a lot more to say. Tsunade and Shizune finally understood why Fujin was so feared in the neighboring countries.

Shikaku sighed and said, “During this period, Fujin killed 793 ninjas, including more than a hundred Kirigakure ninjas who were pretending to be rogue…”

The final tally left Shizune tongue-tied. She thought, ‘No wonder he's so feared. He probably eliminated a squad or two every week. And, those villages couldn't even find who was killing them…’

While Tsunade knew a lot more was to come, Shizune thought Shikaku had already mentioned the most thrilling parts. It was why she couldn't see his next words coming.

Shikaku glanced at the ladies and asked, “I am sure the two of you would have heard about the turmoil that happened in the Land of Wind a few years ago, right?”

Both nodded. Shizune said, “Yeah, that was strange. Even though we were in a remote town in this country, we heard of a possible civil war breaking out in the Land of Wind due to the Fourth Kazekage's actions. Things got so out of control that Sunagakure had to make an official statement to calm down their citizens. They blamed unknown rogue ninjas for disguising themselves as Sunagakure ninjas and causing trouble.”

When things were threatening to go out of hand, Rasa had to make a statement to transfer blame. While the affected people were suspicious of Rasa's words, the uninvolved people, like Tsunade and Shizune, believed Sunagakure's statement. It made little sense for Sunagakure to do something like that.”

Shikaku said, “That's correct. All that was caused by Fujin.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY???” Shizune was caught so off guard that she exclaimed loudly in surprise. Luckily, the seals were activated, otherwise, the Anbu ninjas standing outside would have been shocked by her shout.

Disbelief was visible on Tsunade’s face too! She couldn't believe Shikaku's words! She immediately asked, “What do you mean? He must have been only 13 back then. Did Sensei send him on such a mission at that young age?”

Shikaku nodded, “Yes. He had been sent to the Land of Wind for his Anbu Captain promotion mission…”

Tsunade interrupted Shikaku, “Something doesn't add up. We should have been weak back then. Be it the losses of the Nine Tails incident or the Uchiha massacre. Sensei wouldn't make such a risky move at such a time…”

Shikaku nodded once again, “He didn't…”

Confusion appeared on Tsunade and Shizune's faces. Neither could understand what Shikaku was implying. Before they could analyze, Shikaku continued, “Our Anbu Captain promotion missions used to be kept vague to evaluate the candidate better. Fujin wasn't ordered to do anything so drastic. He just assumed that it was expected of him and did it.”

“...”

Neither knew what to say. Despite having rich experiences and having seen all sorts of tragedies, this was still the most absurd thing Tsunade heard. A 13-year-old ninja nearly started a civil war in one of the five major countries merely to ensure he got promoted in the Anbu. Tsunade couldn't wrap her head around this.

Despite it being several years and having seen more of Fujin's accomplishments, Shikaku was the same. Even though he understood Fujin far better now, he still couldn't understand how Fujin reached that conclusion. He stayed silent for a few minutes, allowing Tsunade and Shizune to calm down.

Finally, Tsunade sighed and said, “Alright, tell me what more absurd things he has done. No need to mention any of the routine stuff.”

Shikaku nodded, “Well, a few months after becoming the Anbu Captain, his team ran into an Ambush set up by Iwagakure. They wanted to kill a faction in Kusagakure, which was being protected by Fujin's squad. We had anticipated it, which is why his squad was sent. What we didn't anticipate was that Iwagakure would send Roshi…”

Tsunade became serious. Roshi and Han's Tailed Beast Bombs were a huge threat to her. She couldn't take either of them lightly. Even without transforming into his tailed beast, Roshi was still a formidable ninja. She asked, “How did he get away?”

Shikaku answered, “He fought against Roshi, buying time for his team to retreat. The mission was successful and most of the Iwagakure ninjas were dead. I'm unaware of the details, but he forced Roshi to use the Tailed Beast Bomb and escaped using Reverse Summoning jutsu.”