Chapter 190: Victory and a New Title
Tsunade held Hoshikawa , channeling her chakra from her hands into his body. After letting it course through him, she immediately relaxed.
Just as Hoshikawa had said, he was only suffering from severe chakra depletion; he hadn't sustained any physical injuries during the battle.
But this didn't mean there was no risk. Chakra is a blend of physical and mental energy. Depleting it severely leads to total exhaustion, both physically and mentally. If a person completely ran out, it could very well lead to death. Fortunately, Hoshikawa hadn't reached that critical point.
Tsunade suddenly stiffened. She instinctively looked down.
Hoshikawa 's eyes were closed, his face pressed against the curve of her clothing. The warmth of his breath brushed against her skin, causing a strange sensation to ripple through her. Tsunade's heart was complex for a moment. She felt like she was gradually being drawn into a dangerous abyss, yet she found herself unable to resist.
Tsunade walked silently toward the Konoha main camp.
Hoshikawa wasn't asleep. Leaning against the soft, springy cushion, his head was spinning, but his body refused to sleep. Just then, three lines of text floated before his eyes, finally drawing his attention.
[A-rank Talent Title: Flower and Fruit Mountain.]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat the Four-Tails, Son Gokū.]
[Effect: Automatically master Lava Release (Yōton).]
Hoshikawa 's heart stirred. What a treasure!
Using an equivalent amount of chakra, a Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit) would always be more powerful than a regular elemental jutsu. The reason was simple: a Kekkei Genkai is a fusion of two elemental natures. Lava Release is the combination of Fire and Earth nature, manifesting as magma.
Having just fought Rōshi, Hoshikawa naturally knew the immense power of Lava Release. Now, thanks to the Title, he could also use it—this was undeniably a massive gain.
The bad news was that Konoha didn't possess any Lava Release jutsu. The good news was that Iwagakure had plenty. In the original series, the ninja who used Lava Release were Rōshi, Kurotsuchi, and Dōdai. Two of the three were from Iwagakure. While Naruto Uzumaki could also use it after absorbing the Four-Tails' chakra, that was a special case.
Now, Konoha had captured Rōshi alive.
They could use the Mind Reading technique to extract Lava Release jutsu from his mind.
They could trade him back to Iwagakure for a larger cache of Lava Release jutsu.
As for why Hoshikawa could suddenly use Lava Release? Geniuses don't need to explain themselves. He could simply say he gained inspiration during the fight with Rōshi, and since he was proficient in both Fire Release and Earth Release, he managed to fuse them into Lava Release on his own.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others would never doubt him. This was a great boon, as it meant Konoha now possessed the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai. After all, this ability could be passed down through bloodline or taught directly. The former didn't require talent but did require luck. The latter demanded exceptional talent. Either way, having hope was better than having none.
Hoshikawa 's thoughts wandered. If defeating the Four-Tails granted him Lava Release, then defeating the other Tailed Beasts would likely grant the corresponding Ninjutsu, such as the Magnet Release of the One-Tail or the Boil Release of the Five-Tails.
But those things were still too distant. He managed to defeat Rōshi by relying on the double Water Release amplification from his 'Rain God' and 'Water Release Special Jōnin' titles. His Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Wind Release did not have such high amplification, and he simply wouldn't be able to defeat the other Tailed Beasts.
Hoshikawa suddenly let out a small sound of surprise. Wait, that's not entirely true. He remembered the Two-Tails, Matatabi, also used Fire Release. It seemed he wouldn't need to worry if he ever encountered the fully-transformed Yugito Nii in the future. If he ended up on the Kumogakure battlefield, he might find an opportunity to defeat Yugito Nii and gain a Fire Release amplification.
Hoshikawa opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the snowy white valley (Tsunade's chest). His current perspective was truly perfect.
Unfortunately, his time to appreciate the snowy mountains was short-lived.
Tsunade returned to the Konoha main camp. She gently shook her head at the ninja who came forward to greet her, excusing them from the formalities.
"Rest well." Tsunade walked into her tent and gently placed Hoshikawa on the mat.
"Master," Hoshikawa grabbed her hand. "Be careful."
"Iwagakure has been routed. Only a few stragglers remain. There's no danger," Tsunade said, looking down at him with a soft smile.
"Okay." Hoshikawa released her hand and closed his eyes. He was utterly exhausted, having relied purely on willpower while in Tsunade's arms. The moment he closed his eyes, he was fast asleep.
Tsunade stared at him for a few seconds, then reached out and gently ruffled his hair before leaving.
"Lady Tsunade." Minato Namikaze walked over to greet her. He had returned to the Konoha main camp earlier using the Flying Thunder God Technique, along with Shibi Aburame and the others.
"Is Hoshikawa alright?" Minato asked with concern. He and Kushina Uzumaki already regarded Hoshikawa as a close junior.
"He's fine, just exhausted from excessive chakra consumption," Tsunade replied, shaking her head.
"That is truly incredible!" Minato couldn't help but exclaim. "Capturing the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, without injury!"
"We older generation ninja are deeply embarrassed!" Shibi Aburame echoed. If Hoshikawa had defeated Rōshi using a Kekkei Genkai, they would just attribute it to powerful lineage. But he used the common Water Release—that was a matter of pure talent.
"Enough of the praise," Tsunade said, trying to contain the pride in her smile. "The priority now is to completely drive Iwagakure out of the Land of Grass."
"Yes!" Minato Namikaze and Shibi Aburame answered in unison.
"Has Obito been found?" Tsunade suddenly remembered, asking. Obito Uchiha was a ninja of the Hokage lineage; she couldn't simply ignore his fate.
"No," Minato sighed. "They searched the entire collapsed cave, but there's still no sign of Obito."
"Then he was most likely captured by Iwagakure," Tsunade nodded slightly, then gave a cold snort. "Let's go! We'll escort Iwagakure on their final journey!"
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Minato brought Tsunade and Shibi Aburame to the former Iwagakure main camp. It was now occupied by Konoha ninja, but the fighting hadn't completely ended. Iwagakure's ninja were fighting and retreating, heading toward the Land of Earth.
"Try to capture them alive!" Tsunade instructed after a moment's thought. Normally, capturing enemy ninja alive wasn't a priority in war due to the difficulty. But Konoha now held a decisive advantage, making live captures feasible. The more Iwagakure ninja they captured, the higher the price they could demand.
With the Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi added to the equation, Konoha was facing a very fortunate dilemma. After all, there weren't many things that could be considered equal in value to a Jinchūriki.
And all this was thanks to Hoshikawa . Konoha's ninja, including Tsunade and Minato, had never seriously considered capturing the Four-Tails Jinchūriki alive. It had simply seemed impossible. But Hoshikawa 's strength had created the conditions for it.
After this battle, he would undoubtedly become famous throughout the Shinobi World.
But… Tsunade felt a headache coming on. The greater her student's fame, the greater her own fame would be. After all, she was the one who taught him. Though she wasn't proficient in Water Release, Hoshikawa was able to learn so many of Tobirama Senju's Water Release jutsu entirely because of her. Tsunade had a creeping suspicion that she could become Hokage the very next day if she wanted to. She quickly banished the terrifying thought from her mind and began treating the wounded. As the best Medical-nin, her intervention could save many lives.
As for the remaining Iwagakure ninja, Minato Namikaze was more than enough to deal with them.
Time slowly passed. Tsunade suddenly raised an eyebrow. She looked up and saw a group of people returning to the camp. It wasn't Minato, but the Obito Uchiha search team, which included Kurenai Yūhi and Rin Nohara.
Tsunade walked over. Seeing Rin Nohara's red eyes, she immediately guessed the outcome.
"Lady Tsunade-sensei," Kurenai Yūhi greeted her proactively.
"You've worked hard. Go rest," Tsunade nodded slightly, not saying much. The disappearance or sacrifice of a comrade was always the most painful experience. Thankfully, disappearance still held a glimmer of hope.
"Tsunade-sensei, where is Hoshikawa ?" Kurenai Yūhi glanced around, alarmed, and immediately asked.
Rin Nohara also looked up at the question. Obito Uchiha was her friend, and his disappearance naturally worried her. But if something had happened to Hoshikawa , she didn't know how she would cope.
"He's fine, just exhausted. He's sleeping in the Konoha camp," Tsunade said, shaking her head.
Kurenai Yūhi and Rin Nohara immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go back to the Konoha camp," Kurenai Yūhi said, looking at Rin Nohara.
"Okay." Rin Nohara nodded.
"Kakashi, and Gai, are you heading back too?" Kurenai Yūhi asked.
"No!" Kakashi Hatake clenched his teeth. "Obito must be in the hands of the Iwagakure ninja. We have to take him back!"
"Don't worry," Tsunade comforted them. "Hoshikawa captured the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi. We can certainly trade him back for Obito."
"What?" Kakashi Hatake was dumbfounded.
Might Guy leaped up in shock. He had witnessed the world-shattering Tailed Beast Ball up close. That terrifying Tailed Beast was captured alive by Hoshikawa ?!
Kurenai Yūhi and Rin Nohara were rooted to the spot. Capturing a Jinchūriki alive? Is that even humanly possible? They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"Wait!" Kurenai Yūhi asked urgently. "Tsunade-sensei, is Hoshikawa truly unharmed?" She couldn't believe Hoshikawa walked away from capturing a Tailed Beast without a scratch.
"Why would I lie to you?" Tsunade smiled. "If you don't believe me, go back to the Konoha camp and see for yourselves."
"That's wonderful!" Rin Nohara felt hope surge in her heart. "Obito will definitely come back!"
"Mhm." Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy also felt much more relieved.
"Go see Hoshikawa ," Tsunade waved them off. "I still have wounded to treat."
"Yes." The group answered in unison.
The group returned to the Konoha camp.
"Hoshikawa is still asleep. You should go rest. I'll watch over him," Kurenai Yūhi said to Rin Nohara with a look of concern. Obito Uchiha was, at best, a classmate. Moreover, that classmate only had eyes for Rin Nohara, Kakashi Hatake, and Hoshikawa , completely ignoring her, so their relationship was only lukewarm. Rin Nohara, however, was different; after spending so much time together, she was already Kurenai's best friend.
"I'm okay," Rin Nohara said, her heart warming. After learning that Obito Uchiha might still be alive, she wasn't as worried. Although she was still uneasy, she wasn't completely broken by grief.
After they left, Kurenai Yūhi entered the tent. She sat on the mat, resting her chin on her hands, tilting her head as she stared at Hoshikawa . Handsome! Love looking! Must look more! A smile involuntarily appeared on Kurenai Yūhi's face.
After an unknown period, Hoshikawa slowly opened his eyes.
"Hoshikawa , how are you?" Kurenai Yūhi immediately leaned closer. Her hand pressed against the mat, looking down at him with genuine concern.
"Rejuvenated and full of spirit," Hoshikawa said with a smile, gazing at her beautiful face. If it were Tsunade, he would certainly be looking elsewhere.
"That's good!" Kurenai Yūhi patted her chest. "You have no idea how worried we were!"
"I know now. Thank you," Hoshikawa sat up, gently patting her head.
"You don't have to be so formal," Kurenai Yūhi said, her face slightly flushed, her tone a little unnatural.
"I'll cook for you when we get back as thanks," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
"That sounds great!" Kurenai Yūhi immediately nodded excitedly. "I haven't had your cooking in ages!"
"Now that we've defeated Iwagakure, we should be heading back soon," Hoshikawa said, twirling a strand of her silky hair with his finger.
"Mhm!" Kurenai Yūhi suddenly remembered something and asked, "You captured the Four-Tails. Will Iwagakure let this go?"
"That's hard to say," Hoshikawa mused. "It depends on how Iwagakure prioritizes things."
The capture of the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, was not part of Iwagakure's plan. They had only intended to cause a little chaos to catch Kumogakure off guard. Now, the situation was extremely awkward for them.
There were only two ways to save the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi:
Send more troops, defeat Konoha, and capture key figures like Minato Namikaze or Tsunade.
Wait for the war to end and negotiate, trading conditions for Rōshi's return.
"Forget them. The advantage is on our side anyway." Hoshikawa stood up. "Are Rin and Kakashi back?"
"They're back, but Obito still hasn't been found," Kurenai Yūhi shook her head. "They're all a little down."
Of course, he hadn't been found. Hoshikawa was certain that Madara Uchiha had saved Obito Uchiha. The two of them were likely now in some dark corner discussing the Moon's Eye Plan to destroy the Shinobi World.
"Let's go see them," Hoshikawa took Kurenai Yūhi's hand and walked out.
Upon seeing Kakashi Hatake, he was momentarily stunned. Both of his eyes were completely normal. This was completely different from the original story, where he received Obito Uchiha's Sharingan. Hoshikawa thought about it carefully, concluding this must be another consequence of his Butterfly Effect. He had taken Rin Nohara as his teammate, resulting in no one being there to perform the eye-transplant surgery on Obito Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake. Furthermore, the situation in the cave was also different from the original.
How to describe it?
It was both a good thing and a bad thing. Without the Sharingan, Kakashi Hatake wouldn't have such a massive physical burden and would likely become a powerful ninja like Sakumo Hatake. However, without the Sharingan and the Kamui ability, it would be extremely difficult for him to participate in the final war.
Overall, it strengthened his baseline ability but lowered his potential ceiling.
(End of Chapter)
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