บท 426: Chapter 422 : The First Victim
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Fujin went through the scroll once again to revise the third step of learning the Flying Thunder God jutsu. This was the most critical step and also the step where things could go horribly wrong. After all, travelling through Space-time could be very dangerous if done incorrectly. As such, he didn't dare to take any unneeded risks.
After going through the scroll, Fujin rolled it back and shut his eyes. He began sensing the markings within his range. He focused on the marking on the pillar in front of him. Within a few seconds, Fujin's mind became very calm. Not a single trace of thought remained. The other markings that he could sense also disappeared from his mind. He could only sense himself and the marking in front of him.
Once he reached this state, he subconsciously tried using the method in the scroll to travel through space-time and teleport to the marking. Unfortunately, he wasn't about to get two surprises in a row.
After five minutes, Fujin opened his mind and let out a sigh. He muttered, "No wonder this step is said to be the hardest. I didn't have any success at all!"
Fujin analyzed the third step for a few minutes. He concluded, 'The scroll did say that it takes a lot of time and practice to learn how to travel through space-time. I suppose I'll just have to be patient and keep trying it.
If I don't succeed after a long time, I can only depend on the inferior version that utilizes the concepts of the Reverse Summoning jutsu. Though I won't be able to use it in battle, having a method of travelling over long distances in an instant and a better method of escaping from a battlefield will still be very handy.
But, hopefully, things shouldn't be that bad. After all, my talent in sensing the markings is ridiculously high. It would be strange if I didn't have any talent in moving through Space-Time.'
15 Shadow Clones popped around Fujin. Each flickered and sat in front of one of the markings. Fujin and his 15 clones all closed their eyes and began practicing. They quickly became engrossed in training and lost track of the time.
While Fujin trained the Flying Thunder God jutsu and Naruto trained the Projectile Control jutsu, Hiruzen opened a scroll. As he read through it, his expression became grave. After some time, he closed the scroll and kept it back on his desk.
He thought, 'Akatsuki captured Han, the Five Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure… And they somehow managed to extract the Tailed Beast perfectly and stored it inside some statue… Onoki did a good job of hiding information. If not for Itachi, we would have completely been in the dark.
Worse, Orochimaru tried attacking Itachi for his Sharingan. Thankfully, he failed and has left the organization. However, Itachi is afraid that he might target Sasuke or anyone else who awakens Sharingan and has asked me to ensure their safety. Not to mention, Akatsuki plans on targeting all the Tailed Beasts. So they will eventually come for Naruto.'
Hiruzen massaged his forehead as he sighed, 'So many rank S ninjas… What a headache! What do they even want to do with such a force? And does their leader really have the fabled Rinnegan or is it something else?'
Hiruzen analyzed for a bit but couldn't think of anything. Akatsuki was a strange organization. It was the only force in the world made solely of rank S ninjas. As such, they didn't need to compete for territory like the villages. However, their actions confused Hiruzen.
Hiruzen decided, 'There is no point in speculating. I'll just have to wait for more intel. I'll also need to ensure that Naruto has proper protection when he leaves the village. Thankfully, it seems like the Nine Tails will be one of their last targets. So I will be able to learn more about them as they clash with other villages and understand what to do with them.'
Hiruzen looked towards the ceiling and instructed, "Instruct Monkey and Wolf to take turns to monitor and protect Uzumaki Naruto. From this moment onwards, Naruto will have two Anbu looking after him at any point. However, don't interfere with his training under Fujin."
One of Hiruzen's Anbu Guards disappeared from the room. Hiruzen thought, 'It's unfortunate that I can't discuss this with Shikaku. He will easily figure out that Itachi isn't a traitor and instead is spying on Akatsuki. Though he should already have his guesses, he has no way to confirm them.
Regardless, I should pass some of this intel to Kakashi somehow. Hmm, I should also pass the same intel to Fujin. He has already clashed with them twice. I'm afraid that those are just the start. If Akatsuki has a large ambition, Fujin might end up fighting against them several times. He should stay on guard against Akatsuki. They no longer have any ninja that isn't rank S.'
Even though Hiruzen couldn't take Shikaku's opinion, he quickly made the appropriate countermeasures. Around a week later, he secretly informed Kakashi about the fact that Akatsuki was targeting Jinchurikis and that Naruto was on their radar and asked him to keep it a secret.
A week after that, he called Fujin to his office and informed him about the fact that Akatsuki had kidnapped Han and asked him to be more on guard against Akatsuki. Of course, he was asked to keep the intel to himself as well.
Fujin was quite surprised by the information. After he left Hiruzen's office, he wondered, 'Akatsuki captured their first victim so quickly? And that too Han?'
Fujin was confused. Suddenly, he recalled something. He analyzed, 'Wait a minute! If I recall correctly, while extracting Shukaku from Gaara, I recall someone making a comment that the process was smoother when Orochimaru was a part of the Akatsuki. Does that mean that Orochimaru is still a part of Akatsuki?'
Fujin thought for a bit before agreeing with his conclusion. He thought, 'Orochimaru should have been a part of the process while extracting the first Tailed Beast from a Jinchuriki. He will probably leave the Akatsuki soon now. I wonder if he will still find Rasa and make a deal to attack Konoha together…
As for Akatsuki, they should stay silent for some time. From what I remember, Gaara was the third Jinchuriki they captured. The second should be that girl from Taki. But there are still a few years before they make a move on her. I wonder why they needed such a long time. Does extracting a tailed beast and absorbing it into that statue have some conditions or requirements?
Hmm, if there are any, it should be because Nagato isn't strong enough. After all, Madara was able to absorb all 9 Tailed Beasts in one go. Though Nagato is ridiculously strong, he is still very lacking when compared to the likes of Hashirama and Madara.
Oh well, it doesn't matter what Orochimaru does next or what Akatsuki's issue is. I need to return to training! I have a feeling that it won't be too long before I have a breakthrough in the third step. Though it wouldn't be ready for battle use any time soon. I guess I should also talk with Naruto once. His school starts tomorrow and he won't be able to come to my training grounds to practice.'
Fujin walked towards the training ground and replaced his Shadow Clone. Some distance away from him, Naruto was completely focused on training.
Naruto grabbed a wooden shuriken, threw it at a tree and immediately weaved hand signs. He shouted, "Projectile Control jutsu"
Immediately, wind began flowing around the shuriken. It changed its track slightly and missed the tree. Naruto groaned as it didn't hit the tree next to it and kept practicing.
Fujin analyzed, 'Hmm, not bad. His progress is faster with this jutsu. Still, having to weave hand signs for this jutsu makes it too slow. Should I advise him on how to reduce and later eliminate the hand seals?'
Fujin thought for a bit and decided, 'No, his chakra control is abysmal. To reduce the number of hand seals, you need to manipulate chakra inside your body appropriately. I doubt Naruto will be able to do that any time soon.
Though weaving hand signs is tedious, Naruto is very innovative and unpredictable when it comes to using Ninjutsu. I'll let him try and resolve this himself. Trying to interfere too much in his training would have a negative impact instead.'
Fujin walked out of the shadows and approached him. He said, "Naruto, that's enough training for today."
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