Chapter 32 – S-Rank Mission
"Yusuke, this is a gift for you. Congratulations on becoming a Chūnin," said Yūhi Kurenai, handing over a package she had prepared herself.
"Thanks, Kurenai," Yusuke replied, gently stroking her hair as he accepted the gift.
"This one's from me too..."
...
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Once their classmates heard the news, they quickly gathered to celebrate with him.
After enjoying some time with his friends, Yusuke returned to training in earnest.
Two years from now, the Third Great Ninja War would begin. If he wanted to protect the people he cared about, he had to become even stronger.
Although he was already capable of facing Kage-level opponents, his foundation was still shaky—he lacked stamina for prolonged battles, and his combat experience was limited.
With that in mind, he submitted a request to the Third Hokage, asking for high-risk missions.
In his free time, he honed his Ninjutsu using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. During these sessions, he discovered a critical issue: he couldn't wield the powers of two Devil Fruits simultaneously.
According to the system, this was due to an imbalance—though it never clearly explained what kind of balance was needed.
Two years passed in a flash.
The Konoha Hospital, founded by the Hatake family, was completed within six months. It took another full year to train medical personnel, and after six more months of operation, the institution began running smoothly.
Both the Hatake name and Tsunade's reputation rose rapidly. Seeing the growth, other noble clans began investing as well, leading to the hospital's further prosperity.
Meanwhile, Yusuke's power continued to grow.
His Gura Gura no Mi had developed significantly, becoming far more potent than before.
However, his young body still posed limitations—he couldn't yet bring out its full potential. Still, even if he stopped training altogether, he would already be on par with Uchiha Madara.
As for the Pika Pika no Mi, he had mastered all of Borsalino's (Kizaru's) techniques. Though his base movement speed hadn't improved drastically, his offensive capabilities were now stable and deadly.
His swordsmanship had also improved by leaps and bounds. With experience and inherited sword arts under his belt, he could now fight evenly against Kage-level shinobi—especially when wielding Enma.
On top of that, he had acquired a standard Zoan-type Devil Fruit—the Inu Inu no Mi—which greatly boosted his durability and regenerative abilities.
This also amplified the raw power of his Gura Gura no Mi punches, bringing his strength to the level of a full-fledged Kage. The combined might of the Pika Pika no Mi and Gura Gura no Mi made him a terrifying opponent. Even if his light-based techniques were neutralized, he could still hold his own against top-tier Kage without falling behind.
In terms of Ninjutsu, he had learned several advanced techniques from Orochimaru—not from the Third Hokage.
One day, while training, an ANBU appeared before him.
"Hokage-sama requests your presence," the masked ninja said curtly before vanishing.
Yusuke immediately made his way to the Hokage's office.
"I'm here. What's the mission, Hokage-sama?"
"This mission is of utmost importance," said Hiruzen Sarutobi with a grave expression.
"You'll be escorting a prominent merchant from Konoha to the Daimyō's palace in Kirigakure. It's an S-rank assignment."
As he finished speaking, two figures stepped into the room.
One was a young man with short blond hair and a confident, warm smile. The other was equally handsome, but carried a calm and composed air.
"Minato-nii, Kato-san," Yusuke greeted warmly.
He was already familiar with Namikaze Minato due to his close ties with Jiraiya's group. As for Kato Dan, though he wasn't romantically involved with Tsunade in this timeline, Yusuke held deep respect for him—especially since Kato had contributed heavily to the Konoha Hospital's development.
The three shinobi immediately grasped the seriousness of the mission. The atmosphere turned solemn.
This time, Kato Dan would serve as team leader. He was the oldest and most experienced among them.
While Minato had already learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, it wasn't yet fully refined and could only be used in specific situations.
Without that jutsu, Minato was an elite Jonin. Kato Dan, on the other hand, was already near Kage-level, especially thanks to his deadly Spirit Transformation Technique. And Yusuke… his strength needed no explanation.
"This is the man you'll be protecting—Lord Kafu," Sarutobi introduced.
"I entrust my safety to all of you, honored shinobi," Kafu said, bowing respectfully.
"We depart in one hour," Kato Dan ordered.
The three quickly made their preparations, and an hour later, they regrouped at the village gates.
As soon as they crossed Konoha's border, Yusuke suddenly came to a halt.
"Captain, we've got movement."
His eyes narrowed in caution.
"Direction?" Kato Dan asked, trusting his instincts.
Before the mission, Hiruzen had warned them with just four words: "Depth beyond measure." He even added, "That boy possesses two Kekkei Genkai, each rivaling the potential of Wood Release."
Even though the Hokage only knew of the Gura Gura no Mi and didn't fully understand it, that alone was enough to cause alarm.
Not even Kakashi knew. Only Sakumo and Tsunade understood the full picture. The crowd during the previous tournament had failed to notice Yusuke's light techniques. As for the Gura Gura no Mi, its true nature remained hidden even from Hiruzen.
To rival Mokuton? That wasn't an exaggeration. Wood Release was only possible due to Hashirama's immense chakra and his mastery over Yin-Yang Release—a gift from being the reincarnation of Hagoromo's son.
But the Gura Gura no Mi… it didn't just manipulate nature. It shattered it. Its essence leaned more toward absolute destruction than elemental control.
"Minato, guard the target. Yusuke and I will handle the enemy," Kato Dan said, issuing orders with caution.
He wasn't entirely familiar with Yusuke's capabilities yet, so he opted for a safe approach.
"Yusuke, which direction?"
Yusuke pointed toward a small ridge. The two immediately darted off.
"They found us? Their sensor ninja are insane," one enemy muttered.
"No time. Hold them off! I'll eliminate the target!" the leader barked.
Spirit Transformation Technique!
With a single hand sign, Kato Dan's spirit surged from his body and shot toward the enemy like a bullet.
"I better finish this quickly," Yusuke murmured.
The enemy retaliated immediately.
"Focus everything on his real body!" they shouted, launching a coordinated barrage—fire, lightning, and water attacks rained down on Kato Dan's physical form.
"Captain, let me handle this."
Yusuke's calm voice reached Kato Dan, who prepared to return to his body just in case.
"By all means."
Yusuke's fist began to glow with a soft, white light.
Airquake.
White energy swirled around his hand. He threw a punch—not at a person, but at the empty air before him.
In that instant, space around them cracked as if reality itself had shattered. The air trembled violently, the earth quaked and split open beneath their feet.
All incoming elemental attacks were repelled, and several enemy shinobi were swallowed by the fractured ground.
Others who tried to get close were utterly annihilated—not a single corpse left intact.
In just one strike… the enemy unit was obliterated.
"M-Monster! R-Run...!"
One of them screamed in horror, overwhelmed by the sheer destruction around them. The land was split, the air unstable—it felt like a natural disaster had struck out of nowhere.
Kato Dan stood frozen, completely speechless.
Only now did he understand the meaning behind the Hokage's warning.
Just one casual strike... and the result—was calamity.
"You think you can escape me...? In front of me, no one gets away."
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