Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Temari, Transformation Complete!

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, after a quick meal of ration pills, Shūichi and his team set off again, heading swiftly towards Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.

The journey was somewhat monotonous, filled with nothing but wind and sand, a landscape no one enjoyed.

Shukaku, on the other hand, was thrilled, but he wasn't exactly human.

Fortunately, no unexpected events occurred, and the team managed to reach Sunagakure just before sunset.

Compared to Iwagakure, Sunagakure, as an ally, showed much more courtesy, even warmly welcoming Shūichi and his group of four, despite once being on opposing sides.

After freshening up, Shūichi was about to take Asuka on a tour of Sunagakure when he overheard someone speaking with Uchiha Shisui outside. Curious, he stepped out.

"Shisui, who is this?"

Shūichi asked.

The visitor was a young man who, before Shisui could respond, bowed and said, "Lord Shūichi, I am Yashamaru, here on behalf of Lord Kazekage to invite you all to join him for dinner."

Yashamaru? Gaara's uncle?

Wait a second, Temari should have been born by now, right?

Shūichi's thoughts jumped around briefly before he smiled and replied, "Since it's an invitation from Lord Kazekage himself, we'd be honored. Please, lead the way."

Calling Asuka and Yamato, the four of them followed Yashamaru to the Kazekage's residence.

"Yashamaru!"

A young voice echoed in the hallway, and Shūichi and the others looked up to see a little girl running toward them.

Yashamaru stepped forward quickly and said, "Temari, show some respect. These are honored guests of the Kazekage."

Seeing young Temari, a smile appeared in Shūichi's eyes.

Temari slowed her steps, her curious gaze scanning Shūichi's group without a hint of fear.

Pulling her close, Yashamaru turned back with a smile and explained, "This is Lord Kazekage's eldest daughter, Temari."

"Temari, this is the famous 'Blue Flash of Konoha.' You should call him senapi."

Temari blinked her large eyes and looked up. "Shūichi-senpai, I know who you are."

Shūichi knelt down to her level, smiling, "Oh? How do you know about me?"

Temari replied without hesitation, "Because you've killed a lot of people from our village."

Yashamaru broke into a cold sweat, hurriedly interjecting, "Lord Shūichi, I apologize. Temari, she..."

But Shūichi raised his hand to stop him, smiling. "She isn't wrong."

"We were once enemies. Many from Konoha have fallen to Sunagakure's ninjas, just as many from Sunagakure have fallen to my hands."

This was directed both at Yashamaru and at Temari.

"So, Temari, do you wish to avenge them?"

Shūichi asked the young girl before him.

Temari nodded emphatically, her large eyes looking up at him with determination. "When I grow up, I'll surpass you and then defeat you!"

Shūichi gave her a thumbs-up. "Good! That's exactly what I'd expect from the Kazekage's daughter."

"So, I'll be waiting for the day you challenge me. How about that?"

Temari blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Shūichi reached into his tool pouch and handed her a special kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God technique. "Here, take this as a gift. When you're older, bring it and challenge me."

Fearless, despite Yashamaru's frantic attempts to signal her otherwise, Temari took Shūichi's kunai, holding it tightly as she replied seriously, "Then you better wait. I'll bring this with me one day to find you!"

Shūichi straightened up, laughing. "Then you'd better train hard, because I'm quite powerful!"

Temari looked up at him, her head tilted. "Even stronger than my dad?"

Shūichi ruffled her hair, smiling. "You'll have to ask your father that."

Temari sniffed, proudly declaring, "Of course my dad's stronger. He's the Kazekage!"

"Temari, don't be rude."

This time, the speaker wasn't Yashamaru, but a woman with short, gentle features and a large, rounded belly.

Yashamaru introduced her quickly, "This is Lady Karura, the Kazekage's wife."

Shūichi smiled and greeted her. "Lady Karura, a pleasure to meet you!"

Asuka and the others greeted her in turn.

Karura returned the greetings with a smile, pulling Temari to her side. "Temari was a bit out of line. I hope you'll forgive her."

Shūichi glanced at Temari, smiling, "Actually, I think Temari is wonderful. She'll grow into an outstanding kunoichi."

"Thank you for the kind words," Karura replied, then noticed the kunai in Temari's hand. "But isn't this gift a bit extravagant?"

Shūichi chuckled. "It's just a regular kunai, nothing too valuable."

Temari, however, was already holding onto the kunai tightly.

Karura could only sigh quietly, conceding as she changed the subject. "In any case, thank you for your generosity. Please, come this way; dinner is ready."

...

The dinner gathering was intimate, consisting only of Shūichi's group and the Kazekage's family.

In addition to Temari, there was also Kankuro.

Unlike his bold sister, young Kankuro was far shyer, looking timid and reserved.

"So it seems Gaara will indeed become the host of Shukaku. I wonder how that raccoon will end up influencing him."

"This should be interesting..."

After dinner, Shūichi glanced at Karura's round belly.

It looked like she was almost due.

...

After leaving the Kazekage's building, Shūichi and his team strolled through the Sand Village, taking in the night market that was quite different from what they were used to in Konoha.

Once they returned to their lodgings, they washed up and retired to their rooms to rest.

In the quiet darkness, Asuka wrapped her arms around Shūichi and whispered softly, "Shūichi, do you really like kids?"

Shūichi was startled. "Why do you ask?"

Asuka chuckled. "I noticed you were incredibly patient with little Temari, and you kept glancing at the Kazekage's wife's belly."

Shūichi was taken aback. "Was it that obvious?"

Hopefully, they don't think I'm a weirdo...

Asuka smiled gently. "Well, I was focused on you the whole time."

Shūichi inhaled her light fragrance and said, "Then, Asuka, you should be ready, too."

Asuka nodded softly. "Mm!"

...

After a peaceful night, Shūichi bid farewell to Rasa the next morning, and he and his squad departed from the Sand Village.

Meanwhile, Rasa quickly convened a high-level meeting where he finalized a decision: his unborn son would become the new jinchūriki. In fact, he had discussed this plan with Chiyo the previous evening.

...

Elsewhere, as they trekked through the desert, Shūichi suddenly asked, "What do you all think about planting trees in the desert?"

"Trees in the desert?" Asuka looked around at the endless sand and replied, "Without water, that seems impossible."

Shisui was quick to catch on. "Are you thinking of using Yamato's Wood Release?"

Yamato looked stunned. "Well... even with Wood Release, I doubt it could cover an area this vast."

The Land of Wind is even larger than the Land of Fire and is predominantly desert.

Shūichi smiled. "Of course, Wood Release alone wouldn't be enough. Even if it were the First Hokage's Wood Release, it still wouldn't suffice."

"Trees would die without water."

"But the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers have a wealth of water resources—so much that you could say it's almost too much in the Land of Rain."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Anyone who's been to the Land of Rain knows it rains constantly, making it a rather peculiar place.

Its rivers crisscross the land, with one large river flowing southward through the Land of Rivers and eventually reaching the sea.

"Oh, Shūichi, do you think it's possible to divert water from the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers into the Land of Wind?" Asuka asked curiously.

Shisui looked thoughtful, beginning to sense a hint of Shūichi's ambition.

After all, Shūichi had once shared his vision with him.

Yamato added, "Even if we redirected water, wouldn't it evaporate quickly in the desert?"

Shūichi nodded. "That's why simply redirecting water isn't enough."

"We would need measures to control wind and sand, using vegetation to stabilize the dunes and prevent erosion."

Shisui agreed, "So, Wood Release would indeed be essential."

Shūichi nodded. "And not just Wood Release; Earth Release would be required, too, to create windbreaks and construct channels."

"This kind of work goes beyond the battlefield. It requires collaboration on a massive scale."

Yamato looked dazed. "But... is that even possible?"

Wood Release for trees, Earth Release for ditches... it almost sounded like a fantasy.

Shūichi grinned. "It wouldn't be easy, of course."

"This would be a monumental project."

"And right now, the Land of Wind couldn't accomplish it on its own."

Shisui added, "It would require the unification of the Lands of Rain, Rivers, and Wind."

"We'd need many Earth Release users. We could do without Wood Release if we increased manpower for planting vegetation."

"As Shūichi said, it's a challenging feat—but also one of great significance."

Shisui appeared calm, but inside, he was thrilled.

Right now, the Land of Wind was under the Sand Village's control, but if Shūichi could unify the entire ninja world, he would lay the foundation to accomplish this vision.

Transforming the Land of Wind, turning the desert into green plains—just imagining it was exhilarating.

However, Asuka and Yamato couldn't quite grasp the impact of such an endeavor.

Shūichi didn't elaborate further. After traversing the endless desert and resting briefly at a small oasis, he used Flying Thunder God to instantly transport everyone to the Land of Rivers.

They then proceeded from the Land of Rivers at a regular pace, arriving back at Konoha by nightfall.

After washing up and eating dinner, Shūichi was about to head to the research lab when he received feedback from one of his shadow clones.

Creating heavy water through Chakra manipulation wasn't a problem, but aqua regia proved far more challenging.

Much like the earlier attempt to synthesize diamonds, the difficulty lay in the properties. Achieving the highly corrosive nature of aqua regia purely through Water Release was incredibly challenging.

According to the clone's analysis, Earth Release had to be combined to achieve it.

The clone's training had also shown that, while heavy water enhanced Water Release jutsu, the increase in power wasn't as significant as anticipated.

At the very least, it hadn't reached S-rank in effectiveness.

In other words, using heavy water with the Water Severing Wave jutsu enhanced its potency, but the difficulty level hadn't yet reached S-rank.

Both its elemental transformation and form manipulation still fell short.

Of course, heavy water could still serve as the basis for a series of powerful A-rank Water Release techniques. By mastering five of these, he could attain the Water Release Master tag.

As Shūichi sat in his study, he pondered his options.

There was still one possible direction in elemental transformation: superheavy water(tritiated water).

He didn't know much about it, but superheavy water was nearly nonexistent in nature and required special methods to produce.

It was uncertain whether superheavy water could even be achieved through Water Release.

And its one notable characteristic he knew of was radioactivity.

Superheavy water contained tritium, which is one of the elements used in fusion reactions.

"Alright, then, I'll split this into two paths: developing new jutsu with heavy water, like a heavy water armor technique... Hmm, perhaps incorporating the Hydrification Technique."

"With heavy water, I could create a colossal water clone that might circumvent Lightning Release's usual advantage."

With that in mind, Shūichi immediately summoned two shadow clones to start experimenting.

...

Time flew by, and in a blink, March arrived.

Shūichi's 14th birthday came right on schedule.

Unfortunately, due to a message from Nonō Yakushi, seemingly a representative of the "Great Harmonizer," Shūichi had to postpone his plan for Asuka to have a child.

By the end of the month, Shūichi finally received the awaited notification from Orochimaru to assist with the final step of his body modification.

When Shūichi arrived at the lab via Flying Thunder God, Orochimaru was already prepared.

Seeing him, Orochimaru smirked, "Aren't you going to give it a try, Shūichi?"

Shūichi shook his head. "I think the Hydrification Technique offers better advantages."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "So, you're confident about obtaining the Hydrification Technique?"

Previously, Shūichi had captured Hōzuki Chiba, a member of the Hōzuki Clan, who was currently an experimental subject.

Orochimaru had acquired some of Chiba's cells for his research, but no major breakthroughs had come yet.

The Hōzuki Clan's Hydrification Technique had become akin to a bloodline limit, and even after extracting Chiba's memories, the training method for this skill remained elusive.

It was similar to how Asuka and Kushina could use the Adamantine Sealing Chains without fully understanding their underlying mechanics.

Like the Sage Body, it had become a unique physical trait.

"I am reasonably confident," Shūichi admitted.

In truth, now that he possessed the Sand Body, the Hydrification Technique wasn't essential for him.

Still, it was worth researching—not only for the Water Release Master tag but also to benefit the future of the Clan.

After a brief conversation, Orochimaru summoned a shadow clone and then climbed onto the operating table himself.

Now, Orochimaru's shadow clone would perform the surgery, with Shūichi assisting.

Shūichi couldn't help but be impressed by Orochimaru's courage.

Only he would dare operate on himself with such boldness.

If the shadow clone malfunctioned like Naruto's often did, things could end badly.

The surgery began.

This operation focused on reconstructing Orochimaru's bones and internal organs.

It meant that Orochimaru would become even less human.

On the outside, he'd still appear human, but inside, he would be more akin to a snake.

The transformation didn't involve replacing bones or organs but involved cellular and marrow grafting, altering him gradually on a genetic level.

This explained why the preparations had been so extensive.

Numerous techniques were needed to harmonize Orochimaru's genes with those of a snake.

Additionally, the white phosphorous snake genes required enhancement.

The knowledge applied here was vast, including research on Hashirama's cells and the Eight-Tails.

Thus, what appeared to be a simple body modification actually incorporated numerous breakthroughs.

Assisting Orochimaru in this operation was a tremendous learning experience for Shūichi.

And this body modification was only a foundational step.

The final result, the Yamata no Orochi form, would be comparable to a Tailed Beast.

Time slipped by gradually.

This operation took an unusually long time, lasting a full three days from start to finish.

After stitching Orochimaru's body back together with the shadow clone, Shūichi noticed how rapidly his wounds were healing.

Although it couldn't match the Creation Rebirth technique, it was still impressive.

Within five minutes of the surgery's end, Orochimaru was able to step off the operating table, stretch his neck, and smile. "Not bad at all. Much better than expected."

Shūichi washed his hands and smiled back. "At this rate, you're looking less and less like a human."

Orochimaru didn't mind in the slightest. "The human body holds immense secrets, but unlocking them is exceedingly difficult. Some alterations are necessary."

"Moreover, every individual is different, with unique traits and qualities. It's only practical to balance strengths and weaknesses."

"You once mentioned that the body restricts our spirit, so I need to enable the body to contain even more."

Shūichi nodded. "That's definitely one way to approach it."

In truth, his approach and Orochimaru's were similar.

Orochimaru experimented with white phosphorous snakes, Tailed Beasts, Hashirama's cells, various bloodline limits, and unique constitutions to transform himself.

Meanwhile, Shūichi, through his own "modifications," enhanced his physical compatibility, acquiring Tailed Beast genes and gradually transforming into a human form of a Tailed Beast.

(End of Chapter)