Chapter 215: Hoshikawa 's Terms
"I apologize."
Hoshikawa walked up to Might Guy and spoke. The Leaf Dragon God was a taijutsu combined with Wind Release, and being an area-of-effect attack, it was impossible to control perfectly.
Mystical Palm Technique!
Hoshikawa formed the hand signs. Pale green chakra covered his hands. He directed it at Might Guy's fists and began the healing process.
"Let me help too."
Rin Nohara handed Hoshikawa 's jacket to Kakashi Hatake, then came over to Might Guy's side and used the Mystical Palm Technique as well.
"Don't worry about it!" Might Guy declared carelessly. "These scratches are nothing compared to the injuries I get during my normal training!"
He was telling the truth. Since his training was absurdly intense, getting injured was an everyday occurrence.
"What was the name of that taijutsu you used just now?" Might Guy asked, his voice filled with excitement.
"Leaf Dragon God," Hoshikawa replied with a smile. "It's Sensei Chen's signature jutsu."
"It truly is incredible!" Might Guy said with deep conviction. "No wonder Sensei Chen is called Konoha's strongest taijutsu master!"
"That may be true, but the Eight Gates Formation has a higher ceiling."
Hoshikawa estimated that he could probably withstand the Seventh Gate now, though he would be severely injured. As for the Eighth Gate, even the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, Madara Uchiha, barely survived it in the original story, so naturally, Hoshikawa couldn't handle it yet.
But he had his cheat. Hoshikawa was confident he could defeat the Eighth Gate Might Guy in the future. Though, there likely wouldn't be an opportunity. Since opening the Eighth Gate led to death, Hoshikawa couldn't possibly beat him to death just for a spar.
"Fiery youth demands hard work!" Might Guy laughed, giving a thumbs-up. "I'm going to run an extra hundred laps when I get back tonight!"
"Get some rest today, and you can add the laps tomorrow," Hoshikawa said, withdrawing his chakra. "There, you're fine now. Go change your clothes."
"Alright then." Might Guy glanced at his tattered clothes and didn't refuse.
"See you tomorrow," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
His fight with Might Guy had allowed him to truly experience the power of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. In short, it hadn't disappointed the long time he spent learning it. Of course, the Leaf Dragon God was powerful too. The resulting tornado was huge, and with enough chakra, it could grow even larger. Hoshikawa felt that the Lightning Release Chakra Mode combined with the Leaf Dragon God might even pose a massive threat to a Tailed Beast.
Just then, two lines of text floated before his eyes.
[B-Rank Talent Title 'Youth Without Regret' effect has been upgraded.] [Taijutsu talent is increased by 200% over the original base.]
Hoshikawa couldn't help but be stunned. He hadn't expected such a bonus. But upon reflection, it made sense. After all, he had just defeated a fully opened Sixth Gate Might Guy.
"Kakashi, want to spar?" Hoshikawa looked at Kakashi Hatake, who had been spacing out since the start.
"No way!" Kakashi Hatake said without hesitation. He had no means to defend against the Leaf Dragon God.
"Next time, then," Hoshikawa didn't push him, saying with a smile.
"Even by next time, I won't be able to keep up with you," Kakashi Hatake sighed. "To be more accurate, I stopped being able to keep up with you a long time ago."
"Why surrender before we even start?" Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow. "That's not like you."
"Whose fault is it that you progress so fast?" Kakashi Hatake retorted.
"I don't know," Hoshikawa spread his hands. "Maybe this is just what genius looks like."
"You are truly..." Kakashi Hatake twitched his lips, but ultimately didn't utter the words 'asking for a punch.'
"Ahem," Hoshikawa changed the subject. "You two must be tired after your journey. Time to go back and rest."
"See you later." Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy didn't linger, turning and leaving.
"Here, take this." Hoshikawa looked at Rin Nohara, noticing she was still clutching his jacket. He casually pulled out a storage scroll.
"What is it?" Rin Nohara asked, confused.
"A storage scroll," Hoshikawa explained. "The method is the same as the Summoning Jutsu."
"I can't accept this!" Rin Nohara was startled and quickly refused. "It's too valuable!" She had considered buying a storage scroll before but was dissuaded by the price.
"It's a gift from me to you. You can't refuse it." Hoshikawa gently tapped her head with the scroll.
"Mnn," Rin Nohara looked him in the eye for two seconds, then lowered her head, her face slightly flushed as she accepted it.
"Are you going to have lunch at Master's house, or go home?" Hoshikawa asked, seeing that she had accepted the scroll.
"I... I'm going home," Rin Nohara hesitated for a few seconds before saying. Her main goal was to go home and wash his jacket.
"Alright then." Hoshikawa reached out and ruffled her hair.
"I'll get going!" Rin Nohara suppressed her shyness, turned, and left.
Hoshikawa watched her walk away, then returned to the Konoha Hospital.
"Did you see Minato?" Tsunade was sitting in Hoshikawa 's office chair, leisurely sipping tea.
"I saw him and chatted for a bit." Hoshikawa walked over, picked up the teacup, and took two sips.
"That's my tea!" Tsunade rolled her eyes and complained.
"Too lazy to pour my own," Hoshikawa blinked. "Anyway, I don't mind."
"..." Tsunade was speechless. Is that the point—whether you mind?
"Fine, I'm hungry. Let's go back for lunch," Tsunade waved her hand, stood up, and said.
"Okay." Hoshikawa put down the teacup and followed Tsunade out.
After lunch, as the two were preparing to head back to the Konoha Hospital, they ran into Haru, an ANBU ninja.
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Hoshikawa ," Haru bowed slightly. "The Hokage-sama requests your presence."
"For what?" Tsunade frowned and asked.
"I don't know," Haru shook her head. "Hokage-sama didn't elaborate."
"Such a hassle," Tsunade pouted, then turned and headed towards the Hokage Tower.
Bang!
The Hokage's office door was kicked open by Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade," Minato Namikaze's eyelid twitched, and he quickly greeted her.
"You're here too?" Tsunade was slightly surprised to see him.
"I just finished lunch with the Hokage-sama and was briefing him on Iwagakure's demands," Minato Namikaze explained.
"I called you here because I wanted to know what you want in exchange," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile. "After all, you were the ones who captured Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Lava Release Ninjutsu," Hoshikawa replied.
"That's already been included. Is there anything else?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked generously. The Four-Tails' value was immense and could be exchanged for many things.
Hoshikawa fell into contemplation. This question was genuinely difficult for him.
What did Iwagakure have? Hoshikawa assessed himself and realized what he needed most urgently were Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limits).
Iwagakure possessed four Kekkei Genkai: Explosion Release, Lava Release, Vapor Release, and Dust Release.
Dust Release was an advanced Kekkei Genkai, a Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Selection), created by combining Fire, Earth, and Wind elements.
Explosion Release came from Gari. Lava Release came from the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi. Vapor Release came from the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han.
Hoshikawa already possessed the Vapor Release and Lava Release Talents due to Mei Terumi. Of course, her Lava Release was different from Rōshi's Lava Release. The former manifested as corrosive fluid, the latter as molten rock. However, even without the Talent, Hoshikawa had already fully mastered Rōshi's Lava Release due to the effect of his A-Rank Title, 'Flower Fruit Mountain'.
As for Explosion Release, he always felt it was rather weak. Perhaps Gari's underwhelming performance influenced his judgment.
Hoshikawa needed to gather seven Kekkei Genkai to acquire the A-Rank Title 'Seven Kekkei Genkai'. He now mastered Lava Release, and had the Talents for Wood Release, Mei's Lava Release, and Vapor Release, leaving him short by three. If he were to choose, he would pick Dust Release, Ice Release, and Magnet Release.
However, Dust Release was a Kekkei Tōta; he didn't know if it met the criteria. If not, he would add Storm Release or Crystal Release.
"Explosion Release Ninjutsu, Dust Release Ninjutsu, and Vapor Release Ninjutsu," Hoshikawa said after careful thought.
Although he thought Explosion Release was mediocre, he should take it if he could get it. As for Dust Release, it was likely unobtainable.
"All Kekkei Genkai?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback. "Learning a Kekkei Genkai is notoriously difficult. Wouldn't you prefer a different kind of demand?"
Tsunade instinctively looked at Hoshikawa . She agreed with the Hokage. Although Hoshikawa had mastered Lava Release, it didn't mean he could master other Kekkei Genkai. After all, each one involved different chakra nature combinations.
"No need to change," Hoshikawa shook his head.
"Explosion Release and Vapor Release are acceptable, but there is probably no hope for Dust Release," Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe. "Dust Release is Ōnoki's unique Kekkei Tōta. He would never hand it over to an outside village ninja."
"Doesn't he want the Four-Tails Jinchūriki back?" Tsunade snorted.
"It's hard to judge whether Dust Release or the Four-Tails is more important," Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his chin. "But we can try our best."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Hoshikawa said politely.
"It looks like I'll have to rely heavily on Minato and the Nara clan for this negotiation," Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "Truthfully, I rather hope we can make Ōnoki give up the Dust Release." As the only Kekkei Tōta, Dust Release was too powerful and made him extremely wary. If Hoshikawa could learn it, it would be a huge boon.
"Is Minato in charge of the negotiations?" Tsunade asked.
"He is in charge of Iwagakure; you will be in charge of Kirigakure," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.
"I'm not suited for negotiations," Tsunade refused without thinking.
"You don't need to negotiate yourself," Hiruzen Sarutobi explained. "You just need to be present to assert our power."
"Fine then." Tsunade understood his meaning and knew Konoha would struggle to find a more suitable person for the task, so she agreed.
"I will have Shikaku Nara assist you when the time comes," Hiruzen Sarutobi paused. "According to ANBU intelligence, the Kirigakure delegation is already on the move and will arrive in two days. You should..."
"I know, I'll go meet them," Tsunade interrupted him. "Is that all? If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
"That's all," Hiruzen Sarutobi was long accustomed to her personality and wasn't annoyed.
"Minato, bring Kushina by when you have time," Tsunade greeted Minato Namikaze before turning and leaving the Hokage's office.
Two days passed in a flash.
At the entrance to the Konoha gates, Tsunade and Hoshikawa stood side-by-side. Behind them was the negotiating team led by Shikaku Nara. Their goal was simple: to extract the maximum possible advantage from Kirigakure.
Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yūhi were absent. They hadn't received orders from Hiruzen Sarutobi. While Tsunade and Hoshikawa 's strength and status were enough to stabilize the situation, theirs was not. Besides, negotiations were not easy work. If they were lucky, it would conclude in a week, but if not, it could drag on for one or two months. In short, it was simply haggling.
Hoshikawa flipped through the Kirigakure ninja delegation list provided by Haru. There were two familiar names on it: Ao and Mei Terumi. Ao was an elder Jōnin of Kirigakure, so his presence was expected. But why was Mei Terumi here? Hoshikawa wondered if she had come to settle a score with him. They had fought recently, and Mei Terumi was no match for him.
As Hoshikawa pondered, the sound of rushing air was heard in the distance. He put away the list and looked up. A dozen figures descended, the Kirigakure ninja.
"Apologies for the wait, Princess Tsunade," Ao's demeanor was very respectful. After all, Kirigakure was the losing side, and Konoha held seven of their Swords and numerous ninja prisoners.
Standing beside him, Mei Terumi's beautiful eyes were fixed intensely on Hoshikawa . Her gaze was so strong that it was impossible for Hoshikawa not to notice. But with Tsunade in front, he didn't go up to greet her, only offering her a small smile.
Mei Terumi immediately returned an expression of extreme disdain. Hoshikawa even felt certain he could hear her mentally calling him 'pervert.' He clicked his tongue. This future Mizukage was just begging to be... disciplined.
"Welcome, esteemed members of Kirigakure, for traveling this long distance." After exchanging formalities, Tsunade got straight to the point. "We will first exchange our respective demands in the meeting room."
Ao naturally had no objection. The group proceeded to the meeting room on the second floor of the Hokage Tower. Besides the second-floor room, there was another meeting room on the first floor, but it was currently occupied by the Iwagakure delegation. As Hoshikawa passed the first floor, he could hear their voices arguing.
Arriving at the second-floor meeting room, Konoha and Kirigakure sat facing each other, clearly divided.
"Today is strictly for exchanging terms," Tsunade reminded them again. "We will conduct the detailed negotiations tomorrow, after the Suna delegation arrives."
"When will the Suna delegation arrive?" Ao nodded and asked.
"They should arrive this afternoon," Tsunade said casually.
"Very well." Ao stood up and presented a scroll.
Tsunade opened the scroll and scanned it. The first demand was the return of the Seven Ninja Swords. The second was the release of Mangetsu Hōzuki. In total, there were seven demands. After reading them, she handed the scroll to Shikaku Nara. Compared to Iwagakure, Kirigakure's losses weren't quite as severe; after all, they hadn't lost their Three-Tails Jinchūriki.
"These are our terms," Shikaku Nara produced a scroll.
"Thank you." Ao took the scroll and immediately opened it. Soon, his expression grew stiff. In his view, the terms were rather excessive. However, as Konoha was the victor, demanding a high price was to be expected. Fortunately, this was just the draft and not the final version; everything was negotiable.
Ao suddenly let out a faint "Hm?" Why were they demanding the Lava Release and Vapor Release Ninjutsu? Weren't those Mei Terumi's Kekkei Genkai?
(End of Chapter)
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