Chapter 621: Hiruzen's Nightmare! |
[A/N: For those commenting in every chapter whether the chapters are shorter, no, the chapters aren't shorter. I still average over 1.5k words per chapter (without the author notes). As I have repeatedly said, it's not possible for me to write longer chapters and still be able to write daily. I did try 1.7k-1.8k words, but I was completely exhausted within a week and found it very difficult to continue writing. However, I understand that 1.5k words are too little for some people causing my book to be a complete disappointment to you. So, I humbly request you to read the books that do this as I, unfortunately, am not a good enough writer to be able to satisfy your requirements. Have a good day. I wish you well in life.]
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"You're late, Grandpa. I had to fight that snake just by myself! It was sooo scary!"
Hiruzen's left eyebrow twitched in annoyance. All his good feelings disappeared in the blink of an eye. He muttered to himself, 'Scary? Does this brat know what fear even means? Where are your injuries? Did Orochimaru take pity on this brat? Or did this little devil somehow manage to convince Orochimaru to give up violence and accept a beating as a punishment for leaving Konoha?'
No one was more clear about Orochimaru's strength than Hiruzen. Unlike the rest, who had come to terms with this unbelievable feat, Hiruzen still had some doubts. Knowing Fujin's nature and his cunning tongue, Hiruzen strongly suspected that Fujin caused him mental damage instead of physical damage!
He looked at Renjiro and Hoka and said, "You two, assist in clearing out that fire. I helped out a bit, but there is still a lot left."
Renjiro and Hoka nodded and left immediately. Hiruzen glanced at his guards and they followed them. With just the two of them in the room, Hiruzen said, "Now that we are alone, tell me everything that has happened since the second round started. Also, tell me why Orochimaru targeted you."
Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Didn't you see it in that pe… in that crystal ball?"
'Pe…?' Hiruzen's eyebrows twitched in annoyance once again as he understood what Fujin was initially saying. He shook his head and said, "No, there were seals in the Forest of Death to stop my technique. I guess Orochimaru placed them there beforehand."
He looked at Hiruzen and said, "Orochimaru entered the chunin exam disguised as a Kusa Genin. He didn't target me, at least not initially. His target was Kakashi's squad, or more specifically Uchiha Sasuke.
He used the Five Elements Seal on Naruto to cut off his access to Nine Tail's chakra. And he planted his curse seal on Sasuke, just like the one that is on Anko's neck."
Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise. He muttered, "So his goal was Sasuke… That's troublesome…"
Hearing Sasuke's name, Itachi's face appeared in his mind. Remembering Itachi's sacrifice and words, Hiruzen didn't want to see his little brother suffering. Unfortunately, the situation was very complicated.
He asked, "If they were his target, why did he fight you?"
Fujin shrugged and answered, "My clone had found him and Rasa's youngest son suspicious. So, I was planning to keep an eye on the two of them. Unfortunately, Orochimaru made his move very quickly. By the time I discovered his attack, he had already placed the seal on Sasuke.
I threw Kakashi's squad to a safe place, then engaged against him and sent messengers to you so that we could eliminate Orochimaru here and solve this headache for good. Unfortunately, that bastard was too slippery and he recovered from every injury with ease…"
Hiruzen was surprised by Fujin's words. He asked, "Is it true that you injured him and forced him to retreat?"
Fujin answered, "Somewhat. I managed to injure him thrice. Once in a way that would have injured any normal ninja a lot and reduced their fighting ability sufficiently for me to kill him or her. And twice with what should have been mortal wounds. Unfortunately, he just shed his skin all three times and completely recovered each time.
Before he escaped, he had already used that technique to get rid of his injuries. As for why he escaped, that should be because he was running low on chakra and the fact that you'd be reaching our positions in a minute or two."
Even though Hiruzen nodded without showing much expression on his face, he was shocked. He thought, 'He forced Orochimaru to use that technique thrice? I never expected Fujin to be able to injure him critically even once. I only expected him to keep Orochimaru at bay and keep him occupied till I arrived...
Even though I rate Fujin's talent and skills quite highly, did I still end up underestimating Fujin's strength? Or has Orochimaru's strength digressed since he left the village? However, how could that happen?'
Hiruzen quickly said, "Describe everything in detail about your fight."
Fujin nodded. Since Orochimaru had already witnessed his abilities, there was no reason to hide it from Hiruzen. Besides, Fujin had noticed quite a few pairs of eyes observing them during the ending stages of the battle. So, it was inevitable that some of his skills, especially his Wind Domain, would be known by others. Of course, Fujin didn't mention things like his Space Time Sensing Technique or the words he spoke during the fight.
As Fujin mentioned the details, a peculiar expression appeared on Hiruzen's face. He wondered, 'Is this how he always fights? I thought he was shameless only when it comes to money and jutsus. However, he's shameless even in battle!
First, he baited Orochimaru and exploded his Shadow Clone to critically injure him. Then he attacked Orochimaru again before he could completely recover and injured him once again.
Finally, he used his Wind Domain to bait Orochimaru into using a massive Fire jutsu and defeated Orochimaru using his own attack! Even though Orochimaru had a disadvantage in terms of information, he lost due to being outplayed in tactics!
Even in my long career, the number of battles more peculiar than this that I heard of could be counted with my fingers. If this is how he always fights, I can imagine what a nightmare he'd be on the battlefield!'
Hiruzen was seriously impressed. Despite following Fujin's progress for over 6 years, this was the first time Hiruzen asked Fujin to describe his battle. Before this, he hadn't seen much of Fujin's combat prowess. The only time he witnessed Fujin fighting was during the short clash against that unlucky Suna squad that had infiltrated the Land of Fire and attacked their camp. With this new information, Hiruzen began looking at Fujin in a new light!
Hiruzen was lost in thoughts when Fujin suddenly said, "Oh right, I almost forgot! When we were fighting, I destroyed his Sword of Kusanagi!"
"You did what?" Hiruzen exclaimed in shock, nearly jumping from his chair! Hiruzen thought, 'The Sword of Kusanagi broke? Even Enma doesn't like getting hit by that sword. How did he do it?'
Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, I managed to catch him by surprise with my Vacuum Slash jutsu."
Immediately, Fujin's expression became sad and depressed. A seal lit up on his bracer and his broken sword appeared as he said, "Unfortunately, doing so destroyed my sword as well. It has been nearly 5 years since I have been using this sword. I didn't expect it to be broken today…"
Hiruzen's left eye twitched as he said inside his mind, 'You destroyed the Sword of Kusanagi with this ordinary sword and are still complaining about it? Shit!!! Wait!!!'
Suddenly, Hiruzen had a terrible feeling. His eyes widened as he realized what it was. Unfortunately, before he could do anything about it and save himself, Fujin said, "Could you arrange for a better sword to be made for me?
This time, I want the sword to have more chakra metal instead of using it miserly. And, it'll be best if the sword is as strong as Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi. If I can have a blade that is as strong and sturdy as it was, then I won't need to worry about ever losing due to having a weak sword."
Hiruzen cursed internally, 'Shit! I knew it! He was so generous with the information because he wanted a new sword from me! And what does he mean by adding Chakra metal miserly? His swords are excellent! They cost me millions of Ryo and ate into a lot of the money I won by gambling on him!
Most importantly, he asked me for pure chakra metal swords when he had just graduated from the academy. Now that he has defeated Orochimaru, which swords will he ask?'
Hiruzen was terrified to think of the answer. Knowing Fujin, he knew it'd be something that even selling both his kidneys wouldn't be enough. He quickly said, "I can arrange the top blacksmiths for you. However, you're no longer as young as you were 6 years ago. So, you'll pay for it yourself."
With a smile on his face, Hiruzen added, "Back when you graduated, I knew that your future would be bright. It was why I didn't mind the costs and got the swords for you. However, I never expected that you'd be able to deal with Orochimaru so quickly. Great job, Fujin. I'm proud of you. I'm happy that the Will of Fire burns strong within you. You are a role model for the younger generation."
Not wanting Fujin to shamelessly ask Hiruzen to pay, Hiruzen quickly changed the subject and began praising him so that Fujin would feel awkward asking the village to sponsor it. Unfortunately, Fujin had trained in shamelessness from none other than him!
Fujin smiled and said like an obedient youngster, "Thank you, Grandpa."
Hiruzen smiled thinking, 'I'm saf…'
Unfortunately, even before he could complete his thoughts, Fujin's smile changed into a helpless one as he continued, "Unfortunately, I can't afford to make a good quality sword by myself. I have been busy looking after the orphans and no longer have much time to go on missions. As a result, my funds have been drying up very quickly. I'm afraid I won't even be able to afford my current swords…"
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