Chapter 8: The Super-Soldier Serum
The whole fight was over in a flash.
Only two of the enemy jonin were left. One was the captain who had dodged Takahashi's first attack. Now, he felt like he was seeing a ghost. He could sense his companions' chakra signatures… and they were vanishing. Only one was left, and that one was running straight for him.
"Dammit, what's happening? Why are their signals disappearing? It's only been a few seconds. I don't believe Konoha's team is that strong. They must be using some trick. How despicable!"
He didn't stop to think about who was being despicable first. This man was a senior jonin, which was why he was the captain. He was very confident in his team; they were all seasoned veterans. He knew their strength best.
He snorted. Unless Konoha had brought Namikaze Minato back from the dead, it was impossible to kill his whole team that fast.
The jonin who had fled finally found his captain's position. His clothes were soaked with cold sweat, his face a mask of pure fear. "Cap-tain! It's bad! Th-they...!"
The captain frowned. "Calm down. Speak slowly. I've been a jonin for years. I've seen everything. There's nothing to be so scared of."
The man hurried to explain. "No! You don't understand! That Konoha team... there's a kid with them. He's unbelievably fast! We only saw a flash of gold in the fog, and three of our four-man team were dead! If I hadn't run without looking back, I'd be a corpse too!"
Captain Go's heart sank. His worst fear seemed true. Had Konoha produced another super-genius, someone with talent matching Namikaze Minato? Had he even learned the Flying Thunder God? If that was the case, they were in huge trouble.
No. He couldn't let this stand. But things had gone too far to turn back now. Seeing the furious Might Guy closing in, he knew one thing for sure: he had to get this news back to Kirigakure. They couldn't let a monster like this grow up in Konoha. A ninja like that could change the balance of power all by himself.
He had been lucky enough to face Namikaze Minato once before. If he hadn't surrendered immediately, he would have died over a decade ago. He still had nightmares about it. The fear Minato inspired was a living thing inside him.
And now there was a second one? They could not allow it.
Captain Go made a quick decision. He would stay and hold them off. He was the strongest on the team; he could buy the most time.
Seeing his captain's resolve, the other jonin felt a pang of sadness. Nine of them had set out. Now, only he was left.
But there was no other way. A ninja's life was high-risk. Death was always a possibility.
With the determination to die, the captain was set on getting that information back to the village.
But if he could think of it, so could Might Guy. He could not let that news get out.
Right now, Takahashi was exhausted. He had used too much chakra and couldn't fight much more. He could only help by supporting Neji and reporting what he saw.
Seeing the Konoha team arrive, Captain Go formed hand signs. "Water Style: Waterfall Basin Technique!" He tried to use a wall of water to stop them.
Seeing only one man standing guard, Guy understood immediately. As he ran, he unleashed more power. The Seventh Gate opened. He folded his hands together.
"Daytime Tiger!"
A massive, roaring white tiger of pure air pressure shot forward. It split the waterfall in half and slammed into the captain's stomach. The man's eyes bulged. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was thrown backward.
But by then, the last surviving jonin had vanished.
Might Guy glared down at the captain. "Where did he go?"
The captain had blood in his mouth, but a twisted smile was on his face. "You'll... never know. We lost many jonin today... but getting this information... is worth it. I'll be... waiting for you in hell."
Then, he slashed his own throat with a kunai.
Seeing how ruthlessly he ended himself, Guy could only shake his head. But he was puzzled. Why was Kirigakure targeting Konoha so directly? The two villages hadn't had any major friction for a long time.
He would have to report this back and let the Third Hokage figure it out. He let the Seven Gates power down. His whole body ached with exhaustion. That technique was very hard on the body.
He looked at his students. Their performance had been excellent. Especially Takahashi. He had been beyond anything Guy could have imagined. For a moment, Guy had even seen the shadow of Minato in him. It was like a new wave was pushing past the old.
A strange smile touched Guy's face. He wondered what expression the Third Hokage would make when he heard this report. The thought was almost funny.
"You all did very well," he said to the team. "This mission was rated C-rank, but the difficulty was A-rank. I will report this when we return. You will get the rewards you deserve." He looked at Takahashi. "Your performance was outstanding. You should share your experience with the others. We will be working together a lot from now on."
Everyone nodded seriously.
Looking around, Guy decided it wasn't safe to stay. They needed to find a more hidden place to rest.
With the enemy ninja dead, the thick fog finally faded away.
They had just left when a figure emerged from the shadows where they had fought. He had a long tongue and narrow, evil-looking eyes. He licked his lips.
"Takahashi... I haven't heard that name before," he muttered to himself. "A new Bloodline Limit, perhaps? How interesting. I thought Sasuke and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki were the only ones worth watching. It seems there's another candidate. This is getting more fun."
Then, the figure melted back into the darkness.
Takahashi and the others found a sheltered spot, gathered wood, and lit a campfire.
After they ate and were getting ready to sleep, Takahashi's sharp eyes spotted something. A small, cute frog was sitting nearby. Its green color blended perfectly with the forest, so no one else noticed.
But Takahashi knew it instantly. It was his frog, the one he'd sent traveling.
He quickly accepted the reward. The system's voice spoke directly in his mind.
[Your frog has returned and brought you: Super-Soldier Serum.]