Chapter 45

I caught up with our useless army.

I sped up to the front of the group and eyed the people who were leading the retreat.

"So, why are we retreating?"

I would have liked to have some support whilst I was rampaging through Kumo's camp, we probably could have killed off more of them.

"Minato-sama told us to sound the retreat when they encountered the Eight-Tail's Jinjuriki."

I hummed and didn't question it further, though I would have apricated having some sort of back-up.

"Alright speed up! Orochimaru and Minato are holding off the Eight-Tails Jinjuriki so you useless fucks can escape!"

I slowed my speed and fell back so I could guard the rear.

This whole ordeal was annoying...

...

Minato and Orochimaru caught up to us when we were approaching the camp.

Minato didn't have a hair out of place but Orochimaru was missing a kimono sleeve.

I raised an eyebrow.

Orochimaru looked to be in a foul mood and Minato in contrast was smiling cheerfully.

"Were you successful?" Orochimaru hissed at me.

I nodded and Orochimaru seemed less angry at my nod.

I looked at him for a moment longer but when he didn't speak, I sighed and sped up.

I wanted to sleep for a day or two.

I also need to think about whether or not I even want to be here anymore.

I've had about enough of the war.

...

"Shiro! Look who I brought!"

Minato dragged a struggling Obito into my lab followed by a more sedate Rin and a bored-looking Kakashi.

What happened to them being too green...?

I rolled my eyes and sent Kakashi a nod in acknowledgment and studied Rin for a moment.

The markings on her cheeks were much bigger than I remembered them being...

I turned my eyes away from her and looked at Obito, he looked as stupid as I remembered him looking.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shiro Hyuga."

I watched a look of shock pass over Obito's face, Rin was studying me and Kakashi still looked bored.

"Whoa! Your Shiro Hyuga!"

I eyed Obito who was finally released and was now staring at me.

"Yep." I replied and popped the 'p'.

I turned my eyes to Kakashi.

"Long time no see."

Kakashi nodded.

Alrighty.

"Well tell me about yourselves."

Obito jumped up and down and started blabbering excitedly at me.

I eyed Minato for a moment hoping he would contribute.

He just smiled.

I gave him the stink eye.

Fuck...

...

I escorted Team Minato from my lab.

I got them out the door and shut it behind them.

I was finally free of them...

I made a hand-seal and a clone appeared.

He went off to apply for a break.

I was about done with Frost, I couldn't wait to have some time away from this garbage.

I sighed...

I needed to make a rough plan again, now that I had achieved what I wanted to I was having trouble finding the motivation to do anything.

DNA manipulation seemed to be the way to go currently...

But I wouldn't be able to add any bloodlines to myself, even Orochimaru hadn't figured out how to do that yet...

Awakening a dormant bloodline was easy peasy, but correctly integrating a foreign bloodline was not possible currently.

Any bloodlines that could be integrated were weak and didn't operate as well as they did in the Orignal holders...

I let out another sigh...

Or maybe I just needed to edit my DNA slightly and make my best traits more pronounced and awaken any useful dormant traits.

I know Orochimaru did something similar to himself...

He said something about awakening all his potential...

I sighed and stared at the ceiling.

I was feeling oddly lost.

...

"So, your heading to Konoha?"

Orochimaru was applying a seal onto the back of a woman.

"Indeed."

I watched fascinated, Orochimaru was trying to make some sort of sage mode seal.

"Bring your mother when you come back, she was one of the most competent scouts I've ever worked with."

I hummed in affirmation, having my mother around made me feel better as well.

"I'll be leaving in a week."

I gave Orochimaru a wave as I left the lab.

...

"So, were you planning to become a med-nin?"

Minato had somehow volunteered me for the job of teaching Rin.

Minato had been talking and when I had tuned him out and was nodding automatically, long story short. I accidentally agreed to teach her.

"Yes." Rin spoke quietly.

I hummed, Rin was surprisingly intelligent, being able to use Medical-Ninjutsu at such a young age was impressive.

"Alright..." I was quiet as well, if only to match her tone.

I eyed the Chunin I asked Rin to heal, he was up and moving about and seemed to be in good health.

I shoed him away and turned to stare at Rin.

"I don't think there's much I can teach you about Medical-Ninjutsu."

Rin looked disappointed.

"But..."

I trailed off and smiled at Rin's hopeful look.

"...I do have something that you can learn."

I had no interest in spending months teaching her.

"Follow me."

I turned and started making my way out of the medical tent.

I made a hand-sign as I was walking and a clone appeared behind me.

He went off to heal some people and I continued on my way.

...

I stared at a tree in thought, Rin was standing behind me, staring at me questioningly.

I sighed.

"Alright back up and watch."

I turned my head and looked at her for a moment.

I saw she backed up, so I proceeded to punch the ground.

Boom*

The earth cratered beneath me.

My eyes widened, it seems this technique was a little more powerful than when I last used it...

I stood in the center of the crater awkwardly and waited for the dust to clear...

The dust cleared and Rin was standing at the edge of the crater and staring at me with bulging eyes.

I smiled slightly at the sight.

"This is called Chakra Enhanced Strength, if your interested I'll teach you."

I saw Rin nod mutely and my smile grew.

"Alright let me put a Gravity Seal on you and then we'll start."

I waved her over.

"I'll tell you about the technique well I apply the seal."

I sat in the middle of the crater and patted the spot in front of me.

Rin made her way over and sat rather elegantly in front of me.

"Alright roll up your sleeve."

I reached into my pouch and grabbed the scroll containing my supplies.

"Chakra Enhanced Strength or One For All as I've called it requires a lot of concentration and chakra control."

I put a drop of blood into a tiny jar of ink and started mixing it with my brush.

"It allows you to enhance your strength to monstrous levels."

I ran the brush tip along the lip of the jar getting rid of excess ink.

"This is done by storing chakra into one's hands or feet, and releasing it onto the target with timing."

I pressed my brush onto her skin and started on the seal.

"It sounds easy and it is easy."

Rin turned her head and stared at me with a questioning look.

"The most important requirement for the technique is high bodily strength."

I brought the brush back down to the jar and dipped it in ink again.

"If you used the technique without the required bodily strength you will break your bones and snap your muscles and tendons when throwing a punch."

I brought the brush-up and continued.

"So, you have to get your fitness up before you can learn the technique."

Rin nodded.

"Is that why I'm getting a Gravity Seal?"

I nodded.

"Yep, if you're not training efficiently, you're not training right."

I started adding the finishing touches to the seal.

"I'll train you enough that you'll be able to practice by yourself, but after that, it'll be up to you."

I added the final character on the seal and started packing up my equipment.

...

I eyed Rin whose fist was covered in a barely visible light blue glow.

"Less chakra."

She cut her output in half.

"That's about right, now punch the tree and release the chakra the second you hit it."

Rin jabbed the tree and it shook before leaning to one side.

I saw her wince and hummed.

"Heal that and go again, you'll figure out the timing as well as your current limit with practice."

After a few hand-seals Rin's left hand was covered in the green glow of the Mystical Palm jutsu.

I watched as she touched her right hand and started healing it.

Things were slow going, she was making progress but it looked like my trip home would be delayed...

I guess I'll make a scroll so I can leave it with her.

...

Teaching Rin had delayed my trip home by a few weeks but I'd finally called it quits and was ready to head home.

"Alright it's been fun but I'm heading home."

Minato had a frown on his face, Kakashi looked bored, Rin sent me a smile, and Obito looked crestfallen.

"Alright, hopefully, we'll see each other soon."

I nodded and started pulling a scroll from my Kunai pouch.

"This is for you Rin, it contains all I know about the strength enhancement as well as some future paths for you to take."

I had written about the Strength Of A Hundred Seal, Body Modification, and a few other things I learned, hopefully, it would give her some direction.

"Well, cya guys."

I sent them a cheeky wave and Shunshined away as fast as I could, I was done with Frost and I couldn't wait to get home.

...

Konoha looked exactly the same as it had when I left.

The atmosphere was different though.

The last time I was here was several months ago...

I was feeling odd, to say the least.

"It's The Butcher..." A certain whisper was carried better than the rest and it reached my ear.

I wandered Konoha feeling weirded out by the whispers and looks I was receiving.

I wandered around for a while longer before eventually making my way back home.

...

It turned out that home was no longer my home...

It was now occupied by a new family who directed to the house mom bought.

She had left a note though...

After apologizing for breaking into their house and disturbing their dinner I made my way to our new house.

...

I stood in front of the new house slightly regretting not sending a letter.

I had wanted my trip home to be a surprise...

I imagine mom wanted the house to be a surprise as well...

The house was less of a house and more of a mansion, I gave it a rough glance with my Byakugan and saw it was covered with Fuinjutsu.

The house was also protected from Byakugan snooping...

I smiled slightly...

I was afraid to try and enter the house now that I had seen how well protected it was.

"Shiro?"

I turned and saw mom leaning out a window.

"Yo." I sent her a wave.

She jumped from the window and made her way over to the gates.

"I didn't recognize your chakra..."

I smiled sheepishly but said nothing.

My body and chakra were slowly changing, nothing major so far just a slight affinity for Yang Release according to Orochimaru.

"I accidentally scared the family living in our old home."

Topic change no jutsu!

...

After warning me not to use my chakra mom led me around the house and showed the place off while leading me somewhere.

Its house was big enough for ten people.

It was odd, to say the least.

Eventually, we ended up in the middle of what I'd call a storage room.

"So, why get a house so big?"

Mom hummed and took my hand before cutting the tip of my finger with her nail.

"I wanted you to have something to inherit when I pass."

I watched a single drop of blood fall to the floor.

The moment it hit the floor a previously unseen jumble of Fuinjutsu emerged and absorbed my blood before becoming invisible once again.

"So how much did that cost?"

Mom smiled.

"Kushina and Minato did it for us."

I hummed.

"How nice of them."

Mom grabbed me by the hand and started pulling me away from the room, she pulled me down a set of stairs and into a hallway where she proceeded to drag me down another set of stairs into the basement.

"Here's where you can build your lab."

It was great and all but I had one question.

"Where's Emergency Rations?"

Mom smiled nervously.

"He chewed a hole through the house and escaped."

I eyed her for a moment.

I wasn't sure I believed that...

"Alright..."

I had been meaning to free him anyway...

"Which room is mine?"

I decided that Emergency Rations was probably living his best life and terrorizing the female rabbits wherever he was.

"I'll show you!"

Mom had a slightly silly smile on her face and proceeded to drag me out of the basement.

...

I sat in my room staring at the ceiling.

I wasn't sure what to do.

With the Shikotsumyaku I didn't feel the need to practice any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, nor did I think I should bother with them.

I needed to train with some weapons so I didn't injure myself if I tried to wield them.

I also wanted to expand my reserves.

It would fuck my control, but did I even need it right now?

I didn't have any plans for more DNA manipulation...

Control could be trained up again.

Though it would be annoying...

Puberty was also starting, but so far it hadn't been a problem.

Sigh...

I rolled over and flipped my pillow to the cool side.

I think I'll wait on the reserves...

Even though it was tested and seemed alright, it was probably better to let my reserves expand naturally.

Even if I felt that way, I wasn't patient enough to wait for it to happen.

Whatever...

I think about it tomorrow...

...

Guy was out with his team, Duy was training furiously in celebration for his promotion to Chunin, and mom was visiting her cousin.

So, I spent a good part of my day walking around Konoha under a Henge.

Konoha seemed to be doing all right as far as I could tell.

The atmosphere seemed gloomy but the markets were well stocked and there weren't limbless war vets on every street corner.

Konoha seemed to be in much better shape then I pictured it in my head.

As far as I knew, Grass was the only place where we were getting slaughtered.

So maybe Konoha was doing extremely well?

...

"Whatcha got?"

I was slightly startled and bone spikes exploded from me.

I turned my head and saw Kushina had narrowly dodged a bone spike to the gut.

The bone started receding.

"Sorry."

This was the downfall of having amazing reflexes.

"No worries!" Kushina sent me a cheerful smile.

I sighed and looked at my torn clothes.

The Shikotsumyaku was a clothes destroyer.

"I was looking at a scroll for Kenjutsu."

Though the scroll was now destroyed.

I picked up pieces of the scroll with a weary smile.

"Want me to teach ya? I know a little Kenjutsu!"

Kushina grabbed me and shook me excitedly.

"I wouldn't want to take up your valuable time."

Kushina squeezed me.

"That's ok! I'm not allowed out of the village right now anyways!"

I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Alright?"

I wasn't sure there was a way out of this.

...

"There's nothing more I can teach you..."

After a few days, I had all the moves memorized and ingrained in my mind and body.

"You learn fast Shiro, maybe Kenjutsu is your calling."

I just hummed.

Kokoro no kyōka for the win...

"Who else should I try to learn from?"

Kushina hummed.

"Mikoto is good with throwing weapons."

I shook my head.

"I good enough with them."

Kushina hummed and tapped her chin.

"I can't think of anyone else right now but I'll let you know if I think of anyone."

I sighed and nodded.

"Alright."

I waved my bone sword around.

It didn't have a guard and was six feet long.

I liked them tall and thin.

A sniggered burst from my lips.

"Alright, I'm heading home."

I gave Kushina a wave.

"Alright see ya around."

A bone came from my palm and connected to the sword, and the sword soon receded into my body.

I sighed and stared at the sky.

What do I do now...?

...

...

Interlude.

Shiro Hyuga was a once in a generation prodigy, he excelled in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu and was known for his strength and his distaste for social niceties.

Shiro was an S-Ranked ninja and when someone spoke about him it was with fear or respect.

He was called Konoha's Butcher.

Which is why I wondered...

"Shiro-Senpai?" Senpai raised an eyebrow at me.

Unlike what the rumors stated Senpai was friendly and easy to talk to.

"Yes?"

I took a deep breath before asking.

"Why did you learn Medical Ninjutsu?"

Senpai hummed while picking at blades of grass.

"I knew it was something that would pay off later."

I stared at him, silently asking him to continue.

"Sigh... I knew the time spent on Medical Ninjutsu would save me time elsewhere."

I stared at him expectantly.

"I figured out I could use Medical-jutsu to forgo exercise by strengthening my muscles artificially." Senpai ran a hand through his long white and grey hair before continuing. "By tearing and healing your muscles near constantly you can simulate exercise and forgo it to some extent, thus saving time."

I smiled at him. "Wow, that's smart! Now you have more time to pursue other ninja arts!"

That was clever, I wouldn't have thought of such a thing!

"Yep." Senpai nodded looking disinterested.

Senpai was a hidden wellspring of knowledge, I would be a fool not to seize this opportunity.

"Do you have any tips for me Senpai?"

Senpai shook his head looking slightly exasperated.

"Yea don't ever become an official Med-nin." The amount of disdain in his voice when he spoke was shocking.

I stared at him disbelievingly, what did he have against Medical ninja?

"If you become a Medic you get shafted in almost every way, mainly because of those rules."

I knew what he was talking about and remembered the rules vividly, it was something near constantly mentioned in the medical books.

1. No medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end.

2. No medic ninja shall ever stand on the front lines.

3. No medic ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon.

4. Only those medic ninja who have mastered the Strength of a Hundred Technique and the ninja art Creation Rebirth are permitted to discard the above-mentioned laws.

"It's especially annoying that you get punished if you don't follow those rules, there not even official rules anyway..." Senpai shook his head and stared at the sky. "Whatever, let's get back to training."

Senpai sprung up and made his way back to the crater covered part of the field.

"I'll write down my method on exercise stimulation, burn it when you are done with it." Senpai turned and looked at me. "Well... I'll do it later I suppose..."

I nodded happily.

"Thanks, Senpai!"

I was happy to learn new things, especially in such chaotic times.

I'd try to get some tips from Senpai later, he seemed annoyed now.

I decided it was best I didn't push my luck.

But then again...

Perhaps it was worth the risk.

"Senpai, why do you push the chakra outwards around your fist when you use superstrength?"

It was something that had been on my mind for a while, why did you need to enhance your muscles and send out a blast of chakra?

"It's so you don't just pierce through whatever your punching, it spreads the impact." Sempai's tone was bored.

I made a sound of understanding.

"So, everything is affected by the force of the punch?"

Sempai just nodded and hummed.

"Yep."

I stayed quiet and trailed behind Senpai as he made his way to a slightly less destroyed part of the clearing.

I smiled.

I couldn't wait for senpai to teach me more!

This was definitely an opportunity I couldn't miss.

Senpai was one of the most skilled users of Medical-Ninjutsu, It'd be a waste to not make the most of this.