Hiruzen was surprised to see Fujin return so quickly. He emptied his office and asked, "So, how was the fight with a Jinchuriki?"
Fujin sighed and said, "Very difficult. I almost died. Why isn't there any information about Roshi being able to use the Tailed Beast Bomb? He caught me off guard."
Hiruzen let out a sigh as well. He answered, "The abilities of Jinchuriki are too strong. If I put it out in public, then panic will spread among the citizens. Even with the little information everyone has, they are still terrified."
Fujin furrowed his eyebrows. He said, "I can understand about hiding it from common people. But why are Anbu and Anbu Captains not informed about them?"
Hiruzen replied, "Because you are not supposed to engage them. Even an Elite Jounin has to retreat on sight. Only rank S ninjas have the ability and permission to engage with them. Even a Jinchuriki who has no control over their tailed beast can lose control and unleash its full strength."
Fujin thought for a bit and said, "That makes sense. But there's still no reason to hide the information. There are so many ways with which we can neutralize them before they can unleash their full power."
Hiruzen's expression hardened. He replied, "You shouldn't be neutralizing them. That can directly lead to a major war. Jinchurikis are the backbone of those countries. Harm them and other countries will think that we are decreasing their strength in preparations for a war. It will cause them to ally with other countries."
A frown appeared on Fujin's face. He asked, "But isn't that Anbu's job? Every mission I took in the last couple of years restricted other villages in one way or the other."
Hiruzen shook his head and answered, "All those acts were subtle. They left no links or proofs pointing towards us. And they were far from the bottom line of other countries."
Hiruzen could see that Fujin wasn't being combative with those questions. Otherwise, he might have had to reevaluate Fujin.
Fujin replied, "Alright. But pass me information on the other Jinchuriki. I don't want to be short on information again."
Hiruzen nodded and asked, "This matter aside, describe the battle between you and Roshi."
Fujin nodded and briefly narrated the battle. Though he didn't show it on his face, Hiruzen was shocked to know that Roshi had to resort to that form to defeat Fujin. Fujin's performance far exceeded what Hiruzen had expected.
He said, "You did well. Don't be discouraged by the result. Roshi is a veteran of two Great Wars and one of the strongest ninjas in Iwa. But avoid fighting Jinchurikis. Even if it was someone weaker, they will give up control to the beast inside them when their life is at risk. When that happens, not only will you be at risk, but so will your teammates and the common citizens around that place."
Fujin nodded and said, "I need some time off. I'll need to get my back looked at."
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Take the next 5 days off. But meet up with your team once. And meet up with Eagle tomorrow or someday later. He will have a scroll with the necessary information. I have another rank S mission planned for you after 5 days. It won't be an Anbu mission, but a secret mission in another squad that I will assemble. So get back into your best shape."
Fujin thought, 'I was hoping for at least 5 weeks… But unfortunately, it doesn't look like he will let go of me that easily. Sigh, if I didn't need the Wind Crystals and access to section A, I would have quit right away. Though I don't think he would stop me from accessing the library, I don't see him allowing me to use the training rooms after quitting the Anbu.'
He replied, "Alright."
He left the office and went straight to the Konoha Hospital. Meanwhile, Hiruzen turned his attention to the report on his table and thought, 'No wonder Onoki didn't try harder to increase his influence in Mizukoshi. They suffered a thorough defeat despite Roshi winning against Fujin. And, the information regarding Fujin is far more valuable than a pointless town.'
Having been a part of every Great Ninja War, Hiruzen knew what the most important factors in the war were. And as someone with a similar level of experience, Onoki also understood it. Once a ninja like Fujin matured, he would be a nightmare on the battlefield.
Not only could he cut through the enemy ranks with ease, but he could also stay back and amplify the fire jutsus of thousands of ninjas from Konoha. Both would bring a qualitative change to Konoha's forces. Alternatively, he could also be assigned to assassinate stronger ninjas in enemy ranks.
Hiruzen thought, 'If he continues at this trajectory, Fujin's ability to create an impact on the battlefield will far exceed Kakashi. It will be under only Minato and Tsunade's abilities. Still, he is a bit too radical in his ways. Though it might be my fault considering the missions I have been assigning him.
I will need to give some diplomatic missions to tone down his aggressive means. Not to mention, he already has sufficient experience in fighting and elimination missions. Any more won't be much helpful unless he gets to face Elite Jounins or rank S ninjas. But that would be very risky.'
Fujin rested the night in the hospital. Hiruzen ensured that the best medical ninjas tended to him. His back was inspected and healed several times until it completely felt normal. To his surprise, the last person who healed him was a familiar face.
Isamu looked at Fujin and said, "When Lord Hokage asked me to check up on a patient, I didn't expect it to be you, Fujin."
Fujin looked at Isamu and said with a smile, "Isamu-sensei. It's good to see you after a long while."
Isamu said with a grumpy tone, "Good my ass. You didn't even come to say hi. I and Yoshi-sensei were still hopeful for you becoming a medical ninja."
Fujin shrugged and said, "I already told you I am not interested as of now. Besides, I don't have any time. Lord Hokage keeps sending me on missions."
Isamu replied, "Obviously. You are still young. Besides, you are lucky to have not faced any war. Otherwise, you have to keep going even when you are injured or exhausted."
Fujin nodded. However, unlike others, he knew that the next Great War was still quite far away. So he wasn't concerned at that moment.
Isamu asked, "So, where were you injured?"
Fujin replied, "On my back, around 3 days ago. I had 3 broken ribs, but I healed them. Just came here to ensure everything is fine. But for some reason, you are the fourth medical ninja to show up here."
Isamu thought, 'Obviously that reason is Lord Hokage. It looks like he needs Fujin ready for a mission rather quickly.'
Isamu inspected Fujin back. The bones were already healed properly. However, Isamu was taken aback after inspecting his back with chakra. He wondered, 'How much does this kid train? Looking at his muscles and their wear and tear, it's as if he has trained continuously for over a decade.'
Isamu was surprised. Extremely few ninjas would put their bodies through such continuous training for such a long period. Even if someone was enthusiastic, they would lose that enthusiasm in a year or two. After all, after the initial boost in strength, the effects of training on the body diminish a lot. No visible effects would be seen. Most ninjas would stop training their bodies at that stage and focus on other skills.
Isamu didn't say anything and slowly healed the hidden issues and internal trauma that were caused due to constant training and fighting. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration, 'No wonder Lord Hokage values him so much. If someone learning Medical ninjutsu also had such dedication, we might have another ninja of the same calibre as Lady Tsunade.'
As his back slowly healed, Fujin's back felt very relaxed. In fact, he had never felt that good in either of his lives.
Isamu said, "You don't have any major injuries and I treated some old ones. Rest for the next couple of days. You can return back to training or missions."
Fujin got up and nodded. He said, "Thank you. I don't recall my back ever feeling this good."
Isamu replied, "Every time you train or fight, some trauma accumulates in your body. Over time, it accumulates and can cause hidden injuries. If you train a lot, then visit me every 3 months or so. Your progress will become much faster and threats to your body will decrease if you get checked up once in a while."
Fujin nodded and replied, "Alright."
Isamu turned around to leave. A smile formed on his face. As he walked out of the door, he said, "Normally I charge 500 thousand Ryo for that treatment. But since I know you so well and want you to become a medical ninja, I will offer you a 50% discount. Take care."
In a flash, he disappeared. Fujin watched with a deadpan expression. He cursed, "This damned world. Every freaking one is shameless!"
Fortunately, money wasn't an issue for Fujin. Even if he ever ran short on it, he knew numerous corrupt Nobles and officials. He wouldn't bother thinking twice before stealing from them.
Fujin left the hospital in the morning thinking, 'Isamu only asked me to rest physically. Should I continue Fuinjutsu training?'
Fujin pondered for a bit before shaking his head. He decided, 'I should take a proper rest. After all, even my brain needs some rest. Perhaps a decent break would help me master those seals even faster. Oh well, time to indulge in some delicacies.'
Suddenly, Fujin's eyes moved and landed on a mask shop to his right. His eyes landed on a small ball that was releasing some smoke and the shopkeeper who was inspecting it. A moment later, the ball exploded with a loud sound, engulfing the shopkeeper and some early-morning customers around him in smoke!
