Fujin didn't have any time to rescue them. He instinctively moved away and observed from a distance with a frown on his face. He wondered, 'Someone is planting explosions inside Konoha? But who? Don't tell me that Iwa or Suna went crazy and decided to retaliate this way… Wait, what's this?'
To Fujin's surprise, none of the people were harmed by the explosion. Instead, the people engulfed by the smoke began coughing. Soon after, they covered their nose and mouth and ran out while feeling nauseated.
Fujin had a weird expression upon seeing that sight. His eyes moved and landed on a corner of the street. He chuckled and muttered, "Now it makes sense. Still, my missions lately have been so intense that I almost considered this an attack… I really need a long break!"
In the corner, a blond goofball was struggling to contain his laughter. He jumped out and laughed loudly, "Hahahahaha. You fell for it!"
Without waiting for another second, he immediately began running away. Fujin watched in amusement as the shopkeeper ran behind him but was obviously much slower.
Fujin's eyelids twitched as he observed, 'This kid. He is purposefully moving slowly so that the old man can chase him. I almost forgot how much of an attention seeker he was before becoming a ninja.'
Fujin suddenly had an idea. A malicious smile appeared on his face as he decided, 'If Hiruzen doesn't give me access to the Flying Thunder God jutsu after I become a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster, I will teach Naruto a few simple Wind jutsus and give him some ideas to prank Hiruzen. That would be a satisfying sight.
A shame that the old fox is just too damn capable. Otherwise, I would have definitely hidden around to click some pictures, haha.
But that will have to wait for another year or so. He should be entering the penultimate year in the academy after the vacation. If I help him now and he somehow passes this year, then most of my future knowledge might become useless.
That said, I doubt Hiruzen would allow him to graduate early even if he does well. Especially considering that the current situation is quite peaceful despite the occasional movements. Not to mention, he might already have some ideas about putting him and Sasuke on the same team under Kakashi.'
Fujin ignored the incident and walked to Yakiniku for a large meal! He spent the next couple of days visiting his favorite restaurants, spas and hot springs in Konoha to relax his mind and body. On the third day, 60 Shadow Clones began learning new seals while he did his intense morning workout and called his squad for a meeting in their assigned room.
While waiting for them, he met up with Eagle and took the scroll that had information related to the Jinchurikis. While reading, his teammates arrived one by one. In a few minutes, all four were sitting in that room. Bunjiro looked at Fujin and sighed in relief secretly, 'Fortunately, he is fine. I was worried for him.'
Yugao and Fumito were also glad to see him.
Fujin asked, "So, did anything happen after I asked you to retreat?"
Yugao answered, "Nothing much of importance. Ryoichi asked us to not spread the news, but now the decision lies with Lord Hokage."
Fujin nodded and said, "True. Besides, I doubt such information can even be hidden."
Fumito asked, "Why did you burn that seal?"
Fujin answered, "I miscalculated his strength. He was too strong for me. So I had to retreat in a different direction."
Bunjiro exclaimed in surprise, "He was stronger than even you?"
Fujin shrugged and replied, "There are numerous people who are stronger than me. Anyways, it's good to see that all of us are fine. We may not get a mission for a few days. So use this time to train or rest. I have a feeling that we will have very busy months ahead."
Bunjiro replied, "Alright."
The others nodded. Fujin dismissed them. After they left, Fujin looked at his Turtle mask and pondered, 'I used this mask to prevent being identified. But… It was inevitable to be linked to the Spectral Swordsman after such a long fight. I exposed most of my cards as well. I might not have the element of surprise from now onwards. In fact, I am afraid that my real identity could be compromised as well. After all, how many ninjas use Vacuum jutsus? Now, should I still with this mask or change it again?'
Fujin thought for a bit before shaking his head. He decided, 'It's pointless. If my new mask is leaked, then the details of my teammates will also be leaked. And Yugao's purple hair is just too easy to recognize. Oh well, it doesn't matter much. At the end of the day, strength is all that matters! Even if they know me, how many can resist or defeat me like Roshi? And if it is needed, we can all use Transformation jutsu to prevent others from identifying us.'
Having made his decision, Fujin put the mask back in his pouch. He was about to leave when Yugao entered the room again. Fujin was puzzled. He asked, "Did you forget something?"
Yugao replied, "No. I just can't resist my curiosity. My apologies for being unprofessional, but are you really The Spectral Swordsman?"
Had Fujin not analyzed, he would have denied it. But since it wouldn't have much effect, he nodded and said, "You are too obsessed with your sword. Yeah, I am. But don't spread it around."
Yugao nodded. After catching a glimpse of his fight with Roshi, she had expected it to be the truth. However, she couldn't help but think, 'I never would have guessed that the infamous Spectral Swordsman would be someone so younger than me.'
She immediately asked, "Can you teach me swordplay?"
Fujin immediately shook his head. He barely had any time for himself. How could he waste it training someone else? But he knew that he couldn't deny so bluntly. He immediately thought of a convenient excuse and replied, "My style is completely different than yours. I won't be able to teach you. You should continue learning from the one you currently are."
A frown formed on Yugao's face. She quickly said, "I know that I can't change my style now. But I can still learn a few moves from you and incorporate them into my swordplay."
Fujin tilted his head and asked, "What do you mean by moves?"
Yugao was confused by the question. She answered, "I mean something like my Hazy Moon Night or the Dance of the Crescent Moon."
Fujin shook his head and said, "I don't know any sword moves."
Yugao was surprised. She asked, "What do you mean?"
Yugao had always assumed that Fujin wasn't taking her seriously. She never expected such an answer. Fujin chuckled and replied, "What moves do you need to learn with a sword? It's a sword. It has sharp edges. Just grab the handle and hack or stab the ones you want dead. Or block an incoming attack. It is very simple and uncomplicated, isn't it?"
Yugao was stunned by the answer. She thought about it deeply. At first, it seemed like Fujin was completely bullshitting her. However, the more she thought, the more sense Fujin's answer made. She realized, 'That's right. Other than slashing and blocking, there isn't anything to swordplay. Even my techniques can be broken down to just slashing. But, is it really everything to his swordplay?'
This wasn't an answer Fujin had made up. In fact, it was something that he had realized when Renjiro was teaching him. Renjiro's own swordplay was based on this principle. When he had asked Renjiro his opinion on the various dance forms of Swordplay, he had a similar answer.
After thinking for numerous months, this was the answer Fujin had reached. His swordplay didn't have anything fancy. It was just plain old slashing and stabbing. He just added wind chakra to enhance its lethality to an extreme. While he did have some variations in flying slashes, those were more of a Wind jutsu rather than a sword move.
Yugao looked at Fujin while recalling the wind slash released from his sword. Fujin noticed her gaze and realized what she was thinking. He said, "That is everything to my swordplay. I just use chakra flow and change it to wind nature to enhance its sharpness and range. There are no other complications in my sword skills."
Yugao thought for a long time, but couldn't think of a response. Fujin let out a sigh and said, "That's why I said that you should stick with your current master. My ways will just confuse you. If you want, you can try to learn chakra flow to strengthen your current moves. But apart from that, there is nothing else I can contribute."
Yugao calmed herself and replied, "Alright. Thank you for the guidance. I'll stick with my current methods for now."
Fujin nodded. That was indeed the best. She took her leave. Fujin sighed in relief, 'Fortunately, she didn't ask me to teach her chakra flow. Now, should I go raid the Wind Crystals in training rooms or should I try improving my wind jutsus and perhaps creating new ones?'
Fujin already had a few ideas for new jutsus. And he had thought of proper training plans to learn them. However, he shook his head and decided, 'No. I won't be able to sustain training for a long time as my clones have the majority of my chakra. I'll go raid those wind crystals.'
He moved to the Wind Training Rooms and began meditating.
