Naruto: Stormbreaker

Chapter 152: Chapter 152

When support arrived, they were stunned to find we had already dealt with the missing-nin and the bandits. We had even kept a few alive for interrogation, and we captured Aoya without killing her. Shisui handed her over and instructed them to bring her to Konoha for interrogation. The support team looked at us in awe, then nodded and left with Aoya unconscious.

We went back to Tamon’s office, which we kept as a base of operations since we arrived. That also made sure the records were not damaged or stolen. Once we arrived, Sena set me down gently on a sofa where I lay on my back, trying my best not to focus on the pain in my legs. Looking at Shisui, I remembered he was known for incredible speed and mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, so I asked, ”Sensei, can you help me with my issue here? Flicker is not supposed to be used constantly, I know that, but is there a way to improve my tolerance and endurance so I can use it more?”

Since I should not know his title, I kept my request vague.

Shisui smiled. ”There is a way indeed.”

Kaen jumped in. ”Sensei, can you please teach me that way?”

I rolled my eyes, and Shisui laughed. ”Do not worry, Kaen. I will make sure to teach you how to use the flicker technique and even master it. However, the process is arduous and will take time before you can flicker constantly with minimal side effects.”

Kaen and I started nodding like chickens, showing how eager we were to learn.

He laughed, then looked at Sena. ”It is not part of our mission, but I will need you to go over those records and prepare a full report exposing Tamon’s embezzlement if there is any.”

Sena nodded and, with confidence, began checking the records while scribbling notes into her notebook.

He looked at Kaen. ”Kaen, I will need you to roam the settlement and search for him. If you find him, do not engage. Report to me as fast as possible. If you do not find him, do not worry. This is also not part of our mission.”

Kaen nodded, then looked at me and asked, ”What is he going to do?”

”I will rest,” I replied. ”I cannot move much. I will need a day or two before I can walk and run again.”

Kaen grunted with annoyance. ”Such a weak body.”

I looked at Shisui, who sighed before saying, ”Kaen, go and start your search. We will move as soon as Sena is done with her investigation and Noa is able to walk.”

Kaen nodded to Shisui, took a map of the settlement, and left the office.

For the next two days, Kaen kept searching while grumbling that we could not go back to the village because of my weakness. Sena intentionally slowed her investigation so she could double-check her work, catch small details, and give me time to recover. By the second day’s end, Sena looked at me, then gave a nod and turned to Shisui, who was standing near the window looking outside.

”Sensei, I have a full report ready. Tamon was indeed embezzling from the village. Very small quantities, over a long time. He is actually very talented to keep doing it while avoiding the auditors the village sent. It is a shame he chose to do that.”

Shisui sighed and nodded. ”Noa, are you ready to move yet?”

I stood, stretched, and felt surprisingly well. I nodded. ”Yes, sensei. I feel ready. We can go back to the village now.” My chakra was already full, so I felt like new.

We started to pack as Kaen arrived at the entrance. Looking at me, he said with an excited voice, ”Are we finally leaving for the village?”

Shisui asked, ”How was the search?”

Kaen replied right away, ”I could not find him. I asked around, but it is like he disappeared. I think he left before the attack even happened.”

Sena nodded. ”He must have used that second group to add more chaos, maybe even to harm us, and to keep us occupied and resting longer so we would not search for him too early. He planned to leave from the beginning. He is careful, which is rare for embezzlers. They are careful at first, then they grow greedy and careless. He is smart, meticulous, and very cautious. It is a shame to lose such talent.”

Shisui looked at her, impressed by her deduction and work ethic. With a nod, he asked Kaen to start packing, and we finally headed back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

After a day’s trip with a quick, pleasant camp, we finally saw the glorious gates of Konoha. The moment we walked through the gate, Kaen asked Shisui to leave, then darted straight toward the Uchiha compound. Sena asked Shisui, ”Sensei, would you like me to go and prepare the mission report?”

Shisui shook his head. ”You and Noa go home. I will file the report myself.”

We both nodded, and Sena and I headed out.

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Shisui appeared outside the Hokage’s office and knocked once. A guard opened the door, and he stepped inside, bowing.

”Lord Hokage.”

Hiruzen looked up from a stack of mission reports. Morning light fell across the desk and caught the thin smoke curling from his pipe. Two masked ANBU stood silent at the far wall.

Shisui kept his eyes lowered. ”I request a private audience.”

Hiruzen studied him for a heartbeat, then nodded. ”Clear the room.”

The ANBU disappeared soundlessly. The door clicked shut, and the office grew heavy and quiet, the only noise the faint rustle of paper and the patient tick of the clock.

”Report,” Hiruzen said.

Shisui set a leather folder on the desk and opened it to neat pages and copied seals. ”Primary objective achieved. Aoya is in custody. Sealing tags suppressed her chakra. She has been transferred to T&I.”

Hiruzen nodded. ”Go on.”

”Secondary findings,” Shisui said. He placed a slim ledger beside the folder. ”Evidence of ongoing embezzlement by Tamon, the settlement’s warehouse supervisor. Small amounts taken over a long period. The method relied on diversions in logistics manifests and false double counts. Auditors missed the pattern.”

Hiruzen turned a few pages in silence. ”So you were attacked by Aoya and her bandits, then again by another group, yet you survived and even secured prisoners. I assume there was no way for a genin team to face her alone, so your interference is understandable.” His hand froze halfway through turning the page. He read the line again, then slowly looked up to meet Shisui’s gaze. His voice had turned hard. ”I can understand Kaen and Sena handling bandits and preventing Aoya’s escape. How did Noa defeat her alone? She has Wind Release, which counters Noa’s Lightning Release. She is a fully fledged, experienced shinobi. This should not have been close. The mission was meant to humble them while you were ready to step in and save their lives, so later they would appreciate the village watching over them and work harder to grow stronger. Now you tell me Noa beat her alone.” He raised the pipe, took a slow breath, and exhaled smoke. ”How does a genin defeat a chunin, Shisui?”

Shisui looked conflicted. He glanced out the window at the Hokage Monument, then sighed. ”This boy Noa is remarkable. At first he worked with Sena to keep Aoya contained and unable to flee. She was beating him and he took injuries, yet he did not retreat. He kept her occupied with skilled movement, strong Lightning Release, and fuinjutsu far beyond his age.” He exhaled, then continued. ”Aoya grew nervous, expecting support to arrive, so she went all out and used the combination technique she had been developing years ago.”

Hiruzen thought for a moment. ”Wind Release: Spiral Reaver. She stabilized it?”

Shisui nodded. A brief smile touched Hiruzen’s face. ”That technique has real potential. I see why you brought her in alive. Studying it will help.”

”That was my thought,” Shisui said.

Hiruzen’s smile faded. ”You still have not told me how Noa defeated someone more experienced and with more chakra. Do not tell me he awakened a bloodline limit mid-battle.”

Shisui shook his head. ”Before I answer, Lord Hokage, I ask that what I am about to say not be entered into the mission record. I fear for his safety if it is.”

Hiruzen’s eyes sharpened. ”I will decide after I hear it.”

Shisui looked disappointed at the lack of assurance, but he continued. ”He used something unique. It stunned me. If I must compare it, I would say it resembles a technique I have only read about in old reports.” He paused. ”It resembled the Third Raikage’s Lightning Chakra Mode.”

Hiruzen’s eyes went wide. His mouth parted. The pipe slipped from his fingers and struck the desk. For a moment, the only sound was the faint crackle from the pipe where it had fallen.