C8 Famous in Konoha
"Boom!"
The moment the Earth Dragon Bullet made contact with Russell, a leg clad in green clothing delivered a swift kick to the dragon's head.
Might Guy's voice followed, announcing, "Konoha Taijutsu Secret Technique — Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
The Earth Dragon shattered under the force of the kick, and a fierce gust of wind knocked Russell to the ground.
"Phew! Made it out alive!"
"Russell, are you okay?"
Guy quickly appeared at Russell's side, concern etched on his face as he helped him up.
"I'll be fine, just need to get to the hospital to stop the bleeding. It's not fatal." Russell replied nonchalantly, then added, "Help me over to that body, quick!"
???
When I offer a greeting, it's not because I have a problem—it's because you do!
Who, on the brink of death from blood loss, insists on visiting a corpse first?
Though puzzled, Guy supported Russell to the side of the black-clad man's body.
The sight of the white, blue, and purple cards next to the corpse nearly made Russell leap for joy.
"System, collect all the cards!"
Ding! A white card for Strength +1. Do you wish to absorb?
Ding! A white card for Speed +1. Do you wish to absorb?
Ding! A blue card for the Body Replacement Technique. Do you wish to absorb?
Ding! A purple card for the Earth Dragon Bullet. Do you wish to absorb?
Ding! A blue card for the Earth-Style Wall. Do you wish to absorb?
...
One after another, the system notifications chimed, music to Russell's ears like never before.
"Absorb them, absorb everything!"
But the usually pleasant absorption process proved too much for Russell's blood-depleted state, and he promptly passed out.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
In an instant, a group of Anbu materialized around Might Guy and Russell, encircling them protectively.
Spotting one with a shock of white hair, Guy's eyes brightened. "Kakashi, Russell's been targeted for assassination and has fainted from blood loss. I'm taking him to the hospital now!"
With that, Guy scooped up Russell and dashed off. The Anbu made to intercept, but Kakashi signaled them to stand down.
Guy's nonchalant use of his name irked Russell, but his injuries indeed necessitated immediate medical attention. "Clean up the battlefield and bring back the bodies for intel. I'm off to report to the Third Hokage!" With tasks swiftly delegated, Kakashi made a beeline for the Hokage's Tower.
Russell, however, was far removed from these concerns. Carried swiftly to the hospital by Might Guy's relentless pace, he arrived in no time. His injuries, while not grave, had caused him to pass out from blood loss. After a quick application of the Mystical Palm Technique, he was on the mend, though he still needed to rest until his blood levels normalized. The only aftereffect was a temporary weakness.
With Russell's condition stable, Guy departed to update Minato and Kushina. Not long after, Russell stirred awake, his first instinct to form hand seals, a sign of his regained alertness. It was only upon realizing the man in black was dead that he allowed himself to relax, whispering a relieved "I'm alive."
Once he confirmed his body was functioning properly, Russell reflected on the skirmish. His physical strength was lacking; despite ample chakra, he couldn't handle close-quarters combat. This limitation rendered several of his taijutsu useless, leaving him defenseless. Additionally, his arsenal of ninjutsu was too limited for both offense and defense. Even with plentiful chakra, without the right jutsu, his Great Fireball Technique was insufficient to best his foe.
"I must admit, I was fortunate," he mused. "Had the man in black employed ninjutsu from the start, I'd likely be dead. And it was sheer luck that I managed to defeat him—a fact that even I hadn't anticipated!"
It was clear that he needed to enhance his ninjutsu repertoire and physical conditioning. Perhaps even taijutsu could be an option. That way, his chakra wouldn't go to waste.
With a new focus for his future growth, Russell recalled the man in black's explosive demise and promptly checked his system panel.
Host: Russell
Strength: 26
Speed: 27
Physique: 23
Spirit: 26
Chakra: 1,010
Talent: Space Talent Level 3
Taijutsu: Basic Shuriken Level 2, Basic Taijutsu Level 3, Konoha's Severe Leaf Hurricane Level 4.
Ninjutsu: Great Fireball Technique Level 5, Earth-Style Wall Level 4, Earth Dragon Bullet Level 3, Body Replacement Technique Level 6.
Strength, speed, and the other two attributes all saw an increase of one or two points, but what really mattered were the Earth-Style Wall and Earth Dragon Bullet!
A B-rank and a C-rank ninjutsu significantly expanded Russell's arsenal.
"Hehehe!"
Russell laughed uncontrollably for a moment, prompting puzzled glances from passing patients and their families, who considered whether they should call a doctor for the seemingly delirious boy.
Russell's elation was understandable; the unexpected battle had left him with an abundance of chakra he was unable to utilize, which was incredibly frustrating.
But now, armed with these two ninjutsu and the Body Replacement Technique, and backed by his chakra reserves, Russell was poised to make the leap from a mere Ninja School student to an elite Chunin.
"If I were to battle that man in black again, the outcome would be far from certain!"
He clenched his fist, brimming with confidence.
"Thwack!" Kushina entered the room and, seeing Russell's goofy grin, felt a wave of relief wash over her. She playfully smacked his forehead and chided, "What's so funny? You nearly lost your life, you know?"
Her voice wavered, and her eyes reddened as tears began to glisten.
Then, as if worried she might have been too rough, she gently massaged Russell's forehead.
The unexpected reprimand snapped Russell out of his laughter, bringing him back to reality.
Touched by the sight of her tear-filled eyes, Russell's tone softened. "I'm okay, really. Look, not even a scratch."
He rolled up his sleeve to prove his point.
"Whoosh!"
"Russ, how are you feeling?" Suddenly, a figure materialized in the room, his voice preceding his arrival.
Before they could even get a clear look at Minato, his voice filled the room with concern.
After a round of explanations and promises to steer clear of danger, Kushina and Minato finally eased up on Russell.
Minato even went so far as to place a Flying Thunder God seal on Russell, ensuring his safety before feeling truly at ease.
Under the guardianship of the future Fourth Hokage and the current Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, Russell strolled home with ease.
He had initially planned to visit a publishing house today, but that would have to wait.
After escorting Russell back, Minato headed to the Hokage's office.
He had already debriefed Russell on the earlier events and now needed to report to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Minato and Kushina were astounded to hear that Russell had taken down an elite Chunin by himself. Yet, they couldn't help but find humor in the details.
The man in black had met his end at the hands of the Great Fireball Technique—a jutsu not known for being lethal.
With Minato's authority, he took over the situation, ensuring Russell was no longer involved.
He spared Russell from the Anbu's probing questions and investigations.
Upon reaching the Hokage's office, Minato was forthright, sharing the full account with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Russell," he exhaled, Sarutobi Hiruzen mused.
The mere description clued him into the extraordinary nature of the boy.
For a five-year-old to defeat a Chunin was no small feat. Luck may have been a factor, but casting over ten Great Fireball Techniques at such a young age was undeniably impressive.
With such skill, Russell was already on par with a Chunin, and he hadn't even exhausted his chakra.
How powerful would Russell become once he grew up and mastered more ninjutsu?
Sarutobi Hiruzen could only speculate, but he imagined Russell might even hold his own against the First Hokage one day.
Meanwhile, as Sarutobi pondered the boy's potential, Danzou from the Root organization received updates from his operatives about all of Russell's accomplishments.
