Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

Haseo was a little disappointed that Menzuomen might have escaped, but he couldn't bring himself to blame him for it. It was actually understandable—if Menzuomen had been so easily defeated, he wouldn't have survived this long in the first place.

Since the opportunity had slipped away, there was nothing left to do but accept the outcome with equanimity. Haseo didn't dwell on it and ended up sleeping like a log that night. When he woke up the next morning, he indeed felt much more refreshed. Though his body still felt a little sore, it was barely noticeable.

He got out of the hospital bed and stepped outside the tent. The morning air carried a chill of winter, sending a sharp jolt through him. Before he could even stretch, he turned and spotted Chichio waiting at the tent's entrance.

"Chichio?" Haseo couldn't understand why she was here at this hour.

"The three of us made a plan—we'd take turns watching over you while you were recovering in the hospital. Yesterday I was in the best shape, so I took the first shift," Chichio explained her reason for being there.

"…"

Haseo didn't mind his teammates' intentions. But honestly, beyond expressing their concern, the act itself was pointless—it was pure formality. After all, the Frontline Hospital stood right in the heart of Konoha's base; enemies normally wouldn't be able to infiltrate such a place. And if enemies did appear here, one or two guards wouldn't stand a chance anyway. That kind of situation could only arise if Konoha's entire frontline had already collapsed.

Still, though he knew this gesture was unnecessary, Haseo couldn't bring himself to say anything against it. Right now, their relationship was purely professional—not close friends by any means. Rejecting such kindness would seem ungrateful. While Haseo was a bit blunt, he wasn't entirely clueless about social dynamics.

"Actually, we should've been the ones thanking you yesterday. Without you, none of us could've escaped from Menzuomen," Chichio continued. Truthfully, when they encountered Menzuomen, she'd already lost hope. She never expected Haseo to perform like that.

To be honest, she was deeply shocked… In this team, only Chichio, who had once handled spy-elimination missions, knew that Haseo had only been an ordinary person three months ago. Yet, who could've guessed that in just a short time, he'd become a ninja fluent in mastering multiple Elemental Chakra Affinities?

In such a short time, evolving from just an ordinary person into a ninja capable of holding off Menzuomen—Haseo's progress could truly be called genius-level.

"We're part of the same squad. I just did what I could—I don't deserve any praise or admiration."

Haseo shook his head. Even just for his own survival, he had already given his all during yesterday's battle. Besides, since he'd actively requested to serve as a squad leader and gained the most basic authority, he also needed to shoulder corresponding responsibilities.

Honestly speaking, even at his worst, Haseo would never deliberately sacrifice his teammates.

Perhaps because of their conversation, Sakumo Hatake also walked out from the tent.

"What are you talking about?"

"Reflecting on yesterday's battle... Are you alright already?" Haseo asked Hatake. Yesterday, both him and his squad had performed adequately, yet this couldn't hide the fact that their very first mission had failed.

"Except for constantly feeling hungry, I don't have any serious problems," Hatake replied.

Haseo inwardly thought that someone perpetually feeling hungry was itself quite an issue. Could previous events have left this guy with psychological trauma?

Right now, if there was a census conducted along Konoha's front line asking who found Military Rations Pills delicious, at least two people would enthusiastically nod in agreement: Haseo Yu and Sakumo Hatake.

"As for reflecting on the battle... Well, I need some speed."

In the end, what Haseo needed was speed—at the highest level a ninja could achieve. He wasn't unaware of how to resolve his speed deficiencies either; in fact, the solution lay right before him—Lightning Release.

After sunrise, Nara came over to relieve Chichio of duty. Soon afterward, Kōga arrived at Haseo's location again, thoroughly rechecking his physical condition.

"The poisoning issue has been resolved. However..."

"However?" This made Haseo slightly nervous. Could there really be another problem with his body?

"No, it's nothing," Kōga swallowed the words just as they reached his mouth.

What Haseo didn't know was that, due to his closeness with Sansho, Kōga understood him far better than he realized.

Because of this understanding, at this moment, Kōga actually felt that Haseo's chakra growth rate was abnormally fast. Honestly speaking, this seemed somewhat unusual—even considering the enhancement provided by Senju's secret medicine, within merely three months, an ordinary person shouldn't reach the level of chakra Haseo currently possessed.

Nonetheless, this was merely Kōga's personal opinion. Perhaps he was simply being overly suspicious. After all, faster chakra growth ultimately remained a good thing.

"You're still practicing Lightning Release, right? Moderate stimulation can benefit your cellular metabolism. Still, never overdo it. Lightning Release, such chaotic and violent power, always burdens the body greatly." Finally, Kōga added this reminder.

According to his explanation, the stimulation from Lightning Release seemed beneficial for Haseo in eliminating residual toxins inside his body, although excess usage should absolutely be avoided.

"Chaotic, huh?"

His words made Haseo think.

Whether it's pure chakra or nature-transformed chakra, they're both special energies stored inside the body. Elemental techniques (jutsu), however, function differently. Take Water Release and Earth Release, for example—they involve manifesting elements into tangible forms. As for Fire Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release, they transform chakra into special damaging energy.

There's a fundamental difference between affinity-natured chakra and elemental chakra techniques.

To explain it simply, lightning chakra flows quietly along the chakra meridians inside one's body—it's controllable and obedient. But the Lightning Release technique is absolutely not like that. Once released, it violently surges through the body, stimulating and damaging every single cell. In a sense, it's an elemental technique that deals a thousand losses to the enemy while damaging oneself by eight hundred. Ninja who use Lightning Release must first endure its destructive effects upon themselves, gradually building up resistance against it through continuous practice.

Yet no matter how much one practices, there are always side effects. Take a powerful technique like [Chidori Current]—it places extreme strain on every single cell in the body, easily causing electrolyte imbalance. This can further lead to various complications, causing users to become neurotic, resentful, prone to blaming fate and others, psychologically unstable, emotionally unstable, prejudiced, and even developing antisocial tendencies and other physical and mental disorders.

But what if this chaotic damage from Lightning Release could be resolved? Wouldn't everything become completely different then?

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>