96. Flee On Sight

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Sora's answer about enhancing jutsu through yin-yang manipulation was a mix of genuine theory (based on his recent studies) and part wild speculation (based on his overactive imagination). He finished with a flourish, adding a little doodle of himself giving a thumbs-up at the bottom of the page.

'This kid...' Gisou thought, shaking his head in disbelief. 'He's either going to revolutionize the ninja world or accidentally destroy it. Possibly both at the same time.'

Needing a second opinion on one of Sora's more... unique answers, Gisou approached a Chunin who was working on deciphering a seal.

"Excuse me," Gisou said, his voice carefully modulated to hide his uncertainty, "could you take a look at this seal design? I'm curious about its potential applications."

The Chunin looked up, his eyes widening in surprise and awe. "O-of course, Gisou-sama! It would be an honour!"

As the Chunin examined the seal, his brow furrowed in confusion. "This is... unlike anything I've ever seen before. The complexity is astounding, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to do."

Gisou, drawing upon years of bullshitting his way through situations he didn't understand, nodded sagely. "Indeed. But what if we were to invert the outer ring and realign the central matrix?"

The Chunin's jaw dropped. "Of course! That's brilliant, Gisou-sama! It would completely negate the air resistance factor in the trajectory calculation!"

'Wait, what?' Gisou thought, struggling to keep his face impassive. 'Did I actually say something useful? No, impossible. Quick, say something vague and profound!'

Aloud, he merely nodded again. "Yes, well, it's a rather... unconventional approach. I was simply curious to see if you'd catch that."

The Chunin beamed, clearly thrilled to have impressed the legendary Gisou. "Your insight is truly remarkable, Gisou-sama! To think you could understand such a complex seal at a glance... your reputation as a master of all ninja arts is well-deserved!"

'Oh great,' Gisou lamented internally, 'now they think I'm a seal master too. This day just keeps getting better and better. At this rate, they'll be saying I invented fuinjutsu by next week.'

Thanking the Chunin, Gisou retreated back to his desk, his mind whirling. The more he learned about this Sora kid, the more perplexed he became. Despite his earlier resolve to delay submitting his report, Gisou found himself compelled to speak with the Hokage immediately the next day.

He also watched his battles in the second and third exams and was impressed.

Gathering his notes, he made his way back to Tsunade's office, his usual stoic expression hiding a maelstrom of confusion and curiosity.

"Hokage-sama," he began after being granted entry, "I've completed my review of the new Chunin, particularly Sora Uzumaki. I have... concerns."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.

Gisou laid out his findings, carefully to maintain his reputation for a few words. "The boy's abilities are... extraordinary. His exam answers, while unconventional, show a level of creativity and strategic thinking far beyond his years. However..."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I'm concerned about the potential security risks of promoting someone so young to Chunin rank, regardless of their abilities."

Tsunade listened intently, her expression unreadable. When Gisou finished, she leaned back in her chair, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Your concerns are noted, Gisou," she said. "But I assure you, we've taken all necessary precautions. Sora may be young, but he's proven himself time and again. His... unique perspective might be exactly what we need in these turbulent times."

Gisou nodded, though internally he was far from convinced. 'Unique perspective? That's one way to put it. I just hope this kid doesn't accidentally start a war with his "Ramen Release" jutsu.'

"Is there anything else?" Tsunade asked, her tone indicating the meeting was drawing to a close.

"Just one thing, Hokage-sama," Gisou replied. "The third question on the exam... I believe you should read Sora's answer yourself."

Tsunade's eyebrow quirked upwards, but she nodded, dismissing Gisou with a wave of her hand.

As Gisou left the office, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and trepidation. On one hand, his part in this bizarre affair was over. On the other... he couldn't shake the feeling that this Sora kid was going to turn the ninja world upside down.

'Well,' he thought wryly as he made his way back to his quarters, 'at least life won't be boring.'

Meanwhile, back in her office, Tsunade picked up Sora's exam paper, curious about what could have rattled the usually unflappable Gisou. As she read the answer to the third question, her eyes widened, then narrowed, then widened again.

"If both of your teammates were in danger and you could save only one, who would you save? Give reasons."

Sora's answer sprawled across the page, a mix of philosophical musings and... was that a joke about time travel?

As she reached the end of the answer, Tsunade found herself torn between laughter and exasperation. The boy's logic was twisted, his humour dark, and his approach to the problem so far out of the left field it was practically in another stadium.

And yet...

There was a certain brilliance to it. A way of thinking so far outside the box that it challenged the very notion of the box's existence. It was reckless, irreverent, and completely impractical. It was also, she had to admit, exactly the kind of thinking that had saved Konoha more than once in the past.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, a rueful smile on her face. "Sora Uzumaki," she murmured, shaking her head, "you're either going to be the saviour of this village or its downfall. Either way, I have a feeling you're going to give me more headaches than a dozen Narutos."

She glanced at the mountain of paperwork on her desk, then back at Sora's exam. With a decisive nod, she pulled out a bottle of sake from her secret drawer.

"Well, kid," she said, raising her cup in a mock toast, "here's to the future of Konoha. May we all survive your... unique perspective."

As she took a sip, Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle. The coming years were going to be interesting, to say the least. Between Naruto's determination, Sasuke's ambition, and now Sora's chaotic brilliance... well, the other villages wouldn't know what hit them.

And somewhere in Konoha, blissfully unaware of the turmoil he had caused, a red-headed six-year-old dreamed of ramen-based jutsu and, dreaming of becoming a Ramen Sage, a mischievous smile playing on his scarred face even in sleep.

After recovering from the bewildering experience of reading Sora's exam answers, Tsunade found herself curious about another matter. The stoic Gisou's reaction to the young prodigy had been... interesting, to say the least. On a whim, she decided to pull out Konoha's Bingo Book and check Gisou's entry.

As she flipped through the pages, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of information would be recorded about a shinobi as enigmatic as Gisou. When she finally found his entry, her eyes widened in surprise and admiration.

The Bingo Book entry read:

Name: Gisou

Rank: S-rank (possibly surpassing Kage-level)

Known Abilities: 

- Wind Release (rumoured to surpass the First Kazekage)

- Unparalleled Stealth

- Master of All Ninja Arts (unconfirmed, but widely believed)

Notable Achievements:

- Fought the Two-Tails to a standstill, forcing its retreat, got the scar on his face from such a battle.

- Single-handedly completed 50+ S-rank missions without a scratch

- Infiltrated all Five Great Shinobi Villages undetected (rumoured)

- Developed numerous top-secret jutsu (classified)

Titles:-

Wind Catastrophe

Shinigami

...

Threat Level: Flee on Sight

Special Notes: Approach with extreme caution. The true extent of abilities is unknown. Many enemies report feeling an overwhelming sense of doom in his presence, often leading to surrender or retreat before combat even begins.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, letting out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be damned," she muttered to herself. "I knew Gisou was impressive, but this..."

She found herself nodding in agreement with each point. The wind release abilities certainly explained his nickname as the "Wind Catastrophe." The stealth capabilities aligned perfectly with her earlier observations about his lack of detectable presence and his moniker of "Shinigami", People don't even know when they died in front of him.

The achievement of fighting the Two-Tails to a standstill particularly caught her attention. "So, it was true after all, To think we have someone of that calibre in our ranks," she mused. "No wonder the Third kept him so close."

The note about enemies surrendering or retreating at his mere presence made her chuckle. "That explains a lot," she thought, remembering the way even hardened jounin seemed to defer to Gisou.

But it was the "Flee on Sight" designation that really drove home the point. That was a classification reserved for only the most dangerous of shinobi - those like the Fourth Hokage in his prime.

"To think, all this time, we've had a shinobi of this calibre right under our noses," Tsunade said to herself, shaking her head in amazement. "Gisou truly is in a league of his own."

She closed the Bingo Book, her mind racing with the possibilities. With someone like Gisou on their side, Konoha's position among the Great Nations seemed more secure than ever.

"I need to make sure we're utilizing his skills to their fullest," she decided. "Someone of his level shouldn't be wasted on simple missions."

As she pondered the best way to leverage Gisou's incredible abilities, Tsunade couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Konoha had always been known for producing exceptional shinobi, and Gisou was proof that tradition was alive and well.

"Between Gisou's unparalleled skills and young prodigies like Sora, the future of Konoha is looking brighter than ever," she thought, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

Little did she know that at that very moment, the legendary Gisou was engaged in an epic battle... with a stubborn knot in his shoelace, wondering if he could pass it off as some kind of dexterity training if anyone happened to walk in on him.

***

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