Chapter Three "Beast (Number Unknown)"

Shirou meditated as he reviewed his condition. He was no longer human. He was now a Heroic Spirit, a human that had transcended his mortal coil with the legends and myths forged by his famous feats. His very being radiated with power that Shirou had never possessed in life, excluding his time as a Pseudo-Servant during the Grand Order Crisis.

No further did he have to look then at his Magic Circuits that were now more essential to his current existence then during his mortal life. 27 Magic Circuits that had been badly damaged and never fully recovered from his flawed understanding of magecraft taught by Kiritsugu were working well beyond the capacity even at his peak in his previous life. His current Magic Circuits were capable of producing and storing Od, and outputting magical energy well beyond even the most magically gifted human like Rin Tohsaka.

Even he didn't know what his new limits were as Shirou hadn't been pushed to the extreme in his short new existence as a proper Heroic Spirit.

I wonder what my new limit on how much Magical Energy I can use at any one time? Shirou asked himself as he attempted to test his new powers.

Sakura ran into the room with a concerned look just moments after Shirou started to draw upon Mana in the atmosphere to supplement his Od in creating magical energy.

"What are you doing!?" Sakura shouted in alarm and it took her for a while to process what Shirou was doing. She soon smacked Shirou over the head. "Don't ever try using Mana in this world!"

"Why not?" Shirou asked in confusion as he nursed his bruised head.

"I don't know why but using Mana produced by the planet is a dangerous task unless you receive special training in Senjutsu and become a Sage. Otherwise, you turn into a petrified animal or humanoid statue." Sakura quickly explained.

"The planet we live on must hate humanity more than Gaia did in our previous lives if it will not let humans use Mana." Shirou remarked with great interest. "Does this danger apply to all Mana or just Mana produced by the planet?"

"The planet doesn't hate humanity anymore than Gaia does or there would be many mythical creatures on this planet, which are very rare. The most abundant users of magic are humans. Mana from other sources such as humans are safe as far as I know." Sakura replied.

Shirou made an important note not to use Mana and rethink how he used magical energy in the future. He might not use Mana as much as other mages but had a habit to do so as a method to conserve his Od. The last thing he wanted was to transform into a statue because he forgot that Mana in another world was hostile to humans.

He shivered as Shirou imagined a tombstone erected at his burial site. "Here lies Shirou Emiya. Dead and turned into a statue because he forgot something as simple as Mana being hostile to humans."

"Aren't humans of this world handicapped by not being able to use Mana?" Shirou asked as he searched what knowledge he possessed upon his summoning by the World.

"Humans of this world and Earth are nearly identical in every way, except for their Magic Circuits or Chakra Pathways as this world calls it. Unlike on Earth where someone's Magic Circuits can be naturally improved through training, Chakra Pathways grew like muscles. It is how someone ninjas that were born as ordinary humans can become legends able to accomplish deeds not possible outside of demigods on Earth."

Shirou stared in shock at Sakura. His eyes wide and jaws slack. Why didn't the knowledge I was summoned with include this information!?

"So don't think that you're invincible because you're a Heroic Spirit." Sakura giggled in amusement. "Anyway…. So, unless you receive Senjutsu training, please don't use Mana. I beg you, Shirou."

"I got it." Shirou engraved Sakura's warning deeply into his mind as the last thing he wanted to cause her to worry about him using Mana. "So do you mind explaining more about how Chakra Pathways are different from Magic Circuits?"

"This world's Chakra Pathways seem to be a cross of the ancient Chinese and Indian understanding of human biology. There are the 361 Chakra Points where chakra comes out from the human to allow ninjutsu possible. The Chakra Eight Gates that natural self-limiter to prevent someone from using too much of their ability that it would otherwise cause self-harm without them. The Three Chakra Centers that are the source of physical and spiritual energy, and where physical and spiritual energy combines to become Chakra." Sakura explained.

Shirou nodded in understanding for the most part of Sakura's explanation as it was familiar to the ancient Chinese and Indian understanding of human biology but the last part regarding physical and spiritual energy confused him.

"This is the unique aspect of this world's chakra pathways that differs from Magic Circuits." Sakura continued. "Physical energy as its name suggests comes from the body and increases with physical training while spiritual energy comes from the mind and increases through studying, mediation and experiences. This is how humans on Earth where Magic Circuits they are born with are usually their limits but this world's ninjas can become strong enough to rival Servants."

"Interesting… I am going to have to visit the library and talk to some experts on this matter." Shirou muttered as he filed the topic for later investigation. "What happened with your meeting with the Third Hokage?"

"Hiruzen-sama, requested that we take an A-rank mission."

"A-rank…" Shirou muttered as he searched the knowledge given to him during his summoning. "Isn't that mission rating given to the ninja elite, Jonin and ANBU?"

"That's right." Sakura nodded her head. "You don't have to worry too much about the mission. It is to protect the Fourth Hokage and his family. Nothing that should be too difficult for us when the security around the Fourth Hokage and his family has been beefed up dramatically. It should be akin to a paid vacation holiday for someone of our caliber."

"You don't seem to be treating the mission very seriously, Sakura." Shirou said in a disproving tone. "Disregarding the insane and naïve fools that cannot hope to harm such an influential figure as Minato Namikaze, people that would attempt such assassination will be Servant-level… I mean Kage-level, if we got by this world's standards, foes or elite teams specially trained to fighting kage-level targets. Did you simply forget these facts, Sakura?"

"Kage-level ninja are strategic weapons, akin to nuclear weapons of our past lives, and Jonins would be equivalent to Spec-Ops. Such a force would only be committed when the chances of a mission succession are high and their loss would represent a significant loss to any organization they belonged to. Whichever organization tried to assassinate the Fourth Hokage, I guarantee that they would lay low for several weeks at the very least before even considering a second attempt." Sakura explained. "So, the mission shouldn't be too dangerous."

Shirou pinched his nose. He didn't even think about arguing with Sakura. It was abundantly clear that she wasn't going to change her mind given her stubborn expression and refusal to budge on the topic. Sakura's rock-solid argument also was difficult to refute.

If I try arguing with Sakura then I can easily imagine the topic dragging on for hours, and still not convince her that taking the mission to protect the Fourth Hokage and his family is not a good idea. Shirou sighed. "Okay. I agree to protect the Fourth Hokage and his family." Sakura smiled as she embraced Shirou happily. "I feel like you had an ulterior motive in accepting the mission. What is it, Sakura?"

Sakura released her hug and stared at Shirou. "We have a perfect opportunity to establish your reputation so that the citizens of Konoha have a good first impression of you after you saved their very popular and influential leader. So, we need to strike the iron while it is still hot and this mission to protect the Fourth Hokage and his family is a gift from the heavens."

Shirou was taken back by Sakura's motive for accepting the mission. The very last thing he cared about was reputation. While reputation had certainly helped many times in his life in his crusade as a hero of justice, it wasn't that important to him that he focused on fostering a good public image of himself. He would have rather spent that time and effort in saving more lives.

At least that was what he thought at first before Shirou thought more deeply about Sakura's suggestion.

Reputation hadn't been something he cared so much during his human life, but as a Heroic Spirit reputation had a huge impact on him. It was something that could alter his very essence in mind, body and soul. After all, Heroic Spirits might be transformed into a person completely different than they had been in life because of their feats-turned-legends. Vlad III, or Vlad the Impaler, was one such example of a Heroic Spirit transformed into a being completely the opposite of the man Vlad was in life due to the legend as the Vampire Dracula.

On the positive side, many Heroic Spirits upon summoning were stronger than in their mortal lives due to how widely known their legends were. Some Heroic Spirits were several times stronger compared to their former human selves. So, if Shirou's reputation was widely known in this new world he found himself in then his power could be further strengthened.

"Fine," Shirou admitted in defeat. "Let's go meet the Fourth Hokage. I need to know more about his personality and behavior if only to protect him better."

"That's great to hear, Shirou!" Sakura cheered as she led the way.

- O -

Shirou stared at Minato Namikaze in amazement. If the Fourth Hokage was to die then there was no doubt that Minato would enter the Throne of Heroes. That was how well known Minato's feats were across the Elemental Nations. Minato would easily rank up in the top ranks as one of the fastest Servants given his incredible physical agility and iconic space-time magic/ninjutsu, Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God technique).

"I feel much safer with you around, Uchiha-san." Minato said happily as he cradled the sleeping Naruto in his hands.

Shirou snapped out of his musing. "Namikaze-san, I would prefer it if you addressed me by my first name." Shirou replied as he glanced around at several Jonins and masked ANBU that were visible or hidden protecting the Fourth Hokage and the Hokage's family. "We don't want people to be confused if you are addressing them or me, especially in an emergency."

"Sorry force of habit, Shirou-san." Minato apologized while glancing at several Jonin and ANBU that were part of the Uchiha clan. "So how have you been settling in so far? I hope you find Konoha as a great place to call home."

"It is a nice and comforting city." Shirou replied with a smile while internally moaning at the inconvenience of being secretly monitored constantly by several ninjas that had hidden themselves well but were unable to escape his sight.

"I don't mean to pry into what might be Konoha's secrets but could you tell me who attacked you or your family? The more information I have the better I can protect you." Shirou asked politely.

Several of the Jonins and ANBU tensed up, ready to attack Shirou at Minato order, but the Uchihas showed signs of hesitation or outright disregarded Minato's words as if they had already accepted Shirou as their kin.

Minato shook his head and gestured at his bodyguards to stand down before addressing Shirou. "We knew very little as of right now. There are too many possible groups that have the ability and motive to target me and my family. So, I will have information sent to you about my would-be assassins when I myself receive it."

Shirou nodded his head gratefully.

"How far have you gotten?" Minato asked as he glanced over at Sakura and Kushina, who were busy talking about all manners of topics related to raising a baby. "I heard that Sakura-san asked Fugaku for his blessings to marry you."

Shirou coughed uncomfortably and he started to become nervous as the visible and hidden bodyguards stared at him. The situation was made all the more suffocating when he noticed Sakura's attempt to pretend that she hadn't heard Minato's question.

"Minato, what are you trying to do!? How could you ask such a sensitive topic, especially when Sakura is still around!" Kushina growled quietly as if the sleeping baby Naruto wasn't around, she would have no doubt scolded her husband loudly.

"Don't pull on my ear, Kushina. It hurts!" The Fourth Hokage spluttered as he tried to think up an excuse to calm down his furious wife but Kushina continued to fiercely pull on his ears.

Shirou sighed in relief that Kushina's interruption had deflected the uncomforting conversation that he didn't want to him. In fact, he looked at Minato with a growing amusement at Minato's plight.

"You will wake Naruto up!" The Fourth Hokage squealed and instantly Kushina stopped pulling her husband's ear as if her baby would be harmed if Minato continued protesting.

"Why don't I take care of Naruto for you, Minato-san." Sakura spoke in a very kind tone as she gently snatched the sleeping Naruto from Minato's grasp and quickly left the furious wife and scolded husband duo.

Shirou smiled in amusement as he joined Sakura as she walked away from Minato and Kushina. After entering another room with Sakura, Shirou quickly erected a simple Bounded Field to prevent others from eavesdropping on them.

"It is well-hidden but I was able to detect it. What is inside Kushina Uzumaki?" Shirou asked.

"People like her, who contain a powerful spirit, are called Jinchūriki and are treated like superweapons of great importance that change the tide of wars. Kushina is the host of the most powerful spirit, the Nine Tailed Fox, and no, it is not Tamamo-no-Mae." Sakura explained.

Thank god… Shirou sighed in relief as he shivered at the nightmare the situation might have been if Tamamo-no-Mae had been the Nine-Tailed Fox. "How powerful is this Nine-Tailed Fox?"

"Comparable to the strongest Servants – not Grand Servants of course – or low tier Divine Spirit if the historical records and personal accounts of people that saw the Nine-Tailed Fox in action I have read and heard of are anything to go by." Sakura explained.

He glanced over in the direction of where Kushina's chakra was. If the ninjas he met were anything to go by then in terms of sheer amount of Od/chakra then Kushina reigned as king. Shirou wouldn't be surprised if Kushina was able to lay the entire Konoha to waste if she was able to command the powers of the Nine Tailed Fox.

"Wah!" Baby Naruto started to cry as he woke up from his sleep.

"There, there." Sakura cooed as she gently handled the confused Naruto. "Your mother isn't far away. I will take you to her right away." She walked away out of the room to the furious Kushina, scolding Minato. "Kushina-san, your son is awake and he seems to be hungry."

Kushina immediately stopped dressing down her husband and pushed her husband away while shouting, "All men are to leave the room, right now!" Naruto soon started to cry. "I am sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to scare you."

A very afraid Minato and the male ninja bodyguards quickly left the room in a great hurry. They knew very well about Kushina's infamous temper and what fates awaited them if they ignored her.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have pried into your personal life, Shirou-san…" Minato apologized awkwardly as if the whole series of events had been his fault.

Shirou was about to graciously accept Minato's apology when the Fourth Hokage disappeared in a yellow flash after hearing a perverted giggle from nearby. When Shirou turned to see where Minato had gone, he was shocked to find someone peeping through the door leading into the lounge where Sakura, Kushina and the female ninja bodyguards were.

How did I miss such a powerful person? Shirou wondered and he unconsciously activated his Sharingan. His brows rose as he saw the sheer amount of chakra that the newcomer possessed, easily on the level of a Servant or Kage. The fact that the man is not being attacked by Minato means that he must be an ally at the very least. He noted while glancing at the male ninjas in the room that they were just surprised by someone that had avoided their detection but otherwise didn't do anything.

"Jiraiya-sensei are you peeping on my wife as she breast-feeds Naruto?" Minato asked in a very dangerous tone.

"Heehee of course yes." Jiraiya blurted out subconsciously and when he realized what he had said Minato was already upon him, unleashing a beating that left Jiraiya screaming.

"Hello, Shirou-san." A spiky whited haired ANBU said as he walked to Shirou. "That is Jiraiya the Frog Sannin, Minato-sensei's teacher and one of Konoha's most powerful and well-known ninjas."

"I think it was… Hatake-san?" Shirou asked sheepishly.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake but it is Inu while I am on duty, Shirou-san." Kakashi replied as he smiled. "You have been the talk of the town recently, Shirou-san. Some are saying that you are as powerful as Minato-sensei after you took down S-rank missing-nin singlehandedly."

"Much of the rumors were greatly exaggerated." Shirou responded humbly. "Has there been any unusual activities that I should know about as part of my duty protecting Minato?"

"Nothing too important besides a couple of false alarms and the foolish assassinations attempts by people have no real ability to harm Minato-Sensei and his family." Kakashi shook his head. "I would love to talk to you off-duty." Kakashi quickly disappeared as a fellow ANBU approached him.

"I hope I don't have to remind you again to peep on Kushina, Jiraiya-Sensei." Minato spoke as he ceased pummeling Jiraiya.

"Understood." Jiraiya responded in a not so serious tone as he turned to Shirou. "You must be Shirou Uchiha."

"That is correct." Shirou acknowledged. "What would bring you, Jiraiya-san, here? The security in protecting the Fourth Hokage seems too secure to warrant another kage-level ninja."

"I am not here to protect my student. Minato is powerful enough that he doesn't need my help." Jiraiya laughed. "No, I came because I managed to gather some information about who had tried to assassinate my student."

Minato's expression turned seriously as he turned to his teacher. "Who wanted to harm my wife and my baby?!"

"The ones that attacked you and your family were a mercenary group of great power and influence called the Akatsuki. It seems like they were paid on behalf of an unknown party to carry out the attack." Jiraiya replied grimly. "I also heard that someone by the name of Beast had helped the Akatsuki."

Shirou became alarmed by that development. If perchance that the "Beast" Jiraiya was referring was anyway connected to why he had been summoned then humanity was in great danger. So much danger that it was possible that in the near-future that an extinction-level calamity might wipe humanity out if not eliminated as soon as possible. It might also be the reason why Shirou had been summoned by the World.

"Jiraiya-san, please tell me everything you know about the Beast. Does the Beast have any number attached to their name like Beast I or Beast II?" Shirou asked grimly as he recalled the Grand Order Crisis. "I must know immediately as if this person is who I think it is, then Konoha being wiped out is the very least thing we need to worry about. It is a threat to not just the Country of Fire but the entire Elemental Continent. All of the Tailed Beasts together might not be as dangerous as the Beast."


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