Natsuki couldn't be bothered and continued his leisurely journey of slacking off.
What he didn't expect, though, was that Deidara and Sasori had no intention of returning to the Land of Rain. Instead, they wandered all over, taking bounty missions as if they had completely taken over Kakuzu's job.
And just like that, Natsuki ended up tracking them for two whole months.
Fortunately, he continued to enter the gravity training room daily, never once falling behind on his regular training routine.
As for the special lab that opened on the first of each month—even though there were no new research projects for now—he didn't waste the opportunity. Instead, he focused on developing techniques based on the three kekkei genkai: Ranton (Storm Style), Mokuton (Wood Style), and Jiton (Magnet Style).
After two months of solid effort, Natsuki could clearly feel himself growing stronger.
But as for whether he'd reached the super-Kage level... well, that was hard to say. He'd have to actually fight a super-Kage to know for sure.
Currently, the only known super-Kage seed to be Tendō Pain, and now wasn't the ti to confront him.
As for others, like Uchiha Obito... Natsuki figured he wasn't truly super-Kage level either. He was just abusing Kamui like a cheat code. He couldn't even activate Susanoo, so in truth, he wasn't all that strong.
That said, Natsuki didn't dare underestimate Obito either. Techniques like Kamui were ridiculously broken, and he needed to develop so specific counters or else risk a nightmare battle later.
One day, Deidara and Sasori suddenly headed south and finally entered the Land of Rain.
Natsuki gave it so thought and didn't follow directly. Instead, he created a shadow clone, disguised it as soone else, and had it tail them into the Land of Rain while his true body retreated to a safe distance to avoid being detected by Tendō Pain.
As soon as the clone entered the Land of Rain, it was instantly drenched.
It was hard to imagine how a place could have such never-ending rainfall. But this was the world of ani—no point in questioning it. The logic here was already twisted enough.
While the clone was still trying to locate Deidara and Sasori, a figure suddenly appeared in the gloomy sky above.
In the next instant, the clone was destroyed.
Natsuki received the mory burst and imdiately teleported away using Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique).
After all, the Land of Rain was under full lockdown. Any suspicious individuals caught in the rain would be instantly sensed by Pain's A no Naka no Jiyū (Rain Tiger at Will Technique), and then promptly eliminated.
That's exactly why Natsuki had sent a shadow clone instead of going himself—to test the waters.
As expected... Pain was seriously strong.
In the sky above Agakure, Tendō Pain narrowed his eyes in doubt.
"A shadow clone? Soone was tailing Deidara into the Land of Rain? Or was it a probe into Agakure itself? …No matter.
No sche, no matter how clever, has any aning before a god!"
anwhile, Natsuki yawned in a safe place far away.
Well, that should be enough reason to head back.
He'd long suspected Akatsuki's base was in the Land of Rain, but suspicion alone wasn't enough—he needed proof.
Also, he wasn't all that eager to return to the village.
Sure, he missed snuggling up with Tenten, but returning would only an getting dumped with more annoying work.
And Tenten had her own missions too, so they wouldn't be spending much ti together anyway. Might as well stay out here.
Now that he'd been wandering for over two months, and Deidara and Sasori had entered the Land of Rain, and his clone had been vaporized trying to follow them in—that counted as so form of evidence, right?
Next step: confirm Deidara and Sasori's movents again.
Natsuki figured they weren't returning to Agakure on purpose. They were likely just passing through on their way to another assignnt.
After all, Akatsuki mbers rarely gathered. Each duo had their own tasks. Even when sothing big happened, they just used their rings to group-chat—no one went back to headquarters unless necessary.
And sure enough, a few days later, Natsuki picked up Deidara and Sasori again—this ti in the Land of Rivers.
Turns out they were just cutting through the Land of Rain to capture a high-bounty target elsewhere.
"Hm, ti to head ho."
Without delay, Natsuki used Hiraishin to teleport back.
After a refreshing wash-up, he stepped out of his house—only to imdiately sense that the village felt different.
He noticed quite a few foreign shinobi roaming around.
A quick ntal calendar check cleared up the confusion.
"Oh, right. It's ti for the Chūnin Exams. No wonder so many outsiders are here. Eh, not my job. I'll go make my report and get so rest."
Before long, Natsuki arrived at the Hokage's office and knocked politely.
"Co in," ca Tsunade's voice.
He stepped inside—only to see Shikamaru and Temari standing in front of the desk, apparently giving a report.
The two turned to look and blinked in surprise.
Shikamaru grinned. "Natsuki? You're finally back! I thought you were having too much fun out there to co ho. Everyone's been wondering about you."
Natsuki raised a hand in greeting. "Yo! Shikamaru. Reporting in—should I wait outside?"
Shikamaru waved him off. "Nah, I'm just briefing Lady Tsunade on the Chūnin Exams stuff with Temari. Nothing classified, no need to step out."
Tsunade added, "Welco back, Natsuki. Shikamaru's right—you don't need to leave. Once they're finished, I'll hear your report. Have a seat. Shizune, bring him so tea."
Natsuki didn't stand on ceremony and sat down. Shizune quickly brought him a cup of tea—this kind of treatnt wasn't for just anyone.
Temari watched him curiously.
She definitely rembered Natsuki. During the last Chūnin Exams, he'd not only beaten Orochimaru but had also pounded the One-Tail back into submission. He'd even floored Maki-sensei with a single punch.
The nickna "Konoha's Demon Blade" had spread throughout the entire shinobi world. His real strength was terrifying.
Now, seeing how even the Hokage treated him with such importance, it was clear he'd just returned from a highly classified mission.
Soone like that... was best not taken as an enemy.
Fortunately, Suna and Konoha were allies now.
Having a powerhouse like Natsuki as a comrade-in-arms was actually quite reassuring.
Better him as an ally than an opponent.
As the briefing continued, it was nothing but mundane exam prep details that still needed Tsunade's sign-off.
Shikamaru scratched his head often, clearly annoyed at all the hassle, but he had no choice.
Temari, however, seed to have shifted her attention back to him, a subtle warmth in her eyes.
Clearly, she preferred this kind of "lazy but clever" type over muscle-headed maniacs.
Fortunately, the report didn't take long.
Before leaving, Shikamaru turned to Natsuki.
"You've been gone for over two months. When you're free, let's get everyone together."
Natsuki smiled. "Sure, I'll set sothing up when I've got ti."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For 20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum]
[ 500 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]
Reviews
All reviews (0)