Danzo wasn't exactly having a good ti these days.
Ever since the disbandnt of Root, he barely had any n left under his command.
Although all forr Root mbers had been placed under tongue-sealing curses, Hiruzen had clearly anticipated Danzo's sches. Not only did he scatter the Root mbers, but also assigned other ANBU to watch over them, even sending them on dangerous missions frequently—missions where they had no chance to communicate with Danzo.
Because of this, Danzo's ability to make use of his old subordinates had significantly diminished.
Furthermore, Danzo's notoriety and his involvent in the Uchiha Clan's massacre had earned him the hatred of many noble clans.
If he dared stir up trouble now, he would gain nothing but backlash.
Soone like Natsuki, a genius who could perform one-handed seals, was certainly a person Danzo had his eye on. But the problem was, Natsuki got along way too well with the children of the major clans—he had even visited their hos as a guest and shared als. He was acquainted with the clan heads of the Nara, Akimichi, and Abura clans. How was Danzo supposed to make a move on him under those circumstances?
And then there was one more thing: the ninja card ga Ninja Killer that Natsuki invented had beco insanely popular.
Even the Daimyō himself played the ga and had asked for the na of its inventor.
Danzo didn't dare make any reckless moves against Natsuki, and he knew full well that Hiruzen wouldn't let him either. Rather than end up looking bad, it was better to pretend he didn't know anything.
"Damn it! That cunning little brat! I should have investigated you long ago!"
Yes, had Danzo looked into him earlier, things would have turned out very differently.
Back when Ninja Slayer hadn't yet beco a hit, Danzo was still bitter about being beaten at the card table. If he had vented his anger at the little kid who invented the ga, no one would've stopped him.
But it was too late for regrets now.
"Hmph! Once I beco the Fifth Hokage, that brat will be working under anyway! And that evil Uchiha kid and the Nine-Tails brat too—they'll all be under the command of , the Fifth Hokage! Just you wait! The Hokage seat is mine!"
...
—Ninja Academy, after school.
Natsuki said goodbye to his friends and headed to the market to buy so ingredients.
Tonight, he wanted to make a nice al to reward Tenten, who had been working hard on missions. He also planned to make so at buns for her, so she could have sothing tasty during missions.
Tenten loved at buns.
As Natsuki was selecting ingredients, he suddenly caught sight of a white-haired man with glasses walking by with a warm smile.
The man's gentle smile gave off a kind impression, and the forehead protector showed he was a proper shinobi. But what caught Natsuki's attention wasn't the man's appearance—it was that he recognized him.
Yakushi Kabuto, the Master of Illusions!
That's right. This guy was currently an undercover spy in Konoha!
Kabuto was working under Orochimaru, infiltrating Konoha to gather intel on young shinobi as potential vessels for the Fushi Tensei (Living Corpse Reincarnation) technique. He would appear in multiple Chuunin Exams over the next two years until Orochimaru chose Sasuke, triggering the Konoha Crush Plan. Kabuto would play a major role in that operation.
So, was he passing by deliberately to observe Natsuki, the newly revealed one-handed seal prodigy?
Or was it just a coincidence?
To be honest, Natsuki didn't really know how to judge Kabuto. The guy was a genius and a tragic figure, but also soone who had hurt many.
This world was twisted—many things couldn't be easily judged in terms of right and wrong.
In any case, if Kabuto dared to target him, Natsuki would never let it slide.
As for the Konoha Crush Plan, he would try his best to stop it. Whether Hiruzen lived or died didn't matter to him, but Tenten's family had a lot of businesses in Konoha—he couldn't risk them being caught up in the chaos.
After Kabuto left, Natsuki lost interest in shopping. He quickly grabbed so fresh ingredients and returned to the ninja tools shop.
...
—A few days later.
Team Guy was finally taking a rare break from missions and was focusing on a training session instead. With Guy-sensei's approval, Tenten brought Natsuki along to observe.
Natsuki ca prepared—with a big spread of ho-cooked food.
Training with Team Guy was intense. Compared to flashy gifts, good food was way better.
Soon enough, Natsuki and Tenten arrived at the training ground. Lee and Neji were already hard at work while Guy provided instruction nearby.
"Guy-sensei, Neji, Lee—we're here!" Tenten called out.
She introduced him, "This is my boyfriend Natsuki. You might've heard of him—our shop sells the Ninja Slayer card ga, and he's the one who made it."
"Huh? Ninja Slayer was made by Natsuki?"
"Huh? The shop selling Ninja Slayer is yours?"
Guy and Lee clearly had different priorities, but both were now curiously sizing up Natsuki.
Even Neji was curious. Tenten had once said Natsuki was stronger than him. That ant he might be a worthy rival. He was already thinking of sparring with him to gauge his strength.
Natsuki quickly greeted them. "Nice to et you, Guy-sensei, Lee, Neji. I brought so food—why don't we all have a bite? Training is exhausting; gotta keep your energy up. I brought lots of beef—I'm sure you'll love it."
Beef—rich in protein—the favorite of taijutsu users!
Even soone like Guy, a jōnin, didn't often get to enjoy beef.
Soon, with Tenten's help, Natsuki laid out a table and served up braised beef and other dishes. The group dug in, and both Guy and Lee were soon singing praises with greasy mouths full of food.
"By the way, Tenten said you're interested in learning the Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Gates Released Formation)," Guy said between bites.
"As I told her, learning the Eight Gates isn't easy. It requires an incredibly strong body. Let take a look at your physical condition. If it's not up to par, no matter how tasty your beef is, I'll have to refuse."
Natsuki replied confidently, "Guy-sensei, feel free to check. My body's no weaker than yours!"
Guy didn't hesitate. He started feeling around Natsuki's muscles. After a few pinches, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, your muscles are tight—there's real power here! You must've gone through intense, youthful training! Very good! Your physical condition is excellent. You pass—for now. But next, let's have a youthful showdown. I need to see if your strength is all show and no substance!"
"Alright! However you want to test , Guy-sensei, I'll take it on!"
Natsuki was full of confidence. After all, he had trained for years under increased gravity, paying close attention to body maintenance. Not only was his strength formidable, but his body was also virtually free of hidden injuries.
If he wasn't qualified to learn the Eight Gates, then Lee wouldn't be, either.
Once they were done eating and had a bit of ti to digest, Natsuki and Guy stood facing each other. Lee was the referee.
Tenten watched nervously from a distance. She believed in Natsuki, but still—this was Guy-sensei, an elite jōnin! Not soone easy to handle.
"Begin!"
At Lee's shout, Natsuki vanished from the spot in a flash.
(End of Chapter)
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