Danzo wasn't exactly having a good time these days.
Ever since the disbandment of Root, he barely had any men left under his command.
Although all former Root members had been placed under tongue-sealing curses, Hiruzen had clearly anticipated Danzo's schemes. Not only did he scatter the Root members, 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 involvement 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.
Someone 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 homes as a guest and shared meals. He was acquainted with the clan heads of the Nara, Akimichi, and Aburame clans. How was Danzo supposed to make a move on him under those circumstances?
And then there was one more thing: the ninja card game Ninja Killer that Natsuki invented had become insanely popular.
Even the Daimyō himself played the game and had asked for the name 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 become 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 game, no one would've stopped him.
But it was too late for regrets now.
"Hmph! Once I become the Fifth Hokage, that brat will be working under me anyway! And that evil Uchiha kid and the Nine-Tails brat too—they'll all be under the command of me, 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 some ingredients.
Tonight, he wanted to make a nice meal to reward Tenten, who had been working hard on missions. He also planned to make some meat buns for her, so she could have something tasty during missions.
Tenten loved meat 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 someone 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 some fresh ingredients and returned to the ninja tools shop.
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 came prepared—with a big spread of home-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 game, 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 meant he might be a worthy rival. He was already thinking of sparring with him to gauge his strength.
Natsuki quickly greeted them. "Nice to meet you, Guy-sensei, Lee, Neji. I brought some 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 someone 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 me 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 me, 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 time 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 someone easy to handle.
At Lee's shout, Natsuki vanished from the spot in a flash.
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