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"Lord Advisor has arrived. Please notify Lord Jiraiya immediately."
An ANBU operative revealed himself to prevent any misunderstandings.
'So it's one of our own.' Recognizing the uniform, the ninja in the sentry post relaxed and quickly replied, "We'll send someone to inform Lord Jiraiya right away. May we ask how long until Lord Advisor arrives?"
"Approximately five minutes."
"..."
'Are you kidding me?' If it weren't for the ANBU's higher status and the fact they couldn't afford to offend them, the sentry squad leader would have cursed out loud. What's the point of notifying anyone with just five minutes? They wouldn't even reach the camp before he did.
"No need to notify anyone. The sentry squad leader can simply accompany me to the camp."
Before the sentry ninja could even move, Kazuki and Itachi had already arrived. The squad leader couldn't help but glare at the ANBU ninja.
'Weren't you saying five more minutes? Is this what you call five minutes?'
"Ahem!!" The ANBU ninja coughed awkwardly, turning his head away as if he hadn't seen the accusatory look. Truthfully, he hadn't expected Kazuki to accelerate and arrive so quickly.
Thus, the squad leader obediently followed orders, escorting Kazuki back to the main camp.
"It's so hard, Gramps!" In the camp, Jiraiya was still trying to teach Naruto the Rasengan, but unfortunately, progress was minimal.
"It's normal for it to be difficult! Even a genius like Kakashi couldn't learn it. This is a technique your father developed inspired by the Tailed Beast Ball. It doesn't require hand seals and is perfect for a ninja who struggles with learning jutsu like you. It's practically tailor-made! So, you need to work hard! Think about it—when you master the Rasengan, won't Sakura look at you differently?" Jiraiya began pumping Naruto up, painting a rosy picture, even bringing Sakura into it, all in an attempt to motivate Naruto to focus on his training instead of having Sakura occupy his every thought.
"But it's just too hard. After all this time, I haven't got a clue," Naruto grumbled dejectedly, flopping onto his back. The water-filled ball he'd been practicing with rolled out of his hand and across the ground, heading toward the tent entrance.
Seeing his training ball about to roll out, Naruto instinctively reached for it. But just then, a foot stepped through the entrance, landing squarely on the ball.
"Hey!!!" Naruto sprang up from the ground. Before he could say anything, the newcomer spoke.
"The Rasengan is hard? Isn't this something you can practically do in your sleep if you have hands?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Naruto's outstretched hand snapped back as if burned. His entire body went rigid, and he scrambled to stand up properly, looking as if he'd been pricked by needles.
"..." What the hell?! Jiraiya's eye twitched violently.
You little brat, when you're with me, you're all mischief, troublemaking, and disobedience. Yet with one word from Kazuki, you become perfectly obedient! Are you doing this on purpose?!
The toe of the boot twisted slightly and lifted, sending the ball on the ground flying up to land neatly in Kazuki's hand. He glanced at it, then casually tossed it back to Naruto, who caught it in a daze.
"Significant ball damage, but still a long way from success."
"..." You're so great, why don't you try making one then? Naruto maintained a neutral expression on the surface, but inwardly he was already ranting. Just because he didn't dare oppose Kazuki openly didn't mean he couldn't complain and grumble secretly.
Kazuki glanced at Naruto with an amused, knowing smile, his gaze seeming to pierce through the boy and unearth all his little secrets. This made Naruto feel a bit guilty, and he let out a couple of awkward chuckles.
"Speaking of which, this thing really isn't that difficult. It's just that even if ordinary people learn it, it has significant limitations," Kazuki remarked, raising his hand. Chakra began to surge, coalescing into a spinning sphere of energy in his palm.
See? Practically child's play. Kazuki raised an eyebrow at Naruto.
Staring at the rapidly spinning Rasengan in Kazuki's hand, Naruto gulped nervously. "Lord Advisor... how did you do that?"
"Once you understand the principle, it's quite easy to execute. You still have a very long road ahead of you, kid." Cutting off his chakra control, the Rasengan in his hand quickly dissipated. Kazuki gave Naruto a light tap on the head.
"Your recent performance hasn't been very satisfying. If you continue to orbit around Sakura, I'll have no choice but to transfer that girl elsewhere."
Separating Naruto and Sasuke initially was just to reduce potential complications. But look how it turned out: Sasuke was growing stronger day by day as planned, while Naruto had turned into a dedicated follower. It was ridiculous.
"No! Sakura and I, it's not like that!" Naruto immediately panicked.
Kazuki ignored his protest and continued, "Sakura's natural talent is actually quite poor. If she's removed from Jiraiya's team, the most likely outcome is that she'll drop out and eventually become an ordinary civilian, fading into obscurity."
"..." That... that bleak? Naruto was now genuinely anxious and scared. He was afraid that because of him, Sakura would be transferred out and end up not even being a ninja, relegated to an ordinary life.
If Sakura really got transferred because of me... she'd probably hate me forever.
"I'll work hard on my training! I'll improve my skills! I won't bother Sakura recklessly anymore!"
"I hope you mean what you say. If your performance proves satisfactory, I might point Sakura in the right direction. That girl's talent has never been in combat or standard jutsu learning. It all depends on your performance."
If Naruto's growth proved satisfactory, Kazuki wouldn't mind arranging for a medical ninja to instruct Sakura in medical jutsu. Compared to other paths, Sakura becoming a dedicated medic-nin and support was a viable option.
You can even do that?! Jiraiya's jaw practically hit the floor as he watched Naruto repeatedly promise to behave. All this time, he had racked his brains trying to teach Naruto. And now? Kazuki just brought up Sakura, and Naruto immediately fell in line.
Though using a girl to threaten a boy wasn't the most honorable tactic, it was effective! Besides, Kazuki was only talking. At worst, he'd transfer Sakura to another team or have her focus entirely on studying medical ninjutsu in the village.
She was a potential medical-nin seed—why would they let her return to civilian life? Medical ninja were prized commodities in every village.
I'm convinced. Truly convinced. Jiraiya raised his hand and gave Kazuki a thumbs-up.
"Cut it out," Kazuki said, swatting Jiraiya's hand away. "You're just too used to a hands-off approach, that's why you can't handle Naruto. This kid is too unruly right now and needs proper discipline. Send someone to notify Terumi Mei. Have her come to the camp. I'll meet with her and make things clear, so Kirigakure stops setting its sights on us."
"What about the others?" Jiraiya asked, sensing Kazuki only intended to see Terumi Mei.
"The others can wait outside the border. If they're not happy with that, they can leave immediately. Tell them not to get too close to the border line, otherwise, if they get captured and treated as enemies, they can't blame us for being ruthless."