Jugo sighed, feeling the hard stares directed at him. He turned and left, not wanting to complicate things, especially when he saw Ino trembling again.
Annoyed, he simply chose another steakhouse, there were no problems this time.
-Jugo-sama, that little girl seems very scared of you.- Kin chuckled lightly, mockingly.
Jugo rolled his eyes, Kin's habit of mocking others had returned.
She was exactly the type of person who would kick someone when they were down, laugh in their face and if it weren't for Jugo, she was the kind of generic villain who wouldn't survive a season.
Dosu remained calm and didn't comment, he made a space in the bandages so he could eat, now sociable enough to eat in a group.
The dogs were sitting around, eagerly watching the barbecue grilling on the grill.
Luckily, this is a ninja village and ninja dogs are allowed, but Jugo had to put Sound bandanas tied to their backs.
-I already told you to stop underestimating others.- Jugo flicked her forehead before starting to flip the meat.
Kin pouted, but looked longingly at Jugo's strong body beside her, sensing that things were going very well lately. She even moved closer and leaned against him, but Jugo didn't do anything to stop her.
Kin didn't go any further, too embarrassed to do so, but she still gave a happy little laugh, already choosing names for their children.
Kin's legs were pressed against his, their clothes leaving nothing to the imagination, but he felt a lump in his throat for a moment.
Kin seemed to notice Jugo's interest in her legs, she smiled contentedly, her long hair tied up in a high bun so as not to interfere with her dinner. She looked very cute like that, but Jugo restrained himself, it wasn't time yet.
He looked away and went back to grilling the meat. Dosu helped and soon the group began to eat. There wasn't a giggle or anything like that, it was just them chewing and swallowing, but there was a certain comfort in the silence.
Kin rubbing against Jugo, Dosu in his peaceful silence and Jugo lost in thought.
After lunch, they went back to training, Kin swinging around improving his control and the strength of the threads, Dosu getting beaten up in the mist and even going hunting with the dogs, his clones staying behind to continue training.
It was a monotonous but efficient routine.
The days passed, day after day there were improvements, sometimes Jugo would let Dosu and Kin face the transformed dogs, sometimes Dosu would face Kin and sometimes Jugo would face everyone.
He could see the constant progress, Kin had improved to the point that even though she couldn't be the best among the chunin, she still had enough strength to be one. Her hair could already grow a little and become sharp, her control wasn't perfect yet, but it could already be used as a weapon or for defense, though it still consumed a lot of chakra.
The chakra threads reached 23 meters, which was good enough, she could use genjutsu with them and use them to perform 3D maneuvers. If the terrain was a forest, she would have an even greater advantage.
Dosu could already fight him blindfolded, he took a beating quite a bit, but at the Chunin level, he could already be considered the cream of the crop.
His Hidden Mist Technique was trained enough for him to be able to use it in an area without water, and the chakra consumption was no longer excessive.
Jugo, on the other hand, was doing better, he had learned everything he needed to, including being able to throw fireballs while shouting "Hadouken".
Sure, they were just ordinary reddish-orange fireballs, nothing like a real Hadouken, but hey, it was fun enough.
He also had his clones train with katanas, without a teacher, but with battles to the death, his swordsmanship style was very straightforward, damage for damage.
You cut me? I'll cut you even more!
In the end, it was uglier than a fight with scythes.
Imagine hundreds of clones stabbing each other with swords in an all-out war, Jugo had a terrible headache that day, but the improvement was evident.
In any case, he can heal, as long as the attack isn't something like the All-Killing Ash Bones from Kaguya, he'll be fine.
With only one day left before the exam, the group felt ready.
The improvement wasn't world-changing for Kin and Dosu, but their strength clearly improved.
For Jugo? That was a big difference.
He learned Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu, as well as improving his chakra control and nature transformation, in addition to the combat experience he gained.
The best part is that he no longer has to worry about completely losing it in the middle of the fight.
His strength improved to the point that even if he faced Kakashi head-on, giving it his all, he didn't think he would lose.
The only thing about him that was still worse than Kakashi's was his experience.
Unfortunately, it is often experience that defines life and death.
Therefore, he did not become presumptuous.
At the very least, in this plan to collapse Konoha, he can now rest easier, even if he faces Shukaku head-on, as long as the raccoon doesn't use a Bijuu Dama, he'll be fine.
If he uses it... well, Jugo has his own plan!
As for fighting Orochimaru or Hiruzen? Sorry, that's still a long way off, but the snake and the monkey will fight in the cage, that has nothing to do with him.
On the last day, the group did not train, but prepared to rest for the following day.
Well, Jugo went out hunting, but Kin and Dosu went to rest.
It was only when night fell that he encountered Orochimaru again.
-Jugo-kun, I see your strength has increased greatly.- Orochimaru seemed very pleased, his eyes gleaming slightly. Seeing that Jugo hadn't gone insane in a long time, Orochimaru became increasingly interested in his body.
But it wasn't time yet, he first needed to figure out a way to place his seal on Jugo. Without that, he wouldn't be able to transfer his consciousness.
-Yes, Orochimaru-sama, if it weren't for your help, I would have had many problems getting better.- Jugo thanked him softly, he was truly grateful to Orochimaru, but he sensed malice coming from him. It was slight, weak, but connected to the Tenebrous World, he could feel it.
He knew it was a succulent steak on a golden plate, but covered in poison. Orochimaru, a ravenous man, gazed at it greedily, trying only to figure out how to remove the poison.
Jugo restrained himself from frowning, it wasn't the time.
His digestion was around 50% complete after a month of hunting.
He still needed some time to get to a Zombie, at that point, he could probably handle Orochimaru, who had lost his arms.
He hoped he could turn himself into a zombie before Orochimaru began his next reincarnation, in that case, he could kill the man and steal everything from him.
The number of werewolves under his control also increased by one, but he still hadn't created it, he was keeping it safe. This time, he wanted to try transforming a man.
He wondered if this would work with Orochimaru, he could try it, and if so, he would gain a Kage-level subordinate.
Even if it only worked while Orochimaru was in the body with the werewolf curse, he could still make Orochimaru pray to him, at that moment, Orochimaru's soul would belong to him.
He wouldn't underestimate Orochimaru, so even though he knew that with his current strength he could complete this plan in the man's weakened state, he still hoped to become stronger.
He's a paranoid guy, so his plans need to be perfect.
-It's nothing, Jugo-kun, but that doesn't matter now. The plan will begin tomorrow. You just need to cause chaos in Konoha when it starts. The Sound and Sand ninjas will support you.- Orochimaru gave him a light pat on the shoulder, hiding his greed, before leaving.
Jugo narrowed his eyes slightly, the chessboard was being moved, but the king's identity had not yet been confirmed.
Who would be the king and who would be the horse?