Chapter 428: Leading a Squad
The Land of Whirlpools, the Town of Waves.
Naruto and Tazuna were locked in a noisy argument.
Naruto repeatedly demanded to know why Tazuna had fled the scene first and then pretended not to recognize him. Tazuna, meanwhile, continuously complained about how this "blonde-haired short winter melon" was being completely baffling...
Sasuke watched from the side for a brief moment and immediately understood that the person in front of them was the real Tazuna, but he wasn't about to remind Naruto. Kakashi was also quietly playing a bit wicked, standing by with arms crossed to enjoy the show...
It was Sakura who first noticed something amiss: "Naruto, Uncle Tazuna's injury seems... completely healed?"
Naruto was startled and turned around: "Eh? Sakura, your medical ninjutsu is so amazing!"
Sakura brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. She certainly didn't think a absolute beginner like herself possessed such magnificent medical ninjutsu, which meant...
"Naruto! This Tazuna might be a fake!"
Startled, Naruto's face lit up with sudden realization. No wonder this Tazuna was acting so bizarrely. Could it be that the real Uncle Tazuna had already been killed?
"You bas—eh?" Naruto took a step forward, about to charge, but Kakashi caught him by the back of his collar.
"Idiot," Sasuke said calmly.
"What did you say?! Bastard Sasuke!"
"Regrettably, Naruto. The previous Tazuna was the fake one."
"The previous one was the fake?" Naruto's body stiffened, and he was instantly dumbfounded...
Tazuna: ???
Inside the Eight Trigrams Space, Masahiko: "Hahahahaha-hic..."
...
Two days later, at the Uzumaki household back in Konoha Village.
Naruto's face was flushed red with anger: "Great Ancestor, you went way too far this time!"
Masahiko raised an eyebrow: "My, my, who went and upset our Young Master Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Hmph!" Naruto made a face that clearly said 'I'm ignoring you', turned around, and stomped off to his room.
The corner of Masahiko's mouth twitched slightly. What on earth was with that expression? Did he learn that from Tsukika? It looks adorable when Tsukika does it, but when you do it, Naruto, it's just plain repulsive...
Beside Masahiko, Kushina, the boy's mother, had been laughing her heart out without a care in the world. And since Minato wasn't there to offer comfort this time—as he was busy guiding Tsukika through her introductory training—Naruto was exceptionally heartbroken...
It took a good while before Kushina managed to forcefully suppress her laughter: "Great-grandfather, haha, Young Master Naruto, hahahaha, I can't breathe..."
A black line creased Masahiko's forehead. Why did it always feel like Kushina extracted far more amusement out of this than he did?
"Hahahahaha, okay, I'll stop laughing... Thank you for arranging that trial for Naruto. Haha, utilizing two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen simultaneously must have cost quite a bit, right?"
Masahiko nodded. Although he held an extraordinary status, he never used his influence to pressure others. Both Kisame and Zabuza had been hired under the standard remuneration for an S-rank mission—5 million Ryo each.
However, since he had gained a full 200 Witness Points from this trip, it wouldn't have been a loss even if he spent 100 million Ryo...
His total Witness Points now stood at 940, putting him incredibly close to maxing out two skills at once. During the upcoming Chunin Exams, mooching a couple of points here and there would be more than enough...
Pondering for a moment, Masahiko looked up at Kushina: "The Joint Chunin Exams are just two months away. Naruto's opponents won't be weak, so it's time he meets a new friend."
Kushina was startled, and a smile spread across her face: "Are you talking about the little fox?"
Masahiko nodded. "The sealing formula I left behind can be loosened a bit more. It's time for the other half of the Nine-Tails to see some light. Keeping it cooped up all the time will drive it insane."
Given Naruto's temperament, the moment he saw 'Tazuna fall to the ground with his status unknown', he should have immediately flown into a wild, berserk rage. But earlier, Naruto had only been furious without actually going berserk...
That was because the way Masahiko had sealed the Nine-Tails was rather amusing. It was as if it were locked in a completely sealed little dark room, with only a tiny crack exposed at each of the four corners of the ceiling.
One slightly larger crack was meant to allow the Nine-Tails to disrupt Naruto's 'Sexy Jutsu', while the three smaller cracks were intended to increase Naruto's resilience to beatings and accelerate his training speed...
But if Naruto wanted to go completely 'berserk'—to the point where his body surface became drenched in the crimson Nine-Tails chakra and tails began sprouting behind him, as happened in the original story—it was absolutely impossible.
Of course, even if he could, the Nine-Tails would restrain itself. Impulsiveness is the devil...
"It's time to turn one wall of that little dark room into a set of iron bars." Masahiko pushed open the door to Naruto's bedroom and walked in: "Naruto, take off your shirt!"
...
Masahiko was highly dissatisfied. This brat Naruto was simply too difficult to communicate with—even more disobedient than the Nine-Tails. He wouldn't even listen when told to take off his shirt, requiring it to be forcefully stripped...
An affair that should have taken ten minutes ended up costing him nearly half an hour.
Right now, Naruto was entirely shrouded in deep crimson Nine-Tails chakra.
Although the Nine-Tails had agreed to output its chakra slowly after a very friendly consultation with Masahiko, Naruto still showed a slight expression of pain.
No matter how smooth and stable the Nine-Tails chakra was made, it still possessed immense burning and corrosive properties. Naruto's physical conditioning was still a bit lacking.
Fortunately, after all these years, Naruto had long grown accustomed to pain, and there was even a hint of enjoyment on his face...
"What incredible power!" Naruto clenched his fists, feeling as though he could smash through anything. However, he tactfully chose not to provoke Masahiko, turning his words elsewhere: "In this state, I can definitely beat that bastard Sasuke!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Nine-Tails chakra receded like a tidal wave, and Naruto instantly felt completely drained.
"Eh?!"
"A three-second boy, and you still think about beating Sasuke?" Masahiko chuckled and shook his head. "It's perfectly normal for the duration to be short on your first try. You will only make progress with plenty of practice. From now on, use it once every night before bed; it will guarantee a high-quality sleep afterward."
"However, I hold you to high standards. A year from now, once you can maintain this state for fifteen minutes, only then can it be considered a true trump card!"
"No problem, Great Ancestor!" Naruto was bursting with motivation.
Beside them, Kushina instantly entered her 'Nine-Tails Chakra Mode': "Naruto, you still have a great deal to master. The one year Great-grandfather mentioned is your absolute maximum limit... I expect you to achieve it in half a year!"
Naruto took a startled glance at his mother's current appearance, his excitement surging slightly: "Three months!"
Masahiko raised his eyebrows. Three months... that would perfectly catch up to the final round of the Chunin Exams...
...
Masahiko had originally thought the days leading up to the Chunin Exams would be very peaceful. He hadn't expected that just as he had spent half a month concentrating on nourishing his left eye, Obito would come knocking on his door...
"What did you say... Rin is pregnant?!" Masahiko's face was filled with absolute shock. Two months ago during the cat-catching incident, he had still been pondering about brewing some tonic for Obito. Was the kid startled into performance? Or had some higher power manifested its efficacy?
Obito's face was completely radiant with joy: "That's right! It's been a month, we only found out last night!"
Masahiko took a deep breath: "This is wonderful news! You are both 27 years old; it's high time you had a successor. As your master, I am genuinely happy for you!"
Obito chuckled and scratched his head: "Master, with Rin pregnant, it's a bit inconvenient for her to continue leading her squad. Look at Team 11... what kind of teacher should we replace her with?"
Masahiko paused: "Team 11, huh... Toneri, Sai, and Hoshino Uchiha!"
Pondering for a brief moment, Masahiko looked up and spoke: "I'll lead them for three months. You can arrange another instructor for them after the Chunin Exams!"
Obito was taken aback: "You're going to lead them?"
Masahiko nodded with certainty.
He just happened to need an identity to participate in the Chunin Exams and mooch some points, and there was an even more crucial factor...
He was highly interested in that exceptionally handsome girl, Hoshino Uchiha!
☆☆☆
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