Chapter 12: The Land of Lightning Peace Mission is Coming
"Bang!"
A dull thud came from the wooden target as a pitch-black Kunai struck the center of the red bullseye.
"Naruto, did you see that clearly?" the Butler turned his head to ask Naruto. "It's okay if you didn't understand; after all, you're a beginner. I'll demonstrate it for you again in a moment."
"I've already learned it!" Naruto said, brimming with confidence.
"Ha!" the Butler was a bit skeptical. "Give it a throw and let me see. If you hit the target, I'll teach you some more practical techniques!"
Although the Butler said that, his eyes betrayed him. After all, Naruto was only three years old. Even though his learning ability was plain to see, Kunai throwing required more than just learning ability.
Eyesight, physical coordination, and force-exertion techniques were all crucial.
However, what the Butler didn't know was that Naruto had spent over a decade learning the Eight Extremes Fist in the Life Experience Game, and his mastery over his own strength had already reached a high level.
Even though he was slightly rusty with his control over his original body, something as simple as throwing a Kunai was a piece of cake.
Sure enough, in the Butler's shocked gaze, Narutohit the wooden target with a single throw, and it was a direct hit on the bullseye!
"This..." the Butler looked at Naruto as if he were a monster. "How did you do that?"
"Look at the bullseye, throw the Kunai, and it hits." Naruto said nonchalantly. "But I copied the force-exertion technique from Butler Grandpa just now. I learn very quickly!"
"Alright, in that case, I'll teach you something else..." Although the Butler was shocked, he remembered his promise and wasn't about to go back on his word.
"This must be what a Genius is!" the Butler muttered to himself, shaking his head to push aside his shock before taking a Shuriken out of his Ninjatool pouch.
Perhaps fearing that Naruto would become arrogant, the Butler decided to increase the difficulty. He skipped the basic Shuriken throwing lesson and switched to an advanced Shurikenthrowing method instead.
After handing the Shuriken to Naruto, the Butler reached into his Ninja tool pouch and pulled out a handful of Shuriken—there looked to be at least seven of them.
"Watch closely!"
The Butler warned Naruto again, then flicked his wrist. Seven Shuriken shot out, tracing arcs in the air, changing direction one after another, and scattering toward other wooden targets nearby.
And sharp-eyed Naruto even saw that two of the Shuriken changed their flight trajectories after colliding in mid-air, the degree of change exceeding Naruto's expectations.
One of the Shuriken actually hit the back of the target, creating a pincer attack with the Shurikenthat hit the front. If the target were a person...
One would easily be caught off guard and suffer a defeat!
Undoubtedly, this was an extremely practical Shuriken throwing method.
"Want to try?" the Butler looked at Naruto with a smile. "If you feel like you can't do it, you can start by practicing with two."
Naruto ignored the Butler's provocation. He knew he had been getting a bit carried away, so he calmed his heart and carefully analyzed the technique the Butler had just used to throw the Shuriken.
"Keep the Ninja tool pouch; it has Kunai and Shuriken inside. Practice on your own for now, and come ask me if you don't understand anything."
Seeing that Naruto didn't take the bait, the Butler decided not to try and humble him anymore. After showing off his skills, the Butler could see that Naruto already realized his own shortcomings.
After the Butler left, Naruto tossed the two Shuriken up and down, carefully looking for the right feel. Once he felt ready, he recalled the Butler's throwing method in his mind and confidently threw the two Shuriken in his hand.
"Bang!"
There was only the sound of one Shuriken hitting the target, and it was quite far off from the bullseye Naruto had aimed at.
The second Shuriken not only missed the target, but the arc it formed after the mid-air collision was also disastrous, immediately signaling the failure of Naruto's attempt.
"Sigh..." Naruto shook his head. "Empiricism is not to be trusted. The environment I was in during the Life Experience Game was a world without supernatural powers, while my own world..."
"...has many real 'human monsters'!" Naruto kept warning himself. "Maintain a humble heart, build a solid foundation, and accumulate strength slowly—that is the right path!"
After adjusting his mindset, Naruto didn't aim too high or try to challenge the advanced throwing technique the Butler had just used. Instead, he threw the Shuriken one by one, methodically, planning to practice thousands of times before doing anything else.
Just as Naruto was working hard practicing his Shuriken throwing, Hyuga Hinata, who had passed out after breaking her shyness threshold, finally woke up.
"Hinata, how are you feeling?"
"I... I'm fine... Father." Hyuga Hinata replied in a small voice, her fingers still twisting together.
"I've already sent the child who brought you back home; I didn't give him any trouble, so you can rest easy." Hiashi Hyuga saw the thoughts deep in his daughter's heart. "It will probably be a long time before you can meet again."
"I... I..." Hyuga Hinata felt a brief moment of panic after having her thoughts read, and her face began to flush red again. "Father... I... I was just..."
"Rest well." Hiashi Hyuga stood up, intending to leave. "When you can fight to a draw with Neji, I will let you go out again."
After setting a goal for Hyuga Hinata that was currently almost impossible to achieve, Hiashi Hyuga left, leaving behind Hyuga Hinata, who sat on the tatami mat with unfocused eyes.
Setting aside this small episode at the Hyuga Clanand the boring throwing training Naruto was undergoing, a diplomatic document submitted by the Land of Lightning to Konoha Village appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
"Finally, the war is coming to an end..." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the contents of the document, his heart filled with mixed emotions. "It is time for Konoha to accelerate the cultivation of talent. If the Fourth Hokage were still here..."
Shaking his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi cast his complicated thoughts to the back of his mind.
Although the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had sacrificed himself after the Nine-Tails Attack, causing a relatively violent fluctuation in Konoha's strength, fortunately, Konoha's foundation remained. The war with the Land of Lightning(Kumogakure) was only a localized conflict and could not cause too much damage to Konoha.
And while the Land of Lightning proactively submitting a diplomatic document seemed somewhat suspicious, as long as it was handled properly and precautions were taken, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that Konoha would soon welcome a period of true peace.
As long as they made good use of this period of peace and waited for the new generation of Ninjato grow up, Konoha wouldn't have to feel so stifled, and he could finally retire...
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi took one more look at Naruto, who was reflected in the crystal ball, then clapped his hands to summon a member of the Hokage Guard.
"Call Nara Shikaku over; tell him I have important matters to discuss with him."
"Understood!"
After the Hokage Guard member left, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out the window, and he suddenly thought of Orochimaru...