Chapter 40: Chapter 40 : Back To The Village
After I took care of Geto, the task of bridge building went just fine, without any problems. And of course, my clone killed the guy after grabbing all the money from him.
Fun fact: the man actually arranged a little trap for the clone, but with the help of Genjutsu, it was all rendered useless.
Now I never have to worry about money again. Interesting, right?
Anyway, the mission was finally done, and we returned to Konoha. Many other things happened, but nothing worth mentioning.
The journey back to the village was uneventful—nothing as exciting as when we were heading to the Wave.
The casual banter with Team 8 was actually something I enjoyed, but I knew it was time for me to get back to my daily training.
Training outside was hard; there were many things I had to be aware of. But in the village, it's much better. Then again, seeing how Danzo might be showing some interest in me, even the village is no longer safe.
...
"It seems like you have a knack for getting involved in complicated missions, Shika." After Hiruzen learned everything that happened on the mission, he couldn't help but frown. Then he turned to me and said this.
I knew this particular one was going to be hard, but the others... honestly, what luck do I have?
What could I say after hearing that from the Hokage? I just sighed in front of the others and muttered, "Troublesome," in true Nara style.
"So you were able to use Fuinjutsu to remove the Hidden Mist technique used by Zabuza and then use it against him. Later, you were also able to recreate Zabuza's Hidden Mist technique and kill more than 50 thugs with the help of your contracted divine dogs," Hiruzen asked, showing a little interest.
"Hmm, more or less," I replied. I honestly didn't want to say this to him, but Kurenai was the one speaking.
Sigh.
"Hmm, you did well, my boy. All of you did really well. Take some time off and relax," Hiruzen replied and let the genin go. But apparently, he wanted to talk to Kurenai about something.
Now I really wanted to hear what he couldn't talk about with the genin around, but that was too much trouble, which I'd rather not have.
After coming back, I didn't go anywhere and rested for two days straight. Training is good and all, but resting is also important.
Finally, after two days of lazing around, I was ready to start my grind again.
Almost the entire time while I was in the Wave, I was working hard, learning healing with the help of the round deer's reverse curse technique and water-style nature transformation, which I learned from Zabuza.
Both were huge successes, to my happiness, though I am still not as good as I would like to be. I only know one water technique, and my healing is still poor. I can heal, but just barely, and it requires a huge degree of focus. My medical knowledge is next to nothing.
After all, I am not a doctor and never got trained to be one. So if I really want to use my reverse curse technique—which, by the way, could be far superior to any Healing Hands jutsu—I might have a shot at being a strong support class in the future. Maybe I could even get the interest of Tsunade and personally be trained by her. Possible, right?
Well, besides that long-term future prospect, I could actually use medical knowledge as the chunin exams draw near.
I want to participate in the exam; that is the best way to get power-ups. After all, I have to become a chunin to complete another mission from the system and get some good power for myself.
There are other missions, but becoming a chunin is the easiest, besides killing a chunin. But what would I gain from killing a random chunin?
Of course, there are always Naruto and Sasuke, but hell, I'm not going to do that. The world would be screwed if something happened to those idiots, and what if that Sage of Six Paths, a.k.a. super gramps, came after me?
No! I'd rather put all my hard work into becoming a chunin, and to do that, I have to participate in the upcoming chunin exam.
Now, I personally believe that I am more than ready to participate in the chunin exam, but that's only if I can use my shikigami, which of course I can't, at least not in front of others.
This will be an issue if the exam goes like it did in the anime—basically fighting in front of others, gladiator style.
Now technically speaking, the strongest genin in the chunin exams were Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Neji, and Lee.
So if I want to have a chance to become a chunin, then I have to get strong enough to beat all five of them one-on-one without using my shikigami.
"Yeah, what the hell am I going to do?" I can't help but frown after thinking about how far behind I am compared to these geniuses. Without my shikigami, I can't beat them.
Even if I pull off Shikamaru's level of genius strategy, I don't think I can beat them with just my shadow manipulation technique.
"Nah, I need to get stronger. I really need to get stronger to the point where I have a chance to beat all of them.
Hmm...
Okay, let's think about this... Let's start with Sasuke, who is technically the weakest of all of them. He shouldn't have awakened his Sharingan yet, so he shouldn't be that big of a deal. But then again, there's a lot of nonsense that's going to happen around him and Orochimaru.
There is a possibility that if what happens in the anime repeats here, then he may awaken his Sharingan. Since all the fighting happens after the Forest of Death arc, it's most likely that Sasuke might have that seal if he ends up fighting me.
Hmm yeah, maybe calling him the weakest isn't the right choice.
Neji is strong, and out of all the people, he is the most straightforward. As long as I can handle his Gentle Fist, the match is mine. However, that is easier said than done. But out of all the people, he might be the only one who can't break out of the Shadow Possession technique by brute force.
Unlike Naruto and Gaara, who are Jinchuriki, and Lee and Sasuke, who might or might not be able to use power-ups like the Eight Gates and the curse seal, Neji simply can't escape the capture of my Shadow Possession technique.
So as long as I can capture him, the match is over.
Lee is a tough one but at the same time not that hard if I play my cards right. There is a limit to how long he can use the Eight Gates, and being able to dodge him for that short duration shouldn't be that hard. With his personality, I'm sure that if I can hide in shadows, he won't be able to find me.
Even pushing him to the point where he has to use the Gates is going to be a tough challenge.
Gaara, well, I'd rather just give up than fight with that maniac. I seriously need to learn some powerful water jutsu to handle someone like him.
And then, last but not least, the number one most unpredictable ninja.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Honestly, the kid is a wild card. He could be the weakest in the group and at the same time the strongest.
"What am I going to do..."
xxx
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Chapter 41: Chapter 41 : Teasing Hinata
What the hell is going on...
"I... I... I can't go on anymore, Shika-kun," Hinata gasped, struggling for air and almost collapsing from exhaustion after our training.
The problem was that we hadn't been training for long. Unlike in the waves, where Hinata focused solely on her Water Style Chakra Nature Transformation, since returning to the village, I had started taijutsu training with her.
There were two main reasons I chose to train Hinata. One was that I clearly needed taijutsu training, and out of everyone I knew, Hinata's taijutsu skills were the best. The second reason was that I wanted to make her stronger. I still remember what happened to her in the anime.
Being beaten so badly by Neji that she nearly died, I won't let that happen this time. Although I'm no god and can't make her stronger than Neji in just three months, I have to try.
Or so I thought...
Seeing Hinata panting and already exhausted made me frown. She's a petite girl, I know, but she comes from a lineage of shinobi, and not just any shinobi family, but one of the major families in Konoha, which is currently the largest in the village and heavily focused on taijutsu.
With all this, one would think Hinata would have much more stamina. In fact, I was worried that I'd be the one panting like that in front of her.
"Okay, Hinata. Rest for a while." What else could I say? I knew Hinata wasn't one to slack off.
After pondering the situation, I couldn't figure out why Hinata was performing worse than me. So I waited until she was ready to go again, but instead of restarting the taijutsu fight, I asked her to do something else.
"Hinata, please remove your coat."
"Huh...?" Hinata blinked, seemingly not understanding me.
"I said, please remove those baggy clothes," I replied, trying to keep a straight face.
"W... wh... what... Why?" Her face turned bright red, and she started to stutter.
Realizing she might misunderstand, I wanted to explain, but teasing Hinata was too much fun.
"I want to check something. Go on, don't worry," I said with a serious expression, watching as Hinata continued to stutter.
Her face was flushed with embarrassment as she looked at me, and she couldn't help but gulp.
"Hmm, Shika-kun, that... that..." Hinata was far too shy.
Sigh.
Maybe I should clarify.
Nah.
"Hinata, do you trust me?" I took a few steps closer and asked seriously, making her blush even more and become flustered.
It was hard to stop the smile forming on my face.
Shakily, she moved and slowly unbuttoned her baggy coat, which only made me more amused by her reactions.
But what I saw next made me blush for a moment. I have to admit, Hinata is quite developed in certain areas.
She stood there with an absolutely red face, trying to hide her well-developed figure, and the fact that she was only wearing a normal shirt underneath didn't help.
No... no, focus. I internally reminded myself to stay on track and walked toward Hinata, making her nervous.
"Show me your hands," I instructed, and Hinata moved almost instinctively, presenting her hands to me.
But I didn't really need to see her hands; I touched her forearms and shoulders, trying to feel her muscles.
Meanwhile, she was trembling with shyness.
I, on the other hand, was more confused. The girl didn't have many muscles. That wasn't right at all. Even someone with a slender build, like a kunoichi, should have some muscle.
Hinata, who should have received systematic training all this time, should be no exception. That one thing was enough to distract me from the shy girl with the tomato-red face.
I moved on and pondered while not even looking at her.
"Say, Hinata, what kind of physical exercise do you usually do every day, and what do you eat, and how much? Tell me precisely," I finally asked, glancing back at her as she continued to try to hide her figure and remained red-faced.
"Hmm, you can put your coat back on, Hinata," I said with a deadpan expression.
I couldn't help but sigh.
...
"Huff." Hinata huffed as she avoided me completely. I later explained what I was doing, and she snapped at me. Although her snapping was also very cute—pouting and looking away.
Man... Naruto is lucky.
Anyway, with a bit of prodding, I got her diet and workout plan and figured out why she was so weak.
"Come on, Hinata. I was just teasing you a little. How about this: I'll treat you to ramen to apologize." I smiled as I took her to the ramen shop.
She sneaked a glance at me while chuckling internally. Although she was a bit annoyed, it wasn't too serious. After all, Shika didn't do anything to her beyond checking her muscles and inquiring about her diet and training plan.
Of course, I had a reason for doing this.
"Mister, please give us ramen. Keep them coming. It's all on me," I said to the ramen shop owner.
Hinata's facade lasted only a few seconds before she dug in.
In just a few minutes, she was done.
"Here, have another one." Before Hinata had even finished her first bowl, I handed her another. She blinked but started eating again.
A few minutes later...
"Here, have another one." I gave her another bowl, making her purse her lips.
"Uncle, how many bowls can Naruto eat?" I asked. The ramen shop owner looked a bit surprised by the question but answered immediately.
"Usually five bowls. His best record is fourteen."
"Oh, okay, give this girl fifteen bowls then," I replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Hinata nearly choked on her ramen.
"Hmm, Shika-kun, you don't have to do this. I forgive you already..." she said, but I cut her off.
"I know you forgive me, Hinata. You're too sweet to stay angry at anyone for long. I'm not doing this for that.
After analyzing, I realized that you're eating less than you should. That's why you're feeling weak all the time. If this training is to work, you need to eat more, until you're completely full."
Hinata was taken aback. She hadn't expected me to realize she wasn't eating enough. Although I didn't know why she wasn't eating enough, I did know she had a huge appetite.
So, learning that she was eating so little made it clear that was the issue.
I wasn't sure why she didn't eat enough, but I had to change that. Thanks to the recent mission, I had enough money to last me for years. Making sure this girl ate her fill wouldn't dent my wallet.
Seeing me, Hinata looked down, not wanting to be a bother. I knew her confidence played a role in this.
"I told you I would help you, right? That means I will. Once I give my word, I never go back on it." I said, mimicking Naruto, which made her look at me with surprise.
"And by the way, if you don't eat, then I won't either. If I end up starving later, that will be on you, Hinata. Remember that." I smiled, making sure she had a reason to eat her fill from now on.
She nodded slowly, her head still downcast.
I moved a little closer and whispered, "Don't worry, I like chubby girls." She immediately turned red.
Ah... teasing her is the best.
xxx
Here is the goal for this Week.
500+ stones for the first bonus chapter on Monday
1000+ Stones for the second bonus chapter on Sunday bonus chapter
"Thank you Very Much for All Your Support"
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