Chapter 44: chapter 43: The Scale in Minato's Heart
Chapter 43: The Scale in Minato's Heart
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Standing quietly by the lake near the small forest, Toneri watched the fist-sized fireball that had just come out of his mouth.
To be honest, it could be considered a Fireball... right?
This was Toneri's first attempt at using a jutsu after receiving the scroll from Orochimaru.
He knew his own weaknesses; he was aware of them.
Toneri wouldn't deny that his chakra control was relatively weak.
Most of his focus had been on improving his taijutsu, so even though he learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu and had a clone practice chakra control for him, it wasn't easy to close the gap.
Just yesterday, he had learned how to walk on water, and today he was attempting one of the simplest jutsu: the Fireball.
Though it was his first try, the fireball looked more like a fire egg, but at least it had a proper form, right?
After all, not everyone can succeed the first time they try a jutsu. If that were the case, everyone would be as talented as Itachi.
Even for Sasuke, didn't it take several attempts before he mastered the Great Fireball Jutsu?
"Hahaha—Toneri, this is your so-called jutsu?" Kushina, who had been resting on the grass by the riverbank, laughed hysterically. She had thought Toneri was about to show them some impressive technique, but it turned out to be just a "little fireball." She rolled on the ground, clutching her stomach.
Minato, sitting next to Kushina, also couldn't help but laugh.
Just a moment ago, Toneri had called them over to the riverbank, claiming he had learned a new jutsu. And this was the result.
The three of them had been training together in this small forest for two weeks now.
From initially speaking with formalities to now joking around like friends, their bond had deepened.
Minato had always been easygoing, and though Kushina had some prejudice against him at first, she had come to realize that her assumptions were wrong. Minato wasn't soft; he was just naturally gentle in his dealings with others. And with someone like Toneri, who was always ready to throw a punch, their group had become quite close.
Toneri, undeterred, tried again several more times but couldn't get the Fireball to exceed the size of his fist. The damage output was still uncertain, but it nearly sent Kushina into another fit of laughter.
Now, Toneri was certain: sometimes, having too much chakra wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The more chakra you had, the harder it was to control all of it. The amount of time and energy required to maintain proper control increased dramatically.
But there were other improvements in his training during this time. At least now, he could handle more Shadow Clones.
The more clones he could create, the faster his strength would increase. It was a positive cycle.
After putting in the effort, he had already reached the level of an average genin in terms of taijutsu. He wouldn't get easily beaten up by Kushina anymore.
He had also made progress with throwing ninja tools and the basic body techniques, though those still required more practice.
The real challenge lay in the things that couldn't be improved in a day.
For example, his taijutsu.
During the first two weeks, his improvement had been huge—almost like he was progressing by leaps and bounds every day. This was because he started with such a low base and had been training intensely, pushing his body into the realm of a genin's taijutsu.
However, in the last two weeks, the progress had slowed down significantly. He had only barely crossed the threshold into the genin level.
As one's strength grew, the rate of improvement naturally slowed because the bottleneck kept rising.
To give a simple example, Toneri had once been exhausted after running a lap around Konoha, and just pushing himself to keep running had resulted in progress. But now, even if he ran ten laps, he wouldn't reach his limit as quickly. To improve further, he would have to push his body even harder.
The stronger he got, the harder it became to exceed his physical limits. Without exceeding those limits, the advantage of being a Jinchūriki didn't have as much of an effect.
"Ha—"
After several more failed attempts, Toneri accepted that this wasn't something that could be mastered in one go. He had gotten a bit overconfident, thinking his chakra control had improved enough to try out a new jutsu. But it seemed he had overestimated himself.
He walked to the shore, glancing at Minato and Kushina, who had started to get along better. Toneri gave a satisfied nod.
Yeah, Tools #2 and #3—my time to dominate the world is getting closer and closer.
"Alright, that's enough for today. By the way, we've been training non-stop since we met. How about we go out and have some fun? I've been in Konoha for over a month, and I haven't even explored the streets."
"Yes! Let's go!" Kushina immediately responded.
She had been in Konoha for a long time but hadn't gone out much, as she didn't have any friends.
After being bullied by the local kids when she was younger, calling her a "tomato," she rarely went into town unless absolutely necessary.
But going out required one important thing: money!
No money!
Speaking of money, Toneri didn't even need to be looked at. He was the poorest of the three—he couldn't even produce a single coin.
So, Toneri and Kushina both turned to Minato, especially eyeing his forehead protector.
Ninjas… they seem to make money quickly, right?
Noticing their hopeful gazes, Minato knew it was his turn to speak. After all, he was the only ninja among them, and he had completed a few missions, so he had a bit of money on him.
"Let's go, I'll treat you today!" Minato patted the dirt off his pants.
"Yay!" Kushina cheered.
Toneri immediately took off running, shouting, "Let's see who gets there first!"
Seeing Toneri run off, Kushina's face changed, and she sprinted after him.
Minato, slow to get up, said, "Kushina, if Toneri wants to win, let him. There's no need to compete."
But all he heard was Kushina's voice from a distance, "Competing for what?! You let him go ahead, and do you know what the consequence will be?!"
Upon hearing this, Minato's face instantly turned as pale as Kushina's. His feet pushed off the ground, and using the Body Flicker Technique, he quickly caught up.
Letting Toneri lead? He might not get to eat dinner tonight!
Ten minutes later.
Toneri was holding his swollen cheek and the noticeable bump on the back of his head.
Muttering, "We were just racing, why did they have to hit me?"
Kushina shot him a glare, clearly unimpressed. "You still have the nerve to say that? With your sense of direction, don't you have any self-awareness? What was it you called it last time?"
Toneri rolled his eyes.
He had said it just once, and Kushina had remembered the term "AC number."
But this time, Toneri truly was the victim. He wasn't really bad at directions—after all, when someone was treating him to a meal, why would he go the long way?
At most, he'd just run a lap around Konoha...
Minato smiled at the two of them.
At this moment, he felt like he had two true friends.
Though Minato had initially felt that Toneri might have been trying to get close to him for some reason, as time passed and with Kushina's presence, everything had become natural.
Minato wouldn't admit that it was because Toneri had tricked Kushina into joining them that he didn't care about the details...
But one thing was certain: Toneri was genuine with him, and Minato had picked up on it. That's why he didn't mind the reasons Toneri had for approaching him.
Just because he was young didn't mean he was naive. As they say, children from poor families often mature faster. Having grown up on his own, Minato was perceptive and had his own scale for understanding people's hearts.
Sunshine doesn't mean you're an idiot.
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Chapter 45: Chapter 44: The Legendary Gambler
Chapter 44: The Legendary Gambler
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"Ah, I'm so full!" Toneri rubbed his belly as he strolled out of a bustling restaurant in the heart of Konoha's busiest street.
Behind him, Kushina and Minato followed with expressions of shock and disbelief.
The two exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting mutual astonishment. However, while Kushina's gaze was purely of amazement, Minato's carried a hint of pain—especially for his wallet.
At that moment, Minato couldn't help but ask internally:
Are you secretly a member of the Akimichi clan?!
Toneri's appetite had completely redefined the meaning of "glutton" for both of them. For Minato in particular, this meal had forced him to reevaluate the already dwindling numbers in his coin pouch.
Next time, anyone else who volunteers to treat Toneri to a meal—I'll fight them to the end!
With a swagger of confidence, Toneri sauntered down the street, casually glancing at shops as he searched for the famous Ichiraku Ramen.
Originally, Toneri had planned to solve his hunger problem at Ichiraku Ramen, but after wandering the streets for ages without success, Kushina and Minato—afraid of getting lost themselves—suggested they just pick a random decent-looking restaurant.
While the food had been great, Toneri's real goal wasn't just eating; it was to confirm if Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, had somehow already been born.
Having eaten his fill, Kushina and Minato decided not to insist on taking charge of the tour. After all, shopping wasn't about where you went; it was about who you went with!
However, Toneri's search for Ichiraku Ramen was interrupted by the sight of someone he hadn't expected to encounter.
A blonde-haired woman with a long ponytail, wearing a loose green jacket adorned with the kanji for "Gamble" on the back, her... unmistakable figure completing the look.
Sluuuuurp!
And there she was: Tsunade, the "Slug Princess" and one of the legendary Sannin!
Better yet—she was carrying a black briefcase, her confident gaze fixed on a particular establishment across the street. Above its doors, two prominent characters stood out:
Casino!
The Legendary Sucker was heading into a casino!
Toneri's instincts immediately told him one thing: A chance for profit!
Noticing Toneri had stopped walking, Kushina and Minato followed his line of sight.
There stood an incredibly beautiful woman.
They watched her walk into the casino, where the guards at the entrance immediately bowed deeply and escorted her inside with fawning smiles.
Toneri suddenly spun around, his eyes gleaming as they locked onto Minato.
Gulp.
"Toneri... what are you planning to do?" Minato stammered, feeling an ominous chill.
Toneri wrapped an arm around Minato's shoulders, his expression radiating confidence. "Minato, how much money do you have on you?"
"Not... not much…" Minato stuttered, pulling out his coin pouch reluctantly.
Inside, after counting carefully, Minato found he had about 30,000 ryo left—a modest sum for an ordinary family's monthly expenses, though not much for a shinobi.
Toneri's disappointed look said it all.
As a low-ranking Genin without a regular squad, most of Minato's missions were low-level D-rank tasks—such as finding lost pets or helping with chores. These missions typically paid anywhere between 500 to 10,000 ryo depending on difficulty.
Occasionally, he might get a temporary spot in a team for a C-rank mission, such as escorting civilians or delivering documents, which paid 10,000 to 50,000 ryo. However, these earnings had to be divided among the team members.
Without a permanent team or mentor, Minato's income was fairly limited.
At higher levels, B-rank and above missions, which offered significantly more rewards, were simply out of reach for Minato's current rank and experience.
"This... this is all I have," Minato said hesitantly, handing over his savings.
Toneri, still dissatisfied, turned to Kushina.
With a mischievous grin, Kushina opened her coin pouch and handed it over.
"You'll find something fun to do with it, right?" she said, fully embracing the moment.
Toneri's eyes sparkled as he peeked inside.
The pouch contained a whopping 170,000 ryo!
Together with Minato's contribution, Toneri now held a small fortune of 200,000 ryo in his hands.
"Turns out you're the real hidden boss here!" Toneri teased as he stuffed the coins into his pocket.
For Kushina, the money was nothing significant. As one of the last Uzumaki clan members, she had a substantial inheritance. However, to keep her safe from potential threats, Konoha had "helpfully" stored most of her wealth and provided her with a monthly allowance.
Even so, her regular stipends left her with more than enough to live comfortably—and to join in on Toneri's wild ideas.
After securing the funds, Toneri swaggered toward the casino entrance, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath.
"What's he saying?" Minato whispered.
"I think... something about 'not even one-third of an Asuma,'" Kushina replied, equally baffled.
At the casino entrance, the guards stood watch as Toneri approached.
"Hey, kid, this is no place for children. Go home and find your parents!" one of them barked, holding out an arm to block Toneri.
While casinos were permitted in Konoha, they operated under strict regulations—such as prohibiting minors from entering, much like alcohol laws.
Unfortunately for the guards, their words hit a nerve.
If only we had parents…
Ignoring the guards' attempts, Toneri smirked and casually strolled past them.
"Well," Kushina whispered to Minato, watching Toneri's confident demeanor. "This is about to get interesting."
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