Chương 72: Chapter 72: Good Guy Kazuya! On the Scientific Use of the Expansion Jutsu!
In literature, this could symbolize the contrasting paths in their futures.
In reality, though, it simply reflected the fact that they lived on opposite sides of Konoha.
On his way home, Kazuya noticed Uzuki Yugao waiting by the road.
The young woman held a small white paper bag, and her eyes lit up upon seeing him.
"Kazuya-senpai!"
Yugao hurried over, blocking his path.
"What's up, Yugao?" Kazuya asked curiously.
Blushing, Yugao handed him the paper bag and said shyly, "Kazuya-senpai, this is a gift from me. Thank you for saving my life."
She was telling the truth. Without Kazuya's timely intervention during their last mission, she and her fellow Anbu would've fallen to the Cloud Ninja.
"No need to thank me."
Kazuya smiled. "Yugao, you're an important comrade of mine too."
"An important comrade…"
Yugao's heart fluttered between joy and disappointment. Blushing more deeply as she looked at his handsome face, she finally got too shy and hurriedly ran off.
"Such a kid…"
Kazuya shook his head with a sigh. Opening the bag, he found a beautifully crafted music box inside.
Figures!
Something only a young girl would like.
With a look of mild disappointment, he'd half-hoped it would be a key card for a fancy hotel or a two-day spa retreat. But it was just a plain old music box.
Disappointed, he changed direction and headed for Kurenai Yuhi's home.
Knock, knock, knock!
Impatiently, he rapped on her door.
Before long, Kurenai appeared, dressed in casual clothes, looking surprised.
"Kazuya-kun, what brings you here?"
With a slightly embarrassed smile, Kazuya said, "Kurenai, you've been helping me so much with work lately, and I feel grateful. Since I'm leaving tomorrow, I wanted to bring you a little gift. I hope you don't mind."
"Really?"
Kurenai's red eyes brightened as she took the bag from him.
She opened it and beamed at the sight of the music box inside.
"This music box is so beautiful, Kazuya-kun! I love it! Thank you so much; I'm so happy! I thought you might only give me a pearl necklace as a New Year's gift, but…"
"This is a wonderful surprise!"
Carefully, Kurenai held the music box with a look of pure joy.
Stop bringing up the pearl necklace…
It's not like you'd have much use for it right now, anyway.
As he silently grumbled to himself, Kazuya maintained a warm and satisfied expression on his face. "Kurenai, as long as you're happy!"
"Thank you…"
Kurenai was deeply moved. She paused, then noticed something off. "Kazuya-kun, are you leaving the village tomorrow? Is it for a mission?"
As expected of Kurenai, she noticed right away!
"Yeah," Kazuya nodded calmly. "I need to go to the Land of Water, so I'll stop by the base later to prepare what I need for tomorrow."
"No need for that!"
Kurenai responded decisively. "Kazuya-kun, you should go straight home and rest! I'll take care of everything you'll need for the mission; don't worry!"
"Are you sure that's alright?"
Kazuya looked hesitant.
"Of course!" Kurenai beamed, her eyes twinkling. "It makes me happy to do something for you, Kazuya-kun!"
With that, she dashed back into her room, carefully placed down the exquisite music box, and then sprinted toward the Anbu base with urgency.
"What a wonderful woman…"
Kazuya murmured as he watched Kurenai's figure disappear into the distance, a trace of admiration in his eyes.
He wondered if she could handle the Akimichi Clan's expansion technique.
He'd picked up the technique on the battlefield but hadn't found an opportunity to try it out yet!
The next morning.
The three-person squad gathered at Konoha's gate.
Kurenai handed Kazuya a large backpack.
"Kazuya-kun, I've packed the ninja tools, antidotes, bandages, food, and water. Please, be careful and stay safe!"
She even reached up to straighten his slightly disheveled collar.
"I will."
Kazuya smiled, pinching her cheek playfully.
"Mhm," Kurenai nodded shyly, blushing. This was the first time they'd been so openly affectionate in front of others.
Nearby, Shisui Uchiha rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Way too early for this," he muttered, feeling like he'd just been fed a spoonful of lovey-dovey nonsense.
Meanwhile, Itachi Uchiha, standing to the side, appeared unfazed—as though romantic matters held no interest for him at all.
Without further ado, Kazuya said his goodbyes to Kurenai and led Shisui and Itachi toward the eastern edge of Konoha.
The Land of Water.
Located across a vast sea to the east of the Land of Fire, it was a nation surrounded by islands. The journey was long, requiring several days of travel, including a boat ride.
Kazuya didn't mind the distance, though.
Since Orochimaru's defection, nothing major should have happened in the storyline, at least not yet.
Besides, the Land of Water could be a good place to tour for a bit.
According to intelligence from Hiruzen Sarutobi, the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was a ruler inclined toward gentler governance.
The long-standing "Blood Mist" policy, which began under the Third Mizukage, had seen improvements under Yagura, raising his esteem among Kirigakure's ninjas.
All in all, Kirigakure seemed to be moving in a positive direction, working toward a revival.
"Too bad it's nowhere near that simple…"
A faint smile appeared on Kazuya's lips.
Kirigakure was simply in its final moments before the fall.
Once Obito took control of Yagura, the village would once again descend into a dark and hellish nightmare.
Such was karma; Kirigakure's Anbu had a hand in killing Rin, after all.
Revenge was inevitable.
Kazuya would prefer Kirigakure to be chaotic, with everyone turning on each other in a bloody brawl.
On the road.
Kazuya continuously hurled small stones like shuriken, aimed at Shisui and Itachi as they traveled.
Both were geniuses and dodged the attacks with ease.
"Kazuya-sama…" Itachi said earnestly. "I've adjusted to your speed. You can go even faster."
"Alright," Kazuya nodded.
Nice observation, Itachi, but maybe don't mention it next time!
Kazuya continued tossing stones as they moved.
Suddenly, notifications appeared in his mind:
[You picked up 50 Chakra points]
[You picked up 40 Chakra points]
[You picked up 80 Combat Experience points]
[You picked up 10 Indra Bloodline points]
[You picked up 50 Sharingan Power points]
With each thrown stone, beams of golden light flew toward Kazuya.
Good grief!
Did Itachi activate his Sharingan just to dodge a few pebbles? The kid has potential!
Kazuya wasn't just tossing stones to pass the time; he wanted to extract every bit of valuable skill and bloodline traits from the two Uchiha prodigies!
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực