Chapter 126 (Patreon)

Deep within the dense forest behind Konoha, Naruto slipped behind a massive tree and concealed himself.

“Heh-heh! I hid myself perfectly this time. There’s no way Yujiro-nii-san will find me!”

Sitting with his back against the thick trunk, Naruto nodded in satisfaction.

“Is that so?”

A calm voice suddenly came from behind him.

A chill raced down Naruto’s spine, and he ducked instinctively.

At that exact moment, a streak of black flashed over his head.

Slash!

The massive tree behind Naruto was sliced cleanly in two.

Had he reacted even a moment later, his body would have suffered the same fate.

“Aaah!”

Naruto sprang away in terror.

“Yujiro-nii-san! That could’ve killed me!”

Yujiro stood atop the severed trunk, his expression completely unmoved.

“What were you expecting? Did you think I would keep playing around with you like before?”

“You’re a shinobi now. Death can come at any moment, so you must always remain alert!”

The instant those words left his mouth, Yujiro vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Naruto’s face paled.

He immediately turned and fled through the forest.

Yujiro watched him run and smiled faintly.

Perhaps genuine pressure between life and death would be enough to draw out the power of Asura sleeping within Naruto.

“Shadow Clone Jutsu.”

Two shadow clones appeared beside him in bursts of smoke.

“One of you will handle Naruto, while the other will go after Sasuke. Keep chasing them until midnight.”

The two shadow clones nodded before disappearing into the forest.

As for Yujiro, he went to find Sakura.

He spread out his chakra perception and instantly located her.

However, something felt strange.

Why was she so calm?

Naruto and Sasuke were desperately fleeing from his shadow clones, yet Sakura’s chakra had barely moved.

Curious, Yujiro used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at a small clearing hidden among the trees.

“So this is where you’re hiding.”

Carrying his black blade, Yujiro walked toward Sakura’s hiding place.

The moment he passed a cluster of bushes, Sakura suddenly jumped out.

Upon seeing Yujiro, her cheeks immediately turned red, and she stared directly into his eyes.

“You’re not going to run?”

Yujiro raised an eyebrow.

Something about this girl seemed unusual today.

“Yujiro-nii-san, I... I like you!”

After silently cheering herself on, Sakura finally forced the words out, her face burning red.

Yujiro’s eyebrow rose slightly.

Was she confessing to him in the middle of their training?

However, he was already accustomed to such situations.

Over the years, countless girls had confessed to him, often in increasingly elaborate ways.

“Sakura, you do realize that we’re in the middle of special training, don’t you?”

“I don’t care! This is the only time I get to be alone with you!”

Sakura stepped closer.

“Yujiro-nii-san, I really like you! I’ve liked you ever since I was little!”

“I’ve already decided that I’m going to marry you! Even if you don’t like me now, I’ll still marry you someday!”

“Although... I know there are already several women you care about, I don’t mind!”

She took another step forward and gazed at him with unwavering determination.

“I wouldn’t even mind starting as your maid!”

The corner of Yujiro’s mouth twitched.

This was hardly the first time a girl had confessed to him with such passion.

“Fine. We’ll see how well you perform.”

Unable to reject her outright, Yujiro gave her an ambiguous answer.

“Really?!”

Sakura’s face immediately lit up when she realized he hadn’t rejected her.

She rushed toward him excitedly.

“Yujiro-sama!”

“Haa...”

Yujiro released a long breath.

“That’s enough. It’s time to continue your special training!”

“Yes, Yujiro-sama!”

Sakura smiled brightly before turning around and running into the forest.

“What goes on in that girl’s head?”

Yujiro shook his head helplessly.

The special pursuit training immediately resumed.

Time gradually passed, and before long, the moon was hanging high in the night sky.

At midnight, in the mountains behind Konoha, three battered figures were driven into the same clearing.

Yujiro slowly sheathed his black blade and stood before the three exhausted genin.

“Well? How was it? Did you enjoy yourselves?”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Yujiro-nii-san, if I hadn’t reacted quickly a few times, I really would’ve died!”

Naruto glared at him resentfully.

“That’s because you’re too weak. You only have yourself to blame.”

Sasuke sat on the grass nearby, breathing heavily.

“Sasuke! Whose side are you on?!”

Naruto turned toward him indignantly.

“Yujiro-nii-san is doing this for our sake,” Sasuke replied with a snort.

Although even he had nearly died several times during the pursuit, all three of them understood that Yujiro had still been holding back.

On the other side, Sakura gazed at Yujiro expectantly.

Despite being covered in dirt from head to toe, she couldn’t conceal the happiness in her eyes.

Yujiro raised an eyebrow.

What was so enjoyable about being hunted through the forest for an entire afternoon?

However, after hours of relentless pursuit, Yujiro had confirmed one thing.

Even under that much pressure, he couldn’t force out the power hidden within their bodies.

After all, no matter how ruthless his training became, he couldn’t genuinely kill them.

It seemed that only a true life-or-death crisis would be enough.

In that case, the mission to the Land of Waves was absolutely necessary.

“All right. That’s enough for today.”

“Go home, wash up, and get some sleep. We’ll meet at Konoha’s main gate at eight tomorrow morning. Don’t forget.”

After giving those instructions, Yujiro left the mountains.

Why waste any more time here when he could be sleeping comfortably at home?

With his black blade in hand, Yujiro returned home at a leisurely pace.

It was already late at night, so he was careful not to make too much noise and disturb his family.

He quietly entered his bedroom without turning on the light.

At that moment, a soft voice came from within the darkness.

“Yujiro-kun... y-you’re back...”

Yujiro paused.

That voice didn’t belong to Yūgao.

It belonged to Izumi Uchiha.

Izumi cautiously approached him, her voice soft and slightly coquettish.

“Um... Yūgao-san said she wasn’t feeling very well tonight...”

A grin slowly appeared on Yujiro’s face.

He immediately understood what she meant.

Early the following morning, Team Seven was already assembled at Konoha’s main gate.

Kakashi had also arrived, while Tazuna stood nearby with all his luggage prepared.

At exactly fifteen minutes past eight, Yujiro finally strolled into view.

“Yujiro-nii-san, you’re fifteen minutes late,” Naruto complained.

“If I told you I woke up around six this morning, would you believe me?”

Yujiro smiled calmly.

“No way! I woke up at six too! If you were already awake, what were you doing for the past two hours?”

Naruto stared at him suspiciously.

“Use your imagination.”

Carrying his black blade, Yujiro leisurely walked through Konoha’s gates.

The timing was the same, but this mission to the Land of Waves would be completely different from the one he remembered.

Yujiro couldn’t help looking forward to it.