Chapter 151 (Patreon)

Summer had arrived, and the heat was almost unbearable.

The sweltering weather left everyone feeling restless and irritable.

At that moment, three figures were making their way leisurely along a country road beside a river.

The lush trees lining the road offered some shelter from the blazing sun, but the little shade they provided barely made a difference.

It was still far too hot.

“Yujiro, don’t you possess the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai?”

Tsunade quickened her pace until she was walking beside Yujiro, a pleasant smile appearing on her face.

“Lower the temperature around us a little.”

“And why should I listen to you?” Yujiro asked, glancing sideways at her.

“Wait a minute, Yujiro. I’m still your elder, you know!” Tsunade protested.

“You’re older than me. In what other way are you my elder?” Yujiro raised an eyebrow.

“Hmph!”

Tsunade pursed her lips before hurrying over to Konan.

“Konan, do something about your master! This heat is unbearable.”

Tsunade desperately fanned herself with both hands, even sticking out her tongue from the heat.

“Do something about Master...?”

Konan’s cheeks immediately turned red. She cautiously glanced at Yujiro, who was walking ahead of them, and only relaxed after confirming that he had not turned around.

“Tsunade-nee-san, how could I possibly order Master around? Aren’t you asking too much of me...?”

It was already fortunate that her master had not punished her recently. There was no chance she would dare tell him what to do.

“Ah, I can’t take this anymore!” Tsunade cried. “If I’d known it would be this hot, I would’ve brought Shizune with me.”

Even so, Tsunade had no intention of giving up.

She hurried back to Yujiro’s side and grabbed his right hand.

“Here, feel my palm. Isn’t it burning hot?”

She then leaned closer, giving him an aggrieved look.

“Besides, you’re a man. Can you really bear to watch two beautiful women suffer in this heat?”

Yujiro looked at her speechlessly.

Tsunade truly couldn’t tolerate even the slightest discomfort.

“I don’t act without a reason,” Yujiro said, a faint grin appearing on his face. “Offer me something tempting enough to move me.”

“Something tempting...”

Tsunade’s eyes shifted as she began thinking.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered what Uchiha Izumi and Yūgao Uzuki had said to her several months ago.

The moment those words came to mind, Tsunade’s expression became noticeably unnatural.

After hesitating for a while, she blushed and leaned close to Yujiro’s ear.

“Once this journey is over and we return to Konoha, I’ll... give you a very special surprise.”

“It’s only a gift. Why are you making it sound so mysterious?” Yujiro replied with a casual wave of his hand.

“Fine. That’s acceptable.”

Yujiro’s chakra stirred.

“Ice Release: Zero Aura!”

A wave of frigid air immediately spread outward, forming a cool field around his body.

The oppressive summer heat vanished in an instant, replaced by a refreshing chill that washed over Tsunade and Konan.

“Ah... This is much better!” Tsunade exclaimed in delight. “You should’ve done this from the beginning!”

Yujiro ignored her and continued toward Kumogakure at an unhurried pace.

His thoughts had already returned to his Limiter.

He had successfully unlocked the early phase of Limiter Level Four.

The transformation it had brought him was undeniably immense.

Because of that, Yujiro was eager to unlock the middle phase of Level Four.

However, to reach the middle phase, he first needed to overcome the darkness buried within his own heart—his inner demon.

Fortunately, there was a place in the shinobi world perfectly suited for confronting such a thing.

The Falls of Truth, located on Kumogakure’s secret Island Turtle.

There, Yujiro would be able to face the darkness within his heart directly.

His inner demon...

A trace of curiosity arose within Yujiro.

What form would it take?

Two weeks passed before they knew it.

With Yujiro accompanying them, Tsunade and Konan never had to endure sleeping in the wilderness.

Whenever they stopped to rest, Yujiro needed only a single thought to activate Wood Release and raise a luxurious wooden lodge from the ground.

The journey itself was rather enjoyable.

Relying on her status as the eldest of the group, as well as her experience traveling through the neighboring minor nations, Tsunade appointed herself their guide.

Konan, meanwhile, diligently carried out her responsibilities as Yujiro’s maid.

As for Yujiro, he spent most of the journey looking inward, allowing the darkness hidden within him to gradually surface. He intended to prepare himself as thoroughly as possible so that he could break through the next stage of his Limiter in a single attempt.

On that day, the three of them finally arrived at Kumogakure.

Konoha had first informed Kumogakure of Yujiro’s visit half a month earlier. Then, half a day before his arrival, Kumogakure’s scouts confirmed that he was already approaching the village.

Throughout those two weeks, Kumogakure had remained in a state of constant anxiety.

Why had Yujiro suddenly decided to visit their village at such a sensitive time?

More importantly, the message sent by Konoha had been frustratingly vague. It merely stated that Yujiro would be traveling to Kumogakure without specifying when he would arrive or why he was coming.

Because of that, the entire village had remained on high alert for half a month.

Inside the Raikage’s office, a Kumogakure shinobi rushed through the door.

“Lord Raikage! Yujiro has arrived!”

“He’s finally here.”

The Fourth Raikage, A, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His expression immediately became solemn again as he issued an order.

“Inform Killer B and Darui. We’re going to welcome him.”

“Yes, Lord Raikage,” Mabui replied with a nod.

Ten minutes later, Yujiro walked through the streets of Kumogakure with Tsunade and Konan beside him.

Kumogakure was remarkably prosperous.

Among all the shinobi villages, it might have been even more developed than Konoha. Its true prosperity simply remained hidden from most outsiders because of how little information the village allowed to leave its borders.

Of course, when it came to sheer size, Konoha remained the largest shinobi village in the world.

“Kumogakure welcomes its three distinguished guests!”

A powerful voice rang out from ahead.

The Fourth Raikage approached them with Darui and Killer B following close behind.

Yujiro smiled faintly.

“I came because there’s something I need from you, Raikage.”

“Hahaha! Then let’s not discuss it out here,” A replied with a hearty laugh. “We can talk inside the Raikage Building.”

Yujiro, Tsunade, and Konan followed the Raikage’s group into the central office of the Raikage Building.

Naturally, A had no genuine desire to be this hospitable.

However, if he offended someone as dangerous as Yujiro, Kumogakure would undoubtedly suffer catastrophic losses.

Once everyone had taken their seats, the Fourth Raikage sat across from Yujiro.

“Lord Yujiro, may I ask why you have come to Kumogakure?”

“I want to visit the Falls of Truth,” Yujiro answered directly.

“The Falls of Truth?!”

A’s pupils contracted slightly.

Its existence was one of Kumogakure’s closely guarded secrets.

Yet Yujiro had mentioned it so casually. Judging from his expression, he had clearly known about it for a long time.

“The Falls of Truth are located on Island Turtle,” A explained after closing his eyes and thinking for a moment. “Island Turtle is constantly moving through the sea.”

He paused briefly before reaching a decision.

“Here is what I can do, Lord Yujiro. I will contact the shinobi stationed on Island Turtle and have them guide it closer to Kumogakure. Once it reaches the nearby waters, we’ll be able to board it.”

“How long will that take?” Yujiro asked.

A quickly calculated the distance.

“Approximately one week.”

“Very well.” Yujiro nodded.

The Raikage smiled.

“Then, during this coming week, Lord Yujiro and the two ladies of his household are welcome to stay in Kumogakure.”

Yujiro gave the Raikage a peculiar look.

The two ladies of his household?

The Raikage certainly had an interesting way of putting things.