On the shore of the Lake of Life, Qian Renjue walked hand in hand with his mother and sister, enjoying the lush greenery and serene beauty around them. Ling Yuan silently followed a few steps behind.
Meanwhile, Hu Liena, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others had been invited by Xiao Wu to ride the soul beasts. Da Ming and Er Ming were experiencing what it felt like to serve as mounts.
Qian Renxue, holding Qian Renjue’s arm, glanced at the shimmering lake surface with a faint...
"That's right, Mom, it's indeed the hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape."
Qian Renjue smiled and nodded, gently ruffling Xiao Feidie's soft hair to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Xiao Fei Die. It won't attack us."
"Alright, put Mom down now," Bibi Dong said as she adjusted herself, glancing at the swinging Evil Scythe in annoyance, though she didn't voice it out.
"Understood," Qian Renjue replied, setting down the shoe and slowly squatting down.
Hu Liena i...
“Swish, swish...”
After finishing the plan in his hands, Uchiha Gin slowly raised his head, staring at the elegantly dressed Uchiha clansman before him, who looked more like a noble than a ninja. With a look of astonishment, he asked:
“Did you write this plan?”
The trembling clansman below shivered at the question, then raised his head with a face full of fear.
“Yes, Lord Gin, I wrote it.”
“You... While your strength is average, your talent...
At the Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls
“Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Come on, men, put your backs into it! We’re almost there!”
Hundreds of sturdy shinobi strained to drag steel-reinforced ropes, moving three mountain-sized behemoths. Leading them was a man named Shihe, who was conversing with a sinister-looking middle-aged man.
“Thank you, Lord Shi He. Without your help, the sacred beasts of the Land of Waterfalls would have surely fallen...
Konohagakure Camp
For the first time, the Land of Frost, which had been continuously snowing, welcomed a clear, sunny day, and the weather turned warm.
“This is great!”
Kurenai Yuhi spun around twice in front of Yukawa, feeling utterly relaxed.
“Yes, it is.”
Rin Nohara nodded in agreement, a smile appearing on her face.
“I hope those annoying ninja from Kumogakure calm down for a few days!”
Kurenai clenched her fist and waved it in frus...
"Next, you'll encounter ninjas from Kumogakure. You must stay fully alert," Tsunade said as they walked. "As shinobi from one of the Five Great Nations, their overall strength surpasses the ninjas you’ve encountered on previous missions."
Hanekawa nodded slightly.
In their earlier missions, they rarely dealt with shinobi from the Five Great Nations or their villages.
This was their first official encounter.
Although the ranks of Genin, Chūnin, and Jōnin...
Hanekawa frowned slightly.
It wasn’t that the three ninjutsu techniques given by Tsuchibashi were weak; on the contrary, they were quite powerful.
In the original story, the destructive power of the Fourth Raikage using these techniques was comparable to Tsunade's Superhuman strength.
But there was a catch—or rather, a prerequisite.
To fully unleash their power, they needed to be paired with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Under normal conditi...
Hanekawa sat beside Tsunade, surveying the room.
The meeting room, as a place for high-level discussions, clearly reflected the power structure of Konoha Village.
At the head of the room sat Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, facing a group of Special Jōnin and Jōnin.
Flanking him were the Hokage advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, as well as Danzo Shimura, the Hokage’s assistant.
Tsunade was seated in the front row, closest to the Hokage.
“Today’s haul wasn’t bad,” Tsunade said with a satisfied smile as she looked at the stack of money in front of her.
Perhaps because she hadn’t gambled in a while, her luck seemed to have improved, and she won 300,000 ryō in just one afternoon.
“Let’s head back,” Hanekawa said, glancing out the window at the darkening sky. “Aren’t you hungry yet?”
“I wasn’t, but now I am,” Tsunade replied, shoving a handful of money at him. “We’re h...
"Ah, mm~!"
The icy touch on Hu Liena's neck elicited a soft, alluring cry.
Her graceful body arched and twisted on the bed. She wore only a light pink crop top, which barely covered her chest, leaving her arms, shoulders, and slender waist exposed. Her snug shorts barely concealed her curves, and her long, smooth legs gleamed like polished jade.
Her movements were a feast for Qian Renjue's eyes.
Hu Liena bit down on her pacifier, a hint of white milk trickl...
Ling Yuan quickly stepped forward, pulling the screen into place to block the bed from view.
The scene of a "plump cat clinging to a thin branch" disappeared from sight.
Ning Rongrong finally snapped out of her daze, hurriedly turning her head toward Qian Renjue.
Seeing only the back of his head, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, Brother Holy Son didn’t see anything. Otherwise, if he were to compare her to Zhuqing in the future...
How could s...
After dinner.
Zhu Zhuqing sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the Eight Spider Soul Bone.
The others stayed by the table.
Ling Yuan poured tea, Ning Rongrong brewed wine, and the little bunny diligently massaged Qian Renjue's legs.
For the first time, Ice Empress transformed into her human form, standing behind Qian Renjue, massaging his shoulders. However, her technique was far from skilled.
Qian Renxue watched her pampered younger brother sur...
"Such a large sum of money isn’t a small figure. How could we possibly carry that much around with us?"
Ishikawa, now a bit recovered, longed for the convenience of home delivery but was helpless as they hadn’t brought enough money on this trip. They could only stand there staring blankly.
The others shared the same sentiment—who in their right mind would carry so much cash while traveling these days?
"I’ll pay! I brought money!"
But there’s alway...
Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, the gathered Kage looked at each other helplessly, unable to figure out what to do with the massive tailed beasts before them. Even though they now owned these "treasures," they couldn't feel any joy about it.
The issue was clear: when they came to Konoha for the negotiations, they hadn't brought enough manpower to transport the tailed beasts back to their respective countries.
Seeing their distressed expressions, Uchiha Gin stepped forward wi...
"Hanekawa, how's the situation?"
Tsunade stopped walking and asked.
"There are no pursuers nearby," Hanekawa replied with closed eyes.
The Yamanaka clan's sensory techniques depend on the chakra input. This time, Hanekawa used a significant amount of chakra, expanding his detection range to a five-kilometer radius.
He suddenly thought of the Kagura Mind’s Eye, a technique that could sense every movement within tens of kilometers—a truly terrifying a...
"Long time no see, Lady Tsunade."
After finishing her conversation with Mokuto Ei, Konan approached Tsunade and greeted her. "I am Konan."
Hanekawa was taken aback.
Had they met before?
"As I thought, it's you. It's been years, and you've completely changed," Tsunade remarked with a hint of nostalgia. "If it weren't for your distinctive hair color, I wouldn’t have recognized you."
"How is Teacher Jiraiya doing now?" Konan asked with a rare smile on...
Night fell, and the rain continued to pour relentlessly, the steady patter severely impairing both visibility and sensory perception.
Under Mokuto Ei’s orders, the convoy’s carriages clustered together. Soon, rainproof tents were erected.
A kilometer away on the left side of the convoy, five ninjas clad in black raincoats crawled stealthily toward the group.
Their sharp eyes were locked onto the convoy, murderous intent evident on their faces.
“Uninvi...
The next day.
Hanekawa arrived at Tsunade’s house early in the morning.
Kurenai Yuhi didn’t come along; she stayed home to prepare bento boxes.
To his surprise, someone had arrived even earlier than he had—it was Rin Nohara.
“Why are you here so early?” Hanekawa walked up to her and asked.
“Hanekawa?” Rin turned at the sound of his voice, her face lighting up with a delighted smile.
Hanekawa’s eyes swept over her dark red over-...
Raikage's Office
The Third Raikage stood up instinctively after reading the intelligence report from Tsuchibashi. His first reaction was one of astonishment and disbelief.
The sudden and unanticipated disappearance of the Third Kazekage sounded far-fetched.
But what if it was true?
"Summon Dodai and Mabui."
After a long moment of contemplation, the Third Raikage gave the order.
"Understood."
The Anbu ninja turned and left.
"Lord ...
“Gifts?”
Zhu Zhuqing’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Her teacher had mentioned before that he would bring her a gift when he came to visit.
“Exactly.”
Qian Renjue nodded slightly, motioning for the women to take their seats around the table.
“Everyone, take a seat, including you, Sister Ling Yuan.”
“As you wish, Your Highness,” Ling Yuan responded, following closely behind.
Qian Renxue glanced at Ning Rongrong b...
"Who would’ve thought? Just as I planned to visit you, I received a letter from Uncle Ning," said Qian Renjue, pinching Ning Rongrong’s delicate nose with mock annoyance.
"Ah~"
Ning Rongrong lightly shook her head free, grabbed Qian Renjue’s large hand, and huffed:
"This is all because Brother Holy Son is biased!"
"Alright, it’s all my fault."
Qian Renjue chuckled softly, readily admitting his mistake.
He simply found spending time with Ye Lin...
"The last one! Only one left! The blue big cat, beloved by cat enthusiasts—gentle, obedient, friendly, sweet-voiced, soft-bodied, and perfect for cuddles!"
Uchiha Gin enthusiastically held up the remaining Two-Tails card, tirelessly advertising it.
"..."
But no matter how much he hyped it, it couldn't cover up the inherent shortcomings of the Two-Tails.
Too few tails, no bloodline abilities.
"Too weak and no bloodline—who would want it?"
C...
"Ah-choo! Ah-choo~!"
In the dark and quiet space, a large and plump figure slowly opened its eyes. Shukaku wiped its nose suspiciously and muttered in a low voice,
"It must be that stinky fox badmouthing me behind my back. Despicable traitor!"
"Shukaku, what scripture would you like to hear today?"
As Shukaku was fuming, a candlelight flickered in the darkness, revealing a young monk sitting cross-legged before its massive form.
The monk's calm eyes betr...
Hanekawa stepped into the kitchen.
Kurenai had put on an apron, and under the warm lighting, her skin seemed fairer than snow.
Hanekawa's gaze naturally fell on her exposed, smooth legs. The straight and sleek lines of her legs led down to her bare feet.
"First, we’ll... Hey, what are you looking at?"
Kurenai turned her head and noticed his gaze, her heart fluttering in panic.
"I'm looking at you," Hanekawa replied calmly, adding with a hint of adm...
Morning.
Hanekawa woke up early because he had a lot to do today.
Three days had passed since the Chūnin Exams, and yesterday, he received a message from Tsuchibashi asking him to visit the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
In addition to meeting as part of his undercover duties, he also needed to prepare breakfast for Tsunade and Kurenai Yuhi.
As for why Kurenai was included, it was because her father, Shinku Yuhi, had taken on a mission two days ago and was no...
On a bench by the street.
After hesitating for a moment, Uchiha Obito poured out his troubles to the elderly woman.
To sum it up in one sentence: He couldn’t beat Hanekawa.
“You don’t need to feel so down,” the elderly woman said with a kind smile. “At your age, unlocking the two-tomoe Sharingan is already remarkable.”
“I know.”
Obito nodded slightly but quickly sighed. “But he’s a genius among geniuses. I can’t even touch him....
“See you next time.”
Hanekawa said his goodbyes to Kurenai Yuhi and the others.
Might Guy, still unconscious, had been taken to the Konoha Hospital by Might Duy.
Hanekawa turned his gaze to the audience stands.
Most of the crowd had already left, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, Fugaku Uchiha, and other ninjas.
It didn’t take long for him to spot Tsunade and Minato Namikaze.
“Hanekawa! Over here!”
Kushina Uzumaki noticed him and wa...
“Are we really in the Chūnin Exams?”
After a moment of silence, the devastated Asuma Sarutobi asked quietly.
“I think so,” Shizune replied uncertainly.
“We won!”
Kurenai Yūhi jumped up excitedly, as though she herself had achieved victory instead of Hanekawa.
“Those two seniors are absolute monsters!”
Shisui Uchiha couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
He began to wonder what would happen if he faced Might Guy, who had o...
"Something's not right! This feels completely off!"
Sarutobi Asuma was dumbfounded. "Hanekawa's taijutsu is actually this strong?"
In his mind, among their group, Might Guy's taijutsu was the undisputed best.
Beyond the Eight Gates, his effort was leagues beyond theirs.
But what about Hanekawa?
He didn’t even know when Hanekawa had learned such taijutsu.
"Hanekawa-senpai and Guy-senpai are using the same taijutsu," Uchiha Shisui pondered for...
Zhu Zhuqing’s words left Tang San momentarily stunned.
“No wonder… No wonder…”
Tang San’s eyes were filled with awe and excitement as he sincerely exclaimed,
“Xiao Wu, your luck is incredible! You actually encountered a celestial herb!”
Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San’s conversation left everyone else puzzled. Dai Mubai, with a hint of desire in his eyes, asked curiously,
“Tang San, what’s a celestial herb?”
“It’s a legendary trea...