5 Chapter 5: Guide chunin

"Boom..."

A dull impact, akin to an earthquake, reverberated through the surroundings, creating a massive hole in the ground. Spider-web-like cracks extended outward, adding a terrifying dimension to the scene. Big Grey moaned, feeling the repercussions of the impact on his body.

"Didn't I tell you to unleash your full strength? It seems summoning beasts can't quite showcase their true power in front of their masters," Uchiha Natsu sighed in disappointment, releasing the bear's claw he held.

Big Grey's theatrics, feigning defeat, remained consistent. Uchiha Natsu had initially intended to use his full strength but abandoned the idea midway, perceiving that Big Grey's power was still lacking. In the end, only a fraction of chakra was utilized, far less than one-thousandth of the total, and yet the bear's response was overly exaggerated.

From a distance, the recent "showdown" appeared as if an ant had somehow tripped an elephant, resulting in the elephant being toppled. Big Grey lay on the ground, taking an extended period to recover from exhaustion. Eventually, he struggled to his feet, sticking out his tongue in a submissive gesture.

Observing the licking bear, Uchiha Natsu sighed once more. He felt that, despite the three years of utilizing the system to recover corpses, his strength had not improved significantly. The rewards obtained from recycling were merely minor enhancements to specific abilities, lacking the external rewards seen with Big Grey.

Uchiha Natsu perceived that the low scores of the corpses might be contributing to the absence of substantial improvements. Initially, he believed that utilizing the system would elevate him to "super shadow level" strength, providing a 90% chance of survival during the night of the genocide. However, it seemed he remained the comparatively weak Uchiha.

With the night of the genocide less than four years away, Uchiha Natsu felt the urgency of his situation. Continuing on this path might lead to dire consequences.

At that moment, Uchiha Natsu sensed something and promptly released the summoning spell, causing Big Grey to disappear. Shortly after, a masked Anbu ninja, identified by a fox face mask, Hatake Kakashi, landed before him.

"Natsu, the Third Hokage is looking for you," Kakashi stated, glancing at the massive pit nearby, his mouth twitching slightly.

"Alright, I'll go immediately," Uchiha Natsu responded, then hesitated. "Kakashi, can you help me handle this?"

In the past, Uchiha Natsu used earth escape to erase any traces, but this time, summoned by the Third Hokage, he lacked the time.

Uchiha Natsu and Kakashi were classmates, and their relationship had improved since their last mission together. Therefore, he sought Kakashi's assistance.

Kakashi hummed, and waved his hand, signaling for Uchiha Natsu to leave without worry.

After Uchiha Natsu departed, Kakashi approached the massive pit, examined the sprawling cracks, and muttered, "Natsu created such a large pit... How did he manage this?"

Unable to discern any particular technique, Kakashi shook his head and began using earth escape to smooth out the pit.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Natsu arrived at Hokage's office.

"Master Hokage," Natsu Uchiha knelt on one knee at the center of the room and saluted.

"You're here," Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pen and spoke slowly. "Natsu, I've called you because I want to transfer you out of the Corpse Disposal Division to lead a Chunin team, guiding fresh graduates."

Uchiha Natsu raised his head and quickly replied, "Master Hokage, I don't believe I have the necessary skills yet."

Sandaime intended for him to guide the Chunin team, a task usually given to the jonin themselves. Uchiha Natsu doubted his ability to teach effectively. His strength, enhanced over three years in the Corpse Disposal Division, felt inadequate. He had initially planned to strengthen himself further before taking on tasks like guiding Chunin.

"Natsu Kun, I've been observing your efforts. Fugaku also informed me about your rigorous training, almost forgetting to sleep and eat. In the eyes of both me and Fugaku, you've proven to be a stable ninja. That's why I've decided to appoint you as a guide for Genin," Sarutobi Hiruzen stated sincerely.

Accepting the offer seemed necessary to avoid refuting the Third Hokage's decision, which could lead to potential challenges in the future. Uchiha Natsu nodded, saying, "Of course."

The Third Hokage smiled, handing Natsu Uchiha a ninja file. "Originally, Moonlight Hayate was chosen, but he lacks experience due to his age. You, Natsu, possess more maturity. I believe you will excel in guiding Chunin."

Uchiha Natsu bowed to receive the file, revealing the name "Uzuki Yugao."

Exiting Hokage's office and leaving the Hokage Building, Uchiha Natsu couldn't shake off a lingering sense of worry. Assigned a graduate like Yugao seemed arbitrary.

Nevertheless, Konoha had recently signed a contract with Cloud, and the three wars had officially ended. The village was still short-staffed, justifying such assignments.

Uchiha Natsu had some recollection of Uzuki Yugao. In his previous life, he remembered her joining Anbu, excelling in Konoha-ryu swordsmanship, and being Moonlight Hayate's girlfriend. The details, however, were hazy.

Fortunately, with Sharingan, Uchiha Natsu could learn ninjutsu at an accelerated rate. In the past three years, he had amassed numerous techniques, even if he couldn't use them all. He felt reasonably prepared to guide Chunin, despite his concerns.

"Troublesome," Uchiha Natsu muttered, storing the file and heading toward the nearby ninja school.

...

"Yugao, during the class allocation lottery, you can choose to apply to the teacher and have someone transferred from another class. Would you like to do that?"

In the sixth-grade graduating class of Konoha Ninja School, a girl with ponytails addressed Uzuki Yugao, her face filled with sympathy. It seemed there were some expectations surrounding this decision.

Uzuki Yugao, with long, smooth purple hair, large eyes, and a cherry mouth, stood out in appearance. Many boys hoped to be assigned to the same class as her, and the girl with ponytails could sense their eagerness.

However, Uzuki Yugao smiled and shook her head optimistically. "It's okay to be alone. Being targeted for personal guidance might be better. Let's not break up the group."

The boys around expressed disappointment, and the girl with two ponytails blushed, turning away quickly. "No, I meant I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of person our instructor is."

As the classroom door clicked open, the attention shifted to the doorway.