Wood Release vs. Zombies

Nonō finally understood what was going on after hearing this. 

It seemed that although Natsuhiko wouldn't favour her in selecting the branch manager, he was still willing to give her some special treatment. 

She could only show her gratitude and accept Natsuhiko's kindness. 

However, just as the two were about to find an empty machine, an unexpected guest appeared. 

"Natsuhiko, Natsuhiko, let's play cards! I've come up with a new strategy..." 

Kushina, who had just been playing cards elsewhere, excitedly ran over and saw the two walking side by side, chatting and laughing... 

Σ(っ°Д°;)っ 

Kushina immediately stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at the two of them. 

She had only been away playing a few rounds of cards, but how did Natsuhiko end up getting so close to another girl? 

Is this even reasonable? 

Just as Kushina began to question her reality, Natsuhiko also stopped and smiled, saying: 

"Kushina, you've come at the right time." 

"Let me introduce you. This is Miss Nonō Yakushi. From now on, she'll be one of the employees at our tavern." 

Then he looked at Nonō and said, "And this is Kushina Uzumaki, the owner of this place." 

Upon hearing this, Nonō quickly bowed slightly and greeted Kushina: 

"Hello, Miss Kushina. I look forward to working with you." 

"Hello, just call me Kushina." 

Knowing that the other girl was just an employee, Kushina felt slightly relieved and smiled in response. 

But who would have thought Natsuhiko would then add fuel to the fire by introducing more about Nonō's situation, which made Kushina start to feel a bit sour again? 

"Oh——" 

She dragged out her voice, saying sourly, "Fifty million ryo a year... Natsuhiko, you're so generous..." 

Is that the point? And how did you turn it into Fifty Million ryo…?

Natsuhiko felt like he was talking to a brick wall and could only respond helplessly: 

"By the way, what did you need me for earlier?" 

Kushina temporarily suppressed her dissatisfaction and excitedly said: 

"Natsuhiko, I've come up with a new strategy. This time, I'm sure I can beat you. Come on, play a few rounds with me." 

Natsuhiko waved his hand apologetically: 

"Sorry, I've already promised to help Nonō test the new mode on the gaming machine, so I can't play with you now. But next time, definitely next time." 

After saying this, Natsuhiko signalled Nonō to follow him and started walking forward. 

Nonō also bowed apologetically to Kushina and then quickly followed Natsuhiko, leaving Kushina standing there, wholly bewildered... 

Natsuhiko led Nonō to a remote machine and had her sit down to register an account. 

Since Nonō had seen many customers operating earlier while working, she quickly registered her account. 

Natsuhiko noticed a barely noticeable smirk on his lips when he saw her inject chakra into the gaming machine. 

Another test subject for curse seal research was in his hands. 

Natsuhiko then took out a black card and scanned it on the gaming machine. 

The machine's interface flickered, and a small line of text appeared in the top right corner that read "Test Mode." Additionally, several new options appeared on the screen. 

Nonō then saw Natsuhiko extend his finger and click on one of the new options: 

[Wood Release vs. Zombies (Test Version)] 

What does this mean? 

Nonō looked confused. 

She knew about Wood Release, of course. It was the powerful Kekkei Genkai that the First Hokage used to bring peace to the chaotic world. 

But she had never heard the term "zombie" before. However, from the sound of it, it didn't seem like something good. 

According to records, Natsuhiko used to be part of the sealing team, often sealing various monsters throughout the Land of Fire. 

So Nonō guessed that "zombies" might be some kind of monster. 

But she didn't have time to think about it further. 

After Natsuhiko clicked on the option, the interface quickly disappeared, and a miniature grassland scene began to appear on the table, drawing her attention. 

The entire grassland was lush and green, looking no different from a normal one except for the reduced scale. 

Although Nonō had seen many character projections while working, seeing this lifelike scene up close still made her marvel. 

The projection techniques were genuinely impressive. No wonder Danzo was so eager for Natsuhiko's technology. 

Nonō also noticed that the entire grassland resembled a chessboard, divided into 45 squares by semi-transparent lines, nine horizontally and five vertically. 

On the left side of the grassy squares stood a long-haired, red-armoured cartoon figure. 

It was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. 

And it was the recently popular cartoon version from The Tavern, looking quite endearing. 

Being particularly fond of cute things, Nonō naturally found this little figure irresistible and couldn't help but take a few more glances. 

On the far right of the grassland was an area shrouded in dense fog, giving it a mysterious appearance. 

Above the grassland was a row of fruit-bearing trees, their purpose unknown. 

Finally, along the edge of the table, a row of card slots appeared. 

But for now, there was only one card depicting a strange green plant, with a line of text below: 

[Wood Release: Pea Shooter Technique] 

After surveying the scene on the table, Nonō was about to ask Natsuhiko how to play this game. 

But at that moment, she saw the cartoon version of Hashirama suddenly start running towards the Pea Shooter card, waving his arms at her as if guiding her to click on the card. 

At the same time, a prompt box appeared in mid-air, reading: 

[Please tap the card to select the Wood Release technique you wish to use.] 

The instructions were clear and straightforward, but Nonō was still hesitant to act rashly and turned to look at Natsuhiko. 

Natsuhiko, standing beside her, smiled and explained: 

"Nonō, what you need to test is whether this game's tutorial mode can allow new players unfamiliar with the Gekinin card game to play without any outside help."

---

"So I won't give you any hints. Just pretend I don't exist."

"Oh... I understand."

Nonou nodded, somewhat understanding, and then carefully reached out her hand to lightly tap on the Peashooter card.

Immediately, she saw a green light winding around her fingertip, and little Hashirama ran over to a square on the grass with quick steps and started energetically waving his hands.

A prompt appeared in the void again: [Please tap the designated square with your finger to release the selected Wood Style secret technique.]

This time, Nonou didn't keep the little Hashirama waiting. Understanding the prompt, she pointed her glowing finger at the square.

Then she saw the little Hashirama cheer and shout, "Wibbly-wobbly, wibbly-babbly!"

Clapping his hands, the plant depicted on the card suddenly sprouted from the grass square.

Compared to the flat card illustration, the projected Peashooter looked smaller and rounder. It also had a pair of serious little eyes that made it strangely adorable.

"How cute..."

Nonou sighed inwardly, feeling as if her soul had been soothed.

However, she couldn't stay happy for long, as a cry of "Wah-wah" echoed from the thick fog, drawing her attention back.

She saw a foot soldier in tattered armour staggering out of the fog and limping along the grid towards the Peashooter.

Upon closer inspection, Nonou noticed that the soldier had a greyish-blue complexion, with eight arrows sticking out of his back, making him look less than alive.

Is this what they call a zombie?

Nonou quickly realised.

After all, this game was called "Wood Style vs. Zombies."

Since Wood Style had appeared, the enemies would naturally be zombies.

Based on the appearance and name of this zombie, Nonou couldn't help but speculate that these creatures might have been transformed from corpses.

If her guess was correct, then this was indeed a terrifying ninjutsu.

She couldn't imagine what kind of evil person would use such a technique.

Fortunately, the zombie's appearance had been cartoonified, giving it a sort of ugly-cute look, so it didn't come off as too frightening.

But upon closer inspection, Nonou found that the zombie's face seemed somewhat familiar...

Pfft!

Nonou, who had never lost her composure, finally faltered a bit this time.

Because she realised that this zombie bore a striking resemblance to Danzo!

Was it a coincidence?

Or...

Nonou shook her head, not daring to think too deeply, and tried to refocus on the game.

She saw that the little Hashirama had already run back to the left side of the grass, enthusiastically cheering on the Peashooter.

The Peashooter, in turn, periodically spat out green peas from its "mouth," constantly shooting at the approaching zombie.

However, the zombie didn't seem to have much intelligence and did not attempt to dodge, getting hit by the peas every time.

Yet it didn't seem to feel any pain and continued to move slowly but steadily closer to the Peashooter.

As the distance between them decreased, Nonou felt a slight sense of tension rising within her.

Fortunately, halfway through its approach, the zombie's arm was finally broken off, followed by its head. Then, the headless zombie took a few more steps before collapsing with a thud, gradually merging into the ground and disappearing.

Nonou finally let out a breath of relief, finding her earlier tension somewhat amusing.

But as the "Wah-wah" sound echoed from the fog again, Nonou realised that the level had only just begun...

Following the prompts and the little Hashirama's guidance, she placed several more Peashooters.

She also understood the role of the fruit trees on the grass, learning to tap the ripe, fallen fruits to replenish the little Hashirama's chakra.

Soon, Nonou passed the first level and earned a new card:

[Wood Style: Fruit Tree Technique]

[Effect: Drops a fruit at regular intervals, restoring 20 chakra points]

After clearing the first level, Nonou felt slightly more at ease.

Even though she hadn't actually played before, compared to those fierce ninja card games that involved competing with other players, she found that she liked this "Wood Style vs. Zombies" game mode more.

This mode seemed to be aimed at casual players seeking a relaxing experience, so the difficulty wasn't too high.

After considering Natsuhiko's intentions for a moment, Nonou confidently clicked the button to enter the next level…

(End of this chapter)

P.S

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