Chapter 116: A Fulfilled Yet Leisurely Life

In the days that followed, Natsuro's life became quite fulfilling.

Firstly, he continued to study the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. Progress was slow, but he wasn't in a hurry. The technique consumed a lot of chakra, and even with soldier pills, practicing it wasn't easy.

Natsuro also frequently moved between different teams. With Kurenai's team, he mainly consulted her about genjutsu. He wasn't very interested in using genjutsu himself; he primarily wanted to understand it better to improve his ability to dispel it.

After a few consultations, Kurenai noticed Natsuro's intentions and said that it was a waste of such strong mental power not to delve into genjutsu. However, since Natsuro wasn't officially her student and his strength matched hers, she couldn't refuse his legitimate questions.

So, as a master of genjutsu, Kurenai began teaching Natsuro how to better dispel illusions.

Natsuro learned the basics of genjutsu but didn't become an expert.

Later, Natsuro frequently visited Asuma. Although he rarely asked Asuma for advice, he often went to see Ino and enjoy their time together.

Asuma's knowledge wasn't something he needed to learn from, and as for Wind Release techniques, it wasn't clear who was more proficient. However, Asuma's physical abilities were not something could match with his.

Finally, Natsuro went to Guy to learn about taijutsu. He hadn't yet visited Kakashi, as Naruto and Sasuke frequently met with him, so there was no need for a special visit.

Regarding the Konoha 12, Natsuro had helped Naruto and Sasuke but hadn't done much for the others, including Ino.

He wasn't sure how to assist them. Naruto and Sasuke had methods for advancing their skills that he was familiar with. He had also taught them tree-climbing and water-walking exercises.

Recalling Sasuke's use of Lightning Release to enhance his abilities after acquiring the Sharingan, Natsuro decided to share the method for Lightning Release massage with Sasuke. Although it was less useful for him, it should benefit Sasuke.

Previously, he had hesitated to teach Sasuke, fearing that his desire for revenge might lead him to overuse the technique and harm himself. Now, with the Sharingan as a reference, such problems were less likely.

Both Naruto and Sasuke were qualified to learn these techniques due to their improved foundations. Naruto's foundation might have been weak, but with Shadow Clones, he could compensate for the lack.

After assisting Naruto and Sasuke, he considered helping the other members of Konoha's 12 but found it challenging.

For Ino, he thought it best to focus on strengthening her basics and learning the secret techniques from the mountains, which would also set her up well for learning medical ninjutsu.

Natsuro didn't understand much about mental strengthening. His own mental strength was innate, though he considered using psychic powers from Pokémon as a reference. However, he abandoned this idea since Pokémon's psychic abilities were quite different from the mental techniques Ino needed.

If Ino used the mountain techniques to attack, she might suffer backlash, so he avoided suggesting this approach for now. He preferred to wait until Ino's mental strength improved and she could handle it herself.

The same logic applied to Ino's teammates Shikamaru and Choji. They just needed to follow their family's guidance.

For the Inuzuka clan, he felt limited in offering help. Although it was a clan specialty, it was ultimately constrained by the strength of their ninja dogs, and he found it hard to offer guidance.

As for Hinata, the heiress, Natsuro didn't have much to offer. Her talent was questionable, as she only learned the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms in the end. He wondered if she had learned it through her own insights or if it was taught by her clan. The latter would mean her talent was poor, but if it was the former, it was acceptable, though still not on par with Neji Hyuga.

Natsuro believed Hinata likely learned it on her own. By the time she appeared in the team with Kurenai, she had lost her status as the clan's heir. It was unlikely the clan elders would teach her techniques like the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms or Heavenly Spin under these conditions.

Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuga, seemed to focus on ensuring she wasn't constrained by her family's expectations. It was doubtful the clan elders would teach her the family's techniques.

Overall, Natsuro felt Hinata's personality wasn't suited for a combat ninja. While wanting to be a ninja wasn't a problem, not all ninjas needed to be combat-oriented.

However, he didn't have much influence over her and could only offer subtle hints through Naruto.

As for the taijutsu class…

Every time he went, he felt that Neji Hyuga harbored some hostility towards him—not dislike, but a desire to surpass him.

Neji had grown up hearing about him, even though he was a year ahead. He was well aware of Natsuro's reputation as the Great Demon King and his early graduation.

As for Lee, his efforts had surpassed limits. His skills could only improve slowly, and Natsuro could only help him manage some residual effects with Lightning Release massage and medical ninjutsu.

As for TenTen… Natsuro wasn't very familiar with her. She seemed a bit transparent in the original story, but with so many ninja tools, she must be somewhat wealthy.

In the end, he sighed a bit. Except for Naruto and Sasuke, the time left for the others was really too short. Even if he tried his best to help, he probably couldn't make a significant impact. Besides, he couldn't devote all his energy to helping them; he could only assist during his free time.

This was his recent life. He felt quite idle lately, but after counting his tasks carefully, he realized he wasn't really idle. Apart from his duties in Konoha, he had also visited Mount Myoboku for some explanations.

So what was making him feel so idle? Natsuro tapped his head and sighed. After doing numerous tasks one after another, he had become unaccustomed to not fighting. Was this what they called post-war stress?

One day, as he was about to visit Asuma and see Ino as usual, an Anbu agent stopped him.

"Lord Natsuro." The Anbu agent stopped him with a respectful tone.

"Is there something wrong?" Natsuro asked.

"The Third Hokage requests your presence in his office," the Anbu replied.

"Hmm? Alright." Natsuro was puzzled. Was there something urgent?

Soon, he arrived at the Hokage's office and noticed the fluctuations of the Flying Thunder God marks, realizing that Sasuke and Naruto were likely there as well.

"Third Hokage, what did you need me for?" Natsuro looked around the office and saw Team 7, Iruka, and a drunken old man, understanding that it might be about the mission.

"Natsuro ! You're finally here! The Third Hokage keeps making us take these cat-catching and dog-catching missions. Now that you're here, if you agree to join us, we can start taking on much more challenging missions!" Naruto's eyes lit up upon seeing Natsuro, and he exclaimed loudly, ignoring the presence of the Third Hokage.

"Naruto! Don't shout in the Hokage's office!" Iruka couldn't help but yell, then quickly apologized to the Third Hokage for his outburst.

"Heh, it's alright. Natsuro, Naruto has already mentioned it. What do you think?" The Third Hokage smiled at him, clearly aware of Natsuro's recent activities.

The Third Hokage was very pleased with Natsuro. He had effectively utilized the role he had been given, and while it might not seem significant now, its value would become apparent as Natsuro matured and the younger ninjas became independent.

Hearing the Third Hokage's words, Naruto looked at Natsuro with even more anticipation. Sasuke also glanced between Naruto and Natsuro. To be honest, he didn't want to continue doing tasks like catching cats and dogs or clearing weeds.

Kakashi, standing nearby, also paid a bit more attention to Natsuro. His gaze was somewhat complex.

Natsuro's status as a jōnin wasn't a secret among the upper ranks. His young age had caused quite a stir in the jōnin community. Many had initially doubted him, but soon, speculation that Natsuro was the former Anbu's "Ink" emerged, silencing the doubts.

If he was indeed the Ink, then Natsuro's strength and achievements justified his rank as a jōnin. The information they gathered confirmed his identity.

This made their feelings even more complicated. They knew the Ink was young, but they hadn't expected him to be so young…

How were they, who had only recently reached the jōnin level, supposed to feel?

Kakashi looked at Natsuro with mixed feelings. Despite not inheriting his father's fame, Natsuro had gained the reputation similar to "Konoha's White Fang," and it seemed he was about to surpass that reputation.

Kakashi, who had always wanted to meet Natsuro but never had the chance, now saw him in person. Indeed, he was as young as rumored and…

There was no denying the strength behind his fame!

Feeling the attention of everyone in the room, Natsuro didn't disappoint Naruto. He nodded and said, "Sure, I'm actually quite free lately."

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Chapter 165: "Orochi-Kabuto's Fusion" and Teaching the Rasenshuriken

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