Chapter 185 The Indispensable Bell-Snatching Segment in Hokage
"Alright!" Naruto said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Teacher,
just you wait and see!" "Don't be too happy yet," Uchiha Touko said with a light laugh. "Passing the test will exempt you from the garbage-collecting task, but failing will result in punishment."
"Punishment?" Naruto was taken aback.
"Of course. There's no such thing as getting an opportunity others don't have without paying a price," Uchiha Touko said. "Each of your punishments will be tailor-made, guaranteed to be unforgettable. Now, do you still want to participate in this test?"
Sasuke and Neji exchanged a glance and swallowed hard, but they didn't intend to give up.
"Teacher, can I get Tenten's help in this test?" Neji asked.
"Of course," Uchiha Touko said. "This is also part of your strength. Let me make it clear beforehand, you must be prepared to kill me, otherwise you will absolutely not pass my test."
"Teacher, just you wait and see!" Naruto said confidently.
After leaving Uchiha Touko's office, the three went to Ichiraku Ramen to discuss their tactics for tomorrow.
"Are you three crazy? Challenging the Hokage? If you think life's too easy, why don't you come to the Ninja Tool Lab and help us with some testing?" Tenten, having received Neji's message, also arrived at Ichiraku Ramen. As soon as she arrived, her ever-complaining mouth started tumbling out.
Upon hearing Tenten's words, Naruto instantly shrank back. Since the Ninja Tool Lab was established two years ago, the things they researched had become incredibly bizarre. As Neji's junior, Naruto would occasionally help with testing. But it was better not to go; his animalistic physique became a target for the researchers at the lab. Every time he went to test, they would put Naruto under immense pressure, testing all sorts of strange new ninja tools.
As for whether this would cause the Jinchuriki to lose control, the current head of the Ninja Tool Research Institute, Tohno Katasuke, is the kind of guy who would dare to trick the Seventh Hokage's son into causing trouble. Let alone a Jinchuriki, he'd even dare to experiment with the Nine-Tails if it were present.
"It'll be very difficult for the three of us to defeat our teacher," Neji said at this moment. "But this test should only require us to demonstrate our current strength to pass, right?"
"I don't think it's that simple," Sasuke analyzed. "If that were all, then our teacher could have taken us to the training grounds earlier, instead of setting the time for tomorrow morning. Considering that this test is to let us skip the tedious D-rank missions, our teacher is probably intentionally testing our ninja skills, including intelligence gathering and pre-battle preparation."
"That makes sense!" Naruto nodded eagerly.
"That's right, otherwise our teacher wouldn't have told us the location of the test in advance," Neji analyzed.
"Exactly!" Naruto continued to nod. "
Then, Neji, you go use your Byakugan to gather information about our teacher, and I'll take Naruto to the third training grounds to set up traps," Sasuke said.
"Let's do it!" Naruto said.
"Can't you say anything else?" Tian Tian couldn't help but complain, seeing Naruto's attitude of always agreeing with whatever the other two said.
"What else can I say after they've both said it?" Naruto replied.
"You should at least offer some suggestions," Tenten said.
"Suggestions?" Naruto thought about it seriously for a while before tentatively suggesting, "How about we give the teacher some laxatives?"
Sasuke: ...
Neji: ...
Tenten: "I feel like you're going to get yourself killed sooner or later."
"Fine, let's stick to the plan we just discussed," Sasuke sighed. It was better to hope that Naruto would come up with some brilliant ideas during the battle tomorrow than to expect him to do all this.
"I'll go back to the research institute, and then I'll go with you guys to set up the traps," Tenten said. "The research institute has recently developed a new type of trap."
After finalizing the battle plan, Neji disguised himself and began to lurk around the Hokage Building. After more than a year in the Anbu, he knew exactly where the defenses of the Hokage Building were weak.
Soon, Uchiha Touko sensed someone spying on him from behind. To this, Uchiha Touko smiled knowingly and pretended not to see anything.
Sasuke and Naruto, after Tenten brought the traps from the research institute, began setting them up one by one in the training ground.
"Don't get distracted! Memorize the locations of all these traps so you don't fall into them during the battle," Sasuke reminded Naruto, noticing him still daydreaming while setting the traps.
"Yes, yes!" Naruto snapped back to reality and said, "But I think our plan to give the teacher laxatives has a chance of success."
"How could that be?" Sasuke looked at him speechlessly. "When the teacher isn't having a banquet, his meals are personally prepared and delivered to the Hokage Building by the clan's butler every day. It's difficult for us to find an opportunity to attack, and the risk is huge."
"You said it's when there aren't banquets, right? I heard from Kakashi that the teacher is hosting a banquet for his court officials tonight..."
"And then tomorrow all the officials in the Land of Fire's court will be exhausted from diarrhea, right? If you really do that, see if the teacher doesn't punish you." Sasuke sighed.
"Okay," Naruto nodded and joined in setting up the traps.
After setting up the traps, it was already quite late. The three met up with Neji, and Sasuke handed Neji a map marking the trap locations.
Early the next morning, Uchiha Touko went to the training grounds after breakfast. When he arrived, Sasuke and the others were already waiting.
"You're here pretty early," Uchiha Touko said, surveying the surrounding dense forest, estimating the number and location of the hidden traps.
"Teacher, what's the test?" Sasuke, clearly not wanting to give Uchiha Touko more time to observe the traps, asked hastily.
"The test is very simple, and it's a tradition of Konoha," Uchiha Touko said, taking a bell from his waist. "You have two hours. If even one of you can touch the bell on my waist, you'll pass the test."
"That simple?" Naruto said in disbelief.
"You'll find out how simple it is once you try it," Uchiha Touko said, turning sideways and kicking a blond clone who had tried to ambush him from the shadows, turning it into a cloud of smoke.
After dealing with the attacking clone, Uchiha Touko looked back in the direction the three had been. Neji and Naruto were nowhere to be seen, only Sasuke remained.
"Are you planning to rely on you to hold me off head-on?" Uchiha Touko laughed.
"That's right." Sasuke nodded, his face serious as he drew the long sword from his waist. This sword was a graduation gift from Uchiha Fugaku to Sasuke. After hearing that his adoptive father wanted to forge a ninja sword made entirely of chakra metal, Takagi Seiwan specially collected the best chakra metal in the region and had it forged by the best swordsmiths in Kirigakure according to the design of Jiraiki.
This ninja sword, named Purple Lightning by Sasuke, was made of materials even more precious than Uchiha Touko's Swift Lightning.
"Before you, Master, my Lightning Release ninjutsu is unlikely to be effective, so all I can do is entangle you with swordsmanship," Sasuke said.
"Then let me see if you've neglected your swordsmanship practice these past few days," Uchiha Touko nodded and said.
"Master, aren't you going to draw your sword?" Sasuke asked.
"Hehe, letting me draw Swift Lightning is also part of your test," Uchiha Touko said.
Sasuke held the sword in one hand and formed hand seals with the other. Soon, three figures of Sasuke, riding on lightning, rushed towards Uchiha Touko in the center. Uchiha Touko smiled slightly, and two bolts of lightning descended from the sky, instantly shattering Sasuke's lightning clones. Then, he raised the still-sheathed Swift Lightning and precisely struck the back of Purple Lightning's blade, causing Sasuke's main body to instantly lose its balance.
However, Sasuke didn't panic. After twisting his body to regain his balance, he adjusted his angle and launched another attack on Uchiha Touko. Uchiha Touko calmly countered, but at this moment, he suddenly became alert. He blocked Sasuke's attack with the scabbard of his Lightning Blade, and turned around to see Naruto descending from the sky with a giant Rasengan.
"Super Giant Rasengan!" The descending Rasengan emitted a series of buzzing sounds. Uchiha Touko tried to dodge, but as soon as he lifted his foot, he found that the ground beneath his feet had suddenly become incredibly muddy, causing his feet to sink deep into it.
"Interesting. I remember none of you three know this Water Release ninjutsu, right? Is it a new trap developed by the Ninja Tool Research Institute?" Uchiha Touko calmly watched the descending Giant Rasengan, even having the leisure to chat for a bit.
"Sensei, you should withstand this attack first!" Naruto shouted, as he slammed the Giant Rasengan hard at Uchiha Touko.
However, Uchiha Touko simply pulled out a blank scroll, then conjured a set of runes on it out of thin air. The powerful Rasengan dissipated into thin air the moment it touched the scroll.
"How can this be?" Naruto was dumbfounded. After the Rasengan vanished, he fell straight down, receiving a heavy blow to the forehead from Uchiha Touko.
"I told you to learn more sealing techniques, but you wouldn't. Now you can't even find the weak points of sealing techniques," Uchiha Touko said calmly after kicking Naruto away.
However, the next second, Uchiha Touko was struck in the back by a beam of chakra.
Boom!
The compressed chakra energy exploded in an instant, the massive explosion kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
In a corner of the training ground, Neji put down a strangely shaped sniper rifle. Naruto's true form appeared beside him and asked, "Did you succeed?"
"I guess... I succeeded." Neji's Byakugan flashed as he carefully scanned everything in the smoke.
"Not bad, you even forced out my first-stage Susanoo." Uchiha Touko's voice rang out behind them, sending chills down their spines.
Neji threw down the sniper rifle, grabbed Naruto and tossed him aside. His chakra surged, erupting from his pressure points, and he began to spin rapidly.
"Return to Heaven!"
The chaotic air currents forced Uchiha Touko back half a step. However, Uchiha Touko simply snapped his fingers, and a large, azure lightning bird appeared, letting out a long cry before circling Neji.
In Neji's vision, the outline of the blue bird became increasingly clear, its meaning self-evident: the lightning bird's speed in circling him had caught up with his spinning speed.
The next instant, the Thunder Bird changed direction and charged towards him at high speed.
"Tenten!" Neji shouted, stopping his
Reincarnation technique and crossing his arms in front of him. A spatial fluctuation flashed, and a shield with a ninjutsu seal engraved on its surface appeared right in front of Neji. Without thinking, Neji poured chakra into it. The wind-style chakra within the seal was activated by Neji's chakra, forming a turbulent current full of sharp wind-style chakra in front of him. The Thunder Bird, formed by Uchiha Touko's ninjutsu, was quickly shattered in this turbulent current.
However, after the Thunder Bird perished in the turbulent current, Uchiha Touko appeared behind Neji and slashed at him with a chop.
"Neji, behind you!" Tenten, who shared Neji's vision, quickly reminded him, while simultaneously handing him a new ninja tool.
The two worked together perfectly; the moment the new ninja tool appeared, Neji could grasp it with his open hand.
This was a long, dark gold staff. Neji received it and first swept it back, forcing Uchiha Touko back slightly. Then, using his family's Bagua footwork, Neji unleashed a series of strikes towards Uchiha Touko. Uchiha Touko,
watching the wave-like attack, parried while nodding. "Not bad. You've managed to integrate your Hyuga clan's palm techniques into your staff technique, using the staff's longer reach to attack pressure points." Indeed
, without needing to waste time researching the Rotation Technique, Neji's talent in taijutsu was finally showing. This staff technique, combining the Hyuga clan's Bagua footwork and pressure point techniques, was still in its nascent stage, but Uchiha Touko could see its future potential.
Of the three of them, Neji was indeed the most advanced in taijutsu.
Soon, Sasuke arrived with his sword, joining the battle.
While fighting two opponents simultaneously, Uchiha Touko calmly said, "It seems you two are pinning your hopes of finding the bell on Naruto, right?"
"That's right," Sasuke replied, struggling to resist Uchiha Touko's attacks. "Our task for Naruto in this battle is to let him do whatever he wants. You know, for that guy, the best tactic is no tactic."
"You're starting to get excited," Uchiha Touko chuckled. "How big of a task can he give me?"
"Super Sexy Jutsu!"
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(End of Chapter)