Chapter 160 - 26

Chapter 26: Scolding the Brat! Inari Breaks Down, Tsunami Compensates Late at Night."You say heroes always die?" Naruto leaned down, his deep blue eyes devoid of any warmth, holding only a heart-palpitating sense of oppression. "Then what about you? Are you just waiting to die by living like this?""If you're so afraid of death, why not go be a dog for Gato? Wagging your tail might even get you a meal.""Shut up!" Inari roared. "You don't understand at all! The Land of Waves is already hopeless! We have no power...""No power?"Naruto sneered, reached out, grabbed Inari by the collar, and lifted him up as if he were a little chick."Then go train.""Use a sword to slash, use your teeth to bite. Gato is human too; if he's killed, he'll die. What kind of skill is it to yell at us people who came to help?"Naruto brought his face close to Inari's, his warm breath spraying onto his face."You aren't in despair. You're just masking your cowardice.""You've used your stepfather's death as an excuse to escape. You think that as long as everyone gives up, it's only natural for you to be a coward.""What a... giant baby who hasn't been weaned yet."Naruto loosened his hand.Inari fell back onto the floor with a thud.Those words were like sharp knives, precisely piercing through his protective layer named "sadness," exposing the cowardly, weak soul inside to everyone present."Waaaaah!"Inari broke down. He couldn't refute it; he could only use louder crying to cover up the shame in his heart. He scrambled up, stumbled toward the stairs, and fled back to his room.Bang!The door was slammed shut.Only the faint sound of Inari's crying remained in the dining room.Tsunami stood where she was, her eyes red. She looked at Naruto, her lips moving, seemingly wanting to rebuke him, but unable to say it.Because what Naruto said was the truth.Over the past few years, Inari had indeed been living in the shadows of the past, using negativity and anger to disguise himself."I... I'm sorry."Tsunami lowered her head, her voice choking. "Naruto-kun, Inari... he wasn't like this before. Ever since Kesa died, he...""No need to explain."Naruto waved his hand and sat back down in the chair."Children don't know any better; a good beating will fix it. If one beating isn't enough, then two."He looked up, observing Tsunami's pitiful appearance.[Ding! Tsunami's guilt level has reached the requirement.][Triggering the "Take Advantage of the Situation" option.]The coldness on Naruto's face instantly melted, replaced by a slightly wicked smile."However, that really did affect my appetite just now."Naruto pointed at the food on the table that had already cooled down."As compensation, Sister Tsunami.""Tonight, after everyone is asleep, could I trouble you to make me a late-night snack alone?"Naruto emphasized the word "alone"."I'm still growing, and I get hungry easily at night."Tsunami was stunned. She looked at the young man's eyes, which were full of aggression yet exceptionally bright, and her cheeks felt inexplicably hot.The domineering aura of the recent lecture and this current request, which carried a hint of coquettishness, created a huge contrast.For a woman who had lived in a repressive environment for a long time, this contrast had a fatal attraction."O... Okay." Tsunami hurriedly tidied the loose hair by her ear. "What would you like to eat?""Anything you make, I'll love."Naruto answered with a smile, while silently giving the system a thumbs up.This wave, this wave was a win-win.He educated the brat and booked a late-night canteen from a beautiful cook.This is the efficiency of the strong....The next morning.Sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains.Sakura sat by Kakashi's bed with messy hair. She had kept watch all night, and her dark circles were heavier than yesterday."Has he not woken up yet?"Sasuke pushed the door open and came in, holding a wet towel."No." Sakura sighed, her face full of worry. "Kakashi-sensei's Chakra overdraft is too severe, and it seems he's still running a fever."Kakashi on the bed had his brows tightly locked, seemingly trapped in some nightmare, his forehead covered in cold sweat."Move aside, move aside."A vibrant voice came.Naruto walked in swaggeringly, holding that red spray bottle.He was in exceptionally good spirits today. Tsunami's late-night snack last night was very hearty, and the way that gentle big sister looked at him while he ate was very satisfying."Naruto? What are you doing?"Sakura looked at the bottle in Naruto's hand vigilantly. The red liquid inside looked very dangerous."Wake-up service."Naruto shook the bottle."This is an ancestral secret recipe of the Uzumaki Clan for refreshing the mind. It specializes in treating all kinds of bed-staying, pretending to sleep, and comas caused by Chakra overdraft.""Just one spray, I guarantee it will make him spirited."Sasuke frowned. "Are you sure this thing can be used? What is that?""Specially made extra-strength chili water."Naruto was very honest."Chili water?!" Sakura shrieked, "Are you trying to murder our teacher?!""Don't make a fuss." Naruto walked to the bedside, not giving the two a chance to block him. "In medicine, this is called stimulation therapy. By using intense pain to stimulate the nerves, it awakens the sleeping brain.""Trust me, I'm very professional."After speaking, Naruto aimed at Kakashi's exposed nostril and pressed the nozzle without hesitation.Pshhh!A stream of red mist precisely drilled into Kakashi's nasal cavity.One second.Two seconds.Kakashi on the bed suddenly shuddered.Immediately after, the face covered by the mask rapidly turned red, and even the dead-fish eye exposed outside was instantly bloodshot."Aaaaaaahhh—!!!"A shrill, extreme scream resounded throughout the Land of Waves.Kakashi, like a salted fish that had been electrified, catapulted from the bed, his head hitting the ceiling heavily, and then he fell back onto the bed with a crash.He frantically clawed at his mask, tears and snot flowing uncontrollably."Hot! Hot! It's burning me to death! Water! Give me water quickly!!!"That cold, aloof Copy Ninja now looked like a monkey that had fallen into a fire pit, rolling on the bed.Sakura and Sasuke were frightened silly.This was the so-called ancestral secret recipe?This was too... too effective, right?!Ten minutes later.In the living room.Kakashi slumped in a chair, looking like he had just been fished out of water. His nose was bright red, and the eye exposed outside was swollen like a peach, still shedding tears non-stop.He held a glass of ice water in his hands, desperately chugging it down."Naruto..."Kakashi's voice was hoarse, carrying a tremor of surviving a disaster. "What did you spray on me? Was it lava?""You're welcome, teacher."Naruto sat opposite, leisurely drinking tea, with that annoying smile on his face. "Seeing you sleeping so soundly, I was afraid you'd miss breakfast, so I specially used the extra-strength, same-price version.""The effect is good, right? Don't you feel like your whole self has been cleared out?"Kakashi wanted to hit someone. But he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand right now. That spiciness had rushed straight to his crown along his nasal cavity; even thinking about it now made his brain ache.However, he was indeed awake.And awake very thoroughly.Kakashi took a deep breath (although his nasal cavity was still burning with pain) and forced himself to enter work mode."Since everyone is awake, I have something to say.