Natsuki stepped forward and helped Uchiha Mikoto up, draping his coat over her to cover the curve of her body.
"Sorry for the trouble again today, Mikoto." He patted her head.
"It—it's what I should do." Her eyes shimmered, her whole face flushed with shyness.
She was used to it by now, but her nature simply wouldn't let her take it in stride. Looking at the color in her cheeks, Natsuki thought that the devoted-wife-and-mother air only made her more alluring. On anyone else, the contrast wouldn't have cut half so sharp.
"Want to watch the Chunin Exams together this afternoon?" Natsuki chuckled.
"Mm." Mikoto turned her head slightly and answered softly.
"Head home for now, then." Natsuki pinched her cheek.
Mikoto turned and left, and the door shut behind her.
With a thought, Natsuki vanished from where he stood.
The next second he was standing beside Ichikishimahime. He glanced around and found they weren't far from a training ground. His gaze settled on it—a young girl with long reddish-brown hair, drilling Water Release.
"Master." Ichikishimahime leaned in, hugged his arm, and rubbed against him twice. "Right now is exactly when Terumi Mei is alone."
"You've done well." Natsuki extracted his arm from her flat embrace. "Wait for me here."
He raised a hand carelessly, and a Concealment Barrier bloomed outward.
Terumi Mei caught the chakra fluctuation and went instantly wary.
Natsuki stepped forward.
At the sight of him, she froze—and the reason for it was that Natsuki's looks landed squarely on her particular taste. In the source material, Terumi Mei was a little boy-crazy; her first thought on seeing Uchiha Sasuke was that he was handsome. But only a little, and she recovered fast.
"Who are you?" Terumi Mei's eyes narrowed.
"I'm Natsuki." He offered a faint smile.
Her pupils contracted. She retreated two steps on reflex, putting distance between them.
"This is the Hidden Mist Village!" she said, as much to steady herself as to warn him.
"It is. And I could kill you here without a single soul noticing." Natsuki raised his hand.
Bakudo #61: Rikujo Koro!
Catching the motion, Terumi Mei flew through seals without hesitation.
Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!
She knew perfectly well she couldn't beat the legendary Natsuki, so in an instant she exhaled a bank of mist to hide herself. But just as she moved to slip away under its cover, six bars of light dropped from above and pinned her where she stood.
"Damn it!" Terumi Mei fought against them with everything she had, and got nowhere. She wasn't the Fifth Mizukage of the source material yet—her strength didn't even reach Jonin level, so of course she couldn't break the binding. In truth, even a Jonin wouldn't have managed it reliably.
"Do you believe me now?" Natsuki raised a hand, and Wind Release chakra swept the mist away in a single gust.
"Why do you want to kill me?" Terumi Mei stopped struggling, genuinely at a loss. She had some renown within the Hidden Mist, but it came from her own talent, and outside the village, no one had heard of her. Natsuki was a famous powerhouse of Konoha. By rights, his business should be with someone like the Third Mizukage—not an unknown who hadn't even made Jonin.
"If I actually wanted you dead, would you still be talking?" Natsuki countered.
"Then what do you want?" She was only more confused now.
"I think highly of you." Natsuki laid it out. "I want you as my student."
"Huh?" Her eyes went wide, shock cresting.
What is happening? The famous powerhouse of Konoha wants to take her on as a student?
"I'm a Hidden Mist ninja." Terumi Mei drew a breath, voice firming. "I won't leave this village."
"I never said you had to." Natsuki shook his head. "I'll come by regularly and teach you."
"...?" Her face filled with question marks. She was thoroughly lost.
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you someday?" she asked, once she'd steadied herself.
"If you can kill me, that means you've graduated." Natsuki smiled.
A dazed look crossed her face. A question surfaced in her mind: Am I under a genjutsu? No—Natsuki is under a genjutsu.
Short of that explanation, she couldn't work out why he'd do this. Taking an enemy village's ninja as a student, and inviting her to kill him down the line? If he wasn't caught in an illusion, then something was badly wrong with his head.
"You want to control me." A possibility struck her. As the Mist's rising prodigy, she stood a real chance at Mizukage someday.
"I won't control you." Natsuki paused. "If you're worried, go find one of your village's powerhouses to examine you afterward."
That left her speechless. And, oddly, halfway convinced—because her standing was high enough that she could take it straight to the Third Mizukage. If she were under a genjutsu, or any other form of control, he'd spot it without question.
"You have two choices right now. I kill you, or you become my student." Natsuki looked at her. "Which is it?"
"I... will become your student." Terumi Mei was silent for a long moment before she answered.
She didn't want to die. And more than that: whatever Natsuki was after, she could only counter it if she stayed alive.
"A very wise choice." Natsuki released Bakudo #61: Rikujo Koro.
Terumi Mei stretched out her limbs, looking at him, on the verge of speaking.
"What ninjutsu can you use right now?" Natsuki asked.
"Water Release."
He gave a small nod. So she hadn't awakened Lava Release or Boil Release yet.
Natsuki thought it over and settled on Kidō. Teach her the Konoha Six Powers and she'd never be able to use them, learned or not. Kidō she could use. Besides, the whole point of taking her as a student was to unlock the Aizen template's Hado—call it making use of local resources. And he was honestly curious what Terumi Mei might grow into with Kidō in her hands.
As for her not trusting him yet, that was a minor thing. That she'd eventually become the Fifth Mizukage proved she was capable and ambitious. When someone offers to fast-track a woman like that toward the Mizukage's hat, she'll take what's useful—even from a Konoha ninja.
"I'm going to teach you a secret art of my own creation, called Kidō," Natsuki said. "Ninjutsu needs hand seals. This needs incantations—and once you're proficient, you can drop the incantation and cast it instantly."
Terumi Mei went blank. She'd never heard of such a thing. And instantaneous casting? In her understanding, only seal-less ninjutsu managed that, and seal-less ninjutsu were rare and weak besides.
Then she remembered Bakudo #61: Rikujo Koro. He'd raised his hand—just raised it—and six bars of light had bound her fast.
If what Natsuki said was true, learning this Kidō would make her stronger. Without question.
"Kidō comes in three branches—Hado, Bakudo, and Kaidō. Offense, support, healing." Natsuki went on. "We'll start with Hado. Number one: Hado #1: Sho."
He raised a hand, and a shockwave shot from his fingertip. It struck the ground, which shuddered, and left a neat round crater.
"Natsuki-sensei." Terumi Mei stared at the hole. "If that's number one, how many Hado are there?"
"Ninety-nine." Natsuki replied. "The higher the number, the greater the power."
Astonishment took her whole face. There were ninety-nine of these? Ninety-nine instant-cast techniques—the thought alone was terrifying. No wonder the Third Mizukage and Elder Genji looked so grim whenever Natsuki's name came up.
[Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked Sosuke Aizen template ability two: Hado.]
Looking at the line of text drifting before his eyes, Natsuki thought: well, that went smoothly. He'd assumed it wouldn't unlock until Terumi Mei's strength hit some threshold. This was better—it saved him time.
The morning passed quickly.
"Come to this training ground every day from now on. I'll turn up when I have the time." Natsuki looked at her. "Today's lesson ends here."
And with that, he vanished from where he stood.
Terumi Mei stood stunned for several seconds, then raised a hand and pinched her own cheek. Only once she'd confirmed she wasn't dreaming did she come back to herself.
She thought a moment and decided to go find Genji. Natsuki said he wouldn't control her—but at his level, if he had, she'd never know. Genji was another matter. As an elder, he had Elite Jonin-caliber strength. He was simply getting on in years, and his power had ebbed with them.
Natsuki used the Body Flicker Technique to return to Ichikishimahime, then the Door-Door Fruit to return to Konoha.
"Natsuki." Uchiha Mikoto had reached his office ahead of him and was waiting.
"The second stage doesn't start until two." Natsuki smiled. "You're a little early."
"I—I came early in case you had something for me to do," she said, head down, voice small.
"Have you eaten?" he asked idly. "I haven't yet."
"Sorry!" Mikoto froze, then rushed the words out in a panic. "I forgot to bring a bento. I'll go back and get one right now."
"It's fine, I brought one." Natsuki shook his head.
"It was my mistake," she said, mortified.
"Come on, it's not your fault." Seeing her still turning it over on herself, he added, "If I'm eating in the office in future, I'll tell you ahead of time."
"Mm." At that, Mikoto let out a breath.
Natsuki crossed to the sofa, took out the bento, and set it on the low table.
"You still haven't told me whether you've eaten." He opened the lid.
"I ate at home." Mikoto bent to pour him a glass of water.
Natsuki's eyes went, unbidden, to the way her clothes strained as she moved.
Mikoto caught the look. She set the glass down and sat on the sofa across from him. After a moment's hesitation, she reached up and tugged her neckline—drawing it down, baring more skin.
Natsuki raised a brow. She really is getting more obedient by the day. And behind that thought came pride, because this was his doing.
Mikoto didn't dare look at him, keeping her head bowed, her breathing quickening despite herself. Which only made things easier for Natsuki.
He'd finally understood what people meant by a feast for the eyes. He finished lunch in short order.
Seeing that, Mikoto hurriedly pulled her neckline back up and covered herself.
The two of them set off for the Forest of Death.
The first stage of the Chunin Exams was the written test; the second was the team battle. The format hadn't changed from previous years: fight over the scrolls.
"Let's find a better vantage point." Natsuki stopped where he was and drew Minazuki. Shikai.
The giant manta ray materialized. Natsuki hopped onto its back and looked down at a rather astonished Mikoto—she'd never seen the manta before, so of course she was staggered. A ninja sword that turned into a fish defied belief no matter how you approached it.
Natsuki wasn't surprised. Everyone reacted that way the first time.
He reached down and pulled her up.
The manta rose, finally settling into a hover high above the Forest of Death. Natsuki looked around, then sat on its edge with his legs dangling over the side and activated Clairvoyance.
Below, every Genin entered in the second stage had assembled. His students, Namikaze Minato's, and Nawaki's had all cleared the first stage.
"Mikoto." Natsuki patted his thigh. "Come watch with me."
One look, and her face went scarlet. She stepped over, crouched, and settled onto his lap.
Natsuki slid his arms around her waist. Fortunately, he was taller than she was—resting his chin on her shoulder, he had a clear view of the forest below.
Mikoto's heart raced, her lashes fluttering with nerves. Mostly because her back was fully enclosed in his arms, and she could feel the warmth of him bleeding through.
Two o'clock arrived, and the second stage officially began.
Might Guy, Yuhi Kurenai, and the rest took their scroll and entered the Forest of Death.
Natsuki toyed with Mikoto's hands while he watched his squad. Her hands were smooth—soft as worked jade. She was in the prime of her youth, after all.
That set him thinking. Tsunade and Yakushi Nonou had the Yin Seal, so aging wasn't a concern for them, and Uzumaki Kushina could learn it too—the Yin Seal was originally an Uzumaki Fuinjutsu. But Mikoto almost certainly couldn't. The technique was brutally difficult; in the source material, Shizune had followed Tsunade for years and still never managed it.
The only tool Natsuki currently had for keeping Mikoto from aging was the Blood Curse. Then he thought of the Aizen template's Hogyoku. Perhaps that could do it too.
On that thought, Natsuki tucked his hands inside Mikoto's clothes to warm them.
She trembled faintly, but did her level best to keep her composure.
Down in the Forest of Death, fighting broke out fast. But Might Guy, Yuhi Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi, and the others all won handily. The three squads even crossed paths—and by unspoken agreement, none of them engaged. There was still a third stage, after all. That would be the better stage for it.
Three hours on, the second stage drew to a close.
Mikoto only felt lightheaded, her chest burning.
"Not a bad showing." Natsuki stood. "Tomorrow we'll head to the Konoha Arena for the individual matches."
Mikoto, damp with sweat, nodded.
—
The next day. The Konoha Arena.
This was the same venue where, in the source material, the third stage of the joint Konoha–Sand Chunin Exams was held.
No spectators had been invited, and yet spectators had come—all of them tied to the Genin in the third stage. Might Duy. Yuhi Shinku. Uchiha Fugaku. Hatake Sakumo.
Uchiha Obito was no relation to Fugaku. But once he became Namikaze Minato's student, the Uchiha clan took an interest—he'd become a ninja of the Hokage line, which meant that in theory he could contend for the hat himself. That was reason enough for Fugaku to come watch.
The heaviest name in the stands, though, was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who hadn't shown his face in a long while. Not that it was strange—his son, Sarutobi Asuma, was competing.
Natsuki did the same as the day before and used the giant manta ray, watching the matches from its back with Mikoto.
It was a touch awkward, given that Uchiha Fugaku was sitting not far away. But it hardly mattered. As things stood now, Fugaku and Mikoto had no connection whatsoever.
The chief examiner for the third stage was still Namikaze Minato. Natsuki had told him to find three ninja for the role, but with nothing else on his plate, Minato had simply taken it himself. There was another reason too: his three students were in the running.
"There are two rules for the third stage." Minato spoke up. "First, the brackets are drawn at random. Second, stop before serious injury occurs."
Passing the Chunin Exams didn't hinge on placement, but on performance. And with war bearing down, barring surprises, most of the Genin who'd reached the third stage would come out of it as Chunin.
"Round one, first match: Hatake Kakashi versus Yamashiro Aoba!" Minato called out. "Will both examinees enter the arena!"
"Kakashi, do your best!" Nohara Rin said at once.
"Don't embarrass the squad." Obito sniffed.
Kakashi walked out without a flicker of expression.
His opponent was Yamashiro Aoba, three years his senior—a Special Jonin in the source material. But the Aoba facing Kakashi now looked deadly serious. He'd heard about Kakashi's reputation as a prodigy: enrolled at five, graduated at five, the fastest graduation in the village's history. And more to the point, his teacher was Namikaze Minato—who was himself the student of Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Sannin.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
The moment the match began, Aoba tore through seals and spat out an enormous fireball. Searing heat rolled outward.
Kakashi didn't dodge. He met it head-on.
Tempest Kick!
A single kick split the fireball clean in two—and in the same motion, he drew the Blade of the Lightning Fang that Natsuki had given him.
Blinding lightning surfaced along the steel.
Aoba was just starting his seals when he saw Kakashi swing. A torrent of lightning condensed into a lance of light in the air and slammed into him.
Aoba locked up on the spot, paralyzed. His black hair even stood on end from the shock.
"Sakumo, you're certainly generous with that boy." Sarutobi Hiruzen sounded mildly surprised. "Does that sword have Lightning Release chakra crystals in it?"
"It does." Hatake Sakumo smiled. "But it wasn't from me. Natsuki gave it to him."
Yuhi Shinku and the others all looked up in surprise at that. Lightning Release chakra crystals were, after all, priceless.
_________________________________________________
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]