Every time the quicklime came into contact with water, it released a tremendous amount of heat and white smoke.
Moreover, whenever a Water Bullet struck the giant bear, the impact forced it to take half a step backward.
However, the thick clouds of white smoke concealed this detail, and none of the others noticed it.
That tiny detail was precisely what hid Yakumo’s true method of attack: the Water Bullet Technique, powerful enough to shatter tiles and leave dents in walls.
The giant bear immediately began cleaning the lime off its body.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the group slowly retreated…
And escaped the battlefield.
Although the giant bear was unwilling to let them go, it ultimately didn’t pursue them.
Its gaze followed the retreating children, filled with wariness.
Those humans still possessed the means to inflict serious injuries on it.
That inconspicuous little ball of water could actually penetrate its thick fur and layers of fat, damaging its internal organs through the force of the impact.
“Why do you think that giant bear didn’t chase us?” asked Obito Uchiha, still shaken by what had happened.
Perhaps it was because the intense heat produced when quicklime reacted with water had awakened some deep-seated fear of fire within the beast.
Yakumo casually offered that explanation.
“Regardless, we owe you one this time,” Kakashi said.
“I…
just happened to discover that quicklime produces heat when mixed with water.
Besides, we’re only in this dangerous situation because I suggested having a picnic in the Forest of Death.”
Yakumo scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed.
He was in an excellent mood now, but that didn’t mean he could simply refuse to accept responsibility for what had happened.
“It’s not your fault,” Yasuko said.
“We had a lot of fun, too.”
She always seemed to find something favorable to say about Yakumo, no matter the circumstances.
Perhaps she hadn’t even realized it herself.
“Yeah, we really did have fun,” the others agreed.
Before long, they had completely left the Forest of Death behind.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Yakumo, your barbecue was delicious…
and the flavor was really unique!” Rin Nohara praised sincerely.
She didn’t usually eat much meat, but today she’d indulged herself quite enthusiastically.
“I have to agree.
This guy’s barbecue is absolutely incredible…”
Obito expressed his agreement with both hands.
Meanwhile, after cleaning the white powder from its body, the black-and-white giant bear slowly made its way back toward the depths of the Forest of Death.
It had originally been the dominant beast of the forest’s inner region.
This time, it had only ventured out because it had caught the scent of its old enemy.
On its way back, it inevitably passed the stream where the children had held their picnic.
There, it discovered the barbecue they had left uneaten.
“ROAR!
ROAR!”
That smells amazing!
Using its unharmed right paw, the black-and-white bear picked up a skewer of meat and swallowed it almost without chewing.
Then came a second skewer.
A third.
A fourth…
The flavor seemed to strike straight at its soul, filling it with an indescribable sense of happiness.
In that moment, the pain in its body and the anger in its heart no longer seemed particularly important.
If it had a choice, it wanted more.
Five hundred skewers!
No, a thousand!
The black-and-white bear, its soul seemingly cleansed by the experience, turned toward the direction in which the children had departed.
Its eyes gradually grew feverishly bright.
It made a solemn decision.
It would find that person!
…
After Rin had treated everyone’s minor injuries, the group went their separate ways.
Only Mori Yasuko, Kakashi, and Yakumo remained behind.
Yasuko glanced at Kakashi before speaking.
“Yakumo, I’ll wait for you over there.”
It was obvious that Kakashi had something he wanted to discuss with Yakumo, so Yasuko tactfully offered to leave them alone for a while.
“I don’t know why you’re hiding your true strength, but I promise I won’t tell anyone.
And after what happened today, I owe you a favor.”
Having said that, Kakashi turned and left without giving Yakumo an opportunity to deny anything.
As decisive and straightforward as ever.
So…
he really did notice.
During the battle, Yakumo’s fighting ability had been so different from his usual performance that the contrast was impossible to ignore.
Perhaps Rin and Yasuko had noticed something unusual about his strength as well.
Even if they had overlooked it in the heat of the moment, they could easily recognize the discrepancy after returning home and thinking things through.
Yakumo turned and walked toward Yasuko.
The two headed home together, their shadows stretching long beneath the fading light of the setting sun.
He couldn’t abandon the mission.
Encountering that bear had been a complete accident.
When their lives were at stake, there had been no way he could continue hiding his strength.
“I never imagined you were so strong, Yakumo,” Yasuko suddenly remarked as they walked.
“Things were desperate back there.
I just charged in without thinking.
The fact that I wasn’t crushed to death was partly a matter of luck.”
“So that’s what happened…” Yasuko replied, clearly agreeing with his explanation.
“My heart was practically in my throat the whole time.”
“By the way…” Yakumo quickly changed the subject.
“Those explosive tags I can’t afford to buy—you were throwing them around like beans!”
“You know my family owns a ninja tool shop.
Carrying a few thousand explosive tags for self-defense isn’t a problem.”
“Right.
Not a problem at all.”
It seems I’m the only poor person in this entire group.
Rin’s financial situation wasn’t entirely clear, but judging by her clothes and spending habits, she was probably fairly well-off.
Obito might have lost his parents, but he was still a member of the Uchiha clan.
Kakashi was even more obvious—his father was Sakumo Hatake, one of Konoha’s most prominent shinobi.
And Yasuko…
She was the sort of wealthy young lady who casually carried thousands of explosive tags around with her.
“Yasuko, I don’t want to work hard anymore,” Yakumo suddenly declared with an unusually solemn and almost sacred expression.
“Huh?
What?”
“Nothing.
Just kidding, haha…”
That evening, Yakumo continued studying the Concealment Technique.
His desire to master it had grown stronger than ever.
It was an insurance policy for his strength.
Once he learned it, even if part of his abilities were exposed, he could still keep the rest of his trump cards hidden.
Unfortunately, the technique involved an astonishingly complicated body of knowledge, including the various pressure points and anatomical features of the human face, as well as methods for concealing fluctuations in one’s chakra.
That was why, despite studying it for more than ten days, he still hadn’t managed to reach the Beginner level.
But that night, after using the system to increase his Intelligence by 0.1, he finally discovered the key to mastering the technique.
Chakra circulation.
Chakra flowed through his body, and the skin on Yakumo’s face gradually darkened.
Age spots appeared, making him look considerably older.
At the same time, his overall strength began to decline.
The Concealment Technique had finally reached the Beginner level!
Active Skill: Concealment Technique — Perfected, 2/10 [Acceleration]
Yakumo stared at his status panel in disbelief.
The Concealment Technique required only ten proficiency points to reach Perfected!
In that case…
He might as well max it out.
Thank you for using our service to create happiness.
Enjoy your game!
100 gold coins have been deducted.
Accelerating the Concealment Technique!
When Yakumo opened his eyes, he discovered that the Concealment Technique had completely disappeared from his status panel.
Instead, it had become a seal formed from chakra within his body.
Suddenly, he understood.
The purpose of spending 100 gold coins was to embed the Concealment Technique into his body, granting him a one-time opportunity to modify his own appearance.
However, the technique had strict limitations.
If he used more chakra than permitted or restored his original appearance, the concealment would fail.
The next time he wanted to use it, he would have to spend another 100 gold coins to embed the technique into his body again.
At that moment, Yakumo suddenly realized something.
The Concealment Technique couldn’t possibly be an ordinary ninjutsu created by a Hidden Mist assassin.
It was a secret technique involving the sealing arts of the Uzumaki clan!
After being enhanced by the system, the Concealment Technique had essentially become an in-game character customization system.
He remembered that in the games he’d once played, creating a new face in those notoriously grind-heavy mini-games had cost exactly 100 gold coins.
There was another possibility, of course…
When the alliance of three nations destroyed Uzushiogakure, perhaps the Hidden Mist shinobi had seized this technique from the Uzumaki clan.
However, that possibility seemed extremely unlikely.
Although the handwriting in Yasuko’s notebook was rather messy, Yakumo was certain that at least three different people had made changes to its contents.
In other words, this notebook contained the original version of the Concealment Technique.
It seemed that his childhood friend had quite a story of her own.