Inside the private dining room, everyone was busy devouring the grilled meat sizzling on the barbecue.
Every now and then, they would take a refreshing sip of an iced drink, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Kakashi, however, still hadn’t removed his face mask.
Yakumo appeared perfectly composed, his hands never stopping as he ate.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on the space in front of him.
〖Bond Mission — Unique〗
Mission Source: Obito Uchiha
Mission Objective: Save Rin Nohara and rewrite fate.
Mission Reward: Deification Scroll
Item Description: Can upgrade a Grandmaster-level skill at the Perfected stage to the Dao level.
Skill attacks will carry the power of the origin.
The reward was incredibly tempting, but the mission itself would be extremely difficult.
Still… it was worth accepting.
Yakumo clicked to accept the mission.
There was no penalty for failure, after all.
If the task proved impossible when the time came, he could always…
Give up.
The reward might be precious, but life was worth far more.
He wasn’t even certain whether his future self, five years from now, would be capable of matching Madara Uchiha.
He would do his best to try, but he also needed to keep himself as far away from the vortex of trouble as possible.
Having thought things through, Yakumo no longer felt conflicted.
He increased his pace and continued devouring the barbecue.
He had to admit that Yakiniku Q really did deliver value for money…
Of course, its prices were outrageously expensive, too.
Yakumo had spent a total of 370,000 ryō—the equivalent of two months of his usual expenses.
As the meat was digested, its subtle warmth nourished his body.
He could even feel a slight increase in his internal chakra reserves.
Now that was what he called getting what you paid for!
Satisfied, the group left the restaurant, each carrying a package of leftover barbecue home.
Above them, the stars drifted across the heavens, and the moonlight was enchanting.
Yakumo continued to ignore Mori Yasuko.
It might have been shameless, but it worked remarkably well.
The two walked along streets where pedestrians had already become scarce.
An awkward silence hung between them, as it had for quite some time.
In the distance, a flock of birds swept low across the sky in front of the Hokage Rock.
In places beyond Yakumo’s sight, ANBU shinobi moved swiftly through the darkness.
This was never some peaceful rural village.
Konoha was the strongest military force in the Land of Fire.
Its apparent tranquility was merely a disguise, like a sleeping beast waiting for the moment it would awaken.
How could anyone truly be safe in a place like this?
Perhaps because he had become friends with Obito Uchiha, his information had already found its way onto Madara’s desk.
Even if he was nothing more than an insignificant ant, he had no intention of surrendering control over his own life to a giant.
That night, Yakumo resumed practicing with his ninja sword.
Only hundreds and thousands of repetitions could forge the sharpest blade.
It wasn’t that he particularly enjoyed this kind of sweat-soaked training.
Rather, he understood that a few bursts of enthusiasm would never amount to anything.
Active Skill: Hatake Secret Art — Beginner, 310/400 [Acceleration]
Before going to sleep, he once again spent his gold coins accelerating the progress of Water Bullet.
The moment when Water Bullet would break through to the Master level was drawing closer and closer.
The next morning, Yakumo checked his daily missions as usual.
However, Mission Two was different from the tasks he had received before.
『Those who shut themselves away and train alone will never achieve true success.』
Spar with Mori Yasuko, regardless of the outcome.
Mission Rewards: 0.1 Constitution and 50 Gold Coins.
…
What was bound to happen could never be avoided.
At that moment, Yakumo couldn’t help wondering how he could complete the mission without revealing too much of his true strength.
After his morning run, he took the initiative and agreed to Yasuko’s invitation to spar.
However, he imposed a few simple rules.
In short…
“No weapons.”
“No chakra.”
That way, even if he revealed his physical strength, he wouldn’t expose the full extent of his abilities.
And if they sparred regularly in the future, he could improve his close-combat skills at the same time.
It was a win-win situation.
Yasuko naturally accepted his conditions without hesitation.
That evening, in the training area behind Yakumo’s house, the two stood facing each other, their gazes beginning to clash.
“Here I come,” Yasuko said with a faint smile.
She decided to begin by using only seventy percent of her strength.
“Bring it on.”
Whoosh!
Yasuko pushed off the ground and crossed the distance between them in just a few moments, arriving in front of Yakumo.
Judging by her movements, her Agility was at least around seven points.
Unfortunately for her, Yakumo was faster.
The instant Yasuko launched her punch, Yakumo had already retreated two steps, slipping out of its effective range.
He immediately followed up with a punch aimed at her head.
“Eighty percent,” Yasuko announced.
Her speed surged.
In the blink of an eye, she evaded Yakumo’s attack.
The two began exchanging blows, each dodging at the last possible moment before a strike could land.
They weren’t testing strength or endurance now.
This was a direct contest of speed.
“One hundred percent.”
Thud!
Yakumo raised his arm to block.
Taking advantage of the opening, he lifted his right leg and kicked at her from an extremely awkward angle.
Yasuko seemed to anticipate the move.
She sprang backward, evading the kick.
In the contest of speed, Yakumo lost.
Yasuko was faster than him—probably around nine Agility points.
He hadn’t had enough time to withdraw and evade her last attack, which was why he had been forced to block it with his forearm.
Agility: 9.
Strength: 8.
She’s got real power!
Yakumo stopped holding back and threw his punches with full force.
A look of excitement flashed across Yasuko’s eyes.
Instead of dodging, she met his attacks head-on.
Their fists collided with flesh and bone, each impact sending a sharp crack through the air.
As time passed, both their arms and wrists began turning purple with bruises.
Yet neither hesitated to attack.
They fought as though locked in a fierce battle between evenly matched opponents.
Yasuko slammed a powerful punch into Yakumo’s arm.
A moment later, Yakumo struck her arm in return.
Gradually, Yakumo began to notice something strange.
It seemed that the more injuries Yasuko sustained, the more recklessly she attacked.
At some point, an eerie red glimmer had appeared deep in her eyes.
Her stamina was draining rapidly, yet her attacks were becoming increasingly frequent.
They were direct, relentless, and utterly merciless.
Every blow carried tremendous weight, sending pain deep into Yakumo’s bones.
This had long since gone beyond the boundaries of ordinary sparring.
Yakumo could only defend himself, trying to withstand Yasuko’s punches as they poured down like a storm of raindrops.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Ten minutes…
They continued until Yakumo had absolutely no stamina left.
“Stop… stop… STOP!
I SURRENDER!” Yakumo shouted desperately.
If this continued, he was afraid Yasuko would beat him so badly that he wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
“Oh, oh… Okay, okay!”
It took another three or four seconds for Yasuko to come to her senses and emerge from that strange state.
The red glimmer in her eyes gradually faded.
“Ugh… that hurts.”
As the surging heat of battle subsided and the adrenaline began to wear off, intense pain flooded Yakumo’s nerves.
Yasuko’s arms were covered in bruises as well, but she seemed almost incapable of feeling the pain.
Instead, she stared at Yakumo with an expression of pure excitement.
“This is the first time I’ve ever had such a satisfying fight with someone my own age!” Yasuko said with a smile.
“Sorry… I think I hurt you.”
Yakumo remained silent.
So this is what happens when the bloodlines of the Uchiha and Senju combine.
A diluted form of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, yet it produces such terrifying talent.
Yakumo stretched his stiff limbs and applied the medicinal lotion he had prepared to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
Then, like a fish that had lost all motivation to live, he lay flat on the ground.
“By the way, do you want some of that swelling-and-pain-relief lotion?”
“Hehe!
My body recovers super fast!” Yasuko replied with a cheerful grin, declining his offer.
Without the slightest concern for her appearance, she lay down beside him.
“About what happened just now… what was that state you entered?”
“It’s a strange hereditary bloodline disorder,” Yasuko explained.
“The more pain I feel, the more excited I become.”
“Like the investigators in Tokyo Ghoul… the ones with that kind of physique?”
“But I never deliberately hurt myself to get excited!” Yasuko hurriedly clarified.
“You can think of it as an uncontrollable combat mode…”
She was clearly anxious that Yakumo might mistake her for a complete pervert.