Chapter 139: Nawaki and Nonō’s Strength (BONUS)
There's an event this week. If, at the end of the week, we rank T50 and above on PS rankings, I'll release 5 bonus chapters. It's up to you now, xD.
This is different from a normal bonus, by the way.
....
At Konoha's village entrance.
"We can finally go out on a mission again!"
Nawaki said excitedly.
"This mission is in the Land of Lightning. Remember not to act recklessly."
Natsuki reminded him.
After handing the Stamina Recovery Potion to Kakuzu, he had returned to Konoha.
With Kakuzu's ability and strength, having him sell the Stamina Recovery Potion was overkill.
Natsuki did not need to worry about him running into any trouble.
"I know!"
Nawaki said helplessly, "Don't act like my sister!"
"Good thing Tsunade-sensei isn't here."
Natsuki smiled and said, "Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to leave Konoha today."
"It's not that exaggerated, is it?"
Nawaki looked around, raised his voice, and said, "I'm not afraid of her!"
"Nonō."
Natsuki changed the subject and said, "After the mission ends, pass those words on to Tsunade-sensei."
Nawaki's pupils trembled as he said, "Pass on what? There's no need. Let's hurry up and leave for the mission!"
After saying that, he pulled Natsuki and ran outside.
Nonō smiled faintly and followed them.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
They smoothly entered the Land of Lightning.
The Land of Lightning was located in the northeastern part of the shinobi world. Its terrain was high and mountainous.
Clouds and mist lingered between the peaks, and thunder could often be heard, which was why it was called the Land of Lightning.
The Land of Lightning had quite a few specialties, such as alcohol and beef.
In the original work, when Naruto got married, the Fourth Raikage sent him a large amount of alcohol.
"It's getting late. We'll rest for the night and continue tomorrow."
Natsuki stopped and said.
"I'll set up the tent."
Hearing this, Nawaki volunteered.
Natsuki nodded.
After the tent was set up, he took out two bento boxes and handed them to Nawaki and Nonō.
"Natsuki."
Nawaki suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do you think my current strength is enough to pass the Jonin exam?"
"It feels a little forced."
Natsuki thought for a moment and answered honestly.
Nawaki's strength had undoubtedly surpassed Chunin.
But he was still a little short of Jonin.
"After you learn all ten forms of Water Breathing and Armament Haki, apply for the Jonin exam."
Natsuki suggested.
Nawaki had already learned eight forms of Water Breathing.
As for Armament Haki, he had only started learning it recently.
"Alright."
Hearing this, Nawaki nodded.
He trusted Natsuki deeply and knew he would not lie to him, so he did not say anything more.
"Sensei said I can already become a medical Jonin."
Nonō suddenly spoke. "I learned the Mystical Palm Technique."
"That fast?"
Nawaki asked in surprise.
Natsuki was also somewhat surprised, but after thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
After all, in the original work, Nohara Rin had learned the Mystical Palm Technique at the age of twelve.
Nonō's talent in medical ninjutsu was not inferior to hers.
It was normal for her to learn the Mystical Palm Technique at the same age.
"I'm actually the last one to become a Jonin?"
After his surprise, Nawaki became dejected.
He was two years older than Natsuki and Nonō, yet he would become a Jonin later than both of them.
"Whether it's one year earlier or later doesn't make much difference."
Natsuki smiled and said, "It won't stop you from realizing your dream."
Nawaki froze for a moment, and his expression became somewhat strange.
His dream was to become Hokage.
But Natsuki's dream was the same.
"You're right!"
Nawaki did not choose to give up. Filled with fighting spirit, he said, "No one knows what the future will be like. Maybe I'll be stronger than you by then!"
Nonō subconsciously glanced at him.
She could not understand why he dared to say something like that.
In her view, if Natsuki wanted to compete for Hokage, everyone else would have no chance.
After eating, the three chatted for a while, then got into their sleeping bags and fell asleep.
The night passed peacefully, and a new day arrived.
Half-awake, Natsuki smelled a faint fragrance.
He opened his eyes and saw Nonō.
At some point, she had come over to him and opened her sleeping bag.
Although her body was still inside her own sleeping bag, she had rested her head in his arms.
The faint fragrance came from the ends of her hair.
Natsuki looked at her face, which was so close, and could not help smiling.
He reached out and pinched her nose.
Nonō soon woke up.
She met Natsuki's gaze and softly said, "Good morning."
Natsuki pinched her cheek and did not expose her.
The two sat up and put away their sleeping bags.
Natsuki woke Nawaki up as well. After breakfast, they continued on their way.
By noon, they reached the destination of this mission, a medium-sized city.
"Natsuki, you still haven't told us what this mission is."
Nawaki turned to look at Natsuki.
"You'll know soon."
Natsuki walked into the city.
He had already studied the map ANBU had given him, so he soon found the fighting arena run by En.
"There's actually a place like this?"
Nawaki looked at the signboard by the entrance and asked in surprise.
The signboard explained how the fighting arena operated.
First, spectators bought tickets to watch the fights.
Second, skilled shinobi could register to participate in fights. By accumulating a certain number of victories, they could receive corresponding monetary rewards.
"The Land of Lightning and Kumogakure both have a martial culture. It isn't surprising for a place like this to appear."
Natsuki paused and said, "This mission is simple. Participate in the fights."
"Fights?"
Nawaki's spirits lifted, and he said expectantly, "No problem. This is a good chance to experience the strength of shinobi from the Land of Lightning!"
"To avoid exposing your identity, don't use Samehada."
Natsuki reminded him.
"Fine."
Nawaki smiled and said, "Using Samehada would indeed be bullying them too much. I'll just use an ordinary ninja blade."
"Don't underestimate the fighting arena. A Jonin might appear."
Natsuki glanced at him and said.
Although he said that, the chances of a Jonin appearing were very low.
Natsuki entered the fighting arena's lobby.
"Welcome, honored guests."
A staff member saw them and came forward to ask.
"We want to register for the fights."
Natsuki said directly.
The staff member paused slightly and subconsciously sized them up.
To be honest, all three of them looked too young. It was difficult for him to believe they had the strength to participate.
"You should think this through. In the arena, life and death are not guaranteed."
The staff member said seriously, "Once something happens, regret will be too late."
"We're sure we want to register."
Natsuki repeated.
"Very well."
The staff member stopped trying to persuade them and took out three registration forms. "Fill these out."
"I'm not participating. The two of them will."
Natsuki handed the forms to Nonō and Nawaki.
He also glanced at them.
The registration form was divided into two sections.
The first section was for age, strength, and specialties.
The second section was a waiver similar to a death contract. If someone died in the arena, the arena would not be responsible.
"Chunin?"
After reading the forms, the staff member looked doubtful.
Nawaki wrote that he was a Chunin, skilled in Water Release and swordsmanship.
Nonō wrote that she was a Chunin, skilled in taijutsu.
But the staff member did not ask any further. After all, if something happened, it had nothing to do with him.
"Follow me."
After putting away the registration forms, the staff member led them to the backstage area of the fighting arena.
There, Natsuki saw all the shinobi participating in the fights.
He quickly locked onto Chino.
In the original work, Chino said that although she looked like a child, she was actually much older than she appeared.
But right now, she was indeed still a girl and had not yet reached adulthood.
Their arrival made Chino and the others glance over, but they did not pay much attention.
After all, new participants appeared every day.
Before long, it was Nawaki's turn.
Nawaki walked into the arena.
What followed was a wave of noise.
He looked around and could not help clicking his tongue. There were far more spectators than usual.
"Kid, this isn't a place you should be!"
Nawaki's opponent was a burly man. After seeing him, he immediately spoke arrogantly.
Natsuki activated Electromagnetic Wave Sensing.
The situation around him was immediately known to him.
He soon noticed a young man in the crowd.
Electromagnetic Wave Sensing could roughly determine a person's strength.
The young man was the strongest person present.
He wore a pair of unusual square glasses. He was most likely En.
Natsuki glanced at him and withdrew his gaze.
He was not in a hurry.
Because En would come to him on his own.
At that moment, gasps rang out from the arena.
Because Nawaki had instantly defeated his opponent with Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance.
The difference in their age and build was enormous, making his victory especially shocking.
The fights continued.
Nonō entered the arena.
She also instantly defeated her first-round opponent. One punch was enough to win.
"Where did these two kids come from? Why have I never seen them before?"
En could not help asking.
He was far more knowledgeable than Chino and the others. With one glance, he could tell that the ninjutsu and taijutsu Nawaki and Nonō used were extraordinary.
"I'll ask about them immediately."
The middle-aged man standing behind him responded at once.
Before long, he returned.
"They registered today."
The middle-aged man then told him the names Nawaki and Nonō had used.
But they had used false names.
After all, as Natsuki became famous, his teammates had also gained a fair amount of fame.
"I've never heard of them. They may be using aliases."
En said thoughtfully, "Judging by their age and strength, they are most likely from one of the Five Great Villages."
"Then do we need to stop them?"
The middle-aged man asked after hearing this.
"Let's watch for now."
En shook his head and said.
He did not want to offend the Five Great Villages, nor could he afford to.
After leaving the Chinoike clan, he had gone into business because he did not want to get too involved with shinobi.
Time slowly passed.
There were fewer and fewer remaining participants, until only four were left.
Aside from Nonō and Nawaki, the other two were Fūshin and Chino.
Fūshin and Chino were the fighting arena's ace fighters.
Every time, they were the ones who lasted until the end.
But this time, two rare challengers had joined them.
The spectators were extremely excited.
Only En frowned.
He was not certain whether Fūshin and Chino could defeat them.
But at this point, there was no way to stop the matches.
If he stopped them, the spectators would be dissatisfied. That would ruin the fighting arena's reputation, and it would be difficult to keep business this good in the future.
"Nawaki."
Natsuki lowered his voice and said, "Be careful of Fūshin's Typhoon Release. It is stronger than ordinary Wind Release, but it has a weakness."
As for what the weakness was, he did not say.
After all, if he explained the weakness, it would not serve as training for Nawaki.
Nawaki's expression turned serious as he nodded.
He walked into the arena and looked at Fūshin.
Typhoon Release?
This was the first time he had heard of this Kekkei Genkai.
But he was still confident.
And Natsuki had said Typhoon Release had a weakness. As long as he found it, his chances of victory would increase.
"Begin!"
Seeing that both of them had entered the arena, the referee shouted loudly.
Fūshin formed hand seals without hesitation.
Typhoon Release: Strong Wind Break!
With him at the center, gusts of wind spun outward one after another.
Instead of retreating, Nawaki advanced. Before the gale fully blew out, he had already arrived in front of Fūshin.
He gripped a ninja blade and slashed down with force.
Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!
A stream of water carried the blade light through the gale and slashed toward Fūshin at extreme speed.
Fūshin's gaze sharpened.
Nawaki's strength far exceeded his expectations.
At the critical moment, he rolled across the ground and raised his hand.
The gale rapidly intensified, spinning like ocean waves as it rushed toward Nawaki.
Nawaki immediately felt a heavy pressure. The gale seemed like a mountain crashing into him.
Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!
Nawaki still did not retreat.
His body spun, and a massive amount of Water Release chakra transformed into a vortex.
The gale struck it and immediately caused an explosion.
Countless streams of water splashed outward.
Seeing this scene, the spectators immediately screamed in excitement.
They rarely saw such an intense clash.
Typhoon Release: Chakra Blade!
Fūshin immediately drew a short blade from his back and threw it.
The short blade was wrapped in Wind Release chakra, and its speed was astonishing.
Nawaki had just landed when it was already close.
At the critical moment, he crossed his arms.
Tekkai!
A piercing sound rang out.
Under the stunned gazes of many spectators, Nawaki blocked the ninja blade with his arms.
"What ninjutsu is that?"
En subconsciously leaned forward and could not help asking.
The middle-aged man behind him naturally had no way to answer.
Fūshin felt increasingly uneasy.
He knew En's methods very well. If he lost, a round of torture would be unavoidable.
Typhoon Release: Great Storm Break!
Fūshin's expression darkened, and he used his strongest Typhoon Release ninjutsu.
In an instant, a storm descended with him as the center.
The terrifying typhoon swept outward rapidly. Wherever it passed, the ground cracked and broken stones flew everywhere.
Nawaki immediately felt that things were troublesome.
His vision was filled entirely with wind, and there was nowhere left to dodge.
But for him, there was still one place he could dodge to.
Geppo!
Before the gale swallowed him, he leaped up and flew into the air.
"What?"
A stunned expression appeared on Fūshin's face.
"It's actually a flying ninjutsu?"
Seeing this, En immediately stood up.
His expression was both shocked and ugly.
Flying ninjutsu were extremely rare even among the Five Great Villages.
And the only shinobi related to flying ninjutsu during this period was Natsuki.
Could he be Natsuki?
The age matched, and the swordsmanship and Water Release also matched, but the strength did not.
With Natsuki's strength, dealing with Fūshin should not be this difficult.
At that moment, Nawaki, who had flown into the air, discovered the weakness of Typhoon Release.
It was the center of the storm, the eye of the typhoon, where there was no wind at all.
Nawaki did not hesitate and moved into the eye of the typhoon.
He leaped up and took out a kunai, using it as a ninja blade.
Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!
The extremely fast thrust brought him in front of Fūshin in an instant.
Before Fūshin could react, water poured out and sent him flying.
Nawaki stepped forward and pointed the kunai at him.
"I... I admit defeat."
Fūshin sighed and had no choice but to admit his loss.
On the viewing platform, En did not scold Fūshin like usual.
At this moment, he cared more about the identities of Nawaki and Nonō.
While he was thinking, Nonō and Chino entered the arena.
Natsuki had also reminded Nonō to be careful of Chino's Ketsuryūgan and genjutsu.
Water Release: Hail!
The moment the battle began, Chino immediately formed hand seals.
Large water droplets appeared one after another and flew toward Nonō like bullets.
Geppo!
Nonō directly flew into the air.
"Another flying ninjutsu user?"
En's heart shook, and he vaguely had a guess.
Flying ninjutsu were extremely rare. It was impossible for them to be everywhere.
The only possibility was that they were connected to Natsuki. Perhaps they were Natsuki's two teammates.
While Chino was shocked, she quickly formed hand seals again.
Nonō descended from the sky and kicked at her.
At that moment, a water wall appeared.
Nonō kicked the water wall.
Chakra Enhanced Strength!
She suddenly exerted force, and the water wall immediately shattered into pieces.
But Chino used this chance to create distance.
Nonō pressed forward.
Heavenly Foot of Pain!
She raised her leg and stomped down.
A deep pit appeared in the ground, and countless shattered stones flew toward Chino.
A flash of crimson appeared.
Chino's eyes immediately turned red.
The lightning-fast stones slowed down, and she narrowly avoided them.
Nonō did not give her any chance to breathe. She stepped forward and clenched her fist, ready to strike.
Ketsuryūgan!
Left with no choice, Chino used genjutsu.
Invisible ripples spread outward.
Nonō suddenly stopped in place.
"So that's the Ketsuryūgan?"
Nawaki widened his eyes.
When Natsuki had explained it to Nonō earlier, he had also heard the details.
He had not expected there to be a Ketsuryūgan comparable to the Sharingan.
Seeing that Nonō had fallen into genjutsu, Chino immediately took out a kunai and rushed forward.
She stabbed without hesitation.
But in the next second, Nonō raised her left hand and grabbed her wrist.
At the same time, her right hand formed a fist and struck Chino in the chest.
Although Nonō held back, the force was still not light.
Chino's body trembled. She bent over, crouched on the ground, and lost the ability to fight back.
"Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength?"
En's heart sank.
He had already confirmed the identities of Natsuki's group. They were people he could not afford to provoke.
Now he did not know whether they had simply come to participate in the fighting arena, or whether they had come for him.
After all, as a member of the Chinoike clan, he had a grudge with the Uchiha clan.
And the Uchiha clan was now part of Konoha.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)
