belamy20

51-55

Added 2024-10-12 11:25:49 +0000 UTC

*Chapter 51: Jealousy and Rivalry*

“Ding! Bai! Favorability at 60 points! You can now check in!”

“Favorability at 50 points unlocked: Water Clone!”

“Favorability at 60 points unlocked: Water Body Flicker!”

“Favorability at 70 points unlocked: Thousand Needles of Death!”

“Favorability at 80 points unlocked: Ice Release!”

“Favorability at 90 points unlocked: Demonic Ice Fortress!”

“Favorability at 100 points unlocked: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals! You’ve also obtained Bai! Unlimited check-in activated (check-in interval of seven days)!”

Touji’s eyes lit up.

Bai’s Ice Release, only needing 80 favorability points, was a surprise.

He knew that even Kakashi Hatake's incomplete Sharingan required 90 points for a chance to unlock, and generally, other people’s Kekkei Genkai needed 100 points.

But with 80 points of favorability, there was just a chance of obtaining it.

If luck was on his side, he could hit the jackpot in one go; if not, he'd have to wait.

Touji had to admire Zabuza Momochi's efficiency.

They had just agreed earlier today, and by nightfall, Bai was delivered.

However, Touji didn’t understand why Bai was dressed in women’s clothing!

Touji quickly coughed a couple of times to ease his awkwardness, while Bai looked him up and down with big, curious eyes.

“Zabuza said, no matter what you ask of me, I must agree.”

Touji began coughing again, faster this time.

He was certain that Zabuza had completely misunderstood his intentions.

From Bai's tone, it didn’t seem like he was here to protect Touji, but rather to place him in danger.

Despite everything, Touji couldn't help but feel sympathy for Bai.

Bai willingly became Zabuza's tool—his killing tool—without a single complaint.

Even such an outrageous demand, Bai had agreed to without hesitation.

It was also thanks to Zabuza that Bai’s favorability had started at 60 points!

“Check in with Bai!”

“Ding! Bai check-in successful! Water Clone Technique obtained! Favorability increased by 5 points! Current favorability: 65 points! You may continue to check in!”

“Ding! Bai check-in successful! Shurikenjutsu obtained! Favorability increased by 4 points! Current favorability: 69 points!”

“Ding! Since you’ve already obtained Shurikenjutsu, the low-level version will upgrade to a higher level!”

Touji nodded in satisfaction.

This check-in reward was decent, especially gaining Shurikenjutsu.

Touji couldn’t accurately gauge his Shurikenjutsu skills now, but he might even be close to Uchiha Itachi’s level.

“Are you planning to leave me standing at the door forever?” Bai asked, seeing that Touji had been silent for a while.

Touji snapped back to reality.

But he was unsure whether he should invite Bai inside.

Team 7’s three members would be back soon, and if they saw just him and Bai alone in the room, there would be misunderstandings.

Especially if they found out Bai’s true gender, Touji worried they might look at him with strange eyes—just like Zabuza.

As the two stood there awkwardly, three figures approached in the distance.

Two of them were stumbling, barely able to stand without supporting each other.

The third figure ran quickly toward Touji.

“We’re back, Touji-kun…” Sakura Haruno’s words trailed off as she saw Bai standing next to Touji.

She swallowed her next sentence.

As she got closer and saw Bai’s face clearly, Sakura’s confidence visibly shrank.

But when she glanced down, her confidence quickly returned, and she walked up to Touji with her head held high and chest out.

“Touji-kun, who is this?”

“This is Bai, the person I mentioned before,” Touji replied without thinking, not noticing that Sakura was frowning.

“So you’re Bai!” Sakura said, pushing out her chest as her eyes filled with challenge.

Her facial expression remained largely unchanged, still wearing a polite, professional smile. “Nice to meet you!”

Bai, however, felt uncomfortable, as if she owed Sakura money or something.

Still, since Sakura had extended her hand, Bai couldn’t refuse and reached out to shake it.

As their hands met, Bai couldn’t help but frown.

Sakura looked delicate, but her grip was incredibly strong. With just that brief handshake, Bai admitted defeat.

“Are you testing me?”

“That’s right. I want to see if you’re worthy of staying by Touji-kun’s side!”

“Well then, be careful!”

As Bai spoke, a chill began to rise from her body, and a layer of frost appeared on her pale hands.

Sakura quickly pulled her hand back.

If she had held on any longer, the freezing cold would have completely injured her hand.

Even now, after pulling away, Sakura felt like her hand had almost frozen.

“So, do I have the qualifications now?”

“Mark my words—I won’t give up on Touji-kun that easily!” Sakura stomped her foot angrily and ran toward her room.

Bai watched her retreat in confusion.

“Is Konoha really so strict? Even protecting you requires such a thorough test?”

Touji's lips twitched.

Clearly, these two were talking on completely different wavelengths, but somehow still communicating effectively.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Meanwhile, Naruto, who had just arrived at the doorway, perked up at the scene.

“Sasuke, I need to train a bit more. You go ahead and rest!”

“Rest? No, let’s go train together!”

Seeing the three members of Team 7 leaving, Touji quickly invited Bai inside.

If Bai stayed outside any longer, everyone would think Touji had developed a strange liking for men.

Back inside the room, Touji was again overcome with awkwardness.

He didn’t know how to interact with Bai.

If he treated Bai like a man, Bai was more beautiful than most women, even making Sakura jealous.

But if he treated Bai like a woman, well, Bai was clearly a man.

As Touji wrestled with these thoughts, he suddenly had an idea.

The whole reason he asked Zabuza for Bai was to increase his favorability score and unlock Ice Release.

So, the first thing he needed to do was boost favorability!

“Bai, can I ask you a question? What do you think of Zabuza?”

Bai’s body stiffened, and she lowered her head, thinking for a moment.

“Master Zabuza is good to me!” Bai said, but even she started to doubt her words.

Ever since she followed Zabuza, Bai had been sent on countless dangerous assassination missions.

She felt as though Zabuza never saw her as a comrade or friend—just a tool for killing.

Zabuza had even asked her to wear women’s clothing and come to Touji to fulfill his twisted desires!

But none of that mattered to Bai. As long as Zabuza was happy, she was willing to do anything for him.

*Chapter 52: But I'm a Man*

Touji rubbed his head and shook it helplessly.

You could say that the people of the Hidden Mist Village are incredibly stubborn.

Whether it's Kimimaro or Haku, once they've chosen someone to follow, they’ll do anything for them, even sacrifice their lives.

However, Momochi Zabuza is different from Orochimaru.

Orochimaru merely saw Kimimaro as an experiment and a backup body.

But between Momochi Zabuza and Haku, there was a barrier of sorts.

It was only when Zabuza died that he realized how important Haku was to him.

"Zabuza was really good to you, but don’t you think there’s a bit of misunderstanding between you two?"

"Misunderstanding?"

Haku looked at Touji in confusion.

Haku had never thought much about this.

His relationship with Zabuza was simply Zabuza giving orders, and Haku carrying them out, nothing more.

"Exactly. You see yourself as a tool for killing, and Zabuza treats you like one. But have you ever thought about his true feelings?"

Haku shuddered.

Even though Haku had accepted his role as Zabuza's tool, who would really want to be just a tool?

In Haku's eyes, Zabuza was an elder with ambitions and ideals.

But for that dream, Zabuza never had the time to talk things over properly.

Now, with Touji pointing it out, Haku felt moved.

"Will you help me?"

*Ding! Haku’s favorability increased by 2 points! Current favorability: 71 points! You can now check in!*

"Check in with Haku!"

*Ding! Check-in successful with Haku! You’ve obtained the Thousand Needles of Death! Favorability increased by 3 points! Current favorability: 74 points!*

Touji's eyes lit up.

The Thousand Needles of Death could condense the surrounding moisture into fine needles, which shot out at an incredible speed.

Adding this to his current proficiency with the shuriken technique would definitely elevate his attack to the next level.

Haku looked at Touji with anticipation. Ever since leaving the Hidden Mist Village, the only person Haku could talk to was Zabuza, and now Touji was the second.

Now, Touji was the only one Haku could turn to for help.

"I’m talking to you because I want to help!" Touji said as he looked Haku up and down, then added, "But before that, take off those women’s clothes. A real man shouldn’t be dressed like that."

Haku burst out laughing.

"Actually, when Zabuza first asked me to wear women's clothes, I was a bit resistant. But once I put them on, I realized they suited me. However, since you don’t like it, I’ll change."

Haku began to take off his clothes.

Touji jumped up immediately.

Even though Haku was a man, his face was more beautiful than most women, and Touji really couldn’t handle him changing clothes right in front of him.

"Hey, what are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re going to change right here?"

"Aren’t you the one who said a real man doesn’t care about being shirtless? Why would you be afraid of me changing clothes?"

Touji’s mouth twitched.

If Haku walked out shirtless, a lot of people would definitely follow him, and that would really cause some misunderstandings.

Seeing Touji’s strong reaction, Haku shrugged helplessly, but after looking around, couldn’t find a place to change.

"At least help me find a place to change."

Touji chuckled awkwardly. The conditions didn’t allow for that, so there was no other choice.

"Fine, go ahead and change..."

Haku smiled helplessly and continued to undo his buttons.

Just as Haku was halfway through taking off his clothes, the door suddenly swung open, and Sakura Haruno walked in with a lunchbox.

As soon as she saw Haku, she stifled a laugh, puffing out her chest proudly.

But then her face quickly darkened, and she pointed at Haku, stammering for a while without saying a word.

"You! What are you doing!"

"Undressing. Isn’t it obvious?" Haku looked at Sakura, confused about why she was so agitated.

And why, when Sakura glanced at him, did it seem like she felt victorious?

Though Haku didn’t understand why, he had no intention of losing.

"Maybe you should leave?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Touji with resentment.

But when she saw Touji’s helpless expression, her eyes brightened again.

"How could you pressure Touji like this? Can’t you see how uncomfortable he is?"

Haku frowned.

It wasn’t his idea to wear women's clothes, but it seemed that Touji really didn’t like it.

"That’s why I’m taking them off."

Sakura’s anger flared up.

She had never met someone so shameless.

He didn’t like it, so you just start undressing? What if he liked it? Would you go to the moon for him?

Sakura quickly ran to Touji, blocking Haku’s half-naked body from view.

"Shameless! You don’t even deserve to be called a woman, using such low tricks!"

"I never intended to be a woman."

Haku looked at Sakura in confusion. While he did like wearing women's clothes, there was no way he’d ever actually want to be a woman.

Sakura was speechless. In her mind, Haku was now her lifelong rival, just like Tenten and Hinata before him.

"Shut up! I’ve seen through you. Put your clothes on!"

Haku felt a bit wronged. Touji had asked him to take off the women's clothes, but now this fierce woman was demanding that he put them back on.

But Haku decided to listen to Touji.

After all, Zabuza had told him to satisfy Touji’s every request.

And Touji gave Haku a strange sense of affection.

Haku chose to ignore Sakura, finding her far too unreasonable, and continued to undress.

When Sakura saw Haku continuing to strip, her anger grew, and she reached out to grab him.

"Put your clothes on! With a body like that, how dare you show it to Touji?"

Just as Sakura was about to touch Haku, that familiar chill appeared again.

Sakura watched as her fingertips began to freeze, quickly spreading to her entire hand.

"Will you stop?"

"I won’t! As long as I can prove you’re a bad person and keep you away from Touji, I’ll do anything!"

Sakura’s eyes filled with tears.

This Haku was terrifying.

In terms of looks, she couldn’t compete.

In terms of strength, she was outmatched.

Sakura felt incredibly wronged, unable to even hold onto the man she liked.

Back in the Leaf Village, at least she was part of the top three. But here, she stood no chance.

"What are you talking about? I’m a man, not the bad woman you think I am."

"A man?"

*End of Chapter*

*Chapter 53: The First Kekkei Genkai*

Haruno Sakura stared at Haku in disbelief.

Haku's appearance was far more beautiful than Sakura's. If someone had told her Haku was a man, she would never have believed it.

But seeing Haku's chest muscles, Sakura began to question everything.

"Haku is a guy. Is there something wrong with me asking him to wear men's clothes?" Touji coughed and said.

Touji's words shattered Sakura's last shred of doubt.

Suddenly, Sakura's face turned bright red.

She couldn't believe that after all this time, she had been competing for attention with a man.

If the other two people who shared her affections found out, they would probably laugh their heads off.

"Seriously, why didn't you tell me sooner, Touji!" Sakura stomped her foot, threw the food box into Touji's hands, and ran out, covering her face with both hands.

Touji couldn't help but chuckle.

It felt like Sakura and Haku were from two completely different worlds, yet somehow, they still ended up talking to each other.

"Um, Touji, could I have some of what you're holding?"

Haku clutched his stomach, looking at the food box in Touji’s hands with longing. Somehow, a crystal-clear string of drool had already formed at the corner of his mouth.

Touji finally realized what had happened.

Sakura had actually left the food box with him.

But Touji wasn’t too keen on letting Haku eat it.

It wasn’t because he was stingy—it was because Sakura's cooking was dangerously awful.

In the entire ninja world, probably only Rock Lee could handle it.

However, seeing the longing in Haku's eyes, Touji couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

"You can try it, but if anything seems off, spit it out right away!"

Haku nodded eagerly, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Alright, here you go."

Ding! [Haku’s affection has increased by 5 points! His affection is now 77!]

Touji paused for a moment.

He hadn't expected that simply giving Haku the food would increase his affection by five points.

If building affection were this easy, Touji would’ve started delivering food ages ago.

Haku took the box, opened the lid without hesitation, and immediately grabbed a handful of food and stuffed it into his mouth.

About three seconds later, Haku stopped chewing, and his once-pale skin slowly started turning black.

His expression also twisted in discomfort.

"Hey, if it's that bad, stop eating and spit it out!" Touji urged.

Sakura's ration pills had nearly poisoned him once. He had thought her regular cooking couldn’t be that bad, but clearly, he had underestimated her skills.

Hearing Touji's voice, Haku quickly spat out the food. Touji rushed over to pat his back, trying to ease the pain.

At that moment, the door was kicked open.

Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto stumbled in, supporting each other.

"Touji, we’re back... Wait, what are you doing?!" Naruto's eyes widened, recognizing the scene from something he’d only read about in books.

Naruto, who had been exhausted just moments ago, seemed to regain all his energy and marched over with a judgmental look.

But as soon as he saw Haku, disappointment flashed across his face.

Touji’s eye twitched, wishing he could slap Naruto.

The loudest complainer and the first one to sneak a peek—it was always him. No wonder he was the guy who invented the Sexy Jutsu. When there was an opportunity, he never backed down.

"Naruto, get back here!" Sasuke glared at him in disgust.

"Come on, Sasuke, this poor girl looks like she's suffering! We should help her!" Naruto said, acting all serious.

Touji’s eye twitched again.

Only Naruto could make sneaking a peek sound so innocent.

"Quit staring. Haku's a guy."

Naruto’s face fell in disappointment. He pulled his hand back but couldn’t help sneaking a few more glances at Haku.

"Whoa, Touji, did you make dinner? It looks delicious!" Naruto said, grabbing some chopsticks and helping himself to the food before Touji could stop him.

About three seconds later, Naruto's face twisted in discomfort, and he spat out the food he had just eaten.

"Naruto, now you understand why Haku spit it out, right?" Touji smirked.

Naruto’s face was filled with sorrow as he quickly made his escape.

Early the next morning, Touji was still sleeping when he suddenly felt someone staring at him.

Startled, Touji sat up quickly.

Haku stood not far away, as still as a statue.

However, Haku’s face looked haggard, clearly still not fully recovered from the previous day.

"Haku, if you're not feeling well, you don't need to stand guard. Go rest!" Touji said.

"No, Zabuza-san specifically ordered me to protect you, Touji. I can’t rest!" Haku paused, then added softly, "But I want to know how to resolve the misunderstanding between me and Zabuza-san."

Touji smiled and sat up.

"Honestly, you and Zabuza just need to communicate better. You should tell him everything that's on your mind. He’ll definitely understand."

Haku’s eyes brightened.

His conversations with Zabuza had always been purely about missions. Outside of that, they barely communicated.

Touji’s suggestion was simple, but it was also the most direct solution.

As the person involved, Haku hadn’t been able to see it. But now that Touji pointed it out, everything suddenly made sense.

"I understand now. Thank you, Touji!"

Ding! [Haku’s affection has increased by 5 points! His affection is now 82! You can now sign in!]

Touji was overjoyed.

He hadn't expected a few simple words to increase Haku’s affection by five points.

And now that the affection level had reached 80, there was a chance to unlock the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. How could Touji not be excited?

"Sign in with Haku!"

Ding! [Sign-in successful! You have obtained the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai! Affection increased by 2 points! Haku’s affection is now 84!]

Touji stared at the system interface in disbelief.

He had actually unlocked Ice Release!

At first, Touji hadn’t been too hopeful. After all, Haku had many different jutsus, and the chances of unlocking Ice Release were less than one in ten.

But when he saw the words Ice Release, he felt like his heart might leap out of his chest.

Although Ice Release wasn’t one of the ocular-type Kekkei Genkai, it was still a powerful ability.

Ice Release could freeze the moisture in the air. If strong enough, one could even freeze the ocean.

Touji also sensed that after unlocking Ice Release, his chakra levels had significantly increased.

While he couldn’t match a regular ninja, he was far stronger than an average person now!

"Ice Release! I, Touji, have a Kekkei Genkai now!"

[As promised, here’s the extra chapter for reaching 500 votes!]

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 54: Is Touji from the Hidden Mist Village?*

Touji’s happiness didn’t last long before he could no longer speak.

An incomprehensible chill radiated from within his body, as if it was freezing his blood solid.

Meanwhile, the chakra inside him was rapidly circulating.

As it flowed, the chill directly attached itself to the chakra.

This bone-chilling cold lasted about thirty seconds. Although the duration wasn’t long, Touji never wanted to experience it again.

"Touji-kun, what’s wrong? Are you okay?"

Bai anxiously looked at Touji and quickly tried to help the curled-up Touji.

However, when Bai’s hand touched Touji, his pale hand began to freeze. In the blink of an eye, his entire hand was encased in ice.

Bai stared at the scene in disbelief.

Although this ice couldn’t actually hurt him, as a ninja with the Ice Release kekkei genkai, Bai found it incredible that his hand was frozen.

What’s more, Bai could clearly feel that Touji’s aura was similar to his own, as if it was a call from their shared bloodline.

"I’m fine! I feel great!" Touji smiled faintly.

This time, Touji’s smile wasn’t forced; it was from genuine happiness.

Though the pain earlier felt like a brush with death, the benefits to his body were undeniable.

At first, Touji’s Ice Release merely coated his skin with a thin layer, which was more like a protective glaze than a true mastery of the technique.

But after the pain subsided, Touji clearly felt that the Ice Release was no longer just on the surface of his body—it had fused into his very bones, with traces of its power mingling in every drop of his blood.

The advantages were obvious.

It was akin to Kakashi Hatake’s Sharingan.

Kakashi only had a basic grasp of the Sharingan. Though he could use its abilities, he couldn’t control it like the Uchiha clan, turning it on and off at will.

This was why Kakashi was constantly using up his chakra and was known for having low chakra reserves.

Now, however, Touji felt as though he had truly become a part of the Uchiha clan, able to control his kekkei genkai at will.

Bai stared at Touji in disbelief for a long time before finally snapping back to reality.

"Touji-kun, I think I should go tell Zabuza-sensei everything. Is that okay?"

Touji was already in a good mood, and seeing that Bai had figured things out, he became even happier. Without thinking much, he immediately agreed.

"That’s great news! Go quickly!"

Bai hesitated, glanced at Touji, then turned and swiftly left.

"Zabuza-sama, I think I’ve figured out why Touji-kun is helping us!"

Bai knelt respectfully before Zabuza Momochi.

Zabuza slowly opened his eyes, looking seriously at Bai.

"Tell me the reason!"

"Because I feel a call from his bloodline. If I’m not mistaken, Touji-kun might be from our clan."

Hearing this, a hint of joy appeared on Zabuza’s face.

Although they had made a deal with Touji earlier, Zabuza had always been wary, since those who were not of his clan could not be fully trusted.

In fact, he had sent Bai to investigate Touji’s background.

To his surprise, Bai had found out everything in just one night.

"Are you certain?"

"I’m sure!" Bai lifted his hand. "Zabuza-sama, look! My hand was injured by Touji-kun’s Ice Release!"

At that moment, Zabuza was filled with excitement. He repeated “good” three times before finally calming down.

However, Zabuza decided not to confront Touji about this revelation.

After all, Touji had managed to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf Village, and if the Blood Mist ever needed to rise again, they would need many spies like Touji.

Since Touji wanted to keep it a secret, Zabuza decided to play along.

"Alright, it’s time I meet this little brother myself!"

Zabuza said as he stood up and walked outside.

But unlike usual, Bai didn’t follow him. Instead, he remained standing, seemingly deep in thought.

"Zabuza-sama, aside from using me as a tool, have you ever considered anything else? Like friendship, perhaps?"

Zabuza stopped in his tracks. Seeing the hopeful expression on Bai’s face, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

In his constant efforts to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage’s tyranny, he had neglected the child who had always been by his side.

"You are my dearest child."

Zabuza said as he affectionately patted Bai on the head.

At that moment, Bai trembled, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Thank you, Zabuza-sensei!"

"Foolish child, let’s go!"

【Ding! Bai’s affection level has increased by five points! His affection level is now at eighty-nine points!】

Touji was delighted by this sudden notification.

Bai’s increased affection level indicated that his concerns about Zabuza had been resolved.

However, Touji didn’t have time to congratulate Bai right now.

He was currently surrounded by dozens of thugs.

For most ninjas, a group of thugs posed no threat.

But for someone like Touji, who was severely lacking in chakra, facing a large crowd was the last thing he wanted.

"Kid! Get lost, or we’ll beat you up too!" the lead thug shouted impatiently at Touji.

Touji sneered, forming hand seals quickly.

"Thousand Needles of Death!"

Immediately, the moisture in the air began to condense, forming countless thin needles that were frozen by Ice Release.

"Ninjutsu? Even if you’re a ninja, what can a twelve-year-old kid do?"

Without hesitation, the thugs charged at Touji in a frenzy.

Touji frowned.

The worst-case scenario had occurred—the thugs weren’t afraid of him and were rushing at him recklessly.

There was no clever way out now; he would have to face them head-on.

"Go!"

The ice needles shot out like a rainstorm, quickly striking the thugs.

They barely had time to react before being turned into pincushions.

However, the weakness of the Thousand Needles of Death became apparent.

Its attack power wasn’t very high. Even after being hit by several needles, most of the thugs were only incapacitated. Many continued charging, undeterred.

Furthermore, most of the needles were blocked by the thugs in the front, leaving the ones in the back unscathed.

"See? That’s all a ninja can do. Don’t be afraid, everyone! Charge!"

The thugs, even more excited now, waved their weapons and charged at Touji with reckless abandon.

Touji snorted. Though his ninjutsu wasn’t enough, his Gentle Fist technique far surpassed that of Hyuga Hiashi!

"Come on, face me head-on!"

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 55: A Lethal Technique (Please Bookmark! Please Vote!)*

The thugs charged at Touji like they had nothing to lose.

Touji’s face remained calm as he assumed a Gentle Fist stance, waiting for them to approach.

"Gentle Fist Art! Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"

Suddenly, Touji pushed with all his strength, and a fierce gust of wind shot out from his palm.

Everyone in its path was immediately blown away.

Upon seeing this, Sasuke Uchiha’s heart skipped a beat.

With just taijutsu, Touji knocked out over ten people in an instant, while his own Fire Style couldn’t even burn one person.

Sasuke Uchiha began to doubt himself. Should he continue training in ninjutsu, or should he ask Touji to teach him taijutsu?

"Touji is amazing!" Sakura Haruno exclaimed, looking at Touji with excitement.

Although it’s easy for a ninja to handle ordinary people, facing so many at once could definitely be a headache.

One wrong move, and even a regular person could take you down.

But Touji knocked out so many people with just one palm. How could Sakura not be excited?

Naruto Uzumaki, on the other hand, wasn’t impressed.

Naruto knew that with a Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, he could overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers.

Even though his clones would disappear with one hit, they were still good for scaring people.

Touji’s lips curled into a slight smile.

If it had been before, using the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm once would’ve drained all his chakra, leaving him exhausted and collapsing to the ground.

But ever since he gained Ice Release, his chakra had increased significantly. Touji felt that even if he used two more palms, it wouldn’t be a problem.

"Is this kid even human?"

"Boss, should we keep fighting?"

"Fight with what? Our heads?"

The gang leader shouted angrily, stepping back.

Although the kid in front of him looked young, he was stronger than any ninja they’d encountered before.

At least no ninja they’d met could knock out so many people with a single palm strike.

"Retreat! Get back!"

Touji’s smile widened.

The thugs were just a disorganized group. Once their limit was broken, they’d run faster than anyone else.

But Touji had a feeling—the faint sense of danger was still there!

Clearly, these thugs weren’t the real threat. That could only mean one thing:

There were still ninjas hiding!

"Don’t let your guard down. The real enemy hasn’t shown up yet!"

As soon as Touji said this, three figures suddenly appeared around him, attacking from his left, right, and above.

Each of them held a long sword, swinging it down at Touji with deadly force.

"Crescent Moon Dance!"

"Touji, look out!" Sakura Haruno shouted, covering her mouth in fear.

Clearly, these three weren’t just thugs—they were using ninjutsu like ninjas.

The angles of their attacks were incredibly precise, with strikes coming from three directions at once, leaving Touji no room to dodge.

Sasuke Uchiha’s eyes turned blood red, his eyebrows furrowing at the sight.

"There’s no escape. This is a kill shot!"

Sasuke said, clenching his fists in frustration.

He had just found an opportunity to grow stronger, but before he could make much progress, Touji was about to die right in front of him.

Especially since Touji knew the secret of that fateful day. If he died, Sasuke might never uncover the truth.

"Touji, don’t die!"

"Instead of just shouting, why don’t you get in there and help? If you act, there might be a chance!"

Naruto Uzumaki, usually so carefree, was surprisingly calm now. Crossing his arms, he sprinted toward Touji.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"It’s no use. This is a killing blow. Unless a miracle happens..."

Sasuke Uchiha shook his head in despair.

No one wanted Touji to die more than Sasuke, but the situation seemed hopeless.

"The Fourth Hokage’s son is already this grown up, huh?"

Hayate Gekko glanced at Naruto, his heart heavy.

If he had a choice, Hayate Gekko would never kill Touji.

But a ninja’s basic duty was to follow orders.

Although Danzo Shimura had cleared Hatake Sakumo’s name, it didn’t change the fact that he was dead.

What good is posthumous vindication? It only offers a bit of comfort to the living.

"Sorry, kid, but you have to die today."

As Hayate thought this, he sped up his blade’s descent, pushing beyond his usual limits.

Once the Crescent Moon Dance struck, no one could survive!

At that moment, Hayate Gekko felt a sudden chill in the air.

Even with years of training, he couldn’t help but shiver slightly under the cold.

But it was too late. The Crescent Moon Dance had already been executed, and whatever Touji tried now wouldn’t matter.

As the blade neared Touji, Hayate Gekko closed his eyes.

Touji was definitely dead. There was no chance he could survive.

Closing his eyes was simply to avoid seeing the look of pain on Touji’s face as he died.

"Hope in your next life, you don’t cross paths with powerful people again!"

The Crescent Moon Dance struck Touji’s vital points in three places. Sakura Haruno’s pupils shrank, and she fell to the ground, her eyes hollow as tears rolled down her cheeks.

But then, Sakura laughed. Her laughter was chilling, eerie enough to make anyone shudder.

"Touji is dead? No! Impossible!"

Sasuke Uchiha turned away, unable to bear the sight.

The hope that had just ignited in him was suddenly crushed.

And the gap between him and Itachi Uchiha widened once again—perhaps to the point that he’d never catch up.

Dozens of Naruto’s clones came to a stop, staring in confusion.

"No! Touji’s still alive!"

"Alive? Impossible! No one survives the Crescent Moon Dance!"

Hayate Gekko scoffed, but still opened his eyes.

Their gazes met.

Touji stood there, his lips curling into a slight smile, showing no signs of injury at all.

"How... how did you block my Crescent Moon Dance?!"