31-35

*Chapter 31: Sharing a Room*

Touji's heart started pounding rapidly.

Hinata Hyūga was the eldest daughter of the Hyūga clan. Although a bit introverted, she was undoubtedly a beautiful and wealthy young woman.

If he could marry Hinata, he could avoid decades of hard work.

He might even strive for the position of clan leader of the Hyūga family.

However, Touji quickly shook his head after a brief thought.

For the village of Konoha, the coming days would hardly be peaceful.

There was the Konoha Crush plan during the Chūnin Exams, the Akatsuki's near-apocalyptic plot, and ultimately, the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Each event would be extremely dangerous.

If he married into the Hyūga family, he would inevitably become a Gentle Fist instructor. It would be much harder for him to go out and gain favor to trigger the sign-in system.

Moreover, due to the Hyūga family’s influence, some people might distance themselves from him, leaving his favorability stuck at a certain point.

Without sign-ins, it would become extremely difficult for Touji to improve his strength.

As for the second option, Touji could accept it.

After all, he needed to increase the favorability of three people anyway, and now there was an opportunity through teaching.

And now there was a fourth person.

Hanabi Hyūga.

Though younger than Hinata by a few years, Hanabi's strength wasn't far behind.

In fact, in one sparring session, Hinata had even lost to her younger sister, Hanabi.

The key point was that Hanabi also possessed the Byakugan.

As long as he continued to build favor, he could eventually obtain the Byakugan.

And now, with four pairs of Byakugan in play, maybe by merging them, he could gain the legendary Tenseigan!

By then, it wouldn't just be Konoha that trembled—he could shake the entire world.

"I choose the second option!" Touji declared.

Hearing Touji's response, Hiashi Hyūga couldn't help but frown. He quickly added, "What? You think Hinata isn't good enough for you? If you accept the first condition, I'll get you a pair of Byakugan!"

Touji gave a bitter smile and shook his head again.

"I believe love needs to develop slowly. Deciding Hinata’s future here and now wouldn't be fair to either of us. I think it would be irresponsible for both of us."

*Ding! Hiashi Hyūga's favorability has increased by 3! His favorability is now at 74 points!*

Hiashi nodded in approval, his eyes showing greater satisfaction as he looked at Touji.

"Alright, if you need anything in the future, the Hyūga family will back you up!" Hiashi said, lightly clapping his hands. "Take Touji to his room to rest."

Touji followed as he was led down winding hallways until they arrived at a room.

When he entered, the room was already lit by candles, and it was clear someone was inside.

Touji didn't think much of it and opened the door.

A woman slowly turned her head. Upon seeing Touji, she was startled and immediately dove under the covers.

"Touji-kun, why are you in my room?" she exclaimed.

Touji's face twitched in surprise, full of questions himself.

"Did they bring me to the wrong room?"

"No, Lord Hiashi arranged for this room."

"Could you find me another room then?"

The attendant smiled slightly and glanced out toward the courtyard.

"All the rooms in the Hyūga household are occupied. You'll have to make do for the night. If you have any complaints, you can go talk to Lord Hiashi yourself."

With that, the attendant disappeared with a teleportation jutsu.

Touji’s face twitched again.

The Hyūga family was so large—how could there not be a single vacant room?

Clearly, Hiashi was trying to set him up with his daughter.

And to ask him to personally find Hiashi? Even if it was possible, navigating the maze-like hallways would be a nightmare in itself.

As Touji hesitated, he suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve.

He turned quickly.

Hinata had somehow escaped from under the covers. Her face was flushed red, and she shyly tugged at his sleeve.

"Touji-kun, if it can't be helped, you can stay here…" she whispered.

After speaking, Hinata's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she hurriedly hid back under the covers, leaving only her head exposed, sneaking glances at Touji.

Touji gave a wry smile.

Since there seemed to be no other option, he had no choice but to stay.

Thankfully, Hiashi hadn't fully sold out his daughter.

There was a separate bedding arrangement set up beside Hinata’s, allowing Touji to accept the situation.

After undressing, Touji slipped into his bed. As a breeze blew through, the candle in the room flickered out.

In the darkness, only the sound of Hinata’s drumming heart and heavy breathing could be heard.

Touji smiled helplessly.

It seemed that after raising her favorability so much, Hinata’s feelings for him had surpassed those she once had for Naruto Uzumaki.

And with Hinata’s persistent personality, she would likely become quite attached to him in the future.

Just as Touji was about to close his eyes to sleep, he heard a tiny, mosquito-like voice beside him.

"Zhou… Touji-kun, why did you act like that toward me today?"

Touji was sure that Hinata had understood his intentions.

Otherwise, her favorability wouldn’t have increased so dramatically.

However, with Hinata’s introverted and insecure nature, she would overthink things unless Touji admitted it directly.

"Do you remember what I said during the day?" Touji asked.

"I… I remember. Touji-kun said you wanted my father to recognize me," Hinata replied, her voice still quiet but now carrying a hint of joy.

*Ding! Hinata Hyūga’s favorability has increased by 5 points! Her favorability is now 81! You may sign in!*

Touji's eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected a few simple words to increase her favorability by so much.

Hinata was also the first female ninja to surpass 80 favorability points.

"Sign in with Hinata Hyūga!"

*Ding! Sign-in successful! You have obtained Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! Favorability increased by 3 points! Her favorability is now 84 points!*

Touji was ecstatic.

The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was an incredibly powerful technique in the Gentle Fist style.

Once the first strike landed, it was nearly impossible for the opponent to evade the follow-up attacks.

Additionally, the technique included chakra point sealing. After a full barrage, even if the enemy didn’t die, they would lose control of their chakra and be rendered helpless.

The only issue was that without the Byakugan, Touji wasn’t sure if the chakra point sealing aspect would work.

"Why did you help me, Touji-kun? We only just met."

Touji smiled slightly.

It was true they had just met in person, but he had seen Hinata countless times on television.

As for why…

Neji Hyūga had once asked the same question.

But Touji couldn’t give the same answer.

"It's late. Get some sleep already."

Touji closed his eyes, but the sound of Hinata’s heart beating and her heavy breathing only grew louder.

"It looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight."

---End of Chapter---

Chapter 32: Why Are You in My Sister's Room?

Touji was sleeping soundly on a Monday morning when he suddenly felt a small hand slapping his face repeatedly.

“Damn it! Can’t a guy get some sleep around here?!”

Touji shouted, instantly regretting his outburst.

In front of him was a small face staring back, with pure white pupils fixed firmly on Touji.

Her eyes seemed to well up with mist, likely from his earlier shouting.

"You! Who are you? Why are you in my sister’s room?!"

Touji quickly realized what was going on.

The little girl standing in front of him was none other than Hyuga Hanabi, the youngest daughter of Hyuga Hiashi.

Although Hyuga Hinata had been overshadowed after being defeated by Hanabi, the two sisters actually got along pretty well.

*Ding! Hyuga Hanabi! Favorability: 49! Caution!!*

*At 50 favorability points: Gentle Fist unlocked!*

*At 60 favorability points: Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm unlocked!*

*At 70 favorability points: Windmill unlocked!*

*At 80 favorability points: Rotation unlocked!*

*At 90 favorability points: Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms unlocked!*

*At 100 favorability points: Byakugan unlocked! Congratulations, "Big Brother" activated! Unlimited Sign-in (every 7 days) activated!*

"I'm your future teacher, Touji. And by the way, that phrase was just a friendly expression, not me being angry at Hanabi."

Despite Touji’s explanation, Hanabi grew even more suspicious instead of relaxing.

"I already have Father to teach me. I don’t need another teacher! Also, why were you sleeping in my sister's room? I heard only married couples can do that!"

Thud!

Just as Touji was trying to figure out how to explain, the sound of someone falling broke the tension, drawing their attention.

Hinata, face flushed red, had tripped and quickly scrambled over to Hanabi, covering her mouth with one hand.

“Z-Touji, don’t get the wrong idea! My little sister is too young to understand these things!”

After Hinata said this, Hanabi struggled free and protested, "I’m not that little, and I understand perfectly! Uncle told me only married people sleep in the same room!"

Hinata’s face turned even redder, and she couldn’t bring herself to look Touji in the eye. She fidgeted nervously, not knowing what to do.

Hinata’s reaction made Touji feel embarrassed as well, and he was suddenly wide awake.

"Well, since it’s morning now, I should probably get going."

"Oh, by the way, Guy-sensei is currently with Father over by the storage area. Let me take you there!" Hinata said quickly, clearly relieved to have found something else to talk about.

“Sis, let me take him! I…”

Hanabi stopped mid-sentence, noticing Hinata glaring at her with an intensity she’d never seen before.

A wave of fear washed over Hanabi.

“I’ll take him!” Hinata insisted.

“…Okay, fine.”

*Ding! Hyuga Hanabi's favorability decreased by 1! Current favorability: 48! Caution!!*

Touji twitched a bit.

Why am I getting dragged into their sisterly spat?

Touji followed behind Hinata as they walked down the long corridor.

As they walked, he began to study her more closely.

After observing her, he noticed that Hinata and Sakura Haruno were quite similar.

Both of them were driven by their love for someone and continuously pushed forward because of it.

The only difference was that Hinata kept her love hidden deep inside, while Sakura boldly expressed it.

As for which approach was better, there really wasn’t a definitive answer.

But at this moment, Touji wasn’t thinking much about it.

Without the power to protect those he loved, Touji had no time to think about romance.

Otherwise, when someone suddenly shouts "a bag of rice" over your head, all you can do is wait helplessly for death.

Rather than being controlled by fate, it’s better to take control of it.

They walked in silence for about five or six minutes before finally arriving at the storage area.

There, Might Guy stood with a proud smile, while Hyuga Hiashi's face was dark, looking like he wanted to bite Guy’s head off.

"Hiashi-sama, if you insist on giving it to me, I’ll gladly accept!"

"Get lost! Take it and leave!" Hiashi said angrily, then quickly added, "And if yesterday's events get out, you know the consequences!"

"Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. But if your daughters or Touji spill the beans, well, that’s out of my control."

Touji started coughing nervously.

The moment he arrived, this enormous responsibility was dumped on him.

And there was no way to avoid it.

"Touji, you're just in time. Follow me!" Guy said with a grin.

Touji nearly tripped over himself.

He couldn’t believe that his offhand curse had become popular.

Touji started to panic, imagining the entire Konoha Village using that phrase as a greeting.

But he didn’t dare make a fuss.

All he could do was pretend not to know and let things play out.

"Guy-sensei, let’s go!"

As Touji and Might Guy took a few steps, Hyuga Hiashi called out, “Remember the two choices I gave you, kid. You don’t have to decide right away!”

Touji’s mouth twitched.

Hyuga Hiashi was practically a salesman, eager to marry off Hinata even though she was only twelve.

Once they left the Hyuga compound, Touji followed Guy to the training spot where Team 3 had gathered.

By the time they arrived, the three members of Team 3 were already waiting.

“Lee, look at the gift I brought for you!” Might Guy pulled out two sets of weights and waved them in the air.

But before he could hand them over, Rock Lee’s eyes lit up, and he dashed right past Guy to Touji, grabbing his hands.

“Touji, you’re finally here! Teach me sword techniques! Teach me sword techniques!”

Rock Lee excitedly waved a wooden sword he’d pulled out of nowhere.

Might Guy stood there awkwardly, his anger visibly rising.

“Lee, take off your current weights and put these on!” Guy said, tossing the new weights to Lee.

As soon as Lee caught them, it was like he got hit by a truck, skidding backward at top speed.

His feet tried to dig into the ground, but it was no use, leaving two long skid marks.

Touji couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

Might Guy’s training methods were truly brutal. The fact that Rock Lee could handle it was nothing short of amazing.

“Touji, stop staring. You’ll be wearing the weights Lee just took off!”

“Whaaat?! I have to wear them?!”

Just as Touji was figuring out how to put on the weights, Tenten approached, her face slightly flushed, holding a bamboo basket.

“Touji, you haven’t had breakfast yet, right? I brought extra.”

Touji’s face lit up with joy. He quickly removed the lid of the basket to find a row of rice balls shaped like kunai underneath.

“Tenten, you’re seriously amazing!”

End of Chapter

*Chapter 33: Attack from the ANBU*

Even though the rice balls made by Tenten were strange, Touji still picked one up and ate it without hesitation.

First, Touji was genuinely hungry since he hadn’t eaten breakfast.

Second, he was worried about losing favor points, as Tenten was one of the characters whose favorability he needed to raise.

Despite the unusual appearance, the rice balls Tenten made were quite delicious. The rice was just the right texture, not too tight or loose, showing that she had put in a lot of effort.

"Hey, Tenten, why are you carrying a basket? Oh, you made rice balls? Perfect, I’m hungry too!"

Rock Lee walked over with a grin, reaching out for one of the rice balls.

At that moment, Tenten grabbed Rock Lee’s wrist and, with a hint of menace, said, "Lee, didn’t you already eat? Let Touji have these."

"But I’m hungry again! Please, Tenten, just let me have two!"

"I think Guy-sensei prepared a lot of food too. Why don’t you ask him?" Tenten raised her voice, thinking Rock Lee didn’t get the message.

Might Guy laughed as he watched.

"Lee, that's enough. Take your new weights and run ten laps around the track to warm up!"

Hearing Might Guy’s command, Rock Lee didn’t dare slack off and immediately started running.

Might Guy then walked up to Touji.

"When you're young, you’ve got to burn with the fire of youth. I support you, Tenten!"

Tenten blushed immediately.

"Guy-sensei, what are you talking about?"

As Tenten finished speaking and looked up, Touji had already been dragged to the side by Might Guy, with weights strapped to his arms and legs.

Although Touji could learn various jutsu techniques through his sign-in system, he only had the surface-level skills.

Take the Gentle Fist, for example. Even without using chakra, Hyuga Hiashi could shatter a stone.

Touji had signed in and learned the Gentle Fist three times, and his experience with it had already surpassed Hiashi’s.

However, Touji lacked the physical strength, making it difficult for him to shatter a stone.

Weight training was the best and most direct way to increase physical strength.

At this point, though, Touji was close to tears.

Physical training is supposed to be gradual.

Once your body adapts to the current level of weight, you move on to the next.

But Might Guy had made Touji skip several levels of weight at once.

With the weights on both his arms and legs, Touji felt like he was as slow as a turtle. Even raising a hand felt incredibly difficult.

"Good, now start running. Run from here to the waterfall up ahead and back. If you’re not back by noon, no lunch for you!"

Touji looked in the direction Might Guy was pointing.

He couldn’t even see the waterfall, not even a hint of mist from it.

"Don’t bother looking. It’s about fifty kilometers away. You can’t see it."

Touji almost spat out blood.

Fifty kilometers? A round trip would be a hundred kilometers! That’s more than twice the length of a marathon!

It might be possible for a ninja, but Touji was carrying heavy weights.

Running that distance before lunch? It seemed impossible.

"What are you waiting for? Start running!"

Under Might Guy’s urging, Touji had no choice but to start running, with Tenten running beside him, whispering, "Don’t worry, Touji, I’ve got more food."

Touji smiled in relief. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry.

As the four of them ran through the forest, Touji suddenly felt an unprecedented killing intent, causing him to frown.

"Wait!" Touji quickly stopped the other three and turned to Neji. "Neji, activate your Byakugan!"

Neji furrowed his brows and was about to activate his Byakugan.

Suddenly, a bright flash surrounded the four of them.

"Not good, there are explosive tags below!" Tenten shouted, quickly pulling Touji back a few steps.

Boom!

A series of explosions followed, but luckily they weren’t at the center of the blast. Otherwise, no matter how strong they were, they wouldn’t have survived.

However, the shockwaves from the continuous explosions still left the four of them with significant injuries.

"Nice reaction, but you still have to die!"

A cold voice suddenly came from nearby, and four figures jumped out, each wearing fox masks.

"The smell and power of these explosive tags… they’re definitely from the ANBU. Who are you?"

Tenten, clutching the wound on her arm, stepped in front of Touji, glaring at the four masked figures in anger.

One of the ninjas snorted, killing intent radiating from him. His eyes, visible through the mask, were fixed on Tenten.

"Little girl, you know… originally, we only needed to kill one person. But because of what you just said, now all four of you must die."

As soon as the ninja finished speaking, the barrier shattered, and the four ANBU ninjas surrounded Touji and the others.

Tenten’s heart sank, and a look of fear appeared in her eyes.

The three of them were just Genin. While Touji was quite strong, there was no way they could stand up to these ANBU operatives.

After all, ANBU operatives weren’t necessarily all Jonin or Chunin, but they were the ones who walked in the shadows of the village, constantly teetering on the edge of death.

Without enough strength, they would’ve been eliminated long ago.

These four in front of them were definitely killing machines!

On their side, they only had three Genin.

There was no way they could win.

"Honorable ANBU members, we’re just Genin from the village. We haven’t done anything wrong, right? Could it be that there’s been a mistake?"

Tenten smiled slightly.

Sometimes, being stubborn can work wonders. But when facing true experts, continuing to be stubborn will only hasten your death.

The four ANBU assassins were far beyond what their team could handle.

So, Tenten could only try to negotiate.

"There’s no mistake. The person we’re after is that boy behind you. He’s suspected of selling village secrets. The Hokage has ordered his immediate execution!"

The three of them trembled, turning to look at Touji.

The Hokage was the highest authority in the village, and his word was law.

Touji chuckled bitterly and shook his head.

"If I say I didn’t do it, would you believe me?"

A silence fell over the group, so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.

Just then, Neji stepped forward, standing beside Touji.

"I believe in Touji. He would never be a traitor!"

Tenten smiled and stood next to Touji, holding his arm. "I believe in Touji too!"

"I’m not sure, but I trust Guy-sensei’s judgment!"

The four ANBU ninjas sneered. Since they had been exposed, there was no way the three of them could be allowed to live.

Although they couldn’t provoke them into turning on each other, this would just take a bit more effort.

"In that case, all of you can die together!"

---

Please vote for me, vote for me! 

*End of Chapter*

*Chapter 34: Trapped in Desperation*

Four ninjas charged toward Team Three from all directions.

Team Three had never truly fought against ninjas before. Tenten completely panicked, clinging tightly to Touji’s arm, trembling all over.

Hinata Neji reacted immediately, forming hand seals as the veins around his eyes bulged.

"Byakugan activated!"

"A boy from the Hyuga clan. Should we let him go?"

"Our mission doesn't allow us to reveal our identity. Plus, I know this kid—he’s from the branch family. Killing him won’t be a problem!"

Upon hearing their conversation, Neji, who had been relatively calm, was suddenly consumed by a murderous aura.

"Underestimating us branch family members? Then you’ll die right here!"

With that, Neji charged directly at the two ninjas.

Rock Lee also rushed forward to fight, but since he had no real combat experience, he was quickly overwhelmed by the enemy.

One remaining ninja swiftly advanced toward Touji and Tenten.

Tenten was already terrified, gripping Touji's arm, trembling uncontrollably.

Touji, who was already unaccustomed to the weights he was carrying, found himself even more burdened. He could hardly move.

Seeing the ninja approaching fast, Touji gritted his teeth and hurriedly picked up Tenten, using all his strength to perform the Body Flicker Technique.

In an instant, Touji disappeared from where he was, but he didn’t get far before crashing to the ground.

The ninja saw this and couldn’t help but smirk.

"At a time like this, you're still flirting? Well, soon you’ll both be dead, so you can flirt in hell instead."

Tenten finally realized that she was nothing but a burden. She wasn’t helping at all, and was only dragging Touji down.

She immediately pushed Touji away, creating some distance between them.

"Touji, don’t worry about me! I can fight too!"

Touji gave a bitter smile.

He wasn’t sure if Tenten could fight, but he knew very well that he couldn’t.

The weights on his hands and feet had completely thrown off his coordination.

He could barely use the Body Flicker Technique, but in an actual fight, one punch would likely cause his own strength to send him flying.

At that point, he’d be a sitting duck.

"Lee, help hold off that ninja!" Touji shouted to Rock Lee, then turned to Tenten.

"Tenten, help me take off the weights!"

"I’ll try, but I can’t hold him for long." Rock Lee nodded, bracing himself as he charged at the ninja in front of Touji.

Hearing Touji’s call, Tenten quickly ran over.

Soon, the weights on Touji’s hands and feet were off, but there was still one around his waist—the heaviest one.

Might Guy had tied several tight knots to secure it.

But those knots were now impossible for Tenten to untie.

"Touji, are you ready? I can’t hold him for more than 30 seconds!" Rock Lee shouted, struggling as he spoke.

Touji looked up. By now, Rock Lee was covered in wounds.

His green jumpsuit was in tatters, and even from a distance, Rock Lee looked unsteady on his feet.

Touji’s heart tightened.

When Rock Lee said "30 seconds," he likely meant the time it would take the enemy to get past his corpse.

The Rock Lee who seemed like a simpleton on TV turned out to be someone so committed in real life.

Someone who would sacrifice his life for his friends, keeping his word no matter what.

Tenten knew the gravity of the situation, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t untie the rope. Even using a kunai wouldn’t cut through it.

She was so anxious that she was almost in tears.

"A branch family member is just that. Even if you die here, no one will care. What a shame, though. With the Caged Bird Seal, your Byakugan will be destroyed when you die."

"I thought with that earlier display of strength, you might actually beat me."

Touji followed the voice and saw Neji lying on the ground, his body covered in wounds.

In particular, some of the deeper wounds exposed white bone beneath the flesh.

The ninja kicked Neji's injuries a couple more times.

Neji's face twisted in pain.

But he didn’t utter a single sound of agony.

At that moment, Neji looked toward Touji, smiling weakly. With his last bit of strength, he shouted, "Touji, don’t forget our promise!"

Touji clenched his fists tightly.

His nails dug into his palms, and blood dripped down.

"Don’t bother thinking about that promise. This kid is about to die too!"

The ninja sneered as he slowly walked toward Touji.

Before he could take more than a few steps, he felt someone grab his foot.

Looking down, he saw that it was Neji, barely clinging to life.

"I was going to let you live a few more minutes, but now it seems I’ll end it."

At that moment, Tenten was so anxious she was in tears, but no matter what, she couldn’t untie that damn weight.

In desperation, Tenten bit down on the knot with her teeth.

"Tenten, what are you—!"

"Shut up! This is no time to get flustered! I’ll get this rope off if it kills me!"

The ninja saw this and sneered again, kicking Neji with even more force.

"Still acting all lovey-dovey, but these are your last moments together!"

The ninja pulled out a kunai and stared coldly at Neji.

Just then, a green figure leaped forward, kicking the ninja and sending him flying several meters away.

"Neji, are you alright?" Rock Lee frantically shook Neji.

Neji slowly opened his eyes, but instead of gratitude, he roared angrily.

"Why did you come here? What about Touji?!"

Rock Lee suddenly realized and turned to see the two ninjas closing in on Touji.

Just as Rock Lee was about to rush back to help, he felt a sharp pain in his waist, and then he was sent flying.

"Might Guy sure trained you well. Too bad you’re about to die!"

Rock Lee lay on the ground, coughing.

With each cough, blood spewed from his mouth.

But instead of pain, Rock Lee smiled faintly at Touji.

"Touji, if you ever get the chance, you have to teach me your sword techniques!"

At that moment, Touji wanted nothing more than to charge forward and kill all four ninjas.

But the weight around his waist severely limited his movements. If he charged in, it would only mean his death.

Meanwhile, Tenten was even more frantic than Touji.

Her face was flushed, but she no longer cared about that, biting at the knot with all her might.

She was completely unaware that blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Just then, the stubborn knot finally loosened, and Tenten’s eyes lit up.

"It’s off!"

The weight slowly fell to the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Touji stood within the dust, his eyes cold and deadly, glaring at the four ninjas before him like a venomous snake.

"Today, I’ll show you what happens when you mess with Touji!"

---

Please vote!

*Chapter 35: Not One Less (Please Collect! Please Vote!)*

For a moment, Touji’s killing intent continued to surge. Tian Tian, kneeling in front of Touji, felt the overwhelming pressure and collapsed backward.

Although they were teammates, Tian Tian was terrified by Touji's aura, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Even the four ninjas were startled by the deadly vibe, and they couldn't help but take a few steps back.

"Don't be scared, guys. This kid is only twelve. Do you think he can take on all four of us?"

Hearing this, the other three nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, just a kid!"

"Exactly, we've seen worse."

"That's right! Let's kill him now!"

"Kill who?"

Before they could react, Touji appeared next to one of the ninjas like a ghost.

Holding White Fang in his hand, he pressed it against the ninja’s chin.

"How is he so fast?!" The ninja looked at Touji in disbelief, his voice trembling with fear.

"Fast? I thought I was slow."

Without hesitation, Touji slashed, and blood sprayed from the ninja's neck, covering Touji in crimson.

The remaining three ninjas fell silent.

Although it was mainly due to carelessness, Touji's speed was indeed incredible, faster than anyone present.

However, they only paused momentarily in shock.

These three ninjas had survived countless dangerous missions and faced many difficult opponents.

Touji was just fast. As long as they stayed alert, avoiding his attacks wouldn’t be a problem.

Their biggest concern now was whether Touji would try to escape.

If he did, killing him next time would be much harder.

The three ninjas exchanged glances before spreading out.

Touji quickly gripped White Fang, staying on guard, but his killing intent continued to grow.

He saw the three ninjas.

One was stepping on Neji Hyuga's head, another was holding Rock Lee by the collar, and the third had grabbed Tian Tian by her hair, lifting her up.

"Kid, no matter how fast you are, can you save all three of them at once?"

A bead of cold sweat dripped from Touji’s forehead. Though filled with rage, he had to admit the ninja was right.

Even with his speed, there was no way he could save all three simultaneously.

"Kid, give up. Swallow this pill, and I'll let the three of them go. I promise to only capture you!" The ninja tossed a fiery red pill toward Touji.

Touji didn't know what the pill did, but he was sure it wasn't anything good.

"Touji, don't take it! Run and find Guy-sensei!" Tian Tian shouted, but the pain from her hair being pulled made her scream even more, the pain shooting through her nerves.

The ninja didn’t stop her from shouting. Instead, he watched Touji mockingly.

These three ninjas had completed countless missions, and they were well-versed in manipulating human emotions.

If Tian Tian hadn’t shouted, Touji might have escaped. But since she did, Touji would never run now.

All they had to do was wait for Touji to swallow the pill.

"You can choose not to eat it, but then you’ll have to decide: save your little girlfriend, or one of your two brothers?"

Touji looked around. All three were begging him to leave.

Touji shook his head helplessly and picked up the pill.

"How could I leave you behind? I said it before: not one of you will be left behind!"

[Ding! Neji Hyuga’s favorability increased by 3 points! Current favorability: 84!]

[Ding! Rock Lee’s favorability increased by 4 points! Current favorability: 72! You can now check in!]

[Ding! Tian Tian’s favorability increased by 4 points! Current favorability: 73! You can now check in!]

This check-in was Touji's last chance to save them. If he didn’t get something useful, he’d have no choice but to accept his fate.

"Check in! Rock Lee and Tian Tian!"

[Ding! Rock Lee check-in successful! You received the Shuriken Technique! Favorability increased by 3 points! Current favorability: 75!]

[Ding! Since you already acquired the Shuriken Technique, lower-level skills will be converted into experience points for higher-level skills!]

[Ding! Tian Tian check-in successful! You received the Body Flicker Technique! Favorability increased by 3 points! Current favorability: 76!]

[Ding! Since you already acquired the Body Flicker Technique, lower-level skills will be converted into experience points for higher-level skills!]

Two low-level ninjutsu techniques again.

Though they were low-level techniques, accumulating experience made them more powerful.

Especially the Body Flicker Technique, which had now reached a terrifying level.

Though he didn’t get a crucial technique, the improvement in these two techniques gave Touji an idea for a strategy.

"Kid, why haven't you swallowed the pill yet?" the ninja shouted anxiously.

Touji paused, holding the pill less than two centimeters from his mouth.

"I’d like to try saving them first. Can I?"

The three ninjas immediately tensed, bringing their kunai closer to their hostages.

"Don't do anything reckless. If anything goes wrong, we can at least kill one of them, maybe more. Wanna try?" the ninja sneered.

"Sure!"

Touji pulled a shuriken from his pouch and swiftly threw it at the ninja holding Tian Tian’s hair.

At first, the ninja tried to block it, but he realized Touji’s aim was completely off.

In fact, it was way off.

"Hey, kid, what are you aiming at?" the ninja chuckled.

Touji didn’t stop throwing shuriken despite the taunt. He threw them all at an incredible speed.

But none of them hit the mark, and soon Touji was out of shuriken.

The only sound left was the clattering of metal hitting the ground.

"Kid, you should practice your shuriken technique better in your next life!" the ninja smirked, dragging his kunai across Tian Tian’s cheek.

"Hurry up and swallow that pill, or I’ll slice your girlfriend’s face up!"

"Touji, run! If there’s a next life, I want to train in the Shuriken Technique with you!" Tian Tian shouted.

Touji smiled slightly and said, "No need for another life. We can train together in a moment."

With a grin spreading across his face, Touji suddenly yelled, "Guy-sensei, you’re finally here!"

The three ninjas laughed.

"You think that trick will work on us? Do you think we’re three-year-olds?"

Before the ninja could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind at his back. Before he could react, a cold sensation surged through his body.

The ninja knew this feeling all too well—it was the sensation of a shuriken piercing him.

Instinctively, the ninja’s grip loosened, giving Tian Tian the chance to break free.

The other two ninjas quickly turned their heads.

"Did Guy really show up?"

"Damn, we’ve been tricked! Watch out!"

"Too late!"

Touji's lips curled into a smirk as he appeared next to Lee, kicking him to safety.

Then, he unleashed an Eight Trigrams Palm attack on the other ninja.

In an instant, all three hostages were rescued.

"I told you, I wouldn’t leave anyone behind!"

【End of Chapter】