Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 235 The Path of Light and Darkness (Part 2)

The outskirts of Konoha.

The crooked trees on both sides of the winding dirt road have sprawling branches, and their jade-like leaves sway in the wind, casting a layer of scale-like light and shadow on the ground.

Snapped!
Naruto, who had just come out of the third training ground, was wearing a coat and kicked a pebble far away from the roadside, looking quite indignant.

He was still resentful about being 'ostracized' by Sasuke and Hairi.

He was often bullied, harassed, and isolated by his peers since childhood, so he was extremely sensitive to such things. Although he understood that Hui Li and Sasuke were not like that, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest.

He understands that everyone should have privacy and secrets.

After all, he kept the nine-tailed fox within him and his feelings for Hui Li hidden in his heart, never revealing them to anyone. But what he couldn't accept was, what secrets did Hui Li have that she couldn't tell him, yet could share with Sasuke?

"Sasuke, you're going to regret this!"

Naruto's six whisker-like marks on his face trembled. He had personally heard Sasuke call out to Haili first, saying a bunch of things he couldn't understand, which made Haili chase him away.

It could be said that everything was Sasuke's fault!
The Uchiha clan is inherently evil!

Naruto, seething with resentment, mentally punched Sasuke a hundred times over as he continued along the straight and steep dirt road, soon entering the town.

As soon as he entered the town, he felt the temperature rise by more than two degrees.

Wooden houses sprang up, blocking the encroaching forest and also cutting off the cool spring breeze. The midday sun was the most intense, so bright that people couldn't open their eyes, and the windows on both sides of the road reflected a blinding white light.

Naruto squinted to avoid the light. His all-black bodysuit absorbed the heat like fire. He spread the jacket on his shoulders and put it over his head, which immediately made him feel much cooler. So he walked towards the main street in the center of Konoha with the jacket over his head.

The crowd gradually increased, and the faint sounds of people mixed with the noise of the market reached Naruto's ears.

"Oh, it's that child."

"Stay away from him."

"How could someone like that become a Konoha ninja..."

The crowd's voices were low and muffled, but Naruto could hear them clearly. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to their cold stares.

Soon!

This kind of life is about to end!

With his coat on his head, Naruto's mood wasn't heavy; instead, he felt a surge of anticipation.

The upcoming Chunin Exams may be a tough test for others, but for him, it is the best stage to escape his predicament.

All you need to do is prove yourself in the exam, and you can transform a monster into a genius!
Naruto's calloused hands were rough from rubbing together, and he walked toward the busiest commercial street, ignoring the indifferent gazes of the crowd.

As he passed the women's bathhouse marked with the word "soup," he saw a sleazy man with a full head of silver hair sneaking around on the roof, his head twisted as he peeked inside.

Someone's spying on us!

Without the slightest hesitation, Naruto, with his naturally loud voice, carried out his righteous act.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

A piercing, sharp explosion came from inside the bathhouse. The silver-haired, lewd man lying on the roof trembled in fright. He turned around and saw a blond man wearing a coat on his head making faces at him!

"hateful!"

Angrily slammed his fist on the roof. Seeing that someone had already dressed and run out of the bathhouse, the silver-haired man took one last deep look at the vortex mark on Naruto's jacket, quickly formed hand seals, exploded into a cloud of smoke, and disappeared.

What an amazing teleportation technique!
This guy is actually a skilled ninja!
Naruto, who was just about to watch the show, curled his lip in disgust at the man's behavior. He was clearly a powerful ninja, yet he went to spy on the women's bathhouse.

Obscene!

"What about people?"

The victims finally appeared inside the bathhouse. They were wearing coats, had towels wrapped around their hair, and were carrying weapons such as mops. They stormed out, completely unlike their usual gentle selves.

The middle-aged woman with curly hair, who was leading the group, looked up and searched for a long time, but in the end, she only saw a blond boy with a slouchy hat on his head.

"It's him!"

The moment the woman saw Naruto's face, she pointed at him without hesitation, her speed in identifying the culprit as quick as a police officer spotting a black man while arresting a criminal.

Naruto's eyes widened instantly, and he pointed to his nose, his expression filled with disbelief.

"catch him!"

"He's so young and already so bad, he needs to be taught a lesson." More women behind him charged at Naruto, carrying various weapons.

Without offering any explanation, Naruto expertly took off running, so fast that even the outer cloak on his head billowed behind him, like a hero's cape fluttering as he made his entrance!
Huhu~
The sound of wind rushed past his ears as Naruto swiftly escaped his pursuers and ran into the bustling central commercial street.

"The newly released 'Genius Brand Chakra Test Strips' come with a picture of Ms. Hairi and her autograph on the packaging, limited to one hundred sets!"

A specially made megaphone was hawking its wares at the entrance of the Ninja Tool Shop. Naruto, who was running forward, stopped abruptly upon hearing the announcement of Hairi's arrival. Along with him, many ninjas wearing headbands and young-faced ninja academy students also stopped in their tracks.

"Is Miss Hui Li's autograph real or fake?"

"It's a limited edition collaboration, wow~ it even has the goddess's portrait on it, it's so cute! I want it!"

"Didn't you already have your chakra attributes tested?"

"Leave me alone?"

A young female ninja wearing a headband, her eyes shining, pulled her companion into the store. Moments later, a crowd had gathered in front of the Ninja Tool Shop.

Hui Li's popularity is terrifying!
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Naruto dodged the crowd that nearly knocked him over.

The Ninja Tool Shop was already packed with customers, and some very young girls were so anxious that they were about to cry because they couldn't get their hands on the limited edition items.

three years ago.

The chubby owner of Mandiantang approached Huili for a collaboration, proposing to exchange a portion of the store's shares for her endorsement of chakra test strips, and also to have Huili's headshot printed on the test strip packaging.

According to Hui Li, this boss definitely has a highly skilled person at home.

At the time, he didn't understand. He just envied Hui Li for being able to make a lot of money just by taking a few pictures. He thought the fat boss was really stupid and rich. It wasn't until the fat boss took over the ninja tool shop that originally belonged to the Uchiha clan next door and the shop grew bigger and bigger that he realized that he was the stupid one.

Later, he encountered the fat boss and Gray Glass making a deal, their conversation filled with terms he couldn't understand: genius marketing, fan economy, storytelling, small gifts, cards, merchandise...

Since then, although Hui Li has not done anything amazing again, her reputation as a genius has become more and more widespread in Konoha, and the story of her killing a Jonin from Kumogakure is known to everyone.

With her stunning looks and talent, she has gained more and more fans. Every time a new toy or gift is released, it sells out. For a while, the girls in the village even started a wave of imitation.

For example, some people would blindfold themselves with a highly transparent black cloth, dye their hair silver, or try to draw mysterious patterns on their foreheads... all sorts of bizarre and chaotic things happened. During class, Shikamaru would often mutter to himself, saying things like the future Hokage was already destined, and all that was needed was to wait for the right time.

Naruto didn't understand what the other person meant. All he knew was that Hai Li was putting her words into practice. The difference between a hated monster and a sought-after genius was truly just a matter of a single thought!
Avoiding the crowds, he entered the food street.

The streets were filled with the mixed aromas of meatballs and fried foods, with the meaty smell from the barbecue restaurants standing out in particular.

Naruto, who had been training for a long time, was already hungry. The aroma of grilled meat made his mouth water. He touched the frog wallet on his waist, but still chose to walk towards Ichiraku Ramen.

The rewards for missions in the Land of Waves are high, but the Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant is really expensive!
A glutton like him can easily eat more than half a month's worth of living expenses in one meal at a barbecue restaurant.

He will be unable to perform missions for the next month due to preparations for the Chunin Exams, and his ninja tools and training equipment also need to be updated, which is exactly when he needs money.

He absolutely cannot afford to waste this crucial moment...

"Young man, could you buy me a bowl of ramen?"

Just as Naruto was about to enter the ramen shop as usual, he suddenly heard a weak male voice beside him.

That voice... sounds so familiar.

He subconsciously turned around and immediately saw a man sitting on the ground by the roadside, dressed in tattered clothes and with unkempt hair. What was most striking was the empty sleeves under his shoulders.

"Kazama-sensei!"

Looking at the man's dirty face and those venomous green eyes, Naruto could hardly believe his eyes.

Kazama, the strict headmaster and admissions officer at the ninja academy who later lost both arms in a surprise attack by Kumogakure and retired, is now living on the streets!
Naruto immediately squatted down and helped Kazama Eshi, who was covered in dirt, to his feet.

"Thank you, Naruto!"

Kazama managed to utter a few words, his cheeks sunken from hunger, his body filthy, and his chin covered in a disheveled stubble. The once spirited Konoha Jonin seemed to have been reduced to a beggar.

How did you end up like this?

Naruto looked at the emaciated Kazama Kotsuki and felt both sadness and anger!
It was precisely because the other party risked his life to block Yotsuki Yuu during the Cloud Village raid that they were given enough time. How could such a heroic ninja be reduced to a beggar? Did Konoha fail to properly distribute the compensation?
The sorrow in Kazama Koshi's eyes was almost overflowing, and his face was contorted with pain. He looked at the distant sky and said in a low voice:
"I was tricked by Risa!"

"Risa?"

Naruto helped Kazama into Ichiraku Ramen. As always, the crowd quickly paid their bills and left, and they took the opportunity to sit in the empty seats.

"She was my ex-girlfriend," Kazama said, shaking his head and lowering his eyes, seemingly unwilling to show weakness in front of his students.
"She used the pretense of treating my arm to swindle all my savings from years of work... and the compensation money given to me by Konoha."

"How abominable!"

Naruto gritted his teeth, furious at Kazama Etsu's tragic fate.

"Hey, Naruto's here! What would you like to eat?"

Miss Ayame stuffed the coins left by the departing guests into her apron. When she saw Naruto, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, her beautiful face immediately lit up with surprise.

"Two extra-large bowls of tonkotsu ramen."

"Ok!"

Holding up two fingers, Naruto casually placed his order. Watching Ayame walk smilingly into the kitchen, he said to the gaunt-faced Kazama Etsushi:

"Kazama-sensei, I can treat you to ramen."

"Thank you, Naruto..."

"but!"

Kazama gave a slightly embarrassed smile, but before he could finish speaking, Naruto interrupted him.

Looking at Kazama Koshi's disheveled and dirty face, Naruto sighed, his azure eyes filled with helplessness:

"I've already graduated from the Ninja Academy and become a Genin. I'm going to take the Chunin Exams next month. Can you please stop trying to fool me?"

"I……"

Licking his chapped lips, Kazama looked at Naruto's sincere face, and all the lies he had prepared beforehand suddenly got stuck in his throat.

He prepared for the test for three whole days, how come he was exposed before it even started!

Naruto removed the head covering and placed it on the chair next to him. He then gathered up his flattened hair, revealing his smooth forehead.
"If I remember correctly, Hui Li learned her Wind Release technique from you! If you've really been swindled out of everything, just ask Hui Li for help, and you'll never end up on the streets."

"I……"

Kazama Yue was surprised that Naruto knew about his relationship with Hairi, and his lips moved as if he wanted to explain.

"Please don't tell me you can't find it," Naruto said, pointing to the frenzied fans outside buying merchandise related to Hai Li. "Just ask anyone on the street, and you'll most likely find out Hai Li's home address."

"..."

Seeing that he could no longer lie, Kazama Etsu changed his previous weak appearance, and his emerald green eyes regained their usual sharpness: "Alright, I didn't expect that Hui Li would even tell you this."

His lie was exposed in a second, and there was no point in talking about testing his character. He was really frustrated.

"Kazama-sensei, why did you lie to me?" Naruto was completely baffled. Could it be that the other person was squatting by the roadside just to trick him into buying him a bowl of ramen?
"Fine, I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you! Kid, I have a super powerful ninjutsu, do you want to learn it?" After his test, which he had prepared for several days, was aborted, Kazama Etsu was somewhat disheartened and directly stated the ultimate purpose of his trip.

Superb ninjutsu!
Upon hearing these two keywords, Naruto's eyes lit up.

He was really worried about how to deal with the upcoming Chunin Exams!
Kakashi is a lazybones and refuses to help them with special training. Guy's training method is nothing more than hard work and grueling practice, which cannot produce a qualitative change within a month. If Kazama-sensei can help him with special training for a period of time, he will definitely be more confident in the upcoming Chunin Exams!

"What ninjutsu?"

"My self-created S-rank forbidden wind release technique—Wind Release: Lightning Shuttle!"

When talking about his ninjutsu, a hint of pride appeared in Kazama Koshi's eyes.

He originally wanted to give the Thunder Shuttle to Hui Li, but she declined. So he has been trying to complete this unfinished secret technique.

For five years, he continuously revised and improved the design, but he was unable to test it due to the loss of his arm, so all his modifications and creations remained theoretical.

until three days ago.

He finally completed all the theories of the Thunder Shuttle and wanted to ask the third generation for help in finding a suitable successor, but he received a shocking message from him.

The Five Nations Joint Chunin Exams will be held in Konoha, and all the genin are currently undergoing special training to prepare for the upcoming exams.

Among the genius genin taking the exam, the Third Hokage recommended this only Wind Release ninja besides Hairi—

Uzumaki Naruto!

(End of this chapter)