RADG: Chapter 48/49

Chapter 48: Affinity With Sage Arts

For Jiraiya, writing a book is even more sacred than being a ninja.

After being attacked by Yami, he now felt like dying.

"Let's go, don't worry about this old pervert."

"Yeah."

Ignoring Jiraiya's antics, Yami let Yugao hold his hand and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute!"

Jiraiya, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, suddenly grabbed Yami's ankle and said incredulously, "You little brat, are you really so heartless?"

"I'm a legendary Sannin, aren't you afraid I'll teach you a lesson?"

"So what?" Yami replied indifferently. "Wasn't there a Sannin in the village before? Didn't my grandfather drive him out?"

"If you peek at the women's bathhouse again, I'll report you to the Police Department and let those red-eyed guys come catch you."

Jiraiya fell silent.

Whether it was the arrogance of driving out Orochimaru or the childish threat of calling the Police Department, he didn't even know how to respond.

"Kid, Orochimaru is my friend. You said in front of me that Danzō drove him away. Aren't you afraid I'll get angry?"

Jiraiya slowly stood up, shedding his usual lazy and carefree attitude.

A powerful pressure belonging to the legendary Sannin radiated from his body. Yugao, who was standing beside Yami, couldn't withstand it. With a muffled groan, she staggered back a few steps before finally regaining control of her body.

"Did my grandfather do something wrong?" Yami asked calmly, completely unaffected, as he looked straight at Jiraiya.

"Your friend hurt people in the village, so he was driven out. Instead of blaming him, you come after my grandfather? Is that how adults act?"

Jiraiya was stunned.

The anger that had just surged within him was dispersed by this line of questioning.

That's right.

Even if Danzō betrayed Orochimaru for his own goals, at least in this matter, he hadn't done anything wrong.

The one at fault was Orochimaru.

"Hahaha." Jiraiya suddenly burst out laughing and returned to his usual cheeky demeanor. "Your grandfather is Danzō? Then you must be... Shimura Yami, right? The old man mentioned you to me."

"The genius who crushed the Uchiha clan, and even dares to call the Third Hokage 'Old Monkey to his face. Not bad, I like you."

"Yes, that's me." Yami nodded slightly, but deep down he was starting to feel uneasy.

He had a hunch that Jiraiya had come here specifically because of him.

Jiraiya released the Summoning Technique, sending the toad back to Mount Myōboku. Then, he placed a large hand on Yami's head and gave it a hard rub.

Yami tried to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough and could only take the loss silently.

"Kid, you're right. Danzō didn't do anything wrong. Orochimaru and I were the ones at fault."

Jiraiya's gaze turned serious. "I'll definitely catch him and make him realize his mistakes."

"Then are you still going to peek at the women's bathhouse?"

"Of course not!" Jiraiya waved his hand, but then his expression instantly shifted to a shameless grin. "Hehe, everyone in the village is like family. What's wrong with sneaking a little peek?"

As he spoke, he stomped the ground hard. The sound of his wooden clogs clashing with the floor echoed, and a puff of smoke erupted beneath his feet.

When the smoke cleared, Jiraiya was gone.

At the same time, Yami heard a prompt from the system in his mind.

[Host and Jiraiya have formed an appreciation bond. Reward: Special Talent – 'Sage Arts Affinity (Primary)']

Hmm?

Good stuff...

Sage Arts is a super-tier power. In a way, it's the energy of the Six Paths level.

But Jiraiya's talent in Sage Mode wasn't that great. Even after decades of training, he still needed the assistance of the Two Great Sage Toads to fully tap into its power.

Unlike Hashirama or the future Naruto, who could activate Sage Mode with a simple hand clap.

Yami's mood immediately improved.

"Phew... he's finally gone."

Yugao let out a breath of relief and looked at Yami with lingering fear. "You were really brave just now. You actually dared to talk back to Lord Jiraiya like that."

"So what?" The two resumed walking toward the Shimura residence. "My grandfather is Danzō. Who in Konoha dares to bully me?"

"Lord Jiraiya isn't afraid of Elder Danzō."

"But he's afraid of the Third Elder Deng. And the Third Elder Deng doesn't allow him to bully me. Otherwise, my grandfather would slam his door in his face."

...

Hokage Building

After a long day of exhausting duties, Hiruzen dragged his tired body out of the office and slowly made his way home.

Hearing the ghost-like howling from inside, he immediately knew what was going on.

He pushed open the door with a frown—and sure enough, there was Jiraiya sitting in the living room, drinking... crap!

That was his treasured liquor!

"You bastard!" Hiruzen moved with Kage-level speed, snatched the bottle from Jiraiya's hand, and looked at the empty bottles on the floor, heart aching with pain.

"This was a fine vintage I've been collecting for over ten years!"

"Don't be so stingy, old man." Jiraiya grinned drunkenly, throwing an arm over Hiruzen's shoulder. "I helped you finish a mission today. Isn't it fine to drink a little as a reward?"

"Mission?" Hiruzen was taken aback, but quickly caught on. "Did you contact Yami?"

"Yeah, just came back."

Taking advantage of Hiruzen's distraction, Jiraiya took back the bottle and took another swig. "That kid's not bad. Really not bad."

"What's so good about him?" Hiruzen asked, intrigued. It was rare for Jiraiya to praise someone like that.

"Just the fact that he sees everyone in the village as his own people—isn't that enough?"

Hiruzen frowned. "What happened? Tell me everything from the start."

Jiraiya had no choice but to recount the events roughly—conveniently skipping the part where Yami used his book as a hypnotic sleep aid.

The more Hiruzen listened, the wider his smile grew, the wrinkles on his face folding together.

"Good kid."

"That's right. He's Danzō's grandson. Even if their methods differ, he still has Konoha in his heart."

A weight lifted from his heart, and Hiruzen felt more at ease. He snatched the bottle back from Jiraiya and poured himself a glass.

"What? You planning to take him as a disciple now?"

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Forget it. He's an interesting little guy, but he doesn't suit my style. Besides, Danzō wouldn't agree. I don't want to deal with that old man."

"Well, it's up to you." Hiruzen didn't push the matter but started thinking about when he might try to rope Yami in himself.

After all, Hyūga Hizashi isn't exactly one of us... and his strength isn't quite enough...

(To be continued.)

Chapter 49: Side Character Kurenai

Hiruzen felt more at ease regarding Yami, but what he believed to be "his own people" was not necessarily the same as what Yami considered "his own people."

In Yami's view, "his own people" were those who stood firmly by his side no matter what happened.

There was no conflict of interest with the villagers now, but if there ever was in the future.

If they didn't choose his side, then they would naturally become enemies.

After returning home, Yami copied the medicinal bath formula and handed it to Yugao.

"Go to the pharmacy and buy the herbs yourself tomorrow. Soak once a day. The effect will fade after about thirty days. With training, your Chakra volume should double."

The reason it could double was because Yugao's Chakra was too low. Based on Yami's estimate, she only had about three standard Chūnin's worth.

Yugao carefully memorized the herbs, their quantities, and the preparation method written on the note. After reciting it a few times, she tore the note to shreds right in front of Yami.

"Yami-kun, please rest assured. I won't let a third person know the recipe for this medicinal bath."

Yami smiled but said nothing. He felt quite pleased inside.

The third stage of the bond was enough to prove Yugao's sincerity, but her attitude was what really stood out.

The night passed without incident.

On the weekend, Yami spent nearly the entire day with Izumi playing in the morning and training in the afternoon.

In just two days, with Izumi's accelerator effect, he had initially mastered using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and also learned two Water Release techniques.

Meanwhile, Yugao followed Yami's instructions and prepared the medicinal bath.

She soaked every morning for an hour, then went to the training ground to deplete her Chakra using ninjutsu, followed by Chakra refinement—and repeated the cycle.

In just two days, she already felt her Chakra had significantly increased, and her physical strength had improved as well.

These changes made Yugao genuinely happy.

By the third day, it was Monday.

After her morning medicinal bath, Yugao didn't go to the training ground. Instead, she changed into a chiffon dress and went to the market to buy ingredients.

Today was the day she had invited Yami over for lunch at her home.

Yugao felt that with her current ability, there wasn't much she could do to help Yami. So, she focused on the little things—like preparing meals for him. She took this meal very seriously and made sure to buy beef and chicken wings, Yami's favorites.

After returning home, she got to work.

By the time the food was nearly ready, Yami arrived.

The Uzuki residence was a two-story house with a small courtyard. Though not large, it was more than enough for Yugao, who now lived alone.

In fact, many shinobi still lived in apartment buildings. Land in Konoha wasn't cheap, and all the prime spots had long been snapped up by those with original clan shares.

"Just ten more minutes, the chicken wings will be ready."

Yugao looked at Yami, who was glancing around the living room, and said in a gentle tone, "Sit in the living room for a bit. There are snacks on the coffee table."

Yami muttered an acknowledgment, then turned away and pouted.

That tone… like she was coaxing a child.

Hmm? He was a child now, so it was fine.

Just as Yami opened a bag of potato chips to munch on, there was another knock at the door.

"Yami, can you help check who it is?" Yugao was busy with cold dishes and had to call out from the kitchen.

Yami opened the door and both he and the person on the other side were surprised.

"Kurenai?"

"Yami?!"

...…

Ten minutes later, the dining table was filled with a sumptuous spread.

The three of them sat at the table, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

In the end, it was Kurenai who broke the silence first. She looked at Yugao with a bit of grievance:

"Yugao, where have you been these past few days? I came to visit you three times, but you weren't home any of those times."

Yami snorted, clearly displeased. "You only came looking for Yugao, not me?"

Kurenai shook her head like a rattle. "The guards at your Shimura residence have horrible attitudes. I went there once and never went back."

Yami frowned slightly. "You came by? Those guards didn't even tell me."

Useless. Can't even watch a gate properly. They deserve punishment.

"That's not important," Kurenai changed the subject, her gaze locking on Yugao, who now looked slightly uncomfortable. Suspiciously, she asked:

"Why is Yami having lunch at your place? Why did you invite him and not me?"

There was a hint of grievance at the end.

Why was it like this? They were clearly good sisters, best friends—but Yugao only invited Yami for a meal.

"Um…" Yugao hesitated, unsure of what to say, but Yami spoke up first:

"Yugao has been training in swordsmanship with me these past few days—unlike you, who only knows how to play around."

"As for today—"

People had different levels of bonds. Kurenai's bond was only at the first stage, so she naturally couldn't know about the medicinal bath. Yami simply used training as an excuse.

"What?!" Kurenai looked at Yami in shock, her rosy lips parting into a surprised "O." "You… you two have been training together? And you didn't take me with you?"

"Yugao even treated me to a full-course meal at Yakiniku Q," Yami added another blow. If Kurenai were from the Uchiha clan, she'd probably awaken her Sharingan out of pure emotional damage.

At this point, what else could Yugao say?

She could only sigh and say, "Let's eat first."

With that, she skillfully picked up a chicken wing and two slices of beef and placed them in Yami's bowl. She even pushed the napkin in front of him so he could use it at any time.

Watching the scene blankly, a strange line of thought suddenly crossed Kurenai's mind.

It's clearly a movie about three people, but somehow I feel like a side character.

(To be continued.)