RADG: Chapter 46/47

Chapter 46: As Expected Of Danzō's Grandson

Yugao's story was simple.

When the team first assembled, Hyūga Hizashi had almost let it slip.

Yugao's father and Gekkō Hayate's father had both died on the battlefield in the Land of Earth. When their bodies were found, they were incomplete—brutally dismembered.

After investigation, it was determined that the one who killed them was a Jōnin named Bunga, a highly valued shinobi in Sunagakure under the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki.

Yugao had trained tirelessly in swordsmanship for one goal, to personally avenge her father by killing his murderer.

Monga…

Yami rested his chin on his small hand, thinking hard.

He vaguely remembered this person. He was indeed one of the stronger shinobi from the Land of Earth, with a look somewhat similar to Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he had become the Sealing Squad Leader, which meant… in the end, Yugao's revenge had failed.

"When does revenge ever truly end?" Yami sighed like a tiny adult—completely at odds with his young age.

Yugao's expression changed. She thought Yami was rejecting her request.

But before she could show disappointment, she heard the little guy continue sighing,
"That's why, when you kill someone, you have to pull them out by the roots—big or small, kill them all."

"Otherwise, when their kids grow up, they'll come looking for you. The cycle never ends. Such a pain."

Yugao: "..."

She had forgotten Yami was Danzō's grandson, there was no way he would say something soft-hearted.

"I can teach you swordsmanship." Yami took a slow sip from his teacup. "I have not only Konoha's sword techniques, but also rare ones from other villages the old man collected for me."

"But… what are you offering in return?"

"Money?" Yugao asked tentatively. "I still have savings, and I can give you my mission earnings in the future."

"What's your money worth? One embezzlement from the old man is worth more than that."

Yami shook his head. "And I don't need jutsu either. I'm already qualified to learn most jutsu in Konoha. The Uzuki family was originally a samurai clan, so you don't even have a ninjutsu foundation."

"..."

With each word, Yugao lowered her head more and more until she finally buried it into her chest.

Only today did she realize that the person who had always been praised by her superiors and teachers as outstanding… was actually so lacking.

"Of course…" Yami, sensing she had reached her limit, finally relented. "You still have great potential. Fine… consider it my investment."

"So, for every month I train you, you'll help me with one thing. Don't worry, it won't be anything like betraying the village. Can you accept that condition?"

"No problem." Yugao agreed without hesitation and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Yami-kun."

Ding!
[The bond between Host and Uzuki Yugao has reached the third stage. Reward: Swordsmanship "Hazy Moon Night."]

The information for Hazy Moon Night appeared in Yami's mind. It was an advanced sword technique fused with Dance of the Crescent Moon. While its power wasn't particularly outstanding, its attack style was highly unconventional.

"Alright." Yami set down his teacup and stood up.

"I was heading out to train anyway. Come with me."

Yugao nodded and followed obediently.

...

Training Ground No. 47—it was still the same place Hizashi's team had gathered the first time.

Although Yami already had a good grasp of Yugao's abilities, he decided to spar again, just to be safe.

This time, Yami only defended and didn't attack, allowing Yugao to go all out.

After about fifteen minutes of combat, Yami called for a stop.

By now, Yugao was panting heavily and dripping with sweat.

"Do you know what your problem is?" Yami sat on a large stone, casually tossing the Kusanagi Sword to the side.

"Stamina?" Yugao asked between breaths.

"Surface-level," Yami scoffed. "That's the basics. After five minutes, your sword strength and speed drop. After ten minutes, you can't even execute techniques properly."

"On top of that, your base strength is about the same as a child's. What's the point in learning flashier sword techniques?"

Snap!

With a small slap of his hand on the stone, the Kusanagi Sword leapt up. Yami caught it midair and brought it down forcefully.

The entire rock split in two, revealing a smooth, clean cut.

"No matter what, speed and strength are the foundation of everything. Only when the base power is even can technique and tactics come into play."

"Don't focus on sword training for now. Improve your physical fitness and total chakra capacity first."

Seeing his serious expression despite his young age, Yugao nodded firmly,
"I understand, Yami-kun."

"Good. You go refine chakra. I'll begin my own training."

...

Yugao sat cross-legged under a large tree, focusing on chakra refinement, while Yami began practicing Mind's Eye of the Kagura (Universal Version).

He placed his fingers on the ground and smoothly released chakra in a steady, orderly fashion, dividing it into countless thin threads that spread into the earth, forming a web-like structure.

Chakra acted as the eye of will, enabling the user to sense the presence of nearby lifeforms.

The first step was easy. Releasing chakra felt like walking on water.

The difficult part was the second step, spreading the chakra threads evenly and maintaining equal strength in each one. If not, perception would be inaccurate.

Even with his Ultimate-level chakra control talent, it still required repeated practice to master.

The sun eventually began to set.

Yugao had spent the entire day refining chakra, and Yami had spent the entire day poking the ground.

By now, both of them were starving. Yugao took the initiative to invite Yami out for barbecue. She had found out last time that he loved it—especially beef.

Meanwhile, Kurenai stood outside Yugao's house, completely bewildered.

Wait… where did her two teammates go?

She had searched all day and still couldn't find them.

Did they go on a mission without telling her?

(To be continued.)

Chapter 47: Looking Up From Behind the Canopy, the Hero Jiraiya Appears!

Yakiniku Q.

It was dinnertime, and the restaurant was packed with guests. Most were jōnin and chūnin, very few genin could afford to eat here.

Yugao and Yami sat in a corner, their table piled high with premium beef, totaling tens of thousands of ryō.

Yami only focused on eating, while Yugao handled the grilling. She even refilled his milk from time to time and wiped the corners of his mouth.

In truth, Yugao only appeared cold and distant to outsiders. Once familiar, she was a gentle and traditional woman—like a Yamato Nadeshiko.

As for Kurenai… she looked more mature and elegant on the outside, but mentally, she was still a little girl. She and Yami constantly bickered.

The two of them had argued nearly every day recently. Hizashi was at his wit's end listening to it all—he felt like he was running a kindergarten.

...

"Ahhh, that hit the spot…"

After finishing the twentieth plate of barbecue, Yami took a big gulp of milk, sighed with satisfaction, and ended the "battle."

The meal had been incredibly relaxing. He hadn't had to think about anything else.

Every slice of meat had been grilled by Yugao to perfection,not too rare, not overcooked. He could just pop it into his mouth.

"Yugao, your cooking's really good."

Yugao smiled softly. "My father used to go on missions often. I learned to cook, clean, and take care of myself from a young age."

"If you ever have the chance, you should try my home cooking too. I make a lot of simple dishes."

"It's a deal then. Tomorrow… no, the day after tomorrow, I'll come over for dinner."

Thinking of how the ninja school would be on break the next two days, Yami remembered he had to spend time with Izumi, so he postponed the free meal.

Izumi hadn't been around that afternoon, and as a result, his Mind's Eye of the Kagura training had slowed down.

"I'm fine with that." Yugao nodded and didn't ask what kind of food he wanted. He had already mentioned that he wasn't picky about meals, and she had remembered it.

"Come back home with me later," Yami said. "I've got a recipe for a medicinal bath. Using it long-term will increase your cell activity and strengthen your body."

Yugao's expression changed slightly. "Yami, I can't accept that. Elder Danzō wouldn't approve."

This kind of formula was a treasured family inheritance. Even if it couldn't create a Kage-level powerhouse, it could significantly raise the clan's baseline strength.

"Don't worry." Yami waved it off casually. "The old man already uses it on Root shinobi. It's not something passed down by the Shimura clan. I don't even know where he got it from."

Most of the good stuff in Danzō's hands was stolen from everywhere.

Some from extinct ninja clans, others from foreign nations. You could say he was well-stocked.

"Thank you, Yami. I'll do my best to complete any task you assign me," Yugao said gratefully.

"We'll talk about that later. Your top priority right now is getting stronger." Yami patted his belly and hopped down from the sofa.

The two of them left the barbecue restaurant and walked toward the Shimura compound. Neither spoke along the way.

Yugao was silently thinking about how to repay Yami, while Yami was considering what gift to prepare for little Izumi tomorrow.

"Hehehe… so big… so white… gulp!"

At that moment, an extremely perverted voice floated into their ears. Though quiet, Yami instantly pinpointed the source with his sharp intuition.

On the roof of a nearby bathhouse, a white-haired man was lying flat on the tiles. His long white hair was like a hedgehog, twitching slightly, and he let out lecherous giggles from time to time.

It was already dark, and that part of the street didn't have any lights. Without sharp eyes, you wouldn't have noticed anything.

Yami snorted and quickly formed hand seals.

Wind Release: Gale Cutter!

Several thin wind blades shot from Yami's mouth and streaked toward the white-haired man.

The man had sensed the technique early on, but didn't bother to form any hand seals. The white hair on his back instantly stiffened and expanded, wrapping around his body for defense.

What he didn't expect was, the wind blades weren't aimed at him at all, but at the tiles beside him!

Swish!

The tiles shattered instantly, large pieces crashing down into the bathhouse below.

A chorus of panicked screams erupted.

The white-haired man jumped up in a frenzy, darted down in a few steps, and landed in front of Yami and Yugao. He yelled angrily, "Brat! Do you know you just ruined a historic moment!? Countless readers will send you razor blades!"

"I just stopped a pervert," Yami said flatly. "If your wife was bathing in there and someone peeped at her, how would you feel?"

"Oh—wait."

Yami suddenly slapped his forehead, "How could a sleazy old man like you possibly have a wife?"

Yugao saw his face and the forehead protector engraved with the word "oil," and her expression changed immediately.

She stepped back in shock, instinctively shielding Yami behind her.

She still looked scared.

And who could blame her?

If it were an enemy, she'd be ready to die to protect Yami—but this…

Any woman would be terrified.

"S-Since you're… Jiraiya-sama…" Yugao stammered nervously.

Yami frowned. "Why do you call everyone 'Master?' Does he deserve it?"

"What?!" Jiraiya leaned back dramatically, then leaned forward and glared at Yami with wide eyes.

"You don't even know who I am?!"

"How could I not? You're just an old pervert, right?"

"You brat! Listen up!"

Bang!

A giant toad appeared in a puff of smoke. Standing on its back, Jiraiya struck an exaggerated, flamboyant pose.

"North and South and East and West!"

"I'm the white maned toad charmer and one of the legendary Sannin whom even celestial beings can't defeat.!"

"I am no other than Master Jiraiya."

"Well? You get it now?!"

Jiraiya folded his arms proudly, waiting for Yami to show his awe and admiration.

Yami glanced around slowly, as if thinking. Just as Jiraiya was getting impatient, Yami finally asked, "Are you the Jiraiya who wrote The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja?"

"You know that book?!" Jiraiya's chest puffed out even more. He tried to act modest but couldn't hide the smugness in his tone.

"That humble little work of mine… I didn't think a kid your age would understand such a profound story. I'm very optimistic about you! You've got real fan potential!"

"Who's your fan?" Yami said, annoyed. "I only read it when I have insomnia. I fall asleep in under a minute. I don't even remember what it's about."

Pfft!

Jiraiya spewed blood and collapsed on the toad, unable to get up.

(To be continued.)