https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-179-Wraith-What-I-m-a-Big-Treasure-Now-/12832279/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-181-Danzo-I-Colluded-with-the-Mist-Shinobi-to-Make-Konoha-Great-Again-/12832281/
Chapter 180: Hyuga Aoi: The Sneaky Cat!
Chapter 180: Hyuga Aoi: The Sneaky Cat!
On the way back!
"Koharu, what happened to you?"
Yamanaka Rin looked at Koharu with concern. His steps were unsteady from using the Body Flicker Technique, his face pale, as if he had just recovered from a severe injury. He had been perfectly fine when he was teaching her medical ninjutsu earlier, but now he was in this state.
"Nothing serious!"
"I just got caught off guard and didn't dodge. I hurt my back a bit!"
"But Prince Miroku is skilled in herbal medicine and has already treated me!"
...
Koharu struggled to maintain his composure while explaining. Indeed, he hadn't expected Miroku to be so proficient in herbal medicine, and the special plants from the Land of Demons had caught him off guard. Since it wasn't a poison, even his extensive knowledge of antidotes, passed down from Tsunade, was useless.
(As in the original plot, Miroku has this kind of personality, so it's not unreasonable.)
For several days!
According to Miroku, the shrine maiden had a secret technique to ensure her bloodline would be preserved, so there was no longer any need to worry about the powerful spirit, Wangliang, disappearing due to bloodline issues.
However, it wasn't without its benefits. At the very least, Koharu and the Land of Demons were now bound together. He could entrust the spirit to Miroku for safekeeping for a while and find an opportunity to bring it back to the Land of Rivers. With this ghostly army, the Land of Rivers' potential would be unparalleled. They could "alter the course of the river," turning areas long submerged or affected by the river into arable land. Combined with the seeds he was improving, it would bring a small but significant boost to the shinobi world's productivity.
Fortunately, Rin's medical knowledge wasn't deep enough to discern the real cause of Koharu's condition, or he would have been socially dead.
If that were the only issue, it would be manageable. But if the other two found out that Koharu was afraid of the Land of Demons "disappearing," things would be much worse. One was a Kage-level shinobi, and the other was a genius with three tomoe, capable of activating the Mangekyou Sharingan at will, capable of single-handedly destroying a nation.
Good news: They don't know!
Bad news: They still don't know!
If the truth ever came to light in the future, the consequences could be as severe as the Great Shinobi War.
But that's a problem for another day. For now, he would focus on the present. On the way back, Koharu had fulfilled his responsibilities as a mentor, offering guidance and finding some practical targets for his team, especially focusing on Obito and Rin.
Kakashi was an exception; he had already been to the battlefield and was a special jounin, so his involvement would be overkill.
After about ten days, they returned to Konoha.
"Finally back!"
Obito let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the familiar village. He had been carrying three backpacks the entire journey, acting as the "bag boy" the whole time. Two of the backpacks belonged to Koharu and Rin, who had given him the "opportunity" to "train."
Whether it was genuine training or not was beside the point.
At the village gates, a few familiar figures were waiting to greet them.
"Kushina-nee!"
Koharu walked up and greeted her.
They hadn't hidden their movements, so it was no surprise that someone had received the news of their return when they entered the Land of Fire.
"K-Koharu!"
Kushina Uzumaki greeted him with excitement. Thankfully, she caught herself in time and didn't call him "Sugar," or Koharu would have been socially dead again.
"Kushina-nee!" 3
The three young members of the Minato team greeted her simultaneously.
She insisted on the nickname; otherwise, they would have had to call her "teacher."
"Good job, I heard from the old man that you did well on this mission!"
Kushina praised the three of them. It was no surprise, as the mission report, written by Miroku, had been sent ahead and was full of praise.
The details, of course, were not included.
The three young team members only knew that Wangliang had been handed over to Miroku for "sealing," so there was no risk of any slip-ups.
This was why Koharu had decided to collaborate with Miroku. With Miroku's help, using Wangliang would be less conspicuous. Koharu was still in the early stages of his growth and needed to continue drawing resources from Konoha. It was far too early to leave.
Their conversation was quickly interrupted.
"To celebrate my eternal rival Kakashi completing his mission, I'm going to run 100 laps around the village today!"
A voice brimming with determination came from a young man with thick eyebrows, a bowl-cut hairstyle, and a green jumpsuit that made him look like a river demon.
What a bold declaration!
One lap around the village was several kilometers, so 100 laps would be over a hundred kilometers.
While ninjas weren't ordinary people, this was still an exaggeration, especially for a ten-year-old boy.
That's right, the speaker was none other than the future 'Mighty Guy.'
However, at this point, he was just a genin with decent taijutsu skills. Compared to the super genius Kakashi, he was in a completely different league, and everyone treated him like a joke.
Only Tang Ping knew that the term 'rival' was not the slightest bit amusing.
In fact, Kakashi wouldn't even be worthy of comparison to him in the future.
Guy's incredible willpower, effort, and mental fortitude were aspects that Kakashi couldn't match.
Even though Kakashi had superior lineage and background, he fell short in terms of achievements, which already made him the loser.
Even in terms of tragedy, Guy didn't fall short of Kakashi.
From a young age, he faced discrimination, and his father died protecting him, making his life no better than Kakashi's.
So, saying that Guy was stronger than Kakashi wasn't a stretch.
However, in this life, the Mighty Guy wasn't as tragic yet.
Standing beside him was a girl with long, flowing hair, wearing a martial arts uniform that seemed to become 'tight' due to her excellent figure (while in a disguise state).
Hyuga Aoi!
Judging by her interaction with Guy, it seemed that Tang Ping's comment about Guy having the potential to be the 'strongest in taijutsu' piqued her interest, leading her to start guiding him in taijutsu.
The Hyuga clan was always a powerhouse in taijutsu, so she had the qualifications to do so.
Noticing Tang Ping's gaze, Hyuga Aoi slowly walked over.
"Kushina-nee-chan knew you were coming back today, so she dragged me along to welcome you!"
She explained gently, as if she had been 'dragged along.'
However, as she approached Tang Ping, her movements suddenly froze. She then lowered her head and took a light sniff, her eyes flashing with contemplation before turning into deep-seated malice. When she looked up, her expression had become 'obedient.'
Her ability to change expressions was faster than a Sichuan opera face change.
'Which stray cat is it?'
'Is it the red-eyed one?'
'No, she's currently on the front lines defending against the Mist ninjas, so she can't be in the Land of Ghosts!'
...
It had to be said that Hyuga Aoi was even better at gathering information than the intelligence-gathering ANBU ninjas. Just by meeting him, she had detected that her precious 'treasure' was 'unclean.'
Tang Ping, naturally unaware of this, said, "Alright, let's head back to the village first!"
After several days of travel, he really wanted to go back and take a bath and rest.
While the three young ninjas had been useful as labor, camping in the wild was enjoyable for a short time, but after a while, it became tiring.
"Right, I've prepared a grand feast for you!"
Uzumaki Kushina turned to lead the way.
Unfortunately, she didn't notice the expressions on their faces.
The smiles that had appeared due to the joy of returning to the village instantly vanished, replaced by looks of pain.
The problem with her cooking wasn't whether it was tasty or not, but whether it was life-threatening.
Both Tang Ping and the three young ninjas would rather face a few demons again than deal with that feast.
After all, demons wouldn't kill them, but that kind of feast would.
"Don't worry, I also helped with this feast!"
Hyuga Aoi's words pulled them out of their misery, and their faces immediately transformed into smiles.
She was their savior!
Their gazes expressed this sentiment, and they even felt a halo of sanctity around her.
Afterward, Tang Ping naturally enjoyed a grand feast to celebrate the successful completion of the mission, then returned to the Uchiha clan grounds.
Upon entering the underground laboratory, he immediately saw his masterpiece, which had cost him countless efforts.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
