Chapter 39: Arrival at Konoha! I Must See Rin Right Away!

Chapter 39: Arrival at Konoha! I Must See Rin Right Away!

"Whoa! Tang has become someone else! How did he do that? Is this really a martial art too? It's so cool!"

Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he circled around Imperial Lee, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Martial arts... Can it really do something like this? And it seems flawless... It's far more deceptive than a simple transformation jutsu."

Yamato, equally intrigued, studied Imperial Lee with great interest.

"This is an advanced technique of the Six Paths of Martial Arts called Life Return!

It's a move that can only be used when one has mastered control over their body and qi to a high degree.

It allows for significant alterations to one's physical structure; changing facial features is just child's play!"

As Imperial Lee spoke, his body trembled, and his muscles contorted and twisted once more.

Then, beneath his two arms, another arm sprouted, and his hair stood on end, growing wildly and transforming into a sharp horn. Even his teeth changed from flat to pointed!

He bared his fangs and simultaneously gave everyone a thumbs-up with all four of his hands.

"Oh my god! This is so cool! So awesome! Martial arts are truly amazing and mysterious!"

Naruto Uzumaki couldn't contain his excitement and kept shouting in admiration.

"It's indeed incredible," Sakura added, her eyes sparkling with fascination. "This level of transformation is like molding your body like clay, shaping it into whatever you desire without any flaws! If I learned this, I could make my forehead a little narrower. Ino wouldn't be able to call me 'broad-forehead' anymore! And I think I'd like my eyes to be bigger and my mouth a little smaller!"

She stared at Imperial Lee, her mind racing with endless fantasies.

"It's not easy to achieve this level of mastery," Imperial Neji shook his head as he stood by. "You'd have to take the Six Paths of Martial Arts to a pretty advanced level, at the very least."

Unlike Imperial Lee, he didn't use Life Return to alter his appearance. Instead, he reached into his spatial ring, pulled out two human skin masks, and handed one each to himself and Imperial Obito.

Imperial Obito immediately placed the mask over his face.

As the masks adhered to their skin, the two men instantly transformed into completely different people.

"Wow! What's that?" Naruto asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Disguise masks," Imperial Neji explained. "They're little trinkets from the Imperial Pleasure Market."

"Pleasure market?"

The Team Kakashi members exchanged glances, their expressions shifting slightly.

"Ah! Because His Majesty is the dream man for countless women in the empire, but these women have no chance with him.

So, Dr. Xianglin invented these masks, claiming that they would allow all partners to experience the love of their most desired ideal."

Imperial Neji's matter-of-fact explanation caused the Team Kakashi members' faces to twitch.

That woman, Xianglin, is something else!

And the emperor actually allowed this?

Seeming to read their thoughts, Imperial Neji said, "His Majesty is very open-minded and doesn't concern himself with such trivial matters.

Now, shall we continue on our way?"

With that, he started walking ahead.

"Hey, guys! Let's go!" Imperial Lee shouted enthusiastically, crouching down and then leaping forward.

"Alright! I'm off! I'll become stronger! I'll save Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, jumping after him with determination.

Yamato, Sakura, and Sai shared a look before turning to Imperial Neji and Obito.

Sensing their gaze, Imperial Neji cleared his throat and said, "I've passed the stage where I need to intensely train my body, and I didn't learn the Six Paths of Martial Arts or Muscle Martial Arts, so I don't need to do this. As for you three, feel free to do as you wish."

"My strength comes more from my Sharingan and spiritual martial arts," Imperial Obito added.

Team Asuma immediately felt their faces twitch, and with no other choice, they began to frog-leap forward, imitating Imperial Lee and Uzumaki Naruto's earlier antics.

And so, the group continued on their way, leaping as they went.

Several days later, they arrived at the entrance of Konoha Village.

Kuzashi Sarugaki and Izumo Kamizuki, who were responsible for guarding the gate, yawned out of boredom.

Suddenly, a passionate roar caught their attention.

"894815! 894816! 894817! Hahaha! We're almost there! Naruto! Sakura! Sai! Yamato! We made it!"

"Naruto! Sakura! Sai! Yamato? Did I hear that right?"

The two gate guards were startled by the voices and turned to look.

Several hundred meters away from the Konoha gate, a burly man in a green bodysuit with an ordinary face was leading Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato toward the village, all of them frog-leaping as they approached.

Beside them were two more men, one in white and the other in black, both with nondescript faces.

"It really is Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato! They're back!"

Izumo Kamizuki was initially startled but then delighted.

"They're back! They're finally back! Naruto is finally back! I'll go inform the Hokage right away!"

Kuzashi Sarugaki exclaimed excitedly and turned to rush toward the Hokage's office.

He couldn't wait to share the good news with the Hokage.

"This guy!"

Seeing this, Izumo Kamizuki smiled and greeted Team Kakashi:

"Naruto! Sakura! Sai! Yamato!"

"Oh! It's Senior Izumo! Greetings!"

Naruto, upon seeing Izumo, smiled and waved.

"Naruto, where have you guys been these past two months? Why are you only returning now? There wasn't any news about you during this time. Do you know how worried the Hokage has been?"

Izumo inquired.

"That's a long story," Yamato interjected. "Kuzashi has already gone to inform the Hokage, right?"

"Yes, the Hokage has been very concerned about your absence these past two months. Now that you're finally back, it's only natural to inform them right away.

By the way... who are these three with you?"

Izumo's gaze shifted to the Imperial trio as he spoke.

These three guys are quite muscular!

"They... they're our saviors. If not for them, we might not have made it back from this mission."

Yamato offered an explanation with a smile.

"You might not have made it back? I didn't realize this mission was so dangerous," Izumo remarked, his expression turning solemn.

He then nodded toward the Imperial trio and said, "Thank you for your assistance. If there's anything you need help with in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. Konoha will never forget those who lend us aid."

"Ah! You're too kind.

Helping those in need is what we should do!"

Imperial Neji replied with a smile, eliciting a surge of goodwill from Izumo.

"Um... about Konoha...

I've always heard about its prosperity, and now that I finally see it, it's truly impressive. I'm eager to go in and take a look around.

Yamato, Izumo...

May I go in and explore on my own for a bit?"

Imperial Obito gazed at the Konoha buildings, his childhood memories flooding back, along with the image of a cute girl.

His heart began to pound with anticipation.

Back then... Rin hadn't met Kakashi yet...

They used to roam the streets together happily, eating rice balls and...

I wonder how Rin is doing here... I'm so curious! So eager to find out! I... I can't wait any longer! I must see Rin right away!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end