https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-545-Konoha-s-Number-One-Indeed-the-Best/12558811/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-547-Jiraiya-Takes-Notice-of-Nagato/12558813/
Chapter 546: Different Ways of Interacting
Chapter 546: Different Ways of Interacting
When the trio arrived at the Southern Forest, they saw Yamato practicing his techniques.
"Senior Kakashi, you've finished your match," Yamato greeted happily upon seeing his seniors who he hadn't met in a long while.
"Yamato, how did you know I placed second in the Youth Ninja Combat Tournament and became the highest-ranked Leaf Ninja?"
With lightning speed, Obito blurted out in one breath, then broke into a satisfied smile.
Yamato: "...'
Did he just ask about rankings?
"And I'm surprised that neither of you came in first place." Yamato was a little astonished.
He had thought that either Maito Guy or Kakashi would have taken the top spot, but neither of them even made it to second place.
"That's impressive; you did very well." Yamato sincerely congratulated him.
Although he didn't know how Obito had managed it, given the circumstances, coming in second place was indeed impressive.
"It's okay. Yamato, if you keep training hard for a few more years, you'll definitely be able to achieve a good ranking if there's another tournament like this." Obito patted Yamato's shoulder encouragingly, a mischievous smile on his face.
He was relishing in this feeling of being a senior offering guidance.
"I will work hard and not disgrace the honor of my seniors and Teacher Mu Yue," Yamato declared fervently.
"Senior Kakashi, Senior Genma, how did you fare in the tournament?" Yamato asked curiously, turning to Kakashi and Genma.
Initially, he hadn't planned to inquire about their results, but Obito's unexpected performance had piqued his curiosity.
"I made it to the top eight," Kakashi replied.
"I was in the final four," Genma added.
As the two revealed their rankings, Obito stood a little taller, proud to be the top-performing Leaf Village contestant.
His achievement spoke for itself.
"Were there that many geniuses in the tournament? Even Senior Kakashi only made it to the top eight," Yamato exclaimed in surprise.
In that moment, the Youth Ninja Combat Tournament elevated in status in Yamato's mind.
"There were indeed many talented participants. Also, my opponent in the top eight was Guy," Kakashi explained.
If one disregarded the factor of summoned creature evolution, the strongest competitors in the tournament were Maito Guy, Sasori, and Longmen.
These three were formidable opponents, and anyone who faced them was likely to be eliminated. If you were lucky enough to avoid them, your path to the finals would be much smoother.
Yamato instantly understood. Due to the variation in the order of matches, there was an element of luck involved in the final rankings, and it seemed Kakashi's luck hadn't been the best.
"Who was the first-place winner from?"
Yamato wanted to know who this person was, having defeated his seniors and claimed the top spot.
"His name is Nagato, and he's not from any of the ninja villages," Kakashi replied, once again surprising Yamato with his answer.
"He's not from one of the five great ninja villages?" Yamato was taken aback.
In his understanding, only the other four great ninja villages could rival the might of the Leaf Village.
"Don't underestimate other ninja organizations," Kakashi shook his head. "While the average ninja from the five great villages may be superior, there are occasionally geniuses who defy logic."
Kakashi considered figures like Hanzo, the current Sou Yuuke, and Nagato to be in this category.
While they might not be able to change the grand scheme of things, underestimating them could lead to a nasty surprise.
After they began their training, Obito hesitated for a moment before deciding to use his summoning technique to call his Charizard from home.
Boom!
A puff of white smoke signaled the arrival of the majestic Charizard, standing tall beside Obito.
Yamato's eyes widened as he noticed the Charizard, his impression of it still rooted in its Charmander form.
The transformation was so drastic that Yamato thought Obito had formed a contract with a new summoned creature.
'Flamethrower!'
After appearing, the Charizard quickly surveyed its surroundings. Finding no enemies, it decisively gathered chakra and unleashed a fiery blast—a warm welcome for Obito's return to the Leaf Village.
And Obito knew his Charizard all too well. The moment he decided to summon it, he had anticipated this outcome.
Thus, Obito had already activated his Sharingan and sidestepped to dodge the incoming pillar of fire.
"You're right, it's Senior Obito's summoned creature. It must have evolved again, resulting in this change in appearance," Yamato nodded in understanding.
This style was something he had only seen between Obito and his Charmander.
"Charizard, I think we should learn from others and incorporate non-combat training as well," Obito suggested earnestly, his face serious.
The Charizard crossed its arms and snorted, sending two streams of heat from its nostrils as it glared at Obito with disdain.
In the past, when it had been weaker, Obito had taken advantage of it daily. Now that it had grown stronger, it wasn't about to let him off the hook! In a sense, it was doing this for Obito's own good. After all, Obito's strength paled in comparison to Maito Guy's, and unlike the Charizard, he couldn't fly, making him a liability in combat.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
As Genma and Obito were heading in the same direction, the Charizard and Sorua stayed together, plotting their strategy for the evening's operation: Operation Tease Obito.
Charizard: "To deal with an Uchiha brat like Obito, we must strike hard with our claws."
Sorua: "You can't say that! Genma is a good person."
Charizard: "Then he's the evil-eyed glasses brat."
Obito felt a chill down his spine and turned suspiciously toward the Charizard, but he couldn't quite understand their encrypted conversation.
Sorua leaped eagerly, intending to jump onto Danzo's shoulder, but Danzo caught him mercilessly and held him in his arms.
After training for most of the day, Danzo was quite tired, and in his current state, his shoulders couldn't bear Sorua's weight.
After all, he didn't have family waiting at home with a cooked meal; if he tired out his shoulders, then the result would be Sorua having to eat dog food from the Inuzuka clan, and he would have to settle for instant noodles.
After a simple dinner, Danzo took Sorua for a walk outside.
Midway through their stroll, Danzo headed toward the Uchiha compound, the home of Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku had shown great interest in the Young Ninjas' Combat Tournament, and Danzo believed that he would know the final outcome of the event.
"With Obito, myself, and Charizard, we now possess considerable strength within the Uchiha clan," Danzo thought to himself.
In Danzo's plan, resolving the issues within the Uchiha clan required reforming the Police Force, a necessary step to take.
Hence, Danzo had previously laid his cards on the table with Fugaku, hoping to gain his support.
However, at that time, Danzo had underestimated the allure of the Police Force to the Uchiha and overestimated Fugaku's courage.
He had thought that his and Obito's performance would be enough to make Fugaku firm in his decision, but he was gently refused.
Now, things were different. Although their personal strengths hadn't improved significantly, Obito's Pokemon had evolved, and Charizard now possessed strength comparable to Obito's.
Additionally, the tournament had greatly increased their fame, and Danzo was curious to know how much weight they now carried in Fugaku's eyes and whether his attitude had changed because of it.
When Danzo arrived at Fugaku's residence, the Uchiha family had just finished dinner and was sitting in the courtyard.
"Big brother Danzo," said Itachi, his eyes lighting up slightly at the sight of Danzo.
"Congratulations, Danzo. You achieved an impressive top four finish in the tournament," Fugaku said with a smile.
In truth, his initial expectation of Obito and Danzo was for them to reach the top four or the top two, as in Fugaku's eyes, they were the two most outstanding geniuses the Uchiha clan had produced in the last few decades.
However, as news of the performances of various competitors spread, Fugaku also learned that the Young Ninjas' Combat Tournament was a true battle of the best, more challenging than he had imagined, and the rankings held more value.
"To be honest, a part of the reason for my performance was good luck with the draw. I still need to work harder and improve," Danzo replied humbly.
Kakashi's and Sasori's strengths were superior to his, and if he had faced either of them before the top four, he would likely have been eliminated.
"Itachi, this is also something you should learn from Danzo. Despite his exceptional talent, he remains humble and continues to strive for progress," Fugaku said with an appreciative expression, turning to Itachi.
In Fugaku's opinion, humility wasn't particularly important, but hard work was a rare and valuable trait.
Even within the Uchiha clan, which valued strength, not everyone diligently trained every day.
Itachi nodded. Although he didn't understand a lot of things, he indeed felt that Danzo was excellent, and he subconsciously admired him.
"Uncle Fugaku, you flatter me. Perhaps Itachi will surpass me one day," Danzo said with a smile as he walked over to Itachi's side.
Itachi would be a genius ninja, and Danzo could affirm that.
If he weren't a genius, how could he have possessed the power to destroy the Uchiha clan at such a young age, and how could he have joined the formidable Akatsuki organization?
Whether he could surpass Danzo was something Danzo couldn't say for sure, as he himself was the unprecedented Jonin of the Leaf Village at the age of eight.
Danzo just felt that praising Itachi this way would make him happy.
As expected, Itachi smiled.
Being praised by an admired older boy was indeed a delightful thing.
"Forget about surpassing, I would be very pleased if Itachi had talent comparable to yours, Danzo," Fugaku was also pleased to hear this.
After all, every parent wishes for their child to be more outstanding.
"Uncle Fugaku, I have some clan matters I wish to discuss with you," Danzo said, getting to the point of his visit after the initial greetings.
He hadn't come today to guide Itachi but mainly to test Fugaku's thoughts.
"Mikoto, take care of Itachi," Fugaku instructed his wife before preparing to take Danzo to his study.
"Itachi, Sorua will be under your care for a while," Danzo said, gesturing for Sorua to go to Itachi's side.
"Even Danzo shouldn't underestimate me. Shouldn't I be the one taking care of him?" Sorua puffed out his cheeks slightly.
"Fox, you... you can talk!" Itachi's eyes widened in shock.
Although this wasn't the first time he had seen Sorua, it was the first time he witnessed Sorua displaying his telepathic abilities.
Sorua's "speech" was essentially a form of telepathic communication, and he only used it with his companions or when he encountered interesting creatures; he didn't use telepathy all the time.
"Tsk, what a fuss over a little kit. I'm not that easy to deal with," Sorua turned away, feigning indifference.
Fugaku also looked at Sorua with curiosity.
He had seen talking Spirit Beasts before, though they were rare. However, Sorua's method of communication reminded Fugaku of the secret techniques of the Yamanaka clan.
Fugaku was a man who had experienced many things, and he suppressed the slight curiosity that stirred within him, inviting Danzo into his study for a conversation.
"I hope it's not about that matter again," Fugaku said, vaguely guessing Danzo's intention and feeling a bit headache-inducing.
Although he valued Danzo greatly, the Police Force was entangled with too many interests.
Even if Fugaku, the biggest beneficiary of the Police Force, was willing to reform, other Uchiha higher-ups or lower-ranking Uchiha ninjas might not agree.
"Sorua is so cute. Can I hold him?" Mikoto asked softly, captivated by Sorua's charm.
Whether a young girl or a married woman, it was hard to resist something adorable.
"Hmph, I, Sorua, am not someone anyone can hold. But since you can talk, I'll make an exception and let you hold me for one minute," Sorua consented, softening at the sound of her gentle voice.
Mikoto held Sorua in her arms, gently stroking his back and fur.
She then started petting his chin, much like one would a cat.
Sorua narrowed his eyes in pleasure, thinking, "This feels nice. I should ask Danzo to do this when we get back."
(End of Chapter)
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