Chapter 41: So, Where Exactly Is She Buried?
"I really didn't expect you to master the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"I just got lucky. I have to thank Lord Hokage for giving me access to the technique—otherwise, I never would've been able to learn it."
That night, inside a private room at a Konoha barbecue restaurant, Yuugao looked at Haruta with a hint of disbelief in her eyes.
As his teammate, she felt she already knew and trusted Haruta well enough.
But this guy… every time, without fail, he managed to cause a huge stir and completely redefine everyone's understanding of him!
The Flying Thunder God Technique—what kind of technique was that?
It was a jutsu invented by the Second Hokage and perfected by the Fourth Hokage!
Calling it the "Hokage's jutsu" wouldn't be an exaggeration. After all, aside from the Hokages themselves, no one else had successfully learned it before, right?
Compared to Yuugao's astonishment, however, Haruta appeared much more humble.
But he had to admit—he had underestimated the impact of the Flying Thunder God in Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's shock and excitement were understandable. Anyone would be dumbfounded to see someone so young, with no direct guidance, mastering such a high-difficulty technique like the Flying Thunder God.
And considering the technique's significance to Konoha, his reaction made sense.
But in just half a day since the exams ended, it felt like his name had suddenly spread throughout the village.
Wherever he went, there were people recognizing him, whispering about his Flying Thunder God Technique to their friends or companions…
Haruta couldn't help but find the whole situation a bit ridiculous.
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"Come on, don't be so modest. This technique is insanely difficult—even with someone teaching you, most people wouldn't be able to master it," Kakashi said with a shrug, seated to the side.
Back in the day, his teacher had personally tried teaching the technique to Genma Shiranui and a few others.
But unfortunately, they simply didn't have the talent for it. Even with step-by-step guidance, they still couldn't grasp it.
Kakashi's expression soon turned serious, and he lowered his voice.
"Now that you've learned this technique, has there been… any trouble from the other side?"
"Don't worry. Haruta is a member of the Anbu now. We all have Lord Hokage's protection," Yamato quickly chimed in, understanding Kakashi's concern.
Haruta nearly choked at that response. Protection? Yeah, right. The Chunin Exams weren't even over yet, and Aburame Ryoma had already come looking for him.
Danzo, that old bastard, was very interested in the fact that Haruta had mastered the Flying Thunder God.
Since Haruta intended to inherit Danzo's legacy, he decided it was best to humor the guy for now.
Fortunately, handling Danzo wasn't too difficult. After all, Danzo was someone with absolute confidence in himself…
And it wasn't like Haruta walked away empty-handed.
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[Defeat Uchiha Itachi and make him understand Root's disgrace]
Task Rating: A
Reward: +1 Free Point
[Ensure Uchiha Itachi remains unharmed]
Task Rating: S
Reward: +2 Free Points
---
"Alright, enough about that. This is a time to celebrate!"
Shaking his head, Haruta changed the subject with a grin. Then, he turned toward Kakashi with a mischievous look.
"Besides, Kakashi-senpai, I saw Gai-senpai looking for you on my way here."
"..."
Just hearing Gai's name made Kakashi's scalp tingle.
"Gai is a great guy… he just tends to take things a little too seriously sometimes," he muttered.
"That's true. Gai-senpai is a good person," Yuugao nodded in agreement. Since they were all from nearby generations, they were quite familiar with each other.
"I think Gai-senpai is simply following and pursuing his own dreams," Haruta mused, tilting his head.
"I've heard some of his past stories… and honestly, I respect him a lot."
Haruta wasn't just saying that—Gai's story was genuinely inspiring.
Putting aside everything else, the sheer dedication Gai showed—spending decades training his body to its absolute peak, refining it to withstand the full force of the Eight Gates Release…
And then, as a civilian-born ninja, he still managed to make Madara Uchiha, who had reached the level of the Six Paths, say:
"In terms of taijutsu, I acknowledge you as the strongest!"
That alone spoke volumes.
Haruta also worked hard, but he was self-aware—he had cheats to rely on.
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"Gai-senpai is definitely worthy of respect," Yuugao said with deep admiration.
Beside her, Kakashi's lone visible eye curved into a crescent shape as he nodded.
"Yeah. He has always had a clear goal and has worked tirelessly to achieve it. He's a great guy."
And you?
Haruta looked at Kakashi thoughtfully.
Kakashi had softened a lot over time, but Haruta couldn't shake the feeling that he was still "living in place of Obito."
His changes, especially in the future, when he mentored Team 7, carried an unmistakable echo of Obito's influence.
But if Obito had actually died, that would've been one thing—he would've been a hero, someone who saved Kakashi's life.
But no—Obito was alive and well.
Not only that, he was responsible for the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha, and now, he was literally standing in Konoha itself!
"What is he planning? Something against Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Shisui? Or does he have another objective entirely…?"
Obito was a lunatic, sure—but he also had terrifying power, making him an extremely dangerous individual.
Frankly, Haruta didn't like him at all.
As one of the biggest traitors in Konoha's history, Obito was just as bad—if not worse—than Uchiha Itachi.
"Even though I have the Flying Thunder God to counter Kamui, the best way to deal with Mangekyō Sharingan… is still another Mangekyō Sharingan."
After all, each Mangekyō had different abilities, but they were all on the same level.
Haruta had always believed that the best way to counter spatial techniques was through genjutsu.
Sure, you can hide inside Kamui's dimension—but you still have to look at your opponent, right?
That thought led him to a certain Uchiha, whose very existence was uncertain…
An Uchiha who had been buried underground for over a hundred years, yet somehow still alive.
Shisui was an option—Haruta could absolutely use him to mess with Obito.
But Obito had inherited a lot from Madara, which made things complicated.
Haruta needed someone who was fully aligned with him.
And his relationship with Shisui? At best, they were colleagues. In fact, he was technically assigned to monitor Shisui.
That's why his real focus was elsewhere.
Especially since he'd played the games—he knew exactly how ridiculous that person's abilities were.
The real problem now was… did she actually exist?
And if she did—where exactly was she buried?
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"This is such a pain…" Haruta sighed, shaking his head.
Yuugao noticed the subtle shift in his mood.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Haruta quickly masked his thoughts and looked at Yuugao with a serious expression.
"I was just thinking about something regarding you, senpai."
"Me?"
Yuugao blinked in confusion.
Haruta smiled.
"Yeah. I think you'd look better with your hair down instead of tied up."
"You little brat! Are you messing with me again? And how many times do I have to tell you—just call me Yuugao!"
Laughter filled the private room at the barbecue restaurant.
Meanwhile, over in the Uchiha clan compound…
Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened.
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