Chapter 43: Yang Release Enhancement
The aftershocks of the Chūnin Exams were still reverberating. The reappearance of the Flying Thunder God technique naturally stirred up excitement and curiosity.
However, all of this had little to do with Haruta. After all, he had gone straight from the orphanage to Root, and now he was hiding out in the Anbu.
Even for Konoha's shinobi, learning about him was difficult. He wasn't like Kakashi, after all.
"With such a recognizable look, what are you doing in the Anbu...?"
The mask design for Konoha's Anbu was truly ridiculous. If everyone had short hair and the same hair color, it would make sense that a mask would conceal their identity.
But in this world, hair color was another matter entirely.
Take Kakashi's stark white hair, for example. And Yūgao's, which had a distinct purple hue—you could recognize them at a glance!
"No wonder that brat Kakashi gets recognized wherever he goes..."
Fortunately, Haruta didn't have that problem—for now, at least.
Lately, most of his missions had been within the village. In his free time, he even enjoyed sneaking around to eavesdrop on people praising him.
But right now, Haruta had something else on his mind—Naruto.
"Alright, you've eaten your fill. Are you going home or not?"
At Ichiraku Ramen, Haruta called out to the kid slurping noodles beside him.
"Almost, almost..."
Naruto replied through a mouthful of noodles. After finishing the last sip of broth, he patted his stomach in satisfaction.
"Finally full! Now then—"
Little Naruto hopped off the stool, clenched his right fist, and exclaimed excitedly:
"Big bro, let's go train!"
"Are you insane..."
Haruta rolled his eyes. After paying the ever-smiling, squint-eyed shop owner, he turned to Naruto.
"Don't you have school tomorrow? Get your butt home!"
"Oh..."
Naruto's excitement deflated instantly. He had wanted to train more so he could show off at school.
But against Haruta, he didn't dare argue. This was one of the rare few people who neither hated him nor treated him badly!
"Also, don't go into the mountains picking mushrooms by yourself. And even if you do, don't drag me into it. In fact, you should share them with Lord Hokage instead."
Haruta stroked his chin, then suddenly chuckled.
"I'm sure the Hokage would love to enjoy some fine cuisine with you!"
No one stopped Haruta from hanging out with Naruto anymore. Other than having to write reports about their interactions, things were fine.
And Haruta didn't mind writing reports—those were missions, after all!
But today was a bit absurd. His squad had a routine patrol, and after completing it, he had planned to walk Yūgao home. But she wanted to attend some medical training at the hospital, so he ended up walking alone.
And just when he least expected it—he ran into Naruto, carrying a whole basket of mushrooms he had picked from the forest behind Konoha.
As Naruto excitedly invited him for mushroom soup, Haruta glanced at the basket filled with vibrant red, multicolored fungi.
For a brief moment, he genuinely wondered—was Naruto trying to assassinate him?
But then, he quickly realized—Naruto was tough as hell. He was still alive despite eating these!
"Huh? Big bro, you don't like mushrooms?"
Naruto blinked, looking a little disappointed.
Haruta smiled and shook his head.
"No, kid, you need to learn about respecting your elders. Good things should be shared with the old folks first. And who's the elder you respect the most? The Hokage, of course!"
Naruto thought about it seriously before nodding.
"Got it! Next time, I'll bring them to Grandpa Hokage!"
"Alright, off you go."
Haruta nodded in satisfaction, giving Naruto a gentle push.
"Make some friends at school. Kids don't hold as much malice as adults do.
And if you can, make some rich friends—you owe me quite a few bowls of ramen by now."
"..."
Naruto stumbled, mostly because Haruta's push was too strong.
But Haruta didn't pay him any more mind and simply started heading home.
As he walked, he couldn't help but think about Naruto.
"That brat's behavior at school is really concerning."
Naruto wasn't too mischievous yet, mostly because he was still unfamiliar with everyone. Having endured years of mistreatment and neglect, he was naturally reserved.
But once he discovered that pranks could get him attention—this kid would dare to paint over the Hokage Monument itself!
"The more he craves recognition, the more he acts out. But the more he acts out, the more people dislike him. A vicious cycle..."
Haruta shook his head. In a way, he felt a bit regretful.
After all, the Hokage Monument didn't have Danzo's face on it.
And it probably never would.
---
[Shigaru Haruta]
[Overall Physical Ability: Lv7]
[Chakra: Lv7]
[Abilities: Flying Thunder God Lv6, Wind Release Lv6, Earth Release Lv6, Water Release Lv5, Cursed Seal Lv4, Yin Release Lv3, Yang Release Lv2...]
[Free Points: 3]
As he walked, Haruta opened his status screen.
Even though he had been confined to the village recently, he hadn't slacked off on training.
The only downside was that without major missions or disturbances in Konoha, he hadn't received many assignments.
Which meant fewer free points. But at least he had raised his Cursed Seal ability to Lv4!
"Too bad—I need Lv5 to reach Jōnin level. I haven't been grinding enough."
Haruta sighed inwardly, but he had to admit that this progress was still solid.
The Cursed Seal provided an overall enhancement. While Lv3 and Lv4 were in the same general tier, the boost in power and duration was noticeable.
Especially duration—that was what mattered most to Haruta!
"Alright, let's put this point into Yang Release."
With that thought, Haruta upgraded Yang Release to Lv3, leaving him with just one free point.
As soon as it leveled up, he felt a shift in his body. The power hidden within his Yang Release began converging.
He could sense that if he activated it, his physical strength would immediately surge—an undeniable advantage in battle!
"Still not enough free points... I wanted to be like Hashirama, but right now, I'm just Tobirama."
Feeling the changes in his body, Haruta muttered to himself.
Flying Thunder God, Water Release, exceptional physical abilities, and reaction speed—wasn't this a textbook Tobirama Senju build?
The only difference was that he lacked secret techniques. He wasn't at the level of casually throwing out Forbidden Jutsu alongside Water Release. But hey, a "budget version" wasn't bad either.
"Still, I need to push harder. This isn't nearly enough..."