novelraw Chapter 318 319 : Pure Heart X The Delinquent of the Sarutobi Family
Chapter 318 319 : Pure Heart X The Delinquent of the Sarutobi Family
"I know you,"
"Red Flash!"
Might Guy caught his breath, slowly straightened his back, and looked at Roy with burning eyes. "Rumor has it that your swordsmanship is incredible, and anyone who has seen it couldn't withstand a single strike from you."
"I didn't expect that besides being fast, you'd also be skilled in Space-Time Ninjutsu..."
Guy looked Roy up and down as if looking at a freak. With his straightforward nature taking over, he rattled off Roy's minor battle achievements in one breath without holding anything back...
Roy hadn't expected the boy to know him better than he knew himself. On second thought, Guy was Kakashi's best friend and generally had good relationships with Obito, Rin, Asuma, Kurenai, and the others. They were either classmates, peers from the same term, or alumni separated by no more than two or three years. Understanding this, he smiled. "Just some empty titles blown out of proportion by others. It's nothing worth mentioning."
Two years ago, when he rushed to the frontlines to support Fugaku Uchiha, Roy had indeed displayed his Breathing Style.
At the time, solely focused on harvesting `[Life Energy]`, he killed a bit too fast. He hadn't expected to be crowned with the title of "Red Flash." Of course, some also called him "Konoha's Fast Blade," as he never needed a second strike to kill... If Guy hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten about it entirely...
"That's no exaggeration," Might Duy said, his eyes shining as he looked at Roy. The boy's face, which was three parts Fugaku and seven parts Mikoto, did indeed resemble the Uchiha clan head and current Military Police Force captain he had once seen from afar. But unlike most Uchihas...
The boy had a gentle countenance and a bright, sunny smile. He was far from the typical Uchiha who always kept a straight face, acting aloof, arrogant, and unapproachable... It was completely impossible to dislike him...
Roy smiled, looking deeply at Duy as well. "If you really were to fight, Uncle Duy, you certainly wouldn't seem like a Genin."
Duy laughed heartily, resting his hands on his hips with a free and easy air. "I can't use Ninjutsu, so it makes perfect sense that I can't become a Chunin."
"But you know Taijutsu, Uncle!" Roy said, looking at the man earnestly. "I don't agree with the village's standards for selecting ninjas."
"An outstanding Taijutsu talent like you should be awarded the title of Elite Jonin."
Instead of being criticized as the "Eternal Genin." Even if... the title of "Genin" wasn't entirely a derogatory term in Konoha in some respects, and even held a bit of a special reputation.
"Exactly!"
*This Jin Uchiha guy is totally my kind of person!*
Guy looked at Roy with shining eyes. "In my heart, Dad is the strongest Taijutsu ninja!"
Duy waved his hands repeatedly. Praised by the two younger generation boys, two clouds of red immediately crept up his old face... Fortunately, having mingled in the ninja world for over twenty years, he still knew his place. He simply praised Roy in return, "The Uchiha truly is a great clan of Konoha. Compared to you, my meager skills are nothing worth mentioning."
But was the man who developed the `[Eight Inner Gates]` really nothing worth mentioning?
Referencing the original story, when Guy opened all eight gates, his `[Night Guy]` kick nearly killed Madara Uchiha, who had already preliminarily mastered the power of the Six Paths. In his `[Night Guy]` state, Guy's strength was undeniably at the `[Super Kage]` level.
"I just took a shortcut," Roy said, shaking his head gently. "I merely borrowed a bit of convenience from my `[Breathing]`..."
*Breathing?* The father and son acutely grasped the keyword in Roy's sentence.
The teenage Guy, straightforward, hot-blooded, and outspoken, immediately blurted out, "What `[Breathing]`? Could you explain it in detail?"
That kind of speed, which he couldn't catch up to even after opening three gates, was an irresistible temptation for almost any Taijutsu ninja who immersed themselves in and revered physical combat.
Duy was no exception!
But as a ninja of commoner origins, Duy could control himself.
The man knew very well that great clans in Konoha always guarded their Ninjutsu more fiercely than anyone else. If you weren't a clan member, or even a blood relative, it would never be taught to outsiders. Just like... the "Shadow" techniques to the Nara, the "Expansion" techniques to the Akimichi, and the "Mind Transfer" to the Yamanaka... These were their clan's secret techniques, and absolute taboos that had to be defended to the death!
"Guy!" Duy suddenly shouted sternly, directly reaching out to cover Guy's mouth.
The man smiled apologetically at Roy. "I'm sorry, my son is ignorant and offended you. Please forgive him."
After speaking, Duy pressed down on Guy's head.
The father and son bowed deeply to Roy together, offering a sincere apology... That kind of clean, crisp honesty, that pure heart shining like gold, made it completely impossible for anyone to get angry...
Roy quietly watched the large and small bowl-cut heads. He raised his hand in a lifting motion, separating a wisp of Nen. Through `[Wind Breathing]`, it slowly transformed into two gentle whirlwinds that lifted Duy and Guy, helping them stand straight. Only then did he smile at them. "There's no need to apologize. When I said I took a shortcut, I meant it. It's really nothing extraordinary."
As his Nen flowed out, it brought forth two clusters of memories, which Roy slowly grasped in his hand.
He tapped the center of both their foreheads.
Then, while the father and son were still stunned, Roy's figure unfolded, instantly turning into motes of light that blended into the morning glow. Following the sunrise, he exited the Southern Border Forest and sped straight toward a residence near Konoha's commercial district...
From afar, he only left behind a single sentence: "Uncle, Guy, just call me Jin..."
Duy and Guy looked up at the lush forest before them, but Roy's figure was already gone. Coming back to their senses, they looked at each other, their faces filled with astonishment...
"Dad, just now... it feels like something was added to my brain..."
The Nen memories began to unfold silently in Guy's mind following Roy's departure...
The boy turned his head and quietly glanced at Duy.
The man frowned, not saying a word. He waited to examine the memory cluster in his own mind, only to discover it was a technique called `[Wind Breathing]`!
Duy's heart stirred, and he looked closer... As the memory cluster unfolded before his eyes, a humanoid silhouette of light appeared and began to dance...
*Whoosh—* A faint wind rose, sweeping up countless tiny wind blades...
In an instant, several techniques slowly presented themselves... `[Wind Breathing · First Form · Dust Whirlwind Cutter]`
Amidst the flashing blades and sword shadows, Duy's consciousness and gaze were completely sucked in...
In just a moment, Duy was deeply immersed, staring in absolute awe...
"Dad... Dad?"
"Should I open it and take a look?" Noticing Duy's strange behavior, Guy, guarding the memory cluster in his mind, was overwhelmed with curiosity and couldn't hold back anymore... The boy with the bowl cut furrowed his thick eyebrows, sank his consciousness inward, and focused his gaze on the memory cluster...
`[Wind Breathing]` unfolded.
Just as it had in Duy's mind, it was meticulously deconstructed and presented in Guy's brain, instantly sucking his gaze in as well...
*Chirp, chirp...* In the middle of summer, the cicadas clinging to the tree canopy howled at the top of their lungs...
The father and son stood like two wooden posts deep in the Southern Border Forest, carefully savoring the `[Wind Breathing]` in their minds... Once... twice... three times... until...
The Nen dispersed, and without its support, the memories faded away with it...
With a soft *pop*,
Duy and Guy, having tasted the sweetness, snapped back to reality. It felt like a dream, and in their daze, they only felt... it wasn't enough...
"Wind Breathing... blend into the wind, become the wind, be one with the wind, learn to breathe like the wind..." As Duy muttered to himself, his clear black and white pupils were densely packed with tiny wind blades. Looking up again into the distance where Roy had left, he said slowly to Guy, "Guy, we owe Jin a massive favor..."
What "shortcut"?!
What "nothing worth mentioning"?!
A Ninjutsu that could deeply stimulate the body's potential by changing the rhythm and method of breathing... was absolutely a forbidden-level technique!
In fact, in Duy's eyes, this `[Wind Breathing]` was not inferior to the `[Eight Inner Gates]` he had developed!
Both stimulated potential and helped the user break their limits, exploding with power and speed far beyond their normal capabilities... `[Wind Breathing]` simply took a different path than the Eight Inner Gates... the path of breathing!
This was something he had never encountered, or even... thought of!
Guy deeply agreed. In terms of Taijutsu talent, whatever Duy could see, he naturally could see as well. After all... as the man acknowledged by Madara, in the realm of Taijutsu throughout history, he stood alone!
The boy's pupils flickered with flashing blades and sword shadows, seemingly still immersed in the practice of `[Wind Breathing]`, unable to pull himself out. At a certain moment, as a fallen leaf drifted down from above... Guy suddenly raised his hand and executed a knife-hand strike, slicing it perfectly in half along its veins.
Guy froze slightly. When he came back to his senses, he took a deep breath and said solemnly, "You're right, Dad... We owe him a huge favor."
"How do we repay it?"
"A favor owed must be repaid."
"With what?"
The father and son looked at each other and smiled, already having the answer in their hearts...
Duy patted Guy's shoulder in satisfaction. "Even if others don't care, we must care. This is what a real man should be like!"
Guy nodded. Then... looking in the direction Roy had left, he tentatively asked Duy, "Dad, should I practice it then?"
"Practice it," Duy said, stretching his limbs as he took the lead toward the training ground. "I'm joining too!"
While the lingering aftertaste still remained in their minds, they had to firmly practice and memorize this `[Wind Breathing]`. Otherwise... it would be a disrespect and betrayal to the giver... Jin Uchiha. To Duy and Guy, that was absolutely unacceptable!
*Whoosh...* Using their palms as blades, they stirred up gusts of wind.
Soon, the flash of blades and sword shadows lit up a training ground deep in the Southern Border Forest.
And at the exact moment the father and son became engrossed in `[Wind Breathing]`, two *ding* sounds chased after Roy's back and surfaced in his mind...
They really were straightforward people... A single gift had increased their loyalty by 50 points... Roy had to admit that whether in the bizarre Hunter world or the scheme-filled Naruto world, Might Duy and Might Guy were among the few truly honest, loyal, and absolutely righteous people he had ever met!
And this, "Perhaps this is... youth..."
Roy smiled freely. His body shifted and leaped through the morning glow, his mood as bright as the dawn sky. Even his execution of `[Light]` was smoother than usual. In no time, he arrived at Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence, a typical traditional Japanese-style courtyard...
*Hum...* The red sun leaped over the horizon, and the last wisp of morning glow faded away...
As the sky grew fully bright, Roy caught the tail end of the morning glow, took a step forward, and slowly landed in front of the courtyard gate. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
*Knock, knock, knock...*
After three soft sounds,
With a *creak*, the door opened.
A slacker's face poked out from the crack in the door...
"Huh? An Uchiha?"
"Since when did the old man have such a good relationship with the Uchiha?"
Asuma Sarutobi, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, shot a sidelong glance at Roy. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly lost interest. Brushing past Roy's shoulder, he walked straight toward the busiest part of Konoha's commercial district.
"The old man is inside. Go find him yourself..."
Kurenai's birthday was coming up soon, and the time spent picking out a gift absolutely could not be delayed...
The teenager was already trying to grow a beard to make himself look more mature. He seemed to strongly resent others treating him like a child. That rebellious, angsty phase where he insisted on standing out and showing his individuality was, in some ways, quite similar to Roy himself.
The difference was that some "delinquents" gave up and wallowed in degeneracy, while other "delinquents" refused to fall, insisting on achieving something to prove themselves...
The disparity between people seemed to become almost despairingly vast from the moment their "personalities" were set...
Roy watched Asuma walk away, recalling how in the original story, he died tragically at the hands of Hidan, leaving behind Kurenai and a son he would never get to meet... Turning his head, he withdrew his gaze, pushed open the half-closed door, and walked in.
*Step...* One entered the courtyard, one left it. One sat on a mountain of gold like the `[Scroll of Seals]` but refused to learn, while the other struggled to gain recognition and was invited over... Roy's black hair swayed in the wind as he walked in the opposite direction of Asuma, as if they were separated by two entirely different worlds...
Soon,
After about a few breaths of time,
Roy saw the paper-windowed study that Asuma had referred to as "inside."
The study window was propped open by a wooden stick resting on the sill. Two figures could be faintly seen revealing a corner of their clothes. One was around fifty, not yet too old, and the other had blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, in the prime of his youth.
Roy slowly came to a halt, stopping three meters away from the study door.
Right on cue, Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face poked out from the window, looking at the boy playfully. "Since you're here, why don't you come in?"
Roy didn't answer. He just quietly looked at Hiruzen and Minato Namikaze, who had appeared beside him upon hearing the commotion. Pointing a finger at the ground beneath his feet, Roy spoke in a flat tone:
"Are you going to make me shatter this barrier to get in, or will you remove it yourself?"