Chapter 106

Words : 1180 Updated : Oct 4th, 2025

Chapter 106 - 106 "Eh? Natsuki, you're already back?" Tenten, carrying a basket of groceries, was a little surprised. "I didn't hear anything from inside, so I thought you were still out. I bought some groceries, and I told Dad I'd be staying here tonight." Natsuki just smiled at her, his grin radiant, but said nothing. Tenten grew more curious, quickly putting down the basket and reaching out to touch his forehead. "You're not running a fever... What's going on? Why are you smiling like that?" Crossing his arms, Natsuki said, "Tenten, help me scrub my back tonight." "H-Huh? S-Scrub your back?" Tenten's face flushed. "You still remember what happened yesterday? I did agree to listen to you talk about the Hyūga clan while you bathed, but I didn't say I'd join you! And besides... we're still young. If we bathe together, it could get... dangerous. I-I'm afraid we might not be able to resist..." "Six-two-three," Natsuki chuckled. "I got the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)." "NANI?!" Tenten's eyes instantly sparkled, and she grabbed both of Natsuki's shoulders, shaking him furiously. "Natsuki! You really got it?! Are you serious?! Really?!" Natsuki, getting dizzy from the shaking, quickly grabbed her hands to stop her. "Of course it's true! Aoba-sensei took me today to meet with Raido and Genma-senpai. Because of my outstanding performance all this time, they recognized my potential and gave me the scroll. Here, look!" He handed her the scroll. Tenten's hands trembled as she took it, not daring to open it right away. She believed Natsuki, but having such a powerful forbidden jutsu suddenly fall into her hands made it all feel surreal. Then Natsuki pulled her into his arms. "So, as a reward, can you help me scrub my back?" Realizing what he was saying, Tenten reflexively pinched his waist, pouting, "You're too much. Always thinking about that kind of stuff. Fine, fine! I'll help you scrub your back tonight—and I'll even bathe with you, okay?!" Natsuki beamed. "Tenten, you said it!" Tenten's face turned even redder. "Y-Yeah, I said it. We're going to get married someday anyway... so I'm just giving you a little preview. But you have to behave yourself. We're still too young, we can't—" "What if I can't help it?" "Y-You still have to help it! You're the worst!" Their teasing and flustered banter left both their cheeks burning. The thought of bathing together made them both nervous and excited. To shift their focus, Natsuki quickly sat down, pulling Tenten into his lap, and unrolled the scroll in front of them. "Tenten, take a look and memorize it first. Try making the Hiraishin formula, but don't start practicing yet. This is space-time teleportation—it's extremely dangerous. I'll test it first on the night of the 1st, when I enter that special state. Once I have experience, I'll teach you." Tenten obediently nodded and started memorizing the contents of the scroll. She didn't feel shy at all—she and Natsuki were practically one now, no need to keep any distance. Especially since she did give him that reward... As time passed, she shyly asked, "Natsuki, it's getting dark. Do you want to eat first, or shower first, or... watashi?" (me) A perfect Japanese-style temptation. Natsuki's gaze darkened slightly. "Then... let's shower together first." With that, he put away the scroll and pulled Tenten straight into the bathroom. The bathroom quickly became filled with cheerful chaos... ... Two days later, all the remaining participants received notice to gather again at the entrance of the Forest of Death. But before entering the staging area, they had to be inspected—just in case Orochimaru tried to sneak in disguised as a participant again. Natsuki quickly scanned the crowd and noticed far fewer participants than before. Looks like Orochimaru's ambush left a serious psychological shadow—some had outright quit. The two Grass ninja who had teamed up with Orochimaru were gone too—probably taken away for interrogation. With only two of them, they didn't qualify as a proper team anyway. What surprised Natsuki, however, was that the three Sound ninja were still here. "What the hell is that old geezer Sarutobi thinking?! He knows the Sound Village is linked to Orochimaru. Those three are clearly his subordinates. Why hasn't he captured them? He even lets them participate?! Is he trying to tail them back to Orochimaru or something?" Natsuki didn't understand, but now wasn't the time to argue. Soon, it was his team's turn. After going through facial inspection by Anko and Genma—designed to prevent someone like Orochimaru from repeating his trick of wearing someone's skin—they were allowed inside. Of course, Orochimaru wouldn't pull the same stunt twice. Everyone knew that. But for safety's sake, the inspections had to be done. Once Natsuki's team entered, they immediately sought out their friends. Megumi summoned Pakkun: "Pakkun, can you memorize the scent of our friends, especially Tenten-neesan? Boss is worried about her safety. Once we're in the forest, lock onto her position first." Pakkun promised confidently, "Don't worry, Megumi. I may not be strong in combat, but tracking is my specialty!" He went around sniffing all the members of the Konoha 12 and even had a little chat with Akamaru, mostly about Inuzuka Hana's pet clinic—apparently the services there were great, and the dog food was delicious. At that moment, Tenten looked toward Natsuki and blushed. She couldn't help recalling their shared bath... Just thinking about the scene made her flustered. But being the bold girl she was, she still managed to speak clearly: "Natsuki, I know you're worried, but you don't need to go this far. With my current strength, I should be able to protect myself." Natsuki, however, shook his head firmly. "I'm uneasy. I feel like Orochimaru is going to appear." Hearing this, Tenten didn't argue, but suggested, "How about this—go collect the scrolls for your team first. Once you've got them, come find me, okay? I'll also work on collecting my team's scrolls. Once we both have them, we'll regroup and head for the tower together." "...Fine. Be careful. I'll have Pakkun keep an eye on your situation." Natsuki had to compromise. He understood that Tenten wanted to be independent—she didn't want to always rely on her boyfriend. And if not for these special circumstances, he wouldn't have insisted either. All he wanted was to make sure Orochimaru didn't hurt her—he wasn't planning on directly helping her snatch scrolls. But Tenten's attitude was firm, so he could only respect it. He'd just have Pakkun monitor her surroundings for any unfamiliar scents. 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Chapter 106

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