Chapter 73

Chapter 73 - 73 Rain. Natsuki and his teammates didn't dare to delay. They immediately picked up the pace and rushed toward the mission location. "Whether or not Aoba-sensei will teach us a jutsu depends on how hard we work! Make sure to disguise yourselves well and don't get exposed!" Natsuki reminded them. "Don't worry, boss! It's not like we haven't studied henge no jutsu and disguise class before!" The two of them were full of confidence now. Unlike earlier when they complained, they were actually excited this time. This was what made missions thrilling. As expected from their boss—he even turned it into a game. And if they won, they'd get to learn a new jutsu? How awesome was that? They were fired up. Victory was a must! Very quickly, the three arrived at the site, checked in with the village representative, and were led to the wheat fields. The field was already bustling with villagers cutting wheat, and even the task assigner picked up a sickle and joined in. After all, wheat harvesting was a race against time—who knew when it would rain again? Rone observed the villagers for a bit, then used henshin no jutsu (Transformation Technique) to turn into a simple, honest-looking farmer and began cutting wheat seriously with a sickle. Honestly, he blended in pretty well. Megumi transformed into a village girl and joined the other women harvesting. Natsuki, however, created two kage bunshin (Shadow Clones) and planned something different. By the time Aoba arrived, the wheat field was bustling with activity. It was impossible to tell where the three students were at a glance. He only needed one look, though, to lock onto two individuals. He walked over and said with a grin, "Your cutting motions are so stiff—no way you're a seasoned farmer. And you, miss, picking wheat with just three fingers like you're some noble lady? Come on. Rone, Megumi, drop the act." Poof! Poof! Rone and Megumi both dispelled their transformations and returned to their original forms, looking completely defeated. They thought their disguises were flawless... but their flaws were glaring. Clearly, they had underestimated the art of disguise. Boss, it's up to you now... please win for us! Aoba swept his gaze across the field again. He quickly locked onto one farmer who seemed very average. His movements weren't extremely skilled, but they were solid. He even flashed Aoba a goofy smile before lowering his head to continue harvesting. "Natsuki, your disguise is good—but your stance is too steady. You look more like a trained samurai than a farmer..." Poof! The farmer vanished—but Natsuki was still nowhere to be found. Aoba squinted. "Oh? A shadow clone? You actually fooled me!" He scanned the field again and locked eyes on a little boy picking up fallen wheat. "You there! You think disguising as a child will fool me?" The little boy tilted his head and blinked innocently. "Mister, what are you talking about? Are you a ninja?" Mister? I'm such a handsome guy, and you're calling me mister? Don't think playing dumb will work! Poof! The child exploded into smoke. Another shadow clone. Aoba couldn't help but stroke his chin. He had definitely underestimated Natsuki. He looked around again, but still couldn't spot Natsuki. Still, he was a tokubetsu jōnin from the Intelligence Division—no ordinary ninja. He immediately activated his chakra sensing technique. Soon, he locked onto... a weed? One singular weed at the edge of the field. "You brat... you transformed into a weed?" Aoba poked the grass with his finger. Poof! Natsuki returned to his original form. He raised his hands. "Yeah... fooling you really is tough, Aoba-sensei." Aoba chuckled. "You think I survived the Intelligence Division by being easy to trick? Still, that was impressive—definitely better than the other two. You didn't win, but once the mission's done, I'll still teach you something." Natsuki was surprised but understood. This was Aoba's way of recognizing the effort he put into the game. He quickly bowed. "Thank you, Aoba-sensei!" Rone and Megumi cheered, "Yay! Aoba-nii/sensei, you're the best!" After that, the trio quickly finished the wheat-harvesting mission. Once they reported back at the Hokage's office, they didn't rush to take another mission. Instead, they followed Aoba to the training grounds. Aoba cleared his throat. "You guys can say what jutsu you want to learn." Rone immediately raised his hand. "Onii-chan! I want to learn Senchiu no Jutsu (Scattering Thousand Crows Technique)!" Megumi fidgeted. "I'm water natured... if possible, I'd like to learn a Suiton (Water Release) technique..." Aoba adjusted his sunglasses, noticing Natsuki hadn't spoken. "Natsuki? What about you? I don't know as many jutsu as Kakashi, but I can teach you one or two." Natsuki thought for a moment and glanced at his teammates. Truthfully, he didn't need to learn anything from Aoba. At best, Aoba could teach D- or C-rank techniques—not much of a boost to him. As for Dokushinjutsu (Mind Reading Technique), it was nice, but he didn't need it just yet. The real reason he brought up learning jutsu... was for his teammates. After all, they were a team. And if the others were too weak, it wouldn't do anyone any good. So Natsuki suggested, "Aoba-sensei, I recommend we teach them Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) first. Then assign them tree-climbing and water-walking training. Judging by their current control, their chakra manipulation needs work." Tree-climbing and water-walking—classic training for genin. Rone and Megumi were both from minor clans. Their parents were probably just genin themselves, and likely couldn't guide them. Even though Aoba was Rone's clan brother, he was busy. They hardly ever saw each other—let alone received training. The two of them opened their mouths to speak but didn't say anything. They didn't fully understand their boss's reasoning, but they trusted him. If he said so, it had to be for their benefit. Aoba was slightly surprised... then smiled. As expected, having Natsuki as a student really would make his job easy. This kid already understood how to look out for his teammates. He nodded. "Alright then. I'll teach them Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and assign them tree-climbing and water-walking training." Natsuki then explained, "You've already seen how useful shadow clones are. There's no downside to learning it. And I'll tell you another trick—shadow clones can help with training. Their experience gets transferred back to your brain after dispelling. That means if you use them to practice jutsu, you'll learn at twice the speed!" Their eyes instantly lit up. "Say no more, boss—we're in! Teach us Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" "And tree-climbing and water-walking...?" "To improve chakra control, of course! We get it!" With so many benefits, Rone and Megumi were now super motivated and eagerly pushed Aoba to start teaching. As for new missions—those could wait. Once they mastered Kage Bunshin, they could do missions way more efficiently. (End of Chapter) [Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][/zaelum] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]