Tenten's pupils shrank. "Uchiha Itachi? He's... Sasuke's..."
Natsuki nodded. "He's Sasuke's older brother, and the true culprit behind the Uchiha clan massacre."
Hiss!
Tenten sucked in a cold breath, unable to exhale for a moment.
She could imagine how terrifying someone who single-handedly wiped out the entire Uchiha clan must be. Not just in terms of strength, but surely a cold and ruthless personality as well.
For someone like that to be in the Akatsuki... how dangerous must they be?
Tenten couldn't help but worry. "Then... what about Sasuke? Is he okay?"
Natsuki patted her little bun gently, comforting her. "Don't worry. After I talked things through with him, Sasuke learned to stay calm. He might not be able to let go of his hatred, but he won't lose control and go crazy."
As for the truth behind the Uchiha massacre... there was no need to tell Tenten that.
She only needed to know how dangerous the Akatsuki was and take it seriously. The rest was irrelevant.
"Then... why are they after the Jinchūriki?" Tenten asked again.
"Well, since they're a rogue organization, they're definitely up to something dangerous. Capturing Jinchūriki is probably about obtaining the power of the Tailed Beasts. You know, Tailed Beasts are incredibly powerful. If the Akatsuki gathered all nine Tailed Beasts... could they unify the ninja world? Would we face a world-ending crisis?"
Natsuki was half-making things up, but it wasn't completely nonsense. And it did sound plausible.
At this stage, Akatsuki had just begun to emerge, and there wasn't much intelligence about them. Natsuki didn't plan to let Tenten know too much, so he just casually analyzed it. As long as Tenten believed it, that was enough.
Knowing too much right now wasn't helpful. When the Akatsuki truly started to show themselves, more details could slowly come out.
Having achieved his goal, Natsuki shifted the topic. "Do you know why Jiraiya-sama took Naruto out this time?"
Tenten blinked. "Why?"
"Hehe, guess what? It's to bring Tsunade-sama back... to become the Fifth Hokage!"
"Eh?! Bringing Tsunade-sama back to become the Fifth Hokage?! Is that for real?!"
"Of course it's real. Absolutely!"
"That's amazing!"
Tenten was beyond excited. After all, she had always looked up to Tsunade as her role model. Now that Tsunade was coming back and would become the Fifth Hokage, how could she not be thrilled?
It wasn't just Tenten—even the entire village's kunoichi would probably be so excited they couldn't sleep.
After all, how many girls hadn't dreamed of following in Tsunade's footsteps?
"But... Tenten, you don't have any talent in medical ninjutsu."
In the original story, Tenten had gone to great lengths to try to be like Tsunade. After trying and failing at various talents, she learned that Tsunade loved drinking and gambling. Tenten even mustered the courage to sneak into bars and casinos, only to get tossed out like a kitten by the owners for being too young.
And when she found out that Tsunade had an insane figure compared to hers... she was left in a state of utter despair.
At the time, it seemed funny in the story, but thinking deeper, it was actually pretty sad.
Because no matter how hard an ordinary person tries, it seems like they can never fully achieve their potential, can't reach their dreams, and can't even match others in something as simple as body type.
"It's okay. I'm not trying to become Tsunade-sama."
Tenten had long since made peace with it. "Besides, with you by my side, I've found my own path. Medical ninjutsu doesn't suit me. I want to be a master of weapons—a master of space-time ninjutsu. Once I master the Flying Thunder God no Jutsu, I'll at least be at the level of the Fourth Hokage—a force to be reckoned with!"
Natsuki smiled and nodded. "That's right! That's the Tenten I like the most!"
The real Tenten—bright, cheerful, optimistic, hardworking, and striving for her dreams.
While Hinata was still timid and reserved...
While Sakura and Ino were still caught up in love affairs...
Tenten was already training.
And even when Hinata, Sakura, and Ino finally decided to get stronger, Tenten was still training.
Her goals had never wavered.
She had felt lost and hurt at times, but she always moved forward toward her dream.
That hardworking spirit was so admirable!
She really was the best girl!
"Hehe, I like Natsuki the most too!"
Tenten smiled sweetly, without a hint of shyness. After all, they'd been dating for years. Forget hugs and kisses—they'd even bathed and slept together. Saying heartfelt words like this didn't embarrass her at all.
But then, she suddenly shifted the conversation. "So... my favorite boyfriend, I have a problem I need you to help me with."
Natsuki, of course, replied without hesitation, "For my most, most, most favorite girlfriend—of course!"
"Um, it's just... I still feel like I don't have enough chakra. Lately, when I'm practicing the Flying Thunder God no Jutsu, I can make the formula just fine, but when I try to teleport small objects, it feels like it drains too much chakra. I'm worried that if I ever manage to teleport myself, with my chakra levels, I might only be able to use the technique a few times."
"Oh... that really is a problem."
Natsuki frowned in thought.
Even though he'd been helping Tenten train with electric shocks since childhood, strengthening her physical abilities and increasing her chakra reserves a lot... in this world where bloodline mattered so much, Tenten's chakra was still on the low side.
The Flying Thunder God no Jutsu really did consume a lot of chakra.
Short-range teleportation might be fine, but long-range or continuous combat teleportation? With Tenten's chakra reserves, she wouldn't be able to use it more than a few times.
In that case, the Flying Thunder God would feel a bit like a chicken rib—too precious to use freely, yet a waste not to.
But the whole point of the Flying Thunder God was its speed and mobility—perfect for combat, surprise attacks, support, escort missions, and more. That's why the Yellow Flash's name was so legendary.
If she couldn't use it frequently, what was the point of learning it?
Natsuki quickly thought through various possibilities.
Letting Tenten become a Jinchūriki? Out of the question. That was too dangerous, and it might force her into the same predicament as Naruto—he wouldn't let that happen.
So, he had to consider other options—like Tsunade's Byakugō no In (Strength of a Hundred Seal). That was like a battery, storing up chakra for use.
But the Byakugō no In wasn't something that could be unlocked easily. Plus, Tenten was still young—her body still had room to grow. It wasn't the right time for her to learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal yet.
(End of Chapter)
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