Chapter 120
2-in-1-chapter
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Remaining in the same position for a long time was exhausting. Naruto had been bent over the desk painting for two hours. His wrist ached so much it could barely hold the brush, and his back hurt enough that a groan slipped out like an old man's. Clenching his teeth, he forced himself through sheer willpower to finish the final stroke. Only then did he carefully set the brush onto the stand, climb down from the little stool he had been using to reach the desk, and collapse spread-eagle onto the deck.
"So tired! But it feels so good!"
Stretching out his arms as far as they could go, his entire body let out a series of crisp cracks.
Eyes open, Naruto gazed upward, his bright blue pupils reflecting the drifting clouds in the sky. His mood was as calm as those clouds. Even though Rēn had not agreed to take him on as a disciple, he had promised to teach him a powerful jutsu.
And so—
Naruto had begun to learn painting.
"Not bad at all! Naruto, maybe you've got some talent for the arts!"
Rēn walked over and bent down to look at the sketch on the desk. It was not a complicated landscape, merely birds and snakes drawn without decoration, yet it had to be admitted that Naruto showed a certain talent. The birds and snakes had already reached a level that could be called lifelike.
In other words, as soon as Naruto mastered the method of applying Yang Release chakra, he would have truly stepped into the domain of Super Beast Imitating Drawing, that Yang Release secret art.
Rēn had considered what to teach Naruto. Genjutsu was the first option discarded, for the Uchiha clan's illusions relied too much on the Sharingan, making them impossible for outsiders to master. The standard five chakra natures were the second to be set aside: simple jutsu would not be impressive, and complex ones were beyond Naruto's current ability.
In the end, he chose between sealing jutsu and Super Beast Imitating Drawing, deciding on the latter.
Although sealing jutsu would logically suit the Uzumaki bloodline, the answer was simple: Rēn himself knew too few and his knowledge in it was not systematic. Sealing jutsu was vast in scope, and he faced the same problem as with the five natures—basic techniques felt perfunctory, and he had not mastered enough advanced ones to pass on.
By contrast, Super Beast Imitating Drawing combined reconnaissance, combat, flight, and sealing into one. It might even lead Naruto toward a deeper grasp of Yang Release itself.
So Naruto began learning painting under Rēn's guidance.
Guidance was perhaps too strong a word.
What Rēn did was simply let Naruto copy on his own. His own drawing skills came from the Sharingan's copying ability, leaving his works accurate in form but lacking in spirit. Fortunately, this secret art did not demand both form and spirit—resemblance alone was enough.
So Rēn was not worried about teaching poorly. From the start, the goal had only been to achieve likeness—"draw it so it looks right."
Yet he soon realized Naruto seemed to have a genuine gift for art.
Not only had he reached resemblance, but he was even pushing toward something greater.
"Heh, really?"
Naruto sprang up in a kip-up, scratching his head with some embarrassment, a smile bright as the sun spreading across his face despite its touch of goofiness.
"Very good! Truly excellent, Naruto. It looks like this secret art suits you even better than I expected!" Rēn praised without reservation. Memories from his former life stirred in his mind: in the original history, Naruto had once ghostwritten for Jiraiya, and the book had become a bestseller.
Was it Jiraiya's fame that had sold it?
Or had Naruto's writing truly been good enough to pass as his?
Shaking his head, Rēn dismissed the irrelevant thought. He reached out to pat Naruto's head. "Keep at it. Once you can draw ten different animals in a minute, we'll move on to the next stage." The only requirement this secret art placed on drawing skill was resemblance.
The time limit, however, was something Rēn added.
Since this was a technique meant for use on the battlefield, speed was crucial. The speed of drawing was as vital here as the speed of hand signs for other shinobi. Faster meant seizing the initiative; slower meant being forced onto the defensive.
"I'll do my best, Rēn-nii."
Naruto straightened his chest, speaking with confidence.
He had noticed it himself: for some reason, painting did not feel all that difficult. Drawing ten animals seemed easy enough. The only real challenge was meeting the one-minute condition.
"Sensei."
"Yakumo? Come take a look. These are Naruto's drawings. Not bad, right?"
Rēn beckoned to his disciple as she approached, pointing to the sketches on the desk. "You paint too, though not in ink wash." Indeed, Yakumo loved painting, though she had studied oil painting instead.
"They're good. Not only lifelike, but with more spirit than yours, Sensei."
Rēn was unsure whether ink wash and oil painting shared the same sense of beauty, but what he did see was that his disciple was in a foul mood—rare enough for her to even tease him. Watching the girl's puffed-up expression in profile, Rēn paused for a moment before realizing what was going on.
"Haha! You're still so young, and you're already learning to get jealous!"
Rēn chuckled softly, placing his palm on top of the little girl's head and gently ruffling her hair. "It's not that I don't want to teach you Super Beast Imitating Drawing. It's just that this jutsu isn't suitable for you. Honestly, Yakumo, you don't need that sort of thing. Right now, the most important thing for you is to improve your physical fitness, and after that, to draw out your own talents. In the future, you'll definitely become an outstanding shinobi."
In this world, there were always those few children especially favored by heaven. Kurama Yakumo was one of them.
The vast spiritual energy she had been born with was something even the Uchiha, inheritors of the Sage of Six Paths bloodline, found difficult to match. Only after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan had Rēn been able to seal and suppress the overwhelming power that placed such a heavy burden on Yakumo's body.
So long as the weakness of her body—the vessel for that immense power—could be compensated for, Yakumo would have almost no obstacles in securing a place among the elite of the shinobi world.
"All right, go pack up your things! Naruto, you too. Both of you, get your belongings together in your room. We're going ashore."
In the distance, where the sea met the sky, the dark silhouette of land gradually came into view.
The Land of Water was an island nation, cut off from the continent, composed of hundreds of islands. The largest of these was known as the Land of Water's main island, though its true name was Kirigakure Island. The Land of Water's daimyō residence and the Village Hidden in the Mist were both located there.
On the western coast of Kirigakure Island lay its largest harbor. It was here that the Mist Village's army and Konoha's delegation had arrived today. The Mist shinobi had already sealed off the port, enforcing the highest level of martial law to welcome the Mizukage and the Konoha delegation. But, having returned from a lost battle, no celebration had been arranged.
"Kirigakure Island… So that really is its name!"
Uchiha Akitarō impatiently leapt down the gangway, setting foot on solid ground. Looking around with wide eyes, he found himself surrounded by a thick, dreamlike mist. He waved a hand, stirring the smoke-like fog, scattering it briefly, only for it to gather together again in moments.
This kind of naturally formed mist was not something easily dispersed.
"Fujika, don't run off. If you get lost here, you might never find your way home again. Yakumo, Naruto, you two stay close as well. This suffocating environment doesn't make for a pleasant mood." Rēn stepped off the ship, glancing back at the group of youngsters and giving his reminder.
It was his first time coming to the Land of Water.
Though he had studied beforehand, learning that Kirigakure Island was named for the thick fog that never lifted, even typhoons only dispersing the mist over the nearby sea for a short time while the heavy fog inland never retreated, it was only upon seeing it for himself that he realized some things could only be understood in the most direct way.
It was beyond words what Mother Nature could do.
This weather was practically a natural Hidden Mist Technique. Walking in this country, one could not afford to let down their guard.
"Mizukage-sama, welcome back."
At that moment, a Mist shinobi stepped forward to greet them.
He looked to be a seasoned man in his forties, a forehead protector tied across his brow, wearing the standard uniform of a Mist Jōnin. His weathered face betrayed little emotion. Though he spoke words of welcome, his tone carried none of the warmth such a greeting implied.
"Meguro, is it."
Yagura Karatachi did not take offense at the discourteous reception.
He had expected as much, especially since Meguro had never been one of his supporters. The man, like Ao, Bi, and Gonbee, had been nurtured and promoted by the master. "How has the master's health been lately? Is he still well?"
"Mizukage-sama, rest assured. The master is still in strong health."
Meguro's response was stiff and mechanical.
Watching from the side, Rēn found it interesting. It seemed clear that Yagura's time as Mizukage was truly coming to an end. Even if the Mist still acknowledged him as their Fourth Mizukage, he could not continue much longer. His time was nearly up.
But suddenly, Rēn's brow furrowed.
In a flash, he drew the Gunbai from his back, channeling chakra into it and sweeping it through the air. Fierce winds roared out, blowing away kunai flying toward them from within the mist, each strung with explosive tags.
A series of booming explosions followed, brilliant flames cutting through the dense fog and revealing the attackers' faces.
They were Mist shinobi—the very ones charged with enforcing martial law over the harbor.
"Kill Yagura Karatachi! He's a disgrace to the village! The village doesn't need such a worthless Mizukage!"
The Mist shinobi in the lead bellowed the command. Behind him, their followers gathered in force.
An instant later, a storm of shuriken, kunai, explosive tags, flash bombs, and smoke bombs—anything that could be thrown—came raining down, all aimed at the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. But with over a hundred shinobi attacking together, their barrage inevitably swept up everyone near him as well.
That included Rēn, his companions, Meguro, and Meguro's men, all caught in the killing field.
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