Chapter 4: The Cicadas are Chirping, Kanna Eats Them
Tenzo's eyes were wide, filled with utter disbelief. The eternal dead-last, who hadn't successfully used a single ninjutsu in the six years since he started at the Academy, had actually used the [Substitution Technique]!
What shocked Tenzo even more was that he had been watching Yuri Kai the entire time, yet he had not seen when he formed the hand seals. This was a critical point: Tenzo himself was an Elite Jonin. A rookie Genin fresh from the Ninja Academy had actually managed to use a jutsu right under his nose!
This... Tenzo couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Just then, the sound of something sharp cutting through the air came from behind him. A strong sixth sense made Tenzo dodge subconsciously.
And the very instant he moved...
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three kunai stabbed deep into the tree trunk, right where he had been standing. If he hadn't dodged in time, it was easy to imagine those three kunai would be stuck in his back right now.
"He can even counter-attack!"
Tenzo was stunned again. He hadn't expected that Yuri Kai could not only use the [Substitution Technique] to nullify his attack, but could also immediately launch a counter-attack.
But Tenzo's surprises weren't over.
He had just landed after jumping away and hadn't even regained his balance when...
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several more projectiles came flying at him. Not far away, another Yuri Kai was throwing kunai at him!
"[Clone Technique]?!"
Tenzo's eyes widened, full of disbelief. Yuri Kai actually had a second ambush prepared, and it was coordinated so perfectly. The entire exchange, from the first attack to the second, had taken barely a second.
Is... is this really a Genin?
At this point, Tenzo had no time to dodge. Even as an Elite Jonin, he wasn't a cheat. Reacting took time. He had no choice but to block the kunai.
Up in the treetop, Yuri Kai saw this and a smug smile spread across his face.
"Heh, that's what you get for sneak-attacking me!"
But suddenly, a powerful force slammed into Yuri Kai's back, kicking him clean off the branch and sending him crashing hard to the ground. At the same time, the "Tenzo" who had been blocking the kunai dissolved into a puff of white smoke and disappeared.
It was a Shadow Clone!
The real Tenzo now stood on the branch Yuri Kai had just occupied, the eyes under his cat mask still filled with shock.
He admitted it: he had underestimated Yuri Kai.
Based on Yuri Kai's performance just now, his proficiency with jutsu, his control of the timing, and his possession of a ninja's proper vigilance, Yuri Kai was more than qualified to join the ANBU. After all, he had just successfully taken out one of Tenzo's Shadow Clones.
And he was an Elite Jonin.
Forget a Genin, even an ordinary Chunin would find it impossible to destroy one of his Shadow Clones. This was more than enough to show how impressive Yuri Kai was. Although his Genin rank was a technical drawback, it didn't really matter. The ANBU was never a place that only looked at raw strength. They looked at a ninja's overall quality.
But just as Tenzo was preparing to reveal his identity and relay the Third Hokage's order to specially recruit Yuri Kai into the ANBU, something bizarre happened.
Shwa!
A red light flashed, and a complex magic circle suddenly materialized at Yuri Kai's feet. In the next instant, a small figure appeared.
She had a petite frame and was dressed in a pink and white gothic lolita outfit. Her face was round and adorably blank. A head of long, gradient-purple hair was tied back, and her straight-cut bangs just touched a pair of sparkling, watery-blue eyes.
Most notably, she had a pair of dragon horns on her head and a fluffy, ball-shaped tail peeking out from behind her. She was so cute it was lethal.
"Summoning: Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Kanna, human-form dragon girl!"
"This is... the [Summoning Technique]? He actually has a summoned beast?"
Tenzo was dumbfounded all over again.
The [Summoning Technique], while a standard jutsu every ninja learned, was not something everyone could use. That was because not just anyone could find a summoning beast to sign a contract with. This was especially true for a Genin like Yuri Kai, who was fresh out of the Ninja Academy. It should have been impossible.
Even in the original story, only those from prominent clans, like Shikimaru, had family-inherited summons they could contract with. People like Sakura Haruno, if she hadn't later studied under Tsunade, would have had no idea where to even find a summon.
And Yuri Kai was an orphan. He had no background and no special experience. It should have been out of the question, but the sight right in front of him...
Tenzo widened his eyes, carefully inspecting Kanna from top to bottom. His gaze lingered on her dragon horns and tail for a long time before he was one hundred percent certain.
This was, without a doubt, a summoned beast. And it was a humanoid summoned beast!
It's just... this appearance... isn't it a little too cute?
Even Tenzo, the famously cold ANBU Captain, felt his heart melting from Kanna's sheer cuteness.
But what he didn't know was that, very soon, he wouldn't be thinking that way at all.
"Kanna, he stole your chocolate! Bite him!" Yuri Kai shouted, pointing directly at Tenzo.
When Tenzo heard this, he was completely baffled.
"What? Chocolate? When did I steal any chocolate?"
Before Tenzo could even begin to process what was happening...
"Awooo!"
Kanna let out a "fiercely cute" little growl, revealing two adorable dragon fangs.
The next second, she shot forward. Almost in an instant, she was right in front of Tenzo, her chubby little fist swinging down with incredible force.
"What!" Tenzo was horrified.
He had never imagined that this seemingly harmless little loli could be so fast. He didn't even have time to react. He could only throw his arms up in a cross-block to withstand the blow.
BAM!
The punch landed. Tenzo felt as if he'd been hit by a boulder. His internal organs trembled, and he was sent flying backward.
Tenzo was terrified. Such immense power!
He used the momentum from the blow to quickly create distance from Kanna.
"[Water Release]? Wa..."
"[Earth Release]? Ear..."
Tenzo's hands blurred through seals, preparing to counter-attack with ninjutsu. But, before he could complete the seals, Kanna had already vanished again.
When she reappeared, she was behind him.
"Hah!"
Kanna grunted, and her foot came crashing down, smashing Tenzo straight toward the ground.
For a moment, Kanna's speed was incredible and her power was astounding. She pummeled Tenzo so fast he didn't even have time to form hand seals. He was completely powerless. The surrounding forest was quickly reduced to a mess of toppled and shattered trees.
Yuri Kai watched this scene, feeling immensely satisfied.
"Heh heh, I may not be able to beat you," Yuri Kai laughed smugly, "but I have plenty of ways to torture you! Kanna, pound him!"
Don't be fooled by Kanna's status as a cute, airheaded, and soft-spoken mascot. She was a genuine, bonafide dragon. In her full dragon form, destroying the Earth wasn't an impossible feat. Although her current human form couldn't unleash even one-tenth of her full power, beating up a mere ANBU operative was still child's play.
Finally, under Kanna's superhuman pounding, Tenzo broke.
"Stop! I surrender! I was wrong!"
Utterly humiliated, Tenzo finally shouted it out.
"Alright, Kanna, you can stop. I have snacks for you over here."
The instant she heard there was food, Kanna immediately flashed in front of Yuri Kai and began to eat, her eyes squinted in bliss. She looked absolutely adorable.