Chapter 7: Soft, Gentle, and Easy to Push Over
The two remaining Special Jonin looked horrified. They hurriedly retreated and once again unleashed C-rank ninjutsu, attacking Koneko.
But it was completely useless.
Boom!
The C-rank ninjutsu were all shattered by a single punch. The defense and power of a Rook-class Devil were just that domineering.
Seeing that they couldn't escape, the two Special Jonin grit their teeth. They exchanged a glance, seeing the same humiliation and defiance in each other's eyes. They were Special Jonin. When had they ever been in such a pathetic situation?
"Let's risk it!"
The two stopped running. Kunai in hand, they closed in on Koneko from both sides. They refused to believe it. If ninjutsu didn't work, could the two of them working together not even handle a single summoned beast in a taijutsu battle?
But they had seriously overestimated themselves.
Trying to fight Koneko, a master of hand-to-hand combat, up close was pure suicide.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The two overconfident Special Jonin were taken down by Koneko in the blink of an eye, following their seven Chunin comrades into defeat.
And with that, the room fell silent. All nine ANBU ninja had been dealt with. They hadn't even managed to touch the corner of Yuri Kai's clothes.
Tenzo, who had been watching from the side, was completely dumbfounded.
"It's... it's another different summoned beast!"
And this summon, compared to the little loli, felt significantly different in power, perhaps only at the Special Jonin level. But her combat skills, her speed, her defense, and her power... weren't they just terrifying?
Especially the way she shattered ninjutsu with a single punch, establishing dominance through pure, absolute strength. She was like a valkyrie.
Suddenly, Tenzo's mind flashed to another figure: one of the Legendary Sannin.
His original fantasy of watching Yuri Kai get put in his place was now completely shattered, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Ahem..."
Tenzo gave a dry cough to cover his embarrassment. He walked into the center of the room and said, "Very good. You all performed very well. Alright, that's it for today. Dismissed."
After speaking, Tenzo dissolved into a puff of white smoke and vanished. It was clearly a Shadow Clone. However, even as a clone, he didn't have the face to stay there any longer.
The other nine ninja helped each other to their feet. The way they looked at Yuri Kai was now filled with fear and apprehension. Where was that anger from before?
They all supported each other and limped away, terrified that Yuri Kai might ask them for another "friendly spar."
[Ding!]
[Side Quest: Showing Off Makes You Stronger: Defeat the nine ninja in the ANBU training, complete.]
[Reward: Chakra Expansion Card.]
[Use now?]
"Use!"
Omm!
A wave of heat washed through his body. Yuri Kai could clearly feel that his internal chakra reserves had increased by a massive amount.
If a Genin's chakra was a '1', then right now, his was a '2'. It had doubled.
What made Yuri Kai even more excited was that this was a permanent increase, not a temporary one. This meant that even tomorrow, or the day after, when he was promoted to Special Jonin or Jonin, this doubled chakra capacity would scale with him.
He would have an absolute advantage over others of the same rank.
Using the Chakra Expansion Card only took an instant. Afterward, Yuri Kai eagerly turned his gaze to Koneko Toujou.
Cat ears, a beast tail, a petite and soft body, and an adorable, pure face.
Yuri Kai couldn't resist. He stepped forward and rubbed Koneko Toujou's hair. He especially couldn't stop himself from giving her fluffy cat ears a good kneading.
"Ah, this feels amazing."
Feeling Yuri Kai's caress, Koneko's face flushed slightly red. She shyly lowered her head, and her tail began to wag erratically. But deep in her eyes, there was an unconcealable look of enjoyment, just like a kitten being petted by its master.
Well, she was a kitten... haha.
He dotingly petted her for a long time. It was only when he felt his own chakra reserves dwindling that Yuri Kai let Koneko go back. Maintaining an anime character in this world also consumed chakra.
A trace of reluctance and resignation appeared on Koneko's usually cool face. She flashed with light and disappeared.
"Time to go check out the ANBU's ninjutsu."
Thinking of his main quest, Yuri Kai followed the map Tenzo had given him and headed toward the place where ninjutsu were taught.
...
Meanwhile, in the Hokage Building, the real Tenzo, who was in the middle of reporting to Hiruzen Sarutobi, suddenly shuddered. A look of shock flashed in his eyes.
"Hm? What is it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed Tenzo's strange reaction and looked up to ask.
Tenzo's expression was complicated. He hesitated for a moment, suppressing his shock, and then recounted the entire process of Yuri Kai's ANBU training session.
Silence.
After Tenzo finished his report, the Hokage's office fell completely quiet.
Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe, his eyes fixed on his desk, unblinking. His mind was reeling in shock. He had never imagined that Yuri Kai had a third summoned beast.
And its strength was also this formidable.
Could it be? Had he really signed a contract with some powerful sage land?
And from the looks of it, this unknown sage land was very likely on the same level as Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest. After all, all three summons Yuri Kai had brought forth were so powerful. This was not something an ordinary summoning clan possessed.
Puff. Puff.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a few puffs from his pipe, his thoughts growing heavier.
Although he still didn't think much of Yuri Kai as an individual, the sage land that Yuri Kai had a contract with was not to be underestimated. That was a power that could very well change the balance of the entire ninja world.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's focus was correct, but he would soon discover that he was wrong. He should not have underestimated Yuri Kai.
...
ANBU Headquarters.
"So this is the place where the ANBU provides ninjutsu?"
Yuri Kai walked into a large hall. Inside, ninja were constantly walking back and forth, each holding a scroll. Those were scrolls that recorded ninjutsu.
Yuri Kai walked up to the front desk and asked politely, "Hello, I'd like to learn a new ninjutsu. Are there any requirements?"
The person in charge of the front desk was a Chunin who wasn't wearing a mask. In fact, most of the people here weren't wearing masks. They only concealed their faces when they went out on missions. Inside headquarters, they were all comrades, so there was no need to be so formal.
The Chunin looked up at Yuri Kai and was momentarily stunned.
"So young!"
"From the looks of him, he couldn't have just graduated from the Ninja Academy, could he?"
"No, impossible. To join the ANBU right after graduating... what kind of genius would that take?"
Generally speaking, ninja who joined the ANBU were at least 17, 18, or 19 years old. They had to be Chunin and have passed a lengthy screening process.
"This brother must just look deceptively young," the Chunin thought, shaking his head in disbelief.
He said flatly, "It's simple. Just report your ninja ID number for registration, and then you can go in and pick any ninjutsu you want."
"It's that simple?"
Yuri Kai was taken aback. He had thought there would be all sorts of complicated requirements. He hadn't expected it would be as simple as just signing in, like a free library.
Yuri Kai then gave him his ninja ID number.
The Chunin looked it up. When he pulled up Yuri Kai's file, he froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"How is this possible!"