A Man's Friendship

With every punch and kick Dada threw, dense arcs of electricity flashed. Normally, this electricity was uncontrollable, but in battle, the more Dada focused and concentrated on fighting, the more easily it appeared, and the stronger it became.

However, this electricity was different from Lightning Release ninjutsu. Without Chakra mixed into it, it was more like natural lightning, only far weaker.

Because of this, Dada had no way to control it like ninjutsu or Nintaijutsu. In Lightning Release ninjutsu, techniques that could turn corners or even mimic forms were everywhere. That was all due to Chakra.

Dada's extraordinary physical constitution gave him equally extraordinary stamina. He would not tire even after an hour of rapid exchanges, but A gradually shifted from pure defense to trading blows with him. After only a few exchanges, Dada felt the pressure surge.

A drove Dada back with a sideways kick, then began forming hand seals at a speed Dada could not follow.

If you seriously start forming hand seals, you've already lost, Dad! What kind of strong person needs hand seals?

Though he thought that, his body did not slow down. Honestly, he widened the distance between them. Unable to use Chakra, he only had two options against ninjutsu: endure it head-on or dodge. He had no other means of countering it.

Lightning Release: Lightning Ball

A basketball-sized sphere of lightning shot from A's hand, curved through the air, and flew toward Dada.

This was the wonder of Chakra. It could even control the direction of lightning and automatically track its target.

Though A was not known for ninjutsu, he was already holding back. If he went all out, this move could be as large as a car.

Dada narrowly dodged it. Before he could steady himself, A rapidly formed hand seals again and pointed at him.

Lightning Release: Lightning Ball

Lightning Release: Lightning Ball

Lightning Release: Lightning Ball

In the end, A released seventeen Lightning Balls in a row, the same number as the Earth Walks Uzumaki Hirohiko had released...

Some failed to turn in time and slammed into the ground as Dada dodged, but this kind of tracking ninjutsu still left him scrambling.

"Father, that's too much."

Cold sweat trickled down Dada's face.

But this body's neural reflexes were truly exceptional. Amid the pursuit of more than a dozen Lightning Balls, he darted left and right, pulling off all sorts of incredibly precise evasions.

Ninjutsu had time limits in the end. It could not exist forever. After holding out until every Lightning Ball vanished, Dada finally dropped onto the ground. He was not physically tired; it was just that the whole thing had been far too thrilling, forcing his mind into intense concentration.

A folded his arms and nodded. "Not bad. Looks like you haven't neglected your training. You too, red-haired brat, were pretty good."

"Hi!" Hirohiko answered loudly. Though he had only been here for a week, Hirohiko already understood the weight carried by the Kage of a Village. Hearing praise from the Raikage left him incredibly excited.

Dada merely gave a fake smile. He usually did not train very hard. Instead, he was more diligent about reading. Since he had no Chakra, his training was just throwing punches and kicking his legs.

When the people around him trained, they leaped about and used all kinds of flashy ninjutsu. His own training methods, however, were extremely dull, not much different from the martial arts training and fight choreography practice from his previous life.

Naturally, this did nothing to motivate Dada to train...

His current level was built entirely on his physical constitution.

But in Hirohiko's eyes, Dada was simply incredible.

"Dada, so you were this amazing?"

"Not really..." Dada said with a wry smile.

According to the clan's estimates, if the problem of being unable to use and accumulate Chakra could not be solved, Dada could still possess strength around that of a Special Jonin once he reached adulthood. He would just be the kind of Special Jonin with weaknesses so lopsided they were absurd.

It was not that he could not defeat a Jonin. It was that he had too many shortcomings, such as being unable to dispel genjutsu himself.

A Jonin without Chakra?

That was simply ridiculous...

When the time came, he could consider pretending to be the protagonist of some hot-blooded manga: even without Chakra, I will become a ninja! This is my ninja way!

At that moment, Hirohiko's stomach growled. Both A and Dada looked at him, and Hirohiko quickly blushed.

He had been too restrained during dinner and had barely eaten anything. It seemed the Uzumaki Clan's constitution still followed some science. It could not create energy from nothing; it still needed to replenish itself.

"Are you hungry? How about I have the kitchen make something else?" Dada asked.

"No, no, no, there's no need to trouble them. Um, I brought some rice balls myself..." Hirohiko hurriedly explained, taking two enormous rice balls from the bag beside the Training Ground.

The two rice balls had been kept in good condition, round and plump. They had already gone cold and felt rather heavy in his hands. As Hirohiko smiled, he began to feel a little upset. His mother had specially made them as a return gift for Dada, to repay him for the large bag of candy he had given her. They were filled with many good ingredients; Hirohiko himself had never eaten rice balls with so much filling growing up...

Yet at this moment, within the grand residence of the Yotsuki Clan, he could not bring himself to say that they were a gift his mother had specially entrusted to him.

"What? You were carrying such tasty food around and didn't take it out? They look delicious," Dada teased.

Thinking of his mother's smile as she carefully handed him the rice balls, a sudden impulse surged through Hirohiko.

"Um... these were actually what my mother asked me to give you. They're a thank-you gift for the candy from before, Dada, you..." Hirohiko regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. At dinner just now, every dish on the table had been more delicious than the rice balls in his hands...

He definitely would not think much of his mother's rice balls. He was so stupid. It would have been better if he had said nothing...

Dada froze for a moment.

During that brief pause, the light in Hirohiko's eyes faded bit by bit.

Then Dada swiftly snatched the rice balls away.

"Then why didn't you say so earlier? Were you trying to keep Auntie's gift to me for yourself? After working out for so long, I was already starving." Dada unwrapped one without hesitation and began wolfing it down.

Watching Dada devour it, the weight in Hirohiko's heart finally lifted, and a smile returned to his face.

"Ahem, you worked out for so long too, so you must be hungry. I guess I have no choice but to give you one?" Looking as though it pained him greatly, Dada stingily handed the other rice ball to Hirohiko, as if he were giving away some rare mountain delicacy.

"Mm! Thank you! My mother's rice balls are really delicious!"

A watched Dada wolf down the rice ball, his eyes full of amusement. He knew his son had eaten quite a lot earlier. Dada was so absorbed in eating now that he was probably putting on an act; in truth, he might have been uncomfortably full already.

His large hands rubbed the two boys' heads, one on each side, before he said, "Red-haired brat, I'm a little hungry too. Can you share half with me?"

"Hi! Mm~! Raikage, please try some. My mother put lots of good things in it..." Hirohiko said with a smile, splitting the rice ball in his hand and giving half to A.

Dada glanced sideways at A. Father was unexpectedly charming at times like this. The leader of Kumogakure... he really made people feel at ease.

The most united ninja village, the village most capable of becoming one force—every Raikage throughout history had possessed tremendous personal charisma, with the Third Raikage being especially outstanding.

One adult and two children sat by the Training Ground beneath the moonlight, eating rice balls and chatting. The occasional passersby did not disturb them.

That evening, the breeze was gentle.

After seeing Uzumaki Hirohiko off, Dada's expression immediately changed. He weakly rubbed his stomach. He had forced himself to eat a rice ball as large as a fist.

As large as the Raikage's fist.

A glanced sideways at Dada and said with a smile, "Refining Chakra can speed up digestion. If you feel uncomfortable, go train."

Dada complained, "Since you saw through me, Father, why didn't you help me eat half? Instead, you helped Hirohiko eat half... I don't think that guy was even full after half of one."

"Don't say such foolish things. That was a man's friendship. How could I help share your burden?"

"Tch, showing off again."