Shimura Kenpō

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A Great Fireball two meters in diameter appeared in the Death Forest, then exploded, burning a ferocious tiger into a charred corpse.

"What a waste, such a waste!"

Looking at the tiger that had nearly been burned to charcoal—especially its entire lower abdomen, which had been burned away—Shimura Kentei felt deeply regretful.

Tiger penis was a powerful tonic!

"It would've been one thing if you hadn't helped, but why are you yammering on?"

The girl shot him an annoyed glare. She found this guy thoroughly displeasing.

Half a month had passed since their half-month training plan. In other words, their month-long wilderness survival mission in the Death Forest was nearing its end, and their strength had indeed improved considerably.

Though her Great Fireball had only been two meters across, it had been compressed, making it hotter and giving its explosion greater power. Its might had increased tremendously.

Yet that bastard did not act like a teammate at all. During their cooperative battles over the past half month, he had not taken the initiative even once. Suzune and she had done all the work.

Did a grown man really have the nerve to let two girls fight on the front lines like this?

Shimura Kentei merely shrugged and did not argue.

Though he had chosen to become a ninja, that did not mean he had to fight enemies head-on!

All that fighting and killing was no good. Even if he truly had no choice but to fight, it was safest to hide in the shadows and fire cold arrows. Why else did they think he had trained so hard in archery?

It could not be helped. The ninja world was full of bizarre ninjutsu, and one could never be too careless. Otherwise, one might be killed by some inconspicuous secret technique. It was better to play it safe, since one only had one life.

"The wilderness survival mission ends here. Return to the village on your own. Gather at the village entrance in one week!"

A graceful figure suddenly appeared before the three of them. It was Tsunade Hime's Shadow Clone. After leaving those words behind, she dissolved into mist, though not before giving Shimura Kentei a cold glare.

That little pervert was simply unbearable!

"We're finally leaving the village to take missions?"

"Has Teacher Tsunade mastered the Yin Seal?"

Uchiha Mikoto and Hyuga Suzune were both delighted. They understood that they could finally take missions and step into the true ninja world.

"See you in a week!"

Unlike the two girls, who were visibly delighted, Shimura Kentei looked far more solemn. After casually saying goodbye, he turned and left.

Even now, he could not figure out why Tsunade's attitude toward him had changed so drastically. That icy glare just now was clearly not a good sign.

"Could it be that my Pot Kage father did something bad?"

Shimura Kentei once again thought of his black-hearted, ruthless Pot Kage father. He himself had never offended Tsunade, so the problem could only lie with that Pot Kage father of his.

"Being the Pot Kage's son isn't easy!"

With a frustrated sigh, Shimura Kentei walked forward while holding Big Mouth, the little hippopotamus that had already grown as large as a watermelon.

The little fellow had eaten well lately and was growing quickly. It had gone from palm-sized to watermelon-sized, becoming round, chubby, and increasingly adorably goofy.

Whenever Hyuga Suzune and Uchiha Mikoto had free time before, they would hold the little fellow and play with it. They adored it.

"I still have to raise you for another ten years!"

He scratched the little fellow beneath its chin, making it hum comfortably, and Shimura Kentei sighed.

Hippos had long lifespans, living forty or fifty years. Their growth period was around ten years, which meant he had to raise the little fellow until it was ten before it became an adult.

That was not a short period!

Fortunately, hippos in this world were impressively large. In his previous life, hippos had been the third-largest land animals after elephants and rhinos, reaching three or four meters long as adults.

Perhaps because of Nature Energy, some animals in this world grew to exaggerated sizes. For instance, this little fellow's parents were both massive creatures six meters long and three meters tall at the shoulder, weighing more than ten tons each.

At that size, even without becoming a ninja beast, they possessed considerable combat power.

"Don't worry. Once I develop Absolute Rationality Mode, I'll be able to make you grow up quickly!"

Gently stroking the little fellow's round body, Shimura Kentei looked forward to it.

During this time, he had gained many insights into the Hatake Clan's secret technique and basically understood it completely. However, it demanded extremely high chakra control, something even he had not yet achieved.

Furthermore, it required a certain amount of chakra, which was clearly his weakness.

For now, he could only place his hopes on mastering Absolute Rationality Mode and Sage Mode.

"Brother Kenpō, are you confident you can handle Teacher Tsunade after she masters the Yin Seal?"

He continued walking as he asked.

Though he did not know what his Pot Kage father had done to make Tsunade so furious, that was not important. What mattered was how to guard against that woman.

He knew very well why Tsunade was rushing to cultivate the Yin Seal. The root of the problem lay with Hyuga Suzune.

Though the Byakugan did not enhance an individual's strength as greatly as the Sharingan, it possessed tremendous strategic value and was a major weapon in war.

Many ninja villages outside coveted the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan. As a member of the main family, Hyuga Suzune would inevitably attract much attention once she left the village on missions. If her team leader was not capable enough, she could easily die before accomplishing anything.

For safety's sake, Tsunade had accelerated her cultivation of the Yin Seal.

"If Young Master is willing to abandon this suit of armor, I can get you out safely!"

Shimura Kenpō revealed himself and walked alongside Shimura Kentei, stating that he could take him and flee. The implication was that he could not confront Tsunade directly, especially Tsunade after she had mastered the Yin Seal.

However, he was very confident when it came to escaping. That was the specialty of Wind Style ninja, especially over long distances. Even Lightning Style ninja could not compare.

Of course, if they truly had to run, this young master would need to discard that suit of armor. Otherwise, carrying a one-ton thing, he could not run fast at all, to say nothing of the many Sealing Crystals mounted on it.

"What bad thing did my father do to Tsunade? Why has that woman set her sights on me?"

Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Shimura Kentei felt that his Pot Kage father had set him up. Sooner or later, that old man would get him killed.

Those words made Shimura Kenpō glance at him. The expression hidden beneath his face covering became especially strange.

Had this young master still not figured out what he himself had done?

"The clan head's reputation is getting worse and worse!"

He withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly, deeply worried for his clan head.

Just look at this. Even when his own biological son encountered trouble, the first thing he did was pin the blame on him. That showed just how terrible the clan head's reputation had become.

At this rate, the Shimura Clan was in trouble!

"Luckily, the previous clan heads had the foresight to secretly establish the Zero Research Institute and pay a tremendous price to create the Body Strengthening Secret Technique."

Thinking back to the E-Rank Body Strengthening Technique he had cultivated before and the D-Rank Body Strengthening Technique he had learned recently, Shimura Kenpō felt somewhat reassured.

The E-Rank Body Strengthening Secret Technique was nothing special, but the D-Rank Body Strengthening Secret Technique was highly valuable. It gave even a Quasi-Kage Level expert like him no small improvement.

Like a wooden barrel, its water capacity was not determined by its tallest plank, but by its shortest.

Once the weak points in a ninja's physical qualities were improved, their strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

"The clan head's secrecy is too thorough. Even I'm not qualified to know where the Zero Research Institute is, or even how many people are in it."

After feeling reassured, Shimura Kenpō grew depressed again.

He was now one of the Shimura Clan's higher-ups. Once he was past thirty, he could even become a clan elder. Yet he still did not know where that Zero Research Institute was or how many people it had.

They guarded against even their own people. No wonder other forces knew nothing of the institute's existence.

What Shimura Kenpō did not know was that the Zero Research Institute did not exist at all. It had merely been fabricated by Shimura Danzō to provide a reasonable origin for the complete set of Body Strengthening Secret Techniques.

After all, his son's talent was far too monstrous. If outsiders learned of it, it would definitely bring lethal danger. Even the Shimura Clan might not be able to protect him.

And zero itself represented Mu, meaning that the institute had never existed in the first place. Still, presumably no one would think in that direction.

"Young Master, the clan grounds are that way!"

Upon entering Konoha's gates, Shimura Kenpō saw the direction his young master was taking and could not help reminding him.

"We're going to the Senju Clan first!"

Shimura Kentei replied casually and kept walking.

He had not seen Miss Mido in over half a month. He wondered whether she had put on weight.

And Senju Nawaki was cultivating that secret technique meant to accelerate physical development. He needed to go check on the results.

As for the clan, there was no rush. There was nothing for him to do even if he returned now.

"I keep feeling that if this goes on, Young Master will be torn apart alive by the Senju clansmen!"

Shimura Kenpō complained inwardly and hurried after him, while also preparing a signal flare.

If the Senju clansmen attacked Young Master, he would call people over to keep the situation under control.

The anticipated trouble did not occur. The same young woman in white stockings from before led Shimura Kentei into Tsunade's mansion.

The moment he entered, he saw a graceful figure sitting at the dining table, eating and drinking heartily. That distinctive crimson hair revealed her identity.

Besides her, a middle-aged man was busy slicing meat.

"Uncle En, you're cooking today?"

Shimura Kentei smiled and greeted the busy middle-aged man. He knew him quite well.

The man was named Shimura En. He had been one of the eight people selected to recreate the eight great cuisines of China. He specialized in Sichuan cuisine and was best at making hot pot, the extra-spicy kind.

Shimura En turned his head and smiled, then continued with his work. Shimura Kentei did not mind, since he knew the man's temperament well.

"Sit down quickly. This hot pot is spicy enough to really hit the spot!"

Uzumaki Mito stuffed the beef from her chopsticks into her mouth and urged Shimura Kentei to come taste it.

Though her red lips were slightly swollen from the spice, the flavor was truly intense and satisfying.

"No, thanks. I ate before coming here, and I'm still a little full!"

Seeing the red oil rolling through the hot pot broth, Shimura Kentei hurriedly stated that he was not hungry.

Though he could eat spicy food, his tolerance was only at an ordinary person's level. The hot pot broth on the table was clearly at a freakishly spicy level. If he ate a meal of that, he would probably be telling cold jokes to the nurses in Konoha Hospital's proctology department for a week.

"That's too bad!"

Shaking her head regretfully, Uzumaki Mito poured the beef Shimura En had sliced into the hot pot broth.

After tasting this delicacy for the first time, she had been conquered by it. It had become her favorite food!

"Where's Nawaki?"

Shimura Kentei sat down nearby and asked.

Besides seeing this young woman, his more important reason for coming was to see Senju Nawaki's changes.

After all, no one had cultivated that secret technique since it had been accidentally created. Though there should not be any problems, it would be a shame not to thoroughly examine such a readily available test subject.

But the moment Nawaki was mentioned, Uzumaki Mito's expression changed. She slammed her chopsticks down with a smack, clearly in a very bad mood.

"What is it? Is there a problem with that secret technique?"

This made Shimura Kentei's heart skip a beat. He thought the technique might have some unknown hidden danger. If it had harmed Senju Nawaki, the trouble would be enormous.

"Can your secret technique be reversed?"

After remaining silent for a while, Uzumaki Mito suddenly asked. She was highly dissatisfied with the final cultivation result.

"I'm afraid not. You know that our bodies are extremely complex. That secret technique merely follows the natural course of things and speeds up the rate of development.

Trying to forcibly reverse it would probably bring some unimaginable side effects."

Shimura Kentei frowned and slowly shook his head. He had no solution for that.

"Nawaki, little brother Kentei is back. Come over and show yourself!"

Her expression grew even gloomier as Uzumaki Mito called toward the neighboring mansion.

"The boss is back? Wait a moment! I'll take a shower and come right over!"

Nawaki's delighted voice came from next door, followed by a series of heavy thudding footsteps, as though a massive beast were walking.

"Hm? How much weight is he carrying?"

Listening to those heavy footsteps, Shimura Kentei's brows furrowed tightly.

Those footsteps were no weaker than his while wearing his armor. Only a month had passed. Had that boy's physical strength improved so dramatically?

"You'll understand once you see him!"

As she answered, Uzumaki Mito signaled for Shimura En to remove the hot pot. She had neither the appetite nor the mood to eat now!

That grandson's condition made her sick to the stomach. If she had known this would happen, she never would have agreed to let him cultivate that secret technique.

She truly regretted it now!