Shimura Kenpō

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

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

"A waste, truly such a waste!"

Looking at the fierce tiger, almost burned to charcoal, especially the part underneath its abdomen that was completely gone, Shimura Kentei lamented.

Tiger penis was a great tonic!

"It's fine if you scoundrel don't help, but why are you whining?"

The young girl glared at him unhappily, finding him extremely disagreeable.

Half of the half-month training plan had passed, meaning their month-long wilderness survival mission in the Death Forest was nearing its end, and their strength had indeed grown considerably.

Although her Great Fireball was only two meters just now, it was condensed, with higher temperature and greater explosive power, its might greatly enhanced.

However, that scoundrel didn't act like a teammate at all. In the past half-month of cooperative combat, he hadn't made a single proactive move; it was all her and Suzune putting in the effort.

As a grown man, how could he let two girls like them step forward and fight like this?

Shimura Kentei shrugged and didn't argue.

Even though he chose to become a ninja, he didn't necessarily have to fight enemies!

Fighting and killing were so unpleasant. Even if it was unavoidable, it was best to hide in the shadows and fire sneak attacks for maximum safety. Otherwise, why do you think he practiced archery so diligently?

There was no other way; the Ninja World was full of all sorts of strange Ninjutsu. One could never be too careful, or you might be killed by an inconspicuous Secret Technique. It was better to play it safe, as you only had one life.

"The wilderness survival mission ends here. Return to the village on your own, and gather at the village entrance in a week!"

A graceful figure suddenly appeared in front of the three. It was Tsunade Hime's Shadow Clone. After leaving a message, she turned into mist and dissipated, giving Shimura Kentei a cold glare before vanishing.

That lecherous little brat was too detestable!

"We're going out of the village on a mission?"

"Teacher Tsunade has mastered the Yin Seal?"

Uchiha Mikoto and Hyuga Suzune were both overjoyed, realizing they could finally undertake missions and enter the true Ninja World.

"See you in a week!"

Unlike the two girls with joyful expressions, Shimura Kentei's expression was much more solemn. He casually said a word and turned to leave.

He still couldn't figure out why that woman Tsunade's attitude towards him had changed so drastically. That cold gaze just now was clearly not a good sign.

Could it be that the Pot Kage father did something bad?

Shimura Kentei thought again of his own Pot Kage father, who was black-hearted and ruthless. He himself hadn't offended Tsunade, so the problem could only lie with that Pot Kage father.

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

Sighing dejectedly, Shimura Kentei walked forward, holding the hippopotamus, which was now the size of a watermelon.

The little guy had been eating well recently and was growing quickly, from the size of a palm to its current watermelon size. It was round and chubby, becoming more and more adorably naive.

Before, Hyuga Suzune and Uchiha Mikoto would hold the little guy and play with it whenever they had free time, absolutely doting on it.

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

He scratched the little guy's chin as it purred comfortably in his arms. Shimura Kentei sighed.

Hippos had a long lifespan, around forty to fifty years, with a growth period of about ten years. This meant that he would have to raise this little guy until it was ten years old to be considered an adult.

This cycle was not short!

Fortunately, the hippos in this world were quite impressive in size. In his previous life, hippos were the largest land animals after elephants and rhinoceroses, reaching lengths of three to four meters when adult.

In this world, perhaps due to Nature Energy, the size of some animals was exaggerated. Take this little guy's parents, for example; they were both huge creatures with a body length of six meters and a shoulder height of three meters. Their weight alone was over ten tons.

With such a massive physique, even if they didn't become ninja beasts, they would possess considerable combat power.

"Don't worry, once I develop Absolute Rationality Mode, I can make you grow faster!"

Gently stroking the little guy's round body, Shimura Kentei felt quite expectant.

He had been studying the secret techniques of the Hatake Clan extensively during this period and had basically understood them thoroughly. However, those techniques required a very high level of Chakra control, which even he hadn't met the standard for yet.

In addition, there was a certain requirement for Chakra amount, which was clearly his weakness.

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

"Brother Kenpō, do you have confidence in dealing with Teacher Tsunade after she has mastered the Yin Seal?"

He asked while continuing to walk forward.

Although he didn't know what his Pot Kage father had done to make Tsunade so furious, it wasn't important. What was important 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 actually lay with Hyuga Suzune.

Although the Byakugan didn't increase individual strength as much as the Sharingan, it possessed immense strategic value and was a powerful weapon in war.

Many ninja villages outside were coveting the Hyuga's Byakugan. As a member of the Main Family, Hyuga Suzune would inevitably attract the attention of many once she went out on missions. If her supervising teacher wasn't strong enough, she could easily die before even getting started.

Therefore, as a precaution, Tsunade was accelerating her cultivation of the Yin Seal.

"If Young Master can discard this Battle Suit, I can ensure your safe retreat!"

Shura Kenpō appeared beside Shura Kentei, walking in parallel with him. He stated that he could help Kentei escape, implying they couldn't win a direct confrontation against Tsunade, especially after she had mastered the Yin Seal.

However, Kenpō was confident in their ability to flee. This was a strong suit for Wind Release ninjas, particularly over long distances, surpassing even Lightning Release users.

Of course, if they were to run, Kentei would have to abandon his battle suit. Otherwise, dragging around a ton of equipment would slow him down considerably, not to mention the numerous sealing crystals attached to it.

"What bad things did my father do to Tsunade? Why is that woman targeting me?"

Rubbing his forehead, feeling a splitting headache, Shura Kentei felt he had been set up by his Pot Kage father and was sure he'd be screwed over by the old man sooner or later.

These words, however, caused Shura Kenpō to look at him askance, his expression behind his mask becoming particularly strange.

Had this young master not yet realized what he had done?

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

Shura Kenpō withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly, feeling deeply worried about his clan head.

Seeing that even his own son immediately blamed him when something bad happened showed just how terrible the clan head's reputation had become.

If this continued, the Shimura Clan was in trouble!

"Fortunately, the previous clan heads had foresight and secretly established the Zero Research Institute, expending enormous resources to create the Body Strengthening Secret Technique."

Recalling the E-Rank Body Strengthening Technique he had practiced before and the D-Rank Body Strengthening Technique he had recently learned, Shura Kenpō felt a slight sense of relief.

The E-Rank Body Strengthening Secret Technique was insignificant, but the D-Rank Body Strengthening Secret Technique held considerable value, offering significant improvements even to someone like him, a quasi-Kage level expert.

It was like a wooden barrel; the amount of water it could hold was determined not by the highest plank, but by the lowest one.

Once the shortcomings in a ninja's physical fitness were improved, their strength would increase qualitatively.

"The clan head's secrecy is too good; even I'm not qualified to know where the Zero Research Institute is located! I don't even know how many people are there."

After finding some peace, Shura Kenpō became depressed again.

He was now a high-ranking member of the Shimura Clan, and by the time he was thirty, he might even become a clan elder. Yet, he still didn't know the location or the number of people in the Zero Research Institute.

They were even wary of their own family members, so it was no wonder other factions didn't know about the institute's existence.

In reality, Shura Kenpō didn't know that the Zero Research Institute didn't exist at all. It was merely a fabrication by Shimura Danzo to provide a plausible origin for the entire set of Body Strengthening Secret Techniques.

After all, his son's talent was too monstrous. If outsiders were to find out, it would surely bring about a disaster that even the Shimura Clan might not be able to protect him from.

And Zero itself represented nothingness, indicating that the institute had never existed. However, he figured no one would think along those lines.

"Young Master, the clan compound is that way!"

As they entered the Konoha gates, Shura Kenpō noticed the direction his young master was heading and couldn't help but remind him.

"Let's go to the Senju Clan first!"

Shura Kentei replied casually and continued walking.

He hadn't seen Miss Mido for over half a month and wondered if she had gained weight.

Also, Senju Nawaki was practicing that secret technique to accelerate physical development, and he wanted to see the results.

As for the clan, there was no rush. He had nothing else to do if he went back now.

"I have a feeling that if this continues, the young master will be torn apart by the Senju clan!"

Shura Kenpō muttered to himself, quickly following behind and preparing a signal flare.

If the Senju clan were to make a move against the young master, he would call for backup to control the situation.

The anticipated difficult situation did not materialize. It was the same white-socked young lady from before who led Shura Kentei to Tsunade's luxurious mansion.

As soon as he entered, he saw a figure feasting at the dining table. Her signature crimson hair clearly indicated her identity.

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

"Uncle En, you're cooking today!"

Shura Kentei greeted the busy middle-aged man with a smile, as he was very familiar with him.

The man's name was Shimura En. He was one of the eight people chosen to replicate China's eight major cuisines, specializing in Sichuan cuisine and most skilled at making hot pot, extremely spicy ones at that.

Shimura En turned and smiled before continuing with his work. Shura Kentei didn't mind, knowing his personality well.

"Hurry up and sit down, this hot pot is spicy enough!"

Popping a piece of beef from his chopsticks into his mouth, Uzumaki Mito beckoned Shura Kentei to come and taste it.

Although her lips were slightly swollen from the spice, the flavor was truly intense and exhilarating.

"No, I already ate before I came. I'm still a bit full!"

Looking at the bubbling red oil of the hot pot broth, Shura Kentei quickly said he wasn't hungry.

While he could handle spice, his tolerance was only average. The hot pot broth on the table was clearly at a level of "insane spicy." If he were to eat a meal of it, he'd probably be telling jokes to the nurses at the Konoha Hospital's proctology department for a week.

"That's a shame!"

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

After tasting this delicacy once, she had been conquered and it became her favorite!

"Where's Nawaki?"

Shimura Kentei sat to the side and asked.

"This visit is not only to see Miss Mido, but more importantly, to observe the changes in Senju Nawaki."

"After all, no one has ever practiced that Secret Technique since its accidental creation. Although there shouldn't be any problems, it would be a shame to have such a test subject right in front of me and not inspect him thoroughly."

However, the mention of Nawaki caused Uzumaki Mito's expression to shift. She slammed her chopsticks down, clearly in a foul mood.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with that Secret Technique?"

Seeing this, Shimura Kentei's heart skipped a beat. He worried that the Secret Technique had some unknown hidden danger, and if it were to harm Senju Nawaki, it would be a huge problem.

"Can that Secret Technique of yours be reversed?"

After a moment of silence, Uzumaki Mito suddenly asked, very dissatisfied with the final cultivation results.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. As you know, our bodies are extremely complex. That Secret Technique merely works with the natural flow to accelerate development. Forcibly reversing it would likely bring about some unimaginable side effects."

Frowning, Shimura Kentei shook his head slightly, unable to help with this matter.

"Nawaki, Brother Kentei is back, come out and show yourself!"

Uzumaki Mito's expression grew even gloomier as she called out to the mansion next door.

"The boss is back? Wait a moment, I'm taking a shower, I'll be right there!"

A surprised voice came from next door, followed by a series of heavy thudding footsteps, like a giant beast on the move.

"Hmm? How much weight is he carrying?"

Listening to the heavy footsteps, Shimura Kentei frowned deeply.

"These footsteps aren't much different from when I'm wearing my Battle Suit. In just one month, has that kid's physical strength increased so drastically?"

"You'll know when you see him later!"

As she replied, Uzumaki Mito signaled Shimura En to take away the hot pot. She had no appetite and no mood to eat anymore!

The brat's condition made her extremely nauseous. If she had known this would happen, she would never have agreed to let him practice that Secret Technique.

She regretted her decision back then!