Nightingale's Wrath

The person sobbing uncontrollably in the alley was none other than the self-proclaimed "Azure Beast of Konoha," Might Guy!

He had originally come to retrieve his bag of chestnuts, but never expected to hear Zhang Miao's evaluation of his father.

The Third Shinobi World War had just ended not long ago, so after hearing Zhang Miao's words, Guy immediately recalled that green figure who had stood before him when facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

That was the back of a man called "Father"!

To protect the younger generation of ninjas, Might Duy stood alone against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, showing them his way of life staked on his very existence.

With his life, Duy passed on to the younger generation of ninjas how a shinobi ought to live.

But sadly, like most ninjas who died in the Third Shinobi World War, Might Duy was like a small stone thrown into a pond—after sending out a few ripples, he quickly vanished, and few remembered him, let alone called him a hero.

Yet now, a small child could so clearly state his father's achievements, place him on equal footing with the famous "Konoha White Fang," and even call him a "true hero"—how could this not move Might Guy?

At that moment, Guy decided to forgive Kakashi.

"Kakashi! Since you've met a boy who acknowledges my father, I'll forgive you for telling others about the acorns!"

He wiped away his tears, clenched his fist, and suddenly became full of fighting spirit.

"Kakashi! Let's stake our youth on a blazing showdown!"

With that, Guy took off running again, and soon only a cloud of dust remained on the street.

While Guy was running around looking for Kakashi, ready to have a "youthful showdown," Zhang Miao was back at his residence staring wide-eyed at the new Anbu.

Zhang Miao: "Stare—"

Anbu: "..."

The new Anbu was a young man wearing a pointy-beaked mask. Under Zhang Miao's intense stare, he couldn't sit still and instinctively turned his face away.

But what he didn't expect was that the moment he turned, the red-haired kid appeared right in front of him again and asked, "Pointy Beak, where's Uncle Cat Face? Where did he go?"

"Uh... the squad leader, he..."

He was about to speak, but before he could finish, another voice interrupted him.

"Owl!"

Hearing this, the Anbu codenamed Owl immediately fell silent.

Seeing this, Zhang Miao sighed helplessly, then turned with a dissatisfied look toward the slender figure approaching.

"Hey, Sister Nightingale, don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone... ouch..."

Before Zhang Miao could even say the word "someone," his face was pinched between two slender fingers, and his little face immediately scrunched up in pain.

"It's also rude to pinch someone's face for no reason! Let go, ow... it hurts..."

"Hmph!"

Hearing Zhang Miao's words, Nightingale snorted coldly but didn't let go of his face. Instead, she glared at him with displeasure.

"And wasn't it rude of you to falsely accuse someone this morning? Also, is it okay to just touch a woman's body wherever you want? Huh?"

"Ow... ow ow ow ow..."

Feeling Nightingale's grip tighten, Zhang Miao immediately cried out in pain and begged for mercy.

"Sister Nightingale, I was wrong! I won't dare pinch your... mmm mmm..."

Before Zhang Miao could finish, Nightingale quickly covered his mouth, then blushed and tilted her chin toward the curious Anbu beside her.

"Owl, go outside first!"

"Yes!"

Hearing this, the pointy-beaked Anbu acknowledged and turned to leave. After he was gone, Nightingale finally let go of Zhang Miao's mouth and pinched his face again.

"Uzumaki Ryunosuke, I'm warning you—don't tell anyone about this, or else I'll make you pay! Hmph!"

With that, Nightingale turned and walked out, leaving Zhang Miao standing there dumbfounded.

"Uh..."

Staring at the closed door, Zhang Miao was stunned for a moment, then shook his head helplessly.

"Sigh, women are just impossible to reason with. I'm still a kid, you know!"

With that, Zhang Miao walked over to Naruto's little bed and slowly raised his palm.

"Foolish little brother, feel the Iron Palm of Love! Smack!"

"Waaah waaah waaah..."

As Naruto's cries rang out, the system notification followed immediately.

"Ding—Congratulations, host! Obtained Nine-Star Ninja Uzumaki Naruto (Asura) Fragment x1, Eight-Star Tailed Beast Kurama (Yang) Fragment x4!"

Hearing this notification, Zhang Miao smiled contentedly, then turned toward the door and shouted.

"Sister Nightingale! Come in and feed the baby!"

Nightingale: "..."

Hearing Zhang Miao yelling inside the room, Nightingale was already regretting not leaving with Takumu.

But because of Zhang Miao's earlier misdirection, she had slapped Takumu, which now left Nightingale unsure how to face him.

"That damn brat!"

Still, Naruto's piercing cries were no joke. Remembering the Third Hokage's instructions, Nightingale could only grit her teeth, open the door, and step inside.

"He was fine just now—why did he suddenly start crying?"

"Who knows?" Hearing Nightingale's question, Zhang Miao shrugged with an innocent look. "Probably hungry. Just give him some milk!"

With that, Zhang Miao picked up a chestnut, tossed it into his mouth, and crunched it loudly. Then he tilted his chin toward Nightingale.

"Sis Nightingale, want a chestnut?"

"Hmph!"

Glaring at Zhang Miao, who was munching on a big bag of chestnuts, Nightingale snorted again, turned around, and headed into the kitchen to mix formula, muttering under her breath.

"That little monster!"

Though she said that, deep down, Nightingale was genuinely amazed by Zhang Miao.

Most children only start learning to talk and walk around one year old; most don't walk or run independently until two, and their speech is mostly mimicking adults.

But Ryunosuke was different!

Not only was his physical development unusually fast—looking like a one-and-a-half-year-old at just six months—but he also learned to walk and run within days, without any help.

Back then, the Hokage even sent a Medical Ninja to examine him, but no abnormalities were found, and it was eventually chalked up to the power of the Uzumaki Clan's Kekkei Genkai.

That wasn't even the most astonishing part. What truly amazed Nightingale was Zhang Miao's intelligence. The kid had managed to escape under the watch of two Anbu, used his identity as a child to frame his Anbu colleague, and succeeded!

It was utterly baffling!

If the Hokage hadn't told her the truth herself, Nightingale wouldn't have believed that a child under one year old could pull off such a feat!

Without a doubt, this was a genius.

So when Nightingale saw Kakashi and Zhang Miao getting along, she couldn't help but sigh, "Birds of a feather flock together!"

In Nightingale's eyes, Kakashi—who graduated from the Ninja Academy at five, became a Chunin at six, and was promoted to Jonin at twelve—was undoubtedly the brightest genius in Konoha.

And Zhang Miao, if nothing went wrong, might one day become a genius on par with Kakashi!

"Maybe I'm witnessing a genius grow up!"

Thinking this, Nightingale felt a surge of pride and excitement.

Unfortunately, that excitement was quickly doused. Before she could finish mixing the formula and come out of the kitchen, Zhang Miao's voice reached her ears again.

"Hey, Sis Nightingale, do you have a boyfriend? How about you take off that mask and let me have a look? If you're decent-looking, I'll reluctantly take you as my Eighteenth Concubine, how about that?"

Eighteenth Concubine?

Hearing Zhang Miao's words, Nightingale nearly crushed the Milk Bottle in her hand!

"That damn brat!"