"No!"
"..."
The next day, Natsu Hiraku woke up as usual. Seeing Shura still asleep on the bed, he smiled and did not disturb him. Instead, he quietly got up, put on the clothes beside the bed, and headed downstairs after washing up. After mixing a large bowl of goat's milk, he left, taking the already chipped blade beside the door with him.
Today was his spar with Megumi Fushiguro. He wondered how much Megumi had improved over the past half month, but at the very least, he would not be as passive as last time. He would get in close and beat him down!
5:30.
Under normal circumstances, everyone would probably still be asleep, but there was a show to watch today—and perhaps something to learn. Everyone got up even earlier than Natsu Hiraku and sat around the edge of the training ground ten minutes in advance.
Megumi Fushiguro was currently standing in the training ground, loosening up. The confidence on his face made one thing clear.
He would definitely win this time!!
Panda yawned and asked, "Maki, who do you think will win this time?"
"I don't know. Hiraku's eyes are too strong. Even after teaching Megumi for half a month, I might not be able to give him an advantage."
Maki Zenin folded her arms around her wooden staff and analyzed, "But based on what I saw last time, Natsu Hiraku's technique has a major flaw. He needs to rapidly form hand seals with both hands. For at least one or two seconds while he uses his technique, he can't free up his hands to attack."
Yuta Okkotsu picked up the thought. "So as long as someone sticks to Hiraku in close combat, he won't be able to use his technique?"
"Probably. Who knows?"
Maki Zenin smiled and said nothing more.
Toge Inumaki simply sat there, watching Megumi Fushiguro warm up without saying anything. He could not really join the conversation anyway.
As for Gojo Satoru... he had not come. He was still lying in bed, sleeping soundly. He had only informed everyone of the sparring time. Since he already knew the result, there was no need for him to watch.
Natsu Hiraku arrived at the training ground and called out to the ready Megumi Fushiguro, "You're here early. Want to make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?"
Megumi Fushiguro asked curiously. He had been about to suggest a wager himself, but Natsu Hiraku had beaten him to it.
"If I win, you'll lend me your dog unconditionally. If I lose, you won't have to call me big brother anymore. How about it?"
"L-Lend you... a dog?"
Megumi Fushiguro's mind went blank for a moment.
"Your Divine Dogs. If I want one, you give it to me."
Natsu Hiraku carried his sword over his shoulder as he entered the training ground. He took up his stance and waited for Megumi Fushiguro's answer. Honestly, Megumi's two dogs were quite good. Last time, once they had surrounded him, he had been forced into a terrible position. If he used one to train Shura, it would definitely let him improve by leaps and bounds.
"Of course."
Megumi Fushiguro readily agreed. After all, he had nothing to lose from this bet. He could just summon the dog back whenever he needed it. Besides, he had already found Natsu Hiraku's weakness. Combined with Maki-senpai's half month of teaching, he could definitely suppress him!
"Then... begin!"
The moment Natsu Hiraku shouted, Megumi Fushiguro pressed his hands together into the shape of a dog's head and charged at him, shouting:
"Divine Dogs, surround him!"
One black and one white Shikigami emerged from the shadows and rushed toward the sword-drawing Natsu Hiraku.
Megumi Fushiguro did not stop. He prepared to continue summoning Nue. As long as he did not allow Hiraku to free up his hands and use wide-range techniques, there was nothing to fear. The simplest and crudest method was to gang up on him!
"Tch, you want to keep me from using my technique and surround me to death?"
Natsu Hiraku smiled. He knew it was ninjutsu, but to them, it was a technique—just a rather strange one. No matter how he explained it, it would be the same, so he might as well go along with it.
Cursed energy surged into his pupils. In an instant, his black eyes turned red as the Sharingan activated. Scarlet cursed energy briefly surfaced around his body before dispersing, strengthening him.
His right hand clenched the hilt, veins bulging across his arm as he hurled the sword fiercely at Megumi Fushiguro, who was summoning a Shikigami.
"Whoosh—"
The long sword instantly tore through the wind and shot forward.
The two Divine Dogs saw the sword flying toward their master. They stopped running, turned, and howled a warning.
"What the hell?!"
He ultimately had too little real combat experience. He had never expected that a sword could not only slash, but also be thrown like a spear!
The long sword instantly pierced the Nue that was about to emerge. After a shriek, the owl did not appear, and a pool of red blood was left on the ground.
"Nue..."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard two barks. Megumi Fushiguro looked up and saw that Natsu Hiraku had taken advantage of the Divine Dogs' distraction to seize them by the throats.
What had Natsu Hiraku gone through over the past half month?
He had obviously been training too, so why was the gap only growing wider? Every one of his moves had been thoroughly figured out. The moment he made his move, he had already lost...
"How about it? Still want to fight?"
Natsu Hiraku was not using any force on the Divine Dogs' throats. They were also quite cooperative, their legs braced against the ground as they did not dare move.
His training with those soldiers over the past few days had been no joke. Though they would use cursed energy to overpower him whenever they could not win, he had learned their dirty tricks incredibly quickly. Naturally, he also knew how to counter the current situation.
Summoning Shikigami always required concentration. The moment Megumi Fushiguro believed the summoned Divine Dogs had pinned him down, he had already lost.
Megumi Fushiguro remained silent. Although he had gained another Shikigami, it apparently could not turn things around now. He had completely lost...
"I surrender..."
The moment he finished speaking, Natsu Hiraku released the White Dog's neck, grabbed the Black Dog, and walked off, saying, "Then this Divine Dog is coming with me today. Summon him back tonight. Bye!"
"..."
The Black Dog was refusing this in his heart. He did not want to leave with this great demon. He had just turned to look at his master and companion—
The two of them tacitly looked to the left, pretending not to see him.
"Whine, whine, whine! (Save me! Master! I don't want to go!)"
"No. Go in peace, Black Dog."
Megumi Fushiguro silently said to himself.
"Go in peace, companion. As long as I survive, that is enough."
The White Dog mourned silently.
"That ended so fast. It was over in an instant."
Yuta Okkotsu, who had not understood what had happened, complained.
"Hiraku-kun has gotten so much stronger. In every sense."
As soon as Panda spoke, Toge Inumaki agreed, "Salmon."
"How many martial arts techniques did Hiraku copy during those half a month away?"
Maki Zenin said in annoyance, "He learns everything with just one look, and he works this hard too. How am I supposed to hate him?"
"Yo! Has Maki fallen in love? Want me to ask Hiraku-kun what type he likes?"
Panda asked gossipily.
"What falling in love? I'm just complaining that he learns too quickly."
Maki Zenin gave Panda a smack on the head with her staff, then sighed again. "If only I had eyes like his."
"You can't, Maki. You can't use cursed energy."
Panda's words instantly struck Maki Zenin's sore spot. She raised her staff and shouted, "I've decided! I'm definitely going to kill you today! Not even the Washington Treaty can save you!!"
"Maki can't use cursed energy?"
Yuta Okkotsu asked in confusion.
Toge Inumaki: "Salmon."
Faced with Toge's response, Yuta Okkotsu did not understand it and had no idea how to continue.
Natsu Hiraku dragged the unwilling Black Dog all the way home. Seeing Shura licking up goat's milk, he said with a grin, "Once you're done eating, we'll start today's training plan."
The moment he heard the word "training," Shura nearly lost his footing and dropped to his knees. Last night's training was still vivid in his mind. He did not know why his paws were fine, but his forepaws hurt badly.
"Whine... (Can I sleep?)"
Shura tried to muddle through by acting pitiful, but Natsu Hiraku sternly refused. "No. The Friendly Match with the neighboring school is coming soon, so you need to train hard."
The Black Dog muttered inwardly, This demon even trains a two-month-old puppy. Does he have any humanity at all?!
"Whine... (I can't run anymore.)"
"Tch."
Looking at Shura lying on the ground with a wronged expression, Natsu Hiraku was genuinely troubled. Although he had made a training plan, Shura was not cooperating. This dog was hopeless. He had no idea what it meant to endure hardship before enjoying sweetness.
"Ah, forget it. Since you don't want to train, take the day off. Tomorrow, I'll take you out for dog meat."
"Whine! (Meat!)"
Shura's eyes lit up as his tail wagged rapidly.
"Awoo! (It's dog meat, idiot!)"
Black Jade reminded him.
"..."
Upon hearing that it was his companion's meat, Shura immediately shrank back in fright and lay on the ground howling miserably.
"Be good. Go train." Natsu Hiraku crouched down and patted his head, saying gently, "You don't want to become a useless dog either, right? If you don't, hurry up and train. Don't make your dad unhappy."
What a demon. Who orders dogs around like that?
Black Jade complained inwardly.
"Alright, I'll set today's training plan." Natsu Hiraku stood and told Black Jade, "Shura is still young, so he might not understand what I say. I can just tell you. There's still over a month until the Exchange Event. Black Jade, this morning, you'll teach him how to identify an enemy's location through scent. You can go back in the afternoon. Simple, right?"
"Whine."
Black Jade nodded, indicating that he understood.
"As for the afternoon..." Natsu Hiraku thought for a moment, as though he had come up with something fun. Then he continued, "I should handle the afternoon myself. Keep it up, son. Don't save cursed energy for your old man. I won't need it for training anyway."
And just like that, the two dogs were kicked out of the house while Natsu Hiraku whistled as he began cleaning the place.
Shura looked pitifully at Black Jade and said, "I want to rest."
"..."
If that demon catches you resting, I'll definitely be dragged down with you.
Black Jade quickly cut him off. "No, you don't."
For Natsu Hiraku, the morning passed quickly. After cleaning the house, it was around six-thirty. He went outside to see whether his son had been slacking off, watched for a full half hour, then left in satisfaction.
Black Jade had smelled Natsu Hiraku's scent at the time. His heart had been hanging in his throat throughout the training, afraid that this little ancestor would suddenly slack off and implicate him. After all, he did not want that right hand to seize him by the throat of fate again.
At seven, Natsu Hiraku went to the training ground to warm up. He ran with Maki and the others, then trained Yuta Okkotsu, whose body was relatively weak. During that time, Maki Zenin also hung him up and beat him with her staff.
After all, without cursed energy, he was only a combat power six scrub, slightly stronger than Yuta Okkotsu, the combat power four scrub. Not by much, but enough.
He trained until eight, when he went to the cafeteria to eat. After eating and resting briefly, he continued training. Though it felt rather dull, Natsu Hiraku enjoyed it.
Afternoon.
Natsu Hiraku walked down the street in a clean set of clothes, with Shura following behind him, happily wagging his tail.
He had only just realized how good his master was to him. This morning's training had not been tiring at all. It had felt just like playing.
Looking back at his cheerful dog, Natsu Hiraku dealt him a blow. "You'll keep scratching trees tonight. If I don't tell you to stop, don't even think about resting."
"Bark?! (What?!)"
Shura's tail, which had just perked up, immediately drooped to the ground. His face was full of despair.
To train his dog, Natsu Hiraku had specifically bought a small cart. It was filled with ingredients for everyone's dinner, and he made Shura drag it all the way home without giving him any cursed energy.
He saved on delivery fees while giving his dog's body a workout. As expected of me—too clever.
Before you continue