Colorful Parrot

"Alright, you guys start training." Shuichi quickly arranged some exercises, then said to Itachi, "Perfect, your big family must have a knack for building a solid foundation. So, Shiro is your first task. I have to go now, see you later!"

"Brush!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shuichi vanished from the spot in a flash.

Uchiha Itachi was almost stunned. How could this unscrupulous teacher just walk away like a hands-off manager after their first lesson...?

Looking to the side, he saw a pale-faced man smiling at him with an adorable expression, "Brother Itachi, I'm sorry to have troubled you!"

Itachi: "..."

Shuichi wasn't lying to them. Not long after he left, he went straight to the Daimyo's Mansion, where he had many personal matters to attend to in addition to official business.

He was already very familiar with the capital city. After entering, he walked directly to the center and quickly completed the facial recognition at the inner city gate. He then followed the attendant to the council hall where the Daimyo was located.

"Pfft pfft pfft..."

Halfway there, a bird suddenly flew down from the eaves of a nearby house.

Shuichi reacted quickly, glancing in that direction. The target was right where he was. The bird had a sharp, inward-curving pink beak and was extremely beautiful with its body covered in colorful spots. Judging from its size, it was a parrot.

It didn't seem to have any ill intentions, and Shuichi didn't make any other moves. The parrot was flying quite fast, and it seemed to land on his shoulder in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, it's that little guy again!" The waiter almost didn't have time to speak, and immediately turned around upon hearing the voice. He looked at Shuichi, "It ran to you so quickly, Lord Shuichi. It seems that special feature might really be true."

"What's going on? I don't think I saw this person last time I came?" Shuichi asked curiously.

"This parrot flew here a while ago and has been perching in the same spot lately," the waiter explained. "Daimyo has long wanted to replace the Guardian Ninja. Not long ago, many skilled fighters came to compete and select them, and it just so happened to fly onto the shoulders of two of them. As it turned out, those two were the better fighters."

"So everyone guessed that it might have special abilities, such as sensing the strength of ninjas. Plus, it was so beautiful, like a mascot, that we didn't chase it away."

"Oh?" Shuichi side and squinted. The parrot seemed not to notice his gaze and remained motionless, somewhat dazed.

It only took flight and flew back to its original rooftop just before entering the house, occasionally preening its feathers – definitely a very vain bird.

Shuichi smiled slightly, then casually followed the waiter into the council chamber, Daimyo was already waiting for him in the main seat.

This is a secret letter he brought with him from the Konoha High Command, mainly discussing matters related to the Land of Water with the Daimyo. With the Kirigakure in a state of chaos, the Land of Water's trade has naturally been greatly affected.

This presents an opportunity for the Land of Fire to seize market share in maritime trade. The Daimyo's Mansion can organize caravans, Konoha can send a large number of ninjas as military support. This will both strengthen infiltration into enemy countries and secure national interests.

"I agree to this!" Shiji Shinden replied after discussing with his ministers, and quickly drafted a document for Shuichi to take back to Konoha.

After finishing his official business, the Daimyo could no longer contain himself and looked at Shuichi with anticipation. "Shuichi-kun, would you be interested in becoming a Guardian Ninja? We can discuss any conditions."

He had this idea a few years ago, but Shuichi was too young then, and now Konoha is even less likely to release him. However, the Daimyo still has a sliver of hope that he can persuade Shuichi to agree with generous terms.

Shuichi was also in a dilemma. The Daimyo was a good person, but as the successor to the Hokage, he certainly couldn't become Guardian Ninja, nor could he voluntarily distance himself from his comrades in Konoha.

So, he couldn't refuse too directly; he still needed to maintain his good relationship with the Daimyo. Quick-witted, he came up with a good idea.

"I actually really want to become a Guardian Ninja, but lately I've been reluctant to leave the village." Shuichi's face flushed slightly, and he said shyly, "Because I have a girl I like, and she probably doesn't want me to leave either."

"Oh, what a pity!" Daimyo sighed regretfully. He was helpless against this reason; was he supposed to forcibly ruin someone else's relationship? "That girl is so lucky to be favored by Shuichi-kun..."

"Daimyo flatter me, Your Excellency!" Shuichi scratched his head sheepishly. "If you have any trouble in the future, you can directly entrust it to me. There's no need for commission or anything."

"I happen to have something I'd like to ask you for a favor, it's just that..."

Daimyo waved his hand. "Of course, no problem. I wasn't really interested in that anyway, so please take it!"

Not long after, Shuichi walked out of the council chamber with his hands in his pockets, looking completely normal.

"Pfft pfft pfft..."

It was the same parrot that flew down from the eaves shortly after he came out and landed on his shoulder without moving, as if it were just greeting the visitor.

Shuichi appeared nonchalant, barely even feeling any jolt as he walked, but suddenly he moved, raising his hand with lightning speed to grab the parrot.

"Squeak squeak squeak..."

Little did he expect that this bird was no pushover either. Sensing his tense muscles, it had already mentally prepared itself and immediately flapped its wings to quickly rise into the air, narrowly escaping his grasp.

"Brush!"

Shuichi seemed to have a plan in mind. Although he was somewhat surprised by its agility, after missing his first grab, he immediately used his Body Flicker Technique to leap up and grab the parrot's claw.

"Squeak..."

The parrot was suddenly pulled by the air, its head seemed a little dazed, and it was pulled down by a huge force while flying at high speed, almost splitting its body in two.

But it quickly realized what was happening, frantically flapping its wings and shaking off many colorful feathers. Then it bent down and poked at Shuichi's hand with its sharp beak.

Shuichi reacted just as quickly, pulling back as he released his grip, causing Shuichi to strike empty air.

The parrot didn't persist in its pursuit; with a few flaps of its wings, it soared dozens of meters into the air, demonstrating its incredible speed.

"Hehe, Hand Seals complete!" Shuichi lay horizontally in the air, a strange smile on his lips. The next moment, his body disappeared and instantly appeared above the parrot.

The parrot felt a darkness above its head, and when it looked up, it revealed an incredulous, human-like expression. It couldn't understand how this human had come to be there, and it was even more unaware that the words "Flying Thunder God Technique" were already engraved on its lower abdomen, and it had become Caged Bird.

Shuichi hesitation, yelling, "I'll smash your bird head in!"

"Smack!"

The parrot's eyes were almost bulging out, and its head was slightly dizzy. At the Shuichi chased after it, quickly unleashing Earth Release chakra in his hands, and soon created a large cage to cover it. "Earth Release: Bird-Catching Technique!"

"Boom!"

As the two figures, one large and one small, descended rapidly, the ground trembled slightly. After the smoke cleared, the parrot was seen to be locked in a cage.

"Pfft... You wretched humans, let me out of here!" A clear, boyish voice rang out from the crowd; the one who shouted was none other than this wretched bird.