The Tree-Rubbing Youth

"Zhou Duan, I'll fight you to the death!"

Deep within the dense forest of Konohagakure, the previously quiet woods were shattered by a furious roar filled with grief and indignation. Senju Nawaki stood in a horse stance, hugging a large tree and continuously working his waist against it. The tree, which even sharp weapons struggled to damage, had a small hole forcibly created in it by Nawaki's body in a short period!

However, most bizarrely, Nawaki, who had accomplished all this, was filled with terror:

"Zhou Duan, you bastard, what exactly did you do to me?"

"Ah, that..."

Zhou Duan sat on the ground, leisurely watching Nawaki's performance:

"It's just a potion to enhance the user's reaction speed!"

"This has nothing to do with enhancing reaction speed, okay?"

Hyuga Hyakusho, who had been watching the spectacle unfold, couldn't help but chime in. While he disdained Nawaki's idiotic behavior, Zhou Duan's actions were clearly pushing Nawaki towards his death:

"I only saw you force-feed him a potion, and then this guy started doing indescribable things to a tree!"

"Hyakusho, as your captain, I must now criticize you. How can you look at something so one-sidedly?"

Zhou Duan showed his displeasure, lecturing Hyuga Hyakusho:

"You only see Nawaki's current state, but you've overlooked that he took off his pants in an extremely short time. Moreover, at a distance of ten meters, without accelerating, he reached the target in the blink of an eye. This is the best proof that his reaction speed has been enhanced!"

Things, when investigated, become clear. Recalling everything Nawaki had gone through, Hyuga Hyakusho had to admit that, purely in terms of reaction speed, Zhou Duan's potion was indeed very powerful in enhancing the body. However, glancing at Nawaki, who was still moving, Hyuga Hyakusho felt a pang of despair:

"Speaking of which, the potion is good, but the side effects are too much, aren't they?"

"Let's put the side effects aside for now..."

Beside them, Namikaze Minato, who had maintained a calm and gentle smile, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He looked at Zhou Duan warily and asked his most pressing question:

"You're not going to use this on us too, are you?"

"Don't worry!"

Zhou Duan gave a satisfactory answer:

"Not to mention the expensive raw materials for this potion, its target demographic is also very strict. Besides Senju Clan ninjas, they cannot be older than twelve years old, and must be male. Oh, right, Nawaki..."

Zhou Duan glanced at Nawaki, who was still "passionately competing" with the tree in front of him:

"You don't need to worry. Once the effects wear off, your urge to harm the tree will stop!"

At this point, even the most foolish person understood that Zhou Duan's potion was entirely prepared to teach Nawaki a lesson. Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Hyakusho exchanged glances, seeing the lingering fear in each other's eyes. Looking at Zhou Duan, who appeared harmless and slightly goofy, they realized that beneath the surface, he was completely dark!

Nawaki naturally understood Zhou Duan's words. His current state was that his mind was under his control, but his body was not. Thinking about how he had taken off his pants in front of others and was doing indescribable things, an unspeakable sense of grief and indignation grew within him:

"Zhou Duan, if you ever fall into my hands, you will definitely regret it!"

"Oh, really?"

Seeing Nawaki's determination to drag Zhou Duan down with him, Zhou Duan's lips slowly curled into a "kind" smile:

"Nawaki, considering you're my teammate, I specifically added a muscle-strengthening agent to your potion. I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. It's fine, since you're so stubborn..."

Zhou Duan took out a bottle of red potion:

"This potion will allow you to maintain your current state while canceling your muscle enhancement. How does it feel to have your unenhanced muscles intimately embrace a large tree? You must be eager to find out, right? Oh, and since we still have some time before we meet up with the main supply unit..."

Zhou Duan shook his clothes, and ten or so differently colored potion bottles appeared in his hands out of nowhere:

"I have many more potions I want you to try. I believe you will be very happy!"

"Hiss!"

After hearing Zhou Duan's words and seeing the ten or so potion bottles in his hands, Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Hyakusho both gasped in shock. Nawaki's eyes widened in terror, and he swallowed hard:

"Zhou Duan, you're deliberately trying to kill me, aren't you!"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Hey, don't answer so casually!"

Under the demon's coercion, Nawaki finally revealed his true colors:

"My grandfather is the First Hokage, my great-uncle is the Second Hokage, and the Third Hokage also takes good care of me. If you dare treat me like this, the Third Hokage won't let you get away with it!"

As soon as Nawaki said this, Zhou Duan immediately remembered being punched flying yesterday. Zhou Duan rubbed his still-swollen cheek with the back of his hand, his eyes suddenly turning cold:

"To tell you the truth, forcing you into our squad was the Third Hokage's idea. Let alone you only harming a tree right now, even if I made you harm a pig in front of the entire village to truly make you grow a brain, the Third Hokage wouldn't say anything!"

"What the hell!"

Such a powerful declaration immediately left Nawaki at a loss. Although continuing to confront Zhou Duan would preserve his dwindling dignity, looking at the ten or so bottles of potions with unknown effects in Zhou Duan's hands, Nawaki reluctantly swallowed and lowered his proud head with bitterness:

"Zhou Duan, I surrender!"

"Call me Captain!"

"Captain!"

"Say you were wrong!"

"Captain, I was wrong!"

"Will you dare to do it again in the future?"

"Captain, I was wrong. I'll never dare do that again. I'll be obedient!"

"Very good!"

Zhou Duan revealed a satisfied smile, put away the potion in his hand, and took out a packet of powder, patting it onto Nawaki's face. Instantly, Nawaki was freed from the control. He took out a kunai and furiously slashed at the pit he had left in the poor tree, then Nawaki retreated ten meters. Moving swiftly, he pulled up his pants!

Zhou Duan glanced in Nawaki's direction. He saw Nawaki clutching his pants tightly with both hands, looking at Zhou Duan warily. Seeing Zhou Duan frown slightly, he immediately plastered on a smile that looked worse than a cry:

"Captain, is there something you need?"

Seeing that Nawaki had finally become a little more honest, Zhou Duan nodded in satisfaction, but his expression turned serious:

"There's still some time before we meet the supply team. To improve our team's coordination in the future, let's all talk about the skills we've mastered!"