Showing Off One's Weaknesses

Chapter 23: Showing His Flaws [Please Vote]

The next morning.

When Toneri slowly woke up, he realized the sun was already high in the sky.

He immediately rolled out of bed.

As he jumped down, he noticed that his body seemed much more agile.

He closed his eyes and quieted his mind, carefully sensing the changes in his body.

Toneri discovered that there seemed to be a new energy flowing through his chakra network. Its properties were very similar to the chakra described in the book he had read, Introduction to Chakra Refinement!

It was chakra!

Toneri also noticed that as this chakra flowed through his network, its amount was quietly increasing. After it made one circuit, he could feel that he had more chakra than before.

"So this is chakra? Is it really this easy to refine? Didn't the book say it was very difficult?

"Ordinary people need days of trying, sometimes even a month, just to sense the energy in their cells and combine it with their spiritual energy to form chakra. Anyone who can manage that is considered an exceptional genius.

"So does waking up with chakra after sleeping make me a genius among geniuses?

"Sure enough, handsome people are always blessed by the heavens."

Toneri touched his still-handsome face.

The one thing he could be thankful for was that becoming the Two-Tails Jinchuriki hadn't left whisker-like marks on his face, the way it had for the future Naruto.

He was still handsome from every angle, with not a single bad side!

After getting dressed, Toneri couldn't help wondering if Aunt Yoshimi had been influenced by their first meeting yesterday. The clothes she'd prepared for him fit much better, but were still somewhat loose.

Actually, the main reason was that Toneri was too thin. Even standard-sized clothes looked loose on him. (You can use Utakata as a rough comparison.)

"Good morning, Aunt Yoshimi!" Toneri put on the air of a well-behaved child.

When she saw Toneri coming downstairs, Aunt Yoshimi smiled until her eyes narrowed. "You really are a good boy, Toneri. Come have breakfast. Shikashin and Shikaku left a long time ago.

"Shikashin left something for you, though. He said it was what you had with you when they found you."

Toneri nodded obediently and quickly polished off his breakfast.

After trying to refine chakra last night, he now had a decent amount of it. He was very curious about this mysterious energy, which could be used to perform ninjutsu and all sorts of other things.

He couldn't help wanting to test its amazing properties.

But when he saw what Shikashin had left for him, Toneri was still a little surprised.

A sheathed short blade, and... a pale-yellow sachet!

Toneri thought it must have been fate that these two things had survived intact.

The short blade had belonged to the Kumo Ninja Anbu who had tracked him. He hadn't thought much of it at the time.

But now that he thought about it, it must have been made of excellent material to survive the Tailed Beast Ball.

As for the sachet, it gave off a faint minty scent.

Perhaps it was what people called a lucky charm.

Toneri tucked the short blade, sheath and all, into his waistband. After lightly sniffing the sachet, he tucked it in beside the blade.

Since they'd survived intact, perhaps they really would bring him good luck...

"Goodbye, Aunt Yoshimi!"

With that, Toneri left the Nara Clan Compound.

Apart from the route he'd walked with Shikashin Nara yesterday, he didn't know his way around Konoha at all.

After leaving the Nara Clan Compound, he wandered aimlessly around Konoha.

Whatever else might be said, Toneri had absolute confidence in his memory. It was a skill he'd once had to train, and he could usually remember any route he'd traveled.

As for getting lost or being directionally challenged—hah, those traits would never apply to Toneri!

"Where... am I?"

Before he knew it, Toneri had arrived at a secluded patch of woods beside a river.

There was no one around. He looked blankly from side to side, unsure where to go.

"Whatever. It's all Konoha, so it's much the same. There's no one here, so I can test how amazing chakra really is." Having given up on resisting, Toneri muttered to himself as he walked over to a tree.

Out of sight, in the shadows all around him, in dark corners, and high in the treetops, at least seven or eight people in black combat gear and white masks were quietly watching him.

They had followed him ever since he left the Nara Clan Compound, without appearing or making a sound.

Even when Toneri didn't know where he was, they didn't show themselves.

They had only one mission.

Monitor the Jinchūriki!

They also had to prevent him from going berserk and destroying Konoha. Each day, they had to write a detailed report and deliver it to Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk before sunrise.

They were the Anbu of Konoha!

After walking over to the tree, Toneri froze again.

How was he supposed to test chakra?

"Wait... don't you need to use ninjutsu to test your chakra?"

Toneri soon remembered that the books Shikashin had given him last night included information about the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques.

The Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques!

For someone just starting at the Ninja Academy, or someone who had just graduated, they might seem like simple techniques to practice, meant to help them pass the graduation exam.

The Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques were only E-rank. Graduates might think they'd never use them again, since they were eager to learn powerful, high-level techniques.

But sometimes, fate had a way of making you eat your words.

To Toneri, who knew about the world of Naruto, the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques were the ultimate techniques that ran through the entire series!

From freshly graduated Genin to Kage Level and even beyond, there wasn't a single person who didn't use them.

The only difference was that the effects varied completely depending on the user's strength!

One unconventional use of a technique from the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques was even the natural counter to Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi!

So Toneri didn't look down on the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques at all. Quite the opposite—he took them very seriously.

If he could truly master all three techniques and use them skillfully and seamlessly, they would surely be excellent skills for staying safe wherever he went!

The Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques were, as the name suggested, a collective term for three techniques: the Clone Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the Substitution Technique. They were the foundation of a ninja's training!

Many civilians knew no other ninjutsu besides these three when they graduated from the Ninja Academy.

The first one to learn was obviously the simplest: the Transformation Technique. It only required one hand seal.

One branch of the Transformation Technique was also a natural counter to Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. The older he got, the more effective it became. Combined with the Shadow Clone Technique, it could reach its full potential!

But the technique Toneri cared about most was the Substitution Technique!

It really was a lifesaving skill!

For someone who valued caution as much as he did, nothing mattered more than putting his own safety first.

As long as he kept his head down, he could ignore the people watching him every moment from all around.

He didn't need to think twice to know that Hiruzen Sarutobi would have sent plenty of people to watch him—a Two-Tails Jinchuriki—and some of them were probably very powerful.

How could Toneri really be directionally challenged?

He just didn't want them to get a true understanding of him.

Yes, that was it!

By tomorrow, Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably know that Toneri had a flaw: he got lost easily.

The more of his flaws he revealed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the more at ease Hiruzen would be.

He couldn't hide that he was handsome and clever, and he didn't want to. Those were the things he needed to show in order to stay in Konoha and let the Konoha High Command know what he was worth.

That was the best way to ensure they'd let him stay.

But after he'd secured his place, he couldn't stand out too much for a while.

It wasn't that he couldn't stand out. Rather, he needed to show some of his own flaws as much as possible, even if they were only tiny ones.

No one was perfect. The more flaws and weaknesses he revealed, the more at ease the Konoha High Command would be.

The best thing would be to make them think they'd found some of his weaknesses—his desire to grow stronger, his desire for companions, his desire for peace, and so on—and use them to control him completely!

As far as Toneri was concerned, the contest between him and the Konoha High Command had already begun.

Of course, for now, he was at an absolute disadvantage. He couldn't do a thing—not just against their big shots, but even against the underlings they sent.

But he had one advantage: he knew their secrets, while the Hokage's people still saw him as nothing more than a precocious little Jinchūriki.

I'm raising fish, I'm raising fish! I heard you can raise not just fish in my bowl, but also recommendation tickets. Why not try it? Put one in and it'll come to life!

There's one choice to make: Orochimaru or Tsunade. I'd like to hear what everyone thinks. I'd already made up my mind at the start, but I'm just your typing tool, after all, so I'll hear you out. No promises, though. (Dog-head grin.)

Thanks to Kaede Falling Leaves, EMEI, So Down Lately, O戒情不戒烟O, White-Clad Folding Fan s, Book Friend 20200330125732977, Turns Out That's How It Is 2333, and all the other kind folks for your tips!