Testing × Teaching the Way

"Bang!"

As soon as Nara Shikaku finished speaking, he clutched his head and yelped in pain. Nara Dan had flicked him right on the forehead.

"What's going through that head of yours every day?"

"Hyuga Nana is only thirteen. Do you really think I'd want to arrange a marriage with her?!"

Nara Dan felt like crying.

It was true that girls in the ninja world matured early, but by the standards of his previous life, Hyuga Nana was at most a middle schooler.

He might have been transmigrated here, but he wasn't depraved enough to go that far.

Besides, some unknown, powerful force had him locked in its sights, making him afraid to do anything out of line.

And anyway, he preferred mature women.

Preferably ones who were fully ripened. Nothing embodied the saying "Cao Cao never dies" better than that.

Nara Shikaku clutched his head, hissing through his teeth. Even as he winced from the pain, he couldn't help feeling shaken.

Before, when Brother Dan made a move, it seemed as fast as lightning. I couldn't react at all.

But now, there's almost no warning when Brother Dan moves. There isn't even a trajectory.

It's not that I can't react. It's that there's nothing to react to.

It's just like when he flicked me on the forehead.

Just how strong has Brother Dan become?

Nara Dan slowly explained what had happened, finding Shikaku's reaction rather amusing.

"She wants me to be her teacher. It was Hyuga's idea, too."

"They want to form a cooperative relationship with me."

At the same time, he couldn't help worrying. Given the way things were going, was some nasty rumor really going to spread?

It wasn't that Nara Dan truly cared whether his reputation was good or bad. He was just afraid that if people really thought he was into that sort of thing, they'd keep sending him "gifts" that would make him die of embarrassment.

That would be far too awkward.

"So that's what happened."

"We misunderstood."

Nara Shikaku felt a little embarrassed, but he quickly moved on and began earnestly discussing the political implications of Hyuga's actions.

"Hyuga wants either to break out of its current position, overcome the limitations of its Taijutsu, or gain a foothold at the heart of Konoha."

"But all along, they've claimed to maintain a neutral political stance."

"If that's the case, the Nara Clan's political influence within Ino-Shika-Cho will become heavily skewed."

"I'm afraid..."

Nara Dan glanced at the pensive Shikaku, his expression tinged with admiration.

As expected of the Nara Clan, a family of born strategists. Shikaku had instantly grasped the many political consequences that could follow from a single alliance.

Indeed, once this political balance was upset, the political influence of the Ino-Shika-Cho faction would shift dramatically.

At that point, Ino-Shika-Cho would no longer be able to maintain its current political stance of loyalty to the Third Hokage. Even the balance of power within Ino-Shika-Cho itself would be broken.

Whether Ino-Shika-Cho would crumble apart or the Nara Clan would become fully independent and rise to power was impossible to say.

That was what Nara Shikaku and the Nara Clan were worried about.

And this was no idle fear. In politics, there were no absolute friends, only absolute balances and interests.

When you grew stronger than your allies, they would undoubtedly panic. There was no such thing as trust in politics; so-called agreements were nothing more than fig leaves.

When you held an overwhelming advantage in power, there were only two possibilities: either your allies would pull you down and put you back on equal footing, or you would keep growing stronger and lead them.

There was no third option.

But these matters were clearly beyond Nara Shikaku's say, and even the Nara Clan Head's. Only the clan's King had the final say.

Or perhaps Nara Shikaku was using this opportunity to sound Nara Dan out with a tentative question:

Does Brother Dan have the desire to advance the Nara Clan's position?

If the Nara Clan ends up in political peril, will you turn the world upside down?

After all, in this ninja world, individual strength still held sway.

Nara Dan didn't know whether the Hokage was the person most people acknowledged, but he knew that every Hokage had been the strongest fighter in Konoha!

At that, Nara Dan gave a slight smile. Rather than answer directly, he brought up something else.

"I'm technically in charge of Taijutsu training for the clan, right?"

Nara Shikaku nodded. Nara Dan hadn't shown up for work these past few days, but no one had dared to rush him.

"By the way, Brother Dan, the clan elders discussed it earlier."

"Your share of the clan's business profits is a bit too small."

"The clan has decided to raise it to three million ryo a month."

Nara Dan gave Shikaku a pointed, meaningful look.

Clearly, Shikaku had been instructed well in advance to increase his share, whatever his answer or circumstances.

As far as Nara Dan knew, a monthly share of three million ryo was already what the Clan Head received.

The implication was obvious.

Nara Dan, you're the one who truly calls the shots in the clan now. Whatever happens, remember the bond you share and take responsibility for the family.

"Then thank the clan elders and the Clan Head for me."

Nara Dan neither confirmed nor denied it. He wasn't the sort to take what he could from the clan and then turn his back on it. The Nara Clan had treated him well enough over the years.

He had worked hard to get where he was, but the clan had also given him considerable support.

Then Nara Dan changed the subject.

"From now on, I probably won't have much time to train the clan members in Taijutsu."

"You're my deputy now."

"Take my place and train those youngsters every so often."

"Huh?!"

"My own Taijutsu is pretty terrible. How am I supposed to teach the clan members?"

Nara Shikaku was baffled. It wasn't that he minded Nara Dan skipping work.

Given Nara Dan's current prestige and standing, the higher-ups were bound to assign him important tasks regularly.

The problem was that Nara Dan wanted him to take over the training. Wasn't that a joke?

His Taijutsu was barely passable. By Nara Dan's standards, it was downright amateur.

"That's right."

Nara Dan nodded, amused by Shikaku's bewildered expression.

"But you don't need to worry."

"My Taijutsu has just entered an entirely new realm."

"It's time I taught you, too."

"Uh..."

Shikaku looked tense and reluctant. He couldn't help thinking of Nara Dan's terrifying training regimen. An ordinary person would probably have to shed a layer of skin just to survive it.

There was no way he could handle that.

"Don't worry. What I'm going to teach you is Quiet Meditation."

Nara Dan paid no mind to what Shikaku was thinking. His expression turned solemn—an unusual sight in front of Shikaku.

In an instant, an invisible aura spread out, enveloping the entire front courtyard. The Life Magnetic Fields of everything within it—birds, mosquitoes, even the fish at the bottom of the river—were thrown into disarray, and they all fell unconscious.

Even the household servants were not spared. They collapsed one after another, unconscious.