Having been so engrossed in developing the Rasengan that he'd forgotten Might Duy's training, he'd really annoyed Might Duy. But after calming down, Duy felt it was only natural.
Houka was a member of the Uchiha Clan, after all. Ninjutsu and Genjutsu were essential for him to learn, too. He couldn't focus only on Taijutsu!
Even so, he still couldn't quite cheer himself up.
Might Duy's thick, dark eyebrows kept twitching, and Houka's mood rose and fell along with them. He felt uneasy and apprehensive.
Nearby, Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage, awkwardly introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is Minato Namikaze."
"Ah, hello! I'm Might Duy. I've heard of you. You're Lord Jiraiya's student, and I hear you're a genius. It's an honor to meet you. I look forward to working with you!" Might Duy quickly slipped back into his Eternal Genin persona.
"There's no need to be so formal." Minato smiled warmly. "Um, I have something to take care of, so I'll be going now. Houka, let's work on this technique together again next time. By the way, what should we call it?"
Houka waved a hand. "Call it whatever you like."
"Hm? Are you sure? Wonderful! Then let's call it the Super Invincible Whirlwind Thunderclap Mighty Great Ball..." Minato was getting carried away.
"Wait!" Houka jumped. Only then did he remember that the gentle Fourth Hokage had a very distinctive naming style—one even more outrageous than his Flying Thunder God Technique.
"What is it?" Minato looked puzzled, wondering if his imposing name had startled Houka.
"The Rasengan! I just remembered. This technique is called the Rasengan!" Houka gritted out each word. He didn't want to have to shout "Super Invincible Whirlwind Thunderclap Mighty Great Ball or whatever" every time he used it in the future. That would be so stupid!
"Oh, it already has a name? What a shame." Minato sounded genuinely disappointed.
Houka's eye twitched. Shame on you!
That awful name of yours... Ah, forget it. If I say any more, I'll only make myself mad.
After Minato left, Might Duy dragged Houka off for some passionate, extreme training.
A few days later, the weather grew even colder. Heavy snow fell for an entire day and night, blanketing all of Konoha in white. It seriously disrupted the villagers' travel, so the Hokage Building immediately issued E-rank missions for some Genin to do grunt work clearing the snow. Poor Might Duy, the Eternal Genin, got roped into shoveling, too.
At the same time, the Ninja Academy began a short break.
Let's call it winter vacation, for now.
After enjoying half a year of Houka's free Chinese Cuisine, Kurenai Yuhi, Rin, and the others all said they wanted to treat him to a feast at their homes.
Asuma Sarutobi was a sly one. The moment he heard they could go to Kurenai's house, he immediately latched on and refused to leave.
Houka was a little excited, too. Kurenai's father was called Yuhi... Shinku?
Uh, would her grandfather be called Yuhi Very Red? And her great-grandfather Yuhi Super Red?
Once Houka's imagination got going, it was hard to stop.
But one thing was certain: this Yuhi Shinku was undoubtedly skilled in Genjutsu!
The power of Houka's Sharingan had long since reached the limit of the Single Tomoe Sharingan. All it would take was a little stimulation for it to evolve into the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. But he couldn't bear to put his precious comrades' lives in danger for it, so he wanted to use Genjutsu to experience life-and-death farewells in an illusion and provoke an intense emotional response that way.
At noon that day, Houka and Obito walked down the street bundled up until they looked like two balls.
After leaving the Uchiha Clan compound, the two met up with Rin and headed to Kurenai's house.
Asuma Sarutobi was even more eager. He'd gone to Kurenai's house first thing that morning to curry favor, bustling about and helping with everything.
"Houka, Obito, Rin, you're here!" Kurenai Yuhi blinked her naturally vacant red eyes. Her chubby cheeks looked even rosier in the snowy weather.
Houka reached out without a hint of hesitation and pinched them twice. The texture was top-notch!
Asuma Sarutobi watched from nearby, gritting his teeth until they bled.
"Kurenai, what delicious food did you make? I didn't even eat breakfast!" Obito cried, rubbing his stomach with a proud look.
"Obito, that's so rude!" Rin covered her face.
"Did Guy not come?" Kurenai Yuhi asked, looking adorably spaced out.
Houka smiled. "That guy's training. He said he didn't want to waste any time."
"Oh, I see. What a shame. I made lots of delicious food." Kurenai Yuhi looked a little disappointed.
They all went inside, and Yuhi Shinku, the host, appeared as well.
"Haha, welcome, everyone! I'm Yuhi Shinku, Kurenai's father." Yuhi Shinku also had black hair and red eyes. "I hope you'll all look after her. Especially you, Houka. Kurenai says you make delicious lunch boxes. I'd love to try one sometime, too."
"Sure, no problem!" Houka's heart thumped excitedly. He'd be more than happy to!
"Hello, Uncle," Rin said politely.
Obito also greeted him dutifully.
"Just a moment. The meal will be ready soon." Yuhi Shinku gave everyone a head-pat in turn, then left with a smile.
"By the way, Rin, is that guy Kakashi coming?" Obito suddenly leaned close to Rin's ear and asked.
"Kakashi? I invited him, but he didn't want to come. I heard he's preparing for... preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams." Rin hesitated as she spoke.
"What? The Chunin Ninja Exams?!" Obito's jaw dropped. "That guy's so annoying! He's only just graduated from the Academy, and he's already acting so arrogant when he's just a Genin! One day, I'm going to beat him with these eyes!"
After countless rounds of practicing by "staring at the wall," Obito could now activate his Single Tomoe Sharingan through sheer willpower. His endurance was still a serious weakness, though.
Houka didn't react. With his current strength, he could also take the Chunin Ninja Exams after getting some real combat experience!
It was just that, for now, the Rasengan and the Sharingan were clearly more important to him.
Although Yuhi Shinku was a man, he cooked incredibly well. Obito, who'd skipped breakfast, even ate until he truly looked like a ball.
After the meal, they chatted in the living room. Yuhi Shinku very sensibly asked everyone what their dreams were.
"My dream is to become Hokage!" Obito was the first to speak up.
"My dream is to become a ninja as outstanding as my dad," Kurenai Yuhi chimed in.
"My dream is to become an excellent Medical Ninja!" Rin raised her hand and said.
Asuma Sarutobi rubbed his head. "My dream... I don't know what my dream is, either."
As the son of a Hokage, Asuma clearly wasn't measuring up.
Houka remembered that in the original story, Asuma had been very rebellious as a child. He'd even run away from home and joined the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the Land of Fire, which was very much the kind of thing a rebellious teenager would do.
Then everyone looked at Houka.
Yuhi Shinku's eyes narrowed slightly. He was a believer in the Will of Fire and a staunch supporter of the Third Hokage. He already knew the Third Hokage's intentions, so he'd asked about their dreams to confirm whether Houka's beliefs aligned with the Will of Fire.
He was a Genjutsu Ninja, exceptionally skilled at noticing details. He watched Houka's expression closely, trying to determine whether his next words would be sincere or false.
Houka had no idea any of this was going on. (To be continued)
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