Sexy Jutsu

"Good. My constant reminders didn't go to waste." Yi Xiang nodded in satisfaction.

Listening to their conversation, Sasuke didn't know what to make of it. Their reasoning didn't seem wrong, but wasn't it a little too shameless and cautious?

If he became a renowned powerhouse someday, wouldn't he care at all about a strong person's pride?

If I ever faced an enemy several times stronger than me, I'd rather die fighting than surrender... A sudden, inexplicable sense of superiority welled up in Sasuke at the thought. He raised his chin ever so slightly.

"By the way, Naruto, have you been working on developing a new ninjutsu lately?"

Yi Xiang asked as if he were curious, though he was also a little puzzled by Sasuke's change in attitude. He seemed to think he was the smartest one here.

Does he think I'm wrong to say that to Naruto? Is he proud of having more backbone?!

Yi Xiang shook his head, suddenly thinking of a famous figure from Konoha whose story had ended in tragedy—Hatake Sakumo.

He was Kakashi's father, the renowned White Fang of Konoha. During one mission, he had abandoned an important objective to protect his comrades, plunging Konoha and the Cloud Ninja into a decade-long conflict.

Though he had acted to protect his comrades, his decision sparked fierce anger and condemnation from Konoha's villagers and shinobi. Even the comrades he had saved resented him. This shattered the White Fang of Konoha's worldview, and he eventually took his own life.

Yi Xiang believed that the White Fang of Konoha had indeed made the wrong call on that mission. Some sacrifices were necessary to prevent greater losses. But everyone made mistakes; his greater mistake was failing to make amends or simply leaving Konoha.

So, in Yi Xiang's view, personality and mindset were extremely important. A shinobi who was both powerful and shameless enough was practically without weaknesses in every way.

Unless you could crush him with superior strength or defeat him through some scheme, there was nothing you could do against him.

"Big Brother Yi Xiang, h-how did you know?"

That's strange. I don't think I ever told Big Brother Yi Xiang, and I only recently went to the bookstore for inspiration... Naruto replied, looking surprised.

So it really is... He's so young and already going down the wrong path. But for the sake of my system missions, I'll quietly bear this with you.

Ah, I have to endure pain no one should have to suffer at this age. I can't help it.

Having found a reasonable excuse for himself, Yi Xiang was suddenly full of enthusiasm and eager to get going. He said:

"Of course. I noticed you were spending quite a while at the bookstore. I couldn't imagine you were seriously reading books there. Were those magazines any good, Naruto?"

"Well... At first, I was just curious why the grown men who went to the bookstore would grin so creepily while reading. After I took a look, I wanted to create a ninjutsu that would confuse them..."

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea. You've already gotten the hang of Water Walking, so why don't we go take a look together and see if we can develop this new ninjutsu?"

Naruto had assumed Yi Xiang wouldn't agree to go again, so he couldn't help but freeze. The bookstore owner generally didn't let boys read those magazines, and Naruto had only managed to sneak a look. He clearly understood they might not be suitable for someone his age.

They agreed to meet at the same time the next day. Ignoring Sasuke's disapproving look, Yi Xiang hurried off to the bookstore with Naruto.

[ Ding! Mission Two and Mission Three accepted. ]

Inside the largest Shueisha Hall in Konoha.

Two figures, one tall and one short, were absorbed in the books in their hands. The taller one was Yi Xiang, who had used the Transformation Technique to take on the size and appearance of an ordinary adult man.

Naruto's transformation was less polished. He was only a few inches taller than usual, and his face now looked about seven or eight parts like Sasuke's.

No wonder Kakashi always carries a copy of Icha Icha Paradise wherever he goes. Its contents are still shocking to me, someone who lived through the information explosion of the modern age.

The author must have worked hard on this book. All that research really paid off.

Some of the scenes in it were so lifelike that Yi Xiang had reason to suspect Jiraiya had been spying on people as he wrote. The thought alone was impressive.

As expected of the lewd one among Konoha's three great evils: gambling, drinking, and women. No one could match that level of dedication.

Dusk fell, and layer upon layer of fiery clouds blanketed the sky, lending it an indescribably vivid, seductive beauty.

Reluctantly closing the first volume of the Icha Icha Paradise series, Yi Xiang seemed only then to realize how much time had passed.

Just then, Yi Xiang's stomach rumbled. He glanced at Naruto, who was still absorbed in reading and trying out the poses, then interrupted him.

"Hey, Naruto. It's dinnertime. What about dinner?"

"What?! It's already this late? Big Brother Yi Xiang, I'll go make it right now."

Naruto wasn't too engrossed to stop. He quickly put down the magazine, glanced around, and hurried toward Yi Xiang's place.

Good thing I'm still young in this body. If I get any older and my willpower still isn't strong enough, I'll have to go read in the bathroom.

The next afternoon, at the training ground.

"Transformation!"

A broad, muscular woman in a red dress appeared as Naruto transformed. She was only child-sized and had an ordinary face.

"What's going on? This shouldn't be happening! No, I'll try again."

"Transformation!" "Transformation!" "Transformation!"...

After transforming several times, Naruto looked like a deflated balloon, his expression utterly miserable. It was obvious how bad the results were.

"Naruto, you can't rush things. Look at your back—your haste made your chakra unstable, so the person you transformed into has one shoulder bigger than the other."

Seeing Naruto's pitiful state, Yi Xiang hurried over to encourage him.

Naruto was still a little surprised himself, because he'd found that his chakra control had improved by more than a single level.

Before, he could usually only use the basic Transformation Technique three or four times before running out of chakra on the spot and becoming completely exhausted.

"Pfft, what a pointless ninjutsu." Sasuke, now able to hang upside down from a tree trunk without slipping, couldn't resist taunting him.

Hearing that annoying tone, Naruto immediately shot back, "Hey, Sasuke! If you're so good, why don't you try transforming?"

"I'd never waste my time on something so pointless. Go ahead and keep transforming by yourself. I'm not sticking around."

Yi Xiang sat quietly in the shade beneath a tree, watching the two of them bicker as usual. His feet had started aching for some reason that day.

Besides, it was only their third day, and he was already used to it. The two of them perfectly embodied the word "frenemies." They quarreled over every little thing and always had to prove who was better.

After making a scene for a while, Sasuke stopped paying attention to Naruto and walked over to Yi Xiang instead.

"I've mastered tree climbing. I'm going to practice Water Walking next. As for you, training for only half an hour or an hour a day means your Taijutsu and chakra will soon fall behind mine. It won't be long before I challenge you again."

Hearing Sasuke's confident words, Yi Xiang merely smiled.

"There's no need to push yourself so hard. Judging by how you look... You didn't sleep at all last night, did you? You spent the whole night practicing tree climbing?"

Sasuke neither confirmed nor denied it. He nodded and started to leave.

"The best training is gradual. Rushing for quick results will only hurt you. Go home and rest for now, then come over to my place for dinner at eight tonight."