Kage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

At present, he lacked the power to change the sectarian prejudices of the ninja world, so he could only comply with them and enjoy them; otherwise, he would soon be treated as an anomaly and erased.

He was not a Child of Prophecy like Naruto, so every step he took was like walking on thin ice; a single moment of carelessness could invite a fatal disaster.

He couldn't help but ask himself: had he been getting a bit carried away lately?

Did he really think that having the advantage of a prophet meant he could do whatever he wanted?

Did he not know just how dangerous the Chunin Exams were? Why did he have the mindset that this was a playground for farming Magic Modification Points, where he could recklessly alter the plot just by participating?

That place contained Orochimaru disguised as a candidate and Gaara, who could go berserk at any moment; either one of them could easily kill him.

"Consider this another favor I owe you; I will pay you back sooner or later." Seeing Keiichi lost in thought, Kakashi left him with these words before taking his leave.

"Lord Kakashi, may I know when I will be able to meet my squad leader?" Keiichi shouted toward his retreating back.

"Soon!"

It was indeed as Kakashi had said—very soon—because an hour later, he received orders to rush to Training Ground 15, where he met his squad leader.

"You must be Keiichi, right? Let me introduce myself. I am... cough, cough... Gekko Hayate..."

Looking at the pale, sickly man before him, Keiichi felt his entire world collapse.

Um... could I return this item?

What, can a Special Jonin even be called a Jonin?

Wasn't that rank only achieved through... wait, no... wasn't that only granted by the Hokage's special approval?

Jonin like this usually only had the strength of a Chunin, with perhaps one specific skill that stood out.

Those with real strength were called official Jonin, weren't they?

As for those who had made a name for themselves and earned titles in the ninja world, they were considered Elite Jonin, like the Copy Ninja Kakashi.

He had a slight impression of the name Gekko Hayate, but only slight; he was a background character who disappeared without a trace after the start of the Shippuden era.

Others who suffered the same fate included Yamato and Mitarashi Anko; despite not dying, no one knew where they went off to do odd jobs later on.

There was usually only one reason for this: their strength wasn't enough to hold the stage, and they were no longer relevant.

Therefore, he had zero expectations for Gekko Hayate. What could a "watered-down" Jonin who didn't even have a few episodes of screen time teach him?

"Hayate-sensei, I heard that a test is usually required upon first meeting. Why don't you test me? I'm afraid I might not be up to the standard," Keiichi said with a humble expression.

Believe me, the moment you lift a finger, I'll lie down!

I'm sorry, but I'm not qualified to be your student!

"No, no, cough, cough... I am very satisfied with your grades. Being able to complete an A-rank mission has already proven your strength."

Damn it, he didn't take the bait!

"I see that you seem to be in poor health, Teacher. Why don't you take a break for a while? Don't overwork yourself; leading newcomers is very exhausting," Keiichi said, feigning concern.

"No... cough, cough... it's fine. I... cough, cough... this is an old ailment... cough, cough..." Hearing him say this, Gekko Hayate coughed even more violently, as if he were trying to cough up his own lungs.

Good heavens, if I'm stuck with a teacher like this, I hope I don't catch his illness! Keiichi remained calm on the surface, but he couldn't stop the feeling of disdain in his heart.

"Then, Teacher, what do you plan to teach me?" Keiichi asked, trying to hide his disappointment and feeling bored.

"What do you want to learn?"

"The Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Type Three!"

"What kind of nonsense is that!"

"The Light Wheel Cold Fruit Launching Whirl-Hair Jiraiya Double Style!"

"I've never even heard of that!"

"The Light Wheel Gale Pitch-Black Arrow Zero Style!"

"Cough, cough... cough, cough..."

"Fine, fine. Then can you teach me a Kekkei Genkai like Ice Style?" Keiichi retreated to his second choice.

"Kekkei Genkai are inherited through bloodlines; I can't teach you that," Hayate said with a bitter smile.

Seeing Keiichi's increasingly disappointed expression, Hayate suddenly had the illusion that he was a teacher who was about to be fired right after being hired. He couldn't let people make a joke out of him, could he?

With a sudden thought, he smiled and said, "Although I cannot teach it to you, I do possess a Kekkei Genkai that I can demonstrate for you."

Huh?

What did you say?

You actually have a Kekkei Genkai?!

With something so badass, how did you end up in this state?

As he spoke, Gekko Hayate smiled slightly, and his entire body gradually lost its color until it vanished from sight.

[Transparent Release: Stealth Technique]!

Chapter 28: Transparent Release: Stealth Technique

It was already night by the time he returned home from the training ground. After finishing his daily training, Keiichi lay on his bed, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

The exchange with Gekko Hayate lasted quite a while, mostly spent comparing the ninjutsu they had both learned. As it turned out, the teacher discovered that he actually knew fewer techniques than his own student.

Even for the common ninjutsu that everyone knew, Hayate-sensei wasn't particularly impressive, leaving him with nothing to teach Keiichi.

The only thing that made Keiichi covetous was the Transparent Release, but since it was a Kekkei Genkai, it couldn't be taught.

No, it couldn't be taught to others, but Keiichi was different. He could simply redeem 5% of the [Gekko Bloodline], which would satisfy the most basic requirement for learning the Transparent Release.

He specifically checked the shop; if he redeemed it directly with points, the entry-level [Transparent Release: Stealth Technique] would cost 50 points, twice as expensive as the One-Tomoe Sharingan.

However, if he could get Gekko Hayate to teach him this move, those 50 points could be saved.

The only thing that made him hesitate was that, while the stealth technique was arguably the strongest tracking and reconnaissance ninjutsu—with almost zero chance of being detected—that was only in theory. The entry-level version still had some fatal flaws.

For instance, it could not eliminate sounds, scents, breathing, or one's presence; a moment of carelessness could lead to discovery.

Furthermore, once he took action, the stealth state would be broken immediately.

Only by upgrading this entry-level skill could he compensate for these defects one by one.

Yet, even if he upgraded it to the Master level, it would still be nothing more than a tracking and reconnaissance technique, occasionally useful for escaping, with little impact on his combat prowess.

Moreover, doing so would force him to increase the purity of the [Gekko Bloodline], which didn't seem very cost-effective.

The [Gekko Bloodline] was truly mediocre; aside from the Transparent Release, it had nothing else worth taking.

He had also inquired around and learned that Gekko Hayate's grandfather had also suffered from a lung disease; it was quite possible that it was inherited along with the bloodline.

What is this, the stronger the bloodline, the worse the illness?

Are you sure this isn't a Kekkei Genkai disease?

Besides, there were limits to bloodlines; the total purity of all bloodlines combined could not exceed 100%.

For example, if one possessed 50% [Uchiha] and 50% [Uzumaki], there would be no room left for a third bloodline.

Of course, already acquired bloodlines could be replaced at any time. Although the Gekko bloodline cost a few points, it wouldn't occupy the purity percentage forever.

As his strength grew, he would inevitably have to choose only the most excellent bloodlines, eventually redeeming them until he was left with 100% purity of a single type, which was the only way to maximize the corresponding Kekkei Genkai.

After thinking it over and over, Keiichi finally decided to redeem it. After all, if he became strong enough that he didn't need it anymore, he could discard it at any time.

Otherwise, this "cheap" master he had picked up would have run out of tricks on his very first day of work.

Later, he realized that the Transparent Release wasn't meant for combat anyway. When it was time to fight, couldn't he just switch back to a different bloodline?

To get these 50 Distortion Points for free, I'll go all out.

Thus, the next day, when Gekko Hayate heard that Keiichi intended to learn the Transparent Release from him, he couldn't hide the surprise on his face.

"You should know this, right? Kekkei Genkai are passed down through bloodlines. Only those of us in the Gekko Clan can possibly awaken the Transparent Release. How could you learn it?"

"If you don't teach me, how will you know if I don't have the blood of the Gekko Clan?" Keiichi replied with an eager expression.

Hearing this, Gekko Hayate shook his head helplessly. How could that be possible? The probability was simply too low.

Even if, by some accident, you were a descendant of my Gekko Clan lost for generations, awakening a Kekkei Genkai would still be far too difficult.

Even within the Gekko Clan itself, he was the only one in this generation to have awakened the Transparent Release.

However, since Keiichi wanted to learn, he didn't intend to keep his secrets. After all, yesterday's exchange had already made him realize that, aside from the Transparent Release, he didn't seem to have anything else to teach the boy.

This left him feeling very unaccomplished.

As for whether he can learn it or not, that's not my concern!

Unbeknownst to many, the number of visitors in the Leaf Village began to surge, and many unfamiliar faces appeared on the streets.

No, they couldn't exactly be called tourists; to be precise, they were ninjas from other villages. Wasn't it obvious from the headbands they wore?

These people were not at all well-behaved in the Leaf Village, and many physical frictions occurred between them and the local ninjas.

This made a few people start to miss the days when the Uchiha clan was still around. If the Military Police Force were still active, how would these people dare to act so recklessly?

They would have been dealt with in a minute, and you wouldn't even have a place to lodge a complaint.

But those days were gone, and everyone knew that the Leaf Village was currently on the decline.

Therefore, many people had come to this Chunin Exams with a mission: to make the Leaf Village look foolish and let everyone see how incompetent the new generation of the Leaf was. That way, when war broke out in the future, people would no longer fear the Leaf Village.

Yes, everyone knew that war would break out sooner or later, and this time, the Leaf Village would be thoroughly trampled into the dust. The fertile Land of Fire would inevitably be carved up by its starving neighbors.

The political significance of this Chunin Exams far outweighed its practical value; to put it bluntly, it was a prelude to a ninja world war!

Among them, Sunagakure was the most proactive, sending out almost their entire elite generation, even sending that crucial "Prince."

What kind of allies are they? Is there any alliance where you hold a blade to the other party's throat while they press their thumbprint on the treaty?

As for the Leaf Village, the Sunagakure ninjas didn't have a shred of goodwill to spare!

As the two countries with the most frequent wars, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they had a deep, blood-soaked feud.

Of course, the Leaf Village wasn't a pushover either. Each ninja clan had sent their most outstanding disciples to participate in this Chunin Exams, if for no other reason than to save face—they absolutely could not let themselves be looked down upon!

Despite the internal conflicts, when it came time to face the outside world, the major ninja clans had no objections.

Keiichi had become very busy over the past two days. Not only was he learning the Transparent Release from Hayate, but he would also wander around the village whenever he was free. Whenever a conflict broke out, he would sniff it out like a paparazzi chasing a scandal, and then...

Quietly watching the show.

Intervening in a fight? How could that ever happen!

Isn't it much better to just be a spectator?

Of course, Keiichi wasn't just planning to watch for fun; he would also take notes while observing, recording every characteristic and piece of intelligence about the others in his little notebook.

In fact, some of these people had appeared in the manga, so he naturally had an impression of them. By combining that with what he saw with his own eyes, he could summarize the most detailed and reliable intelligence.

He wasn't the only one doing this kind of work; many others were doing it stealthily as well. Occasionally, when they bumped into each other, everyone would exchange a knowing smile.

Without exception, these people were ninja scouts trained by various major clans, specifically tasked with this kind of work.

However, even the highest-level scouts couldn't possibly do intelligence work as well as Keiichi. Look at that brat with the character for 'Love' tattooed on his forehead—do you know what ninjutsu he excels at? Do you know his trump cards?

You don't, right?

Heh, only I know, and I'm not telling you!

He had turned every examinee participating in these Chunin Exams into individual intelligence cards, classifying them according to their strength into N, R, SR, and SSR ranks.

Beyond the examinee's photo, the cards contained almost every piece of information, leaving nothing out.

Of course, particularly sensitive intelligence was not included, such as things like Shukaku.

To create this, Keiichi had gone to great lengths and prepared well in advance, spending the entire reward from his last mission on printing these little cards.

This time...

This time, he was going to play for keeps!

The Magical Little Cards

Naruto felt like he had been having incredible luck lately. Never in his life had he been this wealthy; after running a single mission, he had actually received a reward of 100,000 ryo, something he wouldn't have even dared to imagine before.