Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

However, just as he turned, he was met with the sight of Baki's face, twisted into a cruel smile.

Behind him, Kabuto Yakushi pressed his fingers together like a blade, sharp chakra flooding his fingertips as he drove them directly into Gekko Hayate's back.

Ah...

The scream was cut short, and blood instantly splattered across the entire room.

Facing two elite jonin, Gekko Hayate was forced out of hiding and decapitated in a single exchange.

"I didn't expect to be exposed after all. It seems I can't go back to the Leaf Village anymore." Kabuto Yakushi shook his head with a bitter smile; he didn't even know how he had been discovered.

Since Gekko Hayate had appeared here, who knew if he was already on Hiruzen's blacklist? He didn't have Orochimaru's capabilities, and he dared not return.

But before that, he had to settle a small grudge, which could serve as a period at the end of his career as a Leaf ninja.

At this moment, Keiichi had no idea that his new teacher, whom he had only just begun to apprentice under, had already returned to the Pure Land. He was still shocked by the speed of Naruto's progress.

On the first day, Naruto had already learned how to stand steadily on the surface of the water.

By the second day, let alone walking on water, he could even run!

Was this Shadow Clone Training Method really this ridiculously efficient?

It was just a pity that he wasn't Naruto; otherwise, couldn't he have followed suit?

But that was just wishful thinking; he didn't have a Tailed Beast to act as a power bank.

On the third day, he increased the intensity for Naruto, summoning a Magikarp to dive to the bottom of the lake and using Splash to ambush Naruto from time to time, testing whether he could maintain stability while in a state of panic.

He kept at it until Naruto could turn this training into muscle memory.

As it turned out, this test was passed before the third day had even ended.

At this moment, Naruto could control his chakra output perfectly, no longer wasting a single drop. If he were to fight Choji again, the one to be dragged down by exhaustion would definitely be Choji, not him.

Of course, this was only the beginning of the special training. From the fourth day on, Naruto began his training in Wind nature transformation under his guidance.

There was no helping it; since he knew in advance that Naruto's specialty was Wind Style, there was no need for testing—he could start right away.

After these few days of special training, Naruto became increasingly convinced by him. He could clearly feel his strength leaping forward; this was even more reliable than Kakashi's teaching.

So, whatever Keiichi told him to do, he did without question. He didn't care why, as long as it made him stronger.

Training in nature transformation was much harder; it was usually a curriculum started only after becoming a chunin.

Moreover, Keiichi himself didn't master the Wind nature, so in this regard, Naruto had to grope his way forward on his own. He only taught him the training methods of cutting leaves and splitting waterfalls; the rest depended on his own intuition.

But if you were to say Naruto had intuition, you were giving him too much credit.

If he really had that kind of intuition, how could he have failed to learn a simple Transformation Jutsu for so many years?

But he had his own ideas. Since he couldn't figure it out, he would just use the dumbest method: brute-force cracking.

I'll create hundreds of clones, and each clone will try a different approach to crack it. If one doesn't work, I'll swap in another batch. I'll eventually find the right answer, right?

This training method, which would be laughable to a normal person, actually succeeded in Naruto's case.

The price was that the nearby forest suffered; it was left bare, stripped down to the branches, as if autumn had arrived early.

As for the waterfall, the landscape had been completely reshaped, with wind blade marks covering the rock walls.

Keiichi couldn't help but admire Naruto's perseverance. A normal person couldn't train day and night like this; perhaps only Rock Lee could out-grind him.

And so, in just seven days, he had mastered the Wind nature transformation, which already exceeded Keiichi's expectations.

A normal person would take at least several months to master nature transformation; only a very small number of people could do it this quickly, and such people were often called geniuses.

Take Sasuke, for example; it took him a total of one month from mastering nature transformation to learning Chidori.

Now, having obtained the Shadow Clone Training Method, Naruto had finally caught up to Sasuke's speed.

Next, he taught Naruto a special Wind Style jutsu—

[Wind Style: Vacuum Blade]!

In truth, Keiichi didn't know this jutsu at all; he had only personally experienced how it was performed while controlling the Danzo clone.

This was a jutsu that could attach Wind Style chakra to a kunai. The key was that it required no hand seals; it relied purely on one's own intuition to explore.

This jutsu was B-rank in difficulty. For an average genin, it might be too hard, but for Naruto, who could even learn the A-rank Rasengan, it was not impossible.

However, all he could tell Naruto was the principle of the jutsu and some sensations he felt when performing it. As for whether he could learn it, it all depended on his intuition... no, his ability to brute-force it.

As for whether it would succeed, he would leave it to fate. In any case, his goals had already been achieved.

"Steal the spotlight: replace Jiraiya as Naruto's teacher. Obtained 30 Magic Modification Points."

"Over-assisted: taught Naruto the Shadow Clone Training Method three years early. Obtained 50 Magic Modification Points."

"Rapid progress: Naruto mastered Wind nature transformation ahead of schedule. Obtained 20 Magic Modification Points."

As expected, the plot route of a modified protagonist was different. A total of 100 points in one go made Keiichi grin from ear to ear.

He could boast that under his special training, Naruto's progress would be on the fast track ahead of schedule, and Timeline Convergence would likely be helpless to stop it.

Could you really brainwash Naruto and make him forget such a monstrous training method?

This point also received the most authentic feedback—

Plot deviation: 3.41019%

Moreover, this number was constantly increasing, at a rate even faster than when he had deviated from Sasuke's plot line earlier.

I fear that before long, it will break through the 5% mark!

By then, many options in the Exchange Shop will be unlocked, and his range of choices will be much broader.

One must realize that only ten days have passed; by the time the special training ends in a month, how great will the change in Naruto's strength be? How many points will have been earned in the interim?

Just thinking about it made him feel a little excited.

"Why are you helping me so much?" One day, while resting, Naruto suddenly asked this question.

This question had been bothering him; he had never received so much help from his peers, as the vast majority of people avoided him due to the rumors about the Nine-Tails Fox.

Yet Keiichi was different, helping him with all his might as if he owed him a debt from a past life.

From childhood to now, no one had ever been this good to him.

This left him feeling somewhat uneasy, even fearing that Keiichi, like Mizuki back in the day, actually had ulterior motives.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?"

"The truth, of course! I hate it when people lie to me!"

"Fine, then I'll tell you the truth: it's because I made a bet with Neji Hyuga."

"Huh? What does that have to do with you helping me?" Naruto was completely bewildered.

"I bet Neji that you would definitely be able to beat him."

"You have that much faith in me?"

"Of course!"

Naruto's eyes instantly welled up with tears; he knew full well that no one would bet on him to defeat Neji. After all, Neji was a genius just like Sasuke, and he had been training for a year longer.

No matter how you looked at it, there was no reason for a dead-last to win.

Even he himself lacked confidence; he was simply unwilling to give up, feeling that he had to vent Hinata's grievances.

Yet only Keiichi actually said he had faith in him and was going to such great lengths to help him.

Could it be that you really are my long-lost brother?

Big brother, from now on, you are my big brother!

Keiichi smiled without a word. He certainly wouldn't tell Naruto that the reason he bet with Neji was entirely to use Naruto to provoke him, so that his words would carry more weight when he tried to befriend him in the future.

If you misunderstood something, that's your problem.

The truth is cruel; better to say what you want to hear.

"Yosh! Don't worry, I will definitely help you beat Neji. I keep my word—that is my ninja way!" Naruto could no longer rest; he started the next round of training as if he'd been injected with adrenaline.

With Sasuke, he still had to rely on empty promises to get him fired up, but Naruto was something else—he could fire himself up just fine.

Too naive, you silly kid!

And so, the two continued their dull training life by the pond, until an uninvited guest suddenly appeared before them.

Chapter 55: The Unscrupulous Kabuto Yakushi

"Kabuto Yakushi? How did you find your way here?" Seeing the visitor appear so openly before him, Keiichi's expression turned grave.

This was the depths of the Forest of Death; in such a vast place, how did he find this spot so precisely?

"You're confused as to why I'm here, aren't you? Don't forget, you took a palm strike from me that day," Kabuto said with a beaming smile.

As he spoke, he patted his own shoulder, as if afraid the other party wouldn't understand.

Clearly, he had done something to Keiichi's clothes back then.

"So that's how it is. I didn't expect your methods to be so stealthy." Keiichi frowned, feeling regretful for his own carelessness.

At the time, he had been so relieved that Kabuto hadn't gone for the kill that he had forgotten to guard against any potential hidden tricks.

The key was that he had actually tracked him down. Since this place was desolate, he could fully unleash his true strength without fear of being seen.

Out of caution, Keiichi had already secretly opened the Exchange Shop to see if there were any countermeasures to rapidly increase his strength.

One had to remember, this was a genuine, official Jonin!

And he was different from an ordinary Jonin; his various lethal techniques were impossible to guard against.

"It's strange, why aren't you as arrogant as you were last time?" Kabuto curled the corner of his mouth, seemingly enjoying the sight of others looking deflated.

"Speak, what exactly do you want?"

"I'm leaving the Leaf Village, and I thought I'd come by to say hello."

Hearing this, Keiichi's heart sank, and his bad premonition grew even stronger.

Leaving the Leaf Village?

Does this mean you're going to act without any restraint?

That makes sense; Orochimaru's plan is about to be set in motion, so there is no point in him lurking in the Leaf Village any longer.

"Yo, Senior Kabuto! How did you find this place?" Seeing Kabuto Yakushi, Naruto immediately ended his special training and walked over with a grin to greet him.

He was truly thick-skinned; he couldn't sense the tense atmosphere here at all.

Naruto only remembered that back in the Forest of Death, if it hadn't been for Senior Kabuto's care, the process would likely have been far more perilous.

Therefore, he had a rather good impression of Kabuto Yakushi.

However, Keiichi reached out to stop Naruto, whispering sharply, "Watch out, don't get close to him!"

"What's wrong? Senior Kabuto isn't an enemy; he's a ninja of the Leaf Village, isn't he?" Naruto asked, feeling somewhat bewildered.

"A Leaf ninja? That's not necessarily true. Just like Mizuki, who framed you back then, he is a subordinate of Orochimaru!"

Hearing this, Naruto immediately tensed up. Once Mizuki was mentioned, he understood; those who seemed kind to him might actually have ulterior motives!

Now that it was put this way, the more he looked at Kabuto Yakushi, the more he felt that he really didn't look like a good person.

"This truly surprises me. Where on earth are you getting your intelligence from to know even this?" Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, his expression showing genuine surprise, while simultaneously realizing why Keiichi had been so full of hostility toward him all along.

So, this guy had discovered his identity long ago.

As expected, his intuition had not been wrong; the existence of this person would truly become an obstacle for Lord Orochimaru.

Thinking of this, Kabuto Yakushi no longer hid his strength. He activated the Body Flicker Technique, appearing before Keiichi in the blink of an eye with his fingers poised like a blade.

However, Keiichi was no longer the person he used to be; he had been guarding against his movements all along. He nimbly dodged to the side and retreated with a series of steps to put some distance between them.

"Huh? How has your reaction speed increased so much?" Kabuto Yakushi felt slightly surprised. Last time, he had easily closed the distance and could have killed the other party with a single thought.

Could it be that he had been faking it back then as well?

Keiichi smiled, and just as he was about to speak, his smile suddenly froze, for he felt liquid seeping from his cheek and sliding down to the corner of his mouth.