Magic Modification Surges / Yakushi Kabuto Unleashed

However, the moment he turned around, he came face-to-face with Baki's cruel, grinning expression.

Behind him, Kabuto Yakushi held his fingers together like a blade. Sharp chakra gathered at his fingertips as he thrust them straight into Gekko Hayate's back.

"Ah..."

The scream cut off abruptly, and blood instantly spread across the entire room.

Faced with two elite Jonin, Gekko Hayate had been forced to reveal himself. He was decapitated in a single exchange.

"So I was found out after all. Looks like I can't go back to the Leaf Village." Kabuto Yakushi shook his head with a bitter smile. He had no idea how they had discovered him.

Now that Gekko Hayate had appeared here, who knew whether he was already on Hiruzen's blacklist? He didn't have Orochimaru's abilities, and he didn't dare go back.

But before that, he had to settle a small grudge. It would also serve as the final chapter in his career as a Konoha Ninja.

Chapter 54: Magic Modification Surges

Keiichi had no idea that his newly appointed teacher, whom he had only begun studying under a short while ago, had just returned to the Pure Land. He was still amazed by Naruto's rate of progress.

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

By the second day, he wasn't just walking on water—he could even run!

Was the Shadow Clone Training Method really supposed to be this insanely efficient?

Too bad he wasn't Naruto. Otherwise, couldn't he try it out for himself?

But that was only wishful thinking. He didn't have a Tailed Beast to use as a power bank.

On the third day, he ramped up Naruto's training. He summoned Magikarp to dive to the bottom of the lake, then had it use Splash to ambush Naruto every so often, testing whether he could stay steady while caught off guard.

They kept at it until Naruto could turn the exercise into muscle memory.

As it turned out, Naruto passed the test before the third day was even over.

By then, Naruto had learned to control his chakra output well. He no longer wasted chakra. If he fought Choji again, Choji would be the one to run out of steam, not him.

Of course, this was only the beginning of his special training. Starting on the fourth day, Naruto began practicing Wind Release nature transformation under Keiichi's guidance.

There was no helping it. He already knew that Wind Release was Naruto's specialty, so there was no need to test him. They could get right to it.

After these past few days of training, Naruto had grown more and more convinced by Keiichi. He could clearly feel his strength improving by leaps and bounds, and Keiichi's instruction seemed far more reliable than Kakashi's.

So whatever Keiichi told him to do, he did it. He never asked why. As long as it made him stronger, that was all that mattered.

Nature transformation was much harder. It was usually taught only after a student became a Chunin.

And Keiichi himself had mastered a different nature, not Wind Release. Naruto would have to figure this one out on his own. Keiichi only taught him the exercises of cutting leaves and parting a waterfall. The rest depended on Naruto's own aptitude.

But saying Naruto had aptitude was giving him way too much credit.

If he really had that much aptitude, how could he have spent years failing to learn something as simple as the Transformation Technique?

Still, he had his own idea. If he couldn't figure it out, then he'd use the dumbest method and brute-force his way through it.

He'd make hundreds of clones, each one try a different approach, and if none of them worked, he'd make a new batch. Surely one of them would hit on the right answer eventually.

This kind of training would have seemed laughably ridiculous for anyone else. But somehow, it worked for Naruto.

The price was that the surrounding woods took a beating. All the trees were stripped bare, with only their branches left behind. You'd think autumn had come early.

The area around the waterfall was reshaped, too. The cliff face was covered in marks from wind blades.

Keiichi couldn't help admiring Naruto's perseverance. Ordinary people could never train day and night like he did. Maybe only Rock Lee could outwork him.

And so, in just seven days, Naruto had mastered Wind Release nature transformation. That was already beyond Keiichi's expectations.

It usually took ordinary people several months to master nature transformation. Only a rare few could do it so quickly, and they were often called geniuses.

Sasuke was one example. It had taken him only a month to master nature transformation and learn Chidori.

Now, after learning the Shadow Clone Training Method, Naruto had finally caught up to Sasuke's pace.

Next, Keiichi taught Naruto a special Wind Release Ninjutsu—

[Wind Style: Vacuum Blade]!

In truth, Keiichi didn't know this technique at all. He had only experienced how it was performed firsthand while controlling Danzo's clone.

It was a technique that let the user coat a Kunai in Wind Release chakra. The key was that it required no Hand Seals; the user had to figure it out through sheer aptitude.

The technique was classified as B-rank. It might have been too difficult for an ordinary Genin, but it wasn't impossible for Naruto, who had even managed to learn the A-rank Rasengan.

Still, all Keiichi could tell Naruto was the principle behind the technique and what it felt like to use it. Whether Naruto could master it was up to his aptitude... no, his ability to brute-force his way through it.

Whether he succeeded was in the hands of fate. His goal had already been achieved, anyway.

"You've pulled off a switcheroo, replacing Jiraiya as Naruto's teacher. Earned 30 Magic Modification Points."

"Added a boost: taught Naruto the Shadow Clone Training Method three years early. Earned 50 Magic Modification Points."

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

As expected, modifying the protagonist's storyline was something else. Keiichi had earned 100 points in one go, and he grinned from ear to ear.

He could proudly say that under his special training, Naruto's progress had shifted into the fast lane. Even Timeline Convergence would probably be powerless to stop it.

Could it really brainwash Naruto into forgetting such an absurdly effective training method?

The results spoke for themselves—

"Plot Modification Rate: 3.41019%"

And the number was still climbing, at a faster rate than when he had modified Sasuke's storyline.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before it passed 5%!

Once that happened, many more options in the Exchange Shop would unlock, giving him far more choices.

Just think, only ten days had passed. How much would Naruto's strength change by the time training ended a month later? How many points could he earn along the way?

Just thinking about it got him a little excited.

"Why are you helping me so much?" Naruto suddenly asked one day during a break.

The question had been bothering him for a while. He had never received so much help from anyone his own age. Most people avoided him because of the rumors about the Fox Demon.

Keiichi was different. He had done everything he could to help him, as if he owed Naruto a debt from a past life.

No one had ever treated him this well, before or since.

It made him feel uneasy, even a little afraid that Keiichi might be like Mizuki back then—someone who had ulterior motives.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?"

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

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

"What? What's that got to do with you helping me?" Naruto looked completely baffled.

"I bet Neji that you could beat him."

"You really have that much faith in me?"

"Of course!"

Naruto's eyes immediately welled up with emotion. He knew that probably no one thought he could beat Neji. Neji was a genius like Sasuke, and he had a whole extra year of training under his belt.

However he looked at it, there was no reason for him to lose to a dead-last loser, right?

Even Naruto himself wasn't very confident. He was just frustrated and felt that he had to avenge Hinata.

Only Keiichi believed in him—and had gone to such lengths to help him.

Could you really be my long-lost brother?

Big bro, from now on, you're my big bro!

Keiichi smiled without saying a word. Of course, he wasn't going to tell Naruto that he had made the bet with Neji purely to use Naruto to provoke him. That way, when Keiichi befriended him later, his words would carry more weight.

If Naruto got the wrong idea, that was his problem.

The truth was too cruel. Better to tell him what he wanted to hear.

"Yosh! Don't worry. I'll help you beat Neji, and I'll keep my word. This Is My Ninja Way!" Naruto couldn't sit around resting anymore. Fired up like he'd been injected with stimulants, he launched into the next round of training.

With Sasuke, Keiichi had to make grand promises to fire him up. Naruto, on the other hand, could apparently fire himself up just fine.

What an innocent kid!

And so, the two of them continued their monotonous training by the pond, until an unwelcome guest suddenly appeared before them.

Chapter 55: Yakushi Kabuto Unleashed

"Kabuto Yakushi? What are you doing here?" Keiichi's expression turned grave as he saw the visitor standing before him without a care in the world.

This was deep in the Forest of Death. It was a huge place. How had Kabuto managed to find this exact spot?

"You're wondering why I'm here, aren't you? Don't forget, I hit you with my palm that day." Kabuto Yakushi smiled brightly.

As he spoke, he even patted his own shoulder, as if worried Keiichi wouldn't get the hint.

Clearly, he had tampered with Keiichi's clothes back then.

"I see. I didn't realize you were so subtle." Keiichi furrowed his brow, regretting his carelessness.

Back then, he'd been so relieved that Kabuto Yakushi hadn't tried to kill him that he'd forgotten to watch out for a hidden trick.

The worst part was that Kabuto had found him here. This place was remote, and he could show his true strength without worrying about anyone seeing.

Out of caution, Keiichi had already opened the Exchange Shop in secret to see if there was anything he could use to boost his strength quickly.

After all, Kabuto was a genuine Jonin!

And he wasn't like ordinary Jonin. He had all sorts of deadly techniques that were impossible to guard against.

"How strange. Why aren't you as cocky now as you were last time?" Kabuto Yakushi's mouth curled slightly, as if he enjoyed seeing people at a disadvantage.

"Just tell me. What do you want?"

"I'm leaving the Leaf Village, so I came to say goodbye."

At those words, Keiichi's heart sank, and his foreboding grew stronger.

Leaving the Leaf Village?

So now you're going to act without restraint?

Then again, Orochimaru's plan was about to begin. There was no point in remaining undercover in the Leaf Village.

"Hey, Senpai Kabuto! How'd you find us here?" Naruto stopped training as soon as he saw Kabuto Yakushi and came over with a cheerful grin to greet him.

He was so carefree that he didn't sense the tension in the air at all.

Naruto only remembered that things might have turned out much worse in the Forest of Death if Senpai Kabuto hadn't looked after him.

So he had a pretty good impression of Kabuto Yakushi.

But Keiichi reached out to stop Naruto and said in a low voice, "Be careful. Don't go near him!"

"What's wrong? Senpai Kabuto isn't an enemy. He's a Konoha Ninja too, isn't he?" Naruto asked, confused.

"A Konoha Ninja? Not necessarily. Just like Mizuki, who framed you, he's one of Orochimaru's subordinates!"

At that, Naruto immediately tensed up. The moment Keiichi mentioned Mizuki, Naruto understood: people who seemed kind to him might have ulterior motives!

Now that he thought about it, the more he looked at Kabuto Yakushi, the more he seemed like a bad guy.

"You've surprised me. Where do you get your information? How did you even find that out?" Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, looking quite taken aback. At the same time, he understood why Keiichi had always been so hostile toward him.

So this guy had discovered his identity long ago.

His instincts had been right. Keiichi really could become an obstacle to Lord Orochimaru.

With that thought, Kabuto Yakushi stopped holding back. He activated the Body Flicker Technique and appeared in front of Keiichi in the blink of an eye, his fingers together like a blade.

But Keiichi was no longer the same as before. He had been on guard for Kabuto's move, and nimbly dodged to the side before taking several quick steps backward to put some distance between them.

"Oh? How did your reaction speed improve so much?" Kabuto Yakushi was slightly surprised. Last time, he had closed in with ease. He could have killed Keiichi with a single thought.

Could Keiichi have been pretending back then, too?

Keiichi smiled and was about to answer, but his smile suddenly froze. He felt liquid seeping from his cheek and sliding down to the corner of his mouth.