"( '-ωก̀ ) Mm, now this is the life!"
The sun was already high in the sky when Genye lazily got out of bed and stretched with a sigh of contentment.
After they returned to Konoha yesterday and turned in their completed mission, Shimura Hofu had waved a hand and given them the day off.
Genye didn't plan on going anywhere today. He was just going to stay in bed.
But things didn't go according to plan. Near noon, someone started pounding on his shoddy front door, which was "good enough to keep out gentlemen, but not scoundrels."
"Who is it?"
Genye reluctantly got out of bed and opened the door, only to find Mei's bright smile waiting for him.
"Oh, Mei. What are you doing here?" Genye asked, scratching his head.
"What do you mean, what am I doing here? Did you forget what you promised me, Genye?"
The smile vanished from Mei's face in an instant. Like an actor in a Sichuan opera changing masks, she radiated icy menace from head to toe.
Genye shivered despite himself and stammered,
"Ah, I remember now. I promised Mei... I promised you... What was it I promised you again?"
"So you really did forget, Genye! You promised to treat me to a big meal after we finished the mission!"
As she spoke, Mei clenched her little fist and punched Genye in the stomach.
Σ_(꒪ཀ꒪"∠)
Genye grimaced in pain, his features twisting all over the place, but he forced a smile and said, "How could I forget? I was just joking with you, Mei."
"Hmph, you'd better be!" Mei glared at him, her cheeks puffed up with anger.
It was lunchtime, and the busy food street was packed with people.
Mei led Genye this way and that until they arrived at a barbecue restaurant.
Genye took in the restaurant's luxurious decor and smacked his lips. "Mei, are you trying to eat me out of house and home?"
Of course, he was only joking. He'd just made a little money, and it was about time he treated his favorite human tool.
Mei pouted. "Hmph, you made me mad last time. You've got to pay for it somehow!"
"Okay, okay, I was wrong. Order whatever you like. Today, you can eat as much as you want." Genye waved a hand and smiled apologetically.
He didn't even know what he'd done wrong, but he knew better than to argue with a girl. All he had to do was apologize and pay the bill.
The barbecue restaurant was doing great business, and every seat outside was taken.
Genye led Mei inside, only to run into someone he knew.
"What a coincidence, Obito! Long time no see. Are you here by yourself?"
Obito was carrying two plates of meat. He shook his head, looking smug.
"No, no. We just finished a mission, so I brought Rin-chan here to celebrate. Just the two of us~"
"Oh, really?"
Genye pointed at Kakashi, who was sitting in a corner not far away, and asked impassively, "Then what's he doing here?"
Obito and the others had picked a pretty secluded table, but come on—Genye had the Byakugan!
"H-He..."
Obito's voice grew quieter. "He's just an accident. Rin and I are true love," he mumbled.
Unable to find another table, Genye simply joined his old classmates with Mei.
A chance to catch up—and maybe improve their impression of him while he was at it!
Obito and Kakashi were both characters who'd left a lasting mark on the story of Naruto.
There was no way he wouldn't get something good from them!
It'd be awesome if I could replicate Chidori someday.
Then, when an enemy saw that he was from the Hyuga Clan, they'd focus on defending against his Gentle Fist. He'd hit them with Chidori instead and blow their minds.
...Tsk, would that count as a scam?
Of course, it'd be even more interesting if he could use Mangekyo techniques while wielding the Byakugan. Ha ha!
"..."
"Genye, you guys are amazing! You actually teamed up to defeat a Special Jōnin!" Rin exclaimed.
"Tch, it was only a Special Jōnin. What's so impressive about that?" Obito said disdainfully.
He put an arm around Kakashi and, unwilling to be outdone, declared, "Kakashi and I could do it too, right, Kakashi?"
Kakashi pushed Obito away without changing his expression. "I could, sure. But with you along, I'm not so certain."
Obito's face turned green with anger. "Hey, Kakashi! At least try to save some face for me in front of Genye!"
"Hahahaha!" Genye laughed without mercy, earning a punch from Obito.
Wherever Obito went, there was always laughter.
If I have the ability, I'll help you escape the cruel fate you were originally supposed to suffer.
Watching Obito flail around beside him, Genye thought to himself.
If I can't, then so be it. At least I meant well.
After saying goodbye to Obito and the others, Genye left the barbecue restaurant with Mei.
In a dim alley, full of food and drink, Genye couldn't help himself. He went for another one.
"That's the last time... System, replicate it for me!"
[Ping! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the skill "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm"!]
"Huh?"
The new skill he'd obtained this time left Genye momentarily stunned.
The Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm was a ranged form of Taijutsu derived from the Gentle Fist.
It placed the opponent within the Eight Trigrams formation. Using the Byakugan to pinpoint their position, the user struck from a distance with a condensed mass of chakra to hit the target.
But there was one crucial problem: the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm was extremely difficult to master. Mei shouldn't have been able to use a move like that at her age.
It'd be like an elementary school student solving advanced calculus. Did that make any sense?
So was this little girl actually a genius?
"Then why does she pretend to be a dead-last like me every day? Is that really fun?" Genye couldn't figure it out.
"What's wrong, Genye?" Mei asked, her cheeks turning pink as she noticed him staring at her.
"Nothing." Genye shook his head and began thinking about training again.
"Oh." Mei pouted a little in disappointment, but Genye was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice.
"I've used up all five of my replication chances. If I want to get stronger now, I'll have to rely on myself." Genye fell into thought.
"Since the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm is an extension of the Gentle Fist, could I apply the force-generation technique from Gentle Fist: Double to it?"
"Maybe I can focus on that during my next training session."
Free time always flew by. Before long, Genye was back to his grueling training.
Every day, he had to complete brutal physical conditioning and find time to develop new skills. He only wished he could use the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!
Ugh, Naruto isn't even born yet. I can't replicate it even if I want to!
Genye often sighed, lamenting that he'd been born more than a decade too early and had missed out on Hinata—cough, the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.
Still, the intense training was clearly making him stronger. It was a painful pleasure.
A month flew by, and Team 8 received a new mission.
"This is a C-rank assignment. We're to escort the great novelist Jiraiya to the Land of Hot Water so he can gather material."
A C-rank assignment?
An escort mission?
Jiraiya?
Three question marks popped up over Genye's head.
Before you continue