Parting

Feng Xun's lips curled slightly. "Kid, you know I'm a patient, right? How can you have the nerve to fight me?"

"Then what do you want?" Yahiko said indignantly.

"How about this? Once I'm better, the three of you can challenge me together. If I win, you become my little brother. If I lose, I'll become all of your little brother."

Hearing that, Yahiko's eyes rolled as he weighed the pros and cons.

If I lose, only I have to become his little brother. But if he loses, he has to become all of our little brother. Looking at it that way, I don't seem to be losing out.

But he seemed stronger than all of us. Even Nagato probably wouldn't be a match for him.

After thinking for a long while, Yahiko said, "I agree to your proposal, but you have to promise me one condition."

"Let's hear it!"

Yahiko quickly stated his demand.

"When you fight us, you're forbidden from using ninjutsu, especially that glowing ball of light."

A ball of light? Feng Xun was briefly stunned before immediately agreeing. "No problem. I accept that condition!"

He had never planned to use Kamehameha anyway. After all, he still could not control it very well. If he seriously injured Yahiko and the others, and Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in a fit of rage, then he would be completely screwed.

Still, seeing Yahiko fall into the trap so easily, the excited Feng Xun really wanted to get out of bed, point at everyone present, and shout, "To be honest, everyone here is trash in my eyes!"

However, that thought could only remain a thought.

Leaving aside Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were far stronger than him, even Minato's strength was already faintly above his own.

Keep a low profile in life, but act boldly—that was the law of survival in the Shinobi World.

On the other side, Jiraiya and Tsunade showed no reaction to this farce. They were children, after all. A little more interaction was always good.

And thanks to Feng Xun's provocation, the atmosphere inside the Wooden Cabin finally became lively again.

Minato resumed asking Jiraiya about his new technique, while the three children gathered around Feng Xun and chattered away.

The firelight flickered. Uchiha Ryu, who had no friends at all, looked around and saw that only Tsunade and he were sitting there awkwardly.

Unable to help himself, he moved closer to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, I actually have some techniques I'd like to ask you about."

Though he said that, Uchiha Ryu understood that aside from medical ninjutsu and taijutsu, the Tsunade before him did not have any other techniques worth showing off.

So, to avoid embarrassing her, he had already decided that he would only ask questions about C-rank ninjutsu.

"Get lost. Stop bothering me."

That bastard brat! I told him to stay away from that short-sighted kid, yet he treated my words like they went in one ear and out the other?

Tsunade was cursing internally. Not only did she have no intention of responding to Uchiha Ryu, she even gestured for him to move farther away.

Uchiha Ryu froze where he stood.

Director, this script is wrong! We're both being isolated, but she doesn't give a damn about me at all...

With no choice, unable to beat her or argue with her, Uchiha Ryu could only return dejectedly to his spot and continue savoring his lonely, snow-like life?!

Two days later, Feng Xun stood before the small Wooden Cabin with everyone else, one hand covering his not-yet-healed wound.

"You're really leaving now?" Feng Xun asked.

Tsunade nodded. Looking at the other two, who were already prepared to depart, she said, "We've delayed here for too long. You're injured, so it isn't suitable for you to move with us.

"But a mission is still a mission. We'll first investigate the real situation in the Land of Rain, then come back to take you to the village."

As she spoke, Tsunade continued, "And you didn't want to carry out this mission in the first place, did you? If it weren't for the mission reward, I doubt you would have come here at all."

Having his thoughts exposed, Feng Xun showed no embarrassment whatsoever. "Since you know that, don't forget my share of the reward when the time comes. I'm injured this badly—if I don't get any money out of it too, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

"Shameless!"

Before Tsunade could say anything, Uchiha Ryu eagerly sneered from the side.

Feng Xun ignored him. What a joke. This was exactly when connections were supposed to come in handy. If you've got the skills, go become someone with connections yourself!

Faced with the hostile relationship between his younger brother and teammate, Minato secretly shook his head.

"Xun, recover here with Lord Jiraiya. Don't cause Lord Jiraiya any trouble. We'll probably be back in a few days."

"You too, big brother. Don't go flirting around outside, or I'll tell the boss lady when we get back."

Sometimes, Feng Xun was truly curious. Why had Minato ended up with a lecherous old man like Jiraiya as his teacher, yet remained as pure as a flower?

Could this be what they called a heart as still as water? Devoted solely to reading the wisdom of sages? That did not seem right either. He should be devoted solely to loving Kushina.

Hearing his younger brother's teasing, Minato's face reddened, but he did not dare continue the subject.

"I'm leaving my disciple with you for now, so you'd better take good care of him. If he's missing an arm or a leg when I come back, I'll hold you responsible."

"Don't worry! I wouldn't dare provoke your precious disciple." Jiraiya looked helpless.

He realized that after being friends with Tsunade for more than ten years, he was somehow less important to her than a disciple she had known for only a few months.

Maybe this was what it meant to favor the new and discard the old?

Tsunade secretly nodded at Jiraiya's sincere attitude.

After giving Feng Xun another round of instructions, she took Minato and the other man away from the Wooden Cabin.

After Tsunade left, Jiraiya invited Feng Xun to attend lessons with the three children, but Feng Xun refused.

Although attending class together could earn him some goodwill, Feng Xun had no time to waste on the little knowledge taught at the Ninja Academy, even though he had not listened to much of it before either.

Returning silently to the Wooden Cabin alone, Feng Xun glanced at his wound. He had to admit that Saiyan blood was powerful. Ordinarily, an injury like his would take a week before he could get out of bed, but he had only needed two days.

In his view, even the future Naruto was only so-so by comparison.

Lying on the bed, Feng Xun opened the system again.

After the previous battles, Feng Xun discovered that he had a fatal weakness: he simply had too few offensive methods. So far, aside from the Afterimage Technique and Kamehameha, he had no other attack skills.

A monotonous set of attacks could easily let others seize upon his weaknesses. After all, he had not learned any ninjutsu, nor was he a cheat like Naruto, who could dominate every powerhouse with a single Rasengan and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

That samurai gave me 800 points, and although that Stone Ninja was killed by Nagato, he somehow gave me 500 points too.

Including the more than 700 points left over from before, I now have around 2,000 points altogether. What should I exchange these 2,000 points for?