Konoha's Secret Techniques

Before Kato Osamu leapt out of the forest, he had already heard the deafening cheers.

Outside Konoha's walls, wave after wave of people surged together. Whether from joy or sorrow, they were all utterly swept up in the fervor.

Basking in Konoha's glory and tempered by the Will of Fire, the people of Konoha could weep while still feeling proud of those sacrifices and contributions.

Kato Osamu had never thought there was anything wrong with that.

Any ideal that had endured for a long time and been embraced by the majority must possess a unique spiritual core. Its ability to resonate with most people was also a microcosm of the ideology within Konoha's small society.

The desire to defend one's homeland and the rage of resisting foreign enemies were, anywhere in the world, emotions most easily exploited.

For Konoha, founded amid war and chaos, developing such a spiritual core did not surprise Kato Osamu in the slightest.

It was just that... the more lofty a belief was, the more dangerous it became once exploited by those with ulterior motives.

The sense of mission brought by a lofty belief that occupied their entire hearts would make them blindly choose to give up their lives for it, without even knowing why.

Kato Osamu had never felt a sense of belonging toward Konoha. Though he understood them and admired such people, he could never be like them...

In this world, he only wanted to live for himself...

The forest was dense and deep. The instant he leapt out, Kato Osamu found the sunlight unbearably dazzling, and even the gentle breeze made his cheeks sting.

"Osamu... over here!"

Kushina Uzumaki and Rin Nohara, who had been looking around, spotted Kato Osamu walking slowly behind the advance forces and could not help calling out loudly.

Obito Uchiha, wearing goggles, stood behind them and seemed to be arguing about something with Kakashi Hatake, his face brimming with smug pride.

Hearing the call, Kato Osamu slowly walked over.

But just before he reached them, his gaze shifted slightly. He glanced toward the corners of the surrounding crowd, abruptly stopped, and pulled his hood tighter.

"I have other matters to attend to..."

With that, he prepared to turn and leave.

He did not know how well his mission had gone, but the next time they met, they would very likely be enemies fighting to the death.

"Hey! You brat, get over here already..."

Kato Osamu found it hard to imagine how Kushina Uzumaki's slender arms contained such immense strength. In that instant, he even had the illusion that he was powerless to resist, and could only be forcibly dragged toward Obito and the others.

"Osamu, what could possibly be happier than stuffing ourselves..."

Obito lifted his goggles and raised his brows at Kato Osamu. Kato Osamu roughly understood that expression—it was the look of someone trying to freeload a meal.

Rin also looked at Kato Osamu expectantly. Only Kakashi snorted coldly, though he did not show his usual obvious hostility.

"All right..."

Kato Osamu let out a soft sigh and agreed. He could now be certain that his mission of earning Team Minato's trust had been barely completed. Yet, for some reason, a trace of indescribable guilt rose within him, even though he had already given them more than enough warnings.

"That's more like it..."

With a light laugh, Kushina patted Kato Osamu on the shoulder, then tucked his head into the space between her arm and ribs. She grabbed Kakashi as well and strode through Konoha's gates like a female warrior.

Obito and Rin walked to either side, covering their mouths as they secretly laughed.

Pressed against Kushina's side, Kato Osamu remained silent.

Kakashi, however, had turned red. With dead-fish eyes and a hint of embarrassed anger, he continued to stare coldly at Kato Osamu.

Kato Osamu ignored Kakashi's gaze. Being so close to this red-haired woman, he could even feel the warmth of Kushina's body—a passion and friendliness as blazing as a volcano.

She seemed to have sensed the chill and darkness within Kakashi and himself. She simply continued radiating warmth, trying to melt the two blocks of ice.

Raising his eyes slightly, he suddenly felt a little curious about Kushina.

He had once discreetly sensed Kushina's spiritual fluctuations, only for her to notice instantly. Today, she had displayed such strength as well.

Kato Osamu suddenly realized that Minato Namikaze's partner, whom he had previously overlooked as merely someone with special sensory abilities, was definitely not as simple as an ordinary Special Jonin.

"Konoha secret technique—supreme taijutsu art..."

Obito trailed after Kakashi, muttering something under his breath. Kato Osamu could not hear it clearly, but he could sense the slight fluctuations in Obito's emotions, which seemed to contain a faint trace of malice. It looked like he was planning a prank.

Glancing at Kakashi, who looked listless as though he were about to die, Kato Osamu chose not to speak.

"Thousand Years of Death!"

Obito formed the Tiger hand seal with both hands and gave a low shout. Kato Osamu felt Kakashi's entire body stiffen as his muscles rapidly contracted.

Breaking free from Kushina's hold, Kakashi's eyes seemed to lose all light. His body trembling, he turned his head around. His murderous gaze made Kato Osamu, who had taken the chance to slip free, glance over.

Yet Kakashi's eyes were fixed on the height where Obito's hands had stopped. Then Kato Osamu looked at Kakashi's back, where the center of his black combat pants had wrinkled inward as if it had caved in.

"Obito! I'm going to kill you!"

Suppressing the pain, Kakashi launched himself forward and kicked at Obito. Obito seemed to know he had gone too far and fled by leaping onto the buildings lining both sides of the street.

"Kakashi... you tricked me... the power of the Thousand Years of Death... there's no way it could make a Jonin lose the ability to move..."

Obito ran farther and farther away, while Kakashi chased him like a madman, clinging relentlessly to his figure. The two ran off into the distance and gradually disappeared from sight.

"Ha ha ha..."

"Obito... Obito... how could he be so mean..."

Kushina could no longer hold it in. Clutching her stomach, she laughed so hard that she doubled over.

Kato Osamu knew she must have noticed Obito's actions, yet she had not stopped him. It seemed that, in her eyes, this kind of roughhousing was also a way for the two to deepen their friendship...

Rin covered her face, looking somewhat stunned and seemingly embarrassed by Obito's actions. But when she recalled Kakashi's expression, she could not help letting out a snort of laughter.

"Childish..."

Kato Osamu gave a quiet snort, but an unusually rare smile rested at the corner of his lips. The cheerful everyday life of chuunibyou teenagers did not seem quite so boring after all...

"You little brat, who are you calling childish!"

Kushina grabbed Kato Osamu from behind, seized both his ears, and twisted his head back and forth as though teasing a child.

"Ha ha ha..."

Rin could no longer keep a straight face. The stark contrast between Kato Osamu now and his usual self made her laugh until her stomach hurt.

"I'm leaving..."

Kato Osamu's figure abruptly vanished from Kushina's grasp. He landed atop a high platform, lightly rubbed his ears, and then disappeared.

"Hey, Osamu! Minato will be back tonight, and we're celebrating you becoming a Special Jonin at home! You have to come..."

Kato Osamu had already vanished, and it was unclear whether he had heard her. Kushina chuckled, wrapped an arm around Rin, and the two wandered through the market like close sisters, chatting and laughing as they prepared the ingredients for that evening.