Konoha: Starting with the Tenseigan, Taking Over Team 7

They were even hungrier now.

"That bastard Cangyue! He told us not to eat anything, then went and ate like that right in front of us."

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes blazed with anger. Pointing at Aogetsu Hyuga in the distance, he huffed, "I bet he told us not to eat just so he could tempt us with his food!"

Sakura Haruno said nothing. She stared at the lunch box in Cangyue's hands and quietly swallowed.

"Damn it. I can't believe I had such a childish thought." Sasuke Uchiha's face darkened, and he slammed his fist into the ground. For a moment, he had actually wanted to snatch Cangyue's lunch.

This was a test for Ninja. How could he let a little hunger sway him?

Aogetsu Hyuga ate quickly. Between mouthfuls, he said, "People who can't do anything without power somehow think they'll be able to accomplish anything once they have it."

"When you run into a problem, are you just going to sit around like fools and wait for an opportunity?"

"Use your heads. Think about what you have in your pockets." Aogetsu Hyuga closed his lunch box and patted his stomach in satisfaction. "That hit the spot. Though it might have been even better if a beautiful woman had fed me."

Aogetsu Hyuga rose slowly, stretched, and yawned. "I've eaten and had my drink. Time to end this boring game."

He was curious about what abilities the Beginner's Gift Pack held.

Meanwhile, in the forest some distance away.

"What's in our pockets?" Naruto Uzumaki pulled out his Frog Wallet. Then his face lit up, and he punched his palm. "Oh, come on! It's that simple?"

"Cangyue means we can pass the test if we pay him, right?"

Naruto Uzumaki rubbed his cheek against the Frog Wallet and said mournfully, "It took me ages to save this money..."

"You idiot!" A vein throbbed on Sakura Haruno's forehead. She raised her fist and knocked Naruto to the ground.

"Sakura..." Naruto Uzumaki clutched the lump on his head and looked up at Sakura Haruno pitifully.

Sakura Haruno hesitated. "I think Cangyue means we should think when we face a problem and work out a way to solve it."

That was how she understood him.

"Can't do anything without power..." Sasuke Uchiha recalled what Cangyue had just said.

People who can't do anything without power somehow think they'll be able to accomplish anything once they have it.

Those words grated on him. They sounded like a jab at his desire for power.

What a joke. I'm a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan!

Fine. I'll show you!

Sasuke Uchiha said coldly, "Naruto, Sakura, work with me. I know how to make Cangyue move."

He had thought of a plan earlier. But as an Uchiha, he had his pride, so he hadn't intended to use it.

Cangyue's mockery had changed that. Sasuke was furious.

The Truth-Seeking Orb!

"Coming up with a plan? I'll look forward to it, then." Aogetsu Hyuga flipped through Icha Icha Paradise, watching out of the corner of his eye as Naruto Uzumaki and the others moved quickly through the forest.

After repeated head-on clashes, they had realized how wide the gap between them was. So they had abandoned frontal attacks and decided to look for an opening.

A sound judgment.

Team 7's ability to think things through already surpassed that of many Genin in the village.

That Uchiha kid must be planning something.

After all, Naruto Uzumaki... isn't exactly bright.

As for Sakura Haruno...

The lovestruck girl was quick-witted, but she lacked the confidence to direct Sasuke Uchiha. Cangyue therefore guessed at once that Sasuke was behind the plan.

Aogetsu Hyuga read on, muttering to himself, "Keep at it, brats. I've given you plenty of openings."

He had been leaving himself open from the beginning. When he had focused on his lunch, he had handed them an especially big opportunity.

If all of Team 7 had attacked then, even if they had only kicked up a little dust, Cangyue would have pretended to protect his lunch and instinctively taken a step back.

Then he could have declared that the whole team had passed and happily claimed the Mentor-Disciple System's reward.

But unfortunately...

Aogetsu Hyuga knew the Uchiha kid had outsmarted himself.

Sasuke thought Cangyue's decision to sit there eating in plain sight was bait meant to lure Team 7 in.

After all, what Jonin-level fighter would calmly eat lunch while under constant threat of attack?

"Strange. You really are taking their training seriously." A pleasant voice rang out, tinged with surprise.

Kurenai Yuhi appeared out of nowhere and leaned against a tree trunk. Her tall, striking figure formed an alluring silhouette, and her bright ruby-red eyes studied Aogetsu Hyuga with curiosity.

When Cangyue had first said he would take over Team 7, she had been genuinely surprised. Taking on something that troublesome was nothing like him.

"Taking it seriously? I suppose so. I value my promises, and when I agree to something, I follow through." Aogetsu Hyuga turned toward Kurenai Yuhi and gave her tall, striking figure a thorough look.

A cute face and curves in all the right places.

Perfect.

Kurenai Yuhi said flatly, "You showed up late on the first day. How can you talk about following through?"

"Can't be helped. An outstanding adult has plenty to keep him busy at night." Aogetsu Hyuga shrugged.

"Ha." Kurenai Yuhi gave a cold laugh, her pretty face full of disdain. "Busy chasing women?"

Aogetsu Hyuga stared at her. "What are you, a bitter wife whose husband's cheating on her? Fuming helplessly at home, then greeting him with a smile when he gets back?"

Kurenai Yuhi glared at Cangyue. "You're the bitter one. Keep messing around and I really will get angry!"

She had made one offhand comment. How had that turned her into a bitter wife?

Curiosity returned to Kurenai Yuhi's face. "Seriously, though. Why would someone as strong as you volunteer to teach Team 7? Even if Kakashi asked, I'd expect you to ignore him."

To her, Aogetsu Hyuga was absurdly strong.

She had first met Cangyue a few years earlier. He had still looked like a young boy then, yet he had been the Examiner for her Chunin promotion test.

Even back then, Cangyue had been the strongest Jonin in the village, bar none.

And throughout his Ninja career, Cangyue had never suffered a defeat. At least, Kurenai Yuhi had never heard of one.

That undefeated record was no small feat. Every mission Cangyue took was a high-bounty S-rank Mission.

Even the weakest enemies he faced were A-Rank Rogue Ninja from other villages. On missions, he sometimes encountered Kage Level fighters.

It was absurd.

"You think I want to teach these troublesome brats? Life doesn't always go the way we want." Aogetsu Hyuga sighed and took out a lollipop. "Want a taste of my lollipop?"

Kurenai Yuhi smiled faintly, though there was danger in it. It was almost as if dark mist were billowing behind her. "Show it to me, and I'll cut it off."

She was in her twenties. She knew what Cangyue meant.

Aogetsu Hyuga unwrapped the lollipop and popped it into his mouth. "Think you can? It's pretty hard."

Kurenai Yuhi's face reddened slightly. She snorted. "Pervert!"

"If you'd been this enthusiastic when you were my Chunin Examiner, things would have been different." Kurenai Yuhi sighed, her voice carrying a trace of resentment.

Back when Cangyue had overseen her Chunin promotion test...

He had decided it was too much trouble.

"You're still too weak," he had said, and failed Kurenai Yuhi on the spot.

She had been so angry she cried. She had failed without even taking the test?

Kurenai Yuhi had held a grudge for a long time. Though she and Cangyue had barely met since, he had left a lasting impression on her.

Aogetsu Hyuga sucked on his lollipop, looked at Kurenai Yuhi's ample chest, and raised a thumb. "That's all in the past. You're strong now. You have my wholehearted approval."

Strong. Impressive. One taste would send me to heaven!

"You pervert! Where are you looking?" Kurenai Yuhi flushed scarlet. Embarrassment and anger filled her eyes as she instinctively covered her chest and glared at Aogetsu Hyuga.

If looks could kill, she would have cut Cangyue to pieces.

"Don't be so shy." Aogetsu Hyuga dropped the teasing and looked at her seriously. "Anyway, I'm counting on you to look after Hinata. She's a sweet girl, and she works hard."

"You don't have to tell me." Kurenai Yuhi shot back, "You're the one I'm worried about. Hinata's still a little girl, so don't take advantage of her."

"Keep saying that and I'll get angry. What kind of brother would take advantage of his little sister?" Aogetsu Hyuga declared solemnly. "Unless she was too tempting."

Don't blame a brother for behaving like a beast. Blame his little sister for being too tempting.

"I'm kidding."

Aogetsu Hyuga continued, "So tell me why you came. Don't say you just wanted to catch up."

He knew Kurenai Yuhi must have something important to discuss.

"Kakashi went on a mission. He asked me to give you this." Kurenai Yuhi took out a Scroll, her brows drawing together. "The Demon Fox... Naruto Uzumaki accidentally drew on its Chakra once before. The Sealing in this Scroll was what brought him back under control."

She hated the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. It had taken the life of someone in her family.

But she knew the difference.

Naruto was Naruto. The Nine-Tails was the Nine-Tails.

"The Nine-Tails running wild? That might be interesting." The corners of Aogetsu Hyuga's mouth lifted. He had never fought a Tailed Beast and was curious what one could do.

He had been away on a mission during the Nine-Tails' Rampage and missed the whole affair.

"Cangyue, you can't mean..." Kurenai Yuhi's heart lurched. She knew how willful Cangyue was. If something sounded interesting to him, he would try it.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. If I get the chance someday, I'll give it a try." Aogetsu Hyuga made no attempt to deny it.

"That must be what Danzo's worried about, isn't it? The Nine-Tails kid losing control of his power." Aogetsu Hyuga used his Tenseigan to glance at a deserted hill in the distance.

The hill looked empty, but Cangyue could sense several Root Ninja hiding there.

"I hate being watched. Besides, staring at me all day won't reveal my lollipop's enormous secret." Aogetsu Hyuga slowly raised his hand and aimed at the distant hill.

"Cangyue?" Kurenai Yuhi looked toward the empty hill in confusion. She sensed no one there.

"I'd better hold back a little." Black energy gathered in Aogetsu Hyuga's palm. Filled with destructive power, it formed a strange, dark substance.

A Truth-Seeking Orb!

Sasuke's Plan, Cangyue's Composure

"The power of a Kekkei Genkai? What terrifying Chakra..." Kurenai Yuhi felt the aura of the dark substance, and shock flashed through her eyes. She had never encountered Chakra like it.

The substance gave off an aura that resembled Chakra, yet felt more like some other kind of energy. Only the power to destroy All Things in the Universe could describe it.

"Watch closely. You don't get to see this power often." Aogetsu Hyuga flicked his hand. The dark substance shot away, streaking toward the distant hill faster than the eye could follow.

Rumble! The entire hill shook violently, then vanished into thin air.

Kurenai Yuhi drew a sharp breath. Her ruby-red eyes widened in shock as she stared at the place where the hill had stood.

All she had seen was the strange black substance disappear. Then the hill had vanished too.

There had been no explosion, no collapse, not even the sound of an attack. The whole hill had simply been erased.

Some kind of space-based ability?

Whatever it was, it was absurd.

Cangyue's power was as outrageous as ever.

After standing stunned for a moment, Kurenai Yuhi turned to Cangyue in disbelief. "Cangyue... did you just take out Root?"

Attacking Root without authorization was a serious crime punishable by death.

Aogetsu Hyuga put on an apologetic look. "Sorry, sorry. They were watching us so diligently around the clock, I thought they were Ninja from another village. It would be a terrible loss for Konoha if the Nine-Tails kid were kidnapped."

"After all, our own Ninja would have no reason to watch three children who've only just become Genin all day. People would laugh themselves sick if they heard that." Aogetsu Hyuga sounded as though he were joking, but there was a chill beneath his words.

Kurenai Yuhi put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "Honestly, I give up. They'll probably come after you for this, but you're strong enough that I don't need to worry about you, you pervert."

She had no standing to involve herself in the village leaders' affairs, but after everything she had seen, she understood a good deal of what they wanted.

Shimura Danzō, the leader of Root, wanted to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's power. But with Aogetsu Hyuga at Naruto Uzumaki's side, Naruto would be safe.

Even Shimura Danzō would have little room to maneuver.

Aogetsu Hyuga might act like a frivolous, grinning pervert, but no one in the village was more dependable.