The New Storm Has Appeared

A true clash with a Kage-level opponent made Tahm realize his own shortcomings: he was excellent at running for his life, but his means of fighting enemies were painfully limited.

Tahm was desperate to become stronger. Although his daily training brought some improvement, it was far from satisfying his current thirst for power.

Although he could protect himself, his earlier barrage of trash talk had probably flushed out several hidden bosses. What if his opponent truly went insane and came over early to throw out something like Shinra Tensei? He could run, sure, but would he have time to look after the two little girls, Hinata and Karin? Besides, he couldn't bear to abandon his lackeys Naruto, Sakura, and Ino, let alone Jiraiya and Kakashi. Without realizing it, he had already formed bonds with all of them.

Strength...

His affection levels wouldn't be easy to raise in the short term, and he had no idea where to find any new characters who could trigger them. Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi Hyuga, did meet the system's requirements, but the girl was only a year and a half old! His huge face had scared Hanabi into crying the first time they met, dropping her affection level straight to 30. If he wanted her to feel the power of Tahm the dad, he would probably have to wait several more years.

The only way Tahm could think of to rapidly increase his strength was to accept missions, go out and cut people down, then earn gold and level up.

However, both Kakashi and the Third Hokage simply handed that newspaper over to Tahm, leaving him to grasp the organization's spirit for himself. The Third Hokage even told him with a face full of positive energy, "Taking care of Konoha's young sprouts is also a great undertaking. Comrade Tahm, be a brick in the Will of Fire. Go wherever you're needed."

Tahm could only stew in frustration. He had obtained a license to kill, yet he still hadn't cut down a single person. All he had dealt with were things like tigers, spiders, and puppets.

Thinking about the transmigrators who had come before him, some of them had already been mowing down enemies on the battlefield at seven or eight years old. Yet he was still so pure he hadn't even seen blood.

Helpless, Tahm could only play the role of a good dad these days. Fortunately, Hinata and Karin had gradually grown accustomed to their current life, and the two of them got along much better now. This allowed Tahm to breathe a sigh of relief; at last, he no longer had to live in that bizarre atmosphere every day.

But lately, Hinata had been hitting him harder and harder during training. Had her skills improved?

Another headache was that Orochimaru's excessive praise had turned Tahm into a complete celebrity.

Whenever he walked down the street, countless people would cry out in excitement, and there was no shortage of people holding cameras and begging for pictures together. It had gotten to the point that little Hinata felt too embarrassed to ride on Tahm's huge head in public.

Worse still, his reputation as a "miracle doctor" had caused hordes of people who didn't know any better to come running for treatment. Even those with nothing more than a fever or a cold came seeking the master's divine powers. Tahm could only impatiently send all of them to Konoha Hospital.

The rumors about him being a "prophet" had an even worse impact. Superstitious people kept coming to ask him to tell their fortunes, most of them nobles from the Land of Fire, and some were even powerful shinobi. As expected, the higher one's position, the darker one's hands, and the more one feared retribution, the more one believed in ghosts and gods! Tahm, a genuine working-class man and staunch materialist in his previous life, wanted to say, Who the hell are you people? How am I supposed to tell your fortunes? At least get yourselves a cameo in the original story before coming to me, will you?

What gave Tahm the biggest headache was Naruto, who had become hopelessly immersed in a "tadpole searching for its mother" story. He kept pestering Tahm about finding his mother, and these past few days he had even neglected his beloved Sakura. Whenever Tahm saw the longing in Naruto's eyes, he could never bring himself to firmly say he didn't know, which kept the little fox from giving up.

In the end, Tahm could only make a three-part agreement with Naruto: once Naruto became a jōnin, he would tell him the astonishing secret behind his origins. Although Tahm vaguely remembered that Kaguya had already died in the original story, while Naruto was still a genin.

Still, the solemn tone of the prophet Tahm convinced Naruto. It also made him start imagining what earth-shattering secret could be hidden behind his identity. Could I be the illegitimate son of some great Shinobi World clan?

If Tahm could read minds, he would definitely laugh until his tongue cramped. "Young man, your guess is still far too cautious. Broaden your horizons!"

These days, Tahm had returned to his old routine: cooking, attending classes, and training with his lackeys. The only thing missing was facing the sea with spring warmth and flowers blooming.

Although a peaceful life was pleasant, it made Tahm, who had already seen the true face of the Shinobi World, feel uncomfortable. He was constantly searching for a chance to break through his current situation.

At last, that turning point arrived.

It was his good senior brother, Jiraiya.

Jiraiya seemed to have taken Tahm's advice to heart. The moment he gained any lead, he specially sent word through a communications frog from Mount Myoboku: "I've found information about that organization."

"It hasn't even been two weeks, and you already have news? That was fast." Tahm sent a reply. "Where are you now? Let's meet and discuss it in detail." Having long-distance teleportation was incredibly convenient; Tahm declared that he didn't even need WeChat anymore.

A moment later, Tahm appeared in front of Jiraiya.

"Why are you still at that hot spring entertainment shop from last time?" Tahm asked with some reproach. How could such a pure man as himself enter these adult entertainment establishments?

"Haha..." Jiraiya looked a little awkward. Being a seasoned pervert was one thing, but bringing an acquaintance to Mount Akina was another. "After I came back last time, I was preparing to travel around the Shinobi World and gather information about that organization."

"But before I even left, I found some clues here in the Land of Hot Water. It seems to be one of that organization's peripheral groups."

"Do you have any information?" Tahm asked.

Hopefully it's information that will let me cut someone down. My big tongue is already starving.

"That peripheral group seems to have been gathering information about a local cult in the Hidden Hot Water Village," Jiraiya said. "I suspect they're planning some major action in the Land of Hot Water."

"A cult? FFF or LL?" Tahm slipped into his otaku mode from his previous life without thinking.

"Huh? What's that?" Jiraiya asked, bewildered.

"Ahem. Don't worry about the details. Let's continue."

Jiraiya received no explanation, but he didn't waste any more time. He continued, "They're investigating a new sect called the Jashin Cult. Its doctrine requires killing everyone around them. It's extremely frightening."

"I suspect that mysterious organization may be lurking behind this sect. What do you think?"

"I'm not entirely sure. That prophetic ability of mine works only intermittently. Let me investigate that cult with you." Tahm felt as if he had heard of the Jashin Cult somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. Could my memories of FFF and the like from my previous life have gotten mixed up because they left such a deep impression?

"All right. Let's rest for a while, then investigate that Jashin Cult tonight." Jiraiya, who knew about Tahm's bizarre abilities, agreed. With Tahm there to watch each other's backs, he might prove quite useful.

"By the way." The seasoned pervert Jiraiya suddenly extended a devilish invitation. "Since we're not setting out until tonight, and we've come all the way to an entertainment district, why don't we call over a few pretty ladies and have some drinks?"

"How could we do that? I'm only a toad!" Tahm agreed with righteous conviction.