Even without counting her Crystal Release kekkei genkai, which served as a "mobile money printer," Guren was a rare beauty in the shinobi world on looks alone. Her indomitable, spirited air was rarer still.
Having her strip me naked and take advantage of me... seemed... like no loss either?
"Hehehe~"
Naoki Senju entertained those less-than-innocent thoughts for a while before finally remembering the matter at hand. He wiped the tears dripping from the corner of his mouth, laid the Wood Release scroll on the floor, and unrolled it.
Wood Release: Wood Wall
Wood Release: Silent Killing Binding Technique
Wood Release: Great Forest Technique
Wood Release: Violent Spear Technique
Wood Release: Four Pillars Prison
The succession of Wood Release ninjutsu and training methods left Naoki Senju struggling to take it all in and exclaiming in delight. At present, his Wood Release ninjutsu consisted only of the Wood Clone, Wood Locking Wall, and Deep Forest Emergence that Tsunade had taught him, the Cutting Technique he had developed himself, and the Four Pillars House Technique Orochimaru had given him.
Although they were all highly practical Wood Release ninjutsu, they still fell somewhat short in actual combat. This wealth of Wood Release ninjutsu now filled that gap.
Especially the ninjutsu recorded in the final section of the scroll:
Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique
Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees
And the final ninjutsu, which Orochimaru had deliberately written in red:
Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!
Suppressing his excitement, Naoki Senju found a brush and a blank scroll in the room, then copied the Wood Release scroll word for word in a rather expressive Slender Gold script.
By the time he finished copying everything, it was late at night. He rubbed his slightly aching wrist. It had been so long since he had plagiarized... bah, since he had transferred knowledge that he was actually getting rusty.
"Sister Tsunade and Shizune still aren't back?"
After searching the wooden house, he still found no sign of Tsunade or Shizune. Even the little pink pig had been taken away by Shizune, leaving Naoki Senju to make two simple dishes himself using the ingredients Guren had delivered.
One was braised fish pieces, and the other was stir-fried Chinese yam with wood ear mushrooms.
Though his cooking fell short of a professional chef's, it was still far better than Tsunade's dark cuisine. After wolfing down a bowl of rice in a few bites, Naoki Senju took the Wood Release scroll to the deserted mountaintop to practice Wood Release ninjutsu.
Under the moonlight, Naoki Senju's small figure looked exceedingly busy. As soon as he learned one ninjutsu, he eagerly unrolled the scroll a little farther to learn the next Wood Release ninjutsu.
Naoki Senju greedily absorbed the nourishment that would make him stronger, treasuring every minute and every second.
Because of Danzo's repeated, relentless assassination attempts, he now had a blood feud with Danzo and Root that would not end until one side was dead. Danzo also had murky ties with Orochimaru and had participated in, or even plotted, the Konoha Crush Plan.
So Naoki Senju did not dare gamble on Orochimaru, because he could not afford to lose. Only by possessing enough power to protect himself, or even decide the course of events, could he secure a place in the dark shinobi world.
Besides, after awakening Wood Release, how could Naoki Senju settle for merely protecting himself? Troubled times produced heroes, and the current shinobi world was the perfect era!
Before he knew it, dawn had arrived. As the first rays of morning sunlight fell, Naoki Senju ended his full night of Wood Release ninjutsu training with considerable gains. He had already learned a third of the more than thirty Wood Release ninjutsu recorded on the scroll.
With another two days, he would thoroughly master the entire scroll, apart from those few Wood Release ninjutsu with terrifying chakra costs.
In an excellent mood, Naoki Senju hummed an off-key tune as he ran from the mountaintop back to the wooden house's courtyard halfway down the mountain. He filled the water jar with Water Release ninjutsu and boiled a full pot of water. After making a wooden bathtub with Wood Release, Senju began soaking in the Japanese-style courtyard.
Aside from the hassle, taking a bath truly was one of life's great pleasures. Unfortunately, the Land of Rice Fields had no natural hot springs. He wondered whether Orochimaru had a base in the Land of Hot Water... With his eyes closed, Naoki Senju enjoyed his post-training relaxation in perfect comfort.
Unfortunately, before long, an uninvited guest disturbed the peaceful courtyard. Guren suddenly appeared inside, and the first thing she saw was Naoki Senju soaking stark naked in the bath.
"Why aren't you wearing clothes?!"
A blush surfaced on Guren's pretty face. Even as she turned away, she did not forget to turn the tables and accuse Naoki Senju.
"Be reasonable, will you? How am I supposed to bathe with my clothes on?" Naoki Senju shot back without a shred of politeness.
Naoki Senju was in a very bad mood after being disturbed. Even if you're a rare beauty, does that mean you can peep at an innocent young man however you please? Don't men have a sense of shame too? Don't they deserve to have someone take responsibility?
"Th-then you still shouldn't do it in the courtyard! Can't you do it in your room?!"
"This is my home. I'll do what I like."
Although Naoki Senju was in the courtyard, buildings enclosed it on all four sides. Guren, who had entered without announcing herself, was clearly the one more out of line.
"You! Hurry up and get out. Lord Orochimaru wants you to come over."
"I'm not done soaking yet. Wait a little longer."
"Hmph, Crystal Release..."
"All right, all right, I'm coming, I'm coming."
After practicing Wood Release ninjutsu for an entire night, Naoki Senju once again had barely any chakra left. With no clothes to cover himself either, his combat strength was greatly reduced. If they really fought, he might not be able to beat Guren.
After all, men did not follow the rule that less clothing meant higher armor.
Although he did not know whether Guren followed it, it could at least effectively weaken Naoki Senju's defense and inflict debuffs such as "bleeding" and "stiffness."
Listening to the rustling sounds as Naoki Senju dressed, Guren involuntarily recalled helping Naoki change his clothes yesterday: his handsome face, his firm muscles, and that part she was too embarrassed to mention...
Slowly, Guren's pretty face grew redder and redder, as though blood might drip from it. She showed signs of turning into a steam princess, though she was much better than Shizune. Once, after accidentally seeing Naoki Senju bathing, Shizune had not dared face him for an entire day and kept carefully avoiding him.
"Done."
Guren breathed out, suppressed those jumbled thoughts, and turned around. The instant she saw Naoki Senju, she fell into an uncontrollable daze.
Her eyes went wide, and her little mouth formed an O, full of disbelief.
A few droplets still clung to Naoki Senju's silvery-white hair. Although he had only casually swept it back, it looked perfectly natural. His usually stern, intensely aggressive features had also gained a touch of gentleness after his bath.
His bathrobe hung half open, revealing pale yet sharply defined muscles. The glimpses of his chest made Guren unable to resist wanting to pull his robe open for a clearer look.
It was not only men who liked beautiful women; women liked handsome men too. And Naoki Senju, like a lotus freshly emerged from the water, was right in Guren's strike zone.
Every primate had a thing for white hair, and Guren was no exception. From that moment on, Guren too became an unwavering member of the white-haired faction!