Chapter 46: Rewriting the Murderous Intent Under the Moon!
With half a month left before the main event of the Chunin Exams, the late night in Konoha Villagewas eerily quiet. Although there were still Ninjas patrolling the streets, certain shady transactions were taking place in the dark corners.
"Ha... ha..."
Uzumaki Naruto crouched atop a large tree, binoculars in hand, ostensibly practicing his scouting skills, but in reality, he was hoping for some luck to catch a glimpse of an older sister who forgot to draw her curtains while bathing late at night.
"Tch, it's all just burly men snoring."
Naruto curled his lip in boredom and was about to head home to sleep when a familiar back suddenly caught the corner of his eye.
It was the roof of an abandoned shrine on the outskirts of Konoha.
A man was pressed against the roof tiles; he had heavy dark circles under his eyes, carried a katana on his back, and was desperately covering his mouth to suppress his coughing.
Gekkō Hayate. The proctor for the preliminary rounds of this Chunin Exam.
In the shadows opposite him, Baki, the guiding Jonin of the Hidden Sand Village, was conspiring with a bespectacled, sneering fellow. Naruto didn't even need to look to know that the guy in glasses was Yakushi Kabuto; he reeked of insidiousness.
"Tsk tsk, has the plot really reached this point?"
Naruto tucked away his binoculars. He didn't panic or kick any tiles to expose himself; instead, he sat in the shadows of the tree branch with his hands in his pockets, watching with great interest.
"The prelude to the Konoha Crush plan. This consumptive fellow heard something he shouldn't have; he's about to kick the bucket."
At that moment, on the shrine roof, the situation changed abruptly.
Baki sensed the unstable presence and suddenly unleashed a Wind Release: Blade of Wind, forcing Gekkō Hayate to reveal himself from his hiding spot.
"Konoha-Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
Gekkō Hayate knew he couldn't escape and grit his teeth to activate his ultimate technique. Three afterimages accompanied by blade light slashed toward Baki. Though the movements were textbook, in the eyes of an expert like Naruto, they were simply too weak.
Sure enough, Baki didn't even look him in the eye. He caught the blade using only the hardened defense of his shoulder, then with a sharp glint in his eyes, he condensed a fierce wind blade at his fingertips, pointing it straight at Hayate's throat.
Death was but an instant away.
Gekkō Hayate's pupils dilated as the image of a purple-haired woman flashed through his mind one last time.
"Yūgao..."
At that critical moment.
On the tree branch, all sorts of messy thoughts suddenly popped into Naruto's head.
[Oh boy, is he really going to die? What a tragic way to go.]
On the street below the shrine, a squad of Anbupassing by came to a halt.
The female Anbu leading them, wearing a cat-mask, suddenly shuddered.
[It doesn't matter if a man dies. But... I remember this guy having a top-tier girlfriend, right?]
[I think her name is Yūgao Uzuki? She uses a sword too, has smooth purple hair, and usually wears a tight Anbu uniform. The lines of her back are just... *slurp*.]
Although Naruto didn't move, his bizarre logic of "if I don't save this man, I'll get to see something better" was spinning rapidly, then it took a sudden turn.
[Wait! If this consumptive guy dies, won't Big Sister Yūgao become a widow?]
[Hiss—a widow. Wearing black mourning clothes, a white flower on her chest, kneeling in the funeral hall, weeping piteously with eyes full of helplessness and emptiness... that sense of fragility...]
Yūgao Uzuki, who was rushing down the street to provide support, stumbled and nearly fell off a utility pole.
The cold face beneath the mask instantly turned beet red, and her shame and anger made her want to draw her sword.
Who was this voice in her head? How could they be so... so lewd?
What widow? What sense of fragility?
He was actually looking forward to Hayate's death just to see her in mourning clothes?
However, Naruto's inner voice continued, taking a 180-degree turn.
[No. What am I thinking? How can I let such a beautiful big sister become a widow just to satisfy this fetish?]
[A widow might have a certain charm, but it's too bitter after all. That sister looks so valiant; she should be pampered and loved. How pitiful would it be to be a widow? And what if she can't take it and follows him in death? That would be a huge loss to the Ninja World's beauty!]
[No! To keep the great beauty Yūgao from crying her eyes out and becoming ugly, to preserve that flowing purple hair...]
[This consumptive guy, even if he's a piece of trash, he's going to stay alive for me today!]
Boom—!
This last sentence directly broke through Yūgao Uzuki's psychological defenses.
Fear, shame, and a hint of inexplicable touch intertwined and exploded in her heart—fear for her boyfriend's imminent peril, shame at this voyeur's perverted thoughts, and a touch of emotion at the strange way he wanted to protect her from crying.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host "Uzumaki Naruto," based on intense humanitarian (LSP) concern of "not wanting to see a beauty become a widow," has triggered target character Yūgao Uzuki's potential.]
[Yūgao Uzuki receives an emergency reward: Space-Time Ninjutsu Affinity · Body Flicker Technique · Moon Shadow Flash (Speed increases to afterimage-level under moonlight; this is the acceleration of love).]
"Stop... right there!"
Yūgao Uzuki felt an unprecedented explosive power surge through her legs. Without any hesitation, and without even time to think about where this power came from, her body transformed into a streak of purple light.
Shua!
It was a speed faster than sound.
On the shrine roof, Baki's lethal wind blade had already swung down, only a centimeter away from Hayate's neck.
Clang!
A crisp sound of clashing metal rang through the night sky.
Sparks flew everywhere.
Baki's eyes widened in surprise. His wrist was firmly parried by a suddenly appearing katana, while the supposedly doomed Gekkō Hayate had been kicked hard by the owner of this blade, rolling back several times and narrowly avoiding the aftermath of the wind pressure.
The smoke and dust cleared.
A figure in Anbu armor and a cat-mask appeared, her long hair dancing in the moonlight as she stood with her sword drawn, blocking the way in front of the scrambling, sickly man.
Although she wore a mask, anyone could feel the fury in her eyes.
"Konoha Anbu?" Baki's brow furrowed as he jumped back, landing beside Kabuto. "Tch, reinforcements already? And that speed..."
That momentary Body Flicker reminded him of the title that struck fear into his heart—the Yellow Flash. Although it was still far off, it was enough to make him wary.
"Are you alright, Hayate!"
Yūgao didn't pursue, asking in a low voice with her back to Hayate. Her voice was trembling slightly as the phrases "become a widow" and "to keep her from crying" echoed in her mind.
"Yū-Yūgao?"
Gekkō Hayate, having just escaped death's door, stared blankly at his girlfriend. He couldn't understand how Yūgao, who was usually decent but never this exaggerated, had suddenly become as strong as an elite Jonin.
"Cough, cough... Careful, the opponent is from the Sand..."
"I know! Shut up and stop talking!" Yūgaointerrupted him roughly, her face as red as a tomato. "I'll settle the score with you when we get back!"
If this guy really died... wouldn't she really have to put on mourning clothes like that voice said...
Ah! I can't think about it!
On the distant tree trunk, Naruto lowered his hands from behind his head, a satisfied smile curling onto his lips.
[Heh, she made it? That speed is impressive, much faster than in the original story.]
[As expected of Big Sister Yūgao. I guess this is 'the beauty saving the coward'? Looks like I won't be seeing those mourning clothes after all.]
[But that's fine. Once I become Hokage, hehe, I'll appoint her as my personal Anbu guard... walking around the office in that outfit every day...]
Pfft—!
Below, Yūgao Uzuki had just started to sheathe her sword when she heard this latest inner voice, and she nearly cut herself as her hand slipped.
Personal guard? Walking around the office?
Who... who exactly is this perverted brat?
Baki saw there was only one opponent, but he felt the Anbu's aura was strange. Since this was the heart of Konoha, delaying would be disadvantageous for him.
"Retreat!"
Baki and Kabuto exchanged a look and used the Body Flicker Technique without hesitation, vanishing into the night.
The crisis was averted.
Gekkō Hayate struggled to stand up and hug his girlfriend: "That's great, Yūgao, if it weren't for you..."
"Don't move!" Yūgao suddenly turned, staring intently at the nearby tree, her eyes flickering beneath her mask.
It was empty.
Leaving only a faint, lingering complaint in the wind:
[Sigh, Brother Hayate, for the sake of your happiness, I've sacrificed a golden opportunity to feast my eyes. If you ever dare to treat Yūgaopoorly, I'll definitely pull your oxygen plug.]
Yūgao Uzuki listened to the voice fading in her mind, then looked down at her boyfriend who was still coughing violently. She sighed helplessly and clicked her sword back into its sheath.
Beneath that cold mask, however, the corner of her usually aloof mouth curled up ever so slightly in annoyance.
"What a... precocious little bastard."