Behind them, Yūhi Shinku unconsciously clenched his hand, then cut in and said:
"Kairen, grow up quickly. The ninja talent within you holds the qualities of a future Kage. I believe that one day you will bring change to Konoha, perhaps even to the entire Land of Fire."
After speaking, Yūhi Shinku vanished with a Body Flicker.
A ten-year-old who could kill a Jōnin—for even the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara at the founding of Konoha, it had been just about the same.
If Kairen could truly grow to that level, he might be able to shatter the shackles the clans had bound onto the common people.
After Yūhi Shinku left, Yūhi Kurenai loosened up even more. She secretly held the boy's hand.
"Kairen, I don't want to deal with Asuma anymore. He actually had someone threaten my dad to make me forget you—how petty!"
Kairen pinched the girl's nose, making her cheeks flush red.
"You're so annoying!"
The boy and girl exchanged scattered words. A rustling forest breeze drifted past, bringing with it a rare trace of warmth to such a blood-soaked battlefield.
"Kairen, Dad said you beat a Sunagakure Jōnin all by yourself. You're amazing!"
Kairen leaned against the girl's thigh, quietly enjoying Yūhi Kurenai massaging his temple.
Kairen seemed to have fully immersed himself in the character traits of Sasuke:
"Becoming a Jōnin doesn't make him anything but a mediocrity. If I'm in the mood, I can take his life anytime I wish."
"You're bragging!" Yūhi Kurenai twisted the flesh at his temple lightly.
"I never brag. Even if Uchiha Madara were still alive, I could dance before him."
"The more you brag, the bigger your words get. Why not say you'll dance before the Sage of Six Paths himself?"
"I could do that too!"
Minute by minute time passed, and Yūhi Shinku's figure appeared near a boulder.
His eyes shone like cold light, glaring icily at Kairen lying on his daughter's lap.
"S-sorry!"
Kairen immediately jumped up, smiling awkwardly.
Yūhi Kurenai's cheeks reddened. The two of them like this really did seem like the "dates" described in books.
As Yūhi Kurenai was about to leave, Kairen suddenly called out to her.
"Kairen, what is it?"
Kairen reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out around sixty Explosive Tags, handing them to Yūhi Kurenai.
"Kurenai, here—for you!"
Yūhi Kurenai shook her head.
"Kairen, I don't want them. You're in more danger than me on the frontlines. You should keep them for yourself!"
Kairen forcibly pressed the Explosive Tags into her hand.
"I can solo-kill Jōnin now. Explosive Tags are useless for me, but you're still a Genin—they're very valuable for you."
Unable to refuse, Yūhi Kurenai could only accept Kairen's gift.
She gave him a simple "thank you," then followed Yūhi Shinku away.
Kairen watched them leave. As Yūhi Kurenai disappeared into the forest, she waved back at him. Kairen waved in return.
"Yūhi Kurenai… such a lovely girl. Sorry, Asuma—your ability is too weak. The future of Konoha will be protected by me, Moku Kairen!"
Walking along the forest path, Yūhi Kurenai counted the Explosive Tags in her hands.
"60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65! There are 65 of them…"
"They all exclude Kairen so much. How did he end up with so many Explosive Tags?"
Yūhi Shinku ruffled her head.
"Perhaps he looted them from some Suna-nin."
"Kairen is really amazing. His talent is so strong. Before long, even you won't be able to match him, Dad."
Yūhi Shinku smiled.
"Genius can't be measured by ordinary standards. Kakashi, Kairen—they're geniuses born to be shinobi."
Yūhi Kurenai tilted her head in confusion.
"Then why was Kairen's performance in the Academy so poor? He couldn't even do a basic Transformation Technique."
Yūhi Shinku explained:
"Because of war. In life-and-death situations, a ninja's talent can be drawn out drastically. Kairen is a ninja made for the battlefield. As long as he fights, he grows stronger."
"Oh!"
Still, Yūhi Shinku kept pondering. No matter how much one grew, it shouldn't be possible for a ten-year-old to solo-kill a Jōnin—unless some hidden power within his body had been triggered.
"Multiple Shadow Clone forbidden technique, vast chakra reserves, high-level Fire Release comparable to the Uchiha, the Sarutobi clan's Dust Ash Burning, and finally… that forbidden jutsu radiating green energy!"
Yūhi Shinku muttered quietly. If he hadn't mistaken it, that last one was a forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals—Eight Gates Release.
So many unexplained techniques surfacing in one child's body—there had to be a reason.
"Kairen… Moku Kairen!"
"...Moku, Moku?! …Moku!"
"Mokuton! The Senju!!"
"The Senju clan's Scroll of Seals!!"
Yūhi Kurenai blinked in confusion at her father's muttering.
"Dad, what's all this about Senju, Senju?"
Yūhi Shinku slowed his steps. He seemed to have figured out why Kairen was so special—because Senju blood flowed within him.
The Senju were the clan that treated commoners best. They had even merged their thousand-year legacy with the common folk.
Because of the Senju, ordinary people gained access to ninjutsu, no longer suffering under clan domination.
It could be said: the Senju were the hope of commoner ninjas.
Yūhi Shinku shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Perhaps… Kairen really can change Konoha."
...
Another day passed, and the month finally came to its end.
That day, Kairen used a little experience to exchange for a few sticks of incense, lit them, and placed them in the ground.
"Sage of Six Paths above, bless me, Moku Kairen, to draw the Rinnegan today!"
He rubbed his hands together and quickly opened the system interface, navigating to the big lottery.
"Spin for me!"
The wheel on the lottery screen spun rapidly, then gradually slowed. Under Kairen's gaze, it stopped on a mental attribute item.
[Naruto's Negative Talk no Jutsu]
That spiritual attribute quickly merged with Kairen. He immediately felt more energetic, his throat smoother, and his mind filled with a greater vocabulary of insults.
Was Naruto's Talk no Jutsu strong? Yes. Of course it was.
Look at Nagato—the leader of Akatsuki, a man who wanted to bring pain to the world.
He came all the way to Konoha to deliver destruction, nearly wiping out the entire village. In the end, after a round of Naruto's Talk no Jutsu, Nagato was convinced on the spot. That mouth was a cheat-tier mouth.
Even Obito—blackened beyond redemption—was still whitewashed by that very mouth.
As for this Negative Talk no Jutsu, Kairen suspected it forcibly lowered the opponent's intelligence.
Activating his Byakugan, he caught a rat hiding in a crack between rocks.
This rat was odd—it actually had chakra, seemingly a little prodigy of nature.
Kairen pinned it to the stone, cleared his throat, and looked straight into its eyes.
"You filthy rat. In this life, all you'll ever do is gnaw dirt obediently!"
Naruto's Negative Talk no Jutsu activated!
"Squeak, squeak…" The rat's eyes turned red, struggling wildly as if it wanted to bite Kairen to death.
Kairen was a little surprised. Such a powerful mouth—it seemed to come with an innate Taunt aura.
Even a rat wanted to kill him after hearing his words. If he casually insulted someone later, wouldn't their mentality collapse in minutes, making them want nothing more than to kill him?
"This really is the perfect spiritual attribute for my personality."
After testing Naruto's Negative Talk no Jutsu, Kairen spun the lottery again.
This time, the wheel landed on a Taijutsu technique.
[Konoha Taijutsu Secret—Thousand Years of Death]
This Taijutsu had an excellent record. A forbidden move of tremendous power.
It had been created by Konoha's Sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi.
Using it injured both the enemy and oneself.
"Utter crap!"
Drawing such a useless thing, Kairen was speechless. A precious lottery chance wasted.
...
From now on, I will publish additional chapters only for Powerstones. This is the first chapter for Powerstones. Thank you.