Chapter 430: Masterpiece
The Hokage's Office.
Obito held the portrait of Masahiko in his hands, completely at a loss.
"The Hidden Sand Village sent over a portrait of Master? Is this because they want the Land of Whirlpools to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams? Or do they want Master himself to participate?"
After contemplating for a long time, Obito still couldn't figure it out. The space in front of him distorted, and he vanished from the Hokage's office. A moment later, his figure appeared at the entrance of Hiruzen's house.
"Lord Third! Are you there?"
"Is that Obito? Come in! Is there another matter you can't decide on your own?" Hiruzen's voice drifted out.
Obito had been serving as Hokage for four years now. Although he had made considerable progress, he still occasionally needed Hiruzen to help him evaluate situations, and Hiruzen was more than happy to do so.
Biwako Sarutobi had passed away two years ago, and his two sons each had their own affairs to keep them busy, so Hiruzen being idle all day wasn't ideal either...
Seeing his grandson Konohamaru once a week was more than enough; if he saw him any more than that, he feared it would shorten his lifespan... that brat.
"Sorry, Lord Third, for interrupting your lunch." Obito walked in and displayed Masahiko's portrait right in front of Hiruzen's eyes.
"A portrait of Elder Masahiko?"
Obito scratched his head: "I was just negotiating the specific procedures of the Joint Chunin Exams with the Fourth Kazekage when he suddenly sent over a portrait of Master..."
Hiruzen was startled, carefully sizing up the portrait before him: "Sent by the Hidden Sand Village?"
Obito nodded: "What do you think they mean by this? Do they want Master to participate in the Chunin Exams?"
Hiruzen pondered for a moment, connecting it to Masahiko's usual style of doing things: "No, this is an ink-wash painting, purely black and white... It is highly likely that the Hidden Sand Village doesn't want Elder Masahiko to participate!"
Obito was taken aback, realizing the truth a moment later: "So that's how it is! As expected of Lord Third!"
With that, Obito turned around to head outside. Hiruzen was startled: "Obito, what do you plan to...?"
"Whether Master participates or not isn't up to them to decide; it depends entirely on Master's mood! I'm going to find someone to paint a colored portrait of Master and send it right back to them!"
Hiruzen: "..."
This method of handling things was very Obito.
...
Konoha Village, Akimichi Clan BBQ Restaurant.
"Hoshino, drop your butt down! Don't do a horse stance while eating!"
Opposite Masahiko, Hoshino Uchiha's cheeks bulged high as her mouth chewed rapidly. Hearing his words, her body stiffened, and she slowly relaxed down.
The moment her butt touched the chair, she gave a conditioned-reflex-like jolt and instantly lifted her butt again.
A moment later, she tentatively tried to let her butt settle fully on the seat. A highly awkward expression gradually appeared on her face as she shifted back and forth on the chair...
Masahiko looked on helplessly. He knew this girl definitely didn't have hemorrhoids; she had just gone without sitting for so long that she was a bit unaccustomed to it.
"That's more like it, eat your food properly!"
"Mm..."
Beside them, Sai picked up a piece of meat, hesitated for a bit, and put it back down, turning to Masahiko: "Senior, you tying my drawing to that messenger eagle earlier... wasn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Masahiko smiled and waved his hand: "Just eat your food. Didn't you see that even Toneri doesn't care? I know what I'm doing!"
Mere mortals simply couldn't comprehend the deep meaning of the Great Ancestor. The Chunin Exams were a major plot event; introducing a few variables into it would easily fetch him an extra hundred or so Witness Points.
He didn't care whether Obito was distressed or not. Not directly canceling the Chunin Exams to force a complete alteration was already Masahiko being exceptionally considerate...
"I really am brilliant." Masahiko raised his eyebrows. A moment later, his expression shifted slightly as he sighed: "Hoshino, if you can finish this meal while remaining seated, I'll teach you a ninjutsu, a powerful one!"
Hoshino's chewing motion stiffened once more. Then, her entire body leaned back as her butt bounced three times on the chair, and she gritted her teeth to keep herself anchored to the seat...
Masahiko shook his head and laughed: "If you lift it up again, I'll make Toneri sit on your lap!"
Hoshino's face flushed red, and she shook her head gently, indicating that she could absolutely control herself.
Two seconds later...
The corner of Masahiko's mouth twitched slightly. Did he just misstate the punishment condition?
"If you lift it up again, I'll sit on your lap!"
Hoshino slammed her butt down firmly.
...
This meal didn't make Masahiko feel particularly pleasant, but he still honored their agreement, preparing to impart a powerful ninjutsu to Hoshino—Chidori.
This ninjutsu, which was originally created by him, along with the series of advanced ninjutsu also originally created by him, were all available in Konoha's ninjutsu library, so they weren't exactly anything rare.
Originally, Masahiko had wanted to teach it to Sasuke, but Sasuke was currently practicing an A-rank Fire Style ninjutsu under Itachi's guidance and couldn't easily divide his attention for the time being. Masahiko simply decided to teach it first to this young girl who caught his eye.
There were quite a few formidable contenders in the upcoming Chunin Exams; a few of the children could barely even participate in the Jonin exams already. Among them, Gaara, Toneri, Naruto, Sasuke, Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee formed the strongest top-tier vanguard. With Chidori, Hoshino should be able to join their ranks, perfectly filling out a top eight...
"Watch closely!"
Masahiko formed hand seals. After the three seals of Ox - Hare - Monkey, his hands clenched tightly and were held horizontally as chakra accumulated in his palms. Blue electric arcs flashed, and a piercing chirping sound of birds gradually rang out.
Once Chidori was completely formed, Masahiko's figure blurred and disappeared, and a row of small trees in the grove suddenly snapped and fell over.
"Did you see it clearly?"
Hoshino's eyes had already opened to a single-tomoe Sharingan. Hearing his question, she nodded with excitement.
Masahiko sighed: "This jutsu requires high-speed movement and sharp vision; you satisfy the minimum requirements for both. But can you please lower your tiptoes! I'm explaining a new ninjutsu to you right now!"
"Oh..." Hoshino complied reluctantly.
Masahiko pursed his lips. Standing on tiptoes—is it really that amusing?
Eh? Actually, it really did feel kind of fun...
"Don't look at me, keep practicing!"
"Oh..."
...
Time passed, and the sun dipped below the western hills.
Hoshino had 'practiced Chidori to the point of a single bird chirp'. Masahiko felt the lightning with his hand; it wasn't even as painful as static shock...
"Lower your tiptoes and try it one more time!"
This time, it was actually comparable to a static shock.
"Not bad. Next, your task is to master Chidori; put other training on hold for now. As for standing on tiptoes... do as you please." Masahiko stood high on his tiptoes, speaking with a smile.
Standing on tiptoes brought him to a height of 1.9 meters; the feeling of looking down on others was quite comfortable.
"Skree!"
Suddenly, an eagle cry rang out. Masahiko was startled and looked up as a majestic eagle flew overhead.
Waving his hand, a wind blade shot out, and feathers scattered through the air...
"Why is it you again? You flew by once at lunch and I didn't eat you, and now you return at dinner time?" Masahiko laughed as he pulled the eagle down with telekinesis: "Carrying a message scroll again. It's in two halves, how tragic... Eh?!"
Masahiko stared blankly for a long while: "Why is this a portrait of me? And it's in color?!"
He truly couldn't comprehend what kind of psychological journey Obito had gone through to send a portrait of him to the Hidden Sand Village: "Threatening the Fourth Kazekage like this isn't very nice. This child Obito, how can he rely on his master's prestige to act so recklessly!"
Looking at the eagle in his hand, which looked completely weary of life and filled with profound regret, Masahiko pondered for a moment: "How about... I write a little something?"
"We won't offer the portrait for the Sand Village to revere, but a masterpiece of calligraphy isn't a bad alternative."
"Sai, come over here! Bring out the paper and ink!"
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