After dinner, Mito and Kushina were summoned to the Hokage's office.
Nawaki returned to his room with Tsunade.
Sitting on the bed, Tsunade sighed softly and murmured, "Now that Granny Mito and Kushina Uzumaki have returned..."
Nawaki surmised, "Will it be difficult to keep the existence of the orbs of light a secret?"
"Yes," Tsunade confirmed.
"About that…" Nawaki hesitated before saying, "Sis, I actually obtained two different types of orbs with functions distinct from the weak red light orb."
He produced a purple orb, the size of a pistachio, and a glass one in his hand. "The purple one clarifies the mind. I've tested it a few times and it helped me learn things faster. The glass one is the reason I'm adept at using wind. Remember you asked why I became so good at manipulating wind?"
"So it was because of that glass orb?" Tsunade made the connection. "And you used the purple one to learn faster?"
"Yes," Nawaki confirmed, adding, "It also provides a small permanent increase in mental power."
"Do you have enough for your own use?" Tsunade inquired gently.
'As expected, she's mature and not greedy at all.'
Nawaki gave a small smile. "Yes, I have plenty. That's why I want to share them with you."
"Alright," she replied. "But, I won't use them much. Just give me one of the purple ones per day. As for the glass orb, they're rare, right? So I'll only take one. I'll accept more only if you have over 20."
"… Okay." Nawaki wanted to discuss further, but he wasn't so confident about obtaining glass orbs in abundance. He had only used one so far and hoped to acquire more, not wanting to feel the loss if they didn't take effect since he'd somewhat learned their use.
After receiving the purple orb and the glass orb, Tsunade was about to swallow them when Nawaki intervened: "Wait, you should take at least five of the purple orbs. If the effects of the purple orb wear off before you've fully absorbed the contents of the glass orb, it'll be a waste."
"Contents?" Tsunade looked puzzled.
"Yes, Sis," Nawaki elaborated. "When I swallowed the glass orb, complex information about the wind's concept flooded my mind. If it weren't for the purple orb, I wouldn't have been able to comprehend the content, as it seemed otherworldly."
"Not of this world..." Tsunade murmured, then nodded in agreement. "Alright. (sigh) It would be great if I could join you in your hunting dimension to help collect these orbs."
"I wish you could," Nawaki agreed with a sigh. "But I don't know how to bring someone else with me. Still, it's incredible enough that I can go and bring these orbs back, don't you think?"
"Yes, you're right. I'm just being a bit greedy," she admitted with a faint smile.
"No, you're not," Nawaki reassured her, then handed her another four purple orbs.
Tsunade accepted them gratefully.
As she turned away, she discreetly reached out and touched her chest.
Meanwhile, Nawaki sat in the lotus position, taking out the glass orb and a faint purple orb. He consumed the wind orb before the purple one.
Closing his eyes, he was relieved to find that his fears were unfounded.
Two hours later, Nawaki opened his eyes, feeling a deeper understanding of the wind.
His smile was broad and satisfied.
"It seems the result was satisfactory," he mused.
Hearing Tsunade's voice, Nawaki turned to look at her. "Yes, very much so!"
Tsunade released a soft sigh, filled with a mix of emotions. "I understand how to use the wind now. Like you said, a lot of information appeared in my mind, things I never knew. With the help of the purple orbs, I felt the wind become almost like a friend."
To demonstrate, she created a small swirl of wind in her palm. It felt different, more natural and powerful than when she used Wind Style before. She sensed a newfound ease in harnessing the wind.
"How about trying another glass orb?" Nawaki offered, trying to tempt her.
"I'd love to, but..." She chuckled, "I don't go back on my word. I'll just hope you find more of these miraculous glass orbs. For now, I'm content with the red light orbs."
"I knew it," Nawaki smiled, respecting her decision. He gathered 100 faint red light orbs and handed them to her. "This should be enough until dawn."
"Yes. You're thoughtful." She accepted them and affectionately kissed his cheek, smiling.
Nawaki returned the smile and turned back around.
He then swallowed another glass orb, followed by a purple orb.
He found that each wind orb contained specific information about wind techniques. Some of the information was repetitive.
After using all 12 wind element orbs, Nawaki had achieved a significant level of control over the wind.
He clenched his fists, taking a moment to control his emotions. The newfound power to manipulate wind stirred a mix of feelings within him, almost overwhelming him with excitement.
It was an inexplicable feeling, but he felt it strongly.
'Maybe I can fly like that giant green wolf...' he mused briefly.
Realizing the time, he noted it was only two hours until 7 am. Deciding to rest, Nawaki prepared to sleep and then enter the hunting dimension.
He didn't mention it, but he was grateful for Tsunade's nightly visits to his room. Her presence made him feel secure as he ventured into the hunting dimension.
-
-
Eighteen shadow clones materialized.
A second later, they dispersed in pairs, heading in various directions.
The shadow clones' speed, enhanced by wind art, was impressive, surpassing even some of the larger wind wolves.
-
-
Meanwhile, Nawaki found a hiding spot. As the main body, he couldn't afford to be reckless. The area teemed with formidable monsters capable of easily overpowering him. Caution was his priority.
'Damn, it's that lion again!' he thought, realizing two of his shadow clones had been destroyed.
The flaming red lion, standing four meters tall, had eyes that blazed like fire. Its robust and muscular body was covered in dense, flame-like fur, and atop its head was a 30-centimeter horn, reminiscent of blood jade.
'This lion is on another level.' Nawaki chose not to confront it yet.
Creating two more shadow clones, he sent them in a direction away from the flaming red lion.
'Oh? Did two of my clones find an Armored Dogs' den?' A predatory smile crossed his face as he received the intel from one of the clones, who had sacrificed itself to relay the information.
With a current limit of 26 clones before overexerting himself, Nawaki conjured nine more and dispatched them towards the lair of the Armor Hounds.
Unfortunately, these Armored Hounds didn't yield elemental art, but their drops of purple orbs still made them valuable targets.
'What?!?' Nawaki gasped in surprise. A smaller version of the Flaming Red Lion, about 200 cm tall, was spotted by his clones. It was intimidating, yet somewhat less daunting compared to the larger 400 cm lion.
'For now, I can only create one shadow clone...' Biting his lower lip, Nawaki resolved to confront the creature himself, staying close enough to replenish clones as needed.
Without further delay, he sped off, propelled by wind art.
Upon arrival, he saw the smaller flaming red lion devouring a gray rabbit.
At the same time, he received intel from another shadow clone: a wind wolf had been located. But the wind wolf paled in comparison to the prospect of confronting the flaming red lion. Could he defeat it? Would it drop elemental art?
Nawaki prepared, forming hand signals to create two additional shadow clones.
He waited for the right moment to act.
His gaze hardened as he watched the lion feasting on rabbit meat.
"Go!" Nawaki commanded.
He concealed himself in a tree at a distance, careful not to draw attention to his main body.
Despite the shadow clones' efforts to remain stealthy, the flaming red lion ceased eating the rabbit as they approached.
The lion's eyes, upon noticing the two shadow clones advancing, turned cold and bloodthirsty.
"ROAR!"
With a ferocious roar, the lion spat out fireballs, their speed formidable.
If not for their wind art, the clones, darting left and right, would have stood no chance of evading.
While dodging, the clones countered with wind blades.
The lion, seemingly contemptuous of these attacks, responded with more roaring and fireballs.
When the two elemental forces collided, the fire prevailed, unimpeded.
The clones were forced to rely on their agility to dodge again.
Roaring more fiercely, the 200 cm tall flaming red lion's fur bristled as it continued its barrage of fireballs.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
One clone wasn't quick enough to escape.
With just one clone remaining, the lion quickly eliminated it.
However, before it could return to its meal, three more clones charged at it.
"ROAR!"
Enraged by the interruption, the lion lashed out with fireballs.
These clones had no opportunity to attack or defend before they were annihilated.
Snorting flames, the lion moved back towards the rabbit, believing all nuisances were gone.
Yet, three more clones appeared.
This time, instead of launching fireballs, the lion charged with incredible speed, resembling a massive fireball. It reached one clone and bit off half of its body.
Before it could chew, the clone vanished from its mouth.
The lion looked around, its expression almost human, lost and confused.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Caught off guard, the remaining two clones struck with wind gusts.
Enraged, the lion charged at one, repeating its earlier action, but once again, the intended prey disappeared.
Frustrated, the lion couldn't comprehend why its prey kept vanishing.
Realizing that attempting to consume the clones was futile, the flaming red lion hurled a fireball in the direction of a clone.
This time, four clones rushed towards the lion just before another was engulfed in flames and disappeared.
The flaming red lion's fury escalated beyond measure.
It moved swiftly, biting, swiping with its paws, and launching fireballs, relentlessly slaying clone after clone.
Yet, no matter how many it vanquished, more of these vexing creatures reappeared. Despite its ferocity and strength, the lion began to feel overwhelmed by the continuous onslaught of bipedal adversaries.
After more than an hour of relentless fighting, even the robust and resilient lion began to show signs of exhaustion.
Realizing that its efforts were futile as more clones kept emerging, at one point even 26 at the same time, the lion decided to flee. However, each attempt to escape was thwarted by the encircling clones.
Another half hour passed...
Nawaki's thirty shadow clones launched a full-force attack using wind art against the flaming red lion.
The lion let out a pained roar, its energy significantly depleted.
Despite its endurance, it struggled to stand, battered and bloodied, as another barrage of attacks hit it.
It didn't take long for the fiery red lion to be reduced to ashes.
Among the remains were six weak red orbs, larger than those dropped by the huge green wolf, and two purple vials, even more exquisite than those from the wolf.
One of the clones approached and gazed excitedly at a crystal ball containing flames inside.
After collecting everything, Nawaki dispersed the remaining shadow clones. He was exhausted, almost doubting his ability to win.
Fortunately, the shadow clones he had been hunting earlier perished, allowing him to use them in this battle. Without them, he doubted he could have triumphed.
Receiving information from the clones, and discovering the presence of the crystal orb with flames inside, he felt as elated as the clone that had retrieved it.
'It was so worth it!' he thought with a smile. But then Nawaki decided, 'I'll hide until I'm expelled.'
||- Note -||
Read 15+ chapter on Patre on!
pa treon.com/Tozoku
After dinner, Mito and Kushina were summoned to the Hokage's office.
Nawaki returned to his room with Tsunade.
Sitting on the bed, Tsunade sighed softly and murmured, "Now that Granny Mito and Kushina Uzumaki have returned..."
Nawaki surmised, "Will it be difficult to keep the existence of the orbs of light a secret?"
"Yes," Tsunade confirmed.
"About that…" Nawaki hesitated before saying, "Sis, I actually obtained two different types of orbs with functions distinct from the weak red light orb."
He produced a purple orb, the size of a pistachio, and a glass one in his hand. "The purple one clarifies the mind. I've tested it a few times and it helped me learn things faster. The glass one is the reason I'm adept at using wind. Remember you asked why I became so good at manipulating wind?"
"So it was because of that glass orb?" Tsunade made the connection. "And you used the purple one to learn faster?"
"Yes," Nawaki confirmed, adding, "It also provides a small permanent increase in mental power."
"Do you have enough for your own use?" Tsunade inquired gently.
'As expected, she's mature and not greedy at all.'
Nawaki gave a small smile. "Yes, I have plenty. That's why I want to share them with you."
"Alright," she replied. "But, I won't use them much. Just give me one of the purple ones per day. As for the glass orb, they're rare, right? So I'll only take one. I'll accept more only if you have over 20."
"… Okay." Nawaki wanted to discuss further, but he wasn't so confident about obtaining glass orbs in abundance. He had only used one so far and hoped to acquire more, not wanting to feel the loss if they didn't take effect since he'd somewhat learned their use.
After receiving the purple orb and the glass orb, Tsunade was about to swallow them when Nawaki intervened: "Wait, you should take at least five of the purple orbs. If the effects of the purple orb wear off before you've fully absorbed the contents of the glass orb, it'll be a waste."
"Contents?" Tsunade looked puzzled.
"Yes, Sis," Nawaki elaborated. "When I swallowed the glass orb, complex information about the wind's concept flooded my mind. If it weren't for the purple orb, I wouldn't have been able to comprehend the content, as it seemed otherworldly."
"Not of this world..." Tsunade murmured, then nodded in agreement. "Alright. (sigh) It would be great if I could join you in your hunting dimension to help collect these orbs."
"I wish you could," Nawaki agreed with a sigh. "But I don't know how to bring someone else with me. Still, it's incredible enough that I can go and bring these orbs back, don't you think?"
"Yes, you're right. I'm just being a bit greedy," she admitted with a faint smile.
"No, you're not," Nawaki reassured her, then handed her another four purple orbs.
Tsunade accepted them gratefully.
As she turned away, she discreetly reached out and touched her chest.
Meanwhile, Nawaki sat in the lotus position, taking out the glass orb and a faint purple orb. He consumed the wind orb before the purple one.
Closing his eyes, he was relieved to find that his fears were unfounded.
Two hours later, Nawaki opened his eyes, feeling a deeper understanding of the wind.
His smile was broad and satisfied.
"It seems the result was satisfactory," he mused.
Hearing Tsunade's voice, Nawaki turned to look at her. "Yes, very much so!"
Tsunade released a soft sigh, filled with a mix of emotions. "I understand how to use the wind now. Like you said, a lot of information appeared in my mind, things I never knew. With the help of the purple orbs, I felt the wind become almost like a friend."
To demonstrate, she created a small swirl of wind in her palm. It felt different, more natural and powerful than when she used Wind Style before. She sensed a newfound ease in harnessing the wind.
"How about trying another glass orb?" Nawaki offered, trying to tempt her.
"I'd love to, but..." She chuckled, "I don't go back on my word. I'll just hope you find more of these miraculous glass orbs. For now, I'm content with the red light orbs."
"I knew it," Nawaki smiled, respecting her decision. He gathered 100 faint red light orbs and handed them to her. "This should be enough until dawn."
"Yes. You're thoughtful." She accepted them and affectionately kissed his cheek, smiling.
Nawaki returned the smile and turned back around.
He then swallowed another glass orb, followed by a purple orb.
He found that each wind orb contained specific information about wind techniques. Some of the information was repetitive.
After using all 12 wind element orbs, Nawaki had achieved a significant level of control over the wind.
He clenched his fists, taking a moment to control his emotions. The newfound power to manipulate wind stirred a mix of feelings within him, almost overwhelming him with excitement.
It was an inexplicable feeling, but he felt it strongly.
'Maybe I can fly like that giant green wolf...' he mused briefly.
Realizing the time, he noted it was only two hours until 7 am. Deciding to rest, Nawaki prepared to sleep and then enter the hunting dimension.
He didn't mention it, but he was grateful for Tsunade's nightly visits to his room. Her presence made him feel secure as he ventured into the hunting dimension.
-
-
Eighteen shadow clones materialized.
A second later, they dispersed in pairs, heading in various directions.
The shadow clones' speed, enhanced by wind art, was impressive, surpassing even some of the larger wind wolves.
-
-
Meanwhile, Nawaki found a hiding spot. As the main body, he couldn't afford to be reckless. The area teemed with formidable monsters capable of easily overpowering him. Caution was his priority.
'Damn, it's that lion again!' he thought, realizing two of his shadow clones had been destroyed.
The flaming red lion, standing four meters tall, had eyes that blazed like fire. Its robust and muscular body was covered in dense, flame-like fur, and atop its head was a 30-centimeter horn, reminiscent of blood jade.
'This lion is on another level.' Nawaki chose not to confront it yet.
Creating two more shadow clones, he sent them in a direction away from the flaming red lion.
'Oh? Did two of my clones find an Armored Dogs' den?' A predatory smile crossed his face as he received the intel from one of the clones, who had sacrificed itself to relay the information.
With a current limit of 26 clones before overexerting himself, Nawaki conjured nine more and dispatched them towards the lair of the Armor Hounds.
Unfortunately, these Armored Hounds didn't yield elemental art, but their drops of purple orbs still made them valuable targets.
'What?!?' Nawaki gasped in surprise. A smaller version of the Flaming Red Lion, about 200 cm tall, was spotted by his clones. It was intimidating, yet somewhat less daunting compared to the larger 400 cm lion.
'For now, I can only create one shadow clone...' Biting his lower lip, Nawaki resolved to confront the creature himself, staying close enough to replenish clones as needed.
Without further delay, he sped off, propelled by wind art.
Upon arrival, he saw the smaller flaming red lion devouring a gray rabbit.
At the same time, he received intel from another shadow clone: a wind wolf had been located. But the wind wolf paled in comparison to the prospect of confronting the flaming red lion. Could he defeat it? Would it drop elemental art?
Nawaki prepared, forming hand signals to create two additional shadow clones.
He waited for the right moment to act.
His gaze hardened as he watched the lion feasting on rabbit meat.
"Go!" Nawaki commanded.
He concealed himself in a tree at a distance, careful not to draw attention to his main body.
Despite the shadow clones' efforts to remain stealthy, the flaming red lion ceased eating the rabbit as they approached.
The lion's eyes, upon noticing the two shadow clones advancing, turned cold and bloodthirsty.
"ROAR!"
With a ferocious roar, the lion spat out fireballs, their speed formidable.
If not for their wind art, the clones, darting left and right, would have stood no chance of evading.
While dodging, the clones countered with wind blades.
The lion, seemingly contemptuous of these attacks, responded with more roaring and fireballs.
When the two elemental forces collided, the fire prevailed, unimpeded.
The clones were forced to rely on their agility to dodge again.
Roaring more fiercely, the 200 cm tall flaming red lion's fur bristled as it continued its barrage of fireballs.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
One clone wasn't quick enough to escape.
With just one clone remaining, the lion quickly eliminated it.
However, before it could return to its meal, three more clones charged at it.
"ROAR!"
Enraged by the interruption, the lion lashed out with fireballs.
These clones had no opportunity to attack or defend before they were annihilated.
Snorting flames, the lion moved back towards the rabbit, believing all nuisances were gone.
Yet, three more clones appeared.
This time, instead of launching fireballs, the lion charged with incredible speed, resembling a massive fireball. It reached one clone and bit off half of its body.
Before it could chew, the clone vanished from its mouth.
The lion looked around, its expression almost human, lost and confused.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Caught off guard, the remaining two clones struck with wind gusts.
Enraged, the lion charged at one, repeating its earlier action, but once again, the intended prey disappeared.
Frustrated, the lion couldn't comprehend why its prey kept vanishing.
Realizing that attempting to consume the clones was futile, the flaming red lion hurled a fireball in the direction of a clone.
This time, four clones rushed towards the lion just before another was engulfed in flames and disappeared.
The flaming red lion's fury escalated beyond measure.
It moved swiftly, biting, swiping with its paws, and launching fireballs, relentlessly slaying clone after clone.
Yet, no matter how many it vanquished, more of these vexing creatures reappeared. Despite its ferocity and strength, the lion began to feel overwhelmed by the continuous onslaught of bipedal adversaries.
After more than an hour of relentless fighting, even the robust and resilient lion began to show signs of exhaustion.
Realizing that its efforts were futile as more clones kept emerging, at one point even 26 at the same time, the lion decided to flee. However, each attempt to escape was thwarted by the encircling clones.
Another half hour passed...
Nawaki's thirty shadow clones launched a full-force attack using wind art against the flaming red lion.
The lion let out a pained roar, its energy significantly depleted.
Despite its endurance, it struggled to stand, battered and bloodied, as another barrage of attacks hit it.
It didn't take long for the fiery red lion to be reduced to ashes.
Among the remains were six weak red orbs, larger than those dropped by the huge green wolf, and two purple vials, even more exquisite than those from the wolf.
One of the clones approached and gazed excitedly at a crystal ball containing flames inside.
After collecting everything, Nawaki dispersed the remaining shadow clones. He was exhausted, almost doubting his ability to win.
Fortunately, the shadow clones he had been hunting earlier perished, allowing him to use them in this battle. Without them, he doubted he could have triumphed.
Receiving information from the clones, and discovering the presence of the crystal orb with flames inside, he felt as elated as the clone that had retrieved it.
'It was so worth it!' he thought with a smile. But then Nawaki decided, 'I'll hide until I'm expelled.'
||- Note -||
Read 15+ chapter on Patre on!
pa treon.com/Tozoku
