Chapter 82: 082: New Club Member, Endless Shadow Clones!
"Waaaah, Teacher, I really don't know where they are hiding!" Kiba, trapped within the Hell Viewing Technique, witnessed a horrifying scene: being disciplined by both his mother and sister simultaneously.
Prideful Kiba always felt resentful about losing to girls, and he was no match for his older sister, Hana.
Of course, when they weren't fighting, his family was quite loving.
Hana's affection was just a bit...violent. Just like training her ninja hounds, she believed in sweating more in training to bleed less in battle.
And she often included her younger brother in these intense training sessions.
Being tormented like this since childhood, this was Kiba's greatest fear.
"Akamaru, right?" Kiba nudged Akamaru with his foot, prompting him to make a sound. \
Teacher Kurenai was terrifying now, almost as scary as his sister. Konoha girls are frightening.
"Woof...woo..." Akamaru whimpered, indicating he could find them.
And so, after searching for a long time, as the sun began to set, Akamaru actually found the place where Natsuki and Hinata had been hiding.
But they were long gone.
Kurenai searched the vicinity but found no one. Damn it, where did Natsuki go? She thought. But I have to admit, their hiding skills are quite impressive.
Even now, Kurenai still assumed they were simply hiding, waiting to ambush her and snatch the bells when she least expected it.
She never considered that they might have snuck back to the village for a feast.
One reason was their perceived lack of skill as she didn't think they could leave and return undetected.
The other was precedent as every graduating student always took the final exam seriously.
Grumble...
Suddenly, Kiba's stomach loudly growled.
Just as he blushed in embarrassment, about to explain, Akamaru barked excitedly and dashed into the woods.
They quickly followed, soon finding a piece of grilled meat on a tree.
"What the heck? Did this tree grow grilled meat?" Kiba, starving and drooling, spoke without thinking.
He barely grabbed it before Akamaru devoured it in one gulp.
"Don't—" Kurenai couldn't react in time and the meat was gone.
"Damn it, Akamaru! You didn't even leave me a bite!" Kiba glared at Akamaru, then said to Kurenai, "It's okay, Teacher. There are no enemies here. It must be from Natsuki and Hinata."
Indeed, after fifteen minutes, Akamaru showed no ill effects from eating the meat.
Instead, he sniffed the air and ran off in another direction. Soon, he found another piece of freshly grilled meat.
Seeing this bizarre scene, anyone would realize it was deliberate.
However, as a Jonin, Kurenai wouldn't let her guard down. "Natsuki, is that you?" She called out, attempting to lure them out.
And it worked. "That's right! It's us!" Natsuki jumped down from a tree.
That was way too easy. How can someone this gullible survive in the ninja world? Kurenai thought, her face darkening.
She briefly considered sending them back to the Academy when Natsuki pulled out another piece of grilled meat.
"Are you hungry? Why don't we eat first, then continue the exam?" he offered.
"You idiot! Will the enemy wait for you to finish eating on the battlefield? The ninja world isn't a playground!" Kurenai finally snapped, yelling.
Quickly forming hand seals, she declared, "Today, I'll teach you a lesson: Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Countless branches, like pythons, whipped out, instantly binding Natsuki tightly.
But before Kurenai could make her next move, the captured Natsuki poofed into smoke, leaving behind only another piece of grilled meat.
"A shadow clone?" This unexpected turn of events made Kurenai's eyes light up.
Instead of anger, she felt a surge of excitement.
"Aren't you going to have a taste? It's delicious," Natsuki's voice came from behind.
He emerged from the shadows, taking a large bite out of a lamb skewer.
Kiba, who had been behind Kurenai, was gone. It seemed he had been rescued.
I was careless. Kurenai realized.
"Not bad, not bad indeed! you've improved." Kurenai nodded with a smile, but her expression immediately sharpened.
"But you're asking for a beating acting like this." She flicked her wrist, sending several kunai flying towards Natsuki.
Poof!!! Another cloud of smoke.
Three lamb skewers, wrapped in paper, remained in place.
Seeing this, Kurenai, who was also getting hungry after a long day, felt a touch of warmth.
However, she remembered how much of a troublemaker her little brother was.
If she didn't assert her dominance today, leading this team would be difficult in the future.
Intentionally ignoring the fragrant barbecue, she said, "You've gotten skilled. Do shadow clones now drop barbecue? But this isn't enough to tempt your sister."
"Well, if you don't eat it, I will."
This time, Natsuki emerged from the bushes holding a grilled fish.
Kurenai's face darkened.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?" When did he learn this? Not many people in Konoha know this technique.
While praising him inwardly, she said, "Let's see how many you have." With that, she charged at Natsuki again.
…
Meanwhile, a short distance away, the three-person team reunited.
Kiba and Akamaru were devouring the food.
"Natsuki, how did you do it? It was amazing!"
"You were the one who was awful. As a beast tamer, a Child blessed by Destiny, you were captured so easily. Your Akamaru has so much potential, but you can't unlock it," Natsuki shook his head, harshly criticizing his new teammate.
"Woof!!!" Receiving so much delicious food, and sensing Natsuki's praise, Akamaru barked happily.
"Really? So Akamaru is strong after all! How do I unlock his potential?" Kiba, more excited about Akamaru being praised than himself, eagerly asked.
After all, Natsuki's strength was undeniable, even if his words at times where quite a bit strange.
But Kiba understood the gist.
"I don't teach people easily. Unless..."
"Unless?"
"Unless you possess the determination to protect dimensional peace and become a member of our society.
"The Dimensional End's Congregation bears a heavy responsibility, requiring more people to safeguard the peace of all dimensions. The ninja world we live in is just one of them," Natsuki said seriously.
"Dimensional End's Congregation?" Kiba recalled Natsuki's self-introduction earlier that day. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Um... do I have to join the club to unlock Akamaru's potential? Can I not join?"
"What do you think?" Natsuki replied, staring intently at Kiba.
A chill filled the air.
"Uh, I'll join! I want to join!" Kiba shivered, quickly agreeing.
It's just a club with a weird name. What's there to be afraid of?
"Very good! Then, from now on, you are a peripheral member of our society. This badge is proof of your membership. Don't lose it," Natsuki nodded, taking out an elaborate 2.2 badge from his pocket and handing it to Kiba.
He then turned to deal with his sister, who was still entangled with his numerous shadow clones.
"Just a peripheral member?" Kiba asked, disappointed, as he took the badge. He had finally made up his mind to join this strange club, only to be a peripheral member.
"Yes. Don't underestimate our society. Being a peripheral member is already quite good. When you successfully unlock Akamaru's potential and make him evolve, you can become a full member," Natsuki paused, then pointed to Hinata. "And by the way, currently, you are the weakest in the entire club.
"Let me reintroduce you. This is also a member of our society: the First Mage!"
Hinata, understanding his cue, levitated into the air and with a wave of her hand, uprooted a towering tree from the ground ten meters away.
"Gulp..." Kiba swallowed hard. Did I just join something incredible? He wondered.
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