Naruto Shadow Emperor - Chapter 40

“That’s because…”

The three people under the tree focused all their attention on Yukigetsu, who was hanging from the tree, and gently closed his eyes.

A breeze blew through, lifting everyone’s clothes.

Then, the boy’s deep voice came from above, “Because… I’m a genius!”

The forest fell silent, everyone clearly stunned by his shamelessness.

“Tch, you don’t believe me.”

Yukigetsu looked down at the three faces filled with disbelief and casually threw three kunai, which landed at their feet. “Why don’t you try it for yourselves? Use these to mark how high you can climb.”

“How can we achieve control like yours?” Sasuke suddenly asked.

Yukigetsu smirked inwardly. This guy still wants to catch up with me, huh? But I wasn’t boasting earlier; when it comes to chakra control, I really am a genius. Otherwise, how could I have mastered my mother’s monstrous strength so easily?

Pointing to the treetop, Yukigetsu casually smiled, “Just aim to climb up there!”

Might as well give them a small target…

“This is a piece of cake for me!”

Among the three, Naruto was instantly full of confidence. He immediately picked a tree and ran up it, with Sasuke and Sakura eagerly following suit.

Thud! Thud!
As expected, Naruto and Sasuke didn’t last long before falling, while Yukigetsu covered his eyes. Wow… that looks painful!

“This doesn’t seem so hard!” Only Sakura was already sitting on a branch, smiling.

Yukigetsu glanced at her and chuckled, “It seems Sakura has the best chakra control…”

This girl has quite a talent for chakra control. If given three years, she might learn monstrous strength. Of course, she would need someone to teach her…

Naruto, who had just climbed back up, was jumping around excitedly, feeling proud. “Sakura, you’re amazing! No wonder I like you!”

On the branch, Sakura sighed in frustration. She only wanted Sasuke’s approval, but Yukigetsu’s would be fine too. Why did it have to be Naruto again?

Speaking of which, she found herself increasingly paying attention to Yukigetsu lately, especially after he saved her yesterday. Even though she still liked Sasuke, there were some things she should have said to Yukigetsu long ago…

At that moment, Yukigetsu used an exaggerated voice, “Oh my—Sakura’s chakra control and endurance are excellent. Right now, she’s the closest to becoming Hokage, not some other people!”

Naruto: “…”

Yukigetsu closed his eyes and continued sarcastically, “It seems the Uchiha clan isn’t so impressive after all!”

“You’re so shameless, Yukigetsu!” Sakura couldn’t help but shout. How could he use such a pretty girl to provoke others…

Thud!
Yukigetsu flipped off the branch and walked away slowly. “I’m going to train now. Good luck!”

“How are you going to train?” Naruto shouted after him.

Without turning back, Yukigetsu said, “You’ll see.”

The three exchanged puzzled looks.

Boom, boom, boom…

Soon, the ground began to shake, and violent explosions echoed through the forest, making them all uneasy.

Naruto and Sasuke’s eyes twitched. Is this his training?

“Hey, where’s Sakura?” Naruto suddenly looked around, puzzled.

Sasuke pointed uncertainly ahead. “I think she went towards Yukigetsu too.”

…

Deep in an unknown part of the forest, a large conical wooden house hung among the trees.

Inside, a beautiful boy sat by Zabuza’s bed, suddenly looking towards the door.

Creak.

The door opened slowly, and the short, plump figure of Gato walked in with two tall samurai, his contemptuous voice echoing through the room. “You were beaten and came back like a coward! It seems the ninjas from Kirigakure are all useless!”

The beautiful boy’s hands clenched, and his gaze turned cold. How dare he insult Mr. Zabuza!

“Couldn’t even clean up this mess, and you call yourself a demon…”

Gato sneered as he approached the bed. “What a joke!”

Zabuza was silent, staring at the approaching Gato as if looking at a dead man…

“Hey, are you mute?!” Angered by Zabuza’s silence, Gato reached out to grab his face. “Why don’t you say something…”

Thud!
The next moment, the boy caught his hand, his voice icy. “Get your dirty hand… off him!”

“Gah! You…” Gato’s face twisted in pain, sweat dripping from his forehead. Despite the boy’s slender hand, it was incredibly strong.

The two samurai behind Gato drew their swords, eyes cold.

Shing… swish!

The boy suddenly appeared between them, holding their swords to their throats.

The samurai exchanged terrified glances, swallowing hard, not daring to move.

How… how is this possible? He moved in an instant and took our swords!

“You better not make a move…” the boy, his head lowered, said coldly. “I’m already angry!”

Sweat poured down their faces. “Mon… monster…”

“You have one last chance. If you screw this up again…” Gato, the heartless boss, was the first to recover, pointing at them harshly. “Get lost!”

With that, he walked out with his two samurai, though his steps were a bit hurried…

“Haku…” Zabuza suddenly spoke. “You didn’t need to step in.”

“I know…” The boy sat back by the bed, smiling beautifully. “Now isn’t the time to kill Gato. If we cause a commotion, we’ll be hunted down again. So, we should bear with it for now!”

Zabuza gazed at the ceiling. “Hmm… you’re right.”

…

Boom!
With a loud explosion, the ground seemed to groan under the pressure, and a large five-meter crater appeared deep in the forest.

Hiding behind a tree not far away, Sakura covered her mouth in shock. Amazing!

In her eyes, she replayed the scene: a boy in a cloak, eyes sharp, descended from the air, punching the ground and causing the earth to tremble and crack.

Pink hearts seemed to float from her eyes, her face blushing. So strong, so cool, so manly…

Thud.
Yukigetsu leapt out of the crater and landed on the ground. Unlike Sakura’s graceful image, he was actually disheveled, covered in dust, sweating heavily, and panting.

After hours of continuous use of monstrous strength, exhausting his chakra and refining it again, he was exhausted… But he had finally figured out the amount of chakra needed for sustained use of monstrous strength and how to maximize the power of each blow.

For example, before, he could only create a three-meter-wide crater with the same amount of chakra. By controlling it perfectly and burning it efficiently, he could now reach five meters, maximizing the power of his limited chakra.

Yukigetsu tidied his messy clothes and rubbed his chin, pondering.

His strength was limited for the time being. Next, he needed better offensive techniques. He originally planned to learn more Water and Wind Style jutsus for more versatile attacks, but with his chakra capacity, he couldn’t use many B-rank jutsus. Using C-rank jutsus wasn’t as effective as using monstrous strength.

So, learning jutsus should wait until he awakens his Ice Release. For now, the most important thing was… speed!

He suddenly turned around, eyes sharp. Who’s spying?!

Swish!
Before Sakura could react, the world spun, and she was slammed to the ground with a thud.

Ouch, that hurts…

The girl winced in pain, then opened her eyes to see Yukigetsu’s fierce gaze. She shivered instinctively.

The boy’s right hand gripped her throat, pressing down on her, his aura terrifying but… so handsome!

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