Naruto Shadow Mage - Chapter 24
The next morning, early dawn.
Yesterday, when Koshino returned with Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi, it was already evening. After parting ways with them, Koshino went home early to rest.
Reflecting on the previous day’s experiences, Koshino felt very fulfilled.
First, he proved his talent within his clan. Then, he declared himself the top of Konoha’s new generation in front of various clans, especially the prestigious Uchiha and Hyuga clans. The joy of defeating the long-admired Itachi filled his heart. Through multiple real battles, Koshino had improved his combat abilities.
Moreover, the development of the new Shadow Hand technique and the leap in his chakra reserves had elevated Koshino’s strength to be comparable to a Genin, capable of defeating most Genin in Konoha.
Due to his mental and physical exhaustion, Shikaku didn’t ask Koshino to return to the clan to submit the two newly developed secret techniques. Dragging his tired body home, Koshino added a new secret technique to the development list after creating the Shadow Hand, then rested early.
As for what Koshino added to the development list, it was quite interesting.
Checking the development list again, Koshino noticed that combining the new Shadow Hand with the long-mastered Shadow Imitation Technique had a 100% success rate.
Curious, Koshino combined the Shadow Hand with the Shadow Imitation Technique, hoping for a miraculous result from the development function, and then fell asleep from exhaustion.
Unexpectedly, upon waking the next morning and checking the development list, Koshino found that the progress was less than 1%.
Thinking that developing a brand new technique might take time, Koshino took out the secret technique scroll obtained from Fugaku and prepared to complete shuriken training to enhance the effectiveness of the Shadow Shuriken. Then, he would focus on improving his taijutsu.
But as he was about to start the scroll, Koshino had no idea that his genius title had already spread throughout Konoha overnight!
Before Koshino could open the scroll, he heard knocking at the door.
Tidying his appearance and opening the door, Koshino was greeted by a line of dozens of people, all eager to challenge the newly proclaimed genius!
“Nara Koshino! Genma Shiranui, please teach me!”
“Nara Koshino! Kotetsu Hagane, please teach me!”
“Nara Koshino! Uchiha Suigetsu, please teach me!”
“Nara Koshino! Hyuga Mokuzai, please teach me!”
“… … …”
The sight of so many challengers exasperated Koshino.
Now he understood that being a genius wasn’t as easy as he thought!
In a world where strength reigns supreme, a genius is a target for many to challenge!
In the original storyline, wasn’t there a similar issue with Might Guy always challenging Kakashi, claiming he would surpass the genius?
After yesterday’s events, Koshino had just gained fame, and many opportunists from various clans wanted to use his name to elevate their status, proving they were the true geniuses of Konoha!
Of course!
If it were Uchiha Itachi, these people wouldn’t have a chance to challenge him.
No joke. Uchiha Itachi was not only from the prestigious Uchiha clan but also the eldest son of the clan head. This status alone made many new-generation Konoha members reconsider whether they had the qualifications to challenge him.
But when they couldn’t challenge Itachi, Koshino emerged as the next best target!
Perhaps because members of the Nara clan seemed easier to bully.
Or perhaps many felt Koshino’s fame was undeserved.
So, early in the morning, many came to challenge him at his door.
But Koshino wasn’t someone with a good temper!
Fine!
Do you want to challenge me?
Then I’ll defeat you one by one!
Without any intention of abandoning his morning training, Koshino glanced at the challengers, smirking, and said, “I need to train every morning, so please step aside!”
Thinking Koshino was afraid, the challengers started to taunt him, hoping to provoke him into fighting.
Unfortunately for them, Koshino’s temper was already flaring, and before they could insult him further, he made a “please” gesture and sneered:
“So, come at me all at once!”
“Don’t waste my time!”
“Boom!”
Without giving the challengers time to react, Koshino burst forward with chakra, landing a punch on Uchiha Suigetsu’s face!
Already annoyed with the Uchiha clan, Koshino seized the opportunity to vent his frustration.
Though not exceptionally strong, Koshino’s punch, empowered by chakra, sent Suigetsu flying three meters!
Seeing Suigetsu’s predicament, the other challengers hesitated.
Then, exchanging glances, they charged at Koshino together, hoping to overwhelm him with numbers.
But what they never expected was that as soon as they stepped forward, their feet were immobilized!
Looking down, they found their shadows connected to Koshino’s, and one by one, they realized they had been defeated before they even noticed Koshino using the Shadow Sewing Technique.
After dealing with the first batch of challengers, Koshino was eager to train.
However, as he went for breakfast, challengers kept coming, becoming increasingly annoying.
Throughout the day, whether he was using the restroom, training, or eating, various clan members constantly challenged him like flies buzzing around.
After dealing with one batch, another came.
Not only could Koshino not train properly, but he also didn’t even have time to recover his chakra, as people often tried to ambush him while he was recuperating.
“This can’t go on!”
“If so many people challenge me every day, how can I handle it? I won’t have any time to train!”
“No way! I need to hide at Uncle Shikaku’s place!”
After a day of challenges, Koshino felt more exhausted than from training and decided to hide at Shikaku’s house.
However, on his way there, he encountered three or four more batches of challengers, making him feel like the title of genius was a curse.
Thankfully, after dealing with those challenges, Koshino finally reached Shikaku’s house.
Feeling the cleanliness and peace of Shikaku’s home, Koshino was almost in tears of relief. But his joy was short-lived, as a piece of news from Shikaku left him stunned!
“Young Master Koshino, you’re here?”
“Lord Shikaku has been waiting for you. I heard the Fourth Hokage himself has come to see you!”
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