Chapter 5 - Chapter 100-110

Chapter 100: Neji's Inner Thoughts

Kato Megumi was chatting with Pakkun, while Yamashiro Runya watched his girlfriend with a silly smile from the side.

Alex took the opportunity to call Yamashiro Aoba aside.

"Aoba-sensei, I wonder if you could introduce me to your two partners?"

"My partners? You mean Mitarashi Anko and Genma Shiranui? Why do you suddenly want to meet them?" Yamashiro Aoba was puzzled.

"Hehe, I heard they were once the Fourth Hokage's guards."

Alex lowered his voice, "I've studied the Fourth Hokage's achievements. The Flying Thunder God Technique is incredibly fast and invincible. I think your two partners must have learned it, and I want to ask them to teach me."

Yamashiro Aoba was impressed with Alex again after hearing this: "You know quite a lot, and you have exceptionally good judgment!"

This evaluation wasn't said casually, but truly fit Alex's current situation.

Alex did know quite a lot, whether it was about Might Duy, Sakumo Hatake, or things related to the Fourth Hokage, he seemed to know something about them. And his judgment was indeed very good. What he chose to learn were all very powerful things, including the Eight Gates, Hatake Swordmanship, and now he was even eyeing the Flying Thunder God Technique.

This wasn't something ordinary people could know. Even if some people had heard of it, they wouldn't know where to learn it.

But Alex knew, and it felt quite magical.

Alex smiled sheepishly: "My judgment is indeed good, otherwise how could my girlfriend be so cute and beautiful!"

Yamashiro Aoba couldn't help but roll his eyes under his sunglasses. This guy was pretending to be confused when he clearly understood. He knew he didn't mean that, and this wasn't how you pretended to be stupid.

Fortunately, he wasn't actually against Alex's actions.

As a ninja, you naturally have to do everything you can to make yourself stronger as quickly as possible. As long as it's not harmful, being a little thick-skinned is fine.

As a teacher, he was naturally willing to help with this.

Anyway, he didn't have much to teach Alex now. Since Alex could learn the Eight Gates and Hatake Swordmanship, learning the Flying Thunder God Technique was also possible. Perhaps his disciple's future strength could surpass the Hokage.

"Raiton and Genma did learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, but their talent wasn't enough, and they ended up only creating the Flying Thunder Formation Technique, which felt a bit wasteful. Your talent is good, and you learned the Summoning Technique early, which shows your aptitude in Space-Time Ninjutsu isn't bad. Perhaps you really can learn the Flying Thunder God Technique well. I'll talk to them first and see if they're willing to teach you, but teaching Ninjutsu isn't something done casually. They might test you, so you need to be prepared."

"Don't worry, Aoba-sensei, I'm always prepared! Bring on any test!"

Alex smiled happily. Since Yamashiro Aoba was willing to help, he was one step closer to getting the Flying Thunder God Technique. He was really looking forward to it.

In the evening, Alex again used the excuse of sharing good news to quietly slip into Tenten's room. He was already very familiar with this kind of thing, but because they were in their puberty, they sometimes couldn't sleep when they slept together. They always couldn't help but want to get closer to each other, and had to restrain themselves.

It was truly a bit of an ordeal.

Another day, Yamashiro Runya was again specially trained by Yamashiro Aoba, while Kato Megumi went to the hospital to help. It was said that a senior there was willing to teach her the Chakra Scalpel.

As for Alex, he was in a state of being left to his own devices.

Yamashiro Aoba didn't have much to teach Alex. Before, he had specifically taught Alex Mind Reading, and didn't expect Alex to learn it in a short time. This made Yamashiro Aoba feel both pain and happiness.

Having an excellent student is a very happy thing, but a student who is too excellent is also quite troublesome.

So, Yamashiro Aoba let Alex play on his own, and told him to find his teacher if he needed a sparring partner.

Alex didn't bother Yamashiro Aoba, but shamelessly went to Team Guy with Tenten, then accepted challenges from Lee and Neji. After winning, he went to challenge Kai.

Team Guy had a stronger training atmosphere, perhaps because Kai drove it.

Kai himself was a training fanatic. Besides training, it was training. He basically didn't think about other things, it wasn't that complicated. So, being with Team Guy felt very fulfilling.

Moreover, Lee and Neji were both relatively warlike, and fighting them multiple times could continuously accumulate combat experience.

Most importantly, his cute girlfriend Tenten was by his side. There was nothing happier than this.

At this time, it was Tenten's turn to fight Lee, but to test their Taijutsu, Tenten didn't use her Ninja Tools. For a while, she was fighting back and forth with Lee.

And Kai, as the referee, kept posing and cheering from the side. It was quite lively.

·· Flowers please ···

Alex drank the water Tenten gave him and watched Tenten fight heartily. Her heroic figure was very charming.

At this moment, Neji suddenly spoke: "Alex, can we talk?"

Alex was surprised, but nodded: "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"It's nothing much, I just have some things I don't want to keep buried in my heart and want to confide in someone."

Neji's expression was a little melancholic, "I've been defeated by you multiple times, and among the younger generation of Genin, I've only been defeated by you. Especially when I saw you fighting a strong person like Orochimaru before, I truly admired you. After thinking about it, perhaps confiding the things in my heart to a strong person like you will allow me to get some advice from you. I hope you don't mind."

Those things in his heart?

.... .... ....

No, are you planning to tell me about the Cage Bird Curse Mark?

Aren't you planning to expose the ugliness of the Hyuga Main House during the Chunin Exams?

Alex was even more surprised, but since Neji, with his cool personality, had said this much, Alex really couldn't refuse, so he nodded.

Neji untied his forehead protector, revealing the mark on his forehead: "The Hyuga Clan has been divided into the Main House and the Branch House since ancient times. To prevent anyone from stealing the Byakugan, members of the Branch House must be branded with the Cage Bird Curse Mark. From then on, they must obey the orders of the Main House, and must do everything to protect the Main House and the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan."

Alex nodded and continued to listen with his ears perked up.

"And the members of the Branch House who are branded with the Cage Bird Curse Mark don't have to worry about their eyes being stolen, because the Cage Bird Curse Mark can destroy the eyes. Therefore, the members of the Main House only need to stay within the clan and enjoy the protection of the Branch House, while the Branch House not only has to protect the Main House, but also has to fight outside. Since ancient times, the Cage Bird Curse Mark has indeed protected the Byakugan, and there have been very few incidents of the Byakugan being stolen.

It can be said that the Cage Bird Curse Mark was originally a very good method to protect the Byakugan.

However, over the years, the members of the Main House have become corrupt. Because they can control the curse mark and the lives of the Branch House members, they treat the Branch House members like servants and order them around as they please. If they are slightly dissatisfied, they will activate the curse mark to punish them, and it is even common for Branch House members to take the blame.

My father is the Hyuga Clan Head's younger brother. Just because he was born a little later than the Hyuga Clan Head, he was classified as part of the Branch House and branded with the Cage Bird mark, and later he was even forced to become a scapegoat..."

Alex listened quietly. He actually knew all these things, but hearing Neji say them himself, he couldn't help but sigh for Neji.

Neji's voice was filled with confusion and despair, like a little bird trapped in a cage, wanting to spread its wings and fly but unable to, only able to cry out with bleeding heart.

In the original work, Hiashi Hyuga gave Hyuga Hizashi's will to Neji.

In the will, Hyuga Hizashi said that he voluntarily died in his place, and Hiashi Hyuga also prostrated himself to ask Neji for forgiveness, and Neji's knot was untied.

It seemed very touching, but upon deeper thought, it felt incredibly ridiculous.

The Hidden Cloud Village kidnapped the Hyuga main family's eldest daughter, failed, and then turned around and demanded Hiashi Hyuga's life. The Third Hokage, that old geezer, being weak and easily bullied was one thing, but the Hyuga Clan, who kept saying they were the strongest family, instead of thinking about resisting in this situation, they acted cowardly and submitted. Hiashi Hyuga even kept wanting to die to show his determination.

If you're not afraid of death, why don't you dare to fight the Hokage? Why don't you dare to stand up to the Hidden Cloud Village?

You've already shown that you're willing to die for the Village's peace. Could the Hyuga main family really let a clan head like you die? How embarrassing would that be? In the end, wouldn't it still be Hyuga Hizashi, who looks exactly like you, dying in your place?

Hyuga Hizashi must have also thought of this. Rather than being forced to die, it's better to voluntarily die in his place. At least it can ensure the family's preferential treatment of Neji.

However, did the Hyuga main family give Neji preferential treatment? They didn't!

Such a genius like Neji has always been restricted, and he doesn't even have the qualifications to learn Rotation. If it weren't for his extraordinary comprehension and self-taught skills, he would only be an ordinary genius now, and his strength would not be worth mentioning at all.

The Hyuga main family wants to gain the protection of the branch family, but they are also afraid of the branch family becoming too strong, so they don't teach many secret techniques to the branch family.

It's truly ridiculous!

What kind of strongest clan in the Ninja World? They are clearly the most ridiculous clan!

"Alex, can you imagine the despair of not being able to control your own destiny? I am very desperate now. I once believed that destiny was already decided and couldn't be resisted. But, after a commoner like you, with an ordinary background, strongly defeated me, and when I saw that you could even fight Orochimaru while I, from a prestigious family, was powerless, I really wanted to believe in miracles.

I was thinking, you, a commoner, without any family heritage, yet relying on your own efforts to surpass me, and even far surpass me, is a magical thing, almost like a miracle.

I want to believe in miracles, I want to break free from the cage, no longer be a Cage Bird Curse Mark, and soar freely. Do you think I can do it?"

Neji's eyes were completely white, but Alex seemed to see hope.

He really started to believe in miracles!

It wasn't because of Naruto's talk no jutsu, but because he learned to think and no longer stubbornly believed that destiny was unchangeable, simply because he was defeated and surpassed by Alex.

Alex took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Neji, destiny can be changed, and miracles need to be created by yourself. You need a smart brain, strong power, and a clear direction."

Neji's eyes lit up, and he clenched the forehead protector in his hand: "What should I do?"

Alex looked around and suddenly raised his voice to the front, shouting, "Teacher Kai, Tenten, Lee, Neji and I are going to buy groceries. Come to my house for dinner tonight!"

"Oh? Alex, are you treating? Then you guys go!" Kai and Lee waved their hands.

"Alex, you guys go. I'll bring Teacher Kai and Lee to the house later," Tenten also said.

Alex nodded, greeted Neji, and left.

Although Neji was puzzled, he immediately followed, but he didn't expect Alex to not go grocery shopping at all, but to go straight home.

Alex smiled and said, "Don't worry about the ingredients, there's plenty at home. The main thing is that some things are inconvenient to talk about outside. Now see if there's anyone nearby. Don't let anyone eavesdrop."

Neji immediately understood that what Alex was about to say was not simple. He immediately activated his Byakugan to scan around and found that there was no one else, so he quickly nodded to Alex.

Alex poured two glasses of water and reorganized his words: "Neji, have you ever thought, if it was just to protect the Byakugan, it would be fine for everyone to have the Cage Bird Curse Mark. Why is it necessary to distinguish between the main family and the branch family? Why is it necessary for the main family not to have the Cage Bird Curse Mark? Even if the Cage Bird Curse Mark causes a blind spot in the Byakugan, it's not a big deal. True strength doesn't worry about that blind spot, right?"

Neji frowned. He had never really thought about it seriously. Generally, no one would think about such things, right?

"Why?" he asked.

"I think, perhaps it's because the Byakugan can also evolve!" Alex's words were astounding.

Neji was so shocked that he stood up directly, with an expression of disbelief, obviously startled by this sudden statement, but when he thought about it carefully, it seemed there was indeed this possibility.

After all, as Alex said, if it was really just to protect the Byakugan, it would be fine to put the Cage Bird Curse Mark on everyone, and there wouldn't be all that nonsense about the main family and branch family. The main family wouldn't need to hide in the clan and not dare to go out, and the branch family wouldn't need to split their forces to protect the main family. Only by working together to fight against outsiders can the Hyuga Clan achieve its glorious reputation, right?

Unlike now, where the main family is a shrinking turtle, and the branch family is the turtle's slave. The glory of the Hyuga Clan has long become history. The main family members are only immersed in past glory and have long been rotten and unbearable.

Did the person who created the Cage Bird Curse Mark back then not foresee such consequences?

No, they must have foreseen it. Anyone not stupid could think of it, but they still chose to do it this way, still distinguishing between the main family and the branch family. What was it for?

Now, Alex's words might be the truth.

The Byakugan can evolve, or rather, a pure Byakugan can evolve!

Neji's lips trembled: "Is it really, is it really like this?"

Alex spread his hands: "Although it's just a guess, I think it should be. Think about it, the Byakugan and the Sharingan are called two of the three great doujutsu, but the Sharingan can constantly evolve and become stronger. Before the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, there were countless strong individuals. But what about the Hyuga Clan? Who is there? And since it's one of the three great doujutsu, the performance of the Byakugan is rather underwhelming. Instead, the Gentle Fist has a considerable reputation, but you Hyuga are a doujutsu family, not a Gentle Fist family!"

Neji nodded seriously: "You're right. The Byakugan and the Sharingan are equally famous, but the Byakugan's performance has always been inferior to the Sharingan. Since the Sharingan can constantly evolve, the Byakugan naturally can too, especially a pure Byakugan! Therefore, the main family was kept, so that the pure Byakugan would not be bound by the Cage Bird Curse Mark, just so that one day there could be a pair of Byakugan that could evolve and truly make the Hyuga Clan rise!"

Speaking of this, Neji felt suddenly enlightened.

However, the more he understood, the heavier his heart became.

So, he is still that bird in a cage, still unable to gain freedom. Whether he understands the truth of the main family and branch family is actually meaningless.

Chapter 102: Neji's Transformation (Two thousand words today as well)

Alex, however, smiled and said, "Neji, the Hyuga Clan is an ancient family, but for so many years, has there been an example of Byakugan evolution? No, right? Perhaps the legendary Hyuga Sky Ninja was a Byakugan that evolved, but now it's impossible for the Hyuga Clan to have Byakugan evolution again.

They all say the branch family has the Cage Bird Curse Mark, but doesn't the main family? They do! They have trapped themselves in a cage called Konoha. They are cowardly, they are corrupt, they are arrogant and conceited, they are unmotivated. A group of cowards who are afraid of death and have no ambition, who don't even dare to leave the Village, what's the difference between them and the branch family who cannot fly?

The branch family at least resists, while the corrupt main family cowardly hides in the cage, showing off with old rules, always intoxicated by past glory and unable to wake up. Can such a main family make the Byakugan evolve?"

"No!"

Neji answered decisively.

Even if he was confused, he knew that such a main family could not achieve the evolution of the Byakugan!

The Uchiha's Sharingan needs constant stimulation to evolve, and the Uchiha people are constantly fighting, never stopping getting stronger. Perhaps the Uchiha are arrogant, but their eyes can truly evolve.

What about the Hyuga Clan? The branch family who dare to resist are locked in a cage, while the main family, who are immersed in corruption, cowardly hide in the cage. No one can fly, and no one can evolve!

Haha! The ridiculous Hyuga Clan!.

Neji seemed to feel a sense of revenge and actually laughed for a moment.

Alex, however, stopped his laughter: "Don't be in a hurry to laugh. I just told you that miracles need to be created by yourself, and I wasn't just pulling your leg. You need a smart brain so you can learn to think and understand how to find a way to break free from your shackles. A pure Byakugan might be easier to evolve, but no one has ever said that a Byakugan under the Cage Bird Curse Mark cannot evolve, right? Perhaps the day your Byakugan evolves is the day the cage opens?"

Neji fell into deep thought, considering this possibility.

"You have an advantage, because your talent is truly high. The main family is content with mediocrity because they don't have the Cage Bird Curse Mark, while you long to fly because you have the Cage Bird Curse Mark. Who do you think will ultimately step out of the birdcage? You need to think about the method of evolution, and finding this method is the clear direction you need. In addition, you also need powerful strength. Only truly strong people can control their own destiny and break free from the cage. What do you think?"

"You're right!"

Neji's eyes were shining, "I need a smart brain, I need powerful strength, I need a clear direction. Only then can the Byakugan evolve, only then can I step out of the birdcage and truly soar freely!"

Seeing this, Alex breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems he also had a Kotoamatsukami.

However, his Kotoamatsukami was different from Naruto's. Naruto made a promise, promising to solve everything when he became Hokage, while Alex analyzed rationally, gave scientific conclusions, and let Neji understand on his own.

The results are different. In the original work, Neji believed in Naruto's Kotoamatsukami and trusted Naruto like a god. But now, Neji understood Alex's analysis, understood the truth, and decided to grow on his own, break free from his shackles on his own, and control his destiny on his own. Perhaps this is the best.

Relying on others, versus working hard to seek hope oneself, Alex prefers the latter.

And Neji, clearly, needed the latter more.

Alex got up and said with a smile: "As for what to do, think about it carefully. If you need help in the future, you can ask, or if you encounter any difficulties, you can also come to me to discuss them together. For now, I should cook, otherwise my girlfriend will complain when she comes back."

Saying this, he turned and went to the kitchen.

"Alex, thank you!"

Neji thanked him solemnly, then also got up to help prepare the vegetables.

He now felt as if the gloom in his heart had been swept away, and his whole person had become much brighter. This was because he saw hope and thus came back to life.

Not long after, Tenten came back with Kai and Lee.

The two kappa wanted to help, but Alex refused. Alex also sent out a Shadow Clone to play cards with them. Seeing this, Tenten also sent out a Shadow Clone to play cards together, while their main bodies went to the kitchen to get busy.

They dared not let the Shadow Clones cook, because Shadow Clones would explode. If a Shadow Clone suddenly disappeared while serving food, wouldn't the freshly cooked dishes be wasted?

Just like in Boruto, Naruto as the Seventh Hokage was always busy, even using a Shadow Clone to fool his daughter on her birthday. As a result, the Shadow Clone exploded, and the cake fell all over the floor, making Boruto so angry he wanted to commit patricide. Naruto was also foolish; couldn't he have sent out a few Shadow Clones to work and stayed home to celebrate his daughter's birthday?

Getting off track, back to the point.

Alex and Tenten's Shadow Clones entertained Lee, Neji, and Kai by playing Ninja Kill, which was quite lively.

However, Kai looked at Neji with some surprise. He always felt that Neji seemed a little different, not as aloof as before, and was very happy playing cards with everyone, sometimes even laughing.

Although he didn't know the reason, this was a good change.

Kai actually always knew about the Hyuga Clan's troubles, and thus was very worried about Neji's situation, so he didn't dare to easily interfere with Neji's matters, nor did he care about Neji's aloofness, only using his own passion to teach Neji. But now seeing Neji's change, he couldn't help but feel relieved, almost shedding tears.

However, Kai quietly glanced at the kitchen. He always felt that Neji's change was related to Alex.

If it was really Alex's credit, then he was truly too grateful.

Just then, Lee suddenly said, "I just feel like you're a little different, Neji. You actually laughed while playing cards. Did something good happen?"

Kai couldn't help but give a thumbs-up: Lee, well done! I was also thinking of asking but didn't dare!

Neji's smile froze, and he shook his head, "Perhaps it is indeed a good thing. I was just enlightened by a few words from Alex and understood many things."

So it really was Alex!

Kai looked at Alex's Shadow Clone, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Neji's psychological problems had always left him helpless, but now he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's good that you've understood. That's a good thing. Don't overthink things anymore in the future," Kai said something that only Neji and Alex understood.

"Yes, thank you, Teacher Kai, for your concern," Neji sincerely thanked him.

Neji had always known about Teacher Kai's concern for him. He even never asked too much for fear of hurting him, only diligently teaching him to train, which he always kept in mind.

Lee was a little confused: "What are you talking about?"

Alex's Shadow Clone immediately cracked a joke: "Don't ask about other people's private matters, let's continue playing cards. By the way, my cooking skills are praised by my friends, you're in for a treat tonight."

Lee was immediately distracted: "Is it very delicious? Then I'm really looking forward to it!"

Chapter 103: Lending Money to Lee

Alex's cooking skills did not disappoint everyone.

Although in Alex's opinion it was just some home cooking, because there wasn't much good food in Konoha, even home cooking was delicious in everyone's eyes.

Moreover, Alex cooked a large amount of meat dishes, making Lee, who came from a poor or even impoverished family, eat with tears in his eyes, almost exaggeratedly declaring Alex the God of Cookery.

"Alex, your cooking is too delicious!" Lee said while eating and giving a thumbs-up with his free hand.

"Right? It's with this skill that I completely captivated Tenten, and she can never leave me," Alex said with his eyes wide open, telling a lie.

"Yes, yes, my boyfriend's cooking skills are the best, I really like it," Tenten reluctantly agreed.

However, seeing Lee like this, Alex couldn't help but worry.

Lee's poor family background meant insufficient meat intake, not to mention a balanced diet, but Lee trained intensely under these conditions. Not only was his progress slow, but it was also bad for his body.

Kai probably also knew, as he had gone through the same thing himself, but he could provide very little support to Lee. Even though he was already a Jonin and could take on high-level missions to earn money, under his own even more intense training conditions, he needed more nutrition and naturally spent more money, completely unable to take care of Lee.

This won't do!

Alex couldn't help but interject: "Lee, your training intensity is very high, so you must consume enough meat and nutrients. I also know your family is not well off and you don't have money to eat well, but you can't go on like this. You have to find a way!"

Hearing this, Tenten and Neji also nodded in agreement.

If you don't consume enough energy after high-intensity training, it can lead to physical depletion, which has serious consequences and cannot be ignored.

Lee paused, unsure how to respond.

He naturally understood this principle. He also wanted to eat well to supplement himself, but he truly had no money.

Kai shed tears of self-reproach: "This is all my responsibility. It was I who made Lee train at such high intensity, but I cannot help Lee with food. I am truly an unqualified teacher... !"

Lee became anxious and quickly said, "That's not true! Teacher Kai has taught me a lot and is the best teacher! It's just this little difficulty, I will definitely overcome it!"

"Lee! What a youthful and passionate answer!"

"Oh!!! Teacher Kai!"

The two embraced with tears in their eyes, the background like a setting sun, so beautiful and romantic.

Tenten, however, kept twitching her mouth, trying hard to resist complaining.

Alex also rubbed his forehead and could only suggest, "Lee, how about this? I'll lend you money, and later when you earn money, you can pay back a part each month to first solve the problem of your physical deficiency. If you can't pay it back later, just come and help out more at Tenten's family's Ninja Tools shop. How does that sound?"

Tenten also agreed, "Exactly, Lee. You're at a critical period for training right now. You can't let a lack of nutritional intake cause physical deficiency. Just borrow money to get through this period, and you can pay it back slowly later."

Neji also said, "If you need money, I can lend it to you too. There's no rush to pay it back."

"You guys, boohoohoo, are really too good!"

Lee was deeply moved, "Then I won't be polite! I, Rock Lee, will never forget your kindness. If you need help in the future, just come find me; I will not shirk my duty!"

No, no, no, you don't need to do that. Just work hard to pay back the money later. Who doesn't have a difficult time?

After the meal, Alex gave Lee a thick wad of money. He had been poor before and knew best how awful it was to lack money, so he didn't mind helping his friends.

Lee quickly took it and even wrote an IOU seriously before leaving contentedly.

"Alex, Tenten, as a teacher, I really thank you. There are some things I can't do, and it's really great that you can help Lee." Kai couldn't help but want to cry again, but he still gave a thumbs-up and showed his big white teeth.

Alex and Tenten quickly waved their hands, "Lee is our friend too, helping him is what we should do."

Kai didn't say anything more. As soon as he left the door, he did a handstand and chased after Lee.

Neji looked at Alex, "Alex, thank you so much today. In the future, I might have quite a few difficult problems to ask you about. Of course, if you need any help, just say the word."

Alex, however, laughed and said, "Then when Tenten and I get married, your wedding gift can't be cheap."

Tenten pinched someone's arm and glared at him.

He really dares to say anything.

Neji, however, nodded very seriously, "That's right. It seems I need to think carefully about what gift to give. After all, you'll be getting married in a few years."

With that, he left with a thoughtful expression.

It wasn't until Neji was out of sight that Tenten asked in a low voice, "Alex, does Neji have some kind of story?"

Alex silently closed the door, "The Hyuga Clan's situation is complicated, and it's generally not something you can talk about outside. When Neji came to talk to me about this topic before, I quickly brought him home. If you want to know, I'll tell you slowly tonight, but you must keep it a secret when you're outside."

"What kind of person do you think I am? Don't you know? I've never talked carelessly about the things you've told me outside."

Tenten was a little unhappy because Alex seemed to not trust her ability to keep secrets.

Alex quickly pulled her into his arms, "Of course I trust you, it's just that the Hyuga Clan's affairs are indeed very troublesome, so I need to give you a special reminder. I'm afraid you might accidentally complain."

Tenten opened her mouth, but didn't refute. She sometimes really couldn't help but complain.

Moreover, she didn't mean to blame Alex. The two had been together since they were young. While not exactly having telepathic understanding, they could at least understand many of each other's inner thoughts.

It was clear that the Hyuga Clan's problems were very serious, and even Neji's personality was due to this. Even Teacher Kai had his reservations, and others wouldn't dare to easily interfere. Neji actively sought out Alex this time to discuss the Hyuga Clan's problems, and Alex couldn't help but be cautious, which was why he gave the extra reminder.

But the more this was the case, the more curious Tenten became. Her complaining nature actually made her quite gossipy.

Alex looked at the sky, "It's getting dark. Are we still going back to the Ninja Tools shop?"

Tenten subconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, "I... I sent a small hawk to deliver a message to my dad before I came back, saying I'd be eating here tonight and wouldn't be going back."

Oh, it seems Tenten also doesn't want to sneak around at night and doesn't want to even have to speak softly.

"That's good too, save our dad from worrying."

Alex agreed decisively, then his smile became a little meaningful, "Well then, my dear future wife, I'll tell you about the Hyuga Clan tonight. Do you want to listen while bathing, or while sleeping?"

Tenten's face turned red, naturally understanding the implication in Alex's words.

If she wanted to listen while bathing, then they would have to bathe together. It felt a little dangerous, but it also seemed quite exciting, just afraid of not being able to resist.

Finally, she gritted her teeth, "Then, then, listen while bathing, but you have to be outside the door!"

Alex's smile froze instantly, sweating.

Chapter 104: Neji Learns to Be Smart

The sky darkened, but Konoha was still lively.

As the most prosperous Village in the Fire Country, it not only had numerous shops but also Ninja protecting it, so the Villagers didn't worry about danger, and the night market wouldn't be deserted.

Neji was on his way back to the Hyuga Clan, ignoring the lively street market.

In his mind, he recalled Alex's words and began to think about where to start investigating, and he also couldn't let the main family find out.

"The fastest way to get information about the Hyuga Clan is to look at the Hyuga Clan's library, but the main family would never let a branch family member like me browse freely, not even if I used connections to beg the clan head. So, I can only think of other ways, such as looking for information from the outside. This way, the main family won't easily find out, and I won't be hindered. But, is there any relevant information outside?"

"Maybe there is. After all, the Hyuga Clan wasn't in Konoha at first, so there must be some information scattered outside, it's just hard to uncover because of how long ago it was. Also, other old families might have recorded some things related to the Hyuga Clan, which I need to look for. And because I have the Cage Bird Curse Mark, I'm not afraid to go outside, and I won't be monitored by the main family when I'm outside. This is my chance. What I need to do now is to improve my strength while also raising my status. I need to become a Jonin as soon as possible so I can easily leave the Village."

"Furthermore, I need to study and think more. Alex is right, a smart brain is urgently needed for me. Only then can I think of methods, grasp important clues when I encounter them, and maneuver skillfully with that group of useless people in the main family."

Neji was lost in thought and almost accidentally bumped into a child running around.

He saw the grilled squid in the child's hand and subconsciously thought of Lee's lack of money, then he thought of what Tenten had once said.

Tenten once said that she had forgotten the greatest use of money, and it was Alex who told her. Only then did she remember that her biggest advantage was actually having money. Having money was really convenient. If she wanted to know any information, she could spend money to post a bounty, and naturally someone would bring the information...

"That's right, maybe I also need more money. Things that are inconvenient for me to investigate can be secretly entrusted to others to investigate!"

Neji's eyes lit up, and then he began to think about his entire fortune.

Although he was the child of the former branch family head and the nephew of the Hyuga clan head, he didn't actually have much savings, and because he ate and lived within the clan, the allowance given by the clan was not much.

Now, he was a Ninja and could earn money by doing missions himself. The clan no longer provided subsidies.

So, how should he get money?

He didn't think of a solution until he got home and lay down. Remembering that Alex was once penniless but was later able to invent the ninja killing card game, which completely solved his financial problems after selling well, he greatly admired Alex. Compared to him, he might really not be smart enough. If he faced the same difficulties as Alex, he wouldn't be able to think of a good solution at all.

(Alex: No, no, no, the cards are secondary, the rich woman is the key!)

"No rush, I'll think slowly, I'll find a way eventually."

Neji was really trying hard to think, and the result was insomnia.

Early the next morning, he left the clan with dark circles under his eyes, clearly not in good spirits. At the main gate, he also ran into his good uncle, Hiashi Hyuga.

"Lord Clan Head!" Neji immediately bowed.

"...Neji, are you going to train?" Hiashi Hyuga's tone was hesitant and complex.

"Yes. The daily training arranged by Teacher Kai cannot be skipped."

"I see. Kai is a very good teacher. You should learn well from him."

"Yes."

"...Neji, you don't look like you're in good spirits."

"Just had insomnia last night."

"..."

The uncle and nephew were speechless for a moment, feeling a bit awkward. Even Hinata, who was hiding behind them and secretly watching, felt awkward for the two, but Hinata was timid and didn't dare to come out.

Hiashi Hyuga finally sighed inwardly and could only say, "Training is good, but don't overdo it. If you have any difficulties, you can tell your uncle." Neji lowered his head and didn't answer. Hiashi Hyuga walked past him, but Hiashi Hyuga didn't notice the glimmer of light that flashed in his eyes, and even his emotions became slightly different.

Of course, Neji held hatred towards Hiashi Hyuga.

But now, Neji had a higher goal. Some hatred could be temporarily buried in his heart, but this layer of identity could be utilized.

He suddenly spoke, "Uncle, I need your help with something!"

Hiashi Hyuga stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with surprise, "Ne... Neji, you called me... *cough cough*! Just tell me what it is, and your uncle will help you figure it out."

Neji looked up and directly faced Hiashi Hyuga, saying, "Teacher Kai has arranged for a relatively high training intensity, so I need to consume more nutritional food. However, the clan's diet is light, and I don't want to break the clan's habits, so I want to spend my own money to eat outside. But, I don't have that much savings..."

Hiashi Hyuga immediately said, "That's simple. Your uncle will privately give you one million ryo every month from now on. If it's not enough, you can ask your uncle for more. You can eat however you want!"

"Thank you, Uncle. Then I'll go gather now."

"Okay, go ahead. Your uncle will bring the money to you tonight!"

Neji nodded and quickly ran off. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself and laugh.

He knew his good uncle valued feelings. Whether he was putting on a show for appearance's sake or if it was genuinely so, he was going to take advantage of it, and he didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about using him.

His father was forced to death by the Hyuga Clan. This was something the Hyuga Clan owed him, and this bit of money was just interest!

In the past, he had a rebellious attitude, so even if he lacked something, he disdained to ask. His heart still resisted and rejected now, but according to what Alex said about having a smart brain, resisting like a hothead was not a good method. Instead, he needed to know how to maneuver, and even act.

He just needed to call out "Uncle" as if he was yielding, and Hiashi Hyuga would happily give him money.

Why would he refuse such a simple way to make money?

It also saved him the trouble of racking his brain to think of other ways to make money, which would delay his training and his time searching for information, simply not worth the gain.

One million ryo a month, his good uncle was quite generous. If he saved up for a year, he would have over ten million ryo.

Over ten million ryo was not a small sum, enough to tempt many people. At that time, he could secretly go to the Exchange Shop to post bounties, investigate the places where the Hyuga Clan lived and lingered before Konoha was founded, and investigate various things related to the history of the Hyuga Clan. He thought there should be some useful information.

And after a year, he would at least be a Chunin, so he figured it wouldn't be difficult to investigate incidentally while doing missions outside.

Hiashi Hyuga watched Neji leave, his eyes filled with relief and a smile.

He didn't understand why Neji suddenly changed, but such a change was a good thing, so he didn't delve deeper.

Chapter 105: Getting the Flying Thunder God Technique

This day was a very lucky day for Alex.

Yamashiro Aoba, who had originally left Alex to his own devices, suddenly came looking for him and said he wanted to take Alex to find Mitarashi Anko and Genma Shiranui.

When Alex heard this, he was instantly excited. While following Yamashiro Aoba closely, he thought about how to impress the Fourth Hokage's two bodyguards.

However, Alex clearly underestimated his own popularity.

Not long after, Yamashiro Aoba found the two at the outer entrance of the Death Forest.

"Raiton, Genma, I've brought the person. Are you done with your work?" Yamashiro Aoba raised his hand to greet them.

"Aoba, you came at the right time."

Mitarashi Anko nodded, "We just finished. Although the Death Forest isn't small, it's not difficult to search. However, there are too many places to hide in the forest, especially since the opponent is Orochimaru. If they insist on hiding, we're afraid we won't be able to find them."

Genma Shiranui, holding a long senbon in his mouth, locked his gaze on Alex, "You kid are the one who's currently being widely talked about as Konoha Demon Blade Alex, right?"

Konoha Demon Blade? Me?

Alex was a little confused, but he quickly greeted them, "Hello, Seniors. Are you Seniors searching for Orochimaru? I hope I didn't disturb you?"

These days, all the Ninja in Konoha who are Chunin or above have been very busy, constantly searching for traces of Orochimaru everywhere, especially focusing on the Death Forest, which is about to be used as an examination venue. They are afraid that Orochimaru is hiding inside and will suddenly launch a surprise attack on the examinees, which would likely result in heavy casualties.

What puzzled Alex was that Kakashi, Kai, and Yamashiro Aoba seemed not to be participating in the search work, but were instead training with their students.

With manpower so scarce, why weren't they assigned?

Or was it that Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that the search wouldn't yield results, so he deliberately didn't assign them, and instead was afraid that Orochimaru would target Konoha's young sprouts, so he had the respective sensei take responsibility for the safety of the young sprouts?

He couldn't figure it out, and there was no need to think too much about it.

Genma Shiranui shook his head, "You didn't disturb us. We just finished and are resting. Aoba has already told us about your matter, and now is a good time to meet you."

Alex immediately stood properly and bowed respectfully, "Senior Genma, Senior Raiton, please forgive my presumption, but please pass down the Flying Thunder God Technique to me!"

"Well, well, no need to do that."

Mitarashi Anko waved his hand and said, "We know a bit about you. Kai was willing to pass down the Eight Gates to you, and even Kakashi passed down his father's sword technique to you, which shows that they highly approve of you. Judging from your brave performance in fighting Orochimaru, Kai and Kakashi's judgment of people is not wrong."

Genma Shiranui, biting on his senbon, said, "Plus, with Aoba vouching for you, we won't say we need to test you on anything. The Flying Thunder God Technique is an extremely powerful forbidden jutsu. In the hands of Lord Fourth Hokage, it was used with divine skill, striking fear into the hearts of all the Villages in the Ninja World. But we few bodyguards weren't up to par and only learned the basics, feeling ashamed of Lord Fourth Hokage's trust. You're a good kid, and your comprehension seems good too. We also hope that the Flying Thunder God Technique will have a glorious day again with you!"

Alex was overjoyed and bowed again, "Thank you for your trust, Seniors! I will definitely not let down your expectations!"

He didn't expect that these two would pass down the Flying Thunder God Technique so easily.

But thinking about it carefully, it was quite normal.

After all, he had passed the tests of Kai and Kakashi, and had previously strongly resisted Orochimaru. Plus, with Yamashiro Aoba as his guarantor now, he was trustworthy in all aspects, so it wasn't surprising that the two would pass down the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Since the other party was willing to trust him, he naturally had to live up to it.

It's just the Flying Thunder God Technique, right? I don't believe I can't learn it!

Mitarashi Anko and Genma Shiranui were still busy, so they didn't say much more to Alex. They just handed a scroll to Alex, then waved goodbye and left.

Alex could only bow again to express his gratitude.

He wouldn't take others' trust and goodwill for granted; he would never skimp on expressing gratitude when it was due.

Yamashiro Aoba smiled and said, "Alright, you've got what you wanted. Go cultivate quickly, I can see you're impatient. Looking at the village's screening progress, the second stage of the exam should restart in a couple of days. I'll notify you then."

"Thank you, Aoba-sensei!"

The only thing Alex could say was thank you, then he turned and went home.

After closing all the doors and windows, he went directly into the gravity training room, opened the scroll, and began to read.

The Flying Thunder God Technique is actually a type of Body Flicker Technique that utilizes space Ninjutsu. The user first leaves a Chakra mark on the target, known as the Flying Thunder God Technique, which allows the user or objects in contact with the user's Chakra to instantly move to the location of the mark, and the marked technique is basically impossible to erase.

...Seeking fresh flowers...

However, Alex knew that Six Paths level strength could erase the technique, but currently, no one had Six Paths level strength, so there was no need to worry.

What Alex needed to learn was how to create the Flying Thunder God Technique. This technique is a set of complex rune marks, and it's very special, likely connected to space-time.

After learning how to make the technique, he would need to sense its location from a distance and attempt to traverse space to reach the mark's location.

This sounds simple, but it's incredibly difficult in practice.

The three guards of the Fourth Hokage are all Special Jonin now, and their comprehension couldn't be bad, yet they only learned the basics and could only activate the Flying Thunder God Technique in a formation of three people.

Even with his confidence, Alex didn't think he could learn the Flying Thunder God Technique in a short time.

However, he couldn't rush this. Now that the cultivation method was in hand, he would eventually learn it. Rushing was useless.

Moreover, he could use the special laboratory state to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. After all, dealing with space is very dangerous, especially traversing space and teleporting. One mistake could lead to being crushed by space, but in the special laboratory state, he could do whatever he wanted without fear of danger, at most just being knocked out by pain like last time.

"Right, which day is the first? Oh, there are still about ten days. It will probably be after the second stage of the exam ends."

Alex immediately became less anxious. Instead, he looked at the scroll, constantly pondering and trying to manipulate Chakra to create the Flying Thunder God Technique.

After a few hours, he only felt a bit frustrated because creating the technique required even more precise control of Chakra, and his Chakra control hadn't reached the required level yet, so he could only continue to improve.

Fortunately, it wasn't a complete waste.

Through continuous practice of creating the technique, his control over Chakra became more refined, and the appearance of the technique was deeply etched into his mind, allowing him to practice anytime.

It truly deserves to be a forbidden Ninjutsu; just learning it is very difficult.

Just then, Alex heard the sound of the door opening, knowing that Tenten had returned. He immediately flashed out of the gravity training room.

Chapter 106: Exam Restarts

"Huh? Alex, you're already back."

Tenten, carrying a basket of groceries, was a bit surprised. "I didn't hear any movement at home just now, I thought you were still outside. I bought some groceries and told my dad, I'm staying here tonight too."

Alex, however, looked at Tenten with a smile, a very bright smile, but didn't say anything.

Tenten became even more curious. She quickly put down the grocery basket and reached out to touch Alex's forehead. "You're not hot. What's wrong? Why are you smiling like that?"

Alex folded his arms and said, "Tenten, how about you scrub my back tonight?"

Huh? Scrub, scrub your back?

Tenten immediately blushed a little. "You still remember yesterday? I promised to listen to you talk about the Hyuga Clan while we were bathing yesterday, but I didn't say we'd bathe together. Besides, at our age, bathing together would be very dangerous. I, I'm afraid we won't be able to resist..."

"477" Alex, however, laughed and said, "The Flying Thunder God Technique, I got it."

What?!

Tenten's eyes instantly lit up. She grabbed Alex's shoulders and shook him. "Alex! You really got it? Is it real? You really got it?!"

Alex was a bit dizzy from being shaken and quickly held her still. "Of course it's real. Today, Aoba-sensei took me to meet Senior Mitarashi Anko and Senior Genma Shiranui. Because of my excellent performance all this time, they think highly of me, so they gave me the scroll. Look!"

Saying this, he handed the scroll to Tenten.

Tenten took the scroll, her hands trembling, but she didn't open it rashly.

She naturally believed Alex wasn't lying to her, but suddenly getting such a powerful forbidden Ninjutsu made her feel unreal.

Alex then reached out and pulled her into his embrace. "So, as a reward, can you help me scrub my back?"

Tenten reacted, subconsciously pinching his waist, and playfully scolded, "You're really something, only thinking about this little thing. I'm scared of you, isn't it just scrubbing your back? I'll scrub it for you tonight! I'll even take a bath with you, alright!"

Alex was overjoyed. "Tenten, you said that!"

Tenten's face was bright red. "Yes, I said it. Anyway, we'll get married sooner or later, so I'm just giving you a head start. But you have to control yourself. We're still young now, we can't..."

"What if I can't control myself?"

"You have to control yourself even if you can't! Oh, you're so bad!"

The two of them flirted and teased, both their faces flushed. Thinking about bathing together next, they were both nervous and anticipating.

To distract himself, Alex quickly sat down, pulled Tenten into his lap, opened the scroll in front of them, and looked at it with Tenten.

"Tenten, take a look. Remember it first. You can try to create the Flying Thunder God Technique, but definitely don't rush into cultivating it. It involves space traversal, which is very dangerous. Wait until the night of the first when I enter that special state, I'll try it first. That way, there's no fear of danger. Once I gain experience, I'll teach you."

Tenten naturally listened obediently, silently memorizing the contents of the scroll.

She wasn't embarrassed either. She and Alex were one now, inseparable, and didn't need to be reserved at all, especially since she had given Alex a reward.

Seeing that it was getting late, Tenten said with a shy tone, "Alex, it's getting dark. Do you want to eat first, or bathe first, or, Wa, Ta, Shi?"

A standard Japanese-style temptation, Alex's eyes darkened slightly.

"Then, let's bathe together first."

Saying this, Alex immediately put away the scroll, pulled Tenten into the bathroom, and for a while, the bathroom was bustling...

Two days later, all the examinees received notification and quickly rushed to the entrance of the Death Forest to gather. However, to enter the gathering point, they first had to undergo a screening to prevent Orochimaru from disguising himself as an examinee and sneaking in again.

Alex quickly scanned around and found that there were many fewer examinees than last time.

It seemed that Orochimaru had caused considerable psychological trauma to the examinees last time, and some people directly chose to withdraw from the exam.

The two Grass Ninja who had partnered with Orochimaru before were also gone, likely taken to the interrogation room to see if they had colluded with Orochimaru. The exam was out of the question for them anyway, as the two of them weren't enough for a team.

What surprised Alex, however, was that the Sound Ninja Trio were still there.

"What is Old man Sarutobi doing?! He clearly knows that Otogakure is connected to Orochimaru, and this trio must have been sent by Orochimaru, yet he doesn't just apprehend them, and even allows them to participate in the exam. What is he thinking?! Is he planning to track the trio and find Orochimaru by following the clues?"

Alex was puzzled and couldn't raise his questions at this time.

Soon it was Alex's team's turn. After a face check by Anko and Genma Shiranui, they entered the gathering point.

Last time, Orochimaru killed that female Grass Ninja and peeled off her face to disguise himself, which is why they had to do a face check. However, they definitely wouldn't find anything because Orochimaru wouldn't disguise himself as an examinee a second time; that would be extremely foolish behavior.

Konoha naturally understood this, but they still had to screen just in case.

After Alex's team entered the gathering point, they went directly to find their friends.

Kato Megumi also summoned Pakkun. "Pakkun, please remember the scent of these friends, especially Sister Tenten. The boss is worried about Sister Tenten's safety. Once we enter the forest, first lock onto Sister Tenten's location!"

Pakkun guaranteed, "Don't worry, Megumi. Although I'm not strong in combat, I'm a professional when it comes to tracking!"

Soon, Pakkun sniffed the scents of the Twelve Rookie Genin one by one.

He also chatted with Akamaru for a bit, talking about Inuzuka Kiba's sister's pet hospital. It seemed the service at that pet hospital was very good, and the dog food was delicious.

Just then, Tenten looked at Alex and immediately couldn't help but blush.

She still couldn't help but think of the incident of bathing together earlier. Just thinking about the scene made her feel shy.

Fortunately, she was always cheerful and generous, so she didn't stammer when speaking. "Alex, I know you're worried about me, but there's no need to go to this extent. With my current strength, I should be able to protect myself."

Alex, however, shook his head resolutely. "I have a bad feeling, I think Orochimaru will appear."

Hearing this, Tenten couldn't refuse anymore, but she said, "Then how about this, you gather your team's scrolls first and then come find me. That should be okay. I'll also collect the scrolls as quickly as possible on my side. Then we'll meet up and go to the Tower together."

...Alright, be careful. I'll have Pakkun keep an eye on your situation at all times."

Alex had to compromise.

He knew Tenten wanted to be independent and didn't want to always rely on her boyfriend's help.

If it weren't for the special circumstances, he wouldn't do this either, and he was just going to find Tenten to ensure she wouldn't be harmed by Orochimaru, not directly help Tenten steal scrolls.

However, Tenten's attitude was firm, so he could only let her. He would just have Pakkun watch out for any strange scents appearing around Tenten.

Chapter 107: Death Forest

Their friends were fed a mouthful of dog food face-to-face and were more or less speechless.

Of course, there were also those who were envious, like Ino and Sakura. Both of them were actually quite focused on romance. Seeing Alex and Tenten being so affectionate, they naturally envied them greatly.

However, there were also those who were oblivious to romance.

Lee raised his fist and said, "Don't worry, Alex, Neji and I will protect Tenten!"

Neji looked helplessly at the watermelon head and also said, "Yes, Lee and I will protect Tenten."

Neji clearly had higher emotional intelligence. Alex and Tenten's conversation just now was clearly between a couple, and it was inconvenient for others to interrupt, but Lee, being single-minded, was completely unaware and interrupted as if it were the most natural thing.

Neji could only go along with it to make it less awkward.

"Then I'll trouble you two."

Alex thanked them, but he didn't expect too much, after all, even if Lee opened the Fifth Gate and worked with Neji, they couldn't beat Orochimaru. Alex would have to do it himself.

Of course, it would be best if they didn't encounter Orochimaru at all.

After all the examinees entered, they all signed a waiver, guaranteeing that they would not hold anyone responsible for deaths during the dangerous exam.

Then, everyone entered a sealed tent in their teams, received their team's scroll, and were then individually led to an entrance.

Alex's team received the Scroll of Heaven, and the scroll was placed with Alex.

The three of them waited silently at an entrance, with Yamashiro Rinne even staring down the Chunin guarding the gate.

Fortunately, they didn't wait too long. As soon as the signal sounded, the Chunin guarding the gate immediately opened it, and the three of them immediately walked in, instantly feeling enveloped by the entire forest.

The Death Forest is said to be the masterpiece of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

They say Yamato's Wood Release builds buildings, and Hashirama's Wood Release creates forests. Indeed, when it comes to Wood Release, you have to look at Hashirama Senju.

Look at these trees, each one thicker than a house, and all incredibly tall, basically over a hundred meters or even several hundred meters high, giving a feeling of a primeval forest.

The reason it's called the Death Forest is because the forest is very dangerous.

Wild beasts are secondary, but poisonous insects are the most terrifying. If you're not careful and get bitten by a poisonous snake or stung by a poisonous insect, you will definitely die if not treated promptly.

A group of Genin having to advance in such a harsh environment and also find a way to seize scrolls can be said to be a very severe test. And only those who pass the test truly have the qualification to become Chunin.

"Pakkun, see where everyone is."

Kato Megumi said, stroking the dog's head.

"Leave it to me."

Pakkun wiggled his nose and sniffed for a while, then said, "Team Ten is over there, only about one kilometer away. Team Eight is over here, a bit further, about three kilometers. As for Team Seven and Team Guy, they should be relatively far, I can't smell them yet. Their entrance should be on the other side, at least eight kilometers away from here. I need to get closer to smell them."

Ninja dogs have strong tracking abilities, but tracking first requires a trail to follow, or being close enough to smell. If the distance is too far, they have to search.

Alex couldn't help but frown, very dissatisfied with this distance.

The diameter of the Death Forest seems to be only twenty kilometers, and it's only ten kilometers from each entrance to the central Tower. He didn't expect Tenten to be so far away, even beyond the tracking range of a dog's nose. This was really quite troublesome.

Also, one point worth noting: if Team Seven and Team Guy are both very far, then the two teams might be very close!

This was not good news!

Alex gritted his teeth. He knew clearly that Orochimaru's target was Sasuke. After being abused by Itachi Uchiha, that guy was abnormally fixated on the Sharingan and most looked forward to Sasuke as a vessel, so if that guy really appeared, he would definitely go find Sasuke to place the cursed seal.

And if Team Guy was very close to Team Seven, they would definitely be implicated!

Alex immediately said, "Pakkun, I remember Team Guy and Team Seven went in that direction when they went to the entrance earlier. Let's go in that direction and search. See if there are any other people on the way, and we'll snatch some scrolls along the way."

Pakkun sniffed again and nodded. "Going in that direction, there are indeed a few strange scents not far along the way. I'll lead the way."

As expected of the smartest of the Eight Ninja Hounds, very reliable.

Kato Megumi stroked Pakkun's head and directly placed Pakkun on top of her head, probably worried that Pakkun's short legs wouldn't run fast, but this worry was unnecessary, that dog ran faster than anyone.

However, Pakkun accepted Kato Megumi's kindness very calmly, clearly very satisfied with his new owner.

Team Nine started to move, but for safety reasons, they didn't dare to rush too fast. Kato Megumi and Yamashiro Rinne weren't strong enough to keep up.

Fortunately, although Alex was anxious, he also had some confidence in Tenten's strength, and with three senzu beans in Tenten's hand, if she really encountered Orochimaru, it should be enough to hold on until his support arrived.

Soon, guided by Pakkun, Team Nine successfully found a team.

Looking at their headbands, they should be from some small ninja village, not very memorable.

When the opponent saw it was Runya, they didn't resist at all and immediately took out the scroll, which happened to be the Earth Scroll, and Runya accepted it without ceremony.

However, the opponent breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Runya had no intention of making things difficult.

Kato Megumi smiled and stroked Pakkun's dog head: "Pakkun, you're amazing.

Thank you.

I feel like I can help now."

Pakkun enjoyed the petting very much: "Megumi-chan, you're welcome.

If you really want to thank me, take me to Kiba Inuzuka's sister's pet hospital later.

I'm very interested in the service there."

"Okay, I'll take you after the exam this time."

Kato Megumi agreed, feeling very happy.

As expected, after she contracted a Summoning Beast, it really played a role, easily helping the team find the scroll.

Now, she just needed to help the boss determine the location of Tenten-nee-chan.

This feeling of being able to help is really great!

Yamashiro Rinne praised: "Megumi-chan is amazing!

Then, let's hurry to Tenten-nee-chan's side.

The boss is already anxious."

Team Nine continued on their way.

Team Guy also started smoothly.

They hadn't gone far before they encountered a team.

After a battle, they successfully snatched the scroll, and it happened to be the scroll they needed.

Lee said happily: "We're really lucky.

We gathered the scrolls so quickly."

Neji nodded: "Then let's head towards the Tower next, avoiding unnecessary battles as much as possible, so Alex doesn't worry."

Tenten naturally had no opinion.

Moreover, she felt that Runya was a bit overly nervous.

Although this nervousness made her feel sweet inside, she wasn't a delicate flower and didn't need to rely on Runya for everything.

"Then let's head to the Tower now... Hmm?"

Before Tenten finished speaking, she suddenly frowned, seemingly hearing something.

Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and took a look, his expression changing instantly: "Oh no!

Orochimaru really came!

He's with Team Seven!"

Chapter 108: Orochimaru Attacks

At this time, Team Seven was surrounded by Orochimaru alone.

Sakura was trembling, Naruto was also timid, and Sasuke's expression was extremely solemn.

"Hey, Sasuke, what should we do, believe it?"

Naruto's voice trembled.

Unlike the original plot where he encouraged Sasuke to fight Orochimaru, he now only wanted to take Sasuke and Sakura and run away, because he knew how terrifying the enemy was.

An enemy like Orochimaru is not something that can be defeated by courage.

If they fought recklessly, it would be no different from seeking death.

Naruto might not be afraid of death, but he couldn't watch Sakura and Sasuke die; that would make him collapse.

Sasuke silently drew his short sword and said in a deep voice: "Naruto, when the fight starts later, you take Sakura and run quickly!"

Naruto immediately objected: "What about you?

You want to stay and deal with Orochimaru alone?

Are you crazy, believe it?!"

"Do you think I want to?!"

Sasuke couldn't help but curse, "Stop whining!

Among the three of us, I'm the strongest, and only I have the strength to hold him back.

Take advantage of the time I hold him off and run quickly.

The faster you run, the sooner I can retreat.

Otherwise, we'll all die!"

Sakura looked at Sasuke with trembling eyes, shaking her head with tears.

She didn't want Sasuke to stay and fight alone, but she couldn't do anything.

She couldn't even provide any support.

Staying would only drag them down, but she really didn't want to see Sasuke stay alone!

Naruto objected again: "No!

I should stay!

Because you're strong, Sasuke, you can better protect Sakura's safe retreat!

Although I'm not very capable, I should be able to hold him off for a while, believe it!"

"Idiot Naruto!

With your strength, going up is just death.

What right do you have to say you'll stay!"

"Bastard Sasuke!

Should I watch my comrades stay and die while I run for my life?!"

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

The two of them actually started arguing, as if Orochimaru wasn't even there.

Orochimaru laughed hoarsely: "Have you finished discussing your battle plan?

I'm going to attack.

Show me your full power, or there's only death!

"

Saying that, his feet turned into snakes and quickly rushed towards the three.

His long tongue went straight for Sasuke.

Sasuke pushed Naruto and Sakura away, and his short sword, wrapped in lightning, met the tongue.

However, the lightning blade was easily deflected by the long tongue.

Sasuke was helpless and could only duck to avoid the long tongue.

His eyes flashed red, his Sharingan was already activated, and he also rushed towards Orochimaru at high speed, the lightning going straight for Orochimaru's neck.

"Heh heh, I heard you also cultivated the White Fang Sword Technique, but your swordsmanship is far worse than Alex's!"

Orochimaru seemed to be mocking him, easily blocking Sasuke's lightning blade with just a Kunai.

And after that, no matter how frantically Sasuke's short sword attacked, it was easily blocked by the Kunai.

Orochimaru even had the energy to counterattack, and after a few moves, it was Sasuke who was injured.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto watched anxiously and immediately formed a hand seal, "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!

"

In an instant, dozens of Naruto's Shadow Clones rushed up, but Orochimaru just swept them away with his long tongue.

Fortunately, Sasuke also took the opportunity to retreat a few steps and finally catch his breath.

But he cursed: "Idiot Naruto!

Take Sakura and go!

Do you want all three of us to die?!"

Although he was cursing Naruto, he was actually hating his own powerlessness.

Although he and Runya cultivated the same swordsmanship, he was far behind Runya.

Even though he started cultivating a bit later, he had always prided himself on being a genius of the Uchiha, and with the help of the Sharingan, he felt that he should be able to learn it quickly.

However, reality repeatedly slapped him in the face.

He had to admit that he was inferior to others, and there were many people who were stronger than him!

He was too weak now.

Let alone defeating Orochimaru, he didn't even have the strength to protect himself and his companions.

How could he kill Itachi Uchiha like this?

"Heh heh, there's really too much difference, Sasuke-kun."

Orochimaru's smile sent a chill down people's spines, "Compared to your brother, you're really too far behind!"

Sasuke's pupils contracted, and he said with a trembling voice: "Why?

Why would you mention him at this time?

Where is he now?

Where is Itachi Uchiha?!"

Orochimaru was still smiling: "Want to know?

Show me your true skills!"

Sasuke stopped talking and rushed up with his sword.

However, because he heard Itachi Uchiha's name, he was very agitated at this time, and his swordsmanship was even messy, much worse than before.

He was quickly knocked away by Orochimaru and was in too much pain to get up for a while.

Naruto watched with rising anger.

His pupils were somewhat bestial, and a trace of red Chakra emerged.

The next second, he rushed towards Orochimaru, wanting to blow up Orochimaru's snake head, but he was easily grabbed by the neck by Orochimaru.

"Oh, so it's you."

Orochimaru recognized the Jinchuriki, raised his hand, and used the Five Elements Seal on Naruto's stomach.

Naruto immediately fainted.

"Naruto!"

Sakura screamed while holding Sasuke, but she was so helpless.

Orochimaru shook his head: "Sasuke-kun, I had high hopes for you, but if you're only at this level, it's truly disappointing.

However, I'll still give you a chance, so I'll leave you with a test."

Saying that, his neck suddenly turned into a snake, stretching out very long, and his head went straight for Sasuke, opening its mouth and revealing snake fangs aimed at Sasuke's neck.

This was to plant the Cursed Seal!

Now, Naruto had fainted, Sakura was so scared that she was powerless, and Sasuke was in too much pain to resist.

It seemed he could only accept his fate, completely enveloped by despair.

Just then, a female voice suddenly sounded: "Lightning Release: Falling Thunder!"

Crack!

A lightning bolt suddenly fell from the sky and directly struck Orochimaru, instantly electrocuting him until he was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and you could even smell the snake meat.

Looking at where the lightning came from, it turned out to be Tenten, Neji, and Lee.

At this time, Tenten was equipped with the Infinite Hole Armor, the Dragon Eye Telescopic Sword on her back, and in her hands, she held a pair of black swords with serrated blades, which were none other than Lightning Blade: Fang, one of the Ninja Swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!

When the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were mentioned, Runya suggested that Tenten find a way to get Lightning Blade: Fang.

Because among the seven Ninja Swords, only three are the most useful: one is Samehada, the second is Hiramekarei, and the third is Lightning Blade: Fang.

Lightning Blade: Fang is the easiest to operate and is also suitable for Tenten.

Then, just like how they obtained the Artisan Village Four-Piece Set, they offered a high bounty for Lightning Blade: Fang, and then they got it.

It's highly suspected that Kakuzu accepted the bounty, because the bounty was really quite high.

Sure enough, having money is great!

"Tenten!

Neji!

Lee!

You're here!

That's great!"

Sakura was overjoyed.

"Don't be happy too soon!

We need to run!

"

Tenten's expression was solemn.

She directly bit her thumb and used the Summoning Technique, summoning Badora.

Then she quickly motioned for everyone to get on the eagle's back.

Chapter 109: Dealing with and Big Moves

Anyone with a clear head would know that Orochimaru was fine.

This guy was practically immortal.

He wouldn't die even if his head was cut off, let alone just being electrocuted.

Sure enough, just as Neji pulled the unconscious Naruto back with steel wire, and everyone had just gotten onto the giant eagle's back, before the giant eagle could even take off, a long sword pierced through Badora's body.

Looking closely, what else could it be besides Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword?

Orochimaru was still lying on the ground, looking crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, but he opened his mouth and spat out a snake.

The snake then spat out the Kusanagi Sword.

The Kusanagi Sword suddenly extended, and Badora had no defense at all.

Screech!

Badora let out a long cry, seemingly apologizing, and then with a bang, he returned.

Everyone immediately fell to the ground, their faces all looking very bad.

They were just a little bit away from successfully escaping.

They didn't expect Orochimaru to act so decisively.

Team Guy's three members immediately stood in front, with Tenten in the center.

As soon as Neji discovered the situation here, they rushed over to help without any hesitation.

It wasn't because they thought they were amazing, but because they couldn't stand by and watch their companions in danger.

Tenten actually remembered Runya's instructions to run quickly if she encountered Orochimaru, but she was not a selfish and heartless person after all!

On the contrary, she was a very kind girl.

She simply couldn't abandon her companions and friends and run away!

It's just that, facing Orochimaru now, the pressure was immense!

Lee took a deep breath and said: "Now that we are in a dangerous situation, we should fight with all our might.

I believe Teacher Kai will allow me to do this!"

Saying that, he directly removed the weights on his feet, and then his Chakra began to surge: "Eight Gates, Open!

First Gate, Opening Gate, Second Gate, Rest Gate, Third Gate, The Gate of Life, Open, Open, Open!"

Opening three gates at once, it was fortunate that he wasn't reckless and his mind was still clear.

Although he could already open the Fifth Gate, there was still no chance of winning that way, so it was better to only open the Third Gate to ensure his body would not be harmed, and try to focus on holding him back for now, and find an opportunity to escape.

Neji also activated his Byakugan and assumed the stance of Eight Trigrams Palm: "Tenten, Lee and I will support you.

You attack with all your might!"

Tenten was also not polite: "Okay!

Together!

"

Orochimaru then used the Orochimaru-style Body Replacement Technique, replacing his crispy-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside self.

However, his vertical pupils swept over Team Guy's three members, focusing on Tenten, and for once, there was less playfulness on his face.

He laughed: "I have to say, you guys surprise me.

Konoha is truly full of talents.

Especially you, Alex's girlfriend, is it Tenten?

I didn't expect the Hidden Mist Village's Lightning Blade: Fang to be with you.

Combined with other special Ninja Tools, your strength is at least Special Jonin, right?

It's rare to have such strength and mental fortitude at this age!

"

Tenten ignored Orochimaru's praise and instead crossed her swords, and a lightning ball flew out.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"

Buzz buzz buzz!

The lightning ball flashed, carrying terrifying energy.

Orochimaru didn't dare to underestimate it.

He didn't want to be struck by lightning for no reason, so he could only dodge by twisting his body into a snake.

Seeing this, Lee and Neji immediately rushed up.

One used the Konoha Whirlwind and the other used the Eight Trigrams Palm.

They exchanged a few moves with Orochimaru but didn't gain the upper hand.

Orochimaru also mainly defended against Tenten's attacks, after all, being struck by lightning was really unpleasant.

Sasuke and Sakura in the back watched this scene dumbfounded, seemingly not expecting Team Guy to be so strong.

Especially Tenten, she even had a hidden card.

That Lightning Blade: Fang seemed to be able to easily unleash lightning attacks without needing to form hand seals, and it seemed to consume relatively little Chakra.

No wonder even Orochimaru praised her.

It's just that Sasuke felt even worse in his heart.

He could accept that he was inferior to Runya, but now so many geniuses suddenly appeared.

How was he supposed to deal with that?

Not only was this Hyuga family member strong, but even the thick-browed kappa who had sparred with him before suddenly unleashed powerful strength, not to mention Tenten.

The three of them could now contend with Orochimaru, while he, Sasuke, was beaten into a sorry state.

He was a joke!

"No!

I absolutely cannot be looked down upon!

I will fight too!"

Sasuke suppressed the pain, seemingly having truly recovered a bit.

Then he pushed Sakura aside and rushed up again, directly inserting himself into Lee and Neji's offensive.

The three of them worked together to deal with Orochimaru, and for a while, they even subtly gained some advantage.

Seeing this, Orochimaru licked his tongue with some excitement, but this situation was not what he wanted.

So, he found the right moment to suddenly retreat a big step, and then quickly formed hand seals and pressed them on the ground: "Summoning Technique!"

A giant python appeared with a bang, directly blocking the four people.

Its huge snake head hung down, as if it wanted to swallow the four people whole.

Coupled with Orochimaru standing on the snake's head, the sense of oppression was overwhelming.

"This is troublesome, what should we do?"

This giant python was too huge, it wouldn't be easy to deal with, and it would split their forces, breaking up the four-person formation, wouldn't that be exactly what Orochimaru wanted?

Tenten silently drew a scroll from behind her back: "It seems, we can only use a big move."

Over here, Team Nine was hurrying on their way.

Suddenly, Pakkun's expression changed: "Not good! Such a heavy snake smell! I smell it, five kilometers away in that direction, Team Seven and Team Guy are both there, and they seem to be fighting a guy with a very heavy snake smell!"

Very heavy snake smell?

Isn't that Orochimaru?!

Pakkun said with some apology: "Sorry, I discovered it a bit late."

Alex shook his head: "No, I still have to thank you, otherwise we wouldn't know the situation from such a distance. Since we know the direction, let's speed up!"

Saying that, he quickly formed hand signs and pressed them on the ground, only to hear a 'bang', but a small eagle appeared.

"What's going on?!" Alex had a bad premonition, he clearly intended to Summon Badora.

The small eagle chirped twice, informing Alex of the situation, making Alex's expression even uglier.

Yamashiro Rinne became anxious: "Boss, what's the situation? Is it serious?"

Alex said in a deep voice: "Badora was Summoned by Tenten before and was planning to take Team Seven and Team Guy to escape, but was pierced by Orochimaru's sword and was heavily injured and returned. Now Tenten and the others are definitely still fighting Orochimaru, time waits for no one, I'll go ahead, Pakkun you bring the two of them to follow behind."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared, only to reappear running rapidly through the air.

Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi immediately shouted: "Boss, go ahead, don't worry about us, you also be careful!"

Returning to this side, everyone was instantly filled with anticipation upon hearing that Tenten still had a big move, even Orochimaru couldn't help but be curious, what kind of move could be even more powerful than Lightning Blade: Fang.

Tenten opened the scroll and began to Summon, only to see stacks and stacks of thick Exploding Tags fly out.

"Take this! Money Style Secret Art: Ten Thousand Exploding Tag Technique!"

Everyone almost fainted, even Orochimaru felt a pain in his snake waist, it was truly unexpected.

Chapter 110: Alex Arrives

They completely didn't expect that the so-called big move was actually Exploding Tags.

But seeing the dense Exploding Tags flying towards the giant python, and thinking that the number of Exploding Tags was as high as ten thousand, they suddenly felt that it really was a big move.

You know that the power of Exploding Tags is also very strong, even a Shadow Level expert could possibly die if one Exploding Tag is stuck on them and explodes, let alone ten thousand Exploding Tags.

It's a big move, no doubt!

The next second, the giant python was covered in Exploding Tags, it was Summoned out and hadn't done anything yet, its whole body was covered in bombs, it didn't even have a place to cry.

Rumble!

The ten thousand Exploding Tags exploded, and the heatwave instantly swept outwards.

Sasuke and Team Guy immediately turned and ran, taking Sakura and Naruto with them, quickly running behind a large rock, Lee kicked a large hole in the ground, as everyone fell down, Tenten Summoned another super large shield to block above their heads.

For a time, the explosion raged outside.

Although the few of them looked disheveled, they were finally not affected by the violent explosion.

However, everyone looked at Tenten with somewhat strange eyes.

Lee was still the first to speak: "Tenten, your big move is really amazing! To throw out ten thousand Exploding Tags at once, you really are a rich person!"

Tenten chuckled: "This was also taught to me by Alex, he said this is the power that can be most easily obtained through money, it can be directly called the power of money, so he called it Money Style. Exploding Tags are indeed very powerful, they can unleash great power as long as they are activated, and with enough quantity, they can unleash terrifying power, it's true that being rich is really powerful!"

Lee gave a thumbs-up in agreement, but Neji and Sasuke's eyes flickered slightly.

Thinking about it carefully, money is really useful.

Sasuke even thought, if he prepared ten thousand Exploding Tags in advance, and then hugged Itachi Uchiha and directly detonated them, maybe he could take the other person with him to die.

Although the idea was a bit naive, it wasn't impossible, after all, not everyone could easily withstand the explosion of ten thousand Exploding Tags.

The explosion stopped quickly, but the few of them didn't dare to go out easily.

Neji, using his Byakugan, scanned around, and still detected Orochimaru's Chakra, his expression immediately turned ugly: "As expected of One of the Sannin, not even killed by ten thousand Exploding Tags exploding like that!"

Sasuke wasn't surprised at all: "This is normal, we can all dodge, and Orochimaru will only dodge faster. Moreover, he's like an immortal, it seems he can't be killed no matter what, that's the most despairing part. With our current strength, we really can't beat him, it's unreal that we've lasted this long."

This wasn't Sasuke being cowardly, but rather that he had truly fought Orochimaru and knew the huge gap in strength, which is why he said this.

"Don't be afraid, for now, our main goal is to stall for time!"

Tenten's eyes held hope, "Alex said he would come find me, so as long as we continue to stall for time, we can always stall until Alex arrives. Anyway, we can't escape right now, this is the only way!"

Everyone nodded upon hearing this, they could only hope that Alex would arrive quickly, otherwise his girlfriend would really be in trouble!

Seeing Orochimaru approaching, Neji immediately alerted them, Tenten decisively opened the shield, and everyone leaped out of the pit together, immediately becoming alert.

And the scene outside was astonishing.

They saw that the original giant python had been blown into pieces, looking extremely miserable.

Orochimaru laughed sinisterly: "Heh heh heh, ten thousand Exploding Tags, truly powerful. If I hadn't dodged quickly, I would have really been blown to death by you!"

Tenten immediately took out two more scrolls: "Since ten thousand Exploding Tags can't blow you to death, then how about a hundred thousand, a million? Anyway, I brought enough, I won't believe I can't blow you to death!"

Orochimaru: ...

Everyone: ...

How rich must this girl be! Carrying a million Exploding Tags with her!

However, Tenten also knew that detonating Exploding Tags on a large scale wasn't suitable, it wouldn't kill Orochimaru anyway, and might also affect her own people. Thus, she quickly Summoned two short pistols and immediately began shooting at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru subconsciously dodged, but as soon as he dodged the bullets, the bullets exploded by his ear, and the force of the explosion directly threw him to the side, it turned out to be Exploding Tags again.

"What a pity! If they had hit his body and exploded inside him, that would have been great."

Tenten had a look of regret, but still sped up her shooting, there was no other way now, she could only rely on shooting Exploding Tag bullets from the short pistols to stall for time, luckily she had prepared a lot of Exploding Tag bullets, she could Summon them continuously, she didn't believe she couldn't stall this dead snake to death!

But Orochimaru wasn't that easy to deal with.

His legs turned into snakes, twisting and moving flexibly, not only easily dodging the bullets, but also constantly approaching frantically, heading straight for Tenten.

... Seeking flowers ...

Sasuke was the first to meet him, but his short sword was swept broken by Orochimaru's sword, and his arm was also cut, and he was sent flying backward, unable to stop him at all.

Lee decisively opened The Gate of Life and blocked in front of Tenten, and Neji also used Rotation to block.

However, perhaps in order to finish the fight quickly, Orochimaru really went all out, kicking Lee away with one foot, and then immediately using Earth Release: Yellow Springs Swamp to make Neji's feet sink, causing Rotation to break down on its own.

Bang! Neji was also kicked away.

But Neji and Lee quickly flashed back in front of Tenten.

Tenten held up her pair of Lightning Blade: Fang, and said helplessly: "What are you two doing, let me fight him!"

However, the two said: "We promised Alex we would protect you, even though we know you are strong, but you are not his opponent, so we cannot let you take risks!"

...

"You two!"

Tenten clenched her twin swords, she didn't refuse, but instead quickly released lightning attacks.

However, Lee and Neji were sent flying again, looking seriously injured, but even so, they fell in front of Tenten.

Tenten only felt her eyes welling up, and couldn't help but shout: "Alex! Come quickly!"

"Heh heh heh, Alex is far away! He can't come that quickly!"

Orochimaru rushed up with a hoarse laugh, stabbing Tenten with a sword, even though Tenten was not injured, it was impossible for her to withstand his attack, after all, the gap in strength was too great.

Just at this critical moment, a figure flashed down from the air.

A large foot directly kicked Orochimaru in the face, actually kicking Orochimaru's head to pieces on the spot.

Everyone was first startled, and then overjoyed, they saw that the figure was enveloped by a surging Chakra current, it was Alex who had opened the Eight Gates!

"Sorry everyone, I'm late! Tenten, are you alright?"

Alex's tone was gentle with apology, but his gaze towards the headless corpse carried icy killing intent.

After learning that the situation here was bad, he directly opened The Gate of Life and used Moon Walk to rush over, on the way he also heard a huge explosion, and immediately became extremely worried, then he decisively opened the Fifth Gate of Limit to speed up, and just as he arrived nearby, he saw Neji and Lee being sent flying, and Orochimaru was still holding the kusanagi sword and stabbing towards Tenten.

In an instant, Alex exploded, his enraged kick instantly reached Orochimaru's head.