Nara Shikadan longed for a peaceful and comfortable life.
Not obsessed with winning or losing. Not entangled in conflict. Not constantly making enemies that kept him awake at night.
A life like a "plant." That kind of peaceful existence—that was his ideal.
But…
Well, this might sound a bit crude… Nara Shikadan wasn't going to hide the fact that he had a thing for blonde, big-breasted older women.
When it came to someone like Tsunade, a blonde big sister type, Nara Shikadan just… couldn't say no!
He pulled out an ultra-compact emergency medical kit from his ninja pouch, carefully extracted an alcohol wipe, and gently cleaned the blood from the back of Tsunade's hand. Then he sprayed disinfectant around her hand to completely eliminate the smell.
Tsunade stared blankly at the boy in front of her, watching as he patiently cleaned the blood away. She clearly felt the warmth of his palm through her skin. The panic in her heart receded like the tide, replaced by a tangled emotion she couldn't quite name.
Her expression only returned to normal after Nara Shikadan had finished everything.
"Tsunade-sama."
He casually disposed of the medical waste and made a mental note to replace the contents of the kit tomorrow.
"Are you still planning to go to Kikyo Orphanage?"
"Yes!"
The timid big fat sheep was still acting tough.
"Why not? I'm hungry now!"
"Then let's go together."
Nara Shikadan nodded, took the lead, and continued toward Kikyo Castle.
"Kikyo Orphanage isn't that far, and it'll just take you a bit more time to return to the village after."
"Why? Oh, right—I still have to report to the old man—cough! I mean, Sarutobi-sensei, the Third Hokage!"
Flustered, Tsunade skipped past the slip of the tongue that made her sound childish and quickly changed the subject.
"Nara, I remember you said your parents are still alive, right? Then why are you so familiar with Kikyo Orphanage?"
As soon as she said that, she realized something was off. Her words could be interpreted as sarcastic…
"My parents are indeed alive. You've already met my father, and my mother is a Chūnin who retired due to injury."
Nara Shikadan's shoulders slumped slightly. Family shame shouldn't be aired in public, but he'd always had complaints about this.
"They're very loving."
"…Huh?"
Tsunade was relieved to see no displeasure on Shikadan's face—but his explanation just left her more confused.
"So? What's the problem?"
"The problem is… they're too loving."
Nara Shikadan looked up at the Kikyo Orphanage gate ahead, a melancholic expression on his face.
"The kind of love that can't tolerate a third person. And in that family… I'm the third person."
"Ever since I was born, my parents are healthy, I have no sister, we have a house—yet I live like an orphan."
Tsunade had undergone strict professional ninja training since childhood. She normally wouldn't laugh easily.
But…
Damn it!
The big fat golden sheep couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter that echoed like a barbell hitting the floor.
"Ahahaha!"
…
Nara Shikadan was very familiar with Kikyo Orphanage.
Not only because of his close relationship with the director, Yakushi Nono, but also because he had a precious private room in the orphanage.
Although… that wasn't exactly something to be proud of.
The two arrived and entered "Nara Shikadan's exclusive little room."
Tsunade looked around. The room was small but immaculately clean. A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
"Nara, your little room is so tidy. It doesn't seem like something a boy your age would maintain."
Nara Shikadan didn't want to debate with Tsunade about the domestic habits of teenage boys. He simply pointed to the private bathroom.
"The bathroom is over there."
"Thanks!"
While Tsunade went to freshen up, Nara Shikadan moved to his single bed, lay down in the most comfortable position possible, stretched, and let out a satisfied sigh.
Ah~ There's nothing better than lying down!
Creak—
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Tsunade peeked her head out.
"Don't peek—!"
She meant to tease him, but the moment she saw him lying there, so leisurely and serene—like a deer basking in the winter sun—she swallowed the rest of her words.
I could fight three times just listening to the sound of that water…
Nara Shikadan lay motionless, rolled his eyes, and almost blurted out a classic pervy line.
But reason returned just in time. He simply rolled his eyes, flopped onto his side like a salted fish, and faced the wall to show his sincerity.
Tsunade: "…"
Bang!
The bathroom door slammed shut.
[Lazy Ghost System]!
Enjoying his break, Nara Shikadan opened the system and focused on the A-rank ninjutsu he'd just acquired.
[Camouflage Hidden Jutsu]!
On the virtual panel, a scroll containing the ultra-high-level invisibility technique from Iwagakure unfurled.
The scroll described not only how to use Camouflage Hidden Jutsu, but also its limitations and drawbacks.
At the same time, a prompt appeared:
[A-rank Secret Technique "Camouflage Hidden Jutsu" detected. Learn it now?]
Wait, I can just learn an A-rank jutsu directly?
The Lazy Ghost System has a one-click learning feature?!
Nara Shikadan was stunned. Another thought immediately popped into his head.
Is this function limited to "Ninja Secret Scroll" techniques, or does it apply to all techniques recorded in scrolls?
If it was the latter...
Then I'll definitely need to test this later!
Without hesitation, he tapped "One-Click Learn."
Don't be fooled by the fact that he'd already developed an A-rank technique—[Lacquer Eye].
That jutsu was the product of years of effort and accumulation.
A-rank techniques were borderline forbidden.
Each one came with a terrifying learning curve and tremendous investment of time and chakra control.
Nara Shikadan had no problem taking shortcuts when it came to mastering difficult knowledge.
And the result?
[You have learned the A-rank technique "Camouflage Hidden Jutsu." Your [Intelligence] attribute has slightly increased.]
"…That's it?"
When he learned [Lacquer Eye], not only did his [Intelligence] increase, but his [Ninjutsu] attribute had skyrocketed.
This time?
Shikadan closed his eyes, refined his chakra, and activated the new jutsu.
Water molecules in the air—the ones invisible to the naked eye—were delicately drawn in, enveloping his fingers.
His index and middle fingers disappeared from view under the effect of the technique.
But…
Only two fingers became invisible.
"My chakra isn't enough to maintain a full-body [Camouflage Hidden Jutsu]?"
Shikadan stared at his now-transparent fingers, forehead twitching.
So the Lazy Ghost System really could let him learn the jutsu easily…
But actually using it was another story.
His [Stamina] stat was too low. He didn't have enough chakra control or capacity to cover his whole body.
As the saying goes: the mind is willing, but the flesh is weak.
No wonder my [Ninjutsu] attribute didn't improve—I've learned it, but I can't fully use it yet.
Shikadan deactivated the jutsu, and his fingers reappeared.
Ordinary ninjas burn through chakra. Cheating ninjas burn tons of chakra. Me? I'm working on milligrams!
He took a deep breath and silently moved "Increase [Stamina]" up his priority list.
But he also consoled himself:
Forget it. It's still an A-rank jutsu—especially one that only requires half a hand seal. That's huge for someone like me with slow hand speed.
Despite requiring molecular-level chakra control, the technique itself was extremely efficient. To activate it, all one needed was a single seal—half of the "Tiger" seal, or half of the "Unseal"—basically the same as the "sword finger" gesture.
The fewer hand seals required, the faster the activation.
That meant a major advantage in combat.
The best example?
The future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who developed the Rasengan, a seal-less ninjutsu based on his combat style—and the Tailed Beast Bomb.
As a member of the Nara clan, Shikadan never spent much time practicing hand seals. Why would he?
The [Shadow Secret Technique] didn't even need them!
Besides, he never believed in the whole "hand seals are everything" philosophy.
Who makes full hand seals these days, anyway? Real ninjas don't need that stuff!
With only a single hand gesture needed, [Camouflage Hidden] was a perfect fit.
And once I truly master this technique, maybe I can skip the hand gesture entirely…
Shikadan's thoughts drifted.
The technique might only offer optical camouflage—it can't actually erase my physical presence—but its battlefield potential is insane!
Even hiding just one finger could be game-changing!
For example...
Shikadan pulled out a standard kunai and activated the technique, manipulating chakra to wrap water molecules around the weapon.
The black kunai shimmered once—and vanished into thin air.
[Wind King Barrier]!