Chapter 108: Looking for Hardship
Returning to the detached house, Haruko went straight into his room and locked the door behind him.
He used Ninjutsu and the Byakugan to scout the area, and after confirming that no one was monitoring him, he bit his finger and pressed it lightly on the tabletop.
"Summoning Technique."
Accompanied by a puff of light smoke, a palm-sized Slug appeared on the table.
"Lord Haruko, good evening." The Slug's voice was as gentle as ever.
"Good evening. Did you bring that scroll?"
"Of course." The Slug's body wriggled, and it spat out the copy of the Heavenly Fury Eruption scroll that Haruko had made.
After handing the scroll to Haruko, the Slug did not return immediately.
"Lord Haruko." Its antennae swayed slightly, as if conveying a serious instruction, "Lady Tsunade asked me to bring a few words to you."
An inexplicable sense of foreboding welled up in Haruko's heart.
"What does Master want to say? Is it about a big stack of gold notes?"
"Gold notes?" The Slug didn't understand, but simply continued to recount, "Lady Tsunade said: I heard you are going to participate in the Chunin Exams. For that kind of house-playing competition, if you use your full strength, it would be too much of a bully and too boring."
"Therefore, she has set a few 'exam rules' for you."
"First, it is forbidden to use Sage Mode and Senjutsu;"
"Second, it is forbidden to actively mobilize Natural Energy to strengthen Ninjutsu and Taijutsu;"
"Third, it is forbidden to use B-rank or higher offensive Ninjutsu."
"...Huh?" Haruko's mouth twitched, "No, she's not letting me use this or that, does she want me to go up there and be a punching bag for others?"
"Lady Tsunade said this is called 'weight training'." There seemed to be a hint of a smile in the Slug's voice, "Also, Lady Tsunade will come to Konoha to watch the finals on that day, so please do your best."
After the Slug finished speaking, it vanished into white mist.
Haruko held his forehead helplessly.
"Fine, it's just stomping noobs anyway. When a max-level account returns to the starter village, even just using basic attacks is enough to go on a killing spree."
After sending the Slug away, Haruko began to study the Forbidden Jutsu that the Tsuchigumo Clan was so proud of, which had even brought about the disaster of their clan's destruction.
The text on the scroll was densely packed, recording the principles and usage of this Forbidden Jutsu.
"The core principle is to gather a massive amount of Natural Energy, compress and store it, and then detonate it like a nuclear bomb..."
Haruko scanned through the lines quickly, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
"No wonder it's called a Forbidden Jutsu. This thing is less of a Ninjutsu and more of an 'energy bomb'. A human body simply cannot carry that much Natural Energy, which is why the assistance of the Forbidden Jutsu core is needed."
Haruko rubbed his chin, recalling the plot of the original work.
"At this time, the Ascetic Practitioner of Ge Cheng Mountain shouldn't be dead yet, and the Forbidden Jutsu core should be with him. But... maybe I don't need it at all?"
The function of the Forbidden Jutsu core was nothing more than three points: absorption, storage, and release.
His own body could already achieve the first two points. As for the release...
Haruko looked at the Jutsu structure described on the scroll and felt confident.
"I need to find a place to try it out."
...
Taking advantage of the night, Haruko slipped away to the training ground furthest from the urban area.
After confirming there were no living creatures within a few hundred meters, Haruko began his preparations.
His hands formed seals, and the Natural Energy within his body began to circulate according to the Jutsu circuit.
Different from what he had imagined, this process was slower than expected.
"The longer I charge it, the greater the power... Let's try charging for ten seconds first."
Haruko frowned.
Ten seconds was already a very fatal amount of time in a battle.
Fortunately, the controllability of this Jutsu was much stronger than what was described in the scroll.
The scroll said that after Heavenly Fury Eruption was released, it would be like a bomb, indiscriminately destroying everything around it.
But Haruko found that he could control the direction and range of the release.
He pushed his palm forward.
Bang—!
Accompanied by a flash, white Natural Energy erupted from his palm. The trees within a dozen meters ahead were instantly snapped in half, soil flew everywhere, and a deep trench was plowed into the ground.
Haruko looked at his masterpiece, his expression becoming increasingly strange.
"How many floors must a bag of rice carry...?"
Isn't this just Brother Chao's Shinra Tensei?!
Except Brother Chao used the Rinnegan's ocular power to drive repulsive force, while he used compressed Natural Energy to create air pressure repulsion.
Haruko flexed his wrist, feeling the burden on his body.
"Although the charging time is longer than Shinra Tensei and the physical burden is a bit heavy..." Haruko rubbed his somewhat sore wrist, "as a trump card, it's definitely powerful enough. It works, so what more can I ask for?"
In a great mood, Haruko hummed a little tune as he cleaned up the traces of the scene and turned back toward the village.
...
The next morning, Haruko knocked on Anko's door.
"Yo, finally decided to show up?"
Anko crossed her arms, looking at Haruko with a half-smile.
"The mission just ended, so here I am." Haruko scratched his head, "About what happened that day..."
"Alright, alright, I know." Anko waved her hand, "I just drank too much, you don't need to take it to heart."
She spoke nonchalantly, but Haruko noticed her eyes flicker for a moment.
"Come in, I happen to have something to talk to you about."
Anko turned and walked into the house, and Haruko followed her in.
The living room was kept fairly tidy, with a few empty wine bottles on the coffee table.
"What do you want to see me about?" Haruko sat down on the sofa.
"The Cursed Seal." Anko got straight to the point, "I want to try Cursed Seal Level Two again."
"No." Haruko refused without even thinking, "Now is not the time."
Are you kidding? Orochimaru's soul fragment hasn't been taken out yet; the risk of developing the Cursed Seal is too high.
"But—"
"Wait until I've thoroughly learned the relevant knowledge." Haruko interrupted her, "What are you in such a hurry for?"
"I... I'm just not willing to give up..." Anko gritted her teeth, her voice trembling.
Haruko looked at her and suddenly understood something.
This woman... was chasing a goal she could never catch up to.
"Sigh... It seems you won't turn back until you hit a dead end."
Looking at the bloodshot streaks in her eyes and her stubbornness, Haruko sighed.
She was usually carefree, but she was prouder than anyone else in her heart.
"Fine, then give it a try." Haruko stood up, went behind her, and held her, "But I'll say this upfront: once you lose control, I will forcibly stop you."
"I wouldn't have it any other way!"
Anko took a deep breath and began to mobilize the Cursed Seal within her body.
...
"That's it?"
Haruko looked at the unconscious woman in his arms and shook his head helplessly.
The result of this attempt was no different from the last time—after activating Cursed Seal Level Two, she lost control, lost consciousness, and was forcibly stopped.
"Wouldn't it be better to wait until I've sorted out the Cursed Seal before trying? This is just looking for hardship..."
Fortunately, he knew what the situation was this time, and since he was at Anko's house, he just had to carry her to the bed.
After tucking Anko in, Haruko went out and walked home, his mood a bit complicated.
It wasn't that he didn't understand Anko's feelings.
But... as long as Anko still prioritized Konoha, Haruko could not trust her, and thus could not calmly accept these feelings.
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