Chapter 45 – The Last Dragon Slayer
Mei Terumī leaned closer.
She had never seen such a beautiful little boy.
A feast for the eyes.
Pity he was too young.
If he were a dozen years older, she might have considered it.
But Mei Terumī, at twenty-four, was far less desperate than she would be in the future.
Though she did plan to find a boyfriend, no one had caught her eye so far.
"The poor kid must've been caught in the cross-fire."
Mei Terumī placed her right hand on Naruto's forehead; invisible Chakra spread out as she examined his body.
A moment later she gave a startled murmur.
The boy's body held a Chakra capacity rivaling that of a Jonin.
He'd fainted only because every last drop of that Chakra had been exhausted.
Mei Terumī's brows drew together slightly—she found it hard to believe.
Could it be a Transformation Jutsu?
Her right hand brushed along the bones of his skull and frame.
Eight years old?
He's freaking eight?!
After confirming Naruto's age through bone-touching, a gleam flashed across Mei Terumī's beautiful eyes.
A genuine prodigy.
One that had appeared out of thin air; she wondered if it might be a trap.
But who would waste such a treasure just to set her up?
In any Hidden Village he would be an absolute gem, hidden away and pampered.
She herself could be called the cream of the Hidden Mist's younger generation, yet this was on another level.
If it were her call, she'd never let such a treasure leave the village.
Unable to figure it out, she sealed the head she'd been holding, lifted Naruto, and set off across the sea… In his daze Naruto caught a faint sweet scent.
Surrounded by a warm, soft mattress, he sank into an even deeper sleep.
A long while later Naruto opened his eyes.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
He blinked.
He scrambled up at once to inspect the room.
Clearly luxurious.
He checked his body again—no hidden injuries, no burning pain anywhere.
Naruto exhaled in relief.
He'd met a good soul, not some pervert.
Misfortune really could flip to luck once you hit rock-bottom.
He pushed open the door; wisps of mist and towering peaks greeted him.
Hidden Mist Village?
Naruto guessed where he was.
He'd never visited the village, but according to the original story it lay deep in the mountains, wrapped in fog.
He glanced left and right, found the stairwell, and headed down.
Soon he heard voices conversing.
"That's the sixth Jonin defection this year; something's wrong with the Mizukage."
"Ao, watch your tongue."
Mei Terumī raised an index finger, then turned her head. "Little one outside, come in."
Naruto stepped into the living-room.
A quick sweep hid his surprise.
It was actually Mei Terumī.
Though the jump from 2-D to 3-D changed her looks, her traits were unmistakable.
That pine-tree hairstyle, for one.
Back in his past life Naruto had wanted to complain about it.
Such a gorgeous older woman—why not long straight black hair?
Oh, right—chestnut-red.
The other man, in his thirties, was easy to place: one-eyed dragon, plus the name he'd just heard.
It was Ao, Mei Terumī's right-hand man, the Byakugan killer.
He possessed the only Byakugan ever to leave the Hyuga Clan.
"Thank you both for saving me."
Naruto bowed slightly, neither servile nor arrogant.
A Mizukage? He'd seen plenty.
He even called Kurama "bro" these days.
A scene like this was nothing.
Mei Terumī's eyes flickered; she grew surer that this child's background was no small matter.
What ordinary kid could stay so composed?
Waking in a strange place without panicking already showed guts.
"What's your name?"
Mei Terumī sat on the table, chin propped on one hand, a faint smile on her delicate face.
Naruto treated that stunning beauty as background scenery.
He was, after all, only a Shadow Clone.
"My name is Gen Shisei."
He hopped onto the tall wooden stool and asked in a crisp voice, "And you?"
"Such a little grown-up. Call me big sister, got it?"
Mei Terumī found him more and more amusing; that face never got old.
"Oh. Big sister, what's your name?"
Naruto asked, merciless.
Women only get in the way of training.
"Mei Terumī."
She didn't mind his tone at all—if an adult acted like that she'd feel offended, but an eight-year-old handsome kid?
So cute!
"So, little brother, what were you doing on that barren island?"
Mei Terumī's gaze turned slightly serious.
His answer would decide how she handled him.
Naruto understood that perfectly.
Luckily he'd come prepared.
"Far to the north of the Land of Water, past the frozen end, lies an island called Cassel…"
Naruto spoke nonstop for nearly two hours.
Mei Terumī and Ao exchanged stunned glances.
It was simply too fantastic.
According to his tale, the people of Cassel were born with superb physiques and astonishing Chakra.
But they had enemies: on nearby Dragon Isle lived their hereditary foes.
Legend said those foes could fuse with Western-dragon Summoned Beasts and gain their power.
And those dragons loved to feed on the humans of Cassel.
Thus the two sides had fought and slaughtered each other since time immemorial.
Cassel's finest were granted the title S-rank Dragon Slayer; Dragon Isle's strongest were named Dragon Kings.
Slayers and Kings were fated to fight until one side was wiped out.
But a great battle three years ago had nearly destroyed both.
Naruto was the last Dragon Slayer.
His parents, relatives, friends—no one had survived.
He had drifted alone across the sea for three years, hunting the only escaped Dragon King: the King of Water and the Ocean.
Mei Terumī reached out and stroked Naruto's head.
The hatred that had flashed across his face when he spoke of his parents' death couldn't have been faked.
And such an epic tale couldn't have been invented on the spot.
Especially when he recounted past battles between Slayers and Kings as if he'd seen them himself.
Chu Zihang against Jörmungand, the Earth and Mountain King; Lu Mingfei against Naughton, the Bronze and Fire King, and so on.
Naruto gave her a smile, hopped off the stool and said, "I train in the Wind-Dragon Great-Lance that represents wind."
He formed hand seals.
Invisible wind quickly shaped a huge lance before him.
"This is the Wind-King Boundary."
Naruto gripped the completely transparent spear and explained, "Enemies can't see the lance with their eyes, so they misjudge its reach."
With that he demonstrated the Eight-Pole Great-Lance right on the spot.
"Absolutely exquisite."
Mei Terumī was now fully convinced.
A story could be fabricated, but a familiar spear style without generational heritage could never be improvised.
She looked at the beautiful little boy.
Orphan, avenger, prodigy.
A gift from heaven.
Mei Terumī smiled and said, "From today on, why not join the Hidden Mist Village? We'll do everything we can to help you find this so-called Dragon King."
"I refuse."
Naruto answered without hesitation.
Mei Terumī's smile froze.
With her beauty and strength she'd always gotten her way—today she'd been shot down by a kid.
"Why?"
she asked, unwilling to accept it.