"Won't lighting a fire here attract the enemy?" Nawaki asked as he sat by the fire, drying his clothes. He couldn't help but add, "By the way, Takuya, why is your Body Flicker Technique so explosive?"
"Not just explosive," Minato chimed in, "but also incredibly fast!"
Minato had long accepted that, when it came to the Body Flicker Technique, Takuya was unmatched. His own explosive speed and power were nothing compared to Takuya's. Fortunately, Minato had a positive outlook. Anyone else might have been crushed by such a difference.
"If you focus your chakra at the soles of your feet and release it in a burst, you can increase both the explosive power and speed of the Body Flicker Technique. But it's hard on your body. I wouldn't recommend it for most people. But for you, since the Senju clan typically has abundant chakra, you could give it a try," Takuya explained. Then, he pointed toward the nearby forest. "Minato."
Understanding instantly, Minato quickly donned his raincoat and disappeared into the trees.
"Is there an enemy?" Nawaki asked, jumping up nervously.
Takuya's mouth twitched. "No enemy, just dinner."
Tsunade and Orochimaru, what were you teaching him? Takuya thought in exasperation. Nawaki's situational awareness is really lacking. He's strong, but in some areas, he's pretty hopeless—Minato's got him beat there.
No wonder you ended up getting blown up by an explosive tag in the Wind Country, your internal organs ripped out by a Cloud Village ninja. Takuya couldn't help but recall the tragic fate of Nawaki, which had angered Orochimaru so much that he'd risked everything to infiltrate the Cloud Village and release the Eight-Tails as revenge. Orochimaru really did care for you.
But seriously, what was a Cloud ninja doing in the Wind Country battlefield? And why the hell would they rip out your organs? That's insane! No wonder Orochimaru lost it and went berserk on them.
"Dinner?" Nawaki still looked confused. Maybe it was because he hadn't spent enough time with Takuya and Minato—he just couldn't keep up with their thought process.
"It's pretty good. Should be enough for all of us," Minato said as he returned, holding a small wild boar. It wasn't large, but it would be more than enough to feed the three of them.
Fresh meat was always preferred, even if wild boar wasn't the tastiest.
This feels so wrong, Nawaki thought as he watched them prepare to cook the boar. Everyone else on the battlefield is tense and worried about enemy attacks. But here we are, about to have a barbecue.
But, as they say, everyone succumbs to the "true fragrance" principle eventually.
An hour later, Nawaki was happily munching on the roast, his mouth greasy with juice, having completely forgotten his wet clothes.
Meanwhile, far away in a camp in the River Country, the mentally recovering Third Kazekage was finally back to his old self. He was holding a report in his hand, intelligence gathered by the Sand Village's Anbu and spies.
"It seems this little brat is still hiding his true strength," the Third Kazekage murmured as he noticed that the report made no mention of Takuya's true achievements. He had expected Konoha to boast about Takuya's feats, but it seemed the boy had kept certain things to himself.
For instance, the fact that this supposed genius had managed to trap the strongest Kazekage in a genjutsu, leaving him mentally scarred—none of this had been reported.
Why wouldn't Konoha publicize such a victory? It would be a huge morale boost. The only explanation is that this Yagami Takuya chose not to report it, the Kazekage mused.
"Afraid of standing out too much and getting assassinated, are you?" he muttered. Assassinating young geniuses from rival villages was an unspoken rule in the shinobi world. During peacetime, as long as it wasn't too blatant, these actions were often overlooked.
With Takuya now deployed to the Land of Rain, the Third Kazekage knew he couldn't just storm over there for revenge. He had to stay in camp and maintain control over the war effort.
If you won't spread the word, then I'll do it for you, he thought, a sly smile forming on his lips. A genius? A real genius is one who lives to see their potential fulfilled. Fame can be a double-edged sword—too much of it can bring countless troubles and enemies, even from within.
He quickly penned a message on a scroll, detailing his encounter with Takuya, and handed it to an Anbu operative. "Spread the word. The wider, the better. Let the shinobi world know that Konoha has a super genius named Yagami Takuya. And tell them he's a talent comparable to the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama," the Anbu operative responded automatically, but then froze, looking up at the Kazekage in shock. "Kazekage-sama, are you sure...?"
"Do it," the Third Kazekage's voice left no room for doubt.
"Yes!" The Anbu operative straightened up, taking the scroll with him as he left to deliver it to the intelligence department.
There, the message would be disseminated far and wide.
The intelligence department was taken aback when they read the scroll. Is this for real? they wondered, staring at each other in disbelief. It's just a kid, right? A half-Uchiha at that. How could he be this terrifying?
But the Kazekage wouldn't target a mere child for no reason. His previous actions had already been bizarre enough—now they knew why. The Kazekage had been injured. So, could this all be true? Has Konoha produced a genius on par with Senju Hashirama?
This news had to spread.
With the Sand Village's intelligence network working at full capacity, the rumors began to spread, eventually reaching Konoha.
"Sarutobi, what are you thinking? Why not just recall Yagami Takuya from the frontlines and question him? Why all this guesswork?" Koharu Utatane impatiently urged the Third Hokage.
"Haaah..." Sighing deeply, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the intelligence scroll, looking weary as he glanced at his two advisors. "Do you believe what's written in the report?"
"It's probably true," Koharu replied. "Something like this is too humiliating to hide. The Third Kazekage wouldn't broadcast it unless he wanted other villages to know about Yagami Takuya's genius and find a way to eliminate him."
"If it is true, why didn't Yagami Takuya report it?" Homura Mitokado pushed his glasses up his nose, his voice filled with doubt.
Hiruzen lit his pipe, taking several deep puffs, his expression darkening. This wasn't good news.
A genius like Takuya was a great asset to Konoha—a talent worth nurturing. But there was such a thing as being too talented.
If Takuya had a clear background, that would be one thing. He could be cultivated and brought into the Hokage's fold, possibly even becoming a powerful ally. But Takuya carried Uchiha blood.
Up until now, the Uchiha clan had shown little interest in Takuya, aside from the young Fugaku extending an invitation. But now that the rumors were out, the Uchiha would undoubtedly do everything they could to recruit Takuya. And if they succeeded, it would be a huge loss for the Hokage's faction.
Worse still, it could turn Takuya into a political rival.
The Uchiha had been eyeing the Hokage position for a long time.
And then there was the troubling question of why Takuya hadn't reported his encounter with the Third Kazekage if the intelligence was accurate.
***********
Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 130+ at patreon.com/Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters!