As it turns out, even ninjas aren't immune to the dreaded hangover.
"Got any hangover soup?" Tsunade mumbled, her head almost glued to the table. Takuya couldn't help but smirk.
"No hangover soup, but I do have a remedy. Wanna try?"
"Is it real?" Tsunade asked, lifting her head slightly.
"Of course. The remedy is more alcohol!" Takuya said with a grin.
"…"
Obviously, using alcohol to cure a hangover was a joke. Takuya eventually prepared some honey water for Tsunade. After drinking it and resting for a bit, she finally began to recover.
In the language of online games, she was now back to full health!
After breakfast, Tsunade pulled out two scrolls and placed them on the table.
"These are from the old man," she said, referring to the Third Hokage. "You can divide them however you like, or just learn them both. I've got some things to take care of."
She paused before adding, "Oh, and they were exchanged for Jiraiya's battle merits, so don't even think about refusing."
Damn, so this is what it's like to have connections, Takuya thought as he watched her leave.
Getting a jutsu from the Scroll of Seals just like that? For most ninjas, it would take years of accumulating merits and passing the Hokage's evaluation to even get a chance.
Opening the scrolls, Takuya saw they contained the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"I wonder if I can learn the Flying Thunder God," Takuya mused. Back in his gaming days, no one really chose this technique because most games were turn-based. The back-and-forth mechanics made it more of a hassle than it was worth.
Plus, it wasn't exactly a "signature skill" type of technique in the games he played. He had never bothered with it before, and now, he wasn't entirely sure if he could master it in real life. The requirements were steep: an enormous amount of chakra, proficiency in sealing techniques, and a reflex speed far beyond the norm.
Without these, trying to use the Flying Thunder God would only result in slamming headfirst into something and getting yourself killed.
Minato's reflexes were on a level Takuya could only admire. For now, he decided to set the Flying Thunder God aside and focus on the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
With his enormous chakra reserves, not learning this technique would be a waste.
Meanwhile, in the distant Rain Country, Jiraiya was blissfully unaware that Tsunade had used his battle merits to score an extra jutsu.
At that moment, he was preoccupied with trying to answer Minato's deep, philosophical questions about life. Each one left him more baffled than the last.
Jiraiya couldn't understand what had happened to Minato on the battlefield to make him this way. The once-warm "Little Sun" had turned into someone who was now adept at delivering verbal jabs that left Jiraiya reeling.
The most infuriating moment came when Minato asked, "Jiraiya-sensei, if someone else also chose to do research and ended up peeping at the woman you like, what would you do?"
"Of course, I'd bash his head in!" Jiraiya shouted, outraged at the thought of someone peeping at his beloved.
Wait… something didn't add up.
Sure enough, Minato stared at him with a deadpan expression. "Then what about all those times you peeked at other people's families? How do you think they feel?"
Jiraiya was left speechless.
It wasn't just Jiraiya who was left questioning his life choices—Orochimaru, too, was puzzled.
The once-naive Nawaki, who would struggle for hours with even the simplest questions, had turned into someone who constantly bombarded Orochimaru with bizarre and unexpected queries.
The usually erudite "Snake Master" was having a hard time keeping up.
And the one responsible for leading both Minato and Nawaki astray? He was currently in Konoha, busy mastering the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
For Takuya, mastering the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu was easier than expected. However, the Flying Thunder God Technique was giving him a headache.
The vast amount of chakra required was just one issue, albeit a minor one.
Takuya had chakra reserves in abundance—compared to him, Minato was just a small fry.
In fact, only Kushina could match him in terms of chakra. Even with the Nine-Tails on her side, Takuya wasn't worried. After all, he had Snowy. Worst-case scenario, they could just duke it out.
But chakra was just the beginning. He also needed to master several sealing techniques as a foundation.
That part was doable, considering how powerful the Flying Thunder God Technique was.
The real problem was that even with all the prerequisites, if you didn't have the natural talent for space-time ninjutsu, you'd get nowhere.
Not to mention, fully mastering the technique required exceptional sensory abilities and reflexes on par with Minato's.
Learning this jutsu was no small feat.
Whether or not Takuya would succeed ultimately came down to luck. He wasn't even sure if he had the talent for space-time ninjutsu.
Without that, even meeting all the other requirements would be pointless.
That's why, despite its potential, the Flying Thunder God Technique had only ever been mastered by two people in history: Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze.
It wasn't that Konoha didn't want to spread the technique—it was just that countless attempts had ended in failure.
And as for those three losers in the future who needed to team up just to teleport with the Flying Thunder God? They didn't count.
"This is our second official meeting, isn't it?" Takuya's eyes narrowed as he smiled at the approaching figure of Fugaku Uchiha. "Who would've thought I'd run into you while grocery shopping? Has the Uchiha Clan fallen so low that the Young Master has to buy groceries himself?"
"…"
Fugaku had come prepared with a carefully crafted speech, intending to persuade Takuya. But with just one sentence, Takuya had him on the back foot.
The Young Master of the Uchiha Clan, out grocery shopping? What a joke! Was Takuya mocking the Uchiha?
"It's not like that," Fugaku finally said, calming himself. "I'm here to talk to you."
Reminding himself not to get angry, not to lower himself to a kid's level, Fugaku glanced around. "Shouldn't we find a more private place to talk?"
"Don't bother," Takuya said, raising a hand. "I think here is just fine. Say what you need to say, but I'll tell you now—I don't want to get involved with the Uchiha's troubles."
Go somewhere private to talk? Yeah, right.
Only an idiot would agree to that. While the higher-ups hadn't shown any signs of targeting him yet, getting too close to the Uchiha could change that.
Especially with someone like Fugaku Uchiha.
Takuya only interacted with Mikoto Uchiha and her mother—nothing that would raise any flags.
But if he started talking to Fugaku, that would be a whole different story.
It would send a clear signal that Takuya Yagami was planning to return to the Uchiha Clan.
Takuya wasn't stupid. There was no way he was falling into the trap Fugaku was setting.
"So we can't even sit down for a calm discussion?" Fugaku asked, frustration seeping into his voice.
"No, we can't," Takuya replied bluntly, giving Fugaku no room to maneuver. "You're the Young Master of the Uchiha Clan; that makes things complicated."
"I…"
"Let me be clear," Takuya interrupted. "Returning to the Uchiha Clan was my mother's wish, but I don't intend to fulfill it. I hope you understand that."
"I'm not interested in revisiting old grievances because my mother was always worried about me clashing with the Uchiha. Now that she's gone, I don't want to cross that line. So I'd appreciate it if you all stopped stepping over it."
"I'm not going back to the Uchiha Clan. So please, don't come looking for me again."
Cutting Fugaku off before he could respond, Takuya laid it all out. Some people and some situations needed to be dealt with directly.
"But you carry the Uchiha blood in your veins! You should take pride in that and uphold the responsibilities that come with it!" Fugaku retorted.
"Say that again?" Takuya's eyes flashed red as the three tomoe of his Sharingan spun into view. He stared coldly at Fugaku, who was now spewing rhetoric.
***********
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