Chapter 51: What If Your Head Turns Green?
"Then who is your target?"
Suddenly asked by Hanabi, who was still nestled in Hinata's arms, both girls looked curiously at Katsuragi, eager to know whose example he was striving to emulate.
"Me?"
Katsuragi paused, then chuckled inwardly. His target, of course, was those legendary figures like the Six Paths Sage and Kaguya in the later stages of the plot, but obviously, he couldn't share that with them. Thinking quickly, he replied with a smile:
"I aim to be like the Third Hokage!"
"The Hokage!?" Both Hinata and Hanabi were surprised, then Hinata curiously asked, "Katsuragi, do you also want to be the Hokage?"
"Not really."
Katsuragi shook his head. Given his lazy nature, he definitely didn't want to be tied down with such responsibilities. Besides, managing a village wasn't something he aspired to; it wasn't like he was some government official who knew how to run a country.
"I just hope to have the strength of the Third Hokage so I can protect you all!"
Katsuragi explained with a warm smile, unaware that Hanabi, still hidden in Hinata's embrace, blushed deeply at his words, perhaps misunderstanding his intention.
After a moment, Hanabi recovered and came out from Hinata's arms, looking determinedly at Katsuragi, "From today onwards, I'll also make defeating you my goal, Katsuragi. Just wait, I will surpass you!"
"Remember to call me 'big brother'!"
Katsuragi lightly tapped Hanabi's forehead, then added with a smile, "But you'd better be prepared to fail. No one who has taken me as their target has ever beaten me yet!"
"Hmph! I will do it!"
Hanabi clenched her fists, her bright eyes filled with confidence.
"Then good luck, I wish you success!"
Katsuragi never scrimped on encouraging those who set him as their benchmark. This was also a reminder to himself that even though he was stronger than his peers and many older individuals now, compared to the future powerhouses, he still had a long way to go.
After chatting in the yard for a while, the maid who took care of Hanabi's daily needs, Asha, came over and gently called out to them, "Lady Hanabi, Lady Hinata, and Katsuragi, dinner is ready. Please come in to eat."
"Okay!"
After enjoying a free dinner, Katsuragi didn't head straight home because the next day was the weekend. He decided to stroll through the forest, move around a bit, and hunt some wild beasts to earn some gold coins.
"Excuse me, coming through!"
On his way to the forest, he suddenly heard someone shouting from behind. Turning around, he saw a boy in a green jumpsuit with a bowl-cut hairstyle and thick eyebrows running energetically.
"Lee!?"
Katsuragi was surprised, not expecting to encounter Neji's future teammate right after discussing Neji's graduation at Hinata's house.
However, Katsuragi didn't greet him right away. After stepping aside to let him pass, he followed the boy into the forest.
"One, two, three, four…"
Once in the forest, Lee didn't stop for a break but immediately began doing push-ups. Despite sweating profusely and panting heavily, he didn't pause.
"He's incredible!"
Katsuragi watched from a distance, admiring Lee's dedication. Although Lee always claimed to have no talent and considered himself a 'genius of hard work,' Katsuragi thought otherwise. If he truly had no talent, how could he have learned Guy's Eight Gates?
After watching for a while, Katsuragi decided to leave, inspired by Lee's determination. He stayed in the forest until midnight before heading back, though his gains weren't as good as he'd hoped. Being close to Konoha, there weren't many wild animals, and the so-called Forest of Death was too frequented by ninja for his liking.
…
When Sasuke once again took second place in the class rankings, Katsuragi and the others finally reached their school break, and Neji successfully graduated and joined Team Guy, becoming a genin.
After a sparring session with Neji in the forest, the two sat down to rest.
"By the way, Katsuragi, did you see? This is a forehead protector!"
Watching Neji proudly showing off his new ninja status, Katsuragi felt somewhat speechless. Being a genin wasn't all that grand, and it seemed Neji hadn't realized he'd just lost to him again. But Katsuragi didn't mind and played along, asking, "Neji, how's your team leader?"
"Uh…"
Neji's expression turned complicated, as if he found it difficult to describe. After hesitating for a while, he finally said, "He's a very distinctive ninja with strong abilities."
"Really? That's great… can you introduce him more specifically?"
As Neji struggled with his description, Katsuragi couldn't help but snicker inwardly. He knew all about Might Guy's prowess, especially when all Eight Gates were opened, but at this point, Guy was just the 'Blue Beast' of Konoha, or maybe 'rare beast.'
Neji's expression became even more awkward. Remembering their first meeting, when Guy suggested that dressing in a green jumpsuit was the way to power, Neji almost wanted to die. If it weren't for later realizing how strong Guy was, Neji would have struggled to accept him as his team leader.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Neji's changing expressions, Katsuragi pretended not to understand: "Didn't you say he was amazing?"
Maybe frustrated by Katsuragi's prodding, Neji decided to settle it once and for all, saying, "Since you're so curious, let's go meet him later. They're having a gathering anyway!"
"Uh!" This time, Katsuragi was the one caught off guard. Seeing Neji's nonchalant expression, he wasn't sure how to respond. Remembering the intense scenarios from the anime filled with emotional and physical expressions of 'youth,' and for the sake of his own eyes, he awkwardly replied, "It's your team's gathering, I shouldn't intrude, right?"
"It's fine, they won't mind!" Neji insisted, now actually keen on bringing Katsuragi along, probably hoping to let him experience his teacher's 'power' firsthand. He then imagined Katsuragi wearing Lee's outfit.
"Pfft!"
Eventually, Neji couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, leaving Katsuragi baffled. Usually the one to tease others, Katsuragi found the tables turned on him for once.
Despite his reluctance, Katsuragi was dragged along by Neji to meet Team Guy. Looking at the two bowl-cut figures, Katsuragi understood why the original plot had so many girls falling for Neji.
If any normal girl saw this kind of attire, they'd likely be repelled, then he humorously thought of the Shikigami Kappa. What if, just what if, he summoned a Kappa and it turned green when using its abilities? From then on, Katsuragi resolved that even if he summoned a Kappa and it turned out strong, he would never awaken it, and whether or not to promote it was a serious concern.
End of Chapter 51