Masahiko was surprised for a moment, but he quickly calmed down.
Investigation did not necessarily mean recruitment. Even if Danzo were to recruit him, he would be a peripheral spy at most. The subordinates Danzo truly relied on had to be trained by him personally; he wouldn't recruit them from the outside.
However, this was indeed a potential path. Maintaining a relationship with Danzo would better highlight his identity as a "villain"—today's comments proved that.
Masahiko relaxed and quickly turned his attention to his newest reward. The reward for the first episode had been the Taijutsu Chapter of the Basic Advanced Study. This time, no new Advanced Study Module was opened, but he was instead rewarded with a Ninjutsu Promotion Card, allowing a technique to immediately reach the Proficient level.
With just a glance, he made his decision.
"Upgrade Shadow Clone Jutsu."
[Consuming Ninjutsu Proficiency Promotion Card...]
[Shadow Clone Jutsu has been upgraded!]
On the panel, the proficiency of his Shadow Clone Jutsu shifted from 'Beginner' to 'Proficient.' A flood of insights poured into his mind, all concerning the intricate techniques of the Shadow Clone.
"Chakra refinement still needs optimization..."
"So that's it. The biggest difference once the Shadow Clone reaches the Proficient level is the improvement in the clone's thinking, abilities, and other attributes."
"Also, the main body can handle the influx of information more easily and skillfully, without the one or two-second delay from before."
Masahiko understood. For Ninjutsu proficiency, the Beginner and Skilled levels could be achieved through painstaking practice over time, but the Proficient level was significantly more difficult. However, the hardest part was what lay beyond.
Above Proficient were Perfect and Limit Break. The Perfect level symbolized that a ninja had mastered every aspect of the Ninjutsu itself, while Limit Break surpassed a ninja's standard understanding of that technique.
Examples included Shisui's Body Flicker Technique or the White Fang's Kenjutsu.
However, as Masahiko recalled the various techniques of the Shadow Clone, he had some ideas for the jutsu's future development—Chakra Nature Transformation! Like Kakashi, who added Lightning Release to the foundation of the Shadow Clone to create the Lightning Clone, or Uchiha Itachi's Clone Great Explosion. Essentially, these techniques were still variations of the Shadow Clone.
"It's difficult!"
Masahiko sighed softly. Nature Transformation... as of now, his Great Fireball Technique, the only one that counted as an elemental Ninjutsu, wasn't even at the Beginner level, and he had gained no special techniques from it. Furthermore, his Shadow Clone technique was still far from Perfect.
"I'll focus on Taijutsu first!"
Masahiko cast aside his distracting thoughts and, with a shift of his mind, entered the Training Space.
Inside the space: "Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Two figures constantly crossed paths. Their inherent speed wasn't high, but their reactions were razor-sharp. After sparring for a while, Young Might Guy stopped.
"Without using the Body Flicker Technique, your skills are nearly sufficient."
"So, is the advanced study over?" Masahiko was slightly stunned.
Young Might Guy shook his head. "No; rather, it has only just begun."
The next second, the iconic green jumpsuit appeared on Young Might Guy's body. Full of confidence, Masahiko stepped forward to engage in fierce combat. After only a few moves, he took two kicks and nearly passed out.
The gap was this huge? Was the reason they had seemed evenly matched before purely because the other party was holding back? Was this really just "Basic" Advanced Study?
The corner of Masahiko's mouth twitched, but he refused to admit defeat. Since he was immortal in the Training Space, he could recover instantly. If it meant he could improve, what did a little beating matter?
...
The next morning.
Masahiko slowly opened his eyes, sat up, and checked the alarm clock. 5:50 AM.
He had been cultivating in the Training Space all night. He only remembered being beaten badly at the end, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted; he didn't even know when he had fallen asleep.
Never mind, it was time to get up. The daily mission could not be wasted.
Ten minutes later, seeing Naruto's face contort in pain, the frustration from Masahiko's beating last night immediately dissipated. A few minutes after that, he once again spotted Uchiha Sasuke in the trees.
That kid was getting serious now, too. However, mutual competition and progress were ultimately good things. In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
"Damn it! When I get stronger, I'm definitely going to get back everything that happened today!" Naruto was furious and exasperated.
"I look forward to it," Masahiko replied indifferently.
Beside them, Sasuke secretly clenched his fist, then snorted coldly and walked toward the school gate. While Naruto spoke harsh words, his body followed suit, standing by the gate to wait. Seeing that Masahiko hadn't moved, he turned his head and asked, "Not running today?"
"I have something to do; later." Masahiko didn't explain and walked toward the office.
"Oh." Naruto sat on the swing by the gate and waited.
After a moment, seeing Masahiko emerge, Naruto resumed his cold-faced demeanor. The two, as usual, ran toward the outskirts of the village.
For the past half month, Masahiko maintained the same rhythm as before, occasionally taking time to practice the Great Fireball Technique and study Chakra Nature Transformation. But news of the third episode was slow to arrive. While Masahiko didn't neglect his cultivation, he was also contemplating his "acting" and the reason why the third episode hadn't progressed.
After half a month of deliberation and observation, Masahiko slowly formed an idea and calmed down. The timing chosen for Naruto: Prequel was undoubtedly related to two factors. One was Naruto's situation. Although Naruto's attitude was still poor, Masahiko could see that the boy was slowly adapting and had developed a certain level of dependence. The other factor was the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
In that case... maintaining the current relationship with Naruto and Sasuke while simultaneously following the Danzo storyline would definitely allow him to participate in the prequel's main plot!
Secondly, with his connection to Danzo, he no longer needed to play the role of a genuine "villain" in front of Naruto; he could appropriately lift a layer of his mask.
Therefore, he waited for the right opportunity... and on this day, the opportunity arrived.
It was another Friday. After school, Naruto sat on the swing by the school gate waiting, but after a long wait, no one came out. He sat on the swing, swaying back and forth, his face gradually turning sullen.
Just as Naruto stood up, preparing to leave—
"Snap!" A crisp sound came from behind him.
"The weather hasn't warmed up yet, but eating popsicles is still refreshing." Masahiko handed over the other half of a popsicle. He had specifically looked for the same type!
Naruto's eyes widened. He took it with a surprised expression, then looked Masahiko up and down. "You're not... not running anymore?"
"You've kept it up for over half a month and you haven't pulled any pranks, so no running today. What do you want to eat? I'll treat you to a meal." Masahiko smiled.
Naruto blinked, his expression shifting from surprise to as if he were seeing a ghost. Is this really the Yagyu Masahiko he knew?
"You don't want the meal I'm treating you to?"
"No! I want Ichiraku Ramen, Uncle! Add all the toppings! I'm going to eat you into poverty!"
...
Ichiraku Ramen.
Steam rose from the bowls. After Masahiko finished his soup, a glance from the corner of his eye made his eyelid twitch. Next to Naruto's ramen bowl, two empty bowls were already stacked, and he had another fresh one in front of him. This guy really had come for revenge!
Slurp!
After frantically finishing his ramen, Naruto let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Ah!! Ramen with all the toppings is so delicious!"
"Full?"
"Yep!" Naruto nodded. Afterward, he tilted his head curiously, his gaze containing a hidden intent to probe.
Masahiko patted his head. "Don't cause trouble anymore. A Hokage is chosen after being acknowledged by everyone; don't get the order reversed."