In the two days before their departure, Tatsuma was constantly training, not to temporarily grasp at more talents, but to adapt to the increasing weight of his left hand.
In fact, Tatsuma was quite puzzled by the heaviness of his left hand. He even weighed himself, and there was no change, but his left hand felt heavy, as if bearing the weight of the additional Chakra.
This was something Tatsuma had never imagined before—Chakra giving him a heavy sensation. After all, he always felt Chakra was light and airy, as if it could be used up in a single breath.
Although his current Chakra level among Chunin wasn't considered weak, it still couldn't support many Ninjutsu. Therefore, the feeling of Chakra being light and airy was not entirely unfounded.
Tsunade had also been busy these days, searching for Konoha advisor Utatane Koharu to mobilize medical ninjas and corresponding medical supplies and equipment. She paid no attention to Tatsuma, allowing him to avoid being discovered acting strangely.
At night, thinking about accompanying Tsunade to the border the next day, Tatsuma found it hard to sleep. So, he decided to change into his clothes and headed to the third training ground.
As he moved his body, he noticed a dark green figure rushing towards him from a distance. It then stopped in front of him. Upon seeing the newcomer, Tatsuma unexpectedly remarked, "Big Brother Duy, training so late?"
"I heard there's a conflict between our village and others, but I can't go to the battlefield. Just thinking about it keeps me awake. I envy you, Tatsuma, young enough to shed blood on the battlefield!" replied Duy.
Although the two couldn't be considered friends, multiple chance encounters during training over the years had made them quite familiar with each other. Upon hearing Duy's words, Tatsuma's mouth twitched slightly, and he said, "Big Brother Duy, don't say such ominous words. Even if you say I'm going to the battlefield to embody youth, why phrase it as shedding blood?"
"Oops? Haha~ My bad! I meant embodying youth!" Might Duy quickly corrected himself. With Tatsuma's reminder, he realized his words were too ambiguous. He then curiously asked, "Aren't you setting off tomorrow morning? Why aren't you resting?"
"I can't sleep, so I thought I'd come for a run to break a sweat."
"Then let's have a youthful competition! Let's see who can finish a hundred laps first!"
Might Duy gave Tatsuma a thumbs up, showing off his shiny white teeth under the vast night sky. Tatsuma nodded and replied, "Indeed, as expected of you, Big Brother Duy."
As they spoke, Tatsuma suddenly realized that he might have been preempted, but he shrugged it off. It didn't matter who suggested the challenge.
"Haha~ Lord Hokage praises me as an expert in catching cats. I will run the hundred laps faster than you." boasted Might Duy, oblivious to Tatsuma's thoughts. He burst into hearty laughter and started running. Tatsuma, unwilling to fall behind, quickly caught up.
The two began circling the third training ground, and as they reached ten laps, then twenty, Tatsuma noticed that Might Duy's pace began to slow. He wasn't surprised, considering Might Duy had likely been training for quite some time, evident from the fact that his green bodysuit had turned dark green from sweat.
Tatsuma didn't go easy on Might Duy and continued to run seriously. In the middle of the night, after completing a hundred laps, Tatsuma had outpaced Might Duy by two laps.
Rather than stopping immediately, Tatsuma jogged a few more laps. After letting his body calm down, he finally came to a halt.
"Ding~ [Strength+2], [Stamina+2], Would you like to claim?"
"Claim."
After claiming the talents that could be picked up after winning the challenge, Tatsuma looked at the panting Might Duy and said, "Big Brother Duy, a few days ago, I saw you shopping with a big sister. Is something good happening?"
Might Duy, who had initially planned to run another hundred laps, was first stunned at the question. Then his face instantly turned red, and he stammered, "Tatsuma, you... don't casually tarnish someone's innocence. Shoko has many admirers, how could she possibly be interested in someone like me?"
"Why were you shopping together then? I saw it that day, and both of you looked very happy," Tatsuma asked with a curious and gossipy expression. Might Duy's face became even redder, and he finally, somewhat hesitantly, said, "Maybe... maybe she wanted me to help her carry things."
"Big Brother Duy, don't underestimate yourself. I can tell, you two make a great pair!" Tatsuma patted his chest. Might Duy's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, and he said, "You're right, and you, as a genius, must be very popular with girls at school. I'm sure you understand girls' thoughts. I believe in you!"
"Well..." Suddenly, the dim gaze that was in Might Duy's eyes moments ago shifted to Tatsuma's eyes. Looking at Tatsuma, who suddenly seemed dejected, Might Duy asked in confusion, "Haven't you ever been with a girl?"
"Let's stop here for today. I'm tired, and it's time to go back and rest," Tatsuma said, avoiding the question.
Tatsuma turned away, waved his hand, and walked towards his home. Might Duy realized he had said something wrong and was about to apologize, but then another question crossed his mind.
'If he's not populat... Is Tatsuma really that accurate in his judgments?'
Later, under the moonlight in the third training ground, another person became dejected and downcast.
...
The next morning, not feeling fully energized, Tatsuma, with his naturally curly and unkempt hair, carried his own equipment and supplies. He arrived at the entrance of Konoha.
By this time, many ninjas had gathered in the village, all participants in the upcoming mission. Tatsuma took a look and quickly noticed that these individuals had formed several small circles.
Those fully geared up, even with vests stuffed with scrolls, formed one circle—obviously, they were combat-oriented ninjas. Another circle consisted of individuals with large backpacks, spotlessly clean, representing the medical team.
There were also ninjas with various clan emblems on their clothes, gathered in another group, engaged in conversation. Additionally, smaller groups like the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame families were mixed together, clearly forming reconnaissance squads.
Tatsuma's arrival attracted some attention. After all, besides Tatsuma, everyone else was at least fifteen or sixteen years old, and the presence of this child under ten seemed a bit conspicuous.
However, they were aware of Tatsuma's identity and didn't say much. Moreover, words wouldn't change anything since the roster had already been finalized. Until the mission concluded, there would only be reinforcements and no voluntary reduction in the team.
Tatsuma was unfamiliar with these Chunin ninjas and didn't rush to make connections right away. He simply waited on the side.
Before long, Orochimaru and Tsunade also joined the group. Orochimaru began counting the number of people, while Tsunade yawned. Even though they were about to head to the battlefield, she remained nonchalant.
There were also some people seeing them off, and amid the crowd, Tatsuma noticed Might Duy waving enthusiastically. Tatsuma responded with a wave as well.
However, there was no sign of Jiraiya and Minato around, perhaps because they were still on an ongoing mission.
Soon, Orochimaru finished counting and handed the mission scroll to the village's guarding ninja at the entrance. After a quick comparison, the guard nodded, signaling for them to proceed.
Tatsuma felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, turned around, and noticed the team was starting to move. Without searching for familiar faces any longer, he joined the majority of the group and left the village.
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