092: Evolve, Agumon! Obtaining the First Pet!

Leaving Konoha, the group slowly walked along the gravel road in the forest. 

It wasn't that they didn't want to increase their speed and finish their first C-rank mission quickly, but because the client, Tazuna, was an ordinary person. 

Furthermore, since it was an escort mission, their priority was to ensure his safety. Therefore, walking slowly and eliminating any surrounding dangers was paramount.

C-rank missions generally didn't involve battles against ninja. 

At most, they might encounter harassment from ordinary people, which wouldn't be a big problem. 

Natsuki, familiar with the plot, knew exactly who their enemies would be. So, the group wasn't overly tense. 

However, the surrounding environment was filled with novelty for Hinata and Kiba, who were leaving the village for the first time.

Although there were only trees as far as the eye could see, small wild animals were abundant in the forest. 

Akamaru, especially, was happily jumping around, chasing after everything that moved. It had to be said that this world, not yet polluted by large-scale industry, was teeming with wildlife.

"By the way, Natsuki, does Akamaru really have such great potential?" Kiba asked, watching Akamaru frolicking ahead. 

He remembered Natsuki's assessment of Akamaru. 

Before, he thought Natsuki's occasional strange remarks were just jokes. But after Natsuki accurately identified the fat orange cat as being corrupted by an evil force and turning into a monster, Kiba began to think that maybe, just maybe, Natsuki's chuuni talk was actually real? If so, wouldn't Akamaru truly possess terrifying potential?

"Yes," Natsuki nodded casually.

"That's great! Then how can I stimulate this potential?" Kiba was overjoyed, eager to make Akamaru stronger immediately. 

After all, Akamaru was a part of his strength. They had already mastered the Fang Passing Fang combination technique, though they weren't yet proficient with it.

"Woof woof!!!"

Just then, Akamaru, who was running ahead, barked loudly at the dense bushes on the right. 

A loud commotion erupted from within.

Moments later, a small lizard darted out, followed by a huge wild boar weighing at least 300 pounds. Its ferocious, razor-sharp tusks grazed the lizard, plowing two deep grooves into the ground.

"Hiss!" The lizard dodged frantically.

"It's a Dragon-Fanged Ironback Boar!" Natsuki blurted out, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" His words made Kurenai and the others, who had relaxed upon seeing it was just an ordinary boar, tense up again. 

Such a sharp name, could it be another monster? After all, Natsuki had a track record. 

It seemed his eyes could really perceive things ordinary people couldn't. He even saw through an ordinary orange cat that had absorbed evil power and was about to transform into a monster.

"Hinata, Kiba, protect Mr. Tazuna!" Kurenai shouted, her hands already forming seals, preparing to release a jutsu.

"Yes!" Hinata responded loudly. Akamaru rushed back to Kiba's side, his eyes fixed on the boar, his gaze sharp.

"Um, isn't that just a normal wild boar?" Tazuna asked, confused by their actions. 

Though he admired their combat readiness, what was a Dragon-Fanged Ironback Boar? Did such a thing even exist in the ninja world? He highly suspected they were exaggerating to extort money from him. 

"Um... I've already paid the mission reward to Konoha. You can't increase the price midway," Tazuna reminded them cautiously, his pockets feeling light.

Ignoring the ordinary old man, Kurenai said with a serious expression, "Natsuki, come with me..." But before she could finish, Natsuki had already leaped forward.

"A mere Dragon-Fanged Ironback Boar dares to act wild in front of me, the Dimensional Lord?" Natsuki declared. "You are guilty of a capital crime!"

Natsuki's right hand shot out, grabbing at the air. With a wave of his hand, the 300-pound boar defied gravity and flew into the air.

"Oink~!" A loud squeal echoed as the boar thrashed its legs, its eyes filled with terror as it soared through the air.

"Ninja Art: Super Invincible Thunderbolt Fireball!"

The next moment, a gigantic fireball roared through the sky, exploding in the distance with a deafening boom, painting half the sky crimson.

"What did you say just now?" Natsuki asked, slowly floating back down to Tazuna's side. He turned his head, a red glint seemingly flashing in his right eye.

"N-Nothing," Tazuna stammered, swallowing hard. "This Old man, I... I still have a little bit of private savings."

'This is a ninja?' he thought, trembling. 'Too strong!' 

'No, I've seen other ninja before. How could they be this strong?'

A while later, a fire was burning beside a small stream. 

A simple grill was set up over it, and the aroma of roasting meat wafted through the air. 

It was the 300-pound boar.

"Um... Natsuki, is this really a Dragon-Fanged Ironback Boar?" Kiba asked cautiously, gnawing on a piece of back meat. "Why does it taste just like a normal boar? It's not even tough. Why is it called 'Ironback'?"

"It hadn't fully awakened yet..." Natsuki, who had quickly devoured an entire pig's foot, casually dismissed Kiba's curiosity with an excuse.

"Who are you kidding? This is just an ordinary wild boar," Kurenai said, unable to stand it any longer. She mentally facepalmed. She had almost believed it was a new type of monster. But this taste... it was clearly just a normal boar.

'Well, at least my little brother's cooking skills are amazing,' she thought. 

'So delicious!' Even Hinata was speechless from the delicious smell.

'Good heavens, you two have already eaten half of it!' The 300-pound boar, which Kurenai initially thought was more than enough, now seemed a bit insufficient.

"Hiss!!!"

Just then, a small lizard darted to Natsuki's side, carefully licking the bone fragments he had discarded.

"Hey, it's the little lizard that was being chased by the boar earlier." Kiba had a keen eye for animals, except for monsters, of course.

"Woof!!!" Akamaru barked, greeting the little creature.

"By the way, Natsuki, how can I unlock Akamaru's potential?" Kiba resumed his earlier, interrupted question.

Natsuki thought for a moment, then placed his hand on the lizard's head.

"Watch closely. Just like this!" He declared dramatically. "Evolve! Agumon!"

The little lizard looked up at its savior in confusion, then went back to gnawing on the bone.

"Uh, that's it?" Kiba deadpanned. 'You really take me for an idiot, don't you? That's all it takes to unlock their potential?'

Crack!

At that moment, the lizard suddenly bit off the piece of the bone. The next moment, a pillar of light erupted from its body, nearly blinding Kiba's eyes.

Within the light, the lizard slowly expanded and transformed, taking on the appearance of a wingless baby dragon. 

It was Agumon from Digimon!

[Ding! Your Evil King's Eye System has activated. The lizard has evolved into Agumon...]

Silence fell over the group. Everyone was stunned, their faces frozen in expressions of disbelief. 

Kiba's jaw dropped so low it looked like he could swallow Akamaru whole, his eyes bulging out like duck eggs.

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