Chapter 17 You guys are too rude

Walking out of the Uchiha Center, Kadoya was lost in thought. His acting contest with the Uchiha Clan Leader had been an eye-opener.

But what weighed on his mind the most was his hidden quest—"Mom & Dad."

The fact that his system had automatically completed the quest based on his actions and the consequences that followed… That was troubling. It meant that what he had uncovered about his parents wasn't just speculation—there was some truth in it, at least as far as the system was concerned.

From what the Uchiha Clan Leader had told him, either his father's story was fabricated, or—more likely—his mother's was the real mystery.

But something didn't sit right.

The information about his father could be dismissed as political maneuvering, a carefully constructed lie. But his mother...

Kadoya wasn't ready to believe anything just yet. Not without the full story.

After all, the people in this village had a habit of rewriting history to fit their own agenda.

In the future, the Third Hokage would crown himself the "God of Shinobi" and claim the title of "The Greatest Hokage."

The longest-serving Hokage? Sure.

But the God of Shinobi? The greatest?

That title belonged to Hashirama Senju. No contest.

Even in death, the man's very cells were powerful enough to fuel human experimentation, shaping the future of shinobi warfare.

As Kadoya made his way home, his gaze drifted upward.

The bright moon loomed above, its pale glow washing over the village.

In his mind, the image of the moon overlapped with a familiar sight—the Rinne Sharingan.

And beyond that… the ominous shadow of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Walking back into his yard, Kadoya narrowed his gaze toward the empty house. It looked like his sister was out on a mission again.

He let out a sigh and stepped toward the worn-out training dummy standing in the yard.

Clapping his palms together, he shaped his chakra, manipulating water into a swirling form that soon solidified into a large four-pointed shuriken.

"Water Style: Water Shuriken!"

With a flick of his wrist, three massive water shuriken shot forward, slicing through the air before striking the training dummy. They stuck for a few seconds before bursting apart, drenching the ground below.

It was a simple technique—almost no hand seals required—focused entirely on chakra transformation.

"Hmm. Not bad." Kadoya murmured, forming another shuriken and tossing it again.

Then after some training—

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two identical clones materialized beside him. Unlike him, they didn't move to attack. Instead, they sat cross-legged on the ground and began gathering natural energy.

Kadoya watched carefully.

The first clone's body slowly began morphing—its skin roughening, its face taking on an amphibian-like appearance. But before the transformation could spiral out of control, Kadoya drove his Zanpakutō through its chest, dispelling the clone and allowing the unstable natural energy to scatter harmlessly back into nature.

He exhaled, feeling traces of the transformation in his own body. His fingers twitched, his muscles tightened—he swiftly released the natural energy, turning back to normal.

Then he turned his gaze toward the second clone.

This one…

It was different.

His clone's teeth grew razor-sharp, additional four eyes sprouted on its face, and black, spider-like markings crawled across its skin like living veins.

Then, suddenly—

A deep, guttural snarl ripped from its throat.

Its six eyes locked onto Kadoya, its body twitching as pure hunger filled its monstrous gaze.

Then it lunged.

Kadoya reacted instantly.

He exhaled sharply, focusing his breathing—golden, electric ripples surged through his veins as Hamon radiated from his body.

"Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!"

His fist struck like a bolt of lightning, smashing into the clone with precise, devastating force. Kadoya unleashes a barrage of punches toward his clone. The distorted figure twisted, convulsed, and then disintegrated, returning to nothing.

Kadoya staggered back, hand gripping his stomach. The black markings transfer to him, as two more eyes appear around his eyes. Exhaling, he released the natural energy from his body, the black markings around his eyes faded, and his additional eyes vanished as the last traces of Senjutsu chakra left his body.

His breath was heavy. His body ached.

Touching his stomach, he grimaced.

"So this is the drawback of my Spider Sage Mode…"

Each type of Sage Mode had its own pros and cons.

The Toad Model transformed him into something akin to a frog statue.

The Spider Model turned him into a ravenous, uncontrollable beast.

The pros of the Spider Model weren't clear yet—but the cons? Those were painfully obvious.

"I need a better method to train Sage Mode," he muttered. Training alone was reckless—one mistake and he'd lose himself to the transformation entirely.

But unlike Naruto, he didn't have the luxury of Mount Myōboku's magic stick—the one Fukasaku had used to knock unstable nature energy out of Naruto's body.

If he lost control…

There would be no one to stop him.

Then his gaze landed on the Mera Mera No Mi in his hand, and he could eat it, but doing so would give him a weakness to water, basically shooting himself with this one.

"Wait a minute... could I just seal the Mera Mera No Mi inside my body?" Kadoya suddenly has a bizarre thought.

In the show, the Gold and Silver Brothers, Ginkaku and Kinkaku, ate Kurama flesh while being inside Kurama's stomach and later gained Kurama's chakra. Naruto gained Kurama's chakra by sealing Kurama inside himself.

So in theory, Kadoya could obtain the power of the Mera Mera No Mi by sealing it inside him, and if he wanted to change Devil Fruits, or didn't want the power of the Mera Mera No Mi anymore.

He could just unseal it, and the power would disappear.

"Looks like I need to learn more from Grandma Mito." He concluded.

...

The next morning, Kadoya woke up early, only to find his sister fast asleep beside him.

Her messy black hair splayed across the futon, rising and falling with each steady breath. The blanket loosely draped over her form, leaving one bare shoulder exposed. A little to the side, her Chunin vest and ninja clothes lay scattered on the floor—evidence of a long, exhausting day.

Normally, Natsumi would sleep in her own room. But lately, as Kadoya matured, she had started to miss the little brother who used to cling to her.

So, after returning home tired from missions, instead of heading to her own room, she had taken to sneaking into his futon, curling up beside him like she used to when they were younger.

Kadoya sighed, rubbing his temples.

"At least wear something, damn it," he muttered under his breath.

His sister, deep in sleep, remained blissfully unaware.

It was a bit… odd, even for an older sibling. But then again, this world had a strange way of weaving sibling bonds—sometimes unshakable, sometimes unbearably tragic.

After all, in this world, an older brother could raise his blade against his own family… all for the sake of protecting his little brother.

...

When Kadoya arrived at school earlier than usual, the building was still mostly empty.

As he stepped into the classroom, a sudden wave of whispers erupted.

"Hey… did you see that? That's—"

"Yeah, I saw it. I can't believe it actually happened…"

"No way, how is that guy even—"

"Right? Could it be a Transformation Jutsu…?"

Kadoya: "!?"

It was barely morning, and these nosy brats were already gossiping. He sharpened his focus, discreetly listening in.

"How could it be Kadoya…"

"Yeah, how could he show up this early…?"

Kadoya: "..."

A nerve twitched in his forehead. He really wanted to retort, but today… he'd let it slide.

Hmph. You guys just saved your lives.

Still, he'd make sure to remember their faces. The next time he farmed points, he'd start with them.

The only problem? He didn't even know their names.

A little time passed before Saiguu walked in.

"Yo!—" Kadoya greeted—only to barely dodge a pen flying straight at his face.

"What the hell was that for!?" he shouted.

Saiguu, her Byakugan already activated, blinked in confusion.

"Kadoya?" she asked, scanning the nearly empty classroom.

After a long pause, she frowned. "...Was my alarm clock broken?"

Kadoya: "..."

After sometime, Minato arrived.

"Minato! Finally, someone with common sense," Kadoya greeted, relieved.

As his best friend, Minato wouldn't make such a dumb mistake. He should understand Kadoya.

"Hi, um… um?! Am I late?" Minato stared at him, dazed.

Kadoya: "..."

Minato probably needs an eye exam too…

Then, their teacher, Ms. Mayabi, entered the room. Since the trio of gambling, drugs, and smut was scheduled to train the students today, she had arrived early.

The moment she spotted Kadoya sitting there, she hesitated before speaking.

"Kadoya… maybe you should visit the infirmary? The medical ninjas can check you over," she said carefully.

Kadoya: "..."

"Really? You guys are too rude…"

Still, since class hadn't started yet, he figured he might as well take advantage of the situation.

Much to the medical ninja's shock, Kadoya showed up perfectly healthy—only to casually climb onto a bed and fall asleep.

Once class started, the medical ninja kicked Kadoya out, and Ms. Mayabi came to pick him up, making sure he didn't get lost in the path of life again. And missed out on the trio of gambling, drugs, and smut.

He waited for the arrival of the Sannin while trying to use the knowledge he gained from Grandma Mito to create a seal that could let him use the Mera Mera No Mi along with his possible future power ups.

But nearly an entire morning passed.

The three of them had yet to arrive.

Sitting beside Minato and Saiguu now, Kadoya began feeling bored.

"Say, did you think Tsunade-sensei got caught in the casino for cheating?" Kadoya suddenly asked.

Minato & Saiguu: "!?"

"Well, you know, Jonin are generally very busy, so running a bit late isn't too hard to believe," Minato said, trying not to think badly of their possible future teacher.

While Saiguu just rolled her eyes already knowing that Kadoya was about to start speaking nonsense. Which was both annoying and entertaining to watch.

"I know that Konoha has been cracking down hard recently. I now suspect that Tsunade-sensei was caught in a casino for cheating after spending the reward money from her teammate. Lord Orochimaru was arrested by the Anbu for drug trafficking. And Lord Jiraiya may have been sent to the police force for peeping in the women's bathhouse," Kadoya started talking nonsense.

After all, spreading rumors wasn't against the law.

Plus, it was pretty hard to call these rumors when they might actually be true.

"That's called gathering material! It's performance art, kid."

At that moment, Jiraiya appeared standing at the classroom door.

"Idiot. You somehow managed to ruin our image even before accepting a student." Orochimaru said, stepping into the classroom with Tsunade following behind.

Her expression looked tired, with a face that Kadoya could recognize as looking dead inside.

"Oi brat! Don't slander your teacher like that." Tsunade complained, although her face looked somewhat flustered, like being caught red-handed.

Seeing this, Kadoya didn't need to say anything and realized that either Tsunade actually got caught for cheating in the casino, or she really used all of her teammates' money for gambling.

Umu! I really do know Tsunade so well.

After exchanging information, Kadoya, Minato, and Saiguu were called out by Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.

The sun shone brightly, its rays filtering through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Under the shade of a large tree, the three "future" legendary Sannin stood, their presence alone enough to command attention.

"During this period, the three of us will be guiding you," Jiraiya said, gesturing toward himself and his teammates. "This training will last for a week. Time is precious, so don't waste it."

Then, with a grin, he pointed at Minato. "Minato, you're with me."

Jiraiya had originally wanted to take Kadoya under his wing—let him experience firsthand the joy of being his disciple. But he had already promised Minato. More importantly, Jiraiya had a soft spot for him.

Minato, like himself, came from an ordinary background. That alone made Jiraiya root for him even more.

Besides, he was well aware that Tsunade hadn't willingly taken Kadoya as her disciple—Lady Mito had practically forced her.

Orochimaru's voice, hoarse yet composed, followed. "Saiguu, you will be training with me."

Saiguu nodded, but as she turned toward Orochimaru, she noticed his gaze linger a little too long on Kadoya.

Strange…

Logically, Kadoya would be a better fit with Orochimaru, given his ninjutsu-heavy fighting style. Even Jiraiya could be useful in teaching him Sage Mode.

But Tsunade?

Kadoya didn't plan to become a medical ninja. Hell, if he wanted her ninjutsu, he could probably win it off her in a bet.

"Alright, brat, follow me," Tsunade sighed, already looking tired like she hadn't slept last night and was busy gambling.

Without protest, Kadoya followed her toward the Senju Compound.

The land was vast—not as expansive as the Uchiha's, but still impressive.

Yet, as they walked through the empty courtyards, Kadoya couldn't help but notice how hollow the place felt.

Then, it hit him.

Right… the First Great Ninja War wasn't that long ago.

The Senju Clan, once the proud backbone of Konoha, had dwindled to near extinction. And in the twenty short years since taking office, the Third Hokage had managed to bury the clan even further.

A shame.

Stepping inside, Kadoya's eyes landed on a familiar face—a young girl with striking red hair, diligently practicing Fūinjutsu, she didn't seem to notice him.

Before he could speak, Tsunade called out lazily, "Grandma, I'm back. And I brought the Uchiha brat."

At the sound of her voice, the elderly woman turned toward them, her warm, gentle smile never faltering.

"Hello, Grandma Mito," Kadoya greeted with an easy smile.

"Kadoya… just in time," Mito said kindly, waving him forward. In her hand, she held out a small cup of tea.

"Come, have some."

Her expression was as soft as ever.