Konoha: Who Says the Shinobi World Can't Play Hunter?

Chapter 14: Proving Himself

As Kosuke had predicted, the situation left him with no choice. If Kazama were allowed to continue building momentum, his attack would only become faster and stronger. Kosuke couldn't afford to let that happen—he had to strike first and disrupt Kazama's focus.

"Left horizontal slash!"

It was a basic technique, but in Kosuke's hands, it was deadly precise. Though simple in form, his angle, speed, and power were flawless. Body Flicker + swordsmanship—Kosuke was a master among masters.

Kazama barely registered the flash of the wooden blade before it was already upon him. His body couldn't react fast enough.

But—he felt something through his grip on his own wooden sword.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu: Twin Dragon Flash!" Kazama called out.

And then—everything went black.

The duel ended with Kazama collapsing after pushing his body past its limits to execute Twin Dragon Flash.

Before losing consciousness, he felt his attack connect with Kosuke.

When he woke up, several hours had passed.

Replaying the fight in his mind, Kazama realized how fast Kosuke's strike had been—so fast that he had no time to think, no time to do anything except act purely on instinct.

His body had moved on its own, his wooden blade and scabbard executing Twin Dragon Flash without conscious input.

That was already a loss.

He had lost control of both his body and weapon.

This was the consequence of forcing himself to use a technique beyond his current capabilities.

Had this been a real battlefield, he would have already been dead.

Fortunately, this was only training, and his opponent was his grandfather.

But… he had definitely hit Kosuke at the end, right?

Kazama bolted upright and rushed outside.

Below the treehouse, Kosuke was calmly brewing tea, while Yataro and Clawtarou were munching on roasted nuts.

Yataro, ever the opportunist, was cracking two nuts at a time—one for himself, one for Clawtarou—happily sharing their snack.

Between bites, the two sipped tea from small cups.

Kazama found this strange.

Even for humans, Japanese tea was bitter. How did two animal summons develop a taste for it?

"Grandpa!" Kazama called, sitting down by the fire.

"Awake?" Kosuke asked without looking up.

"Mm-hmm."

At that moment, both summons raised their paws, as if announcing their presence.

Kazama waved at them, acknowledging them before turning back to Kosuke.

"Grandpa, I want to learn ninjutsu."

He had been holding it in for days—now, he finally voiced his request.

"You're still too young. Your chakra reserves aren't high enough…" Kosuke replied with his usual excuse.

Kazama didn't argue. He simply stared silently at his grandfather.

A quiet rebellion against Kosuke's stubborn mindset.

Kosuke sighed. "You're always in such a rush. In my opinion, ninjutsu is just an application of basic abilities. As long as you have enough chakra and control, you can learn a technique in a few days.

"But chakra reserves, control, nature transformation, and taijutsu—those are the things that require time and discipline to master. That's where you should be focusing your efforts."

Kosuke glanced at Kazama, but seeing no change in his expression, he sighed again.

"Ah, young people… always chasing flashy ninjutsu."

With that, both fell into silence.

Kosuke's words were undeniably true—wisdom forged through a lifetime of experience.

But teaching was never as simple as explaining.

Kazama, despite having memories of another life, couldn't help but crave ninjutsu.

Especially knowing that he was only two years older than Naruto.

That meant his only advantage was this two-year head start.

Once Naruto entered the Academy and began his rapid growth, there was a real risk that Kazama—a supposed senior student—would get completely outpaced.

These next two years were Kazama's best chance to build a strong foundation.

He needed to make the most of them.

Before Kazama could continue the conversation, both summons perked up.

"Squeak squeak!"

"Mmm! Mmm!"

Their sharp reactions meant something was off.

Kazama instinctively scanned the area.

Peeking from behind a tree, a small figure emerged.

Kazama's heart stopped for a moment.

"Why is it him?"

A yellow shirt, orange shorts, standard ninja sandals.

Spiky blonde hair.

And—those whisker-like markings on his cheeks.

There was no mistaking it.

This intruder was none other than Naruto Uzumaki.

Every reincarnated traveler who ended up in this world faced the same dilemma:

"Do I interact with the main protagonist?"

Once a connection was established, it was only a matter of time before Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura started watching.

That meant constant surveillance.

And with Danzo's paranoia, anything suspicious could be construed as espionage.

A time traveler like Kazama, with his modern mindset and habits, was bound to act strangely sooner or later.

If Danzo suspected him, there would be no escape.

That was why Kazama had made a firm decision from the start:

Stay away from Naruto.

Even though he sympathized with Naruto's suffering…

Even though he knew Naruto was ostracized…

Even though they were only two years apart in age…

He had stayed away.

Kazama's own survival was already difficult enough—he couldn't afford to take on more risks.

Yet—Naruto had come to him.

What should he do?

Chase him away?

Looking into Naruto's curious, hesitant eyes, Kazama knew he couldn't bring himself to do that.

Accept him?

Kazama glanced at Kosuke.

"Hopefully, Grandpa's reputation is enough to keep Danzo from interfering."

Making his decision, Kazama gestured for Naruto to come closer.

Naruto hesitated, pointing at himself as if to ask, "Me?"

When Kazama nodded, Naruto's face lit up with excitement.

He ran over to the campfire, wide-eyed as he took in his surroundings.

Kazama handed him a bowl of food from Kosuke's pot.

Naruto took it with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Then, he devoured it.

Even when it burned his mouth, he refused to spit it out.

Kazama looked away, forcing himself not to react.

If he kept watching, he might say something he shouldn't.

When Naruto finished, he put down the bowl carefully, then clasped his hands together in gratitude.

"Big Brother, thank you! My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Thank you for the delicious food!"

Kazama hesitated.

Then, with deliberate coldness, he said:

"If you're ever hungry, you can come here. This place is private—only my grandfather and I live here. We don't have much, but we always have food."

That was the most help he could offer.

In his heart, Kazama silently apologized to Naruto.

As a modern man, he felt guilty knowing how hard Naruto's life was.

But there was only so much he could do.

"Really?!" Naruto beamed. "Thanks, Big Brother! Thanks, Grandpa!"

Kosuke chuckled and handed him another bowl.

Naruto took it gleefully, devouring it just as quickly.

At that moment—

Kazama was ten years old.

Naruto was eight.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office…

Danzo stormed in, furious.

"Do you realize the importance of the Nine-Tails?" he barked at Hiruzen. "How could you let an outsider interact with him?! What if that person is a spy from another village?"

"The 'outsider' you're talking about is Kosuke Maruboshi," Hiruzen replied.

Danzo hesitated.

Even he couldn't accuse Kosuke of being a traitor.

"Regardless, the Nine-Tails must be monitored properly," Danzo insisted. "If you can't handle it, let Root take over."

"Root will not interfere."

Hiruzen's voice was firm.

"Don't forget—I am still the Hokage."

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen," Danzo spat, storming out.

But Hiruzen remained unmoved.

For now, Naruto was safe.