NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55: Visiting
Chapter 55: Visiting
When did Hirohiko manage to use
the substitution technique? His hands were tied; he shouldn't have been able to
make seals.
Kiba walked through the hospital
corridor, his mind drifting back to the battle between Hirohiko and Muzi Kiko.
In such a dense shuriken attack,
Hirohiko managed to counterattack with his own shurikens. His skills are truly
amazing! No matter how hard I try, I don't think I can reach that level. After
all, I don't have the Sharingan.
Kiba mused to himself.
However, even with the Sharingan,
not everyone could achieve such mastery. Hirohiko's shuriken technique is
probably on par with Uchiha Itachi's. Was there such a ninja in the original
work? If so, why is there no record of Hirohiko opening his eyes at the age of
seven?
The same goes for Yukina. She's a
genius from the Hyuga family who graduated early like Kakashi. Compared to
Neji, her talent shouldn't be much different. After all, she mastered the Eight
Trigrams Air Palm at this age. Neji didn't have guidance, yet he comprehended
techniques like Rotation, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and even Air Palm on
his own. Yukina mastered the Air Palm at seven. Teaching aside, her talent is
undoubtedly close to Neji's, maybe slightly less... But, it doesn't seem enough
to call Neji "the genius in the history of the Hyuga family."
Then there's Muzi Kiko, who
mastered an A-rank ninjutsu at twelve, requiring the high-level Shuriken Shadow
Clone technique. Such a ninja should be well-known in the original work, but
nothing.
So suspicious...
However, it could be Kishimoto's
lazy writing; the Third Great Ninja War is mostly a blank slate. But now, this
place is not just manga or anime but a world, a complete Naruto world, so
anything could be possible.
Kiba walked, lost in thought.
"Hey... Kiba, Kiba! Are you
listening? Hey..." His shoulder was patted, startling him. Turning his
head, he saw Kakashi, half-closed eyes looking at him helplessly.
Uh... did I fall into deep thought
again?
"Kakashi..." Kiba's
mouth twitched. It's really hard to get rid of this habit.
Speaking of which, this problem
stems from living alone all these years and obsessing over opening the Eight
Gates. My whole mind was occupied with thinking and understanding the Eight
Gates and various assumptions about the model.
Over time, it became a habit, and
now I can't control this emotional state actively.
"What are you thinking
about..." Kakashi sighed.
"Sorry, I was
distracted..." Kiba apologized.
My vigilance is so low... Did I
really lose to this guy?
Kakashi felt helpless. "Why
are you here? Are you injured?"
"No, my injury was healed by
a medical ninja. I came to see Gai," Kiba said.
The two walked side by side.
Kakashi, wearing casual clothes with one hand in his pocket, said, "I
heard you met Gai during the Chunin exam. It seems Gai ended up in the hospital
because of you."
Kiba's mouth twitched. "I
didn't do it on purpose; it's just that you can't beat him unless you go all
out..."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, seeming
to smile. "Yeah, this guy, every time he falls, he always feels like he
can stand up."
So Kakashi feels the same way!
Kiba nodded sympathetically.
"Kakashi, you don't look injured. What are you doing in the
hospital?"
"Visiting Gai," Kakashi
replied, glancing at a ward labeled "Maito Gai." "This is
it."
Kiba nodded and followed Kakashi
into the ward.
Gai, with a bandaged head, had
finally taken off his green tights and was wearing a hospital gown.
"Yo, Gai!" Kakashi
greeted.
"Kakashi!" Gai's iconic
toothy smile returned, clearly happy to see him.
As for Kiba, he looked around the
ward. Only Gai was there.
Is Might Duy not here?
Kiba looked at Gai again. Although
bandaged, his face was rosy and he didn't seem seriously injured. This made
Kiba breathe a sigh of relief but also left him slightly surprised.
Gai's body is really strong.
Although he was sent to the hospital, he seems fine after just a few days.
"This is..." When Gai
saw Kiba, his thick brows furrowed deeply, as if trying to remember where he'd
seen him before.
Hey... Anyway, I'm the one who
beat you. At least remember me!
Kiba thought to himself.
"Oh! White Night!" Gai's
eyes flashed as he remembered Kiba. "Your kick was really good, I
lost!"
White Night... I'm not some kind
of food! It's Kiba... it's Kiba!
Kiba had an urge to touch his
forehead.
Kiba was just about to correct his
name when Gai stretched out his right hand, clenched his fist, raised his
thumb, closed one eye, and smiled brightly. "But next time, I won't lose
to you again, White Night! Let's have another battle full of passion and
youth!"
A drop of cold sweat rolled down
the back of Kiba's head.
"It's Kiba... my name is
Kiba..."
"Oh, I understand, White
Night!" Gai responded without thinking. "The next battle... Youth is
burning!"
This guy did it on purpose! On
purpose!
The "tick" mark on
Kiba's forehead slowly faded away.
"Tomorrow... I still have to
take the Chunin exam," Kiba said helplessly.
"Tomorrow I have a
task," Kakashi added.
Kiba glanced at Kakashi, thinking,
That's definitely an excuse.
Gai looked disappointed for a
moment, but his face quickly lit up with spirit. "I'm so happy! There are
two rivals of destiny. Oh! This is youth, and I have two 'eternal rivals!' How
amazing is this youth!"
It was clear Gai also considered
Kiba an "eternal rival."
Seeing the fire in Gai's eyes and
his enthusiasm, Kiba sighed deeply.
Gai is definitely the type I'm not
good at dealing with. I can't understand his thought process at all...
Kakashi, standing to the side,
half-closed his eyes.
I have a feeling... things are
getting more and more troublesome. Maybe I shouldn't have come to visit...