[Bond] Ch 11: Green Pepper Feast

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At the orphanage, the kids had a rare feast.

Yami wouldn't be stingy, of course. Most of what he brought was meat, and for the orphans of Konoha's orphanage, getting to eat meat two or three times a month was already considered lucky. Not only did they have some today, but they could eat to their heart's content.

However… Shimura Yami wasn't in a good mood. His face was dark, and he had spoken less and less as the meal went on.

"Was the food not to your liking?" Yakushi Nonō carefully observed his expression. "I'm terribly sorry, the orphanage's chef isn't very skilled."

If she were just an ordinary orphanage director, she wouldn't have needed to be so cautious, even if Yami had brought valuable supplies.

Unfortunately, running the orphanage was just one of her jobs—she had a little side gig.

Nonō, also known as the spy of Root. Not just any spy, but an elite one, having completed numerous dangerous missions and earning the title of "The Wandering Nun."

Most of the orphans here had the potential to become ninjas, making them a resource for Root's future recruits.

Nonō knew just how deep the darkness of Danzo ran. Shimura Yami was Danzo's last remaining family. She absolutely couldn't afford to be careless and end up on his bad side.

Otherwise, her retirement plans would be ruined. That's why she paid such close attention to his mood.

"It's nothing." Yami shook his head slightly, quickly finished the food in his bowl, then set down his chopsticks. "Director Nonō, I have training this afternoon, so I won't stay too long."

As he got up, Uchiha Shisui also stopped chatting with the nearby children.

Yami walked over and looked at the white-haired boy who had just been talking to Shisui.

"What's your name?"

"Kabuto." The white-haired boy answered softly, his eyes full of gratitude.

"Alright, Kabuto. I'll come see you again next time." Yami smiled before turning and leaving with Uchiha Shisui and the ninja who had accompanied him.

After spending an entire afternoon at the orphanage, out of nearly two hundred orphans, only twenty had triggered a "bond reward" besides Nonō.

No wonder Yami wasn't happy.

Among those twenty kids, most just had basic chakra, with a few possessing standard chakra attributes. If not for the decent rewards from Nonō and Kabuto, he would've been swearing already.

[Bond established with Yakushi Nonō: Cautious Bond – Acquired "Chakra Control Talent (Excellent)"]

[Bond established with Yakushi Kabuto: Grateful Bond – Acquired "Chakra Control Talent (Genius)"]

Chakra control talent might not seem impressive at first glance, but it was actually extremely important.

Tree climbing and water walking were just the basics—what really mattered was precise chakra control during battle, ensuring all jutsu were used efficiently.

To put it in game terms, chakra was like mana. Having more chakra meant casting more jutsu, but it didn't determine their power.

A jutsu's strength depended on multiple factors: the amount of chakra infused, the user's mastery of nature transformation, and the jutsu's own level.

Chakra control not only determined the maximum chakra output per jutsu but also affected the ability to learn higher-level techniques.

Take Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, for example. It required extremely high chakra control and mastery of nature transformation to train successfully.

With these new rewards, his chakra control had improved significantly.

Aside from Tsunade, he probably had one of the best chakra control talents in the ninja world right now.

— — —

Yami returned to the Shimura clan grounds to train with Uchiha Shisui. Of course, he didn't forget to bring his 'accelerator', Uchiha Izumi.

Since it was the first day, there wasn't a structured lesson plan yet.

Shisui had Yami fight him with everything he had to gauge his abilities. Without revealing his chakra nature transformation, Yami still went all out, earning Shisui's praise.

At his age, Shisui had been far weaker—his rapid growth only began after awakening the Sharingan.

Especially in swordsmanship. "No wonder Lord Danzo has invited me to be Yami's mentor." Shisui was more happy seeing that.

As the sun set, today's training was marked as ended.

Standing at the gates, Shisui smiled. "Yami, tomorrow I'll bring you a sword technique scroll from the Uchiha clan. As for my Body Flicker Technique, I'll teach it to you once your sword skills hit a bottleneck. Sound good?"

Yami nodded. "I'll follow your lead, Shisui-senpai."

It was clear Shisui was serious about teaching him—he was willing to share not only the Uchiha clan's swordsmanship but also his signature Body Flicker Technique.

Watching Shisui leave, Uchiha Izumi, who had been waiting with an empty stomach, thought she could finally eat dinner.

But to her horror, Yami dragged her along to the market, where he bought a massive amount of green peppers. He had Aburame Seiji and Yamanaka Ryo carry them as they made their way back to the orphanage.

Under Nonō's puzzled gaze, Yami—like a spoiled noble brat—ordered the orphanage's chefs to stop preparing dinner.

Tonight, they were having an "All-Pepper Feast."

In Konoha, one of the most disliked foods among both kids and adults was green peppers.

Green peppers had a strong, distinct smell, and many people found it unbearable, just like cilantro. Worse yet, Konoha's usual cooking methods involved boiling or steaming, making them taste even worse.

The green peppers Yami had bought were the result of sweeping the entire marketplace.

One dish after another of green peppers was brought to the table.

The kids listened as the director explained the nutritional value of green peppers, while they forced themselves to swallow the bitter bites with looks of despair.

Yami was having the time of his life. He grinned and announced loudly, "Don't worry, everyone! Next week, I'll bring even more green peppers, so you won't have to worry about missing out!"

"Waaaah!!" Finally, one little kid couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears.

Like a fuse being lit, the entire orphanage erupted. Wails and sobs filled the air as Nonō and the caretakers rushed around in a panic. Yamanaka Ryo and Aburame Seiji twitched at the corners of their mouths.

Their young master… was truly something else. 

As expected from the descendant of their Lord Danzo.

Meanwhile, Yami just laughed.

[Congratulations, Host…]

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