Chapter 23 Naruto, Do You Want to Have a Brother? (Part 1)

On January 10, the 54th year of Konoha (this book is based on the 48th year of Konoha when Naruto was born), a full week had passed since Giyuu officially began to practice the Breath of Fire. There were still 50 days until the start of the ninja school.

In the mountain stream of the Nanga River, Giyuu took off his shirt, and his tender body was like red and hot lava, motionless under the wash of the waterfall, letting the cold water and the hot body touch each other, raising clouds of hazy mist that only exists in the bathroom.

Experience has shown that practicing the opposite breath of fire in this place where the efficiency of water breathing is extremely high can effectively weaken the vitality of the latter's extremely violent natural energy when it flows through the body.

At present, Giyuu has been able to initially adapt to the concentrated transformation of the body, especially the bones and muscle tissues, by the breath of fire.

It is a feeling of burning an iron embryo in flames, smelting it, and then repeatedly forging and shaping it. It is more painful than the breath of water, but it is also more refreshing after completing a set of breathing cycles, just like a person who has suppressed thirst for a long time drinking a large glass of sour plum juice.

When Giyuu is in the waterfall now, he can maintain the breath of fire for 7 consecutive hours without any mistakes. But if it is far away from the water source, this time will be reduced to 3 hours, and there is still a clear gap from reaching the "24 hours without mistakes" level.

Now it seems that the reason why the breath of fire has always been a family heirloom of the Purgatory family on Earth is not because the successive generations of the Flame Pillar have sectarian prejudices or cherish their own things.

It is true that only swordsmen who have experienced years of training can have a considerable physique and patience to withstand the pressure of this practice, otherwise it is easy to spontaneously combust and die.

And in the ninja world, where natural energy is extremely abundant, practicing the breath of fire is also more dangerous.

Compared with the spiritual and physical energy that can be stably extracted from the body, it is more than ten times more difficult to use the micro-control ability of the transparent world to control the violent natural energy. Therefore, Giyuu can only use his patience as a water column to adjust and control it bit by bit...

Just as he was concentrating on breathing, on the river not far away, four shadow clones holding bamboo sticks were training the first eight sword forms of the Flame Breathing alone.

As for the last form, the ninth form·Purgatory, it is similar to the eleventh form·Nagi of the Water Breathing. It can only be used after reaching the normal level and then cooperating with chakra.

A sound of flapping wings was heard, and the red-eyed crow that Shisui left for Giyuu to observe the surroundings flew over and landed on the roof of the hut next to the pond.

After it called twice hoarsely like a timer, the four clones stopped their movements at the same time, like four identical statues, standing still.

A minute passed, and after Giyuu's original body exhaled noticeably, one of the clones immediately seized the opportunity and said, "Time's up. If we continue practicing, you won't have the strength to go to Naruto."

Giyuu's original body opened his blue eyes and nodded slightly. Then he formed a hand seal, and all the clones immediately disappeared. Giyuu himself was almost knocked down by the waterfall as if someone had pushed him from behind.

The four clones had practiced swordsmanship for a full eight hours from 4 a.m. to now. The soreness and fatigue were quadrupled on the original body. I really don't want to know what words to use to describe it.

Giyuu walked out of the waterfall with a gloomy face and completely sank his body into the water. The swollen muscle tissue continued to tighten under the cold but stable stimulation, and the discomfort all over his body was slightly relieved. Only then did he have the mind to sort out the experience of the clones in practicing sword forms.

Five minutes later, his body gradually rose from the water and floated to the surface of the water. His eyes were fixed on the front, and thick white air was overflowing from his mouth and nose.

"Breathing of Flame, Form I, Shiranui."

A distorted space over eight meters long swept through the air, accompanied by a water ravine of the same length below that split violently to both sides, and Giyuu's body instantly appeared at the end of the ravine.

Then the water surface returned to its original state.

"Shiranui, you can use it as a body-flash technique."

Giyuu glanced at the air behind him that was distorted by the high temperature, "but the traces are obvious, it can only be used for frontal advance."

[I wonder what this form will look like after Changzhong participates in chakra refining...]

Then, he repeated the same trick and suddenly appeared at the door of the hut. Giyuu took off his wet pants and changed into a more casual set of clothes that he had prepared long ago.

Then he split another shadow clone - anyway, his current chakra is far more than four months ago - and began to sit on the small table to study the homework Itachi assigned to him, that is, the principle of the change of the form and nature of water-attribute chakra.

["You can use it better if you understand it, otherwise it will be difficult to produce something new and completely suitable for you."]

That's what Itachi told him.

Yiyong couldn't refute it, so he agreed. But there has been no progress in this part so far, but at least he can understand what those terms mean.

After leaving the mountain stream, Yiyong recovered his water breathing so that no one would notice it, and chose a small path to return home.

The house was cold and empty.

In order to fulfill his father's wish of "you must beat the Hyuga family" in the entrance examination, Sasuke is studying hard in an office of the guard team, and he can receive personal guidance from his father every day. Although he misses Giyuu very much, he is very satisfied to be able to get along with his father at close range.

[At least in fire escape, I am much better than Giyuu! ]

He thought, [I must scare Giyuu when I train with him next time. ]

Wish him good luck.

And Itachi continued to carry out the mission that could help him enter the Anbu outside the village, and the specific content was kept secret.

Mom's words should be that he and three subordinates who have become Chunin are protecting a noble from the Fire City to the Rain Country.

Giyuu looked at the empty living room and kitchen, and remembered the mansion he was given when he was a water pillar, and those nights when he tossed and turned on the bed, and a familiar sense of loneliness surrounded him.

The next moment, Giyuu remembered the seemingly meaningless "I'm back" when Naruto opened the door when he returned home.

He also understood what that really meant.

"Don't make him wait too long."

Giyong said to himself, dispelling his faint emotions, and walked all the way to the storage room at home, dragging out the induction cooker and rice cooker that had been eliminated for many years.

This was when his mother took the initiative to ask him to bring it over when he came back from Naruto's house last time, but she told him not to disturb Naruto for too long.

Giyong cleaned the two appliances, then went back to his room to find the recipe he had copied before - because the original handwriting was too ugly and it was not convenient to transfer it to others - and then set off from home.

...

When Giyong walked to the door of Naruto's house, he was sure he heard a painful groan.

[Did you have diarrhea again? ]

Giyong frowned, [Didn't the Hokage say that he would let the merchant sell things to him? ]

"Dongdong."

He could hear the sound of Naruto walking, so he should not be in the toilet, so he put the things down and knocked heavily on the door.

"Is it Giyuu?"

Naruto Uzumaki's voice was happy, but a little tense, which was consistent with Giyuu's guess that he was unwell.

"Open the door."

Giyuu said calmly, "It's me."

"Can you wait a moment? I want to go to the bathroom."

His tone became more nervous, and then the bathroom door suddenly closed.

Giyuu was worried that his physical condition was very serious and he was still stubborn, so he grabbed the door handle and twisted it off with a click.

[If it doesn't work, take him to the hospital first. ]

After the door was forced open, a familiar room came into view, but the mop on the ground and the wet floor were new things, indicating that Naruto was cleaning before he arrived.

Then, an unbearable smell pierced Giyuu's nose. If it was Tanjiro, he would probably say that his throat was sore because of choking.

[But this smell seems to feel very familiar...]

The faucet in the bathroom rang.

The sound of running water, which was sometimes light and sometimes heavy, and sometimes paused, showed that Naruto was not sitting on the toilet, but was washing something hurriedly, and he also made a barely audible inhalation sound, which was obviously to avoid being heard by Giyuu.

Giyuu did not force the toilet open, but quietly walked to the refrigerator, opened the door, and took out a box of milk.

"Production date December 1, shelf life 45 days."

Giyuu's eyes became slightly sharp, "There are still 5 days to expire."

[So, from expired milk to nearly expired milk? ]

There are sixteen boxes in a box of milk, and there are exactly sixteen boxes in the refrigerator, which means that these are the milk that Naruto bought today or yesterday.

The scene when the Third Hokage promised Naruto flashed in his mind, and the corners of his mouth slightly turned down.

In the Demon Slayer Corps, he hated those who were irresponsible but said nice things.

If the Hokage feels that he is too old to manage so many things, he should retreat to the second line like Master Urokodaki. Why should he do this? He cannot do what he promised and disappoints people in vain. Doing things perfunctorily is more annoying than doing nothing.

Giyuu closed the refrigerator door, but the bathroom door was open.

He cast his eyes over and found that the first look Uzumaki Naruto gave him was not surprise, but he subconsciously shrank back like Itachi when he was found in the kitchen by him. Then Naruto asked in surprise: "Giyuu, how did you get in?"

This is what Sasuke would say when he turned his head and saw his mother standing quietly behind him while staying up late to read comic books. It was full of guilty conscience, as if there was something that could not be known by others.

Then, Naruto glanced at the door from which hot air was constantly pouring out and let out a nervous exclamation.

"I'll change the lock on the door for you."

Giyong's eyes stayed on Naruto's face for a while, then looked at his right hand pressed against his thigh, "But, do you need to wear gloves at home?"

It was a green children's woolen glove. If it was outside, it didn't seem abnormal. But at home...

"Because I feel a little cold."

Naruto scratched his head and laughed twice, pointing at the door and said, "It's even colder now..."

"You're lying."

Giyu interrupted, standing there like an ice sculpture, his eyes like a knife.

He had carefully looked at Naruto's hands, suppressing his hidden unhappiness, but he didn't say it directly.

Naruto had never seen such a stern expression, although it was not malicious, and didn't know how to deal with it. He could only look down at his slippers. As if he really did something wrong.

"Sit down first."

Seeing him like this, Giyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was a little embarrassed to preach to a child who was eight years younger than Tanjiro when he first met him.

He dragged a chair to block the leaky door, and then pressed Naruto, who was as stiff as a puppet, to sit down at the small coffee table beside the bed, and he sat opposite Naruto.

"Put your hands on the table."

Naruto did it obediently.

Giyu was a little scary today.

Although Giyu's expression was not much different from last time, not only Naruto felt a sense of depression, but even the fox hidden in his stomach also felt something unusual, so he squinted behind the iron gate like watching a show.

Giyu grabbed Naruto's right wrist, and the latter pulled back unconsciously, as if he was afraid of what would happen next.

Raising his head, the deep blue eyes and the big blue watery eyes looked at each other.

After a moment, Naruto understood what Giyu meant, he pursed his lips, tilted his head to one side, and closed his eyes tightly.

But the next moment, his arm was tense like a cramp, and he resisted the desire to retreat, but the praying hissing sound in his throat still came out, coupled with his red and twisted face, as if he was suffering from the pain of a branding iron.

He had every reason to show this expression.

Even though Giyu's action of removing the gloves was light enough and the speed was very slow, it still made a rough and hoarse sound like tearing Velcro, tearing off a layer of skin on Naruto's hand.

Giyuu opened his mouth slightly.

What he saw with his naked eyes was more sad than what he saw with his eyesight.

The epidermis of Naruto's entire right hand was corroded and ulcerated as if by something, and only a small amount of adhesions like corn-colored glue remained on the bleeding dermis. To put it bluntly, this was a chicken claw that had been boiled to the point of peeling.

Because Naruto had forced himself to wear woolen gloves to cover his injuries, there were still a lot of fine wool residues stuck to the wound. Those that stood up were okay, but those that lay down were almost melted into the skin. Once they were taken out, Giyuu didn't know how Naruto would be able to bear the pain.

How strong his will must be to wear such rough gloves on his hands.

Unconsciously, his feelings about Naruto were almost exactly the same as Shisui's feelings about him when they fought seven days ago.

Giyuu's nostrils expanded slightly, and the words he wanted to say were hidden between his teeth.

[The other hand, even without looking, you can tell that it is almost the same. ]

"Do you have a medical kit at home?"

"It's...behind the mirror in the bathroom. My grandfather gave it to me because I always fall down."

Naruto trembled in pain, tears welled up in his eyes, but never came out.

"Don't move here."

After Yiyong settled him down, he entered the bathroom and found that the pungent smell from before was even stronger.

He saw the bucket that Naruto used to wash the mop in the shower room, and the smell came from there. Next to the bucket was a bottle of detergent that was exactly the same as the one in his house, which could explain why the smell was vaguely familiar.

But Yiyong, who was responsible for taking care of the housework, knew very well that this detergent itself was definitely not the pungent smell it has now, otherwise why would anyone buy it.

He held his breath, unscrewed the bottle of detergent with a bad guess, and looked inside. Sure enough, the color of the liquid was different from the one he used at home.

[Someone added something to it. ]

Yiyong made a judgment.

[Is it intentional? Or an accident? 】

He screwed the cap of the detergent bottle on and put it aside. Without saying a word, he took out the blue bag behind the mirror, took out a small pair of tweezers from it, and returned to Naruto.

[Let's talk about that thing later. It's important to heal the wound. 】

He saw that Naruto's eyes were red, his teeth were clenched, and there were water stains on the inside of his shirt elbow that were not there when he left, but Giyuu did not let his eyes linger there.

He held Naruto's wrist and gently extended the tweezers, but stopped when it was about to touch.

"I'll knock you out."

He suggested seriously, "Otherwise it will hurt more than it does now."

Naruto was stunned, as if he had briefly withdrawn from the burning pain, and carefully thought about Giyuu's words.

But immediately, he gave another Kamado-style smile.

"No need..."

There was a sincere light in his eyes.

"Because when Giyuu grabbed my hand, it didn't hurt as much as before."