Chapter 66: Fuck... why me!

Tekku was exhausted, relieved, but exhausted. A simple escort of the Daimyo from the capital to Konoha turned almost deadly when a pack of seven missing ninja—this time with mixed Iwa and Kiri headbands—attacked the caravan holding the Daimyo. Well, the decoy anyway. In reality, Team Ro was escorting the Daimyo's double, while Gama and two other squads took the real Daimyo of Fire on an alternate route that wove underground at times.

They defeated the attackers with only minor injuries—by Naruto's standards anyway. Ryota kept insisting Tekku be carried when he sprained his ankle in a roundhouse kick. When they returned to Konoha with the bodies, the higher-ups congratulated them on their work, but everyone in Ro got the impression they weren't happy that none were taken alive. It made proving their likely affiliation with the newly discovered "Otogakure" nearly impossible.

Of course, Tekku was aware of the true origins of Otogakure but kept the information to himself. He couldn't share it without arousing suspicion. He had been in the ANBU for over a year now and had improved massively in all aspects of the Shinobi Arts. His skill was already at the Tokubetsu Jonin Level, approaching the Jonin Level.

But the mention of Otogakure reminded him that he was running out of time. The canon timeline was approaching; he had a bit more than 2 years before Naruto graduated from the Academy. Becoming a Jonin in strength was a good start for the Pre-Timeskip Arc, but after it, he would quickly become nothing more than cannon fodder.

The worst part about it was, although he improved massively in the beginning with the hardcore ANBU drills, his progress was now as slow as a snail's pace. Any true improvement was basically nonexistent. Of course, after mastering the Earth Element, he traded for help from other Shinobi in and around the ANBU to learn more, like the Lightning Element from Kakashi. But the techniques available to him were pretty limited in their application.

He also mastered the Lightning Element during that time and learned the basics of the other elements with a few simple Jutsu. But all of that was only enough to help him combat the Stone-Paper-Scissors System of Chakra Natures. His strongest techniques were only A-Rank ones, since access to and availability of higher-level ones was very limited.

And with that level of strength, he would have a hard time even surviving against normal Akatsuki members. By now, he was sure that even Deidara, who was only a bit older than him, could defeat him. Deidara had already abandoned Iwagakure and stolen their forbidden technique. He would probably be recruited by the Akatsuki soon.

Still, he could see himself beating someone like Deidara in a few years. But the true problem was the ridiculous power scaling that happened at the end of the series, where people like Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and even Sakura reached levels that allowed them to fight enemies that could destroy whole worlds.

Meanwhile, Tekku was approaching the natural limit of his body. His Chakra reserves would be around mid-Jonin Level, which wasn't bad. It was above average, as most people remained Chunin for the rest of their lives. But it wasn't far enough for his aspirations and ensuring his own survival in the events to come.

With the help of the Seal he developed to flood his Chakra Reserves and expand the size of his Natural Chakra Conduits, he pushed his reserves from low Jonin to mid-Jonin. But that effect was also slowing down.

Of course, he could consider becoming something similar to a cyborg, like Dr. Gero did in his past life. But with the help of his meta knowledge of different universes, including Dragon Ball and Naruto, he had long come to the conclusion that taking the biological path was far better. Cell, his past masterpiece, was the best example.

In addition, he knew that things akin to godhood were possible in Dragon Ball and also in his current universe, but were reached through a biological path. This cemented the decision to not become a cyborg. But that put him in a difficult situation.

Unfortunately, his research projects in the field of Chakra Generators hit a wall that he couldn't simply overcome without learning more about Nature Chakra. But every attempt to understand this energy failed for now.

And Tekku wasn't desperate enough to attempt learning about it on his own yet. Even Naruto, who was seemingly very talented in this area, turned to stone multiple times. And he didn't have a magic stick that could beat Nature Energy out of anyone. He was also confused why that stick wasn't considered to beat the Nature Energy out of Madara during the Fourth Ninja War. Either Naruto didn't think of it, or it was a simple plot device.

Tekku honestly had no idea what he should do. He needed a way to close the gap between him and a solid A-Rank Shinobi, to an S-Rank Shinobi, before the canon timeline started. He already had a few plans and opportunities planned out, but they wouldn't be enough to break the natural limits of his own body.

Right now, he was focusing on mastering his skills, as even the basics could be extremely powerful, as Kakashi had proved multiple times with just the three basic Academy Jutsu. But the mastery of the basics was something that every S-Rank Shinobi probably did. Tekku needed a defining advantage, like a forbidden Jutsu that gave him immortality or allowed him to fly and create bombs.

If he didn't find it, then his limit would be Sasori or Hidan. Yes, they were kind of strong, but they were still the weakest Akatsuki members in the whole series and could be quickly taken down if one knew their weaknesses.

He was dismissed until noon tomorrow and was walking down deep in thoughts while making his way through the idyllic streets of Konoha, heading towards the comfort of his warm shower.

Tekku finally could enjoy the comfort of his apartment, since the current version of his Security and Silencer Seals hadn't been broken yet by whoever was breaking them for 'practice'. He was sure it was Dragon, but he had no proof. They had already held out for one month and kept Guy and his loud voice out of the safety of his apartment.

Although he still woke up early during the days he was in Konoha for morning training with Guy, he didn't want to tempt fate that the hellish acolyte of Youth would try to break through his apartment walls with the Eight Gates. And it was a very good workout, one of the areas he could still steadily improve.

Well, the warm and safe shower was at least his plan for today before he got stopped in the middle of the street. By a kid with black eyes, black long hair, reminding Tekku a bit of a duck butt. The kid wore blue and black clothes with the symbol of a white and red fan on it—the insignia of the Uchiha Clan.

With an exhausted deadpan expression, Tekku looked at the boy, already realizing where this was going. 'Fuck... Why me?'

"Train me," is all Sasuke said as he stared at Tekku with arrogance.

- Shinobi - Shinobi - Shinobi - Shinobi -

AN: If you enjoyed the Chapter, please leave some Power Stones. It helps!

- Shinobi - Shinobi - Shinobi - Shinobi -

For 10+ more advanced Chapters visit P_a_t_r_e_o_n.com/QuillArcher

Thank you everyone for your support. It's very much appreciated!