Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 11: Without a doubt, Danzo's descendant.

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The children living in the orphanage enjoyed a delicious meal.

Ervin's gifts were naturally generous, consisting mostly of various types of meat. For the orphans at Konoha Orphanage, eating meat two or three times a month was considered a luxury, and even then, the portions were often small. This meal was a rare feast for them.

However, Ervin was not in a good mood. His face was gloomy, and he spoke less and less.

"Is the food not to your liking?" Nono observed him carefully. "I'm very sorry. The chef at the orphanage doesn't have the best skills."

If Nono were just an ordinary orphanage director, she wouldn't have felt the need to tread so cautiously, even if Ervin brought valuable supplies.

But unfortunately, running the orphanage wasn't the only Nono's main job. She had another, far more dangerous, part-time role.

Yakushi Nono, an elite spy for Root, had completed countless perilous missions and earned the title "Wandering Miko."

Most of the orphans in the orphanage had the potential to become ninjas, making them a resource pool for Root.

Nono was fully aware of how deep Danzo's darkness ran. Ervin, as his last living relative, could not be treated lightly. Any misstep that earned his dislike could shatter her plans for retirement.

That was why she paid such close attention to every subtle change in Ervin's mood.

"It's nothing," Ervin said with a slight shake of his head. He quickly finished the food in his bowl, set his chopsticks down, and stood up. "Dean Nono, I have training in the afternoon, so I can't stay much longer."

As he rose, Shisui also ended his conversation with the child sitting beside him.

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

"What's your name?"

"Kabuto," the boy answered softly, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"Alright, Kabuto, I'll come visit you next time," Ervin said with a smile before leaving with Shisui and the accompanying ninja.

Despite spending half a day at the orphanage, which housed nearly 200 orphans, Ervin only received bond rewards from 20 children, besides Nono and Kabuto.

It was no wonder he was in a bad mood.

Most of the rewards were minor, such as Chakra or basic Chakra attributes.

If the rewards from Nono and Kabuto hadn't been decent, he would have been truly upset.

[Host and Yakushi Nono established a vigilance bond and obtained "Chakra Control Talent (Excellent)"]

[Host and Yakushi Kabuto established a gratitude bond and obtained "Chakra Control Talent (Genius)"]

Chakra control talent might seem minor, but it was actually crucial.

Climbing trees and walking on water were just the basics of Chakra control training. The true challenge lay in achieving precise Chakra output during battle.

In gaming terms, Chakra was like mana. Having a large mana pool allowed for more frequent use of ninjutsu, but it didn't determine the power of the techniques.

The power of ninjutsu depended on multiple factors:

1. The amount of Chakra infused into a single technique.

2. The user's mastery of Nature Transformation.

3. The inherent level of the technique itself.

Chakra control not only determined the maximum Chakra output for a single technique but also significantly influenced the ability to learn higher-level ninjutsu.

Just like Naruto's Wind Style Rasenshuriken, mastering such techniques requires an extremely high level of Chakra control and a strong foundation in Nature Transformation.

After integrating the reward, although Ervin's Chakra control talent had not reached the Ultimate level, it had been significantly strengthened.

With the exception of Tsunade, his Chakra control talent was likely the strongest in the entire ninja world.

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On the way back, Ervin first connected with his "small accelerator" before returning to the Shimura clan to train with Shisui.

Since it was the first day of training, there was no specific teaching content.

Shisui simply asked Ervin to use all his techniques to fight him, intending to gauge his level.

While holding back his full Chakra Nature Transformation, Ervin demonstrated his best skills, leaving Shisui repeatedly amazed.

Shisui reflected that he himself had been far weaker at Ervin's age, only achieving significant growth after awakening the Sharingan.

Particularly impressive was Ervin's swordsmanship—no wonder Danzo had assigned him as the boy's teacher.

As the sun set, the afternoon training session came to an end.

Standing at the gate, Shisui smiled and said, "Ervin, I'll bring the Uchiha family's swordsmanship scroll tomorrow. As for the Body Flicker Technique, I'll teach you that once your swordsmanship reaches a bottleneck. How does that sound?"

Ervin nodded, "I will follow Senpai Shisui's guidance."

It was clear that Shisui was going out of his way to help. Not only was he willing to share the Uchiha family's swordsmanship, but he also planned to teach the famous Body Flicker Technique that had earned him his moniker.

After watching Shisui leave, Izumi, who had been waiting patiently and was starving, thought it was finally time to eat.

However, she was quickly dragged out by Ervin. They visited the vegetable market, where Ervin bought a massive quantity of green peppers and had Aburame Seiji and Yamanaka Ryo help carry them to the orphanage.

Under Nono's puzzled gaze, Ervin, acting like a spoiled dandy, insisted that the orphanage's chef stop preparing dinner and instead serve a "full pepper banquet" that evening.

In Konoha, green peppers were among the most disliked foods, especially by children—and even many adults.

Green peppers had a unique, pungent smell that many found intolerable, similar to how some people reacted to cilantro. Additionally, most of Konoha's cooking methods—boiling or plain steaming—did little to improve their flavor, leaving the already divisive vegetable even less appealing.

The green peppers Ervin had purchased were essentially all the peppers available at the market that day.

Soon, pot after pot of green peppers was placed on the orphanage's dining tables.

As the dean explained the nutritional benefits of green peppers, the children reluctantly stuffed the vegetables into their mouths, their faces filled with discomfort.

Ervin laughed gleefully and announced, "Don't worry! I'll bring even more green peppers next week. Make sure not to waste them!"

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

This outburst was like a spark setting off an explosion. Soon, the entire orphanage was filled with cries and wails. Nono and the caregivers scrambled to console the children, while Yamanaka Ryo and Aburame Seiji stood awkwardly, their mouths twitching uncontrollably.

Their young master… he really had a wicked streak.

He was, without a doubt, Danzo's descendant.

Ervin smiled.

[Congratulations Host...]