As it turned out, Mitarashi Anko's resolve wasn't quite as steely as she claimed.
After sixty laps, she couldn't keep up.
It wasn't that she physically couldn't run anymore; it was simply that after working up an appetite, the scent of sweets drifting from the village arrested her steps, bringing her training plan to an abrupt halt.
Masahiko ignored her and continued running on his own.
Invincible below the level of Jonin?
It sounded impressive on paper. But in reality, within this ninja world, even Jonin were nothing more than glorified cannon fodder in the great wars to come—let alone those beneath them.
If he satisfied himself with the status quo, how would he be any different from those parasites in the Hyuga clan?
Besides, he had an additional agenda.
Today, he was gradually altering his running route.
Originally, his path simply circled the perimeter of the Konoha walls. Now, after making adjustments, he was slowly incorporating the roads near the Konoha Military Police Force and the Uchiha clan compound into his circuit.
By expanding his range, he increased the likelihood of a "chance encounter" with Sasuke or Shisui.
Previously, Masahiko had to tread carefully around Danzo's suspicions. But now that he was operating under official orders, he had no need to fear.
Furthermore...
Masahiko had come to a realization.
Techniques and skills could be acquired through the System, but when it came to his physical body, unless he obtained a specific Kekkei Genkai, sudden mutations or upgrades were unlikely.
Physical training cannot stop!
However, reflecting on his spar with Anko, Masahiko realized more than ever that he lacked a definitive finishing move—a true "sure-kill" technique.
The Dance of the Crescent Moon was simply insufficient.
The first technique that came to mind was, naturally, the Rasengan. As he ran, he pondered how to rationalize bringing out the Rasengan in a way that wouldn't raise flags.
The best method was simple: "Borrowing."
He knew the end result and the training process. He could use that knowledge to study, reverse-engineer, and devise a training method distinct from Jiraiya's approach.
Ideally, he would integrate Water Style nature transformation into it directly...
Even if it was just a preliminary integration, it would be enough to claim the technique was "self-created."
Masahiko calculated his next moves deep in his heart.
After another dozen laps, he finally reached his physical limit. He forced himself to walk a short distance to cool down before stopping to rest in a grove of trees.
At that moment, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from the road outside, followed closely by a shout.
"Kiba! I finally found you!"
Naruto arrived, gasping for air.
To ambush Kiba, Naruto had truly put his life on the line today, sprinting almost non-stop. He was honestly impressed with himself.
Inuzuka Kiba saw Naruto and reigned in Akamaru, who was still excitedly trying to run. He looked at Naruto with a confused expression. "You were looking for me?"
"Yeah, there's something I wanted to ask you," Naruto said with a sheepish grin.
"What is it?" Kiba scratched his head.
In the past, Naruto's grades were inferior to his in every way, so Kiba had always looked down on him slightly. But recently, Naruto's Taijutsu had improved drastically, catching up with a ferocity that changed Kiba's perception. His attitude was no longer as dismissive as before.
Still, their friendship was mostly built on skipping class together. If the question didn't involve clan secrets, he wouldn't be stingy.
Naruto lowered his voice. "It's like this... I wanted to ask about kicking dogs..."
The look in both Kiba and Akamaru's eyes changed instantly.
Dog lovers could not tolerate such words!
Naruto hurriedly waved his hands. "Not actually kicking them!"
"I still have to walk Akamaru. Get to the point!" Kiba said impatiently.
"I kicked at it because it was barking at me," Naruto explained. "I was scared, so I lashed out to scare it back. But it ran away after just one kick. Why is that?"
Hearing this, Kiba roughly understood the situation. He looked Naruto up and down, genuinely amazed. "You actually used your brain?!"
After his initial surprise, Kiba's interest was piqued. He picked up Akamaru and began walking as he explained.
"Domesticated dogs and cats—excluding trained Ninja Hounds or hunting dogs—generally won't bite unless they are cornered or provoked to the extreme."
"If they bark, it's usually just because they're afraid of you. If you kick at them, naturally, they'll run away."
Kiba laughed and patted Naruto on the head. "Using your brain is a good thing, but try thinking about something more meaningful next time. I'm leaving."
"Huh? Let's go together! Let's chat some more!" Naruto quickly scrambled to follow him.
Once the two had left, Masahiko stepped out from the shadows of the forest. He watched their retreating figures, the corners of his mouth curling upward into a profound, inscrutable smile.
Overhearing them hadn't been intentional, but stepping out at that exact moment was entirely deliberate.
After so many episodes, Masahiko had grasped the laws of editing.
By acting this way, he could definitely snag a "Villain Cut."
For the sake of exposure, he was giving it his all.
Upon returning home, a notification chime rang in Masahiko's ear, followed by the familiar text refreshing and floating before his eyes.
[Filming for "Naruto: The Prequel" - Episode 6 Complete!]
[Editing in progress...]
[Production Successful!]
[Total Screen Time: 13 minutes 46 seconds]
[Lens Share: 65.5%]
[As a Villain Character, your screen time exceeded 60%. Your Reward Pool has been expanded. There is a probability of obtaining Kekkei Genkai, Secret Arts, Advanced Training Modules, etc.]
[Notice: "Naruto: The Prequel" will be broadcast at 8:00 PM tonight...]
Holy crap?
Masahiko was genuinely shocked. He hadn't expected his screen time percentage in Episode 6 to be this high.
It was nearly two-thirds of the entire episode!
But after a moment of surprise, he mentally tallied the events of the past few days and understood.
The scenes with Shisui and Danzo likely took up the bulk of the runtime. Following that was his psychological manipulation—his "guidance"—of Naruto today.
When pieced together, these plot points indeed commanded a massive portion of the narrative.
Seeing the reward notification, Masahiko couldn't hide his delight and anticipation.
Kekkei Genkai... Advanced Training Modules...
Sure enough! These high-tier rewards required boosting his screen time percentage. The only question now was the drop rate...
I just hope this System doesn't have the rigged drop rates of a pay-to-win gacha game.
Regardless, his understanding and control over the "System" were growing stronger. After this, achieving over 60% again wasn't out of the question.
A Kekkei Genkai...
Although he knew the probability of drawing one wasn't high, Masahiko couldn't help but fill with hope, fantasizing that perhaps today, luck was on his side.
At 8:00 PM.
Masahiko, rarely having nothing to do, sat before the "Light Screen," waiting for the refresh.
A moment later, the screen popped up.
At the start, there weren't many comments—mostly generic "I'm here" or "First" check-ins.
It wasn't until the scene with Shisui aired that the activity spiked.
"Whoa? Is this scheming teacher actually that strong?"
"There was a line earlier mentioning he was promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin (Special Jonin), but to be able to discuss the Body Flicker Technique on equal footing with Shisui... his shunshin must be insane!"
"Setting aside his role's alignment, Teacher Masahiko is actually really inspiring."
As the scene of the two discussing jutsu played, the bullet comments (danmu) flooded the screen. Since the broadcast had just started, these were effectively real-time reactions.
"More characters like this, please! Love it!"
After that comment floated by, many others chimed in with agreement. However, there were also voices of opposition, arguing that the protagonist didn't look like a "good guy" and was clearly just using Naruto.
On this point, Masahiko didn't deny anything.
Because in the subsequent plot, the editors would almost certainly expose him.
And sure enough.
The second half of the episode focused on his interaction with Naruto.
Although the viewers on "Blue Star" weren't from Masahiko's original timeline, they possessed powerful internet networks and modern knowledge.
They were all too familiar with gaslighting and manipulation tactics. How could they fail to see that Masahiko was guiding Naruto down a specific path?
Yet, Naruto remained oblivious, his trust in Masahiko visible to the naked eye...
Naturally, many Naruto fans were outraged.
However.
Sitting before a computer screen, Masashi Kishimoto felt more and more that this character and this plotline had immense potential for excavation.
He decided to take a hiatus for one issue to observe the follow-up story before putting pen to paper for the manga's continuation.