Sealing Jutsu Sensei

"Lord... Lord Orochimaru! I was tricked into this! If you want to blame someone, blame the store owner. He's just too cunning, actually..."

Anko, feeling guilty for being caught, shuddered at the sight of the long-haired figure and instinctively tried to explain.

But when she turned around, she realised it wasn't the Orochimaru she had imagined, but rather a tall woman with long, light-yellow hair and round glasses.

"Ah, sorry, sister! I mistook you for someone else..."

Anko quickly apologised.

"It's alright."

The woman with glasses was none other than Nonō Yakushi, who had been transferred to this store by Natsuhiko to help out.

She smiled gently, but her mind was still on the "Lord Orochimaru" Anko had just mentioned. In her head, the image of the sinister man who often appeared by Danzo's side flashed.

So, Orochimaru has taken on another disciple...

However, this seemed to have no bearing on her mission.

After making a mental note of this potentially helpful information, Nonō returned to the conversation.

"So, sister, why are you looking for me?" Anko asked at just the right moment.

Nonō squatted down, placing her hands on her knees to make eye contact with Anko. With a gentle smile, she said:

"Hello. I saw how absorbed you were, so I wanted to ask if you'd like to try playing this game yourself."

"I would love to..." Anko instinctively wanted to agree, but soon, her face fell as she shook her head.

"...But I still have to go home and do my homework."

"If I don't finish, my teacher and mom will be disappointed."

"It's impressive that you're so considerate of them."

Nonō smiled warmly. "But you look a bit tired. You've probably been studying non-stop lately, haven't you?"

When Anko hesitated and nodded, Nonō added, "Actually, the owner of this store is also a very skilled teacher."

"He once told me about the importance of balancing work and rest."

"In simple terms, taking breaks while studying or working can be more effective than just burying your head in work."

"Is that really true, sister?" Anko asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

Could something this good really exist where playing games could improve study efficiency?

"Of course, it's true."

Nonō's eyes crinkled in a smile. "In fact, the owner used this principle last semester at the Ninja Academy, and many students made great progress."

"If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself."

Nonō's words tempted Anko, but her excitement quickly cooled.

She patted her pants pockets, frowning.

"Ah, but I didn't bring any money..."

To her surprise, Nonō's following words were like music to her ears.

"That's okay. The store just opened, and during this two-month promotion period, you can try the games for free."

"Free!? And for a whole two months!?"

Anko's eyes widened in astonishment.

Now, she believed that the store's owner was indeed a teacher at the Ninja Academy because clearly, he wasn't much of a businessman.

Anko finally made up her mind to experience the magic of balancing work and play firsthand.

It wasn't the free trial that convinced her.

She had a feeling this store would be gone soon, so she wanted to play as much as possible before it closed.

Nonō took her by the hand and led her to an empty gaming machine nearby.

Poor Anko. She still didn't understand that the most expensive things in life were the ones that came free.

...

After a while.

Nonō helped Anko set up an account and guided her through a few levels of the game. Once she saw that Anko had grasped the basics, she said her goodbyes and left.

By then, Anko was fully immersed in the game, Mokuton Battle Against Zombies, a game far ahead of its time. She didn't even hear Nonō's parting words.

Nonō, accustomed to such scenes, smiled slightly and walked away.

She hadn't gone far when a figure in a white coat appeared in front of her.

"It seems like you've gotten more and more comfortable with the work here, Nonō."

Natsuhiko, who had been observing Nonō's performance the entire time, didn't hold back his praise.

"Indeed, putting you in charge of this game centre aimed at children was the right choice."

"Thanks to you, this store has quickly gotten on track."

"You're too kind, boss."

Nonō smiled humbly. "It's your invention, the gaming machines and the games, that truly attract people. Even without me, the results wouldn't be much different."

Natsuhiko waved his hand. "You're too modest, Nonō."

"While my inventions have made this place a decent game centre, it's your assistance that has turned it into a place all the kids truly love—a perfect game centre."

Though Natsuhiko's words sounded exaggerated, they were not far from the truth.

He genuinely believed Nonō was a competent subordinate.

After all, she had only recently joined his tavern as a waitress but quickly stood out and took over the management of one of his branches, thanks to her strong charisma and rapidly growing business skills.

It was Nonō, after all, who handled everything in the Konoha game centre except for the machines themselves.

Only someone as in tune with children's aesthetics as Nonō could have designed this fairytale-like game centre.

While the style differed significantly from the game centres Natsuhiko had known in his previous life, and though he didn't quite appreciate this aesthetic, seeing the joyful and relaxed faces of the kids confirmed Nonō had made the right choice.

At least this place hadn't turned into the chaotic, cult-like gathering the tavern had initially become.

Thus, Natsuhiko was very pleased with Nonō's performance.

However, the more capable Nonō was, the more helpless Natsuhiko felt.

After all, at her core, she was still Danzo's subordinate, a pawn placed by him at Natsuhiko's side.

So, despite being a great help now, she could one day turn into a dagger aimed at him by Danzo!

Even if Natsuhiko never gave her the opportunity, it would be a shame if Danzo decided to pull her out of the game.

After all... Nonō was truly useful.

In fact, she could be compared to Kabuto Yakushi, who would later inherit her glasses.

Though she didn't show off, she was a rare talent, learning everything quickly.

However, without any "cheats," her potential was somewhat limited, making her more suitable as a second-in-command, an SSR-level support-type talent.

It was a pity that that damned Danzo had taken both Nonō and Kabuto to serve as spies.

Such a waste of talent!

That's why Natsuhiko had long made up his mind to poach Nonō—and even the future Kabuto—from Danzo.

To recruit both mother and son.

From the story and his own experience with Nonō, Natsuhiko knew that convincing her to switch sides wasn't impossible.

However, to successfully steal her away from Danzo, there was one critical obstacle.

That was the cursed seal controlling Nonō—no, the Curse Mark.

For some time now, Natsuhiko had been extracting Nonō's chakra under the guise of testing games and then studying the seal's formula.

Although he hadn't fully mastered the seal's workings, he was confident that he could remove the one on Nonō's body.

Yet, he hadn't done so.

The curse mark contained Danzo's chakra, and if it were removed, Danzo would quickly notice.

It was easy to imagine how furious Danzo would be upon learning that his controlling seal had been broken.

That would only lead to a deathmatch between the two.

Natsuhiko, still in his growth phase, had no desire to provoke a fully able, Kage-level Danzo.

So, even though he could remove the mark, he couldn't act rashly.

However, as Nonō's importance continued to grow, this issue needed a swift resolution.

And Natsuhiko planned to solve it through his area of expertise—further research into the curse mark.

Unfortunately, there was no more helpful information to extract from the seal on Nonō's body.

So, he would need to obtain more curse mark samples like Nonō's or acquire more knowledge about the technique itself.

As for the former, Natsuhiko had no leads for now. But as for the latter...

He happened to have a way to gain access to such knowledge...

(End of Chapter)

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