Kakashi was worried that when Hong woke up and saw the genius Morkel, she would be emotionally distressed, potentially worsening her condition.
To prevent this, he insisted that Morkel leave the hospital and go home.
Reluctantly, Morkel agreed, but before leaving, he left a message: "Teacher Hong, please inform me when you wake up tomorrow. I want to be the first to apologize to you."
Kakashi nodded but had no intention of calling Morkel until Hong fully recovered.
---
Hong slowly opened her eyes, staring in confusion at the stark white hospital walls surrounding her.
"What happened to me?" she murmured, trying to recall her last memory. "I remember helping Morkel test his new genjutsu, but... why am I lying here?"
A sudden sharp pain surged through her head. "Ahh!" she gasped, clutching her forehead.
Hearing her cries, Kakashi and Asuma quickly summoned the nurse.
After a thorough checkup, the nurse reassured them, "This is a normal reaction to sudden mental trauma. She needs at least two days of complete rest without any emotional distress."
Kakashi's eye twitched. Morkel had been too reckless! Not only had he sent Kurenai to the hospital, but she was now suffering from mental aftereffects!
---
Chapter 71: The Lustful Toad Sage
Hong's condition eventually stabilized, but she no longer mentioned Morkel's name. Asuma, standing by her side, felt his heart ache seeing her like this.
"Kakashi, what your student did was completely unacceptable!" he said angrily.
Kakashi, aware of his responsibility, nodded. "I'll make sure he understands his mistake."
At that moment, Morkel pushed the door open and stepped inside.
As soon as Hong saw him, her face turned pale with fear, and she clung tightly to Asuma like a frightened rabbit.
"D-Devil! I saw the devil!" she cried.
Asuma, his half-smoked cigarette dropping from his lips, glared at Morkel. "You still have the audacity to come here?! Look at what you did to Teacher Hong!"
Morkel looked confused. "I didn't mean to hurt her. She wanted to test my genjutsu, so I gave it my all."
Kakashi remained silent. That was technically true. If they blamed Morkel, wouldn't it make them seem incompetent?
But who could understand their struggle? It wasn't their fault—it was Morkel who was simply too powerful!
Seeing Hong's distress, Kakashi made an excuse and quickly sent Morkel away.
Asuma frowned, still processing what had happened. "Kakashi, how long has Morkel been practicing genjutsu?"
"Three days at most," Kakashi admitted.
Asuma's eyes widened in shock. "Are you kidding me?! Hong, a seasoned jōnin, was completely overwhelmed by a novice? This kid's talent is terrifying..."
After a long silence, Asuma lit a cigarette but quickly put it out, remembering he was in a hospital ward.
Kakashi sighed. "The Third Hokage believes he is Konoha's future. But his talent is difficult to control. We need to find him a proper mentor before his abilities become a liability."
Asuma nodded. "Untrained talent like his could lead to disaster. You need to keep an eye on him."
---
Meanwhile...
Morkel wandered through the streets of Konoha, lost in thought. As he turned a corner, he spotted Naruto sneaking around suspiciously.
"Naruto?! Shouldn't you be training right now? What are you up to?"
Naruto flinched before turning around and sighing in relief. "Oh, it's you, Morkel. That Ebisu guy is so boring. I can't listen to his lectures anymore, so I decided to skip training today!"
Morkel frowned. "The Chūnin Exams are approaching. If you don't train, you'll lose."
"I know, but training without breaks is exhausting. Relaxation is important too!" Naruto argued. "Why don't we go to the hot springs?"
Morkel was about to refuse, but a few minutes later, he found himself sighing contentedly in the warm water. "Ahh, this is great..."
Naruto grinned. "Told you! Too bad Sasuke is too busy training. We could have gotten a group discount..."
Just then, Morkel noticed something suspicious. A white-haired man was crouched near the fence, peeking into the women's bath.
Naruto followed Morkel's gaze and gasped. "Is that guy peeping?!"
Morkel deadpanned. "Isn't it obvious?"
Outraged, Naruto stomped over. "You pervert! How dare you peek at women bathing?!"
Before Naruto could throw a punch, the white-haired man lazily swung an arm, sending Naruto flying ten meters away.
Morkel finally got a good look at him. He was an older man with wild white hair, wooden clogs, and a forehead protector that read "Oil."
"What do you kids want? Don't disturb my research!" the man scolded.
Naruto jumped up, pointing an accusatory finger. "Research?! You're just a pervert!"
The man scoffed and performed a hand sign. A giant toad appeared beneath him, lifting him into the air.
"I am the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku—Jiraiya!"
Morkel and Naruto fell silent.
"Is it really this easy to become a sage nowadays?" Morkel muttered, scratching his head.
Naruto fumed. "I don't care if you're a sage or not, you're still a pervert!"
Determined to teach Jiraiya a lesson, Naruto created two shadow clones and began forming a Rasengan.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "That technique... where did you learn it?!"
"Morkel taught me!" Naruto announced proudly.
Jiraiya stared at Morkel in shock. "A kid your age knows the Rasengan?"
Naruto charged with the Rasengan, but Jiraiya effortlessly dodged. The attack struck a nearby wall, blasting a hole through it.
The screams of angry women erupted from the other side.
Realizing what had happened, Jiraiya took one last peek before grabbing his clothes and bolting.
Naruto, mortified, chased after him. "You're not getting away, you pervert!"
Morkel, still in the bath, sighed. "This guy... he deliberately concealed his chakra. He's definitely not ordinary."
Just as he stood up to get dressed, the bathhouse staff entered.
"Sir, please come with us," one of them said politely.
"Huh? I didn't do anything!"
"You were with the blonde kid, right? He ran off, so you need to pay the damages. And the Konoha Guard has been notified."
Morkel's face darkened. "So Naruto causes trouble, and I have to take the blame?!"
Stuffing some money into the staff's hands, he muttered, "Take it. But forget about the investigation—I had nothing to do with this."
In an instant, he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
---
Outside the bathhouse...
Jiraiya and Naruto finally stopped running.
Jiraiya smirked. "You abandoned your friend back there. Not very loyal, huh?"
"Hmph! Morkel can take care of himself. He even knows the Body Flicker Technique!" Naruto bragged.
Jiraiya froze. "Wait, did you just say Body Flicker Technique?!"
Just then, Morkel appeared behind Naruto and smacked him on the head. "Because of you, I almost got detained!"
Jiraiya, still stunned, turned to Morkel. "Kid, where did you learn the teleportation technique? Did you peek at the Scroll of Seals?!"
Morkel simply smirked. "What do you think?"
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