Chương 44: A Parting Gift

A mountain path that would take an ordinary person a day to traverse can be crossed by a shinobi in a mere moment. Soon, Dongye Zhen and his two teammates encountered the squad requesting aid. It was indeed Ritsu's Genin squad, though currently, only the brothers Yuta and Yuto were present. The two were frantic, appearing completely at a loss. Seeing Zhen's group, Yuta looked around, and failing to find the person he was looking for, he said with disappointment, "Where is your leading Jonin? Why isn't he here?"

Zhen replied, "Sensei is occupied. Are you in some kind of danger? Where is Senior Ritsu?" Yuta could no longer spare time for anything else.

"Yes, we encountered a powerful black bear. The Captain... Captain Ritsu drew it away by himself to save us." His younger brother, Yuto, had already fallen into deep self-reproach.

"It's all because we're too weak. If we were stronger, the Captain wouldn't be in danger. Perhaps... he's already dead by now."

"Stop talking nonsense. Lead the way immediately. We might still be able to save Senior Ritsu." Yuta could only agree.

"Alright, follow me. Thank you." Under the brothers' lead, the five of them gave chase in the direction Ritsu had gone. They soon found the trail left by the massive black bear as it crashed through the forest. Following the tracks, they eventually arrived before a mountain cave. From within, the roars of a black bear and the screams of a human could be heard. Without a second thought, the brothers rushed in anxiously.

The expressions of Zhen and his teammates were identical, as if carved from the same mold; they merely scanned the environment for a moment before following them inside. The cave was quite deep, and the light grew dimmer the further they went. When they were more than halfway through, the roars and screams ceased simultaneously, as if the battle had been decided. Yuta and Yuto couldn't help but burst forward with the greatest speed they had ever shown.

Unfortunately, when they reached the end, they saw only the corpse of a black bear lying on the ground in the gloom. Yuta looked around. Finding no sign of Ritsu's body, he guessed, "Could the Captain have won? But where is he?" Yuto let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great. The Captain must be fine. There must be another exit here. Let's look for it; he's probably injured and needs our help." Zhen and the others turned simultaneously to look at the brothers. With such slow reactions, it would be best for them not to be shinobi in the future—if they even had a future.

"I didn't expect you two to follow them in as well. Were you worried about me? You truly haven't improved at all—no strength, no brains. This is the only value you have left." Ritsu's voice suddenly drifted from behind them. The brothers turned in surprise.

"Captain, you're alive?"

"It's so good that you're okay." The two were about to run toward their captain. Had this been a "happy ending" filled with a brotherly embrace, it would have been quite a story. But Zhen reached out and grabbed both of them.

"Aren't you two even curious why he appeared behind us?"

"Hmph. As expected of the top graduate from the Academy this year. You're much smarter than my two idiot teammates. If only all Konoha shinobi were like them... but for elite types like you, it's better if you die early."

"Captain, what are you saying?" both brothers cried out. Boom! Boom! Boom! Continuous explosions were the only answer they received. As Ritsu spoke, he had unhesitatingly triggered a trap. The five people inside the cave, including Ritsu himself, were caught in a massive blast of explosive tags. However, his body was merely a clone; once its mission was complete, it turned into a pile of loose soil. This story has been stolen from Royal Road.

If you read it on Amazon, please report it Earth Style: Earth Clone Jutsu—a clone technique favored by shinobi from the Hidden Stone Village. However, it appeared Ritsu's mastery over Earth-natured chakra was not quite perfect; otherwise, the clone would have left behind a pile of hard rock upon dispelling. At that level, it wouldn't be an Earth Clone, but the Rock Clone Jutsu mastered by the Tsuchikage Onoki, which possesses even greater offensive and defensive capabilities.

With the use of such a distinct style of ninjutsu, Ritsu's identity was now obvious. Even the dense brothers Yuta and Yuto realized something was wrong. Zhen didn't waste time thinking; he immediately raised his left hand forward, fingers splayed. Instantly, a hemispherical, translucent blue chakra shield enveloped the five of them. Hayate and Yugao dragged the two brothers along.

Under the protection of the chakra shield, the five of them ran toward the exit through the fire of the explosive tags and a deluge of falling rocks. Fortunately, the cave was sturdy enough that it didn't collapse from the blast. The shockwaves of fire and the falling rocks struck the chakra shield like debris hitting a highly flexible protective membrane; while the shield deformed under the pressure, it could not be penetrated.

"Water Style: A Corner of Tranquility." This was a defensive ninjutsu developed by Dongye Zhen. By injecting Water-natured chakra into the discharge from his fingertips and constraining it with sealing formulas, he had created a practical chakra shield. To develop this series of techniques, he had specifically studied the fundamentals of Sealing Jutsu. Does a solidified chakra shield exist in the shinobi world? Yes, it does.

The inspiration for Water Style: A Corner of Tranquility came from Lady Chiyo of the Hidden Sand's Shield of Chakra. BOOM! The sound of the explosion inside the cave echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight. From a distant tree, Ritsu felt the slight tremors and felt quite satisfied. He muttered to himself with a touch of pride, "Consider it a parting gift. Wiping out the most elite squad of this year's graduates... I'll have something to report when I return to the village."

However, just as he turned to leave, he found Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki standing on the tree in front of him, their blades drawn and eyes filled with murderous intent.

"You really aren't anything good!" Yugao's face was flush with anger. Had they not been prepared, they would have been blown to bits.

"Damn it!" Ritsu realized something was wrong and immediately tried to flee in another direction. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and lost consciousness, his body plummeting toward the ground.

"My, how dangerous.

'A parting gift'—what an unsettling thing to say. You scared me; I thought you were going to drop a Great Spiraling Ring on us." The one who appeared behind Ritsu was, naturally, Dongye Zhen. As for the one who had followed the two brothers, that had been a Shadow Clone. With a sufficient reservoir of chakra, various physical clones were incredibly useful techniques; unfortunately, the vast majority of shinobi in the world could not afford such luxury.

Hayate Gekko was used to the strange phrases that occasionally popped out of Zhen's mouth and didn't bother asking. He dropped to the ground, put on gloves, and quickly searched Ritsu's person—including his teeth, collar, and sleeves—for any poison or suicide devices. It turned out the man might be a subpar spy; he lacked such things. Hayate proceeded to use his knowledge to bind him like a salted fish with wire.

Seeing the danger had passed, Yugao asked curiously, "Hey, Zhen-niisan, what is a 'Great Spiraling Ring'? Is it a very powerful ninjutsu?"

"It's Fat Man and Little Boy."

"You're saying things we don't understand again." Zhen hadn't struck too hard, and Ritsu woke up shortly after. Seeing his predicament, he struggled violently, but the more he fought, the tighter the wire became, sending burning, sharp pain through his skin. At this moment, he regretted not listening to his seniors. To be a spy, one must have the resolve to die at any moment; otherwise, if captured alive, the end would be a hundred times worse than death. Alas, regret came too late. He looked at Zhen.

"A truly impressive junior. As a reward, kill me. You haven't killed anyone yet, have you? Imagine it: using a blade to slit my throat or pierce my heart. It will be a wonderful feeling." Shinobi are educated in the art of killing from a young age. Ritsu's words seemed to be an attempt to bait the latent bestial nature in the hearts of the three children.

The shinobi world was such a twisted place; ninja were taught from childhood not to drink, not to indulge in lust, and not to be obsessed with money—yet they were allowed to kill. There are many deviants among the shinobi population—one only needs to look at the Hidden Mist to see why. It is because they immerse themselves in slaughter too early, their minds becoming warped in the bloodshed. Fortunately, Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki had been raised well.

Although they felt a slight stir in their hearts, it did not affect their judgment. Zhen had always known what he wanted: to become strong and live a brilliant life. It wasn't to become a heartless killing machine. Killing was a means, not an end. He looked at the bastard who, even at death's door, didn't forget to dig a hole for them.

"You just want an easy death, don't you? No need to ask us for that. Go talk to the ANBU."