Chapter 10: The Mythical Beast's Gift
The Mountain Top.
Braving the relentless downpour, Liumu arrived at the peak, his spirits high. He glanced around; aside from the roar of the rain, everything was deathly still and completely deserted.
Even so, after a thorough check, Liumu took out the Taotie template, his heart filled with anticipation.
Looking at the majestic depiction of the mythical beast on the card in his hand, Liumu gave it a wave. As a chime sounded in his mind, the card flying through the air suddenly erupted with a blinding, radiant light.
ROOOAAAR!
Under Liumu's stunned gaze, a massive, fur-covered claw stretched out from within the light into the empty air. Then, with a roar that seemed to shake the very heavens, a beast's head resembling that of a true dragon emerged.
The brilliant light continued to swirl. The Taotie beast, its back shimmering with a seven-colored, star-like radiance, fixed its sun-and-moon-like deep pupils on the insect-sized figure of Liumu at its feet.
In the pouring rain, the divine flames that wreathed its form burned even more fiercely, forming a steaming, impenetrable barrier around it.
"Young one…"
The Taotie spoke in human tongue, its voice like rolling thunder, the words carried on a gale-like breath. "Are you the one who summoned this deity?"
Although fused with the Saitama template, Liumu found himself, for some inexplicable reason, completely immobilized by an invisible, overwhelming pressure. He couldn't move a muscle, couldn't even muster the strength to reply.
Liumu might not know the full extent of the Taotie's power, but the one thing he was sure of now was that even he, blessed with the One-Punch Man Saitama template, felt a faint tremor of instinctual fear in its presence.
The Taotie blankly surveyed the gloomy, rain-lashed sky around it. Its tiger-like eyes narrowed slightly, and it let out a low, continuous growl.
"Such a familiar aura… yet, because of my manifestation, the very fabric of space-time here has begun to fracture."
Space-time?
Liumu didn't fully understand. As he stared at this mythical beast that belonged only to ancient legends, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
"You…" Liumu mustered every ounce of his strength to resist the pressure crushing his body. His staggering steps had sunk deep into the mud, yet he still raised his head to ask, "Are you… to be my summoned beast?"
The Taotie template placed the beast in the category of a summon. But recognizing the vast gulf in power between them, Liumu doubted such a creature would willingly submit to his command.
Hearing this, the Taotie slowly inclined its colossal head downwards. Its scorching breath washed over Liumu, instantly evaporating all rainwater in a several-meter radius.
"I do not belong to this realm," the Taotie replied, its voice resonating in Liumu's bones. "Therefore, I cannot serve as your aid."
As expected.
If the summoned beast couldn't help him, then what was the point?
"However…" Just as disappointment began to sink in, a strange light flickered in the Taotie's ancient eyes. "I perceive within you… a potential I find intriguing. But this world is too fragile. My full manifestation would shatter it. Thus, before I depart, I shall bestow upon you a gift."
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He didn't know how much time had passed.
Night had fallen, blanketing the sky. Liumu lay flat on the cliff's edge, letting the cold rain patter against his face.
The appearance of the Taotie had been utterly unexpected. Or rather, he hadn't imagined the template system capable of summoning an entity of such divine, mythical stature.
Thinking of the "gift" the Taotie had left him before vanishing…
Liumu immediately sat up, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes, allowing his mind to gradually settle into perfect stillness.
There was a saying in the myths: the Taotie could devour heaven and earth, feeding on all things. Its belly was like a bottomless abyss, capable of containing the universe.
And what the Taotie had left for Liumu was a fragment of this devouring power.
As a shinobi, aside from the taijutsu granted by the Saitama template, Liumu was not particularly strong. His innate aptitude for ninjutsu and genjutsu was inferior to his peers.
The intricacies of ninjutsu filled Liumu with longing, and the mysteries of genjutsu held a deep fascination for him.
His current self could no longer be said to be lacking in physical prowess—he was peerless. Yet, even so, he possessed a glaring weakness.
And that weakness was his susceptibility to genjutsu, an inescapable vulnerability.
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The cold wind howled. Jiraiya stood outside the cabin in a straw raincoat, watching the colossal chakra vortex—like a tornado—that had formed atop the distant mountain peak. It shook him to his core.
Knowing this phenomenon must be connected to Liumu, he suppressed the shock in his heart. Choosing to remain at this distance, he respected the privacy of his disciple's unique… mystery.
Croak.
With a soft poof, the puddle at Jiraiya's feet exploded into a puff of white smoke. A green-skinned frog with black spots materialized before him.
"Did you find them?" Jiraiya asked, his voice calm.
The frog nodded. It then opened its mouth in a bizarre manner and regurgitated a tightly sealed scroll.
Jiraiya took it, unrolled it, and quickly scanned the contents. A small flame flickered to life in his palm, consuming the message scroll until only ashes remained.
"They… have grown up."
Jiraiya looked up at the rainy sky and sighed, yet a trace of irrepressible pride flickered in his eyes.
The bonds of fate had bound those three together like true siblings. Since they were determined to use their own power to change the tragedy of the Land of Rain, as their teacher, he could only feel a profound sense of satisfaction.
Peace could not be obtained through war alone. Yet, in this world, to achieve peace, war was often an unavoidable, cruel necessity.
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"Yo!"
Early the next morning, Liumu woke on the hard wooden bed, his vision blurry. The first thing he saw was Jiraiya, bags packed, waiting for him.
"Teacher? What's going on?" Liumu asked, confused.
"We are wanderers, my boy! Countless youthful and beautiful sources of… inspiration await this Toad Sage. How can we stay holed up here forever?" Jiraiya gave a lecherous thumbs-up, his smile dripping with meaning. "Let's go, youngster! The path of cultivation is a harsh one."
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The Rainforest.
Two figures, one large and one small, flickered continuously through the dense trees. During a brief pause, Liumu, noticing they were nearing the border of the Land of Rain, asked Jiraiya, "Teacher, do you know of Hanzō of the Salamander, the one they call the 'Demigod'?"
Hearing Hanzō's name from Liumu's lips, a sharp gleam flashed instantly in Jiraiya's eyes.
"You've heard of him too?" Jiraiya turned, his expression now unreadable.
Liumu nodded. "He's incredibly powerful, after all, bearing the title of Demigod."
Jiraiya nodded slowly upon hearing this.
He recalled the first time he, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had fought Hanzō. Even after a prolonged battle, they had found themselves at a disadvantage. Yet, it was also Hanzō's acknowledgment in that very fight that had earned them the title of the "Legendary Sannin," which then echoed throughout the shinobi world.
"Extremely powerful," Jiraiya confirmed, his voice low. "The Land of Rain is his domain. Whether in ninjutsu or strategy, he is a master. And after summoning his salamander… even Orochimaru deeply fears its poison."
Liumu remembered from the original story that Hanzō, to secure his own power in the Land of Rain, would later plot to eliminate the by-then successful Akatsuki organization. It was in that battle that Yahiko would meet his end.
"It's rumored he has a poison sac from the black salamander within his own body. Not only does it grant him immunity to toxins, but he can poison others with his very breath."
Jiraiya seemed to be speaking to himself, lost in thought, his gaze distant and unreadable.
(End of Chapter)
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