A mountain path that takes an ordinary person a day to walk, a Ninja only needs a moment to cover.
Soon, Higashino Shin's group of three encountered the team requesting reinforcements. It was exactly Ritsu's Genin team, but currently, only the two brothers, Yuta and Yuto, were present.
The two of them looked anxious and at a loss.
After seeing Higashino Shin's trio, Yuta looked around but didn't find the main person. He said disappointedly, "Where is your leading Jonin? Why isn't he here?"
Higashino Shin: "Teacher is busy. Did you encounter some danger? Where is Senior Ritsu?"
Yuta couldn't care about anything else at this moment: "Yes, we encountered a powerful black bear. The captain... Captain Ritsu led the black bear 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 and lead the way quickly. Maybe we can still save Senior Ritsu."
Yuta could only agree: "Okay, follow me. Thank you."
Led by the two brothers, the five of them chased in the direction Ritsu had left, soon finding the tracks left by the black bear's large frame as it moved through the forest.
Following the tracks, the group soon arrived at a cave, from which the roars of a black bear and the screams of a human seemed to emanate.
Without a second thought, the two brothers rushed in anxiously. Higashino Shin's trio had identical expressions, as if carved from the same mold; they just sized up the environment 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 stopped simultaneously; it seemed the outcome had been decided.
Yuta and Yuto couldn't help but burst into the fastest speed of their lives, but unfortunately, when they reached the end, they only saw the corpse of a black bear lying on the ground in the dim environment.
Yuta looked around and didn't see Ritsu's body, guessing: "Could it be that the captain won? But where is he?"
Yuto sighed in relief: "That's great, the captain will definitely be fine. There must be another exit here. Let's look for it; the captain is probably injured and needs our help."
Higashino Shin's trio simultaneously turned to look at the two brothers. With such slow reactions, they'd better not be Ninjas in the future—if they even had a future.
"I didn't expect you two to follow me in. Are you worried about me? You really haven't improved at all—no strength, no brains, just this bit of utility value left."
Ritsu's voice suddenly came from behind them.
The two brothers turned around in surprise.
"Captain, you're alive?"
"It's great that you're okay."
After saying that, the two prepared to run toward their captain. If they could have a bromantic hug, it would truly be a happy ending.
Higashino Shin grabbed the two of them: "Aren't you two curious why he appeared behind us?"
"Well, as expected of the top graduate from the Ninja Academy this year, much smarter than my two idiot teammates. If all Konoha Ninjas were like them, it would be great. As for outstanding fellows like you, you really should just die early."
"Captain, what are you talking about?" x2
"Boom, boom, boom~" What answered them was a series of explosions.
While speaking, Ritsu unhesitatingly triggered the trap. The five people inside the cave, including himself, were caught in the explosion of the Explosive Array.
Unfortunately, he was just a Clone, turning into a pile of loose soil after completing the mission.
Earth Release: Earth Clone Jutsu, a type of Clone technique that Iwagakure Ninjas are skilled in. However, it seemed Ritsu's mastery of earth nature transformation wasn't quite there yet; otherwise, what remained after the Clone dispelled should have been a pile of hard rock.
At that level, it wouldn't be an Earth Clone, but the Rock Clone that Tsuchikage Ōnoki is skilled in, which has stronger offensive and defensive capabilities and is very practical.
Being able to use such a distinct style of Ninjutsu, Ritsu's identity was already very clear. Even as slow as the two brothers, Yuta and Yuto, they noticed something was wrong.
Higashino Shin didn't think much. He immediately raised his left hand forward with fingers spread. In an instant, a hemispherical, blue, transparent Chakra shield enveloped the five of them.
Gekkō Hayate and Yūgao Uzuki dragged the two brothers. Protected by the Chakra shield, the five of them ran toward the exit amidst the explosions of Explosive Tags and countless falling rocks.
Fortunately, this cave was quite sturdy and wasn't collapsed by the Explosive Tags. The fire shockwaves and falling rocks hitting the Chakra shield were like falling onto a highly flexible protective film; while they could compress and deform it, they couldn't penetrate.
"Water Release: One Corner of Tranquility."
A defensive Ninjutsu developed by Higashino Shin. Chakra injected with water nature transformation and sprayed from his five fingers became a practical Chakra shield under the constraint of sealing runes.
To develop this series of Ninjutsu, he specifically went to learn the basics of Fuinjutsu.
Are there solidified Chakra shields in the Ninja World?
Yes, brother, there are. The idea for Water Release: One Corner of Tranquility came from Granny Chiyo of Sunagakure's Mechanical Light Shield Seal.
---
"Boom~~"
The sound of explosions inside the cave echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds.
On a distant tree, Ritsu felt the slight vibration and was very satisfied. He muttered to himself with a hint of pride, "Consider it a parting gift. Wiping out the most outstanding class of this year's Konoha graduates will serve as a proper account when I return to the Village."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he discovered Gekkō Hayate and Yūgao Uzuki on the tree ahead, holding their Ninja blades and looking at him with murderous intent.
"You really aren't anything good!" Yūgao Uzuki looked furious. If they hadn't been prepared, they would have been blown to bits by now.
"Shimatta!"
Ritsu realized something was wrong and immediately wanted to flee in another direction, but suddenly felt a pain in the back of his head and lost consciousness, his body falling straight toward the ground.
"Oh my, how dangerous. A 'parting gift'—what an unsettling statement. You scared me into thinking you were going to throw out a Great Spiraling Ring."
The one who appeared behind Ritsu was naturally Higashino Shin. As for the people following the two brothers, they were all transformed from his Shadow Clones.
So, as long as one has sufficient Chakra, various physical Clone techniques are very useful. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Ninjas in the Ninja World cannot afford such luxury.
Gekkō Hayate had grown used to the strange words that occasionally popped out of Higashino Shin's mouth and didn't bother to ask. He went directly to the ground, put on gloves, and quickly searched Ritsu's body, including teeth, collars, sleeve corners, and all other places where poison for suicide might be hidden.
As it turned out, this guy might be an unqualified spy, as he didn't have any of those things. Hayate had no choice but to apply his knowledge, using steel wire to tie him up like a salted fish in various ways.
Seeing the danger cleared, Yūgao Uzuki asked curiously, "Hey, Brother Shin, what is the 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."
Higashino Shin didn't strike heavily, and Ritsu woke up after a short while.
Seeing his situation, he struggled hard, but the more he struggled, the tighter the steel wire became, bringing a burning, cutting pain throughout his body. At this moment, he somewhat regretted not listening to the words of those Seniors.
To be a spy, one must have the resolve to die at any time; otherwise, if captured alive by the enemy, the outcome will only be a hundred times worse than death.
Unfortunately, it was too late for regret. He looked at Higashino Shin: "What an impressive junior. As a reward, kill me. You haven't killed anyone yet, right? Imagine cutting my throat with a blade or piercing my heart—that would be a wonderful feeling."
Ninjas are educated in killing from a young age.
Ritsu's words seemed to be enticing the latent animality in the hearts of the three.
The Ninja World is such a deformed place. Ninjas are taught from childhood not to drink alcohol, not to be lecherous, and not to be obsessed with money before adulthood, but they are allowed to kill.
There are many perverts among the Ninja community—just look at the Hidden Mist to see why. It's because they indulge in slaughter too early, and their Heart-Nature becomes completely twisted in the bloodiness.
Fortunately, Gekkō Hayate and Yūgao Uzuki were well-educated from a young age. Although their hearts felt a bit of a stir, it didn't affect their judgment.
Higashino Shin always knew clearly what he wanted: to become stronger, to have an exciting life, anything really, but certainly not to be a heartless killing machine.
Killing is a means, not an end.
He looked at this bastard who was still trying to dig a hole for them even at death's door: "You want to die more easily, don't you? You don't need to ask us for that; go tell the Anbu yourself."