Back at Team One's base, the "three beasts" were practically bowing nonstop to the freshly bandaged ninja.
"Dude, I mean, why'd you run off? If you hadn't taken off like that, how could things get worse?" Rope, with his unique apology skills, went first.
Orochimaru immediately jumped in after hearing these words: "Though it might sound a bit offensive, I have to say this—if you had kept running for another couple of minutes, you might've run out of chakra and collapsed completely."
"Cough cough," the injured ninja, who was listening to the two's "sincere" apologies, suddenly felt a sweet taste rising in his throat.
He thought he'd die from anger before he bled out.
"???" x2
Shen and Nayou, whose emotional intelligence had slightly improved, were completely stunned by these "heartfelt" expressions of regret. Both covered their faces, pretending not to know these two low-EQ individuals.
Totally unaware of what was happening, Rope and Orochimaru continued taking turns criticizing the man for running away.
Their words sounded sincere, but combined with what had just happened, it felt utterly absurd.
Unable to bear it any longer, the injured ninja lifted his head and shouted at the emotionally challenged pair, "Cough cough—can you blame me when you chased after me with that look on your faces!"
"Sorry, Uncle. My teacher and teammate aren't exactly firing on all cylinders mentally—please don't get too worked up," Shen, who actually had decent EQ, sincerely apologized, fearing the two might say something else to provoke the man further.
Of course, no one in Team One actually gave a damn about his health—they all knew Shen was only thinking about not letting the mission trail go cold.
Hearing this, the injured ninja felt a warm glow in his heart: "It's okay, cough cough. After all, you're here to help me, so how could I possibly hold anything against you?"
Shen raised his eyebrows while looking at Rope and Orochimaru, his face filled with smugness.
The self-satisfied grin on his face made the duo feel as if they'd swallowed flies whole.
"Cough cough," Nayou, standing aside anxiously, reminded the swollen-headed one.
An inflated Shen turned around puzzledly at the cough, and within less than a second, he suddenly looked as if he'd just caught on to something.
Switching to an innocent-looking expression, he said, "Ah, Uncle, do you know where the Sword of Kusanagi is?"
Wow! The remaining three members of Team One exclaimed internally.
This was the first time any of them had ever seen someone drop the act so openly.
Worried things were about to spiral, the other three shot him furious looks.
When the wounded ninja heard such a direct question, he began coughing again: "Cough cough, kid, what do you want with it?"
"No particular reason really—we were just traveling through the shinobi world when we heard rumors you had intel on it, so we figured why not swing by? If you don't know anything, then forget it—we're just curious to see the legendary Sword of Kusanagi with our own eyes." Shen's subtle move of pretending indifference was pure genius.
However, sensing three hostile gazes fixed upon himself, he couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth slightly.
Generally speaking, when faced with a child's logically explained statement, most people wouldn't instinctively choose to doubt it. After all, curiosity is simply part of a child's nature.
As for the low-empathy group—wait, make that trio—their habit of being bossy wasn't necessarily a bad thing. But their know-it-all attitudes often rubbed people the wrong way.
This was an ingrained belief formed over time by people living in powerful nations. It wasn't that they lacked understanding—it was more that they projected their own mindset onto everyone else. That's the deeply rooted worldview of the strong.
However, if we consider the perspective of someone who had once lived through reincarnation—an outsider soul reborn into this world—the outcome would be different. Since he'd lived through what ordinary people go through just to survive, he was pretty good at avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings.
So upon hearing these words, the injured ninja didn't show any sign of disgust. Instead, looking at Team One, he started to feel conflicted.
Within seconds, he seemed to have made a decision. His expression slightly awkward, he said, "So that's how it is. But I might disappoint you—I've already handed over the Sword of Kusanagi to that lord."
"That lord?" Shen asked, puzzled.
"???", the low-empathy trio reacted simultaneously.
The trio finally realized this man was putting on another act. With mixed feelings, they calmed themselves and waited patiently for him to volunteer the mission details.
The injured ninja's face returned to normal as he slowly continued, "Because this land lies on the border of the Land of Fire, it has long suffered from constant warfare. Then last month, that lord arrived here."
After saying that, he seemed lost in thought, as if recalling old memories. Keeping his head lowered so Team One couldn't see his face.
A moment later, as if mustering courage, he lifted his gaze again and continued, "That lord claimed he could end these endless conflicts, so I—alone and desperate—pledged my loyalty and handed over the Sword of Kusanagi to him. As for the result..."
His face instantly turned pale. Glancing at the three teens of Team One, he shook his head—implying he had no choice but to believe 'that lord.'
Shen didn't fully trust the story after hearing it—but neither did he dismiss it entirely.
Now knowing where the Sword of Kusanagi was, he quickly switched into an excited-child persona: "That's fantastic! The lord you mentioned—who can end the conflicts here—doesn't sound like a bad person at all. Can we pay him a visit?"
"Of course, let's go right now!" The injured ninja seemed overly eager, agreeing wholeheartedly with a smile the entire time.
"There's something off. He definitely concealed some key information. Why did he agree without hesitation to take us to meet that lord? Forget his earlier hesitation while telling the story—look at his facial expression just now—it clearly showed a trace of excitement." Shen instantly completed his micro-expression analysis and thought to himself.
Still, he decided to humor the man for now: "Great then, mister—we'll head out together!"
"Good, good, good. Mister will take you there right away," said the wounded ninja, seemingly satisfied with his achieved goal as he turned around.
The hint of relief that flashed across his face the second he turned around didn't go unnoticed by a certain humanoid computer.
"Everyone, let's go! By following this uncle, we'll get to see the legendary Sword of Kusanagi!" Shen took the lead, walking right behind the injured ninja. His hands were quickly making gestures behind his back.
"Plan A again—complete our goal and retreat safely? Plan B—if he shows any resistance, subdue him immediately?"
Nayou and Orochimaru understood what those hand signals meant, but poor Nawaki had a pounding headache watching those fingers moving back and forth.
"Shhh," Orochimaru put a finger to his lips, signaling the clueless one to stay quiet for now.
Feeling utterly frustrated, Nawaki swallowed his questions. More and more, he felt like a complete outsider in Team One.
He stared intensely at the back of his nemesis, the grievance in his eyes almost taking solid form.
But you couldn't really blame Shen either. After all, as a ninja, this basic method of communicating through hand signals was essential training. If someone hadn't mastered it by the time they became Chunin, it was their own fault.
Come to think of it, it seemed like Nawaki hadn't actually attended classes for more than just a few days. Even his written Chunin Exam paper had been added by someone trying to pawn off the responsibility.
So did that mean this troublemaker really had to take the blame?
(Shen: What does this have to do with me? Look at this pot—it's big and round. How about we pass it on to Potter instead?)
Under the protagonist's "kind-hearted" gaze, the author—happily but reluctantly—dumped yet another pot onto Potter's back.
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