Uchiha Ling was pondering how to deal with Gennō, whether to let him go or tell the Third Hokage to let Konoha handle it.
"Awoooo~~~!!"
A desolate wolf howl echoed through the forest, followed by a chorus of howls.
Were there wolves in the Death Forest? Ling didn't know; she had never encountered any before. Insects and snakes were the most common inhabitants.
However, hearing the wolf howl, Ling thought of a good idea and subtly glanced at Gennō, who was feigning panic.
He was playing the part quite well. As expected of Yanyang Village's ace spy, he was a master of mechanisms and traps himself, truly a remarkable individual from the Second Great Shinobi War era.
"Mr. Gennō, don't worry. Although I'm a Ninja Academy Student and haven't graduated yet, I will protect you."
Ling took out a Kunai and stood in front of Gennō. She was testing whether Gennō would attack her, which would determine her attitude towards him afterward.
Looking at the girl standing in front of him, exposing her back defenselessly, a flicker of struggle passed through Gennō's eyes, but in the end, he didn't attack.
Ling had actually already used the Escaping Rabbit Body Replacement Technique. What remained in her place was just a pile of Escaping Rabbits, precisely to guard against Gennō's sneak attack.
Soon, a dozen gray wolves emerged from the forest. Leading them was a giant wolf with snow-white fur, standing two meters tall at the shoulder, with a strong Chakra fluctuation emanating from its body.
"Mr. Gennō, be careful. This Wolf King is a Ninja Beast and is very dangerous."
Ling pretended to be a Ninja Academy Student, showing a hint of fear, her legs trembling, but she still protected Gennō, the 'ordinary person,' behind her.
Gennō was somewhat moved. This lovely young girl, despite her extreme fear, still didn't give up on protecting him, making him feel that not directly attacking and killing her was the correct decision.
In reality, he didn't harbor much hatred for Konoha Village. He was merely a Ninja, completing his Village's mission.
But when Yanyang Village was breached by Takigakure Village a few years ago, his mission abruptly ended. He seemed to have been on standby for several years, waiting for his Village's orders.
However, he had long been tired of war. He knew his Village had been destroyed, was gone, and his family members had all died in the war, his son too. He was merely like a puppet.
Perhaps only that unfinished mission from the past was what kept him alive. Although his Village was destroyed, the mission wasn't completed, so how could he die?
The reason he hadn't detonated the Exploding Tags he had set up years ago was because he needed this mission as support, to give himself a reason to exist.
Ninja in the Ninja World all seem to be searching for the meaning of their existence. Some are for their Village, some for their clan, some for peace, but there will always be a reason to support themselves in this dark and cold Ninja World.
Losing the meaning of one's existence, or rather, one's belief, means that a Ninja no longer deserves to exist.
Of course, a small number of Ninja do not follow this rule but instead get lost in money, beauty, or slaughter.
Gennō knew that the meaning supporting his existence was extremely false. He experienced extreme pain and hatred, but in the end, he found peace or became numb.
This false mission had kept him painfully alive for over thirty years, and finally, when he saw Naruto, who greatly resembled his son, he was liberated.
The Wolf King did not choose to attack immediately. Its intuition told it that the two people in front of it both posed a deadly threat.
Although this Wolf King looked powerful, its strength was only at the Genin level. To kill it, Ling could dispatch it with one Ninjutsu or one strike, but Ling was merely acting.
Such opportunities to practice acting were rare. Ling might have a performative personality; she was completely immersed in the act.
But Gennō wasn't. After a moment of thought, he decided to let the little girl leave first; he could easily escape later.
If this little girl continued to stay here, not only would he have to work hard to act, but the little girl might also be in mortal danger.
At that point, whether to save her or not, if he saved her, he would be exposed; if he didn't save her, and the little girl died, he would feel a pang of conscience.
"Little girl, thank you for protecting me, but you should leave quickly. You might be able to escape and save your life alone."
Gennō was also a good actor. Although he wasn't very good at combat and killing, his acting, as well as his skills in mechanisms, trap-making, and carpentry, were all maxed out.
"I won't leave, Mr. Gennō. I will protect you."
Ling was a people-pleaser; when someone played along with her, she couldn't help but start a dramatic performance. It was a pity for her talent; if she had gone to Hengdian in her previous life, she would have at least become a background extra.
Gennō's expression almost broke. Looking at the girl whose legs were trembling like sieves and who was drenched in sweat, his face softened again.
People who can't find meaning in their existence often lack a firm choice from others. While this makes them distrustful, when such people are moved by love, they will reciprocate even more.
Ling didn't study psychology for nothing in her previous life. For the Ninja World, a world that produces mental illnesses and various psychological disorders, it was practically a special attack on Ninja.
The Wolf King looked at Ling's fearful expression with some doubt. Could the threat this little girl posed to it be false?
So, it let out a roar, commanding three gray wolves to collectively attack Ling, intending to test her true strength and avoid wasting time here.
These three giant gray wolves, perhaps due to the unique factors of the Ninja World, even as ordinary beasts, had a shoulder height of over one meter and a body length of nearly two meters, with sharp claws and teeth.
The three giant wolves simultaneously leaped from three directions, directly pouncing on Uchiha Ling, whose legs were trembling.
Gennō's heart was pounding, even more exhilarating than when he himself was surrounded by giant wolves. He was conflicted about whether or not to make a move.
Ling, of course, didn't care. She didn't even activate her Sharingan; the swift movements of these giant wolves were like slow-crawling turtles in her eyes.
However, she still had to pretend to barely cope. If Gennō didn't make a move, she would have to create various accidental scenarios where she killed the three giant wolves through sheer luck.
"You, don't come any closer!" Ling first closed her eyes, retreated a few steps diagonally backward, and randomly swung the Kunai in her hand.
Eventually, the giant wolf on the right was accidentally struck in the throat by Ling's blind, wild swing, dying miserably.
The giant wolf on the left, due to Ling's clever footwork, could only wave its claws in the air, trying to grab Ling, but only managed to tear a corner of her clothing.
And Ling's retreat also caused the two giant wolves in the air to collide with another wolf's corpse.
The three giant wolves tumbled like rolling gourds, and in the end, only two giant wolves stood up. Then, the two giant wolves fiercely dug into the ground, dirt flying, and then rapidly attacked again.
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