"Continue?"
Yuji said it so lightly that it almost sounded like they had just finished a game.
This wasn't child's play.
Arai glanced at Sasori.
He couldn't help recalling the scene earlier, Sasori standing atop a branch, blood dripping beneath him, killing without hesitation.
Two children.
Not yet ten years old.
One cold and arrogant in battle.
The other calm after a brush with death, almost exhilarated by it.
Neither of them resembled ordinary children.
'Was this what people meant by genius?'
Originally, Arai had no intention of agreeing.
This kind of infiltration was too dangerous. He had only planned to take them in once. If they repeated it, Amegakure would inevitably grow cautious. Even if they changed routes and targeted different bases, word would spread.
Once the enemy prepared countermeasures, even an Elite Jonin like him might not be able to bring the two boys back safely.
But then Arai realized something uncomfortable.
His hesitation came from being ordinary. He had climbed to Elite Jonin through steady effort.
But compared to the potential of Yuji and Sasori…
His limit was already visible. Theirs was not.
"Alright," Arai said at last.
The Sunagakure shinobi nearby nearly choked.
Again?
Yuji being reckless was one thing.
But Lord Arai agreeing?
As a core combat force of the village, he knew the risks better than anyone.
"This one doesn't count," Sasori said suddenly, fixing his gaze on Yuji. "I'll beat you properly next time."
Despite killing more, he understood Arai's evaluation had been fair. This time, he would execute perfectly.
Using Yuji's method.
He would leave no room for argument.
"You can try," Yuji replied lightly.
Arai raised a finger.
"Neither of you will act recklessly. Especially you, Sasori. You follow my instructions completely."
Sasori didn't respond. But he didn't object either.
"Let's move."
After a brief exchange with the border guards, Arai led the two along another section of the frontier.
The earlier clash would likely be dismissed by Amegakure as routine harassment. Small skirmishes between the two sides were common.
However, the bases along that particular route would certainly tighten security. Sneaking in there again would be impossible.
So they changed direction.
The border stretched vast and uneven. As long as news hadn't fully circulated, there were still gaps to exploit.
Watching them leave, the Sunagakure shinobi exchanged uneasy glances.
Eight years old.
When they themselves had been eight, their missions had involved escorting villagers or delivering supplies.
Not this. And certainly not during the height of the Ninja World War.
Perhaps this battlefield was the harsh soil from which true prodigies grew.
...
As they traveled, Yuji silently summoned his system interface.
After the fighting in the rear and the recent infiltration, his experience totals now read:
[Positive Experience: 521]
[Negative Experience: 203]
Two hundred of those positive points had come from treating Sasori, a plot-significant character.
Most of his earlier accumulation had already been spent on unlocking the Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel.
The bulk of his current gains came from the major clash between Sunagakure and Amegakure. The two months of training under Arai had yielded comparatively little.
That was why he viewed war as opportunity.
The numbers made it clear: For a medical-nin, Positive Experience accumulated far faster than Negative Experience.
And saving lives generated more growth than killing.
It made sense.
The system revolved around being a doctor.
Healing was primary. Killing was secondary.
Even so, both forms of experience were usable.
Positive Experience unlocked restorative techniques, supportive tools, medical enhancements.
Negative Experience unlocked more… dangerous methods.
But even those were still rooted in medicine.
For example, poisons. Techniques that induced illness. Hallucinatory abilities that disrupted the mind.
Methods capable of interfering with, or even removing, internal organs.
Negative Experience allowed Yuji to walk a very different path. If he chose to, he could evolve into something far darker, a black-market doctor with no moral boundaries.
With that thought, Yuji focused inward and began browsing the abilities available for exchange.
The stronger the ability, the higher the cost.
For reference, both the Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel, each A-rank, had cost around 150 points.
He currently had 203 Negative Experience points.
That meant he could afford something slightly above standard A-rank level.
The reason he had urged Arai to continue the mission was simple, he needed more Negative Experience.
Both types of experience were valuable to him.
"Given the current mission… the ideal ability should focus on assassination," Yuji thought calmly. "It needs to complement my fighting style. Otherwise, even a powerful skill would be wasted."
He scrolled mentally through the system interface for a long time.
Then he stopped.
Two linked abilities caught his attention.
Wires – Allows the user to affix nearly invisible silk threads to fixed points and manipulate thrown blades for precision strikes.
Cutting Knives Waltz – By controlling silk threads with the fingers, the user can execute difficult-to-detect assassinations or remotely control throwing knives midair.
(Origin: Belphegor, Reborn!)
Yuji raised an eyebrow internally.
"The system must consider knife control compatible with the 'doctor' profession…"
It wasn't hard to see the connection.
Belphegor's throwing knives weren't so different from scalpels.
But what truly interested Yuji wasn't the reference.
It was the mechanics.
This combination skill functioned very similarly to Chakra Threads, except that instead of controlling puppets, it controlled blades.
More importantly, he could manipulate scalpels midair.
Strike unseen.
It was almost like a simplified version of sword-control techniques from fantasy novels.
Perfect for stealth and assassination.
"Though as a medical-nin, Negative Experience accumulates slower… and the price is higher," Yuji muttered inwardly.
The system wasn't subtle.
If he wanted to walk the path of an angel, Positive Experience would be easier.
If he chose to become a devil… he would pay more.
After system assimilation, the skill would be classified as ninjutsu. It wouldn't reach S-rank, still A-rank tier, but the cost was 200 points.
[Congratulations, Host. You have acquired the combined skill Wires and Cutting Knives Waltz. The ability has been assimilated into Ninjutsu.]
Yuji didn't hesitate.
He made the exchange.
What convinced him most was that this technique consumed minimal chakra. Even after assimilation, prolonged use wouldn't drain him heavily.
It functioned more like advanced ninja tool manipulation than raw ninjutsu output.
Previously, his scalpel relied almost entirely on close-quarters taijutsu.
At the Academy, his projectile and ninja tool scores had barely scraped by.
Even though he had trained since childhood, most of his focus had gone toward strengthening his body and expanding his chakra reserves.
No one could excel at everything.
As someone aiming to become a medical-nin, he had prioritized survival and support. Direct frontal combat wasn't supposed to be his role.
But now, that limitation was gone.
Yuji reached into his pouch and pulled out a thin bundle of wire.
Piano wire.
Almost invisible in dim light.
He glanced sideways at Sasori.
Both of them controlled threads with their fingers. The difference was simple.
Sasori used chakra threads to manipulate puppets. Yuji would use physical wire to manipulate blades.
He had no intention of becoming a puppeteer.
But he was from Sunagakure. Knowing a thread-based technique wouldn't raise suspicion. He could simply call it a self-created ninjutsu.
"I'll just use you as my cover," Yuji thought with a faint smile.
Sasori felt his gaze and looked over coldly.
Yuji smiled at him.
Sasori's expression didn't change.
In his mind, the two of them were still rivals.