Chapter 136: Land of Wind of the Eight Gates
Hizakawa Sakamoto, from the Xuanyuan Group.
The Xuanyuan Group consisted of five people, each at the Jonin level. They didn't belong to any Ninjavillage, but their fame was widespread.
What people enjoyed talking about most was how they had nearly hunted down the Fourth Raikage.
If Tsunade hadn't happened to be nearby and lent a helping hand, the Fourth Raikage definitely wouldn't have survived.
But even so, it was enough to make one's blood run cold.
In other words, their Xuanyuan Group was the elite among assassins, unlike those ordinary flashy types.
They were higher-end hunters known as 'NinjaHunters,' meaning hunters of Ninjas.
Besides their own formidable strength, they had meticulously bred a type of Explosive Bug comparable in size to a paramecium.
Explosive Bugs entered the body through pores on the skin's surface or through respiration.
When the parasitized Ninja used Ninjutsu, they would absorb Chakra, rapidly expand, and explode.
They were essentially micro-bombs within the micro-world.
Back then, the Xuanyuan Group relied on these Explosive Bugs to nearly take down the Fourth Raikage.
Normally, the Xuanyuan Group acted as a five-man team, but not this time.
Because Hizakawa Sakamoto felt it was unnecessary.
*Cough, cough.*
After all, there were four fewer people to split the money with.
Yesterday, while he was wandering through the black market, he suddenly saw a newly refreshed bounty list.
He snatched it up immediately after reading the contents.
He didn't know which idiot had more money than sense, actually spending two million to put a bounty on a Genin.
But no matter who it was, Hizakawa Sakamoto had to thank them for bestowing him with such good luck.
Two million was enough for him to live comfortably for a while.
And so, he came to this small grove.
Hizakawa Sakamoto looked at the three people roasting rabbit meat in the distance and couldn't help but sneer.
They don't even know death is upon them.
That roast meat will belong to me in a moment anyway.
Hmph, that loli looks pretty good too; she'll be mine in a bit as well.
Hizakawa Sakamoto waited for a moment, and once he was sure the Explosive Bugs had finished their infiltration, he revealed himself directly.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked.
"The man who's going to kill you."
A cruel smile appeared on Hizakawa Sakamoto's face. To him, they were just dead men, so there was no need for conversation.
His hands quickly formed seals.
Because of the Explosive Bugs' characteristics, he had to lure the enemies in front of him into using Ninjutsu.
And once they used Ninjutsu, they would discover the horror within themselves.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Hizakawa Sakamoto opened his mouth and spat out a stream of fire.
The fire transformed into a fire dragon, scorching everything in its path.
"Fire Release: Flame... Since when? You actually used poison?!"
Naruto clutched his chest, a look of disbelief on his face.
Visible to the naked eye, a bug-like object was rapidly expanding at his chest.
"This isn't poison!"
Hizakawa Sakamoto said with a look of disdain, "Where did this country bumpkin come from? This is an Explosive Bug."
Jiraiya pulled En Yui away, dodging the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
He looked at Naruto and marveled inwardly; it would be a real shame if this kid didn't become an actor with those acting skills.
"Explosive Bug?"
Jiraiya was slightly surprised to hear the name.
He knew about the incident where the Fourth Raikage nearly died.
After all, the Xuanyuan Group would naturally brag extensively about an experience that boosted their reputation so much.
Moreover, in the entire Ninja World, only Tsunadecould treat the Explosive Bug.
So, in a sense, it was somewhat of an unsolvable problem.
But Naruto's reaction was just too exaggerated.
With your Taijutsu being so strong and having the Nine-Tailed, what are you afraid of?
"Why? How could a lowly Genin like me be worth such a precious Explosive Bug?"
A look of pain appeared on Naruto's face.
He was still acting; he mainly wanted to know if this guy was sent by the Daimyo or someone else.
"I can't help it, you're just worth too much money."
Because Hizakawa Sakamoto was full of confidence, he didn't hide anything. "Someone spent two million to take your dog life."
"Naruto, don't waste time, kill him!"
Jiraiya suddenly interjected.
If you keep talking, I'm going to be exposed.
He had originally thought the man was here to capture En Yui, but he hadn't expected him to be lured by his own bounty.
However, he was very satisfied.
In two aspects.
First, he was satisfied with Hizakawa Sakamoto's methods; the Explosive Bug was indeed vicious.
Second, he was satisfied with Naruto's alertness.
Jiraiya himself hadn't sensed the Explosive Bug, yet Naruto knew beforehand, gave a warning, and used his acting skills to probe for intelligence.
He was willing to give this series of maneuvers a ninety-nine out of a hundred, withholding one point for fear of making him arrogant.
But it wasn't great that this intelligence gathering had ended up focusing on him.
After Jiraiya's interruption, Hizakawa Sakamoto also realized something was wrong.
He looked at Naruto, his face darkening, and asked, "Are you playing me?"
"No, I'm playing with a monkey," Naruto laughed.
But his outfit really did look like a monkey's.
Wrapped around his waist was a black rope as thick as an arm, with the end of the rope extending from behind his tailbone.
"You're looking for death!"
Hizakawa Sakamoto was furious, his anger turning into flames. "Even without the Explosive Bug, my Fire Fist is not to be trifled with!"
He threw a punch.
*Boom!*
Accompanied by a massive tremor at the center of his fist, countless flames erupted.
A scorching aura spread out.
Naruto raised an eyebrow; the power of this move was decent, close to A-rank.
For a Jonin outside the Five Great Villages, possessing a B-rank Ninjutsu already made them an elite.
No wonder the Xuanyuan Group had such a great reputation.
But he didn't approve of the name.
Xuanyuan.
Are you guys worthy?
Daring to use that name.
A flash of a blade.
An even more scorching aura suddenly rose.
The terrifyingly high temperature caused the ground to turn to scorched earth.
In the next moment, a circular dance slash descended like a mirror's surface.
"What?!"
Hizakawa Sakamoto's pupils contracted, and his face was filled with shock.
This is actually a Genin?
In this final moment before death, he suddenly realized that he wasn't the lucky one, but the unluckiest one.
That guy was fishing.
His fist was pierced through, all the way to his heart.
Hizakawa Sakamoto collapsed unwillingly.
His life flashed before his eyes.
He really wanted to say to his four teammates: 'Don't come over here! You'll die!'
But unfortunately, there was no chance.
He knew the other four would definitely come to seek revenge.
It was fate.
Their Xuanyuan Group was destined for this calamity.
"Naruto, what Ninjutsu is this?"
Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, "Where did you learn it? To perfectly fuse Kenjutsu and Fire Releasetogether—it's not simple."
"I created it myself,"
Naruto said shamelessly.
Anyway, no one would know.
"Created it yourself?"
Jiraiya was stunned, feeling a bit frightened.
Creating an A-rank Ninjutsu at thirteen?
His mouth twitched.
He really wanted to shout: 'God, are you kidding me? Give others a chance to live!'
He had had enough of these geniuses.
Jiraiya didn't doubt his words.
Because it was the first time he had seen or even heard of Sun Breathing.
With his experience, if there had been a similar Ninjutsu before, it was impossible for him not to know about it.
"How did you detect the Explosive Bug earlier?"
Jiraiya asked another of his doubts.
He hadn't detected it himself, and the Fourth Raikage who was hit back then hadn't detected it either.
The strength of the two of them could be said to be top-tier in the Ninja World.
So how did Naruto know?
"Kagura Minds Eye."
Naruto didn't hide it. "I awakened the Uzumaki Clan's Kagura Minds Eye."
"..."
Jiraiya's body shook again.
How am I supposed to play this!
I can't win.
A mixed-blood Uzumaki could actually awaken Kagura Minds Eye.
This talent is like God chasing you down to feed you.
He became completely despondent.
"What's wrong with you?"
Naruto ate his roasted rabbit and looked at Jiraiyawith concern.
After hearing about Kagura Minds Eye, he had been very quiet.
The expression on his face was quite rich and colorful, like the rotating multi-colored lights in a nightclub.
"I'm fine, I'm okay."
Jiraiya waved his hand and sighed, "Kagura Minds Eye cannot be learned by anyone not of the Uzumaki Clan. Since you have such talent, perhaps I should teach you a new Ninjutsu."
"What?" Naruto asked curiously, "Is there any Ninjutsu you have that I haven't learned yet?"
Why did that sound so irritating?
Jiraiya glared at him and said, "Brat, you're young; you still have a lot to learn!"
Fine.
You're older, so you're right.
Naruto didn't argue and asked again, "What do you want to teach me?"
"Sealing Jutsu."
Jiraiya's tone became serious, "Sealing Jutsu is different from Ninjutsu; it has a very complete system. Ordinary people spend their whole lives just learning Sealing Jutsu. You, well, your talent is so-so, so maybe you can learn it."
Naruto's eyes lit up, automatically ignoring the second half of the sentence.
He really did want to learn Sealing Jutsu.
Although it might not be used in everyday combat, it was extremely useful at critical moments.
For instance, when dealing with things that were hard to resolve, Sealing Jutsu was the most convenient.
Especially the Sealing Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan, which was simply ridiculous.
It was practically a cheat.
Even Tailed Beasts couldn't break free.
And Konoha obviously had the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu.
After the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the few remaining Uzumaki Clan members, especially Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina, were rare top-tier Ninjas in Sealing Jutsu.
They were also Hokage wives, so it was only logical they would leave their Sealing Jutsu to Konoha.
One could tell from the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobicould use the Reaper Death Seal.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's student and Minato's teacher, it was perfectly normal for Jiraiya to know the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu.
"Okay, I want to learn," Naruto said expectantly.
Jiraiya nodded with satisfaction; he could finally reclaim his dignity as a teacher.
That's why he hated geniuses!
Especially someone like Naruto, who was impossible to catch up to.
Before long, he wouldn't even be able to beat his own student.
Jiraiya felt like most of his life had been lived in vain.
"By the way, there are five people in the Xuanyuan Group. Since one is dead, the remaining four will definitely come again."
After finishing the serious business, Jiraiya finally remembered Hizakawa Sakamoto lying on the ground and warned, "Their strength isn't weak; you should be careful."
Afterward, he enthusiastically shared stories of the Fourth Raikage's heroic deeds.
The Raikage of Kumogakure, every generation was a tough guy who created countless legends in the Ninja World.
Among the Five Great Villages, Konoha Village, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure were the strongest.
Konoha Village was the number one village on the surface.
Jiraiya naturally understood Kumogakure; they were a definite major threat, the kind you couldn't afford to mess with right now.
So being able to tell the younger generation about a Raikage suffering a setback was quite a satisfying thing.
If Naruto knew his thoughts, he would only say that Konoha brought it on themselves.
A whole bunch of geniuses were killed off.
Otherwise, they would have definitely been a step above Kumogakure.
But now, if they really started fighting, Konohawould probably lose.
Of course, that's excluding him, an unexpected factor developing beyond the timeline.
Seeing that the two of them had finished talking, En Yui spoke up and asked, "Um... can I become a Ninja?"
Both Jiraiya and Naruto were somewhat surprised.
According to the rules of this world, nobles belonged to the top tier, while Ninjas were merely tools.
Almost no Daimyo or princess went to learn Ninjutsu.
At most, they would learn a bit of Samurai swordsmanship to exercise.
Naruto remembered that in the original work, after he became Hokage, Daimyo En Shū even came to talk to him about cutting aid.
It felt like my dinner was discussing with me how to reduce my dinner.
Anyway, he hadn't understood it in his previous life.
One could only say that's how Japanese politics was.
And even earlier, Sunagakure had received this kind of treatment.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind not only reduced aid but also gave commissioned tasks to other Ninja villages.
In the end, the Kazekage was forced to go panning for gold just to maintain a living.
"Why do you want to be a Ninja?"
Jiraiya spoke, "Being a Ninja is quite arduous and doesn't fit your status as a princess at all."
"Because I want to protect myself."
En Yui said with a determined look, "From the moment I fled, I felt my own weakness for the first time—having no ability and only being able to drift with the tide."
She hadn't known life outside the palace was so miserable before.
But if she had known, she might not have had the courage to run away.
She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
But she knew that meeting Jiraiya and Naruto was definitely her good fortune.
Otherwise, she, a princess, would either have been caught and taken back or sold to some strange place.
A beautiful young girl all alone.
In this world, it was impossible to be safe.
Jiraiya understood her words, nodded, and said, "Being a Ninja is actually a profession that heavily relies on talent. Since you're willing to learn, you can give it a try."
"Thank you, Teacher!"
En Yui very smartly changed the way she addressed him.
But Jiraiya shook his head and pointed at Naruto, saying, "I'm not your teacher; he is."
"?"
Naruto's face was full of question marks. What did that mean?
Responsible for the killing but not the burying?
You agreed to it yourself, and now you want me to teach?
I'm only thirteen, and I'm taking a student older than me.
"Naruto, as they say, reviewing the old helps you learn the new. By teaching her basic knowledge, you will also gain different insights, which will be beneficial for you."
Jiraiya said earnestly, with a look that said 'I'm doing this for your own good.'
The logic was sound.
But it was useless to him.
Seeing En Yui's expectant eyes, Naruto didn't refuse.
Mainly because he suddenly thought of one of his aliases.
Merlin.
This child might be able to... save Britain—oh wait, the Land of Fire.
After lunch, they rested for a while.
Jiraiya disappeared again.
This time the excuse wasn't gathering material, but fear of disturbing the two of them while they were learning.
Tch, that kind of nonsense could only fool a child.
Naruto didn't believe it at all.
"How old are you this year?"
"Eh?"
En Yui was stunned; she hadn't expected the first question to be this. She said, "Fifteen."
Naruto's eyes lit up slightly.
This age was just right.
"We'll start with the basics. Fifteen is a bit late, but you can still be salvaged."
Naruto took out a scroll and said, "You have two tasks now: one is to refine Chakra, and the other is to train your body."
Of course, he hadn't finished.
Determining whether one could become a Ninjadepended on whether one could refine Chakra.
Being able to refine it meant you were qualified to start.
As for future achievements, that depended on talent and opportunity.
Take Lee, for example; he had very little Chakra, but by relying on the Eight Gates, he was also a powerful Ninja.
But almost no one could achieve that.
En Yui probably couldn't do it.
Well, one should always look on the bright side.
Because of her status as a princess, she hadn't had contact with Ninjas; maybe she did have talent.
After Naruto gave the instructions, En Yuienthusiastically began reading the scroll.
Hopefully, it wouldn't be just a three-minute passion.
Thanks to 'Xiao Meng Lai Le' for the tip.