The Anbu base's briefing room was spacious and minimalistic.
A map of the Land of Earth hung on the rock wall, while chakra lamps in the corners emitted a steady white glow that illuminated the entire room.
Nobutoshi stood before the map, reporting the details of the mission to Onoki.
Kumiko leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Her owl mask had already been removed, revealing a delicate yet cold face.
Kyoshin sat beside the long table with a cup of hot water in front of him.
"Mission completed." Nobutoshi finished his report.
"Twenty-three bandits eliminated. Five rogue ninja confird dead. All seven hostages rescued and escorted back to the village by the follow-up unit. No casualties on our side."
"Also, regarding the real purpose of the mission, Kintsuchi made the correct choice."
Onoki nodded and turned his gaze toward Kyoshin. "Kintsuchi, after these past few missions, how do you feel?"
Kyoshin answered honestly, "Not bad."
Kumiko suddenly spoke. "Fear?"
Kyoshin, "?"
Looking at the gazes directed toward him, Kyoshin was initially surprised, but quickly realized why they were asking this.
At that mont, Kyoshin felt like he was facing a group of babysitters.
'There was even psychological counseling now~'
"Ahem." Kyoshin coughed lightly. "I know why I'm doing this."
Nobutoshi began talking about his own experience. "The first ti I killed soone, I was twelve. I encountered a Cloud ninja reconnaissance squad during a border patrol mission."
"They attacked first. I retaliated. My kunai pierced through a young ninja's heart."
"At the ti, I stared into his eyes for a long ti, until his pupils completely lost focus."
His voice remained calm, as though he were telling soone else's story. "Later, I figured it out."
"I killed him not because I hated him, and not because I enjoyed killing, but because if I didn't kill him, he would kill my comrades and threaten my village. That's the logic of a ninja. Simple and cruel."
Kumiko also joined in as the "political instructor." "The Sharingan lets you see death clearly. Then look at it carefully."
"See how fragile life is, see the cost of violence, and then make your choices. Know when you should kill and when you shouldn't. That's true control."
Kyoshin appeared thoughtful, but there was no sign of inner struggle on his face.
"Hahaha~" Onoki floated over and placed a hand on top of his head. "Looks like we underestimated Kintsuchi's resolve. This counseling session never should've happened in the first place."
Nobutoshi yawned. "So class dismissed?"
"If only all the younger generation in the village were like this." Kumiko sighed as well.
Onoki waved his hand. "You two can go rest now."
The two took their leave.
Kyoshin understood the purpose of this lesson. It was ant to guide and stabilize his inner world.
But Kyoshin was perfectly clear-headed. He knew what kind of road he was walking, who his enemies were, and what he needed to do now.
The problem was, other people didn't know that.
"Lord Tsuchikage." Kyoshin spoke frankly. "I know my situation, and I know why I kill."
"My mission is to protect the Hidden Stone Village, and to take revenge."
Revenge.
That was a dangerous topic.
Onoki warned him, "Even the most rational person will experience emotional fluctuations when it cos to 'revenge.'"
"What I want you to understand is that until you are truly one hundred percent certain, do not recklessly place yourself in danger."
"You're highly talented, and you possess the Sharingan. In the future, you'll beco very powerful."
"For soone growing stronger and stronger like you, revenge is simply sothing that will naturally happen in ti. There's no need to rush it."
Several faces flashed through Kyoshin's mind.
Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Obito.
That old bastard Shimura.
None of them were easy to deal with. Across the entire ninja world, there weren't many people who truly understood the hidden cards and real strength of those people. Kyoshin counted as one of them.
Compared to people his age, Kyoshin was indeed strong.
But compared to those monsters, he was still far too green.
He wasn't Itachi's biological younger brother. Challenging him with only a three-tomoe Sharingan would just get him treated like roadside trash.
"Take so ti to rest. The next mission's difficulty will increase." Onoki patted Kyoshin's shoulder.
Kyoshin gave a quiet acknowledgnt and left the Anbu base.
Night had already fallen, and lights lit up the streets of the Hidden Stone Village.
He followed the familiar route toward the training ground.
There were still two years before the plot began. He had to make use of every second.
That figure was indeed there on the training ground.
Kurotsuchi's fists were wrapped in thick layers of stone. Every punch she threw carried a whistling gust of wind, crashing into the specially made wooden posts with heavy booms.
Her short hair was soaked with sweat, a few strands sticking to her pale cheeks and swaying gently with her movents.
She noticed Kyoshin's arrival, stopped moving, and turned toward him.
"Mission's over?" she asked, her voice carrying the faint breathlessness from training.
"Yeah."
"Did it go smoothly?"
"It did."
"Want to spar with for a bit?"
"Sure."
The two created so distance between each other.
Kurotsuchi ford hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Stone Spikes!"
Three sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground, stabbing toward Kyoshin from different angles.
Kyoshin activated his Sharingan and easily saw through the attack trajectories, dodging them effortlessly.
He rushed toward Kurotsuchi. His speed wasn't especially fast, but every step was precise.
Kurotsuchi t him head-on, throwing a stone-covered punch.
Kyoshin lowered his head to evade it, then ford his fingers into a blade with his right hand and thrust toward her ribs.
Kurotsuchi blocked with her left arm. Stone and flesh collided with a dull thud.
After that, neither of them used ninjutsu anymore. It beca a pure taijutsu sparring session.
Ten minutes later, Kurotsuchi finally stopped, breathing heavily.
Her training clothes were already completely soaked through with sweat, the fabric clinging tightly to her skin and outlining every curve of her body.
The rise and fall of her chest was obvious, and the muscles of her waist and abdon glistened faintly beneath the sweat.
Kyoshin looked away.
"Huff~ that felt great!" Kurotsuchi pulled out a towel from her clothes and wiped her face and neck.
Then she naturally moved closer and gently wiped the sweat that didn't actually exist on Kyoshin's forehead.
Her movents were natural, as though this were the most ordinary thing in the world.
The towel carried her body heat and a faint scent of sweat, while her fingers occasionally brushed against Kyoshin's skin.
Kyoshin's body stiffened slightly.
"I can do it myself."
"Relax, it's not like I'm going to eat you. You're seriously hard to tease~"
"I already told you to stop reading those weird books."
"But they're really interesting~ It's just that the real-life story difficulty is way too high. According to the plot, you should be blushing right now, acting tsundere, and falling for ."
"..."
Seeing the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Kurotsuchi burst into laughter. "I'm heading back to take a bath. I stink from all this sweat. You should get so rest too."
She left the training ground, her figure disappearing into the night.
Kyoshin watched her leave, then sat down cross-legged and began practicing Dust Release.
There was no need to question the power of Dust Release. No matter how much effort it took, it would be worth it.
While carrying out missions, Kyoshin would judge the mission difficulty. If he could return to the Hidden Stone Village on the sa day, he would still create shadow clones to refine chakra, though only half the amount he used during normal training days.
User Comments
0 comments from readers