Chapter 59: Meeting Yoshida Jin Again
Land of Rice Fields, atop a mountain cliff.
"How are you feeling?"
Pakura supported Ryuya as she helped him sit down on a massive rock, looking at him with concern.
At this moment, Ryuya's hands were already showing severe signs of petrification. Large patches of gray, stone-like matter had spread up to his forearms.
This was Ryuya's first time using such high-powered ninjutsu in conjunction with Sage Techniques. The excessive consumption of chakra had caused the natural energy transmitted from the giant serpent to lose its balance, beginning to erode Ryuya's body.
"I'm fine,"
Ryuya forced himself to sit cross-legged and began stiffly forming hand seals with his petrifying hands.
He was preparing to use a forbidden bodily regeneration technique.
The Body Regeneration Secret Technique not only rapidly healed injuries, but also generated new cells—allowing the body to produce fresh chakra.
Right now, Ryuya desperately needed chakra to counteract the petrification of natural energy on his body.
As the technique activated, Ryuya's body began to heat up slightly, and streams of fresh chakra gathered within him.
Guiding this newly generated chakra, Ryuya began repairing his petrified hands.
Nearby, Pakura watched Ryuya's youthful face, her expression complicated.
On one hand, the strength Ryuya had displayed gave her much greater confidence.
Previously, the main reason Pakura agreed to follow Ryuya was because he had saved her life. Combined with her own despair and lack of direction at the time, she had accepted his proposal.
As for Ryuya's claim that he could help her achieve revenge in a few years, Pakura had not fully believed it.
But now, judging from the strength Ryuya had displayed during his battle with Yugito Nii, she finally had confidence in his words.
Whether it was the terrifyingly powerful giant serpent, or the overwhelming might of the Great Waterfall Technique empowered by Sage Techniques—both had far exceeded her expectations.
On the other hand, as a former hero of Sunagakure, Pakura still held deep feelings for her village.
The more outstanding this new generation of Konoha shinobi like Ryuya became, the more worried she grew about Sunagakure's future.
Although Konoha and Sunagakure were allies now, such a fragile alliance meant very little. In the future, another war between the two villages was entirely possible.
Compared to the abundance of talent in Konoha, Sunagakure's prospects were far inferior.
After about half an hour, Ryuya's hands finally began to return to normal.
"What's wrong?"
Opening his eyes and finishing the technique, Ryuya noticed Pakura standing beside him, staring at him with a complicated expression, and asked aloud.
"What you used earlier… was that Sage Technique?"
Pakura asked.
Ryuya nodded.
"Yes, but it was my first time using it. I'm still far from proficient."
"I underestimated you,"
Pakura said quietly.
Ryuya shook his head.
"I'm still too weak. With this level of strength, trying to accomplish anything in the shinobi world is far too difficult."
Pakura couldn't help but say,
"At your age, possessing this level of strength is already extremely rare. Even Konoha's Legendary Sannin probably weren't much stronger back then. I really don't understand what you're so worried about."
Ryuya fell silent for a moment.
"The future of the shinobi world will be… very interesting. You'll see."
After that, neither of them said much more. Soon, they stood up and continued on their way.
The capital of the Land of Rice Fields, Yamanashi City, was located in the western part of the country, close to the Land of Hot Water.
After two days of travel, Ryuya and Pakura finally arrived in Yamanashi City.
After wandering around the city, Ryuya went to an underground black market outpost to gather information and quickly found Yoshida Jin's residence.
After sending a message to Yoshida Jin through an intermediary, Ryuya and Pakura temporarily settled down in the city.
Their information had already been exposed to a considerable degree during the battle with Yugito Nii. Ryuya had no intention of openly visiting Yoshida Jin's estate and risking being caught red-handed.
"Ah! Little brother Ryuya, you've finally come!"
Less than a day later, under the cover of night, a well-built Yoshida Jin arrived at their temporary lodging.
The moment they met, his plump, round face broke into a smile as bright as a blooming chrysanthemum.
Behind Yoshida Jin stood two middle-aged wandering ninja, arms crossed, eyeing Ryuya and Pakura with slightly provocative gazes.
These two wandering ninja were Yoshida Jin's most trusted guards. Judging by their chakra, both were around chūnin level—outstanding among rogue ninja.
Ever since nearly losing his life in the Land of Fire last time, Yoshida Jin had become far more cautious about his safety. He had spent a large sum of money to hire these two chūnin.
To be safe, he brought them along for this meeting.
The two wandering ninja clearly didn't know Ryuya and Pakura's identities. They were simply afraid someone might threaten their lucrative positions.
"Heh. Is this how you treat your guests?"
Ryuya gestured with his chin toward the two guards behind Yoshida Jin and spoke calmly.
"Just in case! Just in case!"
Yoshida Jin laughed awkwardly, but showed no intention of dismissing the guards.
"Have them step outside. I need to talk to you,"
Ryuya said directly.
"Where did this brat come from, daring to disrespect us?"
The two wandering ninja immediately flew into a rage. One of them stepped forward and pointed at Ryuya, shouting angrily.
Bang!
"Ah—!"
"Say one more word, and I'll kill you."
Before the man could finish speaking, Pakura vanished from Ryuya's side in a flash using the Body Flicker Technique. When she reappeared, she was gripping the man by the throat with one hand, her killing intent crushing down so heavily that neither of the two guards could move.
"T-this… this is a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! I'll have them leave immediately!"
Cold sweat poured down Yoshida Jin's face in an instant.
"Let them go,"
Ryuya's calm voice sounded from behind.
"Get out."
Pakura released her grip and tossed the man aside.
Seeing this, the other guard didn't dare hesitate and fled from the room, scrambling on hands and knees.
Pakura's strength far exceeded the expectations of all three men present. That kind of pressure was not something an ordinary jōnin could possess.
"Brother Ryuya… look at this mess,"
Yoshida Jin wiped the sweat from his forehead, rubbing his hands nervously as he looked at Ryuya.
Any lingering thoughts of showing off his own strength were completely extinguished.
Both times he had met Ryuya, he had been utterly shocked.
"It's fine, it's fine! Uncle Yoshida Jin—come, have a seat,"
Ryuya said with a warm smile, gesturing for him to sit.
Yoshida Jin sat down shakily.
Pointing to Pakura beside him, Ryuya said,
"Uncle Yoshida Jin, let me introduce you. This is my good friend—Pakura, a Scorch Release shinobi from Sunagakure."
Yoshida Jin hurriedly stood up again.
"Hello! Hello!"
The fear in his eyes was obvious.
Someone this strong, and from one of the Five Great Hidden Villages—Sunagakure no less—was absolutely not someone he could afford to offend.
Pakura merely nodded lightly in response.
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