"Goddammit! You're a Konoha ninja, so why are you so good at Water and Earth Release?!"
Struggling in the mire, Harumizu cursed through gritted teeth. "Do all you Leaf bastards just ignore your village's specialties?!"
"Hmm. Well, if I knew Wood Release, wouldn't you die even faster?" Qianyu mused for a moment before replying earnestly.
Harumizu: "…"
Damn. The kid had a point. He couldn't even argue.
"To think… I didn't die at the hands of Guren or Zabuza Momochi… but by some Konoha brat…"
Just before the swamp consumed him entirely, Harumizu's eyes—the only part of him still above the muck—locked onto Qianyu. A final, hateful stare, as if determined to carry the memory of this boy to hell.
Plop.
The next moment, Harumizu vanished into the bog. A few bubbles rose, popped, and were gone. The last traces of a life erased.
With the two Mist ninja dealt with, the duo rushed to Yuuhi's side.
"How is she? Can the girl be saved?"
Looking at Yuuhi, who seemed to have stopped breathing, Gen frantically scanned their surroundings while asking with deep concern.
"Hard to say. That bastard twisting the blade was brutal. We can only try."
Qianyu examined the wound on Yuuhi's chest, his expression grim. A pierced lung was fatal for most.
Whoosh!
Qianyu slung Yuuhi onto his back. They had to move. The noise would draw other examinees.
They found a secluded spot. Gen took up a hidden position to keep watch. Qianyu used Earth Release to carve out a temporary shelter. He removed Yuuhi's clothing and began treating the wound.
The Yuuhi clan had a legacy in Konoha. The reward shouldn't be too shabby. Besides, she was a c— an old classmate. If he could feel her up—save her, he might as well try.
"Phew. Close one."
After the treatment, Qianyu breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Yuuhi's own will to live was strong. Her life was no longer in danger.
[Ding! Treatment successful. Host awarded Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu: "Rōgetsuya"!]
[Rōgetsuya: An elegant swordsmanship akin to dancing. The blade weaves countless phantom arcs like full moons, making it impossible to distinguish reality from illusion!]
"First Shadow Dance, now Rōgetsuya… Is the system trying to make me cross-dress back home to seduce Shisui and Obito?"
Qianyu shook his head in mock exasperation. But he was very satisfied with the "Rōgetsuya" reward.
While proficient in taijutsu and ninja tools, Qianyu knew nothing of swords or other long weapons. Against blade specialists, that was a disadvantage.
The 21st century prized well-rounded talent. Qianyu couldn't afford any weak spots.
…Sigh. Would he ever get back to Blue Star? His browser history was still there, unsullied.
"Gen, I'm leaving her with you. I'm going to kill that disgusting piece of trash."
Qianyu finished bandaging Yuuhi, redressed her, and rose. He moved to Gen's side, voice low. He still held Yuuhi's katana.
"Understood." Gen knew Qianyu needed to vent. He didn't argue, simply nodded.
…
Deep in the forest, a one-armed figure clutching a severed limb was fleeing desperately towards the outer edges.
"That bitch Yuuhi! She knew about the exam's secrets! She didn't tell me, tried to use me as a shield!"
It was Ryouhei. Even after "killing" Yuuhi, his rage hadn't subsided.
"Fucking bitch! Cost me an arm! Serves you right! You deserved to die! Who else?!"
Ryouhei gnashed his teeth. He didn't even know if this arm could be reattached. All because of that damned woman. She'd ruined his brilliant future!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Shuriken cut through the air. Ryouhei dodged frantically. Off-balance from the missing arm, one found its mark—embedding deep in his thigh.
"Gah! Who's there?! Show yourself, you coward!"
Ryouhei barely felt the pain. An overload of dopamine flooded his brain, fueling his manic state.
"You?! How did you escape those Mist-nin?!"
Qianyu stepped from the trees. Ryouhei stared in disbelief, then burst into a wild, grating laugh.
"I get it! You killed your teammate too, didn't you?! Saved your own skin! Hahahaha!"
Qianyu's response was ice.
"Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu… Rōgetsuya!"
He drew the katana from his back. A toe touched the ground. He shot forward.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Qianyu's movements were elegant, fluid. A dancer wielding a blade. Phantom arcs—perfect, shimmering circles of steel—blossomed before him like moons.
"Her technique! That bitch! I knew you two were screwing around!"
He saw the familiar sword forms. Ryouhei screamed, his voice raw. He threw the severed arm aside and yanked his own katana free.
"I said I'd kill you! I'll kill you now!!"
Yuuhi had once told him: find the 'gate' of Rōgetsuya, and you break the technique. He saw it instantly—a flaw in Qianyu's form. He lunged, blade aimed true.
"Using that whore's moves?! DIE—!"
Thud.
The sound of steel piercing flesh. Ryouhei's katana slipped from numb fingers. He looked down, shocked. Qianyu's blade was buried deep in his chest.
"Fool. Seeing the flaw means nothing if you're too slow to act on it." Qianyu's voice was cold.
Mid-form, Qianyu had seen Ryouhei spot the opening. He simply abandoned Rōgetsuya. A single, clean thrust. Too fast. Ryouhei never had a chance.
"Why… Why is everyone stronger than me?!"
Ryouhei howled in anguish. "Even a kid?! I DON'T ACCEPT THIS! AAAAAGH!"
"Shut up."
Qianyu was done. A swift chop to the neck. A kick to the chest. Ryouhei crumpled, his cries cut off.
"…Just kill me."
Ryouhei lay on the ground, broken. Blood trickled from his lips. A failure. Even a civilian-born child surpassed him. What was the point?
"Die that easily? Too merciful." Qianyu's tone turned sinister, a smile playing on his lips.
"What… what are you doing?"
Ryouhei's eyes, which had squeezed shut, flew open in terror. Qianyu was walking towards him. The look on the boy's face sent a primal chill down Ryouhei's spine.
"I have a hypothesis. Too cruel to test… until now. And you're the perfect subject."
Qianyu's grin widened. To Ryouhei, it was the smile of an oni, its mouth stretching to its ears.
"Just like you swore to kill me… I made a little vow of my own. To treat your fatal wounds. A few times."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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