14 Float Like a Butterfly...
I was currently on my way out of the forest with a rubber ball in my hand as I continued to train my use of the Rasengan.
It was really late right now but I didn't really care and continued on in my path as I poured chakra into the rubber ball, ignoring the exhaustion I felt.
It took a few minutes but I eventually arrived home and laid on my bed with my attributes panel floating in the air in front of me.
My chakra control is garbage, but who said I couldn't change that?
With that thought in my mind, I began adding the necessary attribute to achieve that result...
[Name: Chakra Control Talent]
[Explanation: This subject has an extreme talent for the art of chakra control]
[DP: 1000/250]
Damn.
I knew that Sadistic would lower the price of customizations and all, but I hadn't expected an incredibly useful talent to cost so little in terms of how many points I have now.
I shook these thoughts out of my mind and pressed the confirm button as I somehow felt the chakra inside me calm down and become way more smooth and more obedient.
The effect of the talent was instant as I picked up the ball once more and got back to my training.
I immediately noticed how much easier it was to move my chakra within the rubber ball's interior. It helped with keeping control of the rotation and assisted immensely when I attempted to pour chakra into the ball.
And after a few more tries, the ball popped open as a grin stretched across my face and I grabbed another ball, prepared to get a start on the second step.
The night moved on as I continued on my path to the Rasengan.
[|===|]
*POP*
"What!? How did you do it already!?" Konohamaru cried out in shock as I responded with a joyous smile, "I'm just very talented, you know," I said, Konohamaru sighing as she handed me another ball with a face of annoyance.
"Well, if you're so talented, I'm sure you can do this easily," She said confidently as I caught the ball of rubber, "The last step is containment. You must combine the first two steps into a contained sphere."
This wouldn't be a problem for me since I had already finished this step last night. I hadn't actually tried to form a Rasengan outside the ball due to being really tired, but with my new talent, it wouldn't be hard.
"Just give me a second..." I muttered as I rotated the chakra within the ball, increasing its density and volume while keeping it contained in the ball, compressing it and transforming it into a powerful force as Konohamaru perked up, noticing the energy within the ball.
'No way...' She thought to herself in complete disbelief, 'He already did it?'
I stopped the chakra flow and let go of the rubber ball, starting the flow once more and raising my hand as I stared in admiration at the orb of pure energy that had begun to swirl within my grasp.
[Skill [Rasengan] has been gained]
I could practically feel the power that was radiating off this simplistic ball as I walked towards a tree and proceeded to violently slam the Rasengan into it, unleashing a booming force as the bottom of the tree was completely blown off and the rest of it fell in the direction opposite to me.
Konohamaru made her way toward me as I admired my work, "You formed a Rasengan in two days... even Naruko took longer than that," She informed me, running a hand through her hair as I traced the spiral outline that had been imprinted upon the fragile wood.
It was incredible what a single jutsu could do to nature itself.
"So?" I asked curiously as Konohamaru scratched her head, "I don't really have anything else to teach you. The base Rasengan is as much as I know. If you want to make a stronger one you're going to have to either figure it out yourself or ask your mom," She said, suddenly feeling a lot more untalented all of a sudden, "I see. Well, then, Konohamaru, you've been a great help," I said with a slight undertone of finality as we said goodbye, Konohamaru leaving soon after.
As Konohamaru disappeared into the distance, I sat on the soft ground and took in the summer air.
I smiled at my success and allowed myself to relax.
What an eventful day.
I was going to try getting a start on combining my fire chakra with the Rasengan when I began to suddenly feel incredibly anxious...
The hairs on my neck stood on end, my muscles tensed up, my pupils dilated, and an overwhelming sense of despair overcame my whole being as my body seemed to react on its own, dodging to the side with a flip and latching onto a tree as three shurikens stabbed into the spot I once stood at.
What the hell? An attack? Were they waiting for Konohamaru to leave? How come I couldn't sense them?
I didn't get time to finish my thought as I was soon assaulted by another wave of anxiety, this time dropping to the ground and jumping forward in a roll as the tree I was clinging to exploded.
I didn't bother asking who was there and instead decided that I should act now as I pulled a piece of cloth out of my pouch and wrapped it around my eyes, the veins around them popping as my field of vision suddenly expanded.
I didn't want anyone to know about the byakugan just yet.
The moment my lavender eyes opened, I began to search the area, doing a headcount of the enemies who hadn't moved in a while.
1, 2, 3... 4... 6... 10...
Fuck.
I'm not stupid enough to fight that many, presumably jounin-level ninjas, head-on, so I instead coated my legs with wind chakra as I dashed out of the clearing and into the woods, the group of ninjas finally moving as I began to weave hand signs...
'Wind Style: Gale Palm,' I thought to myself as I aimed at the dirt-covered ground and slammed my palms down with force, causing the area to be covered in a smokey cover.
I used my eyes to peer through the smoke and noticed that the troop of ninja had come to a stop and began to converge into a circle formation, the person who I presumed to be the leader signalling to the rest as one of the ninja formed hand signs of their own.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" One person called out as their chest puffed and a burst of air pushed away my smokescreen.
However, when the dust finally settled, I was nowhere to be seen, causing the masked leader to turn to others in frustration, "Tara, search for him," Demanded the leader as another person knelt down and began the process of searching.
Meanwhile, I was currently invisible as I stared in shock at the ominous, bloodred screen that had appeared in front of me.
It seemed to be a quest... but it was different, and felt much more malevolent.
[New Mission!]
---------------------
[Kill Them All]
[Details: Maiming, gutting, slitting, tearing, biting, crushing, exploding, burning, electrocuting, breaking, slicing, drowning, suffocating, poisoning, raping, ripping, skinning, eating, flaying, impaling, keelhauling, trampling, drugging, starving, walling, beating, crucifixion. Do whatever it takes to murder them all]
[Reward: ??? (Guaranteed High Rank)]
[Punishment: Death]
[Accept] [Decline]
---------------------
I stopped moving.
I could run away and stay safe... or stay and try to kill ten ninja...
There is almost a surefire chance of me dying if I stay here, but then again, who's to say they'd stop trying to kill me if I left?
But I don't even know if the reward will be worth it in the en-
I was about to continue my reasoning when a realization hit me.
I was trying to avoid the mission, wasn't I?
Was I fearful of the thought of dying or was I hesitant at the subject of directly killing someone?
"..."
Yeah right.
'Accept'
I would kill as much as necessary until I achieved the desired result.
With that thought in mind, I spread the cloth further across my entire face as I crawled down the tree, not noticing the strange sound my body had begun to make.
I masked the chakra within me and temporarily disabled my byakugan in an attempt at concealing myself.
I got to the base of the tree and dropped on all fours, levelling my body to the ground as I crawled closer to the group and eavesdropping on the conversation.
"Have you found him yet?" The leader asked with irritation.
"No. I'm not a sensor so it may take a while," The other one, Tara, responded, "Well hurry up, already, we can't lose him," A different one reprimanded as Tara nodded.
Now that I was closer to the group, I could properly identify the group as being female, which was rather obvious in hindsight.
I had to hurry, though. I couldn't stay in one spot too long, lest the one scanning for me, found where I was.
Following that train of thought, I slowly, but carefully, crept ever closer to one of the members who had wandered closer to me as well as the bushes.
I sucked in a large breath as I squatted in the bushes directly behind the woman and raised my hand, a layer of sparking yellow coating my hand as my middle and ring fingers hovered over the web muscle.
And with complete silence, I shot a line of taser web at the woman's head, the muscles in her jaw contracting as I pulled her into the bushes and webbed her to the ground.
Now, she lay on the ground in front of me, knocked unconscious as I prepared to kill her.
I gripped her mouth and opened it wide as I raised my wrist near the opened hole.
"Go to sleep, okay?" I whispered as I pinched her nose and thwipped out a continuous stream of web into her mouth, the sticky substance entering her lungs, nasal cavity, and throat as it stuck to the fleshy walls, clogging every one of her systems as she snapped awake and attempted to escape her violent demise.
However, it didn't take long for her bloody eyes to roll to the back of her head as her body went limp and some blood flowed out of her mangled throat.
[1/10]
Good. Now, what to do with the body...
I couldn't just leave it here. There had to be a way to use it to my advantage.
A smile stretched across my face.
I know.
With an idea in mind, I completely wrapped the body in web as I attached it to my back and climbed up the nearest tree, stealthily.
I finished setting up the plan and prepared to kill the next one.
Spotting someone who was a considerable distance away from the rest of the group, I webbed the branch I was on and lowed myself down, maintaining my invisibility.
My body hung upside down as I wrapped the web around my legs, letting my arms hang free as they quickly wrapped around the woman's face and, with super strength, snapped her neck with a twist of her skull.
[2/10]
Without any delay of the sort, I grabbed her by the clothes and flung myself back up into the trees fast, doing the same thing to her that I did to the other woman.
I was about to scan the field for more targets when one of the women screamed, "He's over there!" Tara yelled while pointing in the air as the group of women turned to where she pointed with shuriken at the ready before freezing in shock at the sight in front of them.
So they found me, huh? The bodies should provide a decent distraction.
The women exhaled in disgust at the horrifying sight of two of their comrades wrapped in a cacoon with their mangled heads left out, their lifeless eyes staring down at them with soulless looks as blood leaked from the corpses' orifices'.
Strange.
They seem to be acting quite like newbies judging by their reaction to the death. However, the skill they've shown prior would suggest that they are incredibly skilled.
Did this incredibly long period of peace, unity, and protection truly make these powerful shinobi this mentally weak?
"What the hell..." One of them mumbled in disgust as the leader prepared a jutsu, "Water Style: Water Bullets!" She shouted angrily as flung myself to the side, avoiding the jutsu and landing on the ground with a thud as I cut off the invisibility.
I needed as much energy for this fight as possible and keeping the camo on would drain me of much-needed mental concentration.
"You fucking brat!" One of them cried out as they pulled out a kunai and ran at me with killing intent, appearing in front of me in a flash as her knife began to sparkle with blue lightning.
Just before she could even think of stabbing me with it, I webbed her in the face and jumped over her, pulling on the web as her upper body was pulled backwards, causing her to tumble down.
However, her skill shone as she quickly recovered, "Water Style: Wild Water Wave"
As soon as the words left her mouth, a stream of pressurized water came crashing toward me as I countered the jutsu, 'Wind Style: Gale Palm,' I thought to myself as I sent a blast of wind toward the incoming wave, the water being pushed back slightly as I took the opportunity to get into the air.
The moment I jumped into the air, a single kunai was sent in my direction which I sensed and spun out of the way from before being assaulted by a sudden explosion at my back which sent me back down to the ground.
I hit the ground with a thud but quickly activated invisibility before something bad could happen, not noticing, again, the vibrating sound I had begun to make.
However, the invisibility didn't work for long since one of the women from before already memorized my chakra signature and had begun to throw those annoying explosives at me.
I had enough of the damn explosions so I dispersed the camo and jumped as fast as I could toward the woman, a blue ball of energy converging within my palm-- A ball packed full of tons of Uzumaki chakra.
Seeing the jutsu, the woman in front of me crossed her arms to protect herself and cast a rushed earth jutsu as the earth congregated atop her forearms.
However, a bunch of rocks couldn't stop this, 'Rasengan...' I thought to myself as I murderously shoved the jutsu through the layers of stone and flesh as a boom occurred, sending the woman flying into a tree while oozing organs from the newly opened hole in her stomach.
The rushed nature of the jutsu made it too fundamentally unstable to withstand the pressure of a Rasengan.
[3/10]
All of this dodging crap was beginning to take its toll on me. Not to mention, the drain of using a Rasengan.
However, I needed to push through this thing and get that reward. I'm in too deep to give up now.
I haven't the slightest clue as to how Naruko hasn't sensed all of this happening yet and rushed to save me, but I'm glad.
I have to kill them myself.
Suddenly, I was hit with a wave of spider-sense, causing me to jump to the side, narrowly avoiding a rock bullet that pierced the wood next to me.
I couldn't even recover as I was once again hit with the sense, this time my now-activated byakugan also saw the attack but I was unable to dodge as three pairs of arms coiled around me and locked me in place as all three of them used some sort of earth jutsu to keep me trapped, the other 5 or so women converging on my location as two of the women also used an earth jutsu to further entrap me.
I hissed in pain and frustration as I used my sticky hands and super strength to grab onto one of their heads as I began to aggressively pull at their scalp.
"AAH!" The woman whose head I was trying to split open cried out but didn't let go as I soon noticed something.
They had me in an extremely vulnerable position and yet they weren't pulling out kunai or violently maiming me...
They weren't killing me.
They were trying to keep me alive.
'Oh, shit...'
They wanted to capture me.
