56 Chapter 56
Kyomu's body was getting stronger day by day, his physical strength increasing, his explosive power growing stronger, and his speed getting faster.
Even his chakra level and physical defense were increasing day by day, surpassing the understanding of the Hatake father and son regarding the 'physical development' phase.
If eating well, eating good food, and eating more could make one's body admired by peers of the same age, wouldn't the Akimichi clan be invincible in the ninja world?
But the unreasonable yet real thing happened to Kyomu. Even though the Hatake father and son didn't believe it, they could only marvel at it while feeling helpless in their hearts.
Kyomu did have this ability, but he was eagerly looking forward to this month passing quickly, as the crazy hunger was driving him insane!
Fortunately, a month's time seemed long, but it was actually short. The crazy month of eating and eating was vividly remembered yesterday, but today, the passive skill was refreshed again.
As Kyomu breathed a sigh of relief, he also sighed deeply. It seemed like his good luck had run out.
It's not that passive skills were bad, but the timing of the refreshment was wrong, well... no, it was a huge waste.
[Passive Skill: Soul Absorption]
[Skill Description: During the skill's duration, you can absorb the souls of creatures that died by your hand, nourishing and strengthening your own soul.
Note: The stronger the creature's strength before death, the stronger the enhancement effect. There are no limits on the quantity, enhancement, or endurance.]
[Skill Duration: 30 days]
[Message: This is probably how the Blood Prison Demon was trained.]
"Too bad..."
Kyomu finally understood what it meant to be out of luck and to lament over something unattainable. It was almost identical to his current melancholy.
But it wasn't all bad news.
Sakumo knew that he could be called away for a mission at any time. He wanted to use his spare time to accelerate Kyomu and Kakashi's training progress.
After careful consideration, he made a decision.
Drawing blood, taking lives, is the most important and solid step in a ninja's growth process, which no one can avoid sooner or later.
"It's time to show these two the most authentic aspect of this world." Sakumo's eyes were weary, coldness mixed within, making it complex and indistinguishable. "You may not kill others, but others may want to kill you. You may not know them, but they already have reasons to fight you to the death..."
The complex emotions flashed by, and Sakumo went to Hiruzen and successfully obtaining a long-overdue extermination mission.
Ninjas were essentially mercenaries, and without chaos, there would be no soil for their survival. It had become an unwritten rule to tolerate bandits.
Otherwise, why would past caravans hire you to protect them? And how would the new generation of Leaf Village ninjas gain a risky but survivable combat opportunity?
However, not everyone received such treatment, and coincidentally, Sakumo had the right to utilize such resources.
It was somewhat dark, but in the world of shinobi, human lives were indeed very cheap, and darkness was everywhere.
So, Sakumo decided to take Kyomu and Kakashi to see the world because shinobis couldn't always live in a greenhouse.
"These bandits to be exterminated have looted passing caravans, abducted people, and slaughtered civilians, so don't have any guilt."
Though only half of what Sakumo said was true, it was still a fact. "The leader of the bandits is a renegade ninja from the Taki Village, with strength at the Chunin level.
His subordinates are mostly wandering warriors, but he has been entrenched here for many years, cultivating ninjas personally, and their strength and number are unknown.
In recent years, his power has grown stronger, but the specific increase is unknown, the number of new members is unknown, whether the territory has expanded is unknown, and what buildings are there is also unknown."
So many unknowns in a row made Kyomu and Kakashi frown involuntarily. Inaccurate intelligence was an absolute taboo for ninjas.
But Sakumo didn't seem to think there was anything wrong, and it was even possible that he was deliberately concealing it to add difficulty for Kyomu and Kakashi.
"This situation is rare in missions, but also quite common in high rank missions, so I'm asking you to investigate these uncertainties within a day. Tomorrow at 4:23 AM, we'll act precisely."
Sakumo took out a pocket watch. Kyomu and Kakashi also took theirs out and compared the time with Sakumo.
"The time of dawn is 6:23 AM. I'll wait for you until 7:30 AM. If you haven't returned by then, this mission will fail, and I'll clean up the mess for you."
With a slightly cold tone, Sakumo continued, "But failing to complete a mission is a great shame for a ninja. If you fail, you bear the consequences!"
Kyomu and Kakashi glanced at each other, nodding silently without words.
They then vanished into the deep forest, stealthily heading towards the nearby mountains.
---
On a tree branch, Kyomu quietly revealed his figure. In front of him was a thin, finely forged steel wire, connected to an explosive tag trap.
"These bandits are really well-off to afford explosive tags. How long were they nurtured to have such financial resources?"
Raising his hand in a gesture, Kakashi stopped his steps, drawing his sword cautiously.
Kyomu didn't trigger the trap set by the bandits. Instead, he silently bypassed it and made a simple mark.
Continuing forward, when he crossed this trap zone, Kyomu finally signaled Kakashi behind him.
At this moment, Kakashi wouldn't compete with Kyomu . In terms of vigilance or sixth sense, Kyomu was much stronger than Kakashi, barely qualifying as a talented 'sensor ninja'.
Thanks warning necklace, love you!
Kyomu felt secretly pleased and couldn't help but kiss the necklace.
This gesture seemed strange to Kakashi, but he quickly understood, looking at his own White Fang, he also developed an inexplicable reliance.
Everyone had their own lucky charm on the battlefield, didn't they?
Breaking through the outer layer of trap defense, Kyomu and Kakashi became even more cautious, utilizing all the skills they had learned to their fullest. Their infiltration skills were indeed superb for their age.
"The infiltration process has some flaws, but it's already very good. I believe with more practice, they'll be quite skilled."
Sakumo, who was observing covertly, evaluated the two. "Although it's enough, I still need to add some difficulty. After all, the infiltration wasn't perfect, like that tree branch..."
Sakumo had always been cunning, and Kakashi's character largely came from him, just more pronounced.
Crack~
The branch underfoot suddenly broke, startling Kakashi. He had been careful, even though the branch was relatively thin, it shouldn't...
But it was too late for regrets.
"Who's there!"
The shout rang out, and Kyomu didn't hesitate. With a sweep of his hand over his ninja tool pouch, he threw forward without hesitation.
Shoo, shoo, shoo~
The sound of breaking through the air, and with great accuracy, the speed of the shuriken thrown by Kyomu was fast.
Thunk~
One shuriken accurately hit a person's throat, and the surrounding companions immediately reacted, aiming at the remaining shuriken coming through the air, raising their blades.
But.
Ding, ding, ding~
Sudden collisions, sudden changes in trajectory, in an incredibly incredible way, suddenly circled behind them.
Plip, plip, plip~
The shuriken pierced deep into their spines, not immediately fatal, but it immobilized them.
At this point, Kakashi also reacted, though only hesitating for a second, he missed the opportunity, causing Sakumo, hiding in the dark, to shake his head involuntarily.
But Kyomu didn't give Kakashi a chance for a follow-up attack. He needed to fulfill the passive skill of this month and must kill the enemy.
Jumping down from the tree branch, Kyomu lightly tapped the ground, leaving behind deep pits, and his figure disappeared.
With a flash of bright Kyomu's figure dashed creating a blade light, passing by the three enemies.
In the blink of an eye, three slashes were made, each clean and precise, targeting vital points.
Swish~
A graceful sword dance, on the shining blade, a few drops of blood were flicked off. And it was still with the back of the blade down, blade edge up, left arm curved and tightened, slowly wiping the blade clean before sheathing it.
"My disciple." Sakumo couldn't help but shake his head. "Although his actions are decisive and precise, and his timing is extraordinary, it's just this sheathing pose... is the first time I've seen it."
Kakashi was also impressed by Kyomu's back as he sheathed his sword, silently remembering this movement and reviewing the mistake he had just made.
"I won't make the same mistake next time, I promise!" Kakashi came to Kyomu's side and assured him.
"Well, it's time to cover each other's backs."
Kyomu looked into the distance, "Support is here, seventeen people, dressed as wandering samurais, but it's unclear if there are any ninjas mixed in."
"But our first phase of the mission is infiltration..."
"I don't want to admit failure... so as long as no one detects our presence, we've successfully infiltrated."
Kakashi was stunned, and his White Fang suddenly unsheathed, rushing forward past Kyomu.
Makes sense!
And he won't hesitate anymore!
(End of Chapter)
