socalfunplaces Chapter 9 The Patrol and Blockade of the Ninja Village
Chapter 9 The Patrol and Blockade of the Ninja Village
After leaving the border, Shisei Aburame found the fastest route back to Takigakure Village according to the map. This time, he did not release any insects; even the parasitic insects used for basic reconnaissance were kept in a petri dish.
He walked at the pace of an ordinary genin, and even when he stopped to rest, he set up simple traps like a real genin, at least on the surface.
Although Shisei Aburame's perception range was limited by more than ten times due to the absence of scout bugs, even without the parasitic bugs, his abilities in other areas remained at the Jonin level, especially his sensory abilities.
Four hours later, it began to rain in the Land of Grass. Shisei Aburame used the available materials, picked a lot of grass leaves, and made them into a straw hat to wear on her head.
Just as he entered the fork in the road on the main road, he suddenly stopped, his other hand resting naturally on his ninja tool bag, his eyes fixed on the road ahead with a wary look. This is the most common reaction of an ordinary ninja who has encountered an accident.
In fact, he had sensed three ninjas rapidly moving through the forest and heading this way from several hundred meters away.
The three were wearing vests from Kusagakure. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. A long scar ran diagonally across his nose, like an old mark from a sharp blade.
He was followed by a male and a female ninja, both in a defensive posture. The three of them stood in a fan shape, blocking the middle of the road.
"Stop, headband." The middle-aged man spoke to verify his identity.
Aburame Shisei lifted his wet bangs, revealing the Takigakure headband.
"From Takigakure?" The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, sizing him up. "What are you doing here all alone?"
"On a mission." Aburame Shisei maintained the tension befitting a young man, pulling out a mission order from his pocket. "We were escorting a herbalist back to Taki no Kuni, but we encountered bandits along the way, and the caravan got separated. I'm looking for my companions."
The middle-aged Shinobu glanced at the scroll, then looked up to examine it more closely.
The boy in front of me gripped his weapon tightly with both hands, looking extremely uneasy. He was a seventeen-year-old genin who had encountered a jonin squad from another village on the border, so this was how he was supposed to look.
The middle-aged grass ninja still hadn't dispelled his doubts. He gave the female ninja behind him a look, and she understood. She formed hand seals and began to sense.
This is a very basic sensory technique; it can only detect chakra levels and physical condition, and cannot see through his disguise at all.
"His chakra level is average, and he's in good health. I didn't sense any traces of worms inside him," the female ninja reported, shaking her head after completing her assessment.
"Have you seen any suspicious people lately?" the middle-aged ninja suddenly asked. "Like someone wearing sunglasses, or maybe you've spotted some suspicious gray bugs on the road."
"No. I've been traveling these past few days and haven't encountered anyone else," Aburame Shisei replied.
The doubt in the middle-aged ninja's eyes dissipated. He took two steps forward, standing only three meters away from Shisei Aburame, an extremely dangerous attack distance.
"The battlefield in the Land of Rain desperately needs medicinal herbs," he suddenly said. "Since Takigakure isn't participating in the war, why don't we hand this task over to Kusagakure? Come with us; perhaps we can help you find a caravan and some teammates."
Aburame Shisei sighed inwardly. He didn't want to clash with them, as this would reduce the risk of exposure. But given the insatiable nature of Kusagakure, how could they possibly let go of a seemingly ordinary genin?
He lowered his head, seemingly hesitant, as water droplets dripped from the edge of his straw hat, splashing small water droplets on the ground.
Aburame Shisei still wanted to give them a chance, but the ninjas on the other side were already getting impatient.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, but I have decided to return to the Land of Waterfall on my own. I will not trouble you any further."
"Then it's not up to you." The middle-aged ninja interrupted him with a sneer, casually making a throat-slitting gesture with his right hand. "Clean it up."
Before he could finish speaking, the male ninja behind him had already moved.
The kunai burst through the air, aiming straight for Aburame Shisei's throat.
Aburame Shisei sighed again; he really didn't want to take action.
Just as the kunai was about to touch his skin, his body shifted half an inch to the side at an incredible angle. The kunai grazed his neck and flew past, embedding itself hard in the tree trunk behind him.
At the same time, he pulled three shuriken from his ninja tool pouch with his left hand and flung them toward the female ninja without even looking. The first shuriken was not intended to hit her, but to interrupt her ninjutsu hand seals.
The female ninja had to stop and dodge, but the second shuriken caught up with the first, and the two collided, instantly changing their flight direction.
The trajectory of the third shuriken blocked her escape route.
She felt caught in a dilemma, but after only a second of hesitation, the two shuriken that collided drew an arc in the air and struck her body simultaneously, one piercing the back of her neck and the other hitting her forehead.
This bizarre method made the other two grass ninja instantly realize that they had encountered a master.
At the same time, Shisei Aburame instantly appeared in front of the middle-aged Shinobu Kusa, blocking his retreat.
The middle-aged ninja drew his kunai to defend himself, but was still kicked back several steps by a leg whip. Aburame Shisei seized the opportunity and inserted a kunai into his body.
The middle-aged grass ninja, clutching his injured abdomen, staggered to the side, coughing up blood. He looked up and demanded, "Who are you? You can't possibly be an ordinary Takigakure genin!"
Aburame Shisei did not answer, but casually threw out a kunai. The kunai was extremely fast and killed instantly, piercing the back of the neck of the male ninja who was preparing to escape.
"Who I am is not important." Aburame Shisei instantly stepped forward, grabbed the middle-aged ninja by the neck, and slammed him heavily against a large tree by the roadside.
He released a tiny insect, the scent of which wafted into the middle-aged ninja's nostrils. The man's consciousness gradually blurred, his eyes began to glaze over, and he eventually became completely obedient.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me, why are you blocking my way here?" Aburame Shisei squatted down and asked in a deep voice.
Five minutes later, he got the information he wanted.
The wanted posters for Konoha's rogue ninja were sent to neighboring countries a day ago, and they included a portrait, characteristics, and description of Aburame Shisei's abilities.
However, most of the information above is inferred from the ninjutsu of the Aburame clan.
Only two of these are useful: he possesses a gray worm that can destroy evidence of corpses, and a white worm that can carry people and fly through the air.
As for other abilities, nothing is known.
When the two major ninja villages received a request, or rather an order, for assistance in the pursuit, the Hidden Grass Village dispatched several small teams to set up checkpoints and patrol the surrounding area.
The three of them thought they were clever, choosing the most obvious main road to block the way, but their appearance at this fork in the road was just a coincidence.