They arrived right away, and as Reiran prepared to counter them, he saw a rock fly past him and narrowly miss the Genin.
He turned around, and to his surprise, he saw Nagato and Yahiko throwing rocks. As for Konan, she had approached him.
Reiran raised a single hand and shook his head.
"No way. Go throw rocks with the others."
"I don't want to," Konan replied. "Besides, I learned something yesterday, and I want to try it out."
In the next instant, she extended her hands and began performing several hand signs until, eventually, 3 paper sheets materialized from her body, floating around her.
Reiran's eyes widened.
Paper Ninjutsu in one day? How is that even possible?
Sure, she was visibly exhausted from summoning 3 paper sheets, and in a fight, she would be practically useless. But the sheer fact that she managed something like this overnight was impressive.
Did Jiraiya train them? Right... he did train those 3 in the canon timeline for a few years. Konan learned how to use her Paper Ninjutsu, and Yahiko learned Water Release.
It wouldn't be too far-fetched to call these 3 kids extremely talented, likely generational geniuses.
Therefore, Reiran decided to indulge her request.
"Alright, what can you do with them?" Reiran asked the obvious.
And it didn't take long to find out.
The Genin finally neared them, and one of them threw a kunai, aiming straight for Reiran's neck.
He was surprised, with no time to dodge.
But that was when a single paper sheet flew toward the kunai and enveloped it. The momentum was stopped completely as it dropped to the ground.
And now, only 2 paper sheets remained, as well as Konan, who staggered against a tree.
The paper sheets hovered in the air slightly, then combined into a single one.
"I-I can block one more attack," Konan stated, exhausted. "You deal with the rest."
Reiran nodded slowly and dashed toward the Genin.
One was in front of him, and as an Earth Chakra-infused fist came flying his way, Reiran crouched down, grabbed some dirt, and threw it at the Genin's eyes.
All of a sudden, a kunai floated up beside him, being held up by a paper sheet. He grabbed it, then threw it straight at the Genin.
But instead of the Genin, the kunai hit a wooden plank.
It was the Substitution Jutsu, one that he only barely managed to track.
The Genin was above him, so Reiran acted like he didn't realize.
At the last moment, Reiran infused his foot with a bit of chakra and jumped up.
This move surprised the Genin, but before the two could collide, the second Genin came out of nowhere and sent Reiran flying with a kick.
Before he could impale himself on a sharp rock, Konan caught him with her single paper sheet.
In turn, the paper sheet dissolved, and Konan fell to the ground, unconscious.
Reiran urgently nodded at Yahiko and Nagato, and as if understanding his intentions, they ran up to Konan and dragged her out of the way.
Thankfully, they did, since the Genin in front of Reiran finally decided to use their Jutsu.
A small sharpened stone formed in the air, and with a single wave, it hurtled toward Reiran.
Instead of panicking, Reiran grinned and focused the majority of his mana into his eyes.
The sharpened stone halted in midair, then swiftly turned around, its size doubling. And when it finally began to move, it hurtled toward the two Genin at a speed they weren't able to track.
[Jutsu reflected!]
[Reflection power: 2x]
"Wha—!"
The Genin didn't even have time to protest as the stone flew through his head, killing him in an instant.
And the remaining Genin didn't leave unscathed either. His left leg was torn off, likely a failed Substitution Jutsu attempt.
Reiran stepped forward calmly, steeling his resolve.
He leaned down for his kunai that was stuck amidst the mud and blood, and after picking it up, he pointed it toward the Iwagakure Genin.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this," Reiran said. "I was the one who wanted to fight you."
"Gh..." The Genin held back a groan. "E-Even if it's a war, we could've let each other be! We would've not attacked you!"
"Maybe," Reiran mused. "I don't speak for everyone, but the last Genins we met tried to kill us. Pardon us for not gambling our lives."
The Genin opened his mouth to complain, but it was too late.
Reiran had already embedded his kunai straight into the Genin's forehead, killing him instantly.
"..."
He hadn't even been in this world for two weeks, and he had already killed 6 people. It really was a reality check.
And yet, aside from a ruined mood and appetite, he was fine.
He turned around, ready to head back toward the others, when his vision suddenly turned blurry.
Glancing down, he saw several miniature droplets of blood falling from his nose.
Reiran lifted his shirt up slightly, and as expected, the earlier kick from the Genin caused his entire abdomen to swell up and bruise.
[Status]
Name: Reiran Yozora
Age: 10
Chakra Points (CP): 4 / 109 → 4 / 138 (Low-Genin)
Affiliation: None
Rank: Unaffiliated
Condition: Injured (Minor+) | Recovery time: 1 week
—Perks:
Eclipse Eye (Progressive) (☆ — Mastery: 6% → 21%)
Photographic Memory (☆ — Mastery: 5% → 17%)
Chakra Control (Beginner+) (☆ — Mastery: 32% → 50%)
—Techniques:
Taijutsu (☆ — Mastery: 42% → 68%)
Kenjutsu (☆ — Mastery: 28% → 54%)
This is a Minor injury? Huh... I feel like I'm going to die, Reiran mused, maintaining his expression.
His chakra points increased, and so had his mastery over his perks and techniques.
He had Orochimaru to thank for that, as well as the Genin he had just fought.
With that in mind, he walked toward the others.
Konan was still passed out on the ground, but Yahiko thought she was dead.
"K-Konan! Nooo! Wake up... come on! Wake up!"
"Stop it, she's fine," Tsunade said, grumbling. "She exhausted her chakra, so she's going to be asleep for a while."
She then turned toward Reiran, a confused look appearing on her face.
"As for you, come with me."