"Kid, we're here. Come out." As the cart momentarily came to a halt, the shinobi escorting Yoichi soon spoke.
For a while, only the sounds of splashing droplets and rustling waves of the wind were heard until Yoichi took a deep breath and went outside the cart.
On the periphery, the dew of the rain and the trees unknowingly survived in a low-light setting.
With the winds swaying the branches and the muddy grounds continuously sprinkled by the never-ending rain, Yoichi took a step into the harsh background with fiery determination in his eyes.
"Good luck, kid. Prevail or die..."
Therefore, with the confirmation of his mission, the shinobi's silhouette along with the cart gradually vanished while words of encouragement became whispering echoes in the winds.
"Yes, I will come out on top..."
When he heard the comment, Yoichi whispered and went into the depths of the forest, soaking his figure once again in the never-ending drizzle.
It must be mandatory for me to find a good ground and build a base in the upcoming days. Yoichi thought as his trek began with clarity of the situation.
Food, heat, and shelter were among the fundamentals required to survive in this extreme climate. All of the basic tools for survival were bought by him ahead of time but finding a good place for settlement was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Due to the weather being so severe, the ground became muddy and damp as Yoichi trudged through the boggy lands with his bare feet submerged in the soil.
Strictly speaking, the Land of Rain didn't have any kinds of trees based on Yoichi's memories of its outlook in geography.
In fact, it was extremely surprising for Yoichi to see the trees unexpectedly enduring the rain without any kind of sunlight.
"This should be a place bordering the Amegakure... Suna is too sandy while Iwa is too rocky. The two choices here are the Land of Fire or the Land of Rivers." Yoichi uttered without any thoughts of running for now.
The curse seal was still intact and his friends were waiting for him to be secured.
Regardless, the intrusive ideas came into his mind but he shook these foolish thoughts and concentrated his eyes on the goal.
Soon, after trekking through the lands, he caught sight of the mountainous highlands and saw a little cavern.
Out of the forest, Yoichi carefully checked the stability and durability of the walls of the cavern. If he got buried alive in the cavern, there was no cure for regret.
For a long time, Yoichi chose to settle down and build a one-man tent, repeatedly looking to the forest's side with vigilance.
"Perhaps I might have to practice in my remaining time here. Then, I should scour the forest again for their whereabouts."
Therefore, Yoichi practiced diligently with extreme concentration as the rain outside started to pour even more, a usual day in the Land of Rain.
「Lightning Spear Thrust EXP +1」
「Lightning Spear Thrust EXP +1」
「Lightning Spear Thrust EXP +1」
...
...
...
After two weeks, Yoichi explored the wide array of forestry without any clue about his friends or any big traces of human activity.
In these two weeks, he fully embraced nature as he encountered some beasts like salamanders and even an alligator along the way. However, Yoichi didn't even try to kill or taste them since the possibility of parasites and unknown bacteria was still a mystery for him.
Even with the Incinerator passive, precautions were precautions in the first place.
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Great Success) 284/500] (+22)
[Mountain Crushing Fist: (Small Success) 23/300] (+13)
[Lightning Spear Thrust: (Small Success) 2/300] (+20)
[Phantom Steps: (Small Success) 44/300] (+5)
Although he was sleeping through the uncomfortable damp ground, his progress in Martial Arts was considerable. Particularly the upgrade of Lightning Spear Thrust to the Small Success Realm.
If Mountain Crushing Fist excelled in amplifying blunt force, then Lightning Spear Thrust stood out in the aspects of speed and penetrating force.
This technique was a five-point stabbing method cultivated through sheer swiftness and comprehended as if a heavenly lightning strike from the skies, smiting any unruly mortals.
As Yoichi began walking on the muddy ground with his feet, his lonely time was broken by a flashing light in the sky, shining through the gloomy clouds with glinting assorted colors.
"It's a supply chest near my vicinity!"
Subsequently, Yoichi took off and rushed ahead while his perception enveloped the surrounding areas, scanning the forest for a possible ambush or traps nearby.
Momentarily, he appeared at the place and looked at the children. Shortly after, his eyes began to narrow as Yoichi saw the familiar figure.
"Sabito..." Yoichi whispered.
For a while, the children looked at each other with extreme caution, taking out their available tools against the possible altercation.
"That's Yoichi! Let's take him out before we can split the resources, agreed?" The sharply witted child soon provided a cunning tactic.
Remove Yoichi from the equation.
"Make your choice, Sabito." Yoichi coldly declared.
Afterwards, the two remaining children looked at each other and instantly hurled their shurikens at him while the witty child rushed towards Yoichi with eyes gleaming in cold light.
Phantom Steps!
All of a sudden, with his Qi Blood surging to his limbs, Yoichi left a phantom-like visage as the shurikens passed through the afterimage, shocking the three assailants.
"What the hell?! How's that possible?!"
Landed on a thick tree branch nearby, Yoichi began to see the witty child charging at him with a kunai. With a vicious smile on his face, the clever child roared, "Die!!!"
Lightning Spear Thrust!
Therefore, Yoichi controlled his Qi Blood and arched his arm backwards, then faced the assault with a swift stabbing attack against the opponent.
"No way... That...is...impossible..."
As the kunai and hand diverged, the puncturing force blew a hole in the smart child's chest while Yoichi took the kunai face-to-face and felt a mere stinging sensation in his chest skin.
"Is he a monster?!" The two children's eyes widened in shock, noticing Yoichi's uninjured figure while the smart child fell to the ground with a splash, as lifeless as he could be.
While the two children were stunned, Sabito exploited the attention window and tossed his shurikens, swiftly rushing towards them along with his hurled projectiles.
"AAAHHHGGG! TRAITOR! YOU WILL FACE WORSE THAN DEATH!"
Embedded by the shurikens in the backs, the two children retreated but Sabito appeared nearby and stabbed the child who was late to react.
"Did you forget me?"
Mountain Crushing Fist!
The cold voice was heard in the last enemy's ear and he turned back to see a punch smacking on his face, blowing the child's body out of the field due to the unstoppable velocity.
Why are you still so powerful?! How can I even step out of your shadow?!
Sabito slightly trembled at the sight of Yoichi, who was looking at him with an indifferent expression.
Following that, Yoichi slowly went towards the supply chest and carried the chest with both hands before Sabito blocked his way out of the forest.
"What's the meaning of this?" At this point, Yoichi felt truly complicated due to his memories of Sabito and him being close in the past.
"Y-Yoichi! Can we team up? I will do anything just for you!" Sabito kneeled and bowed yet his hands were clenching from the embarrassment.
"... Suit yourself."
"So you mean... Yes! Thank you!"
'Masaru, what's next?! What should I do?'
Hearing Yoichi's voice, Sabito cheered with enjoyment until he cursed inwardly and gradually followed Yoichi's silhouette within the forest.
...
"You are... Masaru! Good timing, I can kill you to appease my anger!" A child remarked with inner wrath written in his face.
"Hahaha! As expected of Yoichi's dogs. It seems you're ready to die, Haruhiko..." A child wrapped in a raincoat sneered with disdain and took out his kunai.
On the other hand, Haruhiko and Masaru encountered each other in the forest with both killing intent soaring through the atmosphere.
In a sudden clash, the two hurled their shurikens at each other. Each friction of the shurikens made glinting sparks as the Masaru rolled forward while Haruhiko readied another set of shurikens.
Clone Technique!
Transformation Technique!
As Haruhiko made two clones, he threw the shurikens and incorporated himself in the volley of projectiles hurled at Masaru.
"Heh! Cheap display of tricks!"
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
In a swift hand seals succession, Masaru gulped the air in his mouth and blew the shurikens, slowly halting the projectiles in a gradual turn.
As a result, Haruhiko was unable to keep his transformation from the strong winds and was knocked back to the tree nearby.
I need to escape! With enough distance between the two, Haruhiko turned around and rapidly retreated until Masaru weaved hand seals and said, "Run? Then keep dreaming!"
Wind Release: Rotating Shurikens!
"ARRRGFHHH!"
By infusing his shurikens with Wind Nature Chakra, the meteoric shurikens instantly flew at Haruhiko's back and managed to slightly injure him, impaling his legs in the process.
"Someone! Help me!" While running with difficulty, Haruhiko's request for help resounded in the forest.
"HAHAHA! Let's begin the cat and mouse play!" Without any doubt, Masaru rushed to find his prey and vaulted across the forest, tracking his most prized hunt of the day.
________
(Current Progress)
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Great Success) 284/500]
[Mountain Crushing Fist: (Small Success) 23/300]
[Lightning Spear Thrust: (Small Success) 2/300]
[Phantom Steps: (Small Success) 44/300]
___________
I'll be posting the next chapter tomorrow so please wait.
Thanks for reading the chapters and bookmarking the novel. See ya! XDD!