Translation: Konoha's Bizarre Adventure
Chapter 6: Obeying Orders Novel Title: Konoha's Bizarre Adventure | Author: Beer Bear (Pijiu Xiong) Word Count: 2,497 words | Updated: 2019-07-11 13:41:45
Among the five elements of ninjutsu, Lightning Style might not always be the most destructive, but it is undoubtedly the fastest. Whether it's long-range bolts or the Lightning Style Armor favored by the Raikage, speed is its unique hallmark.
As a Jōnin born in the Hidden Cloud Village, Darby was naturally proficient in Lightning Style. However, as an intelligence specialist, his expertise lay not in direct combat but in techniques facilitating covert operations—such as his current move: Lightning Style: Lightning Phantom Body.
Similar to the Lightning Style Armor, this technique uses electricity to stimulate the body and activate muscle cells, maximizing speed and agility. It was the perfect escape tool for a spy.
So fast! But I can't let him just vanish into the night.
The moment Darby activated the technique, Yuki, still slung over his shoulder, felt like he was on a high-speed roller coaster. This was not the outcome he wanted.
"Kaguya-hime! Stop him!"
Yuki instantly issued a mental command. The small figure that had been floating behind them after destroying the eaves sprang into action.
Although Kaguya-hime's current speed stat was only a C, and theoretically she shouldn't be able to catch the accelerated Darby, she didn't need to chase him. Because Yuki was being carried, Kaguya-hime effectively "hitched a ride," allowing her to easily fly ahead of Darby's path.
Despite her destructive power, Yuki didn't have her attack Darby directly. Instead, he targeted the floorboards ahead.
As Kaguya-hime's small palms swept across the floor, the clean wooden boards were punched through with a series of small holes—just large enough for a foot to slip into.
What?! Darby was moving too fast. Between his momentum and his focus on the perimeter, he couldn't react in time. His foot plunged straight into one of the holes!
A collapsed footing is a death sentence for a high-speed runner.
No matter how fast a ninja's reflexes are, physics is a cruel mistress.
CRACK!
A stomach-turning sound echoed as Darby felt a sharp, agonizing pain in his right foot. His balance vanished, and his entire body slammed toward the ground with violent momentum.
Yuki had been devious. He hadn't asked Kaguya-hime to tear up the whole floor; he specifically created "traps" just large enough to catch a foot. The faster the speed, the worse the fall. Darby was currently a living embodiment of that truth.
Whoosh!
As Darby ate dirt, Yuki was catapulted off his shoulder. Mid-air, Kaguya-hime manifested beside her master, extending her thin arms to catch him firmly. Because Yuki had anticipated the crash, the transition from flight to landing was fluid and graceful.
"First time working together as a duo? Full marks."
Having escaped, Yuki smiled at Kaguya-hime and patted her white head, even stroking the rabbit-ear-like protrusion on the left.
"Guu..."
Kaguya-hime couldn't speak yet, but she let out a soft cooing sound like a small rabbit, her cheeks flushing slightly as she leaned into the touch.
"Over here! Ah! Isn't that the young master?!"
"Wait! Who is this man? Why is he on the ground?"
Just as Yuki landed, several Hyuga secret guards arrived on the scene. They were greeted by the sight of their young master casually looking at the scenery, while a man—Darby—struggled to stand up in a "golden rooster stands on one leg" pose, his face twisted in pain.
His leg was broken, and the guards were here. For Darby, the mission was a total failure.
"State your name! Or we won't be merciful!" one of the black-clad guards shouted, his Byakugan veins bulging.
Darby remembered the absolute order he received from the Cloud's advisor, Rakshasa, before departing: "If the mission is exposed, you must die within the Hyuga compound. Retreat is not allowed. Understood?"
"...Yes!"
Darby understood the underlying cruelty. The advisor wanted the Byakugan at any cost. If the kidnapping failed, Darby's death as an "envoy" within the Hyuga walls would create a diplomatic nightmare. During these sensitive peace negotiations, Konoha would be forced to pay a heavy price—likely a life for a life—to smooth things over. To the higher-ups, one or two lives were trivial compared to the end of a war.
Darby took a deep breath and wiped his face. The youthful Hyuga disguise vanished, revealing his true, rugged features and deep bronze skin—the unmistakable look of someone from the Land of Lightning.
A ninja's first duty is to obey. I was born of the Cloud, and I shall die as its ghost. Let my life be the final contribution to my village! Darby's heart swelled with tragic resolve.
"A Cloud ninja?! Damn him! He tried to harm the young master! Surround him! Take him down!"
The guards' expressions darkened. They were battle-hardened veterans; they knew exactly what it meant for a Cloud operative to be caught with their heir.
"Hmph! I am an envoy sent by the Hidden Cloud! If you have the guts, then—"
"Wait, don't get it twisted," a childish voice interrupted from the side. "He's not a Cloud envoy. He's just a rogue ninja. I heard him talking to himself just now."
Huh? Master Yuki?
The guards and Darby all turned toward the source of the voice. Yuki stood in the courtyard with a relaxed, leisurely expression.
"Young Master? What are you saying...?"
"Didn't you hear me? I said this guy is just a rogue who abandoned the Cloud. He took advantage of the envoys' arrival today to murder one of them, stole his identity, and came here to cause trouble. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Hidden Cloud Village. Do you understand?"
Under the bright moonlight, Yuki seemed to radiate a strange, authoritative aura. His logic was clear and his speech was fluent—completely unlike a three-year-old child.