Chapter 55 – The Shinobi Way
I don’t know what a Jounin is, but from the margin Shinobu is showing, she’s at least stronger than the other two.
If Jounin is comparable to the Empire’s Senior Warrior class, surely I should keep my guard up.
“Come on, let’s make this qui–“
The moment I braced myself for battle, an unusual shaped knife was approaching my face.
“Nu, oh!?”
“Such good reflexes. Well now, let’s go!”
“Hold on, you, wha-!?”
It is neither martial art nor swordsmanship. She just threw a knife.
Knife throwing technique? But how many does she have?!
『Tis neither a small sword nor knife. That…. is a ‘Kunai’ and ‘Shuriken’.』
“What is it?”
『Weapons unique to Ninja Warriors. Be careful! Do not react only to what is visible!』
“Tch, don’t, take me, lightly!”
『Behind you, child!』
Don’t react only to visible things…… tch!?
“Huh, it’s, a log!?”
As I was avoiding the kunai, I felt something approaching from behind, and the moment I turned around, a big log with a rope attacked me like a pendulum.
『Tis a trap, child. That little girl was setting up a trap while you were dealing with the two ninjas.』
Whoa, a trap. But……
“Won’t work, I’m not a beast to be snared! Like this.”
A big log and a kunai flying from the front. A pincer maneuver. However, they are all shot down.
Assuming the half-body stance, I knock down the Kunais by their wide middle parts with the flicker, and intercept approaching the log with a smash from my clenched right fist.
Because I couldn’t add a twist on my waist as I made the hand shot, the power is decreased, but……
“If it’s about blowing away a little knife and a log… eh!?”
『Two kunais, child!』
At that moment, when I intercepted the log and ‘visible’ Kunai, I didn’t notice the similar delayed attack that was hidden behind the first attack.
“Gah!? Ah, tse~!”
The Kunai pierces. The log strikes at my head. I reacted, but there was no escape route, and it was impossible to intercept, she got me good after all.
“Ah, that was cheeky…Eh?”
The pain made me flinch, but I must endure, I can’t fall down, and next I go on the offensive…. then, just as I thought that, Shinobu, who was in front of me until now, was nowhere to be seen.
“Water Art, 【Misty Wind Jutsu】”
Then, the voice of Shinobu, who was invisible, echoed, and at the same time, the deep fog covering the forest deprived me of my vision.
“Wh-What is this?”
『A fog concealment technique, so to speak… Be wary. The opponent is a Jounin. In this fog, they are aware of your movements and whereabouts. Incoming attacks would be hidden by the fog, would they not?』
“That’s, come on, seriously!?”
Not good, the fog is getting thicker and thicker as we speak.
It’s all white, and I can hardly see anything.
What if a kunai or other things are thrown in this situation?
What if a powerful Ninjutsu is unleashed?
“Hey, you, that’s cowardly! Come on out!”
Then, it doesn’t matter how good my dynamic vision or peripheral vision is. I can’t see anything.
However, Shinobu does not respond to my shouts.
She won’t do anything stupid to reveal her whereabouts.
And instead of her voice……
『Child 』
“Huh. Whoa, whoa, whoa!?”
Kunai flies instead of a reply. A few stab me on my arms, shoulders, and feet, cut my skin, and hurt me.
To be honest, you can’t see a Kunai until they’re on the verge of hitting.
And the moment you see it, it’s too late.
No matter how good my reflexes and visual acuity are, there are limits to avoiding this.
“Ugh, there! Thunder Spell, 【Kilo Thunder!】”
Still, the general direction can be grasped based on where the kunai struck.
The lightning strike is dropped toward the direction where Kunai flew from.
However, there is no response. Was it avoided?
『Do not shoot blindly into the fog. She is throwing a kunai while moving. Even if done by intuition, your attacks are for naught.』
「Damn, that girl… didn’t seem had the nerve to use such awful underhanded tricks!」
『Be Calm, child. This is the Shinobi way. This is a Ninja Warrior.』
「Huh… you mean?」
Tre’ainar’s words, saying this is a ‘Ninja Warriors’, carries weight.
『What Shinobi find essential is not strength. Tis the realization of the objective. Foremost is to kill the opponent, not to win the battle. That is their way.』
「Are you serious……」
『But, on the other hand, though you denounce that little girl as cowardly, still she is apprehensive, is she not?』
While pointing out the naivety of me complaining about hiding and such a stealthy battle, Tre’ainar adds…
『Had that little girl applied lethal poison on her weapons, at this point the fight would be over.』
「What?」
『For a Jounin to not have poisons on their person is unfathomable. In other words, she is still being apprehensive and going easy on you.』
I hate that his remark made me shudder.
I mean, if she meant to kill me, I would be dead already.
Could I die so easily?
No, it’s not the only possibility. What if a Kunai hits a critical spot?
This is no joke.
“Throwing Art, 【Multiple Shuriken Clone】”
“Ah……… hey, you got me so many times! …… What?”
A shuriken appeared in front of my eyes. This time, I noticed it very quickly and tried to shoot it down with my fist, but my punch slipped right through.
Illusion? Then, the second shuriken, which had been thrown in the shadow of the first, pierced my body this time.
“When, what? What is this?!”
『Shuriken Clone… tis an attack that mixes an illusionary shuriken with the real article. Tis impossible for the current child to see through.』
“Shu-Shuriken Clone!?”
You’re too mean! How do you handle a hidden opponent, compromised sight, and even a mix of real and fake attacks?
“Damn it, get out here! You no pubes, titless hussyyyyyyyy!!!” 1
『Tis no use. Ninjas can also control their emotions. They do not bring personal feelings of everyday life into these situations. In a way, their ability to read the mood is even worse than Hiro’s.』
“Flat board, I, er, no, nuah~”
And after witnessing the power of my fist in the battle against the other two, I doubt she will make any errors.
She was anxious about her chest. Why not provoke her?
But in the end, nothing changed.
The only things thrown back are Kunai and shuriken.
“Ah, tch, I… as things are… forced to retreat…”
No good. It’s inevitable. I’m guarding my neck and wrists on reflex, but I’ll get struck all over my body, at this rate.
Do I retreat here? Can’t I just dash to a place where the fog isn’t covered and escape?
“Terran Art, 【Flying Rock Pebbles】”
“Huh?!”
While working out my strategy, she activates a powerful technique.
Vibrations ran on the ground, and countless stones attacked me all at once.
The impact of the stones hitting the whole body.
I can’t see it, but I imagine that my whole body is swollen blue.
“Damn it…. one move… seriously…. how can I defeat her… in this situation…”
『Child, learn. Tis an actual battle. The strong do not necessarily win. Those who have no power also use strategy to defeat the strong. Tis only natural. If you fight head-on in the arena, you will win…. but in actual combat there are no holds barred.』
What Tre’ainar is saying sticks to me. But now is not the time for this.
They still have comrades. The group approaching Mr. Aka.
To go help Mr. Aka, I can’t get stuck in a place like this.
「Tre’ainar. What would you do?」
『This level of fog is meaningless before my six-gates. Even with your eyes closed, you can also fight by relying on signs and sounds, also you could blow away surroundings. Tis still too early for the child….』
「Fugu!?」
『Deduce it yourself a little. A hint was offered. In this situation, finding your own way will lead to growth.』
Damn, it’s not helpful. That’s bad. Really, I am…?
As Tre’ainar says, it’s impossible to rely on signs and sounds. To begin with, I do not understand Shinobu’s movement at all. I can’t hear any sound or sense of presence, and I don’t know when she’ll use an art or a kunai appears before my eyes.
I can’t use Giga-class magic or anything with area effects …What?
“Ah, that’s it.”
Only one, the most destructive magic I can use… No, I have a skill.
『Hooh~… to implement that idea to your benefits …. quite ironic.』
At that time, Tre’ainar positive reaction, seemed a little complicated but it doesn’t seem to be ‘wrong’.
Then I’ll proceed with confidence.
“Let’s go, Breakthrough Mode!”
The Breakthrough state that cloaks the entire body with magic. However, no matter how much physical strength I have, there’s no point if I can’t find the opponent’s whereabouts. It just increases your defense.
But from here I raise my right hand and use that.
“Great Magic Spiral!!”
It is a large magic spiral that influenced my life in various ways. I didn’t think I would be using it two days in a row.
But this isn’t just a great magic spiral.
Instead of just using it as a drill to punch a hole by pushing it into the opponent, hold it up like this, and rotate it violently…
“Blow it all awaaaaaaay!!!!!”
“Eeehh!?”
“【Earth Spiral Tornado!!】”
It causes intense tornadoes and blows away all the fog and trees.
The surrounding trees fly, the ground is gouged out, and the fog dissipates and my view becomes clear.
“Ah, th-this is!? Eeek!?”
“Ahahahaha! I see you!”
And I found you! Finally!
While trying desperately not to be blown away by the wind, a short skirt rolls up, panties, white, simple approach, Instant Memory Magic, 【Canonicon】activate!…… No, I mean, I found that girl! 2
But then…
『Exactly how The Great Demon Spiral…… Spiral Tornado…. destroyed that city…』
Tre’ainar was muttering something a bit complicated, but can’t dwell on that right.
“I’m not letting you go anymore.”
“Oh… That’s fast!”
We’re separated by some distance, I can’t let her hide again.
I won’t even let you use a kunai or shuriken, or even activate your art.
Let’s use this chance and continue with some extreme-infighting.
Author’s Notes
Everyone is always indebted.
I get a lot of feedback every time, and it’s a lot of fun.
I hope I can reply to all of them someday, but please give me some time.
Well, here is one request about the impression.
Basically, you can write anything in your impressions.
Or development expectations, or tired, or that chara-fucking, or the author clothes, it is everyone’s freedom, and I of the body that can receive the impression to begin with “Impressions should be this” and so on.
But don’t just fight with the other. That’s all there is to it, please.
I wrote a serious postscript, and the author also dressed.
[S1]Here he calls Shinobu a tsurupeta (ツルペタ), “Flat chested, hairless girl”. From the onomatopoeia “tsurutsuru” (つるつる “smooth, polished; slick; slippery; sleek”, especially “hairless” (see inmō)) and “petan” (ぺたん “flat”, “devoid of bumps and holes”).
[S2]This guy’s making a mental Panty Scrapbook!! I wanna s…. Ah, I mean, what a perv!!!