In the seven-colored space, Kaito stood before a golden slate and slowly pressed his hand against it.
In the blink of an eye, his surroundings changed dramatically. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but crackling golden lightning. His appearance was like a drop of water in a pot of hot oil, causing the entire pool of lightning to boil over as bolts converged on him from all directions.
They came in various forms—spherical, net-like—and followed different trajectories—some charging straight, others winding forward. There was lightning that moved too fast for Kaito's naked eye to see, and lightning that lay relatively still, spread across the ground.
This wasn't Kaito's first time interacting with the lightning slate, so he was prepared for this. He gritted his teeth against the numbing paralysis and searing pain, seizing the moment to comprehend the electric-type moves contained within.
A long time later, unable to hold on any longer, Kaito withdrew from the seven-colored space.
Returning to the outside world, the sound of thunder was still loud. He stared blankly at his own palm inside the tent.
Still just a little off. I thought that after witnessing natural lightning up close, I would naturally comprehend the move. I was thinking too much.
He rolled over and came face-to-face with a pair of large, bright eyes, which gave him a good scare. "Why are you still awake?"
"It's so noisy with the thunder outside, how could I fall asleep?" Tetsuren said grimly. "You, on the other hand, went completely silent the moment you lay down. I thought you were asleep."
"Nope. I was refining my chakra."
"???" Tetsuren's eyes widened in disbelief, as if to say, Do you have to grind that hard?
"Ahem." Feeling a pang of guilt, Kaito quickly changed the subject. "Can't sleep, huh? Simple. I'll just sing a song and solve the problem."
"???"
Ignoring Tetsuren's astonished expression, Kaito cleared his throat and began to sing: "Commanding the wind and clouds, I roam as I please, admired by the masses..."
Although the melody was rousing and spirited, Tetsuren felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. The penetrating sound of his singing drowned out the thunder and spread throughout the entire camp.
Before he had even finished one song, Tetsuren had already closed her eyes and drifted off to dreamland.
"Tsk, tsk. The move Sing is pretty effective. It just takes a little too long to work, so its usefulness in a real battle would be greatly diminished." Kaito smacked his lips, hugged his small blanket tighter, and slowly fell asleep.
The next day, the rain had passed and the sky was clear.
When Tetsuren woke up, she was the only one left in the tent. A cacophony of voices drilled in from outside. She quickly got up and stepped out of the tent. The glaring sunlight made her involuntarily shield her eyes.
After a few seconds, once her eyes had adjusted, Tetsuren lowered her hand and saw the people of the caravan busily packing their things.
"Is it this late already?"
This was the first time she had ever woken up so late. She had slept too well last night.
Tetsuren stretched comfortably and saw Kaito walking over with a large flatbread, which he handed to her.
"Here. Just bought it for breakfast."
"Thanks."
"Huh, that's rare. You're not someone in disguise, are you?"
"..." Tetsuren rolled her eyes, ignoring Kaito's occasional brain-farts.
After eating and packing up, the caravan set off again.
Unlike the previous days, the way the caravan members looked at Kaito was now filled with reverence. Many had seen him summon the lightning last night, and they now regarded him as one of those omnipotent ninja lords. The ever-timid chubby leader was even more afraid to go against Kaito's wishes, serving him with the terrified trepidation of a little eunuch attending to an emperor, which made Kaito extremely uncomfortable.
"Can you please show me some respect? I took your money, so I'm not going to kill people randomly, understand?"
"Understood, understood." But instead of calming down, the chubby leader's heart was filled with even more fear and trepidation.
He really is a monster who sees human life as worthless!
"..."
After walking for two hours, they saw a large mountain.
The chubby leader's face lit up with joy. "Once we get around this mountain, we'll be in the Land of Hot Water. It's a country famous throughout the ninja world for its hot springs, which attract a lot of tourists, so the security is much better than in the Land of Rice Paddies."
It also meant they could finally part ways with these two fiends.
"I'm actually quite curious. You knew the security in the Land of Rice Paddies was bad, so why didn't you take a detour through the Land of Fire? There would surely be fewer bandits and mountain thieves there," Kaito asked.
"Er, well, that's because the customs tax in the Land of Fire is much more expensive."
"...Fair enough."
A classic example of choosing money over life. If it weren't for the two of them, he would have been robbed several times over by bandits already.
"Let's go. I'm curious to see just how good the hot springs in the Land of Hot Water are."
After a short rest, the group set off again, following a small path at the foot of the mountain, with the high mountain on one side and a cliff on the other.
Halfway there, Kaito's heart skipped a beat. He had a very bad feeling. Just as he was about to search for the source of his unease, a loud rumble came from under his feet. An earth wall automatically rose up behind them, completely sealing off their escape route.
Five dark figures sprang out and stood in front of the caravan, clearly with malicious intent.
"Aahhh, here we go again!" The chubby leader immediately hid behind Kaito and said in a panic, "Lord Kaito, Lady Tetsuren, we'll have to trouble you two again."
"This time, the opponents aren't so simple. The price is going up." Kaito's guard rose as he saw the blank forehead protector on the man in the lead.
"No problem!"
"Are those ninja? They don't look like much." Tetsuren was eager for a fight.
"They're the kind that can't even make the cut. Of course they're nothing special," Kaito said as he stepped past the crowd, giving instructions as he went. "Tetsuren, you protect them. I'll handle this one."
"Why do I get the bandits, and you get to keep the ninja for yourself? That's not fair!"
"Sorry, that's an order."
"..."
Kaito walked to the very front, sizing up the five men as he spoke. "Honorable ninja lords, why are you blocking our path? Don't tell me you've fallen so low..."
"It's you!" the rogue ninja in the middle roared before Kaito could finish, his eyes filled with endless venomous resentment and killing intent.
"Huh? The only rogue ninja who recognizes me should be that big brother from back then." Kaito carefully examined the somewhat skinny man in front of him and chuckled. "I was all bundled up back then. It's impressive that you can still recognize me."
"Your eyes! I'd recognize them even if you were turned to ash!"
"You should be thanking the heavens for their grace that you were able to walk out of that blizzard without any food, and live a good life, instead of seeking death here."
"The one who's going to die is you, you cunning little brat! I won't give you a chance to escape this time. My name is Natto. Remember the name of the man who will tear you to pieces!"
Natto waved a finger, beckoning to the four companions he had newly recruited. "You go deal with those merchants. Don't get in my way!"
"Yes, sir!"
The four of them responded and, as one, charged toward the caravan.
Kaito stood still, letting them rush toward the people behind him, his gaze firmly locked on Natto.
"Tetsuren, I'll give you four. Don't say I'm stingy. If you can't handle them, make sure to speak up early."
"Tch. Mere small fry. I don't even see them as a threat." Tetsuren gripped the hilt of her sword and said, "You, on the other hand, should be careful. That leader looks very strong."
"Ha! Natto, she said you're strong. Why don't you tell her loudly who you once lost to?"
"Damn you, little brat! I did not lose to you!" Natto flew into a rage and finally couldn't stop himself from charging at Kaito. "Die!"