Chapter 13: Jujutsu - Death Controlling Possessed Blood
Just as Inoshita Rino's mind was reeling, Kael's voice cut through the room again.
"Rino-sensei, have you ever heard of the Death Controlling Possessed Blood technique?"
"How do you know about that jutsu?" Inoshita froze for a moment, then his brow furrowed deeply as he looked at Kael.
"Back in my village, I saw those guys drawing a circular pattern on the ground with blood. It had a triangle symbol in the middle. I heard them say it was some kind of ritual..." Kael recounted what he had witnessed in Clearwater Village. He had seen Hidan use the ridiculously overpowered jutsu in the original story, and seeing it in this life had made him curious.
"That technique is an extremely vicious curse," Inoshita said slowly, his brow still furrowed. "It's said to have been passed down by their 'Evil God' since the Warring States Period, but very few have ever actually used it. It seems to require certain conditions to be met. According to them, only those favored by their god are able to perform it. The Jashinist you encountered was just a common follower; he shouldn't have been capable of using that jutsu. However, if you run into any Jashinists in the future, do your best not to let them get any of your blood."
Kael nodded in understanding. He glanced at the dark night outside, a feeling of worry for Rei and the others creeping back in. "Sensei, haven't the others been gone for a while? I'm worried they might be in danger."
"It's fine. I know more about the Jashinists than you do. The ones who commit these massacres of civilians are usually the lowest-ranking members of the cult. Most of them are ordinary people without chakra, led by a single Genin at most..." Inoshita trailed off and suddenly sighed.
Kael looked at him, puzzled, but chose not to say anything. He knew that after tonight, Inoshita would no longer see him as a mere student.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Inoshita continued. "It was just one Genin. Even though I'm not as strong as I used to be, I shouldn't have been afraid. But the students' reactions... I was caught between a rock and a hard place, too afraid to act decisively. That's why two children were killed. It's my fault. If you hadn't stepped in, I honestly don't know what I would have done..."
Kael fell silent. He wasn't sad for the two classmates he barely knew, but he was moved by Inoshita's simple, kind heart. In his eyes, Inoshita was like Iruka from Konoha—a personality type that wasn't really suited to be a frontline shinobi. The role of a teacher was perhaps their best calling.
"I agree their performance was poor. Some of the boys showed less mental fortitude than the girls. But Sensei, you shouldn't blame yourself too much. The path of a shinobi is never easy. Anyone who chooses this path must be prepared to die for their village at any time. After all, just having chakra doesn't make you a shinobi."
Inoshita stared at him, stunned, then suddenly broke into a relieved smile. "You really are an old soul in a young body..." He looked at Kael with deep sympathy in his eyes.
To be able to say something like that, you've really grown up. Watching your parents and villagers die so horribly didn't make you a coward; it made your heart stronger... Kael, I have a feeling you're going to become a great shinobi one day.
"We'll bury them here. It's all we can do during a mission."
Looking at the two horribly mutilated corpses, Inoshita closed his eyes in pain. He could barely recognize them, but from the faint traces of their youthful faces and small frames, he knew they were Kawashita and Kawa. Though his heart was filled with grief and rage, he gritted his teeth and ordered the students to give them a simple burial.
The next morning, Kael's group departed from the village that had been wiped out by the Jashinists and continued their journey toward Spring Meadow Town. They traveled fifty miles that day and finally reached the town's outskirts.
The dense forest at last gave way, and a wave of excitement washed over the group, only to be immediately replaced by tears as a thick, putrid stench assaulted their senses. Kael held his breath and squinted, looking ahead.
Before them was a barren, weed-choked wasteland. In the center of it was a massive garbage dump, the source of the overwhelming stench. The foul air was so thick it was almost visible. Even so, Kael's sharp eyes spotted several figures rummaging through the trash heaps.
"Scavengers," Inoshita said quietly, coming to stand beside him.
After Kael had killed the Jashinist Genin without a scratch, displaying impressive strength and a mature mind, Inoshita had stopped treating him like a student. He now saw Kael as an equal. He consulted with him on everything, and when they traveled, the two of them guarded the front and back of the student group.
This stark difference in treatment made the other students incredibly envious. They all looked at him with admiration, but there was no sign of resentment or jealousy. Kael's actions that night had completely won over these ten-year-old children. Coupled with his role as class monitor, they now had nothing but respect for him.
"Yeah..." Kael nodded, then shook his head. "I just didn't expect to see people living in such poverty near a large town in the Shinobi World."
Who would choose to make a living in a stinking garbage dump unless they were forced to by circumstance? This was the outermost edge of Spring Meadow Town, and also its largest landfill.
"Let's go. The smell here is unbearable. Besides, we need a good rest. We've been eating nothing but dry rations for almost three days..." As Inoshita spoke, his mouth began to water. He looked at the students, who were all holding their noses with expectant looks in their eyes, and waved his arm forward.
"Alright everyone, into the town!"
No one wanted to linger in the foul-smelling dump, and they all hurried away. Only Kael glanced back several times at the trash heaps as they passed, a thoughtful look on his face.
He had suddenly realized a massive, undeniable advantage the dump offered him. It contained a comprehensive collection of discarded materials—materials that covered nearly every category he needed for synthesis.
As the realization dawned on him, his eyes grew wide with disbelief.
He muttered to himself, "Am I really destined to deal with nothing but trash in the Shinobi World?"