Name: Mu Yu
Rank: Genin of Amegakure
Affiliation: Subordinate of Amegakure Chūnin Kusamori
Mission: Monitor cities near the Land of Fire border and record the characteristics of all suspected ninja.
Mu Yu opened his mouth and poured out everything he knew.
A red curse mark glowed faintly on his forehead.
Hiruko was maintaining the Technique.
Puppet Curse.
"Sensei, I want to learn this," Hyuga Arin said, eyes shining as he stared at Hiruko.
Turning a person directly into a puppet—
if this skill were leveled to ten, it would probably produce some completely unexpected effects.
"This curse technique is very difficult. I'll teach it to you when you return," Hiruko replied.
The Puppet Curse was an A-rank Technique, similar in nature to sealing techniques. It wasn't something just anyone could learn.
Moreover, it was a Technique Hiruko had personally developed.
"Alright then." Hyuga Arin smacked his lips.
He just didn't know whether Hiruko would still be in Konoha by the time he returned.
"Now that we know his identity and mission, from this moment on, you will replace him," Hiruko said seriously.
"You'll become a member of Amegakure and obtain intelligence for Konoha."
"Of course, if you're exposed, just reveal your identity. Amegakure won't dare do anything to you."
Small ninja villages rarely dared to provoke major ones—especially Konoha, which was already being called the strongest ninja village.
That's not necessarily true, Hyuga Arin thought, curling his lips, but he didn't say it aloud.
In a few years, once the war started, Amegakure's leader Hanzo would actively move against all three great villages.
Historically, he was the only leader of a small village to openly confront the Five Great Nations.
"Understood."
Seeing that there was nothing more to gain from Hiruko, Hyuga Arin stopped bothering with polite conversation.
Noticing Hyuga Arin's disinterest, Hiruko didn't press further. He looked at the Rain ninja whose eyes had gone dull.
"He's useless now."
Shhk—
A flash of steel.
The Rain ninja's head was severed. The headless body collapsed to the ground, while the head rolled twice before stopping at Hiruko's feet.
[Experience +112]
[Skill: Mind Bullet (Unusable)]
"Sensei, I'll leave him to you," Hyuga Arin said with a cheerful grin, even smearing some of the blood onto his own body.
"You—" Hiruko stared at Hyuga Arin's smiling face, startled.
Was there really nothing wrong with this kid?
He took a life without hesitation and showed no discomfort toward corpses whatsoever.
That kind of attitude—
He had to admit, it was very ninja-like.
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Hiruko quickly took out a sealing scroll and sealed the corpse away.
"You clean up the blood," Hiruko said, glancing at the floor soaked in red.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing's exposed," Hyuga Arin said confidently, patting his chest—while reaching into his pocket.
"Wait—what are you doing with an explosive tag?!" Hiruko shouted, eyes wide.
"Isn't everything already settled?!"
"Of course it's to erase suspicion," Hyuga Arin replied calmly, detonating the tag.
BOOM!!
Flames swallowed the room.
Hyuga Arin's figure flew out through the window. By the time he landed, he had already transformed into the appearance of the dead genin, screaming at the top of his lungs:
"Konoha ninja attack!!"
At once, several hidden figures appeared, surrounding Hyuga Arin protectively.
Their gazes shifted toward the room engulfed in flames.
A figure slowly stepped out through the shattered window frame.
Hiruko, his body scorched in places, lowered his head and took one deep look at Hyuga Arin, who was now being shielded by Rain ninja.
A gust of wind passed.
Hiruko vanished.
Hyuga Arin finally couldn't hold on anymore. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
…
When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
"You're awake?"
A cold voice rang out.
Hyuga Arin looked at the man before him in confusion.
"Who are you?"
The man frowned, eyeing the bandages wrapped around Hyuga Arin's head.
"I'm your superior—Kusamori," he said coldly.
"Why did that Konoha ninja attack you?"
"Konoha?" Hyuga Arin clutched his head, acting as if he were in pain.
To be fair, it really did hurt. He had deliberately failed to dodge during the explosion and had been struck in the head.
"I'm Mu Yu. I don't know anything."
Brain Enkephalin.
This skill didn't just block pain—it also allowed active control over one's emotions.
That was something Hyuga Arin had discovered after leveling it up.
Right now, he displayed a perfectly confused, amnesiac expression. Even a master actor wouldn't be able to tell truth from lie.
Rather than pretending to be the original Mu Yu and dealing with his existing relationships, it was far easier to wipe the slate clean.
Just pretend to have amnesia.
Of course, this would raise Amegakure's suspicions—but Hyuga Arin had ways to eliminate those.
Kusamori's eyes flickered. He suddenly drew shuriken and threw them.
Three shuriken shot toward Hyuga Arin's brow, throat, and heart—three vital points.
Hyuga Arin slammed his palm down, lifting his entire body and dodging all three. He kicked hard off the wall, using the rebound force to charge straight at Kusamori.
Kusamori shifted slightly, evading Hyuga Arin's strike.
As they crossed paths, Kusamori abruptly raised his knee and smashed it into Hyuga Arin's abdomen.
Hyuga Arin acted as if he felt nothing. He kicked Kusamori in the face, sending him flying into the wall.
Bang!
Before Kusamori could react, Hyuga Arin was already on top of him, straddling his body and raining down punches on his head.
"Stop!!"
Hearing the commotion, others rushed in and grabbed Hyuga Arin, pulling him away.
"He tried to kill me! I'm going to kill him! Let go of me! LET GO!!"
One of the ninja struck Hyuga Arin's neck with a precise chop, knocking him unconscious.
Kusamori wiped the blood from his face and glared angrily at Hyuga Arin.
"So? Is it really Mu Yu?" someone asked.
Kusamori nodded helplessly. "Most likely."
If Hyuga Arin had been using Transformation Technique, that brief exchange would have broken it.
Since it hadn't, the odds were high that this really was Mu Yu.
"He's lost his memory—and his sense of pain," Kusamori said, turning to a man in a white coat.
"What's going on?"
The man frowned and thought for a moment.
"It's probably cerebral trauma. Internal bleeding compressing the nerves—cases like this have happened before."
"Amnesia, loss of pain perception, violent tendencies." He glanced at the unconscious Hyuga Arin.
"It fits perfectly."
Kusamori frowned. "Can he still be a ninja?"
The man in the white coat pondered.
"There have been ninja with similar conditions. Some continued as ninja, others quit. But those who kept fighting usually experienced rapid increases in combat strength—"
"—before eventually going mad and dying."
Pretending to be unconscious, Hyuga Arin's lips curled into a meaningless smile.
It worked.
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