If leveling up hadn't been an option, Hyūga Ming would never have fought like that.
Even if he used medical ninjutsu to suppress his injuries, once he moved, the damage would worsen.
At best, he'd lose combat ability entirely.
And losing mobility out here meant death.
If another enemy ninja appeared, he wouldn't even be able to run.
Only now did he have time to loot the two Cloud ninja.
[Skill Book: Brain Endorphins]
"As expected… this dropped," Hyūga Ming muttered.
"It's Baki's ability."
In the game, this skill was infamous—
ranked among the most useless abilities.
The brain automatically secretes paralytic endorphins, dulling physical pain.
But in-game, who didn't set pain to minimum?
Anyone who raised pain sensitivity was basically insane.
But this wasn't a game anymore.
This was reality.
And in reality, this skill was terrifyingly powerful.
The Caged Bird Seal inflicted physical pain—and he had no pain slider to turn down.
Without hesitation, he learned it.
[Brain Endorphins (Lv.1) – EXP (0/100) – Trait: None]
He picked up the second drop.
[Skill Book: Niko Style · Fire Heaven Form]
"Cloud Village combat-type drops… Baki, Kengan Ashura, Demon Slayer-style techniques."
Why Demon Slayer counted as "martial arts" was a mystery, but that had always been how it worked.
Cloud ninja dropped crossover combat skills and equipment.
Actual canon Cloud techniques only dropped from named characters.
He learned it immediately.
[Niko Style · Fire Heaven Form (Lv.1) – EXP (0/100) – Trait: None]
"To fully fuse the Niko Style, I'll need all its forms."
"But increased movement speed alone isn't bad."
Hyūga Ming thought for a moment.
There was no limit to how many skills he could learn—
only whether he invested EXP into them.
Martial arts skills leveled quickly and were useful early on.
Still, this one came a bit late.
He already had a solid combat system.
The Niko Style could wait.
Before returning to the village, he planned to max out Brain Endorphins.
To endure the Caged Bird Seal.
This time, the Hyūga clan wouldn't hold back.
If they couldn't control him, they'd punish him.
Until the seal was fully resolved, pain reduction was the only option.
Even elite jōnin like Hyūga Hizashi couldn't endure it in canon.
That alone said everything.
"There's one more drop."
He moved quickly toward where the sensor ninja had died.
The corpse was gone—clearly taken away by her teammates.
But the loot remained.
"Good… bodies can be recovered, but drops stay."
He stepped forward—then sighed.
"A sword…"
[Ninja Longblade – +50~55 Attack]
A solid weapon.
But equipping it meant removing the Bandit Warblade.
Since the Bandit Set wasn't complete yet, swapping was fine.
"Definitely Sand Village."
Only Sunagakure had drop rates this high.
He switched weapons, placing the Bandit Warblade into his inventory.
After glancing once in the direction the two chūnin had fled, he turned and left.
That fight had been far too dangerous.
Against chūnin, direct combat was still suicide.
He didn't have enough EXP left to level again.
No full heal.
Leaving was the right choice.
…
Exiting the forest, Hyūga Ming chose not to cut through the wilderness.
Instead, he stepped onto the main road.
Seeing the deserted path, he took out one of the supply scrolls from the backpack and unsealed it slightly.
"…Real?"
He was genuinely surprised.
He'd assumed the supplies were fake.
If they were real, then the chance that they'd been used as bait dropped significantly.
He stored the backpack again and used Transformation Jutsu, turning into a young adult man.
Then he walked calmly down the road.
"Thirty days is plenty of time."
Soon, he spotted a village in the distance.
Houses clustered together, smoke curling upward.
Withered trees stood nearby, yellow leaves drifting in the wind.
Like a painting.
Hyūga Ming quickened his pace.
At the village entrance, people noticed him.
Three figures approached.
"May I ask who you are?" an elderly man asked cautiously.
"I'm a passing bounty ninja," Hyūga Ming replied casually.
The old man subtly glanced behind him.
Two burly men lowered their heads—
or rather, the old man wanted Hyūga Ming to notice them.
Hyūga Ming smiled with interest.
"Any commissions?"
"I charge cheap."
"Bandits, maybe? Or bandits? Anyone you want driven off?"
You're clearly targeting bandits.
After some thought, the old man said carefully:
"There is a group of bandits nearby, in the mountains."
"We want them gone… but we have no money."
Hyūga Ming frowned.
"No money?"
"Should I survive on air?"
"My income comes from squeezing small villages like yours."
…You can say that out loud?
Even the two burly men looked up in disbelief.
"Why are you two staring at me?"
"Got a problem?"
The men's eyes widened.
They hadn't stared at him at all.
"And you're still staring."
Hyūga Ming snapped.
He attacked.
Ten shuriken—each empowered by Bear Grapple Hand—shot forward.
The two men reacted too late.
They underestimated the speed.
Before they could move, the shuriken tore through them.
Their bodies collapsed, riddled with holes.
[Experience +102]
[Experience +103]
"Ninja, huh."
Judging by their age and EXP, they were weak.
The old man tried to scream—then clamped a hand over his mouth.
He nearly vomited but couldn't.
The shock was too much.
"Talk," Hyūga Ming said, looting the bodies.
[Skill Book: Clone Technique]
[Damaged Shield – +10 Defense]
A useless skill book.
A broken off-hand.
Trash.
Hyūga Ming sighed in disappointment.
The old man panicked.
"They're ninja from who-knows-where!"
"They seized our village and act like tyrants!"
"We're innocent!"
"A group?" Hyūga Ming looked toward the village.
His expression sharpened.
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