Chapter 16 — The Battlefield
Among the remaining five bounty hunters, they had quickly come to a decision. One person would stay behind to keep watch over the area, while the other four would spread out and search in different directions.
The one chosen to remain behind was clearly unhappy with the arrangement.
He kicked the trunk of a nearby tree in frustration, the dull thud echoing through the quiet forest.
"Let me stay behind? Damn it! How the hell am I supposed to accept that?"
The thought of missing out on the thirty million reward made his stomach churn with anger. Thirty million—an amount large enough to live comfortably for years without ever lifting a finger to work again.
In their line of work, life and death were separated by the thinnest of lines. One careless mistake, one moment of hesitation, and a man would never see another sunrise.
Those who had managed to survive in this brutal profession long enough understood one thing very clearly—they didn't want to die.
Completing a single job like this could fund years of quiet living. For bounty hunters who lived with death breathing down their necks every day, that kind of payoff was worth almost any risk.
---
Not far away, hidden within a cluster of thick bushes, Raizen crouched silently.
His body was perfectly still, blending with the foliage like a shadow. Only his eyes moved, glinting with cold murderous intent as he carefully observed the man left behind.
The other four hunters had already departed, each heading toward a different search area.
Which meant that now—
Only one enemy remained.
It was the perfect opportunity for an ambush.
But Raizen did not act immediately.
Patience was essential.
He needed to be absolutely certain that the other four had truly left the area. If even one of them had doubled back or hidden nearby, striking now would be suicide.
At the same time, he needed the bounty hunter to come closer.
In truth, killing this man wasn't strictly necessary. If the hunter simply stayed far away, Raizen could just slip away quietly and use the opportunity to escape.
Still, Raizen did not relax his grip on his weapon.
The bush concealed him completely, masking both his scent and his silhouette. Yet even the smallest unnecessary movement could betray his presence.
So he waited.
And watched.
Above him, the bounty hunter moved through the forest canopy, jumping lightly from branch to branch. Each landing sent a faint tremor through the leaves.
Closer.
And closer.
Raizen's breathing slowed until it was nearly imperceptible.
He had already calculated the timing.
The moment the man leapt above him—suspended in midair, unable to change direction—Raizen would strike like thunder.
---
The bounty hunter, meanwhile, still clung stubbornly to a sliver of hope.
Maybe… just maybe… the thirty million reward really was somewhere nearby.
He leapt onto another tree branch, his eyes scanning the forest floor below.
Suddenly—
A sharp whistle cut through the air beneath him.
A cold flash of steel shot upward from the shadows below his feet.
"What—?!"
His pupils shrank.
But it was already too late.
Raizen burst out of the bushes like a spring released from tension, his body exploding upward with terrifying speed.
The blade in his hand pierced straight through the man's torso.
The strike was precise—but not immediately fatal.
However, the true danger wasn't the wound.
It was the man who had delivered it.
"You—how dare you—!"
The bounty hunter tried to shout, rage and disbelief twisting his expression.
But the words never left his mouth.
A flash of steel passed across his neck.
His head separated from his body.
For a brief moment, the headless corpse remained standing before collapsing lifelessly to the forest floor.
Raizen landed lightly on the ground.
Warm blood sprayed across his cheek, splattering his face.
Yet his expression remained completely unchanged.
Cold.
Calm.
Almost indifferent.
There was no joy in his eyes. No thrill from killing another human being.
He simply reached up, wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, and straightened his clothes as if nothing unusual had happened.
Then he turned and prepared to leave.
This kill had been an unexpected gain. There was no need to take additional risks.
---
He departed quickly from the area.
Whether this man had been a wanted target or not, Raizen had no intention of returning to the exchange office to confirm it.
After examining the rewards gained from the kill, he frowned slightly.
Only eight magic crystals.
Pathetic.
Hardly worth the effort.
Without wasting time dwelling on it, Raizen moved toward his next destination—the last recorded location of another rogue ninja listed in his records.
However, when he finally arrived, the place was empty.
No signs of the rogue ninja remained.
Raizen frowned slightly.
The intelligence records he possessed were vague at best. They could point him toward general locations, but they couldn't guarantee an exact position.
And time…
Time was his greatest enemy.
One month was far too short to hunt down ten separate targets.
Which meant he had only one remaining option — A dangerous one at that.
Raizen closed his eyes and slowly considered the possibilities. The most reliable way to locate ninja… was not to search for those who had fled their villages.
It was to find those who still belonged to them. And those people were usually found inside their villages. Unfortunately, that was a problem.
This world was very different from the one Raizen had known before. Here, people possessed identification cards used to verify their identities.
He, however, had none.
Without proper identification, infiltrating a heavily guarded ninja village was virtually impossible.
Likewise, entering the cities governed by daimyo would be equally dangerous.
So there was only one place left where identities didn't matter.
Where chaos erased all distinctions.
Raizen slowly opened his eyes.
"The battlefield…"
He took a deep breath.
Yes.
That was the only place where he could blend into the madness. But it was also the most dangerous option.
Battlefields were crawling with reconnaissance ninja. Trained observers who could spot anomalies in an instant.
One careless step—and he would be dead. Still… He had twenty-nine days left.
Raizen clenched his fists.
There was no time to hesitate.
---
Seven days later, he finally reached the village closest to the active war zone.
The small settlement had already been abandoned. Doors hung crookedly from their hinges, and the streets were eerily silent. The villagers had long since fled to escape the coming war.
Raizen entered one of the earthen houses.
Inside, he found a set of rough peasant clothing left behind by the former residents. He changed into the worn garments and picked up a farmer's hoe.
The sickle lying nearby was discarded. His spear and katana were carefully hidden away.
Looking down at himself, Raizen allowed a faint smile to form.
A simple farmer. Ordinary and unremarkable.
Yes… This disguise would do.
---
He slowly moved closer to the battlefield.
However, due to a temporary ceasefire between the two sides, he could not advance any further. Instead, Raizen remained hidden within the surrounding mountains, waiting patiently for the war to resume.
If he wandered out recklessly—even dressed as a farmer—the ninja would likely kill him on sight.
So he waited.
And waited.
One day passed.
Then three.
Then ten full days.
During that time, small skirmishes and assassination attempts occurred between the two villages. Minor harassment operations continued without pause.
But a full-scale battle never erupted. Despite this, Raizen's patience never faltered.
Again and again, he reminded himself:
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
Impatience led to mistakes.
Mistakes meant death.
So all he could do was wait.
And hope.
---
Two days later—
It seemed that fate had finally answered his silent prayers.
Sunagakure launched a full-scale assault.
Raizen immediately began to move. Slowly, cautiously, he approached the battlefield.
"Almost there…"
He murmured quietly to himself.
"Wait until the battle reaches its peak… wait until chaos consumes everything…"
---
Soon, the battlefield unfolded before his eyes.
The sight made him freeze for a moment.
The ground was soaked with blood. Ninja from both sides clashed violently, their movements flashing across the battlefield like deadly storms.
Various ninjutsu exploded in brilliant bursts of light and destruction.
Flames roared.
Wind blades shrieked through the air.
Earth walls rose and shattered.
Blood sprayed across the ground, painting it like a grotesque and terrible masterpiece.
Every second, someone died.
The battlefield echoed with screams of grief and rage. Making Raizen fell a dull ache in his chest.
What had these ninja done wrong?
Most of them were merely following orders.
Loyal soldiers of their villages.
Misled. Brainwashed.
Fanatics shaped by years of training and ideology. And now… They were dying for the ambitions of others.
Raizen let out a quiet sigh. But he could not afford to dwell on such thoughts.
It was time to act. First and foremost—He had to survive.
He had already identified his targets on the battlefield. Every one of them appeared on the bounty sheet.
His strategy was simple.
Ambush.
A direct confrontation? What a joke.
Only fools or masochists would attempt something like that on a battlefield filled with ninja.
Raizen swallowed hard. Then whispered quietly to himself.
"It's do or die. Either way… I'm risking my life."
"Let fate decide."
---
The moment he stepped onto the battlefield, Raizen immediately realized something.
His earlier plan—
His disguise, and leaving his weapons behind had all been foolish.
These ninja didn't care about clothing or identity. On the battlefield, anyone who crossed their path could become a target.
Even interfering with an ally's attack could earn a fatal strike.
In the chaos of war—There was no mercy.
---
The invisible companion uu silently followed beside him, keeping watch.
For Raizen, who had trained for barely a month, entering such a battlefield was unimaginably dangerous.
And the danger appeared immediately.
The moment he entered the combat zone, a ninja spotted him and attacked without hesitation.
Raizen reacted instantly.
Thanks to his D-rank agility, his body moved like a gust of wind across the battlefield.
Fortunately, the first opponent he encountered was only a lower-ranked ninja.
Raizen eliminated him quickly and continued forward. But moving freely across a battlefield was nearly impossible.
Danger lurked everywhere.
Suddenly—
A kunai tied with an explosive tag flew toward him.
Raizen's pupils contracted sharply, he rolled sideways just in time.
But before he could even regain his footing—
A flash of pure white steel swept toward him.
"Clang!"
The farming sickle in his hand shattered instantly. Its blade snapped cleanly in half.
Raizen inhaled sharply.
Then, slowly…
He produced a card from his hand.
Beside him, the invisible uu smiled faintly.
This card had originally belonged to uu. After much arguing, coaxing, and clever persuasion, Raizen had managed to "borrow" it.
And it was precisely this card—
That gave him the courage to step onto the battlefield.
Without it… He wouldn't have stood even the slightest chance of survival.