"Damn, what is this place...?"
"I... Was I ambushed...? Here... Huh... What the hell is going on?!"
Toroi felt his body slowly regain consciousness, and anger surged from his chest.
"Damn it! Lightning Release! Thunder!"
Forcing his hands into seals within the wooden box, he unleashed a blinding pillar of thunder. The crackling energy burst from his hands, obliterating the box in an instant.
The explosion sent splinters flying, and though the blast injured him in the process, Toroi had no time to care.
"Boom!"
Thunder roared, and Toroi followed suit.
"Damn, where am I?"
As he emerged from the wreckage, his surroundings came into focus—he was on a main street, inside a moving carriage, surrounded by crates and goods. Something about them felt oddly familiar.
"A corpse has risen from the dead!"
A sharp scream rang out before Toroi could gather his thoughts.
Two civilians stood in shock, pointing at him with wide eyes, their faces pale with terror. Around them, armed guards reacted similarly, frozen in place as if they'd seen a ghost.
It was only then that Toroi noticed his surroundings—twenty men encircling him, each gripping a blade. They were the convoy's escorts.
"Bastard! You're the one who's dead!" Toroi snapped. "I'm not dead! Where am I? Why am I here?"
Questions flooded his mind, but the guards had no intention of answering. Instead, they moved in, their katanas drawn. Fear flickered in their eyes, yet they advanced nonetheless, bound by duty.
"No? Fine! I'll just kill you all!"
Toroi reached into his pocket, searching—nothing. His fingers grasped at empty space.
"Hey? Where's my scroll?! Damn it! Did you take it from me?!"
His heart pounded as realization struck—everything was gone. His ninja gear, his forehead protector, his weapon scroll, all missing.
"That was a weapon I built with my own hands!" he roared, fury boiling over. "Damn it! Don't let me find out who did this! Otherwise, I'll kill you bastards!"
But as he seethed, the guards made their move.
"Seize him! Whether he's dead or alive—kill him!"
"Be careful! He's a Kekkei Genkai user—Magnet Release Toroi!"
The two leaders barked orders, their men tightening formation. Among them were retired Chūnin from the great ninja villages, and they rushed him at once.
Though Toroi was a Jōnin, his body was still sluggish from whatever had numbed him. Faced with a coordinated twenty-man assault, he found himself at a clear disadvantage.
"Damn it! You bastards!"
"Lightning Release! Electromagnetic Murder!"
Toroi slammed one hand to the ground, and in an instant, a surge of electricity crackled outward, forcing back the approaching guards.
"I'll get you back!"
Seizing the opportunity, he bolted toward the perimeter, ignoring his lingering weakness and paralysis. He ran as fast as his body would allow, focused on escaping.
The two leaders cursed when they saw this.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Why isn't he dead?!"
"I had someone contact the buyer! What are we supposed to do now?!"
"This really pisses me off!"
"Contact our colleagues in the Land of Grass and see if we can intercept him there!"
At this moment, the convoy was stationed at the border where the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Fire met.
And Toroi was sprinting straight toward the Land of Grass.
He ran for several kilometers without stopping, but soon realized a major problem.
He was lost.
Standing among unfamiliar trees, he frowned.
Who had attacked him? What had happened afterward? Why was he here now? And why had those people spoken as if he had cheated death?
A flood of unanswered questions swirled in his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.
"Gululu..."
His stomach rumbled, cutting through his thoughts. With a sigh, he stood up. Finding food came first.
Relying on his instincts as a Jōnin, he made his way in a certain direction.
Soon, he discovered a small stream. With no tools on hand, he resorted to an old trick—electrocuting fish to make a quick meal.
The result...
"Damn it! Which bastard discharged electricity into the water?!"
"Ssssss!"
A furious roar echoed from not far away. Toroi, holding a freshly caught fish, snapped his head in the direction of the voice.
There, by the riverbank, stood a young man preparing ingredients—until the shockwave sent his neatly prepared meat and vegetables flying into the river.
Their eyes met.
The young man's face was frozen in shock, because this was no stranger. He was Kazuyama.
"Holy shit, Kazuyama, isn't this the guy who was thrown into the Bounty Station?"
Even Chōmei was dumbfounded.
"Well... it is him. I didn't think he would actually escape."
"Chōmei, do you think I should tie him up again?"
Chōmei gave Kazuyama a look of utter disbelief.
"Be human. He finally managed to escape, and you're thinking of sending him back?"
Kazuyama nodded seriously, then, to Chōmei's surprise, said something unexpected.
"You're right. I can't do that. He finally got out of the Bounty Station, and it would be too cruel to send him back."
Chōmei looked at him in astonishment. Had Kazuyama actually changed?
But in the next second, he realized just how wrong he was.
"Sending him back to the Bounty Station is out of the question," Kazuyama continued, his lips curling slightly. "But handing him over to Iwa? Now that's an idea. Using him as a fuse is an excellent plan!"
As he saw the slightly crooked, almost sinister smirk on Kazuyama's face, Chōmei lowered his head in frustration.
How had he still held onto hope that Kazuyama could be decent? This guy wasn't human at all.
"Hey! Kid over there, where is this place?!" Toroi demanded, stepping forward aggressively. "And give me some of your food!"
Finally, someone. Even if it was just a brat.
But the next second, his expression froze.
The young man in front of him slowly vanished into thin air.
"No good!"
Toroi, a seasoned Jōnin, immediately went on high alert.
But it was already too late.
Kazuyama had no intention of letting him go.
With the Transparent Escape Technique, he moved silently behind Toroi.
A long blade of transparent crystal formed in his hand in an instant.
"Pfft!"
Toroi felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Looking down, he saw blood dripping from a blade—an invisible, razor-sharp weapon piercing his body.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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