Chapter 28 Tobirama: I almost had a shock (Part 2...)
Yan Sheng carefully put away the mission scroll, nodded slightly to the elder, then turned and left the mission hall.
He did not rush to set off immediately, but returned to his room first to make the necessary preparations before leaving the tribe.
The most important thing was money. Fortunately, over the years, his two older brothers and mother would often give him some pocket money, and since he had basically no expenses within the clan, he had accumulated a considerable small fortune.
Secondly, there are emergency rations, water, and weapons.
Although it's not a mission that requires combat, this is not a peaceful era, so it's always good to be prepared.
Finally, he changed out of his iconic Uchiha clan uniform and into a set of ordinary, understated dark casual clothes.
I looked at myself in the blurry bronze mirror, and hmm, I look like an ordinary person now.
—Yeah, right.
His innate noble temperament and dignified demeanor, which were clearly visible to the naked eye, could not be concealed by a set of coarse cloth clothes.
Moreover, Yan Sheng himself did not intend to deliberately conceal it. Rather, this deeply ingrained demeanor had become a part of him, something he was accustomed to and always used to discipline himself.
In his appearance, even if someone with ulterior motives doesn't recognize his Uchiha identity, he could easily be mistaken for a noble young master from an extraordinary background who has run away to play, thus giving rise to malicious thoughts and making a move for money.
In other words, Yan Sheng's disguise might be even more dangerous than directly revealing his identity as an Uchiha ninja—ordinary people might consider whether they could afford to offend the powerful Uchiha clan, but when faced with a seemingly defenseless child carrying a large sum of money, the villains wouldn't even hesitate.
It's like a young child carrying a gold brick, walking alone in a bustling city. Even those without the heart for such a thing would be tempted upon seeing it.
After making all the preparations, Yan Sheng set off.
He carried the mission document and walked all the way to the entrance of the clan's territory. The Uchiha guards routinely checked the scroll, and after confirming that it was a legitimate mission issued and recorded by an elder, they did not ask any further questions and stepped aside to let him pass.
Yan Sheng then calmly and leisurely stepped out of the Uchiha clan's heavily guarded territory for the first time, alone and openly.
After traveling ten kilometers forward, the moment they stepped out of the barrier's range, the familiar chakra fluctuations and bloody, murderous aura that were ever-present in the clan's territory instantly vanished, replaced by the fresh scent of the wilderness.
He continued along the road, and the scenery suddenly opened up before him.
The dense, rolling forest, the hazy outline of distant mountains, and the winding dirt path that disappears into the distance.
Yan Sheng was not in a hurry to travel. He maintained a moderate pace, walking along the road while extending his senses to the limit, carefully scanning the surroundings for any possible hidden dangers.
After walking about ten kilometers, Yan Sheng saw a small caravan slowly making its way ahead.
He had no intention of getting involved with anyone and was about to walk around the group from the side.
However, at this very moment, a sudden change occurred.
More than twenty figures suddenly sprang out from the dense forest on both sides of the road, each wielding a sharp blade, and instantly surrounded the caravan.
Clearly, they were bandits entrenched in this area.
The caravan had only eight guards. They fought back fiercely, but under overwhelming numbers, they quickly suffered heavy casualties, and their blood stained the yellow earth.
The merchant couple, who owned the property, were also brutally subdued by the bandits, their faces filled with despair.
A bandit leader, grinning maliciously, approached the sedan chair and roughly dragged the trembling little girl out of the car.
"Boss, this little girl has such delicate skin, she'll definitely fetch a good price!" the henchman beside him flattered.
Upon hearing this, the leader observed the little girl carefully. She was indeed pretty, but her eyes were filled with cruelty and greed. He waved his hand and said, "Kill all the men! Take the women and the goods!"
Cries, pleas for mercy, and sinister laughter mingled together.
Yan Sheng, who was about to leave quietly, paused slightly.
Bullying the weak and abducting women and children...
This behavior precisely violated his deeply ingrained, almost obsessive, male chauvinistic beliefs stemming from his noble birth—that the strong should act like the strong, not point their blades at the powerless. This was not out of sympathy, but rather from a rigid demand for "order" and "status," a kind of "dislike."
As for why he had previously stood by indifferently, only now considering intervening.
There's no reason why.
He acted solely on his own whims. At this moment, he simply disliked these bandits and wanted to eliminate them—nothing more.
Just as a bandit raised his butcher's knife to strike a fallen guard—
"call out!"
A kunai flew through the air, piercing the bandit's wrist with perfect precision, spraying blood, and the knife clattered to the ground.
"Who?!" The bandit leader was shocked and furious, and turned his head sharply to look in the direction from which the kunai had been shot.
Not far away, a boy dressed in dark casual clothes and with a slightly thin build appeared there silently, as if he had been standing there all along.
His face was expressionless, except for a pair of dark eyes that were as cold as an icy pool, looking at them indifferently as if they were a group of dead things.
"Where did this brat come from? You're asking for death!" Several bandits shouted as they pounced on him.
Yan Sheng didn't even bother to dodge, he just slightly moved his wrist.
The three bandits at the front instantly had a line of blood appear on their throats, and before they could even utter a sound, they collapsed to the ground, their lives extinguished.
At that moment, the remaining bandits finally realized that this seemingly frail young man was no ordinary person! His precise and deadly technique, his cold and ruthless gaze...
Yan Sheng slowly raised his hand, his fingertips unconsciously gripping several kunai again.
The bandit leader's face twitched a few times. Seeing his men being taken down like chopping melons and vegetables, he realized he had kicked a hornet's nest.
"Retreat! Retreat now!" he roared, turning around first and scrambling into the woods.
The remaining bandits, already terrified, were relieved to hear this and dropped their weapons, scattering in all directions.
However, since Yan Sheng had already decided to kill, how could he leave any survivors?
The difference between an ordinary person and a ninja is like an insurmountable chasm. However, even if Yan Sheng were not a ninja, with his skills, dealing with this group of bandits would be a piece of cake.
The boy's figure moved.
Instead of running at full speed, they suddenly cut into the path of the bandits' escape with a seemingly leisurely but actually unpredictable gait.
The kunai in his hand transformed into the scythe of death. With each flash of its cold light, a bandit would bleed from the throat or have his heart pierced precisely, collapsing to the ground before he could even scream.
His movements were efficient, concise, and ruthless, devoid of any unnecessary flourishes; he existed purely for the purpose of killing. His speed was so great that the fleeing bandits only felt a gentle breeze brush past them before their consciousness faded.
The battle was over in just a few breaths.
Yan Sheng stood in the center of the corpses, his expression calm, as if he had just casually swatted a few annoying flies.
Only then did the caravan members, who had survived the ordeal, recover from their shock and fear.
The two surviving, wounded guards struggled to protect their employer, their eyes filled with awe and fear as they looked at Yan Sheng.
The merchant couple held their daughter tightly, still trembling, their faces pale, looking at Yan Sheng as if they were looking up at a ruthless Asura god who had suddenly descended.
They didn't even dare to express their gratitude, for fear of inadvertently angering this god of death.
Yan Sheng glanced indifferently at the few survivors, then put away his kunai and was about to continue on his way.
Just then, the caravan owner, still shaken, mustered his courage and called out in a trembling voice to Yan Sheng, who was about to leave.
"P-Please wait a moment! Ninja-sama!"
The general attitude of ordinary people towards ninjas is often a mixture of deep fear and unspeakable disgust. This is not without reason: ninjas possess immense power that ordinary people do not have, and conflicts or wars between them can easily drag nearby ordinary villages into the fray.
Most ninjas wouldn't care about the life or death of these "ants." Over time, suspicion and estrangement would form like a chasm between them.
The caravan owners also had the same attitude towards ninjas, keeping their distance as much as possible.
But the situation was dire, and the boss quickly weighed the options: there was still a long way to go to Taili Town, and no one could guarantee that they wouldn't encounter bandits or other dangers along the way. With just these few remaining soldiers, there was absolutely no chance of them arriving safely.
Although this man before them was ruthless and chilling, he had at least eliminated a threat and saved them, and harbored no ill will towards them. If they could hire him... they could ask him for protection...
Anyway, ninjas do these things too, so they probably won't refuse him, right?
The will to survive, along with the worry for his family and property, ultimately overcame his fear. The boss, steeling himself, cautiously asked if he could hire Yan Sheng for protection, hastily adding that he was willing to pay the appropriate compensation.
Yan Sheng initially wanted to refuse.
Before he could speak, the shrewd boss seemed to sense his impatience and immediately added urgently, "Sir Ninja, we only need to escort you to Taili Town ahead! It's only seventeen or eighteen miles from here, and we can definitely arrive within an hour!"
Taili Town?
Yan Sheng's eyes flickered slightly.
If it's on my way... that's not a bad idea.
The price offered by the caravan was quite reasonable.
Yan Sheng swallowed back the refusal that was on the tip of his tongue, nodded indifferently, and accepted the temporary escort mission.
Considering the generous reward and the fact that it was indeed on the way, I decided to go.
After regrouping, the caravan set off again. However, this time, the atmosphere within the group was noticeably different.
The two surviving guards quickly bandaged their wounds. The guards, looking tense, stood on either side, their eyes occasionally glancing involuntarily at the taciturn, thin figure walking at the front of the group.
The caravan owner's daughter secretly observed Yan Sheng through a gap in the sedan curtain. Her fear had not yet dissipated, but another emotion was quietly brewing.
He was so amazing just now...
The girl thought to herself, her face slightly flushed. And, she's so pretty...
Needless to say, the Uchiha genes were innate. Even though Yan Sheng was sickly, his cold and refined appearance and his unique calm temperament were magnified infinitely in the eyes of the young girl who was just beginning to experience love. Mixed with awe of power, this formed a vague sense of worship and affection.
She was both afraid of his ruthlessness when he killed, and unable to resist being attracted to him.
The caravan owner had mixed feelings. As he directed the caravan forward, he cautiously glanced at the ninjas he had temporarily hired ahead.
Judging from his appearance, he was clearly still a child. He thought to himself, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
But when it comes to fighting, they are even more ruthless and decisive than the most experienced bodyguards... Is this the power of a ninja?
The boss was filled with contradictions: on the one hand, he instinctively feared and loathed the existence of ninjas, who possessed the power to easily decide the life and death of others and often disregarded the lives of ordinary people.
On the other hand, he couldn't suppress a strong sense of envy and jealousy. If he possessed such power, why would he be driven to the brink of despair by mere bandits? Why would he be so anxious and fearful, trying to please a mere boy?
To put it bluntly, the root of the problem lies in the fact that power is not in one's own hands. This desire for great power and the fear and disgust towards those who possess it is the most realistic portrayal of how many ordinary people in chaotic times view ninjas.
The two surviving guards felt this even more deeply.
When fighting the bandits, they felt despair and powerlessness; but when they watched the boy clear the bandits away like weeds, they felt a suffocating and absolute disparity.
That was no longer a matter of skill or courage; it was a fundamental difference. They couldn't even muster the will to compare; all they felt was lingering fear and relief. Relief that this jinx was on their side, at least for now.
Yan Sheng was completely unaware of the complex and varied gazes and thoughts behind him, and paid them no attention whatsoever.
They remained silent the entire way.
With Yan Sheng, this formidable figure, by their side, no one dared to disturb them. The caravan arrived safely in Taili Town.
Yan Sheng stopped and looked calmly at the caravan owner.
The shopkeeper immediately understood and hurriedly presented the money pouch, which was several times more generous than the originally agreed reward, with both hands, saying respectfully, "Thank you for escorting me all the way, sir! This is the agreed reward, please accept it!"
Yan Sheng took the money bag, weighed it in his hand, confirmed that the amount was correct (and possibly even a little more), nodded expressionlessly, and turned to leave.
"Wait, wait a minute!" A faint, mosquito-like voice suddenly rang out.
It was the caravan owner's daughter. She jumped out of the sedan chair, her face flushed red, and clutched a delicately embroidered sachet with a faint fragrance in her hands, offering it to Yan Sheng: "This...this...is for you...thank you for saving us..."
The little girl's eyes were filled with anticipation and a hazy sense of affection.
However, Yan Sheng merely glanced at it coldly, without reaching out to take it, and spoke directly, his voice devoid of any tact or politeness: "I don't need it."
Four words, clear, cold, leaving no room for doubt.
He didn't care at all whether this blunt rejection would shatter a young girl's innocent dreams and feelings.
The blush on the girl's face vanished instantly, turning deathly pale. Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and her eyes quickly filled with tears, brimming with hurt and grievance.
She seemed to want to say something more, but Yan Sheng had already turned and left without any intention of lingering.
The caravan owner, who witnessed this scene, was terrified. He broke out in a cold sweat, and instead of feeling sorry for his daughter, he felt a strong sense of lingering fear and relief.
After Yan Sheng's figure had completely disappeared into the crowd and they had walked a sufficient distance, the boss pulled his still sobbing daughter aside and, with an unprecedentedly stern tone, whispered a reprimand: "Don't cry! Forget what happened today! Never do such a stupid thing again! Those ninja masters are not people we can associate with."
The little girl was terrified by her father's unprecedented sternness. Overwhelmed with resentment and fear, her tears flowed even more fiercely, yet she dared not utter a sound. The budding affection she had felt was shattered completely by her father's warning and her beloved's cold rejection.
On the other side.
Yan Sheng had long since put that incident behind him. His gaze swept across the bustling street before him, and he began to think about how to complete the missing item task at hand, continue his experiments on developing the Sharingan, and explore this world.
***
The scroll stated that the employer had lost a pure gold peach. According to the employer, he had it with him when he came to Taili Town on business that day, but on his way back, he subconsciously touched his pocket and found it empty; the gold peach had vanished.
A peach made of pure gold—it's probably been stolen.
Yan Sheng didn't understand why anyone would insist on carrying such a valuable item with them when running errands. Wouldn't it be better to keep it at home? Perhaps it was to show off. Now that it's lost, they're only just panicking.
A full month has passed since the employer issued the mission, not counting the time he spent running around seeking help from the Uchiha clan after losing the Golden Peach. Now, to think he can find the Golden Peach again? That's utterly a pipe dream. Who knows how many hands it's changed hands before it ended up somewhere?
Yan Sheng didn't think he could complete the task, nor did he care about the consequences of failing.
What consequences could there be? There's no punishment.
He hadn't really put much thought into the mission; he was simply using this opportunity to gather information from Taili Town and gain a deeper understanding of the world.
The world he was reborn into was different from his previous life. Here, there were ninjas, the kind who could breathe water and fire, and who possessed powers beyond reason.
Because he was frail and sickly since birth, he had never left his clan's territory. All his knowledge of the outside world came from other people's narratives or book records, which were far inferior to personal experience.
What he wants to know now is how ordinary people and ninjas coexist in this world? What is the status of ninjas? And where do ordinary people stand?
Before becoming a demon in his previous life, Yan Sheng was the lord of a city. Understanding people's hearts and controlling the situation were habits ingrained in his instincts. Even after reincarnation, he had not forgotten these things.
***
The relationship between ordinary people and ninjas is easy to find out.
Yan Sheng didn't spend much effort before arriving at an absurd conclusion from casual conversations and fragmented observations:
Ordinary people would undoubtedly fear ninjas. This is normal, just as people fear wild beasts such as tigers, lions, and bears.
But what Yan Sheng couldn't understand, and even frowned at, was another consensus: in the eyes of ordinary nobles who held power and wealth, ninjas, no matter how strong they were, were ultimately just tools that couldn't be presented to the public.
They provided the money, the ninjas provided the labor; they gave the orders, the ninjas carried them out.
The nobles enjoyed the peace and victory that the ninjas had won with their blood and strength, but they despised these "weapons that only knew how to fight and kill" from the bottom of their hearts.
This realization struck Yan Sheng as utterly absurd.
A group of people who wield absolute power are willing to be trampled underfoot by a powerless group, obey the rules they set, endure their contempt, and even risk their lives for them.
Is this reasonable?
Are these ninjas out of their minds?
They possess the power to split mountains and cleave seas, yet their spirits are like tamed livestock, bound tightly to this absurd order by invisible shackles. They seem never to have imagined that the power they possess could reshape the rules.
"Truly... pathetic stupidity," he muttered to himself, but there was no trace of sympathy in his voice.
A group of people with extraordinary power voluntarily castrated themselves and groveled under the rules set by the weak.
Yan Sheng didn't know what others were thinking, but if any fool dared to step on his head...
Oh.
You said that if a ninja dares to overthrow a daimyo, he will be illegitimate and will surely be attacked by the people of the world.
—How many lives do the opponents have?
When that day comes, there will be people to debate and interpret the ninja's doctrines, and to establish their legitimacy. What the world has never lacked is scholars who know how to adapt to the times.
The largest group consisted of ordinary people. They didn't care who was sitting above them. Whether they were ninjas or nobles, it made no difference to them. All they cared about was who could make the fields grow crops and who could keep them alive; that's who they would follow.
As for the so-called greater good, do so many people really care?
No, most people only care about whether there will be rice in the pot tomorrow.
Using the mindset he honed in his previous life, Yan Sheng calmly analyzed the distorted order of this world.
If he were a power-hungry person, he would probably be excited right now—this is a world tailor-made for usurpers, with loose rules and full of loopholes.
But he is not.
What he pursues now is power, the ultimate goal of swordsmanship, and the ability to glimpse the supreme world seen through the eyes of the Son of God.
Therefore, the thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before quickly dissipating.
......Um?
A sense of unease interrupted Yan Sheng's thoughts.
Yan Sheng could sense that he was being looked at quite a few times, most of them with amazement. He had a clear understanding of his appearance in this life.
However, this gaze that caught his attention was different. It carried a subtle hint of... malice?
Yan Sheng's expression remained unchanged, feigning complete ignorance, only letting his peripheral vision naturally sweep behind him as he turned. The bustling crowd failed to notice the source of that gaze.
He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then deliberately walked into a secluded alley. His footsteps echoed in the silence, like a perfect lure.
But the other party still hasn't shown up.
So calm and collected?
Yan Sheng changed his mind and decided to leave the city.
......
As Yan Sheng approached the city gate, he brushed past a meek and ordinary-looking pedestrian.
In that instant, a familiar, chilling, and malevolent aura, like the spitting tongue of a venomous snake, suddenly seized him.
Yan Sheng's pupils suddenly contracted, becoming sharp as needles, like a feline predator locking onto its prey in the dark.
Without the slightest hesitation, he flicked his right hand, and a short knife slid down his arm into his palm. Without even turning his head, guided only by the aura, he twisted his wrist, and the blade, like a cold crescent moon, tore through the air and slashed fiercely at the man.
The pedestrian was clearly shocked by the sudden and extremely vicious attack. Then, as if sensing something from the sharp killing intent, he quickened his pace and fled frantically without hesitation.
This man was cunning; instead of running straight away, he plunged into the bustling crowd, attempting to use the dense throng to block Yan Sheng and confuse his vision.
However, Yan would not allow it.
Almost at the same moment the other party moved, he spun around, exerted force with his feet, and chased after them like an arrow released from a bow!
Wherever he passed, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. An invisible yet heavy and terrifying aura spread out from him, like a ferocious beast in human form, its violent and icy killing intent sweeping outwards without any concealment.
The noisy vendors on the roadside fell silent, the laughing children instinctively became quiet, and the crowd was also intimidated by the terrifying aura that swept past them, instinctively retreating in panic and making way for him.
***
Tobirama Senju's gaze locked onto the child.
Although his clothes were no different from those of an ordinary person, his face was extremely recognizable. Others might not have noticed, but Tobirama, who had been fighting the Uchiha for so long, almost immediately recognized the indelible Uchiha "mark" on the child.
Just as orcas will not hesitate to attack lone humpback whale calves, humpback whales also hate orcas to the core. Even from a great distance, once they sense the presence of the other, they will rush to fight without hesitation.
Tobirama thought so too.
However, it was inconvenient to take action in the town. In addition, he had important business to attend to in Taili Town and did not want to cause any unnecessary complications.
Just as he was pondering whether or not to take action, the child unexpectedly started walking out of the city.
Tobirama no longer hesitated. The other party was just a child; as soon as he left the city, he could deal with him swiftly, and then quickly return to handle important matters.
Everything seemed to be planned perfectly, and the child was indeed walking step by step toward the city gate.
But just a few steps away from the city gate—
The child attacked suddenly without warning, and what was even more chilling was the cold, violent aura that erupted from his thin body in that instant, like a sleeping beast awakening. Even Tobirama couldn't help but feel a chill, and by the time he reacted, a thin layer of cold sweat had seeped onto his back.
People who aren't sensitive enough to killing intent might not react much, but to him, it was almost a tangible threat that could trigger his fighting instincts.
In other words, he was so stimulated that he almost had a stress reaction.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Tobirama: Buhou! The evil Uchiha clan has produced an even more evil offspring!
Izuna: Who is that white-haired bastard calling evil? [Angry]
It'll be available tomorrow, and I'll update at 11 PM tonight! [Let me see!]
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