Chapter 10: Chapter 10
"Yeah, a few dozen weapons in a scroll would be nice," Kuzo said as he talked to Tenten's father.
"You sure you can afford that?" asked the middle-aged man.
"Yeah, thanks to the missions," Kuzo replied. "Also, I need around 10 explosive tags."
Kuzo was going to spend all of his earnings from the last mission to the current one.
He was not sure if he would make it alive or not. Even when he'd gotten stronger, there was a chance to die. It's like fighting. Even if your opponent is weaker, there is a chance that they may win if they get a lucky punch. Life is about probabilities, and one shouldn't get cocky even when the odds are on his side. He must always acknowledge the risks.
The weaponsmith tried to hide his smile and said, "I'll get it to you in a moment. Please take your seat."
"Alright," Kuzo replied as he took a waiting seat.
While he was looking at the roof, a girl entered from the door, a few scratches on her skin.
She stopped and turned her face to him.
"Hey, Tenten," he greeted.
"Hey," she replied. "You're here again."
"Am I unwelcome?" he asked.
"No. It's just you got enough gears a few days ago, no?"
"Used them all," Kuzo replied. He looked at her face and asked, "What's with the scars?"
"A wild boar caused them," she replied. "C-rank mission."
"Guess it was capable of using chakra." And by it, he meant the boar.
"You don't say. These animals are the most troublesome," she added. "Anyway, how was your last mission."
"Since it was just a patrol, it can't fail," Kuzo said. He thought that the conversation was going smoothly as she was easy to talk to. Should he lay a foundation for the future? "By the way, are you busy next week?" he asked.
"I don't know. Why? You need something?"
"Actually, yes. I was wondering if you could help me with my flying weapons skills. I need someone to train with," he replied.
She smiled. "Sure. If I'm available, I'll gladly help you."
Kuzo smiled back, but his lips stopped moving.
'It's for the future. In the future, it would be legal.'
"Here's your order," Tenten's father came back with a scroll and a stack of explosive tags. Kuzo stood up, grabbed them, and asked, "How much?"
"Around 100,000 Ryo."
"Sure."
"Come back again."
He paid him, and then went to the door. "Take care."
-x-X-x-
It was a moonless night. Kuzo had given mission permission to the guards, allowing him to leave the village. He then left through the gates. While running, he opened the scroll that contained the mission details. His target was reported by some civilian spies to be resting in some village in the Land of Fire.
If he kept moving with his current speed, he might end up reaching there in 4 hours.
He sighed. "And then I'm supposed to make sure the Chunin is asleep before striking."
It was a high risk for him to engage against an experienced Chunin. How could he determine that he was experienced? Easy. Because he'd been a rogue shinobi for quite a long time now.
Those guys' true strength would never be known. All you would know was their strength when they had left their villages. You don't know how strong they grew, how many jutsus they have learned, and many other things, or how many strong opponents they survived against.
When you are a missing nin, you could do underground missions in the black market. You can also buy scrolls that contained different jutsus. When it came to learning, real-life experience offered more than staying at a village, especially if you didn't come from a shinobi clan.
A few hours passed. Kuzo found himself changing places from forests to plains to mountain ranges. Villages could be spotted, but he didn't have the luxury to stop. All he had to do was to keep an eye to make sure no one was following him. He wasn't targeted, but as a shinobi, you should be prepared for the unexpected.
'Finally,' he thought when he stood up in front of a town's gate. He reached his pocket and grabbed a water bottle. After he drank it, he formed a hand seal. A puff of smoke surrounded him. When it disappeared, a middle-aged man with plain clothes appeared instead of Kuzo.
He walked to the gates where he met a few guards. They asked him what he was doing, and he said that his intent was to stay the night before continuing his way. Once he got inside, he undid his transformation jutsu when no one was looking. He then started moving stealthily between the inns, looking through their windows.
The reports talked about a group of 3 genins and 1 Chunin. He had memorized their faces, and now he was looking for one of them.
When it was dawn, he stumbled on one face from his list. Kuzo was standing by a window, giving a small peek through it. A young man was doing push-ups. According to Kuzo's list, this young man is a genin.
'So they are awake at this time.'
When that genin looked at the window, Kuzo retracted his head.
He started debating if he should hide and follow the group until a proper chance came. Or, he could simply take this genin down, join his power to his own, and take care of the Chunin.
The footsteps of the shinobi who was heading to the window became louder.
Kuzo had to make his decision quickly.
'With great risk comes a great reward, and a great risk.'
Kuzo deeply inhaled before holding his breath. 'So be it,' he thought.
The window was opened. Kuzo was already above it. When the shinobi extended his head, Kuzo threw a kunai to the back of his throat.
'Sorry for you to die. But you aren't so innocent anyway.' He then held him by the collar. The Gluttony seal absorbed his power. Kuzo got a new jutsu.
'Fire Bird Jutsu. Seriously. Create birds out of fire.'
He sighed as he didn't like the technique. He wouldn't use it anyway since he hadn't practiced it. Besides, what he wanted was the chakra and the physical boost.
He entered the room and hid the body under the bed. He then used transformation jutsu, changing himself to the genin he'd just finished.
When Kuzo scanned the current man's room, he found that it didn't contain the scroll he came for.
He decided to go and look for the others.
The last thing he wanted was to wait for the body to spread its smell.
Now that he confirmed that they were in this inn, it was easy for Kuzo to find the rest.
'Remind me never to hide in a place with windows,' Kuzo thought. 'Not without covering the window anyway, or myself with a blanket.'
The remaining targets were easy. Most of them were sleeping, and the fact that he could transform into their looks made it way easier to catch them off guard.
After getting rid of the 3 genins, Kuzo decided to head to the Chunin's room. He was tiptoeing while thinking about the jutsus he got.
All of them were D rank.
<<Lightning release: Lightning shuriken>>
<<Earth release: Boulder skin>>
It wasn't bad. It had Kuzo wondering, though. Was he really incapable of learning ninjutsu because of the seal he had? Or could it be he was unable to learn jutsu because the seal prevented him from having chakra of his own? After all, hand signs were moves that motion the chakra in the body. Having them in order would manipulate the chakra form and nature to release the so-called ninjutsu.
'It's not like I have any right to complain about the power I have. Even with the disability the seal offers, the benefits outweigh it.'
He thought as he approached the door.
The sound of a window being opened echoed. Alarmed, Kuzo kicked the door.
There was no one inside the room.
The Chunin somehow was alerted to his coming. But how?
Kuzo looked around. There was a seal drawn on a near wall. It could be that what alerted the missing nin.
Before Kuzo could process what happened, a sound of burning paper could be heard.
Many explosive tags were on the wall.
"Shit." Forming a tiger hand seal, Kuzo focused all of his chakra on his feet, causing an explosive momentum to push him flying out of the window.
BOOM
The inn behind him exploded. It's needless to say that many casualties happened. If there was any trace of guilt in Kuzo's heart for taking down these rogue ninjas, it vanished.
Kuzo noticed a figure jumping on the rooftops of the buildings. Not many outside the hidden villages were shinobis, so it was easy to tell that this one is his target.
Chasing after him, Kuzo increased his speed. Because of his larger chakra reserves and higher physical capabilities, Kuzo was catching up in no time.
Weaving a series of hand signs, he took a deep breath and spat a series of water balls that exploded on everything that they touched.
The Chunin dodged and threw back a few shurikens, which fended against the water bombs.
'This guy has moves.'
Kuzo made another series of hand seals and grabbed a few shurikens. Yellow lightning coated them before they were thrown. Kuzo was quite surprised at the speed boost lightning had given them.
The Chunin was quite surprised. Albeit he dodged most of them, a lightning shuriken sliced past his knee, drawing blood.
The rogue ninja jumped above the town's wall. As Kuzo did the same, he found his foe waiting for him on the ground.
"Very well. I'm forced to fight you," said the Chunin. "Burn to hell with the fireball."
Kuzo channeled his chakra to his feet, sticking himself to the wall.
His opponent was done taking a very deep breath. He then exhaled a large hot flame that covered a wide area.
Kuzo took a deep breath and weaved a few hand signs before slamming his hands on the walls.
He didn't know if it would work. But it was his hope.
<<Earth Wall Jutsu>>
Luckily for him, the wall was made of stone. The wall molded, shifted its shape, and a wall appeared in front of him.
When the wall met the fireball, it cracked, threatening to break, which eventually happened.
A trace of fire went past Kuzo's cheek and arm.
When the fire calmed down, he changed his direction and ran toward the ground.
He felt something missing.
The jutsu that had just been used was an Uchiha Clan's jutsu.
When Kuzo reached the ground, he looked at the rogue ninja.
"You. Where did you get this jutsu?" asked Kuzo. That jutsu was exclusive to the Uchiha, wasn't it? Only a few handfuls of jonins of the Leaf could use it.
"Why should I answer you?" replied the rogue ninja, mockingly.
Kuzo looked at the scroll which was at the man's belt.
He then looked at his eyes.
"Could it be possibly that you stole that scroll from the village on the day of the Uchiha massacre?"
"Quite sharp for a soon-to-be dead man." He smirked as he opened his arms. "Although I don't have Sharingan, I spent the last years learning and mastering the ways of the Uchiha. I'm not your average Chunin."
Those words that were intended to scare him did only one thing.
A wide, large smile appeared on Kuzo's face.
They were indeed good news.
"Is that so! Then bring it all!" Kuzo invited. All of the chakra he'd accumulated from his dead foes was released in one go, creating a blue aura that pushed the wind around him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone