As a Ninja, I Only Want to Live Off Others in Type-Moon

A Good Opportunity!

Seizing the moment the magical beast closed its eyes, Higashino Kanade slid beneath it in one swift motion.

The wind howled past his ears, and the beast's steel-needle fur nearly scraped his face. In less than three seconds, Higashino Kanade stretched out one hand with all his strength and pressed it against the beast's soft underbelly.

Rasengan!

The Rasengan, formed from every last bit of Higashino Kanade's Chakra, blasted the massive beast away with astonishing force. It spiraled into the sky before crashing down from the roof and slamming heavily into the front courtyard.

"Did I win?"

Higashino Kanade slumped on the rooftop, forced to deactivate his Sharingan after exhausting his Chakra.

A huge hole had been blasted through the beast's abdomen. Scarlet blood gushed out in torrents, staining a large stretch of grass red.

The beast let out a faint, weak wail. Tears streamed from all four of its eyes, filled with pain and despair, as though death was about to claim it.

Waver's expression suddenly changed. He shouted anxiously at Higashino Kanade, "Uchiha Kanade! Kill it while you can! The entire castle's Mana is flowing into the beast—it's about to revive!"

"What?!"

Higashino Kanade staggered as he tried to get up, but he truly no longer had the strength to fight.

If Higashino Kanade's Sharingan had still been active, he would have discovered that not only the entire castle, but even the Ley Line beneath the ground was channeling Mana into the dying beast.

Under the effects of that enormous Mana, the huge wound in the beast's abdomen began healing at a visible rate. Not only that, its body was growing larger, and its steel-needle fur was rapidly lengthening. It was being strengthened!

Gryphon Ashburn had been a first-rate Magus during his lifetime, holding a high position in the Clock Tower. This was his territory, complete with his Mage's Workshop. Since he wanted his son to inherit his legacy, how could he possibly have failed to leave behind a few powerful contingencies?

In the original story, Grea had defeated the beast with ease. But Grea was not some weakling like Higashino Kanade. She possessed King Arthur's Holy Lance and had one-shot the beast with it, leaving Gryphon unable to make use of any preparations no matter how many he had made.

Higashino Kanade, however, could only fight the beast evenly. Since he had not killed it instantly, Gryphon's backup plans came into play. Heine had probably been overwhelmingly killed after the beast was suddenly strengthened during their battle as well.

Higashino Kanade was not overly panicked. He had long prepared one final measure: he still had a Silver Treasure Chest unopened.

He had originally intended to save the chest and build up some luck for a five-pull or something. Maybe he could even get a guaranteed Golden Legend. But reality no longer allowed that.

If the Silver Treasure Chest gave him a useful item that could help him defeat the beast, he would stay and continue fighting. If it gave him trash, he would eat his last Häagen-Dazs, grab Luvia, and flee with the Body Flicker Technique.

As for Waver...

Sorry, he would have to stay behind and feed the wolves. He truly could not save him. Afterward, he would bring the Edelfelt Family's elite troops back to avenge him. He would also help take care of his student, so he could go in peace.

After silently mourning Waver for three seconds, Higashino Kanade entered his consciousness space and muttered inwardly, System, open the treasure chest.

With a crisp crack, the ornate silver chest slowly opened, and dazzling light leaked from the gap.

Great Hokage of every generation, for the sake of how diligently I completed missions in my past life and ultimately gave my life for Konoha, give me a Golden Legend! Higashino Kanade prayed repeatedly.

Perhaps the Hokage of every generation had truly heard his prayer. Blinding golden light burst from the chest's crack, growing brighter and brighter as the treasure chest opened.

Wow! A Golden Legend!

The system finally popped up again to remind everyone it still existed.

Curse Mark of Heaven

Description: After activating the curse mark, the host may enter Pseudo Sage Mode. It can automatically absorb Nature Energy and convert it into Sage Chakra, greatly increasing strength. It also carries significant side effects and is divided into State One and State Two.

State One: The entire body will be covered in curse marks. Nature Energy can be absorbed and converted into Sage Chakra, greatly enhancing the host's physical abilities and Ninjutsu power. Sage techniques may also be used. The longer it remains active, the greater the burden on the body.

State Two: The body undergoes drastic changes. The speed of absorbing Nature Energy increases greatly, and strength will far surpass State One. At the same time, the strain on the body will increase further.

(Note 1: Orochimaru is not hiding inside this curse mark. Please use it without concern.)

(Note 2: State One and State Two have already been activated. The host does not need to undergo the awakening process.)

(Note 3: In this state, the host's aura will become cold and sinister, and the host's personality will also be affected. The host may be mistaken for a villain and attract the crusades of righteous individuals. Please transform carefully in front of righteous individuals.)

(Note 4: The longer the curse mark is used, the greater the strain on the body. The greater the intensity of battle, the higher the chance of sudden death. Please use with caution.)

(Note 5: Thank you to Orochimaru for his contribution to this technology. Orochimaru, master of core technology.)

The next moment, Higashino Kanade felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck as a pitch-black three-tomoe pattern, like a tattoo, formed there.

Higashino Kanade laughed. He laughed happily, even letting out the laughter of one of Uchiha's "Four Mad Laughers."

"Hahahahahaha—"

What was luck? What was an international-grade lucky bastard? Leans back tactically.

Higashino Kanade now wanted to shout at the top of his lungs—Is there anyone else?!

The Curse Mark of Heaven was equivalent to an inferior version of Sage Mode. It possessed functions similar to Sage Mode, but also carried enormous side effects that Sage Mode did not have.

There was no denying that the Curse Mark of Heaven gave Higashino Kanade an immense boost right now. His weakness had always been his low Chakra reserves and his poor physical condition due to his young age. The Curse Mark of Heaven perfectly compensated for those shortcomings.

Although the Curse Mark of Heaven carried the risk of sudden death compared to Sage Mode, Higashino Kanade was already more than satisfied that a Silver Treasure Chest had produced such a top-tier item.

The awakening was complete. It was hunting time!

Higashino Kanade leaped down from the castle, over twenty meters above the ground, and landed heavily on the front courtyard's grass.

Waver and the others had already prepared themselves to fight the beast, but when they saw Higashino Kanade descending, their tense hearts relaxed.

"Uchiha Kanade looked completely out of strength just now. Since he's coming back to fight, does he still have some trump card?" Waver lowered the hand gripping his Mystic Code and looked curiously at the weakened Higashino Kanade.

"Uchiha, if you can defeat this beast, I'll double your payment. If you can't, then stop trying to show off and take me away immediately." Luvia called out, calmly and elegantly saying something utterly cowardly. Magi truly were all selfish.

The enlarged beast bared its fangs, unprecedented savagery gleaming in its four eyes. Its huge claws scraped back and forth across the ground, as though it would charge at Higashino Kanade at any moment.

Higashino Kanade calmly walked toward the beast. As he did, the black curse marks began spreading from the back of his neck, and black patterns soon covered half his body.

An unprecedentedly cold and sinister aura emanated from Higashino Kanade. Even from a considerable distance away, Waver and the others could clearly feel the evil and power radiating from him.

If the previous Higashino Kanade had been a somewhat gloomy handsome youth, then the current Higashino Kanade resembled a cold Dead Apostle. Though he still walked alive upon the earth, he was filled with the aura of death.

PS: The author looked up a lot of information regarding the Curse Mark of Heaven. Please discuss rationally and don't use insults. If anything is wrong, just treat it as my own interpretation.

Luvia took a deep breath, and the heavy sorrow in her eyes slowly faded into a firm, unyielding resolve.

She turned her gaze toward the distant dark horizon, where a terrifying aura was gradually awakening, pressing down on the hearts of everyone present like a mountain.

"I won't let you pass," Luvia whispered, her voice carrying an unshakable conviction that echoed through the silent battlefield.

This is my burden to bear.

With a sudden flash of silver light, she drew her longsword, the blade humming with a fierce, resonant energy that cut through the oppressive darkness.

Transformation!

"So this is the power of Sage Chakra? It really is powerful. It's just colder and more sinister than the Sage Chakra of Mount Myōboku."

Higashino Kanade looked at the tattoo-like pattern on his hand and felt the endless power surging through his body.

In his past life, Higashino Kanade had also trained in Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku. Unfortunately, his talent had been poor. After half a year of training, he had achieved little and had nearly turned into a Toad several times instead.

After Jiraiya talked him through it, Higashino Kanade had given up training in Sage Mode. Although greater strength tempted him greatly, he only had one life.

Now, years later, Higashino Kanade had entered Sage Mode once again. Though it was merely Pseudo Sage Mode achieved through the power of the curse mark, it was still enough to excite him for a long time.

At this moment, he was already nearly as strong as he had been at his peak in his past life. No, he had likely already surpassed his former self and reached an entirely new realm!

Driven by its instinctive perception of danger, the beast could not help retreating. The closer Higashino Kanade came, the more clearly it could sense the terrifying aura emanating from him. It was as though the thing standing before it was not a human at all, but a magical beast even more vicious than itself.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The beast let out a deafening roar. The powerful sound waves tore up the lawn before it, creating a vast fan-shaped patch of flattened ground.

Waver screamed in pain, clutched his arms, and fell to his knees.

Luvia was in even worse condition. Mage Crests surfaced all over her body, flashing like an overheating engine. The pain sent her rolling across the grass.

Higashino Kanade did not know that this roar was an attack specifically targeting Mage Crests. The more Mage Crests someone possessed, the greater the damage they suffered.

When Heine had originally pursued the beast, he had been evenly matched with it. But the injured beast had suddenly been strengthened by the Mage's Workshop, and coupled with this attack aimed at Mage Crests, he had been caught off guard and lost.

This beast had been modified by Gryphon specifically to target Magi. It was a weapon designed to hunt Magi!

"What's going on?"

Higashino Kanade looked in confusion at the Magi who had suddenly begun screaming, while the beast itself wore an equally humanlike expression of confusion.

Why was the man before it unharmed? Its attack had clearly worked!

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

Unwilling to accept it, the beast roared several more times. The Magi screamed even louder, and Luvia was drenched in fragrant sweat, nearly fainting from the pain.

"Does this Uchiha Kanade not have a Mage Crest?"

Waver gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. Yet when he saw Higashino Kanade standing there unharmed, staring at them in bafflement, he hurriedly shouted, "Uchiha Kanade, that roar targets Mage Crests! Don't let it roar again!"

Even though Waver was merely a Magus apprentice, he could analyze the nature of the attack under these circumstances. The reason he remained fairly conscious was that he had far fewer Mage Crests than an ordinary Magus.

"Got it. I don't know how it works, but I just need to shut the beast up, right?"

Higashino Kanade stopped wasting time. He activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode and turned into a bolt of lightning as he charged at the beast.

Seeing that its attack was ineffective, the beast could only rush forward and fight Higashino Kanade in close combat. Having been strengthened, it was confident that it could tear Higashino Kanade apart even though his aura had become much stronger.

The beast pounced, its two sharp foreclaws slashing toward Higashino Kanade, intending to rip him to pieces in a single strike.

Higashino Kanade neither dodged nor retreated. He threw out both fists at once, colliding head-on with the two enormous claws.

The next moment, the ground beneath their feet fractured like a spiderweb, while a circular shockwave swept through the surrounding lawn like a lawnmower.

Man and beast competed in raw strength. Whenever the beast increased its force by a fraction, Higashino Kanade pushed back with even greater force. Empowered by the Curse Mark of Heaven, Higashino Kanade now possessed strength more than ten times beyond that of an ordinary human.

Seeing that it could not overpower Higashino Kanade, the beast hurriedly opened its bloody maw and lowered its head, trying to bite off Higashino Kanade's small head.

"Screw you!"

Higashino Kanade suddenly exerted force, swinging one leg up at nearly a 180-degree angle and kicking the beast viciously beneath the jaw, sending it flying.

The beast wailed. Blood spraying from its mouth dyed a large patch of grass red. It rolled several times across the ground before getting back up, spitting out several enormous fangs.

Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!

Higashino Kanade pressed his advantage. After taking a deep breath, he expelled a huge dragon head of flame. Unlike his previous Great Fire Dragon Jutsu, this Ninjutsu was infused with Sage Chakra. The fire dragon was more than three times larger than before, and both its power and speed had greatly increased.

The huge fire dragon struck the beast directly. Blazing flames devoured its entire body, scorching a vast stretch of land black and melting even the hard stones.

The beast howled in agony and rolled madly across the grass in an attempt to extinguish the flames, but with little success.

Unless something unexpected happened, the beast would slowly burn to death and eventually turn to ash.

But Fire Release never disappointed—it simply could not kill anyone!

Under Higashino Kanade's Sharingan, the Mana contained within the entire earth surged madly toward the beast, extinguishing even the flames on its body. As its injuries rapidly healed, its power was strengthened once again!

"Looks like I'll have to kill it so thoroughly that it can't revive."

Higashino Kanade quickly assessed the situation, then decisively activated State Two of the Curse Mark of Heaven.

The next moment, an unprecedentedly powerful aura erupted from Higashino Kanade's body. Like a Super Saiyan transforming, all his hair stood on end. Black curse marks covered his entire body, and his flesh underwent drastic changes.

First came his skin. Higashino Kanade's originally fair complexion turned dark gray, while his ink-black hair grew wildly into long, spiky locks like a Super Saiyan 3's, except his hair was blue-black. A black shuriken-like pattern emerged between his brows, covering nearly half his face. Two sharp, slender horns of bone grew from his forehead, each as long as a middle finger.

Most astonishingly, Higashino Kanade's back began to swell. Tumor-like growths stretched his Red Cloud Robe taut.

With the ripping sound of tearing cloth, two enormous wings emerged, each a full meter long.

Unlike Sasuke's duck-palm-like wings in State Two, these were enormous bat wings—the wings of a demon from myth, savage and terrifying.

"An oni?"

Higashino Kanade's appearance in State Two instinctively reminded Waver of the monstrous oni of Japanese mythology. With those two thin, sharp horns and his Japanese origins, it was difficult to think of anywhere else.

Soon, a bold and absurd idea rose in Waver's mind. He murmured in disbelief, "Could Uchiha Kanade's true identity be a Phantasmal Species from Japanese mythology? If that's true, then many things can be explained."

"Lord El-Melloi II, tell us your thoughts." Enduring the pain, Luvia showed a curious expression. She was both frightened and intrigued by Higashino Kanade's current appearance.

PS: Second update.

Whenever I feel good about my writing, some big shot in the author group always teaches me a lesson. I'm trembling in fear.

Sage Art: Super Big Ball Rasengan!

"To modern people, oni usually refers to things like the dead. But in Japanese mythology, oni are more closely associated with monsters, and monsters are what we now call Phantasmal Species."

"Although some theories claim that oni in Japanese mythology should be classified as Dead Apostles rather than Phantasmal Species, the mainstream academic view today still considers pure-blooded oni a type of Phantasmal Species, because they too were forced to retreat to the Other Side of the World as Mystery faded."