Forbidden Jutsu

Moriyue suppressed the reluctance in his heart and walked towards the forbidden jutsu bookshelf, looking back every few steps.

Just as Yugito Nii had said, the treatment of these forbidden jutsu scrolls was vastly different from that of ninjutsu scrolls. Judging by their appearance, they looked like they had just returned from Syria, a stark contrast to the clearly maintained ninjutsu scrolls. This difference clearly showed most people's attitudes towards forbidden jutsu.

"Forbidden Jutsu: Corpse Puppet: Creates puppets from corpses. Low durability, with no other purpose besides desecrating the dead."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Super Regeneration: Consumes lifespan to enhance self-recovery. Incomplete, possesses some practical value."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse: A concept proposed by a scientist obsessed with ninjutsu research. The idea is to run all ninjutsu in reverse. The scientist died while attempting to reverse Shadow Clone Jutsu. Extremely dangerous. This forbidden jutsu has been confirmed to be worthless."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Blood Explosion: Detonates all of one's energy, creating a massive explosion."

"..."

Moriyue couldn't help but wonder if the Hidden Cloud Village was doing this intentionally. He found that most of the forbidden jutsu were incomplete, and their descriptions were vague. It seemed they were very unwilling to waste time experimenting with these already insane forbidden jutsu.

Moriyue didn't want to open the scrolls and read them all right there, but he remembered from the original story that some scrolls would trigger as soon as they were opened. He didn't know what would happen if he opened them rashly.

"Currently, Super Regeneration seems to be the most stable. After using Life-Burning, there's a short period of weakness. Using Super Regeneration can perfectly compensate for this deficiency..."

In the current situation, Super Regeneration was clearly the better choice. Although the scroll was incomplete, Moriyue had plenty of opportunities to experiment. At worst, he could keep trying, and one day he would surely master Super Regeneration perfectly.

But now, he was tightly clutching the "Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse." This vaguely described, utterly worthless jutsu held an extraordinary attraction for him.

"Extremely dangerous, merely a concept, deemed a worthless jutsu. It would be a miracle if I could even choose this jutsu. Finding a treasure by chance? Why would I even think that?"

Shaking his head, Moriyue chuckled self-deprecatingly. That "Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse" was simply the product of a madman's drunken ramblings. How foolish would he have to be to take that scroll?

"Alright, let me see... Rai'gyaku? Not bad. Your body has significantly improved after my training. Strengthening your Nintaijutsu would also be good."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse? ...Why would you choose this jutsu? ...Never mind, it's your own choice." Yugito Nii, standing at the doorway, nodded with satisfaction upon seeing Rai'gyaku in Moriyue's hand. She approved of Moriyue's choice.

But when she saw the other scroll, she could barely contain herself. What was this thing? Reverse? What use was this forbidden jutsu? Was it for suicide?

She had expected Moriyue to choose a forbidden jutsu that was more recovery-oriented, especially since the vacuum period after using Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu was quite taxing. If he could find a jutsu to mitigate that side effect, that would be great. But the jutsu he chose truly baffled her.

I gave you my chance, and you came out with this thing?

Moriyue also noticed Yugito Nii's somewhat displeased expression. After retrieving the scrolls from the old gatekeeper, he tentatively asked, "Um, there were quite a few that interested me. I'll choose again next time."

"Next time? Heh..." Yugito Nii was amused to the point of exasperation by Moriyue. This place wasn't opened easily. She had already discussed it with Darui, and after officially recognizing Moriyue's enrollment in the ninja ranks, this was the one chance he had to select scrolls.

She had obtained her own chance earlier due to her excellent performance on a mission. She hadn't expected Moriyue to bring out that Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse.

The old gatekeeper, who had been smiling all along, saw that Moriyue seemed unaware of the situation and began to explain. Only then did Moriyue realize that Yugito Nii hadn't been looking down on these ninjutsu; she had intended to save that opportunity for herself, so she could find a way to counter Life-Burning.

Thinking of this, Moriyue felt a little sorry for Yugito Nii. But since he had chosen, he couldn't regret it. A person had to be responsible for their own decisions. As for Yugito Nii, he would definitely protect her from Hidan and Kakuzu.

"Are there any other opportunities to come in here?"

"Perhaps once you've made a certain contribution to the Hidden Cloud Village, Lord Raikage might..." The gatekeeper shook his head. He was only responsible for guarding the door and didn't concern himself with anything else.

"So it's like a contribution reward system? Who says people from the Hidden Cloud Village are all brutes..." Knowing that there was still a chance to return here, Moriyue breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Yugito Nii, who was crossing her arms and remaining silent, and jogged over to her.

"Teacher Yui! I'm sorry for wasting the chance you gave me, but I believe this jutsu will be as useful to me as any other. Please believe me."

Moriyue didn't know if choosing this jutsu was the right decision, but at this moment, he had to show complete confidence. Otherwise, Yugito Nii wouldn't believe him.

As expected, when Yugito Nii saw the sincerity in Moriyue's eyes and his hand, which he had somehow managed to grasp, she began to waver. Could this kid really have some insight?

Did he also have a knack for researching forbidden jutsu? Otherwise, why would he choose this forbidden jutsu?

Slightly wavering internally, Yugito Nii pulled her hands, which Moriyue was tightly holding, free and took a deep breath, as if to compose herself.

"This is also my fault for not telling you. I originally thought I'd surprise you after you made your choice, but I didn't expect you to surprise me now."

Although she was still a little angry, seeing the innocent look on Moriyue's face, her anger subsided a little. He was her student, after all. What else could she do? She'd just have to endure it.

Seeing that this hurdle had been cleared, Moriyue returned to his usual playful demeanor, scratching his head with a mischievous grin.

"So, Teacher Yui, do you know the principles behind forbidden jutsu? The diagrams for this jutsu look like gibberish, I can't understand them."

"??? So you don't understand forbidden jutsu at all?"

"It's not that I don't understand it at all, it's just that I'm completely unfamiliar with it."

"!" Go back and practice Rai'gyaku! I want to see your results tomorrow!"

The two walked away, chatting casually. The gatekeeper watched their departing figures from a distance and let out a soft sigh.

"The cold and ruthless Two-Tails Jinchuriki has made a friend. That's certainly good for you personally, but unfortunately, the higher-ups don't seem to want to see this situation unfold. Alas... little one, you'll have to fend for yourself."

The old man's figure retreated back into the darkness. The grinding of mechanical gears echoed as the stone door closed again, returning everything to normal.

"I quite like that kid. He didn't play any tricks in the scroll room..." the old man muttered to himself. He walked into a secret chamber where lifelike human sculptures were displayed, their expressions as vivid as real people.

However, in the hands of these statues were open scrolls.