Forbidden Jutsu

Moriyue suppressed his reluctance and walked toward the forbidden jutsu shelf, looking back every two steps.

Just as Yugito Nii had said, these forbidden jutsu scrolls were treated worlds apart from regular ninjutsu scrolls. From their appearance, they looked as though they had just returned from Syria, a stark contrast to the obviously well-maintained ninjutsu scrolls. That alone showed most people's attitude toward forbidden jutsu.

"Forbidden Jutsu: Corpse Puppet: Creates puppets from corpses. Low durability and no use beyond desecrating the dead."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Super Regeneration: Consumes lifespan to enhance the user's recovery ability. Incomplete, but has some practical value."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse: A theory proposed by a scientist obsessed with ninjutsu research—to run all ninjutsu in reverse. The scientist died while reverse-training the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Extremely dangerous. This forbidden jutsu has been confirmed to be worthless."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Blood Explosion: Detonates all of the user's energy, producing a massive explosion."

"..."

Moriyue did not know whether Kumogakure had done it deliberately, but he found that most of the forbidden jutsu were incomplete, and their descriptions were vague as well. It seemed they were unwilling to waste time experimenting on these already insane forbidden jutsu.

It was not that Moriyue did not want to open the scrolls and read through them all right there, but he remembered that in the original work, there were scrolls that triggered the moment they were opened. He had no idea what might happen if he opened one rashly.

"Right now, Super Regeneration seems the most reliable. There'll be a brief weak period after using the Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu, and Super Regeneration can make up for that weakness..."

Under the circumstances, Super Regeneration was clearly the better choice. Although the scroll was incomplete, Moriyue had plenty of chances to experiment. At worst, he could keep trying. One day, he would surely be able to use Super Regeneration perfectly.

Yet he was gripping that "Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse" tightly in his hand. This technique, vaguely described and deemed utterly worthless, held an extraordinary attraction for him.

"Extremely dangerous, nothing but a theory, and judged completely worthless. If I picked this technique, I'd have to be insane. Finding some heavenly treasure in the bargain bin? Why am I even thinking like that?"

Shaking his head, Moriyue laughed at himself. That so-called Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse was practically the product of a madman getting drunk. How stupid would he have to be to take this scroll away?

"Alright, let me see... Lightning Torment? Not bad. Your body has improved tremendously under my training. Further strengthening your Nintaijutsu would be good too."

"Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse?... Why would you choose this technique?... Forget it. It's your own choice." Standing by the entrance, Yugito Nii nodded approvingly when she saw the Lightning Torment scroll in Moriyue's hand. She very much approved of his choice.

But when she saw the other scroll, she could no longer keep herself together. What the hell was that? Reverse? What use did that forbidden jutsu have? Was it for suicide?

She had thought Moriyue would choose a recovery-type forbidden jutsu. The downtime after the explosive burst of the Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu was quite punishing, so it would have been ideal if he could find something to offset that side effect. But the technique he had picked truly left her stunned.

I gave you my chance, and this is the thing you brought out?

Moriyue could tell Yugito Nii's expression had darkened. After the elderly gatekeeper took back the scrolls, he cautiously asked, "Um, there were quite a few things I was interested in. Can I come back and choose again next time?"

"Next time? Heh..." Yugito Nii was so exasperated by Moriyue that she laughed. This place was not opened casually. She had discussed it with Darui and only secured this chance for him to choose a scroll after officially recognizing Moriyue as part of the ninja ranks.

She herself had earned that opportunity only after performing exceptionally well on a previous mission. She had never expected Moriyue to walk out with some Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse.

The ever-smiling old man saw that Moriyue seemed unaware of this, so he explained it to him. Only then did Moriyue realize that Yugito Nii had not disdained these techniques before. She had wanted to save the opportunity for him, so he could find a technique to counter the Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu.

Thinking of that, Moriyue felt a little guilty toward Yugito Nii. But since he had chosen it, he could not regret it. People had to take responsibility for their decisions. As for Yugito Nii, he would definitely save her from Hidan and Kakuzu.

"Will there be other chances to come in here?"

"Perhaps after you make sufficient contributions to Kumogakure, Lord Raikage will..." The gatekeeper shook his head. He was only responsible for guarding the door and cared about nothing else.

"So it's something like exchanging contribution points. Who said Kumogakure's people were all meatheads..." Once he learned that he had not lost his chance to return here, Moriyue breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Yugito Nii, who stood silently with her arms crossed, then jogged over to her.

"Teacher Yugito! I'm sorry I wasted the chance you gave me, but I believe this technique will be no less useful to me than any other. Please trust me."

Moriyue did not know whether choosing this technique had been right or wrong, but he had to show absolute confidence in himself now. Otherwise, Yugito Nii would never believe him.

Sure enough, when Yugito Nii saw Moriyue's sincere eyes and realized that he had somehow taken her hand, she wavered a little. Could this kid really know something?

Was he actually skilled in researching forbidden jutsu? Otherwise, why would he choose this one?

Slightly shaken, Yugito Nii pulled her hands free from Moriyue's tight grip and let out a deep breath, as though she were adjusting her mood.

"This is partly my fault for not telling you. I thought I'd give you a surprise after you made your choice, but I never expected you'd be the one surprising me."

Though she was still a little angry, seeing Moriyue's innocent expression eased some of it. He was her student. What else could she do? She would just have to put up with him.

Seeing that he had passed this hurdle, Moriyue returned to his usual cheeky grin and scratched his head sheepishly.

"So, Teacher Yugito, do you know the principles behind forbidden jutsu? The diagrams in this one look like random scribbles. I can't understand them."

"??? So you don't know anything about forbidden jutsu?"

"I wouldn't say I know nothing. They're just completely unfamiliar to me."

"! Go back and practice Lightning Torment! I'll inspect your results tomorrow!"

The two gradually walked away, chatting idly. The gatekeeper watched their retreating figures from afar and let out a soft sigh.

"The cold and ruthless Two-Tails Jinchuriki has made a friend. It's certainly good for you personally, but the higher-ups do not seem willing to see things turn out this way. Sigh... kid, look out for yourself."

The old man's figure returned to the darkness. The grinding of mechanical gears rumbled as the stone door closed once more, and everything returned to normal.

"I rather like that kid. He didn't try any little tricks in the scroll room..." the old man muttered to himself as he entered a secret chamber. Human-shaped sculptures stood inside, their expressions lifelike, as though they were real people.

Except every one of those statues held an opened scroll in its hands.