Experiencing Pain

Moriyue returned to his home amidst "laughter and joy." He waved goodbye to Yugito Nii, ending a month of training. He was about to resume his research on Forbidden Jutsu and his training in Rai'gyaku.

"You should rest well today. Tomorrow, I'll take you to find those madmen who research Forbidden Jutsu. I really don't understand... Forget it, just make sure you handle it appropriately yourself." Yugito Nii sighed deeply, having never felt so speechless in her life.

"I know, I know. Thanks, Teacher Yuzu."

"I told you not to call me Teacher Yuzu..." Yugito Nii turned and left, waving goodbye. The prayer beads on her left hand made a crisp, pleasant "clack-clack" sound, unlike their usual dull thud.

Moriyue closed the door. Of course, he had a home in the Hidden Cloud Village, but he had spent more time in the hospital than in this home over the past month.

The body's original owner's parents had died fighting the Eight-Tails, making them martyrs of sorts. The ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village treated him with some care. Although Moriyue had been a commoner before, the monthly subsidies were enough for him to live comfortably for half a lifetime.

He opened the light with some unfamiliarity and shook the bedding on the bed, sending dust flying throughout the bedroom.

"Damn, so much dust..." Moriyue coughed and quickly opened the door. The house had been uninhabited for too long, and dust had accumulated.

Moriyue covered his nose and mouth as he cleaned the not-so-large house. He only dared to take a breath when he reached the window.

"Phew, it's so choking, cough cough cough..." Moriyue leaned by the window, watching the sky darken as evening approached, lost in thought.

"Hmm, that figure... could it be Yugito?" Moriyue squinted, spotting Yugito Nii not far from his house. However, she wasn't alone. Three other ninjas in black were standing in front of her, seemingly saying something to her.

"Two-Tails... transformation... weapon of war, no need for... that guy... cut it cleanly..."

Due to the great distance, Moriyue couldn't hear clearly, only catching a few words intermittently. Just as he was trying to hear more, the voices abruptly stopped. He didn't hear what Yugito Nii said specifically. He only saw her unleash her power, two large, dark blue tails appearing behind her. Then, those people disappeared into the darkness. It seemed they had come to test Yugito Nii's stance.

Gently closing the doors and windows, Moriyue's mind was as calm as still water. Without a word, he activated the Nintaijutsu, Rai'gyaku. The method of Chakra circulation and all the details of the training were etched into his mind. After reciting it once, he began to circulate Rai'gyaku.

His current strength was insufficient. In his normal state, his strength could reach that of a Chunin. To progress from a commoner to Chunin level in just one month was already remarkable, but it wasn't enough.

The reason he could fight evenly with Yugito Nii before was that she didn't use Ninjutsu, relying solely on physical combat. However, the greatest strength of a ninja lay in Ninjutsu; relying on brute force alone would not suffice.

The violent Chakra spread outwards from Moriyue's heart like a deep crimson swamp. Everyone's Chakra had several attributes. The ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village almost all possessed Lightning Release Chakra, and Moriyue was no exception.

Moriyue's volatile Chakra, constantly attempting destruction and self-destruction, perfectly matched the tempestuous nature of lightning. When he had merely tried to release a Ninjutsu before, he had blown himself away. Now, as he actively released this Chakra, the result was not much different from before.

Faint explosive sounds emanated from all over Moriyue's skin. Scarlet lightning covered his entire body almost instantly. While other ninjas coordinated their Chakra to use Ninjutsu, Moriyue was different. He couldn't coordinate; it seemed his Chakra preferred to kill him rather than others.

The Lightning Release Chakra transformed into sharp needles of lightning, continuously stimulating Moriyue's muscle tissues. At first, he only felt a tingling sensation, not much pain. But soon, the current suddenly intensified, and a needle-like pain spread throughout his body.

In that instant, he felt as if he were inside an Iron Maiden, with inhuman pain tormenting him. His hair stood on end. He seemed to understand why Rai'gyaku, despite being an effective Nintaijutsu, was no longer chosen by anyone.

"What doesn't kill me can only make me stronger. Pain is not death, so what is there to fear?"

"Feel pain, understand pain, master pain, and then, transcend pain!"

"A mere fatal wound can be endured with gritted teeth."

Moriyue continuously engaged in self-hypnosis, trying to distract himself and alleviate the pain. Surprisingly, it worked. Gradually, he truly felt the pain in his body lessen.

The red lightning receded from his skin, but this did not mean Rai'gyaku had stopped. Beneath his skin, the raging lightning continued to batter his body.

He didn't know how he had fallen asleep in such a painful environment. Upon waking in the morning, the pain hadn't diminished much, but he could gradually endure it. His muscles were tensed from the stimulation of the lightning. Pushing open the door, he went to find Yugito Nii. He still had the Forbidden Jutsu, "Reverse," to figure out, which was his most important gain.

"You don't look well. Did something happen?"

Her tea-yellow braided hair was somewhat disheveled, with a few stray strands sticking up on her head. Yugito Nii looked quite haggard, as if she hadn't slept well.

"It's nothing. Haa... yawn Let's go find those madmen. They're at the hospital. I'll try to find the guy who used that Forbidden Jutsu on you that day." Yawning, Yugito Nii stretched and smoothed her slightly messy long hair. She seemed absent-minded.

Moriyue knew it must be those people from yesterday who had said something to Yugito Nii, most likely related to him. Because she had been training him these past few days, Yugito Nii hadn't gone on missions for a long time, and gossip was inevitable.

"Okay." Moriyue also pretended not to know about what happened yesterday. He was aware of the gossip; it was likely that they thought it wasn't worth it for Yugito Nii to put so much effort into cultivating a short-lived person. She could have completed more missions in this time, which would have been more worthwhile than teaching Moriyue.

Moriyue always adhered to the principle of acting rather than talking. Once he figured out more about the Forbidden Jutsu "Reverse," he would prove to those people with his actions that Yugito Nii's efforts were not in vain.

"Yo~ Isn't this the Two-Tails Jinchuriki? What, have you come to your senses? Decided to volunteer? Don't worry, I'm currently refining Burning Life, and the side effects are expected to decrease. Won't you give it a try?" A slightly manic, trembling voice came from beyond the door. Before they could enter, the "doctor" from before stumbled out and started speaking on his own.