Moriyue rubbed his numb left arm. To gather the power of lightning just now, he had concentrated most of the Chakra in his body there in one go. Since it was his first experiment, he lacked experience and had supplied a little too much Chakra.
He crawled out from beneath the "King of the Forest," whose body had been mostly charred. Having failed to control the force properly, not only were Moriyue's hands numb, but his face had also been blackened by the explosion. At that moment, his eyes met those of Ando and Kazeki.
"Cough, cough... Well, just now... I tested a ninjutsu that came to me on a whim... I didn't expect it to... to succeed. I named this move the Electromagnetic Cannon. Don't try it yourselves; the strain on the body is too great..."
Moriyue explained somewhat haltingly, his expression slightly stiff. After thinking it over, it seemed he could only muddle through by claiming he had suddenly created a forbidden technique.
Without the body's limitations on Chakra, every ninjutsu Moriyue used could produce explosive results. If it were anyone else, before the lightning could even be accelerated to such a speed, the meridians in their body would have been damaged by the overwhelming flow of Chakra. It would have been no different from suicide.
Naturally, Kazeki and Ando were not convinced by Moriyue's incredibly perfunctory explanation. What a joke. When they practiced even an ordinary ninjutsu, they had to carefully plan the Chakra pathways and confirm the sequence of hand seals. A single mistake could cause backlash and injure themselves.
And now he was telling them that he had accidentally created a new ninjutsu? Looking at that disgraceful giant bear lying on the ground with its eyes still open in death, unable to utter even a single line, how did this move resemble a normal ninjutsu? With such power and speed, it was more like a forbidden technique.
"Haha, now isn't the time to think about that. Zero, come help me up. My arm's a little weak. Treat it first."
Moriyue did not want to keep dwelling on the matter. He laughed it off and waved his right hand at Kazeki with a cheeky grin.
Although she knew Moriyue's actions were somewhat dangerous, treating his injuries was the priority. Everything else could wait.
Thus, under Kazeki's helpless gaze, Moriyue's left hand was wrapped in bandages. This time, Kazeki did not dare casually use her own Chakra to heal him, and could only apply some herbs to his wounds.
Once everything had been dealt with, Ando had no choice but to step forward. He had to get to the bottom of what had happened.
However, Moriyue seemed to have seen through his thoughts and spoke first, interrupting the puzzled Ando.
"I'm an experimental subject who underwent forbidden technique modifications. You both know that. While I gained great power, I also exhausted my future vitality."
"Since death will come eventually, why not use this time to do something more meaningful? My body can withstand violent Chakra better than yours. If I can leave Kumogakure with useful ninjutsu, what does this little sacrifice of mine matter?"
Moriyue spoke with stirring righteousness. Though his voice was not especially loud, the spirit of self-sacrifice and fearless acceptance of death contained in his words completely moved the two inexperienced youths.
For a moment, Moriyue's figure became incomparably tall in their eyes.
To devote oneself entirely until death! Though he was clearly an experimental subject under the hands of those mad scientists, everything he thought of was for Kumogakure. Even at the cost of his own life, he wanted to leave Kumogakure with powerful ninjutsu. How noble was that?
"Captain! I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked such things. Don't worry, we'll definitely find a way to remove the side effects of the forbidden technique on you! From this day onward, you will always be our captain!"
Ando felt ashamed of his earlier thoughts. He had actually doubted a captain so utterly loyal to Kumogakure. He only felt infinitely small before Moriyue, like a firefly before the bright moon.
Kazeki also turned away and wiped her eyes. Captain Moriyue... he really... I'm crying my eyes out...
Seeing their reactions, even Moriyue felt a little embarrassed. What he had just said had nearly convinced even himself. Seeing that they no longer dwelled on the matter, he called out, and the three continued on their journey.
Konoha's environment was worlds apart from Sunagakure's. If eighty percent of Sunagakure's land was covered by desert, then seventy percent of Konoha was surrounded by forests.
Dense forests were the most likely places for insects and wild beasts to thrive. At that moment, Hinata's group encountered an "enemy" that was not an enemy.
"Shino! Hurry and use your Parasitic Insects to drive those hornets away! Ow, my nose!"
Kiba was riding on Akamaru's back, while Hinata and Shino ran swiftly on either side of him. Kiba and Akamaru's faces were covered in swollen stings, and behind them, a swarm of hornets as large as palms pursued them closely.
Their enormous wings beat against each other with sharp slapping sounds, creating a racket like funeral cymbals played alongside a suona. Just hearing it was a form of mental pollution.
"Kikaichū!"
Shino was the sort of person who was ruthless and spoke little. If he could solve a problem with action, he would never waste words.
Fine black insects spread from Shino's palms into the air. The little black insects drifted overhead like layers of Black Mist, their wings beating up and down. Though they did not make as much noise as the giant hornets, the oppressive feeling of that vast black mass was hardly any weaker.
The black insects were like dust floating through the air. The hornets' prized stingers and claws were completely useless before them. Aside from helplessly flailing their insect limbs as they were swallowed by the smaller insects, they could do nothing.
The sound of beating wings weakened. The fading clash of cymbals was like a funeral dirge for the hornets themselves. Before long, the buzzing gradually disappeared, and they finally escaped the crisis.
"Taken care of. You only remember me... at critical moments."
Shino coolly pushed up his sunglasses. His presence had always been weak, like an insignificant little insect. Now that he finally had a chance to shine, naturally he had to show off a little.
Unfortunately, neither Kiba nor Hinata was paying attention to him. Hinata seemed to sense something; veins bulged around her eyes as she instantly activated her Byakugan. Kiba crouched on all fours, while Akamaru vigilantly scanned the surroundings. They seemed to have discovered something.
"Everyone, be careful. I can sense the active Chakra signatures of three people ahead. One person's Chakra pathways... are very strange... Is that really a ninja? With meridians like that... how is he still alive?"
Before you continue