Never Have I Seen Such a Shameless Ninjutsu!

Kazuma had not expected this old monk, Chūkaku, to disregard Kazuma's status as one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi and strike so decisively.

Nara Kaikei had not expected a jonin with B-rank strength to be so easily defeated by the ninja monks of the Temple of Fire.

Recalling the dense barrage of red Chakra fists from earlier, he regretted clearing the combat mission too quickly.

I originally thought the two sides wouldn't fight at all. After all, the Temple of Fire had contributed to the establishment of the Guardian Shinobi.

Who would've thought they'd actually fight—and that the opponent would surrender at light speed!

A perfectly good B-rank combat mission had dropped an entire grade in reward quality because of his incorrect assessment of the situation.

Even though this C-rank [Ninja Scroll] had been obtained for free without costing him any effort.

Nara Kaikei still felt like he had suffered a painful loss.

I have to learn from this. Whenever I trigger a mission in the future, I absolutely can't rush through it before the very end.

Still, beating a jonin like he was an insect... is this the power of the Temple of Fire's Little Gundam?

Nara Kaikei gathered his thoughts and turned to look behind him.

A whole squad of ninja Gundams, they're even more... uh... than the Uchiha Clan.

He had been marveling at the power of the Temple of Fire's "Raikō: Senju Satsu"; in reality, it was the "Wrathful Vajra."

He had still been weighing which was superior, the Temple of Fire's Little Gundam or the Uchiha Half-Body Gundam.

Then Nara Kaikei unexpectedly spotted a group of ninja monks with pale lips.

After that wave of attacks, the vast majority of the ninja monks had expended a great deal of Chakra and could not possibly fire off a second round anytime soon.

Nara Kaikei secretly mused, This Little Gundam consumes far more than I imagined...

The Old Clan Head had probably seen the Temple of Fire's ninja monks use "Raikō: Senju Satsu" before, so he showed no interest whatsoever in the weak and exhausted muscular men behind them.

"Chūkaku, you seem a little unusual today, don't you?"

Nara Shikano stroked his chin and looked curiously at his old friend beside him.

"What exactly did this 'Keima' do to outrage heaven and humanity so thoroughly that even a good old man like you couldn't stand it?"

Hearing this, Nara Kaikei also looked toward Master Chūkaku, whose expression was solemn.

The abbot was really furious just now...

"It's Kazuma, not Keima."

Master Chūkaku spoke flatly.

"Shikano, you've probably played too much shogi."

"Fine, let's call him Kazuma, then."

Nara Shikano said indifferently.

"What exactly did he do? You even called him a 'traitor' just now.

"You should know that he is one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi and represents the prestige of the Daimyo's Mansion. Even I cannot act against him lightly."

"Kazuma was once an apprentice ninja monk at the Temple of Fire."

Master Chūkaku took a deep breath, as though calming himself.

"But he once did certain things that gravely violated all human morality and reason. In the end, he was expelled from the Temple of Fire."

"That's rare. Your Temple of Fire actually expels people? This is the first time I've heard of it."

Nara Shikano immediately became interested.

"So what exactly did Keima do?"

"Kazuma..."

Master Chūkaku glanced helplessly at his friend and sighed.

"He desecrated the dignity of the dead."

Desecrated the dignity of the dead?

The Old Clan Head's expression sharpened.

Nara Kaikei also raised his brows.

It was as though he had discovered some astonishing secret.

Desecrated the dignity of the dead... could it be that jutsu...

No way...

Nara Kaikei summoned his panel and silently opened the C-rank [Ninja Scroll] he had just picked up for free.

[Opening...]

[Contents recorded in this C-rank Ninja Scroll: Jutsu]

[C-rank Jutsu: Corpse Kiss]

[Jutsu Description: Secret Forbidden Jutsu]

[Jutsu Effect: By kissing the target, it absorbs the kissed person's non-elemental Chakra through the Chakra Acupoints in the mouth.]

[Jutsu Evaluation: Mana restoration · wipes mouth.JPG]

???

Looking at the C-rank jutsu displayed on the panel, Nara Kaikei's young heart suffered a tremendous shock.

Couldn't there be some ninjutsu normal people could accept?

Was this how Kazuma had desecrated the dignity of the dead?

Did it have to be this creepy??

Nara Kaikei often felt out of place in this ninja world because he was not perverted enough.

"Although I know this question is somewhat presumptuous, I can't help asking."

Nara Shikano spoke hesitantly.

"It's not as though ninja have never developed jutsu involving death or corpses.

"How far did this Keima go?"

"I knew you would ask that."

Master Chūkaku's expression became even more troubled.

"Kazuma dug up the graves of the Temple of Fire's generations of eminent monks and virtuous masters."

"Ah, this..."

Nara Shikano opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

The worst possibility he had imagined was merely that Kazuma had turned the corpses of fellow ninja monks into combat puppets.

But he had dug up graves.

The graves of his own predecessors.

"Why didn't your Temple of Fire execute him... never mind, forget I asked."

Nara Shikano changed his words halfway through.

"Does the daimyo know about this?"

"I believe the daimyo must not know about this matter."

Master Chūkaku phrased it very tactfully.

"They actually recruited someone like this into the Twelve Guardian Shinobi!"

Nara Shikano's brows furrowed tightly.

"What exactly is the daimyo trying to do?"

"Allow me to remind you, Shikano."

Master Chūkaku said calmly.

"Today's Kazuma is highly valued by the daimyo. At the same time, he is the representative figure of the daimyo faction within the Twelve Guardian Shinobi."

Nara Shikano's brows furrowed even more deeply.

"It seems that once we return to the village, I'll need to discuss carefully with Lord Hokage how to deal with this ninja organization..."

Though he said that, Nara Shikano knew this matter was doomed to yield no result.

In the current era, the Twelve Guardian Shinobi were merely a secondary concern.

What Konoha cared about more was the course of war involving the ninja villages of the other major nations.

Perhaps only after the war ends will the Third have spare time to consider how to deal with this organization...

Nara Shikano swept his gaze toward the other Guardian Shinobi who had come to the Temple of Fire.

Aside from Kazuma, their leader, the Temple of Fire's ninja monks had not included the other Guardian Shinobi in their earlier attack.

"Come to think of it, we never had the chance to ask earlier."

The Old Clan Head stroked his beard.

"What did these people come to the Temple of Fire for?"

The moment those words fell.

Master Chūkaku, who had remained composed until then, immediately stiffened slightly.

Oh no, I was too focused on Kazuma's uninvited arrival and forgot to ask why he came... what a sin, what a sin.

Fortunately, the remaining Guardian Shinobi were still present.

After Nara Shikano questioned them, those Guardian Shinobi spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube, explaining the entire sequence of events in full.

"After being suppressed by you, Kazuma flew into a rage..."

"He first went looking for trouble with several other Konoha ninja..."

"The Temple of Fire was only the final stop..."

"Kazuma never intended to provoke a conflict between the Guardian Shinobi and the Pig Deer Butterfly. He merely wanted to send some subordinates to suppress Konoha's chunin and use that to promote the daimyo's prestige..."

Nara Shikano listened with a deep frown before directly asking the question that concerned him most.

"How are the other Konoha ninja now?"

One Guardian Shinobi cautiously replied, "All I can say is... their injuries aren't serious."

So they hadn't died...

The Old Clan Head's brows relaxed slightly.

Nara Kaikei listened quietly from the side, unsure how to judge this "creepy eccentric," Kazuma.

Call him mature, and he could not forget the humiliation the clan head had brought him.

Call him reckless, and he had not rushed straight to the Temple of Fire. He even knew to pick on softer targets first.

But call him smart...

He really was quite the genius!

Nara Kaikei looked at Kazuma, who had been beaten into a pig's head and was still unconscious, then shook his head in utter disdain.

Master Chūkaku arranged for the ninja monks to drive Kazuma and the other Guardian Shinobi out of the Temple of Fire's territory.

Nara Shikano also took his leave at that moment.

He had originally wanted to loaf around at the Temple of Fire for another half day and return to Kyoto to meet up with the main group after dinner.

But after what had happened, Nara Shikano felt it would be more appropriate to return first and check on Inoichi and Choza.

Nara Kaikei followed behind the Old Clan Head and bid farewell to the ninja monks of the Temple of Fire, ending his first visit to the Temple of Fire.

If I get the chance in the future, I definitely need to visit the Temple of Fire a few more times!

Without the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan, I can only try developing Gundams myself!

Gundams are a ninja's romance!

They hurried all the way.

Nara Kaikei and the clan head swiftly returned to Kyoto and reunited with the main group.

When they saw the condition of the other ninja, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi were pale and had a few wounds on their bodies, but they were only minor injuries.

By comparison, Asuma Sarutobi and Shibi Aburame, both bruised and battered, looked far more pitiful.

Among them, only Kurenai Yuhi, the lone female ninja, appeared to have suffered no harm.

Might Guy's team, which was still escorting the merchant caravan, had unexpectedly escaped disaster.

When the cold-faced Nara Shikano asked what had happened.

Choza Akimichi, still indignant, roared at the top of his lungs.

"They actually poisoned the food! Never have I seen such shameless people!"

"That's because you were far too careless!"

Nara Shikano nearly failed to keep his expression under control as he sternly reprimanded them.

"Kyoto is not Konoha. If those Guardian Shinobi had truly harbored ill intentions, all of you would have died here!"

Seeing the Old Clan Head lose his temper, the ninja who had remained in Kyoto all looked ashamed.

The only one who still appeared furious was Asuma Sarutobi.

Twelve Guardian Shinobi! Kazuma! I'll remember this grudge!

After a night of rest.

The following morning.

The Konoha ninja returned to the Daimyo's Mansion to collect the war supplies that had been agreed upon in advance.

They received the supplies and sealed them into scrolls.

Then everyone headed toward Kyoto's gates.

They set off and returned to the village.

[Corpse Kiss] was a ninjutsu used by Fū, an anime-original character. (Episode 280)

In the anime, [Corpse Kiss] had a stronger effect: it could absorb elemental Chakra that had undergone Nature Transformation, and the user could then use it themselves.

Considering that Fū appeared nearly twenty years after the point in time of this chapter.

The rank and effects of [Corpse Kiss] were modified somewhat.

Kazuma's backstory was a secondary creation based on his ninjutsu abilities.

Earth Style: Reanimation Jutsu. Similar to Impure World Reincarnation.

Earth Style: Dead Soil. Summons corpses on a large scale.