Naruto Bloodline Theory? It's Just Trash — Chapter 7

Dark Chakra not only possessed the power of the heart, combined with the regenerative power of Medical Ninjutsu.

It also possessed a certain degree of nature transformation and shape transformation.

In other words, it could perform standard moves like releasing techniques from a distance or firing energy blasts.

Ordinary ninja could use techniques such as Fire Release, Water Release, and Lightning Release.

Mingren, who possessed Dark Chakra, could naturally release Dark Chakra as well.

That chakra transformed into attacking force.

It did not need to be too powerful. As long as it blew Shikahide Nara away, the Shadow Binding Technique would be broken.

Black energy transformed into a naked-eye-visible hurricane and struck Shikahide Nara.

Sure enough, as Shikahide Nara nearly toppled backward, his shadow instantly retracted, and the binding technique was dispelled!

The next second.

Mingren charged forward and threw a punch at Shikahide Nara's head.

Shikahide Nara instinctively raised an arm. The beads of sweat on his forehead and the fear on his face were clearly visible.

No matter how high one's intelligence was.

When faced with a Land of Rain youth displaying such monstrous strength...

Especially when confronting that icy expression and those eyes burning with Black Fire, it was impossible to remain calm.

Crack!!

His 7.5 points of strength landed in full.

Shikahide Nara's head slammed viciously into the wall.

The body below his neck shook violently several times like a broken doll.

Though he had blocked it with his palm.

The tremendous force that penetrated through still directly shattered his fingers.

Then.

Mingren raised his right fist and punched again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With every strike, a violent boom echoed through the dark passageway.

Shikahide Nara finally could not endure it any longer. The complete comminuted fracture of his palm and the pain of his skull splitting apart made him scream.

At this sight.

Tetsuya Senju's face immediately turned pale, his lips trembled, and all fierceness vanished from his eyes.

Like a shivering little rabbit, he sat on the ground and watched his companion scream.

Beside him, Asuka felt each punch make her heart pound, as though the blows were hammering directly against her own heart.

"Heh heh... heh heh heh heh...!!"

Watching the rock wall crumble and listening to Shikahide Nara's screams.

Shennong let out a strange, humming laugh.

There was the satisfaction of revenge, the despondency of seeing through this fucked-up Ninja World and the truth of human existence.

And even more so, the excitement of discovering that his disciple truly was the best candidate to inherit Dark Chakra.

Once Shikahide Nara's screams faded away.

Black negative thoughts, visible only to Shennong and Mingren, flowed from the corpse once more and were absorbed into Mingren's body.

[Strength... 7.7!]

7. Forgiving Them Is the Sage of Six Paths' Business

His strength had increased by 0.2 all at once.

Mingren felt himself becoming stronger!

"The previous extra only gave me 0.1. This Nara Clan guy gave me 0.2..."

Mingren's mind raced as he thought.

Dark Chakra was the power of the heart.

The increase in mental energy did not merely raise Mingren's strength, speed, chakra reserves, and other attributes.

It also made his mind run more smoothly.

The past obscurity and confusion were like clouds parting to reveal the mist, the heavy clouds beginning to disperse and sunlight breaking through.

With his mind working faster, Mingren quickly reached a conclusion.

Killing stronger opponents yielded more Negative Mental Energy.

Because clearly, the stronger the ninja, the stronger their chakra, and the more stubborn and tenacious their mental energy, thoughts, and will.

Therefore, the more enhancement he could obtain.

Besides...

If he used cruel methods to torture the other party and make them suffer unbearable pain, just as his own rage had caused his power to surge violently before, then he would gain even more Negative Mental Energy.

Walking up to Tetsuya Senju.

Shennong urged him, "There isn't much time. Kakashi could arrive at any moment..."

"I know."

Mingren merely replied coldly.

Then, before Tetsuya Senju's terrified eyes, he extended his right hand...

"D-Damn it... If you dare kill me, our Senju Clan will never let you go..."

Threats made at death's door were probably nothing more than self-deception.

But Mingren was quite interested in making them come true.

If Tetsuya Senju died horribly enough, the Senju Clan might just take an interest in hunting him down, the murderer.

"The Senju Clan? Bloodline Theory? Nothing but trash!"

As he spoke, Mingren knocked over the lamp set in the recess of the wall.

Before Asuka's shocked eyes.

The lamp oil splashed over Tetsuya Senju.

With a roar, flames erupted violently.

Tetsuya Senju... was set ablaze.

That was not the most terrifying part.

The most terrifying thing was... to prevent Tetsuya Senju from saving himself, using ninjutsu like Earth Style to put out the flames, or perhaps escaping.

Mingren chose the most reliable method.

He stepped forward and directly wrapped Tetsuya Senju, who was burning, in an embrace.

"AAAHHH~~~~!"

Tetsuya Senju's screams were like a living hell.

The scalding lamp oil set Mingren's body ablaze as well.

Whether the other party tried to use Earth Style to flee or did anything else, Mingren, who held him tightly, would move along with him.

"Madman! You madman!!!"

Tetsuya Senju screamed.

The searing heat of the flames drew no reaction from Mingren.

Five years and three thousand large and small human experiments performed on himself had given Mingren an inhuman capacity for endurance.

Their skin curled and peeled back, their fat sizzling as it burned.

Watching Tetsuya Senju struggle and scream madly.

Mingren only held him tightly, his gaze as cold as ever...

"..."

At the sight, Asuka could not help pressing her lips together and drawing in a deep breath.

Even she, a ninja who had been rigorously trained since childhood.

Had never seen such a scene.

The shock of these mere ten-odd minutes was deeper than anything she had experienced in the past thirteen years...

She had never imagined that ninjas could fight this way...

And because of that, she became even more curious about Mingren's identity.

Just what... had he experienced? What kind of person had made his expression so cold...?

"Forgive me... It was my fault!!! Kill me, kill me already...!!" Finally unable to endure the pain any longer, Tetsuya Senju cried out.

A ninja's formidable strength also brought greater vitality.

And abundant vitality meant that one would not die easily.

At this moment, that pain became torment.

"Forgive you?"

Hearing those words.

Mingren's gaze turned even colder.

It was as though a forbidden switch had been triggered.

It reminded Mingren of someone forgiving Obito Uchiha.

"Forgiving invaders is the Sage of Six Paths' job. What I have to do... is send you to meet the Sage of Six Paths!"

Asuka: "!!"

Those words seemed to possess a kind of magic, carving themselves deep into Asuka's mind and shaking her soul.

In truth...

As time passed, the ideals she had upheld from childhood into adulthood had indeed wavered at times.

Faced with the deaths of countless people, doubt was inevitable.

Grandfather Hanzo of the Salamander had once said: after war, nothing remained—only death as far as the eye could see...

Feeling Grandfather's twilight years approaching, and seeing that his ambition had faded, Asuka could more or less empathize.

Even Grandfather, who had lived through three Ninja World Wars, said such things...

Then, if one day Grandfather lost his fighting spirit as well, what path would Amegakure... take?

Asuka fought amid confusion and worry.

However...

the words of that boy she had never met before had suddenly opened her eyes.

That was right...

Forgiving invaders was the Sage of Six Paths' job.