Desperate Search for Spoils of War

"He... he finished them off that easily?"

Looking at the opponent he had struggled so hard against, only to be taken down by Hyuga Hyakusho in a single exchange, Nawaki felt a sense of unreality:

"Am I really that weak?"

"Uh, Nawaki, don't be like that..."

Seeing Nawaki suddenly adopt the demeanor of a defeated dog, Hyuga Hyakusho felt a bit unaccustomed:

"Actually, I took advantage of him being exhausted from fighting you for so long, with his stamina and Chakra depleted!"

"Hyakusho, you don't need to comfort me!"

Nawaki dropped his usual foolish act, his tone somber as he spoke:

"I've already made a judgment based on the reality of this battle, fighting for my life. The opponent still had some fighting capability. At the very least, if the skill gap wasn't so immense, he wouldn't have been taken down so easily by you!"

"My heavens!"

Seeing Nawaki's dejected state, Zhou Duan didn't feel like comforting him. Instead, he excitedly grabbed Namikaze Minato's collar:

"Minato, did you see that? Nawaki is finally getting it! I thought for sure throwing this guy to me was a losing move by the Third Hokage Hiruzen, but I didn't expect that just one real battle would teach him the true meaning of combat. That's great, there's still hope for him! As long as this kid's brain starts working properly, I'm sure I can turn this idiot with negative combat awareness into a strong fighter!"

"Hatake Zhou Duan, Namikaze Minato, Hyuga Hyakusho, the three of you listen up!"

Unlike his usual self, when he heard Zhou Duan's mocking words, Nawaki didn't retort. Instead, he looked seriously at the three of them and made a vow:

"I, Senju Nawaki, grandson of the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, a ninja aspiring to become Hokage, hereby swear that from this day forward, I will never act foolishly again, never engage in idiotic behavior. I will escape the ranks of the weak and become a ninja with a functional brain, with intelligence, no longer an imbecile!"

"...Uh!"

Namikaze Minato, who had remained silent, twitched his lips slightly and gave Hatake Zhou Duan an awkward smile:

"I feel like something's not quite right here."

"Stop feeling it!"

Looking at Nawaki's declaration full of fighting spirit, Zhou Duan said despairingly:

"Just based on those few words, this guy is still an imbecile!"

"Hey, Zhou Duan, you're going too far!"

Just after making his vow, being looked down upon by his teammate like this, Senju Nawaki felt embarrassed:

"I've grown a lot after this battle. I believe after a few more fights, I'll surpass you!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes!"

Hatake Zhou Duan, clearly not wanting to say more to Senju Nawaki, cut off his desire to continue speaking and pointed at the four corpses of the Sand Ninja on the ground:

"We've caused quite a commotion. Our Leaf Village ninjas might come to investigate, but it could also attract pursuit teams from other Sand Ninja. On the battlefield, collecting items from fallen ninjas is a crucial skill. I believe with your personality, you've never learned such skills. Nawaki, you search these four bodies, the three of us will guide you from the side. Hurry up, we don't have much time!"

"...Zhou Duan!"

His passionate vow was dismissed by Hatake Zhou Duan in just a few words. Nawaki, though angry, could do nothing. After all, it was a declaration, and his future actions would prove it. It didn't matter if others didn't believe him. However, the fire in Nawaki's heart had barely subsided when, listening to Hatake Zhou Duan's instructions and looking at the four corpses on the ground, he fell silent for a moment, then his anger erupted uncontrollably:

"Are you toying with me?"

It wasn't surprising that Nawaki was so furious. The four corpses on the scene could only be described as tragic. Not only were they covered in wounds, but their bodies were also coated in a layer of pungent, turbid white liquid. They fought while outputting, despaired while outputting, and finally, died while outputting!

And the Chunin among them was even more gruesome. Even in death, he was still enduring the unspeakable vulgarities of several Ninja Turtles, a fate that would be mocked for eternity even in hell!

Of course, this kind of death had one advantage: it would at least deter a large portion of enemies who hoped to search their bodies after death!

Senju Nawaki wished for this at the moment, but he encountered Hatake Zhou Duan, whose conscience had been entirely fed to the ninja hounds!

"Hey, Nawaki, get to it, why are you just staring at me?"

Seeing that Senju Nawaki was hesitating and still looking angry, Hatake Zhou Duan became displeased:

"Nawaki, a ninja endures what ordinary people cannot! If you're unwilling to do something as simple as searching bodies, what achievements can you possibly have in the future? From the Sand Ninja's actions this time, it's clear they've put a lot into this. There will definitely be more pursuit teams. It's highly probable we'll encounter Sand Ninja pursuit forces again. Perhaps the time for searching bodies after a fight will be extremely short before another battle!

And later, we'll be heading to the front lines. The time for searching bodies will certainly be even less!

This is your first time searching bodies. If you don't accumulate some experience now, you might not have such opportunities later. Are you willing to just degenerate like this? Look..."

Zhou Duan pointed at the Intermediate Sand Ninja's corpse:

"I painstakingly dragged that Wind Country Intermediate Sand Ninja's body back with steel wire, completely undamaged, just to give you the best searching environment. Don't you understand our good intentions?"

"Um, Zhou Duan..."

Hyuga Hyakusho whispered in Zhou Duan's ear:

"I dragged that Chunin's body back. Is there anything else?"

"I know you dragged it back!"

Zhou Duan also whispered in Hyuga Hyakusho's ear:

"It seems you also want to share the hardships with Nawaki!"

Hyuga Hyakusho stared at Zhou Duan, stunned for two seconds, then suddenly broke into a brilliant smile:

"Zhou Duan, what's between us? It's just a broken Chunin, who dragged it back doesn't matter. It's fine, I don't mind, hehe, hehehe!"

"Since that's the case!"

Ignoring Zhou Duan and Hyuga Hyakusho's sneaky movements, Nawaki suddenly became sharp and posed a critical question:

"Zhou Duan, since you're talking so righteously, why don't you demonstrate for me first!"

"..."

Zhou Duan glanced at Nawaki, his expression one of utter disbelief:

"Nawaki, you've known me for quite some time now. Do you really think I would do something so despicable?"

"So you think I would do this kind of dirty deed, huh?"

Nawaki immediately lost his temper:

"You bastard, how dare you!"

"Because you can't beat me, and I'll utterly crush you when I do!"

Zhou Duan waved his hands, and six or seven vials of different colored potions reappeared between his palms:

"Nawaki, believe me, if you don't comply, your fate will be far worse than your buddies currently passed out around you. Now, Nawaki, answer me, are you going to do it or not?"

Looking at the potion vials in Zhou Duan's hands, the ninja known as Senju Nawaki was instantly struck by the terrifying memory of being dominated by the "Lu Shu" potions. Seeing the sinister look on Zhou Duan's face, Nawaki swallowed hard, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face:

"I'll do it!"