The Four Laws of Despair of the Swiftness Proliferation Potion

Following Zhou Duan's instructions, Water Gate, Hundred Palms, and Nawaki looked ahead. What came into view was a chūnin dressed in the standard battle uniform of a Sunagakure ninja from the Land of Wind. Compared to Zhou Duan, who was covered in wounds, this chūnin hadn't suffered so much as a scratch. In fact, aside from his uniform being a little disheveled from traveling and fighting, even his breathing remained steady!

He held a battle scythe before him, making slight side-to-side shifts in time with his breathing. His build wasn't particularly burly, but his tight-fitting clothes revealed solid muscles that made him look powerful.

A few faded scars remained on his exposed skin, lending him the grim air of someone who had fought bloody battles and returned from the brink of death. His face, though he was clearly fighting through pain, remained resolute. Every detail spoke of the handsome bearing and poise of this middle-ranked Sunagakure ninja from the Land of Wind!

This was what a ninja should be: deep behind enemy lines, yet utterly unafraid; trapped in danger, yet still fighting valiantly—a fearless warrior who charged forward, ready to die rather than retreat!

Yet when Namikaze Minato, Hyuga Hyakusho, and Senju Nawaki looked at the chūnin, there was not the slightest hint of envy or admiration in their eyes. Instead, they were filled with sympathy and pity!

There was a simple reason: both of the chūnin's legs had swollen into pillars a meter in diameter. Forget moving—just standing upright was already an incredible feat of willpower!

"Zhou Duan, are you a demon or something?!"

Seeing the chūnin's sorry state, Hyakusho stiffly twisted his neck and turned to look at Zhou Duan.

"Zhou Duan, what kind of potion did you use? I thought the genin I fought had it bad enough, but this guy's even worse. The effect is way too terrifying!"

"Zhou Duan!"

Minato spun the kunai in his hand. Suddenly, he found the idea of attacking a helpless, immobile target rather appealing. He gave Zhou Duan an embarrassed smile.

"Do you have any more of that potion?"

"Hey, do you three have no humanity at all?"

Before Zhou Duan could answer Hyakusho and Minato, Nawaki cut them off. He looked at Zhou Duan with an expression of deep anguish.

"Zhou Duan, you actually invented such a despicable potion. I'm ashamed to associate with you!

"We ninjas may do whatever it takes to achieve our goals, but we still have our limits. How can you live with yourself after doing this?"

"This... Nawaki..."

It was rare for Nawaki to be so serious. Intimidated by his demeanor, Hyakusho hurriedly tried to defend Zhou Duan.

"Zhou Duan did this to end the fight quickly and preserve our strength. Don't take it so seriously!"

"No, Hyakusho, don't rush to defend me..."

Zhou Duan interrupted him with a cold smile.

"I want to hear what Nawaki has to say next..."

"Heh heh, what do I have to say? I'm telling you to cure this chūnin right now!"

Nawaki swept a hand through the air and spoke with utter confidence.

"I just took out a genin with a wave of my hand. Sure, I listened to your insignificant advice, but you can't deny that I've fully unleashed my body's potential. I'm confident I can take out that chūnin head-on. I don't need to rely on your despicable tricks anymore. Zhou Duan, get ready to step down as captain and follow behind me, cheering me on!"

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to be intimidated by him!"

Hyakusho covered his face in despair.

"Why did I even bother listening to this idiot just now?!"

Looking at Nawaki's swaggering confidence, Zhou Duan felt that even with wounds covering his body, all his pain combined was nothing compared to the headache Nawaki gave him.

After enduring the pain in his arm, Zhou Duan punched the clowning Nawaki to the ground. Then, with Minato's help, he applied medicine to his wounds. At the same time, he glanced at the system and explained the potion's effects to Hyakusho.

"Minato, Hyakusho, this is a special mutation that occurred after I added Muscle Growth Vine to the Swiftness Potion. Muscle Growth Vine can repair muscle damage and boost virility. Added to my potion, it makes the muscles in an enemy's body parts proliferate rapidly!

"Minato, I still have some of this potion, but it's a pain to make. I don't have much left, and I have other uses for it. When I have more ingredients, I'll give you a few bottles.

"As for this new potion, I've named it the Swiftness Proliferation Potion. Its effects are what I call the Four Laws of Despair of the Swiftness Proliferation Potion!"

At this, Zhou Duan's lips curled into an excited grin once more.

"The first law of the Four Laws of Despair of the Swiftness Proliferation Potion: although the potion itself increases speed by twenty to forty percent, its unique side effect causes normal body parts to swell to ten times their size within five seconds. Then, every two minutes, the effect spreads to another part of the body, starting with the legs, then the arms, and finally... the crotch!"

"Hiss!!!"

Water Gate, Hyakusho, and Nawaki all sucked in a sharp breath at Zhou Duan's words. But he wasn't finished explaining!

"The second law of the Four Laws of Despair of the Swiftness Proliferation Potion: the rapid increase in size doesn't dull the affected area's sensitivity. On the contrary, the pain in the swollen parts doubles, and the bigger they get, the more it hurts!

"The third law of the Four Laws of Despair of the Swiftness Proliferation Potion: the ingredients are scarce, it's difficult to make, and the recipe is different from those for ordinary speed-enhancing potions. That leads to the outcome no enemy wants to see..."

Zhou Duan looked excitedly at the middle-ranked Sunagakure ninja from the Land of Wind.

"Based on my experience as a Medical Ninja, this potion doesn't have an antidote for now. Its effects won't wear off over time, either. At the very least, you're not even a Medical Ninja. You've been stalling for time, hoping to solve this with the few bottles of antidote you brought along. That's nothing but wishful thinking!"

"So that's it? I wondered why, even after we came to help, this guy just stood there on guard without panicking. So that was his plan!"

Nawaki had already been put through the wringer by Zhou Duan's potions, so he quickly recovered from the shock.

"The enemy sure has a lot of dirty tricks!"

"Now isn't the time to think about that!"

Hyakusho interrupted Nawaki. The Sunagakure ninja across from them was in a truly miserable state, but he was still a chūnin, and Hyakusho hadn't let his guard down.

"When are we going to attack? Should we wait a little longer?"

"You're a nasty and troublesome brat. I, Suishi Yujin, will remember you!"

Although Zhou Duan had told him how terrifying the Swiftness Proliferation Potion was, the ninja named Suishi Yujin didn't simply believe him. It was only after he'd used up all the antidote in his possession to no effect that he finally gave up the last of his hope.

But as a ninja—especially a chūnin tempered by countless battles and scars—his spirit had long since become harder than stone.

"A ninja endures what ordinary people cannot. Today, I'll show you the true spirit of a ninja!"

With that, Kyuukawa Takuya took out a kunai and clenched it between his teeth. His right hand jerked, and he aimed the giant scythe at his legs. Under the horrified, admiring gazes of Zhou Duan, Nawaki, Hyakusho, and Water Gate, he brought it down hard across both legs. A rain of blood filled the air, accompanied by a muffled groan and the thud of heavy objects hitting the ground!

"What a ninja, seeing his spirit through to the very end!"

Watching Kyuukawa Takuya swiftly tie a Steel Wire Rope around his severed legs to stop the bleeding, Zhou Duan gave a heartfelt sigh of admiration, then added sympathetically:

"But don't forget, my potion has a fourth side effect!"