In the forests of Konoha, at the base of a massive tree, a Chunin named Kyuukawa Takuya was enduring the excruciating pain that kept surging through his thighs!
Fortunately, though the pain was almost unbearable, he hadn't passed out. If he could just rest for a moment and get used to it, then even without his legs, he'd still be able to kill the brat across from him—the one who'd made him suffer such boundless humiliation. Hearing the other boy's obviously blustering words, Kyuukawa Takuya broke into a vicious grin.
"Kid, have you finally run out of options? You've even started lying. I cut the potion out of you at the source. What side effects could there possibly be?"
"Yeah, Zhou Duan, you forced him to cut off both his own legs..."
Nawaki stared at Kyuukawa Takuya, who was already charging toward them, and spoke with a slight tremble in his voice. The guy might be an idiot, but even he knew that the fury of a ninja forced to cut off his own legs was more than he could handle right now.
"Do you have another plan? I don't think he's lying. Look at his legs—they've already stopped bleeding... Holy crap!"
Nawaki's shock was understandable. Following his gaze, they saw that Kyuukawa Takuya's legs, which he had already lost, were growing back—bones and flesh alike. His limbs were regenerating!
The pain in his legs didn't ease at all. If anything, it grew worse. And as his newly grown legs swelled, their weight dragged Kyuukawa Takuya down from the air and sent him crashing back to the ground. He looked over his shoulder and saw that in only a few seconds, his legs had swollen even more, reaching a horrifying three meters in thickness!
Feeling his legs grow back, Kyuukawa Takuya broke out in a cold sweat. He swallowed hard, then found his gaze helplessly drawn to Zhou Duan.
"I told you this potion had another side effect, didn't I? Nawaki, you've been in my squad this long, and you still doubt me. Honestly..."
Zhou Duan glanced at the four people staring at him in shock and waved dismissively.
"Swiftness Proliferation Potion Despair Four Laws, fourth law: once the potion takes effect, no physical method can undo it. On the contrary, using a physical method will cause the lost body part to grow back, faster and larger than before. Physical methods include, but aren't limited to, cutting, crushing, and tearing!"
The four of them were stunned by Zhou Duan's description of the potion's effects. Nawaki, who'd had experience chopping down trees, spoke with a shiver.
"Zhou Duan, are you a demon?"
"Oh, don't sweat the details. Potions aren't good or bad. As long as you have justice in your heart, nothing else matters. Besides..."
Zhou Duan looked at Kyuukawa Takuya across from them.
"Our opponent hasn't given up yet..."
"Boom!"
Before Zhou Duan could finish speaking, a blinding red light flashed from Kyuukawa Takuya's position. A powerful shockwave blasted in every direction, sending countless rocks and splintered trees flying. A fierce gale swept Zhou Duan, Water Gate, Hundred Palms, and Nawaki off their feet!
The explosion caused by a Chunin was simply too powerful. It took five minutes for it to gradually die down. A circular crater, five meters across, now occupied the spot where Kyuukawa Takuya had been. Every tree within a sixty-meter radius had been uprooted, leaving nothing but bare earth!
"That was one hell of a blast..."
Zhou Duan shoved aside a broken tree trunk pinning him down and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Guess that's a Chunin for you. We were in a sorry state, but while he still had most of his strength, none of us noticed a thing before he blew himself up. What a ninja—he didn't have the slightest perseverance. So much for the spirit of a ninja. He gave up after one try. I thought he'd hold out a few more times!"
"No, in a situation like that, I think blowing yourself up is the more painless option!"
Hundred Palms poked his head out of the dirt nearby, his lips trembling as he spoke.
"I've heard of ninjas who cut off their legs to keep fighting, even at the risk of their lives. But a ninja who keeps cutting off his own legs and still can't get revenge? I don't think anyone could do that. It was a self-destruction, and a humiliating one, but it was the best—and last—thing he could do!"
"Ding! Since the researcher defeated the opponent using a potion, and the potion contributed more than eighty percent of the result, the system is issuing a new mission!"
Before Zhou Duan could respond, the system—which hadn't been heard from in ages—spoke again.
"Sharp weapons and powerful Ninja Beasts are ultimately only external aids. Only one's own strength is the foundation for mastering everything. To test whether the researcher has been slacking off during this time, the system is issuing a mission—Forbidden Ninjutsu!
"Forbidden Ninjutsu makes people powerful. A Chunin on the verge of collapse reached the level of a peak Chunin with the help of a forbidden technique. But it destroyed his foundation at its core, robbed him of his reason, and turned him into a monster that knew only how to kill!
"To assess the researcher's strength, the system issues the following mission requirements:
"1. Eliminate the Sand ninja who used the Forbidden Ninjutsu, or render him incapable of fighting!
"2. Ensure that no squad members die!
"3. The researcher must inflict more than fifty percent of the damage to the Sand ninja. The more damage inflicted, the better the reward!
"Note: The target is less than five hundred meters from the researcher!"
"Something's wrong..."
The system's sudden mission made Zhou Duan instantly alert. But before he could say anything, Hundred Palms—who had kept his Byakugan active while they recovered from the fight—spoke up.
"A ninja is flying in from the northwest. He's moving incredibly fast, and his Chakra is extremely violent. He's dangerous. Everyone, stay alert!"
"Not good!"
Before Hundred Palms could finish, Zhou Duan had already turned toward the northwest. In just a few blinks, the enemy had closed the distance from a tiny black dot on the horizon to fifty meters away. The snarling man glared at him with bloodshot eyes, looking ravenous for blood. His hands were still forming Hand Seals—he was clearly preparing to unleash a technique!
Without a moment to think, Zhou Duan flicked his hand and sent a Kunai tied to an Explosive Tag flying straight toward the enemy's eyes. Then he yelled, "Spread out!" grabbed Nawaki by the collar, and hauled him away as fast as he could.
"Boom!"
Another explosion rang out, its roar no weaker than the blast from Kyuukawa Takuya's self-destruction. A huge swath of broken trees and dirt shot into the sky, and the ground where Zhou Duan's squad had just been was plowed over once again!
Perhaps Zhou Duan's attack had injured the enemy's eyes. After unleashing his technique, he didn't follow up with another technique to search the area, nor did he stay put and wait. Instead, he unleashed techniques in every direction—and right beneath his nose, a small mound of dirt suddenly cracked open!
"God, are all ninjas so obsessed with digging these days? If you're that good at it, go plow a field, you bastard!"
Zhou Duan sat up out of the dirt and pushed Nawaki off himself.
"Hey, is everyone all right?"
"I'm fine!"
Hundred Palms crawled out from beneath a tree trunk.
"I'm a little banged up, but I'm not hurt!"
"I'm fine too!"
Water Gate appeared from behind a rock.
"The rock blocked the shockwave!"
"Good!"
Zhou Duan let out a sigh of relief.
"That last explosion was powerful. If anything had happened to you, we'd have been in trouble!"
"Hey, Captain, everyone else is fine, but I'm hurt!"
Nawaki, whom Zhou Duan had used as a shield against the blast, shakily got to his feet. His back was covered in small cuts from flying stones, and his clothes were practically in tatters. Two particularly sharp shards had pierced his buttocks, one on each side. As they were pulled out, thin streams of blood trickled down, and the pain nearly brought tears to his eyes.
"You used me as a human shield! You're heartless!"
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