Might Duy

Jiraiya and Zhou Duan—these were two guys whose consciences had been devoured by ninja dogs. Jiraiya had even thrown his dignity away entirely. Zhou Duan at least had the decency to "borrow" materials from toads because of his potion formulas, but Jiraiya? That bastard would sell out a toad for money without a second thought!

Logically speaking, with Jiraiya's strength as an Elite Jonin, he shouldn't have been short on cash. But his countless missions failed because he kept chasing after pretty ladies to "discuss life," which infuriated the Third Hokage so much that he directly cut off Jiraiya's income. With no other choice, Jiraiya had no option but to sink deeper and deeper into the abyss known as Zhou Duan!

However, even a scumbag like Jiraiya had his limits. Every time he let Zhou Duan "vent his beastly desires" on a toad, he'd make sure to screw Zhou Duan over royally afterward. Last time, he took all the money Zhou Duan had on him and then stood him up completely!

But even though Zhou Duan, as a Medical Ninja, had "graciously accepted" plenty of favors from patients, plus the living expenses Kakashi Sakumo gave him, he still had to constantly replenish his potion materials. Money was tight. After gritting his teeth and pulling out three months' worth of hard-saved savings, only to be stood up by Jiraiya, that was why Zhou Duan, after screwing Jiraiya over, had that "refuse to save a dying man" episode!

Shaking his head, Zhou Duan pushed those thoughts aside. Looking at the bed where Jiraiya was comforting a toad, he rolled his eyes hard. Sure, Jiraiya often used toads as shields for money, but the guy still treated them decently—he frequently went around rescuing trapped toads and had even helped defuse crises at Mount Myōboku several times. Otherwise, with his current behavior, the toads would have wiped him out long ago. And if Jiraiya hadn't been holding them back, Zhou Duan would probably have been dragged before the toad boss and crushed to death by a fart in revenge!

But now...

Zhou Duan dropped the frog meat into a Potion Tube he'd pulled out from who-knows-where. The liquid inside instantly shifted from bright red to emerald green, and the system promptly gave a notification that the potion had been successfully brewed. Yet the success didn't bring a smile to Zhou Duan's face. Instead, his expression gradually froze, his eyes turned dangerous, and for the first time, he wore a look of resigned determination:

"Even though the potion's been successfully brewed, what comes next is the most important part. Ahead may be a mountain of swords and a sea of flames, a hell crawling with demons, but I have no other way out..."

No longer looking at the silent, friendship-beyond-borders gaze between the man and the toad on the bed, Zhou Duan left behind a back that screamed of walking to his death:

"I hope... I can make it back safely!"

Deep in the uninhabited forest, a figure was tempering his body in a way that could only be called insane. Deliberately dispersing his abundant Chakra, using only pure physical strength, he slammed into a giant tree that would take ten men to wrap around. Fists, head, back, thighs... the figure crazily used every part of his body, striking tirelessly, painlessly. The tree before him was battered into a slightly concave, bloody hollow, while the figure's body, covered in scratches and bruises, let out an unyielding roar:

"1328, leg. 1329, fist. 1330, head..."

Unbroken roars, unbroken sounds of flesh and wood colliding—it was the sound of war cries and war drums intertwined, like a wild beast descending upon the world, like a war god's fury. Just one man, yet it felt like being transported to a battlefield of thousands of troops and endless slaughter!

"Ah, every time I see a scene like this, it gets my blood pumping, you know, system!"

"Beep. Reporting to researcher: the system does not possess the emotion 'blood pumping.' However, after scanning, the system has determined that the researcher's current state is not blood pumping, but rather a state mixed with negative emotions such as fear, pain, and despair. This system is certified by authority and absolutely does not misdiagnose!"

"Tch, an emotionless system, how can it scan human emotions? Let me tell you—"

"Oh? Isn't that Zhou Duan? Coming here to find me, you want to join me for some joyful training?"

Before Zhou Duan could finish refuting the system, a bold voice rang out. The figure who had been relentlessly tree-punching had stopped his self-abuse, looking up at Zhou Duan on a branch. His tough, blood-and-sweat-streaked face had vanished, replaced by an ecstatic howl:

"Zhou Duan! You've finally made the right decision! You want to become my disciple and learn the ninjutsu worthy of a hot-blooded man?"

"No—"

"Seeing you rush over all travel-worn, you want to hold the apprenticeship ceremony right now?"

"No—"

"With that eager look on your face, you want to learn the true secret of a ninja's power right this instant?"

"Wait, listen to me—"

The existence named Zhou Duan desperately tried to get his thoughts out, but the guy across from him, excited to the point of madness, wasn't listening at all. The figure gathered a bit of strength, and the next second, only a cracked patch of ground remained where he'd stood. He had already vanished from Zhou Duan's sight!

"Transformation Technique!"

"Clone Technique!"

"Substitution Technique!"

Without a shred of hesitation or a moment's doubt, the moment the figure started to gather strength, Zhou Duan had already unleashed the Basic Jutsu in an instant. Zhou Duan swore—from the day he'd learned ninjutsu until now, this was the best he'd ever used them!

Hidden behind a thickly leafed tree, Zhou Duan didn't even dare to breathe. His usually stern face was already overtaken by fear and despair!

Thinking about the atrocities the figure was about to inflict on him, Zhou Duan couldn't help trembling all over. That behavior, which made the whole village turn pale at the mere mention of it, was absolutely something he couldn't endure in his current state. Even though he'd been mentally prepared, he never expected the figure to make a move the moment they met.

He raised his arm to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, but the moment his eyes landed on his arm, his pupils shrank to pinpricks!

Zhou Duan looked down. The nightmare scene had finally become reality. Finally, he collapsed weakly to the ground, muttering to himself:

"I've already been hit? In that instant we met, he swapped my clothes and turned me into this wretched state. This green tight-fitting top, these green tight-fitting pants, perfectly outlining my two nipples and the bulging lump in my crotch... this shamefully over-the-top outfit..."

In despair, Zhou Duan let out a wail like a dying beast:

"Might Duy, I'll fucking fight you to the death!"

"Hmm?"

A man with a three-seven parted hairstyle, eyebrows as wide and long as his beard, and wearing the same tight-fitting outfit appeared before Zhou Duan:

"My disciple, wanting to train desperately is a good thing, but the way you talk can easily be misunderstood as wanting to fight me to the death. Don't say things that cause misunderstandings next time, okay!"

Might Duy flashed his signature goofy grin and gave Zhou Duan a thumbs-up:

"Besides, a hot-blooded man's training doesn't need any other messy clothes—they'll just dull your fire. Let me tear away these thorns blocking your path for you!"

"Rip!"

Accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric, the white training clothes Zhou Duan had arrived in turned into shreds. And Zhou Duan now faced a despairing choice—whether to cross the village stark naked to get home, or to wear the tight-fitting suit, which was essentially the same as being naked, and cross the village to get home!