To Hell with This-I'm Done Being Human!

To Hell with It, I'm Done Being Human! [Please Vote]

Toneri, of course, had no idea what was happening at the caravan.

Right now, there was only one thing on his mind.

Get into the Land of Fire as quickly as possible!

After a night of rushing through the complicated jungle, his clothes were still a little torn, despite his considerable experience navigating the forest. There were scratches on his face and body, too.

Thanks to the Military Rations Pill, Toneri hadn't run out of strength.

As he looked at the boundary stone marking the border of the Land of Fire, he didn't dare let his guard down for even a moment.

The closer he got, the less he could afford to relax.

Besides, even if he made it into the Land of Fire, that didn't mean he was safe. Konoha was still a long way away.

He took a deep breath.

"Whew, I don't know if I'm so handsome that I'm exceptionally gifted, or if the Military Rations Pill really works that well. I've been going all night and all morning, but I barely feel tired."

Toneri ran a hand through his slightly overgrown hair, which he hadn't had time to trim, and muttered to himself.

Endurance was very important!

Then, as if he'd thought of something, Toneri rubbed his stomach. "Could it be because of you, Big Beauty...?"

As a first-time Jinchūriki, Toneri wasn't really sure.

He looked at his arm, where his clothes had accidentally been torn. A sharp branch had scraped his skin at the time.

Fortunately, Toneri had enough experience to wipe the blood off the branch immediately after it happened.

But when he looked at the wound on his arm again, he saw that it had already healed. There wasn't even a scar.

Toneri was stunned. He remembered the anime he'd watched: Naruto had the Nine-Tails inside him, so even when his palm was pierced, it healed quickly.

This was probably one of the few benefits of being a Jinchūriki.

Thinking of that, Toneri touched his face. "In that case, I'll never have to worry about my handsome face getting scarred again!"

Tsk, tsk—handsome people were always on everyone's minds...

He kept walking, with the border of the Land of Fire now just ahead.

He caught his breath, ready to stride forward.

Konoha's main forces should be stationed in the Land of Rain right now. He just didn't know whether the war over there had ended.

Whoosh—

The moment Toneri lifted his foot, every hair on his body stood on end!

That inexplicable Sixth Sense made his face change dramatically.

He threw himself sideways into a roll.

Bang!!

A black kunai was embedded firmly in the tree behind the spot where he'd just been standing.

The kunai didn't budge.

But the small tree swayed slightly under its weight.

"Oh?"

A surprised voice came from a tree not far behind Toneri.

It was the Kumo Ninja Anbu who had a special Summoning Beast with him. His face was covered by a white mask, and he had a very muscular build.

The Kumo Ninja was also surprised. He'd thought his attack was sure to hit, but the kid had dodged at the last moment.

He'd been watching Toneri for a while.

He'd quietly followed him, and only attacked at the border of the Land of Fire after confirming that the kid had no chakra and wasn't a ninja.

He didn't believe for a second that a kid could have taken the Two-Tails, which had given the entire Kumogakure no end of trouble. But as the Anbu Ninja tasked with tracking the Two-Tails, this was his job.

Of course, his mission was to bring the kid back alive, so he hadn't put all his strength into that kunai or tried to kill him.

Even so, it was surprising that a kid who wasn't a ninja could dodge his sneak attack.

After rolling aside to dodge, Toneri hurriedly crouched down. He didn't bother brushing off the dust on his clothes as he looked in the direction the kunai had come from.

Toneri's pupils contracted. His heart raced, and his adrenaline surged.

A Kumo Ninja Anbu!

His expression was grave, but inside, Toneri could only feel helpless.

The very situation he'd feared had finally come to pass.

Seeing the rat on the man's shoulder, he had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

He felt even more helpless.

No matter how careful he'd been, or how much he'd tried to account for how capable shinobi were...

He'd still underestimated them.

He'd never dealt with this profession before. His understanding of it was limited.

Whoosh—

The figure in front of him suddenly disappeared. Toneri could barely make out a shadow.

He could see him!

He rolled again!

Even though he knew the odds of getting away were slim,

there was no way he'd simply surrender!

There was only one thought in Toneri's mind...

Let me live this time, and I won't show my face again until I'm strong enough!

Just give me one chance to play it safe, and I'll stay safe all the way to the end!!

Bang!!

The Kumo Ninja Anbu appeared where Toneri had just been crouching. When he saw Toneri dodge again, his eyes widened further in surprise.

He couldn't help feeling curious.

Even if he was a tracking specialist and fighting wasn't his strong suit, he was still a Kumo Ninja. Few of them had poor physical abilities, and he certainly wasn't weak in a fight.

Yet he'd already failed twice against a helpless kid.

After dodging, Toneri immediately found a relatively safe spot. He didn't get up, keeping himself in a "young eagle taking flight" stance.

It was a "special technique" he'd honed on the battlefield.

It let him make the most of his leg strength and burst into motion, helping him dodge attacks he didn't need to take.

At the same time, Toneri felt a powerful urge to survive.

He could see him!

He could make out the man's movements with his own eyes!

Though only just—he could see nothing but a few shadows!

He could only catch the faintest trace of his movements!

But the fact that Toneri, a complete non-ninja, could see him at all meant the man wasn't all that strong.

At the very least, he wasn't a Jonin!

He might not even be as strong as a Chunin, though Toneri couldn't be sure about that.

Clink—

The Kumo Ninja Anbu slowly drew the short sword from his back.

Watching Toneri warily, his curiosity grew.

How had a kid without even a trace of chakra dodged his attacks twice?

Why was there not a hint of fear in the kid's eyes as he looked at him?

He was used to seeing the way ordinary people looked at him. This kid really was different.

But he didn't say a word.

He was Anbu!

Talking was beneath him. His job was to make his opponent tell him everything before he even opened his mouth!

Knowing how to make people talk was one of the skills Anbu needed!

As it happened, apart from tracking, interrogation was his next-best skill!

He gave his sword a little flourish in midair.

He admitted that he'd failed the first two times because he'd underestimated the kid. That wouldn't happen again!

Toneri crouched, staring intently at the burly man in front of him. His own body was nothing compared to the man's.

Even if the guy wasn't a ninja, Toneri probably wouldn't have been able to take him on.

The flourish ended.

The Kumo Ninja Anbu vanished from where he stood again!

Toneri's eyes widened!

Where... where... where...

He roared inside.

There!

Wham—

The man suddenly appeared right in front of him, one foot raised high.

By the time Toneri saw him, it was already too late.

"Pfft..."

Hot blood poured uncontrollably from his mouth, rising up his throat.

The kick landed squarely in his stomach.

His small frame couldn't stop the man's attack.

That ridiculous urge to survive seemed to mock the weak Toneri.

How could a kid who couldn't even understand the difference in their strength stop an attack from a proper ninja—and not even an ordinary one?

To hell with survival!

Toneri was kicked flying.

All he could do now was fight down the dizziness and nausea, curling his body up through sheer force of will.

He covered his head with his hands, keeping it from slamming into the hard rocks and tree trunks.

It was the only thing he could do.

In short...

He was completely helpless!

To hell with it, I'm done being human!!!

I saw some people wondering why Kumogakure's sealing jutsu wasn't that strong. Well, by this point, the Land of Whirlpools had already been destroyed. It happened while the Second Shinobi World War was raging. As for who destroyed it, it definitely wasn't me...

Let's celebrate Toneri reaching four stars!

Get your bowls ready, get your bowls ready! I'm closing up for lunch and will be back tonight. What would you like, sir—a little "yumyum," or someone to warm your bed?