Blame Not the Strange

Chapter 2: Offense Forgiven, Please Spare Me [Requesting Recommendation Tickets]

Right now, only two choices lay before Toneri!

First, run as far as possible, find a remote corner to hide, and avoid being discovered!

Second, find a force that could offer him shelter, ideally a powerful ninja village!

Toneri considered these two options for less than ten seconds before directly ruling out the first.

Not to mention whether he could even find such a place, or whether with his frail little body he could survive the chaos of this world to reach it.

Even the Two-Tails sealed within his body was a problem he couldn't solve on his own!

Toneri, having once viewed the Ninja World from an omniscient perspective with some understanding of it, knew very well just how much hatred Tailed Beasts held for humans!

Relying solely on his own ability, he had no way to resist the Two-Tails' erosion!

Let alone the fact that he was now a child with no power at all.

Originally, with the identity of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, if he could earn trust in Kumogakure, refine Chakra to become a ninja, and combine that with his foreknowledge as a transmigrator, there was still some chance to turn things around.

Unfortunately, a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal turned all of that to nothing.

Moreover, Toneri knew that as a Jinchuriki, at some point in the future, he would become a primary target of a terrorist organization. Without a backing, relying on himself alone was utterly impossible.

That left only one path before him.

Find a ninja village that could grant him protection!

Actually, he didn't need to search far. Because of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, there was only one village that might accept him.

Thinking of this, Toneri truly wanted to drag Danzo out, chop him up... and feed him to the dogs!

That insidious, disgusting bastard had actually laid hands on an ordinary child only a few years old!

Without guessing, Toneri could figure out Danzo's goal.

Nothing more than planting his own spies across the Great Nations and various ninja villages.

And he himself happened to be one of those spies.

But no matter how much Toneri hated Danzo right now, if he wanted to survive, he still needed to rely on him to some extent.

A well-behaved Two-Tails Jinchuriki who obeyed orders—wasn't that a good deal?

Making a swift decision, he directly set out on the road to the Land of Fire!

The only thing worth being grateful for was that the place Toneri lived was already on the edge of the Land of Lightning.

Though there was still a considerable distance to the Land of Fire, it was far better than having to cross half the world.

Carrying two thousand Ryo in Money Tickets and a small pouch of Military Rations Pills, this scrawny, bony child set foot on the path of survival.

He didn't take any remote trails. Instead, he walked directly onto the largest road—the one with the most traces of human activity.

The day after Toneri left.

Just before dawn.

Four figures appeared here, wearing black tight-fitting vests with gray-white leather armor over them.

Their skin tones were slightly dark.

They stared at the ruins of what had once been Toneri's home.

They also shared another trait.

All four wore white masks on their faces, obscuring their features.

"Captain, the trail ends here," one of them said.

The man standing at the front of the four was their captain.

"Three minutes. Gather all intelligence," the captain said without changing his expression.

The moment his voice fell, the three behind him vanished from their spots in an instant.

Three minutes passed quickly.

The four regrouped.

"No residual Tailed Beast Chakra. No one in the vicinity has become a Jinchuriki!"

"This house originally had a seven- or eight-year-old child living in it, but no child's corpse was found in the burned remains."

"There are traces of someone leaving. Based on the residual signs, it should be a seven- or eight-year-old child, but the tracks disappear onto the main road!"

Hearing his subordinates' reports, the captain stood still for a moment, thinking, then immediately said, "You two! Take the bodies back and inform the Raikage that the Two-Tails may be lost!"

Then he addressed another, "You! Find the nearest ninja with a dog-type or other scent-tracking Summoning Beast, and immediately track based on the traces and scent here!"

"Yes!" the three team members acknowledged, then used the Body Flicker Technique to swiftly depart.

As for the captain, he stared at the ruins for three seconds, then dashed off in the direction his subordinate had indicated!

Though a seven- or eight-year-old child was basically incapable of stealing a Tailed Beast...

But since the other party's disappearance was so perfectly timed, that meant something was off.

Their squad was specifically tasked with tracking the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, who had vanished from the battlefield.

Having found a lead, they had to pursue it to the end!

Being able to clearly trace the departure route meant the target lacked both anti-tracking skills and any awareness of evading pursuit.

Then there was no way they could escape his tracking!

The four ninjas with special authority arrived silently and left without leaving a trace.

Meanwhile, Toneri had already arrived at the nearest small town to where he lived.

Using the money tickets he'd scrounged from that ninja, he found a public bathhouse.

He scrubbed himself thoroughly, washing off all the mud from his body, and even spent a "big price" to hire a very professional bath attendant.

A pro!

Wrapped in a bathrobe—mainly to cover the sealing pattern on his stomach—Toneri looked at himself in the mirror.

"This is the first time I'm seeing what I look like now.

Not bad. Though my complexion is a bit unhealthy, I can vaguely make out some handsome features."

Toneri pinched his own face in the mirror, then examined his reddened body, including his cheeks.

Thanks to the bath attendant's hard "work," it had taken a lot of effort to completely "transform" Toneri.

His little reddish nose wrinkled at his own arm, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"Finally, no more smell of dirt."

He found a small stool and sat down without bothering about the water stains on it.

"The Tailed Beast has gone missing. With Kumogakure's Anbu capabilities, they should have found that spot by now.

Given the deliberately unrefined footprints I left on the ground, their subconscious probably won't think that a kid who left such obvious traces could escape their tracking. So pursuing is inevitable.

As for me taking the main road, there are too many footprints and traces there. Even the Anbu shouldn't be able to immediately tell which ones are mine. Plus, I deliberately wrapped my feet in leaves for a stretch of the road, which will delay them even more.

And I intentionally made things harder for them by sending them to clash with Danzo's stronghold, which should buy some more time.

But the Ninja World still has some Summoning Beasts skilled in tracking.

I don't have Chakra, so they can't find me by Chakra. The most likely method is scent.

I spent a big price to hire a bath attendant and nearly scrubbed my skin off. At least ninety percent of my scent is gone. After I change clothes and buy a fragrant sachet, even if they find some clues, I'll probably have already left the Land of Lightning."

A child who looked only seven or eight years old sat on a chair in the public bathhouse, striking the pose of a thinker. The vibe was surprisingly strong.

Slap—

Toneri slapped his own head. "No, I can't judge them with overly idealistic subjective reasoning. After all, this is the Ninja World, full of terrifying figures. Their abilities are probably far stronger than the special forces from my past life.

Underestimating them so easily, I might not even know how I die.

Buying a sachet would also leave traces. Buying clothes is one thing, but a kid buying a sachet—anyone would find that strange.

So..."

Toneri turned his head toward the other side of the bathhouse, separated by a wooden wall... where silver-bell-like laughter and cheerful voices came from...

His nose.

Sniff—

"I'm just a kid right now. I probably won't get beaten up, right? If I could find a nice sachet over there, that would be great..."

Sometimes, when a truly effective solution pops into someone's mind, other options don't come as easily.

Especially when that solution is tempting enough.

Toneri looked down at little Toneri. Well, for his current age, the size was decent...

Tch, wrong train of thought!

Better think about how to get over there...

Thinking about it... it was actually... a little exciting!

This is all for survival!

No offense meant!

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