I Want to Learn Forbidden Jutsu

Bright lights illuminated the entire room. The pain of a blade slicing through skin was so vivid, and an evil spirit's whispers sounded in his ear.

"Remember, this is my gift to you. The power in your bodies comes from the mightiest beings in the Shinobi World. It is your good fortune to have met me."

"You actually survived. Not bad. From now on, you'll be called Poison Ghost. Don't disappoint me, or you'll become test material again."

"Useless, useless! You only gained such pathetic power. Is there any point in you staying alive?"

"Run? Heh, where do you think you can go? Poison Ghost, do you remember me?"

"No!"

In the dim room, a figure suddenly opened his eyes and let out a fierce yell. He would never go back. Never.

"Crunch, crunch."

On the other side of the room, a tall figure sat on a rectangular box, continually eating. By the standards of the average height in the world of Naruto, he was practically a giant.

Seeing the figure struggle to sit up, the little giant stopped eating. "Poison Ghost, did you have another nightmare?"

The gaunt Poison Ghost said nothing. He simply got up and opened the sliding door, letting the cold wind outside sweep away the last of the room's warmth.

Though Poison Ghost's skin was bluish white, he looked comfortable as he faced the biting cold. Only this could calm his agitated heart.

"Strength Ghost, keep an eye on Hand Ghost. Don't let him out, no matter what. I'm going to the pleasure district to bring Snake Ghost back. That bastard's going to die in a woman's arms one of these days."

"Okay."

Strength Ghost replied in a deep, muffled voice, then started eating again, as if he had a bottomless pit inside him.

Just then, the clouds parted, and bright moonlight streamed into the room, illuminating Strength Ghost's towering frame and the rectangular... coffin beneath him.

The coffin lid trembled slightly, as if it were about to fly open, but Strength Ghost's massive weight held it down. A broken voice came from within.

"It... hurts... so much. Strength... Ghost, help me... set me free, please..."

Strength Ghost paid him no heed. He merely grabbed a huge bone and tore into it, again and again. Faintly, a warm liquid ran down his face and dripped onto the iron coffin.

"Stealing valuables is normal, but why take the corpses of the dead? For experiments? No, that doesn't make sense." Sitting in the carriage, Senba had been poring over documents these past few days, but still couldn't understand this point.

"Come on, Senba. Anyone who can conduct experiments wouldn't need to rob people for it," Iruka said uncertainly. He set down the notes in his hand and scratched his head in thought.

"If they aren't using them for experiments, then they must have some other purpose. With the valuables, they wouldn't be short on food or drink. Or maybe they need to feed something?" Senba looked at the caravan stopped up ahead, his guess tinged with uncertainty.

"Shut up, damn it, Senba! I'm eating!"

Uchiha Yue stared at the okonomiyaki in her hand. The thick, glossy sauce made her feel like gagging, and it was obvious Senba's words had reminded her of something unpleasant.

After Yue kicked him out of the carriage, Senba stretched, shook off his wild imaginings, then leaped from the back of the caravan to the front.

"Senba, come over here." Genma Shiranui sat on the carriage roof and waved him over. Worried about whether the roof could bear his weight, Senba shook his head and walked beside the carriage instead, looking ahead.

"Teacher Genma, the Land of Rivers really lives up to its name. We've crossed at least five rivers in a single day, and none of them were narrow." Senba suspected that the Land of Rivers had diverted all the Land of Wind's water.

Along the way, whenever they came to a somewhat large river, the daimyo's troops were there collecting bridge tolls. The fees were cheap, but there were so many of them.

"There used to be not only a lot of rivers here, but a lot of river bandits too. The exorbitant fees they charged each time you crossed a river made small trading companies think twice," Genma Shiranui said as he jumped down from the carriage and landed beside Senba.

"After the war ended, the village wanted to expand its business. As luck would have it, someone in the Land of Rivers put in a request for help, saying river bandits were killing people and stealing cargo."

"So the Fourth Hokage ordered us to clear out the Land of Rivers from east to west and north to south." Genma Shiranui showed his white teeth as he spoke. Clearly, he'd been one of the people involved.

"Teacher Genma, you used the word 'luck' very cleverly," Senba said, giving him a thumbs-up as he caught the meaning behind his words.

"You little brat, making fun of your teacher? Come on, take a walk with me. My back's stiff from sitting so long." Genma Shiranui reached out and lightly flicked Senba on the forehead.

After that, the two of them took a walk around the caravan, which also served as their daily patrol.

"Senba, Yue usually asks me about Ninja Tools and Fire Release, while Iruka asks me about Earth Release and the customs of the Shinobi World." Genma Shiranui spun a Senbon between his fingers and looked at Senba meaningfully.

"But you only ever ask me about the Body Flicker Technique. You don't just look like the Second Hokage, kid—you're interested in that technique too, aren't you?"

After spending this time together, Genma had gotten a fair idea of what his student was like. Senba wasn't exactly scheming, but he certainly wasn't an easy one to deal with.

Since Senba was always asking about the Body Flicker Technique, Genma had guessed what he was after. He wasn't angry; he was just worried that if Senba couldn't learn the technique, it might discourage him.

"That's right, Teacher Genma. I want to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique." Senba made no attempt to hide his goal. He met his teacher's complicated gaze directly.

"A forbidden technique that lets you travel through space without a bloodline limit or bodily modifications. I want to learn it." Senba's voice was resolute. He was determined to learn this technique.

Senba's determination didn't move Genma Shiranui. Too many people had said the same thing, and too many had failed. Ten people had tried to learn it, and all ten had failed.

"Senba, do you know why I, a Special Jonin, and the other two were chosen to be the Fourth Hokage's personal guards?"

Genma Shiranui brought up something that puzzled many Ninja. The Hokage's personal guards were supposed to be at least Jonin, yet these three Special Jonin were like huskies in a wolf pack—an odd sight.

But before Senba could answer, Genma Shiranui explained. It was because the three of them had a faint aptitude for space, giving them a one-in-ten-thousand chance of learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Imagine the despair four people who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique would bring to a battlefield.

"It's just that our talents aren't good enough. The three of us can only perform the teleportation technique by working together, and even then, we can't guarantee everyone will come through unharmed."

As Genma Shiranui spoke, he thought again of Senba's spatial aptitude, which was more than a match for his own. A thoughtful look crossed his face.

"Senba."

"Teacher Genma?"

As Senba looked at him in confusion, Genma Shiranui sighed and put a Senbon in his mouth. "For the next few days, you'll be on night watch with me."

"Sure, Teacher. But putting a Senbon that's been touched by your hand in your mouth isn't very hygienic, is it?"

"You'll be on night watch with Iruka from now on."

"Teacher Genma, I'm sorry."