I Really Have Nothing Left

The bright moon hung in the sky, spilling silver light across the ground.

Choosing a clearing in the woods, Akashi took out a Kunai and tossed it to Shinnō.

"This is?"

"After obtaining the Cursed Seal, you must feel your body brimming with power, right? That urge to burst out of your own skin, and the desire for battle flowing through your blood."

"Y-yes, that's right." Shinnō nodded.

He felt both agony and immersion, suffering while simultaneously enjoying the sensation.

It was a damnably good feeling; he was actually becoming addicted to it.

Akashi did not truly understand what kind of psychological and physiological changes the Cursed Seal brought; all the data he had was gathered from books and could not be fully trusted.

Only by witnessing it firsthand could he truly grasp its mysteries.

"Then let me help you. Let me help you vent that bloodlust and let you experience the beauty of this power."

"What do you mean?"

"To put it bluntly." Akashi spread his hands. "You can attack me now."

Shinnō was stunned; he had never heard such a request.

He couldn't help but grow excited. Good, let's settle old scores and new grudges together. I'll definitely beat you to a pulp! Thinking this, he raised the Kunai and charged forward, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, Akashi's figure suddenly vanished.

His speed was too fast for the eye to track, flickering before Shinnō like a ghost, and the two collided head-on.

Akashi raised his hand and landed a solid punch.

Thud!

The immense force surged through his body, emitting a dull sound.

Shinnō's cheek twitched from the blow, and his stomach churned with sharp pain.

"Hiss—didn't you say I could attack you?!"

"I didn't say I wouldn't fight back." Akashi shook his hand and swept his leg, kicking Shinnō away.

His body flew backward and slammed hard into a tree trunk. Pain and anger quickly surged into Shinnō's heart, and the emotional fluctuation drove the Cursed Seal to spread rapidly!

The Heaven Cursed Seal unfurled, and black patterns continued to crawl across his skin.

Different Cursed Seals had different effects, and their patterns varied as well. Sasuke's patterns were flame-shaped, while those of the Sound Four tended toward smooth, spotted shapes.

Sparse electrical patterns crawled over Shinnō's body, branching out and connecting like twigs, splitting from his neck, running down to his back and arms, and finally covering his entire body.

Cursed Seal First State.

Driving the body to unleash its hidden power through inner desire—this was one of the true functions of the Cursed Seal.

"That's it." Akashi revealed a satisfied smile.

He wanted to force Shinnō into the Cursed Seal state so he would have the opportunity to study natural energy; from the overwhelming killing intent opposite him, he could vaguely sense a hint of a threat.

It seemed he would have to get serious.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!

Several long snakes lunged from his sleeves. This was one of the ninjutsu he had just learned from Orochimaru; it consumed little chakra, was highly practical, and was remarkably effective against average ninja.

The Cursed Seal-transformed Shinnō let out a roar. He didn't care at all about being bitten and constricted by the snakes; he reached out, grabbed the snakes' bodies, and with a burst of immense strength, pop, he crushed them directly.

Blood splattered as Shinnō laughed wildly: "Hahahaha—"

Akashi lunged forward, thrusting his Kunai with extreme speed, but this time Shinnō managed to keep up. Stopping his wild laughter, Shinnō countered instantly with his own Kunai.

Clang—

The sound of metal clashing echoed in their ears.

Following that, light and shadow intertwined constantly. The battle turned into a back-and-forth exchange of Kunai strikes, the blades developing notches from countless impacts.

Akashi switched to ninjutsu, using his massive chakra reserves to suppress him frantically.

In the end, Shinnō was the first to falter and collapsed.

The Cursed Seal had a limited duration, and the moment his fighting spirit wavered, he could no longer hold it.

Akashi used a Hidden Shadow Snake Hands: Fancy Binding to end the fight.

Yet, the wonderful experience brought by the Cursed Seal left Shinnō feeling incredibly excited. He vaguely sensed that the seal had even deeper states; as long as he developed it well, it would become even more powerful.

It seemed this wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Drenched in sweat, he was just about to laugh when he saw Akashi approaching with malicious intent.

"Time to take some blood and flesh for research. Don't move; it won't hurt much."

"Haa... haa..." Shinnō panted, his eyes widening in terror. "Don't come over here!"

Squelch—

The moment the shouting ended, a snake bit a chunk of flesh right off his shoulder.

"Ahhh... you bastard! For your sake, I even performed gynecological work!" Shinnō trembled with rage.

To have served so devotedly, only to be carved up like meat!

Is there no justice left in this world?

Akashi shrugged. "That was for your own good. The sooner you help me complete the mission, the sooner you gain your freedom. Isn't that a good thing?"

As he spoke, the snake's body loosened, letting Shinnō down.

"Here, don't say I don't take care of you. Take these Military Ration Pills and Hemostatic Pills."

"Do you think this makes up for the harm you've done to me?" Shinnō glared, his mustache twitching, yet he honestly snatched them away. "Don't think this old man is greedy for your scraps. With my financial resources, I could buy as many as I want."

Akashi caught the keyword: financial resources.

He sat calmly on the ground, looking up at the starry sky with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Shinnō, I didn't actually intend to hurt you. I'm just very interested in the Cursed Seal. As a fellow researcher, you should understand my curiosity and helplessness, right?"

This was the first time Akashi had spoken as if baring his heart, his tone as casual as idle chatter.

Having just shed the Cursed Seal, the fire in Shinnō's heart had been extinguished, and he regained his composure amidst his exhaustion. He sat down as well.

"If you could change the research subject to someone else, I might understand."

"Hahaha, Mr. Shinnō is truly frank and unpretentious."

Akashi laughed. "By the way, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Do you know what is most important for research?"

Shinnō was slightly surprised. This brat is actually asking a serious question? It seems he is still young and has doubts he wants to consult me about.

He suddenly regained a bit of his spirit and sneered, "For research, the most important thing is naturally the brain. Stupid people can only see the surface and will never touch the essence of things."

"Wrong." Akashi shook his head.

Shinnō was choked with anger. I'm wrong again?!

"Curiosity and imagination?" he ventured.

"Wrong." Akashi shook his head again.

"It couldn't possibly be diligence and hard work, could it?"

"Wrong."

Akashi rejected him for the third time. Shinnō gritted his teeth in frustration, but since his leverage was in the other's hands, he couldn't lash out. He had to suppress his rage and say with a forced smile, "Then what do you think it is?"

"It's money, of course!"

Akashi said with a smile, "Any research requires a massive consumption of materials and time. Materials are money, and time is also money. Take this research Lord Orochimaru is currently conducting, for example. It was estimated to cost five million, and over six million has already been spent, yet it still hasn't succeeded. So, Mr. Shinnō, who is always so helpful, wouldn't you..."

At this point, Shinnō's aged face tightened, a string of curses stuck in his throat.

"I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch! I don't have any money!"

"You just said that with your financial resources, you could buy as many as you wanted. Or should I let Lord Orochimaru have a chat with you?"

"Don't—don't think you can threaten me like this! Who do you think this old man is? Hmph... how much do you want?"

"That depends on how much you have."

Akashi revealed a brilliant smile.

The night sky was dotted with stars.

Akashi followed Shinnō to the inn. As soon as he entered, he sat down casually and poured himself a cup from the kettle on the table.

"You really don't stand on ceremony," Shinnō sneered. "Aren't you afraid there's poison in the water?"

"Why must Mr. Shinnō be so mean? Hurry up and give me the research funding so I can go home and sleep early, and avoid delaying your paperwork."

"I should be thanking you for that!"

"You're welcome."

Akashi said with a beaming smile.

Am I thanking you? This brat's skin is too thick! Shinnō was so angry he nearly jumped.

However, when one is under the eaves, one must bow one's head. He obediently dug out 500,000 ryo of his assets from his luggage and offered them with both hands.

Akashi didn't even look at them. "Is that all?"

"That's it! I'm just a doctor, how much money could I possibly have saved!"

"You aren't being very honest," Akashi said, rising and walking toward the luggage.

"Hey, don't rummage through that... fine, that's the last million ryo. Wait, not that... that million ryo is for my retirement, I really don't have any more..."

Shinnō explained powerlessly, watching as his assets were unearthed, his heart bleeding in pain.

Akashi held two stacks of high-denomination cash and teased, "This still isn't everything, is it? But since I'm kind-hearted, I'll leave you a little travel money."

With that, he bagged the 2.5 million ryo and walked out with a wave of his hand.

Behind him, intermittent curses soon followed.