Ruthless

As the slender metal chopstick jabbed down, Aoki's pupils contracted. He struggled violently, thrusting out his left hand and whipping it toward Kanna's neck like a lash, trying to force him to let go!

But to his surprise, when the blow landed on Kanna's neck, it suddenly bulged. Several distinct ridges appeared beneath his delicate skin, faintly white.

With a thump, the lash struck. Kanna's head snapped back, then twisted around again, his eyes fixed on Aoki with a mocking look.

In an instant, Kanna activated the power of Shikotsumyaku. He made the bones in his throat grow rapidly, covering his entire neck and forming a layer beneath the skin that blocked the blow.

At that moment, Takeshita Izumi shouted from beside them.

"Stop!"

Takeshita Izumi drew back his right leg and strode to the table. He grabbed Kanna's wrist, clamped down hard, then yanked and pulled!

Kanna's body dipped, his center of gravity dropping at once to steady his stance. But his upper body was dragged into the table, and his hand was pulled over Aoki's. If the chopsticks came down now, Kanna would be the first one injured!

Kanna's brow furrowed. The muscles in his right arm bulged, and he stopped just before the chopsticks pierced his own hand.

"You're too insolent, kid!" Takeshita Izumi growled, gripping Kanna's wrist. "Now apologize! Then come quietly with us and submit to an investigation!"

"That's right!" Aoki added, still shaken. "Don't think you can act so outrageously just because you're the Mizukage Aide's son!"

"Heh, is that so?" Kanna raised the chopsticks again. His eyes gleamed brighter and brighter, and a trace of madness appeared in his smile. "Since you're putting it that way, I'd like to see what happens if I lay a hand on you!"

As he spoke, Kanna flipped his left hand and slammed it against the edge of the table. With a creak, one of its supports snapped, and even the screws fastening it to the floor flew loose.

Takeshita Izumi let out a startled yell and hurriedly braced himself, catching the table as it crashed toward him. Before he could say anything, Kanna swung his right arm around, drove his elbow into the crook of Izumi's arm, then pressed down and dragged it aside!

Pain shot through Takeshita Izumi's arm. It began to tremble like it had been shocked, and his hand involuntarily released its grip.

Freed from the restraint, Kanna laughed and brought his right hand down without hesitation.

"Don't!"

Pfft! The chopsticks plunged down hard, pinning Kanna and Aoki's hands together. The force carried them through and buried the chopsticks in the tabletop.

Blood dripped from the spot where their hands overlapped. Everyone stood frozen.

Not just Takeshita Izumi—even the onlookers nearby were stunned.

"Damn, that kid's vicious! He actually stabbed himself, too?"

"What a tough bastard..."

"Impressive!"

Kanna's expression remained blank, as if he couldn't feel a thing. Across from him, Aoki's face had turned crimson, the veins in his temples bulging. He looked ready to cry out in pain at any moment.

In truth, Kanna barely felt a thing. Before the chopsticks came down, he had shifted the bones in his hand out of their path and moved most of the flesh and blood vessels inside it. It had only pierced two layers of skin.

That was the degree of control Shikotsumyaku gave him over his body. Without this power, how could the Kaguya Clan's awakened members fight? They would bleed to death!

"Ahhh!"

At last, Aoki couldn't bear the pain any longer. He opened his mouth and howled.

"Shut up!"

Kanna sneered, stretched out his left hand, spread his fingers, and covered Aoki's face with his palm. Then he slammed it down!

With a thump, Aoki's head smashed into the table. His eyes rolled back, and his body went limp. He had fainted.

"This... This..."

Takeshita Izumi staggered backward, clutching his numb arm. In shock, he stammered, "You actually dared... You actually dared..."

"Get out of my way!" Kanna yanked out the chopsticks with a pop, then tossed Aoki aside and slowly walked toward Takeshita Izumi.

Lowering his hand, Kanna secretly activated the power of Shikotsumyaku. The wound on the back of his hand closed up, and his bones and blood vessels slid back into place. It looked as if snakes were slithering beneath his skin.

Takeshita Izumi shuddered and hurriedly backed away. Kanna's ruthlessness had truly frightened him. He had never seen anyone so brutal that he would stab himself along with his opponent.

"Just you wait! I'll report this to my superiors! You're finished!"

"What a joke!" Kanna laughed. "They're just kids fighting. What, are there harsher punishments for kids who hit adults? Isn't it just juvenile detention? Fine, I'll wait right here for the Juvenile Correction Center to come get me! Hmph! You fool. Don't let me see you in the village again! Otherwise..."

At that, Kanna narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

Takeshita Izumi's brow twitched. He clenched his teeth but didn't leave any more threats. He darted away in a few quick leaps, not even daring to help his companion.

Ignoring the crowd's pointing and whispering, Kanna calmly moved a chair over and sat down. Then he called to the owner.

"Bring me another serving. The same dishes as before!"

The owner looked at Kanna in surprise but didn't refuse. He gave the order, then personally brought the food over a few minutes later.

"You're amazing, young man!" the owner exclaimed.

"Thanks. It was nothing," Kanna replied with a faint smile. "I'll take responsibility for what happened today. My name is Kanna, and I'm a Genin from Kirigakure. I'll definitely pay for the damage. Of course, I'll probably be taken away in a bit, so I'd appreciate it if you came to my house to collect the compensation yourself..."

"Really? All right," the owner said after a moment's thought. "I heard what those two from the Security Force said. You're the Mizukage Aide's son, right? I'll come by."

Kanna had eaten two fish when another group from the Security Force arrived. Aoki was leading them.

"That was fast." Kanna's expression darkened. The Security Force handled the village's daily security and mediated disputes between residents. Their members were stationed all over, so of course they could gather a team faster than the Juvenile Correction Center.

"Take him away!" As soon as they arrived, the cold-faced man in charge waved his hand. Without even asking any questions, he ordered them to take Kanna into custody.

Several men in the crowd first helped the unconscious Aoki to his feet, then headed toward Kanna.

But the man might have been cold, yet Kanna was even more unreasonable. He stood up at once and shouted, "Who are you? Don't block my sunlight! Get out of my way!"

The cold-faced man replied indifferently, "Watch your tone! I'm Kika, captain of the Security Force's Third Squad."

"Oh..." Kanna put on an expression of sudden realization, then changed tack. "Then where's your proof? Show it to me!"

It seemed Kika had already heard from Takeshita Izumi how difficult Kanna could be. He didn't get angry. After all, they mediated countless civil disputes. If they couldn't keep their tempers in check, the troublemakers would have driven them mad long ago.

Kika tilted his head slightly. A long-haired young man walked over and pulled out a stack of documents, holding them up under Kanna's nose.

"Here! This is what you wanted to see." The long-haired young man sneered. "And I'll tell you this, kid: according to village rules, brawls and public disturbances are our department's responsibility. Until the people from the Juvenile Correction Center arrive, you're coming with us to headquarters to give a statement. Don't go around causing trouble just because you're a kid! Think you can act however you like just because you're under thirteen?"

"Ha! Are you trying to scare me?" Kanna flicked his hand, and whether intentionally or not, knocked the stack of documents flying.

The papers fluttered all over the place. The long-haired young man's expression darkened.

Kanna laughed and said, "Sorry, I ate too much. I got a little unsteady on my feet. You don't blame me, do you?"

Kanna stood up, straightened his clothes, and began undoing the buttons.

"Honestly, my health has always been poor..."

As he spoke, Kanna quickly took off his shirt, revealing a solid, muscular build. Then he lightly poked himself in the chest.

"Ow!" Kanna exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention. He pointed to his chest and said, "Look, everyone! I only gave myself the gentlest little poke, and it's already swelling up!"

At the spot where Kanna had poked himself, a distinct red mark appeared. It slowly turned dark, looking as if it might swell at any moment, as though the flesh were bruised and dying.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I can't help being in such poor health." Kanna smiled at Kika. "If I accidentally get hurt at the Security Force headquarters, Captain Kika, you'll have to be careful to 'protect' me!"

Kika's face darkened. Anyone could see that if Kanna went into their headquarters, they could do whatever they liked with him. They'd dealt with plenty of people who beat others without leaving visible injuries. But now Kanna had taken off his shirt in front of everyone, proving he wasn't injured, then used some trick Kika didn't understand to make himself look swollen. If so, Kika could easily end up being accused of hurting him.

Kika could already picture how it would go. They would bring Kanna to headquarters, and the moment anyone so much as touched him, he'd fall to the ground and show off all kinds of inexplicable injuries. By the time the Mizukage Aide found out and sent someone to investigate, they'd be in serious trouble!

Kika figured the people from the Juvenile Correction Center would arrive soon, so he gave Kanna a long look and waved his hand.

"Fine! Kanna, I'll remember you. We're leaving!"

The members of the Security Force looked at one another, but they obeyed their captain. Soon they were gone.

"Hmph!" Kanna snorted. The muscles in his chest shifted, and the red mark vanished at once.

"Once I find out who's behind this, I'll remember them too! Just you wait!"

A fierce glint flashed through Kanna's eyes as he thought to himself.

"Kanna, was it?" A bespectacled shinobi suddenly walked over, smiling. "Since the Security Force has left, it's time for you to come with us. I'm here from the Juvenile Correction Center to 'escort' you."

"Oh? You really enjoyed watching from the sidelines, didn't you?" Kanna was already furious, so he immediately replied with a sarcastic jab.

The bespectacled shinobi gave a wry smile but said nothing. He gestured for Kanna to come along.

After seeing how Kanna had dealt with the Security Force, he knew he probably couldn't beat the kid either, so he decided to be polite.

"The Juvenile Correction Center, huh? No problem! Let's go!"