Nawaki's words were full of encouragement and temptation. Zhixin's breathing grew a little ragged. On one side was suffering like hell; on the other, a beautiful life like heaven. He quickly made the right choice.
He had been lucky just to survive after falling into Nawaki's hands. After having a Cursed Seal placed on him, there was no escaping being controlled. He had thought that from then on, he could only be a slave and puppet without any freedom. He never expected Nawaki to make such a generous promise and even offer to make him one of his clansmen! He had great faith in the future of Nawaki, the inheritor of Wood Release. As a rogue ninja, he had to join a faction. Could he possibly find a better choice? As for changing his surname to Senju, he had no problem with that at all. He was a commoner with no surname to begin with. As Nawaki had said, being granted the noble surname Senju was an honor!
After thinking it through, he solemnly declared, "Thank you for your generous gift, my lord! Zhixin swears to serve you unto death!"
Nawaki smiled at his words. "Excellent! From now on, you and I are family, Zhixin! I'll place a Cursed Seal on you now as proof of your membership in the Senju Branch Family!"
The Cursed Seal Nawaki had designed for the Senju Clan was inscribed in the same place as the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird: on the forehead, connected to the brain. This allowed the bearer's body to be controlled and made the seal almost impossible to remove. Cursed Seals on other parts of the body, such as the heart or arms, might be removed through methods like transplantation, but the brain could not be replaced.
The reason Nawaki had waited until Zhixin's resistance had crumbled before placing the Cursed Seal was that it was connected to the bearer's brain. If the bearer's mind was strongly opposed, that resistance would cause instability during the sealing process. At best, the seal would fail and dissipate; at worst, the bearer's brain and nerves would be damaged, or he might even die!
This was also why the Hyuga Branch Family had the Caged Bird placed on them at the age of three. Three-year-old children rarely cried from fear, and they did not understand the true meaning of the Cursed Seal, so their brains would not resist it.
After removing Zhixin's rogue-ninja Forehead Protector, Nawaki's hands rapidly formed a complicated string of hand seals. Then he pressed his chakra-filled right hand against Zhixin's forehead.
A moment later, a black Cursed Seal appeared. Its shape resembled the Senju Clan's crest, but it was incomplete, consisting of only one of the two symmetrical shapes. It was also oriented vertically, with its central line pointing downward, symbolizing the bearer's status as a member of the "branch family."
Once the Cursed Seal was in place, Nawaki finally relaxed and released Zhixin from the Body Pathway Derangement technique.
"Ah..." Once the neural interference from the Body Pathway Derangement technique ended, Zhixin suddenly felt the excruciating pain of his broken limbs and couldn't help crying out. He really seemed to be afraid of pain. Luckily, the courtyard was spacious, and the guards outside hadn't been disturbed.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot I'd broken all four of your limbs. But you have to understand: as a ninja, you have to be cautious for the sake of your own life, especially around your own kind. Bear with it. I'll treat you now."
"Crack... crack..." Nawaki quickly set Zhixin's bones and treated him with healing techniques.
"Medical Ninjutsu?" Zhixin was astonished by Nawaki's many talents, and even more certain he had made the right choice. Once his limbs had fully recovered, he could move freely again. He knelt on one knee and said, "Senju Zhixin pays his respects to the clan head."
Glancing at the Cursed Seal on Zhixin's forehead, Nawaki reached out and helped him up. "Excellent. You're the first person to join the Senju Branch Family. No matter how far the Senju Clan rises in the future, your position will be very important! Put your Forehead Protector back on. I'll need your help with the operation ahead, so you can't reveal your identity yet."
Zhixin put his rogue-ninja Forehead Protector back on as instructed. Having already sworn allegiance to Nawaki, he decided to make a good first impression by doing well on his first mission as a member of the Senju Clan. "Clan Head, do you mean... I should continue lying low inside the Consortium, help you rescue the hostages, and wipe out the other strongholds and rogue ninjas?"
Nawaki nodded. "Exactly. My original plan was to investigate all the strongholds along the central northern stretch of the Land of Fire, then attack them with the rest of my team tonight and take them out one by one. After that, the bandit forces across the Land of Fire would be split in two and cut off from one another. Before the major consortiums realized what was happening and joined forces, we'd wipe out all the bandit factions as quickly as possible.
"But with you joining us, we now have a major advantage, so I've decided to change the plan and complete the mission more cautiously. What do you think we should do now, Zhixin?"
Zhixin knew that the young clan head was testing him. After thinking for a moment, he answered cautiously, "Clan Head, your original plan might seem simple and heavy-handed, but with your infiltration skills and Wood Release, it should be easy to succeed as long as you handle things properly. The major consortiums come from different countries. Although they've reached an understanding, they're still competitors and wary of one another. If they discover that the Buote Consortium's armed forces have been wiped out overnight, and they can't contact the east or west, their first thought will be to guard against each other, not join forces. So your plan has a good chance of succeeding!
"The overall strategy of taking them out one by one is sound and doesn't need to change. But now that you have me to help, we can make a few adjustments to the details!"
Nawaki nodded approvingly. "You really are sharp, Zhixin. That's what I admire most about you. There are plenty of capable jonin in the Senju Clan and Konoha, but not many with a mind like yours.
"You're one of the veterans among the rogue ninjas working for the Buote Consortium. Before Baran joined, you were the strongest. I imagine you have some standing among the rogue ninjas, don't you?"
Zhixin answered confidently, "Yes, Clan Head. As you said, before Baran joined, I was the leader of the rogue ninjas. Even now, though he became the head of security at the Consortium's headquarters by relying on his jonin strength, the other rogue-ninja leaders still follow my orders. That's why Baran wanted me to submit to him. I chose to stay in this area, the one closest to Konoha, because it's the Consortium's outpost. As a key stronghold for guarding against Konoha, I have the authority to summon the rogue ninjas stationed at the other strongholds in a crisis. Baran wouldn't dare make a move against me directly either..."
"There's more to it than that," Nawaki continued. "Since this place is close to Konoha, it's the most likely to be attacked by Konoha Ninja. With the hostages as leverage and the support of the other rogue ninjas, you might be able to defeat any Konoha Ninja who come after you and get the ninjutsu scrolls you desperately need. Once you've learned advanced ninjutsu and reached jonin level, you could return to headquarters and reclaim your position as leader of the rogue ninjas. After all, you have more seniority than he does, so the Consortium should trust you more. Meanwhile, Baran could only come here to bear the brunt of Konoha's anger in your place! If things went well, you might even use the opportunity to eliminate him. Then you'd be the Consortium's only jonin, and you could rest easy from then on?"
At the same time, Nawaki silently grumbled to himself, Even a little group of a dozen rogue ninjas working for the Consortium is full of infighting and schemes. Truly, the smaller the temple, the more unruly the demons; the shallower the pond, the more turtles it holds!
Before you continue