First Collaboration with Nagato (Part 2)

A series of swish sounds rang out as kunai sliced through the air. Most of these projectiles were aimed at Caobu, who was busy channeling his ninjutsu, while a few others were directed at his subordinates. Finally, Ye Wuji threw two more, targeting Hétián, who was currently charging toward Nagato.

After releasing the kunai, Ye Wuji didn't even have time to check if they had hit their marks. He pushed off the tree branch and lunged straight toward Hétián. The kunai in Ye Wuji's hand shimmered with a dark luster; this was the result of him channeling his chakra into the blade to its maximum capacity. Now, everything depended on whether Nagato could create an opening for him to strike Hétián. If he succeeded, they would win; if he failed, Ye Wuji might very well lose his life here. But having already committed to the strike, there was no room for regret.

A true man knows what must be done and what must be left undone. In his previous life, Ye Wuji had felt deeply repressed. The overall environment of that world had left him with a sense of stifling constraint. Perhaps it was because of his origins, but simply because his hair was white, everyone treated him like a monster. Even the rebellious types who habitually dyed their hair various colors would cast strange, judgmental looks his way. At times, Ye Wuji truly wanted to kill everyone who mocked him.

Yet, Ye Wuji had grown up without any major incidents, thanks in no small part to the old orphanage director. It was he who taught Ye Wuji the principles of being a decent person. When Ye Wuji was very young, he had gotten into a fight with a boy who loved to mock him. Ye Wuji had beaten him so badly he ended up in the hospital; had someone not intervened early, Ye Wuji might have actually killed the guy. Later, the old director had to go around apologizing, begging for help, and even dipping into his own meager savings—money he had set aside for his own funeral—just to settle the matter.

Ye Wuji didn't regret the fight itself, but seeing the old director running around begging for his sake made him regret his actions. From that day on, Ye Wuji never caused trouble. Even when others provoked him, he never retorted or fought back, fearing he would only bring more trouble to the old director.

Thus, Ye Wuji had lived in a state of constant repression, never knowing when he might finally snap. Even after transmigrating into the Naruto World, the first thing he faced upon waking was the death of his current body's parents, who had sacrificed themselves to protect their child. This only fueled Ye Wuji's resentment: why could other parents risk their lives to save their children, while his own parents had abandoned him simply because of his hair color? As for whether there were any hidden circumstances, Ye Wuji cast such thoughts to the back of his mind.

Therefore, this strike was not just an attack on an enemy; it was the removal of a shackle from his heart. After this, Ye Wuji would no longer be the person who compromised on everything. Even if he were to die, he would take control of his own fate.

From Ye Wuji's perspective, the two kunai he had launched at Hétián, while surprising, were easily dodged as Hétián's figure flickered slightly, causing the blades to miss.

However, as cries of "Ah!" echoed, Hétián realized that something had gone wrong—other enemies had appeared. Seeing Nagato so close, Hétián hesitated, unsure whether to abandon the attack or press forward. But then, Hétián noticed that the Water Dragon Bullet Technique seemed to be weakening, losing its initial momentum. The entire water dragon began to dissolve into droplets, and he sensed someone lunging at him from behind. With the technique gone, an enemy closing in from the rear, and the Rinnegan-wielding brat in front preparing to change tactics, Hétián decided his best bet was to retreat.

Nagato watched as the water dragon dissolved into nothingness and saw a figure lunging toward Hétián. Though he didn't know the newcomer's identity or whether they were friend or foe, Nagato knew he had to gamble. Besides, if they were an enemy, there was no point in playing games anymore.

Nagato was preparing to shift his strategy to deal with the Jonin in front of him, having noticed the man's intent to retreat. However, the Rinnegan was the Rinnegan; even in his peripheral vision, Nagato could see that the figure lunging toward them was just a child—a child even younger than himself.

A child, and such a young one at that, wouldn't have much impact on the battle. If Hétián managed to slip past, everything would be over. Nagato had no choice but to bet on it.

Hétián finally made up his mind to retreat. The Rinnegan brat was no longer restricted, and who knew what strange tricks he might have left? As for the attack from behind, Hétián felt it, but it was merely a desperate, head-on charge. As long as he dodged this, the rest would be easy to handle.

Just as Hétián prepared to dodge to the side, he heard Nagato shout, "Shinra Tensei!" A massive, overwhelming gravitational force pulled him toward the Rinnegan-wielding boy. Realizing he couldn't escape, Hétián adopted a desperate, kill-or-be-killed stance, thrusting his kunai toward Nagato. He would gamble with the boy to see who would strike first. A thud sounded as the kunai pierced flesh. Hétián felt a surge of triumph—he had succeeded! But upon closer inspection, he saw that his kunai had pierced Nagato's palm. Nagato, using that very hand, grabbed Hétián's wrist. Combined with the pull of the Shinra Tensei, Hétián found himself completely immobilized. At that exact moment, Ye Wuji's kunai arrived at Hétián's back, plunging straight into his heart.

I hit him, Ye Wuji thought. He immediately reacted by letting go of the kunai and leaping backward. Sure enough, as he retreated, a shadow flashed past his face. Even so, the sheer force of the wind knocked Ye Wuji to the ground. When he scrambled back up, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been struck by Hétián's counterattack—that shadow had been Hétián's leg. Even now, Ye Wuji felt a stinging pain on his forehead from the sheer pressure of the kick.

"As expected, these Jonin-level guys are dangerous as long as they aren't completely dead," Ye Wuji muttered, slowly backing away.

Meanwhile, Nagato was struggling to stand up just a few meters away from Hétián, exerting a great deal of effort to finally get to his feet.

"Another brat, huh?" Hétián stood where he was, though one could see the tip of Ye Wuji's kunai protruding from his chest.

"I never expected it to end like this—outplayed by brats and killed by a brat in the end. I'm so unwilling to accept this." With that, Hétián said no more.

Just as Ye Wuji was cautiously waiting to see if Hétián had anything else to say, Nagato looked at Ye Wuji and said, "He's dead." True to his words, Hétián's body collapsed with a thud, lying perfectly still.

Just like that? Ye Wuji was stunned. If you're going to die, just die, but at least finish your sentence! Influenced by the television shows of his past life, Ye Wuji believed that whether a hero or a villain, one should at least hold on long enough to finish their final words. Dying halfway through a sentence was a sign that this guy was never meant to be a boss.

Once he was certain Hétián was dead, Ye Wuji stopped worrying about anything else and sat down hard on the ground, gasping for air. Although the attack had only lasted a moment, it had required every ounce of his focus and energy. He had been able to hold on while the enemy was still alive, but now that the threat was gone, a wave of lingering fear washed over him.

If Nagato's Shinra Tensei hadn't coordinated with him, and Hétián had managed to dodge, everyone present would likely have died. As he caught his breath, Ye Wuji was shocked by his own performance. He hadn't expected to kill a Jonin in his first real battle, even if luck had played a major role. A Jonin was a Jonin, after all—and not some weakling, but a genuine Jonin from the Kirigakure of the Five Great Nations.

Once he felt a bit better, Ye Wuji realized there were still other enemies to deal with. He jumped up and scanned the area, only to find that all the enemies who had been alive moments ago were now down, kunai embedded in their bodies. The one who had used the ninjutsu, Caobu, had the most—five in total—while the others had one or two each.

Only then did Ye Wuji have the time to look at Nagato and his group. Perhaps seeing that all the enemies were dead, Nagato wasn't paying attention to Ye Wuji anymore; he was busy tending to the wounds of Yahiko and Konan. Judging by his movements, Nagato seemed to know some medical ninjutsu and was performing first aid.

Ye Wuji watched for a moment before walking over to Hétián's corpse. He pulled out his kunai, and though blood gushed from the wound, he felt only a slight sense of discomfort, with no urge to vomit.

This was the first time he had killed someone in his two lives. Although he had seen the corpses of Kirigakure ninja before, he hadn't been the one to kill them, so he hadn't felt much.

As for Hétián, Ye Wuji didn't have much of a reaction. However, seeing a living person die right in front of him—especially one he had killed himself—made him realize the reality of his situation. This wasn't the law-abiding world of his past life; this was a world where people could be killed at will. If he wanted to survive, he would have to work much harder.

Looking at Hétián, Ye Wuji suddenly thought that he might be able to find some ninjutsu scrolls on him. With that in mind, he prepared to search the body.

"Stop." Just as he was about to reach out, a voice rang out. It was Nagato. "Are you tired of living? A ninja's corpse is not something you can just touch."

Hearing this, Ye Wuji remembered that in the Naruto series he had watched in his past life, this had been mentioned. He had been so excited that he had completely forgotten.

Ye Wuji looked up toward Nagato. Three people were walking toward him. Although they looked disheveled and moved with a slight, unsteady sway, they were walking.

Ye Wuji's mouth twitched. That's too fast, isn't it? A moment ago, they looked like they were on the verge of death and couldn't move at all, and now they were walking. Was the recovery speed of ninjas always this fast, or were these three founders of the Akatsuki just gifted individuals, unlike the average background characters?

It wasn't until later that Ye Wuji learned this was the effect of Nagato's medical ninjutsu. Medical ninjutsu could handle wounds quite effectively. In reality, their main issue had been blood loss; once the wounds were treated and the bleeding stopped, the rest was just a matter of recovery.

Is medical ninjutsu really that exaggerated? Ye Wuji lowered his head and thought for a moment. He finally understood why Tsunade was ranked among the Sannin for her medical skills and later became the Fifth Hokage. He had previously thought it was mainly because she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, but now it seemed her contributions were immense. It could be said that the entire medical system of Konoha had been founded by her. A Konoha equipped with a medical corps was truly formidable. No wonder Konoha could stand against the world and remain one of the Five Great Nations; even when other countries attacked, the consumption of ninja was something those nations couldn't sustain, yet Konoha could endure. It was all thanks to the power of medical ninjutsu.

It seems I underestimated the importance of medical ninjutsu. I'll have to work hard on that in the future, Ye Wuji thought to himself.

While Ye Wuji was lost in thought, the three of them reached him. Standing before them, Ye Wuji was a mess of tattered clothes and white hair, his face covered in dust, yet his expression remained resolute.