After the Separation

"Damn it, lost again." Half a month later, Ye Wuji stood on a main road, looking at his surroundings—nothing but mountains and trees. He felt like fainting once more. This Naruto World is clearly quite advanced, so why are the roads so terrible? If the roads are bad, fine, but why not invent GPS? Think of how many people that would help.

Which direction should I even take now? Last time I was trying to go to the Land of Rivers, but I ended up circling back to Amegakure. I hope that doesn't happen again. According to the route, I should be in the Land of Grass now, but what if I end up back in Amegakure? If I do, I'm just going to stop walking and stay with Yahiko and Nagato. I'll see if fate really wants me to do that. Thinking this, Ye Wuji chose his path forward using the same method as before.

Two more days passed, and Ye Wuji didn't even have the energy to complain anymore. The greenery in Naruto is truly impressive, but isn't it a bit too good? Looking at the road ahead, both sides were packed with all kinds of trees and plants. There was only one path extending deep into the jungle. It lived up to the name of Kusagakure; it seemed to have even more trees than Konoha. However, compared to Konoha, these trees seemed a bit too short. They weren't so much trees as they were tall grass. No wonder it's called the Land of Grass.

But there was no other way; he had to keep moving.

That day, as usual, Ye Wuji prepared to hit the road after resting, but a scent of blood drifted through the air. Ye Wuji sniffed carefully; the bloody smell was coming from ahead. He quickly pulled out a Kunai and walked forward cautiously. This Kunai was a trophy he'd scavenged from a Mist Ninja. As for the one Minato had given him, Ye Wuji had compared the two and realized Minato's was of much higher quality, so he had tucked it away. After all, with his current strength, using such a high-quality weapon was useless and might even invite disaster.

Rounding a bend, Ye Wuji saw the situation ahead. Six people dressed as ninjas were standing there, blocking the path. In front of them lay over twenty people and several carriages. Judging by their clothes, they were civilians, and the horses lay dead in pools of blood.

Arrogant laughter continued to drift from the front, mixed with the crying of a woman and a child. Some people weren't dead yet. Ye Wuji looked closer and saw a person in ninja attire standing by a tipped-over carriage, where the woman and child's cries were coming from.

After a glance, Ye Wuji realized the worst hadn't happened yet. The ninja by the carriage was just teasing the woman. Even from a distance, Ye Wuji could see she was quite beautiful, especially with her long hair, which gave her a refined air. She looked to be in her twenties, and she was clutching a child of about ten who wouldn't stop crying.

Ye Wuji described the child as being "about ten," forgetting that he himself was only six—even younger than that child.

"Crying so beautifully. Cry louder! It's been a long time since I've heard such a lovely sound," the ninja standing next to the woman said with a sinister grin.

"Don't be like that, Boss Shan Yi. With such a beautiful woman, it won't look so pretty if she keeps crying," another ninja appeared beside the one called Shan Yi.

Eight of them. Looking at the newly appeared ninja, Ye Wuji whispered to himself. Their attire made it clear they weren't just some ragtag group; they were either ninjas from a specific country or rogue ninjas. They looked quite formidable. Although Ye Wuji wanted to help the woman and child, the gap in their strength made it impossible for him to make a move.

"Did you finish them all, Tanaka?" the one called Shan Yi asked.

"Don't worry. They were just civilians; could they really escape my men? They were decisive enough to run the moment they saw us, but the result is the same. If we hadn't played with them for a bit, we would have finished them off long ago," the one called Tanaka replied.

"These lowly peasants—if you don't show them who's boss, they won't behave. I just killed a few of them, and they actually had the nerve to report me! What was I fighting for on the battlefield? They're just peasants, yet they dared to file a complaint, getting me wanted. Go ahead and report! You like reporting so much? I'll send you to the Grim Reaper so you can keep reporting there," Shan Yi cursed.

"Damn it, I'm done serving you people. It's better to be free like this; no one to boss us around. I should have turned rogue long ago. I've suffered so much injustice for years, what a waste." As he spoke, Shan Yi waved his sword back and forth at the woman, appearing to intimidate her.

"Exactly. We risked our lives to protect them, and they treat us like this. They deserve to die," Tanaka added, though as he spoke, he leered at the woman.

"Boss Shan Yi, how should we handle this woman? Let the brothers have some fun," Tanaka said with a lecherous grin.

"Don't worry. After I'm done, I'll let the brothers have their turn. But for now, you lot over there, come over and pack up the loot. Take whatever you can carry. As for this woman, bring her along too; maybe we can play with her for a few more days," Shan Yi shouted to the six people guarding the intersection.

"Hurry up and pack the loot! Didn't you hear the boss? There's something in it for you, so move it!" Tanaka yelled at the six men.

"So, Boss Shan Yi, what's the plan for later? Should we do this again?" Tanaka asked.

"Let's leave it at this for now. Hey, be careful! We'll have to lay low for a while after this. These are our supplies for survival, so don't leave anything behind. If I find anything missing, don't blame me for being ruthless," Shan Yi started to say something else to Tanaka, but seeing a ninja leave a bag of rice behind, he shouted at them again.

"Huh?" Tanaka was startled and hurriedly asked, "Boss Shan Yi, why are we doing this? The brothers are living well right now, why give it up?"

"Are you stupid? No one is bothering us now, but once the major nations settle their scores, do you think they'll just ignore us? We hide for now. They can't stay out here forever; they'll have to return to their countries. Once they do, we can come back out. Aside from the major nations, I don't care about anyone else. But remember, keep your heads down during this time. If anything goes wrong, I won't need anyone else to do it—I'll take your head myself."

"I see! I was wondering why you'd spare that woman and bring her along. You really are far-sighted, Boss! Truly amazing. No wonder you're an elite Jonin of Iwagakure. I'm sure Iwagakure will regret letting a talent like you go," Tanaka said with a flattering tone.

"Exactly. Our lives were miserable, but ever since the boss arrived, things have only gotten better. Boss, the loot is packed. Should we finish off that brat?" One of the six ninjas standing nearby asked.

"Haha, Da Ye, you still love killing those little ones, don't you?" Tanaka said to the guy.

"You just don't know the joy of it. Watching a soft, tender brat cry in front of you, slowly cutting into them, and listening to their miserable screams—it's a real pleasure," the guy called Da Ye said, his eyes gleaming. He licked his lips; fortunately, he didn't have a long tongue like Orochimaru, but it was unexpected to find someone so perverted, taking pleasure in killing children.

"Don't ask me, ask Boss Shan Yi. If the boss agrees, then you can," Tanaka said, gesturing for Da Ye to ask Shan Yi.

Da Ye turned to Shan Yi, but before he could speak, Shan Yi interrupted: "That's fine, but wait until our new friend comes out." With that, Shan Yi threw a shuriken directly toward where Ye Wuji was hiding.

While the ninjas were packing, Ye Wuji had been debating whether to run. But if he ran, the woman and child would certainly lose their lives, and the woman might suffer an even worse fate.

Ye Wuji was torn, but when he heard Tanaka mention that Shan Yi was an elite Jonin of Iwagakure, he knew he was in trouble. He tried to retreat slowly without alerting them, but as for the woman and child, he could only apologize in his heart; the gap in strength was simply too great.

After Shan Yi threw the shuriken, Ye Wuji thought, Oh no, I've been spotted. He prepared to abandon caution and flee with all his might, but before he could move, he felt a sharp pain in his back. Someone had punched him, and he went flying. His Kunai flew off somewhere, and he landed face-down in front of the ninjas.

In truth, Ye Wuji had overestimated himself. He had been discovered the moment he first looked at Shan Yi. The strength of a Jonin was not something Ye Wuji could fathom. Although he didn't think much of it, he had been measuring the strength of ninjas in this world based on the anime he'd watched in his previous life.

Coupled with his experience working with Nagato to kill a Mist Jonin—even though he knew that Jonin had been injured and distracted by Nagato—he had still underestimated the power of a Jonin. If he had just glanced at him, he might not have been noticed, but Ye Wuji had stared for a while. Jonin have incredible sensory abilities, and Ye Wuji had never learned any concealment techniques, so he was exposed instantly.

Neither Minato nor Yahiko had thought to teach Ye Wuji about this. Minato felt it wasn't necessary, and Yahiko felt much the same. Who could have known that Ye Wuji would run into a Jonin—an elite Iwagakure Jonin—so soon?

Ye Wuji lay on the ground, his back throbbing with pain. He felt blood rising in his throat, and any attempt to move caused him excruciating agony.

When Ye Wuji finally managed to lift his head, he saw that the person who had attacked him from behind was also Shan Yi. Looking at the two Shan Yis, Ye Wuji realized this must be an Earth Clone or a similar technique.

In that brief moment, Ye Wuji knew his fate was sealed. He was likely going to die. Although he had prepared himself for the possibility of death since realizing he was in the Naruto World, it was happening too fast. If he had known, he should have warned Yahiko and the others before they parted ways.

He was simply too inexperienced. Not retreating immediately after realizing they were ninjas was a mistake; not using a clone to hide was a mistake. It seemed that for someone not of this world, many things had to be learned through personal experience—and personal experience meant paying with your life.

"I thought it was someone important; turns out it's just a brat. You gave me a scare," Shan Yi said. As he spoke, Ye Wuji saw the Shan Yi who had attacked him turn into dirt and scatter. It really was an Earth Clone; he hadn't even seen when the jutsu was cast.

By now, the woman and the boy had stopped crying. The woman likely realized the situation, and the boy was probably just exhausted. After all, he was just a normal child; he couldn't compare to a ninja.

"Da Ye will be happy now. A smaller brat has arrived," Tanaka said from the side.

Upon discovering it was just a child, Shan Yi lost interest. "Alright, Da Ye, hurry up and finish them. Tanaka, take the woman."

"Yes, Boss," Tanaka and Da Ye replied in unison.

Just as Tanaka stepped forward to grab the woman and Da Ye pulled out a long, thin blade to finish off the child in her arms—while the woman struggled desperately to protect him—Ye Wuji, paralyzed by pain, could do nothing.

In the distance, the sound of a carriage approached. "Creak, creak," the sound came continuously, accompanied by the occasional neighing of horses.

As the sound grew closer, it was clear a carriage was approaching. Tanaka and Da Ye paused their actions. Although it wouldn't have mattered if they continued, they glanced at Shan Yi and held off.

Shan Yi frowned. He knew this road was rarely traveled, and they had only chosen this spot because they'd received intelligence about a group of merchants passing through. Usually, there was no one on this road.

Though Shan Yi frowned, it was merely annoyance at being interrupted. He didn't believe the newcomers could pose a threat to him. Even if it were an Iwagakure pursuit squad, he was confident in his ability to escape. It was wartime, after all; he didn't believe Iwagakure could send a team strong enough to hunt him down.

Besides, ninjas rarely traveled by carriage. Even if they were on a mission, he wasn't afraid of them. This was the confidence of an elite Iwagakure Jonin.