In the blink of an eye, more than twenty days had passed since Jun Tianlin had killed Yamamoto Ichiki in the dead of night in Green Peak Town. There were only a few days left before the one-month deadline Orochimaru had set.
Of the ten people Jun Tianlin had to kill according to the Black Scroll Orochimaru had given him, nine were rogue ninja of Chunin or Elite Chunin rank. He had personally dealt with all of them after fierce battles.
Now, only the strongest and most troublesome target remained: Hyuga Taiyuan, a living Jonin of Konoha's Hyuga Clan.
In the Land of Fire, in the famous red-light district of Rouge Town,
On the bustling main street, Jun Tianlin strolled aimlessly, looking utterly relaxed. His long, flowing white hair and white kimono stood out, as did the two red tomoe on his brow. His dark eyes kept darting around, gathering information.
This was Jun Tianlin's fifth day in Rouge Town. For five straight days, he had spent his time wandering around and observing the situation.
Nothing about his languid demeanor suggested that he was a ruthless killer who had slain six Chunins and three Elite Chunins—a total of nine rogue ninja—in just twenty days...
And those nine rogue ninja had come from different villages and been scattered across different places. Jun Tianlin had likely spent most of those twenty days traveling. The time he had actually spent fighting them probably added up to less than a day...
A single battle could decide life or death!
He had to strike only when the moment was right, and when he did, he struck to kill! That was the wisdom Jun Tianlin had shown in killing those nine rogue ninja.
He had suffered serious injuries in battle, even coming close to losing his life. But in the end, he, Jun Tianlin, had emerged victorious from all nine life-or-death gambles!
Those fierce battles had given Jun Tianlin more than the nine heads sealed inside the Ninja Tool Pouch at his lower back. More importantly, they had helped him grow.
His combat experience had improved, his battle instincts had sharpened, and his body, spirit, and willpower had grown stronger. His perception, analysis, judgment, and control had all improved... Above all, after enduring so many life-and-death struggles, he had learned to stay calm in the face of death—and acquired a bloodthirsty aura.
Those fierce battles had bathed Jun Tianlin in blood and transformed him completely, from head to toe.
He had shed his weakness and replaced it with confidence—confidence in his own strength!
If weakness was an original sin, then Jun Tianlin now... was innocent!
In his previous life, Jun Tianlin—no, Zhen Danxiao—had been timid and cowardly, always afraid of trouble. But after crossing into the world of Naruto and becoming Jun Tianlin, he experienced his first transformation when the Kaguya Clan was wiped out in Kirigakure. For the first time, courage took root in his fearful heart.
After all that training, all those life-and-death battles, all that bloodshed, Jun Tianlin had finally undergone his second transformation!
He had shed his weakness, changed his nature, and grown stronger. All that remained was ambition for the future and a hunger for power!
Now he was no longer timid or afraid. With the bloodlust that ran in the Kaguya Clan's bones, Jun Tianlin was no longer the person he had once been. He had gone from a coward to someone who could become a strong fighter!
Like a hothouse flower weathering a storm, he had blossomed proudly beneath the heavens, radiating an incredible fragrance!
If those earlier battles could be treated as trials—using life and death to temper himself, build his strength, and gain combat experience—then he could smile and put them behind him.
What remained now was proof!
Proof of his strength. Proof of his conviction. Proof that he was no longer the timid, cowardly Zhen Danxiao of the past, but Jun Tianlin: confident, powerful, and ready to become a strong fighter!
Once again: if weakness... is a sin, then I... am innocent!
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