Scared Oneself

After the incident with the lanky man, Ye Yuexin slowed his pace and proceeded toward the east with even greater caution.

Ye Yuexin now admitted that he had underestimated his enemies from the start; this was truly nothing like what was depicted in anime or novels.

The enemies were not a group of brainless, moronic fools.

They were a team of experienced ninjas. If they were idiots, they wouldn't be able to function as villains at all.

Now, any lapse in his vigilance could lead to a massive crisis.

Beyond the mountain range lay a long stretch of plains and hills, spanning about fifteen li. Two dirt roads intersected there, leading off into the distance.

In a place with almost no cover, it was incredibly difficult to remain hidden.

Ye Yuexin grew slightly worried. If there were still ambushes ahead, they likely wouldn't be as simple as the lanky man alone.

Just as he was fretting, his protagonist's destiny seemed to kick in once again. Dark clouds began to gather in the previously starry sky.

The bright moonlight dimmed instantly. It wasn't pitch black, but it was enough to conceal his figure.

Under normal circumstances, Ye Yuexin would have definitely boasted about his luck.

Sheltered by the dim night, Ye Yuexin increased his speed once more, as this stretch of road was far too dangerous.

As a ninja, he was naturally better suited for jungle warfare.

He felt that in this lifetime, he might never reach the level of the Third Raikage from the anime, who could stand his ground against three thousand Rock ninjas on an open plain. After all, a meat-shield tank and an assassin were two entirely different systems.

Fortunately, the area around Twin Ox Mountain was still forested. Ye Yuexin felt some confidence regarding his speed—not out of arrogance, but self-assurance.

Although he felt uneasy along the way, he successfully crossed the plains and hills.

It was a close call, but it seemed Lin Mu, the Rock ninja, hadn't arranged for anyone to be there.

Ahead, the trees gradually began to grow dense again.

Following the shadows of the night, Ye Yuexin quickly approached the forest.

Once he stepped into the woods, Ye Yuexin slowed down completely.

Because this forest could be considered the territory of Twin Ox Mountain.

Ye Yuexin poured all his energy into staying alert, moving forward slowly.

This kind of cautious movement was incredibly taxing; Ye Yuexin made up his mind that once he returned to the village, he would develop a sensory-type ninjutsu.

As for whether the development might fail, Ye Yuexin hadn't even considered it. He was quite confident in his own endless stream of ideas.

Just like that, feeling the dark, silent stillness of his surroundings, Ye Yuexin took a long time to finally reach the foot of the mountain range.

The forest ahead belonged to the true Twin Ox Mountain.

He was just about to enter.

The sound of footsteps crunching on branches suddenly reached his ears. Ye Yuexin quickly ducked for cover.

After tracking for so long, he had finally detected an unusual sound. Ye Yuexin let out a small sigh of relief. Maintaining such high mental concentration for so long was exhausting.

Now that he had found them, it was actually better; he no longer had to worry about whether traps were buried in the dark.

But upon listening closely, Ye Yuexin felt something was wrong. Why was the sound coming from behind him?

His heart immediately began to race with tension.

He had just come from that very road, and he hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Countless possibilities flooded his mind, but most involved him being discovered and surrounded.

He panicked; Ye Yuexin was truly panicked this time. Rock ninjas specialized in Earth Style; it was only natural that he hadn't detected anything amiss.

But what should he do now? Ye Yuexin had no strategy at the moment.

Because his original plan had only been to track them, he was caught off guard by the realization that he had been discovered and was now being counter-encircled.

He still lacked experience.

Ye Yuexin gritted his teeth; he had no choice but to fight his way out.

Itachi Uchiha was very anxious, as he had no idea if Ye Yuexin had already engaged in battle.

After Ye Yuexin left, he thought it over and decided not to follow Ye Yuexin's instructions. He would catch up to Ye Yuexin and act alongside him.

After consuming a specialized Uchiha military ration pill, he had recovered more than half of his chakra through an hour of adjustment.

Coupled with the fact that he had already awakened his Sharingan, he could definitely fight alongside Ye Yuexin.

Itachi was just as stubborn and prideful as a child. While a large part of it was concern for Ye Yuexin's safety, the rest was his refusal to accept being defeated so easily.

Especially after awakening the Sharingan and having his chakra reserves increase to the level of a chunin, he felt that he and Ye Yuexin could absolutely complete this mission together.

This was the confidence of a genius, or perhaps the mysterious, prideful nature of the Uchiha.

Looking at it this way, the classic comment about the later "Sasuke"—"The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and he felt he could do it again"—didn't come from nowhere. It was likely hereditary.

However, given Itachi's talent, most of it was truly genuine. It wasn't just the ignorant, pretentious posturing of a certain "Second Pillar."

Throughout the journey, Itachi Uchiha traveled at his maximum speed. Finally, he reached the territory of Twin Ox Mountain.

After entering the forest, although Itachi Uchiha slowed down, he was still significantly faster than Ye Yuexin. Just as he leaped across a dirt road cutting through the woods, Itachi Uchiha suddenly stopped.

The forest had become unnaturally quiet. Even the sound of a gentle breeze had vanished.

At that very moment, a lethal crisis suddenly descended.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Itachi Uchiha's face.

Yet, Itachi Uchiha didn't even attempt to dodge.

The sensation of being locked onto by death was too intense. It was a feeling that no matter how he dodged or defended, death was inevitable.

Itachi Uchiha had never experienced such a feeling before. However, the sensation was fleeting.

With a sharp pain in his head, a piece of tree bark struck him. Accompanied by a hushed voice, "Damn, why did you come over here? Do you have any idea how much you scared the hell out of me?"

"Big brother, I almost skewered you just now."

Ye Yuexin felt like he could kill Itachi Uchiha right now.

What the hell was this? He had scared himself half to death.

Ye Yuexin's back was soaked with sweat from the tension. He had truly thought he was facing a brush with death.

Itachi Uchiha didn't speak, instead staring at the throwing knives at Ye Yuexin's waist. He stared with great intensity, then said, "You are indeed stronger than me." It was a non-sequitur, yet his tone was incredibly certain.

"We're about the same. I only have these three throwing knives; once they're gone, I'm out of tricks," Ye Yuexin replied dismissively. If a transmigrator wasn't better than the local peers, what was the point of transmigrating? That precious opportunity should have gone to someone else.

"But I couldn't dodge it. Why do you never use throwing knives in combat back in the village?" Itachi Uchiha continued, still deadly serious.

It seemed he had taken a bit of a hit to his pride. Ye Yuexin felt that this was the perfect moment to act cool.

After all, he wasn't entirely sure if he could handle Itachi Uchiha in the future.

In his past life, the rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha had been almost mythologized.

He was the kind of ninja who was considered absolutely perfect.

Thus, Ye Yuexin touched one of his throwing knives and said, "My throwing knives have a principle: once drawn, they must strike. They never miss their mark."

"That is why they are only for battle, never for sparring."

[New book released... Suggest adding to library... Wait until it's fat to slaughter. Need your support... Thank you everyone.] Next chapter is even more exciting.