Chapter 42

"Alright! Take the scroll back and study it first. Now I'll demonstrate it for you."

The corners of Shizune's lips lifted. Saitama had been guiding her lately, and she had always felt indebted to him. Now she could finally "pay him back," and she immediately felt much better.

"But how should I demonstrate it... Forget it, I'll just show him the Healing Technique!" She muttered with a furrowed brow before quickly making up her mind.

"Shhk—" A cluster of Chidori Stream, compressed to the extreme, sprang from Saitama's right index finger. Sharp as a blade, it sliced open the back of his left hand.

"Hey! Are you crazy?!" Shizune covered her mouth in shock, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.

"There, your turn." Saitama grinned as he held out his bleeding hand, as though he had not just injured himself.

"You didn't need to do that! I could have demonstrated it directly..." Shizune bit her lip in frustration, sparks nearly flying from her eyes.

"Hurry up. If you keep dawdling, the wound will heal on its own!" Saitama bumped her with his elbow, urging her on.

"Pfft... You idiot!" After that little stunt, Shizune could not hold back her laughter any longer, and her ** anger vanished at once.

"Bring your hand closer—forget it!" She grabbed Saitama's wrist and pressed it onto her thigh. Chakra was already gathering between her interlaced fingers.

A ball of emerald energy swirled in her palm, its vigorous life force seeming ready to overflow.

"Watch closely! Chakra has to flow along specific pathways before gathering in the palm—but the output speed must stay steady. Keep the rhythm like breathing."

She lowered her head and focused on the procedure, explaining every detail even as strands of hair fell around her face.

"Do you understand?" Before the words had even faded, the green light gently covered Saitama's wound.

"Whew!" Coolness spread across the back of Saitama's hand. This was the first time he had personally experienced the wonder of medical ninjutsu.

When Shizune's palm covered the back of his hand, it felt as though she had applied a layer of icy mint balm. The chill seeped through his skin and into his muscles, while the wound gradually healed at a visible rate.

"I understand!"

"How could you possibly understand after being taught only once? Focus on feeling it. I'll continue teaching you tomorrow, and ask me anytime if you have questions."

Shizune muttered with her head lowered. She knew Saitama was exceptionally gifted and a genius of the Uchiha Clan, but medical ninjutsu was her specialty. It had taken her an entire week just to barely grasp it. How could this guy possibly learn it after seeing it once?

"I really learned it!" Saitama pulled back his hand, and Shizune abruptly raised her head.

"Hey, honestly, there's nothing embarrassing about not learning it. I can slowly..."

Her voice suddenly caught in her throat.

"Slowly what?" Green fluorescent light, identical to Shizune's, glowed from Saitama's right hand as he smiled at her.

"Impossible!" Shizune rubbed her eyes hard, suspecting she was hallucinating.

"This is absolutely impossible!" She suddenly began to doubt her own aptitude as a ninja.

"Is there really a genius in this world who can imitate something after seeing it once?" Shizune stared blankly at the green light, her lips trembling slightly.

"It's not that miraculous. It mostly relies on this."

Seeing Shizune fall into self-doubt, Saitama pointed at his eyes.

"What?" Following his fingertip, Shizune saw a pair of blood-red eyes in which three tomoe slowly turned.

"The Sharingan?" She tilted her head in confusion. She only knew that it was useful in battle and did not understand its special abilities.

"The three-tomoe Sharingan has the ability to copy." Saitama explained as his scarlet pupils turned. "The moment you formed hand seals just now, I copied this technique."

"Hmph! That's what I thought. There's no such thing as a genius who can learn something after seeing it once." Shizune patted her chest in relief, deliberately ignoring the existence of the Sharingan.

"Doesn't that still count as my talent?"

"Don't get cocky! That's clearly an ability bestowed by a bloodline limit. Your ancestors simply accumulated good karma!" Shizune flicked her short hair, her face full of disdain.

"But the fact is, I learned it after seeing it once, right?"

Saitama deliberately drew out the words "seeing it once."

"Hmph!" Shizune turned away and pretended to be angry.

"You don't need to give me the scroll. Practice a little longer, then go back and rest. It's getting late."

Saitama pulled Shizune into his arms, his tone casual.

After spending so much time together, the two had long become familiar with one another, and physical contact had become ordinary.

"Fine, then. We'll practice sparring a little longer and call it a day."

Shizune yawned tiredly, letting him drape an arm over her shoulder. Her voice was filled with helplessness.

She had wanted to find some sense of accomplishment by teaching him ninjutsu, but instead, this guy had slapped her across the face several times.

"Get up! Come at me again!"

Saitama patted her shoulder and stood, stepping back a few paces before crooking a finger at her.

"Hmph! Take this!" Shizune sprang up and lunged at him, irritation still lingering in her brows.

Her fist grazed past Saitama's ear. He tilted his head aside to dodge, a curve forming at his lips.

"A sneak attack? That won't do." He wagged a finger, deliberately wearing an irritating expression.

"As long as I win, who cares about the method!"

The usually calm Shizune rarely said anything so extreme. This person had truly angered her badly.

Before her words had faded, she swept a kick straight at his lower body.

"Oh, you mean business?" Saitama laughed as he dodged, seeing that she was sulking.

After the sparring session, Saitama returned to his tent alone.

As a mission ninja, he was far busier than Shizune and had to ensure he got enough rest.

"Whew—"

After washing up and changing clothes, he spread open his hands, which glowed green. "Learned another new move."

The glow of the Healing Technique flowed through his palms.

"Staying alive comes first. Time to sleep." He curled up beneath the blanket. The cold of the camp at night always made people shudder.

After reporting the intelligence that day, Saitama spent several peaceful days carrying out his usual patrols.

The reconnaissance team Tsunade had dispatched was currently following

"Captain, let's take a break!" Uchiha Huo rubbed his stomach and called out to Saitama ahead.

This was an area behind Konoha's lines. Saitama's team was responsible for patrolling its safety. As a key region on the reserve supply transportation route, its alert level was relatively high.

"Alright, rest for a moment." Saitama nodded, then leaped onto a tree branch and sat down steadily.

"This is so boring. When will the higher-ups assign us a new mission?" Uchiha Huo leaned against a tree root and muttered quietly.

"Cut the nonsense! A ninja's duty is to complete missions. Stop thinking about pointless things all day!" Uchiha Yan bluntly snapped at his older brother from across from him.

"I was just saying! Patrolling the rear every day is so boring, right, Captain?" Uchiha Huo tried to use Saitama as a shield. He knew that as long as the captain spoke, his younger brother would stop mocking him.

Saitama remained silent, merely staring at Uchiha Huo with vacant eyes until the latter felt uncomfortable all over.

"Alright, alright, pretend I said nothing!" Uchiha Huo hurriedly waved his hands, propped his chin up, and turned away.

"Rest for five minutes. We'll patrol the route once more, then head back." Saitama glanced at the sky. They had already been on duty outside for most of the day.

"Great!" Uchiha Huo immediately beamed, while Uchiha Yan remained expressionless.

"Whoosh!"

Figures flickered through the forest as Saitama's gaze continually swept the surroundings. Even though this was the rear, they still had to remain vigilant.

"There's something. Did you hear that?" Saitama suddenly stopped. He could faintly hear the sound of flames burning.

"No, Captain." Uchiha Huo stopped and listened carefully, but heard nothing.

"To the west!"

Saitama swiftly determined the direction and dashed out before his words had faded. If he remembered correctly, several Land of Fire households lived in that direction.

Though this place was near the border, dense forests separated it from the front, and ordinary villagers who made their living through ** still lived here.

As he drew closer, the sound of burning became clearer, and Saitama's unease rose sharply.

"Whoosh!"

As he passed through the last barrier of trees, towering flames suddenly filled his vision. A cold gleam flashed through Saitama's eyes before vanishing.

"What... happened here?!" The Uchiha brothers, following close behind, stared in shock. Uchiha Huo muttered in disbelief, "This is behind the front lines! Who would dare cause trouble here?"

Flames soared into the sky. Rows of wooden houses gradually collapsed in the sea of fire, turning into charred ruins. Several burned corpses lay before the houses, their features erased by the blaze.

"Bastards!" Saitama gripped his sword hilt so tightly that his knuckles turned white, killing intent surging in his eyes.

Uchiha Yan swept his gaze over the area and said in a deep voice, "The fire only just started. They shouldn't have gotten far."

"Chase them! We can't let these scum get away!" Saitama's voice suppressed thunderous rage. The enemy had dared to break through the defenses and ** in his jurisdiction. This was simply a ** * provocation.

"Captain, if they dared to..." Before Yan could finish, Saitama had already shot out like an arrow released from a bow. Brilliant blade light sliced through the scorching air, and several clumsy traces of camouflage on the ground were impossible to hide from his eyes.

"Yuan Zhi! That fire felt good, didn't it?" Long Fei, the long-faced ninja, grinned wildly. His twisted face looked even more vicious in the firelight.

His companion, however, was deeply worried. "We made such a huge disturbance in the heart of the Land of Fire..."

"We're dead either way, so we might as well kill to our hearts' content!" Long Fei wildly shook the shuriken in his hand. "Ever since we got separated from the main force, I never planned on returning alive!"

Yuan Zhi sighed as he looked at the smoke rising in the distance. They had deliberately done the opposite and infiltrated deep behind enemy lines, but being this reckless would sooner or later...

The sound of something tearing through the air suddenly ripped apart the silence.

"Trying to run?" A furious roar carrying electric light came from afar. The two turned back in panic, only to see a blue-white streak of lightning cleaving through the night and charging directly at them.

Saitama blocked their path like a thunder god descending to earth, the ground beneath his feet exploding with spiderweb-like scorch marks.

"Konoha's... alone?" A vicious gleam suddenly burst from Yuan Zhi's ashen eyes. Long Fei quietly reached for the ** tag at his waist.

"You suicidal brat! You dare block our way alone? You must be tired of living!"

Long Fei quickly exchanged looks with Yuan Zhi. In his haste to pursue the enemy, Saitama had accelerated ahead and pulled away from the Uchiha brothers, intercepting the two first.

"Kill him!" Long Fei spat viciously. The person before them was only a young ninja, at most a Chunin. With two Chunin on their side, they could surely kill him and escape!

The thought flashed through his mind as Long Fei charged with his sword raised, while Yuan Zhi steadily pressed forward with a massive axe. Two pairs of eyes locked onto Saitama, killing intent filling the air as though it had substance.

"In such a hurry to reincarnate?" Saitama coldly watched the two rushing toward him.

He had thought anyone daring to cause trouble behind Konoha's lines would be elite troops. Instead, they were merely two small fry.

"But that won't save your lives!" Saitama's fingers brushed over his sword hilt. A cold gleam appeared in his eyes, and the instant electric arcs burst around him—

Clang!

Splurt!

Crack!

"Urgh!"

The two fell in response. A broken blade spun through the air as four severed arms crashed into the pool of blood.

"Damn Konoha dogs!" Blood spurted like a fountain from Long Fei's severed wrist, yet he still struggled to curse. The other man had already passed out from pain. Judging by the rate of blood loss alone, he would not last much longer.

"Destroying things feels good?" Saitama lightly laughed as he ground the severed hand beneath his foot.

"Hehe... Angry, aren't you? We had plenty of fun!" Knowing he was doomed, Long Fei grinned viciously and provoked him.

"Good. I just thought of a new game too." A chilling curve formed at the corner of Saitama's lips.

Long Fei suddenly felt a chill down his spine. That smile made his hair stand on end.

"Just kill me already!"

"Don't rush."

Bang!

A whip kick shattered his jawbone, and his scream immediately became a muffled whimper.

"Mmph... Gah!" Long Fei's pupils constricted as he twisted wildly beneath Saitama's foot.

Crackle!

Lightning ran through his severed wrist. His blood congealed amid the smell of burning flesh, but the wound only looked more grotesque.

"Hiss—"

Saitama stepped on the twitching body as lightning gathered in his palm once more.

The current continued to dance in his palm, bolts of lightning striking the enemy's body with precision.

"Urgh—"

Amid miserable howls, the enemy trapped by Lightning Release could only twitch and struggle at Saitama's feet. As the smell of scorched flesh filled the air, the electric snakes writhing across his body continuously eroded his nerves.

"Just kill me!" The enemy's convulsing body suddenly trembled violently. His unfocused pupils futilely turned toward a direction from memory. "Please... please..."

The sound of thunder suddenly exploded.