The Times Have Changed

Qian Ye ran through the forest with everything he had.

His legs ached unbearably from overusing chakra.

His lungs burned, and every breath carried the taste of blood.

The sound of something cutting through the air behind him drew closer and closer. That Sunagakure elite clearly had no intention of letting him go.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Three kunai flew past Qian Ye's scalp and buried themselves in the tree trunks ahead with three dull thuds.

Wood chips struck Qian Ye's face, leaving several bloody scratches.

Qian Ye shrank his neck in fright and nearly tripped over his own feet.

He knew he could never outrun a Sunagakure elite skilled in assassination.

He had to find a way to mess with the other man's state of mind.

As Qian Ye sprinted, he began shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Hey, big brother back there! What exactly are you after?!"

"Your Lord Rasa told you to chase me, so you're really chasing me? Don't you have any opinions of your own?!"

"There's so much stuff up ahead for you to loot, so why are you chasing a poor bastard like me?!"

"I don't even have a coin on me! Do you get a bonus for killing me?!"

The wind howled through the forest, but Qian Ye's grating voice carried remarkably far.

The Sunagakure ninja following behind nearly fell from the branch in rage when he heard that.

Was this Hidden Leaf genin brain-damaged?

He was practically dead already, yet he still had the mood to spout nonsense.

"Shut up! Hidden Leaf trash! You are dead today!"

The Sunagakure ninja roared, speeding up even further.

Qian Ye did not dare turn around and kept yelling.

"How about we make a deal?! You go back and say you lost me, and I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"We're all just out here working for a living. Why make things hard for each other?!"

"Spare me, and consider it a good deed for yourself, alright?!"

The Sunagakure ninja was enraged by Qian Ye's shameless words.

His hands rapidly formed seals as chakra gathered in his chest.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A violent torrent of air burst from the Sunagakure ninja's mouth and swept directly through the forest ahead.

The gale picked up fallen leaves and loose stones from the ground, forming a massive wall of wind that slammed viciously into Qian Ye's back.

Qian Ye felt as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck.

His entire body was sent flying before he crashed heavily into the muddy ground more than ten meters away.

He rolled across the ground several times, his head striking a thick tree root and making his vision go dark.

Every bone in his body felt ready to fall apart, and a sweet, bloody taste rose in his throat.

Qian Ye spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and clawed at the mud, trying to get up.

But the chakra in his body had already run dry.

His legs were as limp as noodles, and he could not muster any strength at all.

I'm screwed.

Qian Ye leaned against the tree root, gasping heavily.

He frantically called out to the Cross-Border Mutual Aid Group in his mind.

[Qian Ye]: "Old Zhao! If you don't send the goods now, your dad here is going to die!"

[Qian Ye]: "That Sunagakure bastard is already right in my face! Hurry up!"

[Zhao Hai]: "Coming, coming! Stop rushing me! I'm prying open the crates right now!"

[Zhao Hai]: "I just snuck into the armory and found two nasty pieces of hardware! More than enough for you!"

[Zhao Hai]: "The East Blue Marine Branch's prized treasures are all being sent to you!"

[Zhao Hai]: "Catch them, son!"

The instant Zhao Hai's messages appeared, the virtual transfer window before Qian Ye lit up with white light.

Ding.

Qian Ye suddenly felt both hands sink.

A heavy black metal object appeared in his left hand, its surface gleaming with a cold blued sheen.

In his right hand was a short, thick dark-green launch tube. It was not long, yet its weight made his wrist sink.

Qian Ye looked down, and his eyes widened.

In his left hand was a large-caliber revolver.

In his right hand was a light individual rocket launcher, with a bright yellow rocket already loaded inside.

Holy shit!

Qian Ye could only repeat those words in his heart.

Rustling footsteps came from the bushes not far away.

The Sunagakure elite emerged slowly from the shadows, holding a bloodstained ninja sword.

He looked at Qian Ye slumped against the tree root, his face full of cruel amusement.

"Run. Why aren't you running anymore?"

"Weren't you quite the talker just now? Hidden Leaf trash."

The Sunagakure ninja approached step by step, twirling his ninja sword.

He did not take Qian Ye seriously at all.

A civilian genin whose chakra had run out was nothing more than meat on a chopping block.

He also noticed the two strange metal lumps that had appeared in Qian Ye's hands.

There were no chakra fluctuations.

There were no traces of any Explosive Tags.

They looked like two pieces of worthless scrap metal, probably some strange weapons he had picked up from who knew where.

"You think two pieces of scrap metal can save your life?"

The Sunagakure ninja sneered.

"You Hidden Leaf people are getting more and more pathetic."

Qian Ye gripped the revolver with both hands.

Imitating the cowboys from Western films in his previous life, he lowered the barrel slightly before slowly raising it again.

His thumb forcefully pulled back the hammer.

Click.

The crisp metallic sound was especially piercing at that moment.

Qian Ye looked at the Sunagakure ninja not far away and pulled an ugly smile.

"Scrap metal?"

"Big brother, the times have changed."

Qian Ye did not hesitate and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A deafening blast exploded through the quiet forest.

A brilliant flash burst from the muzzle.

The Sunagakure ninja did not understand what had happened.

He only saw the black metal lump flash with fire, followed by piercing pain in his right thigh.

A large-caliber lead bullet tore through his thigh muscle, bringing a spray of blood with it.

The Sunagakure ninja screamed, lost his balance, and dropped to one knee.

He stared in terror at his thigh, where blood poured endlessly from the wound.

What kind of concealed weapon was this?!

"Y-you... what exactly is that thing in your hand?!"

The Sunagakure ninja clutched his wound, panic appearing in his voice for the first time.

Gritting his teeth, Qian Ye awkwardly spun the revolver around his fingers.

He had wanted to imitate a cowboy and holster it stylishly, but he nearly flung the gun away.

He quickly caught it, set it aside, and lifted the dark-green launch tube with both hands.

This thing was truly heavy, pressing painfully against Qian Ye's shoulder.

He rested the launcher on his right shoulder and lined up the sights on the Sunagakure ninja on the ground.

"This is something nice to send you on your way."

The Sunagakure ninja felt an unprecedented threat of death.

A bone-chillingly dangerous aura seeped from that pitch-black metal tube.

Ignoring the injury to his thigh, he forced himself to stand and rapidly formed hand seals.

He had to kill this bizarre brat!

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

Qian Ye did not give him the chance to release his ninjutsu.

His index finger slammed down on the firing trigger.

Boom!

A long tail of flame erupted from the rear of the launcher, and the immense recoil knocked Qian Ye onto the ground.

A rocket carrying the aura of death trailed thick white smoke as it streaked through the narrow gap in the nearby trees.

It struck the Sunagakure ninja squarely in the chest.

BOOM!!!

A world-shaking explosion rang out through the forest.

Blinding flames soared into the sky, and the violent shockwave snapped the surrounding trees within more than ten meters cleanly in half.

Dirt, splintered wood, and severed limbs were blasted high into the air.

The heat from the explosion ignited the surrounding brush, and thick smoke billowed upward.

Qian Ye was thrown several meters away by the blast, ending up filthy and disheveled.

He lay on the ground, his ears ringing so badly that he could not hear anything.

After quite a while, Qian Ye finally struggled to climb back to his feet.

He patted the dirt from his body and craned his neck toward the center of the explosion.

It had already become a huge, scorched crater.

That arrogant Sunagakure elite did not even have a complete bone left.

He had been physically sent to the afterlife by that rocket.

Qian Ye stared at the horrific scene with his mouth agape and could not help swallowing.

"The stuff Old Zhao sent is fucking awesome."

Qian Ye silently gave Zhao Hai a thumbs-up in his heart.

He did not dare linger. The explosion would definitely attract other Sunagakure ninja.

Qian Ye picked up the revolver from the ground and stuffed it haphazardly into his Ninja Tool Pouch.

The launcher was empty and too heavy to carry, so he kicked it directly into the nearby bushes.

After finishing all that, Qian Ye got his bearings and dragged his aching legs as he continued sprinting toward No. 3 Outpost.