Qifeng charged into the forest without looking back.
Quite a few Konoha shinobi noticed what was happening, but with Konoha's current manpower, no one could spare a hand.
Luring away a Jonin let some of the Konoha shinobi breathe a sigh of relief, easing the pressure slightly.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
As the only person in this Advance Force besides Orochimaru who knew Qifeng, Nara Chuichi could not help calling out.
Although Nara Chuichi knew Qifeng, had a good relationship with him, and thought highly of him—especially considering their shared cigarettes—
In the current situation, the life or death of a Chunin was truly insignificant. In fact, if every Chunin could lure away a Jonin, Orochimaru and Nara Chuichi would both do so without hesitation.
As long as Konoha could win.
It was cruel, but realistic. That was war. As long as Konoha could win, even if Nara Chuichi himself had to sacrifice his life, he probably would not hesitate.
But Qifeng differed from other Chunin in one respect: he was a corpse collector.
He had a large number of Konoha and Iwagakure shinobi corpses in his possession, including quite a few Jonin and even Elite Jonin who knew important information about both sides.
If Qifeng was killed, the many Konoha corpses and the vital intelligence he possessed would all fall into the hands of the iwa-nin.
Just as the iwa-nin did not want Konoha to obtain them, Konoha likewise did not want the iwa-nin to obtain them.
Although Orochimaru was entangled by five iwa-nin, the snakes scattered across the ground still helped him observe the situation around him. He learned that Qifeng was being pursued almost at the same time as Nara Chuichi.
But he made no move.
He merely curled his lips slightly, glanced at the somewhat anxious Nara Chuichi, and said flatly, "No need to worry."
Nara Chuichi froze at that.
Then he realized.
Right!
Qifeng was Lord Orochimaru's disciple. Since Lord Orochimaru was not worried, Qifeng must have some trump card or backup plan.
Some nearby Konoha shinobi who had been worried that their comrades' corpses would not return had the same thought.
Since he was Lord Orochimaru's disciple, surviving should not be a problem.
It was easy to think of Jiraiya, another of the Sannin. His disciple, Namikaze Minato, had already become a Jonin and had begun to display his strength and talent, which had yet to be fully realized.
As the disciple of one of the Sannin as well, even if he was young, he probably was not much worse, right?
With that thought, they put aside their worries and continued focusing on fighting the iwa-nin.
From the corner of his eye, Orochimaru watched the forest Qifeng had entered. "Luck? Let's see whether your 'luck' can come through this time."
His regard for Qifeng was not without reason. He had his own considerations and plans.
Orochimaru never did anything meaningless.
What Qifeng did not know was that because of a few "pleasant" misunderstandings and Orochimaru's refusal to clarify them, he, who might originally have received support, had become completely alone.
If he knew, he would probably rush up to Orochimaru and curse him out.
Are you sick?
Couldn't you just tell me what you liked about me? I'll give it back, okay?
But now, all his attention was focused on the Iwagakure Jonin behind him.
It was not as though he had never killed a Jonin before. He had personally killed an Iwagakure Jonin not long ago.
But that did not mean he possessed the strength of a Jonin or could contend with one head-on.
The moment he darted into the forest, he formed hand seals.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
He created an almost identical clone with the same abilities as his original body. Unless it suffered a fatal attack, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the two.
Then—
"Earth Release! Rock Concealment Technique!"
The clone continued running while the original body hid himself by blending into a rock.
Since there had already been some distance between them, and the forest's leaves obscured the view while the light interfered with vision, the Iwagakure Jonin did not notice Qifeng's real body at first.
But Qifeng knew that the Shadow Clone could only deceive him temporarily. It could not truly lure the enemy away.
At the same time, he could not simply return like this. Otherwise, other iwa-nin would surely attack him. They might even suspect that he had dealt with the Iwagakure Jonin who had pursued him before and send an even stronger Jonin after him.
That was not what he wanted.
Only two choices lay before him now: either leave the battlefield while he had the cover, or use this opportunity to kill the Jonin who had just been pursuing him.
After hesitating for less than a second, Qifeng made his decision.
Leaving the battlefield without authorization was a grave crime. Once it was confirmed, there were only two paths left: defecting or death.
Besides, it was not as though he truly had no way to do it.
Fuck him up!
He had not made this decision in a rush of hotheadedness. He truly possessed the trump cards and ability to do it.
During his previous trip to the Tori Mori Outpost in the Land of Waterfalls, he had brought back so many Konoha and Iwagakure Jonin corpses that he had successfully obtained a Jonin Experience Card.
Konoha Jonin Nakagawa Kamiryo Experience Card (Rare)
However, Nakagawa Kamiryo was a Genjutsu-type Jonin, which did not suit his attributes. He did not know whether using it would give him the strength to contend with a Jonin head-on.
But it did not matter. He had a large pile of Jonin and Elite Jonin corpses in his hands, and he had not yet used his corpse-looting attempts for the day.
If he could obtain something better within these nine attempts, that would naturally be ideal. If not, he would use this Experience Card.
No matter what, a Genjutsu-type Jonin was still a Jonin.
Using Earth Release, he burrowed underground.
He opened a Sealing Scroll and released three corpses.
One was the Konoha Elite Jonin corpse he had snatched earlier, while the other two were Iwagakure Jonin corpses.
They were all Yellow Corpses.
"Whether I get anything depends on you."
He had no time to communicate with the corpses any further.
He started looting immediately!
Yellow Corpse, success rate 30%. Loot corpse? (This attempt 3/3, today 9/9)
Yes!
He started with the Iwagakure Jonin corpses.
Failed!
Failed!
Failed!
"..."
Three consecutive failures.
Qifeng pressed his lips together and said nothing, only continuing.
Failed!
Success! Obtained a single random attribute +3 Boost Card!
Failed!
It was a simple Boost Card. Qifeng did not hesitate, immediately taking it out and pressing it against himself. It turned into a streak of light and merged into his body.
As the needle on the virtual hexagonal wheel before him stopped on "Essence," his Chakra attribute increased by 3 points.
Two corpse-looting attempts that could practically be considered failures.
Qifeng took a deep breath.
He really wanted to pull out a cigarette and take a drag to ease his frustration.
But this was normal. Yellow Corpses had a relatively low success rate, but they were more likely to yield better items.
By comparison, if he merely wanted to improve basic attributes and abilities, after Qifeng's long period of testing, Green Corpses were actually the most reliable.
He looked at the Konoha Elite Jonin's corpse.
We're from the same village. You wouldn't do this to me too, would you? he muttered inwardly.
He placed a hand on the corpse glowing with dazzling yellow light.
Failed!
Failed!
Success! Obtained Konoha Jonin's Blessing!
Huh?
He hurriedly opened his status panel and focused his thoughts on the newly acquired equipment, still warm in his hands.
It was a palm-sized symbol identical to the spiral emblem on a Konoha headband.
Name: Konoha Jonin's Blessing Description: As a Konoha Elite Jonin, he longed for Konoha to achieve victory in the war. He blessed every shinobi fighting for Konoha. Effect: When worn, increases compatibility by +10% when using a Konoha Ninja Experience Card. Note: Limited to Konoha Ninja Experience Cards.
"Good stuff." Qifeng's eyes lit up.
Although he had not obtained the Elite Jonin Experience Card he had hoped for, compared to an Experience Card that could only be used once, this Konoha Jonin's Blessing was more valuable.
Now that the war had begun, there would be no shortage of chances to obtain Konoha Ninja Experience Cards in the future.
Without hesitation, he put it on close to his body.
Then he took out the Jonin Experience Card and looked at the image of the Konoha Jonin engraved upon it.
After a brief hesitation, he took out a piece of equipment he had never used since obtaining it.
Kaseki's Obsession
A Human Skin Mask as thin as cicada wings.
He gently laid it over his face.
Kaseki's Obsession, Essence +2; Uses -1; Remaining 4/5
A cool sensation immediately washed over him.
Qifeng's appearance changed. His originally somewhat handsome face became rough and ordinary. Even someone extremely familiar with him would be unable to recognize him.
Because it was not merely his appearance that changed, but also his build and clothing.
It had to be said, Kaseki's Obsession was quite useful.
Qifeng stood up. Whether in appearance or aura, he had become a completely different person.
His eyes narrowed, then snapped open as scarlet swirled within them.
"Since Orochimaru doesn't believe someone is helping me from the shadows, then I'll become someone else and show him!"
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