"Yechen..." Ito Miyuki looked up. When she saw Yechen, surprise and joy filled her face. She rushed over, threw herself into his arms, and burst into tears.
"Abe Rō, Teacher Nakagawa, th-they're both dead. I thought you were too..."
At her words, Yechen froze. Memories of his time with Abe Rō and Nakagawa Ichirō flooded his mind.
They had gone on missions together, shopped together, and fooled around together. Abe Rō had been the team's chatterbox, babbling all day long. Sometimes, Yechen had even found him annoying.
Now, even if he wanted to hear that voice, he never could again.
Nakagawa Ichirō had been one of the few truly good teachers. Every time they went on a mission, he always told them that safety came first and the mission second. Nothing mattered more than coming back alive.
But this time, he had not come back.
At some point, Yechen's eyes had grown wet, and tears slowly slipped down his cheeks.
He had thought death would no longer make him grieve. Yet when he heard that his closest friend and his best teacher had died, his heart still hurt just as much.
He had told himself to become heartless, to avoid forming too many bonds on the battlefield. But he still could not do it. Perhaps he was simply an emotional person.
After a long while, Yechen took a deep breath, gently pushed away the sobbing Ito Miyuki, and walked toward Nakagawa Ichirō's tent.
The moment he stepped inside, it felt as though that familiar figure were still standing there.
Yechen sat down beside the bed and stared blankly for a long time. Ito Miyuki stood nearby without saying a word, covering her mouth as she wept silently.
Team 7 had not been together for very long, only a few months.
But the bonds between the four of them had already become unbreakable. Losing his teacher and his teammate all at once was more than he could accept.
Only after a long time did Yechen pull himself out of his grief. He looked at Ito Miyuki and asked,
"How did Teacher Nakagawa and Abe Rō die?"
The question made Ito Miyuki even more distraught. Through her sobs, she recounted what had happened.
Nakagawa Ichirō had stayed behind alone to cover everyone's retreat, ultimately dying at the hands of two Iwagakure jonin.
The outcome pained Yechen, but it did not surprise him. As the captain of their unit, Nakagawa Ichirō had been responsible for covering their retreat. It was just heartbreaking that he had not survived.
Abe Rō, on the other hand, had died solely to protect Ito Miyuki.
During their retreat, the two of them had been unlucky enough to encounter a squad of Iwagakure chunin.
Abe Rō had fought desperately to protect Ito Miyuki, but determination alone could not bridge the gap in their strength. To let the girl he loved return alive, Abe Rō had ultimately chosen to detonate his Explosive Tags and take the enemy down with him.
Afterward, a passing special jōnin had rescued Ito Miyuki. Otherwise, she would not have made it back either.
Yechen glanced at Ito Miyuki. Only then did he notice the many wounds on her body.
Her injuries alone were enough to show how dangerous the situation had been.
Yechen sighed, recalling something Abe Rō had once said: "Miyuki, if it really comes down to death, I'll die before you do."
Abe Rō had done it!
He had kept his promise to Ito Miyuki!
"Miyuki, this wasn't your fault. Abe Rō was our comrade. Protecting our comrades is what we're supposed to do. Those of us who survived have to stay strong. All we can do now is live up to Abe Rō and Teacher Nakagawa's hopes for us. Let me take you to get your wounds treated first."
With that, Yechen took Ito Miyuki to the medical room for treatment, then returned to his own tent.
Ultimately, it came down to not being strong enough on the battlefield. If he could crush everyone, why would he fear war?
What he needed to do now was not cry, but train with everything he had and become stronger.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Rewards: Evolution Points +500, Spirit-Transforming Fruit +10, Lightning Release-Nine Changes of the Thunder God."
The Lightning Release skill immediately turned into a streak of light and flowed into Yechen's mind.
At the same time, the first transformation of Nine Changes of the Thunder God appeared in his mind: "First Peal of Thunder."
First Peal of Thunder's key cultivation principles involved sensing the free-floating lightning energy between heaven and earth, drawing it into the body, and refining it at the same time. Like the first peal of thunder in early spring, it was faint but full of potential.
What Yechen had not expected was that the Thunder God's first transformation contained two ninjutsu.
Lightning Release-Lightning Strike could release a weak electric current to paralyze an enemy.
Lightning Release-Lightning Ball condensed a small ball of lightning to attack.
Its characteristics were limited power and low chakra consumption, with a focus on fundamentals and perception to gain insight into the "Form of Lightning."
After reading the description, Yechen dismissed the issue of limited power entirely. His skills could be upgraded, after all, and their power would gradually increase.
Still, he had not expected the Lightning Release skill provided by the system to be a composite skill. Each evolution would produce new ninjutsu.
That was good, though. He would no longer need to search for Lightning Release ninjutsu in the future.
The Spirit-Transforming Fruit needed no further explanation, so he turned his attention to his evolution points.
The ten genin and three chunin he had killed this time had yielded a total of 420 evolution points. Combined with the 500 evolution points from the mission, he now had 920 evolution points.
Seeing that number, Yechen felt a surge of joy. His bloodline could break through tonight.