Grass Seed and Grass Flower

"They didn't consider me a threat from the start, nor did they even take me seriously..."

"Fortunately, that's the case."

"And I managed to escape using the environment created by the Explosive Tags..."

Swish, swish, swish.

A dark figure landed in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain.

It revealed Yue's figure.

He had escaped.

After standing firm, he looked back at the mountain and frowned.

"Returning to the village now would be even more dangerous." He suddenly realized a problem: how would he explain himself if he returned to the village alone?

Even if the mission failed, the village had to keep detailed records of the mission's progress. Was he supposed to say he killed Teacher Masada?

Putting aside whether others would believe him, Yue did not want to reveal his strength before understanding the situation within the village, lest he attract trouble.

Clearly, this mission was planned by the village's higher-ups.

"Grass Flower and Grass Seed, huh?"

Yue mused. When he saw the Grass Ninja making a move on Ryuga, he had a thought.

The village's political power was mainly divided into two factions.

One was the radical faction, named Grass Seed.

The other was the moderate faction, Grass Flower.

These were things his father had told him... His mother had also mentioned them, but she didn't know much.

The people of Grass Seed, as their name suggested, were eager for quick success. They advocated for restoring Grass Village's former powerful position in the ninja world. Although in Yue's memory, he couldn't recall the Land of Grass ever being powerful in the history of the ninja world, it seemed those people deeply believed that in a certain era of the past, the village had once been a presence that instilled fear in all the powers of the ninja world. This inexplicably reminded him of the ridiculous situations on Earth where some insecure, insignificant countries fabricated history to find a source of confidence and firmly believed in it.

Even if it were true.

Grass Village had already declined. They had to act according to the whims of the other major ninja villages. Weren't the people of Grass Seed, with their impulsive actions, afraid of bringing disaster upon themselves?

Conversely, the people of Grass Flower advocated for the village's rational development and a gradual approach.

At first glance, this group seemed decent... but in reality, they were all mediocre talents.

The reason Grass Village survived by scavenging scraps and merely subsisted by assisting the Five Great Shinobi Villages was precisely the ideology of the Grass Flower faction.

But the problem was, if they continued to survive in the ninja world using this method without making appropriate changes, they would never be able to turn things around.

In short, Yue looked down on both Grass Flower and Grass Seed.

"This kind of action is most likely the work of Grass Seed. Not killing us means they probably want to control us instead," Yue pondered for a moment, largely guessing the truth.

The three of them were elites of this generation's Ninja Academy, especially Ryuga's identity... If they could be controlled and utilized, it would be equivalent to recruiting some loyal followers who might emerge in the future.

This way, Masada's position and stance also made sense.

"They couldn't even wait for the new recruits' trial... and they've already started reaching out with their claws."

Yue let out a cold laugh.

Thinking about it this way, returning to the village now was basically suicide.

"The only way is through Ryuga..."

Yue sighed.

Ryuga's family was part of the Grass Flower faction, which was not a secret in the village.

Now that he had offended Grass Seed, if he wanted to save himself, he could only rely on the power of Grass Flower.

If he could save Ryuga, this favor... would be enough to connect him with the village's high-level connections.

At the very least, he would have some backing to deal with such matters in the future.

"I have two Explosive Tags left, and only two Ninja Tool scrolls..." Yue inventoried the items in his backpack. Just escaping in this battle had cost him quite a bit. It was fortunate that he had some of his father's remaining assets.

"That guy's strength might be even greater than Masada's."

Yue thought of the so-called bandit leader in the cave.

After resting for a moment, Yue made up his mind and turned back the way he came.

"That trash is dead? Killed by his own student?"

"Hahaha... What kind of hellish joke is this for the year?"

"It's true, we brought back Masada's remains."

"..."

Inside the cave, the bearded man waited for a long time before his companions finally returned.

However, what they brought back was not Yue, but Masada's remains. Even more outrageous was that Masada was personally killed right under their noses.

And the brat escaped.

"Do you two know how much effort the boss put in to arrange such a role in the Ninja Academy? The people he targets are always closely watched. This trash is quite useful." The bearded man's smile froze. He truly thought his companions were joking.

A mere rookie killing a Chunin teacher, that sounds too fantastical.

From afar, sprawled on the ground, bruised and battered, Ryuga and Yoshitaka were stunned when they saw Masada's body.

The two also guessed who the person the other party was referring to: Yue.

Yue killed Teacher Masada?

What did they just hear?

Were they dreaming?

"We also didn't expect things to escalate like this. We thought dealing with a rookie would be a piece of cake, not like this. But we didn't expect that kid to have so many tricks up his sleeve, and to be so well-hidden... Plus, he prepared a lot of Explosive Tags, and just used the smoke and dust he created to..."

A Grass Ninja explained.

"Then why didn't you chase him?"

"Even if you were caught off guard, it shouldn't have been long after he completely escaped your sight. If you had the will, you definitely could have caught him."

The bearded man's voice was low as he stared at the two.

"Uh..."

At this question, the two Grass Ninjas were immediately speechless.

Indeed, they admitted... they were a little scared.

That Yue attacked ruthlessly, and his combat experience didn't seem like that of a novice. If it came down to individual strength, the two of them weren't even as good as Masada, so...

"Hmph."

The bearded man saw through their thoughts at a glance but didn't press the issue.

"According to you, that kid is cunning and acts cautiously. Otherwise, he wouldn't have escaped alone... It's been so long, he's probably already fled down the mountain." The bearded man changed the subject. "His only option is to return to the village to report this. At that time, our people will naturally handle it."

"But... having the village clean up our mess, you two should think about how you'll explain yourselves to the higher-ups later."

With that, the bearded man turned and walked towards Ryuga and Yoshitaka, who had clearly been beaten up.

"What are you still standing around for? Hurry up and go into the mountains to untie those people you tied up."

The bearded man cursed.

"Yes."

After snapping back to reality, the two Grass Ninjas immediately left.

"Are you ninjas from the village?"

Even though the other party wasn't wearing a forehead protector, Ryuga realized the enemy's identity.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he looked up at the bearded man.

"Oh? Still have the energy to talk?"

The bearded man stopped, looked down at the white-haired kid glaring at him, and smiled sinisterly.

"Few ninjas from the village can stay outside for a long time and completely cut off contact. Not to mention committing evil so close to the village without being discovered. Even rogue ninjas..." Ryuga said in a deep voice, "If this is a conspiracy, you guys most likely used your duty of guarding the border to escape. It was arranged by a certain high-ranking official... right? Lackeys of Grass Seed!"

"Hahahaha!"

The bearded man laughed.

"You've got some brains, but it's too late."

Saying that, with a bang, the big man punched Ryuga hard in the cheek.

Knocking the boy to the ground.

Then, he roughly grabbed Ryuga's hair. "Don't rush, we'll let you two go soon."

"But first, we need to place a Curse Mark on you."

As soon as the words "Curse Mark" were spoken, Ryuga's limbs went cold.

"Oh, and congratulations. When you return to the village, you can submit your mission completion records... For fledglings like you, this is quite a feat."

"..."