After two days lying in bed, even the gaps between his bones felt itchy.
The medicinal smell in the medical tent made Shuo feel sick.
The real problem was that his imitation points had stopped increasing. Saying "How scary" to everyone he met wasn't practical. Wouldn't that make him a broken record? The system hadn't given him any prompts, either.
"No, I need some fresh air. And while I'm at it... look for opportunities." Muttering, Shuo slowly sat up on the hard bed, grimacing in pain. Bandages wrapped his chest, but the passive ability "Light Particle Activation" actually seemed to help a little. At least he could move around on his own now.
He wandered out of the tent into glaring sunlight.
The camp was still bustling and chaotic, but compared with the past two days, the tension seemed to have eased a little. The fighting in the area had probably stopped for now.
A few passing squads gave him strange looks. They had probably heard some rumor about a "Light-Speed Genin."
Shuo couldn't be bothered with them. He laced his hands behind his head-a pose he had worked out while lying in bed these past two days, one of Kizaru's signature stances, though his injuries made it a little awkward right now-and strolled leisurely toward a less crowded spot at the edge of camp.
[Ding! "Lazy Stroll" posture maintained for over five minutes. Demeanor imitation ongoing... imitation points +1... +1...]
Huh? This works too? Shuo was delighted.
So as long as I strike the right pose, I can get paid just standing around? These +1s do look a little pathetic, though.
He wandered to the edge of a small grove outside the camp, found a reasonably clean rock, and sat down with his back against a tree trunk.
It was quiet here. He could see patrols in the distance.
He was just pondering how to scrape together the remaining five imitation points to unlock "Light-Speed Kick" and give it a try when a sound drifted into his ears.
It wasn't the noise from camp. It came from deeper in the woods, very faint: rustling, along with deliberately hushed voices speaking something other than Konoha Language.
Shuo didn't even lift his eyelids. He clicked his tongue inwardly. Trouble... Don't tell me it's an Iwagakure infiltration squad? I just want to sit quietly for a while...
He didn't want to get involved. Really. Fighting was exhausting, and he still hurt. But... if they really were enemies wandering near the camp, and he sat here pretending not to see them, that would be hard to justify if anyone investigated afterward.
"Sigh..." He let out a breath, adjusted his position to make himself less noticeable in the shade, then pricked up his ears.
The voices came in snatches. Three people, maybe four. They were slowly approaching, heading straight toward him.
"...Konoha camp... lax defenses... southeast corner..."
"...grab someone alone... get the details of their defenses..."
"...move fast..."
Well, that settles it.
They really were here to pick off a sentry and gather intelligence.
Shuo scratched his chin.
What now? Shout "Enemy attack"? That would start a fight immediately, and I'd be the first one in the line of fire, injuries and all.
Sneak back to report it? Sounds... exhausting.
He glanced at his character panel. Imitation points: 49/100.
Just one point short! One point!
How about... trying that?
Shuo cleared his throat. Facing the empty space ahead, he spoke slowly, sounding a little puzzled, a little resigned, and as though he were talking to himself, but at a volume that would ensure the people in the woods could just make him out:
"Huh-? Ninja working overtime to launch a sneak attack at a time like this... Are young people these days all this motivated?"
Having said that, he held his breath and waited a moment.
[Ding! Delivered a "slacker-style remark on hostile behavior" in a potentially dangerous environment, precisely triggering Kizaru-style spectator mockery. Imitation points +6!] [Current imitation points: 55/100!] [Ding! Conditions met. Unlock "Light-Speed Kick: Faint Spark"?]
Unlock it! Right now!
A faint current of warmth-or rather, something more like an "understanding"-instantly flowed from the system into his consciousness, then into his legs, especially his right foot.
It was a strange sensation, as though the edge of his foot had gained a little "match head" he could ignite at any moment.
"Who's there?!"
"Come out!"
The whispers in the woods instantly became sharp shouts. Three figures sprang from behind the bushes in a triangular formation, kunai gleaming coldly in their hands. Dressed in standard Iwagakure infiltration gear, they scanned their surroundings with sharp eyes.
Shuo didn't move. He even leaned back a little farther to get more comfortable in the shade, then raised a hand and waved casually at the three Iwagakure ninja, who looked ready for a major confrontation.
"Don't be so nervous..." he drawled. "I'm just... passing through while recovering from my injuries. Carry on. Don't mind me."
The three Iwagakure ninja froze for a moment and exchanged looks, clearly not expecting this reaction. A wounded soldier? And this calm?
The leader's gaze turned vicious. "Kill him! No witnesses!"
All three moved at once, quick and well coordinated, cutting off Shuo's escape routes to the left, right, and front-if they had been facing an ordinary wounded soldier.
Shuo watched the first man rush toward him, estimating the distance. Three meters... two...
He sighed, as though utterly resigned.
Then his seated body barely moved. Only his right leg gave a very fast, unimpressive little "flick" straight ahead, almost like a spasm.
There was no flashy movement. He didn't even stand up.
But the instant his toes flicked forward, that "match head" ignited.
It wasn't a burst of chakra, but a small, concentrated mass of dazzling golden light, about the size of a fist. With a hum, it shot away from his leg! It was absurdly fast, leaving a brief golden streak in the air!
Bang!
A dull impact.
The Iwagakure ninja in front seemed to take a vicious blow to the chest from an invisible sledgehammer. He flew backward faster than he had charged in, slammed into a tree behind him with a crash, and slid down. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
His chest was charred black, wisps of smoke rising from it, and a section of his armor had caved in.
The other two Iwagakure ninja stopped dead, eyes wide as saucers. They looked at their companion, then at Shuo, who was still sitting on the rock with an "I told you not to come over" expression. Their brains struggled to catch up.
What... was that? Ninjutsu? He didn't make any hand seals! Light? A release technique?
Shuo also looked down at his right foot. The tip of his shoe felt a little hot, and the air stirred up by that kick had set his trouser leg fluttering. The power... isn't bad. A bit stronger than the "wild rabbit" level I expected. Probably enough to take down a ninja dog?
The main thing was its speed. It was truly fast. His opponent hadn't been able to react at all.
"You see..." Shuo looked up at the two frightened Iwagakure ninja and spread his hands, his expression utterly innocent. "I told you, I'm recovering... You just had to come disturb someone's rest... Now look at all this trouble~"
[Ding! Defeated one Chunin (off guard) using "Light-Speed Kick." Insufficient "elegance," full marks for "halfheartedness"! Reward: imitation points +10!] [Used a signature tone to deliver a verbal follow-up during combat. Imitation points +5!] [Current imitation points: 70/100!]
The two Iwagakure ninja came to their senses. Their gazes turned savage, but uncertainty and alarm were more prominent. One immediately hurled several kunai with explosive tags attached, while the other rapidly formed hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
An earthen wall rumbled up in front of them, while the kunai shot toward Shuo and the area around him.
Shuo watched the incoming explosive kunai and the rising wall, then curled his lip.
"Here we go again..." he muttered, finally rising slowly from the rock. Dodge the explosion? Exhausting. Tank it? Painful.
His gaze fell on a nearby tree with a trunk about as thick as the mouth of a bowl.
Try that? The "Flash Movement" trial voucher is long gone, but when I unlocked "Light-Speed Kick," my sense of "light particles" seemed to get a tiny bit stronger...
He concentrated. Rather than forming hand seals, he tried to "command" the faint light energy inside his body, imitating the "launching" sensation from that kick, but applying it to his whole body.
The moment he formed the thought, his entire body suddenly "blurred"!
It wasn't the afterimage of a Body Flicker Technique. It was more like his whole body instantly "melted" into a thin golden light fog and swept sideways behind the tree three meters away! The process was extremely brief, so brief that even he only felt a slight "lurch."
The explosive tags detonated where he had been, sending dirt and stones flying. But Shuo was already leaning against the tree trunk, completely unharmed apart from his hair being blown into disarray by the blast.
"Whew..." He caught his breath. This move was even rougher than the embryonic version of "Flash Movement." It didn't consume much, but... it made him dizzy. Like spinning around three times on the spot.
Hearing the explosion, the two Iwagakure ninja behind the earthen wall thought they had succeeded. They had just poked their heads out to check-
When they saw that uncanny wounded Konoha soldier lean halfway out from behind the tree. His face was a little pale, but he had raised a finger and aimed it at them. That tiny, unnerving golden light began gathering unsteadily once more.
"Still want to keep going?"
Shuo's voice carried a little post-exertion weakness, but that infuriating drawl hadn't changed. "My chakra... ah, no, my 'strength'... is running a little low~ If we keep fighting... I might have to clock out early and go lie down... And that... would be very troubling for me~"
As he spoke, the golden light at his fingertip obligingly flickered twice. It looked so weak it might go out the next second, but combined with his ghostlike "disappearance" and the fact that he had knocked their companion unconscious with one kick, it was thoroughly intimidating.
The two Iwagakure ninja looked at their companion's charred chest, then at Shuo, who was clearly weak yet unfathomable. And from the direction of camp, they could hear what sounded like a commotion beginning in response to the explosion...
The leader gritted his teeth. "Retreat!"
Without hesitation, the two hoisted their unconscious companion and disappeared into the depths of the woods in a few bounds, much faster than they had come.
Only once they were completely out of sight did Shuo slide down the tree trunk into a sitting position. Now there really was cold sweat on his forehead.
That "Light-Form Shift," along with the last bit of light he had forced himself to gather, had nearly drained the little energy he had just recovered.
"What a loss..." He wiped away the sweat, muttering, "That little bit of movement... means half a day in bed... This overtime pay... really isn't worth it..."
[Ding! Successfully forced two Chunin to retreat by combining a "weakened state" with "verbal intimidation." Tactical assessment: the perfect combination of extreme laziness and efficient deterrence. Perfectly embodies the template's essence of "handling trouble at minimal cost"! Reward: imitation points +20!] [Current imitation points: 90/100! Requirement to unlock the next-stage ability, "Ama no Murakumo Sword: Phantom": 100 points.]
Ninety!
Shuo looked at the panel. Exhausted as he was, he still felt a little pleased, especially at the assessment of "extreme laziness."
He rested for quite a while before pushing himself up against the tree, brushing the dirt off his backside, and ambling unsteadily toward camp.
After a few steps, he stopped again, looked back at the site of the fight(?), and shook his head.
"Looks like... I need to be picky about where I recover, too..."
"Next time... I'll have to find a quieter 'slacking-off spot'..."
With his hands behind his back, he slowly melted back into the bustle of camp. From behind, he looked as though nothing had happened.
Except for the tip of his shoe, which still smelled faintly scorched.
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