Early the next morning, at the training ground.
"Kirisame Ryo" The instructor, as usual, leaned against the wall and stared indifferently at the children fighting on the field.
His eyes were still numb, and the scars on his face were still hideous.
Everything seems to be no different from yesterday.
However, deep in his empty eyes, there is a trace of interesting playfulness and a sense of absolute control that regards all living beings as pawns.
"Well, the quality of this batch of 'raw materials' is indeed not very good, and the defective rate is a bit high."
Senju Chen was thinking silently in his heart.
"But it doesn't matter. After careful processing, waste materials can also be turned into treasures."
His eyes swept across the field, like an experienced talent scout, examining the "potential" of each child.
The burly boy who was the most ruthless? Well, he was decisive enough and a good prospect, but he was not very bright and was suitable for being cannon fodder in the charge.
That little girl shivering in the corner, but holding on to Kunai, with eyes full of hatred? Oh? It's interesting. She has a strong desire to live and hate. If you train her, she will be a good poisonous blade.
And that kid... who can always make the best judgment subconsciously when dodging, and who can always survive despite being embarrassed? He has a good talent, and he is a "potential stock" worth cultivating.
Senju Chen's mouth, against the backdrop of the ferocious scar, evoked an extremely subtle yet chilling arc.
He cleared his throat and spoke slowly in Kirisame Ryo's unique hoarse voice.
The sound was not loud, but it spread clearly throughout the entire training ground.
"Okay, everyone, stop."
The children who were fighting were stunned when they heard this. They stopped their movements and looked at the devil instructor who seemed to be a little "abnormal" today with confusion and fear.
"Starting from today, the training content will be changed."
Senju Chen (Kirisame Ryo) slowly straightened up, walked to the center of the training ground, and looked around at this group of "reserve killers" whose average age was less than ten years old.
"Your previous training, in my opinion, is a piece of shit."
He said unceremoniously, with unquestionable majesty in his voice.
"A group of brainless idiots stabbing each other with knives to see who will die faster? Is this what Kirigakure taught you?"
The children were as silent as a cicada and dared not speak out.
Senju Chen is very satisfied with this effect. The first step he needs to do is to completely overturn everything they have learned in the past and shatter their poor cognition.
"Listen, from now on, I will personally teach you some... really useful things."
He paused, and his pair of cloudy eyes belonging to Kirisame Ryo shone with a devilish brilliance.
"Lesson 1: How to betray gracefully, carry out an efficient sneak attack, and... after killing your companion, how to dispose of the body without leaving a trace and pass the blame to others."
"Okay, now, welcome to the real hell."
Food Is Heaven Restaurant, the small courtyard behind.
In the air here, there is only sweat, Chakra's burning sensation after intense consumption, and the girl's suppressed breathing.
Three days, three whole days.
It has been three full days since I escaped from that nightmare night.
Mei Terumi feels like a puppet whose soul has been hollowed out. The only thing that supports her actions every day is the sentence "When I get back, I will break your legs."
In the past three days, there was no venomous tongue from that bastard uncle, no stick that would hit her at any time, and no cold eyes that looked at her like she was a piece of trash.
The shopkeeper and the waiters in the restaurant treated her with great respect. The three meals a day were as exquisite as works of art, but they tasted like nothing in her mouth.
As time Tenten passed, Mei Terumi's heart gradually sank to the bottom little by little.
She didn't dare to think about the worst outcome, so she could only use almost masochistic training to numb herself.
Once she stopped, the man's back blocking everything for her would occupy her mind like a ghost.
Could it be that he has...
No! Impossible!
"Huh... huh..."
Mei Terumi Hand Seals her hands, her chest heaved violently, and a cloud of highly concentrated acidic mist spurted out from her mouth, instantly corroding a half-person-high rock in front of her with holes, making a harsh "sizzling" sound.
"No! The concentration is not enough! The speed is too slow!"
The dead face and harsh words of Gonbei echoed in my mind.
"Is this so powerful? It's not even strong enough to give Toad a bath."
"Hand Seals is slower than a turtle crawling. By the time you release Ninjutsu, the grass on the grave will be three feet high."
Damn bastard...
When will you come back...
Mei Terumi's eyes turned red uncontrollably again, but she held back the tears forcefully.
But what's the use of crying? What that man despises most is tears!
She gritted her teeth and was about to squeeze out the last bit of Chakra in her body and try it again, when a waiter's questioning voice came from the door of the hospital.
"Miss, this child is at the door of the store. He said that Gonbei asked him to come. The boss asked me to bring him to you."
The three words "Gonbei", like a thunder, exploded in Mei Terumi's mind!
She turned around suddenly, and her green eyes, which looked dim due to exhaustion and despair, suddenly burst into frightening light at this moment!
She saw a boy who looked several years younger than her standing at the entrance of the courtyard.
The young man had a little baby fat on his face, carried a long knife tightly wrapped in bandages, and was covered in dust. He was looking at her nervously, and he was holding a familiar wooden sign tightly in his hand.
That's the guest room card of Food Is Heaven!
"Who did you say asked you to come?!"
Mei Terumi's figure flashed, appearing in front of the young man almost like Body Flicker Technique, and grabbed his collar.
Because of her excitement, her voice was trembling, and her eyes were so fierce that she looked like she wanted to eat someone.
"Quan...Gonbei... Teacher..."
When the waiter saw this, he quickly exited the small courtyard.
Chōjūrō was so frightened by Mei Terumi's appearance that he stuttered when speaking and his body shook like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.
He was just a kid cutting wood piles in the village. Where had he seen such a battle? The ridiculously beautiful sister in front of him was even more terrifying than the most ferocious Anbu in the village!
"He's still alive?! He's really still alive!"
The moment she received the confirmation, a huge wave of ecstasy overwhelmed Mei Terumi's nerves that had been tense for three days, making her almost unsteady.
But then, endless grievances and anger came up again.
That bastard! Bastard!
I'm worried to death here, but it's a good thing that he still has time to recruit disciples outside?! He doesn't even have a message for himself!
"Where is he?!" Mei Terumi stared at Chōjūrō and asked through gritted teeth, "What did he tell you? Tell me every word!"
Chōjūrō was so stared at by her that he didn't dare to hide anything. He tremblingly told the story of how Gonbei showed up that night, how he handed him the wooden sign, and how he asked him to come to Capital of Water to find Food Is Heaven.
After listening, Mei Terumi let go of his hand and looked at the boy who was a head shorter than himself with complicated eyes.
It turns out... that's it.
That man, in that situation, was still worried about these innocent children.
As long as he's alive, it's good that he's still alive...
After Mei Terumi learned the news, the tears in her eyes finally couldn't help but flow out, but she wiped them away in an instant.
After Mei Terumi wiped away his tears, he turned to look at the young man named Chōjūrō in front of him, and suddenly felt that his nervous face didn't seem so annoying anymore.
This boy was the man who sent... the "news"?
He asked this boy to come here because he wanted to tell himself that he was still alive.
"Okay, I get it."
Mei Terumi took a deep breath, restrained all the outward emotions, and once again regained the coolness that belonged to the genius girl.
She looked Chōjūrō up and down, especially staying on the knife wrapped in a bandage behind his back for two seconds.
"You want to become stronger, right?" she asked.
"Yeah!" Chōjūrō nodded vigorously, his eyes full of desire for power.
"Very good."
The corner of Mei Terumi's mouth evoked a chilling arc that was exactly the same as Gonbei's three days ago.
She pointed to the rock in the yard that she had eroded into disgrace, and then pointed to a row of heavy sandbags next to it.
"Since uncle sent you here, from today on, you are my 'junior brother'."
"The training content is very simple."
Mei Terumi's smile became "kind", which made Chōjūrō's heart tremble.
"Whatever I do, you do. When I rest, you can rest."
"Oh, that's right." Mei Terumi seemed to have remembered something and added, with a light called "involution" shining in his green eyes.
"If you can't keep up with the progress, or you dare to be lazy..."
"I'll break your legs."