Ryuji's bloodthirsty aura intensified, and Tenten, who had been kneeling before him, felt that chilling, deadly pressure and fell backward, unable to bear it.
Even though they were teammates, she trembled with fear under the weight of Ryuji's killing intent. The four enemy ninjas, visibly shaken, took a few steps back.
"Don't be afraid, guys. This kid is only --- years old. Can't we defeat him together?" one of the ninjas said, attempting to gather courage.
The others nodded.
"Yeah, he's just a kid."
"Haven't we fought tougher opponents?"
"Exactly! Let's finish him off right now!"
"Finish off whom?" said a voice suddenly next to them. Before the four could react, Ryuji appeared beside one of them like a ghost. With White Fang in hand, he pressed it directly against the opponent's chin.
"How… how can he be this fast?" the ninja gasped, terror lacing his voice as he looked at Ryuji in disbelief.
"Fast? I'm still too slow," Ryuji replied calmly, and in a flash, blood splattered from the ninja's neck, painting the scene red.
The remaining three fell silent, stunned. Although the attack had caught him off guard, Ryuji's speed was remarkable, seeming even faster than any of them. Still, the remaining three were undeterred—they were seasoned ANBU members who had survived countless dangerous missions. Ryuji was only quicker; with the right precautions, they could handle him. Their only concern now was if he tried to escape—next time, capturing him would be far harder.
The three ninjas exchanged glances and spread out strategically. Ryuji gripped the White Fang, ready for whatever came next, but he was struck by an even fiercer surge of murderous intent. In front of him, the three ninjas were positioned, each holding one of his friends hostage: one with his foot on Neji's head, another gripping Rock Lee by the neck, lifting him, and the third dragging Tenten up mercilessly by her hair.
"Kid, no matter how fast you are, do you think you can save all three of them at once?" taunted one of the ninjas. A cold bead of sweat trickled down Ryuji's forehead. Rage seethed in his heart, but he had to admit the ninja was right—no matter how quick, he couldn't save all three at the same time.
"Give yourself up, kid. Swallow this pill, and I'll let the three of them go. I promise we'll only take you," said the ninja, tossing a burning red pill toward Ryuji.
Although Ryuji wasn't certain what the pill would do, it was nothing good.
"Ryuji-kun, don't take it! Run to Guy-sensei!" Tenten shouted, though the pain from having her hair yanked made her voice tremble. The ninjas didn't bother to silence her; they watched Ryuji with amused expressions, understanding human nature well. If Tenten hadn't yelled, maybe Ryuji would've fled, but her cry would have held him there. They only needed to wait patiently now.
"You can choose not to take it, but then make a choice: save your girlfriend or one of the brothers?" one ninja insisted.
Ryuji looked around; all three begged him to escape. He shook his head helplessly and took the pill.
"Like I could ever leave you all behind. I swear, none of you will be left here."
[Ding Dong! Neji Hyuga's favorability has increased by three points. Favorability is now eighty-four.]
[Ding Dong! Rock Lee's favorability has increased by four points. Favorability is now seventy-two.]
[Ding Dong! Tenten's favorability has increased by four points. Favorability is now seventy-three.]
This was Ryuji's last chance to try saving someone; if nothing useful appeared, he'd have to resign himself to his fate.
"Sign in! Rock Lee and Tenten!"
[Ding Dong! Rock Lee has successfully registered! You have acquired the Art of the Shuriken. Three favorability points have been added. You now have seventy-five favorability points.]
[Ding Dong! Since you've already acquired the Shuriken Jutsu, the lower-level techniques have converted into experience for the higher level.]
[Ding Dong! Tenten has successfully registered! You have acquired the Instantaneous Body Technique. Three favorability points have been added. You now have seventy-six favorability points.]
[Ding Dong! Since you've acquired the Instantaneous Body Jutsu, lower-level techniques convert into experience and add to the higher level.]
Although they were only low-level jutsu, the experience accumulated, and the effects of each technique improved continuously.
The Instantaneous Body Jutsu, in particular, had reached a terrifying level.
Even though he hadn't yet obtained a key Ninjutsu, with the improvement of these two jutsu, Ryuji began to devise a strategy.
"Hey, kid, you still haven't taken the pill!" the ninja shouted anxiously.
Ryuji stopped his hand; the pill was less than two centimeters from his mouth.
"Is it right if I want to try to save them?" Ryuji asked.
The three ninjas immediately grew serious, moving their lethal weapons a bit closer to their hostages.
"Don't try anything funny. The slightest mistake, and we'll kill at least one of them, maybe more. Want to try it?" the ninja said smugly.
"Yes!" Ryuji responded, suddenly pulling a kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
He then threw it toward the ninja who was holding Tenten by the hair.
The ninja tried to block it, but realized that Ryuji's kunai was far from reaching him and posed no real threat.
"Hey, kid, where are you aiming with that thing?" the ninja laughed mockingly.
Ryuji didn't flinch and threw every kunai he had in his pouch, one after another, each throwing faster than the last.
Without exception, none of the weapons hit, and soon, all of Ryuji's kunai were flying in different directions, filling the air with metallic sounds.
"Kid, better work on your aim in the next life!" the ninja sneered, raising his weapon to attack Tenten.
"Hurry up and take the pill, or I'll completely ruin your little girlfriend's face!"
"Ryuji, run! If there's a life after this, I hope we can practice Shuriken Jutsu together," Tenten shouted.
Ryuji gave a slight smile and said, "You don't need to go to the afterlife. We'll be able to train together afterward."
Right after Ryuji finished speaking, he looked behind him and exclaimed excitedly, "Guy-sensei, you're finally here!"
The three ninjas laughed incredulously.
"Are you trying to fool us with such a childish tactic? Do you think we're three-year-olds...?"
In the middle of his mockery, the ninja suddenly felt a gust of wind behind him, and before he could react, a cold, piercing sensation ran through him.
It was a feeling he knew well—a kunai had stabbed him.
Instinctively, the ninja loosened his grip on Tenten, who, trembling, seized the opportunity to break free.
The other two ninjas immediately turned to see what was happening.
"Is Guy here?"
"We've been tricked! Watch out!"
"Too late!"
The corner of Ryuji's lips curled into a slight smile as he quickly slid over to Rock Lee's position, pushing him out of harm's way.
Then, he turned to the third ninja and directly executed the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm technique.
In an instant, all three hostages were rescued.
"I told you I wasn't going to leave anyone behind!"
(Note: You might wonder why he received different rewards from those initially shown when he logged into each character, but that's not the case; he received the specified reward the first time and continues to receive small boosts in "basic" jutsu like the Instantaneous Body Jutsu. Although small, these boosts make him a master in these techniques over time.)
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