Chapter 118: Flying Thunder God Technique
All the giant children were terrified when they heard the cultist's threat. They weren't sure about being "blown to pieces," but they were absolutely certain about being "blown to death."
The deafening wails subsided into muffled sobs and whimpers. All the children tightly pressed their lips together, trying not to cry out loud, but hot tears still streamed down their faces, splashing onto the filthy stone floor.
"That's better!" the cultist sneered, his voice echoing in the damp, quiet prison.
"Alright! First, starve these little brats for 3 days. That will teach them how to behave. After that, we'll properly train them. These giant children are excellent, durable slaves."
"Yes, Master!" a nearby troll guard grunted in broken human language.
Soon, the man in the black robe turned and left the dungeon, his footsteps fading up the stone steps, leaving the children in the oppressive, cold darkness.
For a long moment, the only sound was quiet sniffling. Then, many children dared to cry softly again. They were just children, after all, and had never experienced anything so terrifying.
Buli, wiping his own tears, bravely stepped forward to the bars of his cage. "Everyone, don't cry. My mom will definitely come to save us."
A child in the next cage, who looked about a year older than Buli, said with a despairing expression, "How can she save us? Do you know where this is? This is the underground of the Troll Kingdom's palace. It's a city our Elbaf Kingdom hasn't been able to conquer for hundreds of years. We're finished."
This child was among the first group to be lured here. At first, he also believed his parents would definitely come to rescue him. But gradually, several months passed without any sign, and coupled with the daily brainwashing from those cultists, he felt his parents had completely given up on him.
"No! My mom will definitely come!" Buli insisted, his voice cracking.
"Yeah! My dad is super powerful! He's a Captain!" another boy yelled.
"My dad is even a General!" a third one chimed in, puffing out his chest.
A different giant child, huddled in the corner, asked in a quavering voice, "Is... is this really the Troll Capital? I heard my parents say that Trolls love to eat giant children. They're... they're not going to eat us, are they?"
This sent a new wave of panic through the group.
Another giant child next to him said, "No, but it's not much better. Didn't you hear him say he's going to make us slaves? I heard that in the outside world, slaves have endless work every day, and they're constantly beaten or scolded. Masters will beat slaves when they're unhappy, beat slaves when they're happy, and beat slaves when there's nothing else to do. And... and they don't even give slaves enough to eat!"
"Really? The outside world is too scary!"
A chubby giant child, who had been quiet until now, suddenly wailed, "Getting beaten is fine, but not getting enough to eat is not!"
"And working! I don't like working, I only like to play!"
"What about clothes?" a little giant girl asked. "If I work hard, will they buy me nice clothes to wear?"
Ren, still hidden in Buli's pocket, couldn't help but twitch his lips. He really admired the way these little brats' minds worked. Were they already fantasizing about the terms of their inhuman slave life?
'But... I'm not going to let you live such a hard life.'
"Buli!" Ren's voice, barely a whisper, rang out.
Buli froze. He felt as if he had heard Big Brother Ren's voice, but it was impossible.
"Don't make a sound. It's me, your Big Brother Ren. I'm in your pocket right now."
When Buli heard this, his eyes went wide. He quickly looked down at the cloth pouch on his stomach. Sure enough, peeking out from the folds, he saw Ren's face. His eyes immediately lit up with a surprised, ecstatic expression.
"Shhh~!" Ren raised an index finger to his lips, signaling Buli not to make a sound.
Buli immediately obeyed, his whole body trembling with excitement. He stifled a gasp and quickly shuffled over to a secluded, dark corner of his cage, turning his back on the other children.
"Big Brother Ren," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "How are you in my pouch?"
"I got into your pouch when you were being lured away," Ren whispered back. "I'm here to rescue you all."
Buli's eyes lit up when he heard this. He had seen Ren use magic and knew that Ren was a very capable person.
"Big Brother Ren, do you need me to do anything?" Buli asked, his fear completely replaced by adventurous excitement.
"Hmm, in a moment, go tell everyone to be quiet. No matter what they see, they must not make a sound, and they must not be afraid. I'll send you all out of here very soon."
"Okay!" Buli nodded vigorously.
Ren took a deep breath. His Ulquiorra form was perfect for infiltration, but its mass-extraction ability, Garganta, was slow to open and very conspicuous. He needed something faster. Something precise.
"Release." Ren mentally commanded, ending the Take Over. The cold, hollow spiritual pressure of Ulquiorra faded, replaced by his own human magic. He then focused his mind on a new, brilliant power.
"Full Reception · Minato Namikaze!"
Ren's form began to change inside Buli's pocket.
Buli, peering down, watched in silent awe. The dark-winged, demonic form he had glimpsed on the way here dissolved. The man's black hair began to shorten and turned a bright, sunny yellow. His cold green eyes melted into a warm, piercing blue.
Then came the clothes: a blue ninja uniform, a green flak jacket—a Jonin vest from Konoha village—blue pants, and finally, a magnificent white Hokage robe with the words 'Fourth Hokage' written vertically on the back, adorned with red flame patterns.
[Akarin's Note: Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, is a legendary ninja from the anime/manga series 'Naruto'. He is renowned for his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique.]
Buli had seen Ren transform into Ace, the man of fire. Now he saw Ren transform into this new person. If this weren't a prison, he would have truly cheered. He quickly covered his mouth to avoid making a sound and drawing attention.
His small eyes scanned the surroundings. Finding no one looking their way, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Buli, after I leave, go notify everyone, but tell them not to make a sound," Ren (Minato) said, his voice now calm and confident. "If the other side discovers us, we won't be able to escape."
"Mm-hmm!" The little guy nodded seriously.
Ren glanced through the bars and noticed a Black Magic Cult guard loitering near the corner, just out of sight of the main entrance.
"You're the one!"
Whoosh—!
Ren's hand blurred. A unique, three-pronged kunai with a Flying Thunder God Technique mark on the handle shot through the air.
The kunai had just flown past the guard's side, mere centimeters away from hitting him. The guard, hearing the faint whiz, began to turn his head.
Swish!
In less than the blink of an eye, Ren's figure instantly vanished from Buli's pocket and appeared beside the guard in a silent yellow flash.
The next moment, Ren grabbed the stunned guard's shoulder and disappeared again, leaving only the special kunai stuck in the ground where he had been.
"So cool—!!!"
Buli was completely stunned by this. He had already found it cool when Ren transformed into Ace and used his giant fire fist. But just now, Ren threw a kunai, then instantly appeared and instantly disappeared. As a giant child, he had never seen such a cool and dashing magic.
This was the Flying Thunder God Technique!
[Akarin's Note: The Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu) is a Space-Time Ninjutsu from 'Naruto'. It allows the user to teleport instantly to any location marked with their special seal.]
It was a space-time ninjutsu created by the 2nd Hokage and fully developed by the 4th Hokage.
It could be said that this is the coolest ninjutsu in the Naruto world, if not the coolest. Even among all anime, the coolness of the Flying Thunder God Technique is definitely within the top 3.
Ever since Ren saw this ninjutsu, he completely fell in love with the character Minato Namikaze.
He's handsome, has a good personality, is responsible, and strong. He can be said to be the most perfect character in Naruto, practically cut from the same cloth as him.
Some people say that Minato Namikaze caused his son, Naruto, to live in pain from a young age, but Ren always wanted to say that it wasn't his problem, but the 3rd Hokage's fault.
Whoosh—!
Ren appeared directly outside the Troll City walls with the Black Magic Cult member, landing in a dark, secluded patch of wasteland.
"Who—?! What?! Where—?!"
The Black Magic Cult member finally reacted, his mind completely unable to process how he had gone from a dark, underground prison to the open, moonlit air in an instant.
Pfft!
He didn't get to ask another question. Ren, with inhuman speed, plunged one of his special kunai deep into the guard's thigh.
"Ugh ah ah ah!"
The Black Magic Cult member let out a piercing, painful scream.
At this moment, a voice—so cold it seemed to freeze the air, despite its warm tone—rang out:
"Shut up!"
The Black Magic Cult member immediately choked off his scream. He looked up and saw a man with yellow hair and blue eyes, looking very sunny and handsome, standing in front of him with a calm, almost pleasant smile.
"I ask, you answer," Ren said, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners as if he were sharing a friendly joke. "Once I find you lying, I'll stab you. Don't worry, I'm super familiar with human anatomy. I'll avoid all vital points, making you unable to live or die. Understand?"
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