Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 17 Chance Encounter
early morning.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting rainbow-like halos. The lingering mist filling the forest echoes the rainbow lights, creating a mesmerizing, otherworldly scene.

Shin-chan, Ayane, and the others had finished washing up and getting ready, while Karin Tongshan was helping Karin tidy up the tent.

"Ah~ha!"

Gray Glass yawned as she crawled out of the tent, clearly having had a very poor sleep.

Last night, in her quest to find the balance between power, speed, and mass, she experimented until the early hours of the morning before finally falling asleep.

The results were also very encouraging.

Although she hasn't found the exact equilibrium point yet, she has found a general range.

It's like an archery competition. Although her arrow didn't hit the center, it still managed to hit the bullseye, which is a huge improvement.

At the same time, she also took advantage of the unique properties of the Corpse Bone Vein, which allowed it to move at will and be as hard as steel.

By stabilizing the connections between bones, the kinetic chain for transmitting force when muscles are engaged in any physical movement becomes more complete, greatly improving load-bearing capacity.

According to Hui Li's brain test, her combat power is conservatively estimated to be at least twice as strong as before.

Currently, Hui Li considers her current body to be the Perfect Battle Body 1.0 version, with the possibility of further upgrades later.

"Did Hui Li not sleep well last night?"

Tongshan Huali rolled up the tent and carried it on her back. Seeing Huili yawning repeatedly, she couldn't help but ask.

In the ninja world, there is no such thing as men doing manual labor and women enjoying pleasure. As the medical ninja with the lowest combat strength in the team, it is only natural for Copper Mountain Karin to protect the safety of her clients and bear some of the burden to lighten the load for the combatants.

"Yeah, it's alright. Maybe I'm just excited because I'm going home soon!"

"Hehe. We still have two days' journey to Peichuan Port, and from there it will take another seven or eight days to take a boat to the port of the Land of Fire, and then it will be a long time before we reach Tansaku Street!"

Shin Okimura counted on his fingers, his excitement at the imminent arrival in the Land of Fire palpable.

I also long for the rosewood from Tongshan.

"What is the Land of Fire, the most powerful and prosperous ninja country in the world, like? Will I happen to meet my idol, Lady Tsunade, in the Land of Fire?"

"Don't dream about it, Karin. Tanabata is a famous red-light district and a gambling den. How could your medical expert possibly go there?"

"Yes."

Oma and Shin Okimura reached an agreement, a rare occurrence.

With the flame in her heart ruthlessly extinguished, Karin lowered her head, her two long flaxen braids hanging limply.

Hui Li remained silent in the face of the crowd's discussion.

If Karin Tongshan knew that the Tsunade-sama she admired was a gambling addict, she would be even more heartbroken than she is now!

I really hope she never sees Tsunade in her life.

"By the way, where is Teacher Li Zhen?"

Tongshan Huali's emotions came and went quickly; she raised her head to seek the truth.

"She went to retrieve the traps she set last night."

How long have you been gone?

Yangzhen's casual question was met with silence, and the group exchanged glances, their expressions instantly turning serious.

……

Kuryu Mari held the kunai and carefully removed the straight steel wire stretched between the branches.

Boom!
The extremely resilient branches, bound and bent, sprang forward, lashing towards her beautiful cheeks like steel whips.

Quickly retreat to avoid the attack.

The branches, carrying a strong wind, whistled past, their tips whipping through the air with a sharp, piercing sound, like swords cutting through the air.

Kuryu Mari's azure eyes warily scanned the surrounding dense forest, as if an enemy might appear at any moment.

This trap was originally intended to launch kunai, but she anticipated it and removed the kunai from the wire. Even so, the trap's power was still astonishing. Without the deadly threat of the kunai, the incredibly strong branches were still enough to give any enemy who accidentally stepped on them a good beating.

This morning, while retrieving her traps, she unexpectedly discovered that there were other people's traps not far from where she had set them.

The person who set the trap was no ordinary person.

Kurio Mari made the judgment.

Judging from the power and concealment of the traps, the shrewd angles and techniques, and the textbook-perfect use of vegetation for cover, this person was undoubtedly a battle-hardened elite ninja. Furthermore, Kuryu Mari vaguely felt that some of the techniques were extremely familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

Right, it seems to be a technique used by the Dark Division.

Could it be my brothers?

So lucky!
Thinking of this, a look of joy flashed in Kurio Mari's eyes. She carefully searched for the hidden traps in the woods but did not dismantle them. Warning traps generally have a fixed pattern: the trap itself will not be too far away from the person who set it.

Otherwise, the trap setter will not receive the warning signal.

Soon, based on the location of the trap, Kuryu Mari roughly determined the area where the target was located and sneaked into it.

Surprisingly, the secret service she thought of didn't exist.

Mari Kuryu was hiding in the woods, carefully observing a clearing in the middle of the dense forest. She saw a girl dressed in linen clothes putting out a fire.

The girl had fair skin and was exceptionally beautiful.

The palm hovers in mid-air and presses down slightly.

The flickering flames in the fire instantly died down under his touch. A look of surprise flashed across Kuryu Mari's eyes, for she actually saw glittering ice crystals in the fire.

She is……

boom!
Before Kuryu Mari could see clearly, a huge black shadow flew towards her in an instant.

A dark shadow whistled past, heading straight for his face.

Kuryu Mari was startled and instinctively ducked to avoid him: "Don't touch me, I'm your captain's sister."

The dark shadow flew overhead, slicing through countless tree branches before finally embedding itself in the trunk.

Only then did she see the true face of the dark figure.

The object stuck in the tree was a huge cleaver, its blade as wide as a door panel, with crescent-shaped indentations on the edge.

As a ninja from Kirigakure.

Kuryu Mari recognized the sword's name and abilities at a glance: the Broken Blade, the Executioner's Blade, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It is enormous and can absorb iron from the blood of its enemies, allowing it to repair itself and recover its strength by drawing blood from them; therefore, it is considered an unbreakable sword.

And the current user of this ninja sword is...

"Scraps from the Dark Bureau?"

Without a sound, a phantom suddenly appeared overhead, enveloping Kuryu Mari.

She looked up as if she sensed something.

The treetops overhead.

The bandaged demon stood atop the peak, tilting its head and looking down at her with cold eyes. In a daze, she felt like an ant under its feet, about to be crushed to death at any moment.

Kimito Momochi Zabuza.

The villain who killed all his classmates during the ninja academy graduation exam, causing the Kirigakure leadership to change their policies.

He later became an elite Jonin and even managed to assassinate the Mizukage unscathed, earning him the title of S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure. He was then hunted down by Kirigakure's Anbu for several years.

Silently, the mist in the air grew thicker and more viscous until no one could be seen anymore.

An invisible killing intent, emanating a nauseating stench, buried Kuryu Mari.

Kuryu Mari awkwardly licked her dry lower lip, swallowing back the title of "brother".

I'm having a bit of bad luck.

(End of this chapter)