Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 22: The Correct Use Of The Bond System?

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Bang!

The wooden door exploded, and the thugs who were drinking and playing cards in the house looked at the door in astonishment.

When the dust settled, a small figure walked in with a sword that was not much shorter than him.

"Hello, my name is Ervin, and I am here to see you off," Ervin said, showing a child's innocent smile.

"But before you die, can you tell me your name? It can be regarded as my free hospice care."

The room fell into a brief silence, and then there was a burst of laughter.

A strong man stepped forward a few steps, laughing so hard that he nearly fell backward. "Where did this ninja doll come from? He actually wants to kill people. I am standing right here. Do you dare to stab me?"

"Little brat, have you even seen blood? Go back quickly!"

If it had been an adult ninja, this strong man definitely wouldn't have been so arrogant, but a child of six or seven years old—even if he was a ninja—what could he possibly do?

"What's your name?" Ervin asked again.

"Laozi Uesugi Taro—"

- Tear!!

The long blade slashed from top to bottom, leaving a red dot on the man's forehead that quickly extended into a blood-red line as his body fell straight backward.

When he hit the ground, his body—or rather, what was left of it—lay in two pieces, with various internal organs scattered all over the ground.

"Tsk."

Ervin frowned instinctively, feeling a little nauseous.

The mental impact of killing wasn't as great as he had imagined, but the physiological reaction was more severe. He suspected he wouldn't be able to eat any dishes involving internal organs for quite some time.

[Host and Uesugi Taro have established a "Life and Death Friendship" bond. The three-stage reward has been issued, granting the Host 0.1 standard units of Genin Chakra and slightly enhancing physical fitness.]

Very good, his guess was right.

Bonds required strong emotions to trigger, so what emotions could be stronger than the burst of life at the moment of death?

"Life and death friendship... very appropriate," Ervin thought.

- I live, he dies. Each of us takes one side—it's really fair.

After a brief moment of shock, the other people in the room grabbed their weapons and charged, shouting furiously.

Although ordinary people were usually afraid of ninjas, with long-term training, their physical fitness wasn't much worse than that of ninjas. Moreover, there were two Chūnin among them.

This group of people subconsciously attributed Taro's death to Ervin's sneak attack and the quality of his weapon, so they weren't afraid at all.

Facing the returning long sword, Ervin didn't need any special skills—he simply confronted them head-on.

- Ding!

The enemy's weapon shattered with a crisp sound, and then his legs were swiftly cut off.

Outside the room, Owl quietly listened to the screams coming from within, his expression completely unmoved.

The only thing that struck him as odd was Ervin's peculiar habit—demanding to know his enemies' names before killing them. If they refused, he wouldn't grant them a quick death but would torture them instead.

---

Three minutes later, Ervin walked out of the door without a single drop of blood on him.

The screams and wails inside the room had completely disappeared.

"Ervin-sama, are you all right?" Owl asked softly.

"It's not as bad as I thought before," Ervin replied, shaking his head slightly. "But I still need to hone my skills and adapt completely."

"That's good," Owl nodded slightly. "Danzo -sama has prepared sufficient resources for you. If you don't need to rest, we can go to the next location soon."

"Let's go."

The young man sheathed his long sword and took a deep breath. "I don't want to waste any time."

"Please wait a moment, we still need to recover assets."

The subordinates behind Owl moved. The members of the Root were not only skilled at killing but also excelled at raiding houses.

In less than ten minutes, all the cash, gold, silver, jewelry, house deeds, and other valuable materials in the mansion were gathered.

Ervin looked at the pile of bills and passbooks curiously, flipping them open and examining them as he exclaimed, "Quite rich..."

The local boss in the village had 20 million in deposits, almost catching up with Asuma, and this didn't even include the land deeds and fields. The total value was definitely more than 30 million.

- Hmm?

As he turned to a particular note, Ervin stopped flipping.

[IOU: I, Princess Tsunade, borrowed 8 million due to a shortage of gambling funds and promised to repay it before January 1, the 54th year of Konoha. If the repayment date is exceeded, the monthly interest will increase by 1%.]

The boy showed a strange smile.

Tsunade's IOU...

Folding the note in half, Ervin collected it and sealed 3 million in cash into the storage scroll.

"These things belong to me. You can deal with the rest."

Owl remained silent. Although he was nominally the leader of this team, Ervin's authority in the Root was second only to Danzo. Owl would not disobey Ervin's orders and would only report the situation truthfully.

---

In the following days, Ervin was either killing people or traveling to kill people.

He killed people from the west of the Land of Fire to the north, and then returned to the capital from the north.

His targets included ordinary ruffians, groups of robbers and bandits, and even nobles from the Land of Fire.

While the Kusanagi sword became stained with blood, Ervin also grew rapidly.

This growth was not in strength but in character.

He could not kill innocent people indiscriminately, but when facing an enemy, he could be merciless regardless of the opponent's age or identity.

Finally, after dealing with a real estate businessman who built a secret base for Danzo but constructed a shoddy project, Owl terminated the training.

"Ervin-sama character is no problem. Next, we will move on to poisons and traps, which will be the responsibility of the captain of the first team."

"Is it over?" The boy had a bright smile on his face, and it was impossible to tell that this good-looking boy had stained his palms with the blood of hundreds of people in just one month.

"Speaking of which," Ervin said, taking a handkerchief and slowly wiping his palm, "We've known each other for so long, but I still don't know what your real name is."

Owl's voice, devoid of emotion, replied, "The ninjas of the Root only need code names, not names."

Ervin curled his lips. "I am ordering you, as a superior, to tell me."

After a long pause, Owl reluctantly spoke. "Paisa, Paisa Ramro."