Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

Water surged violently halfway up the mountain while flames roared skyward at its base.

Aozora couldn't help but quicken his pace, eager to get away from this trouble spot.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. A whistling sound of a kunai slicing through air reached his ears.

As an expert kunai thrower, locating sounds was one of Aozora's strong points. He instinctively rolled right.

"Shoo!"

Sure enough, the next instant saw a kunai flying past from his left.

At the same time, Aozora flicked his wrist backward, sending several shuriken flying toward his attacker.

"Pfah! Pfah! Pfah! Pfah!"

The pursuing Kumo ninja easily batted away Aozora's shuriken, simultaneously revealing his position.

"Not bad, you've got some skill!"

Ishida remarked calmly. "What else do you have?"

When Aozora saw this opponent, he instantly knew he wasn't facing just any low-level or mid-level Genin from Hidden Cloud.

Luckily, the enemy seemed somewhat arrogant and careless.

Although he might not necessarily lose in a head-on fight against this ninja, Aozora had no intention of engaging in an intense full-power battle here in this wilderness.

His mind raced, and he quickly formulated a plan.

Trying to look nervous, Aozora raised a kunai and called out, "Stay back! I'm not bad with these things!"

Seeing Aozora bluffing, Ishida inwardly scoffed, leisurely approaching.

"Oh? How good could it be?"

As he spoke, he quickly formed hand seals with both hands, eyes fixed firmly on Aozora. Years of experience had prepared him mentally for any counterattack Aozora might launch.

Seeing no opportunity, Aozora immediately turned around and used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.

This sudden retreat almost made Ishida gasp in frustration.

After calming down the chakra that had gone out of control due to interrupting the jutsu, Ishida quickly pursued Aozora.

"Heh, I thought I ran into a wild boar bold enough to take on a tiger, but looks like you're just a scared little mouse."

Though Aozora's display of speed impressed him momentarily, Ishida looked down upon this young ninja who dared not even engage in a brief test of strength.

While chasing, Ishida constantly undermined his opponent's morale with words.

"Don't waste your energy; you can't escape my grasp."

Upon hearing this, Aozora pretended to slip, staggering slightly before dodging incoming shuriken and continuing his dash forward, then flinging another kunai backward.

Aozora hadn't deliberately held back; his speed and accuracy remained consistent with his usual standards.

However, without chakra reinforcement and without utilizing the Yu Qi method to change trajectory, these kunai were merely somewhat threatening to a Jonin.

Easily deflecting Aozora's precise kunai, Ishida mused, "So this fool actually showed all his cards?"

After chasing for another while, Aozora feigned exhaustion, his speed gradually slowing down as his thrown kunai became weaker.

Ishida steadily followed behind. "No energy left yet?"

"Is Shibi Aburame out of his mind? Bringing a useless brat on a rescue mission. Does he plan to use you as expendable bait?"

Aozora hesitated ever so slightly before continuing his escape.

This momentary hesitation was unmistakably obvious to a Jonin like Ishida, who took note.

Formulating a new strategy, Ishida aimed his shuriken not at vital areas like the heart or throat, but rather at Aozora's arms and legs.

Aozora figured it out. After taking three kunai from his opponent, he leaped backward and turned to face Ishida.

Supporting his injured right arm with his left hand, Aozora gripped a kunai upside down in his right, eyes flickering as he stared at Ishida.

Ishida approached slowly, releasing an overwhelming killing intent as he spoke, "Stop resisting pointlessly! Surrender quietly, and I'll make your death quick."

This pales next to Fugaku's!

Internally mocking, Aozora's face turned pale, his body trembling involuntarily.

The kunai slipped from his hand as he raised both arms. "Master," he cried, "I don't want to die! I surrender!"

"Hmph!" Ishida scoffed coldly, mocking, "So this is Konoha's Genin? The war hasn't even ended long ago, yet they've already lost all their spirit."

With a trembling voice, Aozora replied, "Mr. Kumo ninja, I really don't want to die—I still need to inherit my father's vast fortune!

Shibi has disliked me for a while already—just because I hate bugs! Making me do exhausting menial labor was bad enough, but now he's actually sent me here to die. This is using official power for personal vendettas."

Looking at Aozora's clean, fair skin, he indeed looked like someone who'd lived a life of ease and luxury.

Though Ishida's expression didn't change, he believed Aozora more now.

Although he despised these cowardly ninjas who valued survival over honor, Ishida wasn't like that muscle-headed swordsman Black Lightning, who only knew how to swing his blade recklessly. He understood the benefits of inserting a spy within Konoha.

He faked a smile and said, "Very good. Those who know how to read the times are real heroes. Everyone has their own aspirations, and being a merchant isn't bad either.

The hypocrites currently in power at Konoha are jealous of talent. Heroes like the White Fang were driven to death. How much less would they care about an ordinary commoner shinobi like you, whom they might simply use as cannon fodder in some future war?"

Aozora nodded furiously as he replied, "Exactly, Master! Life is tough for us commoner shinobi. At the academy, we're bullied by those big clan kids; after graduation, our instructors look down on us too. The only reason I became a ninja was because my father forced me. Otherwise, wouldn't it be so much happier just staying at home, marrying ten wives, having children, and enjoying life?"

Hearing Aozora's words, Ishida completely dropped his guard. He had no patience left for this cowardly little man.

Seeing Aozora with both hands raised high, making it inconvenient for him to perform any jutsu or throw weapons, Ishida finally lowered his defenses entirely, stepping closer as he tried persuading, "Hidden Cloud (Kumo) won't treat you like that. If you listen to me——"

Aozora paid no attention to what Ishida was saying. His full concentration was on the distance between them.

When they were barely ten meters apart, suddenly Aozora opened his mouth wide.

In the next instant, Ishida saw a dragon of fire erupt from Aozora's mouth.

[An unsealed technique?!]

This thought flashed through his mind when he was struck head-on by the scorching fire dragon. The tremendous force and extreme heat instantly wounded him.

Enduring the burning pain, Ishida instinctively used Substitution Jutsu, though all he could see around was flames.

As soon as Aozora decided to use [Dragon Fire Technique], he had already activated his Sharingan.

Under Aozora's two-tomoe Sharingan, Ishida—who desperately tried escaping—stood out clearly like a lone glowing firefly in the night sky.

Given the wide area covered by [Dragon Fire Technique], unless one possessed space-time Ninjutsu abilities, there was absolutely no way to escape immediately from its range.

In the forest beside Lianyun Mountain, Aozora raged like a fire-breathing dragon, scorching the woods with searing dragon's breath and roasting his prey.

The dry summer forest caught fire instantly, flames devouring the entire woodland in seconds.

The crackling of burning trees mingled with Ishida's screams of agony, but Aozora showed not the slightest trace of mercy.

A job worth doing is worth finishing—root and branch.

Who knows how much time had passed. When half the forest had been reduced to ashes and the land was left charred and blackened, Ishida finally collapsed from exhaustion onto the ground.

His burned skin was indistinguishable from the blackened ground—if not for his gleaming white teeth, Aozora wouldn't have recognized him at all.

"You…"

Before Ishida could utter his last words, Aozora delivered a finishing Mercy Kunai, ending both his career as a ninja and his torment.

Isn't that what true mercy really means?

Aozora felt a pang of disappointment as the Heavenly Book remained unchanged.

After the last trace of chakra faded from the corpse, Aozora deactivated his Sharingan and made his way down the trail not far away.

"The Heavenly Book doesn't react—you don't feel evil."

"Unfortunately, we are enemies. I wish you reborn into a peaceful era in your next life!"

"…"

After pausing briefly by the fallen Cloud ninja's body in silent mourning, Aozora turned to leave—until he saw dark figures speeding toward him from a distance.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>