Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 97
🕑 Added 2024-12-26 13:42:06 +0000 UTCDeidara was starting to run out of breath.
He hadn't even reached the river crossing yet.
On the way here, this one kilometer felt like nothing. His legs had been strong. But now? It was killing him. Each step felt heavier than the last, and the weight on his back seemed to grow with every passing moment.
"Deidara-nii, just put me down! I can walk!"
Kurotsuchi could feel his struggle and was upset at her own helplessness.
But Deidara's temper flared the moment he heard that.
Why am I out of breath? Back in the village during training, this distance was nothing.
It is because of you! You are too heavy!
"You can eat… a lot, huh," Deidara sighed but still stopped to catch his breath.
At this pace, running made no difference at all.
Setting Kurotsuchi down, Deidara plopped onto the ground.
He needed to recover his strength quickly.
The enemy was likely a sensory-type ninja; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to launch a wind attack from so far away.
He refused to believe it was a blind shot.
He began to formulate a plan.
At first, he had instinctively retraced his steps to run back the way he came, but now that he thought about it, it didn't seem reliable.
That monstrous technique—only his teacher might have been able to deal with it.
He could no longer feel vibrations in the ground. There were two possibilities: either the opponent's chakra had run out and they stopped the jutsu, or the enemy had already wiped out all resistance.
The first option would be fine.
The second? A disaster.
Gari was probably dead by now.
After this battle, the Explosion Corps wouldn't be able to function properly for the rest of the war. The survivors would probably freeze up at the mere thought of that terrifying jutsu.
Thinking about this, Deidara felt like he was bearing the kind of pressure no child should have to endure.
He was only eight! Why was he being forced to think about such complicated things?! He was just a kid who loved explosions!
Besides… this was supposed to be his first mission outside the village. How did it end up like this?
They'd said he was just coming to the Explosion Corps for some training. Was this what the jonin in the village dealt with every day?
"Deidara-nii…"
He turned to look. Kurotsuchi was staring at him with a face full of unease, tears threatening to spill. Her small hands clutched at her swollen ankle.
Sigh… Only a year younger, yet so immature. He tried to keep his expression stern.
Twisting her ankle while running was bad enough, but showing such a weak expression on the battlefield? Completely unacceptable.
"No crying," Deidara said. "Or no dango for you."
"Okay!" Kurotsuchi nodded vigorously, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Being captured was one thing, but being denied dango? That was unacceptable.
"Don't worry. We'll definitely escape," Deidara reassured her. "I've already thought of a plan." At least, I hope it's a good one.
"Amazing! I knew you'd come up with something, Deidara-nii!"
"Of course." Deidara lifted his head proudly.
This girl—though a bit dim and overly fond of food—was obedient, at least.
"We're heading north to Kusa," Deidara said.
"Huh? But… Grandpa said the people there are bad…"
No kidding. A fool like you—anyone you meet outside the village would seem like a bad person. Deidara fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"It's precisely because they're bad that we can use them," he explained impatiently. "If they were good, what would we go there for?"
Kurotsuchi suddenly understood. She nodded cheerfully, complete faith in her Deidara-nii's plan shining in her eyes.
"Let's go." Deidara felt his strength had mostly returned. He stood up and carried Kurotsuchi on his back again, heading north.
---
After a while, Keita and his ninja dog arrived at the spot where they had stopped.
"This is the place," Keita said, patting his partner on the head. The black-furred dog sniffed the ground intently, confirming the fresh scents.
Behind him, Masashi and Yumi emerged from the shadows of the trees.
"Captain, are we just going to keep following them like this?" Yumi asked. She didn't understand why they weren't moving to capture their targets immediately.
"That little guy's pretty sharp. You could learn a thing or two from him," Masashi replied, his eyes scanning the direction the children had taken.
"Captain, isn't he afraid of being caught by the Kusa ninjas? My dad said they capture lone shinobi from other villages during wars." Yumi's brow furrowed with concern.
"Your dad's being polite," Masashi said calmly. "Kusa ninjas don't just target lone shinobi from other villages during wars. They're infamous for eliminating all traces of their actions. Many of their techniques were stolen from Iwa, Suna, and even Konoha. In peacetime, they profit from selling intelligence to all sides."
"Why doesn't anyone go after them for that?" Yumi's hand unconsciously tightened around her kunai.
"The official reason is 'lack of evidence.'" Masashi flicked Yumi's forehead. "Don't be so brash—always wanting to pick fights."
"Captain, so we're just going to keep following them?" Keita scratched his head, glancing between his dog and his leader.
"Yes, we follow," Masashi said, nodding. "No rush. The real fun is yet to come. The Explosion Corps won't abandon those two kids; they'll regroup in Kusa."
"And then let the Kusa ninjas catch them and hand them over to us?"
"What are you thinking?" Masashi gave Keita a pitying look. "Besides fighting, you need to think more and assume the worst in people."
"Oh…" Keita started trying to brainstorm.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't imagine how the Kusa ninjas could be any worse.
Masashi could only smile. Ah, to be young. The innocence of youth was both endearing and dangerous in their line of work.
"Keita."
"Yes, Captain?"
"How many sides are involved in this situation?"
"Us and the Iwa ninjas? And then the Ame ninjas and the Kusa ninjas?"
"Correct. Don't forget to count the Kusa ninjas. Now, who's the worst?"
"That's definitely the Kusa ninjas."
Hearing this, Yumi cast a disdainful glance at Keita. How can he be so slow? She had already grasped Masashi's meaning.
Why was her childhood friend so clueless, even though he was strong? Other people's childhood friends were both handsome and smart.
"Let's go see just how bad the Kusa ninjas can be," Masashi said simply, issuing his order. "Stay close and don't lose them."
"Yes, Captain," the two responded in unison.
The three of them continued to trail far behind Deidara and Kurotsuchi, moving like shadows through the forest.
As they moved further north, they approached the border of Kusa.
And like Masashi had predicted, the scattered remnants of the Explosion Corps began to regroup.
The Iwa ninjas found Deidara and Kurotsuchi.
The regrouped Iwa ninja now numbered less than half of what they originally had. This matched Masashi's estimate of the survivors.
In a ninja army, strict discipline and flexibility in regrouping after being scattered were basic survival skills.
The remnants of the Explosion Corps seemed to all be here.
Under Masashi's chakra sensing, the reassembled unit paused briefly before continuing north.
The Kusa ninjas didn't have a good reputation among small nations. Their opportunistic nature made them despised by both large and small villages alike.
But they weren't just lapdogs—they had more to them than met the eye.
Masashi hoped they still had the same boldness they had in the past.
---
A group of ninjas raced across a vast green plain.
The countries in the shinobi world were named with a blunt simplicity. Kusa earned its name due to its extensive grasslands and diverse ecosystems.
The most distinctive feature here was the towering and lush grasslands, which appeared strikingly magnificent.
Even for Deidara and Kurotsuchi, the tall grasslands almost swallowed them whole. For the other members of the Explosive Corps, even their adult bodies were submerged halfway into the grassy sea.
The boundless grasslands spread like an endless green carpet, stretching to the horizon. When the wind blew, waves of grass rippled outward in mesmerizing patterns.
This was a sight the Land of Earth could not offer, but the Iwa ninjas had no interest in appreciating it.
The grassy sea concealed not only their figures but other dangers as well.
The Explosive Corps ninjas were well aware of the nature of their neighbors. Their forces had been halved, and most of the survivors carried injuries. It was uncertain whether the Kusa ninjas would remain submissive or reveal their fangs.
Additionally, the White Ghost might not hesitate to pursue them into Kusa. For a high-caliber ninja like him, crossing small countries or killing their ninjas out of mere annoyance was a trivial matter.
Small villages could only silently endure.
Because of their typical meekness, when such villages did bare their fangs, they could be more ferocious than ever.
The group pressed forward quickly.
Fortunately, the Third Great Ninja War was still a recent memory. Having fought against Konoha's forces in this region, the Explosive Corps was relatively familiar with this terrain.
"Captain Deidara, do you need to rest?" an Iwa ninja asked, noticing the growing fatigue on his face.
No matter how much of a prodigy Deidara was, the reality was that, at only eight years old, his stamina was no match for that of the seasoned veterans.
From the perspective of the Explosive Corps members, he had already performed admirably. None of them could have compared to him at his age.
With no intelligence reports to guide him, he had made the right calls when faced with a terrifying adversary like the White Ghost and even managed to ensure Kurotsuchi's survival.
He had proven his worth and potential. As elite Iwa ninjas and members of the Explosive Corps, they were willing to protect him.
"I'm fine. I can keep going," he shook his head.
After reuniting with his comrades, everyone had unanimously agreed with his decision to take a detour through Kusa to return home.
It was clear from their actions—they wouldn't have successfully regrouped within Kusa otherwise.
"Alright, Captain, but conserve your strength. Our situation is dire right now."
"I know. How long until Kurotsuchi recovers?"
"She'll be fine. We'll take turns carrying her. Her injuries aren't severe, so she'll recover quickly."
Hearing this, Deidara nodded and focused on moving forward without further comment. The surrounding Iwa ninjas also remained silent, fully focused on the journey.
Despite his youth, they had come to accept him as their leader.
Special units like the Explosive Corps required their members to come from "proper" ninja families and instilled strong collective values. As a result, when they regrouped, they didn't feel the need to choose a new temporary leader. Deidara's role as captain was unquestioned.
The Explosive Corps moved with impressive efficiency, wasting no time. Yet they were still spotted by the Kusa ninjas.
In truth, the Kusa ninjas had never let their guard down.
From the moment the Iwa's army entered the Land of Rain, Kusa had been on high alert. They even stationed operatives in the Land of Rain to keep a constant watch on the battle between Iwa and Konoha.
The Third Great Ninja War had left Kusa in ruins. Although they harbored resentment, Kusa dared not voice their complaints. Even though Iwa's current target wasn't Kusa, the Kusa ninjas felt anything but safe.
The Five Great Villages never consulted smaller nations when expanding their wars. "Allies" was merely a polite term.
Moreover, Kusa ninjas coveted the advanced jutsu of the great villages and hoped for opportunities to scavenge useful techniques in the chaos.
But they hadn't expected to stumble upon such a major "prize."
The White Ghost, who had recently risen to fame in the ninja world, had appeared in the northern reaches of the Land of Rain. He had intercepted and annihilated Iwa's Explosive Corps, leaving only scraps of their elite force alive.
Kusa knew of this because the White Ghost's terrifying jutsu had such a massive attack range that even some of their nearby spies were caught in the devastation.
Thankfully, not all had perished, and the survivors had managed to relay the information back.
Now, the shattered remnants of the Explosive Corps had crossed the border into Kusa.
This sparked a fierce debate within Kusa.
"This is our chance," the hawk leader declared in the emergency council. "The White Ghost has done half our work already."
"And what if he turns his attention to us?" a dove representative countered, fingers drumming nervously on the table.
"That's exactly why we must act now," the hawk leader said. "We'll never have a better opportunity."
Unsurprisingly, Kusa had its own "hawk" faction—though their approach was somewhat unique.
For example, the hawk leader in the neighboring Land of Rain was Hanzō, who advocated conquering smaller countries and forcing the great nations to acknowledge them through warfare.
The hawks in Kusa, on the other hand, focused on "how to act like subservient dogs while stealing the meat."
The hawks quickly proposed to "eliminate" the invading Explosive Corps remnants, arguing that this was an opportunity too juicy to ignore. They reasoned that they could pin the blame on the White Ghost.
The dovish faction opposed this, citing the high risks.
While Kusa was skilled at erasing traces, the remnants of the Explosive Corps were still formidable opponents. Furthermore, there was no guarantee they could shift the blame onto the White Ghost.
After all, the White Ghost was currently in Kusa as well. If he grew displeased, what if he brought a Konoha army to retaliate?
Konoha's current Hokage Advisor was from the Uchiha clan. Kusa had no deep interactions with the Fourth Hokage and didn't want to take unnecessary risks. Based on these factors, the doves strongly opposed reckless action.
Since the two sides were evenly matched, the matter was settled in Kusa tradition: each faction sent out a representative to duel.
The hawks won.
With the matter decided, the doves quickly fell in line. A thousand Kusa ninjas, fully equipped and ready for battle, mobilized from Kusa like wolves on the prairie.
While the Kusa ninjas sharpened their fangs in preparation for a windfall, Masashi and his two subordinates leisurely trailed behind the remnants of the Explosive Corps.
To train his two subordinates, he had been deliberately taking it easy, delegating all tracking work to them.
They performed admirably, much to his satisfaction.
In particular, Keita excelled in utilizing the surrounding environment to maximize the sensory capabilities of the Inuzuka clan, ensuring that the trio maintained an optimal distance from their quarry.
To achieve this level of precision, his skill was impressive. The Inuzuka clan was not to be underestimated.
However, when Masashi began sensing numerous chakra signatures ahead, he halted the tracking efforts.
"The Kusa ninjas have already made their move. No need to continue," he said.
"Captain, should we intervene?" Keita asked, his ninja dog's ears perking up at the distant sounds.
"No," Masashi said. "Let's see how this plays out. Start recovering your chakra."
"Yes, Captain," they replied, accustomed to Masashi's sudden commands and executing them without hesitation.
Masashi slowed their pace, proceeding at a casual walking speed.
But their direction veered away from Deidara's group.
If the Kusa ninjas can't handle what's left of the Explosive Corps, Masashi thought, they might as well disband and forfeit their "privilege" of servitude in the ninja world.
