Chapter 80: Wood Release and Fame
In the dense forest created by Wood Release, Ayaan watched as a group of rogue ninjas, no longer able to resist, were enveloped in black mist and instantly absorbed.
Sarah scratched her arm uncomfortably. While she wasn't a complete rookie anymore after months of missions, she still wasn't used to how casually Ayaan took lives.
At first, she had strongly opposed killing—until she saw the atrocities these rogue ninjas committed against civilians. That changed her view.
Rogue ninjas, or wandering ninjas, were vastly different from village-trained shinobi. Ninjas from major villages had to consider the reputation of their home, and their education generally restricted them from targeting civilians. Organizations like Root were the exception, and even they rarely targeted innocents openly.
So, while wars always produced collateral damage, shinobi from the Five Great Nations usually avoided direct civilian massacres.
Wandering ninjas, on the other hand, had no such restrictions. They had no loyalty, no honor codes, and were often more savage than bandits.
To use an analogy: if ninja from villages were like mafia members who valued order and credibility, then rogue ninjas were like wild criminals on the run—chaotic, violent, and merciless.
After witnessing multiple villages being looted and slaughtered by these rogues, Sarah's mindset changed. While she still hesitated to kill, she no longer froze at the thought of ending a rogue ninja's life.
Small countries often hired such wandering shinobi. Without the resources to support a full-fledged village, these countries relied on mercenaries to protect their interests. However, this came with risk—as those same rogue ninjas could easily turn on them.
Take the Rain Country for example. It had no daimyo; Rain Village controlled everything. If a ninja village turned against its own country, the state would be powerless.
The Land of Snow, as shown in one of the original Naruto movies, was another clear example. The daimyo's brother overthrew the throne mostly because he was a powerful ninja himself.
Wandering ninjas were thus both a necessity and a danger.
Ever since Hagoromo spread chakra to humanity, everyone in the world had at least some latent chakra. The difference was whether they could refine it.
Even an average citizen, given the right technique and enough time, could learn to refine chakra. Though unable to cast ninjutsu, they could enhance their bodies to the level of ten regular men—enough to call themselves "ninja."
Because of this, the number of rogue ninjas across the world vastly outnumbered those in official villages. They were an endless tide—chaotic, destructive, and easily manipulated.
And Akatsuki was exploiting that chaos.
In fact, much of the chaos was started by Akatsuki itself—thanks to White Zetsu's shape-shifting abilities. Even now, despite Ayaan replacing Nagato, he hadn't fully unraveled all of Akatsuki's manipulations.
After absorbing the chakra from the enemy rogues, Ayaan tossed their shriveled bodies into the branches above. To any outsider, it looked like Wood Release had drained their chakra directly—adding to Sarah's fearsome reputation.
"Alright," Ayaan clapped his hands. "Mission complete. All rogue ninjas attacking the Land of Salt are eliminated. Let's collect our final payment from the daimyo, then head to the Land of Bears. I want to retrieve something from there."
"What are you interested in this time?" Sarah asked, blinking. "Is it another treasure like the Dragon Vein?"
"It's the meteorite from Hoshigakure, the Star Village in the Land of Bears," Ayaan said directly. "Legend says it's a radioactive meteor that alters chakra, enabling people to use a technique called the Peacock Mystic Method."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "You know, you're always saying ninjas are evil, but you sound like the worst one—always looking to steal things."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ayaan said casually. "Even if it's sitting in Star Village, they've never used it properly. They've sacrificed countless lives trying to master the Peacock Mystic Method."
"What? People die learning a ninjutsu?" Sarah asked in disbelief.
"Of course," Ayaan shrugged. "The meteorite is radioactive. Using it damages the human body heavily. Most of the ninjas in that village who try to learn the technique die young."
Radioactive material causing chakra mutations? The very idea reeked of danger. Sarah's expression tightened in shock.
"Besides," Ayaan added, "powerful techniques are almost always risky. Take your Wood Release, for instance. In their attempts to recreate Hashirama's power, Konoha conducted hundreds of brutal experiments—most of which ended in death. And even then, they only managed to create watered-down versions of it."
Sarah flinched. "Wood Release is… that dangerous?"
"Think about it. The people you've defeated trained for years, spilled blood, sweat, and tears—and you bypassed all of that with my help," Ayaan said with pride. "That's why my body modification techniques are so rare and valuable. You're lucky to have thrived under them."
Sarah's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. Deep down, she admired Ayaan. She was no longer ignorant of the strength required to survive in this world. And Ayaan's powers? Terrifying.
Of course, she wasn't going to admit that out loud. "That just means I've got good talent. Didn't you say normal people can't survive transplanting Hashirama's cells?"
---