Upon arriving in the Land of Taki, Ryuuri finally regained his full strength. That single attack, which had drained all his chakra, had left him weak for a whole day and night, slowing their travel considerably.
"Come out," Ryuuri said, casually using a Wind Release technique to strike a tree behind him, causing a towering trunk to snap in two. He didn't aim at a person, sensing that the one following them was not strong, with an extremely weak chakra presence.
"My lord..."
A filthy little boy emerged from behind the broken tree, his face obscured by a tattered mask that covered his mouth tightly, exuding a strange, foul odor.
"A child?" Kakuzu remarked, surprised. Although he lacked sensory abilities, a boy no older than ten shouldn't have gone unnoticed. It seemed he had a lot of training ahead of him.
[Name: Hattori Masanari]
[Overall Strength: Genin]
[Talent: Shadow]
[Attribute: Fire]
[Special Ability: Poison of the Mountain Daggerfish]
[Evaluation: A boy with a tragic past, steadfast belief, and remarkable talent, he has adopted half of the protagonist template!]
Poison of the Mountain Daggerfish? Ryuuri was puzzled. In the original story, only the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, known as the "Half-God," possessed such a poison—Hanzo the Salamander. How could this boy also have it?
Moreover, possessing talent on the level of a Shadow was not something that could be found easily on the streets!
Could this child be Hanzo? Ryuuri approached Masanari, thinking that such outstanding talent should be taken back to Taki Hidden Village, regardless of whether he was Hanzo or not.
However, he was thwarted as he took a step closer, and Masanari stepped back two.
"Kid, aren't you afraid of dying?" Kakuzu interjected. This child was following them for a reason but wouldn't let Ryuuri get close. Was it a ploy to lure them in and then attack?
He quickly shook his head. Trying to assassinate Ryuuri would be like trying to assassinate Hashirama—impossible. At best, they could throw a shuriken from eight hundred miles away; their sensory abilities could easily handle any threat before it got close.
"I... don't want you to come near me. I have poison..." Masanari stammered, retreating another step. His childish voice, muffled by the mask, barely registered.
Poison? It was said that Hanzo wore a mask because his breath was toxic. Judging by his age, it was almost certain that Hattori Masanari was indeed Hanzo.
"It's okay; this little bit of poison won't affect me."
Ryuuri took several steps forward, standing in front of Masanari. Although the chakra from the Seven Tails was not as corrosive as that from the Six Tails, it still granted him a degree of immunity to toxins.
Ryuuri ripped off Masanari's mask. The skin color on the lower half of his face starkly contrasted with the rest of his body, appearing unusually clean.
"I... have poison..." Masanari began, but realizing he was no longer wearing the mask, instinctively covered his mouth.
"You don't need to wear it in front of me."
Was he afraid I would be poisoned? Ryuuri felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy. At only six or seven years old, he was enduring such pain.
Seeing that Ryuuri showed no signs of being poisoned, Masanari looked puzzled for a moment before taking a deep breath. It felt incredibly comfortable to breathe without worry!
"Now can you tell me why you were following us?"
Ryuuri affectionately ruffled Masanari's hair, not minding how messy it was.
"I... I want to become your disciple!"
Masanari suddenly knelt and bowed his head.
"You want to be my disciple? Are you from the Iron Country?"
Although Masanari's clothes were ragged and covered in dirt, they clearly bore the signs of a warrior's garb.
Upon hearing the question, Masanari bit his lip, seemingly making a decision. "Yes, but not anymore."
"Alright then, I'll take you as my disciple."
Ryuuri noticed that Masanari seemed reluctant to share his past, so he didn't press for details. After all, he wasn't worried that a small child could cause any trouble. This was a talent with Shadow-level potential; he would take him back home first.
Is this really happening? Masanari thought as he knelt, bowing his head repeatedly. He had pursued them all the way from the Iron Country, expecting a long struggle to convince such a miraculous powerhouse to take him in. How could he have imagined it would be this easy?
Ryuuri noted the expression on Masanari's face and thought, if not for your talent, I wouldn't have made it this simple! The system had mentioned that nurturing talent for the village would yield rewards!
Of course, Ryuuri wouldn't mention to Masanari that he had a system.
"There's something in your eyes that's different from ordinary people. I can see that you are a person of conviction, so now you are my disciple."
Ryuuri casually made up something, helping Masanari to his feet. As for "conviction"? That was just something to say to make the kid feel better.
"My lord..."
Everything felt like a dream to Masanari, who could hardly believe it.
"Call me teacher now. We'll head to the capital of the Land of Taki to get you cleaned up before returning to Taki Hidden Village."
Ryuuri smiled, enjoying the thrill of easily bringing a talent with Shadow-level potential under his wing. It felt good to have such a reputation.
Masanari stood still, looking at the mask in Ryuuri's hand, and softly said, "Um... Teacher..."
Ryuuri was momentarily taken aback, realizing he had forgotten about this issue. He might be immune to the poison of the Mountain Daggerfish, but others wouldn't be. Even Kakuzu would be affected to some extent.
"Put on this mask for now. Once we get back to the village, I'll definitely help you solve the issue with the poison."
The poison from the Mountain Daggerfish wasn't particularly lethal. The Seal of Evil technique should suffice to address it. While this toxin had given Hanzo an advantage in battle, it also prevented him from breathing fresh air normally.
Moreover, Masanari already possessed Shadow-level talent. Even without the poison, his potential wouldn't be low. Ryuuri didn't want his first disciple to spend his entire life wearing a mask. While Kakashi and Kakuzu wore masks out of preference, Hanzo's situation was not by choice.
"Big brother, how can you take in such a little kid as a disciple?"
Kakuzu, lacking a system to discern Masanari's talent, found the boy unimpressive. The only notable thing about him was that he wore a mask like his own. Perhaps he was merely kind-hearted?
Yes, kindness stood out in the ninja world, especially a few years after the end of the Warring States period.
Kakuzu noticed that the boy, because of his poison, was afraid to get close to people. Even wanting to approach Ryuuri to become his disciple, he hesitated, fearing that his proximity might poison Ryuuri and thus kept stepping back.
The Iron Country was coastal, with plenty of streams and rivers. Those who wandered the streets would not carry such a peculiar stench; this odor was deliberately created to keep people away. The rudimentary mask couldn't fully contain the toxic fumes; maintaining distance was the only way to avoid poisoning others.
"Maybe he has talent that rivals yours?" Ryuuri joked.
Kakuzu scoffed at this idea. His own talent, while not as exceptional as Ryuuri's, was still impressive. This kid was nothing more than a down-and-out beggar from the Iron Country. Just because he wore a similar mask didn't mean he could have the same level of talent.
"Let's go to the capital, buy some supplies, and meet Linglong."
Ryuuri pulled Masanari to his side. He preferred the feeling of walking alongside a disciple rather than treating him as a subordinate.
"Meeting that woman...?" Kakuzu shivered at the thought, recalling something dreadful.