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The war between the three small countries was not grand in scale. As Sasori and Ye Zi approached the enemy forces, nearly a hundred ninjas launched an attack without hesitation, throwing a barrage of kunai at them.
Ye Zi used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge, quickly positioning himself within the enemy formation. Wielding his sword, Chijin, he cut down one enemy after another with swift, precise strikes.
Sasori, using his tail to sweep away the rain of kunai, noticed Ye Zi once again cutting someone down with a single swing. Frustrated, he shouted, "Ye Zi, didn't I tell you to hold back? At least leave some intact bodies!" He entered the fray, killing enemies as he scolded Ye Zi.
Without even glancing at Sasori, Ye Zi continued cutting down his opponents. "During a mission, don't call me by name," he said coldly, slicing another enemy in half.
"Tch," Sasori grunted in annoyance.
Despite the large number of enemy ninjas, it quickly became apparent that they were no match for Ye Zi and Sasori. The enemy forces fell like helpless children against two overwhelmingly powerful adults. In just moments, half of the enemy forces lay dead on the ground.
Amid the chaos, a middle-aged man emerged from a wooden palanquin, his eyes filled with panic as he surveyed the battlefield. He angrily yelled at the remaining ninjas, "What are you all waiting for, you fools?"
His words were cryptic and seemed disconnected from the situation. The remaining ninjas hesitated, but seeing the strength of Ye Zi and Sasori, their expressions turned resolute. Each ninja took out a small syringe, about the size of a thumb, containing a mysterious liquid. With grim determination, they plunged the needles into their hearts, injecting the liquid despite the excruciating pain.
This unexpected scene caused Sasori to momentarily pause his attack.
As for Ye Zi, the moment the middle-aged man had spoken, he had used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right next to him.
The middle-aged man's face paled at the sight of Ye Zi so close. "Don't kill me! I have a lot of money, I can give it to you!" he pleaded, while subtly moving his hand behind his back.
Without hesitation, Ye Zi swung his sword, aiming for the man's neck.
Slash!
The man's head flew into the air, his face frozen in a look of surprise. Blood spurted from the decapitated body, which collapsed to the ground, a kunai clattering out of his hand.
After swiftly eliminating the middle-aged man, Ye Zi found himself surrounded by the remaining ninjas.
It seemed the substance in the syringes was a drug.
The fifty or so ninjas who had injected themselves now let out pained howls, their voices filled with agony. Whether it was the drug taking effect or the grief of their leader's death, it was unclear.
The answer became evident in the next moment.
Their clothes suddenly tore apart as their bodies swelled. Thick, finger-sized veins bulged across their muscular arms and spread across their faces, which contorted into grotesque expressions.
Seeing this, Sasori paused, intrigued. Ye Zi, however, wasted no time. After killing the middle-aged man, he immediately re-entered the fray, cutting down enemies with each swing of his sword.
The remaining forty or so ninjas screamed once more before falling silent.
Their bodies had swelled to nearly double their original size. Their faces were flushed red, veins crawling like worms across their skin. Their once black hair turned grey and white at an alarming speed.
As the effects of the drug took hold, their pain subsided. With bloodshot eyes and visible chakra coursing through their bodies, they charged at Ye Zi and Sasori with newfound agility and strength.
"They're emitting chakra… and their speed has doubled at least," Ye Zi muttered, analyzing the situation. With a calm expression, he slashed at the first ninja charging toward him. What should have been an easy kill was blocked by the ninja's kunai.
Clang!
To Ye Zi's surprise, the ninja only stumbled back a step, then immediately lunged forward again, attacking with renewed speed and ferocity.
"The price of the drug?" Ye Zi thought. His body surged with lightning chakra, and with a single enhanced strike, he cleaved the ninja in two. Then, in a flash of lightning, he darted into the crowd, killing over a dozen enemies in mere seconds.
The remaining enemies, now with greatly increased chakra reserves and speed, forced Sasori to take the fight more seriously. What had once been mere cannon fodder now posed a moderate challenge. However, their enhanced abilities were still no match for the overwhelming power of Ye Zi and Sasori.
In a matter of moments, the battle was over. The forty or so enhanced ninjas, whose strength now rivaled that of late Chūnin or even Jōnin, were swiftly defeated. Despite their enhanced chakra and physical strength, their lack of advanced jutsu limited their threat level.
The bodies of the fallen ninjas began to rapidly wither, aging as if they had become seventy or eighty years old. Their skin shriveled, and their bodies took on a skeletal appearance.
Sasori grabbed the arm of one corpse and gave it a slight tug, causing the entire arm to detach and spray blood. He examined the severed limb, noting how the tissues had shriveled and dried up. "Everything's shriveled," he said casually, tossing the limb aside, which promptly shattered into pieces upon hitting the ground.
"Who would've thought such a small nation had done research in this field?" Sasori approached the corpse of a ninja who hadn't used the drug and found another syringe in the body's pocket.
"Interested?" Sasori asked, holding the syringe up to Ye Zi.
"The drug's effects are too slow, and the side effects are too severe. It's not worth much," Ye Zi remarked, glancing at the corpses around him. While the drug had a noticeable effect, the drawbacks were far too significant for it to be considered valuable.
However, it did have its uses.
Training a Chūnin or Jōnin took time, but training a Genin was much simpler. With this drug, even a Genin could temporarily gain Chūnin-level strength, though death would be the inevitable result. It could prove useful in a suicide squad.
"But aren't you curious? How could such a small, unknown nation develop a drug like this?" Sasori crushed the syringe in his hand, letting the pale green liquid seep onto his palm.
Ye Zi didn't respond. Instead, he summoned Shokui.
"Eat," he commanded, glancing at the large, humanoid figure next to him.
Shokui looked at the corpses strewn across the battlefield. Seeing the shriveled remains of nearly fifty bodies, he sneered. "These dried-up husks? No thanks. They don't even have any chakra left."
"As you wish," Ye Zi replied, walking toward Sasori.
Shokui had recently begun to generate his own chakra, or rather, he had developed the ability to absorb chakra by devouring bodies. After exhausting his energy during a past battle, Shokui had resorted to consuming corpses or live bodies to recover. Over time, he discovered that the energy he absorbed transformed into chakra.
This unexpected development left Shokui uncertain whether to be pleased or dismayed. The one clear advantage was that his recovery rate had increased several times over, as he no longer needed to convert the energy.
Shokui began devouring the bodies lying on the ground.
Standing beside Sasori, Ye Zi remarked, "The drug is flawed, but the person who developed it is clearly talented."
Sasori, watching Shokui consume the corpses, replied, "So you are interested, after all."
Ye Zi didn't answer, watching silently as Shokui ate.
Indeed, he was interested, not in the drug itself, but in the person who had created it.
This kind of talent might be valuable in the future. However, in Ye Zi's mind, the individuals he valued most were still Nanako and Orochimaru.
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Currently on Chapter 265 - The Calm Before the Storm