Chapter 42. Forsaking the Way of the Ninja
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"Konohagakure… Konohagakure has no ninja ethics!"
"So shameless!"
"This is too much!"
"Ouch~"
As Minato approached the Forest of Death, he couldn't help but twitch at the sounds echoing from within. The tremor in those cries painted a clear picture in his mind of what was happening inside.
It must be a living hell for them.
After all, this wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this.
"Obito, he…"
How could it come to this? How could it come to this?!
What an excellent young ninja he once was!
Even the Elders of Konoha praised him. How had he turned into this? Was this a failure in his teaching?
A wave of regret and self-blame washed over Minato, wishing he had done more to guide Obito onto the right path. But in the end, with a steady breath, he remembered that he was still Obito's teacher, and with a determined and heavy step, he continued forward.
Suddenly, the view became clear.
It was a flat grassland littered with kunai, shuriken, and tell-tale scars from exploding tags.
And on the ground…
Six Genin were lying there, their buttocks sticking up, wailing pitifully. Around and on them was a spread of foul-smelling, yellowish sludge.
This move…
Minato was also familiar with it!
It was Obito's infamous Exploding Tag Filth Bomb. Obito often used this messy maneuver to disorient his enemies.
It was effective, though sometimes he'd end up a victim of it himself, which is why Minato, along with Rin and Kakashi, had strictly forbidden Obito from using it in their presence.
And yet here he had done it again. It must have been an intense, stinky, and nerve-racking fight.
Noticing the reddened, scabbed wounds on the middle of the raised butts, Minato was sure they were in rough shape.
Obito must have been really angry at that time!
Minato sighed, turning to the medical ninja beside him and hesitated, "Are… they alright?"
The words fell…
The medical ninja looked up, giving Minato a peculiar look. He knew well who Minato was, the talented and renowned disciple of Lord Jiraiya.
But how was he raising his students? Such young ninjas, yet pulling these kinds of stunts…
The medical ninja was silent for a moment before answering, "They're alright. I've dealt with this before."
"Hehe." Minato gave an awkward laugh. "Thank you for your trouble."
"Yes, but… Lord Minato, you really have to guide the child well. This child…" The medical ninja hesitated a bit before adding, "I think he may have some… mental issues."
What normal ninja would ever do this?!
That's right!
This is certainly a vulnerable weak spot, but what ninja would do such a thing? If all ninjas behaved like this, would they even be considered true ninjas?
Besides, getting close enough to an enemy's back isn't easy—it requires speed, sharp eyesight, and the right timing. And as for that kid… just looking at the foul yellow sludge covering these fallen ninjas makes it clear how he managed to pull it off.
Is this something any normal ninja would come up with?
"As a Team Leader, it's not enough to just teach jutsu; you also have to consider their mental development."
"I… I'll keep that in mind."
But…
This really is an accident! How Obito even learned these techniques, Minato had no idea, but under the stares of so many incredulous eyes, he could only nod helplessly with a sigh.
The Kiri and Kumo ninjas… had they joined forces?
Minato glanced at the six defeated ninjas with their butts sticking up and the two who were completely unconscious. Particularly, one of the Kiri ninjas caught his eye—Minato froze. "Is he… alright?"
The ninja was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with only his eyes exposed.
What did Obito even do to him?
"Oh, that one?" The medical ninja followed Minato's gaze. "He was already wrapped in those bandages. Don't worry; most of them don't have any other injuries aside from, well… on his butt."
"...Is that so?"
Why did it all sound so weird?
Minato sighed and was about to ask the nearby ninja what to do next when a shadowy figure approached. He also knew that Lord Orochimaru had returned. Minato knew of him; after all, he'd heard Lord Orochimaru was a strong contender for the next Hokage.
Therefore, it's normal for him to come back temporarily to preside over the Chunin Exams.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
"Ah, it's Minato! When I heard that the boy's teacher was you, I was quite surprised," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. "I thought he might be another one of Jiraiya's new students! After all, only someone like him could raise a kid capable of doing… that."
"Hehe." Minato gave a sheepish chuckle.
He hadn't expected that innocent boy to… learn such unconventional jutsu.
"Lord Orochimaru, now…"
"Don't be nervous." Seeing Minato's hesitant expression, Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively, smiling softly. "This is the Chunin Exams—unexpected things are bound to happen. Even if the other village leaders find out, it won't matter."
At this, he cast an odd glance at Minato, who visibly relaxed, then shook his head with a faint smile. "But you still have to remind that boy not to misuse techniques like this. It could… cause problems."
"Hehe, I know that too." Minato chuckled awkwardly again. "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Orochimaru. Then, I'll…"
"The Chunin Exams haven't ended yet. I asked you to come here mainly to remind you," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "As for the other ninja villages…" His eyes flashed with a cold glint. "Don't worry about it. But as for the old man… You still have to go there in person."
"Then they…" Minato gestured to the group of defeated ninja with their butts sticking out.
"Of course, they've been eliminated," Orochimaru replied with a smirk. "This is also a battle!"
"Then I will report to Lord Hokage first." Minato nodded, and with everything settled, his usual smile returned. "Then I'll leave this place to you, Lord Orochimaru."
With that, after Orochimaru's nod, he disappeared.
After watching Minato leave, Orochimaru smiled slightly, then lowered his head and looked back at the defeated ninjas with their butts sticking up, his interest piqued.
"After two days of rest, they'll be out of bed," the medical ninja next to him muttered, adjusting his glasses. "A lot of skin and muscle got burned, so it might be inconvenient to go to the toilet these days, but fortunately, there's no danger to life. It's just… they need some time to recover if they want to move normally." He eyed the foul yellow filth with a helpless sigh. "It seems that cleaning is also quite troublesome."
It was tempting to just walk away from this mess.
And this time… the injuries seemed worse than the last, with an added burning sensation.
What even caused this?
The medical ninja fell silent as Orochimaru crouched beside one of the injured, examining a spot where a scabbed-over wound was visible on the ninja's butt. He raised his eyebrows, his mouth twitching slightly as he murmured, "Minato really has raised an interesting student!"
Chakra!
There were traces of Lightning-Nature Chakra in the wound!
"Hey, what are you doing?" The ninja squirmed uncomfortably under Orochimaru's intense gaze at the center of his butt, instinctively clenching up and gasping again. "You… What else are you Konoha ninjas planning to do with my buttocks?"
Orochimaru was stunned, his mouth twitching. Then, narrowing his eyes slightly, he gently patted the ninja's butt, licked his lips, and muttered, "What a handsome curve~"
"?!"
The surrounding ninjas looked on in horror at Orochimaru.
Konoha's ninjas… have really fallen?!
It's terrible!
…
At the same time…
In the depths of the Forest of Death, in a secluded cave…
Rin was enduring the stench as she bandaged Obito's hands. Looking at his face, also smeared with foul yellow filth, she hesitated for a moment and said, "Obito, that jutsu… it's too dangerous. You'd… better not use it anymore."
Beside her, Kakashi instinctively tensed, clenching his buttocks and nodding in agreement.
In his mind, he was already resolved. He would never respond to Obito's challenge again!
That scene was just… too horrifying!