"It's so hot!"
Ritsu lies inside the carriage with his tongue out and sweat pouring down from his body. Ishiko fans him with a small bamboo fan to relieve the heat.
"Why is it so hot?" Ritsu fans himself with his hand. He drinks some water to quench his thirst. But soon feels his mouth turn dry within a few minutes.
Even Princess Natsumi and other merchants are in a similar state as him. Only his mother and Uncle Yugo's team are faring slightly better.
"Just bear it for a while, dear! We will be out of this desert soon." Ishiko wipes his sweat with a towel.
'Damn it, why is it so hot? This heat is killing me. It's over fifty degrees Celsius outside.'
After their battle in the Land of Grass, the group quietly crossed the Land of Grass and Land of Rain with no further trouble from anyone. Uncle Yugo and his group quickly dealt with the likes of bandits and wild animals.
It has been two days since then. The group spent a night in an inn in the Land of Grass and another night in an inn in the Land of Rain. Now, after two days, they are already heading towards the Land of Stone.
There is a desert separating the Land of Rain and the Land of Stone. Currently, the group is traversing this desert.
"It has been three hours since we entered this desert. Why haven't we crossed it yet? I thought it was a small desert." Ritsu complains.
"We should be halfway there!" Yugo mumbles from outside.
The terrain of the desert makes it hard for the convoy to travel at a speedy pace. Not only that, there are lots of dangerous creatures in the desert like giant sand scorpions, giant ants, giant centipedes, and giant sandworms.
The group has to fend the convoy off any attack of these creatures. The trouble these creatures can cause in the desert can easily skyrocket to life-threatening levels if not handled carefully. Most of these creatures move in a group. Killing one of them will attract the attention of their entire group.
Most of these enemies are poisonous and hard to deal with, especially the sandworms. The sandworms are among the largest moving creatures in the desert. An adult sandworm is usually anywhere between 50 meters to 200 meters long. With such colossal size, they can freely move anywhere in the desert and are among the largest predators in the desert.
Rumble… Rumble…
Suddenly, the ground beneath the group trembles.
"An earthquake?!" Ritsu and the rest hurriedly jump out of the carriage.
"Uncle Yugo, what's going on?" Ritsu asks in surprise.
"Everyone, be on guard!" Yugo warns with a tense expression.
This is the first time Ritsu saw such a tense expression on Yugo's face. Not even the demonic human could faze him so much.
The group swiftly enters a high alert state, and Kazetsu closes his eyes to sense any enemy movement.
"It's a sandworm!" Kazetsu mumbles after a few seconds.
"And it's almost a hundred meters long." He adds.
"Hundred meters?!" Ritsu's eyes widen in awe. His brain attempts to comprehend the scale of such a gigantic creature. Even the blue whale, which was supposed to be the largest creature in the previous world, could compare to this size. The largest blue whale was only one-third of this sandworm's size. So, this really puts a lot in perspective and refreshes Ritsu's understanding of this world.
'Then again, everything is super-sized in this world. Some toads are as tall as skyscrapers, so having a hundred-meter-long sandworm makes sense.' The feeling is still surreal to him.
Rumble… Rumble…
The tremor slowly dies down, moving further and further away from the group.
"It's gone!" The group heaves a sigh of relief.
Only after the tremble dies down completely did the merchant group relax.
"Don't be complacent yet!" Yugo has a stern expression on his face.
Rustle… Rustle…
Suddenly, the surrounding sand disperses and several large sand scorpions crawl out.
These monstrous creatures are at least 20 feet long, with menacing clawed pincers, an arched tail, and a deadly stinger. Their golden body seamlessly blend with the surrounding sand dunes and their sandy, chitinous exoskeleton glint in the sunlight.
The scorpion's body segments with golden armor plates made of hard, chitinous exoskeleton. These golden plates are rough and edged, covered in small spikes and ridges, making their skin almost impervious. Tiny particles of sand seem to swirl and curl around its body, a sign of wind release chakra.
At the front, its two large pincers menacingly clatter against each other, producing a force powerful enough to crush hard rocks and bones with ease. Each pincer is barbed with ridges, suitable for tearing the flesh of their prey. Their multiple, jet-black eyes glisten with a cold light as they assess the group like a predator.
Sizzle… Sizzle…
Droplets of green liquid drip from the end of the stinger of their long, muscular tail.
Gulp…
The merchants gulp their saliva in fear as the corrosive venom sizzles upon contact with the sand, releasing a toxic green gas.
"That's a sand scorpion!"
Ritsu mutters silently as he compares their size to his knowledge. The largest sand scorpion is as long as a bus, and even the smallest scorpion is no smaller than a car.
"Get ready for battle!"
Yugo signals his group as the sand scorpion charges towards them.
Swish… Swish… Swish…
Ishiko makes a series of hand signs and claps her palm.
"Tri-corner Protection Barrier Formula,"
Several fuinjutsu runes spread from Ishiko and cover their surrounding in a pyramid-shaped barrier.
"Stay within the barrier. Don't rush outside." She warns before moving out with other shinobis.
"Mom, I also want to fight alongside everyone." Ritsu mumbles.
"Ritsu, you…" Ishiko pauses and glances at her son.
Seeing the expectant look in his eyes, she nods after some thought.
"Alright, but you need to prioritize your safety and follow orders. If you take any reckless action or disobey orders, you will be grounded for an entire month." She warns with a stern face.
"Ok!" Ritsu nods obediently.
Whoosh…
He rushes outside the barrier with others. Yugo and others also glance at him before turning to Ishiko.
Ishiko nods, hinting at them with a signal.
"Little Ritsu, I will team up with you!" Baru flickers beside him.
"Ok, Uncle Baru!" Ritsu nods, understanding his mother's concern.
"The earlier commotion by the sandworm disturbed these sand scorpions, luring them out of their burrows. The sandworm probably wreaked havoc through their nest, angering them. And now we have become their perfect target and prey to vent," Yugo mumbles as he draws his blade.
"Little Ritsu, the carapace of a sand scorpion is impervious to blunt and slash attacks. Only piercing strikes can deal lethal damage to them." Baru informs Ritsu as he attacks a group of small scorpions and lures them towards Ritsu to practice.
Swish…
Baru infuses chakra into his blade and swings it with a powerful strike.'
Slash…
With a single strike, he severs the scorpion's stinger from its tail.
"Uncle Baru, didn't you say they were impervious to slash attacks?" Ritsu asks with a dazed expression.
"These scorpions are yet to reach adulthood. So, their carapace is still soft." Baru engages another group of large scorpions.
Hmm…
Ritsu turns his attention to the scorpion in front of him and makes a series of hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu,"
He creates a series of shadow clones to help him fight and learn in the battle. With his continuous practice in these past few days, he has already mastered the technique. And now, it's time to put it to use.
Haah…
Ritsu draws a tanto and rushes towards the scorpion alongside his shadow clones.
Thwack… Thwack…
The scorpion smacks its pincers on the ground, enraged from losing its stinger. It turns to Ritsu and waves its large pincers.
Swoosh… Swoosh…
Two large wind blades escape from its pincers towards Ritsu's shadow clones and slice them apart with ease.
"What?" Ritsu's eyes dilate and he quickly lunges to the side to avoid another wind blade.
"What the hell? It's so strong!"
Swoosh… Swoosh…
Ritsu runs in a zig-zag manner, avoiding all wind blades. After a few attacks, the scorpion stops its attacks to recover.
"This is my chance!"
Ritsu creates another shadow clone. The shadow clone grabs his real body and tosses him towards the giant scorpion.
Haah…
Ritsu somersaults in the air and swings his tanto toward the scorpion's eyes. The eyes are the weak points of any creature. Damaging them will weaken them significantly.
Clang…
The sand scorpion raises its pincer and blocks the blade strike.
Weng…
Ritsu feels a powerful reactive force act on his hand. He almost drops his blade from the severe backlash.
"Damn it! It almost feels like I am hitting an impervious metal."
Whoosh…
He swiftly leaps back and avoids a claw smash.
Bang…
The scorpion's claw slams on the ground, raising a small dust cloud.
Gulp…
Ritsu gulps his saliva as he glances at the small crater on the ground.
Poof… Poof…
The scorpion swings its tail and thrashes two more shadow clones into a puff of smoke.
"Blunt and slash attacks are useless. That means I can't use any Taijutsu and Kenjutsu against it. And I don't think even my low-rank genjutsu will work on this rascal. So, what should I do?" Ritsu ponders while frantically rushing away from the continuous barrage of wind blades.
"What about the Ninjutsu technique?" Ritsu ponders.
Suddenly, he recalls a fact about sand scorpions from a documentary in his past life.
"That might work!"
Swoosh…
He turns around and rushes towards the giant scorpion, avoiding another barrage of its wind blades.
Swish… Swish…
He makes a series of hand signs to create more shadow clones. The clones act as a shield, blocking any stray unavoidable wind blade by sacrificing themselves.
'It's about to enter its recovery phase. That's my chance!'
As soon as the scorpion lowers its pincers, Ritsu leaps into the air and makes a series of hand signs. He inhales sharply and opens his mouth.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique,"
He infuses a large amount of chakra in his attack and spews out a massive fireball the size of the scorpion in front of him.
BOOM…
The massive fireball travels in front of the scorpion in an instant and explodes. The scorpion raises its pincers to shield its eye.
The fireball explodes and covers its entire body in flames.
Sizzle… Sizzle…
Some sizzling noises echo from the scorpion's body, but there is no visible damage to it. Its hard carapace blocks the impact of the fireball and prevents the fire from reaching its soft flesh.
On the contrary, Ritsu's attack enrages it further. It lifts its massive tail and slams it on the ground.
Rumble… Rumble…
Suddenly, several large earth spikes erupt from the ground at Ritsu's landing spot.
"Crap!"
Ritsu panics at this unexpected attack.
Swish… Swish…
While in mid-air, he makes a series of quick hand signs.
"Shadow clone jutsu,"
Poof…
A shadow clone appears beneath his foot.
Bang…
He uses the shadow clone's body as a pedestal to propel himself up.
Poof…
The shadow clone disperses into smoke after hitting the spikes on the ground.
Suddenly, the giant scorpion opens its mouth and fires a wind bullet towards Ritsu. This series of unexpected attacks leaves him vulnerable since he has no method to change direction again in mid-air and the attack is almost on him. He crosses his arm to brace for impact.
BOOM…
The wind bullet explodes in mid-air, releasing a small cloud of sand.
Bang…
A figure flies out of the dust cloud and crashes on a nearby dune.
Cough… Cough…
Ritsu coughs out the sand and other dust particles from his mouth.
"That was so close!" He glances towards the sand scorpion with some lingering fear.
"I thought I was a goner!"
Thankfully, his shadow clone kicked him out of the wind bullet's path at the very last moment. He was lucky to avoid the direct hit, but was still hit by the shockwave.
"It hurts a lot!" Ritsu massages his back and slowly stands up.
After hitting Ritsu, the sand scorpion is rolling on the sand to douse the fire.
"It's so difficult to even engage a juvenile scorpion down. Then what about the adult ones?" Ritsu glances in the other's direction.
"Sigh… never mind!"
He sighs and shakes his head.
Yugo and his group have made a quick work of these scorpions. The flashes of colors on the other side almost blind his eyes. Each of their strikes is deadly and precise, targeting the gaps between the scorpion's defenses.
Their chakra-coated blades cleave through the pincers and tails of these scorpions like butter. And their powerful ninjutsu techniques easily penetrate the hard carapace shell of the scorpions.
"I am the only foolish one!" He sighs and turns his attention back to the scorpion.
"If my techniques won't take you down, then my tactics will!"
Ritsu engages in another prolonged battle with the scorpion. After his initial testing, he doesn't even attempt to use Kenjutsu or Taijutsu against this monster.
He creates multiple shadow clones to surround the scorpion and bombard it with fireballs from a distance. The scorpion will make short work of his clones with its wind blades, earth spikes, and wind bullets. However, every clone will at least toss a fireball towards the scorpion before dissipating.
In the end, most of his shadow clones deployed a suicidal strategy by charging towards the scorpion and firing a fireball at the cost of their life.
'It's very inefficient, but this isn't about efficiency. It's a test for myself. I want to prove that even I can take down such an opponent.' Ritsu mumbles to himself as he glances at his mother, observing his battle from the sidelines with interest.
His strategy is very simple. Since normal means are useless against this monster, then he plans to use its weakness against it. From what he has learned in his past life, the scorpions use their exoskeleton to respirate and avoid water loss in the desert's arid environment.
He has bombarded the scorpion with several fireballs and even the ground around the scorpion is littered with flames. The fireballs are continuously burning on top of the scorpion's exoskeleton, evaporating the moisture from its body by heating the surrounding air.
Crack… Crack…
Suddenly, a large cracking sound echoes from the scorpion's body. Ritsu notices a large crack on the scorpion's hard exoskeleton around its neck. Its exoskeleton has turned brittle from the loss of moisture and continuous exposure to high-temperature flames.
"Now is my chance!"
Ritsu draws his blade and dashes towards the scorpion.
Whoosh… Whoosh…
He carefully maneuvers through the scorpion's attack, even using his shadow clones as a decoy.
"Eat this!"
After closing the gap, Ritsu swings his blade towards the crack in its exoskeleton.
Splurt…
His blade stabs through the scorpion's soft flesh, releasing a spurt of blue blood.
Splat…
The blood splashes on the ground, releasing toxic fumes.
Hisss…
The scorpion makes a hissing sound and frantically rolls its body in frenzy and pain.
Swoosh…
Ritsu swiftly pulls his blade and retreats.
Hiss… Hiss…
The scorpion continues to hiss and toss around in a frenzy, losing more blood in the process. After a minute or two, its body stops twitching and silently rests on a dune with lots of blue blood.
"It's dead!"
Ritsu heaves a sigh of relief and wipes the sweat from his forehead. His entire body is sore, his clothes are drenched in sweat and the intense heat of the desert is killing him.
"I am so exhausted!"
He almost falls to the ground, but a soft arm gently wraps around him in support.
"You did well!" Ishiko nods and smiles at him.
"Mom!" Ritsu lies down in his mother's embrace and closes his eyes.