Chapter 2: The Four-Man Squad
"Hey, kid, want something to eat?"
During their dinner break, the blond ninja, who had nearly killed Chiba earlier with a kunai, suddenly spoke with a mocking tone.
"Gulp!"
Chiba swallowed hard, glancing at the blond ninja's sinister smile. He quickly shook his head.
"No, no thanks."
"Heh, judging by the look on your face, you're starving. How can you say no?"
As he spoke, the blond ninja took out a small dart and began playing with it in his hand.
"Let's make a deal. Let's play a game: if you can guess which hand the dart is in, I'll give you food."
While twirling the dart between his fingers at lightning speed, the blond ninja smirked at Chiba.
"Of course, if you guess wrong, I'll leave a scar on your face."
His expression turned menacing as he added this condition.
"Alright, the game starts now!"
"Swish! Swish!"
With a blur of motion, the blond ninja quickly clasped his hands shut.
"Which hand is the dart in? Guess correctly, and you'll get some food!"
He gave Chiba a sunny smile, but the malice behind it was clear.
Cold sweat dripped from Chiba's forehead as he trembled slightly. He knew there was no way he could guess correctly.
As the silence stretched on, the blond ninja's expression darkened.
"What's the matter? Giving up already?"
Seeing Chiba remain silent, the blond ninja grew increasingly irritated.
"Fine. Bad kids deserve punishment!"
He lunged at Chiba, his hand clawing toward the boy's face.
"Thud!"
"What are you doing, Akaki?"
The scarred ninja, who had earlier suggested killing Chiba, intercepted the attack with a punch.
"Nothing much. Just didn't like him," Akaki replied, smirking.
"You bastard! Are you looking for a fight?"
As the tension escalated, the black-haired leader, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly shouted.
"Enough!"
The sharp tone silenced both ninjas. The leader, whose piercing eyes gave off an oppressive aura, commanded immense authority over the group.
He shot a cold glance at Akaki and spoke in a low voice.
"This is a battlefield. Keep your twisted games in check. Understand?"
"Yes, Lord Kuroshin!"
Sweat dripped from Akaki's forehead as he nodded repeatedly, clearly terrified of the man named Kuroshin.
"Don't let me catch you doing this again. Are the perimeter defenses ready?"
"I'll take care of it right away!"
Akaki quickly left, though not before shooting a venomous glare at the scarred ninja, who returned the look without care.
Once Akaki was gone, the scarred ninja nonchalantly returned to grilling an unidentified chunk of meat.
Chiba watched the scene unfold, his fear mingled with a hint of gratitude.
He had initially assumed the scarred ninja, with his ferocious appearance, to be the most dangerous of the group. However, things didn't seem as simple as they appeared.
"Here."
The scarred ninja suddenly thrust the meat toward Chiba.
"This… is for me?"
Chiba gulped, his voice hesitant.
"Of course! What, you don't want it?"
The scarred ninja glared at him fiercely.
"No, I want it! I want it!"
Taking small bites of the nearly tasteless meat, Chiba secretly studied the scarred ninja again.
"Th-thank you," Chiba murmured softly.
The scarred ninja ignored him, shaking his head as he continued grilling.
After a while, seemingly with nothing better to do, the scarred ninja turned back to Chiba.
"Hey, kid. How did you end up here?"
"Me?"
Memories of his parents suddenly resurfaced. Though his consciousness was a fusion of two minds, the original owner's grief left a deep imprint.
Unknowingly, tears streamed down Chiba's face.
"My parents… they died in a ninja trap. I just kept running and running… until I somehow ended up here. I don't even know where to go anymore."
"Sigh…"
The scarred ninja let out a long sigh as he looked at Chiba.
"Honestly, you'd probably have been better off if I killed you. I've seen too many war orphans, and they all end up suffering lives worse than death."
"Surviving… might not be a blessing for you."
He cast a quick glance at their leader, who still sat silently with his eyes closed, before swallowing whatever else he had intended to say.
Instead, he shook his head and sighed again.
"Here, have some more food."
Chiba hesitated. Why were they keeping him alive? What was their purpose?
A sense of unease began to creep into his heart.
Suddenly, he noticed a figure in the shadows.
It was a cloaked ninja, whose masked face stared at Chiba with a cold, piercing gaze through dark eyeholes.
Despite standing there, the ninja seemed almost invisible, as if his presence was something one instinctively ignored.
So, this is the power of a ninja? Chiba thought. I knew there were four members in this squad, but it felt like he wasn't even there. Could this be some kind of genjutsu?
"Heh…"
The cloaked ninja suddenly let out a raspy laugh.
"What's so funny, Kage?" the scarred ninja asked, startled.
Even their leader, Kuroshin, opened his eyes slightly, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.
"Nothing much," the cloaked ninja, Kage, replied, shaking his head.
"I just find this child a bit… interesting."
"Oh?"
Kuroshin raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.
"Considering he hasn't trained in chakra but still sensed my presence, he might have the potential to excel in genjutsu. A pity… he wasn't born into a ninja village. He'll never learn ninjutsu and will live his life no better than an ant—or worse."
"Heh."
Kuroshin let out a cold chuckle.
"That's just how the world works—unfair and cruel. Talent and birth determine a person's fate."
His expression grew faintly troubled, as if recalling something.
Chiba remained silent, shrinking into himself as he observed the group. He listened carefully, hoping to learn more about this ninja world.
Before long, the blond ninja returned, blood dripping from a wound on his arm.
"Damn it! I don't know who set that trap, but I didn't even notice it. Nearly got me killed!"
He turned to Kage.
"Give me the antidote—it's poisoned."
Kage carelessly sprinkled some medicine on the wound, causing the blond ninja to howl in pain.
"Hm?"
Hearing the report, Kuroshin frowned in thought.
"It seems there may be enemies nearby. Stay vigilant from now on."
That night, Chiba lay awake, staring at the unfamiliar stars above, so different from those of his past life.
How am I supposed to survive in this world?
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