Chapter 3: The Special Bait
"Stop!"
The blond ninja raised his hand, signaling the group to halt as if he'd noticed something.
"What's wrong?"
Kuroshin, the black-haired leader, asked while carefully observing their surroundings.
It didn't take him long to spot the problem.
Looking down, Kuroshin saw a few barely noticeable strands of thread on the ground.
"No doubt about it. This is a tripwire, and it seems to be made from a special material."
The blond ninja bent down, sniffing the air as he confirmed his suspicion.
"It looks like it was set by the Spider Clan(Tsuchigumo) from Konoha."(Ps:not Aburame)
"Is that so…"
Kuroshin squinted, deep in thought.
Suddenly, he grabbed Chiba by the arm and yanked him forward.
"I was planning to turn this kid into a one-time-use poison puppet, but it seems he's found a more suitable role now."
Hearing Kuroshin's cruel words, Chiba couldn't help but tremble.
So this was the "use" they had for him...
Even with his limited understanding of the ninja world, Chiba could easily guess what a poison puppet might entail.
Kuroshin took out an explosive tag and stuck it onto Chiba's back before turning to Shadow.
"It's your turn. Use the kid to lure out their hidden positions."
Seeing the tag, Chiba immediately realized what was happening and began to struggle.
"Smack!"
Kuroshin struck Chiba across the face. Though the hit didn't appear to cause much damage, the pain was excruciating, like a searing knife.
Chiba collapsed in agony, writhing on the ground. The pain was so intense that he couldn't even scream.
Gripping Chiba by the head, Kuroshin's sharp, eagle-like eyes bore into him.
"Stay still, or I won't mind making you suffer more."
Shadow crouched down behind Chiba, drawing unknown symbols on his back.
Fear flooded Chiba as he watched, powerless. He turned his gaze toward the scarred ninja, the only one who had shown him a shred of kindness.
The scarred ninja glanced at Chiba indifferently before turning away, as if such cruelty was nothing unusual.
Meanwhile, the blond ninja sneered.
"Don't get your hopes up. From the moment we found you, your fate was sealed."
With his last glimmer of hope extinguished, Chiba sank into despair.
So this is the fate of the weak? This helplessness, this inability to resist... I wish I could kill them all!
His inner thoughts seethed with rage as he cast a venomous glance at Kuroshin and the blond ninja. Then, he lowered his head again, trembling.
"Hm?"
Kuroshin raised an eyebrow, noticing the brief flash of hatred in Chiba's expression before it disappeared.
"It seems Shadow was right. You're surprisingly good at suppressing your emotions for someone so young. Perhaps you really are a genius…"
Kuroshin's tone turned cold as he sneered.
"But for us, your only value lies in drawing out the enemy. Helping a Jonin should be an honor for you."
Chiba couldn't hold back anymore.
Lifting his head, he glared at Kuroshin with unbridled hatred, his eyes blazing with resentment.
"Heh, not bad. That's quite a look you've got there. A pity—don't blame me; blame fate instead."
Kuroshin lightly patted Chiba's cheek before turning to Shadow.
"Alright, begin."
Chiba's body suddenly froze. He couldn't move a single muscle, not even a finger.
Moments later, Shadow seemed to merge into Chiba's shadow, completely disappearing.
"Shadow Puppet Jutsu…"
What… what is this?!
Chiba screamed internally, unable to speak aloud.
His body no longer obeyed his commands.
Suddenly, his body began to move on its own.
He adopted a pitiful posture, retreating step by step while crying out, "Stay away! Don't come any closer!"
The blond ninja clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Shadow, your Shadow Puppet Jutsu is getting sharper."
Kuroshin nodded approvingly.
"Now that everything is ready, let's begin."
With that, the group vanished, leaving only Chiba in the clearing.
His body, under Shadow's control, stepped onto the tripwire.
"Jingle!"
Deep in the forest, a humanoid figure with six spider-like arms turned to the source of the sound as the bells on the tripwire rang.
"Someone's here. That direction," the spider-like figure announced, extending a finger.
The leader of the group, a handsome boy no older than thirteen or fourteen, frowned, his expression far more mature than his age.
"Can you sense how many?"
"Seems like… just one. And it's not a ninja—just a regular kid."
"Kid? How could a civilian survive in a warzone?"
After pondering for a moment, the boy quietly crept forward to observe Chiba.
Seeing Chiba about to trigger a trap, the boy couldn't sit still any longer.
"Whoosh!"
A kunai flew from the boy's hand, embedding itself in Chiba's thigh.
"Ah!"
Chiba collapsed, clutching his leg as blood pooled beneath him.
Despite the intense pain, his thoughts were consumed by the realization of his impending death.
His soul writhed in despair, but his body remained under Shadow's control, unmoving.
A figure approached him, and Chiba felt a deep sense of dread. He knew he was nothing more than a walking bomb.
If this person got too close, it would all be over.
The helplessness of it all—this inability to control his own fate—gnawed at Chiba.
Am I really going to die here? After finally getting a second chance at life…
Memories of his mother's face flashed in his mind.
I promised her I'd survive… How could I die here?
As his soul struggled desperately, Chiba's body writhed slightly, fighting against the control.
"Ah—"
He staggered backward, crying out, "Stay away! Don't come closer!"
The boy watched Chiba's pitiful state and confirmed his suspicions.
"He really is just a civilian…"
Raising his kunai, the boy hesitated for a moment before lowering it again.
"Forget it. We'll take him with us when we leave. At the very least, let's get him out of this warzone. Whether he survives after that… is up to him."
"Zifeng, that's against protocol. We're not supposed to bring strangers into the camp," the spider-like ninja whispered cautiously.
The boy, Zifeng, shook his head.
"I'm not taking him back to camp. I just want to get him away from here. The rest is up to fate."
He crouched down, preparing to treat Chiba's wound.
"Hm?"
Zifeng suddenly noticed something amiss.
The fear and despair in Chiba's eyes… and was that resignation?
"Shhh—"
Before Zifeng could react, Chiba's body lunged forward, clutching his leg.
From Zifeng's perspective, he could clearly see a row of lit explosive tags on Chiba's back.
"Boom!"
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