Chapter 23

"Sensei, we can't let somebody just join us. It had to be a secret mission."

"I understand what you mean, but there's nothing we can do. Either he comes with us, or we have to somehow stop him. That wouldn't just take a lot of time, but also can have serious consequences."

"But, he still could be a spy. There are some flaws in his story, and he didn't react that much when he saw Kisame at first."

"I don't think all of that was just an act, Neji." Guy massaged his forehead. The situation was getting pretty complicated. "Anyway, I have already sent Kakashi's summon back to him to explain the situation, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Neji frowned but didn't say anything else. He understood that his voice mean little to Guy as of currently, as he was the leader. Still, he couldn't help but glance at Blake, who was currently sitting against the tree. Just the fact that he wore a mask bothered him a lot. He could be anyone...

They had been traversing non-stop for the past three days, so they finally decided to take a break. Traveling with Blake turned out much better than it was expected. He didn't talk, at all, just moved along them at a steady pace. His stamina was also great, and he could probably keep going if not them.

'Damn, he is staring at me quite intensely.' Blake let out a chuckle. If he was ever faced with such an issue, he would be quite angry as well. It wasn't like they wanted to add him to the participation of this mission, but they have simply been left with no other choice.

Either he travels with them, or their mission has a huge chance of being unsuccessful. Blake would probably just kill someone like that, but, unfortunately for them, they simply didn't have the facility to do so.

Sighing quite deeply, Blake glanced at quest, seeing it still shining brightly. Gaara was still alive, but was that for long? They better depart sooner. Blake also decided to check his stats, as he hadn't done so in quite some time.

He couldn't say he wasn't surprised.

--Status---

Name: Blake Howard

Age: 34

Level: 44

Class: Lurking Demon(Unique) - C-Grade

Skills: Shadow Movement; Shadow Augment; Mind Castle; Shadow Clone; Shadow Blink(LOCKED); Hunter Mark(LOCKED)

Authorities: Authority of Time(Early); Authority of Karma(Early)

---

Strength: 28=>106

Dexterity: 95=>133

Recovery: 45

Endurance: 21

Chaos Energy: 85=>161

Luck: 38

Free Points: 19

---

Pending Quests:

[Save Gaara from the approaching death]

---Status End---

Blake was incredibly surprised at how much has his strength grown. Doing some quick maths in his head, Blake counted that the potion from this Ruthless Heaven had given him 40 strength attribute points. To say that was a lot would be an understatement.

It once again showed how powerful it was, and Blake thought about how crazy the penalty could be. Just what was it, this screen? And what exactly did it want to achieve by transporting him, and others, here? Were these quests random, or was someone just manipulating them to reach their goals?

He didn't know, and probably wouldn't know any time soon.

Glancing at his system panel once again, Blake thought about his native world. Just not long ago, Blake was a normal... not that normal human, and now he was a walking tank. With such power, Blake could probably cause some huge mess back in his world.

Removing the panel from his vision, Blake saw Rock Lee approaching him with a bottle of water. "Sir, you must be thirsty." He stretched his hand out to give Blake the bottle.

"We also have some stored food if you need any."

"I have some of my own."

"Alright then, Sensei said that we are leaving in ten minutes."

Blake nodded. Lee bowed, scratched the back of his head, and started leaving, but Blake wasn't finished. "Your name is Lee, right?" Blake asked, pointing at Lee's hands. "That's some deep calluses you have there."

"Yeah..." Lee glanced at his hands, which weren't bandaged as he was resting right now. "I have been training a lot recently."

"I can see that," Blake said. "Remember, great power comes to those who are desperate for it, not to those who were born in the saturation of it."

Lee stopped for a moment, seemingly deep in his thoughts, before once again bowing. This time Blake didn't bother to stop him as the teenager left, letting Blake continue his former business.

He once again glanced at his stats, seeing the number of free points. The disparity between his stats was growing a bit too big, and Blake felt like that was a bad thing. He could, of course, just leave them for a desperate moment, when he would need a boost in power, but what was the point if he died before that?

His endurance was especially low, almost comparable to a normal human. If he understood correctly, endurance was intertwined with his ability to bear attacks. It was definitely an important attribute, and Blake guessed Howard was investing a lot in it, that's why he had been such a tough nut to crack.

Thinking that it was the most optimal choice for him right now, Blake didn't hesitate any longer and simply allocated all the free points to endurance, bringing it up to 40. A rush of power entered his veins and Blake pinched himself, noting that his skin had turned much more rigid.

It felt great, he couldn't lie.

Standing up, Blake took a deep breath in. The warmth of spring entered his nostrils. Green and lively trees, untouched by venomous human hands, surround him from all sides. It was indeed a beautiful world. A pity he couldn't enjoy it.

Yet.

The others stood up with him, Guy nodding in his direction. Not exchanging any words, they once again departed on their journey. With each stride, they were getting closer to Akatsuki's base.

They were all ready, prepared to fight with their lives on the line. Blake could feel it. This battle was going to be a huge challenge, but it didn't mean he would back down. It was Akatsuki who should rather run.