11 - Trial by Fire

Konan and Shin arrived just in time, allowing the members of Akatsuki to breathe a sigh of relief. After landing, Shin quickly glanced back, noticing the red-haired woman shrinking behind the group, while Nagato had a look of intense murderous intent. Nagato's killing intent is already showing. These Kusa ninjas did their part well.

However, outwardly, he still had to continue his act. Taking a break between releasing his jutsu, he pretended to be shocked and questioned, "What's going on here? What happened? Didn't I just ask you to scout the area? How did it turn into such a big conflict?"

Nagato, completely unaware that this situation had been orchestrated by Shin himself, felt guilty and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry."

One of the Akatsuki members quickly stepped in to explain, "This isn't Nagato's fault. We acted impulsively. These Kusa ninjas are beyond inhumane! They were treating Nagato's blood relatives like livestock!"

Konan was shocked to hear this. She seemed to be the only one who hadn't fully grasped the situation.

"This woman is Nagato's blood relative?" she asked as she looked between the two red-haired figures.

The Akatsuki members nodded quickly. "Yes!"

Neither Nagato nor Kaori refuted this. Nagato believed it to be true, while Kaori couldn't find the opportunity to speak up.

Konan let out a quiet "Oh" before her gaze hardened. "Then it's not your fault. Protect her!"

This misunderstanding solidified even further.

Shin then spoke up at the right moment, "Alright, I won't hold you accountable for messing up the mission this time. Protect Nagato's blood relative first! Konan, you take the slower ones and evacuate by air!"

Nagato looked at Shin with gratitude. His eyes softened slightly, though the killing intent still radiated from him in waves. Even better than expected. The seeds are planted deeper than I hoped.

Shin noticed it all, and smiled.

It seemed he wouldn't need any backup plans after all. Nagato's gratitude was even stronger than expected. Now, all that remained was to withstand the Kusa's counterattack, and tonight's plan would be perfect.

The scheming phase was over. Now came the phase of battle and thrill!

A Kusa ninja was the first to charge through the lightning and paper projectiles, swinging a large scythe-like weapon at Shin.

He dodged the first strike, the scythe slicing through a few strands of hair. In one fluid motion, he countered with a slash at the opponent's ribs

Strangely, the Kusa ninja facing him seemed to lose his wits, raising his scythe horizontally in front of his forehead as if guarding against an imaginary downward strike. His eyes grew unfocused, seeing a threat that wasn't there. 

It wasn't until Shin's short blade cut into his abdomen that the Kusa ninja snapped out of it, exclaiming, "Genjutsu?!"

Blood sprayed everywhere on the ground as he fell backward.

Shin didn't answer immediately. Coldly, he swiftly followed up with another strike, slashing the ninja's throat in one smooth motion. The man's eyes widened in shock, hands reaching futilely for his neck.

Only after confirming the enemy was no longer breathing did he calmly answer, "Yes, it was genjutsu." The body slumped to the ground, blood pooling beneath it.

He always answered questions only after ensuring his enemy was beyond saving—that was his ninja way. Dead men can't use information against you.

As for the genjutsu, it was a skill he had recently learned in his dreams, thanks to the system's reward: Illusion countermeasures from the Mantis Shrimp.

Where humans saw three color channels, mantis shrimp possessed sixteen different photoreceptors, allowing them to detect subtle variations in light that others missed. By understanding how these creatures processed such complex visual information, he learned to layer his genjutsu in ways that exploited the human brain's more limited visual processing.

Unfortunately, without the mantis shrimp's advanced visual system himself, this technique required careful preparation and precise timing. The human brain could only be tricked along certain neural pathways, making it a one-time surprise against experienced opponents. A shame. With those eyes, I could create illusions through channels of light that humans can't even perceive.

When the second and third Kusa ninjas charged at him, he no longer had the luxury of setting up another genjutsu. They came from different angles, attacking with chunin-level efficiency.

One ninja rushed at him, while the other threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken. 

Shin quickly leaped backward, dodging the first wave of flying needles and shuriken that embedded themselves in the ground where he had stood. Then he sprinted forward, his short sword becoming a blur as he waved it in front of him, deflecting the oncoming projectiles with a series of sharp clang sounds.

Each parry was precise, the minimum movement needed to redirect the projectiles.

He finally reached the edge of the forest, shaking off the line of fire before engaging the Kusa ninja who had closed in on him. This particular ninja seemed to hold some authority in Kusa, his stance betraying years of experience. He arrogantly spoke just moments into the fight, sneering as their blades clashed.

"Kid, you're from Ame, right? That old man Hanzō is losing his edge. And you think a few of you can come to Kusa and cause trouble? Do you really think our village has no one to defend it?"

Shin couldn't help but inwardly criticize Ame's poor intelligence work—apparently, everyone knew that Hanzō had been slacking off in recent years. Even Kusa knows about Hanzō's decline. The intelligence network needs rework.

Remaining silent, he coldly swung his blade. The Praying Mantis style began its deadly dance.

The first strike was blocked by the ninja's kunai, who grinned mockingly as if watching a cornered animal.

"Is that all you've got, brat?"

The second strike came at an anatomically impossible angle for a human arm—but natural for a mantis' raptorial foreleg. The blade whipped forward like a mantis' strike, using the full rotation of his shoulder and elbow in perfect coordination. The Kusa ninja's smug expression faltered as he barely deflected the attack.

By the third strike, the length of the kunai was insufficient to defend. Like a mantis' hunting pattern, each attack came from Shin's optimal striking range while staying just outside his opponent's reach. The ninja's forehead began to bead with sweat as he realized his weapon's disadvantage.

Each movement flowed into the next with predatory efficiency. Just as a mantis holds its prey with one arm while striking with the other, Shin's footwork kept his opponent perpetually off-balance, trapped in his killing zone.

The fourth strike broke through the kunai's defense, slicing the ninja's arm. He cursed, stumbling back, suddenly desperate to create distance to cast a jutsu.

But the fifth and sixth strikes followed with the explosive speed of a mantis' strike—their forearms accelerate faster than a bullet, and while Shin couldn't match that speed, he'd learned to emulate their perfect biomechanical efficiency. Each cut flowed from his center of gravity, maximizing force while maintaining perfect balance. The ninja, lacking the ability to form seals with one hand, was utterly suppressed.

By the seventh strike, the ninja barely dodged, nearly losing an eye to the blade. Like a mantis' precision strikes at its prey's vital points, each of Shin's attacks targeted critical areas—eyes, throat, major arteries.

"What... what kind of sword style is this?!"

Fear replaced his arrogance entirely. The relentless strikes continued, each motion eliminating wasted movement, just as a mantis conserves energy between strikes.

The eighth strike knocked the kunai from his hand with a brutal trap-and-break motion inspired by how mantises disable their prey's defenses. Three fingers snapped. The kunai spun away into the darkness.

The ninth strike slashed open his chest, warm blood splattering onto his own face. Like a mantis' final killing blow, it struck precisely where the previous attacks had created an opening.

It was one thing to lose to a ninja from one of the Five Great Villages, but why did an Ame ninja get to kill him?

He was unable to cast a single jutsu before falling to his enemy who was at least ten years younger than him. 

With his last breath, he weakly asked, blood bubbling at his lips, "What… sword technique… is this?"

Since Shin was certain Kusa ninja would die, he kindly answered this time.

"This is the swordsmanship of the Praying Mantis."

Though he hadn't fully mastered it yet, it was indeed the technique inherited from the mantis' hunting patterns—the perfect distance control, the explosive acceleration, the brutal efficiency of movement.

In that final moment, the dying Kusa ninja let out a laugh, blood staining his teeth. 

"Even now... you mock me? A bug's style? What nonsense..."

He died with anger in his heart, believing Shin had insulted him with a childish lie rather than honor him with the truth. His body slumped to the ground, joining the others who had fallen to Shin's blade that night. The irony of his death—that he had truly fallen to the art of the Praying Mantis—would remain forever unknown to him.

Shin watched the light fade from his eyes, remembering the system's teachings. Just like the mantis itself—they never recognize the predator until it's too late.

As he prepared to return to the main battle, he noticed another figure lurking in the shadows. A Kusa ninja was fleeing not towards the village center, but towards a concrete building at the edge of the compound.

Shin followed.

The building's modern architecture stood out from Kusa's traditional structures, and strange smells wafted from its ventilation system.

The chase led them into a large laboratory where several researchers worked at their stations. Shin's eyes widened in recognition—this was the banana lab.

Suddenly, he stopped and froze. The system flashed a warning. 86%?! The prediction jumped tenfold!

All his plans were about avoiding this place, not surviving it. Just then, the fleeing ninja knocked over several glass containers. They shattered, releasing a cloud of fine particles into the air.

The researchers' faces went pale with horror. "No!"

Before his eyes, two researchers who had inhaled the full cloud began choking. Their skin bulged grotesquely as plant matter grew inside them with impossible speed. In seconds, green shoots burst from their mouths and noses.

Shin had managed to avoid the worst of it, but despite holding his breath, he felt some particles enter his nose.

He thought in hyperspeed as his lungs began to itch. The Fire Release... it could work. The lungs generate the flames... and plants, even accelerated ones, still burn.

It was risky, but better than death by banana.

Shin quickly adjusted his chakra flow, careful to maintain precise control. Reduce the chakra flow. Too much power will cook me from inside. Too little won't kill the seeds.

Sealing his lips tight, he performed a modified Fireball Jutsu, but instead of releasing it, he trapped the flames within his chest cavity. The pain was immediate and intense.

The heat seared through his chest, threatening to cook him from the inside out. Endure it. The Elephant Physique... Giant's Resilience... they have to be enough! Shin gritted his teeth, every muscle tensing as he fought to contain the flames exactly where they needed to be.

The fleeing ninja turned back, laughing at what he thought was Shin choking on the particles. "Like our little experiment? Don't worry, the growth is usually slow enough that you'll get to feel every—" His taunt cut off as Shin's eyes locked onto him.

He snorted and charged forward, hands already forming seals. But even with the burning in his lungs, Shin's blade moved with the deadly precision of the Praying Mantis style.

Two strikes. That's all it took. The first slash came at an impossible angle, targeting the ninja's legs at the knees. The second followed so quickly it seemed to overlap with the first. The Kusa ninja's attack stance shifted to confusion as he suddenly found himself falling. He didn't even realize his legs were gone until he hit the ground, his severed limbs landing a few feet away.

"What—?" Blood pooled beneath him as he stared at his missing legs in shock.

Shin ignored him. The seeds in his lungs were a more pressing concern. Focus. Control. Precision. He channeled the fire chakra carefully, turning his lungs into a furnace.

The pain was excruciating, every breath like swallowing molten steel. His vision blurred as the heat threatened to cook him from the inside. Endure. Adapt. Survive. The system's enhancements pushed his body to its limits, healing tissue almost as fast as it burned.

The Kusa ninja watched in horror as smoke began curling from Shin's mouth and nostrils. "What... what are you?"

He didn't bother responding. His entire world had narrowed to the battle raging inside his body. After what felt like an eternity, the system's warning vanished. The seeds were ash.

Only then did Shin turn his attention back to the laboratory and its secrets. His eyes fell on the research notes, the specimens, and the cursed fruit-based experiments. Rage, cold and precise, filled him.

The flames he unleashed weren't the controlled burn in his lungs. This was an inferno, consuming everything. The Kusa ninja's screams as the fire reached him were like a sweet melody to Shin's ears. The sight of banana-related research turning to ash brought a genuine smile to his face.

He walked out of the burning building and watched the flames. To him, it was the most beautiful sight in years.

[Gained: Way of the Elephant - Final Stance]

Focusing on the notification, the system helpfully expanded its description:

[Way of the Elephant – Final Stance:

Description: In times of extreme desperation, when chakra reserves are nearly depleted and death approaches, the Way of the Elephant – Final Stance activates. The user draws upon the sheer resilience, strength, and connection to nature of an elephant.

Conditions for Activation:

- Critically low chakra reserves, almost completely depleted

- Near-death state with severe injuries or at the brink of collapse

- Activates as a forced survival mechanism, not by choice

Effect:

The user forcibly draws chakra from nature and combines it with their blood to fuel a final, powerful stance. Unlike the refined Sage Mode, this technique is a desperate, unstable attempt to harness natural energy.

1. Blood as Fuel: With chakra depleted, the user's blood becomes the primary energy source. Their life force—represented by blood—sustains the connection to nature chakra and keeps them alive. Each drop of blood burned prolongs this state but brings them closer to death.

2. Chakra Siphon from Nature: The user violently draws raw nature chakra to restore their strength. Unlike Sage Mode's controlled absorption, this desperate pull lacks balance and refinement. While it fuels immense power, it comes at a devastating cost.

3. The Last Stand: The user gains overwhelming physical power and durability, channeling an elephant's endurance in its final stand. The unstable nature chakra heightens their senses and reflexes, pushing their abilities far beyond normal limits. This borrowed power grows exponentially but becomes increasingly difficult to control.

Drawbacks and Consequences:

1. Blood Loss and Stone Transformation: These two dangers advance in parallel. As blood depletes to fuel the technique, controlling the violent nature chakra becomes harder. The user faces two paths to death:

- Complete blood loss leading to collapse

- Transformation into stone as nature chakra overwhelms their failing control

2. Unrefined Power: Unlike Sage Mode's harmony with nature, this technique forces a violent connection. The overwhelming power grows more chaotic as blood burns away, making the user's actions increasingly difficult to control.]

I am a berserker now?

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Something seems off. My novel isn't showing up unless I type its exact name. With 24k words, I should be appearing on the Update Rankings, but I'm completely invisible.

Does anyone understand how these rankings actually work?

How did you discover this story? I'm asking because this week is crucial - I'm dedicating all my free time to writing, but seeing these results is pretty discouraging.

Maybe it's the cover or the synopsis. Or perhaps my writing is just really bad.

I doubt I'll get any answers here... I'm heading to the pool to swim some laps and clear my head about where to go from here. Maybe see you later.