Chapter Eleven: This...
“Put it on.” Shiraki pointed to the women’s kimono he had just taken off.
“No way… Even if you can humiliate me, you can’t humiliate me like this…” Ebisu shook his head frantically.
Shiraki waved his bloodstained butcher’s knife threateningly near Ebisu’s groin.
“Do you prefer the left lapel or the right?” Ebisu surrendered faster than France in World War II.
Satisfied, Shiraki smiled, severed the ropes binding Ebisu, and believed that as long as he dangled a hope of survival, an unarmed Ebisu would have no courage to resist.
Ebisu, sobbing like a wronged young girl, slowly put on the kimono. An inexplicable sense of embarrassment and shame crept over him, and his face flushed against his will.
Ding! “Ebisu has completed cross-dressing, reward: 100 gold coins.”
Shiraki nodded with great satisfaction and pointed to the “Paradise of Intimacy” lying on the ground. “Have you read it?”
“No… It’s a new release, the hottest novel at the bookstore, Lord Jiraiya’s latest work… It’s bound to be a bestseller…” At the mention of the little risqué novel, Ebisu became animated.
“Read it. Don’t stop until I say so.” Shiraki tossed a copy to Ebisu.
“Huh?” Ebisu was stunned.
“If you don’t want a beating, read ‘Paradise of Intimacy’—and focus!” Shiraki stepped behind Ebisu, tapping his back with the butcher’s knife.
What strange orders…
First cross-dressing, now reading “Paradise of Intimacy”…
Ebisu dared not resist. He had no idea what this pervert’s true strength was, but every move exuded the aura of a powerhouse. At least he didn’t seem intent on killing him…
A little humiliation is bearable…
Besides, cross-dressing was something he’d secretly fantasized about but never had the chance to do…
And he’d always wanted to read “Paradise of Intimacy” anyway.
Ten minutes passed.
Behind him, there was utter silence. The pervert seemed to have left. Ebisu quietly turned his head—
Smack!
The butcher’s knife landed square on his face.
The pervert was still right behind him, reading “Paradise of Intimacy” as well.
“Turn around again and I’ll cut off an ear,” Shiraki said coldly.
An hour passed…
Two hours…
Three hours…
Ebisu was utterly lost in Jiraiya’s world of innuendo and allure, forgetting entirely that he was being held captive.
By the time Might Guy and Genma Shiranui came looking for him out of concern, Shiraki had already vanished.
“Aaaah… Guy… Genma!”
“I was kidnapped by a pervert…”
“For five whole hours!”
“He forced me into women’s clothes, made me read that risqué book…”
“Aaaah, my reputation is ruined!”
Might Guy and Genma Shiranui were completely bewildered.
…
Shiraki felt he had great potential to become like Kakashi, wandering aimlessly through the forest, holding “Paradise of Intimacy” single-handedly.
“I’m not addicted… I just wanted to earn 100 gold coins as quickly as possible… I’ve read everything under the sun for decades on Earth. How could a mere novel… Hiss… Incredible! Jiraiya’s imagination is truly boundless!”
Suddenly, a strong odor of blood assaulted his nose. Shiraki tucked the book into his ninja pouch and looked around. There, a ninja in a green vest lay collapsed in a clearing, feebly stretching a bloody hand toward him.
Wasn’t this supposed to be the Land of Fire’s territory? Why would a Leaf ninja be attacked here? Shiraki approached cautiously.
The ninja was no older than fifteen or sixteen, his abdomen slashed open, entrails and blood spilling everywhere—clearly beyond saving.
“Iwa… ambush… go back… tell Lord Minato…”
What? Does he think I’m a Leaf ninja? Shiraki was puzzled. Although he’d put on Ebisu’s clothes, he didn’t wear his forehead protector.
Still, Ebisu’s outfit was a classic ninja bodysuit with leg bindings, and paired with a standard Leaf ninja pouch, he could easily be mistaken for one. After all, not every ninja wore their forehead protector properly.
“What happened here?” Shiraki asked.
“Iwa-nin… ambushed our patrol line…” the Leaf ninja said with difficulty.
“How many of them?”
“One jonin… two chunin… Hurry… my squad… someone’s still alive…”
“Just one jonin and two chunin? A standard combat team, not a large-scale invasion, just a small harassment squad.” Shiraki analyzed.
When two villages go to war, ambushing the enemy’s patrols is standard operating procedure.
“Hurry…” The Leaf ninja choked out his last breath and died.
Ding!
“Regional Emergency Mission: Iwa Harassment Squad.”
“Objective: Rescue the Leaf ninja. Completing this mission offers a chance to join the Leaf faction.”
“Reward: Unknown.”
“…Join the Leaf? There are plenty of acquaintances there, but I’m not one for easy victories. If I’m going to play, I want to play on hard mode.” Shiraki grinned.
“But… I do have a bit of OCD. If I leave a quest uncleared on my map, I get itchy all over… So this one’s accepted!”
A jonin and two chunin, for him in his current state, were like a little kid in a mask trying to challenge a burly, armored brawler.
Still, with the power of his respawn skill, this world felt like a game to him. Hiding and playing it safe just wasn’t his style.
He was the kind to play the hero at death’s door—this was who he was!
…
The Viral Cleaver was little more than a powered-up shuriken toss, barely a threat to mid-level and higher ninjas.
The surviving Leaf ninja? Border patrols like these were tedious, usually handled by a chunin leading a few genin, so counting on survivors for backup wasn’t reliable either.
It would all come down to his three crowd control skills:
Charm. Taunt. Fear.
The chakra gap was too wide for them to be effective, so he’d have to rely on his acting…
Fortunately, acting was Shiraki’s greatest talent.
…
“Well, well, what idiot is still stupid enough to stick around here… My luck’s in—another piece of easy battle credit.” A rough, wicked laugh sounded nearby. A middle-aged Iwa-nin, carrying a long blade, swaggered over, his face full of arrogance.
“Quite the attitude… Since you’re alone, I’ll use you as an example.” Shiraki slowly turned, letting a flicker of fear cross his face.
“Hey, kid, not wearing your forehead protector? Don’t you know our battle credits are counted by enemy headbands?” The Iwa-nin dangled a bloody Leaf forehead protector disdainfully—he’d come back to collect the dead Leaf ninja’s headband to cash in for credit.
“You can have the headband… Please, just let me go…” Shiraki stammered, backing away, fumbling through his ninja pouch for Ebisu’s forehead protector, and tossing it to the ground.
“Tch… I’ve killed plenty of Leaf, but I’ve never seen such a useless coward before… Still, even if you know your place, I won’t let you go.” The Iwa-nin sneered, not bothering to pick up the headband.
He wasn’t some rookie genin—the rule “don’t pick things up on the battlefield” was written in blood. Who knew if there was an explosive tag under the headband?
“I’m just the lunch delivery guy…” Shiraki waved a bundle wrapped in oil paper, which really did look like he’d brought food for the patrol squad.
“Tch… Eating lunch during war? Leaf ninja are so pampered.” The Iwa-nin’s eyes were full of envy. The Land of Fire was rich, after all; their logistics put Iwa to shame.
Good… he seems to have let his guard down. Time to use Charm’s Kiss—the vomiting effect on men should create an opening. Then, with the Viral Cleaver’s limb-severing effect, he’d take out the opponent’s sword arm.
The script was set. Showtime.
Shiraki pulled open his outer garment, revealing a pale shoulder, and fluttered his lashes in an exaggerated parody of flirtation, his tone coy: “Oh my… big brother, don’t kill me… come play with me…”
“Charm’s Kiss”—activated!
The Iwa-nin was stunned for a moment, then grinned lecherously: “Hehehe… Who’d have thought… there’d be such forward kids in the Leaf…”
Shiraki’s bashful expression froze.
What the—! Look at you, all burly and gruff, and you turn out to be this kind of person!
System, are you screwing with me?
Stay back! Don’t come any closer!!!
“All you do is laze about and sell your looks—this system is utterly disgraced by you. Time for some tough love, or you’ll end up a gigolo!” The system sneered.
“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again, I swear!”