548. Black-Clad Ninja / 549. Taking Poison and Dying

"If we don’t get in touch with the outside world soon, we really won’t know what’s happening out there. We won’t even know what my friend’s illness is like."

Izayoi Sakamaki felt that the Hokage had a point. He really needed to think of a way to solve their current predicament. However, just as he was trying to figure out how to leave this place, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept over them.

Izayoi Sakamaki was greatly alarmed by the sight. He had encountered far too many dangers since coming here, so he could not help being jumpy. Now that this violent wind had arrived, perhaps some other accident would follow.

He had to be more careful. If anything else went wrong, it would delay them again. And if they lost more time, his search for the materials would become even longer.

Izayoi Sakamaki said to the Hokage, "I have a feeling this gale came at a very bad time. Look at it—why did it have to come now?"

"It just had to arrive when we reached the shore. I feel like something is suspicious here, so we’d better be cautious. And I have a feeling that something even bigger may happen after this wind."

Black-Clad Ninja

But now that they had encountered this difficulty, complaining about fate was naturally useless. Problems had to be solved. Only by resolving this difficulty could they smoothly complete the tasks ahead. Still, this gale was far too powerful. He could not resist it at all; it felt like a tornado. As the wind grew stronger and stronger, Izayoi Sakamaki realized that if he did not grab onto something—

He would definitely be blown away. Therefore, he tightly embraced a large tree. There was only this one tree around. Then Izayoi Sakamaki said to the Hokage, "Hurry and hold onto this tree. If you don’t cling tightly to it—"

"You’ll definitely be blown away. So I hope you can hold on tight. If you miss this chance, there won’t be another one. This wind is incredibly strong, so if you don’t hold on now—"

"I won’t even know where to find you afterward. And I don’t think this wind will stop anytime soon, so I hope you’ll cherish your lives."

The Hokage naturally felt the force of the wind as well. He said to Izayoi Sakamaki, "Okay, Boss. We heard you. Don’t worry—if we don’t treasure our own lives, who else will treasure them for us?"

"So don’t worry, Boss. We’ll hold onto this tree tightly. But this is too miserable, isn’t it? Why did we run into another gale? Who knows when this wind will stop?"

"Our mission is so urgent too. We really are unlucky. When will our luck finally return to normal? With luck this terrible, I feel like we can’t accomplish anything."

Izayoi Sakamaki also felt incredibly unlucky. He had never encountered such frustrating circumstances before. But since these things had already happened to him, he had to find a way to deal with them.

Complaining about fate was useless, so he said to the Hokage, "Stop blaming heaven and lamenting your fate. We’ve run into trouble, so we need to solve it."

"The most important thing right now is to deal with the problem in front of us. Only after we resolve it can we make plans for the next step. If we can’t even solve the problem before us—"

"How can we talk about what to do next?"

The Hokage also felt that Izayoi Sakamaki made sense. He really had been acting too childish, unable to think things through as clearly as Izayoi Sakamaki. It seemed Izayoi Sakamaki truly was his big brother.

He said to Izayoi Sakamaki, "Fine, Boss. Since you put it that way, if we still don’t persevere, we really won’t have anything to say for ourselves. But I still think we’re truly unlucky."

"It’s not that we don’t want to face these difficulties. We’re just praying from the bottom of our hearts that we won’t encounter any more bad things, because we’ve already gone through too many."

"So I hope Heaven will show us some mercy. After all, our friend is still lying in a sickbed."

"If we don’t find the materials for his antidote, his life will be in danger. That’s why we don’t want to deal with all these hardships."

The gale battered Izayoi Sakamaki and the Hokage, and they clung tightly to the large tree. They knew that if they let go, they would definitely be swept away by the wind. And judging by the force of the gale—

If they let go, they did not know where they would be carried. The wind was incredibly strong, and the things it swept into the air were sent flying far, far away. If they did not hold tightly to the tree—

And were blown away by the gale, they would definitely lose contact with the group afterward. Therefore, no matter what, they had to cling to the tree. If they did not, they would be separated from the others.

After a long while, Izayoi Sakamaki and the Hokage felt their arms grow numb and sore, but they had no choice. They had to endure, because the consequences of failing to do so would be disastrous.

Their top priority was to hold on. No matter how numb their arms became, they had to fight the wind to the end. Finally, after a long time, the wind stopped.

Izayoi Sakamaki and the Hokage breathed sighs of relief. The gale had truly been terrifying. However, after it passed, it left Izayoi Sakamaki something valuable: the material needed by the sick Hokage.

Izayoi Sakamaki was overjoyed. Surviving a great disaster truly brought good fortune afterward. But just as he was about to take the material, a huge gorilla suddenly appeared.

Poisoning Himself to Death

Izayoi Sakamaki was utterly helpless. He had not expected to face so many difficulties. He only wanted to find several materials to make the antidote—why had he encountered so many obstacles? He truly could not understand it. Could someone be setting him up? But that seemed impossible. He had not offended that many people, and there were even so many animals joining in. That could not be right, yet all these unlucky things kept happening to him.

That was indeed hard to explain. Although he had maintained a good attitude before, he had thought that once the typhoon passed, he would be able to search for the materials safely.

But it seemed he had been wrong. The typhoon had passed, yet he had not been able to calmly collect the material, because a gorilla had appeared ahead. If he wanted to obtain the material—

He would have to fight the gorilla. He had already fought many animals, such as venomous snakes and lions, and now he had to fight a gorilla too. He truly could not understand what grudge he had held against animals in the past—

For them to hate him so much. But what choice did he have? The gorilla was already standing before him. If he did not fight it, he could only let it eat him. And the gorilla was so enormous—

That he could not guarantee whether he could successfully kill it. He was deeply confused, because he had never expected a gorilla to appear after the typhoon.

Moreover, the typhoon had already exhausted him. If he fought the gorilla now, he only had thirty percent of his combat strength left. Trying to defeat the gorilla with just thirty percent of his strength would be difficult.

But he would not give up. Behind him were the lives of the Hokage, so no matter what, he had to defeat the gorilla. At that moment, the Hokage were also terrified.

They did not dare fight the gorilla either. After the gale, they were already exhausted. The Hokage looked at Izayoi Sakamaki and said, "Boss, can you still keep going?"

"If you can’t, let’s leave quickly. We have no other choice but to run. If you fight that gorilla, you’ll definitely be at a disadvantage. Boss, we should get out of here now."

"Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best. We can’t beat this gorilla anyway, so why keep tangling with it here? We might as well leave. Either way, we’ll die, so we might as well die less miserably."

"If we fight the gorilla, we’ll die one hundred percent. But if we run, there might still be a one percent chance. So please listen to us, Boss. Leave quickly."

"If you keep fighting the gorilla, the consequences will definitely be severe. And you’re carrying an important mission, Boss. You absolutely can’t treat your own life so lightly."

"So please leave quickly, Boss, and we’ll leave with you. Don’t worry—with us here, you’ll definitely be the last one to die."

Izayoi Sakamaki was also helpless. How could I, a grown man, hide behind a group of children and let them protect me? No matter what, he had to shoulder the responsibility of protecting them.

So he said to the Hokage, "Don’t worry. I’ll definitely defeat this gorilla. If I don’t, none of us will be able to escape. Given our current condition—"

"It will be difficult even to outrun the gorilla. Although there are many of us, it can catch us one by one, because it runs far too fast."

"So that means we can only fight this gorilla to the death. If we’re lucky, we might be able to kill it. If we’re unlucky, then so be it. Either way, we’re dead."

"I’d rather die with a little more righteousness."

After Izayoi Sakamaki finished speaking, he engaged the gorilla. Although the gorilla was extremely powerful, Izayoi Sakamaki was no slouch either. Even with only one-third of his strength, however, dealing with the gorilla was still incredibly difficult.

But Izayoi Sakamaki risked his life, using every last ounce of strength he had, and only then did he manage to defeat the gorilla. Afterward, he took the Hokage and left, letting out a heavy breath.

He thought that gorilla really had been formidable. If he had not had that obsession—if he had not been driven by the need to help the injured Hokage find a cure—

then he might not have been able to unleash such strength. Still, winning was what mattered. But just as Izayoi Sakamaki was feeling pleased with himself, several ninjas suddenly appeared.

When Izayoi Sakamaki saw that they were all masked, he was speechless. He had never had any dealings with them, so why were they blocking his path? And their eyes were filled with such viciousness. They clearly had come with ill intentions. As the saying went, those who came in peace did not come armed; those who came armed did not come in peace. They were definitely not good people, so he had to stay alert.

At first, Izayoi Sakamaki thought they were merely passersby. But just as he was about to leave, the ninjas blocked his way.

Then one of the ninjas said to Izayoi Sakamaki, "Stop. Do you think you can just leave like that? Today, we’re going to take the lives of all of you."

Izayoi Sakamaki was deeply puzzled. Before one wave had settled, another had risen. He had only just driven away that gorilla, and now several ninjas had come to oppose him. He really did not want to fight anyone else.

He was simply exhausted from fighting. Ever since he had accompanied the Hokage in searching for these materials, he had been constantly struggling against animals. And now he had to struggle against people too. It was truly exhausting.

But he had no idea who these ninjas were or why they were targeting him. He had never provoked them, so he could not understand what was going on or why they wanted to oppose him.

So Izayoi Sakamaki said to the ninjas, "We don’t seem to know each other, do we? So why do you want to kill us the moment you show up? I don’t think I’ve done anything to offend you."

"Besides, you’re not bandits saying things like, ‘This road was built by me, this tree was planted by me.’ If you want to kill me, then give me a reason. If you can’t even give me a reason, then I’m afraid I can’t comply!"

The ninja merely laughed and said to Izayoi Sakamaki, "I think you talk far too much. Do we need a reason to kill you? I just don’t like the sight of you, so I want to kill you. Is that reason enough?"

"This is an age where the strong devour the weak. Whoever is stronger gets to call the shots. So I don’t need any reason to kill you. With a single order from me, my brothers—"

"—can immediately chop you all into pieces. So don’t even think about leaving here alive. Though if you stop talking, perhaps I’ll let you crawl away with only two legs missing."

Izayoi Sakamaki was shocked to hear the ninja say such things. Their methods were so cruel that it was obvious they often did this sort of thing.

But he still needed to find out why these ninjas were attacking him. He felt that someone was planning all of this behind the scenes, and he had to uncover who that person was.

Because if the root of the problem was not resolved, trouble would continue to come without end. And he had no idea what kind of trouble might await him next. After all, he had already dealt with far too many problems.

He had encountered far too many difficulties as well. He had to get a clear answer. In any case, these ninjas already wanted him dead.

If he did not ask now, it would truly be a waste. Once he fought these ninjas, it would be a fight to the death…

So Izayoi Sakamaki said to the ninjas, "Although we don’t have the energy to fight you right now, it won’t be so easy for you to kill us."

"And I can tell that your intent to kill us is very clear. Looking into your eyes, I feel that you simply cannot tolerate us. Your hostility toward us is immense. Are you unwilling to tell us why?"

"Why do you hate us so much? We’ve never provoked you, and we’ve never even met you. Why do you bear such hostility toward us upon our first meeting?"

"If you refuse to tell us the reason, wouldn’t that be rather unfair? Surely you wouldn’t want the people you kill to go before King Yama as wronged ghosts."

"Anyway, that is my only wish before I die. If you can’t grant it, then forget it."

The ninja merely laughed and said, "Don’t try to provoke us. We will never tell you the real reason we want to kill you."

"Anyway, we want to kill you. Make your move already. If you don’t, then I will."

Then he attacked Izayoi Sakamaki. Izayoi Sakamaki had no choice. Thinking that he probably would not be able to get the reason out of them, he engaged the ninjas in battle.

Izayoi Sakamaki found that these ninjas were not particularly strong. Before long, he drove them back and captured one of them.

After capturing the ninja, Izayoi Sakamaki was very pleased, because he could finally resolve his doubts. He still wanted to find out why these ninjas held such hostility toward him and were so determined to kill him. He also wanted to know whether the things he had encountered earlier had been their doing. It was essential to learn these things, because someone might be plotting against him in secret.

If he did not get to the bottom of these matters, how could he find the culprit behind them? So he had to find out what he needed to know. After all, this ninja might know many things.

Thus, Izayoi Sakamaki said to the ninja, "Now that you’ve been captured by us, if you want to live, tell us everything you know. And tell me why you came to kill us."

"So hurry up and tell us. We don’t look like people who would let you go, but if you tell us everything you know, we might consider sparing you. Killing you—"

"—would not be of much use to us anyway. As long as you tell us something valuable, we can absolutely let you go. And as for whether my words are trustworthy, you need not worry."

"I always keep my word. So I hope you think this over carefully. Your life is very important to you."

"A person only gets one life. I hope you cherish it. And I’m giving you only this one chance, so you’d better treasure it."

The ninja remained silent. He felt that he had to stand by his principles and would never betray his companions. He also knew that if he betrayed them—

he would not come to a good end either. Rather than that, he might as well die at Izayoi Sakamaki’s hands. At least then, he could earn an honorable reputation.

And as a ninja, he no longer cared about things like honor anyway. Keeping the secrets he knew was what he ought to do most.

So the ninja said to Izayoi Sakamaki, "Don’t waste your effort on me. I will never tell you the secrets I carry. Whether I tell you or not, I’ll die either way."

"So why should I give you that advantage? Don’t waste your time on me. I won’t say a single word."

Izayoi Sakamaki was helpless after hearing this, but he still wanted to seize this opportunity. It had not been easy to get such a chance, and giving it up so easily would not be good.

The ninja was refusing to speak only because Izayoi Sakamaki had not tortured him yet. If he used torture to force him, the man should reveal something. People were very afraid of pain, after all. As long as he made him suffer—

he would surely talk. Besides, Izayoi Sakamaki did not believe these ninjas had such unwavering resolve. Ninjas were still people. Their willpower might be somewhat stronger than that of ordinary people, but they would eventually waver.

Just as Izayoi Sakamaki was about to torture the ninja, he discovered that the man had stopped moving. Izayoi Sakamaki was startled and stepped in front of him, only to find blood spilling from the ninja’s mouth.

Only then did he realize that the ninja had bitten through the poison hidden in his teeth. Although Izayoi Sakamaki had never dealt with ninjas before, he knew one of their traits: they liked to hide poison in their mouths.

If they encountered any danger, they were to bite down on the poison hidden in their teeth and kill themselves. However, Izayoi Sakamaki truly had not expected this ninja to do something so extreme.

Even if this ninja had said nothing, he would still have let him go. After all, the ninja had only intended to kill him but had not posed much of a threat to him, and their skills did not seem particularly strong.

So, it would have been very difficult for them to kill him. Therefore, he had never truly intended to kill this ninja. But since the man wanted to kill himself, there was nothing he could do.

Izayoi Sakamaki sighed and said, "Fine. Since you killed yourself, do as you please. I don’t think I could have gotten anything out of you anyway."

Afterward, Izayoi Sakamaki found a place and buried the ninja. Just as he was preparing to set off and carry out the next part of his plan, another man in black suddenly appeared.

Clearly, this black-clad man was with the previous group, and he was also a ninja. From the technique he used to arrive here, Izayoi Sakamaki could tell that his martial arts were exceptionally formidable.

Izayoi Sakamaki naturally knew that the person standing before him was an expert, and that this expert had many ordinary black-clad men behind him. If he did not handle this carefully, he would definitely be brutally beaten by the black-clad expert. Thus, he had to remain vigilant at all times. He said to the expert in black, "As the saying goes, those who come with goodwill do not come uninvited, and those who come uninvited mean no good. Since you’ve come looking for us, hurry up and tell us why."

"If you’re here to kill us like before, then we will certainly resist. We cannot simply go along with your wishes and let you take our lives. After all, it’s not as though we lack the ability to defeat you."

"So I hope you can clearly explain why you’ve come. Don’t keep being so vague. Since you want to kill me, you should at least tell me why you want to kill us."

"Otherwise, we will never simply let ourselves be subdued by you."

The black-clad expert merely laughed before saying to Izayoi Sakamaki, "I imagine my subordinates already told you just now. There is no need for us to tell you why we want to kill you. As the saying goes, when entrusted by another, one must carry out their task faithfully."

"This was a task assigned to us by someone else, so we have no choice but to kill you. Although you are quite formidable, and your duel with my subordinates just now truly earned my admiration, one matter is one matter."

"Since we accepted the task of killing you, we must complete it. If we fail to complete this task—"

"We would have no way to answer to the others. We have already accepted their benefits, so we must give them an explanation."