Strong Needs No Excuses (Video Easter Egg at the End of This Chapter)

In the distance, the sudden shift in the situation left the Scarred Sand Ninja briefly stunned, but he quickly snapped out of it.

"When?"

His expression changed as his gaze swept over the corpse of his companion, who had been arrogant and wild just seconds ago but was now suddenly decapitated, then over the other companion’s body, which had long since gone cold.

That brat…

Had he been waiting here for them all along?

Treating himself as the predator, his companions’ corpses as bait, and the two of them as prey?

But that idiot had been a genuine Chunin, a ninja with the potential to become a Jonin, not some mass-produced cannon fodder.

At such close range, no matter how careless that idiot had been, he should have heard an extra breath or heartbeat!

Unless… that brat’s breathing and heartbeat had been so faint that they matched one of theirs.

At that thought, the Scarred Sand Ninja’s face instantly turned ugly. Staring at the figure, he asked in a chilling tone, "Someone from Kirigakure?"

The abilities that brat had displayed reminded him of those bastards from Kirigakure and their "Silent Killing Technique."

But hadn’t Kirigakure decided not to join the war?

"Hm?"

The Scarred Sand Ninja suddenly furrowed his brow. His scrutinizing gaze paused on the person’s face as an inexplicable sense of familiarity surfaced. Confused, he asked, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Unfortunately, his question received no answer.

The person merely stood with his back to him, looking at the two dazed children.

That made the Scarred Sand Ninja think: in that fellow’s eyes, those two brats seemed more worthy of attention than he was.

"Most people in this world are like fallen leaves. They can only drift helplessly through the air, tumble, tremble, and finally collapse onto the ground in resignation, becoming nourishment for the next generation…"

The man’s voice echoed beside him. Yahiko asked in a daze, "So what you mean is… they turned the Land of Rain into what it is now because they had no choice? It wasn’t because they wanted it this way?"

His question received no answer.

He only heard the man seem to chuckle softly.

Then, the figure before them crouched down, holding an umbrella as he met the eyes of the two children sitting on the ground.

Behind him was moonlight stained with blood, falling across his somewhat youthful profile. A gentle smile rested on his lips, painting his features in deep shadow.

Only then did Konan see what he looked like.

He appeared to be around ten years old. Like his voice, his appearance made him seem like a very gentle person.

—If one ignored the sharp short blade in his hand, the one that had just beheaded someone and was still dripping with blood.

"Oh, sorry. Did I scare you?"

As if noticing Konan’s gaze, the boy blinked and lightly flicked the short blade in his hand.

After scattering droplets of blood like a crescent moon, he casually sheathed it at his waist.

"My name is Yun Chuan. Tsukimiri Yun Chuan."

Looking at the two children before him, the boy called Tsukimiri Yun Chuan smiled meaningfully and asked, "Can you tell me your names?"

In Japanese, the surname "Tsukimiri" meant "a place where one could see the moon." Translated literally, it meant "no mountains."

It was precisely because there were "no mountains" that one could "see the moon."

Combined with the given name Yun Chuan, it became "a vast river reflecting clouds and moonlight."

Under that gentle gaze, Yahiko still hesitated slightly, but Konan blurted out instinctively, "I-I’m Konan."

"Konan…" Yun Chuan’s lips curved slightly. He reached out and rubbed the girl’s somewhat messy blue-purple hair, tilting his head as he smiled gently. "You’ve come a long way, haven’t you?"

Feeling the warmth of the hand atop her head, Konan froze for a moment before lowering her head and nodding lightly.

"I see." Yun Chuan seemed to find the girl’s reaction amusing. He lowered his hand and looked toward the dumbfounded Yahiko beside her, his interest growing stronger.

Buzz! Buzz!

The instant his words fell, several sharp hums suddenly rang out!

Yahiko felt a chill between his brows. Several shuriken flying toward them behind Yun Chuan reflected in his pupils. An overwhelming chill enveloped him, and even his heart seemed to stop.

The Sand Ninja had chosen what he believed was the best opportunity, breaking the fragile balance between himself and Yun Chuan.

"B-behind you…"

A garbled sound escaped Yahiko’s throat, but his limbs could not move faster than the approaching death.

Yet before the words could leave his mouth—

The short blade, clear as autumn water, slid from its sheath and carved several arcs through the air.

Flash Sheath: Eight Point Assault!

Clang! Clang! Clang!!

The short blade swept through the rain and wind with a crisp hum. Several brilliant sparks burst before Yahiko, exploding and scattering through the dim alley.

The poisoned shuriken that had flown in silently were cut down, kicking up stone chips from the ground behind and beside Yahiko. One grazed past his forehead, carrying away a bead of cold sweat that had yet to fall, while other fragments struck his cheek with a burning sting.

"…"

Coming back to his senses, Yahiko heard the clear lingering echo of the trembling blade.

When he saw the short blade held before him, his unfocused pupils gradually widened.

Yun Chuan had merely extended the short blade in his hand, interrupting the ending where Yahiko’s brains would have splattered across the rainy night.

"You just said, they had no choice?"

Yun Chuan withdrew the short blade and held it in a reverse grip. He seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also answering Yahiko’s earlier question. "People are deceived not only because they are foolish, but because they are willing to believe."

"Rather than saying they had no choice, it would be more accurate to say they brought it upon themselves."

"What I mean is that in many matters, the deciding factor is not the matter itself, but the things outside it."

For some reason, Konan heard a certain emotional resonance in his tone.

"…" Yahiko shook his head in a daze. "I… don’t understand."

Were these words still too early for a child?

Even if he was a child with the potential to become a leader.

"Then remember one thing."

Yun Chuan sighed and said softly, "Strength needs no excuses. Weakness is the best reason."

"When you are weak, even struggling to survive in humiliation is a mistake."

In this world, weakness was the original sin.

Click, click! Clack!

In the distance, another figure had appeared beside the Scarred Sand Ninja, completely shrouded in a black robe that concealed his appearance.

"Brat."

His ten fingers curled slightly. Threads of Chakra extended from them, linking to the black-robed puppet. Veins bulged on his forehead as he stared fixedly at the figure in the alley and said coldly, word by word, "I’m asking you. Are you deaf?"

That chilling tone filled with killing intent made Konan and Yahiko shudder. The sight of the puppet, in particular, filled their hearts with fear.

Among the major powers participating in this war, Sunagakure was considered the weakest overall.

But the Puppet Corps established by Sunagakure had caused the people of other villages no end of suffering.

Puppet Masters were all underhanded types skilled in poison and hidden weapons. They installed countless bizarre concealed weapons inside their puppets, then coated those weapons with poison.

The Land of Rain civilians caught up in the attacks of Puppet Masters all died horribly, rotting to the point where even stray dogs would avoid them.

"Quite an impressive presence."

Yun Chuan raised an eyebrow. With a thought, a panel appeared in his mind.

The panel was completely empty, save for a single character card glowing faintly white.

Villain Template System

Sub-Template (1/4)

Name: Shiki Nanaya [Murderer]

World: Type-Moon Universe

Quality: White

Advancement: Can Advance—Tohno Shiki [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] (Gold)

Abilities: ① Presence Concealment: Possesses powerful stealth abilities, capable of concealing one's own presence, like a cold-blooded venomous snake lurking in the cracks of darkness and watching its prey.

② Jōgan: A low-level Mystic Eye with perception and dynamic vision beyond ordinary humans. It can easily distinguish humans from non-humans, as well as perceive the instant certain abilities are activated, allowing reaction speeds several times greater than normal and beyond common sense.

③ Seven Nights Assassination Art: A martial art trained beyond human limits. It possesses movement methods that defy common sense, speed beyond human capability, and spider-like footwork. Its defining traits are swift movements and unexpected techniques—strange, unpredictable, and magnificent.

④ Mystic Eyes of Death Perception (Locked): All things originate from the Root. Where there is birth, there must be an end. The end of a thing is called "death." These Mystic Eyes are connected to the Root and can see the "death" of all things.

Conditions for Advancement: ① 0/100000 Mission Points; ② Establish a connection with the Root and understand "death" (Completed)

Points Held: 210

This was what Yun Chuan had relied on to silently kill those two Sand Ninja, and it was also how he had quickly gained a foothold in this dangerous, unfamiliar world.

He had obtained the Villain Template System after arriving in this world a year ago. After defeating or killing people with certain traits, there was a chance to obtain templates with similar traits.

As its name implied, the templates obtained were all "villain" templates. Villains from every world were possible.

With good luck, even pulling a villain template capable of destroying planets would be perfectly normal. With bad luck, he might pull some blond bastard from an adult anime…

Shiki Nanaya [Murderer] was the template he had pulled from the "Beginner Gift Pack."

For ordinary people, the dark environment was difficult to traverse. But for Yun Chuan, who possessed Presence Concealment and the Seven Nights Assassination Art, it was the perfect hunting ground.

With sufficient preparation, he could easily kill some Chunin.

However, he had not surpassed the boundaries of being human. He could not summon lightning, breathe fire, or spew water. He could not casually swing out a slash of sword light.

Unless he could fulfill the advancement conditions of this template…

Looking at the advancement conditions required for the Shiki Nanaya template, Yun Chuan once again felt speechless over the template he had received from the Beginner Gift Pack.

Establishing a connection with the Root and understanding the essence of "death" was undoubtedly the hardest condition to fulfill.

"For someone who has died once, pulling this template makes sense. But I didn’t expect the hardest condition to be fulfilled so easily, only for me to get stuck on the advancement points…"

A pair of Mystic Eyes of Death Perception had raised this template’s ceiling to an unimaginable level.

Skipping directly past Gray, Green, Blue, and Purple, advancing from White to Gold—a quality second only to Red—clearly required more points than he could easily gather right now.

To approach and deal with a puppet covered in poison and concealed weapons head-on, the unadvanced Shiki Nanaya [Murderer] was not enough.

After all, open attacks were easy to evade, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against. When fighting a Puppet Master, one could never know whether a crude puppet would suddenly grow another arm and lightly scratch them.

One lapse in focus, one tiny scrape, and the specially prepared poison would spread through the wound in the skin, seep into the flesh and blood, and instantly deprive one of the ability to resist.

That was why Sunagakure’s Puppet Masters gave so many people headaches.

"Still, my luck has always been good."

Yun Chuan looked at the Gray card dropped by the Yellow-haired Sand Ninja, and a strange glint gradually appeared in his eyes.

Killing a ninja skilled in throwing ninja tools and receiving this card was certainly reasonable.

Then…

"What would drop from killing a Puppet Master?"

At that thought, Yun Chuan’s eyelids curved slightly with interest.

The thrill of opening a blind box like this was rather pleasant.

"Hide."

Sensing someone tugging at the hem of his clothes, Yun Chuan gently patted the girl’s head. He raised his eyes toward the two figures in the rain curtain and said jokingly, "The rain is getting heavier. Get home quickly, or someone will worry."

Konan’s dry hair did not feel particularly smooth to the touch.

Yun Chuan’s hands were not as tender as his age suggested either. They were rough, covered in calluses.

Yet that brought the pale-faced Konan back to her senses.

"Yahiko, run! Stop standing there!" Konan jolted, hurriedly tugged at the still-dazed Yahiko, and half-pulled, half-dragged him behind a trash bin.

Yahiko was usually pretty sharp. What was wrong with him today?

Was it because of what that boy had said?

"W-wait, he’s alone…" Yahiko’s voice was hurried, but when he looked up in panic, the figure before him had already vanished.

Moreover, at some point, the ninja tool pouch in his hand had disappeared, replaced by a black umbrella.

Yun Chuan’s body shot forth like a crossbow bolt. From drawing his blade to taking his first step, it happened almost instantly, without the slightest warning, too fast for anyone to react.

"Hmph!"

Watching the figure rush toward him and sensing his intention to close in, the Scarred Sand Ninja sneered.

Clack, clack!

His fingers curled and stretched slightly. The black-robed puppet beside him moved, mechanisms clicking as several purple pellets shot violently toward the approaching figure.

Poison Secret Art: Poison Smoke Bomb!

Bang!

In an instant, an eerie purple poisonous mist exploded, sweeping between them and obscuring Yun Chuan’s vision.

That was not all. When the puppet raised its arm and flung open its black robe, countless "needles" shot forth with killing intent, like an endless torrential downpour.

Poison Secret Art: Thousand Needle Rain.

The poisoned hidden weapons sealed off every direction around him.

Yun Chuan watched the scene with a smile as his left hand reached into the ninja tool pouch at his waist.

The next moment, his charging body did not pause in the slightest as the purple poisonous mist swallowed him whole.

"Seeking death!" The Scarred Sand Ninja narrowed his eyes, his expression cold, but he did not relax in the slightest.

If that brat had obediently remained where he was, then with the reaction speed he had displayed earlier, even if he could not protect the two people behind him, he might have been able to save his own life.

But he had chosen the most foolish method.

If he charged into poisonous mist where he could not see, it was impossible for him to emerge unscathed.

Once he was hit by Lady Chiyo’s poison, he would soon lose the ability to resist.

But in the next instant—

The entire poisonous mist was torn apart by a force, and a figure leaped out from the divided fog.

That figure was nothing like the disheveled mess the Scarred Sand Ninja had imagined.

Perhaps because he was moving too fast, mist rose from Yun Chuan’s body. Half-moon frostlight draped behind him, swirling around him until even his figure seemed somewhat transparent.

It was impossible to tell whether the expression on his face was a smile or calm indifference. All that could be seen was the moon behind him and a pair of blue eyes.

"…Body Flicker Technique?"

The Scarred Sand Ninja was dazed for a moment, unable to determine whether it was real or an illusion. Why had not even the edge of his clothes been touched?

Did he use the Body Flicker Technique to evade?

But when he looked at the gradually dispersing toxic mist, he immediately withdrew his guess.

Because beneath Yun Chuan’s feet, poisoned and unpoisoned Senbon lay scattered in disarray, some incomplete, some broken.

"Please don’t misunderstand."

Under the night sky, Yun Chuan lightly flipped his hand. The sharp Senbon between his fingers glinted coldly as he lowered his eyes to the Scarred Sand Ninja below and chuckled. "I’m not the kind of Ninja you imagine."

What he had used was the Jōgan, the Seven Nights Assassination Art · Flash Sheath: One League Crossroads, and…

Secondary Template [2/4]

Name: Bullseye [Chief Assassin]

World: Marvel Universe

Quality: White

Advancement: Can advance—Bullseye [Adamantium] (Gray)

Abilities: ① Lethal Projection—Projectile accuracy and lethality surpassing human limits, allowing him to use any ordinary object as a deadly bullet. He was also proficient with all manner of firearms and other hot weapons.

② Assassin Master—Perfect hand-eye coordination and a talent for movement, allowing him to quickly learn how to use weapons. He knew every weakness of the human body and could silently kill an enemy in an instant.

③ Adamantium Skeleton (Locked)—Most of his bones were fused with Adamantium, making his spine, skull, and knuckles indestructible.

Experience Required for Advancement: 0/10