Chapter 10: The New Rojie

The sky grew dark, the sunset’s afterglow staining the earth orange-red.

Rojie, Kuma Yagumo, and Lei Menyue, under the guidance of Shanfeng Qingye, quietly arrived near the bandit lair close to the Land of Fire’s border.

The terrain here was treacherous, with rolling mountains surrounding a valley where the bandits’ stronghold lay hidden—a sturdy wooden watchtower stood at its center, flanked by rudimentary defensive works.

Shanfeng Qingye stood atop a high point, his gaze cold as he looked down upon the bandit lair, whispering to the three: “This mission is primarily to get Itachi blooded, to acclimate Itachi to the brutality of combat.”

“I’ll observe from the shadows and won’t intervene unless absolutely necessary.”

“Itachi must rely on your own abilities to eliminate these bandits cleanly and efficiently.”

The three nodded solemnly.

Ninja are killing tools; even in peacetime, one must not grow too complacent.

Bandits, even those who’ve seen blood, are still mere mortals—nothing to a ninja who wields chakra.

Dispatching them easily is no challenge.

But a new genin who hasn’t shed blood struggles to perform steadily in life-or-death combat.

Shanfeng Qingye’s presence here is mainly to guard against possible unforeseen circumstances.

Moreover, if the bandit lair contains wandering ninja or samurai who’ve mastered chakra,

then it will fall to his role as their instructor to intervene.

Still, C-rank missions rarely involve ninja.

As the mission commenced, Rojie and the others crept cautiously toward the lair.

Due to his frail physique, Kuma Yagumo walked in the center, shielded by the others.

Even without activating her kekkei genkai, Yagumo’s genjutsu remained formidable.

She swiftly formed hand seals, and the bandit sentries at the entrance’s mouth instantly grew dazed, as if lost in a sweet dream.

Seeing this, Rojie didn’t hesitate—he drew his kunai and darted forward like a streak of black lightning toward the bandits.

His kunai sliced through the air with sharp whistling force, piercing precisely through the bandit’s throat.

The bandit never even cried out—he slumped slowly to the ground, blood spreading across the earth.

Indeed, no feeling at all…

Facing Yagumo and Menyue’s horrified stares, Rojie glanced at his bloodied kunai.

Probably the memories of Pirate Rojie.

Or perhaps I’m just inherently cold-blooded?

Rojie lowered his gaze slightly.

No…

Cold-bloodedness is a necessary trait for any competent ninja.

This clearly proves I possess exceptional ninja talent.

No wonder it’s me.

Too perfect.

After eliminating the sentries, the three pressed deeper.

Soon, they reached the watchtower.

The tower was built of wood and stone, its gate tightly shut, surrounded by crude barricades and traps.

Rojie took a deep breath.

Aside from Senjutsu: Spark, he’d learned several powerful fire-ninjutsu from Shanfeng Qingye during this time.

Rojie had a strong aptitude for fire-ninjutsu, likely tied to his Pokémon Rojie’s nature.

Now was the perfect moment to use them.

He swiftly formed hand seals.

Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Technique!

Instantly, flames erupted from Rojie’s mouth, transforming into fire projectiles that scattered in all directions, roaring with searing heat toward the watchtower.

The fire projectiles struck the tower, triggering a series of explosions—the gate was blown open, and the surrounding defenses were utterly destroyed.

Flames erupted within the tower; the bandits, startled awake, burst out wielding weapons, faces twisted in terror.

What was that noise?

An earthquake?

Don’t worry, just run outside.

No…

It’s the ninja.

Their eyes confirmed it.

We’re truly screwed now!

Rojie and the others gave the bandits no chance to recover—they surged forward.

Kuma Yagumo cast another genjutsu, paralyzing the fleeing bandits at the front.

Lei Menyue, shielded by the illusion, darted nimbly among the bandits, hurling shuriken continuously.

Rojie unleashed fire-ninjutsu—flames raged through the bandit ranks, snuffing out their lives.

The entire battle proceeded smoothly; before the bandits could fully react, they were already routed by Rojie and the others.

Within mere minutes, the bandits lay either charred corpses or drowned in pools of blood—all dead.

Yet after the battle ended, Yagumo and Menyue’s faces were grim.

Kuma Yagumo bit her lip tightly, her face pale.

Lei Menyue trembled slightly, his eyes clouded with confusion.

Only Rojie remained expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, Shanfeng Qingye emerged from the shadows.

In the glow of the fire, he looked at the three and smiled with satisfaction.

“Itachi did well.”

…

After the battle, the night was quiet, moonlight spilling like water across the still forest.

Rojie and the others, along with Shanfeng Qingye, took turns keeping watch and resting in a forest clearing.

Though they had just endured the brutal act of killing, Rojie suffered no insomnia—he slept soundly.

In his dream, Rojie felt his body like a runaway meteor, helplessly plummeting toward endless darkness.

After falling for an indeterminate time, his body jolted violently, slamming hard onto a seat.

The cold, hard sensation beneath his buttocks finally ended the seemingly endless fall.

Rojie slowly opened his eyes—he was back inside the mysterious gray mist hall.

Thick gray mist began to slowly dissipate; the surroundings gradually grew clear.

He instinctively glanced at the seats beside him—a familiar face appeared: Pirate Rojie.

“Where’s Charizard?”

Fire Kage Rojie spoke first, his voice echoing through the empty hall.

Pirate Rojie nodded calmly. “The timing to enter the gray mist hall is random; time flows differently across worlds.”

“The rate differences aren’t fixed either—failing to meet isn’t unusual.”

Then the two silently touched hands.

Instantly, memories flooded into each other, and power flowed and was shared between them.

Pirate Rojie’s life remained uneventful—he’d decided to rely on others, living each day like clockwork.

When he saw Rojie’s experiences here, he couldn’t help but marvel.

“I didn’t expect your instructor would be Shanfeng Qingye—he’s not just a fake account of Uchiha Shisui?”

“I always see him wearing sunglasses—maybe he’s hiding his Sharingan.”

Pirate Rojie joked half-seriously.

Fire Kage Rojie shrugged. “Impossible—the ages don’t match.”

“Besides, even if Uchiha Shisui were alive, he’d be blind.”

Pirate Rojie shook his head, sighing. “Soon Itachi’ll face the Chunin Exams—looks like the Hidden Leaf’s destruction plan is about to begin. Watch yourself—don’t die.”

Fire Kage Rojie snorted. “Then why don’t Itachi train harder so my strength can improve too?”

At that moment, two clouds of gray mist suddenly rose from the seats, strange black shadows flickering within.

Fire Kage Rojie and Pirate Rojie exchanged glances—both thought the same thing.

New arrivals?

And two of them.

(End of Chapter)