I walked through the forest, observing the dead leaves scattered on the ground. Narume was born in autumn, just like her brother.
October 10th, her birthday, was also the day of her death. The twins thought they had received a gift from someone. And, in a way, it truly was a gift.
Thinking back, she should never have touched that dish... but well, she was just a child. In Narume's memories, Kurama's chakra inside her had merged with her brother's, rather than following her into death.
If I want to enter the village, I would normally have to pass through a fuinjutsu barrier. But I think I'm already inside, if this place is really the Forest of Death. I need to change my appearance and start by looking more alive. Narume doesn't know ninjutsu. So, I'll have to use magic. I already have a set of spells that will solve this problem.
For the appearance of my body, a few Negative Pulse were enough. It took me nearly an hour, and though I was still just as thin, I thought I looked a little more alive.
I wanted to return to the lake, but at that moment, I heard a voice. "The smell of a corpse is stronger here. The enemy seems to be a user of lightning-based jutsu, be careful."
"A problem, Hanmaru?" said a feminine voice.
Almost simultaneously, a message appeared in my mind:
["Quest: Run!! Requirement: Do not get caught Reward: template +10% Second-level spell: False Contact"]
I didn't even take the time to read the quest details.
Right then, a dog started barking, immediately followed by others.
I didn't wait any longer before bolting.
My pursuers were fast. A child's body is not ideal for escaping dogs, let alone shinobi.
I closed my eyes without stopping my run, intentionally heading toward a ravine.
I clasped my hands together and cast a series of spells: Quick March, Odorless, Rabbit Ears, Rabbit Foot, Invisibility.
With these boosts, I managed to reach the ravine, then... Fly. Less than two seconds later, three dogs reached the ravine and began sniffing. But I had made sure to hide my scent. They started turning in circles, whimpering. Then, they were joined by two people, a man and a woman. I couldn't recognize the man, but I thought I recognized the woman.
Kiba's older sister, Hana Inuzuka. She wore a piece of cloth over her nose.
"The scent trail disappears here," she said.
"Do you think he climbed down?" asked the man.
"No, I don't think so. That wouldn't explain this unnatural disappearance. Maybe he used an earth jutsu."
"Go make a report. I'll keep checking."
"Understood, Furã-Senpai."
I watched Hana walk away. At that moment, Furã looked up at me and shouted:
"I know you're there, show yourself!"
Instantly, I panicked, but my mind quickly calmed. I didn't move and simply avoided looking at him. After a few seconds, he started moving again. He searched but found nothing, and after several minutes, he finally left. I used Tremor Sense and, after confirming he was gone, I resumed moving, this time closer to the village.
Without dropping my invisibility, I descended into the forest and headed for a cave.
A few seconds before entering, I felt someone's gaze on me, but a roar echoed, and the gaze disappeared instantly.
With Tremor Sense, I ensured there was no one inside before stepping in. Once in the cave, I didn't deactivate my spells. Sitting at the very back, I continuously refreshed them: Odorless, Rabbit Foot, Invisibility, and Tremor Sense. After several hours, my mana reserves were running low, and there was no more activity detectable in the forest. At that moment:
["Mission Accomplished"]
Only then did I allow myself to relax. During the past hours, I had sensed multiple presences passing near my position. One person even entered the cave. I didn't move, and it was the right decision. Fighting would have been disastrous. I think I could have defeated Hana and Furã, but then what?
That would have just been stupid. I closed my eyes, focusing on the growth of my mana reserves as well as the new knowledge I had gained. A lot of theory. I think I can cast Teleportation with fewer issues now. I had also acquired two spells.
The first was Dehydration, and the second was Object Possession. As for the spell False Contact, its effect is to simulate the sensation of touch.
Additionally, I now knew how to create cursed puppets. This knowledge would help me get closer to the village. First, I used Clean to cleanse my body. I think the corpse smell had disappeared too. Next, I used Object Crafting to repair my clothes and restore them. They still looked ragged, but it was much better. This spell allowed me to reshape materials, and I wasn't a tailor.
After that, I used Earth Flow to create a humanoid puppet from the earth. It was hollow.
After some rest.
I carved some runes into it, and now it looked one hundred percent real.I then settled inside it and cast Teleportation again.