After entering the Forest of Death, Sora quickly realized he didn't know a single scouting jutsu. Finding scrolls would depend entirely on luck, which left him feeling a bit helpless.
Scratching his messy black hair in frustration, he headed in the general direction of the central tower.
Since he couldn't find any himself, he figured he'd just wait for someone else to find one and then snatch it. Problem solved.
Those other teams would need time to locate the scrolls anyway. As long as he arrived within a day, there was no rush at all.
With that thought, Sora continued strolling leisurely, taking in the surrounding forest like he was out on a walk.
He'd been in the Leaf Village for nearly a year now, but this was his first time actually stepping into the Forest of Death.
Elsewhere in the forest, three Genin from Grass Village were discussing something.
"Yesterday, that guy Po went after Sora, and he still hasn't returned. His whole team couldn't even join the second round."
"I told him not to act on his own. He just had to go chasing glory—clearly died in Konoha."
"Yeah, probably dead. One less guy means more credit for us."
"I remember Sora's entrance was number forty-four. Let's go find him before someone else does."
Just like that, the three quickly reached a decision and began heading in Sora's direction.
Not far away, a team from a small ninja village was having the same idea and also made their way toward Sora.
These two squads had come specifically to assassinate Sora. Each member was Jōnin-level in strength.
Though they weren't quite as strong as the guy from yesterday, they were still formidable.
And they weren't the only ones—more teams from various villages were also moving in Sora's direction.
Some of them wanted to take him out, others just hoped to eliminate competitors quickly.
Only the Leaf Village Genin understood just how terrifying Sora really was. Their supervising Jōnin had warned them specifically.
So these smart ones kept their heads down, focused on finding scrolls, and quietly avoided Sora's area altogether.
Sora, meanwhile, had no idea any of this was happening. He'd been wandering the forest for a while and was now feeling hungry.
With a flick of his shuriken, he brought down a fat rabbit and started roasting it right there.
Soon, golden oil was glistening on the meat, and the savory aroma made his mouth water.
"Not bad, not bad—just needs a bit more seasoning."
Biting into the rabbit leg, Sora smiled in satisfaction.
"Haha! This brat really is here!"
Suddenly, three ninja wearing Grass Village forehead protectors appeared before Sora.
He glanced at them—no familiar faces, clearly just nobodies.
Two were men, one was a woman. He ignored the guys entirely, but the girl was kind of interesting.
Her face wasn't stunning, but above average. More importantly, her figure was excellent—slim where it should be, curvy where it counted.
She exuded a wild, primal energy that stirred an instinctive sense of domination.
Too bad she came to kill him. Looks like he'd have to destroy the flower with his own hands.
After that quick thought, Sora slowly looked up and said, "Wait a moment. Let me finish eating first."
Then he lowered his head again and resumed chewing his meal without a care in the world.
"You brat!"
The three ninja instantly fumed with anger.
They were here to kill him—how dare he ignore them like this? Did he think they weren't worth his attention?
The man in the lead unsheathed a glowing blade, the cold gleam of the edge enough to make anyone's eyes sting. He seemed like a Jōnin-level swordsman, probably similar to someone like Sakumo Hatake.
The second man formed hand seals, preparing to unleash a jutsu—clearly a ninjutsu specialist.
Meanwhile, the girl retreated slightly, likely a support-type shinobi.
Sora observed all of this in a single glance and immediately understood their roles.
Expressionless, he swallowed his bite of rabbit and felt not even the slightest sense of panic.
With the three ninjas about to strike, he casually said one word: "Boom."
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
…
"Crap!"
Realizing too late what was happening, the three immediately tried to retreat—but it was no use.
A chain of explosions erupted around them.
Sora, meanwhile, kept eating calmly, unfazed by the chaos.
The blasts continued for more than ten seconds before finally dying down.
Looking around, the area was now a field of craters and smoldering debris. Not a trace of the three Grass ninja remained—only a few shimmering cards scattered atop the rubble.
Of course Sora had prepared for this. After yesterday's assassination attempt, there was no way he'd let his guard down again.
He'd rigged the entire area with over ten thousand explosive tags, buried in every direction.
And what had just detonated? That was just one small section.
Yesterday, after surviving the ambush, Sora had poured everything he owned—ten billion credits—into buying explosive tags.
He'd even emptied the entire inventory of the one-year-old Tenten's family store.
Once he finished his rabbit, Sora casually wiped his mouth and stood up to collect the loot.
[Purple Card: +100 Strength — Fuse?]
[Blue Card: +100 Chakra — Fuse?]
[Purple Card: Earth Style - Underground Movement Jutsu — Fuse?]
[Purple Card: Sensory Ninjutsu - Earth Tremor Technique — Fuse?]
"Three Jōnin really do give great drops!" he grinned and chose to fuse them all.
The familiar warmth surged through his body, enhancing him bit by bit.
Two seconds later, the sensation vanished, signaling the end of the fusion.
He immediately opened his system panel.
[Host: Sora]
[Talent: Spatial Talent LV3]
[Taijutsu: Konoha Whirlwind LV4] (Max level entries omitted)
[Ninjutsu: Portable Space LV1, Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu LV6, Earth Style: Earth Wall LV5, Earth Dragon Bullet LV5, Chidori LV4, Water Style: Super Exploding Water Wave LV8, Water Formation Wall LV5, Water Dragon Bullet LV5, Body Flicker Technique LV7, Tailed Beast Bomb LV2, Earth Style: Stone Wall Fortress LV4, Lightning Style: Ground Walk LV5, Earth Style: Underground Movement Jutsu LV4, Earth Tremor Technique LV8]
[Kenjutsu: Secret Manual - Draw Blade Slash LV7, Secret Manual - Swallow Return LV3]
[Medical Ninjutsu: Mystical Palm Technique, Healing Technique, Minor Disease Extraction Technique]
[Sealing Jutsu: Omitted]
[Constitution: Senju Physique]
[Physical Capability: Chūnin] (Capable of fighting at Chūnin level without chakra)
[Overall Power: Elite Jōnin]
Though his strength had increased a good deal, other stats had remained the same, so his rating hadn't gone up. He was still listed as an Elite Jōnin.
But Sora didn't care. Beyond Elite Jōnin was Quasi-Kage, and above that was full Kage level—he still had a long way to go.
What excited him most were the two new jutsu.
The Underground Movement Jutsu expanded his combat options.
And the Earth Tremor Technique? That was the real prize—it let him sense all people and animals within a three-kilometer radius by detecting vibrations in the ground.
It filled in a major weakness of his, making his skillset even more complete.
Finished with all that, Sora picked up the sword left behind by the swordsman, testing its edge.
A light swipe and a cut opened on his finger.
"A fine blade! I'll keep this for myself."
Pleased with how his kenjutsu was shaping up, he stored the sword and then activated his new sensory jutsu.
"Earth Tremor Technique!"
At once, he sensed multiple shinobi converging on his position.
Some came as lone teams. Others? Three teams at once.
Glancing at the terrain around him, Sora muttered, "Looks like it's time to move. Can't ambush anyone here anymore."