Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 161: The debt is even greater.

The center of the forest was riddled with potholes, and the ground looked like a crumpled and rubbed piece of paper.

Blood flowed from the twisted limbs and rotting flesh, trickling down the ground and creating a bizarre and eerie scene amidst the gnarled tree roots and fallen leaves.

"Ahem!"

Blue-haired Taki Shinobu, whose injuries had been treated, woke up and lay on his back on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of thick, foul blood.

"Captain, you're finally awake!"

"Quick! Switch to another person, I'm out of chakra!"

A buzzing noise reached his ears, and the warm current of the Palm Healing Technique flowed through his body. Blue-haired Takigakure opened his eyes in pain, and his blurry mind gradually became clear.

"Ha!"

He gasped, his eyes widening, and shoved aside the ninja Taki who was treating him. His expression twisted as he looked at the chaotic scene around him and roared, "Where's that traitor Kakuzu?! Cough cough! And that damned big guy too!"

The Takigakure ninjas surrounding them exchanged glances. One of them lowered his head reluctantly and said, "Sorry, those two were very familiar with the terrain of the Land of Mountains. We lost them as soon as we reached the Land of Mountains."

Upon hearing this, the blue-haired Takishinobu felt a wave of dizziness and forced himself to swallow the blood that was rising in his throat.

They had lost so many men in the pursuit, and were just about to catch that damned traitor, when some random guy suddenly appeared and intercepted them.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

I'm afraid we'll never have another chance like this again!

"Captain, what do we do next?"

The other Takigakure ninjas were clearly resentful that their spoils had been stolen right in front of them.

"Nonsense!" Blue-haired Takishinobu's once handsome face was now contorted as he roared, "Of course we'll chase after them..."

boom!!

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden explosion rang out in the distance.

A deafening roar, growing louder as it approached, shook the ground, caused the bushes to vibrate and scatter their leaves, and caused ripples to spread across the pool of blood.

In the instant the explosion and tremors occurred, the Takigakure members, who were shouting for revenge, jumped onto the nearest tree and then cowered down to look at the ground below, as orderly as a troop of startled monkeys.

But when they looked down from the tree as if facing a formidable enemy, they only saw their own captain, whose face was deathly pale.

After confirming several times that no monsters had fallen from the sky, the Takigakure ninjas, who were covered in cold sweat, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Have no idea.

The monster's cruelty and brutality left such a deep impression on them that they all developed PTSD.

"The explosion came from over there..."

As everyone looked up, the dim morning light shone on their faces, and they saw countless birds taking flight.

Although it was difficult to see clearly from a distance, the vast expanse of black smoke was still visible in my eyes.

Without a doubt, that was thick smoke from an explosion.

"They've already made their move!"

Knowing that this was no time for personal grudges, Blue-haired Taki gritted his teeth, stood up, and ordered, "Leave two squads to continue searching for Kakuzu's whereabouts. The rest of you come with me to wipe out Kagerou Village."

"yes!"

"And..." As if remembering something, a cold glint flashed in Takishino's eyes, "That strange, monstrous giant's weakness must be above the neck!"

It's too obvious.

He made no attempt to defend himself against the injuries that fell on his body, only blocking the initial kunai and explosive tags, and finally the knife that struck his neck.

That's just arrogance.

"You will pay the price for your arrogance!" Blue-haired Taki Shinobu said, his face twisted and ferocious.

----------

The Mountain Country, a kilometer away from where Yangyan Village is located.

"Is this the minefield those guys from Kagerou Village set up?"

Looking at his subordinates, now mangled and bloodied in the distance, the black-haired ninja leading the frontal assault looked extremely grim. He grabbed the collar of the sensory ninja beside him and roared, "Damn it! Didn't you say there were no traps?"

That unreliable bastard almost killed them all!

"I...I didn't see it."

The Takigakure ninja in charge of sensing the area broke out in a cold sweat, his expression panicked. "I definitely didn't sense any explosive tags there!"

The black-haired Taki turned to look at the location of the explosion. There was only a dense forest in front of him, and he could neither see nor sense any traps.

But when the two scouting teams stepped into the woods, a loud "boom" rang out, and the two teams that had inexplicably triggered the trap were instantly killed.

Several ninjas, some a dozen meters away, were knocked over by the impact. Another unlucky fellow, though he dodged the shockwave from dozens of meters away, was hit by flying debris and was howling on the ground, clutching his stomach.

To be honest, it would be cleaner to die.

Because of their half-dead condition, people had to risk their lives to carry them.

Unfortunately, they couldn't see where the explosive tag traps were located.

"..."

The black-haired Takigakure frowned, his hands forming hand seals to gather water-style chakra. He then forcefully swung the water in his hands: "Water Release: Water Whip!"

A whip formed from condensed water was lashed out, binding the injured Taki ninja.

But just as I was about to pull him over...

sough!

A sharp, piercing whistle suddenly pierced the air, and the black-haired Takishinobu looked up sharply.

Suddenly, countless kunai shot towards them from afar, their tails wrapped with something.

Those are... explosive tags! Nearly a thousand explosive tags!

Once ignited, it leaves a trail of light in the air, appearing dazzling and beautiful yet extremely deadly.

"retreat!!"

The black-haired ninja's expression changed instantly, and he was terrified. He immediately formed hand seals and unleashed the Body Flicker Technique.

Boom! Boom!

The first wave unleashed nearly a thousand kunai with explosive tags attached, almost equivalent to a forbidden fire jutsu landing near the Takigakure ninja. Then came the second wave, the third wave…

"ah!!"

Loud noises, flames, smoke, severed limbs, and agonizing cries—in that instant, the main theme of death began.

Without sensory ninjutsu, it's impossible to see the battlefield shrouded in smoke and fire. In fact, you don't even need to see it to know that the Takigakure ninjas who approached the lightning zone are basically finished.

No one could survive such a terrifying barrage of explosive tags.

"Damn it! Damn it! The sounds of battle over there really alerted Yangyan Village, giving them time to prepare!!"

The black-haired ninja Takigakure instantly teleported back hundreds of meters, escaping the blast. Gritting his teeth, he glared at the thick black smoke rising before him and said coldly, "Even after suffering heavy losses in the battle with Konoha, you still have so many explosive tags stored up?"

They had planned to launch a surprise attack on Yangyan Village under the cover of darkness tonight, but a sudden, loud roar in the distance disrupted their plans.

Now, as expected, trouble has arisen.

Who would just throw explosive tags like beans?

Thousands of explosive tags could have been used to supply a hundred-man unit, but Yangyan Village threw them out in one go. It was incredibly crude and wasteful!

"If I find out who messed up the plan, I'll rip their head off!"

The black-haired Takishinobu's tone was filled with resentment as he looked at the murderous jungle and coldly ordered, "Give me the Hero's Water and use Water Release to flood all those trees! If they're waterproof explosive tags, then use Fire Release and Earth Release!"

If there's no road, then we'll carve one out of thin air!

Although a distance of over a kilometer is quite long, they can do it; it's just a matter of how long it takes.

Inside the tall building in Yangyan Village, someone clearly understood this as well.

"At this rate, we can't hold out for long."

Looking out the window at the sky reddened by the firelight, Bu Zhou frowned deeply, feeling extremely annoyed.

As early as last night, he already knew that outsiders had broken in and had even triggered the surrounding minefield. He carried the traps for 500 meters, which means he had traversed half of the minefield.

Therefore, he had already made preparations to fight.

What I didn't expect was that it wasn't some bounty hunter organization or group that came, but rather Takigakure and his people.

That kind of display clearly indicated they intended to wipe out Yangyan Village in one fell swoop, right?

They were in a small basin, and once the Takigakure ninjas crossed that minefield, they would most likely become sitting ducks.

"Should we escape? No, although those bastards from Takigakure can only break through the minefield, they can still seal off the entire Kagero Village and the minefield. If supplies can't get in, we'll be trapped here and die."

Bu Zhou pondered the gains and losses, and said, "So escaping together is definitely not an option. We should each take some explosive tags and escape separately. That way, some of us might survive."

"However, now that I think about it, that guy from last night, with his reckless style, doesn't seem to be from Takigakure."

Despite his resentment, Bu Zhou remained incredibly rational and composed.

But, in the very next moment...

He suddenly looked towards the dark corner, focused his gaze, and roared, "Come out!"

Boom!dong dong!

As soon as he finished speaking, the previously faint heartbeat was no longer concealed, and resounded like a drumbeat in the shadows.

Bu Zhou narrowed his eyes, his heart suddenly heavy.

But all of that vanished in the next moment.

"Haha, it seems my skills in concealing my aura aren't up to par yet, even though I've never really liked hiding."

A carefree yet somewhat troubled childish voice reached his ears, and Buzhou was taken aback when he saw the figure emerge from the shadows.

"Although it's a bit rude to make a request on our first meeting, could you please not tell anyone about this?"

Yahiko obediently stepped forward with his hands raised, a cheerful smile indicating that he posed no threat. He clasped his hands together and pleaded, "If the boss finds out, I'll definitely get extra training from him, so please, please."

He stopped hiding and openly declared his existence.

"A little brat?"

Bu Zhou's narrowed eyes widened slightly as he stared intently at the katana behind him, and he said coldly, "Who are you?"

From Bu Zhou's perspective, there was absolutely no indication that the brat in front of him was going to make a move. His reflection was mirrored in those sincere brown eyes, yet Bu Zhou felt as if a blade was already aimed at his vital points.

"Thank you for not intervening directly." Yahiko breathed a sigh of relief, looking harmless, and then smiled. "We're here to help you; we have a common enemy."

"...Us?" Bu Zhou paused for a moment and asked.

Instead of mocking the kid's overestimation of his abilities, he seized upon two words in that sentence.

"That's right, it's 'us'."

Yahiko grinned and nodded, confirming his statement.

As soon as he finished speaking, one figure after another emerged from the dark corner he had walked out of.

No, it's not a "person".

Upon seeing the faces of those dark figures, Bu Zhou's pupils contracted slightly.

He knew those weren't real "people".

Because their faces were all deathly pale, and their exposed hands were slender and sharp.

Black robes draped their bodies, and the faint light illuminating their deathly pale faces in the shadows came from their gleaming crimson eyes.

In contrast, Yahiko, standing in front of the group of dark figures, was as gentle as a winter sun in the darkness.

He is the radiant sun that descended upon someone.

----------

I don't know how much time passed, but my consciousness gradually became clear.

When Kakuzu awoke again, there was some noise around him, and he could hear someone walking around him.

Although he was conscious, he was unable to open his eyes.

All I could hear were muffled sounds, as if there was some kind of barrier between us.

"What a wondrous creation this is!"

"It looks like a parasite?"

"No, no, it's more like a symbiotic relationship."

"Lord Yun Chuan's blood looks even more miraculous."

Hearing exclamations of curiosity, Kakuzu finally opened his eyes.

He saw only eerie black threads in front of him, beating like a living heart, and he seemed to be curled up in a "cocoon" made of black threads.

"What is this?" Kakuzu's expression was somewhat astonished upon realizing this.

As his consciousness gradually returned, his control over his body increased like ice melting away. He could feel his body, which had been dormant for decades, blossoming and being awakened with life as his heart contracted and expanded violently.

His body underwent some kind of change...

This change filled Kakuzu with dread and unease.

Compared to the detached immortal he once was, he now seems to have become more emotional.

But the question we should be considering now is not that, but where he is.

"call!"

Kakuzu stretched out his palm and placed it close to the "shell" formed by the black lines wrapped around him. With a gentle exertion, a power far stronger than expected burst forth within half a centimeter.

Click! Click!

A terrifying force, powerful enough to shake the ground, was transmitted to the black line. The entire outer shell of the black line bulged out as if it had been hit hard, and cracks instantly covered every place within sight.

With a crisp sound, the black outer shell finally shattered, and he sat up abruptly.

The simple movement produced countless tiny sounds, as the black threads that had pierced dozens of places all over his body were pulled out.

But nothing came out of the wound; only black threads with pointed tips could be seen. The huge wound healed almost instantly.

"This feeling..." All of this left Kakuzu, who was staring blankly at his body, looking astonished.

"You seem to be feeling quite well, Mr. Kakuzu."

That familiar, gentle voice came from the side. Kakuzu looked up and saw those deep blue eyes.

But reflected in his clear, mirror-like eyes, his eyes were no longer a lifeless dark green, but a vibrant light green vertical pupil.

"..."

Kakuzu was silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled, his voice hoarse as he said, "I was actually saved by you, you brat, and even..."

He was no stranger to this feeling of change.

It was this monstrous body that was constantly pursuing what it craved.

—Vitality, a vitality far stronger than the heart.

Like plum blossoms blooming after the snow has been cleared in winter, "blood" as hot as magma flows through the body.

Although I don't know how he did it, doesn't this just make him owe even more?

This is such a hassle.

py: Pirate: My Piltover technology is far ahead.

Recommendations: Piltover's Hextech Armor, Zaun's Alchemy Potion, Project: Jin Shiki, and Charlotte Linlin (clone), a top-tier character in this patch, after rigorous training.

(End of this chapter)