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

Chapter 165 Ashe, the Intruder

Bang!

In the cold weapon classroom of Dawn Academy, a broad, stout figure crashed into the wall, then slid down and landed on a pile of broken bamboo swords in the corner.

First, my back hit the wall, and then the back of my head hit the wall with a thud, leaving my mind completely blank.

A pleasant sound indicates a good mind.

"Three minutes and twelve seconds."

With practiced ease, Yilong tossed aside the bamboo sword in his hand, which was known for its durability but had now cracked. Looking at the chubby boy lying there still not recovered, he laughed and said, "Ashe is not bad, he lasted longer than last time."

After saying that, he frowned again, feeling the slight numbness in his hand, and said, "I always feel that you, kid, are not suited to learning swordsmanship. Why don't you try other weapons?"

Although he was recruited, Yun Chuan treated him the same as everyone else and did not hold back any knowledge from him, naturally teaching him the breathing techniques.

As the person with the strongest swordsmanship in Amegakure besides Musashi and Hanzo, Yoshitaka's learning of breathing techniques was twice as effective with half the effort.

Therefore, Yoshitaka naturally knew that although Lord Unkawa used a "sword", his "breathing method" was not the "Kendo Breathing Method".

Knife, spear, sword, halberd, hammer...

The "basic breathing method" bestowed upon them by Lord Yunchuan is highly adaptable. No matter what weapon they choose, they can try to develop a breathing style that suits them as long as they are willing.

As for Ah She, this chubby boy, his father was just a boatman who barely made ends meet and naturally never had enough to eat.

Since being taken in by Lord Yun Chuan, and having his own fishing boat, life gradually became more prosperous, and Ah She, the chubby boy, was finally able to eat his fill, and his talent gradually began to show.

His strength, far exceeding that of children his age, meant that as he grew older, ordinary swords were too light for him, making him clearly unsuitable for learning kendo.

"I...cough cough! cough!"

At this moment, the chubby boy, A-She, had not yet recovered. He was coughing, clutching the collar of his kendo uniform tightly, as if he was coughing up his lungs. His small eyes were red from coughing.

Actually, three minutes was already his limit.

All he could see was pitch blackness, and all he could hear was the terrifying sound of wind rushing towards him. He forced himself to hold his breath and blindly parried a few feints before being kicked by Yilong and sent flying against the wall.

The kick interrupted his barely maintained breathing rhythm, causing him to feel a burning pain in his lungs.

It wasn't until Yakushi Nonou, who was standing among the students watching the game, couldn't stand it anymore, that she ran over with a concerned look, pulled him up, and helped him catch his breath.

"Cough! Thank you, Nono-neechan, cough cough!"

The abnormal flush on Asahi's chubby face faded, and he turned to thank Nono.

"Alright." Nono smiled and shook her head, speaking softly, "Don't talk for now, take a breath."

Her performance in actual combat was not outstanding, but as the oldest child in the class, coupled with her gentle and intellectual personality, she became a kind of "older sister" figure.

"Forget it, compared to that brat Yahiko, your mastery of breathing techniques is still too poor."

Seeing the disheveled Asahi, Yoshitaka abandoned his idea and sighed, "Let's lay a solid foundation first. Remember to meditate when you get back and try to master 'Complete Concentration of the Constant Middle Way' as soon as possible."

After saying that, he looked up at the other students and said, "You all should also not slack off after class and should not neglect your practice. Whether it is breathing techniques or kendo, they are all skills that require constant practice."

Breathing techniques, collectively known as "concentrated breathing," are divided into two stages. The first stage is the normal form, which involves concentrating breathing only during combat.

The second stage is "full concentration" which involves maintaining full focus on breathing even while asleep, allowing the body to be constantly trained.

Strength, speed, reaction speed, recovery ability...

Meditation involves using breathing techniques, closing your eyes and breathing to allow the surrounding air to flow through your fingertips, thereby improving concentration and allowing you to reflect on your usual mistakes in your mind.

It's a fairly basic and rudimentary technique, but it takes considerable effort to fully master it.

"Yes, Yoshitaka-sensei." Dozens of children dressed in kendo uniforms sat on both sides of the classroom, and both the older and younger children responded respectfully.

They did not show anger towards Yilong, nor did they look at Ashe with disdain, only with a faint envy and concern.

In this class, they are both friends and rivals, learning from each other and growing together, preparing for future battles and fights, all to protect this hard-won peace.

--------

Boom!Boom!Boom!

As the evening bells rang, the day's classes came to an end.

"Hmm, changing weapons? Even so, I would never have thought of that."

As he said goodbye to his classmates who were going home along the same route, he rubbed his chest, which still felt a little stuffy, and the sound of the waves gradually reached his ears.

He looked up at the wide river reflecting the red sun, walked towards a small fishing boat moored at the harbor, bent down, lifted the curtain, and called out, "Dad, Mom! I'm home! What's for dinner today...?"

A-She suddenly stopped, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat, and he stood motionless, like a petrified statue.

In his gradually widening, trembling pupils, there was blood, blood everywhere—on the awning, on the deck, all glaringly bright red blood.

The planks used to store the fish were broken, as was the side of the hold. Rain and mist drifted in from outside and fell into the cabin, and gusts of damp, cold air blew on A-She, who stood there blankly.

All of this demonstrates the horrific events that occurred during his absence.

Where are they? Where are they?

Ah She stiffly looked around. The narrow cabin was completely exposed, and it was as quiet as if it were dead. He couldn't see the two figures at all, nor could he hear the familiar "Welcome home."

His parents disappeared, leaving behind only pungent, bloody sights.

There was also a bamboo sword that his mother had made for him by hand, hanging on the side of the boat, swaying gently in the cold wind blowing in from outside.

Looking at the bamboo sword, A-She took a few steps forward, then stopped.

Because, in that cabin, something came into his view.

It was a twisted arm, yes, the entire arm. The rough, familiar grooves on the skin, the rotten flesh and white bone exposed at the end, all of them were incredibly jarring to his eyes.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

The moment he saw the familiar arm, A-She instinctively gasped, his chest bulging, and the overwhelming smell of blood made him want to vomit.

No, no, that's impossible.

He shook his head and backed away, then stopped, bent over, and vomited. After emptying his stomach, he looked up and his face was as pale as paper.

He should have screamed, he should have run away, but he did nothing because a thought exploded in his mind.

Where's Dad? Where's Mom? Why are they gone? Blood, whose blood? What happened to me when I left?

His breathing became rapid, but the more rapid his breathing, the more pungent the smell of blood became, and he vomited repeatedly, like a tidal wave, which kept rushing to his throat and then receding.

No, no, calm down, calm down, nothing will happen.

As Ashe bent over, he subconsciously reached out and grasped the bamboo sword. The slightly cold yet familiar feeling inexplicably calmed him down.

Instinctively, I used meditation techniques to forcefully suppress the fear and unease in my heart.

Although he didn't know what happened on the ship when he left, the only thing he was sure of was that his parents were missing, and possibly... met with some misfortune.

Realizing this, A-She snapped out of his panic. He knew what he should do, what he had to do. He couldn't just stand there, lost and bewildered, or he would never forgive himself.

Ashe glanced at the wrecked ship, trembling as he grabbed the bamboo sword and tried to analyze the situation.

The attack was undoubtedly launched from the outside. What would Dad have done if it had been him?

He knew his father was smart and capable; if it weren't for his background, he wouldn't just be a leader of a shaman, and might have had the chance to become a ninja.

When a normal person is attacked, they will usually cover their head and scream. His father's first reaction was to fight back and subdue the attacker, and then his arm was broken.

Ah She carefully examined the severed arm, forcing himself to look at it despite feeling disgusted, as he was very familiar with the cut.

It was as if a bamboo sword had been twisted and broken by a tremendous force. His muscles were twisted and contorted, and his bones were shattered into pieces. You could imagine that in an instant, Dad would lose the ability to resist.

"The attackers were probably ninjas, but there were no bodies. They weren't killed outright. Perhaps they were kept alive for a purpose, perhaps they escaped, or perhaps they're still alive?"

Ah She cautiously peered out, but saw nothing but an unusually calm river surface.

What should we do now?

Ah She's mind went blank for a moment, but he quickly realized what was going on.

"This area is within the territory of Dawn City. Someone has invaded. Go find Teacher Yilong and Lord Yunchuan."

This seemed to be the only option left for him.

Just as this decision was forming in A-She's mind.

A deep male voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Sure enough, there's another brat."

The dim setting sun cast a crimson glow upon A-She in the broken cabin, while two shadows were projected onto the deck.

During this period, A-She, who had been diligently practicing breathing techniques, had developed an extremely fast reaction speed.

Before his mind could even process it, it was as if someone was whispering in his ear, telling him what to do. So, in that life-or-death moment, he made the best decision of his life.

Bang! !

Instead of using the bamboo sword he was holding, A-She swung the hammer beside him toward his head.

The deafening sound shattered the rain and mist, and from the broken roof, a dark figure leaped into the air and easily dodged to the side.

"That brat..."

The force and speed of the hammer blow surprised the shadowy figure.

Although it undoubtedly missed, the flying debris from the broken awning created a deafening sound in the quiet harbor.

This was exactly the effect he wanted. Since the other party had infiltrated, he would attract their attention!

As it turned out, this did buy Ah She a few seconds, and death did not fall on his head as expected.

Pfft!

A She didn't even look to see where his enemy was. After throwing the hammer, he jumped into the river without hesitation.

As the child of a towed, he grew up on the water and became an exceptionally good swimmer.

He used breathing techniques to store a large amount of oxygen, and adrenaline was secreted like it was free. He held his breath and swam wildly underwater.

Run! Run! Run! Live! You have to live!

Unable to think and with his mind blank, he instinctively retreated to the safest place in his mind.

In his subconscious, Lord Yun Chuan's residence was undoubtedly the safest place.

However, the port is far from Yun Chuan's residence. Even running at full speed would take a full half hour to get there, let alone swimming.

"Ha!"

After an unknown amount of time, when he finally got tired of swimming, A-She suddenly poked his head out of the river. Looking up, he realized that he had swum all the way from the port to the farthest shore in one go.

Even with breathing techniques, he could only improve his explosive power; his physical strength was clearly insufficient to support a prolonged sprint.

Feeling the soreness and groaning in his muscles, A-She gasped for breath and looked back, but the awning boat was no longer in sight, and he couldn't see anyone chasing him from behind.

"Can't catch up, have you given up?"

This thought naturally arose in Ashe's mind.

Even so, he didn't stop completely. Panting, he climbed ashore and ran towards the city of Dawn City.

He couldn't be sure if he was safe. The fear of being enveloped by murderous intent still lingered on him, making his mind a mess as he imagined all sorts of terrible outcomes, but he kept reassuring himself and rejecting these terrifying thoughts.

"Go find Teacher Yilong, go find Lord Yunchuan, only they can save Dad and Mom." This was the only thought in his mind.

If you can escape into the city and shout for help, you will attract the guards.

In a daze, in order to escape into the city as soon as possible, A-She subconsciously took a shortcut into a dark alley. He stepped into a puddle and the sudden loss of balance almost made him fall. Fortunately, his long-term practice allowed him to regain his balance with just a stumble.

However, in the instant he subconsciously lowered his head and bent over, he saw the reflection in the puddles on the ground, showing the gray walls on both sides, a line of fiery sky in the middle, and... a pair of eyes behind him that seemed to be devouring people.

Someone suddenly appeared behind him and raised their hand to him.

呲! !

Ashe lunged forward suddenly, and a gust of wind swept past the back of his head, tearing through the air, which showed how fierce the force of the blow was!

After falling into the puddle, he scrambled forward without hesitation, using both hands and feet to get up, and turned to look at the attacker in horror.

In the distance, there was a man dressed in night clothes, wearing a Konoha rogue ninja headband on his forehead, his eyes were full of indifference, and he held a kunai in his hand that was painful to look at.

He had just intended to stab A-She in the back of the head with this thing, so that he would die quietly and instantly.

"you……"

A-She wanted to turn and run, but upon seeing the blood stained on the kunai, he couldn't help but hiss, "What did you do to my father?"

"Strange place, strange kid."

The man spoke, not answering his question, but coldly saying in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I originally wanted to keep you here to ask for information, but now it seems better to get rid of you."

(End of this chapter)