While Rin was lost in thought, Chrollo reminded him, “Rin, now that your body has recovered, it’s time to head back.”
Rin paused. They had been leaving early and returning late every day without explaining much to their families. Now that Rin’s body had recovered, it was time to go home and clarify everything. For Chrollo, Rin’s health was paramount. Over the past few days, he hadn’t questioned Kuken about chakra or observed how well Haku controlled his Kekkei Genkai.
Feeling a bit guilty for taking up Chrollo’s time, Rin quickly said, “Alright, let’s head back. Chrollo, you can use this time to see if you can practice chakra!”
Chrollo nodded gently, and they started walking back, parting ways midway.
On the village’s west side, Kuken had been held in a makeshift prison ever since he was brought back. He was shackled with heavy chains, preventing him from using any ninja techniques. Moreover, his broken right arm had not received any treatment.
In the damp, dark prison, Kuken had grown countless white hairs, his greasy hair looking unkempt. His middle-aged face had aged significantly, looking frail and lifeless.
“Clink!” “Clink!”
Hearing footsteps approaching, his dim eyes brightened slightly as he slowly raised his head toward the door.
“As per our agreement, tell me how to practice chakra.”
When the door opened, Chrollo’s calm voice drifted in. Hearing this, Kuken’s haggard face turned even paler. His left hand, shackled, trembled as he pulled out a crumpled scroll from his bosom.
“Master… this is what you wanted…”
“But… can you… can you let me go…?”
Chrollo merely glanced at the scroll without directly answering Kuken. Instead, he said calmly, “I don’t need that now. Having you around should give me more accurate answers.”
Hearing Chrollo’s words, Kuken’s lips trembled, showing a bitter expression. As expected… this man isn’t going to let me go…
Considering Rin’s attitude towards the bandits earlier, Kuken had somewhat prepared himself mentally. After all, while his strength wasn’t remarkable, he wasn’t stupid…
As he thought about this, Chrollo walked up to him and casually picked up a rusty iron bar.
“Clang—”
With a light sound, Kuken’s shackles were shattered. Knocked to the ground by the force, Kuken looked incredulously at the broken chains, quickly raising his head to look at Chrollo, puzzled by his actions.
Chrollo offered no explanation, simply glancing at him and saying calmly, “Let’s go. I have some questions about chakra that need your answers.”
Turning to leave, Chrollo headed out, while Kuken, cradling his limp right arm, struggled to his feet, voice trembling, “Why… why release me…?”
“Do you really intend… to let me go afterward?”
Chrollo tilted his head, looking at him calmly, “If I don’t let you go, should I keep you here?”
Surveying Kuken from top to bottom, Chrollo stated emotionlessly, “I don’t see you providing any value to Rin. If ninjas are as weak as you, it’s quite disappointing. However, according to Rin, ninjas are much stronger, so why bother with someone as weak as you…”
Despite Chrollo’s near-insulting words, Kuken showed no anger. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he urgently spoke, “But… but as a bandit, I killed many innocent people…”
“Master… will you truly let me go?”
Even he didn’t fully believe his own words, knowing well the severity of his crimes. Yet Chrollo’s response stunned him. Without any expression, Chrollo replied calmly, “Bandits killing for what they want is normal…”
Those words sent a chill down Kuken’s spine. At that moment, he finally understood the source of his discomfort since meeting Chrollo. He realized that Chrollo was like those trained monsters—no, even worse. While the latter were made into monsters by their bloody practices, Chrollo inherently saw no value in human life.
Through his dirty, greying hair, Kuken looked into Chrollo’s deep eyes reflecting his own haggard form, his hunched body trembling. In those indifferent eyes, his life seemed to hold no value.
Without giving Kuken more time to think, Chrollo walked out as if nothing had happened. After hesitating, Kuken, clutching his right arm, followed.
Meanwhile, in front of Eiji’s house, Rin had returned alone, muttering to himself, “Since the Devouring Spirit Book has manifested, I should make good use of this ability. Even if I don’t like the method, it’s my creation, so it suits me.”
“Maybe my extreme thoughts at the time led to this ability,” Rin reflected on his state back then, eager to improve his strength through battle. This could explain the creation of the Devouring Spirit Book since Nen abilities are deeply tied to the user’s subconscious personality.
Accepting this reality, Rin continued softly, “But since I can use all six Nen categories, I should try creating other abilities I like… However, I must also start practicing chakra. Just relying on Nen might not be enough in the Naruto world…”
“Sigh… I feel stretched thin, handling everything alone…”
Rin scratched his head in frustration, then extended his arms and sighed, “Oh well, one step at a time. Who knows what the future holds.”
“For now, Naruto should be either unborn or about to be born, considering he was born in Konoha 48. Judging by Haku’s age, it’s likely to happen within a year…”
Raising his head, Rin looked at the grey sky, murmuring, “The Nine-Tails’ attack on Konoha… Minato and Kushina will die soon…”
Exhaling deeply, he shook his head and opened the door.
“Huh!?”
Stepping inside, Rin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“How did I end up here again!?”
Unbeknownst to him, he had once again entered the mysterious figure warehouse.
Become a Patron read up to 60 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
