Chapter 25: Tail
Hajime didn't have a clear lead, but he believed that with enough patience, an opportunity would present itself.
And sure enough, after staying holed up in the inn for three days, quietly observing the town from his window, something finally caught his eye on the third afternoon—a ninja, moving openly through the town without any effort to conceal his identity.
It wasn't that Hajime had exceptional intel-gathering skills; it was simply that the ninja he spotted wasn't even trying to hide.
Seizing the chance, Hajime left the inn immediately and began tailing the target from a distance.
Wanting to conceal his trump cards and also planning to eventually be noticed by the target, Hajime opted not to use his Mayfly Technique right away. Instead, he made use of the buildings' varying heights and the town's maze-like structure to follow the ninja discreetly.
The ninja weaved swiftly through the town. From the confidence in his movements, it was clear—this wasn't his first time here.
He made his way to a narrow, inconspicuous alleyway and disappeared into a small, low building at the very end.
Roughly forty minutes passed before the man emerged again.
Definitely worth checking out, Hajime thought.
At this point, he had two choices—continue following the ninja or investigate the building.
Choosing caution, he went with the former. He wanted to gather as much information from the ninja as possible before making a move.
The ninja didn't linger in the town. He headed north, steadily increasing his speed as he left the urban area behind.
Hajime had a good idea why.
He heightened his vigilance and kept up the pursuit.
After they passed through a sparse woodland, the landscape shifted into a swampy wetland shrouded in thick, lingering mist.
Still, stagnant water and rotting vegetation merged into pools of heat and decay. In some of the murky brown puddles, Hajime could spot the exposed bones of large animals half-submerged in the muck.
A great place to dump a body, he thought grimly.
"Come on out. I know you're there."
The ninja stopped and spoke directly to Hajime 's hiding place.
That's the point, Hajime thought.
He stepped out without hesitation, walking steadily until he stood about ten meters away from the other ninja, who eyed him with cautious smugness.
Hajime instinctively raised a hand to cover his mouth and nose—the stench of decay was unbearable.
And then, without a word, the other ninja attacked.
A flurry of shuriken shot through the air, aimed directly at him.
So much for negotiation.
It wasn't surprising, really. No one in the ninja world trusted a sneaky tail. And from this guy's perspective, a stranger making any kind of hand gesture—whether it was a jutsu sign or just shielding from a smell—meant danger.
So, strike first.
The truth was, Hajime still hadn't fully adapted to the mentality of the locals. The chaos of the shinobi world had long since driven its people into a state of chronic paranoia.
Despite the suddenness of the attack, the distance gave Hajime ample time to dodge.
Just as he was about to speak, a kunai stabbed straight through his chest—from behind.
Shocked, he turned to see another ninja—the one who had just ambushed him.
A two-on-one ambush.
The backstabber gets backstabbed.
Clearly, there was more than one enemy.
"Heh…"
The ambusher tried to put on a cruel smile, but Hajime 's form melted into a splash of water.
"A water clone?!"
Hajime reappeared a short distance away, still choosing not to retaliate—yet.
"I don't mean any harm. I just have a few questions."
"No harm? That's exactly what every ninja says before they strike," the first ninja snapped.
Then, without another word, the two of them exchanged a glance and charged—one close, one from range.
Hajime sighed.
No choice then—he'd have to take them down first, then ask his questions.
His hands flashed into signs, moving almost reflexively.
Fire Release: Great Fireball!
He used to start with a basic fireball, but now that he had more chakra to spare, he went straight for the upgraded version.
There was something commanding about the Great Fireball—over six meters wide, a roaring sphere of flames surged forward, kicking up waves of heat in its wake. No ninja in their right mind would ignore it.
Of course, due to its slower speed, it wasn't a guaranteed hit unless fired at very close range.
As expected, the nearer of the two ninja dodged sideways.
Which meant, at best, it was a delay tactic.
Boom!
An unexpected explosion ripped through the air.
The fireball had triggered a second blast.
Hajime hadn't exactly done a tactical environmental assessment before launching fire-style jutsu here.
What looked like a swamp… was more like a massive methane gas trap.
The outer flames ignited the gas, setting off a chain reaction. In an instant, the built-up methane exploded outward like a ripple, consuming the entire wetland in a violent blast.
A deep rumble followed. The ground itself trembled faintly.
Hajime had been on the outskirts of the swamp, giving him just enough space to back off the moment he sensed danger.
He dove into the earth, tunneling away in seconds. Even then, he was caught in the outer blast radius, emerging later covered in soot, ears ringing, head spinning.
Minor concussion. Deafness. General misery.
Could've been worse.
The other two? Not so lucky.
They had been right in the middle of it.
Crawling up from the dirt, Hajime scanned the swamp—and what he saw was chaos.
Sediment from who-knew-how-many years ago had been blasted to the surface. The air was thick with choking fumes from partially combusted gas. The stench was indescribable.
Fires still burned in various places.
And then… he spotted a figure—a blackened, charred silhouette.
Someone had been caught in the blast.
And that someone… was dead.
A backstabber met poetic justice.
But the second ninja had survived.
Hajime looked up and saw a massive eagle hovering above. On its back was the remaining enemy.
A summoning beast.
Smart move—he'd escaped into the air just in time.
Not to mention, he'd been farther from the center of the blast.
From the eagle's back, the surviving ninja looked down and seemed to mouth a single word:
"Lunatic."
Hajime couldn't hear him. His ears were still ringing.
"I really didn't mean any harm. That… was an accident. Doesn't mean I'm some villain…"
But none of them could hear a word of it.
Not the dead man.
Not the airborne survivor.
Not even Hajime himself.
The swamp swallowed the explanation whole.
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