Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 18 The Essence of Disguise

the next day.

Sosuke did not learn the transformation technique.

Because he can't get out of bed.

The real-world training that Yuanzao has is not child's play.

Although he managed to dodge the final blow with a substitution jutsu, the dozen or so stones that followed had actually struck his muscles and bones.

The next morning, Sosuke felt as if his whole body had been run over by a truck.

Every joint, every muscle is screaming.

He lay in bed, staring at the moldy corner of the ceiling, trying to turn over, but gasped in pain.

"This is the price."

Sousuke smiled to himself.

He struggled to his feet and cooked himself a pot of salamander meat and rice porridge.

The heat from the ninja beast meat spread through my stomach, slightly relieving the muscle spasms.

But he knew he couldn't go to the landfill today.

Yeah.

Genzo said that only by taking good care of one's body can one withstand chakra. Haste makes waste.

But he still insisted on opening the shop.

This is an attitude.

Whether it's the Takaya Trading Company or the Uchiha Police Force.

He must demonstrate a sense of stability, as if saying, "I am here, I have always been here."

In this turbulent ninja world, stability is the greatest form of credibility.

Sosuke got out of bed.

Every movement is accompanied by the groans of the muscle fibers.

Especially his thighs and back, those were the places where Genzo hit him the hardest with stones yesterday when he was practicing the Substitute Technique.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

There was also some bruising around his left eye.

The large bump on my forehead has subsided somewhat, but it is still red and swollen.

"Looking at him, he's more like a thug who's just been beaten up than a doctor."

Sousuke smiled bitterly.

He applied a hot towel to his face.

Then, he took out a bottle of special "foundation" from under the counter.

This was made by mixing pearl powder with some oil.

Although it couldn't completely cover up the scars, it at least made him look less disheveled.

After all, doctors need to maintain their authority.

Even unlicensed doctors.

Sosuke opened the shop door and hung up the sign that said "Open for Business".

The sunlight was a bit too bright.

The streets were bustling with people, mostly ordinary folks with pale, sickly faces.

There were already several people queuing at the entrance.

"Dr. Sosuke, your face..."

The woman at the front of the line looked at Sosuke in surprise.

"I tripped and fell last night while gathering herbs."

Sosuke lied without batting an eye.

"Going into the mountains? Oh dear, you'd better be careful. I heard things have been a bit unsettled there lately."

"Yes. Come in."

Treatment begins.

Cleaning, disinfecting, bandaging, collecting money.

The movements were mechanical and skillful.

Sosuke's mind was racing.

He was reviewing yesterday's training.

The key to the Substitution Jutsu lies in timing the burst of chakra.

Too early, and the enemy will change their tactics.

If it's too late, you'll really get beaten up.

This ability to perceive time at the "microsecond" level requires more than just practice; it also demands a faster neural reaction speed.

"We still need to keep eating the wind fox's liver."

Sosuke made up his mind.

Although that stuff is poisonous, and although every time I eat it it feels like swallowing knives, the effects are real.

This little bit of hardship is nothing compared to becoming stronger.

As evening approached, the patients finally dispersed.

Sosuke closed the shop door, feeling as if his back was about to break.

He took out the liver of the wind fox.

There is one and a half left.

He cut off a small piece and soaked it in strong liquor again.

That nauseating fishy smell permeated the air.

"No pain, no gain."

Sosuke closed his eyes and swallowed the liver.

That familiar, sharp pain, like being scraped by a razor blade, returned to my stomach.

This time he didn't tremble.

Habit is a terrible force.

His nerves have begun to adapt to the pain signal, transforming it into a feedback that it is “getting stronger.”

He sat cross-legged, guiding the blue chakra to flow throughout his body.

Soon, besides the pain, he also felt a chill.

That was a sign that the wind-style chakra was beginning to transform his physique.

Silent all night.

The next morning.

Sosuke returned to the waste treatment plant.

His injury hasn't fully healed yet, but it no longer affects his mobility.

"Your injuries have healed so quickly?"

Genzo looked at Sosuke as he walked over, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

With that level of training, an average person would need to lie down for at least three days.

This kid's recovery ability is a bit abnormal.

"I was lucky to have taken some tonics," Sosuke explained casually.

"Hmph, rich people."

Genzo didn't ask any further questions. In the ninja world, as long as you have money, you can indeed buy many secret medicines that shorten the recovery period.

"Today I'll teach you the last one—the transformation technique."

Yuanzao pointed to a large rock next to him.

"Transformation Technique is the most difficult, yet also the simplest, among E-rank ninjutsu."

"It's simple because there are very few seals. 戌-亥-寅."

"It's difficult because it doesn't test chakra, but rather observation skills."

Genzo picked up a stone from the ground.

boom.

A flash of white smoke.

Genzo now has an identical stone in his hand.

The texture, the moss, and the cracks on it are all exactly the same.

"This is an object transformation."

The source has removed the technique.

"If you want to become human, then it's even more complicated."

"Height, weight, smell, walking posture, even the tone of voice."

"Ordinary transformation techniques can only fool the eyes. A slightly experienced ninja can see through it by smelling the scent or glancing at the shadow on the ground."

Genzo looked at Sousuke.

"You're very observant. I noticed how meticulous you were with the details when you were creating your clones."

"But the Transformation Technique is different. A clone is fake; you are real. The Transformation Technique covers your own body with a chakra cloak."

"If you become too fat, your hands can't actually reach the other person. If you become too short, your feet are actually still on the ground."

"This is called physical interference."

Sosuke nodded.

It's like wearing a mascot costume.

If the mascot costume you're wearing is too big, your movements will be distorted.

"Try it," Genzo said, "become me."

Sosuke took a deep breath.

戌-亥-寅.

Chakra flow.

He constructed the image of the source in his mind.

颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it conveys a sense of listlessness, decadence, and a lack of motivation), 一腿 (一腿 is a phrase that doesn't translate directly, but it conveys a sense of being decadent, lacking motivation), 酒气 (酒气 is a phrase that doesn't translate directly, but it conveys a sense of being drunk), 污乱发 (污乱发发 is a phrase that doesn't translate directly, but it conveys a sense of being drunk), 得心 (颓废 is a phrase

"Transformation Technique!"

boom.

The smoke dissipated.

Another "source creation" has appeared.

They look very similar.

They even simulated that empty trouser leg.

But Genzo only glanced at it before scoffing.

Where are your legs?

Genzo tapped the broken leg of "Sousuke version of Genzo" with his iron crutch.

Although it looked empty, when the iron crutch was struck, it produced a dull "bang".

Those were Sosuke's original legs.

It simply uses the principle of light and shadow refraction to make it invisible.

"If it were on the battlefield, and the enemy slashed at you from an open space, expecting to miss, they would actually hit your flesh instead."

"That's the flaw."

Sousuke deactivated his transformation.

"How do we solve this?"

"Shrink your bones. Or use posture to cover it up."

Yuanzao gave a demonstration.

He suddenly curled himself up, turning into a child who was only half a meter tall.

It wasn't that his bones actually shrank; rather, he used an extremely contorted posture to fold his long arms and legs together.

"Transformation combined with jujitsu is the perfect disguise."

"Of course, this is too early for you."

Yuanzao stood up and restored the original state.

"First, practice your outward appearance. At least make sure that no one can tell unless there's physical contact."