As Ayane focused her intent, the Traits on the panel shimmered faintly.
Within moments, three brand new Traits were generated!
[New Trait: Precise Shurikenjutsu (Green)] [Description: Though I am young…
my kunai are sharp!] [Effect: The lethal force of any ninja tool thrown by you is increased by 10%!
Your throwing accuracy will no longer be affected by environmental factors (wind, rain, etc.)!] [Next Upgrade Tier: 1,200 Achievement Points!] Not bad, not bad.
Even though the damage multiplier was only 10%, Ayane was incredibly satisfied.
More than the damage buff, she actually valued the passive secondary effect much more.
Throwing accuracy ignores environmental interference!
That passive was practically tailor-made for the chaotic, stormy environment of the Land of Rain!
She scrolled down to the next one.
[New Trait: Superior Taijutsu (Green)] [Description: The girl next door has grown up, and now she can rip a tree out of the ground by its roots…] [Effect: Taijutsu power +10%, stamina consumption when using Taijutsu reduced by 10%.] [Next Upgrade Tier: 1,200 Achievement Points!] Hmm…
While this effect looked a bit plain on paper, it was still a solid buff!
Ayane rubbed her hands together and eagerly scrolled to the final Trait.
Unsurprisingly, this was going to be her very first Blue-tier Trait!
[Trait: Intermediate Ninjutsu Mastery (Blue)] [Description: Master of the Five Elements—Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning.
Your foundation in Ninjutsu has no fatal flaws.] [Effect: Moderately increases your learning speed for all new Ninjutsu.
The destructive power of all Ninjutsu cast by you increases by 15%!] [Specialized Attribute Upgrade Cost: 5,000 Achievement Points per Chakra Nature!] Ayane’s eyelid twitched.
Holy crap!
Did I just become the Avatar?!
She had never expected a Blue-tier Trait to be this absurdly overpowered!
Not only did it boost her Ninjutsu damage, but it directly unlocked and perfected her affinity for all five basic Chakra Natures!
She did some quick math in her head.
Combining the buffs from her Titles and Traits, her total Ninjutsu damage multiplier had already reached 40%!
Just thinking about that number made Ayane’s throat feel itchy.
She had a sudden, overwhelming urge to spit out some water or blow a gust of wind just to see how violently destructive her jutsu were now…
In truth, she actually knew quite a few jutsu.
She had mastered over a dozen E-rank utility jutsu, four D-rank jutsu, and one C-rank jutsu.
While they were all standard-issue techniques and she didn’t possess any clan-exclusive Secret Jutsu, having this arsenal made her an absolute powerhouse in the “tutorial village” that was the Ninja Academy.
Ignoring the E-rank jutsu…
Her four D-rank techniques were: Water Style: Water Trumpet (Shoots a jet of water from the mouth).
Water Style: Ripping Torrent (Generates a swirling mass of water in the palm).
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough (Exhales a powerful gust of wind).
Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder (Gathers electricity in the hands to shock opponents).
Her sole C-rank technique was: Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu.
She had either salvaged these jutsu from her parents’ inheritance or secretly bought the scrolls from others using her savings.
As expected, they were primarily Wind and Water styles, and their base destructive power wasn’t considered top-tier…
But given the constant downpours in the Land of Rain…
Wind, Water, and Lightning jutsu were undisputedly the most lethal elements to use in this environment.
Unfortunately, she was currently on an active Anbu mission.
She had absolutely no excuse to randomly start blasting jutsu into the woods…
She couldn’t exactly tell Woodpecker, “Oops, I had a nightmare and accidentally cast a Water Bullet,” right?
Ayane had no choice but to suppress her burning curiosity, lean back against the tree trunk, and close her eyes to rest.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ The night wind blew softly through the forest, occasionally carrying a few stray raindrops.
Anyone who had lived in the Land of Rain for long enough knew that this was the prelude to another torrential downpour.
Suddenly, the faintest sound of noise drifted over from the distance.
Ayane snapped her eyes open.
Simultaneously, Woodpecker issued a warning.
“Swan, on alert!
Abnormal activity at your 4 o’clock!” “Understood,” Ayane responded immediately.
She swiftly stood up on the branch, gazing out into the darkness toward the source of the noise.
In the otherwise pitch-black wilderness, a flickering, chaotic orange light danced on the horizon.
The unmistakable sounds of slaughter—screaming, shouting, and the sharp clash of metal—tangled together and drifted slowly toward their position.
“Sounds like shinobi engaged in combat over there?” the girl noted uncertainly.
Woodpecker pulled out a map and checked the coordinates.
“That’s Maba Village.” “Should we go take a look?” Ayane asked.
“If we detour around it, we’ll lose a lot of time.” “What a pain!” Woodpecker grumbled under his breath.
The decisive battle with Konoha on the frontlines was imminent.
Logically, there was no reason for the Anbu to dispatch an active operative just to escort a rookie Genin like Ayane.
However, because Woodpecker had requested a brief leave of absence to handle personal matters in the village while Team Owl was rotating out for rest, this escort mission had conveniently been dumped on his lap for his return trip.
Running into a random combat scenario in the middle of nowhere only made him more irritable.
“Swan, stay behind me.” He tightened his slightly loose Anbu mask, drew a kunai, and leaped down from the tree.
Clearly, he had no intention of taking a detour.
Woodpecker warned her in a low voice, “Stay sharp, Rookie.
I might not have the luxury of looking out for you.” The scene before them was one of utter desolation.
The small settlement known as Maba Village didn’t seem to have had a large population to begin with.
Most of the houses were reduced to crumbling ruins.
Amidst the shattered walls, shattered pots, pans, and broken furniture lay scattered in the mud.
Ayane’s expression tightened.
Her eyesight was excellent, and she immediately spotted the bodies half-buried in the sludge.
The elderly, children, men, and women.
Without exception, they all lay dead in the mud, left to soak in the relentless rain until they rotted, eventually becoming food for scavenging beasts.
Woodpecker’s pace remained steady.
He completely ignored the grisly sight around him.
Ever since the Second Great Ninja War had begun, he had grown entirely desensitized to scenes of slaughter like this.
Just because Amegakure’s main forces were stationed at the borders didn’t mean the interior of the country was safe.
Shinobi were highly mobile and carried terrifying destructive power.
Inevitably, enemy squads would slip past the frontline patrols, infiltrating deep behind enemy lines to wreak havoc.
Military supplies, rations, medical equipment, funds, and even defenseless civilians—all were viable targets for sabotage.
And frankly, Amegakure was no better.
The Rain Anbu had infiltrated the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire on countless occasions to commit the exact same atrocities.
“The combatants are just ahead,” Woodpecker whispered as the sounds of battle grew distinct.
“Remember what I told you.” Ayane had been passively molding her chakra the entire time.
She simply replied, “Woodpecker, I have absolutely no intention of dying in a place like this.” “Let’s hope so.” The man let out a low, humorless chuckle and fell silent.
The two of them crept forward carefully, their boots making barely a sound in the mud.
The moon slipped behind the dark storm clouds, completely obscuring their silhouettes in the shadows.
Woodpecker took the lead.
As he vigilantly scanned their surroundings, he mentally evaluated his new teammate’s performance.
‘Even while trekking through thick mud, her footsteps are practically silent…’ ‘Based on her stamina during the sprint earlier, Black Swan’s physical conditioning is excellent, and her Body Flicker is fast…’ ‘I don’t know how she handles direct combat yet, but overall, as long as I cover her, she should be able to protect herself.’ ‘I guess this is to be expected from the Academy Valedictorian?’ ‘Her fundamentals completely outclass the rest of the students.
Even if I dumped her into a regular Chunin squad right now, she wouldn’t hold them back.’ Zzzzt!
A jagged bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the sky overhead!
The oppressive storm clouds were ripped open by the blinding white flash.
At that exact split second, a cold, vicious shuriken shot out from the shadows of a ruined wall right beside him, its bladed edges gleaming under the lightning!
Woodpecker’s nerves instantly pulled taut!
In a fraction of a second, he brought his kunai up in a desperate block, violently deflecting the incoming shuriken away.
BOOM!
The deafening crack of thunder finally rolled over them, a few seconds behind the lightning.
A figure stepped out from the shadows of the ruined wall.
The stranger glanced at the deflected shuriken and spoke in a chilling voice, “What a pity…
You’ve got some damn good luck, haven’t you…”