Re: Akimichi - Volume 3: Chrysalis: The Wind Of Change Chapter 54 Consider It As A Favor

*Swish*

“Fuh, that’s the fourth batch of bounty hunters. I wonder who posted my bounty in the bingo book?” In a desert, Chouji could be seen standing among a few charred corpses. His eyes showed an indifferent light looking at the corpses on the ground, yet His face showed an amused expression as his eyes darted on the bingo book, “That aside, 10 million Ryo, huh? My bounty is really high compared to other Genin or even Chunnin in here. And there’s Asuma-Sensei too priced at 35 million Ryo! Wicked!”

Putting the book away, Chouji lifted his head and saw a line where the sand met with the sea on the horizon. Near the shore, a shipwreck in the middle of a sandy beach was surely stand out like a sore thumb. In his curiosity, Chouji approached the said shipwreck after he assessed the situation around it. ‘Yosh, safe!’

Not long after he stepped his feet inside the shipwreck, Chouji found many big transparent capsules containing humans inside. Few of them were showing a sign that they’re possibly alive, but most were just lifeless bodies submerged in a liquid. Seeing this, Chouji couldn’t help but frown. He checked many other capsules with similar conditions.

‘What actually happened here? Who are they?’ Chouji scowled, he’s kind of used to murder, but somehow he still couldn’t stomach human trafficking and the like. In his mind, it’s one thing to take one’s life, but it’s just too much if you take their freedom. Moreover, they’re not yours in the first place, so how could you sell them as if you own them?!

‘In the end, you need either a powerful might or a good brain to survive…’

Chouji continued to proceed further inside the shipwreck and he saw a room with many panels. Many peoples will just wonder about their use and move on, but Chouji was tongue-tied. ‘This… Is it real? This world has this advanced technology too?’

All this while, the most advanced technologies Chouji ever saw in Konoha were limited to a transmitter, lamp, fan, and the like. Seeing something as advanced as a control panel of a warship in this world was mind-blowing for Chouji. ‘How is that possible something as advanced as this exists when I even haven’t seen a TV? Scratch that, there’s not even a proper radio!’

Chouji was actually just a layman in the technology field, he saw an advanced looking machine, and he assumed that it’s high-end stuff. Inside the ship’s ruin, Chouji continued to comb the place until he detected a chakra fluctuation. It’s quite a simple detection technique, though the user has to own a high chakra control and sensitivity to be able to master it.

‘Someone is here? No, there are two of them. Are they an ally? an enemy?’

Instead of waiting and watching patiently, Chouji decided to take the initiative to approach the persons he detected instead. He did that because of a simple reason, Chouji could feel that one of the two newcomers own a huge pool of chakra, and there’s no hiding place where he was currently except for the obvious big sphere in the middle of the room. So, choosing between the passive and the active side, Chouji chooses the later with the confidence that he had the power to back his action.

Moreover…

They’re already at a close distance as Chouji knew the other party also took the initiative to approach him, apparently they also able to detect him. Perhaps they’re sensor-Nins?

*Clang*

The sound of shurikens clashed against each other in the dark intersection way as both Chouji and the unknown person took the aggressive stance with both parties had no way to assess the other’s intention.

Don’t take it wrong, this world is a dog eat dog world. That much Chouji already knew and he already gave up his hopeful notion to live a peaceful life in this new world. In this Shinobi filled world, trickeries were a common tactic and deception was the basic. In this world, the common word ‘two-face’ or even the exaggerated sentence such as ‘flatten the mountain’ elevated from a figurative into a literal one.

And that’s why the practice of ‘fight first talk later’ was the common one. Because if you relax your guard especially on an unknown territory, then you might find yourself in front of the gate of hell in the next moment.

*Bang!*

Chouji jumped back as a purple-colored smoke bomb landed in front of him. ‘Dang it, Poison?’ Chouji made a hare hand-sign in haste and his mouth was puffed before he blew the purple smoke away using [Futon: Dai Toppa] technique. [1]

*Swish*

Spears made of sand were launched toward Chouji almost at the same time as he executed his [Futon: Dai Toppa] technique. Caught off guard. Chouji twisted his body and stepped to the side to dodge the barrage of the sand spears.

“Identify yourself!”

Chouji heard another party’s shout as he dodged the sand spears. Though, as prideful as he was, Chouji released an attack of his own before he answered. “[Katon: Endan]” [2]

A barrage of a fist-sized ball of flames was launched, and judging by the sound of their step, they were nimble enough to dodge Chouji’s attack.

“Huh, Chouji-san?” One of the two peoples was taken aback as he identifies Chouji when the room was lit for a moment because of Chouji’s fire attack.

“Eh? You know me?” Chouji stopped his attack as he heard that the other party knew him, though he still didn’t let his guard down because he thought that maybe they knew him from the bingo book. “Who are you?”

*Clack*

“My name is Kankuro, I’m sure that we have met at the Chunin exam.” Kankuro took a lighter to brighten the surrounding, after confirming it was really Chouji, Kankuro heaved a sigh of relief. “I was informed that you’re one of the reinforcements sent by Konoha. We’re here checking this ship wreckage after we pull our camp back by several miles away. By the way, you remember my brother Gaara, right?”

Gaara crossed his arms in front of his chest as he slightly nodded when he looking at Chouji. Gaara kept his mum, though Chouji could feel that he still exuded a strong murderous aura.

“Ah, yes. The throwing tantrum boy, how’s the raccoon?” Chouji grinned as he teased Gaara, Chouji didn’t know why but seeing Gaara like this made him want to do something to him. After thinking for a while, Chouji decided to just do it. “You’re such a mama boy.”

Sand immediately rushed toward Chouji, intending to crush him to a pulp. “Tsk, you’re too slow. What are you? A turtle?”

With a body flicker technique, Chouji disappeared from his initial place and appeared above Gaara with his palm already swung to reach Gaara’s head. The sand was immediately converged above Gaara’s head, forming a shield to protect him from Chouji’s palm.

“Child’s play, SCATTER!” Chouji twisted his arm in a screw motion as his palm drilled the sand shield. The sand shield did not even last for more than a second before Chouji’s hand grabbed Gaara’s head.

With a thought, Chouji absorbed Gaara’s negative energy and his excess Chakra while injecting him with a minuscule amount of natural energy to soothe Gaara’s mind. Chouji knew from the Sandaime -Sarutobi Hiruzen- about Gaara, a Jinchuriki of one tail, a kid raised as a weapon, loathed by his surrounding, and a childhood filled with betrayal.

Unlike before, Gaara didn’t directly faint and instead, he felt as if an itchy spot that he can’t reach for all of his life finally scratched right. Gaara felt relax, his anger and his negative emotion went away just like that.

Kankuro was dumbfounded, he still didn’t get what happened and was too stunned to actually did something. ‘The heck?’

“Consider it me doing a favor to you, repay it in the future,” Chouji said as he patted Gaara’s shoulder. Chouji stared at the duo siblings, one was still jaw-agape, while the other looked as if he was high on a drug.

Suddenly, the three of them turned their attention into one of the halls on the other side of the room. “Looks like we got another company, is she one of yours?”

Both Gaara and Kankuro shook their head, they too became vigilant.

“Alright, aunty. You can come out now, your hiding skill is horrible.”

—

[1] Wind Style: Great Breakthrough

[2] Fire Style: Flame bullet