Chương 45: The Scapegoat

"How strange," Jieluo said with a slight smile, "The scapegoat has spoken up."

The original meaning of "caged bird" corresponds to a scapegoat. There is a children's song in the ninja world called Kagome Song, which is a long-standing game among children. The child who is the ghost is blindfolded and squats in the middle, while a group of children surround the ghost and sing the song. When the song is finished, if the child who is the ghost can guess who is behind him, then that child becomes the scapegoat.

"Shut up!!!" After a roar, Akitsu's chest heaved as he glared fiercely at Yura.

Shut up, shall we?

Seeing the ninja who was somewhat broken but still struggling, Jieluo smiled faintly.

Not only will I not shut up, I will also sing. My nephew used to break up with his girlfriend, and Jieluo liked to sing for him. I thought it would last a lifetime, but it turned out to be just a while.

"The little lark, unable to find its home, hides among the ears of wheat in the boundless field."

Though she cried out for her mother, she only heard the murmuring of wheat ears in the wind.

If this song were played in the ninja world, more than 90% of ninjas, especially those from the Warring States period, would be thrown off balance upon hearing it.

Break through the major defenses.

The great demon loves to sing.

As it soared and circled in the air, Xiao Yaogai thought about these things, but sometimes listening to them made her feel very uncomfortable. Unconsciously, little pearls rolled down Xiao Yaogai's face.

"I said!!! Shut up—!!! Ahhhhhh—!!!" A violent killing intent erupted, chakra boiled and roared around him, and he turned into a blur, charging straight towards Yura without regard for his own safety.

She really did cry and call for her mother.

Jie Luo smiled faintly.

When you encounter something you like, you feel like attacking it.

Yura herself is a very serious sadist.

She has a bloodthirsty nature that kills with a smile, which is one of the typical characteristics of so-called ultimate sadism. She enjoys bullying weak monsters, but as a great monster, she is not interested in ordinary people. So, when she comes to a human village to buy things, she will give money and greet you with a smile, but you must never attack her.

No matter who the opponent is, Jieluo will not hesitate to fight back and eliminate them.

Regardless of the type of battle, Jieluo feels no pain. As a member of the Oni race, in other words, Jieluo feels no fear whatsoever.

In mid-air, Akitsu's body suddenly froze, his byakuya eyes twitched, and he arrived!

attack!

If it's a slashing attack, she's confident she can defend against it, as long as she gets close...

His body spun violently, unleashing the Secret Transmission Rotation, a technique for absolute defense. Suddenly, a giant chakra sphere with a diameter of three meters spiraled out of the air.

Then, after a brief stalemate, it flew back at an even faster speed, its back slamming straight into the tree trunk. The recoil sent its body flying like a stone skipping across water, tumbling and tumbling its way into the depths of the dense forest. After nearly a hundred meters, it came to a stop.

Dust billowed through the forest.

His limbs were twisted and bent into strange shapes, his combat uniform was tattered, and his body was covered in abrasions and bloodstains. He leaned against a large tree, head down, breathing heavily.

In Bai's eyes, the pure white pupils trembled.

Even if you can sense the invisible blade, you can't block it, you can't block it at all. Physically, it doesn't feel like you're hitting a sword, but something much bigger.

She sat cross-legged in mid-air, in front of Jieluo, as the giant black hand slowly disintegrated and retracted. That's how it is when playing billiards; she spun too round, and a single slap sent her flying.

Although the opponent has noticed Jieluo's sword style, so far, Jieluo has not encountered an opponent who can make her use her full sword skills.

Dual-wielding, or Niten Ichi-ryu, is an extremely dirty swordsmanship, a swordsmanship of the heart. Its essence is largely verbal warfare, using the power of words to completely suppress the opponent's psychology, spirit, and momentum. It emphasizes deception and surprise attacks, leaning towards military strategy. The weapon used in the swordsmanship is not important; the important thing is the tactical and strategic objective.

During the Warring States period, people used the term "military strategy" to refer to swordsmanship.

"Major military strategy" refers to the methods of commanding troops and deploying them in battle, while "minor military strategy" specifically refers to swordsmanship.

Niten Ichi-ryu emphasizes tactics, or rather, strategy, more than swordsmanship skills.

Based on this alone, Naruto is a promising swordsman and a great verbal sparring partner.

The multi-sword style of Yura requires attention to the methods of commanding multiple weapons in combat and to develop different tactics for different situations.

Akitsu didn't know where she went wrong, but Yura knew why she lost.

No matter what kind of power it is, it all originates from the human heart. If your mindset collapses, and you still want to win, you're dreaming.

Akitsu reluctantly raised her eyes to look at Yura, who was not pursuing her a hundred meters away. The layers of branches and treetops could not block her view.

"Someone once said..." Hovering and slowly gliding through the forest, Jieluo approached the White Fox Ninja and looked down at him, saying, "Heaven will not allow those who pursue victory with the idea of mutual destruction to keep winning."

It's an interesting saying, a kind of divine prophecy in the ninja world: any ninja who harbors the idea of mutual destruction will not have a good ending, such as Danzo who sealed half a bridge.

Akitsu's eyes widened in shock; the moment he heard those words, he instinctively thought of it.

"Is this fate...?"

Heaven is a very specific symbol, referring to destiny.

If this was fate, in that instant, Akitsu felt intensely that he was doing something futile.

"I think that's just a useless, incompetent statement," Jieluo said with a slight smile.

If you can't win even if you're willing to die together, then what kind of person is someone who trades one tank for another with a bomb? Doesn't that count as a win?

With a struggle, Akitsu looked up at Yura's face. The sunlight in the forest filtered through the treetops, making it difficult to see clearly. He could only sense that she was high above, like a cold god looking down on the world. She wore a scarlet fox mask on her head, and the fox's eyes held a strange and ominous mockery.

"What do you know..." With a forced smile and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, Akitsu lowered her head and said, "And what do you know about me..."

"There's a kind of bird in the world that hides its head in the ground..." Jie Luo laughed.

"When it encounters danger, it buries its head in the ground, pretending that the danger doesn't exist. How could such a bird possibly have the idea of dying together with others? The so-called 'heaven won't allow it to keep winning' is just self-comforting talk."

"No!!!" She wasn't lacking in courage to die with someone, but she felt that this cowardly behavior was familiar, and the words she was about to say were swallowed back down.

"Did you know that when birds put their heads close to the ground, it looks like they're retreating, but actually they're using their excellent hearing to sense distant movements and determine the source of danger?" Jieluo said.

Eh?

Akitsu looked up at Yura.

"So, can your eyes really see where the danger is coming from?" Jie Luo smiled faintly.

"Have you seen your real enemy?"

The real enemy?

Hyuga main family?

Beneath the mask, Akitsu pursed her lips.

Of course, she could see this clearly, but things would get better. Now that there was a village, the first generation had said that everyone in the village was like family, and there were no barriers between clans. The situation and fate of the families that would separate in the future would definitely be changed!

must!...

Is that really the case?

Jie Luo descended with a light smile, his soft laughter echoing through the forest. He landed at eye level with the girl, reached out and removed her white fox mask, and examined her white eyes, which were as clear and bright as jewels.

Akitsu wanted to move around, but...

Extending her slender fingers, she gently lifted the girl's chin and said with a smile, "You have a beautiful face..." Jieluo's eyes lit up.

As if a fishbone were stuck in his throat, Qiu Jin felt a chill run down his spine.

I've never been so intimate with anyone before, let alone a woman. My body and mind are instinctively resisting.

"It's such a waste to let it wither away so quietly in that place..."

What does it mean?

"Let me tell you straight, you've escaped from one cage to an even bigger one." Jie Luo chuckled.

"Little scapegoat, your fate of dying in someone else's place will never end. However, it's a bit too pathetic that you're grateful to the ghost while you're dying in someone else's place."

Akitsu's pupils trembled, and she suddenly understood where the unease she had felt all along lay.

This woman, about sixteen or seventeen years old, looked like Hanabi in her teenage years, but their fates and social statuses were worlds apart. Jie Luo smiled faintly.

"Can you tell me your name, you little scapegoat?"

Akitsu's eyes trembled, and he said in a trembling voice, "What do you mean? What did that sentence just now mean?!"

"You..." Jieluo said, "your name."

"Akitsu..." the girl responded, gritting her teeth, her voice cold, "I'm not a scapegoat!!!"

She wanted to confirm something.

But if that were the case, it would be too cruel, really too cruel...

"Tell me! What did you mean by what you just said!?"