Chapter 213: 212. Deeper into the Abyss

MrProper

Somewhere within the endless place known as Rengoku no Kyōkoku1Purgatory's Canyon, a sole Genin stood over three others, all of whom were currently beaten and unconscious. Searching their belongings, he frowned in disappointment after discovering they lacked the exam item he required

"Sigh...another lost cause. Still, I'll keep this White Compass out of your hands. Better luck next year"

Three days had passed after ending his temporary partnership with Iruka, and with barely five left, Rei decided to take the risk and venture deeper into the Canyon

Thanks to hints from the Leaf Genin's retelling of his experience here, he had a general idea of where he was

{Damn it...the first Iwagakure2Hidden Stone Villageteam I meet in days, and they don't have what I need. The odds are getting worse, and I'm running out of time...} "Need to speed things--haaa...huh? What's wrong with me?" Stumbling on his words, Rei had been feeling irritable as of late

Not only was he down on luck, his recent performance in the midst of battle had been somewhat...lackluster. Whether it due to a lack of sleep, his relentless hunt, mental fatigue, fears of his team's status, or mere desperation...the pressure was clearly on

Since staying here any longer was pointless, he left the battered team to themselves, searching for the nearest chakra signature available

TING!

{Gotcha...!} Locating his target, he made a beeline for the next Genin squad

With the use of his abnormal physical abilities, Rei spanned the range of several kilometers within a matter of minutes. Arriving at an entrenched river sandwiched between numerous mountains, similar to the one he discovered after his first inadvertent use of "Jikūkan Ninjutsu3Space-Time Techniques"

"There they are--hm? The symbol on those headbands, these guys belong to..." (Rei)

Keeping to the shadows, he classified them as shinobi hailing from the smaller nation of Takigakure4Hidden Waterfall Village, but decided not to engage just yet. Opting instead to listen in on their conversation in hopes of discerning exactly which "Piece" they possessed

"H-Hey Agara, are you sure it was good idea to travel along this trench?"

"Would you have preferred we fight against those Sunagakure5Hidden Sand Villageninja? You saw what those guys were capable of" (Agara)

{The one with the small crop of spiky black hair seems to be in charge, this "Agara" is most likely holding the item. But what's this about shinobi from the Sand village?} (Rei)

"Look , I know you guys are worried, but I honestly couldn't think of any alternatives in that situation. If you have any suggestions, I'm more than willing to comply" (Agara)

"A-Ah, uhm..." 

"I...don't know"

"Exactly, now let's go" (Agara)

{Ugh! This is getting nowhere! Whatever, I'll speed things along my way...} Growing impatient, Rei began forming hand seals

Agara's compatriots awkwardly fumbled on their words as neither of them could issue a reasonable response

Knowing his teammates timid personalities, he tapped their shoulders in reassurance, indicating he wasn't upset with them. This team had been down on their luck, with one terrible encounter after another, this place quickly lived up to it's name

Unfortunately, their troubles were not over...

{Suiton: Suiryūdan6Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!} (Rei)

SPLOOSH!

"?!" 

Remaining in cover, Rei, who was fed up with waiting... unleashed his Ninjutsu. Before the Taki Genin could even react, a massive dragon serpent was born from the river next to them

"Enemy attack! Does anybody see them?!"

"No! They must be keeping to the shadows!"

"To control a construct like this means they HAVE to be nearby...watch your corners!" (Agara)

ROAR!!

"Here it comes!"

Readying themselves the best they could, the team defended against the gigantic liquid construct as it lunged at them from above! Being a Genin team of average skill, they lacked the means of stopping Rei's attack

"Cheh! How bout this!"

FLING!

One of the Genin tossed a kunai with a paper bomb attached to it, straight into the serpents mouth. As it detonated, the head was completely blown to smithereens. In response, Rei poured even more chakra into his technique. With the nearby water source, it reformed itself in a matter of seconds before resuming its attack

{It's taking a bit more chakra than I'd prefer...} Rei surmised as he studied his handiwork. The ninja from Takigakure were nothing more than guinea pigs to him. Fodder to test his own capabilities

"Don't bother with the dragon! This area gives any Suiton user the advantage! There's only one way we get out of this! You understand?!" (Agara)

"Yes!"

"We're right behind you!"

Seeing the larger picture, Agara recommended they attempt to find the Jutsu-caster while avoiding the dragon. They had an obvious tactical disadvantage considering none of them were Water Style users, finding and stopping Rei was their only option

However, there was no way he'd give them the chance

"Crap! It's blocked our way out!"

"I can't find the one responsible! What should we do Agara?!"

The Water dragon forced them into a narrow area within the trench, cutting off any routes of escape. Understanding their path was blocked, Agara knew there was only one solution left for them!

"Jump!" (Agara)

WOOSH!

In a split-second decision, Agara grabbed his teammates and jumped with all his strength, barely dodging the attack as it passed right under them

"Tsk! This isn't working! Alright, let's split up and try to divert it's attention. We may be able to-?!" (Agara)

WHISTLE!

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"Agara!"

"Huh?!" (Agara)

"Enemy contact! Four o'clock!"

Before they could do anything else, the undisguised whistling nearby grabbed their attention. Rei had revealed himself, calm as he could be, weaving a single hand seal

Agara, like his team, was confused. He knew Rei was the attacker, but couldn't understand why the Kumogakure Genin had revealed himself so blatantly

"Aaaaaand...nighty-night" (Rei)

"What is he-?!" (Agara)

But the answer came whether he wanted it or not...

ZUNNN!

"U-Uh?!" {W-What?} (Agara)

{I can't...move! Is this...!}

{Getting drowsy...can't stay...a...wake...}

THUD! THUD! THUD!

All three were placed under Rei's Genjutsu, as the dragon was merely a distraction. Simply meant to get them into the proper position for him to cast the illusion. Unable to move a single muscle, the trio fell into the small river

Rei stood tall with his victory as the air picked up. Within the span of a minute, he managed to subdue their entire team...

VWOOOOO...! 

"W-Whoa... that's gotta be a new record" He couldn't help but be impressed with himself

While achieving a change in chakra natures had improved as of late, the elements demonstrating the greatest progression were not of the basic five, but the non-elemental ones... Inton7Yin/Shadow Style and Yōton8Yang/Light Style respectively

"Even on multiple individuals, Genjutsu's so much easier to use now, and my physical capabilities have grown immensely. Days of nonstop running with no rest, and I still managed to take down so many teams all on my own...amazing"

TAK! SPLASH!

Rei picked up the unconscious team before the river carried them downstream. All the while, recalling the fights he's undertaken since the exam's start

His recent, improved performance with his elemental powers wasn't a result of simple affinity, but his alien-like manipulation of chakra, an unattainable height for ordinary humans...

"My initial affinities were only for Yin and Yang, Isshiki's side. And Rei's side--well... Fire, Water, and Earth just can't compare..." He assuredly clenched his fist

He'd yet to fully explore what his body, now completely akin to Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's, was capable of

With every team he fought in the canyon, he chose a different way of combat in order to learn more about himself

There were some things he couldn't discover on his own, experience in the field of battle was always the best teacher. Even at this very moment, he grew stronger...becoming a more efficient shinobi

"Now that I've compared Yin and Yang to the other three, it's obvious that expanding my Taijutsu and Genjutsu, along with any other non-elemental Ninjutsu... should be my sole focus. I should probably invest my time into studying Fūinjutsu9Sealing Techniques next"

Always one to look towards the future, the boy with a soul of an accomplished engineer thought about the powerful opponents he'd inevitably encounter in the future

After all, in little under five years, the main "Plot" would commence...

"Okay... Time to che-e-Eh? O-Ooof!" {The hell? I must've...really pushed myself if I'm already out breath. It's easy to forget even I have limits, gotta be careful in the future. This body, no matter how alien, is still only twelve years old} 

Knowing he couldn't afford to contemplate all day, he moved on to next steps

Searching the team he defeated with trepidation, Rei hoped his efforts would finally pay off after being forced to fend for himself in this terrible place. The other two Genin held nothing of use, so Rei finally turned to Agara

"...O-Ow! What the-?!" 

Rummaging through the standard shinobi pouch on his waist, he found nothing of value...until a sharp sensation greeted his fingers as he pricked himself with something. Believing it to be another Kunai, he pulled the object out

And as he did...

"YES!! ABOUT DAMN TIME!" 

...Rei held a dark pointy object in his hand

After days of searching and fighting, he finally managed to acquire a Black Needle!

"PHEW! I really want to celebrate so much right now, but I'll save that for when I'm out of this damned hellhole. Let's hope this stupid thing works..." 

CLICK! BUZZ!

"Wait. Why won't it...what the hell?"

After combining the two necessary items, the needle merely span around than point towards the "Primary Objective". At first, he feared it was broken, but keeping his calm, he studied the device carefully. Eventually discovering the pieces were made of a unique material

{These devices are composed of similar material to the locked room of the first exam} "In other words..." 

BOF!

Rei kneaded his chakra into the completed compass, and soon enough, the needle ceased spinning randomly

"I was right, this thing's material is chakra-reactant, just as before, albeit it's reaction is very different. Fascinating..."

VWOOOO!

With the wind picking up even more, Rei jumped out of the trench. Observing the landscape reminded him of what Tango taught his team during their initial journey to the Land of Earth. This country of stone possessed mineral elements of unique quality and makeup, to the point Iwagakure based it's very culture around it

Even with knowledge of the world's "Plot", it struck Rei that there was still much which remained a mystery to him. Carrying an innovative persona, new scientific ideas bloomed in his mind, but he tossed such thoughts aside for now

It was finally time to leave the canyon, and hopefully, his team would be waiting for him

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