Chapter 216: 215. Adrift

MrProper

"Agh! My head...and what was--Hm?" {What's this sensation on in hand?}

"Uhack! H-Hik...bastard! LET GO!"

"W-Who the hell are you?!"

After passing out without warning, Rei suddenly regained consciousness in an unknown location. Completely alone, his "Imugi" nowhere in sight. Even more strange, another Genin was on his knees before him, with his neck tightly gripped by Rei's right hand!

"U-Uhh...w-wha...where am--?!" (Rei)

"Hold on Yoroi! I'm coming!"

"Eh?!" {The hell, elongated arms?!} (Rei)

BAM!

After letting go of one denoted as "Yoroi", Rei quickly jumped away from the attack another shinobi had launched from behind, with impossibly out-stretched arms spanning several feet no less! Yoroi's comrade managed to grab and pull him away, widening the distance between them

"What in the hell, the last thing I remember was eating some crocodile, and then--the f**k?!" Glancing around to gain his bearings, Rei finally noticed the numerous collapsed teams of Genin dispersed throughout the area.

The only ones still standing were the two he just engaged. Both wearing glasses as they glared at him in trepidation, their headbands identifying them as ninja hailing from Konohagakure1Hidden Leaf Village

But the states of the ones collapsed were what truly caught his attention. Bruised and bloody, some were even dead! As if they'd experienced hell... yet this also felt familiar to him

{Different area, woke up fighting someone, bodies in awful states, and headache more painful than some of my absolute WORST hangovers. Shit, here we go again...} "It doesn't look like I killed anyone important, but still, this kind of slaughter on these--oh man, think I'm gonna...HAUMPF!" (Rei)

Despite feeling like he was about to lose his lunch, this wasn't the first time Rei had woken up to horrific scenes of brutality

For this occurred every time his increasingly odd Kisshōten2Auspicious Heavensability would activate on its own, and the solely dubbed "Neo-Rei", would take over and fight to ensure his survival...no matter how violent the means or methods

Yet somehow, he had no memories of what transpired this time. In the past, even when he was under, he could still recall everything that happened when he surrendered control...this was a first for him

{I haven't been able to use Kisshōten since that incident with Suzu and the LIFT, and now it's reappeared again? Why? Plus those visions of Isshiki and the original "Rei Sano" prior to passing out...} "Urgh! That hurts!" (Rei)

Rei clasped his head in pain, still disoriented from his current condition, he felt excruciating pain pulse from his forehead. He was in such agony, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if he passed out again

Even worse than his suffering, Yoroi and his teammate saw an opportunity, for they hadn't taken their eyes off of him the entire time, carefully observing each and every mannerism he made

The pair whispered back and forth to determine the next appropriate course of action

"Misumi... did you notice?" (Yoroi)

"Yeah, he's no longer behaving like a brutal killing machine... maybe fighting all those Genin squads singlehandedly finally took its toll. The only question now is..." (Misumi)

"Do we act on this chance, or follow through with Kabuto and the plan?" (Yoroi)

Yoroi and Misumi were not typical Konoha Genin, but spies who, along with Kabuto Yakushi... served the S-rank rouge-nin Orochimaru!

Their purpose for being here wasn't to pass the Chunin exams, but to search and identify worthy "candidates" that may prove useful for their lord and master. In other words, seek out exceptionally talented Genin, and Rei had clearly proven his worth... But neither of them knew what this boy was planning to do next

And so, the options were laid bare... do they attempt to flee while potentially leaving themselves vulnerable to attack? Or fight it out, and risk killing a considerably rare talent hard to find? Despite this land now filled by promising shinobi hailing from all over the world, a powerful young Genin with a strong body like his was perfect for Orochimaru's...disturbing tastes

"Let's neutralize him" (Misumi)

"You sure? It's taken forever to find a good fit, just to have you snap his neck" (Yoroi)

"Relax, we'll go with your Ninjutsu instead of mine. You're always boasting about it, and granted, it's perfect for this kind of situation. He was just strangling you earlier, don't pretend like you wouldn't want some payback" (Misumi)

"Hmph! Not making matters personal is what being a professional is all about" (Yoroi)

TAK! TAK!

At the sight of them running, the ninja pair began their counterattack against Rei!

"Great! My chakra's already depleted enough as is, and now there's no time to even think! Screw it...!" {Doton3Earth Style...?! W-What?! The chakra isn't-?!} (Rei)

"Wide open!" {Nan no Kaizō4Soft Physique Modification!} (Misumi)

"?!" (Rei)

POW!

Misumi utilized his unique Ninjutsu enabling him to utilize his body as if were made of rubber, stretching his left arm to deliver the first the strike! Rei had no choice but to block with his arms as his ability to knead chakra into one of the five elemental natures was unresponsive!

{Did this body undergo "Recursion" again? No...I don't that's--I can feel it. Something's...no, someone's blocking me. This feeling...is it him again?!} "Cheh! Looks like I'm doing this the hard way!" (Rei)

"Misumi! Give me a door!" (Yoroi)

"On it!" (Misumi)

"Tsk! So annoying!" (Rei)

Misumi followed up with another attack, controlling the field with his outstretched limbs and surrounding Rei in the process

The Kumogakure Genin relied solely on Taijutsu, but his fists lacked their usual vigor. Not just mentally, but even physically exhausted, the best he could do was dodge as Misumi's body slithered around in all directions!

{I was right, he's different now, this is too easy!} "Should've ran when you had the chance! Now it's Game...!" (Misumi)

"Ah?!" {Shit!} (Rei)

"Gotcha!" (Yoroi)

"...OVER!" (Misumi)

THWP!

Misumi pulled all of his limbs spread around the area, now wrapped around the boy's entire body, he managed to completely restrain Rei!

"R-Rgh! Hey, I know I'm handsome, but I'd prefer if a woman got this close to me than a guy!" (Rei)

"Heh, I'd save the jokes for later..." (Misumi)

CLENCH!

Fulfilling his role, Misumi made sure to keep Rei bound for Yoroi to make his move. As chakra formed on his fingertips, he swiftly grabbed Rei's head as he proceeded to drain the very chakra from his body! Within seconds, Rei grew even more tired, losing all feeling as he slowly went limp!

{This is...!} "U-Ugh...you assholes..." (Rei)

"And there's another one down, should we take him with us?" (Yoroi)

"Hmm... I'm not sure that's a good idea. We were only supposed to mark them, nothing more. There are too many eyes on this event, let's just focus on the task at hand" (Misumi)

"Right, this kid doesn't have much chakra left anyway. Won't be long until he's drained dry, can't believe it was this easy when you take into account everything he did earlier" (Yoroi)

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"It was foolish to take on all of these teams alone, he bit off more than he could chew, but remain cautious nonetheless. This exam is almost over, the sooner we're out of this shitty country, the better" (Misumi)

"Relax, I'm almost done...huh? What was that?" (Yoroi)

"Something wrong?" (Misumi)

"Y-Yeah...the flow of chakra just changed. The suction...it's stopping? Uh...no, it's not--REVERSING?!" (Yoroi)

GRIP!

As if waiting for the right moment, Rei freed his right arm from Misumi's grip and grabbed Yoroi's

"?!" (Yoroi & Misumi)

"Thanks, I really needed a little pick-me-up..." (Rei)

Turning the tables, Rei pushed his chakra control to the limit, stealing every ounce of chakra left in Yoroi's body until he collapsed! Misumi let go of Rei and backed away in surprise

"That's one down" (Rei)

"You took advantage of his technique?! How?!" (Misumi)

"Only chakra can affect chakra, dumbass. In order to steal mine, he had to connect his first, but the idiot forgot the link works both ways. Like playing tug-of-war, what determines the winner is control, and nobody on this planet can beat me in that" {With more chakra in my system, I start to feel better, I wonder...} (Rei)

"Damn you!" {Impossible! That rate of consumption, barely ten seconds had passed for him to not only regain his stolen chakra, but to take all of Yoroi's as well?!} (Misumi)

CRACK!

Feeling a little better, Rei started stretching a little to get back in shape. His muscles were still extremely sore, and while his headache had reduced in intensity thanks to refilling his chakra reserves, it still made its presence known

He didn't know how long this would last, deciding not to give Misumi anymore time to think as he bolted right at him...

"Keh! You impudent brat!" (Misumi)

{Nope, you're not going anywhere...!} "Hmph!" (Rei)

FZZT!

"Uh...this is-?!" {Kanishibari no Genjutsu5Temporary Paralysis Illusion Technique?!} (Misumi)

{I knew it! Every time this happens, my connection to the five natures changes, but my Inton6Yin/Shadow Style and Yōton7Yang/Light Styleimprove. Is it because Kisshōten is a In'yōton8Yin-Yang/Shadow & Light Style-related ability?} "Clench your teeth, cause this is gonna--oh wait, you can't move. Haha, oh well!" (Rei)

{W-Wait...!} (Misumi)

POW! POW! POW! 

Rei delivered a series of devastating blows upon Misumi's body, making the most of what little stamina he had left! After almost a minute, the Konoha-nin passed out from the barrage of fists and kicks, his body full of bruises and several cracked or broken bones as it fell to the ground...completely lifeless

"Hmph! You should thank me. With so many bones damaged, you'll be able to use that weird technique much more effectively" {Now that I think about, haven't I seen that before. Where have I-?} (Rei)

"U-Uhhhh..." (Misumi)

Though he couldn't recognize their faces, the two defeated individuals reminded him of something from the Manga. Looking back at Misumi's fighting style, it was clearly reminiscent of someone else's...

"They way he fights, the way he moves, the way he...SLITHERS! Of course, it was so f**king obvious!" {Orochimaru! These two are spies for that snake bastard! I couldn't remember these scrubs since they're poised to get taken out early in the story. Wait, wasn't the third member of their team-?!} (Rei)

ZWIP! ZWIP!

Rei immediately scanned the area for anyone else in haste, using all of his senses at once, fearing the infamous third member of their team would show up...

{Where are you...Kabuto Yakushi!} (Rei)

Orochimaru's right-hand man, Akatsuki infiltrator, Medical genius, and super spy...he knew fighting Kabuto here was a non-starter. Despite recovering a little, Rei's body was still a wreck to say the least

"No...whether he's here or not, I can't take that chance. Even if I could win, just think about the potential Ripples created through interacting with such a titular person--no, a freak like him. I should leave, God knows how much time has been lost, I don't even know what day it is..." (Rei)

After making a quick examination of the fallen ninja, he was relieved to discover no one "important" had perished as a result of him losing control again. Knowing Kabuto could be nearby watching, or waiting to strike, he wasted no time getting out of dodge. Pleased his completed "compass" was still intact, he resumed his journey towards the "primary objective"

There was still much he didn't know, how many had passed already, where his team was, how long was he under... but Rei compartmentalized nonetheless, instead focusing on what he could do at the moment

"Despite everything that's happened, what transpired before I passed out, Isshiki and Rei... I think I finally know how to get the answers I seek. The mystery of this ever-changing body, Notitia, and it's other side... but I can't do it now. Have to get out of this canyon first, then...it'll be time for the fourth Lifeline and my meeting with him"

♦♦♦

Back at the site Rei had just demolished, an ashen haired, pony-tailed boy wearing glasses emerged from the shadows, smiling as he glanced in the direction of the fleeing Kumo-nin 

"Now that...that was impressive. Even after erasing my body odor and suppressing my chakra, he still caught on to my presence. There are few capable of doing that. Not to mention...all of this"

As Rei accurately feared, Kabuto Yakushi had indeed been waiting in the shadows. However, regardless of his status, Kabuto never had any intention of entering the fight. His mission was simple observation, nothing more, nothing less

FLICK! POOF!

Removing one of his unique, Ninja Info Cards from his pocket, he poured his chakra until images formed on it's surface. This was none other than the card detailing all of Rei's performance information

"Inhuman physical capabilities, perfect chakra control, sensory skills, and even high Jonin-leveled Genjutsu... the number of candidates here rivaling him... I could count with one hand. Still it's a bit too early to come to a decision. Now, if you're quite through taking your nap, we're done here" (Kabuto)

While reviewing Rei's information, Kabuto took it upon himself to treat his "teammates", waking them up in the process

"U-Urgh..." (Yoroi)

"K-Kabuto...what's going on? Wait-!" (Misumi)

"The Kumo Genin has left, under suspicions that someone else was hiding nearby. Count yourselves lucky, we're done here" (Kabuto)

"D-Done?! Now hold on, we can still-?!" (Misumi)

Misumi froze in horror as Kabuto gave him one of the most sinister glares he'd ever seen. Clearly signifying which one of them was in command of this operation

"There's less than thirty two hours before this exam comes to a conclusion. All the worthy candidates, we've got them down. As for the status of Iwagakure, I'll report to our lord myself. Now help Yoroi up and follow, we're leaving" (Kabuto)

"K-Kuh! Understood..." (Misumi)

TAK! TAK! TAK!

The trio of spies fled the scene, vanishing without a trace as they began the journey to leave the canyon. Kabuto thought back on Rei's performance

"Given his ragged breathing, sweat, increased body temperature, and mannerisms... he was clearly suffering from an affliction prior to his arrival. Either some kind of physical trauma, poison, or mental fatigue, and yet... he managed to fight and kill so many" (Kabuto)

"?!" (Yoroi & Misumi)

Kabuto chuckled while contemplating the future...

{Since Orochimaru-sama is personally coming to this exam, I wonder what his reaction to the finals will be? Hehe, I can't wait for the Third round. With these Genin, I know it's gonna be sight to see!} (Kabuto)

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