Life after joining the Anbu was, honestly, quite dull and boring.
Every day, he was dragged to the training grounds to build chemistry with his squad members. Even though Gisei repeatedly stated he was "just a medical ninja," Sakumo did not let him off the hook.
His teammates were... interesting.
Hanadanuki was proficient in Wind and Earth Style techniques, though she was especially skilled in Wind Style ninjutsu.
Shintori, on the other hand, was a genjutsu expert.
When she revealed those three-tomoe Sharingan eyes, Gisei immediately knew this woman was an Uchiha.
Gisei didn't have any particular reaction on the surface, but privately, he had no intention of getting close to her. He hadn't forgotten his uncle Eisawa's dying exhortation to be extremely careful of the Uchiha.
Moreover, he harbored serious doubts about why an Uchiha would appear in the Anbu at all.
The Uchiha were a clan rejected by the village's core power structure. The Anbu was the heart of Konoha; for an Uchiha to be allowed in was simply too strange.
And for her to appear specifically in his team? It was impossible for him not to overthink it.
He had quietly asked Sakumo about it, but the captain simply said it was Lord Hokage's arrangement. That only made Gisei more suspicious. But he couldn't exactly march up to the Third Hokage and demand answers, so he could only bury his doubts deep in his heart.
As for Hanadanuki —real name Kawai Aonobu—he was Kawai Rumiko's uncle and an old hand in the Anbu.
Gisei didn't need to ask to know this was Takemoto Shuichi's arrangement. Aonobu was likely there to protect him. After all, Anbu missions carried a high level of danger, and it wouldn't be strange if Gisei "accidentally" died in battle one day.
This breaking-in period lasted for about a month before Sakumo finally received their first mission from the Third Hokage.
Exterminate bandits.
Hmm... Gisei roughly understood Sakumo's intention. Let the rookie see some blood first, then he would be ready for the real work.
Gisei had no complaints. Since coming to this world, he had always been very well protected. He hadn't experienced much combat, let alone killing.
Standing outside the gates of Konoha, Gisei looked at the endless forest ahead with genuine joy. This was his first time leaving the village; he could practically smell the scent of freedom.
Three hours later, they arrived at their destination.
The other three members of the squad stopped and looked at him.
Gisei shrugged, and summoning butterflies began to flutter out from his sleeves.
Half an hour later, the butterflies returned.
"Their camp is pitched in the mountains, about ten minutes away," Gisei reported. "But there shouldn't be any living people left."
"Let's go!"
Sakumo waved his hand, and the three of them immediately followed.
Soon, the four arrived at the bandit camp.
What appeared before their eyes were corpses, one after another, scattered across the ground.
Sakumo moved to check a body, but Gisei stopped him.
He pulled out three gas masks and handed them over. "I sprinkled poison on the butterflies' wings. It hasn't fully dispersed yet."
After donning the masks, they entered the camp.
Gisei kicked a bandit's corpse over with his foot, turning him face up. Black blood flowed from the man's nose and ears, and a foul, fishy stench assaulted them even through the masks.
Gisei sighed.
Don't blame me. This world is just like this. If the weak want to do evil, what other end can there be?
His first kill didn't feel particularly special; it was just like seeing dead bodies in the hospital. He maintained a calm, almost indifferent state of mind.
He had poisoned every single bandit in the camp to death without lifting a finger.
Gisei had spent two years in a hospital, after all. Mixing some lethal poison powder was child's play. Sprinkled on the wings of his butterflies as they flew silently over the camp, the powder spread without a sound.
In just ten minutes, the entire camp had been wiped out.
This combat method wasn't his original creation; the clan records documented it extensively. The texts even provided recipes for several vicious poisons specifically for this purpose.
Gisei hadn't used the truly nasty stuff, though. He just mixed his own blend—after all, it was only a group of bandits.
"Total of forty-three people. Not a single survivor. Primary target confirmed. Mission accomplished."
Sakumo glanced at Gisei. This was... different from what he had envisioned.
Gisei shrugged his shoulders. "Captain, you didn't expect me to take a sword and fight them head-on, did you? I'm a medical ninja; my taijutsu is terrible."
"As long as the mission is completed, it's fine. This is certainly efficient," Sakumo admitted, though he added, "Besides, fighting should be elegant. Getting covered in blood just to kill people is too messy. It doesn't suit me."
Then, Sakumo glared at him grumpily. "But if your taijutsu is terrible, then train hard. If you want to further develop that Body Flicker Technique you use with wires, the physical requirements will be very high."
Gisei clicked his tongue. Sakumo was gentle in normal interactions, but when it came to combat, he became a strict taskmaster.
He already had ideas for developing his Lightning Body Flicker; he just hadn't put them into action yet.
The thunder butterflies he raised naturally carried lightning-attribute chakra. If he could use them to perform the Lightning Body Flicker...
Perhaps in terms of travel distance, it wouldn't match the Flying Thunder God, but in close-quarters combat, it definitely wouldn't be inferior.
It was just as Sakumo said: the Lightning Body Flicker put a heavy load on the body. Currently, Gisei could use it at most eight times before his body gave out. If he wanted to reach the speed of the Flying Thunder God and use it without limits, he had to raise his physical strength significantly.
He had a few theories on how to do that, but it would require a large amount of experimentation.
Thinking of this, he looked toward a secluded spot in the camp, a strange glint appearing in his eyes.
This camp had more than just forty-three people...
After returning to Konoha and handing over the mission report, Gisei went home.
Using the Reverse Summoning Technique, he arrived at Butterfly Habitat Valley. In the square, he saw ten tied-up bandits.
They were all unconscious. Gisei took out an antidote and began to revive them.
Mei appeared behind him, glanced at the bandits, and immediately lost interest.
"Why did you bring these useless things here?"
"Experiments."
Mei paused for a moment, then a smile touched the corner of her mouth. "Your aptitude is indeed good. I'm liking you more and more."
Gisei looked back at her. "Can you transfer their life force to me?"
Mei stopped talking.
Gisei smiled. "It seems that ability of yours also has restrictions. Want me to take a guess?"
"No need. Since you said that, you likely already know."
"Only people who have butterfly larvae raised inside their bodies—I can manipulate their life force."
Gisei had long suspected that the ability to manipulate life force was simply too heaven-defying to be without restrictions, which was why he tested her.
But actually confirming it made him feel uneasy. Because there was a butterfly larva inside his own body.
That meant his little life had been held in Mei's hands since the beginning.
Gisei sighed, looking at the waking bandits with a strange gaze. "If I put butterfly larvae into their bodies now, would you be able to immediately manipulate their life force?"
Mei's expression soured. "Do you have to get to the bottom of everything?"
"I'm just too curious. After all, that ability can grant eternal life."
"Are you that afraid of death?"
"Aren't you absorbing life force because you're afraid of death too?"
Mei frowned and pondered, then after a while, she sighed.
"Since you want to know so much, I'll tell you. Actually, it doesn't need to be that troublesome. As long as I eat them, all their life force will be absorbed by me."
Eat people?
Gisei's eyelids twitched frantically, his gaze toward Mei filled with wariness.
"What's with that look? Just because you're human, you think I can't eat humans?"
"Pigs in a pigsty think the same way, but do you humans stop eating them just because pigs have thoughts?"
Mei smiled strangely. "The ability to absorb life force is actually possessed by every species. Feeding—you humans seem to use the word 'eating' to describe it. The more you eat, the faster you grow."
"Other species are the same. I just enhanced the function in this aspect. If you're willing to research, maybe you could possess this ability too."
Gisei pinched his chin, frowning in thought.
Enhancing the function of absorbing life force—if applied to a human, wouldn't that just be enhancing digestion?
His expression gradually became strange. He remembered the ninjutsu he had developed for Eisawa that allowed for eating large amounts and digesting quickly.
Could he achieve eternal life using that ninjutsu?
No, when developing it, he had tested it on his own body. If there was such a possibility, he wouldn't have missed it.
So where was the problem?
Come to think of it, his body was constantly weak at the time because of the development process. Was it because of that weakness that he didn't notice?
It seems that this rapid digestion ninjutsu also needs to be added to the research plan. Let's tentatively name it the "Digestion Technique."
The bandits began to wake up. There wasn't the expected shouting and screaming; they just stared warily at Gisei and Mei.
After exchanging glances, a man in his thirties spoke up. "Who are you people, and what is this place?"
Gisei was busy thinking. Hearing the interruption, he snapped, "Shut up!"
"What did you say, you brat? Untie us immediately, otherwise the boss will find you soon, and don't pee your pants in fear when he does!"
"That's right! Hurry up and untie the ropes. If we're in a good mood, maybe we'll let you off."
Gisei sighed. "Finished speaking?"
"First of all, congratulations on becoming my first batch of experimental subjects. Next, I will make good use of your bodies to complete my research."
"As for your boss, I remember his name was Masa-something... he's already dead, you know."
The bandits looked at each other in dismay, then started shouting again. "Impossible! Our boss..."
They really are noisy.
Thinking this, Gisei used the Body Flicker to appear instantly in front of the speaking bandit. He struck the man's throat with his palm, forcing him to swallow his next words back into his stomach.
"I am not interested in your thoughts, your past, or your future at all. If you keep making a fuss, I can only send you to see your boss right now."
Seeing the bandits shrinking into a circle back-to-back, trembling with fear, Gisei nodded in satisfaction.