A few months have passed since Rei’s and Konan’s first thievery. Since then, they repeated it three more times, making sure there is almost a month between them and also did their best to spend some of their money, so they will be seen in the market buying things. Just in case somebody got suspicious.

During these months, Rei’s and Konan’s chakra skyrocketed. They now could walk on walls for fifty minutes before their chakra depleted. It was all thanks to the food, especially meat that their chakra increased. It also helped with their muscles. While they were still kids, their bodies now were more of flat and toned variety rather than skinny and starved. Both of them started running around the nearby forest to increase their speed and also did various exercises. ​​

Konan was not much of a physical type but she did try to run with Rei. She made it even tougher for herself as she focused on folding two papers in her hands as she ran. They were changing shapes from cranes, to various flowers, to shurikens, kunais, and so on.

Rei wasn’t much of a physical type either. That much was obvious from the way both him and Konan were huffing and puffing at the end of the day. But he was getting better. They were getting better.

Rei was not really used to exercise in his last world and was a kinda lazy person. He loved just chilling and playing games or reading novels. But right now, he somehow started to get used to this life.

Wake up, Kiss Konan’s cheek, Eat, Practice with Chakra with Konan in his lap, Lunch, Exercises, Dinner, Practice With Chakra with Konan in his lap, Cuddles with Konan, Sleep. Rinse and repeat.

What astonished him was Konan. She didn’t have the mentality of an adult yet she could keep with him just fine. No, she made a visible effort and actually tried to overtake him. When he asked her why she was trying so hard, he got a ‘well-duh’ stare and was told ‘to protect you’. It really ignited his motivation somewhat fiercely.

Rei mostly focused on chakra strings to be able to hurl humans or human-sized boulders with them as if he was using slingers. And while it was quite inaccurate, it was at least something.

Rei also focused more on the stickiness part of Tree-walking. He could now stick and unstick himself whenever he wanted, either with his hands or soles of his feet. This also helped with attaching the things on the end of his chakra strings and making them ‘stick’.

Konan was practicing the hardening of her papers and sharpening the edges. It was not really a wind chakra but it always made Rei sweatdrop. These things she called paper were slowly becoming as dangerous as shurikens! Especially since Konan could make up to twenty of them on the fly by now.

Both of them learned how to enhance their bodies with chakra which made them able to exercise for the entirety of the afternoon. Which in turn made them even stronger physically, increasing their chakra and stamina. They were really pulling each other ahead.

All in all, they were no Kakashi or Itachi… but then again, they did not have teachers, technique scrolls, money, nor special food. If there is one thing the villages and clans were good for it was good learning opportunities. Without knowledge of Jutsu creation, chakra theory, or at least some Jutsu, Rei was not about to try creating his own Jutsu. Who knows what could go wrong.

For the resources they had, they did good! Un!

…

Rei and Konan were running through the forest when Rei suddenly stopped. His sensory abilities told him there are three ninjas nearby. Thankfully, they did not feel special or strong. While they were a lot stronger than both Konan and Rei combined, they were heading straight at them so…

Rei stopped Konan with a gesture and they promptly hid in the foliage. They didn’t know how to mask their chakra but they could disperse it. Meaning, Konan imbued 30% of her chakra into thirty papers and made them hide all around into the nearby trees and bushes. They knew this could momentarily fool sensors because Rei’s senses could be fooled too until he focused more in-depth. As for Konan… she had no chance of finding out unless she spent minutes in the vicinity. Her chakra sensing was kinda a work in progress.

“What are we going to do?” Konan whispered.

“We gotta fight.” Rei resignedly told her. “They are heading straight for us. That’s no coincidence. They probably have a chakra sensor. But he should not be a particularly strong sensor.”

“Surprise attack?” Konan nodded.

“Surprise attack.”

And with that Konan pushed fifty percent of her remaining chakra into fifty small, shuriken-like origami, hardening and sharpening them.

From the bushes, they could see three Iwa shinobi land exactly where Rei and Konan stood when Rei sensed them. They were looking around warily.

“Genin Kazubo! Where are the shinobi you told us about?”

A small annoyed man barked.

“I don’t know Kilabi-sensei! But I do sense someth-”

That was as far as the sensor-nin got when the man called Kilabi jumped away. Konan’s shuriken origami instantly flew straight at the two Genin. They wanted to jump away too but Rei quickly stuck a chakra string on each of their feet and pulled, making them fall onto the ground. The paper-shurikens shredded the poor men.

“Tch. Stupid Genin.” Kilabi snarled as his eyes started drifting all over the trees and bushes.

Rei thought he would not find them but it seems he underestimated experienced shinobi a bit. He barely managed to lift a rock with his string to block a kunai heading at Konan. He saw Konan freeze as she saw the men she killed and he did not have time for making her snap back to reality. He had to engage the man.

Knowing well he did not have any chance without cheating he gave a kick to Konan and jumped out of the bush. He did not see her blink, take a deep breath, and nod with determination. Konan stayed hidden.

“Who are you!” Rei exclaimed and he pointed at the Kilabi as if the man just offended him. Kilabi’s eyebrows raised into his hairline at the sight.

“A kid? These two idiots died to a fucking kid?”

He started laughing but Rei could see the man visibly relaxed.

“Well, I am Kilabi, chunin from Iwa. The man who is gonna kill ya~ kid.” The man leisurely twirled kunai on his fingers and stared at Rei as if he was his prey.

“Ok.” Rei nodded seriously, making the man do a double-take.

“But shinobi-san? Could you tell me why?” Rei asked.

“Why what brat?” Kilabi stopped twirling the kunai.

“Why are you so fine with your comrade’s death?” Rei aske curiously.

Kilabi chuckled.

“These two idiots… I wanted to get rid of them eventually anyway. I enjoy having a female in the team more… if you know what I mean.”

“Ah! You are just a common pervert!” Rei screamed at him, his finger again pointing in accusation on the man.

The kid was really making Kilabi mad. The respectable chunin he was, decided to get this over with and gut the kid good. There was an entire village. He could perhaps choose a woman to enjoy there afterward. This shitty war had at least some advantages!

He jumped at the kid, seeing his frightened widening eyes, Kilabi’s smirk became bigger the closer he got.

Rei knew he couldn’t evade Kilabi. The chunin was too fast for him. As he saw Kilabi approach, his eyes widened and he did the only thing he could. He flung himself to the ground.

This momentarily stopped Kolabi as his kunai didn’t stab the kid and instead hit the air. He tsked at the lucky evade and he aimed the kunai downwards about to skewer the annoying brat.

Unfortunately, Rei had him at close range, and his chakra strings that could hurl human-sized boulders, yanked Kilabi forward, towards the bushes where Konan was hiding. The man couldn’t avoid the ten incredibly sharp slices of paper aiming at his throat as he was mid-air. His head was sent flying before he realized what happened.

Konan quickly scurried towards Rei before Kilabi’s body could even hit the ground.

“Are you alright!?” She shrieked as she looked all over him.

“Yes. We were lucky.” Rei panted from the fear and killing intent he felt as the chunin jumped him.

“He was fast.” He stated a matter of fact.

“Way too fast.” Konan nodded and hugged Rei tightly.

“We gotta get better.”

“Yes, Rei.”

After they calmed down and enjoyed a few more reassuring warm hugs, they searched the bodies and scavenged a few kunais, shurikens, money, and storage scrolls. Kilabi even had two special papers that could gauge chakra nature. He was probably tasked to give them to the two dead genins.

After gathering everything of value, Rei and Konan scrambled away… They wouldn’t enjoy being attacked by another shinobi. Rei only thanked the god that their village was so out of hand and the chakra sensors were quite rare.