Naruto: Troublesome Ninja Haruta

Chapter 4: The Cursed Seal

Seeing Yuugao still slightly dazed, Haruta smiled before turning his gaze forward.

Even though she wore a mask, he knew that this young senpai, only a year or two older than him, was actually quite pretty…

"You… are you alright?"

Yuugao had no idea that her "junior" was mentally derailing into completely unnecessary thoughts. Instead, she asked with concern.

"And what about Orochimaru?"

"Orochimaru didn't want to waste too much time. Maybe he was worried about our reinforcements."

Haruta spoke calmly. Their squad was only sent as the vanguard because they happened to be closest—though, of course, that was also one of Danzo's 'plans.'

"So I got lucky and managed to hold out against him."

"That's good, that's really good…"

Yuugao let out a sigh of relief. Though it was a shame that Orochimaru got away, the fact that Haruta had survived against one of the Legendary Sannin was already a miracle in itself.

"Are you injured?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Haruta glanced down at himself. His "wounds" only looked bad—in reality, they weren't serious at all.

After all, he had inflicted them on himself.

Besides, his physical attributes were incredibly high, and his recovery rate was no joke.

—

Boom—

—

Just as they were talking, the earthen wall Haruta had previously erected finally shattered, sending debris and furious roars echoing through the underground laboratory.

Yuugao immediately tightened her grip on her ninjatō—

But before she could act, Haruta gently grabbed her hand.

"Senpai, let me handle this."

"You… no, you're injured, how can—"

Yuugao instinctively wanted to refuse, but Haruta shook his head.

"I just joined the squad, and we haven't trained together much. I'm worried that a mistake might happen. Besides, I don't want to see you get hurt again."

"You…"

Haruta's words made Yuugao's heart skip a beat.

"Does this guy even think about what he says before speaking?!"

Fortunately, Haruta released her hand and strode toward the howling 'monsters' ahead—these people were barely human anymore.

"But I'll still need your support, Senpai. If things get rough, I'll count on you to back me up."

Haruta's corporate survival skills were on full display.

On one hand, he emphasized their lack of teamwork—on the other, he made sure Yuugao wouldn't feel useless.

This not only preserved her dignity, but also gave her a sense of involvement.

Most importantly, Haruta was finally going to test out the full power of the Cursed Seal.

"This lab… was probably one of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal research sites too, right?"

Looking at these monstrous enemies—each covered in black markings and exuding wild, chaotic nature energy—Haruta was convinced.

—

"Roar!"

—

One of the creatures let out a furious snarl and charged straight at him.

"Watch out!"

Yuugao immediately called out in warning—

But at that moment, Haruta moved.

—

The mark on the back of his hand faintly glowed.

In an instant, a powerful aura of natural chakra radiated from his body.

Just as the Cursed Seal's description stated, Haruta wasn't affected by the chaotic nature energy—his mind remained completely clear.

—

"But… the boost isn't as overwhelming as I expected."

As a stat monster, Haruta had an extremely precise understanding of his own physical capabilities.

He could immediately tell how much of an enhancement the Cursed Seal provided.

—

"It boosts me to around Elite Jōnin level… but if I want to go beyond that, I'll either need to level up the seal or increase my base stats."

—

The Cursed Seal was essentially a weaker version of Sage Mode.

Which was stronger—the Cursed Seal or actual Sage Mode?

Haruta wasn't sure.

After all, one was obtained through external means, while the other required self-mastery.

But one thing he knew for sure—this natural energy could rival the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

—

"Roar!"

—

A monstrous shinobi lunged forward, his hands morphing into razor-sharp claws, slashing toward Haruta with terrifying force.

However, Haruta—now in his enhanced state—reacted instantly.

Thanks to the Cursed Seal, his perception was sharper than ever.

With a quick sidestep, he effortlessly dodged the attack—

At the same time, his kunai lashed out, stabbing toward the creature's throat.

—

"He's… faster than before?"

—

Yuugao had been watching the battlefield closely.

She immediately noticed the difference in Haruta's movements—

And in that moment, she finally understood.

"No wonder he survived against Orochimaru…"

—

Haruta's swift counterattack forced the monstrous shinobi to change tactics.

But instead of pursuing, Haruta suddenly tilted his head slightly.

—

Swish—

—

Another enemy had appeared behind him, lunging in for an ambush—

Only to miss entirely.

As strands of hair fluttered through the air, Haruta calmly completed a one-handed hand seal.

—

"Doton: Antlion Jutsu!"

—

Infused with natural chakra, the ground beneath them softened and began to spiral.

One of the enemy shinobi didn't even have time to react before he was sucked underground.

Haruta quickly formed another seal—

—

"Doton: Rising Earth Spears!"

—

The soft ground hardened instantly, forming razor-sharp spikes.

The trapped shinobi—his entire body covered in Cursed Seal markings—couldn't escape in time.

The spikes impaled him completely.

—

At the same time—

Haruta's kunai shot forward at an unnatural speed.

With a sharp whistle, the blade pierced straight through another enemy's throat.

As blood sprayed across Haruta's mask, the last remaining experimental subject lunged toward him in a final, desperate attack.

—

"Roar!"

—

With a monstrous howl, the final enemy threw a powerful punch directly at Haruta's head!

But Haruta remained completely unfazed.

The moment the fist connected with his skull—

—

Crack!

—

His entire body shattered into chunks of hardened earth.

—

"A… earth clone? When?! And that fast?!"

—

Yuugao was completely stunned.

The sheer speed of the substitutions and attacks was far beyond her expectations.

On one hand, she was relieved—it seemed like the situation was finally under control.

But on the other hand, she was starting to feel useless.

"Did I… even do anything?"

—

Meanwhile, underground—

Haruta sensed something approaching.

Outside the lab, a new wave of Anbu operatives had arrived.

Their reinforcements had finally come.

"Good… it's time to wrap this up."

With that thought, Haruta made his move.

—

Boom—

—

The ground exploded open as Haruta burst upward.

At the same time, his hand seals were already complete.

—

"Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet!"

—

A roaring water dragon surged forward, crashing violently into the final enemy and smashing him into the ground.

But the enemy wasn't ready to die yet.

Even as Haruta charged in, the experimental subject threw several kunai at him in a last-ditch effort.

However, Haruta—still in his Cursed Seal-enhanced state—effortlessly dodged each attack.

And in the very next instant—

His kunai pierced straight through the enemy's skull.

—

At that moment—

Haruta's vision flashed, and a notification appeared.

—

[Mission Complete: Rescue the Anbu Operatives]

—