Asuma, Hyūga, Akimichi stood there, eyes widened, faces grim, unable to react.
It was all too surreal.
That was a jōnin from the Inuzuka clan.
One strike!!
With just one slash, a jōnin and his ninja dog were sliced cleanly in half. They couldn't even dispel their jutsu before death.
This was the power behind Kuroki 's confidence in killing Danzo!
This was the basis of Kuroki 's defection from the Leaf Village!
The two jōnin from the Hyūga and Akimichi clans felt their hair stand on end. They had initially joined the Inuzuka jōnin in the attack.
Seeing the unexpected turn of events, the two were shocked to the core, their spines chilled, and they immediately retreated to stand beside Asuma and Chiriku.
Drip—
Blood dripped from the blade as Kuroki stood emotionlessly amidst the giant wolf's corpse, his white robe stained red. He held his sword in his right hand, standing solemnly before the four.
After cutting down three wolves, the ninja blade could no longer bear the strain, its edge chipped and damaged.
Kuroki 's previously dim Mangekyō Sharingan now glowed a vivid red, more brilliant than blood, exuding an eerie, cold aura that seemed to gaze straight into the abyss.
"Ha—"
Asuma took a deep breath to adjust his stance. Though he hadn't made a move yet, the result of doing so probably wouldn't have been much different from the fate of the three wolf corpses.
At this point, the outcome was already decided.
Asuma and Chiriku exchanged a look, deciding to fight to the death. They stomped the ground, shattering the wooden floor, and charged at Kuroki from left and right, their momentum unstoppable.
The Hyūga and Akimichi jōnin attacked head-on, their gentle fists striking with the precision of raindrops and massive punches smashing like cannonballs.
The four of them transformed into shadows, flashing like arcs of lightning.
"This is the true power of a fully awakened Mangekyō!"
Kuroki stood in place, unmoved.
With those words, his eyes rotated, the sword-like patterns in his pupils spinning. The whites of his eyes were covered in bloodshot veins as dark chakra burst forth, his crimson gaze sweeping over the four, ensnaring them with just a glance.
The dark chakra surged like a tidal wave, crushing the Buddhist chants that bolstered the four's spirits.
The Mangekyō Sharingan's chakra penetrated their pupils, imprinting the eight-pointed star patterns in their eyes.
Buzz—
In their hands, weapons infused with wind chakra, fists wrapped in divine light, gentle fists with acupuncture precision, and iron fists expanded by chakra all froze in midair.
They were just one millimeter away.
The chakra blade could have pierced Kuroki 's heart.
The divine punch could have struck Kuroki 's temple.
The gentle fist could have severed the chakra points in Kuroki 's chest.
The iron fist could have crushed Kuroki 's kidneys.
But Kuroki completely controlled their minds and chakra. He withdrew his gaze from them and turned to walk toward the door.
The four watched his back, overwhelmed with despair.
As Kuroki took his first step—
Thump—thump—thump—
The jōnin from the Akimichi clan grimaced, his facial features twisted. He remained in a punching stance, but the pounding of his heart echoed in his ears like the beat of a war drum.
His chest convulsed uncontrollably as his chakra surged like a river into his heart, causing it to pound violently, as if ready to burst out of his chest!
Boom—
A massive accumulation of chakra created high pressure, and his heart could not withstand it, rupturing within his chest.
The jōnin's eyes bulged with anger, his distorted face falling to the ground as he died.
The heartbeat was their countdown to death.
Kuroki took three more steps.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
The hearts of the Hyūga jōnin, Chiriku, and Asuma all ruptured in turn, each exploding in a spray of vivid crimson.
This was the ultimate control of the eight-pointed star over others' chakra, seizing it to snatch away their lives.
Thud—
The three fell to their knees, unable to believe that they hadn't even touched the hem of Kuroki 's robe before succumbing to death, their consciousness fading into eternal rest.
Asuma slowly closed his eyes.
Kuroki didn't look back at them.
Life and death are ruled by fate.
Asuma had made the decision to hunt him down and should have anticipated the consequences of encountering him and failing.
Kuroki could deduce that their pursuit wasn't an official mission ordered by the Leaf Village for this ninja squad.
Firstly, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never send his only remaining son on such a dangerous mission.
Secondly, when Kurenai withdrew from the mission, no one reprimanded or cared.
As a ninja, one's duty was to complete missions above all else. If the mission had indeed been assigned by the village's higher-ups, refusal to carry it out would be tantamount to betraying the village.
Thus, it was clear—
This was a self-initiated pursuit, led by Asuma, to capture the defecting Uchiha squad that had fled the Leaf Village.
It was an opportunity for great merit!
The nature of it was akin to when Orochimaru defected.
To eliminate Orochimaru on behalf of the Leaf!
Asuma didn't have the courage to confront Orochimaru, but with the entire Fire Temple backing him, he dared to take on Uchiha Kuroki , who was exhausted and had not yet regained his strength.
If the Leaf Village had been hesitant about issuing a full-scale bounty on this Uchiha squad—
Then after tonight, they wouldn't hesitate any longer.
Centered around Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha will launch the most intense and unrelenting revenge against the Uchiha renegade squad!
Kuroki stepped out of the wooden hut and looked up at the full moon hanging in the night sky. The moonlight bathed his face, highlighting his elegant features, while his expression showed indifference.
A notification flashed in his mind.
*[Side Quest]: Heaven's Punishment*
*[Objective]:*
Kill Sarutobi Asuma, Hyūga Yū, Akimichi Tō, Inuzuka Akiyama, and Yukimaru.
*Quest Complete!*
*[Reward]:* Weapon—Dark Moon.
Kuroki raised an eyebrow and focused. To his delight, he found a long, sleek black blade standing quietly in his storage space.
The black blade seemed perfectly natural, with a handle and body as dark as ink, its edge sharp like it was forged from the night itself.
"So, this is Dark Moon..."
He temporarily closed the storage space, suppressing the urge to summon the blade.
Slowly, he raised his head, locking his gaze on a distant section of the mountains. His Mangekyō Sharingan seemed to ignore the distance, piercing through the dark forest and landing on the masked man.
Kuroki concentrated, testing his ability.
Too far.
With his current level of ocular power, it was impossible to control another Mangekyō user from kilometers away.
The masked man's watchful, predatory gaze was the reason Kuroki , with only thirty percent of his Mangekyō's Yin chakra, hesitated to go all out before.
From afar...
On a tree branch...
The masked man felt an inexplicable pressure. His eyes spun, revealing the Mangekyō's Kamui pattern. Beneath his mask, a twisted smile appeared.
"The ability of the Mangekyō to control others… as expected, he's dangerous.
If you don't have a second trump card…
Tonight…
I'll be taking the Uchiha Sharingan and your Mangekyō you've been holding onto!"
As he spoke, the masked man lifted his right foot, tapping the tree branch lightly as if signaling something.
...
Outside the wooden hut, the chanting of Buddhist scriptures echoed loudly, reverberating through the night sky of the mountain village.
Jaeger's family, Doctor Knack, and Kurenai Yūhi all fainted one after another, unable to bear the mental torment of the chanting.
Only the Uchiha clan members barely managed to hold on.
Nonō Uzumaki lay on the ground, covering her ears with both hands, rolling around in agony, on the verge of passing out.
But at that moment...
Kuroki , stepping out from the door, caused the monks of the Fire Temple to cease their chanting. They all raised their heads and looked towards the wooden hut.
With the chanting silenced...
The Uchiha, who had been on the brink of mental collapse, slowly began to recover, their surroundings coming into focus.
The place was a mess.
Corpses littered the ground.
Kuroki approached Nonō, who was pale-faced, and handed her a soldier pill.
"Keep saving people!"
(End of Chapter)