"It's too late — everything's too late."
The middle-aged Star-nin who led the group sneered, "If you'd handed the meteorite over at first, we might've spared your husband and child. But now? It's all too late. Kill them — I'll still get the meteorite!"
The Star-nin closed in on Natsuhi, each gripping a kunai, faces hard as ice — like wolves closing on prey
Natsuhi gritted her teeth, clutched the meteorite, and backed away. She glanced once at Uchiha Yu. and Tsunade, then said with sorrow, "I'm sorry, you two… run. I'll try to hold them off…"
Her voice choked on the last words; regret and helplessness filled them. Had she known the cave would draw innocent people in, she never would have come.
At the moment of despair, a cold voice came from behind.
"Stand down!"
Natsuhi had just tucked the meteorite back into her bosom. She trembled and spun around — Uchiha Yu. was rising slowly.
"Stand down?"
The middle-aged Star-nin captain, who had been staring greedily at the meteorite Natsuhi had recovered, heard the rebuke and snapped his head toward the sound.
He watched in astonishment as the black-haired youth who'd been clearing bowls a moment ago suddenly spoke boldly…
The captain's face darkened. He formed hand seals; faint pink chakra flamed across his body as he instantaneously lunged at Uchiha Yu.
"Looking for death!!"
His speed was clearly inferior to Natsuhi's, and the pink chakra flames of his Peacock Method were far weaker than hers.
Even if these two people were connected to Natsuhi, he felt no fear. Whoever they were, how strong could they possibly be? He was an elite jōnin of the Star Ninja Village!
As he charged forward, the distance closed.
Under the flickering firelight, the middle-aged Star-nin captain finally got a clear look at Uchiha Yu's face — sharp, handsome, and cold, as if carved by the gods themselves.
A spark of recognition shot through his mind — a wanted notice from a newspaper flashed before his eyes.
Konoha S-class missing-nin: Uchiha Yu
Bounty: astronomical — confirmed by Konoha.
A rogue whose infamy echoed through the entire shinobi world!
"Wha—!"
The captain's face twisted in horror; he gasped sharply, trying desperately to stop his own charge — but his momentum carried him forward in a clumsy, panicked stumble.
At that moment, Uchiha Yu's right hand trembled with spatial distortion. The firelight dimmed, as though swallowed by darkness, and a blade of absolute blackness took shape in his grasp.
Shhhk—
The Dark Moon cleaved downward, perfectly angled toward the captain's chest.
"Uchiha Yu! Even if you are who they say— you won't kill me so easily!!"
Realizing there was no escape, the captain roared in defiance. His hands flashed through seals, channeling what remained of his Peacock Method chakra to his chest.
Zzzhh—!
Pink flames flared violently, condensing into a square energy barrier that shielded his torso. It was his proudest defense technique — one he believed no one could break.
After all, he was a jōnin!
All around them, the other Star-nin sprang into action, cloaking themselves in thin layers of Peacock chakra as they charged Uchiha Yu. They trusted their captain's "Death Tomb" defense to withstand anything.
In all of Star Village, almost no one could break through that.
Natsuhi's expression shifted sharply — she prepared to intervene, but in the next heartbeat, her eyes widened in shock.
The strange black blade in Uchiha Yu's hand seemed to slice through space itself.
The moment it met the glowing barrier of the "Death Tomb," it cut effortlessly through the pink chakra shield — like silk beneath a razor's edge.
"N–No…"
The captain's eyes filled with despair as searing pain bloomed through his chest. The Dark Moon cleaved his body clean in half.
The corpse split apart.
Blood sprayed through the air.
Death Tomb's eyes widened as he stared at the gaping wound in his chest before collapsing heavily to his knees.
He never understood — in the shinobi world, the difference between one jōnin and another could sometimes be greater than that between a man and a dog.
"Lord!!"
The remaining Star-nin shouted in shock. The sudden, brutal scene left them frozen in disbelief.
This was one of their village's few elite jōnin… and yet— one strike. Just one strike from a man who, moments ago, had been quietly cleaning dishes — and he was dead?!
One of the Star-nin stammered, voice trembling as he asked, "Wh–what did Lord call him before he died?"
"I think he said… U-Uchiha Yu," another whispered, swallowing hard as terror spread across his face.
In that instant, Uchiha Yu's Mangekyō Sharingan ignited — the pattern of the Eight Spears whirling within his eyes as he gazed toward the group of Star-nin.
Clang—!
Those who met his gaze felt their minds rupture — their consciousness shattering under the weight of his illusion.
A heartbeat later, their pupils glowed a deep red. One by one, they turned toward their own comrades outside the cave and lunged with savage cries.
"You've lost your minds!"
"Stop! We're on the same side!"
"AAAH—!!"
Screams and chaos echoed through the rain-soaked night beyond the mountain cave.
On the far side of the ridge, a bald Star-nin heard the uproar. His heart clenched in dread — something was terribly wrong.
He immediately led his squad up the valley slope toward the other mountain peak to reinforce his allies.
…
Inside the cave, the firelight flickered.
Natsuhi stood frozen, staring blankly at the blood-slick floor and the mangled corpse of Death Tomb.
A prodigy born once in a century within the Star Ninja Village, she could tell at a glance — if she had faced that black-haired man herself, she would have died just as easily.
Ordinary weapons could never pierce the Peacock Method's defense, yet that black blade had sliced through it as though it were nothing. It was as if that weapon existed solely to destroy it.
And those eyes…
They could only belong to him — the Uchiha Yu whose name had recently shaken the entire shinobi world.
Natsuhi dared not look directly at him. She lowered her head in silence, staring at her feet.
"I saved you — three lives in total… or maybe just two," Yu said evenly as he sheathed the black blade, though the Mangekyō still burned in his eyes.
He stepped toward her.
Natsuhi's breath quickened; her heart pounded with unease.
"T-thank you… thank you so much," she stammered, dropping to one knee before him, bowing deeply in gratitude.
"So, as payment…"
Yu looked down at her, reached into her chest pocket, and pulled out the meteorite.
"Two lives… for one stone."
Natsuhi's eyes trembled; her breathing hitched — she'd thought for a moment he meant to harm her.
But when she realized he only took the meteorite, she quietly let out a sigh of relief.
°°°
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