Tap tap tap...
Shuriken shattered the window of the wooden house, clattering inside.
A woman's terrified scream rang out.
Through the broken panes, the Kumo shinobi could finally glimpse the interior clearly.
There was indeed a woman — barely clothed, pale skin gleaming, a body sculpted like temptation itself.
Rationality flickered, but among the four men, one already felt heat rising.
"Captain," one whispered, already flashing hand signs — the Shadow Clone Technique.
"Go check it out," the captain said curtly. He wanted to confirm if this was a trap.
The clone advanced cautiously, approaching the door.
He pushed it open and entered.
Inside, in a shadowed corner, the woman huddled, shivering.
The clone scanned carefully — no traps, no enemies.
Just a simple wooden house.
And a woman.
As he moved closer, the fear in her eyes, the desperate trembling — all of it seemed genuine.
When he reached out, she recoiled, wide-eyed with terror.
Not a ninja.
The clone deactivated with a puff.
Outside, the original ninja nodded at his team. "Clear."
"Good," the captain said, stepping forward.
He wasn't looking for trouble.
Just answers.
A civilian living here might have seen movements, might have spotted other shinobi.
The Kumo shinobi code forbade harming civilians — and their captain was one of the few who honored it.
Counting his luck, he signaled.
Three entered the cabin, leaving one guarding the entrance.
But as they crossed the threshold, everything snapped apart.
The woman — still huddled seconds before — suddenly raised her head.
And smiled.
A cold, twisted smile.
Then — she vanished.
At that exact moment, a pale, inhuman arm wrapped around the last shinobi to enter.
Contact.
Panic.
The shinobi reacted instantly — hand seals flying — Substitution Jutsu.
But when he tried to mold chakra — half of it was already gone.
He staggered, his jutsu fizzling into a useless puff of smoke.
"Nutrients! I want your nutrients!"
The screeching voice slammed into his ears.
His body weakened, sagging as his life force bled away.
"Help!" he croaked desperately.
The other shinobi had frozen the instant the woman disappeared.
The one near the window bolted immediately — shattering the frame further as he leapt outside.
Inside the house, the captain turned, horror blooming across his face.
He had just completed his hand seals.
And now he saw it —
A creature.
Not quite human.
Gripping his comrade like a predator savoring a feast.
In mere seconds, the trapped shinobi's face began to sink inward, like fruit rotting under invisible hands.
The captain didn't hesitate.
His jutsu blasted forward.
Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!
Spheres of crackling electricity filled the air, exploding toward his own comrade — and the thing draining him.
The captain simultaneously dove for the window, joining the two outside who had readied themselves.
As the lightning spheres hurtled toward their target —
Highway Star smiled.
At the last possible moment, it released its grip — dissolving into rings and disappearing.
The lightning didn't stop.
It smashed full-force into the now-liberated shinobi.
Sizzle.
The man's body convulsed once, smoke trailing from his blackened husk, and he collapsed to the floor.
Dead.
"Captain!"
A panicked shout — shuriken whistling through the air from outside.
The captain turned back, heart hammering.
And there — it was again.
That thing.
Emerging from thin air.
A massive hand lunged for his throat.
Substitution Jutsu!
A wooden log burst in his place, intercepted mid-grab.
The captain reappeared nearby, gasping for breath, red finger-marks seared onto his real throat.
But there was no time to recover.
Across the room, footprints began appearing rapidly on the dusty floorboards.
Charging straight for him.
BA-BUMP.
The monstrous figure of Highway Star reassembled from the footprints — and this time, it didn't just grab.
It tackled.
The captain hit the ground hard.
Contact was made.
Again.
His chakra drained out like water through a sieve.
He couldn't mold a single technique.
Desperation clawed at him.
He saw two of his comrades finally breach the doorway, rushing to help.
One swung a short sword at the creature, slicing the air.
But Highway Star moved like it had eyes on its back — vanishing just before the blade connected.
"Watch the ground!" the captain gasped, his voice hoarse.
The shinobi with the blade halted mid-swing.
The second — hands flashing — finished his jutsu.
Wind Release: Wind Blade!
Invisible blades of cutting wind slashed across the cabin.
But the Stand couldn't be seen — no visible target, no blood, no confirmation.
Fear grew.
Then — a crushing grip at the waist.
The jutsu-caster gasped.
"Nutrients! Give me your nutrients!"
The mad howl filled the cabin.
Minutes later — the house fell silent once more.
On the ground lay three corpses.
Shriveled.
Lifeless.
Drained to the last drop.