Chapter 43 — The Enemy the Hyūga Fear Most
At the forested slope beneath the peak of Ishigoryu Mountain, killing intent churned like a storm.
At Fuguki Suikazan's command, more than fifty Mist-nin charged at Hyūga Ritsu and Uchiha Shisui with suicidal ferocity.
Shisui's body flickered like a phantom—his Shunshin technique had long since reached a near-mythical level. His speed was almost comparable to the Yellow Flash's Flying Thunder God. He slit two Mist-nin's throats in a blur, slipped between stabbing blades, and with another flicker reappeared behind Hyūga Ritsu.
His crimson Sharingan glimmered coldly. Wherever his gaze swept, Mist-nin flinched away—no one dared meet his eyes.
With a hint of helpless humor, he called out,
"Ritsu-senpai, there are a few too many of them!"
"What, even Shunshin no Shisui gets scared?"
Ritsu joked, sending a Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Air Palm smashing into a Mist-nin, hurling him back spitting blood. From Ritsu's shoulders, two bone blades thrust outward, parrying incoming kunai.
"Scared? No. But it is exhausting! Forget fifty shinobi—killing fifty pigs would take effort!"
Shisui caught the gaze of a slow Mist-nin; in an instant, a genjutsu pulled the man's consciousness into an abyss. His body went limp mid-jump and face-planted into the dirt.
A comrade dragged the man back, trying to dispel the illusion—but ordinary chakra disruption did nothing against Sharingan genjutsu.
Ritsu raised his voice,
"Then take it easy and keep your eyes on that genius from the Hōzuki clan. Don't let him interfere. Their Hydrification Technique is a nightmare for me.
In exchange, leave the rest of these Mist-nin to me."
"Huh? Are you sure?"
"What, worried I can't handle it?"
"Since you put it that way, I'll follow your lead."
Shisui still carried a sliver of worry—but Ritsu today was not the same Ritsu he knew years ago. With a Kekkai Genkai—Shikotsumyaku—no one could quite predict his current power.
So Shisui complied.
His job was now to keep an eye on Hōzuki Mangetsu—the absolute worst matchup for Ritsu.
The moment Ritsu made that request, Shisui nearly laughed.
Because for the Hyūga clan, the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique was their most hated counter.
The Hōzuki clan, a prestigious Mist lineage, could liquefy their bodies into water—making them completely immune to all physical attacks. For the Hyūga, whose Gentle Fist and chakra point strikes were pure physical damage, it was the ultimate hard counter.
And unfortunately, Ritsu's Shikotsumyaku was also purely physical.
A nightmare matchup on both fronts.
"Thanks, Shisui,"
Ritsu said outright.
Truthfully, on the way here, Ritsu planned to rely on Shisui as the spear while he supported from behind.
But against Mangetsu—who felt as though he'd been sent by fate specifically to torment a Hyūga—Ritsu's irritation boiled over. After ensuring no other Mist ambushes lurked within ten kilometers, he changed his plan.
He would fight seriously, use these Mist-nin as an outlet, and measure just how far his new power could go.
Ritsu and Shisui didn't bother lowering their voices. They were moving constantly, fighting while speaking, weaving in and out of the encircling Mist-nin.
To the Mist-nin, their casual conversation sounded like unforgivable arrogance.
As for Hōzuki Mangetsu—he was amused.
Being singled out as troublesome?
To him, that was praise.
He rolled his beautiful amethyst eyes toward Fuguki Suikazan, grinning,
"What now, Fuguki? He says he's going to wipe out all of you except me."
"Hmph! He thinks having two Kekkei Genkai makes him invincible?"
Fuguki growled, annoyed by both the provocation and Mangetsu's smugness.
"Save your taunts. Worry about yourself first! Shunshin no Shisui is not someone you can take lightly!"
He unwrapped the massive blade on his back—Samehada—and tightened his muscles in preparation.
Shisui had just burst out of the encirclement, flickering like a demon. Though he appeared to be charging straight toward Mangetsu, Fuguki wasn't fooled.
He'd seen too many feints to fall for one now.
"Ugh… Sharingan. I hate those eyes so much."
Mangetsu grimaced.
Just as the Hyūga despised his Hydrification, he likewise dreaded the Sharingan—especially its genjutsu. His Hydrification could counter anything physical, but it did nothing against illusions.
"Fuguki, let's switch! I'll kill Hyūga Ritsu—you take your men and overwhelm Shisui!"
"Too late. Shisui is here!"
Fuguki Suikazan bellowed, refusing Mangetsu's proposal to swap opponents.
He detested the Uchiha's Sharingan just as much—fighting an Uchiha always forced him to hold back and second-guess every movement, a miserable experience he had no intention of suffering if he could dump that problem onto Mangetsu instead.
His plan was simple—deal with Hyūga Ritsu first, then bring his men to encircle and kill Shisui.
Of course, even he knew that was wishful thinking. The moment Ritsu fell, Shunshin no Shisui would vanish without a trace. With that speed of his, catching up was far from guaranteed.
"Fuguki, you bastard!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu cursed furiously.
He had come here on orders from the Mizukage to question and investigate Fuguki—yet somehow, after a few twists and turns, he had been dragged into this mess as Fuguki's unwilling partner, forced into a head-on clash with none other than Uchiha Shisui.
It was enough to make anyone want to vomit blood.
Worse still, even if he wanted to wash his hands of this disaster, he couldn't.
If he pulled back now, maybe Fuguki would slip away alive—but the rest of the Mist-nin would die like dogs.
He gritted his teeth, raised his weapon, and shouted:
"Hiramekarei — Release!"
The twin blades, which combined to form a single flounder-shaped sword, burst with chakra as he locked weapons with Shisui's small tantō—now wreathed in crackling lightning.
"Damn it—lightning release again?!"
The prodigy beloved by all seven of the Mist's legendary swords grimaced deeply.
Of all the chakra natures in the world, lightning was the absolute bane of the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique.
Of course Shisui would use it.