For most people, the choice between life and death wasn't difficult. Akahane Yui forcefully suppressed her seething fury, restraining herself from blindly charging forward to fight the man to the death.
She knew perfectly well that her current strength was no match for him. Now, a chance to survive had been placed before her. Over a decade of harsh shinobi education had drilled one absolute truth into her: only by surviving was there any hope for revenge. Only by surviving was there a future to speak of.
"I choose life," she declared. As she spoke these words, she buried all her mountainous hatred deep into the absolute bottom of her heart, waiting for the perfect moment to violently detonate it into the most lethal poison.
Xuan's Sharingan swept over them, keenly catching the imperceptible sighs of relief from the two Elite Jōnin the moment Yui stated her choice. No one truly wanted to die. Even shinobi were human first.
"Very good. I believe we can now proceed to the next stage of our negotiations," Xuan said. "However, this is not a suitable location. I believe the Patriarch's secret chamber would be much more fitting. Do not resist."
As he spoke, the three tomoe in his right eye began to spin. Having mastered his intangibility technique to absolute perfection, a spatial vortex materialized, gradually sucking him in. The vortex rapidly expanded, engulfing the three of them and dragging them into an unknown dimension.
The bodies of the three Akahane shinobi tensed violently. They suddenly found themselves in a realm of absolute nothingness. Well, 'nothingness' wasn't entirely accurate, as massive, cubic black platforms made of some unrecognizable material floated within the void. Just as they tried to carefully observe their surroundings, the spatial vortex manifested once more. The world twisted around them, and they abruptly appeared inside a dimly lit secret chamber.
Yui's bright eyes widened in shock. She quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out. This was her father's private secret chamber! She looked at the black-cloaked Xuan with a sudden flash of realization. So this is how he utilizes his space-time Ninjutsu to travel.
"You two, go wait outside and guard the door," Xuan ordered grandly, effortlessly assuming the role of command.
The two Elite Jōnin naturally had no intention of obeying him, but they didn't dare openly refuse either. They could only cast questioning glances at Yui.
Yui spoke calmly, "Listen to him. Step outside. If he wanted to kill us, he would have done it back at the ancestral hall."
The two men exchanged a look. "Be careful, Young Miss," they whispered. Turning around, they navigated the long, dark secret passage and pushed open the heavy outer door. Silvery moonlight spilled into the corridor as the two filed out.
"Who goes there?!"
The absolute second they stepped outside, they were greeted by three shuriken hurtling toward them. Two Akahane Jōnin leapt out from the shadows. This was the Patriarch's secret chamber, housing the clan's vital intelligence and precious Ninjutsu scrolls. Normally, Elite Jōnin were required to guard it, but due to tonight's special circumstances, two standard Jōnin had taken over the shift.
"Insolent!"
Akahane Hoshi reached over his shoulder, intending to draw his longsword to deflect the shuriken, only to grasp empty air. He suddenly remembered he had dropped his weapon back at the ancestral hall. He hastily twisted his body, narrowly dodging the shuriken. Beside him, Akahane Horetsu had already evaded the attack a step faster.
Hearing his voice, the Jōnin who had thrown the weapons exclaimed in shock, "Lord Hoshi!" He and the other Jōnin hurriedly dropped down to bow respectfully.
"My Lord, please forgive this subordinate; I did not realize it was you. But... weren't you accompanying the Patriarch to ambush the Three-Clan Alliance? Why are you coming out of the secret chamber?" the Jōnin asked, thoroughly confused.
Hoshi's face turned freezing cold. "Do not ask questions that are not your concern," he snorted harshly. "You are no longer needed here. Go attend to matters elsewhere."
Thoroughly reprimanded, the two Jōnin didn't dare utter another word. They muttered their compliance and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
The two men skidded to a halt. Seeing it was Akahane Horetsu who had called out, they asked, "Does Lord Horetsu have further orders?"
"One of you will immediately assemble all the remaining shinobi in the clan," Horetsu commanded. "Gather them and initiate the absolute highest state of combat readiness. Prepare to defend against a joint assault from the Three-Clan Alliance and the Ghost Fire Alliance. The other one of you, head to the ancestral hall. Akahane Hiyō is lying unconscious there. Carry him back and see that he is properly treated."
Hearing this, the expressions of the two Jōnin changed drastically. Not daring to ask any questions, they blurred into shadows and sprinted off to urgently assemble the clan's forces.
Meanwhile, back inside the secret chamber...
After the two Elite Jōnin departed, Xuan flicked his fingers lightly. Several candelabras around the room ignited simultaneously. The warm, flickering light illuminated the room, bringing a slight measure of comfort. Regardless of the circumstances, light always offered a primal sense of warmth.
"What is it you want to discuss? Speak."
After lighting the candles, Xuan simply stood there in complete silence. The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly suffocating until Yui finally couldn't bear the pressure anymore and broke the silence.
Xuan had been quietly observing her. Hidden beneath the pitch-black hood, his gaze swept over her unscrupulously. She was forcing herself to appear strong, but her face was painted with a profound, desolate sorrow. No matter how well she tried to mask it, Xuan could clearly sense the boiling hatred radiating from her core.
As if sensing the weight of his stare, Yui frowned deeply and took a step back. "What exactly are you trying to do?" she asked frostily.
Xuan chuckled softly, a sound that sent a wave of panic through Yui's heart. "What I want is incredibly simple. I want the absolute submission of the entire Akahane clan."
Yui let out a cold, biting sneer. "Are you joking? You drove my clan to the brink of ruin, orchestrated the death of my father, and now you want to scheme and swallow the entire Akahane clan for yourself? Keep dreaming."
It was true that she desperately wanted to survive. But her sole purpose for surviving was to rebuild her clan and exact her bloody revenge. If she handed the entire clan over to Xuan, their fate would be permanently sealed in the palm of his hand. How could she ever agree to something like that?
"So, you are refusing?" Xuan asked with a light smile. He reached out a hand and frivolously lifted her chin.
Her skin was as flawless as jade, yet her face was currently marred by absolute desolation. She bit her lower lip slightly, exuding a stubborn, tragic beauty, while her eyes swirled with a complex mixture of raw hatred and deep-seated terror.
Gritting her teeth, she violently slapped his hand away. "Are you trying to humiliate me?" she demanded coldly.
Xuan didn't mind the rejection in the slightest. He slowly pulled his hand back under his cloak, speaking in a teasing, airy tone. "Humiliate? You are welcome to view it that way if you wish. But I must offer my praises: your ability to endure and suppress your emotions completely exceeded my expectations. I honestly thought you would disregard everything and charge at me the second you saw me. Well, it seems you are slightly smarter than I anticipated. At the very least, you know how to preserve your own life."
Looking at the tragic, indignant expression on Yui's face, a uniquely twisted sense of satisfaction swelled within Xuan's chest.
"However, you seem to be misunderstanding something. I am not coercing you. The absolute reality is that without me, the Akahane clan will be completely exterminated within the hour. The Three-Clan Alliance and Kimei Takuya will undoubtedly march on this compound immediately."
A look of profound, suffocating despair washed over Yui's face, slowly replaced by a look of ultimate resolve. "I absolutely cannot give you the Akahane clan. Other than that... whatever conditions you demand, as long as it is within my power to fulfill them, I will agree to anything."
"Oh?" Xuan raised an eyebrow playfully beneath his mask. "Anything?"
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