You can read 20 chapters ahead of everyone on patreon.Link:https://[email protected]/Hkj822
Discord: https://discord.gg/HSHVxvdY
====
Now, only five Iwa ninjas from the Jonin's team remained, their faces pale and their nerves frayed as they stared at Inoiki. He stood before them, his sword dripping with blood, his glowing blue eyes piercing through the tension like shards of ice. The air was thick with fear, each of them silently wondering how they could possibly fight someone as terrifying as Inoiki.
Suddenly, Inoiki vanished. One moment he was there, walking toward them with deliberate steps, and the next, he was gone. The Iwa ninjas blinked, their eyes darting around in confusion.
"Where did he go? I can't see him!" one of them exclaimed, his voice trembling.
"Neither can I! He just disappeared!" another added, his grip tightening on his weapon.
A third ninja, his voice shaky but trying to sound confident, said, "It must be genjutsu. Everyone, break the genjutsu now!"
The others nodded in agreement, desperate for an explanation. If this was an illusion, breaking it would reveal Inoiki's true location. In unison, they performed the hand seals for 'Genjutsu Dissipation,' their chakra flaring as they attempted to dispel what they believed to be a trick of the mind. But when the technique ended, nothing changed. Inoiki was still nowhere to be seen.
Panic began to set in. They scanned the area frantically, their eyes darting to the sky, the ground, and the surrounding terrain. Still, there was no sign of him. This wasn't genjutsu. This was something else entirely—something they couldn't comprehend.
The five Iwa ninjas stood in formation. In the front row, three ninjas stood shoulder to shoulder, their weapons raised and their eyes wide with fear. Behind them, two more ninjas stood, their breathing ragged as they tried to steady their nerves. The silence was deafening, broken only by the sound of their own heartbeats pounding in their ears.
The Iwa Ninjas were on high alert, their eyes scanning the surroundings, muscles tensed, ready to react at the slightest sign of Inoiki. The tension was thick, their breaths shallow. Then, in an instant, the ninja standing in the center of the first row sensed movement—Inoiki appearing on his left. Instinct took over. Without hesitation, he lashed out with his kunai.
But the moment his blade struck, his blood ran cold.
His kunai—and the very hand wielding it—passed straight through Inoiki as if he were nothing but air. The blade found flesh, but not Inoiki's. It sank deep into the chest of the comrade standing beside him, piercing his heart. The ninja gasped, eyes wide with shock, before crumpling to the ground, lifeless.
Before the attacker could even process what had happened, a searing pain bloomed in his throat. He turned in horror to see the ninja on his right—his own ally—blade in hand, expression twisted with the same dawning realization. Blood gushed from the fresh wound on his neck, his vision blurring.
Confusion clouded his final thoughts. They had used Genjutsu Dissipation—so why were they still trapped in the illusion? The question remained unanswered as he collapsed, lifeless, joining the fallen.
The ninja standing at the far right of the formation trembled. His breath hitched as he realized the truth—Inoiki had never attacked them. It had been an illusion. And in their desperation, they had turned on each other.
Horrified, he clutched his bloodstained blade. He had killed his own comrade.
And Inoiki had never even lifted a finger.
Before the ninja could recover, a sharp pain tore through his back. He gasped, eyes widening as he felt cold steel sink deep into his flesh. The attack came from behind—his own comrade from the second row.
The second-row ninja had seen Inoiki appear before him and, without hesitation, thrust his sword forward. But once again, it was only an illusion. The blade never touched Inoiki—it pierced straight through the back of the Iwa ninja in front of him.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Before the attacker could even process his mistake, a sudden strike came from his left. A sharp blade slashed through his arm, leaving his left hand hanging uselessly by his side. He barely had time to react before another sword drove into his chest, piercing deep.
The last standing Iwa Ninja had a twisted smile spread across his face. His voice trembled with triumph as he laughed, "Haha… I killed him! I finally killed that bastard! I avenged my comrades!"
The "bastard" he spoke of—Inoiki—stood right before him, the blade buried deep in his chest. Victory surged through him for a fleeting moment.
Then, Inoiki vanished.
And the truth hit like a hammer to the gut.
His sword was not lodged in Inoiki's body—it was buried in the chest of his own comrade. The lifeless eyes of his friend stared back at him, frozen in shock.
Horror gripped him. His hands trembled as he let go of the sword, stumbling backward, muttering in disbelief. "H...How? This… this can't be happening..."
His horror was short-lived.
The sword, still lodged in the dead ninja's chest, suddenly wrenched itself free. It hovered in the air, its tip gleaming with blood, turning toward him with eerie precision.
And then—it struck.
The blade shot forward at an unimaginable speed, piercing his heart before he could even scream. His body jerked once, then crumpled to the ground, lifeless like the rest.
The battlefield was silent.
The Iwa squad had fallen. And Inoiki—untouched, unseen—had never needed to lift a finger.
...
(A/N: If you like the story please vote power stones.)