Chapter 215 : How long can the light shine?
Pakura, caught in the Genjutsu, inevitably stiffened for a moment before losing consciousness and collapsing, carried away on Naraku's shoulder.
"Lady Pakura!"
"Kill that brat quickly!"
"Save Lady Pakura!"
A few Sand Ninja who wanted to rescue Pakura surrounded them. Naraku supported Pakura's back with one hand and slashed upwards with his blade in the other.
Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes (Modified)!
A pale flash of light exploded before their eyes, and the Sand Ninja immediately felt the world spin.
The world seemed to suddenly transform into a vast mud swamp, with many large hands reaching out from below, pulling them one by one into the abyss, burying them in the most ancient frozen sea, enduring the endless cold of blizzards.
After much effort, they broke free from the Genjutsu, but Naraku had already fled far away with Pakura. At their feet, several Kunai were stuck in the mud, each with one or two exploding tags on their rings, their sparks about to burn out.
Boom, boom, boom—!
The continuous explosions of the exploding tags echoed across the battlefield. Naraku, carrying an adult, still moved with agility, growing stronger with each strike, weaving between several enemies as if entering an uninhabited realm.
The attack patterns of the puppets had long been seen through by his Sharingan. No enemy could withstand two moves against him; poison needles and gas couldn't even graze a corner of his clothes, serving only as a negligible embellishment to his dance.
From afar, Hizashi used the Eight Trigrams Palms to shatter a puppet's core, and in a hurried glance, he saw Naraku plunging his blade into the side of a Sand Ninja's neck.
Blood bloomed like a flower, absorbing souls and life, forming the fruit named death.
The young boy's graceful and sharp posture was reflected in his silver-white pupils. The small figure wielding a long blade in the Chunin Exams arena now completely overlapped with the opponent.
--The Uchiha's unparalleled genius... How long will this brilliance continue to shine?
Looking at the chain-like curses on the other person's face, a moment of melancholy flashed in his heart. He then shook his head, discarded these distracting thoughts, and re-entered the perilous battle.
When the Sand Ninja discovered that their powerful combatant, Pakura, had been captured, their morale plummeted. Coupled with severe casualties, they began to retreat under the leadership of another vice-captain.
Naraku handed Pakura over to the Jonin of Hyuga Hizashi's squad for safekeeping. He intended to turn back and pursue, but the other person grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"That's enough. Don't chase a cornered enemy; you might encounter a trap."
"…Yes."
Naraku nodded, sheathed his sword, and then heard the Jonin's smiling praise.
"This is one of Sunagakure's strongest Bloodline Limits, Uchiha kid! You've done a great service this time!"
"Ebisu! Hey! Hang in there!"
Hearing Inuzuka Tsume's anxious shouts from not far away, Naraku hastily thanked him and hurried back to his squad.
Ebisu's sleeve had been torn off by Might Guy, revealing a wound that had turned black, even his blood had become a blackish-red, poisonous color.
Both internal and external antidotes could only slow down the poison's onset. At this rate, he would die within minutes.
Inuzuka Tsume, anxious, placed him on Kuro-Maru's back and told him to go to the outpost to find a Medical Ninja, but Naraku blocked her path, forcing her to stop.
"He won't make it back; he can only be treated here."
While explaining to the others, Naraku lifted Ebisu from Kuro-Maru's crouching back and had Might Guy and Shiranui Genma help him lie down flat.
Using a Kunai, he made several incisions near the wound, closer to the heart. A faint green light glowed on his fingertips as Chakra flowed into the blood vessels through the wound to filter out toxins. Soon, black liquid oozed from the wound.
As the poison was extracted, Ebisu's complexion changed from purplish-blue to pale, and his lips gradually regained some color.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, also surprised that Naraku was so proficient in such a difficult Ninjutsu.
What else couldn't he learn?
Inuzuka Tsume, well-traveled, remarked, "Cell Destabilization Extraction Technique, that's an A-rank Medical Ninjutsu, isn't it?"
"Yes," Naraku's forehead was beaded with sweat, but he still mustered enough energy to answer the question, "About one more minute to go."
Since Ebisu was no longer in mortal danger, Inuzuka Tsume turned to urge Shiranui Genma and Might Guy to quickly clear the battlefield, packing up valuable items and incinerating anything worthless on the spot.
After assigning the tasks, she turned to look behind her. Naraku's treatment of Ebisu had just finished, and the latter groggily opened his eyes.
After such a battle, their side had no casualties, the only severely poisoned casualty had been pulled back from the brink of death, and they had even captured a high-level enemy combatant. This outcome would make any squad wake up laughing in their dreams.
Inuzuka Tsume was no different, gleefully calling over another Jonin to discuss how to continue the mission and who would escort Pakura back to the outpost. She didn't notice Naraku quietly turning his back, leaning against a tree trunk, lowering his head, and his body shaking violently twice.
The battlefield was already covered in blood, so she couldn't identify where the faint new scent of blood in the air was coming from.
Was it the vengeful spirits of enemies, or a comrade breaking down?
...Konoha - Iwagakure - Front Line.
A piercing, sharp bird cry erupted, and the last Iwagakure Ninja, with unwilling eyes, was annihilated amidst the lightning and thunder.
Kakashi retracted his Chidori, his eyes still in the Sharingan form, and stopped in place with a frown.
"What's wrong, Kakashi?"
Obito thought there was a new development, looking around warily for any movement.
"Something feels off…"
"Huh?" Hearing Kakashi's murmur, Obito became even more nervous: "Which direction? Why don't I see anything? Are there more enemies? Where are they?…"
Whether it was the leaves swaying in the wind or the dark bushes in the distance, everything around him seemed to be tinged with danger.
"It's not here that something's off; it has nothing to do with the mission."
Obito, having fussed for nothing, showed a "you're messing with me" expression, gritting his teeth and complaining, "Don't take such long pauses when you speak, you bastard Kakashi!"
The annoying white-haired man ignored his exasperation, still silently pondering something.
Rin came closer to check him, even carefully examining his eyes and the Sharingan Reincarnation Seal, finding no abnormalities.
"Could it be that you've been too tired lately, Kakashi? Perhaps we should ask Lord Jiraiya for half a day off."
"Probably."
Kakashi sighed, deactivated the Sharingan Reincarnation Seal, and his eyes returned to their original ink-black appearance.
"I can't explain exactly what it is, but I just feel like something's not right."
Obito grumbled softly, "If you ask me, you just stayed up all night on watch and you're drowsy… Ow, Rin, why are you pinching me?…"