If he had fought desperately without regard for his life, this Jonin might still have had a slim chance of survival. But he hadn't fought for too long, and being merely a rogue ninja from a small village, his overall strength could only be considered that of the lowest-tier Jonin. Hearing Naruto's arrogant words, the Jonin's bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Naruto through the dust and smoke. This familiar feeling reminded him of that unforgettable figure etched in his memory.
He was born in an obscure little ninja village. The year he began practicing chakra, his talent shone through, and within a mere two years, he became the number one genius in his village, enjoying numerous honors. He was quite proud, believing that even if placed among the major ninja villages, he would undoubtedly be a genius-level existence. He eagerly awaited an opportunity—a chance to display his talent to the entire ninja world. Finally, one day, the Chunin Exams he had dreamed of arrived. Carrying the hopes of his entire village, he came to Konoha to participate.
He thought his talent was exceptional. He thought even Konoha's prodigies would be no match for him. However, when he was easily defeated by his opponent using taijutsu, when that foot pressed down on his face, that white-haired boy with a mask said in an extremely indifferent tone, "How boring."
At that moment, his spirit shattered. It turned out that a "genius" like him was just an exceedingly ordinary figure in a major ninja village. From that moment on, that white-haired ninja became a lingering nightmare deep in his heart. He left Konoha, too ashamed to ever return, eventually drifting to this small town and joining the intelligence tavern. Through a dozen years of effort, he became its leader. But at the same time, fearing battle, he hadn't fought in years, and his skills had grown rusty.
Hearing such a tone again, the nightmare resurfaced. He looked at Naruto's mask, his fists quietly clenching! The genius of the past and the genius of the present overlapped, surprisingly igniting the same fighting spirit within him. He had been afraid for most of his life; was he to continue being afraid? Retreat meant death; better to fight to the death!
"Who on earth are you?" he asked, taking a deep breath.
"Kirigakure," Naruto replied, sparing his words as if they were gold, his hand resting on his hip. He slowly drew Kyoka Suigetsu, holding it before him. Buzz. Under the sunlight, Kyoka Suigetsu shimmered, its surface rippling like water.
The Jonin's pupils contracted, his heart filled with horror, quickly followed by rage. Kirigakure! It was actually Kirigakure! Why would it be Kirigakure?! So that's it! This was a case of killing the donkey after it's done its work at the mill! For these major ninja villages, only benefits served as the ties that bind. It seemed Kirigakure wanted to secretly take over this area; they wanted to gradually encroach upon Konoha's intelligence network. War was coming!
He tremblingly raised his kunai, prepared for a desperate struggle. He looked at Naruto's longsword. In the sunlight, the blade was like a reflection in a lake, sparkling and rippling. Like a mirror image that would shatter at a touch, yet reappear intact the next moment. The myriad transformations were unsettling. What kind of genjutsu was this? Wasn't he a taijutsu-oriented ninja? A thousand thoughts raced through the Jonin's mind, his muscles tensing.
Naruto looked up at the sky, then back at the Jonin, a smile on his face. "It's getting late. I'd rather not have your blood dull the sunset."
Swish! As he finished speaking, a blade flashed. The Jonin's hairs stood on end as an intense sense of crisis washed over him. He rapidly formed hand seals. A substitution log was instantly sliced to pieces, while the Jonin closed in on Naruto, kunai stabbing towards his chest.
Clang! The kunai and longsword met, the immense force sending the kunai flying. The Jonin's vision blurred. When he looked at Naruto again, the longsword was gone from his hand, and a fist was hurtling towards his own chest. The Jonin awkwardly blocked but was still knocked back by Naruto's punch. His taijutsu was truly pathetic.
"Hado Number 4: Byakurai." Naruto seemed a little impatient, extending his right index finger. The next moment, a dense white light erupted. The Jonin couldn't dodge in time and could only turn his back. "Aaargh!" With a scream, the Byakurai grazed his body, tearing off his left arm, which flew with a spray of blood into a nearby house. The house instantly exploded, smoke billowing, and the piercing screams of residents echoed through the town. Countless townspeople fled in panic. The scene instantly descended into chaos.
"Aaargh!" The Jonin clutched his severed arm, howling in pain. His eyes, when he looked at Naruto, held no fighting spirit, only endless terror. Such an instantaneously activated ninjutsu, so fast, so powerful... even in a major ninja village, this would be an absolute genius. He couldn't win against such a genius.
"Please spare my life! I'm willing to be your horse and ox!" He knelt, kowtowing forcefully, casting his ninja dignity to the ground.
Seeing such a cowardly opponent, Naruto shook his head. "You've abandoned even your self-respect. You no longer even qualify to die." He turned and started walking in the direction Rock Lee had taken. His disdain to act didn't mean the Jonin wouldn't die; the surveilling Root ninja would surely clean up the mess.
Unexpectedly, the moment Naruto turned, resentment flashed in the Jonin's eyes. He gripped his kunai tightly in his right hand and lunged, stabbing viciously at Naruto's back. "Die!! Just die!!!" As if seeing the scene of the genius being stabbed to death, his eyes were filled with a crazed, irrational fury.
Buzz. His vision rippled strangely again. He stabbed at empty air, his body lunging forward a few steps due to inertia. "What is this bizarre genjutsu?!" Before he could even react, he suddenly felt an icy coldness in his chest. Looking down, he found the longsword had silently pierced his torso, the exposed tip dripping with a tragically beautiful bloom of blood. A whisper reached his ears:
"It seems I still expected too much of you."
"A battle like this is meaningless."
Thud. As the Jonin collapsed, the life slowly drained from his eyes. Even in death, he couldn't understand why his fight had been so pathetic.
"What a terrifying Kekkei Genkai," the Root Jonin observing from the shadows couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart. Reading intelligence reports about Kyoka Suigetsu and witnessing it firsthand were entirely different experiences. He had originally thought this vision-manipulating Kekkei Genkai could only be used to crush weaker opponents, and that even if one were caught in it, numerous flaws could be discerned if experienced directly. It was just that in the heat of battle, details were often overlooked. But as a third-party observer, even scrutinizing this deathmatch with extremely critical eyes, he couldn't find any imperfections in the woven illusion.
In his sight, Naruto flickered in and out of existence like a figure in a mirror, sometimes behind, sometimes in front. Could the refraction of light and mist truly achieve such an effect? This Kekkei Genkai had been developed to a terrifying degree. One could only say... truly worthy of being the one Lord Danzo favored. As he watched Naruto walk away from the scene, the shock in his heart still hadn't fully subsided. Unable to conceal his complex emotions, he couldn't help but whisper, "Truly a terrifying fellow."