Ayanami Kaito and Kushina moved swiftly across the land. The moment they left the borders of the Land of Ghosts, their overwhelming power became clear. Their speed was unmatched, and within moments, the trails behind them vanished as if they had never passed.
Unlike the path described in the old legends, they did not sneak through the hidden waterways. Instead, they cut directly across from the Land of Ghosts to the Land of Swamps. Such confidence reflected their absolute faith in their own strength.
Not long into their journey, Kaito came to a sudden halt. His sharp eyes narrowed, sensing movement ahead. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Oh? Some pests are in the way."
Kushina tilted her head, her fiery hair swaying. "Four of them. Go handle it. I'll wait here with her, so make it quick."
Their calm words made Shion, who was being carried carefully, tense up. She clutched at Kushina's cloak nervously, her delicate frame trembling.
"Watch over her," Kaito instructed before vanishing in a blur.
"Don't worry," Kushina reassured gently, noticing Shion's fear. "Kaito is strong. Against small fry like these, he'll be back in no time."
But Shion's lavender eyes widened in horror. "No… no! He'll die! I saw it!"
Kushina blinked, startled by her outburst. "Die? What nonsense are you saying? There's no one in this world who can kill him."
Her tone was firm, though a flicker of unease crossed her expression.
Shion's voice trembled. "Last night… I saw it. The priestesses of the Land of Ghosts have always been able to foresee fate. And I saw his death."
Kushina's heart tightened, but her jaw set with determination. "Then your vision must be wrong. I refuse to believe anyone can bring him down."
…
Atop a high mountain, four figures stood against the rushing wind. Each wore white garments, their eyes sharp with killing intent. They were : Gitai, Setsuna, Kusuna, and Shizuku.
"There," Kusuna said coldly. "If we kill him, no one will stand in the way of Yōmi sama's plan."
Setsuna smirked. "Looks like Konoha got involved sooner than we thought. We were planning to kill the priestess in her own land, but now she's walked right into our hands."
"Enough talking. Prepare yourselves. Remember to pour chakra into the attacks."
"Got it, boss!" the other three responded.
But just as they were about to move, a figure appeared in front of them silently, like a phantom. Before anyone could react, Kusuna froze, his eyes widening as a scarlet fist pierced through his chest.
"H-how… impossible…" He stared down at the bloodless wound, his strength draining away. With a final look of disbelief, his body collapsed, eyes wide in unwilling death.
"Boss!" the remaining three shouted, shock and rage flooding their expressions.
Though they weren't bound by deep bonds with Kusuna, his presence had been crucial. Kusuna's mastery of dark medical ninjutsu, taught by Yōmi, allowed them to replenish chakra endlessly. With him gone, they were reduced to ordinary shinobi, forced to conserve every drop of chakra.
The loss struck like being pulled from a feast into starvation.
Kaito let Kusuna's body slide to the ground, his voice calm and mocking. "So, Yōmi sent you four to kill Shion? Pathetic. You couldn't even handle this much."
"Bastard!" Gitai roared, his body surging forward. His arm hardened into stone as it swung toward Kaito with tremendous force.
"Wind Style: Kamikaze!"
"Water Style: Water Cutting Blade!"
The other two launched their jutsu in unison, wind and water rushing at Kaito like blades.
But Kaito only looked on with disdain. "Too weak."
He caught Gitai's stone fist with one hand, his grip cracking the hardened rock until it shattered into fragments. Gitai's eyes widened in horror, but before he could retreat, Kaito extended his finger. A thin beam of black lightning lanced through Gitai's heart.
The man convulsed once, the smell of burnt flesh rising in the air, before collapsing lifelessly.
The battle had taken less than a breath.
Shizuku and Setsuna's combined attacks struck at that moment, but Kaito didn't even flinch. With raw power, he shattered the incoming jutsu with a single punch, scattering the elements apart.
"No way!" both gasped, their eyes darting from Gitai's corpse back to the calm shinobi before them.
"Could it be… Konoha sent a Kage-level to guard her?" Shizuku muttered in fear.
The two exchanged panicked glances. Without Kusuna's support, the fight was hopeless. Escape was their only chance.
"Wind Style: Kamikaze!"
"Fire Style: Blazing Lotus!"
They unleashed a combined technique, a massive flaming tornado tearing through the battlefield, then used the chaos to retreat into the distance.
For a moment, they thought they had escaped.
"Damn it," Shizuku panted. "Who the hell is that man?"
"It doesn't matter. Our mission has already failed," Setsuna growled. "We can't even beat one of them, and there's still another protecting the priestess. We should retreat."
But before they could take another step, a cold voice echoed from behind them.
"Going somewhere? When teammates face hardship, isn't it only proper to join them?"
Shizuku froze. Her chest suddenly flared with pain, and when she looked down, she saw a crimson palm piercing through her body. Her vision darkened as life slipped away.
Setsuna bolted forward without looking back, fear twisting his face. "How is he this fast?!"
Above him, a calm voice descended like thunder.
"Rasengan."
Setsuna's eyes shot upward in horror. A spinning orb of chakra hovered in Kaito's palm, descending with crushing force. Its energy radiated terrifying power.
The last thing Setsuna saw was the glowing sphere before it engulfed him entirely.
A deafening explosion shook the mountain.
…
Back with Kushina and Shion, the priestess shivered. Though far away, she felt the tremors of Kaito's battle.
Her lips trembled. "I… I saw his death. But why does it feel like death follows everyone else instead?"
Kushina smirked faintly, her faith unshaken. "That's because you don't know him like I do. Kaito doesn't die easily… he makes others regret crossing him."
____
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