The Haunted Village – Chapter 4
Final Strokes
Yurei thrashed against the ink chains, his chakra flaring wildly, but it was useless. The more he struggled, the tighter the ink-bound restraints became, wrapping around his limbs like living tendrils.
Naruto watched him with amusement, twirling his brush between his fingers. "You're still trying?" His voice was mocking, his usual carefree grin stretched across his face. "Come on, you already lost. Might as well accept it."
The rogue ninja snarled. "You… have no idea what you've done."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Oh?"
A shudder ran through the air. The shrine, already battered by their battle, seemed to groan. The floor beneath them darkened, not from Naruto's ink, but from something else. Something older.
Kurenai, Ino, and Shino felt it too. The unnatural weight pressing against the shrine, the lingering whisper of something… watching.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "Sensei." His voice was calm, but sharp. "Something else is here."
Kurenai took a step forward, her crimson eyes scanning the darkened temple. "Naruto," she called cautiously. "Finish this. Now."
Naruto barely glanced back at her. "Yeah, yeah." He twirled his brush once more. "Don't worry, I was planning on it."
Yurei gritted his teeth. "You think you can just"
SLASH.
Naruto swung his brush in a single precise arc, and the ink surged. It didn't just restrain the rogue ninja anymore, it consumed him, swallowing his form in a flood of black.
The man gasped, his eyes going wide as the ink sank into his skin, into his very being.
"W-What?"
Naruto's grin widened, but his eyes… they gleamed with something darker. "You used fear to control people," he said, his voice carrying an edge. "Made them think the dead were whispering to them. So I thought I'd return the favor."
The ink tightened around the rogue ninja's chest.
"You like playing with names, huh?" Naruto murmured. "Let's play."
The ink slithered up, brushing against the ninja's throat, his face, his eyes.
"I wonder… what happens if I take your name?"
The rogue ninja screamed.
Kurenai stepped forward instantly. "Naruto, that's enough!"
For a moment, it looked like Naruto hadn't heard her. His brush was still raised, his reiatsu still pressing down on his opponent, his ink digging into the man's very existence.
But then…
He stopped.
The ink retracted, leaving the rogue ninja gasping for breath, shuddering violently as he collapsed onto the temple floor.
Naruto turned back to his team, his usual playful smirk in place, as if nothing had happened. "Well, that's that."
Kurenai stared at him, something unreadable in her gaze.
Ino exhaled, shaking off the strange tension in the air. "You really had to be that dramatic?"
Naruto chuckled. "What can I say? Gotta keep things entertaining."
Shino, however, was watching the rogue ninja closely. The man had stopped struggling. His eyes were wide, but… unfocused.
Shino's voice was low. "What did you do to him?"
Naruto waved a hand. "Relax, relax. He's fine. Just had to make sure he wouldn't try anything stupid."
Kurenai narrowed her eyes but didn't push the issue. Not here. Not now. "We'll deal with him later. Right now, we need to check on the villagers."
Naruto stretched lazily. "Sounds good to me."
He slung his brush over his shoulder and walked ahead, humming to himself.
But as they left the shrine, the whispers returned.
Soft, quiet, almost laughing.
And this time… Naruto smiled back.
---
The Village at Dawn
By the time they returned to the village, the eerie atmosphere that had plagued it for weeks was gone.
The villagers, once terrified of the so-called hauntings, were calm again. Some still looked shaken, but the oppressive weight that had lingered over them had vanished.
But something about it lingered.
As they prepared to leave, Kurenai pulled Naruto aside. Her expression was unreadable, her voice carefully measured. "Naruto."
He tilted his head. "Yeah, Sensei?"
She stared at him for a long moment before speaking. "…You weren't using normal ninjutsu back there."
Naruto grinned. "Of course not. I told you, I've got style."
Kurenai didn't return the smile. "I saw your eyes."
For the briefest second, Naruto's grin faltered.
Kurenai continued. "That wasn't just a technique. It was something else. And you enjoyed it."
Naruto shrugged, his grin back in place. "Maybe."
She frowned. "Naruto"
He laughed. "Come on, Sensei, don't think too hard about it." He started walking ahead. "We've got another mission tomorrow, don't we?"
Kurenai watched him go, a feeling of unease settling in her chest.
Something had changed in that shrine.
Something old had noticed Naruto Uzumaki.
And it was still watching.