Chapter 240: The Malice of Kaito Shirogane
[Special Trial: Supreme Benevolence and Goodness]
[Trial Mission Phase 1: Ensure the survival of the story character, Hana Hiranaka. Current Progress: 3/7 Days]
Three days had passed. The sun rose as always. Kaito Shirogane sat by the inn window, watching with great interest as the panicking civilians in the street below scrambled to buy supplies. The small town's economy had been shattered by the news he and Catherine had intentionally leaked.
"What... what did you do to me?!"
Lying on the bed, Hana Hiranaka finally woke up. Her face was pale, and she clutched her chest tightly.
Kaito Shirogane glanced back at her and waved his hand dismissively.
"Relax. I have no interest in a weakling like you. You're just a few pieces of rotting flesh."
Hearing herself called rotting flesh, Hana Hiranaka didn't feel angry. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief. Although they hadn't been together long, she had begun to grasp this tall man's habits.
He was a beast—powerful and brutal. But at the same time, he disdained using schemes, especially on ordinary people like her.
She didn't know why, but he was, in fact, protecting her. Even after the top-secret intel had been taken, he was still bringing her along.
"Are you... a ninja hired by my husband?"
Kaito Shirogane couldn't be bothered to answer, turning back to watch the ordinary people below. Because of the news that Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan might be on the brink of civil war, many people realized this could trigger a new war, with the Land of Fire as the primary target.
Many were terrified. Kaito even saw people packing up their families, preparing to flee the town.
"We weren't hired by your husband. We just... cough... we just can't stand to see ninjas slaughtering ordinary people."
Catherine wasn't a good liar, and her words held no conviction. She looked at Mercenary Tao, who sat by the window, watching the panicked civilians with a smile... It was the same smile a mischievous boy would have after flooding an ant nest.
This guy probably isn't a normal person in the real world, either, she judged.
Kaito watched for a while, then lost interest in these weak humans. They were a group of beings who didn't know why they were born, nor why they would die.
Just like ants.
Kaito Shirogane looked down, returning his gaze to the book in his hands: [The Imperial-Grade World-Shocking Classic].
This was, in theory, the most valuable item he'd found in Lee Chae-rin's inventory. But frustratingly, neither she nor he had been able to comprehend its secrets.
This book was supposed to be a legendary treatise on divination, using I-Ching principles to deduce the origin of the universe, natural evolution, and the laws of fate. But after its evolution in the Sea Tiger world, the [Imperial Ultimate Classic] had become the [Imperial-Grade World-Shocking Classic].
It contained terrifying martial arts principles, but the techniques one comprehended from it were different for every person.
It was a strange item, similar to a [Book of Heaven].
Kaito stared at the text, unable to connect it to martial arts cultivation. He wasn't sure if his [Martial Arts Specialization] was too low, or if it was because the Sea Tiger world's martial arts system was so unique that his current [Ki] was incompatible with it.
The martial arts system of the Sea Tiger world was called [Magnetic Field Rotation]. It didn't cultivate internal energy; it was closer to an [esper ability]. It was a power that, after digging out the human body's limits, began to use [Electric Current Propulsion] to generate even more terrifying strength.
With continuous improvement, one could use their body's powerful magnetic field to enhance all sorts of unbelievable abilities, and finally, use their own magnetic field to touch and master the universe's magnetic field, thus entering a cosmic tier of power.
Kaito Shirogane felt an even stronger desire to forge the [Thunder Emperor's Heart] and verify his hypothesis.
Snap.
Kaito Shirogane suddenly closed the book with one hand and put it back in his inventory. He turned his head and looked at the two women in the room. They were motionless and silent.
Kaito saw Catherine's eyes, wide with terror and trembling. He knew she was in a genjutsu. She had been able to nullify the Sharingan genjutsu from the other Uchiha, but this time, she had been caught instantly, without even time to give a warning.
Clearly, the new arrival was on a completely different level than yesterday's Uchiha.
Kaito turned his head, looking from the women's perspective toward the window, far into the distance. At the edge of the forest bordering the town, two young shinobi in black combat gear and Konoha forehead protectors stood silently. Seeing that Kaito had spotted them, their expressions didn't change. Two pairs of crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan calmly met Kaito's gaze.
"Well, well..."
"I've really hit the jackpot."
A cruel smile unconsciously appeared on Kaito's lips. He had let that two-tomoe Sharingan user go precisely because he wanted a more valuable target to appear.
The Uchiha clan... their emotions were extreme and twisted. They couldn't tolerate humiliation.
He just hadn't expected the ones who came to be the Uchiha clan's two great young geniuses: Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.
In any other world, these two would be considered unbelievable talents. In their teens, they had already surpassed the decades of work of other geniuses in this world.
Uchiha Shisui had earned the name [Shisui of the Body Flicker] during the Third Great Shinobi War while still a teenager. He even enjoyed the "highest courtesy" from enemy villages: "If you encounter Shisui, you may retreat on sight."
This was the shinobi world's recognition of his absurd strength, on the same level as [Konoha's White Fang - Hatake Sakumo] and [The Yellow Flash - Namikaze Minato].
And Uchiha Itachi was no less impressive. He graduated top of the Academy at 7, awakened his Sharingan at 8, passed the Chunin Exams alone at 10, joined the ANBU at 11, and at 13, after joining the Akatsuki, he defeated one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, who was in his prime.
Kaito Shirogane waved at them. He then laid the non-fatally-wounded Hana Hiranaka and Catherine on the bed.
The distance from here to the two Uchiha... was over 800 meters.
"Tsk. Casting a Sharingan genjutsu from that distance... Truly worthy of the Uchiha's current top master."
As he spoke, two soft landing sounds came from behind him.
Kaito turned. He looked at the two figures who only reached his chest. In terms of age, they were both still just boys. But their terrifying bloodline and talent had already given them overwhelming power compared to ordinary people.
Itachi frowned. He glanced at the women on the bed and gripped the hilt of his sword. But Shisui blocked him.
If Shisui wanted to kill, he could have used a lethal genjutsu just now. But he firmly believed that violence could not forge peace. Killing would only lead to more hatred and more killing, an endless cycle.
A mocking smile touched Kaito's lips. He looked at their Sharingan.
"You didn't use genjutsu on me. Is it because that little one reported back about fighting me?"
Uchiha Shisui nodded frankly. He had noticed Kaito checking the women's vital signs. He believed this person wasn't as brutal as Uchiha Chikata had reported.
Besides, he didn't want to complete a mission by killing a defenseless woman.
"Correct. Chikata said that after Uchiha Dou used genjutsu on you, he suffered immense pain. It's suspected you possess some Kekkei Genkai that counters Sharingan genjutsu."
Uchiha Shisui was young, but his composure was extraordinary. He calmly looked at Kaito, whose hands were likely already stained with the blood of two Uchiha.
Uchiha Itachi also released the hilt of his sword. He had absolute faith in Shisui.
The naivety of the two... finally made Kaito Shirogane laugh.
"Heh... hehe... HAHAHAHA!"
Kaito clutched his forehead, laughing so hard he almost doubled over. Finally, he straightened up. He took two steps forward, stopping less than a meter from Uchiha Shisui. He leaned forward, looking down at the Uchiha clan's strongest.
"I have to say, you're a bit ridiculous. As the pinnacle of your clan, have you really not considered your own people at all?"
Uchiha Itachi didn't move, but a shuriken had already appeared silently in his hand behind his back. With his skill, he could hit any blind spot in this room. Whether it was the man in front of him... or the woman on the bed.
Kaito Shirogane stared unflinchingly into Uchiha Shisui's eyes. He saw the naive [Goodness] shining in them. The boy didn't even have any killing intent for him.
Suddenly, a malice (恶) rose in Kaito's heart. It was an [Evil] (恶) that couldn't help but be provoked when faced with such pure "Good."
"Don't you get it? It's precisely because of your naive mercy that the Uchiha clan is being cornered and eaten away by those Konoha politicians?"
"If... just if... you were replaced by your clan's previous strongest... Uchiha Madara. Do you think Konoha and the Uchiha would be in this situation?"
Uchiha Shisui frowned. He had no intention of using [Kotoamatsukami] on this man. That power was not meant for a single enemy.
Kaito Shirogane sensed his resolve and continued to mock him.
"The Uchiha... feared for their power, and coveted for not having enough power."
"Do you know how badly Shimura Danzo wants to collect your entire clan's eyes? This is all because you, the so-called [Shisui of the Body Flicker], haven't shown him the deterrence he deserves."
Zing! A flash of a blade!
A figure appeared behind Kaito in an instant. Uchiha Itachi didn't want to hear any more of this man's "poisonous words." More importantly... he found himself agreeing with some of it...
CLANG!
A clash of metal. Uchiha Itachi felt a powerful shockwave and instantly released his sword. As the blade was knocked away, he leaped backward out the window, simultaneously throwing several shuriken.
Kaito's eyebrow twitched. His figure flashed, and he instantly appeared in front of the bed.
Clang! Clang! Clang! His left arm blurred, blocking the shuriken. But this opening allowed Uchiha Itachi to successfully retreat from the room.
Uchiha Shisui watched Kaito's actions and took a deep breath. He hadn't attacked while Kaito and Itachi were engaged. He only spoke now, calmly.
"Perhaps you are right. I am not a good leader for my clan. But that position will sooner or later be taken by someone more suitable. All I can do now, while maintaining this peace... is to...
"...eliminate all unstable factors."
Uchiha Shisui formed a hand seal. In an instant, his figure "copied and pasted," and dozens of clones began to appear, filling the room and the hallway. Kaito's eyes twitched. In his [Transparent World], all of these Shisui figures had identical heartbeats, but their killing intent was erratic and unfocused.
Interesting...
The purple intent in Kaito's eyes surged. The next moment, he moved. Wind surged wildly through the windows, and everything in the room was instantly swept up in a gale.
Uchiha Shisui witnessed this incredible, seal-less ability. The next moment, a storm of leg-shadows appeared.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The force of the Wind God Legs exploded from Kaito's position. In an instant, the wooden inn was shattered. Light streamed in from all angles. Amidst the terrified screams of the civilians below, Kaito stood on one leg, slowly lowering his right.
He looked at the large number of Shisui figures in front of him, which still hadn't vanished. A burning battle-lust rose on his face.
"Genjutsu, Body Flicker, and Taijutsu... combined to create such an effect... Heh. Uchiha Shisui, you really are interesting!"
BOOM!
Uchiha Shisui's three-tomoe pupils constricted. A terrifying aura exploded like a storm. He threw one arm up to block, retreating step by step as the illusions in the room vanished one by one.
Thud, thud, thud...
In the street below, the panicked ordinary people collapsed, one after another, their eyes rolled back. Uchiha Itachi held an arm up, watching Shisui retreat from the room, his expression grave.
"What is this ability... a Kekkei Genkai?!"
Uchiha Shisui felt the aura, like a tidal wave, slamming into his mind. For the first time, his expression turned grave.
He shook his head, denying the guess.
"I don't sense any chakra flow. Even a Kekkei Genkai wouldn't be like this."
"This is... an aura."
Uchiha Itachi felt it was absurd. He had never heard of someone knocking out an entire town of people with just their presence.
BANG!
Kaito Shirogane punched through the other wall. There was no cover left. He could clearly sense that all other movement in the vicinity had vanished. All that remained were the two in front of him, and the few people hiding in the forest hundreds of meters away.
This was Konoha's entire force.
Kaito Shirogane held up one finger to the two young geniuses below.
"Uchiha Shisui. Come at me with the intent to kill. Use your full power. Otherwise..."
"This war is going to start right now."
His smile was cruel. Uchiha Shisui and Itachi had no idea what he meant. But Itachi felt a bad premonition. He looked at Shisui, who was standing in front of him.
"Shisui, this guy is dangerous. We should..."
Uchiha Shisui thought for a moment, but still shook his head. His eyes darted to the unconscious civilians. Using [Susano'o] here would cause mass death.
"Itachi, move these people to safety. I'll handle this."
Itachi nodded and vanished, taking several of the nearby civilians with him.
Kaito Shirogane saw this and knew Uchiha Shisui was still clinging to that damned "no-kill" ninja way.
He was completely disappointed in the Uchiha's "strongest" but overly naive genius.
"Shisui... sometimes, without pain, a person can never grow."
His eyelids drooped. The next moment, his heart began to pound, faster and faster.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump!
The sound of his heart-rate blurred into one. His muscles swelled. Kaito once again felt the air become thick and viscous.
He looked calmly at Uchiha Shisui.
"Setsuna... Open."
VMM-BOOM!
The moment the white-hot sonic boom cloud exploded, Uchiha Shisui's heart felt like it stopped. An intense palpitation struck him. His three-tomoe Sharingan instantly changed. The moment his Mangekyo Sharingan appeared, intense green chakra began to rise from the ground—the sign of the Susano'o awakening.
BANG!
An uncatchable figure slammed into Uchiha Shisui, sending him flying. He vomited blood in mid-air.
Uchiha Itachi, who had just flickered back, watched this, his face pale.
He subconsciously formed a hand seal, but the air next to his own ear exploded. His three-tomoe trembled, catching the blurry figure. The man's body was also spraying blood, seemingly unable to withstand his own speed.
BANG!
Far in the distance, the ANBU ninja who was secretly observing... his face changed.
"Damn it! Contact the village! Uchiha Shisui has been...!"
BANG!
Another sonic boom cloud exploded in mid-air. A distance of nearly a thousand meters was crossed in a breath. The Konoha ANBU who had just sent the signal... the three of them instinctively flickered in different directions.
The next moment, the spot where they had been was obliterated by a monstrous force.
(End of Chapter)
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