"Die, all of you!"
The enemy's body was swelling grotesquely, chakra surging as if it would explode at any moment.
If that blast occurred, the entire capital of the Land of Demons would be wiped from existence.
Even Yomi looked terrified, stumbling back in panic, wanting to flee, yet knowing it was too late.
Other rogue ninja saw this and only laughed madly. A group of lunatics together, empowered by the power of Mōryō, no longer feared death.
Boom! A thunderous explosion erupted.
At the same time, a flood of black magnetic sand surged from every direction, enclosing the man completely, from above, below, and every angle with no gap. Mokuton (Wood Release), Mokujoheki (Wood Locking Wall) followed, layering the magnetic sand within wooden barriers.
Shion stood at the doorway, where a smaller Mokujoheki shield wrapped around her in protective layers.
The deafening blast shook the entire capital. The ground roared angrily, rumbling and crashing in tandem with the explosion.
Outside the city, cliffs on both sides of the valley crumbled and collapsed, burying the mountain pass completely.
Old houses within the city couldn't withstand the tremors and collapsed into rubble.
Shigeo, witnessing it all, trembled with fury. "You bastards!"
If they wished to die, fine, but dragging an entire city to the grave with them? These lunatics wanted death? He would give them a special kind of death.
"Shōton (Crystal Release), Shinkei Dansetsu Shōka (Nerve Disruption Crystallization)…"
He would not simply end them with a swift jutsu. He wanted them to taste agony worse than death.
"Kōsoku Shunshin no Jutsu (High-Speed Body Flicker Technique)!"
In a single second, Shigeo's fingers brushed against every one of the dozen rogue ninja. Before they realized, searing pain coursed through them.
Their nerves felt torn apart, unbearable torment exploding through every fiber of their bodies.
"Argh! Why!?" they screamed. Some lost control of the Mōryō's power on the spot, others charged at Shigeo in blind rage.
"Shōton, Hanakai Shiki (Crystal Flower Four Seasons)!"
Shigeo dissolved Shion's protective Mokujoheki and stood coldly at her side. His eyes were pitch-dark, his face expressionless.
As his words fell, crystalline flowers bloomed across the bodies of the suffering ninja. Pink crystal blossoms sprouted, but their shapes resembled spiked chrysanthemums.
"What is this? It hurts, it hurts…" Even so, they did not die. They remained fully conscious.
"You're the madman! Madman!" They screamed at Shigeo.
Civilians rushed forward, pelting them with stones from the explosion. "You are the madmen! Bastards! Go to hell!"
The rogue ninja writhed in agony, enduring pain worse than death. Shigeo admitted to himself—this was one of the most excruciating jutsu in existence.
Soldiers stormed the Daimyō's palace. Guards surrounded Yomi, cutting off his escape.
"I still have men! I raised plenty of ninja! Come, come to me!" he roared.
But no one came. The mercenary ninja in the rear courtyard had long since fled.
Shigeo conjured a Shōton crystal spear in his hand and glanced at Shion. "Little sister, you decide. Should he live or die?"
Shion clenched her fists tightly. She knew—if she chose death, this onii-san would end him instantly. But she shook her head. "No. Keep him alive. I will judge him publicly before the entire nation. He must know his plans will never succeed."
Shigeo dismissed the crystal spear, raising an eyebrow. "Fine."
Thus the war ended. The Land of Demons returned to peace. Shion reclaimed the throne, now admired even more by the people—not just as the miko, but as their leader.
The next noon, Shigeo prepared to leave. He had wanted to depart last night, but Shion refused, even withholding his payment. Only after a grand banquet of thanks did she hand him ten times the promised amount.
"Ten times? Wasn't it supposed to be double?" Shigeo's eyes lit up. Not even the pirate treasure hoard he once claimed made him this happy. Perhaps this was true reward for labor.
"You saved our entire country. This is nothing. Please accept it!" Shion's eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.
Shigeo grinned. "Don't worry. I won't be polite."
With a flick of his finger, all twenty-some chests of gold vanished into his personal dimension.
"Then I won't waste more time. Farewell, everyone!"
He waved, turning to leave. His long black hair swayed in the sunlight, tall and striking as his figure grew distant.
"Miko-sama, where did you find such a remarkable shinobi? What is his name?" a minister asked.
Shion stood at the gates, watching the boy walk down the avenue toward the city gates. She answered softly: "From a mysterious land. He said his name is… Hyūga Shigeo."
The crowd gasped.
"What? Hyūga Shigeo? Why didn't you say earlier! That's the one said to have attacked the Five Great Ninja Villages!"
"I only just learned! But I asked him—he said he never attacked them. That was all a misunderstanding. In the end, truth and lies, right and wrong, none of it matters to him." Shion laughed, recalling the first moment they met.
Hiding helplessly in a ship's vent, whispering for help. Then he appeared. In the dark hold, she could not see his face, but she remembered his tall frame and those deep blue eyes that carved themselves into her heart.
Later, by some strange impulse, she had written a mission request. And when she learned he took it alone, she felt only surprise, not opposition.
Perhaps, it was destiny. "Hehe… Hyūga Shigeo, we will meet again."
…
That afternoon, Shigeo returned to Blue Demon Village. He dropped the twenty chests of gold before his three lieutenants, who were all dumbstruck.
"So much? Weren't we promised fifty million? This must be over a billion! Who was that girl?" Wu Mang's jaw dropped.
Even Akahana, famed for her cold pride, smiled as she looked at the gold. She gave Shigeo a rare thumbs-up.
(End of Chapter)
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