"..."
Bathed in the faint moonlight streaming through the night sky, Yurui's pupils focused intently on the dark figure before him.
Feeling the lingering numbness in his right hand from blocking a single strike, his normally powerful body tensed up.
"A Konoha shinobi?" The thought surfaced in his mind, but he dismissed it the next second. "No, this guy's attire doesn't look like a Konoha shinobi's."
A deep black robe that seemed to swallow all light completely concealed the figure's entire body.
A profound sense of malice made Yurui feel as if his teeth were being hollowed out by decay.
If it were a Konoha shinobi, there would be no need to hide their appearance.
Moreover, just by sending out an invasion signal, they could completely corner him.
"So, a 'colleague' then?"
With that thought, Yurui's gaze sharpened, knowing this was his only chance.
There was no more time to waste here.
This guy clearly had no intention of letting him go.
He had to kill this guy in front of him immediately!
Without another word,almost instantly, both of them moved simultaneously, charging towards each other.
Two figures shot forward like unleashed bolts of silk, making it difficult to distinguish who was faster.
Only two terrifying howls could be heard cutting through the wind; anything standing before that shrieking sound would be torn apart.
The next moment, the falling leaves drifting between them were sliced apart amidst the sword glints, and the two blades collided.
Clang!
A dazzling spray of sparks erupted brilliantly between them, bursting and scattering within the deep, gloomy forest.
The kunai and short sword were locked tightly together.
Yurui stared at the figure so close before him, yet he couldn't see the face hidden within the shadows, as if it had swallowed all light.
Where did this guy come from?
And how did he manage to intercept me here in advance?
Before he could analyze the other's identity, Kumokawa's clear, cold short sword slid away, as did the kunai in Yurui's hand.
A string of sparks shot out from the edges of the blades, drawing several arcs of light in the air.
Clink! Clink! Clang!!
Sharp edge against sharp edge,a clash of metal.
A splendid shower of sparks blossomed, bursting and falling like rain, beautiful like iron trees shedding silvery flowers.
Yurui could clearly sense that the person before him wasn't particularly skilled in swordsmanship.
The reason they were at a stalemate was solely due to the other's superior speed and strength.
"If I just had a little more time…"
But soon, as the two blades continued to clash, this thought gradually faded, and Yurui's expression grew increasingly grim.
Because he realized that the blade of the guy before him was becoming increasingly "sharper."
It was as if he was using Yurui's "blade" to sharpen his own.
"Is this guy... using me to hone his swordsmanship?!"
This thought abruptly surfaced in his mind, sending a chill down Yurui's spine. But the next moment, before he could even react—
Squelch.
Fresh, red blood trickled down, soaking his cheek.
A thin red line gradually crept across his face, splitting open bit by bit, inch by inch, stopping only when it reached his cheekbone.
Feeling the stinging pain on his cheek, Yurui's pupils trembled.
In just a few short minutes, the other's swordsmanship had progressed from being half-baked to a level where he could actually cut him with his blade?
"Enough."
A hoarse voice reached his ears, startling Yurui out of his daze.
Kumokawa held the sword in one hand, while his other hand rose to form hand seals. Simultaneously, he swung the blade towards Yurui.
The two blades collided once more, emitting a piercing, sharp shriek.
But this time, what scattered forth were not sparks.
But, brilliant blue electric light.
Lightning Style: Chidori Blade.
The sound of crackling electricity filled the air. Lightning crawled up the short sword in Kumokawa's hand, then rapidly spread along the connected kunai.
"Gah!!"
The agony of electricity coursing through his body forced Yurui's mouth open wide, but he couldn't control his paralyzed body to make a single sound.
All the strength in his body drained away at that moment, and along with it, his previous composure.
The fear of the mission failing... the fear of dying for no reason...
No! No! Don't! I was so close!I was only one step away! Who is this guy?!Who exactly is he?!
Kumokawa did not give Yurui more time to fear. He slowly raised a palm, his mental energy coalescing in his palm into a sphere of blue light.
This was an ability awakened when his [Kekkei Genkai] reached 20.1% in its second stage. Ōtsutsuki Toneri used this ability to control others' wills and read their thoughts.
This technique was named: Puppet-Cursing Sphere.
"Sleep peacefully."
Meeting Yurui's pained and terrified gaze, Kumokawa leaned in slightly and said with a faint smile, "I will use your body to complete your mission for you."
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Squelch!!
As his words fell, Kumokawa pressed his palm into Yurui's chest. Ripples spread across his chest, the light sphere and hand seeming to sink into a quagmire.
A moment later, he took a step back, withdrawing his hand from Yurui's chest.
The Lightning Style chakra enveloping his blade also dissipated.
"..."
Yurui stood motionless before him, his gaze gradually becoming vacant.
"Interesting." Kumokawa's eyes flickered slightly. "So this is what it feels like to use this ability for the first time."
He now clearly felt a connection established between himself and the Yurui before him.
This ability seemed somewhat similar to the Yamanaka clan's "Mind Body Switch Technique."
The "Mind Body Switch Technique" concentrated the user's spirit into a single point, releasing their mental energy to seize and control the opponent's body.
However, this technique was only a C-rank, short-to-mid range auxiliary ninjutsu.
The released mental energy generally could only move in a straight line, so it had significant limitations in terms of range and accuracy.
Moreover, if the user's released spirit missed the target and couldn't return to their own body within a short time, it would leave the user unable to perform any actions, including defense.
Any damage the target received would also injure the user's own body, making it very risky.
But the "Puppet-Cursing Sphere" that Ōtsutsuki Toneri used on Hinata in the original story, and which Kumokawa now possessed, was different.
It was more like the Shadow Clone Technique, separating a portion of chakra and mental energy to create an independent entity.
Not only were there no range limitations on control, but it could also be directed as effortlessly as moving one's own arm, and even granted the controlled "puppet" a certain degree of autonomous action capability.
"It seems, if there's a chance, I should collect a few puppets."
This thought emerged in Kumokawa's mind.
However, the most important matter right now was still the Hyūga clan.
He attempted to control the Yurui before him.
The once vacant eyes now gained focus, and the next moment, Yurui respectfully knelt on one knee and said, "My Lord."
"Go," Kumokawa said softly. "Go and do what you need to do."
"Yes, my Lord."
'Yurui' bowed his head in acknowledgment, then stood up and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the scene.
After he left, Kumokawa stood silently for a long time in the shadowy, dappled forest.
The grove was so quiet one could only hear the faint sounds of flowing water and rustling leaves.
Until a faint set of footsteps approached from afar. Hyūga Hizashi emerged from the shadows of the trees behind him.
Hyūga Hizashi understood perfectly well why the other had called him here.
His face, identical to his older brother's, was filled with complex emotions.
In the darkness, Kumokawa raised his head.
"The time has come," he said. "Are you ready?"