Chapter 33: A Hollow Victory, Resentment, and the Girl Under the Moon
Fortunately, Tsukasa's Sharingan had only recently awakened.
No one had taught him how to properly use it.
Forget about genjutsu—he could only utilize the basic observation function of his single-tomoe Sharingan. He couldn't even copy ninjutsu yet, only mimicking physical techniques he'd witnessed.
In that moment, Tsukasa had truly gambled with his life.
If his opponent had pressed forward with that spear attack, with his leg crippled and no knowledge of body flicker techniques, genjutsu, or substitution jutsu, Tsukasa wouldn't have had any room to dodge.
Life and death had hung by a thread.
Fortunately, despite his inability to actually cast genjutsu, he'd successfully convinced his opponent that he could.
He'd won the gamble.
Slowly dragging his wounded right leg, Tsukasa inched toward the Jashin cult leader, his expression growing darker with each step.
His grinding teeth hinted at a sense of bitter disappointment.
These idiots—three against one and they still got themselves killed. Do they even know how to fight?
You already used Death Controlling Possessed Blood, but couldn't finish with a heart strike?
You talk about Lord Jashin and embracing pain, but can't commit to a few more stabs?
Would a little more effort kill you?
At that moment, the cult leader was filled with terror.
He watched Tsukasa approach, a chill running through his entire body as cold sweat drenched his back.
Unlike the future Hidan, he didn't possess true "immortality" granted by the Jashin Cult through various twisted rituals. That stab to his leg had been real damage!
Moreover, to maintain his hold over Tsukasa's movements, he hadn't dared stop his own bleeding.
He'd lost so much blood that a sickly pallor had already spread across his face.
Even a medical expert would have called him critically wounded.
By restraining Tsukasa, he had also doomed himself.
And so, the inevitable result was—
Tsukasa lurched forward a few more steps, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
He yanked the pitch-black spear from the ground!
Then he lunged forward, arms extended like a crescent moon!
Suddenly, the black spear tore through the air, slashing out in a perfect arc!
With one thrust, the spear first knocked the cult leader out of his ritual circle, interrupting his Death Controlling Possessed Blood technique.
Immediately afterward,
a streak of black light shot forward, piercing his throat and pinning him to the ground.
Jashin cult leader—dead!
At that moment, the system notification chimed:
[Ding!]
[You courageously counterattacked an enemy who mocked you, but they died before they could respond.]
[Your counterattack was decisive, granting a critical hit bonus.]
[You gained a random skill from opponent: Wind Style: Vacuum Wave (Proficient, C-Rank)]
[Skill received critical enhancement: Wind Style: Great Vacuum Wave (Mastery, B-Rank)]
[You gained a random skill from opponent: Rope Escape Technique (E-Rank)]
[Your Mental Fortitude has increased.]
The crimson barrier reaching toward the heavens dissipated, and Tsukasa collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily.
His body was soaked with water and covered in dust, while the bloody wound on his right leg remained a shocking sight.
Silence fell over the entire area.
The villagers in the square stared blankly at Tsukasa, who had single-handedly defeated three Jashin cultists.
But there were no cheers, no flowers, and no praise.
The woman holding little Yuko stared at the motionless cult members with horror.
Then her expression twisted into fear.
Driven by this terror, the woman suddenly stood up, pointed directly at Tsukasa's face, and shrieked with uncontrolled hysteria:
"You monster! What have you done?!"
"You actually killed members of the Jashin Cult!"
"Do you have any idea what this will bring down on us?!"
As if all strength had drained from her body, the woman leaned against a wall, alternating between crying and maniacal laughter.
"It's over! It's over! We're all finished!"
"We're all going to die here! Haha, die right here!"
The woman's face darkened as realization struck her. She shoved Yuko aside and rushed forward, wanting to claw at Tsukasa's face as if to vent all her rage.
At that moment, the hooded girl leaped in front of Tsukasa, blocking the woman's path with her slender arm.
She said nothing, but her eyes turned cold as she formed hand seals.
A swirling water blade gradually took shape in her palm.
"Back off!"
By then, Tsukasa had no energy to pay attention to his surroundings. Due to excessive blood loss, he was dizzy, short of breath, pale, and his extremities felt cold.
He glanced at his injuries and couldn't help but smile grimly to himself.
With wounds this severe and no medical ninja nearby, I'm definitely going to die!
Tsukasa shook his head and tried to stand, but his vision went black and he pitched forward.
Just before losing consciousness, he suddenly spotted Hidan dragging someone toward him.
Tsukasa's smile froze, and a hint of panic crossed his eyes.
"Wait! Damn it, don't bring him over here!"
Tsukasa remembered—this guy seemed to be a medical ninja!
Moreover, he was a high-level medical specialist second only to Tsunade among the current Sannin, capable of mastering even advanced healing techniques like the Mystical Palm Technique.
Meanwhile
Outside Yugakure, in an underground chamber beneath a large refugee camp.
Pools of blood stretched endlessly, while piles of withered bones formed grotesque forests.
From deep wind tunnels came faint, mournful howls. A black-robed, pale-faced Jashin cult leader stood beside the blood pool. Suddenly, he turned and looked down.
An equally pale cultist suddenly appeared, dropping to one knee.
"Sir, we've found it."
"Found what?" The cult leader frowned, his gaze ice-cold.
The black-robed subordinate nodded with a sickly smile.
"We've located the child with the special physique you mentioned."
"I just dispatched three elite operatives to that village. They should be retrieving the child shortly."
"With this, we might truly be able to create an immortal vessel!"
The cult leader's eyes narrowed as his lips curved slightly.
"Excellent. Truly excellent."
"Lord Jashin will surely be pleased with this offering!"
Neither of them noticed the small, white-scaled snake lying quietly in a corner of the blood pool.
It silently observed everything within the cavern, flicking out its forked tongue.
Under the Moonlight
As night fell, the sky was cloudless and the full moon shone brilliantly.
A blazing bonfire illuminated the darkness.
Tsukasa slowly opened his eyes.
A girl sat lost in thought on a nearby tree stump, gazing up at the star-filled void above.
Her long, reddish-brown hair fluttered in the wind. As if sensing his awakening, she suddenly turned.
Then Tsukasa saw those same emerald green eyes from earlier that day.
She had removed her hood, revealing a delicate, beautiful face. A strand of reddish-brown hair curled around her pale ear. The rest was pulled back in an elegant bun, gracefully curved like the moon itself.
She looked like a forest spirit descended in moonlight.
"You're awake?"
"Where am I?" Tsukasa struggled to sit up and discovered his body was bandaged again.
He tried moving his right leg and found with amazement that it was healed. Though still somewhat painful, it no longer impaired his movement.
"You killed those Jashin cultists. The villagers don't exactly welcome you anymore. We were all driven out."
The girl crouched down slightly, studying Tsukasa's expression with curiosity before asking:
"I'm curious about something."
"Are you really not afraid of death at all?"
Under the gaze of those clear green eyes, Tsukasa suddenly felt his face flush slightly.
He coughed quickly, changing the subject:
"Have you seen Hidan?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, a resentful voice suddenly called out from nearby—
"Tsukasa, you bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
End of Chapter 33
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)