Chapter 35: The Red Eyes
Hearing Takahashi's voice, the lead guard snarled without looking back, "Who dares to talk nonsense? Seize them!"
Takahashi didn't even glance his way. He flicked his wrist, and several shuriken flew out, embedding themselves between the eyebrows of the other guards. They fell before they could react.
Seeing his men drop dead, the leader finally turned, his face pale but still defiant. "Do you know who you're dealing with? This is the territory of Lord Raiga of the Kurozuka family! If you kill me, he will bury you alive! He will never let you go!"
A cold smile touched Takahashi's lips. "Is that so? How... convenient."
A kunai flashed, slicing through the man's throat. The spray of blood looked stark and vivid against the grey rain, diluting the dark mud into a rosy hue.
The commotion quickly drew the attention of other guards. Master Raiga's funeral ceremonies were sacred. Delaying the schedule meant punishment. They were barely scraping by as it was; none of them wanted to end up in one of those coffins.
No one dared to be late. Their absence could only mean serious trouble, and nothing was more serious than their own lives.
Within moments, dozens of men surrounded them, armed with clubs and blades—the same tools they used to "discipline" the workers.
Looking at these ordinary thugs, Takahashi remembered Tsunade's parting words about training his two inexperienced teammates.
So, with utter shamelessness, he pointed at Hinata and Sakura and yelled, "Get them! These two women killed our comrades!"
Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. What? She glanced back and saw Takahashi had somehow changed into a dead guard's uniform. To anyone else, he looked like one of them.
The enraged mob, none the wiser, surged toward Hinata and Sakura.
The two girls were only genin. Hinata was slightly better, knowing the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist taijutsu. Sakura, however, was practically useless. She had only joined the medical corps recently. Since their encounter with Kimimaro, she had been constantly reflecting on her own weakness.
I'm too weak. I can't rely on others to protect me forever. I have to stand on my own.
It was a strange line of reasoning, one even Takahashi couldn't fathom. If you want to get stronger, why become a medical-nin? That's just counterproductive.
But even dealing with a few dozen ordinary men wasn't easy. These thugs, empowered by the Kurozuka name, were seasoned bullies, many of them former bandits with some combat experience.
While no match for a real ninja, fighting so many at once was complicated. They had to watch for dirty tricks, and with their lack of real battle experience, it was easy to get ambushed in a chaotic brawl.
Fortunately, Hinata was there. Though her resolve wavered, the Hyuga clan's techniques were the real deal. Once she steadied her nerves, she could hold her own. Sakura barely managed to defend herself on the sidelines, while Hinata launched precise counterattacks.
But more and more people poured in. Soon, nearly a hundred men encircled them. Takahashi frowned.
"You two, fall back!" he ordered.
He had seen their weakness in the fight: they were too soft-hearted. On a battlefield, mercy was a cruelty to your comrades. They had been fighting for a while, yet hadn't killed a single person. The most serious injury was a minor cut that didn't hinder the enemy at all.
He called them behind him. A sword of brilliant light materialized in his hand—the Sword of Totsuka. He charged into the mob like a god of death. In an instant, over twenty men fell. The rain quickly washed their blood across the ground, painting it crimson. The remaining men stared in terror, no one daring to advance. No one wanted to die.
The two girls were equally horrified. They knew Takahashi was strong, but they hadn't expected such ruthless, lethal efficiency. He wasn't bloodthirsty, but anyone he struck lost the ability to ever stand again.
As the remaining thugs hesitated between attacking and fleeing, a strange, wailing cry pierced the air. It was a mournful, grating sound, like a wolf howling at a funeral.
Hearing it, the thugs' faces lit up with perverse relief. On any other day, this sound would have made their blood run cold. But now, it was the sweetest music to their ears.
"It's Lord Raiga!" one of them shouted. "Lord Raiga is here! He will punish these criminals and avenge our brothers!"
Before the man could finish, a powerful surge of electricity shot across the wet ground, instantly charring him to a crisp. The current didn't stop, racing straight toward Takahashi and the girls.
Takahashi didn't flinch. He simply drew a line in the earth with his light sword. The electrical current fizzled and vanished.
The attacker on the other side was visibly startled. He hadn't expected his attack to be neutralized so easily.
A figure slowly revealed himself. He wore a large hat, shadowing his face, and carried what looked like a sleeping bag on his back. It wasn't large, and a child's voice could be heard murmuring from within.
This was Raiga. And behind him was his partner, a boy named Ranmaru.
The little boy peeked out. His eyes were a startling, vivid red, similar to the Byakugan but distinctly different. Hinata gasped.
"Could those be... the Red Eyes?"
Sakura, standing beside her, was confused. She'd only heard of the Byakugan. What were the "Red Eyes"?
Takahashi explained quietly, "It's another rare Kekkei Genkai. A dōjutsu, a visual jutsu. This power is considered a natural rival to the Byakugan. It can see through objects and perceive chakra. If the user senses danger, they can warn their partner in time. Its most troublesome ability is using chakra to create illusions that can interfere with the Byakugan. And its ability to observe chakra is even stronger than the Byakugan's."
Sakura was stunned that this little boy possessed such power. "Then... what do we do?" she asked nervously.
Takahashi gave her a flat look. "That's your problem. I'm just the babysitter."