SideCharacter
patreon
Chapter 325-I'm In
🕑 Added 2024-12-19 23:32:32 +0000 UTCThe clearing was deathly silent, save for the faint hum of residual energy hanging in the frosty air. Shimbo Amai crouched near the jagged remains of a broken bone protrusion, his gloved hand brushing its edge. His brow furrowed, the worry etched into his face mirroring the uneasy atmosphere. His companion, Taro, stood a few paces away, arms crossed and eyes scanning their surroundings, but his usual cocky smirk had been replaced by a grim line.
“Lightning chakra,” Taro muttered under his breath, his voice carrying the weight of realization. “And a lot of it.”
Shimbo nodded, his gaze fixed on the ground littered with charred debris and cracked bones. These fragments bore a sickening familiarity—Jei Kaguya’s handiwork, a signature of her grotesque but effective fighting style.
“It’s strange, though,” Shimbo said, breaking the silence. He straightened, brushing dust off his knees. “The lightning chakra—it doesn’t match her techniques. It’s not her.”
Taro turned his head sharply, his jaw tightening. “You sure about that? Maybe that kunoichi from the Kaguya clan was pushed to her limit and had to adapt.”
“No,” Shimbo replied, shaking his head. “This was precise, controlled, and... destructive in a way that doesn’t fit her. It’s not just lightning chakra. Look at these marks.” He gestured to the scorched remains of a tree trunk, the bark stripped cleanly away. “There’s a refinement here. Her jutsus are brutal, yes, but this—this is surgical.”
Taro scoffed lightly, though his unease betrayed him. “Maybe it was one of ours,” he suggested. “Someone from Kumo could’ve gotten mixed up in her fight.”
Shimbo’s eyes narrowed as he glanced back at his partner. “If they were from Kumo, why didn’t they pass through the outpost? We’d have known about it.”
Taro hesitated for a moment, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe they were bu—” His words cut off mid-sentence as his head snapped toward the northern treeline. His entire posture stiffened, his senses flaring.
“Do it,” Taro hissed, his voice a harsh whisper.
Shimbo didn’t question him. With a practised motion, he flicked his wrist, producing a small seal. Channelling his chakra into it, the paper glowed faintly before releasing a pulse of energy.
A few hundred meters away, at the Kumo outpost, a corresponding seal embedded into the wall of the main tent began to glow. The faint hum quickly intensified, catching the attention of a nearby shinobi. His eyes widened in alarm as he shouted, “They are attacking!”
The air in the outpost shifted as the warning bells rang out, the clang echoing through the mountains like a clarion call. Kumo shinobi rushed to their positions, and within moments, a squad was dispatched, sprinting toward the source of the alarm.
Back in the clearing, Shimbo pressed his fingers against the seal again, preparing to flicker away with Taro. But before they could vanish, shadows erupted from the underbrush.
“Kiri shinobi!” Shimbo barked, his voice carrying a sharp edge as his hands flew into a defensive stance.
A kunai whizzed past his ear with a deadly hiss, embedding itself with a thunk in the tree behind him. Shimbo pivoted, narrowly evading the swift strike of a Kiri shinobi lunging at him with a gleaming blade. His heart pounded as his eyes darted around the clearing, assessing the shadows that now seemed alive with movement.
From a distance, Kayo, Jei Kaguya’s trusted subordinate, observed the scene, his dark gaze piercing through the fray. His fingers twitched, itching to unleash an attack, but he held back, calculating.
“I can’t sense Jei-sama anymore,” Kayo muttered under his breath, the realization sinking in like a lead weight.
His fists clenched, the veins on his hands standing out against his pale skin. 'Were these two responsible?' His eyes flicked to Shimbo and Taro, their every move scrutinized.
“No,” he murmured, shaking his head slightly. His mind raced, connecting fragments of the situation.
'They wouldn’t be a problem for her. But the boy from Konoha—' His teeth ground together, the implications cutting deep. Jei’s mission had been clear: detain the young Konoha shinobi. Now, neither Jei nor the boy was in sight.
“Something’s wrong,” Kayo said, his voice low, but the weight of his words carried in the cold air.
Without warning, one of the Kiri shinobi charged toward Shimbo, their roar echoing through the snowy expanse.
“Die! Die, you Kumo scum!”
Shimbo twisted away just in time, the assailant’s blade narrowly missing him. He retaliated with a sharp kick to the ribs, the sound of bone and cartilage crunching beneath his boot.
But the assault didn’t relent. From every angle, more Kiri shinobi emerged from the shadows, their movements fluid and deadly, encircling the two Kumo shinobi like a pack of wolves closing in on prey.
Taro fought alongside Shimbo, his lightning-infused kunai crackling with energy as he parried attack after attack. Sparks flew, illuminating the grim expressions of their adversaries. “Shimbo!” Taro shouted, his voice strained as he deflected another blow.
“We’re outnumbered—we’ve got to—!”
His words were cut short as a kunai struck his shoulder, the force spinning him around before he crumpled to one knee. Blood sprayed across the ragged terrain, vivid and violent. Taro’s breaths came ragged as he clutched at the wound, his vision blurring.
“Damn it!” Shimbo shouted, rage and desperation colouring his tone. He stepped in front of Taro, his movements frantic but calculated, until another blade found its mark. A gasp escaped his lips as crimson stained his throat, and he collapsed, lifeless, onto the ground.
From the tree line, Kayo exhaled sharply, his gaze narrowing further. His partner, Seruka, landed beside him in a crouch. “They’re dead,” Seruka said simply, his tone devoid of emotion.
Kayo’s jaw tightened, his thoughts racing. “If Jei-sama is gone, and the boy is gone too... this wasn’t just an ordinary fight.” He glanced at the battlefield, where Kumo reinforcements had arrived. Seruka's eyes meanwhile mildly twitched.
The Kumo squad approached with haste, their eyes blazing with fury at the sight of their fallen comrades. Their leader barked orders, and the shinobi immediately launched into action, engaging the Kiri forces in a brutal skirmish. Steel clashed against steel, kunai sparked against jutsu, and the air thickened with chakra as both sides fought with relentless vigor.
Kayo moved like a shadow among the chaos, his strikes precise and devastating. Seruka flanked him, covering his blind spots and taking down enemies with swift, lethal efficiency. They were a seamless unit, their coordination a testament to years of training.
A Kumo shinobi lunged at Seruka, their blade aimed for his chest. Seruka sidestepped with ease, his own kunai slicing upward in a deadly arc. But as the Kumo shinobi’s kunai nicked his side, Seruka’s form flickered and dissipated in a burst of smoke. This caused Kaya's eyes to momentarily widen which was enough for one of the Kumo shinobi to severe the connection between his head and body.
Back at the Kumo outpost, Renjiro leaned against the cold stone wall of a shadowed alcove, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. The sound of the distant warning bells had faded, replaced by the muffled chatter of shinobi preparing for the worst.
Renjiro opened his eyes slowly, a faint smirk curling his lips. “It was a huge risk,” he murmured to himself, “but it worked.”
His thoughts were interrupted by the approach of a Kumo shinobi, who stopped abruptly upon spotting him. The shinobi’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Who are you? I don’t recognize—”
Renjiro’s gaze shifted to meet the shinobi’s, his Sharingan spinning into view.
The shinobi froze mid-sentence, his voice faltering as his body tensed. Moments later, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious or maybe dead.
Renjiro stepped away from the wall, his smirk widening. “Finally,” he whispered, his voice low and dangerous, “I’m in Kumo.”
