"You... weren't you caught in my Genjutsu?"
The Iwagakure Chunin blinked, confusion written all over his face.
He had confirmed the injection of Yin Release chakra into the boy's system. The paralysis should have been total.
How is he moving? Did he break it instantly?
He didn't see Kiyohara use a Kai (Release) hand seal, nor did his chakra flare disruptively. It made no sense.
"There's a lot you don't understand," Kiyohara said, a strange, hollow smile on his face.
Or rather, the Missing-nin piloting his body smiled.
Zip.
The next moment, Kiyohara vanished.
He moved faster than a Genin should—faster than most Chunin could track. He closed the gap in a blink, a Kunai already in his hand.
Squelch.
A thin red line appeared on the Iwa-nin's neck.
The man collapsed with a dull thud, clutching his throat, his eyes wide with disbelief.
'A Genin? Impossible... Is this a Jonin in disguise?'
That was his final thought before the darkness took him.
Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu).
"What a fast Shunshin..."
Kurenai watched in awe. To her eyes, Kiyohara had simply teleported.
"Kurenai, target the second one," Kiyohara said, his voice returning to normal as he regained control of his own nervous system.
He crouched down and dragged the corpse into the bushes.
"The smell of blood hasn't traveled yet. If we take out the other guard quietly, the Genin inside won't know what hit them."
"Understood."
Kurenai nodded. She moved like a shadow, flanking the outpost.
The second Iwagakure Chunin was completely unaware that his partner was dead. He was scanning the perimeter when he saw a woman with black, curly hair standing in the clearing.
She made a hand seal.
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"
"Ahhhhh!"
The scarred Chunin screamed, clutching his head.
In his mind, he saw his worst nightmare—his comrades dying, his village burning, his failures magnified a thousand times. He froze, paralyzed by terror.
"He's locked down," Kurenai whispered.
Whoosh.
A shuriken flew from the bushes.
It struck the paralyzed man in the neck, ending the illusion—and his life.
Kiyohara stepped out, retrieving his weapon.
'When people are killed, they die,' he thought pragmatically. 'If I don't kill them, they invade my home and kill me. It's simple math.'
"Enemy attack! Captain Guang and Captain Dazhi are down!"
The remaining two Iwa Genin finally realized what was happening. They burst out of the hut, panic in their eyes.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear!"
One of the Genin slammed his hands onto the ground.
Sharp spikes of hardened mud erupted from the soil, shooting toward Kiyohara like stone missiles. The second Genin mirrored the move.
"Predictable," Kiyohara muttered.
"Lightning Release: Earth Flash (Raiton: Jibashi)!"
He slammed his hands down.
Crack-BOOM!
Pale blue lightning surged through the ground.
Lightning counters Earth. The electricity shattered the structural integrity of the mud spears, causing them to crumble into dust before they reached him.
"Damn it! He's a Lightning user!"
The lead Genin, Teru, cursed. "We're at an elemental disadvantage!"
"Genjutsu..." Kurenai began to form a seal, ready to finish them.
"Retreat!"
Teru grabbed his partner. They didn't hesitate. They abandoned the post and sprinted into the bamboo forest.
"Kurenai, hold your fire," Kiyohara ordered, stopping her.
"Let them go?" Kurenai looked puzzled. "We could have finished them."
"Our goal is distraction, not extermination," Kiyohara explained, watching the fleeing backs of the enemy.
"If we kill them all, nobody reports the attack. If they escape, they tell their commander that a powerful Konoha squad is attacking their rear. That draws reinforcements away from the bridge. That helps Kakashi."
With the Missing-nin acting as an undetectable scout, Kiyohara wasn't afraid of reinforcements.
He finally understood how terrifying Dan Katō's Spirit Transformation Technique truly was.
An invisible assassin that could kill through walls or scout without risk. Its only weakness was that the user's physical body was left vulnerable.
But Kiyohara didn't have that weakness. The Missing-nin was a separate entity. It was the ultimate cheat code.
"I see." Kurenai nodded, impressed. "You really think like a Captain."
"Alright," Kiyohara clapped his hands. "Let's... inventory the assets."
"Inventory?"
"Loot," Kiyohara corrected himself.
He walked into the stronghold.
There were supplies everywhere. Food, maps, spare uniforms.
He ignored the food—too bulky.
He went straight for the ninja tools. Kunai, shuriken, wire, and a few spare flak jackets.
He lifted his shirt and pulled a sealing scroll from his vest.
Poof.
He began sealing the equipment inside.
"Genma, come out!" Kiyohara shouted. "The birds have flown!"
Genma emerged from the bamboo, looking disappointed. "They ran the other way. I didn't get to do anything."
"Don't worry about it. Come help me pack."
"Kiyohara... you brought a storage scroll?" Kurenai asked, surprised.
Most ninja didn't carry them. They were expensive and usually reserved for Chunin leaders or logistics teams. A Genin carrying one was like a student bringing a briefcase to kindergarten.
"If I didn't bring a scroll, all this loot would be wasted," Kiyohara said, shoving a stack of Kunai into the seal.
He had a debt of 700,000 Ryō.
Most of it was gone—spent on Tsunade's lessons, the drugs, and this very scroll. He needed to make a return on his investment.
"Don't be shy," he tossed a pouch of shuriken to Genma. "Take some. It's on the house."
"Uh..."
Genma realized with a start.
'He didn't plan to hold the fort. He planned to rob it.'
....
.....
.....
Support my patreon
patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter