Naruto: IHCS Ch. 146

Land of Grass.

Three figures walked beneath the sky. Aoki walked at the front. His steps were steady, his gaze sharp, constantly scanning every movement around them.

The whole of the Land of Grass had become a battlefield between Konoha and Iwa. Moving within its borders meant they had to stay endlessly vigilant. His nerves rarely had a chance to relax. A short distance behind him followed Shiratori and Nagato.

On Shiratori's back was his katana as always. His short black hair was tousled by the wind, and his blue eyes looked curiously around. He had packed his belongings into a sealing scroll, only the sword hung at his side.

Nagato was silent all the way, his Rinnegan hidden beneath his red hair and lowered eyelids.

They had stayed in that little town for quite a while, it was time to move on.

A crow soared through the sky above, scouting ahead for Shiratori.

The suffering of the Land of Grass was like an endless wasteland, no borders in sight.

Their destination was the next village near the frontlines.

"Through the valley ahead, half a day's walk more and we should reach the next town."

Aoki stopped, waiting for Shiratori and Nagato to come up beside him. He pointed toward the narrow pass between two low hills. He had once fought against Konoha on the lands of the Land of Grass. He couldn't claim to know the terrain well, but he was certainly more familiar with it than Shiratori and Nagato.

Following Aoki's pointing finger, Shiratori's pupils briefly lost focus. A moment later, he nodded and smiled.

"Alright."

Through the eyes of the crow flying far ahead, he had already seen the town.

Nagato gave a slight nod. He was always this quiet, Aoki was long used to it.

Shiratori's gaze passed over the plain before them, falling upon a faintly visible wooden bridge at the mountain pass.

It was an old bridge, spanning a dried riverbed.

The wood, weathered by wind and sun, had turned gray-black and looked far from sturdy.

The three of them walked toward it.

Aoki frowned, unease growing the closer they got.

An inexplicable sense of oppression flickered across Nagato's mind. The Rinnegan shifted, scanning their surroundings.

He pressed his lips together, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes. He said nothing, but his guard was fully raised.

Among the three, only Shiratori continued forward as if nothing were wrong, and soon they neared the bridge.

[Killing Intent detected]
[Multiple sources: +3000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 24,000 points]
[Curse Growth - Killing Intent: 16.3%]

Shiratori sighed inwardly. Even pretending not to notice was impossible now. Unless he ever met someone who wanted to kill him but bore no killing intent.

Was that even possible?

He doubted such a person existed.

The wind seemed to die here, the surroundings unnaturally quiet.

Only the crunch of their footsteps on gravel and the faint groan of old wood in the wind broke the silence.

Aoki's frown deepened.

Too quiet.

Even the usual insects and birds were gone. His hand silently reached toward the pouch strapped to his thigh. Every nerve in his body tensed. He instinctively stepped closer to Shiratori and Nagato, lowering his voice:

"Shiratori, Nagato, something's not ri—"

Before he could finish, an ambush exploded into motion.

Just as they were within thirty paces of the bridge, from behind the rocks on both sides of the dry riverbed, and from the eroded boulders at the bridgehead, seven or eight figures suddenly burst out.

All wore the flak jackets of Iwa ninjas, moving with the speed and coordination of hunters who had long been lying in wait.

No warning, no words, killing intent surged like a flood, drowning the three of them.

"Enemy attack! Scatter!"

Aoki's shout cracked the air like thunder.

Reacting purely on instinct, his hands flew through seals.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Boom!

A thick wall of earth shot up from the bridge deck, barely blocking the rain of shuriken and kunai fired from the front.

The clattering impacts rang out one after another, the wall instantly bristling with gleaming metal.

But the assault came from every direction, not just ahead.

Even as Aoki defended the front, ninjas from both flanks and the rear leapt up, weapons flashing coldly as they hurled them toward Shiratori and Nagato.

Shiratori's hand gripped the hilt of his blade.

"Shiratori!"

Nagato reacted with startling speed.

He was no longer the boy who once stood frozen, waiting for others to save him.

The Rinnegan flared, a chill light bursting forth.

He thrust out both hands toward the incoming shuriken.

Bang!

A wave of invisible repulsive force rippled outward from him, sweeping across the air.

The projectiles flying toward them were instantly blasted away.

Shing!

A sharp blade came down toward Nagato's back.

Shiratori's sword intercepted it mid-strike, steel met steel, sparks flying.

A needle of mercury shot from his blade toward the attacking ninja.

The Iwa ninja's pupils contracted sharply. He tried to pull back, to escape the silver dart, but he was a step too late.

"Aaaahhh!"

He clutched his eyes, blood spilling through his fingers.

[Hatred detected: +3000 points]
[Energy transferred to Mahito]
[Development progress: 68.5%]

A long blade sliced past Aoki's back, splintering the bridge planks where he had just been standing. Seeing that Shiratori and Nagato were unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned his full attention to the enemies attacking him.

"Take out the two brats first!"

A voice dripping with killing intent shouted from among the Iwa ninjas.

[Killing Intent detected: +3000 points]
[Curse Growth - Killing Intent: 16.6%]

Another Iwa ninja swung his sword toward Nagato. His strikes were ruthless, meant to kill in a single blow, the mark of a veteran of countless battles.

"Nagato, watch out!" Aoki roared.

He himself was already entangled with two Iwa chunin. Several kunai wrapped with explosive tags shot toward Shiratori and Nagato.

BOOM!

The explosions filled the air with fire and thick smoke.

"Nagato! Shiratori!"

Aoki's pupils contracted as the two were swallowed by the blast and smoke.

"You'd better worry about yourself first."

A cold voice came from his flank.

Aoki gritted his teeth, raising his kunai just in time to parry the oncoming long blade. His eyes burned red, glaring fiercely at the Iwa ninja before him.

The bridge was narrow, there was almost no room to dodge or maneuver.

The enemy fought in perfect pairs, alternating their attacks, wearing down Aoki's stamina and chakra bit by bit.

Wind swept across the bridge, blowing away the thick smoke, and the figures of Shiratori and Nagato emerged.

A massive, transparent jellyfish glowing with blue light surrounded them, its countless tendrils stretching outward toward the Iwa ninjas.

"What the hell?!"

"A kid?!"

"..."

Nagato looked up at the luminous creature enveloping them.

The Iwa ninjas hesitated, wary of the strange apparition before them.

Inside the jellyfish, Shiratori clenched the fingers of his right hand.

The floating blue jellyfish above them seemed to respond instantly.

Its countless thin tendrils went taut all at once, like a rain of venomous needles, locking onto every enemy in sight.

A heartbeat later, the tendrils shot forth.

The Iwa ninjas' pupils shrank. They tried to defend and evade, but one of them was a moment too slow.

A tendril pierced straight into his body.

His eyes widened in shock, bulging from their sockets.

His mouth opened soundlessly, only a choking "ghk... ghk..." came from his throat.

His body went numb.

Completely paralyzed.

Thud.

He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, limbs curled inward, face frozen in terror and helplessness.

[Fear detected: +4000 points]
[Energy transferred to Hanami]
[Development progress: 92.5%]

Aoki stared, wide-eyed, at the enormous jellyfish floating above Shiratori and Nagato.

Shock and disbelief filled his gaze.

What was that?

A new cursed spirit?

The intel on Shiratori circulating through the shinobi world... was nothing compared to this.

He tore his eyes away from Shiratori and Nagato. How could he forget, neither of them were ordinary boys. Their strength far surpassed his own.

He'd better focus on the enemies in front of him.

Shiratori stepped out from the glowing jellyfish, his blade flashing with a sharp, white light.

In the next instant, his figure vanished, leaving only a pale afterimage in the air.

So fast!

The Iwa ninjas' pupils shrank in alarm.

Clang!

The ringing of steel echoed through the gorge. The blade flashed like a crescent moon.

Two Iwa ninjas rushing at Shiratori barely had time to raise their kunai before a cold sensation sliced across their wrists, followed by searing pain.

Their tendons had been cut in an instant. Their weapons clattered to the ground.

But the blade didn't stop, it flowed like a living thing, tracing a deadly arc through the air. Two more Iwa ninjas who had flanked from the sides screamed as invisible force smashed into the sides of their knees. The cartilage and ligaments gave way beneath the impact of his blade, and they fell to the ground, crippled and howling.

It had all happened in a flash.

Shiratori's form moved fluidly through the narrow bridge.

These Iwa ambushers weren't jonin, and to him, they posed little challenge.

His taijutsu grew sharper with every motion.

His swordsmanship held not an ounce of wasted flourish, every movement honed for maximum precision and destruction, striking directly at joints and tendons, the body's most fragile points.

Even when his opponents were highly skilled in close combat, Shiratori could still create openings by force, through sheer technique, using Nanami Kento's Ratio Technique.

While Shiratori fought, Nagato moved as well.

Ripples flickered through the Rinnegan.

His hands blurred through seals far faster than any ordinary ninja could manage.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

A roaring surge of water rose beneath his feet, crashing outward like a broken dam toward the surrounding enemies.

But he wasn't done yet.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust burst from Nagato's mouth, tearing through the battlefield, slamming into the Iwa ninjas head-on.

Beside him, the massive jellyfish continued its relentless assault, tendrils striking again and again.

The overwhelming attacks left the Iwa ninjas with no room to counter.

Moments ago they had been brimming with killing intent, now, every one of them lay defeated on the ground.