The Cloud genin, now in a berserk state, had completely surrendered to instinct—only destruction remained. He opened his mouth and spat out a massive blue fireball, nearly the size of a basin, then lunged forward on all fours, propelled by explosive strength.
The two attacks came in rapid succession. Even if Hoshiyomi dodged the fireball, the charging genin would tear him apart.
Without hesitation, Hoshiyomi unleashed an incomplete Crescent Moon Slash.
The arc of his slash cut narrowly past the fireball; Hoshiyomi could smell the singed ends of his own hair from the searing heat. He just barely dodged the fireball—and, by extension, the follow-up pounce.
Before the genin could turn, Hoshiyomi countered with a backhanded slash across his back. He'd put his full strength into the blow—under normal circumstances, it could have cut a man clean in half. But protected by the Two-Tails' chakra cloak, the strike left only a shallow gash.
It didn't cripple him. It only enraged him.
The Cloud genin spun and swung his remaining arm at Hoshiyomi's face with brutal force. Hoshiyomi raised his blade just in time to block, but even then, the wind from the strike burned his cheek.
He silently thanked himself for having severed the guy's other arm earlier—if this had been a double strike, he might not have had time to dodge at all.
That thought had barely passed when a gust of wind roared from behind. Hoshiyomi's gut twisted.
Too close.
He couldn't react.
Despite trying to evade, a crushing blow slammed into his side.
A chakra tail—formed from the Two-Tails' energy—had emerged behind the berserker.
Caught off guard, Hoshiyomi was thrown across the clearing. But his instincts still kicked in. While airborne, he stabbed Mikazuki Munechika into the ground, anchoring himself before he could be flung farther.
He sucked in a sharp breath, gritting his teeth through the burn in his side.
His entire flank had been scorched by the tail's blazing chakra—charred and disfigured even through his clothes. Had it touched bare skin, it would have cooked him alive.
But there was no time to worry about wounds.
The creature roared again and charged.
The Cloud genin had already possessed jōnin-level power in close combat. Now, with the Two-Tails' chakra bolstering him, his speed and strength were on a whole other level.
Even Hoshiyomi started to feel the pressure.
If it were only strength and speed, he could manage. But the chakra flames were what made the battle terrifying—just a single graze meant deep burns that were hard to recover from mid-combat.
After several clashes, Mikazuki Munechika began to glow faintly red. If it had been a standard ninja blade, it would've warped under the heat and force by now.
Still, the rampage came at a cost.
This berserker state couldn't last forever. Hoshiyomi could already sense the genin's strength waning.
A minute more. Maybe less.
He just had to last that long.
Then—voices from the woods:
"Lord Kiru! The boy is here! He's alone—fighting something!"
Hoshiyomi's stomach dropped.
You've got to be kidding me.
He'd almost finished this—and now more enemies?
No time to hesitate.
He activated another Crescent Moon Slash to evade the next claw swipe, and in the same motion, drew the dagger strapped to his thigh—a weapon that had gone unused for nearly thirty chapters.
One clean backstab, aimed true.
The dagger pierced the genin's heart.
Because the chakra flames had boiled away much of his blood, the wound didn't bleed much. But it didn't need to. His heart was gone.
The berserker collapsed to the ground, twitching, gasping his final breaths.
Hoshiyomi didn't pause.
He didn't even bandage his own side.
He ran—full speed—in the opposite direction of the voice he'd heard.
"Run? Where do you think you're going?"
He had only taken a few steps when the voice echoed behind him—and then a flash of red light erupted from the forest ahead.
It surged upward like a flare, then crashed down around him, forming a massive, blood-red cage, nearly a hundred square meters in size.
Trapped.
What the hell? What kind of technique is this?
Which village has jutsu on this scale? This is way too overkill for just one genin.
Hoshiyomi considered brute force. He slashed at the glowing wall with all his might.
Nothing.
It didn't even flicker.
A voice spoke from behind him: "Don't waste your strength. That's the divine art of the Evil God. You're not getting out."
Hoshiyomi turned. Seven, maybe eight people were slowly approaching from all sides.
Apparently, he'd been surrounded the whole time—while fighting the Cloud genin, they had moved in.
But who are they? What ninja village would go this far just to capture me?
No one should know my identity. Konoha kept it locked down.
A temporary alliance? Unlikely—they don't have forehead protectors. And they all look older than fifteen...
What the hell is going on?
Before he could sort it out, the same man's voice returned—excited, almost giddy:
"Perfect—you're even injured. That makes this easier."
He turned to the others.
"Start the ritual. This is the Evil God's command. We cannot fail."
Hoshiyomi followed the voice—and finally saw him.
A man in his late thirties, maybe early forties. Judging by how reverently the others looked at him, this was Kiru.
So he was real.
Hoshiyomi frowned, eyes narrowing. "What village are you from? Why go to all this trouble just for me?"
"Trouble?" Kiru smiled, calm and radiant, like a priest delivering a sermon.
"This isn't trouble, child. This is destiny. The Evil God has chosen you. He wants you by his side. He wants you to join the Kaga Cult—become part of our family."
Gekkō Hoshiyomi: "...You're insane."
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