—Buzz!
In the next instant, Kenya curled his knuckle against the blade, the tip of his index finger pressing lightly against its edge.
—Slash!
A flash.
In front of Darui's chest, and behind him where C was sprinting, along with a dozen other Cloud Jōnin—wounds suddenly opened as if their bodies were water jars smashed apart. Blood poured out endlessly.
There was no time to scream. Within a heartbeat, the Cloud Jōnin collapsed in a pool of crimson, never to rise again.
[Current Template Character: Lord of the Hōgyoku – Aizen Sōsuke. Unlock Progress: 53.46%]
"Oh? Even after taking down such a large group of Jōnin-level shinobi at once, the 'July Seventh' only increased the unlock rate by this little? …I expected diminishing returns, but this slow?"
Kenya thought to himself with mild disappointment.
—Thud!
Darui's last strength drained away, his machete slipping from his grasp as he crashed to the ground.
—Splatter.
The fresh wound on his chest opened wider, staining the dirt beneath him red.
"No… impossible. Just now… I didn't even see it…"
Darui's eyes dulled in disbelief.
Kenya's voice came from behind him, calm and mocking. "As expected from Cloud's number two. But in the end… still shallow."
Darui's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He wanted to turn, to look, but his body no longer obeyed.
"Why…? Just a moment ago, he was still in front of me!"
The sheer impossibility of it left his mind blank.
A few meters away, C staggered, his left shoulder and collarbone nearly cleaved away. His eyes were wide with shock. But unlike Darui's confusion, C had seen it—
When Kenya blocked Darui's strike with a single finger, his form rippled like water and vanished.
Darui never noticed, believing Kenya to still be in front of him. But in truth, at the very instant the blade was stopped, Kenya's body had reappeared in the midst of their group.
And in less than a blink, he unleashed more than a dozen precise cuts—each wound unique, each strike too fast for the eye to follow.
If he had simply swung sword energy, all of them would have been dead already.
"No… it isn't just making us see something else. His ability is complete control over vision itself. He can alter touch… even time perception. Yes… it has to be that!"
C's arm trembled violently, fingers struggling to form a seal. He had only one thought left—
I must tell Lord Raikage this truth.
But before he could complete his transmission, a towering shadow fell over him, blotting out the sunlight.
"Did you glimpse it? Just the tip of Kyōka Suigetsu's ability… impressive."
Kenya smiled down at him. "But it's unfortunate—you're an enemy. I can't let you live."
Even without exerting his Reiatsu, C's face twitched uncontrollably, seized by fear. Yet, despite the terror, his right hand still fought to complete the seal.
"Forcing yourself past fear to warn your comrades… admirable."
C braced for the blade to fall and end him.
But instead, Kenya sheathed his sword and turned away.
"Lord Kenya?"
Mangetsu and the others looked at him in confusion. There were supposed to be no prisoners in this war. No negotiations. No mercy.
Kenya glanced back with a faint smile. "A man willing to sacrifice himself to send one final warning—that's worth respecting. Let him fulfill his last mission. When he meets Raikage in the afterlife, he won't have to carry regret."
It was arrogance. Scorn. He allowed the message to be sent because he was certain it would change nothing.
C seethed at the humiliation. But he had no strength left to curse. All he could do was pour the remainder of his chakra into the transmission.
Seconds later, his trembling hand lowered—his message had been sent.
Darui's soul was already drawn into the Hōgyoku. And soon, C's would follow.
"Is that really wise, sensei?"
Temari asked quietly, concern flickering in her eyes.
As shinobi, they all knew the weight of information. Sometimes, knowledge alone could tip the scales of battle.
Kenya chuckled. "Don't worry. This war with the Cloud will end with Raikage's next move. For now… let's return to camp, calm ourselves, and enjoy a cup of black tea."
He waved a hand dismissively, walking away. "Full Moon. Send him off."
Mangetsu smirked. "Hmph. I never liked him anyway."
Unsheathing Hiramekarei, he stepped toward C. The two were close in age, but there was no sympathy in his eyes.
—Slash!
Blood sprayed as Hiramekarei severed flesh and bone.
Mangetsu's liquefied body repelled the splatter, leaving him unstained as C's soul slipped free, drawn into the Hōgyoku.
A familiar chime rang in Kenya's mind.
[Current Template Character: Aizen Sōsuke – Lord of the Hōgyoku. Unlock Progress: 54.62%]