Locked firmly by Shiraishi's overwhelming mental force, the blood-red giant bat gradually solidified into form. Vicious fangs bared as countless crimson bubbles surged outward, transforming into a storm of bloody wind.
Standing at the center, Shiraishi carefully sensed the fluctuations in the surrounding chakra. His expression grew grave. He hurled Flying Water Shuriken—but to his surprise, they were instantly assimilated by the blood-tinged energy within the bubbles.
The sound waves reverberating through the space resembled a ghostly symphony, chilling to the bone.
Those elusive blood-red bubbles were not created out of nothing. During Shiraishi's brutal battle with the Yamaji clan, they had devoured blood and residual soul-chakra from both sides, merging into the Dream-Eating Bat's power.
Under the glow of a blood-red moon, the bubbles stretched into countless crimson filaments, weaving together like a vast spiderweb that closed in from all directions.
Shiraishi slashed with his silver blade, severing the threads—only for them to mutate instantly into swarms of small bats that lunged toward him.
Translucent bubbles bloomed around Shiraishi, shattering the lesser bats one after another. At that moment, the giant bat beat its wings violently, releasing countless blood blades that shot forward.
Illusion—or reality?
Shiraishi condensed a Cyclone Blade with one hand to block—but the blood-red blades pierced straight through the wind, leaving a thin, burning cut across his body.
The music born of sound waves shifted once more, its violent rhythm throwing Shiraishi's emotions into turmoil. Because part of the bat's abilities had been nurtured by his own chakra, their resonance was deeply unsettling.
The battle blurred the line between real and false, grinding down his patience.
After absorbing so many resentful souls and fragments of Shiraishi's chakra, the Dream-Eating Bat had become extraordinarily troublesome.
He had to break through.
Shiraishi's psychic power flared brilliantly as his surging mental force shattered the illusionary restraints. Yet the bat spiraled upward, generating a massive storm where blood-red bubbles and violent winds intertwined, twisting space itself.
Another illusion!
A murderous sonic wave erupted from the bat's maw, distorting all sensory perception around Shiraishi. The music turned grotesque—hellish—as though he had fallen into the depths of the underworld.
As a creature that fed on dreams, its illusion abilities were terrifyingly amplified. Shiraishi found himself trapped once more within the blood-soaked world. The bat spread its crimson wings wider and wider, its body swelling monstrously as it descended like a specter from the sky.
Just as its colossal fangs were about to swallow Shiraishi whole—
A blue flame ignited on its body.
"You've gone too far."
Boom—!
Azure Flame detonated across the bat's entire form. Amid ear-splitting shrieks, the fire said to have forged the real world revealed its terrifying dominance. It burned away all falsehood, all illusion—leaving the Dream-Eating Bat no escape.
Shiraishi had initially intended to subdue the bat.
But its illusionary power was too dangerous. Forced into a corner, he had no choice but to unleash Azure Flame directly upon it.
Even a creature as powerful as the Dream-Eating Bat could not withstand that ferocity.
Compared to the Desert Blood Wolves, this bat was far more cruel and cunning. Had Azure Flame not caught it off guard, Shiraishi would have been enslaved by its illusions—lost forever in a fabricated nightmare.
Azure Flame could burn even within an illusionary world.
As the surrounding scenery was consumed piece by piece by blue fire, Shiraishi returned to reality—just in time to see a single drop of blood fall into his palm.
"…Could this be its life essence?"
By all logic, the Dream-Eating Bat should have been completely annihilated. Yet clearly, something remained.
Shiraishi was drenched in sweat. A single use of Azure Flame had drained him severely. After barely sealing the residual flame within a Triangular Sand Tower, the blood droplet in his hand resonated with the glasses system.
Absorb and convert?
Upon his confirmation, a translucent egg-shaped card appeared within the system, occupying the second summoning slot.
The system had used the bat's remaining life energy to generate an entirely new summoning entity.
Judging by the progress bar, the creature would require time to hatch. Shiraishi set the matter aside for now, shifting his focus back to the Sunagakure–Iwagakure Joint Chūnin Exams.
Before leaving, the trio had trained extensively in Shiraishi's Cyclone Blade and various auxiliary techniques. Morimoto Ryōji had even begun learning basic medical ninjutsu, greatly improving their survival chances.
However, news soon arrived from the front lines—
Sunagakure had suffered casualties during the exam.
Shiraishi's expression changed instantly.
Bakuton: Gari.
A name unfamiliar to him appeared in the intelligence report. Clearly, this Explosion Release bloodline ninja was Iwagakure's hidden trump card—meant to suppress Sunagakure's forces.
A name unfamiliar to him appeared in the intelligence report. Clearly, this Explosion Release bloodline ninja was Iwagakure's hidden trump card—meant to suppress Sunagakure's forces.
"He's strong," Shiraishi said quietly. "But I believe in them."
"What concerns me more," Ebizō replied, flipping through the detailed battle report, "is that you've already developed the prototype of a Mirage-style illusion."
Shiraishi's fight with the Yamaji clan had revealed his combination of Bubble Technique and Black Mist into a true mirage illusion.
Shiraishi frowned slightly.
"Were there similar users in the past?"
"Have you heard of the Hōzuki clan?"
"The Kirigakure clan… most famous for the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu."
Information was scarce. Kirigakure's secrecy was absolute—even enemies knew little of their former Kage.
"After the Second Mizukage's death, those techniques were lost within the Hōzuki clan."
The Hōzuki clan—one of Kirigakure's most mysterious families—possessed abilities rooted in heredity, though not a true bloodline limit.
The most famous among them was the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu. In the present era, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Hōzuki Mangetsu, also hailed from this lineage.
Unintentionally, Shiraishi had recreated a lost Hōzuki illusion.
Ebizō felt genuine pride.
"Now I'm looking forward to your Fire Spark Technique's future development."
Originally classified as a C-rank technique, Fire Spark—combined with Scorch Release principles—clearly held potential for evolution.
"By merging Scorch Release theory with Fire Spark," Ebizō continued, "you could create a completely unique Fire Release."
Azure Flame would inevitably be revealed one day.
By first evolving Fire Spark through Scorch Release theory, Shiraishi ensured that Azure Flame could later emerge as a legitimate independent creation.
"So that's why," Ebizō mused, "I sensed something like Scorch Release in your residence that day."
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