The violent explosion erupted, completely engulfing the bound genin.
The young man who had desperately tried to save his companion was blown flying. Akishima sprang out of the underbrush at once, leaping toward the youth.
At that very moment, Kuromori also burst out from hiding, his hands rapidly forming seals.
"Water Release! Water Shuriken Technique!"
Several water shuriken condensed out of thin air and shot straight toward Akishima.
Akishima immediately pulled the umbrella from his back and snapped it open. Spinning in midair, he kicked the youth with one foot, sending him flying toward a safe spot, while the umbrella blocked the incoming water shuriken.
Clang! Clang!
Kuromori's kunai slashed into the umbrella, tearing a gap in the canopy. As Akishima continued to rotate, he forced Kuromori back.
After the brief exchange, the two separated and returned to their respective positions.
Akishima stared coldly at the forehead protector on Kuromori's brow.
"We're both Rain ninja. Why attack us?"
A frigid smile crept across Kuromori's face. He tapped his forehead protector with a finger.
"You're in the way."
Seeing that smile, Akishima let out a helpless sigh.
"Another factional conflict?"
Because of this internal struggle, Amegakure was already showing signs of splitting apart. Now it had reached the point of openly hunting each other down.
According to Masakado's original thinking, this small city shouldn't have been particularly dangerous.
But reality proved otherwise.
Then again, it wasn't exactly that Masakado was wrong. If this were earlier, Kuromori truly wouldn't have dared do something like this. He would've handed things over obediently and left.
But who told him he now had Hyuga Arin at his side?
After being egged on by that guy, Kuromori was now charging straight down a path of no return.
(Hyuga Arin: How is this my fault?)
"I also respect Lord Hanzo," Akishima said, trying to rein in his anger.
"But tearing the village apart like this will only turn Lord Hanzo into a sinner as well."
He didn't want to fight this meaningless battle—though they had already lost one man.
"Lord Hanzo can never be wrong!" Kuromori snapped, cutting him off. His hands flew through seals.
Dragon–Ox–Rabbit.
"Water Release: Violent Water Wave!"
A torrent of water burst from Kuromori's mouth, surging toward Akishima.
Akishima was struck head-on—yet his body instantly turned into a log.
Substitution Technique.
Kuromori suddenly looked up.
The shattered umbrella was floating in midair.
At some point, Akishima had slipped behind him onto a nearby tree, his hands forming the Rooster seal.
That seal—
"Ninja Art: Senbon Rainfall!"
Needles poured down from the umbrella. Kuromori could only move frantically to dodge, but the senbon seemed guided, tracking him as they fell.
He rolled across the ground, darted and leaped, pulling a long distance away before finally escaping the barrage.
Akishima had no intention of holding back now. He charged straight toward Kuromori.
…
On the other side, the Rain ninja youth landed heavily on the ground. Just as he tried to get up, a sharp kunai was silently pressed against his neck.
"I suggest you don't make any movements that might cause a misunderstanding," Hyuga Arin said softly, standing behind him with the kunai in hand.
He deliberately kept his tone gentle, trying not to provoke an extreme reaction.
The youth swallowed hard. He hadn't noticed at all how the other had appeared behind him.
The cold sharpness against his neck made goosebumps erupt all over his skin.
He dared not move, but he still forced out a question.
"We're all from Amegakure. Why attack us? Have you betrayed the village?"
Hyuga Arin watched the distant battle and had no immediate intention of taking the boy's life. Hearing the question, he kindly explained,
"We haven't betrayed anyone. This is just factional conflict. You know it too—the struggle between the Rain Shadow and Lord Hanzo."
The youth asked in disbelief,
"Just for that, you're willing to kill?"
Hyuga Arin didn't turn his gaze, but he still answered calmly,
"Of course. A village can't have two leaders. When two leaders exist, one must disappear. Otherwise, Amegakure will only keep tearing itself apart."
Whether Amegakure split or not had nothing to do with him. But the longer Amegakure held on in the future war, the longer the war would last.
The youth stubbornly retorted,
"You won't succeed."
Hyuga Arin finally looked down at him, genuinely surprised.
"Where does that confidence come from?"
"Is it that?" He pointed to the other side.
A Rain genin lay there, his entire body wrapped in steel wire, a shuriken embedded in his neck—clearly dead.
That was the youth's last remaining companion.
One had been blown to pieces. Another had fallen into a trap and been killed by shuriken.
Now only he and Akishima remained—and Akishima was locked in battle, while he himself was being held hostage.
Defeat.
A complete, crushing defeat.
The youth's face twisted with frustration.
"Then what are you waiting for? Why not just kill me? Are you planning to use me to threaten Chūnin Akishima? That won't work."
As he spoke, he suddenly lunged backward, slamming himself toward the kunai.
Seeing this, Hyuga Arin simply slashed the blade across his neck.
"What a hassle," Hyuga Arin sighed helplessly.
The reason he hadn't killed the kid wasn't to use him as leverage—it was to use him as a smokescreen.
That way, he wouldn't have to go help Kuromori.
Since the kid was seeking death himself, Hyuga Arin had no intention of stopping him. He might as well send him on his way.
Fortunately, Kuromori had no spare attention to look his way. Hyuga Arin quickly dragged the corpse aside and hid it.
He glanced at the experience notifications before his eyes.
[Experience 356]
[Experience 345]
[Experience 654]
That last kid looked fairly strong, unfortunately with no chance to show it before losing his life.
Hyuga Arin melted back into the shadows, continuing to observe the battle.
…
Kuromori's kunai slashed through Akishima's body—yet it passed through like empty air. In contrast, Akishima's punch slammed into Kuromori's face, sending him flying.
He adjusted his posture midair and landed steadily on a tree.
At that moment, figures of Akishima appeared everywhere—on trees, on the ground, on rocks.
"Waterfall Clone Technique."
Kuromori's expression turned grave as he stared at the countless Akishimas.
This was a classic Amegakure technique. After using it, the real body hid underground, while clone phantoms were used to confuse the enemy.
When no attack was needed, the user stayed hidden beneath the earth. When it was time to strike, they emerged in sync with the clones, making it seem as if the clones possessed physical attack power.
It was a ninTechnique with deception maxed out.
There were two ways to break it.
The simplest was to use Earth Release, which could easily counter it.
But Kuromori didn't know Earth Release.
The second was to seize the moment when the real body emerged and land a decisive blow.
But how could he possibly tell when that moment would be?
And this was a chūnin using the technique—the level of deception was even higher.
Kuromori had fallen into serious danger.
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