The beast prowled closer, its blue eyes flickering erratically, steam rising from its back like it was boiling from within. Kiyoshi crouched low behind the ruined tree trunk, blood dripping from his brow.
His left arm ached—likely fractured—but his right was steady.
"One chance…"
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small scroll—an old tool of the Chinoike clan, sealed with blood. With a quick bite to his thumb, he drew a line across the parchment and released the jutsu with a whispered chant.
"Blood Release: Crimson Bind."
Red tendrils erupted from the scroll like snakes—threads of hardened blood chakra—whipping through the forest and wrapping around the mutated creature mid-lunge.
It howled in rage, thrashing violently, but the blood tendrils coiled tighter, digging into its flesh and binding its limbs.
Kiyoshi stepped forward, eyes glowing.
"You were human once… weren't you?"
The beast hissed—then spoke again, its voice cracking.
"He… changed… me…"
Kiyoshi's breath caught.
"Who? Who did this to you?"
But the creature roared in agony—chakra bursting from its core. The bindings began to tremble. Kiyoshi's eyes widened.
"It's going to explode!"
He channeled chakra into his legs and leapt back, moments before the creature unleashed a violent shockwave, shattering the Crimson Bind and collapsing the trees around them.
Smoke filled the forest once more. Kiyoshi coughed, rolling to his feet.
Out of the mist, the beast limped forward. Bloodied. Slower. It was weakening—but not done.
"One more move."
Kiyoshi closed his eyes, centering his chakra. He wasn't strong enough to win by brute force—but he could outthink it.
He formed a seal with one hand.
"Genjutsu: Mirror of Regret."
The Ketsuryugan shimmered, and the beast suddenly froze—its eyes locking with Kiyoshi's. The technique didn't trap it in illusion—it forced it to relive its last memory.
The creature began to twitch. Tremble.
"N—No… please… I don't want to… become…"
It howled in anguish, collapsing to its knees.
The red mist from Kiyoshi's eyes faded. He stepped forward carefully, pain shooting through his side.
The beast looked up one last time, its eyes clearing just enough for one final whisper.
"Mountain… black roots… experiment…"
And then, with a gasp, it passed out.
Kiyoshi stood over it, chest heaving, heart pounding.
The battle was over.
He looked down at his hands—shaking, bloodied, but victorious.
"A mountain… black roots…" he muttered. "This wasn't random."
Whoever had experimented on this creature was still out there.
He tied a tracking tag to the beast's leg and activated a summoning beacon. ANBU would find it soon.
As he limped out of the forest, the moonlight catching the silver in his hair, a quiet voice echoed in his thoughts.
"You've chosen freedom, Kiyoshi. But you'll only earn it if you're strong enough to take it."
His path forward had become clearer.
But the shadows were only beginning to move.
[End of Chapter 7]