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Whoosh—
Just like before, the moment before the lightning struck, Team 8 had already vanished with a Body Flicker.
Four afterimages—one in front and three behind—charged toward Kurosuki on the mountain path in the standard ninja sprinting posture.
Seeing this, Kurosuki calmly sheathed his twin swords and leisurely began forming hand seals.
Recognizing the jutsu from the hand signs, Kurenai immediately formed her own seals.
In the next instant, her body distorted like a desert mirage and disappeared from the sight of Ryūsei, his three companions, and Kurosuki.
"A genjutsu user, huh? What a pitiful woman!"
Far from being alarmed, Kurosuki instead shed exaggerated tears, theatrically wailing, "Ah… I can't wait to see you sobbing in despair!"
"She's coming. Two o'clock direction, Kurosuki."
A youthful voice, audible only to Kurosuki, echoed once more from beneath the raincoat on his back.
Without a hint of doubt, Kurosuki drew his twin swords again, crossing them as he aimed downward at the charging Team 8.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
Lightning-natured chakra surged along the blades, converging at their tips and forming a crackling sphere of electricity.
Just as Team 8 assumed Kurosuki would launch the lightning ball at Ryūsei's group as a ranged attack—
Kurosuki suddenly grinned and abruptly redirected the blades, firing the lightning ball elsewhere.
Bzzzt—!
The moment the lightning ball shot forward, it collided with something invisible in midair, exploding into a web of electric arcs.
"Ahhh—!"
A scream rang out as a convulsing figure materialized within the lightning— Kurenai.
She had clearly not expected to be detected.
Even less had she anticipated that Kurosuki's attack on Ryūsei's group was merely a feint.
Struck by the lightning ball, Kurenai's body spasmed violently before she plummeted from the mountainside, seemingly electrocuted into unconsciousness.
"Kurenai-sensei…!"
Hinata cried out in shock.
Ryūsei, however, frowned—not because Kurenai had been instantly defeated, but because his three-tomoe Sharingan had once again caught sight of those red particles.
He was absolutely certain that the earlier illusion had been caused by these red particles.
Hinata's Byakugan had also been neutralized by this ability.
But try as he might, he couldn't recall what kekkei genkai this was.
The only thing he knew for sure was that this ability had never appeared in the main storyline.
Having transmigrated twelve years ago, Ryūsei had spent his early years meticulously documenting major plot points and key abilities while his memories were still fresh.
Yet, with Naruto's countless filler arcs and anime-original content—much of which he hadn't fully watched in his past life—he couldn't place this particular power, though it felt vaguely familiar.
But now wasn't the time for careful analysis.
Seeing Kurenai fall victim to Kurosuki's trick, Ryūsei, as the squad leader, immediately issued orders:
"Hinata, tend to Kurenai-sensei!"
With that, he grabbed Hinata's arms, spun her around, and hurled her through the air.
Mid-flight, Hinata caught Kurenai—whose body was scorched and steaming—before channeling chakra to her feet and sprinting down the mountainside toward the ground.
"Shino, protect Hinata and Kurenai-sensei. Adapt as needed."
Ryūsei formed a hand seal and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
White smoke dispersed, revealing five shadow clones surrounding him.
In the next instant, Ryūsei and his clones scattered like blurs, flickering across the mountainside as they charged toward Kurosuki.
"Kurosuki, be careful. This guy is strong."
The boy's voice whispered into Kurosuki's ear again. "His chakra reserves dwarf yours. That earlier water tornado was his doing."
Hearing this, Kurosuki—who had initially planned to toy with Team 8 like a cat with mice, exhausting them before holding their "funeral"—immediately sheathed his swords and formed seals.
"Ninja Art: Rock Avalanche!"
Rumble…!
The ground trembled as boulders tore free from the mountainside, crashing toward Ryūsei and his clones.
Yet, in the next moment, Kurosuki's expression twisted in shock.
Because Ryūsei, too, was forming hand seals—the same ones.
"Ninja Art: Rock Avalanche!"
The tremors traveled upward. Kurosuki looked up just as an avalanche of rocks cascaded down from above.
"Who the hell is this guy?!"
Kurosuki's eyes widened in disbelief before he instantly flickered away from the path, leaping toward the ground below.
Ryūsei and his clones also kicked off the mountainside, soaring through the air.
Mid-flight, four of the clones began preparing a combination technique.
Two clones formed seals and unleashed a massive surge of water: "Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
The other two clones spun their hands, shaping the water into spiraling whirlpools before hurling them at Kurosuki—who, now airborne, had no means of evasion.
"Water Release: Spiral Water Tornado!"
Even from a distance, Kurosuki could feel the terrifying suction force of the whirlpools. Letting them near was not an option.
Gritting his teeth, he drew his swords again, flooding them with lightning chakra as he roared:
"Lightning Blade Technique: Falling Thunder!"
With a swing of his arms, two colossal blue-white lightning slashes tore through the air, intercepting the water tornadoes.
The half-formed whirlpools burst like punctured balloons, drenching Ryūsei in a downpour.
Landing atop a rolling boulder, Kurosuki flickered to the ground.
But the moment his feet touched earth, the boy's panicked voice rang in his ears:
"Kurosuki, MOVE!"
Kurosuki snapped his gaze upward—only to see Ryūsei already in a throwing stance.
But what he held wasn't a water tornado.
It was a spear.
A spear forged from swirling water.
Beside him, another clone stood with hands still sealed, having just finished exhaling the water.
Ryūsei's gaze never left Kurosuki. The instant their eyes met, Ryūsei's pupils contracted slightly.
Then—
Kurosuki's vision exploded into a world of crimson.
His body had seemingly been transported to another dimension.
Or perhaps… his consciousness had.
No longer standing in the stormy mountains, he now found himself in a blood-red void.
He couldn't move.
His body was pinned in place by enormous black stakes.
The only part of him still functional was his eyes.
When he strained his gaze upward, his pupils shrank to pinpricks.
Hanging in the crimson sky were two moon-like orbs.
Eyes.
Red irises, adorned with three rotating black tomoe.
The… the Sharingan?!
Kurosuki tried to scream the name of these eyes, but his jaw refused to open.
Crack—!
Suddenly, the crimson world fractured like glass before shattering entirely.
Reality snapped back into place.
The moment Kurosuki regained control of his body, agony and dizziness exploded in his skull.
Looking down, he saw the blue water spear already embedded in his chest.
Along with it, the lump beneath his raincoat had also been impaled.
BOOM—!
The spear detonated like a cannonball, erupting into a colossal water vortex.
These two techniques were none other than—
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
And—
"Water Release: Water Vortex Spear!"
*****
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