After leaving Konoha a certain distance, Haruma transformed into his original form.
However, in order to avoid running into any Leaf shinobi on the road who might question why he was carrying out a mission alone, the first thing Haruma did upon canceling his transformation technique was to tuck away the genin forehead protector on his arm.
In this way, he and Tazuna appeared simply as an older civilian traveling with a younger one.
After crossing several wooded paths, Haruma's sensory technique suddenly picked up on two presences, chakra signatures with very poor concealment.
Yet the owners of these chakras did not immediately attack Haruma and Tazuna, instead tailing them from behind.
And not just for a short while.
Only after Haruma and Tazuna entered yet another forest path did the two finally move from trailing to setting up an ambush ahead.
Haruma couldn't help but admire their perseverance. If this had been at the ninja academy during a survival exercise, they would no doubt have scored quite highly.
Though weak in strength, their discipline truly befitted chunin.
Thus, when Haruma spotted two puddles of water ahead that clearly did not match the current weather, he politely "ignored" them.
Splash, splash…
Just as Haruma and Tazuna walked past the puddles with their backs turned—
The sound of chains rattling suddenly rang out behind them.
Two figures burst from the puddles, gripping a linked chain that lashed forward, aiming to bind Haruma and Tazuna from behind.
From tailing, to ambush, to sudden assault. The Demon Brothers had not uttered a single wasted word. Their efficiency and professionalism were impeccable.
Unfortunately, they failed to bind Haruma and Tazuna and strangle them on the spot.
For the instant they prepared to strike, the Demon Brothers' eyes suddenly went wide.
Though their consciousness remained crystal clear, their bodies had inexplicably lost all control, frozen stiff where they stood.
No matter how they struggled, their bodies could do little more than tremble faintly, utterly unable to move.
The very next moment, the world before their eyes shifted dramatically.
Their immobilized bodies seemed to shuttle through space itself, carried from the misty woodland into a blood-red dimension.
Upon arrival, several massive black iron spikes pierced through their bodies.
The pain was real, making them want to scream in agony.
But having lost all control, even the right to cry out was denied them.
Their eyes rolled upward, gazing at the crimson sky, where a pair of colossal three tomoe sharingan filled their entire vision, glaring down upon them from above.
Locking gazes with the overwhelming eyes above, the Demon Brothers' consciousnesses were utterly crushed into darkness.
Back in reality, Haruma's three tomoe sharingan spun open. Both his hands were shrouded in black mist as he invoked the "Devouring Hands," drawing the Demon Brothers into the bead. Their bodies were dismantled and turned into into pure energy and soul power.
Before long, within the darkness of that inner space, two more neatly edited films appeared, waiting for Haruma to watch at his leisure.
After devouring the Demon Brothers, Haruma murmured with faint admiration,
"The combination of Binding Technique + Shackling Stakes really is convenient."
Indeed, Haruma had dispatched them with the very same method Itachi Uchiha once used to instantly suppress Orochimaru: the Binding Technique combined with the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.
The Binding Technique, also known as the Immobilization Technique, was classified as a D-rank jutsu. Yet it was peculiar, coming in two forms, ninjutsu and genjutsu.
What Haruma had used was the genjutsu version of the Binding Technique.
The Shackling Stakes, formally called Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, was one of the sharingan's unique illusions. Without the need for hand seals, the caster dragged the target into a genjutsu world where Yin Release chakra manifested as giant black stakes, pinning the target's body. Not only did this restrict movement, but it inflicted very real pain as well, a downgraded version of Tsukuyomi.
This illusion had no fixed rank, its strength entirely dependent on the caster's Yin Release chakra.
When Itachi was only fourteen or fifteen, with nothing more than this D-rank Binding Technique plus the Shackling Stakes, he had instantly suppressed Orochimaru, a man who had survived two shinobi world wars and earned the title of one of Konoha's Sannin.
It was from that very glance that Orochimaru developed his obsessive desire for the sharingan, personally setting into motion the new cycle of Ashura and Indra's destiny.
And now, Haruma had likewise erased the Demon Brothers in but a glance.
In truth, Haruma could have slain them with a single look even without combining the Binding and Shackling techniques.
But he chose to, simply because he had been holding back for too long.
He had awakened his sharingan at the age of five, yet this was the very first time he had used it without sunglasses.
As a small celebration, Haruma granted the Demon Brothers a luxurious funeral, letting them experience for themselves Orochimaru's fate.
After sighing lightly, Haruma continued leading the genjutsu-bound Tazuna forward.
The Land of Waves lay to the east of the Land of Fire on the shinobi world map, a small island nation surrounded entirely by the sea.
Before the great bridge was built to connect it to the mainland, the only way in was by boat.
In other words, whoever controlled the maritime routes controlled the nation.
The notorious magnate Gato had exploited this, seizing control of the Land of Waves' wealth, politics, and people by monopolizing its sea routes.
Employing hordes of wandering ninja, mercenaries and rogue-nin, Gato had become the living nightmare of all the Land of Waves.
Tazuna's bridge project aimed to connect the nation to the mainland, bringing strength and prosperity.
But breaking the monopoly of sea routes meant cutting directly into Gato's profits.
That was why he had dispatched ninja to assassinate Tazuna.
Each time he recalled this, Haruma felt utterly baffled.
This world had explosives, yet compared to those, explosive tags were clearly more effective. And explosive tags were even cheaper than soldier pills.
As one of the richest men in the shinobi world, couldn't Gato just buy as many explosive tags as he wanted?
He could simply send his ninja to repeatedly blow up the bridge, Tazuna builds, he blows, again and again, crushing the bridge builder's hopes indefinitely.
Why would one of the wealthiest tycoons in the shinobi world waste effort tangling with a mere bridge builder?
The only answer was plot convenience.
After eliminating the Demon Brothers, Haruma and Tazuna encountered no further assassination attempts all the way out of the Land of Fire.
They boarded the small boat arranged to ferry Tazuna home, crossing the waterways to the Land of Waves.
Yet Haruma had only just set foot on shore when his senses flared, two powerful chakra signatures had appeared nearby.
One of them, in fact, rivaled his own.