Hyuga Shigeo's words hung in their ears; every ninja in each room held their breath.
If they wanted to know who the killer was, they had to learn how to sleep. To avoid revealing anything, those who'd taken the antidote during curfew had secretly gone to commoners' houses and watched how they slept.
One by one they lay like people drugged—breath barely audible—but their ears were pricked, listening to every tiny sound.
Room doors opened. A black-clad figure entered. Someone cracked an eye and saw a man in a ghost mask move through the room; then they closed their eyes again. The masked man stopped at a sleeping person, peered down at them, and after inspecting them moved on—then chose a target and stood motionless by that bed.
The other three in the room stared in shock, but none dared move.
After all, the masked man hadn't killed anyone yet.
Then noise came from the doorway and a swirl of Mimō incense drifted in. A hunched woman stepped into the room, approached the bed the masked man had chosen, touched the sleeper's face, and bent to kiss them.
The sleeper stirred—confused—then felt something: the chakra in his body being drawn out through that kiss. He tried to move but his limbs wouldn't obey.
The other three in the room were confused—why was the woman kissing someone? Then their faces went white. After kissing, the woman's mouth moved to his neck and bit down. As she drank his blood, the wrinkles on her face smoothed out.
In that instant the old hag shifted into the exact likeness of Wuyouka, the city lord.
"Then you're the killer!" someone could no longer contain themselves and rushed up; two others followed, but masked men stepped forward to block them.
From the rooftop, Hyuga Shigeo laughed. He picked up the bronze gong he'd set aside and struck it loudly. "Everyone up! The monster is eating people—open your eyes and look—who is this fiend?"
A clamor spread—through the Yaohai Inn and out to neighboring houses. Night-watch guards and ninja hurried toward the inn.
In an instant the area was swarming with people.
When they saw Hyuga Shigeo on the roof, still beating the gong, he pointed down. "The bloodsucker is below—what are you waiting for? Do something!"
They realized he was being framed.
Suddenly a window burst open and several figures leapt out. At the center of the crowd was Wuyouka herself, protected by three masked men. For a moment the ninja couldn't close in.
A shrill whistle sounded. The city guards answered and collided with the ninja.
Above, dozens of hair-controlled corpses—hair-ghost bodies—descended and encircled the ninja. These hair-ghost bodies were Wuyouka's creations and answered her commands. Compared to the masked men, they were lighter, faster, and better at hand-to-hand combat.
The masked men were less coordinated but each knew ninjutsu; combined with hair-control, they feared nothing.
Still, many ninja, though affected by the Mimō incense, managed to keep their minds together thanks to sheer will and the noise of battle.
Wuyouka's forces began to falter; she herself had not yet fully recovered and moved like an old woman—her body sluggish despite retaining Wuyouka's face.
"I… I need human blood!" she swayed; the hair-ghosts and masked men formed a protective ring as she retreated toward the keep.
She blew the whistle again. The guards rushed as if mad, and the ninja answered with a storm of jutsu. The city erupted with war.
Lord Bu (Bu-dono) led the townsfolk into the streets. Demonstrators surged, chanting, "Kill the fake lord! The lord is a fiend!" The Yaowhai Inn's gong, the crowd's shouts, and the clash of jutsu filled the air.
Wuyouka, seizing a captured ninja, sank her teeth into his neck and drank; the crowd watched in horror. Her strength surged as chakra was siphoned.
From the cliff, hundreds of hair-ghost corpses and corpse-warriors charged down. The ninja were overwhelmed, retreating step by step; some were captured, some slain.
Wuyouka, now restored, strengthened the barrier so no one could leave Wumang City.
"Capture them all!" she snarled.
Her gaze fixed on the child still beating the gong on the roof. "You ruined my plan—today I'll kill you!"
She'd planned to reveal everything in ten days and trigger a larger war; one child ruined her timetable, and she lashed out early. Whether it would succeed was now up to fate.
"Kill him! Kill him!" she cried.
The hair-ghosts and masked men surged toward Hyuga Shigeo. But the townsfolk also charged—pitchforks, sickles—willing to die despite knowing they were outmatched.
Wuyouka never expected such rebellion from her frightened citizens. For a year she had drunk their blood and made weapons from their corpses—never once had they fought back. Now they dared.
"Slaughter them all!" she commanded; her guards and masked men surged into the mob.
Hyuga Shigeo found himself surrounded by dozens of hair-ghosts and masked men.
"Kiton Kikyū!" he shouted, forming hand signs. A wide blast of explosive vapor—Kiton (Gas Release) kavos—detonated, blasting the hair-ghosts and masked men aside.
Seizing the gap, Hyuga Shigeo leapt into the crowd, standing before the townsfolk and taking the fight to the guards and hair-ghost warriors.
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]