Chapter 31: Mist, Blood, and Opportunity
A genjutsu?
No.
Kakashi's instincts screamed. This was no ordinary illusion. Without hesitation, he reached up and pulled down his mask, revealing the single, crimson Sharingan spinning wildly in his left eye socket.
Before its enhanced perception could fully pierce the swirling white fog, a tall, muscular figure materialized directly in front of him. A hand like iron clamped around his throat, lifting him bodily off the ground. Kakashi's legs kicked empty air.
The man's gaze was sharp, piercing. "That mask… You're Konoha's Anbu, aren't you?" He recognized the distinctive white porcelain instantly.
Kakashi, gasping for air, had no time for conversation. Both hands shot up, grabbing the man's thick forearm. Blue-white electricity crackled to life around his palms.
ZZZTT—CRACKLE!
The man grunted in pain, his grip involuntarily loosening. Kakashi twisted free, dropping and immediately putting distance between them.
He appeared from the fog itself. Not a substitution, not a movement technique… like he coalesced from the mist. The thought was chilling. But there was no time to analyze.
Another man manifested behind him without a sound, arms locking around Kakashi's. More figures emerged from the thick white vapor—one drawing back a meaty fist, another lunging in a tackle.
Learning from the first assault, Kakashi's body went limp. He slithered downward like a snake, breaking the hold of the man behind him. The man with the drawn fist, unable to halt his momentum, plowed directly into his erstwhile partner's face.
THWACK!
The companion went down hard.
Kakashi didn't pause. He drove a sharp elbow into the solar plexus of the third attacker, eliciting a whoosh of expelled air. In moments, three assailants were neutralized.
Using the brief respite, Kakashi coiled his legs and sprang upward. A kunai flashed in his hand, driving deep into the rocky ceiling. He hung there, suspended, looking down at the roiling sea of fog below.
More and more figures were rising from it, as if born from the mist itself. The fog thinned as their numbers swelled.
How many are there?! Kakashi's mind reeled. The chamber had been empty. Now it teemed with hostile life. How had he sensed nothing?
Before he could theorize, the first man he'd shocked—the leader—dissolved. His entire body atomized into a swirling cloud of dense, white mist that shot upward, not at Kakashi's body, but directly into his nose and mouth.
GASP—COUGH!
Kakashi lost his grip. He fell, hitting the rocky floor with a sickening crunch. Immediately, agony unlike any he'd known erupted within him. It felt as if a volcano of acid had ignited in his veins, burning through chakra, muscle, nerve, and organ alike. He writhed, tearing at his flak jacket, a raw, guttural scream tearing from his throat.
From its hidden perch among the thick tree roots, Onigarasu observed the brutal spectacle. Like the two children earlier, it was an unseen audience.
They can atomize! The crow's mind raced. No wonder they live in sunless depths. Lose control, drift apart on the wind… gone forever. A mix of awe and disappointment washed over it. They weren't sunlight-fearing kin, just another strange breed of human. Their ability was fascinating—the Ghost King might covet it—but capturing such beings? Nearly impossible. They could evaporate from its grasp.
Its gaze shifted to the convulsing Kakashi. A white-haired ninja. A non-Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan. Impressive strength. Another tempting target, but also a formidable one.
Kakashi was helpless, consumed by internal fire. Just as his consciousness began to fray, the boy the crow had seen earlier rushed forward. His hands formed seals Kakashi barely recognized.
"Wood Release!"
Thick, living wood surged from the stone floor, enveloping Kakashi in a cocoon. It contracted, squeezing relentlessly. After a moment of intense pressure, a stream of white mist was forcibly expelled from Kakashi's mouth, coalescing back into the form of the leader, who stumbled away, looking drained.
Saved, but broken, Kakashi slumped, unconscious.
The ghost crow watched, stunned. Its luck tonight was absurd. First, a clan with corporeal mist transformation. Then, a Sharingan wielder. And now… Wood Release. The legendary First Hokage's power. These were precisely the kinds of rare treasures the Ghost King had hinted at wanting.
And here they were, laid out before it like a feast.
But it was a feast it couldn't touch. It was like being presented with three exquisite delicacies and told it could only look, not taste. The torment was exquisite.
The pragmatic crow made a decision. It would stay. This cavern was its only safe haven from the sun now anyway. It would watch, wait, and learn. It would find the patterns, the vulnerabilities. Perhaps, when the humans were distracted, fighting each other, exhausted… a moment would arise. A chance to snatch one of these precious specimens.
Surely, the Ghost King would appreciate such diligent, opportunistic work. It settled deeper into the shadows, crimson eyes unblinking, a patient hunter in a den of extraordinary prey. The game here was far from over.
(End of Chapter)
✨Enjoying the story? You can support me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/MizuSan
✨ Patreon members get early chapter access, bonus content! 🥰
🎉 Plus, I'll release 1 extra chapter for every 5 reviews!💎 Or grab 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones you send my way! 🥳
🌊 Let's reach 20 Patreon members to unlock 5 extra chapters together!