"So, do you believe me now?"
Seeing Itachi clutching one bloodstained eye while still locking onto him with the other,
Shinji chuckled lightly. "Want to use Susanoo? Go ahead and try. Let's see if I can shatter that turtle shell."
[Sharingan Specter] Effect 4: Breaker of Susanoo. Marks a single "Break Point" on the Susanoo. The defense at this point is reduced to 1%. Effect expires after being struck. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Breaker of Susanoo + Decuple Spell Formula
Shinji was confident he could hack through any Susanoo!
He was actually feeling quite eager to try.
As if sensing his fighting spirit, Itachi looked deeply at Shinji with his left eye, then transformed into a swarm of crows.
Before leaving, his mouth moved rapidly, as if saying something.
Shinji's gaze flickered slightly, but he did not give chase.
---
Meanwhile, the brutal close-quarters fight between Kisame and Hidan was also reaching its conclusion.
Samehada sank its teeth into Hidan's left hand, but this was actually done intentionally by Hidan!
It was just a temporary measure to 'neutralize' that troublesome weapon.
Jashin Mark!
Hidan immediately activated the ability attached to his Bloody March Scythe. A gigantic phantom appeared behind him, its eyes fixed intensely on Kisame.
Mark Successful!
Hidan laughed maniacally, raised his weapon high, and brought it crashing down.
Thwick!
The longest spike pierced deep into Kisame's shoulder, but then it stopped, unable to go any further.
Kisame grabbed the blade firmly with his other hand, refusing to let go even as his palm was sliced open and blood flowed freely.
Hidan clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was extremely dissatisfied that the damage multiplier had landed on 1x.
If it had been even 2x, he was confident the opponent wouldn't have been able to block it.
But it didn't matter. He had successfully obtained blood. All he needed now was an opportunity to perform the ritual, and he could curse the enemy to death!
Victory was assured!
But just then, a flock of crows landed beside Kisame and transformed into Itachi.
"Kisame, it's time to leave."
Kisame turned his head and saw Itachi's appearance—his heart skipped a beat!
The overwhelmingly powerful Itachi didn't seem to have gained the upper hand; on the contrary, he looked quite battered.
That was proof enough of how terrifying the guy on the other side was.
"Alright."
Kisame was quite obedient to Itachi. Since Itachi said so, he decided not to waste any more time with this lunatic, even though the fight had been quite satisfying.
"It's a pity we couldn't decide a winner today. Next time we meet, I'll show you my true strength and defeat you."
As he spoke, Kisame retrieved Samehada.
Throughout this entire process, Hidan didn't say a word; he stood there like a puppet.
The real reason Hidan didn't react was that the moment Itachi appeared, he had already fallen under Itachi's genjutsu. That was why he remained motionless, allowing Kisame to leave unharmed.
Of course, Kisame didn't take the opportunity to attack Hidan either.
It wasn't out of mutual respect, but because Hidan had a mysterious and powerful companion standing not far away.
Since they had decided to leave, there was no need to create more trouble.
Besides, if even Itachi wasn't sure of winning, he certainly didn't have absolute confidence either.
Thus, the two quickly left and vanished into the night.
By the time Hidan managed to break free from the genjutsu, they were long gone.
"Lucky for that shark-face guy, he ran fast!"
Hidan looked furious, but there was nothing he could do. Genjutsu had always been his weakness and bane.
Especially this time; he didn't even notice how he had fallen victim to it.
"Where's that guy Tobi? Is he still sleeping?"
When they returned, Hidan looked at Tobi sprawled out fast asleep, snoring rhythmically, and was completely speechless.
He couldn't understand how Tobi could sleep like a log with all the noise outside.
Shinji, however, was certain that Tobi had intentionally stayed out of sight. Even with a different mask, there was still a risk of his identity being exposed.
Shinji said nothing, pretending not to know.
He simply treated the injuries of Sasuke and Hidan.
---
The next day, Sasuke was still fast asleep.
The aftereffects of being hit by Tsukuyomi were not easy to eliminate.
Shinji decided to go out for a walk alone.
He discovered that last night had indeed been incredibly chaotic.
It wasn't just his group that had been fighting; many others had chosen to force their way into the Red Chamber.
Probably even the client who posted the mission never expected these people to be so crazy and reckless.
It just went to show that people from different worlds could never understand each other.
Trying to guess a ninja's behavior using common sense would only lead to a horrible death.
Not to mention that some of these people were already outlaws to begin with.
And so, in just a single night, the Red Chamber fell into complete chaos.
That was why nobody had paid attention to Shinji's 'minor skirmish' last night.
Courtesans were killed!
Others were abducted!
Some of the unfortunate ones were not only violated but also robbed of all their savings accumulated over the years.
These thugs who had flocked here didn't mind acting as robbers and rapists for a night.
There was no helping it; the composition of wandering ninjas was just too messy.
This was exactly how their reputation was gradually ruined.
The boss behind the Red Chamber was furious, but he also realized what a stupid mistake he had made.
He immediately implemented a series of countermeasures.
First, he hired a large group of people to protect himself and these 'money trees'.
Second, he suspended business operations, granting those who had accepted his mission free access to search the building for monsters.
And finally, he continued to throw money at the problem!
With these three-pronged measures, the situation finally stabilized.
Shinji, who hadn't acted hastily, was somewhat surprised by the boss's wealth and influence. He then decided to investigate the true nature of the curse spirit hiding inside.
It was strange. Before the incident where those three monsters attacked people, this place seemed to have been peaceful.
This meant the curse spirit hiding here was either a newcomer to the village, or... it was a high-level curse spirit with strong self-control, one that possessed its own desires and could suppress its instincts.
Shinji wasn't sure which one it was.
But he could always use other people as cannon fodder to test the waters for him.
"Ahhh!"
Accompanied by a scream, a figure plummeted from the very top floor and hit the ground with a sickening splat, sticking to the floor like glue.
Looking at the relatively intact face, Shinji recognized him as one of the wandering ninjas who had entered earlier.
It seemed this guy had run into a hard wall.
"Top floor?"
Shinji looked up but saw nothing.
According to the feedback from the [Greedy Eye], the curse spirit should be located on the second floor.
Then he realized he was being naive.
Other people didn't have his detection abilities, so naturally, they would start investigating from the most 'suspicious' place.
And in the entire Red Chamber, who could be more suspicious than the Number One Courtesan, who almost never showed her face?
____________________
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