The air on the back mountain—
Was colder.
The deeper they went—
The quieter it became.
No birds.
No insects.
No sound.
Only—
A suffocating silence.
Uchiha Hideki followed half a step behind.
Behind his glasses—
His Sharingan activated silently.
The world changed.
Color faded.
Light dimmed.
And in its place—
Energy.
The wind—
Was no longer just wind.
Gray-black strands drifted through the air—
Like smoke.
Slow.
Twisted.
Alive.
Carrying a suffocating aura of death.
"…Yin energy…?"
Hideki's eyes narrowed.
This was nothing like chakra.
Chakra—
Was warm.
Alive.
This—
Was stagnant.
Rotting.
Wherever it touched—
Plants withered.
Life faded.
"Mo."
"I found something."
Uchiha Mo stopped instantly.
Hideki pointed ahead.
"Residual traces."
"Footprints. Energy flow."
"They all lead there."
"Something moved recently."
"…Or it's still there."
Silence.
"Well done, Hideki."
Mo's eyes turned crimson.
With guidance—
He could feel it too.
And he already knew—
What awaited them.
If this was the world of Mr. Vampire—
Then that thing—
Was a zombie.
Born from death.
From resentment.
From yin energy.
Even in a low-level world—
It couldn't be underestimated.
A thought flashed—
Does corpse energy count as mission energy?
Observation first.
Contact later.
———
They moved.
Slowly.
Silently.
Using terrain as cover.
The closer they got—
The denser the energy became.
Like an invisible vortex.
Pulling everything inward.
And then—
A smell.
Damp soil.
Rot.
Decay.
At ten meters—
They stopped.
Ahead—
Shadows thickened.
Something moved.
Slow.
Heavy.
Then—
Two dull lights ignited.
Eyes.
A wet, gurgling sound followed.
As if something dead—
Was trying to breathe.
From the darkness—
It emerged.
A figure.
Stiff.
Twisted.
Dragging its feet.
Its robes—
Torn.
Ancient.
Its skin—
Shriveled.
Bluish-green.
Its face—
Rotten.
Its nails—
Black.
Sharp.
And around it—
That gray-black energy—
Burned.
Like black flames.
A zombie.
Uchiha Mo's pupils shrank.
"Back!"
"Keep distance!"
The moment his voice fell—
It reacted.
It smelled them.
Its head snapped.
Eyes locked.
Then—
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Its stiff body exploded forward—
Charging straight at Mo.
Cold wind surged.
Death followed.
———
Hideki—
Had already retreated.
Before the warning finished.
Hands forming seals.
Snake.
Ready.
Always ready.
Mo didn't hesitate.
He retreated instantly.
At the same time—
His hand flicked.
Whoosh—
A shuriken shot forward.
Explosive tag attached.
Straight toward the zombie's chest.
One-handed seal—
"Explode."
BOOM—!!
Fire erupted.
Shockwave exploded outward.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Flames roared.
Yang energy surged.
Yin met Yang—
Collision.
But—
The black miasma twisted.
Writhing.
Not dispersing—
But becoming more violent.
"ROAR—!"
It burst through the flames.
Chest charred.
Body cracked.
But—
Still moving.
Still attacking.
It didn't slow.
Didn't hesitate.
As expected.
Explosive tags—
Too weak.
They suppressed—
But couldn't destroy.
Its body—
Tempered by corpse energy—
Was far too tough.
Mo's eyes sharpened.
He shifted sideways.
"Hideki!"
"Fire Style—continuous suppression!"
"Burn the miasma!"
"Understood!"
Hideki was already ready.
Seal formed.
Tiger.
Chakra surged.
Heat gathered.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted—
Like a miniature sun.
BOOM—!!
Flames engulfed the area.
The zombie stopped.
Blocked.
Instinctively recoiling.
The fire—
Was too strong.
Yang energy flooded everything.
The miasma—
Weakened.
Burned.
Consumed.
"Now!"
Mo moved.
Hands flashed.
Faster.
Sharper.
Violent.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A stream of blazing white fire—
Shaped like a dragon—
Shot forward.
Piercing everything.
Straight—
At the zombie.
Now—
Weakened.
Slowed.
Trapped.
And for the first time—
Vulnerable.