Chapter 64: The Shadow of a Deal (Patreon)

"Good evening."

A gentle, amused voice drifted down from above. "If you don't mind, you may call me 'Kage'."

Dark shadows spread out like a spider's web, sticking to the surrounding walls like silk threads and fragmenting the sky above the dome. Hyūga Kumokawa stood at the center of the web, looking down on the people beneath him. Several figures were bound near him, struggling like insects caught in a snare, wrapped in shadowy threads like cocoons.

One had to admit, the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique, combined with the chakra-sealing effect of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, was indeed well-suited for Hyūga Kumokawa and his Shadow Cloak. His Shadow Cloak was essentially solidified shadow; in terms of lethality and flexibility, it far surpassed mere shadows or physical chains.

As for the intimidation and terror this eerie ability inspired, the fearful expressions on the faces below said it all.

However...

"Heh heh heh."

Looking at the twisted, unfamiliar corpse, Hanzō instead laughed in a fit of extreme anger. He glanced at the figure above, then back at Hatake Kakashi before him, his tone icy. "What a lively day. Anyone feels bold enough to barge into my territory and play ghost games."

Hearing this, Kakashi—who had been intently watching the figure above—instinctively withdrew his gaze, looking toward Hanzō to explain. But he found that the man before him had already vanished.

Above, in the reflection of Hyūga Kumokawa's pupils, a figure rapidly closed in. Hanzō, wielding his kusarigama with both hands, charged at Kumokawa. His white-blond hair streamed in the wind, his eyes filled with a cold, sharp intent.

"Die!"

As the word left his mouth, his sickle slashed out, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek—vicious, decisive, and so fast that the blade itself was a blur, with only the gleam of thin moonlight on its edge visible. Though the blade was polished bright and sharp, one could still smell the metallic stench of blood on it, clearly steeped in the lives of countless victims.

But in the next moment, in the reflection of Hanzō's pale golden pupils, the figure shrouded in black did not move. Instead, a shadow as sharp as a blade lashed out from behind him.

Clang!

The shadow and the metal collided, producing a metallic ring as if steel had met steel. A burst of fiery sparks bloomed in the air between them, illuminating Hanzō's pupils, which contracted slightly. But it was only for an instant; Hanzō's gaze sharpened again. He yanked the chain connected to the sickle, pulling it back with even greater speed. His body spun mid-air as he flung the sickle out once more.

"Heh."

A light laugh echoed. Several shadowy tentacles extended again, transforming into blades that whipped out and created a flurry of black afterimages.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of cutting air was like the loud shriek of insects meeting Hanzō's spinning, slashing blade.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks erupted and rained down like droplets. The sharp light generated by their collisions washed over the surroundings like a tidal wave, leaving marks behind like the ravages of a beast's claws. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of collisions occurred within seconds. The sharp sounds of clashing metal exploded in rapid succession.

Squelch!

At that moment, a spurt of blood splattered onto the ground. The interwoven light of the blades suddenly froze. Hanzō's airborne figure disengaged and landed back on the floor.

"Lord Hanzō..."

Shinda began to speak but abruptly stopped, stunned. A line of blood had appeared on Hanzō's brow, slowly splitting open to reveal the crimson flesh beneath.

"That guy..."

Feeling a slight numbness in his arm and palm, Hanzō forcefully suppressed the trembling. He looked up, his expression grave. Hatake Kakashi, who had witnessed it all, also changed his expression as he looked up at the figure.

Not the Nara clan's shadow technique. More like a Kekkei Genkai. Who is he?

"You've grown old, Hanzō," Hyūga Kumokawa's voice sounded even more bored and weary to everyone present. "But then again, you are merely human. Like that weapon you wield, the kusarigama."

"No matter how sharp it once was in your hands, it cannot change the fact that it is, at its core, a farming tool."

Hanzō's expression darkened slightly. Beside him, Shinda snapped out of his shock, looked up with anger, and spat, "You bastard—"

Squelch.

The words died in his throat, swallowed along with his saliva as his Adam's apple bobbed. In the trembling, terrified reflection of Shinda's pupils, a slender, spear-like shadow tentacle was deeply embedded in the floor at his feet. Hard bricks shattered, and white dust flew. On his forehead, a line of blood appeared. Blood seeped from the wound, gradually soaking his face. The speed of that strike was so fast that only Kakashi and Hanzō had seen it.

"Shh. Adults are talking. Children shouldn't interrupt."

Hyūga Kumokawa's voice carried a trace of gentle amusement, but Shinda felt no urge to laugh—only terror. The shadow tentacle, now sharp as a spike, retracted from the floor.

"Who are you?"

By now, Hanzō realized this individual didn't seem to harbor deep hostility. His actions from his appearance until now seemed more about demonstrating force. Why?

"I'm curious."

Hyūga Kumokawa didn't answer Hanzō's question. Instead, he looked at Kakashi and the Konoha ninja, smiling. "You stand in the Land of Rain, on this land trampled by great nations, watered with blood—a land silently weeping in humiliation. And you ask them now: become pigs with bared necks for you to slaughter, or shatter their knees, kneel down, be dogs, and stick out their tongues. What does it feel like, I wonder, when you say such things?"

His words instantly made the already tense atmosphere even more oppressive. The Amegakure ninja instinctively looked at the Konoha group. Feeling those hateful gazes, Hatake Kakashi's heart sank.

This sudden intruder is trying to stir up Amegakure's hatred towards the great nations. Is he trying to sabotage the alliance? Who is he? And this bizarre ability...

Hatake Kakashi stared intently at the figure above, completely shrouded in shadowy black robes, unable to discern the face within the deep shadows. At that moment, Kakashi suddenly noticed Hyūga Kumokawa's breathing beside him had become rapid and heavy. He instinctively turned, seeing a stunned expression on the young man's face.

"Him..." Hyūga Kumokawa's voice was hoarse. "I can't see his features. This feeling... it's like that monster."

Monster? Which monster?

Hearing this, Kakashi was momentarily puzzled, but he quickly remembered the "monster" mentioned in the intelligence—the one who had instantly killed Toroi and nearly a hundred Kumo ninja. His pupils contracted.

Could it be that "monster"? No, that's not right. The abilities shown are different. The personality seems different, too.

"Enough."

Hanzō's low voice broke the increasingly oppressive atmosphere. He looked up at Hyūga Kumokawa and asked again, "Tell me, what do you truly want?"

"I'm here to make a deal with you."

Having successfully rekindled Amegakure's hatred toward Konoha, Hyūga Kumokawa no longer avoided Hanzō's question. He manipulated those cocooned figures closer to him, smiling. "But the Land of Rain is truly full of holes. I found so many rats along the way. Consider these my greeting gift to you."

As his words fell, Hyūga Kumokawa raised his hand slightly and clenched his fist. The shadows wrapping those figures instantly tightened.

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!