Practice * Isshiki

After the halftime break, Izuna returned to the ring to defend his title.

The curtains backstage fell, filtering out the cheers from outside.

Shinya carefully leaned the Biwa against the wall and turned to look at Hideki, who was untying the ropes of the taiko drum.

"What do you mean? That child from your family?" Shinya's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the noisy backstage area.

Hideki paused for a moment, then continued untying the rope. "Who knows?"

What kind of answer is that?

"Because," Hideki finally looked up at Shinya, scratching the back of his head, "He doesn't seem to dislike Izuna... but..."

Shinya looked into his eyes and waited a few seconds. Hideki didn't continue.

"Could it be that his family is..." Shinya's voice trailed off.

Hideki nodded.

Shinya pursed her lips and didn't ask any further questions.

Whether it was his father, his mother, his siblings, uncles, or aunts, someone in particular died at Izuna's hands.

Just like all the other kids who came up later trying to get revenge.

"That must be very uncomfortable." Shinya sat on the bench, his voice very soft.

Hideki took the taiko drum off his body and carefully placed it on the shelf beside him. He looked at the drum and remained silent for a moment.

Suddenly he spoke up, "Who could dislike Lord Izuna? Looking at him is like glimpsing a world of absolute peace that we wouldn't even dare to dream of. Just looking at him brings comfort. He is that kind of being."

"What sins he committed before..." Shinya couldn't help but sigh. He looked up and asked, "So how did you comfort him?"

"What else can I say to comfort him?" Hideki continued tidying up. "Just let it be. Can I persuade someone who wants revenge to come back? Besides, who in this village isn't hated? Everyone has blood on their hands, so let's not judge each other."

Shinya tilted his head, watching Hideki take off his costume. "So you just let him process it on his own?"

"Yeah, I guess." Hideki loosened his collar, which he had just changed, and let out a long sigh. "Ah, let's not talk about that."

He turned around and looked at Shinya, "What do you want to eat for lunch later?"

"Hmm, Udon noodles." Shinya thinking.

"You're really obsessed with Udon." Hideki laughed, patting Shinya on the shoulder. "Alright, just you wait."

"Remember to get plenty of Uzumaki Rolls!" Shinya shouted at Hideki's retreating figure.

Without even turning his head, Hideki raised his right hand above his head and gave an OK sign.

The curtain was lifted and then lowered again. The backstage area fell silent once more.

Shinya exchanged a few more words with the other band members, then said goodbye and waited there for Hideki to return.

The wait felt incredibly long, and since he didn't want to watch Izuna's unusual "revenge Arena," he took out his Biwa and began practicing the finger-striking techniques Izuna had taught him.

The piece that Izuna taught him was called "The Composition of Music," which is said to be the culmination of finger-striking techniques.

The melody is not difficult, but the finger-striking technique requires extremely high skill.

The right index and middle fingers are required to pluck the strings alternately, with even pressure and precise rhythm, each note as crisp as pearls falling on a jade plate. The left hand should function independently to provide the rhythm and chorus. The entire song, just like its name, interprets what music is.

He tried playing a few measures, stopped, frowned, and started again from the beginning.

The backstage area was quiet. The noise from outside came in through the thick curtain, sounding like it was from another world.

Some people were shouting "Lord Izuna!", some were clapping, and some were loudly discussing the battle that had just taken place. The sounds came and went, blurring into a buzzing background noise.

Shinya closed his eyes, focusing on the sensations at his fingertips.

The strings vibrated beneath his fingertips, producing a delicate hum. He adjusted the angle of his right hand and plucked the strings again.

This time, the sound was right.

Crisp and clean, like spring water striking stones.

Shinya's lips curled up slightly, "And then there's the harmony..."

Just as he was preparing to challenge himself with a rhythm he had never played well before.

His fingers suddenly stopped on the strings, producing a piercing thud.

A chill ran up his spine, like a cold snake, and shot up his back to the top of his head.

There's someone there.

There was someone else at the entrance to the back office.

Shinya raised his head.

It was a man, tall and wearing a white robe, with long hair draped over his shoulders.

His face was so pale it didn't look like a living person, like a stone statue forgotten deep in a temple, with cold, hard features and no expression.

But those eyes—those greyish-white eyes—were staring at Shinya, as if he were staring at something placed on a chopping board.

The backstage area was dark, with only a few emergency oil lamps hanging on the pillars. The flickering Kakkō cast the man's long shadow, stretching all the way to Shinya's feet.

Shinya's hand slid off the strings and placed it discreetly on his Ninja Tool Pouch.

"Are you from the Uchiha Clan?" the man asked.

His voice was deep and hoarse, and every word carried an indescribable sense of pressure.

There was no reply to the Shinya.

His jet-black pupils quickly turned red, Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun in the Kakkō, as crimson as blood.

As soon as the man took his first step, Shinya abruptly stood up, simultaneously drawing Kunai with his right hand, and then—

He was knocked down by a relatively small impact.

Shinya didn't see the man make a move; he didn't even flinch.

In a flash, he felt a chill in his chest as a black metal object, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, suddenly appeared and pulled him backward.

"Well--!"

A muffled groan escaped his throat.

Shinya looked down and saw the short black stick piercing through his left shoulder. Blood seeped from the wound, soaking his clothes and spreading into a dark red flower on the gray wooden board.

The pain came from the wound, but it wasn't ordinary pain. It was a... numbing pain. It was as if something was blocking his Chakra pathways, suppressing the power within him and rendering him unable to move.

He tried to mobilize the Chakra within his body, but the power that was originally as easy as his own was frozen, and he couldn't squeeze out even a trace of it.

While thinking, he tried to pull out the Black Rods, but found that his strength was draining away just by touching it, making it impossible to pull it out.

Shinya's pupils contracted.

What is that?!

Just as he was in shock, several more Black Rods instantly pierced his body.

Fresh blood slowly seeped from the wound, gradually soaking his clothes.

The man walked up to him and looked down at him.

The Kakkō reflected in his greyish-white eyes, leaving no image, making them look like two lifeless stones.

"So you are..." Isshiki tone remained unchanged. "Then let me ask you..."

He bent down, reached out a hand, grabbed one end of the Black Rods, and lifted the Shinya off the ground.

The Black Rods was still stuck in Shinya's shoulder, and with his movements, the wound was torn wider. Blood dripped down Shinya's arm, making a soft, crackling sound on the floor.

Shinya gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.

His Sharingan was still staring at the man, the pale, expressionless face reflected in his crimson pupils.

Isshiki brought him up in front of him, his gray-white eyes Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Uchiha Izuna," Isshiki's voice was soft, as if asking a trivial question, "What abilities does he possess?"

Shinya's lips twitched slightly.

His lips trembled from the pain, but he still managed to squeeze out a word.

"... you guess."

Isshiki narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hmph, even at a time like this, you're still trying to use Genjutsu on me. Quite Yūki."

Hideki found an Udon noodle cart in the Amusement Park. It wasn't lunchtime yet, and everyone had gone to watch Izuna's match, so no one was at the Udon noodle stall.

Hideki easily got two bowls of Udon noodles.

"Boss, could you give me some Naruto-maki (a type of Japanese rice cake) to add to this bowl?"

"Okay."

"Oh, by the way, I want to take this to go. Do you have any food containers? I'll bring it back after I finish eating."

Hideki carried the food box toward the Dueling Arena, and on his way back he also bought some Konpeitō).

He was in a good mood the whole way, until the moment he lifted the curtain while carrying the food box, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The oil lamps in the backstage area were still on, but the light seemed to have been absorbed by something, leaving the entire space gloomy.

Shinya being held in mid-air, with several short black sticks stuck in his body, and blood dripping down his clothes.

Hideki didn't recognize the face of the person carrying him, but the person's presence made his instincts scream, urging him to run away.

Aren't you going to tell me?

Shinya gritted his teeth. His Sharingan had been forced to shut down due to the lack of Chakra, but even though he was covered in wounds, he didn't utter a sound. He just stared intently at Isshiki.

"What a pity. Since you don't want to talk, then you're of no value." With that, Isshiki raised his hand and lightly flicked Shinya's head.

The food box fell to the ground, splattering Udon and broth everywhere, Uzumaki and rolling into a corner.

Without hesitation, Hideki rushed forward, grabbed Shinya's hand, and pulled him back with all his might.

A Black Rods appeared out of thin air, grazing Shinya's scalp, before clattering to the ground.

Isshiki's hand froze in mid-air. He looked down at his empty palm, then at Hideki, who had dragged Shinya away.

Hideki felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze and immediately used his Body Flicker Technique to leave, carrying Shinya with him.

Shinya gritted his teeth, the excruciating pain from his wounds causing his vision to blur, but he still managed to grab Hideki's collar with his last remaining strength, his voice hoarse. "Don't touch those Black Rods... and... I saw his moves..."

"Stop talking!" Hideki kicked open the door and, supporting Shinya, ran towards the crowd.

He had only one thought in his mind: once they got to the arena, that guy was someone they couldn't handle! They had to make sure the Lord Hokage and Lord Madara noticed!

Shinya's blood dripped all the way, leaving a broken red line on the stone floor.

Backstage, Isshiki didn't chase after them. He watched the Senju dragging the Uchiha away, disappearing at the end of the corridor, his fingers twitching slightly before falling back down.

"Interesting," he muttered to himself.

Black Zetsu peeked out from his sleeve, looking displeased, and said, "Why did you let them go? You could have easily killed them."

What's the rush?

"Just kill Izuna!" Black Zetsu said anxiously. "With your abilities, you could easily take him down silently and leave!"

"We don't have enough information right now," Isshiki said calmly. "You said he could sense you, so maybe he's already noticed my presence."

"Can..."

"Those two who just escaped won't be an obstacle." With Isshiki step, he vanished into thin air.

"Because everyone here is going to die."

Empty words drifted in the air, leaving only a pool of blood on the ground.

When Hideki ran into the arena, Izuna was sending a challenger out of bounds on the Arena.

Sparse applause erupted from the audience, most of them already anticipating the next child to come on stage.

At this moment Shinya had lost too much blood and was on the verge of unconsciousness, while Hideki looked utterly disheveled.

Uchiha Tadayo noticed the situation immediately and jumped down, asking, "What happened? What's going on?"

The medical team was summoned over by Tadayo's wave.

Just then, a scream came from the stands.