Here, It Was a Living Hell

Everyone in Might Guy's Team was dumbfounded. Was this really the caliber of Kusagakure's Anbu?

But what were those "human-shaped pills" they were talking about? Just hearing the term made them uncomfortable.

Neji, Rock Lee, and the others exchanged glances, each seeing the grim look in the others' eyes.

Tenten had heard Karin mention it before, so when she heard those words, her heart lurched. She hurriedly tagged Karin in the Chat Group.

[Tenten: @Karin Uzumaki, is that commotion connected to you? Is Mo Chen there?]

[Ino Yamanaka: ???]

[Hinata Hyuga: Has Mo Chen-kun already made his move?]

[Karin Uzumaki: So you found out after all?]

[Tenten: It's making such a huge commotion! How could we not find out? Didn't we agree that you'd tell us if anything happened on your end?]

[Ino Yamanaka: Exactly! Why did you start acting without a word? We weren't prepared at all!]

[Hinata Hyuga: Karin probably didn't want us to worry. Even if she'd told us, we couldn't have helped.]

[Karin Uzumaki: Mm, I don't want to drag you into this. Tenten, you came here on a mission, so don't get involved in my affairs. And Mo Chen... If there's danger, I'd rather die than drag him into it.]

As she spoke, Karin opened a video livestream and adjusted the angle.

On screen, Mo Chen wore a Kusagakure Anbu mask. He carried Karin's mother on his back, held Karin in one arm, and gripped a short blade in the other.

Dozens of Kusagakure shinobi surrounded him, while more kept rushing over from farther away.

Kusagakure was already in chaos, but even so, Mo Chen would have a hard time breaking through the encirclement in his current situation.

While Tenten focused on the Chat Group, the Kusagakure leader rebuked the Anbu who had brought the report, then put on a relaxed air and apologized to Might Guy.

"Sorry about that. My subordinate was rather rash. I hope you won't hold it against us."

The Kusagakure leader waved for his subordinate to leave, then said, "It's settled, then. Kusagakure will send people to Konoha to take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams."

"As for the details, it's getting late, so you can rest in the village tonight. We can discuss everything further tomorrow."

"It's not often you get to visit Kusagakure, so there's no need to rush back. I'll make sure you're well looked after. However, this is a sensitive time, so you'd best not wander around. If you need anything, just tell my people."

With that, the Kusagakure leader called someone in to escort Might Guy's Team to their lodgings.

A row of question marks seemed to hang over Might Guy and the others.

It wasn't even eleven in the morning. How was it already getting late?

And he said it wasn't often they visited Kusagakure and that he'd make sure they were well looked after, only to forbid them from going out?

So his idea of looking after them was to lock them in a room?

Of course, Might Guy and the others knew that something had gone wrong in Kusagakure, and that it probably involved some village secret. They kept quiet and accepted the arrangements without complaint.

Tenten was the only one who could see what was happening through Karin's video livestream.

Seeing Mo Chen and the others surrounded by several layers of shinobi, Tenten grew anxious.

But given her identity and abilities, there was no way she could get involved.

"How did this have to happen now? If it were any other time, I could've found a way to do something!" Tenten couldn't help sighing inwardly.

She had no good reason to leave, and anything she did would easily arouse suspicion in Kusagakure.

There was nothing she could do. All she could do was pray silently that Mo Chen and the others would make it through unharmed.

Meanwhile, Mo Chen was eventually cut off.

There were too many shinobi near Kusagakure Hospital. He had been delayed only a little, but that was enough for them to surround him.

"So things really weren't going to be settled that easily after all!" Mo Chen sighed to himself.

In the future he'd made up, he had rescued them and gone straight outside.

But reality was reality. Even a small village wouldn't let someone come and go as they pleased.

"If you have to, just leave me behind!" Karin's face was still tense with fear, but her eyes were resolute.

She and Mo Chen were complete strangers. Before this, they hadn't even met.

From the contents of the Future videos, Karin had learned that Mo Chen had only come here to gather information.

He'd found out about what she and her mother had suffered here, and, moved by a sense of justice and compassion, had come to save them.

But he'd already done more than enough for a stranger. He didn't need to risk his life for her.

"No? A man can't say he can't!" Mo Chen set Karin down and sneered. "I just didn't want to make too much of a scene. But since there's no avoiding it now, let's fight!"

Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!

Mo Chen formed a hand seal, and more than a dozen Shadow Clones appeared around him.

One took Karin's mother onto his back, while another stayed to protect Karin.

"All right, let's make a scene!" The real Mo Chen and the remaining Shadow Clones immediately attacked the Kusagakure shinobi around them.

Working in pairs, the Mo Chens unleashed a compound ninjutsu combining Water Release and Earth Release. It swept across the area in an instant.

With the amount of Chakra he had, once he got serious, he could take on the entire village by himself.

No matter what kind of shinobi they were, they couldn't get close against Mo Chen's compound ninjutsu. A whole section of the enemy ranks was wiped out in an instant.

Taking advantage of the obstructed vision, the two Shadow Clones tasked with rescuing them immediately broke through the encirclement and sprinted toward the village outskirts.

"Stop them!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

"Even if you die, don't let that human-shaped pill escape! Kill her if you have to!"

After the initial confusion, the Kusagakure shinobi quickly regrouped and launched another attack.

If they couldn't win by skill, then they'd simply bombard him with Explosive Tags!

Unfortunately, against overwhelming strength, numbers could sometimes be a hindrance.

Mo Chen hadn't wanted to get bogged down fighting them in the first place. Now that he was using Shadow Clones, he naturally wanted to finish things quickly.

Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!

Earth Release: Dust Storm!

Mist and dust billowed, obscuring the entire area.

The Kusagakure shinobi, who had just rallied themselves for battle, immediately lost their nerve. Their advancing steps turned into wary, defensive ones.

The next moment, Mo Chen and his Shadow Clones all activated their Sharingan. Moving through the dust and fog, they easily reaped one life after another.

He wasn't a bloodthirsty person. If he could avoid killing, he didn't want to cause needless slaughter.

But their attitude made one thing clear: they had an unhealthy obsession with that so-called human-shaped pill.

That was something Mo Chen couldn't tolerate.

Even if he let them go now, they wouldn't give up. They'd do everything they could to hunt Karin down.

If that was the case, he might as well put an end to them once and for all!

With that thought, Mo Chen sped up his slaughter even more.

In the end, he simply used Wood Release, absorbing their Chakra before twisting their bodies apart, dismembering them, and crushing them.

So when the Kusagakure leader arrived and used his Wind Release jutsu to blow away the dust and fog, what he saw was a living hell!

"Ugh!"

The Kusagakure leader and the shinobi who had followed him all threw up.