Everyone Come Share the Spoils, Don't Be Polite

"You... aren't you under the influence of my genjutsu?"

The Iwagakure chunin checked repeatedly, certain that he had injected his Yin release chakra into Renegade Kiyohara and that the genjutsu had taken effect.

How could he be acting like nothing happened?

An instant break?

That wasn't right; he hadn't seen Renegade Kiyohara perform any counter-measures, and his chakra fluctuations remained perfectly steady.

"There are many things you don't understand."

Renegade Kiyohara, controlling the body of Kiyohara, smiled.

The next moment, he pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch and rushed rapidly toward the Iwagakure chunin.

The speed was so great, so fast that the Iwagakure chunin hadn't even reacted before he crashed to the ground.

A thin line of blood appeared on his neck, his gaze fixed firmly on Kiyohara.

Even in his final moments, he remained filled with confusion as to how Kiyohara, wearing the attire of a genin, could instantly kill him, a chunin.

Could it be a jonin engaging in entrapment?

Unfortunately, before he could think too much, the massive loss of blood caused his vision to blacken, and he fell silent.

Body Flicker Technique!

"Such a fast 'Body Flicker Technique'..."

Kurenai Yuhi watched Kiyohara, who seemed to have suddenly vanished and reappeared, realizing it was an optical illusion caused by his excessive speed.

"Kurenai, use your remaining genjutsu to control the other chunin."

Kiyohara, having regained control of his body, crouched low and dragged the corpse of the Iwagakure chunin into the bushes.

The scent of blood hadn't drifted over yet, so he had to take out the other Iwagakure chunin guarding the other side of the outpost.

This way, even if they were discovered by the two genin, it would be much easier.

"Understood."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded.

She followed Kiyohara, carefully sneaking forward.

Because the Iwagakure chunin had been dealt with so quickly, the other Iwagakure chunin hadn't even reacted.

By the time he noticed, he saw a woman with curly black hair casting a genjutsu on him.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"

Kurenai Yuhi formed hand seals and unleashed her signature jutsu.

"Ahhhhh!"

The Iwagakure chunin with a scar on his face looked in terror at the illusion that had suddenly appeared before him.

He saw his comrade die right in front of him, yet he was powerless to stop it.

He could do nothing, and he could change nothing.

The day he lost his closest friend, the day he lost his bond, was the greatest pain of his life.

"Alright, he's under the genjutsu."

Kurenai Yuhi exhaled and said.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique" could stir the deepest fears in a person's heart, causing them to lose their sanity and freeze in place.

Looking at the terrified Iwagakure chunin, Kiyohara had already thrown a shuriken.

Squelch.

The shuriken pierced his neck, spraying blood.

If a person is killed, they die.

If Kiyohara didn't kill these enemies, these enemies would turn around and kill Kiyohara.

After all, this group of guys intended to march straight from the Land of Grass into the Land of Fire.

To put it bluntly, they were a group of invaders.

Kiyohara did not go soft; having experienced the ninja world for so long, he had gradually adapted to this atmosphere.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Captain Hikari and Captain Tachi are both dead!"

The remaining two genin finally discovered Kiyohara and Kurenai Yuhi.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear!"

One of the Iwagakure genin quickly formed hand seals, condensing a spear made of mud from the ground and firing it at Kiyohara.

The one on the right followed suit, using the same jutsu.

Two spears of mud surged forward rapidly.

"Lightning Release: Ground Flash!"

Renegade Kiyohara performed hand seals, and a cluster of pale blue electric arcs suddenly erupted from the ground right in front of him.

Crackle!

The resulting arcs of electricity easily neutralized the two spears formed by the Earth Release jutsu.

"Damn it, he's a Lightning Release ninja."

Otani Teruya's expression turned ugly.

There was a relationship of suppression between chakra natures.

And Earth Release was countered by Lightning Release!

Facing Renegade Kiyohara, they were inherently at a disadvantage!

"Demonic Illusion..."

Kurenai Yuhi, standing to the side, seized the opportunity and attempted to cast a genjutsu.

"Retreat!"

Otani Teruya shouted to his companion.

The two of them then dashed into the bamboo forest without looking back, fleeing rapidly into the distance.

"Kurenai, don't pursue them."

Renegade Kiyohara stopped Kurenai Yuhi from completing her genjutsu.

"Are we not going to finish them off, Kiyohara?"

Kurenai Yuhi asked, puzzled.

Judging by his appearance, Kiyohara should still have had the energy to cast more jutsu; why hadn't he attacked, and why stop her from doing so?

"Our goal is to draw the attention of the Iwagakure ninjas, not to wipe them all out."

Renegade Kiyohara explained.

Even if they managed to kill one or two more, it wouldn't change the situation here.

It was better to let them pass on the intelligence so that more Iwagakure ninjas would take notice of them.

In this way, they would have fulfilled their mission.

With Renegade Kiyohara present, Kiyohara was not afraid of sneak attacks.

He had finally come to understand just how heaven-defying Dan Katō's Spirit Transformation Technique truly was.

The enemy couldn't see where his soul body emerged from, nor how it killed the person he possessed.

It was a jutsu that completely maxed out both intelligence gathering and assassination capabilities.

The only weakness was that while the soul was separated from the body, Dan Katō's physical form would be left defenseless.

However, Kiyohara did not have this limitation.

Renegade Kiyohara could wander around freely without it having any impact on him.

"I see."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded her head.

So that was it.

Kiyohara was truly worthy of being the captain; he didn't lose his head in the heat of battle and knew exactly when to pull back.

"Alright, let's divide the loot... oh, I mean, take inventory of the assets."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

This was an outpost, and a portion of their food supplies would be stored here.

They couldn't take this part with them.

The storage capacity of a sealing scroll was limited; it was impossible to take everything.

However, there were also ninja tools and armor; these didn't take up much space and could be placed into the sealing scroll to be taken away.

Soon, Genma Shiranui, who had been waiting outside, noticed that the enemies had run directly toward the opposite side of Renegade Kiyohara and had not passed by the spot where he was lying in wait.

"Come out, Genma. I was just worried that if I couldn't kill the chūnin, they might both escape, so I had you stand guard. Now that the two genin have run off, it doesn't matter."

Renegade Kiyohara said as he lifted his clothes, pulled a sealing scroll from his bosom, and began packing items into it.

"Don't be shy, take some."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

"Uh..."

Only then did Genma Shiranui realize that this guy, Kiyohara, had intended for him to deal with the chūnin from the very beginning!

"Kiyohara, you even brought a sealing scroll?"

Kurenai Yuhi asked, confused.

Not many ninjas carried sealing scrolls; a standard ninja tool pouch was usually enough for daily use.

Carrying another sealing scroll would somewhat affect his agility.

After all, both the chainmail worn underneath and the flak jacket worn on the outside were designed for light equipment, rather than the heavy armor of the Warring States period.

"If I don't bring the sealing scroll, wouldn't all of these go to waste?"

Kiyohara said as a matter of course.

He was still carrying a load of debt on his back.

It totaled seven hundred thousand ryo; one hundred thousand had been given to Tsunade, and most of the remaining six hundred thousand had been spent on medicinal herbs. Aside from some essential ninja tools and the equipment for crafting forbidden drugs, the rest of the money had gone into this sealing scroll.