Evil Sect

"Wait!" Seeing the tense, explosive atmosphere in the clearing, Huan could no longer sit still. She immediately ran between the two, spread her arms, and shouted, "You two, this is not the time for infighting!"

Yura's crimson eyes landed on Huan, her gaze indifferent.

This woman was clever, but sometimes, she was just plain stupid.

Without a moment's hesitation, one of the sharp spears surrounding Yura transformed into a long whip. It lashed out like a bolt of lightning, crossing the ten-meter gap in an instant. The wrist-thick shaft slammed into Huan's midsection with a thunderous impact. Huan was lifted off the ground, a muffled groan escaping her lips as she vanished from the clearing, crashing headlong into the dense forest at the side.

That should wake her up, Yura thought, turning her gaze to the man opposite her.

Mochizuki Gen's pupils constricted.

What was that attack just now? He couldn't see it at all—nothing. Even though he had secretly activated his secret technique, he couldn't capture the invisible object behind the strike.

No hand seals, no preparatory movements, no fluctuations of chakra, not even the sound of wind being torn apart.

No, there was a sound, but it was incredibly faint.

If one didn't focus intently, it was easy to overlook.

"That just now..." Mochizuki Gen said, "Was it a blade? A beautiful sound of a swing. In the entire history of the Kusanagi Clan, your swordsmanship would easily rank in the top three."

To be able to suppress the sound of a swing to that degree could no longer be explained by mere swordsmanship.

"Combined with your Invisible Blade, your swordsmanship is truly dangerous."

"Who knows?" Yura smiled faintly. "Perhaps it's a sword, perhaps a spear, or something else entirely."

Because she came from the Kusanagi Clan, people assumed it was a sword. But by using invisibility to keep the opponent from identifying the specific weapon, she made it impossible for them to judge the distance and trajectory of her attacks.

From the bushes nearby, Huan crawled out, swaying as she clutched her stomach.

The force had been just right—enough to stun, but not enough to injure.

With tears in her eyes, she gave Yura a pitiful, aggrieved look before plopping down under a tree. "What a heartless woman," she muttered to herself. The relationship she had spent the whole day warming up was now back to square one.

Seeing that Huan wasn't seriously hurt, Mochizuki Gen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Having to estimate the length, width, and height of a weapon is a terrible disadvantage. I am currently well within your range, aren't I? Most ninja probably wouldn't even realize this fatal problem."

The two stood in a small clearing in the forest, the straight-line distance between them no more than thirty meters.

"So, you're going to stand there empty-handed? Not going to draw a weapon?" Yura smiled lightly. "I was hoping you'd at least block one or two."

Mochizuki Gen shook his head. "I am not skilled in swordsmanship, though I am somewhat proficient in hand-to-hand combat."

"Oh?" Yura reached out, resting her hand on the hilt of Hongxia. She tilted her head slightly and smiled. "Here it comes."

Mochizuki Gen's eyes narrowed, and suddenly, a brilliant, faint light shimmered within them.

A dojutsu?

As he thought this, Yura launched her attack. The sixteen sharp spears surrounding her shot out in unison, like lurking vipers. They streaked silently into the air, shifted direction mid-flight, and plummeted downward, shrouding the area around Mochizuki Gen's head and body.

Since he assumed it was a sword, his subconscious would expect the attack to come from the front, not from above.

Yura, what a devious woman.

In an instant, sixteen sounds of earth and stone being pierced merged into one. Yura's spears struck the ground, sending dust billowing into the air.

Huan's heart tightened as she looked toward the clearing. She saw sixteen bowl-sized holes in the ground surrounding Mochizuki Gen. He stood in the center of the crater, his eyes glowing faintly, completely unscathed.

Did she miss? Huan wondered, confused.

"What is this?" Yura tilted her head, watching Mochizuki Gen, who stood there calm and composed.

It should have been a direct hit, yet it seemed as if every single attack had been deflected.

"Interesting." Yura let out a soft chuckle, and the hair that had transformed into spears retracted to her side.

"Spears?" Looking at the weapon, which was now stained with mud and revealing a faint outline, Mochizuki Gen said, "No matter what kind of attack it is, it is ineffective against me. You cannot defeat me with swordsmanship or spear techniques alone."

Yura was certain that during the previous attack, the man hadn't made any special movements—or rather, he hadn't moved at all.

Her hair shifted, transforming into a series of scythes that hovered at her sides.

Mochizuki Gen said, "Let's end this sparring here, shall we?"

"You really are an arrogant fellow, senior," Yura said.

As she spoke, the sixteen scythes swung out in unison. In an instant, they enveloped his entire body, leaving no room for evasion. As the scythes danced wildly, the blades turned into a continuous, raging tide, wave after wave of sword intent raining down without pause.

In Huan's eyes, a frenzy of invisible slashes bloomed in mid-air. The continuous, sharp whistling filled her ears, and one after another, savage gashes crisscrossed the earth, centering on Mochizuki Gen. Amidst the roar of the ground being shredded, dirt and stone flew everywhere.

Such an onslaught was enough to mince a person into pieces.

Yet, amidst this chaotic dance of blades, the most shocking thing was that Mochizuki Gen stood perfectly still. All the decadence on his face had vanished, replaced by the sharpness of a true ninja. The intense light in his eyes bloomed as he stared at Yura, standing firm like a reef in a raging sea, completely unmoved.

"I told you, no matter what kind of swordsmanship it is, it is ineffective against me," Mochizuki Gen said in a deep voice. "Junior! That is enough!"

Huan jerked her head toward Yura, fearing she would lose her temper.

But to her surprise, Yura didn't seem angry at all.

Yura was crouched in mid-air, cupping her cheeks in her hands, watching Mochizuki Gen with genuine interest. From the looks of it, Yura hadn't moved either, remaining perfectly at ease.

"You really are strong, aren't you?" Yura smiled faintly.

As she spoke, the storm-like onslaught came to an abrupt halt.

"You are also terrifyingly strong," Mochizuki Gen said. "With those Invisible Blades of yours, few in the ninja world can withstand even a single exchange with you."

If he hadn't been on guard from the start, he could easily have died during that first assassination attempt when he met Yura.

No matter what kind of technique it is, it must be activated to be of any use.

Given Yura's stealth capabilities and her invisible blades, it was truly chilling.

"Is that so..." Yura stood up and said, "I've just about seen through your tricks as well."

Mochizuki Gen's pupils constricted. His technique had extremely conspicuous characteristics when activated—that was impossible to hide—but being able to see through it didn't mean one could deal with it.

"A genjutsu eye?" Yura chuckled. "No, a hypnotic eye."

Genjutsu and hypnosis are two different things.

"This Humble One's ocular technique is called the Eye of Breaking Writing," Mochizuki Gen said, avoiding the question. "It can unravel any technique in the ninja world; therefore, This Humble One is invincible."

"Spare me the lies..." Yura said. "Senior, do you even believe that yourself? Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara are still alive, you know."

A long silence followed.

Mochizuki Gen gave a dry laugh.

Before he had encountered those two men, he had believed it himself.

Yura snapped her fingers, and faint blue sparks danced at her fingertips.

Seeing this, Mochizuki Gen's expression tightened. She had Fire Release capabilities as well?

"I'm curious, in the face of Uchiha Madara's Fire Release—say, Majestic Destroyer Flame—could your technique deflect a sea of fire of that scale?"

After a moment of silence, Mochizuki Gen said, "Those two men are monsters beyond the standard; This Humble One is merely human." He then asked curiously, "Have you crossed blades with Uchiha Madara?"

Yura snapped her fingers, sparks shimmering at her fingertips.

There will be a time.

"You said earlier that you were also skilled in this field, right? You possess a very sinister technique, Senior," Yura said with a light laugh. "That is why your technique alters and distorts my perception."

"Psychological Rule, a type of mental ninjutsu similar to the ability to adjust the psychological distance between oneself and others."

"It can make the opponent unable to attack you, or rather, unable to land an attack on you."

"Swordsmanship is a technique that requires considerable precision. As the saying goes, a miss by a hair is a miss by a thousand miles. As long as there is a subtle shift in perception, it is enough to prevent me from accurately locking onto my target."

"That is why such a bizarre situation occurs: I think I have aimed, but in reality, I have not."

"Psychological Rule—a very apt description," Mochizuki Gen said. "That is correct, that is what this ocular technique is. But so what? How will you break an ocular technique that places This Humble One in an invincible position?"

"Senior, that is why I say you are arrogant." Yura stood up, slowly drawing Hongxia from her waist, and said, "Since it is an attack directed at my brain, then things become very simple."

Simple? What was she planning to do?

"Watch closely, Senior. Don't you dare blink." Yura smiled faintly. As she finished speaking, she suddenly raised her hand, pointed the blade toward her own chin, and smoothly thrust it upward, driving the steel into her own brain.

In that instant, the pupils of both Mochizuki Gen and Huan dilated, and they watched the scene with eyes full of horror.

Blood bloomed bewitchingly before their eyes, and on the girl's face, a sweet smile carried a faint, mad aura of the dead.

An immortal body, man.

Yura twisted the blade, churning her brain. Blood dripped down her small hand, her scarlet eyes fixed on Mochizuki Gen.

Under this inhuman gaze, Mochizuki Gen gasped sharply.

Is she still alive?

She must be...

Yura let go, the blade still protruding from her head, and smiled softly. "Senior, round two. This time, I won't miss my target."

Mochizuki Gen gasped again and immediately shouted, "Wait! This Humble One concedes! This Humble One has lost!"

If the brain has already been destroyed, how can one continue to attack the brain's perception?

Yura tilted her head, feeling subtly annoyed.

This guy, he conceded too quickly! She hadn't even landed a single strike yet! It was a bit of a loss...

Yura raised her hand, pulled out Hongxia, and sheathed the blade.

From the wound at her chin, fine strands of hair surged out, rapidly stitching the skin shut.

As for the injury inside her brain, she would let her demon power heal it slowly. It was a bit of a problem, but nothing major. To the current Yura, the brain was more or less just for show, but because it was connected to her soul, the false information received by the brain could easily cause her true self to misjudge.

In other words, one could use the brain to trap Yura in a genjutsu.

"You are also a monster, Yura," Mochizuki Gen muttered bitterly. "You are the one who is truly sinister..."

"What a rude thing to say," Yura said, dissatisfied.

Huan looked at Yura, speechless.

"My apologies, it was This Humble One who was rude, Lady Yura," Mochizuki Gen said. "Let the plans for this operation be decided by Lady Yura's wishes."

Yura nodded.