Something Not Quite Clean

It was the same old routine; following the mole Shuichi, Yura walked through the secret stronghold of the Uji Clan without any obstruction, observing the clan members as she went.

Aside from typical Land of Lightning traits like blonde hair and pale skin, what stood out most was the expression on these people's faces—or rather, their temperament.

I am insane.

Eh, I'm just pretending.

This point could not be hidden from Yura.

People will disguise themselves according to the atmosphere; it is a defensive strategy of the self.

In other words, when you are in an environment full of lunatics, you had best pretend to be a lunatic, otherwise, you will be deemed a lunatic and dealt with as a heretic.

Most of the Uji Clan members were certainly normal people, but in the abnormal and cruel Warring States period, their mental states were inevitably strained, and the worst part was that there were extreme psychopaths within the clan leading everyone toward madness.

Yura could sense that the mental states of dozens of people were not quite right; this ratio was surprisingly high.

For example, the guy in front of her, the head of the Uji Clan, although he looked quite rational and normal.

The moment they met, he stared straight at Yura, discovering her presence.

Interesting.

Yura smiled faintly, having discovered another way one could perceive her.

Standing at the doorway, Yura did not speak; as the two stared at each other, the atmosphere remained silent.

"Because your sanity has hit zero, you are able to look directly at me, are you?"

The mental state of the man before her was in a state of permanent insanity. Since he was already mad, what was there to fear from demons or monsters? Facing Yura, this person would not subconsciously ignore her; in short, he had perhaps seen things far more terrifying.

For such a person to head a clan, the consequences were catastrophic; no one knew when he might go off the deep end.

"I am a little interested in you... human, what exactly have you seen..."

Yokai? Evil gods? Death gods? Or something else?

"Die!" The blonde man, who looked rational on the surface but refused to communicate, pushed up his neat, rimless glasses, clapped his hands together, opened his mouth, and a blast of water shot out.

Water Style: Water Cannon Jutsu.

Yura's pupils constricted. Clapping his hands together?

Terrifying!

A heavy, powerful blow suddenly exploded in the air right in front of Yura, as if it had collided with an invisible object. Yura lowered her head and looked at her feet.

On the floor, water stains were seeping out silently.

Grabbing Shuichi beside her, Yura didn't move her body, but shot backward through the air. The next second, dense spikes of water erupted from the spot where Yura had just been standing.

Yura landed in the courtyard, dropped Shuichi, and looked toward the entrance of the main house.

A mass of water hovered in mid-air, absorbing moisture from the air to expand, transforming into a deformed, large-headed, small-bodied girl.

The little girl looked at Yura with hatred and madness, baring her teeth as she laughed: "Daddy, are we eating this big sister today?"

Looking at the little girl, Yura was certain that this was what the man had just spat out of his mouth. Was this the Water Cannon Jutsu?

"Kill her." The man pushed up his glasses and said coldly: "Kyoko."

"Yes, Daddy~" The little girl's eyes lit up, and she flew toward Yura with a terrifying, monstrous laugh. On her body, the water surged, and dense, tiny spikes hung over her entire frame like scales. One after another, water streams as thick as fingers shot toward Yura, twisting through the air like snakes, their trajectories bizarre and unpredictable.

At the same time, following a roar, a giant water dragon burst through the roof of the main house, leaped into the air, turned its body, and crashed down toward Yura.

Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet.

Facing the tight, coordinated assault, Yura tilted her head, her hair surging and lashing out.

Black Secret Technique: Outer Style: Sixteen Swallow Reversal.

Striking after the enemy but arriving first, the dense lines of water were instantly severed in mid-air. The slashes propagated along the water lines, and in an instant, the large-headed girl dancing in the air was shredded into exploding splashes of water.

Black Secret Technique: Outer Style: Single Spiral Gate.

Eight other strands of hair extended and combined, forming a giant, oni-faced shield that spun rapidly in mid-air. The diving water dragon slammed into the shield and exploded into a shower of scattered water, and suddenly, a temporary rain began to patter down.

The man standing inside the house pushed up his glasses, and with a flick of his hand, a long sword made of flowing water appeared in his grip. He said: "Ridiculous, how could water be cut by blades!"

Yura smiled faintly. If it had been before today, it would indeed have been a bit troublesome.

The next second, the water splashing across the sky paused, then rapidly surged toward a central point. Within the swirling vortex of water, the giant head of the little girl quickly reformed, her massive eyes glaring at Yura with hatred.

Having absorbed the moisture from the Water Dragon Bullet, her size had increased.

"Ahhhhhhh—!!!" The little girl shrieked, her shrill scream piercing the air and spreading in layers. She roared: "I hate you!!! Die!!!"

Yura tilted her head to observe the irritable little girl.

This little girl, this water-style secret technique, seemed to have become an independent, complete life form.

The man pushed his glasses, a cruel and insane smile hanging on the corner of his mouth as he said: "My daughter, tear her apart!"

In the blink of an eye, the little girl's massive body had grown to occupy the size of the courtyard. She suddenly raised her arm, and visibly, the arm rapidly expanded and grew, transforming into a giant fist several meters wide, poised to smash down on Yura.

The next second, a flash of blade light streaked by.

Onikiri!

Onikiri, coiled within the strands of hair at Yura's waist, transformed into a flash of blade-light that sliced straight down from the top of the little girl's head. Following the initial strike, the blade-light flickered in a torrential storm; in the blink of an eye, slash marks covered the little girl's entire body. As if losing some unseen support, the little girl's form crumbled into pieces, the edges of the cuts impossibly smooth.

Yura's hair retracted, bringing Onikiri back into her hand. Holding the blade, she gave it a flick to shake off the blood with a look of distaste, sending a row of droplets splashing against the ground. She then sheathed the sword.

Seems I've cut something rather unclean.

"Daddy~~~" The severed little girl cried out, wanting to turn back, but she could no longer manage it. She only wailed, "It's so cold--!! So cold, so cold--!! I'm so scared--!!"

Cold, you say?

Accompanied by a shrill, piercing shriek, the little girl's form collapsed abruptly, dissolving into a sky full of water that crashed onto the ground.

The frantic smile on the man's face froze. Watching this scene, his pupils locked onto the blade at Yura's waist, and he shrieked, "Onikiri!!!"

With madness flashing in his eyes, he gripped his water sword and began to walk slowly toward Yura.

"Oh, coming at me head-on? Not running away, but actively approaching me instead?" A madman indeed. Yura smiled faintly, her scarlet eyes fixed on the man as she said, "Do you have any other interesting performances to satisfy me with?"

"The Kusanagi Clan..." The smile on the man's face twisted into something increasingly deranged. "If I don't get close to you, how am I supposed to kill you?"

The logic holds up, but to just walk over like that—is he truly not afraid of being cut down?

A normal ninja certainly couldn't pull this off.

Amidst the whistling sounds of air being pierced, the Uji Clan ninjas, drawn by the commotion of the battle, stood upon the walls. Some crouched, others stood; since their clan head had given no orders, none of them struck, their gazes locked firmly on the black-haired, red-eyed girl in the center of the clearing.

The man came to a halt, seven or eight meters from Yura. Then, wearing a cruel grin, he stabbed his own left hand with his blade, followed by weaving hand seals and slamming a palm onto the ground.

That seal... it's a standard Summoning Jutsu.

But to use that much blood to perform a summoning? Is your brain working, I wonder?

Yura tilted her head, truly unable to grasp the thought process of a madman.

"Die!!!"

The summoning smoke burst and dissipated, but looking at the field, nothing appeared to have been summoned.

Yura looked up, staring at the ugly soul-body in mid-air—twisted, terrifying, and bizarre, resembling a person.

Yura frowned slightly; she felt offended by its ugliness.

To put it bluntly, it looked like a maggot topped with a human head. Three candles were stuck into its skull, their cold, ghostly flames flickering. It had no feet; one hand held a nail, the other a hammer. Its body was bloated, wrapped in ring after ring of tire-like segments. Its head had sparse hair, and its appearance was that of a woman, with two shriveled water bags hanging from its chest. In total, it was only the size of an infant.

This is... what the Little Monster called 'rather cute'?

It really is a spirit body similar to the Spirit Transformation Technique.

"Time!!! Kill this woman!"

Following the principle of proximity, this peculiar little thing should have locked onto Yura for an immediate attack.

Yura locked eyes with it...

It can see me. We have both confirmed this.

Yura pressed her hand against the hilt of Onikiri.

It turned its head, and with a whoosh, it vanished from Yura's sight.

The next second, on the wall, a Uji ninja clutched his head and shrieked in agony. His body trembled as he fell uncontrollably from the wall. A commotion broke out among the surrounding ninjas. The little creature, wielding its nail and hammer, tongue lolling and water bags swinging, began to smash the ninja's skull with excited, cruel intensity. In mere moments, the ninja bled from his seven orifices, collapsed in a twisted, agonizing heap, and died. The creature immediately shifted to its next target.

Watching his clansman drop dead, the man froze, then began to shriek in a frantic, thunderous rage.

"Wrong! That's not it! Kill that woman! Kill that woman!"

Yura rubbed her forehead, and with a wave of her hand, she unleashed a single strike.

"You're noisy."

In an instant, the man didn't even perceive the approach of death; his body was sliced vertically, split in two.

Screams erupted across the field. The little creature rampaged through the ranks of the ninjas. Faced with invisible, intangible attacks, the Uji Clan ninjas—who were dying in gruesome ways without external wounds, bleeding from their seven orifices—were filled with panic. They could no longer concern themselves with Yura; under the extreme terror of the summoned beast released by their own clan head, some broke down and fled in all directions.

After watching for a moment, Yura realized that the strength of the attacks was tied to the target's mental fortitude. Some ninjas could take a few hits, while others couldn't take any at all.

Senju Hashirama could probably take a few hundred hits, I suppose...

Aside from a summoning scroll, there were no other spoils to be found in the Uji Clan, and with this peculiar little thing acting as her enforcer, it saved Yura the trouble of doing the work herself.

It really is...

"Rather cute..."

Now, she only needed to watch and confirm the results.

In the only passage connecting the secret base to the outside world, invisible strands of hair sealed the exit. Not a single one of them would escape.

"Let's go. The Uji Clan is finished." Yura turned and walked toward the main house, saying, "Go, dig out the summoning scroll. It would be even better if you could find the secret scrolls."

Shuichi's face turned deathly pale as he asked, "Lady Yura, what was that thing just now?"

"You saw it?"

"No!" Shuichi shook his head violently.

"The true form of the Hour of the Ox Worship," Yura said. "It's better that you didn't see it; otherwise, you'd have nightmares tonight."

"Lady Yura, you will protect me, won't you..." Shuichi whispered, filled with unease.

You brat...

Yura turned her head, her scarlet eyes fixed dangerously on Shuichi.

Shuichi chuckled dryly, "I wouldn't dare trouble Lady Yura to take action."