Dark Release (Part 2)

Seven days later, while Yahiko was teaching Ye Wuji about the relationship between chakra, hand seals, and ninjutsu, dozens of figures were darting back and forth through a massive mountain range at the intersection of the Land of Earth, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Rain.

As these people drew closer, it became clear that one person was fleeing in front, while the others were in hot pursuit.

"Chukichi, stop running! You can't escape, just surrender and accept your fate." The pursuers shouted as they chased, some weaving hand seals to cast ninjutsu like the Water Dragon Bullet Technique or the Water Formation Wall, attempting to hinder the man ahead.

Upon closer inspection, these pursuers were Kirigakure ninjas, and the man fleeing in front, also wearing a Kirigakure forehead protector, was indeed the Chukichi they were hunting—the man who had stolen half of the Scroll of Sealing from Kirigakure.

Chukichi already bore several wounds; though they did not appear life-threatening, they were clearly hindering his speed.

While running, Chukichi seemed to sense something and suddenly changed direction. Not long after he veered off, over twenty people emerged from the path he had been following, clearly intending to intercept him. They hadn't expected him to be so sensitive as to detect an ambush while in the middle of a desperate flight.

Dodging and weaving, Chukichi eventually reached a mountain peak, his pursuers closing in behind him. Upon reaching the summit, he discovered a bottomless cliff ahead. Most notably, the wind seemed to howl through the chasm year-round, and the rocks below were jagged and sharp.

As Chukichi prepared to change direction, he looked back to find his path completely blocked by the Kirigakure ninjas.

Seeing this, Chukichi seemed to abandon all hope of escape and stood his ground. "What a grand gesture. To send so many people just for me—should I feel honored?"

The Kirigakure ninjas reached the summit and quickly formed a perimeter. The twenty jonin stood at the front, and Hétián stepped forward. "Chukichi, enough talk. Hand over the Scroll of Sealing. You know you have no chance now. I never expected you to have ties with the Iwagakure ninjas; you ran here hoping to defect to them, didn't you?"

"That is none of your concern. I didn't expect you to come as well, Yuki Kazuki." Chukichi didn't even glance at Hétián. The jonin named Yuki Kazuki stepped forward. "Chukichi, I didn't want to come, but you shouldn't have taken that Scroll of Sealing. You were truly wrong to do that. If you wanted to flee, I would have said nothing, but you shouldn't have done this."

"Hmph, if I didn't have something of value in my hands, I would have been dead long ago. Since you're here, I won't show mercy, but for the sake of our friendship, be careful. I am a cautionary tale." Chukichi looked at his friend and spoke.

"Enough, no more nonsense. Chukichi, some things are understood by everyone. Other matters can be discussed, but the Scroll of Sealing must be returned, even if you only have a copy. It concerns the safety of Kirigakure. This is my final decision: if you don't hand it over, I will take it myself." Hétián interrupted Yuki Kazuki, who was about to speak, and issued an ultimatum.

"Then come and take it yourself." Chukichi had never considered handing over the scroll.

"Fine. Attack." With that, Hétián immediately launched the Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

Following Hétián's lead, the surrounding jonin simultaneously unleashed the Water Dragon Bullet Technique. Twenty water dragons danced in the air, roaring as they charged toward Chukichi. With such a wide-range attack, there was nowhere to run, yet Chukichi made no attempt to flee.

As the twenty dragons lunged, Chukichi rapidly formed a few seals. "Dark Release: Absorption Hole!" As the words left his lips, Chukichi extended his hands toward the incoming dragons. To everyone's shock, the twenty water dragons slowly turned into water and collapsed, vanishing in an instant.

"Dark Release... I never thought you had awakened your clan's Kekkei Genkai. I was wondering how you managed to escape so far. Now it all makes sense. I didn't expect you to hide it until now; you always acted as if you couldn't awaken it. It seems it was all an act." Hétián stood stunned for a moment before speaking.

"If I hadn't hidden it, I would have been killed the moment I was discovered. I originally planned to wait until the war ended to return and surprise my family, but the surprise turned out to be this." Chukichi said bitterly. "But since you've come, I'll collect some interest first."

"Dark Release: Evil Self-Destruction!"

Chukichi's entire body was suddenly enveloped in a blue light, which then transformed into blue flames that spread from him toward the Kirigakure ninjas.

"Be careful! Don't touch it, dodge!" Hétián shouted first. Although many heard him, five jonin were still struck by the blue flames, and half of the surrounding chunin were engulfed.

While the jonin quickly used the Substitution Technique to escape, two were too slow and were completely consumed by the flames, and only a handful of the struck chunin managed to survive.

Watching those trapped in the flames screaming, rolling on the ground, and then slowly falling silent as their cries faded, the survivors' faces turned grim. Though the jonin losses were minimal, half of the chunin had been wiped out in an instant, and the three jonin who had escaped were in no condition to continue fighting.

"Chukichi, you..." Yuki Kazuki cried out.

Chukichi didn't even look at him. Scared now? What were you doing earlier? Chasing me? Go to hell, all of you.

"Dark Release: Absorption Hole!"

After finishing the seals, Chukichi pointed his hands at the remaining Kirigakure ninjas.

Yuki Kazuki shouted, "Everyone, be careful! Resist with everything you have!" Before he could finish, Hétián also yelled, "All chunin, retreat! Jonin, dodge and resist with all your might!"

The remaining people heard the warning and tried to resist or dodge, but some were confused, not understanding what was happening.

After a moment, someone cried out, "What's happening? My chakra is disappearing!"

As the words were spoken, others realized their own chakra was slowly draining away.

Yuki Kazuki spoke up: "His Kekkei Genkai is Dark Release; it has the ability to absorb others' chakra. Don't be afraid, if the jonin concentrate their power, we can resist it." As he spoke, the sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed repeatedly. Yuki Kazuki looked around and saw that the chunin had all collapsed.

Yuki felt a jolt of alarm. Why have all the chunin fallen? Even if their chakra was drained, it shouldn't have this effect.

"It's not right! It's not just absorbing chakra; it's draining stamina too! Everyone, be careful, get out of the range of his ninjutsu!" Yuki Kazuki realized the danger immediately and warned everyone while retreating rapidly.

"It's too late to realize that now. My Dark Release has reached the second stage. Did you really think I was afraid of you? I lured you here on purpose. I'm going to kill you all right here. Hahaha!" Chukichi laughed wildly.

By now, except for a few jonin who had barely escaped the range of the technique, the rest were struggling to hold on, seemingly unable to move.

"Alright, I'm done playing with you. I'll finish you all off now. As for Kirigakure, I will definitely pay a visit." With that, Chukichi began to form seals, preparing to use "Dark Release: Evil Self-Destruction" to wipe them all out at once.

Among the Kirigakure ninjas, the few jonin who had escaped the Absorption Hole had lost more than half their chakra, and more importantly, a significant amount of stamina. Because they had realized too late that Chukichi could drain stamina, they were now physically unable to dodge this incoming technique.

Chukichi was lost in the joy of being able to wipe out these Kirigakure ninjas; this was the first step in avenging his clan. He knew that challenging a village alone, especially one like Kirigakure, was unrealistic, but that didn't stop his desire for revenge. As a user of Dark Release who had unlocked the second stage, he believed that if he could reach the third stage, even if he couldn't destroy the village, he could at least teach them a lesson and likely kill the Daimyo of the Land of Water.

As for why he came here, he had indeed made an agreement with the Land of Earth to defect. Among the Five Great Nations, aside from the current Daimyo of the Land of Water, who had lost his mind and wanted to eliminate all Kekkei Genkai clans, other villages welcomed such individuals to bolster their military strength.

To gain the attention of the Iwagakure Kage, he needed to bring a gift, and the Scroll of Sealing was the perfect offering. Of course, Chukichi never intended to take the original; that would have made it impossible to even leave the village. As a member of a former high-ranking clan, he knew the strength of a village like Kirigakure all too well.

That was why he had tried to copy the scroll, but he was discovered by the Third Mizukage before he could finish. He had thought he was dead, but the Third Mizukage had let him go, only sending pursuers after he had left the village. Chukichi later realized the Third Mizukage did it to avoid alienating other Kekkei Genkai clans, but he had no intention of being grateful. His heart was filled with hatred for the destruction of his family, and he cared for nothing else.

So, Chukichi had fought and run, never revealing his Kekkei Genkai until he could lure them into a trap and wipe them all out.

"Hahaha!" Watching the struggling ninjas, Chukichi felt immense joy. He did something unexpected: he stopped his seals, pulled a scroll from his pack, and tossed it into the air. "This is the half of the Scroll of Sealing you wanted. Why don't you come and take it? Look how generous I am, showing it to you directly. Now you can die in peace, right? Isn't this what you came for? At least you got to see it, so your trip wasn't in vain. Now, go to hell." As he finished, he threw the scroll up and began to form seals: "Dark Release: Evil Self-Destruction."

Just as he shouted the final word, a "thud" sounded. Chukichi felt a sharp pain in his chest. The final word and the final seal remained unfinished.

Chukichi looked down to see a white, bone-like object protruding from his chest, having pierced through his heart from behind. Before he could turn to see who had struck him, a shadow flashed before his eyes. The scroll in the air was caught by the shadow, who now stood before him. Chukichi finally saw the face of his attacker: dressed in standard ninja attire, with two white dots on his forehead and white protrusions emerging from his body, making him look like a hedgehog.

"It's you... I never thought they would send you. It seems you guessed I might have awakened my bloodline. The strongest warrior of the Kaguya Clan, the successor of the Shikotsumyaku, Kaguya Daichi." Chukichi gritted his teeth, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"I didn't expect you to actually awaken it either. The Third Mizukage sent me mainly as a precaution. It turns out you really did awaken it, but it doesn't matter. You know that the Kaguya Clan's greatest strength is our taijutsu. Your ability to absorb chakra is of little use against us. I just never expected that not only did you awaken it, but you reached the second stage."

The so-called second stage of Dark Release is actually capable of absorbing physical energy. Honestly, even I was startled. If we were to face each other in direct combat, wouldn't your ability also counter our Kaguya Clan? Fortunately, it seems you have only just awakened the second stage, which is why I was able to succeed with a sneak attack. I could have spared you, but given your ideology and your abilities, I am sorry, Momohara Chukichi, you must die here." As he said this, Kaguya Daichi, standing before Chukichi, did not retract his Kekkei Genkai. Those white protrusions were, in fact, the man's own bones; looking at it this way, Kaguya Kimimaro might well be his descendant.

"Thinking about it, the war should be over by now, otherwise you wouldn't have come here disguised as a chunin. It really has been a grievance for you. I am a dead man, but don't even think about getting your hands on my corpse. I would rather die than return to that village. I hope your clan doesn't end up like ours, hahaha." Having said this, Chukichi laughed loudly and chanted, "Dark Release: Evil Self-Destruction."

Upon hearing Chukichi's words, Kaguya Daichi assumed Chukichi was about to fight to the death, so he quickly retreated while clutching the Scroll of Sealing; he certainly didn't want to test whether he could withstand the burning of those blue flames.

However, something unexpected happened to Kaguya Daichi: the blue flames began to burn on Chukichi's own body. Kaguya Daichi then recalled Chukichi's words, and as the flames consumed him, Chukichi leaped off the cliff behind him. Looking down from above, one could see a blue flame continuously falling.

Kaguya Daichi watched as the laughing Chukichi fell, sighing to himself. At this moment, the few people who had fled to the side returned, and the ninjas who had previously had their chakra and physical energy drained were slowly recovering.

"I didn't expect Lord Kaguya to be here as well," Yuki Kazuki said first, expressing his gratitude for Kaguya Daichi's life-saving intervention.

Kaguya Daichi waved a hand. "Don't say that. I was sent by the Third Mizukage without notifying you all; I truly apologize. Now that the matter is settled, everyone should pack up quickly and return to report. This war has ended, though who knows when the next one will begin."

The others had no reaction to Kaguya Daichi's words, all thinking to themselves, "It was hard enough for the war to end so we could finally get some rest. Who doesn't know that you Kaguya Clan members are all battle-crazed maniacs?"

Once these Kirigakure ninjas finished tidying up, and Kaguya Daichi confirmed that the Scroll of Sealing was indeed the original copy, the group quickly departed the area, having already taken care of the fallen ninjas.

After the Kirigakure ninjas left, the place became deserted once more. After a long wait, three figures slowly emerged from what appeared to be a rock formation. The person in the center was a young man of about thirty, with a well-proportioned build—neither fat nor thin—and standing about 1.7 meters tall. On his forehead, he wore a headband with a circular symbol and a horn, the unmistakable headband of Konoha. The two individuals beside him were both dressed in tight-fitting uniforms and wore masks with animal patterns; they were clearly Konoha Anbu.

"Lord Hiruko, it appears the Kirigakure ninjas were hunting down a rogue ninja," one of the Anbu said.

The other Anbu added, "Lord Orochimaru and Lord Jiraiya received intelligence that a large number of Kirigakure ninjas had arrived. Unsure of their objective and fearing they might have ties to Hanzo of Amegakure, they sent us to investigate. It seems it was just a coincidence, but we must still be careful. We should maintain surveillance until they have fully departed to be certain."

The young man named Hiruko, upon hearing the two Anbu, said, "You two return first to report to Orochimaru and Jiraiya and inform them of the situation here. I will remain to monitor them and see if they truly intend to leave."

"But Lord Hiruko, perhaps you should return, and we will stay to keep watch," one of the Anbu suggested.

"Rest assured, while I may lack other talents, I have no trouble running away. Don't worry, if I notice anything amiss, I will retreat immediately. Besides, your speed is far greater than mine; report back to Orochimaru and Jiraiya early so they can set their minds at ease regarding the battle with Hanzo. Furthermore, at your speed, who knows? I might not even be far away before you have already returned," Hiruko said.

The Anbu wanted to say more, but was stopped by a look from his companion. The other Anbu spoke up: "Then so be it. Please take care, Lord Hiruko." With that, the two Anbu vanished.

Hiruko stood in place, watching the Anbu speed away into the distance, while continuously whispering to himself, "Kekkei Genkai, Dark Release." He repeated it several times. Then, looking toward the cliff where Chukichi had fallen, he pondered for a moment before Hiruko jumped directly off the cliff.