Ido

The situation was dire.

Ueno Kei could not afford a moment of hesitation. He summoned his final ounce of strength and swung the Lingyu Blade backward with all his might.

The whistling of the blade forced his assailant to retreat slightly to avoid its edge.

At that moment, Yuhi Kurenai, who was not far away, sensed something amiss the instant Ueno Kei spoke. She arrived at his side in a flash, forcing back the person who had ambushed him.

As the delicate hand stained with Ueno Kei's blood pulled away from his body, he couldn't help but twitch violently, his brows knitting together in agony.

"Kei, you..." Yuhi Kurenai first stared in shock at the smiling girl who had appeared before them. It was clearly Kurama Yakumo, the very person Ueno Kei had just slain.

She soon noticed the horrific wound on Ueno Kei's back. Such a fatal blow, Yuhi Kurenai thought, Ueno Kei is likely...

Ueno Kei paid no mind to Yuhi Kurenai's thoughts.

He knew he was in an extremely perilous situation. Gritting his teeth, he pulled a pill from his robes, swallowed it quickly, and formed hand seals.

Instantly, the wound on his back began to hiss and emit wisps of hot steam, as if scorched by fire. While the injury remained gruesome, the bleeding had at least stopped.

Ueno Kei breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although he remained incredibly weak, he would at least not die from blood loss.

However, his complexion remained deathly pale.

Ueno Kei completed these actions in a split second. He waved a hand at Yuhi Kurenai and said weakly, "Cough, cough. Kurenai-sensei, although I've been severely wounded, my life is at least temporarily out of danger."

Yuhi Kurenai looked at Ueno Kei with a complex expression, then nodded and said nothing more, for there was a more pressing matter to face.

It was the girl standing before them like a phantom, wearing a beaming smile—Kurama Yakumo.

The girl gazed at Yuhi Kurenai and Ueno Kei with a gentle smile, as if meeting long-lost kin, bearing no resemblance to the person who had just struck Ueno Kei with such lethal intent.

Kurama Yakumo gently toyed with her hair.

She pursed her lips and chuckled, "Kurenai-sensei, why such a terrifying expression? Are you disappointed and disbelieving to see that Yakumo is not dead?"

"Well, it's no wonder you're surprised, Kurenai-sensei. Just a moment ago, even Yakumo thought she was going to die! Fortunately, oh, fortunately. Why Yakumo didn't die—that's a secret I can't tell you, Sensei. That brother next to you is quite terrifying; Yakumo... Yakumo almost killed him."

The girl's smiling face instantly shifted into a pitiful expression, as if she were on the verge of tears.

Ueno Kei felt a chill run through his entire body. Although Kurama Yakumo appeared harmless, he felt that this moment was the most terrifying of all, just as it had been a moment ago.

He would have preferred her expressionless, icy demeanor. At least then, he felt that the Kurama Yakumo before him was a living person—flesh, blood, and a heart!

But at this moment, the girl felt to Ueno Kei like nothing more than a monster wearing human skin.

This sensation, this aura, and the subtle pressure that made it difficult for him to breathe left Ueno Kei feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Ueno Kei's already ghastly expression grew even more horrific.

His body swayed, as if he might collapse at any moment.

The girl seemed to notice Ueno Kei's abnormal state. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she chuckled, "This brother seems to be in a lot of pain? Don't blame Yakumo for being too ruthless; blame yourself for being so heartless to Yakumo earlier. Yakumo suffered even greater pain. Surely you won't mind such a small bit of retaliation, right?"

The girl chatted away with Yuhi Kurenai and Ueno Kei as if they were neighbors gossiping, showing no intention of taking advantage of Ueno Kei's critical condition to finish them off.

"No, you are not Yakumo. Who exactly are you!" Yuhi Kurenai said in a deep voice. As she spoke, a powerful aura surged from her body, revealing her strength as a Jonin.

The girl seemed startled, putting on a fearful expression. "Kurenai-sensei, if I'm not Yakumo, then who am I? You want to..."

Before she could finish, the girl's pupils constricted slightly. Suddenly, vines erupted from the ground beneath her feet, binding her tightly. At that same moment, Yuhi Kurenai was already within arm's reach, her right hand gripping a kunai, which she plunged toward the girl's heart without hesitation.

Puff. That was the sound of the kunai sinking deep into flesh.

Yet, a look of shock appeared on Yuhi Kurenai's face. She felt no sensation of having struck a vital organ. As a Konoha Jonin whose hands were stained with the blood of countless enemies, how could she fail to distinguish whether she had hit a vital point?

Moreover, the girl's expression remained unchanged, still wearing that beaming smile.

"Genjutsu?" Yuhi Kurenai muttered, her expression steady. Then, she gave a sharp shout: "Release!"

The space before Yuhi Kurenai twisted and shattered with a crack.

Sure enough, Yuhi Kurenai found herself standing in the same spot. The girl not far away still wore a calm, indifferent expression. Upon closer inspection, a flicker of disdain could be seen in her eyes.

However, as the girl's gaze swept over Ueno Kei, a hint of confusion flashed across her face, followed by a playful look, as if she had found an interesting piece of prey.

Cold sweat drenched Yuhi Kurenai's forehead. Had she realized it a moment later, she might have been trapped in that genjutsu indefinitely.

Ueno Kei glanced at Yuhi Kurenai. Her face was pale, as if she had exhausted a great deal of chakra, and her right hand was trembling slightly. It was clear that the two had already engaged in a fierce clash.

What Ueno Kei did not know was that while Yuhi Kurenai's attack on the girl had been neutralized, the girl's counterattack had not been limited to Yuhi Kurenai alone.

She had intended to wipe them both out once and for all. That Yuhi Kurenai, with her years of experience in genjutsu and her Jonin-level strength, had quickly broken free was not unexpected.

But how had Ueno Kei, who possessed no trace of genjutsu ability, was not particularly strong, and was severely wounded, managed to break free from her genjutsu?

The girl developed a keen interest in Ueno Kei.

"Cough, cough." Yuhi Kurenai's breathing grew shallow as she coughed up a bit of blood.

"So, you really are Ido. Yakumo would never act like this." Yuhi Kurenai's face darkened, but she spoke with absolute certainty.

The girl wore a noncommittal expression, then burst into laughter.

"Yakumo" laughed and said, "As expected of Konoha Village. It seems you discovered my existence long ago? That old man was the same—the most troublesome existence of all!"

"Well, even if you discovered me, it doesn't matter. You failed to eliminate me back then, and now... giggle... don't even think about it." A savage look flickered across Kurama Yakumo's face before she composed herself and chuckled softly.

"What have you done to Yakumo? Could it be...! Hmph, even now, I will absolutely eliminate your existence!" Although Yuhi Kurenai had confirmed her suspicions, her face remained devoid of any relief.

She knew all too well what kind of monster she was facing.