Multiple Genjutsu
"As expected of the renowned Mizukage..."
Seeing that Karatachi Yagura of any eventuality, Kato Osamu snorted lightly. His prediction was not wrong. Although Kato Osamu's Chakra reserves were stronger than those of an ordinary Jonin, they were still limited.
This is also why he doesn't usually use this secret technique. The proper allocation of Chakra and the use of the most appropriate means to kill the enemy are essential lessons for anyone in the Shinobi World.
"Blow up the Water Shadow Building... Lord Kato, you're going to become famous..."
Carrying the unconscious Zabuza, Akihamaru stood atop a distant pavilion, gazing at the battlefield at the Water Shadow Building. Even he was moved by the moment the Water Shadow Building exploded.
Seemingly not expecting Kato Osamu to cause such a commotion, which was completely unexpected, a look of helplessness appeared on his face.
"Would you believe me if I said the explosion at the Water Shadow Building had nothing to do with me?"
Suddenly, Kato Osamu's voice rang in Akihamaru's mind, startling him and causing him to frown.
"Could it be... that someone is plotting against Karatachi Yagura???"
Ignoring Akihamaru's shock, Kato Osamu frowned slightly as he looked at Karatachi Yagura, whose senses were fully activated and who had no weaknesses in his body, within the darkness. His gaze then fell on the ruins beside him.
"They're not plotting against Karatachi Yagura, they're plotting against me..."
During the battle, Kato Osamu had no time to spare. Now, with a slight respite, his gaze swept over the ruins of the Water Shadow Building, and he instantly noticed something amiss—the entire Water Shadow Building had been implanted with countless Explosive Tag, which had been detonated during the earlier battle.
Even with his current abilities, silently implanting countless Explosive Tag into the Water Shadow Building right under the nose of a large village's Kage is no easy task...
Kato Osamu's heart sank. He counted those who knew he was in Mist Shinobi and knew his plans. Besides himself, only Akihamaru.
But at such close range, he could almost instantly sense that it couldn't be Akihamaru...
That can only mean someone hiding in the shadows, someone he can't even detect with his current abilities...
"If my sparring session with the Mizukage was entirely under their control..."
"So what do they want to do...?"
"Blowing up the Water Shadow Building in front of everyone would create a blood feud between me and Mist Shinobi. Karatachi Yagura would definitely want to capture and kill me, the culprit, otherwise his prestige would suffer a major blow..."
"But isn't that how things are already...?"
Kato Osamu, who couldn't figure it out for the moment, frowned deeply.
The darkness blocked out the rain, creating a silent and still scene. Karatachi Yagura, a man with a gloomy face and furrowed brows, had a wary look in his eyes that, even in the darkness, still carried a sharp sense of awareness.
Suddenly, a glimmer of light shone in his eyes. In the complete darkness, this glimmer of light seemed to be magnified many times over, growing brighter and brighter!
A pair of eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness, glowing with a faint blue light, and stared at him. Then came a second pair, a third pair... In the blink of an eye, countless eyes densely filled the black Karatachi Yagura, and the eerie scene made Karatachi Yagura shudder with fear.
"Illusion Art: Soul Symphony!"
"Oh no! It's an illusion!"
The Kunai pierced deep into his thigh in an instant, and in that moment of pain, Karatachi Yagura tightly closed his eyes.
Before he could even catch his breath, in his tightly closed eyes, which seemed to be just another dark space, a pair of lake-blue eyes suddenly rose up again, followed by a second pair, and a third pair...
"It's actually a multi-layered illusion!"
When Karatachi Yagura regained his senses, he had already closed his eyes, but a trickle of blood suddenly welled up from the corner of his mouth. However, the pain in his thigh suddenly disappeared, as if the action of stabbing into his thigh was just his imagination.
His brow furrowed even deeper; his opponent appeared to be an unconventional genjutsu-type ninja...
His mastery of mental power and Yin Release illusion techniques is extremely profound; he can even manipulate pain to make his opponents believe they have fallen under the spell...
Before he could move, a whooshing sound suddenly came from above. He involuntarily raised his head, as if against his will, and a struggle flashed in his eyes.
But a pitch-black cylinder suddenly pierced straight through his mouth, and an overwhelming feeling of nausea and vomiting surged up inside him.
"Are we still in an illusion?!"
He tried to break the illusion again, but his body seemed to be bound by Sealing Jutsu, unable to move.
Feeling the long column penetrate deeper and deeper into his mouth, through his throat and abdomen, and then emerge from another hole, the intense physical discomfort made him tremble all over.
The long pillar, carrying Karatachi Yagura's body, gradually rose up and suddenly appeared horizontally in the sky. His entire body was now completely naked. The long pillar began to spin continuously, and Karatachi Yagura struggled violently, like prey waiting to be roasted.
Suddenly, light shone before him, and figures began to appear...
Those were his deceased teacher, his former teammates, elders from various clans, and even countless younger members of the Mist Shinobi Village.
Their eyes reflected Karatachi Yagura's wretched state, and in those gazes, flames seemed to suddenly rise, scorching Karatachi Yagura and searing his soul. Ghostly blue flames began to flicker across his body...
Even though he knew it was an illusion, Karatachi Yagura's eyes were already bloodshot. He had never felt such humiliation before; it seemed as if all the blood in his body rushed to his mind at that moment...
In the real world, Karatachi Yagura, who had only lost consciousness for a moment before regaining it, was suddenly overcome by a violent aura that shot straight into the sky from the darkness. No one could understand what he had experienced in that instant...
His body was riddled with openings, but he seemed to care nothing for them. His hands instantly Hand Seals, and his body rushed toward a certain place he sensed.
His hands trembled, he remained silent, and the icy coldness in his eyes revealed a chilling desire to kill that had never been stronger than ever before...
"Water Release: Water Release: Waterfall Technique!"
The water began to converge, like the water of an entire lake beginning to surge violently. The overwhelming torrent of water surged from all directions, filling the streets and alleys next to the Water Shadow Building and completely enveloping the entire darkness within it.
"Laugh..."
The veil of darkness seemed to lose its effect and vanished abruptly, revealing Kato Osamu's Multiple Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to be broken head-on for the first time.
"Die!!!"
The moment the darkness dissipated, Karatachi Yagura, his eyes bloodshot, rushed toward Kato Osamu.
He wouldn't normally use such a ninjutsu that consumes a huge amount of Chakra, but at this moment, he seemed to be enraged to the extreme. He no longer considered anything else; he only wanted the person in front of him to die right before his eyes...
He traded blows for blows, his movements bold and sweeping, wielding a long staff adorned with green flowers, creating countless splashes on the surface of the lake formed by the flowing water.
"Too little Chakra, lacking a decisive weapon..."
While Kato Osamu still has some tricks up his sleeve, he is gradually realizing what he is lacking. He can easily deal with ordinary Jonin and below, but he still lacks more powerful methods.
Kato Osamu at this point could perhaps be described as a strongman detector or a minion-reaping machine...
"Water Release: Water Barrage!"
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Having dodged Karatachi Yagura's Water Release Ninjutsu once again, Kato Osamu fought and retreated. Seeing Karatachi Yagura towards him again, Kato Osamu hesitated slightly; the presence of the enemy lurking in the shadows made him consider retreating...