Hell Viewing Technique

The Scar-faced Man's shout immediately restored the bandits' morale. They stopped scrambling to flee, raised their weapons again, and resumed their howling and shrieking.

Hoshi and Sakumo both looked unhappy at the sight. Neither had expected the bandit leader to be so crafty, sneaking around behind them to strike at their rear.

Seeing Shinku under control, Sakumo was at a loss for the moment. As he used his blade to force back the bandits trying to approach, he looked over at Hoshi.

That guy seemed to possess some kind of magic. Whenever everyone else was out of ideas, he could always come up with some miraculous solution.

What Sakumo didn't know was that Hoshi himself couldn't think of any good solution right away. His first instinct had actually been to ask Torikaze to make a move.

He looked at Torikaze pleadingly, only to find the guy merely smiling at him. The meaning in that expression was clear:

Little bro, please begin your performance.

Clearly, this situation had yet to reach the life-or-death crisis Torikaze had spoken of, which meant Torikaze still didn't intend to intervene.

This didn't count as a life-or-death crisis? Seeing Torikaze's calm expression, Hoshi's initially tense heart settled considerably. He still had great faith in the strength of the Second Hokage's direct disciple.

If even an Elite Jonin—perhaps even a Quasi-Kage Level powerhouse—said there was no problem, then the situation had to still be under his control. In other words, Torikaze believed Hoshi was capable of resolving this himself.

In that case, all he had to do was think of a way. With Torikaze there to cover for him, Shinku shouldn't be in any danger of losing his life. That meant he only needed to go all out.

With that thought, Hoshi relaxed considerably. Once he broke free from his previous tense state, he felt as though his thoughts had become much clearer.

Hoshi took a deep breath and began calculating how he could save Shinku.

If it were a simple one-on-one fight, he could kill the Scar-faced Man in an instant. One move—Line of Moonlight—would be enough. But Shinku was still in the other man's hands.

Line of Moonlight wasn't teleportation. If that guy was ruthless enough to drag Shinku down with him even at the cost of his own life, then at this distance, Hoshi definitely wouldn't be able to save Shinku.

Unless there was something that could distract him.

Wait, distract him... Shinku himself was an expert at that sort of thing.

If Shinku, who specialized in Genjutsu, could find an opportunity to cast one and stun the Scar-faced Man for even a moment, Hoshi could rush in with Line of Moonlight and end that bastard's life.

Thinking of this, Hoshi instinctively looked at Shinku across from him, only to see that Shinku still looked like he'd been scared half out of his wits. Hoshi sighed inwardly.

Things really weren't as simple as he'd imagined.

Still, it should be worth trying. Even if it failed, Torikaze was there to cover for them. There shouldn't be a problem.

Having made up his mind, Hoshi put on a nervous expression and said to the Scar-faced Man, "Don't... We'll do as you say, but don't hurt Shinku. We grew up together. He's my only friend. If he dies, I don't want to live either."

Shinku and Sakumo both wore identical expressions of utter confusion upon hearing that. What was Hoshi playing at? Since when had he and Shinku been brothers who grew up together?

Sakumo had spent more than half a year with Hoshi day and night, so he quickly caught on. He knew Hoshi must have come up with a plan, and all he needed to do was cooperate. So he suddenly followed Hoshi's lead.

"Hoshi, have you gone mad? You're giving up the mission for a friend?"

Ding! Your friend: Hatake "Oscar Owes Me a Little Golden Man" Sakumo has come online.

Hoshi sighed inwardly. Sakumo truly understood him. Then, with his own acting itch flaring up, he continued, "I don't care about any mission. If I can't even save Shinku, what's the point of being a ninja?"

"You've even forgotten the ninja code. You're completely beyond saving."

"What code? Is any code more important than a human life? When Shinku ignored the mission to save you before, why didn't you bring up the ninja code? Want me to use a Genjutsu to help you remember what happened then?"

Their sudden argument caught everyone off guard. For a moment, even the bandits around them forgot to deal with the two, and simply stared blankly as they argued.

Even the Scar-faced Man no longer urged them to drop their weapons. He watched the spectacle of teammates turning against each other with great interest, clicking his tongue inwardly.

These little brats were so childish. With a powerful enemy right before them, they actually started fighting among themselves. It'd be great if they came to blows. That would save him some trouble. Originally, even he hadn't been confident he could deal with those two vicious little punks.

And now those two little punks were arguing. What a heaven-sent opportunity. He hadn't expected to catch someone this important.

While the Scar-faced Man watched with relish, Shinku, whom he held captive, finally understood. Hoshi had first used a lie to draw his attention and make him forget his fear, then deliberately mentioned Genjutsu—a skill Hoshi couldn't use at all.

Even a pig should have understood what was going on after such an obvious hint.

Shinku secretly glanced at the Scar-faced Man holding him. Seeing that the man's gaze was fixed on Hoshi and Sakumo, he quietly began forming Hand Seals.

Once he had finished, Shinku suddenly slapped the Scar-faced Man's arm. The Scar-faced Man instinctively lowered his head to look, only to meet Shinku's eyes.

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.

The instant the Scar-faced Man saw Shinku's eyes, his heart sank. He realized that this time, he had fallen for the trap set by those three little brats.

But he was already too late. The moment he looked into those eyes, he had fallen into the space of the Genjutsu.

Before him appeared the corpses of the comrades he had once fought beside. The difference was that those corpses climbed up from the ground and stared at him, covered in blood.

They questioned the Scar-faced Man. Why had he abandoned them? Why had he left them behind to flee alone at such a critical moment?

Why had he become a Rogue Ninja? Where had a ninja's honor gone?

The Scar-faced Man was left speechless. He knew this was a Genjutsu, but the scene before him still made every hair on his body stand on end.

Fortunately, his suffering did not last long. Before he could even attempt to break the Genjutsu, a streak of silver light had already passed across his neck.

A huge head shot into the air, ending his earlier mental torment and allowing him to join his former comrades.

Naturally, it was Hoshi who sent him to reunite with his comrades. Though Hoshi and Sakumo had argued fiercely before, it had all been an act for the bandits. Their eyes had been fixed on this side the entire time.

The moment he saw Shinku seize control of the Scar-faced Man, Hoshi activated Line of Moonlight without hesitation and ended the man's life with a single slash.

The Scar-faced Man's head hit the ground and rolled far away, leaving the bandits trembling in terror. They knew that soon, it would be their turn.