Onmyoji

"According to our intelligence, these bandits have used the mountains' unusual terrain to establish a temporary stronghold. There are around sixty bandits, including roughly three samurai and one Onmyoji.

For this mission, the three of you will discuss how to proceed yourselves. I'll be watching from the shadows. Remember, the objective of this mission is to leave no survivors."

Seeing Asuma Sarutobi hesitate, Shibi Aburame spoke directly. When he finished, his entire body dissolved into countless tiny black insects that scattered.

For a moment, only the three members of Team 8 remained on the giant beetle's back.

"What... should we do? Assassinate them... or..."

With their teacher gone, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi turned to Uchiha Gen at the same time.

Although Team 8's trio had never designated a leader, both knew that Uchiha Gen's strength far surpassed theirs.

At a moment like this, when a decision was needed, Uchiha Gen was the team's mainstay.

"Since this is our first time facing slaughter, there's no need to bother with assassination. Let's just... fight our way in."

The instant his words fell, his ocular power erupted!

Susanoo Armor instantly covered Uchiha Gen's entire body.

Susanoo: Full Armor Release!!

The moment the Susanoo Armor covered him, Uchiha Gen stepped forward, his figure plunging straight down toward the mountain stronghold below.

Boom-!

As Uchiha Gen plummeted vertically, the shriek of the air being torn apart seemed almost tangible, tracing a white sonic-boom trail above the stronghold.

The sight was like a spear of punishment hurled down by a god.

"What the hell is that?"

The sudden roar left the bandits below bewildered. When they all looked up toward the source of the sound, their pupils contracted sharply.

Something was falling... from the sky...

A person!!???

The words had barely left their mouths when the falling figure crashed onto the ground before them.

The instant his feet struck the ground, a ring of air erupted outward from Uchiha Gen, sending the bandits who had just been looking up at the sky flying backward.

"Then... let's begin."

Beneath the Tengu mask, an eerie scarlet light flickered. Uchiha Gen raised his chin slightly, fixing his gaze on the strongest person in the entire stronghold, that... so-called Onmyoji.

At that very moment, a cold, hoarse laugh slowly rose from a dilapidated tower in the deepest part of the stronghold.

"Heh heh... look at that... truly premium nourishment."

Creak-

The tower's wooden door rotted and crumbled on its own, and a deathly pale man in dark purple Onmyoji robes slowly walked out.

His Sharingan gleaming with an eerie red light, Uchiha Gen quietly watched this so-called Onmyoji.

The man's left eye was unremarkable, but layers upon layers of pitch-black curse markings coiled around the pupil of his right. A rune Uchiha Gen could not understand flickered in its depths, shimmering with a strange, murky luster.

This really is a real-life legend of eyeballs. Even in a dump like this, I can run into something this bizarre.

Looking at the Onmyoji's unusual eyes, Uchiha Gen could not help silently griping.

He had known this mission would not be normal.

Hidden nearby, a tiny insect lay quietly on the ground, watching the two.

"That eye... Jigumi? The A-rank Onmyoji wanted in the Land of Nō. It looks like this mission has gone beyond D-rank. But... Gen seems to want to fight him."

Sharing the insect's vision to get a clear view of the situation, Shibi Aburame could not help frowning slightly. He knew that Onmyoji.

No, saying he knew him really only meant that he knew some information about the man.

Jigumi came from the Land of Nō, a small country that produced many Onmyoji. After learning an evil technique that converted fear into Onmyoji cursed power, he began wantonly tormenting children to generate fear and became a wanted man.

After becoming wanted, Jigumi disappeared from the Land of Nō, with no news of him for three whole years.

And now, he had appeared in the Land of Fire.

As an A-rank Onmyoji, his strength was nearly on par with a jonin's, and Onmyoji methods were extremely bizarre.

Clearly, this D-rank mission had been misclassified because of faulty intelligence.

Still, seeing Uchiha Gen so eager to fight, Shibi Aburame felt they could continue the mission. After all, even if the worst happened, he could intervene at any time.

Meanwhile.

On the back of the giant beetle in the sky.

Asuma Sarutobi silently watched the situation below.

"That... monster. Wouldn't the normal thing be to have the mighty beetle take us down?!!!! Why did he jump straight off?!! Isn't he afraid of falling to his death?!!

And this really makes me look like an idiot! Ahem, Kurenai, I wasn't talking about you. Mighty beetle, please hurry and take us down. We can't let Uchiha Gen snatch all the enemies."

Below.

Faint black cursed vapor, visible to the naked eye, swirled around Jigumi. Every wisp greedily drank in the fear that Uchiha Gen's appearance had stirred in the bandits throughout the stronghold.

Uchiha Gen's powerful landing had pushed the entire stronghold's fear to its peak. An endless stream of pitch-black Curse Power flowed through the air into Jigumi's limbs and bones, and the force of the curse surrounding him instantly multiplied several times over.

"With that appearance, you must be one of the legendary Uchiha, known as the Blood-Eyed Clan. Heh, did you come here because someone posted a mission with Konoha??

How laughable. I've always kept those useless fools in line and never let them kill anyone. All I wanted was their fear. Fear... is merely an emotion. Compared to taking their lives outright, isn't that a gift I've bestowed upon them?

So, the people here are just as ignorant as those useless fools in the Land of Nō. But it doesn't matter. I was getting ready to move somewhere new anyway. The fear here... is too poor in quality.

But before I leave, ninja of Konoha, perhaps your fear will become my strongest Curse Power~~ After all... I've never absorbed an Uchiha's fear before. Just how delicious would the fear of a clan said to possess the power of a god be?"

With that, Jigumi raised a hand, and three Yellow Talismans ignited between his fingertips.

In an instant, three sword-wielding figures flashed into view behind Jigumi.

They were precisely the three samurai mentioned in the intelligence. Only, something was clearly wrong with these so-called samurai. They were not alive.