Somewhere in the forest along the border of the Land of Fire.
Chihiro, Tsuchiya, and Sakuragi moved swiftly through the trees, leaping from branch to branch.
At the front of the group was Sakiya, leading the way.
Chihiro followed closely behind. As she watched Sakiya move, she noticed something strange—her figure seemed to glitch for a moment, freezing in place before continuing as if nothing had happened.
[Did I imagine that?]
She shook her head, dismissing it as a trick of the eye.
But in reality, the real Sakiya had already rejoined the group. What Chihiro had seen was nothing more than a holographic projection—a distraction.
Sakiya let out a quiet sigh.
Her thoughts were a mess.
Even though she told herself it was necessary, even though she convinced herself that those people were just trash…
It was still her first real kill.
And not just one.
A lot of them.
Her heart pounded in her chest, though whether it was from nerves or adrenaline, she couldn't tell.
[I was prepared for this.]
Yes. She had accepted this long ago.
This world didn't value life.
Even Konoha, with all its peace, was just a mask. Beneath the surface, war never truly stopped.
She had known this.
She had chosen this.
"The Eye of Death… it is the power that will bring the world to its end. I am its vessel. I will not hesitate!"
She clenched her fists, steeling herself.
---
They finally emerged from the dense forest and spotted a small village up ahead.
Exhausted from their journey, they decided to stop and rest.
But as soon as they approached, something felt… off.
The village was too quiet.
Few people were outside. The air felt heavy, just like before.
And then—
From one of the houses, a man stepped out.
An Iwa ninja.
Unlike before, this one didn't bother hiding. He turned casually toward Chihiro and the others and waved.
"Oh? What a coincidence. Konoha's ninjas."
Chihiro stiffened, unsure how to respond.
And then—
Her eyes widened.
Behind the Iwa ninja, standing in the doorway—
A girl.
A very familiar girl.
Chihiro turned her head toward Sakiya, standing next to her.
She was still here.
So… who was that?
[A clone? No…]
What Chihiro didn't realize was that this Sakiya was nothing but a projection.
The real Sakiya was already behind the Iwa ninja.
The man smirked, watching Chihiro's confusion.
"Relax, Konoha—"
Before he could finish his sentence—
CRACK!
Sakiya's club came down hard on the back of his skull.
Bang!
The hammer struck the back of the Iwa ninja's head with brutal force, sending him flying forward.
He hit the ground face-first, skidding across the dirt like a ragdoll.
For a moment, he twitched.
Then—
A faint wisp of breath escaped his lips.
Silence.
The group of Iwa nin standing nearby froze, staring in disbelief.
Chihiro was the first to react.
"Run!"
She turned to flee—
Only to see Sakuragi and Tsuchiya Tsukigami already halfway gone.
"Those two cowards!"
She clenched her fists in frustration.
Still, escaping was the smart choice.
She turned to Sakiya.
"Come on, Sakiya! Use your technique so we can get out of here!"
But Sakiya didn't move.
The Iwa nin had already started their pursuit, yet she stood her ground, her expression firm.
"I am the ultimate existence! The Eye of Death! Why would I run from something as trivial as explosions?!"
"Eh?"
Chihiro's face twitched.
[She ran last time just fine… What changed?]
What she didn't know was that last time, Sakiya had hesitated because of the innocent villagers who had died.
Now, that hesitation was gone.
Chihiro could only watch as Sakiya began her chant, forming intricate gestures with her hands.
"Control space with the Eye of Death! Invisible boundary—open!"
A flicker of light.
The Iwa nin charged, kunai flashing—
But they hit nothing but air.
Their blades passed straight through Sakiya as if she weren't even there.
She smirked.
"Hah! Idiots! Don't you know the rules? When I start my announcement, I'm invincible!"
The Iwa nin glanced at each other, confused.
Iwaichi: "What... kind of logic is that?"
Iwaji: "Uh… can't you tell she's messing with you? Idiot!"
Iwasan: "But… we really can't hit her…"
Iwa Four: "It's probably just a clone. Or some kind of illusion."
Iwa Five: "…"
Sakiya raised her hands dramatically, staring at the Iwa ninja with a serious expression.
"I've made my death declaration! The next strike will definitely hit someone!"
The Iwa ninja blinked in confusion.
"What?"
They exchanged glances, unsure whether to take her seriously.
Sakiya didn't explain further. Instead, she tightened her grip on the invisible air before her, voice grave.
"The next strike… is the ultimate attack from the God of War, the strongest force across dimensions! Are you ready?"
The Iwa ninja stared at her.
Then—
They burst into laughter.
"Hah! Kid, if you're gonna bluff, at least make it convincing!"
"'Strongest attack from the God of War'?! Seriously?"
One of them, grinning, stepped forward and tapped his forehead.
"Alright then, hit me! Show me this 'ultimate' move of yours!"
Sakiya's eyes widened.
For the first time, she looked genuinely uncertain.
After a pause, she hesitantly asked, "Wait… you're serious?"
The Iwa ninja scoffed.
"Just do it already!"
Another Iwa ninja, growing impatient, glanced at the Konoha ninja they had surrounded. A twisted grin spread across his face.
"Tell you what—if you can't kill him, that girl over there is gonna have a bad time."
Sakiya's eyes hardened.
"So, you're willingly offering yourself up for absolute death? Even as scum, you have my respect!"
The Iwa ninja sighed, rolling his neck.
"Whatever. Just hurry up and—"
Before he could finish, a surge of energy exploded beneath Sakiya's feet.
With both hands raised, a glowing circle suddenly formed in the air.
A massive mallet materialized in Sakiya's grip.
The Iwa ninja nearby immediately sensed something was off, but before they could react—
Boom!
The mallet came crashing down, striking the head of the Iwa ninja in front of her.
The moment of impact was brutal.
His skull caved in, his eyes rolled back, and his face contorted as blood sprayed from his mouth.
Bang!
His entire body slammed into the ground like a meteor, causing an explosion of debris. A shockwave burst outward, forcing the surrounding Iwa ninja to shield their eyes from the flying dust and wind.
When the dust settled, they were met with an eerie sight.
A massive crater had formed in the earth.
At its center, only half of their comrade's body was visible, buried deep in the shattered ground.
His fate was unclear, but from the sheer impact alone, the Iwa ninja swallowed hard.
They stood in stunned silence for a moment.
(Rest in peace, brother...)
Then—
"She's gone!"
"What?!"
Panic spread through the Iwa ranks.
"The Konoha ninja—she disappeared!"
"How?! We had her surrounded!"
"I don't know! She just… vanished!"
Chihiro quickly realized that she had been protected by one of Sakiya's techniques. Without wasting any time, she leaped out of the encirclement with the other Konoha ninja.
Now perched on a rooftop, she surveyed the battlefield.
Then, at the very edge of the Iwa formation—
She spotted Sakiya.
Standing behind an unsuspecting Iwa ninja.
A mischievous grin spread across Sakiya's face as she raised her massive club once again.
Bang!
Another Iwa ninja collapsed instantly.
Sakiya winked playfully at the others before vanishing in a flash of light.
"What the hell is that technique?!"
"Where are the sensory units? Can't they track her?!"
The Iwa forces descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, Chihiro sighed.
"Sakiya just took out two more."
Tsuchiya and Sakuragi suddenly appeared at her side, both looking serious.
Chihiro turned to them in surprise.
"Didn't you two run away?"
Sakuragi straightened his posture. "We would never abandon our teammates!"
Chihiro squinted. "Then why did you run so fast?"
Tsuchiya coughed. "Well, Sensei, you're faster than us. We figured it was better for us to retreat first."
"…Right."
Sakuragi and Tsuchiya exchanged glances before muttering, "Honestly, we don't think the enemy can do much against Sakiya."
Chiho blinked. "What?"
Thinking back, it was true—Sakiya's combat abilities far exceeded her own.
Maybe she had been overthinking things.
If Sakiya could toy with an opponent as strong as Kakuzu, these Iwa ninja were nothing to her.
But still—
Chihiro couldn't shake the worry.
Sakiya was talented, but she was still young. If she let her guard down, even for a moment, she could make a mistake.
And a mistake at this level could be fatal.
Chihiro wasn't willing to take that risk.
So, as Sakiya prepared to strike again—
Chihiro readied herself.
Next time, she would step in.
_____
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