When Kakashi and the others found Neiki, he sat on a branch, looking down at everyone as if he had been waiting for a long time.
On the ground lay the dismembered body of the Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha. This formidable ninja, who had endured for a lifetime and only recently incited the Uchiha revolt, single-handedly facing half of Konoha, now lay dead in a particularly gruesome manner.
Only his head, rolling to the feet of the group, still bore a calm and slightly mocking smile despite the empty eye sockets.
Many furrowed their brows.
“The masked man actually let you live,” Neiki said, glancing at Kakashi.
“Neiki… last night, you led us to that Uchiha Madara just to have him kill me?” Kakashi took a deep breath and asked, observing the surroundings for traps.
He wasn’t sure what Neiki was up to, but since he dared to stay alone and not flee, Kakashi and his team had no reason to hesitate.
Several dark shadows began to circle behind Neiki as they confirmed that there were no traps.
“No, leading you there was mainly to prevent him from stopping my plan. Killing you was just to weaken Konoha.” Neiki patted his rear, stood up, and said calmly.
The tree canopy obscured the starlight, shrouding Neiki’s upper body in shadow, but his ghostly white eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness.
“Your plan?” Kakashi narrowed his eyes, trying to buy time as his comrades moved closer, and asked, “Does it include the destruction of the entire Hyuga clan?”
Kakashi was aware of the Hyuga clan’s tragedy. Although the true culprit was still under investigation, after Neiki stole Sharingan and attacked Danzo, it was clear that this now seemingly insane Hyuga branch member was the prime suspect.
“Strictly speaking, my goal was to gain freedom, and the destruction of the Hyuga clan was a means to that end. Without the main family’s command, the caged bird seal is just a pretty tattoo.” Neiki pushed back his hair, revealing the green pattern on his forehead, smiling warmly.
It was as if a teenager showed off a beloved toy to friends.
Everyone’s expressions darkened.
The faint sound of a long sword slicing through the night breeze resonated through the forest.
Perhaps due to sweat-soaked hair, Neiki’s previously neat hairstyle now hung down his face, giving his once scholarly appearance a grim and reckless edge.
Though they suspected the truth, hearing Neiki’s confession still filled these former colleagues with disbelief, making their gazes unfamiliar, surreal, and incomprehensible.
To kill one’s kin for freedom…
Kakashi shook his head.
His gaze became dangerously sharp as he looked at Neiki, his voice cold:
“So, the Uchiha clan’s rebellion is also related to you? And that Uchiha Madara isn’t actually an ally of the Uchiha?”
Neiki’s smile remained gentle, but his tone carried a hint of pride, like presenting an art piece he meticulously crafted:
“Everything is interconnected.”
“To destroy the Hyuga clan, I had to weaken Konoha, causing internal turmoil. Thus, the Uchiha rebellion became inevitable. As for the Nine-Tails, that was a result of the Uchiha’s initiative, unrelated to me.”
Although releasing the Nine-Tails, even in the original story, was the only option the Uchiha clan could take.
He explained nothing further, but it was clear to everyone that this maniac was inseparable from Konoha’s disasters today.
The surrounding ninjas crept closer to Neiki.
“How could you do it?” Someone asked, unclear if it was to divert Neiki’s attention or a genuine desire for answers.
“Just thinking about breaking free from the main family’s control made me not only able to do it but also strike even faster,” Neiki’s lips curled, teasing them.
Faster?
… This monster.
“Are you really Neiki?” Kurenai Yuhi asked, unable to contain herself.
Kurenai had always had good relations with the Hyuga clan and had high hopes for this Hyuga branch genius, even considering him as her first Genin student after promotion.
Although their master-student relationship never materialized, Neiki’s previous enthusiasm for genjutsu, tirelessly seeking her out to discuss various genjutsu mechanisms, had greatly impressed Kurenai.
Neiki, already a genius, was diligent, becoming a model for inspiring other students.
Despite Kakashi repeatedly warning that Neiki was now extremely dangerous and likely had defected, Kurenai held onto a sliver of hope.
However…
Looking at Neiki’s familiar face with a gentle smile, Kurenai felt an eerie sense of unreality.
Could the once introverted, diligent, and sincere Neiki truly be capable of such monstrous acts?
Could someone switch between truth and falsehood so seamlessly?
“The method of distinguishing between genjutsu and reality, didn’t you teach me that, Kurenai-sensei…? Can’t you tell now?” Neiki responded with a smile.
Was he saying this was his true self, and the past Neiki was a mere illusion?
The sincere and humble Neiki, who blushed and called her “Kurenai-sensei” while learning genjutsu, resurfaced in her mind.
Whether out of disappointment at the loss of such a beautiful soul or anger, Kurenai’s hand holding the kunai trembled.
Although the news of the Hyuga clan’s massacre had begun to spread among a small group, confidentiality remained strict, and Shikaku had not allowed others to enter the Hyuga main house. Even without witnessing the scene, the mere words “massacre” in the report were enough to convey the horror.
Her voice trembled:
“I don’t care if it’s genjutsu or reality. I just want the kunai stabbing your heart to feel real.”
More real than reality?
Neiki chuckled: “You might be disappointed then.”
The June night breeze rustled the forest, carrying the scent of wild grass, and insects buzzed on the trees.
Leaves fell like a foot gently stepped on them, making a soft “crunch.”
“Now!” Kakashi suddenly shouted.
A shadow darted through the night sky.
In the next moment, Neiki, standing on the branch, suddenly winced, then looked down, seeing two large blades piercing through his abdomen!
Blood flowed uncontrollably, his hand unable to stop it.
Chain·Double Fang Slash!
“You were too careless, Neiki.” Kotetsu Hagane whispered in Neiki’s ear, then shouted: “Izumo, wrap it up, don’t let him die!”
“Listening to this bastard talk almost made my lungs explode with anger.”
“We need to take him alive to the interrogation department and properly question him!”
Seeing Neiki turn his head with a look of disbelief, Kotetsu became even more pleased and said:
“You can save your strength. Whatever you want to say, say it in the interrogation department.”
“… Run…” Neiki’s voice was faint and somehow familiar to Kotetsu.
He turned to look at the ground, seeing Kakashi and everyone staring at him in shock. Kurenai shouted something, but Kotetsu heard nothing.
The world seemed to fall into a silent ocean.
The sounds floated in the water.
Kotetsu stared blankly until Neiki’s figure suddenly appeared behind Kurenai, his descending blade frantically blocked by Kakashi. Kotetsu then realized, belatedly.
—If Neiki was there, who was this beside him?
As if realizing something, Kotetsu turned his head to see Neiki transformed into his partner, Izumo Kamizuki. The blades pierced through Izumo’s abdomen.
How did this happen?
The explosive tags stuck to Izumo’s body were about to detonate. Izumo, enduring the pain, shouted: “Run!”
He then pushed Kotetsu away with all his strength!
Boom!!
An explosion ensued, flesh splattering over Kotetsu, the blast’s force hurling him into the forest, his fate unknown.
Meanwhile, outside Kotetsu’s bewildering world, a fierce battle was just beginning!
“It’s an area-wide genjutsu, everyone fall back and spread out!” Kurenai shouted, retreating.
She didn’t know the exact effect of the genjutsu but understood that most area-wide genjutsu was spatial. Leaving the genjutsu’s space would weaken its effects.
Seeing Konoha’s ninjas retreat, Neiki looked calmly at Kakashi: “You’re in my way.”
While using the genjutsu to “decorate” his killings, Neiki’s proficiency diminished, just like when he slaughtered the Hyuga clan—everyone saw him killing, not slaughtering pigs or sheep or anything else.
Forcing the genjutsu to “decorate” his actions increased the chance of it being pierced.
Hence, during the Hyuga massacre, Neiki only used genjutsu to alter his appearance and the layout of the Hyuga main house, not his killing actions.
The same applies here.
But these people weren’t like the naive elders of the Hyuga clan; they were wary of Neiki.
Among them was Kurenai, a genjutsu expert.
Ambushing Kotetsu and Izumo had already alerted Kakashi and the others. After Neiki’s failed attack on Kurenai, she revealed the genjutsu’s existence.
This was the genjutsu’s weakness in combat.
It was designed to counter the Hyuga, but its applicability in other scenarios was limited.
Fortunately, Neiki had anticipated this.
“Is this why you’re so confident?” Kakashi’s
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