Cherreads

Chapter 138 - Bloody Tears

Bishamonten functioned based on a single concept:

Battle.

Or, more specifically...

'Exertions of force and usage of chakra.'

That was the overarching idea of the Dojutsu's immense capabilities. Now, Suguru would use that concept to turn the tides of war in his favor.

Thought only temporarily.

—!&@^#^&!(@)@(#)(!!&@^#^&!(@)@(#)(!!&@^#^&!(@)@(#)(!!&@^#^&!(@)@(#)(!

Suguru walked through the membrane of illusions. The dreadful noise of a myriad of miniature battlefields scratched at his ears. Just a little more and his ears were likely to bleed.

It was then.

—Whoom!

The moment the disturbance from his red dust dissipated, a pulse of chakra burned through. Yugito and her equivalent illusory clones were the first to act, blowing a barrage of fireballs around her. An endless rain of flames consumed the world in an instant.

Other versions of Yugito had also breathed fire en masse like a roiling tide, supplementing the rain with an image straight from hell.

But before their attacks could land, someone acted faster.

'Bishamonten: Battlefield of Manifold Illusions!'

The entire world warped, and it seemed as if the sea of flames warped around every living being. Friend or foe, everyone was given a state of fake invincibility.

"Ho?" Suguru's eyes flashed.

'What a big fat liar,'

Inwardly laughing at Danzo's attempts at masking the nature of his Dojutsu, Suguru directed his gaze forward as the world was forced into a sense of chaotic stability.

Regaining control over his own Genjutsu, Danzo met Suguru's gaze.

"..?"

The falling flames slowed down as Danzo witnessed the boy's spreading grin.

—...

Silence.

The unstable Battlefield of Manifold Illusions found itself in a sudden state of complete calm.

—Shaaaa!

After a single breath of stillness, the fragmented illusory worlds resumed forming, merging with their respective counterparts and creating what Danzo had originally intended.

However, Suguru's smile continued to spread despite the finalization of Danzo's Dojutsu. The latter furrowed his brows, wondering why his senses were warning him of something.

Swift, subtle, and sudden. Chakra poured into Suguru's eyes.

—Crack.

A fleeting volley of fireballs exploded between the two.

Danzo, wondering why blood began to pour down the child's cheeks and streamed from their strained gaze, commanded his Susanoo on instinct. Yet, Suguru's devious smile became even more apparent due to this.

With eyes pinned on Suguru as the flames dissipated, wary of any movement, Danzo would come to regret this moment of focus.

'Vampiric Gaze.'

'!!!'

It was a mysterious pull, like the call of the void. Despite wielding his Mangekyou Sharingan with the aid of Hashirama's cells, Danzo fell into a daze. 

It was the allure of oblivion. Something beyond mere Genjutsu.

—Crack.

However, this trance lasted only for a single moment. The chakra siphoned from Danzo's body disappeared into Suguru's eyes. The latter had hurriedly pried his gaze away, realizing what just happened.

"You..."

The deadly gleam in Danzo's gaze deepened like an ink-black sea. His voice was grating — as he recalled the small doses of humiliation he was forced to swallow, unaware of who had been watching him.

Now, Danzo had answers.

[Rat » Rabbit » Dog]

It happened in a single breath. Danzo formed the seals and his Susanoo ballooned, inhaling tonnes of air.

'Wind Release: Vacuum Bomb!'

Then, there was silence.

No sound traveled in the area where a vacuum was forced into existence. Only those with their ears flat on the ground would be able to hear the faint vibrations caused by the shattering of everything that stood before Shimura Danzo.

"...!"

Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared beside Danzo, inches away from the spectral warrior he wielded. 

Barely catching the sudden appearance of Suguru's presence as he left a gift behind, Danzo commanded his Susanoo.

A white sword slashed down.

However, it would be a moment too late.

'Fire Release: Rasengan!'

—Crack.

A shattering force cracked the Susanoo, blowing away the residual effects of the Vacuum Bomb that hadn't even fully developed.

Danzo swiftly directed his sword downwards in a hurried slash, slicing through the flames and cutting through his own jutsu by extension. Like parting a sea, his sword forced its way through the two turbulent elements.

Furthermore, Yugito's rain of flames was also caught in cutting, and indeed, a sea of red was forced apart.

"..!" Yugito, still wielding Matatabi's form, found herself stepping back in fright.

A cold wave of death wrapped around her heart, forcing her to reconsider her rampage. A pair of eyes appeared before her just then.

'Vampiric Gaze!'

In that split second, a large amount of her chakra was siphoned, burrowing into the shattered silver eyes gazing straight into her soul.

***

In the depths of Yugito's consciousness, a blue beast stirred.

"Hm?"

Feeling the predatory gaze, Matatabi shivered. Looking through Yugito's eyes to see the silver gaze in the outside world, Matatabi felt a moment of loss.

Feeling its chakra disappear into the depths of the child's gaze, a flicker of curiosity flashed in its eyes.

"This child..."

Matatabi chuckled, and its gaze shifted with Yugito's, looking at the multiplying figure clad in white armor.

"What a devious one."

***

Danzo's body shimmered, and several versions of himself appeared out of thin air, stepping into the newly formed Genjutsu battlefield.

Now that Bishamonten had settled down, the world was simpler. Six equal worlds overlapped, with six equivalents of everyone in the world, floundering about in confusion within. Some of Konohagakure's own shinobi had hit themselves during the sudden change in their surroundings.

Those with experience serving under Danzo, like those of Root, however, were perfectly fine.

They rushed forward, aiming straight for their target while Danzo commanded the attention of all who stood in the Land of Fire.

Chains burst from their sleeves, wrapping around the flailing Yugito.

In an instant, the jinchuriki faced three different spectral warriors, each swinging their blades straight for her through.

"Roar!"

With a cat-like cry that scratched the throat bloody, Yugito brandished her claws after breaking free from the silver-haired child's gaze.

It was at this moment that several explosions went off everywhere.

—Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The faint figure of silver-haired children being engulfed in the subsequent explosions made people's hearts drop.

"No—!"

Even before they could scream, many of the shinobi from Root found themselves reduced to ashes.

"Tsk."

Watching this occur, the original Danzo clicked his tongue. His gaze grew colder with every passing moment, cementing his desire to end the Ghost of the Land of Rivers right here and right now.

Unbeknownst to him, the chaos had only begun. Red dust swirled, concealing a certain someone's machinations like the curtains of a stage.

Soon, Suguru's performance would be placed under the spotlight.

[]=[]=[]=[]

I appreciate your support on P@treon! Hehe~

Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou

(No space.)

You can read up to 35 chapters ahead!

[]=[]=[]=[]

More Chapters