Chapter 12: Multiple Genjutsu Spy Elimination
Notes:
Scrolls have multiple purposes in Ninjutsu. Apart from recording information, being used in battles for different jutsu, they can also be used as storage space
The instant the sound was heard, Inoue Shinoda’s body turned into a black shadow as he lunged at the closet with his tanto.
Shik
The tanto’s blade pierced straight through the closet, but he didn’t hear the muffled grunt he was anticipating.
“What’s going on?”
A trace of doubt flashed past Shinoda’s eyes. His opponent was in the closet, but since he heard no grunt, it could be a sign of Tonan’s willpower and endurance to bear the pain.
But even the texture of what his blade hit did not feel right.
In the next moment, the room was suddenly lit up, and a gentle voice emerged from behind Shinoda.
“A guest. Would you like a cup of tea before you leave?”
Shinoda turned around sharply, only to see Tonan in a white shirt, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses as he sat at the living room table, calmly looking at him.
A light aroma of freshly brewed tea was in the air, and wisps of smoke were rising from two cups on the table.
Shinoda was astounded. But then, he heard the sound of dripping water again. From the corner of his eye, he glanced over at the kitchen sink.
The faucet wasn’t dripping.
Raising a brow, he formed a seal and said viciously, “You little brat! Did you think such a low-level genjutsu will work on me? Go and practice some more in hell!”
The chakra in his body began to flow rapidly.
“Genjutsu, release!”
In the next instant, the genjutsu lifted, and everything before Shinoda’s eyes changed. He found he had already opened the closet door, and his tanto was pointed right at Tonan’s neck while the latter trembled, covering his blood-dripping three tomoe Sharingan.
“Did the genjutsu turn against you? Poor kid.”
Shinoda smiled cruelly. He was angry at himself for being caught up in his opponent’s genjutsu, but seeing Tonan suffer from the backlash, lifted his mood again.
What a genius. To think he managed to trap him in a genjutsu. Too bad his skills were still lacking.
Shinoda stabbed his blade, piercing through Tonan’s neck, blood splattering everywhere. Having completed his mission, he pulled it out, prepared to leave this place as soon as possible.
Just at this moment though, the lights came on, and the same scene unfolded again.
“A guest. Would you like a cup of tea before you leave?”
“Impossible…I’ve already broken your genjutsu!” Shinoda subconsciously retreated a few steps.
Drip, drip…
Glancing at the faucet again, Shinoda saw no water coming out of it at all.
“This damned kid! He actually managed to endure the illusion’s backlash and trap me in his genjutsu again.”
“And he must have done it just as I was about to kill him. Looks like his will to live is very strong. But it’s meaningless now.”
Shinoda figured everything out in an instant and immediately controlled the frightened expression on his face, once again forming a seal. “Genjutsu, release!”
The entire room was plunged into darkness once more. Before Shinoda could even take a breath, the lights turned on again. Only this time, it wasn’t Tonan sitting in the living room.
It was an Uchiha jonin.
Shinoda had met this jonin before. He was one of the leaders of the Konoha Military Police Force.
There was seemingly a smile on the jonin’s face as he looked at Shinoda, the three tomoe spinning in his eyes, asserting great pressure on him.
“You managed to break my genjutsu? Not bad.”
As a Konoha genius, how can there be no one protecting Tonan?
“Who are you?” The jonin asked as stood up from his seat, looking down at Shinoda with an arrogant gaze. As if this man was nothing in his eyes.
There was cold sweat running down Shinoda’s forehead and his right leg twitched uncontrollably.
“How is this possible? No wonder everything was so strange. Was I caught in the genjutsu as soon as I entered the house?”
“That must be it. After all, it’s an Uchiha jonin’s genjutsu. It was already a lucky fluke to be able to break it.”
“No. What if…what if this is also an illusion?”
Holding a trace of hope, Shinoda quickly turned his eyes to the kitchen faucet. It was dripping.
Drip, drip…
This wasn’t an illusion.
Shinoda tightened his grip on his tanto, eyes darting left and right, desperately looking for an opening to escape.
The jonin gently raised his hand but abruptly put it down again. He raised a brow and said, “Looks like I don’t have to lift a finger. Someone’s already here for you.”
Shinoda was stunned by his words, and an alarming possibility came to his mind.
“No…Could it be the Anbu?”
Several masked ninjas suddenly appeared beside Shinoda, and in a cold voice, one of them said, “Inoue Shinoda. Kiri spy. Your companion who was tasked to assassinate Kakashi has already been eliminated by the Anbu. Do you want us to kill you here, or will you cooperate and come with us for interrogation?”
“Did he fail? As expected…”
A hint of desolation showed in Shinoda’s eyes.
He was only a chunin, and to be surrounded by several jonins…
Unable to withstand the pressure any longer, Shinoda’s hands powerlessly fell to his sides, the blade dropping to the ground.
In the next instant, his vision went dark.
“What’s going on? Why are they switching off the lights?”
Shwick
A kunai pierced through Shinoda’s heart, causing blood to splatter. He fell to the ground, confusion filled in his eyes. In the last moments of his life, his vision gradually blurred. In the darkness, he vaguely saw a pair of bright three tomoe Sharingan.
Shwick
Shwick
Shwick
Stabbing several times, Tonan ensured his visitor was dead before turning the lights back on. The reason why his genjutsu was so strong was that he inherited his parents and his clansman’s abilities. With this much chakra reserve, the room could be constructed in just a short amount of time.
It wasn’t that Shinoda was unable to break his jutsu. It’s just that as soon as Shinoda began circulating his chakra to do so, Tonan threw him off-guard giving him the illusion that he had returned to reality.
The sound of dripping water was merely a psychological trick. The tap was not dripping from the very beginning. And, at the very last moment, he performed the Hell Viewing Technique that dug out the deepest fears in a person’s heart.
The last time Shinoda saw the dripping faucet, he was convinced he was out of the genjutsu.
Tonan went back to his bedroom and took out the only scroll in the house, enclosing the corpse into it. He then turned on the kitchen faucet, taking a wet rag to clean up the blood from the floor.
He also washed his hands and his kunai with soap to get rid of the odor.
After putting his blood-stained clothes into the washing machine, he changed into a fresh white shirt.
As for destroying the body, there was no need for that. Being someone on Sarutobi Hiruzen’s side, he had nothing to fear as long as he didn’t cross the line in Konoha.
Not to mention this was an enemy spy. He might even be rewarded for killing him.
It wasn’t a ridiculous idea to be able to kill a chunin alone using genjutsu with his three tomoe Sharingan. There was nothing he had to hide. Of course, he couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to. This guy had a companion. Once the interrogation department looks through his memories, everything will come to light.
Grabbing the scroll, Tonan headed for the Hokage Residence.
