The scar-faced man's shout instantly reignited the mountain bandits' morale. They no longer thought of fleeing—one by one, they raised their weapons and resumed their furious, frenzied howls.
Gekkō Hoshiyomi and Sakumo's expressions darkened. They hadn't expected the bandit leader to be such a slippery bastard—circling around for a surprise attack.
Seeing Yūhi Shinku being held hostage, Sakumo was momentarily at a loss. He fended off the encroaching bandits with his blade, while casting a sidelong glance toward Hoshiyomi. Somehow, this guy always came up with an unexpected solution when things looked hopeless.
What Sakumo didn't know was that Hoshiyomi himself didn't have a solid plan just yet. His first instinct was actually to call for their jōnin-sensei, Akimichi Torifu.
Hoshiyomi glanced toward Torifu, silently pleading for help—but the burly man simply smiled at him, as if to say:
"Go ahead, little brother. The stage is yours."
It was clear this situation still didn't meet Torifu's definition of a "life-or-death crisis." In other words, he wasn't planning to step in yet.
This isn't a crisis? Hoshiyomi thought. But seeing Torifu's calm expression, his own tension eased somewhat. He had a great deal of faith in this elite jōnin—a disciple of the Second Hokage and a shinobi with near-Kage-level strength.
If Torifu wasn't worried, that meant he believed Hoshiyomi could handle it. So, Hoshiyomi just had to figure something out. With Torifu there as a safety net, Shinku's life wasn't in immediate danger.
That thought alone gave him the mental space he needed. The moment he relaxed, ideas started flowing.
How do I get Shinku out of this?
If it were a straight-up one-on-one, Hoshiyomi was confident he could end it in a flash using his technique, Crescent Moon Slash. But with Shinku still in the enemy's grasp, using that kind of speed-based attack would risk him getting killed if the leader tried to take him down with him.
Unless…
Unless I can distract him for just a second.
Wait. Distraction? Shinku was a genjutsu user. Distraction was his forte.
As long as Shinku could cast a genjutsu and disrupt the enemy for even a moment, Hoshiyomi could rush in and end it in one clean stroke.
Hoshiyomi instinctively looked toward Shinku, but saw he was still frozen in fear—soul nearly half-scared out of his body. Hoshiyomi couldn't help but sigh.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
But it was worth a try. And if it failed, Torifu would intervene—Shinku wouldn't die. So he could afford to gamble a little. Shinku With that in mind, Hoshiyomi's confidence returned. He feigned panic and turned toward the scar-faced leader, voice trembling:
"Wait—don't! We'll do what you say, just don't hurt Shinku! We grew up together… He's the only friend I've got. If he dies, I don't want to live either!"
Shinku and Sakumo both turned to him with baffled expressions—Since when were you childhood friends?!
But Sakumo, who had been with Hoshiyomi for over half a year, quickly caught on. He's up to something. So he played along immediately.
"You're insane, Hoshiyomi! You're gonna abandon the mission for a friend?!"
Ding! Your friend, 'Hatake "Oscar-Worthy" Sakumo,' has logged in.
Hoshiyomi smiled inwardly. He gets me.
He dove deeper into character. "I don't care about the mission! If I can't even save Shinku, what's the point of being a shinobi?!"
"You've forgotten the shinobi code, Hoshiyomi! You're hopeless!"
"What code?! Is that more important than a life?! When Shinku saved you before, abandoning the mission didn't seem to bother you. Or do I need to cast a genjutsu to refresh your memory?"
Their sudden shouting match completely stunned everyone present. Even the bandits paused, dumbfounded by this dramatic betrayal.
The scar-faced leader, rather than forcing them to drop their weapons, became engrossed in the spectacle, thinking to himself:
Kids… So immature. Fighting amongst themselves at a time like this? Works for me. The less I have to do, the better. I wasn't even confident I could beat those two in a real fight… But now? This is perfect.
What he didn't realize was that Shinku had snapped out of his panic. Hoshiyomi's "confession" had caught his attention, grounding him, and the deliberate mention of genjutsu—a technique Hoshiyomi didn't even use—made the intention clear.
Even a pig could've figured it out from such a blatant hint.
Shinku glanced up carefully. The leader's eyes were glued to Hoshiyomi and Sakumo. Now was his chance. He quickly began forming hand signs in secret.
The moment his jutsu was complete, Shinku slapped the leader's forearm. The scar-faced man instinctively glanced down—
And locked eyes with Shinku.
Illusion Technique: Naraku's Gaze.
The moment their eyes met, the bandit leader knew he'd messed up.
Damn it… this is a setup!
But it was already too late.
He plummeted into the genjutsu world.
Before him appeared the mutilated corpses of his former comrades—those he had abandoned long ago. Except now, they were rising to their feet, eyes blood-red and accusing.
Why did you abandon us?
Why did you run and leave us to die?
Where's your shinobi honor?!
He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He knew it was an illusion, but it still made his blood run cold.
Luckily, his suffering didn't last long. Before he could even try to break free—
A silver flash sliced clean across his neck.
His severed head arced into the air, bringing his torment to an end—and reuniting him with the comrades he had left behind.
Naturally, the one who ended him was Hoshiyomi. The "argument" between him and Sakumo had been pure performance—one carefully crafted to bait the enemy.
They had never taken their eyes off Shinku for even a second.
The moment Shinku cast the genjutsu, Hoshiyomi launched Crescent Moon Slash, severing the bandit leader's head in a single, elegant strike.
The head thudded to the ground and rolled some distance, leaving the remaining bandits paralyzed with fear.
Because they all understood—next, it would be their turn.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin