Stepping into the large forest of the Land Of Valleys, Ruri looked at the large number of artificial cut stumps and wildflowers seen everywhere lining by the roadside, it looked no different from the forests of other places.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Ruri asked Kakuzu, who followed closely.
Kakuzu nodded, pointing to a tree with a hidden mark. "It's right here. I made this mark a few days ago. We were discussing how to get in, and then they disappeared."
"From your words, they probably disappeared mysteriously after falling into some kind of trap." Ruri guessed.
Kakuzu frowned and said, "Trap? i carefully searched the surrounding area, and found no trap, not even traces of human."
This point was indeed doubtful. As Kakusu was someone who had lived for more than half a century, with his strength and rich experience, it made it unlikely he overlooked a trap.
"This is where the problem lies." Ruri bent down and picked a wild flower by the roadside.
"A flower?"
"To be precise, it's floral." Ruri narrowed her eyes.
"Floral scent? No, I don't think it's a floral scent." Kakuzu had a sense of smell.
If there really was a problem with the fragrance of the flowers, then when they first stepped inside the forest, they may have already been tricked. But the fact is the opposite; whoever were inside False Valley only captured Bug Men but didn't attack him. It couldn't simply be a matter of the fragrance.
"If you aren't someone who's proficient in genjutsu, you really won't be able to find the problem. The enemies genjutsu is so good that even the ordinary three tomoe Sharingan would not be able to see through it." Ruri clarified.
"Genjutsu? You mean, these floral scents..."
"That's correct. It seems to be an extremely rare olfactory genjutsu."
Genjutsu , a method of hypnosis by controlling the flow of chakra in the nerves of the human brain. It requires extremely delicate chakra control. And all genjutsus were inseparable from the limitations of the five senses of touch, smell, hearing, sight, and taste. Most genjutsus were triggered by vision.
And Ruri herself had developed tactile genjutsu in the past. By touching the enemy or using objects, she could make the enemy fall into gennutsu. But, It is a little more difficult to learn than he visual genjutsu. As for the other auditory genjutsu, olfactory genjutsu, and taste genjutsu, the Uchiha clan has learned about them. Although Ruri had no idea of these three types of genjutsu, but she knew how to decipher them.
In addition, the main attack target of the genjutsu was the human spirit, and the Sharingan was the ultimate embodiment of Yin Release, it also acted on the spiritual level. So basically.... as long as a ninja of the Uchiha clan awakens Sharingan, they had certain resistance to various genjutsus.
Using genjutsu and deciphering genjutsu were specialty of the Uchihas.
In front of a genjutsu expert, Kakuzu wouldn't doubt. After all, he knew how to decipher basic genjutsu, but when it came to advanced genjutsu, he was basically powerless to perform them. He felt that the fragrance of the flowers here were normal, but in front of her, it was the biggest anomaly. He never thought that the hidden trap arranged was actually a genjutsu...
Kakuzu looked at both sides of the road along the way, there were wildflowers, and the fragrance filled the air, and he felt shocked for a while. This was a new concept for the so-called False Valley.
"This is a large-scale genjutsu released in groups. Here's already a genjutsu domain."
Ruri exhaled lightly, then she raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a slight smile. This trip wasn't in vain... Just because of the olfactory genjutsu, it was worth her coming here in person. She could increase the genjutsu library of the Uchiha clan.
"If this is the case, how do we find the entrance to the valley?"
Even though they knew the enemy had placed genjutsu here, if thy can't find the entrance to the valley, it will merely be a waste of time. Their purpose of coming here was simple, to rescue Bug Men who were captured, and to eliminate the remnants of the Blood Mist faction living inside the valley..
"Don't worry, we'll find it soon." Ruri's eyes turned into her Sharingan at some point.
.....
Standing on a cliff within the forest, looking downwards, a river could be seen flowing from top to bottom, flowing into the bottom of the cliff. The wind in the valley below was quite strong, carrying water steam to the mountaintop and through the forest.
Across from the cliff was another steep and formidable precipice. It wouldn't be possible for ordinary people to arrive here, only ninjas can. No, even for ninjas, it definitely isn't an easy walk, it required considerable effort.
"Is the entrance here?" Kakuzu asked, a little confused..Feeling the steam rising from the base of the cliff, followed by the mized6 scent of those of the wildflowers, he waited for Ruri's response.
Ruri remained silent, fixating her gaze on the opposing mountain wall with her bright red Sharingan. Then, she picked up a small stone beside her and hurled it towards the opposite mountain wall. The stone didn't encounter any obstacles and sinking directly into the mountain wall and disappearing.
"Is this... genjutsu?"
Kakuzu exclaimed, surprised as he scrutinized the opposite mountain wall. Then he became vigilant, as if he had also been under the genjutsu. Evidently, the fragrance from the flowers didn't make him hallucinate before. So, why did this particular genjutsu affect him? He was filled with bewilderment.
Ruri, seeming to understand Kakuzu's thoughts, pointed to the river from top to bottom, explaining, "The water here is problematic, it contains a strange scent. The wind carries the water steam into the forest, blending with the wildflowers' scent, masking it as the scent of wildflowers to confuse people. But, this genjutsu isn't very powerful. The closer you are to this river, the stronger the genjutsu's effect."
Kakuzu stared curiously at the river flowing beneath them.
"It's simply a naturally formed genjutsu. So the people inside used the strange scent produced by this river to capture them?"
"It should be. Although the five of them are proficient in their various ninjutsu, they aren't particularly resistant to genjutsus, making it a weakness for them."
Of course, ordinary genjutsus were useless against them. But False Valley's collective genjutsu was highly unique. For this mission, even if the rest of the Uchiha clan from the Land Of Demons came to investigate, they might struggle to discern through the genjutsu.
"Release!"
Both Ruri and Kakuzu simultaneously formed seals with their hands, dispelling the genjutsu and confusion in front of them. The opposing cliff immediately transformed in its appearance. In the middle of the mountain wall, there lay an enormous cave, which has been finely crafted through manual efforts.
"Is this the entrance to the place? It turned out to be built inside the mountain. No wonder it's never been investigated, deliberately covered with genjutsu. It really is clever." Kakuzu murmured.
"We've found the entrance, let's go in." After speaking, Ruri took the lead, moving towards the cave on the opposite rock wall.
For caves unreachable to ordinary people without tools, ninjas can effortlessly reach them with a light jump. This posed no challenge for Kakuzu as well, he effortlessly jumped to the entrance of the cave. The moment he and Ruri arrived at the entrance of the cave, they heard someone shouting:
"Who goes there?"
Three figures rushed out from the depths of the cave. But before they could react, Ruri's Sharingan locked onto them.
The faces of the three immediately dulled, and they weakly fell to the ground. Shortly after, the body and appearance of the three underwent a transformation, turning into completely different people from before.
Transformation? Why do they need to use the transformation jutsu on their own territory? Ruri found herself confused.
But Kakuzu pointed to the three people whose figures had changed and said: "If I recall them correctly, this person is a B-rank wanted criminal from Iwagakure, next to him is an A-rank wanted criminal from Sunagakure, and the last one is an A-rank wanted criminal from Kusagakure. All three of them are rogues, and their whereabouts have been unknown for ten years. The total bounty for their capture is 3.5 million ryo."
'Should he still be considered a former bounty hunter? Even after changing to a debt collector, his habits as a bounty hunter still persisted.'
"The place is rumoured to be a refuge village established by rogue ninjas, seeking refuge from the chaos outside." Kakuzu continued.
Ruri was thoughtful, and then sneered: "Then, does that mean by using the transformation jutsu they choose to become someone else which would allow them to start a new life here? A bunch of sick fellows."
.....
The village within the cave was constructed by carving into the cliffs. Both the patio and the walls were forged out from rocks. Because the village was built within a cave, there was hardly anysunlight getting in. Even with lights illuminating the area, it always felt dim and windy.
"Good afternoon, Village chief."
In the cave devoid of sunlight, every villager wore simple and plain clothes, with a bright and happy smile on their faces.
When an elderly man passed by, those next to him greeted him.
This white-haired old man was the village chief, one of those who founded False Valley. He had a kindhearted appearance, nodding in response to each villager's greeting.
"Good afternoon. After all, today is also a sunny day."
In fact, there was no sunlight within this cave village. But the old chief still spoke those words. The villagers understood the chief's sentiments, refrained from spoiling the atmosphere. In essence, they shared the same view as their chief.
"That's right, today's weather seems quite peaceful."
"It's another peaceful and joyful day."."
"Compared to the outside, this is paradise."
There was no war, no conflicts; by hiding here, they could enjoy peace. The chief nodded, pleased with the villagers' appreciation for peace. After a leisurely stroll outside, he returned. It happenwd to be dusk outside, and the villagers on the roads also consciously headed back to their homes, where they worked and restwd regularly.
This was the unwritten rule. Every afternoon at five o'clock, everyone must be in their own homes and prohibited from venturing outside. Because maintaining the transformation jutsu throughout the day required a huge amount of chakra and energy.
Those without their true faces exposed were accepted to live in False Valley. Because people who came to the valley were rogues, they had abandoned everything about their past. If they met their enemies here, it would inevitably lead to fights, disturbing the peace here.
That's why, it was required that when outside during the day, they must use the transformation jutsu to disguise themselves as any persona of their choice, maintaining it until their death. And once they returned to their home in the evening, they weren't allowed to leave their homes. This was also to avoid someone's true identity from being discovered.
Similar to a ninja with limited chakra, if they spent more than three or four hours during the day, they had to return to rest. People who lived here wore masks that disguised their real identities. There was no dispute here, and they weren't affected by the fightings outside. Similarly, people here weren't qualified for love, family affection, or friendship. Wearing disguises everyday, they might have already forgotten their original identities.
This was also the distress of the village chief. He seemed to have almost forgotten his own past. Name, family, lover, village, country... everything outside has forgotten. The only recollection he retained was about ninjutsu. He appeared to be a renowned S-rank rogue ninja from the past, and he remembered being the beloved village chief of False Valley. That was all the village chief recalled.
Back at his house, the chief approached the mirror. He didn't dispel the transformation jutsu because this was what he looked like. He didn't need to wear a mask to live. Because he was an old man of the old times, it was impossible for anyone to recall his name, and no one recall his past.
Enemies, lovers, relatives, and friends were all dead. Yet, even so, he had forgotten the past. Only by giving up the past could they survive. This was a rule he made himself.But recently, there was something that greatly displeased him, someone wanted to explore the existence of False Valley which would disrupt the peace here.
Fortunately, those people had all been apprehended. Now, all that remained was to offer them some guidance and assimilating them into the village.
...
"It truly is a fake village."
During the day, Ruri, having observed everything in the cave village, let out a breath slowly.
All who lived inside wore a mask. They disguised themselves during the day and returned to their home at night to reveal their true selves. They all say the word 'peace' whenever they meet, and their faces were always filled with happiness.
The False Valley live up to its ominous name.
However this disgusted Ruri extremely. Compared to these people, the hypocrisy of a certain woman seemed less detestable.
"Indeed, there's no existence more hypocritical than those who keep saying peace. It's nothing but a forced semblance of peace and happiness. This is far from the so-called 'Pure Land'. It truly deserves to be called False Valley." Kakuzu spoke slowly
The dream of peace – Kakuzu once harbored it. Yet, with his increasing experience and age, he understood that the idealistic dream was nothing but a fleeting illusion. Peace and war were relative. Peace was but a continuation of war, and war was but a continuation of peace. Like light and darkness, everything followed this pattern.
Besides, the people living here were rogue ninjas who had betrayed the country and the village.
Ninjas defect either to satisfy their various selfish desires or because their ideas conflict with their village. In Kakuzu's case, he was framed by the high-level officials in the village, leading to his angry defection.
Even so, scarred and struggling desperately in the harsh reality. For these rogues, living in False Valley was like a rejection of their past lives. The peace created by these people in disguise could only be a false peace. The world was neither cruel nor gentle. The world was just the world. The suffering derived from human actions was unrelated to the world.
Kakuzu had the urge to destroy these people. But he restrained himself. Engaging seriously with these people would only tarnish his own style. Moreover, he was no longer a bounty hunter. Even if he were to eliminate all these.rogue ninjas masquerading here, he couldn't exchange them for money in the underground black market. He wouldn't engage in such a loss-making business.
"Your mission to rescue them, and I'll handle the village chief. He might have information about the Blood Mist Faction." Ruri said.
Then, a mud figure emerged from the ground in front of her. It was Tu. Having scouted the area in advance, he possessed intricate knowledge of the environment like the back of his hand.
"Tu will take you there. I'll leave it to you then." Ruri said, disappearing from the spot.
Tu glanced at Kakuzu, turned around, and swam towards a certain direction, signaling Kakuzu to hurry up and follow his lead.
---
The village built within the cave, was supported by huge trees. All the trees cut down outside were all transported here.
The village chief's residence was essentially a log cabin, no, different from the homes of the other villagers. People here, basically, many of them lived alone, and only a few people settled
with their families.
The village chief turned on the lights in the wooden house and sat in front of the table, with scrolls scattered across its surface. Forget about everything in the past; the only way of having fun was studying ninjutsu.
Suddenly, the light above the ceiling flickered. The chief's ears moved immediately, and he sensed that a stranger had entered the house. Lifting his old wrinkled face, he looked into the dark corner of the room.
A woman with a cold visage stood there at some point, wearing a black ninja attire, blending with the darkness there. The bright red eyes with three tomoes met the village chief's gaze the moment he raised his head.
The chief was in a daze and immediately stepped backwards, looking at Ruri with vigilant eyes. Ruri, too, looked at the old man in surprise; her genjutsu had been broken. Yet, it continued to shatter from the front. This marked the first time of such an event.
"Red eyes... I recall to.have seen those somewhere before... Was it a genjutsu just now?" The village chief saw Ruri's Sharingan, a sense of nostalgia surfaced within him. It appears that in his past, he had engaged in battle with a ninja possessing similar red eyes, and the memory of that confrontation ran deep.
Ruri found the words of the village chief quite odd, but she brushed it off. She lowered her arms from around her face and asked the old village chief with great interest.
"Report your name; someone like you can't be anonymous." Ruri said coldly..Even in his old age, he must have been a renowned and powerful ninja in the past, if he was capable of breaking her Sharingan genjutsu in an instant.
"Name? Just call me nameless." The village chief responded. He didn't appear to be angered at all.
"Nameless? Is that your current name? Abandoning your past and living a hypocritical life here, ... You're truly interesting."
"This isn't a hypocritical life. Building a peaceful and a happy paradise has always been my lifelong dream. The outside world is terrible, war always breaks out. Death, all dead, many people die..." As he spoke, the chief trembled, an unprecedented look of fear on his face, as if he was recalling painful memories from the past.
"Really? I'm not interested in knowing your history. Where are the members of the Blood Mist faction?"
"Blood Mist faction? Do you mean the ninja who joined us a while ago?"
"Yes. Hand them over."
"No, they are now part of js. I'm the chief of this village, and I won't allow someone like you to harm my villagers. Moreover, since you've entered here... don't think about leaving, you will become a part of us as well." The village chief retorted angrily, with a trace of coercion.
"You don't seem like the understanding type. Wouldn't it be better to enjoy your old age quietly?" Ruri sighed lightly. After sighing, her figure flashed, and she instantly appeared in front of the village chief, waving her weapon behind him.
The weapon slashed across the body of the old man. His body transformed into a cloud of black smoke, disappearing from Ruri's sight.
'Genjutsu?' Ruri's eyes froze. She, with the Sharingan, fell victim to the enemy's genjutsu.
"Release!"
With a one-handed seal, she dispelled the genjutsu cast by the nameless. The chief stood in another corner of the room, looking at Ruri with the same surprised eyes.
"You actually broke my genjutsu?"
"Your genjutsu is quite powerful. Without my Sharingan, perhaps it might have been difficult to break."
Moreover, even with the Sharingan, it was doubtful that if an ordinary three tomoe Sharingan could forcibly cancel it. This old man's genjutsu was quite powerful. And there was no discernible pattern to exploit.
"Sharingan? That's a very familiar word. A ninja with eyes like yours. I feel like I've fought with someone like that in the past..."
Nameless didn't take any further action, instead, he was trying to remember something from long ago. The memory was so long ago that he couldn't recall it for a while.
Ruri scrutinized the village chief, who was quite old, around seventy years of age. She didn't think he was lying. Given his age and the level of his genjutsu, it was possible that he had fought an Uchiha in the past.
It was just... his behavior was too strange. Was it the price of forgetting the past? He really was pathetic and pitiful. She really wanted to kill him with her own hands to give him a happy relief. So, she quickly formed the seals, with chakra accumulating in her mouth.
"Great Fire Annihilation!"
The fire immediately erupted in the wooden house. The torrent of flames, annihilating everything in its path, engulfed the house and spread through the rest of the cave. The thunderous explosion immediately woke up the villagers who were asleep in their houses, and they peered out through the windows.
The flames burned wantonly inside the cave, appearing to intensify.
Pepper were fighting. The figure running close to the sea of flames was none other than the village chief they loved and respected. Nameless stared at the sea of flames in front of him, his clouded eyes reflecting the heat, the scorching air drawn into his lungs, leaving his throat dry.
"Since you won't cooperate, I'll just have to beat you close to dead and use genjutsu on you." Ruri's figure flashed in the sea of flames, surrounded by the fiery flames. Her long black hair billowed, and a more powerful chakra erupted from her body, causing her black hair to flutter wildly.
A blood-red chakra condensed on her body, and in an instant it transformed into a huge blood-colored warrior with only the upper body in an instant.
The massive blood-colored arm swung through the air, automatically dividing the flames to the two sides, exuding an unparalleled aura. A blood-colored giant sword was tightly gripped in its hand. Under the villagers' astonished gaze, she mercilessly swung the sword down on the village chief.
The earth shattered instantly. The power supply facilities in the vast cave were also affected. All the lights along the road went out, leaving only the glow of the flames. The air continued to heat up, and many panicked, fleeing into the cave.
Emerging from the rising dust, the old man narrowly avoided the attack once again. His style of leaping was agile and flexible, not at all resembling the physical capabilities of an old man in his seventies.
"Is it another genjutsu?" Ruri secretly gritted her teeth at this abnormal dodging methods.
What exactly was the problem? He didn't even have an opportunity to cast the genjutsu at all. No matter how trucky a genjutsu attack was, there needed be trigger conditions. Besides, with her Sharingan, she couldn't be affected by the enemy's genjutsu for no reason. But yet, even with the Sharingan, she found herself at a disadvantage.
"Has it finally stopped? What terrible chakra. Fortunately, the battle started here. If it was outside, I would probably be dead.."
Nameless walked up to Ruri with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. In his field of vision, there was only fire everywhere, and also the burst of chakra from the woman that made his heart palpitate, as if she was preparing to use some extremely terrifying moves. If that move was smoothly performed, he was likely to be killed in an instant.
The surrounding villagers didn't escape, but they only dared to watch from a far distance and not daring to go forward. Seeing the village chief subdue the enemy with genjutsu, they were relieved. The reason why the village chief was nameless wasn't only because he was the founder but also because he alone possessed the fighting power to suppress all the ninjas here. Especially the mysterious genjutsu, which was unsolvable.
"A ninja of your level won't easily surrender. I will use my strongest genjutsu to completely annihilate your excess desire to fight. Peaceful coexistence here is the only way to get happiness." Nameless stood still in front of Ruri and spoke softly. After the village chief finished speaking, he formed seals, and he began emitting a strange light from his muddy eyes. Afterward, he maintained this seal posture, trying to use his genjutsu to influence Ruri's consciousness.
Ten minutes passed. The chakra emanating from Ruri was still difficult for ordinary people to get close to, and it kept intensifying.
'This woman has such a strong desire to fight. Why was she so keen on fighting? Isn't fear enough?" The village chief frowned.
Half an hour later, the village chief saw that the chakra on Ruri's body had turned into a coquettish blood-red color, forming an incomparably huge blood-colored warrior holding a blood-red giant sword. The red radiated from the giant sword, buzzing and trembling, ready to kill violently at any time.
The huge cave space kept trembling, and large chunks of rock collapsed downward. The village chief was covered in cold sweat, his wrinkled old face twisted into a ball.
Suddenly, Ruri's Sharingan regained life and she stared at the village chief. The old man finally couldn't hide his expression anymore, he was terrified.
"Impossible!"
The moment he finished shouting the words, the blood-red sword light swung down. The sword swept across the border, wiping out everything in its path. The rocks above were collapsed faster. False Valley would soon be a pile of ruins.
The village chief fell to the ground, coughing out blood. Ruri deliberately avoided the deadly strike, but only let the sword energy spread, causing the old man to collapse to the ground with serious injuries. It wasn't a shock wave that could be resisted by the human body.
The villagers panicked and fled, no longer under the influence of the genjutsu, escaping towards the outside.
When Ruri was about to step forward to say something, the village chief on the ground coughed, shook his head, and said,
"No need, you can leave."
It was obvious that Ruri didn't intend to kill him.
"If you don't leave, you will die."
"Even death is better than the cruel world outside..." The tone of the village chief seemed to have become much more stable, no longer disordered as before.
Ruri remained silent. She could hear the village chief's weariness and disdain for the outside world. He only wanted to satisfy his desire for peace in this small world. With that thought, she suddenly felt a sense of guilt.
"Don't feel guilty, but I would like to thank you for waking the old man in me from the days gone by.... I had a dream of peace for decades... It's time to wake up from this dream. Thanks to you, I could finally remember my name."
"Hmm?"
"But even so, my clan, friends, and enemies all died in the war. Even if I do recall my name, it's all meaningless."
"..."
"It's a bit absurd to say.... My original intention was to open up a peaceful paradise from the world where there was constant battles... but in the end, I could only rely on genjutsu to influence those living here, so they could have a sense of identity with the life here...False Valley... When I first named this village, I hoped that someone would be able to expose all the falseness here..." He had become someone he detested the most. The village chief smiled wryly.
"Your genjutsu is incredible."
"Yet, you saw through it. Can you tell me, what did you see in my genjutsu?" Nameless looked at Ruri curiously.
"I didn't see anything."
"What?"
"I'm not trying to lie you. I really didn't see anything. I just realized I was under your genjutsu, so I kept trying to break through it."
"Have you... nothing to fear?"
"No."
Nameless was astonished by the crisp answer, and then he burst out laughing, with tears in his eyes. No wonder she was able to break free from his genjutsu. His genjutsu had no effect on a fearless ninja. People who had experienced grief and regret in the past will be captured by his genjutsu, and their consciousness will be obliterated, becoming puppets controlled by him.
"A life without fear, I really do envy you. If I could do the same back then, bravely face those damn tragedies... maybe..."
Unfortunately, there was no such medicine for regret. Ruri didn't speak but quietly listened to the village chief's story about his past.
"The people you're looking for left yesterday, they said they would return. It's likely they just wanted to use me as a shield, they probably won't come back here in the future."
"Then where did they go?"
Seeing the village chief mentioning something serious, Ruri hurriedly asked.
"I heard from the people under my command that they seem to be heading towards the Land of Earth..You can go after them in that direction."
Ruri nodded and then bid farewell to the village chief:
"This place is about to collapse, I'm leaves, take care of yourself."
"Your business... But this is really a bad karma."
"Bad karma?"
Ruri, who was walking towards the exit of the cave, paused. Nameless looked at the top of the falling rock, his eyes became more lax.
"Yeah, the Sharingan... It's been a long time since I met a someone from the Uchiha. In the past, I also fought with someone from the clan. He also broke all my genjutsu. It was the first time in my life I was defeated in the field of genjutsu. That Uchiha name... Madara. He should be a very famous person in the world by now... Someone who was able to defeat me in genjutsu can't be unknown..."
Ruri fell silent. Just how long had this old village been established for him to know Madara?
"The person by the name Madara is dead, and he died by my hands indirectly."
After leaving her words, Ruri left without looking back. She didn't turn her head to see the expression of the village chief. The rocks fell one by one, and there was no sound from behind.
------
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