At that moment, Mei Terumi understood immediately.
It turned out that the reason why the Anbu couldn't see her wasn't an illusion or a prank, but because of the white paper left by her ninja brother.
Ninja brother.
She absentmindedly ran her fingers over the mysterious symbols on the white paper.
It seemed to bring her a bit of psychological comfort.
Her blood-stained fingertips touched the white paper, but she never expected the mysterious symbol to suddenly dissipate into a cloud of smoke upon contact with the blood.
Bang!
A figure materialized in the rising smoke.
A young man with black hair, sporting black-rimmed glasses, stood tall with a gentle and refreshing appearance. His pure, clear eyes resembled a tranquil ocean.
"Ninja brother."
Mei Terumi gripped the paper tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Seeing Uchiha Sogetsu, she felt an overwhelming sense of injustice, like a dam bursting. Her façade of strength crumbled instantly.
She couldn't believe she was seeing her ninja brother again. "Are you really my ninja brother?"
Gazing at the burning village ahead and the thick scent of blood in the air, Uchiha Sogetsu quickly deduced what had happened.
Looking down at the girl before him, her skin scorched by fire with barely any unharmed flesh left, he felt a surge of turmoil in his heart. His voice was low and remorseful: "Yes, it's me. I'm sorry."
His emotions were complex. He had thought the measures he had put in place would safeguard the village.
But he had never expected this outcome.
"Oh!"
Mei Terumi collapsed completely, throwing herself into his arms, tears pouring forth. "Ninja brother. They... they killed... Grandma, everyone!"
"They're all gone! I'm the only one left. Waaah!"
The girl's heartbreaking cries caught the attention of the nearby Anbu.
"I found you!"
Thinking they had located someone, the Anbu were surprised to find an unexpected figure.
Though he had never seen him before, the distinctive glasses made his identity unmistakable: "It's you—Uchiha Sogetsu!"
"Don't cry, Mei Terumi."
Uchiha Sogetsu paid no heed to Kirigakure's Anbu as he gently consoled the weeping girl nestled in his arms.
"Calm," he murmured.
His words carried a gentle power, gradually easing into the girl's troubled spirit.
Slowly, her agitated emotions began to settle.
"Mystical Palm Technique!"
A healing chakra, glowing with a soft green light, mended the girl's external wounds.
"Rest now. Sleep," Sogetsu's voice, like a soothing lullaby, ushered her into slumber. With a tender hand, he gently patted her back. "When you wake, you'll feel better."
"Ninja... brother."
Terumi Mei's voice was faint, her eyelids heavy as they slowly closed.
Having hypnotized her into a serene dream, Uchiha Sogetsu cradled her gently, then turned his gaze towards Kirigakure's Anbu nearby.
A tense silence.
The moment his eyes met theirs, the Anbu felt the air constrict around him. The oppressive weight made breathing laborious, as if the very atmosphere had thickened into viscous syrup, and a weighty stone bore down upon his heart.
Such strength, overwhelming.
A single glance rendered him immobile.
The divide was vast. At this moment, the Anbu realized that the gap between himself and Uchiha Sogetsu exceeded even that between him and the young girl.
"Regroup!"
Without hesitation, the Anbu turned and fled, releasing a signal flare.
Swoosh-bang!
The flare burst in the sky, its brilliant flames visible for kilometers around.
"Huh? That's... a signal!"
At the sight of the signal, Fuguki Suikazan immediately sensed trouble brewing within the village.
Not only him, but also the other two Ninja Swordsmen and the Anbu under their command saw the fireworks bursting in the sky. They all sprinted in that direction to regroup.
Crash--!
Snow continued to fall as dozens of figures dashed through the woods.
Fuguki Suikazan was the first to arrive, but what he saw puzzled him deeply. Four Anbu were kneeling on the ground, seemingly repenting and atoning.
They had slit their abdomens with short knives, letting blood and intestines spill onto the ground, dying in grotesque pain on their faces.
"I've been expecting you, Fuguki Suikazan."
Uchiha Sogetsu held a sleeping girl and gazed at Fuguki Suikazan with indifference. "Now that you're here, let's kneel and atone for our sins!"
Kneel and atone? Fuguki Suikazan was momentarily stunned, then realized they were referring to the massacre of the village. He burst into laughter.
"Uchiha Sogetsu, I know I'm no match for you. But I only need to hold you here until our reinforcements arrive. Let's see if you can still be so arrogant!"
"Immerse yourself in an illusion, and then... repent until death!"
Uchiha Sogetsu employed Battle Hypnosis, enhancing the illusion with his Sharingan.
Buzz!
Fuguki Suikazan stood dumbfounded, as if his soul had departed.
Oops, it's an illusion!
Realizing he was ensnared in an illusion, Fuguki Suikazan was greatly alarmed.
He knew it was Uchiha, so he must have prepared. Despite avoiding eye contact, he still fell victim to the illusion. How terrifying!
Surveying the illusionary space, he found himself in a dark void.
No up or down, no left or right, no sense of time passing. It felt like an endless, confining darkness, deeply unsettling.
"Huh, stay calm!"
Fuguki Suikazan controlled his emotions, forcing himself to calm down. "It's just an illusion. I just need to disrupt the flow of chakra..."
Boom!
Chakra erupted.
But the illusion persisted.
Fuguki Suikazan's face darkened, yet he didn't despair. Instead, he commanded Samehada: "Absorb my chakra, Samehada!"
Though not a Jinchūriki, he could still use Samehada to absorb his own chakra and then release it in a burst. Such a violent disruption of chakra flow was sufficient to counteract the Sharingan's genjutsu!
After a while, his efforts failed once again.
Neither Samehada nor chakra disruption could free him from the illusion.
Moreover, this dark and constricted space only served to agitate Fuguki Suikazan further, driving him to attack wildly and without purpose.
He couldn't tell how long it had been—there was no up, down, left, or right, no sound, and no sense of time passing.
The sensation was indescribable. The oppressive silence and suffocating darkness gradually wore down his patience and stoked his anger. If he remained here any longer, his spirit would surely break.
"Ahhhh——!"
Fuguki Suikazan's eyes widened as he swung Samehada around like a madman.
His violent chakra surged, but in this empty void, it stirred no response.
"You bastard! Show yourself! Fight me!"
His roar was quickly swallowed by the darkness.
Finally unable to bear it any longer, a crazed idea flashed through his mind: "If I commit suicide, maybe I can escape this place!"
It wasn't a random thought—it seemed plausible!
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Fuguki Suikazan gasped heavily, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. Slowly, he raised Samehada and pressed it against his neck.
Swish——!
The barbed Samehada sliced into his throat.
In the next moment,
Fuguki Suikazan screamed, then suddenly opened his eyes to find himself back in reality.
"Hahahaha." Ecstasy spread across his face, and he burst into laughter. "I'm out! I'm out! Uchiha Sogetsu, let's see what tricks you've got!"
But before he could savor even a second of relief, he was yanked back into the illusion.
The familiar void of darkness, the familiar deathly silence, the familiar... maddeningly confining darkness!
Suicide!
Fuguki Suikazan raised his blade again and slashed at his neck.
Yet each time he returned to reality, he was swiftly dragged back into the illusion without resistance.
Suicide!
Suicide!
Suicide!
Suicide!
Fuguki Suikazan repeated the act of suicide countless times.
The line between reality and illusion blurred in that moment. He couldn't distinguish which was real and which was the world of illusion.
Fuguki Suikazan's eyes burned red as he gripped Samehada fiercely.
The blizzard raged, the wind chilled to the bone.
He seemed to scream in agony, wrenching the Samehada forcefully, its sharp barbs scraping against his throat.
Puff——!
Blood sprayed out, splashing several feet into the air.
Fuguki Suikazan widened his eyes, a hint of confusion flickering in his trembling gaze. "What? Is this real?"
********
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