April 27, 11 Years After Naruto's Birth.
Suguru recalled the first gut feeling he had when he went out on his first C-rank mission. Since then, that gut feeling had been ever-present whenever he went out for missions.
Now, as he flickered through the endless forests of the Land of Fire, that gut feeling was no longer a mere instinctual sentiment. Something was twisting his guts from the inside, warning him of danger.
What should've been a regular bandit extermination mission had turned into a battle between shinobi.
'Isao, Yumiko, and Hitomi-sensei should be fighting their own battles by now,' Suguru activated his Kaisugan.
The image of two Kirigakure shinobi appeared in his mind, pursuing him relentlessly.
'We're outnumbered, three to two.'
Suguru's analysis was calm.
'There's no one in the vicinity.'
His Kaisugan spread far and wide, scanning the entire fifty-kilometer radius.
'I've pulled the enemy far enough.'
Shattered irises flashed with a deadly silver gleam.
'It's safe to engage.'
***
"He stopped!" One of the Kiri-nins exclaimed. "No... He's heading straight towards us!"
"Shi— He's here!"
A figure flickered between the two Kiri-nins.
'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!'
Suguru aimed at the first one he saw upon appearing. Then, he weaved another hand sign, aiming for the one who reacted a moment slower.
'Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu,'
Suguru watched as his chakra invaded the shinobi before him. His fireball engulfed its corresponding target while he focused on his Genjutsu. The two targets were reduced to leaves and ashes.
It was the Substitution Jutsu.
"Tsk,"
Thus, he was forced to leap away as a few shuriken peppered the branch he was standing on. His foot lightly tapped another branch and he flickered again.
"He's fast! Formation 2!" A Kiri-nin shouted.
The two Kiri-nins waited for the next attack, however, that attack did not come. The sensor-nin expanded his chakra field and realized what had happened.
"He's escaping again! Due North-West! Hurry!"
The duo poured chakra into their feet, ready to rush forward.
When suddenly,
The temperature began to rise again. Another fireball engulfed one of the Kiri-nins, seemingly coming out of nowhere.
A branch had turned into Suguru with a puff of smoke.
"Transformation Jutsu! Damn—!" The Kiri-nin was barely able to dodge the fireball. His clothes began burning due to the heat while his hair had already caught fire.
The other Kiri-nin had been standing behind him. Thus, when the one in front dodged, the fireball continued toward him. Luckily, he had more time.
His hands rapidly formed a seal and he spat out a large amount of water.
'Water Release: Raging Waves!'
A large amount of steam spread throughout the area.
Thus...
'Hiding in Mist Jutsu,'
They allowed the steam to spread. Unfortunately for them—
"—Ack!"
A kunai nearly struck the Kiri-nin accurately despite the mist. With a kunai almost hitting his throat, he was suddenly on guard.
'I was lucky I parried,' He said, grasping his sword tightly.
However, that was not the end. A palm was rushing towards his face. The mist parted as it flew towards him.
The Kiri-nin dodged, ducking his head.
However, a low kick came from his side, slamming into his face. His head snapped back, however, he was not yet dead.
A sword swiftly arrived, nullifying the threat that he had suddenly faced. His teammate had his back.
Dazed, the Kiri-nin cursed.
"Slippery bastard,"
Another fireball arrived just as he said that.
'Raging Waves!'
Only to be blocked once again.
The two Kiri-nins realized that their opponent was much faster than they were. Despite Suguru's lacking lethality, he was simply too quick on his feet, never staying in one place.
Furthermore, he had Shadow Clones.
Unfortunately, the Kiri-nins could not let him escape and inform Konohagakure. Otherwise, their mission would surely face greater difficulties.
"He's running again—" The sensor yelped when he spread his chakra field.
—Ssuk!
No, Suguru wasn't running. It was another feint.
A kunai fell from the sky, piercing the Kiri-nin's head. The other Kiri-nin stared in shock as his comrade — a newly advanced chuunin — lost his life in his own mist.
Suddenly, a pair of eyes appeared in front of him.
'Dark Release: Vampiric Gaze!'
The Kiri-nin felt his mind go blank. His thoughts were preoccupied with the beautiful ethereal eyes before him.
'Dark Release: Inhaling Maw!'
Then, his chakra rapidly left his body, leaving him lethargic. Weakness consumed him as he realized his grim future, snapping out of his daze.
'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!'
Only ashes would be left of his corpse.
***
Suguru watched as the Kiri-nin was slowly consumed by the flames. His three-tomoe Sharingan flashed with a dangerous glint.
'Luckily, I was able to absorb this guy's chakra. Otherwise, I would no longer have enough to keep fighting.'
Suguru thought as he deactivated his Kaisugan. The Sharingan in his eyes broke into several pieces of silver that soon reassembled themselves into his normal irises.
'On that note, people do become careless of projectiles directly above the crown of their head.'
From what Suguru could tell, it was a lethal lapse in judgment. This was why the Byakugan was such a strong Dojutsu.
Had the Kiri-nin wielded a pair of Byakugan, the fight would've gone differently.
'Conclusion: I am a Kirigakure ninja's natural enemy.'
By using his Kaisugan, the chakra-filled Hiding in Mist technique wasn't useful against him. With remotely-activating jutsus on top of it, he was even more of a menace.
Furthermore, with his Sharingan, he could perform a little future prediction in battle — similar to what Kakashi was capable of.
'If they chased me alone, this might've been easier.' Suguru smacked his lips.
Vampiric Gaze worked like a Genjutsu. If someone was nearby and could help disrupt his target's chakra, all his efforts would be wasted. A significant portion of his chakra would dissipate into the void.
'Oh well, at least I strengthened myself with this encounter.'
He was able to absorb some chakra from the Kiri-nin. However, it wasn't enough to be called substantial.
'I need more...'
If he could absorb the chakra of an entire village, then that would make for a good time. Perhaps he could even partake of a few tailed beasts, a few summons, and a few jounin as well.
Unfortunately, doing so would alert several powerful figures. For now, he had to bide his time, collecting chakra like he was harvesting wheat.
Sooner or later, he could consume entire civilian fortresses.
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