For all those who prefer ruthless, edgy protagonists to be happy, I took my pain and made one.
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The shadows lengthened as the sun began to dip behind the horizon, casting a soft glow through the dense foliage. Arsene remained still, perched on a high branch, watching the guards below shift their patrols. He had been waiting for the right moment, biding his time, calculating his approach. Should I try stealth? The thought crossed his mind, though it came with a hint of annoyance. Stealth wasn't his style—it required patience, and patience was something he had little of. But as irritating as the idea was, the alternative was worse. If he attacked head-on, they might run, scattering into the woods before he had a chance to finish them.
That would be far more bothersome. Fine. Stealth it is.
Without another thought, Arsene pushed off the branch, dropping down silently onto the forest floor below. His landing was soft, precise—years of training making every movement calculated. His eyes scanned the area, noting the position of the guards. They weren't particularly skilled, but they didn't need to be. The mirrors placed strategically around the cave entrance were the real threat.
As he crept closer, Arsene caught a glimpse of his reflection in one of the mirrors. His movements halted instantly, his senses sharpening. The reflection flickered, and his mind buzzed with an unsettling haze.
Genjutsu... The realization hit him like a wave of cold water, jolting him awake. The illusion had already begun to worm its way into his mind, softening the edges of his thoughts, pulling him into a false sense of security. Arsene's body tensed. Genjutsu was problematic for him—annoying, as he often thought of it. It was difficult for him to break out of illusions quickly, especially since his fighting style relied more on speed and raw power than finesse.
I hate this... he thought bitterly, his teeth gritting as he forced himself to focus. The first step in dispelling a genjutsu was recognizing it—something he had learned through painful trial and error. Snap out of it.
Arsene gripped a kunai tightly, its cold metal pressing into his palm, grounding him. With a deliberate breath, he forced chakra into his fingertips, momentarily disrupting the flow of the illusion. The mirror's hold wavered, and in that instant, Arsene moved. The sensation of clarity returned, sharpening his thoughts as he ducked out of the reflection's range. That's better.
His reprieve, however, was short-lived.
"What the—!" A guard, making his rounds, had spotted Arsene. The man's eyes widened, his hand flying to his mouth, preparing to shout an alarm.
But Arsene was faster. In one fluid motion, he was upon the man. The kunai in his hand gleamed briefly before slashing across the guard's throat, silencing him instantly. Blood sprayed, warm and thick, as the guard's body crumpled to the ground. Arsene barely spared the corpse a glance. One down.
Without hesitation, Arsene moved toward the next guard. His steps were silent, his movements precise. Another guard, unaware of the death of his comrade, stood idly by the cave's entrance, his back turned. Arsene approached from behind, and with a swift flick of his wrist, the kunai slid across the guard's neck in one smooth motion. The body fell limp, joining the first on the cold ground. Rinse and repeat.
In a matter of moments, the remaining guards were dispatched in similar fashion, each death quick and efficient. Arsene's hands were steady, his breath even. He had grown numb to the act of killing—it was nothing more than a necessary step in his path. Each strike was cold, calculated, devoid of hesitation or remorse. This was the world he understood: a world where strength determined who lived and who died.
With the guards eliminated, Arsene wiped the blood from his kunai and crouched low, his eyes scanning the now-exposed cave entrance. The mirrors glinted ominously in the dim light, their surfaces still holding traces of the genjutsu that had nearly trapped him earlier. Sloppy. They rely too much on illusions. He stepped forward, keeping his distance from the reflective surfaces. I'm not falling for that again.
The cave loomed before him, dark and quiet, but Arsene knew better than to assume silence meant safety. His instincts were sharp, honed by years of experience. He slipped into the shadows, pressing his back against the cool stone of the cave wall as he listened intently for any sound.
Meanwhile, Inside the Cave – Gekko's Perspective
Deep within the cave, Gekko, the leader of the Byakuya Gang, sat at a makeshift table, enjoying a meal with a few of his subordinates. The low hum of conversation filled the space as they relaxed, completely unaware of the massacre happening just outside.
Gekko, a tall man with sharp, calculating eyes, took another bite of his food, but something nagged at him—a faint feeling of unease that he couldn't quite place. His instincts, honed over years of leading the gang, told him that something wasn't right.
"Boss," one of the men at the table said, his voice breaking Gekko's thoughts. "Everything alright?"
Gekko chewed slowly, his eyes narrowing. The unease was still there, gnawing at the edges of his mind. Was that a scream I heard earlier? His guards were supposed to handle any intruders, and he had placed mirrors around the cave to trap anyone in a genjutsu before they even got close.
Still, something didn't feel right.
"Hey," Gekko called out, his voice cutting through the chatter. He pointed to Ryogi, one of his more reliable men. "Mind checking what that noise was?"
Ryogi, a young man with a calm demeanor, nodded immediately and stood up from the table. "Of course, Boss," he said, giving a polite bow before heading toward the cave's entrance.
As Ryogi disappeared into the darkness, Gekko leaned back in his seat, his fingers tapping against the table. It'll be fine. The thought was meant to reassure him, but the unease persisted. The mirrors had worked flawlessly before—even chunin-level shinobi had fallen prey to them in the past. He had little reason to doubt their effectiveness now.
But still, that feeling gnawed at him. The noise, the sudden chill that ran down his spine—it didn't sit well with him. Gekko's instincts were rarely wrong, and right now, they were telling him that something was off.
"It'll be fine," he muttered to himself again, but this time, the words felt hollow. His mind wandered back to the countless 'missions' his gang had pulled off. They had always been meticulous, careful to avoid the attention of Konoha's shinobi forces. But recently, their success had made them careless. Too careless?
Gekko's eyes flicked toward the cave entrance, watching the flicker of torchlight beyond. He had guards posted, mirrors set up to trap anyone who dared approach—everything was in place. And yet... his instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Arsene – Inside the Cave
Arsene moved silently through the cave, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows against the walls. The scent of damp earth filled the air, mingling with the faint metallic tang of blood that still clung to his kunai. He gripped the weapon tightly, his senses alert. Every step he took was calculated, his ears straining for the slightest sound.
Ahead, the cave opened up into a larger chamber, and Arsene's sharp eyes caught movement—one of the gang members, a young man with a calm, almost bored expression, making his way toward the entrance. Arsene melted into the shadows, his breath shallow as he watched.
He's coming to check the bodies.
The young man, Ryogi, hadn't noticed the massacre outside yet. His steps were casual, his demeanor relaxed. Arsene waited, his muscles tensed, ready to strike. Let him get closer.
Ryogi stepped into the narrow tunnel, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then his foot hit something soft, and he froze. His eyes flicked downward—and his breath caught in his throat.
The bodies. The blood.
Before Ryogi could even scream, Arsene was upon him, his kunai flashing in the dim light. One swift motion, and Ryogi's body crumpled to the ground, joining the rest of his fallen comrades.
Arsene straightened, his eyes narrowing as he looked deeper into the cave. He could hear voices now—muffled, distant. The leader was still inside, unaware of the slaughter that had taken place just outside his walls.
Time to finish this.
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[Auther: Yo~Sha! It's been awhile eh? For those who know this arc(You really got through the first episode and didn't die of cringe?) I make sure to give the extras time to shine.]